New-York tribune., 1890-06-07
r1,frs II SXyDFR.
MrrAGNnsrIc MD MErANoETIc.

rothe Editor Of C I b une.
sir: The ney coined word, of Mr.. ~klton. mentioned
ln the cutting made hy you on the I'd from " Tho
Philadelphia Ledger deserve candid noHcc 1t Is
plain enough that the arnostic party in sdent'hc'
have no established or conventional right to derive
an the hard words. The men who think and reason
from the ineffective side have the older title.
suspect however. that the writer 10 " The Ledger"
slightly misunderstood ,hc speaker, at the brooklyn
symposium - Last sunday. II I understand Mr.
~liitou. meaning correctly. he propose, 10 employ
f,c wont, -mc'a-uoetic" and mcta-no7ucism," not
Instead of ~aeno>tlc" and asuosrcsm' not as better
rouvc,In. negative meaning but As giving the true
expression for the real knowing.
the forms rnosi~' and enosiic" were common
IN th. earlier centuries expires, the superior ~i-
dom that transcend. m.rc scientific learning. PyhaI
1r- b, AID 10 have de- euated hi, tcachinge-snosiS
ton onton. the knowledge Of the things that are
Dr. India ~" word .> ,uann. which has the same
.ur,riu. clement of Alexandria. applied the same
torm 20 h, own doctrine. and Christians were oc
rorlirrly called Gno-tic,. Acnostcsm properly
denote, the Ignoring of any such knowing a., tho
philosophlc dca coutcmplatcs. Even the "UnknoWn
God Of Athens was a divinity that the Ahenian
mantle, aud sages dd not recognize as embraced In
the Pantheon.
Nr ,hlrou implements our vocabulary by two
Vor!s that seem 70 cover this higher ground adding
'o the terms Cuo.tl~ and cuostci,m,' the prcpos
tha, are compounded with meta there is involved
the dea ~ participation the lower uatura or quality
being cNil'.d by communion with the higher, and so
it..lf becoming traf.-mutcd into the higher. Even
mctamorphosr is TRANSFORMATION. such as is related
II Jesus. ard mctamorp-y is the progress OF
advuurlug of tsc soul into superior conditions Meta.
nOet.tl,m J. therefore tho participating ~ knowledge
superior to external and physical science. and the
uctagnos'lc IS the ore who participates In the In
tcllcctNr knowing
Whether. however. the Greek language docs nos
give better terms for the purpose l. a question
worth the asking Already >r William Hamilton has
con irint~i the word "uoctic7 "a express the higher
cosn.fon, which exist iu the mind itscif and which
we may fairly a.-uui" Wcr0 derived from the Hul'Fi"
Mind itself where they ar. We mas thuH make use
of a better C,r,ek term. which those familiar with iHc
.rl-innf ieNf - the NrN Testament Will readily rc'nS
nile. metsuoctic. TIL, /, II the samc purp"U WIN
uct4rotr the term widely n not wildly translate
p'rtucc' prnitruc".' repentance hrllH'r ~
which j.. DO. English equivalent Ih" rcpenian'' Wlth
John the Baptist and others recorded a, preaching
was nor- spiritual and Ineffective, l was pocut ana
related to AN rucr-Iug ol the spiritual pru,lPic OF
our nature. II mctanoetlc and an milling a
perlmn and inspiring 81 th" hole lie from the dNlh'
con- -tltucnf, of our being TIL, mrtanpa or superior
knowing frausccfd- flc diiuDa ur composite uNd'P
standing. which l- uuriurcd by mental processes, iud
n. office and operation are - eliminate tho RUE "l
lower motive from The nature Johns bipil-ll H~
u-,-i .uch result and n denoted ri-n Of heaven or
divine principle near to the individual
cannot hut think. therefore. that ms term meta
Motto Would better have oppressed Mr. Shtlton' mean
ing and been more acceptable 20 9tlrr phii1i phii1iupPIo
inauircr, ALEXANDER WILDER.
Newark v j. June . 1890