Chapter 105.—238. Petilianus said: "But he thus praises the ointment of concord among brethren: ‘Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there
the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.’2293
Thus, he says, is
unity anointed, even as the
priests are
anointed."
239. Augustin answered: What you say is true. For that priesthood in the body of Christ had an anointing, and its salvation is secured by the bond of unity. For indeed Christ Himself derives His name from chrism, that is, from anointing. Him the Hebrews call the Messiah, which word is closely akin to the Phœnician language, as is the case with very many other Hebrew words, if not with almost all.
2294
| 2294 Compare Tract. xv. 27 in Joannem: "Messiah was anointed. The Greek for ‘anointed’ is ‘Christ,’ the Hebrew Messiah; whence also in Phœnician we have ‘Messe’ for ‘anoint.’ For these languages, the Hebrew, Phœnician and Syrian, are closely cognate, as well as geographically bordering on each other." See also Max Müller’s Lectures on the Science of Language, series I. Lect. VIII. "The ancient language of Phœnicia, to judge from
inscriptions, was most closely allied to Hebrew."
|
What then is meant by the head in that
priesthood, what by the beard, what by the skirts of the
garments? So
far as the
Lord enables me to understand, the head is none other than the Saviour of the body, of whom the
apostle says, "And He is the head of the body, the
Church."
2295
By the beard is not unsuitably understood fortitude. Therefore, on those who show themselves to be brave in His
Church, and cling to the
light of His
countenance, to
preach the
truth without
fear, there descends from
Christ Himself, as from the head, a
sacred ointment, that is to say, the
sanctification of the Spirit. By the skirts of the
garments we are here given to understand that which is at the top of the
garments, through which the head of Him who gives the
clothing enters. By this are signified those who are perfected in
faith within the
Church. For in the skirts is
perfection. And I presume you must remember what was said to a certain
rich man: "If thou wilt be
perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shall have
treasure in
heaven; and come and follow me."
2296
He indeed went away sorrowful, slighting what was
perfect, choosing what was imperfect. But does it follow that there were wanting those who were so made
perfect by such a surrender of earthly things, that the
ointment of
unity descended upon them, as from the head upon the skirts of the
garments? For, putting aside the
apostles, and those who were immediately associated with those
leaders and
teachers of the
Church, whom we understand to be represented with greater
dignity and more conspicuous fortitude in the beard, read in the Acts of the
Apostles, and see those who "brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the
apostles’
feet. Neither said any of them that aught of the things which he
possessed was his own: but they had all things common: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And the multitude of them that believed were of one
heart and of one
soul."
2297
I doubt not that you are aware that it is so written. Recognize, therefore, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in
unity. Recognize the beard of
Aaron; recognize the skirts of the
spiritual garments. Search the Scriptures themselves, and see where those things began to be done; you will find that it was in
Jerusalem. From this skirt of the
garment is woven together the whole fabric of
unity throughout all
nations. By this the Head entered
into the
garment, that
Christ should be
clothed with all the variety of the several
nations of the
earth, because in this skirt of the
garment appeared the actual variety of
tongues. Why, therefore, is the Head itself, whence that
ointment of
unity descended, that is, the
spiritual fragrance of
brotherly love,—why, I say, is the Head itself exposed to your resistance, while it testifies and declares that "repentance and
remission of
sins should be
preached in His name among all
nations,
beginning at
Jerusalem"?
2298
And by this
ointment you wish the sacrament of chrism to be understood, which is indeed holy as among the class of visible
signs, like
baptism itself, but yet can exist even among the worst of men, wasting their
life in the works of the
flesh, and never destined to possess the
kingdom of
heaven, and having therefore nothing to do either with the beard of
Aaron, or with the skirts of his
garments, or with any fabric of priestly
clothing. For where do you intend to place
what the
apostle enumerates as "the manifest works of the
flesh, which," he says, "are these:
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, poisonings,
hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath,
strife,
heresies, envyings,
drunkenness,
revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the
kingdom of
God?"
2299
I put aside
fornications, which are
committed in
secret;
interpret uncleanness as you please, I am willing to put it aside as well. Let us put on one side also poisons, since no one is openly a compounder or
giver of poisons. I put aside also
heresies, since you will have it so. I am in doubt whether I ought to put aside
idolatry, since the
apostle classes with it
covetousness, which is openly rife among you. However, setting aside all these, are there none among you
lascivious, none covetous, none open in their indulgence of enmities, none fond of
strife, or fond of emulation,
wrathful, given to
seditions, envious,
drunken, wasting their time in
revellings? Are none of such a character
anointed among you? Do none
die well known among you to be given to such things, or openly indulging in them? If you say there are none, I would have you consider whether you do not come under the description yourself, since you are manifestly telling
lies in the desire for
strife. But if you are yourself severed from men of this sort, not by bodily separation, but by dissimilarity of
life, and if you behold with lamentation
crowds like these around your
altars, what shall we say, since they are
anointed with holy
oil, and yet, as the
apostle assures us with the clearness of
truth, shall not
inherit the
kingdom of
God? Must we do such impious despite to the beard of
Aaron and to the skirts of his
garments, as to suppose that they are to be
placed there?
Far be that from us. Separate therefore the visible holy sacrament, which can exist both in the good and in the bad,—in the former for their
reward, in the latter for
judgment; separate it from the
invisible unction of
charity, which is the
peculiar property of the good. Separate them, separate them, ay, and may
God separate you from the party of Donatus, and call you back again into the Catholic
Church, whence you were torn by them while yet a catechumen, to be bound by them
in the
bond of a
deadly distinction. Now are ye not in the
mountains of
Zion, the dew of Hermon on the
mountains of Zion, in whatever sense that be received by you; for you are not in the city upon a hill, which has this as its sure sign, that it cannot be hid. It is known therefore unto all nations. But the party of Donatus is unknown to the majority of nations, therefore is it not the true city.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
