Peace and Affliction

Εἶπε πάλιν, ὅτι ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἰσίδωρος ὁ πρεσβύτερος τῆς Σκήτεως ἐλάλησέ ποτε τῷ λαῷ, λέγων· Ἀδελφοὶ, οὐχὶ ἔνεκεν κόπου ἤλθομεν εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦτον; Καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἔτι ἔχει κόπον. Ἐγὼ οὖν σκευάσας τὴν μηλωτήν μου ἀπέρχομαι ὄπου ἐστι κόπος, καὶ ἐκεῖ εὑρίσκω ἀνάπαυσιν. Ἀποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Again Father Poemen said that Father Isidore, the priest of Scetis, once spoke to the people saying, 'Brothers, is it not in order to endure affliction that we have come to this place? And now it is no longer a place of affliction. Thus having made ready my sheepskin I am going where there is affliction, and there I shall find peace.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

The Serpent Pleasure

Ἥ τούτου χάριν, τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν πάθος ὅφις ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ὀνονμάζεται, ᾤ ἡ φύσιη ἐστὶν, εἰ ἡ κεφαλὴ πρὸς τὴν ἁμονίαν τοῦ τοίχου παραδυείη, πάντα τὸν κατόπιν ὁλκὸν συνεισάγεσθαι. Οἵον τι λέγω· Ἀναγκαίαν αὐτοῖς ἀνθρώποις ποιεῖ ἡ φύσις τὴν οἴκησιν· ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς χρείας ταύτης, ἡ ἡδονὴ τῇ ἁρμονίᾳ τῆς ψυχῆς παραδευῖσα εἰς ἅμετρόν τινα καλλωπισμοῦ πολυτέλειαν· τὴν χρείαν παρέρεψεν, καὶ τὴν σπουδὴν μετεποίησεν· εἶτα πρὸς ἀμπελῶνας τινας, καὶ κολυμβήθρας καὶ παραδείσους καὶ τὰ τῶν κήκων ἐγκαλλωπίσματα, μεθέρπει τὸ θηρίον ἡ ἡδονή. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπικορυφοῦται τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ, καὶ τῷ τύφῳ περιελίσσεται, τὴν κατὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἀρχήν ἑαυτῇ ὑποζεύξασα. Ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸν τῆς φιλοχρηματίας ὁλκὸν ἐπισύρεται, ᾦ κατὰ ἀνάγκην ἔπεται τὸ ἀκόλαστον, τὸ ἔσχατόν τε καὶ οὐρανῖον μέρος τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν θηριώσεως. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ οὐραίου τῆς ῥαχίας τὸν ὄφιν ἀνελκυσθῆναι, φυσικῶς τῆς φολίδος πρὸς τὸ ἔμπαλιν τοῖς ἐφελκομένοις ἀντιβαινούσης· οὕτως οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῶν τελευταίων ἄρξασθαι τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξοικίζειν τὴν τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐρπηδόνα, εἰ μή τις τῷ κακῷ τὴν πρώτην εἴσοδον ἀποκλείσειε.  Διὸ καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αῡτου ἐπιτηρεῖν ὁ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑφηγητῆς ἐγκελεύεται, κεφαλὴν ὀνομάζων τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς κακίας, ἧς μὴ παραδεχθείσης, ἄπρακτόν ἐστι τὸ λειπόμενον.  Ὁ γὰρ καθόλου πρὸς τὴν ἡδονὴν πολεμίως προστεθυὶς, οὐκ ἄν ταῖς μερικαῖς προσβολαῖς τοῦ πάθους ὑπενεχθείη· ὁ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ πάθους ὑποδεξάμενος, ἅπαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸ θηρίον συμπαρεδέξατο. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τον Ἐκκλησιασην, Ὁμιλια Δ'

Because of the affliction on account of pleasure, Scripture names it a serpent 1 whose entire body enters once it pokes its head through a hole in the wall. What do I mean? Nature makes a fitting habitation for man but passing through the needful pleasure disturbs the harmony of the soul with immoderate, extravagant need for ornamentation, and what is necessary it slides past and zeal creates. Then this beast pleasure seeks the attractions of vinyards and pools and beautiful gardens, vineyards, baths and fountains. And after priding itself on these adornments then the serpent winds back around in blindness to the beginning of the same things it has yoked to itself, dragging to the love of money which leads to the lack of all discipline, the last and most awful part of pleasure's savagery. But just as the serpent cannot pull with its tail because its rough scales naturally resist anything it draws, so we cannot cast out the slithering of pleasure from our soul's extremities if we do not close up evil's entrance. Because of this the teacher of virtue bids us to attend to the head of the serpent, the head being named the beginning of evil, which if it is not let in can achieve nothing. For a man hostile to pleasure is not subject to the individual assaults of passion, but one who has accepted the beginning of passion has taken in the whole beast. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On Ecclesiastes, Homily 4 1 Gen 3.1

Pleasures and the Enemy

Ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐσόφισάς με τὴν ἐντολήν σου ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνά μοί ἐστιν Οἱ ἐπικείμενοι ἐχθροὶ ἀόρατοι πειρῶνται διὰ πάσης σπουδῆς εἰς τὸ προτιμᾷν ἡδονὴν ἀγαγεῖν με, δι' ἧς ἡδονῆς συμβαίνει πρὸς πάντα τρόπον δυσχερῶς ἔχειν, ὡς καὶ τὴν θείαν ἐντολὴν σύν ἱδρῶτι κατορθουμένην παραιτεῖσθαι· κρείττων δὲ γίνεται τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ τῶν πρεσβευόντων αὐτὴν ἐχθρῶν, ὁ τὴν Θεοῦ ἐντολὴν σοφιζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ὥστε εἰς αἰῶνα αὐτὴν ἔχειν, ὁμολογήσας τῆς πρὸς ὀλίγον οὔσης καὶ προσκαίρου ἡδονῆς. Διὸ τῷ Θεῷ εὐχαριστικῶς ὑμνῶν ἐρεῖ· Ἐσόφισάς μοι τὴν ἐντολήν σου, ἐξ οὖ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου γεγένημαι. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος ΡΙΗ'

I have been made more wise than my enemies with your commandment, because to eternity it is for me. 1 Our sleepless invisible enemies with every zeal try to impel us to seek out pleasure, for by pleasure we are annoyed in every way, so that we give up the accomplishment of the Divine commandment. But greater he shall be than pleasure, and greater than the greatest of the enemy, who is wise in the commandment of God by Him, that thus in eternity he have it, confessing against pleasure's paltry and ephemeral nature. Which is why he gives thanks to God in song, saying, 'Your commandment has made me wise, by which I am made superior to my enemies.' Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.98

The Struggles of the Contemplative

Est autem in contemplativa vita magna mentis contentio, cum sese ad coelestia erigit, cum in rebus spiritalibus animum tendit, cum transgredi nititur omne quod corporaliter videtur, cum sese angustat ut dilatetur. Et aliquando quidem vincit, et reluctantes tenebras suae caecitatis exsuperat, ut de incircumscripto lumine quiddam furtim et tenuiter attingat; sed tamen ad semetipsam protinus reverberata revertitur, atque ab ea luce, ad quam respirando transiit, ad suae caecitatis tenebras suspirando rediit. Quod bene sacra historia designat, quae beatum Jacob cum angelo luctatum narrat. Cum enim ad parentes proprios rediret, in via angelum invenit, cum quo in luctamine magnum certamen habuit. Is enim qui certat in luctamine, aliquando superiorem se, aliquando vero eum cum quo contenderit inferiorem invenit. Designat ergo angelus Dominum, et Jacob qui cum angelo contendit uniuscujusque perfecti viri et in contemplatione positi animam exprimit. Quae videlicet anima cum contemplari Deum nititur, velut in quodam certamine posita, modo quasi exsuperat, quia intelligendo et sentiendo de incircumscripto lumine aliquid degustat; modo vero succumbit, quia et degustando iterum deficit. Quasi ergo vincitur angelus, quando intellectu intimo apprehenditur Deus. Sed notandum quod idem victus angelus nervum femoris Jacob tetigit, eumque marcescere statim fecit, atque ab eo tempore Jacob uno claudicavit pede, quia scilicet omnipotens Deus cum jam per desiderium et intellectum cognoscitur, omnem in nobis voluptatem carnis arefacit. Et qui prius quasi duobus pedibus innitentes, et Deum videbamur quaerere, et saeculum tenere, post agnitionem suavitatis Dei unus in nobis pes sanus remanet, atque alius claudicat, quia necesse est ut, debilitato amore saeculi, solus convalescat in nobis amor Dei. Si ergo tenemus angelum, uno claudicamus pede, quia dum crescit in nobis fortitudo amoris intimi, infirmatur procul dubio fortitudo carnis. Omnis quippe qui uno pede claudicat soli illi pedi innititur quem sanum habet, quia cui desiderium terrenum jam arefactum fuerit, in solo pede amoris Dei tota virtute se sustinet. Et in ipso stat, quia pedem amoris saeculi quem ponere in terra consueverat, jam a terra suspensum portat. Et nos ergo si ad parentes proprios, id est ad spiritales patres redimus, teneamus in via angelum, ut suavitate intima apprehendamus Deum. Contemplativae etenim vitae amabilis valde dulcedo est, quae super semetipsam animam rapit, coelestia aperit, terrena autem debere esse contemptui ostendit, et spiritalia mentis oculis patefecit, corporalia abscondit. Unde bene Ecclesia in Canticis canticorum dicit: Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat. Vigilanti etenim corde dormit, quia per hoc quod interius contemplando proficit, ab inquieto foris opere quiescit. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Secundus, Homilia II

Even in the contemplative life there is a great struggle of the mind, when it reaches to heaven, when the soul tends to spiritual things, when it exerts itself to pass beyond things corporeal, when it groans as it stretches forth. And certainly sometimes it triumphs, and the clinging darkness of its own blindness it overcomes, secretly and tenuously touching the surrounding light, yet to itself swiftly rebounding it returns, and from the light, to which it gasped to come, it returns sighing to the darkness of its own blindness. And this the sacred history indicates well when it tells of blessed Jacob's struggle with the angel. When he was returning to his own parents, in the way he came upon an angel with whom he had a great struggle of wrestling 1. For to  this man with whom he struggled in wrestling sometimes he was superior, and sometimes he found himself inferior to the one with whom he contended. The angel therefore indicates the Lord, and in Jacob, who with the angel contended, is expressed anyone of the perfect whose soul is engaged in contemplation. Certainly the soul when it struggles to contemplate God, is as if placed in a contest, and sometimes it overcomes because in its understanding and sense it has some  taste of the surrounding light, and sometimes it succumbs because again it loses the taste. The angel, then, is conquered when with in depths of the intellect God is grasped. But it must be noted that the same conquered angel touched the thigh sinew of Jacob and instantly he made it wither, 2 and from that time Jacob walked with a limp, because obviously the omnipotent God as soon as he is known by desire and intellect dries up in us carnal pleasures  And he who before with two feet stood, we seemed to be when seeking God and holding to the world, but after the knowledge of the sweetness of God, one our feet remains healthy and the other is lame, because it is necessary that with love of the world withering that in us only the love of God remains healthy. If then we hold the angel, in one foot was are lame, because while there grows in us the strength of deep love, without doubt it weakens love of the flesh. Thus everyone who has one lame foot has only one healthy foot to use because in him the desire of the world has dried up and only in one foot does he sustain in love of God all his strength. And on it he stands, because the foot of the love of the world which he was accustomed to place on the earth now he carries suspended apart from the earth. And we, therefore, if we go to our own parents, that is, if we return to our spiritual parents, we shall grapple with the angel in the way, that we might grasp the deep sweetness of God. The sweetness of the contemplative life is indeed lovable, which seizes the soul beyond itself, and the heavens open, and it shows there should be contempt for worldly things, and it reveals spiritual things to the eye of the heart, and corporeal things it obscures. Whence the Church in the Song of Songs says well, 'I sleep and my heart watches.' 3 With vigilant heart she sleeps, because through this she profits by interior contemplation, giving rest to all troubling exterior works. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 2, Homily 2 1 Gen 32.24 2 Gen 32.25 3 Song 5.2

Cleansing Body and Soul

Ἀλλ' ἀνιστάμενος και ὅψεν περικλύζεις και χεῖρας, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν περιορᾷς ἀκάθαρτον; Οὐκ οἴσθα, ὅτι καθάπερ ὕδατι σῶμα, οὕτω δι' εὐχῆς ἡ ψυχὴ καθαίρεται; Νίψον τοίνυν πρὸ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ψυχήν. Πολλαι λῆμαι προσίστανται αὐτῇ κακίας·  ταύτας ἀποθώμεθα διὰ τῆς δεήσεως. Ἄν γὰρ οὕτω τό στόμα τειχίσωμεν, καλὸν θεμέλιον τῆς καθημερινῆς  πράξεως καταβαλοῦμεν.  Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Τον Ε' Ψαλμον

But when you rise do you wash hands and face and overlook your unclean soul? Do you not know that as water is to the body, so it is that by prayer the soul is cleansed?  Wash, then, the soul before the body. Many stains of vice lurk there, which we should expel through prayer. For if we fortify the gate of the mouth, we shall have established our daily deeds on a fair foundation. Saint John Chrysostom, from the Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 5

Knowledge and Waters

Ὥσπερ ἔξοδος χιόνος ἐν ἀμήτῳ κατὰ καῦμα ὠφελεῖ οὕτως ἄγγελος πιστὸς τοὺς ἀποστείλαντας αὐτόν ψυχὰς γὰρ τῶν αὐτῷ χρωμένων ὠφελεῖ Ὥσπερ τὸ ἐκ χιόνος εκρεον ὕδωρ ἐν ἀμητῷ κατὰ καῦμα ὠφελεῖ, καὶ ἀναψύχει καύσωνα, οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς δεχομένοις τήν τε γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν, καὶ τὰ προσταγματα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὥσπερ χιόνα τήκει καύσων, οὕτω κακίαν ψυχῆς, δικαίου παραίνεσις. Ὥσπερ ἄνεμοι καὶ νέφη καὶ ὑετοὶ ἐπιφανέστατοι οὕτως οἱ καυχώμενοι ἐπὶ δόσει ψευδεῖ Ὥσωπερ ἄνεμοι καὶ νέφη  πλωτῆρσιν ἐπιφανέστατοι τοῦ μὴ ναυαγῆσαι, οὕτω τοῖς ἐν σοφίᾳ Θεοῦ ἡ ψευδὴς γνῶσις, τοῦ μὴ σὺν τοῖς καυχωμένοις ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπολέσθαι. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας

As fall of snow at harvest profits against heat, so a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he benefits the souls of those who use him. 1 As snow which melts into water at harvest time profits for refreshment in the heat, so God to those who receive knowledge and wisdom and His teaching. And as snow melts by heat, so does the evil of the soul by the counsel of the righteous. As the winds and clouds and rains are most evident, so the boastful on account of false claims. 2 As winds and clouds are most evident and not the shipwreck, so is false knowledge to those who have the wisdom of God, lest they perish with the boasters of false knowledge. Origen, On Proverbs, Fragments 1 Prov 25.13 2 Prov 25.14

Well and Fount

Πῖνε ὕδατα ἀπὸ σῶν ἀγγείων καὶ ἀπὸ σῶν φρεάτων πηγῆς.  Ἡ γνῶσις καὶ φρέαρ ἐστὶ καὶ πηγὴ· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ προσελθοῦσι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, βαθὺ φρέαρ εἶναι δοκεῖ· τοῖς δὲ ἀπαθέσι καὶ καθαροῖς, πηγή· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐκαθέζετο ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ, ὥρα ἥν ὠσεὶ ἔκτη· πηγὴν δὲ νόει τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, καὶ οὐ τὸ φρέαρ τοῠ ὕδατος· ὥσπερ δὲ ἡ πηγὴ πρόκειται ἀκόπως, τουέστι τὸ τρέχον ὕδωρ τοῖς διψῶσιν, οὕτω τὸ φρέαρ ἐν κόπῳ τοῖς θὲλουσιν ἀντλεῖν· καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ πηγὴ ἂπαυστός ἐστι τοῦ ῥεῖν, οὕτως ἡ αἰσθητικὴ γραφὴ ἀένναον ἔχει τὸν δρόμον, καὶ εὔκολον τοῖς διψῶσι τὸν Θεὸν γεραίρειν· καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ φρέαρ κόπον παρέχει τοῖς ἀντλοῦσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ θεωρητικὴ γνῶσις τοῖς θέλουσι δι' αὑτῆς τὰς ἀρετὰς κατορθῶσαι, ψυχῦς τε καὶ σώματος, τά τε θεῖα ἐννοεῖν, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀντιποιηθῆναι. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας

Drink the waters from your own well and from your own fount. 1 Knowledge is both a well and a fount, for to those who are yet approaching the virtues, a deep well it seems, but to those rid of the passions and purified it is a fount. So even the Saviour sat near the well at the sixth hour of the day. 2 Understand the fount as Divine knowledge, but not the waters of the well. And as a fount gives forth without labour, so the water comes forth for the thirsty, but for the well labour is required for those wishing to drink. And as the fount remains incessant, so Scripture has it as an endless flow, and to those who thirst God gives with ease. But like a well requiring labour in order that one may drink, so is contemplative knowledge to those who wish rightly to improve the body and soul in virtue and to understand the Divine and obtain the kingdom of heaven. Origen, On Proverbs, Fragments 1 Prov 5.15  2 Jn 4.6

Mercy, Truth and Heaven

Κύριε, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τὸ ἔλεός σου.  Σφόδρα ἀκολούθως μετὰ τὴν ὑπογραφὴν τῆς τοῦ παρανόμου κακίας τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα πλοῦτον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμίας παρίστησιν, δι' ἦς καὶ τῶν παρανόμων καὶ ἀσεβων ἀνδρῶν ἀνέχεται· διδάσκων, ὅτι ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας ἐλέου πεπλήρωτι μεγάλου. Καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ αἴτιον τυγχάνει τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν ζωῆς τε καὶ εὐθυμίας. Τὸν μὲν οὖν θησαυρὸν τοῦ ελέους αὐτοῦ τεταμιεῦσθαι φησιν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ εἶναι παρ' αὐτῷ, πληροῦντες· πάντα τὰ ὑπερουράνια· ὅμως δὲ καὶ μέχρι τῶν νεφελῶν, ἢ μέχρι τῶν αἰθέρων, κατὰ τὸν Συμμαχον, διήκειν. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέλεκται· Ἐν τῷ οὐρανῳ ἐτοιμασθήσεται ἡ ἀλήθειά σου. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ δίκην δὲ ὑετοῦ φερομένου διὰ νεφῶ καὶ μέχρι τῆς γῆς ἐπιστάζει. Διὸ εἴρηται· Καὶ ἀλήθειά σου ἔεως τῶν νεφελῶν. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν λεγομενῶν νεφελῶν καὶ εἰς ἀνθρώπους προχέεται ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀληθεια· νεφέλας δὲ τοὺς προφήτας ἢ τὰς ἀγγελικὰ δυνάμεις, δι' ὦν ἡ αλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εἰς ἀνθρώπους κατελήλυθεν, εἴωθεν ὁ λόγος ὀνομάζειν. Οὕτε λελεκται ἐν Ἠσαΐα· Καὶ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτὸν ὑετὸν, δηλαδὴ εἰς τὸ Ἰουδαίων λαὸν, ἀμπελῶνα τροπικῶς ὠνομασμένον.  Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΛΕ'

'Lord, in heaven is your mercy. ' 1 After describing the wickedness of impious men, he tells of the excellent wealth of Divine tolerance, which is accustomed to bear with the iniquitous and impious, teaching, then, the wealth of His kindness and the patience and long bearing, 2 of one replete with great mercy. And this mercy of God is the cause of why sinners and the impious live and are cheerful. Thus a treasury of his mercy is stored up in heaven, it says, but truth also is his possession, filling all the heavens, for even to the clouds, or as the translator Symmachus has it, to the air, it extends. So in another Psalm it is said, 'In heaven your truth shall be prepared' 3 Thus the truth of God is in heaven, whence it is like water carried in the clouds, hidden until it falls in drops upon the earth. So it is said, 'And your truth to the clouds.' For from the clouds the truth of God is poured on to men, and in the custom of Scripture these clouds are the prophets and angelic powers, through which the truth of God is given to men. So in Isaiah it is said, 'And I shall command the clouds lest they water it with rain,' 4 that is, over the Jewish people, who are figuratively named a vine. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 35 1 Ps 35.6 2 Rom 2.4 3 Ps 88.3 4 Is 5.6

Corruption by Others

Υἱέ μή σε πλανήσωσιν ἄνδρες ἀσεβεῖς μηδὲ βουληθῇς Καὶ τὸ σὺν ἄλλοις μὲν ἁμαρτάνειν κόλασιν ἐπιφέρει· ἄνδρες γε μὴν ἀσεβεις, οἱ ἐν κακίᾳ τέλειοι. ἐὰν παρακαλέσωσί σε λέγοντες, ἐλθὲ μεν ἡμῶν κοινώνησον αἵματος κρύψωμεν δὲ εἰς γῆν ἄνδρα δίκαιον ἀδίκως. Κρύπτουσιν εἰς γῆν, οὔς ἂν πείσωσι τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονεῖν· ἄνδρα δὲ δίκαιον νοήσεις τὸν οὐρανιον ἔχοντα φρόνημα. Δυναται δὲ ταῦτα νοεϊσθαι καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν, καὶ εἰς τὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων λαόν. Τὸ ἰκανὸν ἡ Γραφὴ δηλοῖ διὰ τοῦ καταπιεῖν, ὡς ἐν τῷ· Ἵνα μὴ τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθῇ τοιοῦτος. Φασὶν οὐν, ὅτι Τὸν οὐράνιον ἔχοντα φρόνημα καθελόντες καὶ νικήσαντες εἰς ἑαυτοὺς μεταστήσωμεν, ὥστε τὰ ἐπιγεια φρονεῖν. Ζῶν δὲ καταπίεται ὁ δόξαν ἔχων ὀρθὴν περὶ τῶν πρακτέων, καὶ ταύτην ἀποβαλών. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Παροιμιας

O son, let not impious men deceive you, nor consent to them. 1 And to sin with others brings punishment. Truly impious men are those who are accomplished in evil.  If they should call to you, saying, 'Come with us, partake in blood, and let us unjustly hide the righteous man in the earth.' They hide in the earth who persuade others to think of things of the earth, but the righteous man has his thoughts on heaven. And these things can also be understood of Christ and the Jewish people. Now in Scripture one can grasp what it is to be devoured in this: 'that he not be devoured by an abundance of grief.' 3 Thus they say, this man of heavenly mind having called to us and conquered, we shall transform him into ourselves so that he think of things of the earth. And so living a man is devoured, who from having the right sense of acting is thrown from it. Didymus the Blind, On Proverbs, fragment  1 Prov 1.10 2 Prov 1.11  3 2 Cor 2.7

The Third Temptation

Sed jam tertio tota diabolicae potestatis commovetur ambitio. Constituto igitur Domino in monte excelso, universa orbis terrarum regna, eorumque gloriam obtulit, si modo adoraretur ipse. Jam gemina responsione opinionem suspicionis excesserat. Cibo Adam pellexerat, et de paradisi gloria in peccati locum, id est, in regionem vetitiae arboris deduxerat: tertio divini nominis ambitione corruperat, diis futurum similem pollicendo. Igitur adversus Dominum tota jam saeculi potestate pugnatur, et Creatori suo possessio hujus universitatis offertur: ut tenens ordinem fraudis antiquae, quem neque cibo pellexerat, nec loco moverat, nunc vel ambitione corrumperet. Sed responsio Domini dignum de superioribus gradum fecit. Ait enim: Vade satana. Scriptum est enim, Dominum Deum tuum adorabis, et illi soli servies. Temeritatis tantae congruum exitum tulit, cum et criminum suorum in satana nomen audivit, et Dominum Deum suum adorandum in homine cognovit. Praebuit etiam hujus responsionis effectu magnum nobis Dominus exemplum: ut contempta humanae potestatis gloria, et saeculi ambitione postposita, solum meminissemus Deum et Dominum adorandum; quia omnis saeculi honor diaboli sit negotium. Post hanc ergo diaboli fugam, Angeli Christo ministrant; ostendentes, a nobis victo calcatoque diaboli capite, et Angelorum ministeria, et Virtutum in nos coelestium officia non defutura. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, In Evangelium Matthaei Commentarius, Cap VI

But now for the third time all the ambition of the diabolical power is shaken. Thus having set the Lord on a high mountain, all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them he offers, if only He would adore him. 1 Already with two replies He has fortified the suspicion. With food he seduced Adam, and from the glory of paradise into a place of sin he led him, that is, into the region of the forbidden tree; with his third effort he would corrupt with ambition for the Divine name, as with that promise that in the future they shall be like gods. 2 Thus against the Lord with all the power of the world he fights, offering to his own Creator  the possession of everything, and so he holds to the order of the old deceit, but here he neither seduces with bread, nor with place moves, nor with ambition does he corrupt. But the response of the Lord matches what has gone before. He says, 'Begone, Satan; for it is written the Lord your God you shall adore and Him alone you will serve.' A fitting end He brought to such temerity, and when he heard the name of Satan for his own crimes, he knew that the Lord his God would be worshipped in man. He gave, then, with His answers a great example to us, that by having contempt for the glory of human power and by placing beneath us worldly ambition, we be mindful that we should adore our Lord and God alone, because the business of every age is to give honour to the Devil. And after the flight of the devil, the angels ministered to God, showing that with our victory and crushing of the devil's head, we shall not lack the ministry of angels and the attentions of the celestial powers. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, from the Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 3 1 Mt 4.8-10 2 Gen 3.5

Warnings Against Fallen Clergy

Nec mirum si consilia nostra aut Domini praecepta nunc abnuunt qui Dominum negaverunt: stipes et oblationes et lucra desiderant, quibus prius insatiables incubabant; et coenis atque epulis etiam nunc inhiant, quarum crapulam superstite nuper in dies cruditate ructabant, nunc manifestissme comprobantes nec nate se religioni, sed ventri potius et quaestui profana cupiditate servisse. Unde et ipsam venisse perspicimus et credimus de Dei exploratione censuram, ne apud altare consistere et contrectare ulterius perseverarent pudorem incesti, fidem perfidi, religionem profani, divina terreni, sancta sacrilegi. Quod ne tales ad altaris impiamenta et contagia fratrum denuo redeant, omnibus viribus excubandum est, et omni vigore nitendum ut quantum possumus ab hac eos sui sceleris audacia retundamus, ne adhuc agere pro sacerdote conentur qui ad mortis extrema dejecti, ultra lapsos laicos ruinae majoris pondere prorurunt. Si vero apud insanos furor insanabilis perseveraverit, et recedente Spiritu sancto, quae coepit caecitas in sua nocte permanserit, consilium nobis erit singulos fratres ab eorum fallacia separare, et ne quis in laqueos erroris incurrat, ab eorum contagione secernere, quando nec oblatio sanctificari illic possit ubi Spiritus Sanctus non sit, nec cuiquam Dominus per ejus orationes et preces prosit qui Dominum ipse violavit. Sanctus Cyprianus, Ex Epistola LXIV, Ad Epictetum et Plebem Assuritanorum, De Fortunatiano Quondam Eorum Episcopo

Nor is it a wonder if they who have denied the Lord now reject our counsels, or the Lord's precepts; they who desire payments, and offerings, and gain, for which things they formerly watched insatiably; and they still long for suppers and banquets, whose surfeit they belched forth fresh on the next day, now most manifestly proving that they did not before serve religion, but rather their belly and material profit with profane cupidity. Whence also we perceive and believe that this censure has come from the investigation of God, that they might not persist to stand at the altar, and as unchaste men claim modesty, as perfidious men faith, as profane men religion, as earthly men things Divine, as sacrilegious men things sacred. And that such men may not return again to the profanation of the altar and to the contagion of the people, we must keep watch with all our powers, and strive with all strength, that, as far as we are able, we may beat them back from this audacity of their wickedness, that no longer they try to act the priest, they who, thrown down to the deeps of death, have far beyond the lapses of the lay tumbled headlong under the weight of a greater ruin. But if among these deranged persons their incurable fury shall persist, and with the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit, the blindness which has begun shall endure in its night, our counsel shall be to separate individual brethren from their deceits, and, lest any one should run into the snares of their error, to cut them off from their contagion, since neither can the oblation be consecrated where the Holy Spirit is not, nor can the Lord benefit any one by the prayers and supplications of one who himself has outraged the Lord. Saint Cyprian, from Letter 64, To Epictetus and to the Congregation of Assurae, Concerning Fortunatianus, Formerly Their Bishop.

A Fallen Priest

Nimis contristatus sum pro Valente, qui presbyter factus est aliquando apud vos, quod sic ignoret is locum qui datus est ei. Moneo itaque ut abstinete vos ab omni malo.  Qui autem non potest se in his gubernare, quomodo alii pronuntiat hoc?  Si quis non se abstinuerit ab avaritia, ab idolotatria conquinabitur et tamquam inter gentes iudicabitur, qui ignorant iudicium domini. Aut nescimus, quia sancti mundum iudicabunt? sicut Paulus docet.  Ego autem nihil tale sensi in vobis vel audivi, in quibus laboravit beatus Paulus, qui estis in principio episulae eius. De vobis etenim gloriatur in omnibus ecclesiis, quae dominum solae tunc cognoverant; nos autem nondum cognoveramus.  Valde ergo, fratres, constristor pro illo et pro coniuge eius, quibus det dominus paenitentiam veram. Sobrii ergo estote et vos in hoc; et non sicut inimicos tales existimetis, sed sicut passibilia membra et errantia eos revocate, ut omnium vestrum corpus salvetis. Hoc enim agentes vos ipsos aedificatis. Ἅγιος Πολύκαρπος Σμύρνης, Πρὸς Φιλιππήσιους Έπιστολή Source: Migne PG 5.1013

I am greatly grieved for Valens, who was at one time a priest among you, because he is so ignorant of the place that was given him. I exhort you, therefore that 'you abstain from every evil.' 1 For if a man cannot govern himself in such things, how shall he enjoin them on others? If a man does not keep himself from avarice, he shall be defiled by idolatry and shall be judged as one of the gentiles who are ignorant of the judgment of the Lord. 'Do we not know that the saints shall judge the world?' 2 as Paul teaches. But I have seen no such thing among you, nor heard of it, in the midst of whom the blessed Paul laboured, you who are commended in the beginning of his letter to you. 3 For he glories in you of all the Churches which alone then knew the Lord; but we had not yet known Him. I am greatly grieved, therefore, brethren, for him and his wife, to whom may the Lord grant repentance. And be then moderate in this, and 'do not regard such folk as enemies,' 4 but call them back as suffering and straying members, that you may save your whole body. For by acting so you shall edify yourselves. 5 Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, from the Letter to the Phillipians. 1 1 Thes 5.22 2 1 Cor 6.2 3 cf Phil 2-6 4 2 Thes 3.15 5 1 Cor 12.26

Fighting The Dragon

Qui custodiunt mandata Dei  Mandata Dei in fide Jesu Christi custodire, hoc est pugnare cum dracone, et ipsum provocare in praelium. Et gratias Deo, qui saevi draconis evacuavit incoeptus. Ecce enim, Dominum in carne natum exstinguere molitus, ejus resurrectione frustratur. Post apostolis fiduciam docendi refringere laborans, quasi mulierem, id est, totam Ecclesiam de rebus humanis auferre satagebat. Sed et hoc frustra nisus passim nunc singulas fidelium impugnat aetates. Unde et sequitur:   Et stetit super arenam maris. Id est, super multitudinem populi, quem projicit ventus a facie terrae. Illius, sine dubio, qui hostis machinas absorbere solet, idem hostis insidias et bella excitaturus insistit.  Sanctus Beda, Explanatio Apocalyspsis, Caput XII

'Those who keep the commandments of God...' 1 To keep the commandments of God in the faith of Jesus Christ, this is to fight with the dragon and to challenge him in battle. And thanks be to God, who foiled the raging dragon at the beginning. For indeed he who laboured to destroy the Lord born in the flesh, is frustrated by the resurrection. 2 Then exerting himself after to undermine the confidence of the Apostles' teaching, he strove to carry off, like the woman, 3 the whole Church from the sphere of human affairs, but as his attacks have everywhere been in vain, he now fights against each of the ages of the faithful. Whence it follows: And he stood on the sand of the sea 4 That is, over that multitude of people 'whom the wind throws forth from the face of the earth.' 5 Whence without doubt he who is accustomed to devour with hostile contrivances, the same enemy stands so that he raise up plots and wars. St Bede, from Commentary On Revelation, Chapter 12 1 Rev 12.17  2 Rev 12.4  3 Rev 12.6 4 Rev 12.18 5 Ps 1.4

Alms and Forgiveness

Agnoscamus itaque fratres charissimi, divinae indulgentiae munus salubre, et emudndandis purgandisque peccatis nostris, qui sine aliquo conscientiae vulenere esse non possumus, medelis spiritalibus vulnera nostra curemus. Nec quisquam sic sibi de puro atque immaculato pectore blandiatur, ut, innocentia sua fretus, medicinam non putet adhibehdam esse vulneribus, cum scriptum sit; Quis gloriabitur mundum se esse a peccatis? et iterum in Epistola sua Joannes ponat et dicat: 'Si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus, nos ipsos decipimus, et vertitas in nobis non est.  Si autem nemo esse sine peccato potest, et quiquis inculpatum se esse dixerit, aut superbus aut stultus est, quam necessaria, quam benigna est divina clementia, quae, cum sciat non deesse sanatis quaedam postmodum vulnera, dedit curandis denuo sanatisque vulneribus remedia salutaria. Numquam denique, fratres dilectissimi, admonitio divina cessavit et tacuit quominus in Scripturis sanctis tam veteribus quam novis semper et ubique ad misericordiae opera Dei populus provocaretur; et canente atque exhortante Spiritu sancto, quisquis ad spem regni coelestis intruitur, facere eleemosynas jubetur, Mandat et praecipit Esaiae Deus: 'Exclama, inquit, in fortitudine et noli parcere. Sicut tuba exalta vicem tuam, et annuntia plebi meae peccata ipsorum et domui Jacob facinora eorum. Et cum peccata eis sua exprobrari praecepisset, cumque eorum facinora pleno indignationis impetu protulisset, dixissetque eos nec, si orationibus et pecibus et jejuniis uterentur, satisfacere pro delictis posse, nec, si in cilico et cinere volverentur, iram Dei posse lenire, in novissima tamen parte, demonstrans solis eleemosynis Deum posse placari, addidit dicens: Frange esurienti panem tuum, et egenos sine tecto induc in domum tuam. Si videris nudum, vesti eum, et domesticos seminis tui non despicias. Tunc erumpet temporaneum lumen tuum, et vestimenta tua cito orientur, et praeibit ante te justiita, et claritas Dei circumdabit te. Tunc exclamabis te Deus exaudiet te. Dum adhuc loqueris dicet: Ecce adsum. Sanctus Cyprianus, Liber Opere et Eleemosynis

Let us acknowledge, then, beloved brethren, the wholesome gift of the Divine mercy, and let us, who cannot be without some wound of conscience, for the cleansing and purging of our sins, cure our wounds by spiritual remedies . Let no one so flatter himself that he has a pure and immaculate heart, that, relying on his own innocence, he think that the medicine need not be administered to his wounds, when it is written, 'Who shall boast that he is clean or free from sins? ' 1 And again, in his letter, John sets it before us and says, If we say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.' 2 But if no one can be without sin, and whoever should say that he is faultless is either proud or stupid, how necessary, how kind is the Divine mercy, which, when it knows that there are still some wounds even after healing, has given for the curing and healing of wounds anew wholesome remedies. Never then, beloved brethren, has the Divine admonition ceased or been silent in the Scriptures, whether in the old or the new, in exhorting the people of God's always and everywhere to works of mercy, and with the song and exhortation of the Holy Spirit, whoever has hope of the heavenly kingdom is commanded to give alms. God commands and prescribes to Isaiah: 'Cry out,'  He says, 'with force, and do not cease. Lift up your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their sins, and to the house of Jacob their crimes.' 3 And when He had commanded their sins to be brought up as a reproach upon them, and had set forth their crimes with the full force of His indignation, and had said that even though they should turn to supplications and prayers and fasting, they would not be able to make satisfaction for their sins, nor if they clothed themselves in sackcloth and ashes would they be able to allay God's anger, in the last part, however, showing that God can be pleased by alms alone, he added, saying, 'Break your bread for the hungry and lead the poor without a roof over them into your house. If you see the naked, clothe him, and do not despise the household of your own seed. Then shall your light break forth in its season, and your garments shall arise swiftly, and before you  righteousness shall go, and the glory of God shall surround you. Then you will cry out and God will hear you. While you are still speaking, He shall say, 'Here I am.' 4 Saint Cyprian, from On Works and Alms 1 Prov 20:9 2 1 Jn 1.8 3 Isaiah 58:1 4 Isaiah 58:7-9

The Conditions of an Inheritance

Προσίωμεν τοίνυν, καὶ ἀνοιγωμεν τὰ γραμματεῖα, καὶ ἐγκύπτωμεν τοῖς ἐγγεγραμμένοις, καὶ ἴδωμεν ἐπὶ τίσιν ἡμῖν ὁ κλῆρος οὖτος καταλέλειπται, καὶ τίς ἡ τοῦ κλήρου φύσις. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς κατέλιπεν ἡμῖν τὸν κλῆρον, ἀλλ' ἐφ' αἱρέσει τινί. Ποίᾳ δὴ ταύτῃ; Ὁ ἀγαπῶν με, φησὶ, τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσει. Καὶ πάλιν, Ὅς οὐκ ἄρῃ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθῇ ὀπίσω μου· καὶ ἕτερα πλείονα, ἄπερ τῇ Διαθήκῃ ἐγγέγραπται.  Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Τον Ε' Ψαλμον

Let us attend, then and open the tablets and incline to what is written in them, and let us see for what reason this inheritance has been left us and what is the nature of this inheritance. For it has not been left to us simply but under conditions. And what are they? He who loves me, He says, Keeps my commandments. 1 And again, He who does not take us his cross and follow me...' 2 and many other things, which in the Testament are written. Saint John Chrysostom, from the Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 5 1 Jn 14.23  2 Mt 10.33

A Man Rejected

Αἱ ἀλωπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν παρακαλέσαντα ἀκολουθεῖν ἀπεκρίνατο, καρδιογνώστης ὑπάρχων, ὡς πλάσας καταμόνας τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καρδίας. Καταμόνας δὲ εἵρηται, ὅτι οὐ δεηθεὶς ἑτέρου βοηθοῦντος ἐποίησε. Καὶ ὁρῶν δολίοις λογισμοῖς κεκρατημένον τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ὑπὸ πνευμάτων πονηρῶν κατοικούμενον, καὶ ἀνεπιστρόφως πρὸς τὴν κάκωσιν ἔχοντα· καὶ τούτου χάριν τῆς οἰκείας συνουσίας αὐτὸν ἀπέπεμπεν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἐπίμονον τῆς ἐκείνου φαυλότητος, σκανδάλου γένηται τοῖς πιστεύουσιν αἴτιον, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀτενίζουσι, καὶ τῆς Δεσποτικῆς δυνάμεως καταψηφιζομένοις ἀσθένειαν, ὡς τὸν μαθητὴν μεταβαλεῖν πρὸς ἀρετὴν μὴ ἰσχυσάσης. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΙΖ' Παυλῳ

'Foxes have their holes and the birds of heaven their nests,' the Lord replies to him who asked to follow, 1 He who has knowledge of the heart, for He alone shapes the heart of men, He alone, for he does not need other help making. And perceiving the man overcome by deceitful thoughts, and being ruled by wicked spirits, and being indifferent to the evil he possesses, on account of this He sends him from his group, lest not only his be the error but he become a cause of scandal to those who are faithful, who gazing on that man would condemn the weakness of the Lord's power, that it was not able to turn a disciple to virtue. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 17, To Paul 1 Mt 8.20 2 Mt 5.13

Worthy of Being Saved

Πᾶν τὸ ἄξιον σωτηρίας ηὑρέθη, τὸ δ' ἀνάξιον διὰ τὴν ἀματανοησίαν καὶ τὴν πώρωσιν οὐχ εὑρῆσθαι λέγεται· Ἐὰν γὰρ ὑπάρχει ὥσπερ ὁ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται, ἤτοι τὸ λεγόμενον παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ λεϊμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος σωζόμενον διὰ πίστεως. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΞ', Ναυκρατιῳ

Everyone is found to be worthy of salvation, yet it is also said they shall be found unworthy on account of impenitence and hardness of heart. For if they are like the sands of the sea, only a remnant shall be saved, 1 or, according to that passage of the Apostle, according to the choice of grace, salvation is through faith. 2 St Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 260, To Naukratios 1 Rom 9. 27, Isa 10. 22 2 Rom 11.5

An Exhortation to Humility

Τίς σε οὐ γράψεται ἀτοπίας, ὅτι καὶ πλοῦτον περιφρονήσας, καὶ γὲνος, καὶ τὴν σκιώδη ταύτην τιμὴν, καὶ πολλοϊς ὁδὸς γενόμενος ταπεινώσεως, νῦν ἑάλως ὑπέροπτος, τοῦ θείου ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενος νόμου, τοῦ ταπεινοῦσθαι κελεύοντος τὸν ὑψοῦσθαι βουλόμενον; Εἰ τοίνυν μὴ ἅπας ὑποβρύχτος τοῖς τῆς ἀλζονείας κύμασι γέγονας, νῆψον πρὸς τὴν ὑποσχεσιν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦτό σε λέληθεν, ὅτι μετριότης ταῖς ἀρεταῖς συναύξουσα, Θεοῦ μιμητὰς τούς οὕτω βιοῦντας ἐργάζεται· ὑψηλοφροσύνη δὲ, οὐ μόνον τὰ παρόντα οἴδε καθελεϊν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐρανῶν καθαιρεῖ τὸν ὑψαύχενα, ὅπερ ὁ Ἐωσφόρος πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων ὑπέμεινεν.  Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΙΕ', Πετρῳ

Does someone write absurdly about you, who should have contempt for wealth and lineage and ephemeral honours and should be to many as one on the way of humility, that you are now disdainful of such things, as one forgetful of the law of God, and as one wishing to exalt himself over those on the way of humility? 1 If, then, you do not wish to be drowned in the waves of arrogance, be watchful of the promise. For you may not forget this, that modesty grows with the virtues, and it makes men live as imitators of God, but arrogance not only overthrows present things, but even from heaven cast one from great height, as happened to Lucifer, who in the morning rose. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 15, To Peter 1 cf Lk 14.11

Making Oneself Worthy

Οὐκ ἀξίαν τῆς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου εὐπρεπείας βαδίζεις τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, μὴ λαμβάνων κατὰ νοῦν, ὡς ὀλίγον ὕστερον κρίσις ἔσται τῶν ἐκάαστῳ βεβιωμένων, ἀπαραιτήτους ἔχουσα τὰς πρὸς ἀξίαν ἐπιτιμήσεις. Δεῖ τοίνυν, καὶ μηδαμῶς ἀπεχθάνου ταῦτα ἀκούων, τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐλθεῖν, ἐκλεξάμενον μᾶλλον ἀντὶ τῶν οὐχ ὁσίων τὰ ὅσια, καὶ ἐξορίσαι τὰς κατὰ συνήθειαν πονηρὰς προθυμίας. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΝΔ' Αυρηλιανῳ Ἰλλουστριῳ ἀπο Ἑλληνων

Unworthy of the Gospel is the pretty step with which you walk in this time of life, not grasping with the mind that in a little  judgement shall be given to everyone who has lived, not to be propitiated by one who has things worthy of punishment. It is necessary then, lest you be roused to hatred hearing these things, to turn to what is opposed to you, and to choose things holy against things profane, and to banish those evil things which, on account of your conduct, you desire. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 54, To Aurelianos, celebrated among the pagans

Sin and Freedom

Τὸ δ' ἐκούσιον ἢ τὸ κατ' ὅρεξίν ἐστιν, ἢ τὸ κατὰ προαίρεσιν, ἢ τὸ κατὰ διάνοιαν. Αὐτίκα παράκειταί πως ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις, ἁμάρτημα, ἀτύχημα, ἀδίκημα. Καὶ ἔστιν ἁμάρτημα μὲν, φέρε εἰπεῖν, τὸ τρυφητικῶς καὶ ἀσελγῶς βιοῦν· ἀτύχημα δὲ τὸν φίλον, ὡς πολέμιον, ὑπ' ἀγνοίας βαλεῖν· ἁδίκημα  δὲ ἡ τυμβωρυχία ἤ ἡ ἱεροσυλία. Τὸ δὲ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐκ τοῦ ἀγνδεῖν κρίνειν ὅ τι χρὴ ποιεν σῦνίσταται, ἢ τῷ ἀδυνατεῖν ποιεῖν· ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ βόθρῳ περιπίπτει τις, ἤτοι ἀγνοήσας, ἢ ἁδυνατήσας ὑπερβῆναι δι' ἀσθένειαν σώματος. Ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἡμῖν γε ἢ τε πρὸς τὴν παιδείαν ἡμῶν παράστασις ἢ τε πρὸς τὰς ἐντολὰς ὑπακοή· ὦν εἰ μὴ μετέχειν βουληθείημεν, θυμῷ τε καὶ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐκδότους σφᾶς αὐτοῦς ἐπιδόντες, ἁμαρτησόμεθα, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀδικήσομεν τὴν ἑαυτῶν ψυχήν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Λάϊος ἐκεῖνος κατὰ τὴν τραγῳδίαν φησιν· Δέληωεν οὐδέν τῶνδέ μ', ὦν σὺ νουθετεῖς· Γνώμεν δ' εχοντά μ' ἡ φύσις βιάζεται. τουτέστι, τὸ ἔκδοτον γεγενῆσθαι τῷ πάθει.  Ἡ Μήδεια δὲ, καὶ αὐτὴ ὁμοίως ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς βοᾷ· Καὶ μανθάνω μὲν οἴα δρᾷν μέλλῳ κακά· Θυμὸς δὲ κρείσσων τῶν ἐμων βουλευμάτων. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Αἴας σιωπᾷ μέλλων δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἀποφάτειν, κέκραγεν· Οὐδὲν οὖν ἦν πῆμα ἐλευθέρου Ψυχήν δάκνον οὕτως ὡς ἀνδρὸς ἀτιμία. Οὕτως πέπονθα καί με συμφορούσα Βαθεῖα κηλὶς, ἐκ βυθῶν ἀναστρέφει, Αὐσσης πικροῖς κέντροισιν ἠρεθισμένον. Τούτους μὲν οὖν ὁ θυμός· μύρίους δὲ ἄλλους ἡ ἐπιθυμιά τραγῳδεῖ, τὴν Φαιδραν, τὴν Ἀνθίαν, τὴν Ἐριφύλην, Ἥ χρυσὸν φίλου ἀνδρὸς ἐδέξατο τιμήεντα. Τὸν γὰρ κωμικὸν ἐκεῖνον θρασωυνίδην ἄλλη σκηνὴ Παιδισκάριόν με, φησὶν, εὐτελὲς καταδεδούλωκεν. Ἀτύχημα δὲ νοῦ παράλογός ἐστιν ἁμαρτία· ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία ἐκούσιος ἀδικία· ἀδικία δὲ ἐκούσιος κακία. Ἔστιν οὖν ἡ μὲν ἁμαρτία ἐμὸν ἐκούσιον· διὸ καὶ φησίν· Ἁμαρτία γὰρ ὑμῶν οὐ κυριεύσει· οὐ γὰρ ἐστε ὑπὸ νόμον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ χὰριν· τοῖς ἤδη πεπιστευκόσι λέγων· Ὅτι τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν. Ἀτυχία δέ ἐστιν ἄλλου εἰς ἐμὲ πρᾶξις ἀκούσιος· ἡ δὲ ἀδικία μόνη, εὐρίσκεται ἑκουσιος, εἴτε ἐμὴ εἴτε ἄλλου. Ταύτας δ' αἰνίσσεται τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰς διαφορὰς ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς, μακαρίους λέγων, ὦν ὁ Θεὸς τὰς μὲν ἀπήλειψεν ἀνομίας, τὰς δὲ ἐπεκάλυψεν ἁμαρτίας· οὐκ ἐλογίσατό τε τὰς ἄλλας, καὶ ἀφῆκε τὰς λοιπάς. Γεγραπται γάρ· Μακάριοι, ὦν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὦν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· μακάριος ἀνὴρ ᾦ οὐ λογίσηται Κύριος ἁμαρτίαν, οὐδὲ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτου δόλος· Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Δευτερος, Κεφ ΙΕ'

What is voluntary is either what is by desire, or by choice, or by intention. Closely allied to each other are these things, sin, mistake, crime. It is sin, for example, to live luxuriously and licentiously, a misfortune to strike one's friend in ignorance taking him for an enemy, and a crime to violate graves or commit sacrilege. Sin comes about from being unable to judge what should be done, or being unable to do it, as someone falls into a ditch either by ignorance, or through inability to leap across on account of weakness of body. But in our power is improvement of our state and obedience to the commandments, with which if we wish not to engage in, by giving ourselves wholly to desire and passion, we shall sin, or rather, commit crime against our own soul. For Laius says in the tragedy:     'Nothing is is unclear to me for which you admonish me;    I am in my senses, nature compels me.' 1 That is, he abandons himself to passion.  And Medea herself likewise cries out on the stage:     'And I know what evils I am to do,     But passion is stronger than my resolutions.'  2 Further, not even Ajax is silent, but rather, about to kill himself, he cries out:     'There is no pain to gnaw the soul of a free man like dishonour.     Thus do I suffer and the deep stain of calamity     Overthrows me from the depths, vexed by the bitter stings of rage.' 3   Passion made these the subjects of tragedy, and desire made ten thousand others, Phaedra, Anthia, and Eriphyle:     'She who took precious gold for a dear husband.' 4   And a comedy has Thrasonides say on the stage:     'A worthless girl made me her slave.' 5 Mistake, then, is a sin contrary to calculation, and voluntary sin is crime, and crime is voluntary wickedness. Sin, then, is voluntary  on my part . Whence he says, 'Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace.' 6 And speaking to those who have believed, he says, 'For by His stripes we were healed.' 7 Mistake is the involuntary act of another to me, while a crime alone is found to be voluntary, whether it is my act or the act of another. These differences of sins are alluded to by the Psalmist, when he calls those blessed whose iniquities God has blotted out, and whose sins He has covered. Others He does not weigh, and He forgives the rest. For it is written, 'Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, and in whose mouth there is no fraud.' 8 Clement of Alexandria, from the Stromata, Book 2, Ch 15.  1 Euripides, Laius, fragment 2 Euripides, Medea, 1078 - 1079 3 Sophocles, Ajax , not found in our version 4 Homer Odyssey, Bk 11, 327  5 Menander, Misoumenos, fragment 6 Rom 4:7-8  7 1 Pet 2:24  8 Ps 31 1-2

Forgive Another For Yourself

Et demitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Sic dicendo, homo, indulgentiae modum, mensuramque veniae tu tibi dedisti, qui a Domino tantum tibi petis dimitti, quantum dimiseris ipse conservo. Dimitte ergo delinquenti in te totum, si vis ipse de tuis nihil Domino debere delictis: in altero dimitte tibi, si vis vindicem vitare sententiam. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo LXX

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. So saying, O man, you have given to yourself the manner and measure of forgiveness, that you ask the Lord to forgive you as much as you forgive your fellow servant. Forgive, therefore, all to the one who wrongs you, if you wish that you have no wrongs before the Lord. Forgive another for yourself, if you wish to avoid the avenging sentence. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 70 1 Mt 6.12

Seeking the Crown

Ἐπειδὴ ποθεινῶς τὰς σεπτὰς ἀναγινώσκεις Γραφὰς, οἶσθά που τὴν προστάτοουσαν καὶ διακελευομένην τοῖς πᾶσιν νομοθεσίαν, δεῖν στεφάνην κατασκευάζειν ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος τῆς νοητῆς οἰκίας, δηλαδὴ τοῦ κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτεύματος. Χρὴ γὰρ μὴ μόνον ἐνάρξασθαι τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κορωνίδα καὶ τέλος ἐπιτιθέναι, ἵνα  μὴ καταγνωσθῶμεν, ὥσπερ ὁ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τὸν πύργον ἀτελῆ καταλείψας. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ Ξ' , Μελετιῳ Καγκελλαριῳ

Since you desire the august knowledge of the Scriptures, learn that the commanding precept which exhorts everyone is that a crown is prepared for them in the house of intellectual dwelling, clearly according to God established. For it is necessary not only to work virtue but even to have it as a crown and end, lest we be condemned, as in the Gospel happened with the one who left the tower unfinished. 1 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 60, To Meletios 1 Lk 14.30

Lamps and Good Works

Sint lumbi vestri praecincti, et lucernae ardentes in manibus vestris, et vos similes hominibus exspectantibus dominum suum, quando veniat a nuptiis.   Sint lumbi vestri praecincti: ibi praecingenda est virtus, ubi voluptas est comprimenda. Nescit vincere vitia corporis, virtutis cingulum qui deponit. Cincti ergo castitatis baltheo, quod est insigne militiae Christianae, fluxam carnis detruncemus ignaviam, et regis nostri expspectantione pervigiles insomnem somnum saeculi nescimus. Non dormiunt, inquit, nisi cum male fecerint. Et lucernae ardentes in manibus vestris, in quorum manibus bonorum operum lucent lucernae. Sic enim: Luceat lux vestra coram hominibus, ut videant bona vestra opera et magnificent Patrem vestrum qui est in caelis.  Et ut lucerna ante oculos, opus bonum in mentibus sic refulget. Non portanti tantum lucerna lucet, sed multis, et opus bonum dum facto, in uno lucet, multos illustrat exemplo. Lucerna repellit noctium obscura, opus bonum malitiae fugat tenebras. Accendamus lucernam bonis operibus in manibus nostris, si volumus coram Domino et hominibus nos lucere. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo XXII

Let your lions be girt and your lamps burning in your hands, and be like men awaiting their Lord, when he shall come from the wedding. 1 Let your loins be girt; virtue should be girt about where passion should be suppressed. He cannot conquer the vices of the body who lets fall the belt of virtue. Bound, then, with the belt of chastity which is the sign of the Christian soldier, let us cut away the loose indolence of the flesh, and being alert in expectation of our king let us not know the restless sleep of the world. 'They sleep not,' it says, unless they have done evil.' 2 And let your lamps be burning in your hands, in which hands shine the lamps of good works. For so it is: Let your light shine among men that they see your good works and magnify your Father who is in heaven. 3 And like lamps before the eyes good works blaze in the minds of men. Not only for the bearer does the lamp shine, but for many, and one shining enlightens many by his example. The lamp dispels the shadows of the night, a good work routs the darkness of wickedness. Let us light the lamp in our hands by good works, if we wish to shine before the Lord and men. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 22 1 Lk 12. 35- 36 2 Prov 4.16 3 Mt 5.16

Words Good and Bad

Ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ προφέρει τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ζητήσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου τροφὴν εἰς πλήρωσιν τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. Δικαιος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐσθίων, ἐμπίπλησι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, ἵνα κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν ὦν τρεφόμεθα, οὐ τὸν τυχόντα λόγον, ἀλλὰ ἀγαθὸν ἀναπέμπωμεν. Ὁ γὰρ πονηρὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὑπὸ μοχθηρῶν δογμάτων ἀνατραφεὶς, ἐξεοεύγεται τῇ καρδίᾳ λόγον πονηρόν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὁποῖα τὰ στόματα τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἀπερεύγεται; ὡς χαλεπὰ καὶ δυσώδη, πολλήν τινα τὴν ἐν τῷ βάθει νόσον τῶν ἀθλίων κατηγοροῦντα; Ὁ γὰρ πονηρὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ πονηρόν θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ προφέρει τὸ πονηρόν. Μὴ δὴ οὖν, κνηθόμενος τὴν ἀκοήν, ἐπισωρεύσῃς σεαυτῷ διδασκάλους, νόσον ἐνεργάσασθαι τοῖς σπλάγχνοις σου δυναμένους, καὶ πονηρῶν σοι ῥημὰτων ἐρυγὴν προξενῆσαι, δι' ὦν μέλλεις ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως καταδικάζεσθαι. Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου, φησὶ, δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον ΜΔ' Ψαλμον

For the good man from the good treasure of his heart brings forth good. 1  Let us seek then from the word nourishment, that we fill our souls. For the righteous man, it is said, when he eats shall fill his soul, 2 and so according to the analogy of nourishment, let it not be just any word, but a good word that we send forth. For the evil man, nourished on depraved teachings, from his heart bursts forth depravity. Do you not see how the mouths of heretics belch forth? How heavy, how fetid, how it indicates the sickness within of a wretched heart? For the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. Do not, then, have prurient ears, taking to yourself teachers who have a sickness reigning within them which in you creates a flood of wicked words, on account of which on the day of judgement you shall be condemned. He says: From your words you shall be justified and from your words condemned. 1   Saint Basil of Caesarea, from Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 44 1  Mt 12. 35 2 Prov 13. 23

Dangerous Words

Λόγοι κερκώπων μαλακοὶ, πίπτουσι δὲ εἰς τὰ ταμιεῖα κοιλίας. Κέρκωπας ὀνομάζει ὁ Σολομῶν τοὺς ἀλωπεκίζοντας καὶ δολιευομένους. Διό φησιν ὁ Δαυῒδ· Μή με συναπολέσεις, ὁ Θεὸς, μετὰ τῶν λαλούντων εἰρήνην πρὸς τὸν πλησίον, κακὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν. Ἡπαλύνθησαν γὰρ λόγοι ὑπὲρ ἔλαιον, καὶ αὐτοὶ βολίδες ὑπάρχουσι τιτρῶσαι. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΞΒ' Καλανδιωνι

Soft the words of the whisperer, but they fall into the chambers of the heart. 1 So Solomon names those who are possessed of vulpine cunning and inflict harm on others. On account of which David says, ' Do not destroy me, God, along with those who speak peace to their neighbours and have evil in their hearts.' 2 For 'Softer their words than anointing oil and they are little shafts that wound.' 3 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 62, To Kalandion 1 Prov 26.22   2 Ps 27.3 3 Ps 54.22