This text is a compilation of Orthodox Christian writings of Saints (St Gregory Palamas, St Ignatius Brianchaninov, Elder Nikon Vorobiev and Saint Seraphim Rose) that talk about secular (worldly) knowledge and modern university education from a spiritual perspective.
It opens with excerpts from St. Gregory Palamas’s Triads in Defence of the Hesychasts, in which the 14th-century saint contrasts “external,” “carnal,” or “Hellenic” learning (natural philosophy, astronomy, and the sciences) with the true, purifying wisdom that comes from God and leads to deification. Palamas argues that without moral and spiritual purity, even lifelong study of the natural world leaves a person no wiser—and that Christians should prioritize the teachings of faith over purely earthly knowledge.
St Gregory Palamas (Excerpts from ‘‘Triads in the defence of hesychasts’’)
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Having spoken thus to those who spend their whole lives in this pursuit, who seek knowledge through external learning and who praise it so extravagantly, Let them listen to the Apostle Paul, who calls external wisdom carnal and puffed-up knowledge carnal mind ( 1 Cor. 1:12 ; Col. 2:18 ; 1 Cor. 8:1 ). Will carnal wisdom really impart godlikeness to the soul? “Consider ,” says Paul, “ who we are who were called: not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” ( 1 Cor. 1:26 ) . Just as carnal nobility and strength do not strengthen and ennoble the soul, so carnal wisdom will not make the mind wise. And the true “beginning of wisdom... is to know wisdom” ( Prov. 1:7 ), in order to learn to distinguish and prefer the wisdom that creeps, earthly and fruitless, to the wisdom that is beneficial, heavenly, spiritual, coming from God and to God and making those who acquire it godlike.
For even if you study natural philosophy (sciences) from Adam to the very end, without purity you will be no less, if not more, a fool than a wise man. On the contrary, even without philosophy, having purified and freed your soul from bad morals and teachings, you will acquire the world-conquering wisdom of God and in eternal joy you will join "the only wise God" ( Rom. 14:26 ). Let your teachings be the teachings of faith, and not knowledge of the size and movement of the sky and celestial bodies and everything that comes from them, not knowledge of the earth, the metals and gems hidden within it, and what happens in the air from extreme evaporation.
And now, you say, some people, considering the goal facing Christians, the untold blessings promised to us in the age to come, to be of little importance, have exchanged the knowledge of God for worldly wisdom and want to introduce it into the council of philosophizing in Christ. Indeed, they declare all who have not studied the sciences to be impure and imperfect; therefore, everyone must resolutely take up the Hellenic sciences, disdain the Gospel commandments—and indeed, since through them one cannot rid oneself of ignorance of what these people call science—and mockingly turn away from the one who said: "Be ye perfect," and "If anyone is perfect in Christ..." and "We preach among the perfect," 7 since he is completely inexperienced in worldly sciences. It was not from their ignorance that I meant to get rid of when I called purity saving, because there is both innocent ignorance and shameful knowledge; not from their ignorance, I say, having gotten rid of, but from ignorance of God and divine teachings, insofar as this is condemned by our theologians, having improved all your custom in accordance with their instructions, you will be filled with divine wisdom, you will become truly the image and likeness of God, achieving perfect dedication through the sole observance of the Gospel commandments, as the interpreter of the church hierarchy Dionysius clearly said in his book about it: “Similarity to God and union with Him, teaches the divine Scripture, is achieved only by love for the venerable commandments and their holy fulfillment”
But even if we leave aside this “highest among those born of women” ( Matt. 11:11 ; Luke 7:28 ), who rose to such a height without caring in the least about the supposedly leading to God scholarship, because he had not even read the sacred books —even if, I say, we leave him—why did He Who was before all ages, Who appeared after John and for this purpose came into the world to bear witness to the truth, to renew the divine image in man and to raise it to the heavenly prototype, why did He not show the way of ascent through the methods and techniques of external philosophy? Why did He not say, “If you want to be perfect, take up external philosophy, strive to study the sciences, accumulate within yourself the knowledge of existence,” but said: “Sell your possessions, distribute to the poor, take up the cross, decide to follow Me”? Why didn't He explain to us the analogies, figures, quantities, the inconstant distances and conjunctions of the planets, and solve the mysteries of nature, so as to banish from our souls the darkness of ignorance of all this? Why did He call fishermen, the illiterate, and simple villagers as disciples, and not wise men, and, what's more, "to shame the wise men without," as Paul says? Why does He shame those who, if they listen to Him, come to Him? Why did He even "turn their wisdom into foolishness"? Why did He "deign to save those who believe through the foolishness of His preaching"? Was it not because "by its wisdom the world did not know God"? So why do the scholars of whom you speak, when the Word of God has already come in the flesh, becoming for us “wisdom from God”, when the Light has risen, “which enlightens every man coming into the world,” when, according to the head of the apostles, “ the day has dawned, and the morning star has risen in our hearts” ( 2 Pet. 1:19 ), the hearts of believers, – why do they themselves still need man-made light, the science of external philosophers, which would lead them to the knowledge of God, and others, who have decided in silence through the mastery of thoughts to purify themselves and through unceasing prayer to cling to God, incline to grow old in vain, sitting before a smoky lamp?
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St Ignatius Brianchaninov (From his Confession)
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Meanwhile, the boundaries of human knowledge in the higher, final sciences had already come into view. Having arrived at these boundaries, I asked the sciences: "What do you grant to man as property? Man is eternal, and his property must be eternal. Show me this eternal property, this sure wealth that I could take with me beyond the grave! Until now, I have seen only knowledge given, so to speak, for borrowing, ending with the earth, unable to exist after the separation of soul from body. What is the purpose of the study of mathematics? Its subject is matter. It reveals a certain type of law governing matter, teaches us to calculate and measure it, and apply calculations and measurements to the needs of earthly life. It points to the existence of an infinite quantity, as an idea, beyond matter. Precise knowledge and definition of this idea is logically impossible for any rational, albeit limited, being. Mathematics points to numbers and measures, some of which, due to their considerable magnitude, others due to their extreme insignificance, cannot be subjected to human investigation. It points to the existence of knowledge to which man has an innate desire, but to which science lacks the means to elevate him. Mathematics merely hints at the existence of objects beyond the reach of our senses. Physics and chemistry reveal another kind of law of matter. Before science, man was not even aware of the existence of these laws. The discovered laws revealed the existence of countless other laws, still hidden. Some of them remain unexplained, despite man's efforts to explain, while others cannot be explained due to the limitations of man's powers and abilities. It seems, as the eloquent and intelligent Professor Solovyov told us .In giving an introduction to chemistry, we study this science in order to learn that we know nothing, and cannot know anything: such a boundless field of knowledge does it open before the eyes of the mind! So insignificant is the knowledge we acquire in this field! It proves and convinces with palpable clarity that matter, although, as matter, it must have its limits, cannot be comprehended and defined by man, both because of its vastness and for many other reasons. Chemistry follows the gradual refinement of matter, brings it to a subtlety barely accessible to human senses; in this subtle state of matter it still discerns complexity and the ability to be decomposed into constituent parts, finer, although decomposition itself is no longer possible. Man sees no end to the refinement of matter, just as he sees no end to the increase of numbers and measure. He comprehends that the infinite must also be immaterial; on the contrary, everything finite must necessarily also be material. But this is an indefinite idea; Its existence is determined. Physics and chemistry then revolve around the same substance, expanding knowledge about its use for the temporary, earthly needs of man and human society. Less positive than the aforementioned sciences is philosophy, of which fallen man is especially proud. The natural sciences constantly rely on material experience, demonstrating the validity of their accepted theories by it, which without this proof have no place in science. Philosophy lacks the decisive means of constant conviction through experience. The multitude of different systems, inconsistent with each other, contradicting one another, already exposes human philosophy for its lack of positive knowledge of Truth. What scope is given in philosophy to arbitrariness, dreaminess, fiction, and grandiloquent delirium, intolerable by precise, defined science! Despite all this, philosophy is usually quite satisfied with itself. With its deceptive light, an abundance of self-conceit, arrogance, haughtiness, vanity, and contempt for one's neighbors enter the soul. The blind world showers it with praise and honors as if it were its own. One who is content with the knowledge provided by philosophy not only fails to obtain correct concepts of God, himself, and the spiritual world; but, on the contrary, becomes infected with perverse concepts that corrupt the mind, making it incapable, as infected and damaged by falsehood, of communion with the Truth ( 2 Tim. 3:8 ). "The world did not understand the wisdom of God" ( 1 Cor. 1:21 ), says the Apostle. "To be carnally minded is death... for the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it" ( Rom. 8:6-7 ), because this is not proper to him. “Brethren, take heed lest anyone deceive you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and understanding hidden” ( Col. 2:8, 3). Philosophy, being the offspring of the fall of man, flatters this fall, disguises it, preserves and nourishes it. It fears the teaching of Truth, as a death sentence for itself ( 1 Cor. 3:18 ). The state into which philosophy brings our spirit is a state of self-deception, a state of soul-destruction, which is fully evident from the above-quoted words of the Apostle, who commands all who desire to acquire true knowledge from God to reject the knowledge provided by the love of wisdom of fallen humanity. "Let no man deceive himself ," he says, " if anyone thinks himself wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise" ( 1 Cor. 3:18 ). True philosophy (love of wisdom) is combined in the single teaching of Christ. "Christ is the Wisdom of God" ( 1 Cor. 1:24, 30 ). "Without Christ there is no righteousness, no sanctification, no salvation, and all wisdom without Christ is foolishness. Every wise man without Christ is a fool, every righteous man is a sinner, every pure person is unclean... What is our own? Weakness, corruption, darkness, wickedness, sins." He who seeks wisdom outside of Christ denies Christ, rejects wisdom, acquires and appropriates for himself a falsely so-called mind, the property of rejected spirits. Geography, surveying, linguistics, literature, the other sciences, and all the arts are not worth mentioning: they are all for the earth; man's need for them ends with the end of earthly life—mostly much earlier. If I spend all my earthly life seeking knowledge that ends with this life, what will I take with me beyond the confines of gross matter?... Sciences! Give me, if you can, something eternal, something positive; give me something inalienable and true, something worthy of being called human property! The sciences were silent.
Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ignatij_Brjanchaninov/tom1_asketicheskie_opyty/57
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Elder Nikon Vorobiev (From his biography)
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However, he soon saw that the empirical sciences generally did not address the problems of understanding truth, eternity, or the existence of God; the question of the meaning of human life was not only not raised in them, but did not even follow from the nature of these sciences themselves. Seeing this, already in his senior years, he devoted himself with all the fervor of his nature to the study of the history of philosophy, in which he attained such a profound understanding that his own teachers came to him to discuss various philosophical questions.
His thirst for knowledge was so great that he often, literally without a crust of bread, would buy a book with his last money. He could only read it at night. He would sit up all night, studying the history of philosophy, familiarizing himself with classical literature—all with one goal, one thought: to find the truth, to find the meaning of life.
The older he grew, the more acutely he felt the meaninglessness of this life. Death is the fate of everyone, no matter how one lives. There is no point in living for oneself, for I will die anyway. Live for others? But others are just as mortal "I"s, and therefore, their lives also lack meaning. Why does a person live if nothing saves him or anyone else in the world from death?
I realized that just as science offers no insight into God or the future life, so neither will philosophy. And the conclusion that I must turn to religion became perfectly clear."
Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Nikon_Vorobev/nam-ostavleno-pokajanie/
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Saint Seraphim Rose
Excerpts from his letters
It’s true that I chose the academic life in the first place, because God gave me a mind to serve Him with, and the academic world is where the mind is supposed to be used. But after eight or nine years I know well enough what goes on in the universities. The mind is respected by only a few of the “old-fashioned” professors, who will soon have died out. For the rest, it’s a matter of making money, getting a secure place in life—and using the mind as a kind of toy, doing clever tricks with it and getting paid for it, like circus clowns. The love of truth has vanished from people today; those who have minds have to prostitute their talents to get along. I find this difficult to do, because I have too great a love of truth. The academic world for me is just another job; but I am not going to make myself a slave to it. I am not serving God in the academic world; I am just making a living. If I am going to serve God in this world, and so keep from making my life a total failure, I will have to do it outside the academic world. I have some money saved up, and the promise of some more by doing a little work, so I should be able to live frugally for a year doing what my conscience tells me I should do—to write a book on the spiritual condition of man today, about which, by God’s grace, I have some knowledge. The book will probably not sell, because people would rather forget about the things I am going to say; they would rather make money than worship God.
It is true that this is a mixed-up generation. The only thing wrong with me is that I am not mixed-up, I know only too well what the duty of man is: to worship God and His Son and to prepare for the life of the world to come, not to make ourselves happy and comfortable in this world by exploiting our fellow man and forgetting about God and His kingdom.
If Christ were to walk in this world today, do you know what would happen to Him? He would be placed in a mental institution and given psycho-therapy, just as would His Saints. The world would crucify Him today just as it did 2000 years ago, for the world has not learned a thing, except more devious forms of hypocrisy. And what would happen if, in one of my classes at the university, I would one day tell my students that all the learning of this world is of no importance beside the duty of worshipping God, accepting the God-man who died for our sins, and preparing for the life of the world to come? They would probably laugh at me, and the university officials, if they found out, would fire me—for it is against the law to preach the Truth in our universities.
Source: https://letters.blessedseraphim.com/letter/001/
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From the introduction of his book ''Orthodox Survival Course''
Father Seraphim’s course, in terms of depth and breadth of material, was suitable for any university and, moreover, offered what no university could possibly provide. Father Seraphim told his students: “In today’s universities, there are many learned people, ‘walking encyclopedias,’ but all the knowledge is fragmented, it doesn’t come together. We don’t know much. In such a case, it’s more important not to rush, not to grab bits of knowledge on the fly, just to grasp something.” All knowledge must have a direction...
Today, this principle has been forgotten in secular education: at university, you'll be given fragments of knowledge from various fields, across various faculties. And the very idea that all knowledge must be reduced to a single root cause seems outdated, almost medieval, a kind of atavism. So universities produce "narrow" specialists who understand neither the purpose nor the interconnectedness of everything in the world.
Some truly great figures, now, alas, deceased professors at Jordanville Seminary, remembered this fundamental principle. And we should learn from them how to formulate our worldview, how to subordinate all our knowledge to a single, primary goal. This goal is Orthodoxy, which is essentially the path to the salvation of the soul.
Such a view of education at a modern university for an Orthodox Christian is a matter of life and death. For example, a student without an Orthodox view of history will be perplexed when professors tell them that "Christian civilization" is to blame for the current environmental crisis. And they won't grasp that it's not Christianity, but the West's departure from it, that has caused today's natural disasters.
Source: https://proza.ru/2023/12/20/1486