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Church Fathers V3 - Fr George Grube - Saint Mina Coptic Orthodox ...

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+ You are not much different from cattle, except that you have intelligence;<br />

so do not glory in anything else. Do you claim to be strong? You will be beaten<br />

down by beasts. Do you claim speed? Flies are faster. Do you claim beauty?<br />

What great beauty there is in a peafowl's feathers! How are you better, then,<br />

than these? By the image of God. And where is God's image? In your mind,<br />

in your intellect?<br />

- St. Augustine<br />

+ The poverty of human intelligence is often involved in lengthy discussions<br />

because questions require more words than answers.<br />

- St. Augustine<br />

+ The Savior teaches nothing in a merely human way, but teaches His own<br />

with Divine and mystical wisdom. Therefore, we must not listen to His words<br />

with worldly ears. We must search out and learn the meaning hidden in them.<br />

For what the Lord seems to have simplified for the disciples requires even more<br />

attention than puzzling statements because of its overabundance of wisdom.<br />

- St. Clement of Alexandria<br />

+ Keep your knowledge in its proper place. Do not be ignorant of the things that<br />

are really good or seek to rise above God Himself, for He cannot be surpassed.<br />

Neither seek after anyone above the Creator, for you will not discover anyone<br />

greater than God because your Maker cannot be contained within limits.<br />

- St. Irenaeus<br />

+ We must not trust in our own wisdom but in the Lord alone. For He directs a<br />

person's steps. We are also called to show Him our ways, to reveal our plans<br />

to Him. For they aren't made straight by our own work, but by His assistance<br />

and mercy.... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not upon your<br />

understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your<br />

paths." (Proverbs 3:5- 6).<br />

- St. Jerome<br />

+ If some students cannot learn through more difficult subjects, a kind, caring<br />

teacher will come down to their level and teach them by simpler means. Christ,<br />

the Word of God, did this. St. Paul said, "For seeing that in the wisdom knew<br />

not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the word<br />

preached to save them that believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21).<br />

- St. Athanasius<br />

+ It is better and more profitable to belong to the simple and ignorant class...<br />

than by imagining ourselves learned and skillful, to be found among those who<br />

blaspheme against their own God by making up another god as the Father. As<br />

St. Paul said, "Knowledge puffs up but love edifies" (1 Corinthians 8:1).<br />

- St. Irenaeus<br />

- 175-

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