Parva Naturalia and Ambigua

...to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Oration 27

Concerning Theology

Addressing those who are clever in speech, and because of this, quite useful to themselves, I have just a few things to say that are relevant to the subject. This is so that I do not seem to be attacking their ways for no reason, or to be guilty of the same faults—wasting the power of my argument on curious inquiries and exchanging what is certain for what is merely plausible. This is what usually happens to the sophists Sophists were professional teachers of rhetoric in the ancient world, often criticized for valuing persuasive style over absolute truth. of words and those who engage in idle chatter concerning questions. These people think that wisdom consists entirely of excess, and they turn the message of faith into a maze of investigation. Not for everyone, O my friends, is it to philosophize original: philosophein; in this context, the term refers to the disciplined study and discussion of God’s nature, which Gregory argues requires a specific spiritual maturity. about God; no, not for everyone. This matter is not so cheap or common as to belong to those who crawl upon the ground. I will even add this: it is not for all times, nor for all people, nor in all things; but there is a specific when, a specific who, and a specific measure.

It is not for everyone, because it belongs to those who have been tested and have made progress in contemplation original: theoria; the act of spiritual perception or "seeing" the divine truths through a purified mind., and who, before this, have purified both soul and body, or are at the very least being purified. For it is perhaps not safe for the impure to touch what is pure, just as it is not safe for weak eyes to look at the flash of the sun.

When is the right time? Whenever we have leisure original: scholasomen; meaning to be at rest or free from worldly distractions. This is the root of the word "school," but here implies a meditative stillness. from the mud and turmoil of the outside world, so that our governing faculty original: hegemonikon; a Stoic term adopted by Christian thinkers to describe the seat of the mind and soul which directs a person's life. is not confused by evil and wandering images. It is like the beauty of a painting being corrupted by bad mixtures of paint, or the scent of a perfume being overwhelmed by the stench of a bog. For one must truly "be still" to "know God" A reference to Psalm 46:10, emphasizing that theological knowledge requires internal quiet.; and when we find the right moment, we must judge the straightness of theology. And for whom is this? For those who pursue the matter with zeal, and not for those who treat this as just another casual pastime after other relaxations—which is the greatest evil of all. For we even play with divine things, and after horse races, theaters, songs, and satisfying the belly and those things below the belly, we take this up as part of our luxury: to debate about these matters and to show all our zeal for contradictions. To what extent? Only as far as our own power goes, and as far as the capacity and power of the listener allows. For just as excesses of light or sound destroy the sight or the hearing, so too do harsh and dense arguments drown the minds of the listeners by their lack of proportion.