Manna And The Holy Spirit

Scriptum est de manna, quia secundum tempus illud si quis id ita assumpsisset ut praeceperat Deus, nutriretur ex eo; si quis vero contra præceptum Dei, et contra statutum divinitus modum voluisset assumere, non frueretur eo , ut vitali cibo, sed vermes ebullirent ex co. Et ita fiebat, ut una atque eadem species mannæ aliis quidem vermes et putredines generaret, aliis vero salubrem cibuin conferret, et vitae necessarium. Igitur et nostrum manna verbum Dei est, et apud nos ergo sermo Dei aliis efficitur ad salutem, aliis cedit ad poenam. Et propter hoc arbitror quod ipse Dominus et Salvator, qui est vivum Dei verbum, dicebat: In judicium ego veni in hunc mundum, ut non videntes videant, et videntes caeci fiant . Quanto melius esset nonnullis omnino nec audire verbum Dei , quam audire cum malitia, vel audire cum hypocrisi. Melius autem dicimus ad comparationem Vere autem melius , et vere rectius , ac perfectius est, ut qui audit verbum Dei , audiat corde bono et simplici , audiat corde recto et parato, ut quasi in terra bona fructificet et crescat. Haec in praefatione diximus propter nonnullos eorum qui ad audiendum non simplici, nec fideli mente conveniunt. De quibusdam dico catechumenis, quibus fortasse nonnulli etiam eorum qui jam baptismum consecuti sunt, sociantur. Non enim omnes qui ex Israel, ii sunt Israelitae; neque omnes qui loti sunt aqua, continuo etiam sancto Spiritu loti sunt: sicut econtrario non omnes qui in catechumenis numerantur, alieni sunt et expertes Spiritus sancti. Invenio enim in Scripturis divinis nonnullos catechumenorum dignos habitos Spiritu sancto, et alios accepto baptismo indignos fuisse sancti Spiritus gratia. Cornelius catechumenus erat, et antequam ad aquam veniret , meruit accipere Spiritum sanctum. Simon baptismum acceperat, sed quoniam cum hypocrisi accessit ad gratiam , repudiatur a dono Spiritus sancti. Nolo dubites et nunc esse in populo catechumenorum aliquos Cornelios , ad quos dici possit , quia misericordiae et orationes tuæ ascenderunt in coelam; et rursum in populo fidelium esse aliquos Simones, quibus confidenter dicendum sit: O plene omni dolo et fallacia, fili diaboli, inimice omnis justitiae. Haec ego ad correptionem mei ipsius loquor, non solum auditorum. Unus enim et ego sum ex iis, qui audiunt verbum Dei . Origen, In Numeros, Homilia III, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense Source: Migne PG 12.593c-594b

It is written concerning the manna, that if according to the time the Lord commanded it someone took it up, then he would be nourished by it, but if against the commandment of the Lord and against the divine statute someone wished to take it up, it would be of no benefit to him, even to such a degree that worms would crawl forth from the life giving bread. 1 Thus one and the same type of manna generated worms and rottenness for some and on others it conferred wholesome food, and what is needful for life. Therefore even with our manna among us, which is the word of God, for some the word is effective for salvation, but for others it brings forth punishment. Therefore that judge who is the Lord and Saviour, who is the living word of God, said, 'In judgment I have come into this world, even that those who do not see might see, and that those who do see become blind.' 2 How much better it would be for some not to hear the word of God at all, than to hear it in wickedness or as hypocrites. But it is better for us to give a comparison. Truly it is better and more righteous and more perfect that he who hears the word of God, hears it with a good and innocent heart, and with an upright and prepared heart, so that on earth he may put forth good fruits and grow. We have brought forth these remarks first because a number of those who hear are not innocent, nor are they faithful in their minds. About whom I say to the catechumens, regarding those with whom they associate and who have perhaps already received baptism, 'Not everyone from Israel is an Israelite.' 3 Not all who have been washed with water, then have the further washing of the Holy Spirit, and likewise and in an opposite sense not all who are accounted among the catechumens are foreign and unknown to the Holy Spirit. I have found in the Holy Scriptures that several catechumens were worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit, and others who had received baptism were unworthy of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Cornelius was a catechumen and even before he come to the water he was worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Simon received baptism but because he was a hypocrite for grace, he was denied the gift of the Holy Spirit. I do not doubt that even now there are some who are Cornelius among the people of the catechumens, to whom it is possible to say, that your mercy and prayers have ascended to heaven, and again that among the gathering of the faithful there are some who are Simon, to whom it must be forcefully said 'O full of every guile and deceit, O son of the devil, O enemy of all righteousness.' 4 I do not say these things only to the audience but even for my own correction, for I am one of those who hears the word of God. Origen, On Numbers, from the Third Homily, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia. 1 Exod 16.20 2 Jn 9.39 3 Rom 9.6 4 Act 10 Act 13.10

A Chosen People

ΕΡΩΤ ΛΕ' Τί ἐστιν , Εσεσθέ μοι λαὸς περιούσιος ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν · ἐμὴ γὰρ ἐστι πᾶσα ἡ γῆ; Πάντων εἰμὶ , φησί , ποιητὴς καὶ Δεσπότης , καὶ πάντων ὡς ποιητὴς προμηθοῦμαι· ὑμᾶς δὲ οἷόν τινα λαὸν ἐξαίρετον ἐμαυτῷ ἀφιέρωσα . Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι εἰς βασίλειον ἰεράτευμα, ἔθνος ἅγιον. Ωσπερ γὰρ τοὺς Λευΐτας, Ἰσραηλίτας ὄντας , τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν προτετίμηκε, καὶ εἰς τὴν θείαν ἀφιέρωσε λειτουργίαν οὐ τῶν ἄλλων ἀμελῶν , ἀλλὰ διὰ τούτων τὴν ἐκείνων ποιούμενος ἐπιμέλειαν· οὕτω τὸ τοῦ ᾿Αβραὰμ , καὶ Ἰσαὰκ , καὶ Ἰακώβ , ἐξελέξατο σπέρμα· πρῶτον ἐπειδὴ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἤμελλε κατὰ σάρκα βλαστάνειν ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστός· ἔπειτα διὰ τῶν εἰς τούτους γινομένων τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιδεικνὺς δύναμιν , καὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους διδάσκων τὴν τῆς θεογνωσίας ὁδόν. Τούτων μέντοι εἰρημένων · Απεκρίθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς, καὶ εἶπε· Πάντα ὅσα εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς ποιήσομεν, καὶ ἀκουσόμεθα. Αὕτη δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ ἡ συνθήκη ὑπογραφῇ τινι ἔοικε γραμματίου· ὅθεν τὴν οἰκείαν παραβάντες ὁμολογίαν , ταῖς τῆς νομοθεσίας ἀραῖς ὑπεβλήθησαν , ὧν τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότας ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσε . Χριστὸς γάρ, φησὶν , ἐξηγόρασεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Τὸ μέντοι περιούσιος, ἐξαίρετος ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 80.232b-c

Question 35 Why is it said, 'You shall be my chosen people before all the nations, for all the earth is mine'? 1 'I am the Creator and Lord of all things,' He says, 'and as the Creator I have care for all things, and I have consecrated you to myself as a certain elect people.' Then He adds, 'You shall be a royal priesthood and a holy people.' For as the Levites, who were of the Israelites, were chosen before the other tribes and appointed to the Divine office, it is not therefore that He neglects the other tribes, but it is through them He might care for all of them. So He chose the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, firstly that Christ the Lord might arise from them according to the flesh, and then that through them His power would be made manifest, and He might teach all men to know the way and reason of God. When, then, He said this, all the people replied and said, 'All that God has said we shall do and we shall hear.' And this way of the people is like signing a treaty, whence acting against their own agreement they were made obnoxious, and came under the curse of those who dispute the law, from which Christ the Lord vindicated those who believe in him, 'For Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for us.' 2 For 'chosen' here Symmachus translates, 'elect.' Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Exodus 1 Exod 19.5 2 Galat 3.13

The Procession

Quatuor ergo sunt genera in processione Domini. Boni prudentes, et boni simplices: hi sunt qui praeeunt, et qui sequuntur. Bonos autem addidi, quia prudentes non boni, iniqui sunt, juxta illud: Sapientes sunt ut faciant mala; et simplices non boni, stulti sunt. In processione sutem Domini, nec iniquus locum habet, nec stultus. Porro qui adhaerent ei, contemplativi sunt. Qui portant eum et onerantur eo, ipsi sunt duri corde, et parum devoti. Sed ecce omnes sunt in processione Domini, et nemo ex ipsis faciem ejus videt. Nam qui praecedunt, occupati sunt in paranda via, solliciti circa peccata et tentationes aliorum. Qui sequuntur, ipsi omnino faciem ejus videre non possunt: sed, sicut Moysi dictum est, posteriora ejus vident. Jumentum cui insidet, nunquam ad videndum levat oculos, sed pronum est semper in terram. Qui vero adhaerent ipsi, aliquando videre possunt, sed raptim et non continue, nec plene dum adhuc sunt in via. Attamen quantum ad alios, ipsi magis facie ad faciem eum vident, juxta quod item de Moyse scriptum est, quia caeteris quidem prophetis per visiones et somnia, Moysi vero facie ad faciem loquebatur. Quantum ad plenam sane visionem, nec ipse Moyses, dum viveret in hoc mundo, impetrare potuit faciei ipsius visionem; quia, sicut ipse ait, Non videbit me homo, et vivet. Non videbor, inquit, in hac vita: non videbit quis faciem meam in hac via, et in processione ista. Ipse itaque magna pietate sua donet nobis sic in ejus processione perseverare dum vivimus, ut in magna illa processione, qua cum suis omnibus a Patre suscipiendus est, et traditurus regnum Deo et Patri, sanctam civitatem ingredi mereamur cum eo. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, Dominica Palmarum, Sermo II Source: Migne PL 183.259b-d

There are four kinds in the procession of the Lord. There are the wise who are good and the simple who are good, and they go before and they follow behind. Good is added here because there are the wise who are not good but wicked, according to which, 'They are wise so that they may do evil,' 1 and there are simple folk who are not good but fools. But in the procession of the Lord the wicked man has no place, nor the fool. But those who adhere to Him are the contemplatives. Those who bear him and are borne by Him are the hard in heart and those of slight devotion. But, behold, all are in the procession of the Lord, and none of them see His face. For those who go before, they are occupied in preparing the way, and their care is for fault and the impediments of others. Those who follow, they are not able to see His face, but as was said of Moses, they look on His back. The animal which carries Him never lifts up its eyes to look, but they are always bent down to the earth. But those who adhere to Him, they are sometimes able to see Him, but only briefly and not continuously, and not fully while they are in this life. However more than others they see Him face to face, as it was written of Moses, that while to other prophets He spoke in dreams and visions, to Moses He spoke face to face. But as for the full vison, not even Moses, while he lived in this world, was able to entreat the sight of His face, because as He said, 'No man shall see me and live' 2 I shall not be seen, He says, in this life, nor shall anyone see me on this way, and in this procession. Therefore He gives great piety to us so that we might persevere in His procession while we live, and then that with all who are His we might be taken up by the Father, and being given the kingdom from God and the Father, we shall merit to enter into the holy city with Him. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for the Year, On Palm Sunday, from Sermon 2, 1 Jerem 4.22 2 Exod 33.11-22

Wisdom And Freedom

Haec populum justum et semen sine querela liberavit a nationibus quae illum deprimebant. Haec, scilicet sapientia, populum iustum, scilicet populum Israeliticum, per fldem iustificalum , secundum iilud ad Romanos quinto: iustificati ex fide; vel: iustum, per operationem boni ; et semen sine querela, scilicet per declinationem mali; semen, scilicet Patriarchiarum, ut dicit Glossa; item Tobiae secundo: Filii Sanctorum sumus; liberavit etc. Huius liberationis praemisit duplicem causam, scilicet populi bonitatem, cum dicit: Populum iustum; secundo, Patrum sanctitatem, cum dicit: Et semen sine querela liberavit a nationibus, id est ab Aegyptiis, in vitio nativitatis suae permanentibus. Quae illum opprimebant, id est, vexabant , scilicet in luto et latere et paleis, ut patet Exodi primo. Et nota, quod per hanc oppressionem vel vexationem potest intelligi vexatio diaboli, qua vexat servos suos in operibus luti luxuriae et lateris avaritiae et paiearum superbiae; Exodi tertio: Videns vidi afflictionem populi mei. Intravit in animam servi Dei, et stetit contra reges horrendos in portentis et signis. Intravit, id est ipsa sapientia, in animam servi Dei; Glossa: Id est Moysi, supra septimo: Per nationes in animas sanctas se transfert; item Exodi quarto: Ego ero in ore tuo et docebo te, quid loquaris. Et stetit, scilicet constanter; unde Exodi nono: Stetit Moyses coram Pharaone; stetit, inquam, contra reges horrendos: Glossa: Pharaonem et alios principes; in portentis, id est in maioribus miraculis, et signis, minoribus, quae fecit in Aegypto; unde Exodi septimo: Multiplicabo signa et ostenta mea in terra Aegypti; Ecclesiastici quadragesimo quinto: Magnificavit eum in conspectu regum; supra octavo: Timebunt me reges horrendi. Et reddidit justis mercedem laborum suorum, et deduxit illos in via mirabili, et fuit illis in velamento diei, et in luce stellarum per noctem. Et reddidit iustis; Glossa: Populi Israelitici; mercedem laborum suorum; Glosssa: Terram promissionis, quam eis prius promiserat; Genesis duodecimo: Semini tuo dabo terram hanc. Et deduxit illos, scilicet ad terram praedictam, in via mirabili; Glossa: Per desertum; in Psalmo: In terra deserta et invia et inaquosa. Haec autem via fuit mirabilis, quia nullo modo pervia tanto exercitui sine multis miraculis. Unde sequitur: Et fuit illis in velamento diei, id est aestus diurni, scilicet per columnam nubis; et in luce stellarum per noctem, id est loco lucis stellarum, et hoc per columnam ignis, ut dicit Glossa; Exodi decimo tertio: Nunquam defuit columna nubis per diem neque columna ignis per noctem. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Librum Sapientiae, Caput X Source: Here, 395

She freed a righteous people and a blameless seed from the nations who oppressed them. 1 'She,' that is, wisdom, 'a righteous people,' that is the people of Israel, justified through faith, according to the fifth chapter of Romans, 'justified by faith,' 2 or righteous through doing good, and 'a blameless seed,' that is through the refusal of evil. 'Seed' that is, of the Patriarchs, as the Gloss says. Likewise in the second chapter of Tobit, 'We are the sons of holy men.' 3 'She freed,' a double cause of this liberation is set down, that is, the goodness of the people, when it says, 'A righteous people,' and secondly the holiness of the fathers, when it says, 'She liberated a blameless seed from the nations...' that is, from the Egyptians, who remained in their original fault. 'Who oppressed them,' that is, who troubled them with mud and bricks and straw, as in the first chapter of Exodus. 4 And note that through this oppression and trouble it is possible to understand the vexation of the devil, who troubles his servants with the muddy works of luxury and with the bricks of avarice and with the straw of pride. In the third chapter of Exodus, 'I saw the affliction of my people.' 5 She entered into the soul of a servant of God, and with portent and signs he stood against fearsome kings. 'She entered,' that is, Wisdom did. 'Into the soul of a servant of God,' that is, Moses, as in the seventh chapter of Wisdom, 'She passes into holy souls among the people.' Likewise in the fourth chapter of Exodus. 'I shall be in your mouth and I shall teach you what to say.' 6 'He stood.' that is, unwaveringly, hence in the ninth chapter of Exodus, 'Moses stood in the presence of the Pharaoh.' 7 'He stood against fearsome kings.' The Gloss, 'the Pharaoh and other princes.' 'With portents,' that is with greater miracles, 'and signs,' with lesser ones, which he made in Egypt. In the seventh chapter of Exodus, 'I shall multiply my signs and revelations in the land of Egypt.' In the forty fifth chapter of Ecclesiasticus, 'I magnified him in the sight of kings.' In the eighth chapter of Wisdom, 'Terrible kings will fear me.' 8 She gave to the righteous the reward of their labours, and she led them on a wondrous way, and it was a cloud by day for them, and the light of stars by night.' 'She gave to the righteous,' the Gloss, 'the people of Israel,' 'the reward of their labours, 'which in the Gloss is the promised land, that He had promised to them. In the twelfth chapter of Genesis, 'I shall give your seed this land.' 9 'And she led them,' that is to the foretold land, on a wondrous way. The Gloss, 'Through the desert.' In the Psalm, 'A desert land, without paths and without water.' 10 And this way was wondrous because without many miracles there was no way through for the multitude. Hence it follows, 'And it was a cloud by day for them,' that is, during the heat of the day, and so, 'as a column of cloud.' 'And the light of stars by night,' that is, in place of the light of stars, and this is 'the column of fire,' as the Gloss says. In the thirteenth chapter of Exodus, 'The column of cloud never failed them by day nor the column of fire through the night.' 11 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On Wisdom, Chapter 10 1 Wisdom 10.15 2 Rom 5.1 3 Tob 2.18 4 Exod 1.14 5 Exod 3.7 6 Wisd 7.27, Exod 4.12 7 Exod 9.10 8 Exod 7.3, Sirach 45.3, Wisd 8.15 9 Gen 12.7 10 Ps 62.3 11 Exod 13.22

Freedom And The Commandments

Omnis qui didicit contemnere praesens saeculum quod figuraliter Ægyptus appellatur, et per verbum Dei, ut secundum Scripturas dicam, translatus est, et non invenitur, quia ad sæculum futurum festinat ac tendit, de hujusmodi anima dicit Dominus: Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Non ergo hæc ad illos tantum dicuntur, qui de Ægypto profecti sunt, sed multo magis ad te, qui nunc audis ista, si tamen proficiscaris ex Aegypto,et Aegyptiis ultra non servias, dicit hæc Deus : Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Vide si non negotia sæculi,et actus carnis, domus est servitutis : sicut rursum econtrario relinquere sæcularia, et secundum Deum vivere, domus est libertatis, sicut et Dominus in Evangelio dicit: Si permanseritis in verbo meo, vos agnoscetis veritatem, et veritas liberabit vos. Ergo Aegyptus domus est servitutis, Judæa vero et Jerusalem,domus est libertatis. Audi et Apostolum de his secundum sapientiam quæ eiin ministerio data fuerat, pronuntiantem : Quæ autem sursum est, inquit , Hierusalem, libera est, quæ est mater omnium nostrum. Sicut ergo Ægyptus, ista terrena provincia, filiis Israel domus dicitur servitutis, ad comparationem Judææ et Hierusalem, quæ eis domus efficitur libertatis : ita ad comparationem cœlestis Hierusalem, quæ, ut ita dicam, mater est libertatis, totus hic mundus, et omnia quæ in hoc mundo sunt, domus est servitutis. Et quoniam de paradiso libertatis pro pœna peccati ad hujusmodi ventum fuerat servitutem, idcirco primus sermo Decalogi, id est prima mandatorum Dei vox de libertate profertur, dicens: Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Hanc vocem in Aegypto positus audire non poteras, etiamsi tibi injungatur ut Pascha facias, etiamsi accingaris lumbos , et sandalia accipias in pedibus, etiamsi virgam teneas in manu, et azyma cum amaritudine comedas. Et quid dico in Ægypto positus hæc audire non poteras ? Sed ne inde quidem profectus in prima statim mansione hæc audire potuisti, nec in secunda,nec in tertia, nec cum transires Rubrum mare, etiamsi ad Merrhain veneris, et fuerit ibi amaritudo in dulcedinem versa, etiamsi in Helim veneris ad duodecim fontes aquarum, et septuaginta arbores palmarum, etiamsi Raphidim præterieris , cæterosque profectus ascenderis : nondum ad hujuscemodi verba idoneus judicaris, sed cum perveneris ad montem Sina. Multis ergo ante laboribus peractis, multis ærumnis et tentationibus superatis, vix aliquando mereberis præcepta suscipere libertatis, et audire a Domino: Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Origenes, In Exodo, Homilia VIII Source: Migne PG 12.350a-351a

Everyone who has learnt to scorn the present world, which is figuratively named Egypt, even through the word of God, that is, according to he Scriptures, is one who has passed on and is not found, and he hurries to the future age and cleaves to it, and to his soul the Lord speaks in this way , 'I am the Lord your God who led you from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude.' 1 Therefore these things are not only said to those who came out of Egypt, but much more to you, who now hear these things. If you have advanced from Egypt and no longer serve there, the Lord says this, 'I am the Lord your God who led you from Egypt from the house of servitude.' Consider whether it is not that the affairs of the world and the deeds of the flesh is the house of servitude, and again to give up worldly things and live according to God is the house of freedom, as the Lord says in the Gospel, 'If you remain in my word, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.' 2 Therefore Egypt is the house of bondage, but Judea and Jerusalem is the house of freedom. Hear the Apostle declare with that wisdom that was given to him for his ministry  that the Jerusalem which is above is free, the mother of us all. 3 As, then, Egypt is this world and a house of servitude to the sons of Israel, in comparison to Judea and Jerusalem, which is made the house of freedom for them, thus in comparison to the heavenly Jerusalem, which as I have said is the mother of freedom, all this world and everything in this world is the house of bondage. And because we came into servitude from the paradise of freedom through the penalty of sin, therefore the first words of the Decalogue, that is the first words of the commandments of God, is given about freedom, saying. 'I am the Lord your God who led you out of the land of Egypt and the house of servitude.' You were not able to hear this voice while you were in Egypt, even if the Pasch was enjoined on you, even if you girded your loins and you put your sandals on your feet, even if you held your staff in your hand, and you ate unleavened bread with bitter herbs. Why do I say that you were not able to hear this when you were in Egypt? Because not even when you came to the first resting place could you hear it, nor at the second, nor at the third, nor when you crossed the Red Sea, nor when you came to Mara where bitterness was turned into sweetness, nor when you came to Elim with the twelve fountains of water and the seventy palm trees, nor even as you passed through Rephidim, and you rose up over others, not even there were you yet capable of judging these words, not until you came to mount Sinai. Therefore with many labours performed, with many pains and trials overcome, only then did you deserve to receive the commandments, and to hear the Lord say, 'I am the Lord your God, who led you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude.' Origen, On Exodus, from Homily 8 1 Exod 20.2 2 Jn 8.31-32 3 Galat 4.26

The Staff And The Serpent

ΕΡΩΤ Θ' Διατί πρῶτον σημεῖον δέδωκε τῆς ῥαβδου τὴν εἰς ὄφιν μεταβολὴν; Ἐπειδὴ λογικῆς ὁ Φαραὼ φύσεως ῶν ὠμότητι κατὰ τῶν Ἐβραίων ἐχρήσατο, καὶ τὸ θεοειδὲς θηριῶδες ἀπέφηνε, τὴν ῥάβδον δι' ἦς αὐτὸν ἐμαστίγωσεν, εἰς ὄφιν μεταβληθῆναι προσέταξεν· εἰς ἔλεγχον μὲν τῆς ἐκείνου θηριωδίας, ἔμφασιν δὲ τῆς δυσμενείας. Καὶ γὰρ τῇ τοῦ ὄφεως ἀρᾷ καὶ τοῦτο προστέθεικεν· Ἔχθραν θήσω ἀναμέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀναμέσον τῆς γυναικὸς. καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 80.232b-c

Question 9 Why for the first sign did God change the staff into a serpent? 1 Because the Pharaoh, though of a rational nature, savagely used this to oppose the Hebrews, and thus he turned what was Divine in himself into a monster. Therefore God commanded the staff, by which he would strike him, to turn into a serpent, for a reproach of his savagery and declaration of his malevolence. For even this is added to the curse of the serpent: 'I shall place enmity between you and the woman,' and the rest. 2 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Exodus 1 Exod 7.8-10 2 Gen 3.15

The Sabbath

Τοῦτο τὸ ῥημα ὄ ἐλάλησε Κύριος· Σάββατα, ἀνάπαυσις ἁγία τῷ Κυρίῷ αὕριον. Ἀπογράφομαι τὰ περὶ τοῦ σαββάτου εἰρημένα· πρῶτον κατὰ το ῥητὸν, ἵν' ἴδωσι τί σημαίνει τὸ γράμμα· δεύτερον δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀναγωγὴν, καθ' ἤν εἴποιμι ἂν ἡμέραν σαββάτου ἑνεστηκέναι τῷ δικαίῳ καταλύσαντι τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἔργα, καὶ δοξάζοντι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ σχολάζοντι, μήτε τοῦ τόπου ἐν ᾦ ἔστηκε τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀφισταμένῳ· μήτε πῦρ καίοντι, κατὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἁμαρτάνειν· μήτε βαστάγματα αἴροντι. Βάσταγμα ὄρους βαρύτερον πᾶσα ἁμαρτία· διὸ ἔλεγεν ὁ Ὑμνῳδὸς· Ὠσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Ἑτέρα δὲ ἀπογραφὴ ἂν εἴη σαββάτου, καθ' ἤν ἀπολείπεται σαββατισμὸς τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀνάπαυσις ἱερὰ καὶ ἁγία. Ὁ δὲ ποιήσας πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἄξιος κρίνεται ἐκείνου τοῦ Σαββάτου· σχολάζων οὐδενὶ ἢ τῇ θεωρίᾳ της αληθείας, καὶ τῆς σοφίας. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Την Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 12.289a-b

This is the word the Lord spoke, 'Tomorrow is the Sabbath, the rest holy to the Lord.' 1 I shall expound what is said concerning the Sabbath first according to the plain word, so that what the letter means shall be apparent, and then according to the spiritual understanding, according to which I may say that the Sabbath day is fitting for the righteous man to make an end of the works of the world, and to glorify God, and to be at peace, and not to withdraw from the place in which he stands, which is obviously Christ, nor does he kindle the fire of sin, nor does he carry burdens. Heavier than the weight of a mountain is every sin, as the Psalmist said: 'As a burden weighing greatly upon me.' 2 Another exposition of the Sabbath is that 'there remains a Sabbath for the people of God,' 3 which is sacred and holy rest. And he who has performed all his work is judged worthy of this Sabbath, having leisure for nothing else but the contemplation of truth and wisdom. Origen, On Exodus, Fragment 1 Exod 16.23 2 Ps 37.5 3 Heb 4.9

Empty Or Full

Οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ ἐνώπιόν μου κενός. Ἴσθι ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἢ κενὸς ἐστὶν, ἢ πλήρης· εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, οὐκ ἔχει γνῶσιν τοῦ κτίσαντος, οὐ παρεδέξατο τὴν ζωὴν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν· εἰ οὐκ οἶδε τὸν Πατέρα τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· εἰ οὐ βιοῖ κατὰ τὸν λόγον, κατὰ νόμον τὸν οὐράνιον, οὐ σωφρονεῖ, οὐ δικαιοπραγεῖ· ὁ τοιοῦτος κενός ἐστιν· εἰ δὲ κεχώρηκε τὸν εἰπόντα Θεὸν, ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς Θεὸς, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστι κενὸς, ἀλλὰ πλήρης. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Την Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 12.296c

You shall not appear empty before me. 1 Know that every man is either empty or full. For if he does not have the Holy Spirit, he does not have the knowledge of the Creator, he does not receive the living Jesus Christ. If he does not know the Father who is in heaven, if he does not live according to the Word, according to the heavenly law, he is not wise, he is not righteous, he is a man who is empty. But if he has the God who says: 'I shall dwell and walk among them and I shall be their God,' 2 he is not empty but full. Origen, On Exodus, Fragment 1 Exod 23.15 2 Levit 26.12,2 Cor 6.16

Leading To Freedom

Λαός μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι, ἢ τί ἐλύπησά σε, ἢ τί σοι παρηνώχλησά; Ἀποκρίθητί μοι. Διότι ἀνήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας ἐλυτρωσάμην σε, καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα πρὸ προσώπου σου τὸν Μωυσῆν καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ Μαριάμ. Ἐξήγαγε δὲ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου νοητοῦ, τουτέστιν ἐκ σκότους, καὶ δαιμονίης πλεονεξίας, καὶ πηλοῦ, καὶ πλινθίας, σαρκικῶν δηλονότι παθῶν. Διεβίβασε καὶ θάλασσαν τοὺς ἐντεῦθεν περισπασμούς, μονονουχὶ καὶ πικρῶν ἀπήλλαξε κυμάτων ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κινδύνων, και νόμους τοὺς θείους εἰς νοῦν ἐνεχάραξεν. Ἀνέδειξε δὲ καὶ ἱερουρηὸν τὸν τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ἀρχηγον. Ἐξαπέστειλε δὲ ὥσπερ καὶ Μαριὰμ, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἢ τῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπερῄρθη, λαμπρῶς ἀντιθεῖσα τὴν δόξαν τῷ σεσωκότι Θεῷ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ ὕμνοι, καὶ χαριστήρια, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δόσεως ἔπαινοι, καὶ ἀναῥῥησεις ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Παραφυλακτέον οὖν καὶ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, μὴ ἄρα πως ἡμεῖς τοῖς Ἰουδαῖκοῖς ἐγκλήμασιν ὑποπέσωμεν, καὶ μὴ φορτικὸν ἡγώμεθα, τὸ ἀνδάνον Θεῷ. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ μακάριος φησιν Ἰωάννης, Αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὐτου βαρεῖαι οὔκ εἰσι. Καὶ αὐτὸς δέ φησι ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς, καὶ τὸ φορτιόν μου ἐλαφρόν. Προσάγωμεν τοίνυν Θεῷ τὸ εὐνήνιον, ὅτι τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ φορτικὸν οὐδέν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τον Προφήτην Μιχαίαν, Κεφαλὴ Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 71.674a-c

My people, tell me what have I done to you, how have I mistreated you? Answer me. I led you from the land of Egypt and set you free from the house of slavery, and I sent forth Moses and Aaron and Mariam before you. 1 He led them from the spiritual Egypt, that is, from the darkness and the deceits of the devil, and from mud and bricks, that is, from carnal passions. And He led them through the sea, from the confusion there, and he freed them from the bitter waves of danger looming over them, and He inscribed the Divine laws in their minds. And He even revealed a holy high priest for their salvation. And He sent forth Mariam, who clearly is the Church, superior to the plots of enemies, that they return glory to God the saviour. For in the Church hymns always break forth, and deeds of grace, and praises of Divine benefactions. Let us therefore also be careful lest we also fall into Jewish errors, and we judge that what pleases God is intolerable. For as the blessed John writes: 'His commands are not burdensome.' 2 And Christ Himself says: 'My yoke is easy and my burden light.' 3 Let us then offer eager minds to God, because there is nothing from Him that is burdensome. 4 Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Prophet Micah, Chapter 6 1 Micah 6.3-4 2 Heb 2.10 3 1 Jn 5.7 4 Mt 11.30

Better And Worse Places

Oὗτός ἐστιν ὁ γενόμενος ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ μετὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου τοῦ λαλοῦντος αὐτῷ... Ἡ προκειμένη λέξις δηλοῖ, ὡς οὐ μόνον τοπικῶς εἶναι συμβαίνει κρείττοσι καὶ χείροσι χωρίοις, Ἔξω γὰρ τῆς Αἰγύπτου κατὰ τόπου ὄντες οἱ περὶ ὦν ὁ λόγος, τῇ διαθέσει ἐν αὐτῇ ὑπῆρχον, οὐκ ἀποστήσαντες τὴν γνώμην ἑαυτῶν τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν ἐθῶν. Τῆς αὐτῆς νοήσεώς ἐστι καὶ τὸ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ, Ὅπου ὁ θησαυρὸς, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία, οὐ πάντως, τοπικῶς ἐκεὶ ὄντος, ὅπου τις ἔχει τὴν γνώμην. Πολλοὶ γοῦν, ἔτι ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντες, θησαυρἰζοντες κατάλληλα τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἐκεῖ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχουσιν· ἀλλὰ κάκεῖ ἔτι τυγχάνοντες οἱ παραβάντες ἄγελλοι, τὴν διάθεσιν εἶχον ἐν τῇ γῇ· ὦ ἠκολούθησε τὸ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εἰς γῆν αὐτοὺς ἐῥῥίφθαι. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Ἐις Τάς Πράξεις Τῶν Ἀποστόλων, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 39.1665c

He was the one who in the congregation in the desert had an angel speaking to him... 1 This present passage reveals that it is not only spatially that there are better and worse places. For when they, concerning whom this speech is about, were in that region beyond Egypt, since their inclination was yet for it, their minds were not cut off from the ways of Egypt. In the same way is to be understood what is said in the Gospel 'Where your treasure is, there is your heart,' 2 that a man is not wholly there spatially where he has the heart. For many though in the world are heaping up profitable treasure in heaven, since they have their heart there, and yet there are the angels who fell, who had fixed their inclination on the world, because of which it followed that they were cast down from heaven to earth. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles, Fragment 1 Acts 7.38 2 Mt 6.21

Standing Against Pharaoh

Isti ergo qui dubii sunt, et tribulationibus fatigantur, etiam contra Moysen et Aaron loquuntur, et dicunt: Ex qua die intrastis et existis vos ad Pharaonem, exsecrabilem fecistis odorem nostrum coram eo. Verum dicunt isti, licet ignorent fortasse quod dicunt, sicut et Caiphas ille verum dicebat, quia expedit vobis ut moriatur unus pro populo, sed quid diceret nesciebat. Nam, ut Apostolus dicit, Christi bonus odor sumus, sed aliis, inquit, odor de vita in vitam, aliis autem odor de morte in mortem. Ita et prophetics sermo suavis odor est credentibus, dubiis vero et incredulis, et hs qui se populum confitentur esse Pharaonis, odor exsecrabilis efficitur. Sed et Moyses dicit ad Dominum, quia, ex quo locutus sum cum Pharaone, afflixit populum tuum. Certum est enim quia antequam sermo Dei audiatur, antequam praedictio divina nascatur, non est tribulatio, non est tentatio: quia nisi buccinet tuba, non committitur bellum; ubi vero signum belli tuba praedictionis ostenderit, ibi, inquit, sequitur afflictio, ibi omnis tribulationum pugna consurgit. Ex quo ergo loqui coepit Moyses at Aaron ad Pharaonem, affligitur populus Dei. Ex quo in animam tuam sermo Dei perlatus est, necessario certamen intra te virtutibus adversum vitia suscitatur; prius vero quam veniret sermo qui argueret, vitia intra te in pace durabant: sed ubi sermo Dei facere coepit uniuscujusque discrimen, tunc perturbatio magna consurgit, et sine foedere nascitur bellum. Cum injustitia enim quando potest convenire justitia, impudicitia cum sobrietate, cum veritate mendacium? Et ideo non magnopere perturbemur, si videtur odor noster exsecrabilis esse Pharaoni. Exsecrationi namque et vitiis ducitur virtus. Quin potius ut in posterioribus dicit, quia stetit Moyses ante Pharaonem, stemus etiam nos contra Pharaonem et non flectamur, sed stemus, succinti lumbos nostros in veritate, et calceati pedes in preparatione Evangelii pacis. Sic enim nos hortatur Apostlolus dicens: State ergo et nolite iterum jugo servitutis inhaerere. Iterum dicit: In quo stamus, et gloriamur in spe gloriae Dei. Stamus autem confidenter, si Dominum deprecemur, ut statuare pedes nostros super petram, ne nobis illud eveniat, quod idem Propheta dicit: Mei autem paulominus moti sunt pedes, et paulominus effusi sunt gressus mei. Stemus ergo ante Pharaonem, id est obsistamus ei in certamine, sicut Petus apostolus dicit: Cui resistite fortes in fide. Sed et Paulus nihilominus dicit: State in fide et virtiliter agite. Si enim fortiter steterimus, consequetur illud quod orabat Paulus pro discipulis dicens, quia Deus conteret Satan sub pedibus vestris velociter. Qunato enim nos constantius et fortius steterimus, tanto infirmior et invalidior erit Pharao. Si autem nos vel infirmi coeperimus esse, vel dubii, ille adversum nos validior et constantior fiet. Et vere illud implebitur nobis, in quo Moyses dedit figuram. Cum enim ipse elevatet manus, vincebatur Amalech. Si vero velut lassas dejiceret, et brachia infirma deponeret, invalescebat Amalech. Ita ergo etiam nos in virtute crucis Christi extollamus in omni loco sine ira et disceptatione, ut Domini mereamur auxilium. Origenes, In Exodo, Homilia III Source: Migne PG 12.315c-3163

These then who doubt and are wearied by tribulations, they speak out against Moses and Aaron and say, 'From the day you entered and stood before Pharaoh, you have made us as a bad odour before him.' 1 They speak the truth, though it is possible that they were ignorant of what they said, as even Caiaphas spoke the truth, 'It profits us that one man die for the people,' though he did not understand what he said. 2 For as the Apostle says, 'We are a good odour of Christ, but to some we are an odour of life to life, and to others an odour of death to death.' 3 So the prophetic word is a sweet odour to those who believe, but to those who are doubtful and to those who do not believe, and to those who confess themselves to be the people of Pharaoh, it is a hateful smell. But Moses also says to the Lord, 'Ever since I have spoken with Pharaoh, he has afflicted your people.' 4 It is certain that before the word of God is heard, before the divine preaching is known, there is no tribulation, there is no trial, because war does not begin until the trumpet sounds. But where the trumpet of preaching gives the signal for war, there affliction follows, and there every troublesome struggle arises. The people of God are afflicted from the moment that Moses and Aaron begin to speak with Pharaoh. From the moment the word of God is brought into your soul a struggle must be stirred up within you between virtues and vices. Before the Word which reproves comes, the vices within you dwell in peace, but when the word of God begins to make a division between each, then a great disturbance arises and war without treaty is born. 'For when can there be agreement between justice and injustice, shamelessness and moderation, a lie and the truth?' 5 Therefore, let us not be greatly troubled if our odour seems detestable to Pharaoh, for virtue is an abomination to the vices. Now as it says later that Moses stood before Pharaoh, let us also stand against Pharaoh and let us neither bow nor bend, but let us stand with our loins girded with the truth and having shod our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. 6 For so the Apostle exhorts us, saying. 'Stand and do not again submit to the yoke of servitude.' 7 Again he says, 'In which we stand and glory in the hope of the glory of God.' 8 But we can only stand confidently if we pray to the Lord that 'he set our feet on the rock,' 9 lest what the same prophet says happens to us: 'But my feet were almost shaken, my steps nearly fell away.' 10 Therefore let us stand before Pharaoh, that is, let us resist him in the struggle, as the Apostle Peter says, 'Whom resist strong in faith.' 11 And Paul also says: 'Stand in the faith and act bravely.' 12 For if we stand strongly, that also which Paul prays for happens, 'God will swiftly grind Satan under your feet.' 13 The longer we stand firmly and staunchly the weaker and feebler Pharoah will be. If, however, we begin to be feeble or doubtful, he will become stronger and firmer against us. Truly that of which Moses was a figure is fulfilled in us, for when Moses lifted his hands Amalek was conquered, but if he lowered them, as though weary and placing down weak arms, Amalek became strong. 14 Thus let us also lift our arms in the power of the cross of Christ, and let us raise holy hands in prayer, in every place, without anger or dispute, 15 that we might merit the Lord's help. Origen, On Exodus, from Homily 3 1 Exod 5.21 2 Jn 11.50 3 2 Cor 2.15-16 4 Exod 5.23 5 1 Cor 6.14 6 Ephes 6.14-15 7 Galat 5.1 8 Rom 5.2 9 Ps 39.3 10 Ps 72.2 11 1 Pet 5.9 12 1 Cor 16.13 13 Rom 16.20 14 Exod 17.11 15 2 Tim 2.8

Sacrifices And Abominations

Abominationes, inquiunt, Aegyptiorum immolabimus Domino Deo nostro... Oves quippe Aegyptii edere dedignantur. Sed quod abominantur Aegyptii, hoc Israelitae Deo offerunt, quia simplicitatem conscientiae, quam sapientes hujus saeculi, hoc est, cives Aegypti, quasi fatuitatem deputant: hanc justi Deo in sacrificium immolant, et per id Deo placere procurant, quod saeculo et mundo abjectum et contemptibile esse considerant, secundum Apostolum qui ait: Nam quae stulta sunt mundi, elegit Deus, ut confundat sapientes. Ex quo autem loqui coepit Moyses ad Pharaonem, affligitur populus Dei, id est, ex quo in animam hominis sermo Dei perlatus fuerit, acrius callidus hostis consurgit, et majora vitia quibus vincatur immittit. Prius vero quam veniret sermo qui argueret vitia, in pace durabant; sed ubi sermo Dei facere ceperit uniuscujusque discrimen, tunc conturbatio magna consurgit. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Exodum, Caput XI Source: Migne PL 83.291c-d

For we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God what are abominations to the Egyptians... 1 Certainly the Egyptians scorned to eat sheep. But what offends the Egyptians, this is what the Israelites offer to God, because simplicity of conscience, which is thought to be foolishness to the wise of this world, that is, the Egyptian people, this is what the righteous offer in sacrifice to God, and through it they please God, with that which to the age and the world is considered abject and contemptible, according to the Apostle who said, 'For what is foolish to the world, God chose, that He might confound the wise.' 2 And because of what Moses began to say to Pharaoh, the people of God were afflicted, that is, when the word of God comes into the soul of man, so more bitterly does the cunning of the enemy rise up, and he stirs up the great vices by which he conquers. For before the coming of the word which disputes with the vices, the vices dwell in peace, but when the word of God begins to make a division between each one, then great trouble rises up. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Exodus, Chapter 11 1 Exod 8.26 2 1 Cor 1.27

The Beauty Within

Μέλαινά εἰμι καὶ καλή, θυγατέρες Ἰερουσαλήμ... Τῆς ἱερᾶς τοῦ μαρτυρίου σκηνῆς οὐχ ὁμότιμον ἦν τῷ ἔνδοθεν κεκρυμμένῳ κάλλει τὸ ἐκτὸς προφαινόμενον· αὐλαῖαι μὲν γὰρ ἐκ λινῶν ὑφασμάτων καὶ αἱ διὰ τῶν τριχῶν τῶν αἰγῶν δέρρεις καὶ αἱ τῶν ἐρυθρῶν δερμάτων περιβολαὶ τὸν ἔξωθεν τῆς σκηνῆς κόσμον ἐπλήρουν καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν μέγα καὶ τίμιον τοῖς τὰ ἐκτὸς ὁρῶσι παρὰ ταῦτα φαινόμενον, ἔσωθεν δὲ χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ καὶ τοῖς τιμίοις τῶν λίθων πᾶσα ἡ τοῦ μαρτυρίου σκηνὴ κατελάμπετο· οἱ στῦλοι, αἱ βάσεις, αἱ κεφαλίδες, τὸ θυμιατήριον, τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ἡ κιβωτός, ἡ λυχνία, τὸ ἱλαστήριον, οἱ λουτῆρες, τὰ τῶν εἰσόδων καταπετάσματα, οἷς τὸ κάλλος ἐκ παντὸς εἴδους τῆς εὐχροούσης βαφῆς συνεκίρνατο, νῆμα χρύσεον ὑακίνθῳ καὶ πορφύρᾳ καὶ βύσσῳ καὶ κόκκῳ διά τινος τεχνικῆς λεπτουργίας εὐκόσμως συνυφαινόμενον, σύγκρατον ἐκ πάντων, καθάπερ ἐν ἴριδος αὐγαῖς ἀποστίλβειν ἐποίει τὴν αὐγὴν τοῦ ὑφάσματος. Πρὸς ὅ τι δὲ βλέπων ἐντεῦθεν προοιμιάζομαι, πρόδηλον ὑμῖν πάντως ἐκ τῶν ῥηθησομένων γενήσεται. Πάλιν πρόκειται ἡμῖν τὸ Ἆισμα τῶν Ἀισμάτων εἰς πᾶσαν φιλοσοφίας τε καὶ θεογνωσίας ὑφήγησιν. Aὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀληθινὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου σκηνή, ἧς προκαλύμματα μὲν καὶ δέρρεις καὶ ἡ τῆς αὐλαίας περιβολὴ ἐρωτικοί τινες γίνονται λόγοι καὶ ῥήματα τὴν πρὸς τὸ ποθούμενον σχέσιν ἐμφαίνοντα καὶ κάλλους ὑπογραφὴ καὶ μνήμη σωματικῶν μελῶν, τῶν τε προφαινομένων ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ τῶν ὑποκεκρυμμένων τῇ τῆς ἐσθῆτος περιβολῇ. Tὰ δὲ ἐντὸς πολύφωτός τίς ἐστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς λυχνία καὶ κιβωτὸς μυστηρίων πλήρης. Kαὶ τὸ τῆς εὐωδίας θυμιατήριον καὶ τὸ καθάρσιον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τὸ πάγχρυσον ἐκεῖνο τῆς εὐσεβείας θυσιαστήριον, τό τε τῶν καταπετασμάτων κάλλος, τὸ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν εὐχροίας εὐσχημόνως ἐξυφαινόμενον, καὶ οἱ ἀκλινεῖς τῶν λογισμῶν στῦλοι καὶ αἱ ἀμετάθετοι τῶν δογμάτων βάσεις, τό τε τῶν κεφαλίδων κάλλος, δι' ὧν ἡ περὶ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἑρμηνεύεται χάρις καὶ οἱ τῶν ψυχῶν λουτῆρες καὶ πάντα ὅσα πρὸς τὴν οὐρανίαν τε καὶ ἀσώματον πολιτείαν βλέπει, ἃ δι' αἰνιγμάτων ὁ νόμος διακελεύεται, ἐν τοῖς ὑποκεκρυμμένοις τῇ λέξει νοήμασιν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, εἰ μόνον ἐπιτηδείους πρὸς τὴν εἰς τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἴσοδον ἑαυτοὺς δι' ἐπιμελείας ποιήσαιμεν τῷ λουτῆρι τοῦ λόγου πάντα ῥύπον αἰσχρᾶς ἐννοίας ἀποκλυσάμενοι, μήποτε θιγόντες παρὰ τὸ παράγγελμα τοῦ νόμου θνησιμαίου νοήματος ἤ τινος τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἐνθυμίων ἁψάμενοι ἀθέατοι τῶν ἐντὸς τῆς σκηνῆς θαυμάτων ἀποκλεισθῶμεν. Oὐ γὰρ παραδέχεται τῶν τοιούτων τὴν εἴσοδον ὁ τοῦ πνεύματος νόμος, ἐὰν μή τις πλύνῃ τὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως ἑαυτοῦ ἱμάτιον κατὰ τὸ Μωϋσέως παράγγελμα ὁ νεκρᾶς τινος καὶ βδελυκτῆς ἐννοίας ἁψάμενος. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων Ὁμιλία β' Source: Migne PG 44.787b-789a

I am dark but beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem... 1 The holy tabernacle of witness was not beautiful because of its outward appearance, but because of what was hidden within. Certainly there were curtains made from linen, and with the leathery pelts of goats and rough hides all these made up the outer covering of the tabernacle, but it was not great and precious in appearance because of these things which were able to be seen externally. For it was the interior of the tabernacle of witness that glittered all around with silver and gold and precious stones. There were the columns, the pedestals, the thurible, the altar, the ark, the lamp-stand, the mercy seat, the washing basins, and the veils and curtains of the entrance whose beauty was a mix of many tinctures of colours, and threads of gold, and of blue, and of purple and of scarlet, all woven and threaded together, and by this weaving its splendour was made equal to the glory of the rainbow. 2 With which vision I begin, so that those things which I will say here may be plainly manifest to us. Again the Song of songs sets before us an exposition of the universal philosophy, and the knowledge of God. This is the true tabernacle of witness. Certainly the exterior coverings, the curtains and drapes on the outside, are the desiring thoughts and words that reveal an inclination for what is wished, but a description of beauty, making mention of bodily members, touches on both what is openly seen and what is hidden beneath the covering of clothes. For the things that are within are a person of many lights, as the true lamp-stand, and the ark, full of mysteries. And then the thurible with its sweet odour purifies from sin, and also the golden and pious mercy seat, and the beauty of the veils is woven elegantly with the pleasing complexion of the virtues, and the firm and immobile columns are reason, and the pedestals are dogmas which are not able to be shifted, and by the beauty of the capitals is understood the grace of the soul's governing part, and the basins are for the washing of souls. Indeed here, wherever one looks, is the heavenly and incorporeal maintenance of life, which the law commands in mystery , and which can be found in the meanings which are hidden in these words, if only we have care to prepare ourselves to enter into the holy of holies, by the washing off in the cleansing waters of reason all the filth of shameful thoughts, lest if, because of the touching of some moribund idea or vile thought prohibited by the command of the law, we are excluded, and as blind men are rendered unable to contemplate the wonders which are within the tabernacle. The spiritual law does not permit entrance to anyone who touches a dead or vile thought, unless, as Moses commands, he has washed clean the vestment of his conscience. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 2 1 Song 1.5 2 Exodus 25-

Sins Of The Fathers

Videamus nunc et quod sequitur, quomodo reddit dicuntur peccata patrum in filios, in tertiam et quartam progeniem. In hoc enim sermone solent nos haeretici suggilare, quod non sit boni Dei sermo, qui pro peccatis alterius alium plecti dicat. Sed secundum ipsorum rationem, qui Deum legis mandantem haec licet non bonum, justum tamen dicunt, ne ipsi quidem possunt ostendere, quomodo secundum sensum suum justitiae suae convenire videatur, si alius alio peccante puniatur. Superest igitur ut Dominum deprecemur, ut ostendat nobis quomodo praecepta haec justo bonoque conveniant Deo. Saepe jam diximus, quod Scripturae divina non omnia ad exteriorem hominem, sed perplura ad interiorem loquuntur. Interior igitur homo noster aut Deum dicitur habere patrem, si secundum Deum vivit, et quae Dei sunt agit; aut diabolum, si in peccatis sit, et voluntates illius gerat: sicut evidenter in Evangeliis Salvator ostendit, cum dicit: Vos de patre diabolo estis, et desideria patris vestri facere vultis. Ille homicida fuit ab initio, et in veritate non stetit. Sicut ergo semen Dei in nobis dicitur manere, cum verbum Dei servantes in nobis non peccamus, ut Joannes dicit: Qui autem ex Deo est, non peccat, quia semen Dei manet in eo; ita etiam cum a diabolo ad peccandum suademur, semen ejus suscipimus. Cum vero opere etiam implemus, tunc iam et genuit nos. Nascimur enim ei filii per peccatum. Verum quia peccantes vix fere accidit ut sine adjutore peccemus, sed aut ministros peccati, aut adjutores peccemus, verbi causa, si adulterium quis molitur, non potest hoc solus admittere, sed necesse est etiam adulteram consortem fieri sociamque peccati; tunc praetera etsi non plures, esse tamen necesse est aliquem vel aliquam in ministeriis ad societatem peccati, qui omnes velut unus ex altero secundum persuasionis ordinem generati ex patre diabolo noxiae nativitatis progeniem ducunt. Et ut ad ea quae scripta sunt veniamus, Dominus majestatis Jesus Christus Salvator noster crucifixus est. Hujus piaculi auctor et pater sceleris sine dubio diabolus est. Sic enim scriptum est: Cum autem introisset diabolus in cor Judae Iscariotis, ut traderet eum. Pater ergo peccati diabolus est. Iste in hoc scelere primum filium generat Judam, sed solus hoc Judas implere non poterat. Quid ergo scriptum est? Abiit, inquit, Judas ad Scribas et Pharisaeos, et ad Pontifices, dicens eis: Quid mihi datis, et ego vobis eum tradam? Nascitur ergo ex Juda generatio tertia et quarta peccati. Et hunc ordinem deprehendere poteris etiam in singulus quibusque peccatis. Nunc ergo videamus secundum hanc quam diximus progeniem, quomodo Deus peccata patrum reddat in filios, et in tertiam et in quartam progeniem, et in ipsos non reddat patres. Nihil enim de patribus dixit Deus. Diabolus ergo qui peccandi jam modum excessit, sicut propheta dicit, quemadmodum vestimentum in sanguine concretum, non erit mundum, ita et ipse non erit mundus in hoc saeculo, neque corripitur pro peccato neque flagellatur: omnia namque ei servata sunt in futurum. Unde et ipse sciens sibi illud statutum esse tempus poenarum dicebat ad salvatorem: Quare venisti ante tempus torquere nos? Dum ergo stat hic mundus, peccata sua non recipit diabolus, qui est peccantium pater. Redduntur autem peccata in filios, id est in eos quos genuit per peccatum. Etenim homines in carne positi corripiuntur a Domino, verberantur, flagellantur. Non enim vult Dominus mortem peccatoris, sed ut revertantur, et vivat. Et propterea benignus et misericors Dominus reddit peccata patrum in filios, ut quondam patres, id est diabolus et angeli eius, caeterique principes mundi hujus et rectores tenebrarum harum, et ipsi enim efficiuntur patres peccati, sicut et diabolus, quoniam, inquam, patres indigni sunt qui in hoc saeculo corripiantur, sed in futuro recipient quae merentur, filii eorum, id est, quos peccare persuaserint, et qui nihilominus per ipsos asciti fuerunt ad consortium societatemque peccati, hic recipiant quae gesserunt, ut purgatiores ad futurum saeculum pergant et ultra diabolo socii non efficiantur in poena. Quia ergo misericors est Dominus, et omnes homines vult salvos fieri, propterea dicit: Visitabo in virga ferrea facinora eorum, et in flagellis peccata eorum. Misericordiam autem meam non auferam ab eis. Origenes, In Exodo, Homilia VIII Source: Migne PG 12.358d-359

Let us see now what follows, how the sins of the father are said to be returned to the sons, even to the third and fourth generation. 1 With this passage heretics are accustomed to insult us, that it cannot be the word of a good God who says that for the sins of one he punishes another. For according to their reasoning, with God commanding what is not good, they who yet call Him just are not able to demonstrate how, according to their mind, it seems to befit justice that a man is punished for the sin of another. It remains, then, for us to pray to the Lord, that He show to us how this teaching can befit a good and just God. Often we have said that the divine things of Scripture are not all spoken to the exterior man but far more to the interior man. Therefore the interior man is said to have God for his father if he lives according to God, and he does the things of God, or he has the devil for a father if he is in sin, and he performs his will, as is openly shown in the Gospel of the Saviour, when He says, 'You are from your father the devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and he did not stand in the truth.' 2 So the seed of God is said to remain in us, when attending to the word of God in us we do not sin, as John says, 'He who is from God, does not sin, because the seed of God abides in him.' 3 Thus when the devil persuades us to sin, we receive his seed. When however we fulfil his work, then he gives birth to us. We are born as his sons through sin. Truly because it scarcely happens that we sin without a helper, we require either servants or associates in sin. For the sake of example, when a man commits adultery, it is not possible he does it alone, but it is necessary he has a companion and associate for the sin, and then even if it is not many, yet it is necessary there is someone to serve as associate in sin, who all one from the other, according to the order of persuasion, lead to the generation from the father the devil of the offspring of a vile nativity. And that to these things written we may come, our Lord Jesus Christ and Saviour was crucified. The author of this sin and crime was undoubtedly the devil. For so it is written, 'Then the devil entered into the heart of Judas Iscariot, that he betray Him.' 4 The devil, then, is the father of sin. He by that crime generated his first son Judas, Judas alone was not able to do this. What, then, is written? 'Judas went out,' it is said, 'to the Scribes and Pharisees and to the High Priests, saying to them: 'What will you give me that I hand him over to you?' 5 Thus there is born from Judas the third and fourth generation of sin. And this order you can grasp in each sin. Now, therefore, let us see according to the offspring we have spoken about, how God returns the sins of the fathers to the sons, even to the third and fourth generation, and He does not return it to the fathers themselves. For God says nothing about the fathers. The devil, therefore, has already excelled on the way of sin, as the prophet says, 'as a vestment hardened with blood, he shall not be clean,' 6 so he shall not be clean in this world, he shall not be corrected nor whipped, for everything is reserved for him in the future. Whence even he, aware of the situation regarding the time of punishment, says to the Saviour: 'Why do you come before the time to torment us?' 7 While, then, this world exists, the devil does not receive his sins, he who is the father of sinners. But the sins are returned to the sons, that is, to those he birthed through sin. Indeed men in the flesh are corrected by the Lord, they receive blows, they are whipped. For the Lord does not wish the death of sinners, but that they turn and live. 8 On account of this the kind and merciful Lord returns the sins of the fathers to the sons, because the one-time fathers, that is, the devil and his angels, and the other princes of this world, and the powers of this darkness, 9 (for even they are made fathers of sin, just like the devil,) because, I say, the fathers are unworthy of correction in this world but in the future shall receive what they deserve, their sons, that is, those they have persuaded to sin, and those others who were associated with them as companions and associates of sin, here they receive what they have done, that purified they may go forward to the future age and not be made associates of the devil in punishment. Because, therefore, the Lord is merciful, and He wishes to save all men, 10 so He says: 'I shall visit their crimes with an iron rod and their sins with whips. For my mercy shall not be taken from them.' 11 Origen, On Exodus, from Homily 8 1 Exod 20.5 2 Jn 3.44 3 1 Jn 3.9 4 Jn 13.2 5 Mt 26.14-15 6 Isaiah 9.5 7 Mt 8.29 8 Ezek 33.11 9 Ephes 6.12 10 Tim 2.4 11 Ps 89.32

The Luminaries

Quarta die facta sunt luminaria in firmamento. Per firmamentum, sicut diximus, sacra Scriptura non inconvenienter accipitur: per luminaria vero evangelistas, doctores et praedicatores intelligimus, qui illuminati Spiritus sancti gratia alios ad lucem fidei sua praedicatione convertunt. Qualibus per Paulum dicitur: In medio nationis pravae et perversae inter quos lucetis sicut luminaria in mundo verbum vitae continentes. Bene autem luminaria in firmamento posita vel constituta, illi semper inhaereant: quia doctores debent contemplari et cohaerere sacrosanctae Scripturae. Quod apte praefigurabant vectes illi qui in quatuor arcae circulis positi nunquam inde abstrahebantur. Per quatuor quippe circulos totidem Evangeliorum volumina praefigurantur: per vectes, doctores, in quorum cordibus portatur arca, id est, lex divina, Nunquam ergo vectes a circulis arcae auferebantur: quia praedicatores doctores nunquam habere debent vacuam meditationem legis Dei. Remigius Antissiodorensis, Commentarius In Genesim, Caput I Source: Migne PL 131.57d-58a

On the fourth day the luminaries in the firmament were made. 1 By the firmament, as we have said, the Holy Scriptures are not inappropriately understood. And by the luminaries we understand the evangelists and the teachers and preachers, who, illuminated with the grace of the Holy Spirit, turned others to the light of the faith by their preaching. Concerning which it is said by Paul: 'In the midst of a depraved and perverse people, among whom you shine as luminaries in the world, bearing the word of life.' 2 And well it is that the luminaries are placed or established in the firmament so that they always inhere there, because teachers should contemplate and bind themselves to the Holy Scriptures. Which is aptly prefigured by the four poles which were placed in the four rings of the ark, never to be taken away from there. 3 For by the four rings are prefigured all the volumes of the Gospel and by the poles the teachers, in whose hearts the ark is borne, that is, the Divine Law. Never, then, are the poles taken from the rings of the ark, because the preaching teachers should never have be apart from meditation on the Law of God. Remigius of Auxerre, Commentary On Genesis, Chap 1 1 Genes 1.14 2 Philip 2.15-16 3 Exod 35.11-12

An Altar Of Earth

Quod autem additur ibi a Domino: Non facietis vobis deos argenteos et aureos, altare de terra facietis mihi. Altare enim de terra Deo facere est incarnationem Mediatoris sperare; tunc quippe a Deo nostrum munus accipitur, quando in hoc altari nostra humilitas, id est, super dominicae incarnationis fidem posuerit quidquid boni operatur; in altari ergo de terra oblationum munus offerimus, si actus nostros dominicae incarnationis fide solidamus. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Exodum, Cap XXXII Source: Migne PL 83.304a-b

And there it is added by the Lord: 'You shall not make for yourselves gods of silver and gold, but an altar of earth you shall make for me.' 1 For the altar of earth for God is hope in the incarnation of the Mediator. Then certainly we have our gift from God, when our humility on this altar, that is, on the faith of the Lord's incarnation, shall place whatever good may be done. Therefore on this altar of earth, we offer our gifts of oblation, if we fortify our deeds in the faith of the Lord's incarnation. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Exodus, Chap 32 1 Exodus 20.23-24

Images And Truth

Εἰ ὁ νόμος ἐστὶ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον πνευματικὸς, τὰς εἰκόνας ἐμπεριέχων τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, φέρε δὴ, ἀπαμφίασασαι τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῷ κάλυμμα τοῦ γράμματος, ἐφηπλωμένην ἐπισκεψώμεθα γυμνῶς τὴν ἀκρίβειαν. Μίμημα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκελεύοντα δαιδάλειν Ἐβραϊοι τὴν σκηνὴν, ἵν' ἔχοιεν διὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν εἰκόνα τῶν θείων προκαταγγέλλειν πραγμάτων. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν τῷ ὄρει παράδειγμα παρενεχθὲν, πρὸς ὃ βλέπων ἐτεκτήνατο τὴν σκηνὴν ὁ Μωῦσῆς, ἰδέα τις ἦν τῆς κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν οἰκήσεως ἀκριβὴς, ἦν ἡμεῖς τρανότερον μὲν τῶν τυπῶν, ἀμαυρότερον δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας θεραπεύομεν νῦν. Ἤλθε γὰρ ἀκραιφνὲς εἰς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς πέφυκεν, οὕπω τάληθὲς, οἱ μηδὲ βαστάσαι φέρομεν ἄκρατον ἐνταῦθα θεάσασθαι τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν, ὁπότε μηδὲ τὰς ἡλιακὰς φέρομεν ἰδεῖν ἀκτῖνας. Ἀλλὰ Ἰουδοϊοι μὲν τὴν σκιὰν τῆς εἰκόνος τρίτην ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας κατηγγέλκασιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς κατ' οὐρανὸν διοκήσεως ἐναργῶς ἑκθειάζομεν. Τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς ἁκριβῶς μετ' ἀνάστασιν δηλωθήσεται, ὁπότε πρόσωπον κατὰ πρόσωπον τὴν ἁγίαν σκηνὴν τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ἦς τεχνίτης καὶ δημουργὸς Θεὸς, ἀλλ; οὐ δὶ αἰνιγμάτων καὶ ἐκ μέρους ἐποπτεύσομεν. Ἅγιος Μεθόδιος, Συμπόσιον Των Δέκα Παρθένων, Λογός Ε', Κεφ' Ζ' Source: Migne PG 18.109b-112a

If the Law, according to the Apostle, is spiritual, containing the images of good things to come, 1 come now, let us strip off the veil of the letter which is spread over it, and consider its bare and exact meaning. As a type of the Church the Hebrews were commanded to decorate the tabernacle, that by the means of sensible things they might announce beforehand the image of Divine things. For the pattern shown on the mount, 2 which Moses was to consider in fashioning the tabernacle, was a kind of accurate representation of the heavenly dwelling, which we see more clearly than by types, though more darkly than if we now saw the truth. For the truth has not yet come unmingled to men in their present state, who are not able here to bear the sight of pure immortality, just as we cannot bear to look on the rays of the sun. For the Jews declared that the shadow of the image was the third from the reality, but we clearly behold the image of the heavenly order. For the truth will be accurately made manifest after the resurrection, when we shall see face to face the heavenly tabernacle, the city in heaven, whose builder and maker is God, 3 and this not darkly and in part. 4 Saint Methodius of Olympus, Symposium of the Ten Virgins, Discourse 5, Chap 7 1 Heb 10.1 2 Exod 25.40 3 Heb 11.10 4 1 Cor 13.12

A Warning Against Looking Back

In Exodo, Judaicus populus, ad umbram nostri et imaginem praefiguratus, cum, Deo tutore et vindice, evasisset Pharaonis atque Aegypti, id est diaboli et saeculi, durissimam servitutem; circa Deum perfidus et ingratus, adversus Moysen mussitat, respiciens solitudinis ac laboris incommoda, et non intelligens libertatis ac salutis beneficia divina, reverti quaerit ad Aegypti, hoc est ad saeculi, servitutem unde fuerat exutus, cum magis fidere deberet in Deum et credere; quoniam qui a diabolo et saeculo liberat populum suum, protegit liberatum: Quid hoc nobis, inquiunt, fecisti in ejiciendo nos de Aegypto? melius est nobis servire Aegyptiis quam mori in solitudine hac. Et dixit Moyses ad populum: Fidite, et state, et cernite salutem quae a Domino est, quam vobis faciet hodie: Dominus ipse pugnabit pro vobis, et vos tacebitis. Quod nos admonens in Evangelio suo Dominus, et docens ne ad diabolum rursus et ad saeculum, quibus renuntiavimus et unde evasimus, revertamur, dicit: Nemo retro attendens et superponens manum suam super aratrum, aptus est regno Dei. Et iterum: Et qui in agro est, non convertatur retro. Memores estote uxoris Loth. Ac, ne quis aliqua vel cupiditate rerum, vel suorum dulcedine retardetur quominus Christum sequatur, addit et dicit: Qui non renuntiat omnibus quae sunt ejus, non est potest meus esse discipulus. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola ad Fortunatum, De Exhortatione Martyrii Source:Migne PL 4.660c-661b

In Exodus the Jewish people, prefigured as a shadow and image of us, with God for their protector and avenger, when they had escaped from the most bitter slavery of Pharaoh and of Egypt, that is, of the devil and the world, faithless and ungrateful concerning God, murmur against Moses, and looking back on the discomforts of the desert and of their labour, and, not understanding the Divine benefits of liberty and salvation, they seek to return to Egypt, that is, to the world, the servitude from which they had been drawn forth, when they should rather have trusted and believed in God, because He who delivers His people from the devil and the world, protects them when they are delivered. 'Why have you done this to us,' say they, 'casting us out of Egypt? It is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in this desert.' And Moses said to the people, 'Trust and stand fast, and see the salvation which is from the Lord, which He shall make for you today. The Lord Himself shall fight for you, and you will be silent.' 1 The Lord, admonishing us concerning this in His Gospel and teaching that we should not return again to the devil and to the world which we have renounced and from which we have escaped, says, 'No man looking back and putting his hand to the plough, is fit for the kingdom of God.' 2 And again, 'And let him who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife.' 3 And lest any one should be slowed from following Christ by desire for wealth or the attraction of his own family, He adds and says: 'He who does not forsake all he has cannot be my disciple.' 4 Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Letter to Fortunatus, On Exhortation to Martyrdom 1 Exodus 14.11-14 2 Lk 9.62 3 Lk 17.31-32 4 Lk 14.33

Food From Heaven

Revera mirabile est quod manna Deus pluerit patribus et quotidiano coeli pascebantur alimento. Unde dictum est: Panem angelorum manducavit homo . Sed tamen panem illum qui manducaverunt, omnes in deserto mortui sunt: ista autem esca quam accipis, iste panis vivus qui descendit de coelo, vitae aeternae substantiam subministrat; et quicumque hunc manducaverit, non morietur in aeternum: et est corpus Christi. Considera nunc utrum praestantior sit panis angelorum, an caro Christi, quae utique corpus est vitae. Manna illud e coelo, hoc supra coelum; illud coeli, hoc Domini coelorum: illud corruptioni obnoxium, si in diem alterum servaretur; hoc alienum ab omni corruptione, quod quicumque religiose gustaverit, corruptionem sentire non poterit. Illis aqua de petra fluxit, tibi sanguis e Christo: illos ad horam satiavit aqua, te sanguis diluit in aeternum. Judaeus bibit, et sitit: tu cum biberis, sitire non poteris: et illud in umbra, hoc in veritate. Si illud quod miraris, umbra est; quantum istud est, cujus et umbram miraris! Audi quia umbra est quae apud patres facta est: Bibebant, inquit, de consequenti eos petra: petra autem erat Christus. Sed non in pluribus eorum complacitum est Deo; nam prostrati sunt in deserto. Haec autem in figura facta sunt nostra. Cognovisti praestantiora; potior est enim lux quam umbra, veritas quam figura, corpus auctoris quam manna de coelo. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Mysteriis, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 16.404c-405b

Truly it is wondrous that God rained manna on the fathers, and daily fed them food from heaven. Whence it is said: 'Man ate the bread of angels.' 1 And yet all those who ate that food died in the wilderness, but this food which you receive, that living Bread which came down from heaven, 2 furnishes the substance of eternal life, and whoever shall eat of this Bread shall never die, and it is the body of Christ. Now consider whether the bread of angels be more excellent or the Flesh of Christ, which is indeed the body of life. That manna came from heaven, the latter is above the heavens; that was of heaven, the latter of the Lord of the heavens; that was liable to corruption, if kept for another day, the latter knows no corruption, for whoever shall taste it in piety shall not be able to know corruption. For them water flowed from the rock, 3 for you blood flowed from Christ; 4 water satisfied them for a time, the blood washes you for eternity. The Jew drinks and thirsts again, you will not be able to thirst after drinking; that was in a shadow, this is in truth. If that which you wonder at is but a shadow, how great must be that whose shadow you wonder at. Hear that what happened with the fathers was a shadow, it is said: 'They drank of that rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not pleased, for they were cast down in the wilderness. And these things were done as a figure concerning us.' 5 You know what is more excellent, that light is better than shadow, truth than a figure, the body of its Giver than manna from heaven. Saint Ambrose, On The Mysteries, Chap 8 1 Ps 78.25 2 Jn 6.51 3 Exod 17.6 4 Jn 6.55 5 1 Cor 10.4-5

Leaven And Life

Πᾶς ὃς ἄν φάγῃ ζύμην, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. Ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἔνεκεν ζύμης· καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ὁ χρηματίζων τοὺς νόμους, ὡς ὁλοθρεύει μοιχὸν, ὡς ὁλοθρεύει πόρνον, ὡς ὁλοθρεύει παιδοφθόρον, οὕτως ὁλοθρεύει τὸν ἔχοντα ζύμην ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀζύμων ἡμέρᾳ. Τοῦτο κατὰ Θεόν ἐστι; τοῦτο κατὰ νόμον τὸν οὐράνιόν ἐστιν; Ἀλλ' εἶποιμι ἂν ὅτι ἐὰν ἔχῃς ζύμην πονηρίας, καὶ μὴ ἐξολοθρεύσῃς πᾶσαν ζύμην κακίας ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ σου· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἀληθινὴ οἰκία σου· ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ὅλων νομοθετεῖ ἐξολοθρευθῆναί σε μὴ ἀποβαλόντα τὴν ζύμην τὴν παλαιὰν ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ. Χρὴ γάρ σε ἐλθόντα εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τῶν νέων, νέον γενόμενον μηδὲν ἔχειν ἀρχαῖον. Τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθε, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς. Ὄρα πῶς ἔδει ἑορτάζειν ἐν μηνὶ τῶν νέων τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Την Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 12.284d-285a

Everyone who eats leaven, his soul will be cut off from Israel... 1 A man shall be cut off on account of leaven, and with the God of all who gives His law, as perishes the adulterer and the whore and the corrupter of boys, so perishes the one who has leaven in his house on the day of unleavened bread. Is this worthy of God? Is this consonant with the heavenly laws? But I would say that if you have the leaven of wickedness and you do not cut off every leaven of wickedness from your leading faculty, reason, for this is your true house, the God of all ordains that you be cut off, since you are not rid of the old leaven. 2 For it is necessary for your coming to the new age, that you be made new and have nothing of the old. 'Old things have passed away.' 3 See, then, how it is fitting that the celebration of the feast of Unleavened Bread is in the month of new things. 4 Origen, On Exodus, Fragment 1 Exod 12.15 2 1 Cor 5.7 3 2 Cor 5.17 4 Jewish New Year