Turned Inward

Et labia earum palmi unius, reflexa intrinsecus per circuitum.... Pensandum vero est valde quod dicitur, quia earumdem mensarum labia interius sunt reflexa. Tunc enim mensarum labia intrinsecus reflectuntur, quando doctores ad conscientiam revocant tacita cogitatione quod dicunt, quando semetipsos subtiliter perscrutantur si faciunt quod loquuntur. Recte autem cum reflexa intrinsecus mensarum labia dicuntur, additur quoque per circuitum, ut non in una qualibet se parte considerent, atque ex alia semetipsos perpendere praetermittant, sed ubique semetipsos inspiciant, et, in quantum praevalent, studeant singula opere implere quae docent, ne si praedicantes facere bona dissimulant, sui vastatores sint cultores alieni. O doctor, ecce jam mensa es, jam vasa portas, jam in vasis fidelibus pondus holocausti et victimae sustines, sed intus reflecte labium, id est ad cor revoca sermonem. Audi quod dicis, operare quod praedicas. Si enim negligis implere quod praedicas, aliis messem seminas, et ipse a frumenti participatione jejunas. Unde scriptum est: Cujus messem famelicus comedet. Messem quippe doctoris qui bona loquitur, sed non operatur, famelicus comedit, quia is qui panem justitiae esurit operatur mandata quae audit, et ipse fructum non habet, qui seminando laboravit. Hinc Salomon ait: Abscondit piger manum suam sub ascella, nec ad os suum porrigit eam. Nemo ita piger est, ut ad os manum vel comedendo reducere laborem putet. Sed piger nec ad os manum suam porrigit, qui nec hoc vult operari quod dicit. Hinc iterum de bene docentibus et male operantibus dicitur: Filii Ephraim intendentes areum, et mittentes sagittas, conversi sunt in die belli. Intendunt arcum, atque sagittas mittunt, qui Scripturae sacrae sententias proponunt, et verbis rectis auditorum vitia feriunt; sed convertuntur in die belli, quia post semetipsos redeunt in tentatione vitiorum, et pectus opponere non volunt, quia in tentationum certamine non resistunt. Hinc iterum dicitur: Avertisti adjutorium gladii ejus, et non es auxiliatus ei in bello. Gladius quippe doctoris est sermo Dei. Unde per Paulum dicitur: Et gladium spiritus, quod est verbum Dei. Omnipotens itaque Deus cum doctorem respicit nolle operari quae dicit, in die belli adjutorii ejus gladium avertit, quia in tentationum certamine non permittit ei esse in adjutorium doctrinae verba quae dedit. Habet igitur gladium, sed hunc in bello non adjuvat, quia cum adversitas tentationis eruperit, verbi obliviscitur quod docebat. Ecce enim de patientia forsitan sermo doctori est, doctrinae suae magisterio dicere cogitur qualiter contra illata damna, contra auditas contumelias patientia servetur. Sed cum ipse vel damno, vel contumelia fuerit lacessitus, oblitus quod docuerat, vel in laesione proximi, vel in reddenda gravius contumelia excedit. Inter haec itaque cogitet quia mensa Dei est, labium intus reflectat, servet quod praedicat. Scriptum quippe est: In patientia vestra possidebitis animas vestras. Et rursum scriptum est: Doctrina viri per patientiam noscitur. Si itaque index doctrinae patientia est, tanto quisque doctus ostenditur, quanto patiens fuerit. Hinc est enim quod bonus ille discipulus qui magistrum tolli in aera videbat, per magnae charitatis affectum clamabat, dicens: Pater mi, pater mi, currus Israel et auriga ejus. Quid est, fratres charissimi, quod Elias currus Israel et auriga dicitur, nisi quia auriga agitat, currus portat? Doctor ergo qui mores populi et per patientiam sustinet, et sacri eloquii verbis docet, et currus dicitur et auriga. Currus, quia tolerando portat; auriga, quia exhortando agitat. Currus, quia mala sustinet; auriga, quia populum bonis admonitionibus exercet. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Secundus, Homilia IX Source: Migne PL 76.1051b-1052c

And their borders were of one handbreadth, turned inwards all around... 1 One must think carefully on what is said here, that the borders of the tables are turned inwards. For then the borders of the tables are turned inwards, when teachers in silent thought refer what they say to their conscience, when they scrutinise themselves carefully, if they do what they teach. And rightly when the borders of the tables are said to be turned inwards it is added 'all around,' so that they do not consider themselves in just one part only, and pass over thinking on everything else, but they inspect themselves all over, and in much as is possible they strive to fulfill everything they have taught, lest if preaching the good they lie, being ruinous cultivators of their own estrangement. O teacher, behold that you are a table, behold that you bear a vase, behold in the faithful vases you hold up the weight of the holocaust and the sacrifices, but reflect within the borders, that is, recall your speech to your heart. Listen to what you say, and do what you preach. For if you neglect to fulfill what you preach, you sow a harvest for others while you fast from partaking of the wheat. Whence it is written. 'Whose harvest the hungry shall eat.' 2 Certainly the hungry man eats the harvest of the teacher when he who speaks good things does not do them, because he who hungers for the bread of righteousness works the commandments he hears, and thus he who laboured to sow it does not have the fruit of it. So Solomon says, 'The lazy man leaves his hand in the dish and does not bring it to his mouth.' 3 Therefore no one is lazy who thinks to move his hand to his mouth for eating. But the lazy man who does not put his hand to his mouth is he who does not wish to do what he says. Whence again concerning good teaching and bad action, it is said: 'The sons of Ephraim bend the bow and send forth arrows, and they are overthrown on the day of war.' 4 They bend the bow and send forth arrows, who propound the words of Sacred Scripture and strike at vices with right words for their audience. But they are overthown on the day of war because when they come back to themselves, in the trials of the vices, they care not set the heart to oppose them, because in the struggle of temptation they do not resist. Thus again it is said: 'You have taken away the aid of his sword, and you did not help him on the day of war.' 5 Certainly the sword of the teacher is the word of God. So it is said by Paul: 'And the sword is the spirit, which is the word of God.' 6 Thus almighty God, when He looks on a teacher who does not wish to do what he says, He removes the aid of his sword on the day of war, because in the struggle of temptation He does not allow him the help of the words of the teaching which he gave. Therefore he has a sword but it is of no help to him in battle, because when the adversity of trial bursts forth, he forgets the words which he has taught. Perhaps the word of the teacher is about patience, and he is driven by the duty of teaching to tell how patience guards against loses inflicted and against the abuse one hears. But when he suffers a wound by loss or insolence, he forgets what he has taught and he falls to returning a wound to a neighbour, or to returning abuse more vehemently. Concerning these things, then, let it be thought that because the table is God's, and the borders are turned inward, that it guards what is preached. For it is written: 'In your suffering you will find your souls.' 7 And again it is written: 'The teaching of a man is known through suffering.' 8 If then the measure of teaching is patience, he shows himself more educated the more he suffers. Thus that good disciple who saw the teacher caught up in the air, cried out in the passion of great love, 'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and his charioteer.' 8 Why is this, dearest brothers, that he calls Elijah the chariot of Israel and the charioteer, unless the charioteer stirs up and the chariot bears? Therefore a teacher who endures the ways of the people with patience, and teaches the words of sacred speech, he is called the chariot and the charioteer. The chariot, because he bears with endurance, the charioteer because he stirs up with exhortation. The chariot, because he endures evil, the charioteer, because he exhorts the people with good instruction. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 2, from Homily 9 1 Ezek 40.43 2 Job 5.5 3 Prov 19.24 4 Ps 78.9 5 Ps 87.44 6 Ephes 6.17 7 Lk 21.19 8 Prov 19.11 9 4 Kings 2.12

The Sea Within

Quis conclusit ostiis mare? Quid est mare, nisi cor nostrum furore turbidum, rixis amarum, elatione superbiae tumidum, fraude malitiae obscurum? Quod mare quantum saeviat, attendit quisquis, in se occultas cogitationum tentationes intelligit. Ecce enim iam perversa relinquimus, iam desideriis rectis inhaeremus, iam prava opera foris abscindimus; sed tamen latenter intus ea cum qua huc venimus vitae veteris procella fatigamur, quam nisi respectu iudicii et aeterni pavore tormenti immensi timoris claustra constringerent, cuncta in nobis penitus superaedificati operis fundamenta corruissent. Si enim quod per suggestionem saevit intrinsecus, per deliberationem foras erumperet, vitae nostrae fabrica funditus eversa iacuisset. In iniquitate namque concepti, et in delicto editi, per insitae corruptionis molestias pugnam nobiscum huc deferimus, quam cum labore vincamus. Unde et recte de hoc mari dicitur: Quando erumpebat, quasi de vulva procedens. Vulva enim pravae cogitationis adolescentia est. De qua per Moysen Dominus dicit: Sensus enim et cogitatio humani cordis prona est in malum ab adolescentia sua. Corruptionis namque malum, quod unusquisque nostrum ab ortu desideriorum carnalium sumpsit, in provectu aetatis exercet; et nisi hoc citius divinae formidinis manus reprimat, omne conditae naturae bonum repente culpa in profundum vorat. Nemo igitur sibi cogitationum suarum victoriam tribuat, cum Veritas dicat: Quis conclusit ostiis mare, quando erumpebat, quasi de vulva procedens? Quia nisi ab ipso cogitationis primordio cordis fluctus gratia divina retineret, tentationum procellis mare saeviens terram procul dubio humanae mentis obruisset, ut salsis fluctibus perfusa aresceret, id est perniciosis carnis voluptatibus delectata deperiret. Solus ergo Dominus ostiis mare concludit, qui pravis motibus cordis claustra inspiratae formidinis obiicit. Quia vero ea quae cernimus sequi prohibemur, quia a corporearum rerum delectatione retundimur, libet etiam ad invisibilia oculos mentis attollere, atque haec ipsa quae sequi praecipimur videre. Sed quid agimus? Infirmis illa obtutibus necdum patent. Ecce ad eorum amorem vocamur, sed tamen a visione restringimur, quia et si quando aliquid furtim parumque aspicimus, sub incerto nimis adhuc visu caligamus. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Moralia, sive Expositio in Job, Liber XXVIII, Caput XIX Source: Migne PL 76.474b-475a

Who shut up the sea with doors? 1 What is this sea, except our heart, troubled by fury, bitter with strife, bloated with the elation of pride, darkened by the deceit of evil? Anyone may observe how mightily this sea rages, who understands the hidden temptations of thoughts in himself. For behold, we are now abandoning our perversities, we are now cleaving to correct desires, we are now cutting off our exterior wicked works, but we are yet secretly wearied within by the storms of our old life with which we have lived so far, and unless the barriers of endless fear were curbing it with care for judgment and fear of eternal torment, all the foundations of the work which has been raised up in us would have utterly fallen into ruin. If that which rages within by suggestion were to burst out in resolution, the whole fabric of our life would be utterly overthrown. For being conceived in iniquity and in sin brought forth, 2 we bring with us here a struggle with the strife of innate corruptions, which we must conquer with toil. Whence it is rightly said of this sea, 'When it was breaking forth, as if coming out from the womb.' 1 Youth is the womb of depraved thought, concerning which the Lord says, 'The mind and thought of the human heart is inclined to evil from its youth.' 3 For the evil of corruption which each one of us takes up from the springing up of carnal desires, exerts itself with the advance of age, and unless the hand of Divine disapproval quickly restrains it, sin swiftly swallows down into the depths all the good of created nature. No one, therefore, should attribute victory over his thoughts to himself, since the Truth says, 'Who shut up the sea with doors, when it was breaking forth, as if coming out from the womb?' 1 For unless from the beginning of our thoughts Divine grace had restrained the waves of our heart, the sea raging with the storms of temptations would doubtless have overwhelmed the land of the human mind, so that, washed by the salt waves, it would have become barren, that is, it would have perished amid the delights of the ruinous pleasures of the flesh. Therefore the Lord alone shuts up the sea with doors, He who sets in opposition to the evil motions of our hearts the barriers of inspired fear. And because we are prohibited from following those things which we see, because we are turned from the enjoyment of bodily things, so it is possible for us to raise the eyes of our mind even to invisible things, and see those very things we are commanded to follow. But what do we do? Such things are not yet open to our feeble sight. Behold we are called to love them, and yet we are restrained from the sight of them, because even if sometime we see them by stealth and partially, we are yet in the darkness of our most uncertain sight. Saint Gregory the Great, Moralia, or Commentary on Job, Book 28, Chapter 19 1 Job 38.8 2 Ps 50.7 3 Gen 8.21

Attributing Victory

Sensus enim, inquit, et cogitatio humani cordis in malum prona sunt ab adolescentia sua. Corruptionis malum quod unusquisque nostrum ab ortu desideriorum carnalium sumpsit, in profectum aetatis exercet, et nisi hoc citius divinae formidinis manus reprimat, omne conditae naturae bonum, repente culpa in profundum vorat. Nemo igitur sibi cogitationum suarum victoriam tribuat, cum Apostolis dicat: Neque qui plantat est aliquid, neque qui rigat; sed qui incrementum dat Deus. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber II, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 107.523b

The mind and thought of the human heart is inclined to evil from its youth. 1 The evil of corruption which each of us takes up from the springing up of the desires of the flesh, exerts itself with the progress of age, and unless the hand of Divine disapproval restrains, sin swiftly swallows down into the depths every good of our created nature. No one, therefore, should attribute victory over his own thoughts to himself, but as the Apostle says, 'Neither he who plants is anything, nor is he who waters, but God who gives the growth.' 2 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 2, Chapter 8 1 Gen 8.21 2 1 Cor 3.7

Faith And Salvation

Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασεν κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ... Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ σύμπασα γῆ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς διέφθειρε, καθὰ γέγραπται, καὶ ἀπονένευκεν ἡ καρδία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκ νεότητος, κατακλυσμὸν τοῖς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐπηφίει Θεὸς, οἶόν τινα κῆπον ὑλομανήσαντα καὶ κεχερσωμένον ἀνακτώμενος, καὶ φυτὸν ἐν αὐτῷ τηρήσας εὐγενὲς, τὸν πανάριστον Νῶε, ἵνα ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ γένος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, εἰς ἑτέραν ὥσπερ ἀρχὴν μεταστοιχειούμενον, σώζηται πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Πίστει οὖν χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε, κατεσκεύαζε τὴν κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, εἰς ἤν ὀλίγαι, τουτέστιν ὀκτὼ ψυχαὶ διεσώθησαν δι' ὕδατος. Μία μὲν γὰρ ἐξενήνεκται θανάτου ψῆφος κατὰ πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πεπληθυμένης δηλονότι τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ εἰς ἀβουλητον ὀργὴν καλεσάσης τὸν Δημιουργόν. Ἀλλ' ἐσωζετο πανοικὶ δίκαιος ὤν ὁ Νῶε, πεπίστευκε γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ προστάττοντι κατασκευάσαι τὴν κιβωτόν. Καὶ βεβάπιστο μὲν σύμπασα γῆ, ἡ δὲ τοῖς ὕδασιν ἐπενήχετο, κυβερνήτην λαβοῦσα τὸν τῶν ὅλων σωτῆρα Θεόν· καὶ ἦν ἐν αὐτῇ λείψανον ἀνθρωπότητος ὁμοῦ γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις. Ὁ πίστιν ἔχων τὸ καύχημα... Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας,Εἰς τὴν πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολὴν, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 74.992a-b

By faith, Noah, being warned of things not yet seen, made fearful, prepared an ark for the saving of his house... 1 Because the whole world was corrupt in His sight, as it is written, and He saw that the heart of man was inclined to evil works from its youth, 2 God brought the flood on the whole world, that He might renew the garden which once flourished and was made desolate, in the guarding of that most eminent tree, the celebrated Noah, that through him He might reorder the human race, as if with a better beginning, and so he was protected in the world. Therefore by faith, Noah, being warned, made the ark for the salvation of His family, in which a few, that is, eight souls, would be saved from the waters. For there was to be one common death for all those who dwelt on the earth, which was clearly full of sin and provoked the Lord to unavoidable anger. But the righteous Noah was saved along with his whole house, he who believed in God his protector and made the ark. Then the whole earth was submerged, and the ark alone floated on the waters, having as steersman the one saving God of all, and in it was the remnant of the human race, Noah and the wives and sons. He who, having faith, the glory... Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Letter to Hebrews, Fragment 1 Heb 11.7 2 Gen 6.12, Gen 8.21

Noah And Faith

Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ· δι' ἧς κατέκρινε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος. Πίστει, φησὶ, χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε. Καθάπερ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίας διαλεγόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ Νῶε ἐγάμουν καὶ ἐγαμίσκοντο· οὕτω καὶ οὗτός φησιν. Εἰκότως δὲ αὐτοὺς οἰκείας εἰκόνος ἀνέμνησε· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑπόδειγμα τοῦ Ἐνὼχ πίστεως ἦν ὑπόδειγμα μόνον, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Νῶε καὶ ἀπιστίας. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἀπηρτισμένη παράκλησις καὶ προτροπὴ, ὅταν μὴ μόνον οἱ πιστεύσαντες εὑρίσκωνται εὐδοκιμοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἀπιστοῦντες τἀναντία πάσχοντες. Τί γάρ φησι; Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Προλεχθὲν ἦν αὐτῷ, φησί. Χρηματισμὸν δὲ τὴν προφητείαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ οὕτως εἶπε· Καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ κεχρηματισμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος· καὶ πάλιν· Καὶ τί λέγει ὁ χρηματισμός; Ὁρᾷς τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸ ἰσότιμον; ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς χρᾷ, οὕτω καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὕτως εἶπεν; Ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι ὁ χρηματισμὸς προφητεία ἐστί. Περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, φησί· τουτέστι, τοῦ ὑετοῦ· Εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτόν. Ὁ μὲν λογισμὸς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ὑπέβαλλεν· ἐγάμουν γὰρ καὶ ἐγαμίσκοντο, ἀὴρ ἦν καθαρὸς, σημεῖα οὐκ ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐφοβήθη ἐκεῖνος· διὸ καὶ οὕτως εἶπε· Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Πῶς; ∆ι' ἧς κατέκρινε τὸν κόσμον. Ἔδειξεν αὐτοὺς ἀξίους ὄντας κολάσεως, οἵ γε οὐδὲ διὰ τῆς κατασκευῆς ἐσωφρονίζοντο. Καὶ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν, φησὶ, δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος· τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τούτου δίκαιος ἐφάνη, ἀπὸ τοῦ πιστεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐστι γνησίως πρὸς αὐτὸν διακειμένης, καὶ μηδὲν πιστότερον τῶν αὐτοῦ ῥημάτων εἶναι κρινούσης, ὡσπεροῦν ἡ ἀπιστία τοὐναντίον. Ἡ δὲ πίστις εὔδηλον ὅτι δικαιοσύνην ἐργάζεται. Ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς ἐχρηματίσθημεν περὶ γεέννης, οὕτω κἀκεῖνος. Καίτοι γε ἐγελᾶτο τότε, καὶ ὠνειδίζετο καὶ ἐχλευάζετο· ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸς οὐδὲν τούτων εἶδε. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς τὴν πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολὴν, Ὁμιλια ΚΓ' Source: Migne PG 63.159-160

By faith, Noah, being warned of things not yet seen, made fearful, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 1 'By faith,' he says, 'Noah, being warned by God.' As the Son of God, speaking of His own coming, said, 'In the days of Noah they married and were given in marriage,' 2 therefore he here also speak to recall to them an appropriate image. For the example of Enoch was an example only of Faith, 3 but that of Noah, on the other hand, also of unbelief. And this is a complete consolation and exhortation, when not only believers find approval but the faithless suffer the opposite. For what does he say? 'By faith, Noah, being warned...' What is this? He says that it was foretold to him. But why does he call it a Divine communication? 4 For in another place it is also said that it was foretold to him by the Spirit, and again, what does the Divine communication say? 5 Do you see the equal dignity of the Spirit? For as God declares, so also does the Holy Spirit. But for what reason did He speak so? The Divine communication is shown to be a prophecy. Of things not yet seen, he says, that is, of the rain. '...made fearful, prepared an ark...' It was not reason that suggested anything like this, for they were marrying and being given in marriage, the air was clear, there were no signs of anything, but nevertheless Noah feared. He says, 'By faith, Noah, being warned by God of things not yet seen, being moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house.' And then how is it that '...by which he condemned the world?' He showed them to be worthy of punishment, since they were not made sensible even by this preparation. And it says he '...became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith,' which is that he was shown to be righteous by believing God. For this is a soul truly inclined to Him, which judges nothing more worthy of belief than His words, just as unbelief is its opposite. Faith, it is obvious here, works righteousness. For as we have been warned of hell by God, so he was, and yet at that time he was mocked, and he was despised and ridiculed, but he cared not at all for such things. Saint John Chrysostom, On Saint Paul's Letter to The Hebrews, from Homily 23 1 Heb 11.7 2 Luke 17.26-27 3 Heb 11.5, Gen 5.22 4 Lk 2.26 5 Rom 11.4

The Ark And Salvation

In quae pauci, id est, octo animae salvae factae sunt... Formam baptismi assimilatam dicit arcae et aquis diluvii. Et recte omnino, quia et ipsa fabricatio arcae de lignis laevigatis constructionem significat Ecclesiae, quae fit de collectione animarum fidelium per architectos verbi. Et quod pereunte orbe toto, pauci, id est, octo animae, salvae factae sunt per aquam, significat quod ad comparationem pereuntium gentilium, Judaeorum, haereticorum, et falsorum fidelium, multo brevior est numerus electorum. Unde de angusta porta et arcta via, quae ducit ad vitam, dicitur: Et pauci sunt qui inveniunt eam. Et iterum: Nolite timere, pusillus grex, quia complacuit Patri vestro dare vobis regnum. De quo pusillo grege et hic apte subjungitur: Non carnis depositio sordium, sed conscientiae bonae interrogatio in Deum , per resurrectionem Domini nostri lesu Christi. Ubi enim est conscientia bona, nisi ubi est et fides non ficta? Docet namque apostolus Paulus quia finis praecepti est charitas de corde puro, et conscientia bona, et fide non ficta. Quod ergo aqua diluvii non salvavit extra arcam positos, sed occidit, sine dubio praefigurabat omnem haereticum, licet habentem baptismatis sacramentum, non aliis, sed ipsis aquis ad inferna mergendum, quibus arca sublevatur ad coelum. Ipse quoque octonarius numerus animarum quae salvae factae sunt per aquam significat quia sancta Ecclesia in sacramentum dominicae resurrectionis baptismi lavacrum percepit, ut sicut ipse resurrexit a mortuis per gloriam Patris, ita et nos, expurgati a peccatis per aquam regenerationis, in novitate vitae ambulemus. Octava namque die, hoc est post septimam Sabbati, Dominus, a mortuis resurgens, et exemplum nobis futurae resurrectionis, et mysterium novae conversationis, qua in terris positi coelestem vitam ageremus, ostendit. Sancta Beda, In Primam Epistolam Sancti Petri, Caput III Source: Migne PL 93.59d-60b

In which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved...1 He says that the form of baptism is likened to the ark and the waters of the flood. And quite rightly because the making of the ark from the arrangement of smoothed wood signifies the Church, which is made from the gathering of the souls of the faithful by the architects of the Word. And passing through the whole world, a few, that is, eight souls, are saved through water, which signifies that compared to the passing through of the pagans, Jews, heretics, and the falsely faithful, the number of the chosen are very few. Whence it is said of the narrow gate and difficult way which leads to life, 'And few there are who find it.' 2 And again, 'Do not fear, little flock, because it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.' 3 Concerning which flock it appropriately continues: Not as dirt removed from the flesh, but as an interrogation of good conscience in God, through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. For where is good conscience unless where there is faith and not falsehood? The Apostle Paul teaches that the end of the commandment is love from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith not falsehood. 4 Because, therefore, the waters of the flood did not save those outside the ark, but killed them, it without doubt prefigured every heretic, for it is possible to have the sacrament of baptism, but not the rest, and then those waters drag down to hell, which same waters lifted the ark to heaven. That eight is the number of the souls that were saved through the waters signifies that the holy Church understands the resurrection of the Lord in the cleansing sacrament of baptism, that as He rose from the dead in the glory of the Father, so even we, cleansed from sin through the waters of regeneration, shall walk in the new life. 5 For on the eighth day, which is after the seventh of the Sabbath, the Lord, rising from the dead, gives us an example of the future resurrection and the mystery of the new life, which heavenly life we should live placed on the earth. Saint Bede, Commentary on the First Letter of Peter, Chapter 3 1 1 Pet 3.20 2 Mt 7.14 3 Lk 12.32 4 1 Tim 1.5 5 Rom 6.4

Noah And The Son Of Man

Et sicut factum est in diebus Noe, ita erit et in diebus Filii hominis. Hoc enim congruum erat quia Noe figuram gerebat Christi, qui se vocat Filium hominis: Noe enim interpretatur requies, et in solo Christo est requies et pax. Nam, ad Ephesios secundo, ipse est pax nostra, qui fecit utraque unum; et loannis decimo sexto: In mundo pressuram habebitis, in me autem pacem. Unde Augustinus: Inquietum est cor meum, Domine, donec quiescat in te. Ideo ipse dicit: Tollite iugum meum super vos, et invenietis requiem animabus vestris. Non tantum nomine Christum significat, verum etiam facto. Nam sicut Noe salvavit semen hominum per lignum, sic Christus et per crucis patibulum; Sapientiae decimo quarto: Spes orbis terrarum, ad ratem confugiens, remisit saeculo semen nativitatis, quae manu tua erat gubernata. Benedictum est enim lignum, per quod fit iustitia. Unde et praemittit: Exiguo ligno committunt homines animas suas etc. Et sicut Noe fabricavit arcam, sic et Christus Ecclesiam, quae ad modum arcae de lignis levigatis bitumine caritatis contextae aedificatur, habens coenacula et tristega propter diversitates officiorum, graduum et dignitatum; ad Ephesios quarto: Ipse dedit quosdam Apostolos, quosdam quidem Prophetas, alios vero Evangelistas, alios vero pastores et doctores, ad consummationem Sanctorum, ad aedificationem corporis Christi, donec occurramus omnes in virum perfectum, in mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi; in qua scilicet erit longitudo, latitudo et altitudo arcae nobilissime consummata. Sicut etiam qui intra arcam fuerunt salvati sunt, sic qui intra Ecclesiam sunt salvantur per aquam et baptismum; primae Petri tertio: In diebus Noe, cum fabricaretur arca, in qua pauci, id est octo animae salvae factae sunt per aquam. Quod et vos nunc similis formae salvos facit baptisma, non carnis depositio sordium, sed conscientiae bonae interrogatio in Deum , per resurrectionem Domini nostri lesu Christi. Et sicut qui extra arcam fuerunt deleti sunt, sic omnes, qui extra Ecclesiam sunt, per finale iudicium damnabuntur; in cuius designationem Actuum vigesimo septimo dixit Paulus: Nisi hi in navi manserint, vos salvi fieri non potestis. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius in Evangelium Lucae, Caput XVII Source: Here, p440

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the days of the Son of Man. 1 For this was fitting because Noah bore the figure of Christ, He who calls Himself the Son of Man. Noah is interpreted 'rest' and only in Christ is there rest and peace. For in the second chapter of Ephesians: 'He is our peace, who has made both one.' 2 And in the sixteenth chapter of John, 'In the world you shall have tribulations, but in me peace.' 3 Whence Augustine says: 'My heart is troubled, O Lord, until it shall rest in you.' 4 And He Himself says: 'Take my yoke on you, and you shall find rest for your souls.' 5 Not only is Christ signified by the name but even by the deed. For as Noah saved the seed of men through wood, so Christ through the gibbet of the cross. In the fourteenth chapter of Wisdom: 'The hope of the whole world, fleeing to a boat, preserved for the world the seed of birth, which your hand steered. Blessed is the wood through which there is righteousness.' And before this: 'Men entrust their souls to a little wood.' 6 And as Noah built the Ark so Christ the Church, which in the manner of the ark is built up from smoothed wood coated with the pitch of love, and it has upper rooms and lower rooms according to the differences of office, grades and dignity. 7 In the fourth chapter of Ephesians: 'He gave some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, others to be Evangelists, others to be shepherds and teachers, for the perfection of the holy, and the building up of the body of Christ, until we all come to the perfect man, in the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ.' In which evidently there shall be length and breadth and height in the perfection of the most noble ark. 8 Indeed as those who within the ark were saved, so those within the Church shall be saved through water and baptism. In the third chapter of the first letter of Peter: 'In the days of Noah when the ark was fashioned, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. And now you likewise are saved by the form of baptism, not as dirt is removed from flesh, but as an interrogation of good conscience in God, through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.' 9 And as those who were outside the ark were destroyed, so all who are outside the Church are damned in final judgement, to which witnessing, in the twenty seventh chapter of Acts, Paul said, 'Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.' 10 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 17 1 Lk 17.26 2 Ephes 2.14 3 Jn 16.33 4 August Confes 1.1 5 Mt 11.29 6 Wisd 14.6,5 7 Gen 6.14,16 8 Ephes 4.11-13, 3.18 9 1 Pet 3.20-21 10 Acts 27.31

The Doves

Καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν, οἶμαι που, καὶ ὁ σοφὸς Ἰωάαννης γράφει· Ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν, μεμενήσκαν ἂν μεθ' ἡμῶν. Λέγοντες δὲ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐναργῶς, ὅτι Ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀποστήσονται τινες τῆς πίστεως, προσέχοντες πνεύμασι πλάνοις, ὅρα καὶ τοῦδε σαφῆ τύπον διὰ Νῶε γεγενημένον. Ἀπέστειλε μὲν γὰρ πρώτην τε και δευτέραν περιστερὰν κατασκεψομενός, ὥσπερ εἰ ἐν ὑφιζήσει γέγονεν ὁ κατακλυσμός. Αἱ δὲ ὑπενόστησαν ὡς εἰς καλιὰν εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν, καὶ τι κάρφος ἐχούσης μιᾶς ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῆς, καθὰ γέγραπται, θαλὸς δὲ τοῦτο ἐλαίας ἦν. Ἀποστέλλονται μὲν γὰρ οἱ ἅγιοι παρὰ Χριστοῦ κατασκεψόμενοι τε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ. Ὑμονοστοῦσι δὲ ὥσπερ λαλοῠντες εἰρήνην. Τουτὶ γὰρ οἶμαι πλαγίως ὑποδηλοῦν τὸ ἐν στόματι κεῖσθαι τῆς περιστερᾶς τὸν τῇς ἐλαίας θαλόν. Σύμβολον γὰρ εἰρήνης ἀεί πώς ἐστι τὸ φυτόν. Φιλόθεοι μὲν οὖν οἱ πίστει κεκαθαρμένοι, καὶ ὡς ἐν πραότητι πολιτείας εὐαγγελικῆς, ἀπόλεκτοι τῷ Θεῷ. Πλὴν, ὅτι καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποστήσονται τινες ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς, καθάπερ ἔφην ἀρτίως, ἐμφήνειεν ἂν ὁ τύπος. Τρίτη γὰρ καὶ τελευταία πέμπεται περιστερὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἐμελέτα τὴν ὑποστροφὴν. Ἀπομεμένηκε γὰρ, Ὑπολοφήσαντος δὲ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, κεκάθεκεν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐπι τὰ ὅρη Ἀραρὰτ, ἂ διερμηνεύεται μαρτυρία καταβάσεως. Ὑψηλοὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ καὶ οἰονεί πως ἐν ὅρεσι διὰ τὸ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας ὑπεραναστηκὸς, οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ διὰ πίστεως, τὸν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκότα Θεὸν Λόγον, τοῖς ἀπανταχῇ κηρύτοντες, οἶς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπεφώνει Θεὸς διὰ προφήτου φωνῆς· Γίνεσθε μοι μάρυτες, καὶ ἑγὼ μάρτυς, λέηει Κύριος ὁ Θεός· καὶ ὁ παῖς ὄν ἐξελεξάμην. Ἀνωτέρω δὴ οὖν τῆς ἐν κόσμῳ χθαμαλότητος τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ τὰ αὐχήματα. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Γλαφυρών Ἐις Την Γένεσιν, Λόγος Δεύτερος Source: Migne PG 69.71a-c

And concerning these, I think that the wise John writes somewhere, 'They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if there were of us, they would have remained with us.' 1 And speaking openly through the Spirit, 'In the last times some will fall away from the faith, attending to deceitful spirits.' 2 And see here the manifest type made through Noah. For he sends out the first and second doves to see whether the flood has subsided and these return to the ark as to a dovecote, and one of them has in its mouth, as it is written, an olive branch. 3 So the holy are sent from Christ to scrutinise the world and those in it. And they return speaking peace. I think this is what is obscurely signified here by the olive branch in the mouth of the dove, for the olive is always a symbol of peace. Therefore they are the pious, who are cleansed by faith, and are the delight of God in the meekness of the evangelical life. Besides which they are some who in the last times, as said, shall fall away, which this type declares, for the third and last dove sent out does not care to return. For it has been mentioned that 'with the flood subsiding, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat,' 4 which is interpreted 'witness descending.' For the exalted are like those set upon the mountains because of the sublimity of the evangelical life, those who through faith in Christ are on high, and from heaven the Word of God has come down, which they preach everywhere, concerning which God Himself cries out through the voice of the prophet 'You be my witnesses, even as I am a witness, says the Lord, and the boy whom I have chosen.' 5 Thus more sublime than anything set low in the world is their glory in Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra On Genesis, Book 2 1 1 Jn 2.19 2 1 Tim 4.1 3 Gen 8.8-11 4 Gen 8.4 5 Isaiah 43.10

The Ark And The End

Sicut erant in diebus Noe ante diluvium, comedentes et bibentes... Scilicet gulae dediti, nubentes et nuptui tradentes, id est persistentes, et hoc usque ad eum diem quo intravit Noe in arcam, et contemnentes Dei judicium, non cognoverunt, id est cognoscere noluerunt, Noe etiam praedicante, donec venit diluvium, et tulit omnes, ita erit et adventus Filii hominis. Sed nota, quia ubi dicit: Comedentes et bibentes, et nubentes, et nuptui tradentes, non alimenta et nuptias, sed immoderatum illorum arguit usum. Mystice arcam Noe aedificat, cum Dominus Ecclesiam de veris fidelibus, quasi lignis levigatis adunando construit, quam perfecte consummatam ingreditur, cum hanc in die judicii praesentia suae visionis aeternus habitator illustrat, sed cum arca aedificatur, iniqui luxuriantur. Cui modo non creditur, quia qui sanctis hic certantibus insultant, eis illic coronatis aeterna damnatione plectentur. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput XXIV Source: Migne PL 162.1455c-d

As they were in the days of Noah before the flood, eating and drinking... 1 Obviously devoted to gluttony, marrying and giving in marriage, that is, persisting in them, even to that day when Noah entered into the ark, scorning the judgement of God, and they were ignorant, that is, they had no wish to know, even though Noah preached, until the flood came, and swept them all away, and even so shall be the coming of the Son of Man. But note that when He says, 'Eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage,' He does not condemn food and marriage but the immoderate use of such things. Noah builds the ark in a spiritual sense when the Lord builds from the truly faithful ones, as from smoothed wood, the one Church, which perfectly enters into consummation, when on the day of judgement the eternal occupant illuminates with the presence of His vision, but while the ark is being built, the wicked luxuriate. Concerning which it must not be believed that they who vex the holy with strife here, shall have crowns there, who are punished with eternal damnation. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 24 1 Mt 24.37

Blessing And Increase

Και εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Νῶε, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτου, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Αὐξάνεσθε και πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. Ὁ Νῶε πῶς ηὕξησε, kαὶ ἐπλήθυνε, μῄπω γεννήσας μετὰ κατακλυσμόν; μήποτe οὖν οὐ δεῖ σωματικῶς ἀκούειν τὸ, Αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε. Εἰ δε ἐνθάδε οὐ σωματικῶς διὰ τὸν Νῶε, δῆλον, ὅτι κατὰ βούλημα τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ οὕτως. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 12.105d

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them, 'Grow and multiply and fill the earth.' 1 How did Noah 'grow and multiply' when he did not sire children after the flood? One should not then consider this 'grow and multiply,' to be a material matter. And if here with Noah this should not be understood materially, then it is clear that it must be understood according to the sense of the spiritual law, just as in the beginning. 2 Origen, On Genesis, Fragment 1 Gen 9.1 2 Gen 1.27-28

Differing Perfections

Justus atque perfectus fuit... Si nullus sine peccato vivere potest, quomodo Noe justus et perfectus fuisse dicitur? Sancti Dei perfecti sunt secundum aliquem suum modum, non autem ita sunt perfecti sicut perficiendi sunt. Unde et recte dicitur: in generationibus suis. In praesenti enim vita pro modo suo juvante Dei gratia perfecti esse possunt. In illa enim beata vita, in qua nec velle ne posse peccati eis suberit, longer aliter perfecti erunt. Remigius Antissiodorensis, Commentarius In Genesim, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 131.74b

He was righteous and perfect... 1 If there is no one who lives without sin, 2 how it is said that Noah was righteous and perfect? The holy ones of God are perfect according to their own way, but they are not perfect as they shall be perfected. Whence it is rightly then said, 'in his generation.' For in the present life, in their own way, with the help of the grace of God, they are able to be perfect. But in that blessed life, in which no wish nor capability for sin shall be theirs, they shall be far otherwise perfect. Remigius of Auxerre, Commentary On Genesis, Chapter 6 1 Genesis 6.9 2 cf Eccles 7.20, Rom 3.23, 1 Jn 1.8

Trials And Relief

Ἀναμνήσθητί μοι ἐνταῦθα, ἀγαπητὲ, τῆς ἀξίας ἦς ἀπήλαυεν ὁ πρωτόπλαστος πρὸ τῆς τῆς παρακοῆς, καὶ λογίζου τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀγαθότητα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ παράβασις ἐκείνου ἠκρωτηρίασε τὴν δεδομένην ἐξουσίαν, εὗρε δὲ ὁ ἀγαθὸς Δεσπότες ἕτερον ἄνδρα δυνάμενον ἀνακαλέσασθαι τὴν ἀρχαίαν εἰκονα, καὶ διασωζώοντα τῆς ἀρετῆς τοὺς χαρακτῆρας, καὶ πολλὴν περὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἐπιδεικνυμενον, πάλιν εἰς την ἀρχαίαν τιμὴν αὐτὸν ἀνάγει, μονονουχὶ διδάσκων ἡμᾰς δι αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τὸ μέγεθος, ἤν εἶχε πρὸ τῆς παρακοῆς. Ἡ ἀρετὴ τοίνυν τοῦ δικαίου ἐπιλαβομένη της τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, ἀνεκαλέσατο τὴν προτέραν ἀρχὴν, καὶ πάλιν τὰ θηρία τὴν ὑποραγὴν ἑπεγίνωσκον. Ἔνθα γὰρ ἂν ἴδῃ θηρία δίκαιον, ἐπιλανθάνεται τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλὰ τῆς θηριωδίας, καὶ μένεοντα ἐν τῇ φύσει τὴν θηριωδίαν εἰς τὴν ἡμερότητα μεταβάλλει. Καὶ ὅρα τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ Δανιὴλ γινόμενον. Ὑπ γὰρ τῶν λεὸντων κυκλούμενος, ὡσπερ ὑπὸ προβάτων δορυφορούμενος, οὕτως ἁδεως διῆγεν· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ δικαίου παῥῥησία ἐχαλίνου τῶν θηρίων τὴν φύσιν, καὶ οὐκ εἴα τὰ τῶν θηρίων αὐτοὺς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος τὴν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων διαγωγὴν μετ' εὐκολίας ἔφερε, καὶ οὔτε ἡ στενοχωρία, οὕτε ἡ τοῦ χρόνου παράτασις, οὔτε τὸ οὕτως ἐγκεκλεῖσθαι, καὶ μήτε τὸν ἀέρα ἀναπνεῖν ναρκῆσαι αὐτὸν παρεσκεύασεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει τῇ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἂπαντα κοῦφα αὐτῷ ἐφαίνετο, καὶ οὕτω διῆγεν ἐν τῷ χαλεπῷ ἐκείνῳ δεσμωτηρίῳ, ὡσανεὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν λειμῶσι, καὶ δενδρικοῖς τόποις. Τὸ γαρ ἐπιταγμα τοῦ Δεσπότου τὰ δυσχερῆ ῥᾴδια αὐτῷ φαίνεσθαι παρεσκεύατε. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τῶν δικαίων τὸ ἔθος· ὅταν τι δι' αὐτὸν ὑπομένουσιν, οὐ τῇ ὅψει τῶν γινομένων προσέχουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑποθεσιν λογιζόμενοι μετ' εὐκολίας ἄπαντα φέρουσιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ Παῦλος, ὁ τῶν ἐθνῶν διδάσκαλος, τὰ δεσμωτήρια, τὰς ἀπαγωγὰς, τοὺς καθημερινοὺς κινδύνους, τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας καὶ ἀφορήτους θλίψεις ἐλαφρὰς ἐκάλει, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τῇ φύσει τοιαῦται ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ ὑπόθεσις τῶν γινομένων τοσαύτην αὐτῷ τὴν γνωμην κατεσκεύαζεν, ὡς μηδὲ ἐπιστρέφεσθαι πρὸς τὰ ἐπίοντα δεινά. Ἂκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης ἡμῖν κατεργάζέται. Ἡ προσδοκία, φησὶ, τῆς μελλούσης καταλήψεσθαι δόξης, καὶ τῆς διηβεκοῦς ἐκείνης ἀνέσεως κούφως ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ φέρειν τὰς ἐπαλλήλους ταύτας θλίγεις, καὶ ἐλαφράς αὐτὰκ ἡγεῖσθαι. Εἰδες ὅπως ὑποτέμνεται ὁ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν πόθος τὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἐπίτασιν, καὶ οὐδὲ αἴσθησιν συγχωρεῖ λαβεῖν τῶν ἐπιόντων; Διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος πάντα πράως ἔφερε, τῇ πίστει τῇ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τῇ ἐλπίδι τρεφόμενος. Καὶ ἔκελισε, φησὶ, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κιβωτόν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ὁμιλια ΚΕ’ Source: Migne PG 53.225-226

Remember here, beloved, I beg, how much dignity the first formed had before disobedience, and think on the goodness of God. For after his transgression the virtue given to us diminished, but God then found another man, Noah, whom He was able to restore to the original image, in the guarding of the state of the virtues and manifesting great obedience in the commandments of God, whom again He sends him to the first honour of work, to teach us with works how great was the power of Adam before his disobedience. Thus by the help of the Divine mercy the virtue of the righteous man is restored to its first state, and the beasts are again subject. For when they see the righteous man, they forget their nature, or rather not their nature, but their ferocity, for the innate wildness of their nature is turned into meekness. See how this happened to Daniel, for when he was surrounded by lions, like sheep surrounded, even so he acted fearlessly, 1 and likewise the faith of the righteous man binds the nature of wild creatures, not permitting them to act wildly as they are accustomed to do. In a similar way, this marvellous one who subdues wild creatures with great ease, is not cast down by difficult place, nor long time, nor by such a narrow enclosing that he can hardly breath, but because of faith in God all things seem easy to him, for even if thrown into the darkness of a prison, so we are as in meadows and groves. For when he works the commandments of the Lord difficult things seem easy to him. Such is the way of the righteous man, so that when he suffers on account of God, he does not look to the things that are done, but considering the cause, bears them all easily. Just as Paul, the teacher of the Gentiles, called chains light, and the dragging off before tribunals, and daily dangers, and many difficult afflictions, it was not because they had such a nature, but because of the cause for which they happened, and such was his understanding, that he was not bewildered if such fearful things befell him. Hear what he says: 'For our slight and momentary afflictions are wondrously working a weight of glory in us for eternity.' 2 The hope of glory which we pursue, he says, and the happiness of that eternity, make us endure continual afflictions easily and bear them lightly. You see how love for God diminishes grave troubles, and does not allow us to be afflicted with any sense of them? Certainly, because of this, blessed is he who endures all things meekly, being fed on faith and hope in God. 'And the Lord God closed up,' it is said 'the ark from the outside.' 3 Saint John Chrysostom, On Genesis, from the Twenty Fifth Homily 1 Dan 6.22 2 2 Cor 4.17 3 Gen 7.16

Crow And Dove

Cumque transissent quadraginta dies, aperiens Noe fenestram arcæ, quam fecerat, dimisit corvum... Quod post dies quadraginta emissus corvus non est reversus, aut aquis utique interceptus, aut aliquo supernatante cadavere illectus, significat homines immunditia cupiditatis teterrimos, et ob hoc ad ea quae foris sunt in hoc mundo ire: aut rebaptizari, quasi aut praeter arcam, id est praeter Ecclesiam, baptismus prosit, ut occidant et seducant, docere et tenere. Quod columba emissa, non inventa requie, reversa est, ostendit per Novum Testamentum requiem sanctis in hoc mundo non esse promissam. Post quadraginta enim dies emissa est; qui numerus vitam quae in hoc mundo agitur significat. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesin, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 83.233c-d

When forty days had passed, Noah opened the window on the ark which he had made, and sent forth a crow... 1 When after forty days the crow that was sent out did not return, either it was seized by the waters, or it was allured by some corpse floating on the waters, which signifies men most repulsive because of vile desires, and because of this they go to those things which are outside in this world, and are rebaptized, as if outside the ark, that is, except for the Church, baptism profits, so that they might destroy and seduce and teach and hold. That the dove was sent out and found nowhere to rest and returned, shows through the New Testament that rest is not promised to the holy in this world. 2 For it was sent out after forty days, which number signifies the span of life in this world. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chapter 7 1 Gen 8.6 2 cf Jn 14.27, Mt 8.20

Noah In The Ark

Omnibus igitur qui extra arcam fuerunt, interemptis, derelictus est Noe solus in arca cum iis qui cum ipso erant. Non indiget interpretatione sermo simplicior. Concurrit intellectus cum littera. Altior autem et interior significatio demonstrat justum virum, amatoremque sapientiae, tamquam arborem fructuosam, internecatis quae escam ejus solebant arrodere, comam obumbrare, coarctare processus ramorum, velut exsortem irrationabilium passionum solum remansisse cum suis. Sui autem sunt purae animi disceptationes, quae virtuti adhaereant. Et bene addidit in arca remansisse, quasi vix credibile amputatis corporalibus passionibus videretur eum adhuc versari in corpore: quo licet jam terrenis careret contagiis, incorruptam licet, corporis tamen adhuc substantiam reservabat: et velut incorporeus in corpore, superferebatur diluvio, non absorbebatur; corpus quidem gerens quasi in arcae positus interno, sed qui corpus ipsum, insuperabilis passionibus, quasi incorporeus, in medio tantorum motuum gubernaret. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XV Source: Migne PL 14.386d-387b

Therefore with all those who were outside the ark destroyed, Noah alone remained on the ark with those who were with him. 1 This passage is not without a simple interpretation. The understanding runs along with the letter. But there is a higher and more profound meaning that speaks of the righteous man, and the lover of wisdom, as a fruitful tree, whose fruit those destroyed were accustomed to gnaw, and to overshadow the leaves, and to break off the growing branches, he who alone exempt from irrationial passions remained with his own. For they are pure judges of the soul, who adhere to virtue. And well it is added that he remained in the ark, since it is scarcely credible that having been cut off from the corporeal passions he would seem yet tossed about in the body, he who now should be free of worldly infections, and incorrupt, though he was yet set in the substance of the body. So as something incorporeal dwelling in a body he was carried about on the flood, and did not sink, placed within the ark as borne by a body, but he as something incorporeal steered that body with its insuperable passions in the midst of great waves. Saint Ambrose, On Noah and the Ark, Chap 15 1 Gen. 7.23

Anthony's Vision

Εἶχε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν χάρισμα. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ὄρει κατὰ μόνας καθήμενος, εἴ ποτέ τι πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ζητῶν ἠπόρει, τοῦτο αὐτῷ παρὰ τῆς Προνοίας εὐχομένῳ ἀπεκαλύπτετο. Καὶ ἦν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, θεοδίδακτος γενόμενος ὁ μακάριος. Μετὰ ταῦτα γοῦν διαλέξεως αὐτῷ ποτε γενομένης πρός τινας εἰσελθόν τας πρὸς αὐτὸν, περὶ τῆς διαγωγῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ ποῖος μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτῇ τόπος ἔσται, τῇ ἑξῆς νυκτὶ καλεῖ τις αὐτὸν ἄνωθεν, λέγων· Ἀντώνιε, ἀναστὰς ἔξελθε, καὶ βλέπε. Ἐξελθὼν τοίνυν, (ᾔδει γὰρ τίσιν ὑπακούειν ὀφείλει·) καὶ ἐθεώρησέ τινα μακρὸν ἀναβλέψας, ἀειδῆ καὶ φοβερὸν, ἑστῶτα καὶ φθάνοντα μέχρι τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ἀναβαίνοντάς τινας ὥσπερ ἐπτερωμένους· κἀκεῖνον ἐκτείνοντα τὰς χεῖρας· καὶ τοὺς μὲν κωλυομένους παρ' αὐτοῦ, τοὺς δὲ ὑπεριπταμένους, καὶ διελθόντας λοιπὸν, ἀμερίμνως ἀνάγεσθαι. Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἔτριζε τοὺς ὀδόντας ὁ μακρὸς ἐκεῖνος· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς ἀποπίπτουσιν, ἔχαιρε. Καὶ εὐθὺς πρὸς Ἀντώνιον ἐγένετο φωνή· Νόει τὸ βλεπόμενον· καὶ διανοιχθείσης αὐτοῦ τῆς διανοίας, ἐνενόει τῶν ψυχῶν εἶναι τὴν πάροδον, καὶ τὸν ἑστῶ τα μακρὸν εἶναι τὸν ἐχθρὸν τὸν φθονοῦντα τοῖς πιστοῖς· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑπευθύνους αὐτῷ κρατοῦντα καὶ κωλύοντα διελθεῖν, τοὺς δὲ μὴ πεισθέντας αὐτῷ μὴ δυνάμενον κρατεῖν ὡς ὑπερβαίνοντας. Τοῦτο πάλιν ἑωρακὼς, καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπομιμνησκόμενος, μᾶλλον ἠγω νίζετο προκόπτειν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν καθ' ἡμέραν. Ταῦ τα δὲ οὐχ ἑκὼν ἀπήγγελλεν αὐτός· ἐν δὲ τῷ χρονίζειν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν θαυμάζειν, πυνθανο μένων τῶν συνόντων καὶ θλιβόντων αὐτὸν, ἠναγκάζε το λέγειν, ὡς πατὴρ οὐ δυνάμενος κρύπτειν τοῖς τέκνοις· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡγούμενος, ὅτι τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ σύνειδός ἐστι καθαρὸν, ἐκείνοις δὲ τὸ διήγημα γίνεται πρὸς ὠφέλειαν, μανθάνουσι τῆς ἀσκήσεως εἶναι καρπὸν ἀγαθὸν, τῶν τε πόνων πολλάκις παραμύθιον γίνεσθαι τὰς ὀπτασίας. Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος, Βίος καί Πολιτεία Τοῦ Ὅσῐος Παρτός Ἡμών Ἀντωνιοῦ Source: Migne PG 26.936c-937b

And again Anthony had this grace. For when he was sitting alone on the mountain, if he was ever in perplexity in his contemplations, it was revealed to him by Providence in prayer. He was that blessed man taught by God, as it is written. 1 After this, having discussed with certain men who had come to him the passing of the soul and what sort of things will happen to it after, the next night a voice from above called to him, saying, 'Antony, rise up, go out and look.' Having gone out, for he knew whom he should obey, and looking up, he saw a man standing there, one hideous and fearful and so tall that his height reached up to the clouds, and other men rose up as if they had wings. The figure stretched forth his hands and stopped some of those who were ascending, but others flew on above, and having passed on were free from care. Because of which the giant gnashed his teeth, but he rejoiced over those who fell back. And immediately a voice came to Antony, 'Understand what you see.' And his understanding was opened, and he understood that it was about the passing of souls, and that the great one who stood there was the enemy who envies the faithful. And those he seized and stopped from passing through were subject to him, but those he could not stop as they rose were not subservient to him. Having seen this, and as it were being reminded, he daily struggled to advance all the more towards those things which were ahead. He was not willing to speak about these visions, but as he spent much time in prayer and was amazed when those who were with him questioned him and pressed it upon him, he was obliged to speak of it, like a father who cannot hide things from his children. For he judged that as his conscience was clear, the account would be of benefit to them, that they might learn that discipline gave good fruit, and that visions were often the comfort of labours. Saint Athanasius, The Life of Saint Anthony 1 Isaiah 54.13, Jn 6.45

Gifts And Meekness

Ὁ Ἰακὼβ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ χιτῶνα ποικίλον ἐποίησε, καὶ ὁ Κύριος τῷ πραεῖ γνῶσιν ἀληθείας χαρίζεται, καθὰ γέγραπται, ὅτι Διδἀξει πραεῖς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Νόμου Πνευματικοῦ Source: Migne PG 65.929b

Jacob made a coat of many colours for his son Joseph, and the Lord gives the gift of the knowledge of the truth to the meek, as it is written, 'He shall teach the meek His ways.' 1 Saint Mark The Ascetic, On The Spiritual Law. 1 Ps 34.9

Opening The Eyes

Ἀποκάλυψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ κατανοήσω τὰ θαυμάσια ἐκ τοῦ νόμου σου. Οὐχ ἄπαντες οἱ τοῖς θείοις ἐντυγχάνοντες λογίοις τὰ τούτων κατανοοῦσι θαυμάσια, ἀλλ' οἱ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἀπολαύοντες αἴγλης. Ὅ δὴ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος· Ὅτ' ἂν δὲ ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς Κύριον, περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα· ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα ἐστιν. Αὐτὸς μέν τοι τῷ φωτὶ τὼ θείῳ καταυγαζόμενος εἰκότως ἐβόα· Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἂπαντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόχαν Κυρίου κατοπτρὶζόμενοι τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν, καθάπερ ἀπὸ Κυρίου πνεύματος. Ἡμᾶς δὲ προσήκει τὸν Δεσπότην ἀντιβολεῖν, ἵνα τὸ κάλυμμα τῶν τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν περιελὼν ὀφθαλμῶν, ἀποδείξῃ τῶν θείων λογίων τὴν δύναμιν. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΡΙΗ´ Source: Migne PG 80.1827a-b

Open my eyes and I shall consider the wonders of your law. 1 Not all who come upon the Divine words grasp the wonder of them, but only those who partake of the heavenly splendour. On account of which the blessed Paul says, 'When turned to God, the veil is removed, and the Lord is the spirit.' 2 And the same man, illuminated with the Divine light, rightly cries out, 'But all of us, with the face unveiled, looking on the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, so are transfigured into that likeness, from glory to glory, according to the spirit of the Lord.' 3 It befits us to pray to the Lord, that removing the veil from the eyes of our minds, He might show forth the power of the Divine words. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.18 2 2 Cor 3.16-17 3 2 Cor 3.18

Parable And Prophecy

Διὰ πολλὰς τοίνυν αἰτίας ἐπικρύπτονται τὸν νοῦν αἱ γραφαί, πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα ζητητικοὶ ὑπάρχωμεν καὶ προσαγρυπνῶμεν ἀεὶ τῇ τῶν σωτηρίων λόγων εὑρέσει, ἔπειτα ὅτι μηδὲ τοῖς ἅπασι προσῆκον ἦν νοεῖν, ὡς μὴ βλαβεῖεν ἑτέρως ἐκδεξάμενοι τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος σωτηρίως εἰρημένα. Διὸ δὴ τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῖς τε ἐκ πίστεως εἰς γνῶσιν ἐγκρίτοις τηρούμενα τὰ ἅγια τῶν προφητειῶν μυστήρια ταῖς παραβολαῖς ἐγκαλύπτεται· παραβολικὸς γὰρ ὁ χαρακτὴρ ὑπάρχει τῶν γραφῶν, διότι καὶ ὁ Kύριος, οὐκ ὢν κοσμικός, ὡς κοσμικὸς εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἦλθεν· καὶ γὰρ ἐφόρεσεν τὴν πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἔμελλέν τε τὸν σύντροφον τοῦ κόσμου ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τὰ νοητὰ καὶ κύρια διὰ τῆς γνώσεως ἀνάγειν ἐκ κόσμου εἰς κόσμον. Διὸ καὶ μεταφορικῇ κέχρηται τῇ γραφῇ· τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ παραβολή, λόγος ἀπό τινος οὐ κυρίου μέν, ἐμφεροῦς δὲ τῷ κυρίῳ ἐπὶ τἀληθὲς καὶ κύριον ἄγων τὸν συνιέντα, ἤ, ὥς τινές φασι, λέξις δι´ ἑτέρων τὰ κυρίως λεγόμενα μετ´ ἐνεργείας παριστάνουσα. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ οἰκονομία πᾶσα ἡ περὶ τὸν Kύριον προφητευθεῖσα παραβολὴ ὡς ἀληθῶς φαίνεται τοῖς μὴ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐγνωκόσιν, ὅταν τις τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ τὰ πάντα πεποιηκότος σάρκα ἀνειληφότα καὶ ἐν μήτρᾳ παρθένου κυοφορηθέντα, καθὸ γεγέννηται τὸ αἰσθητὸν αὐτοῦ σαρκίον, ἀκολούθως δέ, καθὸ γέγονεν τοῦτο, πεπονθότα καὶ ἀνεσταμένον ὃ μὲν λέγῃ, οἳ δὲ ἀκούωσιν, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον, Ἕλλησι δὲ μωρίαν, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος. Διανοιχθεῖσαι δὲ αἱ γραφαὶ καὶ τοῖς ὦτα ἔχουσιν ἐμφήνασαι τὸ ἀληθὲς αὐτὸ ἐκεῖνο, ὃ πέπονθεν ἡ σάρξ, ἣν ἀνείληφεν ὁ Kύριος, Δύναμιν θεοῦ καὶ σοφίαν καταγγέλλουσιν. Ἐπὶ πᾶσί τε τὸ παραβολικὸν εἶδος τῆς γραφῆς, ἀρχαιότατον ὄν, ὡς παρεστήσαμεν, εἰκότως παρὰ τοῖς προφήταις μάλιστα ἐπλεόνασεν, ἵνα δὴ καὶ τοὺς φιλοσόφους τοὺς παρ´ Ἕλλησι καὶ τοὺς παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις βαρβάροις σοφοὺς ἠγνοηκέναι τὸ ἅγιον ἐπιδείξῃ πνεῦμα τὴν ἐσομένην τοῦ Kυρίου παρουσίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπ´ αὐτοῦ παραδοθησομένην μυστικὴν διδασκαλίαν. Εἰκότως ἄρα κηρύσσουσα ἡ προφητεία τὸν κύριον, ὡς μὴ παρὰ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν ὑπολήψεις λέγουσα βλασφημεῖν τισι δοκοίη, ἐσχημάτισε τὰ σημαινόμενα φωναῖς ταῖς καὶ ἐπὶ ἑτέρας ἐννοίας ἄγειν δυναμέναις. Αὐτίκα οἱ προφῆται πάντες οἱ προθεσπίσαντες τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Kυρίου καὶ σὺν αὐτῇ τὰ ἅγια μυστήρια ἐδιώχθησαν, ἐφονεύθησαν, καθάπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Kύριος διασαφήσας αὐτῶν τὰς γραφὰς καὶ οἱ τούτου γνώριμοι οἱ κηρύξαντες τὸν λόγον ὡσαύτως μετ´ αὐτὸν τὸ ζῆν παρεβάλοντο. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἐν τῷ Κηρύγματι περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων λέγων φησίν· Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀναπτύξαντες τὰς βίβλους ἃς εἴχομεν τῶν προφητῶν, ἃ μὲν διὰ παραβολῶν, ἃ δὲ δι´ αἰνιγμάτων, ἃ δὲ αὐθεντικῶς καὶ αὐτολεξεὶ τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ὀνομαζόντων, εὕρομεν καὶ τὴν παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς κολάσεις πάσας ὅσας ἐποίησαν αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τὴν ἔγερσιν καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάληψιν πρὸ τοῦ Ἱεροσόλυμα κτισθῆναι, καθὼς ἐγέγραπτο ταῦτα πάντα, ἃ ἔδει αὐτὸν παθεῖν καὶ μετ´ αὐτὸν ἃ ἔσται. Ταῦτα οὖν ἐπιγνόντες ἐπιστεύσαμεν τῷ θεῷ διὰ τῶν γεγραμμένων εἰς αὐτόν. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Ϛ’, Κεφ' ΙΕ’ Source: Migne PG 9.349b-352c

For many reasons, then, the Scriptures hide the sense. First, that we may become seekers and always be vigilant for the discovery of the words of salvation. Then because it was not suitable for all to understand, so that they might not be harmed by receiving in a different way the things spoken for salvation by the Holy Spirit. Whence it is for chosen men, picked out for knowledge because of their faith, that the holy mysteries of the prophecies are kept veiled in the parables; for the style of the Scriptures is parabolic. So indeed the Lord, who was not of the world, came to men as one who was of the world. For He bore all virtue to lead man, nurtured by the world, from one world to another by the things of the intellect and to the principle truths by knowledge. Whence also He also made use of metaphorical description; for the parable is such a thing, an account of something which is not the principal subject but similar to the principal subject, and it leads him who understands it to what is the true and principal thing. Or, as some say, it is a mode of speech presenting with vigour, by means of other things, what is the principal subject. And now also the whole economy which made prophecy of the Lord indeed appears as a parable to those who do not know the truth, when someone speaks and they hear that the Son of God, the Son of Him who made everything, assumed flesh, and was conceived in the Virgin's womb, as far as His material flesh was produced, and subsequently, as happened, suffered and rose again. It is 'a stumbling-block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks,' as the Apostle says. 1 But when the Scriptures are opened up, they declare the truth 'to those who have ears,' 2 proclaiming that the suffering endured by the flesh which the Lord assumed is 'the power and wisdom of God.' 3 Finally, since the parabolic style of Scripture is of the greatest antiquity, as we have argued, it abounded most, as is to be expected, in the prophets, so that the Holy Spirit might reveal that the philosophers of the Greeks and the wise men of the Barbarians were ignorant of the future coming of the Lord and of the spiritual teaching that He was going to give. Fittingly then, the prophecy that proclaimed the Lord, so that it might not seem to some to blaspheme while speaking what was beyond the ideas of many, fashioned its speech in ways which were able to lead to different ideas. Now all the prophets who foretold the Lord's coming and the holy mysteries that would come with it, were persecuted and slain, as even the Lord Himself, He who, in explaining the Scriptures, used parables, as likewise did His disciples who preached the word like Him after His passing from life. Whence also Peter, in his Preaching, speaking of the Apostles, says: 'But we, unrolling the books of the prophets which we have, who name Jesus Christ in parables and enigmas, and expressly and in its own words, find His advent and death and cross, and all the rest of the torments the Jews inflicted on Him, and His resurrection and ascension to heaven prior to the establishment of Jerusalem. 4 As it is written, 'All these things it befitted Him to suffer, and what shall be after Him.' 5 Recognising these things, then, we believed in God because of what is written about Him.' Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 6, Chapter 15 1 1 Cor 1.23 2 Mt 11.15 etc 3 1 Cor 1.24 4 Likely the New Jerusalem, cf Apoc 21.2 5 Source Unknown

Figures And Futures

Non dubium autem est, omnia quae in patres aut per patres nostros gesta sunt, futuri formam in his quae gesta sunt praetulisse. Et idipsum ita esse, hic quoque psalmorum liber testis est. Namque cum in septuagesimo et septimo psalmo omnia ea quae in Aegypto atque in deserto et in caeteris deinceps locis gesta essent recenserentur, ea ipsa parabolica esse ita demonstrata sunt: Attendite populus meus in legem meam, inclinate aurem vestram in verba oris mei. Aperiam in parabolis os meum, loquar propositiones ab initio. Per id enim quod et parabolae et propositiones sunt, rerum futurarum effectibus comparantur. Apostolus quoque docet, ea ipsa quae gesta sunt, in praefigurationem gesta esse, dicens: Quia lex umbram habet futurorum bonorum, et omnia in praeformationem acciderunt his: scripta sunt autem propter nos, in quos fines saeculorum devenerunt. Gesta igitur ipsa in exemplum, et scripta in doctrinam sunt. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXXXVI Source: Migne PL 9.777c-778a

But there is no doubt that everything done to or through our fathers were brought to pass as a figure of what is to come. And that this is the case, the book of the Psalms also bears witness. For when in the seventy seventh Psalm everything which was done in Egypt and in the desert is reviewed, they are revealed to be parabolic. 'Attend, my people, to my law, incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I shall open my mouth in parables, I shall speak propositions from the beginning.' 1 For through this, in parables and in propositions, the performance of future things is prepared. The Apostle also teaches that these things which happened were done as a prefiguration, saying, 'Because the law is a shadow of future goods,' 2 and 'Everything happened to them as a prefiguration, and they are written for our sake, upon whom the ends of the ages has come.' 3 Therefore the deeds were for example, and they were written for teaching. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 136 1 Ps 77.1-2 2 Heb 10.1, Colos 2.17 3 1 Cor 10.11

Questions And Parables

Et cum esset singularis, interrogaverunt eum hi qui cum eo erant duodecim, parabolam. Et dicebat eis: Vobis datum est nosse mysterium regni Dei: illis autem qui foris sunt, in parabolis omnia fiunt: Ut videntes videant et non videant, et audientes audiant et non intelligant, ne quando convertantur, et dimittantur eis peccata. Et cum esset singularis, a turbis sequestratus, interrogaverunt eum plus ei familiares, hi qui cum eo erant, caeteris familiarius, duodecim, Apostoli, de quibus dicitur: Vobis datum est nosse mysterium regni Dei, caeteris autem in parabolis: ut exponeret parabolam. Hic agitur de parabolae interpretatione. Dividitur autem in tres partes: in quarum prima causam dicit de parabolae propositione: in. secunda, dat increpationem de discipulorum caecitate: in tertia, tangit de parabolae compendiosa interpretatione. De primo dicit: Et dicebat eis, causam dans parabolicae praedicationis. Vobis datum est, per me, multa spiritualia documenta quae feci vobis, nosse, per spiritum, mysterium, hoc est, secretum intellectum, regni Dei, hoc est, praedicationis justitiae divinae: per quam et in coelo et in terra regnat Deus. Illis autem, idiotis, qui foris sunt, extra mysticum intellectum, et doctrinas spirituales non recipiunt quibus ad iidem sunt introducti, in parabolis datum est praedicari divina: quia spiritualia intelligere non possunt, nisi in corporalium rerum similitudinibus. Ego, fratres, non potui vobis loqui quasi spiritualibus, sed quasi carnalibus: tamquam parvulis in Christo, lac vobis potum dedi, non escam, nondum enim poteratis: sed nec nunc quidem potestis. Omnia fiunt, spiritualia, in parabolis: quia et tabernaculum, et templum, et omnia vasa, et festa, et gesta, et sacra legis parabolice proposita sunt, ut spiritualia intelligantur in ipsis. Ut videntes, in figuris parabolarum, coelestia videant involuta. Propter quod etiam velum expansum est ante sancta sanctorum. Et non videant spiritualia nuda et exposita: quia sic ea intelligere non possunt. Et ideo praecipitur, ut Levitae portantes utensilia tabernaculi prius involvant ea, ne a rudi populo videantur: quia talis rudis populus quod non intelligit lacerat dente canino, et non ut sanctum veneratur. Nolite dare sanctum canibus: neque mittatis margaritas vestras ante porcos. Et audientes, in parabolis involuta, audiant,  et sicut magna venerentur: et non intelligant involuta, quia intelligere talia non possunt. Et melius est eis involuta ut magna venerari, quam evoluta despicere. Unde cum evoluta et expressa Hiram videret dona Salomonis magna quidem. et praecipua, tamen non valens capere doni pretiositatem, despexit, dicens: Haeccine sunt civitates quas dedisti mihi, frater? Et appellavit eas Terram Chabul: et ea in quibus fideles habitabant amici Dei, fecit gentilis erroris habitationes: et ad gentilem transtulit ritum ea in quibus ipse fidem Dei discere potuisset, si paulatim parabolarum intellectum per spiritum investigasset. Haec enim oppida sunt symbola in quibus fideles idiotae habitant, sacra involuta venerantes, quae dum incaute idiotis exposita proponuntur, non valentes capere virtutem eorum, haeretici efficiuntur. Nequando convertantur. Hoc de duris intelligitur, qui ex parabolis proficere nolunt: sicut Judaei, carnali sensui adhaerentes. Et dimittantur eis peccata, caecitatis. Et adducitur auctoritas de prophetia Isaiae: Excaeca cor populi hujus , et aures ejus aggrava, et oculos ejus claude: ne forte videat oculis suis, et auribus suis audiat, et corde suo intelligat, et convertatur, et sanem eum. Et ait illis: Nescitis parabolam hanc? et quomodo omnes parabolas cognoscetis? Secundum est, in quo increpat ruditatem cordis eorum. Nescitis parabolam hanc? Ac si dicat: Hoc est mirum post tot documenta suscepta, post tot miracula visa, post tot testimonia adhibita. Adhuc et vos sine intellectu estis? Cum deberetis magistri esse propter tempus, rursus indigetis ut vos doceamini quae sint elementa exordii sermonum Dei: et facti estis quibus lacte opus sit, et non solido cibo. Ei quomodo omnes parabolas cognoscetis? cum istam quae facilior est inter alias, et seipsam offert ad interpretationem, non intelligitis. Vos enim magistri esse debetis aliorum: et ideo capaciori sensu, perfectiora intelligere deberetis. Tu es magister in Israel, et haec ignoras? Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium In Evangelium Divi Marci, Caput IV Source: Here p42

And when He was alone, the twelve who were with Him questioned Him about the parable. And He said to them: 'To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is in parables, so that seeing they may see and not see, and hearing they may hear and not hear, lest they be converted and their sins are forgiven them. 1 'And when He was alone,' withdrawn from the crowd, 'they questioned him,' those more familiar with Him, 'those who were with him,' more familiar than others, 'the twelve' the Apostles, concerning whom it is then said 'To you is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, but for the others it is in parables,' so that He might explain 'the parable' Here the intrepretation of the parable is performed. It is divided into three parts, the first of which concerns the proposition of the parable, in the second the blindness of the disciples is reproved, in the third he touches on the profit of understanding the parable. Concerning the first it is said, 'And He said to them,' giving the reason for the telling of the parable. 'It is given to you,' through me, the many spiritual teaching which I have made for you, 'to know,' through the spirit, 'the mystery' that is, the hidden understanding, 'of the kingdom of God,' that is, of the preaching of Divine righteousness, through which God reigns in heaven and on earth. 'For to those,' the foolish, 'who are outside,' outside the spiritual understanding, and they do not receive the spiritual teaching by which they are introduced to the same, 'in parables,' is the preaching of Divine things because they are not able to understand spiritual things, unless they are given under the likeness of material things. 'I, brothers, have not spoken to you as spiritual men, but as men of flesh, as children in Christ, I have given the drink of milk to you, not solid food, because you were not yet capable, and you are still not yet capable.' 2 'Everything,' spiritual things, 'is in parables' since the tabernacle and the temple and every vessel and feast and deed and sacred law was proposed as a parable, that they understand the spiritual things in them. 'That seeing,' in the figures of the parables, heavenly things, 'they see' obscurely. On account of which the veil was spread before the holy of holies. 'And they do not see,' spiritual things openly and plainly, because they are not able to understand these things. Therefore it is commanded that the Levites who bear the vessels to the tarbernacle should cover them lest they be seen by an ignorant people, 3 for what an ignorant people do not understand they will tear with the fangs of the dog, not venerating it as something holy. 'Do not give holy things to dogs, do not cast your pearls before swine.' 4 'And hearing,' those things hidden in parables, 'they hear,' even as revering great things, 'and they do not understand,' the hidden things, because they are not able to understand such things. And better it is for them to venerate great things as hidden, than to despise things revealed. Whence when Hiram looked on the revealed and openly great gifts of Solomon, and especially as he was not able to grasp the value of them, he scorned them, saying, 'Are these the cities you are giving me, brother? And he called that land Chabul.' 5 And these in which the faithful friends of God dwell, he made into the dwellings of the gentile error, and he brought in the gentile rite, even there where he was able to learn the faith of God, if little by little he had investigated the understanding of parables through the spirit. For these towns are symbols in which the foolish faithful dwell, venerating sacred things in obscurity, which when they are incautiously explained to the simple, they cannot grasp the power of them and they become heretics. 'Lest they be converted.' This is understood as referring to their hardness, of those who do not wish to profit from the parables, as the Jews, who clung to the carnal senses. 'And their sins be forgiven them,' of blindness. And the authority is derived from the prophet Isaiah: 'This people is blind of heart, and its ears are heavy, and its eyes closed, lest perhaps they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and they turn and I heal them.' 6 'And He said to them, do you not understand this parable? How shall you understand all the parables?' In the second part He reproves the coarseness of their hearts. 'You do not understand this parable?' As if he said: 'This is indeed a wonder, after all the teaching you have received, after all the miracles you have seen, after all the testimony you have been given. 'Are you yet without understanding?' 'You who according to your age should be teachers are again so lacking that you must be taught the elements of the opening of the speech of God. You have become so that milk is needful instead of solid food.' 7 'How shall you understand all the parables?' When this one is easier than the others and offers itself to understanding, yet you do not understand. For you should be teachers of others and therefore have a more capable mind for the understanding of better things. 'You are a teacher of Israel and you do not know these things?' 8 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Mark, Chapter 4 1 Mk 4.10-12 2 1 Cor 3.1-2 3 Numb 4.12 4 Mt 7.6 5 3 Kings 9.10-14 6 Isaiah 6.10 7 Mt 15.16, Heb 5.12 8 Jn 3.10