Books And The Spirit

Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἔδωκέ τι γραπτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ᾿ ἀντὶ γραμμάτων τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπηγγείλατο δώσειν χάριν· Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει, φησὶ, πάντα. καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τοῦτο πολὺ ἄμεινον ἦν, ἄκουσον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου τί φησι· Διαθήσομαι ὑμῖν διαθήκην καινὴν, διδοὺς νόμους μου εἰς διάνοιαν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίας γράψω αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοὶ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ ταύτην ἐνδεικνύμενος τὴν ὑπεροχὴν, ἔλεγεν εἰληφέναι νόμον, οὐκἐν πλαξὶ λιθίναις, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν πλαξὶ καρδίας σαρκίναις. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦ χρόνου προϊόντος ἐξώκειλαν, οἱ μὲν δογμάτων ἕνεκεν, οἱ δὲ βίου καὶ τρόπων, ἐδέησε πάλιν τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων ὑπομνήσεως. Ἐννόησον οὖν ἡλίκον ἐστὶ κακὸν, τοὺς οὕτως ὀφείλοντας ζῇν καθαρῶς, ὡς μηδὲ δεῖσθαι γραμμάτων, ἀλλ᾿ ἀντὶ βιβλίων παρέχειν τὰς καρδίας τῷ Πνεύματι, ἐπειδὴ τὴν τιμὴν ἀπωλέσαμεν ἐκείνην, καὶ κατέστημεν εἰς τὴν τούτων χρείαν, μηδὲ τῷ δευτέρῳ πάλιν κεχρῆσθαι φαρμάκῳ εἰς δέον. Εἰ γὰρ ἔγκλημα τὸ γραμμάτων δεηθῆναι, καὶ μὴ τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπισπάσασθαι χάριν, σκόπησον ἡλίκη κατηγορία, τὸ μηδὲ μετὰ τὴν βοήθειαν ταύτην ἐθέλειν κερδαίνειν, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην κείμενα τὰ γράμματα περιορᾷν, καὶ μείζονα ἐπισπᾶσθαι τὴν κόλασιν.   Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὑπομηνμα Εἰς ᾍγιον Ματθαιον Τον Εὐαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλια Α' Source: Migne PG 57 13-15

Nor did God give to the Apostles anything in writing, but instead of written words He promised that He would give the grace of the Spirit, for He says 'For that one will remind you of all things.' 1 And that you learn that this was much better, hear what He says through the Prophet: 'I will make a new covenant with you, putting my laws into their minds, and in their hearts I will write them,' and, 'they shall all be taught by God.' 2 And Paul, exhibiting this superiority, said that they had received a law 'not on tablets of stone, but in the fleshy tablets of the heart.' 3 But since in time some came to ruin, some on account of doctrines, some on account of life and conduct, there was need again for the written word for remembrance. Consider, then, how great an evil it is for us, who should live so purely as not even to need written words, but instead of books yield up our hearts to the Spirit, since we have lost that honour, and stand in need of these compositions, to fail again to make use of this second remedy. For if it be culpable to have need of written words and not to have drawn down on oneself the grace of the Spirit, let it be seen how grave is the blame of not profiting even after this assistance, but treating what is written as a thing vainly cast down, for so is greater punishment brought on oneself. Saint John Chrysostom, from the First Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 1 Jn 14.26 2 Jer 31. 31,33 3 2 Cor 3.3