The Spirit's Warfare

Ὁρᾶτε τὰς ἐναντίας γλώσσας ἡμερουμένας, καὶ τοὺς θεότητι πολεμοῦντας ἡμῖν ἡσυχάζοντας; Καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τοῦτο τῆς γεωργίας τῆς ἡμετέρας. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπαιδεύτως παιδεύομεν, οὐδὲ ταῖς ὕβρεσι βάλλομεν, ὅπερ πάσχουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, μὴ τῷ λόγῳ μαχόμενοι, τοῖς δὲ λέγουσι, καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἔστιν ὅτε τῶν λογισμῶν ταῖς ὕβρεσι συγκαλύπτοντες· ὥσπερ τὰς σηπίας λόγος ἐμεῖν τὸ μέλαν πρὸ ἑαυτῶν, ἵνα τοὺς θηρεύοντας διαφύγωσιν, ἢ τῷ λανθάνειν θηράσωσιν. Ἀλλὰ τὸ περὶ Χριστοῦ πολεμεῖν δείκνυμεν, ἐν τῷ μάχεσθαι κατὰ Χριστὸν, τὸν εἰρηνικόν τε καὶ πρᾶον, καὶ τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν βαστάσαντα. Οὔτε εἰρηνεύομεν κατὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἀληθείας, ὑφιέντες τι διὰ δόξαν ἐπιεικείας· οὐ γὰρ κακῶς τὸ καλὸν θηρεύομεν· καὶ εἰρηνεύομεν ἐννόμως μαχόμενοι, καὶ εἴσω τῶν ἡμετέρων ὅρων, καὶ κανόνων τοῦ Πνεύματος. Περὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων οὕτως γινώσκω, καὶ νόμον τίθημι πᾶσι τοῖς ψυχῶν οἰκονόμοις, καὶ τοῦ λόγου ταμίαις· μήτε τῷ σκληρῷ τραχύνειν, μήτε τῷ ὑπεσταλμένῳ κατεπαίρειν· ἀλλ᾿ εὐλόγους εἶναι περὶ τὸν λόγον, μηδετέρῳ τὸ μέτρον ὑπερβαίνοντας.  Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος Μβ΄. Συντακτήριος, εἰς τὴν τῶν ρν' ἐπισκόπων παρουσίαν Source: Migne PG 36.472d-473b

Do you see that adverse tongues have been soothed and that those who had made war upon the Godhead against us have been pacified? This is of the Spirit and of our husbandry. For we are not untaught when we teach, nor do we throw insults, as many fall to doing, who do not strive with the argument but the one who speaks, and by their abuse would hide the weakness of their reasoning, just as cuttlefish are said to cast forth ink before them, that they escape those who hunt them, or unseen hunt others. But we show that we fight for Christ by fighting in the manner of Christ, the peaceable and meek, 1 who bore our infirmities. For we are not peaceable on account of the word of truth, that we would yield to gain renown for reasonableness, for one does not gain the good by wickedness, but we are peaceable by the lawfulness of our fighting, which is set within our own limits, and the rules of the Spirit. Concerning these things, then, such is our knowledge, and I set down a law for all carers of souls and dispensers of the Word, that they neither offend with harshness, nor embolden by submissiveness, but that they use good words concerning the Word, and in neither direction overstep the mean. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 42,The Final Farewell in the Presence of the One Hundred and Fifty Bishops 1 Mt 11.29