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GREGORY PALAMAS'S TOME II

FOR THE HESYCHASTS. (p. 56)

FIRST QUESTION Since I have heard some people saying that it is necessary to pursue secular wisdom, and that the

monks, as without it, it is not possible to be delivered from ignorance and false opinions, even if one should attain the height of dispassion, nor to lay hold of perfection and holiness, unless he gathers knowledge from all sources, and especially from Greek learning, for this too is a gift of God, in the same way as the things given through revelation to the prophets and apostles, and through it knowledge of existing things is added to the soul, and it adorns the cognitive faculty, which is superior to all the powers of the soul, and it banishes every other evil from the soul, for every passion is born of and strengthened by ignorance, but it also guides man to the knowledge of God; for it is not otherwise possible to know God, except through his creatures. Since I heard them saying these things, I was not in the least persuaded, since my little experience in the monastic life has shown me quite the contrary, but I was not able to answer them, since they also state a certain higher argument, such as: "we do not simply investigate the mysteries of nature and measure the circle of the heavens and search out the opposing movements of the stars, their conjunctions and distances and risings and hunt for the consequences resulting from them and think highly of ourselves for these things, but because the principles of these things are in the divine and first and creative mind, and of the principles in that (p. 58) mind, the images are in our soul. Therefore, we hasten to come to the knowledge of these things and by divisive and syllogistic and analytic methods to free ourselves from the forms of ignorance and thus in likeness, both living and after death, to be of the one who made us." Since, therefore, I considered myself not capable of refuting these things, having been silent before them then, I now ask from you, father, to be taught the arguments for the truth, so that I may be ready, according to the apostle, "to give an account for the hope that is in us."

FIRST RESPONSE

A DISCOURSE IN DEFENSE OF THE SACRED HESYCHASTS

IN WHAT WAY AND TO WHAT EXTENT IT IS PROFITABLE

TO BE OCCUPIED WITH DISCOURSES. (p. 60) Brother, "it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace," to speak apostolically; but by a word

how could one show the good that is beyond words? Therefore, for this too you must give thanks to God who has given such grace, which to those who think they know everything through an abundance of wisdom does not even enter their mind, And even if you cannot argue against them, although knowing that they do not attain to the truth, you should not be troubled. For you, having been persuaded by deed, will be in every way and altogether established for ever and unshakeable, having a permanent foundation of truth within yourself. But those who by rational

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ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΛΑΜΑ ΤΟΜΟΣ Β'

ΥΠΕΡ ΗΣΥΧΑΖΟΝΤΩΝ. (Σελ. 56)

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΠΡΩΤΗ Ἐπειδή τινων ἤκουσα λεγόντων δεῖν μεταδιώκειν τήν ἔξω σοφίαν καί τούς

μονάζοντας, ὡς ἄνευ ταύτης οὐκ ἐνόν ἀγνοίας καί ψευδῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι δοξασμάτων, κἄν εἰς ἀπάθειαν ἀφίκηταί τις ἄκραν, οὐδέ τελειότητός τε καί ἁγιότητος ἐπιλαβέσθαι, εἰ μή πανταχόθεν τό εἰδέναι συλλέξει, μάλιστα δέ τῆς καθ᾿ Ἕλληνας παιδείας, θεοῦ γάρ καί αὕτη δῶρον τῶν προφήταις καί ἀποστόλοις δι᾿ ἀποκαλύψεως δεδομένων ὁμοίως, καί γνῶσις δι᾿ αὐτῆς τῶν ὄντων τῇ ψυχῇ προσγίνεται καί τό γνωστικόν κρεῖττον ὄν ἁπασῶν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεων κοσμεῖ, πᾶσάν τε ἄλλην κακίαν ἐξορίζει τῆς ψυχῆς, καί γάρ πᾶν πάθος ἐξ ἀγνοίας φύεταί τε καί κρατύνεται, ἀλλά καί εἰς τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ποδηγεῖ τόν ἄνθρωπον˙ ἄλλως γάρ οὐκ ἔνι γνῶναι τόν Θεόν, εἰ μή διά τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων ἐπειδή ταῦτ᾿ ἤκουσα λεγόντων, ἥκιστα μέν ἐπείσθην, τῆς μικρᾶς ἐν τῇ μοναχικῇ πολιτείᾳ μοι πείρας πᾶν τοὐναντίον προδειξάσης, ἀπολογήσασθαι δέ πρός αὐτούς οὐκ ἠδυνήθην, ἐπεί καί λόγον ὑψηλότερόν τινά φασιν, ὡς «οὐχ ἁπλῶς τῆς τε φύσεως πολυπραγμονοῦμεν τά μυστήρια καί τόν οὐρανοῦ καταμετροῦμεν κύκλον καί τάς ἀντιτεταγμένας τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεις ἐρευνώμεθα, συνόδους τε καί ἀποστάσεις καί ἐπιτολάς τάς τούτων καί τά ἐκ τούτων συμβαίνοντα θηρώμεθα καί μέγα φρονοῦμεν ἐπί τούτοις, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπεί τούτων μέν οἱ λόγοι ἐν τῷ θείῳ καί πρώτῳ καί δημιουργικῷ νῷ, τῶν δ᾿ ἐν ἐκείνῳ (σελ. 58) λόγων αἱ εἰκόνες ἔνεισι τῇ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ψυχῇ˙ τούτων οὖν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει σπεύδομεν γενέσθαι καί διαιρετικαῖς καί συλλογιστικαῖς καί ἀναλυτικαῖς μεθόδοις τῶν τῆς ἀγνοίας ἑαυτούς τύπων ἀπαλλάξαι καί οὕτω καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν, ζῶντές τε καί μετά θάνατον, εἶναι τοῦ ποιήσαντος». Ἐπεί οὖν πρός ταῦτα οὐχ ἱκανός εἶναι ἀντιπεῖν ἐνόμισα, σιωπήσας πρός ἐκείνους τότε, παρά σοῦ νῦν ἀξιῶ, πάτερ, διδαχθῆναι τούς ὑπέρ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγους, ὡς ἕτοιμος γενοίμην κατά τόν ἀπόστολον «λόγον διδόναι περί τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν ἐλπίδος».

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ ΠΡΩΤΗ

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΙΕΡΩΣ ΗΣΥΧΑΖΟΝΤΩΝ

ΚΑΤΑ ΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΧΡΙ ΤΙΝΟΣ ΛΥΣΙΤΕΛΗΣ

Η ΠΕΡΙ ΛΟΓΟΥΣ ΤΡΙΒΗ. (Σελ. 60) Ἀδελφέ, «καλόν χάριτι βεβαιοῦσθαι τήν καρδίαν», ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν˙ λόγῳ δέ

πῶς ἄν ἐνδείξατό τις τό ὑπέρ λόγον ἀγαθόν; Χρή τοίνυν καί κατά τοῦτό σε χάριτας ὁμολογεῖν Θεῷ χάριν παρασχόντι τοιαύτην, ἥ τοῖς τά πάντα οἰομένοις εἰδέναι περιουσίᾳ σοφίας οὐδ᾿ ἐπί νοῦν ἔρχεται, Κἄν μή τούτοις ἀντιλέγειν ἔχῃς, καίτοι τῆς ἀληθείας μή καταστοχαζομένους εἰδώς, δυσχεραίνειν οὐ δεῖ. Σύ μέν γάρ ἔργῳ πεπεισμένος, πάντῃ τε καί πάντως εἰς τό διηνεκές ἐστηριγμένος ἔσῃ καί ἀπερίτρεπτος, μόνιμον ἔχων παρά σεαυτῷ τήν τῆς ἀληθείας ἵδρυσιν. Οἱ δέ λογικαῖς