The Greatness and Inconstancy of Man

"an elder," he says, "you are, and an old one among us, becoming more weighty than even your father"—instead of "more venerable"—"knowing more than we do." And he says these things from an arrogant authority. We have "weighty" instead of "old man" written in the Royal Histories; for the purpose of showing that Eli was an old man, the text says, "and the man was weighty." This also signifies honor and abundance, as if he were saying, "I will confess to you, Lord, in a great congregation, in a weighty people, I will praise you," instead of "in honor and in abundance."

"A few of your sins have been scourged." He says this meaning: "You have sinned and because of this you undergo lashes. But since, enduring this, you add injustice to God, your sin has become more weighty." And he says these things not with understanding; for he did not know the matter as it was, so that he was speaking falsely. And there are various ways of being false. For there is a way of lying that is not malicious; for often we hold an opinion about something as being such and we say it, having the intention of speaking the truth, yet that which is reported is false by its own nature, but it is not said by one who is lying. And there is also the case of one who, not knowing anything at all, brings forth a false word out of arrogance, which is what happened to him.

But there are others who lie in a different way, as one who has knowledge. "You have spoken with great excess" (Job 32:2). "What did your heart dare, or what did your eyes lift up?" (Job 31:24). And they held these opinions about him, both hearing of his sins and because of his words of boldness. Since the blessed one brought forth words from purity, they thought this was an excess of arrogance, in vain and without understanding. "That you have broken a heart before the Lord, and have brought forth from your mouth such words." They thought his boldness, which exceeds all from purity, was anger, which happened to them from their own corrupt nature, since they had subjected themselves to blasphemy, regarding the reasonable and as it is naturally yielded, the freedom of his words, as blasphemy.

For what mortal is there that will be blameless, or that, as he is to come, will be a righteous offspring of a woman? It is a characteristic of those who do not possess virtue to consider this undertaking difficult and to place it as if no one possessed it, just as the one before says, stumbling because of the body's nature as it is likely to be weak.

If he had observed according to the soul and according to the intellect, he contemplated the greatness of human nature, which the hymnographer teaches on both sides, saying: 'What is man, that you take thought of him? Man is made like vanity' (Psalm 8:4), which he has said regarding the weakness of the body as comparing it to divine things. But instructing on greatness, he says again: 'You made him a little less than the angels, you crowned him with glory and honor' (Psalm 8:5). And again he says another saying, 'a great man' and 'a precious man, merciful,' which is not according to being born, but according to being in essence receptive of justice in the composition.

He does not believe according to the saints. Similar to this is the 'if he does not believe according to his children, he thought something crooked concerning his angels.' Thus, there he says the angels are the saints, presenting that 'if even angels are corruptible, how can a man be blameless?' It should be noted that to believe often signifies the certain, as it is said: 'All his commandments are faithful' (Psalm 146:5). And he interprets their faithfulness saying: 'established unto the age of ages.' And again: 'the word is faithful and worthy of all acceptance.' And again: 'God is faithful and there is no injustice.' For God is not faithful from participating in faith, but from having certainty. And heaven is not pure before him.

Just as even the stars will not be compared to God's light, being without any darkness, and the heaven itself is not pure, not at all, but rather in addition to God. And it is possible to call these ones who 'left the heavenly dwelling' heaven here, whom he said 'his children, concerning whom he does not believe.' For God himself says in Isaiah from his own person: 'My sword is drunken in heaven' (Isaiah 34:5). And the sword signifies punishment, as it is said: 'My sword shall eat blood of wounds, and my arrows shall be drunken with blood' (Isaiah 34:6). Thus, among the angels who have fallen, he says the sword becomes drunken, bringing punishment called heavens. Therefore, this heaven is not pure before him. And a man, being detested and unclean, drinks an equal measure of injustice. Even if a heaven happens to be earthly through transgression, he is made like a man no longer worthy to be an angel, because the drink leads to injustice; for he carries unmeasurably the...