Fishing And Catching

Dicit eis Simon Petrus vado piscari, dicunt ei venimus et nos tecum et exierunt et ascenderunt in navem et illa nocte nihil prendiderunt mane. Autem iam facto stetit Iesus in litore non tamen cognoverunt discipuli quia Iesus est. Dicit ergo eis Iesus, pueri numquid pulmentarium habetis? Responderunt ei non. Dixit eis mittite in dexteram navigii rete et invenietis. Miserunt ergo et iam non valebant illud trahere a multitudine piscium. Secundum spirtualem intelligentiam: piscatores nocte piscantes nihil prendiderunt; mane facto, apparuit lesus, et retia impleverunt, et cubitis ducentis distantes a terra, retia traxerunt. Piscatores sunt praedicatores; Ieremiae decimo sexto: Ecce, ego mittam piscatores multos, et piscabuntur eos; et Matthaei quarto: Venite post me; faciam, vos fieri piscatores hominum. Tempus noctis est tempus Legis propter umbram litterae flgurarum Legis; ad Hebraeos decimo: Umbram habens Lex futurorum bonorum, non ipsam imaginem rerum. Qui nocte, id est tempore Legis, piscantur, nihil accipiunt, quia , sicut dicitur ad Hebraeos septimo, Lex neminem ad perfectum duxit. Mane facto, id est tempore gratiae, apparet Christus; secundae ad Corinthios tertio: Usque hodie velamen est super cor eorum. Nos autem revelata facie gloriam Domini speculantes, in eandem imaginem transformamur a claritate in claritatem, tanquam a Domini spiritu. Tunc retia implentur, quia post adventum Christi in carnem veritas manifestatur, et pisces in rete Ecclesiae comprehenduntur; propter quod Dominus dicebat supra duodecimo: Si exaltatus fuero a terra, omnia traham ad me ipsum. Hos pisces, scilicet fideles, praedicatores trahunt, quia per bona exempla ad vitam perducunt; de quo modo trahendi dicitur in Canticorum primo: Trahe me post te, in odoreni curremus unguentorum tuorum. Et hoc distantes ducentis cubitis, in quo scilicet innuitur duplex perfectio, quae debetesse in praedicatore , scilicet. vitae et doctrinae; de quibus Matthaei quinto: Qui fecerit et docuerit sic homines, hic magnus vocabitur in regno caelorum. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XXI Source: Here, p1201-1202

Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going to fish,' and they said to him, 'We shall come with you,' and they went off and climbed into the boat and in the night they caught nothing. Now in the morning Jesus stood on the shore but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. Therefore He said to them, 'Children, do you have any fish?' And they answered Him that they did not, and He said to them, 'Cast the net out to the right side and you will find some.' And they cast it and now they could not draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 1 According to the spiritual understanding the fishers who are fishing in the night caught nothing, but in the morning Jesus appeared and they filled the net, and two hundred cubits from the shore they dragged it in. 2 The fishers are the preachers, Jeremiah in chapter sixteen: 'Behold, I send for many fishermen and they shall fish for them.' 3 And in Matthew chapter four, 'Follow me, and I shall make you fishers of men.' 4 The time of night is the time of the Law because of the shadow of the letter of the figures of the Law. In the tenth chapter of Hebrews: 'The Law has the shadow of future goods, not the image of things.' 5 He who fishes in the night, that is, in the time of the Law, receives nothing, because as it says in the seventh chapter of Hebrews: 'The Law has not led anyone to perfection.' 6 'In the morning,' that is, in the time of grace, Christ appears. In the second letter to the Corinthians, chapter three, 'Even until today a veil is over their hearts. But we with uncovered face gaze on the glory of the Lord, in the same image being transformed from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the Lord.' 7 Then the net was filled, because after the coming of Christ the truth was made manifest and in the net of the Church the fish are gathered up, because of which the Lord said in the twelfth chapter here: 'When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall gather all to myself.' 8 Those who are the fish, obviously the faithful, the preachers draw in, because through good example they lead to life, concerning which way of drawing in it is said in the first chapter of the Song of Songs: 'Draw me after you, in the odour of your scents we shall run.' 9 And in the distance of two hundred cubits the twofold perfection is noted, which should be possessed by the one who preaches, that is, in his life and in his teaching, concerning which Matthew says in the fifth chapter: 'He who does and teaches men to do so, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.' 10 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 21 1 Jn 21.3-6 2 Jn 21.8 3 Jerem 16.16 4 Mt 4.19 5 Heb 10.1 6 Heb 7.19 7 2 Cor 3.15,18 8 Jn 12.32 9 Song 1.4 10 Mt 5.19

Tobias And The Fish

Mansit Tobias, duce angelo profectus, prima mansione juxta fluvium Tigrin; et exivit ut lavaret pedes suos, et ecce piscis immanis exivit ad dovorandum eum. Hic denuo passionis dominicae sacramentum manifestius significatur. Piscis enim immanis, qui a Tobia, cum eum devorare appeteret, angelo docente occisus est, antiquum generis humani devoratorem, hoc est diabolum designat, qui dum in Redemptore nostro mortem carnis appeteret, captus est potentia divinitatis. Fluvius Tigris, qui propter rapidissimum cursum a tigride bestia velocissima nomen accepit, decursum nostrae mortis ac mortalitatis indicat. In quo piscis latebat immanis, quia invisibilis humani generis seductor mortis habebat imperium. Mansit Tobias juxta Tigris fluenta, quia Dominus in mundo apparens inter peccatores ac mortales vitam duxit, sed eum nec peccati unda tetigit, neque in illo suum aliquid adveniens princeps tenebrarum reperit. Exivit autem Tobias in fluvium, ut lavaret pedes suos; et Dominus mortem, cui nihil debebat, suscepit, ut fideles omnes, sua videlicet membra, a contagio peccati et mortis ablueret. Occurit Tobiae piscis, devorare illum cupiens; et Domino passo in cruce venit diabolus, qui eum crucifigi docuerat, quaerens si quid forte in ejus anima sceleris inveniret. Expavescens piscem Tobias clamavit voce magna, dicens: Domine, invadit me. Et Dominus, imminente mortis articulo, coepit pavere et taedere, non diabolum pertimescens, sed mortem, quae invidia diaboli intravit in orbem terrarum, naturali carnis fragilitate perhorresens; unde et orabat, ut si fieri posset, transiret ab eo hora. Et dixit: 'Abba Pater, omnia tibi possibilia sunt, transfer calicem hunc a me; sed non quod ego volo, sed quod tu. Dixit angelus Tobiae, Apprehende branchiam piscis, et trahe eum ad te. Apprehendit Dominus diabolum, et eum qui se in morte capere voluit, moriendo cepit and vicit. Apprehendit autem branchiam ejus, ut caput nequissimum a corpore decepto, potentiae suae dextera separaret, id est, nequitiam hostis antiqui ab eorum quos sibi male conjunxerat, et quasi unum corpus secum fecerat, corde auferret, et hos ecclesiae suae corpori pius Redemptor insereret. Branchiam quippe habet piscis in confinio capitis et corporis sui. Sicut autem Dominus noster caput Ecclesiae vero corpus et ejus; ita diabolus caput omnium iniquorum, et omnes iniqui corpus et membra sunt ejus. Apprehendit ergo Dominus branchiam piscis immanissimi, et traxit eum ad se, projecitque in siccum, quia potentiam diaboli comminuens, traduxit palam confidenter, eruitque de potestate tenebrarum, quos filios lucis esse praescivit. Sanctus Beda, In Librum Beati Partis Tobiae Allegorica Interpretatio Source: Migne PL 91.928a-929a

'When the angel had gone Tobias remained in the first house next to the river Tigris, and he went out to wash his feet, and behold a great fish came out to devour him. 1 Here again the sacrament of the passion of the Lord is openly manifested. For the great fish, which was slain by Tobias by the guidance of the angel, when it sought to devour him, is the old devourer of the human race, that is, it is the devil that is designated here, he who while seeking the death of the flesh of our Redeemer was seized by the power of His Divinity. The river Tigris, which on account of its rapid flow has received its name after that most swift beast the tiger, indicates the downward flow of our death and mortality in which the fearful fish hides, because the invisible seducer of the human race has the rule of death. Tobias remains next to the flowing Tigris because the Lord appeared in the world among sinners and led a mortal life, but neither did sin touch Him, nor did the prince of darkness find anything in Him. 2 Tobias went to the river to wash his feet and the Lord took up death, to whom He owed nothing, that He might cleanse all the faithful, His members, from the contagion of sin and death. The fish comes to Tobias, desiring to devour him, and the devil comes to the suffering Lord on the cross, whose crucifixion he has counselled, seeking if there might be some crime in his soul. 'And fearing the fish, Tobit cried out with a great voice, saying, 'Lord, help me.' Even the Lord, in the imminent moments of death, began to fear and be weary, not through fear of the devil, but death, which the envy of the devil had brought into the world. 3 Because of the natural fragility of the flesh He feared, whence even He prayed, that if it were possible that this hour might pass Him by. And He said, 'Abba, Father, with you all things are possible, take this cup from me, but let it be not as I wish, but what you wish.' 4 The angel said to Tobias, seize the gills of the fish and drag him to you. The Lord seized the devil and He drew into death the one who wished to drag Him into death, and triumphed. He even seized on its gills, so that the most wicked head might be detached from the body by the right hand of His power, that is, the body that is those whom the old enemy had joined to himself in evil and made them as one body with himself. So the holy Redeemer drew out the heart and inserted it into the body of His Church. For as our Lord is the head of His body the Church, so the devil is the head of all who are wicked, and everyone who is evil is a member of his body. Therefore the Lord seized the gills of the fearful fish and dragged it toward Himself, and He threw it on to dry land, because by thus shattering the power of the devil, He confidently drew him into the open, and tore from the power of darkness those He foresaw as sons of light. Saint Bede, An Allegorical Interpretation of the Book of Tobit 1 Tob 6.22 2 Jn 14.30 3 Wisd 2.24 4 Mk 14.35-36

Partaking Of The Resurrection

Qui traditus est propter peccata nostra, et surrexit propter justificationem nostram. Mors Christi et significat, et exigit mortificationem veteris hominis nostri, et resurrectionem ad justitiam. Propter quod implacabiliter exosum habere debet homo peccatum suum, propter quod scit traditum esse Dominum suum. Nemo ergo fidem quam habet in eum, arbitretur sibi reputandam ad justitiam, nisi depostio veteri homine cum actibus suis, et novo induto, conformem et comparticipem se fecerit mortis ejus et resurrectionis. Alioqui nulla conventio injustitiae ad justitiam. Guillelmus S Theodorici Abbas, Expositio In Epistolam Ad Romanos, Liber II, Caput IV Source: Migne PG 180.590a

He who given over for our sins and rose for our justification. 1 The death of Christ both signifies and demands the mortification of our old man and the resurrection to righteousness. Because of which a man should have implacable hatred for his own sin, because of which he knows that the Lord was given over. Therefore no one has faith in Him that shall be reckoned to him as righteousness, 2 unless he casts off the old man with his deeds and puts on the new, and makes himself conform and be a participant in His death and resurrection. 3 Certainly there is no agreement between unrighteousness and righteousness. 4 William of St Thierry, Commentary on Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans, Book 2, Chapter 4 1 Rom 4.25 2 Gen 15.6, Rom 4.22 3 Ephes 4.22-24 4 2 Cor 6.14

Incarnation And Resurrection

Τί ἐστιν, ὅπερ φησὶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν; Ἐπειδὴ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν ὁ Δεσπότης ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συναναστρεφόμενος, ἵνα δείξῃ ἀληθινὴν τὴν οἰκείαν σάρκωσιν, οὐ μόνον ἐγαλουχήθη βρέφος τυγχάνων κατὰ τὸ βλεπόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐξηθεὶς βέβρωκέ τε καὶ πέπωκεν, ἐκοπίασέ τε καὶ ὕπονωσεν, ἐμαστίχθη τε καὶ ἐσταυρώθη, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν, οὐκέτι ὑποπίπτει ταῖς τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενείαις, καὶ χρείαις ἀναγκαίαις· διὰ τοῦτο φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν τὸν Χριστὸν παθητὸν, καὶ ἀσθενῆ, καὶ θνήσκοντα. Ἐξενίκησε γὰρ ἡ δύναμις τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. Κἂν γὰρ ὑπάρχει καὶ νῦν, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐν τῷ ἀγίῳ σώματι τῷ πρώην ἐπὶ Πιλάτου σταυρωθέντι, καὶ ταφέντι, καὶ ἀναστάντι ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκέτι πείσεται ἀνθρώπινα, καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἔχει ἀγήρατον, ἀπήμαντόν τε καὶ ἄχραντον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡΜΘ' Κορνηλιῳ Πρεσβυτερῳ Source: Migne PG 79.144c-145a

Why does the Apostle say, 'Even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, we no longer know Him so'? 1 Because for our salvation the Lord was made man, and He lived with men, that He might show the true state of the incarnation, whence He was not only seen as a child taking milk, but even as an adult He ate and drank and laboured and slept and was struck by the whip and was nailed to the cross, etc. However after His resurrection from the dead, He was no longer subject to the infirmities and necessities of the body. Whence the Apostle means that we no longer know Christ subject to passions and weakness and death, since Divine virtue surpasses all human things. For He is even now and forever in the holy body which before at the time of Pilate was nailed to the cross and placed in the tomb, and after rose from the dead, but no more shall He suffer anything human, having a body that does not age, that is not troubled by injuries, nor can it be defiled by the filth of this world. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 149 to the Priest Cornelius 1 2 Cor 5.16

The Youth And The Resurrection

Et introeuntes monumentum viderunt juvenem sedentem a dextris, coopertum stola candida... Vident juvenem, ut cernerent nostrae resurrectionis aetatem; vident juvenem, quia nescit resurrectio senectutem, neque aetates recipit aeterna perfectio. Homo ubi nescit nasci, mori nescit; et ubi nasci morique nescit, ibi aetatum nec admittit detrimentum, nec indiget incrementis. Vident juvenem sedentem a dextris, quia resurrectio recipit nil sinistrum. Vias, inquit, quae a dextris sunt, novit Dominus. Et, Tunc statuet justos ad dexteram suam. Orate, fratres, ut et nos moriamur vitiis, sepeliamur temporalibus pompis, ut aeternitati resurgamus in Christo, et a dextris positi mereamur audire: Venite, benedicti Patris mei, percipite regnum quod vobis paratum est ab origine mundi. Coopertum stola candida. Stola ista non ex mortali vellere, sed ex virtute vitali; splendens coelesti lumine, non colore terreno; et clara Creatoris munere, non arte fullonis, dicente Propheta: Amictus lumen sicut vestimentum, et de justis: Tunc justi fulgebunt sicut sol. Terreni terrenis velati sunt vestimentis; et ideo sicut novitate splendent, ita vetustate sordescunt: coelestes vero amictu coelestis luminis ambiuntur, et a terreno squalore suspensi, nec foedantur vetustate umquam, nec ullis sordibus obscurantur; sed vestes quas semel dederit resurrectio, perpetuo lumine vestiuntur. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo LXXXII, De Christi resurrectione Source: Migne PL 52.431c-432a

And entering the tomb they saw a youth sitting on the right side wearing a white robe... 1 They see the youth, they look upon the time of our resurrection. They see the youth because the resurrection does not know old age, nor does eternal perfection allow it. When a man knows neither birth nor death, and where birth and death is not known, there neither loss by age is permitted, nor is there need for increase. They see the youth sitting on the right side, because the resurrection does not allow the left. 'The Lord knows the ways on the right,' it is said. 2 And: 'Then the righteous shall stand at His right hand.' 3 Let us pray brothers, that we shall die to vice, and be buried to the world's pomp, so that we may rise to eternity with Christ, and placed at His right side merit to hear: 'Come blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom which has been prepared for you since the beginning of the world.' 4 'Wearing a white robe' This robe is not made from mortal wool but from living virtue, it is resplendent with the light of heaven, not with any hue of the earth, and with the gift of the Creator not with the art of the fuller, 5 as the prophet says: 'You wore light like a vestment.' 6 And concerning the righteous, 'Then the righteous shall shine like the sun.' 7 Worldly garments are for the worldly, and thus as they are resplendent with newness, what is old falls away, but the heavenly are surrounded by a garment of heavenly light, and they are lifted up from earthly squalor, having no part with that which ages, nor are they dulled with anything sordid, but the vestments which the resurrection shall give shall be worn in endless light. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 82, On The Resurrection of Christ 1 Mk 16.5 2 Prov 4 .27 3 Mt 25.33 4 Mt 25.34 5 cf Mk 9.2 6 Ps 103.2 7 Mt 13.43

Resurrection And Transformation

Ἓν μὲν δὴ τοῦτο διὰ τῶν προοιμίων ἡμᾶς παιδευσάτω ὁ λόγος, τὸ μηκέτι ἀνθρώπους εἶναι τοὺς ἐπὶ τὰ ἄδυτα τῶν τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου μυστηρίων εἰσαγομένους ἀλλὰ μεταποιηθῆναι τῇ φύσει διὰ τῆς τοῦ Kυρίου μαθητείας πρὸς τὸ θειότερον, καθὼς μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς ὁ λόγος, ὅτι κρείττους ἦσαν ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, οὓς διέκρινεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ γενομένη πρὸς αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοῦ Kυρίου διαστολή, ὅτε φησί· Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι; Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι; ἀληθῶς γὰρ ὁ διὰτῶν τοιούτων ῥημάτων, ὧν ἡ πρόχειρος ἔμφασις τὰς σαρκώδεις ἡδυπαθείαςἐνδείκνυται, μὴ κατολισθαίνων εἰς τὴν ῥυπῶσαν διάνοιαν ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴντῶν θείων φιλοσοφίαν, ἐπὶ τὰς καθαρὰς ἐννοίας διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτωνχειραγωγούμενος δείκνυσι τὸ μηκέτι ἄνθρωπος εἶναι μηδὲ σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματισυμμεμιγμένην τὴν φύσιν ἔχειν,ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐλπιζομένην ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν ἁγίων ζωὴν ἐπιδείκνυται ἰσάγγελος διὰ τῆς ἀπαθείας γενόμενος, ὡς γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὸ μὲν σῶμα μεταστοιχειωθὲν πρὸς τὸ ἄφθαρτον τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου συμπλέκεται, τὰ δὲ νῦν διὰ σαρκὸς ἡμῖν ἐνοχλοῦντα πάθη τοῖς σώμασιν ἐκείνοις οὐ συνανίσταται ἀλλά τις εἰρηνικὴ κατάστασις τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν διαδέξεται, μηκέτι τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκὸς πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν στασιάζοντος μηδὲ διὰ τοῦ ἐμφυλίου πολέμου τῶν ἐμπαθῶν κινημάτων ἀντιστρατευομένου τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς καὶ ὥσπερ αἰχμάλωτόν τινα τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ προσάγοντος τὴν ἡττηθεῖσαν ψυχήν, ἀλλὰ πάντων τῶν τοιούτων καθαρεύσει τότε ἡ φύσις καὶ ἓν δι' ἀμφοτέρων ἔσται τὸ φρόνημα, τῆς σαρκός φημι καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος, πάσης σωματικῆς διαθέσεως ἐξαφανισθείσης ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως, οὕτω παρακελεύεται καὶ διὰ τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου ὁ λόγος τοῖς ἐπαΐουσι, κἂν ἐν σαρκὶ ζῶμεν, μηδ' ἐν τοῖς νοήμασι πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐπιστρέφεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μόνην τὴν ψυχὴν βλέπειν καὶ τὰς ἀγαπητικὰς τῶν ῥημάτων ἐμφάσεις καθαράς τε καὶ ἀμολύντους ἀνατιθέναι τῷ ὑπερέχοντι πάντα νοῦν ἀγαθῷ, ὃ μόνον ἐστὶν ὡς ἀληθῶς γλυκύ τε καὶ ἐπιθυμητὸν καὶ ἐράσμιον. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων Ὁμιλία Α´ Source: Migne PG 44.776d-777b

By these introductory remarks let the Word teach us this one thing, that it is no longer men who are being led to the shrine of the mysteries of the Song of Songs, but by the teaching of the Lord they have been changed in nature into something more Divine, just as the Word bears witness to the disciples that they were superior to the condition of men, they who were judged to be different from men by the Lord's distinction when He said, 'Who do men say I am? And who do you say I am?' 1 For truly he who is not led by such words whose overt meaning refers to corporeal pleasures to slip down into a vile sense but rather to the philosophy of divine things and to pure thoughts, he shows that he is no longer a man and that his nature is no longer mingled with flesh and blood, 2 but by impassibility having become equal to the angels, he shows the life to be hoped for in the resurrection of the holy, for as after the resurrection the body which is transformed into incorruption is joined to the soul of man, so the things which now trouble us through the flesh do not rise up with those bodies, but our lives will exhibit a certain peaceful state, because the thought of the flesh will no longer exert itself treacherously against the soul, nor will it attack the law of the mind with civil war by the movements of the passions and lead away the defeated soul as a captive of sin, but then in every way our nature shall be purified, and both parts shall be of one mind, the flesh, I mean, and the spirit, by the removal of every corporeal inclination from our nature. So with this book the Word exhorts those who attend, that even if we live in the flesh, we should not turn our thoughts toward it, but we should look to the soul alone and dedicate the meaning of the words in purity and cleanliness to the good, to Him who passes all understanding, 3 who alone is truly sweet and desirable and loveable. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 1 1 Mt 16.13–15 2 Mt 16.7 3 cf Phil 4.7

Resurrection And Revelation

Qui praedestinatus est Filius Dei in virtute secundum spiritum sanctificationis ex resurrectione mortuorum Jesu Christi Domini nostri. Filium Dei dicens, Patrem signficavit Deum; addito autem spiritu sanctificaitonis, ostendit mysterium Trinitatis. Hic ergo qui incarnatus, quid esset, latebat; tunc praedestinatus est secundum spiritum sanctificationis in virtute manifestari Filius Dei, cum resurgit a mortuis, sicut scriptum est in psalmo octogesimo quarto: Veritas terra orta est. Omnis enim ambiguitas et diffidentia resurrectione ejus calcata est, et compressa; siquidem adhuc in cruce positum, centurio videns magnali, Dei Filium confitetur. Nam et discipuli in morte ejus dubitaverunt, dicente Cleopha in Emmaus: Nos putabamus quia ipse erat, qui incipiebat liberare Israel. Et ipse Dominus ait: Cum exaltaveritis Filium hominis, tunc cognoscetis quia ipse ego sum; et iterum: Cum exaltatus fuero a terra, omnia traham ad me, id est, tunc cognsocar ominum esse Dominus. Ideo autem non dixit ex resurrectione Jesu Christi, sed ex resurrectione mortuorum; quia resurrectio Christi generalem tribuit resurrectionem. Haec enim major videtur virtus in Christo et victoria, ut ea potestate operaretur mortuus, qua operatus fuerat et vivus. Quo facto apparuit illusisse mortem, ut redimeret nos; unde Dominum nostrum hunc vocat. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam ad Romanos, Caput I Source: Migne PL 17.49a-c

Who was predestined the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Saying 'the Son of God,' he signified God the Father and adding 'the Spirit of sanctification,' he revealed the mystery of the Trinity. Thus, He who was incarnated, hid what He was, and then predestined according to the Spirit of sanctification, He is revealed in power as the Son of God, when He rose from the dead, as it is written in the eighty fourth Psalm: 'Truth has risen from the earth,' 2 All uncertainty and hestitation by His resurrection was crushed and suppressed, even if while yet on the cross the centurion, seeing great deeds, confesses Him to be the son of God. 3 For even the disciples doubted because of His death, with Cleopas on the way to Emmaus saying: 'We thought that He was the one who was to begin the liberation of Israel.' 4 But the Lord Himself says, 'When you shall lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He.' 5 And again: 'When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all things to me.' 6 That is, then I will be recognised to be the Lord of all. Therefore the Apostle does not say, 'by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,' but, 'by the resurrection from the dead' because the resurrection of Christ sets forth the general resurrection, since in Christ appears this greater power and victory, that when He was dead He worked that same power He had worked when He was alive. From which is it made apparent that He made a fool of death to redeem us, whence the Apostle calls him our Lord. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The Letter of Saint Paul To The Romans, Chapter 1 1 Rom 1.4 2 Ps 84.12 3 Mt 27.54 4 Lk 24.21 5 Jn 8.28 6 Jn 12.32

Resurrection And The Body

Διὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὖν, οὐ πρὸ τοῦ πάθους, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸ πάθος, τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων ἔστη τῶν μαθητῶν μέσος ὁ Κύριος, ἵνα γνῷς, ὅτι καὶ σοῦ τὸ ψυχινον σῶμα σπαρὲν, ἐγείρεται σῶμα πνευματικόν· ἵνα δὲ μὴ πάλιν ἄλλο νομίσῃς εἶναι τὸ ἀνιστάμενον, τοῦ Θωμα πρὸς τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀπιστήσαντος, δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ τοὺς τύπους τῶν ἤλων, δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ τῶν τραυμάτων τὰ ἴχνη. Ἆρ’ οὐκ ἴσχυεν ἑαυτὸν ἰάσασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ ἀνάστασιν, ὁ πάντας καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἰασάμενος; Ἀλλὰ δι' ὦν μὲν τοὺς τύπους τῶν ἤλων δείκνυσι, παραδίδωσιν ὅτι τοῦτο· δι' ὦν δὲ κεκλεισμένων τῶν θυρῶν εἴσεισι, δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐ τοιοῦτο· τοῦτο μὲν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὸν τρόπον τῆς οἰκονομίας, ἐγείρας τὸ νενκρωμένον· οὐ τοιοῦτο δὲ, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ὑποπέσῃ φθορᾷ, μηδὲ πάλιν ὑποστῇ θάνατον. Ἀμφιλοχίος Ἐπισκόπος Ἰκονίου, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne 39.108a-b

Therefore it was not before the passion but after it that the Lord passed through the locked doors and stood in the midst of the disciples, 1 so that they might know that what is sowed as a material body is raised as a spiritual body. 2 And lest again you think it might be something else, He showed the holes of the nails and the marks of the wounds to Thomas who doubted the resurrection. 3 But was He not able to heal Himself, especially after the resurrection, who was able to heal everyone before the resurrection? But it was because of this, that He might show the holes of the nails and prove Himself to be Himself, and then by entering through the locked doors, show Himself not to be exactly alike. For in this way He fulfilled the way of the dispensation, the raising of the body from the dead, that it was not such a thing that would again be liable to corruption, nor again succumb to death. Amphilocius of Iconium, fragment 1 Jn 20.19 2 Cor 15.44 3 Jn 20.27

Disputing The Resurrection

Μετὰ ταῦτά φησιν ὁ Ἰουδαῖος πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ πολίτας τῷ Ἰησοῦ πιστεύοντας· Φέρε δὴ καὶ πιστεύωμεν ὑμῖν τοῦτ' εἰρῆσθαι. Πόσοι δ' ἄλλοι τοιαῦτα τερατεύονται, πειθοῦς ἕνεκα τῶν εὐήθως ἀκουόντων ἐνεργολαβοῦντες τῇ πλάνῃ; Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ Ζάμολξιν ἐν Σκύθαις φασί, τὸν Πυθαγόρου δοῦλον, καὶ αὐτὸν Πυθαγόραν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ καὶ Ῥαμψίνιτον ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ· τοῦτον μὲν καὶ συγκυβεύειν ἐν ᾅδου τῇ Δήμητρι καὶ ἀνελθεῖν δῶρον παρ' αὐτῆς χειρόμακτρον χρυσοῦν φέροντα· καὶ μὴν καὶ Ὀρφέα ἐν Ὀδρύσαις καὶ Πρωτεσίλαον ἐν Θεσσαλίᾳ καὶ Ἡρακλέα ἐπὶ Ταινάρῳ καὶ Θησέα. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο σκεπτέον, εἴ τις ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀποθανὼν ἀνέστη ποτὲ αὐτῷ σώματι· ἢ οἴεσθε τὰ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων μύθους εἶναί τε καὶ δοκεῖν, ὑμῖν δὲ τὴν καταστροφὴν τοῦ δράματος εὐσχημόνως ἢ πιθανῶς ἐφευρῆσθαι, τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ σκόλοπος αὐτοῦ φωνήν, ὅτ' ἀπέπνει, καὶ «τὸν σεισμὸν» καὶ τὸν σκότον; Ὅτι δὴ ζῶν μὲν οὐκ ἐπήρκεσεν ἑαυτῷ, νεκρὸς δ' ἀνέστη καὶ τὰ σημεῖα τῆς κολάσεως ἔδειξε καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ὡς ἦσαν πεπερονημέναι, τίς τοῦτο εἶδε; Γυνὴ πάροιστρος, ὥς φατε, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος τῶν ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς γοητείας, ἤτοι κατά τινα διάθεσιν ὀνειρώξας καὶ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ βούλησιν δόξῃ πεπλανημένῃ φαντασιωθείς, ὅπερ ἤδη μυρίοις συμβέβηκεν, ἤ, ὅπερ μᾶλλον, ἐκπλῆξαι τοὺς λοιποὺς τῇ τερατείᾳ ταύτῃ θελήσας καὶ διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ψεύσματος ἀφορμὴν ἄλλοις ἀγύρταις παρασχεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν ὁ ταῦτα λέγων, ὡς πρὸς Ἰουδαῖον ἀπολογούμεθα περὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου Ἰησοῦ, κοινοποιοῦντες ἔτι τὸν λόγον περὶ Μωϋσέως καὶ λέγοντες αὐτῷ· Πόσοι δ' ἄλλοι τοιαῦτα τερατεύονται, ὁποῖα Μωϋσῆς, πειθοῦς ἕνεκα τῶν εὐήθως ἀκουόντων ἐνεργολαβοῦντες τῇ πλάνῃ; Καὶ μᾶλλον κατὰ τὸν ἀπιστοῦντα Μωϋσεῖ ἐστι δυνατὸν παραθέσθαι τὸν Ζάμολξιν καὶ Πυθαγόραν τοὺς τερατευσαμένους ἤπερ τὸν Ἰουδαῖον, οὐ πάνυ φιλομαθῶς ἔχοντα πρὸς τὰς Ἑλλήνων ἱστορίας. Καὶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος δὲ ἀπιστῶν τοῖς περὶ Μωϋσέως παραδόξοις πιθανῶς παραθήσεται τὸν Ῥαμψίνιτον, λέγων πολλῷ τοῦτον εἶναι πιθανώτερον εἰς ᾅδου καταβεβηκέναι καὶ συγκεκυβευκέναι τῇ Δήμητρι καὶ χρυσοῦν χειρόμακτρον παρ' αὐτῆς ἁρπάσαντα δεικνύναι σύμβολον τοῦ ἐν ᾅδου γεγονέναι κἀκεῖθεν ἀναβεβηκέναι Μωϋσέως, ἑαυτὸν ἀναγράψαντος εἰσεληλυθέναι εἰς τὸν γνόφον, ὅπου ἦν ὁ θεός, καὶ ὅτι μόνος ἤγγισε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν παρὰ τοὺς λοιπούς. Ἀνέγραψε γὰρ οὕτως· Καὶ Μωϋσῆς μόνος ἐγγιεῖ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ οὐκ ἐγγιοῦσι. Φήσομεν οὖν ἡμεῖς οἱ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθηταὶ πρὸς τὸν ταῦτα λέγοντα Ἰουδαῖον· ἀπολογοῦ δὴ ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς εἰς Ἰησοῦν πίστεως ἐγκαλῶν καὶ λέγε, τῷ Αἰγυπτίῳ καὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησι τί φήσεις πρὸς ἃ ἤνεγκας, κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἡμῶν ἐγκλήματα, φθάσαντα ἂν καὶ ἐπὶ Μωϋσέα; Κἂν πάνυ δὲ ἀγωνίσῃ περὶ Μωϋσέως ἀπολογήσασθαι, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔχει πληκτικὸν λόγον καὶ ἐναργῆ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ, λήσεις σαυτὸν ἐν οἷς περὶ Μωϋσέως ἀπολογήσῃ, ἄκων συστήσας τὸν Ἰησοῦν Μωϋσέως θειότερον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰς ἡρωϊκὰς ἱστορίας περὶ τῶν εἰς ᾅδου καταβεβηκέναι λεγομένων κἀκεῖθεν ἀνεληλυθέναι τερατείας εἶναί φησιν ὁ παρὰ τῷ Κέλσῳ Ἰουδαῖος, ὡς τῶν ἡρώων ἀφανῶν ἐπί τινα γενομένων χρόνον καὶ ὑπεκκλεψάντων ἑαυτοὺς τῆς ὄψεως πάντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδειξάντων, ὡς ἀπὸ ᾅδου ἀνεληλυθότων, τοιαῦτα γὰρ ἔοικε περὶ τοῦ ἐν Ὀδρύσαις Ὀρφέως καὶ τοῦ ἐν Θεσσαλίᾳ Πρωτεσιλάου καὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ Ταινάρῳ Ἡρακλέος ἔτι δὲ καὶ περὶ Θησέως ἐμφαίνειν αὐτοῦ ἡ λέξις, φέρε παραστήσωμεν ὅτι οὐ δύναται τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν] ἱστορούμενον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγηγέρθαι [τούτοις παραβάλλεσθαι. Ἕκαστος μὲν γὰρ τῶν λεγομένων κατὰ τοὺς τόπους ἡρώων βουληθεὶς ἂν ἐδυνήθη ἑαυτὸν ὑπεκκλέψαι τῆς ὄψεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πάλιν κρίνας ἐπανελθεῖν πρὸς οὓς καταλέλοιπεν· Ἰησοῦ δὲ [σταυρωθέντος ἐπὶ πάντων] Ἰουδαίων καὶ καθαιρεθέντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος ἐν ὄψει τοῦ δήμου αὐτῶν, πῶς οἷόν τε τὸ παραπλήσιον πλάσασθαι λέγειν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἱστορουμένοις ἥρωσιν εἰς ᾅδου καταβεβηκέναι κἀκεῖθεν ἀνεληλυθέναι; Φαμὲν δ' ὅτι μή ποτε πρὸς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ ἐσταυρῶσθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ τοιοῦτον λέγοιτ' ἄν, μάλιστα διὰ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἡρώων ἱστορηθέντα τῶν εἰς ᾅδου καταβεβηκέναι βίᾳ νομιζομένων, ὡς εἰ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐτεθνήκει ἀσήμῳ θανάτῳ, οὐχ ὥστε δῆλος εἶναι ἀποθανὼν ὅλῳ τῷ δήμῳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτ' ἀληθῶς ἦν ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν, χώραν εἶχεν ἂν τὸ ὑπονοηθὲν περὶ τῶν ἡρώων καὶ περὶ τούτου λεχθῆναι. Μή ποτ' οὖν πρὸς ἄλλοις αἰτίοις τοῦ σταυρωθῆναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ τοῦτο δύναται συμβάλλεσθαι τῷ αὐτὸν ἐπισήμως ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀποτεθνηκέναι, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἔχῃ λέγειν ὅτι ἑκὼν ὑπεξέστη τῆς ὄψεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἔδοξεν ἀποτεθνηκέναι οὐκ ἀποτέθνηκε δὲ ἀλλ' ὅτ' ἐβουλήθη πάλιν ἐπιφανεὶς ἐτερατεύσατο τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν; Σαφὲς δ' οἶμαι καὶ ἐναργὲς εἶναι τὸ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπιχείρημα, ἐπικινδύνῳ ὡς πρὸς τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον διδασκαλίᾳ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδεδωκότων, ἣν οὐκ ἂν πλασσόμενοι τὸ ἐγηγέρθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ νεκρῶν οὕτως εὐτόνως ἐδίδαξαν, μετὰ τοῦ κατὰ τοῦτο οὐ μόνον ἑτέρους παρασκευάζειν πρὸς τὸ θανάτου καταφρονεῖν ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ πολὺ πρότερον τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Ὠριγένης, Κατὰ Κέλσου, Τόμος Δεύτερος Source: Migne PG 11.884a-888b

After these things the Jew says to those of his people who have faith in Jesus: 'Come now, let us allow that this was said to you. But how many others feign marvels in order to deceive simple minded listeners and profit by deception? So it is told of Zamolxis in Scythia, the slave of Pythagoras, and of Pythagoras himself in Italy, and of Rhampsinitus in Egypt. And they say that the last of those even 'played dice with Demeter' in Hades and for his going back received 'a gift of a golden napkin.' And it is told likewise of Orpheus among the Odrysians, and Protesilaus in Thessaly, and Hercules at Cape Taenarus, and Theseus. But one must consider if anyone who was really dead ever rose with his own body. Or do you think that such things which are told of others are myths and appear so, but you have found a befitting and believable end to your drama in the voice from the gibbet, when he breathed his last amid the earthquake and the darkness? That while living he could give no help to himself, but that when dead he could rise again, and he showed the marks of his punishment, even how his hands had been pierced; but who saw this? A demented woman, 1 as you say, and perhaps some other wrapped up in that same delusion, who in a dream state and according to his wish was deluded by appearances, as has happened to many, or rather, those who have wished to astonish others with a marvel and by such falsehood provide opportunity for other charlatans.' Since, then, it is a Jew who says these things, we shall defend our Jesus as if we were to do so to a Jew, returning again to the account concerning Moses, and saying to him, 'How many others are there who feign marvels like those of Moses, in order to deceive simple minded listeners and profit by their deception?' Now the instancing of Zamolxis and Pythagoras, who feigned such marvels, would be more appropriate from one who did not believe in Moses than from a Jew who is not at all learned in the histories of the Greeks. But an Egyptian who did not believe in the miracles of Moses might persuasively cite Rhampsinitus, saying that it was far more believable that he had gone down to Hades and had played dice with Demeter, and after taking a golden napkin from her, had displayed it as proof that he had been in Hades and returned from there, than that Moses should have recorded that he entered 'into the darkness, where God was,' and that he alone, and no other, drew near to God. For he writes: 'Moses alone shall come near to God, but the rest shall not come near.' 2 We, then, who are the disciples of Jesus, say to the Jew who has spoken so: 'While censuring our faith in Jesus, defend yourself and tell Egyptian and Greek objectors what you will say to those accusations which you brought against our Jesus, but which can also be spoken against Moses. And if you shall make a strong defence of Moses, for indeed his history does allow of a clear and powerful defence, that defence will also be an unwitting and unwilling support of the greater divinity of Jesus.' But since the Jew of Celsus says that these histories of the putative descent of heroes to Hades and of their return from there are a feigning of marvels, and that these heroes disappeared for a certain amount of time, and having hidden themselves from the sight of all men, claimed afterwards to have returned from Hades, for such is the sense of his words concerning Odrysian Orpheus, and Thessalian Protesilaus, and Taenarian Hercules, and Theseus also, let us show that it is not possible that the history of Jesus being raised from the dead is comparable to them. For each one of the heroes mentioned might have wished to hide himself from the sight of men and then have decided to return again to those he had left, but since Jesus was crucified before all the Jews and His body cast down in the presence of His nation, how can it be said that His was a similar deception like those heroes who are said to have gone down to Hades and returned from there? And we might say that in defence of the crucifixion of Jesus, especially in connection with the existence of those stories of heroes who are supposed to have been compelled to descend to Hades, that if we were to propose Jesus had died an obscure death, so that His death was not manifest to the whole nation of the Jews, and after this assert that He had truly risen from the dead, there would then indeed be room for that same suspicion concerning Him as there is with those heroes. It is possible, then, besides the other causes for the crucifixion of Jesus, that this also may be added to His dying a conspicuous death upon the cross, that no one might be able to say that having gone and hidden Himself away from the sight of men, and having appeared to have perished while not dying, that He chose to appear again and feign the marvel of His resurrection from the dead. And I think the undertaking of the disciples makes this clear and plain, for they gave themselves to the teaching of that which imperilled their lives, which they would not have taught with such vigour had they invented the raising of Jesus from the dead, according to which they not only prepared others to scorn death, but they were by far the first to do this. Origen, Against Celsus, Book 2 1 Mary Magdalen 2 Exod 20.21, 24.2

Resurrections And Births

Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te. Quaeritis, charissimi, quare beatus Paulus, cum de resurrectione loqueretur, hujus versiculi testimonio usus sit: quippe qui magis natali quam resurrectioni congruere videtur. Nos autem ipsam resurrectionem natale dicere non dubitamus, maxime quia a Salvatore eam dici regenerationem non ignoramus. Si enim regeneratio dicitur resurrectio prima, quae est animae, cur non regeneratio dicetur et secunda, quae est corporis? Resurrectio itaque Christi cum non possit esse nisi una, resurrectionum tamen nostrarum, quae duae sunt, primam significat, teste eodem Apostolo ubi ait: Quemadmodum Christus surrexit a mortuis per gloriam Patris, ita et nos in novitate vitae ambulemus. Secundam initiat, unde et dicitur primitiae dormientium Christus. Sunt itaque hominum tres quodammodo nativitates, duae resurrectiones. Nascimur enim homines de hominibus per homines carnaliter, caro de carne: quae nativitas ubi resurrectio dicatur, non occurrit. Renascimur de Deo dii per spiritum spiritualiter, ubi quod nascitur de spiritu, spiritus est; et haec est resurrectio prima, nativitas secunda: regenerabimur autem de corruptis incorruptibilis, de mortuis immortales, de terrae pulvere in coelestem qualitatem: quae est nativitas tertia, resurrectio secunda. Primam nativitatem ignoravit Christus, secundam suscepit de Virgine, tertiam de sepulcro. Quales enim renascimur de fonte, talis natus est Christus ex Virgine: qualis regeneratus est Christus de tumulo, tales renascemur in futuro. Et hic est status, ad quem factus est homo: nec antea erit homo consummatus, donec perficiatur in eo, ad quod fuit inchoatus. Tunc enim generatus proprie dicetur, cum fuerit pergeneratus; tunc factus, quando completus. Interim vero duabus primis nativitatibus generatur et fit, qui in tertia tantum generatus est, et factus. Unde in die resurrectionis suae congrue ac subtiliter dicitur genitus Christus, tanquam in die perfectionis et consummationis suae pergenitus. Unde et ipse dicit: Hodie et cras sanitates perficio, et tertia die consummor. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XLI, In Die Pascha Source: Migne PL 194.1827d-1828c

'The Lord said to me: 'You are my son, and today I begot you' 1 You wonder why, most beloved ones, that the blessed Paul made use of the witness of this verse when speaking of the resurrection, 2 since it seems more fitting for the nativity than the resurrection? But we do not doubt that the resurrection may be spoken of as a birth, especially because from the Saviour we are not ignorant that it may be spoken of as rebirth. For if the first resurrection, which is of the soul, is called a rebirth, why should it not be called the second rebirth which is of the body? Therefore when the resurrection of Christ could only be once, yet our first resurrection the Apostle speaks of when he says: 'As Christ rose from the dead by the glory of the Father, thus even we shall walk in new life.' 3 The second begins where it is said that Christ is the first fruits of those who sleep. 4 Thus there are three births for men, two resurrections. For we are born men from men and through man in the flesh, flesh from flesh, where a birth that might be called a resurrection does not occur. We are reborn spiritually from God as gods 5 through the spirit, where what is born from the spirit is spirit, 6 and this second birth is the first resurrection. But when we are reborn incorruptable from corruption, and immortal from mortality, and from the dust of the earth to a heavenly likeness, this is the third birth, the second resurrection. Christ did not know the first nativity, the second He took up from the Virgin, the third from the tomb. As we are reborn from the font, so Christ from the Virgin; as Christ was reborn from the tomb, so we shall be in the future. And this is the state for which man was made, who is not the consummate man until he shall be perfected in it, and for which he was begun. Then he is properly said to have been generated when he is produced, then made when he is complete. Meanwhile in the first two nativities he is being generated and being made, who in the third alone has been generated and has been made. Whence on the day of the resurrection it is appropiately and subtly said that Christ is born, as on the day of perfection and production of His consummation. Whence even He says: 'Today and tomorrow I accomplish my healing and on the third day reach my consummation.' 7 Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 41, On Easter 1 Ps 2.7 2 Acts 13. 28-33 3 Rom 6.4 4 1 Cor 15.20 5 cf Ps 81.6 6 Jn 3.6 7 cf Lk 13.32

The Cross And The Odyssey

Saeculi ferunt fabulae Ulyssem illum, qui decennio marinis jactatus erroribus, ad patriam pervenire non poterat, cum in locum quemdam cursus illum navigii detulisset, in quo Sirenarum dulci cantus crudelis varietate resonabat; et advenientes sic blanda modulatione mulcebat, ut non tam spectaculum voluptatis caperent, quam naufragium salutis incurrerent. Talis enim erat illis oblectatio cantilenae, ut, quisquis audisset vocis sonitum, quasi quadam captus illecebra, non jam tenderet ad eum quem volebat portum, sed pergeret ad exitium, quod nolebat. Igitur cum Ulysses incidisset hoc dulce naufragium, et suavitatis illius vellet declinare periculum; dicitur, inserta cera auribus sociorum, seipsum ad arborem navigii religasse: quo et illi carerent perniciosa auditus illecebra, et se de periculo navigii cursus auferret. Si ergo de Ulysse illo refert fabula, quod eum arboris religatio de periculo liberavit: quanto magis praedicandum est quod vere factum est; hoc est, quod hodie omne genus hominum de mortis periculo crucis arbor eripuit? Ex quo enim Christus Dominus religatus in cruce est, ex eo nos mundi illecebrosa discrimina velut clausa aure transimus; nec pernicioso enim saeculi detinemur auditu, nec cursum melioris vitae deflectimus in scopulos voluptatis. Crucis enim arbor non solum religatum sibi hominem patriae repraesentat, sed etiam socios circa se positos virtutis suae umbra custodit. Quod autem crux ad patriam post multos errones redire nos faciat, Dominus declarat dicens latroni in cruce posito: Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. Qui utique latro diu oberrans, ac naufragus, aliter ad patriam paradisi, de qua primus homo exierat, redire non poterat, nisi fuisset arbori religatus; arbor enim quaedam in navi crux est in Ecclesia, quae inter totius saeculi blanda et perniciosa naufragia incolumis sola servatur. In hac ergo navi quisquis aut arbori crucis se religaverit, aut aures suas Scripturis divinis clauserit, dulcem procellam luxuriae non timebit. Sirenarum enim quaedam suavis figura est mollis concupiscentia voluptatis, quae noxiis blandimentis constantiam captae mentis effeminat. Ergo Dominus Christus pependit in cruce, ut omne genus hominum de mundi naufragio liberaret. Sanctus Maximus Taurinensis, Homilia XLIX, De Passione et Cruce Domini Source: Migne PL 57.339b-340b

The ages tell of fabled Odysseus who for ten years was adrift at sea and was not able to reach his homeland, and in a certain place during the course of his sailing he came upon the cruel song of the Sirens which resounded with such sweet variety, and with its charming melody it beguiled all who came near, and there was no one they seized on with this exhibition of pleasure but rushed into the shipwreck of their salvation. 1 Such was the delight of the song that whoever heard the sound of it was captured by its allure, and then unable to hold to that desination where he wished to come, he turned to the ruin he did not wish. Therefore when Odysseus came upon this sweet shipwreck he wished to avoid the peril of that sweetness, and it is said that he placed wax in the ears of his crew and bound himself to the mast of the ship, by which the crew would be prevented from hearing that ruinous allure, and he would be borne off from danger on the way of his sailing. If the tale tells that thus Odysseus freed himself from danger by binding himself to wood, how much more must it be preached what is true, that is, that today the wood of the tree delivers all mankind from the peril of death? For the Lord Christ was bound on the cross, by which we, as with closed ears, pass by all ruinous perils, for we are neither detained by wicked hearing, nor are we turned from our better course of life onto the rocks of pleasure. For the wood of the tree does not only represent the binding of the man himself for the fatherland, but he even guards His companions set around him by the shelter of His virtue. For after much wandering the cross makes us return to the fatherland, which the Lord declares to the thief who was set on the cross, saying: 'Today you shall be with me in paradise.' 2 He who, as a long erring thief and shipwreck, was not able to return to the fatherland of paradise, from which the first man was expelled, unless he was bound to the tree, for that tree in the ship is the cross in the Church, which alone can protect us among all the charms and perilous shipwrecks of the world. In this ship, then, whoever either binds himself to the cross, or closes his ears with Scripture, should not fear the sweet storm of luxury. Indeed the sweetness of the Sirens is a certain figure of the ennervating desire of pleasure, which noxious allure weakens the strength of the mind it seizes upon. Therefore the Lord hung on the cross, that every race of men might be freed from the shipwreck of the world. Saint Maximus of Turin, from Homily 41, On The Passion And Cross of the Lord 1 Hom Od 12.39-54, 166-200 2 Lk 23.43

Pilate's Wife and the Gentiles

Sedente autem Pilato pro tribunali misit ad illum uxor sua, dicens: Nihil tibi sit et justo iste. Species in ea gentium plebis est: quae jam fidelis eum, cum quo conversabatur, incredulum populum ad Christi fidem advocat. Quae quia ipsa multum sit passa pro Christo, in eamdem gloriam futurae spei illum eum quo conversabatur invitat. Denique Pilatus et manus lavit, et populo innocentem se a Domini sanguine esse testatus est: quia Judaeis suscipientibus in se ac filios suos fusi dominici sanguinis crimen, quotidie in confessionem fidei ablutus gentium populus demigrat. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, In Evangelium Matthaei Commentarius, Caput XXXIII Source: Migne PL 9.1072c-d

His wife sent to Pilate sitting on the tribunal saying, 'Have nothing to do with this righteous man.' 1 She who already had faith in Him is a type of the Gentile people, which when converted, calls an unbelieving people to faith in Christ. She who, because she had suffered much for Christ, invited him to the same glory of future hope in Him to whom she had converted. Thus Pilate washed his hands and bore witness to a people innocent of the blood of the Lord, because the Jews took upon themselves and their sons the crime of the blood of the Lord, and every day the Gentile people are cleansed in the confession of the faith. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 33 1 Mt 27.19

Peter Remembers

Et recordatus est Petrus verbi quod dixerat ei Jesus: Priusquam gallus cantet bis, ter me negabis. Et coepit flere. Quia tunc tempus fuit de misericordia Petrum respicere, et ideo dicitur quod conversus Dominus respexit Petrum respectu suae misericordiae. Miserere nostri Deus omnium et respice nos, et ostende nobis lucem miserationum tuarum. Et ad respectum divinae misericordiae, recordatus est Petrus, haec enim recordatio veritatis significatur. Evasi ego solus ut nuntiarem tibi. Verbi quod dixerat ei Iesus futurorum praescius. Deus qui in malis sic praescit et praedicit: ut non causet malum quod scit, sed admonitio est ad cavendum. Admones ut relicta malitia credant in te Domine. Prius quam gallus cantet bis hoc enim verbum fuit ad refraenandam praesumptionem Petri. Ter me negabis. Et non erit eius populus qui eum negaturus est. Et coepit flere, ut flendo dilueret maculas quas negando contraxit. Lacrymis meis stratum meum rigabo. Egressus foras flevit amare. Ut amaritudo referatur ad cordis compunctionem: fletus autem ad commissi delicti verecundam recognitionem: et egressus ad operis mali et pravae societatis derelictionem. Luctum unigeniti fac tibi planctum amarum. Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium In Evangelium Divi Marci, Caput XIV Source: Here p117

And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: 'Before the cock crows twice you shall deny me three times.' And he began to weep. 1 Because then was the time to look on Peter with mercy, therefore it is said that 'the Lord turned and looked down on Peter,' 2 and with the look of pity. 'Be merciful to us, Lord of all things, and look down on us and show to us the light of your mercies.' 3 And with the look of Divine pity 'Peter remembered', and this signifies the remembrance of the truth. 'I alone have escaped to tell you.' 4 The word Jesus had spoken to him was prescient of the future. God who foreknows and foretells evils, does not cause the evil He knows, but it is a warning to be wary. 'You warn them to forsake wickedness and trust in you, O Lord.' 5 'Before the cock crows twice.' This was the word to bridle the presumption of Peter. 'You will deny me three times.' 'The people will deny Him and not be His.' 6 'And he began to weep,' that with weeping he might wash away the stains which his denials had contracted. 'With my tears I watered my bed.' 7 'Going outside he wept.' 8 The bitterness indicates compunction of heart, the tears the shameful recognition of the evil committed, and the going outside his abandonment of the evil deed and depraved company. 'Make lament for an only son with a bitter cry.' 9 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Mark, Chapter 14 1 Mk 14.72 2 Lk 22.61 3 Sirach 36.1 4 Job 1.15 5 Wisd 12.2 6 Dan 9.26 7 Ps 6.7 8 Lk 22.62 9 Jerem 6.26

Calling Judas To Repent

Et edentibus illis dixit: Amen dico vobis, quia, etc. Ex magnitudine misericordiae suae voluit Dominus proditorem discipulum ad poenitentiam multis modis revocare, occultis videlicet notationibus, minis, sacramento unitatis, exemplo humilitatis. Occultis notationibus hoc modo: Cum Judas putaret conscientiam suam Deum latere, ostendit Christus eam manifestam esse, tamen non nominando discipulum, ne impudentiorem faceret manifeste redargutum; dum tangit crimen, ad poenitentiam invitat. Silet nomen, ne impudentior fiat. Minis revocat, cum ait: Vae illi per quem Filius hominis tradetur, etc. Sacramento unitatis, cum corpus suum ei tradit; exemplo humilitatis, cum ei pedes abluit. Et contristati sunt, etc. Certum est quia undecim discipuli non erant sibi conscii, sed tamen plus credunt magistro quam sibi. Timentes ergo fragilitatem suam, ne in eis esset voluntas futura proditionis, interrogant illum cui omnia patent futura, dicentes: Nunquid ego sum, Domine? etc. Qui intingit mecum, etc. Dum perseverat proditor in malo, manifestius arguit, et tamen nomen proprie non designat. Judas caeteris contristatis, et retrahentibus manum, temeritate et impudentia qua proditurus erat, illam manum cum Magistro misit in paropside, ut audacia bonam conscientiam mentiretur. Matthaeus dicit in paropsiae. Marcus in catino. Paropsis est vas escarum quadrangulatum a paribus assibus, id est aequis lateribus dictum. Catinum vero vas fictile apertum, ad immittendum liquorem, et potuit fieri ut in mensa vas fictile a quadrangulis contineretur. Sequitur: Filius quidem hominis vadit, sicut scriptum est de illo. Vae autem homini illi per quem, etc. Nec primo nec secundo correctus a proditione pedem retrahit, sed patientia Domini impudentiam suam nutrit et iram Dei thesaurizat sibi. Poena igitur praedicitur sibi, ut quem pudor non vinceret, corrigant denuntiata supplicia. Sed et hodie et in sempiternum, vae homini illi, qui ad mensam Domini malignus accedit, qui praecordis aliquo scelere imbutus, pollutis sacrosanctis mysteriis participari non metuit. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput XXVI Source: Migne PL 162.1469a-1469d

And as they ate, He said to them, 'Amen I say to you that... 1 Because of the greatness of His mercy the Lord wished to call to repentance the disciple who was to betray Him, and this by many ways, by subtle intimation, by threats, by the sacrament of unity, and the example of humility. By subtle intimation in this way: when Judas thought his conscience was hidden from God, Christ showed it was open to Him, not however by naming the disciple, lest He make his denial more shameless. While the evil touched him He invited him to repentance. He named him silently, lest he become more shameless. And He called him by threats when He said: 'Alas to the man through whom the Son of man shall be betrayed...' By the sacrament of unity, when He gave His body to him. And by the example of humility when He washed his feet. And they were aggrieved... It is certain that eleven of the disciples did not feel guilt about themselves, yet they trusted in their teacher more than themselves. Thus fearing their fragility, lest the will of the future betrayer might be found in them, they questioned Him to whom all future things are revealed, saying: 'Is it I, Lord?' 'He who has dipped...' When the traitor persevered in evil, He openly confronted him, and yet He did not pronounce his name. Judas, aggrieved with the others, likewise withdrew his hand, with the temerity and insolence by which he was to commit betrayal, that hand he had sent into the teacher's dish so that he might boldly lie of a good conscience. Mark speaks of a 'paropsis' here, Mark of a 'catinus'. The 'paropsis' is said to be a square eating dish, with equal sides. The 'catinus' is an open earthenware bowl, into which liquid is poured, and it is possible that the earthenware bowl was placed on the square dish on the table. It shall go with the Son of Man as it is written of Him, but woe to that man through whom... Neither the first or the second correction had stayed the feet of the traitor, but the patience of the Lord fed his insolence and heaped up the anger of God. He thus foretold punishment for him, that the pronouncements of punishments might correct him whom shame could not overcome. And even today and forever woe to that man who comes in wickedness to the table of the Lord, whose heart is imbued with some crime, for his pollution does not merit that he should partake of the holy mysteries. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 26 1 Mt 26.11

Where Are You Going?

Sed quaeritur hic primo de hoc quod dicit: Nemo ex vobis interrogat me: Quo vadis? Contra: Supra decimo tertio: Dicit ei Petrus: Domine, quo vadis? Respondeo: Dicendum, quod Dominus ibat ad ignominiam passionis, ibat ad gloriam resurrectionis; et cum prius loqueretur, quod iret ad passionem, quaesivit Petrus: Quo vadis? Sed modo vult eis dicere, quod vadit ad gloriam resurrectionis; unde: Vado ad eum qui misit me. Et ipsi tantum turbati erant de itinere ad passionem, quod nihil cogitabant de gloria. Ideo de hac non quaerebant; sed Dominus volebat, quod quaererent, ut ipsos consolaretur. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XVI Source: Here, p1038

Question must be asked of this which He says: None of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 1 Against this: in the thirteenth chapter, Peter says to Him, 'Lord, where are you going?' 2 I answer that it must be said that when the Lord was going to the ignominy of the passion, He was going to the glory of the resurrection, and when He spoke previously that He was to go to the passion, Peter asked, 'Where are you going?' But now He wished to say to them that He was going to the glory of the resurrection, whence: 'I go to Him who sent me.' 1 Yet since they were troubled only because of the way of the passion, they thought nothing of the glory. Therefore they did not ask about this, but the Lord wished that they did ask, that He might comfort them. Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 16 1 Jn 16.5 2 Jn 13.36