Philoxène de Mabboug
vers 440-523 5th century
Faith understood as an organ of sight, and simplicity held to be the condition of every other virtue.
Who was Philoxène de Mabboug?
Born in Persia and trained at the school of Edessa, he became bishop of Mabbog in Syria and one of the great prose writers of the Syriac language. He wrote thirteen long discourses for beginners in monastic life, on faith, simplicity, the fear of God, gluttony, a patient, concrete schooling of the inner life. Deposed and exiled for his christological positions (first to Philippopolis in Thrace, then to Gangra in Paphlagonia), he was shut up there and died of suffocation by smoke in 523.
In their own words
Faith is a command, and its command ruleth; it prayeth with confidence, and according to its confidence its prayer is straightway perfected into works.
It is accounted by her a disgrace to remain with small things, and to be held back to created things, and therefore she passeth through everything and is detained by nothing, except by the Creator.
For as the members cannot see without the eye, so neither can virtues be cultivated without simplicity; and as when the eye is blind all the members are in darkness, so also when simplicity is done away with all good qualities are impeded.