Mar Isaac of Nineveh and Theodore of Mopsuestia on God’s mercy and chastisements

 

Mar Isaac of Nineveh and Theodore of Mopsuestia on God’s mercy and chastisements

In this post, I’ll provide some quotes from the First and Second Parts of Isaac of Nineveh’s discourses in which the influence of Theodore of Mopsuestia on the matters of God’s mercy and chastisements seems to be clear (‘blessed commentator’ and ‘blessed interpreter’ are references to Theodore).

“Though David called Him just and righteous, still His son has made it clear to us that He is good and kind. For He is kind towards the evil and the miscreant. How callest thou God just when thou comest across the section on the hire of the workmen? Friend, I do thee no wrong. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Or is thy eye evil because I am good? How can any one call God just if he come across the story of the prodigal son? When he had spent all in fornication, it was only on account of the contrition he showed that [the father] ran to throw himself at his neck and made him lord of all his possessions. No one else can say concerning Him that he doubts His goodness. His son testifies this concerning Him. How could there be justice in God, when Christ died for us who were sinners? If He is compassionate here, we believe that there · will be no change in Him. Far be it from us that we should wickedly think that God could not possibly be compassionate. God's properties are not liable to variations as those of mortals. It is not possible that He sometimes should not possess a thing, and afterwards should possess it, or that what He possesses should diminish or increase as that which creatures possess. But that which God possesses is with Him from eternity, and it is with Him for ever, as also the blessed commentator says in his exposition on the creation.” (Mar Isaac, First Part, 50,  Wensinck's translation, source: https://historicalchristian.faith/by_father.php?file=Isaac%2520of%2520Nineveh%2FMystic%2520Treatises.html ; for a different version of this quote see: https://ancientafterlifebelifs.blogspot.com/2026/05/on-presence-of-universalism1-in-church.html)

“3.94 Chastisement is not an aim with God, nor is there vengeance on those who have transgressed; rather, ‹his aim› is the setting aright of those who are subject to judgment, and for the restraint of others. And where the use of these is not ‹effective›, ‹use is made› of chastisements and punishments. Nor does God cause pain to anyone with anything like this in anticipation of events. For it is not in chastising that he takes pleasure, but in bringing benefit. Because of fear of deviation, chastisements are of use. Where fear of the former is not present, then neither are the latter. The blessed Interpreter testifies in the ‘Book on Priesthood’ when he says, “God uses punishments with regard to us because of our own need”—that is, they give birth to fear in each soul. “And what is the use of fear, Father?” “Fear,” he says, “is useful to make us wary.” A demonstration of this is that in the world to come fear is removed: only love has control. “And when he is going to remove sin, he will also remove punishment.” Now when punishments are removed, fear is also removed from there.” (Mar Isaac, Second Part, 3.94.3, translated by S.P. Brock)

“ 7 Lest any of those who zealously imagine that they are being zealous for the cause of truth should imagine that we are introducing something novel of our own accord, things of which our former orthodox fathers never spoke, as though we were bursting out with an opinion which did not accord with truth, anyone who likes can turn to the writing of the blessed Interpreter, a man who had sufficient fill of the gifts of grace, who was entrusted with the hidden mysteries of the scriptures, (enabling him) to instruct on the path to truth the whole community of the Church; who above all has illumined us orientals with wisdom - nor is our mind's vision capable enough (to bear) the brilliancy of his compositions inspired by the divine Spirit.

For we are not rejecting his words - far from it! Rather, we accept (him) like one of the apostles, and anyone who opposes his words introduces doubt into his interpretations, or shows hesitation at his words, (such a person) we hold to be alien to the community of the Church and someone who is erring from the truth. Therefore, although we could demonstrate (our point) from many passages in a great number of his volumes, nevertheless he makes the point especially clear at the end of the first volume which he composed against those who say that sin is present by nature.

8. From the blessed Theodore, the Interpreter. After other luminous statements, he says:

"In the world to come those who have chosen here what is good will receive the felicity of good things along with praise; whereas the wicked who all their life have turned aside to evil deeds once they have been set in order in their minds by punishment and the fear of them, choose the good, having come to learn how much they have sinned and that they have persevered in doing evil things and not good; by means of all this they receive a knowledge of religion's excellent teaching and are educated so as to hold on to it with a good will (and so eventually) they are held worthy of the felicity of divine munificence. For (Christ) would never have said ‘Until you pay the last farthing,’ unless it has been possible for us to be freed from our sins once we had recompensed for them through punishments. Nor would he have said ‘He will be beaten with many stripes’ and ‘he will be beaten with few stripes’ if it were not (the case) that the punishments measured out in correspondence to the sins were finally going to have an end.”

 9. These words and others similar to them are what the blessed Theodore has handed down in his books, clearly and without concealment, openly using straightforward words that are not obscure for (the benefit) of the understanding and instruction of lovers of truth, (showing) what opinions it is appropriate that we should hold concerning God the Creator of all and concerning his chastisements and concerning the judgment to come.” (Second Part, homily 39, sections 7-9; translated by S.P. Brock; after this reference to Theodore, Mar Isaac refers to Diodore of Tarsus, the mentor of Theodore, see: https://ancientafterlifebelifs.blogspot.com/2026/05/ancient-and-medieval-witnesses-of.html )

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