Gary Pollard
[Editor’s Note: Gary is translating the Ante-Nicene Fathers works, beginning with Origin’s work. It is meant to update the British English of Roberts and Donaldson. What follows is part of that translation]
To illustrate the nature of falling away—or spiritual defection—among those who live carelessly, it seems appropriate to use an analogy. Imagine someone who has steadily grown in their knowledge of a discipline, such as geometry or medicine, until they have achieved mastery through long and diligent practice. We don’t think it possible that they could go to bed fully skilled and then wake up completely ignorant of their craft. Of course, we’re not referring here to cases of injury or illness, which fall outside the scope of this illustration. As long as this expert continues to study and practice their discipline, their knowledge remains intact. But if they stop practicing and abandon their habits of discipline, because of neglect their grasp on the subject will begin to weaken—first a little, then increasingly more—until eventually, their knowledge fades altogether and is entirely lost from memory.
However, it’s also possible that when this decline first begins—when the person starts slipping due to a subtle but corrupting negligence—they might still recover. If they are awakened to their condition early enough and return quickly to their previous diligence, they can restore what they’ve only recently begun to lose and reclaim knowledge that had not yet been deeply erased. Now let’s apply this to those who pursue the knowledge and wisdom of God—a pursuit that far surpasses any earthly study in depth and value. Consider, through the lens of this analogy, what it means to gain divine knowledge—or to lose it—especially when we reflect on the words of the apostle, who says that the perfect will see the glory of the Lord face to face in the revelation of His mysteries.
In our effort to highlight the divine blessings given to us by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—the source of all holiness—we’ve digressed somewhat from our main point. While speaking about the soul, which came up incidentally, we touched briefly on a related matter concerning human nature. With God’s help, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, we hope to return more fully, at the appropriate time, to a fuller discussion of all rational beings, which are classified into three types and distinct categories.
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