Demonstration 1: On Faith

Demonstration on Faith I received your letter, my beloved, and when I read it I rejoiced greatly that your mind is set upon these difficult questions. For this question which you have asked me is given freely and received freely. And whoever has it and wishes to share it with whoever seeks it, that same thing which he shares is received from him. For whoever takes in kindness also gives in kindness, and it is not his to withhold. And you, my beloved, who have asked me, as far as my humble ability has attained, I shall write to you. And also anything which you did not seek from me, ask it of me from God, and I shall entreat Him for you. Now listen, my beloved, and open to me the inner eyes of your heart and the spiritual senses of your mind, to what I say to you. For faith is composed of many elements and is perfected by many kinds. For it is like a building, which is built with many works and rises in its building up to the height. And know, my beloved, that in the foundations of a building, stones are laid, and then upon the stones the whole building ascends until it is completed. Thus also for the whole of your faith: its foundation is a true stone, which is our Lord Jesus Christ; and upon that stone faith is placed, and upon faith the whole building ascends until it is finished. The foundation, moreover, is the beginning of the whole building. For when a person approaches faith, he is placed upon the stone, which is our Lord Jesus Christ; and his building is not shaken by waves, nor disturbed by winds, nor does it fall from obstacles, because his building ascends upon the solid rock of the stone. And that I have called Christ a stone, I have not said it from my own mind, but the prophets before me called him a stone, and I show you. Now then, hear concerning faith, that it was placed upon a stone, and concerning the building that ascends upon the stone. For first one believes in the head, and when he believes, he loves.

And what he loved he proclaimed, and what he proclaimed he justified, and what he justified he perfected, and what he perfected he completed, and what he completed in its entirety in its building and was completed and perfected, then it became a house and a temple for the dwelling of Christ, as the prophet Jeremiah said: "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord is you, if you make beautiful your ways and your works." And again the prophet said: "That I may dwell in you and walk in you." And the blessed apostle also said thus: "You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of Christ dwells in you." And again our Lord said thus to his disciples: "You are in me, and I am in you." And when the house became a dwelling place, then the head of the house began to take care, for what is required of him who dwells in the building, just as when a king dwells, or a head who is honored in the house, upon whom the name of king is called, all the works of the kingdom are required of him, and all the service that is required for the honor of the king. For in a house that is empty of all good things, a king does not dwell nor abide in it, but all the provision of the house is required for the king, so that nothing is lacking in it; and if anything is lacking there in the house where the king dwells, the keeper of the house is liable to death, because the service to the king was not prepared. Thus also for the head who became a house and a dwelling place for Christ, he sees what goes to the service of Christ who dwells in him, and by what powers he pleases him. For first he builds his building upon the rock which is Christ, and upon the rock faith is laid, and upon faith the whole building rises, and what is required for the dwelling of the house is pure fasting, and it is established by faith, and pure prayer is required, and it is accepted by faith, and love is necessary, and it is joined by faith, and alms are needed, and they are given by faith.

and sought humility, and through faith it was adorned. And he chose virginity for himself, and through faith it was loved. And he brought holiness near to him, and through faith it was adorned. And he also saw wisdom, and through faith it was found. And he again sought hospitality, and through faith it was increased. Simplicity was sought for him, and through faith it was mixed. He also sought patience, and through faith it was completed. And he was made lowly, and through faith it was established. And he loved mourning, and through faith it was seen. He also sought purity, and through faith it was crowned. All these virtues faith sought, which is placed upon the foundation of the true rock, which is the Messiah. And these works are sought for the king Messiah, who dwells in the houses of men who were sought in these works. And if you say that the Messiah was placed as a foundation, how then does the Messiah dwell in the building when it is completed? For the blessed apostle said these two things. For he said, "I, like a wise architect, laid the foundation, and then I set forth and showed upon it." For he said thus, that another foundation besides this one that is laid, no man is able to lay, which is Jesus the Messiah. And that the Messiah again dwells in the building. This is the same word that was written above, that Jeremiah called the temple the houses of men, and God who dwells in them. And the apostle said that the spirit of the Messiah passes through them. And our Lord said, "I and my Father are one." So now the word is complete, that the Messiah dwells in the houses of those who believe in him, and he is the foundation upon which the whole building rises. Now I return to my first word which I said, that the Messiah is called a rock by the prophets. For from the beginning David said of him, that the rock which the builders rejected became the head of the building. And how did the builders reject this rock which is the Messiah?

but they cast it aside before the philosopher, and said, "This king is not over us." And again, in the parable which our Lord spoke: A man of noble lineage went to take a kingdom, and they turned and made him king over them; and they sent messengers after him and said, "This king is not over us." They cast the stone which is Christ aside. And how was it for the head of the building? But if it had gone up into the building of the peoples, the whole building would have gone up upon it. And if there were builders, but blind and separated ones who did not build a true building, but were hiding something of what was being built, as it is written in the prophet Ezekiel, that he was building a wall, and they were throwing dung at him. And again it is written: I sought among them a man who would set a limit, and stand in the gate upon the face of the earth, that it might not be destroyed, and I did not find. And again, Isaiah also was troubled beforehand about this stone. For he says that thus the Lord said: Behold, I place my hand in Zion, a stone in the chosen place, in the precious corner, the head of the foundation of the foundation. And he says again there: Everyone who believes in it will not fear, and whoever falls upon that stone will be broken, and everyone upon whom it falls will be crushed. For the people of the house of Israel fell upon it, and it broke them forever; and it fell again upon the image and crushed it, and the peoples believed in it and were not afraid. And it showed upon it, upon the stone which was placed as the head of the foundation and the foundation. And if the foundation was placed as the stone, how also was it the head of the foundation? But when our Lord came, he placed his faith in the earth like a foundation, and went up above with all the heavens like the head of the foundation, and the whole building was completed for him with stones from below and from above. And concerning the faith of which I spoke, that he placed his faith in the earth, this David proclaimed beforehand concerning the Messiah.

For he said that faith ascends from the earth, and above again it is. He said that righteousness was pressed down from heaven. And again, also concerning the stone, he spoke about this stone which is the Messiah. For he said that the stone was hewn from the mountain without hands, and it struck the image and the whole earth was filled from it. This he showed beforehand concerning the Messiah, that from him the whole earth is filled. For by the faith of the Messiah, behold, all the ends of the earth have been filled, as David said: "In the whole earth the voice of the proclamation of the Messiah went forth." And again to his apostles, when he sent them, he spoke thus to them: "Go forth, teach all the peoples and make them believe in me." And Zechariah the prophet also testified concerning this stone which is the Messiah. For he said: "I saw the chief stone, of equality and of love." And why did he say "chief"? But that from the beginning he was with his Father. And "of love" again he said, because when he came into the world, he spoke thus to his disciples: "This is my commandment, that you love one another." And again he said: "I have called you friends." And the blessed apostle spoke thus: "God loved us through the love of his Son. Truly, love the Messiah, and he gave himself for you." And he explained and showed concerning the stone, that upon this stone behold seven eyes have been opened. And what are these seven eyes that were opened upon the stone? But they are the Spirit of God which rested upon the Messiah in seven operations, as the prophet Isaiah said: "That the Spirit of God might be opened and rest upon him, of wisdom and of understanding, of counsel and of might, of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." These are the seven eyes that were opened upon the stone. And these are the seven eyes of the Lord, which look upon the whole earth. And this also was said concerning the Messiah, for he said:

that the light was given to all the nations, as the prophet Isaiah said: "I have given your light to all the nations, that my salvation may be until the ends of the earth." And David also said: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths." And the word and saying of the Lord Messiah is also that, as it is written at the beginning of the Gospel of the Life-Giver: "In the beginning was the Word." And again, concerning the light, he testified there: that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And what is this? That the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it, except the Messiah, who shone his light among the people of the house of Israel, and the people of the house of Israel did not comprehend the light of the Messiah because they did not believe in him, as it is written: "He came to his own, and his own did not receive him." And also the Lord Jesus himself called the darkness, for he said to his disciples: "What I say to you in the darkness, speak it in the light." Among the nations, did not your light shine? Because they received the light of the Messiah, which is the light for the nations. And again he said to his apostles: "You are the light of the world." And again he said to them: "Let your light shine before the sons of men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven." And again he showed concerning himself that he is the light, for he said to his disciples: "Walk while you have the light with you, before the darkness overtakes you." And again he said to them: "Believe in the light, and you will be sons of light." And again he said: "I am the light of the world." And again he said: "No man lights a lamp and places it under a bushel, or under a bed, or places it in a hidden place, but places it high upon a lampstand, so that every man may see the light of the lamp.

and the lamp was the bright one, the Messiah, as David said: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths." And again, the prophet Hosea also said: "Light for yourselves a lamp and seek the Lord." And our Lord Jesus the Messiah said: "Which is this woman who has ten denarii and loses one of them, and does not light a lamp and search the house, and seek her lost denarius?" ... And what is this woman? But rather, the congregation of the house of Israel, to whom were given the ten commandments, and they lost the first commandment, that which warned them and said: "I am the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt." And when they lost this first commandment, the nine that follow it could not be kept by them, because the nine depend on the first. For it was not possible for the congregation, when they worshipped the Baal, to keep the nine commandments, for they lost the first commandment, like that woman who lost one denarius out of ten. And the prophet called to them: "Light for yourselves a lamp and seek the Lord." And again, the prophet Isaiah also said: "Seek the Lord, and when you find him, call him; and when he approaches, let the sinner abandon his way and the wicked man his thought." For the lamp shines, and they did not seek the Lord their God by it, and its light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. And the lamp went up onto the tower, and those within the house did not see its light. And what is this, that the lamp went up onto the tower? But rather, his ascent onto the cross. And by this, the whole house became dark for them. For when they crucified him, the light was darkened for them, and it shone for the house of the nations, because from the sixth hour when they crucified him until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land of Israel, and the sun set at midday.

and the earth was darkened on a bright day, as it is written in Zechariah the prophet: that on that day the Lord said, "I will cause the sun to set at noon, and I will darken the earth on a bright day." So now I return to my first word concerning faith, upon which all the good works of the building depend. And again concerning the building, I did not speak figuratively, but the blessed Apostle wrote in the first Epistle to the Corinthians and said: "I, like a wise architect, have laid the foundation." And every person who builds upon it: some build with silver and gold and precious stones, and some build with reeds, straw, and thorns. And on the last day, the building is tested by fire. For gold, silver, and precious stones are refined in the fire, because the building is true; but reeds, straw, and thorns are consumed by the fire and burned. And what of the gold, silver, and precious stones of the building? They ascend through it. But the good works of faith are refined in the fire, because the true building is where the Messiah dwells, and he protects it from the fire. And see and understand from the likeness that God gave you also in this world, because he has shown you the types of that world. And understand from the three righteous men who fell into the fire and did not burn: Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, over whom the fire had no power, because they built a true building and abandoned the command of King Nebuchadnezzar and did not worship the image he made. But those who transgressed the command of God, the fire immediately had power over them, and it bound their hands and burned them without mercy. For the Sodomites burned like reeds, straw, and thorns. And again, Nadab and Abihu, who transgressed the command of God, burned. Again, the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense burned.

Again, two hundred and twelve thousand of their people burned on the mountain where Elijah was sitting, who ascended in a chariot of fire to heaven. And again, the slanderers burned because they dug a pit for righteous men. Therefore, my beloved, the righteous are tested in fire, like gold, silver, and precious stones. And the wicked burn in fire, like chaff, thorns, and stubble, over which fire has power, and they burn. As the prophet Isaiah said: that in the fire of the Lord, he chose all flesh. And again he said: that you will go out and see the corpses of the men who entered into the fire, whose worms do not die, and whose fire is not extinguished, and they will be a wonder to all flesh. And the apostle again explained this matter and this foundation. For he spoke thus: that another foundation, apart from this one that is laid, no one is able to lay, except that which is Jesus Christ. Again, the apostle spoke about faith with hope and love combined. For he said thus: that these three endure: faith, hope, and love. And he showed concerning faith, that it is first placed upon a true foundation. For Abel, because of his faith, his offering was accepted. And Enoch, because he was pleasing in his faith, was taken from death. And Noah, because he believed, was saved from the flood. And Abraham, through his faith, was blessed and it was accounted to him as priesthood. And Isaac, because he believed, was loved. And Jacob, because of his faith, was preserved. And Joseph, because of his faith, was rescued from the pit of water and was delivered from slavery, and his master placed testimony in him, as David said: that testimony was placed in Joseph. And also Moses, through faith, performed many and wondrous deeds, and through faith he smote the Egyptians with ten plagues. Again, through faith he divided the sea and led his people across, and drowned the Egyptians in it.

And by faith he cast a piece of wood into the bitter waters, and they became sweet. And by faith he brought down manna and fed his people. And by faith he stretched out his hands and conquered Amalek, as it is written: "His hands were in faith until the sun set." Also by faith he ascended Mount Sinai, while fasting for two periods of forty days each. Again, by faith he conquered Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites. Wondrous is this, my beloved, and great is the marvel that Moses performed in the Sea of Reeds, when the waters were divided by faith, and in the likeness of high mountains and mighty cliffs they stood and were still. And they were still and standing by command, and were solidified as if in skins, and were compressed in height as if in depth, and their softness did not cross the boundary, and they changed the nature of their creation, and they became obedient, creatures without sensation, and waves were suspended and waited for the crossing of the people, and obstacles were wondrous and delayed, and they watched for the command and for the crossing, and the foundations of the world were revealed, and the moisture that had been since the beginning became dry for a time, and the gates raised their heads and the gates of the world were raised, and upon a pillar of light it shone for the entire camp, and the people crossed by faith, and it became a wall of mourning for Pharaoh and his army and his chariots. Thus also Joshua son of Nun divided the Jordan by his faith, and the children of Israel crossed as in the days of Moses. Know, my beloved, that this crossing of the Jordan was divided three times: first by Joshua son of Nun, second by Elijah, and then by Elisha. For the word of Scripture indicates that it was opposite the crossing of Jericho. There Elijah ascended to heaven. For when Elisha returned after him, he divided the Jordan and crossed, and the sons of the prophets of Jericho came out.

the ordination of Elisha, and they said that the spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha. And the people, when they crossed over in the days of Joshua son of Nun, thus it is written, that the people crossed over opposite Jericho. And also Joshua son of Nun, by faith, cast down the walls of Jericho, and they fell without labor. And again, by his faith, he destroyed thirty-one kings, and the land gave rest to the children of Israel. And again, by his faith, he stretched out his hands toward the heavens, and stopped the sun at Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Aijalon, and they stood still from their courses. The sum of it is: all these righteous fathers, everything they did was accomplished by faith, as also the blessed apostle testified concerning all of them, that they were perfected by faith. Again, Solomon said, "Many are called compassionate men, but a faithful man—who can find him?" And also Job said thus, "My integrity shall not pass from me, and in my righteousness I will be patient." And also the healer, to everyone who approached him to be healed, he would say thus to him, "As your faith is, so it shall be for you." And when a blind man approached him, he said to him, "Do you believe that I am able to heal you?" The blind man said to him, "Yes, my lord, I believe." And his faith opened his eyes. And to him whose son was ill, he said to him, "Believe, and your son will live." He said to him, "I believe, my lord; help my little faith." And by his faith his son was healed. And also a certain king, when he approached him, by his faith his youth was healed, when he said to his lord, "Speak the word, and my youth will be healed." And his lord was amazed at his faith, and it was for him according to his faith. And also the chief of the synagogue, when he asked him concerning his daughter, he said to him thus, "Only believe, and your daughter will live." And he believed, and his daughter lived and arose. And when Lazarus had died, his lord said to his sister, "He in whom I have faith, your brother will rise." His sister said to him,

Our Lord, the faithful one, died and rose again after three days. Also Simon, who was called Kepa, because of his faith was called the true rock. And again, when our Lord gave the mystery of baptism to his apostles, he spoke to them thus: "He who believes and is baptized is saved; and he who does not believe is judged." Again he said to his apostles: "If you believe and are not divided, there is nothing you cannot accomplish." For when our Lord walked on the waves of the sea, Simon also walked with him because of his faith. And when he was divided concerning his faith and began to sink, our Lord called him "little faith." And when his apostles asked our Lord for something, they did not seek it for themselves, but they said to him: "Increase faith in us." He said to them: "If faith were in you, even a mountain would be moved from before you." And he said to them: "Do not be divided and sink yourselves in the world, like Simon, who when he was divided began to sink in the sea." And again he spoke thus: "This sign will be for those who believe: that they will speak new tongues, and demons will be expelled, and their hands will be placed on the sick and they will be healed." Therefore, my beloved, approach faith, for its powers are so many. For faith ascended to heaven, conquered the flood, and made the barren woman give birth, and saved from the sword, and brought up from the pit, and enriched the poor, and released the captives, and rescued the persecuted, and brought down fire, and divided the sea, and rent the rock, and gave water to the thirsty, and fed the hungry, and raised the dead, and brought up from Sheol, and stilled the waves, and healed the sick, and conquered the mighty, and overthrew walls, and shut the mouths of lions, and quenched the flame of fire, and humbled the proud, and brought the lowly to honor. All these powers were accomplished through faith.

This, then, is faith: when a person believes in God, the Lord of all, who made the heavens and the earth and the seas and everything that is in them; and he made Adam in his image; and he gave the Law to Moses; and he sent his Spirit through the prophets; and he again sent his Messiah into the world. And a person believes in the resurrection of the dead; and again he also believes in the mystery of baptism. This is the faith of the Church of God. And a person is saved from observing hours and weeks and months and seasons, and from omens and charms, and from Chaldean divination and sorcery, and from envy and from singing, and from empty teachings, the evil works of the wicked one, and from the disputation of sweet words, and from blasphemy and from pride. And that a person should not bear false witness; and that a person should not speak with two tongues. These, then, are the works of faith which is placed upon the true rock, which is Christ, upon whom the whole building rises. And there is much more, my beloved, in the holy scriptures concerning the matter of faith. But these few out of many I have written, I have reminded you for your love, that you may know and make known and believe and be believed. And when you have read and learned the works of faith, you will be like a cultivated land, into which good seed has fallen, and which has yielded fruit a hundredfold, and sixtyfold, and thirtyfold. And when you go to your Lord, he will call you a good, worthy, and faithful servant, because of your abundant faith you will enter into the kingdom of your Lord. The demonstration on faith is completed.