Chapter XII.—The importance of...

Chapter XII.—The importance of knowledge to true spiritual life.

When you have read and carefully listened to these things, you shall know what God bestows on such as rightly love Him, being made [as ye are] a paradise of delight, presenting ³²⁵ in yourselves a tree bearing all kinds of produce and flourishing well, being adorned with various fruits. For in this place ³²⁶ the tree of knowledge and the tree of life have been planted; but it is not the tree of knowledge that destroys— it p. 30 is disobedience that proves destructive. Nor truly are those words without significance which are written, how God from the beginning planted the tree of life in the midst of paradise, revealing through knowledge the way to life, ³²⁷ and when those who were first formed did not use this [knowledge] properly, they were, through the fraud of the Serpent, stripped naked. ³²⁸ For neither can life exist without knowledge, nor is knowledge secure without life. Wherefore both were planted close together. The Apostle, perceiving the force [of this conjunction], and blaming that knowledge which, without true doctrine, is admitted to influence life, ³²⁹ declares, “Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth.” For he who thinks he knows anything without true knowledge, and such as is witnessed to by life, knows nothing, but is deceived by the Serpent, as not ³³⁰ loving life. But he who combines knowledge with fear, and seeks after life, plants in hope, looking for fruit. Let your heart be your wisdom; and let your life be true knowledge ³³¹ inwardly received. Bearing this tree and displaying its fruit, thou shalt always gather ³³² in those things which are desired by God, which the Serpent cannot reach, and to which deception does not approach; nor is Eve then corrupted, ³³³ but is trusted as a virgin; and salvation is manifested, and the Apostles are filled with understanding, and the Passover ³³⁴ of the Lord advances, and the choirs ³³⁵ are gathered together, and are arranged in proper order, and the Word rejoices in teaching the saints,—by whom the Father is glorified: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. ³³⁶

Footnotes

29:325

Literally, “bringing forth.”

29:326

That is, in Paradise.

30:327

Literally “revealing life.”

30:328

Or, “deprived of it.”

30:329

Literally, “knowledge without the truth of a command exercised to life.” See 1 Cor. viii. 1.

30:330

The ms. is here defective. Some read, “on account of the love of life.”

30:331

Or, “true word,” or “reason.”

30:332

Or, “reap.”

30:333

The meaning seems to be, that if the tree of true knowledge and life be planted within you, you shall continue free from blemishes and sins.

30:334

[This looks like a reference to the Apocalypse, Rev. v. 9., Rev. xix. 7., Rev. xx. 5.]

30:335

Here Bishop Wordsworth would read κλῆροι, cites 1 Pet. v. 3, and refers to Suicer (Lexicon) in voce κλῆρος.]

30:336

[Note the Clement-like doxology.]