The Pursuit of Righteousness and the Nature of God

The apostle calls the 'healthy word' 'unfailing' (ἀκατάγνωστον). He who possesses an unfailing word fulfills many commandments of Jesus. It is impossible for one not possessing an unfailing word to keep that: 'Let your yes be yes and your no, no' (Matt 5:37); for one who is not believing is sometimes required to swear an oath. But if one always possesses a word that is not scrutinized, no one ever doubts him, whether he previously tells the truth or not, or whether he says and does as he says, when an oath is required and his yes is yes and his no is no, such a word is indeed unfailing. Again, he who goes through the doctrines of the truth and demonstrates them scientifically possesses a word and is unfailing concerning them. No one is able to accuse him of lying, of thinking poorly, or of being outside the truth.

Turn away from evil and do good (Rom 12:21). This says: if you are already in evil, having settled in it and acting according to itce I call you to the doing of the good, turn away from the evil. It is impossible to be outside both. Let the infants be circumcised now (cf. Acts 7:50). He who is not in good is in evil; he who happens to be outside of evil participates in the good. Therefore, 'turn away from evil.' And the turning is a matter of choice, for it protects and advises. But no one protects or advises one who does not have choice. I call you to do the good. You cannot do it otherwise and act according to it, unless you turn away from the evil. Thus also it is said in Isaiah: 'Stop from your evils, learn to do good' (Isa 1:16); for as long as anyone is in his evils, that is, his wickedness, he is acting in them, and this one is unable to learn to do good. Again the law-giving apostle writes: 'Test all things, hold fast to the good, abstain from every form of evil' (1 Thess 5:21-22). Therefore also, 'turn away from evil and do good.' It is not sufficient to turn away from evil unless one also does the good; for it is possible to turn away from evil being prevented by fear of punishment from going toward this, but this one does not do the good by choice; for if you bypass the good by will, it is no longer at all good.

Seek peace and pursue it (Ps 34:14). Evil is a crowding thing and works turmoil in the soul; for the race of wickedness has much difference...

Evil things occur either in a small way or in excess, such as cowardice and rashness, or superstition and impiety. One must pursue peace; for to pursue it in this way does not mean that one has driven it away. You have this also in the Proverbs: 'those pursuing,' it is said, 'love righteousness' (Proverbs 15:27), meaning that God clearly loves them, that is, those who pursue. The righteousness that is pursued is all virtue. For Wisdom says: 'Evil men will seek me and will not find me' (Proverbs 1:28). The evil men seek wisdom only to hide it and make it vanish, as much as it reaches them. But those eager to become wise do not seek wisdom in this way, but they pursue it.

And I say, since you love these interpretive things: Herod sought Jesus in order to kill him. Often the Jews sought him in order to kill him. But the disciples sought him in order to be benefited, in order to partake of him. For someone said to him: 'The crowds seek to see you,' because they wanted to believe and see paradoxical works and hear words and chance upon healings. Therefore, 'pursuing' is a homonym.

16 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (Psalm 34:15). Much exhortation again, much instruction. This is what it says: the eyes of God are ready to see and save, and his ears are ready to obey. 'Turn away' therefore 'from evil and do good, and seek peace and pursue it' (Psalm 34:14); for immediately you will have God as a supporter. Only desire to be righteous, to pursue righteousness, and you have the eyes of God lying upon you and his ears ready to receive the requests which you make to him. 16 And his ears toward their prayers.

Often it has been said that what is spoken of humans regarding God must not be taken literally, as they think it is anthropomorphic; for they want there to be a human face concerning God, and they say that the man made according to the image and likeness of God has become so according to the construction of the body. But such a thing has been overturned by wise men; for they say: 'If by this the man is according to the image of God, because he imitates God physically and his body has a likeness to God, how then is God said to have wings: "In the shelter of your wings you will protect me" (Psalm 17:8)?' Therefore, a wingless being is the...