基督徒

《愛的四百句箴言》
St. Maximus the confessor著
201 - 225

《400 sayings about love》
by St. Maximus the confessor
201 - 225

1. 將一切思想與事物做合理的運用，就會創造節制、愛與知識；相反地，如果將之做不合理的運用，就會導致過度、憎恨與無知。
1. The reasonable use of thoughts and things is productive of moderation, love, and knowledge; the unreasonable use, of excess, hate, and ignorance.

2. 「你為我擺設筵席…」這裡的筵席象徵著實際的美德，因為基督早已備齊了這美德，要「幫助我們安然面對那些使我們苦惱的人」（詩篇23:5）。塗抹在心靈上 的聖油，就是對萬物的靜觀；上帝的聖杯則是上帝自身的知識；而祂的慈恩，就是祂的道，就是上帝。透過道成肉身，祂每一天都緊追著我們，直到祂影響了那些將 要獲救的人為止，就像祂為保羅所做的一樣。這樣一來，家就是天國，是所有聖徒復活的地方；而每一日，都意味著永恆的生命。

2. "You have prepared a table for me, etc." Table here signifies practical virtue, for this has been prepared by Christ "against those who afflict us." The oil which anoints the mind is the contemplation of creatures, the cup of God is the knowledge of God itself; his mercy is his Word and God. For through his incarnation he pursues us all days until he gets hold of those who are to be saved, as he did with Paul. The house is the kingdom in which all the saints will be restored. The length of days means eternal life.

3. 無論是由欲望、忿怒或理性所引起的惡行，都是由於濫用靈魂的能力。濫用理性的天賦，會導致無知與愚蠢；濫用憤怒及欲望的天賦，就會導致憎恨與放縱的言行。 若是我們能夠正確地使用這些天賦，就能造就學識與審慎的態度。這樣一來，上帝所創造、所賦予的任何東西，就沒有一樣是邪惡的了。
3. The vices, whether of the concupiscible, the irascible, or the rational element, come upon us with the misuse of the faculties of the soul. Misuse of the rational faculty is ignorance and folly, of the irascible and concupiscible faculty, hate and intemperance. Their right use is knowledge and prudence. If this is so, nothing created and given existence by God is evil.

4. 邪惡的不是食物而是貪吃；邪惡的不是繁衍後代而是通姦；邪惡的不是財產而是貪婪；邪惡的不是名譽而是虛榮。由此而論，萬物之內並沒有任何的邪惡，除非是被 我們濫用。在心靈的自然培育中，粗心大意正是濫用的根源。
4. It is not food which is evil but gluttony, not the begetting of children but fornication, not possessions but greed, not reputation but vainglory. And if this is so, there is nothing evil in creatures except misuse, which stems from the mind's negligence in its natural cultivation.

5. 神聖的Dionysius說：「在惡魔之中，真正邪惡的是：非理性的怒氣、無知的貪婪，以及粗心而導致的妄想。然而，身為理性的生物，這種非理性、粗心和 輕率，正是由於缺乏理性、覺察、與謹慎的緣故，之所以會缺乏的原因，則是不良的習慣。因此，我們可以說，起初，惡魔也曾擁有過理性、覺察和謹慎。如果這樣 的推論正確，那麼，惡魔的邪惡就不是天生的；換句話說，惡魔因為濫用了自己的天賦，才變得邪惡。」
5. The blessed Dionysius says that among the demons this is what evil is: irrational anger, senseless lust, reckless imagination. But among rational beings unreasonableness, recklessness, and rashness are privations of reason, sense, and circumspection. Now privations follow upon habits; so then the demons once had reason, sense, and religious circumspection. If this is correct, then neither the demons are evil by nature; rather they have become evil through the misuse of their natural faculties.

6. 有些情欲來自於不知節制，有些來自於憎恨，也有一些，同時來自於二者。
6. Some passions are productive of intemperance, others of hate, and still others of both intemperance and hate.

7. 太過與奢華的飲食，就是過度放縱肉體欲望的原因；貪婪與自負導致了我們對鄰人的憎恨。然而，「自私」才是貪婪與自負的母親，是它們真正的源頭。
7. Excessive and sumptuous eating are causes of intemperance; greed and vainglory cause hatred of neighbor. But their mother, self‐love, is the cause of both.

8.「自私」是發自肉體的一種強烈而非理性的情感，這種情感會與「愛」和「自制」相對抗。一個人一旦變得自 私，就等於是擁有了全部的情欲。
8. Self-love is the passionate and irrational affection for the body, to which is opposed love and self-mastery. The one who has self-love has all the passions.

9. 宗徒說：「從來沒有人恨惡自己的肉體的」（以弗所書23:5），「乃是痛打我的身體，驅使它做奴僕」（歌林多前書 9:27）我們只應在最低限度上，使肉體得到衣食等生活必須品的滿足。這樣一來，我們對肉體的愛就能脫離情欲，我們也會將肉體視為神性的事物，好好照顧 它，為了它著想，讓它只在基本的需求上得到滿足。
9. "No one," says the Apostle, "hates his own flesh," of course, "but mortifies it and makes it his slave," allowing it no more than "food and clothing" and these only as they are necessary for life. So in this way one loves it without passion and rears it as an associate in divine things and takes care of it only with those things which satisfy its needs.

10. 當一個人愛上某人時，很自然地，他會希望為那個人付出。因此，如果一個人愛上帝，很自然地，就會希望為上帝做些什麼，使祂愉悅。然而，如果一個人愛的是自 己的肉體，就會渴望滿足肉體的欲望，使它得到慾樂。
10. When a person loves someone, he is naturally eager to be of service. So if one loves God, he is naturally eager to do what is pleasing to him. But if he loves his flesh, he is eager to accomplish what delights it.

11. 能取悅上帝的，就是愛、自制、靜觀以及祈禱。能取悅肉體的則是貪吃、不知節制以及那些助長這些惡行的事物。因此，「在肉體裡生活的人總不能使上帝喜 歡」（羅馬書8:8）。「屬基督的人是已經把肉體，同各樣的惡情和私欲，都釘上十字架處死了。」（加拉太書5:24）
11. What pleases God is love, temperance, contemplation, and prayer. What pleases the flesh is gluttony, intemperance, and what contributes to them. Therefore, "those who are in the flesh cannot please God. And those who are Christ's have crucified their flesh with its passions and lusts."

12. 當心靈向著上帝的時候，就會將肉體變成上帝的僕人，在對待肉體時，只會在最低限度上，給予它維持生命的必須品。然而，當心靈向著肉慾時，心靈就會成為情欲 的僕人，總是盡力滿足自己的欲望。
12. When the mind inclines toward God, it keeps the body as a servant and allows it nothing more than what is necessary for life. But when it inclines toward the flesh, it becomes a servant of the passions and always makes provision for its lusts.

13. 如果你想要戰勝自己的念頭，就要好好照料自己的情欲，那麼你將可以輕易地駕馭它們。因此，想要戰勝姦淫的念頭，就要齋戒、守夜、辛勤工作、獨處。想要戰勝 忿怒與受傷的感覺，就要看輕名聲的好壞，看輕物質界。想要戰勝怨恨，就請為傷害你的人禱告。這樣，你就可以擺脫所有的怨恨了。
13. If you want to prevail over your thoughts, take care of your passions and you will easily drive them from your mind. Thus for fornication, fast, keep vigil, work hard, keep to yourself. For anger and hurt, disdain reputation and dishonor and material things. For grudges, pray for the one who has hurt you and you will be rid of them.

14. 不要將自己看作是軟弱的，而是要為了愛的誡命而伸出雙手。因為若是將自己看作是軟弱的，就會陷入自以為是的陷井之中；反之，你將會朝著更高層次的謙虛而努 力，來設法達成愛的誡命。
14. Do not compare yourself to weaker men, but rather reach out to the commandment of love. For by comparing yourself to these you fall into the pit of conceit; in reaching out for the latter you advance to the heights of humility.

15. 如果你真的遵守誡命，愛我們的鄰人，那你又為什麼要對鄰人懷抱著怨恨呢？這難道不是因為你喜歡那些無常的事物更甚於愛，並且緊抓著這些事物不放，才會導致 你對兄弟發動戰爭嗎？
15. If you are really observing the commandment of love of neighbor, for what reason do you bear him the bitterness of resentment? Is it not clearly because in preferring transient things to love and in holding on to them you are making war on your brother?

16. 與其說，人是出於需要，才將錢財變得有價值，倒不如說，人之所以看中錢財，是因為它可以帶來許多感官上的快樂。
16. Not so much out of necessity has gold become enviable by men as that with it most of them can provide for their pleasures.

17. 貪財的原因有三個：一是為了謀求感官的快樂，二是出於虛榮，三是由於缺乏信仰。對信仰的缺乏，遠比另外兩個原因還要來得重要。
17. There are three reasons for the love of money: pleasure-seeking, vainglory, and lack of faith. And more serious than the other two is lack of faith.

18. 享樂主義者熱愛金錢，因為有了錢，就可以過著奢華的生活；虛榮的人之所以愛錢，是因為有了錢之後，就可以得到更多的讚美；而缺乏信仰的人則是因為，當他對 飢餓、年老、疾病或者是離鄉背景感到害怕時，他可以把錢好好貯儲起來，他將一切的希望都寄託在金錢之上，而非上帝，殊不知上帝才是萬物的創造者、萬物的照 料者，哪怕是最不重要、最微小的生命，祂都予與供應。
18. The hedonist loves money because with it he lives in luxury; the vain person because with it he can be praised; the person who lacks faith because he can hide it and keep it while in fear of hunger, or old age, or illness, or exile. He lays his hope on it rather than on God the maker and provider of the whole creation, even of the last and least of living things.

19. 有四種人會為了取得金錢而努力。上文中已經談到了其中三種，而第四種則是能夠支配金錢的人。很顯然的，只有第四種人是為了正當的理由而謀取金錢：因此，他 將永遠不會因為救濟別人的需求而匱乏。
19. There are four kinds of people who acquire money, the three just mentioned and the financial administrator. Obviously only he acquires it for the right reason: so that he might never run short in relieving each one's need.

20.一切情欲的思想，不是會刺激欲望、 擾動性情，就是會使靈魂中理性的元素變得昏暗，讓靈魂發生變化。心靈在靈性的靜觀中和祈禱中會受到妨礙。因 此，修道士應該更嚴肅的注意自己的思想，特別是獨修的人，不但要知道這些思想的原因，也要將之克除。舉個例來說，一個修道士應該要知道，有關女人的情欲記 憶會喚醒靈魂中欲望的元素，而這些記憶，又是來自於吃喝無度，或者與同樣的女人過度頻繁地來往。因此，飢餓、口渴、守夜以及獨居，可以克除這些因素。進一 步地，這些已經傷害了我們的記憶，還會激起一個人的脾氣。這種脾氣的起因，正是由於追尋感官的快樂、自大以及對物質事物的執著。這些受到刺激的人是悲哀 的，因為他們將會失去它們，不然就是無法得到它們。
20. All passionate thoughts either excite the concupiscible, disturb the irascible, or darken the rational element of the soul. From this it comes about that the mind is hampered in its spiritual contemplation and in the flight of prayer. And because of this the monk, and especially the solitary, should give serious heed to his thoughts and both know and eliminate their causes. Thus, for instance, he should know that passionate memories of women arouse the concupiscible element of the soul and are caused by incontinence in eating and drinking, as well as by frequent and unreasonable association with these same women. Hunger, thirst, vigils, and solitude eliminate them. Again, passionate memories of those who have hurt us stir up the temper; their causes are pleasure-seeking, vainglory, and attachment to material things, for the aroused person is saddened because he has either lost these things or not attained them. Disdain and contempt of these things for the love of God eliminates them.

21. 上帝清楚地認識自己，也認識祂所創造的事物，而聖天使卻無法完全像上帝一樣，徹底地認識上帝，認識上帝所創造的事物。
21. God knows himself and the things created by him. The holy angels also know God and they know, too, the things created by him. But the holy angels do not know God and the things created by him as God knows himself and the things created by him.

22. 上帝透過自己神聖的本質，並且在自己的本質內創造了萬物。藉由這神聖的本質，祂認識自己，也認識一切從祂的智慧中創造出來的事物。然而，聖天使乃是藉著參 與上帝才得以認識上帝，儘管他已經超越了「參與」這層關係，然而，藉由對萬物的靜觀，聖天使才得以認識上帝所創造的事物。
22. God knows himself of his own sacred essence, and the things created by him from his wisdom, through which and in which he made all things. The holy angels, however, know God by participation, though he is beyond participation, and they know things created by him by a perception of what is contemplated in them.

23. 受造物確實是在心靈之外，然而，心靈卻在心靈之內獲得對萬物的靜觀。這與無窮、無邊、永恆的上帝是不同的。上帝自由地賜予祂的創造物存在、福祉、以及永恆 的存在。
23. Created things are indeed outside the mind, but it receives their contemplation inside it. This is not so with the eternal, infinite, and immense God, who freely bestows being, well-being, and eternal being on his creatures.

24. 一個天生擁有理智與領悟力的人，藉著自己真實的存在和追求福祉的才能（即善行與智慧），還有「自由」這個永恆的天賦，參與了神聖的上帝，並且認識了上帝。 就像前文曾經提到的，藉著受造物的智慧，認識了上帝所創造的一切事物，這智慧以簡單的形式存在心智之中，沒有屬於自己的實質。
24. A nature endowed with reason and understanding participates in the holy God by its very being, by its aptitude for well-being (that is, for goodness and wisdom), and by the free gift of eternal being. In this way it knows God; and things created by him, as was said, it knows by a perception of the ordered wisdom to be observed in creation. This wisdom exists in the mind as simple and without substance of its own.

25. 在上帝創造了帶有理智與智力的天性時，就賦予了天性四種神聖的屬性：即「存在」、「永恆」、「美德」與「智慧」。前兩項是上帝賦予天性的本質，後兩項是上 帝賜予天性的意志力。也就是說，上帝雖然是因為自己的本質而成為上帝的樣子，但是為了讓受造物可以藉著參與，而變得像祂一樣，祂賜予天性的本質「存在」和 「永恆」這兩個特質，而使意志擁有「美德」與「智慧」這兩個特質。因此，祂告訴人們，要成為祂的肖像，要像祂一樣：藉由我們的「存在」，成為祂存在的肖 像；藉由我們「永恆」，成為他永恆的肖像（雖然這並不是沒有起點，但卻是沒有終點）；藉由我們的「美德」，變成像祂一樣的美德；藉由我們的「智慧」，變成 像祂一樣的智慧。藉著天性，依靠著恩典，每一個理性的天性確確實實是依上帝的形象而造的，但也只有美善與智慧之人才是上帝的肖像。
25. In bringing into existence a rational and intelligent nature, God in his supreme goodness has communicated to it four of the divine attributes by which he maintains, guards, and preserves creatures: being, eternal being, goodness, and wisdom. The first two of these he grants to the essence, the second two to its faculty of will; that is, to the essence he gives being and eternal being, and to the volitive faculty he gives goodness and wisdom in order that what he is by essence the creature might become by participation. For this reason he is said to be made "to the image and likeness of God": to the image of his being by our being, to the image of his eternal being by our eternal being (even though not without a beginning, it is yet without end); to the likeness of his goodness by our goodness, to the image of his wisdom by our wisdom. The first is by nature, the second by grace. Every rational nature indeed is made to the image of God; but only those who are good and wise are made to his likeness.