HUMILITY

HUMILITY. In Greek this virtue, tapeinophrosyne, translates literally as “lowly mindedness.” In the literature of Orthodox asceticism (q.v.) it constitutes the foundation of all the great virtues and is itself seen as the fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit (q.v.): True humility is already a partaking in and manifestation of the presence of the Spirit of Christ. Hence one encounters the warning against judging others with singular frequency in the ascetic writings from the Desert Fathers (q.v.) to the present day. To judge another is to set oneself up as superior to him or her, and as such is an offense against both the dominical word (Mt 7:1–6) and example (Philp 2:5–11). Humility also constitutes the true vision of oneself, reality: nothing more or less than clarity of understanding. Truly to know oneself, in the Orthodox understanding of the Socratic dictum, is necessarily to be humble. All that one is or may become is of Christ and the Spirit.