Above all, however, the recognition of one's position in the sight of God leads to humility towards Him. Before Him no one can boast (1 Co 4*) ; whatever merit one possesses rests upon the Divine grace (1 Co 4''). ' He is humble before God, who attributes nothing to himself, or to his own strength, and regards himself as simply un- worthy of all Divine benefits' (Buddeus, loc. cit. ; cf. 1 P 5«, Ja 418, Ac 220).
HUMILITY
HYMEX^US
589
But, as has been already indicated, humility is also to be exercised towards our fellow-men. St. Paul and St. Peter alike enforce the need of such humility (Ph 2^-5, Col S^^ ; cf. 1 Co 13^ 1 P 5^). St. Paul, moreover, adduces as the gi-eat example of such humility the humility of Christ in the Incarnation, in that He laid aside the form of God, and took upon Him that of a servant, becoming obedient to death, even the Death of the Cross (Ph 23-8). jt jg jjQi; necessaiy here, in simply treat- ing of the virtue of humility in the apostolic writ- ings, to go on to discuss the Kenosis, on Avhich so much has been said and written ; but it may perhaps fitly be pointed out how this instance of the Lord's humility in the Incarnation has been made use of in Catholic Christianity from A ugustine onwards. Pride, according to St. Augustine, is the root of all sins ; therefore to cure it God wrought in the Incarnation by introducing into humanity the antidote of humility. The humility of Christ is the cure of man's pride. By St. Francis of Assisi this humility of Jesus was connected closely with the thought of His earthly privations ; and thus was struck the key-note of the peculiar mediaeval piety of the imitation of the lowly Jesus.
3. In the Apostolic Fathers.— Among the sub- apostolic writings outside the NT, 1 Clem, stands out because of its particular emphasis on humility. It may indeed almost be regarded as a sermon on humility, with many instances, examples, and exhortations. The emphasis on this particular virtue follows naturally from the situation at Corinth, which the Epistle of the Roman Church through Clement is intended to deal with. A contention has taken place in the Church, in which two parties are involved. The majority of the community are on the one side, led by a few head- strong and self-willed persons (V). On the other side are the officers of the Church, the presbyters, with very little support in the Church. During the conflict some presbyters have actually been deposed by the Church (44^), The Epistle of the Roman Church, indited by Clement, is intended to bring about the submission of the Church to its presbyters, and so restore unity. No wonder then that such stress is laid on the virtue of humility. What is aimed at is to produce a proper submission to constituted authority in place of the present sedition against it. To quote the passages on humility would occupy too much space, ra^reti'oj occurs in xxx. 2, Iv. 6, lix. 3 ; raireivocppoveu) in ii. 1, xiii. 1, 3, xvi. 1 f., 17, xvii. 2, xxx. 3, xxxviii. 2, Ixii. 2 •,rair€ivoc()po(rvvi]mxxi.8,xxx. 8,xxxi. 4, xliv. 3, Ivi. 1, Iviii. 2 ; Taireivotppuv in xix. 1 ; raireivotij in xviii. 8, 17, lix. 3 ; and rairfivuia-Ls in xvi. 7, liii. 2, Iv. 6. Two passages will give an idea of the general drift of the exhortation and argument on the point of humility. ' Let us therefore be lowly-minded, brethren, laying aside all arrogance and conceit and folly and anger, and let us do that which is written. For the Holy Ghost saith. Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong in his strength, neither the rich in his riches ; but he that boasteth, let him boast in the Lord, that he may seek Him out, and do judgment and righteousness' (xiii. 1 [Lightfoot's tr.]). 'For Christ is with them that are lowly of mind, not with them that exalt themselves over the flock. The sceptre [of the majesty] of God, even our Lord Jesus Christ, came not in the pomp of arrogance or of pride, though He might have done so, but in lowliness of mind, according as the Holy Spirit spake concerning Him [here are quoted Is 53^'^"^ and Ps 22^'^]. Ye see, dearly beloved, what is the pattern that hath been given unto us ; for if the Lord was thus lowly of mind, what should we do, who through Him have been brought under the yoke of His grace' (ib. xvi. 1, 2, 17).
The Epistle of Barnabas also commends humility : it is a point in the way of light (xix. 3). Cf. also Ign, Smyrn. vi. 1, ' Let no one's position putf him up ; for faith and love are everything, of which things nothing takes precedence.' Cf. yet again Hermes, Mancl. xi. 3, where humilitj'' appears as the mark of the true prophet, by which he may be sui-ely known from all false prophets.
i. St. Paul and false humility. — In conclusion, mention must be made of St. Paul's condemnation of a false humility in Col 2^^-^. Certain false teachers had appeared at Colossas, who maintained that a perfection bej'ond that attainable by ordinary Christians could be realized only by a yvGiats, which paid special worship to the angelic powers, and reverenced the particular ordinances enjoined by them. ' Amongst these ordinances were Jewish circumcision and the observance of Jewish feast- days, new moons and sabbaths. We may remember that Paul himself in Gal. (3i9 43- s-io) regards the Jewish ceremonies as ordinances of the angels of the Jewish law. But it was not merely the Jewish law which was observed by the Colossian teachers ; they added other precepts of their own of an ascetic character by the observance of which especially communion with the angels might be attained. The idea is that, as the angels are above this world, so the ascetic, by cutting himself off from the things of the world, draws near to the angels, and becomes tit to associate with them' (R. S. Franks, Bible Notes on the Writings of St. Fanl, 1910, p. 76).