VII.
An Epistle
of our
Holy Father Athanasius,
Archbishop of Alexandria,
to the Monks
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[The beautiful and striking Letter which follows
formed the introduction to a work, which the Author, as he says in the
course of it, thought unworthy of being preserved for posterity. Some
critics have supposed it to be the Orations against the Arians, which
form his greatest work; but this opinion can hardly be maintained,
though the discussion of it does not belong to this place. The Epistle
to the Monks was written in 358, or later, but before the foregoing
Epistle to Serapion.]
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§. 1.
1. To those in every place who are living a
monastic life, who are established in the faith of God, and sanctified
in Christ, and who say, Behold, we have forsaken all, and I
followed Thee [Mat. xix. 27.], brethren dearly beloved and longed
for, a full greeting in the Lord.
1. IN
compliance with your affectionate request, which you have frequently
urged upon me, I have written a short account of the sufferings which
ourselves and the Church have undergone, refuting, according to my
ability, the accursed [Note 1]
heresy of the Arian fanatics, and proving how entirely it is alien
from the Truth. And I thought it needful to represent to your Piety
what pains [Note 2] the writing
of theses things has cost me, in order that you may understand thereby
how truly the blessed Apostle has said, O the depth of the {216} riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God [Rom xi. 33.]; and may
kindly bear with a weak man such as I am by nature. For the more I
desired to write, and endeavoured to force myself to understand the
Divinity of the Word, so much the more did the knowledge thereof
withdraw itself from me; and in proportion as I thought that I
apprehended it, in so much I perceived myself to fail of doing so.
Moreover also I was unable to express in writing even what I seemed to
myself to understand; and that which I wrote was unequal to the
imperfect shadow of the truth which existed in my conceptions.
§. 2.
2. Considering therefore how it is written in the
Book of Ecclesiastes, I said, I will be wise, but it was far from
me; That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who shall find it out?
[Eccles. vii. 23, 24.] and what is said in the Psalms, The
knowledge of Thee is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain
unto it [Ps. cxxxix. 6.]; and that Solomon says, It is the
glory of God to conceal a thing [Prov. xxv. 2.]; I frequently
designed to stop and to cease writing; believe me [Note
3], I did. But lest I should be found to disappoint you, or by my
silence to lead into impiety those who have made enquiry of you, and
are given to disputation, I constrained myself to write briefly [Note
4], what I have now sent to your Piety. For although a perfect
apprehension of the truth is at present far removed from us by reason
of the infirmity of the flesh; yet it is possible, as the Preacher
himself has said, to perceive the madness of the impious, and having
found it, to say that it is more bitter than death [Eccles.
vii. 26.]. Wherefore for this reason, as perceiving this and able to
find it out, I have written, knowing that to the faithful the
detection of impiety is a sufficient information wherein piety
consists. For although it be impossible to comprehend what God is, yet
it is possible to say, what He is not [Note
A]. And we know that He is {217} not as man; and that it is not
lawful to conceive of any created [Note
5] nature as existing in Him. So also respecting the Son of God,
although we are by nature very far from being able to apprehend Him;
yet it is possible and easy to condemn the assertions of the heretics
concerning Him, and to say, that the Son of God is not such; nor is it
lawful even to conceive in our minds such things as they speak,
concerning His divinity; much less to utter them with the lips.
§. 3.
3. Accordingly I have written as well as I was
able; and you, dearly beloved, receive these communications not as
containing a perfect exposition of the doctrine of the divinity of the
Word, but as being merely a refutation of the impiety of the enemies
of Christ, and as containing and affording to those who desire it,
suggestions [Note 6] for
arriving at a pious and sound [Note
7] faith in Christ. And if in any thing they are defective, (and I
think they are defective in all respects,) pardon it with a pure
conscience, and only receive favourably the boldness [Note
8] of my good intentions in support of godliness. For an utter
condemnation of the heresy of the Arians, it is sufficient for you to
know the judgment which has been given by the Lord in the death of
Arius, of which you have already been informed by others. For the
Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? [Is. xiv.
27.] and whom the Lord hath condemned who shall justify [Note
9]? After such a sign [Note 10]
has been given, who does not now acknowledge, that the heresy is hated
of God [Note 11], however it
may have men for its patrons?
4. Now when you have read this account, pray for
me, and exhort one another so to do. And immediately send it back to
me, and suffer no one whatever to take a copy of it, nor transcribe it
for yourselves [Note 12]. But
like good money-changers [Note B]
be satisfied with the reading; but read it repeatedly if you desire to
do so. For it is not safe that the {218} writings of us babblers and
private persons [Note 13]
should fall into the hands of them that shall come after. Salute one
another in love, and also all that come unto you in piety and faith.
For if any man, as the Apostle has said, love not the Lord,
let him be anathema. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen [1 Cor. xvi. 22.].
A. This negative character of our knowledge,
whether of the Father or of the Son, is insisted on by other writers.
“When we speak of the substance of any being, we have to say what it
is, not what it is not; however, as relates to God, it is impossible
to say what He is as to His substance. All we can know about the
Divine Nature is, that it is not to be known; and whatever positive
statements we make concerning God, relate not to His Nature, but to
the accompaniments of His Nature.” Damasc. F. O. i. 4. S. Basil ad
Eunom. i. 10 speaks similarly of the negative attributes, (so to
speak,) of the Divine Nature, adding, however, the positive. And St.
Austin says, “Totum ab animo rejicite; quidquid occurrerit,
negate ... dicite non est illud.” August. Enarrat. 2. in
Psalm xxvi. 8. “How,” says St. Cyril, “the Father begat the Son,
we profess not to tell; only we insist upon its not
being in this manner or that.” Catech. xi. 11.
“Patrem non esse Filium, sed habere Filium qui Pater non
sit; Filium non esse Patrem, sed Filium Dei esse natum; sanctum
quoque Paracletum esse, qui nec Pater sit ipse, nec
Filius, sed a Patre Filioque procedat. Anonym. in Append. Aug. Oper.
t. 5. p. 383. Return to text
B.
On this celebrated text, as it may be called, which is cited so
frequently by the Fathers, vid. Coteler. in Const. Apol. ii. 36. in
Clement. Hom. ii. 51. Potter in Clem. Strom. i. p. 425. Vales. in
Euseb. Hist. vii. 7. vid. also S. Cyril, Catech. tr. p. 78, note o. Return to text