Questions And Answers

Μηδὲ προσέχειν μύθοις καὶ γενεαλογίαις ἀπεράντοις. Μύθους οὐ τὸν νόμον φησὶν, ἄπαγε· ἀλλὰ τὰς παραποιήσεις καὶ τὰ παραχαράγματα καὶ τὰ παράσημα δόγματα. Εἰκὸς γὰρ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ἐν τοῖς ἀνονήτοις τὸν πάντα λόγον ἀναλίσκειν, πάππους καὶ προπάππους ἀριθμοῦντας, ἵνα δῆθεν ἐμπειρῖας πολλὴς καὶ ἱστορίας δόξαν ἔχωσιν. Ἵνα παραγείλης τισὶ, φησὶ, μὴ ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν, μηδὲ προσέχειν μύθοις καὶ γενεαλογίαις ἀπεράντοις. Τί ἐστιν, Ἀπεράντοις; Ἤτοι πέρας οὐδὲν ἐχούσαις, ἤ οὐδεν χρήσιμον, ἢ δυσκατάληπτον ἡμῖν. Εἶδες πῶς διαβάλλει τὴν ζήτησιν. Ἔνθα γὰρ πίστις, οὐ χρεία ζητήσεως· ἔνθα μηδὲν δεῖ περιεργάζεσθαι, τί δεῖ ζητὴσεως; ἡ ζήτησις τῆς πίστεώς ἐστιν ἀναιρετική. Ὁ γὰρ ζητῶν, οὐδέπω εὗρεν· ὁ ζητῶν, πιστεῦσαι οὐ δύναται. Διὰ τοῦτο φησι, Μὴ ἀσχολώμεθα περὶ τὰς ζητήσεις· ἐπεὶ εἰ ζητοῦμεν, οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο πίστις· ἡ γὰρ πίστις ἀναπαύει τὸν λογισμόν. Πῶς οὖν φησιν ὁ Χριστὸς, Ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε, κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν· καὶ, Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφὰς, ὅτι ὑμεῖς ἐν ταύταις δοκεῖτε ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν; Ἐκεῖ μὲν τὸ, Ζητεῖτε, περὶ αἰτήσεως λέγει καὶ σφοδροῦ πόθου· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ, Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφὰς, οὐ τοὺς ζητητικούς ἐστιν εἰσάγοντος πόνους, ἀλλ' ἐκβάλλοντος. Εἶπε γὰρ, Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφὰς, τουτέστιν; ὥστε τὴν ἀκρίβειαν αὐτῶν καταμαθεῖν καὶ εἰδέναι, οὐχ ἵνα ἀεὶ ζητῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα παυώμεθα ζητοῦντες. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, Παράγγελλέ τισι Μὴ ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν, μηδὲ προσέχειν μύθοις καὶ γενεαλογίαις ἀπεράντοις, αἴτινες ζητήσεις παρέχουσι μᾶλλον, ἢ οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ τὴν ἐν πίστει. Καλῶς εἴπεν Οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ· μεγάλα γὰρ ἡμῖν δοῦναι ἡθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' οὐ δέχεται ὁ λογισμὸς τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ τῶν οἰκονομιῶν. Διὰ πίστεως οὖν τοῦτο γενέσθαι δεῖ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ φάρμακον ψυχῶν μέγιστον. Ἡ τοίνυν ζήτησις ἐναντία ἐστὶ τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τί γὰρ ἀπὸ πίστεως οἰκονομεῖται; Δέξασθαι τὰς εὐεργεσίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ γενέσθαι βελτίους, καὶ περὶ μηδενὸς ἀμφισβητεῖν καὶ ἀμφιβάλεειν, ἀλλ' ἀναπαύεσθαι. Ἅπερ γὰρ ἡ πίστις ἤνυσε καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε, ταυτᾶ αὕτη καταστρέφει, ζητήσεις παρέχουσα, καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐκβάλλουσα. Μηδὲ προσέχειν, φησὶ, μύθοις καὶ γενεαλογίαις ἀπεράντοις. Καὶ αἱ γενεαλογίαι, φησὶ τί ἔβλαπτον; Ἔλεγεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτι διὰ πίστεως δεῖ σωθῆναι· ἐκεῖνοι ἐζήτουν, καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι οὐκ ἔνι τοῦτο.  Ἐπειδ γὰρ ἡ μὲν ἀπόφασις κατὰ τὸ παρὸν ἧν, ἡ δὲ ἔκβασις τῆς ἀποφάσεως ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, πίστεως ἔδει. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ προκατειλημένοι τοῖς νομικοῖς πατατηρήμασιν, ἐνεπόδιζον τῇ πίστει. Οἷμαι δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνας αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεσθαι, ὅταν λέγῃ, Μύθοις καὶ γενεαλογία, ὡς τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν καταλεγόντων. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος,Ὑμομηνμα Εἰς Την Προς Τιμοθεον Ἐπιστολη Πρωτην, Ὁμιλὶα Ἀ Migne PG 62 506-507

'Nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies.' 1 Fables are not the law, far from it, but falsehoods and forgeries and counterfeit doctrines. For, it seems, the Jews wasted their whole discourse on these unprofitable things, numbering their fathers and grandfathers, that, I must suppose, they gain glory for their studies and historical enquiries. 'That you might instruct some,' he says, 'that they do not give any other teaching, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies.' 1 Why does he call them endless? Why, because they had no end, or none of any use, or none easy for us to understand. Note how he accuses questioning. For where there is faith, there is no need for questioning. Where there is no need for prying, what need for questions? Questioning is the ruin of faith. For he that seeks has yet to find. He who seeks is not able to believe. Because of this he says that we should not be busy with questions, since if we question, it is not faith, for faith gives reasoning rest. Why then, does Christ say, 'Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you' 2 and, 'You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life'? 3 There the seeking means prayer and vehement wish, and the searching of the Scriptures is not to introduce the toils of questioning, but to banish them, that we may accurately learn and know them, not that we may always be questioning, but that we may have rest from questioning. And well then he said, 'That you might instruct some that they do not give any other teaching, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies,' which bring forth questions rather than the 'dispensation of God in faith.' And well indeed he said next, 'the dispensation of God.' 1 For God is willing to give great blessings to you, but reason cannot conceive the greatness of the dispensation. This must then be of faith, which is the greatest balm for souls. And questioning therefore is opposed to the dispensation of God. For what is dispensed by faith? To receive His mercies and be improved, in nothing to dispute and be in doubt but to be at rest. For as faith swiftly builds up, what it has accomplished is overthrown by that which brings forth questions, and faith is cast out.'Nor give heed,' he says, 'to fables and endless genealogies' And why does he denounce genealogies? Christ has said that we must be saved by faith; they questioned and even denied it. For since the announcement was present but the satisfaction of the announcement in the future, faith was needed. But they being occupied by legal observances obstructed the faith. And I think He seems also here to speak indirectly of the Greeks, where he speaks of 'fables and genealogies,' for so is the recounting of their gods. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The First Epistle To Timothy, from the First Homily 1Tim 1.4 2 Mt 7.7 3 Jn 5.39