Can the Paideia Ideal Form Part of a Christian Pedagogical Aim in the 21st Century?

Abstract

Abstract According to literature, the classic paideia ideal, that is, the ideal of the well-rounded, fully educated, rational human being, has survived to this day, despite many historical and socio-cultural influences that impacted on it through the millennia. In the process, it has to a considerable extent retained its rationalistic bias, but toward the end of the nineteenth century, it began showing a Janus-like face in that it seemed to assume a more irrationalistic character as well. The key question examined in the study reported in this paper was whether the paideia ideal could be harnessed to complement a Christian pedagogical aim. Investigation revealed that the term paideia occurs only six times in the Bible, and is used in a variety of meanings, ranging from positive education of the young person to taking corrective measures. The authors conclude that rationalistic manifestations of the paideia ideal are not fully compatible with a biblical view of education. Its more recent irrationalistic manifestation seems to be more compatible with a biblical view, but also requires a few fundamental changes. However, the general meaning of the paideia ideal, namely the education of the human being to become a well-rounded and fully equipped human being seems to chime with a biblical pedagogical aim.