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Scepticism.
The one other system of philosophy with which we have to deal is Scepticism. The
founder of this school was Pyrrho, who was associated with Alexander the Great. The
fundamental doctrine of the Sceptics was the same as that of the Stoics and the
Epicureans--namely, that "philosophy shall conduct us to happiness". The Sceptics held
that what things really are, lies beyond the sphere of our knowledge. For all we know,
the opposite of every proposition is still possible. In the circumstances, the true line for
the philosopher is a complete suspension of judgment. His attitude was: "It is possible, it
may perhaps be so, I know nothing for certain"--to which he was careful to add, "Nor do
I even know for certain that I know nothing for certain". In this suspension of judgment,
and in this alone, the Sceptic believed that tranquility was to be found.
Paul, as we have seen, bore his testimony before the Stoics and Epicureans. In the
case of the Lord Himself, it was before the Sceptic, Pontius Pilate. When Pilate asked
"Thos art a King then?" the Lord answered:
"Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into
the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth
My voice" (John 18: 37).
To which Pilate replies: "What is truth?" Pilate did not ask this question in order to
obtain an answer. His words were the words of a Sceptic, and were probably spoken with
a sneer, and a contemptuous turn of the heel, without waiting for any answer, and
believing that no answer was possible.
"And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I
find in Him no fault at all" (John 18: 38).
Here, before one of the basest products of the philosophy of the ages, stood the living
Truth Himself, and yet the Jews combined with the Gentiles to put Him to death,
choosing rather Barabbas.
Throughout this series we have but one aim--to do all that we can to impress the
reader with the fact that the only true wisdom is the wisdom that comes to us in the living
personal Christ. All else is but an unsuccessful groping in the dark. He alone solves the
problem of Being and Becoming; of the First Cause and the Last Goal. He Himself is
Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Like Asaph, we have vexed our souls in the schools of philosophy, and find no
satisfaction or peace until at length we have gone into the sanctuary, and there we have
seen the end. In the light of the birth at Bethlehem, the sacrifice of Calvary, and the
resurrection from the sealed tomb, we see that which no philosopher could discover, and
like Asaph we can say:
"Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside
Thee" (Psa. 73: 25).