Prologue (iii)

The nakedness of their hands manifests the absence of hypocrisy in their way of life. Vainglory is [terribly] clever at covering and darkening virtues (Lk. 12, 1-2), always hunting for the esteem [glory] that comes from men and chasing faith away. For how it is possible for you to believe, it says, when you receive glory from one another; and the glory that comes only from God you do not seek? (Jn. 5, 44) For the good ought to be chosen for no other [reason] than itself. Apart from this, anything that moves us to do good will appear far more precious than the good itself: and nothing could be more absurd than to consider and assert that something is better than God!

The kolobion worn by the monks leaves part of their arms (and hands) bare. The hands are symbolic for praktike and this indicates that the ascetic efforts of the monks ought to be free from any and all hypocrisy. Their bear arms express their commitment to honest ascetic striving.

(Eccl. 4, 5) The senseless man crossess his arms and devours his own flesh.

The arms are the symbol of ascetic work, everyone who does not work righteousness folds his arms - and that, he says, is why such a person devours his own flesh, filling himself with the sins that spring from the flesh (Evagrius Ponticus, Scholia in Ecclesiastes, 4, 5).

From the context of Lk. 12 it may be inferred that the hypocrisy of the Pharisees consists in them hiding their true motivations. This means that even of the right works are performed but with an inner motivation which does not correspond to the outer works, we are dealing with hypocrisy and not true ascetic effort. The arms are crossed and covered. An inner state which conflicts with the outer works causes tension, within oneself (obviously) and also with other people. The tension thus created is detrimental to one’s physical and spiritual health - “a person devours his own flesh.” Sin distorts relations of all kinds, those within, those with other people, but also the relation with God.

The “good” does not exist in and for itself, it necessarily refers to the First Good (Kephalaia Gnostica I, 1) which is God (On Prayer 33). By hypocrisy and our longing for human esteem we distort all relations in which we are created to exist. Bear hands - honesty in our actions - can help us on our way back to God, to restoration of the lost relationships. Salvation is not an act of magic, but the result of a living faith - not mere intellectual assent to a doctrinal proposition. Our orientation ought to be toward God (Mathew 6, 33) and all else shall be given to us, so that our actions will be as godly as is our inner state of humble faith in Jesus Christ. Our hands are either crossed or open, covered or naked which are symbols of our life in faith. The intellect - the inner man as Origen would say - is revealed through the actions of the body, so that once again we find an inseparable link between “inner” and “outer”.

Dn. Gregory

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Tags: Christianity, Evagrius Ponticus, Orthodox Spirituality, Orthodoxy, Patristics, Religion

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