Blaspheming And Glorifying The Name

Ἤκουσά που τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς κατακρινούσης ἐκείνους, οἵ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημίας αἴτιοι γίνονται. Οὐαὶ γὰρ, φησὶ, δι' οὔς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Τοῦτο δὲ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οἱ μήπω πεπιστευκότες τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, πρὸς τὸν βίον τῶν παραδεδεγμένων τὴν τοῦ μυστηρίου πίστιν ἀποσκοποῦσιν. Ὅταν τοίνυν τὸ μὲν ὄνομα τῆς πίστεως ἔν τισιν ᾖ, ὁ δὲ βίος ἀντιφθεγγηται τῷ ὀνόματι, ᾖ διὰ πλεονεξίας εἰδωλολατρῶν, ᾖ ἐν μέθαις καὶ κώμοις ἀσχνμονῶν, καὶ τῷ βορβόρῳ τῆς ἀσθτίας ὑὸς δίκην ἐγκαλινδούμενος· πρόχειρος εὐθὺς παρὰ τῶν απίστων ὁ λόγος, οὐκ εἰς τὴν προαίρεσιν τῶν κακῶς τῷ βίῷ κεχρημένων τὴν κατηγορίαν τρέπων, ἀλλ' ὡς τοιαῦτα πράττειν τοῦ μυστηρίου διδάσκοντος· μὴ γὰρ ἂν γενέσθαι τὸν δεῖνα τὸν τὰ θεῖα μεμυημένον μυστήρια, ἢ λοίδορον, ἢ πλεονέκτην, ἢ ἂρπαγα, ἢ ἀλλο τι τοιοῦτον κακὸν, εἰ μὴ ἔννομον αὐτοῖς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἦν, διὰ τοῦτο χαλεπὴν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀπειλὴν ὁ Λόγος ἐπανατείνεται λέγων ἐκείνοις εἶναι τὸ Οὐαὶ δι' οὖς τὸ ὄνομα μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Εὶ δὴ τοῦτο νενόηται, καιρὸς ἂν εἴη, τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου λεγόμενον κατανοῆσαι. Εὔχεσθαι γὰρ πρὸ γε πάντων οἶμαι χρῆναι, καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖεσθαι τῆς προσευχῆς τὸ κεφάλαιον, τὸ μὴ βλασφημεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ βίῳ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ δοξάζεσθαι καὶ ἁγιάζεσθαι. Ἐν ἐμοὶ οὖν, φησὶν, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ἐπικληθέν μοι ὄνοματι τῆς σῆς δεσποτείας, Ὅπως ἴδωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα,καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Τίς δὲ οὕτω θηριώδης καὶ ἄλογος, ὥστε ὁρῶν ἐν τοῖς πεπιστευκόσι Θεῷ βίον καθαρὸν δι' ἀρετῆς κατωρθωμένον, πάντων τῶν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας μολυσμάτων καθαρεύοντα, πάσης τῆς πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ὑπονοίας ἀλλοτριούμενον, λαμπρὸν τῇ σωφροσύνῃ, σεμνὸν τῇ φρονήσει, ἀνδρείας ἔχοντα πρὸς τὰς τῶν παθῶν προβολὰς, μηδαμοῦ ταῖς σωματικαῖς ἡδυπαθείαις μαλακιζόμενον, τρυφῆς καὶ βλακείας καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν τῦφον χαυνότητος ὡς ὅτι μάλιστα κεχωρισμένον, τοσοῦτον μετέχοντα τοῦ βίου, ὅσον ἐπάναψκες, ἄκρῳ τῷ ποδὶ τῆς γῆς ἐπιψαύοντα, οὐ ταῖς καθ' ἡδονὴν ἀπολαύσεσι τῷ γηϊνῳ τούτῳ βίῳ καταχωννύμενον, ἀλλ' ὑπερανεστῶτα πάσης τῆς κατ' αἴσθησιν γενομένης ἀπάτης, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀσώματον ζωὴν διὰ σαρκὸς ἁμιλλώμενον, ἕνα πλοῦτον νομίζοντα τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς κτῆσιν, μίαν εὐγένειαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν οἰκειότητα, μίαν ἀξίαν καὶ δυναστείαν μίαν, τὸ κρατεῖν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἀδούλωτον εἶναι τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις παθήμασιν, ἀχθόμενον τῇ παρατάσει τῆς τοῦ ὑλικοῦ βίου ζωῆς· σπεύδοντα δὲ καθάπερ οἱ διὰ πελάγους κακοπαθοῦντες πρὸς τὸν λιμένα καταντησαι τῆς ἀναπαὺσεως. Τίς τοίνυν τὸν τοιοῦτον ὁρῶν, οὐ δοξάζῃ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἐπικεκλημένον τῷ τοιούτῳ βίῳ; Οὐκοῦν ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ λέγων, Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐις Την Προσυεκην, Λογος Γ' Source: Migne PG 44 1153-56

I have heard somewhere in sacred Scripture a condemnation of those who are the cause of God's detraction. 'Alas, it says, 'to those because of whom my name is blasphemed among the peoples.' 1 That is, among those who do not yet believe in the words of truth, and who consider and observe the lives of those who have received the mysteries of the faith. When, therefore, the name of the faith was borne by some and yet the life was deplorable to the name, certainly either because of idolatry, or avarice, or the foul pleasures of drunkenness and revelry, and by immersing their conduct into the filth of luxury, so instantly the word is set before the faithless, and this is not because of the behaviour of those who use their faculties wickedly in the world, but by the deeds of those who have been instructed in the mysteries, who have then engaged in wickedness that is not permitted to those who have been initiated into the Divine mysteries, that is, they use abusive language, or are profit seekers, or take what is not theirs, or perform some other evil, which wickedness the Word has gravely warned against, saying to them 'Alas, to those through whom my name is blasphemed among the peoples.' If, then, this is understood, what its contrary says should also be considered. For I think prayer is necessary before everything else, and that one should set at the head of prayer that it not be on account of my life that the name of God is blasphemed, but rather that His name should be glorified and blessed. Through me, then, may the name of your reign be sanctified, so that because of me it is said, 'That men might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven' 2 Who indeed is so wild and lacking in reason that if among those who believe in God he should see a pure life, fashioned by virtue, free of iniquitous sin, and cleansed from even the suspicion of unbefitting evil, shining with temperance, weighty with prudence, strong and firm against the passions and troubles that press and assail, and not at all softened or weakened by the pleasures of the body, and greatly removed from crimes, and indolence and sloth and pride, and from temporal deeds, and the rest of the cult of the world, would not necessarily desire it, and even burn for it, with the tip of the foot touching the earth, not caring for the pleasures of the worldly life, but rising above all sensible things, struggling in the flesh toward the incorporeal life, judging the only wealth to be the acquirement of virtue, and the one nobility to dwell with God, and the one dignity and one power to rule oneself and not to be enslaved to human passions and not to be burdened with the arrangements of this material life, striving, then, just like those who are troubled and afflicted at sea, to come to the haven of rest? Who seeing such things would not glorify the name which is exhibited by such a life? So it is said in the prayer, 'Hallowed be your name.'  3 Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On the Lord's Prayer, from the Third Oration 1 Is 52.5 2 Mt 5.16 3 Mt 6.9