Seeking And Preserving

Συνεξάπτει δὲ ἡ γραφὴ τὸ ζώπυρον τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ συντείνει τὸ οἰκεῖον ὄμμα πρὸς θεωρίαν, τάχα μέν τι καὶ ἐντιθεῖσα, οἷον ὁ ἐγκεντρίζων γεωργός, τὸ δὲ ἐνυπάρχον ἀνακινοῦσα. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον, ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄρρωστοι, καὶ κοιμῶνται ἱκανοί. Eἰ δὲ ἑαυτοὺς διεκρίνομεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα. Ἤδη δὲ οὐ γραφὴ εἰς ἐπίδειξιν τετεχνασμένη ἥδε ἡ πραγματεία, ἀλλά μοι ὑπομνήματα εἰς γῆρας θησαυρίζεται, λήθης φάρμακον, εἴδωλον ἀτεχνῶς καὶ σκιαγραφία τῶν ἐναργῶν καὶ ἐμψύχων ἐκείνων, ὧν κατηξιώθην ἐπακοῦσαι, λόγων τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν μακαρίων καὶ τῷ ὄντι ἀξιολόγων. Tούτων ὃ μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ὁ Ἰωνικός, οἳ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς Μεγάλης Ἑλλάδος, τῆς κοίλης θάτερος αὐτῶν Συρίας ἦν, ὃ δὲ ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀνὰ τὴν ἀνατολήν· καὶ ταύτης ὃ μὲν τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, ὃ δὲ ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ Ἑβραῖος ἀνέκαθεν· ὑστάτῳ δὲ περιτυχὼν, δυνάμει δὲ οὗτος πρῶτος ἦν, ἀνεπαυσάμην, ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ θηράσας λεληθότα. Σικελικὴ τῷ ὄντι ἦν μέλιττα προφητικοῦ τε καὶ ἀποστολικοῦ λειμῶνος τὰ ἄνθη δρεπόμενος ἀκήρατόν τι γνώσεως χρῆμα ταῖς τῶν ἀκροωμένων ἐνεγέννησε ψυχαῖς. Ἀλλ' οἳ μὲν τὴν ἀληθῆ τῆς μακαρίας σῴζοντες διδασκαλίας παράδοσιν εὐθὺς ἀπὸ Πέτρου τε καὶ Ἰακώβου Ἰωάννου τε καὶ Παύλου τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, παῖς παρὰ πατρὸς ἐκδεχόμενος, ὀλίγοι δὲ οἱ πατράσιν ὅμοι, ἧκον δὴ σὺν θεῷ καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς τὰ προγονικὰ ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἀποστολικὰ καταθησόμενοι σπέρματα. Kαὶ εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι ἀγαλλιάσονται, οὐχὶ τῇ ἐκφράσει ἡσθέντες λέγω τῇδε, μόνῃ δὲ τῇ κατὰ τὴν ὑποσημείωσιν τηρήσει. Ποθούσης γὰρ οἶμαι ψυχῆς τὴν μακαρίαν παράδοσιν ἀδιάδραστον φυλάττειν ἡ τοιάδε ὑποτύπωσις· ἀνδρὸς δὲ φιλοῦντος σοφίαν εὐφρανθήσεται πατήρ. Tὰ φρέατα ἐξαντλούμενα διειδέστερον ὕδωρ ἀναδίδωσι, τρέπεται δὲ εἰς φθορὰν ὧν μεταλαμβάνει οὐδείς. Kαὶ τὸν σίδηρον ἡ χρῆσις καθαρώτερον φυλάσσει, ἡ δὲ ἀχρηστία ἰοῦ τούτῳ γεννητική. Συνελόντι γὰρ φάναι ἡ συγγυμνασία ἕξιν ἐμποιεῖ ὑγιεινὴν καὶ πνεύμασι καὶ σώμασιν. Oὐδεὶς ἅπτει λύχνον καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον τίθησιν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς λυχνίας φαίνειν τοῖς τῆς ἑστιάσεως τῆς αὐτῆς κατηξιωμένοις. τί γὰρ ὄφελος σοφίας μὴ σοφιζούσης τὸν οἷόν τε ἐπαΐειν; ἔτι τε καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ σῴζει αἰεὶ καὶ αἰεὶ ἐργάζεται, ὡς βλέπει τὸν πατέρα. Διδάσκων τις μανθάνει πλεῖον καὶ λέγων συνακροᾶται πολλάκις τοῖς ἐπακούουσιν αὐτοῦ· εἷς γὰρ ὁ διδάσκαλος καὶ τοῦ λέγοντος καὶ τοῦ ἀκροωμένου, ὁ ἐπιπηγάζων καὶ τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὸν λόγον, ᾗ καὶ οὐ κεκώλυκεν ὁ Kύριος ἀπὸ ἀγαθοῦ σαββατίζειν, μεταδιδόναι δὲ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκείνου τοῦ ἁγίου τοῖς χωρεῖν δυναμένοις συγκεχώρηκεν. Αὐτίκα οὐ πολλοῖς ἀπεκάλυψεν ἃ μὴ πολλῶν ἦν, ὀλίγοις δέ, οἷς προσήκειν ἠπίστατο, τοῖς οἵοις τε ἐκδέξασθαι καὶ τυπωθῆναι πρὸς αὐτά· τὰ δὲ ἀπόρρητα, καθάπερ ὁ θεός, λόγῳ πιστεύεται, οὐ γράμματι. Kἄν τις λέγῃ γεγράφθαι οὐδὲν κρυπτὸν ὃ οὐ φανερωθήσεται, οὐδὲ κεκαλυμμένον ὃ οὐκ ἀποκαλυφθήσεται, ἀκουσάτω καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν, ὅτι τῷ κρυπτῶς ἐπαίοντι τὸ κρυπτὸν φανερωθήσεσθαι διὰ τοῦδε προεθέσπισεν τοῦ λογίου, καὶ τῷ παρακεκαλυμμένως τὰ παραδιδόμενα οἵῳ τε παραλαμβάνειν δηλωθήσεται τὸ κεκαλυμμένον ὡς ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ τὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς κρυπτόν, τοῦτο τοῖς ὀλίγοις φανερὸν γενήσεται· ἐπεὶ διὰ τί μὴ πάντες ἴσασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν; διὰ τί δὲ μὴ ἠγαπήθη ἡ δικαιοσύνη, εἰ πάντων ἡ δικαιοσύνη; ἀλλὰ γὰρ τὰ μυστήρια μυστικῶς παραδίδοται, ἵνα ᾖ ἐν στόματι λαλοῦντος καὶ ᾧ λαλεῖται, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἐν φωνῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ νοεῖσθαι. Δέδωκεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους, τοὺς δὲ προφήτας, τοὺς δὲ εὐαγγελιστάς, τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους, πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων, εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος A’, Κεφ' A’ Source: Migne PG 9.697a-701c

Scripture kindles the living spark of the soul and directs the eye suitably for contemplation, perhaps inserting something, as the farmer who ingrafts, but even exciting what is there. 'For there are many among us,' according to the holy Apostle, 'who are weak and sickly, and many sleep. But if we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged.' 1 Now this work of writing is not composed for display, but as my memoranda stored up against old age, as a remedy against forgetfulness, and truly as an image and outline of those vigorous and animated discourses which I was privileged to hear from blessed and truly remarkable men. Of these there was one in Greece, an Ionian, another in Magna Graecia, and the first of these was from Coele-Syria and the second from Egypt, and there were others in the East, one who was born in Assyria, and the other was a Jew of Palestine. When I came upon this last one, who was the first in ability, having tracked him down concealed in Egypt, I found rest. He was the true Sicilian bee, gathering the spoil of the flowers of the prophetic and Apostolic meadow, who engendered in the souls of his hearers a certain pure element of knowledge. For preserving the tradition of the blessed teaching derived directly from the holy Apostles, Peter, James, John, and Paul, the sons receiving it from the father, but few are like the fathers, they came by God's will to us also, to deposit those ancestral and Apostolic seeds. And well I know that they will exult in this, not that they will be delighted with this tribute, but solely on account of the preservation of the truth as they delivered it. For I think such a sketch as this will please a soul that desires the preservation of the blessed tradition. 'A man who loves wisdom will make a father glad.' 2 When wells are pumped out they yield purer water, and one which no one uses putrefies. Use keeps steel brighter, but disuse produces rust in it. In a word, exercise produces a healthy condition both in souls and bodies. 'No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, but on a stand, so that it may shine on those who are regarded worthy of the feast.' 3 For what is the use of wisdom if it does not make him who can hear it wise? For still the Saviour saves, 'and always works, as He sees the Father.' 4 By teaching one learns more, and in speaking one is often a hearer along with the audience. For the teacher of him who speaks and of him who hears is one who waters both the mind and the word. Thus the Lord did not prohibit us from doing good while keeping the Sabbath, but allowed us to communicate Divine mysteries and holy light to those who are able to receive them. He did not disclose to the many what did not belong to the many, but to the few to whom He knew that they belonged and were capable of receiving and being shaped according to what was given. But secret things are entrusted to speech, not to writing, as is the case with God. And if someone will say that it is written, 'There is nothing secret which shall not be revealed, nor hidden which shall not be disclosed,' 5 let him hear from us that what was predicted by this passage is that to him who hears secretly even what is secret shall be made manifest, and to him who conceals what is delivered to him that which is veiled shall be disclosed as truth, and what is a secret to many shall appear manifest to the few. For why do not all know the truth? Why is not righteousness loved, if righteousness belongs to all? But the mysteries are delivered mystically, that what is spoken may be in the mouth and in him who speaks rather than in the voice. 'God gave to the Church some to be apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the holy, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.' 6 Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 1, Chapter 1 1 1 Cor 11.30 2 Prov 29.3 3 Mt 5.15 4 Jn 5.19 5 Lk 8.17 6 Ephes 4.11-12