Study Wisdom

Ad sapientiae studiosam acquisitionem; Proverbiorum vigesimo septimo: Stude sapientie, fili mi. Filium vocat, quemcumque paterna affectione informat, sive sit iuvenis, sive senex. Augustinus: Ad discendum quod opus est nulla mihi aetas sera videri potest; quia, etsi senes magis docere deceat quam doceri, magis tamen decet eos discere, quam quid doceant ignorare. Stude, inquit, et hoc innuit vehementem diligentiam circa acquisitionem sapientiae adhibendam. Studium enim, ut dicit Tullis, est vehemens applicatio animi cum summa voluptate ad aliquid agendum. Haec autem vehemens animi applicatio requirit vacationem ab exterioribus occupationibus. Impar enim efficitur ad singula qui confusa mente dividitur ad multa, ut dicit Gergorius. Propter quod Ecclesiastici trigesimo octavo: Sapientiam scribe in tempore vacuitatus, id est vacationis ab opere exteriori; qui enim minoratur actu, scilicet exteriori, percipiet sapientiam, ut dicitur in eodem. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Librum Sapientiae, Prooemium Source: Here, 358c

Concerning the studious acquisition of wisdom, it is said in the twenty seventh chapter of Proverbs, 'Study wisdom, my son.' 1 He names him a son whoever he shapes with fatherly love, whether he is a youth or an old man. Augustine says: 'It does not seem to me that old age should be an obstacle to learning, because even if it befits the old to teach rather than to be taught, yet it is more befitting to learn something than to be ignorant of what one should teach.' 2 'Study,' it says here, and this signifies attachment to a concentrated desire for the acquisition of wisdom. For as Cicero says, 'Studiousness is the concentrated application of the soul with great pleasure for the accomplishment of something.' 3 But this concentrated application of the soul requires leisure from exterior occupations, since flaws come into each thing when a confused mind is divided among many things, as Gregory says. 4 About which it says in the thirty eighth chapter of Ecclesiasticus: 'Write wisdom in a time of quiet.' 5 That is, when one has leisure from exterior work. And in the same place: 'For he who is less in deeds,' that is exterior ones, 'acquires wisdom.' Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On Wisdom, Introduction 1 Prov 27.11 2 Aug Epist 166.1 3 Circero Rhet 1.25 4 Greg Reg Past 1.4 5 Sirach 38.25

Lives And Lengths

Dicit aliquis: Cur ergo psalmus dixit: Psallam Deo meo quamdiu vivo, et non dixit: Psallam Deo meo semper? Ubi enim dicitur: Quamdiu vivo, quasi finis significatur, sed si non intellegatur. Si putas de hac vita dictum, quamdiu vivo, discute vitam istam utrum hic sit diu. Quantumcumque hic vixeris, diu non est. Quomodo est diu, quod te non satiat? Dicit puer diu vixisse hominem, quem videt senem. Sed cum pervenerit quo ille pervenit, tunc videt quam non fuerit diu. Prorsus sic volat aetas, ita in se momenta transcurrunt, ut videamus nudius tertius fuisse nos pueros, heri iuvenes, hodie senes. Ubi ergo putas de hac vita esse dictum, quamdiu vivo, psallam Deo meo, ideo quia dixit quamdiu vivo, ibi verax intellectus est de hac vita non esse dictum, quia dixit quamdiu. Numquam enim diceret veritas quamdiu de ista vita, ubi nihil est diu. Potuerunt hoc videre sapientes huius mundi, et non hoc possunt videre christiani? Quidam sapientum mundi, eloquentissimus homo dixit: Quid enim hoc ipsum diu, in quo est aliquid extremum? Omnino negavit diu, esse, quod ad finem quandocumque potuerit pervenire. Prorsus quandocumque, non quousque tu vixisti, si forte ad senectutem ultimam pervenisti. Unius enim hominis vita, praesertim hoc tempore, vapor est ad modicum apparens. Hoc, quod dixi, Scriptura dixit. Exultantibus hominibus, et per superbiam multa pollentibus, et an continuo moriantur nescientibus, Scriptura divina dixit, et eos ita superbientes et in vanis fidentes suae transitoriae fragilitatis admonuit. Quae est enim, inquit, vita vestra? Vapor est ad modicum apparens, deinceps exterminabitur. Qui ergo se erigit in elatione, confidit in vapore; extollitur in honore, et perit cum vapore. Reprimenda est ergo superbia, et quanta possumus intentione calcanda. Et intellegendum nos in hac terra mortaliter vivere, et cogitandum esse de fine ubi non erit finis. Non enim si tu, ut dicere coeperam quicumque senuisti, valde extolleris, si putas te diu vixisse qui aliquando finiturus es, sed ipse Adam si adhuc viveret, et non modo, sed in fine saeculi moreretur, nihil haberet diu, in quo aliquid esset extremum. Et verissime dictum est, et prudenter intellectum est, et verum esse non tantum praedicatur, sed etiam ab auditoribus agnoscitur. Referamus animum ad psalmum quem cantavimus, et inveniamus quia ille non diceret: Psallam Deo meo, quandiu vivo, nisi de illa vita ubi diu est. Si enim in ista vita ideo nihil diu, quia est aliquid extremum, non ad istam vitam desiderandam vocamur, quando christiani efficimur. Non enim propterea christiani efficimur, ut bene nobis sit in hac vita. Si enim propterea putaverimus nos fieri christianos, ut hic nobis bene sit secundum vitam istam temporalem, secundum felicitatem volaticam et vapoream valde erramus, et nutabunt pedes nostri Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermones Inediti, Sermo 33a, De versu Psalmi CXLV: Laudabo Dominum in vita mea, psallam Deo meo quamdiu vivo Source: Migne PL 46.918-919

Someone says, 'Why does the Psalm say, 'I shall sing to my God as long as I live?' 1 and it does not say, 'I shall sing to my God always?' for where it is said, 'As long as I live,' it is as if an end is signified.' But that is only if it is misunderstood. If you think this life was spoken of with 'as long as I live,' consider how long this life is. However long you have lived here, it is not long at all. How can that be long which does not satisfy you? A boy who sees an old man says he is a man who has lived a long time. But when he comes to where that man is then he will see that it is not long at all. Indeed, how a life flies by, how the moments run into one another, so that it seems it was just two days ago we were boys, and only yesterday we were young men, and today we are old men. When, then, you think it was spoken of this life when it was said 'as long as I live, I shall sing to my God,' then because he said 'as long as I live,' so the true understanding does not concern this life, because he said 'as long as.' For never would the truth say 'as long as' about this life, when it is hardly anything at all to live. The wise of this world are able to see this, and do Christians not see it? A certain wise one of the world, the most eloquent man, said, 'What is this 'as long', in which there is some limit?' 2 Here he denies 'long' can come to an end at any time. Certainly it will, at some time or other, whatever length of time you have lived here, if perhaps you come to extreme old age. For the life of a man, especially at this time, is a mist appearing for a little while. 3 Scripture says what I say. While men exult, and through pride would do much, ignorant that they might perish in a moment, Scripture says it. Even so it has admonished men in their pride and vanity about their transitory fragility. What is it, then, your life? It is a mist appearing for a little while, and then it disappears. Therefore he who raises himself up in elation, he puts his trust in a mist, and he who is exalted by honours, he perishes with the mist. Thus is pride reproved, and thus with firm intention we are able to trample it under foot. We should understand that we live mortally on this earth, and we should think of that end where there is no end. For it is not only that you, as I said, who have aged, who exalt yourself, should think while living that you shall at some time come to an end, but even Adam himself should, if yet he lived, and not only that, but at the end of the world died, for even then he would have nothing 'long', since he had some limit. It truly has been spoken, and wisely it has been understood, when there is not only the preaching of the truth but also the understanding of those who hear. Let us turn our minds back to the Psalm we have sung, and we shall find that he would not have said 'I will sing to my God as long as I live,' unless he had meant that life where 'long' really is. For if there is nothing 'long' in this life because there is always some limit, then we are not called to desire this life when we become Christians. We did not become Christians that it go well for us in this life. If that is why we thought we became Christians, so that things would go well for us in this temporal life, which is a fleeting happiness like a mist, we are very gravely in error, and our feet will stumble. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Unpublished Sermons, from Sermon 33, On the verse of Psalm 145, 'I shall praise the Lord in my life, I shall sing to my God while I live.' 1 Ps 145.2 2 Cicero, Orat pro M Marcello 28 3 Jam 4.15

Old Age And Help

Μὴ θαρσήσῃς τῷ γήρα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ γέροντες πίπτουσιν· ἐπικαλοῦ δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀεὶ πρὸς βοήθειαν, ἵν αὐτός σου φρουρὸς καὶ ἄσειστος ἀσφάλεια γένηται. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Δεύτερον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΚΓ´ Ἀφροσισιῳ Διακονῳ Source: Migne PG 79.209c

Do not be over confident in old age, for even old men have fallen. But always call on Christ as your help, that he may be your guard and unshakeable security. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 2, Letter 23 to Aphrodisius the Deacon

The Testimony Of Death

Illud quoque egregium, quod ait Scriptura: Ante mortem non laudaveris quemquam. Unusquisque enim in novissimis suis cognoscitur, et in filiis suis aestimatur, si bene filios suos instituit, et disciplinis competentibus erudivit. Siquidem ad negligentiam patris refertur dissolutio filiorum. Tum quia unusquisque, quandiu vivit, obnoxius est lapsui, nec senectus immunis a crimine; ideo legis quia Abraham mortuus est in senectute bona, eo quod in bonitate propositi sui permansit. Mors igitur vitae est testimonium. Nam si laudari ante gubernator non potest, quam in portum navem deduxerit, quomodo laudabis hominem, priusquam in stationem mortis successerit? Et ipse sui est gubernator, et ipse vitae hujus jactatur profundo, quandiu in salo isto, tandiu inter naufragia. Dux ipse nisi confecto praelio non sumit lauream, nec miles arma deponit, nec stipendii mercedem adipiscitur, nisi hoste superato. Mors igitur stipendiorum plenitudo, summa mercedis, gratia missionis est. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Bono Mortis, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 14.556b-c

That is also excellent which Scripture says: 'You shall not praise any man before his death.' 1 Any man is known by his last days, and he is judged by his offspring, if he has raised good sons, and educated them sufficiently in studies. Indeed wayward children are referred to the negligence of the father. So as anyone while he lives is liable to fall, nor is an old man immune from error,  thus you read that 'Abraham died in good old age.' 2 by which it is asserted that he remained in a good state. Death, therefore, is a testimony of life. For if it is not possible to praise a pilot before he leads the ship into port, how will you praise a man before he has arrived at the resting place of death? He is the pilot of his own life cast out on the deep, where there will be plain sailing and where there will be shipwrecks. A general, unless he is victorious in battle, does not receive laurels, nor does a soldier put down his arms or obtain the reward of his pay until the enemy is conquered. Therefore death is the fullness of pay, the consummation of reward, the joy of discharge after service. Saint Ambrose, On the Good of Death, Chapter 8 1 Sirach 11.28 2 Gen 25.8

Man And Boy

Ερώτησις Θ' Τί δήποτε κομιδῇ νέῳ ὄντι τῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ὢφθη Θεός; Εἰς ἔλεγχον τοῦ γεγρηρακότος ἀρχιερέως τὸ μειράκιον ἠξιώθη τῆς θείας ἐπιφανείας. Οὕτω γαρ ἤν ἄγαν νέος, ὡς τὴν περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδασκαλίαν μηδέπω δύνασθαι δέξασθαι. Αὐτικα γοῦν ὁ Ἡλεὶ μετὰ τὴν τρίτην κλῆσιν συνεὶς ὡς ὁ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ καλῶν, περιτὸν μὲν εἰπεῖν, καὶ ὑπέλαβεν ὡς ὁ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ καλῶν· ἔφη δέ· Ἐὰν καλέσῃ σε ὁ καλῶν ἐρεῖς, Λάλει, Κύριέ μου ὅτι ἀκούει ὁ δοῦλος σου. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ἡλικίαν τῆς πολιᾶς προτετίμηκεν ὁ Θεός· καὶ τὸν ὀκτὼ καὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἕτη βεβιωκότα, καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἕτη ἀρχῆς ἀξιωθέντα διπλῆς, καὶ κριτὴς γὰρ ἦν, καὶ ἀρχιερεὺς καταλιπὼν, τῷ σμικροτάτῳ διειλέχθη παιδίῳ· διδάσκων ὅσῳ πολιᾶς ἀμείνων νεότης ἀρετῇ κοσμουμένη. Ὁ μέντοι Ἡλεὶ δῆλός ἐστιν οἰκείοις μὲν κοσμούμενος κατορθώμασι· διὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν παίδων πονηρίαν τῆς πανωλεθρίας τὴν ψῆφον δεξάμενος. Δηλοῖ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσένειαν καὶ τὰ ῥήματα. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ᾐσχύνθη πατακαλέσαι τὸν νέον μηνῦσαι τὰ θεόθεν ἀπαγγελθέντα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅρκοις αὐτὸν κατέδησε καὶ ἀραῖς, ὥστε μηδὲν ἀποκρύψαι τῶν δηλωθέντων. Εἶτα τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν ψῆφον μαθὼν, τὴν ἀξιέπαινον ἀφῆκε φωνήν· Κύριος ἐστι, τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιήσει. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν υἱῶν τὴν σφαγὴν ἐγνωκὼς, οὐκ ἀγεννῶς ἢνεγκεν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ πρεσβύτης· τὴν δέ γε κιβωτὸν δορυάλωτον γεγενῆσθαι μαθὼν, κατέπεσε μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ δίφρου, τῇ δὲ τῆς ἀθυμίας ὑπερβολῇ τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Την Πρωτην Των Βασιλειων Source:Migne PG 80.129a-b

Question 9 Why was it that the God of all appeared to Samuel while he was yet so young? 1 For the reproof of the high priest who was old the youth was worthy of the Divine appearance. For he was yet very young and so not able to receive the teaching of God. And quickly Heli, after the third calling, understanding that it might be God who was calling, spoke with sense, and supposing that it might be God who was calling, said: 'If he calls you, who has called, say: Speak, my Lord, because your servant is listening.' Even with this said, God did pass over the years of the old man, scorning him who had lived ninety eight years, who for forty two years had been honoured with the office of magistrate, for he was a judge and high priest, and He spoke to a little boy, by that teaching how much more adorned with virtue might be youth than old age. And though it is clear that Heli was adorned with right deeds, on account of the depravity of his sons he received the sentence of death. But his words did show his piety. For firstly he did not blush to ask a youth about what had been spoken to him by God. And then he even constrained him with oaths and curses, that the boy reveal all clearly to him. Then when he had learnt the full extent of it, he gave voice to praise: 'It is the Lord, who shall do what is pleasing before Him.' Then learning of the slaughter of his sons, the father and old man was not carried off by such bereavement, but when he learnt that the ark had been seized by the enemy, then he fell from his seat, slain by the grave grief of his soul, receiving the end of his life. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On The First Book Of Kings 1 1 Kings 3.10-

Anna The Widow

Docuit igitur Scriptura quantam collatio conferat gratiam, quantum etiam sit munus divinae benedictionis in viduis. Quibus quoniam honorificentia a Deo tanta confertur, est advertere qualis debeat vita competere; docet enim Anna quales deceat esse viduas, quae immaturo mariti obitu destituta, maturae tamen adoream laudis invenit: non minus religionis officio, quam studio castitatis intenta. Vidua, inquit, octoginta et quator annorum, vidua quae non discederet de templo, vidua quae jejuniis et obsecrationibus die ac nocte serviret. Vides qualis vidua praedicetur, unius viri uxor, aetatis quoque jam probata processu, vivida religioni, et effeta jam corpore: cui diversorium in templo, colloquium in prece, vita in jejunio: quae dierum noctiumque temporibus indefessae devotionis obsequio, cum corporis agnosceret senectutuem, pietatis tamen nesciret aetatem. Sic instituitur a juventute vidua, sic praedicatur in senectute veterana: quae viduitatem non occasione temporis, non imbecillitate corporis, sed virtutis magnanimitate servaverit. Etenim cum dicit septem annis eam cum viro fuisse a virginitate sua, ad adolescentiae utique studiis inchoata predicat subsidia senectutis. Docemur itaque triplicem castitatis esse virtutem: unam conjugalem, aliam viduitatis, tertiam virginitatis; non enim aliam sic praedicamus, ut excludamus alias. Suis quibusque professionibus ista conducunt. In hoc Ecclesiae est opulens disciplina, quod quos praeferat, habet: quos rejiciat, non habet; atque utinam habere numquam possit. Ita igitur virginitatem praedicavimus ut viduas non rejiceremus: ita viduas honoramus, ut suus honos conjugio reservetur. Non nostra hoc praecepta, sed divina testimonia docent. Reminsicamur itaque quemadmodum Maria, quemadmodum Anna, quemadmodum Susanna laudentur. Sed quoniam non laudes earum tantummodo praedicandae sunt, sed disciplinae etiam sunt sequendae, reminiscamur ubi Susanna, ubi Anna, ubi Maria, sint repertae: et advertamus quemadmodum singulae aptis laudibus praedicentur, ut ubinam commorentur: nupta in paradiso, vidua in templo, virgo in secreto. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Viduis, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 16. 241b-242b

Scripture therefore teaches how much grace is given by unity, and how great is the gift of divine blessing in widows. And since such honour is given to them by God, we should observe what sort of life they pursue. Now Anna shows what widows ought to be, she who was left destitute by the early loss of her husband and yet found the reward of full praise, intent not less on the duties of religion than on the care for chastity. A widow, it says, of eighty four years, a widow who did not depart from the temple, a widow who served night and day with fasting and with prayers. 1 You see how a widow is spoken of: the wife of one man, tried also by the advance of age, vigorous in religion even though worn out in body, whose station is the temple, whose conversation is prayer, whose life is fasting, she who through the hours of day and night by a service of unwearied devotion, though the body admit old age, yet she knows no age in piety. So is a widow trained from her youth, so she is spoken of in her old age, she who has guarded her widowhood not by the chance of time, nor by weakness of body, but by magnanimity in virtue. For when it is said that she was seven years from her virginity with her man, it shows us that the things which are the support of her old age began in the zeal of her youth. And so we are taught that the virtue of chastity is threefold, one kind is the married life, the second widowhood, and the third virginity, for we do not exhort one to exclude the others. Each with its own profession leads onward together.  In this the discipline of the Church is rich, that it has those whom it may set before others, but has none whom it rejects, and that it were that it never had any. Thus we have spoken of virginity so that we do not reject widowhood, thus we reverence widows so that we reserve wedlock its own honour. It is not our commands but the Divine sayings which teach this. Let us remember how Mary, how Anna, and how Susanna are praised. But since we must not only tell their praises but also follow their discipline, let us remember where Susanna, 2 and where Anna, 3 and where Mary 4 are found, and note how each is spoken of with her special commendation, and in which place each is mentioned, she that is married in the garden, the widow in the temple, the virgin in her secret chamber Saint Ambrose, On Widows, Chap 4 1 Lk 2.36-37 2 Dan 13.7 3 Lk 2.38 4 Lk 1.28

A Keen Learner

Didymus, Alexandrius, captus a parva aetate oculis, et ob id elementorum quoque ignarus, tantum miraculum sui omnibus praebuit, ut dialecticam quoque, et geometriam, quae vel maxime visu indiget, usque ad perfectum didicerit. Is plura opera et nobilia conscripit, commentarios in psalmos omnes, commentarios in Evangelium Matthaei et Joannis, et de Dogmatibus, et contra Arianos libros duos, et de Spiritu sancto librum unum, quem ego in Latinum verti, in Isaiam tomos decem et octo, in Osee, ad me scribens, commentariorum libros tres, et in Zachariam, meo rogatu, libros quinque, et commentarios in Job, et infinita alia quae digerere proprii indiciis est. Vivit usque hodie, et octogesimum tertium aetatis excessit annum. Sanctus Hieronymous, De Viris Illustribus, Caput CIX Source: Migne PL 23.705a

Didymus of Alexandria, afflicted by blindness of the eyes while very young, and because of this ignorant of the rudiments of learning, displayed such a miracle of intelligence in all things that even dialectics and geometry, studies which especially require sight, he learned perfectly. He wrote many admirable works: Commentaries on all the Psalms, Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and of John, On The Doctrines, two books Against the Arians, and one book On the Holy Spirit, which I have translated into Latin, eighteen volumes On Isaiah, three books of commentaries On Hosea, addressed to me, and five books On Zechariah, written at my asking, also commentaries On Job, and countless other things, which to set forth would be a work in itself. He is still living today, and has passed his eighty third year. Saint Jerome, On Illustrious Men, Chapter 109

Estranged Sons

Υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐπαλαιώθησαν, καὶ τα ἐξῆς. Τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀρχὴ καὶ πηγὴ τυγχάνων ὁ Θεὸς, πατὴρ γίνεται τῶν ἀγαθοεργούντων· καὶ ὅσον ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν τὰ δέοντα τυγχάνουσιν οὗτοι ἴδιοι υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετέχοντες τοὺ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ἀπροσεκτήσαντες, τῶν ἐναντίων μεθέξουσιν, ταῦτα δ' ἐστιν τὰ κακὰ, ἀλλοτριωθεῖειν Θεοῦ· οἶς ἀκολουθήσει καὶ τὸ, παλαιωθῆναι. Κοινωνοῦντες γὰρ τῇ ἀρετῇ λαμπρᾷ καὶ ἁμαράντῳ σοφιᾳ και ἀγήρῳ ἀεὶ νεάζοντες ἐτυγχανον· μεταπεσόντες δὲ εἰς τὴν κακίαν, παλαιωθεῖεν ὑπὸ τῆς φθορᾶς αὐτῶν, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, τριβακούμενοι. Καὶ ἔτι ἐπεὶ περὶ Ἰουδαίων ἐστὶν ὁ στίχος· οὗτοι δὲ παρακάθηνται τῇ παλαιότητι τοῦ γράμματος, οὐδὲ κατὰ ποσὸν ἔπεσθαι τῇ καινόντητι τοῦ πνεύματος ἁνεχόμενοι, Υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι καὶ πεπελαιωμένοι γεγένηνται. Οὗτοι δὲ καὶ ἐπαμφοτερισταὶ καὶ δίψυχοι γεγένημενοι, χωλεύειν ἀπὸ τῶν σφῶν τρίβων λέγονται. Τὸ γὰρ ἐπαμφοτερίζειν, χωλεύειν Ἠλίας εἶπεν φάσκων· Ἔως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ἰγνύαις; Εἰ ἔστιν Κύριος, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τάχα πᾶς ὁ τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν προσηκάμενος, μὴ ὡς δεῖ διανοούμενος αὐτὴν, χωλεύειν ἐν αὐτῇ λέγεται· τοῦ μὴ παραδεξαμένου αὐτὴν, μήτε βαδίζοντος, μήτε χωλεύοντος ἐν αὐτῇ. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος ΙΖ'

'Estranged sons have withered,' 1 and what follows. God is the principle and fount of all goods, a father doing good, and whoever in deed does rightly they are like the sons of God, participants in the the only begotten Son of God. And if they decline from this, partaking of what is opposite to this, by these wicked things they are estranged from God, by which it follows that they wither. For those participant in virtue shine with unfading wisdom, and not growing old are ever young, but they who fall into wickedness, they age by their own corruption, and, so I say, perish. And then the verse is about the Jews, for these serving the old letter are not able to follow the new spirit and 'Estranged sons' and 'withered' they are.' And those who are wavering and uncertain are then referred to, when they are said to hobble from their paths. 1 And about wavering and doubt Elijah speaks, saying, 'How long shall you hesitate with your feet? If he is the Lord, follow him.' 2 And perhaps everyone who receives Divine Scripture and does not grasp it as it befits is one who hesitates in the way of the things that are said. And he who does not receive it, well, he neither walks in it, nor does he hobble in it. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 17 1 Ps 17. 46 2 3 kings 18.21

Peter and Caiaphas

Τοὺς σαπέντας τῇ παλαιότηι, καὶ τὴν νέαν χάριν ἀθετήσαντας, ἀσκοὺς παλαιοὺς ὁ Κύριος προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς διαῥῥηγνυμένους, καὶ τὸν καινὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας ἐκχέοντας. Τοιοῦτος ὁ Καῖάφας ἐλήλεγκται. Ἀκούσας γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰμι, διέῥῥηξε τὰ ἱμάτια. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος τὸν νόμον τοῦ Πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς προσδεξάμενος, οὐ μόνον διδασκόμενος οὐκ ἀνένευσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μόνον ἐρωτηθεὶς ὡμολόγησεν, ἔμφυτον δείξας τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν εἴδησιν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΝΖ', Κυρῳ

Those who rot in old age and reject new grace the Lord names old wine skins, for they break and the new words of the kingdom flow out. 1 By this Caiaphas was marked, for when he heard the Lord say, 'I am the son of God,' he rent his vestments. 2 But Peter receiving the law of the Spirit of life, not only did not refuse to be taught, but being questioned confessed, exhibiting the knowledge of truth within. 3 Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 57, To Cyrus 1 Mt 9.17 2 Mt 26. 63 -65 3 Mt 16.16

Man and Change

Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορὲ εἰς σύνεσιν, ᾡδὴ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ.  Φαίνεται μὲν καὶ οὕτος ὁ ψαλμὸς τελειωτικός τος ὣν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, καὶ εἰς τὸ προκείμενον τέλος τοῖς κατ' ἀρετὴν βιοῦν προῃρημένοις τὴν ὠφέλειαν παρεχόμενος. Τοῖς γὰρ προκόπτουσι χρεία τῆς εἰς τὸ τελειωθῆναι διδασκαλίας, ἣν ὁ ψαλμὸς οὕτος παρέχεται, ἐπιγραφὴν ἐχων, 'Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων.' Κεκρυμμένως δὲ εἶπεν, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν οἱ μάλιστα πάντων τῶν λογικῶν ἀλλοιώσεσί τε καὶ τροπαῖς ταῖς ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἡμέρας καὶ ὥρας σχεδὸν ὑποκεμενοι. Οὕτε γὰρ σώματι οὕτε γνώμῃ οἱ αὑτοί ἐσμεν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἡμῶν, ἀεὶ ῥέον καὶ σκεδανύμενον, ἐν κινήσει ἐστὶ καὶ μεταβολῇ ἢ ἀπὸ μικροῦ εἰς τὸ μεῖζον αὐξόμενον, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ τελείου πρὸς τὸ ἔλαττον συστελλόμενον. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τᾠ ἀρτιγενεῖ παιδίῳ ὁ εἰς διδακελεῖον φοιτῶν ἤδη παῖς, καὶ πρὸς τὰς τῶν τεχνῶν καὶ μαθημάτων ἀναλήψεις ἐπιτηδείως ἔχων· ἕτερος δὲ πάλιν παρὰ τοῦτον ὁμολογουμένως ἐστὶν ὁ ἔφηβος, ἤδη τῶν νεανικῶν ἄπτεσθαι δυνάμενος. Καὶ παρὰ τὸν ἔφηβον ὁ ἀνὴρ ἄλλος τίς ἐστι καὶ στεῥῥτητι καὶ μεγέθει σώματος, καὶ τῇ τοῦ λόγου συμπληρώσει. Εἰς ἀκμὴν δὲ ἐλθὼν, καὶ τὸ στάσιμον τῆς ἡλικίας ἀπολαβὼν, πάλιν ἄρχεται κατὰ μικρὸν ὑφαιρεῖν πρὸς τὸ ἔλαττον, ὑποῥῥεούσης αὐτῷ λεληθότως τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἔξεως, καὶ τῶν σωματικῶν τόνων ἐλαττουμένων, ἕως ἄν, ὑπὸ γήρως κατακαμφθεὶς, τὴν εἰς ἔσχατον δυνάμεως ὑφαίρεσιν ὑπομείνῃ. Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν ἐσμὲν οἱ ἀλλοιούμενοι, καὶ σοφῶς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης ὁ ψαλμὸς παρῃνίξατο. Οὐ γὰρ ἄγγελοι ἐπιδέχονται τὴν ἀλλοίωσιν. Οὐδεις γὰρ παρ' ἐκείνοις παῖς, οὐδὲ νεανίσκος, οὐδὲ πρεσβύτης, ἀλλ' ἐν ᾗπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐκτίσθησαν καταστάσει, ἐν ταύτῃ διαμένουσιν, ἀκεραίας αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀτρέπτου τῆς συστάσεως σωζομένης. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀλλοιούμεθα, κατὰ μὲν τὸ σῶμα, ὡς δίδεικται, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, τοῖς ἀεὶ προσπίπτουσι πράγμαι συμμετατιθέντες τὰς διανοίας. Ἂλλοι μὲν γάρ ἐσμεν εὐθυμούμενοι, καὶ πάντων ἡμῖν τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον κατὰ ῥοῦν προϊόντων· ἄλλοι δὲ ἐν τοῖς περιστατικοῖς καιροῖς, ἐπειδάν τινι τῶν ἀβουλήτων προσπταίσωμεν. Ἀλλοιούμεθα δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὰς ὀργὰς, θηριώδη τινὰ κατάστασιν ἀναλαμβάνοντες. Ἀλλοιούμεθα καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας, κτηνώδεις γινόμενοι διὰ τοῦ καθ' ἡδονὴν βίου. Ἵπποι θηλυμανεῖς ἐγενήθησαν οἱ ταῖς γυναιξὶ τῶν πλησίον ἐπιμαινόμενοι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν δολερὸς ἀλώπεκι παρεικάζεται, ὡς Ἡρώδης· ὁ δὲ ἀναιδὴς κύων προσαγορεύεται, ὡς Νάβαλ ὁ Καρμήλιος. Ὡρᾷς τὸ ποικίλον καὶ πολυειδὲς τῆς ἀλλοιώσεως ἡμῶν; Θαύμασον οὖν τὸν προσφόρως τὴν προσηγορίαν ταύτην ἡμῖν ἐφαρμόσαντα. Διόπερ δοκεῖ μοί τις τῶν ἑρμηνευτων καλῶς καὶ εὐθυβόλως τὴν αὐτὴν διάνοιαν δι' ἑτέρας προσηγορίας ἐκδεδωκέναι, ἀντὶ τοῦ,' Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων,' εἰπὼν αὐτὸς, 'τοῖς υἱοῖς .' Τὸ ὠκόμορον τῶν ἀνθέων ἄξιον ἐνόμισε συγκρίνεσθαι τῷ ἐπικήρῳ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα χρόνον ἐγκέκλιται ἡ φωνὴ ( εἴρηται γὰρ Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, ὡς ὕστερόν ποτε τῆς ἀλλοιώσεως ταύτης ἀναφαινομένης ἡμῖν), ἐπισκεψώμεθα μήποτε τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡμῖν δοθήσεται· ἀλλοίωσις δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον καὶ πνευματικόν ' Σπείρεται γὰρ,' φησὶν, ' ἐν φθορᾷ, ἐγείρεται ἐν ἀφθαρσιᾳ.' Ὅρᾷς τὴν ἀλλοίωσιν; ' Σπείρεται ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ἐγείρεται ἐν δυνάμει. ' Σπείρεται σῶμα ψυχικὸν, ἐγείρεται σθμᾶ μνευματικόν· ὅτε καὶ πᾶσα ἡμῖν ἡ σωματικὴ κτίσις συναλλοιοῦται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ' Οἱ οὐρανοὶ ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἀλλάξει αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται. Τότε καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἔσται ἐπταπλασίων ἑαυτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν Ἤσαῖσν, καὶ ἡ σελήνη κατὰ τὸ νῦν ὑπάρχον μέγεθος τοῦ ἡλίου. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ πᾶσι γέγραπται τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἔχουσιν ὦτα κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, ' Τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις ἐπέγραψεν· ὡς οἶμαι, τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐπιμελομένοις, καὶ ἀεὶ διὰ τῶν γυμνασίων τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐπὶ τὸ μεϊζον προκόπτουσιν. Αὔτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ καλλίστη ἀλλοίωσις, ἣν ἡ δεξιὰ χαρίζεται τοῠ Ὑψίστου· ἧς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαβὶδ ἐπῄσθετο, ὅτε, γευσάμενος τῶν καλῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς, τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεξέτεινε. Τί γὰρ φησι; Καὶ εἶπα· Νῦν ἠρξάμην· αὔτη ἡ ἀλλοίωσις τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου. Ὥστε ὁ προκόπτων εἰς ἀρετὴν οὐκ ἔστιν ὅτε οὐκ ἀλλοιοῠται. Ὅτε γὰρ ἥμην, φησὶ, νήπιος, ἐλάλουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐφρόνουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος. Ὅτε δὲ γέγονα ἀνὴρ, κατήργνκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου. Καὶ πάλιν γενόμενος άνὴρ, οὐχ ἴστατο τῆς ἐνεργείας, ἀλλὰ Τῶν ὅπισθεν ἐπιλανθανόμενος, καὶ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος, κατὰ σκοπὸν ἐδίωκεν ἐπὶ τὸ βραδεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως.' Ἀλλοίωσις οὖν ἐστι τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου ἀνακαινουμένου ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ  Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον ΜΔ' Ψαλμον

To the master, for those who shall be changed, for the sons of Core, according to the understanding, a song of joy. 1 It seems this Psalm pertains to the perfection of human nature, and for those who direct their lives according to virtue this initial wording will be useful to understand. For by advancement the work of teaching is brought to perfection, which this Psalm shows. Its superscription is: 'To the master, for those who shall be changed.' And cryptically here he says 'for men' when he says 'for those', for we most of all rational creatures each day and each hour are subject to variety and changes We do not remain the same in body nor in mind, but the body of ours is ever altering with unseemly excretions and ejections and with motions and shifts, and from little much grows and there is reduction from a more perfect state to an inferior one. For a boy who attends to teaching and is able to grasp arts and disciplines suitable for him, is not the same as an infant. And different again from the boy it must be admitted is the youth who is attending to the exertions of young men. And different to the youth is the adult man who is strong and great in his body and in possession of mature reason. But when a man has come to vigour and has reached a stable age, again, little by little, the strength of the body begins to pass away, and his power decreases, until old age bends him, and this last most troublesome difficulty he must endure. We therefore are those who are changed and so we men are well designated through the voice of this Psalm. For angels are not permitted to change. Not among them is there a boy, a youth, or an old man, but in that state in which they were created so they remain, their simple substance being preserved unchanged. We however are changed, according to our body certainly, as has been shown, and it is also so with our thoughts, for always meeting with other things, they are subject to change. For one thing we are when we are cheerful and everything in life goes well, and another thing we are in times of calamity when we we find ourselves among adversities. And we are changed by anger, assuming a wild state. And we are changed by concupiscence, being made like beasts, who are mad for lust for of neighbours' wives. 2 And to the cunning fox we are compared, like Herod, and to the shamelessness of a dog like Nabal of Carmel 3 Do you see the variety and diversity of our changes? Admire, therefore, the one who chose this most apt and convenient superscription. And it seems to me that one may read well and correctly this same meaning expressed with other words, when in place of 'For those who will be changed,' he says 'for the sons.' Certainly a flower which quickly withers may be thought most apt to be compared with the mortality of human nature. Because the voice directs to future time, ( because it is said, for those who shall be changed, as if later this change had been declared to us) let us consider the teaching of the resurrection indicated to us, in which change shall be given to us, change even into something better and spiritual. For what is sown, he says,corruptible rises incorruptible. 4 Do you see the change? What is sown in infirmity rises in power. What is sown as animal body rises as a spiritual body, when every corporeal creation shall be changed. Indeed the heavens like a vestment worn old and like a covering, God shall change and they shall be changed. 5 Then the sun shall be seven times greater, according to Isaiah, and the moon shall be the size as the sun is now. 6 And because the words of God are not written for everyone but to those who have ears having according to the interior man, the superscription is, 'For those who shall be changed.' which I think is for those who have care for themselves and who ever through exertions of piety improve more and more. For this is the best of changes, which the right hand of the Most High bestows, which even blessed David experienced when tasting the good of virtues, to things ahead extending himself. What did he say? 'And I say now I have begun, here is a change is the right hand of the Most High' 7 He who has made progress in virtue, is he not changed? 'For when,' he says 'I was a little boy I spoke like a little boy and I thought like a little boy and I thought like a little boy. When I became a man, I rid myself of childish things.' 8 And again when he became a man he did not make an end of action but ' forgetting those things behind, and to those things ahead striving, intent on the goal, for the prize, the higher calling '. 9 Therefore he is changed, when the interior man is renewed from day to day. 10     Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 44 1   Ps 44 2 2 Jer 5.8 3. 1 Kings, 25, 3 LXX 4 1Cor 15.42 5 Ps 101.27  6 Is 30.26  7 Ps 76.11 8 1 Cor 13.11  9 Phil 3.13-14   10 2 Cor 4.16

Final Studies

Aiunt enim observari etiam apud Herbraeos, quod nisi quis ad aetatem perfectam maturamque pervenerit, libellum hunc ne quidem in manibus tenere permittatur. Sed et illud ab eis accepimus custodiri, quandoquidem moris est apud eos omnes Scripturas a doctoribus et a sapientibus tradi pueris, simul et eas quas δευτερώσεις appellant, ad ultimum quator ista observari, id est principium Genesis, in quo mundi creatura describitur, et Ezechielis prophetae principia, in quibus de cherubim refertur, et finem in quo templi aedificatio continetur, et hunc Cantici canticorum. Origenes, Origenis In Canticum Canticorum, Prologus, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense

For they say that among the Hebrews that unless a man has come to a mature and perfect age, he is not allowed to hold this little book in his hands. And from them we have received another thing to keep, that is, the custom that all the Scriptures should be delivered to the young by teachers and the wise, and at the same time those things which they name deuteroseis, second things, should be the last four to be studied, that is, the beginning of Genesis, in which the creation of the world is described, the beginning of the Prophet Ezekiel, which tells of the Cherubim, and the end of it where is found the building of the temple, and the Song of Songs. Origen, Commentary On the Song of Songs, Prologue, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia

Repentance And Old Age

Εἰ τῶν κακῶν αἴτιόν ἐστι τὸ Θεῖον, πῶς ἐπὶ σὲ ὕει, καὶ ἥλιον ἀνατέλλει, καὶ μέχρι γήρως σε παρέτεινειν ἐνταῦθα, πολλῶν μὲν ἄξιον ὄντα θανάτων, καὶ πρὸ πλείονος χρόνου, δι' εὐσπλαγχίαν δὲ αὐτοῦ φυλαχθέντα εἰς τοῦτο ἡλικίας πρὸς μετάγνωσιν καὶ νῆψιν;   Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΜ', Κυρηνιῳ

If the Divine is the cause of evils, how is it that He who rains on you and makes the sun rise, has kept you here until old age, you worthy of many deaths, and through long length of time, by His shelter and protection, has brought you to this age for repentance and sober living? Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 240, to Cyrenius

Stripping The Altars

Accenditur post haec adversus Dei Ecclesiam Geisericus. Mittit Proculum quemdam in provinciam Zeugitanam, qui coarctaret ad tradendum ministeria divina, vel libros cunctos, Domini sacerdotes, ut primo armis nudaret, et ita facilius inermes hostis collidus captivaret. Quibus se non posse tradere calmantibus sacerdotibus, ipsi rapaci manu cuncta depopulabantur, atque de palliis altaris, proh nefas! camisias sibi et femoralia faciebant. Qui tamen Proculus, hujus rei exsecutor, frustatim sibi comedens linguam, in brevi trupissima consumptus est morte. Tunc etiam sanctus Valerianus Abbenzae civitatis epsicopus, dum viriliter sacramenta divina ne traderet dimicasset, foras civitatem singularis jussus est pelli: et ita praeceptum est, ut nullus eum neque in domo, neque in agro dimiteret habitare: qui in strata publica multo tempore nudus jacuit sub aere. Annorum autem erat plus octoginta, quem nos tunc indigni in tali exsilio meruimus salutare. Victor Vitensis, Historia Persecutionis Africae Provinciae, Liber I Source: Migne PL 58.196b-197a

After these things the Arian king Geiseric was inflamed against the Church of God. He sent a certain Proculus into the province of Zeugitana and he sought to make the priests of the Lord hand over the things they used in the divine service, even every book, so that first by stripping them of their arms it would then be easier for the cunning enemy to capture those who had been made defenceless. Those priests who protested that were not able to give up these things suffered the loss of everything by his rapacious hand, even their altar cloths, for shame, being made into shirts and leg coverings. However Proculus the executor of these things, a little later, chewing his own tongue into pieces, was devoured by a most disgraceful death. But then the blessed Valerianus, bishop of the city of Abbenza, who had bravely fought against handed over the sacred things, was ordered to be cast out of the city, and it was further commanded that no one might allow him to dwell in a house or a field, and so for a long time he dwelt on the public way naked beneath the sky. He was more than eighty years old, and I, though unworthy, was permitted to salute him in such exile Victor Vitensis, History of the Persecution of the African Province, Book 1

Epitaph for Rhode

O Rhode, dulcis anima, acervo mihi funere rapta, qui tantum properasti matris foedare senectam senilemque aetatem tantos onerare dolores, te sine namque mihi nec lux nec vita iocunda est. quid primum tollerare queam, tua dum singula quaero, cum venit in mentem quod tuorum tu decus omnium esses? quid pudor, castus, quid sancta fides moresque benigni ingeniumque doctrinaque tua et verba sobria mente? prudens et innocua caelestia regna petisti. iam vale perpetuo dulcis et in pace quiesce. Epitaphios Rhodae

O Rhode, sweet soul, bitter to me death's strike, Which only sped the ravages of a mother's old age, And senility with such heavy grief, For without you there is no joy in light or life. What can I endure first, when I ponder your uniqueness, When it comes to mind that you gloried in everything? Your modesty, chastity, your holy conduct Your teaching and words from a steady mind? Wise and innocent you have sought the celestial kingdom. Now, farewell, sweet one, rest in perpetual peace. Epitaph for Rhode

On a Proverb

Bos lassus fortius figat pedem Divus Hieronymus oppido quam elegens adagium usurpavit ad beatum Aurelium Augustinum scribens eumque deterre cupiens, ne juvenis senem provocet. Propterea quod tardius quidem ad pugnam excitantur hi, qui jam sunt aetate quasi fessi, verum iidem gravius saeviunt atque urgent, si quando senilis illa virtus irritata recaluit: Memento, inquit, Daretis et Entelli et vulgaris proverbii, quod bos lassus fortius figat pedem. A veteri triturae more ductum apparet, cum circumactis a bubus super manipulos plaustris grana excutiebantur, partim a rotis in hoc armatis, partim a taurorum ungulis. Et lex illa Mosaica, quam citat apostolus Paulus ad Timotheum, vetat, ne bovi trituranti os obligetur. Itaque bos lassus, quoniam gravius figit pedem, magis est ad trituram idoneus. At non item equus ad cursum. Potest allusum videri et ad hoc, quod juvenes corporis agilitate praepollent, senes in stataria pugna ac viribus superiores sunt, id quod et Vergilius in Daretis et Entelli congressu declarat. Nec admodum hinc abludit illud, quod in Graecorum collectaneis positum reperio, Ἀρτέμας Βοῦς, id est, Lente bos, subaudiendum movet pedem. Nam sensim quidem movet, at gravius premit. Adagia,I,47, Erasmus

The weary ox fixes a firmer foot. Saint Jerome with more utility than elegance took up the adage when he wrote to the Blessed Aurelius Augustine wishing to deter him lest youth provoke old age. Accordingly those who are already wearied with years are more slowly roused to fight but greater is their violence and drive when the strength of their old age is warmed by anger. 'Remember,' he says, 'Dares and Entellus and the common proverb that the weary ox fixes a firmer foot.' It seems that of old it was the custom to use oxen to thresh the bundles of the threshing floor, partly by binding them to a millstone and partly by use of the hooves of the creatures. And the Mosaic Law, which the Apostle Paul cites to Timothy, prohibits the binding of the mouth of the ox so used. Thus a weary ox, because he treads more heavily is better able to thresh the wheat. One does not use the same horse for every race. It seems that for games that the body of a youth would excel but in a toe to toe fight the elder man is superior, which is what Virgil declares in the encounter of Dares and Entellus. Nor does he sing out of tune in that, for in the Greek collections I find it is given as 'Slowly the Ox', by which should be understood its step, for prudently it moves and it presses down mightily.  The Adages, I, 47, Erasmus

Advice to a Younger Scholar

Absit autem a me, ut quidquam de libris tuae beatitutidinis attingere audeam. Sufficit enim mihi probare mea, et aliena non carpere. Caeterum optime novit prudentia tua, unumqueque in suo sensu abundare, et puerilis esse jactantiae, quod olim adolescentuli facere consueverant, accusando illustres viros, suo nomini fama quaerere. Nec tam stultus sum, ut diversitate explanationum tuarum me laedi putem: quia nec tu laederi, si nos contraria senserimus. Sed illa est vera inter amicos reprehensio, si nostram peram non videntes, aliorum, juxta Persium, manticam consideremus. Superest, ut diligas diligentem te; et in Scripturarum campo, juvenis senem non provoces. Nos nostra habuimus tempora, et cucurrimus quantum potuimus: nunc te currente et longa spatia transmeante, nobis debetur otium: simulque (ut cum honore tuo et venia dixerim) ne solus mihi de Poetis aliquid proposuisse videaris, memento Daretis et Entelli, et vulgaris proverbii: quod bos lassus fortius figat pedem. Tristes haec dictavimus: utinam mereremur complexus tuos, et collatione mutua vel doceremus aliqua, vel disceremus. Sanctus Hieronymus, Epistola CIII, Ad Augustinum

Far be it from me to dare to attack anything which your Grace has written. It is enough for me to present my own views without reviling those of others. But it is well known to one of your intelligence that every one delights in his own opinion and that it is puerile boastfulness, which young men are accustomed to fall into when seeking fame for their own name, to reproach famous men. I am not so stupid that I think myself harmed by the difference of your explanations, since neither are you harmed if you have felt ours to be contrary to yours. But it is true reproof between friends when not seeing his own pouch, he considers, as Persius says, the wallet borne by the other. Rise up that you may love one who loves you, and in the field of Scripture let not a youth provoke an elder. We have had our time and we have run as far as we were able, now we should rest while you run and cover great distances. At the same time, with your favour and without disrespect, lest it should seem to me that to quote from the poets is something which you alone can do, recall Dares and Entellus, and the common proverb, 'The weary ox fixes a firmer foot.'  With sorrow I have dictated this; would that I merited your embraces, and that by converse we might teach and learn. Saint Jerome, Letter 103, To Augustine

Old Age

Ipsa est vere senectus illa venerabilis, quae non canis, sed meritis albescit; ea est enim reverenda canities, quae est canities animae, in canis cogitationibus et operibus effulgens. Quae est enim vere aetas senectutis, nisi vita immaculata, quae non deibus aut mensibus, sed saeculis propagatur, cujus sine fine est diuturnitas, sine debilitate longaevitas? Quo enim diuturnior, eo fortior: et quo diutius eam vitam vixerit, eo fortius in virum perfectum excrescit. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Epistola XVI, Anysio Fratri Source: Migne PL 16.960c

That old age is truly venerable which whitens not with gray hairs but in good deeds; for those white hairs are reverent which are the white hairs of the soul, shining with bright thoughts and words. For what is true old age, but an unspotted life, which lasts not for days or months but for ages, whose continuance is without end, whose length is without frailty? Indeed the longer it lasts, so the stronger it is; the longer such a life is lived the more vigorously does it grow into a perfect man. Saint Ambrose, from Letter 16, to his brother Anysius

Contemplating Retirement

Ambrosius Severo Episcopo. Ex ultimo Persidis profectus sinu Jacobus frater et compersbyter noster, Campaniae sibi ad requiescendum littora, et vestras elegit amoenitates. Advertis quibus in locis quasi ab huius mundi vacuam tempestatibus suppetere sibi posse praesumpserit securitatem, ubi post diuuturnos labores reliquum vitae exigat. Remota enim vestri ora littoris non solum a periculis, sed etiam ab omni strepitu tranquillitatem infundit sensibus, et traducit animos a terribilibus, et seavis curarum aestibus ad honestam quietem; ut illud commune omnium specialiter vobis videatur congruere et convenire, quod ait David de santca Ecclesia: Ipse super maria fundavit eam, et super flumina praeparabit eam. Etenim liber animus a barbarorum incursibus, et praeliorum acerbitatibus, vacat orationibus, inservit Deo, curat ea quae sunt Domini, fovet illa quae pacis sunt et tranquillitatis. Nos autem objecti barbaricis motibus, et bellorum procellis, in medio versamur omnium molestairum freto, et pro his laboribus et periculis graviora colligimus futurae vitae pericula. Unde de nobis propheticum illud concinere videtur: Pro laboribus vidi tabernacula Aethiopum. Etenim in istius mundi tenebris, quibus obumbratur veritas furturae perfectionis; cum annum tertium et quinquagesimum iam perduxerim in hoc corpore situs, in quo tam graves iamdudum sustinemus gemitus, quomodo non in tabernaculis Aethiopum tendimus, et habitamus cum habitantibus Madian? Qui propter tenebrosi operis conscientiam diiudicari etiam ab homine mortali reformidant: Spiritalis enim diiudicat omnia, ipse autem a nemine diiudicatur. Vale, frater, et nos dilige, ut facis; quia nos te diligmus. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Epistola LIX Source: Migne PL 16.1182b-1183a

Ambrose to the Bishop Severus. From farthest Persia James, our brother and fellow-presbyter, has attained our embrace, and for his rest he has chosen the shores of Campania and your pleasant abodes. You see in what place he has presumed for himself leisurely safety from the storms of this world, and where, after long labor, he may finish the rest of his life? Your shores, far not only from danger, but from all tumult, imbues the senses with tranquility, and draws souls from the worry and raging billows of care to a noble quiet; thus those words common to all, yet appearing especially fitting and appropriate to yourselves, which David spoke concerning the holy Church: 'For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.' 1 Indeed a soul free from barbarian incursions and the terrors of war, has time for prayer, serves God, cares for the things of the Lord, and favours the things of peace and tranquility. We, however, confronted with the movements of barbarians and the storms of war, in the midst of troubles are turned about, and from these toils and dangers can only gather that our future life will be still more grievous. Whence concerning us it seems the prophet sang: 'I saw the tents of Ethiopia in affliction.' 2 In this world of shadows wherein the truth of future perfection is obscured, I have now lived in the body fifty and three years and have already endured such heavy afflictions that am I not dwelling in the tents of Ethiopia, and do I not reside among the dwellers of Midian? These, owing to their consciousness of their dark works, fear being judged even by mortal men; 1 but he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged by none. 4 Farewell, my brother, and love us, as indeed you do, for I love you. Saint Ambrose, Letter 59 1 Ps 23.2 2 Habac 3.7 3 Ps 119.5 4 1 Cor 2.15

The Benefits Of Ageing

Ἔλεγε πάλιν· Ὅτε ἤμην νεώτερος, ἔλεγον ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὅτι, Τάχα τί ποτε ἐργάζομαι ἀγαθόν· νῦν δὲ ὡς ἐγήρασα, βλέπω ὅτι οὐκ ἔχω ἑν ἔργον καλὸν ἐν ἐμαυτῷ   Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος Source: Migne PG 65.289d

Again father Matoes said, 'When I was younger I said to myself, 'Perhaps I am doing some good,' but now that I am old I see that I do not have one good work in me.' Sayings of the Fathers, Palladius of Galatia