Tuesday, July 21, 2015

"One should want to be freed from a passion not in order to escape the torment it inflicts, but because one truly hates the passion itself."

"One should want to be freed from a passion not in order to escape the torment it inflicts, but because one truly hates [the passion] it[self], as it says, 'I hate them with a perfect hatred'."

οὐ δεῖ θελῆσαί τινα ἀπαλλαγῆναι πάθους, ὡς θέλοντα φυγεῖν τὴν θλίψιν αὐτου, ἀλλὰ ἀκριβῶς μισοῦντα αυτό, ὡς λέγει·  Τέλειον μῖσος ἐμίσουν αὐτούς.

     Dorotheus (Dorotheos) of Gaza, Sent. 16; SC 92, ed. & trans. Regnault & Préville (2001), 530; PG 88, col. 1809D.  Cf. "A man ought to want to be freed from vice not because he wants to escape its affliction, but because he detests it, according to the Scripture, [‘I hated them with a perfect hate; they have become my enemies']" (Dorotheos of Gaza: discourses and sayings, Cistercian studies series 23, trans. Eric P. Wheeler (Kalamazoo, MI:  Cistercian Publications, 1977), 252-253).  I was put onto this by RAC, sv Haß, by J. Procope (vol. 13 (1986), col. 711).  Cf. Maximus the Confessor, Four hundred chapters on love 2.17, trans. George C.Berthold:  "in what concerns woman, the proper use of intercourse is its purpose of procreation.  So the one who concentrates on the pleasure is in error as to its use by considering as good what is not good.  Therefore such a person misuses a woman in having intercourse.  The same holds true for other objects and representations."