What Is An Original

Alexis de Tocqueville once wrote, "History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies.” At the first reading, this may sound quite profound and yet upon further thought, one might see that he missed something essential when making this statement.

When you read something profound, you might wonder from where the thought derived. Ecclesiastes talks about how there is nothing new under the sun. Perhaps the author realized that all thought could be traced to a single source.

In the beginning, God made Man in His own likeness. Therefore, Man is apt to reflect the Character of God’s own person. However, since man fell in the garden and thus separated himself from God, he is therefore at enmity with God. Those that are brought into a united relationship with God through his gift of forgiveness can once again bear a resemblance to Him because they are brought back in touch with His Character through the Holy Spirit, which indwells them.

I propose that all thoughts and ideas are derived from others presented before them eventually leading back to one foundational principle. All ideas, all philosophies, all systems of thought are either derived from the Character of God, or from a denial of or resistance to Him. Many great men throughout history have built upon the works of their predecessors. Thomas Jefferson for example wrote the Declaration of Independence not from his own self-conceived notions of liberty, but from men that came before him and essentially the very essence of scripture, which discusses the fundamental concepts of freedom and liberty.

God is the Father of all truth and all knowledge. All things ultimately come from Him and not from us. When we wish to imitate some great men, we are just admiring qualities that have their beginning in the Character of God himself. Paul wrote, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” We need only look at God to find that true originator of all thoughts, ideas, and truths. After all, He did create the universe.