THEOSISGregory the Great
Yet now those less mature than me ridicule me Job 30:1. In relation to the Universal Church, all heretics can be rightly considered ‘young’ in the realm of time, as they have emerged from her, not she from them. Thus, John accurately stated, They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us 1 John 2:19. The youthful ones deride the Holy Church, particularly when those who have departed from her dismiss the teachings of her doctrines. It is further remarked, Whose fathers I would not want to place among the dogs of my flocks Job 30:1. Who else represents the ‘flock’ of the Holy Church but the multitude of believers?
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And who are referred to as the ‘dogs’ within that flock if not the holy Teachers, who serve as the guardians of those believers? These Teachers, in the name of their Lord, proclaim loudly both day and night during vigils, sharing powerful messages of the Gospel. The Psalmist refers to these voices when he says, As thy dogs their tongue Psalms 67:24. There are some who once were idolaters, yet have been transformed into proclaimers of God. Thus, the ‘dogs’ tongue’ of the Church arises from adversaries, as some Gentiles are called by the Lord to be preachers. Consequently, the Jews who refused to declare God’s name are admonished by the prophet, who states, They are all dumb dogs that cannot bark Is. 56:10.
Now, when we refer to the fathers of heretics, we have in mind those we term ‘heresiarchs,’ whose malevolent preaching, stemming from a corrupt seed of words, led the nations astray into error. Therefore, the Holy Church ‘despises to place the fathers’ of heretics ‘with the dogs of her flock’ because she rejects the founders of false teachings and refuses to acknowledge them among the true guardians of the faith. Though these individuals may have seemingly extracted some from pagan error to instruct them in righteous works—an honorable pursuit in itself—because they hold erroneous beliefs about God, they are not regarded by the Church as heralds of the truth. Historical figures such as Arius, Photinus, Macedonius, Nestorius, Eutyches, Dioscorus, Severus, and others have attempted, through persuasion and apparent enlightenment, to present themselves as leaders. However, due to their falsehoods, the Holy Church deliberately refrains from recognizing them among the protectors of her flock, that is, not placing them with the dogs of the flock, as she condemns them for undermining the unity of that flock. Of these individuals, Paul warned the Ephesians, saying, For I know that, after my departure, fierce wolves shall come in among you, not sparing the flock Acts 20:29. Additionally, it often occurs that as heretics sink deeper into the deception of error, they may outwardly adhere to more practices to present themselves as exceptional, distinguished from others. In response, the Holy Church critiques all their deeds that do not stem from true faith. Hence, it is appropriately remarked by the voice of blessed Job: