The First Virtue and the First Vice

Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα περὶ τὴν θείαν καθοπᾶται φύσιν, ὑπερπίπτει τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως· ἡ δὲ ταπεινότης συμφυής τις ἡμῖν ἐστι καὶ σύντροφος τοῖς χαμαὶ ἐρχομένοις, καὶ ἐκ γῆς τὴν σύστασιν ἔχουσιν, καὶ εἰς γῆν καταῥῥέεουσιν· ἐν τῷ κατὰ φὺσιν σὺ καὶ δυνατῷ τὸν Θεὸν μιμησάμενος, τὴν μακαρίαν αὐτὸς μορφήν. Καὶ μηδεὶς ἄπονον οἰεσθω. Καὶ μετὰ ῥᾳστώνης ἐκποριζόμενον τὸ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης κατόρθωμα. Τὸ ἐναντίον μὲν οὖν παντὸς οὐτινοσοῦν τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐπιτηδευομένων, τὸ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ἐπιπονώτερον. Δια τί; ὅτι καθεύδοντος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τοῦ τὰ καλὰ σπέρματα δεξαμένου, τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς ἐναντίας σπορᾶς παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν τὸ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἐῥῥιζώθη ζιζάνιον. Δι' ὦν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἑαυτὸν εἰς γῆν κατέῥῥαξεν, τῷ αὐτῷ πρόπῳ τὸ δείλαιον γένος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον πρὸς τὸ κοινὸν πτῶμα ἑαυτῷ συγκατέβαλεν· καὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἄλλο τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν τοιοῦτον κακὸν, ὡς τὸ δι' ὑπερηφανίας. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐμπέφυκέ πως τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἔπαρσιν πάθος παντὶ σχεδὸν τῷ κοινωνοῦντι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, διὰ τοῦτο ἐντεῦθεν τῶν μακαρισμῶν ὁ Κύριος ἄρχεται, οἶον ἀρχέγονόν τι κακὸν ἐκβάλλων ἐκ τῆς ἔξεως ἡμῶν τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν, ἐν τῷ συμβουλεύειν μιμήσασθαι τὸν ἐκουσίως πτωχεύσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν ἀληθῶς μακάριος, ἵνα ἐν ῷ δυνάμεθα καθὼς ἂν οἶοί τε ὦμεν ὁμοιωθέντες ἐκ τοῦ πτωχεῦσαι κατὰ προαίρεσιν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ κοινωνίαν ἐφελκυσώμεθα. Τοῦτο γὰρ φρονεῖτε, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὅς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἀρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε μορφὴν δούλου λαβών. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους,

So, then, whereas every other thing which pertains to the Divine nature exceeds the measure of human nature, humility is indeed something natural to us, for from earth we have been fashioned and into earth we shall be resolved, and so if you imitate God in what is natural to us and within our power, it is a form of blessedness. But do not think that humility is without toil; without leisure the achievement of humility is gained. In contrast to every other virtue humility requires more practice and effort. And why? Because man being asleep, he who had received the beautiful seed, the source of what is opposite to it was sown by the enemy of our life and the weed of pride took root. That which caused him himself who sowed it to crash down to earth, and by it he brought the wretched race of man to a new fall. There is nothing else in our nature so evil as pride. So, then, since this defect is to be found flourishing in almost everyone, for the renewal of the nature of humanity, with it our Lord begins the Beatitudes. This primary source of evil, this pride, he expels from our character by encouraging us to imitate one who of his own free will became poor, he who is truly blessed, so that we might choose the likeness of poverty and share in the community of the blessed. As Paul says, 'Think this among yourselves which did Christ, he who having the form of God, did not set himself to be the equal of God but he emptied himself and took on the form of a slave.'1 Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes 1 Phil 2.5-7