Advice to a Younger Scholar

Absit autem a me, ut quidquam de libris tuae beatitutidinis attingere audeam. Sufficit enim mihi probare mea, et aliena non carpere. Caeterum optime novit prudentia tua, unumqueque in suo sensu abundare, et puerilis esse jactantiae, quod olim adolescentuli facere consueverant, accusando illustres viros, suo nomini fama quaerere. Nec tam stultus sum, ut diversitate explanationum tuarum me laedi putem: quia nec tu laederi, si nos contraria senserimus. Sed illa est vera inter amicos reprehensio, si nostram peram non videntes, aliorum, juxta Persium, manticam consideremus. Superest, ut diligas diligentem te; et in Scripturarum campo, juvenis senem non provoces. Nos nostra habuimus tempora, et cucurrimus quantum potuimus: nunc te currente et longa spatia transmeante, nobis debetur otium: simulque (ut cum honore tuo et venia dixerim) ne solus mihi de Poetis aliquid proposuisse videaris, memento Daretis et Entelli, et vulgaris proverbii: quod bos lassus fortius figat pedem. Tristes haec dictavimus: utinam mereremur complexus tuos, et collatione mutua vel doceremus aliqua, vel disceremus. Sanctus Hieronymus, Epistola CIII, Ad Augustinum

Far be it from me to dare to attack anything which your Grace has written. It is enough for me to present my own views without reviling those of others. But it is well known to one of your intelligence that every one delights in his own opinion and that it is puerile boastfulness, which young men are accustomed to fall into when seeking fame for their own name, to reproach famous men. I am not so stupid that I think myself harmed by the difference of your explanations, since neither are you harmed if you have felt ours to be contrary to yours. But it is true reproof between friends when not seeing his own pouch, he considers, as Persius says, the wallet borne by the other. Rise up that you may love one who loves you, and in the field of Scripture let not a youth provoke an elder. We have had our time and we have run as far as we were able, now we should rest while you run and cover great distances. At the same time, with your favour and without disrespect, lest it should seem to me that to quote from the poets is something which you alone can do, recall Dares and Entellus, and the common proverb, 'The weary ox fixes a firmer foot.'  With sorrow I have dictated this; would that I merited your embraces, and that by converse we might teach and learn. Saint Jerome, Letter 103, To Augustine

Of God and Man

Ἀλλ’ ἰδοὺ, φασὶν, ὁ Ἀπόστολος φανερῶς αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον ὡμολόγησεν. Τιμοθέῳ γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων οὕτω φησίν ' Ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς.' Τοῦτο δε λέγοντες, τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων δοκοῦσιν ταράττειν τὸν νοῦν· εἰ γάρ τις συνετῶς τῷ ἀποστολικῷ ἐπιβάλλει ῥητῷ, ἐκ τούτου μάλιστα τοῦ ὀητοῦ τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν καταψηφίσεται. Ἀλλὰ μὴ οὕτως ακρωτηριάζωμεν τὴν λέξιν, ἀλλ’ ὀλίγον τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐπιμνησθέντες, ὀρθὴν τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ὁμολογίαν νοῆσαι δυνησόμεθα. Τί οὔν φησιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος; ' Εἴς Θεος,' φησὶν περὶ τοῦ Πατρός· καὶ εἴη· περὶ τοῦ Υιοῦ· 'Εἴς καὶ Μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων. Εἰ γὰρ, φησὶν, καὶ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ’ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δύο αὐτὸν ὑποπτεύειν ὀφείλομεν· ὥσπερ γὰρ Θεὸς ἥν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ὁ Λόγος, οὕτω καὶ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος, καὶ μεσιτεύσας καὶ τῇ ἀνθρώπου φύσει εἶς πάλιν ἐστιν· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο Μεσίτην αὐτὸν εἶπηκε Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ὡς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἔχεται πάντως. Ἐστι τοὶνυν Μεσίτης τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τὸ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὑπάρχειν τῷ Πατρί· ἔστι δὲ πάλιν καὶ ἀνθρώπων Μεσίτης, διά τὸ  καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας πετεσχηκέναι φύσεως τελείως χωρὶς ἀμαρτίας. Ἄνθρωπον οὖν αὐτὸν ὅταν λέγει Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, μὴ διὰ τοῦτο σκανδαλιζέσθωσαν, ἀλλ’ ἐννοείτωσαν αὐτὸν καὶ Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ὀνομαζόμενον μετὰ τοῦ καὶ Χριστὸν πάλιν λέγειν καὶ Ἰησοῦν· ἀκουέτωσαν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου τοῦτο φανερῶς οὕτω κηρύττοντος· Προσδεχόμενοι, φημὶ, τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα, καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὄς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Κατα Μὴ Βουλομενων Ὁμολογειν Θεοτοκον Την Ἁγιαν Παρθενον, Ἅγιος Κυριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας

But behold, they say, The Apostle openly confessed him a man. For writing to Timothy, he says, ' The man Jesus Christ' . And by saying this they trouble the minds of the less astute; yet if someone carefully attends to the word, from that very word he will condemn them for impiety. But the matter is not carefully studied, for a little before that which has been quoted, let us remember, a correct form is employed which we are able to understand. What then does says the blessed Paul say? 'One God,' he says of the Father, and then of the Son he says: 'One Mediator of God and man.' For if he said, And he was made man, not by this should we be obliged to adopt him as two, for he was God before his coming and being made man, by the human nature, he mediates and remains one; for Mediator of God and Man, he says, and he is of both. He is then the mediator of God through the possession of the substance of the Father, and again he is the Mediator for men by the possession of perfect human nature without sin. So when he calls Jesus Christ man, one should not be scandalised but one should consider that he is named Lord and God who is also named Jesus Christ. Let them hear the same Apostle openly preaching, 'Expecting, I say, blessed hope, and the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, he who has given himself for us.' Against those Unwilling to Confess the Holy Virgin as Theotokos, Saint Cyril of Alexandria

The Value Of The Desert

Moyses cum egisset pecus ad interiora deserti tunc resplendentem eminus Deum igne vidit innocuo; nec solum vidit, verum etiam audivit loquentem. Nempe tunc Dominus cum abjici pedum vincula commoneret, sanctam eremi terram pronuntiavit, dicens: Locus in quo tu stas, terra sancta est; manifesto tunc judicio meritum occulti honoris expressit. Confirmata quippe est a Deo sanctitas loci, sanctitate testimonii in quo (ut reor) etiam illud pariter et latenter enuntiat, ut accedens ad eremum pristinis curarum obligationibus vitae se absolvet, et anterioribus vinculis expeditus incedat, ne locum polluat. Ibi primum Moyses divini colloquii familiaris adhibetur interpres; accipit verba, ac vicissim refert; dicenda agendave et percunctatur pariter et docetur, ac mutuo confabulationis usitatoque commercio cum coeli Domino sermocinatur. Ibi virgam resumit in opera signorum potentem, ingressusque eremum pastor ovium, pastor ab eremo revertitur populorum. Sanctus Eucherius Lugdonensis, De Laude Eremi Source: Migne PL 50.703c-d

When Moses had taken his flock into the interior of the desert, then from afar he saw the splendor of God in harmless fire, and not only did he see, but he even heard speech. Clearly then the Lord when he would remind us to rid our feet of our chains, tells us of the sacred land of the desert, saying, 'The place in which you stand is holy earth.' 1 With manifest judgement, then, He announces the value of this hidden glory. It is confirmed by God to be a place of sanctity, by which sacred testimony, I think, He also secretly announces that coming to the desert one should rid oneself of the old obligations of the cares of life, and advance free of one's prior chains lest one pollute the place. There Moses was first admitted to familiarity with Divine converse, there he received the words and in his turn he answered, speaking and doing and questioning and learning, and in mutual communion and common commerce speaking with The Lord of Heaven. There he took up the staff that was powerful for the working of signs, and having gone into the desert a pastor of sheep, he came out a shepherd of people. Saint Eucherius of Lyon, In Praise of the Desert 1 Exod 3.5

Riches And The Kingdom

Εἰ τῆς Χριστοῦ Βασιλείας ἀντιποιῇ, ἡν ἡ ἄφθαρτος διαμονὴ στεφανοῖ, καὶ ἔπαθλον τῆς φθαρτῆς τοῖς χρηστῶς αὐτὴν διέπουσιν ἔθηκεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἡμερότητι κίρνα τὴν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ δέοντι σκορπισμῷ τὸ βάρος κούφιζε τοῦ πλούτου· οὔτε γὰρ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, οὔτε εἰδωλολατρίας ἐκφευγει ἀσέβειαν ὁ τοῦ ῥέοντος πλούτου φειδόμενος. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΛΕ', Θεοδοσιῳ Βασιλει Source: Migne PG 78.204c

If you would lay claim to the kingdom of Christ and an abiding crown free of all corruption, let that perishable prize which God has given be well cared for. Mix clemency with power, and by dispersal to those who lack lighten the burden of wealth, for a king is not saved by great power nor is one free of the impiety of idolatry when floods of wealth are spared. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 35, to the Emperor Theodosius

Poverty And Choice

Οὖτος ὁ πτωχὸς ἐκέκραξε, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἀεὶ ἐπαινετὴ ἡ πτωχεία, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκ προαιρέσεως κατὰ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν σκοπὸν κατορθουμένη. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πτωχοὶ μὲν τῇ περιουσίᾳ, πλεονεκτικώτατοι δὲ τῇ προαιρέσει τυγχάνουσιν· οὔς οὐχ ἡ ἔνδεια σώζει, ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις κατακρίνει. Οὐ τοίνυν ὁ ἐνδεὴς πάντως μακαριστὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ κρείττονα ἡγησάμενος τῶν τοῦ κόσμου θησαυρῶν τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τούτος καὶ ὁ Κύριος μακαρίζει λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι· οὐχ οἱ πένητες κατὰ τὴν περιουσίαν, ἀλλ' οἱ τὴν πτωχείαν ἐκ ψυχῆς προελόμενοι. Οὐδεν γὰρ τῶν ἀπροαιρέτων μακαριστόν. Διότι πᾶσα ἀρετὴ, μάλιστα δὲ αὔτη πρὸ πάντων, τῷ ἐκουσίῳ χαρακτηρίζεται. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΓ’ Source: Migne PG 29.361a-b

The poor man cried out and the Lord heard him. 1 Poverty is not always laudable unless it is a choice that is correct according to the evangelical counsel. For many who are poor wish to have a fortune and live in abundance and rank excess, which deprivation does not save, but rather the better choice  condemns it. It is not he who lacks who is blessed but he who chooses the superior command of Christ over the treasures of the world. These the Lord names blessed, saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' 2 meaning not those who desire an abundance but those who have chosen the poverty of the spirit. For nothing which is not chosen is blessed. Every virtue, and this one above all, is inscribed with freedom. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 33 1 Ps 33.7 2 Mt 5.3

The Lords of a Bishop

Promotus ergo, et in throno residens in amica Christi magna civitate Alexandria, decreto divino veraciter, et non ex hominibus, neque per homines, hoc primum forte factum et praemium omnibus demontravit. Mittens enim mox dispensatores, et eum qui dicebatur super pacem, dicit coram omnibus ad eos in honorabili secreto: non justum est, fratres, nos ante alterius cujusquam curam habere quam Christi. Omni vero multitudine quae convenerat, audito verbo compuncta ac sustinente, dicit iterum beatus: Euntes ergo per totam civitatem, conscribite mihi usque ad unum omnes dominos meos. Illis autem non intelligentibus, qui hi essent, sed rogantibus dicere, et mirantibus quinam patriarchae domini existerent, respondit rursus angelicum illud os, et ait: Quod vos egenos et mendicos vocatis, illos ego dominos et auxiliatores praedico. Ipsi enim nobis vere et auxiliari, et coelorum regnum donare poterunt. Vita Sancti Joannis Eleemosynarii, Leontius Neapolis Cyprus Episcopus, Interprete Anastasius Bibliothecarius

John being elected and enthroned in the Christ-loving, great city of Alexandria, and that truly by divine decree and not from men nor through man, this was the first glorious deed and victory which he showed to all men: he soon summoned the treasurers and the official who is named the guardian of the peace, and said to them in the hearing of all in the Patriarch's council-chamber, 'It is not right, brethren, that we should consider anyone in preference to Christ'. The whole assembly which had gathered together was deeply moved at his words, and agreed, and then the blessed man continued, 'Go therefore through the whole city, please, and make a list of all my Lords down to the last'. But his hearers could not imagine who these could be, and besought him to tell them, as they were astonished that any could possibly be Lords of the Patriarch; and he opened his angelic mouth again and said: 'Those whom you call poor and beggars, these I proclaim my Lords and helpers. For they are truly able to help us and bestow upon us the kingdom of heaven.' The Life of St John the Almsgiver, Leontius Bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus, translated by Anastasius the Librarian

Fraternal Encouragment

Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτελέσει, καὶ μὴ ἀποκάμῃς ὑπηρετῶν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, μηδὲ ἡμιτελῆ ποιήσῃς τὴν ἀριστείαν τῶν κατὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατευομένων, ἀλλὰ μίμησαι τὸν γνήσιόν σου πατέρα, ὁς κατὰ τὸν ζηλωτὴν Φινεὲς τῇ μιᾷ πληγῇ τοῦ ἐλέγχου τὸν μαθητὴν τῷ διδασκάλῳ συναπεκέντησεν· οὕτω καὶ σὺ εὐτόνως τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ λόγου δι’ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν αἱρετικων βιβλίων ὧσον τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος μάχαιραν, ἵνα μὴ τὴν κεφαλὴν συντεθλασμένος ὁ ὅφις κατὰ τὴν οὐρὰν περισπαίρων τοὺς ἀκεραιοτέπους φοβῇ. Τῶν γὰρ πρώτων τοῦ λόγου ἀναιρεθέντων, ἐὰν τὸ τελευταῐον ἀνεξέταστον ἀφεθῇ, ἰσχύν τινα κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχειν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς νομισθήσεται. Πετρος Σεβαστειας, Επιστολη Προς Τον Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης του αὐτου Ἀδελφον.

Since then it befits one who has begun a good work to bring it to perfection lest any defect be attributed to the power of the Spirit, and lest a half finished work militate against the glory of Christ, rather you should imitate your true father, with that zeal of Phineas which with one blow of refutation transfixed student and teacher, thus even you with the well exercised hand of the Word should pierce both heretical books with the spiritual sword, so that not only the head of the serpent should be cut off but also the tail, and thus all fear should be utterly dispersed. For if only the first things of a heretic be disposed of, a certain strength against the truth remains to imperil many. Saint Peter of Sebaste, Letter to Saint Gregory of Nyssa his brother.

Ornaments and Chains

Quod autem, fustibus caesi prius graviter et afflicti, per ejusmodi poenas initiastis confessionis vestrae gloriosa primordia, execranda nobis ista res non est. Neque enim ad fustes christianum corpus expavit, cujus est spes omnis in ligno. Sacramentum salutis suae Christi servus agnovit. Redemptus ligno ad vitam aeternam ligno provectus est ad coronam. Quid vero mirum si vasa aurea et argentea in metallum, id est auri et argenti domicilium, dati estis, nisi quod nunc metallorum natura conversa est, locaque quae aurum et argentum dare ante consueverant, accipere coeperunt. Imposuerunt quoque compedes pedibus vestris, et membra felicia ac Dei templa infamibus vinculis ligaverunt, quasi cum corpore ligetur et spiritus, aut aurum vestrum ferri contagione maculetur. Dicatis Deo hominibus et fidem suam religiosa virtute testantibus ornamenta sunt ista, non vincula; nec Christianorum pedes ad infamiam copulant, sed clarificant ad coronam.  Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola LXXVI, Ad Nemesianum et Caeteros Martyras in Metallo Constitutos

That indeed, being first heavily beaten with clubs and afflicted, you have begun by such punishments the glorious beginnings of your confession, is not something execrable to us. A Christian body is not frightened by clubs; all its hope is in the wood. The servant of Christ recognises the sacrament of his salvation. Redeemed by wood to eternal life, by wood he is carried forward to the crown. Truly what wonder if, as golden and silver vessels, you have been sent to the mine that is the home of gold and silver, except that now the nature of the mine is transformed and the places which previously had been accustomed to give gold and silver have begun to receive them? They have also put fetters on your feet and they have bound your happy limbs and the temples of God with disgraceful chains, as if the spirit could be bound with the body or your gold tainted by touch of iron. To men dedicated to God and to those who give witness to their faith with religious strength, such things are ornaments and not chains, nor do they fetter the feet of the Christians to infamy, but they glorify for a crown. Saint Cyprian, Letter 76, To Nemesianus and Other Martyrs Sent to the Mines

Repentance and Rejection

Quorum si poenitentiam respuamus habentium aliquam fiduciam tolerabilis conscientiae, statim cum uxore, cum liberis, quos incolumes reservaverant, in haeresim vel schisma, diabolo invitante, rapiuntur; et adscribetur nobis in die judicii nec ovem sauciam curasse, et propter unam sauciam multas integras perdidisse, et cum Dominus, relictis nonaginta sanis, unam errantem et lassam quaesierit, et inventam humeris suis ipse portaverit, nos non tantum non quaeramus lapsos, sed et venientes arceamus, et cum pseudoprophetae gregem Christi nunc vastare et lacerare non desinant, occasionem canibus et lupis demus ut quos persecutio infesta non perdidit, eos nos duritia nostra et inhumanitate perdamus. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola LI, Ad Antonianum,

If we reject the repentance of those who had some faith in a tolerant conscience, at once with wife, with children, whom they had preserved uninjured, they are carried off, by the devil's invitation, into heresy or schism; and it will be attributed to us on the day of judgment that we had not cared for the wounded sheep and that on account of one wounded one we have made lost many who were sound, whereas the Lord left the ninety and nine that were well and sought the one wandering and weary, and finding it he carried it on his own shoulders; but we not only do not seek the lapsed, but we even drive away those who approach, and this while false prophets are not ceasing to lay waste and tear Christ's flock, and so we give opportunity to the dogs and the wolves that those whom hateful tribulation has not destroyed we might destroy by our hardness and inhumanity. St Cyprian of Carthage, Letter 51, To Antonianus,

Falls and Wounds

Μὴ θαμβηθῆς καθ’ ἡμέραν πίπτων, μηδὲ ἀποπήδα, ἀλλὰ στήθι ἀνδρείως, καὶ πάνατως αἰδεσθήσεταί σου τὴν ὑπομονὴν ὁ φυλάσσων σε ἄγγελος. Ὡς νεαρὸν καὶ ζέον τὸ τραῦμα εὐῖατον εἷναι πέφυκε· τὰ γὰρ χρόνια καὶ ἡμελημένα καὶ κεχερσωμένα δυσίατα, καὶ πολλοῦ τοῦ κόπου, καὶ σιδήρου καὶ ξηρίου, καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐνταῦθα πρὸς ἰατρείαν δεόμενα. Πολλὰ τῳ χρόνῳ ἀνίατα, παρὰ δὲ Θεῷ πάντα δυνατά. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης τῆς Κλίμακος, ἡ Κλίμαξ

Do not be amazed that you fall every day, do not give up, but stand fast bravely, and assuredly the angel who guards you will respect your endurance. While a wound is still fresh and warm it is easy to heal, but if it is old, neglected and festering, it is most difficult to treat, requiring much trouble, cutting and cauterizing by the physician. Many from long neglect become incurable, but with God all things are possible. Saint John Climacus, The Ladder

Mercy and Judgement

'Τοῦ ἐλέους Κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ.  Ἐνταῦθα διέζευκται ἀπὸ τῆς κρίσεως ὁ ἔλεος. Μόνου γὰρ τοῦ ἐλέους Κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ, τῆς κρίσεως εἰς τὸν ὡρισμένον καιρὸν ταμιευθείσης. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν ἔλεός ἐστι χωρὶς κρίσεως· οὐ γὰρ ἦλθεν ἴνα κρίνῇ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ’ ἵνα σώσῃ τὸν κόσμον. Ἐκεί δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ κρίσις χωρίς ἐλέους, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἄνθρωπον καθαρὸν εὐρεθῆναι ἀπὸ ῥύπου, μηδὲ ἐὰν μὶα ἡμέρα ᾖ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε ἐάν τις ἴδῃ τὴν κακίαν ὁσημέραι νεμομένην, καὶ τὸ ἐπίκηρον γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄξιον μυρίων θανάτων, ὅσον ἐπι τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τυγχανον, θαυμάσει τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας. Ἐν τῇ γῇ μέντοι ὄντες τοῦ ἐλέους χρήζομεν. Οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τοῦ μακαρίζεσθαι εἰσιν, ἀλλ’ οὐχὶ τοῦ ἐλεεῖσθαι ἄξιοι. Ἥ τάχα διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῖν ἐπενεγθεῖσαν καταδίκην γῆ λεγόμεθα ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ. Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ· οἵ πλήρεις ἐσμὲν τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ· Νεκροὺς γὰρ ὄντας ἡμᾶς ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις καὶ τοῖς παραπτώμασιν ἐλεήσας ὁ Θεὸς συνεζωοποίησε τῷ χριστῷ. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΒ’

'The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.' Here mercy is distinguished from judgement. For only the mercy of the Lord fills the earth, judgement having been assigned to a time reserved. Here, then, there is mercy without judgement, for he did not come to judge the world but to save it. Here, then, there is not judgement without mercy, else man would not be able to free himself from filth, not even if he were but one day from birth.Thus if someone knew what evil were done every day,  the mortal race of man being worthy of a thousand deaths by reason of his crimes, he would be amazed at the richness of God's goodness, his patience and his clemency. While on the earth we should be merciful, for there are not any who are blessed in heaven but those who were merciful. Else indeed  condemnation would fall upon us swiftly because of sin done on earth and we would be told what we have had heard from God: 'Dust you are, and to dust you shall go '. However, we are full of the mercy of God; for dead in our sins and errors the merciful God has brought us back to life in Christ. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 32

The Work of a Young Empress

Βάσσου καὶ Φιλίππου ὑπατευόντων, τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον Ἀρκάδιος, διὰδοχον τῆς ἡγεμονίας Θεοδόσιον τὸν οἱέα καταλιπὼν, ἀρτίως γάλακτι τρέφεσθαι πεπαυμένον· Θυγατέρας δὲ, Πουλχερίαν καὶ Ἀρκαδίαν καὶ Μαρίναν, ἔτι κομιδῇ νέας. ᾝ μοι δοκεῖ μάλιστα τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι, μόνην εὐσέβειαν ἀρκεῖν πρὸς σωτηρίαν τοῖς βασιλεύουσιν· ἄνευ δὲ ταύτης, μηδὲν εἶναι στρατεύματα καὶ βασιλέως ἰσχυν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην παρασκευήν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εὐσεβέστατον τὸν βασιλέα ἔσεσθαι προεϊδεν ἡ τῶν ὅλων οἰκουρὸς θεία δύναμις, ἐπίτροπον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας κατέστησε Πουλχερίαν τὴν ἀδελφην. Ἡ δὲ, οὔπω πεντεκαιδέκατον ἔτος ἄγουσα, ὑπερ τὴν ἡλικίαν σοφώτατον καὶ θεϊον ἔλαβε νοῦν. Καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τὴν αὐτῆς παρθενίαν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνέθηκε, καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπαιδαγώγησε βίον, ὅπως μὴ ἄλλον ἄνδρα ἐπεισαγάγῃ τοῖς βασιλείοις, καὶ ζήλου καὶ ἐπιβουλῆς πᾶσαν ἀνέλῃ ἀφορμήν. Ἐπιβεβαιῦσα δὲ τὰ δόξαντα, καὶ Θεὸν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἱερέας, καὶ πάντα ἀρχόμενον μάρτυρας ποιουμένη τῶν αὐτῇ βεβουλευμένων, ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ λίθων τιμίων θαυμάσιόν τι χρῆμα θεαμάτων κάλλιστον, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἰδίας παρθενίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡγεμονίας, ἱερὰν ἀνέθετο τράπεζαν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου τῆς τραπέζης, ὡς ἄν πᾶσιν ἔκδηλα ᾗ, τάδε ἐπέγραψεν. Ὑπεισελθοῦσα δὲ τῆς ἡγεμονίας τὴν φροντίδα, ἄριστα καὶ ἐν κόσμῳ πολλῷ τὴν Ῥωμαίων οἰκουμένην διῴκησεν· εὖ βουλευομένη, ὡς ἐν τάχει τὰ πρακτέα ἐπιτελοῦσα καὶ γράφουσα. Ἠκρίβωτο γὰρ λὲγειν, καὶ γράφειν ὀρθῶς κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμαίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων φωνήν. Τῶν δὲ πραττομένων τὴν δόκησιν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀνέφερε· καὶ ἐπεμελεῖτο, ὡς ἄν μάλιστα βασιλικῶς ἀναχθείη τοῖς καθ' ἡλικίαν παιδευομένοις μαθήμασιν. Ἀλλ’ ἱππικὴν μὲν καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ τοῖς λόγοις ἄσκησιν, παρὰ τῶν ἐπιστημόνων ἐξεδιδάσκετο. Περὶ δὲ κόσμιος εἶναι καὶ βασιλικὸς, παρὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς ἑῥῥυθμίζετο· ἐσθῆτα ᾗ χρὴ περιστέλλειν μανθάνων, καὶ πρόπῳ τίνι καθῆσθαι, καὶ βαδίζειν, καὶ γέλωτος κρατεὶν, καὶ πρᾶος καὶ φοβερὸς ἐν καιρῷ εἶναι, καὶ ἁρμοδίως πυνθάνεσθαι τῶν περί του δεομένων. Ούχ ἤκιστα δὲ εἰς εὐσέβειαν αὐτὸν ἦγε, συνεχῶς εὔχεσθαι, καὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις φοιτᾷν ἐθίζουσα· καὶ ἀναθήμασι καὶ κειμηλίοις τοὺς εὐκτηρίους οἴκους γεραίπειν· καὶ ἐν τιμῇ ἔχειν τοὺς ἱερέας, καὶ ἄλλους ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ τοὺς νόμῳ Χριστιανῶν φιλοσοφοῦντας. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλά καὶ ὑπὸ νόθων δογμάτων νεωτερίζεσθαι κινδυνευούσης τῆς θρησκείας, σπουδῇ καὶ σοφῶς προύστη. Καὶ τοῦ μὴ καινὰς αἱρέσεις ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς χρόνοις κρατεῖν, μάλιστα αὐτὴν αἰτίαν εὑρήσομεν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσόμεθα. Δὲει δὲ πολλῷ τὸ Θεῖον θρησκεύουσα, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη παρὰ τίσι λέγειν, καὶ πόσους εὐκτηρίους οἴκους μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐτεκτήνατο· πόσα δὲ καταγώγια πτωχῶν καὶ ξένων, καὶ μοναστικὰς συνοικίας συνεστήσατο, διηνεκῆ τάξασα τὴν εἰς ταῦτα δαπάνην, καὶ τὸ σιτηρέσιον τῶν ἐνοικούντων.  Ἑρμείος Σωζομενός, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία, Τομ Θ´ Κεφ Α´

In the consulate of Bassus and Philip the Emperor Arcadius died, leaving Theodosius, his son, who was just weaned, as his successor to the empire, and also three daughters of tender age, named Pulcheria, Arcadia, and Marina. It seems to me that God here showed that piety alone suffices for the salvation of rulers, and that without it, neither armies, nor a powerful empire, nor any other thing, are of use. The Divine Power which watches over all things, foresaw that the Emperor would be distinguished by his great piety, and therefore established Pulcheria, his sister, as  protectress of him and his rule. She was not yet fifteen years of age, but was wise beyond her years and possessed of divine intent. She first dedicated her virginity to God, and she taught her sisters to do the same, and no man was allowed to enter the palace that there be no cause for jealousy and intrigue. In confirmation of her resolution, she took God, the priests, and all those ruled as witnesses to her self-dedication, consecrating a holy table of gold and precious stones, a remarkable fabric and very beautiful to see, in token of her virginity and the headship of her brother, in the church of Constantinople, and she inscribed these things on the front of the table, that they be clear to all. Resuming the care of government, she governed the Roman empire excellently and with great order; what she decided was quickly decreed and brought to realisation. She was able to write and to converse with perfect accuracy in the Greek and Latin languages. The value of all that was done she attributed to her brother. She took great care to raise him as a prince, educating him as befitted his years. Though in horsemanship, and the practice of arms and in letters he was taught but the wisest men, in conduct and princely bearing he was taught by his sister; she showed him how to gather up his robes, how to take a seat, how to walk, how to restrain laughter, how to assume a gentle or a formidable aspect for the occasion, and how to inquire fittingly into petitions. And no less did she lead him into piety, and continual prayer; she taught him to frequent the churches regularly, and to honour the houses of prayer with gifts and treasures; and to have reverence for priests and other good men, and for those who, in accordance with the law of Christianity, took to philosophy. And that religion might not be endangered by the innovation of spurious dogmas she provided zealously and wisely. That new heresies have not prevailed in our times, we shall find to be due especially to her, as we shall subsequently see. With how much fear she worshipped God, it would take long for any one to say, and also how many houses of prayer she built magnificently, and how many houses for the poor and strangers she set up, and the monastic communities she established, and the arrangement for the expenses for their perpetual support, and for the provision of the inhabitants. Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book IX, Chapter 1

Seeking the Heights

ΚΥΡ. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν χεῖρα βαλὼν ἐπ’ ἄροτον, καὶ στραφεὶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, εὕθετός ἐστιν εἰς τὴν Βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· ἔχεσθαι δὲ δεῖν τῆς εἰς σωτηρίαν ὁδοῦ, μὴ τῇδε κάκεῖσε περισπωμένους, καὶ φαντασίας ἐώλοις κοσμικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶμ' ἐλαφρὸν καὶ εὐδιαῥῥίπιστον νοῦν, ἀλλ’ ἐντελὴ τε καὶ ἄῦπνον, καὶ εἰς εὐθυ βλέπειν ἀει μεμελετηκότα, τηροῦντας ἐμ ἑαυτοῖς. Καὶ τὸ ἔτι μεῖζον ἐρῶ· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄγγελος ούχ ὅτι χρη ἤδη μόνον αὐτὸν ἀμεταστρεπτὶ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν βάδισιν· προσετίθει δὲ χρησίμως τὸ Μὴ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ. Εἰς τὸ ὅρος σώζου, μὴποτε συμπαραληφθῇς. ΠΑΛΛ. Καὶ τί ἄν Βούλοιτο δηλοῠν τὸ Μὴ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ; ΚΥΡ. Τὸ οἴμαι νωθρόν τε καὶ ἀδρανὲς εἰς τὸ δεῖν ἐξίπτασθαι τοῦ κακοῦ σφαλερόν τε καὶ ἐπιζήμιον. Ἄριστον οὖν παρακελευσμάτων τὸ, 'Μὴ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ,' τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, ἐν μηδενὶ τρόπῳ φαυλότητος διαμελλήσας ἁλῷς, ἄνιθι δὲ μᾶλλον, ὥσπερ εἰς ὅρος, εἰς ἐξῃρημένην τινὰ καὶ περίοπτον ζωὴν, οὐδεν ἔχουσαν τὸ χαμαιῥῥιφὲς, ἀλλ’ ἐν ὑψηλῇ τε καὶ ἐπηρμένῃ διαπρέπουσαν ἀρετῇ, καὶ ἀπηλλαγμένῃ φρονήματος τοῦ χθαμαλωτάτου, τοῠτ’ ἔστιν τοῦ ἐπιγείου καὶ σαρκικοῦ. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι 'Τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ κραταιοὶ τῆς γῆς σφόδρα ἐπήρθησαν.' Ἄνωτάτω γὰρ τῶν ἐπιγείων τὸ ἁγιοπρεπές ἐστι φρόνημα. 'Καὶ νεοττοὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ πέτονται,' κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, εἴπερ ἔχουσι καθάπερ εἰς ὄρος ἐν οὔρανῷ τὸ πολίτευμα, καὶ μεταποιοῦνται πατρίδος τῆς ἄνω. Γράφει δὲ που καὶ Παῦλος· 'Τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε, μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.' ΠΑΛΛ. Ὁρος οὐν ἄρα τὸ νοητὸν, ἡ ἐν ἀγαισμῷ ζωὴ, καὶ τῆς ἐξαιρέτου πολιτείας τὸ ὑπερτενὲς, νοουμένης που κάτω τῆς ἐν ἀκαθαρσίαις καὶ φιλαμαρτήμονος, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις ἐντετηγμένης. Ἅγιος Κυριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐν Πνευματι Καὶ Ἀληθειᾳ Προσκυνησεως

Cyril: 'No one,' he says, ' who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is worthy of the kingdom of heaven.' One must hold to the way of salvation, lest one be turned to evil and the vacuous imagines of worldly desires should drive the soul, but firm and sleepless we should always take care to look at the direct way, holding it within us. And indeed better I should say what the angel said to Lot, that one should not only refrain from looking back on the way but one should go forward with a will, that is, ' Do not stand in any place. To the saving mountain go, lest you are taken with them.' Palladius:And what does this mean 'Do not stand in any place'? Cyril: I think that it means that it is necessary to fly from sluggishness and indolence that we may be secure from evil. Best then is the exhortation, ' Do not stand in any region,' that is, do not be taken in any type of baseness, but rather ascend the mountain to the excellent visible life which those thrown down upon the earth do not have, but on the heights in well prepared virtue be eminent, far apart from those of low thoughts, that is, the worldly and the carnal. For it is written that ' By God the strong of the earth are lifted up.' For those with thoughts turned to sanctity are high above the worldly. 'And the young fly in the heights' according to Scripture, since for those on the mountain their city is in heaven and they choose the fatherland above. As it was written by Paul, ' Seek things above, not the things of the earth.' Palladius: Then the spiritual mountain is the holy life and the city set apart is for the chosen, while below are thoughts set in impurity and love of sin, and this is the meaning of the worldly. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, On Worshiping in Spirit and Truth

The Wing of the Spirit

Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὔτω λυπεῖ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν καὶ θολοῖ, ὡς ὁ τῶν βιωτικῶν φροντίδων ὄχλος, καὶ ὁ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἐσμός· ταῦτα γὰρ τοῦ καπνοῦ τούτου τὰ ξύλα. Καὶ καθάπερ τὸ πῦρ, ὅταν ὑγρᾶς καὶ διαβρόχου τινὸς ἐπιλαβηταυ ὕλυς, πολὺν ἀνάπτει τὸν καπνον, οὔτω καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἡ σφοδρὰ αὔτη καὶ φλογώδης, ὅταν ὑγρᾶς τινος καὶ διαλελυμένης ἐπιλαβηται ψυχῆς, πολύν καὶ αὐτὴ τίκτει τὸν καπνόν. Διὰ τοῦτο χρεία τῆς δρόσου τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τῆς αὔρας ἐκείνης, ἵνα τὸ πῦρ σβέσῃ, καὶ τὸν καπνὸν διαχέη καὶ πτηρὸν ποιὴσῃ ἡμῖν τὸν λογισμόν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι τοσούτοις βαρυνόμενον κακοῖς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναπτῆναι· ἀλλ’ ἀγαπητὸν, εὐζωνους ἡμᾶς ὅντας δυνηθῆναι ταύτην τεμεῖν τὴν ὁδόν· μάλλον δὲ οὐδε οὕτω δυνατὸν, ἂν μὴ τοῦ Πνεύματος λάβωμεν τὸ πτερόν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὁμῖλία B' ,Ὑπόμνημα Εἰς την προς Ἁγιον Ματθαίον

For nothing so hurts and blinds the eye of the soul as the crowd of worldly worries and the swarm of desires; for these are as wood for the smoke, and as fire, when it lays hold of any thoroughly damp material, kindles much smoke, so this desire, so vehement and burning, when it lays hold of the dissolute matter of the soul, generates much smoke. Thus there is need of the dew of the Spirit, and of that air, that it may extinguish the fire, and scatter the smoke, and give wings to our thoughts. For it is not so, it cannot be, that being weighed down with evils one could soar up to heaven; but, beloved, unencumbered we are able to make this our way; or rather it is not possible unless we receive the wing of the Spirit. Saint John Chrysostom, Second Homily on Matthew,

Teaching and the Heart

Ἡ δὲ Βουλὴ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει· λογισμοὶ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν.  Οὐκ ὀρᾷς τὰ τῶν ἐθνων δόγματα, τὴν ματαίαν ταύτην φιλοσοφίαν, ὅπως λεπτοὶ καὶ περιττοὶ περὶ τὰς εὐρήσεις τῶν δογμάτων εἰσὶν ἔν τε λογικοῖς θεωρήμασι καὶ ἠθικαῖς διατάξεσι, καὶ φυσιολογίαις τισὶ καὶ δόγμασιν ἄλλοις τοῖς ἐποπτικοὶς λεγομένοις; Πῶς διεσκέδασται πάντα, καὶ ἠχρείωται, μόνη δὲ ἐμπολιτεύεται νῦν τῷ κόσμῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου; Πολλαὶ γὰρ αἱ Βουλαὶ ἐν καρδία ἀνθρώπων· ἀλλ’ ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐκράτησε. Καὶ ἀναγκαῖόν γε, εἰ μέλλοι μόνιμος καὶ ἑδραια ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλὴ ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ἐναπομένειν, προδιασεδασθῆναι πρότερον ἐν ἡμιν τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους λογισμούς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ γράφειν μέλλων ἐν κηρῷ, προκαταλεαίνων πρότερον, οὕτως ἐπιβαλλει τοὺς τύπους οὔς  ἐὰν θέλῃ· οὕτω καὶ καρδίαν χρη τὴν μέλλουσαν τρανῶς ὑποδέχεσθαι τὰ θεῖα λόγια, καθαρὰν ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων λογισμῶν ἀποδειχθῆναι. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΒ’

'The counsel of the Lord remains in eternity; the thoughts of His heart are from generation to generation.' Do you not see the teachings of the pagans, that vain philosophy, how light and paltry are the insights of their doctrines in their logical theories and ethical arrangements, and their physics and the other teachings which they disclose to initiates in their mysteries? Do you not see how they have all been brushed aside, revealed as rubbish, when the sole truth of the Gospel is brought forth? Many counsels there are in the heart of man but the counsel of the Lord prevails. And it is necessary so that the counsel of the Lord remains stable and firm in our soul that human thoughts are first got rid of. For just as wax which is to be written on is first wiped clean so that letters may be impressed, if the writer so wishes, so the heart must be cleared to receive the Divine words, pure from all contrary thoughts. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 32