War Of Flesh And Spirit

Ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦντες, οὐ κατὰ σὰρκα στρατευόμεθα.... Τὸ προκείμενον νόησιν ἔχει τοῦ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ γραφομένου ἔχοντος οὕτως· ἐπὶ γῆς περιπατοῦντες ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔχομεν τὸ πολίτευμα· καὶ γὰρ ταὐτὸν εἴη τὸ κατὰ σάρκα καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς περιπατεῖν, καὶ τὸ μὴ κατὰ σάρκα στρατεύεσθαι τοῦ τὸ πολίτευμα ἔχειν ἐν οὐρανῷ. κατὰ σάρκα δὲ στρατεύεσθαι λέγει οὐ πάντως τοὺς εἰς πόλεμον παρεσκευασμένους, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς σαρκίνους καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πεπραμένους ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, οἷοι ἦσαν περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· οὐ μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας. οἱ τούτους ὑπεραναβεβηκότες ὡς τὸ φρόνημα καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκὸς πάλιν κατὰ πνεῦμα στρατεύονται τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ὅλων Χριστῷ. διὸ ἵνα ἀρέσωσι τῷ στρατεύσαντι, οὐκ ἐμπλέκονται ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις, τοῦτ' ἔστι τοῖς ὑλικοῖς. ἀμέλει γοῦν ἃ φέρουσιν ὅπλα οὐκ αἰσθητὰ καὶ σωματικά ἀσθενῆ γὰρ ταῦτα ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ εἰσιν. καθαιροῦσι γοῦν οἱ χρώμενοι τούτοις τὰς ὀχυρότητας τῶν ἀπατηλῶν λόγων πάνυ σοφιστικῶς κατεσκευασμένων πρὸς τῶν ἑτεροδόξων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ὄντα ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις ὑψώματα κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαιρόμενα· οἱ γὰρ ἀντιταττόμενοι τῇ γνώσει τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀσεβῆ καὶ ἄθεα δόγματα παρεισάγοντες, τῇ δεινότητι τῶν λόγων φρούρια ὀχυρὰ οἰκοδομοῦντες, ἔνδον αὐτῶν χωροῦντες ἡγοῦνται εἶναι ἀκατα μάχητοι. Πρὸς τούτοις ἃ διδασκαλικῶς δῆθεν σὺν φαινομένῃ ἀποδείξει προφέρουσι μάταιον ὕψος ἔχοντα, ψευδεῖ νοήσει ἐπαίρεται ὡς ἀνωτέρω χωροῦντα τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς γνώμης ὀνομαζομένης γνώσεως θεοῦ. Αὐτὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀξίοις παρέχει. Ἕνεκα γοῦν τοῦ καθαιρῆσαι τὰ προειρημένα ὑψώματα καὶ ὀχυρώματα, ἐνδυσάμενοι τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ πνεῦμα, τῷ εἰρημένῳ τρόπῳ στρατευόμεθα. Διαλύομεν γοῦν τοὺς σοφιστικοὺς αὐτῶν λόγους, καὶ τὰ δόγματα διελέγχομεν. Ἀμέλει γοῦν πᾶν νόημα τῶν ἠπατημένων κεκρατημένων ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπατεώνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνατραφὲν ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ ἐκείνων αἰχμαλωτίζοντες φέρομεν πρὸς τὸ ὑπακοῦσαι τῷ Χριστῷ.Δυνατὸν ἐκλαβεῖν καὶ οὕτως· πᾶν νόημα τὸ ὅπως ποτὲ ἔν τινι διδασκαλίᾳ φερόμενον ἀνάγκῃ καὶ βίᾳ μετοικίζοντες πρὸς τὸ πεῖσαι ὑπακοῦσαι τῷ Χριστῷ φέρομεν. Oὕτω γὰρ τὸ Ἀθήνησιν ἀνακείμενον βωμῷ ἐπίγραμμα, ἐμφαῖνον πολλῶν θεῶν νόημα, ἑλκύσας ὁ ταῦτα γράφων μετήνεγκεν εἰς τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν, φήσας· ὃν οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτον ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. Ἀγνοούμενον δὲ πλῆθος θεῶν ἐδήλου τὸ ἐπίγραμμα. Ὅταν οὖν πᾶν νόημα αἰχμαλωτισθῇ εἰς ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸ τηνικάδε ἑτοίμως ἕξομεν κατὰ πάσης παρακοῆς ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐκδίκησιν, ὥσπερ οἱ αἰχμαλώτους λαβόντες ἐν τῷ νενικηκέναι ἔθνος τι θαρραλέοι γίνονται εἰς τὸ ὑποσκάψαι τὴν χώραν ἐκείνων. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Τὴν Δευτέραν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους Source: Migne PG 39.1717c-1720c

For walking in the flesh, we do not fight according to the flesh...1 These words bear the same meaning which is found in another letter: 'Walking on earth, we have our place in heaven.' 2 Certainly it is according to the flesh that one walks on the earth, and yet it not according to the flesh one fights when one has one's place in heaven. For to fight according to the flesh, he says, by no means refers to men who triumph in war here, for carnal men by this are conquered by sin, concerning which it was said, 'My spirit shall not remain in these men, for they are flesh.' 3 Those who are lifted up over these things, that is, over the desires and works of the flesh, they on the contrary are the ones who fight according to the Spirit, that they rule over all things with Christ. Therefore, so that they might please their general, they are not bound up in the affairs of the world, that is material things. 4 And the arms they bear are not material things or corporeal, for such things are weak, but their strength is from God. They, then, who make use of these kind of arms, they destroy the citadels of deceitful speech, which the heterodox raise up with great sophistical art, and even the heights of their orations against the wisdom of God, by which they accliam themselves, they blow apart; for they who set up impious and godless teaching against the true knowledge, with their eloquence build up fortresses with strong walls, within which they enclose themselves, and they seem to themselves be unconquerable. But with their teachings of mere apparent proofs they vainly claim the heights, and only in a deluded mind is their place is elevated as something superior to the understanding of the Church, which is called the knowledge of God. For He gives this only to those who are worthy. Therefore for the overthrow of the aforementioned high places and citadels, there is the endowment of the arms of God according to the spirit, and instruction in the way we war. Thus let us shatter the cleverness of their speeches and thus let us refute their teachings. Let us have no care for any thought set beneath the yoke of error by these deceivers, but even those raised captive in their places, let us transfer to the service of Christ. Thus it is possible to understand it: that it is most necessary that every thought expressed in whatever teaching we bring by power to be persuaded to obedience to Christ. So indeed that inscription on the Athenean altar, which proclaimed an understanding of many gods, the author of this letter brings to the one true God, saying: 'Him whom, therefore, you worship as unknown, I announce to you.' 5 And certainly by the name of 'unknown' he speaks of the inscription regarding many gods. When, therefore, all understanding shall have been made captive in obedience to Christ, then we shall be prepared to punish any contumacy, just as one who makes a people captive, may confidently walk about their ravaged country. Didymus the Blind, On The Second Letter of Paul to The Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 1.3 2 Philip 3.20 3 Gen 6.3 4 2 Tim 2.4 5 Acts 17.23