Teaching And Travail

Εἴτε δὲ θλιβόμενοι Θλίβεσθαί φασιν οἱ διδάσκαλοι ὑπὲρ προκοπῆς καὶ σωτηρίας τῶν πεπαιδευμένων, ἵν' ὑπομονὴν ἔχοντες τελείαν βεβαιωθῶσιν, ἐλπίζοντες τυχεῖν ἐπαξίων ἀμοιβῶν δοθησομένων τοῖς ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας ἀγωνιζομένοις ἀποστόλοις καὶ τοῖς τούτων ἀκροαταῖς. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Τὴν Δευτέραν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους Migne PG 39 1683

'But if we are troubled...' 1 Troubled he names the teachers on account of the advance and salvation of their pupils, that having endurance they be firmly established, hoping that they are worthy to be given the Apostolic reward for their striving for truth, and the same for their pupils. Didymus the Blind, On The Second Letter of Paul to The Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 1.6

Gifts For Preaching

Ecce dedi faciem tuam valentiorem faciebus eorum, et frontem tuam duriorem frontibus eorum. Sicut verecundia laudabilis est in malo, ita reprehensibilis est in bono. Erubescere enim malum sapientiae est; bonum vero erubescere, fatuitatis. Unde scriptum est: Est confusio adducens peccatum, et est confusio adducens gloriam. Qui enim erubescit poenitendo mala quae fecit, ad vitae libertatem pervenit. Qui vero erubescit bona facere, a statu rectitudinis cadit, atque ad damnationem tendit, sicut per Redemptorem dicitur: Qui me erubuerit et meos sermones, hunc Filius hominis erubescet, cum venerit in majestate sua. Et sunt quidam qui bona jam in mente concipiunt, sed necdum malis aperte contradicunt. Hi nimirum quia boni sunt in mente, sed auctoritatem non habent in locutione, apti ad veritatis defensionem non sunt. Ille enim esse veritatis defensor debet, qui quod recte sentit loqui nec metuit, nec erubescit. Unde nunc in magno munere prophetae promittitur: Ecce dedi faciem tuam valentiorem faciebus eorum, et frontem tuam duriorem frontibus eorum. Quid est autem peccator, nisi vulneratus? et qui praedicator, nisi medicus? Si ergo non erubescit peccator qui jacet in vulnere, cur erubescat medicus qui per medicamenta providet salutem? Saepe vero contingit ut praedicator reverenter audiatur; nonnunquam vero a perversis ita despicitur, ac si eis nihil utilitatis loquatur. Unde recte nunc dicitur: Ut adamantem et ut silicem dedi faciem tuam. Adamas et silex utraque dura; sed unum horum pretiosum est, alterum vile. Adamas ad ornamentum sumitur, silex ab itinerantibus calcatur. Et saepe contingit ut hos quos correptionem suam conspicimus nimis humiliter audire, verecundemur eis aliqua dicere. Nonnunquam vero evenit ut eos quos increpationem suam videmus postponere, et despectui habere, trepidemus eis verbum praedicationis inferre. Sed si recte sapimus, et ad eos a quibus nos honorari conspicimus, et ad eos a quibus nos despici videmus, auctoritatem exhortationis vel increpationis sumimus, ut nec illorum humilitatem debeamus erubescere, nec horum superbiam formidare. Dicatur ergo: Dedi faciem tuam ut adamantem, id est, si ab auditoribus honoraris; Dedi faciem tuam ut silicem, si ab auditoribus conculcaris atque despiceris, ut nec per illatum honorem refrenetur lingua ex verecundia, nec per despectum taceat ex infirmitate. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia X Migne PL 76 892-893

'Behold, I have given you a strong face for their faces, and a brow harder than their brows.' 1 As it is disgraceful to praise evil, so it is to be blameable in the good. To be ashamed on account of evil is of wisdom, to blush on account of the good is foolish. Whence it is written, 'Shame leads to sin and it is shame that brings to glory.' 2 He who is ashamed so that he comes to repentance of the evil he has done, comes to the free life. He who is ashamed to do good things falls from a state of rectitude and inclines to damnation. As it was said by the Redeemer: 'He who is ashamed of my words, the Son of Man shall be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory.' 3 And there are those who, conceiving goods in the mind, will not yet openly contradict the wicked. And this without doubt because though they have good things in the mind, they have no authority in their speech, and are not capable of defending the truth. For he should be a defender of truth who knows how to speak correctly and does not fear, nor is ashamed. Whence now as a great gift it is promised the Prophet: 'Behold, I have given you a strong face for their faces, and a brow harder than their brows.' And what is a sinner, but a wounded man? And what is a preacher but a physician? If, then, the sinner is not ashamed although he is transfixed by a wound, why should the physician be ashamed who by his medication provides salvation? Often it happens that the preacher is heard reverently, but sometimes by the perverse he is despised, as if to them he had nothing useful to say. Whence rightly now it is said: 'Like adamant and like flint I have given your face.' 4 Adamant and flint are both hard, but one of these is precious, the other cheap. Adamant is used as an ornament, flint is trodden on by vagrants. Now often it happens that to those whom we see humbly listening  we speak over politely concerning their correction, and sometimes it happens that because we note that our hearers are unwilling to be corrected and they regard us disrespectfully, we fear to bring the word of preaching to them. But if we thought rightly, when we looked on those who honoured us and gazed on those who despised us, the authority of exhortation or correction we would choose, neither being ashamed of their humility, nor distressed by their pride. Therefore is is said, 'Like adamant I have given your face.' That, is against the honour of your hearers, and 'I have given you flint' against those who spurn you and despise you, that neither by their reverance you tie back the tongue on account of excessive modesty, nor by disrespect you are silent on account of your weakness. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 10 1 Ezek 3.8 2 Sirach 4.25 3 Lk. 9.26 4 Ezek 3.9

Deborah's Teaching

Debbora enim prophetis, uxor Lapidoth, judicabat populum in illo tempore, et sedebat sub palma inter Rama et Bethel in monte Ephraim, ascendebantque ad eam filii Isreal in omne judicium. Debbora, quae interpretatur apis, sive loquela, in prophetia et forma accipenda est de qua scribitur: Quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua. Consideremus ubi locus prophetiae esse describitur. Sub palma, inquit, sub palma sedem habet prophetia, quia quos suis institutionibus erudit, ad palmam supernae vocationis adducit. Inter medium autem Rama et inter medium Bethel sedere prophetia dicitur, quia Rama interpretatur excelsa, Bethel autem domus Dei, utique quia nos in domo Dei positos, non quae in terra sunt quaerere docet, sed quae in coelis sunt. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Librum Judicum, Cap II Migne PL 83.380

Deborah the prophetess, wife of Lapidoth, judged the people in that time, and she sat beneath a palm between Rama and Bethel on mount Ephriam, and there came up to her for judgement the sons of Israel. 1 Deborah, is interpreted bee, or speech, and in prophecy and form it is understood concerning her that it is written: 'How sweet in my throat your words'. 2 Let us consider the place where the prophetess is said to be. Beneath a palm, it says, beneath a palm the prophetess had her seat, because instructing them with her teaching she guided them to the palm of supernal calling. And between Rama and between Bethel it is said the prophetess sat, because Rama is interpreted exalted, and Bethel the house of God, as then we who are placed in the house of God teach that one should not seek the things of earth, but the things of heaven. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On The Book of Judges, Chap 2 1 Judges 4.4-5 2 Ps 118.103

Preaching, Rule And Glory

Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν  Ἀναφορὰν ἔχει ἡ προκειμένη λέξις πρὸς τὸ οὐχ ὅτι κυριεύομεν τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν· ἀκολούθως γὰρ ἐκείνῳ ῥηθείη ἄν· οὐχ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύττομεν, διὸ οὐ κυριεύομεν ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως· κηρύττομεν γὰρ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν θεὸν κύριον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Χριστοῦ. ὥστε οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἀλλ' αὐτὸς κυριεύει τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν, ἀποδεχόμενος ἢ κρίνων ὑμᾶς κατ' αὐτήν. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ τὸ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, συναπτέον τῷ ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου κατοπτριζόμεθα. ἐκ σκότους δὲ λάμπεται φῶς τῷ ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐρχομένῳ· λέγομεν γοῦν ἐξ ἀγνοοῦντος καὶ ἀληθοῦς ἐπιστήμονα καὶ πεπαιδευμένον γίνεσθαι. τῆς οὖν προκαταλαβούσης τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀγνοίας καὶ κακίας ὠνομασμένων σκότους, ἔλαμψεν ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις φωτισμὸν πρακτικῆς καὶ διανοητικῆς ἀρετῆς, ἵν' ἔχωσι θεωρίας τῆς δόξης Χριστοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ. δόξαν δὲ ἤτοι καθ' ἣν φρονοῦσι περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἢ δόξαν καθ' ἣν δεδοξασμένον αὐτὸν ἴσμεν. Δυδύμος του Ἀλεξανδρέως, Εἰς Την Δευτεραν Ἐπιστολήν Προς Κορινθίους, Ἐκλογή  Migne PG 39 1697-1700

'For we do not preach ourselves.' 1 This bears a relation to the passage that says, 'For we do not wish to dominate your faith.' 2 for following that it may be said, 'We do not preach ourselves, on account of not wanting to dominate your faith.' 'For we preach the Lord God Jesus Christ, and we are your servants on account of Christ,' 1 and thus not we, but He rules your faith, testing and approving you according to it. Whence it is said: 'The God who told light to shine out from darkness.' 1 that we all be united, reflecting the revealed face of God's glory. The light illuminates the darkness, and from ignorance we come to knowledge of truth. So it is said that from ignorance and unlearnedness comes wisdom and learning. When therefore men are beset by ignorance and wickedness and are named darkness, God makes shine in their hearts the light of practical and intellectual virtue, by which men acquire awareness of Christ in His own person; glory, I say, by which they have knowledge of Him, glory by which we come to the same glorification. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on Second Letter to the Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 4.5 2 2 Cor 1.23 3 2 Cor 4.6

Faith And Enlightenment

Deinde ait: Lucerna, inquit, corporis tui est oculus tuus: si oculus tuus simplex est, totum corpus tuum lucidum est; si autem oculus tuus nequam est, totum corpus tuum tenebrosum est. Si ergo lumen, quod in te est, tenebrae sunt; tenebrae ipsae quantae sunt. Lucerna corporis, sensus mentis et fides cordis intelligitur: quae si in nobis pura et lucida fuerit, sine dubio omne corpus nostrum illuminat. Idcirco autem lucerna comparatione fidei ponitur, quia sicut lucerna incedentium in nocte gressus illuminat, ne aut in foveas, aut in offendicula quaeque ambulantes incurrant: ita in hac saeculi nocte splendor fidei omnes vitae nostrae gressus, praeeunte lumine veritatis, illuminat; ne aut in foveas peccatorum, aut in offendicula diaboli incidamus. Hoc est ergo quo ait Dominus: Lucerna corporis tui est oculus tuus si oculus tuus simplex est, totum corpus tuum lucidum est; si autem oculus tuus nequam est, totum corpus tuum tenebrosum est, ostendens, quia si haec fides nostra, quae lucerna corporis vel oculo significatur, in nobis aut peccatorum tenebris, aut perfidiae obscuritate caecetur; sine dubio, omne corpus nostrum obscurum tenebrosumque redditur. Quod ipsum Santus Joannes ostendit, dicens: Deus lux est. Et qui charum habet fratrem suum, ipse est in lumine qui autem odit fratrem suum, in tenebris ambulant, et nescit ubi ambulat quia tenebrae obcaecaverunt oculos ejus. Etsi hoc de eo qui fratrem suum odit, secundum dictum Joannis, intelligitur; in quibus tenebris haereticus demoretur qui, amisso lumine catholicae veritatis, perfidus ac blasphemus existit, debemus advetere. Et ideo ait Dominus: Si lumen, inquit, quod in te est, tenebrae sunt; tenebrae ipsae quantae sunt? In eo scilicet, qui veritatem in mendacium, fidem in perfidiam demutaverit. Alio autem sensu oculum corporis, qui est membris omnibus pulchrior ac pretiosior, epsicopum advertimus significatum, qui clara fidei suae ac doctrinae praedicatione, velut oculus quidam, Ecclesiae corpus illuminat. Qui, si per simplicem fidem ac santam conversationem, catholicus et fidelis doctor exstiterit, potest populus cui praeest, doctrinae ac ac formae ipsius exemplo, in lumine semper vertitatis manere. Verum si is, qui lumen caeteris praebere videtur, per pravam fidem aut per turpem conversationem, nequam et perfidus doctor exstiterit; sine dubio, vitae ac perfidiae suae exemplo, totum corpus potest tenebrosum efficere. Unde non immerito de tali oculo Dominus dicit: Si lumen quod in te est, tenebrae sunt; tenebrae ipsae quantae sunt! Hoc est, si hujusmodi doctor qui lumen fidei ex se praebere caeteris debet, per haeresim obcaecatus, tenebrosus exstiterit; quantae in populo illo possint esse tenebrae peccatorum, debemus advertere. Sanctus Chromatius Aquileiensis, Tactatus XVII in Evangelium Sancti Matthaei Migne PL 20 366-67

Then He said, The eye is the lamp of your body, if your eye is clean, all your body will be light, if your eye is bad, all your body will be darkness. If then the light in you is darkness how great will they darkness be! 1 The lamp of the body is understood as the sense of the mind and the faith of the heart, which if it is pure and bright in us without doubt enlightens our body. Therefore the lamp is compared to faith, which like a burning lamp in the night illuminates our path, lest we walk into a pit or snare; thus in this night of the world the splendor of faith goes before us all the ways of our life, as the light of illuminating truth, lest we fall into the pits of sinners or the snares of the devil. This is why the Lord says, 'The eye is the lamp of your body, if your eye is clean, all your body will be light, if your eye is bad, all your body will be darkness,' showing that as it is our faith which is the lamp, as the eye of the body, so as we are blinded by the darkness of sin or the obscurity of faithlessness, without doubt all our body is made dark and obscure. Which Saint John himself demonstrates saying, 'God is light, and He who has love for his brother is in the light and he who hates his brother walks in darkness and he knows not where he walks because darkness blinds his eyes.' 2 And if this which concerns him who hates his brother according to the speech of John is understood, those dark places in which heretics dwell, who lacking the light of Catholic truth stand in faithlessness and blasphemy, we should avoid. And thus the Lord says, 'If then the light in you is darkness how great will they darkness be.' And certainly in him in whom truth is changed into a lie and faith into treachery. And the eye of the body has another sense in that it signifies him who is of all the members most fair and precious, by which we mean, a bishop, who with the brightness of his faith and teaching is like an eye that illuminates the body of the Church. He who, if by simple faith and holy conduct he stands as a faithful and catholic teacher, can lead his people by the example of his teaching and conduct so that they remain in the light of truth. But if he, who should be a giver of light to others, on account of depraved faith and base conduct, is a wicked and treacherous teacher, without doubt, by the example of his life and faithlessness he is able to make the whole body darkness. Whence rightly the Lord says concerning such an eye: 'If the light in you is darkness, how dark it will be.' That is, if he who should be a teacher who gives the light of faith from himself to others, is blinded by heresy, and stands in darkness, how many, then, of the people will become that darkness of sinners, which we should avoid. Saint Chromatius of Aquileia, from Tractate 17 on the Gospel of Saint Matthew 1. Mt 6.22-24 2. Jn 1.5; 2.10-11

A Bishop's Counsel To A Bishop

Καλοὺς μαθητὰς ἐὰν φιλῇς, χάρις σοι οὐκ ἔστιν· μᾶλλον τοὺς λοιμοτέρους ἐν πραότητι ὑπότασσε. Οὐ πᾶν τραῦμα τῇ αὐτῇ ἐμπλάστρῳ θεραπεύεται. Τοὺς παροξυσμοὺς ἐμβροχαῖς παῦε. Φρόνιμος γίνου ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐν ἅπασιν καὶ ἀκέραιος εἰς ἀεὶ ὡς ἡ περιστερά. Διὰ τοῦτο σαρκικὸς εἶ καὶ πνευματικός, ἵνα τὰ φαινόμενά σου εἰς πρόσωπον κολακεύῃς· τὰ δὲ ἀόρατα αἴτει ἵνα σοι φανερωθῇ, ὅπως μηδενὸς λείπῃ καί παντὸς χαρίσματος περισσεύῃς. Ὁ καιρὸς ἀπαιτεῖ σε, ὡς κυβερνῆται ἀνένους καὶ ὡς χειμαζόμενος λιμένα, εἰς τὸ θεοῦ ἐπιτυχεῖν. Νῆφε, ὡς θεοῦ ἀθλητής· τὸ θέμα ἀφθαρσία καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος, περὶ ἧς καὶ σὺ πέπεισαι. Κατὰ πάντα σου ἀντιψυχον ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ δεσμά μου, ἃ ἠγάπησας. Οἱ δοκοῦντες ἀξιόπιστοι εἶναι καὶ ἑτεροδιδασκαοῦντες μή σε καταπλησσέτωσαν. στῆθι ἑδραῖος ὡς ἄκμων τυπτόμενος. Μεγάλου ἐστιν ἀθλητοῦ τὸ δέρεσθαι καὶ νικᾶν. Μάλιστα δὲ ἕνεκεν θεοῦ πάντα ὑπομένειν ἡμᾶς δεῖ, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὑπομένῃ. πλέον σπουδαῖος γίνου οὗ εἶ. Τοὺς καιροὺς καταμάνθανε. τὸν ὑπὲρ καιρὸν προσδόκα, τὸν ἄχρονον, τὸν ἀόρατον, τὸν δι’ ἡμᾶς ὁρατόν, τὸν ἀψηλάφητον, τὸν ἀπαθῆ, τὸν δι’ ἡμᾶς παθητόν, τὸν κατὰ πάντα τρόπον δι’ ἡμᾶς ὑπομείναντα. Ἅγιος Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, Ἐπιστολή Προς Πολύκαρπον

If you love good scholars, it is no grace to you. Rather bring the more difficult to submission by gentleness. Not every wound is healed by the same salve. Allay sharp pains by infusions. Be as shrewd as the serpent in all things and always innocent as the dove. 1 For this you are flesh and spirit, that you may gain the favour of the things which appear before your face, and as for the invisible things, pray that they may be revealed to you, that you may lack in nothing and be rich in every spiritual gift. The season summons you, as pilots require winds, and as those beset by storms a haven, to attain to God. Be sober, as an athlete of God, for the prize is incorruption and life eternal, concerning which you are convinced. In all things I am bound to you, I and my bonds which you loved. Let not those that seem worthy of trust and yet teach strangely strike you down. Stand firm, as an anvil smitten. It is the part of a great athlete to receive blows and conquer. But especially it is necessary for us to endure all things for God's sake, that He also may endure us. Be more zealous than you are. Attend to the times. Expect the one above any time, the eternal, the invisible, He who for us became visible, the impalpable, the impassible, who suffered for us, who endured in every way for us. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, from the Letter to Saint Polycarp 1 Mt 10.16

The Contemplative And The Warrior

Homo formidoloso et corde pavido non egredietur ad bellum. Vadat et revertatur ad domum suam, ne pavere faciat corda fratrum suorum, sicut et ipse timore perterritus est. Quibus verbis edocet non posse eos professionem contemplatinois vel spiritualis militiae arripere exercitium, qui adhuc nudari terrenis operibus pertimescunt. Ne rursus infirmitate mentis revertantur, suoque exemplo alios a perfectione evangelica revocent, et infideli terrore infirment; jubentur itaque tales, ut, discedentes a pugna, revertantur in domum suam, quia non possunt duplici corde bella Domini praeliari. Vir enim duplex animo, inconstants in omnibus viis suis. Tales quippe oportet ut ne initium quidem renuntiationis arripiant. Quibus melius est ut un activa vita consistant, quam trepidi contemplationem exsequentes, majori discrimine semetipsos involvant. Melius est enim non vovere, quam vovere et non reddere. Similiter et ille a tali militia prohibetur, qui uxorem duxerit, qui plantaverit vineam, velt propaginem filiorum, non enim potest servire divinae militiae servus uxoris, secundum Apostoli: Qui cum uxore est, sollicitus est quomodo placeat uxori, et divisus est.  Nec potest inesse quis studio contemplationis, qui adhuc in delectatione defigitur carnis. Nemo, inquit Apostolus, militans Deo, implicat se negotiis saecularibus, ut ei placeat cui se probavit. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Deutronomium, Caput XV Migne PL 83.365-366

A man fearful and timid in heart should not go out to war. Let him begone and return to his house lest he causes fear in the hearts of his brothers, with his own fear unnerving them. 1 By which words is taught that they are not able to take up the exercise of contemplation or spiritual warfare who yet fear to strip themselves of worldly works, lest again they fall back into weakness of soul and their example calls others away from the perfection of the Gospel, and by faithless fear others are made infirm. Such men are thus ordered to withdraw from combat and return to their own houses because they who have divided hearts are not able to fight the wars of the Lord; a man with a divided soul is inconstant in all his ways. And certainly they should not even start on the beginning of renunciation; it is better for them is to be established in the active life, those who with fear would follow the contemplative, with greater discrimination occupying themselves. Better it is not to take a vow than to take a vow and not fulfill it. And likewise he is prohibited from such warfare who takes a wife, who plants vines and who propagates children, 2 for he is not able to serve in the Divine army who is the servant of a wife, as the Apostle says, 'He who has a wife has his care in how to please her, and he is divided in himself.' 3 And the contemplative zeal is not able to inhere in him who is yet fixed in the pleasures of the flesh. 'No one,' says the Apostle, 'is a soldier of God who is involved in worldly business, but he who is would please him who has approved him.' 4 Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Exodus, Chap 27 1 Deut 20.8 2 Deut 20. 5-7  3 1 Cor 7.33 4 2 Tim 2.4

Care And Prayer

Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Θεόδωρος ὁ τῶν Ἐννάτου, ὅτι Ἐὰν λογίσηται ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς τὰς ἐν ταῖς εὐχαϊς ἀμελείας, καὶ τὰς αἰχμαλωσίας τὰς ἐν ταῖς ψαλμῳδίαις, οὐ δυνάμεθα σωθῆναι. Ἀποφθεγματα Των Ἁγίων Γερόντων, Παλλαδιος Migne PG 65 197

Father Theodore of Enaton said, 'If God accounts us careless in our prayers and as a crowd of captives in our Psalms, we cannot be saved.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Sinai And Contemplation

Successit itaque post haec populus quadragesima septima die egressionis ex Aegyto ad montem Sina, ibique Moyses ascendit ad Dominum, et Dominus ad eum descendit. Mons quippe altitudo contemplationis nostrae est, in qua ascendimus, ut ad ea quae ultra infirmitatem nostram sunt intuenda sublevemur. Sed in hanc Dominus descendit, quia sanctis multum proficientibus parum de se aliquid eorum sensibus aperit. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Exodum, Caput XXVII Source: Migne PL 83.300

Thus it was that after these things that the people, forty seven days after their flight from Egypt, came to mount Sinai, and there Moses ascended to the Lord and the Lord came down to him. The mountain certainly is the height of our contemplation by which we go up, that we might be raised up to things which are beyond our weakness to behold. But in this the Lord descends because for those advancing in holiness much is the little concerning Himself which He reveals to their minds. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Exodus, Chap 27

Prayer And Victory

Ἐν τῷ αἴρειν με χεῖρὰς μου πρὸς ναὸν ἅγιόν σου. Ἐπαιρόμεναι χεῖρες πρὸς πράξεις θεοσεβεῖς, ἐν οὐρανῷ θησαυριζόμεναί εἰσι· δι' ὦν νικᾷ τις τὸν νοητὸν Ἀμαλήκ· ὡς ὁ Μωσῆς, ἡνίκα τὰς χεῖρας ἀνέφερεν, ὁ λαὸς ἐνίκα· ὅτε δὲ κατέσπα, ὁ Ἀμαλήκ. Μὴ κατενέγκωμεν οὖν τὰς χεῖρας, ἐπεὶ νικηθησόμεθα. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαί Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος ΚΖ' Source: Migne PG 17.117

'While I lift my hands toward your holy temple.' 1  Raising hands for religious actions is the gathering of treasure in heaven, by which one may conquer according to the understanding of Amalek, as Moses, on account of whose raised hands the people conquered, and when he lowered them the Amalekites prevailed. 2 Let us then not neglect our hands lest we be conquered. Origen, Excerpta On the Psalms, from Psalm 27 1 Ps 27.2 2 Exod 17.8-16

Wisdom And Prayer

Si quis autem vestrum indiget sapientia, postulet a Deo, qui dat omnibus affluenter, et non improperat et dabitur ei. Omnis quidem sapientia salutaris a Domino postulanda est, quia sicut vir sapiens ait: Omnis sapientia a Domino Deo est, et cum illo fuit semper. Neque aliquis per liberum arbitrium sine adjutorio gratiae divinae, quamvis Pelagiani multum contendant, intelligere ac sapere valet. Sed hic specialiter de illa sapientia dici videtur, qua nos in tentationibus uti necesse est. Si quis, inquit, vestrum non potest intelligere utilitatem tentationum quae fidelibus probandi causa eveniunt, postulet a Deo tribui sibi sensum, quo dignoscere valeat quanta pietate Pater castigat filios, quos aeterna haereditate dignos efficere curat. Et consulte ait: Qui dat omnibus affluentur, ne quis, videlicet, suae conscius fragilitatis, accipere se petentem posse diffideret, sed potius quisque recoleret quia desiderium pauperum exaudivit Dominus. Et sicut idem alibi dicit: Bendixit omnes timentes se Dominus, pusillos cum majoribus. Verum quia multi multa petunt a Domino, qui tamen accipere non merentur, addit qualiter petere debeant si impetrare desiderant. Sanctus Beda, Super Divi Jacobi Epistolam  Migne PL 93 11-12

'If one of yours is poor in wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to everyone abundantly, and let him not ask in an improper manner and it shall be given to him.' 1 Certainly every saving wisdom is from God, because as the wise man said, 'All wisdom is from the Lord God and with Him it was always.' 2 For not through his own free will, without Divine grace, as the Pelagians contend, is a man able to understand and know. But here especially he seems to speak of the wisdom which we need in trials. If someone, he says, of yours does not understand the usefulness of trials, that they come for the proving of faith, let him ask for understanding from God, by which he may discern how much a caring father disciplines sons, out of concern that they be able to gain an eternal inheritance. And he says, 'He who gives to all abundantly,' lest perhaps someone conscious of his weakness be tardy in seeking to receive, but rather let him be aware that God hearkens to the desire of the poor. 3 And as it says elsewhere 'The Lord blesses those who fear Him, the little with the great.' 4 Because truly many seek much from the Lord, who however are not worthy to receive, so it is added how they should seek if they wish to obtain what they seek. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Letter of Saint James 1 Jam 1.5 2 Sir 1.1 3 Ps 9.38 4 Ps 113.21

Knowledge And Wisdom

Plures autem arbitrantur simplicitatem fidei ad absolutam aeternitatis spem posse sufficere: tamquam innocentia secundum judicium saeculi, doctrinae coelestis iustitutis non egeat. Et quia aliter se res habeat, idcirco nunc videndi in Deo innocenter, et in innocentia religiose manendi cognitio multa cum copia prophetici sermonis exposita est: quia difficile est quemquam per semetipsum, id est, per saeculi instituta hanc innocentiae religiosae cognitionem et verum usum vitae piae et innocentis adipisci. Novit etiam infirmam per se esse humanam naturam Apostolus, ad hanc vivendi scientiam capessendam. Nam cum de charismatum et munerum Dei donis doceret, cum primum sermonem sapientiae praetulisset, statim sermonem scientiae subjecit. Hoc enim scientiae post sapientiae sequens a Deo donum est: quia usus sapientiae in usu scientiae perfectus est. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXVIII Migne PL 9 502

Many judge that a simple faith is sufficient for the perfect hope of eternity, as innocence according to the judgement of the world does not have need of the teaching of heavenly righteousness. And because otherwise the thing is, therefore here in this Psalm, for living in God innocently, and for remaining in innocent religion, much thought by the wealth of prophetic words is presented, because difficult it is that anyone through himself, that is, by the teaching of the age, comes to know religious innocence and to arrive at the true employment of a pious and innocent life. The Apostle knew through himself the weakness of human nature, and would have understood this need of knowledge for living. For when he teaches about the gifts and blessings of God, when first the word of wisdom he brings forth, then instantly he sets down the teaching of knowledge. 1 For here knowledge is given by God after wisdom, because the use of wisdom in the use of knowledge is perfected. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 1 Cor 12.8

Wisdom And Fools

Dicentes enim se esse sapientes, stulti facti sunt. Sapientes enim se arbitrantur, quia rationes physicas investigasse se putant, scrutantes cursus siderum, et qualitates elementorum, dominum autem horum spernentes; ideo stulti sunt; cum si haec laudanda sint, quanto magis creator illorum. Solent tamen pudorem passi, neglecti Dei misera uti excusatione, dicentes per istos posse ire ad Deum, sicut per comites pervenitur ad regem. Age, numquid tam demens est aliquis, aut salutis suae immemor, ut honorificentiam regis vindicet comiti; cum de hac re si qui etiam tractare fuerint inventi, jure ut rei damnentur majestatis? Et isti se non putant reos, qui honorem nominis Dei deferunt creaturae, et relicto Domino, conservos adorant; quasi sit aliquid plus, quod reservetur Deo. Nam et ideo ad regem per tribunos aut comites itur; quia homo utique est rex, et nescit quibus debeat rempublicam credere. Ad Deum autem, quem utique nihil latet, omnium enim merita novit, promerendum, suffragatore non opus est, sed mente devota.  Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam Ad Romanos, Caput Primum Migne PL 17 58

'For saying that they are wise they have become fools.' 1 For they judge themselves wise because they think themselves to have investigated material matters, scrutinizing the courses of the stars and the qualities of the elements; yet the Lord of these things they spurn, therefore they are made stupid having these things as more praiseworthy than their Lord. However, they are accustomed to be moved by modesty and have wretched excuse for their neglect of God, saying that by these things they can come to God as one approaches a king through counts. Well indeed, no one is so mad or forgetful of salvation that he would proclaim the glory of the king by a count, for truly if someone were found arguing this, would they not be one who slights his majesty? And yet these do not think themselves guilty who claim to honour the name of God through his creatures, and forsaking the Lord, adore fellow servants, and all the more because it holds them back from God. For even if the way to a king here is through tribunes and counts, that is because here the king is a man, who does not know to whom he should entrust affairs of state. However to God, to whom nothing is hidden, since He knows the merits of all, one approaches, not by the the work of a representative, but by a devout mind. Ambrosiaster, On The Epistle To The Romans, Chapter 1 1 Rom 1.22

Master And Slave

Fortisan enim idcirco secessit ad horam, ut in aeternam illum reciperes: non jam velut servum, sed pro servo delictum fratrem, maxime mihi; quanto autem magis tibi et in carne et in Domino? Onesimus, offenso domino proprio, confugit longa peregrinatione ad Apostolum; ut ostenderet se non ad hoc recessise, ut delicti esset obnoxius, sed ut obliteratis peccatis, utilis reverteretur in tantum, ut non solum domino suo aequalis fieret meritis, sed et ipsi magistrio frater. Et ne Philemon aliquod, ut assolet, quasi dominus adversum servum, fastidium inflationis pateretur, humiliat illum, cum dicit illum fratrem et in carne et in Domine; ut subalata humanae conditionis causa, quia omnes ex uno sumus Adam, fratres nos cognoscamus: maxime cum fides accedit media, quae omnem superbiam amputat. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, in Epistolam ad Philemon Migne PL 17 505-506

Perhaps then he had withdrawn from you to this time that in eternity you might receive him, not now as a slave, but for a slave a brother, and as much as it is so to me, how much more to you in the flesh and in the Lord? 1 Onesimus, to his own lord's offense, fled by long journey to the Apostle, that he show himself not to have withdrawn, as one guilty of a crime, but that with sin removed, he be turned to use, not only to his lord becoming of equal merit, but even a brother to that same master. And lest Philemon, as is the custom, as a lord against his servant, suffer to be puffed up with some contempt, he humbles him, when he says that he is a brother both in the flesh and in the Lord, asserting the state of the human condition, that all being from the one Adam we know ourselves brothers, and much more so having the same share of faith which cuts off all pride. Saint Ambrose, On the Epistle To Philemon 1 Philemon 15-16

The Captured Eye

Στηρίζων ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ λογίζεται διεστραμμένα... Ὀφθαλμὸς θεωρῶν καλὰ, ἤτοι διακεκριμένος· τίνα δὲ τὰ καλὰ, ζητητέον· καὶ μὴ θεωρῶν χρυσὸν, λυπεῖται· εἴτε σῶμα λαμπρὸν, πάλιν κατατήκεται· ἀλλὰ τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ καλὰ, ἄκουσον· Τὸν οὐρανὸν, τὴν γῆν, τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν κτίσιν πᾶσαν· ὥστε τὰ τοιαῦτα βλέπετε, οἶον τὴν ψυχὴν εὐφραίνει· ἐπεὶ τί ὄφελος τερφθῆναι μὲν τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, μηδὲν δὲ γενέσθαι πλέον, ἀλλὰ τὴν ψυχὴν διαφθαρῆναι; Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Παροιμίας Σολομώντος Εξηγήσεων, Κεφ ΙϚ' Migne PG 39.1637

He with spellbound eye turns to evil... 1 The eye seeing beautiful things, truly judged to be beautiful, let it seek that, and not seeing gold grieve and again by the charm of the body melt away; but hear what things are beautiful, the sky, the earth, the sea and everything created, thus such things seeing, the soul has its joy. For to please the eye and nothing more to profit than that, would it not truly be the ruin of the soul? Didymus the Blind, On Proverbs, fragment 1 Prov 16.30

The Wise And Contemplation

Οὕτως ὅ μεγαλόφρων, ὁ τὸ πάντων τιμιώτατον, ὁ τὸ πάντων ἀγαθώτατον κατὰ τὴν προσβολὴν τῆς θεωρίας, ἔμμονον δὲ τὴν τῶν θεωρητῶν δύναμιν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ κεκτημένος, τουτέστι τὴν διοραικὴν τῆς ἐπιστήμης δριμύτητα. Ταύτην δὲ ὡς ἕνι μάλιστα βιάζεται κτήσασθαι τὴν δύναμιν, ἐγκρατης γὲνόμενος τῶν ἀντιστρατευομένων τῷ νῷ· καὶ τῇ μὲν θεωρίᾳ ἀδιαλείπως προσεδρεύων τῇ ἐφεκτικῇ δὲ τῶν ἡδέων καὶ τῃ κατορθωτικῇ τῶν πρακτέων ἐγγυμνασάμενος ἀσκήσει, πρὸς τούτοις ἐμπειρίᾳ πολλῇ χρησάμενος, τῇ κατὰ τὴν μάθησίν τε καὶ τὸν βίον, παῥῥησίαν ἔχει, οὐ τὴν ἁπλῶς οὕτως ἀθυρόγλωσσον δύναμιν, δύναμιν δὲ ἁπλῷ λόγῳ χρωμένην, μηδὲν τῶν λεχθῆναι δυναμένων κατὰ τὸν προσήκοντα καιρὸν, ἐφ' ὦν μάλιστα χρὴ, ἐπὶκρυπτομένον μήτε διὰ χάριν μήτε διὰ φόβον ἀξιολόγως. Ὁ γοῦν τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ διειληφὼς, πρὸς αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας, χοροῦ μυστικοῦ λόγῳ τῷ προτρέποντι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀρετῆς, κατ' ἀξίαν αὐτήν τε καὶ τὰ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἐνδεικνυμένυν χρῆται μετὰ διάρματος ἐν Θεου τῆς εὐχῆς, τοῖς νοητοῖς  καὶ πνευματικοῖς ὡς ἕνι μάλαιστα γνωστικῶς οἰκειούμενος. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ζ', Κεφ Ζ' Migne PG 9 464-465

Thus the wise man, being great of soul, has what is most precious of all, what is best of all, according to his application to contemplation, the permanent power of those things contemplated retaining in his soul, that is the perspicacious keenness of knowledge. And this power he strives to his utmost to possess, by being master over all the distractions that may come to the mind. And by attending continually to contemplation, by training in abstinence from pleasures and in rectitude of conduct, and acquiring much experience in these, both in study and in life, he has freedom of speech, not the simple power of a babbling tongue, but a power which employs simple language, that which does not conceal anything which may be worthily said at the right time, in which it is very necessary to speak, on account of favour or fear. He, then, having received the things concerning God from the mystic choir of the truth, exhorts the greatness of virtue in accordance with its worth, and shows what comes from it by the elevation of prayer in God, his thoughts with spiritual things dwelling, as far as possible, according to this knowledge. Clement of Alexandria, from the Stromata, Book 7, Ch 7.

Unlettered Men

Comperto quod homines essent sine litteris et idiotae, admirabantur. Illitterati mittuntur ad praedicandum, ne fides credentium, non virtute Dei, sed eloquentia atque doctrina fieri putaretur, ut Apostolus ait, Non in sapientia verbi, ut non evacuetur crux Christi. Idiotae enim dicebantur, qui propria tantum lingua, naturallique scienti contenti, litterarum studia nesciebant. Sanctus Beda, Super acta Apostolorum Expositio, Caput III Migne PL 92 953

'Knowing that they were men without letters and learning, they wondered.' 1 Unlettered they were sent to preach, lest the faith of the believers be thought to be on account of the eloquence and learning of men and not by the virtue of God, as the Apostle says, 'Not in the cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ not be emptied.' 2 Thus they are said to be without learning, for with their own tongue alone and their own natural knowledge they had striven, knowing not the study of letters. Saint Bede, from the Commentary on the Acts of The Apostles, Chap 3 1 Acts 4.13 2 1 Cor 1.17

Speech And Crowns

Μὴ θέλε τὸν ἡγούμενόν σου εἶναι σοφὸν τῳ λόγῳ· οὐ γὰρ πάντως οἱ σοφοὶ τῷ λόγῳ εὐαρεστοῦσι τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο ζήτησον, ὅπως ἂν μέχρι τέλους ὑποταγῇς τῷ ἰδιώτῃ σὺ ὁ τῷ δοκεῖν σεσοφισμένος τῇ τοῦ κόσμου σοφίᾳ, τῆς ταπεινοφρονεύνης, καὶ τῆς γνησιωτάτης ὑποταγῆς τὸν πολυτίμητον στέφανον ἀναδήσῇ. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΛΔ' Σωφρονιῳ Μονακῳ Migne PG 79 97-100

Do not have it as your greatest wish to be one of those wise in speech, for it is not those who are skilled in speech who are pleasing to God, but rather let it be sought how to the end you will be subject to ignorance who in the opinion of men excel in the wisdom of the world; it is by humility and true submission that you will be adorned with the precious crown. 1 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 34, to the Monk Sophronius 1 Ps 20.4

Defective Speech

Περὶ βλασφήμου καὶ μεγαλοῤῥήμονος.  Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· Λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, λέγων· Ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐὰν καταράσηται Θεὸν, ἁμαρτίαν λήψεται· ὁ ὀνομάζων δὲ ὄνομα Κυρίου, λίθοις λιθοβολείτω αὐτὸν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Μὴ ἐξελθέτω μεγαλοῤῥημοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν. Τί ἐτόλμησεν ἡ καρδία σου, ὅτι θυμὸν ἔῤῥηξας ἔναντι Κυρίου;  Ἐξολοθρεύσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, γλῶσσαν μεγαλοῤῥήμονα· τοὺς εἰπόντας, Τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡμῶν μεγαλυνοῦμεν, τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστι·τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστιν;  Ἀφανισθήσεται Σαμάρεια, ὅτι ἀντεῖπε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῆς· ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ πεσοῦνται αὐτοὶ, καὶ τὰ ὑποτίτθια αὐτῶν ἐδαφισθήσονται. Μεθύσατε αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἐπὶ Κύριον ἐμεγαλύνθη. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἐπειδὴ δέδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου ὡς καρδίαν Θεοῦ, ἰδοὺ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ σὲ ἀλλοτρίους, λοιμοὺς ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἐκκενώσουσι τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλος τῆς ἐπιστήμης σου, καὶ στρώσουσι τὸ κάλλος σου εἰς ἀπώλειαν. Φιλάνθρωπον πνεῦμα σοφίας, καὶ οὐ κατορθώσει βλάσφημον ἀπὸ χειλέων αὐτοῦ. Πᾶσα ἁμαρτία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις·  τῷ δὲ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα βλασφημήσαντι οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ὁ μὲν ἁμαρτάνων, παραβαίνει νόμον· ὁ δὲ βλασφημῶν, εἰς αὐτὴν ἀσεβεῖ τὴν Θεότητα. Τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει βλασφημοῦντας, σωφρόνιζε· κἂν ἀκούσῃς τινὸς ἐν ἀμφόδῳ, ἢ ἐν ἀγορᾷ, ἐπιτίμησον, κἂν πληγὰς ἐπιθεῖναι δέῃ, μὴ παραιτήσῃ.Ῥάπισον αὐτοῦ τὴν ὄψιν, σύντριψον αὐτοῦ τὸ στόμα, ἁγίασόν σου τὴν χεῖρα διὰ τῆς πληγῆς. Κἂν ἐγκαλῶσί τινες, κἂν εἰς δικαστήριον ἕλκωσιν, ἀκολούθησον. Καθάπερ ὁ λίθον ἀκοντίζων εἰς τὸ ὕψος, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μὲν τὸ σῶμα διατεμεῖν οὐ δύναται, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ ὕψος φθάσαι ἐκεῖνο, τὴν δὲ πληγὴν τῇ ἰδίᾳ δέχεται κορυφῇ, πρὸς τὸν ἀκοντίσαντα ἐπανιόντος τοῦ λίθου· οὕτως καὶ ὁ βλασφημῶν εἰς τὴν μακαρίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐσίαν, ἐκείνην οὐ παραβλάψει ποτὲ, πολλῷ μείζονα οὖσαν καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν· κατὰ δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς τὸ ξίφος ἀκονᾷ, ἀγνώμων περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην γενόμενος. Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Δαμασκηνός, Τὰ Ιἐρα Παραλληλα, Στοικειον Β'  Τιτλ Ηʹ. Migne PG 95 1285-1288

On Blasphemy and Proud Speech The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'A man who curses God shall bear his sin; he who uses the name of the Lord shall be stoned by all the gathering of the sons of Israel.' 1 'Let not a proud word pass out your mouth.' 2 'For what dares your heart that impassioned you would rise up against the Lord?' 3   The Lord destroys all the lips of the cunning, the tongues of the proud speakers, those who say, 'Our tongues we magnify, our lips are ours; who is our Lord?' 4 'He shall obliterate Samaria, for it has spoken against its God. By the sword they shall fall and the babes at breast shall be cast down to the ground.' 5 'Make him drunk, because he has spoken against the Lord.' 6   Thus says the Lord: Because you claim your heart as the heart of a God, behold I shall lead over you foreigners and pestilence from the nations, and they shall draw out their swords over you, and over the beauty of your knowledge, and they shall crush down your beauty into the dust.' 7 'Benevolent is the spirit of wisdom and it does not let blasphemy come from its lips.' 8 'Every sin shall be forgiven men; yet if a man blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, he shall not be forgiven, not in this age, nor the age to come.' 9 'He who sins indeed violates the law, but he who blasphemes against the Divine name is impious.' 10   Chastise those who blaspheme in the city. And if you hear them in the street, or in the forum, denounce them. And even if the matter should come to blows, do not hesitate to do this. Set yourself against his face, smash his mouth, sanctify your hands through blows. And even if they accuse you, even if they haul you off to judgement, do this. 11   As he who casts a stone into the air, and for certain it cleaves the air above, yet it is not able to come to the heights, rather it may just fall with a blow on his own head, so like a stone thrown in this manner is he who utters contumacious and impious words against the blessed of God. Certainly he does no harm to Him who is at such a far distance and height, but truly in his own soul he drives a sword, senseless concerning the doing of good deeds. 12   Saint John of Damascus, Sacred Parallels, Part 2, Chap 8 1 Levit 24.15 2 1 Kings 2.3 3 Job 15.12 4 Ps 11.3,4 5 Hosea 14.1 6 Jerem 48.20 7 Ezek 28. 6-7 8 Wis 1.6 9 Mt 12.31 10 Basil 11 Chrysostom 12 Chrys Hom 3 On the Incomprehensible.

Speech And Consideration

Pensare etenim doctor debet quid loquatur, cui loquatur, quando loquatur, qualiter loquatur, et quantum loquatur. Si enim unum horum defuerit, locutio apta non erit. Scriptum quippe est: Si recte offeras, recte autem non dividas, peccasti. Recte autem offerimus cum bono studio bonum opus agimus; sed recte non dividimus, si habere discretionem in bono opere postponamus. Considerare etenim debemus quid loquamur, ut juxta Pauli vocem, Sermo noster semper in gratia sale sit conditus. Pensandum vero nobis est cui loquamur quia saepe increpationis verbum quod haec admittit persona, altera non admittit. Et saepe ipsa eadem persona secundum factum fit altera. Unde Nathan propheta David post adulterium forti increpationis sententia percussit. Qui cum de raptore ovis diceret: Filius mortis est vir qui fecit hoc, ei protinus respondit, dicens: Tu es ille vir. Cui tamen cum de Salomonis regno loqueretur, quia culpa defuit, ei se humiliter in adoratione prostravit. In una ergo eademque persona quia causa dispar exstitit, etiam sermo propheticus dissimilis fuit. Pensandum quoque est quando loqui debeamus, quia saepe etsi differtur increpatio, postmodum benigne recipitur. Et nonnunquam languescit, si hoc quo ante proferri debuit tempus amiserit. Nam et sapiens mulier Nabal ebrium videns, increpare de culpa tenaciae noluit, quem digesto vino increpationis suae verbis utiliter percussit. Et Propheta adulantium linguas non esse in subsequenti tempore differendas annuntiat, qui ait: Confundantur statim erubescentes, qui dicunt mihi, Euge, euge. Adulatio etenim si vel ad tempus patienter suscipitur, augetur, et paulisper demulcet animum, ut a rigore suae rectitudinis mollescat in delectatione sermonis. Sed ne crescere debeat, statim est et sine mora ferienda. Pensandum quoque nobis est qualiter loquamur. Nam saepe verba quae hunc ad salutem revocant, alium vulnerant. Unde Paulus quoque apostolus qui Titum admonet, dicens: Argue cum omni imperio, Timotheum exhortatur, dicens: Argue, obsecra, increpa in omni patientia et doctrina. Quid est quod uni imperium, et alii patientiam praecipit, nisi quod unum lenioris, alterum vero ferventioris spiritus esse conspexit? Leni per auctoritatem imperii injungenda erat severitas verbi, is autem qui per spiritum fervebat per patientiam temperandus fuerat, ne si plus justo infervesceret, non ad salutem vulnerata reduceret, sed sana vulneraret. Sanctus Gregorius Papa I, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia XI Migne PL 76 910-911

A teacher should think what he should speak, to whom he speaks, the manner in which he speaks, and how much he speaks. If indeed one of these is defective, his speech will not be apt. For it is written, 'If rightly you offer, and rightly do not discriminate, you sin.'1 Rightly indeed we offer when with good desire we perform good works, but rightly we do not discern, if judgment in our good work we neglect. Consider even what we should say, as given by the voice of Paul: 'Our words should always be seasoned with the salt of grace.' 2 Yet we must also give thought to whom we speak because often a word of correction is received by this person but not another, and often the same person according to the affair reacts differently. Whence Nathan the Prophet struck David after his adultery with a strong sense of correction. He who when David spoke of the one who stole the sheep saying, 'The son of death is the man you did this,'  immediately replied, 'You are the man.' 3 Yet when he spoke during the rule of Solomon, 4 because fault he lacked, before him he prostrated himself humbly. In one and the same person, then, because the matter is different, even the prophetic word was different. Also we should consider when we should speak, because often if correction is delayed, later it is kindly received. And yet some do languish if that which should be said at that time is omitted. Thus that wise wife seeing Nabal drunk was unwilling to cry out sharply against his fault then, but when the wine had passed though him with words of correction she more usefully struck him. 5 And then the Prophet announces that adulating tongues should not be overlooked to a later time, saying, 'Let then be confounded instantly and let them blush who said to me 'All is well, All is well.' 6 For adulation, if we suffer it for a time, so it grows, and little by little it softens the soul, and from the rigor of its rectitude it slides away into pleasure at such words. But lest it be allowed to grow, instantly it should be cast away. And again we should consider the manner in which we speak. For often words which call one man to salvation, wound another. Whence Paul the Apostle admonished Titus, saying, 'Dispute with all your strength.' 7 And then Timothy he exhorted, saying, 'Dispute, entreat, cry out in all patience and care for teaching.' 8 Why is it that for one there is power, and to another is commanded patience, unless that he perceives that the one inclines more to lenience and the other more to a fiery spirit? Thus to the lenient he enjoins the authority of the power of the severe word, but he who has a fiery spirit he would have him tempered with patience, lest more than is just he should blaze, and not recall the wounded to salvation but wound the healthy.   Pope Saint Gregory the Great, on Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 11 1 Gen 4.7 LXX 2 Colos 4.6 3 2 Kings 12.5  4 2 Kings 12.7 5 1 Kings 25. 36-37 6 Ps 69.4 7 Titus 2.15 8 2 Tim 4.2

Advice On Speaking

Λόγος πρὸς ὠφέλειαν τῶν ἀκουόντων γινόμενος, λόγος ἐστὶν ἐνδύναμος, ἐνδίκως λόγος καλούμενος, καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν ἔχων τὴν μίμησιν. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς τέρψιν καὶ κρότον τελευτῶν, ἦχος ἐπὶ χαλκοῦ τοῖς μεγάλοις ψόφοις τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐνηχῶν. Ἥ τοίνυν σεμνότητι τὸν λόγον σου ῥύθμιζε, προτιμῶν τοῦ κόμπου τὸ μέτριον, ἤ γίνωσκε κύμβαλον ὤν, τῇ σκηνῇ τῶν θεάτρων ἁρμόδιον. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, ΞΒ' Θεοπομπῳ Μονακῳ Migne PG 78. 224

A word that is beneficial to listeners is a word of power, and rightly called a Word, having a likeness unto God. But he who seeks only pleasure and applause is as clanging bronze echoing loudly in the ear. So arrange your speech with a care which surpasses the measure of big and boastful words, or else know yourself as a cymbal being bashed on the stage of a theatre. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 62, To the Monk Theopompos

A Philosophy For The Few

Οὐ παντός, ὦ οὗτοι, τὸ περὶ θεοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν, οὐ παντός· οὐχ οὕτω τὸ πρᾶγμα εὔωνον καὶ τῶν χαμαὶ ἐρχομένων. προσθήσω δέ, οὐδὲ πάντοτε, οὐδὲ πᾶσιν, οὐδὲ πάντα, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅτε, καὶ οἷς, καὶ ἐφ' ὅσον. οὐ πάντων μέν, ὅτι τῶν ἐξητασμένων καὶ διαβεβηκότων ἐν θεωρίᾳ, καὶ πρὸ τούτων καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα κεκαθαρμένων, ἢ καθαιρομένων, τὸ μεριώτατον. μὴ καθαρῷ γὰρ ἅπτεσθαι καθαροῦ τυχὸν οὐδὲ ἀσφαλές, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ὄψει σαθρᾷ ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος. ὅτε δέ; ἡνίκα ἂν σχολὴν ἄγωμεν ἀπὸ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἰλύος καὶ ταραχῆς, καὶ μὴ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἡμῶν συγχέηται τοῖς μοχθηροῖς τύποις καὶ πλανωμένοις, οἷον γράμμασι πονηροῖς ἀναμιγνύντων κάλλη γραμμάτων, ἢ βορβόρῳ μύρων εὐωδίαν. δεῖ γὰρ τῷ ὄντι σχολάσαι, καὶ γνῶναι θεόν· καὶ ὅταν λάβωμεν καιρόν, κρίνειν θεολογίας εὐθύτητα. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος ΚΖ' Κατὰ Εὐνομιανῶν Προδιάλεξις Migne PG 36.13-16

Not to every one, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about God, not to every one; the matter is not so cheap and common; and I shall add, should not be done at all times, nor before everyone, nor on all points; but at certain times, and before certain persons, and on certain points. Not to all men, because it is permitted only to those who who have passed through contemplation, those who have been purified in soul and body, or at least are being purified. For the impure to touch the pure is, we may safely say, not safe, just as it is unsafe to fix weak eyes upon the sun's rays. And when should we? We may when we are free from all external defilement or disturbance, and when that which rules within us is not confused with depraved or erring images; like those who mix up good and bad writing, or filth with the sweet smelling ointments. For it is necessary to be truly at leisure to know God, and when we have a convenient season, to discern the straight road of things Divine. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 27

Wonder And Knowledge

Διὸ παραινῶ φεύγειν αὐτῶν τὴν μανίαν· μανίας γὰρ ἐσχάτης φιλονεικεῖν εἰδέναι τί τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι μανίας ἐσχάτης τοῦτο, ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν ὑμῖν τοῦτο ποιήσω φανρόν· οἱ γὰρ προφῆται οὐ μόνον τί τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ἀγνοοῦντες φαίνονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ πόση τίς ἐστιν ἀποροῦσι· καίτοι γε οὐχ ἡ οὐσία ἀπὸ τῆς σοφίας, ἀλλ' ἡ σοφία ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας. Ὅταν δὲ μηδὲ ταύτην δύνωνται καταλαμβάνειν οἱ προφῆται μετ' ἀκριβείας, πόσης ἂν εἴη μανίας τὸ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτὴν νομίζειν δύνασθαι τοῖς οἱκείοις ὑποβάλλειν λογισμοῖς; Ἀκούσωμεν τοίνυν τί φησιν ὁ προφήτης περὶ αὐτῆς· Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσις σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ. Μᾶλλον δὲ ἀνωτέρω τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωεν. Ἐξομολογήσομαι σοι, ὅτι φοβερῶς ἐθαυμαστώθης. Τί ἔστι φοβερῶς; Πολλὰ θαυμάζομεν νῦν, ἀλλ' οὐ μετὰ φόβου, οἴον κιόνων κάλλη, τύπων ζωγραφίας, ἄνθη σωμάτων· θαυμάζομεν πάλιν τῆς θαλασσης τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ τὸν ἄπειρον βυθὸν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ φόνου, ὅταν πρὸς τὸ βάθος κατακύψωμεν. Οὔτω τοίνυν καὶ ὁ προφήτης πρὸς τὸ ἄπειρον καὶ ἀχανὲς πέλαγος τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κατακύψας σοφίας, καὶ ἰλιγγιάσας, μετὰ φόβου πολλοῦ θαυμάσας ἀνεχώτησε βοῶν καὶ λέγων· Ἐξομολογήσομαι σοι, ὅτι φοβερῶς ἐθαυμαστώθης· θαυμάσια τὰ εργὰ σου· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσις σοῦ ἐξ ἐμοῦ, ἐκραταιώθη, οὐ μὴ δύνυμαι πρὸς αὐτὴν.   Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Περὶ Ἀκαταληπτου, Λόγος Πρῶτος Migne PG 48 705

Thus I exhort flight from their madness, for it is most extreme madness to strive to know what God is in His essence. And that you know that this is the most extreme madness I shall make it clear to you from the Prophets, for not only is it apparent that the Prophets were ignorant of the Divine essence but they were also unknowing of how vast His wisdom is, yet essence does not come from wisdom, but wisdom from essence. And when the Prophets are not able to grasp His wisdom accurately, how great is the madness of those who think they are able to make His essence a subject of their thoughts? Let us listen, then, to what a Prophet says about this, 'Your knowledge is too wonderful for me.' 1 And a little further on we have the passage: 'I give you thanks, for you are fearfully wondrous.' 2 And why fearfully? We wonder greatly but not fearfully at the beauty of columns, visual art, the blossoming of the body, and again we wonder at the vastness of the sea and its limitless depths, and then with fear when we incline to think of its depths. And thus did the Prophet incline considering the limitless and vast sea of God's wisdom, and so with swimming head, beset with wonder, he drew back and cried out in a loud voice: ' 'I will give thanks to you, for your are fearfully wondrous; wondrous are your works,' 2 and again, 'Your knowledge is too wondrous from me, so great that I am not able to draw near it.'  1 Saint John Chrysostom, On The Incomprehensible, from the First Homily 1 Ps 138.6 LXX 2 Ps 138.14