The World's Hatred and the Mind of Christ
Those who have learned by practice how each of the diligent in good things succeeds become hopeful of enduring these things again and at other times; for even the holy apostles and the blessed John, by whose works they knew that they had often asked God as a friend and desired one, are courageous that, asking in this way every time, they will obtain what they desire from the leaning God.
From these things it will be shown how the things sought by some are true; 'the one asking receives' (Luke 11:9) does not mean that all people, asking haphazardly, receive the same things that do not benefit them, but rather those containing the request according to the will of God. Such boldness approaches one living a life beyond understanding; but such a person is rare; 'for who shall boast of having a pure heart?' (Jeremiah 17:10); for few are those existing thus in virtue, as it is said: 'if I had seen injustice in my heart, Lord, do not listen to me; because of this, he listened to me' (Psalm 139:23-24), since he did not see injustice; but he desisted from fear that he might be judged according to the one saying: 'I do not know myself; but not in this am I justified' (1 Corinthians 4:4); he takes up what is set forth and also: 'if our heart does not condemn us, we have boldness toward God' (1 John 3:21).
For if being from God comes from doing righteousness, as we have often said, but it is impossible to sin and practice righteousness at the same time, it is therefore evident that one thus disposed and acting is just and does not sin; then, securing the position that man is a choosing being and not a son of God by nature, he appropriately added: 'but he guards himself, and the evil one does not touch him' (Luke 10:18); for if because of this the evil one does not touch him, that he guards himself, he has the not-sinning not from construction, but from attentiveness; and if someone is guarding himself, what does he pray to God for? That he might remain entirely unswayed by the evil one.
Having learned through many those bad men who are made manifest by the voice of the world, we do not stand in awe like the heretics, lest the creation of God, being a world, be established in the evil one; the voice of the world lies upon men, as has been said, and here also in the gospels; it writes...
For John says, “Do not marvel if the world hates you”; it is clear to everyone possessing understanding that the world hates the holy, meaning the wicked men. And he adds, “They are of the world and the world hears them”; for the world that hears those speaking deceitfully signifies not the creation, but the people moved by passions.
He gave a mind, by which the true one, having come as the Son of God, is known; this is the same as to say, “But we have the mind of Christ.” He who possesses this very mind and this very intellect knows the one who is true according to essence and is united to him, truly having his understanding.
How then, having testified to this perfection through the whole epistle, does he now exhort them to keep themselves from idols? We say therefore: since it was written to the whole church, and it was likely in such a gathering to be now standing apart from idolatry, for their sake he engraved the word.
What is set forth agrees with what was said in the first epistle, having it thus: “And we know that he who loves God keeps the commandments”; and the Lord: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my commandments.” Walking according to the commandments is the same as keeping them; for the virtues practiced according to the commandments are a walking, for he who does not remain outside of them walks according to them; and in this, keeping them is the same. Therefore, he who has ceased to act according to virtue no longer keeps the commandments nor walks according to them. For he who progresses according to virtue walks according to the commandments, showing progress, and he who has been perfected after having walked according to the commandments keeps them. With this, what was said enigmatically agrees, how Adam was placed in Paradise to work and to keep, him showing progress through his working, and the keeping signifying permanence in perfection.
He remains in the evangelical teaching, he who thinks and acts according to it, but he who acts and glorifies contrary to it departs from it. Then, since through the practical and the theoretical, God the Creator of all things becomes known as it was with Abraham...
Greek
(Cr 139, 6-20 Ma 228f) Οἱ πείρᾳ τεχνικῇ μαθόντες, πῶς ἐστιν ἕκαστα κατορθοῦν τῶν σπουδαζομένων καλῶν, εὐέλπιδες γίνονται πρὸς τὸ καὶ ἄλλοτε ταῦτα ἀνύσαι· ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ οἱ ἱεροὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰωάννης οὗ 77 τος αὐτοῖς ἔργοις ἔγνωσαν, ὡς πολλάκις αἰτησάμενοι θεὸν τὸ αὐτοῖς φίλον καὶ θελητὸν ἐσχήκασι, θαρροῦσιν, ὅτι ἑκάστοτε οὕτως αἰτούμενοι τεύξονται τῶν ποθουμένων ἐπινεύοντος τοῦ θεοῦ. (Cr 141, 33-142, 6) Ἐκ τούτων δειχθήσεται τὰ ζητούμενα ὑπό τινων, πῶς 8 ἀληθὲς εἴη· “ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει” τῆς καθόλου προτάσεως οὐ πάντας ἁπαξαπλῶς τοὺς καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μὴ συμφέροντα αἰτουμένους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ περιεχούσης· ἐγγίνεται ἡ τοιαύτη παρρησία τῷ ἀκατάγνωστον βίον ἔχοντι· σπάνιος δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος· “τίς γὰρ καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν;” ὀλίγοι γὰρ οἱ οὕτως ἐν ἀρετῇ ὄντες ὡς εἰπεῖν· “ἀδικίαν εἰ ἐθεώρουν ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, μὴ εἰσακουσάτω μου κύριος· διὰ τοῦτο εἰσήκουσέ μου”, ἐπειδὴ ἀδικίαν οὐκ ἐθεώρουν· ἀπεσιώπησε δὲ αὐτὸ φόβῳ τοῦ μὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ νομισθῆναι κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα· “οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ 78 δεδικαίωμαι”· λέψῃ εἰς τὰ προκείμενα καὶ τό· “ἐὰν ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν μὴ καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν, παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεόν”. (Cr 142, 617) Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ποιεῖν δικαιοσύνην ἔχει τὸ ἐκ θεοῦ εἶναι, ὡς πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, ἅμα δὲ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ ποιεῖν δικαιοσύνην ἀδύνατον, φανερὸν ἄρα, ὅτι οὕτω διακείμενος καὶ ἐνεργῶν δίκαιός ἐστι καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει· εἶτα ἀσφαλιζόμενος, ὡς προαιρετικὸς καὶ οὐ φύσει υἱός ἐστι θεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἁρμοδίως ἐπήγαγε τό· “ἀλλὰ τηρεῖ ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς οὐχ ἅπτεται αὐτοῦ”· εἰ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ πονηρὸς οὐχ ἅπτεται αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τηρεῖ ἑαυτόν, οὐκ ἐκ κατασκευῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκ προσοχῆς ἔχει τὸ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν· τηρῶν δέ τις ἑαυτὸν τί καὶ εὔχεται θεόθεν φυλαχθῆναι; ἵνα 79 ἄψαυστος πάντη μείνῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. (Cr 143, 26-144, 2 Ma 231) ∆ιὰ πολλῶν μαθόντες τοὺς φαύλους ἀνθρώπους δηλουμένους τῇ κόσμου φωνῇ οὐ δεισιδαιμονοῦμεν κατὰ τοὺς αἱρετικούς, μή πως ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ κτίσις κόσμος οὖσα ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ ἵδρυται· ἡ κόσμος φωνὴ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κεῖται, ὡς προεῖπον, καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐν εὐαγγελίοις· γράφει γὰρ ὁ Ἰωάννης· “μὴ θαυμάζητε, εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος”· φανερός ἐστι παντὶ νοῦν ἔχοντι κόσμον μισοῦντα τοὺς ἁγίους τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀνθρώπους σημαίνων· καὶ προσέτι· “αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ 80 κόσμου εἰσὶ καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν ἀκούει”· ἀκούοντα γὰρ κόσμον τῶν ἀπατηλῶς λαλούντων οὐ τὴν κτίσιν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐμπαθεῖς ἀνθρώπους σημαίνει. (Cr 144, 13-22 Ma 231) 81 Ἣν δέδωκε διάνοιαν, καθ' ἣν γινώσκεται ὁ ἀληθινὸς ἐλθὼν υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ αὐτή ἐστι τῷ· “ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν”· ὁ ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τοῦτον τὸν νοῦν ἔχων γινώσκει τὸν κατ' οὐσίαν ἀληθινὸν καὶ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ 82 ἑνούμενος πρὸς αὐτὸν πραγματικῶς νόησιν αὐτοῦ ἔχων. (Cr 144. 29-145, 1) Πῶς δὲ δι' ὅλης τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τελειότητα μαρτυρήσας τούτοις, οἷς γράφει, νῦν προτρέπει ἑαυτοὺς τηρεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων; λέγομεν οὖν· ἐπεὶ ὅλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐγράφη, 83 εἰκὸς δὲ ἦν ἐν τοιαύτῃ συνόδῳ ἄρτι ἀφισταμένους τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας εἶναι, ἐκείνων οὖν ἕνεκα τὴν λέξιν ἐχάραξεν. (Cr 145, 1-6 Ma 232) Συμφωνεῖ τὸ προκείμενον τῷ λεχθέντι ἐν τῇ ˉα ἐπιστολῇ οὕτως ἔχοντι· “καὶ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ὁ ἀγα 84 πῶν τὸν θεὸν τὰς ἐντολὰς τηρεῖ”· καὶ ὁ κύριος· “ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ με, τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσει”· ταὐτὸν τὸ περιπατεῖν κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς τῷ τηρεῖν αὐτάς· ἐπεὶ γὰρ πρακτικαὶ αἱ ἀρεταὶ αἱ κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐνεργούμεναι, περιπατεῖ κατ' αὐτὰς ὁ μὴ ἔξω αὐτῶν γενόμενος· ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ταὐτὸν τὸ τηρεῖσθαι αὐτάς· ὅθεν ὁ παυσάμενος τοῦ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐνεργεῖν οὐδὲ τηρεῖ ἔτι τὰς ἐντολὰς οὔτε περιπατεῖ ἔτι κατ' αὐτάς· ὁ γὰρ κατ' ἀρετὴν προκόπτων κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς βαδίζει τοῦ περιπατεῖν προκοπὴν δηλοῦντος, τοῦ τελειωθέντος μετὰ τὸ περιπεπατηκέναι κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς τηροῦντος αὐτάς· τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ μετ' αἰνιγμοῦ λεχθέν, ὡς ὁ Ἀδὰμ τέθειται ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐργάζεσθαι καὶ φυλάττειν αὐτὸν τοῦ ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν κατ' ἐνέργειαν δηλοῦντος προκοπήν, τοῦ δὲ φυλάττειν τὴν ἐν τῇ τελειώσει παραμονήν. (Cr 147, 21- 33 Ma 232f) 85 Μένει ἐν τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ διδασκαλίᾳ ὁ κατ' αὐτὴν φρονῶν καὶ πράττων, ἀπάγει δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὁ ἐναντίως αὐτῆς ἐνεργῶν καὶ δοξάζων· εἶτα ἐπεὶ διὰ πρακτικοῦ καὶ θεωρητικοῦ γίνεταί τινος ὁ θεὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων κτίστης ὡς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ 9
About this text
A clear explanation of the Catholic Epistles showing how Christians are called to endure and grow in faith
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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