The distinction between knowing and understanding
They are completed; but if not, 'that they may know', he is not merely saying: Having been called out by the cry of great sins, I descend along with them so that the great sins might be found being practiced still, being completed by having fallen under the previously proclaimed punishment; but if they were found lying moderately as those who thought impiously and regarding the forbidden works, let him know them as ours, according to it having been written: 'The Lord knew those who were his, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from injustice' (2 Tim 2:19).
In this way of thought the vessel of election Paul writes to the Galatians: 'But once you did not know God, you were serving gods which are not gods by nature; but now having known God, rather having been known by God' (Gal 4:9). For he knows those knowing him, not taking the beginning of knowing them, but of examining them as knowing those having been foreknown, in no way regarding the worthless ones still adhering to wickedness when this is happening.
For it is said by the Savior to those remaining in evils until the time of the completion of the world and the manifestation of the judge of all things, of him being made manifest: 'Depart from me, workers of lawlessness; I never knew you' (Matt 7:23), that is, you never had an experience or a participation of me, nor I of you. For if he took to knowing by what is at hand, it would be the same as knowing; how did he know them as being workers of lawlessness?
Therefore, from the double nature of knowing and of not being carried along in the God-breathed writings, according to the other thing, the God who knows hearts knows all, both the righteous and the sinners; immediately, therefore, when the one coming 'sits upon the throne of his glory' to 'judge' kings 'living and dead' (Matt 25:31), he will separate the righteous from the sinners, so that he may lead those participating in righteousness and piety into the kingdom in order to inherit it, but the unrighteous and the wicked, not having loved the neighbor as themselves, he will send to punishment, saying: 'Depart, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matt 25:41). According to the manner
It is not about understanding, as he says to certain people: 'the knower of hidden things' and 'knowing the mind of all'; 'I have known that you have many sins.' Similarly in the Gospel: 'You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts, because that which is in man, when exalted, is an abomination to God' (Luke 6:46).
According to this theory, we must also understand what is continuously stated in the Gospel: 'But Jesus, having known their thoughts' (Mark 2:8), meaning they had happened to be thinking something; for they were staying in thought craftily and wickedly, thinking that 'the one knowing the mind of all' would remain hidden.
Just as knowing is according to understanding, against which ignorance is opposed, so also it is possible to know and not to know through experience. For if Paul writes about the Savior as 'did not know sin' (referring to the lack of experiential sin), we take the written thing to be equal to: the one not having experienced sin practically or intellectually. Understanding it as much as is in his power and by what kind of choice it is accomplished, and how he has come to it from the world.
This difference also extends to men; for it is said in Ecclesiastes: 'He who keeps the commandment will not know an evil word' (Eccl 7:29), that is, he will not set himself toward an evil word, the evil word being known by knowledge to the one guarding the divine commandment, which is the word of God; for since there is one knowledge of opposites, he who knows the good word also understands its opposite.
The Scripture announces the duality of knowing also concerning Adam, where on one hand it says he understood what the essence of the woman was—for after giving her after the shaping of the Creator, Adam said: 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman' (Gen 2:23)—and later, having known her according to the manner of experience; for it is written: 'Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain' (Gen 4:1). And this is brought about for every man living with a wife, in habitual conversation and in divine instruction.
Immediately also concerning the father of the prophet Samuel...
Greek
συντελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μή, ἵνα γνῶ», μόνον οὐχὶ λέγων· Ἐκκαλεσαμένης με τῆς κραυγῆς τῶν μεγάλων ἁμαρτημάτων, συγκαταβαίνω ἵν' ἂν εὑρεθῶσιν τὰς μεγάλας ἁμαρτίας ἔτι πράττοντες, συντελεσθῶσιν ὑποπεσόντες τῇ προαναφωνηθείσῃ τιμωρίᾳ, εἰ δὲ εὑρεθεῖεν μετρίως ὑποκείμενοι οἷς ἀσεβῶς ἐφρόνουν καὶ τοῖς ἀπηγορευμένοις ἔργοις, γνῶ αὐτοὺς ὡς ἡμετέρους, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· «Ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀποστήτω ἀπὸ ἀδικίας πᾶς ὁ ὀνομάζων τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου.» 2.356 Ταύτῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸ τῆς ἐκλογῆς σκεῦος Παῦλος Γαλάταις ἐπιστέλλει· «Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες Θεόν, ἐδουλεύετε τοῖς φύσει μὴ οὖσιν θεοῖς· νῦν δὲ γνόντες Θεόν, μᾶλλον δὲ γνωσθέντες ὑπὸ Θεοῦ.» Γινώσκει γὰρ τοὺς γνόντας αὐτόν, οὐ τότε ἀρχὴν λαμβάνων τοῦ ἐπίστασθαι αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀνακρίνασθαι αὐτοῖς ὡς γινώσκων προγινωσκομένους, οὐδαμῶς πρὸς τοὺς φαύλους ἔτι ἐπιμένοντας τῇ κακίᾳ συμβαίνοντος τούτου. 2.357 Λέγεται γοῦν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος τοῖς διαμείνασι κακοῖς μέχρι τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς συντελείας τοῦ κόσμου καὶ φανερώσεως τοῦ κριτοῦ τῶν ὅλων, αὐτοῦ δηλονότι ὄντος· «Ἀποχωρεῖτε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἐργάται ἀνομίας· οὐδέποτε ὑμᾶς ἔγνων», τοῦτ' ἔστιν οὐδέποτε πεῖραν ἢ μετοχήν μου ἐσχήκατε, οὐδὲ ἐγὼ ὑμῶν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ προχείρως γινώσκειν λαμβάνοιτο, ταὐτὸν εἴη τῷ ἐπίστασθαι, πῶς ᾔδει αὐτοὺς ἐργάτας ἀνομίας ὄντας; 2.358 ∆ιττοῦ τοίνυν τοῦ γινώσκειν καὶ τοῦ μὴ φερ̣ο̣μένου ἐν ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις γραφαῖς, κατὰ τὸ ἕτερον πάντας ἐπίσταται ὁ καρδιογνώστης Θεὸς τούς τε δικαίους καὶ ἁμαρτωλούς· αὐτίκα γοῦν ὅταν «καθίσῃ ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ» ὁ ἐρχόμενος «κρῖναι» βασιλεὺς 78 «ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς», ἀφορίσει τοὺς δικαίους ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἵνα τοὺς μετέχοντας δικαιοσύνης καὶ ὁσιότητος εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσαγάγῃ ἐπὶ τῷ κληρονομῆσαι αὐτήν, τοὺς δ' ἀδίκους καὶ πονηρούς, μὴ ἀγαπήσαντας τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτούς, ἀποπέμψῃ εἰς κόλασιν, λέγων· «Πορεύεσθε, οἱ κεκατηραμένοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ.» 2.359 Κατὰ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ ἐπίστασθαι, λέγει πρός τινας «ὁ τῶν κρυπτῶν γνώστης» καὶ «πάντων τὸν νοῦν ἐπιστάμενος»· «Ἔγνων ὅτι πολλαὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν.» Ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλόν, βδέλυγμα παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἐστιν.» 2.360 Κατὰ τὴν θεωρίαν ταύτην, ἐκλημπτέον καὶ τὸ συνεχῶς κείμενον ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν», φαυλῶν δηλαδὴ τυγχανόντων· πανούργως γὰρ καὶ κακοήθως διακείμενοι, ᾤοντο λανθάνειν «τὸν πάντων τὸν νοῦν ἐπιστάμενον». 2.361 Ὡς οὖν ἔστιν γινώσκεσθαι κατὰ τὸ ἐπίστασθαι ᾧ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν ἀντίκειται, οὕτω καὶ διὰ πείρας ἔστιν εἰδέναι καὶ μὴ εἰδέναι. Ἐὰν γὰρ γράφῃ Παῦλος περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὡς «οὐκ ἔγνω ἁμαρτίαν», ἐκλαμβάνομεν τὸ γεγραμμένον ἴσον τῷ· τὸν μὴ πειραθέντα πρακτικῶς ἢ διανοητικῶς ἁμαρτίας. Ἐπιστάμενος αὐτὴν οἵας δυνάμεώς ἐστιν καὶ ποίᾳ προαιρέσει τελουμένη, ἆραι γοῦν αὐτὴν ἐλήλυθεν τοῦ κόσμου. 2.362 Παρατείνει δὲ ἡ διαφορὰ αὕτη καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν Ἐκκλησιαστῇ· «Ὁ φυλάσσων ἐντολὴν οὐ γνώσεται ῥῆμα πονηρόν», τοῦτ' ἔστιν οὐ διατεθήσεται κατὰ ῥῆμα πονηρόν, γινωσκομένου τοῦ πονηροῦ ῥήματος κατ' ἐπιστήμην τῷ φυλάττοντι τὴν θείαν ἐντολήν, οὖσ̣αν Θεοῦ ῥῆμα· ἐπιστήμης γὰρ μιᾶς οὔσης τῶν ἐναντίων, ὁ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ῥῆμα γινώσκων καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον αὐτῷ ἐπίστ̣α̣ται. 2.363 Τὸ διττὸν τοῦ γινώσκειν καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἀπαγγέλλει ἡ γραφή, ὅπου μὲν λέγουσα ἐπίστασθαι αὐτὸν τίς ἡ οὐσία τῆς γυναικός, –ἀποδόντος γὰρ αὐτὴν μετὰ τὴν πλάσιν τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος, ὁ Ἀδὰμ εἶπεν· «Τοῦτο νῦν ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν μου καὶ σὰρξ ἐκ τῆς σαρκός μου· αὕτη κληθήσεται γυνή»· – ὕστερον γνοὺς αὐτὴν κατὰ τὸν τῆς πείρας τρόπον· γέγραπται γάρ· «Ἔγνω Ἀδὰμ Εὕαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τὸν Κάϊν.» Καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστου δὲ συμβιοῦντος ἀνδρὸς τοῦτο φέρεται, καὶ ἐν τῇ συνήθει ὁμιλίᾳ καὶ τῇ θείᾳ παιδεύσει. 2.364 Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ προφήτου Σαμουὴλ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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