Aristotle Vs. Christian Deity Jesus Christ

The concept of “virtue” is a subject many philosophical and religious figures have contributed their ideas to. The perceptions of what it means to be virtuous and how to attain virtue varies from philosophy to philosophy. Two of the most well-known figures that have laid forth their ideas on moral virtue are the Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Christian deity Jesus Christ. Though these two leaders are famous for their dissertations concerning virtue, their principles differ greatly. In Jesus’ The Sermon on the Mount, he presents his teachings concerning how to be a virtuous individual in a series of values that even the poorest and humblest people can strive for. On the other hand, in his work Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle declares his …show more content…
In the part of his sermon known as The Beatitudes, he discusses different individual virtues that contribute to a morally good person. These values include being “poor in spirit,” “meek,” “merciful,” “clean of heart;” as well as being a person who “mourn(s),” “hunger(s) and thirst(s) for righteousness,” is a “peacemaker,” or is “persecuted for the sake of righteousness” (Book of Matthew, 13). All of the beatitudes listed go hand-in-hand one with another and point toward an individual who is teachable, humble, and has pure intentions. If one believes themselves to already have perfect virtue and in no need to improve, their pride gets in the way and there is no room to help them; oppositely, someone who reflects even just a few of the beatitudes is able to be perfected in virtue, because their humility will allow …show more content…
Is it by their good acts and sincere efforts, as Jesus teaches? Or is it by material assets? It may be easier be generous if one has wealth, but it doesn’t make that individual more virtuous than the poor person reaching out to help another. Aristotle implies that moral virtue is bought with money and social influence, but Jesus preaches that virtue is bought with the soul. While Aristotle’s view of how virtue is exercised completely excludes all but the elite, Jesus invites even the poorest of the poor to strive for the virtues that The Beatitudes introduces. Jesus’ philosophy is one that is accepting of imperfections as long as the individual is teachable and open to correction, while Aristotle renounces less than perfection with disgust, claiming that one cannot be happy if they “look utterly repulsive or are ill-born, solitary, or childless” (Aristotle 1099b). On the contrary, these are the type of people that Jesus would welcome with open arms; after all, he did heal the multitudes that were “sick