Treating Creation

Expergiscere, O homo, et dignitatem tuae cognosce naturae. Recordare te factum ad imaginem Dei; quae, etsi in Adam corrupta, in Christo tamen est reformata. Utere quomodo utendum est visibilibus creaturis, sicut uteris terra, mari, coelo, aere, fontibus atque fluminibus; et quidquid in eis pulchrum atque mirabile est, refer ad laudem et gloriam Conditoris. Noli esse deditus illi lumini quo volucres et serpentes, quo bestiae et pecudes, quo muscae delectantur et vermes. Lucem corpoream sensu tange corporea, et toto mentis affectu illud verum lumen amplectere quod illuminat omnem hominem venitentem in hunc mundum, et de quo dicit Propheta: Accedite ad eum, et illuminamini, et vultus vestri non erubescent. Si enim templum Dei sumus, et Spiritus Dei habitat in nobis, plus est quod fidelis quisque in suo habet animo, quam miratur in coelo. Non itaque vobis, dilectissimi, hoc aut indicimus, aut suademus, et despiciatis opera Dei, aut contrarium aliquid fidei vestrae, in iis quae Deus bonus bona condidit, aestimetis; sed ut omni creaturarum specie, et universo hujus mundi ornatu rationabiliter et temperanter utamini: Quae enim videntur, sicut ait Apostulus, temporalia sunt; quae autem non videntur aeterna sunt. Unde quia ad praesentia sumus nati, ad futura autem renati, non temporalibus bonis dediti, sed aeternis simus intenti. Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo XXVII, In Nativitate Domini VII, Cap VI Source: Migne PL 54.220b-221b

Awake, O man, and know the dignity of your nature. Remember that you were made in the image of God, 1 which although it was corrupted in Adam, yet was restored in Christ. Use visible creatures as they should be used, as you use earth, sea, sky, air, springs and rivers; and whatever in them is fair and wondrous, ascribe to the praise and glory of the Creator. Do not be subject to that light in which birds and serpents, beasts and cattle, flies and worms delight. Confine the material light to your bodily senses and with all the sense of your mind embrace that true light, which coming into this world enlightens every man, 2 and of which the Prophet says, 'Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces shall not blush.' 3 For if we 'are a temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in us,'4 that which every one of the faithful has in his own soul is more than what he admires in heaven. Thus we do not, dearly beloved, exhort or counsel you to despise the works of God, or to think there is anything contrary to your faith in what the good God has made good, but that you use every kind of creature and all the ornaments of this world reasonably and moderately; for as the Apostle says: 'the things which are seen are transient, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' 5 So because we are born for the present and reborn for the future, let us not hand ourselves over to temporal goods but be eager for eternal ones. Pope Leo the Great, from Sermon 27, Chap 6 1 Gen 1.26 2 John 1.9 3 Ps 33.6 4 1 Cor 3.16 5 2 Cor 4:18

Grace And Creation

Ipsius enim sumus factura, creati in Christo Jesu in operibus bonis, quae praeparavit Deus, ut in illis ambulemus. Reddidit causas, quare gratia salvati sumus per fidem, et hoc ipsum non ex nobis, sed ex munere Dei, dicens: Ipsius enim factura sumus, hoc est, quod vivimus, quod spiramus, quod intelligimus, et credere possumus, ipsius est, quia ipse conditor noster est. Et diligenter observa, quia non dixerit, ipsius figuratio sumus atque plasmatio: sed, ipsius factura sumus. Plasmatio quippe originem de terrae limo trahit: factura vero juxta similitudinem et imaginem Dei sumpsit exordium. Quod in centesimo quoque octavo decimo psalmo simul positum diversa significat: Manus tuae fecerunt me, et plasmaverunt me. Factura primum locum tenet: deinde plasmatio. Et quia creationis, et conditionis nomen ad magna semper solet opera copulari, verbi causa: illa urbs condita est, et ab initio creatus est mundus, et unusquisque sanctorum per varia dogmata atque virtutes, in semetipso mundus est totus: propterea nunc creati in Christo dicimur, et creati in operibus bonis sive quae ipsi fecimus, vel facturi sumus, sive in aliis creaturis, ad quae nostra conversatio transferenda est, ut quae praeparavit Deus, in illis ambulemus, spe magna jam nobis data, dum in his ambulaturi sumus, quae Deus magnopere praeparavit. Et quia semel ad nomen creaturae venimus, et Sapientia in Proverbiis Salomonis dicit se creatam initium viarum Dei, multique timore, ne Christum creaturam dicere compellantur, totum Christi mysterium negant, ut dicant, non Christum in hac sapientia, sed mundi sapientiam significari: nos libere proclamamus, non esse periculum eum dicere creaturam, quem vermem, et hominem, et crucifixum, et maledictionem, tota spei nostrae fiducia profitemur: maxime cum ex duobus versiculis quae praecedunt, ipsa sapientia promittat se esse dicturam quae post saecula sunt. Cum autem saecula Christus fecerit, et quae deinceps loquitur, ea sint quae post saecula dicturum se esse promiserit, ad incarnationis mysterium, non ad naturam Dei referenda sunt quae sequuntur: licet in Hebraeis codicibus non habeatur: Dominus creavit me initium viarum suarum: sed, Dominus possedit me. Inter possessionem autem, et creationem multa distantia est: quia qui possidetur, is utique est atque subsistit, et est proprius, qui possidetur. Creator vero ille qui non erat antequam fieret: aut certe de eo quod erat, transfertur in aliud, sicut et nos nunc creati dicimur in Christo Jesu. Creati utique, non quia ante non fuimus, sed creati in operibus bonis. Quod David quoque in psalmo quinquagesimo deprecatur, dicens: Cor mundum crea in me, Deus. Et certe mundum cor ante peccatum habuerat, quando de eo Dominus loquebatur: Inveni David filium Jesse secundum cor meum: sed ut ibi creatio instaurationem sonat: ita et in nobis et in Christo per singula opera et profectus, creatura atque conditio accipi potest: ut quotidie in credentibus, quia varie secundum merita diversa montes dicuntur, et valles, et colles, atque campestria, Christus creatus, natus et conditus sit. Sanctus Hieronymus, In Epistolam Pauli ad Ephesios, Liber II, Cap IV Source: Migne PL 26.470b-471c

For we are his work; God has created us in Christ Jesus, that we walk in the good works He has prepared beforehand. 1 He has given the reasons how we have been saved by grace through faith and that this is not from us but from the gift of God, saying: 'we are His work,' that is, that we live, that we breathe, that we understand, and that we are able to have faith is His doing, because He is our Creator. And carefully observe that he has not said we are a figure of Him and a thing shaped, but, 'we are His work.' Something shaped has its origin drawn from the mud of earth, but a work begins according to the likeness and image of God. Which difference is signified in the one hundredth and eighteenth Psalm: 'Your hands made me, and they shaped me.' 2 The work is placed first, then comes the shaping. And because it is a matter of creation, on account of that greatness, the name of Creator is always accustomed to be associated with it. For example: a city is founded but from the beginning the world is created. And so whoever among the holy by various teaching and virtues in himself is completely pure, on account of that we are spoken of as created in Christ and created in good works, by what we did, or what we shall do, or in other creatures, according to the influence of our conduct, as God has prepared it, that in which we should walk, with that great hope now given to us while we walk in these things which God has munificently prepared. And because we have touched on the name of creature and Wisdom in the Proverbs of Solomon speaks of itself as a thing created at the beginning of the ways of God, 3 there is great fear, lest there be need to call Christ a creature, denying the whole mystery of Christ, and so they say that Christ is not in this wisdom but it signifies the wisdom of this world, but we freely proclaim that it should not be perilous to speak of Him as a creature, which a worm and a man and the crucified, and curse, with all the confidence of our hope we profess, especially when in the preceding verses the same wisdom is promised to be spoken beyond the ages. 4 When indeed Christ made the ages, that which then is spoken, that which is promised to be spoken beyond the ages, concerns the mystery of the Incarnation and does not refer to the nature of God. And then it is not written in the Hebrew: 'The Lord created me in the beginning of the ways,' but 'the Lord possessed me.' There is a great difference between possession and creation, because he who possesses, that which is possessed depends on him, and is his own who possesses it. However the Creator is He who before whom there was nothing, and from Him came what was, passing into something, as even now we are said to be created in Jesus Christ. Thus we are created, not because we did not exist before, but because we have been created in good works. So that which David prays for in the fiftieth Psalm: 'A pure heart create in me, O God' 5 And certainly a heart is pure before it has sin, and concerning this the Lord said, 'I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to my heart.' 6 And here creation means a restoration, so even in us and in Christ, with each work and advance, it is possible to receive creation and founding, and that every day among the faithful, who because they vary according to their merits, are called mountains, and valleys and hills, and fields, so Christ is created, born and established. Saint Jerome, Commentary On The Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, Book 2, Chap 4 1 Ephes 2.10 2 Ps 118.73 3 Prov 8. 4 Prov 22. 5 Ps 50.11 6 Acts 13.22

The Perils Of The Baptised

Protexisti me a conventu malignantium, a multitudine operantium iniquitatem qui exacuerunt ut gladium linguas suas, intenderunt arcum rem amaram, ut sagittent in obscuro immaculatum. Non hic propheta arma bellica, nec enses, aut jacula, aut tormenta arcum pertimescit. Omnis enim ei in lingua timor est: hujus gladios, hujus spicula metuit. Ab his quidem fide sua tutus est; ait enim: Protexisti me a conventu malignantium: sed arcus homicidae linguae semper intentus est, et acumen gladii in lingua ejus praesto est. Volant autem letales ejus sagittae, et non ambiguum est, quid efficiant: scilicet ut sagittent in obscuro immaculatum. Et proprietas verbi intelligenda est. Non sanctum, non fidelem, non justum, sed immaculatum sagittant, eum cui per sacramentum Baptismi sordes et maculae veterum criminum recens ablutae sunt, nondum tamen firmatae fidei, nondum doctrinis spiritalibus eruditum, nondum contra haec pugnacis linguae arma certantem, sed simplicem, et ex novae nativitatis infantia tenerum. Hunc ergo sine metua contradictionis alicujus, intento jam pridem arcu, per rerum ignorantiam in obscuro positum vulnerabunt. Ait enim, Subito sagittabunt eum, et non timebunt: naturam simplicem, et immaculati novitate imperitam. Hanc enim fallunt, huic occultos laqueos praetendunt, insidiarum secretis latentibus gloriantes. Sequitur enim: Firmaverunt sibi verbum malum, disputaverunt ut absconderent laqueos: dixerunt: Quis videbit eos? Tempus discernitur, et inferendi vulneris, et consilii firmati. Nam eum dicitur: Subito sagittabunt, futuri temporis opus docetur: cum autem: Firmaverunt verbum malum, jam ex praeterito consilium firmatae pridem voluntatis ostenditur. Semper enim excidia adversus fidem praesto sunt, et occultis ac fallentibus insidiis pestiferae adhortationis doli adjacent, quos a raris quibusque conspici opinantur. Et ideo dictum: Absconderunt laqueos , et dixerunt: Quis videbit eos? Si enim haereticus pervertere fidem tentet, incredibile est quantis eam dolis subvertere contendat; si spem aeternitatis nostrae philosophus impugnet, mirum in modum omne bonum praesentis vitae ponet in corpore: omni ingenii sui alacritate ea, quibus doctrinae coelestis institutio subrui possit, uterque scrutantes. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus Super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum LXIII Source: Migne PL 9.410b-411b

'You have protected me from the gathering of the wicked, from the multitude of the workers of iniquity, they who sharpen their tongues like swords, and bend the bow to wound, that unseen they transfix the immaculate man.' 1 Here the Prophet does not fear arms of war, neither swords, nor spears, nor the wounds of the bow. All his fear is in the tongue: this is the sword and shaft he feared. And from these his faith has kept him secure, for he says: 'You have protected me from the gathering of the wicked,' but the bow of the murderous tongue is ever bent, and the tip of the sword on the tongue is ever prepared. For its arrows fly for death and it is not hidden how they work, for 'unseen they transfix the immaculate man.' And let this be understood properly. It is not the holy man, the faithful man, the righteous man, but the immaculate man they shoot, he who by the sacrament of Baptism has recently washed off the dirt and stains of old crimes but is not yet of firm faith, not yet instructed in spiritual teaching, not yet armed for the struggle against the blows of the tongue, but simple from his new birth is like a delicate infant. For this one, then, without fear of reprisal,they have bent the bow, and will wound him by his ignorance of things which are obscure. For it then says: 'Suddenly they will shoot him and they will not fear.' 2 Because of the simple nature and inexperience of the immaculate novice. This one they deceive and for him they have prepared hidden traps, glorying in their snares in secret places. So it follows: 'They have strengthened themselves with wicked speech, they have plotted how to set their traps, they have said: 'Who shall see us?' 3 Time is distinguished, both in the giving of wounds, and in the strengthing by counsel. For when it says, 'Suddenly they will shoot,' it teaches the deed is of a future time, and when it says, 'They have strengthened themselves with wicked speech,' it reveals that in the past they confirmed their wish for the present. For they are always prepared for the ruin of faith and have set nearby hidden and deceiving snares of vile and cunning exhortation, which they think will rarely be perceived. And so it is said: 'The have set their traps, they have said: 'Who shall see us?' For if a heretic is intent on overthrowing the faith, incredible is the amount of cunning with which he strives to subvert it, and if a philosopher impugns the hope of our eternity, wonderous it is how he places every good of the present life in the body, with all his ingenuity swiftly undermining the foundation of the heavenly teaching. One must watch out for both of these. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 63 1 Ps 63.3-5 2 Ps 63.6 3 Ps 63.8

Infants And Baptism

In extremum vero epistolae quaesisti quid eis respondendum sit, qui dilectionem tuam de parvulorum animabus requirunt, qui sine gratia baptismatis moriuntur, dicens: Si corpus originali tenetur culpa, unde anima quae a Deo datur rea erit, quae adhuc in actuali delicto corpori non consensit? Sed hac de re dulcissima mihi tua charitas sciat quia de origine animae inter sanctos patres requisitio non parva versata est. Sed utrum ipsa ab Adam descenderit an certe singulis detur, incertum remansit; eamque in hac vita insolubilem fassi sunt esse quaestionem. Gravis enim est quaestio, nec valet ab homine comprehendi. Quia, si de Adam substantia anima cum carne nascitur, cur non etiam cum carne moritur? Si vero cum carne non nascitur, cur in ea carne quae de Adam prolata est obligata peccatis tenetur? Sed cum hoc sit incertum, illud incertum non est, quia nisi sacri baptismatis gratia fuerit renatus homo, omnis anima originalis peccati vinculis est obstricta. Hinc enim scriptum est: Non est mundus in conspectu eius nec unius diei infans super terram. Hinc David ait: In iniquitatibus conceptus sum  peperit me mater mea. Hinc ipsa Veritas dicit: Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et Spiritu sancto, non intrabit in regnum coelorum. Hinc Paulus Apostolus ait: Sicut in Adam omnes moriuntur, ita et in Christo omnes vivificabuntur. Cur ergo infans qui nihil egit, in conspectu omnipotentis Dei non valet esse mundus? Cur Psalmista ex legitimo coniugio prolatus, in iniquitate conceptus est? Cur nisi qui mundatus aqua baptismatis fuerit, mundus non est? Cur in Adam omnis homo moritur, si originalis peccati vinculis non tenetur? Sed quia genus humanum in parente primo velut in radice putruit, ariditatem traxit in ramis; et inde omnis homo cum peccato nascitur, unde primus homo permanere noluit sine peccato. De his autem subtilius audaciusque loqui debueram; sed dum me et curarum tumultus premunt, et harum portitor ut laxari debuisset importunus exstitit, unde multa debui, pauca locutus sum. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Registri Epistolarum, Liber IX, Epistula LII, Ad Secundinum

At the end of your letter, you ask what answer should be returned to those who question your love for the souls of little ones, those who die without baptism, saying, 'If the body is bound by the original fault, why is the soul by God found a guilty thing when it has yet to consent to actual error in the body?' But this matter which your dearest charity would know from me, concerning the origin of the soul, has been turned over often by the holy fathers. But whether it descends from Adam, or it is given to each one, remains uncertain; and in this life they have admitted it is an insoluble enquiry. Weighty indeed is the question and it is not possible for a man to resolve it. Because if from the substance of Adam the soul is born with the flesh, why indeed does it not die with the flesh? If, however, it is not born with the flesh, why in that flesh which is passed down from Adam does the chain of sin hold? But with this uncertain, yet this is not uncertain: that unless with the grace of holy baptism a man is renewed, every soul is bound with the chain of original sin. Whence it is written: 'There is nothing clean in His sight on the earth, not even a day old infant.' 1 And David says, 'I was conceived in iniquity and in fault my mother birthed me.' 2 And the Truth Himself says, 'Unless a man be reborn by water and the Holy Spirit he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' 3 And Paul says: 'As all die in Adam, so in Christ all shall live.' 4 How it is then that infants who have done nothing are not able to be clean in the sight of God? Why does the Psalmist who was brought forth in lawful marriage call himself conceived in iniquity? Why unless he who shall be cleansed by the water of baptism is not clean? Why in Adam do all die, if the chain of original sin does not bind? But because the human race has in its first parent, as it were, a rotten root, so the sickness spreads out into the branches. Concerning all this, one should speak more subtlety and more carefully, but we are pressed down by the cares of many troubles, such things I would rather be relieved of than to stand burdened by, whence for the many things I would say, I have said but a few. Saint Gregory the Great, Registry of Letters, Book 5, from Letter 52, To Secundinus 1 Job 15.15 2 Ps 50.7 3 Jn 3.3 4 1 Cor 15.33

Grace And Baptism

Si bene intendas animum, aperte copiosque cognosces, quomodo per sanctarum paginas scripturarum nunc asseratur gratiae virtus, nunc humanae voluntatis adsensus. Fragilitatem arbitrii demonstramus, cum ad Deum dicimus: Pone, Domine, custodiam ori meo et ostium circumstantiae labiis meis. Item iubet sermo divinus, ut aliquid vigor possit arbitrii, dum ad hominem dicit: cohibe linguam tuam a malo et labia tua loquantur dolum. Arbitrium commendat sapientiae sermo, cum dicit: omni custodia serva cor tuum. Sed Apostolus sine divino adiutorio hoc fieri non posse manifestat, cum dicit: Dominus custodiat corda vestra et intellegentias vestras in Christo Iesu. Asserit Propheta voluntatis propriae facultatem de semet ipso dicens: Inclinavi cor meum ad faciendas iustificationes tuas. Sed nihil de solis eius viribus intellegit praesumendum, cum proclamat ad Deum: Inclina, inquit, cor meum in testimonia tua et non in avaritiam. Propter liberum arbitrium indicitur nobis: rectos cursus fac pedibus tuis et vias tuas dirige. Sed nos ad gratiam confugientes pro infirmitatis conscientia supplicamus: dirige in conspectu tuo viam meam, et: perfice gressus meos in semitis tuis. Imperat nobis, qui propriae voluntatis generali dispensatione ius tribuit: inluminate vobis lumen scientiae. Pro eo vero, quod totum ad auctorem gratiae referendum est, legimus: qui docet hominem scientiam, vel: Dominus inluminat caecos, et iterum: inlumina oculos meos, ne umquam obdormiant in mortem, et: beatus homo, quem tu erudieris, Domine, et de lege tua docueris eum. Apostolus arbitrii praedictor libertatem eius ita incitat dicens: custodite animas vestras, sed misericordiam Dei protestatur ita commemorans: Dominus custodiat introitum tuum et exitum tuum. Per hace itaque, quibus modo arbitrii libertas adseritur, modo caelestis largitas demonstratur, nunc homo de concessis viribus admonetur, ne de sola gratia speret otiosus, nunc de gratia sperare praecipitur, ne de solo sit labore securus. De dicis: si praedestinatio non est, cur in parvulis alii baptizantur, alii sine baptismi sanctificatione rapiuntur? Serpentiae fraudis est ad tenebrosas cavernas relicta luce transfugere, cum per omnia volumina sacrae litterae evidenter liberum loquantur arbitrium. Quid rationis est, ut interrogare velis occulata, cum sollicitudini tuae plenissime videas respondere manifesta? Quid utilitatis est certa omittere et incerta consulere, de quibus nihil invenis catholica lectione conscriptum? Non intellegis, quod in veritatis iniuriam perscrutaris, quidquid veritas scire te noluit? Materiam de liberi arbitrii ratione proponis et ad discutiendum infantiae statum pernicioso errore delaberis, in quo nullum penitus vestigium liberi arbitrii, nullum apparere potest propriae voluntatis indicium. Sanctus Faustus Reiensis, De Gratia, XIII Source: Migne PL 58.806c-807b

If you have good care for your soul, openly and richly you will know how through the pages of Sacred Scripture now is asserted the power of grace and now there is approval of the human will. We demonstrate the weakness of the will when we say to God, 'Place, O Lord, a guard on my mouth and a gate around my lips.' 1 Again the Divine word commands that there is some strength in the will when it says to man: 'Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking wickedness.' 2 The word of wisdom commends the will when it says: 'With every guard protect your heart.' 3 But the holy Apostle shows that this is not possible without the Divine help: 'The Lord guard your heart and your understanding in Jesus Christ.' 4 The Prophet asserts the ability of one's own will when he says concerning himself: 'I have turned my heart to the doing of your righteousness.' 5 But let it not be presumed he understands he refers to his own ability alone, when he proclaims to God: 'Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to avarice.' 6 Concerning the freedom of the will it is indicated to us: 'Make right the paths for your feet and direct your ways.' 7 But we, flying to grace by awareness of our weakness, pray: 'Direct my way into your sight.' 8 And: 'Perfect my steps on your paths.' 9 He commands us, who has given the law of the general dispostion of the free will: 'Illuminate yourself with the light of wisdom.' 10 However, that to Him who is the author of grace all must be referred, we read: 'He who teaches men knowledge,' 11 or 'The Lord enlightens the blind,' 12 and again, 'Illuminate my eyes lest I ever slumber in death,' 13 and 'Blessed the man whom you instruct, O Lord and concerning your law you teach him.' 11The Apostle exhorts the freedom of the will, when he says: 'Guard your souls.' 14 But he bears witness to the mercy of God when he recalls: 'The Lord guard your coming in and your going out.' 15 By these things, then, both the freedom of the will is established and the help of heaven demonstrated. Now a man is exhorted concerning his given abilities, lest he fruitlessly hope for grace alone, and now for grace he is commanded to hope, lest he be secure in his own efforts. Concerning your words: 'If there is no predestination why are some baptized in infancy and without the sanctification of baptism taken away?' It is the deceit of the serpent to flee to dark caverns abandoning the light, when in every volume of sacred letters the freedom of the will is openly told. What is the reason you wish to enquire into hidden things, when with great care you should look to give answer concerning things which are revealed? What use in passing over certain things to investigate things uncertain, concerning which we find nothing written in catholic works? Do you not understand that you investigate to harm to the truth whatever truth does not wish you to know? You propose the matter of the freedom of the will and tumble into the wicked error of the state of lost infants, in which there is no trace at all of the free will, nor is there able to appear any sign of the will. Saint Faustus of Riez, On Grace, 13 1 Ps 140.3 2 Ps 33.14 3 Prov 4.23 4 Phil 4.7 5 Ps 118.112 6 Ps 118.36 7 Ps 5.9; 16.5 8 Ps 93.10, 9 Ps 145.8 10 Ps 12.5 11 Ps 93.12 12  Ps 145.8 13 Ps 13.4 14 Jerem 17.21 15 Ps 120.8

Baptism, The Son And The Spirit

Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ βαπτισθῆναι ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν καὶ Ἰησοῦ βαπτισθέντος καὶ προσευχομένου ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν... βαπτίζεται δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εὐλογῶν τὰ ὕδατα καὶ καθαίρων αὐτὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Ἅγιος γὰρ ἐστιν ἁγίων ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος· καὶ οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐδεήθη τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος, οὐδὲ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτιῶν τυχεῖν, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς κερδαίνομεν δι' αὐτοῦ· ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν. Ἐκπορεύεται μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἴδιον τοῦ Υἱου. Καὶ γοῦν εἴρηται πλεισταχοῦ Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ, τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον Πνεῦμα· καὶ μαρτυρήσεται λέγων ὁ Παῦλος, ποτὲ μέν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστε ἐν σαρκὶ, ἀλλ' ἐν πνεύματι, εἴπερ Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν· εἰ δέ τις Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔχει, οὕτος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὅτι δὲ ἐστε υἱοὶ, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν κράζον· Ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατήρ. Οὐκοῠν ἐκπορεύεται μὲν, ὡς ἔφη, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, χορηγεῖ δὲ αὐτὸ τῇ κτίσει καὶ δίδωσι τοῖς ἀξίοις ὡς φύσει τε καὶ ἀληθῶς Υἱος, ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ Λόγος, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀξιώμασι διαπρέπων. Καὶ γοῦν ἔφασκεν· Πάντα ὅσα ἔχει ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐμά ἐστι. Πῶς οὖν ἐβαπτίζετο, φησὶν, ἐδέχετο δὲ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Καὶ φαμεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἥν ἐν χρείᾳ τοῦ ἅγίου βαπτίσματος ὁ Κύριος, ὁδὸν δὲ ἡμῖν ἐμενόησε σωτηρίας ὁ φιλάνθρωπος. Πιστεύοντες γὰρ εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱον καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, καὶ τὴν ἐξαίρετον ταύτην ὁμολογίαν ποιούμενοι ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων, πάντα μὲν ῥὺπον τὸν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ἀπονιπτόμεθα, καταπλουτοῦμεν δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἁγιου Πνεύματος μέθεξιν, καὶ θείας φύσεως ἀποτελούμεθα κοινωνοὶ, καὶ τὴν τῆς υἱοθεσίας κερδαίνομεν χάριν. Ἥν οὖν ἀναγκαῖον, καθέντα πρὸς κένωσιν ἑαυτὸν τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγον, καὶ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ὁμοίωσιν ὑπελθεῖν οὐκ ἁπαξιώσαντα, παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ πράγματος ὑποτύπωσιν γενέσθαι καὶ ὁδόν. Ἵνα τοίνυν μάθωμεν καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος, καὶ ὅσα κερδαίνομεν τῇ τοιᾃδε προσιόντες χάριτι, ἄρχεται τοῦ πράγματος αὐτὸς, καὶ βαπτισθεὶς προσεύχεται, ἵνα σὺ μάθῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, ὅτι τοῖς ἅπαξ καταξιωθεῖσι τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος πρᾶγμα πρεπωδέστατον ἡ ἀδιάλειπτος προσευχή. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Κεφαλ Γ' Source:  Migne PG 72.521b-524b

It was while all the people were being baptized that Jesus was baptized too, and there praying, suddenly heaven was opened... 1 The blessed Jesus is baptised in the waters, and for our cleansing, for the saint of saints is the Only Begotten Word of God, through certainly He did not have need of holy baptism, nor the consequent remission of sins which we earn through Him, for through His fullness we have gained all. 2 The Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father, but He is also of the Son. Indeed often the Spirit which proceeds from God the Father has been called the Spirit of Christ. Paul bears witness, once saying: 'You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. For if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, He is not His.' 3 And again: 'Because, however, you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying out 'Abba, Father.' 4 Therefore, as I have said, the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father, and the true Son, the only born Word of God, adorned with the glory of the Father, supplies Him to created things, giving Him to those worthy as their own. Indeed He has said, 'Everything which the Father has is mine.' 5 Now someone might say: 'Why, then, was He baptized and did He receive the Spirit?' To which we say: The Lord was not in need of holy baptism, but for love of us He established the way of salvation. For believing in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and this excellent confession making before many witnesses, being cleansed from the filth of our sins, so we are made participents in the Holy Spirit, by which the grace of adoption as sons follows. Thus it was necessary that the Word of the Father, after He emptied Himself and did not refuse to take on our likeness, 6 be an example of good deeds for us, making the way. Therefore, that we might know the power of holy baptism, and how great the reward of grace it is that we might acquire, He first undertook that work. And being baptised He prayed, that you learn, beloved, that for those who were once worthy of holy baptism, perpetual prayer is most fitting. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Luke, Chap 3 1 Lk 3.21 2 Jn 1.16 3 Rom 8.9 4 Galat 4.6 5 Jn 16.15 6 Philip 2.7

Creating Angels

Τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ εστερεώθησαν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν. Τῷ οὖν Παρτὶ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις ἡ ὑπερουράνιος ἐστερεώθη· τουτέστι τὸ εὔτονον καὶ βέβαιον καὶ πάγιον ἐν ἁγιασμῷ καὶ πάσῃ πρεπούσῃ ταῖς ἱεραῖς δυνάμεσιν ἀρετῇ, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπικουρίας ἔχουσιν. Ἐνθάδε μὲν οὖν πνεῦμα στόματος αὐτοῦ ἀναγέγραπται. Εὐρήσομεν δὲ ἀλλαχοῦ καὶ λόγον στόματος αὐτοῦ εἰρημένον, ἵνα νοηθῇ  ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ Πνεῦμα. Ἀμφότερα δὲ συνήργησεν ἐν τῇ κτίσει τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς δυνάμενων· διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται· Τῷ λόγῳ Κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτων. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀγιάζεται μὴ τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἀγγέλων γοῦν τὴν μὲν εἰς τὸ εἶναι πάροδον ὁ δημιουργὸς Λόγος, ὁ ποιητὴς τῶν ὅλων, παρείχετο· τὸν ἁγιασμὸν δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον συνεπέφερεν· οὐ γὰρ νήπιοι κτισθέντες οἱ ἄγελλοι. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΛΒ' Source: Migne PG 23.281c-d

By the word of the Lord the heavens are established, and by the spirit of His mouth every power of them. 1 By the Father, then, every power of heaven is established, that is, firmly, solidly, stably in sanctification and in all holiness, which power in virtue comes with the help of the Spirit. Here though it is written, 'the spirit of His mouth,' yet also it is given as 'the word of his mouth,' and by this should be understood the Savior and His Holy Spirit, by each of whom the heavens and the powers of it are established. Therefore it is said, 'With the word of the Lord the heavens are made firm, and with the spirit of His mouth every power of them.' An angel, therefore, passes into existence by the will of the creating Word, the maker of everything, and at the same time the Holy Spirit indicates sanctification; for angels are not created as children. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 32 1 Ps 32.6

Creating Giants

Nunc quaero qua ratione Cham illius improbi filium seniorem Scriptura fuisse memoraverit? Duo genera terrae, unum velut arenosum et pulverulentum, imo, ut expressius dicam, pulvis: aliud genus terrae fructiferum atque fecundum, hoc est, terra solidior et profunda. Quid igitur improbus nisi pulverem generat, ex quo generatio esse non possit? Ideoque Propheta pulverem impiis comparavit dicens: Non sic impii, non sic, sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae. Eo quod etiam secundum altiorem sensum infecunda sit impiorum anima, quae fructus utiles generare non possit. Qua ratione etiam Chus Nembroth gigantem genuerit, qui erat venator ante Deum? Unde dictum est: Sicut Nembroth gigas venator ante Deum.Quid igitur aliud pulvis et arena generaret, nisi terrenum hominem; eo quod impius coelestibus terrena praeponat. Gigantes enim fabulae inducunt adversum supera voluisse pugnare, et terreno ascensu scandendum ad coelestia putaverunt. Altiore autem sensu illud significatur, quod qui terrenas diligit voluptates, eas sequitur, et putat his se posse ad Dei gratiam pervenire, et regnum coeleste hujusmodi erroribus deferendum, is adversum coelestia contumaci praeliatur affectu. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput XXXIV Source: Migne PL 14.461a

Now I ask for what reason Scripture recalls the elder son of that shameful Ham. 1 Two types of earth there are, one is sandy and powdery, which I say is better expressed as dust, and the other type of earth is fruitful and fecund, that is, it is an earth more solid and deep. What, then, does the shameful give birth to but dust, from there is no generation? Therefore the Prophet compared the impious to dust, saying, 'No so with the impious, not so, but they are as dust which the wind casts forth from the face of the earth.' 2 Which understood according to a higher sense is the barren soul of the impious, which is not able to put forth useful fruits. For what reason did Chus sire the giant Nimrod, who was a hunter before God? Whence it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a giant hunter before the Lord.’3 What shall generate dust and sand, unless a man of the earth? That impious one who prefers earth to heaven. For it is told that the giants of fable wished to fight against the heavens, and rising from the earth they thought to climb up to heaven. And this in a higher sense means that he who loves worldly pleasure, following such things, thinks that by these things he is able to come into the grace of God, and that the heavenly kindgom should defer to his errors, and such a one wars against the heavens in his insolent state. Saint Ambrose, Noah and the Ark, Chapter 34 1 Gen 10.6-7 2 Psal 1.4 3 Gen 10.9

The Magi And Astrology

Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλέεμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα λέγοντες, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ. Πολλῆς ἡμῖν δεῖ τῆς ἀγρυπνίας, πολλῶν τῶν εὐχῶν, ὥστε δυνηθῆναι ἐπεξελθεῖν τῷ παρόντι χωρίῳ, καὶ μαθεῖν, τίνες οἱ μάγοι οὗτοι, καὶ πόθεν ἦλθον, καὶ πῶς, καὶ τίνος αὐτοὺς πείσαντος, καὶ τίς ὁ ἀστήρ. Μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ βούλεσθε, πρότερον ἅ φασιν οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὶ, ταῦτα εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ τοσοῦτον κατ' αὐτῶν ἔπνευσεν ὁ διάβολος, ὥστε καὶ ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοὺς ἐπιχειρεῖν ὁπλίζειν κατὰ τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγων. Τί οὖν φασιν; Ἰδοὺ, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεννηθέντος ἀστὴρ ἐφάνη, ὅπερ ἐστὶ σημεῖον τοῦ τὴν ἀστρολογίαν εἶναι βεβαίαν. Πῶς οὖν εἰ κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἐτέχθη τὸν νόμον, ἀστρολογίαν ἔλυσε, καὶ εἱμαρμένην ἀνεῖλε, καὶ δαίμονας ἐπεστόμισε, καὶ πλάνην; ἐξέβαλε, καὶ πᾶσαν; τοιαύτην μαγγανείαν ἀνέτρεψε; Τί δὲ καὶ οἱ μάγοι παρὰ τοῦ ἀστέρος αὐτοῦ μανθάνουσιν; ὅτι βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἦν; Καὶ μὴν οὐ ταύτης ἦν τῆς βασιλείας βασιλεὺς, καθὼς καὶ τῷ Πιλάτῳ ἔλεγεν· Ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Οὐδὲν γοῦν ἐπεδείξατο τοιοῦτον· οὐδὲ γὰρ δορυφόρους, οὔτε ὑπασπιστὰς, οὔτε ἵππους, οὔτε ἡμιόνων ζεῦγος, οὔτε ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ἔσχε περὶ ἑαυτόν· ἀλλὰ τὸν εὐτελῆ τοῦτον βίον καὶ πτωχὸν μετῄει, δώδεκα εὐτελεῖς ἀνθρώπους μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ περιφέρων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ βασιλέα ᾔδεσαν ὄντα, τίνος ἕνεκεν παραγίνονται; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο ἀστρονομίας ἔργον ἐστὶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἄστρων εἰδέναι τοὺς τικτομένους, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας τῶν τικτομένων προαναφωνεῖν τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι, ὥς φασιν. Οὗτοι δὲ οὔτε ὠδινούσῃ τῇ μητρὶ παρῆσαν, οὔτε τὸν καιρὸν ἔγνωσαν, καθ' ὃν ἐτέχθη, οὔτε ἐντεῦθεν λαβόντες τὴν ἀρχὴν, συνέθηκαν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεως τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι· ἀλλ' ἀντιστρόφως, ἀστέρα πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦ χρόνου θεασάμενοι φανέντα ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῶν χώρας, ἔρχονται ὀψόμενοι τὸν τεχθέντα· ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦ προτέρου σφόδρα ἀπορώτερον ἂν εἴη. Τίς γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἔπεισε λόγος, ποίων ἀγαθῶν ἐλπὶς, τὸν ἐκ τοσούτου διαστήματος προσκυνῆσαι βασιλέα; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἔμελλε βασιλεύειν, μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ οὕτω λόγον εἶχε τὸ γινόμενον. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὲν ἐν βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς ἐτίκτετο, καὶ πατρὸς αὐτῷ βασιλέως παρόντος, εἰκότως ἄν τις ἔφη τούτους, βουλομένους τὸν πατέρα θεραπεῦσαι, προσκυνῆσαι τὸ τεχθὲν παιδίον, καὶ ταύτῃ πολλὴν ἑαυτοῖς ὑπόθεσιν προαποθέσθαι εὐνοίας. Νυνὶ δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτῶν προσδοκῶντες ἔσεσθαι βασιλέα, ἀλλὰ ἔθνους ἀλλοκότου καὶ πολὺ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀφεστηκότος χώρας, οὔτε ἄνδρα ὁρῶντες ἤδη γενόμενον, τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσαύτην στέλλονται ἀποδημίαν, καὶ δῶρα προσφέρουσι, καὶ ταῦτα μέλλοντες μετὰ κινδύνων ἅπαντα πράττειν; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ἡρώδης ἀκούσας διεταράχθη, καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἅπας ἐθορυβεῖτο, ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες παρ' αὐτῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐ προῄδεσαν οὗτοι ταῦτα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι λόγον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ σφόδρα ἦσαν ἀνόητοι, τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν ἠγνόησαν, ὅτι εἰς πόλιν βασιλευομένην ἐλθόντες, καὶ τοιαῦτα κηρύξαντες, καὶ βασιλέα ἕτερον παρὰ τὸν τότε ὄντα δείξαντες, οὐχὶ; μυρίους καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἂν ἐπεσπάσαντο θανάτους. Τί δὲ ὅλως καὶ προσεκύνουν ἐν σπαργάνοις; ὄντα; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀνὴρ; ἦν, εἶχεν ἄν τις εἰπεῖν, ὅτι προσδοκῶντες τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν εἰς προὖπτον ἑαυτοὺς ἔῤῥιψαν κίνδυνον, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀλογίας ἦν, τὸν Πέρσην, τὸν βάρβαρον, καὶ οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἔχοντα πρὸς τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος, βούλεσθαι μὲν τῆς οἰκίας ἀφίστασθαι, καὶ πατρίδα καὶ συγγενεῖς καὶ οἰκείους ἀφιέναι, ἑτέρᾳ δὲ ἑαυτοὺς ὑποβάλλειν βασιλείᾳ. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀνόητον, τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ἀνοητότερον πολλῷ; πλέον. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Τὸ μακρὰν οὕτως ἀποδημίαν ἐλθόντας, καὶ προσκυνήσαντας, καὶ ταράξαντας πάντας, ἀπελθεῖν εὐθέως. Τί δὲ ὅλως καὶ βασιλείας σύμβολον εἶδον, καλύβην καὶ φάτνην, καὶ παιδίον ἐν σπαργάνοις, καὶ μητέρα πτωχὴν ἰδόντες; Τίνι δὲ καὶ τὰ δῶρα προσέφερον, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ἆρα νόμος ἦν καὶ ἔθος, τοὺς πανταχοῦ τικτομένους βασιλέας οὕτω θεραπεύειν; καὶ πᾶσαν περιῄεσαν ἀεὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην, οὓς ᾔδεσαν ἐσομένους βασιλέας ἀπὸ μικρῶν καὶ εὐτελῶν, πρὶν ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τὸν βασιλικὸν ἀναβῆναι, προσκυνοῦντες; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τις τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ προσεκύνουν; Εἰ μὲν τῶν παρόντων ἕνεκεν, καὶ τί προσεδόκων παρὰ παιδίου καὶ μητρὸς εὐτελοῦς λήψεσθαι; εἰ δὲ τῶν μελλόντων ἕνεκεν, καὶ πόθεν ᾔδεσαν ὅτι ἀπομνημονεύσει τῶν τότε γινομένων ὁ παῖς ἐν σπαργάνοις προσκυνηθείς; Εἰ δὲ ἡ μήτηρ ἔμελλεν ἀναμιμνήσκειν αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ οὕτω τιμῆς, ἀλλὰ κολάσεως ἦσαν ἄξιοι, εἰς προὖπτον ἐμβάλλοντες αὐτὸν κίνδυνον. Ἐντεῦθεν γοῦν ὁ Ἡρώδης ταραχθεὶς, καὶ ἐζήτει, καὶ περιειργάζετο, καὶ ἀνελεῖν ἐπεχείρει. Καὶ πανταχοῦ δὲ ὁ τὸν μέλλοντα βασιλεύειν κατάδηλον ποιῶν, ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἰδιώτην ὄντα, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ σφαγῇ παραδίδωσι, καὶ μυρίους ἀνάπτει πολέμους αὐτῷ. Εἶδες ὅσα τὰ ἄτοπα φαίνεται, εἰ κατὰ ἀνθρωπίνην ἀκολουθίαν καὶ κοινὴν συνήθειαν ταῦτα ἐξετάσαιμεν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ταῦτα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείονα τούτων ἐνῆν εἰπεῖν, ζήτησιν ἔχοντα πλείω τῶν εἰρημένων.   Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὑπομηνμα Εἰς ᾍγιον Ματθαιον Τον Εὐαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλια Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 57 13-15

'Jesus was born at Bethlehem, in Juda, in the days of king Herod. And behold Magi came from the east to Jerusalem, asking: 'Where is he that has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and we have come to worship him.' 1 We have need of much vigilance, and many prayers, that we be able to discuss what is before us, and that we learn who these wise men were, and whence they came, and how, and by what persuasion, and what was the star. Or rather, if you will, first the things the enemies of the truth say we shall bring into our midst. Because the devil has blown on them with so greatly, even from this they try to arm themselves against the words of truth. What then do they say? 'Behold,' they say, 'even when Christ was born a star appeared; which is a sign that astrology may be trusted.' How then, if He had His birth according to that law, did He destroy astrology, and take away fate, and gag demons, and cast out deception, and overthrow all such sorcery? And indeed what do the wise men learn from the star itself? That He was King of the Jews? And yet He was not king of this kingdom; as He said to Pilate, 'My kingdom is not of this world.' 2 Truly He made no display of this kind, for He had no guards armed with spear or shields, no horses, nor chariots of mules, nor any other such thing around Him, but He followed this paltry and poor life, carrying about with Him twelve paltry men. And even if they knew Him to be a king, why did they come? For surely this is not the business of astrology, to know from the stars who are born, but from the hour of birth to predict what shall be; so it is said. But these were neither present with the mother in her pangs, nor did they know the time when He was born, nor did they, beginning at that moment, from the motion of the stars calculate what was to be, but rather, having a long time before seen a star appear in their own country, they came to see Him who was born. Which presents a greater difficulty even than the former. For what reason persuaded them, or the hope of what benefits, to worship a king one who was so far off? For if He had been set to reign over them, most assuredly not even so would it be capable of a reasonable account. For if He had been born in royal courts, and with His father, himself a king, present by Him, naturally one could say that they, wishing to please the father, had worshipped the child that was born, and in this way were storing up for themselves beforehand much good will. But now when they did not so much as expect Him to be their own king, but one of a foreign nation, far distant from their country, and not seeing Him yet grown to manhood, why do they set off on so long a journey, and offer gifts, and this when perils were sure to beset their whole venture? For both Herod hearing of it, was exceedingly troubled, and the whole people was disturbed hearing of these things from them. 'But they did not foresee this.' But that is not reasonable. For even if they had been extremely foolish, of this they could not be ignorant, that coming to a city ruled by a king, and proclaiming such things, and setting forth another king beside him, they must be bringing down on themselves a thousand deaths. And why did they worship one who was yet in swaddling cloth? For if He had been a grown man, one might say, that in expectation of the aid they would receive from Him, they cast themselves into a danger which they foresaw. Yet this would have been utterly unreasonable, that the Persian, the barbarian, having nothing in common with the nation of the Jews, should wish to depart from his home, to give up country, and kindred, and friends, and that they should subject themselves to another kingdom. But if this is foolish, what comes after is much more foolish. And what would it be? That after they had proceeded on so long a journey, and worshipped, and thrown all into confusion, they went away immediately. And what sign at all of royalty did they behold when they saw a hut and a manger and a child in swaddling clothes and a poor mother? And to whom, moreover, did they offer their gifts, and for what reason? Was it then the law and custom thus to honour the kings that were born in every place? And did they always keep going about the whole world, worshipping those who they knew should become kings from a low and mean beginning before they rose to the royal throne? But no one would claim this. And for what reason did they worship Him? If for the sake of things present, then what did they expect to receive from an infant and a poor mother? If for things in the future, how did they know that the child whom they had worshipped in swaddling clothes would remember what they did? But if His mother were to remind Him, they were not thus worthy of honor, but of punishment, as bringing Him into foreseeable danger. Because of that, at any rate, Herod was troubled, and sought, and pried, and prepared to slay Him. And indeed everywhere, he who makes known the future king, supposing him in his earliest age to be in private condition, does nothing else but hand him over to slaughter and inflame against him endless warfare. Do you see how manifold the absurdities appear, if we examine these things according to human ways and ordinary custom? And not these things only, but even more than these might be said, containing more questions than we have told. Saint John Chrysostom, from the Sixth Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 1 Mt 2.1-2 2 Jn 18.36

The Astrologers

Porro in Chaldeis γενεθλιαλόγους significari puto quos vulgus mathematicos vocat. Consuetudo autem et sermo communis magos pro maleficis accipit: qui aliter habentur apud gentem suam, eo quod sint philosophi Chaldaeorum, et ad artis hujus scientiam reges quoque et principes ejusdem gentis omnia faciunt. Unde et in nativitate Domini Salvatoris ipsi primum ortum ejus intellexerunt et venientes in sanctam Bethleem, adoraverunt puerum, stella desuper ostendente. Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentaria in Daniel, Caput II Source:  Migne PL 25.498d-449a

However among the Chaldeans 'genethialogoi' I think signifies those whom the many name astrologers. 1 For it is a custom in common speech to refer to magi as magicians, but they are considered differently among their own people, because they are the philosophers of the Chaldeans, and the knowledge of this art even the kings and princes of that people take to entirely. Whence in the nativity of our Lord and Saviour they first understood his coming and came to holy Bethlehem, and adored the child, the star guiding them from above. Saint Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 2 1 Dan 2.2

The Way Of Return

Et responso accepto, usque, per aliam viam reversa sunt in regionem suam. Regio nostra est paradisus, ad quam per obedientiam reverti debet genus humanum, quod inde per inobedientiam expulsum est. Herodes vero significent diabolum, ad quem redire post acceptam fidem prohibemur. Sanctus Beda, In Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, Liber I, Cap II Source: Migne PL 92.13d

'And being warned...they returned to their own land by another way.' 1 Our land is paradise, to which the human race should return by obedience, from which it was expelled by disobedience. However Herod signifies the devil, to whom we are prohibited from returning after receiving the faith. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Book 1, Chap 2 1 Mt 2.12

Adding And Taking Away

Οὐ προσθήσεις ἐπ' αὐτὸ. οὐδὲ ἀφελεῖς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἁμαρτάνοντες γενικῷ λόγῳ διχῶς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἢ ὑπερβαίνοντες τὰς ἐντολὰς ἢ ὑποκενοῦντες. Ὅταν γὰρ μὴ ἀπὸ ἐπιστήμης πολιτευόμεθα, μηδὲ γινώσκοντες τὰ μέτρα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σφαλλόμεθα, καὶ ἔσθ' ὅτε ὑπερβαίνοντες τὸν κανόνα, φαντασίᾳ τοῦ ποιεῖν τι κρεῖττον, ἐκπίπτομεν τοῦ προκειμένου. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Δευτερονόμιον, Κεφ Κ', Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 12.812a

You shall not add to it, nor take anything away. 1 Men who sin generally do so for two causes, either going beyond the commandments, or by being rid of them. For when we live apart from knowlege, not knowing the standards of righteousness, we are deceived, and when we go beyond the commandments, we act in the delusion that we do better, falling away from what has been set before us. Origen, On Deuteronomy, Fragment 1 Deut 12.32

The Command And Adam

Dic mihi, cur Adam accepit mandatum ? Respondit : Ne se Deum putaret, sed subditum. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, De Veteri et Novo Testamento Quaestiones, Quaestio XVIII Source:  Migne PL 83.203c

Tell me, why did Adam receive the command? 1 Answer: Lest he think himself God, but rather that he be obedient. Saint Isidore of Seville, Questions on the Old and New Testaments, Question 18 1 Gen 2.16-17

Creation And Understanding

Οὐκοῦν ταύτας ἔγνωμεν ἐν τῇ διαιρέσει τῶν ὄντων τὰς διαφοράς, πρῶτον τὸ ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν κατάληψιν πρῶτον, τὸ αἰσθητὸν λέγω, μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ διὰ τῆς τῶν αἰσθητῶν χειραγωγίας ὑπὸ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρούμενον, ὃ δὴ νοητὸν εἶναί φαμεν· καὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ πάλιν ἑτέραν διαφορὰν κατελάβομεν εἰς τὸ κτιστὸν καὶ ἄκτιστον διαιρουμένην. καὶ τῆς μὲν ἀκτίστου φύσεως τὴν ἁγίαν τριάδα εἶναι διωρισάμεθα, τῆς δὲ κτιστῆς πάντα ὅσα μετ' ἐκείνην λέγεταί τε καὶ ἔστι καὶ ὀνομάζεται. ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ ἀναπόδεικτος ἡμῶν ὁ διορισμὸς ὑπάρχῃ, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τῆς γραφῆς μαρτυρίαις ἠσφαλισμένος, τοῦτο τοῖς εἰρημένοις προσθήσομεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκτίσθη ὁ Κύριος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐξῆλθε, καθὼς αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς λόγος αὐτοπροσώπως ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ μαρτύρεται, κατὰ τὸν ἄρρητον ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀνεκδιήγητον τῆς γεννήσεως ἤτοι τῆς ἐξόδου τρόπον. Καὶ τίς ἂν εὑρεθείη μάρτυς ἀληθέστερος τῆς τοῦ κυρίου φωνῆς, διὰ παντὸς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου πατέρα καὶ οὐχὶ κτίστην ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἀποκαλοῦντος πατέρα καὶ οὐχὶ ἔργον θεοῦ ἀλλ' υἱὸν θεοῦ ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζοντος; ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον κοινωνίαν σημαίνων υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου τὸ φαινόμενον προσηγόρευσε, δεικνὺς τὴν κατὰ φύσιν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἐξ ἧς ἐλήφθη συγγένειαν, οὕτω καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν ἀληθῆ καὶ γνησίαν σχέσιν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ υἱοῦ διασημαίνει, τὸ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν οἰκεῖον διὰ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ φωνῆς ἐνδεικνύμενος. κἄν τινες ἐκ τῆς παροιμιώδους ῥήσεως τὰ ἐν παραβολῇ σκοτεινῶς δι' αἰνίγματος εἰρημένα ψιλὰ καὶ ἀνερμήνευτα πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν τῆς ἀληθείας προφέροντες τὴν τοῦ ἐκτίσθαι φωνήν, ἣν ἐκ προσώπου τῆς σοφίας ὁ παροιμιαστὴς ἐποιήσατο, εἰς συνη γορίαν τῆς τοῦ δόγματος αὐτῶν διαστροφῆς προχειρίζωνται, λέγοντες τὸ Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ὁμολογίαν εἶναι τοῦ ἐκτίσθαι τὸν Κύριον, ὡς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μονογενοῦς διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης τὸ τοιοῦτον οὐκ ἀρνουμένου, ἡμῖν οὐ προσεκτέον τῷ λόγῳ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦ πάντως δεῖν εἰς τὸν Κύριον ἀναγαγεῖν τὸν λόγον τοῦτον τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρέχονται· οὔτε τοῦ ῥητοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ἑβραίων γραφῆς εἰς τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον φέρουσαν ἐπιδεῖξαι δυνήσονται, τῶν λοιπῶν ἑρμηνέων τὸ Ἐκτήσατο καὶ Κατέστησεν ἀντὶ τοῦ Ἔκτισεν ἐκδεδωκότων, οὔτε δέ, εἰ οὕτως εἶχεν ἡ λέξις ἐν τῇ πρωτοτύπῳ γραφῇ, πρόχειρος ἂν ἦν καὶ σαφὴς ἡ διάνοια, τῆς παροιμιακῆς διδασκαλίας οὐ προδήλως, ἀλλὰ μετ' ἐπικρύψεως τὸν τῶν λεγομένων σκοπὸν ἐνδεικνυμένης διὰ πλαγίας ἐμφάσεως, ὡς ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον συμφράσεως τῶν εἰρημένων πάρεστιν ἐπιγνῶναι τοῦ λόγου τὸ δυσθεώ ρητον, ἐν οἷς φησιν Ἡνίκα ἀφώριζε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐπ' ἀνέμων καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. τίς γὰρ θεοῦ θρόνος, εἴτε ὑλικός τις οὗτος εἴτε νοητός; καὶ τίνες ἄνεμοι, πότερον οἱ συνήθεις οὗτοι καὶ γνώριμοι, οὓς ἐκ τῶν ἀτμῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἀναθυμιάσεων συνίστασθαι λέγουσιν οἱ ταῦτα φυσιολογοῦντες, εἴτε καθ' ἕτερον τρόπον ὑπονοούμενοι, ὃν οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκει ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη συνήθεια, οὕς φησιν ἀντὶ βάσεως τῷ θρόνῳ γίνεσθαι; καὶ τίς καθέδρα τοῦ ἀσωμάτου καὶ ἀπεριγράπτου καὶ ἀσχηματίστου θεοῦ; καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα τίς ἂν ἐκ τῆς συνήθους τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων σημασίας κατανοήσειε; Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Προς Εὐνομιον, Λογος Πρωτος Source: Migne PG 45.341c-344c

We know, then, in the division of all existing things these distinctions. There is first what we grasp first, I speak of the sensible world, and beyond this there is the world which the mind led on by objects of sense can contemplate, which we name the intelligible; and here we grasp again another distinction into the Created and the Uncreated, and as being of an uncreated nature we have defined the Holy Trinity, and in the former category we place all that can after that exist or be thought of. Yet in order that this statement may not be left without a proof, but may be confirmed by Scripture, we will add that our Lord was not created, but came forth from the Father, as God the Word He Himself bearing witness to it in the Gospel, in an ineffable and mysterious manner of birth or of proceeding. And what witness more true could be found than voice of our Lord all through the Gospel, that the Very Father was a father, not a creator, of Himself, and that He was not a work of God but named Himself the Son of God? For just as when He wished to name His connection with humanity according to the flesh, He called that phase of his being Son of Man, indicating thereby His kinship according to the nature of the flesh with her from whom He was born, so also by the title of Son he declares His true and real relationship to the Almighty, by that name of Son showing this natural connection. Even if there are some who, for the contradiction of the truth, do take literally and without any explanation, words used with a hidden meaning in the dark form of parable, and cite the expression 'created,' put into the mouth of Wisdom by the author of the Proverbs , to support their perverted views. They say, in fact, that 'the Lord created me' 1 is an admittance that the Lord is a creature, as if the Only-begotten Himself with that statement could not deny it, but let us not heed such reason. For they do not demonstrate why that passage must refer to our Lord at all, neither will they be able to show that the idea of the word in the Hebrew leads to this and to no other meaning, seeing that the other translators have rendered it by 'possessed' or 'established,' nor, even if this was the idea in the original text, would its real meaning be so plain and overt, for the teaching of the proverbs is not instant, but being concealed it is revealed only indirectly, and thus we may judge the obscurity of this particular passage from its context where it is said, 'When He set His throne upon the winds,' 2 and all the similar expressions. What is God's throne? Is it material or immaterial? What are the winds? Are they the winds which are familiar to us, which the natural philosophers tell us are formed from vapours and exhalations, or are they to be thought of in another way, not familiar to man's understanding, when they are called the bases of His throne? And what is the throne of the immaterial, incomprehensible, and formless Deity? Who could possibly understand all this in a literal sense? Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, Book 1 1 Prov 8.22 2 Prov 8.27 LXX

Sign And Promise

Jam tunc propter peregrinationem futuram, ne commisceretur semen ejus inter gentres, datur ei circumcisio in signum his verbis: Circumcideter in bovis omne masculum. Infans octo dierum circumcidetur in vobis, tam vernaculus quam emptitius. Masculus autem, cujus praeputii caro circumcisa non fuerit, delebitur anima illa de populo suo, quia pactum meum irritum fecit. Sed et Sarai non vocabitur Sarai, sed Sara, et dabo tibi ex ea filium, et benedicam illum, et erit in nationes, et reges gentium ex eo erunt. Hic jam declaratur promissio de vocatione gentium in Isaac filio promissionis, quo significatur gratia, non natura, quia de sene patre et sterili matre. Et quia hoc non per generationem, quae est in Ismaele, sed per regenerationem futurum erat, ideo imperata est circumcisio, quod de Sara promittitur filius typo Ecclesiae, non quando Ismael, qui typum gerit Judaeorum. Quid enim aliud circumcisio significat, nisi renovatam naturam per baptsimum post expoliationem veteris hominis? Et quid est octavus dies, nisi Christus, qui hebdomada completa, hoc est, post Sabbatum resurrexit? Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis,Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesim, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 83.242b-c

Then because of future wanderings, lest his mix his seed with the nations, circumcision is given to Abraham as a sign, with these words: 'Let every male be circumcised in the foreskin. Let the child be circumcised on the eighth day among you, he who is house born and he who is bought. The male who does not have his flesh circumcised wil have his soul removed from among his people, because he has violated my covenant.' 2 'But even Sarai will not called Sarai but Sarah, princess, and I shall give to you a son from her, and I shall bless him and he shall be among the nations, and the kings of the peoples shall come from him.' 2 Here is declared the promise concerning the calling of the nations in Isaac, the son of promise, by which is signified grace, not nature, because he came from an aged father and a barren mother. And because this is not through generation, which is in Ismael, but for the regeneration that is to come, therefore circumcision is commanded, that from Sarah is the promised son who is a type of the Church, and not from Ismael who bears the type of the Jews. What indeed does circumcision signify, unless the renewel of nature through baptism after the casting off of the old man? 3 And what is the eighth day, unless Christ who completes the seven days, that is, He who after the Sabbath is resurrected? Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chap 13 1 Gen 17.10-12 2 Gen 17.15 3 Ephes 4.22