Message of Faith

“Epistle on Faith” (40 chapters) was written by Evagrius of Pontus in Constantinople in 381 and is one of his early works. This is a dogmatic treatise devoted mainly to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is revealed by Evagrius in the tradition of the Cappadocian fathers. The author refutes the teaching of the Arians and Pneumatomachians about the Trinity, the consubstantiality of the Son and the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The message was mistakenly attributed to the epistolary heritage of St. Basil the Great (Epistle 8). *The title of the work in Latin is Epistula fidei, another title: Sermo sive dogmatica epistula de sanctissima Trinitate (“The Word, or dogmatic epistle, on the Most Holy Trinity”). Chapter I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII 1. I have often wondered why you have [such feelings] for me and why you so yield to my insignificance, so small, insignificant and unworthy of love; why do you address me with words reminiscent of friendship and the fatherland, trying to return me, like some kind of fugitive, to the bosom of my native land. As for me, I admit and do not deny that I became a fugitive, but find out [if, of course, you want to know] the reason [for my flight]. 2. Then, struck by the surprise, I was like people stunned by a sudden roar, and could not gather my thoughts; I immediately left, becoming a fugitive, spending a considerable time away from you. Then I was seized by a languid desire for divine dogmas and for wisdom concerning them. I said [to myself]: how can I overcome the vice that lives with us? Who will become my Laban, my deliverer from Esau and my teacher in heavenly wisdom? 3. But since, with the [help] of God, I have reached the goal to the best of my ability and found the “chosen vessel” (Acts 9:15) and the “deep well” (I mean the mouth of Christ - Gregory), then I ask and implore you: give me a little time. Give me not because I loved city life [for it is not hidden from me that the evil one deceives people with such things], but because I consider communication with saints to be very useful. For in conversations about divine dogmas and in listening [to instructions regarding them], I acquire a solid habit of speculation, which is difficult to give up. This is my way [of life]. 4. But you, O divine and most beloved heads of all, beware of the Philistine shepherds, lest anyone fill up your wells and muddy the purity of your knowledge regarding the faith. For these [Philistine shepherds] always strive to teach simple souls, [based] not on the Holy Scriptures, but on external wisdom, leading them away from the truth. After all, is he who introduces into our faith the “Unborn” and the “Begotten,” dogmatizes the Eternal One as non-existent, and teaches about the Father, who is by nature, as having become the Father, also asserting that the Holy Spirit is not eternal—isn’t such [a person] a Philistine? He envies the sheep of our Patriarch, [making efforts to ensure that] they do not drink the pure water, “flowing into eternal life” (John 4.14), but so that they bring upon themselves [the fate] predicted by the Prophet: “They have forsaken the fountain of living waters, and have dug up for themselves treasures of broken stones, which cannot contain water” (Jer. 2.13). But we must confess God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, as the words of God and those who comprehended them in a sublime manner taught [us]. 5. Those who reproach us for tritheism should answer that we confess God as one, not in number, but in nature. For everything that is called one in number is not really one and is not simple in nature. God is recognized by everyone as simple and uncomplicated, and therefore God is not one in number. 6. What I mean is this: [usually] we say that the world is one in number, but we do not [assert] that it is one in nature or is simple, since we divide it into the elements of which it is composed - fire, water, air and earth. Likewise, man is called one in number, for we often speak of him as “one man.” However, it is not simple, since it consists of body and soul. In the same way, we speak of the Angel as one in number. However, the Angel is not one by nature, for we think of the essence of the Angel together with sanctification. 7. Therefore, if everything that is one in number is not one in nature, and what is one and simple in nature is not one in number, and if we call God one in nature, then how do [the heretics] attribute to us [a statement] regarding number that we exclude from the blessed and intelligible Nature? For number belongs to the [category of] quantity; quantity is associated with corporeal nature, and therefore number also relates to corporeal nature. We believe that our Lord is the Creator of bodies. Therefore, number denotes those [things] that have received a material and describable nature, and “Unit” and “One” denote the simple and infinite Essence. 8. Therefore, he who confesses the Son or the Holy Spirit as a number or a creature secretly introduces the describable and material nature [of Them]. “Described” I call not only that [nature] that is encompassed by place, but also that which He who intends to bring it from non-existence into being has embraced with His foreknowledge and which can be embraced [also by our] knowledge. As a result, everything holy, possessing a describable nature and acquired sanctification, is capable of perceiving vice. The Son and the Holy Spirit are [together] the Source of sanctification, and from this Source every rational creature is sanctified, in proportion to [its] virtue. 9. But we, according to true teaching, do not call the Son either “like” or “unlike” the Father, for both [definitions] equally do not apply to Them. For “like” and “unlike” are statements referring to quality, and God is free from [all] quality. We confess the identity of nature and recognize the consubstantial, but we avoid [the concept of] “complex”, since He who is essentially God and Father gave birth to Him who is essentially God and the Son. After all, this makes the consubstantiality obvious. Because God is essentially consubstantial with God in essence. True, man is also called “god,” as [it is written]: “Az reh: este bozi” (Ps 81.6). Likewise, the demon [is called] “god”, [according to the words]: “The tongue of the demon is terrible” (Ps 95.5). But [people] are called “gods” by grace, but demons are called falsely. And only one God is [truly] God in essence. 10. When I say “one,” I mean the holy and uncreated essence of God. For [the word] “one” can be a statement about any [individual] person, and about nature in general. About any [individual] person, for example, it is said when it is reported that one [person] “was caught up to the third heaven. ...and heard unspeakable words, which no man can tell” (2 Cor. 12:2, 4). About nature in general, for example, David says: “Man is like the grass of his days” (Ps. 102:15). Here it does not denote any [specific] person, but general [human] nature, since every person is transitory and mortal. Also about the [common] nature, as we think, it is said: “He alone has immortality” (1 Tim. 6:16); “To the only Wise God” (Rom. 14:26); “no one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). For here “one” is identical to “one”. Also: “one broad sky” (Job 9:8). Also: “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt serve Him alone” (Deut. 6:13) and “Does God not bear Me” (Deut. 32:39). 11. For the words “one” and “single” are used in [Holy] Scripture regarding God [the Father], not to contrast Him with the Son or the Holy Spirit, but to contrast the [true] God with non-existent gods, falsely called “gods.” For example, “The Lord is their only leader, and God is not strange to them” (Deut. 32.12); “The children of Israel rejected Baalim, and the oak groves of Ashtaroth, and served the only Lord” (1 Samuel 7.4). Paul also says: “For although there are so-called gods..., yet we have one God the Father, from whom are all things... and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things” (1 Cor 8.5-6). 12. However, here we ask the question: why, having said “one God,” [the Apostle] is not satisfied with this statement (after all, as we said, [the words] “one” and “one” used in relation to God reveal [His] nature), but adds “Father” and mentions “Christ”? - I think that Paul, the “chosen vessel” (Acts 9.15), considered it insufficient only to proclaim the Father as God, the Son as God and the Holy Spirit [also God] - which he expressed by the phrase “one God,” but by the addition of “Father” he designated Him from whom are all things, by the mention of “Lord” he indicated the Word, through whom are all things, and by the addition of “Jesus Christ” he announced the Incarnation [Words], presented [His] suffering and showed [His] resurrection. The expression “Jesus Christ” leads us to such thoughts. 13. Therefore, the Lord forbids before [His] suffering to proclaim Him as Jesus Christ and commands the disciples “not to tell anyone that He is Jesus Christ” (Matthew 16.20). For He decreed that after the completion of the Dispensation, the resurrection from the dead and the ascension into heaven, the disciples [of the Lord] were allowed to proclaim Him as Jesus Christ. This is the meaning of the words: “that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17.3) and “believe in God, and believe in Me” (John 14.1). Thus, our thought is strengthened in every possible way by the Holy Spirit, so that we, leaning toward one, do not lose sight of the other, [that is,] so that, when thinking about theology, we do not neglect the Economy and, due to the insufficiency of [our understanding], do not fall into atheism. 14. And those sayings of the Divine Scripture that our opponents cite, distorting them according to their [perverted] understanding to destroy the glory of the Only Begotten, we must also examine in order to reveal, as far as possible, their meaning. First, consider these words: “I live by the Father” (John 6.57). For these words are one of those arrows that they throw into the sky, according to their wicked interpretation. I think that this saying does not mean pre-eternal life - after all, everything that lives thanks to another cannot be self-living, just as something heated by another cannot be self-heating, and our Lord said: “I am ... life” (John 11.25), but this life here in the flesh, enclosed within the temporary limits [of this earthly existence], which [the Lord] lived because of the Father, since by the will of the Father He came into life human. After all, He did not say: “I live because of the Father,” but [said]: I “live because of the Father,” clearly indicating the present tense. 15. It is also possible that this is also talking about the life that Christ lived, having the Word of God in Himself. And what [this saying] is [exactly] is, we learn from what follows. “Whoever eats Me will live by Me” (John 6:57). After all, we eat His flesh and drink His blood, becoming partakers of the Word and Wisdom thanks to the Incarnation and perceptible life [of Him]. “Flesh” and “blood” He called His entire mysterious Coming and revealed [to us] His teaching, consisting of spiritual activity, natural [contemplation] and theological [wisdom], with which the soul is nourished and gradually prepares itself for the contemplation of existing [things]. This is probably the meaning of the words spoken. 16. And again [the Lord said]: “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). This saying is also used by ungrateful creatures, the offspring of the evil one. I am confident that these words express the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, for I know that the comparison in the proper sense of the word is made between [beings] belonging to the same nature. After all, we, [for example], say that one Angel is greater than another, that one person is more righteous than another, and that one bird is faster [in flight] than another. And if the comparison is made between [beings] of the same species, then when it is said that the Father is greater than the Son, according to the comparison, [naturally it is implied] that the Son is of one essence with the Father. 17. But there is one more thought in this saying. What wonder is it when [the Lord] confesses the Father to be greater than Himself, since He, being the Word, became flesh, revealing Himself to be less than angels in glory, and less than men in appearance? After all, it is said: “Thou hast made him as little as the angels” (Ps. 8:6); “I was made a little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:9) and “having seen Him, and having no form or kindness: but His form is dishonored, more humble than all the sons of men” (Is. 53:2-3). 18. He endured all this out of His great love for mankind for His Creation, in order to save the lost sheep and join it with the ninety-nine others (Luke 15.4-6), or so that he who was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among the robbers could be returned healthy to his homeland (Luke 10.30-37). Will the heretic really impute to Him the manger (Luke 2.7), thanks to which He, being [still] foolish, was fed by the Word? Will he really reproach that the carpenter's son was poor and did not have a crib? - Therefore, the Son is less than the Father, since for your sake He became dead, in order to free you from deadness and make you a partaker of heavenly life. After all, one cannot blame a doctor for the fact that, bending over to the suffering [patients], he smells the stench, [for he does this in order] to heal the suffering. 19. For your sake He does not know about the hour and day of Judgment (Mark 13.32), although nothing is hidden from the truly [existing] Wisdom, since everything happened through Her. And there is not a single person among the people who does not know what he did. [The Lord] economically arranged this for the sake of your weakness, so that those who sinned would not lose heart due to the shortness of the time, citing the fact that there was no time left for them to repent, and those who had been fighting for a long time with the opposing force would not leave their ranks, pointing out that they had been [fighting] for a long time. [Christ, speaking] about His supposed ignorance, took economic care of both of them: for some, for [their] good deed (2 Tim. 4.7), He shortens the time, and for others, for [their] sins, He provides a period for repentance. 20. However, if in the Gospels [the Lord], due to the weakness of many, as it is said, ranks Himself among the ignorant, then in the Acts of the Apostles, conversing confidentially with the perfect, He excludes Himself from the ranks of the ignorant, saying: “It is not your business to know the times or seasons which the Father has ordained in His authority” (Acts 1.7). And if, according to the previous interpretation, I stated this quite roughly, then now we should explore the more sublime meaning of this saying and knock on the door of knowledge. Provided, of course, that I manage to awaken the Master of the House, who gives spiritual bread to those who ask Him, since we strive to treat [them] to friends and brethren (Luke 11.5-10). 21. The holy disciples of our Savior, having already found themselves beyond the limits of contemplation accessible to people, and, purified by the word (John 15.3), ask about the end and desire to know the final bliss. Our Lord, [answering them], explained that neither His Angels nor He Himself know this (Mark 13.32). And “day” He calls [here] the exact comprehension of the thoughts of God, and “hour” - the contemplation of the Unit and the One, the knowledge of which is acquired only by the Father. I assume that what is being said here is that God knows of Himself that He is, and does not know that He is not. For it is said that God knows truth and wisdom, since He Himself is Truth and Wisdom, but does not know untruth and wickedness, since the God who created us is not untruth and wickedness. 22. If it is said that God knows about Himself what He is, but does not know what He is not, and our Lord, from the point of view of Incarnation and rougher teaching, is not the final limit of desire, then our Savior knew neither the “end” nor the final bliss. It is also said that the Angels do not know (Mk 13.32), which means that neither the contemplation that is in them, nor the logoi of their service are the final limit of desire. For the knowledge of angels is rough compared to [seeing] “face to face” (1 Cor 13.12). The Father alone knows (Mark 13.32), says [the Gospel], since He Himself is the end and the ultimate blessedness. And when we come to know God not through [dull] mirrors (1 Cor 13.12) and not through things alien [to Him], but when we approach Him as the One and Only One, then we will know the final end [of existence]. For they say that the Kingdom of Christ is all [together] material knowledge, and the Kingdom of God and the Father is immaterial knowledge and, so to speak, undisguised contemplation of the Divinity Himself. 23. However, our Lord Himself, if we look at Him as the Word [of God], is the end and the ultimate blessedness. For what does He say in the Gospel? - “And I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6.40). Here He calls the transition from material knowledge to immaterial contemplation “resurrection,” and He calls this [immaterial] knowledge “the last day,” after which there is no other. For then our mind will rise and ascend to a blissful height, where it will contemplate the Unity and Unity of the Word. But since our mind has become clouded, united with the dust of the earth, mixed with dirt and become unable to indulge in pure contemplation, then it [initially] comprehends [only] the actions of the Creator, guided by the worlds akin to its body, and cognizes them based on their results. [And so] until, gradually [spiritually] growing, he is unable to approach the Divinity Himself, deprived of His coverings. 24. In this sense, as I think, it is said: “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) and “it does not depend on Me, but for whom the Father has prepared” (Matthew 20:23). This also means that Christ “will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father” (1 Cor. 15.24), since [Christ] is the “firstborn” (1 Cor. 15.20,23), and not “the end,” according to the cruder, as I said, teaching, which applies to us, and not to the Son Himself. And that this is so is [testified] by the “Acts of the Apostles,” where in response to the disciples’ question: When will you restore the kingdom to Israel? – The Lord answers: “It is not your business to know the times or seasons that the Father has appointed in His power” (Acts 1.6–7). In other words, He says that those bound by flesh and blood cannot enter into this Kingdom. For the Father reserved the contemplation of this kingdom under His authority, calling “power” those who are under His authority, and “his” those who are not involved in the ignorance of lower things. 25. By “times and seasons” I do not mean sensory perceived [times and seasons], but certain extensions of knowledge arising thanks to the intelligent Sun. For it is necessary that the prayer of our Master be fulfilled. Jesus prays like this: Grant to them that they too may be one with Us, just as I and You, Father, are one (John 17.21). After all, God, being One, unites everyone when he finds himself in everyone, and therefore with the coming of the Unit the number disappears. 26. As for me, I understood this by turning a second time to consider the [indicated] saying. If someone says better or piously corrects what I said, then let him speak and correct, and the Lord will reward him for me [a hundredfold]. Indeed, there is no envy in me, because I turned to the study of the sayings [of the Holy Scriptures] not out of love for controversy and not out of vanity, but for the sake of the [spiritual] benefit of the brethren, so that the clay vessels containing the “treasure” of God (2 Cor. 4:7) would not be broken by people with a heart of stone (Ezek. 36.26) and the uncircumcised, who have put on the armor of wisdom [of the world]. this], which turned into madness (1 Cor 1.20). 27. Again, according to the wise Solomon in Proverbs, [Christ] is created. For it is said: “The Lord created Me” (Proverbs 8:22). And He is called “The Beginning of the Gospel Paths,” leading us to the Kingdom of Heaven, having become not a creature in essence, but the Path according to the Economy of God. After all, the words “to become” and “to be created” mean the same thing. Therefore He became “The Way” (John 14:6), “The Door” (John 10:7), “The Shepherd” (John 10:11), “The Angel” (Isa. 9:6), “The Sheep” (Acts 8:32), as well as “The High Priest” (Heb. 2:17) and “The Messenger” (Heb. 3:1) - all these names are attached to Him according to different points of view [on Him]. 28. Again, what will the heretic say about God being disobedient and made sin for our sake (2 Cor 5.21)? For it is written: “When all things are put in subjection to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subject to Him who put all things in subjection to Him, so that God may be all in all” (1 Cor 15.28). Are you not afraid, O man, that through you God is called “disobedient”? After all, He made your obedience His own and, since you resist virtue, He called Himself “disobedient.” In the same way He called Himself “the persecuted one,” saying: “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9.4), when [Saul] hastened to Damascus to imprison the disciples of Christ. And He also called Himself “naked,” implying that one of the brothers walked around undressed. [For it is said): I “was naked, and you clothed Me” (Matthew 25.36). And when someone is in prison, He speaks of Himself as a “prisoner” (Ibid.). “He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Isa. 53.4; Mt. 8.17). One of these infirmities is [our] disobedience - He also bore it. Therefore, the Lord takes upon Himself the misfortunes that happen to us, taking upon Himself our suffering as a result of communicating with us. 29. Likewise, the words: the Son “can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19) are interpreted by the atheists to the destruction of [their] listeners. I believe that this saying speaks of the same nature of the Son and the Father. If each of the rational creatures can do something on its own and of its own accord, equally gravitating towards the better and the worse, but the Son cannot do anything from Himself, then He, therefore, is not a creature. And if He is not a creature, then He is consubstantial with the Father. Further, none of the creatures can do what [God does. And the Son, seeing what God the Father is doing, does the same. Therefore the Son is not a creature]. Also: none of the creatures can do [all] what they want. And the Son “created in heaven and on earth everything that He pleased” (Ps 113.11, cf. Ps 134.6). Therefore, the Son is not a creature. In addition, all creatures either consist of the opposite, or are capable of containing the opposite. The Son is Truth Itself and is immaterial. Therefore, the Son is not a creature. And if this is so, then He is consubstantial with the Father. 30. The above study of the proposed sayings [of the Holy Scriptures] seems, in proportion to our abilities, to be quite sufficient. Now it remains to turn your word against those who resist the Holy Spirit, overthrowing “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10.5). Are you saying that the Holy Spirit is a creature? But every creature is the servant of its Creator, for it is said: “Everything is Your work” (Ps 119.91). And if [the Holy Spirit] is a slave, then He has acquired holiness. Yet, having acquired holiness, he is not immune to vice. But the Holy Spirit, being essentially holy, is called the “Source of sanctification.” Therefore, He is not a creature. And if He is not a creature, then He is consubstantial with God [the Father]. And tell me, why do you call “slave” the One who freed you from slavery? After all, [the Apostle] says: “The law of the Spirit of life...has set you free from the law of sin” (Rom 8.2) 31. But, of course, you will never dare to assert that the essence of the Spirit is changeable, looking at the nature of the opposing force, which fell from heaven like lightning (Luke 10.18), and fell away from true life, since it had acquired holiness and its change followed an evil intention. Therefore, having fallen away from the Unit and rejecting angelic dignity, [this force] was called “the devil”, because of its changeable disposition. For [in the devil] his former blessed habit faded away and, on the contrary, that opposing force flared up. 32. Further, if [the heretic] says that the Holy Spirit is a creature, then he assumes that the nature of the Spirit is limited. But how then should we understand the words: “The Spirit of the Lord fill the world” (Wis. 1.7) and “How will I go from Thy Spirit” (Ps. 139.7)? It also seems that [in a similar way the heretics] do not consider [the Holy Spirit] simple in nature, for they call Him one in number. And everything that is one in number, as I said, is not simple. If the Holy Spirit is not simple, then He consists of essence and sanctification, that is, he is complex. But who will reach such foolishness that he will begin to call the Holy Spirit complex, and not simple, and, according to the meaning of simplicity, consubstantial with the Father and the Son? 33. If we continue our reasoning further and grasp with our spiritual eye what is greater, then the Divine Power of the Holy Spirit will be revealed to our contemplation. We find in the [Holy] Scripture the names of three [types of] creations: first, bringing from non-existence into being, second, changing from worse to better, and third, resurrection from the dead. And in these [creations] you will find the Holy Spirit cooperating with the Father and the Son. For from heaven [everything] is brought into being. After all, David says: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the breath of His mouth was all their power” (Ps 32.6). Further, a person is created through baptism: “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5.17). And what does the Savior say to [His] disciples? – “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28.19). You see that here too the Holy Spirit is co-present with the Father and the Son. What do you say about the resurrection from the dead, when we die and return to our dust? For we are earth and we will go to earth (Gen. 3.19). [Then God] will send the Holy Spirit and build us up and renew the face of the earth (Ps 103:30). After all, what St. Paul called “resurrection”, blessed David called “renewal.” 34. Let us also listen to the one who was “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor 12.2). What is he saying? – You “are the temple of the Holy Spirit living in you” (1 Cor 6.19). And every church is a church of God. If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit is God. True, it is also said about the “temple of Solomon,” but it is called that by the name of the one who built it. And if in this sense we are called “temples of the Holy Spirit,” then even then the Holy Spirit is God. For “he who ordered all things is God” (Heb. 3:4). [And since we are the “temple of the Holy Spirit”], since He dwells and is worshiped in us, we confess Him as God. For “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone” (Matthew 4.10; Deut. 6.13) 35. If they do not want to use the word “God” itself, then they must find out what this word means. God is called "God" because he "founded all things" or because he "sees all things." Therefore, if “God” is called the One who “founded all things” and who “sees all things,” and the [Holy] Spirit knows what is God’s, as the spirit in us knows what is ours (1 Cor 2.10–11), then the Holy Spirit is God. Further, if the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph 6.17), then the Holy Spirit is God. For the sword belongs to Him, whose “Word” it is called. And if the Son is called the “Right Hand of the Father” - for it is said: “The right hand of the Lord create power” (Ps 117.16) and “Thy right hand, O Lord, destroy the enemies” (Exodus 15.6) - then the Holy Spirit is the “Finger of God”, according to what was said: “If I cast out demons with the finger of God” (Luke 11.20), as in another Gospel it is written: “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons” (Matthew 12.28). Therefore, the Holy Spirit is of the same nature with the Father and the Son. 36. So, enough has been said about the worshiped and Holy Trinity. Now it is not possible to further expand [our] research regarding the teaching about Her. But you, having received the seeds from my smallness, cultivate a mature ear within yourself, because, as you know, we demand profit in such things (Matthew 25.27). And I believe in God that thanks to the purity of your life you will bear fruit thirty times, and sixty, and a hundred times (Matthew 13.8). After all, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5.8). 37. And do not consider the Kingdom of Heaven for anything else, brethren, as the true comprehension of existing [things], which Divine Scripture calls “bliss.” For if the Kingdom of Heaven “is within you” (Luke 17.21), and nothing is formed in the inner man except contemplation, then, consequently, the Kingdom of Heaven is contemplation. Now we see only the shadows of this [Kingdom], as in a mirror (1 Cor 13.12), and then, freed from this earthly body and clothed in the incorruptible and immortal (2 Cor 5.1-4), we will see His prototypes. We will see, if, of course, we direct our lives along the straight [path] and care about right faith, without which we will not see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). After all, it is said: “Wisdom does not enter into a soul that commits evil; it dwells below in a body guilty of sin” (Wis. 1:4) 38. And let them not object to me, saying: “You do not know what is under your feet, but you undertake to philosophize with us about an incorporeal and completely immaterial essence.” After all, I consider it absurd to allow the senses to be unhindered by their own substances and not allow the mind alone to engage in its characteristic activities. For just as the sense comprehends sensible [things], so the mind comprehends [things] intelligible. At the same time, it should be said that God, when he created man at the beginning, put innate natural criteria into him. After all, no one teaches vision to perceive colors and shapes, hearing - noises and sounds, smell - fragrant and foul odors, taste - different taste sensations, touch - soft and hard, warm and cold. Likewise, no one can teach the mind to perceive intelligible things. And just as the senses, when they are sick, require only self-care and then [again] easily begin to carry out their characteristic activities, so the mind, fettered by the flesh and filled with carnal ideas, needs [only] faith and right living, which make feet like the feet of a deer and set it on heights (Ps. 17:34). 39. The wise Solomon also admonishes regarding this: sometimes he gives us an ant as an example of an impeccable worker and thereby outlines before us the path of [spiritual] work; sometimes points to a creation created from wax by a wise bee (Prov. 6:6-8), thereby hinting at natural contemplation with which the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is mixed, if, of course, “from... the beauty of creatures, their Creator is comparatively known” (Wis. 13.5). 40. However, having given thanks to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us put an end to [our] message, for, as the saying goes, “measure is best.” You might be interested in: