The Theology of Heraclitus: a Presocratic Pantheism

110translated into one's being. The 6thos is not the innate equiprenttDherited frora one's hunan nature; it is the result of',rhat l,e do ;"ith this equipnent, how ne nurture it and developit into hablts and beliefs through actions and words. No\tlJbat would i! mean to say that rhis €thos is a ilivine poi.'er.ard !hai div1lity is to be found in our charac!ers? Since outt chara ct er strefer to us as peopl e-as-doers, -knor,rers, or-actors, the divine elenrent rnust then be the!e in the acting.The divine elenent is not 1n sone distlnct, lsolated part ofEbe soul o. llind; it ls not ln our innate rature;i lnstead, ltis ln out cultlvated personsi In other r,rords, Ile are nocborn lrith this special qua1lty, we gjgljlIg it through oura c! ionsand bellefs,]1. does no! spe11 o,ut for us lhe exact nature of theac!ions !hat develop this divine g$gji, but tt 1s not too hardto fill in !he gaps in !he plcture. 0ver and over again 1rIthe extaltt salings he decrles honr people live in ignorance of.'hat is rea1l)' going on all around then. And in !his Jon^rancetleJ- are Iess than human; !heir personalities are noteven no!thy the naEe of anlbr6pos. Inslead, they are constantl-'-'co:rpared to anlrnals ard lowlife (frr.4, 9, 29i cf.:rr.lI, 13, 37, gl) or to barbarians (fr.f07) or ar the veryleast to soae sor! of deaf or dazed creature of \,/hoE lre nightsay "he's rot a1I thererr(fr.34) or to people r,rho are blind andso sissing the obviousr.(fr.56 cf. Kahn,fIf). The key to ristuaabove t:lis sorl of base unhuman existence seems to be wisdonand kno',.lad8e, once we coDe to know the truth of how things