基督徒

愛的四百句箴言

St. Maximus the confessor著,
400 sayings about love

1、愛4是靈魂善良的性情，心中有愛的人，喜愛上帝的知識更甚於自己的存在。
如果人們對於塵世的事務仍有絲毫的依戀或執著，就不可能擁有這種愛的氣質。

1. Love 4 is a good disposition of the soul by which one prefers no being to the knowledge 5 of God. It is impossible to reach the habit of this love if one has any attachment to earthly things.

2、對主的信賴，使我們升起敬畏之心。
因為敬畏上帝， 使我們成為心的主人；
對心的主宰，使我們能夠以平靜心，忍受一切長久的磨難；
平靜的安忍心，使我們升起希望；
來自上帝的希望，使我們超然；
超然的神態，讓我們擁有愛6 。

2. Love is begotten of detachment, 6 detachment of hope in God, hope of patient endurance and long-suffering, these of general self-mastery, self-mastery of fear of God, and fear of faith in the Lord.

3、信主的人都會敬畏懲罰；
敬畏懲罰的人，都會成為內心欲望的主人；
能夠主宰內心欲望的人，都能以平靜之心忍受磨難；
能夠以平靜之心忍受磨難的人， 將會擁有來自上帝的希望；
來自上帝的希望，脫離世俗的依戀而存在；
只有當心靈脫離世俗的依戀，才能升起對上帝的愛。7

3. The one who believes the Lord fears punishment; the one who fears punishment becomes master of his passions; the one who becomes master of his passions patiently endures tribulations; the one who patiently endures tribulations will have hope in God; hope in God separates from every earthly attachment; and when the mind is separated from this it will have love for God. 7

4、愛上帝的人，愛上帝的知識勝過愛一切受造物。
愛上帝的人，會因為心中深層的渴望，為上帝的知識奉獻全部的身心。

4. The one who loves God prefers knowledge of him to all things made by him and is constantly devoted to it by desire.

5、如果萬事萬物都是上帝為了某些目的而創造的，那麼，上帝必定優於他的受造物。
如果一個人一心追求低下的事物，而不嚮往更高尚的事物，這就代表了，他愛受造物更勝於愛上帝。

5. If all things have been made by God and for his sake, then God is better than what has been made by him. The one who forsakes the better and is engrossed in inferior things shows that he prefers the things made by God to God himself.

6、一個全心全意專注於上帝之愛的人， 不會執著於任何有形的事物，甚至是自己的肉身。8

6. The one who has his mind fixed on the love of God disdains all visible things and even his own body as alien. 8

7、 如果靈魂優於肉身，而上帝無可比擬地優於受造的世界，
一個愛肉身勝過愛靈魂的人，還有一個愛受造界勝過愛上帝的人，與偶像崇拜者無異。

7. If the soul is better than the body and
God incomparably better than the world which he created, the one who prefers the body to the soul and the world to the God who created it is no different from idolaters.

8、 一個心中沒有愛，對上帝無法付出真心，又執著於一切感官界的人，
他愛自己的肉身更勝愛靈魂，他愛受造物更勝愛上帝，我們的造物主。

8. The one who separates his mind from love and devotedness toward God and keeps it tied to any sensible thing is the one who prefers the body to the soul and things that are made to God their Creator.

9、如果知識的啟示是心靈的生命，而這個啟示又來自於愛上帝的心，那麼，我們就可以說，沒有比愛更偉大的。9

9. If the life of the mind is the illumination of knowledge and this is born of love for God, then it is well said that there is nothing greater than love. 9

10、如果心靈充滿對上帝的熱愛10，並且脫離對自己的執著，就不會再對自己或任何受造物念念不忘。
因為，一旦受到神性與無限之光的啟示，就不會再執著於任何受造物，
就好像，當太陽升起的時候，我們的肉眼就不會感覺到星星的存在一般。

10. When in the full ardor of its love 10 for God the mind goes out of itself, then it has no perception at all either of itself or of any creatures. For once illumined by the divine and infinite light, it remains insensible to anything that is made by him, just as the physical eye has no sensation of the stars when the sun has risen.

11、所有的美德都會幫助我們追求神性之愛，而純淨的祈禱是 最上乘的美德。
藉著純淨的祈禱，心會長出翅膀，飛向上帝，並且遠離對一切受造物的依戀。

11. All the virtues assist the mind in the pursuit of divine love, but above all does pure prayer. By it the mind is given wings to go ahead to God and becomes alien to all things.

12、透過愛，心靈陶醉於神性知識，並且脫離對受造物 的執著，獲得超然神性的概念，11
就像神聖的先知以賽亞，因為察覺到自己的卑微而大感驚愕，並且以堅定的信念，說出神聖的預言：
「禍哉！我滅亡了！因為我是個唇舌不潔的人，住在唇舌不潔的人民中間，竟親眼見了君王──萬軍的上主!」12

12. When through love the mind is ravished by divine knowledge and in going outside of creatures has a perception of divine transcendence, 11 then, according to the divine Isaiah, it comes in consternation to a realization of its own lowliness and says with conviction the words of the prophet:
Woe is me for I am stricken at heart; because being a man having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips and I have seen with my eyes the King, the Lord of hosts. 12

13、 愛上帝的人，會忍不住去愛身邊所有人，並且愛人如己。
即使別人因為內心的情慾尚未淨化，而做出冒犯他的事情，他還是會付出完全的愛。
因此，當 他看到別人改過和轉變時，心中會有一種廣大的、無可言喻的喜悅。

13. The one who loves God cannot help but love also every man as himself even though he is displeased by the passions of those who are not yet purified. Thus when he sees their conversion and amendment, he rejoices with an unbounded and unspeakable joy.

14、瀰漫著情慾的靈魂，是不潔的，因為它充滿了自私的愛與恨。

14. The passionate soul is impure, filled with thoughts of lust and hatred.

15、如果一個人對某人或是某事 存有一絲恨意，那麼，他就完全遠離了上帝、遠離愛。
因為上帝的愛，絕對不容許有一絲恨意的存在。

15. The one who sees a trace of hatred in his own heart through any fault at all toward any man whoever he may be makes himself completely foreign to the love for God, because love for God in no way admits of hatred for man.

16、我們的主說：「愛我的人，就會遵守我的誡命。」
又說：「我的誡命就是愛人如己。」13 因此，一個人如果不愛身邊所有人，就沒有遵守上帝的誡命。
而一個沒有遵守上帝的誡命的人，就沒有能力愛上帝，我們的主。」

16. "The one who loves me," says the Lord, "will keep my commandments" and "this is my commandment, that you love one another." 13 Therefore the one who does not love his neighbor is not keeping the commandment, and the one who does not keep the commandment is not able to love the Lord.

17、 一個能夠用平等心去愛眾生的人，是有福的。14

17. Blessed is the man who has learnt to love all men equally. 14

18、不執著於任何墮落或無常的事物的人，是有福的。

18. Blessed is the man who is not attached to any corruptible or transitory thing.

19、 一顆超越萬有的心靈是有福的。一顆沉醉在神性之美所散發的永恆光芒之中的心靈，是有福的。

19. Blessed is the mind which has gone beyond all beings and takes unceasing delight in the divine beauty.

20、如果一個人總是為了肉身欲望的滿足做打算15，
而且，常常為了短暫的利益而埋怨、嫉妒身邊的人 -------- 這樣的人是在為受造物效勞，而不是為造物主效勞。16

20. The one who makes provision for the desires of the flesh 15 and bears a grudge against his neighbor for transitory things—such a man serves the creature rather than the Creator. 16

21、一個人如果能夠遠離欲樂與疾病，就能致力於更高 尚的事物，為更有價值的事情服務。

21. The one who keeps his body away from pleasure and sickness keeps it as a fellow worker in the service of better things.

22、如果一個人遠離了一切世俗欲望， 就能超然於一切世間煩惱。

22. The one who flees all the world's desires puts himself beyond every worldly grief.

23、一個愛上帝的人，必定也會愛他的鄰人。
一個愛上帝的人， 不會緊抓住財產不放，而是仿效上帝，將金錢送給那些有需要的人。17

23. The one who loves God surely loves his neighbor as well. Such a person cannot hold on to money but rather gives it out in God's fashion to each one who has need. 17

24、 一個仿效上帝而布施的人，在布施的時候，不會去計較對方是善是惡，也不會計較對方正直與否，
而是以平等心，依據對方的需求進行布施。儘管，此 人因為心中的善念，而偏愛正直的人更勝於缺德的人。18

24. The one (who imitates God by giving alms) knows no difference between evil and good or just and unjust in regard to the needs of the body, but distributes to all without distinction according to their need even if he prefers the virtuous person over the wicked because of his good intention. 18

25、我們要像那 先天善良、完全不受情慾的束縛的上帝一樣，以平等心去愛一切受造物，
榮耀正直的人，藉著善念與之為友，並且對邪惡和愚癡的人，心存仁慈，藉事砥礪他們的心智，使他們改過向善。

25. Just as God who is by nature good and free of passion loves all in an equal way as his creatures but glorifies the virtuous man for having become his friend through his intention and has mercy on the wicked out of his goodness and converts him by chastening him in this life, so also does the one who is good and without passion through his intention love equally all men—the virtuous because of his nature and good will and likewise the wicked because of his nature and compassion by which he pities one who is foolish and makes his way in darkness.