An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.
An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.
Chapter III.— Proof that there is a God.
Chapter IV.— Concerning the nature of Deity: that it is incomprehensible.
Chapter V.— Proof that God is one and not many.
Chapter VI.— Concerning the Word and the Son of God: a reasoned proof.
Chapter VII.— Concerning the Holy Spirit, a reasoned proof.
Chapter VIII.— Concerning the Holy Trinity.
Chapter IX.— Concerning what is affirmed about God.
Chapter X.— Concerning divine union and separation.
Chapter XI.— Concerning what is affirmed about God as though He had body.
Chapter XII.— Concerning the Same.
Chapter XIII.— Concerning the place of God: and that the Deity alone is uncircumscribed.
Chapter XIV.— The properties of the divine nature.
Chapter II.— Concerning the creation.
Chapter III.— Concerning angels.
Chapter IV.— Concerning the devil and demons.
Chapter V.— Concerning the visible creation.
Chapter VI.— Concerning the Heaven.
Chapter VII.— Concerning light, fire, the luminaries, sun, moon and stars.
Chapter VIII.— Concerning air and winds.
Chapter IX.— Concerning the waters.
Chapter X.— Concerning earth and its products.
Chapter XI.— Concerning Paradise.
Chapter XIII.— Concerning Pleasures.
Chapter XIV.— Concerning Pain.
Chapter XVI.— Concerning Anger.
Chapter XVII.— Concerning Imagination.
Chapter XVIII.— Concerning Sensation.
Chapter XIX.— Concerning Thought.
Chapter XX.— Concerning Memory.
Chapter XXI.— Concerning Conception and Articulation.
Chapter XXII.— Concerning Passion and Energy.
Chapter XXIII.— Concerning Energy.
Chapter XXIV.— Concerning what is Voluntary and what is Involuntary.
Chapter XXV.— Concerning what is in our own power, that is, concerning Free-will .
Chapter XXVI.— Concerning Events .
Chapter XXVII.— Concerning the reason of our endowment with Free-will.
Chapter XXVIII.— Concerning what is not in our hands.
Chapter XXIX.— Concerning Providence.
Chapter XXX.— Concerning Prescience and Predestination.
Chapter IV.— Concerning the manner of the Mutual Communication .
Chapter V.— Concerning the number of the Natures.
Chapter VII.— Concerning the one compound subsistence of God the Word.
Chapter IX.— In reply to the question whether there is Nature that has no Subsistence.
Chapter X.— Concerning the Trisagium (“the Thrice Holy”).
Chapter XIII.— Concerning the properties of the two Natures.
Chapter XIV.— Concerning the volitions and free-will of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter XV.— Concerning the energies in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter XVII.— Concerning the deification of the nature of our Lord’s flesh and of His will.
Chapter XVIII.— Further concerning volitions and free-wills: minds, too, and knowledges and wisdoms.
Chapter XIX.— Concerning the theandric energy.
Chapter XX.— Concerning the natural and innocent passions .
Chapter XXI.— Concerning ignorance and servitude.
Chapter XXII.— Concerning His growth.
Chapter XXIII.— Concerning His Fear.
Chapter XXIV.— Concerning our Lord’s Praying.
Chapter XXV.— Concerning the Appropriation.
Chapter XXVI.— Concerning the Passion of our Lord’s body, and the Impassibility of His divinity.
Chapter XXVIII.— Concerning Corruption and Destruction.
Chapter XXIX.— Concerning the Descent to Hades.
Chapter II.— Concerning the sitting at the right hand of the Father.
Chapter V.— In reply to those who ask if Christ’s subsistence is create or uncreate.
Chapter VI.— Concerning the question, when Christ was called.
Chapter VIII.— How the Only-begotten Son of God is called first-born.
Chapter IX.— Concerning Faith and Baptism.
Chapter XI.— Concerning the Cross and here further concerning Faith.
Chapter XII.— Concerning Worship towards the East.
Chapter XIII.— Concerning the holy and immaculate Mysteries of the Lord.
Chapter XIV.— Concerning our Lord’s genealogy and concerning the holy Mother of God .
Chapter XV.— Concerning the honour due to the Saints and their remains.
Chapter XVI.— Concerning Images .
Chapter XVII.— Concerning Scripture .
Chapter XVIII.— Regarding the things said concerning Christ.
Chapter XIX.— That God is not the cause of evils.
Chapter XX.— That there are not two Kingdoms.
Chapter XXII.— Concerning the law of God and the law of sin.
Chapter XXIII.— Against the Jews on the question of the Sabbath.
Chapter XXIV.— Concerning Virginity.
Chapter XXV.— Concerning the Circumcision.
Chapter XIII.—Concerning Pleasures.
There are pleasures of the soul and pleasures of the body. The pleasures of the soul are those which are the exclusive possession of the soul, such as the pleasures of learning and contemplation. The pleasures of the body, however, are those which are enjoyed by soul and body in fellowship, and hence are called bodily pleasures: and such are the pleasures of food and intercourse and the like. But one could not find any class of pleasures413 Reading, οὐκ ἂν εὕροι τις ἰδίας ἡδονάς. belonging solely to the body414 Nemes., ch. 18: Chrys., Hom. in Joan., 74..
Again, some pleasures are true, others false. And the exclusively intellectual pleasures consist in knowledge and contemplation, while the pleasures of the body depend upon sensation. Further, of bodily pleasures415 See Chrysostom, Hom. in Joannem, 74; Cicero, De fin. bon. et mal., 1., some are both natural and necessary, in the absence of which life is impossible, for example the pleasures of food which replenishes waste, and the pleasures of necessary clothing. Others are natural but not necessary, as the pleasures of natural and lawful intercourse. For though the function that these perform is to secure the permanence of the race as a whole, it is still possible to live a virgin life apart from them. Others, however, are neither natural nor necessary, such as drunkenness, lust, and surfeiting to excess. For these contribute neither to the maintenance of our own lives nor to the succession of the race, but on the contrary, are rather even a hindrance. He therefore that would live a life acceptable to God must follow after those pleasures which are both natural and necessary: and must give a secondary place to those which are natural but not necessary, and enjoy them only in fitting season, and manner, and measure; while the others must be altogether renounced.
Those then are to be considered moral416 καλάς, honourable, good. pleasures which are not bound up with pain, and bring no cause for repentance, and result in no other harm and keep417 Text, χωρούσας. Variant, παραχωρούσας. within the bounds of moderation, and do not draw us far away from serious occupations, nor make slaves of us.
Περὶ ἡδονῶν
Τῶν ἡδονῶν αἱ μέν εἰσι ψυχικαί, αἱ δὲ σωματικαί. Καὶ ψυχικαὶ μέν, ὅσαι μόνης εἰσὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῆς καθ' αὑτὴν ὡς αἱ περὶ τὰ μαθήματα καὶ τὴν θεωρίαν. Σωματικαὶ δὲ αἱ μετὰ κοινωνίας τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος γινόμεναι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σωματικαὶ καλούμεναι ὡς αἱ περὶ τροφὰς καὶ συνουσίας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. Μόνου δὲ τοῦ σώματος οὐκ ἂν εὕροι τις ἡδονάς.
Πάλιν τῶν ἡδονῶν αἱ μέν εἰσιν ἀληθεῖς, αἱ δὲ ψευδεῖς, καὶ αἱ μὲν τῆς διανοίας μόνης κατ' ἐπιστήμην καὶ θεωρίαν, αἱ δὲ μετὰ σώματος κατ' αἴσθησιν. Καὶ τῶν μετὰ σώματος ἡδονῶν αἱ μέν εἰσι φυσικαὶ ἅμα καὶ ἀναγκαῖαι, ὧν χωρὶς ζῆν ἀδύνατον, ὡς αἱ τροφαὶ τῆς ἐνδείας ἀναπληρωτικαὶ καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματα ἀναγκαῖα, αἱ δὲ φυσικαὶ μέν, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖαι δέ, ὡς αἱ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ κατὰ νόμον μίξεις (αὗται γὰρ εἰς μὲν τὴν διαμονὴν τοῦ παντὸς γένους συντελοῦσι, δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ χωρὶς αὐτῶν ἐν παρθενίᾳ ζῆν), αἱ δὲ οὔτε ἀναγκαῖαι οὔτε φυσικαὶ ὡς μέθη καὶ λαγνεία καὶ πλησμοναὶ τὴν χρείαν ὑπερβαίνουσαι: οὔτε γὰρ εἰς σύστασιν τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν συντελοῦσιν οὔτε εἰς διαδοχὴν τοῦ γένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσβλάπτουσιν. Τὸν τοίνυν κατὰ θεὸν ζῶντα δεῖ μετέρχεσθαι τὰς ἀναγκαίας ἅμα καὶ φυσικάς, ἐν δευτέρᾳ δὲ τάξει τὰς φυσικὰς καὶ οὐκ ἀναγκαίας τίθεσθαι μετὰ τοῦ προσήκοντος καιροῦ καὶ τρόπου καὶ μέτρου γινομένας, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας χρὴ πάντως παραιτεῖσθαι.
Καλὰς δὲ ἡδονὰς χρὴ ἡγεῖσθαι τὰς μὴ συμπεπλεγμένας λύπῃ μήτε μεταμέλειαν ἐμποιούσας μηδὲ ἑτέρας βλάβης γεννητικάς, μήτε τοῦ μέτρου πέρα χωρούσας μήτε τῶν σπουδαίων ἔργων ἡμᾶς ἀφελκούσας ἐπὶ πολὺ ἢ καταδουλούσας.