Love And The Virtues

Vere verum est in caritate Sabbatum: cum enim caeterae virtutes vicem vehiculi vel viatici gerant ad requiem obtinendam, omnes in caritate requiescunt. lllud denique admiratione dignum est, quod sine caritate nihil est virtus, et ipsa unicuique virtuti exhibet ut sit virtus. Fides equidem, quae hic operatur ad vitam, in Dei visione, jam non erit fides, sed veritas. Ibi enim absorbebitur fides, cum id videbitur, quod super omnia diligetur. Nec opus erit credere, quod nobis licebit plena cognitione percipere. Non erit etiam ibi de caetero spei locus, ubi Deo ferventes non habebimus ulterius quod speremus. Hic temperantia pugnat contra libidines, prudentia contra errores, fortitudo contra adversitates, justitia contra inequalitates. Porro in caritate semper est perfecta castitas, ideoque non est ibi libido, cui temperantia repugnet. In caritate est perfecta scientia, ideoque nullus error quem prudentia eliminet. In caritate vera beatitudo est; ideoque nulla adversitas quam fortitudo expugnet. In caritate omnia sunt tranquilla et coaequata; ideoque nulla est ibi inaequalitas, quam justificari oportet. Denique nec fides virtus est, nisi per dilectionem operetur. Nec spes virtus est, nisi quod speratur ametur. Rursum, si velis virtutum naturam aestimare subtilius, quid est temperantia, nisi amor, quem nulla voluntas illicit? Quid est prudentia, nisi amor, quem error non seducit? Quid est fortitudo, nisi amor, qui nulli adversitati succumbit? Quid denique justitia, nisi amor, qui quod suum est unicuique distribuit? Petrus Blenensis, De Caritate Dei et Proximi, Cap XI Source: Migne PL 207.906a-c

The true Sabbath is in love. When each of the other virtues in turn are conveyed or supported to the attainment of peace, all find rest in love. This, then, is worthy of admiration because without love there is no virtue, and by it every virtue reveals that it is a virtue. Faith, which works life here, in the vision of God shall not be faith but truth. For there faith shall be absorbed when it sees that which is loved above everything. Nor shall there be a need to believe, because it shall be given to us to perceive with full knowledge. There shall not be there any place of hope, where aflame in God we shall not have anything more in which to hope. Here temperance fights against desires, prudence against error, fortitude against adversities, justice against injustice. But in love there is always perfect chastity, and therefore there is no lust for temperance to strive against. In love there is perfect knowledge and therefore no error for prudence to eliminate. In love there is true beatitude and therefore there is no adversity against which fortitude can fight. In love everything is tranquil and equal, therefore there is no inequality which requires justice. Finally faith is no virtue unless it works through love. Nor is hope a virtue unless that which it hopes for it loves. Again, if you wish to estimate the nature of virtue with more subtlety, what is temperance but love which no pleasure entices? What is prudence but love which is not seduced by error? What is fortitude but love which will not succumb to adversity? And what is justice unless love which gives to each his own? Peter of Blois, On Love Of God And One's Neighbour, Chap 11

Trials And Failure

Τάχα οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ τοῦ νικήσαντος ἀνθρώπου ἀφίστανται πρὸς καιρὸν οἱ πειρασταὶ δαίμονες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡττηθέντος, δίδωσιν ἀνοχὴν, καὶ ἀνάψυξιν ὀλιγην τῷ νενικημένῳ, ἵνα δυνηθῇ ἀναπνεῦσαι, καὶ συλλέξαι, τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις, καὶ πάλιν ἀντᾶραι χεῖρας κατὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ Κ', Πτολεμαιῳ Source: Migne PG 79.89b

Perhaps not only from the victorious man does God withdraw trial for a time, but even from the one who fails. For God, having care for His own work, gives rest and a little breathing space for the one who fails, that by respite he be restored and that with his strength regathered, he again might raise his hands against the adversary. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 20 To Ptolemaius

Hoping In The Lord

Εἰς μνημόσυνον αἰώνιον ἔσται δίκαιος, ἀπὸ ἀκοῆς πονηρᾶς οὐ φοβηθήσεται. Οὐδ' ἐκ λόγων ψευδῶν, ἐπαγγελλομένων μὲν ἀλήθειαν, ἐπηρμένων δὲ κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, πείσεταί τι δεινὸν, ἄτε δὴ τεθεμελιωμένος ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ μηδενὸς αὐτὸν χωρίζοντος ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ἐτοίμη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ Κύριον, ἐστήρικται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ· οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ, ἕως οὖ ἐπιδῃ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ. Διὰ ταῦτα, φησὶν, οὐ σαλευθήσεται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀπὸ ἀκοῆς πονηρᾶς φοβηθήσεται, ἐπειδὴ ἐτοίμη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ Κυριον. Ἀνθ' οὖ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἐποίησεν· Ἐδραία ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἀμέριμνος ἑν Κυρίῳ. Διὰ τοῦτο τῶν τοιούτων θορύβων καταφρονεῖ· καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ δέδιε τοὺς δυσμενεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων ἦτταν διὰ τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδα παραμένει. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΡΙΑ' Source: Migne PG 23.1348b-c

In eternal remembrance shall the righteous man be, and from the hearing of evil he shall not fear. 1 He shall not be grieved by deceitful words, which purport to be the truth but strive against the knowledge of God, enduring any evil, seeing that he who is founded on the rock is one whom nothing is able to separate from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. 2 'His heart is prepared to hope in the Lord, his heart has been strengthened, he shall not be cast down until he has looked down on his enemies.' 3 Therefore he says that he shall not be moved, and neither shall he fear from the hearing of evil since 'his heart is prepared to hope in the Lord.' Which Symmachus translates as: 'his strong heart is without anxiety in the Lord.' Therefore he looks down on such tumult, nor does he in any way fear his enemies, but indeed he awaits their ruin, on account of his hope in the Lord. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 111 1 Ps 111.7 2 cf Rom 8.38-39 3 Ps 111.7-8

Endurance And Remembrance

Ἀποστραφήτωσαν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐπιλανθανόμενα τοῦ θεοῦ Εἰ γὰρ νῦν ἀναισθητοῦσι, ἀλλ' ἤξει τῆς κρίσεως ὁ καιρός. Θεοῦ δὲ ἄνθρωπος, κἂν δοκῇ καταπεφρονῆσθαι παρὰ Θεοῦ, τῷ παρὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἀνήκεστα πάσχειν· ἀλλ' οὐ παραδέδοται λήθῃ. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐπιλησθήσεται ὁ πτωχὸς τῷ πνεύματι· ἔχει δὲ καρπὸν καὶ τέλος ἀγαθὸν διὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν ὑπομονήν. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος Θ' Source: Migne PG 23.133b

Sinners shall be turned to hell, all the people who forget God. 1 For even if now they have no sense of it, the time of judgement comes. But the man of God, even if it seems he is neglected by God, suffering the afflictions of sinners, yet he is not forgotten. For not forever shall the poor of spirit be forgotten, but he shall have his fruit and a good end by his present endurance. 2 Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 9 1 Ps 9.17 2 Ps 9.18

Counsel For Battle

Καλὸν μὲν τὸ πρό κινδύδνων ἐζῶσθαι τὴν ὀσφὸν, καὶ Θεῷ διακονεῖσθαι, καὶ βαλλειν τὰς ἐναντῖας φάλαγγας πίστει, ἀλλὰ μὴ ῥᾳθυμοῦντας καὶ ἐχθροῖς καὶ πολεμίοις ἐκκεῖσθαι· ἐπειδὴ εἰς τοῦτο προήλθομεν ἀβουλίας, ὥστε μηδὲ καιρὸν ἔχειν Θεῷ ἰερατεύειν, τῶν κυκλούντων κακῶν οὐ διδόν των ἄψασθαι τῶν μυντηρίων ὀργάνων· ἐπεὶ καὶ Φινεὲς σειρομάστῃ ἐχρήσατο, ὅτε Θεὸς παρωργίζετο.  Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΛΒ' Συνεσιῳ Ἐπισκοπῳ  Source: Migne PG 78.326c

Right it is to gird one's loins before dangers and to throw oneself into the opposing ranks with faith, but do not by thoughtlessness be exposed to a warring enemy, which one will advance to if one has not the good counsel and holy assistance of God, which does not allow an opening to the evils that encircle a servant in possession of his arms. Phineas was able to made good use of his weapon when God was scorned. 1 Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Letter 232, to the Bishop Synesius 1 Numb 25.6-8

A New People

Et in Osee dicit: Vocabo non plebem meam plebem meam et non misericordiam consecutam misericordiam consecutam et erit in loco ubi dictum est: Non plebs mea vos, ibi vocabuntur filii Dei vivi. Unde autem Hiberione qui numquam notitiam Dei habuerunt nisi idola et inmunda usque nunc semper coluerunt quomodo nuper facta est plebs Domini et filii Dei nuncupantur, filii Scottorum et filiae regulorum monachi et virgines Christi esse videntur? Et etiam una benedicta Scotta genetiva nobilis pulcherrima adulta erat, quam ego baptizavi; et post paucos dies una causa venit ad nos, insinuavit nobis responsum accepisse a nuntio Dei et monuit eam ut esset virgo Christi et ipsa Deo proximaret: Deo gratias, sexta ab hac die optime et avidissime arripuit illud quod etiam omnes virgines Dei ita hoc faciunt, non sponte patrum earum, sed et persecutiones patiuntur et improperia falsa a parentibus suis et nihilominus plus augetur numerus, et de genere nostro qui ibi nati sunt nescimus numerum eorum, praeter viduas et continentes. Sed ex illis maxime laborant quae servitio detinentur: usque ad terrores et minas assidue perferunt; sed Dominus gratiam dedit multis ex ancillis suis, nam etsi vetantur tamen fortiter imitantur. Sanctus Patricius Hibernorum Apostolus, Confessio Source: Migne PL 53.810a-b

Hosea says: 'I will call a people not mine my people; and she who has not obtained mercy, will obtain mercy, and in the place where it was said: You are not my people, there they will be called children of the living God.' 1 Whence how in Ireland which never had knowledge of God but to serve idols and unclean things always up to now, have they recently become the people of the Lord, and are called children of God, and the sons and daughters of the leaders of the Irish are seen to be monks and virgins of Christ? There was a blessed Irish lady of noble birth, a most beautiful woman, whom I baptised, and after a few days she came to me for one reason: she told me that she had received word from a messenger of God, who admonished her that she should become a virgin of Christ and that she should come near to God. Thanks be to God, six days later, enthusiastically and well, she took up that way which all the virgins of God do. And not by their fathers' will do they do this, for they suffer persecution from them and false accusations from their parents, and nevertheless the number of them grows, and we do not know the number of our people who were born there. Besides which, there are the widows and the celibates. But of all these, those held in slavery toil most, constantly enduring terror and threats, but the Lord gives grace to so many of His handmaids who serve him, for even if they are forbidden, they bravely follow. Saint Patrick Apostle of the Irish, from The Confessio 1 Hosea 2.23-24; 1.10

Man With The Animals

Similitudo autem vultus eorum, facies hominis, et facies leonis a dextris ipsorum quatuor; facies autem bovis a sinistris ipsorum quatuor; et facies aquilae desuper ipsorum quatuor. Omnis etenim electus atque in via Dei perfectus, et homo, et vitulus, et leo simul et aquila est. Homo enim rationale est animal. Vitulus autem in sacrificio mactari solet. Leo fortis est bestia, sicut scriptum est: Leo vero fortissimus bestiarum, ad nullius pavebit occursum. Aquila ad sublimia evolat, et irreverberatis oculis solis radiis intendit. Omnis itaque qui in ratione perfectus est, homo est. Et quoniam semetipsum ab hujus mundi voluptate mortificat, vitulus est. Quia vero ipsa sua spontanea mortificatione contra adversa omnia fortitudinem securitatis habet, unde scriptum est: Justus autem quasi leo confidens absque terrore erit, leo est. Quia vero sublimiter contemplatur ea quae coelestia atque aeterna sunt, aquila est. Igitur quoniam justus quisque per rationem homo, per sacrificium mortificationis suae vitulus, per fortitudinem securitas leo, per contemplationem vero efficitur aquila, recte per haec sancta animalia signari unusquisque perfectus potest. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia IV Source: Migne PL 76 815c-816a

For the appearance of their faces was the face of a man, yet each of the four looked like a lion seen from the right, like an ox seen from the left, like an eagle seen from above. 1 Indeed every elect one perfected in the way of God is at the same time a man and a ox and a lion and an eagle. Man is a rational animal. The ox is accustomed to be slain in sacrifice. The lion is a strong creature, as it is written: 'Truly the lion is mightiest of the beasts, and shall not fear the approach of any.' 2 The eagle flies to the heights, and with untroubled eyes gazes at the rays of the sun. Thus everyone who has been perfected in reason is a man. And because he has mortified himself to the pleasure of this world he is an ox. And because of his own will mortified he has secure power against everything, whence it is written: 'The righteous one shall be as a lion confident against every fear.' 3 And so he is a lion. And because he contemplates high things which are heavenly and eternal, he is an eagle. Therefore because the righteous one is by reason a man, by the sacrifice of his mortification an ox, by the security of his power a lion, and by contemplation an eagle, rightly by these holy animals is signified anyone who is perfect. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 4 1 Ezekiel 1.10 2 Prov 30.30 3 Prov 28.1

Good Teaching

Οὗτος με πρῶτος καὶ μόνος καὶ τὴν Ἐλλήνων φιλοσοφίαν φιλοσοφεῖν προὺτρέψατο, τοῖς ἤθεσι τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ περὶ ἠθῶν ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ἀνασχέσθαι λόγου πείσας, οὐκ ἂν πεισθέντα ὅσον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φιλοσόφοις, παλιν ὁμολογῶ, οὐκ ὀρθῶς μὲν, δυστυχῶς δὲ, μικροῦ δεῖν, ἡμῖν. Οὐ μενοῦν οὐδὲ πλείοσιν ἐνέτυχον τὸ πρῶτον, ὀλίγοις δέ τισι τοῖς διδάσκειν ἐπαγγελλομένοις, ἀλλὰ γὰρ πᾶσι μέχρι ῥημάτων τὸ φιλοσοφειν στήσασιν. Οὗτος δέ με πρῶτος καὶ τοῖς λόγοις φιλοσοφεῖν προυτρέψατο, τοῖς ἔργοις φθάσας τὴν διὰ λόγων προτροπὴν, οὐκ ἀπαγγέλλων μόνον ῥήματα μεμελετημένα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ λέγειν ἀξιῶν, εἰ μὴ σὺν εἰλικρινεῖ τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ πρᾶξαι τὰ εῑρημένα ἀγωνιουμένῃ τοῦτο ποιοῖ· ἤ τοιοῦτον ἑαυτὸν παρασχέσθαι πειρώμενος, οἶον τοῖς λόγοις διέξεισι τὸν καλῶς βιωσόμενον, καὶ παράδειγμα μὲν, ἐβουλόμην εἰπεῖν, ἐκθέμενος σοφοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἀλήθειαν ἡμῖν, οὐ κομψείαν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ λόγος ἄνωθεν, παράδειγμα μὲν αὐτὸν σοφοῦ οὐδέπω λέγω· καίτοι γε εἰπεῖν ἐθέλων εἶναί τε ἀληθές· ἀλλὰ ἐῶ νῦν τοῦτο. Οὐ παράδειγμα τοίνυν ἀκριβὲς, ἐξομοιοῦν δὲ καὶ ἄγαν ἐθέλοντα, σπουδῆ πάσῃ καὶ προθυμίᾳ βιαζόμενον, εἰ δεῖ λέγειν, καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀνθρώπων δύναμιν· καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἡμᾶς ἑτέρους τοιούτους πλάττειν, οὐ λόγων ἐγκρατεῖς καὶ ἐπιστήμονας τῶν περὶ ὁρμῶν, τῶν δὲ ὁρμῶν αὐτῶν· ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα καὶ τοὺς λόγους, ἄγχων, καὶ οὐ μικρὰν μοῖραν ἐκάστης ἀρετῆς, τάχα δὲ καὶ σύμπασαν, εἴπερ ἐχωρήσαμεν, ἐπιφέρων ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ θεωρίᾳ· δικαιοπραγεῖν μὲν καὶ ἀναγκάζων, εἰ δεῖ λέγειν, διὰ τὴν ἰδιοπραγίαν τῆς ψυχῆς, ᾖ προσθέσθαι ἡμᾶς ἔπεισεν· ἀπάγων μὲν τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον πολυπραγμοσύνης, καὶ τοῦ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ὀχληροῦ, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ περισκοπεῖν ἐπαρας καὶ τὰ αὐτῶν ὄντως πράττειν. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶναι τὸ δικαιοπραγειν, και ταύτην τὴν δικαιοσύνην τήν γε ἀληθῆ, καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων φιλοσόφων τινὲς εἰρήκασι, τὴν ἰδιοπραγίαν λέγοντες, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, καὶ ἀνυσιμώτερον πρὸς μακαριότητα ἑαυτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς προσιοῦσιν· εἴπερ γε ἐστὶ τῆσδε τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμειν, καὶ τὰ ἴδια ἐκάστοις. Τί γὰρ ἂν ἴδιον εἴη ψυχῆς ἕτερον; Τί δὲ οὕτως ἄξιον ἤ τὸ ἐπιμέλεσθαι ἑαυτῆς, οὐκ ἔξω βλέπουσαν, οὐδ' ἀλλοτριοπραγοῦσαν, οὐδὲ, συνελόντι εἰπεῖν ἀδικοῠσαν ἑαυτὴν τὴν χειρίστην ἀδικίαν, ἀλλ' ἔνδον πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἀπεστραμμένην, αὐτὴν ἑαυτῇ ἀποδιδοῦσαν καὶ δικαιοπραγοῦσαν; Οὕτως μὲν δίκαια πράττειν, εἰ δεῖ λέγειν, ἀναγκάζων ἐπαίδευε· προνεῖν δὲ πάλιν οὐχ ἦττον, τὸ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν εἶναι, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς γινώσκειν ἐθέλειν τε καὶ πειρᾶσθαι· τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ἄριστον φιλοσοφίας ἔργον, ὅ δὴ καὶ δαιμόνων τῷ μαντικωτάτῳ ἀνατίθεται ὡς πάνσοφον πρόσταγμα, τὸ, Γνῶθι σαυτον. Τὸ δὲ εἶναι ὄντως ἔργον φρονήσεως, καὶ ταύτην εἴναι τὴν θείαν φρόνησιν, καλῶς τοῖς παλαιοῖς λέγεται· τὴν αὐτὴν ὄντως οὖσαν Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπου ἀρετήν· αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς ἑαυτὴν ὥσπερ ἐν κατόπτρῳ ὁρᾷν μελετώσης, καὶ τὸν θεῖον νοῦν, εἰ ἀξία γένοιτο τῆς κοινωνίας τῆσδε, ἐν αὐτῇ κατοπτριζομένης, ὁδόν τε ἀπόῥῥητόν τινα ταύτης ἀποθεώσεως ἐξιχνευομένης. Ἀκολούως δὲ καὶ σωφρονεῖν, καὶ φρόνησιν τήνδε, τῆς ψυχῆς ἑαυτὴν γινωσκούσης, εἴ ποτε αὐτῇ τοῦτο γένοιτο· ταύτην γὰρ εἶναι πάλιν τὴν σωφροσύνην, σώαν τινὰ φρόνησιν οὖσαν· ἀνδρίζεσθαι δ' ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἐμμένοντας ταῖς εἰρημέναις ἐπιτηδεύσεσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀποπιπτοντας οὖθ' ἐκουσίως οὔθ ὑπό τινος ἀνάγκης, φυλάσσοντας δὲ καὶ ἐγκρατεῖς τῶν εἰρημένων· καὶ ταύτην εἴναι σώτειράν τινα καὶ φύλακα δογματίζων οὖσαν τὴν ἀρετὴν ταύτην.  Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ θαυματουργός, Εἰς Ὀριγένην Προσφώνητικος, ΙΑ' Source: Migne PG 10 1081c-1085a

Origen was also the first and only one that urged me to study the philosophy of the Greeks, persuading me by his own moral example both to hear and to hold to the doctrine of morals, while as yet I had not been persuaded to that, so far as other philosophers were concerned, again I confess, indeed not rightly but unhappily telling you a little of it. At first I did not associate with many but only with a few who claimed to be teachers, but they all established their philosophy only as far as words, but this man, however, was the first who led me to philosophize by his words, as he put the exhortation in deeds before he gave it in words, and did not merely pronounce well practiced sentences; indeed he did not deem it of any value to speak at all but with a sincere mind striving for the deeds of the things expressed, whence he endeavoured  to show himself as like the one who in his discourses he exhibits as living well, he  himself, I would say, offering the pattern of the wise man. But as our discourse has announced itself as concerned with truth, and not refined speech, I shall not speak here of him as the pattern of the wise man, and yet, if I wished to speak of him so, it would be truth. But for now I go on. I shall not speak of him, then, as a perfect pattern, but as one who truly wishes to imitate it, and strives for it with all zeal and earnestness, even, if I may say so, beyond the ability of men, and, moreover, as one who labours to make us who are so different similar, not mere masters and knowers of the teachings of the movements of the soul, but of the movements themselves. For he drove us to works and words, and not into a small part of each virtue, but, if we could encompass it, into the whole, compelling us, if I may say so, to practice righteousness by the personal action of the soul, persuading us to apply ourselves to it, and leading us away from the many concerns of life and from the troubles of the forum, and lifting us to the nobler vocation of looking into ourselves and to acting concerning the things that truly concern us. Now that this is to practice righteousness and that this is the true righteousness, some also of the ancient philosophers have told, calling it personal action, I think, and they have affirmed that it is more efficacious for blessedness, both for themselves and those with them, if indeed it is of virtue to reward according to merit and each according to what he has done. For what else may be proper to the soul? Or what could be so worthy of it than it have care for itself, not looking outwards, nor busying itself with other affairs, not, to speak shortly, doing the worst injustice to itself, but turning inwardly upon itself, to give itself over to itself, and so act righteously? Thus he taught with a certain compulsion, if I may speak so, the practice of righteousness, not neglecting prudence even so, but teaching us to be with ourselves, and to wish and try to know ourselves, and this is indeed the most excellent work of philosophy, ascribed to the most prophetic of spirits as the command of highest wisdom, 'Know yourself.' And that this is the true work of prudence and that such is the Divine prudence is by the ancients well affirmed, for in this there is one virtue of God and man; the soul exerting itself to see itself as in a mirror, and there the Divine mind, if it be worthy of such relation, in that tracing out a certain inexpressible way to attain a kind of apotheosis. And with this prudence comes also temperance conserving the prudence of the soul that knows itself, if that is to be, for this temperance, again, surely is a stable prudence; and also fortitude is there, for the firm preservation of all that we have spoken of as being befitting, without falling away, either voluntarily or by some force, in the guarding and keeping of what has been taught, for he teaches that this virtue is a kind of protector and guardian. Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, from the Oration to Origen, Chapter 11

Suffering And Salvation

Καὶ τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ δόλος εἰσελεύσεται. Δι' ὅλων δὲ σπουδὴ τῷ δικαίῳ ἐστὶ, παιδεῦσαο τοὺς φίλους τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν ἐπιπόνων, ἵνα κερδήσῃ αὐτοὺς μὴ ἐναντία δοξάζειν. Σωτηρίαν γὰρ ταύτην ἐλογίζετο, τὸ τούτους γνῶναι τὸν περὶ τούτου τῆς προνοίας λόγον, ὄν φανερῶσαι βουλόμενος, ἔλεγε τὸ, Ἐλέγξω· πολλάκις γὰρ ὁ ἔλεγχος τὴν ἀπόδειξιν σημαίνει. Τὸ οὖν ἀψευδὲς αὐτοῦ παραστῆσαι θέλων καὶ τὸ εὐλαβὲς, λέγει, ὅτι Ἄ λέγω, Θεοῦ ὀρῶντος φθέγγομαι. Οὐ γάρ οἶόν τε ἀπάτην τινὰ γενέσθαι Θεῷ, ὡς δόλον εἰσελθεῐν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. Ἐφύλαξας δέ μου πάντα τὰ ἔργα. Οἶδεν ὁ μακάριος τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Δαβὶδ εἰρημένον, ἅγιος ὤν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς οὐ παρατηρεῐται πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας τῶν πταιόντων· ἀλλὰ παιδεύων τοὺς φίλους πάλιν, δι' ἤν αἰτίαν πάσχει, ὅτι δι' ἀγῶνα, τὸ προκείμενον εἴρηκεν, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντα αὐτοῦ, τὸ ἔργα φυλάξαντος, καὶ ακριβώσαντος, καὶ οὕτως ἐπαγαγόντος αὐτῷ τὰ ἀνιαρά· ἵνα τούτου ἐννοήσωσιν, ὅτι τὸ μέγεθος τῶν τοσούτων ἐπαγαγὼν, οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀγῶνα, καὶ σκοπὸν ἀνδρείας. Δυδύμος του Ἀλεξανδρέως, Εκλογαι Εἰς Τον Ιὠβ, Κεφ ΙΓ' Source: Migne PG 39.1149c-d

And this shall be for my salvation, for wickedness does not come into His presence. 1 In everything the righteous man desires to teach his friends the cause of evil and troubles, that they be enriched, lest they think differently. For this is adjudged to be salvation, if they are made to understand the workings of providence, which wishing to make clear, he said, 'I shall refute,' for often refutation means demonstration. Thus being without deceit and wishing to be pious, he says, 'These things I say speaking before the eyes of God'. For there no one can be deceitful, just as wickedness may not enter into His presence. And you observed all my works. 2 The blessed Job knew what is spoken by David, that God does not inquire into all the wickedness of our errors, 3 but again he instructs his friends concerning the reason why he suffers, that through his trials, which he has spoken as being brought on him, God studies and examines all his works, so that they should not consider the heaping up of troubles on him and the great magnitude of them to be on account of sin, but so that fortitude may be manifested by trial. Didymus the Blind, On Job, Chapter 13 1 Job 13.16 2 Job 13.27 3 Ps 129.3

A Martyr's Company

Τί δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἔκδοτον δέδωκα τῷ θανάτῳ, πρὸς πῦρ, πρὸς μάχαιραν, πρὸς θηρία; ἀλλ’ ἐγγυς μαχαίρας ἐγγὺς θεοῦ, μεταξὺ θηρίων μεταξὺ Θεοῦ· μόνον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸ συμπαθεῖν αὐτῷ πάντα ὑπομένω, αὐτοῦ με ἐνδυναμοῦντος τοῦ τελείου ἀνθρώπου.   Ἅγιος Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, Ἐπιστολή Προς Σμύρναιοις

And why have I also given myself over to death, to fire, to the sword, to wild beasts? To be near the sword is to be near to God; he who is in the company of wild beasts is in company with God; provided only I undergo all this in the name of Jesus Christ that I may suffer  with Him, 1 He the perfect man strengthening me. 2 Saint Ignatius of Antioch, from the Letter to the Smyrneans 1 Rom 8:17 2 Phil 4:13

Strengthening the Disciples

Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ἀληθῶς, εἰσίν τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑστηκότων οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.  Οὔπω τὴν ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν ἐσχηκότας τοὺς μαθητὰς εἰκὸς ἦν τάχα που καὶ ἀνθρωπίναις περιπεσεῖν ἀσθενείαις καί τι τοιοῦτον καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐννενοηκότας εἰπεῖν· Πῶς ἀρνήσεταί τις ἑαυτόν; ἢ πῶς ἀπολέσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν εὑρήσει πάλιν αὐτήν; τί δὲ τοῖς τοῦτο παθοῦσι τὸ ἰσοστατοῦν ἔσται γέρας; ἢ καὶ ποίων ἔσται χαρισμάτων μέτοχος; ἵνα τοίνυν τῶν τοιούτων αὐτοὺς ἀποστήσῃ λογισμῶν καὶ οἷον μεταχαλκεύσῃ πρὸς εὐανδρίαν τῆς ἐσομένης αὐτοῖς εὐκλείας ἐπιθυμίαν ἐντεκών φησι· Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν· εἰσί τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑστηκότων, οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. βασιλείαν δὲ θεοῦ λέγει αὐτὴν τὴν θέαν τῆς δόξης, ἐν ᾗ καὶ αὐτὸς ὀφθήσεται κατ' ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ, καθ' ὃν ἐπιλάμψει τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς· ἥξει γὰρ ἐν δόξῃ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς καὶ οὐκ ἔν γε μᾶλλον σμικροπρεπείᾳ τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς. πῶς οὖν ἄρα θεωροὺς ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ θαύματος τοὺς λαβόντας τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν; ἄνεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τρεῖς ἀπ' αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀπολέκτους ἔχων. Εἶτα μεταπλάττεται πρὸς ἐξαίρετόν τινα καὶ θεοπρεπῆ λαμπρότητα ὥστε καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτοῦ τῇ τοῦ φωτὸς προσβολῇ διαλάμψαι καὶ οἷον ἀπαστράψαι δοκεῖν. Πλὴν Μωυσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας περιεστηκότες τὸν Ἰησοῦν προσελάλουν, φησίν, ἀλλήλοις τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἔμελλε πληροῦν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τουτέστι τῆς μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίας τὸ μυστήριον καὶ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος, τὸ ἐπί γέ φημι τῷ τιμίῳ σταυρῷ· δόξαν γὰρ αὐτὸ καλοῦσιν ἀεί. Καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ὅτι ὁ διὰ Μωυσέως νόμος καὶ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν ὁ λόγος τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον προανέδειξαν, ὁ μὲν ἐν τύποις καὶ σκιαῖς, μονονουχὶ καθάπερ ἐν πίνακι καταγράφων αὐτό, οἱ δὲ πολυτρόπως προηγορευκότες ὡς καὶ ὀφθήσεται κατὰ καιροὺς ἐν εἴδει τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ὅτι τῆς πάντων ἕνεκα σωτηρίας καὶ ζωῆς οὐ παραιτήσεται τὸ παθεῖν τὸν ἐπὶ ξύλου θάνατον. Οὐκοῦν ἡ Μωυσέως καὶ Ἠλίου παράστασις καὶ τὸ προσλαλεῖν ἀλλήλοις αὐτοὺς οἰκονομία τις ἦν εὖ μάλα καταδεικνύουσα δορυφορούμενον μὲν ὑπὸ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὡς καὶ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν δεσπότην, προκαταδειχθέντα δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν, δι' ὧν ἀλλήλοις συνῳδὰ προεκήρυξαν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Κεφ. Θ'

'Truly I say to you that some standing here will not taste death until they have seen the kingdom of God.' 1 As the disciples had not yet obtained virtue from on high, it was likely that they also stumbled in human weaknesses, and pondering in themselves the sayings they had heard may have said 'How does a man deny himself?' or 'How having lost himself does he find himself again?' And 'What reward will be worthy of those who suffer so? Or 'Of what gifts will they be made partakers?' To rescue them therefore from such unstable thoughts, and, so to speak, to forge them into fortitude by begetting in them a desire for the glory to come, He says, 'I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until they have seen the kingdom of God.'  And by the kingdom of God He means the sight of the glory in which He will appear at that time when he shines on those on earth, for He will come in the glory of God the Father, and not in low state as was to us. How, then, did He make those who had received the promise spectators of such a wonder? Going up the mountain He takes with Him three chosen ones, and He is transformed with so surpassing and godlike a brightness, that His garments shine with such light that it seems like  flashes of lightning. And then Moses and Elijah stood at the side of Jesus and spoke with one another about His departure, which He was about to fulfill at Jerusalem, that is, the mystery of the dispensation of the flesh and the passion of salvation, and indeed, I say, about the precious cross which will always be called glorious. For it is indeed true that the law of Moses and the word of the holy Prophets prefigured the mystery of Christ; the first by types and shadows, as in the painting of a picture, while the rest in many ways declared before the events that both in time He would appear in our likeness and for the sake of the salvation and life of all he would not refuse to suffer death on the tree. Therefore the standing of Moses and Elijah beside Him and their talking with one another was a sort of arrangement which well represented our Lord Jesus Christ as being guarded by the Law and the Prophets, and Him as master of the Law and Prophets, foreshown by them by those things which in agreement with one another they had proclaimed. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 9 1 Lk 9.27

Enduring Troubles

Ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι.  Ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ πικρότητι τῶν περιεστηκόντων ἀπηυδήσαμεν ἂν καὶ ἀπωλόμεθα· ὅσον δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ παρακαλοῦντι Θεῷ, πάντα ἡμῖν πρὸς σωτηρίαν εὐμαρῆ. Κᾶν ἐν παντὶ οὖν πράγματι θλιβώμεθα, γενναιάζοντες οὐ στενοχωρούμεθα· κἂν ὡς ἀπόρους ἡμᾶς τινες ὑπολαμβάνωσι, διώκοντες καὶ ἀνατρέποντες, ἀλλ' οὖν ἡμευῖς ἐν ἄπασιν εὐποροῦντες οὐκ εξαπορούμεθα, οὐκ ἀπολλύμεθα, οὐ καταβαλλόμεθα. Ἀνατρεπόντων γὰρ τῶν πονηρῶν, στήκομεν ἁκλόνητοι· διωκόμενοι γενναιάζομεν, πορίμων ἡμῖν πάντων ὄντων πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Ἰστέον, ὅτι τὸ στενοχωρεῖσθαι ὁτε μὲν ταυτόν ἐστι θλίβεσθαι, ὁτὲ δὲ ἕτερον. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀμφότερα λέγηται, δηλοῖ τὸ μὲν θλίβεσθαι τὴν ἔξωθεν περίστασιν· τὸ στενοχωρεῖσθαι, τὸ ὀκλάζειν τῇ προαιρέσει καὶ λογισμῳ. Ὅταν δὲ μὴ ἀμφότερα λαμβάνηται, ἐκ παραλλήλου δηλοῦσι τὸ αὐτό. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Την Δευτεραν Ἐπιστολήν Παυλου Αποσλολου Προς Κορινθίους

In every tribulation, but we do not anguish. 1 That is, in bitter circumstances we do not in despair wish to perish, but, on account of the consolation of God, everything tends to salvation for us. Even if, then, in everything we are troubled, yet resisting we do not anguish. And when as if destitute of all resource they think us, and they persecute and threaten us, we however in everything rich and not at a loss, are not overrun, nor are we cast down. For while the wicked try to overturn us, we stand unmoved, bravely resisting our persecutors, all we have supporting us to salvation. And let it be known that the word anguish has a different meaning to tribulation. When both words are placed together, tribulation signifies external aggression whereas anguish concerns hesitation in the deliberations of the mind. But when they are not used together they signify similar things. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on Second Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 4. 8

Pleasures and the Enemy

Ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐσόφισάς με τὴν ἐντολήν σου ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνά μοί ἐστιν Οἱ ἐπικείμενοι ἐχθροὶ ἀόρατοι πειρῶνται διὰ πάσης σπουδῆς εἰς τὸ προτιμᾷν ἡδονὴν ἀγαγεῖν με, δι' ἧς ἡδονῆς συμβαίνει πρὸς πάντα τρόπον δυσχερῶς ἔχειν, ὡς καὶ τὴν θείαν ἐντολὴν σύν ἱδρῶτι κατορθουμένην παραιτεῖσθαι· κρείττων δὲ γίνεται τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ τῶν πρεσβευόντων αὐτὴν ἐχθρῶν, ὁ τὴν Θεοῦ ἐντολὴν σοφιζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ὥστε εἰς αἰῶνα αὐτὴν ἔχειν, ὁμολογήσας τῆς πρὸς ὀλίγον οὔσης καὶ προσκαίρου ἡδονῆς. Διὸ τῷ Θεῷ εὐχαριστικῶς ὑμνῶν ἐρεῖ· Ἐσόφισάς μοι τὴν ἐντολήν σου, ἐξ οὖ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου γεγένημαι. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος ΡΙΗ'

I have been made more wise than my enemies with your commandment, because to eternity it is for me. 1 Our sleepless invisible enemies with every zeal try to impel us to seek out pleasure, for by pleasure we are annoyed in every way, so that we give up the accomplishment of the Divine commandment. But greater he shall be than pleasure, and greater than the greatest of the enemy, who is wise in the commandment of God by Him, that thus in eternity he have it, confessing against pleasure's paltry and ephemeral nature. Which is why he gives thanks to God in song, saying, 'Your commandment has made me wise, by which I am made superior to my enemies.' Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.98

Fighting The Dragon

Qui custodiunt mandata Dei  Mandata Dei in fide Jesu Christi custodire, hoc est pugnare cum dracone, et ipsum provocare in praelium. Et gratias Deo, qui saevi draconis evacuavit incoeptus. Ecce enim, Dominum in carne natum exstinguere molitus, ejus resurrectione frustratur. Post apostolis fiduciam docendi refringere laborans, quasi mulierem, id est, totam Ecclesiam de rebus humanis auferre satagebat. Sed et hoc frustra nisus passim nunc singulas fidelium impugnat aetates. Unde et sequitur:   Et stetit super arenam maris. Id est, super multitudinem populi, quem projicit ventus a facie terrae. Illius, sine dubio, qui hostis machinas absorbere solet, idem hostis insidias et bella excitaturus insistit.  Sanctus Beda, Explanatio Apocalyspsis, Caput XII

'Those who keep the commandments of God...' 1 To keep the commandments of God in the faith of Jesus Christ, this is to fight with the dragon and to challenge him in battle. And thanks be to God, who foiled the raging dragon at the beginning. For indeed he who laboured to destroy the Lord born in the flesh, is frustrated by the resurrection. 2 Then exerting himself after to undermine the confidence of the Apostles' teaching, he strove to carry off, like the woman, 3 the whole Church from the sphere of human affairs, but as his attacks have everywhere been in vain, he now fights against each of the ages of the faithful. Whence it follows: And he stood on the sand of the sea 4 That is, over that multitude of people 'whom the wind throws forth from the face of the earth.' 5 Whence without doubt he who is accustomed to devour with hostile contrivances, the same enemy stands so that he raise up plots and wars. St Bede, from Commentary On Revelation, Chapter 12 1 Rev 12.17  2 Rev 12.4  3 Rev 12.6 4 Rev 12.18 5 Ps 1.4

Rivers and Virtues

Et dividitur, inquit, hic fons in quatuor initia. Nomen est uni Phison: hic est qui circuit omnem terram Evilath, ubi est aurum. Terrae autem illius aurum bonum est, ubi est carbunculus, et lapis prasinus. Et nomen secundo Geon: hic est qui circuit omnem Aethiopiam. Et flumen tertium Tigris: hic est qui vadit contra Assyrios. Et flumen quartum est Euphrates.  Haec igitur quatuor sunt flumina, Phison, hoc est, secundum Hebraeos. Ganges autem secundum Graecos, qui fluit contra Indiam. Geon autem Nilus, qui circuit terram Aegypti vel Aethiopiam. Mesopotamia autem dicitur, quod Tigris et Euphrates incluserint eam; eo quod inter duo haec flumina constituta sit, quod etiam longe positis nomen ipsum et opinio communis expressit. Sed quemadmodum fons dicitur Sapientia Dei. Fons enim est secundum Evangelium dicens: Si quis sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat; fons est et secundum prophetam qui ait: Venite et edite de meis panibus, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis. Sicut ergo fons vitae est Sapientia, fons gratiae spiritalis: ita fons virtutum est caeterarum, quae nos ad aeternae cursum dirigunt vitae. Ex hac igitur anima quae culta est, non ex ea quae inculta fons iste procedit, ut irriget paradisum, hoc est, quaedam diversarum fruteta virtutum, quarum sunt quatuor initia in quae sapientia ista dividitur. Quae sunt quatuor initia virtutum, nisi unum prudentiae, aliud temperantiae, tertium fortitudinis, quartum justitiae. Quae etiam sapientes istius mundi ex nostris assumpta, in suorum scripta librorum transtulerunt. Itaque sicut fons sapientiae, ita etiam flumina ista quatuor quaedam ex illo fonte emanatia sunt fluenta virtutum. Phison igitur prudentia est, et ideo habet bonum aurum, splendidum carbunculum, et prasinum lapidem. Aurum enim pro inventis prudentibus frequenter accipimus. Unde et Dominus per Prophetam ait: Dedi illi aurum et argentum. Et David de prudentibus dicit: Si dormiatis inter medios cleros, pennae columbae deargentatae, et posteriora dorsi ejus in specie auri: eo quod veteri et novo qui inhaeserit Testamento, in ipsa secreta sapientiae Dei disputationis possit ubertate procedere. Hoc ergo bonum aurum dicit, non illud monetale quod corruptibile ac terrenum est. Habet etiam splendidum, inquit, carbunculum, in quo quidam animae nostrae vivit igniculus. Habet et prasinum lapidem, qui viride quiddam atque vitale coloris sui specie ostentare videtur. Virent enim arbusta quae vivunt, arescunt contra quaecumque moriuntur: viret terra dum floret, virent et semina dum prorumpunt. Et bene primo loco hic fluvius positus est Phison, qui secundum Hebraeos Phison dicitur, hoc est, oris mutatio; quia non unam gentem circumfluit, sed etiam per Lydiam fluit. Non enim angusta quaedam, sed dives utilitatum prudentia est, quae pluribus prosit. Ideo prima, ut si quis de paradiso fuerit egressus, velut quoddam eum prudentiae flumen excipiat, ne cito possit arescere: sed per hanc ad paradisum facile revertatur. Hic fluvius a multis hominibus frequentatur, pulchritudinemque et fertilitatem maximam habere perhibetur. Et ideo prudentia in specie hujus accipitur, quae plurimos fructus attulit in Domini adventu. Atque in extrema terrarum fluit, quia per Sapientiam omnes homines sunt redempti. Unde et dictum est: In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum, et in fines orbis terrae verba eorum . Secundus est fluvius Geon, juxta quem lex data est Israelitis, cum essent in Aegypto constituti; ut ex Aegypto recederent, et succincti lumbos ederent agnum, quod insigne est temperantiae. Castos enim et sanctificatos oportet Domini pascha celebrare. Et ideo juxta istum fluvium legitima primo observantia constituta est; quia significat nomen hoc quemdam terrae hiatum. Sicut igitur terram et quaecumque vel purgamenta vel frondes in ea sunt, hiatus absorbet: ita castitas omnes corporis passiones abolere consuevit. Meritoque ibi primum observantiae constitutio, quia per legem absorbetur carnale peccatum. Bene ergo Geon, in quo figura est castitatis, circumire terram Aethiopicam dicitur; ut abluat corpus abjectum, et carnis vilissimae restinguat incendium. Aethiopia enim abjecta et vilis Latina interpretatione signatur. Quid autem abjectius nostro corpore? Quid tam Aethiopiae simile, quod etiam nigrum est quibusdam tenebris peccatorum? Tertius est fluvius Tigris, qui vadit contra Assyrios, ad quem praevaricator Israel captivus est ductus. Hic fluvius dicitur velocior esse omnibus, quem incolunt Assyrii, hoc est dirigentes hoc enim significat interpretatio. Ergo quicumque fortitudine animi praevaricantia corporis vitia captivaverit dirigens ad superna, iste hujus fluminis similis aestimatur. Et ideo etiam fortitudo de illo qui est in paradiso, fonte emanat. Fortitudo autem quodam cursu rapido resistentia quaeque transverberat, nec aliquibus cursus ejus impedimentorum haeret obstaculis. Quartus est fluvius Euphrates, qui Latine fecunditas atque abundantia fructuum nuncupatur, praeferens quoddam insigne jutitiae, quae omnem pascit animam. Nulla enim abundantiores videtur fructus habere virtus, quam aequitas atque justitia, quae magis aliis quam sibi prodest, et utilitates suas negligit communia emolumenta praeponens. Plerique Euphratem ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐφραινεσθαι dictum putant, hoc est a laetando, eo quod hominum genus nullo magis quam justitia et aequitate laetetur. Causam autem cur caeteri qua commeant fluvii, describuntur regiones locorum, qua Euphrates commeat, non describantur, illam accepimus, quia aqua ejus vitalis asseritur, et quae foveat atque augeat. Unde eum Auxen Hebraeorum et Assyriorum prudentes dixerunt: contra autem fertur esse aqua aliorum fluminum. Deinde quia ubi prudentia, ibi et malitia: ubi fortitudo, ibi et iracundia: ubi temperantia plerumque, ibi intemperantia est, aut alia vitia sunt: ubi autem justitia, ibi concordia virtutum est caeterarum; ideo non ex locis qua fluit, hoc est, non ex parte cognoscitur. Non enim pars est justitia, sed quasi mater est omnium. In his ergo fluminibus quatuor virtutes principales quatuor exprimuntur. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput II

'The river,' it says, 'is separated into four branches. The name of one is Phison which encircles all the land of Hevila, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good, where is bdellium and green gems. The name of the second river is Gihon. This river encircles all the land of Ethiopia. The name of the third river is Tigris, which river flows by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.' 1 There are, then, four rivers. Phison, called so by the Hebrews, but by the Greeks named Ganges, flows by India. Gihon is the Nile, which flows around the land of Egypt or Ethiopia. Mesopotamia is so called because it is enclosed by the two rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which name expresses even from afar its location  and popular opinion. But how is the fount called the Wisdom of God? For a fount it is according to the Gospel which says,'If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink.' 2 A fount it is  according to the Prophet who says: 'Come and eat my bread and drink the wine which I have mixed for you.' 3  As fount of life is Wisdom, so it is the fount of spiritual grace, and it is also the fount of other virtues which direct us to the course of eternal life. From this, then, the soul that is cultivated, and not from one that is uncultivated, flows this fount that it water Paradise, and produce the fruit trees of diverse virtues, of which there are four which constitute the divisions of Wisdom. These are the four primary virtues: one prudence, another temperance, the third fortitude, and the forth justice. And these the wise of this world have taken up and transferred it to their own writings. So the fount of Wisdom acts as the source from which these four rivers take their rise, producing streams that are composed of these virtues. Phison, therefore, stands for prudence, and therefore it has pure gold, bdellium and green gems. We often refer to prudent discoveries as gold, as the Lord says, speaking through the Prophet: 'I gave to them gold and silver.' 4  And David says concerning the prudent: 'If you sleep among the midst of the folds, you shall be as the wings of the dove covered with silver and the hinder parts as gold.' 5 by which he who cleaves to the Old and New Testament can by  inquiry profitably proceed to  secrets of the Wisdom of God. Here, therefore, it says is good gold, not that which is used as money, and is corruptible and belongs to this earth. And here, it says, there is found bdellium in which there lives the  spark of our souls. Here, too, is the green gem which by its color seems to show forth vitality. Tress which are alive give forth greenness, while the dead wither. The earth grows green when it blooms, the seeds send forth their green. And well it is that here the river Phison is given first place, which the Hebrews call Phison, which means 'change of mouth,' because it flows not merely around one nation but even through Lydia. For prudence is not narrow but rich in usefulness and benefits many. Thus, if a person were to leave Paradise, the river of prudence lest quickly he become arid, but by this river he may easily return to Paradise. Many men come to this river, which is regarded to be beautiful and must fecund. Therefore it is understood as a figure of prudence which gives manifold fruits in the coming of the Lord. It  to the ends of the earth it flows because by Wisdom all men have been redeemed. Wherefore it is said: 'Their sound has gone forth into all the earth and their words to the end of the world.' 6 The second river is Gihon, by which the law was given to the Israelites when they were sojourning in Egypt, that they should leave Egypt, 7 and having girded their loins they should eat of a lamb as a sign of temperance. For it befits the chaste and sanctified should celebrate the Pasch of the Lord. Thus the observance of the Law was first carried out beside this river, the name of which signifies an opening of the earth. Therefore, just as an opening absorbs the earth and whatever impurities and waste there is in it, so chastity tends to destroy all the passions of the body. Appropriately, the observance of the established Law first took place there, because carnal sin is absorbed by the Law. And so Gihon, in which is a figure of chastity, is said to surround the land of Ethiopia that it wash our lowly bodies and quench the fires of the vile flesh. The meaning of Ethiopia in Latin signifies 'holy and vile.' What is more lowly than our body? What is so like Ethiopia, than that which is black with the darkness of sin? The third river is the Tigris, which flows by the land of Assyrians, to which the deceiver Israel was dragged captive. This river is said to be the swiftest of all rivers, where the Assyrians dwell, directing it, for this is the meaning of its name. Therefore, those who by fortitude of soul bind up the treacherous vices of the body, directing themselves to higher things, are judged to have something in common with this river. And thus fortitude emanates from that source in Paradise. Fortitude in its rapid course casts aside everything that resists it and like this river and in no place will it be fixed by any impeding obstacle. The fourth river is the Euphrates, which in Latin means 'fecundity and abundance of fruits.' It presents a symbol of righteousness, nourishing every soul. No virtue seems to have such abundant fruits than equity and righteousness, it benefits others more with itself, neglecting its own advantage and preferring the common good. Many think Euphrates comes from the Greek ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐφραινεσθαι, that is, from 'rejoicing,' because the human race rejoices in nothing more than righteousness and equity. The reason why, although the passage of the other rivers is reported, we have no description of the passage of the Euphrates, we understand as this: the waters of this river are considered to have a vitality quality which warms and gives growth. Whence the wise among the Hebrews and the Assyrians called this river Auxen, that is, increase, in contradistinction to the waters of other rivers. Now because where there is prudence there is malice, and where there is fortitude there is anger, and where the is temperance, intemperance,The opposition has been well established between wisdom and malice, fortitude and irascibility, temperance, and other vices, where there is righteousness there is the harmony of all the other virtues. Thus it is not known from the places from whence it flows, that is, it is not known in part. There is not a part of righteousness but it is like the mother of the virtues. In these four rivers, then, the four principle virtues are symbolized. Saint Ambrose, On Paradise, Chap 2 1 Gen 2:10 14 2 Jn 7:37 3 Prov 9:15 4  Hosea 2:8 5 Ps 67:14  6 Ps 18:5 7 Exod 12:11

Lamenting Judas

Σήμερον, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς παρεδόθη·  τῇ γὰρ ἐπιούσῃ ἑσπέρᾳ ταύτῃ, λαβόντες αὐτὸν, ἀπῆλθον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι.  Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένῃ κατηφὴς, ἀκούσας ὅτι Ἰησοῦς παρεδόθη· μᾶλλον δὲ γενοῦ κατηφὴς, καὶ κλαῦσον πικρῶς, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὑπὲρ τοῦ παραδοθέντος Ἰησοῦ, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ προδότου Ἰούδα.  Ὁ μὲν γὰρ παραδοθεὶς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἔσωσεν, ὁ δὲ προδοὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπώλεσε· καὶ ὁ μὲν προδοθεὶς ἐν δεξιᾷ κάθηται τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὁ δὲ παραδοὺς ἐν ᾅδου νῦν ἐστι, τὴν ἀπαραίτητον ἀναμένων κόλασιν.  Διὰ τοῦτον οὖν κλαῦσον καὶ στέναξον, διὰ τοῦτον πένθησον, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ Δεσπότης ἡμῶν διὰ τοῦτον ἐδάκρυσεν. Ἰδὼν γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἐταράχθη καὶ εἶπεν·  Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με. Ὢ πόση εὐσπλαγχνία τοῦ Δεσπότου. ὁ προδοθεὶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ προδόντος ἀλγεῖ.  Ἰδὼν γὰρ αὐτὸν, ἐταράχθη, φησὶ, καὶ εἶπεν·  Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἠθύμησεν;  Ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν φιλοστοργίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ διδάσκων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐ τὸν πάσχοντα κακῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸν ποιοῦντα κακῶς, τοῦτον θρηνεῖν πανταχοῦ δίκαιον.  Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκείνου χεῖρον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκεῖνο μὲν οὐ κακὸν, τὸ κακῶς παθεῖν, κακὸν δὲ τὸ ποιῆσαι κακῶς.  Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κακῶς παθεῖν, τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν προξενεῖ, τὸ δὲ κακῶς ποιῆσαι αἴτιον ἡμῖν τῆς γεέννης καὶ τῆς κολάσεως γίνεται.  Μακάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Την Προδοσιαν Του Ἱουδα

Today, beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed, for it was on this approaching evening that the Jews seizing him, took Him away. But do not be dejected hearing that Jesus was betrayed, but rather be dejected and weep bitterly, not over the betrayed Jesus, but over the traitor Judas. For He who was betrayed saved the whole world, while he who betrayed lost his soul. And He who was betrayed is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and he who betrayed is now in hell, awaiting the inevitable punishment. So weep and groan for this, mourn for this, since even our Master wept for this. For beholding him, Jesus was troubled and said: 'One of you shall betray Me' 1. Oh, how great is our Master’s compassion! He who was betrayed grieved for him who betrayed. For beholding him, Jesus was troubled and said: 'One of you shall betray Me.' Why was He disheartened? Both to show His tender love and to teach us that to mourn, not for the one suffering evil, but for the one doing evil, is most righteous. The latter is worse than the former, or rather, to suffer evil is not evil, but to do evil is evil. For while suffering evil gains the Kingdom of Heaven, doing evil is the cause of  Gehenna and punishment for us. 'For Blessed,' says the Lord, 'are they who are persecuted on account of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.' 2 Saint John Chrysostom, On The Betrayal of Judas  1 John 13:21 2 Matt 5:10

Daniel And Service

Χρή σε τὰς ἱερὰς ἀναπτσσοντα Βιβλους, καὶ τῇ αὐτῶν ἐγκαρτεροῦτα, ὥς φασιν, ἀναγνώσκει, τὴν κατὰ τὸν θαυμάσιον Δανιὴλ ἱστορίαν εἰδέναι, ὅτι μέσος τοῦ κλύδδωνος τῆς πλάμης ἱστάμενος, οὐδὲν ὑπέμεινε πάθος αἰχμάλωτον, οὐδὲ μέχρι σιτίων τῶν κοινῶν εἰς μετάληψιν, καὶ μὴ κοινούντων κατὰ περίστασιν τοὺς μετέχοντας. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὐ μόνον διάκονος τυγχάνεις τῆς βασιλείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅγεις αὐτὴν καθὼς βούλει, σπεῦσον ἀναῥῥῶσαι τὸ δίκαιον καταπερὸν πρὸς ἀσθένειαν, ἤ μᾶλλον πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπάρχον τὸν θάανατον, ἵνα τὸ δίκαιον εὕρῃς εὐμενὲς δικαστήριον, εἰ καὶ νῦν αὐτοῦ πολλάκις σοι ἐνθύμησις οὐχ ὑπέρχεται, ὑπὸ τῆς ὑπερφυοῦς φαντασίας ἐπτοημένῳ. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΛϚ', Ἀντιοχῳ Εὐνουχῳ Παλατιου Source: Migne PG 78.204c

It is necessary that having unfolded the the Holy Scriptures, you be strengthened, as it is said, by the reading of them, as seen in the story of the wondrous Daniel, for he standing in the midst of the waves of error, was not at all subjected by the desires of his captors, nor did he partake of prohibited food lest by possession of those things enjoyed by others he be contaminated. And because you are not only a minister of the Empire but even because you desire to be holy, you should be zealous to avoid any profane service, or rather you should prefer to die than to do it, that you might then find yourself before a just and benign court, even if now there come frequently before your mind things hardly to be borne on account of the distractions of the immodesty of human pomp. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 36, To Antiochus A Eunuch of the Palace

Monks and Philosophy

Φιλοσοφία ἀποστρέφεται θόρυβον, καὶ γυνασὶα μοναχικὴ ἐξω κατορθοῦται συγχύσεως, ἵνα ταύτῃ χρήσηται ὑποβάθρᾳ τοῦ ὕψους τῆς ταπεινώσεως, τῇ κατὰ μόνας σχολῇ καὶ πραγμάτων ὀχληρῶν, καὶ ῥημάτων ἀπρεπῶν, σπουδαίως καὶ τελείως ἐκλαθόμενος. Εἰ δὲ τρίβωνα καὶ ὑπήνην, καὶ βάκτρον ἀρκεῖν ἡμῖν πρὸς ἐξάνυσιν τῆς ἀγγελικῆς πολιτείας οἰόμεθα, και μέσοι δήμων, καὶ θεαμάτων καὶ ἀκουσμάτων ἀστικῶν συμφυρόμεθα, τοῖς ὀργάνοις τῆς νίκης μόνοις ἐναβρυνόμενοι, τὴν δὲ πάλην καὶ μάχην ἐκκλίνοντες, ἐξ ἧς ἡ νικη προσγίνεται, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰς αἰτίας τὴς πάλης ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀνακαίοντες, λανθάνομεν κύνες τυγχάνοντες, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἔμετον ὑποστρέφοντες ἤ ὗς τῷ βορβόρῳ τῆς παλαίᾶς συνηθείας ἐγκαλινδούμενοι. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ϟΒ' Θωμᾳ Μονακῳ

Philosophy is averse to clamour and the monastic exertion is perfected far from tumult and confusion, that this might be a step to attain the height of humility, and that through the leisure of solitude forgetfulness may adhere to the troubles of business and every base speech . If we should think a cloak and a beard and a stick  sufficient to satisfy the angelic life and take to the crowds and spectacles and talk of the city, fleeing from the only instruments of victory, avoiding those struggles and fights by which triumph is acquired, rather than the cause of struggle in our selves inflaming, we will overlook that we have become like dogs turning back to vomit, or pigs wishing to wallow in old habits. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 92, To the Monk Thomas

Friendship and the Fear of Death

Vobis autem dico amicis meis, Ne terreamini ab his qui occidunt corpus, et post haec non habent amplius quid faciant. Ostendam autem vobis quem timeatis: timete eum qui postquam occiderit, habet potestam mittere in gehennam.  Vobis autem dico amicis meis, Ne terreamini: quia libertatem probat virtus, metus indicat servitutem; nam liber ad gloriam, servus natus est ad timorem; merito ergo ad Dei amicitias sublimatur, qui propter Deum humanas descipit mortes, nescit timores. Si amicos morum facit imitatio, morum similitudo conjuugit, convenienter eos amicos vocat Christus, quos imitatione sua mundi jacula, et ipsam mortis formideinem conscipit et praevidet calcaturos. Vobis autem dico. Id est, non omnibus, sed amicis Vobis autem dico. Quos mors absolvit ista, non finit Vobis dico. Quos corporis resolutio promovet ad melius, non transducit ad poenam. Vobis dico. Quibus morte vita inchoatur, non finitur. Vobis dico. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo CI

'I say to you my friends, Do not be terrified of those who kill the body and after that have no more to do. I shall show to you what you should fear: fear him who after he has killed has the power to place you in hell.'1 'I say to you my friends, Do not be terrified'  because virtue demonstrates liberty and fear indicates slavery; for as a free man is born to glory, so a slave is to fear; by merit therefore let us be raised up to the friendship with God where on account of God we shall look down on human death, not knowing fear. If imitation of behaviour makes friends, similitude of conduct binding them together, fittingly these Christ calls friends: those who by imitation of him recognise and foresee the shafts of the world and the sting of the fear of death. 'To you I say'. That is, not to everyone but to friends. 'To you I say'. To those whom death delivers and does not extinguish. 'To you I say.' To those whom the dissolution of the flesh moves to what is better, not passing them on to punishment. 'To you I say.' To those who with death life begins, not ends. 'To you I say.'  Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 101 1 Lk 12. 4-5

Tribulations And The Saints

De vestra tribulatione innotuit nobis; cujus causa has consolatorias litteras charitati vestrae dirigere studui. deprecans vos, in conspectu Dei viriliter agere, et forti animo esse. Nec semper nox, nec semper dies, sed vices suas agunt; ita hujus saeculi adversitas vel prosperitas. Hodie tempestas imminet, sed cras serenitas arridet. Figatur spei anchora in Christum. Qui laetatur in prosperis, timeat adversa; et qui adversis fatigatur speret prospera cito advenire. Aurum perfecti decoris non erit, nisi fornace ardoris probetur. Arbitror ex te ipso suae partem tribulationis oriri, qui forsitan inimcos regis recipias, vel inimicorum illius possessiones tutaris. Si vero juste patiaris, quid turbaris? Si vero injuste, cur non recorderis sanctorum tribulationes? Job audistis, dicit Jacobus apostolus, et finem Domini vidistis. Qui particeps est tribulationis sanctorum, particeps erit et gloriae. Noli fugam meditari, sed coronam sperare. Alcuinus, Epistola CXV, Ad Eanbaldum Archiepiscopum Eboracensis Source: Migne PL 100.345b-c

Your troubles have become known to us; for which cause I have taken care to address these consolatory words to your charity. I pray for you in the sight of God, that you act manfully and remain strong of soul. It is not always night, it is not always day, but they alternate, and so it is with an age of prosperity and adversity. Today a storm threatens but tomorrow serenity shines forth. Fix the anchor of hope in Christ. He who rejoices in prosperity may fear adversity, and he who is wearied by adversity may hope that prosperity will quickly come. Gold has no true beauty until it is proved in the flames of the furnace. I believe that you are partially responsible for your tribulations. Perhaps you have received enemies of the king, perhaps you protect the property of one of his enemies. If you suffer justly, why are you troubled? If unjustly why do you not recall the tribulations of the saints? 'You have heard of Job,' says James the Apostle, 'and you are aware of the intention of Lord.' 1 He who has a part of the tribulations of the saints, he shall have a part of the glory. Do not meditate flight but hope for the crown. Alcuin of York, from Letter 115, To Eanbald Bishop of York 1 Jam 5.11