This little gem is one of the readings in my Isaac of Syria reader. I’m not sure I can take Isaac completely literally here. It’s interesting that Isaac is contending that we shouldn’t “contend” for truth. He therefore certainly can’t mean that persuasive, reasoned argument is never appropriate. However, what he is saying is wonderfully countercultural, I think, in the context of our present “culture wars.”
Someone who has actually tasted truth is not contentious for truth.
Someone who is considered among men to be zealous for truth has not yet learnt what truth is really like; once he has truly learnt it, he will cease from zealousness on its behalf.
The gift of God and of knowledge of him is not a cause for turmoil and clamour; rather this gift is entirely filled with a peace in which the Spirit, love and humility reside.
The following is a sign of the coming of the Spirit: the person whom the Spirit has overshadowed is made perfect in these very virtues.
God is reality. The person whose mind has become aware of God does not even possess a toungue with which to speak, but God resides in his heart in great serenity. He experiences no stirring of zeal or argumentatitiveness, nor is he stirred by anger. He cannot even be aroused concerning the faith.
I’m sure that many Christians reading the headline of this post would respond positively to it. The culture wars have conditioned us to become excited by battle cries about truth. In our zeal, however, I think we often lose a deeper perspective about what Truth really is, and about what our relationship to Truth must be.
The foundation of Truth is the triune God, and the triune God’s ultimate revelation of Truth to us is the divine logos, God incarnate in Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is based on his sacrificial death on the cross, made effective to us only by God’s grace. Our aspect concerning Truth must therefore be one of humble gratitude, never one of angry zeal. I think this is what Isaac means when he says “Someone who has actually tasted truth is never contentious for truth.” Like the Apostle Peter cutting off Malchus’ ear (John 18:10), we think we have to defend Jesus with violent words. Nothing could be further from the Truth.