Faith And Understanding

Καὶ δὴ τὴν πίστιν αὖθις διαθρητέον· εἰσὶ γὰρ οἱ τὴν μὲν πίστιν ἡμῶν περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, τὴν δὲ γνῶσιν περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς εἶναι διαστέλλοντες. λέληθεν δὲ αὐτοὺς ὅτι πιστεῦσαι μὲν ἀληθῶς τῷ Υἱῷ δεῖ, ὅτι τε Υἱὸς καὶ ὅτι ἦλθεν καὶ πῶς καὶ διὰ τί καὶ περὶ τοῦ πάθους, γνῶναι δὲ ἀνάγκη τίς ἐστὶν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἤδη δὲ οὔτε ἡ γνῶσις ἄνευ πίστεως οὔθ' ἡ πίστις ἄνευ γνώσεως, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ὁ Πατὴρ ἄνευ υἱοῦ· ἅμα γὰρ τῷ Πατὴρ Υἱοῦ Πατήρ, υἱὸς δὲ περὶ πατρὸς ἀληθὴς διδάσκαλος. καὶ ἵνα τις πιστεύσῃ τῷ υἱῷ, γνῶναι δεῖ τὸν Πατέρα πρὸς ὃν καὶ ὁ Υἱός αὖθίς τε ἵνα τὸν Πατέρα ἐπιγνῶμεν, πιστεῦσαι δεῖ τῷ Υἱῷ, ὅτι ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς διδάσκει· ἐκ πίστεως γὰρ εἰς γνῶσιν, διὰ Υἱοῦ Πατήρ· γνῶσις δὲ Υἱοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἡ κατὰ τὸν κανόνα τὸν γνωστικὸν τὸν τῷ ὄντι γνωστικὸν ἐπιβολὴ καὶ διάληψίς ἐστιν ἀληθείας διὰ τῆς ἀληθείας. Ἡμεῖς ἄρα ἐσμὲν οἱ ἐν τῷ ἀπιστουμένῳ πιστοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ ἀγνώστῳ γνωστικοί, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ πᾶσιν ἀγνοουμένῳ καὶ ἀπιστουμένῳ, ὀλίγοις δὲ πιστευομένῳ τε καὶ γινωσκομένῳ γνωστικοί· γνωστικοὶ δὲ οὐ λόγῳ ἔργα ἀπογραφόμενοι, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ τῇ θεωρίᾳ. Μακάριος ὁ λέγων εἰς ὦτα ἀκουόντων· πίστις δὲ ὦτα ψυχῆς, καὶ ταύτην αἰνίσσεται τὴν πίστιν ὁ κύριος λέγων  Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω,  ἵνα δὴ πιστεύσας συνῇ ἃ λέγει, ὡς λέγει. ἀλλά τοι καὶ Ὅμηρος ὁ ποιητῶν πρεσβύτατος ἐπὶ τοῦ αἰσθάνεσθαι τῷ ἀκούειν, εἰδικῷ ἀντὶ γενικοῦ, χρησάμενος  Μάλιστα δέ τ´ ἔκλυον αὐτοὶ γράφει· τὸ γὰρ ὅλον ἡ συνῳδία καὶ ἡ συμφωνία τῆς ἀμφοῖν πίστεως εἰς ἓν πέρας καταγίνεται τὴν σωτηρίαν. Μάρτυς ἡμῖν νημερτὴς ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγων· Ἐπιποθῶ γὰρ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν εἰς τὸ στηριχθῆναι ὑμᾶς· τοῦτο δέ ἐστι συμπαρακληθῆναι ἐν ὑμῖν διὰ τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις πίστεως ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἐμοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν ὑποβὰς ἐπάγει· Δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν. Φαίνεται οὖν ὁ ἀπόστολος διττὴν καταγγέλλων πίστιν, μᾶλλον δὲ μίαν, αὔξησιν καὶ τελείωσιν ἐπιδεχομένην· ἡ μὲν γὰρ κοινὴ πίστις καθάπερ θεμέλιος ὑπόκειται. τοῖς γοῦν θεραπευθῆναι ποθοῦσιν ὁ Κύριος πιστῶς κινουμένοις ἐπέλεγεν· Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε·,  ἡ δὲ ἐξαίρετος ἐποικοδομουμένη συντελειοῦται τῷ πιστῷ καὶ συναπαρτίζεται αὐτῇ ἡ ἐκ μαθήσεως περιγινομένη καὶ τοῦ λόγου τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐπιτελεῖν, ὁποῖοι ἦσαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, ἐφ' ὧν τὴν πίστιν ὄρη μετατιθέναι καὶ δένδρα μεταφυτεύειν δύνασθαι εἴρηται. Ὅθεν αἰσθόμενοι τοῦ μεγαλείου τῆς δυνάμεως ἠξίουν προστιθέναι αὐτοῖς πίστιν τὴν ὡς Κόκκον σινάπεως ἐπιδάκνουσαν ὠφελίμως τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ αὔξουσαν μεγαλωστί, ὡς ἐπαναπαύεσθαι αὐτῇ τοὺς περὶ τῶν μεταρσίων λόγους. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ε', Κεφ Α' Migne PG 9 10-11

And we must again contemplate faith, for there are those who attribute faith  to the Son, and knowledge to the Father. But they do not note that it is necessary that to believe truly in the Son we must consider that He is the Son and that He came, and how, and for what, and concerning His sufferings, and one must know who is the Son of God. And there is neither knowledge without faith, nor faith without knowledge, nor is the Father without the Son, for the Son is with the Father, and the Son is the true teacher concerning the Father. And that we believe in the Son we must know the Father, with whom also is the Son, and again that we know the Father we must believe in the Son, that is, it is the Son of God who teaches, for from faith to knowledge by the Son is the Father, and the knowledge of the Son and Father, which is, according to the rule of wisdom, the true wisdom, the attainment and understanding of truth by the truth. We, then, are the believers in what is not believed and the wise in what is unknown, that is, in what is unknown and disbelieved by all, but by a few who are wise in believing and knowing, and wise not in describing deeds by speech but in contemplation. Blessed is the one who speaks into the ears that hear, and faith is the ear of the soul, and so the Lord referred to faith, saying, 'He that has ears to hear, let him hear;' 1 since it is by faith a man may understand what He says as He says it. For Homer also, oldest of the poets, using the word 'hear' intends 'know', the specific for the generic, writing: 'And they hear [know] it best.'  2 For, in sum, the agreement and harmony of the faith of both contribute to the one end of salvation. An unerring witness for us is the Apostle who says, 'For I wish to see you, that I may give to you some spiritual gift for your strengthening, and that I may be comforted in you, by the mutual faith of you and me.' 3 And again a little below he adds, 'The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.' 4 Manifestly, then, the Apostle announces a twofold faith, or rather one that allows growth and perfection, for the common faith is as a foundation set beneath. And to those who desire to be healed and are moved by faith, the Lord added, 'Your faith has saved you.' 5 But that which is excellently built upon is perfected in the faithful and is brought to its end by the faith which comes from the instruction and the word for the performance of the commandments. Such were the Apostles, concerning whom it is said that faith moved mountains and transplanted trees. Whence, perceiving the greatness of its power, they asked that faith be added to them, 6 a faith which like the mustard seed beneficially causes the soul to smart and it grows in it to greatness, that the reasons of things sublime rest on it. 7 Clement of Alexandria, from the Stromata, Book 5, Ch 1.  1 Mt 11.15 2 Hom Od 6.185 3 Rom 1.11-12 4 Rom 1.17 5 Mt 9.22  6 Lk 17.5 7 Mt 13.31-32