The Desert And The Temple of God

Eremum ergo recte incircumscriptum Dei nostri templum dixerim; etenim quem certum est habitare in silentio, credendum est gaudere secreto. Saepius se illic videndum sanctis suis praebuit et conciliante loco congressum non est aspernatus humanum; in deserto quippe Moyses glorificato vulta Deum conspicit, in deserto Helias vultum pavens, ne Deum conspiciat, obvolvit; et quamvis omnia ipse tamquam sua revisitet neque uspiam desit, tamen, ut aestimare licet peculiarius visitationem dignatur eremi et caeli secretum. Sanctus Eucherius Lugdunensis, De Laude Eremi Source: Migne PL 50.702d-703a

Therefore I would rightly say that the boundless temple of our God is the desert. Indeed as it is certain one dwells there in silence, so it must be believed that there one rejoices in secret. More often it must be seen there that He provides for His holy ones and that they are gathered together in a place where there is no opposition of men. In the desert Moses with glorified face saw God, in the desert Elijah was struck with fear and covered his face, lest he look on God. 1 And so though the Lord may visit every single place and there is nowhere where He is absent, it is permissible to think that He especially dignifies the desert with His visitations and with the mysteries of heaven. Saint Eucherius of Lyon, In Praise of the Desert 1 Exod 34.29-35, 3 Kings 19.13

Retreat and Ascent

Τοσοῦτον χρησιμεύει πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἡ τῶν θορύβων τῶν ἀστικῶν ἀναχώρησις, ὅτι τὰς πόλεις καταλιπὼν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ὑιὸς, ἐπ' ἄκρων ὀρέων τοὺς καθαρῶς βιοῦντας ἐμακάριζε. Δεικνὺς δι' ὤν πράττων ἐδίδακεν, ὡς ἀδύνατον, τὸν μὴ ἀποσπασθέντα τῶν χαμαιζήων, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄκραν ἀρετὴν ἀναβάντα, μακαρισθὴναι παρὰ Θεοῦ, ἢ τῶν μελλόντων τυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ ἄνω φρονῶν, ἐκεῖ κατοικεῖ, οὖ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθεζόμενος.  Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Ἐπιστολὴ Διοσκορῳ

Withdrawal from urban tumult conduces to salvation so much that even the Son of God, abandoning the towns, blessed the purer life on the heights of the mountains. Evidently He teaches by deeds, so that those who are unable to tear themselves from things of the earth and to ascend to virtue, might be blessed by God or meet future goods. He who thinks of high things dwells where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Letter to Dioscorus

Respecting the Enemy

Τοῦτου τοῦ γενναιοτατου ἀθλητοῦ πλησίον κατῴκει Καπίτων τις ἀπὸ λῃστῶν γεγονὼς μοναχὸς δοκιμώτατος. Οὐτος πεντήκοντα ἔτη πληρώσας ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις, ἀπὸ τεσσάρων μιλίων τῆς πόλεως Ἀντινόου, οὐ κατῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ σπληλαίου ἑαυτοῦ, οὐδὲ μέχρι τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Νείλου, λέγων, μήπω δύνασθαι αὐτὸν συντυγχάνειν τοὶς ὄχλοις, τῷ ἀκμὴν ἀντιπραττειν αὐτῲ τὸν ὑπεναντίον.  Ἡ Προς Λαυσον Ἱστορια, Παλλαδιος

There lived nearby a certain Kapiton, who was once a bandit but was now an esteemed monk. He had spent fifty years in the caves four miles from the city of Antinoe, and he would not come down from his cave, not even as far as the river Nile. He said that he was not yet able to encounter crowds since the adversary at that instant would oppose him. Lausiac History, Palladius of Galatia

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