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Shorter Rules
St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925
Rule 282: Who are They Who Say, We Did Eat and Drink in Thy Presence, and are Told, I…
Perhaps they are those whom the apostle described in his own person when he said: ‘If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels... And if I have all knowledge and all faith... And if I bestow all my goods; and if I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.”2 This lesson was taught to the apostle by the Lord Who said of certain men: “For they do it to be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.”3 For whatever is done not because of love towards God but for praise to be received of men, whatever it be, is not praised as a religious act but receives the condemnation of men-pleasing or self-pleasing, or contention or envy or other such cause. Wherefore also the Lord calls such a work of iniquity, saying to those that said: “We did eat before you, ete.,” ‘Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”4 For how are they not workers of iniquity who abuse the gifts of God to win their own pleasures? Of such a sort were they of whom the apostle says: “We are not as the many, corrupting the word of God.”5 And again: “Supposing that godliness is a way of gain’6; and many other things of the kind. From all these things the same apostle is proved to be pure by his words: “Not as pleasing men but God which proveth our hearts. For neither at any time were we found by you using words of flattery, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness, God is witness; nor seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others.”7
Notes
- Lk. xiii. 26; 27.
- 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3 (shortened).
- Mt. xxiii. 5 conflated with vi. 2**.
- Lk. xiii. 26 27,
- 2 Cor. 11. 17.
- 1 Tim. vi. 5. 11 Thess. 1.4; 5; 6 omit &v before προφάσει.
- Jn. viii. 34.