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Greek Orthodox Catechism
Constantine Callinicos, London, 1926
Part II. Ethical, 27. The Evangelical Law
Does the Mosaic Law bear the seal of perfection?
The Mosaic Law, taken in itself and not in connection with its Christian completion, does not bear the seal of perfection. It is the foundation, but not the complete edifice of morality. It is preparatory to a more perfect law, for which human nature is not yet ripe. Like the Jewish Religion, it presents limitations which must be amended, and gaps which must be filled. First:—-The Mosaic Law is not positive, but negative. With the exception of the fifth Commandment, which deals with the innate love of children towards their parents, all the others, including the fourth Commandment (in which the sanctification of the Sabbath, according to the Jewish mentality is simply negative) are accompanied by the prohibition Thou shalt not, as addressed to wills which are by nature perverted and rebellious. “Thou shalt have none other gods; thou shalt not make any graven image; thou shalt not bow down to them; thou shalt not take the name of the Lord; thou shalt do no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt not covet.” Secondly:—It turns chiefly on outward acts, and gives very little attention to the motives which inwardly drive the will towards complete agreement with the divine will. Thirdly: It uses fear as a means of checking sin, and earthly advantages as an incitement to virtue, according to that prophetic saying, which constitutes the soul of Jewish morality: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye. shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword.” (Isa. i. 19—20.) Fourthly: It is characterised by exclusiveness, because it addresses itself to one people only: the Jews, whom God chose from amongst all the other nations of the earth. Finally: The Mosaic Law has not, in the lapse of the centuries, escaped corruption at the hands of its interpreters, who, with their “precepts of men” (Mark vii. 7) have made it unrecognisable. For all these reasons, the Law-Giver spoke again. He interpreted what the scribes and Pharisees made obscure. He completed what had been left incomplete, owing to the circumstances of the times. And by a fresh, more positive revelation of His holy will, He invited man to tread the path of salvation.
And how did the Law-Giver complete and interpret the Mosaic Law?
He completed and interpreted it by the Evangelical Law, which was preached by Christ and propagated afterwards by the Evangelists and Apostles unto the ends of the earth. The superiority of this law over the other is obvious. The Evangelical law is not based solely upon continuous prohibitions, but prescribes in addition a number of positive virtues, of which Christ was the unique and most imposing and substantial incarnation, realising in Himself the Moral ideal, and leaving to us “an example, that we should follow His steps.” (1 Pet. ii. 21.) Nor is this new law confined to outward actions only, independently of what the inner heart hides, but it demands above all the inner “sprinkling of hearts from an evil conscience.” (Heb. x. 22.) The Law-Giver now speaks to all without exception; for He “willeth that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. ii. 4.) And, when giving His new revelation, He does not speak amidst lightning and thunder on a trembling Sinai, before spectators half-dead with fear, but peacefully and in sweet guise like one of us. The spirit of love towards God and towards our neighbours becomes henceforth the greatest stimulus to the Christian. And the old law, being baptised in this love, comes from the lips of Christ so plain, so clear and so captivating to the human will, that no further pharisaical “precepts of men” and no legal exploitations are able to deform it.
How do we acquire a knowledge of the Evangelical Law revealed through Christ?
From the Gospels, of course, and from the whole of the New Testament in which it is treasured. But, if the subject is difficult for beginners, then, the Sermon on the Mount, which our Saviour preached on a height near Capernaum, and which is found in chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew’s Gospel, should be comparatively the most perfect and at the same time the most characteristic manual of Christian morality, which was ever uttered by the divine mouth. The Sermon on the Mount must, therefore, complete the Second Part of our Catechism, in order that, through its teaching, we may obtain the full meaning of our Christian duties.
Before you go into details, give me a general idea of the Sermon on the Mount, by making clear its arrangement.
The Sermon on the Mount, as it seems to me, is composed of five parts, of which the first part may be considered as occupying the place of a Prologue, and the last, that of an Epilogue. The first part (v. 3—16), beginning with a great apostrophe to the hearers, describes the characteristics of the followers of Christ and their position in the world. The second part (v. 17—48) defines the relation of the Evangelical morality through Christ towards the Mosaic morality; a relation which does not destroy the old law, but is a completion and improvement of it, as shown by the way in which our Lord interprets murder, adultery, perjury, reprisals and the love of our neighbour. The third part of the Sermon (vi. 1—34) shows the motives which should animate the followers of Christ in the practice of virtue; which should be not ostentatiousness to gain the applause of men, but the silent endeavour to earn the approbation of God; not anxiety to secure a large portion of this world’s goods, but contented faith in a Heavenly Father. The fourth part (vii. 1—12) describes three further virtues of the followers of Christ, the control of the tongue, reverence for what is holy, and unceasing prayer. Finally, the fifth part (vii. 13—27), after some advice to the listeners, incites them to establish their conduct on the eternal words of this new revelation, as the wise man did, who built his house, not on sand, but on a rock. “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon the rock.”