Erich Auerbach

“Adil olanin pesinden gidilmesi dogrudur, en guclunun pesinden gidilmesi ise kacinilmazdir. Gucu olmayan adalet acizdir; adaleti olmayan guc ise zalim. Gucu olmayan adalete mutlaka bir karsi cikan olur, cunku kotu insanlar her zaman vardir. Adaleti olmayan guc ise tohmet altinda kalir. Demek ki adalet ile gucu bir araya getirmek gerek; bunu yapabilmek icin de adil olanin guclu, guclu olanin ise adil olmasi gerekir. Adalet tartismaya aciktir. Guc ise ilk bakista tartisilmaz bir bicimde anlasilir. Bu nedenle gucu adalete veremedik, cunku guc, adalete karsi cikip kendisinin adil oldugunu soylemisti. Hakli olanin guclu kilamadigimiz icin de guclu olani hakli kildik.”

“It was Plato who bridged the gap between poetry and philosophy; for, in his work, appearance, despised by his Eleatic and Sophist predecessors, became a reflected image of perfection. He set poets the task of writing philosophically, not only in the sense of giving instruction, but in the sense of striving, by the imitation of appearance, to arrive at its true essence and to show its insufficiency measured by the beauty of the Idea.”

“The Scripture stories do not, like Homer’s, court our favor, they do not flatter us that they may please us and enchant us—they seek to subject us, and if we refuse to be subjected we are rebels.”

“Abraham’s actions are explained not only by what is happening to him at the moment, nor yet only by his character (as Achilles’ actions by his courage and his pride, and Odysseus’ by his versatility and foresightedness), but by his previous history; he remembers, he is constantly conscious of, what God has promised him and what God has already accomplished for him—his soul is torn between desperate rebellion and hopeful expectation; his silent obedience is multilayered, has background. Such a problematic psychological situation as this is impossible for any of the Homeric heroes, whose destiny is clearly defined and who wake every morning as if it were the first day of their lives: their emotions, though strong, are simple and find expression instantly.”