Julianus Pomerius: The Contemplative Life
Overview
Written in the late fifth or the early sixth century, this work expresses the ideals of the contemplative and the active life and is supplemented with a discussion of the vices and the virtues.
Top Highlights
“From this it may be understood that he who pursues and loves temporal goods and worldly joys which will perish, has not learned how numerous are the divine delights. For who can seek anything else whose possession God deigns to be? Or who for His love does not contemn all that is considered great? Let him, then, who wishes to possess God renounce the world so that God may be his blessed possession. But he whom the flattery of earthly possession still attracts does not renounce the world because, as long as he does not renounce his possessions, he serves the world, whose goods he retains; and surely he cannot at the same time serve the world and God.” (Page 84)
“O Lord, my portion, I have said, I would keep Thy law;47 and: The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup.48 But when He Himself says: You shall not give to the sons of Levi part among their brethren; I, the Lord, am their portion,49 He shows clearly that those who have renounced the portion of an earthly inheritance are entitled to possess God spiritually. Enriched by His gifts, they despise all that is considered excellent in this world and desire to possess Him and to be possessed by Him, to enjoy Him alone, and to cling inseparably to Him.” (Pages 83–84)
“These and other things a priest should know in order to teach, and the people should believe in order to understand what is taught, as the Apostle says: Unless you believe you will not understand.56 From this it may be gathered that faith does not come from reason, but reason comes from faith; nor does he who understands believe, but he who believes understands; and he who understands does good, as is written elsewhere: He would not understand that he might do well.57 He did not say ‘could not,’ but ‘would not understand,’ so that we may know that the phrase ‘to be unwilling to understand’ is nothing but ‘to be unwilling to believe.’ Therefore, in order that anyone may do good, let him be zealous to understand; and let him believe in order that he may understand.” (Page 40)
- Title: Julianus Pomerius: The Contemplative Life
- Authors: Julianus Pomerius, Mary Josephine Suelzer
- Series: Ancient Christian Writers
- Volume: 4
- Publisher: Newman Press
- Print Publication Date: 1947
- Logos Release Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Christian life
- ISBNs: 0809102455, 9780809102457
- Resource ID: LLS:JLNSPMRSCNTMPLF
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:08:05Z