Беседа 13

Eph.4:17–19. Therefore I speak and charge by the Lord, that you no longer walk as other nations do, in the vanity of their minds, being darkened in mind, alienated from the life of God, due to their ignorance and the hardness of their hearts. They, having reached the point of insensibility, gave themselves over to debauchery so that they commit all uncleanness with gluttony. What is meant by uncleanness? - Who can be considered righteous? – About monks and Virgins dedicating themselves to Christ. – Virtues and vices of women. 1. This was not said to the Ephesians only, but now it is also said to you, and not by us, but by Paul, or better, neither by us nor by Paul, but by the grace of the Spirit. So, we must listen to these words as the words of the Spirit. What is said? Listen: “Therefore I say and charge by the Lord that you no longer walk as other nations do, in the vanity of their minds, being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of their ignorance and the hardness of their hearts.” So, if (this state of theirs was the result of) ignorance and petrification, then why blame them? The ignorant must be taught what he does not know, but it is unfair to subject him to reproach and punishment. But look how (the apostle) immediately deprives them of such an excuse: “They,” he says, “having reached the point of insensibility, gave themselves over to debauchery so that they commit all uncleanness with gluttony. But you did not know Christ in this way” (Eph. 4:19-20). Here he shows that the reason for their petrification was their life; their life was such because of their own carelessness and negligence. “They, - He says, “having reached the point of insensibility, they indulged in debauchery.” So, when you hear that “God gave them over to a depraved mind” (Rom. 1:28), then remember the real saying that they themselves “gave themselves over to debauchery.” How did God betray them when they betrayed themselves? If God betrayed them, then how did they betray themselves? Do you think there is a contradiction here? But the word “betrayed” here means “allowed.” You see that where life is unclean, dogmas of the same kind are invented. “For everyone who does evil,” it is said, “hates the light and does not come to the light” (John 3:20). In fact, how could an unclean person, lying among the bodies of all sorts of women, much more than pigs wallow in the mud, greedy for money and not at all loving chastity, decide on such a (virtuous) life? With them, says (the apostle), this course of action has become, as it were, a rule. From this (and occurs) their petrification, from this - darkness of mind. And while the light is shining, it can be dark for us if our eyes are sick; They become sick from a rush of bad juices and excessive accumulation of phlegm. So it is here: when the numerous confluence of everyday affairs darkens the clarity of our mind, we are in darkness. And just as, having plunged deep into water, we cannot see the sun because the abundant water above us forms a kind of wall, so in the mental eyes the heart becomes petrified, when no fear disturbs the soul. “There is no,” he says, “the fear of God before his eyes” (Ps. 35:2). And again: “The fool said in his heart: “There is no God” (Ps. 13:1). Petrification comes from nothing other than insensibility; the pores are blocked. So, when the thickened phlegm is concentrated in one place, that member becomes dead and becomes insensible; even if you began to burn it or cut, no matter what he does to him, he does not feel (anything). So they (the pagans), after they have fallen into carelessness once and for all, no matter what you say to them, even if you threaten them with fire or a sword, nothing will affect them, nothing will convince them that their member (heart) has become dead once and for all. And until you destroy this insensibility in him, until your touch on him is as noticeable as on healthy members, until then all your efforts will be in vain. “with insatiability,” he says: with this word (the apostle), primarily, he removes from them the possibility of justification. After all, they could, if they wanted, not indulge in greed, not be careless, not serve the belly and not lead a pampered life; one could use money, pleasures, and relaxation in moderation. But since they did not observe moderation in this, they ruined everything. “They do,” he says, “all kinds of uncleanness.” Do you see how (the apostle) deprives them of an excuse by speaking about doing uncleanness? It was not by chance, he says, that they sinned by passion, but they committed all these criminal actions, taking care of them themselves. “They do all kinds of uncleanness.” All uncleanness is fornication, fornication, voluptuous love for children, envy, every passion and intemperance. “But this is not how you came to know Christ; because you have heard about Him and learned in Him, even as the truth is in Jesus” (Eph. 4:20–21). The expression: “because you have heard about Him” does not mean that he speaks with doubt, on the contrary, it shows his complete confidence: in a similar way he expresses himself in another place: “For it is right in the sight of God to repay those who insult you with tribulation” (2 Thess. 1:6). That is, you did not know Christ for such things. “For you have heard about Him, and in Him you learned, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your former way of life, the old man” (Eph. 4:21-22). Knowing Christ consists of leading a righteous life. He who leads a bad life does not know God and God does not know him. Listen to how (the apostle) speaks about this in another place: “They say that they know God, but by works they deny” (Titus 1:16). “Since the truth is in Jesus, put off your former way of life, the old man,” - i.e., you did not enter into an agreement on such conditions (to remain in your former life). What we have is not vanity, but the truth; both our dogmas and our lives are true. Vanity is sin and delusion, but a righteous life is truth. It has a lofty goal, but a disordered life leads to an insignificant end. “who is corrupted,” he says, “in the deceitful lusts” (Eph. 4:22) of his deception. As his wishes decay, so does he himself. 2. How do his wishes decay? Death destroys everything. So the prophet says: “on that day [all] his thoughts disappear” (Ps. 146:4). However, there is not only death, there are many other reasons (for this change). So beauty changes, fades and disappears due to illness and with the onset of old age. From the same (reasons) bodily strength also perishes. Sensual pleasures are no longer so attractive in old age. We have an indication of this in the example of Barzillai - without a doubt, you know this story (2 Samuel 19:32 - 35). On the other hand, lust corrupts and destroys the very being of a person. Just as wool is born from what it dies, so is the old man. The love of fame is detrimental to him, pleasure has ruined many, lust has deceived him. However, all this does not constitute pleasure in the proper sense, but there is bitterness, deception, forgery and shadow. The outer side of these objects is attractive, but in themselves they are nothing more than a heavy burden, entailing great poverty, emptiness and poverty. And if you take off this mask from them, reveal their real face, you will see the deception. This is what deception consists of, when something is shown to us not by what it is, but by what it is not. This is where false judgments (about one or another subject) arise. (The Apostle) depicts four people for us and, if you want, I will present this image to you. In the present epistle (he depicts) two when he says: “having put off ... the old man, ... be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man” (Eph. 4:22-24); and in the epistle to the Romans - the other two when he says: “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members” (Rom. 7:23). These latter have an affinity with those first, namely with the inner - the new man, and with the outer - the old; but three of them have become corrupted. Or better, and now there are three of them: the new, the old and this essential (ουσιώδης) “Be renewed,” he says, “in the spirit of your mind” (Eph. 4:23). another person, when he speaks about the old and the new man, look what he says: “to be renewed.” Renewal occurs when something that has become dilapidated becomes younger and takes on a different form, so that the object remains the same, but a change occurs in its random properties. Just as a body remains the same, although a change occurs in its random properties, so it is here. How should this update take place? “By the Spirit,” he says, “of your mind.” Therefore, whoever begins to do something old will do nothing: the spirit will not tolerate old deeds. “By the Spirit,” he says, “of your mind,” that is, the spirit that is in your mind. “And put on the new man.” Do you see that there is one object, but two clothes: one that is taken off, and the other that one puts on? “In the new,” he says, “man, created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Why does he represent a person under the name of virtue, and why under the name of vice? Because it is impossible to determine (the property) of a person without indicating his activity. Thus, (a person’s actions) no less than his natural properties show whether he is good or not good. Just as it is easy to undress a person, it is just as easy to see (his properties) by virtue or vice. A new person (i.e. young) is strong. Let us also be strong in doing good deeds. He has no wrinkles: neither will we. He is not susceptible and does not easily succumb to disease: neither will we. "Created". Look how he here calls the implementation (οΰσίωσιν) of virtue creation, that is, bringing from non-existence into being. So what? And that (vice) is not a creation according to God? No, but according to the devil, who is the author of sin. Why? Because the (new) man was created not from water, not from earth, but in truth and in the perfection of truth. What does this mean? What he says is that (God) immediately - during baptism, which is essential for our rebirth, made him His son. Well said (the apostle): “in righteousness and holiness of truth.” There was once truth, there was also reverence among the Jews, but not truth; that was educational righteousness. Thus, bodily purity was an image of purity, and not true purity; was an image of righteousness, not true righteousness. “In righteousness,” he says, “and the holiness of truth.” Perhaps this is also said regarding false righteousness, because many unbelievers consider themselves righteous, but they are deceived. Righteousness is an all-encompassing virtue. Listen to what Christ says: “If your righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20); and in another place the one who does not commit sin is called righteous (1 John 3:9). Likewise, in the courts, we call the one who suffers insults, but does not insult himself, right. Oh, if only we, at the Last Judgment, would be shown to be right and receive some leniency! After all, before God it is impossible (to be completely righteous), no matter what excuses we present: before Him, all righteousness is untenable, as the prophet said: “and you will win when you judge” (Ps. 50:6) 1. But if we do not violate mutual rights, then we will be right; if we can prove that an injustice was done to us, in which case we will be right. What does it mean that (the apostle) says to them: “Put on your clothes,” when they have already put on your clothes? Here he is talking about life and works. Then they clothed themselves in baptism, and now (the apostle commands them to clothe themselves) in their lives and deeds, so that they no longer live according to the attraction of seductive lusts, but according to the commandments of God. But what is “reverence”? What is pure and in accordance with the requirement of duty. That is why we use this expression (οσιον) about those who have freed themselves from judgment - that is, (we say): I no longer owe them anything, I am no longer guilty of anything. So, it is our custom to say: I got off (άφωσιωσάμην), and the like, i.e., I no longer owe anything. 3. So, our duty is not to put off this garment of justification, which the prophet calls the garment of salvation (Isa. 59:17), so that we may become like God, who clothed ourselves with righteousness. Let us put on these clothes. And to be clothed means nothing more than to no longer be put off. Listen to what the prophet says: “let him be clothed with the curse as with a robe, and let it enter” into him (Ps. 109:18). And again: “put on the light, as in a robe” (Ps. 103:2). And it is our custom to talk about people: so-and-so has put on (the disguise) of so-and-so. Thus, (the apostle) wants us not for one day, not two, not three, but always to remain in virtue and never take off this clothing. It is not so indecent for a person to be naked in the body as to be naked from virtue. In his bodily nakedness, his indecent position is seen by his fellow slaves, and there the Lord and the angels see it. Tell me, if you saw someone walking naked in the square, would it not offend you, what can be said about you when you walk without this clothing? Have you seen those beggars whom we usually call flute players, how they walk around and arouse self-pity in us? However, they do not deserve any apology. We do not forgive them for losing their clothes at dice. How will God forgive us if we destroy these clothes? When the devil sees someone naked from virtue, he immediately stains and blackens his face, inflicts wounds on him, and does even greater violence. Let us strip ourselves of money, so as not to be naked of righteousness. The clothing of money damages this clothing (justifications): it is a clothing of thorns, and these thorns are such that the more we are covered with them, the more we are stripped of (the true clothing). Sensual inclinations also deprive us of this clothing: it is fire, and such fire burns these clothes. Wealth is also a moth: just as the moth eats everything and does not spare even silk clothes, so is wealth. Let us therefore leave all this, that we may be righteous, that we may put on the new man. Let us not leave behind anything old, nothing transitory, nothing perishable. Virtue is not difficult and not difficult to achieve. Don't you see those who spend their lives in the mountains? They leave their homes, their wives, their children, and all their official activities, and, having retired from the world, put on sackcloth, sprinkle themselves with ashes, put chains around their necks, imprison themselves in a cramped cell and, without stopping there, exhaust themselves with fasting and constant hunger. If I offered you all this now, wouldn’t you all refuse? Wouldn't you call such a thing difficult? But I'm not saying that you necessarily have to do this. I only wish this, but I do not legitimize it. Next, what else will I say? Use the baths, take care of your body, go to the square, have a house, have servants, eat food and drinks - just drive out covetousness from everywhere, because it constitutes a sin when it goes beyond the proper boundaries of legal acquisition. So, greed is nothing more than a sin. And look: when our spirit is more indignant than it should be, then, losing our temper, we begin to slander, then we act unjustly in everything. (The same thing happens) with love for the body, for money, for fame and for everything else. And don’t tell me that those (hermits) had special strength (for such a strict life): many much weaker than you and richer and more delicate entered into this harsh and sorrowful life. And what am I saying about husbands? Virgins who had not yet reached the age of twenty, who spent all their time in their chambers, brought up in bliss, resting on a soft bed, soaked in incense and expensive ointments, gentle by nature and made even more pampered by these zealous cares for them, who during the whole day knew no other occupation than to decorate their appearance, wear gold jewelry and indulge in bliss, who did nothing even themselves for themselves, but having many servants assigned to them, wearing clothes even more delicate than their body itself, using thin and soft bedspreads, constantly enjoying the smell of roses and similar incense - these (virgins), being suddenly enveloped in the fire of Christ, left all this luxury and pomp and, forgetting about their effeminacy, about their age, parted with all these pleasures and, like brave fighters, entered the field of exploits. And perhaps it will seem incredible what I say, but nevertheless, it is true. It was I who heard that these such gentle virgins had achieved such austerity in life that they put the coarsest hair shirts on their naked bodies, that their feet remained bare; and they had reed rods for their bed; Mostly, they spent most of the night without sleep and no longer thought about fragrant ointments or any other of their previous whims, and even neglected their heads, which usually constituted a special subject of their care, so they simply braided their hair in some way, so as not to violate decency. They have meals only in the evening, and at this meal there are no vegetables or bread, but only flour, beans, peas, fir trees and figs. They are constantly busy spinning wool and have other occupations that are much more difficult than what their maids have at home. It was they who took the trouble to heal the bodies of the sick, carry their beds, and wash their feet. Many of them also do cooking. Such is the power of the fire of Christ! So good will exceeds nature itself! However, I do not demand anything like that from you, because you yourself want women to get ahead of you (in the field of pious life). 4. At least do what is not difficult: keep your hand (from illicit things) and your eyes from shameless (looks). What's hard about this, tell me, what's hard? Be fair, do not offend anyone - no one, neither poor nor rich, nor a seller, nor a mercenary. After all, mutual grievances can occur between the poor. Don't you see what discord they create among themselves and destroy everything? Get married, have children; Paul himself gave instructions to those (leading married life) and wrote to them. Great is that feat, high is that rock, so that its height is close to the sky, and you are not able to rise to it? Have the least, and achieve the lowest. Can't you give away your money? Do not kidnap, although do not harm strangers. Can't you fast? At least don’t indulge in excess. Can't you lie on a bed of reeds? At the very least, do not make a bed for yourself, trimmed with silver, but use a simple bed and a bed made not for show, but for rest, and also do not make a bed made of ivory: limit yourself. Why do you fill the ship with your countless possessions? If you lead a modest life, you will not be afraid of anything: neither envy, nor thieves, nor intrigues. You are rich not so much in money as in worries; you abound not so much in acquisitions as in worries and dangers. “But those who desire to get rich,” it is said, “fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts” (1 Tim. 6:9). This is what those who desire to possess many things endure. I do not say (to you): serve the sick; at least order this to your servant. Do you see how hard it is? Otherwise, how could weak maidens surpass us so far in this? Let us be ashamed, I ask you, of the fact that in worldly affairs we are not inferior to them anywhere, neither in war nor in battles; and in spiritual exploits they are more successful than us; the first steal the reward and soar to great heights, like eagles; we, like jackdaws, are constantly below near the smoke and fumes. It is truly typical of jackdaws and dogs greedy for treats to constantly think about cooks and preparing food. Listen to the ancient women: they were great women, great and worthy of wonder, such as: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Deborah, Anna and those who lived under Christ. But they never surpassed their husbands, but took second place behind them. And now, on the contrary: wives surpass and overshadow us. What a laugh! What a shame! We occupy the place of the head, and should the body really prevail over us? We have been appointed to rule over wives not only to enjoy the rights of leadership, but to excel in virtue. The leader must mainly show his advantage in being superior in virtue. And if he himself is superior, then he is no longer the boss. Do you see what the power of Christ's coming is? How did it destroy the oath? Now there are more virgins among women, more chastity among them, and more widows among them. Nowadays, a woman will not soon utter some obscene word. Why, tell me, are you blaspheming? Women love clothes and this is their weakness. But you, husbands, surpass them in this too, being puffed up both in their attire and in your own. It seems to me that it is not so much the wife who is vain about her gold jewelry as the husband about his wife’s outfit; He is not so much proud of his gold belt as of the fact that his wife wears gold jewelry. So you are guilty of this because you ignite this spark, you ignite this flame. On the other hand, such passion is not so much sinful in a woman as in a man. You have been put in charge of it; you want to have primacy over her everywhere. Show here, too, by your actions, that you are above the passion for luxury. It is more excusable for a woman to be involved in dressing up than for a man. So, when you yourself do not avoid (this passion), then how will she avoid it? It is true that women have a certain vanity; but also for men. Those are prone to anger; and these too. And in what women have an advantage, they no longer have in common with men: I mean modesty, warmth (of soul), modesty, love for Christ. Why, they say, did (the apostle) deny them the teaching chair? And this is a sign that there is a great distance between them and their husbands and that (the wives) were great then. Should wives, tell me, have started this work at the time that Paul and Peter and those saints (men) taught? And now we have reached such evil that it is natural to ask why wives do not teach? Thus we have descended to the extent of their weak nature. I said this not because I wanted to exalt them, but to arouse shame in us, and to teach us, to encourage us to again accept the leadership that belongs to us, not in the sense of dominance, but in the sense of care and guidance, in the sense of success in virtue. Thus, the body will also have decent prosperity when it has a better ruler over it. Let it be given to everyone, both wives and husbands, to live in accordance with the will of God, so that on that terrible day we may all be honored by the merciful Master and receive the promised benefits in Christ Jesus our Lord. Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: