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 XII.—Concerning Worship towards the East.
It is not without reason or by chance that we worship towards the East. But seeing that we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature, that is to say, of a nature partly of spirit and partly of sense, we render also a twofold worship to the Creator; just as we sing both with our spirit and our bodily lips, and are baptized with both water and Spirit, and are united with the Lord in a twofold manner, being sharers in the mysteries and in the grace of the Spirit.
Since, therefore, God971 Basil, De Spir. Sanct., c. 27; Alcuin, De Trin. ii. 5; Wal. Strabo, De reb. eccles, c. 4; Hon. August., Gemma Animæ. c. 950. is spiritual light972 1 St. John i. 5., and Christ is called in the Scriptures Sun of Righteousness973 Mal. iv. 2. and Dayspring974 Zach. iii. 8, vi. 12; St. Luke i. 78., the East is the direction that must be assigned to His worship. For everything good must be assigned to Him from Whom every good thing arises. Indeed the divine David also says, Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth: O sing praises unto the Lord: to Him that rideth upon the Heavens of heavens towards the East975 Ps. lxviii. 32, 33.. Moreover the Scripture also says, And God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed976 Gen. ii. 8.: and when he had transgressed His command He expelled him and made him to dwell over against the delights of Paradise977 Text, ὃν παραβάντα ἐξώρισεν, ἀπέναντί τε τοῦ Παραδείσου τῆς τρυφης κατῴκισεν . Variants, ὃν παραβάντα, τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξώρισεν, and ὃν παραβάντα, τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξώρισεν, ἀπέναντί τε τοῦ παραδείσου κατῴκισεν., which clearly is the West. So, then, we worship God seeking and striving after our old fatherland. Moreover the tent of Moses978 Levit. xvi. 14. had its veil and mercy seat979 Ibid. 2. towards the East. Also the tribe of Judah as the most precious pitched their camp on the East980 Num. ii. 3.. Also in the celebrated temple of Solomon the Gate of the Lord was placed eastward. Moreover Christ, when He hung on the Cross, had His face turned towards the West, and so we worship, striving after Him. And when He was received again into Heaven He was borne towards the East, and thus His apostles worship Him, and thus He will come again in the way in which they beheld Him going towards Heaven981 Acts i. 11.; as the Lord Himself said, As the lightning cometh out of the East and shineth982 Text, φαίνεται. Variant, φθάνει. The old translation gives occupat.even unto the West, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be983 St. Matt. xxiv. 27..
So, then, in expectation of His coming we worship towards the East. But this tradition of the apostles is unwritten. For much that has been handed down to us by tradition is unwritten984 Basil, De Spiritu Sancto, ch. 27..
Περὶ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν κατὰ ἀνατολάς
Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδ' ὡς ἔτυχε κατὰ ἀνατολὰς προσκυνοῦμεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐξ ὁρατῆς τε καὶ ἀοράτου ἤτοι νοητῆς καὶ αἰσθητῆς συντεθείμεθα φύσεως, διπλῆν καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν τῷ δημιουργῷ προσάγομεν, ὥσπερ καὶ τῷ νῷ ψάλλομεν καὶ τοῖς σωματικοῖς χείλεσι καὶ βαπτιζόμεθα ὕδατί τε καὶ πνεύματι καὶ διπλῶς τῷ κυρίῳ ἑνούμεθα τῶν μυστηρίων μετέχοντες καὶ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος χάριτος.
Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν «ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστι» νοητόν, καὶ «ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης» καὶ «ἀνατολὴ» ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ὠνόμασται ὁ Χριστός, ἀναθετέον αὐτῷ τὴν ἀνατολὴν εἰς προσκύνησιν: πᾶν γὰρ καλὸν τῷ θεῷ ἀναθετέον, ἐξ οὗ πᾶν ἀγαθὸν ἀγαθύνεται. Φησὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ θεῖος Δαυίδ: «Αἱ βασιλεῖαι τῆς γῆς, ᾄσατε τῷ θεῷ, ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ ἀνατολάς». Ἔτι δέ φησιν ἡ γραφή: «Ἐφύτευσεν ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Ἐδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολάς: ἔνθα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασεν, ἔθετο», ὃν παραβάντα τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξώρισεν ἀπέναντί τε τοῦ παραδείσου κατῴκισεν, ἐκ δυσμῶν δηλαδή. Τὴν οὖν ἀρχαίαν πατρίδα ἐπιζητοῦντες καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀτενίζοντες τῷ θεῷ προσκυνοῦμεν. Καὶ ἡ σκηνὴ δὲ ἡ Μωσαϊκὴ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς εἶχε τὸ καταπέτασμα καὶ τὸ ἱλαστήριον. Καὶ ἡ φυλὴ τοῦ Ἰούδα ὡς τιμιωτέρα ἐξ ἀνατολῶν παρενέβαλε. Καὶ ἐν τῷ περιωνύμῳ δὲ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ναῷ ἡ τοῦ κυρίου πύλη κατὰ ἀνατολὰς διέκειτο. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὁ κύριος σταυρούμενος ἐπὶ δυσμὰς ἑώρα, καὶ οὕτω προσκυνοῦμεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀτενίζοντες. Καὶ ἀναλαμβανόμενος πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἀνεφέρετο, καὶ οὕτως αὐτῷ οἱ ἀπόστολοι προσεκύνησαν, καὶ οὕτως ἐλεύσεται, ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσαντο αὐτὸν πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἔφησεν: «Ὥσπερ ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἐξέρχεται ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ φθάνει ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου». Αὐτὸν οὖν ἐκδεχόμενοι ἐπὶ ἀνατολὰς προσκυνοῦμεν. Ἄγραφος δέ ἐστιν ἡ παράδοσις αὕτη τῶν ἀποστόλων: πολλὰ γὰρ ἀγράφως ἡμῖν παρέδωκαν.