Standing In The Gateway

Stabat autem in porta... Quisquis in porta stat, ex quadam parte intus est, ex quadam vero foris, quia aliud ejus foris aspicitur, aliud intus absconditur. Redemptor itaque noster, pro nobis misericorditer incarnatus, ante humanos oculos quasi in porta stetit, quia et per humanitatem visibilis apparuit, et sese invisibilem in divinitate servavit. Hinc enim Judaei qui hunc ex prophetarum promissione sustinuerant perfidiae suae confusione turbati sunt, quia eum quem ad ereptionem suam venire crediderant, mortalem videbant. Qui igitur in porta stat, sicut superius dictum est, ex quadam parte foris, ex quadam vero parte intus videtur. Unde nec ipsa Judaeorum perfidia sine divinae virtutis ostensione est derelicta. Nam miracula ejus videntes trahebantur ut crederent, sed rursum passiones illius perpendentes, dedignabantur Deum credere, quem carne mortalem videbant; unde factum est ut de ejus cognitione dubitarent. Videbant enim esurientem, sitientem, comedentem, bibentem, lassescentem, dormientem, et purum hunc hominem esse aestimabant. Videbant mortuos suscitantem, leprosos mundantem, caecos illuminantem, daemonia ejicientem, et esse hunc ultra homines sentiebant. Sed ipsa ejus miracula in eorum corde cogitata humanitas perturbabat. Unde sancta Ecclesia sub sponsae voce hunc aperte jam videre desiderans, ait: En ipse stat post parietem nostrum. Qui enim humanis oculis hoc quod de mortali natura assumpsit ostendit, et in seipso invisibilis permansit, in aperto se videre quaerentibus quasi post parietem stetit, quia videndum se manifestata majestate non praebuit. Quasi enim post parietem stetit, qui humanitatis naturam quam assumpsit ostendit, et divinitatis naturam humanis oculis occultavit. Unde et illic subditur: Respiciens per fenestras, prospiciens per cancellos. Quisquis enim per fenestras, vel per cancellos respicit, nec totus latet, nec totus videtur. Sic sic nimirum Redemptor noster ante dubitantium oculos factus est, quia si miracula faciens nil pertulisset ut homo, plene eis apparuisset Deus; et rursum humana patiens, si nulla fecisset ut Deus, purus putaretur homo. Sed quia et divina fecit, et humana pertulit, quasi per fenestras vel per cancellos ad homines prospexit, ut Deus et appareret ex miraculis, et lateret ex passionibus, et homo cerneretur ex passionibus, sed tamen esse ultra hominem ex miraculis agnosceretur. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber II, Homilia I Source: Migne PL 76.945b-946a

For he was standing in the gateway... 1 Whoever stands in the gateway is in a certain way within and in a certain way without, for something of him is seen without and something is hidden within. Thus our Redeemer, who was mercifully incarnated for us, before human eyes is as one who stands in the gate, because His humanity visibly appeared and He kept invisible in Himself His divinity. Whence the Jews who were established on the promises of the Prophets were troubled in confusion to betrayal, for He who they believed would come for their liberation, they saw to be mortal. He, then, who stood in the gate, as was said above, was partly without and partly within. Whence the betrayal by the Jews because the Divine virtue was not made apparent is not allowable. For beholding His miracles they were drawn to belief, but then perceiving His suffering that did not deem Him worthy to be God, Him whom they saw in mortal flesh, whence it was they doubted in their thought concerning Him. For they saw Him hungry and thirsting and eating and drinking and resting and sleeping and the judged Him to be purely man. And they saw the raising of the dead, and lepers cured, and the blind healed, and demons cast out, and they thought Him to be a thing beyond men. But His miracles in their hearts were confused by thoughts of His humanity. Whence the holy Church with the voice of the bride desiring to see Him, openly says, 'Behold, He stands behind our wall.' 2 For He who to human eyes shows himself to have taken up mortal nature, and in Him the unseen remains, to those who seek Him openly to appear is as one who stands behind a wall, because He does not grant sight of His manifest majesty. For as one standing behind the wall, He who shows He has taken up mortal nature, conceals the Divine nature from human eyes. Whence it is then added: 'Looking through the windows, looking through the lattice.' 2 Whoever looks through the windows, or the lattice, is neither completely hidden nor completely seen. So without doubt our Redeemer was in doubting eyes, He who if He made miracles, acting nothing like a man, appeared to them as God, yet again suffering human things, acting nothing like God, was thought completely man. But because He did Divine things and endured humanity, He is as one who looks through the windows or a lattice at men, for He appeared as Divine by miracles and was hidden by sufferings, and He was perceived as a man by suffering, and yet known to be more than man by miracles. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 2, from Homily 1 1 Ezek 40.6 2 Song 2.9