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TOPIC: Post-Nicene Fathers Vol 13 (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 33.04.03 Letter of an Inquirer Pt III
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Let us diligently ask for mercy, that we may receive whatsoever is necessary for us. Let us seek His Kingdom and His righteousness,hyperlink that we may receive increase in the land. Let us think upon the things which are above,hyperlink on the heavenly things, and meditate on them, where Christ has been lifted up and exalted. But let us forsake the world which is not ours, that we may arrive at the place to which we have been invited. Let us raise up our eyes on high, that we may see the splendour which shall be revealed. Let us lift up our wings as eagles, that we may see the body there where it is. Let us prepare as offerings for the King desirable fruits, fasting and prayer. Let us guard His pledge in purity, that He may trust us over all His treasury. For whosoever deals falsely with His pledge, they suffer him not to enter into the treasure-house. Let us be careful of the body of Christ, that our bodies may rise at the sound of the trumpet. Let us hearken to the voice of the bridegroom, that we may go in with Him into the bride-chamber. Let us prepare the marriage-gift for His bridal day, and let us go forth to meet Him with joy. Let us put on holy raiment, that we may recline in the chief place of the elect. Whosoever puts not on wedding raiment,hyperlink they cast him out into outer darkness. Whosoever excuses himself from the wedding shall not taste the feast.hyperlink Whosoever loves fields and merchandise, shall be shut out of the city of Saints. Whosoever does not bear fruit in the vineyard, shall be uprooted and cast out to torment. Whosoever has received money from his Lord, let him return it to its Giver with its increase.hyperlink Whosoever desires to become a merchant, let, him buy for himself the field and the treasure that is in it.hyperlink Whosoever receives the good seed, let him purge his land from thorns.hyperlink Whosoever desires to be a fisherman, let him cast forth his net at every time. Whosoever is training for the conflict, let him keep himself from the world. Whosoever wishes to gain the crown, let him run as a winner in the race. Whosoever wishes to go down into the course to contend, let him learn to (contend) against his adversary. Whosoever wishes to go down to the battle, let him take unto him armour wherewith to fight, and let him purify himself at every time. Whosoever adopts the likeness of angels, let him be a stranger to men, Whosoever takes upon him the yoke of the saints, let him remove from him getting and spending. Whosoever desires to gain himself, let him remove from him the gain of the world. Whosoever loves the abode that is in heaven, let him not toil at the building of clay that will fall. Whosoever is expectant of being caught up in the clouds, let him not make for himself adorned chariots. Whosoever is expectant of the marriage-feast of the Bridegroom, let him not love the feast of this present time. Whosoever wishes to have pleasure in the banquet reserved there, let him remove drunkenness from himself. Whosoever prepares himself for the supper, let him not excuse himself,hyperlink nor be a merchant. Whosoever he be on whom the good seed falls, let him not allow the Evil One to sow tares in him. Whosoever has begun to build a tower, let him count up all the cost thereof.hyperlink Whosoever builds ought to finish, that he be not a laughing-stock to them that pass by the way. Whosoever sets his building on the rock, let him make its foundations deep, that it may not be cast down by the billows. Whosoever wishes to fly from the darkness, let him walk while he has light.hyperlink Whosoever tears to fly in winter,hyperlink let him prepare himself from the summer-time. Whosoever looks forward to enter into rest,hyperlink let him make ready his provision for the Sabbath. Whosoever begs forgiveness of his Lord, let him also forgive his debtor.<fl t=s3.v13.a3.w1.b0.f215> Whosoever does not demand back a hundred dinars, his Lord forgives him ten thousand talents. Whosoever casts down his Lord's money on the banker's table,hyperlink will not be called an unprofitable servant. Whosoever loves humility, shall be heir in the land of life. Whosoever wishes to make peace, shall be one of the sons of God.hyperlink Whosoever knows the will of his Lord, let him do that will, that he may not be beaten much.hyperlink Whosoever cleanses his heart from deceits, His eyes shall behold the King in his beauty.hyperlink Whosoever receives the Spirit of Christ, let him adorn his inner man. Whosoever is called the temple of God,hyperlink let him purify his body from all uncleanness. Whosoever grieves the Spirit of Christ,hyperlink shall not raise up his head from griefs. Whosoever receives the body of Christ, let him keep his body from all uncleanness. Whosoever casts off the old man,hyperlink let him not turn back to his former works. Whosoever puts on the new man, let him keep himself from all filthiness. Whosoever has put on armour from the water (of baptism), let him not put off his armour that he may not be condemned. Whosoever takes up the shieldhyperlink against the Evil One, let him keep himself from the darts which he hurls at him. Whosoever shall draw back, his Lord has no pleasure in him.hyperlink Whosoever thinks upon the Law of his Lord, shall not be troubled with the thoughts of this world. Whosoever meditates on the Law of his Lord, is like a tree planted by the waters.hyperlink Whosoever again has trust in his Lord, is like a tree that is set out by the river. Whosoever puts his trust in man shall receive the curses of Jeremiah.hyperlink Whosoever is invited to the Bridegroom, let him prepare himself. Whosoever has lighted his lamp, let him not suffer it to go out. Whosoever is expectant of the marriage-cry, let him take oil in his vessel.hyperlink Whosoever is keeper of the door, let him be on the watch for his Master. Whosoever loves virginity, let him become like Elijah. Whosoever takes up the yoke of the Saints, let him sit and be silent. Whosoever loves peace, let him look for his Master as the hope of life.
§2. For, my beloved, our adversary is skilful. He that contends against us is crafty. Against the brave and the renowned does he prepare himself, that they may be weakened. For the feeble are his own, nor does he fight with the captivity that are made captive to him. He that has wings flees from him and the darts that he hurls at him do not reach him. They that are spiritual see him when he assails, and his panoply has no power upon their bodies. All the children of light are without fear of him, because the darkness flies from before the light. The children of the Good fear not the Evil, for He hath given him to be trampled by their feet. When he makes himself like darkness unto them, they become light. And when he creeps upon them like a serpent, they become salt, whereof he cannot eat. If he makes himself like the asp unto them, then they become like babes. If he comes in upon them in the lust of food, they, like our Redeemer, conquer him by fasting. And if he wishes to contend with them by the lust of the eyes, they lift up their eyes to the height of heaven. If he wishes by enticements to overcome them, they do not afford him a hearing. If he wishes openly to strive with them, lo! they are clothed in panoply and stand up against him. If he wishes to come in against them by sleep, they are wakeful and vigilant and sing psalms and pray. If he allures them by possessions, they give them to the poor. If he comes in as sweetness against them, they taste it not, knowing that he is bitter. If he inflames them with the desire of Eve, they dwell alone, and not with the daughters of Eve.
§3. For it was through Eve that he came in upon Adam,hyperlink and Adam was enticed because of his inexperience. And again he came in against Joseph through his master's wife,hyperlink but Joseph was acquainted with his craftiness and would not afford him a hearing. Through a woman he fought with Samson,hyperlink until he took away his Nazariteship. Reuben was the first-born of all his brethren, and through his father's wife,hyperlink (the adversary) cast a blemish upon him. Aaron was the great high-priest of the house of Israel, and through Miriamhyperlink his sister he envied Moses. Moses was sent to deliver the people from Egypt, and took with him the woman who advised him to shameful acts,hyperlink and the Lord met with Moses, and desired to slay him, till he sent back his wife to Midian. David was victorious in all his battles, yet through means of a daughter of Evehyperlink there was found a blemish in him. Amnon was beautiful and fair in countenance, yet (the adversary) took him captive by desire for his sister,hyperlink and Absalom slew him on account of the humbling of Tamar. Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth, yet in the days of his old age his wives led his heart astray.hyperlink Through Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, the wickedness of Ahab was increased,hyperlink and he became altogether a heathen. Furthermore, the adversary tempted Job through his children and his possessions,hyperlink and when he could not prevail over him, he went and brought against him his armour, and he came, bringing with him a daughter of Eve, who had caused Adam to sink, and through her mouth he said to Job, her righteous husband:-Curse God.hyperlink But Job rejected her counsel. King Asa also conquered the Accursed-of-life, when he wished to come in against him, through his mother.hyperlink For Asa knew his craftiness and removed his mother from her high estate, and cut in pieces her idol and cast it down. John was greater than all the prophets, yet Herod slew him because of the dancing of a daughter of Eve.hyperlink Haman was wealthy and third in honour from the King, yet his wife counselled him to destroy the Jews.hyperlink Zimri was head of the tribe of Simeon, yet Cozbi, daughter of the chiefs of Midian, overthrew him, and because of one woman twenty-four thousand of Israel fell in one day.hyperlink
§4. Therefore, my brethren, if any man who is a monk or a saint, who loves the solitary life, yet desires that a woman, bound by monastic vow like himself, should dwell with him, it would be better for him in that case to take (to wife) a woman openly and not be made wanton by lust. So also again the woman, if she be not separated from the solitary, it is better for her to marry openly. Woman then ought to dwell with woman, and man to dwell with man. And also whatever man desires to continue in holiness, let not his spouse dwell with him, lest he turn back to his former condition, and so be esteemed an adulterer. Therefore this counsel is becoming and right and good, that I give to myself and you, my beloved solitaries, who do not take wives, and to the virgins who do not marry, and to those who have loved holiness. It is just and right and becoming, that even if a man should be distressed, he should continue alone. And thus it becomes him to dwell, as it is written in the Prophet Jeremiah:-Blessed is the man who shall take up Thy yoke in his youth, and sit alone and be silent, because he has taken upon him Thy yoke.hyperlink For thus, my beloved, it becomes him who takes up the yoke of Christ, to preserve his yoke in purity.
§5. For thus it is written, my beloved, concerning Moses, that from the time the Holy One was revealed to him, he also loved holiness. And from the time he was sanctified, his wife ministered not to him. But it is thus written:-Joshua, the son of Nun, was the minister of Moses from his childhood.hyperlink And of Joshua again it is thus written concerning him, that he used not to depart from the tabernacle.hyperlink And the temporal tabernacle was not ministered to by a woman, because the Law did not allow women to enter the temporal tabernacle, but even when they came to pray, they used to pray at the door of the temporal tabernacle, and then turn back. Moreover, he commanded the Priests, that at the time of their ministry they should continue in holiness, and should not know their wives. And also concerning Elijah it is thus written, that at one time he dwelt in Mount Carmel, and at another he dwelt at the brook Cherith, and was ministered to by his disciple; and because his heart was in heaven, the bird of heaven used to bring sustenance to him; and because he took upon him the likeness of the angels of heaven, those very angels brought him bread and water when he was fleeing from before Jezebel.hyperlink And because he set nil his thought in heaven, he was caught up in the chariot of fire to heaven,hyperlink and there his dwelling-place was established for ever. Elisha also walked in the footsteps of his Master. He used to dwell in the upper chamber of the Shunamite, and was ministered to by his disciple. For thus the Shunamite said;-He is a holy Prophet of God and passes by us continually, for thus it becomes his holiness that we should make for hint an upper chamber and do for him the service that is (necessary) in it.hyperlink Now what was the service necessary in the upper chamber of Elisha? Clearly the bed and table and stool and lamp-stand only. But what shall we say of John? He also used to dwell amongst men, and preserved his virginity honourably, and received the Spirit of God. More- over, the blessed Apostle said concerning himself and concerning Barnabas:-Had we then not power to eat and to drink and to lead about wives with us? But it was no becoming or right.hyperlink
§6. Therefore, brethren, because we know and have seen that from the beginning it was through woman that the adversary had access unto men, and to the end he will accomplish it by her-for she is the weapon of Satan, and through her he fights against the champions. Through her he makes music at every time, for she became as a harp for him from the first day. For because of her the curse of the Law was established, and because of her the promise unto death was made. For with pangs she bears children and delivers them to death. Because of her the earth was cursed, that it should bring forth thorns and tares. Accordingly, by the coming of the offspring of the Blessed Mary the thorns are uprooted, the sweat wiped away, the fig-tree cursed,hyperlink the dust made salt,hyperlink the curse nailed to the cross,hyperlink the edge of the sword removed from before the tree of life and it given as food to the faithful, and Paradise promised to the blessed and to virgins and to the saints. So the fruit of the tree of life is given as food to the faithful and to virgins, and to those that do the will of God has the door been opened and the way made plain. And the fountain flows and gives drink to the thirsty. The table is laid and the supper prepared. The fatted ox is slain and the cup of redemption mixed. The feast is prepared and the Bridegroom at hand, soon to take his place. The apostles have given the invitation and the called are very many. O ye chosen, prepare yourselves. The light has shone forth both bright and fair, and garments not made with hands are prepared. The marriage cry is at hand. The tombs will be opened and the treasures laid bare. The dead shall rise and the living shall fly to meet the King. The banquet is laid, and the cornet shall encourage and the trumpets shall hasten (them). The Watchers of heaven shall speed, and the throne shall be set for the Judge. He that laboured shall rejoice, and he that was unprofitable shall fear. He that did evil shall not draw nigh unto the Judge. Those on the right hand shall exult, and those on the left shall weep and wail. Those that are in the light shall be glorified, and those that are in the darkness shall groan that they may moisten their tongue. Grace has gone by, and justice reigns. There is no repentance in that place. Winter is at hand; the summer has passed away. The Sabbath of rest has come; toil has ceased. Night has passed away; the light reigns. As to death, its sting is broken and it is swallowed up in life.hyperlink Those that return to Sheol shall weep and gnash their teeth, and those that go to the Kingdom shall rejoice and exult and dance and sing praises. For those that take not wives shall be ministered to by the Watchers of heaven. Those that preserve chastity shall rest in the sanctuary of the Most High. The Only Begotten Who is from the bosom of His Father shall cause all the solitaries to rejoice. There is there neither male nor female, neither bond nor free,hyperlink but they all are the children of tile Most High. And all the pure virgins who are betrothed to Christ shall light their lampshyperlink and with the Bridegroom shall they go into the marriage chamber. All those that are betrothed to Christ are far removed from the curse of the Law, and are redeemed from the condemnation of the daughters of Eve; for they are not wedded to men so as to receive the curses and come into the pains. They take no thought of death, because they do not deliver children to him. And in place of a mortal husband, they are betrothed to Christ. And because they do not bear children, there is Given to them the name that is better than sons and daughters.hyperlink And instead of the groans of the daughters of Eve, they utter the songs of the Bridegroom. The wedding-feast of the daughters of Eve continues for but seven days; but for these (virgins) is the Bridegroom who departs not for ever. The adornment of the daughters of Eve is wool that wears out and perishes, but the garments of these wear not out. Old age withers the beauty of the daughters of Eve, but the beauty of these shall be renewed in the time of the Resurrection.
§7. O ye virgins who have betrothed yourselves to Christ, when one of the monks shall say to one of you, "I will live with thee and minister thou to me," thus shalt thou say unto him:-"To a royal husband am I betrothed, and Him do I serve; and if I leave His service and serve thee, my betrothed will be wroth with me, and will write me a letter of divorce, and will send me away from His house; and while thou seekest to be honoured by me, and I to be honoured by thee, take heed lest hurt come upon me and thee. Take not fire into thy bosom,hyperlink lest it burn thy garments; but be thou in honour alone, and I also alone will abide in my honour. And as concerning these things which the Bridegroom has prepared for the eternity of his marriage feast, do thou make thee a wedding-gift and prepare thyself to meet Him. And as for me, I will make me ready oil, that I may enter in with the wise virgins and may not be kept outside the door with the foolish virgins."
§8. Hearken then, my beloved, unto that which I write unto thee, namely, whatsoever things become solitaries, monks, virgins, saints. Before all things it beseems the man on whom the yoke is laid, that his faith should be firm; as I wrote to thee in the first epistle; that he should be zealous in fasting and prayer; that he should be fervent in the love of Christ; and should be humble and mild and wise. And let his speech be peaceful and pleasant, and his thought be sincere with all. Let him speak his words duly weighing them, and set a barrier to his mouth from harmful words, and let him put far from him hasty laughter. Let him not love the adornment of garments, nor again does it become him to let his hair grow long and adorn it, or to anoint it with sweet-scented unguents. Let him not recline at feastings, nor does it become him to wear gorgeous apparel. Let him not dare to exceed at wine. Let him put far from him proud thoughts. It does not become him to look upon gorgeous apparel. or to wear fine raiment. Let him put away from him a crafty tongue; let him drive from him envy and wrath, and cast away from him crafty lips. The words that are spoken about a man, when he about whom they are spoken is not near, let him not hear nor receive, that he sin not, until he search them out. Mockery is a hateful fault, and to bring it up upon the heart is not right. Let him not lend and take interest, and let him not love avarice. Let him suffer wrong and not do wrong. Furthermore, let him put away from him turmoil, and words of jesting let him not utter. Let him not scorn any man who is repenting of his sins, and let him not mock his brother who is fasting, and him that cannot fast let him not put to shame. Where he is received, let him reprove, and where they receive him not, let him understand his own honour. In an acceptable time let him speak his word; otherwise, let him be silent. Let him not for his belly's sake make himself despised by his begging, and to such an one as fears God let him reveal his secret; but let him keep himself from the evil (man). Let him not speak in complaisance with a wicked man, nor with his enemy. And so let him contend as to have no enemy at all. When men envy him in that which is good, let him add to his goodness, and let him not be harmed because of envy. When he has, and gives to the poor, let him rejoice; and when he has not, let it not grieve him. With a wicked man let him have no converse and with a contemptuous man let him not speak, lest he give himself to contempt. With a blasphemer let him not dispute, lest his Lord be blasphemed on his account. Let him depart from a slanderer, and let no man please another man with speciousness of words. These things beseem solitaries who take up the heavenly yoke, and become disciples of Christ. For thus it befits the disciples of Christ to be like unto Christ their Master.
§9. Let us take pattern, my beloved, from our Saviour. Who though He was rich, made Himself poor;hyperlink and though He was lofty, humbled His Majesty; and though His dwelling place was in heaven, He had no place to lay His head;hyperlink and though He is to come upon the clouds,hyperlink yet rode on a colt and so entered Jerusalem;hyperlink and though He is God and Son of God, He took upon Him the likeness of a servant;hyperlink and though He was (for others) rest from all weariness, yet was Himself tired with the weariness of the journey; though He was the fountain that quenches thirst, yet Himself thirsted and asked for water;hyperlink though He was abundance and satisfied our hunger, yet He Himself hungered when He went forth to the wilderness to be tempted;hyperlink though He was a Watcher that slumbers not, He yet slumbered and slept in the ship in the midst of the sea;hyperlink and though He was ministered to in the Tabernacle of His Father, yet let Himself be served by the hands of men; though He was the healer of all sick men, yet nails were fastened into His hands; though His mouth brought forth things that were good, yet they gave Him gall to eat;hyperlink though He injured no man and harmed none, yet He was beaten with stripes and endured shame; and though he was Saviour of all mortals, He delivered Himself to the death of the cross.
§10. All this humility did our Saviour show us in Himself. Let us then also humble ourselves, my beloved. When our Lord went outside of His nature,hyperlink He walked in our nature. Let us abide in our nature, that in the day of judgment He may cause us to partake of His nature. Our Lord took from us a pledge when He went, and He left us a pledge of His own when he ascended. He that was without need, because of our need devised this expedient. What was ours was His even from the beginning, but that which was His, who would have given us? But true is that which our Lord promised us:- Where I am there ye also shall be.hyperlink For whatsoever He took of ours, is in honour with Him, and (as) a diadem is bound upon His Head. So also that, which of His we have received, we ought to honour. That which is ours is held in honour with Him who was not in our nature: let us honour that which is His in His own nature, If we honour Him, we shall go to Him, Who took upon Him of our nature and so ascended. But if we despise Him, He will take away from us that which He has given us. If we deal fraudulently with His pledge, He will there take away that which is His, and will deprive us of all that He has promised us. Let us magnify gloriously the King's Son Who is with us, because a hostage for Him has been taken from us. Whoso holds the King's Son in honour, shall obtain many gifts from the King. That of ours, that is with Him, has sat down in honour and a diadem is bound upon His head, and He has sat down with the King. And we who are poor, what shall we do to the King's Son Who is with us? He needs nothing from us, but that we should adorn our temples for Him; that when the time is accomplished and He goes to His Father, He may give thanks to Him because of us, because we have honoured Him. When He came to us, He had nothing of ours, and also we had nothing of His, though the two natures were His and His Father's. For when Gabriel made announcement to the Blessed Mary who bore Him, the word from on high set out and came, and the word became flesh and dwell in us.hyperlink And when He returned to Him that sent Him, He took away, when He went, that which He had not brought, as the Apostle said:-He has taken us up and seated us with Himself in the heavens.hyperlink And when He went to His Father, He sent to us His Spirit and said to us I am with you till the world shall end. For Christ sitteth at the right hand of His Father, and Christ dwelleth among men.hyperlink He is sufficient above and beneath, by the wisdom of His Father. And He dwells in many, though He is one, and all the faithful each by each He overshadows from Himself, and fails not, as it is written:-I will divide Him among many.hyperlink And though He is divided among many, yet He sits at the right hand of His Father. And He is in us and we are in Him, as He said:- Ye are in Me and I am in you.hyperlink And in another place He said:-I and Father are one.hyperlink
Footnotes
1 Rom. xiii. 11.
2 Luke xii. 37.
3 Matt. xxv. 4, 10.
4 Matt. xxv. 21.
5 Matt. v.7.
6 Matt. v.6.
7 Matt. vii. 24.
8 2 Tim. ii. 21.
9 Matt. xiii. 46.
10 Matt. vi. 20.
11 Matt. xxv. 33-35.
12 John xii. 25; Eph. 5.2.
13 John xvii. 14.
14 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12.
15 Joel, ii. 11.
16 Eph.vi. 14-17.
17 Luke x. 19.
18 Matt. xx. 1.
19 Matt. xxiii. 9.
20 2 Cor. vi. 9, 10.
21 Rom. xii. 12.
22 Matt. xix. 28.
23 Eph. vi. 16.
24 Matt. vii. 7.
25 Matt. vi. 33.
26 Col. iii. 1, 2.
27 Matt. xxii. 13.
28 Luke xiv. 18.
29 Matt. xxv. 16.
30 Matt. xiii. 44.
31 Matt. xiii. 7.
32 Luke xiv. 18, 9.
33 Luke xiv. 29.
34 John xii. 35.
35 Matt. xxiv. 20.
36 Hebr. iv. 11.
37 Matt. xxv. 27.
38 Matt. v. 9.
39 Luke xii. 47.
40 Is. xxxiii. 17.
41 1. Cor. iii. 16.17.
42 Eph. iv. 30.
43 Eph. iv. 22.
44 Eph. vi. 16.
45 Hebr. x. 38.
46 Ps. i. 2, 3.
47 Jer. xvii. 5, 7, 8.
48 Matt. xxv. 6.
49 Gen. iii. 6.
50 Gen. xxxix. 7,ff.
51 Judg. xvi. 15, ff
52 Gen. xxxv. 22.
53 Num. xii. 1, ff
54 Exod. iv. 24, 26.
55 2 Sam. xi. 2,ff.
56 2 Sam. xiii. 1,ff.
57 I Kin. xi. 1-4
58 I Kin. xvi. 31, xxi. 5,ff.
59 Job. i. 13,ff.
60 Job ii.9.
61 1 Kings. xv. 13.
62 Matt xi. 11, xiv. 6, sq..
63 Esth. vi. 13.
64 Num. xxv. 6-15.
65 Sam. iii. 27, 28
66 Ex. xxxiii. 11.
67 Ib.
68 1 Kings xvii. 3-5; xix. 1-8.
69 2 Kings ii. 11.
70 2 Kings iv. 8-10.
71 1 Cor ix. 4, 5
72 Matt. xxi. 19.
73 Matt. v. 13.
74 Col. ii. 14.
75 1 Cor. xv. 54, 55.
76 Gal. iii. 28.
77 Matt. xxv. 10.
78 Is. lvi. 5.
79 Prov. vi. 27.
80 2 Cor. viii. 9.
81 Matt. viii. 20.
82 Matt. xxvi. 64
83 Matt. xxi. 2-7.
84 Phil. ii. 6, 7, 8.
85 John iv. 6, 7.
86 Matt. iv. 2.
87 Matt. viii. 24.
88 Matt. xxvii. 26, 34.
89 I.e. when He took a nature which was not originaly His.
90 John xiv. 3.
91 John i. 14
92 Eph. ii. 6.
93 Matt. xxviii. 20.
94 Is. liii. 12.
95 John xiv. 20.
96 John x. 30.