Preface

THE MOST LOWLY monk and priest John to the most saintly and honored of God, Father Cosmas the most holy Bishop of Maiuma, greetings in the Lord.

Being fully conscious of the limitations of my intelligence and of the insufficiency of my language, your Beatitude, I have hesitated to undertake a task exceeding my capabilities and to presume to enter into the Holy of Holies like some bold and foolhardy person, for I am wary of the danger that threatens those who attempt such things. The divine Moses, the lawgiver, withdrew from all sight of human things and abandoned the turbulent sea of life. He purified the eye of his soul by wiping away every material reflection, and only then did he become fit to receive the divine vision. Only then was he found worthy to behold the benevolent condescension of God the Word and His marvelous appearance in a bush and in immaterial fire, which, while it enkindled and burnt the tree and changed it into His splendor, did not consume or destroy it or alter its proper nature. He was the first to learn the name of Him who is and who truly is super-essential, and he was entrusted by God with the leadership of his own countrymen. Yet, if he considered himself as ‘having impediment and slowness of tongue’— and thus unable publicly to execute the divine will and to be appointed a mediator between God and man—then how am I, who am defiled and stained with every sort of sin, and who bear within myself the tumultuous seas of my conjectures, and who have purified neither my mind nor my understanding that they may serve as a mirror of God and His divine reflections; how am I, who have not sufficient power of speech to express such concepts, to utter those divine and ineffable things which surpass the comprehension of every rational creature? With these considerations in mind I have hesitated to undertake this book. Besides this, to tell the truth, I feared to accede to the request, lest I should incur ridicule on the double count of ignorance and of folly. The latter is quite serious, for the charge of ignorance may be excused—provided the ignorance is not from laziness; but to add to ignorance a false pretension to knowledge is serious, blameworthy, and quite unpardonable, and it is a sure sign of a greater, if not the greatest, ignorance. On the other hand, however, the fruit of disobedience is death, while the humble and obedient man, because he has shown himself to be an imitator of Christ, is led from the lowest place to the highest. He receives from God the grace that illuminates, so that in the opening of his mouth he is filled with the Spirit. He becomes purified in heart and enlightened in understanding. When he opens his mouth, he receives the power of speech and has no concern as to what he shall say, because he is an instrument of the Spirit speaking within him. Therefore, in obedience through you to the Christ who in you exercises the pontifical office, I bow to your request and open my mouth, being confident that through your prayers it will be filled with the Spirit and that I, taking so much as He shall give and speaking this aloud, shall utter eloquently the fruit not of my own understanding but of the Spirit who giveth wisdom to the blind.

First of all I shall set forth the best contributions of the philosophers of the Greeks, because whatever there is of good has been given to men from above by God, since ‘every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.’ If, however, there is anything that is contrary to the truth, then it is a dark invention of the deceit of Satan and a fiction of the mind of an evil spirit, as that eminent theologian Gregory once said. In imitation of the method of the bee, I shall make my composition from those things which are conformable with the truth and from our enemies themselves gather the fruit of salvation. But all that is worthless and falsely labeled as knowledge I shall reject. Then, next, after this, I shall set forth in order the absurdities of the heresies hated of God, so that by recognizing the lie we may more closely follow the truth. Then, with God’s help and by His grace I shall expose the truth—that truth which destroys deceit and puts falsehood to flight and which, as with golden fringes, has been embellished and adorned by the sayings of the divinely inspired prophets, the divinely taught fishermen, and the God-bearing shepherds and teachers—that truth, the glory of which flashes out from within to brighten with its radiance, when they encounter it, them that are duly purified and rid of troublesome speculations. However, as I have said, I shall add nothing of my own, but shall gather together into one those things which have been worked out by the most eminent of teachers and make a compendium of them, being in all things obedient to your command. But I beseech you, Honored of God, to be indulgent with me, who have been obedient to your commands, and, receiving my obedience, to give me in return of the abundance of your prayers.

[02] {« Προοίμιον_Ἐπιστολή » Τῷ ὁσιωτάτῳ καὶ θεοτιμήτῳ Κοσμᾷ, ἁγιωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ τοῦ Μαιουμᾶ, Ἰωάννης μοναχός} Τὸ μὲν στενὸν τῆς διανοίας καὶ τὸ ἄπορον τῆς γλώσσης τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιστάμενος ὤκνουν, ὦ μακάριοι, τοῖς ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐγχειρεῖν καὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων κατατολμᾶν ὥσπερ τις αὐθάδης καὶ τολμητίας τὸν ἐπηρτημένον τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμῶσιν ὑφορώμενος κίνδυνον. Εἰ γὰρ Μωυσῆς, ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεῖος νομοθέτης, ὁ πάσης ἀνθρωπίνης θέας ἀποχωρήσας καὶ τοῦ βίου τὰς τρικυμίας καταλιπὼν καὶ πᾶσαν ὑλικὴν ἀποσμηξάμενος ἔμφασιν καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀπτικὸν καθῃράμενος κἀντεῦθεν πρὸς θεοπτίαν γενόμενος ἐπιτήδειος, ὁ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου φιλάνθρωπον συγκατάβασιν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπερφυᾶ σάρκωσιν ἐν βάτῳ καὶ ἀύλῳ πυρὶ κατιδεῖν ἠξιωμένος, φλέγοντι μὲν καὶ ἐκπυροῦντι τὴν ἄκανθαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ λαμπρότητα μεταβάλλοντι, οὐ καταφλέγοντι δὲ οὐδὲ ἀφανίζοντι οὔτε μὴν τῆς οἰκείας αὐτὴν ἐξιστῶντι φύσεως, ὁ πρῶτος τὸ τοῦ ὄντος καὶ ἀληθῶς ὑπὲρ οὐσίαν ὄντος μεμυημένος ὄνομα, τῶν οἰκείων καὶ συμφυλετῶν τὴν προστασίαν παρὰ θεοῦ ἐγχειριζόμενος, ἰσχνόφωνον ἐκάλει ἑαυτὸν καὶ βραδύγλωσσον, ὡς οὐ δυνάμενος τῷ θείῳ ἐξυπηρετεῖσθαι βουλήματι καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς τοὐμφανὲς ἄγειν καὶ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων καθίστασθαι, πῶς ἐγὼ ὁ ῥύπῳ μὲν πάσης ἁμαρτίας κατεστιγμένος, φέρων δὲ τῶν λογισμῶν ἐν ἐμαυτῷ τὸν πολυτάραχον κλύδωνα, καὶ μήτε νοῦν καὶ διάνοιαν κεκαθαρμένος, ὡς ἔσοπτρον θεοῦ καὶ τῶν θείων χρηματίσαι ἐμφάσεων, μήτε λόγον ἔχων ἐπαρκέσαι τοῖς νοηθεῖσι δυνάμενον, τὰ θεῖα καὶ ἄῤῥητα φθέγξομαι, τὰ πάσης λογικῆς φύσεως ὑπερβαίνοντα τὴν κατάληψιν; Ταῦτα δὴ λογιζόμενος ὤκνουν τὸν λόγον, ἐδεδίειν τε τὸ ἐπίταγμα, εἰρήσεται γὰρ τἀληθές, μήποτε διπλοῦν ὀφλήσω τὸν γέλωτα, τῆς ἀμαθίας ἅμα καὶ τῆς ἀνοίας: τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτατον. Σύγγνωστον μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἀμαθίας τὸ ἔγκλημα, εἰ μὴ ἐκ ῥαθυμίας προέρχοιτο. Τὸ δὲ σὺν τῇ ἀμαθίᾳ κεκτῆσθαι τὴν τῆς γνώσεως οἴησιν, χαλεπὸν καὶ ἐπίμωμον καὶ συγγνώμης ἁπάσης ἀνάξιον καὶ μείζονος, ἵνα μὴ λέγω τῆς ἄκρας ἀμαθίας τεκμήριον. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῆς παρακοῆς ὁ καρπὸς θάνατος, ὁ δὲ ταπεινὸς καὶ ὑπήκοος Χριστοῦ μαθητὴς καθιστάμενος πρὸς ὕψος ἀνάγεται καὶ χάριν παρὰ θεοῦ τὴν φωταγωγὸν κομίζεται καὶ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα πληροῦται τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ καρδίαν καθαίρεται διάνοιάν τε φωτίζεται καὶ λαμβάνει λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος, οὐ μεριμνῶν τί λαλήσει, ὄργανον δὲ χρηματίζων ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντος τοῦ πνεύματος, δι' ὑμῶν τῷ ἐν ὑμῖν ἱεραρχοῦντι Χριστῷ πειθόμενος ὑποκύπτω τῷ ἐπιτάγματι καὶ ἀνοίγω τὸ στόμα θαῤῥῶν ταῖς ὑμετέραις εὐχαῖς, ὡς πληρωθήσεται πνεύματος, καὶ λαλήσω λόγια οὐ τῆς διανοίας καρπὸν τῆς ἐμῆς ἀλλὰ καρπὸν τοῦ τοὺς τυφλοὺς φωτίζοντος πνεύματος, ὅσα δώσει, λαμβάνων καὶ ταῦτα φθεγγόμενος. Καὶ πρότερον μὲν τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι σοφῶν τὰ κάλλιστα παραθήσομαι εἰδώς, ὡς, εἴ τι μὲν ἀγαθόν, ἄνωθεν παρὰ θεοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δεδώρηται, ἐπειδὴ «πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον ἄνωθέν ἐστι καταβαῖνον παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν φώτων». Εἴ τι δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀντίπαλον, τῆς σατανικῆς πλάνης «εὕρημα σκοτεινὸν καὶ διανοίας ἀνάπλασμα κακοδαίμονος», ὡς ὁ πολὺς ἐν θεολογίᾳ Γρηγόριος. Τὸν τῆς μελίσσης οὖν τρόπον μιμούμενος τοῖς οἰκείοις τῆς ἀληθείας συνθήσομαι καὶ παρ' ἐχθρῶν σωτηρίαν καρπώσομαι, ἀποπέμψομαι δὲ πᾶν, ὅ τι φαῦλον καὶ τῆς ψευδωνύμου ἐχόμενον γνώσεως. Εἶτα τούτων ἐχόμενα τῶν θεοστυγῶν αἱρέσεων συντάξω τὰ φληναφήματα, ὡς ἂν τὸ ψεῦδος ἐπιγινώσκοντες πλέον τῆς ἀληθείας ἑξώμεθα. Εἶτα τὴν τῆς πλάνης ὀλέτειραν καὶ τοῦ ψεύδους ἐλάτειραν, ὥσπερ κροσσωτοῖς χρυσοῖς τοῖς τῶν θεοπνεύστων προφητῶν καὶ θεοδιδάκτων ἁλιέων καὶ θεοφόρων ποιμένων τε καὶ διδασκάλων λόγοις κεκαλλωπισμένην καὶ περικεκοσμημένην ἀλήθειαν σὺν θεῷ καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ ἐκθήσομαι χάριτι, ἧς ἡ δόξα ἔσωθεν ἀπαστράπτουσα τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας μετὰ τῆς δεούσης καθάρσεως καὶ τῶν ταραχωδῶν λογισμῶν ἀποθέσεως φωτίζει τοῖς ἀμαρύγμασιν. Ἐρῶ δὲ ἐμὸν μέν, ὡς ἔφην, οὐδέν, τὰ δὲ τοῖς ἐγκρίτοις τῶν διδασκάλων πεπονημένα εἰς ἓν συλλεξάμενος, ὅση δύναμις, συντετμημένον τὸν λόγον ποιήσομαι κατὰ πάντα ὑπείκων τῷ ὑμετέρῳ προστάγματι. Ἀλλά μοι συγγνώμονες γένοισθε, θεοτίμητοι, παρακαλῶ, ταῖς ὑμετέραις ἐντολαῖς πειθαρχήσαντι καὶ λαμβάνοντες τὸ ὑπήκοον τὴν τῶν εὐχῶν χορηγίαν ἀντίδοτε.