Gregory of Nyssa, Eight Orations on the Beatitudes

venerable, she who is contemplated in Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit; but they were led astray to absurd suspicions, suspecting such a thing in creation; and for this reason the slight deviation from the truth has given an entrance to impiety); so also in the case of the present thought, if we do not grasp the true meaning, our loss would not be small 44.1252 if we slip from the truth. What then is mercy, and in what is it active? And how is he blessed who receives what he gives? For blessed, he says, are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Now the obvious meaning of the saying calls man to love of one another and to sympathy, because of the inequality and unevenness of the affairs of life, since not all live in similar circumstances, neither in regard to worth, nor in regard to the constitution of the body, nor in regard to other possessions. For life is for the most part divided by opposites, rent asunder by slavery and mastery, wealth and poverty, glory and dishonor, weakness of body and good health, and all such things. So that, therefore, the needy might become equal to the one who has more, and the one who lacks might be filled up by the one who abounds, he lays down the law of mercy for men toward those who are in want. For it is not otherwise possible to set out for the healing of a neighbor's misfortune, unless mercy has softened the soul for such an impulse; for mercy is understood as the opposite of harshness. As therefore the harsh and savage man is unapproachable to those who draw near, so the sympathetic and merciful man is somehow mingled in his disposition with the one in need, becoming for that grieving person what the distressed mind seeks. And mercy is, as one might interpret it, defining it, a voluntary grief consisting in the misfortunes of others. But if we have not accurately presented its meaning; perhaps it might be explained more clearly with another definition. Mercy is a loving shared disposition for those who are suffering from certain grievous things. For just as what is harsh and beastly has its origins from hatred; so mercy somehow springs from love, and would not exist, if not from it. And if one were to examine accurately the property of mercy, he will find it to be an intensification of a loving disposition, mixed with the feeling of grief. For sharing in good things is eagerly pursued by all alike, both enemies and friends; but to wish to share in painful things is a special property only of those who are held by love. But indeed, love is acknowledged to be the best of all things practiced in this life. But mercy is an intensification of love. Therefore he is truly blessed who has his soul in such a disposition, as one who attains to the highest point of virtue; and let no one see virtue in material things alone; for in this way such a thing would not be an accomplishment at all, except for one having some power for doing good; but it seems to me more just to see such a thing in the will. For he who has only willed the good, but was prevented from the noble deed by not being able, is in no way inferior in the disposition of his soul to the one who showed his intention through works. 44.1253 What great profit there is then for life, if one understands the meaning of the beatitude in this way, it would be superfluous to recount, since the things accomplished for life from this counsel are evident even to mere infants. For if, hypothetically, such a relation of the soul toward the less fortunate came to be for all, there would no longer be the superior and the less fortunate; life will no longer be divided according to opposite names; poverty will not distress man; slavery will not humiliate; dishonor will not grieve; for all things will be common to all; and equality of rights and freedom of speech will be the constitution of human life; with the citizen willingly making himself equal to the one who lacks. And if this should happen, there would no longer be any pretext for enmity left; envy would be idle; hatred dead; malice banished, falsehood, deceit, war; (all of which are offspring of the desire for more.) And with that unsympathetic disposition banished, the shoots of wickedness are by all means cast out together with it, as with some evil root. But the

σεβάσμιος, ἡ ἐν Πατρὶ, καὶ Υἱῷ, καὶ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι θεωρουμένη· οἱ δὲ πρὸς ἀτόπους ὑπονοίας ἐπλανήθησαν, ἐν τῇ κτίσει τοιοῦτον ὑπονοοῦντες· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡ ἐν ὀλίγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας παρατροπὴ, τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ τὴν πάροδον δέ δωκεν)· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ προκειμένου νοήματος, εἰ μὴ καταλάβοιμεν τὴν ἀληθῆ διάνοιαν, οὐκ ἐν ὀλίγῳ 44.1252 γένοιτο ἂν ἡμῖν ἡ ζημία τῆς ἀληθείας παρασφαλεῖ σιν. Τί τοίνυν ἐστὶν ὁ ἔλεος, καὶ περὶ τί ἐνεργούμενος; Καὶ πῶς μακάριος ὁ ἀντιλαμβάνων, ὃ δίδωσιν; Μα κάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεη θήσονται. Ἡ μὲν οὖν πρόχειρος τοῦ ῥητοῦ διάνοια, πρὸς τὸ φιλάλληλόν τε καὶ συμπαθὲς προσκαλεῖται τὸν ἄνθρωπον, διὰ τὸ ἄνισόν τε καὶ ἀνώμαλον τῶν τοῦ βίου πραγμάτων οὐ πάντων ἐν τοῖς ὁμοίοις βιο τευόντων, οὔτε κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν, οὔτε κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος κατασκευὴν, οὔτε κατὰ τὴν λοιπὴν περιου σίαν. Μεμέρισται γὰρ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ὁ βίος, δουλείᾳ καὶ κυριότητι, πλούτῳ καὶ πενίᾳ, δόξῃ καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ, σαθρότητι σώματος καὶ εὐεξίᾳ, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τοιούτοις διασχιζόμενος. Ὡς ἂν οὖν εἰς ἴσον ἔλ θοι τῷ πλεονεκτοῦντι τὸ ὑστερούμενον, καὶ ἀναπλη ρωθείη τὸ λειπόμενον τῷ περισσεύοντι, νομοθετεῖ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπὶ τῶν καταδεεστέρων τὸ ἔλεον. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἄλλως πρὸς θεραπείαν τῆς συμφορᾶς τοῦ πέλας ὁρμῆσαι, μὴ ἐλέου τὴν ψυχὴν πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ὁρ μὴν ἐκμαλάξαντος· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ ἐναντίου τῇ ἀπηνείᾳ νοεῖται ὁ ἔλεος. Ὡς οὖν ὁ ἀπηνής τε καὶ ἄγριος, ἀπροσ πέλαστός ἐστι τοῖς ἐγγίζουσιν οὕτως ὁ συμπαθής τε καὶ ἐλεήμων, κατακιρνᾶταί πως τῇ διαθέσει πρὸς τὸ δεόμενον, ἐκείνῳ τῷ λυπουμένῳ γενόμενος, ὃ ἐπι ζητεῖ ἡ ἀνιωμένη διάνοια. Καὶ ἔστιν ὁ ἔλεος, ὡς ἄν τις ὅρῳ περιλαβὼν ἑρμηνεύσειεν, ἑκούσιος λύπη ἐπ' ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς συνισταμένη. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀκριβῶς τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ παρεστήσα μεν· τάχα ἄν ἄλλῳ λόγῳ διερμηνευθείη σαφέστερον. Ἔλεός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῶν δυσφορούντων ἐπί τισιν ἀνιαροῖς ἀγαπητικὴ συνδιάθεσις. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἀπηνές τε καὶ θηριῶδες, ἀπὸ τοῦ μίσους τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἔχει· οὕτως ἐκφύεταί πως τῆς ἀγάπης ὁ ἔλεος, οὐκ ἂν γενό μενος, εἰ μὴ ἐκ ταύτης. Καὶ εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετά σειε τὸ τοῦ ἐλέου ἰδίωμα, ἐπίτασιν εὑρήσει τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς διαθέσεως, τῷ κατὰ τὴν λύπην πάθει συμμεμιγμένην. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν καλῶν κοινωνία πᾶσιν ὁμοίως, καὶ ἐχθροῖς, καὶ φίλοις σπουδά ζεται· τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνιαρῶν κοινωνεῖν ἐθέλειν, μό νον ἴδιον τῶν τῇ ἀγάπῃ κεκρατημένων ἐστίν. Ἀλλὰ μὴν πάντων ὡμολόγηται τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον ἐπιτηδευομένων ἡ ἀγάπη τὸ κράτιστον εἶναι. Ἐπί τασις δὲ ἀγάπης ὁ ἔλεος. Κυρίως ἄρα μακαριστὸς, ὁ ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ διαθέσει τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχων, ὡς τοῦ ἀκρο τάτου κατὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐφαπτόμενος· καὶ μηδεὶς ἐν μό ναις ταῖς ὕλαις τὴν ἀρετὴν θεωρείτω· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν οὐ πάντως εἴη κατόρθωμα τὸ τοιοῦτον, πλὴν τοῦ δύνα μίν τινα πρὸς εὐποιΐαν ἔχοντος· ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖ δικαιό τερον ἐν προαιρέσει τὸ τοιοῦτον βλέπειν. Ὁ γὰρ θε λήσας τὸ ἀγαθὸν μόνον, κωλυθεὶς δὲ πρὸς τὸ καλὸν, τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι, κατ' οὐδὲν ἐλαττοῦται τῆς ψυχῆς διαθέσει, τοῦ διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὴν γνώμην δείξαντος. 44.1253 Ὅσον μὲν οὖν κέρδος ἐστὶ τῷ βίῳ, εἰ πρὸς τοῦτό τις ἐκλαμβάνει τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, περιττὸν ἂν εἴη διεξιέναι, φανερῶν ὄντων καὶ τοῖς κομιδῆ νηπίοις, τῶν ἐκ τῆς συμβουλῆς ταύτης τῷ βίῳ κατορθουμέ νων. Εἰ γὰρ πᾶσι καθ' ὑπόθεσιν ἡ τοιαύτη τῆς ψυχῆς ἐγγένοιτο πρὸς τὸ ἐλαττούμενον σχέσις, οὐκέτ' ἂν εἴη τὸ ὑπερέχον, καὶ ἐλαττούμενον· οὐκέτι πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία τῶν ὀνομάτων ὁ βίος διενεχθήσεται· οὐκ ἀνιάσει πενία τὸν ἄνθρωπον· οὐ ταπεινώσει δουλεία· οὐ λυπήσει ἀτιμία· πάντα γὰρ ἔσται πᾶσι κοινά· καὶ ἰσονομία καὶ ἰσηγορία τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐμπο λιτεύεται· ἑκουσίως τοῦ πολιτεύοντος πρὸς τὸ λεῖ πον ἐξισουμένου. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο γένοιτο, οὐκέτ' ἂν ὑπο λειφθείη τις ἀπεχθείας ὑπόθεσις· ἀργὸς ὁ φθόνος· νεκρὸν τὸ μῖσος· ὑπερόριος ἡ μνησικακία, τὸ ψεῦδος, ἡ ἀπάτη, ὁ πόλεμος· (ἅπερ ἔγγονα πάντα τῇ τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐστίν.) Ἐκείνης δὲ τῆς ἀσυμπα θοῦς διαθέσεως ἐξορισθείσης, συνεκβάλλεται πάντως, οἷόν τινι πονηρᾷ ῥίζῃ, τὰ τῆς κακίας βλαστήματα. Τῇ. δὲ