장음표시 사용
351쪽
tho seed of Abraham, and besides servants of God, are thecalled and the fons os Jacob aro the elect-they Who have
And is, too, the end of the wiso man is contemplation, thatos those Who are stili philosophers aims at ii, but never attainsit, uniess by the process of learning it receives the propheticulterance Whieli has been made known, by Whicli it grasps both the present, the future, and tho past-ho they are, Were, and inali bo. And tho gnosis iraeli is that which has descended by transmission to a seW, having been imparted unWritten by the apostles. Hence, then, knowledge or Wisdom ought to beexercised up to the eternat and unchangeabis habit oi contemplation.
Fon Paul too, in the episties, plainly does not disparage philosophy; but deems it unworthy of the man who has attained to the elevation os the Gnostic, any more to go bach to the Hellonic philosophy,'' figurativoly calling it tho
352쪽
aster tho tradition os men, aster tho rudiments of this morid, and not aster Christ,'' y-enticing them again is retum tophilosophy, the elementam doctrine. And should Ono say that it was throuo human unde
standing that philosophy Was discoored by the Greeis, stillI find the Scriptures saying that underetanding is sent is
The absence of respect os persons in God is not then intime, but from eterni . Nor had His beneficenco a begi ning ; nor any more is it limited to places or persons. ForΗis boneficonco is not confined in paris. μ open ye the gales
354쪽
Philosophy is not then salse, though the thies and tho liarspeah truth, through a transformation os operation. Nor is sentence of condemnation to be pronounced ignorantly against what is sald, on account of him who says it which also is tobo hept in vie , in the case of those Who are noW alleged
Anil in generat terms, Wo shali not orr in alleging that allthings necessary and profitable sor life came to us from God, and that philosophy more especialty Was given to the Greelis,as a covenant peculiar to them-being, as it is, a steppinystone to the philosophy whicli is according to Christ-althoughthose Who applied themselves to the philosophy of the Greelis shut their eam voluntarily to the truth, despising the voiceos Barbarians, or also dreading the danger suspended overtho bellever, by the laWs of the state. And as in the Barbarian philosophy, sο also in tho Hellenic, tares Were sown ' by the proper husbandman of the lares; whence also herestes greW up among us along With the productivo wheat; and thoso Who in tho Hellenic philosophy preachthe impie and voluptuo nem os Epicurus, and Whateverother tenera are disseminated contrary to right reason, existamong the Greelis as spurious fruits of the divinely bostowedhusbandry. This voluptuous and selfisti philosophy thoaposito calis the wisdom os this World; V in consequence of iis leaehing the things of this Worid and about it alone, and iis
consequent subjection, as far as respecis ascendan , to those
who rule horo. Wherelare also this fragmentary philosophyis very elementary, While truly persect scienco deals with
355쪽
worid, and with the objecis stili more spiritual than inoso which ve saW not, and ear heard not, nor did it enter intotho heart of men,' tili the Teacher told the account of themto us; unvelling the holy os holies; and in ascending order, things stili holier than these, to those Who are truly and notspuriousty heirs of the Lord's adoption. For Wo noW dare avor for horo is the faith that is characteriged by knowledgo ') that sueti an ono knows ali things, and comprehendsali things in tho exercise of suro apprehension, respectingmatters dissiculi for us, and reatly pertaining to the true gnosis,' such as were James, Peter, Jolin, Paul, and the rest
pulse. And impulse is found to bo a movement aster anassent. For he who has an impulse toWariis an action, siret receives the knowledge of the action, and secondiy tho impulso. Let us surther devote our attention to this. Forsinoe learning is older than action ; sor natur ly, ho Whodoes What he wishes in do learns it first; and knowlodgo comes hom learning, and impulse solio s knowledge; after Whicli comes action;) knowledge turns out the beginning and author os ali rationat action. So that rightly the peculiarnature of the rational sout is characteriaed by this alone;
tion os existences on tho part of the foui, sither of a certainthing or os certain things, and when perfected, os ali together. Although some say that tho wiso man is persuadod that thereare some things incomprehensibie, in such Wiso as to have respecting them a Lind os comprehension, inasmuch as he
356쪽
comprehends that things incomprehensibio aro incomprehensibie ; whicli is common, and pertains to those Who arecap te of perceiving littio. For such a man amrms that there are some things incomprehensibie. But that Gnostic os whom I smah, himself comprehendsWhat Mems to be incomprehensibis in others; belleving that nothing is incomprehensibie in tho Son of God, Whence nothingincap te os Ming taught. For Ho who sufferod out of His love for us, Would have suppressed no element of knowledgo requisite ior Our instruction. Accordingly this faith M- comes sum demonstration ; since truth follows What has been dolivered by God. But is one destres extensive lino ledge, ho knows things ancient, and conjectures things future; ho understands knotly svings, and tho solutions of enigmas. Tho disciple of Wisdom foreknows signa and omens, and theisines of Aeasons and of times.' λ
357쪽
and thereiore hates nono of God's creatures. No more doeshe enuy; for nothing is manting to him, that is requisituto assimilation, in order that he may be excellent and good. Nor does he consequently love any one With this common affection, but loves the Creator in the creatures. NOr, ConSequently, does he fali into any destre and eagemesa; nor doeshe want, as sar as respecta his foui, aught appertaining toothera, nOW that he associales through love with the Belovedone, to Whom he is allied by freo choice, and by the habit hich resulis troin training, approaches closer to Him, and is blessed through tho abundance of good things. So that on these accounts lis is compelled in bocome liko his Teacher in impassibili . For tho Word of God is intellectuat, according as the image of mind is seen in in manatone. Thus also the good man is godliko in form and sem-blanco as respecta his foui. And, on the other hand, God is lilio man. For the distinctive so of each ono is the mindby Whicli me are characteriged. Consequently, also, those Who sin against man are unlioly and impious. For it mereridiculous to say that the gnostic and perfeci man must noteradicate anger and courage, inasmuch as mithout these hoWill not strumlo against circumstances, or abide What is
358쪽
overWhelmed by troubles, and thorosore depari from this liso very basely. Unless possessed os it, as some suppose, hewill not conceive a destre for What is like the excellent and the good. Is, then, ali alliance With What is good is accompaniod With destre, hom it is said, does he rem ain impassibio Who destres What is excellent ΤBut these peopte know nοt, as appears, the divinit of love. For love is not destre on the part of him Who loves ;hut is a relation os affection, restoring the Gnostic to tho
destrod. Accordingly, as to be expected, he continues in the exercise os gnostic love, in the one unVarying state.
We must theresore rescue tho gnostic and perfeci mansrom ali passion os the foui. For knowledge gnosis) produces praetice, and practice habit or disposition ; and such a stateas this produces impassibility, not moderation os passion. And tho complete eradication os destre reaps as iis fruit impassibili . But the Gnostic does not share either in those affections that are commonly celebrated as Mod, that is, thegood things of the affections whicli are allied to the passions:
359쪽
himseli irem lise. For that is not permitted to him. But he
as require sel&restraint in or ter to their control, is charac
pleasures or fears, and bo occupied in the repression of thopassions. For I Venture to assert, that as he is predestinated
through what ho shali do, and What he shali obtain, so also has he prodestinated himself by reason of What he knowand whom ho lovod; not having the future indistinci, asilis multitude live, conjecturing it, but having masped by gnostic faith What is hidden from ostera. Αnd through love, the sutum is sor him atroady present. For hs has bolisivsed, throuo prophecy and the advent, on God who lies not. And what he belloves he possesses, and heeps hold of the promise. And Ho who hath promised is truth. And throuo thotrust orthinem os Him .ho has promised, he has firmiy laidhold of tho end of tho promise by knowledge. And he, Whοknows the fure comprehension of the future whicli thero is
360쪽
in the circumstances, in Which ho is placed, is love Mes tomeet the sutura. So he, that is persuaded that he will oblata the things that are reatly good, Will not Way to obtain What is here, but that he may Hways eling to tho fiath which hiis thomain and succeeds. And besides, he Will pray that as manyas possibis may become like him, to the ψοπ of God, whieliis periected through knowledge. For he who is mado liketho Saviour is also devoted in saring ; performing unerringlythe commandments as sar as tho human nature may admit
assume firmn s and consistency in the mutabis. But the mling faculty being in perpetuat change, and thereiore unstabis,
the force of habiti is not maintained. For hoW can he whois perpetuatly changed by externat occurrences and accident ever possem habit and disposition, and in a Word, Masp Oi scien
regard the virtves as habiis, dispositions, and sciences. And asknowledge gnosis) is not bom with men, but is acquired,' and the acquiring of it in iis elementa demands application, and training, and progress; and thon iram incessant practice it passes into a habit; so, When perfected in the mystic habit, it abides, being insaltibio through lovo. For not only has heapprehended the firat Cause, and the Cause produced by it, andis sure about them, possessing firmiy firm and irrefragableand immoveable reasons; but also respecting What is mod and What is erit, and respocting ali production, and to speis comprehensivel' respecting ali about whicli tho Lord has spolien, he has leam , from tho tith uself, tho most exact truthhom the foundation of the worid in the end. Not preserringto the truth itself what appears plausibis, or, according to Hellenis Nasoning, necessary; but What has been spolien is