A Tree of Wisdom

Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secundum decursus aquarum  Id est, aut secundum ipsam Sapientiam, quae dignata est hominem suscipere ad salutem nostram; ut ipse homo sit lignum plantatum secundum decursus aquarum: potest enim et hoc intellectu accipi, quod in alio psalmo dicitur: Fluvius Dei repletus est aqua. Aut secundum Spiritum Sanctum, secundum quem dicitur: Ipse vos baptizabit in Spiritu Sancto; et illud: Qui sitit, veniat, et bibat; et illud: Si scires donum Dei, et quis est qui a te aquam petit; petisses ab eo, et daret tibi aquam vivam, unde qui biberit non sitiet in aeternum; sed efficietur in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam. Aut secundum decursus aquarum, secundum populorum peccata, quia et aquae populi interpretantur in Apocalypsi; et decursus non absurde intellegitur lapsus, quod pertinet ad delictum. Lignum ergo illud, id est Dominus noster, de aquis decurrentibus, id est populis peccatoribus, trahens eos in via in radices disciplinae suae, fructum dabit, hoc est, constituet Ecclesias; in tempore suo, id est, postquam clarificatus est resurrectione et ascensione in coelum. Tunc enim Spiritu sancto misso Apostolis, et eis in fiducia sui confirmatis et directis in populos, fructificavit Ecclesias.  Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Enarratio in Psalmum I

'And he shall be like a tree planted beside flowing waters'1  That is, either Wisdom itself, which  assumed man's nature for our salvation, that as man He might be 'the tree planted by flowing waters', for in this sense it can also be understood which is said in another Psalm, 'The river of God is full of water,'2 or the Holy Spirit, of whom it is said, 'He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit,'3 and again, 'If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink,' 4 and again, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that asks water of you, you would have asked of Him and He would have given you living water, of which whoever drinks shall not thirst in eternity, but in him it shall be made a well of water springing up to everlasting life.'5 Or, ' the flowing waters' may be the sins of the people, because first the waters are called peoples in the Apocalypse,6  and by 'flowing waters' is not unreasonably understood 'fall,' which pertains to sin. That tree then, that is, our Lord, from the running streams of water, that is, from a sinful people, drawing them into the roots of His discipline, will 'bring forth fruit,' that is, will establish Churches; 'in His season,' that is, after He has been glorified by His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. For then, by the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and by the confirmation of their faith in Him and command to go to the peoples, He made the Churches bring forth fruit. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Commentary on Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.3 2 Ps 64.10 3 Mt 3.11  4 Jn 7.37  5 Jn 4.10, 13 -14  6 Rev 17.15  7 Is 40:6-8

Renunication Failure

Ἀδελφὸς ἀποταξάμενος τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ διαδοὺς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ πτωχοῖς, παρακατασχὼν δὲ ὀλίγα εἰς λόγον ἑαυτοῦ, παρέβαλε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ἀντωνίῳ. Καὶ τοῦτο μαθὼν, λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ἐι θέλεις μοναχὸς γενέσθαι, ἄπελθε εἰς τήνδε τὴν κώμην, καὶ ἀγόρασον κρέας, καὶ περίθες τῷ σώματί σου γυμνῷ, καὶ οὕτως ἐλθὲ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ ποιήσαντος οὕτως τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, οἱ κύνες καὶ τὰ ὄρνεα τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ κατέτεμνον. Ἀπαντήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν γέροντα, ἐπύθετο εἰ γέγονεν ὡς συνεβούλευσεν. Ἐκείνου δὲ ἐπιδεικνυμένου τὸ σῶμα διεσπεραγμένον, λέγει ὁ ἅγιος Ἀντώνιος· Οἱ ἀποταξάμενοι τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ θέλοντες ἔχειν χρήματα, οὕτως ἀπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων κατακόπτονται πολεμούμενοι. Αποφθεγματα των Ἀγιων Γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

A brother renounced the world and gave his possessions to the  poor, but he kept back a little for himself, and so he went to Father Anthony. When he learned of what he had done, the elder said to  him, 'If you want to be a monk, go to this village, buy meat, cover your naked body with it and so come back here.' The brother did so, and the dogs and birds tore at his body. Having returned to the elder, he was asked if he had done as he advised. He showed him his wounded body and the blessed Anthony said, 'Those who renounce the world but want to keep something are torn to pieces by the demons battling against them.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Waters and Fruit

Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ.  Ὁ διὰ πάσης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ νυκτός τε καὶ ἡμέρας τῷ θείῳ σχολάζων νόμῳ, καὶ τοῖς ἐξ αὐτοῦ λογικοῖς νάμασιν ἀρδόμενος, σφόδρα οἰκείως φυτῷ παρ' ὕδασιν ἐῤῥιζωμένῳ παραβέβληται· διὸ καὶ μακάριος ὡς ἀληθῶς οὗτος, ἅτε μάλιστα ποτιζόμενος τοῖς θείοις μαθήμασιν, ὥριμον ἑαυτοῦ τὸν καρπὸν ἀποδίδωσιν.  Εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ ξύλον ἐστὶ ζωῆς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶντα φήσαντα περὶ τῆς Σοφίας·  Ξύλον ἐστὶ ζωῆς πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς καὶ τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις ἐπ' αὐτὴν ὡς ἐπὶ Κύριον ἀσφαλῆ· εἰκότως ὁ μακαριζόμενος τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱῷ ἀφωμοίωται τῷ παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους ὄντι τῶν ὑδάτων μαρτυρούμενος καὶ κηρυττόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς διδασκάλων καὶ προφητῶν·  οἵτινες καὶ ἀφέσεις ὑδάτων παρὰ τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ λέγονται Γραφῇ.  Τούτῳ οὖν ἀφωμοίωται ὁ μακαριζόμενος, ἀρδόμενος διεξόδοις τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς πνευματικῶν ναμάτων, καρπόν τε ἀγαθὸν προφέρων.  Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους. ψαλμος Α' Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος

And he shall be like a tree planted planted beside flowing waters which gives it fruit in its own time. 1  He who through his whole life, when the time allows, takes to the study of the Divine Law night and day is watered spiritually by the river flowing by and is must sensibly compared to a tree whose roots are near the waters, which the blessed man reveres, for he who is watered by the Divine discipline shall bring forth his fruit at the appropriate time. Then because the wood of life is of the Son of God according to Solomon, who says concerning Wisdom: 'It is the wood of life to everyone who has embraced it,'2 and he who clings it to it for safety, as to the Lord, he is rightly called blessed who is thus like the Son of God, who thus is placed next to the flowing waters, the testimonies and preaching of the teachers of Divine Scripture and the Prophets, that which Scripture entitles flowing waters. Because of this, then, is the comparison of the blessed man, he who is watered by the flow of spiritual rivers, pouring forth from Sacred Scripture, bringing forth good fruit. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1, 1 Ps 1.3 2. Prov 3.18

The Truly Blessed

Sed beatitudinem viri nondum, vel in impiorum consilio non isse, vel in peccatorum via non stetisse, vel in pestilentiae cathedra non sedisse, consummat. Possunt enim haec et in saeculari viro reperiri: ut unum Deum esse creatorem mundi opinetur, ut a peccatis se per studium modestae innocentiae refrenet ut honorum dignitatibus privatae et tranquillae vitae otium anteponat. Sed perfectum nunc Deo virum Propheta conformans, et quem in magnis aeternae beatitudinis constituat exemplis, non communibus eum ad id docet usurum esse virtutibus sed his consummandum esse, ut beatus sit, quae sequuntur: ' Sed in lege Domini fuit voluntas ejus.' Abstensio superiorum inutilis est, nisi in consequentia adhibeatur intentio: scilicet ut in lege Domini voluntas sit. Non exspectat Propheta ut metus sit. Plures intra legem metus cohibet, paucos vero voluntas constituit in lege: quia timoris est, non audere timenda negligere; perfectae vero religionis est, praescriptis velle parere. Et idcirco beatus ille est, cujus in Dei lege non timor est, sed voluntas. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum Primum

But that man is not yet truly blessed who has not gone off into the council of the impious or stood in the way of sinners or sat in the seat pestilential. For these things can be found in a worldly man, one who admits one God to be creator of the world, who refrains from sin through the practice of modesty, keeping himself from high office by choosing for himself a private life of tranquility. But the perfect man the Prophet conforms to God and he establishes him as an example of the great blessing of eternity, not teaching that virtue is in common acts, but that which follows must be his if he would be blessed, that is: 'But in the law of the Lord is his will.' To refrain from what has just been mentioned is useless unless the mind be set on what follows: 'In the Law of the Lord is his will.' The Prophet does not look for fear. Many are kept within the bounds of Law by fear, few are established in the Law by will, for it is of fear not to dare to omit what one is afraid of, but it is of perfect piety to be ready to obey commands. This is why that man is blessed whose will, not whose fear, is in the Law of God. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1

A Reward of Water

Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλνμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός.  Τῷ νόμῳ, τῷ ἀγγελικῷ δηλονότι. Τὸ σύντονον δηλοῖ· οὐ γὰρ ἠμελημένως δεῖ μελετᾶν τὸν νόμον τοῦ Κυρίου. Οὐ γὰρ  ποτὲ δεῖ τοῖς μελετᾷν, ποτὲ δὲ οὒ, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ καὶ διαπαντὸς τοῖς θείοις λογίοις προσηλῶσθαι· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. Καλὸς τοῦ κατορθώματος ὁ μισθος· ὁ γάρ τῷ θείῳ σχολάζων νόμῳ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τούτου νάμασιν ἀρδευόμενος. Καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διδασκαλίαν ἀνεκάλεσεν εἰπών· Εἲ τις διψᾷ ἐρχέσθω πρὸς μὲ, καὶ πινέτω. Ψευδό Ἀθανάσιος Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Α',

'But in the law of God is his will and on His law he will meditate day and night.1  The law is quite clearly angelic. Clearly it signifies exertion, for one must certainly not be negligent in caring for the law of the Lord. Nor should there be at one time care for it and at another time carelessness, but always one should assiduously attend to the Divine words, and that is what is signified by day and night. Great is the reward for success in this, for he who gives himself to leisure that he attend to the Divine law is watered with its stream. And Christ referred to his teaching as water when he said, 'If a man thirst let him come to me and drink.'2    Pseudo Athanasius, Expositions of the Psalms, Psalm 1 1  Ps 1.2 2 Jn 7.37

Choosing the Law

'Sed in lege Domini fuit voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die et nocte.' Hoc est, beatus ille qui haec faciat consilio, ratione, prudentia; potest enim et parvulus non per virtutem, sed per impossibilitatem et inscientiam delinquendi ab iis quae dicta sunt, abstinere. Potest et irrationabili pecudi convenire, cui nulla vis consilii, nullus sensus erroris est. Hoc est ergo quartum quod sequitur, in quo definitio beati viri a pecude discernitur; quia vir sapiens subditus legi est voluntate, non necessitate. Plurimum enim refert; quia in voluntate mercedis est fructus: in necessitate, dispensationis obsequium. Ita enim docuit nos Apostolus dicens: ' Si volens hoc ago, mercedem habeo: si invitus, dispensatio mihi credita est.'  Ordo autem conveniens, ut primo diligas legem, secundo ut mediteris. Qui diligit, ex voluntate facit mandata legis; qui timet, invitus observat. Hanc disciplinam docendi etiam Dei justitiam in lege accepimus. Sic enim scriptum est: 'Audi, Israel: Dominus Deus tuus, Deus unus est.' . Et 'Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota virtute tua. Et erunt verba haec quae ego praecipio tibi hodie, in corde tuo, et in anima tua: et demonstrabis ea filiis tuis, et loqueris eis sedens in domo, et ambulans in itinere, et in quiete, et in vigilia. Et alligabis ea in signum in manu tua, et erunt monilia ante oculos tuos: et scribes ea super limina in domiciliis tuis et in januis tuis.'  Et infra: ' Et nunc, Isreal, quid abs te postulat Dominus Deus tuus, nisi ut diligas Dominum Deum tuum et ambulans in omnibus viis ejus' Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Enarrationes In XII Psalmos Davidicos , Enarratio in Psalmum I

'But in the law of the Lord is his will and in his law he will meditate day and night.'1 That is, blessed is he who acts with deliberation, with reason, with prudence, for it is possible not through virtue to abstain from those things to be avoided but through ignorance to be apart from them. It is possible to come to the state of an irrational animal, in which there is no power of deliberation, no sense of error. This is therefore another thing by which we distinguish a blessed man from cattle, for a wise man is beneath the law voluntarily not by necessity, for, as in many things, in freedom is the fruit of reward and in necessity is the fulfillment of a charge. Thus the Apostle teaches: ' If I willingly do this, I have my reward, if unwilling, it is credited to me as executing a charge' 2. The order came that first you should love the law, second that you meditate upon it. He who loves willingly keeps the commandments of the law, he who fears is obedient unwillingly. And this teaching of God we have received in the Law, for it is written. 'Hear, Israel, The Lord your God is one God.'3 And then: 'You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and your whole soul and with all your strength. And these words which I give to you today should be in your heart and in your soul, and you shall teach them to your sons and you shall speak of them sitting and walking on the way and resting and watching. And you shall bind these things as a remembrance in your hand and they shall be as a necklace about your eyes and you shall write them above the threshold of your houses and your doors.'4 And further on: ' And now Israel, what from you does the Lord command but that you love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways.' Saint Ambrose, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2 2 1 Cor 9.17 3 Deut 6.3 4 Deut 6. 5-9 5 Deut 10.12

Birth and Baptism

At ubi venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus Filium suum factum ex muliere, factum sub Lege, ut eos qui sub Lege erant, redimeret, ut adoptionem filiorum reciperemus.   Diligenter attendite quod non dixerit, 'factum per mulierem', quod Marcion et caeterae haereses volunt, quae putativam Christi carnem simulant: sed ex muliere, ut non per illam, sed ex illa natus esse credatur. Quod autem sanctam et beatam Matrem Domini, mulierem, non Virginem nominavit, hoc idem et in Evangelio κατὰ Ματθαῖον scriptum est: quando uxor appelatur Joseph, et ab ipso Domino quasi mulier increpatur . Non enim necesse erat semper quasi caute et timide Virginem dicere, cum mulier sexum magis significet quam copulam viri: et secundum intelligentiam Graecitatis γυνὴ tam uxor, quam mulier valeat interpretari. Sed ut cuncta praeteream: quomodo sub lege factus est, ut eos qui sub lege erant, redimeret: sic propter illos qui nati erant ex muliere, ex muliere nasci voluit. Nam et baptismum in Jordanis fluento idcirco quasi poenitens, cum esset a peccatis liber, accepit: ut caeteros edoceret mundandos esse per baptismum, et in filios nova Spiritus adoptione generari. Quod nequaquam intelligens Joannes Baptista, eum ad lavacrum prohibebat accedere, dicens: Ego a te debeo baptizari  Et statim sacramentum docetur: 'Sine modo: sic enim decet nos adimplere omnem justitiam,' ne qui ob hominum salutem venerat, aliquid de conversatione hominum praeteriet. Sanctus Hieronymus, Comentariorum In Epistolam Beati Pauli Ad Galatas, Lib II, Cap IV

'And when came the fullness of time God sent his own Son, born from a women, born beneath the law, that those who were beneath the law he might redeem, that they receive the adoption of sons.1  Carefully attend that it is not said, 'through a woman,' which Marcion and other heretics would wish, that they might claim the flesh of Christ to be putative, but 'from a women', that not through her but from her He is born. That even the holy and blessed Mother of the Lord, is named women and not virgin, is the same as in the Gospel according to Matthew, where it is written, that she is called the wife of Joseph 2, and the Lord Himself refers to her as 'woman'3, so it was not always necessary to be so cautious and fearful as to use the word Virgin, for with the word 'woman' the sex is more signified than coupling with a man, and according to the understanding of the Greeks, 'gyne' may be understood as wife or woman. But I will pass over all this, for beneath the Law he was born, that he might redeem those who were beneath the Law, so for those who were born from woman, from a woman he wished to be born. For although free of sin he received baptism in the waters of the Jordan as one penitent, that he might teach others to be cleansed through baptism, that they be born sons by the new adoption of the Spirit. Which John the Baptist not at all understanding, tried to dissuade him from, saying, ' I by you should be baptised.' And instantly he is taught the mystery: 'Let it be so, even it befits us to fulfill all righteousness.' Lest he who had come on account of the salvation of man, pass over something concerning the conversion of men. Saint Jerome,Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, Book 2, Chap 4 1 Gal 4.4 2 Mt 1.18 3 Jo 2.4

The Coming of the Magi

Ecce Magi ab Oriente, usque, Venimus adorare eum. Magi non propter magicam artem sic nominantur, sed propter aliquam philosophiam, in qua successorres Balaam esse creduntur, et propter prophetiam ejus incitati, visa nova stella natum regem quaerebant, qui confringere omnes duces alienigenarum prophetatus est ex divino eorum. Et congregans omnes principes sacerdotum, usque, in Bethelehem Judae. Quod magis tunc stella non apparuit, quia eos ante ducebat, ad Judaeorum factum est damnationem, ut exquisiti ab Herode, locum nativitatis Christi exprimerent, ne ullam excusationem haberent ignorantiae, post neglectam fidem: cum ante nativitatem ejus non solum quod nasci deberet, sed ubi nasciturus esset, demonstrarent. Mystice autem tres Magi tres partes mundi significant, Asiam, Africam, Europam, sive humanum genus, quod a tribus filiis Noe seminarium sumpsit. Et ecce stella quam viderunt in oriente antecedebat eos, usque, dum veniens staret supra ubi erat puer.  Porro haec stella prophetiam significat, quae ab initio promissae benedictionis semini Abrahae quasi praeteriens Christum venturum esse promisit, usque dum natum in plenitudine temporis ostendebat. Videntes autem stellam, gavisi sunt gaudio magno valde.  Id est, intelligentes finitam esse prophetiam inenarrabili gaudio gratulantur, qui de tribus partibus mundi ad fidem Christi conveniunt. Et intrantes domum, invenerunt puerum cum Maria matre ejus.   Id est, per fidem Ecclesiam ingredientes,  Christum cum primitiva Ecclesia invenerunt, quae ex Israelitico populo conversa est ad fidem ejus. Et procedentes adoraverunt eum.  Nequaquam adorarent, si eum Dominum non crederent. Mystice autem procedebant populi credentium, et adorabant vera fide et pura confessione. Et apertis thesauris suis, et reliqua  In auro regalis dignitas ostenditur Christi; in thure ejus verum sacerdotium, in myrrha, mortalitas carnis; aliter in auro spiritalis sensus, in thure olfactus virtutum, in myrrha mortificatio corporis designatur, quae quotidie omnia ab ista Ecclesia in tribus partibus mundi dispersa Domino offerunttur. Alii tres species philosophiae in his muneribus intelligere volunt: physicam, ethicam, logicam, quas post fidem ad laudem Dei iste mundus obtulit, cum antea inani studio impendit. Alii in auro allegoriam, in myrrha historiam, in thure anagogen, dicunt insinuari. Et responso accepto, usque per aliam viam reversi sunt in regionem suam.   Regio nostra est paradisus, ad quam per obedientiam reverti debet genus humanum, quod inde per inobedientiam expulsum est. Herodes vero significat diabolum, ad quem redire post acceptam fidem prohibemur. Ecce angelus Domini apparuit,' usque, ' et secessit in Aegyptum.' Joseph significat doctores, Maria Ecclesiam; Aegyptus vere, quae tenebrae interpretatur, significat istam gentilitatem, et haec figura Christi in Aegyptum significat transitum ejus cum Ecclesia sua de Israelitico populo per praedicatores ad gentes. Sanctus Beda, In Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, Lib I, Cap II

'Behold Magi from the East,' to ' We have come to adore Him.'1 The Magi are not named on account of some magic art but because of a philosophy in which they are thought to be successors of Balaam, and on account of his prophecy, seeing the new star, they were seeking the king who was born, he who was to crush all other leaders of foreign peoples, as it was spoken in his prophecy.2 'And gathering all the leading priests' to 'In Bethlehem of Judah.' That the star did not appear to more but to those we have just mentioned is a condemnation of the Jews from whom Herod sought  the place of the birth of Christ, nor do they have excuse in ignorance, having neglecting faith, when before his nativity  they should  have shown not only where but when he would be born. Spiritually the three Magi signify the three parts of the world, Asia, Africa, Europe, or the races of men, which took their seed from the three sons of Noah . 'And behold a star which they saw going before them, until it came to stand over the place the child was.'  This star signifies the prophecy, which from the beginning was promise of blessing to the seed of Abraham, as passing by it promised the coming of Christ until it should reveal him born in the fullness of time. 'Seeing the star they were taken by great joy'  That is, understanding the ending of the prophecy they were filled with inexpressible joy, those who had come from the three parts of the world to Christ. 'And entering the house, they found the child with Mary his mother.'  That is, by faith entering the church , with the primitive church they discovered Christ, which from the Israelite people turned to his faith. 'And falling down they adored him.'  They would not have adored if they had not believed him to be the Lord. In a spiritual sense: the people of belief shall fall down and adore him in true faith and pure confession. 'And they opened their treasures' and so on.  In gold is shown the regal dignity of Christ, in frankincense his true priesthood, by myrrh the mortal flesh. Otherwise in gold is found spiritual sense, in frankincense the aroma of the virtues, in myrrh the mortification of the body, which every day in all the church dispersed in the three parts of the world is offered to the Lord. Others would understand three types of philosophy in these gifts: physics, ethics and logic, which after faith this world directs to praise of  God, which before it had expended in vain study. Others in gold would say is found allegory, in myrrh history, and in frankincense anagoge. And receiving the message they went by another way to their land.  Our land is paradise to which through obedience the human race should return, from which they were expelled on account of disobedience . Herod signifies the devil, to whom we are prohibited to return after the reception of faith.  'Behold an angel of the Lord appeared, ' to ' And he withdrew into Egypt.' Joseph signifies the teachers, Mary the Church; Egypt, which means darkness, signifies the Gentiles, and this figure of Christ into Egypt signifies the passing of his Church from the people of Israel to the Gentiles through preaching. Saint Bede, Commentary on Matthew, Book 1, Chapter 2 1 Mt 2.1  2 Num 24.17

The Law Within

Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. Ἐπειδή πολλή τίς ἐστι διαφορὰ τῶν φόβῳ τιμωριῶν εὖ πράττειν κρατηναγκασμένων καὶ τῶν προαιρέσει αὐτὸ τὸ καλὸν αἰρουμένων, διὰ τοῦτό φησι· 'Ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ.' Νόμον δέ φησιν οὐ πάντως τὸν σκιώδη καὶ τυπικὸν νόμον, πολὺ δὲ πρότερον τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ λεληθότα πνευματικὸν λόγον. Εἴη δ' ἄν νόμος Κυρίου καὶ ὁ κατὰ φύσιν πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐνεσπαρμένος, δι' οὖ κατορθῶσαι λέγονται οἱ πρὸ τοῦ διὰ Μωῦσέως νόμου ἅγιοι· περὶ ὦν φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα,' τὸν γραπτὸν δηλονότι, 'φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῶσιν, οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες ἑαυτοῖς εἰσιν νόμος.' Ἥ νόμος Κυρίου εἴη ἂν ὁ πρὸς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι κατηγγελμἐνος εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος.   Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος Α'

'But in the law of the Lord is his will and on His law he will meditate day and night.'1  Because there is a great difference between those who are driven to act well through fear of punishment and those who out of the delight of their own will take themselves to the good, therefore it is said, 'In the law of the Lord is his will.' The law speaks not in shadow and figure but rather the spiritual word spoken is in him. And the law of the Lord has been set within every man's nature, because of which they say well that there were holy men before the time of the law of Moses, concerning which the Apostle says, 'When even the Gentiles who have not the law do naturally the things of the law, not having the law, to themselves they are a law.'2 As it is clearly written. Or the law of our Lord and Saviour, the evangelical word, may be announced to all people. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2 2. Rom 2.14

Reason And The Law

Διὰ τί οὖν μακάριοι οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου; οὐ γὰρ τοὺς πορευθέντας ἐκεῖ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἔτι πορευομένους μακαριστοὺς ὁ λόγος τίθεται· ὅτι οἱ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐργαζόμενοι, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἔργῳ τὸ ἀπόδεκτον ἔχουσιν· οἱ δὲ τὸ κακὸν φεύγοντες οὐκ, ἐὰν ἃπαξ που ἢ δεύτερον ἐκκλίνωσι τὴν πεῖραν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς διαδρᾶναι. Ἐκ δὲ τῆς τοῦ λόγου ἀκολουθίας καὶ ἕτερον ἡμῖν ἄπορον ἀνεφάνη. Διὰ τί οὐχὶ τὸν κατορθοῦντα τὴν ἀρετὴν μακαρίζει, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὴ πεποιηκότα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν; Οὕτως γὰρ καὶ ἵππος, καὶ βοῦς, καὶ λίθος μακαρισθήσεται. Ποῖον γὰρ ἄψυχον ἔστη ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν; ἢ ποῖον ἄλογον ἐπὶ καθέδρᾳ λοιμῶν ἐκάθισε; Μικρὸν μὲν οὒν ἀναμείνας, εὑρήσεις τὸ ἴαμα. Ἐπάγει γάρ· 'Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ.' Θείου δὲ νόμου μελέτη ἐπὶ τὸν λογικὸν μόνον πίπτει. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός Ἀ Source: Migne PG 29.217b-c

Why, then, are they blessed who walk in the way of the Lord? For here Scripture does not say those who have walked but rather those who are walking in it are to be entitled blessed, because those who do good win approval by the deed, but those who flee evil are not worthy of praise, if perhaps once or twice they avoid sin, until they utterly escape the practice of evil. And then from the order of the prayer another difficulty comes before us: why is it that he who cultivates virtue is blessed but not he who does not sin? Because then a horse, a cow, or a stone would be able to called blessed. Do inanimate things stand in the way of sinners? Do those things without reason sit in the chair of pestilence? Certainly if you go on a little, you shall discover the solution. It is given: 'But in the law of the Lord is his will.' 1 And so meditation on the Divine law is only for those who participate in reason. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2

Meditating on the Law

Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς. Μελετᾷ τὸν νόμον Κυρίου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, οὐχ ὁ τὰς λέξεις τοῦ νόμου χωρὶς τῶν κατ' αὐτὰς ἔργων εἰς τὸ μνημονεῦσαι ἀναλαμβάνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τὰ κατάλληλα ἔργα ἐρχόμενος μεμελετηκὼς αὐτῶν, ἕως διὰ τῆς συνεχοῦς τῶν κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἔργων μελέτης γένηται εὐχερὴς, ἀποδιδοὺς πάντα τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα τῷ κατὰ τὸν νόμον τελείως βιοῦντι.  Οὕ τως γὰρ ἔσται δυνατὸν τὸ δι' ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς μελετᾷν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον. Εἴτε γὰρ ἐσθίει, εἴτε πίνει, εἴτε πᾶν ὁτιοῦν πράττει κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον παρὰ τῷ θείῳ Ἀποστόλῳ, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖ ὁ τοιοῦτος· ὥστε καὶ ἐν τῷ τοῦ ὕπνου καιρῷ κατὰ τὸ δέον γινομένου τῆς προσοχῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦτον φθανούσης, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς φαντασίας τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ. Διὰ τούτου λύεται καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ ἀπορούμενα λέγοντι· Ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε. Πῶς γὰρ κοιμώμενός τις εὔξεται, καὶ πράττων τι τῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους καθηκόντων, ἢ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα θεραπεύων; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου φαμέν· ὅτι κέκραγε πρὸς Θεὸν, καὶ αἰτεῖ αὐτὸν τὰ κάλλιστα προκαλούμενος ἐπὶ τὸ παρασχεῖν ὁ τέλειος, πάντα κατὰ τὸν λόγον ποιῶν, ὥστε πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ πρᾶξιν εὐχὴν εἶναι.  Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ μελετᾷν τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀμελητέον τοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἰδικοῦ, οὕτως οὐκ ἀμελητέον αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἰδικῶς εὔχεσθαι, ἐπεὶ μελετᾷν ἐστι καὶ εὔχεσθαι πράττειν ὁτιοῦν κατὰ τὸν νόμον Κυρίου. Ἐπιστήσει δέ τις εἰ κατὰ νόμους ἀναγωγῆς ἡμέρα μὲν δύναται λέγεσθαι ἡ ἀπερίστατος ἡμῶν κατάστασις, νὺξ δὲ ἡ περιστατι κὴ διὰ τὸ σκυθρωπότερον. Δεῖ δὲ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ πειρᾶ σθαι εἶναι οὐ μόνον ὅτε τὰ ἔξωθεν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀντι πράττει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε τοῖς καλουμένοις πειρασμοῖς περιπίπτομεν.   Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

'But in the law of the Lord is his will and on His law he will meditate day and night.'1 He who mediates on the law of the Lord day and night is not he who places into his memory the words of the law without works, for by meditating on them he comes to the works consistent with it, until, with the teachings of the disciplined meditations of the works of the law, he is prepared for excellence in all the things that apply for living perfectly according to the law. So he is able to be that one who day and night mediates on the law. Whether he eats or drinks, or whatever it is he does, according to the word of the holy Apostle it is, for he does it all to the glory of God. So even during sleep it is the time to do this, and his attention he directs to it even in dreams. Thus is resolved that matter of the Apostle where he says, ‘Pray without ceasing.’2 For how does one pray even when sleeping, or when about some other human office, or caring for one's own body? About this we say that the perfect man cries out to God and asks Him to bring the finest things to be, while everything he does according to reason, thus his every action is prayer. Just as in meditation no particular should be omitted, so nothing should be overlooked that is proper to prayer, that meditating in prayer we do it according to the law of the Lord. And let it be known that according to the law allegorically,  day is able to be understood as the times when we are untroubled and night as the state when we are beset by things more gloomy. And one must remain in the law not only when external things are opposed to us, but truly even when we fall into temptation. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.2 2. 1 Thes 5.17

Silent Psalms

Ἔξεστι καὶ χωρὶς φωνῆς ψάλλειν, τὴς διανοίας ἔνδον ἠχούσης. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ψάλλομεν, ἀλλὰ Θεῷ τῷ δυναμένῳ καὶ καρδίας ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀπόῥῥητα τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν εἰσελθεῖν. Καὶ ταῦτα Παῦλος ἐνδεικνύμενος Βοᾷ, λέγων· 'Αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν στεναγνοῖς ἀλαλήτοις. Ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας, εἶδε τὶ τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ Θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων.' Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐκ ἐπειδή τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐστέναζεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οἱ πνευματικοὶ ἄνδρες, οἱ τὰ χαρίσματα τοῦ Πνεῦματος ἔχοντες, ὕπὲρ τῶν πλησίον εὐχόμενοι, καὶ τὰς ἱκετηρίας ἀνανφέροντες, μετα κατανύξεως καὶ στεναγμῶν τοῦτο ἐποίουν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν, καὶ καθ' ἐκάστην ἡμέραν ἐντυγχάνωμεν τῷ Θεῷ διά τε ψαλμῶν καὶ εὐχῶν. Εἰς Τον ΜΑ' Ψαλμον, Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος

It is permitted to sing psalms without using the voice, when they resound within the mind. For we do not sing to men but God, He who is able to hear the heart and come in secret into our minds. This also Paul shows openly, saying ' The Spirit himself will speak for you with groans ineffable. He who scrutinises the heart knows the Spirit's intention, for according to God he asks for the saints.' 1 And it was said not that the Spirit groans, but that spiritual men, who have the gift of the Spirit, praying for others, and offering supplications, that they do this with compunction and groaning. This then we may do, even every day, in our calling on God with psalms and prayers. Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 41, Saint John Chrysostom 1 Rom 8 26-27

The Psalms and the Nativity

Περὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας, καὶ ὅτι μὲν Θεὸς ὢν ἐπιδημήσει, οὕτως φησὶν ἐν μὲν τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ ἐννάτῳ ψαλμῷ· Ὁ Κύριος ἐμφανῶς ἥξει, ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐ παρασιωπήσεται· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἑκατοστῷ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ· Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Εὐλογήκαμεν ὑμᾶς ἐξ οἴκου Κυρίου· Θεὸς Κύριος, καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν. Ὅτι δὲ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγος, οὕτως ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ ἕκτῳ ψάλλει· Ἀπέστειλε τὸν Λόγον αὐ τοῦ, καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν διαφθορῶν αὐτῶν.  Ὁ γὰρ ἐρχόμενος Θεὸς αὐτός ἐστι καὶ Λόγος ἀποστελλόμενος. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν Λόγον εἰδὼς ὄντα τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ᾄδει φωνὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ τετάρτῳ ψαλμῷ·  Ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου Λόγον ἀγαθόν· καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῷ ἑκα τοστῷ ἐννάτῳ· Ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ Ἑωσφόρου ἐξεγέννησά σε. Τί γὰρ ἂν ἄλλο τις εἴποι γέννημα τοῦ Πάτρος ἢ τὸν Λόγον καὶ τὴν Σοφίαν αὐτοῦ;  Τοῦτον εἰδυῖα ὄντα, ᾧ εἶπεν ὁ Πατήρ· Γενηθήτω φῶς, καὶ στερέωμα, καὶ τὰ πάντα, καὶ αὕτη ἡ βίβλος περιέχει λέγουσα· Τῷ Λόγῳ Κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν. Καὶ Χριστὸν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐρχόμενον οὐκ ἠγνόησεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ μάλιστα περὶ τούτου λέγει ἐν τῷ τεσσαρα κοστῷ τετάρτῳ ψαλμῷ· Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύ νην, καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀδικίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ κατὰ φαντασίαν τις ἔρχεσθαι αὐτὸν νομίσῃ, σημαίνει αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον γενησόμενον, καὶ τοῦτον εἶναι δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα γέγονε, λέγων ἐν τῷ ὀγδοηκοστῷ ἕκτῳ· Μήτηρ Σιὼν ἐρεῖ· Ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐγεννήθη ἐν αὐ τῇ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν ὁ Ὕψιστος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἴσον ἐστὶ τῷ εἰπεῖν· Καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος· πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ, ἐκ Παρθένου, γινώσκων οὐκ ἐσιώπησεν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἔμφασίν τινα δίδωσιν ἐν τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ τετάρτῳ ψαλμῷ, λέγων·  Ἄκου σον, θύγατερ, καὶ ἴδε, καὶ κλῖνον τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἐπιλάθου τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου, ὅτι ἐπεθύμησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ κάλλους σου. Τοῦτο γὰρ πάλιν ὅμοιόν ἐστι τοῦ λεγομένου παρὰ τοῦ Γαβριήλ·  Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ εἰρηκὼς αὐτὸν Χριστὸν, εὐθὺς καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην γένεσιν ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου ἐδήλωσε, λέγων· Ἄκουσον, θύγατερ. Ἰδὲ ὁ μὲν Γαβριὴλ ἐξ ὀνόματος καλεῖ Μαρίαν, ξένος ὢν αὐτῆς κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν·ὁ δὲ Δαβὶδ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὑτοῦ τυγχάνουσαν αὐτὴν εἰκότως θυγατέρα προσφωνεῖ ταύτην. Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος Ἀλεξανδρείας, προς Μαρκελλινον Εις Την Ἑρμηνειαν Των Ψαλμων

Concerning the advent of the Saviour and that God should dwell among us, the Psalmist says in the forty ninth Psalm, 'The Lord shall come openly, our God, and He shall not be silent.'1 and in the hundred and seventeenth Psalm he says: 'Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the House of the Lord. God is the Lord, and He has shone upon us.'2 And that He who comes is Himself the Father's Word in the hundred and sixth Psalm he sings, 'He sent His Word and healed them, and rescued them out of all their distresses.'3 For the God who comes is this same Word sent, and of this Word whom he knows to be the Son of God, the voice of the Father, he sings again in the forty fourth Psalm, 'Comes forth from my heart a good Word.'4 And also in the hundred and ninth psalm: 'Out of the womb, before the down, have I begotten You.'5 Who else might be called offspring of the Father but His own Word and Wisdom? And he, who knows that it was through Him that the Father said, 'Let there be light and a firmament and all things,' says again 'By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the breath of His mouth all the power of them.'6 And not being ignorant of the coming of Christ, he makes speaks of it foremost in the forty fourth psalm: 'Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a scepter of justice is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, therefore God, even your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.'7 Further, lest any one should think His coming was in appearance only, in the eighty sixth Psalm he shows that He who was to come should be as man and at the same time be the one through whom all things were made: 'Mother Sion shall say, A man, a man indeed is born in her: and He himself, the Most Highest, founded her,'8  And this is the same as saying 'The Word was God, all things were made by Him, and the Word became flesh.' And of his knowledge knowing of the birth from a virgin, he is not silent, for he gives emphasis to it again in the forty fourth Psalm: 'Hear, O daughter, he says, and see and incline your ear, and forget your own people and the house of your father, for the King has desired your beauty.'9 Is not this like what was said by Gabriel, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you?10  For having called Him Christ, immediately he declares His human birth from the Virgin, saying, 'Hear, O daughter, and see,' Gabriel addresses Mary by name, because he is of another race from her, but because she comes from his seed, David fitly calls her his own daughter. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, To Marcellinus On the Interpretation of the Psalms 1 Ps 49.3   2 Ps 117. 26-27 3 Ps 107.20 4 Ps 44.2 5 Ps 109.3  6 Ps 32.6   7 Ps 44 7-8  8 Ps 86.5  9 Ps 44. 11-12  10 Lk 1:28

Martyrs and Witnesses

'Et vidimus, et testes.' Forte aliqui fratrum nesciunt, qui graece non norunt, quid sint testes graece: et usitatum nomen est omnibus et religiosum; quos enim testes latine dicimus, graece martyres sunt. Quis autem non audivit martyres, aut in cuius christiani ore non quotidie habitat nomen martyrum? Atque utinam sic habitet et in corde, ut passiones martyrum imitemur, non eos calcibus persequamur. Ergo hoc dixit: Vidimus, et testes sumus: Vidimus, et martyres sumus. Testimonium enim dicendo ex eo quod viderunt, et testimonium dicendo ex eo quod audierunt ab his qui viderunt, cum displiceret ipsum testimonium hominibus adversus quos dicebatur, passi sunt omnia quae passi sunt martyres. Testes Dei sunt martyres. Deus testes habere voluit homines, ut et homines habeant testem Deum. Vidimus, inquit, et testes sumus. Ubi viderunt? In manifestatione. Quid est, in manifestatione? In sole, id est in hac luce. Unde autem potuit videri in sole qui fecit solem, nisi quia in sole posuit tabernaculum suum, et ipse tamquam sponsus procedens de thalamo suo, exsultavit ut gigas ad currendam viam ? Ille ante solem qui fecit solem, ille ante luciferum, ante omnia sidera, ante omnes Angelos, verus creator - quia omnia per ipsum facta sunt, et sine ipso factum est nihil -, ut videretur oculis carneis qui solem vident; ipsum tabernaculum suum in sole posuit, id est carnem suam in manifestatione huius lucis ostendit: et illius sponsi thalamus fuit uterus Virginis, quia in illo utero virginali coniuncti sunt duo, sponsus et sponsa, sponsus Verbum et sponsa caro; quia scriptum est: Et erunt duo in carne una; et Dominus dicit in Evangelio: Igitur iam non duo, sed una caro. Et Isaias optime meminit unum esse ipsos duos: loquitur enim ex persona Christi, et dicit: Sicut sponso imposuit mihi mitram, et sicut sponsam ornavit me ornamento. Unus videtur loqui, et sponsum se fecit et sponsam se fecit; quia non duo, sed una caro: quia Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis. Illi carni adiungitur Ecclesia, et fit Christus totus, caput et corpus. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, In Epistolam Ioannis ad Parthos, Tractatus I

'And we have seen and are witnesses.' 1  Perhaps some of the brethren who do not know Greek are not aware that the word witnesses is in Greek, and yet it is a term much used by all, and religious, for what in the Latin tongue we call witnesses, in Greek are martyrs. Where indeed is the man that has not heard of martyrs, or in which Christian mouth does not the name of martyrs daily dwell? And I would that it so dwelt in the heart also that we might imitate the sufferings of the martyrs and not distress them with our drinking! Well then, 'We have seen and are witnesses,' is as much as to say, We have seen and are martyrs. For it was for bearing witness of that which they had seen, and bearing witness of that which they had heard from them who had seen, that, while their testimony itself displeased the men against whom it was delivered, the martyrs suffered all that they suffered. The martyrs are God's witnesses. It pleased God to have men for His witnesses, that men also may have God to be their witness. 'We have seen,' he says, 'and are witnesses.' Where have they seen? In the manifestation. What does this mean, in the manifestation? In the sun, that is, in the light. And how should He be seen in the sun who made the sun, except as "in the sun He has set His tabernacle; and Himself as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber, exulted as a great one to run His course?" 2 He before the sun, who made the sun, He before the day-star, before all the stars, before all angels, the true Creator, 'for all things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made,'3 that He might be seen by the corporeal  eyes of which see the sun, set His very tabernacle in the sun, that is, showed His flesh in manifestation of this light of day, and that Bridegroom's chamber was the Virgin's womb, because in that virginal womb were joined the two, the Bridegroom and the bride, the Bridegroom the Word, and the bride the flesh, because it is written, 'And two shall be one flesh.'4 And the Lord says in the Gospel, Therefore they are no more two but one flesh.5 And Isaiah remembers well that one are two, for speaking in the person of Christ, he says, 'As upon a bridegroom He has set a mitre upon me, and adorned me with ornament like a bride.'6 One seems to speak, yet makes Himself  Bridegroom and Bride; because 'not two, but one flesh:' because "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."7 To that flesh the Church is joined, and so there is made the whole Christ, Head and body. Saint Augustine of Hippo, On The First Letter of John, First Homily 1 1 Jn 1:2 2 Ps 18.6  3 Jn 1.3  4 Gen 2:24  5 Mt 19:6  6 Is 61.10  7 Jn 1.14

Stephen and The Holy Spirit

Πῶς εἶδε τὴν ὑπερουράνιον δόξαν ὁ Στέφανος; τίς αὐτῷ τὰς πύλας τῶν οὐρανῶν διεπέτασεν; Ἄρ' ἀνθρωπίνης δυνάμεως ἥν τὸ κατόρθωμα; ἆρά τινος τῶν ἀγγέλων πρὸς τὸ ὕψος ἐκεῖνο τὴν κάτω κειμένην φύσιν ἀναβιβάσαντος; Οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἡ κατ' αὐτὸν ἱστορία φησὶν, ὅτι Στέφανος δὲ πολὺς κατὰ τὴν δύναμῖν ὤν, ἢ τῆς ἀγγελικῆς βοηθείας πλήρης γενόμενος, εἶδεν ἂ εἶδεν. Ἀλλὰ τί λέγει; 'Στέφανος δὲ. πλήρης ὤν Πνεύματος ἁγίου, εἰδε τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υιόν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι, καθώς φησιν ὁ Προφήτης. τὸ φως ὀφθῆναι, μὴ ἐν φωτὶ καθορώμενον.' Ἐν  γὰρ τῷ φωτί σου,' φησιν, 'ὀψόμεθα φῶς.' Εἰ οὖν οὖκ ἐνδέχεται μὴ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς θεωρίαν· πῶς γὰρ ἔστιν ἀπιδεῖν εἰς τὸν ἥλιον ἔξω τῶν ἀκτίνων γενόμενον; ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ τῷ ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπορευομένῳ, τὸ Μονογενὲς καθορᾶται φῶς· διὰ τοῦτο προκαταυγασθεὶς τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐν περινοίᾳ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Ὑιοῦ δόξης γίνεται. Ἐπεὶ, πῶς τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀληθεύειν φήσομεν, ὁτι 'Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε; Πῶς δὲ τὸν Ἀπόστολον μὴ ἐναντία τοῖς ἱστορηθεῖσι Βοᾷν, ὅταν λεγει· Οὔτε τις εἶδεν αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων, οὐτε ἰδεῖν δύναται; Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει τε καὶ δυνάμει, ἡ τοῦ Πατρός τε καὶ του Ὑιοῦ δόξα χωρητὴ κατέστη· ψευδὴς πάντως, ὁ ἀχώρητον ἀνθρώποις ἀποφηνάμενος εἶναι τὸ θεῖον θέαμα. Ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐτε ἐκεῖνον ψεύδεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀληθεύειν ἐπάναγκες. Ἂρα φανερῶς ἡ κακουργία τῶν Πνευματομάχων πεφώραται, ὅτι τῷ ὁμοίῳ καθορᾶσθαι τὰ ὅμοια παρὰ τῆς Γραγῆς μεμαρτύρηται. Ὁ γὰρ Στέφανος οὐκ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει τε καὶ δυνάμει μένων τὸ Θεῖον βλέπει· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀγίου Πνεύματος χάριν ἀνακραθεὶς, δι' ἐκείνου ὑψώθη πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησιν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ χωρὶς τοῦ Πνεύματος  οὕτε Κύριον Ἰησοῦν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, οὔτε τὴν Πατρικὴν δόξαν κατανοῆσαι· δέδεικται σαφῶς, ὅτι ὅπου τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν, ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ Ὑιὸς καθορᾶται, καὶ ἡ Πατρικὴ δόξα καταλαμβάνεται. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τον Ἁγιον Στεφανον Τον Προτομαρτυρα

How did Stephen see transcendent glory? Who revealed the gates of heaven to him? Was this wonder by the power of men? Which of the angels elevated a lower nature soar to that height? I do not speak of these things from his own telling, for Stephen was among many when he was filled with power coming from the angels by which he saw the things he saw. What is said? 'Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and saw the glory of God and his Only-Begotten Son'1. For it is not, as the Prophet says, that light is seen unless one is brought into the light: 'In your light we shall see light,' 2 If observation of the light does not partake of the light, how can anyone deprived of the sun's rays see it?. Since the Father's light makes this possible, the Only Begotten's light emanates through the Holy Spirit which makes it visible. Therefore the Spirit's glory enables us to perceive the glory of both the Father and Son. But can we say that the Gospel is true which says that 'No man has ever seen God'? 3 How do the Apostle's words agree with the following, 'No man has seen nor can see '?4 If human nature and power is able to grasp the glory of the Father and Son, it must be an error that the sight of God is unachievable by man. But this is no lie and the record is true. The evil deed of the pneumatomachoi is indeed exposed because Scripture bears witness to similar sights. For Stephen does not see God by human nature and power but he is lifted up by the grace of the Holy Spirit that he might comprehend God. Therefore, apart from the Spirit one cannot say that Jesus is Lord, as the Apostle says. 5 And nor can one contemplate the Father's glory, for where the Spirit is the Son is seen and there the Father's glory is grasped . Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On the First Martyr Saint Stephen 1. Acts 7.55 2. Ps 35.10 3 Jn 1.18 4 1 Tm 6.16 5 cf. 1Tm 6.16, 1Cor 12.3