Fount of Knowledge

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Tue 19 August 2003 1:41 pm

For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:7-8 ) God wishes to give knowledge, but for the man who flip flops and and is unstable, such knowledge can only prove harmful. The double-minded and unstable man is he who lacks faith, and has wrong motives; or as the Venerable Bede says: "The man is double-minded who wishes both to rejoice here with the world and to reign there with God. Likewise the man is double-minded who in the good he does looks not for reward inwardly but for approbation outwardly." (Commentary on James 1:8 ) We should not underestimate the power of the words here: when Saint Athanasius had to choose words to describe the Arians, he quoted this very passage from Saint James to describe them. (Defense of the Nicene Definition, 2, 4).
It might be helpful at this point to note that many of the passages in James are dependent on the rest of the Epistle. In fact, it would not be wholly wrong to see the first chapter of this epistle as a sort of summary of the themes developed in the rest of the epistle. It might also be helpful to note that most of the themes seen in James are meant to intertwine together. James was not writing on epistemology or gnosiology directly, but was writing on the Christian life in general: all that he said described a christocentric life (even if he didn't mention Christ our God by name very often). However, for the Church Fathers, experience, and action, and faith, were all interpenetrating concepts: to speak of "works" was to speak of faith and knowledge, and to speak of "faith" was to speak of actions and learning. Within this Epistle which (on the surface) seems to discuss merely basic, practical Christian principles, then, we can discover innumerable epistemological and gnosiological truths and discern a divinely inspired "theory of knowledge".

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Wed 20 August 2003 8:59 am

Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation (James 1:9) And Saint James says elsewhere: "Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5) It is not those with much learning, then, who are rich in faith, but "the poor of this world". Poor here means not only materially poor, but "poor in spirit", or humble. (cf Matt. 5:3; Lk. 6:20). This is why Saint Isaac the Syrian says: "the mysteries are revealed to the humble, and it is these humble ones who are thereby perfect in wisdom." It would be purely eisegesis to claim that James meant to be speaking of the "poor in spirit" here in the same explicit way that Christ our God did in the Sermon on the Mount. Yet, James also clearly describes these materially poor as being "rich in faith," and so humble that they "do not resist" even martyrdom (James 1:6; cf Wis. 2:10-3:8 ). This interpretation is further supported by the words of James regarding the rich man...

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Thu 21 August 2003 10:08 am

But the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. (James 1:10-11) It is this "rich man," who is rich materially but poor in faith, this rich man who lacks humility and love, who is lost and lacks knowledge. For "the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peacable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and hypocrisy" (James 3:18 ). The "rich men" that Saint James speaks of, however, had oppressed and persecuted the Christians, blaspheming the name of Christ (James 2:1-7); they kept back wages due to people, and even killed the just (James 5:1-6). James was not against money in itself, but was rather speaking against its corrupting power. It was not the riches themselves that was at the center of the thoughts of James, but how one reacted to riches: the poor man, having not tasted them, was able to easily humble himself and draw near to God, while the rich man had allowed the money to corrupt him, and was therefore seeking not the things of God (such as wisdom), but the things of this world. (James 4:1-10)

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Fri 22 August 2003 9:30 am

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12) Having previously mentioned how one was to seek after knowledge, Saint James now reassures his reader that if they endure temptation to the end, that they will be rewarded. However, though the focus of the verse is mostly on the future (when we hope to receive a crown of life), we should not neglect the part of the verse that obviously deals with the present. One must deal with temptations in the now to get the crown later. Saint James here is not merely talking of physically trials, either, but also of a type of trials that is wholly relevant to epistemology and gnosiology. As Saint Ephraim the Syrian says: "Do not quail before the temptations that will come against you from the Enemy, but endure, that you may earn the beatitude. For it is written, 'Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because when he has been tried he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.' You wish not to be mastered by temptation? Cut off your every wish. If you think that some action is good, while to your superior in the Lord it is judged not to be good, obey him in the Lord; for love of contention and following out one’s own idea is a sign of disaster." (To The Monks of Egypt, Fourth Exhortation) We see here that "intellectual" humility plays a part in enduring trials and receiving the crown. And Saint Athanasius also says something relevant here, for he says that it is those who fight against heresies and lies--ie. those who seek after the truth and promote it--that will gain a crown for enduring (To the Bishops of Egypt, 23)

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Sat 23 August 2003 3:00 pm

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (James 1:13) And we find elsewhere in the Scripture: "Say not: 'It was God's doing that I fell away'; for what he hates he does not do. Say not: 'It was he who set me astray'; for he has no need of wicked man. Abominable wickedness the Lord hates, he does not let it befall those who fear him... Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord... No man does he command to sin, to none does he give strength for lies." (Sir. 15:11-13, 17-18, 20) Though it may appear so at first, this is not a contradiction of other passages of the Bible, such as when we ask God to "lead us not into temptation" (Matt. 6:13). The Venerable Bede Explains: "there is a twofold kind of temptation, one which deceives, the other which tests. According to that which deceives, 'God tempts no one'; according to that which tests, 'God tempted Abraham'; (Gen. 22:1) about that, too, the prophet begs, 'Test me, Lord, and tempt me.' (Ps. 26:2)" (Commentary on James 1:13). Similarly, Dionysius of Alexandria explains: "The devil, therefore, drives us on by violence, drawing us to destruction; but God leads us by the hand, training us for our salvation." (An Exposition of Luke 22:46)
Even if someone acknowledges that a correct life (or at least willingness to begin a correct life) is necessary to gain knowledge, they might still argue (in self-justification) that "I would try, but God put me in this sinful world and so I sin by nature. It's just a part of the human condition" James clearly refutes this line of thinking, however, and tells us that we cannot blame God when we do wrong; therefore, we also cannot blame God when we lack knowledge. Indeed, as saint James said, God gives knowledge "to all liberally and without reproach" (James 1:5). To further combat this notion that we are helplessly lost and can blame God for our fallen state, James continues...

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Sun 24 August 2003 11:50 am

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. ( James 1:14-15) And Saint James says later: "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war." (James 4:1-2) And so, when we fall it is our own doing, for we have the power to not exercize our free will and not sin if we wish. And being deprived of closeness with God, we fall not only into sin, but into ignorance, because we seek wisdom amiss: "Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:2-4) This is why Saint James says: "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:7-10) By cooperating with God's grace, we will be cleansed and grow closer to Him; by this movement we will become more able to understand and learn. But continuing, James further evidences his point that when we fall it is not God's doing...

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Mon 25 August 2003 9:17 am

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:16-17) Saint John Cassian discusses this truth very articulately, for in his combatting of the Augustinian errors regarding free will, he did not want to fall into the opposite error of Pelagianism, and therefore found this verse as the perfect starting point. He says: "we clearly infer that the initiative not only of our actions but also of good thoughts comes from God, who inspires us with a good will to begin with, and supplies us with the opportunity of carrying out what we rightly desire: for 'every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights,' who both begins what is good, and continues it and completes it in us," (Conferences, 13, 3) and "How foolish and wicked then it is to attribute any good action to our own diligence and not to God's grace and assistance, is clearly shown by the Lord's saying, which lays down that no one can show forth the fruits of the Spirit without His inspiration and co-operation." (Conferences, 3, 17). And in his Institutes, Saint John Cassian says: "For the will and course of no one, however eager and anxious, is sufficiently ready for him, while still enclosed in the flesh which warreth against the spirit, to reach so great a prize of perfection, and the palm of uprightness and purity, unless he is protected by the divine compassion, so that he is privileged to attain to that which he greatly desires and to which he runs." (Institutes, 12, 10).
And so we see from this verse in James, as understood by that man who walked the royal path, Saint John, that our knowledge is unavoidably linked with God and our closeness to him. When Saint James says that "every good gift" is from above, he obviously includes wisdom. Therefore, God is the beginning of wisdom, and he is the sustainer of wisdom: man's own intelligence and understanding are impossible without God. Indeed, one cannot even understand wrongly without God, for a wrong understanding is merely the perversion of a good understanding which is given by God. The fact that we have the good gift of thinking at all is solely through the grace of God. Therefore, Orthodox epistemology and gnosiology must always start with God as the center and foundation: not even man's understanding of God (metaphysics), or the revelation of God to men (the Scriptures, tradition), can be the touchstone and foundation, but it must always be God. God is the bestower of all good things, including the ability to contemplate those good things and their source. (cf Tob. 4:19; Jn. 3:27)