Ignorance And Sin

Καὶ ἑώρακας αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ λαλῶν µετὰ σοῦ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν. Πεφώτισαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας, ελλαμπόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ. Ὁ ἀπεναντίας ἔχων τούτῳ, τυφλωθεὶς ὑφ' ἦς ἔχει ἀγνοίας, δοκεῖ μὴ ἔχειν ἁμαρτίαν, τῷ μὴ ἑκουσίως πράττειν, ἁδρὰ ἠμαρτηκώς. Αὐτὸ δὲ το ἀγννοεῖν, κατ' ἄλλον τρόπον ἁμάρημά ἐστιν· ἐνῆν γὰρ λογικὸν ὄντα, ἐπιστήμην ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ ἔχειν. Ἀμελήσεως οὖν τούτου ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγνοίας ἐγκαλεῖται. Εἰς τοῦτο λήψῃ τὸ Ὁ δοῦλος ὁ μὴ γνοὺς τὸ θέλημα...δαρήσεται ὀλίγας. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ἰωαννην Εὐαγγελιον Source: Migne PG 39.1652b

Even Him whom you have seen, even He who is speaking to you. 1 The eyes of the heart were illuminated because the true light shone on them. But on the contrary he who is blind is bound to ignorance, and he seems to himself to have no sin, 2 because of which he has no choice but to sin all the more. And this ignorance is sin in another way. For it is possible that since man is rational, he may have knowledge of good and evil. Therefore neglect of it convicts him of ignorance. So understand: 'The servant who does not know the will ... shall be whipped a little.' 3 Didymus the Blind, On The Gospel Of St John, Fragment 1 Jn 9.37 2 1 Jn 1.8 3 Lk 12.48