Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com
CONTENTS
1. THE FOUR PRINCIPAL VICES AND THE PARTS OF THE SOUL 2. ON STILLNESS AND THE FOUR PURSUITS 3. ON FIRST AND SECOND NATURE
4. ON TEMPTATION AND THE THREE PARTS OF THE SOUL 5. ON ABILITY AND DISABILITY 6. ON SHORT TEMPER 7. ON COMPETITION AND HUMILITY 8. ON THE MATERIAL LIFE AND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE 9. ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND THE THREE GENERAL VICES 10. ON PATIENCE
1. The four principal vices and the parts of the soul
1. The soul has three parts: the thinking part, the desiring part, and the excitable part.
2. The four principal vices that correspond to these parts are: pride for the thinking part, uncontrolled desire for the desiring part, wrath and hatred for the excitable part.
3. An Orthodox Christian must reject these four principle vices by practicing the four principal virtues: humility for the thinking part, self-control for the desiring part, meekness and love for the excitable part.
4. The four principal virtues are blessedness. Blessed are the humble. Blessed are the self-controlled. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the loving.
2. On stillness and the four pursuits
1. The world languishes in the four pursuits of food, possessions (including knowledge), glory, and romance.
2. An Orthodox Christian on the other hand remains in stillness.
3. The world languishes, but the Orthodox Christian is still.
4. The world seeks the four pursuits. The Orthodox Christian seeks God.
5. (Ps. 46:10): “Be still and know that I am God”.
3. On first and second nature
1. The first nature of every person is that of dispassion in soul and body.
2. This first nature was lost as a result of the Fall.
3. The second nature of every person is that of the passions of soul and body.
4. The passions of soul and body constitute the second nature of man.
5. The Lord Jesus came to cure the passions of soul and body.
6. The Lord Jesus came to restore us to the first nature.
7. The first nature is that of virtue in soul and body.
8. The life of virtue in soul and body is the first nature of every person.
9. If a person remains in the second nature of passions in soul and body he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
10. Only those restored to the first nature of virtue in soul and body can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
4. On temptation and the three parts of the soul
1. Temptation attacks the three parts of the soul.
2. Demonic thoughts attack the thinking part, demonic desires attack the desiring part, and demonic wrath attacks the excitable part.
3. An Orthodox Christian must reject demonic thoughts, demonic desires (See John 8:44), and demonic wrath.
4. An Orthodox Christian must guard the three parts of his soul from demonic temptation.
5. An Orthodox Christian must guard from thoughts, desire, and wrath, coming from the demons.
5. On ability and disability
1. Every Orthodox Christian has abilities and disabilities.
2. Every Orthodox Christian must acknowledge his abilities and disabilities.
3. Our abilities constitute the talent given to us by God.
4. An Orthodox Christian must cultivate the abilities he has been given.
5. In every place an Orthodox Christian must cultivate his abilities.
6. The disabilities we have hinder our practice of virtue.
7. An Orthodox Christian must not dwell on his disabilities, but cultivate his abilities to their full degree.
8. It is essential that we concentrate on our abilities.
9. It is essential that we use our abilities to their full potential.
10. An Orthodox Christian must always practice virtue to the fullness of his ability.
6. On short temper
1. The worldly person is characterized by pride of opinion, pride of will,
short temper, hatred, and enmity.
2. The Orthodox Christian is characterized by humility of opinion, humility of will, long-suffering, love, and brotherhood.
3. Pride of opinion and pride of will give rise to short temper.
4. The worldly person has pride and short temper. The Orthodox Christian has humility and meekness.
5. Woe to the proud. Woe to the short-tempered.
6. But blessed are the humble. Blessed are the meek.
7. On competition and humility
1. In the world there is competition over the four pursuits: food competition, possession (including knowledge) competition, glory competition, and romance competition.
2. In the community of Orthodox Christians there is stillness and humility.
3. The world competes but the Orthodox Christian is still.
4. From competition arises envy, wrath, hatred, and enmity.
5. From humility arises love, meekness, mercy, and brotherhood.
6. The competing world never knows peace and love.
7. The Orthodox Christian lives in stillness, humility, peace, and love.
8. The competing world never knows love of God and neighbor.
9. The Orthodox Christian practices love of God and neighbor.
10. The competing world is always in conflict. The Orthodox Christian is in humility and blessedness.
8. On the material life and the spiritual life
1. The material life is characterized by attachment to the four pursuits. Attachment to food, attachment to possessions (including knowledge), attachment to glory, and attachment to romance.
2. The spiritual life is characterized by transcendence of attachment to the four pursuits and the practice of virtue and spiritual contemplation.
3. The material life is that of excess or deficiency in the four pursuits. Overeating or undereating. Overpossessing or underpossessing. Overglory, and overromance.
4. The spiritual life is that of the middle way, the way of virtue. It is the life of canonical eating, canonical possessing, canonical glory, and canonical romance.
5. The material life is the misuse of the four pursuits. The spiritual life is the canonical use of the four pursuits.
6. The material life is the contra-natural life. The spiritual life is the canonical life.
7. The material life is sorrow. The spiritual life is joy.
9. On the spiritual life and the three general vices
1. The non-spiritual life is the life of love of possessions, love of glory, and love of pleasure.
2. The non-spiritual person seeks possessions, glory, and pleasure.
3. The spiritual life is that of non-possession, non-glory, and non-pleasure.
4. The spiritual person seeks the essential possessions, the glory of God, and non-pleasure.
5. The spiritual life is the transcendence of possessions, glory, and pleasure.
10. On patience
1. Patience is a cardinal virtue of the New Testament.
2. Patience is to hold your anger in the face of delays, errors, and injustice.
3. Patience is to wait when there are delays.
4. Patience is to not insist that your needs are met immediately.
5. An Orthodox Christian must practice patience in every place.
