Greenwich, England (photo by trekearth.com)
In a Biblical context, Browning uses some of the following examples of hope. Old Testament prophets taught that any hope for a reasonable and good future depended on trusting in the God of the Hebrew Bible. Without it disaster and bad things would occur. In the New Testament there is a hope within the new covenant fulfilled through the atoning and resurrection work of Christ. Taking this concept, the Apostle Paul applies the work of Christ to believers and an eventual culminated Kingdom of God. Therefore as I Peter notes, persecution should be endured. Browning (1997: 176).
Tongue (Dr. Tongue?) states that Christ himself is the Christian hope. By his resurrection he provides this and the fact that regenerated Christians will also be resurrected. Tongue (1996: 532). Tongue explains that the word elpis had in New Testament Greek an expectation of something good or evil, and that the one that hope is placed in sometimes was called elpis, as in Christ with 1 Timothy 1: 1, for example. Tongue (1996: 532).
In Strong's, elpis is not the only word used for hope, there are several, but he defines elpis as to anticipate, usually with pleasure, expectation, confidence, faith, hope. Strong (1986: 34).
This one definition suits as a contrast to a concept of a wish or wishing.
I can hope philosophically and more importantly, Biblically that God exists. Christ exists and has applied the atoning and resurrection work to myself and others which can be understood within the historical evidence of his word. There is something real, objective, and concrete that I place my hope in…Christians place their hope in.
From The Concise Oxford Dictionary 1995, page 1608.
A wish is a desire or aspiration for happiness.
A demand to bring about what is wanted.
To express one's hopes.
A thing desired.
End citation
A wish can include hope.
So, I suppose one can wish for what is also reasonably hoped for in a concrete sense. I wish for my own resurrection which I also hope for in Christ. I wish for the resurrection of others and there is hope.
One can also wish for something that cannot be reasonably hoped for in a concrete sense. I wish to never physically age or die.
In philosophical terms a hope/hoping for something concrete is more beneficial than simply a wish/wishing for something.
Hope is ultimately more beneficial to a mere wish if God is reasonably shown as the ultimate source behind hope, whereas a particular wish is a human thing which God has willingly allowed to exist, but may not bring about, especially if it is not tied to reasonable hope.
Moving on from the argument, the more important things within Christian faith and philosophy are things of hope and not merely things that are just a wish.
In my life I am working through some issues. As in what things are in the wish/hope category (in Christ) and what things are simply a wish.
BROWING, W.R.F. (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the Bible Oxford, Oxford University Press.
STRONG, J. (1986) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Pickering, Ontario, Welch Publishing Company.
TONGUE, DENIS HAROLD. (1996) ‘Hope' in Walter A.Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
New Testament Greek Referenced
Elpis
ἐλπίς
Definition
1. expectation of evil, fear
2. expectation of good, hope
a. in the Christian sense
1. joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation
3. on hope, in hope, having hope
a. the author of hope, or he who is its foundation
b. the thing hoped for
Please do have a quick glance at my latest on thekingpin68
Christian Career Women and also Books on the Problem of
Evil
Some points within the main text:
I deduce Biblically a woman can rightly have a career and a wife/Mother can be a career woman...
In other words, I find a career woman worth considering partly because of her goals and dreams, if she is on the younger side or older side, within my age range, I am not going to do anything to work against her hopefully God-given goals, but will be fully supportive...
I am not go to work against what I find at least somewhat interesting in the woman in the first place...
There are also comments on traditional and egalitarian approaches.
I come out in support of a sovereignty approach in regard to the problem of evil.
