Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book I — Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life·Chapter II. Of Thinking Humbly of Oneself
II. Of thinking humbly of oneself
The disposition prior to all else: a humble estimation of oneself. Tantum vales, quantum vales tibi — you are worth precisely as much as you are worth in your own honest reckoning, taking glory only in what is genuinely yours from God.
Source context
- Theme
- humility of self-knowledge as prerequisite for genuine spiritual cognition
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Socratic philosophyThe Socratic imperative 'know thyself' (gnōthi seauton) establishes self-ignorance as the starting point of genuine wisdom, structurally paralleling the Kempis insistence that self-knowledge precedes all profitable learning.
- Hesychast traditionHesychast anthropology holds that pride (kenodoxia) distorts spiritual perception, so that humility of intellect is a precondition for theoria — a cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's warning against vain knowledge.
- Sufi adabIn Sufi teaching, adab (disciplined self-effacement before the divine) mirrors the chapter's insistence that lofty speculation without self-humbling is spiritually barren.
Chapter II. Of Thinking Humbly of Oneself
OF THINKING HUMBLY OF ONESELF
There is naturally in every man a desire to know, but what profiteth knowledge without the fear of God? Better of a surety is a lowly peasant who serveth God, than a proud philosopher who watcheth the stars and neglecteth the knowledge of himself. He who knoweth himself well is vile in his own sight; neither regardeth he the praises of men. If I knew all the things that are in the world, and were not in charity, what should it help me before God, who is to judge me according to my deeds?
2Rest from inordinate desire of knowledge, for therein is found much distraction and deceit. Those who have knowledge desire to appear learned, and to be called wise. Many things there are to know which profiteth little or nothing to the soul. And foolish out of measure is he who attendeth upon other things rather than those which serve to his soul's health. Many words satisfy not the soul, but a good life refresheth the mind, and a pure conscience giveth great confidence towards God.
3The greater and more complete thy knowledge, the more severely shalt thou be judged, unless thou hast lived holily. Therefore be not lifted up by any skill or knowledge that thou hast; but rather fear concerning the knowledge which is given to thee. If it seemeth to thee that thou knowest many things, and understandest them well, know also that there are many more things which thou knowest not. Be not high-minded, but rather confess thine ignorance. Why desirest thou to lift thyself above another, when there are found many more learned and more skilled in the Scripture than thou? If thou wilt know and learn anything with profit, love to be thyself unknown and to be counted for nothing.
4That is the highest and most profitable lesson, when a man truly knoweth and judgeth lowly of himself. To account nothing of one's self, and to think always kindly and highly of others, this is great and perfect wisdom. Even shouldest thou see thy neighbor sin openly or grievously, yet thou oughtest not to reckon thyself better than he, for thou knowest not how long thou shalt keep thine integrity. All of us are weak and frail; hold thou no man more frail than thyself.
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