장음표시 사용
231쪽
Jerusalem. For tho Stoica say that heaven is properly aci , but places here on earth are not cities; for they are called so, but aro not. For a city is an important thing, and the peopte a decorous body, and a multitude of men regulatedis laW as the church by the word-a city on earili impregnable-sree frem tyranny; a produci of the divine mill onearili as in heaven. Images of this city the poets create With their pen. For tho Hyperboreans, and the Arimaspiancities, and the Elysian plains, are commonWealths of just men. And wo know Ρlato's ci placed as a patiern in heaven.
232쪽
and must again contemplato faith; for themare sonae that draw the distinction, that salth has reference to the Son, and knowledge to tho Spirit. But ithas escaped their notice that, in order to bellove truly in tho Son, We must bellevo that He is the Son, and that Ho came, and how, and sor What, and respecting His passion ; and Womust know who is the Son of God. Now neither is knowledge mithout faith, nor faith without knowledgo. Nor is the Father Without tho Son ; for the Son is With the Father. And tho Son is the true teacher respecting the Father; and that Wo may buliove in the Son, we must know tho Father, with whom also is the Son. Again, in order that we may
We, then, are those Who ars bellevera in What is notbelieved, and who aro gnostics as in What is unknown; that
233쪽
is salth, Ho added, Thy faith hath saved theo.'' Butthat whicli is excellently bulli upon is consummated in thebetieuer, and is again persected by the faith Whieli resulis
hom instruction and the word, in order to the performance of the commandments. Such Were the apostles, in Whose se it is said that faith removed mountians and transplanted trees. y Whence, perceiving the greatness of iis pomer, they asked that faith might bo added to thom ' ataim .hieli salutarily bites the soti like a grain os mustard, and MoWs magnificently in it, to incli a degres that the remonsos things sublime rest on it. For ii ono by nature knows God, as Basilides thinis, Who calis intelligenco os a superior order at onco salth and hingship, and a creation Worthy of theessence of the Creator; and explains that near Him misis
234쪽
not poWer, but essenco and nature and substance; and saysthat satili is not tho rational assent of the Aoul exercisingsree-Will, but an undefined beauty, belonging immediately tot he creature;-the precepis bolli of tho old and of tho No. Testament are, then, superfluous, is one is saved by nature, as Valentinus Would have it, and is a bellover and nn electivan by nature, as Basilides thinhs; and naturo mould havo been able, one time or other, to have stione sorth, apartsrom tho Saviour's appearance. But were they to say thattho visit os the Saviour Was necessary, then the properties os nature are gone froni them, the elect being saved by instruction, and purification, and the doing of good Works. Abraham, accordingly, Who through hearing belloved thevoice, Whicli promised under the oah in Mamre, Ι will givethis land to thee, and to thy seed,V was cither elect Or not. But is he was not, how did he straightWay bel iuve, as it Nero naturallyl And is he was eieci, their hypothesis is done aWay With, in much as even provious to the comingof the Lord an election was found, and that faved : For it was rechoned to him for righteousness. y For is any one, solio ing Marcion, should dare to say that the Creator Aημιου γόν) saved tho man that belleved on him, evenbosore the advent of the Lord, the election being saved withtheir oWn proper salvation); the poWer of tho good Being ill bo eclipsed; inasmuch as late only, and subsequent to the Creator spolien os by them in Worils of good omen, it madethe attempt to fave, and by his instruction, and in imitationos him. But is, boing such, the good Being saVe, accordingto them; neither is it his own that he faves, nor is it with the consent of him who formed the creation that he ossays salva
235쪽
For that investigation, Whicli accords With saith, whicli bullds,on the foundation os salth, the august knowledge of the
truth, me know to be the best. Now we know that neithorthings Whicli are clear are made subjects of investigation,
never dest ed to hecome clear, as Whether the stare are evenor odd in number; nor things convertibie; and those are so
as is What is in the womb is a living creature or not. Α fourthmode is, When, iram either fide of those, there is advancedan unans erable and irrefragabie argument. Is, then, thoground of inquirri according to est of these modes, is removed, satili is established. For Wo advanco to them theunansWerable consideration, stat it is God who spealis and comes to our help in Wriling, respecting each one of tho
us from men ' Again, some questions demand the evidence of the senses, as it Ono were to ash Whethor the fim be Warm,or the snow white; and somo admonition and rebuke, as tho
236쪽
but we must, is being formed for What is good, acquire an inclination for it. And we must possem the healthy mindwhieli is fixod on tho pursuit of the good; in ordor to whichmo havo the greatest need os divine grace, and os rightteaching, and of holy susceptibility, and of the drawing ostho Fathor to Him. For, bound in this emthly bod' apprehend the objects of sense by means of the bob; but me grasp intellectual objecta by means of the logical faces iraeli. But ii one expect to apprehend ali inings by the senses, he has salion far from the truth. Spiritualin there-
wo live, I pronounce this to bo the case. But there is amod hopo that after death I shali attain all. Τo the samo offect is what we find in Moses: No man shali me face, and livo. For it is evident that no one during thoporiod of life has boon able to apprehend God clearly. But the puro in heart shali seo God,'' When they arrive at thosnal persection. For since the foui becamo sto ense led fortite apprehension os realities, κε needed a divino teacher. Tho Saviour is sent down-a reacher and leader in the acquisition os tho good-tho secret and sacred totan of thligreat Providunco. Where, then, is the scribet whoro is
237쪽
oWn Ves, and disputatious. Excellently thoresore Jeremiali says, Thus salth the Lord, Stand in the ways, and ash sorthe eternat patiis, What is the good way, and Walli in it, and yeshali find expiation sor your fouis. ' Ash, he says, and inquire of those Who know, without contention and dispute. Andon learning the way of truth, let us walh on the right way, without turning tili mo attain to what me destro. It was thereiore with reason that the Ling of the Romans his namevas Numa , being a Pythagorean, first of ali men, erected a templo to Falth and Peace. - Αnd to Abraham, on belleving,
philosophy of aerial phenomena, and the sublime philosophyos the movemenis in tho heavens, Was called Abram, Whichis interproted - sublime fallier. ρ But alterWards, on looking up to heaven, Whether it Was that lis saw the Son in tho Spirit, as Some eNplain, or a glorious anget, or in any other Way recognised God is be superior to the creation, and all
i 1 Cor. i. 20. 3 1 Cor. i. 19. Jer. vi. 36. M Rom. iv. 3, 6, 9, 22. Philo Judaeus, De Abrahame, p. 413, vol. ii. Bolin.
238쪽
sian. For lio, having derived his knowle o hom the barbarian philosophy, is acquainted with the purification is fies of thoso who havs led bad lives, whicli the Stoics astematas callod tho Conflagration ἐκπυρωσις , in Which also theytoaeli that each will arise exactly as he was, so treatingos the resurrection; While Plato says as follows, that theearth at certain periods is purified by fire and water: Thero havo been many destructions of men in many Ways; and there stiali be very great ones by fire and water; and othera briefer by innumerabio causes.' And aster alitus ho adti: And, in truth, there is a change of thoobjecta Which revolve about earth and heaven; and in themurae of long periods there is the destruction of tho objectison earth by a great conflagration.' Then he subjoins r specting tho delugo: μ But When, again, tho gods delum theearili is purisy it Wissi mater, those on the mountains, hees men and shepherds, are saved; those in your cities are in eddown by tho Hvers into the sea.' And we inowed in thesrat Miscellany that tho philosophers of the Greelis ars callodihioves, in much as they have taken Without achno ledyment their principat domas from Moses and the propheta. To which also wo shali add, that tho angels who had obtainedihe superior rank, having sunk into pleasures, tesd to the momen the secreta Which had come in their knowl go; .hilotho rest of the angeis concealed them, or rather, hept them against the coming of the Lord. Thetice emanated the doctrine os providencs, and the revelation of hio things;
and prophecy haring already been imparted to the philos
phers of the Greeta, the treaiment of dogma aroso among the philosophers, somelimes true When they hit the mais, and
Sometimes erroneous, When they comprehended not the secretos the prophetic allegory. And this it is proposed briefly to
indicate in running over the potata requiring mention. Falth,
239쪽
A What is Quot may be captured, But What is neglected e capes,'
acco ing to Sophocles. o liho also says Menander the comic poet:
But me ought to direct the visual faculty of the fovi Mightto dis Very, and in clear aWay obstacles; and to cast clean RWay contention, and enVy, and strite, destined is peristi miser ly irom among men. For very beautifully does Timon os Phlius write :
os tho speech Whicli donios What is false, and of tho dilemma, os that whicli is concoaled, of tho Sorites, and of tho Croc dilean, of that Whicli is open, and of ambiguities and sophisms. To inquire, then, respecting God, is it tend not in state, but to discove , is saluta . For it is Writton in David, The mor eat, and shali bo filled ; and they shali praim the es that s h Him. Your heart shali livo for ever.' Forthey who Meh Him alter the true search, pressing the Lord, shali bs fissed with the gist that comes smm God, that is, knowledge. And thoir sout shali live ; for the foui is figur lively termed the heari, whita ministere lila: sor by the Son
240쪽
REsPECTING saith Wo havo adducod sufficient testimontes of writings among tho Grechs. But in order not to exceed bonnds, through eagemess to collect a Very great many also respecting hope and love, suffice it merely to say that in the to Socrates, Who prefers a good lite and death to lite itasti, thinks that we have liope of another life attor death. Also in the Phoedrus ho says, That only When in aseparate state can the foui become partaher of the wisdomwhicli is true, and surpasses human poWer; and When, havingreached tho end of hope by philosophic love, destre shall
