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From the Work on Things Created

Methodius of Olympus

Section 1

About this work

Author: Methodius of Olympus

I. This selection is made, by way of compendium

‹ Salutation / Introduction Section 2 ›

or

synopsis

,

from

the

work

of

the

holy

martyr

and

bishop

Methodius

,

concerning

things

created

.

The

passage

,

“

Give

not

that

which

is

holy

unto

the

dogs

,

neither

cast

ye

your

pearls

before

swine

,

”

is

explained

by

Origen

as

signifying

that

the

pearls

are

the

more

mystical

teachings

of

our

God

-

given

religion

,

and

the

swine

those

who

roll

in

impiety

and

in

all

kinds

of

pleasures

,

as

swine

do

in

mud

;

for

he

said

that

it

was

taught

by

these

words

of

Christ

not

to

cast

about

the

divine

teachings

,

inasmuch

as

they

could

not

bear

them

who

were

held

by

impiety

and

brutal

pleasures

.

The

great

Methodius

says

:

If

we

must

understand

by

pearls

the

glorious

and

divine

teachings

,

and

by

swine

those

who

are

given

up

to

impiety

and

pleasures

,

from

whom

are

to

be

withheld

and

hidden

the

apostle’s

teachings

,

which

stir

men

up

to

piety

and

faith

in

Christ

,

see

how

you

say

that

no

Christians

can

be

converted

from

their

impiety

by

the

teachings

of

the

apostles

.

For

they

would

never

cast

the

mysteries

of

Christ

to

those

who

,

through

want

of

faith

,

are

like

swine

.

Either

,

therefore

,

these

things

were

cast

before

all

the

Greeks

and

other

unbelievers

,

and

were

preached

by

the

disciples

of

Christ

,

and

converted

them

from

impiety

to

the

faith

of

Christ

,

as

we

believers

certainly

confess

,

and

then

the

words

,

“

Cast

not

your

pearls

before

swine

,

”

can

no

longer

mean

what

has

been

said

;

or

meaning

this

,

we

must

say

that

faith

in

Christ

and

deliverance

from

impiety

have

been

accorded

to

none

of

the

unbelievers

,

whom

we

compare

to

swine

,

by

the

apostolic

instructions

enlightening

their

souls

like

pearls

.

But

this

is

blasphemous

.

Therefore

the

pearls

in

this

place

are

not

to

be

taken

to

mean

the

deepest

doctrines

,

and

the

swine

the

impious

;

nor

are

we

to

understand

the

words

,

“

Cast

not

your

pearls

before

swine

,

”

as

forbidding

us

to

cast

before

the

impious

and

unbelieving

the

deep

and

sanctifying

doctrines

of

faith

in

Christ

;

but

we

must

take

the

pearls

to

mean

virtues

,

with

which

the

soul

is

adorned

as

with

precious

pearls

;

and

not

to

cast

them

before

swine

,

as

meaning

that

we

are

not

to

cast

these

virtues

,

such

as

chastity

,

temperance

,

righteousness

,

and

truth

,

that

we

are

not

to

cast

these

to

impure

pleasures

,

for

these

are

like

swine

,

lest

they

,

fleeing

from

the

virtues

,

cause

the

soul

to

live

a

swinish

and

a

vicious

life

.

Notes

2
Matt. vii. 6.