Письмо IX. Пресвитеру и игумену Фалассию

It is well said that there are three things that lead a person - or rather, to which a person moves by will (προαίρεσιν), desire (βουλήσει) and will (γνώμῃ): God, nature and the world. And each of them, attracting to itself, takes away from the other two, changing the follower and likening it to itself, and making him in position the same as she herself by nature 181 is and is known - except, of course, nature itself: it preserves man with what he is. So, if God leads a person, then by adoption by the grace of the Word he makes him God, granting supernatural deification to the one led by His goodness, and completely separates him from the other two - that is, the world and nature. If a person is led by nature by himself, then he shows him to be a natural man, since he is found between God and the world and, of his own free will, has no part in either one or the other. If it captivates the world, it turns a person into a beast, that is, into solid flesh, deceiving him by instilling passion in him, and with it, taking him far from God and nature, he teaches him to do all sorts of unnatural things. This means that these extremes - I’m talking about God and the world - from each other and from the middle - I mean nature - take a person away. The middle, being intermediate between them, if it takes possession of a person who has [252] only it in mind, will lead to an equal distance from both extremes, not allowing him to ascend to God and being ashamed to allow himself to fall to the world. Therefore, as soon as a person, by internal will (γνώμην ἐνδιαθέτως), moves towards any of these three things, his action changes accordingly and his name, being called carnal, mental or spiritual. The point and difference of the carnal is to be able to do only evil. The spiritual thing is to never desire to do or suffer evil. The spiritual thing is to desire to do only good and, out of virtue, if it happens, to be ready to joyfully endure evil in a good way. This means, blessed one, if you want to be led by the Spirit of God, as you really want, then take away the world and nature from yourself - or rather, cut yourself off from them, and do not refuse to endure insults, and do not run away from mockery and insolence; in short, for the sake of God and virtue, do not cease to tolerate evil, and to do good to those who do evil, and to forgive everything that has been done, according to the word of the One who said: “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your cloak too” (Matthew 5:40). And also according to the word of the blessed Apostle, who says: “We bless those who are slandered; persecuted, we endure; blasphemed, we beseech you" (1 Cor. 4:12). In addition, if you want to obey me, blessed servant of God, show great mercy to those who have offended you and do not refuse, if necessary, to lose everything because of them, but rather bless those who slander, and endure those who persecute, and beseech those who blaspheme, so that you are not carnal, able and willing only to offend, or spiritual, unable to bear insults, but be spiritual, able and striving to create only goodness and for the sake of virtue, ready to endure evil from offenders in a good way, looking to Jesus, the root cause of our salvation, Who, for all the benefits, not yet fully known by anyone, from sinners and for the sake of sinners, steadfastly endured all the terrible torments. For the purpose of the One who gave the commandments is to free man from the world and nature. And therefore he who disobeys is condemned; and in vain the fathers who live according to the law of the world refer to their children, and those in charge [253] of those practicing monastic life refer to meetings (συνοδίας) to justify failure to fulfill the commandments. If we accept this as truth, then it turns out that the Lord did not outline the law of salvation for anyone at all. It seems to me that Scripture called natural man spiritual, since, as those knowledgeable in this say, only in animate beings, and in general, in those subject to birth and death, the property of nature is seen. I wrote this to you, my lord, because I learned from your reader that you are very dissatisfied with what happened. However, as a strong man, pray strongly to Him, honest father, Who has the power to forgive sins, for Maxim, your servant and disciple. Here “position” (θέσις) as the result of a changing influence is contrasted with “nature” (φύσις). – Approx. lane You might be interested in: