o evils, we should prefer to
look at cruelty rather than vulgarity.

All our to-days are spoiled by reminiscences about yesterday and sorrows
about tomorrow. Thus we are disindividualising and emptying all our
"to-days" and degrading them to a misty meeting-place of yesterday and
tomorrow.

From the physical point of view the greatest thing in this life is its
mystery. From the moral point of view the greatest thing in man is the
optimistic interpretation of that mystery. There is no reasonable
optimism outside of Christianity.

No man could be a tyrant unless he were a slave of some moral defects.

No nation could tyrannise over another nation unless it were tyrannised
over itself by some illusions.

Nobody in the world is free but he who feels himself to be a prisoner of
Christ. The greatest champion of freedom in human history called
himself: "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ."

CHAPTER I

THE WISDOM OF THE CHURCH SOPHIA

The most magnificent sanctuary of the Eastern Churches is called St
Sophia (Holy Wisdom), whereas the most magnificent sanctuaries of the
Western Churches are called St Peter's, St Paul's, or St John's, etc. As
every hair on our head and every line on the palm of our hand has a
certain significance, so these dedications of the Church have doubtless
certain significance. And this significance is typical of the religion
of the East and the West. Western Christianity, grown upon the soil of a
youthful individualism, preferred this or that apostle's personality and
dedicated their best temples to him. The aged East, tired of
individualistic ambitions, tired of great men, flagellated by the
phantom of human greatness, was thirsty for something higher and more
solid than any human personality. Adoration of great personalities being
the very wisdom of this world, the East stretched its hands to a
superhuman ideal, to the Holy Wisdom. It is a psychological fact that
youth sees his ideal in personal greatness, progressed age in holiness.
The East asked for something more eternal than Peter, Paul or John.
There is wisdom, and there is holy wisdom. Philosophical or personal
wisdom existed from the beginning of mankind, but Holy Wisdom entered
the world with Jesus Christ. Christ was the embodiment of God's wisdom,
the very incarnation of Holy Wisdom. This Wisdom stands above all human
wisdom and revives and illuminates it. Holy Wisdom includes t