Section CXCI

But with mercy so great, so universal, and poured forth upon all, God’s purpose was¹ “πτερῶσαι ψυχήν, ἁρπάσαι—

—κόσμου καὶ δοῦναι Θεῷ, καὶ τὸ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα, ἢ μένον τηρῆσαι, ἢ κινδυνεῦον χειραγωγῆσαι, ἢ διαρρυὲν ἀνασώσασθαι, εἰσοικίσαι² τε τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος· καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον, Θεὸν ποιῆσαι, καὶ τῆς ἄνω μακαριότητος, τὸν³ τῆς ἄνω συντάξεως, to give wings to the soul, to snatch it from the world and give it to God; either to preserve the divine⁴ image while it remains, or to support it when it is imperiled, or to restore it to its former state when it has fallen away; to admit Christ through the Spirit into the dwelling of the breast; and, to speak summarily, to make him who belongs to the heavenly host a God and to procure for him the beatitude above.”

Let us therefore⁵ “be as Christ, since Christ also became as we are. Let us be made Gods on his account, since he also became man on our account. He assumed what was worse that he might give what was more excellent. He was made needy⁶ that through his need we might be rich. He received the form of a servant⁷ that we might receive liberty. He descended that we might be raised up. He was tempted that we might conquer. He was contemned that he might grant us glory. He died that he might bring us salvation. He ascended that he might draw to himself those lying upon the earth through the fall of sin. Let someone give all things; let him offer all things to him who gave himself as a price of redemption for us and as an exchange. Yet he will give nothing so great as when he has offered himself, understanding rightly the rationale of this mystery and becoming all things for his sake which he became for us.” But whoever rightly understands the rationale of the mystery will perceive that the whole providence of God toward men looked to this: that all should be restored to integrity and recalled to their former fellowship with divinity. “For hither,” says Gregory⁸, “the Law, our teacher, tends—

—hither the prophets interposed between Christ and the Law; hither Christ, the consummator and end of the spiritual law⁹. Hither the emptied divinity; hither the assumed flesh; hither ἡ καινὴ μίξις, Θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος, ἓν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν, καὶ δι᾽ ἑνὸς ἀμφότερα, that new commingling, namely God and man, one from¹⁰ both, and both through one. Διὰ τοῦτο Θεὸς σαρκὶ διὰ μέσης ψυχῆς ἀνεκράθη, καὶ συνεδέθη, τὰ διεστῶτα τῇ πρὸς ἄμφω τοῦ μεσιτεύοντος οἰκειότητι· καὶ πάντα ὑπὲρ πάντων· ἦλθεν εἰς ἕν, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς τοῦ προπάτορος· ἡ ψυχὴ διὰ τὴν παρακούσασαν· ἡ σὰρξ διὰ τὴν ὑπουργήσασαν καὶ συγκατακριθεῖσαν· ἡ μὲν, ψυχήν, ἡ δὲ, σάρκα· ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τὸν Ἀδὰμ τὸν γενόμενον ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὁ κρείττων ἁμαρτίας καὶ ὑψηλότερος. For this cause God¹¹ was united to flesh through the intervention of the soul, and things separated and at variance among themselves were joined by the affinity and kinship of the mediating thing with each of them; and all things for all things, and on behalf of that one prince of our race, came together into one: the soul, namely, on account of the soul which did not obey the divine precept; the flesh, on account of the flesh which obeyed the soul’s desire and was condemned together with it; the former for the soul, the latter for the flesh; and finally Christ for Adam, that is, for him who was made under sin, he who was more sublime and excellent than sin.

Merciful kindness therefore reigns, clemency rules, mercy claims for itself the principal parts; and only in the second rank does justice follow, armed with its punishments and furnished with its scourges. But whom does it punish and chastise with eternal torments? a) Those whom God of himself and of his own accord consigned to punishments? Yet God of himself is love, and has this as his proper character: to be beneficent toward all. b) Those whom he neglected when bound by the common transgression, and abandoned in the ruined mass? Yet he neglected no one, deprived no one of his aid, imparted to all the hope of salvation, and fashioned all anew. c) Those whom Christ the new Adam did not redeem? Yet he redeemed all, vindicated all into liberty, and conferred upon all the power by which, when sin had been conquered and the heavenly likeness recovered, they might be made gods.

Whom, then, does he at last punish and condemn by the severity of justice? Namely, 1) he punishes and condemns by the severity of justice those who, after despising the riches of mercy, contrive death and destruction for themselves¹². “For this is Θεοῦ κρίσεως νόμος, ἵν᾽ ἢ σώσῃ τῇ μετανοίᾳ ἢ κολάσηται δικαιότερον, the law of divine judgment: that either he may bring salvation through repentance or punish with a juster title.”

He proceeds against 2) those who almost inflict violence upon him, so that, setting benignity aside, he advances to avenge. For after reciting the words of the prophet¹³, “Who knows whether he will turn and be moved to repentance, and leave a blessing?” Gregory adds¹⁴:

Οἶδα τοῦτο σαφῶς, ἐγὼ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐγγυητής· καὶ ὁ παρὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν αὐτῷ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀφείς, ἐπὶ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν χωρήσει τὸν ἔλεον· εἰς ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν βιάζεται, πρὸς δὲ τοῦτο τὴν ὁρμὴν ἔχει· καὶ εἰ πατάσσει βιαζόμενος, πῶς οὐκ ἀνήσει τῇ φύσει χρώμενος; But I know this plainly; I am the guarantor of God’s benevolence toward men. For, having dismissed anger, which is contrary to his nature, he will turn to mercy, which accords with his nature. For he is driven by us through force to the former, but he is borne to the latter of his own nature. If, therefore, he strikes when driven to it by force, how will he not remit when following his natural inclination? Only let us have compassion upon ourselves, τοῖς δικαίοις τοῦ πατρὸς σπλάγχνοις ὁδὸν ἀνοίξαντες, opening a way for the loving bowels of the Father.

Finally, he punishes 3) those who¹⁵, when they have refused to know God ὡς φῶς, as light, will most certainly experience him ὡς πῦρ, as fire. These are Gregory’s very words, again inculcated by him¹⁶ when he says: “Ὀφθαλμοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἀτονίαν ἥλιος, ψυχῆς δὲ ἀρρωστίαν ἐλέγχει Θεὸς ἐπιδημῶν· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐστὶ φῶς, τοῖς δὲ πῦρ, ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὕλην τε καὶ ποιότητα. For just as the sun discloses the weakness of the eyes, so God by his presence convicts the soul’s infirmity; and to some he is light, to others fire, to each according to the underlying matter and quality.”