Various Garments

Ἐξεδυσάμην τὸν χιτῶνά μου, πῶς ἐνδύσομαι αὐτόν; ἐνιψάμην τοὺς πόδας μου, πῶς μολυνῶ αὐτούς; Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ πῶς ὑπακούει τῷ λόγῳ ἡ νύμφη, πῶς ἀνοίγει τῷ νυμφίῳ τὴν εἴσοδον. Ἐξεδυσάμην, φησί, τὸν χιτῶνά μου· πῶς ἐνδύσομαι αὐτόν; ἐνιψάμην τοὺς πόδας μου· πῶς μολυνῶ αὐτούς; καλῶς ἤκουσε τοῦ κελεύσαντος ἀδελφὴν αὐτὴν καὶ πλησίον γενέσθαι καὶ περιστερὰν καὶ τελείαν, ἵνα διὰ τούτων εἰσοικισθῇ τῇ ψυχῇ ἡ ἀλήθεια· ἐποίησε γὰρ ἅπερ ἤκουσεν ἐκδυσαμένη τὸν δερμάτινον ἐκεῖνον χιτῶνα, ὃν μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν περιεβάλετο, καὶ ἀπονιψαμένη τῶν ποδῶν τὸ γεῶδες, ᾧ ἐνειλήθη ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν παραδείσῳ διαγωγῆς εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀναλύσασα, ὅτε ἤκουσεν ὅτι Γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ. διὰ τούτων ἤνοιξεν ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ λόγῳ τὴν εἴσοδον διασταλέντος τοῦ τῆς καρδίας παραπετάσματος, τουτέστι τῆς σαρκός. Σάρκα δὲ εἰπὼν τὸν παλαιὸν λέγω ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἐκδύσασθαί τε καὶ ἀποθέσθαι κελεύει ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος τοὺς μέλλοντας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ λόγου τὸν ῥύπον τῶν βάσεων τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποκλύζεσθαι. Oὐκοῦν ὁ τὸν παλαιὸν ἀπεκδυσάμενος ἄνθρωπον καὶ περιελὼν τῆς καρδίας τὸ κάλυμμα, ἤνοιξε τῷ λόγῳ τὴν εἴσοδον, ὃν ἐντὸς γενόμενον ἔνδυμα ποιεῖται ἑαυτῆς ἡ ψυχὴ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀποστόλου ὑφήγησιν, ὃς κελεύει τὸν ἐκδυσάμενον τὴν ῥακώδη τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀνθρώπου περιβολὴν Ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν χιτῶνα τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ· Ἰησοῦν δὲ λέγει εἶναι τὸ ἔνδυμα. ἡ δὲ ὁμολογία τῆς νύμφης τοῦ μηκέτι τὸν ἀποβληθέντα χιτῶνα πάλιν ἀναλαμβάνειν, ἀλλ’ ἀρκεῖσθαι τῷ ἑνὶ χιτῶνι κατὰ τὸν δοθέντα τοῖς μαθηταῖς νόμον, ὃν διὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν γεννήσεως ἀνακαινισθεῖσα μετημφιάσατο, βεβαιοῖ τοῦ Kυρίου τὸν λόγον τὸν κελεύοντα τοὺς ἅπαξ τῷ θείῳ κοσμηθέντας ἐνδύματι μηκέτι ἐπενδύσασθαι τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας χιτῶνα, μηδὲ δύο χιτῶνας ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἕνα μόνον, ἵνα μὴ δύο περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὦσιν οἱ ἀσύμβατοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους χιτῶνες. τίς γὰρ κοινωνία τῷ σκοτεινῷ ἐνδύματι πρὸς τὸ φωτοειδές τε καὶ ἄϋλον; Oὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ νόμος τὸ μὴ δεῖν δύο χιτῶνας ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἐπιρράπτειν τὸ καινὸν ὕφασμα τῷ παλαιῷ ἱματίῳ, ἵνα μὴ χείρων γένηται ἡ ἀσχημοσύνη τοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτον περιβαλλομένου μήτε τοῦ ἐνραφέντος μείναντος καὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ χεῖρον τὸ σχίσμα παθόντος καὶ δυσθεράπευτον· Αἴρει γάρ, φησί, τὸ πλήρωμα τὸ καινὸν τοῦ παλαιοῦ καὶ χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται, ὡς δημοσιεύεσθαι δι’ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀσχήμονα. διὰ τοῦτό φησιν Ἐξεδυσάμην τὸν χιτῶνά μου· πῶς ἐνδύσομαι αὐτόν; Tίς γὰρ ἂν βλέπων περὶ ἑαυτὸν τὸν ἡλιοειδῆ τοῦ Kυρίου χιτῶνα τὸν διὰ καθαρότητος καὶ ἀφθαρσίας ἱστουργηθέντα, οἷον ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους μεταμορφώσεως ἔδειξεν, εἶτα καταδέχεται τὸ πτωχόν τε καὶ ῥακῶδες ἱμάτιον ἑαυτῷ περιθεῖναι, ὅπερ ὁ μέθυσος καὶ πορνοκόπος, καθὼς ἡ Παροιμία φησί, περιβάλλεται; Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων, Ὁμιλία IAʹ Source: Migne PG 44.1004d-1005c

I have removed my tunic. How shall I put it on? I have washed my feet. How shall I soil them? 1 Let us see again how the Bride is obedient to the Word, how she opens a way in for the Bridegroom. 'I have removed my tunic,' she says. 'How shall I put it on? I have washed my feet. How shall I soil them?' Rightly she heard the One who exhorted her to become 'a sister' and 'a close one' and 'a dove' and 'perfect,' in order that in this way Truth might dwell in her soul, for she did what she heard, she put off that 'tunic of skin' that she had put on after sin, 2 and from her feet she washed off the earthy stuff that covered them after she returned to the earth from her time in the Garden, when she heard the words, 'You are earth and to earth you shall return.' 3 These are the ways in which she opened a way into her soul for the Word, having torn the veil of her heart, that is, the flesh. And when I say 'flesh,' I speak of 'the old man,' 4 who the holy Apostle commands should be scoured off by those who are going to wash off the filth of the soul’s feet in the bath of the Word. So whoever has scoured off the old man and torn the veil of the heart has opened a way in for the Word, and with His coming in, the soul makes Him her garment in accordance with the instruction of the Apostle, he who commands the one who has taken off the rags of the old man to put on the new tunic that has been 'created after the likeness of God in holiness and righteousness,' and he says that this garment is Jesus. 5 As to the Bride’s insistence that she will never again take up the tunic she has put off but will be content, in accordance with the command given to the disciples, 6 with the one tunic that she put on when she was renewed through being reborn from above, this confession, I say, confirms the Lord’s word, which commands that those who have once been adorned with the Divine garment should never again put on sin's shirt, nor possess two shirts, but only one, lest there be two conflicting garments on one person. For what does the garment of mourning have in common with the one that is full of light and immaterial? The law, though, does not merely say that one must not have two shirts but also that one must not sew new cloth on an old cloak, otherwise the shabby look of the person who wears it becomes even worse when the patch fails to hold, and when the old garment tears it is worse and impossible to mend. For He says, 'The new patch will tear away from the old cloth, and the result will be a worse tear,' 7 which will make disgrace public. Hence she says, 'I have removed my tunic. How shall I put it on?' For who seeing himself garbed in the Lord’s glistening tunic, woven out of purity and incorruptibility as He manifested it in His transfiguration on the mount, would then put on the poor, ragged garment with which, as Proverbs says, 'the drunkard and whoremonger attires himself? 7 Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 11 1 Song 5.3 2 Gen 3.21 3 Gen 3.19 4 Colos 3.9 5 Ephes 4.24, Rom 13.14 6 Mt 10.10 7 Mk 2.21 8 Prov 23.21

Speech And Power

Καὶ γνώσομαι οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν. Τίς ἡ ὄνησις λέξεως λαμπρᾶς ἐχούσης τῶν ἀγαθῶν οὐδὲν , ὁποία ἡ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐστίν; Ἡ δέ γε τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς ἁπλῆ μὲν ἔστι καὶ κατειθισμένη, πλουσίως γε μὴν ὀνίνησι καὶ ἀποφέρει λαμπρῶς εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθῆ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ὄντος Θεοῦ· ἀποτελεῖ δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ παντα άξια τοῦ πράγματος ἐπιμελητάς· οὗ δὴ γεγονότος, καταπλουτήσειεν ἄν τις καὶ τῶν διὰ Πνεύματος χαρισμάτων τὴν ἀξιόληπτον χάριν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν δυνάμει. Τὸ δὲ ἐ ἐν δυνάμει νοήσεις, εἱ μὲν ἐπ ' αὐτῶν φέροιτο τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, ὡς ἐν ἰσχύῖ τε καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ τῇ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καθ ' ἦν εἰσι καὶ θαυματουργοί. Εί δ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐν δυνάμει ζωῆς τῆς ἁγίας καὶ εἰλικρινοῦς ἐκδέξῃ τὸ εἰρημένον. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τὴν Πρωτάν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 74.868c

And I will not know the speech of those who are puffed up, but power. 1 The usefulness of splendid oratory, if it has nothing good in it, how is it but a thing of the Gentiles? The oratory of the inspired Scriptures is certainly simple and common, but it profits most abundantly, and it bestows a true understanding of the Divine nature, and then it produces those who care for every good work, who have not become so but by being enriched through the desirable grace of the Holy spirit. For the kingdom of heaven is not a matter of words but acquired by virtue. However if the Apostle speaks of 'power' regarding the saints you should understand it as referring to the fortitude and strength by which,  through the Spirit, miracles are brought forth. And if 'power' is spoken of in reference to us, you should think it is said of the power of a holy and pure life. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, Fragment 1 1 Cor 4.19

The Way Of The Reed

...calamum a vento moveri? Calamus est vacuus, et nullam habet virtutem: et ideo qualisvis ventus flaverit super eum, huc et illuc flectit illum. Sic et homo carnalis et saecularis in quo fidei nulla est medulla, et virtus veritatis non invenitur in eo, qualiscumque tentatio venerit super eum, curvat eum. Nam Deus volens ostendere Job, in quibus hominibus diabolus requiescit, introducit draconem in figura diaboli, et cum multa dixisset de eo, inter caetera ait: Secus calamum et papyrum requiescit. Calamus enim est vacuus, papyrus autem nimium levis, et mollis. Sic omnis homo carnalis, vacuus in fide, et levis in sensu, et mollis in passionibus, calamus est et papyrus. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXVII Source: Migne PG 56.773

...a reed shaken by the wind?' 1 A reed is hollow and has no strength, and therefore whatever wind blows upon it bends it this way and that. So it is with a carnal and worldly man in whom there is no core of faith and in whom the power of truth is not found, so that whatever temptation comes upon him it bends him down. For God wishing to show Job in which men the devil dwelt, introduced the dragon as a figure for the devil, and having said much about him, among other things He said, 'He dwells amid the reeds and the papyri.' 2 A reed is hollow and papyrus is extremely light and soft. So every carnal man is empty of faith, and he is light in his mind, and he is soft amid passions, and so he is a reed and papyrus. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 27 1 Mt 11.7 2 Job 40.16 Vulgate, Job 40.21 LXX

Joseph The Slave

Madianitae vendiderunt Joseph in Aegypto Putiphari eunucho Pharaonis, magistro militum. Caeterum quod ad moralem pertinet locum, quia omnes vult salvos fieri Dominus Deus noster, dedit per Joseph etiam iis qui sunt in servitute solatium: attribuit magisterium; ut discerent etiam in ultima conditione posse mores esse superiores, nec ullum statum immunem esse virtutis, si animus se uniuscujusque cognoscat; carnem servituti subditam esse, non mentem; multosque servulos esse dominis liberiores, si in servitute positi a servilibus putent operibus abstinendum. Servile est omne peccatum, libera est innocentia. Unde et Dominus ait: Omnis qui facit peccatum, servus est peccati. Quomodo enim non servus omnis avarus, qui pro exigno pecuniae lucello se ipsum auctionatur? Timet omnia, ne congesta amittat, qui non utenda congessit, majore periculo servaturus quo majora quaesivit. Quomodo non mendicus, cui sunt parva quae possidet? Nam etsi mihi dives videatur, sibi eget: nec testimoniis sua vota solatur, qui quod optat nescit credere. Quomodo autem non et ille servus, qui subditus est libidini? Primum suis ardet incendiis, et pectoris sui facibus exuritur. Quibus recte dicit propheta: Ambulate in lumine ignis vestri, et in flamma quam accendistis. Suscipit omnes metus, insidiatur somno singulorum: ut unius cupiditate potiatur, fit servus omnium. Servit igitur hanc miseram quidem servitutem, qui ipse sibi dominos facit, ipse vult habere quos timeat. Nihil enim tam speciale servitutis est, quam semper timere. Ille vero in quavis conditione servitii semper liber, qui mundi amore non capitur, avaritiae vinculis non tenetur, metu criminis non alligatur, qui securus spectat praesentia, quem futura non terrent. Nonne videtur tibi iste in servitute dominari: ille autem in libertate servire? Serviebat Joseph, regnabat Pharao: beatior hujus servitus, quam regnum illius. Denique tota Aegyptus collapsa esset fame, nisi regnum suum consilio servuli subdidisset. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Jospeph Patriarca, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 14.649b-650b

The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharaoh, captain of the soldiers. 1 Now let us look to the moral of the passage. Because the Lord wishes to save everyone He gives comfort through Joseph to those who are slaves, and adds a teaching, so that they might learn that even in the lowest state it is possible to have better ways and that no state is shut off from virtue, if the soul of a man knows itself, and that it is the flesh that is subject to servitude and not the mind. Many slaves are more free than their masters if set in slavery they think to abstain from servile works. Every sin is slavish and innocence is freedom. Hence the Lord says, 'Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.' 2 For how is every avaricious man not a slave, who for even a tiny profit will put himself up for sale? He fears everything, lest he lose what he has gathered, he who cannot use what he has gathered, and with greater peril he becomes more slavish the more he has sought. How is he not a beggar for whom what he does possess is little? For even if he seems to be rich he is needy in himself. Nor does he soothe his desires with proofs, he who does not know how to believe what he hopes for. And how is he not a slave who is subdued to lust? First he burns with his own flames and then he burns up with the deeds of his heart. To such men the prophet rightly says, 'Walk in the light of your own fire, and in the flame you have kindled.' 3 Fear takes hold of everyone of them, it stalks the sleep of each one of them, the desire of one man makes him a slave of all. He serves in a wretched servitude who makes masters for himself, he who wishes to have what will make him fearful. There is no more certain a slavery than to be always afraid. But he who is a state of slavery is free if he is not seized by the love of the world, and if he is not held by the chains of avarice, and if not bound by the fear of evil, if he can look securely on present things and not be terrified by the future. Does it not seem to you that he rules in slavery and another man with his freedom is a slave? Joseph was a slave, Pharaoh reigned, but more blessed was the servitude of the former than the rule of the latter. Then all Egypt would have been ruined by famine if its ruler had not bowed to the counsel of a slave. Saint Ambrose, On The Patriarch Joseph, Chapter 4 1 Gen 37.36 2 Jn 8.34 3 Isaiah 50.11

Remembering Goods Done

Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ μὴ ἐπιλάθωμαι τῶν δικαιώμάτων σου, ὅτι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔζησάς με. ᾿Αλλὰ μεμνήσομαι τῶν μαθημάτων σου, ὧν ἔμαθον ἐν τῷ βίῳ· δι' ἐκεῖνα γὰρ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν μετελθὼν οἰκῶ μετ'ἀγγέλων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἐκ μεγάλης νόσου διά τινων ἰατρικῶν βοηθημάτων παγίαν καὶ βεβαίαν ἀναλαβὼν ὑγίειαν δι ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὑγιαίνειν καὶ εὐεκτεῖν οὐκ ἐπιλανθάνεται τῶν ἰατρικῶν ἐκείνων οἷς ἠκολούθησε τὸ οὕτως αὐτὸν μετ᾿ εὐεξίας ὑγιαίνειν· οὗτως ὁ ἅγιος οὗτος, ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ζωοποιηθεὶς ἐν οἷς ἔσχε παρ' αὐτοῦ δικαιώμασι λέγει παρ' ὅλον τὸν αἰῶνα μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι αὐτῶν, ἀποδιδοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν, τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐζηκέναι. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙH' Source: Migne PG 23.1380c-d

I shall never forget your justifications, because with them you have given me life. 1 But I will remember your teachings which I learnt in life, because through them I pass from earth to heaven and dwell with angels. For as a man who was gravely sick regains firm and stable health by the administration of medicines, and when he is fit and well he does not forget the treatment which brought him health, so this holy one who was revived by the justifications of God says he will never let that be forgotten, and he gives the reason why, because God has given him life with them. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.93

Evil And Darkness

Si autem oculus tuus nequem fuerit, totum corpus tuum tenebrosum erit. Quae sunt in nobis tenebrae? Sensus carnales, malevoli et iniqui, qui semper desiderant quae sunt tenebrarum, et non lucis. In quo enim alio delectatur carnis natura, nisi in avaritia, in libidine, in superbia, in deliciis, caeterisque malis, quae ad tenebrosam mortem deducunt? Et qui intelligit quid est, quod Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum, ille intelligit quia tenebrae sunt carnis natura. Qui ergo oculum habet mundum, id est, mentem spiritualem, caelestia semper aspicientem, corpus suum servat lucidum, id est, sine peccato. Si enim caro desiderat ea quae diximus mala, secundum suam naturam homo habens mentem lucidam, et spem ad Deum, justitiae consideratione dijudicat eam, et divini timoris virtute repercutit eam: et sic quamvis nolentem, tamen servat eam lucidam, id est, sine peccato. Intellexisti ergo, quomodo qui oculum habet simplicem, corpus suum lucidum habet: qui autem oculum, id est mentem habet aut malignitate aliqua tenebrosam, aut divitiarum concupiscentia turbulentam, tenebrosum possidet corpus? Nam quae res faciunt mentem hominis spiritualem esse mundum, ipsae res ex diverso faciunt carnalem et sordidam. Quomodo fit munda mens illius, qui facit eleemosynas, et spem habet in caelo, spes autem in Deum facit mentem spiritualem et mundam: sic qui divitias congregat cum peccato, spem suam ponit in terra: qui autem spem habet in terra, illius mens carnalis est et immunda. Illius ergo tota caro in tenebris est, id est, in peccatis. Quomodo? Quando enim caro secundum suam naturam, sicut diximus, concupiscit perversa, homo spem habens in terra, et mentem concupiscentiis turbulentam, non ei contradicit, nec justitiae consideratione dijudicat, nec judicii futuri virtute repercutit: quia nec videt cum sit caecus, nec intelligit esse malum quod malum est, et si vult, non potest, quia spem non habet nisi in saeculo. Scimus autem quia spes nobis praestat virtutem, ut carnalibus concupiscentiis resistamus: qui autem spem non habet in caelo, virtutem non habet resistere concupiscentiis suis, et ideo fit caro illius tota tenebrosa. Et ut brevius et manifestius exponamus: anima priusquam peccet, divino auxilio confortata, regina et domina est corporis sui, et quasi libera et regina sedet in throno cordis sui, et gubernat corpus suum quasi palatium suum, nec potest illam vincere caro. Si autem gravibus se peccatis obligaverit, tunc divino auxilio destituta, et in potestate spirituum immundorum redacta, fit debilis et infirma, ut non jam sit domina corporis sui, sed ancilla magis: et jam non caro animae subjecta est, sed anima carni, nec quod vult anima, caro facit, sed quod caro coegerit, hoc anima facit. Intellexisti ergo, quomodo qui oculum mentis sordidum habet, totum corpus illius tenebrosum est? Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XV Source: Migne PG 56.721

If your eye is wicked, your whole body will be full of darkness. 1 What is the darkness in us? The carnal senses, malevolent and wicked, which always desire the things of darkness and not the light. In what else does the carnal nature delight but in avarice and lust and pride and pleasures, and other evils, which lead to the darkness of death? And he understood what this is, he who said, 'The flesh desires against the spirit.' 2 He understood that the carnal nature is a darkness. Therefore he who has a clean eye, that is, a spiritual mind, he always looks to heavenly things, and he makes his body full of light, that is, without sin. For if the flesh desires the things which we have said are evil, according to its nature the man who has a mind of light, and hope in God, he judges the flesh with the consideration of righteousness, and he strikes it with the power of Divine fear, and so although it is unwilling, he makes it serve the light, that is, without sin. Have you understood, then, that he who has an innocent eye has a body full of light, but he whose eye, that is, the mind, is dark with any wickedness, even the troubling desire for wealth, he possesses a body of darkness? For there are things which make the mind of a man clean and spiritual, and there are different things which make it carnal and foul. He makes the mind clean who gives alms, and he who has hope in heaven and hope in God makes the mind spiritual and clean, but he who gathers wealth with sin, he puts his hope in the world, and he who has his hope in he world has a mind that is carnal and unclean. Therefore all the flesh is in darkness, that is, in sin. How? When flesh, as we have said, according to its nature desires perverse things, a man has hope in the world and the mind is troubled with desires, and he does not dispute with it, nor give thought to the consideration of righteousness, nor is he shaken by the power of future judgement, because he is blind and does not see such things, nor does he understand something to be evil which is evil, and if he wishes to he is not able, because he has no hope unless in the world. And we know that hope bestows strength on us, so that we can resist carnal desires, but he who has no hope in heaven, he has no strength to resist his own desires, and therefore his flesh is full of darkness. And that we might expound this briefly and more manifestly, before a soul sins, it is strengthened with Divine help, and it is a queen and mistress of its own body, and as a free woman and queen it sits on the throne of its heart and rules its body as its palace, and the flesh is unable to overthrow it, but if it binds itself with weighty sins, then destitute of the divine help, it is dragged off into the power of unclean spirits and made weak and infirm, so that it is no longer the mistress of its own body but rather a slave woman, for now the flesh is not subject to the soul but the soul to the flesh, and it is not what the soul wishes that will direct the flesh, but the soul will do what the flesh desires. Do you understand, then, how it is that he who has the eye of his mind soiled is the one who has his whole body full of darkness? Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 15 1 Mt 6.23 2 Galat 5.7

Ways Of Denial

Solent quaedam, cum futuram virginem spoponderint, pulla tunica eam induere, et furvo operire pallio, auferre linteamina: nihil in collo, nihil in capite auri sinere: revera bono consilio, ne habere discat in tenero, quod postea ponere compellatur. Aliis vero e contra videtur. Quid enim, aiunt, si ipsa non habuerit, habentes alias non videbit? φιλόκοσμον genus femineum est; multasque etiam insignis pudicitiae, quamvis nulli virorum, tamen sibi scimus libenter ornari. Quin potius habendo satietur; et cernat laudari alias, quae ista non habeant. Meliusque est, ut satiata contemnat, quam non habendo, habere desideret. Tale vero quid et Israelitico fecisse populo Dominum, ut cupientibus aegyptias carnes, usque ad nauseam, et vomitum praeberet examina coturnicum: multosque saeculi prius homines, facilius carere experta corporis voluptate, quam eos qui a pueritia libidinem nesciant. Ab alii enim nota calcari, ab aliis ignota appeti. Illos vitare poenitendo suavitatis insidias, quas fugerunt: hos carnis illecebras, dulci titillatione corporis blandientes dum mella putant, venena noxia reperire. Sanctus Hieronymus, Epistola CXXVIII, Ad Gaudentium Source: Migne PL 22.1096

Some mothers when they have vowed a daughter to virginity clothe her in sombre garments and cover her in a dark cloak, and do not allow her to have linen or golden ornaments for her neck or head. With wise understanding they will not have her learn in tender years what she will afterwards be compelled to set aside. To others the opposite is true. 'Why may she not have these things', they say, 'when she will see them on other women? It is of the nature of women to be 'philokosmos,' that is, lovers of finery, and we know of many of excellent chastity who adorn themselves for themselves and not for men. Let her have what she will, but let her see that they who do not need such things are praiseworthy. It is better that she scorns what she has enjoyed than having lacked such things she should have a desire for them. This is what the Lord did to the people of Israel, for when they longed for the feasts of Egypt he gave them the quails even to satiation and sickness. 1 Many men who have lived worldly lives more easily cast off the pleasures of the flesh than those who have known nothing of pleasure from their boyhood. For the former trample on what they know but the latter are drawn to what they do not know. In penitence the former shun the subtle allures which they have fled, the latter dally with the attractions of the flesh and think the alluring delights of the body to be sweet as honey, only to find them a fatal poison. Saint Jerome, from Letter 128, To Gaudentius 1 Exod 16, Numb 11

Good And Bad Glory

Quid gloriatur in malitia, potens iniquitate tota die? Querela prophetae est, gloriari eum in iniquitate tota die, qui in malitia potens est. Et haec quidem gloria inquitatis arguitur. Caeterum est gloria et expetenda et confitenda, et affectu quodam exsultantis gaudii eloquenda: quod utrumque sub iisdem dictis alius propheta demonstrat, dicens: Non glorietur sapiens in sapientia sua, neque fortis in fortitudine sua, neque dives in divitiis suis: sed qui gloriatur, in Domino glorietur. Vetitis enim primum improbabilis gloriae causis, causam rursum gloriae competentis ostendit. Quo exemplo beatus Apostolus scit, in nullo sibi, nisi in uno tantum esse gloriandum, cum ait: Mihi autem absit gloriari, nisi in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi, per quem mihi mundus crucifixus est, et ego mundo. Non ergo gloria istiusmodi, sed gloria iniquitatis offendit; et ejus iniquitatis, quae die tota sit. Diem pro aetate vel tempore hominis nuncupari solere meminimus, cum dicitur: Diem hominis non concupivi: vel rursum cum Abraham diem Domini desideravit: vel cum Apostolus Satanae tradit in interitum carnis, ut spiritus salvus sit in die Domini , non hunc diem ortu solis occasuque finitum, sed diem constituti temporis vel aetatis ostendens. Potens ergo in malitia, gloriatur in iniquitate tota die. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum LI Source: Migne PL 9.311b-312a

Why glory in wickedness, you who are powerful in iniquity the whole day? 1 The prophet complains against the one who glories in wickedness the whole day, he who is powerful in evil, and he disputes this glory of wickedness. There is a glory that should be sought and that should be delighted in and which should be proclaimed with a certain exultant joy, which both things another prophet shows with his words when he says, 'Let the wise man not glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches, but he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.' 2 Having prohibited the shameful causes of glorying, he then revels the fitting cause of glory, which example the blessed Apostle knows, that is, that one should not glory in oneself but in one alone, hence he says, 'Let it not be me for to glory, unless in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord, through which the world has have been crucified to the me, and I to the world.' 3 It is not glorying in this way that offends, but glorying in iniquity, and his iniquity which is for the whole day, which day we should be aware is given for an age, or for the time of a man, as when it is said, 'I have not desired the day of man,' or again when Abraham desired the day of the Lord, or when the Apostle handed over to Satan for the ruin of the flesh, so that the spirit might be saved on the day of the Lord. 4 It is not this finite day of the sun's rising and setting, but the day that indicates a time or age. Therefore the one powerful in wickedness glories in iniquity the whole day Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 51 1 Ps 51.3 2 Jerem 9.23-24 3 Galat 6.14 4 Jerem 17.16, Jn 8.56, 1 Cor 5.5

Words And Works

Ὅπως ἂν μὴ λαλήσῃ τὸ στόμα μου τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων διὰ τοὺς λόγους τῶν χειλέων σου ἐγὼ ἐφύλαξα ὁδοὺς σκληράς. Τὸ ἀπαγγέλλειν τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράξει καὶ διαθέσει, ἔτι μὴν καὶ λόγῳ, φαύλων. Τίνα δὲ τὰ ἔργα τούτων , ἢ ἐκεῖνα περὶ ὧν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος γράφει, Ὅπου γὰρ ἔρις καὶ ζῆλος ἐν ὑμῖν, οὐχὶ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε , καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε; Κωλυτικὸν τοῦ λαλεῖν τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τυγχάνει καὶ τὸ μὴ εὐρέσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ ἀδικίαν, ὑπὸ Θεοῦ πυρωθέντι διὰ πειρασμῶν καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΙϚ' Source: Migne PG 39.1237a

That my mouth may not speak the works of men: for the sake of the words of thy lips, I have kept hard ways. 1 To proclaim the works and deeds and lives of men, even with fair reason, is for wretched men. What are those works unless concerning which the Apostle writes, 'How is there strife and contention among you, but because you are men and you walk according to men?' 2 Let a man beware, then, of speaking of the works of men, lest wickedness is found in him, and he is proved by God through trials with neighbours. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 16 1 Ps 16.4 2 1 Cor 3.3

Servants And Dispensers

Ita nos existimet homo, ut ministros Christi, et dispensatores mysteriorum Dei. Hoc signifiacit, quia minus de illo sentiebant aliqui Corinthiorum, sed ut homo hoc de illo sentiret, quod et Deus, qui illum elegerat; ideo ministros Christi ait, et dispensatores mysteriorum Dei. Quando enim non verborum strepitu, neque humana sapientia nitebatur intelligi; debuit sacramentum Christi dispensare, in quo non verba, sed virtus fulgebat: non per quod homo, sed Deus gloriosus videretur; collega enim piscatorum, non aliter quam illi, Christum praedicabat. Cum ergo ministrum se Christi et sacramentorum Dei probat, pseudoapostolos notat, et abnegat Christi esse quod tradunt, per id quod discordarent a traditione apostolica. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam Beati Pauli Ad Corinthios Primam, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 17.202b-c

Let a man think of us as servants of Christ, and dispensers of the mysteries of God. 1 This signifies that some among the Corinthians thought little of him, but a man should think this of him, that God chose him. Therefore he says, 'ministers of Christ, and dispensers of the mysteries of God.' For it was not with the cry of words nor with human wisdom that he was striving to be understood, for the mystery of Christ should be dispensed where power blazes forth and not words, and where the glory of God and not man appears, since as a colleague of fishermen and nothing else he preached Christ. Therefore when he asserts himself to be a servant of Christ and the mysteries of God, he refers to false apostles, and denies they can give the things of Christ, because they are in disagreement with the Apostolic tradition Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The First Letter of Saint Paul To The Corinthians, Chapter 4 1 1 Cor 4.1

Inheriting The Kingdom

Ὅτι σάρξ καὶ αἷμα βασιλείαν Θεοῦ κληρονομή και οὐ δύνανται. Συνίστησι τὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως και διὰ τούτου μυστήριον. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἐστι ἡ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σάρξ καὶ αἷμα, τουτέστι θνητὸν καὶ φθαρτὸν, Θεοῦ βασιλείαν, τουτέστι τὸ εἶναι δηνεκῶς, οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο κληρονομεῖν. Πᾶσα δὴ οὖν ἀνάγκη καταπίνεσθαι τὴν φθορὰν καὶ ἀφανίζεσθαι τὸ εὐμάραντον, μεταπλάττεσθαι δὲ πρὸς ἀφθαρσίαν αὐτὸ, καὶ θείᾳ τινὶ καὶ ἀποῤῥήτῳ δόξῃ καταφαιδρύνεσθαι κληρονομήσει γὰρ τότε τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τὴν Πρωτάν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 74.912b

For flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 1 With this he understands the mystery of the resurrection. While the human body is flesh and blood, that is, mortal and corruptible, it cannot inherit the kingdom of God, which is immortal. Therefore it is necessary for corruption to be absorbed and for whatever is fallen to be taken away. Thus being turned into what is incorruptible it is illuminated with a certain Divine and ineffable glory, for then it shall possess the kingdom of God. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, Fragment 1 1 Cor 15.50

Admonishments And Sacrifice

Deus autem spei repleat vos omni gaudio et pace in credendo; ut abundetis in spe et virtute Spiritus sancti. Certus sum autem, fratres, et ego ipse de vobis, quia et ipsi pleni estis dilectione, repleti omni scientia; ita ut possitis alterutrum monere. Haec exhortationis sunt: per laudem enim provocat eos ad meliorem et intellectum et vitam. Qui enim videt se laudari, data opera elaborat ut vera sint quae dicuntur. Ideo non dixit, ut invicem se doceant, sed admoneant; hoc enim solet moneri, quod cum sciatur, aliquando subterfugit animo. Caetera non sunt obscura, ut indigeant explanatione. Audacius autem scripsi vobis fratres ex parte, tamquam in memoriam vos reducens : propter gratiam, quae data est mihi a Deo, ut sim minister Christi Jesu in gentibus: sanctificans Evangelium Dei, ut fiat oblatio gentium accepta, et sanctificata in Spiritu Sancto. Non enim temere se scripisse significat, auctoritatem enim sibi datam per Dei gratiam dicens, , ut omnibus gentibus audeat scribere, admonens et confirmans propositum eorum in Christo; ut sollicitudinem suam ostendat in ministerio Evangelii, quasi magister gentium, et sacrificium eorum possit acceptum fieri sanctificationis causa in Spiritu sancto. Quidquid enim fide integra, et mente sobria offertur, a Spiritu sancto purificatur. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam ad Romanos, Caput XV Source: Migne PL 17.175a-b

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And I am certain, brethren, that you also are full of love and filled with all knowledge, so that you are able to admonish one another. 1 This is the manner of this exhortation, to provoke them through praise to a better understanding and life. For he who considers himself praised, gives thought to his works, that what is said might be true. Therefore he does not say, 'that you teach one another,' but that you admonish, when it is known that something is lacking in the soul. The other things here are not so obscure that they need explaining. But I have written to you, brethren, more boldly in a way, as it were putting you in mind, because of the grace that has been given to me from God, that I am a servant of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles, sanctifying the gospel of God, that the oblation of the Gentiles may be made acceptable and sanctified in the Holy Spirit. 2 He does not mean he has written recklessly, for he says he has been given grace from God so he might venture to write to all the peoples, admonishing them and confirming them in their intentions in Christ, which care for them shows in his service of the Gospel, as a teacher of the nations, even that he is able to make their cause of sanctification acceptable in the Holy Spirit, for whatever is offered with pure faith and a sober mind is purified by the Holy Spirit Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The Letter of Saint Paul To The Romans, Chapter 15 1 Rom 15.13-14 2 Rom 15.15-16

Arrows And Paul

Sagittae tuae acutae, potentissimae... Verba cor transfigentia, amorem excitantia. Unde dicitur in Canticis canticorum: Quia vulnerata caritate ego sum. Dicit enim vulneratam se esse caritate, id est, amare se dicit, aestuare se dicit, suspirare sponso, unde accepit sagittam verbi. Sagittae tuae acutae, potentissimae: et transfigentes, et efficientes: acutae, potentissimae. Populi sub te cadent. Qui ceciderunt? Qui percussi sunt, et ceciderunt. Populos videmus subditos Christo, cadentes non videmus. Exponit ubi cadunt: in corde. Ibi se erigebant adversus Christum, ibi cadunt ante Christum. Blasphemabat Saulus Christum, erectus erat: supplicat Christo, cecidit, prostratus est: occisus est inimicus Christi, ut vivat discipulus Christi. De coelo emissa sagitta, corde percussus est Saulus, nondum Paulus, adhuc Saulus, adhuc erectus, nondum prostratus: accepit sagittam, cecidit in corde. Non enim quod prostratus est in facie, ibi cecidit, sed ubi ait: Domine, quid me iubes facere? Modo ibas ad Christianos alligandos et perducendos ad poenam; et modo dicis Christo: Quid me iubes facere? O sagittam acutam, potentissimam, qua accepta cecidit Saulus ut esset Paulus! Ut ille, ita et populi. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Enarrationes In Psalmos, Psalm XLIV Source: Migne PL 38.503

Your arrows are sharp and most powerful...1 These are words that pierce the heart, exciting love. Hence it is said in the Song of Songs, 'Because I am wounded with love.' 2 For she says of herself that she is wounded with love, that is, she speaks of her loving, and of being inflamed with sighing for the Bridegroom, from whom she received the arrow of the Word. 'Your arrows are sharp and most powerful.' They are piercing and effective, sharp and most powerful. 'The peoples shall fall under you.' Who have fallen? They who were wounded have also fallen. We see the nations subdued to Christ, but we do not see them fall. He explains where they fall, that is, in the heart. It was there they lifted themselves up against Christ, it is there that they fall down before Christ. Saul blasphemed Christ, then he was lifted up. He prays to Christ, he falls, he is prostrate. The enemy of Christ is slain so that the disciple of Christ may live. By an arrow launched from heaven Saul was stuck in the heart, he who was not yet Paul, but still Saul. When he was still lifted up and still not yet prostrate, he is wounded in the heart. He received the arrow, he fell in his heart. For though he fell prostrate on his face, it was not there that he fell down in his heart, but it was where he said aloud, 'Lord, what do you command me do?' 3 You were just about to bind Christians and lead them off to punishment, and now you say to Christ, 'What do you command me to do?' O sharp and most powerful arrow by whose stroke Saul fell so they he might become Paul. As with him, so with the peoples.  Saint Augustine of Hippo, Expositions On The Psalms, Psalm 44 1 Ps 44.6 2 Song 2.5, 5.8 3 Acts 9.6

Living And Dying

Διωκόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι, καταβαλλόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι, πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἡμῶν φανερωθῇ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες εἰς θάνατον παραδιδόμεθα διὰ Ἰησοῦν... Δείκνυσι δὲ διὰ τούτων καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀσμένως ὑπομένειν ἐθέλοντας τὸν τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατον, διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν εὐσέβειαν . Σκοπὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐκ εἰς τὰ παρόντα βλέπειν, προαθρεῖν δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ ἐσόμενα . Τίς δὲ ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ζωή; Ἡ ἀφθαρσία καὶ ἁγιασμὸς , δόξα τε μεγάλη καὶ ὑπερκόσμιος. Οὕτως γὰρ ἡμῖν ὀφθήσεται κατὰ καιρούς, ὅταν ἡμῖν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνῃ κριτής· μετασχηματίσει δὲ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ , κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα. Ὥστε ὁ μὲν θάνατος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργεῖται, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ ἐν ὑμῖν. Μεμίμηνται γὰρ τὸν ἑαυτῶν Δεσπότην οἱ τῆς ὑφ᾽ ἡλίῳ μυσταγωγοί· τεθείκασι καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς , ἵνα ἡμεῖς οἱ ποτὲ πλα- νώμενοι , τὴν ἐκ πίστεως τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀποκερδαίνωμεν ζωήν. Τοιγάρτοι φασὶ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Ψάλλοντος φωνής ὡς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν ὅτι , Ἕνεκεν σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τὴν Δευτέραν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 74.937b-c

We suffer persecution, but are not forsaken. We are cast down, but we do not perish. We always carry about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given over to death on account of Jesus... 1 With these words he refers to those who gladly suffer the death of the flesh for the religion of Christ. For it is not present things they look to but the things of the future. What is life in Jesus? Certainly it is incorruptible and sanctified, and possessed of great glory far above this world. And so He will appear to us when the time comes, when the judge descends from heaven to us, and 'He shall conform this body of our humility to His glorious body, with that power which is able to subject everything to itself.' 2 'As death works in us, so does life in you.' 3 For those who have imitated their Lord are the spiritual teachers of the world, even those who have placed down their own souls so that we who were once wandering might be enriched in faith by life in Christ. And they say with the voice of the Psalmist to our Lord Jesus Christ, 'On account of you we die every day, and we are reputed as sheep for the slaughter.' 4 Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 4.11 2 Phil 3.21 3 2 Cor 4.12 4 Ps 43.22, Rom 8.36

Different Visions

Ἑγένετο δὲ ἐπ' αὐτον ἔκστασις , καὶ θεωρεῖ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεωγμένον... Οἱ γυναικῶν παραπαιουσῶν ἑλόμενοι εἶναι μαθηταὶ, οὗτοι δὲ εἰσιν οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Φρυγίας, φασὶ τοὺς προφήτας, κατεχομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, μὴ παρακολουθεῖν ἑαυτοῖς παραφερομένοις κατὰ τὸν τῆς προφητείας καιρόν. Δοκοῦσι δὲ ἀπόδειξιν ἔχειν ταύτης τῆς κακοδοξίας, καὶ ἐκ τῆς προκειμένης γραφῆς, λεγούσης ἐξεστακέναι τὸν Πέτρον. Ἀλλ᾽ ἴστωσαν οἱ ἡλίθιοι, οἱ ἀληθῶς παραπαίοντες, ὡς πολλὰ σημαίνει ἡ λέξις αὕτη. Δηλοῖ γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ θαυμασμῷ ἔκπληξιν, καὶ τὸ ἔξω τῶν αἰσθητῶν γενέσθαι , ποδηγούμενον ἐπὶ τὰ πνευματικά, καὶ τὸ παρακόπτειν, ὅπερ οὐ λεκτέον οὔτε ἐπὶ Πέτρου, οὔτε ἐπὶ προφητῶν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἄλλα ἐκ τῆς λέξεως σημαινόμενα. Ἀμέλει γοῦν ὁ ἐκστὰς Πέτρος παρηκολούθει, ὡς ἀπαγγέλλων, ἃ εἶδε καὶ ἤκουσε , καὶ τίνος σύμβολατὰ δειχθέντα ἦν. Ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τῶν προφητῶν πάντων ἐρεῖς παρακολουθούντων , οἷς ἔλεγον τὰ θεωρούμενα. Σοφοὶ γὰρ ἦσαν νοοῦντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου στόματος, ἃ προέφερον, τοῦ Κυρίου μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν φανερῶς ἐντειλαμένου μαθητεῦσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἢ πῶς οἱ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἀπόστολοι ἀκούσαντες τὰ κατὰ τὸν Κορνήλιον, διεκρίνοντο πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον; Πάνυ μὲν οὖν ἐδεῖτο τῆς περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν θείας ἀποκαλύψεως ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔξαρχος, Πέτρος, ὁ παν άγιος. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Ἐις Τάς Πράξεις Τῶν Ἀποστόλων, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 39.1677a-c

And an ecstasy came on Peter, and he saw the heavens opened... 1 Those who delight to be disciples of maddened women, who are of the Phrygian sect, 2 say their prophetesses are carried off by the Holy Spirit when they are struck by the prophetic impulse and they do not understand what the say at the time, and in this passage in Scripture they think to find a demonstration of their error, for it says that Peter was struck by an ecstasy of the mind. But let it be known by these fools, who are truly despicable, that these words do not mean that, for what they do signify is an awe arising from wonder, and from being lifted up from sensible things to spiritual things. It is not fitting to say of Peter or the prophets that this is some sort of delirium, but rather this passage signifies something quite different. Certainly Peter, caught up in ecstasy, followed everything and took in all that he saw and heard, and knew what was taught there, which things were given to him to see. And you might say the same of all the things of the prophets, that is, because of which they were able to tell others what they saw. For they were wise, knowing what they said with their mouths, which the Lord after His resurrection was able to teach correctly, so that all the nations would be imbued with His teaching. Besides how would the other Apostles who were in Jerusalem, hearing what had happened with Cornelius, have been able to question Peter? This was the type of revelation concerning the Gentiles Peter had, the leader of the Apostles, a most holy man. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles, Fragment 1 Acts 10.10-11 2 Montanists

Seeking The Kingdom

Nam cum dicat: Quaerite regnum Dei: et hac omnia adjicientur vobis. nec ad praesens, nec in reliquum fidelibus ostendit gratiam defuturam: si modo qui divina desiderant, terrena non quaerent, Indecorum quippe est homines curare de cibo, qui militant de regno. Novit rex quemadmodum familiam suam pascat, alat, vestiat; et ideo dixit: Jacta in Deum cogitatum tuum, et ipse te enutriet. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Expositio Evangelii Secundum Lucam, Liber VII Source: Migne PL 15.1733a

When He says: 'Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you,' 1 He shows that grace shall not fail the faithful in the present, nor in the time to come, but that shall only be for those who desire Divine things, and do not seek after worldly things. Certainly it is wretched for men who battle for the kingdom to fret over food. The king knows how to supply and feed and clothe his own, and therefore it has been said, 'Cast all your care on God, and He shall support you.' 2 Saint Ambrose, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 7 1 Lk 12.31 2 Ps 54.23

Sheep And Wolves

In illo tempore dixit Jesus discipulis suis: Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum. Sed hoc videamus, quare istos quidem dixit quasi oves, illos autem non quasi lupos, sed lupos. Si enim istos propter solam causam mansuetudinis oves dixisset, quoniam natura quide homines erant, mansuetudine autem oves, utique et illos quasi lupos dixisset: quoniam et illi, etsi crudelitate quasi lupi erant, tamen natura similiter homines erant. Puto ergo ista ratione istos quidem quasi oves dictos, illos autem quasi lupos, sed ad plenum lupos: quoniam homo Dei, quamvis fuerit bonus, tamen semper habet in se aliqud mali secundum carnem, quasi homo: et ovis quidem dicitur, propter quod bonus: quasi ovis autem, qua non ad plenum bonus. Qui autem Deum non cognoscit, nihil in se boni potest habere, propterea lupus dicitur, non quasi lupus, quia nihil boni habet in se, quia in se non cognoscit Deum. Causa est ista, quia omnes homines secundum carnis naturam mali sumus: et dicit Apostolus, Natura sumus filii irae: sed per timorem Dei efficimur boni. Quamvis autem per timorem Dei efficimur boni, tamen semper aliquid naturalis mali remanet in natura hominum. Ergo si natura carnalis compellit fieri malum, timor Dei ex parte retinet eum a malo. Hominem non cognoscentem Deum, aut cognoscentem quidem, sed non timentem, natura compellit facere malum, et timor Dei non retinet a malo, et ideo non potest esse in illis aliquid boni, nisi forte propter homines, quando ipsum non est bonum, sed malum, quod est propter Deum. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXIV Source: Migne PG 56.756-7

In that time Jesus said to His disciples, 'Behold, I send you out like sheep in the midst of wolves.' 1 Let us consider this, why the former are like sheep and the latter are not like wolves, but simply wolves. For if because of the sole reason of meekness He called them sheep, since they yet had the nature of men but the meekness of sheep, so he would have said the latter were like wolves, because even they, even if they were as cruel as wolves, yet likewise had the nature of men. I think, then, that this is the reason why the former are like sheep and the latter are not like wolves but fully wolves, because the man of God, although he is good, yet always has in himself a certain evil according to the flesh as a man, and he is called a sheep on account of what is good, but he is like a sheep because he is not fully good. He who does not know God is not able to have anything good in him, because of which he is called a wolf and not like a wolf, because he has no good in him, since in himself he does not know God. This is the reason why we are all evil men according to the nature of the flesh, as the Apostle says, 'By nature we are sons of wrath, but through the fear of God we are made good.' 2 But though we are made good through the fear of God, yet there always remains some evil in the nature of men. Therefore if the carnal nature compels one to evil, the fear of God restrains one from evil. A man who does not know God, or who knows something but does not fear Him, is by nature driven to evil, and the fear of God does not restrain him, and therefore it is not possible that there is any good in him, unless according to men, for he is not good but evil according to God. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 24 1 Mt 5.44 2 Ephes 2.3

Feet And Paths

Kατάρτισαι τὰ διαβήματά μου ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις σου ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶσιν τὰ διαβήματά μου Τρίβοι δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ, αἱ τηρήσεις τῶν ἐντολῶν τυγχάνουσιν, μᾶλλον δὲ αἱ κατ᾿ ἀρετὴν ἐνέργειαι, λεῖαι καὶ ὁμαλαὶ ἀναδειχθεῖσαι, ἐκ τοῦ συνεχῶς πατεῖσθαι πρὸς τῶν σπευδόντων φθάσαι ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτῶν· τέλος δὲ αὐτῶν ἡ μακαριότης καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν ἀπόδοσίς ἐστιν . Δράμωμεν τοίνυν κατ᾿ αὐτὰς, ἵνα σωτηρίας τύχωμεν· οὐ κλονουμένων τῶν διαβημάτων, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν οὐ σφαλλομένων, ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὁ Κύριος ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις αὐτοῦ καταρτίσῃ αὐτά· ὁ ταύτης τῆς αἰτήσεως τυχών, φησίν· ῎Ανευ ἀνομίας ἔδραμον καὶ κατηύθυνα· καὶ τὸ, Ὁδὸν ἐντολῶν σου ἔδραμον, ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐπλάτυνας τὴνκαρδίαν μου. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΙϚ' Source: Migne PG 39.1237b

Perfect my feet in your paths, that my steps are not shaken. 1 The paths of the Lord and of his holy ones is holding to the commandments, or rather the doing of things virtuously, and then it is easily and openly shown that from this way of going they are hurried them to their end, which end is beatitude and the fulfillment of the promises. Therefore let us run on the paths, so that we may obtain salvation, and with feet that are not shaken, that is, they do not stumble, because the Lord is perfecting them in His paths. These things are also prayed for when he says, 'I ran without iniquity and I directed my steps,' and, 'I ran on the way of your commandments, when you expanded my heart.' 2 Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 16 1 Ps 16.5 2 Ps 58.5, Ps 118.32

Praise And Fragrance

Τοιοῦτον δὲ προσαγαγὼν τῷ στόματί τε καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ τῆς νύμφης τὸν ἔπαινον πάλιν πρὸς τὰ μείζω τῶν ἐγκωμίων μετέρχεται λέγων ὅτι Ὀσμὴ ἱματίων σου ὡς ὀσμὴ λιβάνου. Ὁ δὲ λόγος οὗτος φιλοσοφία τίς ἐστιν εἰς ὅτι βλέπει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ κατ’ ἀρετὴν βίος ὑποδεικνύων· πέρας γὰρ τῆς ἐναρέτου ζωῆς ἡ πρὸς τὸ θεῖόν ἐστιν ὁμοίωσις· καὶ τούτου χάριν ἥ τε τῆς ψυχῆς καθαρότης καὶ τὸ πάσης ἐμπαθοῦς διαθέσεως ἀνεπίμικτον δι’ ἐπιμελείας κατορθοῦται τοῖς ἐναρέτοις, ὥστε τινὰ χαρακτῆρα τῆς ὑπερκειμένης φύσεως διὰ τῆς ἀστειοτέρας ζωῆς καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οὐ μονοειδής τίς ἐστιν οὐδὲ μονότροπος ἡ κατ’ ἀρετὴν πολιτεία, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν ὑφασμάτων κατασκευῆς διὰ πολλῶν νημάτων, τῶν μὲν ἐπ’ εὐθείας ἀνατεταμένων τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὸ πλάγιον διῃρμένων, ἡ ὑφαντικὴ τέχνη τὴν ἐσθῆτα ποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐναρέτου ζωῆς πολλὰ χρὴ συνδραμεῖν, δι’ ὧν ὁ ἀστεῖος ἐξυφαίνεται βίος, καθὼς ἀπαριθμεῖται τὰ τοιαῦτα νήματα ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, δι’ ὧν ἡ τῶν καθαρῶν ἔργων ἱστουργία συνίσταται, ἀγάπην λέγων καὶ χαρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην, μακροθυμίαν τε καὶ χρηστότητα καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἷς κατακοσμεῖται ὁ ἐκ τοῦ φθαρτοῦ τε καὶ γηΐνου βίου τὴν οὐράνιον ἀφθαρσίαν μετενδυόμενος, τούτου χάριν ἀποδέχεται τὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσθῆτι κόσμον τῆς νύμφης ὡς τῷ λιβάνῳ κατὰ τὴν ὀσμὴν ὁμοιούμενον. Kαίτοι γε πρὸ τούτου πάντων εἶπε τῶν ἀρωμάτων προέχειν τὴν τοῦ μύρου τῆς νύμφης εὐωδίαν, ὡς δοκεῖν ἐν τούτῳ καθαίρεσιν εἶναι τῶν ἐγκωμίων, εἴπερ ἡ παντὸς ἀρώματος ὑπερτεθεῖσα νῦν πρὸς ἓν τῶν ἀρωμάτων ὁμοιοῦται διὰ συγκρίσεως, οὕτως εἰπόντος τοῦ λόγου ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ὀσμὴν τοῦ λιβάνου ἡ τῶν ἱματίων σού ἐστιν εὐωδία. Ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ ἰδιαζόντως κατά τινα λόγον εἰς τὴν τοῦ θείου τιμὴν ἀποτεταγμένον ἦν τὸ τοῦ λιβάνου θυμίαμα, τούτου χάριν ἡ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἀρώματα εἶναι κριθεῖσα ἀξιοῦται τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἓν ἄρωμα ὁμοιώσεως τὸ τῷ θεῷ ἀνακείμενον, ὡς τὸ νόημα τοῦ αἰνίγματος τοιοῦτον εἶναι ὅτι· σοί, ὦ νύμφη, τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡ περιβολὴ τὴν θείαν μιμεῖται μακαριότητα διὰ καθαρότητός τε καὶ ἀπαθείας τῇ ἀπροσίτῳ φύσει ὁμοιουμένη· τοιαύτη γάρ, φησίν, ἡ τῶν σῶν ἱματίων ὀσμή, ὡς πρὸς τὸν λίβανον ἐμφερῶς ἔχειν τὸν ἀνακείμενον εἰς τὴν τοῦ θείου τιμήν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων, Ὁμιλία θʹ Source: Migne PG 44.960d-961c

Having acclaimed the mouth and the tongue of the bride in this manner, He again passes on to a higher order of praise, saying, 'The fragrance of your garments is as the fragrance of frankincense.' 1 This statement is something philosophical, since it indicates to men what the life according virtue should be, for the limit that the virtuous life approaches is likeness to the Divine, and for the sake of this both the purity of the soul and its separation from every disposition of passion are carefully achieved in the virtuous, so that they receive a certain impression of the transcendent Nature through the greater nobility of their life. Then since the virtuous life is not uniform and does not have a single style, for as the art of weaving a garment is performed with the use of many threads, some being stretched vertically and others horizontally, thus even in the the virtuous life many things must twine together if a noble life is to be fashioned, so the holy Apostle enumerates such threads, through which pure works are woven together on the loom, speaking of love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and all such things that adorn the one who from a corruptible and earthly life is putting on the garment of heavenly incorruptibility, 2 for which reason the adornment of the Bride’s garment is likened in its fragrance to be like frankincense. Certainly the Bridegroom earlier said that the sweet smell of the Bride's perfume excelled all the spices, and thus it seems that if she who surpassed all spices is now likened to one particular spice, as the Word says with, 'The sweet smell of your clothing conforms to the fragrance of frankincense,' then it appears to nullify his previous tributes, but since for some reason frankincense was set apart for the honour of the Deity, she who was deemed to be above all spices is reckoned worthy of being likened to the particular spice that is dedicated to God, and so the meaning of the mystery is this, 'O bride, your garment of virtues is like the Divine blessedness since its purity and impassibility is like the unapproachable Nature. For,' he says, 'the scent of your garments is such as to possess a resemblance to that frankincense that is dedicated to the honouring of God.' Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 9 1 Song 4.11 2 Galat 5.22, 1 Cor 15.53

Faith And Works

Ἡγοῦμαι μὲν μηδεμιᾶς ἑτέρας ὑμᾶς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι παρακλήσεως δεῖσθαι, μετὰ τοὺς λόγους οὓς δἰ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐποιησάμεθα πρὸς ὑμᾶς, παρακαλοῦντες ὑμᾶς πάντας τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ζωὴν καταδέξασθαι εἰς μίμημα τῆς ἀποστολικῆς πολιτείας, ὃ καὶ ἐδέξασθε ὡς ἀγαθὸν δίδαγμα, καὶ ηὐχαριστήσατε δἰ αὐτὸ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐχὶ ῥήματα ἦν τὰ παῤ ἡμῶν λαληθέντα, ἀλλὰ διδάγματα εἰς ἔργον προελθεῖν ὀφείλοντα ἐπὶ ὠφελείᾳ μὲν ὑμῶν τῶν ἀνεχομένων, ἐπ̓ ἀναπαύσει δὲ ἡμετέρᾳ τῶν ὑποθεμένων τὴν γνώμην, εἰς δόξαν δὲ καὶ ἔπαινον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπικέκληται ἐφ̓ ἡμᾶς, τούτου χάριν ἀπέστειλα τὸν ποθεινότατον ἡμῶν ἀδελφόν, ἵνα καὶ τὸ πρόθυμον γνωρίσῃ, καὶ τὸ νωθρὸν διεγείρῃ, καὶ τὸ ἀντιτεῖνον φανερὸν ἡμῖν καταστήσῃ. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς συνηγμένους, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι περὶ ὑμῶν ὅτι οὐχὶ τὸν ἀμάρτυρον ἀγαπᾶτε βίον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καταδέχεσθε πάντες καὶ φύλακες τῆς ἀλλήλων ἀκριβείας εἶναι καὶ μάρτυρες τῶν κατορθουμένων. Oὕτω γὰρ ἕκαστος καὶ τὸν ἐφ̓ ἑαυτῷ μισθὸν τέλειον ἀπολήψεται καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ προκοπῇ: ὃν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ παρέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀλλήλοις προσήκει ἐκ τῆς συνεχοῦς ὁμιλίας καὶ παρακλήσεως. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ παρακαλοῦμεν μεμνῆσθαι ὑμᾶς τῆς τῶν πατέρων πίστεως, καὶ μὴ σαλεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἡσυχίᾳ περιφέρειν ὑμᾶς ἐπιχειρούντων, εἰδότας ὅτι οὔτε πολιτείας ἀκρίβεια καθ̓ ἑαυτήν, μὴ διὰ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν πίστεως πεφωτισμένη, ὠφέλιμος, οὔτε ὀρθὴ ὁμολογία, ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἄμοιρος οὖσα, παραστῆσαι ἡμᾶς δυνήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ: ἀλλὰ δεῖ ἀμφότερα συνεῖναι, ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὸ ἐλλεῖπον χωλεύῃ ἡμῶν ἡ ζωή. Πίστις γάρ ἐστιν ἡ σώζουσα ἡμᾶς, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, δἰ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ἐπιστολή ΣϞE'  Source: Migne PG 32.1037c-1040a

I do not think that there is any further need to commend you to God's grace, after the words that I spoke to you in person, when I exhorted you all to adopt a life in common, in imitation of the of conduct of the Apostles, 1 which you received as good teaching, and gave thanks to the Lord for it. Since then your conduct was not so much due to the words I spoke, but to your putting them into practice, which was to the advantage of those who accepted them, and to my contentment who gave you the counsel, and to the glory and praise of Christ, by whose name we are called, because of this I have sent you a well beloved brother, that he may learn of your zeal and rouse your sloth, and make any resistance known to me. For my desire to see you all united is great, and to hear that you do not wish to live a life without witness, but rather that all of you are vigilant of each other's eagerness, and witnesses of each other's improvement. Thus will each of you receive the full reward, not only on his own behalf, but on the account of a brother's advance, for by word and deed you will be a source of profit to one another, on account of continuous association and encouragement. But above all I exhort you to be mindful of the faith of the Fathers, and not to be shaken by those who in your retreat would attempt to draw you away from it, for you are aware that the strictness of a life does not profit at all unless illuminated by faith in God, nor will a correct confession of faith, if it lacks good works, be able to set you before the Lord. Faith and works must be joined for the man of God to be perfect and for his life not fail through any defect. As the Apostle says, the faith that saves us works through love. 2 Saint Basil of Caesarea, Letter 295 1 Acts 2.44, 2 Galat 5.6