About faith

Both body and soul need medical benefits; because both the former and the latter experience frequent illnesses, but the former is involuntary, and the latter is voluntary. Seeing this, the all-wise God, the Creator of souls and bodies and everything else, prescribed medicines suitable for both natures; and he appointed doctors, teaching some this and others another art, and commanding them to fight and overcome diseases. But those depressed by bodily ailments hate their illness, desire healing and obey doctors not only when they give pleasant medicines, but also when they cut the sick members of the body, or burn them, or force the sufferers to languish with hunger, or offer drink dissolved with disgusting substances. Having received healing, despite such a difficult method of healing, they still give reward to those who treated them so cruelly, and, being healed, do not examine how the medicines are prepared; for those who desire healing do not need to know how they receive it. On the contrary, those infected with the disease of unbelief not only do not feel the full severity of their illness, but also imagine themselves to be completely healthy. If any of those who know how to heal this disease wanted to give them a life-saving medicine, they would immediately reject it like madmen who avert all healing, and run away from medicines like ulcers, and fight off those who take part in them in a fit with their hands and feet. Despite their stubbornness, however, doctors either put them in shackles, or forcefully apply lotions to their heads, or invent some other way to heal the disease and bring them back to their previous state. We should do the same, and take all possible care for those who are possessed by some kind of illness. For, although there are not many of them who are infected with this mental illness, they should not be left without attention, and they should not be allowed to become even more infected with this ulcer, but must use all methods in order to disperse the darkness that surrounds them and enlighten them with reasonable light. First of all, we will try to cure the disease of arrogance; for some, having become acquainted with the works of poets and orators, and having tasted Plato's eloquence, neglect the Divine Scripture, because it does not contain a pompous manner of expression, and consider it low to learn the truth from fishermen, while they themselves, using the fruits of any art, do not care about what language the artists themselves speak. Thus, for example, they do not require that shoemakers, or blacksmiths, or carpenters, or painters, or shipbuilders, or helmsmen must necessarily be Athenians; on the contrary, even if they were Scythians or Sarmatians, or Iberians, or Egyptians, they gladly use their arts, having in mind only the benefits they bring, and not paying any attention to the difference of nations. Likewise, when listening to a guitar player, they only care about the harmony of the sounds, without being curious to know whether he is a Greek or a barbarian. In the mere study of the truth they do not want to remain illegible, but they consider it dishonorable if it is taught to them in simple language. And this kind of pride infects people who not only have not reached the heights of Greek wisdom, but have touched it, as they say, only with their lips. Meanwhile, the most famous Greek philosophers, whose memory is still revered by scientists, and who were: Pherecydes of Syria, Pythagoras of Samos, Thales of Miletus, Solon of Athens and Plato himself, the son of Ariston and the student of Socrates, who surpassed all others in the abundance of his eloquence, were not ashamed to travel to Egypt, Thebes, Sicily and Italy in order to gain the truth, and this was when in these countries there was unequal form of government; for one of these countries was governed by the will of the people, others by the power of a few; some were ruled by tyrants, while others, finally, obeyed legitimate kings. All this, I say, did not in the least prevent them from traveling to these barbarian peoples and borrowing from them many things that these peoples knew better than them. For this reason, these wise men in Egypt, not so much from the Egyptians themselves, as from the Jews, learned the knowledge of God, as evidenced by Plutarch the Veotian, Porphyry, who raged against the truth, Numenius the Pythagorean and many others. They also say that Pythagoras was even circumcised following the example of the Egyptians, who borrowed this rite from the Jews; for when Patriarch Abraham accepted the commandment of circumcision from the God of all things (Gen. 17:9.10), this rite was preserved in subsequent times by his descendants, and from them it passed on to the Egyptians when the Jews lived among them. But that the Egyptians themselves did not have the custom of circumcising babies until that time, this can be witnessed by the daughter of Pharaoh, who, when she found the baby Moses on the bank of the river, immediately saw that he was circumcised, and from this she knew that he came from Jewish parents. Thus, these men, taught in all wisdom, had such a strong thirst for knowledge that, despite wars and the greatest seas, they went to the barbarian peoples and collected for themselves everything useful from everywhere; and Socrates, the son of Sophroniscus, the most excellent of philosophers, did not consider it dishonest for philosophy to learn useful things even from women, was not ashamed to call Diotima his teacher, and for the same purpose often visited Aspasia. But now, having familiarized yourself somewhat with the works of poets and orators, and, with the exception of two or three of the most famous philosophers, without knowing the others by name, you call the Divine Scripture barbaric and consider it low to learn the truth from it! But if you block your hearing from the Apostles because they were not natural Greeks, then you should not call either Thales a sage, or Pythagoras a philosopher, or his teacher Pherecydes; for these men were born outside the borders of Greece, although they respected the Greek language. Moreover, you sin in another respect when you prefer the beauty of speech to the truth. You know that Socrates was a most excellent philosopher; but his father was a stonecutter, and Socrates himself practiced this paternal skill for a long time; which, in addition to other writers, is evidenced by Porphyry, who says that “this activity was not an obstacle to Socrates in achieving wisdom; and if he was also a sculptor, then this contributed even more to this wisdom; for this art was honest, and not shameful.” “Socrates,” says the same writer in another place, “was very stupid and incomprehensible; he knew almost no literacy, and if he got to read or write something, he made everyone laugh, stuttering like children.” Also, Plato, in his Apology, quotes Socrates as saying the following words about himself: “I ask you, Athenians, not to be surprised or express indignation if I defend myself in the same language that I spoke to the ears of many of you in the square. Whether my way of expression is good or bad, I ask you to pay attention only to whether I am telling the truth or not.” Despite the fact that this man, who spoke an unlearned and uneducated language, was revered not only above other philosophers, but also above Plato himself, who surpassed all the Greeks in his eloquence; which the son of Aristov himself (Plato) did not reject; and how can he reject this when, by his own admission, he owes the greatest part of his writings to Socrates, and considered them to be the work of his mind? But that Plato, who surpassed the Athenians themselves in his eloquence, ordered to pay attention not to the beauty of speech, but to the agreement of thoughts, this is clear from his following words. “Who shall we call true philosophers? Those who love to study the truth; for the philosopher must exercise himself in the knowledge of truth and goodness.” He says something similar in the third book of laws: “Those citizens who behave wisely are called wise, even if, according to the proverb, they could not read or swim, and such people, as prudent ones, should be entrusted with rule and power.” Thus, the supreme philosopher does not measure wisdom by learning, but by the knowledge of truth, and calls people who know the truth wise, even if they do not know the basic principles of science, and condemns and eliminates those who have received a comprehensive education, but have not known truth and justice, and does not allow them to be entrusted with any civil positions. So, why do you, friends, turn away from the truth of the Apostolic teaching, and blame only them for their crude manner of expression, while your philosophers themselves testify that the Greeks were too far from the truth, and that it, in fact, was borrowed from the barbarians? Here is the most hostile Porfiry, who waged a fierce war against us, discussing the sayings of the oracle, says: “The path leading to the gods is difficult and rough. Many of its paths were discovered by the barbarians; but the Greeks were far from him. God was the first to open this path to the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Chaldeans, Lidians and Jews.” If, therefore, Porphyry, who is hostile to us, attributes the discovery of truth to the Jews, Phoenicians, Egyptians and Chaldeans, eliminating the Greeks as involved in error, and confirms this with the testimony of Apollo, then why do you not believe your philosopher, do not accept the prophecy of the Delphic oracle and do not heed the Jewish Prophets and Apostles? For they are the very ones whom Apollo calls the inventors of truth. If he adds the Egyptians, Phoenicians and Chaldeans to them, then you need to know that the Chaldeans were close and adjacent to the Phoenicians, and therefore, if they learned the truth, they learned it from the Jews. And the Egyptians themselves also received a lot of this from their treatment, because the Jews lived in Egypt for a long time. Likewise, the Chaldeans also received great benefit from them. For the Chaldean kings, having conquered the Jews, took them to Babylon, and then, as a result of the miracles performed in the furnace of fire and in the lion's den, they recognized them as their teachers of truth. Likewise, Cyrus, the son of the Cambyses, being in friendly relations with Daniel, learned piety from him. He, having defeated the Lidians and made them his tributaries, no doubt, told them what he himself had learned from Daniel. All this, which I have now said, seems to sufficiently explain why the Delphic oracle ascribes truth to the Jews, and why Porphyry mentions this oracle. But that the same Porphyry accuses the Greeks of the greatest ignorance, you will hear about this, among other things, from his letter to Boethus about the soul. What philosopher's speech, he says, is not mutual? He also writes to Anebon of Egypt: “I will begin to talk with you about the friendship that the gods and good spirits have with you, and about their reasoning. The Greek philosophers also said a lot about this, but it was mostly said on a guess, which has its origin in faith alone.” And soon afterwards: “There is a great debate between us, because we reach the concept of good by human inferences, and the more someone tries to get closer to this concept, the more research he should undertake.” So, when the dogmas of the Greek philosophers are subject to doubt, because they are the invention of the human mind, and when a great dispute takes place between them themselves about this, and meanwhile, some other people, according to the testimony of Porphyry, take part in conversations with God, then why do you, my friends, trust the speeches of men and doubtful ones, and reject the teachings of those men who are close to God? If you do not want to accept them as unenlightened people, then you will contradict yourself. You know that both Solon and Plato learned from the barbarians; and about the first of them the Egyptian priest says this (in Plato’s Timaeus): “Oh, Solon, Solon! you, Greeks, remain children forever, and there is not a single elder among you, for you do not have a science corresponding to years.” If, therefore, the teaching of the Greeks is new, and the teaching of the Jews is ancient; then, without a doubt, should not this latter be preferred to the new and doubtful, or, better said, false and unproven? Further, the very lack of education in language should not serve as a reason for you to be accused; for we showed above that the greatest of philosophers, Socrates, was completely uninvolved in Greek learning, and Plato preferred truth to all knowledge and eloquence. Moreover, you, condemning the word belief (for I also heard from you that we do not prove our dogmas with anything, but force them to be taken at word and on faith), are clearly slandering our teaching; for we always confirm the truth of our teaching by deeds, and in this case you again, as they say, prick yourself with your feathers. You know, without a doubt, Pythagoras, the son of Mnisarkhov and the disciple of Pherekidov, the founder of the Italian sect. He, they say, prescribed such a law to his disciples that for five years they would remain silent and listen only to his teaching, accepting what they heard without any research or dispute and believing that everything was as it should be. Following this, his disciples, when someone demanded that they clarify the subject, used to say: he said it himself, showing that the words of Pythagoras are stronger than any proof. If, therefore, the fact that Pythagoras taught so was enough to convince those listening, then who would be so reckless and insane that he would still want to doubt when the God of all speaks, and will have much less confidence in His words than his followers had in the words of Pythagoras? How is it now, my friends, not sad to hear from you that we insult you by convincing you to believe the teachings of God? For aren’t these words Plato’s: “To talk about other spirits and to know their origin is beyond our strength. However, we must believe those who spoke about this before, claiming about themselves that they come from the gods, and knew their ancestors well.” This is what Plato says in the Timaeus about poets, and makes one believe Homer, Hesiod and others, without hiding the fact that they do not present any evidence about this, while he himself often laughs at the tales of the same poets, as we will see elsewhere. If, therefore, Plato commands that we have confidence in the inventors of all sorts of nonsense and obscene fables, then, without a doubt, it is much holier and more just to believe the Divine Prophets and Apostles, who say nothing base, nothing fabulous, nothing incredible, but teach only what is worthy of God, holy and saving. But that the followers of the philosophers themselves, also, under the guidance of one faith, accepted the opinions of some of these and others of other philosophers, this will also be known to anyone who carefully considers the difference in their teachings. Some, for example, said that the soul is immortal, others said that it is mortal; others called her something mixed, saying that she was partly mortal and partly immortal. And all that was visible was considered by some to be unborn, and by others to be born; some argued that it was composed of earth, others - from matter, others - from atoms. Finally, some thought about the world itself that it was animate, others that it was inanimate. Although all these sages spoke completely differently about the same subjects, there were people who believed their words and opinions. And in this case, again, some would not recognize this, and others would not recognize the other as true, if faith did not convince them to accept what was said. Therefore, Socrates (in Plato’s Gorgias), having spoken about the punishments that the wicked suffer in hell, and about the rewards received there by the good, added: “All this, Callicles, I recognize as just by faith alone.” Thus, although Socrates himself did not see all this, and even to the majority of people it was completely unknown, and only a few spoke about it; however, he believes that this is true, and just as he himself does not provide evidence of his faith, neither do those who listened to him demand it. And Plato himself, in the first book of laws, confirmed the need for faith, saying: “Although everything related to the laws is already sufficiently defined for you, let the following be considered among the best laws: so that not one of the young people is allowed to examine what is good and what is bad in these laws, but so that they all unanimously and as if with one mouth affirm that everything is good in these laws.” So, Plato does not allow anyone to interfere in these matters, but he orders us to accept with full faith all the provisions of the laws, without entering into the proceedings whether they are good or bad. So Empedocles, speaking about objects that are not subject to the senses, says: “We cannot see this, nor touch it with our hands; but there is a well-known path for us by which hidden objects reach our understanding.” Antisthenes, a student of Socrates, the head of the Tsanic sect, clearly testifies about the God of all: “He is not known from an image, is not contemplated by the eyes, and is not like anyone else; why no one can form an idea of ​​Him in any likeness.” In agreement with this, Xenophon of Athens, the Socratic, son of Gryllus, speaks about God: “That he who sets everything in motion, but himself remains motionless, is great and strong - this is clear; but what image He has is unknown.” So, in order to comprehend objects comprehended by the mind, it is necessary to have rational eyes. For just as we need physical eyes to contemplate visible things, so to comprehend divine things we need faith; because faith is in the mind what the eye is in the body; or better, just as the eye needs light, without which it cannot otherwise see, so the mind needs faith, which reveals to it divine objects and retains a vivid impression of them. Listen also to how Plato condemns those who do not want to contemplate what is comprehended with one mind. “Be careful,” he says, “so that none of the unenlightened hear this. These are those who believe that nothing exists except what they can firmly hold with their hands.” You also belong to this class, for which I apologize; for, clinging to only visible things, and worshiping idols made by human hands, you do not accept the doctrine of the invisible nature. Moreover, you must know that in order to learn the Divine, you must throw out ridiculous teachings from your head. Plato clearly speaks about this in these words: “It is not proper for a pure person to borrow from an unclean one.” Orpheus says the same thing: “I will tell those to whom it is due, but open the doors to the wicked.” In agreement with this, Euripides also says: “Those who are not involved in Bacchus’ fury should know the secrets.” Indeed, how can one teach divine teaching to those who are not prepared for it? How can someone be prepared for this if he does not accept the dogmas taught by teachers with faith? But is it possible for anyone to have faith if he does not expel from his mind all the evil teaching implanted in him? So, friends, none of you should condemn faith, which Aristotle called a sign of truth, and Epicurus calls it a prejudice of the mind, but one that, having reached the level of knowledge, turns into knowledge. According to our definition, faith is the voluntary consent of the soul, the contemplation of the hidden, the comprehension of the invisible and the reckless predisposition of souls to the objects offered. But faith has a need for knowledge, just as knowledge needs in faith; for there can be neither faith without knowledge, nor knowledge without faith. Moreover, faith precedes knowledge, and knowledge follows faith, and desire arises after knowledge, and action follows desire. For first one must believe, and then learn; having learned, one must desire; and if you wish, act. It is impossible to learn the initial elements of a language without first believing the teacher that this is the name of the first letter, this is the name of the second, this is the third, etc. For if the student begins to contradict, saying that the first letter cannot be called alpha, but by some other name, then he will never learn what he should, but will be mistaken, accepting a lie instead of the truth. But if he, trusting the teacher, follows his suggestions when teaching, then knowledge will follow faith. Likewise, a geometer must be believed when he says that there is a point that has no parts, and there is a longitude that has no latitude. No one can ever prove this in words; for if longitude is deprived of latitude, then with latitude the longitude will immediately escape the eye; However, the geometer tells us to understand this, and anyone who wants to learn linear figures easily believes this and is convinced. Likewise, students believe astronomers when they either count the number of stars, or measure the distances that are between one and another, or determine how many thousand stadia the visible sky is from the earth, although regarding this distance the astronomers themselves disagree among themselves, when some estimate the distance between heaven and earth to be four hundred and seventy thousand stadia, others less, and some much more, and yet the disciples obey their teachers and trust them. And regarding the sun itself there is great disagreement between them; for Anaximander and Anaximenes asserted that it was twenty-seven times larger than the earth; according to Anaxagoras, it is larger only than the Peloponnese; and Heraclitus said that it was one foot in size. Who wouldn’t find this disagreement funny? And such a disagreement between them is not in reasoning of any small measure, but infinitely different, which cannot be expressed in words. For who, having first measured the earth and taken twenty-seven times its size, will then bring it to the measure of a human step? And yet there are people who hold one opinion or another, and some of them claim this, and others another. So, why do you approve of that senseless faith, and reject our only faith, which is alien to this kind of fable, and which understands the Divine and rational rationally? At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that each of the people who wants to learn any art turns to someone who knows how to teach, and what he learns from him, he accepts. For example, a shoemaker shows how to hold a knife and cut leather, then sew and fit it to the last, and the student believes what he is told and does not resist the teacher; and one of them has knowledge of what he is doing, and the other is based on faith alone, and in a short time through this faith reaches knowledge. So the builder of ships teaches those who want to adopt this art how to stretch a cord, how to drive a saw, how to wield an ax, a chisel and a drill, and the student learns all this by doing what he is ordered; and he considers the words of his teacher to be law in the confidence that under his guidance he will completely comprehend this art. Likewise, a doctor not only teaches the art of healing, but also heals the sick; and although he himself understands the method of treatment, and the one obsessed with the disease does not comprehend it, this latter believes that through the art of medicine he will be freed from the disease. Likewise, only those who have been taught this art can steer a ship, and those sitting on the ship believe that with the helm of the helmsman they will reach the desired pier. So, my friends, faith is a common subject for everyone: those who want to learn any art, those who swim, those who engage in agriculture, and those who entrust themselves to doctors; knowledge is not characteristic of everyone, but only of those who understand these sciences. So, if, for example, we wanted to recognize good and pure gold, we do not test it ourselves, but take it to someone who is experienced in these things, and he, having tried it on a whetstone or in fire, determines whether it is real or fake. In the same way, when buying precious stones, we do not trust our choice to ourselves, but to those whom time and experience have taught this art. Likewise, if someone wants to buy silk, multi-colored and gold-embroidered clothing, he orders experienced weavers to evaluate its value. Also, whoever wants to know the weight of gold and silver vessels or coins, he brings them to the weigher, and from him he learns how much they weigh, relying on his word. So, knowledge does not belong to everyone, but only to those who have acquired it through long-term and experienced exercise; faith is characteristic of everyone who wants to learn something. So, faith is the original foundation and support of knowledge. Your philosophers also liked to call faith the voluntary consent of the soul, and knowledge - a solid rational habit. Therefore, it would be very incongruous, while teachers in all other sciences assimilate knowledge, and students learn faith, to pervert this order in the teaching about Divine things, and place knowledge before faith; for in order to contemplate those things which we cannot see with carnal eyes, we have all the greater need of the eyes of faith. Therefore, the Divine Apostle clearly says: it becomes the one who comes to God to believe, as He is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. II, 6). For this reason, we first of all offer the teaching of faith to those who come to us and want to learn divine things from us, and then, when they are sufficiently instructed and admonished in it, we reveal to them what secrets are contained in its apparently simple events, as is the case with you. For even among you, not everyone knows your sacred secrets; but the people see only what happens before their eyes; priests perform rituals befitting a certain festival, and one high priest (hierophant) knows the reason why something happens, and explains it only to those whom he recognizes as worthy. Thus, if these unclean and vile rituals were known not to everyone, but only to the high priests, then it would be obvious unreasonableness in the purest divine sacraments to demand knowledge before faith. So, faith is the leader, and knowledge will follow it. For to those who believe from a pure and sincere heart, God in whom they believe grants knowledge; knowledge, combined with faith, constitutes knowledge of the truth, which whoever achieves should consider himself not only happy, but also the happiest. Plato expressed this very thing in his laws, saying: “Whoever wants to be happy and blessed must first of all take care to become a partaker of the truth, so that he can live with it as much as possible.” For those who are partakers of the truth and lead a life worthy of it are destined for heaven and dwelling in the dwelling of the blessed; and those who do not devote themselves to it, and spend their entire lives without participating in the divine and purest sacraments, will not only be deprived of these great benefits, but will also be subjected to eternal torment. This is confirmed again by Plato (in Phaedo) when he says: “Everyone who has not participated in the sacraments and has received little instruction in them, having descended into hell, will lie in the mire; on the contrary, a pure and perfect person, having come there, will dwell together with the gods.” So, my friends, believe at least your philosophers, who admonish you and teach you the same things that we teach, although they themselves are like those talking birds who, imitating the human voice, do not know, however, the meaning of the words they pronounce; because even philosophers, speaking about divine things, did not comprehend the truths that they themselves expressed. But I, for my part, excuse them; for they were not previously enlightened by either Prophetic or Apostolic light, but followed the guidance of one nature, in which the writings of God of old had been blotted out from the prevailing wickedness. However, the Creator himself supported some of these writings and did not allow them to be completely destroyed, thereby revealing to people his providence for them. Ap also shows this. Paul, when preaching in Lystra, among other things said: even in the past generation he left all his tongues to walk in their way: and forsaking not yourself untestified, do good, giving us rain from heaven, and fruitful times, filling our hearts with food and joy (Acts 14:16.17). Thus, the Ruler of all, having given the tribe of Abraham his Divine Law, and raising the Prophets from among them to guide them on the path of truth, led other nations to piety through nature. And how He, the generous giver, for the benefit of the human race, sends rain mainly on cultivated fields, and from its abundance and generosity it rains on deserts and mountains; Likewise, the gift of knowledge is primarily bestowed upon pious people, and to those who are not, it is given like rain to desert and wild places, which therefore sometimes produce something edible, like fruits from cultivated fields; but what a difference it makes when they are deprived of prophetic cultivation! Their fruits are coarse and bitter! But those who know how to distinguish between objects, choosing what is useful, usually leave everything else without attention. So, for example, rose bush growers pick only the flowers and leave the thorny needles. Nature gave the same law to bees. Sitting not only on sweet, but also on bitter flowers, they suck out the sweetness and leave the bitterness, and from various substances, bitter, sour and other similar ones, they prepare the sweetest honey for people. Imitating these bees, we also collect sweet honey for you from your bitter meadows. And just as bodily doctors prepare healing medicines from poisonous animals, even spreading out the snakes themselves, one of them is thrown away, and the other, remaining, is used as a means to drive away various diseases, so we, having at hand the works of your poets, historians and philosophers, leave some of them, and the other, combining with our teaching, we prepare for you through that saving medicine, so that the very ones whom you consider ours opponents, become defenders of our words and teachers of faith. Hoping for God's help in this regard, we will give you another instruction. You, having learned the whole necessity of faith, will love that Pythagorean silence and listen to us with attention, accepting with faith what we are going to talk about; for in this way you can learn the truth in a short time.