607 chapter 9: the ornaments of the mystical temple brave Roman Emperor: “There is,” he says, “a humility in Christians, which does not dishonor Majesty, but adorns it.”87 I do not expound prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude at this point: first because they regard more civil life than mystical doctrine, unless they are understood in a certain nonphilosophical manner; second, because they will shine forth in the mystical lampstand in the next chapter; and also because they are almost all found together with solid virtue. Macharius88 teaches thus: “Know this, beloved, that all the virtues are connected among themselves. For just as in a spiritual chain one link depends upon another: prayer upon love, love upon joy, joy upon mildness, mildness upon humility, humility upon obedience, obedience upon hope, hope upon faith, faith upon hearing, hearing upon openness. Just so in the opposite direction vices are dependent one upon another: hatred upon anger, anger upon pride, pride upon vainglory, vainglory upon unfaithfulness, unfaithfulness upon hardness of heart, hardness of heart upon neglect, neglect upon sloth, sloth upon laziness, laziness upon impatience, impatience upon pleasure, and so on with the remaining mutually dependent monstrous vices. Thus also the virtues, for the most part, come and depend reciprocally upon each other” (hom. 40).89 But these ornaments also relate to Love, the Priest. For unless the virtues are practiced from the love of God, they have no merit before God. Love endows them with value and splendor just as they do so for the Mystical Temple. 87 Probably the one mentioned here is the Emperor Ferdinand II (d. 1637) who was known for his devotion and fortitude (cf. Ferrari, Angelo, The Emperor Ferdinand II: ECat V, 1165s; S.S., Ferdinand II, in: Ekośc V, 310-318), but such an opinion could also be expressed by his son the Emperor Ferdinand III (d. 1657), who remained in the memory of the people as righteous and wise (cf. Furlani Silvio, The Emperor Ferdinand III, in: Ekośc V, 318-319). We do not know the biography from which this quote was taken. 88 Macharius (or Macarius) the Egyptian, also called “the Elder” or “Great” (d. 390). He is the author of 50 homilies in Greek, addressed to religious, in which he discusses ascetics, Christian perfection and its degrees, difficulties and temptations. Cf. anon., Makary egipski, in: Ekośc XIII, 93-94. 89 Macarius Aegyptius, Homilies of St. Macarius of Egypt, 40,1: PG 34, 763.
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