Angelic Visitations

Attendite, fratres, medicinalis gratia lineas, divina nobis benignitate monstratas. Tunc ad Eva angleus malus accessit, ut per eam homo, quem Deus fecerat, a Deo separaretur; nunc autem ad Mariam bonus angelus venit, ut in ea humanae naturae Deus Unigenitus uniretur. Venit ad Evam diabolus, ut vitam nobis malignus auferret; venit ad Mariam Gabriel, ut vitam reddendam hominibus nuntiaret. Per primi hominis culpam coepit diabolus homini dominari, per secundi hominis gratiam coepit ab homine superari: super primum superbus, sub secundo captivus. Per illum nos captivatos tenuit, per istum nos liberatos amisit. Primus Adam nobis auctor exstitit culpae, novissimus Adam nobis auctor exstitit gratiae. Ille de limo plasmatus terrenos protulit, iste de Spiritu sancto natus coelestes effecit. Per illum perdidimus gratiam priorem, per istum recepimus ampliorem. Ille quippe nobis intulit peccati maculam, cum qua nasceremur ad supplicium; iste nobis contulit justificationis gratiam, ut renasceremur ad regnum. Per illum nos filios saeculi generatio carnalis effecit, per istum nos filios Dei generatio spiritalis exhibuit. Ille nos vitiis subdidit, iste nos florere virtutibus fecit. Ille nos per vitia dejecit, quo primus cecidit: iste nos per virtutes elevat, quo primus ascendit. Ille quippe primus cecidit in infernum, iste primus conscendit in coelum. Sanctus Fulgentius Ruspensis, Sermo II, De duplici Nativitate Christi , una aeterna ex Patre, altera temporali ex Virgine Source: Migne PL 65.728d-729b

Observe, brothers, the lineaments of medicinal grace shown to us by the Divine benevolence. Once an evil angel came to Eve so that through her the man whom God had made might be separated from God, and now a good angel comes to Mary so that in her the only begotten God might be joined to human nature. 1 The devil came to Eve so that the wicked one might take away life from us, Gabriel came to Mary to announce that life is to be restored to man. Through fault the devil began to rule over the first man, by the grace of the second man he began to be conquered by man. Over the first man the devil vaunted, beneath the second man he was made captive. By the first he took us into captivity, by the second he lost us to freedom. The first Adam was our author of fault, the second Adam was the author of our grace. The former shaped from mud made us earthly, the latter man born of the Holy Spirit made us heavenly. Through the first man we destroyed the grace that had been given, by the second we received greater grace. The former brought the stain of sin, because of which we are born to suffering, the latter brought the grace of justification so that we might be reborn to the kingdom. Through the first man carnal generation made sons of the world, through the second man spiritual generation exhibited us as sons of God. The former subdued us to the vices, the latter made us flower with the virtues. The former cast us down among faults, by which the first fell, the latter lifts us up through the virtues by which the first arose. The former was the first to fall into hell, the latter was the first to rise into heaven. Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, from Sermon 2, On The Twofold Nativity of Christ, One Eternal from the Father, and One Temporal from the Virgin 1 Gen 3, Lk 1.26-35

Fasting And The Devil

Καὶ προσελθών αὐτῷ ὁ πειράζων, εἶπεν· Εἰ Υἰὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ , εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται. Ἤκουσε τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ φωνῆς ὁ λῃστής. Πάλιν εἶδὲν αὐτὸν πεινῶντα, καὶ ἀμφέβαλλε λοιπὸν, πῶς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ πεινᾷ· διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν πειράζει αὐτὸν, ἵνα μάθῃ. Κολακεύει δὲ αὐτὸν, νομίζων ὑποκλέψαι, ἐν τῷ λέγειν· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. 'Αλλ' ἐρωτᾷς· Καὶ τί ἁμάρτημα ἦν τὸ ποιῆσαι τοῦς λίθους ἄρτους; ῎Ἄκουε οὖν, ὅτι τὸ ἀκούειν τοῦ διαβόλου κατά τι, ἁμάρτημά ἐστιν. ῎Αλλως τε ἴδε· οὐκ εἶπεν, ἕνα ὁ λίθος οἱ τος γένηται ἄρτος, ἀλλ᾽ Οἱ λίθοι, θέλων ῥίψαι τὸν Χριστὸν εἰς περιττότητα. Τῷ γὰρ πεινῶντι εἷς ἄρτος ἀρκεῖ πάντως· διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον, Κεφαλὴ Δ' Source: Migne PG 123.180c-d

And coming near Him, he tempted Him saying, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.' 1 This criminal heard the heavenly voice, 2 and then he saw Him hunger, and he doubted that the son of God would hunger, and therefore he tested Him that he might learn. And he flattered himself in thinking to trick him by saying, 'If you are the son of God.' But if you ask what is sinful in turning stones into bread, hear that to listen to the devil in anything is a sin. Then see that he did not say, 'Turn this stone into bread,' but 'stones,' wishing to encourage Christ to superfluity, for one loaf is enough for a hungry man. Because of this Christ did not listen to him. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 4 1 Mt 4.3 2 Mt 3.16-17

Harmful Beauty

Quaeris quis ille tam noxius, tamque perniciosus decor? Tuus. Adhuc forte sine intellectu es? Planius audi. Privatus, proprius. Non culpamus donum, sed usum. Denique si advertisti, non in decore, sed in suo decore dictus est ille perdidisse sapientiam. Et, in fallor, unus angeli animaeque decor ipsa est. Quid enim vel haec vel ille absque sapientia, nisi rudis deformisque materia est? Ea ergo ille non modo formatus, sed et formosus fuit. Sed perdidit eam, cum fecit suam: ut non sit aliud in decore suo quam in sua sapientia perdidisse sapientiam. Proprietas in causa est. Quod sibi sapiens fuit, quod non dedit gloriam Deo, quod non retulit gratiam pro gratia, quod non secundum veritatem ambulavit in ea, sed ad suam eam retorsit voluntatem: istud est cur eam perdidit; imo istud est quod eam perdidit. Etenim sic habere, perdere est. Et si Abraham, inquit, ex operibus iustificatus est, habet gloriam, sed non apud Deum. Et ego: non ego in tuto, inquam. Perdidi quidquid habeo non apud Deum. Nam quid tam perditum, quam quod extra Deum exsulat? Quid mors, nisi privatio vitae? Ita nihil perditio, nisi alienatio a Deo est. Vae qui sapientes estis in oculis vestris, et eoram vobismetipsis prudentes! de vobis dicitur: Perdam sapientiam sapientium, et prudentiam prudentium reprobabo. Perdiderunt sapientiam, quia sua sapientia perdidit eos. Quid non perdiderunt, qui et ipsi perditi sunt? An vero non perditi, quos nescit Deus? Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, In Cantica Canticorum, Sermo LXXIV Source: Migne PL 183.1143b-d

Do you wonder what beauty can be harmful and ruinous? Yours. Perhaps you do not understand yet. Let it be made more clear. It is your own. We do not blame the gift, but the use of it. If you consider it, it was by his own beauty that Lucifer ruined his wisdom. Unless I err, the beauty of an angel and of the soul is one, and it is wisdom. For what is anything without wisdom but raw and disordered matter? Therefore Lucifer was not only ordered but beautiful because of it, but he ruined it when he used it. There is not anything else to be found in his beauty but that with his own wisdom he destroyed wisdom. Possession is the cause. Because he was wise in his own eyes, because he did not give glory to God, because he did not return grace for grace, because he did not walk in the truth but he turned to his own will, that is how he ruined it, that is how he destroyed it, such was his way of destroying it. And if Abraham, it says, had been justified by works, he would have had glory, but not before God. 1 And I am not safe. I have destroyed whatever I have that is not in God. What is so ruined as that which exults to be separated from God? What is death but the loss of life? Therefore there is no ruin but separation from God. 'Alas, you who are wise in your own eyes, and prudent for yourselves,' of whom it is said, 'I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and the prudence of the prudent I shall reprove.' 2 They will destroy wisdom because their own wisdom has destroyed them. What do that not destroy who have destroyed themselves? Are they not utterly destroyed whom God disregards? Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Commentary On The Song of Songs, from Sermon 74 1 Rom 4.2 2 Isaiah 5.21, 1 Cor 1.19

Prayer And The Devil

Audi esse diabolum peccatorem. Scriptum est: Ab initio diabolus peccat. Iam vero facinerosum et iniuriosum quis ignorat? Quid tam facinerosum est, quam homicida? Quis prior hominem occidit, nisi qui Adam decepit? Et iniuriosus ipse est, qui contra iustitiam facit, quia in veritate numquam stetit. Contra istum facinerosum et iniuriosum cantatur: Domine libera me de manu facinerosi et iniuriosi. Noli contra vicinum tuum calumniatorem, noli contra potentem qui movit limitem tuum, noli contra ipsum insidiatorem qui te parat occidere. Isti enim omnes homines sunt, qui tibi insidiantur. Caro sunt, sanguis sunt, transeunt. Audi Apostolum dicentem: Non est vobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem. Ergo, adversus quos est colluctatio? Contra quos dicendum est: Libera me Domine de manu peccatoris et de manu facinerosi et iniuriosi? Non est vobis, inquit, colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, sed adversus principes et potestates et rectores mundi tenebrarum harum, adversus spiritalia nequitiae in caelestibus. Hominem vitando caves, diabolum orando. Vitatur enim hostis visibilis, ut ubi ille adest, tu ibi non sis; vitas enim quem vides. Quomodo vitabis quem non vides? Orando. Ora contra illum: tela tua, orationis sunt. Tu taces, ideo ille insidiatur; oras, et ille ardet. Sed ex affectu ora, quo gratis amas. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo 22A, Sermo de Responsorio Psalmi LXXI: 'Deus meus, erue me de menu peccatoris.' Source: Migne PL 38.226-227

Hear that the devil is a sinner. It is written, 'From the beginning the devil sinned.' 1 Who does not know that he is a vicious and lawless? What is so vicious as murder? Who was the first to kill a man, but he who led Adam astray? And he is lawless who acts against justice, since he has never remained in the truth. It is against this one who is vicious and lawless that we sing, 'Lord, deliver me from the hand of the vicious and lawless one.' It is not sung against your neighbor who speaks ill of you, or against some powerful man who moves your fence, or against the thief prepared to murder you. These are all men who plot against you. They are flesh, they are blood, they pass away. Listen to the Apostle saying, 'Your wrestling is not against flesh and blood.' 2 So who is the wrestling against? Against whom do we have to say 'Deliver me, Lord, from the hand of the sinner and from the hand of the vicious and lawless one. Your wrestling, he says, is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers and the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 3 You guard yourself against a man by avoiding him, against the devil by praying. For a visible enemy can be avoided, so that wherever he is, you may not be, for you are avoiding someone you can see. But how will you avoid him you cannot see? By praying. Pray against him. Your weapons are prayers. You keep silent, therefore he seizes you. You pray, and you set fire on him. But pray from love, to Him whom you love freely. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 22a , On The Response from Psalm 71, 'My God, deliver me from the hand of the sinner.' 1 Jn 3.8 2 Ephes 6.12

Creating The Devil

ΕΡΩΤ ΛϚ’ Διὰ τί δὲ τὸν διάβολον ἐποίησεν, εἰδὼς τοιοῦτον ἐσόμενον; Ο Θεὸς πᾶσαν τῶν ἀσωμάτων τὴν φύσιν έδημιούργησε, λογικὴν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀθάνατον ἀποφήνας· τοῦ λογικοῦ δὲ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἴδιον. Τούτων δὲ οἱ μὲν τὴν περὶ τὸν ποιητὴν ἐφύλαξαν εὔνοιαν, οἱ δὲ εἰς πονηρίαν ἀπέκλιναν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Οἱ μὲν γάρ εἰσι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρασταὶ, οἱ δὲ τῆς κακίας εργάται. Εἰ τοίνυν μέμφεταί τις τῇ τῶν πονηρῶν δημιουργίᾳ, ἀποστερεῖ ἄρα τῶν τῆς νίκης βραβείων τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθλητάς. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐν τῇ αἱρέσει τῆς γνώμης εἶχον τὸν πόθον τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἀλλὰ ἐμπεφυκὸς τὸ ἄτρεπτον, ἔλαθον ἂν οἱ ἀξιόνικοι τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγωνισταί· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν αἵρεσιν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων, ἔχει ἡ γνώμη, δικαίως καὶ οὗτοι τυγχάνουσι τῶν νικηφόρων στεφάνων, κἀκεῖνοι δίκας τιννύουσιν ὑπὲρ ὧν κατὰ γνώμην ἐξήμαρτον. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.132b-c

Question 36 Why did God create the devil when He knew what would come to be? God created the whole incorporeal nature, making it rational and immortal, and it is the special property of rationality that it has free will. So it was that some of them cleaved to the benevolence of God and others fell into wickedness, which it is possible to observe even among men, for some are lovers of virtue and others exert themselves in wickedness. If, then, someone is troubled by the creation of wicked things, he deprives the athlete of virtue of the rewards of victory, for if in the choices of the will they had no desire for virtue, but their nature was fixed for it, they would be utterly ignorant of the excellence of the holy athlete, but when the will has the choice of good and evil, some rightly gain the crown of victory, and those who do not choose such things suffer punishment. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis

Saving The Lost

Venit enim Filius hominis salvare quod perierat. Venit enim filius hominis, etc. Ratio est sumpta ab utilitate et fine Incarnationis, quem vult frustrare, qui scandalizando perdit quos ille sanguine suo acquisviit: et hoc est quod dicit: Salvare quod perierat: Venit enim Filius hominis quaerere et salvum facere quod perierat: Quod perierat requiram. Quanto magis putatis deteriora mereri supplicia, qui Filium Dei conculcaverit, et sanguinem testamenti pollutum duxerit, in quo sanctificatus est, et spiritui gratiae contumeliam fecerit? Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium In Evangelium Mattheum, Caput XVIII Source: Here p321

For the Son of Man came to save what is lost. 1 'For the Son of Man came...' The reason is given for the utility and the goal of the Incarnation, which he wishes to frustrate who makes men lost with scandal, he who has thus acquired their blood. This is what He says: 'To save what is lost.' The Son of Man comes to seek and save what was lost. 'What has been lost I shall seek.' 2 'Should you not think he merits much worse punishment who has crushed down the Son of God and profaned the blood of the covenant with which He was sanctified, and has given offence to the Spirit of grace?' 3 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 18 1 Mt 18.11 2 Ezek 34.16 3 Heb 10.29

At The Devil's Table

Ἐὰν καθίσῃς δειπνεῖν ἐπὶ τραπέζης δυναστῶν νοητῶς νόει τὰ παρατιθέμενά σοι, καὶ ἐπίβαλλε τὴν χεῖρά σου εἰδὼς ὅτι τοιαῦτά σε δεῖ παρασκευάσαι Δυνάστην ἐνταῦθα τὸν διάβολόν φησιν· τράπεζαι δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰσι ψευδομαρτυρίαι, λοιδορίαι, καταλαλιαὶ, συμβουλίαι κακαὶ, ἐπιθυμίαι αἰσχραὶ, καὶ πᾶν ὅτι οῦν σατανικὸν ἐπιτήδευμα· ταῦτα δὲ παρατιθέμενά σοι ὐπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, νοητῶς νόει, καὶ ἐπίβαλε τὴν διάνοιάν σου, ὃ ἐστιν ἡ χειρ· εἰδὼς ὅτι τοιαῦτά σε δεῖ παρασκευάσαι, οἷα καὶ συμπαρεστάναι σοι ὀφείλουσιν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου, ὅτε ἀπονέμει ἐκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ἀπληστότερος εἴ, καὶ ὀρέγῃ τῶν ὑψηλῶν καὶ πλειόνων καὶ μειζόνων, ἂτινά εἰσι θεῖα καὶ Θεοῦ, μὴ ἐπιθύμει τῶν τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐδεσμάτων· ταῦτα γὰρ ἔχεται ζωῆς προσκαίρυ, ὅ ἐστι ψευδοῦς· δεῖ δὲ τὴν θείαν Φραφὴν νοητῶς νοεῖσθαι καὶ πνευματικῶς· ἠ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν αἰσθητὴ γνῶσις, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας, Κεφαλή ΚΓ’ Source: Migne PG 17.221c

If you sit to dine at the table of a powerful man consider well the things which are set before you, and stretch out your hand knowing what things are appropriate for you to take. 1 The powerful man here is the devil and his table is false speech and abuse and detraction and wicked plots and shameful desires and everything that is a Satanic work. All these things are set before you by the wicked one, and you must reach out with your mind, which here he calls the hand, knowing what is appropriate to you, which on the day of the Lord will be reckoned to you when He rewards everyone according to their works. 2 Because if you are not satisfied here, and you desire high things, and many of them, and great things, those things which are heavenly and Divine, yet even so beware lest you are snared in his wicked bonds, for to enjoy the things of this brief life is a lie. It is necessary to understand Scripture according to the intellect and the spirit, for what is told under a material account is not true. Origen, On Proverbs, Chapter 23 1 Prov 23.1 2 Rom 2.6

Suffering And Salvation

Quam ob causam et haec patior sed non confundor... Praedicans Dei donum, diabolum patitur inimicum; ut pressuras ei exsuscitet, quia populum de faucibus ejus eruit. Sed non confundor. In hoc securus, quia pro tribulationibus magna promissa merces est, non confunditur, sed gloriatur in pressuris. Scio enim cui credidi, et certus sum quia potens est depositum meum custodire in illa die. Hoc est quod dicit, qua spe et fiducia magnificentiae Salvatoris securus est; quia quod commendat illi, in tuto est. Quid autem illi commendat, nisi salutem suam? Ut hoc pro illo patiens, salutem inveniat penes illum, cum coeperit judicare; ut puniens infideles, istum dignum aeterna vita pronuntiet. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam ad Timotheum Secundam, Caput I Source: Migne PL 17.487c

For which reason I also suffer these things, but I am not dismayed... 1 Preaching the gift of God, he suffers the hostility of the devil, who is roused to oppress him who plucks people from his jaws. 'But I am not dismayed.' In this I am secure, that a great reward has been promised for tribulations. I am not dismayed, but I glory amidst trials. 'For I know Him in whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him on that day.' 1 This is what he says, that he is secure in hope and confidence in the magnificence of the Saviour, because what he commits to Him is safe. And what does He commit to him but his own salvation? So that suffering for Him he finds salvation with Him, when He begins to judge, so that while the faithless are punished, he is proclaimed worthy of eternal life. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The Second Letter of Saint Paul To Timothy, Chapter 1 1 2 Tim 1.12

Greater Trials

Sed mox ut animus amare coelestia coeperit, mox ut ad visionem pacis intimae tota se intentione collegerit, antiquus ille adversarius qui de coelo lapsus est invidet, et insidiari amplius incipit, et acriores quam consueverat tentationes admovet, ita ut plerumque sic resistentem animam tentet, sicut ante nunquam tentaverat quando possidebat. Unde scriptum est: Fili, accedens ad servitutem Dei, sta in justitia et timore, et praepara animam tuam ad tentationem. Unde et daemoniacus qui a Domino sanatur, ab exeunte daemone discerpitur, sicut scriptum est: Et clamans et multum discerpens eum, exiit ab eo. Quid est enim quod obsessum hominem antiquus hostis quem possessum non discerpserat, deserens discerpsit, nisi quod plerumque dum de corde expellitur, acriores in eo tentationes generat, quam prius excitaverat quando hoc quietus possidebat? Unde et Israelitae quoque ad Moysen et Aaron dicunt: Videat Dominus, et judicet, quoniam fetore fecistis odorem nostrum coram Pharaone et servis ejus, et praebuistis ei gladium, ut occideret nos. In Moyse enim et Aaron lex et prophetae figuratae sunt. Et saepe apud se infirmus animus quasi contra sacra eloquia murmurat, quia postquam verba coelestia audire et sequi coeperit, regis Aegyptii adversitas, id est maligni spiritus tentatio, excrescit. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia XII Source: Migne PL 76.929d-930b

But as soon as the soul begins to love heavenly things, as soon as it has gathered up all its intention to have that vision of perfect peace, then that old enemy who fell from heaven envies it, and begins to plot extensively, and he troubles it with more bitter trials than it was accustomed to, so that he takes hold of the resisting soul as he has never tempted it when he possessed it. Whence it is written, 'O son, coming to the service of God, stand in righteousness and fear, and prepare your soul for trial.' 1 Whence the demoniac that the Lord healed was severely shaken by the demon as it came out, as it is written, 'And crying out loudly and shaking him, it came out of him.' 2 Why it is that the ancient enemy coming out of a man besieged shakes him, unless that often when he is expelled from the heart, he generates more bitter trials than he had incited when he quietly was in possession? So the Israelites say to Moses and Aaron, 'Let the Lord see and judge because our aroma has become a foul stench before Pharoah and his servants, and you have inclined him to take up the sword and slay us.' 3 For Moses and Aaron are figures of the law and the prophets, and often the weak soul murmurs in itself against sacred speech, because after hearing heavenly words and beginning to follow them, the adversity of the king of Egypt, that is, the trial of a wicked spirit, rises up. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 12 1 Sirach 2.1 2 Mk 9.25 3 Exod 5.21

Forgiveness And The Devil

Prae omnibus itaque, nobis est firma credulitate retinendum, misericordem et justum esse Dominum Deum nostrum. Hinc enim facile potest inquirentibus apparere, qualibus peccata Deus dimittat, ubi dimittat, quando dimittat. Quibus cognitis, nec pravam quisquam retineat de Deo sententiam, nec conversionem suam negligat, nec a catholica Ecclesia discedat; aut si quis discessit, celeriter revertatur; nec de tempore sibi velit insulsa cogitatione blandiri, si ad Deum in hac vita quisquam converti nolens, et usque ad mortem iniquitatibus serviens, post hanc vitam se credat adepturum remissionem peccatorum, quando jam praejudicatus tempore tribulationis divinae non peccatum possit vitare conversus, sed supplicii maneat aeternitate damnandus. Multis enim multiplicibusque fraudibus viam coelestis itineris diabolus claudere nititur et celare, cujus hoc est incessabile studium, ut ad cruciatus sui societatem miserorum turbam, quantumcunque potuerit, vel trahat illectam, vel cogat invitam. Nonnullos quippe facit, abjecta consideratione divinae justitiae, solam Dei misericordiam cogitare; ut conversionem suam negligant, existimantes se, etiamsi usque in finem criminosam duxerint vitam, remissionis beneficio potituros esse. Alios autem cogit aut illicit, Ecclesiae catholicae gremio derelicto, ad haereses vel schismata depravati cordis caecitate transire. Quorum animos deceptione falsae promissionis illaqueat, ut vel putent se recto fulciri dogmate, vel sperent sibi pro sola cordis credulitate futurum remissionis beneficium, etiamsi ficto animo, pro temporis vel commoditate vel metu, mortifero haereticorum consortio usque ad mortem teneantur innexi; minus considerantes illam Salvatoris nostri sententiam dicentis: Qui me confessus fuerit coram hominibus, confitebor et ego eum coram Patre meo, qui in coelis est; et qui me negaverit coram hominibus, negabo et ego eum coram Patre meo, qui in coelis est. Et alio loco: Qui me erubuerit, et sermones meos, hunc Filius hominis erubescet, cum venerit in majestate sua, et Patris, et sanctorum angelorum. Plerisque vero humani generis inimicus ad hoc peccatorum suorum recordationem molitur ingerere, ut vel obduratis desperationem remissionis injiciat, et eos remedio conversionis excludat. Haec autem omnia non ob aliud fraudulenta semper agit obtectus fallacia, nisi ut opportunitatem temporis adimat, qua conversis potest donari remissio; ac sic, quantum ad ejus attinet malignitatem, si fieri possit, nemo perveniat ad salutem. Deum namque misericordem justumque esse cognoscit, nec ignorat quod peccatorum remissionem sola de Deo possit elicere cordis vera conversio. Scit etiam quod non alibi quam in solo gremio Catholicae Matris dimitti possint peccata conversis; nec eum latet in praesenti tantum saeculo remissionem omnium peccatorum conversis posse concedi. Sanctus Fulgentius Ruspensis, De Remissione Peccatorum, Liber I, Caput VI Source: Migne 65.531c-532c

Before everything, therefore, let us maintain a firm belief in the mercy and righteousness of the Lord God. Hence it shall easily appear to those who enquire what sort of sins God forgives and where He forgives and when He forgives. By which knowledge, let no one have a depraved understanding regarding God, nor neglect his conversion, nor cut himself off from the Catholic Church, or if he has cut himself off, let him return quickly, not wishing to be charmed by a foolish thought that if someone will not in this life convert to God, but will even maintain his wickedness to death, that after this life he might believe it is possible there shall obtain forgiveness of sins, when already he is forejudged for the time of Divine tribulation, when it is not possible to cast off sin, but he must remain damned to eternal punishment. With many varied deceits he devil strives to close off to us and hide from us the way to heaven, and that with a relentless zeal, so that to his own mob of wretches for punishment he may gain as many as he can, either leading astray those wandering or forcing those unwilling. Certainly not a few he makes think of the mercy of God alone and nothing of divine justice, so that they neglect their conversion, reckoning that even if to the very end they lead a wicked life it is possible to receive the gift of forgiveness. Others he drives or tricks into abandoning the flock of the Catholic Church so that in the blindness of their depraved hearts they pass over to heresy or schism. He snares such souls with the deceit of a false promise, even that the deceived soul may associate with ruinous heretics for a time in either contentment or fear, and even be bound to them to death, with no consideration that our Saviour says, 'He who shall confess me before men, I shall confess before my Father who is in heaven, and he who shall deny me before men, I shall deny before my Father who is in heaven.' 1 And in another place, 'He who shall be ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will shame him when he comes in his glory and the Father's and the holy angels.' 2 More often however the enemy of the human race inclines men to a remembrance of their sins, so that they are cast down into a stubborn despair of forgiveness, and so he excludes them from the remedy of conversion. And all this deceit he works with subtle lies for no other reason but to take way the opportunity in which it is possible that the converted may obtain forgiveness, and so as much as it befits his wickedness, if it were possible, no one should come to salvation. For he knows God to be merciful and just, and nor is he ignorant that the forgiveness of sins from God is not possible unless with a heart that is truly converted. Indeed he knows that there is nowhere else but in the flock of the Catholic Church that it is possible that the converted will have forgiveness of sins, nor is it hidden to him in the present time that it is possible for the converted to obtain forgiveness of every sin. Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, On the Forgiveness of Sins, Book 1, Chapter 6 1 Mt 10.32 2 Lk 9.26

The Corrupted Mountain

Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πρὸς σὲ τὸ ὄρος τὸ διεφθαρμένον τὸ διαφθεῖρον πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ κατακυλιῶ σε ἀπὸ τῶν πετρῶν καὶ δώσω σε ὡς ὄρος ἐμπεπυρισμένον. Ὅρος τὴν Βαθυλῶνα διὰ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ὕψος kαλεῖ' ὅπερ ἦν ἐξ εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ τῶν ἀδίχων ἔργων, δι᾿ ὧν διέφθειρε τοὺς ἄλλους διεφθαρμένον. Ἦν δὲ καὶ ἐφ᾽ ὕψους ἡ πόλις διὰ τὸν παραχεΐμενον ποταμὸν, ἐξ οὗ τινες ἀναδαθμοὶ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἀνέφερον, διμερῆ, τε οὖσαν καὶ ἐξ ἑχατέρας ὄχθης παραχειμένην τῷ ποταμῷ, πρὸς τῷ καὶ εἶναι τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως ὑψηλότατα. Χεῖρα δὲ τὴν τιμωρητιχὴν δύναμιν τὴν τῆς ἰδίας αὐτὴν ὡς ἐχ πετρῶν χαθαεροῦσαν ἀσφαλείας τε χαὶ φρουρᾶς εἰς ἄχρηστον δὲ χαὶ τοὺς λίθους αὐτῆς διὰ τὸ πῦρ ἀφανίζουσαν, ὡς μὴ συνίστασθαι λίθον πρὸς στεῤῥοϊέραν οἰχοδομίαν. ᾿Αναγωγῆς δὲ λόγῳ καὶ ὁ διάδολος ὄρος ὠνόμασται, ὡς ἐν τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ' Τίς εἶ σὺ τὸ ὄρος τὸ μέγα, τὸ πρὸ προσὠπου Ζοροδάδε; Καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἔχοντος χωφὸν καὶ ἄλαλον δαιμόνιον ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ' Ἑὰν ἔχητε κίστιν ὡς χόχχον σιγάπεως, ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ' Μετάδηθι, καὶ μεταδήσεται. Ὅρος οὖν ὁ διάδολος ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας διεφθαρμένον kαkίας, καὶ διαφθεῖρον τοὺς, ὅσοι φρονοῦσι τὰ γήϊνα. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαι Εἰς Ἱερεμαιν Source: Migne PG 13.603b-c

Behold I am against you, corrupted mountain that corrupts the whole earth, with my hand stretched out against you I shall tear you from your stones, and I shall make of you a burnt heap. 1 Babylon is called a mountain because of the eminence of its kingdom, which being corrupted with its idolatry and wicked works corrupted others. And the city itself was set on a high place because of the proximity of the river, from which steps rose up to the city, on two sides, even from both banks of the river. And besides this the city walls were very high. But the hand is the punishing power that tears it from its own security and fortifications, as from a stone foundation, and its stones will be of no more use because of the coming fire, and there shall not be one of them able to make firm its construction. And by reason of anagoge the devil is also called a mountain, as in Zachariah, 'Who are you, great mountain, who are before the face of Zorobabel?' 2 And concerning him who had a deaf and dumb demon, the Saviour said, 'If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mountain, Go, and it would go.' 3 Thus the mountain is the devil corrupted by his own depravity, and he corrupts those who know the things of the earth. Origen, Commentary On Jeremiah, Fragment 1 Jerem 51.25 2 Zach 4.7 3 Mt 17.19

On The Pinnacle of The Temple

Et stauit eum supra pinnaculum templi... Cogitavit enim apud se: si miserit se per aerem, scio quoniam est Filius Dei: sine dubio enim mittet se, ut cognoscatur quod est; si autem non potuerit se mittere, scio quoniam homo est. Sicut ergo concupiscentia vanae gloriae ipse ruit de caelo: nam cum esset angelus, volens se ostendere Deum, perdidit et illud quod erat, dum voluit apparere quod non erat: sic putavit et Christum concupiscentia vanae gloriae ferri. Nam sicut difficile aliquem suspicatur mlaum, qui ipse est bonus: sic difficile aliquem suspicatur bonum, qui ipse est malus. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia V Source: Migne PG 56.666

And he set Him on the pinnacle of the temple... 1 The devil thought to himself: If he bears himself up in the air I will know he is the son of God, for without doubt by bearing himself so it will be known what he is, and if he is not able to bear himself up, I will know he is a man. As, therefore, because of a desire for vainglory he fell from heaven when he was an angel, and wishing to show himself God he destroyed what he was, in wishing to appear as what he was not, so he thought Christ bore the desire for vainglory. For as it is difficult for a good man to suspect evil, so it is difficult for an evil man to suspect good. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 5 1 Mt 4.5

Enemies And Blessings

Ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου ὕψιστε, ἐν τῷ ἀποστραφῆναι τὸν ἐχθρόν μου εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, ἀσθενήσουσι καὶ ἀπολοῦνται ἀπὸ προσώπου σου. Ταῦτα ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν, Ἄσω τῷ ὀνόματί σου, Ὕψιστε, ἀνατραπέντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ προσκοψάν των καὶ ἀπολομένων ἐκ προσώπου σου. Θεασάμενος γὰρ τοὺς ἐμοὺς δυσμενεῖς καταλυθέντας, καὶ εἰς φυγὴν τραπέντας, εἶτα ἁλόντας καὶ παν ωλεθρίαν ὑπομείναντας, ὑμνῶ σε καὶ τὰς σὰς ᾄδων εὐεργεσίας διατελῶ. Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ προφήτης ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης διεξέρχεται φύσεως· ἅτε δὴ τοῦ ἀλάστορος ἀπαλλαγεὶς, καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν διὰ τῆς θείας χάριτος δεξάμενος. Οὐ γὰρ, ὥς τινες ὑπέλαβον, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος οὗτος εἴρηται ὁ ψαλμὸς, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς πρὸς εὐερ γέτην, ἀπὸ τῶν εὖ πεπονθότων, ὡς αὐτὰ διδάσκει τὰ ῥήματα. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός Θ’ Source: Migne PG 80.921c

I shall sing to your name, O Most High, in the turning of my enemy behind me, they grow weak and perish from before your face. 1 Symmachus translates this as: 'I shall sing to your name, Most High, in the turning of my enemy behind me, they are struck down and are perishing from before your face.' For having seen my adversaries destroyed and turned to flight and then made captive and suffering utter ruin, I sing to you, proclaiming that there is no end to your blessings. But the prophet also speaks of human nature here, which is liberated from the influence of the enemy by the coming of Divine grace. For it is not, as some have assumed, that this Psalm is as spoken by the Saviour, but rather it is addressed to Him, as the giver of blessings, by those who receive them, as the words teach. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 9 1 Ps 9.4

Desire And Rule

Sub te est, o homo, appetitus tuus, et tu dominaberis illi. Potest inimicus excitare tentationis motum: sed in te est, si volueris, dare seu negare consensum. In tua facultate est, si volueris, inimicum tuum facere servum tuum, ut omnia tibi cooperentur in bonum. Ecce enim inflammat inimicus desiderium cibi, vanitatis aut impatientiae cogitationes ingerit, aut excitat libidinis motum: tu solummodo ne consenseris; et quoties restiteris, toties coronaberis.Verumtamen negare non possumus, fratres, molesta sunt haec, et periculosa: sed, et in ipso certamine, si viriliter resistimus, quaedam pia tranquillitas de conscientia bona nascitur. Credo etiam, si cogitationes istas quam cito in nobis advertimus, non patimur remorari, sed in spiritu vehementi animus adversus illas excitatur, quoniam inimicus confusus abscedet a nobis, nec tam libenter illico revertetur. Sed qui sumus nos, aut quae fortitudo nostra, ut tam multis tentationibus resistere valeamus? Hoc erat certe quod quaerebat Deus, hoc erat ad quod nos perducere satagebat: ut videntes defectum nostrum, et quod non est nobis auxilium aliud, ad ejus misericordiam tota humilitate curramus. Propterea rogo vos, fratres, ut semper ad manum habeatis tutissimum orationis refugium. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, In capite Jejunii, Sermo V, De triplici modo orationis Source: Migne PL 183.179b-d

But your desire is beneath you, O man, and you may rule over it. 1 The enemy is able to stir up the trial of temptation, but it is for you, as you choose, to give or to refuse consent. You have the ability, if you wish, to make your enemy your slave, so that everything works for your good. For behold, the enemy inflames you with a desire for food, he fills your thoughts with vanity or impatience, or he excites lust, but you may not consent, and then as many times as you resist, so as many times you are crowned. We are not able to refuse these troubles and perils, brothers, but if we bravely resist in the struggle a certain pious tranquility shall be born from a good conscience. Indeed I believe that these thoughts which suddenly come to you should not be suffered to remain with you, but the soul should rise against them with an ardent spirit, because a foe that is confused withdraws from us, nor does he eagerly return there. But who are we, or what is our power, that we might have the strength to resist so many temptations? This is certainly what God asked, this was what He troubled us to consider, so that looking on our defects and noting that there is no other help for us, we should hasten to His mercy in all humility. Therefore I entreat you, brothers, always have that most secure refuge of prayer to hand. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons For The Year, At the Beginning of the Fast, from the Fifth Sermon, Concerning the three ways of prayer 1 Gen 4.7

Kings And Reigns

Tam Filio Dei, quam Antichristo regnandi studium est. Sed et Antichristus regnare desiderat, ut occidat quos sibi subjecerit; Christus ad hoc regnat ut salvet. Et unusquisque nostrum, si felix est; regnatur a Christo sermone, sapientia, justitia, veritate. Si autem amatores voluptatis sumus magis quam amatores Dei, regnamur a peccato, de quo Apostolus loquitur: Non ergo regnet peccatum in vestro mortali corpore. Duo igitur reges certatim regnare festinant: peccati rex peccatoribus diabolus, justitiae rex justis Christus. Origenes, Homiliae in Lucam, Homilia XXX, Interprete Sancto Hieronymo Source: Migne PG 13.1877a-b

As it is with the Son of God, so the Antichrist has a zeal to rule. But the Antichrist desires to rule so that he may ruin those who are subject to him, whereas Christ wishes to save us. Each of us, if we are blessed, rule through Christ, in word, and in wisdom, and in righteousness, and in truth. But if we are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, then we are ruled by sin, concerning which the Apostle says, 'Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body.' 1 Thus two kings are eager to reign, the devil over sinners in sin, and Christ over the righteous in righteousness. Origen, Homilies on Luke, from Homily 30, Translated by Saint Jerome 1 Rom 6.12

The Boy And The King

Quis est ille: Puer pauper et sapiens, qui melior est rege sene et stulto? Dominus noster Jesus Christus, qui puer dictus est propter innocentiam et simplicitatem, quia peccatum non fecit, nec inventus est dolus in ore ejus. Iste puer cum esset dives factus est pauper pro nostra salute. Iste veraciter est sapiens, quia in ipso habitat omnis plenitudo divinitatis corporaliter. Quis est ille rex senex et stultus? Diabolus, qui pene ab ipso mundi exordio regnavit in genere humano, et ideo senex vocatur, et vere stultus est rex, quia qunato plures decipit, tanto sibi poenam accumulat. In regno quippe hujus regis senis et stulti, id est, diaboli, natus est puer optimus, Dominus videlicet Jesus Christus, qui factus est Rex regum, et Domnius dominantium. Honorius Augustodunensis, Quaestiones Et Ad Easdem Responsiones In Duos Salomonis Libros, In Ecclesiasten, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 172.340a-b

Why is it said: 'A boy who is poor and wise is better than a king who is old and foolish' ? 1 Our Lord Jesus Christ is called a boy on account of innocence and simplicity, because He did not commit sin, nor was cunning to be found in His mouth. 2 This boy when He was rich was made poor for our salvation. He is the one who truly is wise, because in Him all the fullness of divinity dwells bodily. 3 Who is the old and foolish king? The devil, who indeed has ruled over the human race from the beginning of this world, and therefore is named old, and certainly he is a foolish king because the more he deceives, the more he heaps up punishment for himself. In the kingdom of this old and foolish king the best of boys is born, obviously our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. 4 Honorius of Autun, Questions and Answers on Two Books of Solomon, On Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4 1 Eccl 4.13 2 1 Pet 2.22 3 Colos 2.19 4 Apoc 17.14, 19,16

Sickness And Healing

Et vidi, et ecce ventus turbinis veniebat ab Aquilone... Propheta ergo ea quae essent in finem ventura conspiciens, venire ab Aquilone ventum turbinis vidit, quia in extremo saeculi mentes hominum torporis sui frigore malignus spiritus gravius occupabit. Unde scriptum est: Vae terrae et mari, quia descendit diabolus ad vos habens iram magnam, sciens quia modicum tempus habet. Antiquus quippe adversarius insidiarum suarum molimina in humanis mentibus gravius exaggeravit. Contra cujus excrescentem superbiam incarnati manifestata est humilitas Dei: atque ut humanum genus a suo languore sanaret, tunc magna apparuit potentia medici, cum languor crevit aegroti. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia II Source: Migne PL 76.799d-800a

I looked and, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north... 1 Therefore the prophet, looking upon those things which shall come at the end, sees the storm wind coming from the north, because at the end of the ages the wicked spirit shall heavily occupy the minds of men with the frozen nature of his torpor, whence it is written, 'Woe to you land and sea, because the devil falls upon you in great anger, knowing that he has but a little time.' 2 The ancient adversary has heaped up a great mass of his snares in human minds, against which excrescence of pride the humility of God was made manifest in the Incarnation, even so that the human race might be healed of its sickness, for then when sluggishness had led to sickness did the great power of the physician appear. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 2 1 Ezek 1.4 2 Apoc 12.12

The Medicine Of Death

ΕΡΩΤ Μ’ Τι ἐστι τὸ Ἰδου γέγονεν Ἀδὰμ ὡς εἰς ἐξ ἡμῶν; Ἐπειδὴ διάβολος εἶπεν, Ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ, γινωσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, ἐδεξατο δὲ τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὄρον τὴν ἐντολὴν παραβὰς, εἰρωνικῶς τοῠτο εἴρηκεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, δεικνὺς τῆς διαβολικῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ψεῦδος. Μεταλαβεῖν δὲ αὐτὸν τοῦ καρποῦ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς διεκώλυεν· οὐ φθονῶν αὐτῷ τῆς ἀθανάτου ζωῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐπέχων τὸν δρόμον. Ἰατρεία τοίνυν ὁ θάνατος, οὐ τιμωρία ἐστιν. Ἐπέχει γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ὁρμήν. Ὁ γαρ ἀποθανὼν, φησὶ, δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Καταντικρὺ δὲ τοῦ παραδείσου διάγειν αὐτὸν προσέταξεν· ἵνα τῆς ἀλύπου βιοτῆς εἰς μνήμην ἐρχόμενος, μισῇ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς πρόξενον τῆς ἐπιπόνου ζωῆς. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.137b

Question 40 Why was it said, 'Behold, Adam has become one like us'? 1 Since the devil said, 'You shall be like gods, knowing good and evil,' 2 and Adam received the sentence of death because he transgressed the commandment, the God of all things spoke ironically, exposing the lie of the diabolic promise. God did not prohibit him from taking from the tree of life because He begrudged man eternal life, but that He might restrain him from the way of sin. Therefore death is a medicine and not a punishment, for it curbs the drive to sin. 'For he that is dead is justified from sin.' 3 Then God commanded Adam to go out from the region of paradise, so that in sorrow he might recall to his memory the loss of his former life, and in hatred of it drive out sin, which is the author of his toil and his wretched life. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 3.22 2 Gen 3.5 3 Rom 6.7

The Devil's House

Quae est domus illius? Mundus iste. Et vasa illius? Peccatores et infideles, habitantes in eo. Audiens ergo, mundum domum esse diaboli, fuge mundum, ne diutius habitans in domo diaboli, iterum fias servus ipsius. Sicut enim in domo Dei malum non est, ita in domo diaboli non invenitur bonum. Nam sicut Deus in domo sua non vult videre malum, sustinere autem videtur pro tempore malum, non quia delectatur in malo, sed ut convertat eum ad bonum: sic et diabolus in domo sua non vult videre bonum, sustinere vero videtur bonum, non quia delectatur in bono, sed ut suadeat eum in malum. Et Deus quidem per suam benevolentiam vocat malum ad bonum, ita non necessitate, sed voluntate corrigatur ad bonum. Diabolus autem per suam violentiam persequitur bonum, ut etsi non voluntate, vel ex necessiate cogatur ad malum. Fuge autem mundum, conversatione, non corpore. Nam et ipse mundus non natura diaboli est, sed corruptione. Nec ab initio fecit hunc mundum diabolus, sed Deus: postea corruptione factus est diaboli. Ergo mundus quidem ipse Dei est: corruptio autem mundi diaboli est. Si ergo de mala conversatione recesseris, etsi corpore sis in mundo, recessisse videris de mundo diaboli, et esse in mundo. Nunc quod vivimus, in Dei mundo vivimus: quod autem peccamus, in diaboli mundo peccamus. Fuge ergo de mundo, id est, de voluptatibus mundi, ne forte diutius vivens in possessione operum ejus, fias proprius servus ipsius. Sicut ingenuus homo si diutius in possessione vel domo potentis alicujus et violenti fuerit commortatus, per possessionem longi temporis usu capit eum in servitute: sic et homo si diutius fuerit in possessione diaboli, usu longi temporis vindicat sibi dominum super eum, ita ut nemo se possit a dominatione diaboli liberare, nisi sola potentia Dei. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXIX Source: Migne PG 56.786

What is Satan's house? It is this world. And his vessels? Sinners and the faithless, those who dwell in it. Hearing, therefore, that the world is the house of the devil, flee the world, lest dwelling for a long time in the house of the devil you are made his slave. For as in the house of God there is no evil, so no good is found in the house of the devil. For as God does not wish to see evil in His own house, yet seems to endure evil for a time, this is not because He takes any joy in evil, but that He might convert a man to the good, and so the devil, who does not wish to see good in his house, is seen to suffer good there, not because he delights in goodness, but that he might persuade a man to become evil. And certainly God by His own benevolence calls evil to goodness, and thus correction to the good is not by necessity but by free will, but the devil by his own violence oppresses the good, so that if not by free will, then by necessity he will drive to evil. Flee the world, that is, its conduct, not the body. For even this world is not by nature the devil's, but it is his in its corruption. The devil did not make this world in the beginning, but God did, and later the devil corrupted it. Therefore certainly the world is God's, but the corruption of the world is the devil's. If, therefore, you withdraw from a wicked way of life, even if living in the body, you shall be seen to have withdrawn from the world of the devil, even while you are in the world. Now in that we live, we live in the world of God, but because we sin, we sin in the world of the devil. Flee, then, the world, that is, the pleasures of the world, lest living long in the possession of its works, you be made its slave. If a free born man is a strong man's possession, or if by violence he is constrained to stay in his house, the long duration of possession puts him in a state of servitude. So it is with a man who is in the long possession of the devil, for by the usage of long time the devil establishes himself as his master over him, so that no one is able to liberate him from the devil's domination, unless only the power of God. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 29 1 Mt 8.5-6 2 Lk 1.38

Confession And The Devil

Non enim ante ad confessionem venitur, nisi prius fuerit diabalo renuntiatum. Sicut nec aurilegus ante aurum mittit in sacculum, nisi prius terram vel limum laverit universum. Ideo oportet prius repudium dicere diabolicae vanitati, et amara ejus studia abrenuntiando projicere. Abrenuntiare autem oportet non nudo sermone neque solis labiis, sed fide fortissima, et indubitata scientia, id est ut Christo se homo tota animi virtute committat, confidens, quia Christi factus desinat timere diabolum. Deinde abrenuntiat et operibus ejus malignis, id est culturis et idolis, sortibus et auguriis, pompis et theatris, furtis et fraudibus, homicidiis et fornicationibus, superbiae et jactantiae, irae et avaritiae, commessationibus et ebriositatibus, choris atque mendaciis, et his similibus malis. Quid dicimus de his, qui superfluo carnis ornatu jactare se volunt, et videri mirabiles? Taceo de exquisitis inutiliter vestimentorum subtilitatibus. Oro vos, quid faciunt in viris capilli acu crispati, comae retro quidem cervicem cooperientes, ante autem frontem penitus abscondentes, ita ut nec signo Christi locus liber relinquatur in fronte; et unde se putant habere aliquam gloriam vel decorem, inde turpitudinem et ignominiam contrahant? Similiter et mulieres caput ligantes ut scutum, ut frons tamquam vallis inter duos subsidat colles; ut de auribus pondera lapillorum auro ligata dependeant, ut brachia onerentur auro, ut cervicem premant catenae vel lapides, et pedibus sanguineae calceamentis flammulae rutilent. Quis usus in his, quae utilitas invenitur, nisi sola inanis pompa, et mens desiderio infantili corrupta? Nicetas Episcopus Aquileiensis, Fragmenta Sex, III Source: Migne PL 52.873d-875a

No one shall come to confession, unless first he shall have renounced the devil. Just like a gold prospector does not place gold in his sack, unless first he has washed off all the earth or mud from it. Therefore it necessary that one should declare that one repudiates the vanity of the devil, and cast it from one in denunciation of his bitter desires. And this renunciation should not only be in speech, not only with the lips, but with strong faith, and certain knowledge, that is, so that the man commits himself with all the virtue of his soul to Christ, confident that in Christ he does not fear the devil. Finally let him renounce his wicked works, that is his cults and idols, with fortune telling and auguries, with pomp and theatre, with thefts and deceits, with murder and fornication, with pride and boasting, with anger and avarice, with gluttony and drunkenness, with dances and delusions, and other similar evils. What then do we say of those who are pleased to vaunt themselves in the superfluous ornamentation of the flesh and be seen as wonders? I am silent regarding exquisite and intricate and useless garments. But I pray you, why do they style men's hair in tight curls, and comb it fiercely over the head so as to leave no sight of the brow at all, so that there is no place free there for the sign of Christ? And why do they think they have any glory or beauty when they are the cause of depravity and disgrace? Likewise even women bind their heads like shields, so that the brow is like a valley sunk between two hills, and from their ears hang a weight of gems bound with gold, and the arms are loaded with gold, and the neck is bound with chains and stones, and the feet are ablaze with the red flames of slippers. What use in these things, what benefit do we find in them, but empty pomp, and minds corrupted by infantile desires? Nicetas of Aquileia, Fragment 1 Titus 3.8 2 Jn 14.27 3 Rom 11.20