Oldal 87 [87]
FAITH AS A PREREQUISITE...
“the nourishment of faith”. Not only in this context, but also in other cases
this expression suggests that in order to become a Christian, one must receive
this nourishment as part of the initiation into the divine mysteries. This leads
to another important conclusion:
This means that intellectual things are approachable only through the mind;
yet without faith the mind cannot see any intelligible things.’
Theodoret’s argument is based on the classical opposition between visible
(Opatdéc) and perceptible or intelligible (vontéc) realities. While the former
mostly require eyesight, the latter also need the abilities of the mind or
intellect. The idea is very close to 2Cor 4, 18:
We look not at the things, which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are
eternal.
In Theodoret’s words:
Thus, faith is necessary for those who want to contemplate intellectual things,
precisely because one cannot find an image corresponding to them." [...]
Therefore, we need the eyes of the mind to perceive intelligible things, and just as
we require the eyes of the body in order to observe visible things, we surely must
resort to faith to attain initiation” into the divine things.”
The term énonteia (initiation) applied above designates the highest degree of
initiation into divine mysteries (e.g. of Eleusis).!? The vocabulary of ancient
religious rituals is consciously integrated into the apologetic discourse, and it
is also intermingled with philosophical concepts as follows:
Since the eye is clearly in the body, in the same fashion faith is in the understanding
[d1avoia]. Moreover, just as the eye needs light to show forth visible things, similarly
the mind /6 vodc] clearly needs faith to show forth divine things and to keep watch
over their constant splendor [tiv mepi tovtwv SdEav pudattovons BeBaiav].2°
Theodoret, Curatio 1, 72: N@ yap povw TeAdCetv Toic vontoic Svvatov: dixa dé Tiotews OvdE 6
VOÜG ÓPŰV Sbvatat ta voovpeva.
16 Theodoret, Curatio I, 76.
See also Canivet’s observations in SC 57, 124, note 3.
18 Theodoret, Curatio I, 78.
1° See also Clement, Stromata I, 28, 176; Eusebius, Praep. ev. V, 10, 2.
Or “their firm opinion”, depending on how one interprets ddéa in this context (Theodoret,
Curatio I, 78-79).
Daréczi-Sepsi-Vassänyi_Initiation_155x240.indb 85 6 2020. 06.15. 11:04:14