Alethia … I met my first Alethia last year after being referred to her as my new ENT Surgeon specialising in Meniere’s disease. It took me awhile to warm to her with her particular sense of humour, but she has done good work with me & I’ve come to appreciate her. “Alethia” is the Anglicised form of the Greek “aletheia”, meaning “truth, disclosure, that which is not hidden”. Biblically “aletheia” also means “reality”,& is especially used in relation to Jesus.
“Truth” can be a difficult thing to pin down. While there are absolutes, human perspectives remain a factor that cannot be entirely ignored. When “umpiring” disputes between people, one of the things I might do is sit them down opposite each other, put a coffee mug on the table between them, & ask which side the handle is on. Of course, one would say the handle was on the left & the other would say it was on the right. And they were both right … from their perspective. They would then need to factor their perspectives into finding a resolution to their dispute, which for starters would mean coming to appreciate the other’s perspective … not always easy but often critical.
“Perspective” is also a factor in reading & understanding the Bible & it’s “truth”, something we need to be aware of & careful of in our insistence that we “know” our Bible. The “truth” is we may know “our” Bible but not the other person’s Bible. A case in point. 2 Timothy 1:14. Did Paul instruct Timothy to guard the “truth/treasure/good thing/ precious thing/good deposit/Good News” entrusted to him by the Holy Spirit? None of these necessarily mean the same thing yet they can all be found in English translations of the Bible. The only strict translation of the Greek is “good deposit”, yet translators have brought their own perspectives to expand on what that “good deposit” was. This case may be considered minor, but it is not an orphan & there are other examples far more critical which have produced division & conflict within the church. I will go further to say I believe that in at least two instances a different & more transparent translation of the Greek into English would have clearly named two horrendous sins which the Church has knowingly & willingly participated in for many years, & too often remained silent on – slave trading & peadophilia.
So… back to Jesus & the age-old question which Pilate asked of Jesus, “Ti estin Aletheia?” (What is truth? Cf. Jn.18:38). To which Jesus did not reply. But he could have said, “I am the aletheia” (Jn.14:6). At the end of the day, & especially at the end of life, aletheia/truth is not a logical equation or moral proposition or your opinion or mine or AI. Aletheia is a person – THE person of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate truth, the ultimate reality in whom I trust.
Grace & peace Grant.
