A New Shepherd

Νῦν δὲ, ὦ ποιμένων ἄριστε καὶ τελεώτατε, δεῦρόμοι καὶ τὸν σὸν ἀπολάμβανε λαὸν σὺν ἡμῖν τε καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν, ὃν ἐνεχείρισέ σοι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὃν προσάγουσιν ἄγγελοι, ὃν ὁ βίος καὶ ὁ τρόπος ἐπίστευσεν. Εἰ δὲ διὰ πειρασμῶν καὶ κωλυμάτων τὸν θρόνον κληρονομεῖς, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· οὐδὲν τῶν μεγάλων ἀδόκιμον, οὐδὲν ἀβασάνιστον. Ἕπεται γὰρ φύσει τοῖς μὲν ταπεινοῖς τὸ ῥᾴδιον, τοῖς δὲ ὑψηλοῖς επιτρέπετα τὸ δύσκτητον. Ἤκουσας τοῦ εἰπόντος, Ὅτι δεῖ ἡμᾶς διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· εἰπὲ καὶ αὐτός· Διήλθομεν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀναψυχήν. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! Τὸ ἑσπέρας· ηὐλίσθη κλαυθμὸς, καὶ εἰς τὸ πρωῒ ἀγαλλίασις.  Ἔα ληρεῖν τοὺς πολεμοῦντας καὶ περιχάσκειν, ὡς κύνας ὑλακτοῦντας διακενῆς· ἡμεῖς δὲ μὴ πολεμώμεθα. Δίδασκε προσ-κυνεῖν Θεὸν τὸν Πατέρα, Θεὸν τὸν Υἱὸν, Θεὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐν τρισὶν ὑποστάσεσιν, ἐν μιᾷ δόξῃ τε καὶ λαμπρότητι. Τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἐκζήτει· τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐνίσχυε· τὸ ἰσχυρὸν φύλασσε. Τοσαύτην ἀπαιτοῦμέν σε τὴν ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς εὐδοκίμησιν, ὅσην ἐπὶ τῶν κοσμικῶν συνέγνωμεν. Τὴν μὲν οὖν τελεωτέραν ὅπλισιν δέχοιο παρὰ τῶν μειζόνων στρατηγῶν, δι' ἧς δυνήσῃ τὰ βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβέσαι, καὶ παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ λαὸν περιούσιον, ἔθνος ἅγιον, βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος ΙΓ' Source: Migne PG 35.856a-c

And now, best and most excellent of shepherds, come and receive your people with us and for us, which the Holy Spirit has entrusted to you, which the angels bring, which your life and conduct has commended. And if you succeed to the throne at a time of trial and opposition, do not wonder; nothing great is untested and untried. It is a law of nature that what is base is easy, but what is excellent is achieved with difficulty. You have heard it said: 'That through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven.' 1 Say yourself also, 'We went through fire and water, and you led us into rest.' 2 A wonder! ' In the evening tears and in the morning joy.' 3 Let those who would war, but uselessly and ineptly, gape like dogs barking vainly, but let us not be embroiled. Teach the worship of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as three in their persons, one in glory and splendour. Seek the lost, strengthen the weak, and preserve the strong. 4 We ask you to become as distinguished in spiritual affairs as much as we know you are in the world. May you receive a more perfect armour by your greater commanders by which you will be able to quench all the burning shafts of the evil one, 5 and deliver up to the Lord His own people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. 6  Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 13 1 Acts 14.21 2 Ps 65.12 3 Ps 29.6 4 cf Ezek 34.4,16 5 Ephes 6.16 6 1 Pet 2.9

The Place Of Speaking

Et erit: in loco, ubi dictum est eis: Non plebs mea vos: ibi vocabuntur filii Dei vivi. Quis iste locus est? Nunquid Judaea? Numquid Roma? Absit! Judaea dignior, Roma sublimior locus est, ubi Deum loqui decet, vel possibile est. Locus enim hic mens hominis est, sensus rationis, principale cordis. Ibi agente Deo peccatori populo damnabilis dicit conscientia: Non plebs mea vos, quibus vero charitatis diffunditur in cordibus suis, per Spiritum Sanctum qui datus est eis, testimonium perhibet ipse Spiritus, quod sunt filii Dei. Guillelmus S Theodorici Abbas, Expositio In Epistolam Ad Romanos, Liber V, Caput IX Source: Migne PG 180.651a-b

But it shall be in the place where they were told: You are not my people, they shall be called the sons of the living God. 1 What is this place? Is it Judea? Is it Rome? Let it not be that it is Judea that  is more worthy, Rome more noble a place for God to speak, or that it is possible. For this place is the soul of a man, his rational mind, the depth of his heart. There by God's work a damned conscience speaks to a sinful people: 'You are not my people', and yet also by which love is diffused in the heart, by the Holy Spirit which is given to them, the same Spirit who gives witness that they are sons of God. William of St Thierry, Commentary on Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans, Book 5, Chapter 9 1 Rom 9.26, Hosea 2.24

The Coming Of The Spirit

Et cum venerit ille. Tangitur hic tertium, scilicet Spiritus sancti officium, tum per comparationem ad mundanos, et hoc est arguere; tum per comparationem ad bonos, et hoc est docere. Officium igitur per comparationem ad malos exprimit, cum dicit; Et cum venerit ille, arguet mundum de pecaato et de justitita et de iudicio. Et ipse Salvator exponit: De peccato quidem, quia non crediderunt in me; et hoc est peccatum infidelitatis, de quo supra octavo: Vos in peccato vestro moriemini; si enim non credideritis, quia ego sum, moriemini in peccato vestro. De iustitia vero, quia ad Patrem vado, et iam non videbitis me; Glossa: Non de iustitia, quam fecerint, quam nolunt imitari. Et haec est institia fidei, quae credit quod non videt; ideo dicit: Quia ad Patrem vado etc; et tunc creditis quia fides est substantia rerum sperandarum; etc, ad Hebraeos undecimo. Et haec ets institia, scilicet fidei, per quam iustus salvatur; ad Romanos tertio: Arbitramur, hominem iustificari per fidem sine operibus Legis. De iudicio vero, quia princeps huius mundi iam iudicatus est; supra duodecimo: Nunc iudicium est mundi; nunc princeps huius mundi eicietur foras. Potest tamen aliter exponi. Arguere enim mundum, hoc est manifestare mundo, secundum illud ad Ephesios quinto: Quae arguuntur a lumine manifestantur. Per adventum Spiritus sancti tria manifestata sunt mundo: peccatum, iustitia et iudicium: peccatum mundi, iustitia Christi, iudicium diabloi. Et ratio horum trium est: quia Christum redemptor erat mundi, diabolus deceptor, et mundus detinebatur a diabolo propter peccatum infidelitatis; ad Ephesios sexto: Adversus mundi rectores tenebarum harum. Et de hoc peccato Spiritus sanctus arguit mundum: dum ostendit ei suam infidelitatem, arguit de peccato. Et huic concordat littera dicens: De peccato, quia non crediderunt. Christus vero mundum redemit sua iustitia. Quia enim iustus fuit et pati non meruit, patiendo pro mundo ipsum salvavit,; in cuius iustitiae attestationem sublimatus est ad dexteram Partis. Et huic concordat littera: De iustitia, scilicet mea, quia vado ad Patrem, per sublimationem, et hoc merito iustitiae; ad Philippenses secundo: Humiliavit semetipsum factus obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter quid et Deus exaltavit illum et donavit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen. Diabolis vero iniuste mundum detinebat et iniuste contra Christum pugnavit; ideo iudicatus est, quia amisit dominium in genus humanum. Et huic consonat sequens littera: De iudicio vero, quia princeps huius mundi iam iudicatus est, id est, in causa Salvatoris reus factus est. Legatur ergo sic littera: Arguet mundum de peccato, scilicet suo, quia non crediderunt etc. de iustitia, sciliciet mea, quia ad Patrem vado, in huius testimonium, de iudicio, scilicet diaboli, quia princeps huius mundi iam iudicatus est. Sanctus Boneventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XVI Source: Here, p1034-1036

And when He comes... 1 This touches on the third thing, that is the office of the Holy Spirit, so with a comparison to cleansing, and this is to dispute, and then with a comparison to good things, and this is to teach. The office therefore is a comparison for suppressing evils, when he says. 'And when He comes, He shall dispute with the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement.' 1 And the Saviour Himself explains: 'Concerning sin, because they did not believe in me,' and this is the sin of faithlessness, concerning which it says in the eighth chapter: 'You will die in your sin, for if you will not believe that I am, you will die in your sin.' 2 But concerning righteousness, 'because I go to the Father, and now you do not see me.' The Gloss says: Because of the righteousness which they did not do, which they are unwilling to imitate. And this is the mark of faith, that he believes what he does not see, therefore He says: 'I go to the Father,' etc. And then you believe because 'faith is the substance of things hoped for', as in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. 3 And this is the mark of faith, by which the righteous man is saved, in the third Chapter of Romans: 'We judge that a man is justified through faith without the works of the Law.' 4 But concerning judgement, 'because the prince of the world is already judged.' In the twelfth chapter: 'Now is the judgement of the world, now the prince of this world is cast out.' 5 It is possible to explain this in a different way. To dispute the world, that is, to make manifest to the world, according to which the fifth chapter of Ephesians says: 'What is proved by the light is manifested.' 6 By the coming of the Holy Spirit three things are manifested to the world: sin, righteousness and judgement: the sin of the world, the righteousness of Christ, the judgement of the devil. And the reason for these things is threefold: because Christ is the Saviour of the world, the devil is the deceiver, and the world is held by the devil because of the sin of faithlessness, as in the sixth chapter of Ephesians: 'Against the rulers of the world of this darkness.' 7 And concerning sin the Holy Spirit disputes with the world: while He reveals to it its own faithlessness, He disputes concerning sin. And this harmonises with the words which say: 'Concerning sin, because they did not believe.' Christ redeems the world by His righteousness. Because He was righteous and did not deserve to suffer, even suffering for the world He saved it. and as witness of His righteousness He was elevated to the right hand of the Father. And this harmonises with the words: 'Concerning righteousness,' that is, mine, 'I go to the Father,' by elevation, and by the merit of righteousness. In the second chapter of Philippians: 'He humbled himself to obedience unto death, death on the cross. On account of which God exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above all other names.' 8 But the devil held the world by unrighteousness and unjustly fought against Christ, therefore he is judged, since he loses power over the race of men. And this harmonises with the following words: 'But concerning judgement, that the prince of the world has already been judged.' That is, in the case of the Saviour he is guilty. Let us therefore read these words: 'He shall dispute with the world concerning sin,' that is its own, 'because they did not believe in me' etc. 'Concerning righteousness,' that is, mine, 'because I go to the Father', as witness of Him. 'Concerning judgement,' that is, of the devil, 'because the prince of this world is already judged.' Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 16 1 Jn 16.8 2 Jn 8.24 3 Heb 11.1 4 Rom 3.28 5 Jn 12.31 6 Ephes 5.13 7 Ephes 6.12 8 Phil 2.8-9

The Flesh And The Spirit

Vos autem in carne non estis, sed in spiritu; si tamen spiritus Dei habitat in vobis. Si secundum interiorem hominem condelectamini legi Dei. Hoc enim est, si spiritus Dei habitat in vobis. Nam si de vestro spiritu praesumitis, adhuc in carne estis. Sic enim non estis in carne, si in spiritu Dei sitis. Nam si recedit spiritus Dei, pondere suo spiritus hominis revolvitur in carnem; redit ad facta carnalia, redit ad concupiscentias carnales, et fiunt hominis illius novissima pejora prioribus. Sic ego habete liberum arbitrium, ut imploretis auxilium. Non estis in carne. Et hoc ex viribus vestris? Absit! Unde ergo? Si tamen spiritus Dei habitat in vobis. Si quis autem spiritum Christi non habet, hic non est ejus. Non ergo se jactet, non se extendat, non sibi arroget virtutem propriam egena et vitiata natura, quia si quis spiritum Christi non habet, hic non est ejus. Ipse est spiritus Dei, qui spiritus Christi; ipse Patris, qui Filii. Sed ecce adjuvante ipsius misericordia spiritum Christi habemus, et ipsa delectatione justitiae, et integra fide et catholica, spiritum Dei nobis inesse cognoscimus. Guillelmus S Theodorici Abbas, Expositio In Epistolam Ad Romanos, Liber V, Caput VIII Source: Migne PG 180.629b-c

For you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. 1 If according to the interior man you delight in the law of God. That is, if the spirit of God dwells in you. For if you presume concerning your spirit, you are yet in the flesh. You are not in the flesh if you are in the spirit of God. For if the spirit of God is withdrawn, by the weight of your spirit of man you tumble back into the flesh, you return to carnal deeds, you return to carnal desires, and what the last man does is worse than the first. 2 So I have a free will that I might implore aid. 'You are not in the flesh.' And is this from your own power? Let is not be! From where, then? 'If indeed you have the spirit of God dwelling in you.' For if someone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not Christ's. Let him therefore not boast of himself, nor enlarge himself, nor arrogate to himself his own virtue in the poverty and ruin of his nature, because if someone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not His. The spirit of God is the spirit of Christ, He is of the Father who is of the Son. But, behold, with the aid of His mercy we have the spirit of Christ, and by the love of righteousness and by a secure and catholic faith we know the spirit of God is in us. William of St Thierry, Commentary on Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans, Book 5, Chapter 8 1 Rom 8.9 2 Mt 12.45, Lk 11.26

The Presumptuous Man

Tῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὁδῶν πλησθήσεται θρασυκάρδιος ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν διανοημάτων αὐτοῦ ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός. Διανοήματα νῦν εἶπεν τὰς θείας ὁράσεις καὶ τὰς ἔξεις τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἄσπερ ταῖς ὁδοῖς νοῦ θρασυκαρδίου ἀντέθεικεν· Ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίς λαλεῖ τὰ χείλη, εἴπεν ὁ Κύριος· οὐ γὰρ κακοποιῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἀγαθοποιῆσαι ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ διανοεῖται· ὁ δὲ θρασυκάρδιος ὡς ἄφρων πράττων καὶ λέγων, ἐμπλησθήσεται μαστίγων, καὶ πραγμάτων ἀφαιρέσεως, καὶ τέλος τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσει. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας Source: Migne PG 17.193b

The presumptuous man will be filled with his own ways, and the good man with his own thoughts. 1 The thoughts he speaks of here are Divine contemplations and the exercises of virtue, which are opposed to the ways of the presumptuous man. 'From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,' as the Lord says. 2 For the good man thinks to act not at all wickedly but well. The presumptuous man, however, acts and speaks without sense and he is filled with buffetings, and his deeds are profitless, and finally he destroys his own soul. Origen, On Proverbs, Fragment 1 Prov 14.14 2 Mt 12.34, Lk 6.45

Knowledge And Lies

Χωρὶς μνήμης Θεοῦ, γνῶσις ἀληθὴς εἶναι οὐ δύναται· ἐκτος γὰρ τῆς προτέρας, ἡ δευτέρα νόθος ὑπάρχει. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Νόμου Πνευματικοῦ Source: Migne PG 65.924b

Unless one is mindful of God, true knowledge is not possible, for without that which comes before, that which comes after is a lie. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On The Spiritual Law.

Knowing The Right Way

Notam fac mihi viam in qua ambulem quia ad te levavi animam meam. Apostolus per speculum et in aenigmate videt, et pro parte scit, et pro parte prophetat. Propheta quoque tamquam per naturam humanae fragilitatis ignorans, notas sibi fieri, in quibus ambulet, vias orat. Non enim hae saeculi viae utiles sunt: spiritales et coelestes ille nosse desiderat. Id enim ait: Quia ad te levavi animam meam. Non in humilibus est anima illius, sed in excelsis; et idcirco excelsarum viarum postulat notionem. Scit enim esse inimicos sibi, qui se in alias vias avocent, qui in voluntatem alteram deducant. De inimicis istis spiritalibus Apostulos multa et frequenter ingessit. Ab his ergo se eripi orat, et vitam illam tribulatam, quae ad coleum agit, cognoscere rogat, et de voluntate Domini doceri, et per Spiritum ejus in terram rectam deduci: id est, ut constituatur in hominem non vitiis perversum. Nam in rectam terram se dirigi quomodo optat, si de elementi hujus creatura dixisse existimabitur: nisi quod secundum primi hominis naturam, cui post peccatum dictum est, Terra es, et in terram ibis, constitui se hominem rectum indeflexum desiderat? Id enim sub his dictis continetur: Notam fac mihi viam in qua ambulem: quia ad te levavi animam meam. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXLII Source: Migne PL 9.841b-c

Make known to me the way I should walk, because to you I have lifted up my soul. 1 The Apostle looks in a mirror in mystery, and he knows from a part, and from a part he makes prophecy. 2 And also as the Prophet is ignorant on account of the nature of human fragility, he prays that the ways in which he should walk might be made known. Nothing of the ways of this world is useful, for he desires to know what is spiritual and heavenly. So he says: 'Because to you I have lifted up my soul.' Not in base things is his soul, but in high things, and therefore he asks for knowledge of the ways on high. He knows who his enemies are, those who would call him to other ways, who would lead him off in another will. Which spiritual enemies gravely and often assailed the Apostles. From which, then, he prays to be seized, and that life of trouble, which leads to heaven, he asks to know, and to be taught by the will of the Lord, and be led by His Spirit into the land of right, that is, that he might be established as a man unperverted by vices. For how does he desire to be guided to the right land, if he is judged to have spoken of the elements of this creature, unless because according to the nature of the first man, to whom after sin it was said, 'You are earth, and into earth you shall go,' 3 he wishes to be established as the straight unpervertible man? For that is what is contained within these words: 'Make known to me the way I should walk, for to you I have lifted up my soul.' Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 142 1 Ps 142.8 2 1 Cor 13. 12,9 3 Gen 3.19

A Guard Of Knowledge

Ὁ γνώσεως ἐφαψάμενος και τὴν ἀπ' αὐτης καρπούμενος ἡδονὴν οὐκέτι τῷ τῆς κενοδοξίας πεισθήσεται δαίμονι, πάσας αὐτῷ τὰς ἡδονὰς τοῦ κόσμου προσάγοντι· τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ ὑπόσχοιτο μεῖζον πνευματικῆς θεωρίας; Ἐν ὅσῳ δέ ἐσμεν γνώσεως ἄγευστοι, τὴν πρακτικὴν προθύμως κατεργαζώμεθα, τὸν σκοπὸν ἡμῶν δεικνύντες Θεῷ ὅτι πάντα πράττομεν τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώσεως ἕνεκεν. Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός, Ὁ Πρακτικός Source: Migne PG 40.1228a

He who has seized on knowledge and harvested the delight it brings will no longer be persuaded by the demon of vainglory which sets before him all the pleasures of the world. For what could it offer to him which is greater than spiritual contemplation? But inasmuch as we have not tasted knowledge, we should eagerly attend to ascetic deeds, showing our intent to God, that everything we do is for the knowledge of Him. Evagrius Ponticus, The Praktikos

Acquiring Knowledge

Πλὴν ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ διστάσαι περὶ θεοῦ, πιστεῦσαι δὲ θεμέλιος γνώσεως, ἄμφω δὲ ὁ Χριστός, ὅ τε θεμέλιος ἥ τε ἐποικοδομή, δι' οὗ καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὰ τέλη. Kαὶ τὰ μὲν ἄκρα οὐ διδάσκεται, ἥ τε ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος, πίστις λέγω καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη, ἡ γνῶσις δὲ ἐκ παραδόσεως διαδιδομένη κατὰ χάριν θεοῦ τοῖς ἀξίους σφᾶς αὐτοὺς τῆς διδασκαλίας παρεχομένοις οἷον παρακαταθήκη ἐγχειρίζεται, ἀφ' ἧς τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης ἀξίωμα ἐκλάμπει ἐκ φωτὸς εἰς φῶς. Eἴρηται γὰρ τῷ ἔχοντι προστεθήσεται, τῇ μὲν πίστει ἡ γνῶσις, τῇ δὲ γνώσει ἡ ἀγάπη, τῇ ἀγάπῃ δὲ ἡ κληρονομία. Γίνεται δὲ τοῦτο, ὁπόταν τις κρεμασθῇ τοῦ Kυρίου διά τε πίστεως διά τε γνώσεως διά τε ἀγάπης καὶ συναναβῇ αὐτῷ ἔνθα ἐστὶν ὁ τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν καὶ ἀγάπης θεὸς καὶ φρουρός· ὅθεν ἐπὶ τέλει ἡ γνῶσις παραδίδοται τοῖς εἰς τοῦτο ἐπιτηδείοις καὶ ἐγκρίτοις διὰ τὸ πλείονος παρασκευῆς καὶ προγυμνασίας δεῖσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀκούειν τῶν λεγομένων καὶ εἰς καταστολὴν βίου καὶ εἰς τὸ ἐπὶ πλέον τῆς κατὰ νόμον δικαιοσύνης κατ' ἐπίστασιν προεληλυθέναι. αὕτη πρὸς τέλος ἄγει τὸ ἀτελεύτητον καὶ τέλειον, προδιδάσκουσα τὴν ἐσομένην ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸν θεὸν μετὰ θεῶν δίαιταν, ἀπολυθέντων ἡμῶν κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας ἁπάσης, ἃς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένομεν σωτήριον· μεθ' ἣν ἀπολύτρωσιν τὸ γέρας καὶ αἱ τιμαὶ τελειωθεῖσιν ἀποδίδονται, πεπαυμένοις μὲν τῆς καθάρσεως, πεπαυμένοις δὲ καὶ λειτουργίας τῆς ἄλλης, κἂν ἁγία ᾖ καὶ ἐν ἁγίοις· ἔπειτα καθαροὺς τῇ καρδίᾳ γενομένους κατὰ τὸ προσεχὲς τοῦ Kυρίου προσμένει τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῇ ἀιδίῳ ἀποκατάστασις. καὶ θεοὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν κέκληνται, οἱ σύνθρονοι τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν, τῶν ὑπὸ τῷ σωτῆρι πρώτων τεταγμένων, γενησόμενοι. Tαχεῖα τοίνυν εἰς κάθαρσιν ἡ γνῶσις καὶ ἐπιτήδειος εἰς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον εὐπρόσδεκτον μεταβολήν. ὅθεν καὶ ῥᾳδίως εἰς τὸ συγγενὲς τῆς ψυχῆς θεῖόν τε καὶ ἅγιον μετοικίζει καὶ διά τινος οἰκείου φωτὸς διαβιβάζει τὰς προκοπὰς τὰς μυστικὰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἄχρις ἂν εἰς τὸν κορυφαῖον ἀποκαταστήσῃ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως τόπον, τὸν καθαρὸν τῇ καρδίᾳ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον ἐπιστημονικῶς καὶ καταληπτικῶς τὸν θεὸν ἐποπτεύειν διδάξασα. Ἐνταῦθα γάρ που τῆς γνωστικῆς ψυχῆς ἡ τελείωσις, πάσης καθάρσεώς τε καὶ λειτουργίας ὑπεκβᾶσαν σὺν τῷ κυρίῳ γίγνεσθαι, ὅπου ἐστὶν προσεχῶς ὑποτεταγμένη. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ζ', Κεφ Ι´ Source: Migne PG 8.477d-481a

But it is not doubting concerning God, but believing, that is the foundation of knowledge, Christ being both the foundation and the superstructure, through whom are both the beginning and the ends. And the extremes, the beginning and the end, by which I mean faith and love, are not taught, but knowledge, given with allocation according to the grace of God, is entrusted to those who show themselves worthy of the teaching, and from it the glory of love shines forth from light to light. For it is said, 'To him who has it shall be given:' 1 to faith knowledge, and to knowledge love, and to love the inheritance. And this happens whenever one hangs on to the Lord by faith, by knowledge, by love, and ascends with Him to where the God and guard of our faith and love is, at last, because for the granting of this knowledge there is need of very great preparation and prior training both to hear what is said and for a composed life, and for going beyond, according to the intellect, the righteousness of the Law. This leads to the endless and perfect, teaching us beforehand the future life that we shall lead, according to God, and with divinities, after we are freed from every endurance of punishment and penalty because of our sins, for the learning of salvation. After which redemption the reward and the honours are assigned to those perfected, when they have finished with purification, and with all other service, even holy service, and among the holy. Then being pure in heart, and near to the Lord, there awaits restoration to everlasting contemplation, and they are called by the name of gods, 2 who shall sit on thrones with the other gods who have been first set in their places by the Saviour. Knowledge, then, is quick in purifying and fit for that acceptable transformation to what is better; whence it easily gathers what is akin to the soul, divine and holy, and by its own light conveys man through the spiritual stages of advancement, until it restores the pure in heart to the crowning place of rest, teaching one to gaze on God, face to face, with knowledge and comprehension. 3 For here is the perfection of the knowledgeable soul, after ascent above all purification and service, in being with the Lord, where it is in immediate attendance to Him. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 7, Ch 10 1 Lk 19.26 2 Ps 81.6 3 1 Cor 13.12

The Hand

Emitte manum tuam de alto... Sed et ex alto manus Domini emittitur. Manum autem Dei Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum significari in Spiritu, non obscura doctrina est. Per eum enim facta sunt omnia. Et scriptum legimus, Manus enim, inquit, mea auxiliabitur ei: quia per Filium Dei homo assumptus, laqueis mortis et judicio iniquae damnationis per gloriam resurrectionis eripitur. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXLIII Source: Migne PL 9.602b-603a

Send forth your hand from on high... 1 From on high the hand of the Lord is sent. And that the hand of the Lord signifies our Lord Jesus Christ in the Spirit, is not an obscure teaching. For 'through Him all things were made.' 2 And we read that it is written, 'My hand,' he says, 'shall help him.' 3 Because man was taken up by the Son of God, and through the glory of the resurrection seized from the snares of death and from the judgement of the iniquitous to damnation. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 143 1 Ps Ps 143.7 2 Jn 1.3 3 Ps 88.22

The Door

Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ οὐκ ἔστι γενέσθαι ἤ παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ, μὴ φθάσαντα, πρῶτον κάτωθεν ἀναβαίνοντα, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Υἱοῦ θεότητα, δι' ἧς τις χειραγωγηθῆναι δύναται καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πατρικὴν μακαριότητα, θύρα ὁ Σωτὴρ ἀναγέγραπται· φιλάνθρωπος δὲ ὤν, καὶ τὴν ὅπως ποτὲ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ἀποδεχόμενος τῶν ψυχῶν ῥοπὴν, τῶν ἐπὶ τὸν Λόγον μὴ σπευδόντων, ἀλλὰ δίκην προβάτων οὐκ ἐχητασμένον, ἀλλὰ ἄλογον τὸ ἥμερον καὶ πρᾶον ἐχοντων, ποιμήν γίνεται· Ανθρώπους γὰρ καὶ κτήνην σώζει ὁ Κύριος· καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ιούδας σπείρεται σπέρμα οὐ μόνον ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κτηνῶν. Ὠριγένης, Των Εῑς Το Κατά Ιὠάννην Εὐαγγέλιον Εξηγητικόν, Τομός Α', Κεφ Θ´ Source: Migne PG 14.65d-68c

And since one cannot be in the Father or with the Father but by first ascending from below and coming to the Divinity of the Son, through which one may be led by the hand and brought to the blessedness of the Father Himself, so the Saviour has the inscription 'The Door.' 1 And as He is a lover of men, and approves the impulse of human souls to better things, even of those who do not hasten to reason, but who like sheep have a weakness and gentleness apart from all exactitide and reason, so He is the Shepherd. 2 For the Lord saves men and beasts, 3 and Israel and Judah are sowed not only with the seed not of men but also of beasts. 4 Origen, from the Commentary on The Gospel Of Saint John, Book 1, Chap 29 1 Jn 10.7-9 2 Jn 10.11 3 Ps 35.7 4 Jerem 31.27

The Ascension And The Gate

Quid igitur agemus? Quomodo ascendemus ad coelum? Sunt illic dispositae potestates, ordinati principes, qui coeli ianuas servant, qui ascendentem interrogant: quis me admittet, nisi omnipotentem annuntiem Christum? Clausae sunt portae, non cuicumque aperiuntur: non quicumque vult, nisi qui fideliter credit, ingredietur. Custoditur aula imperialis. Sed esto, indignus obrepserit, latuerit principes portarum coelestium, discubuerit in coena Domini; ingressus Dominus convivii, videns non indutum nuptiale fidei vestimentum, proiiciet eum in tenebras exteriores, ubi sit fletus et stridor dentium, si fidem pacemque non servet. Servemus igitur nuptiale quod accepimus vestimentum, nec Christo propria denegemus, quem omnipotentem annuntiant angeli, prophetae significant, apostoli testificantur, sicut iam supra ostendimus. Et fortasse non de istius tantummodo coeli portis propheta dixerit quod praeteribit; et alios enim coelos Dei Verbum penetrat, de quibus dictum est: Habemus enim sacerdotem magnum, principem sacerdotum, qui pertransivit coelos, Iesum Filium Dei. Qui sunt isti coeli, nisi et hi de quibus dicit Propheta: Coeli enarrant gloriam Dei? Stat enim Christus ad ianuam mentis tuae, audi cum dicentem: Ecce sto ad ianuam, et pulso; si quis mihi aperuerit, ingrediar ad illum; et coenabo cum eo, et ipse mecum. Et Ecclesia de eo dicit: Vox fratris mei pulsat ad ianuam. Stat ergo, et non solus stat; sed praecedunt eum angeli, qui dicunt: Tollite portas, principes, vestri. Quas portas? Illas utique de quibus et alibi dicit: Aperite mihi portas iustitiae. Aperi ergo Christo portas tuas, ut ingrediatur in te: aperi portas iustitiae, aperi portas pudicitiae, aperi portas fortitudinis atque sapientiae. Crede angelis dicentibus: Et elevamini portae aeternales, et introibit rex gloriae, Dominus sabaoth. Porta tua vocis fidelis canora confessio est: porta tua ostium verbi est, quam sibi Apostolus optat aperiri, dicens: Ut aperiatur mihi ostium verbi ad eloquendum mysterium Christi. Aperiatur igitur Christo porta tua, nec solum aperiatur, sed etiam elevetur; si tamen aeternalis, est, non caduca; scriptum est enim: Et elevamini portae aeternales. Elevatum est super limen Esaiae, quando Seraphim labia eius tetigit, et vidit regem Dominum sabaoth. Tuae ergo portae elevabuntur, si sempiternum, si omnipotentem, si inaestimabilem, si incomprehensibilem, si eum qui et praeterita omnia et futura noverit, Filium Dei credas. Quod si praefinitae potestatis et scientiae, subiectumque opinaris, non elevas portas aeternales. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Fide Ad Gratianum, 4.2 Source: Migne PL 16.620a-621b

What then shall we do? How shall we ascend to heaven? There powers are set, principalities drawn up who guard the doors of heaven, who question the one who ascends. Who shall admit me, unless I announce that Christ is Almighty? The gates are shut, they are not opened to just anyone, not everyone who wishes shall enter, unless he also believes faithfully. The imperial palace is guarded. But let it be that some unworthy fellow has crept up and sneaked past the principalities of the gates of heaven, and he has sat down at the supper of the Lord. The Lord of the banquet enters, He sees one who is not wearing the wedding garment of the Faith, He throws him out into outer darkness, where there is a weeping and gnashing of teeth,1 if he keep not the Faith and peace. Let us, therefore, guard the wedding garment we have received, and not deny Christ that which is His own, whose omnipotence angels announce, prophets foretell, Apostles give witness to, even as we have already shown above. And perhaps the Prophet has spoken of His entering in, not only with regard to the gates of the universal heaven; for there are other heavens into which the Word of God passes, concerning which it is said: 'We have a great Priest, a High Priest, Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.' 2 What are those heavens, but the heavens concerning which the Prophet says: 'The heavens declare the glory of God'? 3 For Christ stands at the door of your soul. Hear Him saying: 'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man open to Me, I will come in to him, and I will eat with him, and he with Me.' 4 And the Church says of Him: 'The voice of my brother sounds at the door.' 5 He stands, then, but he does not stand alone, but angels go before Him, who say: 'Lift up the gates, you princes.' 6 What gates? Those which he speaks of in another place: 'Open to me the gates of righteousness.' 7 Open, then, your gates to Christ, that He may enter into you. Open the gates of righteousness, the gates of chastity, the gates of fortitude and wisdom. Believe the message of the angels: 'Raise up you everlasting gates, and the King of glory shall enter, the Lord of Hosts.' 6 Your gate is the song of confession made with faithful voice. Your gate is the door of the Lord which the Apostle wishes to have opened for him, saying: 'That a door of the word may be opened for me, to speak of the mystery of Christ.' 8 Let your gate, then, be opened to Christ, and not only opened, but raised up, if, that is, it is eternal and not fallen, for it is written: 'And be raised up, you eternal gates.' 6 The lintel was raised up for Isaiah, when the seraph touched his lips and he saw the Royal Lord of Hosts. 9 Therefore your gates shall be raised up if you believe the Son of God to be eternal, omnipotent, beyond all praise and understanding, knowing all things both past and to come. For if you think Him to be of limited power and knowledge, and subordinate, you do not raise up the eternal gates. Saint Ambrose, On The Faith, To The Emperor Gratian, Chap 4 1 Mt 22.11 2 Heb 4.14 3 Ps 18.2 4 Apoc 3.20 5 Song 5.2 6 Ps 23.7 7 Ps 117.19 8 Colos 4.3 9 Isaiah 6.1-7

Speaking Of The Ascension

Hujus etenim ascensionis Dominicae nobilitatem et gloriam, Veteris Instrumenti multo ante multipliciter praenuntiavit auctoritas, et ipso ascendente exsultans angelica declaravit sublimitas, evangelicae etiam descriptionis atque apostoliciae praedicationis per totum orbem narravit satis aperte majestas. Apostolica vero praedicto, ut dictum est, mysteria supradicta vehementer enarrat, cum beatus Petrus apostolus, omnium de quibus loquitur, idoneum testem se esse declarat, et apostolica libertate subnixus, ut propositum est, liberalissimo sermone pronuntiat, dicens: Obedire oportet Deo magis quam hominibus. Statim subintulit. Et his cum quibus tunc res ipsa gerebatur dixit: Deus patrum nostrorum suscitavit Jesum, quem vos interemistis suspendentes in ligno. Hunc Deus, Principem ac Salvatorem, exaltavit dextera sua, ad dandam poenitentiam Israel et remissionem peccatorum. Et nos sumus testes horum verborum et Spiritus sanctus, quem dedit Deus hominibus obedientibus sibi. Et in alio loco idem pastor Ecclesiae, Davidico fruitus vaticinio, David igitur, inquit: Propheta cum esset et sciret quia jurejurando jurasset illi Deus de fructu lumbi ejus sedere super sedem ejus, providens locutus est de resurrectione Christi, quia neque derelictus est in inferno, neque caro ejus vidit corruptionem. Hunc Jesum suscitavit Deus, cui omnes nos testes sumus. Dextera igitur Dei exaltatus, et promissione Spiritus sancti accepta a Patre, effudit hoc donum quod vos videtis et auditis. Non enim David ascendit in coelos. Dicit autem ipse: Dicit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. Paulus denique praedicator egregius, cum hoc nostrae salutis mysterium auditoribus suis commendare vellet, affectu optantis et voto orantis prudentissima et spirituali circumlocutione aggressus est eos, dicens: Deus Domini nostri Jesu Christi, Pater gloriae, det vobis spiritum sapientiae et revelationis in agnitione ejus, illuminas oculos cordis vestri, ut sciatis quae sit spes vocationis ejus, et quae divitiae gloriae hereditatis ejus in sanctis, et quae sit supereminens magnitudo virtutis ejus in nos, qui credidimus secundum operationem potentiae virtutis ejus quam operatus est in Christo, suscitans illum a mortuis, et constituens ad dexteram suam in caelestibus, supra omnem principatum, et potestatem, et virtutem, et dominationem, et omne nomen quod nominatur non solum in hoc saeculo, sed et in futuro. Et: Omnia subjecit sub pedibus ejus, et ipsum dedit caput supra omnem Ecclesiam quae est corpus ipsius. Et ut idem Apostolus ad Timotheum scribit: Columna et firmamentum veritatis. Et manifeste: Magnum est pietatis sacramentum, quod manifestatum in carne, justificatum est in spiritu, apparuit angelis, praedicatum est in gentibus, creditum est in hoc mundo, assumptum est in gloria, sicut per Marcum et lucam descriptio intonat evangelica. Lucas vero cum ad Theophilum scriberet, dicit se sermonem fecisse: de omnibus quae caepit Jesus facere et docere, usque in diem qua praecipiens apostolis per Spiritum sanctum quos elegit, assumptus est. Et Marcus in hodierna lectione: Dominus, inquit, Jesus, postquam locutus est discipulis suis, assumptus est in caelum, et sedet a dextris Dei. Odilo Cluniacensis Abbas, Sermo VIII, De Ascensione Domini Salvatoris Source: Migne PL 142.1012c-1013c

Indeed the nobility and glory of this ascension of the Lord, the authority of the Old Testament often before many times foretells, and His ascension the angelic heights exultant declared, and indeed the Gospels and the Apostolic preaching through the whole earth openly proclaimed its majesty. But with the Apostolic preaching, as it has been said, the mystery aforementioned is overtly declared, when the blessed Apostle Peter, concerning the things he spoke to all, declaring himself an able witness, elated with Apostolic liberty, as it has been recorded, with free speech spoke, saying, 'One must obey God rather than men.' 1 Immediately going on to those deeds then done and saying: 'The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed, hanging Him from a tree. God exalted Him at his right hand, Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witness of these words and the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to men obedient to Him.' 2 And in another place the shepherd of the Church, making use of the Davidic prophecy, says: 'David, then, when he was a Prophet , knowing that God had sworn an oath to him, that one from the fruit of his loins would sit upon his throne, foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of Christ, because neither was He forsaken in hell, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised, and we are all witnesses to Him. Therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He poured out this gift which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into heaven. He himself says: My Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand.' 3 Then Paul, that wondrous preacher, when he wished to commend the mystery of our salvation to hearers, impressing on them the emotion of choosing and the most prudent and spiritual vow of prayer, says: 'The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may he give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in His knowledge, illuminating the eyes of your heart, that you may know the hope of our calling, and what inheritance of Divine glory is with his holy ones, and what is the supereminent greatness of His virtue in us, we who believe according to the work of the power of his virtue which worked in Christ, taking Him up from the dead and establishing Him at His right hand in the heavens, over all principalities and powers and virtues and dominion and every name which is named, not only in this age but even in the future.' 4 And: 'Everything He has made subject beneath His feet and He sets his head over every Church which is His body.' 5 And the same Apostle writes to Timothy: 'A column and firmament of truth.' 6 And openly: 'Great is the mystery of holiness, which has been manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, appeared to angels, is preached among the Gentiles, is believed in this world, and has been taken up in glory,' 7 as Mark and Luke pronounce in the telling of their Gospels. Luke when he wrote to Theophilus, and said in that passage: 'concerning everything which Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when having given commands to the Apostles He had chosen He was taken up.' 8 And Mark in today's reading: 'The Lord Jesus,' he says, 'after he had spoken to His Apostles, was taken up to heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father.' 9 Saint Odo of Cluny, from Sermon 8, On The Ascension Of The Lord 1 Acts 5.29 2 Acts 5.30-32 3 Acts 2.30-34 4 Ephes 1.17-21 5 Ephes 1.22 6 1 Tim 3.15 7 1 Tim 3.16 8 Acts 1.1-2 9 Mark 16.19

Ascending And Sitting

Ascendit ad Caeos, sedet ad dextram Patris... Sedere quoque ad dexteram Patris, carnis assumtae mysterium est. Neque enim incorporeae illi naturae convenienter ista absque assumtione carnis aptantur: neque sedis caelestis perfectio divinae naturae, sed humanae conquiritur. Unde et dicitur de eo: Parata est sedes tua, Deus, ex tunc, a saeculo tu es. Parata igitur a saeculo sedes est, in qua Dominus Jesus sessurus erat: in cujus nomine omne genu flectatur, caelestium, terrestrium, et infernorum, et omnis lingua confiteatur, ei, quia Dominus Jesus est in gloria Dei Patris. De quo et David ita refert: Dixit Dominus Domino meo, sede a dextris meis, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum. Quae tamen dicta Dominus in Evangelio disserens, dicebat ad Pharisaeos: Si ergo David in spiritu Dominum vocat eum, quomodo Filius ejus est? Per quod ostendit se secundum spiritum Dominum, secundum carnem filium esse David. Unde et ipse Dominus iterum dicit: Verumtamen dico vobis, Amodo videbitis filium hominis sedentem ad dexteram virtutis Dei. Et Petrus Apostolus dicit de Christo, Qui est in dextera Dei sedens in caelis. Sed et Paulus ad Ephesios scribens, Secundum operationem, inquit, potentiae virtutis ejus, quam operatus est in Christo, suscitans eum a mortuis, et sedere faciens in dextera sua. Rufninus Aquileiensis, Commentarius In Symbolum Apostolorum Source: Migne PL 21.368a-b

He Ascended into Heaven, and Sits on the Right Hand of the Father... To sit at the right hand of the Father is a mystery belonging to the assumption of the flesh. For it it is not suited to the incorporeal nature without the assumption of flesh, nor is a heavenly seat suited to the perfection of the Divine nature, but it is for the human. Whence it is said of Him, 'Your seat, O God, is prepared from thence, you are from everlasting.' 1 The seat, therefore, on which the Lord Jesus was to sit, was prepared from everlasting, 'in whose name every knee should bow, the things of heaven and of earth, and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess to Him that Jesus is Lord in the glory of God the Father.' 2 Of whom also David thus speaks, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.' 3 Concerning which words the Lord in the Gospel says to the Pharisees, 'If therefore David in the spirit calls Him Lord, how is He his Son?' 4 By which He showed that according to the Spirit He is the Lord, according to the flesh He the Son of David. Whence also the Lord again says: 'Truly I say to you, henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God.' 5 And the Apostle Peter says of Christ, 'He who is at the right hand of God, seated in the heavens.' 6 And Paul also, writing to the Ephesians, says: 'According to the working of the might of His power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand.' 7 Rufinus of Aquileia, Commentary On The Apostles' Creed 1 Ps 92.2 2 Philip 2.10-11 3 Ps 109.1 4 Mt 22.45 5 Mt 26.64 6 1 Pet 3.22 7 Ephes 1.19-20

The Ascent Of Humility

Juxta est Dominus his qui tribulato sunt corde, et humiles spiritu salvabit. Et iste versus pertinet ad bona justorum. Mos Domini et humana consuetudo diversa est. Nam qui vult altioribus vicinus fieri erigitur; tenditur ut possit fastigia celsa contingere. Dominus enim altissimus attingi non potest, nisi per humilitates videlicet inclinatas; nec ad dulcia ejus gaudia nisi per amaras lacrymas pervenitur. Sive, ut alii dixerunt, juxta, significat non loco, sed auxilio. Inspiciendum est quoque quod dicit, qui tribulatio sunt corde. Multi enim tribulantur, sed non ex corde, ut queruli, fatui, qui peccata non deflent, sed mundana eos damna contristant. Ilii autem corde tribulantur, qui aliena mala suas facunt esse miserias, qui mundum lugentes generalitas cladibus affliguntur. Ipsos namque salvabit, qui se humillimis conversationibus subdiderunt. Et intende quia non dicit verbis humiles, quod habet plerumque nequitia peccatorum, sed spiritu, sicut in Evangelio dicit: Beati pauperes spiritu, quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus XXXIII Source: Migne PG 70.239.a-b

The Lord is near to those who are troubled in their hearts, and He saves the humble in spirit. 1 This verse concerns the good things of the righteous. The way of the Lord and the custom of men are quite different things. For he who wishes to be raised up near to high things, he exerts himself that he might touch things most sublime. But he is not able to touch the Lord, unless he is one who has lowered himself by humility, nor does he come to His sweet joys unless through bitter tears. Or, as others have said, 'near' signifies not place but aid. One must also consider what is said by: 'those who are troubled in their hearts.' For many are troubled, but not in their hearts, as querulous and silly people who do not bewail their sins, but grieve over the loss of worldly things. But they are 'troubled in heart' who feel pity for the evils of others, and who have subjected themselves to a humble way of life. For see that he does not speak of those who are humble in their speech, for the wickedness of sinners often has this, but in spirit. As it says in the Gospel: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall inherit the earth.' 2 Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, Psalm 33 1 Ps 33.18 2 Mt 5.3