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Evergetinos, Vol. 3, Hypothesis 23: No Commandment Broken for Bodily Need or Fear
5:59
What the video says
Hypothesis 23 teaches that one should not violate even the least commandment because of bodily necessity or human fear. St. John the Merciful, patriarch of Alexandria during a famine, refused to ordain a wealthy cleric who had contracted a second marriage in exchange for 5,000 bushels of corn and 150 lb of gold. God then provided two shiploads of corn from Sicily, and the saint gave thanks for not having to sell God's grace for money.
St. Ephrem adds that one should never show partiality or forfeit boldness before God for human honor or life's necessities, since these are perishable while our deeds abide forever.
Key moments
- Hypothesis 23: one should not violate even the least commandment on account of bodily necessity, however pressing, or on account of human fear.
- Refugees from the Persian onslaught fled to Alexandria where food was scarce because the Nile had not risen; St. John the Merciful borrowed 1,000 lb of gold, and when that was used up he besought God for a way out without violating the divine laws and sacred canons.
- A wealthy lower clergyman, a reader who had contracted a second marriage and wanted to become a deacon, offered 5,000 bushels of corn and 150 lb of gold in exchange for ordination, citing Hebrews 7:12 about a change of the law.
- John told him privately that his offer had a blemish and was unacceptable, comparing it to blemished sacrificial sheep and to Cain's rejected offering (Genesis 4:5), and quoted James 2:10: whoever keeps the whole law but offends in one point is guilty of all.
- John said God, who fed the poor to that day, would provide for them as long as His commandments were kept unaltered, and asked how He who multiplied the five loaves could not bless the 10 pecks in his granary.
- The cleric was dismissed with nothing accomplished, and before he reached home two church ships arrived from Sicily with many thousands of bushels of corn; John knelt and thanked God, saying those who keep His commandments shall not be deprived of any good thing and that God had not allowed His servant to sell His grace for money.
- St. Ephrem: be vigilant, show no partiality to anyone to the detriment of your soul, be he unimportant, important, or ruler, for no one can rescue you from the unquenchable fire (Ecclesiasticus 4:22; Matthew 16:26).
- Do not forfeit your boldness before God for human honor, glory, food, drink, clothing, or any necessity; these are perishable, while each man's deeds, good or bad, are recorded and abide forever. Think on heavenly things to obtain what the Father has promised and enjoy the glory of the saints.
This reading presents Hypothesis 23 of the third book of the Evergetinos: one should not violate even the least commandment on account of bodily necessity, however pressing, or on account of human fear. The hypothesis is illustrated with an account from the Life of St. John the Merciful, patriarch of Alexandria during a famine, and with counsel from St. Ephrem.
Refugees from the Persian onslaught fled to Alexandria, where food was scarce because the Nile had not risen. St. John borrowed 1,000 lb of gold for the people, and when that was spent he asked God for a way out that would not violate the divine laws and sacred canons. A wealthy reader in lower orders, though he had contracted a second marriage, sought ordination as a deacon and offered 5,000 bushels of corn and 150 lb of gold, citing Hebrews 7:12 about a change of the law.
John told him privately that the offer had a blemish and was unacceptable, comparing it to blemished sacrificial sheep and to Cain's rejected offering in Genesis 4:5, and quoted James 2:10: whoever keeps the whole law but offends in one point is guilty of all. He said that God, who had fed the poor to that day, would provide as long as His commandments were kept unaltered, and asked how He who multiplied the five loaves could not bless the 10 pecks in John's granary.
The cleric left with nothing accomplished, and before he reached home two church ships arrived from Sicily carrying many thousands of bushels of corn. John knelt and thanked God, saying that those who keep His commandments shall not be deprived of any good thing and that God had not allowed His servant to sell His grace for money.
St. Ephrem's teaching follows: show no partiality to anyone to the detriment of your soul, be he unimportant, important, or ruler, for no one can rescue you from the unquenchable fire (Ecclesiasticus 4:22; Matthew 16:26). Do not forfeit your boldness before God for human honor, glory, food, drink, clothing, or any necessity; these are perishable, while each man's deeds, good or bad, are recorded and abide forever.
Think on heavenly things to obtain what the Father has promised and enjoy the glory of the saints.
Main points
- Hypothesis 23 teaches that no commandment, however small, may be violated for bodily necessity or human fear.
- During a famine in Alexandria, St. John the Merciful refused to ordain a twice-married reader who offered 5,000 bushels of corn and 150 lb of gold, citing Hebrews 7:12.
- John answered with Genesis 4:5 and James 2:10, saying the offer had a blemish and that whoever offends in one point of the law is guilty of all.
- Two church ships arrived from Sicily before the cleric reached home, and John thanked God for not letting him sell His grace for money.
- St. Ephrem warns against partiality and against forfeiting boldness before God for honor or necessities, which are perishable, while deeds abide forever.