Eusebius, EH.5.19-20: Serapion and Irenaeus Against Montanism

Image: Contemporary view of an archaeological site from ancient Antioch, taken from the Antiochepedia blog.

This is an occasional series of readings from and brief notes and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: Book 5, chapters 19-20. Listen here.

Notes and Commentary:

These chapters continue the attack against the Montanists by noting two more of their orthodox opponents: Serapion of Antioch and Irenaeus of Lyons.

Chapter 19 makes references to Serapion, who became bishop at Antioch following Maximinus. He wrote against the “new prophecy” in a letter, commending the writings of Claudius Apolonarius, bishop of Hierapolis, against them. His letter also included the “autographic signatures” of other bishops who opposed the Montanists.

Chapter 20 notes Irenaeus’s letters against the heresy, as it was found in Rome. He wrote a letter to Blastus, titled On Schism, and another to Florinus, titled On the Sole Sovereignty [monarchia], or That God is not the Author of Evil.

Irenaeus also refuted the Valentinian error is a work titled On the Ogdoad. Eusebius makes an interesting reference here to a scribal instruction, which urged faithful copying of Irenaeus’s letter. He also notes in the letter to Florinus, that Irenaeus had appealed to his connection with Polycarp, who had known the apostle John and others “who had seen the Lord.” He suggests that if Polycarp had seen such heresy, as represented by Montanism and Valentinism, he would have exclaimed, “O good God, to what time hast thou preserved me that I should endure this?”

Conclusion:

These chapters illustrate again the conflict between orthodoxy and heresy in the early church. The orthodox could claim a direct connection to the apostles through men like Polycarp, showing that the “new prophecy” of Montanism was not a faithful apostolic practice.

JTR

Eusebius, EH.5.18: Apollonius Against the Montanists

Image: Ruins of ancient Ephesus. Some early traditions [though not Eusebius] say that the anti-Montanist writer Apollonius had been bishop of Ephesus.

Another episode is posted to the occasional series of readings from and brief notes and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History. Here is Book 5, chapter 18. Listen here.

Notes and Commentary:

This chapter concerns the writings of Apollonius, “a writer of the church [ekklesiastikos syngrapheus],” against the Montanist heresy.

He is quoted as attacking the teaching of Montanus, which included the following: the annulment of marriage, the enactment of fasts, setting up two small towns (Pepuza and Tymion) as “Jerusalem”; and various financial irregularities.

He also notes that the prophetesses deserted their husbands once they were “filled with the spirit”, though Priscilla falsely claimed to be a “virgin” (Did she mean this in a “spiritual” sense?). She is also accused of taking silver, and gold, and expensive clothing from her followers.

He then attacks two Montanist adherents. First, Themiso claimed to be a “martyr [witness]”, who wrote a spurious Montanist epistle, “in imitation of the apostle” [by “the apostle” he presumably means Paul]. Second, he mentions Alexander, described as a charlatan, who joined the prophetess in revelry. He exhorts his readers to test the fruit of prophets, and notes that Alexander was arrested not for being a Christian but as a criminal.

As a guide for testing the fruit of a true prophet, he offers the following questions:

“Tell me, does a prophet dye his hair? Does he pencil his eyelids? Does he love ornaments? Does he gamble and dice? Does he lend money?”

Other details are added about Apollonius, including his claim to have written 40 years after Montanus began his teaching, his mention of Zoticus of Pepuza as a faithful elder who had attempted to oppose Maximilla, and his mention of the martyr Thraseus, his claim that Christ ordered the apostles to stay in Jerusalem for 12 years, and his quotations from Revelation. He also conveyed an account of John the apostle raising a man from the dead in Ephesus.

Conclusion:

This chapter provides important information about the Montanist heresy and how the early orthodox opposed it. It also tells us about an early Christian apologetic writer, Apollonius, who wrote against Montanism. The Montanists are attacked, in particular, as money-grubbing charlatans. Exhortation is offered to the orthodox to be discerning and to “test the fruits” of the so-called “prophets.”

JTR

The Vision (12.20.19): Where is the LORD God of Elijah?

Image: Some CRBC young people singing for residents during outreach at Epworth Manor in Louisa (12.18.19)

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on 2 Kings 2.

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11).

And he [Elisha] took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over (2 Kings 2:14).

Here is the great ascension of Elijah. The chariot of fire and horses of fire are a theophany, a manifestation of God’s presence. Fire is so often associated with God’s presence. Think of the burning bush (Exod 3), and of the fire that fell from heaven at Carmel (1 Kings 18) and also on the men of Ahaziah (2 Kings 1). Recall also Hebrews 12:29: “For our God is a consuming fire.”

Notice also again the reference to the whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1; cf. Job 38:1).

Having witnessed his master’s departure, Elisha takes his mantle and stands before the Jordan. What thoughts must have gone through his mind. Am I sufficient for these things?

He takes the mantle and strikes the water, even as Elijah had. As he does this, he asks, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” (v. 14). It is a question, but it is also a petition. Where are you Lord? Are you still there? Will you still work among your people? Will you still manifest your power to them? Will you still provide for them?

And the answer comes quickly as the waters are parted. God is with Elisha as he was with Moses at the Red Sea (Exod 14), with Joshua (Josh 4) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:8) at Jordan. He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb 13:8).

God’s power is the same, no matter who the prophet is. He may give his power to whom he will. His power is not limited by the people through whom he works.

The transition took place from Elijah to Elisha in the prophetic office, but Jehovah is always the same.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (12.13.19): Is it not because there is not a God in Israel...?

Image: Some CRBC young people helping with leaf raking last Saturday (12/7/19)

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 2 Kings 1.

2 Kings 1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

King Ahaziah had an accident and became gravely sick (v. 2a). Remember, however, that there are no accidents (cf. 1 Kings 22:34a). The sad thing is that instead of calling out to the one true God and seeking a word from his prophets, the king instead sends messengers to go and inquire of “Baalzebub the god of Ekron” (v. 2b). It might be said that just as there are no atheists in foxholes there are none in hospice units. Gravely ill men will often seek spiritual help, who otherwise have been indifferent to it.

Baal-zebub literally means “Lord of the flies.” It is suggested that this might have been one of the titles given to Baal, affirming him as the chief god of the pagans, who controlled all creatures, including even the flies. Or, it is also suggested, the title here might have been given by the inspired historian as a sarcastic parody of another title given to Baal: Baal-zebul, which means “prince Baal” or “Lord Baal.” For the historian, he was instead “Lord of the flies.” Where would one find flies? Circling around a pile of dung. Baal-zebub is a title used in the Gospels in reference to Satan (cf. Matt 10:25; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).

Ekron was a Philistine city. The point is that Baal was a foreign god. I remember several years ago on a trip to DC we saw a group of Hare Krishnas dancing and chanting. They were all Westerners who had abandoned the God of the founders of this nation for Lord Krishna, a foreign deity.

But the angel of the LORD intervenes (v. 3). He commissions Elijah to meet the messengers sent to Baal with a question: “Is it not because there is not a God in Israel…?” (v. 3b). That is a fair rendering of the original Hebrew, but with two negatives it comes with some difficulty to our ears. Its meaning: Are you going to this foreign god, because you do not know that the one true God is in Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? This question is an indictment. Are you really denying the existence and power of Jehovah?

If you were sick would you want to seek out an actor who plays a doctor on tv or a doctor who is actually a doctor and who can actually help you?

The question we need to ask ourselves: To whom will we turn in time of crisis, when life and death is at stake? Will we turn to the false gods of this world, the Baalzebubs, as did Ahaziah? Or will we turn to the one true God?

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 145: Review: Robert W. Yarbrough's "Clash of Visions"

I have posted WM 145: Review: Robert W. Yarbrough's "Clash of Visions." Listen here.

In this episode I offer an audio version of a draft review I have written of:

Robert W. Yarbrough, Clash of Visions: Populism and Elitism in New Testament Theology (Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2019): 116 pp.

Here are the opening and closing paragraphs:

Yarbrough is a seasoned evangelical academic scholar, who, among other significant contributions, is well known for his translations of several important works by evangelical German authors (like Eta Linnemann, Gerhard Maier, and others) for English-speaking audiences. This brief book is an expansion of the author’s 2018 Gheens Lectures at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In this work Yarbrough reflects on the “clash of visions” between the popular (traditional) Christian’s approach to Scripture and that of the elite (academic) scholar.....

Yarbrough’s work is thought-provoking. It offers valuable reflections on the inevitable disconnect or “clash” which results from embracing Enlightenment methods of academic study, while also affirming the inspiration and authority of the Bible. This comes from a scholar uniquely situated to offer such a critique, given his training and expertise in the historical critical method, his awareness of the worldwide Christian movement, and his personal evangelical convictions. Like those whose works he has previously translated (e.g., Linnemann and Maier) Yarbrough offers his own compelling and insightful evaluation of the “clash” between “elitist” scholarship and “populist” faith.

Jeffrey T. Riddle, Pastor, Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Louisa, Virginia

Eusebius, EH.5.14-17: Against Heresies: Montanism

This is an occasional series of readings from and brief notes and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: Book 5, chapters 14-17. Listen here.

Notes and Commentary:

These chapters survey the Montanist or Phrygian (or Kataphyrgian) heresy.

Chapter 14 introduces this Montanist heresy and its adherents who “like poisonous reptiles crawled over Asia and Phrygia.” Its leader Montanus was called the Paraclete (of the “Comforter” the term for the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel) and two women of the sect, Priscilla and Maximilla, were considered to be his prophetesses.

Chapter 15 notes two other heterodox men who had been turned out of the church at Rome, Florinus and Blastus..

Chapter 16 describes Apolinarius of Hierapolis as a “powerful and invincible weapon” against Montanism. He and other “learned men” opposed the heresy.

Eusebius cites several passages from a work by one of these men [perhaps Asterius Urbanus to whom reference is made] addressed to a certain Abercius Marcellus. The Montanists are called the sect of Miltiades, one of their early teachers.

The writer expresses his hesitancy to write, since he did not want to add to or take away from the gospel (canonical Scripture?).

What the Montanists claimed to be prophecy, he called “false prophecy.”

He says the movement began in the village of Ardabav in Phrygian Misia where Montanus had been a Christian convert led astray by an unbounded lust for leadership control. He had ecstatic experiences, spoke strangely and prophesied contrary to church tradition. Some assumed he was led by the devil or a spirit of error. The two women were then raised up who were also possessed by the same “bastard spirit” and spoke madly, improperly and strangely, like Montanus.

When this arrogant spirit blasphemed the universal (catholic) church, the Montanists were drive our and excommunicated.

This author reports the miserable end of these “prophets”, relaying a tradition that Montanus and Maximilla, like Judas, committed suicide.

Another Montanist teacher named Theodotus is also said to have come to a miserable end.

He reports that faithful bishops attempted to refute Maximilla, while she lived, but were muzzled by the Montanists.

He also cites prophecies made by Maximilla about the end of the world, but 13 years later these prophesies had proven false.

Finally, he cites a report that the Montanists, like the followers of Marcion, claimed to have martyrs, as did the orthodox. The martyrs of the true faith, like Gaius and Alexander of Eumeneia, however, separated themselves from those in these sects, so as not even to die with them.

Chapter 17 continues this survey of the anti-Montanist work, citing another anti-Montanist author named Miltiades [not to be confused with the Montanist teacher of the same name] who described Montanist attacks against the orthodox teacher Alcibiades. The Christians pointed to the prophets of the OT and of those with prophetic gifts in the NT (Agabus, Judas, Silas, and the daughters of Philip) as well as early Christian prophets Ammia and Quadratus. It is noted that the Montanist prophets had not one to succeed them when they passed.

Finally, other writings of this Miltiades are mentioned including works against Gentiles and against Jews and an Apology to the secular rulers.

Conclusion:

These chapters are important for understanding the Montanist heresy, which was something like a “charismatic” sect, relying on ecstatic experiences and utterances. The Romans in their persecutions lumped those of this sect in among the orthodox Christians but, according to Eusebius, the martyrs from the heretical sects were not authentic. Against the Montanists, there were also raised up orthodox writers and teachers to oppose them.

JTR

Book Note: Gregory of Nyssa's The Life of Moses: Part 4 of 4

Image: Michelangelo's depiction of the brazen serpent in the Sistine Chapel (c. 1508-1512)

Gregory continues his mystical interpretation of Moses:

Regarding the spies, the bunch of grapes “suspended from the wood … signifies the saving Passion” (115).

The raising of the brazen serpent also points forward to the cross. “To look to the cross means to render one’s whole life dead and crucified to the world, unmoved by evil” (116).

After asserting that “sin is the real serpent”, he adds, “Man, then, is freed from sin through him who assumed the form of sin and became like us who had been turned into the form of the serpent” (116-117).

Christ “keeps the bites from causing death, but the beasts themselves are not destroyed” (117). “In fact, the gnawings of desire are frequently active even in the faithful” (117).

Those who seek to “punish the passion of desires by living a disciplined life …. thrust themselves into the priesthood” (117).

To purify the passions is to “cross through the foreign life”, as the law leads one “along the royal highway” (120).

Gregory’s discussion of virtue and vice, reflects the influence of Aristotle and his “golden mean.”

According to Gregory, “all evil naturally operates in a deficiency or an excess of virtue. In the case of courage, cowardice is the lack of virtue, and rashness is its excess. What is pure of each of these is seen to lie between these corresponding evils and is a virtue. In the same way all other things which strive for the better also somehow take the middle road between the neighboring evils” (121).

“The person who lacks moderation is a libertine, and he who goes beyond moderation has his conscience branded, as the Apostle says” (121).

In his discussion of the daughters of Moab, Gregory discusses the use of pleasure to entice evil:

“Pleasure is truly like evil’s bait; when it is thrown out lightly, it draws gluttonous souls to the fishhook of destruction” (124).

Of the many passions “which afflict men’s thinking there is none so strong as the disease of pleasure” (125). Pleasure “is an enemy of ours that is hard to fight and difficult to overcome” (125).

The “irrational animal impulse to licentiousness” made the sinful Israelites of old “forget their human nature” (125).

He concludes, “For the evils of the passions, like a plague, when once they have gained possession of the critical parts, stop only at death” (126).

The mature Christian seeks “the end of the virtuous life” (129). For believers, there is “one purpose in life: to be called servants of God by virtue of the lives we live” (130).

He adds: “the goal of the sublime way of life is being called a servant of God” (130-131).

In his concluding words to “Ceasarius, man of God” Gregory notes his attempt to trace “in outline like a pattern of beauty the life of the great Moses, so that each of us might copy the image of the beauty which has been shown to us by imitating his way of life” (131).

Final Thoughts on Gregory of Nyssa’s The Life of Moses:

Gregory of Nyssa, along with his fellow Cappadocians, was a key early articulator and defender of orthodox Trinitarian theology.

In other areas, however, one might challenge some of Gregory’s views. in recent days, for example, David Bentley Hart has appealed to Gregory and other early Christian thinkers (like Origen) to support universalism.

In this work, as noted, Gregory seems significantly to depart from the apostle Paul’s anthropology, hamartiology, and soteriology.

What also do we make of his allegorical and mystical interpretation of Scripture? On one hand, one might point to similar typological and allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament in New Testament Scripture itself (cf. e.g., John 3:14; 1 Cor 10:1-6; Gal 4:22-31). These interpretations, however, come from inspired authors.

What checks do we have on allegorical interpretations when they are made by uninspired men? Is this not what the Reformers were adressing when they revived a literal, grammatical-historical method (see, e.g., the method used by Calvin in his commentaries)?

Nevertheless, Gregory’s emphasis on the end or goal of Scripture study as the spiritual development of the Christian virtues is refreshing.

JTR

The Vision (12.6.19): The Word of God destroys the man who defies it.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 22:3-53 (audio not yet posted).

And a certain man drew a bow at a venture and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness….” (1 Kings 22:34a).

Old Testament scholar Dale Ralph Davis describes the theme of this chapter as “the word of God destroys the man who defies it” (1 Kings, 311).

As King Ahab went into battle, he took off his royal robes in order to hide his identity and not draw the attention of the Syrians. This illustrates his cunning, his shrewdness. He had fooled the army of the Syrians. There was someone, however, whom he had not fooled. There was someone who knew his identity, better than any facial recognition system or DNA test. Someone who knew his location, with greater precision than any GPS could provide. Someone who, in fact, knew every inch of his body and even where there was a tiny gap of vulnerability where one piece of his armor was joined to another.

Christ encouraged his disciples by telling them that the very hairs of their head were all numbered (Matt 10:30). That is comforting to know, but also frightening. He knows us and we cannot hide from him.

Notice in v. 34a, “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture….” It was just a random, unnamed man, who became the instrument of the Lord’s judgement upon Ahab. He drew his bow “at a venture.” We might say, “by chance.” He was not even aiming, but behind the human archer, there was a Divine Archer, who would guide that missile. And it smote the king of Israel “between the joint of the harness.” It land just at the tiny point of weakness.

If you are familiar with Greek mythology this account might bring to mind the death of the hero Achilles. As an infant, he had supposedly been dipped into the river Styx by his mother Thetis, giving him invulnerability over his whole body, except at the heel where he had been held to be dipped. Then, in battle an arrow fatally struck him in his “Achilles’ heel.” Sometimes even the pagans could grope however blindly toward recognition of the guiding hand of divine providence.

Was it dumb luck that Ahab was struck? No, it was the hand of a providential God. The Lord was bringing his temporal judgement to bear upon Ahab for all his sin and idolatry, and for all the spiritual misery he had brought upon his nation and people. There are no accidents in this life.

1 Kings ends with a warning. Men will either obey the Word of God or they will be crushed by it. Consider Christ’s words in Matthew 21:44, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Will you be like the many that go to destruction, or the few who find life in Christ?

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 144: Taylor DeSoto Guest Lecture on TR @ Phoenix Seminary

WM 144: Taylor DeSoto Guest Lecture on TR @Phoenix Seminary is posted. Listen here.

My friend Taylor DeSoto, associate pastor at Agros Reformed Baptist Church in Phoenix, AZ, was invited to give a guest lecture on his view of the TR in a ThM class on text criticism (on 12.4.19) at Phoenix Seminary, taught by Dr. Peter Gurry. Taylor does a very able job of speaking about the Confessional Text position and addressing questions, including the "Which TR?" challenge. Thanks to Dr. Gurry for his invitation to hear directly from a TR advocate.

This presentation is also available in video format here on youtube.com.

JTR

Book Note: Gregory of Nyssa on The Life of Moses: Part 3 of 4

More from Gregory of Nyssa's allegorical interpretation in The Life of Moses:

On the tables of stone, Gregory asserts that “the spiritual sense agrees with the literal account” (100). On the restoration of the broken tables, he asserts that God is “the restorer of our broken nature” who has “restored the broken table of our nature to its original beauty” (100).

On God’s meeting Moses face to face, he observes, “If these things are looked at literally, not only will the understanding of those who seek God be dim, but their concept of him will also be inappropriate” (101).

Gregory’s Neoplatonism is seen throughout.

The “ardent lover of beauty” longs “to be filled with the very stamp of the archetype” (104). He longs “to enjoy the Beauty not in mirrors and reflections, but face-to-face” (104).

“True being is true life” (105).

“This truly is the vision of God: never to be satisfied in the desire to see him” (106).

The ascent to God “is both a standing still and a moving”; it “takes place by means of standing. I mean by this that the firmer and more immovable one remains in the Good, the more he progresses in the course of virtue” (107-108).

“He who finds any good finds it in Christ, who contains all good” (109).

In discussing the envy of men against Moses, Gregory observes: “Envy is the passion which causes evil, the father of death, the first entrance of sin, the root of wickedness, the birth of sorrow, the mother of misfortune, the basis of disobedience, the beginning of shame” (111).

He adds: “Envy is the death-dealing sting, the hidden weapon, the sickness of nature, the bitter poison, the self-willed emaciation, the bitter dart, the nail of the soul, the fire in the heart, the flame burning on the inside” (111-112).

“Envy is grieved at the good deeds of men and takes advantage of their misfortunes” (112).

When envied, Moses “did not rush to defend himself against those who caused him sorrow” (113).

To be continued….

WM 143: Devotion for Ministers on 1 Corinthians 4

I have posted WM 143: Devotion for Ministers on 1 Corinthians 4. Listen here.

I was asked to give this devotion at a Reformed Baptist Pastoral Fraternal that met on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 in a pastor's home in Staunton, Virginia.

The devotion drew upon three points from 1 Corinthians 4:

1. Ministers as "stewards of the mysteries of God" (vv. 1-2);

2. The universality of the ministry as Paul taught "every where in every church" (v. 17);

3. The authority of the ministry ("shall I come unto you with a rod?") (v. 21).

Good time of discussion, fellowship, and prayer after the devotion, plus an excellent lunch provided by our host.

This fraternal yesterday was in the western part of Virginia (Staunton). Today I also had the pleasure of attending another fraternal of Reformed Baptist pastors that met in the eastern part of the state (in Sandston). Thankful for fellowship among ministers.

JTR

Kept Pure in All Ages Conference: March 27-28, 2020 @ Five Solas Church, Reedsburg, Wisconsin

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I am looking forward to speaking at the upcoming "Kept Pure in All Ages" conference at Five Points Church (OPC) in Reedsburg, Wisconsin on Friday-Saturday, March 27-28, 2020.

If you have an interest in the Confessional Text movement and live in the Midwest region (or anywhere else, for that matter), I hope you will consider attending and supporting this event, especially if you were not able to attend the Text and Canon Conference in Atlanta but were encouraged by listening to the messages. I will be preparing new messages for this conference that will hopefully reinforce and expand upon many of the themes covered in Atlanta.

Host Pastor and conference co-speaker Christian McShaffrey is the creator of the TR-Friendly Church Directory. He sent out this announcement for the conference today:

You are cordially invited to the first annual “Kept Pure in All Ages” conference on the text of Holy Scripture. Here are the details:

Begins: March 27, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.

Ends: March 28, 2020 at 12:00 m. *

Place: Five Solas Church (Reedsburg, WI)

Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey T. Riddle

Cost: Free

This conference will issue an earnest-but-brotherly call to return to the classical Protestant view of the Biblical text of scripture which led our fathers in the faith to receive the Textus Receptus as the authentic Word of God; especially in light of the radical changes that are coming to both the Greek NT text and our English translations.

To learn more about the conference and lodging options, or to RSVP, you may visit the conference website by clicking here.

If you are unable to attend, but would like to assist in some way, here are a couple options:

1. Share this announcement via Social Media so that others are aware of it.

2. Sponsor the event so we can cover the travel expenses of students and Pastors and/or offer them free books.

Thank you for your interest in the authentic text of scripture and we do hope to see you at the conference.

Sincerely,

Christian M. McShaffrey
Pastor of Five Solas Church (OPC)
Administrator of the TR-friendly Directory
(608) 524-5856

* Those who wish to stay for the entire weekend will also benefit from an informal Q&A session with Dr. Riddle after lunch on Saturday and fellowship with the saints at Five Solas Church on Sunday morning.

Book Note: Gregory of Nyssa's The Life of Moses: Part 2 of 4

More from Gregory of Nyssa’s The Life of Moses:

Gregory sees the death of the firstborn in Egypt as teaching “when through virtue one comes to grips with any evil, he must completely destroy the first beginnings of evil” (57).

Here he draws on Christ’s teaching in Matthew 5 on anger/murder and lust/adultery, noting Christ here commands us “to abolish lust and anger and to have no more fear of the stain of adultery or the guilt of murder” (57). He adds: “Take for an example a snake: when one crushes his head, he kills the rest of the body at the same time” (57).

He sees the soul as divided into “the rational, the appetitive, and the spirited” (58; cf. 66).

Gregory’s allegorical style is on full display in his description of the departure from Egypt:

The thorns of this life are sins; the shoes “the self-controlled and austere life”; the tunic “the full enjoyment and pursuits of this life”; the belt “reason” and “prudence”; the staff “the message of hope”; the food “warm and fervent faith”; etc.

Gregory’s method: “The loftier meaning is therefore more fitting than the obvious one” (63).

On the crossing of the Red Sea: The army of Egypt represents “the passions of the soul”; the stone from the sling, “reviling”; the spear point, “the spirited impulse”; the horses, “the passion for pleasures”; etc.

The meaning: “Since the passions naturally pursue our nature, we must put to death in the water both the base movements of the mind and the acts which issue from them” (67).

In baptism one drowns “the whole Egyptian person” and emerges alone “dragging nothing foreign in our subsequent life” (67). Those who receive baptism in ignorance, “bring along the Egyptian army, which still lives with them in their doings” (68).

“For uncontrolled passion is a fierce and raging master to the servile reasoning” (68).

If there are negative allegories in Gregory, there are also positive. The wood placed in the bitter water to make it sweet represents the cross. To throw the wood in the water is to receive “the mystery of the resurrection” which begins with the wood. Gregory adds as an aside: “(you of course understand ‘the cross’ when you hear ‘wood’)” (69).

The springs in the wilderness are the twelve disciples and the seventy date palms, the other appointed apostles. The campsite are the virtues.

Before taking the manna, one has to empty “the sack of his soul of all evil nourishment prepared by the Egyptians” (71).

When Moses held his hands aloft, it signified “the contemplation of the law with lofty insights” but when he let his hands hang to earth it meant “the lowly literal exposition and observance of the Law” (75).

“He who would approach the knowledge of things sublime must first purify his manner of life from all sensual and irrational emotion” (78).

The tabernacle is Christ. The skin dyed red used to decorate the tabernacle represent the mortification of sinful flesh and “the ascetic way of life” (89). “This teaches that grace, which flourishes through the Spirit, is not found in men unless they first make themselves dead to sin” (89).

The priestly vestments represent the virtuous adornments of the soul. The golden bells are “the brilliance of good works” (91).

The “philosophical life” may be “outwardly austere and unpleasant”, yet it is “full of good hopes when it ripens” (92).

“The head adorned with the diadem signifies the crown reserved for those who have lived well” (94).

To be continued…

Book Note: Gregory of Nyssa's The Life of Moses: Part 1 of 4

Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of Moses, trans. by Abraham J. Malherbe and Everett Ferguson (HarperCollins, 1978, 2006).

I finished reading Gregory of Nyssa’s The Life of Moses last week.

Here are a few notes:

Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-c. 394) was one of the three Cappadocian Fathers, along with his older brother Basil of Caesarea and their friend Gregory of Nazianzus. He was bishop of Nyssa from 372-376, until deposed under the charge of maladministration, but was later reinstated to resume his office from 378 to his death.

Gregory was a Neoplatonist, a Trinitarian theologian, and an allegorical interpreter of Scripture (in the tradition of Origen).

The Life of Moses is a devotional work based on the Biblical account of Moses. It consists of two parts:

Book one is a brief historical sketch of the life of Moses.

Book two is a mystical contemplation of the life of Moses. Gregory takes the life of Moses as a model of how one attains to the virtuous life.

Gregory’s approach is evident from the opening reflection in book two on Moses’s birth and childhood. He seeks the “real intention” of the narrative, which is the “austerity and intensity of virtue” as represented in “the male birth” (32). We “give birth to ourselves” by “molding ourselves to the teaching of virtue or vice” (32). Thus, the “rational faculties” are the “parents of virtue” (33). The ark in which Moses was placed represents education in virtue. The king’s daughter who discovers Moses represents “profane philosophy”, while the “natural mother” offers “the nourishment of the Church’s milk.” The conflict between the Egyptians and Hebrews is that between idolatry and “true religion” (35). Thus, “The victory of true religion is the death and destruction of idolatry” (36).

It is not always easy to anticipate the allegories Gregory will draw.

According to Gregory, the burning bush represents the Virgin Mary whose “virginity was not withered by giving birth” (37).

The transformation of Moses’s hand and his rod changing into a snake represent the incarnation (39).

For Gregory the “literal account” must give way to an “elevated understanding” (45).

Moses’s public ministry teaches that one who has “not equipped himself” by “spiritual training” should not “presume to speak among the people” (46).

Making bricks without straw reflects the insatiable “appetitive part of the soul” (47).

Man’s free will is stressed by Gregory, often contrary to Paul’s anthropology. Of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, he writes: “It lies within each person’s power to make this choice” (51).

He later adds, “we men have in ourselves, in our own nature and by our own choice, the causes of light or of darkness, since we place ourselves in whichever sphere we wish to be” (53).

Gregory offers a form of a “free will” defense of the existence of evil when he writes, “it is evident that nothing evil can come into existence apart from our free choice” (56).

To be continued….