Gregory of Nazianzus, Apologetic Works

an abyss covers, where darkness is a hiding place, though He is the purest light and inaccessible to the many; who is in this universe, and is outside of the universe; who is all that is beautiful, and above all that is beautiful; who illuminates the mind, and escapes the mind's speed and height, always withdrawing by as much as He is apprehended, and by His flight drawing upwards the one who loves Him, and by, as it were, being grasped, eluding him.

77. So great and of such a kind is that which is desired and sought by us; and of such a kind must be the bridesman and wooer of souls. But for my part, I am afraid that I might be cast outside the bride-chamber, bound hand and foot, as one not wearing a wedding garment, but having rashly thrust myself in among those reclining there. And yet I was called from my youth—to say something unknown to the many—and I was cast upon Him from the womb, and was given as a gift from a mother's promise, and after this I was confirmed by dangers. And my desire grew with me, and my reason ran with it, and I brought and gave everything to Him who had chosen and saved me: possessions, renown, well-being, even my very words, from which I have enjoyed only this: to have despised and to have possessed those things for which I preferred Christ. And the oracles of God were sweet to me, as honey from the comb; and I called upon understanding, and to wisdom I gave my voice. And these other things too: to measure my anger, and to bridle my tongue, and to chasten my eye, and to discipline my stomach, and to trample on the glory that remains below. I speak as a fool, but it shall be said nonetheless; in these things, perhaps I was not worse than many.

78. But to philosophize on this is beyond our 35.485 capacity: to accept the leadership and governance of souls, we who have not yet learned even to be well-shepherded, nor purified our souls as is worthy, and then to be entrusted with the oversight of a flock. And this in such times, in which it is a blessing, seeing others tossed up and down and troubled, to have fled with speed from their midst, having withdrawn under shelter, to escape the evil one's storm and dizziness; at a time when the members war with one another, and love is gone, if indeed any remnant of it existed, and the priest is otherwise an empty name, since contempt has been poured out upon rulers, as has been said.

79. And would that it were empty; but now, may the blasphemy turn upon the heads of the godless. For all fear has been banished from souls; and shamelessness has been brought in instead; knowledge belongs to whoever wants it, and the depths of the Spirit; and we are all pious from this one thing only: from condemning the impiety of others. We use godless men as judges, and we throw what is holy to the dogs, and cast pearls before swine, publishing divine things to profane ears and souls. And we wretches diligently fulfill the prayers of our enemies, and committing fornication in our practices, we are not ashamed. Moabites and Ammonites, who were not even permitted to enter the Church of the Lord, now tread upon our holiest things. And we have opened to all, not the gates of righteousness, but the doors of slander and of insolence against one another; and he is the best among us, not who utters no idle word for fear of God, but who has managed to speak the most ill of his neighbor, either openly or in riddles; twisting toil and trouble under his tongue, or, to speak more fittingly, the venom of asps.

80. We watch for one another's sins, not to mourn over them, but to reproach them; not to heal, but to wound further, and to have the wounds of our neighbors as an excuse for our own evils. It is not character, but dissension and friendship that mark men as evil or good; and what we 35.488 praise today, we revile tomorrow; and what is denounced among others is admired among us; and all things are readily forgiven for the sake of impiety. So magnanimous are we in wickedness!

ἄβυσσος κα λύπτει, οὗ σκότος ἀποκρυφὴ, φωτὸς ὄντος τοῦ κα θαρωτάτου καὶ ἀπροσίτου τοῖς πλείοσιν· ὃς ἐν τῷ παντὶ τῷδε, καὶ τοῦ παντός ἐστιν ἔξω· ὃς καλόν ἐστιν ἅπαν, καὶ ἄνω παντὸς καλοῦ· ὃς νοῦν φωτίζει, καὶ διαφεύγει νοῦ τάχος καὶ ὕψος, ὑπο χωρῶν ἀεὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον καταλαμβάνεται, καὶ ὑπ άγων πρὸς τὰ ἄνω τὸν ἐραστὴν τῷ φεύγειν, καὶ τῷ οἷον κρατούμενος κλέπτεσθαι.

ΟΖʹ. Τοσοῦτον μὲν δὴ καὶ τοιοῦτον ἡμῖν τὸ ποθού μενον καὶ σπουδαζόμενον· τοιοῦτον δὲ εἶναι χρὴ τὸν νυμφαγωγὸν τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ προμνήστορα. Ἔμοιγε μὴν δέος, μὴ καὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἔξω ῥιφῶ δε θεὶς χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, ὡς οὐκ ἐνδεδυμένος ἔνδυμα γάμου, ἀλλὰ τολμηρῶς παρενείρας ἐμαυτὸν τοῖς ἐκεῖσε ἀνακειμένοις· καίτοι προσεκλήθην μὲν ἐκ νεότητος, ἵν' εἴπω τι τῶν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀγνοου μένων, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐπεῤῥίφην ἐκ μήτρας, καὶ ἐδόθην δοτὸς ἐκ μητρικῆς ὑποσχέσεως, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τοῖς κινδύνοις ἐβεβαιώθην· καὶ ὁ πόθος συνηυξήθη, καὶ ὁ λογισμὸς συνέδραμε, καὶ πάντα ἔδωκα φέρων τῷ λαχόντι καὶ σώσαντι, κτῆσιν, πε ριφάνειαν, εὐεξίαν, τοὺς λόγους αὐτοὺς, ὧν τοῦτο ἀπήλαυσα μόνον, τὸ παριδεῖν καὶ ἐσχη κέναι ὧν Χριστὸν προετίμησα. Καὶ ἡδύνθη μοι τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγια, ὡς κηρία μέλιτος· καὶ τὴν σύν εσιν ἐπεκαλεσάμην, καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ ἔδωκα φωνήν μου. Καὶ τἄλλα δὴ ταῦτα, οἷον θυμὸν μετρῆσαι, καὶ γλῶσσαν χαλινῶσαι, καὶ ὀφθαλμὸν σωφρονίσαι, καὶ γαστέρα παιδαγωγῆσαι, καὶ δόξαν πατῆσαι τὴν κάτω μένουσαν. Παραφρονῶν λέγω, ἀλλ' οὖν εἰρήσεται· ταῦτα μὲν οὐ τῶν πολλῶν ἴσως ἐγενόμην φαυλότερος.

ΟΗʹ. Τοῦτο δὲ φιλοσοφῆσαι κρεῖττον ἢ καθ' 35.485 ἡμᾶς, δέξασθαι ψυχῶν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ προστασίαν, καὶ μήπω μηδὲ ποιμαίνεσθαι καλῶς μαθόντας ἡμᾶς, μηδὲ καθαρθέντας τὴν ψυχὴν ὅσον ἄξιον, ἔπειτα ποίμνης ἐπιστατεῖν πιστευθῆναι· καὶ ταῦτα ἐν και ροῖς τοιούτοις, ἐν οἷς ἀγαπητὸν ὁρῶντα τοὺς ἄλλους ἄνω καὶ κάτω στρεφομένους τε καὶ ταρασσομέ νους, φυγόντα φυγῇ ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, ὑπὸ σκέπην ἀναχωρήσαντα, λαθεῖν τοῦ πονηροῦ τὴν ζάλην καὶ τὴν σκοτόμαιναν· ἡνίκα πολεμεῖ μὲν ἀλλήλοις τὰ μέλη, οἴχεται δὲ τῆς ἀγάπης, εἰ καί τι ἦν λείψα νον, ὄνομα δὲ κενὸν ἄλλως ὁ ἱερεὺς, ἐκχυθείσης ἐπ' ἄρχοντας ἐξουδενώσεως, ὥσπερ εἴρηται.

ΟΘʹ. Καὶ εἴθε κενόν· νυνὶ δὲ τρέποιτο εἰς κεφαλὰς ἀθέων ἡ βλασφημία. Φόβος δὲ ἅπας ἐξώρισται τῶν ψυχῶν· ἀντεισῆκται δὲ ἀναίδεια· τοῦ βουλομένου δὲ ἡ γνῶσις, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ Πνεύματος· πάντες δέ ἐσμεν εὐσεβεῖς ἐξ ἑνὸς μόνου τοῦ καταγινώσκειν ἄλλων ἀσέβειαν. Χρώμεθα δὲ δικασταῖς τοῖς ἀθέοις, καὶ ῥιπτοῦ μεν τὰ ἅγια τοῖς κυσὶ, καὶ βάλλομεν τοὺς μαργα ρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων, βεβήλοις ἀκοαῖς καὶ ψυχαῖς τὰ θεῖα δημοσιεύοντες· καὶ τὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὐχὰς ἐπιμελῶς ἐκπληροῦμεν οἱ δείλαιοι, καὶ πορ νεύοντες ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἡμῶν οὐκ αἰσχυνό μεθα. Μωαβῖται δὲ καὶ Ἀμμανῖται, οἷς οὐδ' ἐξῆν παριέναι εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν Κυρίου, τοῖς ἁγιωτάτοις ἡμῶν ἐμβατεύουσιν. Ἠνοίξαμεν δὲ πᾶσιν οὐ πύλας δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλὰ θύρας λοιδορίας τε καὶ τῆς κατ' ἀλλήλων θρασύτητος· καὶ οὗτος ἄριστος ἡμῖν, οὐχ ὃς ἂν μηδὲ ῥῆμα πρόηται ἀργὸν φόβῳ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ὃς ἂν τύχῃ πλεῖστα τὸν πλησίον εἰπὼν κακῶς, ἢ διαῤῥήδην, ἢ ἐν αἰνίγμασι· καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ στρέφων κόπον καὶ πόνον, ἢ ἰὸν ἀσπίδων, εἰπεῖν οἰκειότερον.

Πʹ. Τηροῦμεν δὲ τὰς ἀλλήλων ἁμαρτίας, οὐχ ἵνα θρηνήσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὀνειδίσωμεν· οὐδ' ἵνα θεραπεύ σωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα προσπλήξωμεν, καὶ ἀπολογίαν ἔχωμεν τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν τὰ τῶν πλησίον τραύματα. Κακοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀγαθοὺς οὐχ ὁ τρόπος, ἀλλ' ἡ διάστασις καὶ ἡ φιλία χαρακτηρίζει· καὶ ἃ σή 35.488 μερον ἐπαινοῦμεν, αὔριον ἐκακίσαμεν· καὶ ἃ παρ' ἄλλοις στηλιτεύεται, παρ' ἡμῖν θαυμάζεται· καὶ πάντα συγχωρεῖται προθύμως τῷ ἀσεβεῖν. Οὕτω τὴν κακίαν ἐσμὲν μεγαλόψυχοι!