The Great Letter

XIII.1 Some, however, moved by ignorance, accuse us, because we hold to the goal set forth above, of uttering "swollen words of vanity" [2 Pet. 2:18], as though we were hoping for what is impossible and beyond human strength. Yet in setting forth such a goal we have relied on the divinely inspired Scriptures, and in speaking of the purity that comes to be in believers we have not dared to assert anything without testimony. According to these objectors, a human being cannot become what the Scriptures exhort him to become, whether the matter concerns perfect purity and deliverance from the passions, or participation in and fullness of the Holy Spirit. If their opinion is followed, the Lord must have said merely to frighten men: "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the Kingdom of heaven." [Matt. 5:20] And again: "It was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with desire has already committed adultery with her in his heart" [Matt. 5:27-28]; "Whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also" [Matt. 5:39]; "Love your enemies" [Matt. 5:44]; "Do good to those who hate you" [Luke 6:27]; and "Pray for those who mistreat you." [Luke 6:28] The same applies to all the other things the Lord has spoken in the holy Scriptures. Yet according to these objectors, it is not only the one who becomes such a person and fulfills these commandments who will enter the Kingdom of heaven, for they say that attainment of such measures is impossible to human nature. We must therefore present briefly some scriptural testimonies concerning these things, so as to show what harm and loss are caused by those who persuade themselves not to believe the divine Scriptures and instead vainly rest content in a preconceived opinion of their own understanding. We must also show what measures of progress and what spiritual profit are gained by those who believe the teachings of the Spirit and therefore obtain full assurance. For every saying, every word, and every commandment truly spoken by the unerring and Holy Spirit can bring those who have sincerely and completely given themselves to God and through faith have become participants in the Holy Spirit to progress and fulfillment, provided that grace is received through the unceasing contest of free choice.

XIII.2 Those who carefully examine Christianity first of all endeavor to know the perfect will of God. For the fulfillment of the Lord's commandments they bring zeal, labor, and effort, contending in a great struggle with faith and hope directed toward the blessed goal. They hope to reach and obtain rest; in the faith and grace of Christ they strive to develop their inclination toward virtue, urged toward perfection by the words of the Lord and the apostles. Such ascetics bear fruit and gain profit in three things, receiving edification and benefit in three ways.

XIII.3 First, as faithful servants, they regard the words of the Lord and the apostles as genuine words of God. Second, fixing their gaze on the goal of Christianity and recognizing the height of their calling, they strive to be courageous and noble; firmly, continually, and without ceasing they labor, run the race, and contend, stretching toward the blessed hope of love and perfection. They do not allow themselves to grow slack, knowing that their goal is exalted. Third, keeping the goal of perfection before their eyes and believing the truth of the Lord's words, they hope that the one who sincerely gives himself to the service of God can attain a great measure of dispassion and freedom. It is to such blessedness of calling that the Lord summons those who follow in his footsteps, saying: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." [Matt. 5:48] By these words he teaches concerning the perfect purity to which we ought to come. This purity belonged to the soul created at the beginning according to the image and likeness of God [Gen. 1:26], and it is now created anew in the believing soul by the operation of the Holy Spirit, according to the saying: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." [Ps. 50:12 LXX] And the Lord, showing the restoration of those who hasten toward the perfect measures of the Christian life, said in prayer concerning them: "Father, sanctify them in your name" [John 17:11, 17]; and again: "I desire that where I am, they also may be with me, that they may behold my glory." [John 17:24] The Apostle likewise says: "That we may present every person perfect in Christ" [Col. 1:28], and: "Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." [Eph. 4:13]

XIII.4 Therefore, while contending in every way, continually running the course of good conduct and always laboring in the virtues, they do not at all consider themselves to have made any great progress, because they have not yet attained the glorious measure. On the contrary, though they are tested and honored ascetics, they sincerely regard themselves as untested, wretched, and forsaken, because they know the exceeding greatness of the calling and of the spiritual riches set before them. Humbling themselves in this way, they strive to avoid every evil, pride, sluggishness, and idleness; with great zeal, steadfastness in the contest, and desire they hasten toward the great measure of righteousness, even though they have not yet been able to attain perfection, because the spiritual wealth entrusted to them is immeasurable.

XIII.5 As has been said, those who possess this disposition receive edification and profit in three ways. But those who regard Christianity as something small and incidental, who do not investigate or seek its highest spiritual goal—"the will of God, the good and acceptable and perfect" [Rom. 12:2]—who do not seek exact guidance for carrying out the more excellent commandments, but approach the Lord's words indifferently, casually, and negligently, obtain full assurance only from the vain and preconceived opinion of their own understanding. They suppose that the evangelical commandments were given merely to frighten men, and therefore they do not fulfill the word of the Lord for the sake of Truth itself, although it was said also to them: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." [Mark 13:31]

XIII.6 Those who have yielded to such a way of thinking and have been persuaded by their own understanding to interpret in this manner the unshakable, immovable, and true words of the Teacher himself inflict great harm and loss upon their soul in three things and in three ways. First, by not believing the divinely inspired Scriptures, they represent God as false rather than true. Second, because they do not have before them the great and perfect goal of Christianity to which they would devote themselves wholly, they cannot worthily endure labor, contest, effort, hunger, and thirst for righteousness; and therefore, through their negligence and vain assurance, they fall into relaxation and carelessness. Third, supposing that by a few virtues they have already been firmly established in virtue, they do not fix their gaze upon that perfect measure of Christianity which those who give themselves to this goal still regard as not yet attained and toward which they continually look. Consequently, placing their confidence merely in outward conduct and the outward appearance of good behavior, they cannot acquire humility, poverty of spirit, and contrition of heart, but remain satisfied with a few spiritual achievements.

XIII.7 Thus, forgetting the blessed hope, the calling to perfection in the Lord, the spiritual maturity of the fullness of Christ, and perfect purification from the passions, they justify themselves by a few virtues, suppose that they have already attained understanding, and remain in conceit concerning their own importance. For this reason they do not obtain daily progress and spiritual growth, because they do not contend in labor, struggle, afflictions, and contrition of heart. Those who do not accept labors, struggles, and afflictions for the Kingdom of heaven, and who do not hunger and thirst for righteousness [Matt. 5:6], cannot attain the fullness of perfection, even if they reach some measure of spiritual progress and growth.

XIII.8 Consider this example. A certain master ordered his workers or slaves to harvest each day the produce of three plethra of land. One worker, having received the master's command, gave himself wholly to its fulfillment, striving and laboring with all his strength; with great care he exerted himself, seeking by himself to work the three plethra. Another, thinking that he was unable to fulfill what had been commanded, gave way to slackness and therefore worked carelessly: at times he reaped a little, but more often remained idle and rested, not applying the same diligence as the first. Even if, because of the excessive size of the task, he truly could not fulfill what had been commanded, he nevertheless did not set before himself the same goal toward which the first worker strove. Therefore he did not apply diligence and zeal to accomplish as much as possible of all that had been commanded, for this required much and unceasing effort, ardor, and care, allowing no room for relaxation. In the same way, those who fix their gaze on the perfect goal of the heavenly calling, believe the divinely inspired Scriptures, and contend as far as possible in the good become better in everything—in knowledge, faith, and works—than those who do not believe that the goal of the perfect calling, freedom, and dispassion can be attained, who therefore do not devote themselves wholly to it but remain content with their own will and exalt themselves in their supposed progress.

XIII.9 For they do not fix their gaze upon the highest goal of the blessed calling indicated by the Gospel sayings; they do not recognize their own poverty and do not possess a contrite heart [Ps. 50:19 LXX]; they do not hunger and thirst for righteousness [Matt. 5:6]; they are unable to contend with all their strength in the arena of the virtues; they are not prepared to apply labor and zeal; from the very beginning they do not trust the sacred ordinances of the holy commandments and the Gospel words. Therefore they cannot become worthy of the heavenly good things by acquiring spiritual progress through faith and good zeal.

XIII.10 To what has been said we should add this. If, relying only on our own power, trusting only our own strength and understanding, and placing confidence in our own justifications, we proclaim that we can destroy and uproot the operation of the passions—something impossible to human nature—then anyone could rightly accuse us of "swollen words of vanity" [2 Pet. 2:18] and of promising what exceeds human nature. But the matter is altogether different if, obeying the Word of God, trusting the meaning of the holy Scriptures, and placing our hope in the power of God, we confess the truth that "with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [Matt. 19:26] For in Acts it is also said: "Why is it judged incredible among you if God raises the dead?" [Acts 26:8] If God raises the dead, then surely he can also uproot the passions in those who zealously contend in all the virtues and believe in him purely and with their whole soul, since nothing is impossible with God.

XIII.11 No word proclaimed by the Spirit in the holy Scriptures can contradict what the Lord has said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" [Mark 13:31]; and again: "The word of the Lord remains forever." [1 Pet. 1:25; Isa. 40:6-8] It is within human power, by diligently contending and struggling, to cut off the impure passions that dwell alongside soul and body and render them inactive. But completely to uproot the tares of the passions sown by the enemy in human nature is possible even for true believers only through the power of God. "Behold," says John the Baptist, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" [John 1:29]; and again it is said: "If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." [John 8:31-32] Likewise: "The God of peace shall soon crush Satan under your feet." [Rom. 16:20] By these and similar sayings of the Spirit complete redemption from the passions is proclaimed for those who, through faith and struggle, devote themselves wholly to God.

XIII.12 Those who suppose that it is impossible for human beings to attain such complete restoration and to become a new creation with a pure heart are plainly likened by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews to those who, because of unbelief, were not deemed worthy to enter the promised land and whose bones fell in the wilderness. [Heb. 3:17-19] What is there called the "promised land," together with the destruction of the seven nations, secretly signifies here redemption from the passions and "love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and unhypocritical faith"; it is to these, as the goal of every commandment, that the Apostle points. This is the true promised land, for the sake of which everything there was shown beforehand in types through Moses.

XIII.13 And if, because of our laziness and negligence, we are unable to attain the highest measures of Christianity, then at least, as prudent servants, we ought to confess and proclaim the immeasurable goodness of God toward mankind manifested through the words of the Spirit, and to regard as true, unshakable, and faithful the promises given to those who devote themselves wholly to God. Thus, although through the laziness of our free choice and our weakness we are unable to attain the great and perfect measures of Christianity, we may nevertheless, through some mercy of God and through faith, acquire a right way of thinking, not become opponents of the teachings of the Spirit, and not find ourselves outside eternal life by proving unbelieving.

XIII.14 Blessed Paul, supporting and strengthening his disciples so that none of them might fall into such a vicious circle of thought, says: "Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in departing from the living God." [Heb. 3:12] By "departing" he does not mean renouncing the name of the Lord, but failing to believe his promises. Therefore, interpreting allegorically the types concerning the Jews in relation to Christian truth, he adds: "For who, when they heard, rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt through Moses? And with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief." [Heb. 3:16-19] And again he adds: "Let us fear, therefore, lest, while a promise remains of entering his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news proclaimed to us just as they did, but the word heard did not profit them, not being united by faith with those who heard. For we who have believed enter the rest." [Heb. 4:1-3]

XIII.15 The true rest of Christians is redemption from sinful passions and the full and manifest indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a pure heart. Therefore the Apostle also says: "Let us be diligent to enter that rest," meaning that those who contend in all the virtues and commandments and believe in the sanctification of the Spirit may be deemed worthy of this rest, "lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience." [Heb. 4:11] Thus, urging and kindling their free choice toward faith, he says: "Let us come with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help" [Heb. 4:16]; and again: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience" [Heb. 10:22]; likewise: "How much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living and true God?" [Heb. 9:14] If you read the other testimonies of the holy Scriptures, you will find that many of them are likewise spoken concerning this exalted goal of Christianity.

XIII.16 All that has been said above sufficiently shows those who prudently believe the words of the Spirit that the person who sincerely comes to God, trusts his promises with his whole heart, contends with all his strength in his commandments, and renews his mind day by day ought to perceive within himself the grace of spiritual progress. This is so that we may attain true rest in perfect sanctification—that is, continually stretch toward the perfect love of adoption through the worshipful Spirit, through whom we are able to acquire complete deliverance from the passions. Thus, wholly sanctified in soul and body, spotless and blameless, brought to peace by the Spirit, having with full assurance acquired the heavenly treasure of perfect grace in the earthen vessels of our bodies and become a pure dwelling place of God, we shall on the future day of Resurrection be glorified together with Christ in the Kingdom and, being deemed worthy to become conformed to the image of the body of his glory, shall rest with him in ineffable rest for the endless ages of eternity. END OF THE GREAT LETTER