But the men of whom I speak, and whom I call heretics, are those who say there is no one in our times and in our midst who is able to keep the Gospel commandments and become like the holy Fathers.
Now those who say this is impossible have not fallen into one heresy, but rather into all of them, if I may say so, since this one surpasses and covers all of them in impiety and abundance of blasphemy.
He who makes this claim subverts the divine Scriptures. I think (that by making this claim) this vain person states the Holy Gospel is recited in vain, that the writings of Basil the Great and of our other priests and holy fathers are irrelevant or have been frivolously written.
If, then, it is impossible for us to carry out in action and observe without fail all things that God says, and all the saints after first practicing them have left in writing for our instruction why did at that time trouble to write them down and why do we read them in Church?
St Symeon the New Theologian
from Discourse 29
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