The Word And The Beginning

Ἐπιζητεὶ δὲ ἡμῶν ἡ διάνοια, τίς ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ; Ὁ Λόγος φησί. Ποῖος λόγος; ὁ ἀνθρώπινος λόγος; ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων λόγος; Και γὰρ ᾐνίξατο ἡμῖν ὁ Ἀπὸστολος, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἀγέλλων ἰδίαν ἐχόντων γλῶσσαν, εἰπών· Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλλων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ λόγου διπλῆ τίς ἐστιν ἔννοια. Ὁ μὲν γάρ τίς ἐστιν ὁ διὰ τῆς φωνῆς προφερόμενος, οὕτος ὁ μετὰ τὸ προενεχθῆναι τῷ ἀέρι ἐναπολλύμενος· ὁ δέ τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐνδιάθετος, ἐννπάαρχων ἡμῶν ταῖς καρδίαις· ὁ ἐννοηματικός. Καὶ ἄλλος, ὁ τεχνικὸς λόγος. Ὅρα μήποτέ σε παρααρούσηται τὸ ὁμώνυμον τῆς φωνῆς. Πῶς γὰρ ᾕν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὁ ἀνθρώπινος λόγος, τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κάτω που λαβόντος τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς γενέσεως; Πρὸ ἀνθρώπου θηρία· πρὸ ἀνθρώπου κτήνη, τα ἑρμετὰ πάντα· ὅσα χερσαῖα καὶ ὅσα ἔνυδρα, πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀστέρες, ἥλιος, σελήνη, βοτάναι, σπέρματα, γῆ, θάλαττα, οὐρανός. Οὐ τοίνυν ἐν ἀρχῇ ᾗν ὁ ἀνθρώπινος λόγος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ κτίσις κατωτέρα τῶν αἰώνων ἐστὶ, τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἰναι λαβοῦσα παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος. Ὁ δὲ ἐν καρδίᾳ λόγος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἑκάστου τῶν νοηθέντων ἐστὶ νεώτερος. Ἀλλ' ἄκουε τοῦ λόγου θεοπρεπῶς. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Μονογενούς διαλεγομενός σοι. Λόγον εἶπεν αὐτόν. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ φῶς μετ' ὀλιγον ἐρεῖ, καὶ ζωὴν, καὶ ἀνάστασιν, καὶ οὔτε φῶς ἀκούσας, ἐπὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν τοῦτο και ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρατὸν καταφέρῃ, οὔτε ζωὴν ἀκούσας, τὴν κοινὴν ταύτην νοεῖς, ἧν καὶ τὰ ἀλογα ζῇ· οὕτω καὶ Λόγον ἀκούων, φύλαξαι μὴποτε τῇ σῆ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς διανοίας πρὸς χαμαιζήλους καὶ ταπεινὰς διανοίας ὑπενεχθῇς. Ἀλλ' ἐρεύνα τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ ῥήματος. Διὰ τί Λόγος; Ἵνα δειχθῇ, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ νοῦ προῆλθε. Διὰ τί Λόγος; Ὅτι ἀπαθῶς ἐγεννήθη. Διὰ τί Λόγος; Ὅτι εἰαων τοῦ γεννήσαντος, ὅλον ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνὺς τὸν γεννήσαντα, οὐδὲν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπομερίσας, καὶ τέλειος ὑπάρχων καθ' ἑαυτόυ· ὡς καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος ὅλην ἡμῶν ἀπεικονίζει τὴν ἔνοοιαν. Ἅ γὰρ κατὰ καρδίαν ἐνενοήσαμεν, ταῦτα τῷ ῥήματι προηνέγκαμεν, καὶ ἔστι τοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ νοήματος ἀπεικόνισμα τὸ λαλούμενον. Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίας ὁ λόγος προφέρεται. Καὶ ἐστιν ἡ μὲν καρδία ἡμῶν οἴον πηγή τις, ὁ δὲ προφερόμενος λόγος οἴον ὀλαος τις ἐα τῆς πηγῆς ταύτης ῥέων. Τοσοῦτον οὖν τὸ ἀποῥῥέον, ὅσον τὸ πρώτως ἀναφερόμενον· καὶ οἴον τὸ κεκρυμμένον, τοσοῦτον καὶ τὸ φαινόμενον. Λόγον οὔν εἴπεν, ἵνα τὴν τελείαν ὕπαρξιν σοι τοῦ Υίοῦ θεολογήσῃ, καὶ τὴν ἄχρονον συνάφειαν τοῦ Υἱοῦ πρὸς Πατέρα διὰ τούτων ἐνδείξηται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος τοῦ νοῦ γέννημα, ἀπαθώς γεννώμενος· οὔτε γὰρ τέμνεται, οὔτε μερίζεται, οὔτε ῥέει· ἀλλὰ μένων ὅλος ὁ νοὺς ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ συστάσει, ὅλον τὸν λόγου καὶ ἀπηρτισμένον ὑφίστησι· καὶ προελθὼν ὁ λόγος, πᾶσαν τοῦ γεννήσαντος νοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἐν ἑαυτῷ περιεχει. Ὅσον οὔν εὐσεβὲς, τοσοῦτον λαβὼν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς θεολογίαν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ λόγοῦ φωνῆς· ὅπερ ἂν εὔρῃς ἀπεμφαῖνον καὶ ἀνάρμοστον φαινόμενον, τοῦτπ παραίτησαι, καὶ ὑπέρβηθι μηχανῇ πάσῃ. Ἐν ἀρχῆ ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Εἰ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Υἱὸς, τῇ προσηγοριᾳ τοῦ Υἱοῦ συνεισῆλθεν ἄν σοι ἡ περὶ τοῦ πάθους ἔννοια. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παρ' ἡμῖν τὰ γεννῶντα χρόνῳ γεννᾷ, καὶ ἐμπαθῶς γεννᾳ διὰ τοῦτο προλαβὼν, Λόγον εἶπε, προδιορθούμενος τὰς ἀπρεπεῖς ὑπολήψεις, ἵνα σου τὴν ψυχὴν ἄτρωπον διασώσηται. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία εἰς τὸ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος

But let us seek with the mind, what was in the beginning? 'The Word,' he says. 1 What word? Is it a human or angelic word? For the Apostle informs us that his own tongue may be angelic, saying, 'If with tongues of men and angels I speak,' 2 Now there is a double meaning for word, one is given forth by the voice, which after it is has gone forth perishes in the air, and another is an internal word, which is situated in our hearts, the word of the mind. It is the other word which is creative speech. Take care less you are misled by ambiguity. For how would it be that in the beginning there was a human word when it is understood that the origin of man came after the beginning? Before men there were beasts, before men there were cattle, and every sort of reptile, and every creature of land and sea, and birds of the sky, and stars, sun, moon , grass, seed, earth, sea, heaven. So then, a human word was not in the beginning, but nor was it angelic. For any created thing is of the time after, receiving its state of existence from the beginning. The word that is situated in the heart, and in each mind, is younger. But hear of the Word as it befits God. For when of the Unbegotten it is spoken to you, the Word itself is spoken of. As therefore a little later is said 'light', and 'life' and 'resurrection', you should not, however, when you hear 'light', to a sensible and visible light turn your eye, nor when you hear 'life', understand this as a common thing, such as brute animals live, and so also when you hear 'The Word', beware lest you fall, on account of dullness of mind, to earth and low thoughts, but attend to the meaning of the term. Why 'The Word'? It is clear that it proceeds from the mind. Why 'The Word'? Because without passion it was generated. Why 'The Word?' Because it is an image of the Creator, in itself exhibiting all of Him, in nothing separate and in itself existing perfectly, as even our word refers to the concept of our thoughts. For what we think in our hearts, with words we bring forth, and that which we speak, there remains set in the heart the image conceived and a likeness. For from our hearts we give an abundance of words. And indeed our hearts are like founts, the word is given, and like some stream it is which comes forth from a fountain. Only, therefore, as it flows forth, does it first emerge, and that which was hidden, so it appears. 'The Word', then, he says, to you that he might show you the perfect substance of the Son with divine speech and the timeless connection of the Son with the Father. For even our word, offspring of our mind, is generated without passion. For the Word is not cut off, nor separated, nor does it flow away, but the mind remaining whole in its own nature, the whole word is, and the word going forth contains every power of the generating mind. So, then, only in so far as it is pious receive from the speaking of  'The Word' the theology of the Unbegotten, and whatever is found foreign and dissonant, avoid it, with all diligence marching past it. 'In the beginning was the Word.' If he had said, 'In the beginning was the Son,' to you, in your mind, with the name of Son, would come a certain thought of passion, because such things to us which are generated in time are generated with passion, and understanding this, so he said 'The Word', to preserve your soul unharmed. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homily on 'In The Beginning was the Word' 1 Jn 1.1 2 1 Cor 13.1