Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Different Kinds of Light; And of Darkness.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
20. Different Kinds
of Light; And of Darkness.
“And4727
the light shineth
in darkness and the darkness hath not overtaken it.” We are
still enquiring about the light of men, since it is what was spoken of
in the preceding verse, and also, I consider, about darkness, which is
named as its adversary, the darkness also being, if the definition of
it is correct, that of men. The light of men is a generic notion
covering two special things; and with the darkness of men it is the
same. He who has gained the light of men and shares its beams
will do the work of light and know in the higher sense, being
illuminated by the light of the higher knowledge. And we must
recognize the analogous case of those on the other side, and of their
evil actions, and of that which is thought to be but is not really
knowledge, since those who exercise it have the reason (Logos) not of
light but of darkness. And because the sacred word knows the
things which produce light, Isaiah says:4728
“Because Thy commandments are a
light upon the earth,” and David says in the Psalm,4729
“The precept of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes.” But since in addition to the
commandments and the precepts there is a light of higher knowledge, we
read in one of the twelve (prophets),4730
“Sow to yourselves for righteousness, reap to yourselves for the
fruit of life, make light for yourselves the light of
knowledge.” There is a further light of knowledge in
addition to the commandments, and so we read, “Make light for
yourselves,” not simply light, but what light?—the light of
knowledge. For if any light that a man kindles for himself were a
light of knowledge, then the added
words, “Make light for yourselves, the light of knowledge,”
would have no meaning. And again that darkness is brought upon
men by their evil deeds, we learn from John himself, when he says in
his epistle,4731
| 4731 1 John i. 6; ii. 9, 11. | “If we say
that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do
not the truth,” and again, “He that saith he is in the
light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now,”
and again, “He that hateth his brother is in darkness, and
walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because darkness
hath blinded his eyes.” Walking in darkness signifies evil
conduct, and to hate one’s brother, is not that to fall away from
that which is properly called knowledge? But he also who is
ignorant of divine things walks in darkness, just because of that
ignorance; as David says,4732
“They knew
not, they understood not, they walk in darkness.” Consider,
however, this passage,4733
“God is light
and in Him is no4734
darkness,”
and see if the reason for this saying is not that darkness is not one,
being either two, because there are two kinds of it, or many, because
it is taken distributively, individually with reference to the many
evil actions and the many false doctrines; so that there are many
darknesses, not one of which is in God. The saying of the Saviour
could not be spoken of the Holy One, “Ye are the light of the
world;” for the Holy One is light of the world (absolute, not
particular), and there is not in Him any darkness.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
