Stopping The Flood

Nunc consideremus quid sit quod ait Scriptura divina: Clausi sunt fontes aquarum, et cataractae coeli. Nec obscurum arbitror. His enim causis minuitur diluvium quibus crevit. Erupti erant fontes aquarum, apertae fuerant cataractae coeli, ut undique influentibus aquis terra inundaretur. Debuerant claudi ea ex quibus diluvii origo manavit, ut ejus inciperet esse defectus. Hoc littera sonat. Subtilior autem interpretatio exprimit, eo quod diluvium animae vitio mentis et luxuriae corporalis influxerat, ut malitia passioni, passio malitiae misceretur: ingrediente medico Dei Verbo ad visitationem animae quae diutina aegritudine laborabat disceptationum improbitate, et passionum acerbitate, prius debuerunt causae aegritudinis amputari. Principium enim medicinae est causas languoris incidere; ne diutius ea quae nocent, ad incrementum aegritudinis ministrentur. Quod nos etiam lex docet; cum enim steterit lepra, ut jam non diffundatur, tunc ait mundam esse leprae stationem quamdam et mansionem. Quidquid enim praeter naturam movetur immundum est. Haec igitur est animae sanitas, haec salubritas mentis, ut affluentia cesset erroris, sistatur culpa, ne serpat. Cessante incentivo culpae atque delicti salus tuta est, atque innoffensus vigor animae se refundit. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XVII Source: Migne PL 14.388c-389a

Now let us consider what it may mean when Holy Scripture says: 'The founts of the waters were closed up, and the waterfalls of heaven.' 1 I do not think that this is obscure. With these causes with which He created the flood He brought it to an end. For when the founts of the waters erupted and the waterfalls of heaven were opened, then from every direction the earth with inundated with flowing water. Thus with these closed, from which the flood originated, it should dry up, and thus it began to subside. This the letter tells us. The more subtle understanding tells that the flood has poured vices into the soul and lusts into the body, so that wickedness mixes with passion and passion with wickedness, and with the coming of the physician of the Word of God to visit the soul, which has laboured in its long sickness amid the disruptions of evil and the bitterness of the passions, first the causes of the sickness should be cut off. For the beginning of medicine is the discovery of the causes of the illness, lest those things which harm afflict for a longer time with the increase of the ailment. Which the Law teaches us, for the leper was made to wait and when the sickness had not spread, then the leper was said to be clean in himself and his house likewise. 2 For whatever occurs beyond nature is unclean. This, therefore, is the health of the soul and the well being of the mind, that its flood of errors cease and its defect be fixed, lest it become worse. The cessation of the cause of fault and evil is perfect salvation, and the restoration of the unharmed vigour of the soul. Saint Ambrose, On Noah and the Ark, from Chapter 17 1 Gen. 8.2 2 Lev 13.5-6

Faith And Salvation

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

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

Noah And Faith

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

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

The Ark And Salvation

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

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

Noah And The Son Of Man

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

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

The Doves

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

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

The Ark And The End

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

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

Blessing And Increase

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

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

Differing Perfections

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

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

Trials And Relief

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

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

Crow And Dove

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

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

Noah In The Ark

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

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

Noah And The End

Sicut autem in diebus Noe ita erit.. Sicut ante diluvium, recedente ab hominibus Dei timor, nihil faciebant homines ad gloriam Dei, sed omnia propter solam carnem: sive enim manducabant aut bibebant, non ad gloriam Dei manducabant aut bibebant, sicut mandat Apostlus, sed propter solam voluptatem carnalem: sic erit circa saeculi finem. Sicut enim homines, qui in totum carni subjecti sunt, quamvis habeant animam, tamen solummodo carnes dicuntur, testante Scriptura: Non permanebit spiritus meus in hominibus istis, quoniam sunt carnes. In quibus autem pars animae praevalet, quamvis sint carnales, spirituales dicuntur, sicut dicit Apostolis: Vos autem non estis carnis, sed spiritu, si tamen spiritus Dei habitet in vobis. Sic opera hominum, quamvis sint spiritualia, si facta fuerunt propter causam carnis, utputa, si quis opus bonum propter homines faciat, invenitur esse carnale: et quamvis sit carnale, si propter causam spiritualem fuerit factum, id est, propter gloriam Dei, invenitur spirituale esse propter causam spiritualem. Sicut fuit in diebus Noe. Id est, sic erit generalis interitus, sic subitaneus, Sicut tunc omnis creatura deleta est, sola autem area evasit, de trabibus quadratis facta, octo animas bajulans: ita et in consummatione omnes haereses interibunt, una tantummodo arca salvabitur, id est, Ecclesia Christi, de justis hominibus congregata. Sicut tunc quicquid fuit extra arcam periit,sic in fine quicumque fuerit extra unam Ecclesiam veritatis, peribit. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia L Source: Migne PG 56.922

As it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be... 1 As it was before the deluge, when reverence for God withdrew from men, and men did nothing for the glory of God, but everything was for the flesh alone, so that when they ate or drank, they did not eat or drink for the glory of God, as the Apostle commands, 2 but on account of the pleasure of the flesh, so it shall be at the end of the world. For men who are utterly subjected to the flesh, though they have souls, are said to be just flesh, with Scripture bearing witness: 'My spirit shall not remain in men forever, because they are flesh.' 3 But when the part of the soul prevails, though they are in the flesh, they are named spiritual, as the Apostle says, 'But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if the spirit of God dwells in you.' 4 So the works of men, although they are spiritual, if they are performed for the sake of the flesh, that is, if a good work is done on account of men, 5 it is found to be carnal, and likewise if a work is carnal, but it is done for the sake of a spiritual cause, that is, the glory of God, it is found to be spiritual on account of the spiritual cause. 'As it was in the days of Noah.' That is, there shall be a sudden and general ruin. So then all creatures shall be destroyed, and only that place shall be spared where is the work from the square-cut beams, 6 and the eight who bear souls. Thus in the consummation all heresies shall be destroyed, and only the one ark of salvation shall save, that is the Church of Christ, where the righteous are gathered. As, then, whatever was outside the ark perished, so in the end whatever is outside the true Church shall perish. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 50 1 Mt 24.37 2 1 Cor 10.3-4 3 Gen 6.3 4 Rom 8.9 5 Mt 6.1 6 Gen 6.14 LXX

The Worst And The Middle

Nec illud otiosum quod primo dixit, quia memor fuit Dominus Noe, deinde bestiarum, postea jumentorum, hoc est, cur non ea animantia quae mitiora sunt, post hominem nominavit, sed ferociora. In quo videtur illa esse ratio, ut ea quae ferociora erant, utriusque partis vicinitate mansuescerent. Quod videtur etiam in illo versu poetico declarari: κακοὺς δ' ἐς μέσσον ἔλασσεν. Hinc enim etiam poeta usurpavit, ut dispositionem dimicaturi ita ordinaret exercitus; quo inferiores collocaret in medio, quo magis hinc inde a fortioribus juvarentur, et dimicationem utriusque partis assumerent. In his scriptis series manifestatur. Altiore autem sensu certum est quod justus in medio habet non in parte cogitationes cordis sui: et quoad carpit hanc vitam, habeat necesse est in corpore tamquam in illa arca bestias graves. Nulla enim mens est, nulla anima, quae non recipiat etiam malarum motus agrestes cogitationum. Itaque insipientis anima ferinos acuit motus, atque adolet venena serpentum: sapientis autem vigor mitigat et coercet. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XVI Source: Migne PL 14.387c-388a

Not without purpose was it said that He first remembered Noah, and then beasts, and finally cattle, 1 that is, there is a reason why he did not name the more peaceful animals after man, but the fiercer ones. The reason seems to be this: that those which were fiercer were mollified by the presence of the others on both sides. Which indeed is seen in the verse of the poet that declares: 'but the worst he drove into the middle.' 2 Hence indeed the poet presents it, that the disposition of an army to fight is ordered so that the worst are gathered in the middle, and this so that they may be better helped by the stronger, with both sides lifting them up in battle. With these words the order is made clear. But there certainly is a higher meaning, because the righteous man does not have his thoughts in the middle part of his heart, as long as he holds to this life where it is necessary in this body, as in the ark, to have burdensome beasts. There is no mind, no soul, which does not receive the wild motions of wicked thoughts. The soul of the unwise man is provoked by fierce motions, and the venom of the serpents burns, but the power of the wise man soothes and restrains. Saint Ambrose, On Noah and the Ark, Chap 16 1 Gen. 8.1 2 Homer Iliad 4.299

Farmers And Workers Of The Earth

Et coepit Noe homo agricola esse terrae. Videtur quidem prima specie Adae illi qui de terra factus est, comparari Noe vir justus; quia et de illo scriptum est quod de paradiso ejectus coeperit operari terram: de isto quoque quoniam egressus ex arca factus sit agricola. Et propemodum in utroque praecesserat quaedam forma diluvii, quia et Noe post diluvium, et Adam post mundi constitutionem secundum figmentum corporis. Nam ut mundus fieret, congregata est aqua in unam congregationem, ut videretur terra quae ante non poterat per aquarum confusionem videri. Ergo sicut ille primigenes magister terram videtur operatus, ita etiam egressus ex arca Noe seminationis et culturae auctor est factus. Haec putantur similia: sed si verba consideres quae jam vim sensus altioris exprimunt, aliud est operatorem terrae esse, aliud agricolam. Alius enim tamquam mercenarii, alius tamquam patrisfamilias loco fungitur. Denique Cain qui fratrem occidit, erat operarius terrae. Et ut scias quia operari terram magis servile quam liberum sit, maledicto parricidalis ejus operatio comprehenditur. Denique scriptum est: Quoniam operaberis terram, et non augebit virtutem suam dare tibi: gemens et tremens eris super terram. Terra autem caro nostra est quam improbus operatur, bonus autem excolit. Ille quasi mercedem quaerat e terra; iste quasi bonae fructus capiat et gratiam disciplinae; ut magis fructiferum faciat agrum suum, et qui Domini possit respondere culturis, et indulgentiam cultoris ostendat. Operator autem quid aliud nisi escam tantummodo corporis sui quaerit, ventris magis usui studens, atque id solum explicare contentus, quod sibi prodesse possit ad victum? Ille vero alius fructuum utilitate pascitur. Quos fructus habeat justus agnoscis. Fructus autem spiritus, charitas, gaudium, pax, patientia, bonitas. Bonus ergo agricola habet continentiam, castitatem, ut si quae arbores cito curvantur in terram, et effusius germinant, eas velut quadam temperantiae suae falce succidat, ut abjiciant quod infirmum est, germinent quod decorum. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XXIX Source: Migne PL 14.409b-410c

And Noah became a farmer of the earth. 1 It seems at first that this is a likness of that Adam who was made from earth, to whom the righteous man Noah is compared, because concerning the first it is written that being cast out of paradise he began to work the earth, 2 and also this man coming out of the ark was made a farmer. And near enough both were preceded by a certain type of deluge, Noah after his flood, and Adam after the establishment of the world according to the body, because so that the world might be, the waters were gathered into one place, that the earth appear, which was not able to before amid the confusion of the waters. Therefore as that first born teacher seems to have worked, so indeed coming out of the ark Noah was an author of the sowing of seed and farming. These things are thought to be similar, but if you consider the words, they will express a higher meaning, for a worker of the earth is one thing, and a farmer another. One is as a hireling, the other is as one who performs his duty as father of a family. Then Cain, who murdered his brother, was a worker of the earth. And that you know that to work the earth is more servile than to be a free man, his work is bound up in the the curse of the kin slayer. Then it is written: 'Because you will work the earth and it will not give its strength to you, but in groaning and in fear you shall be on the earth. 3 The earth is our flesh which as one wicked works, but he who is good cultivates. The former as a hireling seeks from the earth, the latter would gain the good fruits and the grace of discipline, so that he might make his field more fruitful, and he who is able to answer to the Lord for farming, he shall show the cares of the farmer. For what is a hireling but he who seeks food for his body alone, desiring the employment of his stomach more than all, and is not happy unless it is full; how would restraint profit such a fellow? The latter pastures for the utility of another. And what fruits the just man shall have, you know. The fruits of the spirit, charity, joy, peace, patience, and benevolence. The good farmer thus has continence, chastity, that if some trees sudddenly bend down to earth to pour out their seed, he with a certain sickle of temperance cuts them back, that he cut off what is weak, and they germinate what is fitting. Saint Ambrose, Noah and the Ark, Chapter 29 1 Gen 9.20 2 Gen 3.23 3 Gen 4.12

Gaining Security

Intra, inquit, tu et omnis domus tua in arcam; quia te vidi justum coram me in generatione ista. Manifeste fides propheticae sententiae etiam hoc astruitur loco, quia stultus sibi soli stultus est, sapiens autem sibi et plurimis sapit. Itaque Noe justi merito etiam domus ejus in diluvio servatur. Sic in mari navigantes, et in bello exercitus, si illis non desit gubernatoris peritia, istis imperatoris prudentia, a periculo tuti sunt aliena ope. Sed quia boni imperatoris bonus exercitus est; ideo etiam in eo laudem justi intelligimus non praeteriri, qui talem instituit domum suam, ut virtutis fulgeret consortio; meritoque invenit salutem cognatio. Nec repugnat, quia postea aut filius, aut uxor offendit. Dormiebat justus, cum erraret filius. Femina quoque utpote sexus fragilioris mole periculi turbata, quae totum orbem divino incendio perire crederet, quid miraris si virum non potuit sequi, cum ipse justus ab angelis monitus vix evaserit? Quid autem mirum si homini obrepit error, aut se relaxat intentio? Argue ergo quia et justus inebriatus est. Sed haec loco suo reservanda arbitror.Nunc quod superest consideremus. Pulchre enim dixit: Quia vidi te justum coram me in generatione ista. Multi hominibus justi videntur, pauci Deo: aliter hominibus, aliter Deo. Hominibus secundum vitae speciem; Deo secundum puritatem animi, virtutis veritatem; homines quae foris sunt probant: Deus quae intus examinat. Perpense autem addidit: In generatione ista; ut neque superiores condemnaret, neque posteriores excluderet, recteque diluvium factum astrueret interitu generationis ejus quae non haberet consortium aequitatis. Haec secundum litteram. Altior autem sensus provocat nos, ut hoc putemus vigorem mentis in anima esse, et animam in corpore, quod est paterfamilias in domo sua. Quod enim in anima mens, hoc anima in corpore. Si mens tuta est, tuta est domus, tuta anima: si anima incolumis, incolumis caro. Mens enim sobria passiones omnes cohibet, sensus gubernat, sermonem regit. Ideoque bene dicit Dominus justo, intra tu, hoc est, in teipsum intra, in tuam mentem, in tuae animae principale; ibi salus est, ibi gubernaculum; foris diluvium, foris periculum. Si autem intus fueris, et foris tutus es; quia ubi mens sui arbitra est, bonae sunt cogitationes, bonae sunt exsecutiones. Si enim nihil vitii mentem obumbret, sincerae cogitationes sunt. Si studio sit castitas, cordi sit temperantia, nulla inardescit flamma libidinis, nulla ulcera proserpunt aegritudinis. Sobrietas enim mentis, medicina est corporis. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XI Source: Migne PL 14.376d-d

'Go within', He says, 'you and all your house into the ark, for I have found you a righteous man before me in this generation.'1 Manifestly the worthiness of this prophetic statement here is increased, because the fool is a fool to himself, but the wise man is wise for himself and many others. 2 Therefore Noah by being righteous protects his house from the flood. As on the sea sailing, so as an army at battle, if the ability of the one who directs is not lacking, they are protected from exterior danger. And because the army of a good general is good, therefore we understand that praise for this for the righteous man is not to be omitted, he who stands so in his own house so that his virtue shines on his family, and with merit they also find salvation. Nor does it trouble that afterward a son or a wife gave offence. The righteous man was sleeping when his son erred. 3 Also a woman as the weaker sex by grave peril is overthrown. Why wonder that she who thought the whole world has perished in Divine fire was not able to follow her man, when that righteous one who was warned by angels scarcely escaped? Is it so astonishing that error creeps up on a man, or that his resolves slips? Accuse, then, because the righteous fellow was drunk. But I think I should reserve this for its proper place. Now let us consider what remains. Well it is said: 'For I have found you righteous before me in this generation.' 1 Many seem just to men, few to God. As it is with men, it is otherwise with God. Men judge according to the appearances of life, God according to the purity of soul, according to the truth of virtue. Men take note of things which are exterior, God what is within. Consider how it is added: 'In this generation,' that He neither condemns those who come before, nor does He exclude those who will came after, and rightly he imposed the flood to ruin on his generation which had no association with fairness. So it is according to the letter. But a higher meaning calls to us, that we consider the strength of the mind is in the soul, and the soul in the body, as a father of a family in his own house. And as the mind in the soul, so the soul in the body. If the mind is guarded, so is the house, and so is the soul. If the soul is secure, so is the flesh. The mind curbs all the passions to sobriety, guides the senses, rules speech. And therefore well does the Lord say to the righteous man, 'Go within you', that is, within yourself, in your mind, in the ruling part of your soul, for there is salvation, there the guide. For outside is the flood, outside is danger. If you were within, you would be protected from that which is without, because where the mind is its own master, there are good thoughts and from them good deeds follow. For if no vice benights the mind, thoughts are upright. If there is zeal for chastity, if the heart is temperate, no flame of lust burns, no sores of sickess creep in. The sober mind is the medicine of the body. Saint Ambrose, Noah and the Ark, Chapter 11 1 Gen 7.1 2 cf Prov 9.12 3 Gen 9.22

Creating Giants

Nunc quaero qua ratione Cham illius improbi filium seniorem Scriptura fuisse memoraverit? Duo genera terrae, unum velut arenosum et pulverulentum, imo, ut expressius dicam, pulvis: aliud genus terrae fructiferum atque fecundum, hoc est, terra solidior et profunda. Quid igitur improbus nisi pulverem generat, ex quo generatio esse non possit? Ideoque Propheta pulverem impiis comparavit dicens: Non sic impii, non sic, sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae. Eo quod etiam secundum altiorem sensum infecunda sit impiorum anima, quae fructus utiles generare non possit. Qua ratione etiam Chus Nembroth gigantem genuerit, qui erat venator ante Deum? Unde dictum est: Sicut Nembroth gigas venator ante Deum.Quid igitur aliud pulvis et arena generaret, nisi terrenum hominem; eo quod impius coelestibus terrena praeponat. Gigantes enim fabulae inducunt adversum supera voluisse pugnare, et terreno ascensu scandendum ad coelestia putaverunt. Altiore autem sensu illud significatur, quod qui terrenas diligit voluptates, eas sequitur, et putat his se posse ad Dei gratiam pervenire, et regnum coeleste hujusmodi erroribus deferendum, is adversum coelestia contumaci praeliatur affectu. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XXXIV Source: Migne PL 14.461a

Now I ask for what reason Scripture recalls the elder son of that shameful Ham. 1 Two types of earth there are, one is sandy and powdery, which I say is better expressed as dust, and the other type of earth is fruitful and fecund, that is, it is an earth more solid and deep. What, then, does the shameful give birth to but dust, from there is no generation? Therefore the Prophet compared the impious to dust, saying, 'No so with the impious, not so, but they are as dust which the wind casts forth from the face of the earth.' 2 Which understood according to a higher sense is the barren soul of the impious, which is not able to put forth useful fruits. For what reason did Chus sire the giant Nimrod, who was a hunter before God? Whence it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a giant hunter before the Lord.’3 What shall generate dust and sand, unless a man of the earth? That impious one who prefers earth to heaven. For it is told that the giants of fable wished to fight against the heavens, and rising from the earth they thought to climb up to heaven. And this in a higher sense means that he who loves worldly pleasure, following such things, thinks that by these things he is able to come into the grace of God, and that the heavenly kindgom should defer to his errors, and such a one wars against the heavens in his insolent state. Saint Ambrose, Noah and the Ark, Chapter 34 1 Gen 10.6-7 2 Psal 1.4 3 Gen 10.9

Covering Up Sins

Quid est quod Sem et Japheth imposuerunt vestimentum super humeros suos, et perrexerunt retrorsum, et operuerunt nudum patrem, et non viderunt nudationem ejus? Littera evidentem pietatis expressit affectum, quod nudatum amictu patrem boni filii videre caverunt, ne paterna reverentia vel ipso minueretur aspectu. Siquidem etiam tacito vultu pietas frequenter offenditur. Unde etiam Romae vetus fuisse usus dicitur, ne filii cum parentibus et maxime puberes intrarent lavacrum. Sensus autem altior hoc habet, quia insipiens praesentia tantummodo videt quae in oculis sunt, futura non respicit, praeterita non cogitat. Sapiens autem et praeterita recordatur, et futura considerat. Omnis ergo mens sapiens retrorsum ambulat, hoc est, praeterita spectat; nec naturae quodam usu impeditur: nihil vacuum, nihil nudum suorum patitur esse gestorum. Operit quae aliter gesta sunt amictu quodam et gratia vel praesentis operis, vel futuri; ut nihil indecorum praetereat, nihil inornatum relinquat. Unde et Apostolus superiora obliviscebatur, priora appetebat: sed obliviscebatur, ut absconderet persecutionis errores, ut tegeret superiora delicta, bonisque operibus obumbraret. Beati enim et illi quorum tecta sunt peccata; id est, si tegantur bonis factis, et operiantur virtutum sequentibus disciplinis. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe Et Arca, Caput XXXI Source: Migne PL 14.412d-413b

Why is it that Shem and Japeth placed the vestment on their shoulders and walked backward that they cover the nakedness of their father and not see his nakedness? 1 The bare letter expresses the affection of piety, that the good sons by use of the vestment are wary to look on their father's nudity, lest paternal reverence, or the appearance of it, be threatened, for certainly even a silent face may frequently offend. Whence it is said that it was an old custom of Rome that sons, and especially adolescents, not enter the baths with their parents. But this also has a higher meaning, that the unwise man sees only what is present before his eyes, not looking to the future or thinking on the past. For wise is he who remembers what has passed and considers the future. Thus every mind that is wise walks backward, that is, it looks on things of the past, not being impeded by the common way of nature, but suffering nothing worthless, nothing shameful to be associated with its own deeds. For he covers what is done otherwise with the cloak and grace of present works, or shall do, that nothing indecorous shall have been done, nor anything unfitting be left behind. Whence the Apostle Paul forgets things before, desiring things after, forgetting so that he might cover up the errors of persecution, and that he conceal past crimes beneath the shadow of good works. 2 For blessed are those whose sins are covered up; 3 that is, if they are covered up with good deeds, and obscured with the later exertions of virtue. Saint Ambrose, On Noah And The Ark, Chap 31 1 Gen 9.23 2 Phil 3.13-14 3 Ps 31.1

Hope And Forgiveness

Promittitur diluvium numquam ejusmodi futurum esse, ut terram omnem corrumpat;   Sensus autem hoc altior habet, quod jam providentia futura sit Domini, ne tantum sit diluvium corporalium passionum, ut anima omnis intereat. Et quidem non audeo dicere quia videtur Dominus statuere, quod nullius anima possit penitus interire. Quid enim de parricida dicimus? Quid etiam de homicida? Quid de adultero? Quid de praevaricatore? Quas ei partes animae ad veniam reservamus? Unde magis illud arbitror quod provocet Dominus Deus, ut etiam si quis leviores alias habeat passiones, non penitus divinam desperet gratiam, nec omnimodis victurum se esse diffidat. Sed etiam si est luxuriosus, nec potest studium vitare luxuriae, ab adulterio tamen studeat temperare; sit epulandi delectatio, non stuprandi sit. Etiam si nescio quis avarus qui aliena diripuit, ejecit pupillos, eliminavit viduas, vel postea tamen in poenitentiam regressus restituat quod abstulit. Denique Zachaeus ideo veniam meruit, quia non solum restituturum se, sed quadruplum promisit quibus aliqua sustulisset, pauperibus quoque medietatem sui patrimonii donaturum. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe Et Arca, Caput XXVII Source: Migne PL 14 407

And He promised they would never be a flood in the future that would destroy the earth... 1 This has a higher meaning, concerning the providence of the Lord in the future, that there would not be such a deluge of corporeal passions that the whole soul would perish. And certainly I do not dare to say that it appears that the Lord has determined that no soul shall be able to be utterly destroyed. For what shall we say about the parricide? The murderer? The adulterer? What of the inveterate sinner? What part of his soul shall we reserve for forgiveness? Whence better I judge it that the Lord said that even if someone have the lighter passions then he should not utterly despair of Divine grace, not being utterly hopeless as if he has been utterly conquered. But even if he is a man of luxury, and cannot avoid the passion for luxury, from adultery however let him desire to exercise restraint, that there may be delight in feasts but not lasciviousness. Even if I do not know how the avaricious man who seizes the goods of others, casts out orphans, ruins widows, and yet later coming to penance restores what he has taken, yet so it was that Zacchaeus eventually merited forgiveness, because not only was he to make restoration, but he promised that he give to to those from whom he had taken fourfold return, and that he would give to the poor from his own patrimony. 2 Saint Ambrose, from Noah And The Ark, Chap 27 1 Gen 9.11 2. Lk 19.1-10

Noah And Respite

Ὁ δίκαιος Νῶε τὸν Χριστὸν χαρακτηρίζει, τὸν λέγοντα ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· Δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ πεφορτισμένοι τοῖς πολλοῖς παραπτώμασιν, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, λελυτρωμένους ἐργασίας φαυλοτάτης καὶ ἐπικαταράτου. Τεχθέντος γάρ ποτε τοῦ μακαρίου Νῶε, τυπικῶς καὶ προφητικῶς εἴρηται, ὅτι Οὗτος διαναπαύσει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἧς κατηράσατο Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμων.  Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΠΔ' Φιλαγριῳ Πρεσβυτερῳ Migne PG 79 120

The righteous Noah is a type of Christ, He who said in the Gospels, 'Come to me all of you who are weighed down with burdens and I shall give you rest,' 1 that is, in the ark of the Church, being liberated from the most wretched and execrable troubles. For when Noah was born, in a figure and as a prophecy it was said, 'He shall console us from our labours, and from the land which the Lord our God has cursed.' 2 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 84 To Philargius the Presbyter 1 Mt 11.28 2 Gen 5.29