Praise to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and a Refutation of the Three Greatest Heresies of the Latins
St. Maxim the Greek - 16th Century.
St. Maxim the Greek, also called the Athonite, came from a noble Byzantine family, and his life is a fascinating study in the cultural overlapping that occurred in this era. About his educational background, his Wikipedia (I know, I know…) entry states:
Maximus studied on the island of Corfu under the supervision of John Moschos and John Lascaris and later went with Lascaris to Florence (in 1492[33] or 1493[9]) and continued his studies in Bologna, Florence, Ferrara, Milan, Padua, and Venice.[34][35][36] While in Italy, he studied ancient languages, as well as ecclesiastic and philosophic works (especially Neoplatonism).[36][37] He knew prominent figures of the Renaissance era such as the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius and made the acquaintance of scholars Angelo Poliziano, Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Scipio Callerges, and Fonteguerri.[9][35][38] Maximus was also greatly influenced by the preachings of the fiery Dominican priest and reformer Girolamo Savonarola whose ashes he gathered in 1498.[39]
St. Maxim’s background and fierce defense of his faith have made him a champion to many groups since his time, including Old Believers. Some of the arguments herein are no longer made or of prominent interest. Nevertheless, given his educational background, his homily on today’s feast, which includes a hearty anti-Latin polemic, is of definite historical interest. It goes without saying that some here will, if they read it, find his words offensive. If that is the case, don’t read it.
Sing, my soul! To the divine apostles Peter and Paul, foremost and first-throned among the others, steadfast stars of the Church of Christ, who led the nations from the vile delusions of idolatry and the service of demons to the light of piety and truth with the life-giving brilliance of their divine teachings. Sing with all your strength! Offer worthy hymns to them with your highest mind, bringing forth a song from the saving springs of the divine Israel. For they are the branches of the divine root, who have shone forth with the splendid brilliance of divine life and words to the glory of that root. Upon them, as on horses, the incarnate God the Word rides noetically, stirring up the many foul waters, that is, the hidden filth of worldly demons, which previously covered the whole earth with the deep darkness of godless idols. And the earth, once fertile, but then turned to mire by the wickedness of its inhabitants, was shown again by the divine labors of these wise men to produce the most fragrant fruits, delighting their Master, and previously dry and unwatered, it was shown to be abundantly irrigated and overflowing with streams of life-giving waters by the ever-flowing springs of these divine sources.
These are they who, shining with the divine fire of the Paraclete like lightning and sent forth like arrows, have driven away all darkness from the earth with the sweetest light of their teaching and the burning fire of miracles, dispelling the false tales invented by demons. And they have brightly illumined and forever preserve the honorable proclamation of the triune single Godhead in the minds of the faithful. By the mental hoes of their word and the abundant watering of the Holy Spirit, they have revealed the hidden springs of living waters and opened the foundations of the earth, that is, the divine leaders of the faithful. By their all-night prayers and spiritual watering, they have revealed the foundations of the earth and shown it to be fertile for the growth of divine understanding. These are they of whom the wise psalmist sang, "The heavens declare the glory of God," who have adorned themselves with the brilliance of divine teachings and the lightning of miracles beyond comprehension, appearing to all creation as heavenly stars. Their thunderous preaching resounds throughout the whole world like divine trumpets, with a lofty proclamation of theology, surpassing all understanding and speech, and lifting minds that were once lowly and earthly, like animals, urging them not to care for the transient beauty of earthly things but to desire the eternal things with all their mind, having their thoughts always in heaven, striving to be inwardly filled with divine glory, through a God-pleasing life and the virtues of words and deeds. For one without the other is of no benefit, but rather a laughingstock and scorn to those who think rightly, just as walking with one leg is neither graceful nor steady, and a face with one eye is not beautifully seen.
And what is shown as a godly life combined from both and has reached the common end, which is death, has been demonstrated perfectly by the secret follower of Christ, who sincerely desired not this perishable life but the eternal one. For the nobility of the tree and its fruit requires diligence, as well as pruning away those branches that grow poorly. It is not enough for anyone to simply call Him 'Lord,' but, as He said, only those who do the will of the Father in heaven shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21). Likewise, those who enter the marriage feast with unsuitable garments, meaning those who have not endeavored to adorn themselves with the robe of good works woven from acts of faith, are ordered to be cast out from among the blessed guests into the unquenchable fire, not to be purified and then partake again in the divine feast, but to be burned in it for endless ages. Similarly, the door is shut to those adorned with the beauty of virginity but without the oil in their vessels, that is, without mercy towards the poor, which would have illuminated their virginity. The bridegroom's door is shut to them, alas! And how shall they approach Him without having purified themselves with purifying fire? The Divine answer does not rebuke them, nor does it command them: "Go, first purify yourselves with the flame of fire, then enter My bridal chamber," but rather sends them away with "I do not know you" (Matthew 25:12), far away. Alas and alas! If the divine and supernatural praise of virginity is sent far away for the lack of the oil of mercy, which is the mercy towards the poor, then how shall those who have been corrupted by robbery, unlawful usury, sorcery, murder, and various abominable acts throughout their lives enter the divine chamber, if they do not first, before departing, produce fruits worthy of repentance for their sins? For the deeds of this present age, as the divine preacher says, are crowned in the future age. The distinct end of the poor and the rich who have enjoyed themselves clearly shows that each soul, immediately upon death, reaches its place: one to Gehenna, the other to the bosom of Abraham. And the great chasm fixed between them, preventing them from moving towards each other, is wisely expounded by the same patriarch, not cooling the one who enjoyed himself with temporary hopes of purifying fire, but clearly showing that in this life, as in a certain stage, it is appointed for those striving to cleanse their soul's sins through every God-pleasing deed and the ultimate patience of soul's afflictions, both voluntary and involuntary.
The Judge declared this with mysterious words. Let us listen to Him: let us turn away from the whorish heretics, who, by the divine voice, on the same day placed the thief in paradise without purifying fire, and let us distance ourselves far from their whoredom. With the sighs of labor and drops of tears, before the feast of life is over, let us wash away our sins, as the one who washed his bed and couch every night teaches; for at that dreadful hour of departure, there is no one to remember God, nor is there anyone to confess to Him in Hades. "Will you work wonders for the dead? Will the dead arise and praise You? Will Your loving-kindness be declared in the grave, or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Will Your wonders be known in the dark, and Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" (Psalm 88:10-12). By all these things, the psalmist clearly shows that God's mercy, truth, and miracles are revealed to those who have shown praiseworthy repentance for their sins before their departure. "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12), as we hear, not those who are satisfied with every sweetest food and vile and shameful fleshly desires, then covering their wickedness with purifying flames before the judgment, purifying themselves after their departure. For in vain will it be, completing all together the struggle of the saving word, that is, the evangelical dogmas and teachings, revealing the Judge breathing unbearable fire upon those who did not live by His commandments, and condemning to unquenchable fire those who did not show mercy to the poor, without granting them the glory of the Divine, those purified by temporary fire before the judgment. And what is more worthy of wonder and fear, the Judge even denies His own miracle workers, who cast out evil spirits from men and prophesied by His divine calling, saying, "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23), because they dissipated the spiritual grace in unworthy desires of their souls and did not strive to glorify the Lord on earth with their bodies as they should have. They too shall be in vain. But be merciful to me, King of all, God and Lord, who took on human nature and established laws with severe punishments and suffered an ignoble death on the cross!
If indeed it was just and sufficient to reckon that those born of the earth would be cleansed of sins by a temporary fire before judgment, then what was the need for the only sinless one to endure such great insults, given that salvation for humanity is so readily available? If it was necessary for the holy and sinless one to enter into His glory through many and severe sufferings, as He Himself clearly states, should we not be afraid? For those who walk contrary to the God-given commandments, their end is not purifying fire, but, as we hear, eternal destruction. But due to great folly and foreign and contradictory teachings, we expect to attain the incorruptible glory of the suffering Christ. These are the games of children, not the solid wisdom of the firm rock upon which Christ established His Church, cleansing it with His divine blood. And the laughter and great mockery will be prohibited for those living unlawfully, if someone throughout their life, relying on post-mortem purifying fire, lives lawlessly, indulging in all sorts of abominations, without ever sobering up, without grieving for their iniquities, without eating ashes like bread, without mixing their drink with tears, without clothing themselves in sackcloth, without walking around all day in mourning, for which their loins are filled with reproach, without pouring out precious ointment on the pure summit of divine labors, without washing the pure feet with warm tears, imitating the ancient harlot. Likewise, those who have amassed countless gold and silver through robbery, unlawful usury, and other various godless gains, without imitating the publican who gave fourfold, nor distributing half of their wealth to the poor, as he did, but rather leaving behind the examination of the lawless to relatives and strangers without mercy after their departure, oppressing the poor and needy, whom they should have shown mercy and released from cruel torments, so that they too might hear the blessed voice: "Today salvation has come to this house," concerning one who, in his final moments, said: "my fault, my fault," that is, my sin, and striking his lips and chest with two or three fingers, will immediately enter the Divine glory, being unwillingly cleansed by fire after their departure.
It is good and necessary and salvific to reproach oneself for the sins committed, but if one is deprived of the psalmist's prescribed remedies, even if all that fearful Gehenna purifies for endless ages, it will still not avoid eternal torments. "Depart from evil and do good," it says (Psalm 34:14), and "having received healing, sin no more, lest something worse befall you" (John 5:14), and not "you will be purified by purifying fire;" and the tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown "into the fire" (Matthew 3:10), and not purified; and those who have done good deeds will come out of their graves to the resurrection of everlasting life, and not those who have done evil deeds. They will come out of their graves not to the resurrection of life but to the resurrection of judgment, and not from the purifying fire after you. Let us understand this mystically, friends! And understanding, let us reject all vain disputes. Those who have done good deeds, that is, works, will receive eternal life, not those who have done evil deeds and then, after their departure, were cleansed by a brief fire before judgment. What else could this Divine voice's message be but that between eternal life and the torments of the abyss? It clearly witnesses nothing else but that the righteous are immediately called to inherit the eternal kingdom, while those who have done unlawful deeds are condemned to the unquenchable fire, and not granted the Divine glory, even if purified by temporary fire before judgment.
For doing good deeds in this present life is possible as long as the soul is united with its body, and they do good or evil deeds together with their free will; therefore, not by the purifying fire after death, but by doing good deeds in this life, will the faithful who have departed from the grave receive the honors of everlasting life. To these the Savior said to His disciples: strive to enter through the narrow and sorrowful gate, indicating the voluntary struggle and hardships we must endure for the usual evil desires and wickedness of our souls, which we are clearly commanded to cleanse here by walking the narrow and sorrowful path, not by the purifying fire before judgment. For many, He said, will seek to enter but will not be able to be within the divine chamber, striking from outside the divine door, and will hear: "I do not know you, where you are from" (Matthew 25:12), and not be admitted inside by purification through fire.
Alas, alas! if those who seek the narrow and sorrowful path cannot all enter, and certainly because they have strived unlawfully, as the divine preacher of Christ teaches, then where will those who continually run with all their soul along the broad path appear? Clearly, the preacher cries out: "Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor thieves, nor extortioners, nor those who practice such things will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). And those who purify such people with fire before judgment, contrary to the Divine command, and bring them into the glory of God, how can they not stray from the truth? For he said, "Do not be deceived;" he clearly rebuked the false wisdom of the Corinthians who held this view about those who, at the last breath, hope to make repentance with cold words for their countless sins, which they never strove to despise with all their soul before their departure. To these, who will stand on the left side of the Savior, if, being purified by purifying fire, all who have done evil deeds are deemed worthy of eternal life? But do not think this is said only of the unbelievers. The divine and all-wise preacher of Christ clearly teaches that they will perish shamelessly, just as those who have sinned grievously without the law. "For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law" (Romans 2:12), and not be purified by fire. It is evident from this that the entire struggle of the Judge concerns those who have sinned under the law; "For to whom much is given, much will be required" (Luke 12:48).
If some, as the preacher says, shamelessly perish, while others, according to you, are deemed worthy of immortal life after being purified by fire: then no one will stand on the left of the Savior at that time, nor will they be cast into the unquenchable fire as harsh and merciless, and thus, according to you, the word of judgment will be false. Moreover, the Divine saying also leads to this, stating: “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you” (John 12:35). This clearly indicates that those who walk unworthily of the light of piety will be covered by darkness, not purified by fire after their departure. If indeed the light signifies the divine faith, and walking means diligently observing its saving commandments, then darkness, which covers us, refers to the final separation of soul and body, when it is no longer possible to perform soul-beneficial and sanctifying deeds—for just as the body remains motionless when it leaves the spirit that moves it, so does the soul, separated from the body, remain without participating in saving deeds, being deprived of the instruments that assist in imploring the Judge.
Moreover, the Savior Himself declares with His own mouth: on the day of the final judgment, people will give an account for every idle word they speak (Matthew 12:36), so how can numerous incurable sins be cleansed before that judgment if even the slightest sin is reserved for the final judgment? The Judge commands that not even the smallest sin should be deemed insignificant before Him, nor is it appropriate to presume the existence of a purifying fire for incurable sins before that judgment. “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father..., and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matthew 16:27).
Yet before that dreadful coming, you bring the utterly defiled into life through fire purification, are you not shamefully undermining the Divine ordinance, returning it to folly? And, calling your own brother a fool, you are liable to hellfire, as we hear, and not to be a partaker of Divine glory after being cleansed by a temporary fire before the dreadful judgment. The Judge eternally torments those who have sinned and not repented, not justifying them by purifying fire; and yet you, as if more merciful than the Creator, bring the utterly defiled into life through purification by fire before judgment. Be careful, o good one! That you may not suffer the fate described in the parable: “If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14), clearly the unquenchable fire.
But you, my soul, depart from this soul-destroying thought, submit to the truth, and hold fast to the proposed teachings, weaving praise harmoniously to the chief apostles. These are the ones who possess the power over the age, as the psalmist declares, lifting their eyes to the nations, whose gaze drives away the fog of lies and causes the light of truth to shine. These are the lips endowed with beauty above all the sons of men, upon whom divine grace has been poured out, and, moving like a sweet flute, they have made a new and beautiful song heard to the ends of the earth. These are the ones who nourish with unadulterated milk from the pure breasts of Christ's spotless bride, who have matured into perfect men, as it is written, raising up the faithful with spiritual instruction, enabling them to reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. These are truly the hands and fingers, trained for warfare and battle by the One strong and invincible, whose bravery easily repels every hostile and soul-destroying storm, and sweet springtime calm has shone forth in their souls. These are the steadfast muscles, like a bronze bow, and the feet, like deer, swiftly completing their course, blessed and divine by the breath of the Paraclete, quickly driving away all destructive demon delusion from the entire earth.
These are the clouds filled with the true divine rain, always watering the beloved vineyard with their divine drops, making it produce pleasing fruits for their Master. These are the sharpened arrows of the strong one, shot from the bow of God at the idolatrous and wicked scepters, that is, kingdoms, by which the King of all has established life-giving reign in the hearts of former enemy nations, filling them with divine love. Falling at His pure feet, they joyfully accepted the yoke of His life-giving commandments upon their necks. It is foretold to you, my soul! Yet relinquish the honor of singing praises to the immaterial powers, lest, striving to glorify those above praise, you find yourself offending due to coarseness; for striving to praise them worthily is like trying to count the stars. But, o praiseworthy duo of the Savior, pillars that always establish the immovable under the sun with divine prayers! O Peter, foundation of Christ's Church, gatekeeper of the highest treasures, foremost in the company of the divine theologians, and first among the judges! And you, Paul! God-inspired and great-voiced trumpet of the whole world, with your divine preaching, the proclamation of truth and the power of wisdom, you have frightened and scattered the cunning sophistries of worldly sages, casting them into the abyss of oblivion, and spreading the triple-sunned light, like a God-illuminated and all-bright and great sun, throughout the entire universe.
Whether in the body or, as you say, outside of it, having been wondrously caught up to the third heaven, and there having learned the understanding of ineffable things, you became a golden cup filled with divine nectar, that is, the Holy Spirit, filling the entire universe with divine intoxication. Rejoice, being filled with Christ’s beauty, receiving from Him the most radiant and abundant eternal rewards for your labors. Having received this praise with joy, we pray that you visit us mercifully, who honor your all-praised and all-venerable memory with divine love. May you grant us forgiveness of sins and firmness in faith, and those who have departed from this wretched life, may you, through your prayers, make worthy to be within the most pure and exalted realms. May you also abundantly pour into our minds the wealth of divine scriptures and enlightenments, and give us right and reverent understanding, so that we may rightly honor the triune and consubstantial dominion, as you wrote in your books, enlightened by the Divine Paraclete. And just as the seven times assembled ecumenical councils, convened by the divine will, consisting of the most honorable and all-wise pastors, also breathed by the Paraclete and clothed with the All-Holy Spirit, who searches the depths of God, have established the divine confession of the Orthodox faith with the strongest decrees: "I believe in one God..." nothing daring to add or subtract with a presumptuous mind, for it is equally blasphemous to dare either. Under the most severe anathemas, imposed by the ancient fathers burning with divine zeal, they cast far from the divine courts those who foolishly dared to transgress these divine decrees.
If it is indeed true that anyone entering the sheepfold by another way, and not through the divine door, is called a thief and a robber, and who says: "My sheep hear My voice," and they will flee from a stranger’s voice (John 10:27), then those who do not stay with Him, that is, those who do not abide in His divine teachings, are clearly shown to be His irreconcilable enemies. Moreover, it is written in the Gospel: "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters" (Matthew 12:30). Those who do not gather teachings in agreement with Him, which He clearly set forth Himself, are shown by divine judgment to be scatterers, and those who break even the least of the commandments, teaching mankind not as He did, are said to be handed over to the final torments. Alas, the fearful and highest teaching concerning the Holy Spirit, which He Himself uttered with His own mouth—what severe punishment will not befall those who transgress it? And your, Paul, unendurable decree says: "Even if an angel from heaven preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8), meaning: let him be consigned to the unquenchable fire of Gehenna.
Hear and be terrified in your souls, and, understanding, repent, all of you who with the presumption of your minds transgress the decrees of the God-bearing ones most grievously: for He who casts out angels who transgress His divine decrees outside of the fellowship of Christ, will He spare those who transgress the honorable decrees of Rome, Athens, or Byzantium? It is not fitting for such to be deluded by vain hopes. Nor, honorable men, nor, I pray you. It is not granted to any men or cities to alter the ineffable things by their own thoughts, things that are understood only by the Most Blessed and Triune Nature, that is, the Holy Trinity. Rather, it is strongly commanded not to move them from their decrees but to keep them unaltered. "Keep this commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Timothy 6:14), says the ancient lawgiver, Moses. If indeed the shadow and image of the entire old law require such strict observance from such an illustrious man, how much more will He command you not to transgress even the smallest of the divinely established Orthodox faith, that is, the sacred symbol established by the holy councils, affirmed and sealed with strong and most severe anathemas by the divine men who gathered seven times in different cities and times? It is presumption and unbearable folly of the soul to judge the perfect faith established more than shadows and images. If, according to the word of truth, more here is greater than Solomon and Jonah swallowed by the whale. But let no one approach the divine mountain with unwashed garments; if he does, let him be stoned. With great fear, strict abstinence, having purified this bodily encumbrance, and having stayed entirely outside the five-fold gates, thus let him enter the mystical darkness. Entering it, let him not presumptuously investigate, nor let the mind's greed recklessly seek things beyond every understanding. But, being covered by the divine hand, that is, enlightened by God's light, let him look through the cleft in the rock at the back parts of God, that is, let him cautiously consider the words of visible and invisible creatures, purified beforehand by the firmness of the commandments. These can be mystically understood as the back parts of God, as something following, but let him not shamelessly gaze at the face of God, that is, let him not investigate how God is, but rejoice, satisfied with what has been revealed by divine men, and not investigate beyond them. Let him agree with their sacred words, not being proud and relying on his own wisdom; for it is hard, hard, as divine Scripture somewhere says, to kick against the pricks with foolish feet (Acts 26:14); "No one," it says, "can see My face and live" (Exodus 33:20), turning away the thoughts of those daring to investigate the unfathomable mysteries of God, and those drawing divine enlightenments without mediation, covering their visions with two wings—some not enduring the divine brightness, being intolerable, and others inscribing the divine vision in lower ranks.
Manifested is the presumption and harm to the mind, when Divine responses and ancient decrees are mindlessly transgressed, the understanding of which is not accessible to human thoughts. Resolving them with much shamelessness leads to casting their transgressor into the fire. For cursed, says the Psalmist, are those who stray from Your commandments. Who can be more cursed than those who are sent into Gehenna? It is good to avoid what is harmful, but it is much better to endure what leads to salvation, and to remain steadfast in Divine decrees and love the firm teachings, which is truly a sign of a God-wise soul and akin to praising and saying: I am a beast before You and I am continually with You, for by resembling a beast in obedience to the Lord, I remain always united with Him.
Let us praise the One Father, who is the cause of all things, from whom comes the Son and the Spirit, in accordance with the ancient fathers, so that just as there is one Father uniquely for the Son, so also there will be one who sends forth the Spirit, maintaining the unique properties of each hypostasis unchanged. The thought that speaks of the Son and the Father together sending forth the eternally existing Spirit has grossly disrupted the established order. For if a property is altered, it is no longer a property. The divine thought testifies that to the Father alone belongs both the begetting of the Son and the sending forth of the Spirit, both consubstantial to Him. The Areopagite theologian and the whole assembly of glorious God-speaking fathers proclaim the Father as the single source of the Divine essence; likewise, they call the Son uniquely true and do not call Him the sender of the Spirit, rejecting this wisdom. They testify to a single person in the trinity, thereby avoiding any contradiction. They also reject the concept of two principles in the triune existence, as it is blasphemous and grossly improper.
If, by number, there are two who send forth the Spirit, how then can there not be two sources of the Spirit? For just as God is one in essence, so also He is three in hypostases.
Either according to persons or according to essence, one must wisely reason about the union in sending forth the eternally existing Spirit. If they unite in person when sending forth the eternally existing Spirit, it clearly shows the mixture of Sabellius, who merges both into one person. If, however, it is said that they send forth the eternally existing Spirit by essential union, I leave it to you to consider the absurdity. One essence and union of three exist; for the hypostases are equal to each other in every way except for their properties. Therefore, the Spirit would also together with the Father beget the Son. What could be more impious than this? If, to show that the Son is equal in everything to the One who begets Him, you therefore say that He sends forth the Spirit, then, since the Spirit is also equal to the Father and the Son, He too should be said to beget the Son with the Father, showing that the Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son. Such is the logic of your reasoning. If, because He breathed and said to His disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22), you therefore reason that He sends forth the Spirit, then it is time for you to also say that the breath breathed into the face of the first-created man comes forth from the Father and the Son. If it is blasphemous to think this there, it is also blasphemous here; for Scripture places the breath equally in both places. Moreover, if at that time the breath gave them the whole essence, that is, the Holy Spirit, why did He command them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to remain there until they were clothed with power from on high?
It is thus evident that He gave them the gift of forgiveness of sins from His fullness, not the entire consubstantial essence of the Holy Spirit. How can the indescribable be described with describable lips, as if with some trumpet then breathed into the disciples? But even if it is called His Spirit, it is praiseworthy to reason that He sends it forth, since we do not say that He is begotten from Him, as long as we have a sound mind and senses, and that He who is begotten is called Father. Moreover, the begotten says that the one who begot Him is greater than He, and this is certainly due to the cause, not the word of the Divine essence; for He is equally known in the three. And what is greater and lesser is not at all accepted. If, according to you, we say that He sends forth the eternally existing Spirit equally with the Father, it will be in vain to say that the begotten is greater than Him. But be merciful to me, O King and Master of all! The equality of cause rejects the greater from among them. Who, adorned with true faith, will endure to hear the very truth blasphemed so shamelessly and grossly? If, just as by essence, so also by cause, the begotten is equal to the One who begot Him, how does the all-truthful say that the Father is greater? Therefore, let human thoughts lie, those that very shamelessly dare to utter vain words against Divine commandments.
God, who is always true, should be praised, and His divine commandments should be observed with fear and reverence and worshipped with honor. Do you understand the blasphemous depths to which the vain teaching of foreign words leads? The divine psalmist prayed wisely to adhere to God's commandments, not to deceitful gain, that is, the vain teachings of foreign words, so that his heart would not be inclined to them. Human thoughts are greatly deceived and separated from the truth if not firmly guided by the divine reins. If you firmly control your members with the reins of divine commandments and harness them to the divine chariot, that is, the Gospel, you have acquired a horse with golden wings, raising you to heaven without stumbling, and you have received silver wings like a dove, adorned with gold at its sides. But if you give yourself over to its unrighteous frenzy unrestrainedly, you have shown yourself to be a wild beetle, always moving upwards with the unruly ones, and then again falling down with them, filling your belly with husks, always looking downward, like a blind man feeling his way along a wall, and a swine wallowing in filthy mire.
But if you listen to my humble words, if you are at all concerned about your noble praise and common salvation, come, cast off the old dispute, and let us love again the God-given peace, which Christ rejoices in, and with one mind, as the divine decrees have set forth, let us praise the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father alone, listening with simplicity of mind to the teacher, so that from Him we may receive the good praise of the faithful servant in small things. Let us consider it sufficient, my friends, to find ourselves equal to the teacher in mysteries, which are beyond understanding and words, for it is His true teaching that no disciple is above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. Let us accept, as children, until we partially understand and prophesy, the kingdom of the higher intelligent and divine teachings, so that we may be within the glory of God; otherwise, it is impossible to obtain it, as we hear from the true voice. Let us not seek perfection presumptuously before the time to understand partially: "Do not be wise in your own eyes," he says, but think soberly.
Divine Paul, foreseeing by the Spirit your future apostasy, writes to you Romans: let us hold firmly to all the divine teachings unaltered, so that we may be likened to the wise man who built his house upon the rock, and not to the one who built it foolishly upon the sand, which, not enduring the storm of winds that suddenly came upon it, suffered a great fall. Likewise, let us care to correct the church on earth, which is the second heaven, with the honor of sacrifices and the blameless lives and noble morals of the priests, as was established by the ancient rules of the divinely inspired men, who gathered seven times by divine will in various cities and times, so that the glory of the king's daughter, all within, richly adorned with gold and garments from outside, standing at the right hand of the reigning king, may be bright. It is a great sin to offer unleavened bread as the perfect bread of life if the human nature was fully united to Himself, and not partially taken from the Most Pure Virgin, but fully and immutably united to Himself, that is, together with His soul and mind, whose symbols are salt and leaven, as the divine bishop of Caesarea, Basil the Great, teaches, rejecting and eradicating the evil heresy of Apollinarius of Laodicea, and expelling those who do not put salt and leaven in the prosphora from the divine precincts as impious and blasphemous, who unlawfully dare to remove from the prosphora the fullness of the incarnation of the Word of God.
Hence, it is evident that the consumption of unleavened bread did not originate from the God-inspired Peter and Paul and their other companions, but from the foolish Apollinarius, who claimed that the Word of God took on a soulless body, created before all creation, and came forth from the Pure Virgin as if through a pipe. Therefore, he forbade the divine bread, which symbolizes the soul and mind, represented by salt and leaven, to be offered in the prosphora. Thus, in those times, the leavened bread was offered everywhere according to the ancient teaching and enlightenment of the most honorable preachers of the Word of God.
If, therefore, the teaching of unleavened bread is the offspring of heretical thoughts and not of apostolic enlightenment, and is ancient and long-standing, such a dogma must be cast out from among the faithful, so that you may be blameless and unoffending to all. A considerable part of the Israelite feast is the eating of unleavened bread. How grievous and shameful it is to be associated with heretical practices is evident to all who think rightly, to whom it is a great and distinguished honor to be a priest of God, adorned with apostolic gifts, rather than reeking with unclean odors, as it is now seen from the negligence of those standing before Christ's Church. It is known to you, unless you are willfully blind, into what absurdities and disorder the priesthood has fallen, because of the failure to correct their sins according to the ancient laws and rules, whose honorable and godly life, diligence, and care are worthy of great esteem, for they reverently observe Christ's law. The divine commandment clearly enjoins, saying: "The sons of Israel, perform your duties with reverence." And again: "If the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?" (Matthew 5:13), the voice of God cries out. And again: "Do not throw your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6), the same voice of God commands, those who make themselves like swine by serving the divine mysteries unworthily. But the eye itself, when it is blind, cannot look at the sun's rays, so how can it set out to visit and heal the other members that require care? Be healthy, and someday you will have sound thoughts, having left behind all strife arising from the evil spirit, and in simplicity of mind follow the divine net, like rational fish nurtured in the sea of understanding, that you may be gathered with the chosen ones and not be rejected as decayed vessels of mysteries.
And accept this admonition peacefully, having left behind all inappropriate rage, so that you may appear to be zealously striving for Christ, equally praiseworthy as the ancient divine men, and so that you may receive from Him the same honors as they did. Amen, let this be according to the will of Christ, through the prayers of the holy Peter and Paul, wise teachers and common protectors. Rome, rearmed, having extended its dominion over the whole earth by military cunning and manly strength of its great-hearted citizens, having been exceedingly exalted by countless victories and illustrious conquests to the height of the air, and having breathed out a destructive fire with all its ruinous jaws against the heavenly and ever-living King Jesus, two unskilled men, living in poverty, weakness, and wretchedness, armed themselves with divine power descending from above with great zeal. Be amazed, ends of the earth, under the most pure feet of Christ the King, they laid themselves, having taken up the invincible weapon of the glorious cross instead of any other weapon, by which they drove out all the cunning delusions of demonic snares, proclaiming Christ the Most High King, the Great God, and the eternal Judge to all without hypocrisy. Like noble rams slain by an ungodly king, they were offered as a pure sacrifice to Christ, who rewarded their glorious and sacred struggles by crowning them with unfading crowns of glory. Their bodies remained in Rome, but their spirits took the reward of their labors from Christ, the great King, in heaven, where His Divinity reigns over all the earth by His blood.