Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Not Peace, But a Sword.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter
IV.—Not Peace, But a Sword.
Hence, also, He who hath sent us, when He had
come,777
| 777 [The remaining
chapters of this book (4–14) correspond with Homily XI.
19–33. The discourse here is somewhat fuller, but the order
of topics is the same throughout.—R.] | and had seen that all the world had
fallen into wickedness, did not forthwith give peace to him who is in
error, lest He should confirm him in evil; but set the knowledge of
truth in opposition to the ruins of ignorance of it, that, if haply men
would repent and look upon the light of truth, they might rightly
grieve that they had been deceived and drawn away into the precipices
of error, and might kindle the fire of salutary anger against the
ignorance that had deceived them. On this account, therefore, He
said, ‘I have come to send fire on the earth; and how I wish that
it were kindled!’778
There is
therefore a certain fight, which is to be fought by us in this life;
for the word of truth and knowledge necessarily separates men from
error and ignorance, as we have often seen putrified and dead flesh in
the body separated by the cutting knife from its connection with the
living members. Such is the effect produced by knowledge of the
truth. For it is necessary that, for the sake of salvation, the
son, for example, who has received the word of truth, be separated from
his unbelieving parents; or again, that the father be separated from
his son, or the daughter from her mother. And in this manner the
battle of knowledge and ignorance, of truth and error, arises between
believing and unbelieving kinsmen and relations. And therefore He
who has sent us said again, ‘I am not come to send peace on
earth, but a sword.’779
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
