The Sacrifice

Et ambulate in dilectione, sicut Christus dilexit nos, et tradidit semetipsum pro nobis hostiam et oblationem Deo in odorem suavitatis. Sicut Dei Patris imitatores nos esse vult in benignitate et misericordia, ita et Christi filii ejus in dilectione; ut sicut ille dilexit nos, tradens se pro nobis, ita et nos invicem pro nobis etiam animas ponere debeamus. Quod etiam Joannes apostolus dixit, Exemplo Domini pro fratribus animas ponendas. Si itaque Christi mors in odorem suavitatis est Deo, mortem ejus libenter Deus accepit. Quod si verum est, non peccaverunt qui illum secundum Dei voluntatem crucifixerunt. Sed non ita est, quia Christus Deo se dicitur obtulisse, dum occidi se passus est, in Dei Patris sui voluntate perdurans; quia qui juste occiditur diabolo se offerens, voluntatem ejus facit, ut occidi mereatur. Ita et Christus dum Dei voluntati adhaeret, diabolo displicuit, et ideo illum occidit, quia Deo se obtulit, justitiam exsequendo. In oblatione enim justitia signatur et veritas; hanc enim respicit Deus, et hoc est ejus sacrificium acceptum. Itaque immeritus, qui occiditur, placet Deo; non quia occiditur, sed quia usque ad mortem justitiam conservavit. Suscepit enim hanc mortem Christus ad vitam; unde et odor suavitatis appellatur Deo: ad Romanos tamen dicit quia Deus illum tradidit pro nobis omnibus. Nunc quaerendum est quomodo illum Deus tradidit, aut quomodo se ipse obtulit Deo; nam hoc quantum ad verba pertinet, videtur contrarium. Deus illum tradidisse dicitur, dum illum occidi permisit, sicut dicit Dominus ad Pilatum: Non haberes adversum me potestatem, nisi data tibi esset desuper. Data est enim ei, sed volenti, potestas, hoc est, permissum est illi facere quod voluit, et hoc est tradere: dum enim dissimulat, tradit; si enim noluisset permittere, non fuisset occisus. Permisit ergo occidi eum, sed ab eis qui eum volebant non coacte, sed sponte occidere. Non ergo immunes a poena sunt, quia hoc eis permissum est, quod volebant; damnatio enim in eo competit, quia voluerunt. Quod ideo tamen permisit Deus; quia scivit istum adversum diabolum futurum pro multis. Dignum enim fuit ut quod inimicus impraescius futurorum contra se, quasi pro se facere putabat, permitteretur ei; ut impraescientiam suam sibi imputans, facti sui poenitentia torqueretur. Quod autem Christus ipse se obtulit, aut Deus illum tradidit, unum est; quia amborum una voluntas est. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam ad Ephesios, Caput V Source: Migne PL 17.394a-c

And walk in love, as Christ loved us, He who gave Himself for us, a sacrifice and an oblation to God, a sweet fragrance. 1 As he wishes us to be imitators of God the Father in kindness and compassion, so even as His sons of Christ in love, so that as He loved us, giving Himself for us, so even we should lay down our souls for one another. Which indeed is what John the Apostle said, 'With the example of the Lord let us lay down our souls for our brothers.' 2 If, then, the death of Christ is a sweet fragrance to God, God readily accepts His death. Which if true means that they did not sin who crucified Him according to the will of God. But it is not so, because Christ, it is said, offered Himself to God, and suffered in His death, cleaving to the will of God His Father. He who is slain justly, offering himself to the devil, makes his will, so that he deserves to be killed. So while Christ adhered to the will of God, He vexed the devil, and he killed Him, because He offered Himself to God and accomplished righteousness. For in the offering righteousness is a sign of truth, and God looks on this and His sacrifice is acceptable. Thus it is not right to say that he who is killed pleases God , because it is not that he is killed, but that He cleaves to righteousness until death. For Christ took up this death for life, hence He is named a sweet fragrance to God. In the letter to the Romans, however, it says that God handed Him over for all of us. 3 Now it must be asked how God handed Him over and how He offered Himself to God, for according to the letter these statements seem to be contrary. God is said to have handed Him over because he allowed Him to be killed, as the Lord said to Pilate, 'You do not have power over me, unless it has been given to you from above.' 4 For power was given to Him to will, that is, he was permitted to do to Him what He wished, and this is to give Him over, for while it seems He does not, He does give Him over, for had He had he not wished it to happen, He would not have been killed. Therefore He permits Him to be killed, but by those who without any coercion but of their own wills wish to kill him. Therefore they are not immune from punishment because they were allowed to do what they wished, but they have condemnation from Him because they wished it. And therefore God permitted it, because He knew this would be in opposition to the devil for the future. It was right to permit it so that the enemy who did not know what would be set against him in the future, thought that he acted for himself, and then attributing his lack of foresight to himself, he would be tormented by regret for what he had done. And that Christ offers himself, or God hands him over, is one, because both are one will. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The Letter of Saint Paul To The Ephesians, Chapter 5 1 Ephes 5.2 2 1 Jn 3.16 3 Rom 8.32 4 Jn 19.11