The Mountains Are High The Emperor Is Far Away
The Chinese phrase, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, fits well with a Latin term meaning beyond the mountain. The term is ultra monsmont. Ultramontane is the English word. In 1888, Philip Schaff put pen to paper and wrote about the Reformation Movement of Christianity. In his preface, he wrote the following.
The Reformation was a republication of primitive Christianity and an inauguration of modern Christianity. This makes it the most important and interesting portion of church history next to the Apostolic age. Celebrating the theological battles of the sixteenth century has revived its memories and vastly increased its literature. Meanwhile, scholars of the Roman Church have attempted, with great ability, an ultramontane reconstruction of the history of Germany and Europe during the Reformation.
I stopped reading when I saw the word ultramontane. I had never seen that word and had to look up its definition and etymology. The Oxford Languages Dictionary gives two definitions.
Adjective
- Advocating supreme papal authority in matters of faith and discipline.
- Situated on the other side of the Alps from the point of view of the speaker.
Noun
A person advocating supreme papal authority.
Do geography and credibility go hand in hand?
From the 16th century until the 19th century, the word evolved into a derogatory term used to dismiss ideas. By merely saying an idea was from beyond the mountain, one could disregard it. One can see how Europeans north of the Alps would use this term when doubting the Pope’s infallibility. The Pope resided south of the Alps at the Vatican. Likewise, Catholics living near the Vatican may challenge any Pope from the north, beyond the mountains. Do geography and credibility go hand in hand?
Many Chinese believe that social unrest in China occurs when corrupt or incompetent local officials fail to implement well-intentioned central government directives. Chinese leaders enjoy this perception, adopting a strategy that Cheng Li of the Brookings Institution calls “think national, blame local.” I got this quote from a Foreign Policy article posted on November 11, 2014. On the other hand, many dissatisfied citizens see their local officials as merely obedient servants carrying out Beijing’s tyrannical wishes. Sadly, many Americans are beginning to believe their leaders are also obedient servants to Beijing. These American leaders are either willingly or unwittingly assisting China. Either way, the damage to America is the same.
Variation to the Phrase
Sometimes instead of “the mountains are high and the emperor is far away,” the phrase is modified. The variation translates to: Heaven is high, and the emperor is far away. The link listed for Heaven indicates that besides the sky, Heaven may mean a supreme god. Some would go as far as to say Heaven means Lord on High. Additionally, it is important to realize that the emperor was considered the Son of Heaven. The Russians had a similar phrase that loosely translates to “God is high, and the czar is far away. Since I am near, bow deeply to me.” These phrases use the premise that it is not urgent to dutifully follow the decrees of the authority if the authority figure is far away.
God can see both sides of the mountain because He knows everything. 1 John 3:19-24 is written below.
This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.
Please notice that John says:
- God knows everything.
- Our hearts can rest in God’s presence
- If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.
- God commands us to believe in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another.
If we honor God, there is no mountain between us and Him, for God lives in our hearts. Whether our location is Tibet or Beijing, Frankfurt or Rome does not matter. The Alps and the Himalayan mountains cannot keep us apart if we love Jesus, the Son of God.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
1 John 1: 5-10 reads, This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
John’s message that he received from God and witnessed first-hand from Jesus brings us closer to God no matter the size of the mountain. It can be a physical mountain or any mountain. God’s message can also help us navigate emotional mountains. His message can bring us through all types of peaks and valleys, cliffs and bluffs, and even spiritual avalanches. Mountains do not limit God’s greatness. He is the God on all sides of the mountain. Undoubtedly, the Reformation was a critical episode in God’s kingdom. Still, it may pale in comparison when global superpowers fall and the persecuted masses from Beijing to Kolkata worship God in Spirit and truth.
The path and license to the photograph used for this blog is from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minya_Konka_Northwest_Ridge.JPG