Angels And The Firmament

Et similitudo super capita animalium firmamenti, quasi aspectus crystalli horribilis, extenti super capita eorum desuper. Haec, largiente Domino, duobus modis exponemus, ut lectoris judicio quid eligendum censeat relinquamus. Possunt enim firmamenti nomine coelestes potestates intelligi. Quod firmamentum recte quasi aspectus crystalli dicitur, quia videlicet crystallum forte quidem nimis est, sed ex aqua solidatur. Et natura angelica, quando creata est, liberum arbitrium accepit, utrum vellet in humilitate persistere, et in omnipotentis Dei conspectu permanere, an ad superbiam laberetur, et a beatitudine caderet, per similitudinem aqua fuit. Sed quia cadentibus aliis, sancti angeli in sua beatitudine perstiterunt, atque hoc acceperunt in munere, ut jam cadere omnino non possint, in eis natura sua, quia jam duci mutabiliter non potest, quasi in magnitudinem crystalli durata est. Quod crystallum horribile et extensum super capita animalium dicitur, quia illae potestates angelicae, quae omnipotentis Dei conspectui assistunt, nobis adhuc in hac corruptione positis, terribiles atque pavendae sunt. Quarum nunc gaudia, quia sensum nostrarum mentium excedunt, super capita animalium esse memorantur. Quis enim in carne corruptibili positus comprehendere valeat quae sit illa angelorum ineffabilis et sine fine laetitia? quae beatitudo, sine defectu vultum videre creatoris, atque in ejus delectatione sine immutatione persistere? Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia VII Source: Migne PL 76.848d-849d

And there was a likeness of the firmament over the heads of the animals, as the appearance of wondrous crystal, stretching over their heads below... 1 These things, by the largess of the Lord, we shall explain in two ways, and we shall leave to the reader's judgement what he shall reckon approvable. It is possible to understand the heavenly powers by the name of the firmament, since the firmament is rightly said to have the appearance of crystal, and certainly crystal is strong, but it is fashioned from water. 2 And the angelic nature, when it was created, received freedom of the will, whether it would remain in humility and stand fast in the sight of Almighty God, or fall to pride and plummet from blessedness, as a likeness of water. But because others fell, the holy angels who remained in their blessedness received a gift in their nature that thence they would not be able to fall, for from then there would be no possibility of change, as it is with the great hardness of crystal. Which wondrous crystal is said to stretch out over the heads of the animals, because those angelic powers which stand in the sight of Almighty God are astonishing and awesome to us who are yet placed in this corruption. And their present joy, because it exceeds the understanding of our minds, is said to be above the heads of the animals. For who placed in the corruptible flesh is able to grasp that endless and ineffable joy of the angels? And what is blessedness but the flawless sight of the face of the Creator and steadfastness in His delight without change? Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 7 1 Ezek 1.22 2 Genes 1.6

Angels And The City

Et ecce angelus qui loquebatur in me, egrediebatur; et angelus alius egrediebatur in occursum eius, et dixit ad eum: Curre, loquere ad puerum istum, dicens: Absque muro habitabitur Ierusalem, prae multitudine hominum et iumentorum in medio eius. Et ego ero ei, ait Dominus, murus ignis in circuitu, et in gloria ero in medio eius. LXX: Et ecce angelus qui loquebatur in me stabat, et angelus alius egrediebatur in occursum eius, et dixit ad eum dicens: Curre et loquere adolescentulo illi, dicens: Frugifera habitabitur Ierusalem a multitudine hominum et iumentorum in medio eius. Et ego ero illi, dicit Dominus, murus ignis in circuitu, et in gloriam ero in medio eius. Angelum qui loquebatur in propheta, et stabat, sive ut in Hebraico legitur, egrediebatur, hoc enim significat יצא, Hebraei Michaelem putant. Et alterum angelum qui egrediebatur et veniebat in occursum eius, Gabrielem suspicantur, qui loquitur ad Michaelem, ut loquatur prophetae, quantam rerum omnium abundantiam, et multitudinem hominum, et iumentorum, firmitatemque murorum habitura sit Ierusalem, quae in praesentiarum usque ad favillam, et cineres videatur esse destructa. Nos autem iuxta spiritualem sensum, haec omnia interpretemur in Ecclesia, quae absque muro, sive ut Septuaginta transtulerunt, κατάκαρπος, id est, frugum omnium abundantia habitetur, et habeat multitudinem hominum, ac iumentorum, et Dominus ignis sit in circuitu eius, et ipse in medio illius versetur in gloria. Ista est civitas de qua alibi legimus: Gloriosa dicta sunt de te, civitas Dei. Et rursum: Magnus Dominus et laudabilis nimis, in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto eius. In hac quicumque habitat, dicere potest: Ego autem sicut oliva frugifera in domo Dei. Et: Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit: in loco pascuae ibi me collocavit Super aquas refectionis educavit me. Et habitabitur, inquit, Ierusalem prae multitudine hominum et iumentorum absque muro, sive frugum omnium abundantia. Quidam, homines et iumenta duos populos interpretantur, Iudaeorum atque Gentilium, quod illi qui in Lege versati venerint ad fidem Christi, homines appellati sint: nos autem qui post idololatriam quasi in deserto Legis et solitudine fuimus prophetarum, et eius recepimus passionem, iumenta dici debeamus. Alii autem rationabiles quosque et Scripturarum eruditos scientia, homines intelligi volunt: iumenta vero simplices quosque credentium, et de his dici: Homines et iumenta salvos facies, Domine. Haec iumenta, et haec animantia audiunt boni pastoris vocem, et cognoscunt, et sequuntur eum: qui ipse est et pastor, quia regit nos; et ostium, quia per illum in Ecclesiam, et ad Patrem ingredimur; et murus ignis in circuitu, ut credentes et habitantes in medio calefaciat, qui prius frigore charitatis intepuerant, et possint spiritu esse ferventes. Lupos autem et saevissimas bestias, de quibus scriptum est: Ne tradas bestiis animam confitentem tibi: et quorum fructus est, fenum, ligna, stipula, et afferunt tribulos et spinas suo igne consumat; et qui adversariis ignis est, sit in medio credentium gloria. Sanctus Hieronymous, Commentariorum In Zachariam Prophetam, Liber I Cap II Source: Migne PL 25.1430c 1431d

And behold the angel who spoke to me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and he said to him: 'Run, speak to this boy, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited without a wall, because of the multitude of men and beasts in the midst of her. And I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire all around, and I will be in glory in the midst of her.' 1 The Septuagint has: And behold the angel who spoke to me stood by, and another angel went forth to meet him, and he said to him: 'Run, speak to this youth, saying, Jerusalem shall be fruitfully inhabited because of the multitude of men and beasts in the midst of her. And I will be to her, says the Lord, a wall of fire all around, and I will be in glory in the midst of her.' The Hebrews think that the angel who spoke with the prophet and stood by, or as the Hebrew reads, 'went forth,' for this is the meaning of 'Iasa,' is Michael. And they understand that Gabriel is the angel who went forth and came to meet him, who then speaks to Michael so that he might tell the prophet what great abundance of all things, even a multitude of men and of beasts, and what strength of walls, Jerusalem shall have, which in the present seems to have been destroyed down to embers and ashes. But we shall interpret all these things in a spiritual sense for the Church, which will be inhabited without a wall, or as the Septuagint has translated it, 'katakarpos' that is, with an abundance of crops, and shall have a multitude of men and beasts, and the Lord is its fire all around, and He himself lives in glory in the midst of her. This is the city of which we read elsewhere 'Glorious things are said of you, city of God,' 2 and again, 'Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, on His holy mountain.' 3 Whoever dwells in this city is able to say, 'But I was like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God,' 4 and, 'The Lord guides me, and there is nothing I shall lack, in a place of pasture He has set me, to refreshing waters He has led me.' 5 And Jerusalem shall be inhabited, it says, without a wall because of the multitude of men and beasts. Some interpret men and beasts to be the two peoples of the Jews and Gentiles, because the former who lived in the law will come to the faith of Christ and are called men, and we should be called beasts, who received His passion after our idolatry. We have been, as it were, in the desert of the Law and the wilderness of the prophets. But others wish to understand the men to be all rational creatures who are educated in the knowledge of the Scriptures, and they think beasts are the simple believers, and that it is said of them, 'You shall save men and beasts, O Lord.' 6 These beasts and these animals hear the voice of the good shepherd and recognise it and follow Him, for He is both the shepherd who guides us and He is the door, since we enter through Him into the Church and into the Father. 7 And He is the fire all around to keep them warm who believe and live in the midst, so that they are able to be fervent in spirit who had been lukewarm because of the coldness of their love. But He consumes with fire the wolves and the most savage beasts, of which it is written, 'Do not hand over to the beasts the soul that confesses you,' 8 and whose fruit is hay, wood, and stubble, and they bring forth thistles and thorns. 9 And the one who is fire to His adversaries shall be the glory in the midst of the faithful. Saint Jerome, Commentary on The Prophet Zechariah, Book 1, Chap 2 1 Zech 2.3-5 2 Ps 86.2 3 Ps 7.1 4 Ps 51.10 5 Ps 22.1 6 Ps 35.7 7 Jn 10.1-10 8 Ps 73.19 9 1 Cor 3.12, Gen 3.18

Dust For Heaven

Fiant tanquam pulvis ante faciem venti, et angelus Domini affligens eos. Pulvis terrena quidem, sed nimis arida tenuisque substantia est, quae vento flante in sua sede manere non sinitur, sed in auras liquidas elevatur. Ita voluntates peccatorum, cum veritatis fuerint inspiratione commonitae, a terrenis vitiis sublevantur, et ad virtutes aethereas, praestante Domino, perducuntur. Sic ergo malis optatur ut ad vitam coelestem felici emendatione perveniant. Angelum dicimus supernae virtutis nuntium, per quem divina iussa complentur. Iste ergo angelus conversos affligit, ut in illam patriam felicem humilitatis munere perducantur. Sed afflictio ista beneficium est, quando in locum magni muneris, ut emergat, optatur. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus XXXIV Source: Migne PL 70.243a-b

Let them be like dust before the face of the wind, with the angel of the Lord afflicting them. 1 The earth's dust is certainly a most dry and tenuous substance, which by a breath of the wind is not capable of remaining in its place, but is lifted right up into the clear air. Therefore the wills of sinners, when they are lifted up from worldly vices by the inspiration of the warnings of truth, under the watch of the Lord, are led to the heavenly virtues. Thus it is desired that from evils they might come to heavenly happiness by improvement. We say that the angel here is he who announces heaven's virtue, through which the Divine commands are fulfilled. Therefore this angel afflicts the converted so that with the gift of humility they might be led into that blessed fatherland. But this affliction is a benefit, when it is desired that they rise up into the place of the great gift. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 34 1 Ps 34.6

The Seraphims' Teaching

Quod autem duo seraphim in Isaia leguntur, figuraliter veteris, et novi Testamenti significationem ostendunt. Quod vero faciem et pedes Dei operiunt, quia praeterita ante mundum, et futura post mundum scire non possumus, sed media tantum, eorum testimonio contemplamur. Singula senas alas habent, quia de fabrica tantum mundi, quae in sex diebus facta sunt, in praesenti saeculo novimus. Quod clamant ter Sanctus alter ad alterum, Trinitatis in una divinitate demonstrant mysterium. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Etymologiae, Liber VII, Caput V Source: Migne PL 82.274c

The two Seraphim whom we read about in Isaiah 1 figuratively signify the Old and New Testaments. But because they cover the face and feet of God, they signify that we cannot know the past before the world or the future after the world, but we may contemplate only the middle by their witness. Each has six wings because in this present time we know concerning the fabric of this world only those things that were made in the six days. That each cries 'Holy' three times to the other declares the mystery of the Trinity in the one Divinity. Saint Isidore of Seville, The Etymologies Book 7, Chap 5 1 Isaiah 6.2

Errors Of Praise And Blessings

...ὅτι ἐπαινεῖται ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ ἀδικῶν ἐνευλογεῖτα... Καὶ μάλιστα οἱ θείου πλούτου καὶ σοφίας στερούμενοι, και μὴ ἀκριβεῖς ὄντες περὶ τὰ δόψματα τῆς εὐσεβείας. Οὗτοι γὰρ τοῖς τῆς σοφῆς προνοίας προσκόπτουσιν κρίμασιν, ἐπαινοῦντες τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐφ' οἷς ἐπιθυμεῖ· φανεροῦ ὄντος ὡς οὐ τῶν αἱρετῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἡδέων καὶ ἐμπαθῶν ὀρέγεται ὁ ἁμαρτωλός. Πρὸς τούτοις, ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ σφάλματος εὐλογίαν ἠγοῦνται τοὺς πλοῦτον καὶ δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην καὶ πρόσκαιρον ἔχοντας, φάσκοντες τούς ἀδικοῦντας πρὸς Θεοῦ εὐλογεῖσθαι· ἔδει δὲ τοπάσαι ὡς ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐλογία δίδοται δικαίοις. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Θ´ Source: Migne PG 39.1200d-1201a

...For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul and the unrighteous man is blessed... 1 And especially by those lacking the wealth and wisdom of God, who do not hold accurately to the holy teachings. For they err in the judgements of wise providence who praise the sinner in his desire, when it is not his choice, but the sinner is driven by pleasure and passion. And these, by the same error, deem temporal wealth and human glory a blessing, whence they call the unrighteous man blessed by God, since they must admit that the blessings of God are given to the righteous. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 9 1 Ps 9.24

Two Infirmities

Nam infirmitas corporis miseranda est, non odienda: infirmitas autem animae non est miseranda, sed odienda: quia infirmitas corporis non est in nostra poteste, ut aut non veniat super nos, aut recedet a nobis: infirmtias autem animae in nostra est potestate, ut aut non veniat super nos, aut recedat a nobis, Infirmitas enim corporis tenet nos, nec tenetur a nobis; infirmitas autem animae non tenet nos, sed tenetur a nobis. Ideo illa infirmitas miseranda est, hace odienda. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXI Source: Migne PG 56.749

An infirmity of the body deserves compassion not hate, but an infirmity of the soul deserves hate not compassion, because an infirmity of the body is not in our power, that either it might not come upon us, or that it might go from us, but an infirmity of the soul is in our power, that either it might not come upon us, or that it might go from us. For an infirmity of the body holds us, it is not held on to by us, and an infirmity of the soul does not hold us, but it is held on to by us. Therefore the former infirmity deserves compassion, the latter hate. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 21

The Lazy Man

Quid est quod ait: Vult piger et non vult? Si ergo vult, quomodo non vult? Per pigrum ille designatur qui se non vult exercere in bonis operibus. Vult ergo piger regnare, et non vult laborare pro Deo; vult pervenire ad beatitudinem, et non vult Christi praecepta implere, ut beatitudinem mereatur obtinere. De hoc enim Jacobus dicit: Vir duplex animo, inconstans est in omnibus viis suis. Honorius Augustodunensis, Quaestiones Et Ad Easdem Responsiones In Duos Salomonis Libros, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 172.319d

Why is it said, 'The lazy man wishes and does not wish.' 1 If he wishes, how does he not wish? By the lazy man is designated one who is unwilling to exert himself in good works. Thus the lazy man wishes to reign and yet he does not wish to labour for God. He wishes to come to blessedness, and yet he does not wish to fulfill the commandments of Christ that he might merit the reward of blessedness. Concerning which James says: 'A man of twofold soul, inconstant in all his ways.' 2 Honorius of Autun, Questions and Answers on Two Books of Solomon, Chapter 13 1 Prov 13.4 2 Jam 1.8

Work And Food

Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit: Operamini non cibum, qui perit. Quaerit Chrysostomus: utrum debeat homo operari pro cibo corporali? Quod non, videtur: Per litteram istam. Item, Matthaei sexto: Nolite solliciti esse, quid manducetis etc. Item, Lucae decimo reprehendit Dominus Martham, quae circa cibum corporalem sollicita erat. Ergo non videtur, quod debeat homo pro cibo corporali operari. CONTRA: Primae ad Thessalonicenses quarto: Operamini manibus vestris, sicut praecepimus vobis. Item, secundae ad Thessalonicenses ultimo: Qui non laborat non manducet; ubi etiam Apostolus dicit, se praebuisse exemplum. RESPONDEO: Dicendum, quod bonum est operari pro habendo cibo corporali, sicut dicitur: Labores manuum tuarum manducabis; beatus es etc. Sed circa hanc manuum operationem triplex contingit esse inordinatio: in intentione, ut cum finaliter hunc cibum requirit, et Dominus hoc prohibet hic; in sollicitudine , ut quando absorbetur mens circa terrena, et sic prohibet Dominus in Matthaeo; in tempore, ut quando debet vacare auditioni verbi Dei, vacat operi vel cibo corporali; et sic Christus reprehendit Martham, quae debuisset audire Dominum praedicantem. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput VI Source: Here, p671-2

Likewise a question must be asked concerning this which He says, 'Do not labour for the food which perishes.' 1 Chrysostom asks if a man should work for material food. 2 It seems one should not by this word in John, and likewise in the sixth chapter of Matthew: 'Do not worry about what you shall eat...' 3 and likewise in the tenth chapter of Luke the Lord reproves Martha for fretting over material food. 4 Therefore it does not seem that a man should labour for corporeal bread. Against this in the fourth chapter of the First Letter to the Thessalonians it says: 'Work with your hands, as we have instructed you.' 5 Likewise in the last chapter of the second letter to the Thessalonians: 'He who shall not work, he shall not eat,' which the Apostle says, having given himself as an example. 6 I answer that it should be said that it is a good to work for the possession of material food, as it is said: 'You shall eat of the labour of your hands, happy are you...' 7 But concerning this work of the hands a threefold disorder is found: in intention, that this food is sought as the final end, and this is what the Lord prohibits here in John; in worry, when the mind is absorbed by care for worldly things, and this the Lord prohibits in Matthew; and in time, when one should give space to the hearing of the word of God but one instead gives oneself to work for material food, and so Christ reproves Martha, who should have listened to the preaching of the Lord. Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 6 1 Jn 6.27 2 Homily John 44.1 3 Mt 6.31 4 Luke 10.41 5 1 Thes 4.11 6 2 Thes 3.9-10 7 Ps 127.2

Entering Fields

Si intraveris segetem proximi tui franges spicas et manu conteres; falce autem non metes.... Hoc est evelles sententias manu intelligentiae, conteres granum ab arista, spiritum secernens a littera. Falce autem non metes, quod est facile et subito librum transcurrre. Sufficit paucos manipulos per dies colligere. Sunt qui falce metunt, qui totum subito librum legentes nihil intelligunt. Ingressus vineam proximi tui, id est Scriptuam Dei tui, comedas uvas, id est sententias quantum tibi placuerit; foras autem non efferas tecum, quia non est dandum sanctum canibus neque ponendae margaritae ante porcos. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber III, Tit LVI Source: Migne PL 177.672b-c

And if you enter your neighbours corn field, you may pluck the ears and rub them in the hand, but you shall not reap with the sickle...1 That is, you shall pluck the meaning with the hand of understanding, rubbing the seed from the ear, discerning the spirit from the letter. But you shall not reap with the sickle which easily and quickly passes through the book. It is enough to collect a few handfuls through the day. For they reap with the sickle, who swiftly reading a whole book understand nothing. 'Passing into the vineyard of your neighbour,' that is the Scripture of your God, 'you may eat the grapes,' that is, the meaning as much as it is pleasing to you, 'but you may not cut with the sickle,' 2 because holy things must not be given to dogs, nor should pearls be cast down before pigs. 3 Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 3, Chap 56 1 Deut 23.25 2 Deut 23.24 3 Mt 7.6

Two Men In A Field

Tότε δύο ἔσονται ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, εἷς παραλαμβάνεται καὶ εἷς ἀφίεται... Ὅρα, ὅτι εἰς δύο τάγματα διαι ρεῖ ὁ λόγος τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, εἴς τε τῶν σῳζομένων καὶ τῶν ἀπολλυμένων. καὶ τοὺς μὲν σῳζομένους λέγει παραλαμβάνεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ ἀπολλυμένους ἀφίεσθαι ἤγουν ἀποδοκιμάζεσθαι. Ἀγρὸν δὲ νοητέον ὧδε τὸν κόσμον, ἔνθα ὁ μὲν εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα σπείρων θερίζει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ὁ δὲ "εἰς τὴν σάρκα, φθοράν. Tαῖς δὲ ἀληθούσαις παρεικάζει τοὺς διδασκάλους, οἵτινες τρόπον τινὰ ἀπολεπτύνοντες τὰς γραφικὰς ἐννοίας εὐπαράδεκτα καὶ εὐνόητα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ θεῖα λόγια προτιθέασιν· καὶ γὰρ νόμος κελεύων μὴ λαμβάνεσθαι εἰς ἐνέ χυρον μύλον ἢ ἐπιμύλιον, ἵνα μὴ τὰ τῆς τροφῆς ἐργαλεῖα λαβών τις ἐμποδίσῃ τοῖς τρεφομένοις δι' αὐ τῶν, αἰνιγματωδῶς τοὺς διδασκά λους ὑποσημαίνει. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον Εὐάγγελιον Source: Migne PG 72.445b

Then there shall be two men in a field, one is taken and the other is left... 1 See how the word distinguishes between these two men, concerning those who shall be saved and those who shall perish. For it says that those who will be saved are taken and those who will perish are left behind, that is, the wicked. Here let the field be understood as the world, where one man sows in the spirit and reaps eternal life, and the other sows in the flesh and reaps corruption. 2 One may liken teachers to these labourers, they who labouring over the meaning of the Scriptures, then set forth the Divine teachings to men in an easy and intelligible fashion. Indeed the Law commands that one should not receive a millstone as a pledge, lest in taking away the means of subsistence, harm is inflicted on those who are nourished by it, which spiritually speaks of teachers. 3 Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Fragment 1 Mt 24.40 2 Galat 6.8 3 Deut 24.6

Patience And Suffering

Non est discipulus super magistrum... Seipsum proponit exemplum patientiae, ut quod Dominus patitur, non sit grave servis tolerare, quasi dicat: Nolite mirari, si ita vos persequuntur, me enim Dominum tractabunt similiter. Non sit ergo turpe pati quod ego patior, quia non est discipulus supra magistrum, id est non est majoris meriti meus discipulus, quam ego magister. Sufficit ergo discipulo meo, id est sufficere debet, ut sit sicut magister ejus, id est ut eum imitetur, et in quo imitetur supponit. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput XII Source: Migne PL 162.1345a

The disciple is not greater than the master... 1 He proposes Himself as an example of patience, so that because the Lord suffers it might not be burdensome for a servant to endure, as if He said, 'Do not wonder that they persecute you, for they shall treat me, the Lord, similarly. 2 Let it not be shameful to suffer, for I suffer, because the disciple is not greater than the master, that is, there is no greater merit in my disciple then in me the master.' 'Therefore it suffices for my disciple,' that is, it should suffice, 'that he is like his master,' 3 that is, that he imitates Him and in that imitation is set under Him.' Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 12 1 Mt 10.24 2 cf Jn 15.20 3 Mt 10.25

Endurance And Freedom

Ἔλεγεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους: ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μού ἐστε, καὶ γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς. Πολλῆς ὑπομονῆς δεῖται τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἀγαπητοί. Ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ γίνεται, ὅταν κατὰ βάθους ἐῤῥιζωμένα τὰ δόγματα ᾖ. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὴν δρῦν τὴν εἰς τοὺς κάτω κόλπους ἀφιεῖσαν τὰς ῥίζας καὶ περισφιγγομένην μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οὐδεὶς ἄνεμος προσπεσὼν ἀνασπάσαι δυνήσεται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν καθηλωμένην τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβῳ, οὐδεὶς περιτρέψαι δυνήσεται· τοῦ γὰρ ἐῤῥιζῶσθαι, τὸ καθηλῶσθαι πλέον ἐστί. Τοῦτο γοῦν ὁ Προφήτης εὔχεται, λέγων· Καθήλωσον ἐκ τοῦ φόβου σου τὰς σάρκας μου. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ καθήλωσον καὶ σύναψον, ὡσανεὶ ἥλῳ προσπεπερονημένῳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὗτοι δυσάλωτοι, οὕτως οἱ ἐναντίοι εὐάλωτοι γίνονται καὶ καταῤῥιπτοῦνται ῥᾳδίως· ὅπερ καὶ τότε ἔπασχον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. Ἀκούσαντες γὰρ καὶ πιστεύσαντες, πάλιν ἐξετράπησαν. Βουλόμενος οὖν ἐμβαθῦναι τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὥστε μὴ ἐπιπολαίαν εἶναι, διασκάπτει τὴν ψυχὴν πληκτικωτέροις λόγοις. Τῶν γὰρ πιστευόντων ἦν καὶ ἐλέγχων ἀνέχεσθαι· οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἠγρίαινον. Πῶς δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Πρῶτον παραγγέλλει· Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ὄντως μαθηταί μού ἐστε, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς· μονονουχὶ λέγων, Μέλλω βαθεῖαν διδόναι τομὴν, ἀλλὰ μὴ σαλεύεσθε. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτῶν τὸν τύφον αὐτῶν τῆς διανοίας κατέστειλε. Τίνος ἐλευθερώσει, εἰπέ μοι; Ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία NΔ´ Source: Migne PG 59.295-296

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, 'If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' 1 Beloved, we have much need of endurance, and endurance is produced when teachings are deeply rooted. For as by its assaults no wind can cast down the oak which having sent down its roots into the depths is firmly fixed there, so there shall be no overthrowing the soul which is nailed by the fear of God, for to be nailed is more than to be rooted. Thus the Prophet prays, saying, 'Nail my flesh by your fear. So fix and join me, as by a nail driven in.' 2 For as men like this are hard to be seize, so the opposite sort are easy prey, and with little effort they are thrown down. As then happened with these Jews, for having heard and believed, they again turned aside. Thus wishing to deepen their faith, that it might not be merely superficial, Christ digs into their souls with more piercing words. For it was the part of believers even to endure reproofs, but they were immediately upset. And how does He do this? First He tells them, 'If you continue in My word, you are truly my disciples, and the truth shall make you free.' All but saying, 'I am about to make a deep incision, but do not be moved.' Or rather by these things He put a stop to the pride of their minds. And from what will He free one, tell me? From sins. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 54 1 Jn 8.31-32 2 Ps 119.120 Sept

An Erring Shepherd

Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος τὸ διακρίνειν παρὰ Θεοῦ εἰληφὼς, κολασθήσεται, ἐξακολουθήσας ἀπείρῳ ποιμένι, καὶ ψευδῆ δόξαν ὡς ἁληθῆ δεξάμενος· Τίς γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος; Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος, Περὶ ἄπτων Source: Migne PG 26.1321c

Every man who has received discernment from God will suffer from following an inexperienced shepherd, one who receives a false opinion as true, 'For what is there in common between light and darkness?' 1 Saint Athanasius, On Amulets, Fragment 1 2 Cor 6.14

A Bishop Warned

Παρέργως ποιῇ τὴν τῶν θείων νόμων ἀνάγνωσιν, ἤ καὶ αὐτὴν ἀγνοεῖς τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν. Ἡνίκα γὰρ εἰς τὸν θεῖον ναὸν ἱερουργεῖν Ἀαρὼν, καὶ οἱ ἐξ ἐκείνου εἰσῄεσαν, πάντα τὰ ἐξ ἐρίας ἀποτιθέντες ἐσθήματα, στολὰς ἐκ λίνου παρεβάλλοντο ἐχούσας καὶ τὸ ἀπόῥῥητον, καὶ τῶν ἔξω θορύβων ἐπιλησμονεῖν σημαινούσας. Ὁ γὰρ Θεῷ λειτουργεῖν προσιὼν, οὐδὲν ἀλλότριον καὶ τῆς ὅλης ἐφόλκιον ἐπιφέρεσθαι δύναται. Εἰ τοίνυν μετὰ τοιαῦτα τεκμήρια βιάζεσθαι κατατολμᾷς τὴν ἁλήθειαν, συγχύσεις καὶ φλυαρίας ἐπεισφέρων τοῖς ἀνακτόροις, οἷς πᾶσα σιγὴ κεχρεώστηται, ὁμιλίας ἀτόπους, χειροθεσίας ἀθέσμους, εἰς ἔσχατον πέπεισο ἐξωθῶν σαυτὸν κατακρίσεως κίνδυνον. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΜΕ' Μαρτυριῳ Ἐπισκοπῳ Source: Migne PG 78.209c-212a

You either read the Divine laws carelessly, or you do not know the reading of them at all. For when Aaron and his successors entered into the temple for the sake of sacrifice, they took off every woollen vestment and clothed themselves in linen garb, 1 which contains a certain mystery: that we must put external concerns from the mind. He who approaches God to officiate cannot bring along with himself any foreign or unwanted matter. If, then, after such proofs you are still driven to insolence against the truth, and will yet bring in baseness to the sacred places, where silence is needful, with unbefitting words and sacrilegious laying on of hands, be persuaded that you lead yourself to the final peril of condemnation and casting out. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 45, To Martyrius The Bishop 1 Exodus 28.5

Past And Present Divisions

Nemo existimet bonos de Ecclesia posse discedere: triticum non rapit ventus, nec arborem solida radice fundatam procella subvertit; inanes paleae tempestate jactantur, invalidae arbores turbinis incursione evertuntur. Hos execratur et percutit Joannes apostolus dicens: Ex nobis exierunt, sed non fuerunt ex nobis: si enim fuissent ex nobis, mansissent utique nobiscum. Hinc haereses et factae sunt frequenter et fiunt, dum perversa mens non habet pacem, dum perfidia discordans non tenet unitatem. Fieri vero haec Dominus permittit et patitur, manente propriae libertatis arbitrio, ut, dum corda nostra et mentes nostras veritatis discrimen examinat, probatorum fides integra manifesta luce clarescat. Per Apostolum praemonet Spiritus sanctus et dicit: Oportet haereses esse, ut probati manifesti sint in vobis. Sic probantur fideles, sic perfidi deteguntur. Sic et ante judicii diem hic quoque jam justorum atque injustorum animae dividuntur, et a frumento paleae separantur. Hi sunt qui se ultro apud temerarios convenas sine divina dispositione praeficiunt, qui, se praepositos sine ulla ordinationis lege constituunt, qui, nemine episcopatum dante, episcopi sibi nomen assumunt; quos designat in Psalmis Spiritus sanctus sedentes in pestilentiae cathedra, pestes et lues fidei, serpentis ore fallentes, et corrumpendae veritatis artifices, venena lethalia linguis pestiferis evomentes; quorum sermo ut cancer serpit, quorum tractatus pectoribus et cordibus singulorum mortale virus infundit. Sanctus Cyprianus, Liber De Unitate Ecclesiae Source: Migne PL 4.507a-c

Let no one think that those who are good can depart from the Church. The wind does not carry off the wheat, nor does the storm uproot the tree which has a firm root. Light straws are thrown about by the tempest, weak trees are overthrown by the blows of the gale. The Apostle John execrates and strikes these, saying, 'They went forth from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, certainly they would have remained with us.' 1 Hence heresies have not only often been made, but are made, while the perverse mind has no peace, while a discordant faithlessness does not hold to unity. But the Lord permits and suffers these things to be, while the choice of one's own liberty remains, so that while the discrimination of truth is examining our hearts and minds, the sound faith of the approved may shine forth with manifest light. Through the Apostle the Holy Spirit gives forewarning and says, 'It is necessary that there be heresies, so that the approved may be made manifest among you.' 2 Thus the faithful are approved, thus the perfidious are exposed. Thus even here, before the day of judgment, the souls of the righteous and of the unrighteous are already divided, and the chaff is separated from the wheat. These are men who of their own accord, without any Divine arrangement, set themselves up to preside over reckless assemblies, who appoint themselves prelates without any law of ordination, who assume to themselves the name of bishop although no one gives them the episcopate, who in the Psalms the Holy Spirit points to as sitting in the seat of pestilence, 3 of plagues and corruptions of the faith, deceiving with the serpent's tongue and adept in the corruption of the truth, vomiting forth deadly poisons from toxic tongues, whose speech creeps like a cancer, 4 whose sermons pour into the hearts and breasts of each one a deadly poison. Saint Cyprian of Carthage, On The Unity Of the Church 1 1 Jn 2.19 2 1 Cor 11.19 3 Ps 1.1 4 2 Tim 2.7

A Bishop Praised

Dedit enim eis benedictionem qui legem dederat, ut ambularent de virtute in virtutem: de virtute fidei sincerissimae in virtutuem conflictionis constantissimae; de virtute caritatis flagrantissimae in virtutuem passionis gloriosissimae. Credidit enim, locutus est; dilexit, et secutus est. Audierat enim a Domino dictum: Qui me diligit, sequitur me; et iterum: Qui credit in me, non morietur in aeternum. Et pater fidelis secutus est vestigia Salvatoris. Interritus contempsit principum jussa et et judicum edictum. Paratus excepit percussoris ictum, et animum soli Deo subditum etiam ipsa mors servavit invictum. Denique nihil eum revocavit a pastoris gregisque custodia, exsilii locus, apparitor violentus, persecutionis tempus, judicis metus, imminens gladius, proximus mortis occasus. Nam et in exsilio constitutus, atque ab Ecclesia sibi commissa corpore tantum non mente separatus, pauperum alimenta; et in occulto absconditus, disciplinae censuram; et a principe detentus, virginum pudicitiam; et ad tribunal exhibitus, clericorum tutelam; et minis actus, robustam conscientiam; et subdole consumptus, spiritalem cautelm; et inique judicatus, Christianam patientiam custodivit. Plebem frequentibus litteris admonens, inopes largioribus eleemosynis fovit, martyres hortamentis pariter et exemplis ad subeundum praelium promovit, et donce ponat animam, non deserit curam. Sanctus Fulgentius Ruspensis, Sermo VI, De Sancto Cypriano Martyre Source: Migne 65.740d-741a

He gave to them a blessing who gave the law, that they might walk from virtue to virtue, 1 from the virtue of sincere faith to the virtue of perfect constancy in conflict, from the virtue of blazing love into the virtue of a most glorious passion. For he believed and he spoke; he loved, and he followed. He heard from the Lord the words: 'He who loves me, follows me,' and again: 'He who believes in me shall never die.' 2 The faithful father followed in the way of the Saviour. This fearless one scorned the judgement of princes, and the sentence proclaimed. He was prepared to receive the blow of the executioner, and his death preserved unconquered a soul obedient to God alone. And then nothing turned him from caring for the flock of the shepherd, no exile, no appearance of violence, no period of persecution, no fear of a judge, no threat of the sword, no approach of the coming of death. For even in exile and from the Church removed in body, but not separated in the mind, he attended to the feeding of the poor; and hidden in a concealed place, to the judgement of discipline; and detained by the prince, to the modesty of virgins; and arraigned before the tribunal, to the guardianship of priests; and sent threats, to the firmness of conscience; and assailed with cunning, to the watching over of the spirit; and judged in wickedness, to the guarding of Christian patience. He admonished the people with frequent letters, and cherished the poor with bountiful alms, and with words and example he encouraged martyrs to endurance in the conflict, and he did not abandon his duty until he placed down his soul. Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, from Sermon 6, On Saint Cyprian The Martyr 1 Ps 83.8 2 Jn 11.2

The Shepherd's Balance

Καθόλου δὲ ἡμῖν ἐκεῖνο γνώριμον, ὅτι καθάπερ τοῖς ἐπὶ κάλου μετεώρου καὶ ὑψηλοῦ βαίνουσι τῇδε ἢ τῇδε ἀποκλῖναι οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς, οὐδὲ εἰς μικρὸν φέρουσα ἡ ῥοπὴ, κἂν μικρὰ φαίνηται, ἀσφάλεια δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ ἰσοῤῥοπία καθίσταται· οὕτω κἀν τούτοις ὁποτέρωσε νεύσῃ τις, εἴτε διὰ κακίαν, εἴτε δι΄ ἀμάθειαν, κίνδυνος οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἀγομένοις τοῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πτώματος. Ἀλλ΄ ὁδῷ βασιλικῇ πορευτέον ὄντως, καὶ περισκεπτέον, μήτε εἰς δεξιὰ μήτε εἰς ἀριστερὰ, καθὼς αἱ Παροιμίαι φασὶν, ἐκκλίνοντας. Οὕτω μὲν δὴ τὰ τῶν παθῶν ἔχει τῶν ἡμετέρων, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἔργον τῷ ἀγαθῷ ποιμένι, τῷ γνωστῶς γνωσομένῳ ψυχὰς ποιμνίου, καὶ ἀφηγησομένῳ κατὰ λόγον ποιμαντικῆς, τῆς γε ὀρθῆς καὶ δικαίας καὶ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ ποιμένος ἡμῶν ἀξίας. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος Β´ Source: Migne PG 35.441b-c

But to us it is generally well known that just as it is not safe for those who walk a tight rope on high to lean to either side, for the inclination leads to much though it seem little, so safety depends on perfect balance, and likewise it is for one of us, for if from vice or ignorance one of us leans to either side, there is in no small danger, for both himself and for those he leads, of a fall into sin. But we must truly walk in the King's highway, 1 and be careful not to turn aside to the right hand, nor to the left, 2 as Proverbs says. For as it is with our passions, so it is in this work of the good shepherd here, if he is to know well the souls of his flock and to lead them in accordance with the way of pastoral care, as is right and just, and worthy of our true Shepherd. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 2 1 Num 20.17 2 Prov 4.27

Guarding Peace

Cum omnia humilitate animi et modestia, cum magnanimitate, sufferentes invicem in charitate, sollicite servantes unitatis spiritum in vinculo pacis. Nunc dissensionem prohibet, charitati autem studendum monet; ne spiritum unitatis et pacis amittant: ac per hoc ut invicem se sufferant cum patientia. Modestia enim profectum parit; quia cum se invicem tolerant, cum lenitate animi monentes, corriguntur ad effectum, et pax in eis manebit, per quam Filiii Dei non immerito vocabuntur; quia dixit Domnius: Beati pacifici, quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur. Perturbatio enim vel inquietudo contentionem facit, quae solet etiam ea quae mala novit, velle defendere; ne cedere videatur. Hinc oritur discordia, quae corrumpit pacis foedera. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam ad Ephesios, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 17.385d-386a

In all humility of soul and in modesty, and with magnanimity, suffering one another in charity, taking care to guard the spirit of unity in the bond of peace. 1 Now he prohibits dissension, for he warns them to attend to charity, lest they lose the spirit of unity and peace, and thus that they should suffer one another in patience. Indeed modesty brings forth progress, since when they endure one another, when they admonish in a spirit of mercy, they correct effectually, and peace remains with them, by which they are rightly called the sons of God, because the Lord said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.' 2 Disturbance and disquiet makes contention, which is accustomed to wish to defend even those things it knows are evil, lest it seem to have fallen. From which arises discord, that destroys the bond of peace. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The Letter of Saint Paul To The Ephesians, Chapter 4 1 Ephes 4.2-3 2 Mt 5.9

Binding And Writing

Quid est quod Solomon dicit de lege sua: Liga eam in digitis tuis, scribe illam in tabulis cordis tui? Quis enim legem in digitis ligare potest? aut si fecerit, quae erit utilitas? In digitis, hoc est in actibus. Legem in digitis ligat quicunque eam bonis operibus implet et ornat; in tabulis cordis, hoc est in latitudine cogitationis. Scribit ergo legem in tabulis cordis sui, qui eam cum gaudio suscipit, et memoriae commendat. Honorius Augustodunensis, Quaestiones Et Ad Easdem Responsiones In Duos Salomonis Libros, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 172.316a-b

Why does Solomon say concerning the law: 'Bind it on your fingers and write it on the tablets of your heart.' 1 For who is able to bind the law to his fingers? Or if someone could do it, what use would it be? 'On the fingers' means in deeds. He binds the law on the fingers who fulfills and adorns the law with good works. 'On the tablets of the heart,' means in the breadth of one's thoughts. Therefore he writes the law on the tablets of his heart, who receives it with joy and commends it to memory. Honorius of Autun, Questions and Answers on Two Books of Solomon, Chapter 7 1 Prov 7.3

Burnt Offering And Sacrifice

Super quas ponunt vasa in quibus immolatur holocaustum et victima. Quid enim sunt animae fidelium, nisi vasa sancta quae verba pietatis capiunt, ut ex eorum mentibus holocaustum vitae atque orationis immoletur? Hinc est enim quod Paulus cum adhuc rudis esset in fidei vocatione, quia jam Domini verba perceperat, et coelesti gratia plenus erat, vas appellatur, cum dicitur: Vas electionis mihi est. Hinc pastores atque doctores propheta admonet, dicens: Mundamini qui fertis vasa Domini. Ipsi etenim quasi mensae vasa Domini portant, qui vitam fidelium erudiendo tolerant, ut quandoque hanc Domino ad holocaustum et sacrificium perducant. Sed neque hoc negligenter intuendum est, quod in eisdem vasis holocaustum et victima dicitur immolari. Holocaustum enim, sicut et superius diximus, victima est, non tamen victima semper holocaustum, quia cum quid ex parte offertur, et ex parte retinetur, sacrificium quidem est, sed holocaustum non est. Sunt vero in multitudine magna fidelium alii qui ea quae mundae sunt omnia relinquunt, cuncta quae possident tribuunt, nil sibimetipsis reservant, ad aeternam patriam medullitus anhelant, seque ex toto corde in lacrymis mactant. Hi videlicet vasa super mensam sunt, in quibus immolatur holocaustum. Et sunt alii qui curam propriae domus gerunt, de filiis cogitant, eisque haereditatem servant, qui tamen, aeterni judicii memores, misericordiam pauperibus impendunt, alimenta ac vestimenta eis ex parte qua decreverint tribuunt. Hi nimirum vasa super mensam sunt, in quibus victima immolata est, non holocaustum. Quia enim patientia et doctrina sanctorum admonendo et sustinendo, suadendo atque terrendo, aliorum corda usque ad hoc erudiunt, ut omnia deserant, et totos se in amore Domini accendant, aliorum vero ad hoc usque instruunt, ut quia omnia relinquere non valent, vel ex parte qua praevalent, misericordes fiant, et carnis curam cum animae cura partiantur, mensae Domini de quadris lapidibus instructae vasa portant, in quibus immolatur holocaustum et victima, quia et perfecti, sicut dictum est, cum omnia deserunt, totum cor in amorem Domini accendunt, et imperfecti sacrificium offerunt, quod ex parte devoverunt. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Secundus, Homilia IX Source: Migne PL 76.1049c-1050b

On which they place the vessels in which are sacrificed the burnt offering and the sacrificial victim.... 1 What are the souls of the faithful, unless holy vessels with contain the sacred words, that from their minds shall be sacrificed a burnt offering of life and prayer. Hence Paul when he was yet raw in the vocation of the faith, because now the grasped the words of the Lord, and was full of the heavenly grace, was named a vessel, when it is said 'He is a vessel of election to me.' 2 Whence the prophet admonishes the shepherds and teachers, saying, 'Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.' 3 Indeed they are as the tables that bear the vessels of the Lord, who hold up the life of the faithful in teaching, that sometime they might bring it to the Lord as a holocaust and sacrifice. But this should not be considered negligently, when it is said that there is a holocaust and a victim to be sacrificed in the same vessels. For the burnt offering, as we have said, is a sacrifice, however a sacrifice is not always a burnt offering, because when there is a partial offering and partial retention, that is a sacrifice, but it is not a holocaust. Yet there are some in the great multitude of the faithful who forsake all worldly things and give away everything they possess, and keep nothing from themselves, so that they can breathe the true air of the eternal fatherland, and with their whole heart they sacrifice themselves in tears. These certainly are the vessels on the table in which the burnt offering is sacrificed. And the others are those who have care for their families, and take thought for their children, and keep an inheritance for them, and yet are mindful of eternal judgement, being merciful to the poor, giving food and clothing to them from a portion which diminishes. These certainly are vessels on the table in which a victim is sacrificed and not a holocaust. Because by the patience and teaching of the saints, their warnings and encouragement and persuasion, some hearts are instructed to a burnt offering, so that they abandon everything and set fire to it all in love of the Lord, others, however, are instructed to a sacrifice, that because they are not able to give up everything, what they are able to do in part, being merciful, and having partly care for the flesh and partly for the soul, they carry to the designated four stone tables of the Lord in the vessels in which is sacrificed the holocaust and the victim, because, as has been said, the perfect, when they forsake everything, set fire to the whole heart in the love of God, and the imperfect offer a sacrifice which is vowed from a part. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 2, from Homily 9 1 Ezek 40.42 2 Acts 9.15 3 Isaiah 52.11

Lineages

Ἡ μὲν ἱερὰ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων πυκτὴ, ἡ εἰς τὸν Ἰωσὴφ τὴν γενεαλογίαν κατάγουσα ἐκ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἔλκοντα τὴν συγγένειαν, ἠρκέσθη δι' αὐτοῦ ἀποδεῖξαι καὶ τὴν Παρθένου τοῦ Δαβὶδ συμφυλέτιδα· τοῦ θείου νόμου τὰς συζυγίας αὐτοφύλους θεσπίζοντες γίνεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ τῶν οὐρανίων ὑποφήτης δογμάτων, ὁ μέγας ἀπόστολος Παῦλος, ἀναφανδὸν διασαφεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἐκ τοῦ Ἰούδα μαρτυρῶν ἀνατεῖλαι τὸν Κύριον. Ταῦτα δὲ δριμύτερον ἐπιστάμενος, μὴ εἰρωνεύου τὴν ἐπερώτησιν. Οὐ γὰρ λανθάνεις θηρῶν τὴν εὐτέλειαν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ Ζ´ Τιμοθεῳ Source: Migne PG 78.184c

The holy book of the Gospels gives the genealogy of Joseph, drawing the lineage from David, 1 and there is enough there to demonstrate that the Virgin was also from the same tribe of David, which marriage in the same tribe the Divine law ratifies. 2 But however you understand the heavenly teachings, the great Apostle Paul, explains the truth most openly, when he bears witness that the Lord arose from Judah. 3 And these things knowing more accurately, you need not give voice to this question. You cannot hide the inferiority of beasts. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 7, Timotheus 1 Mt. 1-16 2 Numb 36.8 3 Hebr 7.14

The Crystal Window

Maria virginitas fuit multipliciter privilegiata. A patriarchis quisbusdam operibus praefigurata. Praefigurata enim fuit in fenestra crystallina, quam Noe fecit in arca secundum quod tradunt Hebraei, quae excludebat aquam crystallina, suscepta aliunde luce. Arca Maria, fenestra crystallina euius virginitas, quae excludit ab ea aqua carnalium voluptatum, et qua digna fuit in se suscipere Christum lucem veram. Unde eleganter dicit quidam: Si crystallus fit humesta, atque soli fit subiecta, scintillat igniculum. Nec crystallus nec in partu soluitur pudoris signaculum Sanctus Albertus Magnus, De Laudibus Beatae Mariae Virginis, Liber Quartus, De Virtutibus Mariae, Caput IX, De Virginitate Mariae Source: Here, p113

The virginity of Mary was privileged in many ways. She was prefigured by certain works of the patriarchs. Indeed she was prefigured by the crystal window which Noah made in the ark according to the traditions of the Hebrews, which crystal excluded the water and received light from elsewhere. Mary is the ark, the crystal window is her virginity, which kept from her the water of carnal pleasure and by which she was worthy to receive Christ into herself, the true light. Whence elegantly it has been said that if crystal is moistened and exposed to the sun, it flashes with sparks. The crystal does not dissolve, nor does the seal of modesty in her delivery. Saint Albert The Great, On the Praises of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Book 4, On The Virtues of Mary, Chapter 9, On The Virginity of Mary

Virginity And Virtue

Ὅτι ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ· ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μακαριοῦοί με πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί. Ἀλλ' οἷον τὸ τῆς παρθενίας χρῆμα; Τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλας ἀρετὰς ἀσκῆσαι θέλων ἕκαστος, ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ῥυθμίζεται, δὲ παρθενία, τὸν νόμον ὑπερβᾶσα καὶ μείζονι σκοπῷ τὴν ἀγωγὴν τῆς πολιτείας ἔχουσα, γνώρισμα μέν ἐστι τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, εἰκὼν δὲ τῆς τῶν ἀγγέλων καθαρότητος. Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν εἰπεῖν τις ἔχοι περὶ αὐτῆς· ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἐν φανεροῖς ἐνδιατρίβω λέγων, ἓν ἀντὶ πάντων τοῦτ’ εἰπών, τῆς ἀρετῆς ταύτης δείξω τὸ μέγεθος. Ὁ γὰρ Δεσπότης τοῦ παντὸς ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, θέλοντος τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀνεγεῖραι καὶ ἀνακαινίσαι τὰ πάντα, μητέρα τοῦ σώματος οὗ ἔμελλε φορεῖν οὐδένα πλὴν παρθένον ἠθέλησε γενέσθαι καὶ γέγονε· καὶ οὕτως ἡμῖν ἅνθρωπος ἐπεδήμησεν ὁ Κύριος· ἵν’ ὥσπερ τὰ πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, οὕτω καὶ παρθενία ἐξ αὐτοῦ γένηται καὶ δι’ αὐτοῦ πάλιν εἰς ἀνθρώπους χάρις αὕτη δοθῇ καὶ αὔξουσα διαμείνῃ. Ὅσον τοίνυν καύχημα παρθένων ἐστὶ τοῦτο καὶ γνώρισμα τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ θεότητος, ἔξεστιν ἐκ τούτου μαθεῖν· Εἰ τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων οἱ γονεῖς εἶσι περίβλεπτοι διὰ τὴν τῶν υἱῶν ἀνδρίαν καὶ χαίρει Σάρρα τεκοῦσα τὸν Ἰσαάκ, καὶ μακάριοι ὅσοι ἔχουσιν ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὥς φησιν ὁ προφήτης, πόσον ἄν τις εἴποι τὸ καύχημα τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου καὶ θεοειδοῦς Μαρίας, ὅτι μήτηρ Λόγου κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν τῆς σαρκὸς γέγονέ τε καὶ χρηματίζει; καὶ γὰρ τὸν θεῖον τόκον τοῦτον στρατιὰ μὲν ἀγγέλων ὕμνησε· γυνὴ δὲ τὴνφωνὴν ἐπάρασα ἔλεγε· Μακαρία κοιλία ἡ βαοτάσασά σε καὶ μαστοὶ οὓς ἐθήλασας. Καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ κυριοτόκος Μαρία καὶ ἀειπάρθενος, εἰδυῖα τὸ έν αὐτῇ γενόμενον, ἔλεγεν· Ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μακαριοῦσί με πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί. Ὃ δε γέγονε τῇ Μαρίᾳ, τοῦτο πάσαις ταῖς παρθένοις εἰς εὔκλειάν ἐστιν. Αὗται γὰρ ὡς ἀπὸ ρίζης ἐκείνης λοιπον κλάδοι κρέμανται παρθενικαί. Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος ο Μέγας, Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 27.1393a-c

For He has looked on the humility of His handmaiden, and behold now all generations will call me blessed. 1 But what sort of thing is this virginity? If someone wishes to exert themselves in some other virtue, they are directed by the law, but virginity, which exceeds the law, even works the establishment of a greater goal of life, indicating the future life, it being an image of angelic purity. I might say many things in support of this, but lest I delay too much in speaking of obvious things, one thing among all I shall speak of that I might show that this virtue is superior to all the others. For God the Word, the Lord of all, when the Father wished to renew and raise up all things, chose for the mother of the body He would bear nothing else but virginity, which was done and so the Lord dwelt as a man among us, whence as everything was made through Him, 2 so virginity was lifted up by Him, and through Him was given as a grace to men and guarded for growth. That virginity is so glorious that it is an indication of His Divinity, one may learn by considering that if the parents of the holy martyrs are amazed by the fortitude of their children, if Sarah rejoiced to give birth to Isaac, and blessed is every seed of Sion and the families of Jerusalem, as the Prophet says, 3 how much more might one say and proclaim it of the glory of the Holy Virgin and blessed Mary, who was the mother of the Word according to the birth of the flesh? Indeed that Divine birth was celebrated by a host of angels, 4 and a woman with raised voice said, 'Blessed the womb that bore you and the breasts that gave you suck.' 5 For indeed that bearer of the Lord, the ever virgin Mary, when she knew she carried Him in herself, said: 'From now all generations will call me blessed.' 6 He whom Mary carried, is the glory of all virgins. For from that root they hang as virgin branches. Saint Athanasius The Great, Fragment on Luke 1 Lk 1.48 2 Jn 1.3 3 Isaiah 35.10 4 Lk 2.13-14 5 Lk 11.27 6 Lk 1.48

The Ninevites And The Queen Of The South

Viri ninevitae surgent in iudicio cum generatione ista et condemnabunt eam quia paenitentiam egerunt in praedicatione Ionae et ecce plus quam Iona hic. Regina austri surget in iudicio cum generatione ista et condemnabit eam quia venit a finibus terrae audire sapientiam Salomonis et ecce plus quam Salomon hic. Legitur in Paralipomenon, et libro Regum quod regina Saba per multas difficultas, relicto suo imperio, venit in Judaeam audire sapientiam Salomonis, et ei multa munera deferens, ab eo plura recepit. Non solum Ninivitae condemnabunt eam comparatione, sed etiam regina austri, quia ab ultimis terrae finibus venit audire sapientiam Salomonis sine lege, sine prophetis, Judaica vero plebs habet legem, habet prophetas, videt Christum, videt opera, et tamen sapientiam ejus non vult audire. Condemnabit igitur eam similiter comparatione, quia ecce hic, hoc est, Judaeos est plus quam Salomon, id est Christus. Mystice vero per Ninivitas et reginam, totus gentilis populus ad fidem conversus significatur. Ninivitae enim significant eos qui peccare desistunt. Regina vero eos qui peccare nesciunt. Poenitentia enim peccatum abolet, sapientia cavet. Nec ideo dicitur, quod regina non peccavisset, quia de peccatis ejus Scriptura nihil dicit, imo eam sapientiae studuisse asserit. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput XII Source: Migne PL 162.1365c-d

The men of Nineveh will rise up in judgement against this generation and they will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and, behold, one greater than Jonah is here. And the queen of the south shall rise up in judgement against this generation and she will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and, behold, one greater than Solomon is here. 1 In Chronicles and the the book of Kings we read that the queen of Sheba, through many difficulties, abandoning her land, came to Judea to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and she brought with her many gifts, and received many from him. 2 Not only the Ninevites shall condemn this generation by comparison, but even the queen of the south shall, because she came from the very ends of the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and that without the law, and without the prophets, but the Jewish people had the law and the prophets, and saw Christ, and His works, yet they did not wish to listen to his wisdom. Therefore she condemns with a similar comparison, because, behold, here among the Jews is one greater than Solomon, that is, Christ. But mystically by the Ninevites and the queen is signified the conversion of the Gentile people to the faith. For the Ninevites signify those who desist from sin. The queen those who do not know sin. For penitence washes away sin, but wisdom warns one against it. Not that it is said that the queen never sinned, for Scripture says nothing about her sins, rather it asserts she was most eager for wisdom. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 12 1 Mt 12.41-42 2 3 Kings 10.1-13

Praying Well

Tὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνώτισαι Kύριε σύνες τῆς κραυγῆς μου, πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου ὁ βασιλεύς μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου... Πολλαῖς καὶ πάντοθεν βαλλομένη τρικυμίιας ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησία, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐκάστη ψυχὴ τὸν εὐσεβῆ βίον ἀσπαζομένη περιγίνεται καὶ τοῦ κλύδωνος ὑπερνήξεται, τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν καλοῦσα διηνεκῶς, Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκπαιδεύει λόγος, διδάσκων ὅπως προσήκει τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα λιπαρεῖν τε καὶ ἰκετεύειν· καὶ διδάσκει λέγων· Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἑνώτισαι, Κύριε, σύνες τῇ κραυγῇ μου, πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Ἀλλ' οὔτε τὴν Κραυγὴν κραυγὴν νοητέον, οὔτε τὰ ὦτα ὦτα· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων σωματικώτερον ἔθος τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ λαλεῖν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων μορίων τὰς θείας ἐνεργείας ἀποκαλεῖν· ὀφθαλμοὺς τὴν ὀπτικὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀκουστικὴν ὦτα, καὶ τἄλλα ὡσαύτως. Κραυγὴν δὲ, ἐπὶ τῶν εὐχομένων τὴν προθυμίαν καελῖ, καὶ τὴν σπουδαίαν τῆς διανοίας ἰκετείαν. Τὸ δὲ ἐνώτισαι, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἴδω τῶν ὤτων σου γενέσθω μου τῆς προσευχῆς τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ εὐμενῶς ἄκουσον τῆς ἐμῆς ἰκετείας, καὶ πρόσχες ἀκριβως τοῖς τῆς δεήσεώς μου λόγοις, ἐπειδή σε Θεὸν οἶδα καὶ βασιλέα. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός Ε´ Source: Migne PG 80.896b

With your ears attend to my words, O Lord, understand my cry, look upon the voice of my prayer, my king and my God.... 1 From every direction many great waves strike the church of God, but indeed each soul which embraces the pious life is lifted above them and floats above the billows, continually imploring Divine aid. The word of the prophet instructs us concerning this, teaching us how to entreat God and decently petition the king, saying, 'With your ears attend to my words, O Lord, understand my cry, look upon the voice of my prayer.' Truly neither 'cry' should be understood as a cry, nor 'ears' as ears, for the Sacred Scriptures are accustomed to speak of the God of all things as a corporeal thing, and similarly to name the Divine operations after human members, 'eyes' for the power of seeing, 'ears' for hearing, and likewise with other things. What he calls 'a cry,' however, is the intent of the will for prayer and the strenuous supplication of the mind. So 'With your ears attend...' and the rest, is the same as: 'May the words of my petition enter into your ears and kindly hear my prayers, diligently attending to the reasons for my supplication, because I know you are God and King.' Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 5 1 Ps 5.2-3

Mercy And Salvation

Qui eduxit Israel per medium eorum, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius. Per medium Aegyptiorum deducit Israel, quando sanctos suos a conversatione liberat pessimorum, et a mundi istius habitione teterrima in lucem suae veritatis adducit. Qui excussit Pharaonem et exercitum eius in mare Rubrum, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius. Diabolum cum ministris suis in fontem salutis excutit, quando eos a nobis potentiae suae virtute removerit. Excutit autem dixit, tanquam pulverem proiicit, ut de hac celeritate et virtutem divinitatis ostenderet, et illos terrenas sordes esse monstraret. Qui transduxit populum suum per desertum, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius. Per desertum nos traiicit, quando per hoc saeculum transire facit illaesos; soli enim evadunt qui mundi istius mala pertranseunt. Caeterum qui in istis haeserit, ad praemia divina non pervenit. Desertus enim ideo dicitur mundus, quia divina electione privatus. Et merito sic vocatur, quia ad se venientem non recepit Auctorem. Qui eduxit aquam de petra rupis, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius. Educit aquam de petra rupis, quando sterilia corda mortalium salutares rivulos fecerit proferre lacrymarum; ut qui sunt propria siccitate steriles, reddantur divina largitate manabiles. De petra rupis ad auxesim positum est, quoniam non parva, sed ingentia et dura saxa sunt, quae in magnitudinem rupis eriguntur. Qui percussit reges magnos, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius. Percutit reges magnos, quando in corde nostro impia desideria coelestis miserator exstinxerit. Tunc enim nos vivimus, dum illa moriuntur; et contraria sorte necesse est nos occumbere, si contingat illa superare. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus CXXXV Source: Migne PL 70.971c-972c

He who led Israel from the midst of them, because His mercy is forever. 1 He leads Israel from the midst of the Egyptians when He liberates His holy ones from assocation with the worst of folk, and leads them from the wretched dwelling of this earth into the light of His truth. He who overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red sea, because His mercy is forever. 2 He overthrows the devil with his ministers in the fount of salvation, when they are removed from us by the power of His virtue. For it says He strikes them just as dust is driven off, and with the swiftness of it and the power of His Divinity, they are shown to be earthly filth. He who guided His people through the desert, because His mercy is forever. 3 He guides us through the desert when He makes us pass unharmed through this world, for only they escape who pass through the evils of this world. And he who cleaves to such things, he does not come to the Divine reward. Therefore the world is called a waste because it lacks Divine election. And rightly it is so called, because it did not receive its Creator when He came to it. He who drew water from the rock, because His mercy is forever. 4 He draws water for the rock, who makes salutary rivers of tears flow from sterile mortal hearts, so that they who in themselves are utterly dry, produce running waters by the Divine largess. And this rock is given as a help, because it is not a little thing, but a great and hard stone, in the greatness of which the waters flow. He who struck great kings, because His mercy is forever. 5 He strikes great kings, when in our hearts the Merciful one of heaven extinguishes wicked desires. For then we live when they die, and contrariwise it is necessary that we die if they prevail. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 135 1 Ps 135.11 2 Ps 135.13 3 Ps 135.16 4 Ps 135.16 LXX 5 Ps 135.17

Three Kinds Of Enemy

Eduxi te de terra Aegypti... Egredientes de Aegypto Deus a tribus generibus hostium liberavit: In Aegypto ab Aegyptiis insequentibus, in medio ab Amalecitis, in ingressa terrae promissionis ab Amorrhaeis occurentibus. Sunt igitur generae hostium tria, a tergo, a latere, a facie. Primi in conversione; secundi in conversatione, quasi in medio; tertii in solutione carnis et animae, et ita in fine. Haec sunt illa tria difficilia apud Solomonem. Via colubri super terram, id est, suggestio; via navis inmedio maris, id est tentatio vitae hominis super terram in amaritudine; via aquilae in coelo, id est intentio alicujus circa finem, scilicet contemplatio, qua in coelum pennis virtutum anima justi quasi aquila volat. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber III, Tit XXIII Source: Migne PL 177.647a-b

I led you out of the land of Egypt...1 He freed those going out of Egypt from three kinds of enemy: in Egypt from the pursuing Egyptians, in the midst of the journey from the Amalekites, and on entering the Promised Land from encounters with the Amorites. There are therefore three types of enemy, from behind, from the side, and from in front. The first come in association, the second in living, as in the middle, and the third in the dissolution of the flesh and the soul, and thus at the end. These are the three difficulties mentioned by Solomon. 2 'The way of a serpent on the earth,' that is, suggestion; 'the track of a ship in the midst of the sea,' that is, the trial of life of a man on the earth amid bitterness; 'the way of an eagle on high,' that is the thought someone gives to the end, that is, contemplation, by which the soul of the righteous man flies like an eagle in heaven on the wings of the virtues. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 3, Chap 23 1 Mich 6.4 2 Prov 30.18-19

Earning A Crown

Ἐφ' ὕβρει, καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ, καὶ ἐπιβουλῇ τῇ καθ' ἡμῶν διὰ παντὸς ἰδρῦσθαι βούλονται οἱ δαίμονες, ἀλλὰ καθὼς λέγει ὁ Προφήτης, αἰσχυνθήσονται οἱ καθ' ἡμῶν ἐφ' ὕβρει, καὶ ὑψηλῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται. Ἡμῖν δὲ ἔσται ὁ στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ δόξης, καὶ ἀφθαρσίας, ὁ πλακεὶς τοῖς τὸν Κύριον ὑπομένουσιν. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ Ε´ Μαρκελλινῳ Μοναχῳ Source: Migne PG 79.85a

In their pride and without shame demons always wish to prevail against us, but as the Prophet says, they who are opposed to us in their pride shall be disgraced and their elated hearts shall be humbled. 1 But for us there shall be a crown of life and glory, incorruptible, fashioned for those who endure for the Lord. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 5, to Marcellinus the Monk 1 Ps 39.15

Hope And Goods

Ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κοιμηθήσομαι καὶ ὑπνώσω... Εἰ καὶ οὕτοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἡδέων αὑτοῖς ἔδοξαν πληθύνεσθαι, ἀλλά γε ἐγὼ προσδοκῶν αἰῶνα μέλλοντα καὶ μισθὸν ὀρθῆς πολιτείας, πάσης ταραχῆς ἐκτὸς διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα γεγονώς, ̓Επὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κοιμηθήσομαι καὶ ὑπνώσωμαι, κοίμησιν καὶ ὕπνον λέγων τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ βίου ἀναχώρησιν· ἀποδιδοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ κεκοιμῆσθαι καὶ ὑπνωκέναι ἐν εἰρήνῃ εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν ὅτι ̓Επ' ἐλπίδι κατῴκισάς με. Eἴρηται δὲ καὶ ἐν ̓Ωσηὲ πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ Κατοικιῶ σε ἐπ' ἐλπίδι. ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο θεὸς ἐλπίδα μελλόντων θείων ἀγαθῶν προτείνων τοῖς κατοικιζομένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐν διανοητικῇ καὶ πρακτικῇ ἀρετῇ καὶ ἐν δόγμασιν ἀληθείας καὶ θεσμοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Δ´ Source: Migne PG 39.1168c

In peace, in a moment, I shall sleep and dream... 1 Even if these things seem to be fulfilled as a matter of pleasure, yet I hope for the coming age and the reward of true citizenship, hope casting off every trouble. 'In a moment I shall sleep and dream.' And by this sleeping and dreaming he speaks of withdrawal from life, and the cause of sleep and dreaming in peace is thereupon given: 'He has established me in hope.' And it says in Hosea, to the soul before the face of God, 'I establish you in hope.' 2 And it is God that makes this hope of the offering of future Divine goods, to those who dwell by Him in virtuous understanding and deeds, and in true holy and ecclesiastical teaching. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 4 1 Ps 4.8 2 Hosea 2.18