Eating And Satisfaction

Manducaverunt, inquit, et saturati sunt. Hoc quippe a saeculo per David prophetam praedictum fuerat: Edent pauperes at saturabuntur; et laudabunt Dominum qui requirunt eum, et vivent corda eorum in saeculum saeculi. Ergo quia isti requisierunt invenerunt, et quia invenerunt triduo permanserunt: et quia triduo permanserunt, miserius eorum est, et saturati sunt: et quoniam saturati sunt, Vivent corda eorum in saeculum saeculi. Sed quantum isti beati qui tali recreantur edulio, et saturantur divinis dapibus, tantum infelices qui manducant, et non saturantur; qui panem verbi, quo vivit homo, audiunt et degustant, sed non fide atque opere perficiunt quae audiunt, nihilque ex his internae dulcedinis percipiunt, quo cor eorum firmetur ut permaneant. Profecto, non dicam hi tales, quia de longe venerunt, sed quia longe fuerunt a salute, et alieni a gratia. Nam quidam eorum qui salvantur, et satianatur donis coelestibus, de longe venerunt; quidam vero, sicut Nathanael, et plurimi in quibus dolus non? erat, de proximo. Tamen omnes qui venerunt per fidem nisi recesserint a peccato, languescunt, et ut ita dicam, mortui sunt, quia longe est a peccatoribus salus. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber VII Cap XV Source: Migne PL 120.549c-d

'And they ate and they were satisfied.' 1 This is what David the Prophet foretold from of old: 'The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and they shall praise the Lord who seek Him, and their hearts shall live forever.' 2 Therefore because these sought they found, and because they found they remained three days, and because they remained three days, He was more merciful to them, and they were satisfied, and because they were satisfied, their hearts shall live forever. But as much as these blessed ones were refreshed by such a feast, and satisfied by the Divine banquet, so those hapless ones who eat are not satisfied, who eat the bread of the Word, by which a man lives, who hear and taste, but who do not perfect with faith and works what they hear, so that they grasp nothing of its inner sweetness, that which strengthens the heart, that they live on. Certainly, I do not speak such things because they came from afar, but because they were far from salvation, and strangers to grace. For those of them who are saved and satisfied with heavenly gifts, they did come from afar; and yet also, as Nathaniel, and many in whom there is no guile, from nearby. 3 However, all who come with faith, unless they have withdrawn from sin, languish, and thus I say, they are dead, because salvation is far from sinners. 4 Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 7 Chap 15 1 Mt 15.37 2 Ps 21.27 3 Jn 1.43-51 4 Ps 118.155

Food And Scripture

Qui ergo relinquunt praeconium Ecclesiae, imperitiam sanctorum presbyterorum arguunt, non contemplantes, quanto pluris sit idiota religiosus a blasphemo et impudente sophista. Tales sunt omnes haeretici, et qui se plus aliquid praeter veritatem invenire putant; sequentes ea quae praedicta sunt, varie, et multiformiter, et imbecille facientes iter, de iisdem non semper easdem sententias habentes, velut caeci a caecis circumducuntur: juste cadent in sublatentem ignorantiae foveam, semper quaerentes, et numquam verum invenientes. Fugere igitur oportet sententias ipsorum, et intentius observare, necubi vexemur ab ipsis: confugere autem ad Ecclesiam, et in jus sinu educari, et Dominicis Scripturis enutriri. Plantata est enim Ecclesia paradisus in hoc mundo. Ab omni, ergo, ligno Paradisi escas manducabitis, ait Spiritus Dei; id est ab omni Scriptura Dominica manducate: suprelato autem sensu ne manducaveritis, neque tetigeritis universam haeriticam dissensionem. Ipsi enim confitentur semetipsos agnitionem habere boni et mali: et super Deum, qui fecit eos, jaculantur sensus suos impios. Supra igitur sentiunt, quam est mensura sensationis. Quapropter et Apostolus ait: Non plus sapere, quam oportet sapere, sed sapere ad prudentiam; ut non illorum manducantes agnitionem, eam quae plus quam oportet, sapit, projiciamur de paradiso vitae: in quem Dominus inducit eos, qui obaudiunt praeceptionem ejus, recapitulans in se omnia quae in coelis, spiritualia sunt; quae autem in terris, secundum hominem est dispositio. Haec igitur in semetipsum recapitulatus est, adunans hominem spiritui, et spiritum collocans in homine, ipse caput spiritus factus est, et spiritum dans esse hominis caput: per illum enim vidimus et audivimus et loquimur. Sanctus Irenaeus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Liber V, Caput XX Source: Migne PG 7.1777c-1778c

Therefore, those who desert the preaching of the Church, dispute the knowledge of the holy elders, not considering how much of greater consequence is the one who is religious, even in private life, than a blasphemous and impudent sophist. Such are all heretics, and those who think that they have found something beyond the truth, so that by following those things aforementioned, proceeding on their way variously, in many sects, and foolishly, and not keeping always to the same opinions with regard to the same things, they are as blind men being led about by the blind, who shall rightly fall into the pit of ignorance before them, ever seeking and never finding the truth. 1 Therefore one must flee their teaching and take the utmost care lest we suffer any injury from them, but flee to the Church, and be raised in her bosom, and be nourished on the Lord's Scriptures. For the Church has been planted as a garden in this world, therefore the Spirit of God says: 'You may eat from every tree of the garden,' 2 that is: eat from every Scripture of the Lord, but you shall not eat with a proud mind, nor touch any heretical dissension. For these declare that they themselves have the knowledge of good and evil, and over God who made them they raise up their impious minds. 3 Therefore they snatch at things beyond the measure of their understanding. Whence the Apostle says: 'Be not wise beyond what is needful to be wise, but be wise prudently,' 4 that we are not, by the eating of the knowledge of these men, which is more wise than is needed, cast out from the paradise of life, into which the Lord has brought those who obey His commandment, 'summing up in Himself all things which are in heaven, and which are on earth,' 5 but the things in heaven are spiritual, while those on earth are according to the state of man. These things, therefore, He recapitulated in Himself by uniting man to the Spirit, and making the Spirit dwell in man, He who is made the head of the Spirit, and gives the Spirit to be the head of man, for through Him we see, and hear, and speak. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapter 20 1 Mt 15.14 2 Gen 2.16 3 Gen 3.4-7 4 Rom 12.3 4 Ephes 1.10

The Word Of God

Οὐ δεῖ δὲ ζητεῖν, διὰ τί μὴ τοιοῦτος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος οἷος καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος· ἐπεὶ μὴ τοιοῦτος ὁ Θεὸς οἷοι καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὡς προείρηται· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πρέπει ζητεῖν πῶς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ Λόγος, ἢ πῶς ἀπαύγασμά ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ πῶς γεννᾷ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τίς ὁ τρόπος τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ γεννήσεως· μαίνοιτο γὰρ ἄν τις τοιαῦτα τολμῶν, ὅτι πρᾶγμα ἄῤῥητον καὶ φύσεως ἴδιον Θεοῦ, μόνῳ τε αὐτῷ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ γινωσκόμενον, ἀξιοῖ λόγοις αὐτὸ ἑρμηνευθῆναι· ἴσον γάρ ἐστι τοὺς τοιούτους ζητεῖν, ποῦ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πῶς ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ποταπός ἐστιν ὁ Πατήρ. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὸ τοιοῦτο ἐρωτᾷν ἀσεβές ἐστι, καὶ ἀγνοούντων τὸν Θεὸν, οὕτω καὶ οὐ θέμις οὐδὲ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεννήσεως τοιαῦτα τολμᾷν, οὐδὲ τῇ ἑαυτῶν φύσει καὶ ἀσθενείᾳ συμμετρεῖν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὴν τούτου σοφίαν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν νοεῖν προσήκει· οὐδὲ εἰ ἀπορεῖ τις ζητῶν περὶ τούτων, ὀφείλει καὶ ἀπιστεῖν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις. Βέλτιον γὰρ ἀποροῦντας σιωπᾷν καὶ πιστεύειν, ἢ ἀπιστεῖν διὰ τὸ ἀπορεῖν· διότι ὁ μὲν ἀπορῶν δύναταί πως καὶ συγγνώμην ἔχειν, ὅτι ὅλως κἂν ζητήσας ἠρέμησεν· ὁ δὲ διὰ τὸ ἀπορεῖν ἐπινοῶν ἑαυτῷ τὰ μὴ δέοντα, καὶ τὰ μὴ ἄξια περὶ Θεοῦ φθεγγόμενος, ἀσύγγνωστον ἔχει τῆς τόλμης τὴν δίκην. Δύναται γὰρ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀποριῶν ἔχειν τινὰ παραμυθίαν ἐκ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ὥστε λαμβάνειν μὲν καλῶς τὰ γεγραμμένα, νοεῖν δὲ ὡς ἐν παραδείγματι τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον· ὅτι ὥσπερ οὗτος ἴδιος ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἔξωθεν ἡμῶν ἔργον, οὕτω καὶ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἴδιός ἐστιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι ποίημα, οὐδὲ ὡς ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων λόγος· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀνάγκη νοεῖν ἄνθρωπον. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ πάλιν τῶν μὲν ἀνθρώπων πολλοὶ καὶ διάφοροι λόγοι καθ' ἡμέραν παρέρχονται, διὰ τὸ τοὺς πρώτους μὴ μένειν, ἀλλ' ἀφανίζεσθαι. Γίνεται δὲ πάλιν τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ τούτων πατέρες, ἄνθρωποι ὄντες, παρερχομένας μὲν ἔχουσι τὰς ἡλικίας, τὰ δὲ νοήματα ἐπερχόμενα· καὶ πρὸς ἃ λογίζονται καὶ ἐπιλογίζονται, τοιαῦτα καὶ φθέγγονται· ὥστε καὶ πολλοὺς λόγους ἔχειν, καὶ μετὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς μηδένα τούτων ὅλως· πέπαυται γὰρ ὁ λαλῶν, καὶ ὁ λόγος εὐθὺς ἀνήλωται. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος εἷς ἐστι καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς, καὶ, ὡς γέγραπται, ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαμένει, μὴ ἀλλοιούμενος, μηδὲ πρῶτος ἢ δεύτερος ἑτέρου, ἀλλ' ὁ αὐτὸς ὑπάρχων ἀεί. Ἔπρεπε γὰρ, ἑνὸς ὄντος τοῦ Θεοῦ, μίαν εἶναι καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα, καὶ ἕνα τὸν τούτου Λόγον, καὶ μίαν τὴν τούτου σοφίαν. Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος ο Μέγας, Λόγος Δεύτερος Κατὰ Ἀρειανών Source: Migne PG 26.224a-225a

Nor must one ask why the Word of God is not like our word, since God is not such as we are, as said before, nor again is it right to seek how the Word is from God, or how He is God's radiance, or how God begets, and what is the way of His begetting. For a man must be mad to venture such things, since that which is ineffable and proper to God's nature, and known to Him alone and to the Son, he would have explained in words, just as if he sought where God is, and how God is, and what is the nature of the Father. But as to ask such things is impious, and comes from an ignorance of God, so it is not right to propose such questions concerning the generation of the Son of God, nor to measure God and His Wisdom by our nature and infirmity, nor because of this may one think apart from the truth, nor, if anyone is troubled by such questions, should he doubt what is written. For it is better in doubt to be silent and believe, than to disbelieve because of doubt, for it is possible that he who is doubtful may obtain pardon, who even though he wonders yet is silent, but when a man by doubt contrives for himself things which do not befit God and proclaims what is unworthy of Him, such daring incurs a sentence without mercy. For in such doubts Divine Scripture is able to offer a man some support, so as to take rightly what has been written, even to think on our word as an illustration, that as it is proper to us, being from us, and not a work external to us, so also God's Word is proper to Him and from Him, and is not a work, and yet it is not just like the word of man, or else we must think God a man. For behold, the words of men are many and various, passing away day by day, because those that come before do not persist but vanish. And this happens because their fathers are men, and have their time which passes away, and ideas which are successive, and what they think and think on again, such things they utter, so that they have many words, but after so many nothing at all, for he who speaks ceases, and his word is immediately used up. But the Word of God is one and the same, and, as it is written, 'The Word of God endures for ever,' 1 not changing, not being before or after another, but existing the same always. For it was fitting, since God is One, that His Image should be One also, and One is His Word, and One His Wisdom. Saint Athanasius, from the Second Discourse Against The Arians 1 Ps 118.89

Thinking Of The Trinity

Cum igitur ad confitendum Patrem, et Filium, et Spiritum sanctum aciem mentis intendimus, procul ab animo formas visibilium rerum et aetates temporalium naturarum, procul corpora locorum et loca corporum repellamus. Discedat a corde quod spatio extenditur, quod fine concluditur, et quidquid nec semper ubique, nec totum est. Cogitatio de Deitate Trinitatis concepta nihil per distantiam intelligat, nihil per gradus quaerat: ac si quid dignum de Deo senserit, nulli hoc ibi audeat negare personae, tamquam honorificentius Patri ascribat, quod Filio Spirituique non tribuat. Non est pietas Unigenito praeferre Genitorem; Filii contumelia Patris injuria est; quod uni demitur utrique detrahitur. Nam cum illis et sempiternitas sit communis et Deitas, nec omnipotens Pater, nec incommutabilis et Deitas, nec omnipotens Pater, nec incummutabilis aetimatur, si aut minorem se genuit, aut quem non habuit, habendo profecit. Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo LXXVII Cap IV Source: Migne PL 54.413b-c

When, therefore, we turn our minds to confessing the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us thrust far from the soul the forms of visible things and the spans of temporal natures, and all material bodies and places. Let that which is extended in space, that which is bound by limit, and whatever is not always everywhere and entire, be cut off from the heart. Thought of the Divine Trinity must understand nothing by separation; and if someone thinks something worthy of God, let him not dare to deny it to any of the Persons, like ascribing more honour to the Father, which he does not give to the Son and Spirit. It is not pious to put the Father before the Only Begotten. A slight to the Son is an insult to the Father; what is denied to one is refused both. For when their Eternity and Divinity are common, the Father is accounted neither omnipotent nor Divinity unchangeable if He begot One less than Himself, or gained by having One whom before He did not. Pope Leo the Great, from Sermon 77 Chap 4

Trinity And Scripture

Ergo sunt tria quaedam coaeterna, consubstantialia, coessentialia. Sed cum quaereretur a Patribus, et diceretur: Quid tria? Nec essentias, nec substantias, nec naturas dicere ausi sunt; ne aliqua forte diversitas crederetur essentiarum, aut naturarum, aut substantiarum: sed dixerunt tres personas, unam essentiam: uti una essentia declareret Deum unum, tres autem personae sanctam Trinitatem ostenderent. Nec hoc dicimus, quod tantummodo Deus Trinitas sit, et non unaquaeque persona. Nam et Pater solus Deus est, et Filius solus Deus est, et Spiritus sanctus solus Deus est. Solus dico, quia Pater non est Filius, et Filius non est Pater, et Spiritus Sanctus non est Pater aut Filius. Caetereum Trinitas inseparabilis, incommutabilis, infinita non recipit tres deos, sicut non recipit tres essentias, aut subtantias, aut naturas, et idcirco nullatenus dicendus est Filius in id quod aequalis est Patri, aut creatus ex aliquo, aut de nihil substitutus: quis quod est Pater hoc genuit, Deus Deum, lux lucem, incommutabilis incommuntabilem , infinitus infinitum, aeternus coaeternum. Similiter et de Spiritu Sancto credimus quia hoc est quod ille a quo procedit. Videamus igitur deinceps utrum haec quae diximus sanctarum Scripturarum testimoniis approbemus. Primum etiam quaerendum est si Deus Trinitas sit. Faciamus, iniquit, hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram. Et rursum. Venite, descendamus, inquit, et confundamus ibi linguas eorum. Nostram, vero, et descendamus, pluralitatem personarum, non deorum insinuat. Similiterque Abrahae visio trium virorum et unius Domini deprecatio. Et: Pluit Dominus a Domino super Sodomam et Gomorrham sulphur et ignem a Domino. Et: Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. Et: Verbo Domini coeli firmati sunt, et Spiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum. Quid aliquid haec quam Trinitatem ostendunt? Apertiusque sane Dominus in Evangelio: Ite, baptizate omnes gentes in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Et rursum: Facta est vox de coelo dicens: Hic est Filius meus dilectus: ipsum audite. Identidemque ait, Vidi Spiritum Dei descedentem, et manentem sicut columbam in ipso. Sanctus Fulgentius Ruspensis, Ad Felicem Notarium, De Trinitate, Caput III Source: Migne 65.499d-500b

Therefore the three are co-eternal, consubstantial, coessential. But when it was considered by the Fathers and it was said, 'What are the three?' They did not dare to speak of essences, nor substances, nor natures, lest perhaps there be thought to be a difference in essences or natures or substances, but they said three persons, one essence, so to declare the one essence of the one God, and to show the three persons of the Trinity. Nor do we say that God alone is the Trinity and not any of the persons. For the Father alone is God, and the Son alone is God and the Holy Spirit alone is God. I say 'alone' because the Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Father and the Holy Spirit is not the Father nor is He the Son. For the Trinity is inseparable, and unchangeable and infinite, and does not allow three gods, as it does not allow three essences, or substances, or natures, and therefore it should not be said of the Son, that because He is equal to the Father, either he was created from something, or established from nothing, because He is whom the Father generated, God from God, light from light, the unchangeable from the unchangeable, the infinite from the infinite, the eternal from the coeternal. We believe likewise concerning the Holy Spirit because He proceeds from Him. Let us see, then, whether these things which we have said we may confirm from the testimonies of Holy Scripture. First we must seek if God is a Trinity. He says: 'Let us make man after our image and likeness.' 1 And again He says, 'Come, let us descend and confound their tongues.' 2 'Our' and 'let us descend' intimate a plurality of persons, not gods. Likewise Abraham's vision of the three men, and his petition of the one Lord. 3 And: 'The Lord over Sodom and Gomorrha rained sulphur and fire from the Lord.' 4 And 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand' 5 And: 'By the word of the Lord the heavens were made firm, and the spirit of His mouth is all their power.' 6 And what do these show but the Trinity? And most openly the Lord says in the Gospel: 'Go, baptise all the peoples in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.' 7 And again: 'There was a voice from heaven saying: This is my beloved Son: listen to Him.' 8 And in the same manner it says: 'I saw the Spirit of God descending and remaining on Him like a dove.' 9 Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, On The Trinity, To Felix The Notary, Chapter 3 1 Gen 1.26 2 Gen 11.7 3 Gen 18.1-3 4 Gen 19.24 5 Ps 109.1 6 Ps 32.6 7 Mt 28.19 8 Mt 17.5 9 Jn 1.32

Many And One

Augustinus dixit: Ego quod quaesivi ut dicere dignareris, non dixisti, quo testimonio probares subiectum Christo Spiritum Sanctum: respondeo tamen ad ea quae proposuisti. Sic non dicimus tres omnipotentes, quomodo non dicimus tres deos. Si enim de singulis interrogemur utrum Deus sit Pater, respondemus: Deus; utrum Deus sit Filius, respondemus: Deus; utrum Deus sit Spiritus Sanctus, respondemus: Deus. Cum autem de omnibus interrogati fuerimus, utrum tres sint, referimus nos ad divinam Scripturam dicentem: Audi, Israel; Dominus Deus tuus, Dominus unus est. Et in hac divina praescriptione condiscimus, eamdem ipsam Trinitatem unum esse Deum. Sic et de singulis si quaeratur, utrum Pater omnipotens sit, respondemus: Omnipotens; si Filius, hoc idem respondemus; si Spiritus Sanctus, nec ipsum negamus omnipotentem. Nec tamen dicimus tres omnipotentes, quomodo non dicimus tres deos: sed sicut simul illi tres unus Deus, sic simul illi tres unus omnipotens est, et invisibilis unus Deus Pater et Filius et Spiritus Sanctus est. Sine causa ergo putas nos numero coarctari, cum divinitatis potentia etiam rationem numeri excedat. Si enim animae multorum hominum accepto Spiritu Sancto et quodam modo conflatae igne caritatis unam animam fecerunt, de qua dicit Apostolus: Erat enim eis anima et cor unum: tot corda, tot millia cordium, unum cor fecit caritas Spiritus Sancti; tot millia animarum unam animam dixit Spiritus Sanctus, quam ipse unam animam fecit: quanto magis nos unum Deum dicimus, semper sibi invicem et inseparabiliter et ineffabili caritate cohaerentes Patrem et Filium et Spiritum Sanctum? Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Collatio cum Maximino Arianorum Episcopo Source: Migne PL 42.715

Augustine said: What I asked you to say you have not deigned to say, that is, by what testimony you might prove that the Holy Spirit is subject to Christ. Even so, I will answer the things you have set forth. Just as we do not say that there are three omnipotents, so we do not say there are three gods. If we are questioned about each one, whether the Father is God, we say, 'He is God.' If the Son is God, we say: 'He is God.' If the Holy Spirit is God, we answer: 'He is God.' But when we are questioned about all of them, whether there are three gods, we refer to the Divine Scriptures which say: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God.' 1 And in that Divine commandment we learn that the same Trinity is the one God. So if someone asks about each of them, if the Father is omnipotent, we answer 'He is omnipotent,' if the Son is, we answer the same, if the Holy Spirit is, we do not deny Him omnipotence. But we do not say that there are three omnipotents, just as we do not say that there are three gods, but just as the three are one God, so the three are one omnipotence, and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are the one invisible God. Without reason, then, do you think that we are snared in arithmetic, since the power of the Divinity exceeeds the sense of number. Indeed the souls of many men were in some way fused together with the reception of the Holy Spirit and made one soul with the fire of charity, concerning which the Apostle says: 'They had one soul and heart.' 2 The charity of the Holy Spirit made so many hearts, so many thousands of hearts, one heart. The Holy Spirit called so many thousands of soul one soul because he made them one soul. How much more do we call the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit one God, since they always cling to one another inseparably and with ineffable charity? Saint Augustine of Hippo, Discussion With the Arian Bishop Maximinus 1 Deut 6.4 2 Acts 4.32

Word Of The Spirit

Sed dicis: Apostolus duas tantum personas in operum suorum volumine confitetur, sicut ad Corinthios loquitur: Paulus vocatus Apostolus Iesu Christi per voluntatem Dei, et ad Galatas: Paulus Apostolus non ab hominibus neque per hominem, sed per Iesum Christum et Deum Patrem, qui suscitavit eum a mortuis, et iterum: unus Deus Pater, ex quo omnia et nos in ipso et unus Dominus Iesus Christus, per quem omnia et nos per ipsum. Secundum haec dicis nullam de spiritu sancto fieri mentionem ut breviter dicamus, oblitus es, quod Apostolus Spiritu Sancto plenus haec populis ipso inspirante de Patre Filioque praedicabat. Loquenti itaque de Patris ac Filii operatione et ille non deerat, qui loquenda dictabat, secundum illud: et nemo dicit dominum Iesum nisi in Spiritu Sancto. Qui ergo crediturus vel confessurus vel praedicaturus est Christum, vides, quod ante in se habiturus est Spiritum Sanctum. Non ergo hoc oneret fidem tuam, quod interdum sine commemoratione Spiritus Sancti Patris mentio habetur ac Filii. Nam saepe suppresso Patris nomine Filii et Spiritus Sancti operatio praedicatur. Ait sanctus Ananias ad Paulum: Saule frater, Dominus misit me Iesus, qui apparuit tibi in via, qua veneiebas, ut videas et replearis Spiritu Sancto. Aperte hic duarum est conexio personarum. Ecce Paulus a Christo caecatus arguitur, Spiritu Sancto inluminatus impletur et nulla hic mentio Patris inseritur. Sanctus Faustus Reiensis, De Spiritu Sancto, Liber II Source: here

But you say the Apostle confesses only two persons in the collection of his works, as in the letter to the Corinthians, saying, 'Paul called an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,' 1 and to the Galatians: 'Paul, an Apostle, not by men nor through men, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him up from the dead.' 2 And again: 'One God the Father through whom are all things and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and we through Him.' 3 According to these passages in which you say there is no mention of the Holy Spirit, let us briefly say that you have forgotten that the Apostle, full of the Holy Spirit breathed in by the Father and Son, preached these things to the people. Thus in speaking of the work of the Father and the Son, He is not absent who composes the words to be spoken, according to: 'And no one says Lord Jesus unless in the Holy Spirit.' 4 He who therefore would believe or confess or preach Christ, do see, must have beforehand the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Let this, then, not burden your faith, that the Holy Spirit is without commemoration while the Father and Son are spoken. For often the name of the Father is omitted in the speaking of the work of Son and the Spirit. The blessed Ananias said to Paul, 'Brother Paul, the Lord Jesus sent me, He who appeared to you on the way, on which you came, that you might see and be full of the Holy Spirit.' 5 Two of the persons are openly brought into connection. Behold, the blind Paul is admonished by Christ, and filled by the Holy Spirit he is illuminated, and there is no mention of the Father. Saint Faustus of Riez, On The Holy Spirit, Book 2 1 1 Cor 1.1 2 Gal 1.1 3 Ephes 4.6 4 1 Cor 12.3 5 Acts 9.7

The Fragrance Of Knowledge

Τῷ δὲ θεῷ χάρις τῷ πάντοτε θριαμβεύοντι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ φανεροῦντι δι' ἡμῶν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ: ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ θεῷ ἐν τοῖς σῳζομένοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός; Διὰ τοῦτο, φησί, φανεροῖ ὁ θεὸς δι' ἡμῶν τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπείπερ Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμέν· ὡς γὰρ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντος οἱ μέτοχοι φῶς εἰσι τοῦ κόσμου, οὕτω καὶ μύρου ὄντος οἱ ἑνούμενοι αὐτῷ εὐωδία αὐτοῦ εἰσιν. αὕτη δὲ ἡ εὐώδης πνοή, τοῖς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, τοῖς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωὴν ὑπάρχει. ἀλλ' οὐκ αἰτιατέον εἰ γίνεται ἡ ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον· παρὰ γὰρ τὴν πρόφασιν τῶν οἷς συμβεβήκει τοῦτο γίνεται, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ ὑγιεινὴ τροφὴ βλάπτειν δοκεῖ τοὺς νοσοῦντας ἀκαίρως προσφερομένη. ὅσοι γὰρ ὑπὸ θάνατον ὄντες τὸν ἐπιγινόμενον τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ δέχονται οὐκ ὀρθῇ γνώμῃ τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, ἐκ θανάτου πρακτικῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπὶ θάνατον τὸν ἀκολουθοῦντα τοῖς ἀσεβέσι φρονήμασιν ἔρχονται, ὥσπερ τοὺς παραδεχομένους αὐτὴν μετὰ πράξεων ζωοποιῶν ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωὴν φέρει· ὡς γὰρ τὸ αἰσθητὸν μύρον πρὸς ὑγείαν καὶ εὐεξίαν συμβαλλόμενον βλάπτει τὰ ἔντομα ζῶα οὐ φέροντα αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀκροτάτην πνοήν, οὕτως ἡ θεία εὐωδία ὠφελεῖ καὶ εἰς ὑγείαν ἄγει, μᾶλλον δὲ ζωήν, τοὺς τηροῦντας τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ, οὗτοι γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἄνθρωποί εἰσιν, βλαπτομένων ἐξ αὐτῆς τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον μεταβαλλόντων, ὡς καλεῖσθαι ἀλληγορικῶς μυίας σαπριούσας σκευασίαν ἐλαίου ἡδύσματος κατὰ τὸν Ἐκκλησιαστικήν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Τὴν Δευτέραν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους Source: Migne PG 39.1692a-b

But thanks be to God who in Christ is always exhibiting us in triumph, and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are Christ’s incense to God, among those being saved and those who are perishing, to one as a fragrance from death to death, to the other as a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 1 By this, he says, God has revealed through us the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ in every place, since we are the fragrance of Christ. For as the partakers of His light they are the light of the world, thus where His fragrance is those who cleave to Him breathe out His fragrance. And this breathing out of fragrance is to some the scent of death for death, and to others the scent of life for life. But let us not ask if there can be a fragrance of death for death, for indeed the cause of it is in him who is touched by it, just as wholesome food seems to do harm if it is administered to one ravaged by sickness. For as much as they have been seized by death, which happens by sin, so they cannot receive the Divine knowledge with a right mind, from the death of their sinful deeds, which follows on from their impious thoughts, passing away into death. So, on the other hand, they who receive the Divine knowledge in life-giving works pass from life to life, for as a material unguent is useful for the health and well being of the body, destroying insects which are not able to bear the sharpness of the scent, so the Divine fragrance is able to bring health, indeed life, to those who maintain the image and likeness of God the Creator, they who certainly are true men. But they are harmed by that same fragrance who have changed the man within, who allegorically are called flies rotting in the substance of the oil of sweetness, as Ecclesiastes says. 2 Didymus the Blind, On The Second Letter of Paul to The Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 2.14-16 2 Eccles 10.1

A New Shepherd

Νῦν δὲ, ὦ ποιμένων ἄριστε καὶ τελεώτατε, δεῦρόμοι καὶ τὸν σὸν ἀπολάμβανε λαὸν σὺν ἡμῖν τε καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν, ὃν ἐνεχείρισέ σοι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὃν προσάγουσιν ἄγγελοι, ὃν ὁ βίος καὶ ὁ τρόπος ἐπίστευσεν. Εἰ δὲ διὰ πειρασμῶν καὶ κωλυμάτων τὸν θρόνον κληρονομεῖς, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· οὐδὲν τῶν μεγάλων ἀδόκιμον, οὐδὲν ἀβασάνιστον. Ἕπεται γὰρ φύσει τοῖς μὲν ταπεινοῖς τὸ ῥᾴδιον, τοῖς δὲ ὑψηλοῖς επιτρέπετα τὸ δύσκτητον. Ἤκουσας τοῦ εἰπόντος, Ὅτι δεῖ ἡμᾶς διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· εἰπὲ καὶ αὐτός· Διήλθομεν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀναψυχήν. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! Τὸ ἑσπέρας· ηὐλίσθη κλαυθμὸς, καὶ εἰς τὸ πρωῒ ἀγαλλίασις.  Ἔα ληρεῖν τοὺς πολεμοῦντας καὶ περιχάσκειν, ὡς κύνας ὑλακτοῦντας διακενῆς· ἡμεῖς δὲ μὴ πολεμώμεθα. Δίδασκε προσ-κυνεῖν Θεὸν τὸν Πατέρα, Θεὸν τὸν Υἱὸν, Θεὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐν τρισὶν ὑποστάσεσιν, ἐν μιᾷ δόξῃ τε καὶ λαμπρότητι. Τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἐκζήτει· τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐνίσχυε· τὸ ἰσχυρὸν φύλασσε. Τοσαύτην ἀπαιτοῦμέν σε τὴν ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς εὐδοκίμησιν, ὅσην ἐπὶ τῶν κοσμικῶν συνέγνωμεν. Τὴν μὲν οὖν τελεωτέραν ὅπλισιν δέχοιο παρὰ τῶν μειζόνων στρατηγῶν, δι' ἧς δυνήσῃ τὰ βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβέσαι, καὶ παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ λαὸν περιούσιον, ἔθνος ἅγιον, βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος ΙΓ' Source: Migne PG 35.856a-c

And now, best and most excellent of shepherds, come and receive your people with us and for us, which the Holy Spirit has entrusted to you, which the angels bring, which your life and conduct has commended. And if you succeed to the throne at a time of trial and opposition, do not wonder; nothing great is untested and untried. It is a law of nature that what is base is easy, but what is excellent is achieved with difficulty. You have heard it said: 'That through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven.' 1 Say yourself also, 'We went through fire and water, and you led us into rest.' 2 A wonder! ' In the evening tears and in the morning joy.' 3 Let those who would war, but uselessly and ineptly, gape like dogs barking vainly, but let us not be embroiled. Teach the worship of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as three in their persons, one in glory and splendour. Seek the lost, strengthen the weak, and preserve the strong. 4 We ask you to become as distinguished in spiritual affairs as much as we know you are in the world. May you receive a more perfect armour by your greater commanders by which you will be able to quench all the burning shafts of the evil one, 5 and deliver up to the Lord His own people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. 6  Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 13 1 Acts 14.21 2 Ps 65.12 3 Ps 29.6 4 cf Ezek 34.4,16 5 Ephes 6.16 6 1 Pet 2.9

The Place Of Speaking

Et erit: in loco, ubi dictum est eis: Non plebs mea vos: ibi vocabuntur filii Dei vivi. Quis iste locus est? Nunquid Judaea? Numquid Roma? Absit! Judaea dignior, Roma sublimior locus est, ubi Deum loqui decet, vel possibile est. Locus enim hic mens hominis est, sensus rationis, principale cordis. Ibi agente Deo peccatori populo damnabilis dicit conscientia: Non plebs mea vos, quibus vero charitatis diffunditur in cordibus suis, per Spiritum Sanctum qui datus est eis, testimonium perhibet ipse Spiritus, quod sunt filii Dei. Guillelmus S Theodorici Abbas, Expositio In Epistolam Ad Romanos, Liber V, Caput IX Source: Migne PG 180.651a-b

But it shall be in the place where they were told: You are not my people, they shall be called the sons of the living God. 1 What is this place? Is it Judea? Is it Rome? Let it not be that it is Judea that  is more worthy, Rome more noble a place for God to speak, or that it is possible. For this place is the soul of a man, his rational mind, the depth of his heart. There by God's work a damned conscience speaks to a sinful people: 'You are not my people', and yet also by which love is diffused in the heart, by the Holy Spirit which is given to them, the same Spirit who gives witness that they are sons of God. William of St Thierry, Commentary on Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans, Book 5, Chapter 9 1 Rom 9.26, Hosea 2.24

The Coming Of The Spirit

Et cum venerit ille. Tangitur hic tertium, scilicet Spiritus sancti officium, tum per comparationem ad mundanos, et hoc est arguere; tum per comparationem ad bonos, et hoc est docere. Officium igitur per comparationem ad malos exprimit, cum dicit; Et cum venerit ille, arguet mundum de pecaato et de justitita et de iudicio. Et ipse Salvator exponit: De peccato quidem, quia non crediderunt in me; et hoc est peccatum infidelitatis, de quo supra octavo: Vos in peccato vestro moriemini; si enim non credideritis, quia ego sum, moriemini in peccato vestro. De iustitia vero, quia ad Patrem vado, et iam non videbitis me; Glossa: Non de iustitia, quam fecerint, quam nolunt imitari. Et haec est institia fidei, quae credit quod non videt; ideo dicit: Quia ad Patrem vado etc; et tunc creditis quia fides est substantia rerum sperandarum; etc, ad Hebraeos undecimo. Et haec ets institia, scilicet fidei, per quam iustus salvatur; ad Romanos tertio: Arbitramur, hominem iustificari per fidem sine operibus Legis. De iudicio vero, quia princeps huius mundi iam iudicatus est; supra duodecimo: Nunc iudicium est mundi; nunc princeps huius mundi eicietur foras. Potest tamen aliter exponi. Arguere enim mundum, hoc est manifestare mundo, secundum illud ad Ephesios quinto: Quae arguuntur a lumine manifestantur. Per adventum Spiritus sancti tria manifestata sunt mundo: peccatum, iustitia et iudicium: peccatum mundi, iustitia Christi, iudicium diabloi. Et ratio horum trium est: quia Christum redemptor erat mundi, diabolus deceptor, et mundus detinebatur a diabolo propter peccatum infidelitatis; ad Ephesios sexto: Adversus mundi rectores tenebarum harum. Et de hoc peccato Spiritus sanctus arguit mundum: dum ostendit ei suam infidelitatem, arguit de peccato. Et huic concordat littera dicens: De peccato, quia non crediderunt. Christus vero mundum redemit sua iustitia. Quia enim iustus fuit et pati non meruit, patiendo pro mundo ipsum salvavit,; in cuius iustitiae attestationem sublimatus est ad dexteram Partis. Et huic concordat littera: De iustitia, scilicet mea, quia vado ad Patrem, per sublimationem, et hoc merito iustitiae; ad Philippenses secundo: Humiliavit semetipsum factus obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter quid et Deus exaltavit illum et donavit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen. Diabolis vero iniuste mundum detinebat et iniuste contra Christum pugnavit; ideo iudicatus est, quia amisit dominium in genus humanum. Et huic consonat sequens littera: De iudicio vero, quia princeps huius mundi iam iudicatus est, id est, in causa Salvatoris reus factus est. Legatur ergo sic littera: Arguet mundum de peccato, scilicet suo, quia non crediderunt etc. de iustitia, sciliciet mea, quia ad Patrem vado, in huius testimonium, de iudicio, scilicet diaboli, quia princeps huius mundi iam iudicatus est. Sanctus Boneventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XVI Source: Here, p1034-1036

And when He comes... 1 This touches on the third thing, that is the office of the Holy Spirit, so with a comparison to cleansing, and this is to dispute, and then with a comparison to good things, and this is to teach. The office therefore is a comparison for suppressing evils, when he says. 'And when He comes, He shall dispute with the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement.' 1 And the Saviour Himself explains: 'Concerning sin, because they did not believe in me,' and this is the sin of faithlessness, concerning which it says in the eighth chapter: 'You will die in your sin, for if you will not believe that I am, you will die in your sin.' 2 But concerning righteousness, 'because I go to the Father, and now you do not see me.' The Gloss says: Because of the righteousness which they did not do, which they are unwilling to imitate. And this is the mark of faith, that he believes what he does not see, therefore He says: 'I go to the Father,' etc. And then you believe because 'faith is the substance of things hoped for', as in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. 3 And this is the mark of faith, by which the righteous man is saved, in the third Chapter of Romans: 'We judge that a man is justified through faith without the works of the Law.' 4 But concerning judgement, 'because the prince of the world is already judged.' In the twelfth chapter: 'Now is the judgement of the world, now the prince of this world is cast out.' 5 It is possible to explain this in a different way. To dispute the world, that is, to make manifest to the world, according to which the fifth chapter of Ephesians says: 'What is proved by the light is manifested.' 6 By the coming of the Holy Spirit three things are manifested to the world: sin, righteousness and judgement: the sin of the world, the righteousness of Christ, the judgement of the devil. And the reason for these things is threefold: because Christ is the Saviour of the world, the devil is the deceiver, and the world is held by the devil because of the sin of faithlessness, as in the sixth chapter of Ephesians: 'Against the rulers of the world of this darkness.' 7 And concerning sin the Holy Spirit disputes with the world: while He reveals to it its own faithlessness, He disputes concerning sin. And this harmonises with the words which say: 'Concerning sin, because they did not believe.' Christ redeems the world by His righteousness. Because He was righteous and did not deserve to suffer, even suffering for the world He saved it. and as witness of His righteousness He was elevated to the right hand of the Father. And this harmonises with the words: 'Concerning righteousness,' that is, mine, 'I go to the Father,' by elevation, and by the merit of righteousness. In the second chapter of Philippians: 'He humbled himself to obedience unto death, death on the cross. On account of which God exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above all other names.' 8 But the devil held the world by unrighteousness and unjustly fought against Christ, therefore he is judged, since he loses power over the race of men. And this harmonises with the following words: 'But concerning judgement, that the prince of the world has already been judged.' That is, in the case of the Saviour he is guilty. Let us therefore read these words: 'He shall dispute with the world concerning sin,' that is its own, 'because they did not believe in me' etc. 'Concerning righteousness,' that is, mine, 'because I go to the Father', as witness of Him. 'Concerning judgement,' that is, of the devil, 'because the prince of this world is already judged.' Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 16 1 Jn 16.8 2 Jn 8.24 3 Heb 11.1 4 Rom 3.28 5 Jn 12.31 6 Ephes 5.13 7 Ephes 6.12 8 Phil 2.8-9

The Flesh And The Spirit

Vos autem in carne non estis, sed in spiritu; si tamen spiritus Dei habitat in vobis. Si secundum interiorem hominem condelectamini legi Dei. Hoc enim est, si spiritus Dei habitat in vobis. Nam si de vestro spiritu praesumitis, adhuc in carne estis. Sic enim non estis in carne, si in spiritu Dei sitis. Nam si recedit spiritus Dei, pondere suo spiritus hominis revolvitur in carnem; redit ad facta carnalia, redit ad concupiscentias carnales, et fiunt hominis illius novissima pejora prioribus. Sic ego habete liberum arbitrium, ut imploretis auxilium. Non estis in carne. Et hoc ex viribus vestris? Absit! Unde ergo? Si tamen spiritus Dei habitat in vobis. Si quis autem spiritum Christi non habet, hic non est ejus. Non ergo se jactet, non se extendat, non sibi arroget virtutem propriam egena et vitiata natura, quia si quis spiritum Christi non habet, hic non est ejus. Ipse est spiritus Dei, qui spiritus Christi; ipse Patris, qui Filii. Sed ecce adjuvante ipsius misericordia spiritum Christi habemus, et ipsa delectatione justitiae, et integra fide et catholica, spiritum Dei nobis inesse cognoscimus. Guillelmus S Theodorici Abbas, Expositio In Epistolam Ad Romanos, Liber V, Caput VIII Source: Migne PG 180.629b-c

For you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. 1 If according to the interior man you delight in the law of God. That is, if the spirit of God dwells in you. For if you presume concerning your spirit, you are yet in the flesh. You are not in the flesh if you are in the spirit of God. For if the spirit of God is withdrawn, by the weight of your spirit of man you tumble back into the flesh, you return to carnal deeds, you return to carnal desires, and what the last man does is worse than the first. 2 So I have a free will that I might implore aid. 'You are not in the flesh.' And is this from your own power? Let is not be! From where, then? 'If indeed you have the spirit of God dwelling in you.' For if someone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not Christ's. Let him therefore not boast of himself, nor enlarge himself, nor arrogate to himself his own virtue in the poverty and ruin of his nature, because if someone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not His. The spirit of God is the spirit of Christ, He is of the Father who is of the Son. But, behold, with the aid of His mercy we have the spirit of Christ, and by the love of righteousness and by a secure and catholic faith we know the spirit of God is in us. William of St Thierry, Commentary on Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans, Book 5, Chapter 8 1 Rom 8.9 2 Mt 12.45, Lk 11.26

The Presumptuous Man

Tῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὁδῶν πλησθήσεται θρασυκάρδιος ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν διανοημάτων αὐτοῦ ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός. Διανοήματα νῦν εἶπεν τὰς θείας ὁράσεις καὶ τὰς ἔξεις τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἄσπερ ταῖς ὁδοῖς νοῦ θρασυκαρδίου ἀντέθεικεν· Ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίς λαλεῖ τὰ χείλη, εἴπεν ὁ Κύριος· οὐ γὰρ κακοποιῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἀγαθοποιῆσαι ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ διανοεῖται· ὁ δὲ θρασυκάρδιος ὡς ἄφρων πράττων καὶ λέγων, ἐμπλησθήσεται μαστίγων, καὶ πραγμάτων ἀφαιρέσεως, καὶ τέλος τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσει. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας Source: Migne PG 17.193b

The presumptuous man will be filled with his own ways, and the good man with his own thoughts. 1 The thoughts he speaks of here are Divine contemplations and the exercises of virtue, which are opposed to the ways of the presumptuous man. 'From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,' as the Lord says. 2 For the good man thinks to act not at all wickedly but well. The presumptuous man, however, acts and speaks without sense and he is filled with buffetings, and his deeds are profitless, and finally he destroys his own soul. Origen, On Proverbs, Fragment 1 Prov 14.14 2 Mt 12.34, Lk 6.45

Knowledge And Lies

Χωρὶς μνήμης Θεοῦ, γνῶσις ἀληθὴς εἶναι οὐ δύναται· ἐκτος γὰρ τῆς προτέρας, ἡ δευτέρα νόθος ὑπάρχει. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Νόμου Πνευματικοῦ Source: Migne PG 65.924b

Unless one is mindful of God, true knowledge is not possible, for without that which comes before, that which comes after is a lie. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On The Spiritual Law.

Knowing The Right Way

Notam fac mihi viam in qua ambulem quia ad te levavi animam meam. Apostolus per speculum et in aenigmate videt, et pro parte scit, et pro parte prophetat. Propheta quoque tamquam per naturam humanae fragilitatis ignorans, notas sibi fieri, in quibus ambulet, vias orat. Non enim hae saeculi viae utiles sunt: spiritales et coelestes ille nosse desiderat. Id enim ait: Quia ad te levavi animam meam. Non in humilibus est anima illius, sed in excelsis; et idcirco excelsarum viarum postulat notionem. Scit enim esse inimicos sibi, qui se in alias vias avocent, qui in voluntatem alteram deducant. De inimicis istis spiritalibus Apostulos multa et frequenter ingessit. Ab his ergo se eripi orat, et vitam illam tribulatam, quae ad coleum agit, cognoscere rogat, et de voluntate Domini doceri, et per Spiritum ejus in terram rectam deduci: id est, ut constituatur in hominem non vitiis perversum. Nam in rectam terram se dirigi quomodo optat, si de elementi hujus creatura dixisse existimabitur: nisi quod secundum primi hominis naturam, cui post peccatum dictum est, Terra es, et in terram ibis, constitui se hominem rectum indeflexum desiderat? Id enim sub his dictis continetur: Notam fac mihi viam in qua ambulem: quia ad te levavi animam meam. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXLII Source: Migne PL 9.841b-c

Make known to me the way I should walk, because to you I have lifted up my soul. 1 The Apostle looks in a mirror in mystery, and he knows from a part, and from a part he makes prophecy. 2 And also as the Prophet is ignorant on account of the nature of human fragility, he prays that the ways in which he should walk might be made known. Nothing of the ways of this world is useful, for he desires to know what is spiritual and heavenly. So he says: 'Because to you I have lifted up my soul.' Not in base things is his soul, but in high things, and therefore he asks for knowledge of the ways on high. He knows who his enemies are, those who would call him to other ways, who would lead him off in another will. Which spiritual enemies gravely and often assailed the Apostles. From which, then, he prays to be seized, and that life of trouble, which leads to heaven, he asks to know, and to be taught by the will of the Lord, and be led by His Spirit into the land of right, that is, that he might be established as a man unperverted by vices. For how does he desire to be guided to the right land, if he is judged to have spoken of the elements of this creature, unless because according to the nature of the first man, to whom after sin it was said, 'You are earth, and into earth you shall go,' 3 he wishes to be established as the straight unpervertible man? For that is what is contained within these words: 'Make known to me the way I should walk, for to you I have lifted up my soul.' Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 142 1 Ps 142.8 2 1 Cor 13. 12,9 3 Gen 3.19