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will be done away with, whether tongues will cease, whether knowledge will be done away with; but faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of all is love.” But indeed the discourse on love has introduced no ordinary question for us. For that prophecy should be done away with and tongues should cease is not at all difficult; for these gifts, having served their own purpose for us for a time, will be able to do no harm to the word by ceasing; behold, then, now there is no prophecy, nor the gift of tongues, and the word of piety has not been hindered at all; but that knowledge should cease, this is the question. For having said, “Whether prophecies will be done away with, whether tongues will cease,” he added, “Whether knowledge will be done away with.” If, then, knowledge is to cease, things will progress for us not for the better, but for the worse; for without it we will completely lose even our being human. “For fear God,” he says, “and keep his commandments, for this is the whole man.” If, therefore, this is what it is to be a man, to fear God, and this comes from knowledge, and knowledge is to be done away with, as Paul says, then we will be completely destroyed, knowledge being no more, and all our affairs will be gone and we will be in no better a state than the irrational animals, but much worse. For in this we have an advantage over them, whereas in all other bodily things we are defeated by their great superiority. What then is it that Paul says and concerning what, that “Knowledge will be done away with”? He says this not about complete knowledge, but about partial knowledge, speaking of being done away with as a progression to the better, so that what is partial, being done away with, is no longer partial, but perfect. For just as the age of a child is done away with, not by the substance being destroyed, but by the age increasing and proceeding to a perfect man, so also it happens with knowledge. This small knowledge, he says, would no longer be small, having become great through what follows. This is what “is done away with” means, and this he showed us more clearly through what follows. For so that, upon hearing that it is done away with, you might not think it a complete destruction, but a certain increase and advance towards the better, having said “is done away with,” he added: “For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, then what is in part will be done away with,” so that it is no longer in part, but perfect. So its imperfection is done away with, so that it is no longer imperfect, but perfect. This "doing away with," therefore, is a fulfillment and an advance towards what is greater. And consider for me the wisdom of Paul. For he did not say, We know a part, but, “We know in part,” we possess a part of a part. Perhaps you desire to hear both how great a part we possess and how much is left over and whether we possess the greater or the lesser part. Therefore, so that you may learn that you possess the lesser part, and not simply the lesser, but the hundredth or the ten-thousandth part, listen to what follows; or rather, before I read to you the apostolic word, I will give an example that can show you, as far as is possible from an example, how much is left over and how much it is that we now possess. How great, then, is the distance between the knowledge that is to be given to us and that which is present now? As great as the distance between a perfect man and a nursing child; for so great is the superiority of the future knowledge to the present. And that this is true and that the one is so much greater than the other, let Paul himself say again. For having said, “We know in part,” and wishing to show from how great a part and that we now possess the very smallest, he added: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I did away with childish things,” comparing the present knowledge to the state of a child, and the future knowledge to that of a perfect man. And he did not say, When I was a boy—for even a twelve-year-old is called a boy—but, “When I was a child,” indicating to us one at the breast and still being nourished by milk and nursing. For that Scripture calls such a one a child, hear the psalm which says: “O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the

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καταργηθήσονται, εἴτε γλῶσσαι παύσονται, εἴτε γνῶσις καταργηθήσεται· μένει δὲ πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη, τὰ τρία ταῦτα· μείζων δὲ πάντων ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη.» Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ἡμῖν ξήτημα ὁ περὶ τῆς ἀγάπης ἐπεισήγαγε λόγος. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ προφητείαν καταργηθῆναι καὶ παύσασθαι γλώσσας, χαλεπὸν οὐδέν· εἰς καιρὸν γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα ταῦτα τὴν ἑαυτῶν χρείαν παρασχόντα ἡμῖν, καὶ παυσάμενα παραβλάψαι τὸν λόγον οὐδὲν δυνήσεται· ἰδοὺ γοῦν νῦν προφητεία οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ γλωσσῶν χάρισμα, καὶ ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐδὲν ἐνεποδίσθη λόγος· τὸ δὲ γνῶσιν παύσασθαι, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον. Εἰπὼν γάρ· «Εἴτε προφητεῖαι καταργηθήσονται, εἴτε γλῶσσαι παύσονται», ἐπήγαγεν· «Εἴτε γνῶσις καταργηθήσεται.» Εἰ δὴ οὖν μέλλοι ἡ γνῶσις παύεσθαι, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἡμῖν προκόψει τὰ πράγματα· ἄνευ γὰρ ταύτης καὶ τὸ εἶναι ἄνθρωποι παντελῶς ἀπολοῦμεν. «Τὸν γὰρ Θεὸν φοβοῦ, φησί, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε, ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ἄνθρωπος.» Εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτό ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεόν, τοῦτο δὲ ἀπὸ γνώσεως γίνεται, ἡ δὲ γνῶσις μέλλει καταργεῖσθαι, καθώς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος, τότε παντελῶς ἀπολούμεθα, γνώσεως οὐκ οὔσης, καὶ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς δὲ πάντα οἰχήσεται καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακεισόμεθα, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ χεῖρον. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ πλεονεκτοῦμεν αὐτῶν, ὡς τοῖς γε ἄλλοις ἅπασι τοῖς σωματικοῖς ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος αὐτοῖς νικώμεθα. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὅ φησιν ὁ Παῦλος καὶ περὶ τίνος ὅτι «Ἡ γνῶσις καταργηθήσεται»; Οὐ περὶ τῆς παντελοῦς, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς μερικῆς τοῦτό φησι, κατάργησιν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον πρόοδον λέγων, ὡς τὴν μερικὴν καταργουμένην μηκέτι εἶναι μερικήν, ἀλλὰ τελείαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ ἡλικία τοῦ παιδίου καταργεῖται, οὐκ ἀφανιζομένης τῆς οὐσίας, ἀλλ' αὐξανομένης τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον ἐκβαινούσης, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γνώσεως γίνεται. Ἡ μικρά, φησίν, αὕτη οὐκέτι ἂν εἴη μικρά, διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς γενομένη μεγάλη. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ «καταργεῖται» καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς σαφέστερον ἡμῖν ἐδήλωσεν. Ἵνα γὰρ ἀκούσας ὅτι καταργεῖται, μὴ κατάλυσιν παντελῆ νομίσῃς εἶναι, ἀλλ' αὔξησίν τινα καὶ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον ἐπίδοσιν, εἰπὼν «καταργεῖται», ἐπήγαγεν· «Ἐκ μέρους γὰρ γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τότε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται», ὡς μηκέτι εἶναι αὐτὸ ἐκ μέρους, ἀλλὰ τέλειον. Ὥστε τὸ ἀτελὲς αὐτοῦ καταργεῖται, ὡς μηκέτι εἶναι ἀτελές, ἀλλὰ τέλειον. Ἡ τοίνυν κατάργησις αὕτη πλήρωσίς ἐστι καὶ πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἐπίδοσις. Καὶ σκόπει μοι τὴν Παύλου σύνεσιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε· Μέρος γινώσκομεν, ἀλλά· «Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν», τοῦ μέρους μέρος κατέχομεν. Τάχα ἐπιθυμεῖτε ἀκοῦσαι καὶ πόσον μέρος κατέχομεν καὶ πόσον ὑπολέλειπται καὶ πότερον τὸ πλέον ἢ τὸ ἔλαττον κατέχομεν. Οὐκοῦν ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τὸ ἔλαττον κατέχεις, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὸ ἔλαττον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἑκατοστὸν ἢ τὸ μυριοστόν, ἄκουσον τῶν ἑξῆς· μᾶλλον δὲ πρὶν ἢ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ὑμῖν ἀναγνῶναι φωνήν, ὑπόδειγμα ἐρῶ δυνάμενον ὑμῖν παραστῆσαι, ὡς ἐξ ὑποδείγματος δυνατόν, πόσον ὑπολέλειπται καὶ πόσον ἐστὶν ὃ κατέχομεν νῦν. Πόσον τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὸ μέσον τῆς μελλούσης ἡμῖν δοθήσεσθαι γνώσεως καὶ τῆς παρούσης νῦν; Ὅσον ἀνδρὸς τελείου πρὸς παῖδα θηλάζοντα τὸ μέσον· τοσαύτη γὰρ τῆς μελλούσης γνώσεως πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν ἡ ὑπεροχή. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐκείνη μείζων ταύτης ἐστίν, αὐτὸς λεγέτω πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος. Εἰπὼν γάρ· «Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν» καὶ βουλόμενος δεῖξαι ἐκ πόσου μέρους καὶ ὅτι τὸ βραχύτατον νῦν κατέχομεν, ἐπήγαγεν· «Ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ὡς νήπιος ἐλάλουν, ὡς νήπιος ἐφρόνουν, ὡς νήπιος ἐλογιζόμην· ὅτε δὲ γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου», νηπίου μὲν ἕξει τὴν παροῦσαν γνῶσιν, ἀνδρὸς δὲ τελείου τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν μέλλουσαν παραβάλλων. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν· Ὅτε ἤμην παῖς παῖς γὰρ καὶ ὁ δωδεκαέτης λέγεται, ἀλλά· «Ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος», τὸν ὑπομάζιον καὶ ἔτι γαλακτοτροφούμενον καὶ θηλάζοντα ἡμῖν ἐμφαίνων. Ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτον ἡ Γραφή φησι νήπιον, ἄκουσον τοῦ ψαλμοῦ λέγοντος· «Κύριε ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ