Anger And The Enemy

Positis genibus clamavit dicens: ne statuas illis hoc peccatcum. Ira vide quid noceat. Agnosce inimicam tuam: agnosce cum qua pugnas in theatro pectoris tui. Angustum theatrum; sed Deus spectat: ibi doma inimicam tuam. Vis videre quam sit ista vera tua inimica? Modo ostendo. Oraturus es Deum: ventura est hora ut dicas: Pater noster, qui es in coelis. Venturus es ad illum versum: Dimitte nobis debita nostra. Quid sequitur? Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Ibi illa inimica stat contra te. Sepit viam orationis tuae: murum erigit, et non est qua transeas. Bene totum dixisti: Pater noster. Cucurrit: Dimitte nobis debita nostra. Et quid postea? Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. En ipsa adversaria contradicit; nec ante velum, sed intus: in ipso secretario cordis tui, ibi tibi clamat, contradicit. Qualis inimica, fratres, quae contradicit? Sicut et nos dimittimus. Non permittitur ut saevias contra inimicum tuum: in istam saevias. Melior est qui vincit iram, quam qui capit civitatem, Scriptura dicit. Quod dixi modo, scriptum est: Melior est qui vincit iram, quam qui capit civitatem. Numquid non bellator imperator quando venit ad aliquos hostes, et invenit civitatem munitam, armatis instructam, optimam, adversantem sibi, si illam ceperit, si illam vicerit, si illam everterit, triumphos quaerit? Sicut autem narrat Scriptura: Melior est qui vincit iram, quam qui capit civitatem. In manu tua est. Non potes illam interimere, potes illam reprimere. Si fortis es, iram vince: et civitati parce. Video vos attentos, scio quam bene accepistis. Deus adsit certaminibus vestris, ut prosit vobis quod tanti Martyris agonem spectastis; ut quomodo vincentem vidistis et vincenti favistis, sic et vos in corde vestro vincatis. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo CCCXV, In Solemnitate Stephani Martyris Source: Migne PL 38.1431

On his knees he cried out saying, 'Do not hold this sin against them..' 1 See how anger may harm. Know your enemy, know what you fight in the arena of your breast, It is an arena of strife, but God looks on, there subdue your enemy. You wish to see how this may be your true enemy? There is a way of showing it. When you pray to God, there shall come a time when you say: 'Our Father, who art in heaven.' Then you will come to that line: 'Forgive us our trespasses.' What follows? 'As we forgive those who trespass against us.' There that enemy stands against you. He encircles the path of your prayer. He raises up a wall and there is no way for you to go on. Well you have said, 'Our Father.' It follows, 'Forgive us our trespasses.' And after? 'As we forgive those who trespass against us.' Behold, your enemy disputes with you, not publicly but within, in that secret place of your heart, there he cries out against you, there he disputes with you. What is this enemy that disputes so, brothers? 'As we forgive.' It is not permitted for you to act savagely against an enemy, but against savagery you should be fierce. 'Better is he who conquers anger, than he who takes a city,' Scripture says. 2 What I have just said has been written: 'Better is he who conquers anger, than he who take a city.' Is it not that when an Emperor at war comes against some enemies, and he finds a city defended, and guarded with armed men, and well supplied, and set against him, if he shall take it, if he shall conquer it, if he shall overthrow it, he seeks out how to gain the victory? So Scripture speaks to us: 'Better is he who conquers anger, than he who takes a city.' It is in your hand. You are not able to destroy it, but you can overcome it. If you are strong, overcome anger, and spare a city. I see you are attentive. I know how well you understand. God stands near you in your trials, so that what you have seen of the trial of such a great martyr may be of benefit to you, that as you have seen him conquer, even you choose to conquer, and so in your hearts be victorious. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 315, On The Feast Of Saint Stephen 1 Acts 7.60 2 Prov 16.32

Attributing Victory

Sensus enim, inquit, et cogitatio humani cordis in malum prona sunt ab adolescentia sua. Corruptionis malum quod unusquisque nostrum ab ortu desideriorum carnalium sumpsit, in profectum aetatis exercet, et nisi hoc citius divinae formidinis manus reprimat, omne conditae naturae bonum, repente culpa in profundum vorat. Nemo igitur sibi cogitationum suarum victoriam tribuat, cum Apostolis dicat: Neque qui plantat est aliquid, neque qui rigat; sed qui incrementum dat Deus. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber II, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 107.523b

The mind and thought of the human heart is inclined to evil from its youth. 1 The evil of corruption which each of us takes up from the springing up of the desires of the flesh, exerts itself with the progress of age, and unless the hand of Divine disapproval restrains, sin swiftly swallows down into the depths every good of our created nature. No one, therefore, should attribute victory over his own thoughts to himself, but as the Apostle says, 'Neither he who plants is anything, nor is he who waters, but God who gives the growth.' 2 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 2, Chapter 8 1 Gen 8.21 2 1 Cor 3.7

Conquest In War

Dominus conterens bella, Dominus nomen est illi qui posuit castra sua in medio populi sui ut eriperet nos de manu omnium inimicorum nostrorum. Redempter noster, de quo in Psalmo scriptum est: Dominus fortis, Dominus potens in praelio, ipse per sanguinem crucis suae contrivit saevitiam diaboli, et mundum subjecit suae ditioni, qui resurgens a mortuis ad discipulos suos ait: Data est mihi omnis potestas in coelo et in terra. Euntes docete omnes gentes, baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus sancti, docentes eos observare omnia, quaecunque mandavi vobis. Et ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus, usque ad consummationem saeculo. Castra ergo sua in medio populi sui posuit, cum Ecclesiam suam in medio nationum constituit, in qua semper manens quotidie electos suos de manibus inimicorum liberat, sed in fine mundi perfectam liberationem eis praestabit, quando absorbetur id quod mortale est a vita, et ipsa novissima destruetur mors; quando sancti fulgebunt, sicut sol in regno Patris eorum, et interitum omnium hostium suorum, cum capite suo ipsi videntes ridebunt et dicent: Ecce homo, qui non posuit Deum adjutorem sibi, sed speravit in multitudine divitiarum suarum, et praevaluit in vanitate sua. Ego autem sicut oliva fructifera in domo Dei speravi in misericordia ejus in aeternum, et in saeculum saeculi confitebor illi. Rabanus Maurus, Expositio in Librum Judith, Caput XVI Source: Migne PL 109.582c-583a

The Lord conquers in war, the Lord is His name, He who has placed His camp in the midst of His people, that He might seize us from the hand of all our enemies. 1 Our Redeemer, concerning whom it is written in the Psalm: 'The Lord is strong, the Lord is powerful in war,' 2 crushed down the savagery of the devil by the power of the cross and subjected the world to his Deity, He who rising from the dead said to His disciples, 'All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. Go out and teach all the peoples, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything which I have commanded you. And behold I am with you every day, even to the consummation of the world.' 3 Therefore He placed His camp in the midst of His people when He established His Church in the midst of the nations, in which He is always, every day, freeing his chosen ones from the hands of enemies, but at the end of the world He will give them a perfect liberation, when that which is mortal is stripped from life, and the final death is destroyed, 4 when the saints shine as the sun in the kingdom of the father, and all their enemies are ruined, when with their own heads they look and laugh and say: 'Behold the man, who did not have God as a helper, but hoped in his own riches, and prevailed in is vanity. But I am like a fruitful olive in the house of the Lord, I hoped in His mercy forever, and I shall confess Him to eternity.' 5 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Judith, Chap 16 1 Judith 16.3-4 2 Ps 23.8 3 Mt 28.18-20 4 1 Cor 15.53-54 5 Ps 51.8-11

Conquering Evil

Noli vinci a malo, sed vince in bono malum. Haec interpretatio Apostoli est cohortantis, ne vicem reddamus inimicis, sicut dictum est. Multum enim proderit nobis, si malitiae cedamus; vincit enim malum, qui ad tempus vinci videtur ab illo. Etenim Salvator sic vicit malum, dum non restitit; contra se enim agit malitia, et dum vincitur, vincere se putat. Id enim agit inimicus, ut et nos de proposito nostri abstrahat, occassionem quaerens quomodo peccemus. Ideo si provocati ab illo, vicem illi non reddamus, vincimus illum in bono; ideo enim non resistimus, ut bonum servemus, neglecta justitia; quia cogit justitia ad retribuendum. Ambrosiaster, Commentaria In Epistolam ad Romanos, Caput XII Source: Migne PL 17.162c

Do not conquer with evil but conquer evil with good 1 The understanding of the Apostle's exhortation is that we should not return the same to enemies, as is said. For we shall be benefited greatly if we refrain from wickedness. He conquers evil who for a time seems to be conquered by it. Indeed so the Saviour conquered evil while He did not resist. Evil acts against itself, and while it is being conquered, it thinks itself to be conquering. For that which the enemy does is so that he might draw us away from our intention, seeking somehow to make us sin. Therefore if we have been provoked by him, we should not return the same to him, and thus we shall conquer him with good. Therefore we do not resist, that we might guard the good, neglecting justice, because justice drives to retribution. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On Saint Paul's Letter to The Romans, Chapter 12 1 Rom 12.21

Trials And Failure

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

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

Love And Victory

Diligite inimicos vestros. Forte illi quem recens pulsat injuria, videantur ista non convenire rationi. Sed respiciat, quicumque est, ad vitae suae quietem; et intelliget quia inimicum dilexisse, vicisse est. Infinitum autem est, quantum periculi homini incumbat, cum duos aemulo furore consimiles ad pugnam ille diabolus magister litis armaverit, cujus est consuetudinis ad instiganta odia amoras portare ac reportare sermones. Quando est autem ut ille diem sine tribulatione transigat, vel quando est ut ab illo nox sine impia cogitatione discedat, quem ira indignatione stimulat? Numquam profecto sine suspicione vitam ducet, cui est semper necesse cogitare et timere quem laeserit. Summa itaque cura sunt dolores asperi blando verborum medicamine temperandi, quatenus et duritia cordis pacis studio castigata mollescat. In quo loco beatos illos judico, qui verba labiorum suorum tacito ore custodiunt, et memores coelestium mandatorum alienae vocis contumeliam non requirunt. Cessant enim odia, ubi non reputatur injuria; nec habet ullam virtutem iracundia, si desit unius in contentione persona. Ita duplex patientiam manet victoria: hominem vicisse proprios animorum motis, et temperasse mores alienos. Sanctus Valerianus Cemeliensis, Homilia XII De Bono Conservandae Pacis Source: Migne PL 52.729c-d

'Love your enemies.' 1 Perhaps to one recently struck by injury these words seem little in harmony with reason. But let him, whoever he is, look again to the peace of his own life and he will understand that to have loved an enemy is to have gained a victory. Unlimited peril looms over a man when the devil, the master of strife, has armed to fight two men who match each other in their fury, he whose custom it is, in order to kindle hatred, to carry bitter words back and forth. When does a man pass a day without distress, or when does night run its course without wicked thoughts, if wrath is provoking him to indignation? He shall never live a life without anxiety who always finds it necessary to think about and fear someone he has harmed. With the greatest care harsh pains should be soothed by the gentle medicine of words, so that even hardness of heart may soften corrected by the desire for peace. With which thought, I deem them blessed who with silent mouth guard the words of their lips, and mindful of the heavenly precepts, do not draw forth insults in the voice of another. For hatred ends when injury is not pondered; anger has no power if the voice of one person is absent in a quarrel. Thus a double victory awaits patience: a man has gained victory over his own impulses and he has restrained the conduct of another. Saint Valerian of Cimelium, from Homily 12, On The Good of The Preservation of Peace 1 Mt 5.44

True Victory

Οὗτός ἐστιν, oὗτος ὁ ἀθλητὴς ἀληθῶς ὁ ἐν τῷ μεγάλῳ σταδίῳ, τῷ καλῷ κόσμῳ, τὴν ἀληθινὴν νίκην κατὰ πάντων στεφανούμενος τῶν παθῶν. ὅ τε γὰρ ἀγωνοθέτης ὁ παντοκράτωρ θεός, ὅ τε βραβευτὴς ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, θεαταὶ δὲ ἄγγελοι καὶ θεοί, καὶ τὸ παγκράτιον τὸ πάμμαχον οὐ πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ τὰς διὰ σαρκῶν ἐνεργούσας πνευματικὰς ἐξουσίας ἐμπαθῶν παθῶν τούτων περιγινόμενος τῶν μεγάλων ἀνταγωνισμάτων, καὶ οἷον ἄθλους τινὰς τοῦ πειράζοντος ἐπαρτῶντος καταγωνισάμενος, ἐκράτησε τῆς ἀθανασίας· ἀπαραλόγιστος γὰρ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ψῆφος εἰς τὸ δικαιότατον κρῖμα. Κέκληται μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγώνισμα τὸ θέατρον, παγκρατιάζουσι δὲ εἰς τὸ στάδιον οἱ ἀθληταί· καὶ δὴ ἐκ τούτων περιγίνεται ὁ πειθήνιος τῷ ἀλείπτῃ γενόμενος. Πᾶσι γὰρ πάντα ἴσα κεῖται παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἔστιν αὐτὸς ἀμεμφής, ἑλεῖται δὲ ὁ δυνάμενος καὶ ὁ βουληθεὶς ἰσχύσει· ταύτῃ καὶ τὸν νοῦν εἰλήφαμεν, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν ὃ ποιοῦμεν, καὶ τὸ γνῶθι σαυτὸν ἐνταῦθα, εἰδέναι ἐφ' ᾧ γεγόναμεν. Γεγόναμεν δὲ εἶναι πειθήνιοι ταῖς ἐντολαῖς, εἰ τὸ βούλεσθαι σῴζεσθαι ἑλοίμεθα. Αὕτη που ἡ Ἀδράστεια, καθ' ἣν οὐκ ἔστι διαδρᾶναι τὸν θεόν. Τὸ ἄρα ἀνθρώπειον ἔργον εὐπείθεια θεῷ σωτηρίαν κατηγγελκότι ποικίλην δι' ἐντολῶν, εὐαρέστησις δὲ ὁμολογία. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εὐεργέτης προκατάρχει τῆς εὐποιίας, ὁ δὲ μετὰ τῶν δεόντων λογισμῶν παραδεξάμενος προθύμως καὶ φυλάξας τὰς ἐντολὰς πιστὸς οὗτος, ὁ δὲ καὶ εἰς δύναμιν ἀμειβόμενος δι' ἀγάπης τὴν εὐποιίαν ἤδη φίλος. Μία δὲ ἀμοιβὴ κυριωτάτη παρὰ ἀνθρώπων, ταῦτα δρᾶν ἅπερ ἀρεστὰ τῷ θεῷ· [καὶ] καθάπερ ἂν ἰδίου γεννήματος καὶ κατά τι συγγενοῦς ἀποτελέσματος ὁ διδάσκαλος καὶ σωτὴρ ἀναδέχεται τὰς ὠφελείας τε καὶ ἐπανορθώσεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς ἰδίαν χάριν τε καὶ τιμήν, καθάπερ καὶ τὰς εἰς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ βλάβας ἰδίας ἀχαριστίας τε καὶ ἀτιμίας ἡγούμενος. Τίς γὰρ ἄλλη ἅπτοιτ' ἂν ἀτιμία θεοῦ; διόπερ ἄλλην τοσοῦδε οὐδὲ ἔστιν ἀμοιβὴν κατ' ἀξίαν σωτηρίας ἀποδιδόναι πρὸς τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ὠφέλειαν. Ὡς δὲ οἱ τὰ κτήματα κακοῦντες τοὺς δεσπότας ὑβρίζουσι, καὶ ὡς οἱ τοὺς στρατιώτας τὸν τούτων ἡγούμενον, oὕτως τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶν ἀνεπιστρεψία ἡ περὶ τοὺς καθωσιωμένους αὐτῷ κάκωσις. ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον ὁ ἥλιος οὐ μόνον τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὸν ὅλον κόσμον φωτίζει γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν ἐπιλάμπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ θυρίδων καὶ μικρᾶς ὀπῆς πρὸς τοὺς μυχαιτάτους οἴκους ἀποστέλλει τὴν αὐγήν, οὕτως ὁ λόγος πάντῃ κεχυμένος καὶ τὰ σμικρότατα τῶν τοῦ βίου πράξεων ἐπιβλέπει. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ζ', Κεφ Γ' Source: Migne PG 9.424c-428a

This is the true athlete, he who in the great stadium, the fair world, is crowned for the true victory over all the passions. For He who presides over the contest is Almighty God, and He who assigns the prizes is the only begotten Son of God. Angels and holy ones are spectators, and the contest which embraces all the varied exercises, is 'not against flesh and blood,' 1 but against the spiritual powers of vehement passions working through the flesh. He who prevails in these great struggles, as with certain contests overthrowing the tempter in judgement, he seizes on immortality; for the sentence of God in most righteous judgment is infallible. The spectators are summoned to the contest, and the athletes contend in the stadium, and the one previals who has obeyed  the trainer. For to all, all rewards proposed by God are equal, and He is faultless. And he who has power receives mercy, and he who has chosen is mighty; for which we have received reason, that we may know what we do, and 'Know yourself' here means to know for what we were born. And we are born to be obedient to the commandments, if we choose to be willing to be saved. This is the Adrastia, through which there is no escape from God. Thus the work of man is obedience to God, who has proclaimed salvation manifold through the commandments, and confession is thanksgiving. For the benefactor first begins to do good. And he who with fitting thoughts readily receives and keeps the commandments, is faithful, and he who as far as able returns benefits on account of love is already a friend. One recompense among men is of most importance: the doing of what is most pleasing to God. As His own production, and so akin to Himself, the Teacher and Saviour receives assistance and improvement on the part of men as favour and honour, as also deems injuries inflicted on those who have faith in Him as to His own ingratitude and dishonour. For what other dishonour can affect God? Whence it is impossible to render a return at all equivalent to the salvation received from the Lord. And as those who mistreat property insult the owners, and those who mistreat soldiers insult the commander, so also the ill use of His consecrated ones is contempt for the Lord; for just as the sun not only enlightens heaven and the whole world, shining over land and sea, but also through windows and small chinks sends its beams into the innermost chambers of houses, so the Word diffused everywhere looks upon the smallest deeds of one's life. Clement of Alexandria, from the Stromata, Book 7, Ch 3 1 Ephes 6.12

Abraham's Victory

Deinde a quinque regibus, qui Sodomis irruerant, captum Lot liberat, habens secum in praelio trecentos decem et octo vernula. Sed quid haec victoria Abrahae de quinque regibus indicabat, quos ille fidei pater mysterio superavit, nisi quod fides nostra, si confirmata sit in spiritu principali, totidem corporis nostri sensus verbo Dei subigat? Nam sicut ille de proximo in regibus victor, ita et fides nostra per animam victrix de exeriore homine triumphat. Quod vero ille non multitudine, nec virtute legionum, sed tantum trecentis decem et octo comitantibus, adversarios principes debellavit, jam tunc in sacramento crucis, cujus figura per Tau litteram Graecem numero trecentorum exprimitur, imaginatbatur, quod nos Christi passio liberaret a dominatu quinque carnalium sensuum, qui nos antea variis vitiis captivantes exsuperaverant. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesin, Caput XI Source: Migne PL 83.239b-c

Then from the five kings, who overcame Sodom, Abraham liberated the captive Lot, having with him in battle three hundred and eighteen servants. 1 And what does this victory of Abraham over the five kings indicate, those that father of faith overcome mystically, but that our faith, if it is fortified with the great spirit, every day subjugates the senses of our body with the Word of God? For as he for his neighbour was victor against kings, so even our faith triumphing over the exterior man is a victor for the soul. And that he conquered hostile princes not with a multitude, nor with the strength of legions, but with only three hundred and eighteen companions, gives an image of the mystery of the cross, by the figure of the Greek letter Tau τ, which expresses the number three hundred, because the passion of Christ liberated us from the domination of the five carnal senses, who had before held us captive to various vices. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chap 11 1 Gen 14.1-16

Bearing The Commandments

Et mandata ejus gravia non sunt. Et ipse Dominus dicit: Jugum meum suave est et onus meum leve. Neque his vel Domini vel beati Joannis verbis debet videri adversum, quod et ipse Dominus alibi dicit, quia angusta porta et arcta via est quae ducit ad vitam; et Propheta ad eum: Propter verba, inquit, labiorum tuorum ego custodivi vias duras; at Apostolus: Quia per multas tribulationes oportet nos introire in regnum Dei. Quae enim natura sua dura sunt et aspera, spes coelestium praemiorum et amor Christi facit esse levia. Durum namque est persecutiones pati propter justitiam, sed et hoc facit suave, quod ipsorum qui sic patiuntur est regnum coelorum. Unde bene subditur: Quoniam omne quod natum est ex Deo, vincit mundum. Ideo namque mandata divina non sunt gravia, quia omnes qui vera devotione his mancipantur, et adversa mundi ejus et blandimenta pari mente contemnunt, ipsam quoque mortem velut ingressum patriae coelestis amantes. Et ne quis sua virtute mundi vel luxus vel labores se posse superare confideret, consulte subjungit: Et haec et victoria quae vincit mundum, fides nostra. Illa nimirum fides, quae per dilectionem operatur; illa fides qua ejus humiliter auxilium flagitamus qui ait: In mundo pressuras habebitis, sed confidete, ego vici mundum. Sanctus Beda, In I Epistolam Sancti Joannis Source: Migne PL 93.113a-d

And His commandments are not heavy. 1 And the Lord Himself says: 'My yoke is sweet and my burden light.' 2 Nor with these words should the Lord or the blessed John seem to be at variance with what the Lord said elsewhere: 'The gate is narrow and the way hard that leads to life.' 3 And the Prophet says to Him: 'On account of the words of your lips I have guarded the hard ways.' 4 And the Apostle: 'Because through many tribulations we should enter into the kingdom of God.' 5 For what is by its own nature hard and bitter, the hope of heavenly rewards and the love of Christ makes light. Hard it is to suffer persecution on account of righteousness, but even this is made sweet, because to those who so suffer belongs the kingdom of heaven. 6 Whence well it follows: Because everyone who is born from God conquers the world. 7 Therefore because the Divine commandments are not heavy, because all who posses true devotion are liberated by them, with an unshaken soul they condemn the troubles of the world and its allurements, and also love death as an entry into the fatherland of heaven. But lest someone be too confident that he is able overcome by his own strength or wealth or labours, wisely the Apostle adds: And this is the victory which conquers the world, our faith. 7 Certainly that faith which works through love, that faith by which we humbly entreat His help, who said: 'In the world you will have trials, but be confident, because I have conquered the world.' 8 Saint Bede, Commentary On The First Letter of Saint John 1 1 Jn 5.3 2 Mt 11.30 3 Mt 7.14 4 Ps 16.4 5 Acts 14.22 6 Mt 5.10 7 1 Jn 5.4 8 Jn 16.33

The Curse And The Crown Of Thorns

Ἐπειδὴ κατάρας ἤν ἄκανθα γεώργιον, ἤν ἡ γῆ κατεδικάσθη μετὰ τήν ἡμετέραν παράβασιν, πᾰσαν δὲ θεραπεῦσαι ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ Κύριος παρεγένετο· τούτου χάριν ἀκάνθας ὡς νικηφόρος ἐστεφανώσατο, ὥσπερ οἱ δόκιμοι ποιοῠσι τῶν νικητῶν, αὐτὸ τὸ  ὅπλον ἤ ὄργανον θριαμβεύοντες, δι' οὖ τὴν νίκην εἰργάσαντο, Θαρσεῖτε, λέγων, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος, καὶ ἐν τοῖς αὐτῶν πταίσμασι μὴ γενόμενος, καὶ τῷ γένει τὴν ἀρχαίαν καλλονὴν ἀποδέδωκε, καὶ τὸ κράτος τῆς κατάρας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ φύσει κατέλυσε. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ϟΕ' Εὐτονιῳ Διακονῳ Source:  Migne PG 78.248b-c

Since it was the curse which commanded thorns from the earth on account of our trespass, 1 so the Lord who came to cure every ill in Himself wore the crown of thorns like a victor, as famous and celebrated champions bear in triumph the weapon or instrument by which victory was achieved. 'Be of good cheer, I have conquered the world,' 2 He says. For He who took up human nature, but not the faults of human nature, restored the old beauty of our race, casting off the power of the curse in that nature. Saint Isidore of Pelusium,  Book 1, Letter 95, To Eutonius the Deacon 1 Gen 3.17-18 2 Jn 16.33

The Cross And Virtue

Αἱ Χεῖρες τοῦ  Χριστοῦ προσπαγεῖσαι τῷ σταυρῷ, καὶ οἱ πόδες προσηλωθέντες σημαίνουσι πράξεων τε πονηρῶν, καὶ τοῦ πρὸς πᾶσαν δυσσέβεαιν καὶ στερεὸν ἐμποδισμόν. Τῇ γὰρ ἰσχύει τοῦ Δεσποτικοῦ σταυροῦ κατεπαλαίσαμεν, καὶ κατεπατήσαμεν, καὶ ἐξεβιασάμεθα τὴν πρώνη ἡμᾶς νικῶσαν, καὶ ἀπατῶσαν καὶ ἐκβιασζομένην ἁμαρτίαν. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΤΚΗ', Ἱππονικῳ Σκρινιαριῳ Source: Migne PG 79.201a-b

The hands of Christ affixed to the cross and the nailing of His feet signify both evil actions and what is the firm impediment to every wickedness and crime. For with virtue we have been stretched out on the cross of the Lord, and there we have trampled on and kicked off what before had conquered us and laughed at us and driven us to sin. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 328, To Hipponicus the Notary

Prayer And Victory

Ἐν τῷ αἴρειν με χεῖρὰς μου πρὸς ναὸν ἅγιόν σου. Ἐπαιρόμεναι χεῖρες πρὸς πράξεις θεοσεβεῖς, ἐν οὐρανῷ θησαυριζόμεναί εἰσι· δι' ὦν νικᾷ τις τὸν νοητὸν Ἀμαλήκ· ὡς ὁ Μωσῆς, ἡνίκα τὰς χεῖρας ἀνέφερεν, ὁ λαὸς ἐνίκα· ὅτε δὲ κατέσπα, ὁ Ἀμαλήκ. Μὴ κατενέγκωμεν οὖν τὰς χεῖρας, ἐπεὶ νικηθησόμεθα. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαί Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος ΚΖ' Source: Migne PG 17.117

'While I lift my hands toward your holy temple.' 1  Raising hands for religious actions is the gathering of treasure in heaven, by which one may conquer according to the understanding of Amalek, as Moses, on account of whose raised hands the people conquered, and when he lowered them the Amalekites prevailed. 2 Let us then not neglect our hands lest we be conquered. Origen, Excerpta On the Psalms, from Psalm 27 1 Ps 27.2 2 Exod 17.8-16

Bringing The Soul To Life

Inposuisti homines super capita nostra, transivimus per ignem et aquam et induxisti nos in refrigerium. Introibo in domum tuam in holocaustis, reddam tibi vota mea Tentationum autem  genera et diversas martyrium victorias contuentes, scimus quibus modis anima ponatur in vitam, cujus contemptu desaevientibus poenarum ingeniis, a fidei gressu et testimonio non moventur. Alii enim in vinculis carcerum gloriantur, alii caesi in verberibus gratulantur, alii potestati irreligiosorum desecanda felicium capitum colla submittunt: plures in exstructos rogos currant, et trepidantibus poenae ministris, ignem saltu devotae festinationis insiliunt: alii in profundum demergendi, non in aquas necaturas; sed in refrigerium aeternae beatitudinis decidunt, toto ipso se corpore Deo hostiam tamquam holocausta praebentes. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum LXV Source: Migne PL 9.432c

'You placed men over our heads, we passed through fire and water, and you led us into rest. I shall enter into your house with sacrifices, I shall return my vow to you.' 1 Observing the types of trial and the victories of the martyrs, we know by what ways the soul is brought to life, of which is contempt for the savage cunning of punishments, that they do not move one from the position of faith. Some gloried in prison's chains, some rejoiced amid a flurry of blows, others submitted the necks of their happy heads to the cleaving power of the irreligious, many ran to the heaped pyre and amid the fearsome ministers of punishments leaped into the fire with swift and devout bound, others in the depths were drowned, not into killing waters but passing into the rest of eternal life, offering the whole body to God as sacrifice. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 65 1 Ps 65.12-13

Victory And Defeat

Ista palo Sisaram hostem interficit, id est, ligni crucis virtute diabolum interimit, quod Barac, id est, prior populus per legis praecepta facere non potuit; sola enim ista per lignum, in quo spiritualibus sacramentis credentium salus est, fidei hostem affigit; quem deinde mortuum pellibus obtegit, id est, inclusum in carnalium cordibus derelinquit. Non enim latent mortifera ipsius, nisi in corruptibilitate vitae viventibus, et peccata mortalia perpetrantibus, qui, dum prave viventes, segregantur a corpore Christi, efficuntur membra diaboli. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Librum Judicum, Cap II

And this woman Jael kills the enemy Sisara with a peg, 1 that is, with the power of the wood of the cross she slays the devil, which Barac, that is, the prior people, were not able to do through the commands of the Law, for only through this wood, in which is the salvation of the faithful with spiritual sacraments, is the enemy of the faith defeated. And she then wraps the dead man in pelts, that is, he perishes closed up in the carnal thoughts of the heart. For the death bearing nature of this is not hidden, unless to those living corrupt lives, and those committing mortal sins, those who while living in a depraved way, separated from the body of Christ, are made into members of the devil. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On The Book of Judges, Chap 2 1 Judg 4.17-21

Faith and Love

Ista fidei simplicitate et sinceritate lactati nutriamur in Christo; et cum parvuli sumus, maiorum cibos non appetamus, sed nutrimentis saluberrimis crescamus in Christo, accedentibus bonis moribus et christiana iustitia, in qua est caritas Dei et proximi perfecta et firmata: ut unusquisque nostrum de diabolo inimico et angelis eius triumphet in semetipso in Christo quem induit. Quia perfecta caritas nec cupiditatem habet saeculi, nec timorem saeculi; id est, nec cupiditatem ut acquirat res temporales, nec timorem ne amittat res temporales. Per quas duas ianuas intrat et regnat inimicus, qui primo Dei timore, deinde caritate pellendus est. Debemus itaque tanto avidius appetere apertissimam et evidentissimam cognitionem veritatis, quanto nos videmus in caritate proficere, et eius simplicitate cor habere mundatum, quia ipso interiore oculo videtur veritas: Beati enim mundo corde, inquit, quia ipsi Deum videbunt. Ut in caritate radicati et fundati praevaleamus comprehendere cum omnibus sanctis, quae sit latitudo, et longitudo, et altitudo, et profundum; scire etiam supereminentem scientiam caritatis Christi, ut impleamur in omnem plenitudinem Dei; et post ista cum invisibili hoste certamina, quoniam volentibus et amantibus iugum Christi lene est, et sarcina eius levis, coronam victoriae mereamur. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, De Agone Christiano

With this simple and sincere faith we are nourished on the milk in Christ, and when we are little we have no desire for food of older folk, but with wholesome nourishment we grow in Christ entering upon good morals and christian righteousness in which is the perfect and firm love of God and neighbour, that every one of us over our the enemy devil and his angels shall triumph in himself in Christ who leads. Because perfect charity has no desire for the world, nor does it fear the times, that is, neither does it desire that it acquire temporal things, nor has it fear that it will lose the same, through which two doors the enemy enters and rules, and who is expelled first by fear of God and then by love. We should, therefore, with great avidity desire most open and evident knowledge of the truth as much as we see we advance in love and His cleansing we have in simplicity of heart, because by the interior eye truth is seen. 'Blessed are the pure in heart,' He says, 'because they shall see God.' 1 In love rooted and founded we grow in understanding with all the saints, in breadth and length and height and depth, coming even to know the supereminent knowledge of the love of Christ, that we may be filled with every fullness of God, and after, in those struggles with the unseen enemy, because to those willing and loving the yoke of Christ is light and his burden easy, we may merit a crown of victory. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from On The Christian Struggle 1 Mt 5.8

Sons of Thunder

Nec Jacobus et Joannes mortui filii tonitrui, quibus in usum gloriae coelestis assumptis non praevalent terrena, sed subjacent. Esto ergo et tu Petrus, devotus, fidelis, pacificus; ut portas Ecclesiae aperias, et portas mortis evadas. Esto filius tonituri. Dicis: Quomodo possum esse filius tonitrui. Dicis: Quomodo possum esse filius tonitrui? Potes esse, si non in terra, sed in pectore Christi recumbas. Potes esse filius tonitrui si te terrena non moveant, sed ipse potius ea quae terrena sunt, mentis tuae virtute concutias. Tremat te terra, non capiat: vereatur caro potestatem animi tui, et concussa subdatur. Eris filius tonitrui, si fueris filius Ecclesiae. Dicat et tibi de patibulo crucis Christus: 'Ecce mater tua'  Dicat et Ecclesiae: Ecce filius tuus ; tunc enim incipis esse filius Ecclesiae cum in cruce victorem videris Christum. Nam qui crucem scandalum putet, Judaeus est, Ecclesiae filius non est: qui crucem stultitam putat, Greacus est. Ille autem est Ecclesiae filius, qui crucem triumphum putat, qui crucem Christi triumphantis agnoscit.   Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Evangelii secundum Lucam, Liber VII

Neither James nor John, the sons of thunder, 1 died; they were taken up to the enjoyment of heavenly glory because earthly things did not prevail over them but they subdued them. Be then a Peter, devout, faithful, peaceful, that you may open the gates of the church and avoid the gates of death. Be a son of thunder. You may ask, 'How am I able to be a son of thunder?' You are able to be one if you recline on the breast of Christ, 2 not on the earth. You are able to be a son of thunder if earthly things do not move you, but rather you, with the virtue of your mind, crush down worldly things. Let the earth fear you, rather than seize you, let flesh fear the power of your soul and let it be subdued with a blow. You shall be a son of thunder if you become a son of the Church. Let Christ say from the yoke of the cross: 'Behold your mother.' 3 And let it be said to the Church 'Behold your son' 4 Then you shall begin to be a son of the Church when in the cross you see the victory of Christ. For he who thinks the cross scandalous is of the Jews; he is not  a son of the Church. He who thinks the cross is foolish, is of the Gentiles. He is a son of the Church who deems the cross a triumph, who knows the cross as the victory of Christ. Saint Ambrose, On The Gospel of Luke, Book 7 1 Mark 3.17 2 Jn 13.23-25 3 Jn 19.27 4 Jn 19.26

Crowns and Victory

Corona victoriae non promittitur nisi certantibus. In divinis autem Scripturis assidue invenimus promitti nobis coronam, si vicerimus. Sed ne longum sit multa commemorare, apud apostolum Paulum manifestissime legitur: Opus perfeci, cursum consummavi, fidem servavi; iam superest mihi corona iustitiae. Debemus ergo cognoscere quis sit ipse adversarius, quem si vicerimus coronabimur. Ipse est enim quem Dominus noster prior vicit, ut etiam nos in illo permanentes vincamus. Et Dei quidem Virtus atque Sapientia, et Verbum per quod facta sunt omnia, qui Filius Dei unicus est, super omnem creaturam semper incommutabilis manet. Et quoniam sub illo est creatura etiam quae non peccavit, quanto magis sub illo est omnis creatura peccatrix? Ergo quoniam sub illo sunt omnes sancti Angeli, multo magis sub illo sunt omnes praevaricatores angeli, quorum diabolus princeps est. Sed quia naturam nostram deceperat, dignatus est unigenitus Dei Filius ipsam naturam nostram suscipere, ut de ipsa diabolus vinceretur, et quem semper ipse sub se habet, etiam sub nobis eum esse faceret. Ipsum significat dicens: Princeps huius mundi missus est foras. Non quia extra mundum missus est, quomodo quidam haeretici putant: sed foras ab animis eorum qui cohaerent verbo Dei, et non diligunt mundum, cuius ille princeps est; quia dominatur eis qui diligunt temporalia bona, quae hoc mundo visibili continentur: non quia ipse dominus est huius mundi, sed princeps cupiditatum earum quibus concupiscitur omne quod transit; ut ei subiaceant qui neglegunt aeternum Deum, et diligunt instabilia et mutabilia. Radix enim est omnium malorum cupiditas; quam, quidam appetentes, a fide erraverunt, et inseruerunt se doloribus multis. Per hanc cupiditatem regnat in homine diabolus, et cor eius tenet. Tales sunt omnes qui diligunt istum mundum. Mittitur autem diabolus foras, quando ex toto corde renuntiatur huic mundo. Sic enim renuntiatur diabolo, qui princeps est huius mundi, cum renuntiatur corruptelis, et pompis, et angelis eius. Ideoque ipse Dominus iam triumphantem naturam hominis portans: Scitote, inquit, quia ego vici mundum. Multi autem dicunt: Quomodo possumus vincere diabolum quem non videmus? Sed habemus magistrum, qui nobis demonstrare dignatus est quomodo invisibiles hostes vincantur. De illo enim dixit Apostolus: Exuens se carne, principatus et potestates exemplavit, fiducialiter triumphans eos in semetipso. Ibi ergo vincuntur inimicae nobis invisibiles potestates, ubi vincuntur invisibiles cupiditates: et ideo quia in nobis ipsis vincimus temporalium rerum cupiditates, necesse est ut in nobis ipsis vincamus et illum qui per ipsas cupiditates regnat in homine. Quando enim dictum est diabolo: Terram manducabis; dictum est peccatori: Terra es, et in terram ibis. Datus est ergo in cibum diaboli peccator. Non simus terra, si nolumus manducari a serpente. Sicut enim quod manducamus, in nostrum corpus convertimus, ut cibus ipse secundum corpus hoc efficiatur quod nos sumus: sic malis moribus per nequitiam et superbiam et impietatem hoc efficitur quisque quod diabolus, id est, similis eius; et subiicitur ei, sicut subiectum est nobis corpus nostrum. Et hoc est quod dicitur, manducari a serpente. Quisquis itaque timet illum ignem qui paratus est diabolo et angelis eius, det operam triumphare de illo in semetipso. Eos enim qui foris nos oppugnant, intus vincimus, vincendo concupiscentias per quas nobis dominantur. Et quos invenerint sui similes, secum ad poenas trahunt. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, De Agone Christiano

The crown of victory is not promised unless to those who struggle. In the Divine Scriptures continually we find a crown promised to us, if we conquer. But lest it take too long for many to recall these things, most manifestly in the Apostle Paul it says: The work completed, the course run, the faith kept, a crown of righteousness is ready for me. 1 We should therefore know who it is who is our adversary, him whom if we conquer we shall be crowned. He is the one over whom our Lord has been victorious, that even in Him remaining we might conquer. And certainly of God is virtue and wisdom, 2 and the Word through whom everything was made, 3 He who is the only Son of God, over every creature always unchangeably remaining. And because beneath him is every creature which has not sinned, how much more beneath him is every creature that is a sinner? Therefore, because beneath him are all the holy angels, much more beneath him are all the rebellious angels, of whom the devil is the prince. But because he ensnared our nature it is was right the Unbegotten Son of God himself take up our nature, that by it the devil might be conquered, and that he whom He always has beneath himself, He should make to be beneath us. He himself declares this, saying, 'The prince of this world is cast out.' 4 Not because he has been cast out from the world, which certain heretics think, but because he is outside of those souls who adhere to the word of God, and who do not love the world, of which he is the prince, for he rules those who delight in temporal things which this visible world contains, not because he is lord of this world, but because he is prince of their desires, by which they desire everything which passes; thus to him they are subject who neglect the eternal God and delight in things unstable and changeable. For the root of all evil is cupidity, which in its desires wanders from the faith, embroiling a man in many griefs. 5 Through this cupidity the devil rules over a man and he holds his heart. Such are all those who love this world. The devil is cast out when from the whole heart this world is renounced. So even is the devil renounced, who is prince of this world, when corruptible things are renounced, and pomp, and his angels. Therefore the Lord himself already bears the triumphant nature of man: 'Know,' He says, 'that I have conquered the world.' 6 But many say: 'How can we conquer the devil whom we do not see?' Yet we have a teacher, who thought it right to show to us how invisible enemies may be conquered. Concerning this the Apostle says, ' Putting off the flesh, despoiling the dominions and powers, faithfully triumphing over them in Himself'  7 There, then, the invisible hostile powers are conquered by us, where the invisible desires are conquered. And so that we conquer desires for temporal things in us ourselves, necessary it is that in us we conquer him who through desires rules a man. When it was said to the devil: 'Earth you shall eat,' it was said to the sinner, 'Earth you are and into earth you shall go.' 8 Thus the sinner is given as food to the devil. We are not earth if we are not eaten by the serpent. As even what we eat we convert into our own body so that the food be used in accordance with the body that we are, so by wicked ways, through evil and pride and impiety, a man is made like the devil, that is, similar to him, and subject to him, as our bodies are subject to us. And this is what it means to be eaten by the serpent. Whoever then fears that fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels, 9 let him work for the victory in himself. For those who oppose us without, within we conquer in the conquering of the desires by which they rule us. And those discovered to be like them, with them will be dragged off to punishment. Saint Augustine of Hippo, On The Christian Struggle 1 2 Tim 4. 7-8 2 1 Cor 1.24 3 Jn 1. 1-3 4 Jn 12.31 5 1 Tim 6.10 6 Jn 16.33 7 Col 2.15 8 Gen 3.14-19 9 Mt 25.41

War And Peace

'Tempus belli et tempus pacis' Quandiu in praesenti saeculo sumus, tempus est belli: cum autem migraverimus de hoc saeculo, pacis tempus adveniet. In pace enim locus est Dei, et civitas nostra Jerusalem, de pace sortita est vocabulum. Nemo ergo se nunc putet esse securum: in tempore belli accingendum est, et arma tractanda, ut victores quondam requiescamus in pace. Sanctus Hieronymous, Commentarius Ecclesiasten, Liber I

'A time of war and a time of peace.'1 While we are in the present world, it is a time of war. When we leave this world, there comes the time of peace. Peaceful is the place of God, and our city of Jerusalem, which is named peace chosen. 2 None therefore should think himself secure now. In time of war one must wear armor, and take up weapons, so that victors we may rest in peace.   Saint Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Book 1 1 Eccl 3.8  2. Ps 75.3

Misunderstanding Flaws

Αὐτῷ ᾦ νομίζεις ἐλαττωματι ἀκόμπῳ καὶ ἀγραμμάτῳ τῶν ἱερῶν τοῦ Κυρίου μαθητῶν, ὑπερέχει τοῦ θείου Εὐαγγελίου ἡ δύναμις, δι' ἐκείνων κρατήσασα, δι ὦν ἄλλοι ἡττήθησαν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, ,Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΞΖ', Παυλῳ

This which you think flawed by the lack of care and literary skill of the holy Apostles of the Lord, the power of the Divine Gospel makes superior, through which it prevailed, by which others were conquered.   Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 268, To Paul

The Victory of the Martyrs

Petrus quidem ad Ponticos, quanta enim, inquit, gloria, si non delinquentes ut puniamini sustinetis? Haec enim gratia est, in hoc et vocati estis, quoniam et Christus passus est pro nobis, relinquens uobis exemplum semetipsum, uti adsequamini vestigia ipsius. Et rursus: Dilecti, ne epavescatis ustionem, quae agitur in vobis in temptationem, quasi nouum accidat vobis. Etenim secundum quod communicatis passionibus Christi, gaudete, uti et in revelatione gloriae eius gaudeatis exultantes. Si dedecoramini in nomine Christi, beati estis, quod gloria et Dei Spiritus requiescit in vobis, dum ne quis vestrum patiatur ut homicida aut fur aut maleficus aut alieni speculator, si autem ut Christianus, ne erubescat, glorificet autem Dominum in nomine isto. Iohannes vero, ut etiam pro fratribus nostris animas ponamus, hortatur negans timorem esse in dilectione. Perfecta enim dilectio foras abicit timorem, quoniam timor poenam habet, et qui timet non est perfectus in dilectione. Quem timorem intellegi praestet, nisi negationis auctorem? Quam dilectionem perfectam adfirmat, nisi fugatricem timoris et animatricem confessionis? Qua poena timorem puniat, nisi quam negator relaturus est cum corpore et anima occidendus in gehenna? Quodsi pro fratribus, quanto magis pro domino moriendum docet, satis de Apocalypsi quoque sua instructus haec suadere? Mandaverat etenim Spiritus ad angelum ecclesiae Smyrnaeorum: Ecce diabolus ex numero tuo coniciet in carcerem, ut temptemini diebus decem. Esto fidelis ad mortem usque, et dabo tibi vitae coronam. Item ad Pergamenorum de Antipa, fidelissimo martyre, interfecto in habitatione satanae. Item ad Philadelphenorum, quod a temptatione ultima liberaretur, qui Domini nomen non negarat. Exinde victoribus quibusque promittit nunc arborem uitae et mortis veniam secundae, nunc latens manna cum calculo candido et nomine ignoto, nunc ferreae uirgae potestatem et stellae matutinae claritatem, nunc albam vestiri nec deleri de libro vitae et columnam fieri in Dei templo in nomine Dei et Domini et Hierusalem caelestis inscriptam, nunc residere cum Domino in throno eius, quod aliquando Zebedaei filiis negabatur. Quinam isti tam beati victores, nisi proprie martyres? Tertullianus, Scorpicae

Peter says to those in Pontus, 'How much indeed is the glory, if not being criminals, you suffer patiently? This indeed is grace, to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an eternal example that you should follow in His own footsteps.' 1 And again: 'Beloved, be not alarmed by the burning trial which is happening among you, as if something strange had befallen you. Insofar as you are partake of the passion of Christ, rejoice; for in the revelation of his glory you shall rejoice. If you are reproached because of the name of Christ, you are blessed; because glory and the Spirit of God rest in you. Yet none of you should suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as an interloper in the affairs of others. But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God in this name.' 2 John exhorts us to lay down our lives for our brethren, denying that there is fear in love: 'Perfect love casts out fear, since fear has punishment; and he who fears is not perfect in love.' 3 What fear would it be better to understand but that which is the author of denial? What love does he assert to be perfect but that which puts fear to flight, and encourages confession? What penalty will he give as punishment for fear but that which the denier shall pay with body and soul slain in hell? And if he  he teaches that we must die for the brethren, how much more for the Lord, John being sufficiently instructed by his own Revelation to advise this? For indeed the Spirit commanded the angel of the church in Smyrna: 'Behold, the devil shall throw some of you into prison, that you may be tried ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.' Also to the angel of the church in Pergamus it was told of Antipas, a very faithful martyr, who was slain where Satan dwells. Also to the angel of  Philadelphia it was said that he was delivered from the last trial who had not denied the name of the Lord. So to every conqueror the Spirit promises now the tree of life and freedom from the second death; now the hidden manna with the white stone and the name unknown, now the power of the rod of iron and the brightness of the morning star; now the clothing in white vestments and the name not erased from the book of life and being made into a pillar in the temple of God with the name of God and of the Lord and of the heavenly Jerusalem inscribed upon it; now to sit with the Lord on His throne, that which once was refused to the sons of Zebedee. Who are these blessed conquerors but the martyrs themselves? Tertullian, The Antidote 1 1 Pet 2.20-21 2 1 Pet 4. 12-16 3 1 Jn 3.16