Very Superstitious

Εἰκότως τοίνυν δεισιδαίμονες περὶ τοὺς εὐοργήτους γινόμενοι πάντα σημεῖα ἡγοῦνται εἶναι τὰ συμβαίνοντα καὶ κακῶν αἴτια· ἐὰν μῦς διορύξῃ βωμὸν ὄντα πήλινον κἂν μηδὲν ἄλλο ἔχων διατράγῃ θύλακον, ἀλεκτρυὼν τρεφόμενος ἐὰν ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ᾄσῃ, τιθέμενοι τοῦτο σημεῖόν τινος. Τοιοῦτόν τινα ἐν τῷ ∆εισιδαίμονι ὁ Μένανδρος διακωμῳδεῖ· Ἀγαθόν τι γένοιτό μοι, ὦ πολυτίμητοι θεοί, ὑποδούμενος τὸν ἱμάντα τῆς δεξιᾶς ἐμβάδος διέρρηξα. Εἰκότως, ὦ φλήναφε· σαπρὸς γὰρ ἦν, σὺ δὲ σμικρολόγος οὐ θέλων καινὰς πρίασθαι. Χαρίεν τὸ τοῦ Ἀντιφῶντος· οἰωνισαμένου τινός, ὅτι κατέφαγεν ὗς τὰ δελφάκια, θεασάμενος αὐτὴν ὑπὸ λιμοῦ διὰ μικροψυχίαν τοῦ τρέφοντος κατισχναμένην, χαῖρε, εἶπεν, ἐπὶ τῷ σημείῳ, ὅτι οὕτω πεινῶσα τὰ σὰ οὐκ ἔφαγεν τέκνα. Τί δὲ καὶ θαυμαστόν, εἰ ὁ μῦς, » φησὶν ὁ Βίων, τὸν θύλακον διέτραγεν, οὐχ εὑρὼν ὅ τι φάγῃ; τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν θαυμαστόν, εἰ, ὥσπερ Ἀρκεσίλαος παίζων ἐνεχείρει, τὸν μῦν ὁ θῦλαξ κατέφαγεν. Εὖ γοῦν καὶ ∆ιογένης πρὸς τὸν θαυμάζοντα, ὅτι εὗρεν τὸν ὄφιν ἐν τῷ ὑπέρῳ περιειλημένον, μὴ θαύμαζε, ἔφη· ἦν γὰρ παραδοξότερον ἐκεῖνο, εἰ τὸ ὕπερον περὶ ὀρθῷ τῷ ὄφει κατειλημένον ἐθεάσω. ∆εῖ γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἄλογα τῶν ζῴων τρέχειν καὶ θεῖν καὶ μάχεσθαι καὶ τίκτειν καὶ ἀποθνῄσκειν, ἃ δή, ἐκείνοις ὄντα κατὰ φύσιν, οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἡμῖν γένοιτο παρὰ φύσιν· Ὄρνιθες δέ τε πολλοὶ ὑπ' αὐγὰς ἠελίοιο φοιτῶσιν. Ὁ κωμικὸς δὲ Φιλήμων καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κωμῳδεῖ· Ὅταν ἴδω παρατηροῦντα, τίς ἔπταρεν ἢ τίς ἐλάλησεν, ἤ, τίς ἐστιν ὁ προϊών, σκοποῦντα, πωλῶ τοῦτον εὐθὺς ἐν ἀγορᾷ. Αὑτῷ βαδίζει καὶ λαλεῖ καὶ πτάρνυται ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, οὐχὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει. Τὰ πράγματα ὡς πέφυκεν, οὕτως γίγνεται. Εἶτα νήφοντες μὲν ὑγείαν αἰτοῦνται, ὑπερεμπιπλάμενοι δὲ καὶ μέθαις ἐγκυλιόμενοι κατὰ τὰς ἑορτὰς νόσους ἐπισπῶνται. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τὰς γραφὰς δεδίασι τὰς ἀνακειμένας. Ἀστείως πάνυ ὁ ∆ιογένης, ἐπὶ οἰκίᾳ μοχθηροῦ τινος εὑρὼν ἐπιγεγραμμένον· Ὁ καλλίνικος Ἡρακλῆς ἐνθάδε κατοικεῖ· μηδὲν εἰσίτω κακόν, καὶ πῶς, ἔφη, ὁ κύριος εἰσελεύσεται τῆς οἰκίας; Οἱ αὐτοὶ δ' οὗτοι πᾶν ξύλον καὶ πάντα λίθον, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, λιπαρὸν προσκυνοῦντες, ἔρια πυρρὰ καὶ ἁλῶν χόνδρους καὶ δᾷδας σκίλλαν τε καὶ θεῖον δεδίασι, πρὸς τῶν γοήτων καταγοητευθέντες κατά τινας ἀκαθάρτους καθαρμούς. Θεὸς δέ, ὁ τῷ ὄντι θεός, ἅγιον μόνον οἶδεν τὸ τοῦ δικαίου ἦθος, ὥσπερ ἐναγὲς τὸ ἄδικον καὶ μοχθηρόν Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Ζ', Κεφ' Δ' Source: Migne PG 9.429b-433b

It is natural, then, that because of fear of angry gods, they treat everything as signs and causes of evils. If a mouse bores through an altar of clay, or else gnaws through an oil flask for want of anything else; if a cock that is being fattened up crows at evening, they judge such things to be a sign of something. Menander gives a comic description of such a fellow in 'The Superstitious Man': 'May good fortune be mine, O honoured gods! The strap of my right sandal broke as I walked. More likely, babbler, it's because it was rotten, For you, you miser, will not buy new ones.' When it was considered a bad omen that a sow had eaten her piglets, on seeing her emaciated because of the meanness of the man who kept her, Antiphon agreeably remarked:, 'Rejoice over this sign: that even though she is starving, she did not eat your own children.' 'And why is it a wonder,' says Bion, 'if a mouse, finding nothing to eat, gnaws a bag?' For it would be a wonder if, as Arcesilaus argued in jest, 'the bag had eaten the mouse.' Indeed Diogenes spoke well to a man who wondered at finding a snake coiled round a pestle: 'Don't wonder at that; it would have been more wonderful if you had seen the pestle coiled around the snake, and the snake had been straightened out.' For irrational creatures must run and scamper and fight and breed and die, and since these things are natural to them, they can never be unnatural to us. 'And many birds beneath the sunbeams range.' 1 And the comic poet Philemon ridicules such things: 'When I see a watcher of who has sneezed, Or who has spoke, or who goes away first, I immediately sell him off in the market. Each one of us sneezes, talks and walks For his own self, not for others in the city: According to their nature things will be.' Then by temperance men seek health, and by stuffing themselves and rolling about in drink at feasts they attract diseases. There are many, too, who are in awe of inscriptions which have been set up. Finding in the house of a wicked man the inscription, 'Hercules, famed for victory, dwells here; let nothing bad enter,' Diogenes very neatly remarked, 'And how shall the master of the house go in?' The same folk who worship every stick and every oily stone, as the saying is, tremble before ruddy wool, lumps of salt, pine torches, and squills, and sulphur, all bewitched by sorcerers in certain foul rites of expiation. But God, the true God, knows as holy only the character of the righteous man, and as unholy, unrighteousness and wickedness. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 7, Chapter 4 1 Hom Odyssey 2.181-2

The Saving and the Ruinous Sword

Qui das salutem regibus, qui liberas David servum tuum de gladio maligno. Reges, homines justos significat et veraces, qui regunt, ut diximus, adjutorio Domini corpora sua. Istis ergo regibus Dominus dat salutem cum eos a vitiis carnalibus liberos facit; de quibus in Sapientia dicitur: Dat regnum regibus. Liberas David, ad pugnam respicit Goliae; ut qui liberatus fuerat corporaliter, spiritualiter victor esset immanium quoque vitiorum. De gladio maligno, diaboli significat potestatem. Quia et Domini gladius legitur; sed illum benignum esse non dubium est, sicut dicit in Evangelio: Non veni pacem mittere in terram, sed gladium. Quapropter malignus est gladius diaboli, quia dividit a bonis; benignus est autem gladius Domini, quoniam separat a malis. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus CXLIII Source: Migne PL 70.1019a-b

You who give salvation to kings, who freed your servant David from the wicked sword... 1 'Kings,' signifies righteous and true men, who rule, as we have said, their bodies by the help of the Lord. Therefore to these kings the Lord gives salvation when he frees than from carnal vices, concerning which it is said in Wisdom: 'He gives the kingdom to kings.' 2 'He who freed,' looks to the fight with Goliath, so that he who was freed bodily, may also be a victor spiritually over monstrous vices. The wicked sword signifies the power of the devil. Because even the Lord has a sword, it is said, but this is undoubtedly one that is kindly, as it says in the Gospel: 'I have not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword.' 3 Whence the sword of the devil is wicked, because it cuts one off from goods, but the sword of the Lord is benign because it separates one from evils. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 143 1 Ps 143.10 2 Wisd 9.7 3 Mt 10.34

The Dragon Cast Down

Et draco pugnabat, et angeli ejus... Angeli Satanae non illi tantum qui ei natura sunt et voluntate similes, sed et homines eorum laqueis irretiti, sunt intelligendi. Et non valuerunt. Silicet, toto tempore. Neque locus inventus est eorum amplius in coelo. Et projectus est draco ille magnus in terram. Antiquus hostis de spiritualibus expulsus, arctius in terrenis includitur. Hoc est de coelo praecipitari, et in terram mitti. Cui dicitur: Terram comedes cunctis diebus. In qua terra sanctorum pedibus conteritur, sicut scriptum est: Super aspidem et basiliscum ambulabis. Sanctus Beda, Explanatio Apocalyspsis, Liber II, Caput XII Source: Migne PL 93.167c

And the dragon fought, and his angels... 1 The angels of Satan are to be understood not only as those who are like him in nature and will, but even men who have been caught in their snares. And they did not prevail... That is, for all time. There was no place in heaven for them anymore. And the great dragon was cast down to earth. The ancient enemy, expelled from spiritual things, is closely shut up in the earth. This is to be thrown from heaven and to be cast onto the earth. To whom it is said: 'You shall eat of the earth all of your days.' 2 Which earth is trodden down by the feet of the holy, as it is written: 'You shall walk on the serpent and the basilisk.' 3 St Bede, Commentary On The Apocalypse, Book 2, Chapter 12 1 Apoc 12.7-9 2 Gen 3.14 3 Ps 90.13

Freeing From The Snare

Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium... Ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium. Ergone bestiae sumus nos? Bestiae prorsus. Homo enim cum in honore esset, non intellexit: comparatus est jumentis insipientibus, et similis factus est illis. Bestiae profecto sunt homines, oves errantes non habentes pastorem. Quid superbis, o homo? quid te sciolum jactas? Vide quia bestia factus es, cui venandae laquei praeparantur. Sed qui sunt venatores isti? Venatores utique pessimi et nequissimi, callidissimi et crudelissimi. Venatores, qui cornu non sonant, ut non audiantur, sed sagittant in occultis immaculatum. Ipsi rectores sunt tenebrarum harum, astutissimi nequitia et versutia diabolicae fraudis: ita ut sicut est ante venatorem bestia, sic ad eorum comparationem sit quilibet astutissimus hominum, praeter eos duntaxat, qui cum Apostolo non ignorant cogitationes eorum, quibus in Dei sapientia datum est fraudes deprehendere malignorum. Obsecro vos, novellae plantationes Dei, vos qui nondum exercitatos habetis sensus ad discretionem boni et mali, nolite sequi cordis vestri judicium, nolite abundare in sensu vestro; ne vos, tanquam rudes adhuc, versutus ille venator decipiat. Nam silvestribus illis et omnino bestialibus bestiis, saeculares homines loquor, apertos satis expandit laqueos, utpote quos facile capiendos esse non dubitat. Vobis autem, qui tanquam prudentiores cervi serpentes necatis, et desideratis ad fontem vivum, subtiliores occultat laqueos, et callidiora fraudis suae argumenta conquirit. Unde, obsecro vos, humiliamini sub potenti manu Dei pastoris vestri, et acquiescite eorum consiliis, qui melius norunt venatoris illius versutias, edocti diuturno longi temporis exercitio, et crebris experimentis, tam in se, quam in multis. Sed ecce quia jam venatores et bestias novimus; quisnam sit laqueus iste quaerendum est. Nolo ego adinvenire ex me, nec dubium aliquid tradere vobis. Ostendat nobis Apostolus laqueum istum: ipse enim venatorum illorum non ignorat cogitationes. Dic nobis, inquam, beate Paule, quis sit laqueus iste diaboli, a quo se liberatam fidelis anima congratulatur. Qui volunt, inquit, divites fieri in hoc saeculo, incidunt in tentationes, et in laqueum diaboli. Ergone laqueus diaboli, divitiae sunt hujus saeculi? Heu quam paucos invenimus, qui ab hoc laqueo liberari exsultent! quam multos, qui dolent quod parum sibi videntur irretiti; et adhuc quantum possunt, ipsi se involvere et intricare laborant! Vos qui reliquistis omnia, et secuti estis non habentem ubi caput suum reclinaret, Filium hominis, exsultate, et dicite: Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium. Confitemini illi toto corde, tota anima, tota virtute, et ex ipsis medullis cordis gratias ei agite, dicentes: Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, In Psalmum XC, Sermo III, De versu tertio, Deus meus, sperabo in eum. Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium, et a verbo aspero Source: Migne PL 183.190c-191c

Because He freed me for the snare of the hunters... 1 He freed me from the snare of the hunters. Are we then beasts? Indeed we are. 'When a man is in honour, he does not understand, he is like the mindless beasts and he has been made like them.' 2 Truly men are beasts, wandering sheep who do not have a shepherd. 3 Why so proud, O man? Why vaunt your knowledge? See that you are made a beast, for whom the hunting trap has been prepared. But who are these hunters? Hunters are the worst, and the most wicked, the most cunning and the most cruel. Hunters who do not blow a horn, and that so that they are not heard, but from hidden places they shoot shafts at the immaculate. 4 They are the rulers of this darkness, 5 most clever in evil and most capable in the deceits of the devil. Thus as there are beasts before the hunter, they may be compared to very cunning men, if we may except those who, at least, with the Apostle, are not ignorant of their plots, 6 who by the wisdom of God that has been given them grasp the deceits of the wicked. I beseech you, new plantings of God, you who have not yet exerted yourself in the understanding of the discretion of good and evil, do not follow the judgements of your hearts, do not abound in your own minds, lest you, as creatures who are yet untrained, are seized by the cunning hunter. For in those woods with the feral beasts, I speak of worldly men, he openly sets down his traps, for they are undoubtedly easily caught, but for you, who are as the watchful stag which stamps on the serpent, desiring the fount of living waters, he hides more subtle traps, and he overthrows with the delusions of his clever arguments. Whence I beg you, be humble beneath the powerful hand of God your shepherd, and cleave to the council of those who better know the tricks of the hunter, being taught by the long time of daily exertions, and frequent trials, more in them than in the many. Now that you know the hunters and the beasts, it must be asked what the trap is. I do not wish to bring this forth from myself, nor do I doubt I have something to give you. Let Paul the Apostle reveal this trap, for he was not ignorant of the plots of the hunters. Say to us, Paul, what is this trap of the devil, from which the faithful soul that is freed will give thanks. He says: 'He who wishes to be rich in this world, he falls into temptations, and into the trap of the devil.' 7 Is this, then, not the trap of the devil, the wealth of this world? Alas, how few do we find who would exult to be liberated from this snare. How many who grieve to see themselves entangled only a little there. And then how many there are who strive to catch and fix themselves there. You who have left everything, and having followed have no place to rest your head, 8 praise the Son of Man and say 'Because He freed me from the snare of the hunters.' Confess to Him with your whole heart and with all your soul and all your strength, 9 and from the depths of your heart give thanks to Him, saying, 'Because He freed me from the snare of the hunters.' Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for the Year, On Psalm 90, from The Third Sermon, On the third verse, 'My God, I shall hope in him, because He frees me from the trap of the hunter and the bitter word...' 1 Ps 90.3 2 Ps 48.13 3 Mk 6.34 4 Ps 10.4 5 Ephes 6.12 6 2 Cor 2.11 7 Tim 6.9 8 Lk 9.58 9 Mk 12.30, Deut 6.4-7

Humility And Pride

Humilitatem illam veram et sanctam dico, quam religionis et Dei amor suadet, non timor dominationis extorquet. Illius humilitatis facimus mentionem quae charitatis est juncta consortio; quae non auctoritate extorquetur imperii, sed nutritur lege vivendi. Nemo profecto mores naturae tantum vitiis aestimet imputandos, cum facultate nutritur supercilium, cum potestate crescit imperium. Quando igitur infirmis corporibus sufficeret medicina, si cum homine nascerentur et vulnera? Nutritur superbia, dum hic se verbris sapientiorem, natalibus judicat ille meliorem; hic dum non vult loco moveri, ille dum putat se posse contemni. Ita videndum vitio superbia odia crescere in comparatione personae: dum hic adulantium oculis auri argentique ponus ingerit, ille ambitum honoris opponit; hic dum in se praefert abundantiam opum, ille sermonum, hic dum se vult propter consilium expeti, ille propterr convivium desisderat salutari. Enumerari vix possunt vitia superbiae, quae si homo vincere aut cavere posset, nullum laqueum diabolicae damnationis incurreret. Sanctus Valerianus Cemeliensis, Homilia XIV, De bono humilitatis Source: Migne PL 52.736b-c

I say that humility is true and holy which religon and the love of God teaches, not that which the fear of domination demands. We refer to that humility which is a bound consort of love, which no authority of office extorts but is nourished by the law of life. Let no one think that vices should be imputed only to the ways of nature, when capability nutures arrogance and power grows with position. Would then medicine suffice for a fault of the body if man were born with wounds? Pride is nourished when this one deems himself wiser in words, and another judges himself better by lineage, when one is unwilling to be moved from his place, and another thinks it is possible that he is scorned. Thus when we compare people we must see hatreds grow because of the vice of pride. While one man heaps up a mass of gold and silver in the eyes of his flatters, that one opposes with boasts of honour. While this one exalts himself in his abundant resources, another does so with his oratory. While one wishes to be sought because of his counsel, that one desires to be hailed for the feasts he holds. One can scarcely count the vices that spring from pride, which if a man could conquer avoid, he would not rush into any snare of the Devil's damnation. Saint Valerian of Cimelium, from Homily 14, On The Good of Humility

The Three Tyrants

Tres sunt tyranni qui contra nos acies suas producunt: diabolus, mundus, et caro. In exercitu diaboli militant vitia; in castris mundi prospera et adversa; in societate carnis desideria terrena. Ex his tribus duo tertio conjuraverunt ad subversionem nostram. Mundus enim et caro diabolo auxilium ferunt contra nos: unus est vicinus, alter domesticus. Mundus enim juxta nos est, caro nobiscum. Idcirco confidit diabolus magis in auxilio carnis, quia plus nocet domesticus hostis. Diabolum vincimus, quando suggestionibus ejus resistimus; mundum vincimus, quando nec appetimus prospera, nec timemus adversa; carnem vincimus, quando ejus desideria nec extinguimus in neccessariis, nec at licita relaximus. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber I, Tit CXCV, De Tribus Tryannis Source: Migne PL 177.585d

There are three tyrants who lead their armies against us, the devil, the world, and the flesh. In the army of the devil the vices fight, in the camp of the world prosperity and adversity, in the company of the flesh, worldly desires. From these three two are joined to the third for our overthrow. For the world and the flesh are an aid to the devil brought against us, one as a neighbour, the other as a servant in the house. The world is next to us, the flesh is with us. Therefore the devil trusts more in the help of the flesh, because an enemy in the house harms us more. We conquer the devil when we resist his suggestions. We conquer the world when we do not seek prosperity and we do not fear adversity. We conquer the flesh when we do not suppress its desires in necessary things, nor do we become too lax in what is permitted. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 1, Chap 195, On The Three Tyrants

Seduction And Trial

Sed dices: ut quid talem potestatem Deus diabolo dedit ad seductionem humanam? si enim ille seductionis potestatem non accepisset, tu probationis mercedem habere non poteras. Nisi enim infideles reliciti fuerunt, non eliguntur fideles. Nisi aliquorum facta fuerit refutatio, aliorum non potest fieri electio. Omnis enim seductio non potest esse seductio, nisi habuerit boni colorem, per quod videatur bonum esse quod malum est: et tunc non tantum speciem primam rerum bonarum aspicias, sed causam rerum consideres. Omne enim malum voluit Deus posse latere sub colore boni, et omne bonum voluit esse sub caligine obscuritatis, ut tu nec bonum sine laboure invenias, nec malum sine labore evites: neligens autem nec bonum inveniat, nec malum evadat. Omnia Deus posuit in labore, ut in omni re mercedem praepart, sicut ait Salomon: Quoniam Deus distensionem magnam dedit hominibus, ut distendantur in ea. Et Job Omnis vita nostra tentatio est. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXI Source: Migne PG 56.783-4

But you may say: 'Why did God give the devil such power for the corruption of men?' Because if he had not received the power of seduction, you would not be able to have the reward for trial. For unless the faithless shall fall away, the faithful shall not be chosen. Unless there is the refutation of a certain number, the election of others is not possible. Then there is no possibility of seduction unless it shall take on the colour of the good, by which that which is evil seems to be good. Thus you should not only consider the first sight of good things, but look to the root of them. For God has allowed every evil to be hidden beneath the appearance of good, and every good to be covered by a dark obscurity, so that you do not find good without toil, nor do you avoid evil without labour, whence the negligent neither find good, nor do they escape evil. For God has set a labour in all things, that in everything reward may be prepared, as Solomon says, 'Because God has given a great labour to men, that they be exercised in it.' 1 And Job says 'Our whole life is trial.' 2 Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 21 1 Eccl 3.10 2 Job 7.1

Deserving Excommunication

Contestor ego omni audienti verba prophetiae libri huius si quis adposuerit ad haec adponet Deus super illum plagas scriptas in libro isto, et si quis deminuerit de verbis libri prophetiae huius auferet Deus partem eius de ligno vitae et de civitate sancta, et de his quae scripta sunt in libro isto. Dicit qui testimonium perhibet istorum etiam, amen. Venio cito, amen. Veni Domine Jesu. Contestor, postquam commendavit librum per multas auctoritates, quia scivit quosdam haereticos in Asia, quorum mos erat auferre de libris sanctorum quae suis haeresibus contra irent, et interserere suas haereses, ut ex sanctis suos errores confirmarent, excommunicat omnes qui vel apponunt huic libro vel inde subtrahunt, et hoc est, contestor, et caetera. Dicit, quasi dicat: Ego excommunico, et Jesus excommunicat, qui testimonium perhibet istorum, scilicet Jesus, etiam Amen, id est vera sunt omnia quae dicta sunt, et ideo si quis mutaverit, excommunicetur. Venio cito, Amen, et servate ne mutetis verba, quia ego cito venio, ut vindicem mutatores, dicit Dominus. Verba apostoli, et confirmat Christum cito venturum. Veni, Domine Jesu, dicit apostolus Domino ex nimia affectione desiderantis, ut veniat ad remunerandum. Anselmus Laudunensis, Ennarationes In Apocalypsin, Caput XXII Source: Migne PL 162.1586b-d

I give witness to all who hear the words of prophecy of this book that on him who shall add to these things God shall bring the plagues written in this book, and if someone removes words from the prophecy of this book God shall take from him his part of the tree of life and the holy city, and in all of the things written in this book. He speaks who gives witness to these things, amen. I come quickly, amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 1 'I give witness,' after commending the book by many authorities, because he knows there are heretics in Asia, whose habit it is to remove from the books of the saints what is directed against their heresies and to insert their own heresies so that their errors might be confirmed by the saints, he excommunicates all who add or subtract from this book, and this is, 'I give witness,' and the rest. He speaks as if he said, 'I excommunicate, and Jesus excommunicates, 'He who gives witness to these things,' that is, Jesus. 'Amen,' that is, that all the things spoken here are true, and therefore if someone shall change them, he shall be excommunicate. 'I come quickly.' So guard and do not change the words, because I come quickly, and I shall punish the corrupters, says the Lord. The words of the Apostle then confirm that Christ is to come quickly. 'Come, Lord Jesus,' says the Apostle to the Lord, desiring in an excess of love, that He come to reward. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Apocalypse, Chapter 22 1 Apoc 22.18-19

A Corrupted Book

Clemens apostolorum discipulus, qui Romanae Ecclesiae post apostolos et episcopus et martyr fuit, libros edidit, quia Graece appellantur Ἀναγνωρισμὸς , id est, Recognitio: in quibus cum ex persona Petri apostoli doctrina quasi vere apostolica in quamplurimis exponatur, in aliquibus ita Eunomii domga inseritur, ut nihil aliud quam ipse Eunomius disputare credatur, Filium Dei creatum de nullis exstantibus asseverans. Tum deinde etiam illud adulterii inseritur genus, ut naturam diaboli caeterorumque daemonum non propositi voluntatisque malitia, sed excepta ac separata creaturae produxerit qualitas, qui utique in caeteris omnem rationabilem creaturam docuerit liberi arbitrii facultate donatam. Sunt etiam alia nonnulla libris ejus inserta, quae ecclesiastica regula omnino non recipit. Quid, quaeso, de his sentiendum est? Quod apostolicus vir, imo pene Apostolus, nam ea scribit quae apostoli dicunt, cui Paulus apostolus testimonium dedit, dicens: Cum Clemente, et caeteris adjutoribus meis, quorum nomina sunt in libro vitae: scribebat hoc quod libris vitae contrarium est? An id potius credendum est quod supra diximus, quod perversi homines ad assetionem dogmatum suroum sub virorum sanctorum nomine, tanquam facilius credenda, interserverunt ea quae illi nec sensisse nec scripisse credendi sunt? Rufinus Aquileiensis, De Adulteratione Librorum Origenis Source: Migne PG 17.620b-21b

Clement, the disciple of the Apostles, who was a bishop and a martyr of the Church of Rome after the Apostles, composed some books which in Greek are called 'Anagnorismos', that is 'The Recognition' in which, in the person of the Apostle Peter, a teaching that is very apostolic for the most part is taught, but in some places the teaching of Eunomius is inserted, which can be thought to be nothing but that which Eunomius argued for, asserting that the Son of God was created from nothing. Then finally even that corruption is inserted which claims that the nature of the devil and other demons is not evil because of the choice of the will, but because God produced them as a different and separate type of creature, though in other things it is taught that He gave the faculty of free will to every rational creature. There are not a few of such things inserted in this book, which the ecclesiastical rule does not allow at all. And what then, I ask, shall we think concerning this? That an Apostolic man, indeed almost an Apostle, for he writes these things which they say are of the Apostle, him to whom Paul the Apostle gave witness to, saying: 'With Clement, and others of my helpers, whose names are written in the book of life,' 1 wrote that which is contrary to the book of life? Or rather should it not be believed, as we said above, that perverse men, for the assertion of their own teaching, under the names of holy men, so that they might be more readily believed, inserted these things, which they neither thought nor wrote? Rufinus of Aquileia, On The Corruption of the Books of Origen 1 Philip 4.3

Disputes Over Origen

Prospereque cursu septmo die Alexandriam pervenimus, ubi foeda inter episcopis atque monachos certamina gerebantur, ex ea occasione vel causa, quod congregati in unum saepius sacerdotes, frequentibus decrevisse synodis videbantur, ne quis Origenis libros legeret aut haberet, qui tractator sanctarum Scripturarum peritissimus habebatur. Sed episcopi quaedam in libris illius insanius scripta memorabant, quae assertores ejus defendere non ausi, ab haereticis potius fraudulenter inserta dicebant; et ideo non propter illa quae in reprehensionem merito vocarentur, etiam reliqua esse damnanda; cum legentium fides facile possit habere discrimen, ne falsata sequerentur, et tamen catholice disputata retineret: non esse autem mirum, si in libris neotericis et recens scriptis fraus heretica fuisset operata, quae in quibusdam locis non timuisset incidere Evangelicam veritatem. Adversum haec episcopi obstinatus renitentes, pro potestate cogebant recta etiam universa cum pravis et cum ipso auctore damnare: quia satis superque sufficerent libri quos Ecclesia recepisset: respuendam esse penitus lectionem, quae plus esset nocitura insipientibus, quam profutura sapientibus. Mihi autem ex illius libris quaedam curiosius indaganti, admodum multa placuerunt: sed nonnulla deprehendi, in quibus illum prava sensisse non dubium est, quae defensores ejus falsata contendunt. Ego miror unum eumdemque hominem tam diversum a se esse potuisse, ut in ea parte qua probatur, neminem post Apostolos habet aequalem; in ea vero quae jure reprehenditur, nemo deformius doceatur errasse. Sulpicius Severus, Dialogus I, Cap VI Source: Migne PL 20.187c-188b

After a favorable voyage, on the seventh day, we arrived at Alexandria where we found bishops and monks engaged in disgraceful strife, the occasion or cause of which was that the priests gathered together had often made decrees in crowded synods that no one should read or possess the books of Origen, he who was held to be the most acute commentator on the sacred Scriptures. But the bishops recalled that there were certain things in his books that were most defective, which his supporters, not daring to defend, rather declared had been deceitfully inserted by heretics, and therefore they said that it should not be that on account of those things which merited reproof that the rest should be condemned, when the faith of readers could easily make a distinction, so that they would not follow what was forged and yet would retain those matters discussed in the Catholic manner, which was nothing to be wondered at if even in new and recent writings heretical deceit had been at work, which in certain passages had not feared to add to the Gospel truth. The bishops, persistently struggling against such things, with great efforts insisted that even all that which was correct, along with the false, and the author himself, should be condemned, because those books which the Church had received were more than sufficient, and that the reading of his works must be completely avoided as they would do more harm to the simple than they would benefit the wise. As for myself, being curious to investigate some parts of these books, I found very many things which pleased, but not a few which were reprehensible, in which there is no doubt that the author thought these depraved things which his defenders argue are forgeries. I marvel that one and the same man could have been so different from himself, so that in the part which is approved he has no equal since the Apostles, but in those things for which he is rightly condemned, no one can be shown to have erred more shamefully. Sulpicius Severus, from Dialogue I, Cap VI

Judgement And The Way

Κρῖνον αὐτοὺς, ὁ Θεός· ἀποπεσάτωσαν ἀπὸ τῶν διαβουλιῶν αὐτῶν. Κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτῶν ἔξωσον αὐτοὺς, ὅτι παρεπίκρανάν σε, Κύριε... Τῷ ἁμαρτάνοντι λυσιτελεῖ μᾶλλον ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κριθῆναι, ἢ ἔξω εἶναι τῆς κρίσεως. Καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ μοχθηρῶν διαβουλιῶν ἀποπεσεῖν οὐ κακὸν τῷ ἀποπίπτοντι, οὐκ ἐρχομένῳ ἐπὶ τὸ μοχθηρὸν αὐτῶν τέλος· ὡς οὐ καλὸν τῶν κρειττόνων μὴ ἐπὶ τέλος ἐλθεῖν. Πάνυ δὲ χαρίεν, πῶς οὐκ εἴρηκε πόθεν ἔξωσεν, ἵνα μὴ τοῖς πολλοῖς σαφὲς ᾗ. Οἶμαι δὲ, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐξωθεῖ ὁ Θεός τινας· Οἱ γὰρ μακρύνοντες, φησὶν, ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἀπολοῦνται. Κύριε, ὁδήγησόν με ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου, κατεύθυνον ἐνώπιόν σου τὴν ὁδόν μου... Ὁ προτιθέμενος ὀρθῶς φρονεῖν καὶ πράττειν, πολλοὺς ἐναντίους ἔχει. Εἰσὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄνθρωποι καὶ δαίμονες φθονεροὶ, λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τῶν κατορθούντων. Τοῦτο δὲ θεωρήσας καὶ ὁ προκείμενος οὐ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει δέδωκε τὸ ἀπομάχεσθαι τοῖς ἐπικειμένοις κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρεκάλεσε τὸν Θεὸν χεῖρα αὐτῷ ὀρέξαι σκεπάζου σαν αὐτὸν ἀβλαβῆ ἀπὸ τῶν τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων πολεμίων, φάσκων· Αὐτὸς, ὦ Δέσποτα, ὁδήγησόν με ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου· οὕτω γὰρ κατορθωθείη τὸ τὴν ὁδόν μου ἐνώπιόν σου κατευθυνθῆναι. Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν ἀλήθεια, ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ματαία. Τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν· ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν... Ἐχθρῶν ἐμποδιζόντων τὴν ὁδόν σου φανερωθῆναι ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς μου, σὺ κατεύθυνον αὐτὴν ἐνώπιόν μου. Οἶδα γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐν οἷς περὶ ὁδοῦ ἐπαγγέλλονται, μὴ ἀληθεύοντας, τῷ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ματαίαν εἶναι αὐτῶν τὴν καρδίαν. Πάντα δὲ τὰ ἐκφωνούμενα ἐν τῷ λάρυγγι αὐτῶν νεκρά ἐστι, τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν τάφον ἀνεῳγότα. Ἀλλὰ καὶ λελογισμένοι σόφισμά τινές εἰσιν οἱ λόγοι αὐτῶν. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος E' Source: Migne PG 12.1172a-c

Judge them, O God, cut them off from their thoughts. According to the multitude of their impieties let them be driven off, because they have exasperated you, O Lord... 1 It is of greater benefit for the sinner to be judged by God than to be outside judgement. To be cut off from depraved thoughts is not an evil that befalls them who thus do not come to the culmination of their evils, just as it is not good among better things not to attain their end. But it would be pleasing to know what he did not say, from what they were driven off, which may not be clear to many. I think it was from their evils and the multitude of them. For God does not drive off anyone from Himself. As he says. 'For they who withdraw themselves far from you, they shall perish.' 2 O Lord, lead me into your righteousness on account of my enemies, direct my way into your sight... 3 He who proposes to himself to think and act correctly, he shall have many to oppose him. For there are men and demons full of envy who are aggrieved by good things rightly done. When the Prophet perceives this, he does not depend on his own virtue to fight against those who stand against him, but he asks the Lord to stretch forth His hand so that he might escape for all such adversaries unharmed, saying, 'O Lord, lead me into your righteousness, for so it shall be that my way is guided into your sight.' Because there is no truth in their mouths, their hearts are a vanity, their throats open tombs, their tongues work wickedness... 4 When enemies impede your way, that it may it be obvious to my eyes, direct it into my sight. For I know they do not speak the truth concerning the things which they proclaim about the way, having no truth in their mouths, and their hearts are vain. Everything which their throat pronounces is death, because it is an open tomb, for their speech is replete with sophistry. Origen, Selecta On the Psalms, from Psalm 5 1 Ps 5.11 2 Ps 72.27 3 Ps 5.9 4 Ps 9.10-11

Choosing Truth

Ὁδὸν ἀληθείας ᾑρετισάμεν, τὰ κρίματά σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Τὸν στίκον τοῦτον ἐρεῖ μόνος ὁ καταφρονῶν μὲν τῶν βλεπομένων ὡς προσκαίρων, σκοπῶν δε τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα ὡς αἰώνια, καὶ μόνα κυρίως ἀληθῆ, καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα σπεύδων. Οὐκ ἀληθείας γὰρ ὁδὸς, ἢν αἱρεῖται ὁ πραγματευόμενος τὸν κάτω πλοῦτον καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ γῆς δόξας. Ὁ οὖν ἐλόμενος ὁδεύειν, ὡς ἀποδεδώκαμεν, τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδὸν, οὗτος οὐκ ἐπυλανθανόμενος τῶν κριμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀνταποδόσεων αὐτοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτον πράττει. Ὁ φιλαλήθης καὶ μήποτε προφέρων ψευδῆ λόγον διὰ στόματος εἴποι ἄν· Ὁδὸν ἀληθείας ᾑρετισάμεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ διαπαντὸς πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τιθέμενος τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίματα καὶ ἐπὶ πάσῃ πράξει μεμνημένος αὐτῶν ἐρεῖ· Τὰ κρίματτα σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙΗ´ Source: Migne PG 23.1369b-c

I chose the way of truth, I did not forget your judgements. 1 This verse is said only by the one who, scorning the things of his sight as transitory and looking to those things which are unseen as eternal, is eager only to contemplate things which are absolutely true. Certainly he does not choose the way of truth who pursues worldly wealth and mundane glory. He, therefore, as we have said, who chooses to travel on the way of truth and who is not forgetful of the judgements of God and His rewards, he does this. He who is a lover of truth and never bears the word of a lie in his mouth may say, 'I chose the way of truth.' And indeed he who always has the judgements of God before his eyes and is mindful of Him in every deed, he says 'I did not forget your judgements.' Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.30

The Golden Ring

Quomodo intelligendum est quod ait Circulus aureus in naribus suis, mulier pulchra et fatua? Hoc est, si circulum aureum in naribus porci infixeris, ille dum pergit terram vertere ac fodere naso, immergit circulum aureum in volutabrum luti, et tunc perdit circulis aureus decorem quem habuit. Similiter ergo mulier fatua, si habet pulchritudinem vultus, vel si accipiat ornamenta inaurium, monilium simul et vestimentorim, sordidat pulchritudinem vultus, et amittit decorem, si se coeno libidinis coinquinare diligit, et adulteriis corrumpit. Spiritualiter autem quomodo intelligenda est haec sententia? Quicunque sacras Scripturas intente meditatur, et jugiter perscrutatur divina eloquia, accipit ornamentum scientiae; quod si male vivendo corrumpit, et destruit quod intelligit, circumulum aureum habet in naribus, sed more suis terram fodiendo coinquinat et luto immergit, quia ornatum per quem notitiam Scripturarum accepit, immunda actione sordidavit. Talis anima, pulchra mulier et fatua est; pulchra quidem per scientiam; sed dedita carnalibus delectationibus, fatua est per actionem. Honorius Augustodunensis, Quaestiones Et Ad Easdem Responsiones In Duos Salomonis Libros, Caput XI Source: Migne PL 172.318a-b

How should it be understood when it is said, 'A golden ring in the nose is a woman who is beautiful and foolish.' 1 That is, if you attach a golden ring to the snout of a pig, when he goes off to turn up the earth and dig in it with his snout, he covers the golden ring with the filth of the mud, and so he ruins the beauty of the golden ring which he has. Similar, therefore, is a foolish woman, if she has a beautiful appearance, or if she receives gilded ornaments, and likewise necklaces and clothes, and she defiles the beauty of her appearance and casts down the charm of them, delighting to foul herself in feasts of lust and to corrupt it with adulteries. But spiritually how should this be understood? Whoever meditates intently on the Scriptures and with it studies the divine words, he receives the ornament of knowledge, which if he corrupts with bad living, so he ruins what he understands. He has the golden ring in the nose, but his conduct befouls it with his digging in the earth and covering it in mud, whence the ornament which he received by his knowledge of the Scriptures is spoiled by unclean action. Such a soul is a beautiful and foolish woman, certainly beautiful by knowledge, but given over to carnal delights it is made foolish by action. Honorius of Autun, Questions and Answers on Two Books of Solomon, Chapter 11 1 Prov 11.22

Wisdom And Meaning

Simile est regnum coelorum homini patrifamilias qui exiit primo mane conducere operarios in vineam suam ... Vere, dilectissimi, multiformis est, cum sit tamen simplicissima Dei sapientia, et cum sit uniformiter una, multipliciter tamen multiplex invenitur. Pertransibunt, inquit prophet, plurimi, et multiplex erit scientia. Ipsa nimirum est, quae jure dicitur fons hortorum, et puteus aquarum viventium; fons ob inexhaustam jugitatem; puteus ob incomprehensibilem profunditatem. Et hoc aquarum viventium, id est sensuum semper scatentium. Unde eadem parabolem, vel etiam quae evidens videtur Scriptura, ab aliis et aliis aliter atque aliter recte exponitur ac disseritur, neque tamen ab ullis funditus exhauritur, quasi totum quod inde dici potest sic dixerit prior, ut praeter hoc quid dicat, nequeat invenire posterior. Quidquid enim dici de aliqua re sapienter ac veraciter potest aliquo modo, totum in aeterna sapientia et veritate simul et semper omnimodis ab aeterno est. Quare cum per aliquem loquitur Spiritus, qui profunda Dei non investigando, sed continendo scrutatur, de quo dictum est: Qui continet omnia, scientiam habet vocis, omnia quidem, quae voce illa aliquatenus veraciter ac utiliter dici possunt, simul sentit, intelligit, intendit, eo per quem loquitur, quandoque ab ipso intellectu vacuo, quandoque uno sensu contento, nonnunquam pluribus simul illustrato, nunquam tamen omnibus repleto. Unde possibile factu saepe est, in eadem Scriptura dissentientes vel diversa sentientes, Spiritui sancto posse optime convenire, vel consentre, dum a fide veritatis, et aedificatione charitatis, ac subversione cupiditatis, quibus omnis oculus Scripturae sanctae invigilat, constiterit non dissentire. Nam et unusquilibiet de eodem aliter atque aliter, alias atque alias, nec tamen alio atque alio spiritu sentit, dum utrobique, ut dictum est, veritati charitatique consentit. Neque enim veritas asserenda est contra charitatem: aut charitas tenenda est contra veritatem. Haec ideo quasi in praefatiuncula paucis perstrinximus, ne cum secus ac alias audistis, aut penes alios legistis, aliqua nos audere noveritis, quispiam suspicetur, vel vetera nos prorsus ignorare, vel agnita temnere, vel novis propriisque inaniter gaudere. Attendenda magis ubique diligenti auditori erit ratio dicti ex causa dicendi. Non enim sancti Evangelii lectiones tam suscepimus exponere, quam accepta abinde occasione ad aedificationem fratrum, et nostram, aliquid pro tempore, loco, et personis dicere, quem non sinitis vobiscum silere. Hortatur tamen Apostolus, ne ullam Dei gratiam in vacuum accipiamus, imo et David, ne ipsam animam, dicens: Qui non accepit in vanum animan suam, id est intellectum rationalem. Apud Evangelium quoque omne talentum duplicatum reposcitur. Filius etiam promissionis et paternos puteos coluit, ac sibi novos effodit. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XVI Source: Migne PL 194.1741a-1742a

The kingdom of heaven is like a rich man who went out at dawn to hire workers for his vineyard... 1 The wisdom of God, most beloved, is indeed multifaceted and yet most simple, and is found to be both uniformly one and yet manifold. The prophet says, 'Many will pass through and knowledge will be multiplied.' 2 Wisdom is indeed rightly said to be 'a fountain amid gardens, and a well of living waters.' 3 A fountain because it always flows, a well because of its inconceivable depth. And this well of living waters is ever bubbling up with meaning. Whence this parable seems to be a straightforward piece of Scripture, but it is rightly expounded and commented on by different authors in different ways, and yet none of them exhaust its depths so that all that is possible to say of it was said before, because of which no one at a later time is able to say anything more. Whatever may be said of anything in wisdom and truth, whatever form it has, at once in every possible way, is wholly contained in eternal truth and wisdom and exists from eternity. When the Spirit speaks through someone, he is not investigating the deep things of God but scrutinizing what is contained, 4 concerning which it is said, 'He who contains everything has the knowledge of the voice,' 5 everything which with that voice it is possible to speak in truth and usefully, He knows, understands, intends. Now sometimes the one through whom He speaks has no understanding at all, and sometimes he grasps one meaning, and sometimes he is enlightened by many meanings at the same time, but no one is filled with all the meaning. Whence it is often possible that the same passage of Scripture with contrasting or differing meanings may truly be ascribed to the Holy Spirit and find agreement there, while there is no dispute with the true faith and the edification of love and the overthrow of lust, over which whole the eye of Scripture watches. For anyone who treats the same piece in different ways at different times, not however understanding it in a different spirit, conforms to truth and love. For truth never makes claims against love and love never holds out against truth. We have made this little introduction so that if you have heard differently, or read differently, you are aware that in whatever is taken up, I do not venture to scorn those of old, or disdain what is known, or foolishly rejoice in my own novelties. Rather it is for the diligent listener to attend to the meaning of what is said and the cause of saying it. For we do not so much take all readings from the Gospel to expound them, but to make use of the occasion for the edification of brothers, and ourselves, speaking according to the time, the place and the persons, you who will not allow us to be silent. The Apostle exhorts us not to receive the grace of God in vain, 6 and David speaks similarly of our own souls when he says: 'He who does not receive his soul in vain.' 7 Also in the Gospel there is the demand for talents to be doubled. 8 And the son of the promise guarded the wells of his father and dug new ones for himself. 9 Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 16 1 Mt 20.1 2 Dan 12.4 3 Song 4.15 4 1 Cor 2.10 5 Wis 1.7 6 2 Cor 6.1 7 Ps 24.4 8 Mt 25.20 9 Genes 26.18

Weariness And Support

Sunt qui in studiis spiritualibus fatigati, et versi in teporem, atque in defectu quodam spiritus positi, ambulant tristes vias Domini, corde arente et taedente accedunt ad quaeque injuncta, frequenter murmurant; longos dies, longas conqueruntur et noctes, loquentes cum sancto Job: Si dormiero, dicam: Quando consurgam? et rursum exspectabo vesperam. Ergo ubi contingit tale aliquid pati, si misertus Dominus appropiet nobis in via qua ambulamus, et incipiat loqui de coelo qui de coelo est, nec non favorabile quidpiam cantare nobis de canticis Sion, narrare etiam de civitate Dei, de pace civitatis, de aeternitate pacis, de statu aeternitatis: dico vobis, erit pro vehiculo animae dormitanti et pigritanti laeta narratio, ita ut pellat omne fastidium ab animo audientis, et a corpore fatigationem. An tibi aliud vel pati, vel petere ille videtur, qui ait: Dormitavit anima mea prae taedio, confirma me in verbis tuis? Et nonne cum obtinuerit, clamabit: Quomodo dilexi legem tuam, Domine! tota die meditatio mea est? Sunt enim quaedam verba Verbi sponsi ad nos, nostrae meditationes de ipso et ejus gloria, elegantia, potentia, majestate. Non solum autem, sed et cum avida mente versamus testimonia ejus et judicia oris ejus, et in lege ejus meditamur die ac nocte; sciamus pro certo adesse sponsum, atque alloqui nos, ut non fatigemur laboribus, sermonibus delectati. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, In Cantica Canticorum, Sermo XXXII, Qualiter Christus suscipitur ab anima sancta tanquam sponsus, et ab anima infirma tanquam medicus. Item de differentia cogitationum, unde oriantur. Source: Migne PL 183.947b-c

There are those who are wearied amid the study of spiritual things and become lukewarm, and the spirit is in eclipse, so that they walk sadly on the ways of the Lord, turning with hearts that are arid and tired to whatever is required of them, and often grumbling, complaining of long days and long nights, and saying with Job: 'If I lie down I say: 'When shall I rise?' And again I long for the evening.' 1 When such a thing comes about, if the merciful Lord draws near to us on the way we walk, and He who is from heaven begins to talk to us about heaven, singing to us not our least favourite song from among the songs of Zion, and telling of the city of God, of the peace of that city, of the eternity of that peace and of the state of eternity, I say to you that this joyful discourse will be as a carriage to the soul which is drowsy and listless, for it drives off all aversion from the soul of the one who hears, and all weariness from the body. Does it not seem that this is what was felt and requested by the one who said: 'My soul has slept because of weariness, fortify me with your words'? And when he obtains his request will he not cry out: 'How I love your law, O Lord! All day long it is my study!'? 2 For in a certain way the words of the Bridegroom to us are our meditations on His glory, and elegance, and power, and majesty. And not only that, but when our eager minds study His testimonies and the judgements from His mouth, when we meditate on his law day and night, 3 let us know that the Bridegroom has certainly come near, and that He speaks words of joy to us, so that we are not exhausted in our labours. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Commentary On The Song of Songs, from Sermon 32, How Christ is taken up by the holy soul as the Bridegroom and by the infirm soul as a physician, and concerning different thoughts, whence they arise. 1 Job 7.4 2 Ps 118.97,28 3 Ps 1.2

Winds And The Garden

Et vidi, et ecce ventus turbinis veniebat ab Aquilone... Pro eo quod ventus Aquilo constringit in frigore, non incongrue Aquilonis nomine torpor maligni spiritus designatur. Quod Isaias quoque propheta testatur, qui dixisse diabolum denuntiat: Sedebo in monte testamenti, in lateribus Aquilonis. Malignus enim spiritus montem testamenti tenuit, quia Judaicum populum, qui legem acceperat, sibi in perfidiam subjugavit. Quando enim corda doctorum tenet, monti testamenti diabolus praesidet. Qui etiam in lateribus Aquilonis sedet, quia mentes hominum frigidas possidet. Unde et sponsi voce in Cantico canticorum dicitur: Surge, Aquilo, et veni, Auster, perfla hortum meum, et fluant aromata illius. Cum enim, jubente Domino, frigidus spiritus recedit, calidus spiritus mentem fidelium occupat; qui hortum Dei, id est sanctam Ecclesiam perflat, ut opiniones virtutum ejus ad multorum notitiam velut aromata defluant. Recedente etenim Aquilone, id est maligno spiritu, sanctus Spiritus mentem quasi Auster replet. Qui dum calefaciendo flaverit, statim de fidelium cordibus aromata virtutum fluunt. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia II Source: Migne PL 76.799c-d

I looked and I saw a storm wind coming from the north... 1 Because the north wind grips with cold, it is not strange that the torpor of the wicked spirit is designated by the name of the north wind. Which also Isaiah makes prophecy about, who speaking of the devil declares. 'I shall sit on the mount of the covenant, on the north side.' 2 For the wicked spirit held the mount of covenant, since the Jewish people, who received the law, he subjugated to himself in treachery. For when he lays hold of the heart of teachers, so the devil presides on the mount of the covenant. Indeed he who sits on the north sides of the mountain, so he possess the frozen minds of men. Whence even the voice of the groom in the Song of Songs says: 'Go, north wind, and come, south wind, blow through my garden and scatter its aromas.' 3 For when, at the Lord's command, the frozen spirit recedes, so the warm spirit occupies the minds of the faithful, so that the garden of God, which is the Holy Church, may waft out its thought on the virtues to the awareness of many, just like scents spread. And when the north wind withdraws, that is, the wicked spirit, the Holy Spirit fills the mind like the south wind. He who, while he warms with his breezes, instantly spreads forth the aroma of the virtues from the hearts of the faithful. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 2 1 Ezek 1.4 2 Isaiah 14.13 3 Song 4.16

Opening Up

Ἂνοιξόν μοι ἀδελφή μου ἡ πλησίον μου περιστερά μου τελεία μου ὅτι ἡ κεφαλή μου ἐπλήσθη δρόσου καὶ οἱ βόστρυχοί μου ψεκάδων νυκτός... Ἀναγκαίως ἡ τοῦ μοί προσθήκη τοῦ ἄνοιξον· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεσιν ἀνοῖξαι· ὡς περὶ ὀχληρᾶς δὲ τῆς δρόσου λέγειν δοκεῖ, ὡς καὶ περὶ τῶν τῆς νυκτὸς ψεκάδων· ἀνάπαυλαν γὰρ ἔοικεν ἀπὸ τούτων ἐπιζητεῖν. Ἀκόλουθα ταῦτα τοῖς πρώτοις· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀνάστασιν εἰσῆλθε τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων· καὶ καλεῖ τὸν Θωμᾶν, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν ἄπιστον ψυχὴν, ἀνοῖχαι την ἰδίαν καρδίαν καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀναστὰσεως χωρῆσαι πληροφορίαν· καλεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν τελείαν εἰπόντα, ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου· ἡ δρόσος δὲ δηλοῖ τὴν κατὰ τὸν ὄρθρον ἀνάστασιν, ὅτε κάτεισι δρόσος. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Τo Ἀσμα Των Ἀσμάτων, Κεφάλαιον E´ Source: Migne PG 17.273b

Open to me, my beloved, my dear, my dove, for my head is utterly covered with dew and my curls with the raindrops of the night... 1 After 'open' it was necessary to add, 'to me,' because it is possible to open up to adversaries. As he seems to speak of the troublesome nature of the dew and of the night's rain, so it seems that he seeks relief from these things. Which befits these things which came before, for after the resurrection He came in through closed doors, and He invited Thomas, and through him every unbelieving soul, to open up the heart, to receive the full faith of the resurrection, calling him to say with all conviction, 'My Lord and my God.' 2 The dew declares the morning of the resurrection, for then the dew falls. Origen, Commentary On The Song Of Songs, Chapter 5 1 Song 5.2 2 Jn 20.24-28

The Garden And The Fountain

Kῆπος κεκλεισμένος ἀδελφή μου νύμφη κῆπος κεκλεισμένος πηγὴ ἐσφραγισμένη... Καὶ καλεῖ μὲν αὐτὴν κῆπον, ὡς οὐχ ἕνα καρπὸν εὑσεβείας καὶ ἀρετῆς ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς καὶ ποικίλους τίκτουσαν· κεκλεισμένον δὲ, ὡς περιπεφραγμένον, καὶ ἀνεπιβούλευτον· Πύλαι γὰρ ᾅδου, φησὶν, οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς· οὐ γάρ ἐστι κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετατεθεῖσαν, Ἤν ἐτρύγησαν πάντες οἱ παραπορευόμενοι τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἐλυμήνατο ὗς ἐκ δρυμοῦ, καὶ μονιὸς ἄγριος κατενεμήσατο· ἀλλὰ περιπέφρακται, καὶ τετείχισται, καὶ κήπῳ κεκλεισμένῳ παρέοικε, πολλοὺς μὲν καὶ παντοδαποὺς ἔχοντι καρποὺς, τοὺς δὲ κλῶπας οὐ δεχομένῳ, ἀλλὰ φεύγοντι τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων τὰς χεῖρας, Καὶ πηγὴ δέ ἐστιν ἐσφραγισμένη· οὐ γὰρ πᾶσι προκεῖται, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀξίοις ταῦτα τὰ νάματα· περὶ ταύτης τῆς πηγῆς καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Κύριος φησιν· Ὃς ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὖ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀλλὰ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ζῶντος ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Εἰκότως τοίνυν αὐτὴν πηγήν ἐσφραγισμένην καλεῖ, ὡς μὴ πᾶσιν ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀξίοις προκειμένην. Οὐ γὰρ τοῖς ἀμυήτοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μεμυημένοις πρόκειται τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια· οὐ τοῖς ἐν ἀνομίαις μετὰ τὴν μύησιν καλινδουμένοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀκριβείᾳ συζῶσιν, ἢ διὰ μετανοίας καθαιρομένοις Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Το Ἀσμα Των Ασμάτων, Λόγος Tρίτος Source: Migne PG 81.144a-c

An enclosed garden is my beloved, my bride is an enclosed garden, a sealed fountain... 1 He names the bride a garden because it is not just one fruit of piety and virtue she bears but many and various ones, and what is enclosed is as if fenced around and not liable to assault. 'The gates of hell,' He says, 'shall not prevail against it.' 2 For she is not like that which was led from Egypt , 'from which every passer by on the way plucked, and the boar of the wood laid it waste, and a wild beast devoured it,' 3 but she is fenced about and walled in, and she is like an enclosed garden, which bears many diverse fruits, which know not thieves, and the hands of those who plot are far away, The fountain has been sealed because is not available to everyone, but flows only for those who are worthy. Concerning this fountain the Lord says in the Gospel: 'He who shall drink from the water which I give, he shall not thirst again, but in him there shall well up a fount of living waters.' 4 Rightly therefore He calls her a sealed fountain, as she does not flow for all, but only for those who are worthy, since the divine mysteries are not for the uninitiated, but they flow forth for those who have been initiated, not for those who have ventured to sin after initiation, but to those who strictly gird themselves, who are cleansed through penance. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Song of Songs, Book 3 1 Song 4.12 2 Mt 16.8 3 Ps 79.13-14 4 Jn 4.14

The Vigilant

Φωνὴ τοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦ μου κρούει ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν... Ἓν καὶ τοῦτο τῶν μεγάλων παραγγελμάτων ἐστὶ τοῦ Kυρίου, δι’ ὧν ἡ διάνοια τῶν μαθητευομένων τῷ λόγῳ καθάπερ τινὰ χοῦν ἅπαν τὸ ὑλῶδες τῆς φύσεως ἀφ’ ἑαυτῆς ἐκτινάξασα πρὸς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἐπαίρεται, Tοῦτο δέ ἐστι, τὸ δεῖν κρείττους εἶναι τοῦ ὕπνου τοὺς πρὸς τὴν ἄνω ζωὴν ἀναβλέποντας καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἐγρηγορέναι τῇ διανοίᾳ οἷον ἀπατεῶνά τινα τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπίβουλον τὸν νυσταγμὸν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀπελαύνοντας. Ἐκεῖνον λέγω τὸν νυσταγμὸν καὶ τὸν ὕπνον, δι’ ὧν πλάσσεται τοῖς ἐμβαθύνουσι τῇ τοῦ βίου ἀπάτῃ τὰ ὀνειρώδη ταῦτα φαντάσματα· αἱ ἀρχαί, οἱ πλοῦτοι, αἱ δυναστεῖαι, ὁ τῦφος, ἡ διὰ τῶν ἡδονῶν γοητεία, τὸ φιλόδοξόν τε καὶ ἀπολαυστικὸν καὶ φιλότιμον καὶ πάντα ὅσα κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον τοῖς ἀνεπισκέπτοις διά τινος φαντασίας μάτην σπουδάζεται, ἃ τῇ παροδικῇ τοῦ χρόνου συμπαραρρέοντα φύσει ἐν τῷ δοκεῖν ἔχει τὸ εἶναι οὔτε ὄντα ὅπερ νομίζεται οὔτε ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ νομίζεσθαι πρὸς τὸ διηνεκὲς παραμένοντα ἀλλ’ ὁμοῦ γίνεσθαί τε δοκοῦντα καὶ ἀπολλύμενα κυμάτων δίκην τῶν ἐγκορυφουμένων τοῖς ὕδασιν, ἃ πρὸς καιρὸν τῇ κινήσει τῶν ἀνέμων συνδιογκούμενα ἀβέβαιον εἰς διαμονὴν ἔχει τὸν ὄγκον· ἐν βραχεῖ γὰρ τῇ ῥοπῇ συναναστάντα τοῦ πνεύματος πάλιν ἐν ὁμαλῷ τὴν τῆς θαλάσσης ἐπιφάνειαν δείκνυσι συγκατασταλέντα τῷ πνεύματι. Ὡς ἂν οὖν ἔξω τῶν τοιούτων γένοιτο φαντασμάτων ἡμῖν ἡ διάνοια, τὸν βαρὺν τοῦτον ὕπνον ἀποσείεσθαι τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀμμάτων διακελεύεται, ἵνα μὴ τῇ περὶ τὸ ἀνύπαρκτον σπουδῇ τῶν ὑφεστώτων τε καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ὄντων ἀπολισθήσωμεν. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὑποτίθεται ἡμῖν ἐπίνοιαν τῆς ἐγρηγόρσεως λέγων Ἔστωσαν ὑμῶν αἱ ὀσφύες περιεζωσμέναι καὶ οἱ λύχνοι καιόμενοι· τοῖς τε γὰρ ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸ φῶς ἐμφαινόμενον ἀποσοβεῖ τῶν ὀμμάτων τὸν ὕπνον καὶ ἡ ὀσφῦς διεσφιγμένη διὰ τῆς ζώνης ἀπαράδεκτον τοῦ ὕπνου παρασκευάζει τὸ σῶμα οὐ προσιεμένης τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου ἄνεσιν τῆς τῶν πόνων αἰσθήσεως. Σαφῆ δὲ πάντως ἐστὶ τὰ διὰ τῶν αἰνιγμάτων δηλούμενα, ὅτι ὁ τῇ σωφροσύνῃ διεζωσμένος ἐν φωτὶ ζῇ τοῦ καθαροῦ συνειδότος τῷ λύχνῳ τῆς παρρησίας τὸν βίον περιαυγάζοντος, δι’ ὧν τῆς ἀληθείας προφαινομένης ἄϋπνός τε καὶ ἀνεξαπάτητος ἡ ψυχὴ διαμένει οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀπατηλῶν τούτων ὀνείρων ἐμματαιάζουσα. Eἰ δὲ τοῦτο κατορθωθείη κατὰ τὴν τοῦ λόγου ὑφήγησιν, ἀγγελικός τις ἡμᾶς διαδέξεται βίος· τούτοις γὰρ ἡμᾶς ὁμοιοῖ τὸ θεῖον παράγγελμα, δι’ ὧν φησιν ὅτι Καὶ ὑμεῖς ὅμοιοι ἀνθρώποις προσδεχομένοις τὸν κύριον ἑαυτῶν, πότε ἀναλύσει ἐκ τῶν γάμων, ἵνα ἐλθόντος καὶ κρούσαντος εὐθέως ἀνοίξωσιν αὐτῷ· ἐκεῖνοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ προσδεχόμενοι τοῦ κυρίου τὴν ἐκ τῶν γάμων ἐπάνοδον καὶ ταῖς ἐπουρανίαις πύλαις ἐγρηγορότι τῷ ὀφθαλμῳ προσκαθήμενοι, ἵνα πάλιν εἰσέλθῃ δι’ αὐτῶν ἀναλύσας ἐκ τῶν γάμων ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης εἰς τὴν ὑπερουράνιον ἐκείνην μακαριότητα. Ὅθεν κατὰ τὴν ψαλμῳδίαν ὡς ἐκ παστάδος ὁ νυμφίος ἐκπορευθεὶς ἡρμόσατο ἑαυτῷτὴν παρθένον, ἡμᾶς, διὰ τῆς μυστικῆς ἀναγεννήσεως, τὴν τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐκπορνευθεῖσαν, εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν παρθενικὴν ἀναστοιχειώσας τὴν φύσιν. Tῶν οὖν γάμων ἤδη τετελεσμένων καὶ νυμφευθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὅτι Ὁ ἔχων τὴν νύμφην νυμφίος ἐστί, καὶ εἰς τὸν τῶν μυστηρίων θάλαμον αὐτῆς παραδεχθείσης ἀνέμενον οἱ ἄγγελοι τὴν ἐπάνοδον τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς δόξης ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ φύσιν μακαριότητα. Tούτοις οὖν εἶπε δεῖν ὁμοιοῦσθαι κατὰ τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον, ἵνα καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι πόρρω κακίας καὶ ἀπάτης πολιτευόμενοι πρὸς ὑποδοχήν εἰσιν εὐτρεπεῖς τῆς δεσποτικῆς παρουσίας, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῖς προθύροις τῶν καταγωγίων ἡμῶν προσαγρυπνοῦντες ἑτοίμους πρὸς ὑπακοὴν ἑαυτοὺς ποιήσωμεν, ὅταν ἐπιστὰς κρούῃ τὴν θύραν· Μακάριοι γάρ, φησίν, οἱ δοῦλοι ἐκεῖνοι, οὓς ἐλθὼν ὁ Kύριος εὑρήσει ποιοῦντας οὕτως. Ἐπεὶ οὖν μακάριόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπακούειν τῷ κρούοντι, τούτου χάριν ἡ διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὴν μακαριότητα βλέπουσα αἰσθάνεται τοῦ παρεστῶτος τῇ θύρᾳ, ἡ καλῶς τοῖς ἰδίοις θησαυροῖς ἐπαγρυπνοῦσα ψυχή, καί φησιν Φωνὴ τοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦ μου κρούει ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων Ὁμιλία ΙΑ´ Source: Migne PG 44.993d-997b

The voice of my beloved knocks at the door... 1 One of the greatest of the Lord’s admonitions, by which the mind of the disciples of the Word shakes off the materiality of their nature like so much dust and is lifted up to the desire for things transcendent, is that those who look toward the life on high must be stronger than sleep and so always watchful in the mind, driving off the drowsiness of the eyes as if it were some deluder of souls or plotter against the truth. I speak of the drowsiness and sleep by which is fashioned dream visions for those who are sunk deeply in life’s deceits: high offices, riches, seats of power, conceitedness, the sorcery of pleasures, lust for fame and luxury and honour, and all those things which are eagerly and vainly and ignorantly sought in this life because of some fantasy, which things, falling away as time passes, have their nature in appearance only, and are not what they are thought to be, nor do they continue to be so valued, but rather as soon as they come to be they perish, just as the way waves raise up their peaks on the waters, which being gathered up together for a moment by the movement of the winds, yet in their instability are unable to endure in their substance, for raised up for an instant by a gust of air, so they drop down along with the air and allow the flat surface of the sea to be seen again. Thus, then, so that our mind may be free of such illusions, He exhorts that this heavy sleep be shaken from the eyes of the soul, lest a zeal for that which is unreal make us slip away from things which truly are. That is why He counsels the notion of vigilance for us when He says, 'Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning,' 2 for light shining in the eyes wards sleep from them, and loins tightly bound make the body disinclined to sleep, since preparation for laborious exertion does not bring the relaxation required for sleep. At any rate, it is apparent what is meant by these mysteries: that the one who is bound about with prudence lives by the light of a purified conscience, with life lit up all around by the lamp of candour, by which, the truth shining forth, the soul remains untouched by sleep and does not idle in the deceptions of those dreams. And if this is accomplished under the leadership of the Word, an angelic life is bestowed on us, for the Divine command likens us to angels when He says: 'And be like those waiting to receive their Lord, when he comes away from the marriage feast, so that when he comes and knocks they may open to him without delay.' 3 For it is the angels who wait for the return of their Lord from the marriage feast and sit at the heavenly gates with vigilant eyes, so that again when the King of Glory comes back from the marriage feast, He may enter with them into that supernal blessedness. Whence as one of the Psalms says, the Bridegroom coming out, as from the bridal chamber, 4 espoused the maiden, ourselves, in spiritual rebirth, even though she had been prostituted to idols, and restored her nature to virginal incorruptibility. Now since the marriage rites have been completed and the Church has been taken by the Word as His bride, just as John says: 'He who has the bride is the bridegroom,' 5 and the bride has been taken into the inner chamber of the mysteries, the angels are awaiting the return of the King of Glory to the blessedness that is His by nature. He says, then, that we in our living are to become like them, so that just like them, existing far from evil and error, we are prepared to greet their master at His coming, and sitting awake by the outer doors of our lodgings, we have been made ready to hear when He has arrived and knocks at the door. For He says, 'Blessed are those servants whom their Lord finds doing this when He comes.' 6 Since, then, it is a blessed thing to hearken to the one who knocks, because of this, the soul which is always looking for blessedness, perceives the one standing at the door, she who rightly watching over her treasures says, 'The voice of my beloved knocks at the door.' Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 11 1 Song 5.2 2 Lk 12.35 3 Lk 12.36 4 Ps 18.6 5 Jn 3.29 6 Lk 12.43

The End And Perfection

Certe qui in cursu est, et in via graditur, minor est eo qui pervenit ad finem. Si ergo immaculatus est ille atque perfectus, qui adhuc ambulat in via, et graditur in lege, quid plus habebit ille, qui ad terminum viae legisque pervenit? Unde et Apostolus de Domino loquitur, quod in fine mundi, et in consummatione virtutum exhibeat sibi sanctam Ecclesiam, non habentem macula, neque rugam, quam vos putatis jam in ista carne mortali et corruptibili esse perfectam, et audire meremini cum Corinthiis: Jam perfecti estis, jam divites facti estis, sine nobis regnatis, atque utinam regnaretis, ut et nos regnaremus vobiscum: cum vera et absque omni sorde perfectio in coelestibus reservetur, quando sponsus loquetur ad sponsam: Tota pulchra es, anima mea, et macula non est in te. Juxta quod et illud intelligitur: Ut sitis irreprehensibiles et simplices sicut filii Dei immaculati: quod non dixerit estis, sed sitis, in futuram differens, non in praesenti esse contestans, ut hic labour sit aque contentio, ibi laboris virtutisque praemia. Denqiue Joannes scribit: Dilectissimi, filii Dei sumus, et nondum apparuit quid erimus. Scimus, quia cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus, quoniam eum videbimus sicuti est. Quamquam ergo filii Dei simus, tamen similitudo Dei, et vera contemplatio, tunc nobis repromittitur, quando apparuerit in claritate sua. Sanctus Hieronymous, Dialogus Adversus Pelagianos, Liber III Source: Migne PL 23.583a-c

Surely he who is on the course and advancing on the way is inferior to him who has reached the end. If, then, he is unspotted and perfect who is yet walking in the way and advancing in the law, what more shall he have who has come to the end of life and of the law? Whence the Apostle, speaking of our Lord, says that at the end of the world, in the consummation of the virtues, He will present His holy Church to Himself without spot or wrinkle, 1 which you think is perfect now in this mortal flesh and corruption, you who merit to be hear with the Corinthians, 'Already you are perfect, already you have been made rich, you reign without us, and that you did reign, that we might also reign with you,' 2 since true and pure perfection is reserved for those in heaven, when the groom shall say to the bride, 'You are all fair, my soul, and there is no spot in you.' 3 In this sense it it is understood: 'That you may be blameless and harmless, as children of God, without blemish.' 4 For He did not say you are, but may be, making a distinction for the future, not arguing it for the present. So here is toil and effort and there are the rewards of labour and virtue. Lastly, John writes, 'Beloved, we are sons of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.' 5 Therefore, although we are sons of God, yet likeness to God and true contemplation is promised us when He shall appear in His glory. Saint Jerome, Dialogue Against the Pelagians, Book 3 1 Ephes 5.27 2 1 Cor 4.8 3 Song 4.7 4 Philip 2.15 5 1 Jn 3.2

Offering Oneself

Ἀπὸ κεφαλῆς Σανὶρ, καὶ Ἑρμὼν, φησὶ τὸ τῶν ᾀσμάτων Ἄσμα. Σανὶρ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται ὁδὸς λύχνοῦ, Ἑρμὼν δὲ ἀνάθημα· διὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς τὸ λογιστικὸν ἡμῶν ὁ Σολομὼν αἱνιξάμενος. Ὅλους τοίνυν ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ ἁναθῶμεν πεζοποροῦντες ἀόκνως τὴν προκειμένην ἡμῖν στενὴν καὶ μακρὰν ὁδὸν πεφωτισμένοις τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς τῇ λαμπηδονι τῶν θείων προσταγμάτων. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΤΛΑ´ Ἱλαριῳ Μονακῳ Source: Migne PG 79.202c

'From the head of Sanir and Hermon,' 1 is it said in the Song of Songs. Sanir means 'way of the lamp', and Hermon 'an offering.' By the head Solomon indicates to us the endowed faculty of reason. Thus let us totally offer ourselves to God, without hesitation setting forth on foot on the narrow and long way proposed to us, with the eyes of the soul illuminated by the the splendour of the Divine teachings. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 331 To Hilarius the Monk 1 Song 4.8

The Two Hands

Εὐώνυμος αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὴν κεφαλήν μου καὶ ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ περιλήμψεταί με... Εὐώνυμος ὁ νόμος, δεξιὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Ἢ καὶ εὐώνυμος ὁ παρὼν βίος, δεξιὰ ὁ μέλλων, ἥτις με περιλήψεται ὅταν τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν εἴπῃ· Δεῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου. Λέγει δὲ καὶ ἑτέρωθι· Μῆκος βίου καὶ ἔτη ζωῆς, ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς σοφίας· ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀριστερᾷ, πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα. Δεξιὰ γοῦν αὐτῆς ἡ τῶν θείων ἐπιστήμη, ἐξ ἧς ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή· ἀριστερὰ δὲ ἡ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων γνῶσις, ἐξ ὧν πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι Ὑπερέχει ὁ νοῦς μου τὰ ἀνθρώπινα· καὶ ἡ θεία γνῶσις καλύψει με. Καὶ γὰρ εἴρηται πάλιν· Τίμησον αὐτὴν, ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ. Δείκνυσι τοίνυν, ὅτι ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ νυμφίος καὶ τοξότης ἡμῶν ἐστι, νύμφη τε καὶ βέλος ἡ κεκαθαρμένη ψυχή· ὡς βέλος οὖν πρὸς τὸν ἀγαθὸν εὐθύνει σκοπόν. Ὡς νύμφην εἰς κοινωνίαν ἀναλαμβάνει τῆς ἀφθάρτου ἀϊδιότητος, μῆκος βίου καὶ ἔτη ζωῆς, διὰ τῆς δεξιᾶς χαριζόμενος· διὰ δὲ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς, τὸν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν, ἧς οἱ τὴν τοῦ κόσμου ζητοῦντες δόξαν ἀμέτοχοι γίνονται. Διὰ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι Εὐώνυμος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, δι' ἧς εὐθύνεται ὑπὸ τὸν σκοπὸν τὸ βέλος· ἡ δὲ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἑαυτόν με διαλαβοῦσα καὶ ἐφελκυσαμένη, κούφην με πρὸς ἄνω φορὰν ἀπεργάζεται· κἀκεῖ πεμπομένην, καὶ τοῦ τοξότου μὴ χωριζομένην, μᾶλλον ἐπαναπαύεσθαι. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τo Ἀσμα Των Ἀσμάτων Source: Migne PG 69.1281c-1284a

His left hand is beneath my head and his right hand shall embrace me... 1 The left hand is spoken of for the Law and the right for the Gospel. Or the left hand should be understood as this present life, and the right as the future, which shall embrace me when it is said to those on the right: 'Come, blessed of my Father,' 2 Indeed it says elsewhere: 'The length of the years of life is in the right hand of wisdom, and in the left are riches and glory.' 3 Thus the right hand is the knowledge of Divine things, by which eternal life is achieved, and the left hand is the understanding of human things, from which comes wealth and glory. Thus she says here: 'My mind surpasses human things and Divine knowledge shall enfold me.' For again it is said, 'Honour wisdom and she will embrace you.' 4 Therefore this shows the groom to be our archer, and the bride, which is the purified soul, is the arrow, which he directs to a good target like a shaft. So he takes up the bride for the participation in incorruptible eternity, the right hand giving the long years of life, and the left the wealth of the eternal goods and the glory of God, of which they who seek the glory of the world are deprived. Therefore it says that his left hand is beneath my head, by which the shaft is directed to the target, and the right hand grasps and draws me to him because He makes the flight to heavenly things swift, not being separated from the archer but rather finding rest. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Song Of Songs 1 Song 2.6 2 Mt 25.34 3 Prov 3.16 4 Prov 4.8

Bringing In

Introducite me in domum vini... Foris stetit sponsus, et ab sponsa susceptus est. In medio quippe uberum illius requievit. Proximae juvenculae non sunt istiusmodi ut sponsum hospitem habere mereantur. Multitudini foris in parabolis loquitur. Quam vereor ne multae adolescentulae forte non simus. Introducite me in domum vini. Cur tam diu foris maneo? Ecce sto ante ostium et pulso. Si quis mihi aperueit, ingrediar ad eum, et coenabo cum eo, it ipse mecum. Introducite me. Et nunc eadam dicit sermon divinus, ecce Christus loquitur, introducite me. Vobis quoque catechumenis loquitor: Introducite me. Introducite, non simpliciter in domum, sed in domum vini, impleatur vino laetitiae, vino Spiritus sancti anima vestra, et sic introducite in domum vestram sponsum, verbum, sapientiam, veritatem. Potest autem et ad eos dici qui nondum perfecti sunt: Introducite me in domum vini. Origenes, In Canticum Canticorum Homilia II, Interprete Divo Hieronymo Source: Migne PG 13.53a-b

Bring me into the house of wine... 1 The groom stood outside and was taken in by the bride. In the midst of her bosom he rested. The young maidens near by did not merit to have the groom as a guest like this. In parables he speaks to the multitude outside. 2 How I fear lest many of us might be as the young maidens. 'Bring me into the house of wine,' Why do I wait for so long outside? 'Behold I stand at the door and knock. If someone shall open to me, I shall enter into him and I shall dine with him and he with me.' 3 And now the Divine one speaks the same speech, behold Christ speaks, 'Bring me in...' He also speaks to you catechumens, 'Bring me,' not simply into the house, but 'into the house of wine,' let your soul be filled with the wine of joy, with the wine of the Holy Spirit, and so bring the groom into your house, the Word, Wisdom, Truth. For it may be said to those not yet perfect, 'Bring me into the house of wine.' Origen, Commentary On The Song of Songs, from Homily 2, translated by Saint Jerome 1 Song 2.4 Septuagint 2 Mt 13.34 3 Apoc 3.20