Seeing The Word

Sicut tradiderunt, inquit, nobis qui ab initio ipsi viderunt, et ministri fuerunt Verbi. Non congruit ista locutio, ut magis ministerium verbi visum quam auditum esse credamus. Sed quia non prolativum verbum, sed substantiale signatur Verbum illud quod caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis: non vulgare verbum, sed illud coeleste intelligamus, cui Apostoli ministrarunt. Et tamen in Exodo lectum est, quia populus videbat vocem Domini: et utique vox non videtur, sed auditur. Vox enim quid est, nisi sonus qui non oculis cernitur, sed aure percipitur? Verum altissimo ingenio voluit declarare Moyses, quia vox videtur Dei; interioris enim mentis videtur obtutu; in Evangelio autem non vox, sed illud quod voce praestantius est, Verbum videtur. Unde et Ioannes sanctus Evangelista: Quod erat, inquit, ab initio, quod audivimus, et quod vidimus, et oculis nostris perspeximus, et manus nostrae scrutatae sunt de Verbo vitae: et vita apparuit, et vidimus, et testamur, et annuntiamus vobis de vita, quae erat apud Patrem, et apparuit nobis. Vides ergo quod Verbum Dei et visum est apostolis, et auditum. Non solum enim secundum corpus viderunt Dominum, sed etiam secundum Verbum; viderunt enim Verbum, qui cum Moyse et Elia viderunt gloriam Verbi. Isti enim viderunt Iesum, qui in sua viderunt gloria; alii non viderunt, qui corpus tantummodo videre potuerunt; non enim corporalibus, sed spiritalibus oculis Iesus videtur. Denique Iudaei non viderunt eum; quia non videbant in spiritu. Vidit enim Abraham; quia scriptum est: Abraham diem meum vidit, et gavisus est. Vidit ergo eum Abraham, qui Dominum utique in corpore non videbat: sed qui vidit in spiritu, vidit in corpore: qui autem vidit in corpore, et non vidit in spiritu; nec in ipso vidit corpore, quod videbat. Vidit eum Esaias; et quia vidit in spiritu, vidit et in corpore. Denique Non habebat, inquit, speciem suam neque decorem. Non viderunt eum Iudaei; obcaecatum enim erat insipiens cor eorum. Ipse quoque non se posse a Iudaeis videri testificatur dicens: Duces caeci, liquantes culicem, camelum autem glutientes. Non vidit eum Pilatus: non viderunt illi, qui clamabant: Crucifige, crucifige eum; si enim vidissent, numquam Dominum maiestatis crucifixissent. Qui ergo Deum vidit, vidit Emmanuel, hoc est, vidit nobiscum Deum: qui autem nobiscum Deum non vidit, non potuit videre quem virgo peperit. Denique, qui non crediderunt Dei Filium, nec Filium virginis crediderunt. Quid est ergo Deum videre? Nolo me interroges, Evangelium interroga, ipsum Dominum interroga, immo docentem audi: Philippe, qui videt me, videt et Patrem qui me misit. Quomodo tu dicis: Ostende nobis Patrem? Non credis quia ego in Patre, et Pater in me est? Utique non corpus videtur in corpore, nec spiritus videtur in spiritu: sed solus ille Pater videtur in Filio, aut iste Filius videtur in Patre. Non enim dissimiles in dissimilibus videntur: sed ubi unitas operationis est atque virtutis, et Filius in Patre, et Pater videtur in Filio. Quae ego, inquit, opera facio, et ille facit. In operibus Patris Iesus videtur, in operibus Filii et Pater cernitur. Vidit Iesum qui Galilaeum illud mysterium, id est, ex aqua vinum factum vidit; quod nemo posset, nisi mundi Dominus elementa convertere. Video Iesum, quando lego quia caeco linivit oculos luto, et reddidit visum. Ipsum enim recognosco qui de luto finxit hominem, et ei vivendi spiritum, et videndi lumen infudit. Video Iesum, quando peccata condonat; nemo enim potest peccata dimittere, nisi solus Deus. Video Iesum, quando Lazarum suscitat: et non viderunt qui viderunt. Video Iesum, video etiam Patrem, quando oculos ad coelum erigo, ad maria converto, ad terram retorqueo: Invisibilia enim eius, per ea quae perfecta sunt intellecta, conspiciuntur. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, Liber I Source: Migne PL 15.1535a-1536c

'As they were given to us by those who, from the beginning, have themselves seen and served the Word.' 1 It does not befit that this passage should cause us to believe that speech is served rather than heard. It is not a spoken word, but a substantial Word that 'became flesh and dwelt among us'. 2 It is not, let us understand, of a common word, but of the heavenly Word that the Apostles were servants. And yet it is read in Exodus that 'the people saw the voice of the Lord.' 3 But it is clear that the voice is not seen but heard. What is the voice, unless a sound which is not discerned by the eyes, but it is percevied by the ear? Truly it is with profound thought that Moses determined to affirm that the voice of God is seen. It appears in the contemplation of the interior of the heart. But in the Gospel it is not a voice that is seen; it is what is superior to the voice, the Word. So Saint John the evangelist says, 'That which was from the beginning, which we have heard and seen, beheld with our eyes, and touched with our hands the Word of life; for the Life is manifested, and we have seen it, and we bear witness to it, and we announce to you the Life that was with the Father and manifested itself to us.' 4 You see, then, that the Word of God was seen as well as heard by the Apostles. They saw the Lord not only in His body but even as the Word; they saw the Word, who with Moses and Elijah saw the glory of the Word. 5 They saw Jesus, who saw Him in His glory, the others did not, who could only see His body. For it is not the eyes of the body but those of the soul that see Jesus. The Jews did not see him while seeing him. Abraham saw, for it is written, 'Abraham saw my day and rejoiced.' 6 So Abraham saw Him, he who yet did not see the Lord in the body, but he who saw in the spirit, saw in the body, however, he who saw in the body and did not see in the spirit, he did not see in the body what he saw. Isaiah saw Him and because he saw in the spirit, he saw also in the body. Thus he said, 'He had neither appearance nor beauty.' 7 The Jews did not see Him, 'Their foolish heart was blinded.' 8 He, Himself, testifies that the Jews could not see him: 'Blind guides, filtering the gnat and drinking down the camel.' 9 Pilate did not see Him. They did not see Him who shouted, 'Crucify him, crucify him!' 'For if they had seen, they would never have crucified the sovereign Lord.' 10 Therefore he who saw God, saw Emmanuel, that is, he saw God with us. Whoever has not seen God with us has not been able to see Him whom a Virgin gave birth to. So those who did not believe him Son of God did not believe him the son of a Virgin. What is it to see God? Do not ask me, ask the Gospel, ask the Lord Himself, or rather, listen to Him teaching: 'Philip, he who sees me sees the Father who sent me. How can you say: Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?.' 11 Not that a body in a body is seen, nor a spirit in a spirit; but this Father alone is is seen in the Son, as this Son is seen in the Father. They are not seen as dissimilar things in one another, but where there is unity of operation and activity, we see both the Son in the Father and the Father in the Son. 'The works that I do,' He says, 'He too does them.' 12 Jesus is seen in the works of the Father, and in the works of the Son the Father is seen. He has seen Jesus in the mystery He performed in Galilee, that is, when he has seen water made wine; 13 for no one but the Master of the world can transform the elements. I see Jesus when I read that He smeared the eyes of the blind man with mud and He restored his sight. 14 I recognize here the one who made the man from mud and gave him the breath of life, and infused the light to see. 15 I see Jesus when He forgives sins, for 'no one can forgive sins save God alone.' 16 I see Jesus when He raises Lazarus, and the eyewitnesses did not see. 17 I see Jesus, I see also the Father when I raise my eyes to the sky, when I turn them towards the sea, when I turn them back to the earth; because 'his invisible perfections are seen and grasped by means of created objects.' 18 Saint Ambrose, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 1 1 Lk 1.2 2 Jn 1.14 3 Exod 20.18 4 1 Jn 1.1- 5 Mt 17.3 6 Jn 8.56 7 Isaiah 53.2 8 Rom 1.21 9 Mt 23.24 10 1 Cor 2.8 11 Jn 14.9-10 12 Jn 5.19 13 Jn 2.9 14 Jn 9.6 15 Gen 2.7 16 Mk 2.6-7 17 Jn 9.44 18 Rom 1.20