The First Oration, A Presentation Discourse Against The...

In the first Oration, â€Å"A Preliminary Discourse Against the Eunomians,† St. Gregory and St. Cyril, define the conditions of being a theologian. â€Å"Not to every one, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about God; not to every one; the Subject is not so cheap and low.† (27.III) Preaching God’s Word is not something to be taken lightly, it can be used either for good or bad. Hebrews 4:12 states, â€Å" The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.† Gregory states that a man needs to purify himself from sin, both internally and externally. Obviously, becoming completely pure is impossible, but one must be faithfully pursuing a life of purity. They should be striving to have an intimate relationship with God the Father, where He is the center of their life. Once the man has cleared both soul and body, he can begin evangelizing others. However, one must also be careful to not speak of what he does not know or unders tand. To speak of things one does not fully comprehend to those who have no knowledge of such things can do more harm than not to speak at all. Also teaching theology to those who know nothing of it can bear down on the audience. St Gregory states, â€Å"as excessive burdens beyond the strength injure those who bear them, or excessive rains the earth.† (27.IV) He is not insinuating that we never think of God, rather the opposite. However, as previously described where caution needs to be taken is in the message given. He stresses that it