True Knowledge

Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἡ γνῶσις ἡ ἀληθινὴ ἡ κατὰ Χριστὸν σύνεσις, ἦν ὁ Παῦλος καλεῖ τὴν σοφίαν Θεοῦ ἐν μυστηρίῳ τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἤν ὁ ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται, ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ, οὗ ἐάνπερ τις γεύσηται, οὐ μὴ ἂν προσελεύσεται ταῖς παραδιατριβαῖς καὶ λογομαχίαις τῶν τετυφωμένων καὶ φυσιουμένων, τῶν ἃ μὴ ἐωράκασιν ἐμβατευόντων. Ἀσχημάτιστος γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδία σου, ὡς ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος λέγει; εὐμαθὴς τοῖς πειθομένοις. Ὁμοίους γὰρ Χριστῷ ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ, εἰ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτου καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῶν αὐτοῦ παθημάτων γνῶμεν. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπιλογὴ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς διδασκαλίας καὶ τῆς ἁγιωτάτης πίστεως τῆς ἡμῖν παραδοθείσης, ἤν οἱ ἰδιῶνται δέχονται καὶ οἱ ὀλιγομαθεῖς ἐδίδαξαν, οἱ ταῖς γενεαλογίαις ταῖς ἀπεράντοις οὐ προσέχοντες, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον περὶ τὴν τοῠ βίου ἐπανόρθωσιν σπουδάζοντες, ἵνα μὴ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος ἀποστερηθέντες ἀποτύχωσι τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τὸ γὰρ πρῶτον μὲν ἔστι τὸ ἀπαρνῆσαι σεαυτὸν καὶ τὸ ἀκολουθῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ οἱ ταῦτα ποιοῦντες εἰς τελειότητα φέρονται, πᾶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ διδασκάλου πεπληρωκότες, υἱοὶ Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας τῆς πνευματικῆς γινόμενοι καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν κληρονόμοι, ἤν πρῶτον ζητοῦντες οὐκ ἀφεθήσονται.  Ἅγιος Εἰρηναίος, Ἐκλογὴ

True knowledge, then, is the understanding according to Christ, which Paul calls the wisdom of God hidden in a mystery, which 'the material man receives not,' 1 the teaching of the cross, which if anyone taste, he will not partake of the disputes and word wrangling of ignorant and puffed-up folk, 2 who rush into matters of which they have no grasp. 3 For the truth is not excessively complex, and 'Near to you is the word, in your mouth and in your heart,' 4 as the same Apostle declares, being easy to understand by the obedient. For it makes us like Christ if we know 'the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.' 5 For this is the Apostolic teaching and the most holy 'faith handed down to us,' 6 which the simple receive and those of little knowledge have taught, 'not caring for endless genealogies,' 7 but rather studious for a flawless life, lest having been deprived of the Divine Spirit they fail to achieve the kingdom of heaven. For first one must deny one's self and follow Christ, and those who do this are brought to perfection, having fulfilled the will of the teacher, becoming sons of God by spiritual regeneration and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, and those who seek this first shall not be forsaken. Saint Ireneaus of Lyons, Fragment 1 1 Cor 2.14 2 1 Tim 6.4-5 3 Colos 2.18   4 Rom 10.8, Deut 30.14  5 Philip 3.10  6 Jude 3  7 1 Timothy 1.4