Manna And The Holy Spirit

Scriptum est de manna, quia secundum tempus illud si quis id ita assumpsisset ut praeceperat Deus, nutriretur ex eo; si quis vero contra præceptum Dei, et contra statutum divinitus modum voluisset assumere, non frueretur eo , ut vitali cibo, sed vermes ebullirent ex co. Et ita fiebat, ut una atque eadem species mannæ aliis quidem vermes et putredines generaret, aliis vero salubrem cibuin conferret, et vitae necessarium. Igitur et nostrum manna verbum Dei est, et apud nos ergo sermo Dei aliis efficitur ad salutem, aliis cedit ad poenam. Et propter hoc arbitror quod ipse Dominus et Salvator, qui est vivum Dei verbum, dicebat: In judicium ego veni in hunc mundum, ut non videntes videant, et videntes caeci fiant . Quanto melius esset nonnullis omnino nec audire verbum Dei , quam audire cum malitia, vel audire cum hypocrisi. Melius autem dicimus ad comparationem Vere autem melius , et vere rectius , ac perfectius est, ut qui audit verbum Dei , audiat corde bono et simplici , audiat corde recto et parato, ut quasi in terra bona fructificet et crescat. Haec in praefatione diximus propter nonnullos eorum qui ad audiendum non simplici, nec fideli mente conveniunt. De quibusdam dico catechumenis, quibus fortasse nonnulli etiam eorum qui jam baptismum consecuti sunt, sociantur. Non enim omnes qui ex Israel, ii sunt Israelitae; neque omnes qui loti sunt aqua, continuo etiam sancto Spiritu loti sunt: sicut econtrario non omnes qui in catechumenis numerantur, alieni sunt et expertes Spiritus sancti. Invenio enim in Scripturis divinis nonnullos catechumenorum dignos habitos Spiritu sancto, et alios accepto baptismo indignos fuisse sancti Spiritus gratia. Cornelius catechumenus erat, et antequam ad aquam veniret , meruit accipere Spiritum sanctum. Simon baptismum acceperat, sed quoniam cum hypocrisi accessit ad gratiam , repudiatur a dono Spiritus sancti. Nolo dubites et nunc esse in populo catechumenorum aliquos Cornelios , ad quos dici possit , quia misericordiae et orationes tuæ ascenderunt in coelam; et rursum in populo fidelium esse aliquos Simones, quibus confidenter dicendum sit: O plene omni dolo et fallacia, fili diaboli, inimice omnis justitiae. Haec ego ad correptionem mei ipsius loquor, non solum auditorum. Unus enim et ego sum ex iis, qui audiunt verbum Dei . Origen, In Numeros, Homilia III, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense Source: Migne PG 12.593c-594b

It is written concerning the manna, that if according to the time the Lord commanded it someone took it up, then he would be nourished by it, but if against the commandment of the Lord and against the divine statute someone wished to take it up, it would be of no benefit to him, even to such a degree that worms would crawl forth from the life giving bread. 1 Thus one and the same type of manna generated worms and rottenness for some and on others it conferred wholesome food, and what is needful for life. Therefore even with our manna among us, which is the word of God, for some the word is effective for salvation, but for others it brings forth punishment. Therefore that judge who is the Lord and Saviour, who is the living word of God, said, 'In judgment I have come into this world, even that those who do not see might see, and that those who do see become blind.' 2 How much better it would be for some not to hear the word of God at all, than to hear it in wickedness or as hypocrites. But it is better for us to give a comparison. Truly it is better and more righteous and more perfect that he who hears the word of God, hears it with a good and innocent heart, and with an upright and prepared heart, so that on earth he may put forth good fruits and grow. We have brought forth these remarks first because a number of those who hear are not innocent, nor are they faithful in their minds. About whom I say to the catechumens, regarding those with whom they associate and who have perhaps already received baptism, 'Not everyone from Israel is an Israelite.' 3 Not all who have been washed with water, then have the further washing of the Holy Spirit, and likewise and in an opposite sense not all who are accounted among the catechumens are foreign and unknown to the Holy Spirit. I have found in the Holy Scriptures that several catechumens were worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit, and others who had received baptism were unworthy of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Cornelius was a catechumen and even before he come to the water he was worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Simon received baptism but because he was a hypocrite for grace, he was denied the gift of the Holy Spirit. I do not doubt that even now there are some who are Cornelius among the people of the catechumens, to whom it is possible to say, that your mercy and prayers have ascended to heaven, and again that among the gathering of the faithful there are some who are Simon, to whom it must be forcefully said 'O full of every guile and deceit, O son of the devil, O enemy of all righteousness.' 4 I do not say these things only to the audience but even for my own correction, for I am one of those who hears the word of God. Origen, On Numbers, from the Third Homily, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia. 1 Exod 16.20 2 Jn 9.39 3 Rom 9.6 4 Act 10 Act 13.10

Piety And Seeking

Sentite de Domino in bonitate, et in simplicitate cordis quaerite illum. In bonitate autem de Domino sentit qui sacram Scripturam secundum pietatem legit atque intelligit, et in simplicitate cordis eum quaerit, qui humiliter ejus voluntati se subjicit ad custodiendum videlicet mandata ejus. Nam qui pie quaerit Dominum, honorat sacram Scripturam, et non reprehendit quod nondum intelligit, et propterea non resistit: quod est mitem esse, de quo in Evangelio Veritas ipsa ait: Beati mites, quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram. Hinc ergo mundi philosophi, et eorum sequaces haeretici excipiuntur qui ratione humana secreta se aestimant capere posse divina, cum scriptum sit: Sapientiam Dei praecedentem omnia quis investigabit? Et Apostolus manifeste dicat: Incomprehensibilia esse judicia Dei, et investigabiles vias ejus: qui in praesenti vita potius colendus est recta fide, quam incauta disputatione. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Librum Sapientiae Wisdom, Liber I, Caput I Source: Migne PL 109.673b-c

Think of the Lord in goodness, and seek Him in simplicity of heart. 1 They think of the Lord in goodness who piously read and understand Holy Scripture, and they seek Him in simplicity of heart who humbly subject themselves to His will, that is, in the guarding of His commandments. For he who piously seeks the Lord reveres Holy Scripture, and he does not dispute what he does not yet understand, on account of which he is not impeded, which is to be meek, concerning which the Truth says in the Gospel, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit he earth.' 2 Therefore the worldly philosophers, and those who are followers of heretics, are excluded, who with human reason think they can draw out and grasp Divine secrets, even when it it is written, 'Who is able to investigate the wisdom of God which excels everything?' And the Apostle openly says, 'The judgements of God are incomprehensible and His ways are beyond investigation,' 3 who in the present life would rather have care for correct faith than foolish arguments. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on the Book of Wisdom, Book 1, Chapter 1 1 Wisdom 1.1 2 Mt 5.4 3 Sirach 1.3, Rom 11.33

Peace And Wisdom

Beati pacifici, quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur. Postquam omnes supradictas virtutes habet homo, nihil aliud restat, nisi ut Deum, qui est vera pax, praemium habeat. Deus in tanta pace, quod neque in personis est dissensio aliqua, sed perfecta concordia, neque in seipso variatur, quamvis res, in quibus est, variantur. Suos vero similes sibi faciet, quia erunt incorruptibiles, et impassibiles, et incommutabiles, et ita sunt concordes, quod de bonis aliorum gaudebunt, tanquam de suis. Septimo loco ponitur, quia in sabbato vero, requiei dabitur illa pax transactis septem aetatibus, quam Adam nondum habebat, sed quam transferendus in coelum completa obedientia accepturus erat. Haec est pax illa, de qua Apostolus dicit: Et pax Dei, quae exsuperat omnem sensum. Haec est illa, de qua Christus dicit: Pacem meam do vobis, pacem relinquo vobis. Illic do, hic relinquo, quia illa pax non potest haberi, nisi in futuro, sed tamen aliquae reliquiae dantur in praesenti, quod potest videri in illis, qui ita habent sedatos illicitos motus corporis, quod nullum civile bellum patiuntur in se, sed habet anima requiem suam in hac vita, nec etiam conturbari posset quolibet modo, vel quantumcunque verberentur, sed in se quieti sunt, et alios reconciliare laborant. Unde dicitur: Pax multa diligentibus legem tuam, non tamen perfecta. Illa perfecta pax et spiritus sapientiae non differunt. Aliud est intelligentia, aliud sapientia. Intelligentia est quando res investigatur et discutitur. Sapientia est quando non investigamus, sed jam sapientes sumus, et in ipso bono sapientiae delectamur. Haec eadem est illa pax, quando Deum scrutari non laborabimus, sed in eo tamen cognito delectabimur, et tunc erimus filii Dei, quia similes ei efficiemur. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput V Source: Migne PL 162.1288b-d

Blessed are the peacemakers, because they shall be called sons of God. 1 After a man has all the virtues spoken of above, nothing else remains but that he shall have God as his reward, He who is true peace. God is such great peace, because there is no dissension at all among the Persons but perfect harmony, nor is there are variation in Him, although the things in which He is may vary. And He makes those who are His own similar to Himself, because they shall be incorruptible and impassible and unchangeable and thus harmonious, for they will rejoice in the goods of others as their own. This beatitude is placed in the seventh place because on the true sabbath that peace shall be given that surpasses the seven ages, which Adam did not yet have, but which he shall receive when in perfect obedience he shall be transported into heaven. This is the peace of which the Apostle says, 'And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.' This is the peace of which Christ says, 'My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you.' 2 From there I give it, and here I leave it, because it is only possible to have that peace in the future, and yet a remnant of it is given in the present, which it is possible to observe in those who are tranquil amid the shameful motions of the body because they suffer no internal strife in themselves, but the soul has its rest in this life, and it is not possible to trouble it in any way, and as much as they are struck, yet they remain quiet in themselves, and they labour to reconcile others. Hence it is said, 'Much peace to the lovers of your law,' 3 though it is not that perfect peace. That perfect peace and the spirit of wisdom do not differ. Intelligence is one thing, wisdom is another. Intelligence is when we we investigate something and study it. Wisdom is when we do not investigate but now we are wise and we delight in the good of wisdom. This is that same peace that is not in labouring to know God but rather we shall delight in that knowledge, and then we shall be sons of God, because we shall be made like Him. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.9 2 Phil 4.7, Jn 14.27 3 Ps 118.165

True Life

Vivam, inquit, et observabo sermones tuos. Vivam atque observabo non praesentis temporis res est; sed significatio sermonis hujus in futurum se tempus extendit. Scit enim Propheta quando beata illa et vera viventium vita sit. Nunc enim et in pulvere mortis manemus, et in mortis corpore sumus, a quo se liberari Apostolus orat, dicens: Miser ego homo, quis me liberabit a corpore mortis hujus? Habemus autem etiam nunc admixtam nobis materiam, quae mortis legi et peccati obnoxia est; et in hujus caducae carnis infirmisque domicilio corruptionis labem ex ejus consortio mutuamur: ac nisi glorificato in naturam spiritus corpore, vitae verae in nobis non potest esse natura. Audiamus eum, qui se meminit in corpore mortis habitare dicentem: Quia vita nostra absconsa est cum Christo in Deo. Cum autem Christus apparuerit vita nostra, tunc et vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria. Hanc ergo retributionem sibi Propheta orat, ut vivat: futurae hujus vitae tempus in loco altero docens, quo ait: Et placebo Domino in regione viventium. Scit hanc mundi istius sedem regionem non esse viventium. Scit nos adhuc secundum praefigurationem legis emundandos esse. Nunc enim admiscemur morticinae: et in lege quisquis mortuum contrectat, immundus est. Sed absit istud, ut quidquam horum in lege corporaliter intelligatur, tamquam per contrectationem mortui quisquam fiat immundus. Joseph ossa egrediens Aegyptum Moyses ipse lator legis abstulit, Eliseus mortuo ut eum vivificaret incubuit: Dominus ipse mortuos manu apprehensos in vitam retraxit: et contrectatio mortui si immundum effectura fuisset, nequaquam a tantis viris, neque a Domino violata lex esset, ipso dicente: Non veni legem solvere, sed adimplere. Sed quia lex umbra est futurorum bonorum; idcirco per hanc praeformatam significantiam docuit nos in hoc terreni et morticini corporis habitaculo mundos esse non posse, nisi per ablutionem coelestis misericordiae emundationem consequamur, post demutationem resurrectionis, terreni corporis nostri effecta gloriosiore natura. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXVIII Source: Migne PL 9.517c-519a

'I shall live,' he says, 'and I shall observe your words.' 1 But this living and observing is not a matter of the present time, but the signification of this speech extends itself into the future. For the prophet knows when the blessed and true life of the living will be, since now we exist in the dust of death, and we are in the body of death, from which the Apostle prays to be freed, saying, 'I am a wretched man, who shall free me from this body of death.' 2 Now we have material mixed in us which is subject to the law of death and sin, and in this dwelling place of frail and weak flesh, we borrow the taint of corruption from association with it, and unless the glorification of the Spirit is in the nature of our body, it is not possible for us to have the true life in us. Let us hear him who recalls to himself that he is dwelling in a body of death, saying, 'Because our life is hidden with Christ in God, and when Christ, our life, shall appear, then even you will appear with him in glory.' 3 Therefore this is the reward that the prophet prays for, he who teaches about the time of the future life in another place, saying, 'I shall please the Lord in the land of the living.' 4 He knows that the place of this world is not the land of the living. He knows that we yet need to be cleansed according to the prefiguration of the law, for now we are mixed with perishing things, and in the law whoever touches a corpse is unclean. 5 But let it not be that whatever is found in the law is understood corporally, as if by touching a corpse we are made unclean. The bones of Joseph were taken out of Egypt by Moses, who propounded the law, and so flouted it, and Elisha lay on a dead man to revive him, and the Lord Himself with the touch of His hand drew the dead back to life, 6 and so if the touch of a corpse were to make us unclean, these great men, even the Lord, would have violated the law, even He who said, 'I have not come to set aside the law but to fulfill it.' 7 But because the law is a shadow of future goods, therefore the meaning of prefiguration teaches us that in this dwelling of the earthly and perishable body it is not possible to be clean unless we receive the cleansing washing of the heavenly mercy, because of which, after the change of the resurrection, our earthly bodies will be turned into a glorious nature. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.17 2 Rom 7.24 3 Colos 3.3-4 4 Ps 114.11 5 Numb 19.11 6 Exod 13,19, 4 Kings 4.34, Mt 9.25 7 Mt 5.17

A Mixing

Κλῖνον τὴν καρδίαν μου εἰς τὰ μαρτύριά σεν, καὶ μὴ εἰς πλεονεξίαν. Ἀπόστρεψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου τοῦ μὴ ἰδεῖν ματαιότητα· ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ σου ζῆσόν με. Στῆσον τῷ δούλῳ σου τὸ λόγιόν σου εἰς τὸν φόβον σου. Περίελε τὸν ὀνειδισμόν μου ὃν ὑπώπτευσα, ὅτι τὰ κρίματά σου χρηστά. Ἰδοὺ ἐπεθύμησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου, ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνη σου ζῆσόν με. Πάντα ἐπὶ τὸν Θεον άναφέρουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι, διδάσκοντες ἡμᾶς , ὅτι χωρὶς θεοῦ οὐδὲν δυνάμεθα. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἐν ἐμοὶ, φησί, μένητε, οὐδὲν δύνασθε ποιεῖν. ᾿Αλλ ' ἴσως τις ἐρεῖ· Εἰ πάντα ἀναφέρεται ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ποῦ τὸ ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί; Εἰ δὲ μὴ , πανταχοῦ ἐπέπλεξε τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν. Ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τό· Νομοθέτησόν με, Κύριε, τὴν ὁδὸν τῶν δικαιωμάτων σου· τὸ δ ' ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν· Καὶ ἐκζητήσω αὐτὴν διαπαντός. Ἀπὸ Θεοῦ αἰτῶ πάλιν Συνέτισόν με, καὶ ἐξερευνήσω τὸν νόμον σου. Τὸ δ ' ἐπ ' ἐμοί· Καὶ φυλάξω αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ τρίτον ἀπὸ Θεοῦ αἰτῶ λέγων· Ὁδήγησόν με ἐν τρίβῳ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου· τἱ τὸ ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί; Ὅτι αὐτὸν ἠθέλησα· δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τὸν ἀνωτέρω εἰρημένον νόμον, ὥστε αἰτῶμεν τὰ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ προσγενέσθαι ἡμῖν, ἐπαγγελλόμενοι καὶ τὰ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν καὶ μὴ ψευδόμενοι, ἵνα μὴ τὰς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀθετῶμεν συνθήκας. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙϚ' Source: Migne PG 23.1372b-c

Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to avarice. Avert my eyes lest they see vanity, revive me in your way. Set your word in me in fear. Cut off the disgrace which I have acquired, because your judgements are joyful. Behold, I have desired your commandments, in your righteousness renew me. 1 Holy men refer everything to God, in which they teach us that we cannot do anything without God. 'For unless you remain in me,' He says, 'you can do nothing.' 2 Buy perhaps someone will say, 'If they refer everything to God what is there for me to do?' But everywhere there is a mixing of the things of God's power and of ours. Certainly of God is, 'Place your law in me, O Lord, the way of your justifications,' but our part is, 'I shall follow it always.' Again of God I ask, 'Give me understanding and I shall study your law,' and to me refers, 'I shall keep it in my whole heart.' Thirdly from God I entreat, 'Lead me into the path of your commandments,' but what pertains to me? 'Because I have wished it,' 3 that is, I have been mindful of your law. So it is that we seek the things of God to be with us and promise those things which are in our power, lest acting falsely we violate our covenant with God. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.36-40 2 Jn 15.4 3 Ps 118.33-35

Most High

Kαὶ γνώτωσαν ὅτι ὄνομά σοι Kύριος, σὺ μόνος ὕψιστος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. Εἰ καὶ ἄλλοι ὑψηλοὶ καὶ ὑψίστου ἐκ Θεοῦ γεγένηνται, ἀρετῇ μετεωριζόμενοι καὶ ὑψούμενοι. ᾿Αλλ' οὐδεὶς ἐξ ἐκείνων ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ἐστὶν τοιοῦτος· μόνος γὰρ Θεὸς ὕψιστος, ποιῶν ἀλλ᾿ οὐ γινόμενος, ὡς μόνος σοφός ἐστιν καὶ μόνος ἀληθινὸς παρέχων σοφίαν καὶ ἀλήθειαν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΠΒ' Source: Migne PG 39.1480b

And let them know that your name is the Lord, you who alone are most high over all the earth. 1 Even if others have been raised on high by God, and lifted up with virtue and exalted, 2 yet there is not one among them who by his own nature is such a thing, for God alone is most high, the Creator and not the created, so that only He is wise, and only He is true, and only He gifts wisdom and truth. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 82 1 Ps 82.19

Rising Up

Si apud Christum thesaurus noster est, sicut Apostolus dicit: Scio cui credidi et certus sum, quia potens est depositum meum servare in illum diem: sit ibi cor nostrum, ubi est thesaurus noster. Disponamus ascensiones in corde nostro, et si non possumus corporaliter ascendere, saltem recordatione et desiderio coelestium spiritualiter ascendamus, sicut ille qui dicit: Haec recordatus sum et effudi in me animam meam, quonaim transibo in locum tabernaculi usque in domum Dei. Et: Memor fui Dei et delectatus sum, exercitatus sum, et defecit spiritus meus. Quid est quod dicit, concupiscit anima mea? Et iterum: Memor fui Dei et delectatus sum, et defecit spiritus meus? Quia in hac vita mortali aut potius in hac morte vitali comprendere, aut cogitate non sufficimus gloriam illam, quam nec oculus vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit quae, Deus, praeparasti diligentibus te. Porro cum reformaverit Deus corpus humilitatis nostae configuratum corpori claritatis suae, tunc omnia implebit in nobis, qui omnia fecit pro nobis. Et hoc est quod Apostolus ait: Christus qui descendit, ipse est qui ascendit, ut adimpletet omnia quae adimplere voluit: nativitatem scilicet, resurrectionem, ascensionem, ut renascentes a peccato, resurgentes a morte animae resurgamus de virtue ad virtutem, donec videatur Deus deorum in Sion. Petrus Blenensis, Sermo XXIII, In Ascensione Domini Source: Migne PL 207.629b-d

If our treasure is with Christ, as the Apostle says, 'I know in whom I have believed and I am certain that He is able to guard what I have committed to Him against that day,' let our hearts be where our treasure us. Let us dispose ascents in our hearts, 1 and if we are not capable of ascending in the body, yet with remembrance and desire let us make a spiritual ascent to heaven, as he who says, 'These things I remembered and I poured out my soul in myself, because I shall pass into the place of the tabernacle, even to the house of God.' And again, 'I was mindful of God and I delighted, and I exerted myself, and my spirit fainted.' 2 What is this that the soul desires? And what is to remember God and to be delighted and to have the spirit faint? Because in this mortal life, or rather in this living death, we are not able to grasp or understand that glory 'which neither the eye has seen, nor the ear has heard, nor has it risen up in the heart of a man, what God has prepared for those who love Him.' 3 However when God refashions this body of our humility to a likeness of His own glorious body, 4 then He shall fulfill everything in us, He who has done everything for us. And this is what the Apostle says, 'Christ who descended is He who ascends, so that he might fulfill everything which He wishes to fulfill,' 5 that is, the Nativity, and the Resurrection, and the Ascension, so that being reborn from sin, and rising from the death of the soul, we may rise up 'from virtue to virtue, until the God of gods is seen in Sion.' 6 Peter of Blois, from Sermon 23, On The Ascension of the Lord 1 2 Tim 1.12, Mt 6.21, Ps 83.6 2 Ps 41.5, Ps 76.4 3 1 Cor 2.9 4 Phil 3.21 5 Ephes 4.10 6 Ps 83.8

Flying

Sed quid putamus, fratres, quomodo tunc repente de terris ad coelos evolare poterit, qui nunc exercitio et usu quotidiano volitare non didicerit? Si quaeris quo doctore, quo duce, numquid non Christus sicut aquila provocabat hodei ad volandum pullos suos, quando super eos volitabat, cum scilicet, videntibus illis elevaretur, diuque sequerentur oculis euntem in coelum? Poterat utique repente in ictu oculi, ex oculis eorum rapi, et ubi vellet, consitiui. Sed plane, sicut aquila provocans ad volandum pullos suos, et super eos volitans, et corda sursum levare post se nitebatur pollicebatur exemplo corporis sui: sicut Apostolus ait, aeterni, conscius mysterii, quia et nos bajluis nibibus rapiemur obviam Christo redeunti. Ipse quidem ascenit super Cherubim, et volvavit super pennas ventorum, id est, supergressus est virtutes Angelorum: tuae tamen condescendens infirmitati, expandet alas suas, et assumet te, atque portabit in humeris suis, si modo pullus degener non existas, ut a terra levari, et aura puriore perfruit non extimescas. Guerricus Ignaciensis, In Die Ascensionis Domini Sermo Source: Migne PL 185.156b-c

But what are we to think, brothers, how then shall a man be able to fly off suddenly from earth to heaven to whom now by daily custom and use flight is not given? If you seek some teacher, or some leader, shall it not be Christ who today like the eagle exhorts his little ones to fly when He hovers over them, when, that is, He is lifted up over those watching, and for a time their eyes follow him going into heaven? 1 And then He was able suddenly, and in the blink of an eye, to be taken from their eyes, and to be established where He wished. But certainly, as the eagle exhorts its young to fly by hovering over them, so He was able to teach with the example of His body that we should strive to lift up our hearts on high after Him, as the Apostle, conscious of eternal mysteries, says that even we shall be seized up in the cloud with Christ when He returns. 2 He who ascended over the Cherubim and flew on the wings of the wind, 3 that is, He who ascended over the powers of the angels, yet coming down to your infirmity, shall stretch out His wings, and He shall take you up and carry you on His shoulders, if you are not a degenerate offspring, so that you may be lifted off the earth, and you shall not fear to enjoy the purer air. Guerric of Igny, From a Sermon on the Ascension of the Lord 1 Deut 32.11, Acts 1.9-10 2 1 Thes 4.16 3 Ps 17.11

Higher And Higher

Δεῦρο ἀπὸ λιβάνου, νύμφη, δεῦρο ἀπὸ λιβάνου· ἐλεύσῃ καὶ διελεύσῃ ἀπὸ ἀρχῆς πίστεως Tί τοίνυν ἐν τούτοις ὑπενοήσαμεν; ἀεὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ πηγὴ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν τοὺς διψῶντας ἐφέλκεται, καθὼς ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ φησὶν ἡ πηγὴ ὅτι Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω· ἐν τούτοις γὰρ οὔτε τῆς δίψης οὔτε τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁρμῆς οὔτε τῆς ἐν τῷ πίνειν ἀπολαύσεως ἔδωκεν ὅρον, ἀλλὰ τῷ παρατατικῷ τοῦ προστάγματος πρὸς τὸ διηνεκὲς ποιεῖται τὴν προτροπὴν καὶ τοῦ διψῆν καὶ τοῦ πίνειν καὶ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν ὁρμὴν ἔχειν. Tοῖς δὲ γευσαμένοις ἤδη καὶ τῇ πείρᾳ μαθοῦσιν ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Kύριος οἷόν τις προτροπὴ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πλείονος μετουσίαν ἡ γεῦσις γίνεται. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐδέποτε λείπει τῷ ἀναβαίνοντι ἡ γινομένη πρὸς αὐτὸν προτροπὴ ἡ πάντοτε πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἐφελκομένη· ὑπομνησθῶμεν γὰρ τῆς πολλάκις ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν ἤδη γεγενημένης παρορμήσεως παρὰ τοῦ λόγου τῇ νύμφῃ. Ἐλθέ, ἡ πλησίον μου, λέγει καὶ πάλιν Δεῦρο περιστερά μου, καὶ Δεῦρο σεαυτῇ ἐν σκέπῃ τῆς πέτρας. Kαὶ ἄλλας τοιαύτας φωνὰς προτρεπτικάς τε καὶ ἑλκτικὰς τῆς τῶν μειζόνων ἐπιθυμίας ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ποιησάμενος καὶ μαρτυρήσας ἤδη τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνιούσῃ τὸ διὰ πάντων ἀμώμητον εἰπὼν ὅτι Ὅλη καλὴ εἶ καὶ μῶμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν σοί, ὡς ἂν μὴ τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ ταύτῃ ἐγχαυνωθεῖσα πρὸς τὴν τῶν μειζόνων ἄνοδον ἐμποδισθείη, πάλιν διὰ τῆς προτρεπτικῆς ταύτης φωνῆς ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἐπιθυμίαν ἀναβῆναι παρακελεύεται λέγων Δεῦρο ἀπὸ λιβάνου, νύμφη. Tὸ δὲ λεγόμενον τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· καλῶς, φησίν, ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν ἠκολούθησας, ἦλθες μετ’ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τῆς σμύρνης, συνετάφης γάρ μοι διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον, συνανῆλθές μοι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν βουνὸν τοῦ λιβάνου, συνανέστης γάρ μοι καὶ ὑψώθης ἐν τῇ τῆς θεότητος κοινωνίᾳ, ἣν ἐνδείκνυται τοῦ λιβάνου τὸ ὄνομα, ἀνάβηθί μοι καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐπὶ ἕτερα ὄρη προκόπτουσά τε καὶ ὑψουμένη διὰ τῆς ἐνεργοῦς γνώσεως, δεῦρο τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοῦ λιβάνου, φησίν, οὐκέτι μνηστὴ ἀλλὰ νύμφη. Oὐ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν ἐμοὶ συζῆσαι μὴ ἀλλοιωθέντα διὰ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου σμύρνης πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λιβάνου θεότητα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τούτῳ γέγονας ἤδη τῷ ὕψει, μὴ στῆς ἀνιοῦσα ὡς ἤδη διὰ τούτων ἐπιβᾶσα τῆς τελειότητος· ἀρχὴ γάρ σοι πίστεως ὁ λίβανος οὗτος γίνεται, οὗ μετέσχες διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἀρχὴ δὲ τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλότερα τῶν ἀγαθῶν πορείας. Ἀπὸ τοίνυν τῆς ἀρχῆς ταύτης, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ πίστις, ἐλεύσῃ καὶ διελεύσῃ· τουτέστι καὶ νῦν ἥξεις καὶ εἰς ἀεὶ διερχομένη διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνόδων οὐκ ἀπολήξεις. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων, Ὁμιλία Hʹ Source: Migne PG 44.941d-944c

Come away from frankincense, O bride, come away from frankincense, come and pass through the beginning of faith. 1 What, then, are we to understand by this? The wellspring of good things always draws the thirsty to itself, as in the Gospel the wellspring says, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink,' 2 in which He sets no limit to thirst, or to the urge to come, or to the enjoyment of the drinking, but by the openness of His injunction He proclaims a continuing invitation to both thirsting and drinking and the urge to come. To those who have already tasted and have learned from the experience 'that the Lord is good,' 3 the tasting becomes an invitation to partake of more tasting. Because of this the invitation that is always drawing us to what is greater is never lacking in the one who is travelling upwards. Let us recall what was often said by the Word to the bride earlier, 'Come, my close one,' He says,' and again, 'Come, my dove, and come for yourself … to the shelter of the rock.' 4 Indeed the Word has also addressed other such things, fashioned to exhort the soul and make it desire greater things, and He has already given witness of its flawlessness in everything as it rises to Him, saying, 'You are wholly beautiful and there is no flaw in you.' 5 But lest it become proud by this witness, which would hinder its ascent to greater things, again with a voice of exhortation He calls on it to rise up to a desire which yet lies beyond, 'Come away from frankincense, O bride.' What is being said is something like this, 'You have followed well in what has gone before. You came with me to the mountain of myrrh, for you were buried with me by baptism into death, 6 and you even accompanied me to the hill of frankincense, for you rose with me and were lifted up to communion with the Godhead, which is what the word frankincense indicates, now rise with me from these to other heights, advancing and ascending by the working of knowledge.' 'Come, then, from frankincense,' he says, 'no longer as one betrothed, but as the bride.' For it is not possible to live together with me unless you are transformed by the myrrh of death into the deity of frankincense. Since, then, you have already come to this height, do not pause in your ascent, for you have not reached perfection by these accomplishments. This frankincense, which you have come to share, is the beginning of faith for you through the resurrection, and it is the beginning of a journey toward greater heights of goodness. Come, then, from this beginning which is faith, come and pass over,' that is, 'even now you shall come, and you shall pass forever through such ascents and not cease.' Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 8 1 Song 4.8 LXX 2 Jn 7.37 3 Ps 33.9, 1 Pet 2.3 4 Song 2.13-14 5 Song 4.7 6 Rom 6.4

Faith And Mountains

Qui confidunt in Domino, sicut mons Sion : non commovebitur in aeternum, qui habitat in Jerusalem. Fides quae ad Deum est, stabilem facit vitam nec ullis tentationibus moveri potest, qui supra firmam petram suam construit domum. Quis est mons Sion nisi Christus, qui est in vertice montium, et elevabitur super colles, et fluent ad eum omnes gentes? Sion est Ecclesia, in qua speculum vitae et aeternitatis visio, cujus caput est Christus. Ecce quaerit iste ascensor spiritalium graduum, qualis sit ista Jerusalem, in qua sanctorum chorus habitat, et respondetur ei: Montes in circuitu ejus, et Dominus in circuitu populi sui, ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum. Isti montes sunt angeli, sunt prophetae, et praedicatores sancti, qui muniunt istam Jerusalem. Et ne hoc tibi parvum videretur, quod tales montes habet in circuitu, statim subjunxit: Et Dominus in circuitu populi sui. Ecce quales habemus muros, quales munitiones, quales defensores! Maneamus intra septa Jerusalem, et non timeamus insidias diaboli, nec sagittas ejus, tales habentes defensores; et hoc non ad tempus, sed in aeternum, ideo dicit: Ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum. Alcuinus, Expositio in Psalmos Graduales, Psalmus CXXIV Source: Migne PL 100.626a-c

They who trust in the Lord are like mount Sion. He who dwells in Jerusalem shall never be moved. 1 Faith in God makes life firm, and he who has established his house on His rock cannot be shaken by any trial. 2 Who is mount Sion but Christ, who is on the peak of the mountain, and is lifted up over the hills, and all the peoples flow to him? 3 Sion is the Church, in which is the mirror of life and the vision of eternity, and of which Christ is the head. Note that he who goes up the spiritual steps asks what this Jerusalem is in which the chorus of the saints dwell, and he is answered, Mountains encircle it, and the Lord is around his people, now and forever. These mountains are the angels and the prophets, and the holy preachers, who make the walls of this Jerusalem. And lest it seem to be a little thing to you, that such mountains surround it, immediately he adds, 'And the Lord is around His people.' Behold what walls we have, what bastions, what defenders. Let us remain in the boundaries of Jerusalem, and let us not fear the plots of the devil, nor his shafts, since we have such great defenders, and not only for a time but forever, and therefore it says, 'now and forever.' Alcuin of York, Commentary on the Gradual Psalms, from Psalm 124 1 Ps 124.1 2 Mt 7.24-27 3 Isaiah 2.2

Speech, Deed, And Vanity

Vana locuti sunt unusquisque ad proximum summ. Locutio non incongrue intelligi potest, non solum in voce, sed etiam in operatione, quia indicium cordis non solum vox est, sed etiam exhibitio operis. Scimus autem quod vanum est omne quod transit. Ille vanitatem in corde habet qui transitoria diligit. Vanitatem loquitur, qui pro hac vita tranistoria immoderate laborans ipso suo studio, et opere eam se diligere ostendit. Vanitatem autem ad proximum suum loquitur qui exemplo suo eum ad petenda transitora cohortatur. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber II, Caput X, Quod locutio sit in voce et opere, et quis vanitatem in corde habeat, quis loquatur; et quis loquatur eam ad proximum. Source: Migne PL 177.593c

Each one has spoken vanities to his neighbour. 1 It is not wrong to understand that speech is not only given by the voice but even through acts, because the proof of a heart is not only through the voice but even by the exhibition of the act. We know that everything which is vain passes away. He has vanity in his heart who loves transitory things. He speaks vainly who with excessive zeal labours for the transitory things of this life, and with that work shows what he loves. And he speaks vanity to his neighbour who by his example exhorts him to seek transitory things. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 2, Chapter 10, That Speech May Be By the Voice or the Deed, and that he who has vanity in his heart who speaks, and who speaks to his neighbour 1 Ps 11.3

Books And Fruit

Εἴ σέ τι ὤνησεν ἡ τῆς βίβλου ἀνάγνωσις , δεῖξον ἐπὶ τῆς πράξεως. Εἰ δὲ μένεις ἐφ᾽ ὧν ἐκείνη καταηγορεί, φαίνῃ καταγινώσκων αὐτῆς. Καὶ πάντως ἐπὶ τούτοις ἡμεῖς οὔτε φθεγξόμεθά τι πρὸς σὲ διὰ γράμματος, οὔτε βιβλίον αἰτοῦντι παράσχωμεν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῆς προτέρας καρπὸν θεασώμεθα. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΥΠΑ' Ἱερωνι Source: Migne 78.444d

If you have plucked some fruit from the reading of the book, show it in deeds. But if you remain as one whom it denounces, you seem to scorn it. And certainly because of such things we shall not speak to you through letters, nor attend to your requests for books, not until you we see some fruit. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 481, to Hiero

Wisdom And Wealth

Διὰ τοῦτο ἠγάπησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ τοπάζιον Τελειοτέρου ἐστὶν τὸ ποιεῖν μετὰ τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν· ἀτελεστέρου δὲ ποιεῖν μὲν, οὐ μετὰ τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν δέ. Τῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τιμιώτατον δoκεῖ εἶναι χρυσός. Παρακειμένου γοῦν πλούτου παντὸς καὶ ἐντολῆς σου, οὐχ οὕτως ἐνορῶ τῷ πλούτῳ, ὡς τῇ ἐντολῇ σου. Ταῦτα συνάδει τῷ· ᾿Αγαθόν μοι ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματός σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου· καὶ τῷ· Λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον· καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίου δεδοκιμασμένου· κρεῖσσον γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν· πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ ἄξιόν ἐστιν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΡΙΗ' Source: Migne PG 39.1577a

Because of this I love your commandments above all gold and jewels. 1 It is of the more perfect to act and love, and of the less perfect to act and not love. Of the things in the world nothing seems more honoured than gold, but set all wealth before me and your commandments, I would not look to riches but to your commandments. This agrees with the previous line, 'Good to me is the law of your mouth, over thousands of gold and silver,' and also with, 'Receive instruction and not silver, and knowledge over proven gold, for wisdom is better than precious stones and nothing that is valuable can match it.' 2 Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.127 2 Ps 118.72, Prov 8.10

Age And Ability

Et factum est in tricesimo anno, in quarto mense, in quinta mensis. Hoc autem quod dicitur, quia tricesimo anno spiritum prophetiae acceperit, indicat aliquid nobis considerandum, videlicet quia juxta rationis usum doctrinae sermo non suppetit nisi in aetate perfecta. Unde et ipse Dominus anno duodecimo aetatis suae in medio doctorum in templo sedens, non docens, sed interrogans voluit inveniri. Ut enim non auderent homines in infirma aetate praedicare, ille anno duodecimo aetatis suae interrogare homines est dignatus in terra, qui per divinitatem suam semper angelos docet in coelo. Quia enim ipse est Dei sapientia, de ipso angeli videndo vivunt hoc quod beatitudine aeterna satiantur. Quod Moyses quoque sub allegoriae mysterio admonet, dicens: Non arabis in primogenito bovis. Primogenitum enim bovis accipimus in infirma aetate primi nostri temporis bonam operationem. In qua tamen arandum non est, quia cum prima sunt adolescentiae vel juventutis nostrae tempora, nobis adhuc a praedicatione cessandum est, ut vomer linguae nostrae proscindere non audeat terram cordis alieni. Quoadusque etenim infirmi sumus, continere nos intra nosmetipsos debemus, ne dum tenera bona citius ostendimus, amittamus, quia et arbusta plantata si prius in terra radicata non fuerint, manu tacta citius arescunt; at si semel radicem fixerint, manus tangit, et tamen nil officit; venti impellunt, nec tamen impellentes laedunt. Et constructi parietes si impellantur, eruuntur, nisi a suo prius fuerint humore siccati. Mens itaque quousque ab humore pravitatis suae perfecte non fuerit exsiccata, alienae linguae manu tangi non debet, ne priusquam plene percipiat, perdat soliditatem suam, ne impulsa ruat, ne velut arbustum sine radicibus, dum plus quam tolerare valet concutitur, arescat. Ad exemplum ergo non sunt ostendenda nisi quae firma sunt. Prius etenim convalescere debet mens, atque ad utilitatem proximorum postmodum demonstrari, cum jam nec per laudem elevata corruat, nec per vituperationem percussa contabescat. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia II Source: Migne PL 76.796b-797a

And it happened in my thirtieth year, on the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month.... 1 This which is said, that the prophet received the spirit in his thirtieth year, indicates something which we must consider, that is, according to the use of reason one should not take up the word of teaching until a mature age. Hence even the Lord Himself at twelve years of age, sitting in the midst of the teachers in the temple, did not teach, but questioned, wishing to discover. 2 Thus that men should not venture to preach at a young age it was fitting for Him at twelve years of age to question men on earth, He who through His Divinity is always teaching the angels in heaven, because He is the wisdom of God, whom the angels seeing live by and are satiated with eternal beatitude. And Moses also admonishes this in the mystery of allegory, saying, 'You shall not yoke a bull in its first year to the plough.' 3 For we understand that the first year of the bull is the good work of the immature age of our early years, in which however there is no ploughing, because in the first years of our immaturity, or our youth, there must be no preaching from us, whence the ploughsnare of our tongues does not cut into the earth of a foreign heart. For as long as we are immature, we should contain ourselves within ourselves, lest while we swiftly expose tender goods, we lose them, because even plants planted in the earth, if they have not yet rooted, may be damaged by the mere brush of a hand, but once the roots are firm, the hand which brushes them does no harm, and even gusts of wind do not injure them. And when walls are built, if first the moisture in them is not dried up, they fall at a blow. Thus when the mind is not perfectly dry of the moisture of defects, it should not be touched by the hand of a foreign tongue, lest before it fully understands, it destroys its solidity, and lest struck it falls, as plants which are not rooted wither when struck by more than they can bear. With this example, then, things should not be exposed if they are not firm. First the mind must gain strength and then later its utility for others will be revealed, but now it must not fall by praise's elevation, nor wither because of the blows of scorn. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 2 1 Ezek 1.1 2 Lk 2.46 3 Deut 15.19

Different Teaching

Οἱ μὲν γὰρ δέονται γάλακτι τρέφεσθαι, τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις καὶ στοιχειωδεστέροις τῶν διδαγμάτων, ὅσοι τὴν ἕξιν νήπιοι καὶ ἀρτιπαγεῖς, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, τὴν ἀνδρείαν τοῦ λόγου τροφὴν οὐ φέροντες· ἣν εἰ προσάγοι τις παρὰ δύναμιν, τάχα ἂν καταπιεσθέντες καὶ βαρηθέντες, οὐχ ἐξαρχούσης τῆς διανοίας, ὥσπερ ἐχεῖ τῆς ὕλης τὸ ἐπεισελθὸν ἑλχῦσαι καὶ οἰχειώσασθα!, ζημιωθεῖεν ἂν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν δύναμιν· οἱ δὲ τῆς ἐν τοῖς τελείοις λαλουμένης σοφίας χρήζοντες “ἧς ὑψηλοτέρας καὶ στεῤῥυτέρας, τῷ πρὸς διάχρὶσιν ἀληθοῦς τε καὶ ψευδοῦς; ἱχανῶ: γεγυμνάσθαι τὰ αἰσθητήρια, εἰ γάλα ποτίξοιντο καὶ τρέφοιντο λαχάνοις, ἀσθενῶν βρώματι, δυσχεραίνοιεν ἄν" καὶ μάλα εἰχότως, οὐ δυναμούμενοι κατὰ Χριστὸν, οὐδὲ αὔξοντες τὴν ἐπαινετὴν αὔξησιν, ἣν ἐργάζεται λόγος τελειῶν εἰς ἄνδρα, καὶ εἰς μέτρον ἡλιχίας ἄγων πνευματιχῆς, τὸν καλῶς τρεφόμενον. αὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκαγός; Οὐ γάρ ἔσμεν ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ χαπηλεύειν δυνάμενοι τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀναμιγνύναι τὸν οἶνον ὕδατ· τὸν εὐφραίνοντα καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου λόγον τῷ πολλῷ καὶ εὐώνῳ καὶ χαμαὶ συρομένῳ καὶ ἐξιτήλῳ καὶ εἰχῆ ῥέοντι, ὥστε αὐτοί τι παραχερδαίνειν ἐκ τῆς καπηλείας, ἄλλὸ τε ἄλλως ὁμιλοῦντες τοῖς πλησιάζουσι καὶ πᾶσι πρὸς χάριν· ἐγγαστρίμυθοί τινες ὄντες καὶ κενολύγοι, τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἡδονὰς θεραπεύοντες λόγοις ἐκ γῆς φωνουμένοις καὶ δυομένοις εῑς γῆν· ὡς ἂν μάλιστα εὐδοκιμοῖμεν τοῖς πολλοῖς, ὅτι μάλιστα ζημιοῦντες αὐτοὺς. ἃ ἀπολλύντες, καὶ αἷμα ἀθῶον ἁπλουστέρων ψυχῶν ἐκχέοντες ἐχ τῶν χειρῶν ἡμῶν ἐκζητηθησόμενον. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος B' Source: Migne PG 35.453c-456a

For some need to be fed with the milk of the simplest and most elementary teachings, those who are in an infant state and, so to say, new-made, and unable to bear the adult food of the word, for if it were to be presented to them beyond their strength, they would likely be overwhelmed and burdened owing to an immaturity of the mind, as happens with the digestion and assimilation of material bodies, and it may even be to the harm of their original power. Others are in need of the wisdom which is spoken among the perfect, 1 and the higher and more solid food, since their senses have been sufficiently exercised to discern the true and the false, 2 and therefore if they are given milk to drink and the diet of invalids, 3 they will be upset, and indeed rightly, for they will not be strengthened according to Christ, nor make that laudable increase which the Word works for the perfecting of men, bringing a man to the measure of spiritual stature with correct nourishment. 4 And who is capable in these things? For we are not, as the many, able to corrupt the word of truth, and mix in water with the wine which gladdens the heart of man, 5 that is, with much that is common and vile and and debased, and of the serpent's earth, all transient and vainly passing away, like some shopkeeper, so that he may profit himself by it, and that we may in some way accommodate ourselves to those we meet, gaining the assent of everyone, as ventriloquists and chatterers do, who serve their own pleasures by words uttered from the earth, and who sink into the earth, so that they may gain the greatest glory and a celebrated name among the multitude, while utterly injuring and indeed ruining ourselves, and shedding the innocent blood of simpler souls, which will be required at our hands. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from the Second Oration 1 Cor 2.6 2 Heb 5.14 3 Rom 14.2 4 Ephes 4.13 5 2 Cor 2 16-17, Isaiah 1.22, Ps 103.15