In 1887 historian and moralist Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Creighton: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - from phrases.org
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/288200.html
Over the centuries this has been transmuted into 'Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. We all know the phrase but I've just had a thought about The Lord's use of the word absolute.
The definition of ABSOLUTE from Dictionary.comWhen you consider that Lord Acton was writing to a top ranking man of the cloth - was the use of the word a subtle nod to what the Bishop would consider to be the absolute power in the universe?
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/absolute
Free from imperfection; complete; perfect... something that is not dependent upon external conditions for existence...
Should then the transmutation of the phrase now be reinvented as'Power corrupts and
the power of God
corrupts absolutely'?
This is one of the Too many questions
PEACE
Crispy
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