Беседа 6

Phil.2:5–8. For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. Refutation of the errors of Savelius, Marion, Marcellus, Photinus, Sophronius and Arius. 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ, motivating His disciples to great deeds, presents as an example either Himself, or His Father, or the prophets. So, He says: “So they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12); and again: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20); and again: “Learn from Me, for I am meek” (Matthew 11:29); and again: “Be merciful, therefore, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Blessed Paul also does the same: encouraging (the Philippians) to humility, he presents Christ as an example, and not only here, but also when he talks about love of poverty. Thus He says: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although He was rich, for your sakes nothing encourages a great and wise soul so much as the consciousness that through this it becomes like God. And what can be equivalent to this for motivation? Knowing this, Paul, when convincing (the Philippians) to humility, first asked and begged them, then said impressively: “You stand in one spirit” (Phil. 1:27), also said: “this is a sign of destruction for them, but for you of salvation” (Phil. 1:28), finally added: “For let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus: He, being the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he humbled himself, taking on the form of a servant.” Hearken, I ask you, and rise up. Just as a sword, sharpened on both sides, wherever it is directed, even at numerous ranks of an army, easily cuts and destroys them, because it is sharp from everywhere, and nothing can resist its edge, so are the sayings of the Spirit. With these sayings He overthrew the followers of Arius of Alexandria, and Paul of Samosata, and Marcellus of Galatia, and Savelius of Libya, and Marcion of Pontus, and Valentinus, and Manes, and Apollinaris of Laodicea, and Photinus, and Sophronius, and in general all heresies. So, expecting to see such a spectacle, and so many rows falling from one blow, perk up so that you do not lose the pleasure of this spectacle. If during a chariot race on a horse lists the most pleasant thing is to see when someone, having struck, completely overturns the chariots with their drivers, and having overturned many four-horse chariots with the drivers standing on them, one rushes from the starting pillar to the final one - numerous applause and shouts from everywhere rise to the sky, and he, as if inspired by this joy and applause, rushes on horseback through entire field - then won’t there be much more pleasure here when, with the grace of God, we suddenly and at once refute all heretical systems and devilish tricks along with their drivers? And if you like, let us first present the heresies in order. In what order do you want - by wickedness, or by time? But we know the order in time, but the order in wickedness is difficult to understand. So, let Sabellius the Libyan appear first. What is he saying? That Father, Son and Holy Spirit are only names belonging to one person. And Marcion the Pontic says that God, who arranged everything, is not good; that He is not the Father of the good Christ, but another righteous one, and that the Son did not take flesh for our sake. Marcellus, Photinus and Sophronius say that the Word is not a hypostatic being, but a power, and that this power dwelt in one of the descendants of David. Arius recognizes (Jesus Christ) as the Son, but only by name - he says that He is a creation, and much lower than the Father. Others say that He (Jesus Christ) has no soul. Do you see the guided chariots? Look at their fall - how the one who strikes overthrows everything together, with one blow, suddenly. How does it subvert? “For you must have,” he says, “the same feelings that were in Christ Jesus: He, being in the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” Because of this, Paul of Samosata, Marcellus, and Savelius fell. “He, being the image of God,” says (the apostle). If in the form, then how do you, the wicked, say that He received the beginning from Mary, and before that time did not exist? Again, how do you say that He was the power? It is said: “He, being in the form of God, took on the form of a servant.” Tell me: is the image of a slave the strength of a slave, or the nature of a slave? Of course, you will say, the nature of a slave. Consequently, the image of God is the nature of God, and not power. So Marcellus of Galatia, and Sophronius, and Photinus fell! 2. Here is Savely (refuted). It is said: “I did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” But one and the same person is not said to be equal to itself: what is equal is equal to something. Do you see the hypostasis of two persons, and not just names without objects? Have you heard about the eternal existence of the Only Begotten? And this is against them. What shall we say now against Arius, who says that the Son has a different essence? Tell me what the words mean: “Taking on the form of a slave”? They mean, you answer, that He became man. Therefore, the words “being in the image of God” mean: there was God. Both here and here there is the same word: “image”. If the first is true, then so is the last. To be in the form of a servant is to be human by nature, and to be in the form of God is to be God by nature. And not only this is proven (by what has been said), but also equality (with God), similar to that of John, and the fact that the Son is in no way less than the Father: “He did not consider it robbery,” he says, “to be equal with God.” But what is the wisdom of the heretics? They say that (these words) express the opposite. As the apostle would say: He (Jesus Christ), being in the form of God, did not delight in being equal with God. But if He really was God, then how could He rapture? And how could one understand this? Who will say that such and such, being a man, did not delight in being a man? How do you steal something that someone has? Not so, they say. But being a lesser God, He did not delight in being equal to the great, greater God. So, there is a small and a great God? So you are introducing pagan dogmas to church dogmas? The pagans really have a great and a small god, whether you have one, I don’t know. But you won’t find it anywhere in the Scriptures; you will find the great everywhere, but the small nowhere. And in fact, if he is small, then what kind of God is he? If there is no small man and no great man, but one nature, and what is not of the same nature is not man, then how can one be honored as God, small and great, who does not have the Divine nature? He who is small is not God, because in Scripture God is called great everywhere: “Great is the Lord,” says (David), “and highly praised” (Ps. 47:2). The same is true about the Son—everywhere he calls Him Lord. Also: “Great is our Lord, and great is His strength, and His understanding is immeasurable” (Ps. 146:5). And again: “Great is the Lord and highly praised, and His greatness is unsearchable” (Ps. 145:3). But they say: this is said about the Father, and the Son is small (God). You say this, but Scripture is the opposite: it speaks about the Son in the same way as about the Father. Listen to what Paul says: “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God” (Titus 2:13). Did he really say about the Father: “waiting for... the appearance”? And to further expose you, he added: “Appearances of the great God.” Is this said about the Father? No way. This is not allowed by the words added (by the apostle): “And the appearance of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” So the Son is great. So why are you talking about small and great? Know that the prophet also calls Him “the Angel of the great council” (Is. 9:6). Is the angel of the great council not great? “God is great” – is it really not great, but small? How then can the shameless and impudent say that He is a little God? I often repeat their words so that you move away from them. Being a small God, they say, He did not delight in being (on an equal level) with the great. What is this, tell me? (Do not think, however, that these are our words). If the Son, in their opinion, is small, and in power much lower than the Father, then how could He delight in being equal to God? Being lesser in nature, He could not steal the great nature. For example, a person cannot kidnap someone who is equal in nature to an angel; a horse, even if it wanted to, cannot kidnap someone who is equal in nature to a person. Besides this, I will also say this: what does Paul want to teach by this example? No doubt, you will say, he wants to encourage the Philippians to humility. So, where would he lead with this example, tell me? After all, no one, wanting to encourage humility, says this: be humble, and consider yourself less than your equals, because such and such a slave did not resist his master. So, imitate him. But this, another would say, is not humility, but pride! You who have devilish pride will learn what humility is. What is humility? Think humbly about yourself; and it is not the one who is necessarily humiliated who thinks humbly, but the one who humiliates himself. I'll give you an example, and you listen. When someone, having the opportunity to think highly of himself, thinks humbly, then he is humbly wise. If someone, not having such an opportunity, thinks humbly, he is not yet humble. For example, if a king submits to an eparch, he is humble because he descends from on high; but when the eparch does this, he is not yet humble. Why? Because he did not bring himself down from above. Only those who have power can be humble. If necessity forces one to resign oneself against one’s will, then this is not a matter of the mind and will, but of necessity; humility is called so because it is the pacification of thought. 3. Tell me: if someone, not having the opportunity to get rich (at the expense of others), remains with what he has acquired, shall we praise him for justice? No way. Why? Because necessity took away the praise from his good will. Tell me again: if someone, not having the opportunity to rule and reign, remains a private person, shall we praise him as an unseeking one? No way. The same is true in this case. Oh, you are the most senseless of all! One is praised not for abstaining from this alone, but for doing good deeds. The first, although not worthy of blame, is not worthy of praise; and the latter is worthy of praise. See how Christ also praises in this sense when he says: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink” (Matthew 25:34–35). He didn’t say: because you didn’t appropriate someone else’s property, because you didn’t kidnap (it doesn’t matter); but because they saw Me hungry and fed me. And who would praise friends or enemies in this way? Nobody - not even Pavel. But what am I saying – Paul? You wouldn’t even praise any other person the way you praise Christ, i.e., that He did not arrogate undue power to Himself. To be surprised by this means to discover great depravity in oneself. Why? Because such praise is appropriate for the vicious, for example, a thief, because he no longer steals. But in relation to the good, it is not so: he is not yet praised who has not stolen power and honor that does not belong to him. And how crazy it is! And who - I ask you to be attentive, although the word is long - who could in this way encourage humility? The examples must be much higher than the subject to which we are convincing, and hardly anyone will be convinced (by examples) that are distant. Thus, Christ, urging to do good to enemies, presented a great example in His Father: “He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). And urging long-suffering, he presented himself as an example: “Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29); and again: “If therefore I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should” (John 13:14). Do you see how there are no examples below? And they should not be any lower; that's what we do. Otherwise, the example here would not be close. Why? Because if a slave, then he is both less and subordinate to the greater. And this is not humility. On the contrary, it was necessary to imagine someone greater as obeying the lesser. But since (the apostle) did not find this in God, that is, greater and lesser, he presented an equal. If the Son is less than (the Father), then the incentive to humility is not enough. Why? Because this is not humility, when the lesser does not rebel against the greater, does not admire the authorities, obedient even to death. However, look at what (the apostle) says, and besides the example: “But in humility of mind, consider one another better than yourself” (Phil. 2:3). He says: “read” (counting). Since you are one in essence, and in honor received from God, this matter is left to your reasoning. And regarding the relationship of the lower to the higher, he does not say “read”; but: honor your superiors, as in another place: “Obey your leaders and be submissive” (Heb. 13:17). There, submission is in the nature of things, but here it must depend on our reasoning. “In humility,” he says, “consider each other better than yourself,” as Christ did. Thus (the wisdom of the heretics) is overthrown. Having first briefly expressed their opinions, it only remains for us to tell us our own, namely: why (Paul), urging humility of mind, did not present the lesser as submitting to the greater. If he had persuaded slaves to obey their masters, that would have been helpful; and since he convinced the free to submit to the free, then why represent the submission of a slave to a master, a lesser one, a greater? He did not say: the lesser ones submit to the greater ones; but: being equally honest with each other, submit, “consider each other superior to yourself.” Why didn’t he give an example of a wife’s relationship (to her husband, he didn’t say): just as a wife submits to her husband, so should you submit? If he did not cite the equal and free as an example, because there is some, albeit small, subordination, then all the more could he not present the relationship of a slave as an example? I said before that no one praises anyone in this way for abstaining from vices, or even mentions such a thing. For example, someone who wants to praise a chaste person will not say that he did not commit fornication, but will say that he abstained from his own wife. And we never place (in praise) only abstinence from vices: that would be ridiculous. I also said that the image of the servant is true, and nothing less: so the image of God is perfect, and nothing less. Therefore (the apostle) did not say: “he was in the image of God,” but “he is.” This expression is equivalent to saying: “I am who I am” (Ex. 3:14). The image, as an image, shows perfect resemblance. It cannot be that someone has the essence of one and the image of another. For example, not a single person has the image of an angel, no dumb thing has the image of a person. What about the Son? 4. Further: since we are complex, the image in us refers to the body; in the simple and completely uncomplicated it refers to the essence. If you say that the word (θεός) without a member does not mean God the Father, then you can point out many places where this word is used without a member. And what am I saying – a lot of places? In the same place where it is said: “he did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,” (the apostle) said without a member, and yet he speaks of God the Father. I would like to add my own; but I'm afraid to burden your minds. Remember what was said to you hitherto in refutation of the heretics. First let us pluck out the thorns; and after we have eradicated the thorns, when the earth has had some rest, we will sow good seed, so that it, having thus been cleansed of all that is bad, will be more capable of receiving Divine seeds. Let us thank God for what has been said; Let us ask Him to help us observe and preserve this, so that you and we will rejoice, and the heretics will be ashamed. Let us pray to Him that He will open our mouths in the future, so that He will offer us His own with the same diligence. Let us beg Him to grant us a life worthy of faith, so that we live for His glory, and so that His name is not blasphemed through us. “Woe to you,” it is said, “My name will be dishonored” (Is. 52:5)! If we have a son, what is closer to us than a son? - So, if, having a son, we deny him, turn away and do not accept him when we are subjected to reproach for him, then will God not more turn away and hate the foolish slaves who blaspheme and insult Him? And who will God hate and reject, who will accept him? Nobody, except the devil and demons. And whoever the demons take, what hope will he have of salvation? What is the consolation in life? As long as we are in the hand of God, no one can snatch us away, because it is strong. When we fall from His hand and are deprived of His help, then we are lost, available to everyone for plunder, for everyone to trample underfoot, “like a leaning wall, like a shaken fence” (Ps. 61:4). When a wall is weak, then it is easy for anyone to destroy it. Do not think that what I intend to say is only said about Jerusalem; but also about every person. What is said about Jerusalem? “I will sing to my Beloved the song of my Beloved about His vineyard. My Beloved had a vineyard on the top of a fattened mountain, and He surrounded it with a fence, and cleared it of stones, and planted choice vines in it, and built a tower in the midst of it, and dug a winepress in it, and expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild berries. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between Me and My vineyard. What more should I have done for My vineyard that I have not done for it? Why, when I expected him to bring good grapes, did he bring wild berries? Therefore I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be desolate; I will destroy its walls, and it will be trampled down, and I will leave it desolate: they will neither prune it nor dig it, but it will be overgrown with thorns and thistles, and I will command the clouds not to rain rain on it. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His beloved planting. And He waited for justice, but behold - bloodshed; I waited for righteousness, and behold, a cry” (Isa. 5:1–7). This applies to every soul. When the man-loving God does everything necessary, and instead of grapes it produces thorns, He takes away the fence and destroys the wall, and we give ourselves over to plunder. Listen to how another prophet said with tears: “Why have You destroyed its fences, so that all who pass along the way tear it down? The boar of the forest undermines it, and the beast of the field devours it” (Ps. 79:13, 14). There it is said about the Medes and Babylonians, but what is said here cannot be attributed to them: the boar and the solitary one are the devil and all his power. (The Prophet) called him solitary to depict his cruelty and impurity. And expressing his rapacity, Scripture says: “Like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). When he shows his poisonousness, lethality and destructiveness, he calls him a serpent and a scorpion: “Tread on,” he says, “on snakes and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). Finally, when he expresses strength and at the same time poisonousness, he calls him a dragon, saying: “this serpent, whom You created to humiliate him” (Ps. 103:26) 2. And the dragon, the writhing serpent, and the adder (Scripture) calls him everywhere - because this beast is cunning, multi-colored, and has great strength; he sets everything in motion, disturbs everything, distorts everything. However, do not be afraid or dismayed; just stay awake, and he will be like a sparrow: “Tread on,” it says, “on snakes and scorpions.” God will make him trample upon our feet, if only we want. 5. So, look, how funny, how painful it is to see that the one who is given to us to trample on becomes higher than our head? How does this happen? It depends on ourselves: if we want, it can be big, and if we want, it can be small. If we are attentive to ourselves and are together with our King, then he diminishes, and in the fight with us he is no stronger than a small child; and when we move away (from our King), then (the devil) becomes very arrogant, roars and gnashes his teeth, noticing that we have lost great help, since he does not approach until God allows it. If the devil did not dare to enter the herd of swine without God’s permission, then much less into human souls. God allows it either for admonition, or for punishment, or for greater testing, as was the case with Job. Do you remember that the devil did not approach him, did not even dare to approach him, but was afraid and trembled at him? But what am I saying about Job? And approaching Judas, the devil did not dare to completely take possession of him and enter into him, until Christ excommunicated him from the sacred face. Until that time, he approached it from the outside, but did not dare to go inside. When he saw that he was separated from the sacred herd, he attacked him more fiercely than any wolf, and did not lag behind until he killed him completely. This is written for our edification. What, however, is the benefit of knowing that one of the twelve was a traitor? What's the use? What's the benefit? Great. Having learned why he took such disastrous advice, we will be careful so that the same does not happen to us. Why did he do this? From love of money. He was a thief, and he was so intoxicated with this passion that he sold him to the Lord of the Universe for thirty pieces of silver. What's worse than this madness? To whom there is nothing of equal value, nothing equal, before whom “All nations are as nothing before Him” (Is. 40:17), He sold him for thirty pieces of silver. The rule of the love of money is hard; it can drive the soul into a frenzy. It is not so much that one becomes insane from drunkenness, but from the love of money; not so much from rage and madness, but from love of money. What did you sell for, tell me? Unknown and unknown - He called you, and made you one of the twelve, taught you teaching, promised countless benefits, gave you the power to work miracles, made you a partner in His meals, travels, conversations, cohabitation and everything, along with others (the apostles). Or couldn't it hold you back? For what reason did you sell? Wicked man, what could you complain about? What were you not blessed with? He knew your soul, but He did not cease to communicate His own to you. He said many times: “One of you will betray Me” (Matthew 26:21); He repeatedly hinted, spared you and, knowing you as such, did not excommunicate you; still endured, both as a close one and as one of the twelve, he revered so much, loved so much. Finally, taking a towel with His most pure hands, I washed your dirty feet; but, oh, wickedness! – and that didn’t stop you. You hid the shares of the poor, and He endured this, so that you would not fall into greater evil; but nothing convinced you. If you were a beast, if you were a stone, and then from such good deeds, from miracles, from teaching, shouldn’t you have changed? But you, who had become such a beast and became more insensitive than a stone, He still called and confirmed you with miracles. And even with all that, you haven’t become any better. Of course, you are surprised at such a traitor’s madness. In this case, fear his ulcer: from the love of money, from the addiction to money, he became such. Cut off this passion; it gives rise to the following diseases: it makes people wicked, leads to oblivion of God, despite His countless benefits. Compartments, please; (this passion) is not unimportant; it is capable of producing thousands of fatal deaths. We saw the passion (of Judas); Let us be afraid lest we ourselves fall into something similar. This is why it was written about this, so that we would not be subjected to the same thing. All the evangelists talk about this to make us cautious. Run away; The love of money is not only about loving a lot of money, but also about loving money in general. To desire more than is necessary is a great love of money. Did the talents of gold sway the traitor? Only thirty pieces of silver, for thirty pieces of silver he sold the Vladyka. Do you remember what I said before, that greed manifests itself not only in accepting much, but much more in accepting little? This is what lawlessness Judas committed for a small amount of gold, not even for gold, but for pieces of silver! It is impossible, truly impossible, for a man who loves money to ever see the face of Christ; this is one of the impossibilities. The love of money is the root of all evil. And if one who has one vice is deprived of glory, then where will the one who carries this root in himself go? A slave of money cannot be a true servant of Christ. Christ Himself discovered that this is an impossible task: “You cannot,” He said, “serve God and mammon”; and also: “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). They command the opposite: Christ says: spare the poor, and mammon inspires: take away what they have; Christ says: exhaust your possessions, and mammon inspires: take what they have yes. 6. Do you see the opposite? Do you see the struggle? Do you want us to show how one cannot obey both, but one must be despised? Or shouldn't I say? How? Do we not see in reality that Christ is despised and Mammon is revered? Do you notice how even these words are disgusting? Isn't that even more important? But in reality it does not seem at all disgusting, because we are possessed by passion. The soul, although a little freed from passion, while in this state, can judge correctly. But, having again succumbed to passion, being possessed by a fever, and enjoying the object of passion, she cannot judge sensibly, cannot judge impartially. Christ says: if anyone “does not renounce all that he has, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33); and Mammon says: Take bread from the hungry. Christ says: “cloth the naked” (Is. 58:7); and Mammon says: strip the naked. Christ says: “Do not hide from your half-blood” (Is. 58:7); and Mammon says: do not spare your blood, neglect even your mother and father. And what am I saying - father and mother? Destroy your very soul too. And yet (people) obey. Alas, the one whose commands are so cruel, rude and brutal is listened to more than the One whose commandments are humane and saving for us. For this there is Gehenna, for this there is fire, for this there is a river of fire, for this there is an undying worm. I know that many listen to our words with displeasure. I myself am reluctant to say this. And what is the need to talk about this? I would always like to talk with you about the kingdom, about peace, about the waters of rest, about the green place: “He makes me lie down,” says (David), “in green pastures and leads me beside the still waters” (Ps. 22:2). I would like to talk about that place where there is no illness, no sorrow, no sighing; I would like to tell you the sweetness of communion with Christ. Although this is beyond every word and every mind, still, to the best of my ability, I would like to talk about it. But what to do? It is indecent to talk about the kingdom with someone who is suffering from a fever and is in a bad state. First you need to talk to him about health. It is not appropriate to talk about honor with someone sentenced to death. First you need to find a way to free yourself from judgment, punishment and torment. If the latter does not happen, how to proceed with the first? That is why I constantly talk about the latter, in order to quickly achieve the former. And God threatens Gehenna for this purpose, so that no one ends up in Gehenna, so that everyone ascends to the kingdom. And for this reason we constantly remind you of Gehenna, in order to encourage you to the kingdom, so that, having softened your heart with fear, you will be disposed to deeds worthy of the kingdom. So, do not be annoyed by the heaviness of words; the heaviness of words lightens our souls from sins. And the iron is heavy, and the hammer is heavy, but he makes useful vessels of gold and silver, and corrects the damaged ones. Just as (a hammer), if it were not heavy, could not fix a damaged thing, so our heavy word has the power to arrange the soul. So, let us not run from the weight of words and the blows they inflict. The blow is not struck to strike and crush the soul, but to correct it. By the grace of God, we know how to strike, how to strike, so as not to crush the vessel, but to smooth it out, straighten it, and make it useful for the Master - in order to give him with brilliance strength and a beautiful appearance on the day when the river of fire appears - in order to present him as having no need for that fire. And if we do not burn you here, then of course it will be necessary to burn you there, otherwise it cannot be: “For the day will show it, because it is revealed by fire” (1 Cor. 3:13). It is better for you to suffer the burning of our words for a short time than to suffer forever from that flame. And that this will certainly happen is clear, and I have repeatedly given you indisputable evidence of this. It would be necessary to present convictions only from Scripture; but since some people like to argue, we refuted many things with conclusions. And now nothing prevents me from saying something like this. How? Here's how: God is just; We confess all this - Greeks, Jews, heretics, and Christians. Meanwhile, many sinners leave here without being punished; and on the contrary, many virtuous people depart after suffering countless calamities. So, if God is just, then where will He give rewards to the last and punishment to the first, if there is no Gehenna and resurrection? Always repeat this proof to others and to yourself, and it will not allow you to doubt the resurrection. And whoever believes in the resurrection will try to live with great attention in order to receive eternal blessings, which we all may be worthy of through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: