Слово 22

About peace, spoken at the general meeting of fellow believers, which took place after reconciliation Jealousy is fiery; the spirit is meek; love is merciful, or, better said, it is mercy itself; hope is patient. Jealousy ignites; the spirit makes meek; hope awaits; love binds and does not allow what is beautiful in us to dissipate, although by nature we are scattered. With love, one of three things happens: it either, being in the heart, is constant; or, having wavered, is restored; or, having left, returns. It is similar to plants, which, if you forcefully bend them with your hands and then leave them free, unbend again and return to their previous position, which reveals the property that force can bend them, but not straighten them. It is true that vice is by nature at our disposal and the desire for evil is strong: it is a stream that falls from a rapid; this is a reed, which in the wind easily ignites from a spark, turns entirely into flame and is destroyed along with its generation, for fire is a product of matter, destroys it, like vice destroys the vicious, but it itself disappears along with what fed it. But if someone had acquired the skill for something good and mastered it, then it would be more difficult for him to fall than it was to become good in the beginning; because every good, approved by time and reason, turns into nature; as well as this love that is in us and with which we perform the service of true love, both beloved and chosen by us to guide our whole life. So, where are those who carefully observe our affairs (whether they are going well or badly), who observe not in order to judge, but in order to condemn, who observe not because they take part, but because they rejoice in evil, slander the good, and expose the bad to shame, and seek excuses for their own vices in the wounds of their neighbors? Let them judge fairly! According to the proverb, even gall would sometimes be useful if fear from enemies could make us more cautious. But now they judge with hostility and anger that clouds their reason; and therefore their censure has no credibility. So, where are they, who equally hate the Divine and us? Of all our sufferings, the most glorious are those that we endure for the sake of God. Where are these lenient judges of their own affairs and strict torturers of others, so that they can lie to the truth in this too? Where are you, who are yourselves covered with deep wounds, and reproach us for every crimson sign, you yourself are subject to falls, and you ridicule us for stumbling, you yourself are drowning in the mud, and rejoice to see a stain on us, you yourself are blinded by the logs in your eyes, you blame us for having a knitting needle that does not cause much pain while it is in the eye, and which is not difficult to take out of the eye, or blow off from it? Be now partakers of our mysteries; We call you into our host, and hated (what arrogance or what daring!) we submit ourselves to the judgment of our enemies, so that you may remain disgraced or defeated when our illness itself (what could be stranger than this?) convinces you of our health. For we did not have a difference of opinion in the doctrine of the Divinity, but we fought for the sake of deanery, and we did not argue about which of the ungodly teachings should be preferred - either that by which the Divinity is reduced, or that by which either one Spirit is cut off from God's essence, or with the Spirit and the Son; we argued, I say, not about whether to accept one or a double measure of wickedness. But these are (briefly speaking) the present ailments, because now they believe “ascension in their hearts” (Ps. 83:6), but not confession, but renunciation, not theology, but blasphemy; Nowadays everyone is more wasteful than the other in the wealth of wickedness, as if they are not afraid of wickedness, but in order not to become more moderate and more humane than others. But we do it wrong. On the contrary, in the doctrine of the Divine (if it is not too much to say this) we are as much like-minded and in agreement as the Divinity is with Itself. We have become “one language and one speech” (Gen. 11:1), but not for the same purpose as those who built the pillar in ancient times; they were like-minded in evil, but we use like-mindedness for all good, in order to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit with one accord and with one mouth, so that it could be said about us, “Truly God is with us” (1 Cor. 14:25), uniting those who unite and glorifying those who glorify Him, and not only could one say this, but also believe it. But there is something on which we also agreed. I don’t argue that this is bad; for it would not be proper to give either the evil one access or occasion, or the evil tongues freedom. However, it is not as bad as our slanderers imagine. Since it was common for us, as people, to sin in some way, here is our offense - we were very pastoral and did not know how to decide which of two goods was preferable until we agreed to respect both equally. This is our fault, for this let him reproach or forgive us, whoever wants. Heretics can rely on this alone. You won’t find anything other than this, even if you really wanted to. “Dead and rotten flies “spoil the oil,” someone says (Eccl. 10:1), but envy cannot harm good, even if it wants to, for “truth,” as I reason with Ezra, “is stronger than all things” (2 Ezra 4:35). Thus, we ourselves have stopped and will continue to stop our own disagreements, for it is impossible for fathers to judge children unmercifully, especially through the commonly confessed Trinity, for which they raise us to battle and for which we ourselves will not enter into battle. I am the guarantor of peace - a man so small for such a task, because “The Lord gives grace to the humble”, and humbles the high “to the ground” (James 4:6, Ps.147:6). But what does this mean to you, our common reconcilers (for you are truly our reconcilers and unwittingly show us such mercy)? If we sin in anything large or small, then this does not make you pious. On the contrary, just as we are not worthy of praise for bad things if we fall when we fall, so you remain no less wicked, although we also sin—even more so, because you treat us cruelly when we fall. But so that you can see our like-mindedness in everything and from this conclude that we will always be like-minded; although, as I think, the visible also convinced me of this - both the just-hearted father and the submissive son, sitting together, serving as an adornment to each other, and igniting in you that spark of piety and unanimity that only exists; however, let the word convince you of this. And as you have already heard one 152 (your surprise still resounds in my ears, and I know very well what is hidden in our hearts, even greater than what was poured into the air); so hear me again, if you want to hear again. And if to any of you, what has been preached repeatedly, and those temptations, those stone-throwings that I have already endured and am still ready to endure, seem to be insufficient evidence, considering for myself a loss not of suffering, but of the deprivation of suffering, especially since I have already tasted disasters for Christ and acquired from them a wonderful fruit - the increase of these people. So, what do you want? Are you convinced by this? And I don’t need to make new efforts, I don’t need to do theology another time? Will you have mercy on my weakness, for which I hardly tell you this? Or for you, as for people who have difficulty hearing, do you need to repeat the same word over and over again in order to finally speak into the ears of those who hear you, with constant strain on your voice? It seems to me that by your silence you are calling forth the word; for silence, according to the proverb, is a sign of consent. So, accept the word of both from one heart and from one mouth. I grieve that I cannot, having ascended one of the high mountains, with a voice corresponding to my desire, in front of the whole Universe, as in the midst of a common disgrace, cry out in the hearing of all those who think ungodly: “sons of men, how long will my glory be in reproach, how long will you love vanity and seek lies” (Ps. 4:3)? Why do you introduce not one simple nature of God, but three, separated and discorded from each other, even (it would not be strange to say) mutually opposing because of either excesses or shortcomings, or, although there is one, it is meager, confined within narrow limits, not having the property of being the beginning of anything great, because It cannot, or does not want it, and does not want it for two reasons: either out of envy, or out of fear; out of envy, lest something equally fair should happen, out of fear, lest something hostile and opposing should happen? And yet, as much as God is more honorable than creatures, so much more fitting is it for the First Cause to be the beginning of the Divinity, and not for creatures, so much more fitting is it through the Divinity for Her to descend to the creatures, and not, on the contrary, for the sake of the creatures, to create the Divine, as overly inquisitive and pompous minds like to think 153 . For if, confessing the dignity of the Son and the Spirit, we either recognize Them as without beginning, or raise them to another beginning 154, then it is truly dangerous, so as not to dishonor God, or not to allow something contrary to God. If (no matter how much you elevate the Son and the Spirit), you do not place Them above the Father, then you do not remove Them from the Cause, but on the contrary, you elevate both the good birth and the wonderful procession to It. I ask you, lover of ungeneration and beginninglessness: who dishonors God more, the one who considers Him to be the beginning of such a Son and such a Spirit as you recognize Them to be, or who confesses Him to be the beginning of not such a Son and not such a Spirit, but similar to Him in nature and equal in glory, as our teaching confesses Them to be? But it is a great, great honor for you to have a son, even more so the more perfectly he imitates his father in everything and serves as an exact image of a parent. And you would not agree to become the master of a thousand slaves as willingly as you would the parent of one son. Is there really anything higher for God than the honor of being the Father of the Son, who serves to enhance, and not to diminish, His glory, as well as to be the Maker of the Spirit? Don’t you know that by recognizing the Beginning (I understand the Beginning of the Son and the Spirit) as the beginning of creatures, you are not honoring the Beginning itself and are dishonoring those who come from the Beginning? You do not honor the Beginning, because you consider It to be the Beginning of something that is small and not worthy of the Divine. You dishonor those who come from the Beginning, because you make Them small and not only creatures, but even something that is less honorable than the creatures themselves, if They only exist for creatures, and once existed, just as an artistic instrument does not exist before artists, they would not even exist at all, if God (as if it were not enough for Him to just want) did not want to create something through Them. For everything that happens for something else is less honest than that for which it happens. But I, introducing the beginning of the Divinity, which is not temporary, inseparable and limitless, I honor the Beginning, as well as Those Coming from the Beginning - the first, because It is the beginning of such proceeding, and the last, because They are thus, in such and such a way, and from such a Beginning, are not separated from Him either by time, or by nature, or by the worship due to Him, they are one with Him - but (although this way of expression is unusual) separately, separate from Him - but united, no less venerable - represented and cognized, both in mutual relationship with Himself, and each in Himself - a perfect Trinity from the Three perfect. For the Divinity emerged from singularity because of richness, transcended duality because It is higher than matter and form from which bodies are composed, and was determined by triplicity (the first thing that exceeds the composition of duality), because of perfection, so as not to be meager and not to overflow to infinity. The former would show lack of sociability, the latter – disorder; one would be completely in the spirit of Judaism, the other - paganism and polytheism. I also take into consideration (and this judgment of mine may not be entirely immature and simple, but on the contrary very thorough) that there is no danger for you to recognize the Son as begotten, because the Unbegotten, not being a body and giving birth, does not tolerate anything inherent in the body and material. Even general concepts about God allow us to attribute birth to Him. Why then be afraid of fear, where there is no fear (Ps. 13:5), and hold on to wickedness, as they say, out of nothing? On the contrary, I am afraid that I will distort the concept of the Divinity if we allow a creature into the Divinity. For the one who was created is not God, and the one who serves with us is not the Lord; although they attribute to Him primacy between slaves and creatures, and in this alone they show leniency towards the Insulted One. But he who deprives him of due honor does not honor so much by what he rewards as he dishonors him by what he takes away, although what he gives has the appearance of honor. And if you imagine that passions take place at birth, then I think that days also take place at creation. I don’t even know how what is created can be created dispassionately. If (the Son) is neither begotten nor created, then say the rest already, 155 you, who dare to say almost the same thing when you call Him a creature. For your insolence, evil connoisseur and judge of the Divine, there is nothing inaccessible and inviolable. You have nothing more to glorify than by removing God from dominion as far as possible, which is what power-hungers and covetous people do to people, their weakest. And I will repeat the same, and brief, expression: The Trinity truly is the Trinity, brethren. But the word “trinity” does not mean a count of unequal things (otherwise what prevents things from being called ten, a hundred, ten thousand when added to one or another number; so there are many things depicted by number, even more than what is shown now), but a collection of equal and equitable; Moreover, the name unites what is united by nature, and does not allow the indestructible to be destroyed with the disintegration of number. This is how we reason and this is how we maintain it; We leave the mutual relationship and order in the Trinity to be known to Her alone and to those of the purified to whom the Trinity itself deigns to reveal this either now or later. And we ourselves know that the same nature of the Divine, cognizable in the Infinite, in birth and procession (as if in the mind that is in us, in word and spirit, since the spiritual is likened to the sensible, and the highest to the small, while the imaginary image does not fully reach the truth). We know that It is consistent with Itself, always identical, infinite, timeless, uncreated, indescribable, and has never been and will never be insufficient for Itself. We know that It is the life of life, lights and light, goods and goodness, glory and glory, the True and the Truth and the Spirit of truth, holy and inaccurate shrines, each (intelligible separately, since the mind divides and inseparable) is God and all three (intelligible together) are also God, according to the identity of movement and nature. We know that It left nothing above Itself and did not surpass anything else, for there was nothing like that; We know that It will not leave anything behind Itself and will not surpass It, for there will be nothing like that; We know that It does not allow anything of equal honor with Itself, because not one of the created, serving, participating and limited beings reaches the Nature, sovereign, making others His partakers, and infinite. For some of the creatures are completely removed from Him; others are somewhat close to Him and will approach Him, but not according to their own nature, but according to the participation of His nature, and, moreover, only when good enslavement to the Trinity becomes something higher than slavery; if freedom and kingdom no longer constitute the same thing, in order to know dominion well, however, due to the baseness of the mind, do not confuse what has a distance between them. And for whom is slavery so high, for what will dominion be? If knowledge is bliss (John 17:3), then what is the Known? This is where the great mystery leads us! Faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and in the common name leads to this! Revival, renunciation of atheism and confession of the Divine - this common name - lead to this! Why, to dishonor or separate One of the three means to dishonor confession, that is, rebirth, and Divinity, and deification, and hope. You see what the Spirit, confessed by God, gives us, and what the rejected Spirit deprives us of. I am already silent about fear and anger, which threatens those who do not honor but dishonor the Spirit (Matthew 12:32). So, as briefly as possible, I present to you our wisdom - dogmatically, and not competitively, in the way of fishermen, and not of Aristotle, spiritually, and not in a cunning way, according to the statutes of the Church, and not of the marketplace, for benefit, and not out of vanity, so that you, who profess against us at public meetings and are like-minded in this one thing, may know that we think with one mind, are inspired by one spirit and breathe, and so that they no longer collect like the hungry and scatter our unimportant (I don’t know what to call it) falls or childhood misdeeds. For the height of disaster is to find protection not in your own strength, but in the powerlessness of others. Here, before your eyes, we shake hands with each other! These are the works of the Trinity, according to us glorified and worshiped! And may this make you more forgiving and Orthodox! Oh, that we were heard! Oh, that this day would become a deliberate, holy day, not a day of bickering, but of reconciliation, not a monument of temptation, but a victorious triumph, so that our mutual like-mindedness and the like-mindedness of almost the entire Universe, where some have been healthy until now, others have almost returned to health, and others are beginning to return - and for you it would serve as a reason for salvation and restoration! Holy, adored and long-suffering Trinity! Long-suffering, for for so long she has shown Her long-suffering towards those who cut You apart! Trinity, of which I have been honored to be a servant and an unhypocritical preacher for a long time! Trinity, Which everyone will know one day - either those enlightened, or those punished by You! Take into the number of Your worshipers those who now insult You, so that we may not lose a single one, even of the small ones, even if I had to lose something of grace (I do not dare to say everything that the Apostle said (Rom. 9:3)! But is this unpleasant for you, your tongue hurts and you are tormented by objections? Over time, I will consider your objection, or it will be considered by those who have more time than I do. We will also recognize your beautiful offspring or offspring; when, with a cruel and firm word, having broken and crushed the “snake eggs” (Is. 59:5), we show that they are empty and inflated with only air, and we discover what kind of “basilisk” of wickedness is hidden in them - a basilisk, but already dead, imperfect, motionless, died in the pangs of birth, and before it was born, did not exist (I speak in your words in order to say something to you whatever you like), just as hateful in its conception, it is just as pitiful when it is erupted into the world. And this, as far as I know, is given to us by the One who gave us the power to “tread on the asp and the basilisk” (Ps. 90:13) and to trample on snakes and scorpions (Luke 10:19), Who will “quickly crush under our feet” (Rom. 16:20) and “Satan,” or because of the former luminosity, “like lightning that fell from heaven” ( Luke 10:18), or because subsequently it became bent and turned into a reptile, like a running serpent, to crush it, so that we too may have some peace from troubles, both now and later, when sickness, sorrow, and sighing for Christ Jesus our Lord will completely flee from us. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever, amen. Parent of St. Gregory the Theologian. Such was the blasphemous teaching of the Arians, who asserted that the Son was created for us, that through Him, as through an instrument, God created us, and if God had not been pleased to create us, then there would have been no Son. Nikifor. Book 8. Chapter 8. That is, that the Son does not exist. 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