On Apostolic Preaching – Chapter 2 (part 1)

On Apostolic Preaching

Chapter 2 (part 1)

 Now, since man is a living being compounded of soul and flesh, he must needs exist by both of these: and, whereas from both of them offences come, purity of the flesh is the restraining abstinence from all shameful things and all unrighteous deeds, and purity of the soul is the keeping faith towards God entire, neither adding thereto nor diminishing therefrom. For godliness is obscured and dulled by the soiling and the staining of the flesh, and is broken and polluted and no more entire, if falsehood enter into the soul: but it will keep itself in its beauty and its measure, when truth is constant in the soul and purity in the flesh. For what profit is it to know the truth in words, and to pollute the flesh and perform the works of evil? Or what profit can purity of the flesh bring, if truth be not in the soul? For these rejoice with one another, and are united and allied to bring man face to face with God. Wherefore the Holy Spirit says by David: Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly: that is, the counsel of the nations which know not God: for those are ungodly who worship not the God that truly is. And therefore the Word says to Moses: I am He that is: but they that worship not the God that is, these are the ungodly. And hath not stood in the way of sinners: but sinners are those who have the knowledge of God and keep not His commandments; that is, disdainful scorners. And hath not sat in the seat of the pestilential: now the pestilential are those who by wicked and perverse doctrines corrupt not themselves only, but others also. For the seat is a symbol of teaching. Such then are all heretics: they sit in the seats of the pestilential, and those are corrupted who receive the venom of their doctrine.

This chapter of Apostolic Preaching is a beautiful picture of the spiritual life. (tomorrow we will handle the very interesting interpretation of Ps 1:1-3).

In the first place, Irenaeus demands that we hold the physical and the spiritual in tension.We must mind the body and soul, flesh and spirit. These are both necessary for the spiritual life. One cannot be a true child of God, unless he or she attends to both aspects.

The purity of the flesh is the “restraining abstinence from all shameful things and all unrighteous deed.” These are the sinful deeds that pollute the body. Sin corrupts the body, destroys the flesh.

The purity of the soul, on the other hand, is “the keeping faith towards God entire, neither adding thereto nor diminishing therefrom.” Thus, believing in the one true God purifies the soul.

Now Irenaeus qualifies this faith, saying that one cannot add or detract from it. Believers believe what is true. No more no less. Adding to the faith quickly becomes heresy and leads one away from the path toward God (see chapter 1), while taking away from the faith denies the truth of what God has done in Christ. 

For what does it profit, Irenaeus asks, if we believe in God and perform evil deeds? Or, if we perform good works and, yet, do not believe in the true God? 

For when purity of the flesh and the purity of the soul are in concord, the beauty is overwhelming. It is only when “these rejoice with one another, and are united and allied to bring man face to face with God.”

~ by irenology on May 18, 2009.