The Treatise On Laws -- Main Ideas Essays - Religious Law

The Treatise On Laws -- Main Ideas The Treatise on Laws is a collection of medieval texts pertaining to laws and their distinctions. Apparently compiled in the twelfth century by Gratian, a person whose origins are still contested, it consists of 20 sections labeled distinctions. Each distinction is further separated into parts and cases, each which serve to convey one particular idea. Although various differing ideas are presented in the treatise, there is a central theme evident which is, to borrow directly from Gratian, the harmony of discordant canons, or how completely different sets of laws can mesh together. The treatise begins by saying that the human race is ruled by two things, namely, natural law and usages. Natural law is defined by Gratian as the law put forth in the gospel, or law where each person is commanded to do to others what he wants done to himself. Since the gospel is taken by many to be the word of god, natural law is also known as divine law. This is seen as law that is intrinsically moral and infallible because they come directly from god. Usage is defined as laws that come about as laws that come about as a natural byproduct of human society. These laws can be known as human law, as they are created exclusively by humans. Divine law stays the same for all peoples according to Gratian, but human law varies because different things please different people. Furthermore, divine law takes precedence over human law. When conflict occurs, as Gratian says Imperial ordinances are not above the ordinance of god.(33) But he continues, saying that secular laws are not to be rejected, ?whenever these are opposed to evangelical and canonical decree, they are worthy of all reverence. Gratian makes the point that divine laws define morality and human laws are not necessarily moral, just practical. He gives the example in Distinction 1 that it is moral to walk through someone's property, but nit necessarily legal. According to Christian faith , a moral Christian life gets one into heaven. So seeing as human laws are not necessarily moral, and morality is sometimes not legal, a conflict occurs. The moral Christian could decide to live in accordance to divine law, not considering human law, and suffer in the material world in order to gain the greater reward (eternal paradise). As Gratian says, divine and human law are separate, but can work together or conflict. The Treatise on Laws serves to fully explain the laws and their meanings. Religion Essays

Free Essays on An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

The idea of war brings to mind a noble cause, or a love of country. This is not so in the poem â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death.† William Butler Yeats uses the speaker of this poem to convey the theme: even in the face of death, joy can be found. The pilot does not hate those that he fights against. Ireland did not have many direct enemies, except for those that kept them from living free. But, being under British rule and fighting for them, especially for a cause that made no sense to the pilot, did not evoke many feelings of love either. When the speaker states of his country that â€Å"No likely end will bring them loss Or leave them happier than before,† he knows that Kiltartan Cross and therefore he, will not be affected by the outcome of the war. Kiltartan’s people have nothing left to lose and therefore cannot be brought loss. This shows that the pilot knows that he is fighting for a cause in which he has no stake in. The speaker is charac terized with bravery, courage, and humility in saying that â€Å"Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, Nor public men, nor cheering crowds.† The pilot is not interested in the honor he will gain and obviously has no sense of patriotic duty to a country that is not his own. The pilot is choosing to fight for a cause he does not understand simply because he wants to fly. Unlike many of his countrymen, the pilot wanted to fly and fight for Britain, which is shown through his â€Å"lonely impulse of delight.† The pilot has accepted that he will fight for a cause in which he has no belief only to die â€Å"somewhere among the clouds.† He has reached an attitude of indifference which enables him to engage in his love of flying and fight for a lost or misunderstood cause. The pilots disregard for everything else in life except flying illustrates that he may be a young man, in the prime of his life, with no family to look after or other responsibilities. Understanding that death is immine... Free Essays on An Irish Airman Foresees His Death Free Essays on An Irish Airman Foresees His Death The idea of war brings to mind a noble cause, or a love of country. This is not so in the poem â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death.† William Butler Yeats uses the speaker of this poem to convey the theme: even in the face of death, joy can be found. The pilot does not hate those that he fights against. Ireland did not have many direct enemies, except for those that kept them from living free. But, being under British rule and fighting for them, especially for a cause that made no sense to the pilot, did not evoke many feelings of love either. When the speaker states of his country that â€Å"No likely end will bring them loss Or leave them happier than before,† he knows that Kiltartan Cross and therefore he, will not be affected by the outcome of the war. Kiltartan’s people have nothing left to lose and therefore cannot be brought loss. This shows that the pilot knows that he is fighting for a cause in which he has no stake in. The speaker is charac terized with bravery, courage, and humility in saying that â€Å"Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, Nor public men, nor cheering crowds.† The pilot is not interested in the honor he will gain and obviously has no sense of patriotic duty to a country that is not his own. The pilot is choosing to fight for a cause he does not understand simply because he wants to fly. Unlike many of his countrymen, the pilot wanted to fly and fight for Britain, which is shown through his â€Å"lonely impulse of delight.† The pilot has accepted that he will fight for a cause in which he has no belief only to die â€Å"somewhere among the clouds.† He has reached an attitude of indifference which enables him to engage in his love of flying and fight for a lost or misunderstood cause. The pilots disregard for everything else in life except flying illustrates that he may be a young man, in the prime of his life, with no family to look after or other responsibilities. Understanding that death is immine...