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| Homily II. After Eutropius having been found outside the Church had been taken captive.
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Homily
II.
After Eutropius having been found outside the Church
had been taken captive.
1. Delectable indeed
are the meadow, and the garden, but far more delectable the study
of the divine writings. For there indeed are flowers which fade,
but here are thoughts which abide in full bloom; there is the
breeze of the zephyr, but here the breath of the Spirit: there is
the hedge of thorns, but here is the guarding providence of God;
there is the song of cicadæ, but here the melody of the prophets:
there is the pleasure which comes from sight, but here the profit
which comes from study. The garden is confined to one place, but
the Scriptures are in all parts of the world; the garden is subject
to the necessities of the seasons, but the Scriptures are rich in
foliage, and laden with fruit alike in winter and in summer. Let us
then give diligent heed to the study of the Scriptures: for if thou
doest this the Scripture will expel thy despondency, and engender
pleasure, extirpate vice, and make virtue take root, and in the
tumult of life it will save thee from suffering like those who are
tossed by troubled waves. The sea rages but thou sailest on with
calm weather; for thou hast the study of the Scriptures for thy
pilot; for this is the cable which the trials of life do not break
asunder. Now that I lie not events themselves bear witness. A few
days ago the Church was besieged: an army came, and fire issued
from their eyes, yet it did not scorch the olive tree; swords were
unsheathed, yet no one received a wound; the imperial gates were in
distress, but the Church was in security. And yet the tide
of war flowed
hither; for here the refugee was sought, and we withstood them, not
fearing their rage. And wherefore prithee? because we held as a
sure pledge the saying “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.”815
And when I
say the Church I mean not only a place but also a plan of life:816
| 816 ὀυ
τόπον μὀνον ‡λλὰ καὶ τρόπον. | I mean not
the walls of the Church but the laws of the Church. When thou
takest refuge in a Church, do not seek shelter merely in the place
but in the spirit of the place. For the Church is not wall and roof
but faith and life.
Do not tell me that the man having been
surrendered was surrendered by the Church; if he had not abandoned
the Church he would not have been surrendered. Do not say that he
fled here for refuge and then was given up: the Church did not
abandon him but he abandoned the Church. He was not surrendered
from within the Church but outside its walls. Wherefore did he
forsake the Church? Didst thou desire to save thyself? Thou
shouldst have held fast to the altar. There were no walls here, but
there was the guarding providence of God. Wast thou a sinner? God
does not reject thee: for “He came not to call the righteous but
sinners to repentance.”817
The harlot was saved when she clung
to His feet. Have ye heard the passage read to-day? Now I say these
things that thou mayest not hesitate to take refuge in the Church.
Abide with the Church, and the Church does not hand thee over to
the enemy: but if thou fliest from the Church, the Church is not
the cause of thy capture. For if thou art inside the fold the wolf
does not enter: but if thou goest outside, thou art liable to be
the wild beast’s prey: yet this is not the fault of the fold, but
of thy own pusillanimity. The Church hath no feet. Talk not to me
of walls and arms: for walls wax old with time, but the Church has
no old age. Walls are shattered by barbarians, but over the Church
even demons do not prevail. And that my words are no mere vaunt
there is the evidence of facts. How many have assailed the Church,
and yet the assailants have perished while the Church herself has
soared beyond the sky? Such might hath the Church: when she is
assailed she conquers: when snares are laid for her she prevails:
when she is insulted her prosperity increases: she is wounded yet
sinks not under her wounds; tossed by waves yet not submerged;
vexed by storms yet suffers no shipwreck; she wrestles and is not
worsted, fights but is not vanquished. Wherefore then did she
suffer this war to be? That she might make more manifest the
splendour of her triumph. Ye were present on that day, and ye saw
what weapons were set in motion against her, and how the rage of
the soldiers burned more fiercely than fire, and I was hurried away
to the imperial palace.818
But what of that? By the grace of
God none of those things dismayed me.
2. Now I say these things in order that ye too
may follow my example. But wherefore was I not dismayed? Because I
do not fear any present terrors. For what is terrible? Death? nay
this is not terrible: for we speedily reach the unruffled haven. Or
spoliation of goods? “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and
naked shall I depart;”819
or exile? “The earth is the
Lord’s and the fulness thereof;”820
or false accusation? “Rejoice and
be exceeding glad, when men shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for great is your reward in Heaven.”821
I saw the
swords and I meditated on Heaven; I expected death, and I bethought
me of the resurrection; I beheld the sufferings of this lower
world, and I took account of the heavenly prizes; I observed the
devices of the enemy, and I meditated on the heavenly crown: for
the occasion of the contest was sufficient for encouragement and
consolation. True! I was being forcibly dragged away, but I
suffered no insult from the act; for there is only one real insult,
namely sin: and should the whole world insult thee, yet if thou
dost not insult thyself thou art not insulted. The only real
betrayal is the betrayal of the conscience: betray not thy own
conscience, and no one can betray thee. I was being dragged away
and I saw the events—or rather I saw my words turned into events,
I saw my discourse which I had uttered in words being preached in
the market-place through the medium of actual events. What kind of
discourse? the same which I was always repeating. The wind has
blown and the leaves have fallen. “The grass has withered and the
flower has faded.”822
The night has departed and the day
has dawned; the shadow has been proved vain and the truth has
appeared. They mounted up to the sky, and they came down to the
level of earth: for the waves which were swelling high have been
laid low by means of merely human events. How? The things which
were taking place were a lesson. And I said to myself will
posterity learn self-control? or before two days have passed by
will these events have been abandoned to oblivion? The warnings
were sounding in their ears. Again let me utter, yet again I will
speak. What profit will there be? Certainly there will be profit.
For if all do not
hearken, the half will hearken; and if not the half, the third
part: and if not the third the fourth: and if not the fourth,
perhaps ten: and if not ten, perhaps five: and if not five perhaps
one: and if not one, I myself have the reward prepared for me.
“The grass withereth and the flower fadeth; but the word of God
abideth for ever.”823
3. Have ye seen the insignificance of human
affairs? have ye seen the frailty of power? Have ye seen the wealth
which I always called a runaway and not a runaway only, but also a
murderer. For it not only deserts those who possess it, but also
slaughters them; for when any one pays court to it then most of all
does it betray him. Why dost thou pay court to wealth which to-day
is for thee, and to-morrow for another? Why dost thou court wealth
which can never be held fast? Dost thou desire to court it? dost
thou desire to hold it fast? Do not bury it but give it into the
hands of the poor. For wealth is a wild beast: if it be tightly
held it runs away: if it be let loose it remains where it is;
“For,” it is said, “he hath dispersed abroad and given to the
poor; his righteousness remaineth forever.”824
Disperse it then that it may remain
with thee; bury it not lest it run away. Where is wealth? I would
gladly enquire of those who have departed. Now I say these things
not by way of reproach, God forbid, nor by way of irritating old
sores, but as endeavouring to secure a haven for you out of the
shipwreck of others. When soldiers and swords were threatening,
when the city was in a blaze of fury, when the imperial majesty was
powerless, and the purple was insulted, when all places were full
of frenzy, where was wealth then? where was your silver plate?
where were your silver couches? where your household slaves? they
had all betaken themselves to flight; where were the eunuchs? they
all ran away; where were your friends? they changed their masks.
Where were your houses? they were shut up. Where was your money?
the owner of it fled: and the money itself, where was that? it was
buried. Where was it all hidden? Am I oppressive and irksome to you
in constantly declaring that wealth betrays those who use it badly?
The occasion has now come which proves the truth of my words. Why
dost thou hold it so tightly, when in the time of trial it
profiteth thee nothing? If it has power when thou fallest into a
strait, let it come to thy aid, but if it then runs away what need
hast thou of it? events themselves bear witness. What profit was
there in it? The sword was whetted, death was impending, an army
raging: there was apprehension of imminent peril; and yet wealth
was nowhere to be seen. Where did the runaway flee? It was itself
the cause which brought about all these evils, and yet in the hours
of necessity it runs away. Nevertheless many reproach me saying
continually thou fasteneth upon the rich: while they on the other
hand fasten upon the poor. Well I do fasten upon the rich: or
rather not the rich, but those who make a bad use of their riches.
For I am continually saying that I do not attack the character of
the rich man, but of the rapacious. A rich man is one thing, a
rapacious man is another: an affluent man is one thing, a covetous
man is another. Make clear distinctions, and do not confuse things
which are diverse. Art thou a rich man? I forbid thee not. Art thou
a rapacious man? I denounce thee. Hast thou property of thy own?
enjoy it. Dost thou take the property of others? I will not hold my
peace. Wouldest thou stone me for this? I am ready to shed my
blood: only I forbid thy sin. I heed not hatred, I heed not war:
one thing only do I heed, the advancement of my hearers. The rich
are my children, and the poor also are my children: the same womb
has travailed with both, both are the offspring of the same
travail-pangs. If then thou fastenest reproaches on the poor man, I
denounce thee: for the poor man does not suffer so much loss as the
rich. For no great wrong is inflicted on the poor man, seeing that
in his case the injury is confined to money; but in thy case the
injury touches the soul. Let him who wills cast me off, let him who
wills stone me, let him who wills hate me: for the plots of enemies
are the pledges to me of crowns of victory, and the number of my
rewards will be as the number of my wounds.
4. So then I fear not an enemy’s plots: one thing
only do I fear, which is sin. If no one convicts me of sin, then
let the whole world make war upon me. For this kind of war only
renders me more prosperous. Thus also do I wish to teach you a
lesson. Fear not the devices of a potentate, but fear the power of
sin. No man will do thee harm, if thou dost not deal a blow to
thyself. If thou hast not sin, ten thousand swords may threaten
thee, but God will snatch thee away out of their reach: but if thou
hast sin, even shouldest thou be in paradise thou wilt be cast out.
Adam was in paradise yet he fell; Job was on a dung hill, yet he
was crowned victorious. What profit was paradise to the one? or
what injury was the dung hill to the other? No man laid snares for
the one, yet was he overthrown: the devil laid snares for the
other, and yet he was crowned. Did not the devil take his property? Yes, but he did not rob
him of his godliness. Did he not lay violent hands upon his sons?
yes: but he did not shake his faith. Did he not tear his body to
pieces? yes but he did not find his treasure. Did he not arm his
wife against him? yes but he did not overthrow the soldier. Did he
not hurl arrows and darts at him? yes but he received no wounds. He
advanced his engines but could not shake the tower; he conducted
his billows against him, but did not sink the ship. Observe this
law I beseech you, yea I clasp your knees, if not with the bodily
hand, yet in spirit, and pour forth tears of supplication. Observe
this law I pray you, and no one can do you harm. Never call the
rich man happy; never call any man miserable save him who is living
in sin: and call him happy who lives in righteousness. For it is
not the nature of their circumstances, but the disposition of the
men which makes both the one and the other. Never be afraid of the
sword if thy conscience does not accuse thee: never be afraid in
war if thy conscience is clear. Where are they who have departed?
tell me. Did not all men once bow down to them? did not those who
were in authority tremble greatly before them? did they not pay
court to them? But sin has come, and all things are manifested in
their true lights; they who were attendants have become judges, the
flatterers are turned into executioners; they who once kissed his
hands, dragged him themselves from the church, and he who yesterday
kissed his hand is to-day his enemy. Wherefore? Because neither did
he yesterday love him with sincerity. For the opportunity came and
the actors were unmasked. Didst thou not yesterday kiss his hands,
and call him saviour, and guardian, and benefactor? Didst thou not
compose panegyrics without end? wherefore to-day dost thou accuse
him? Why yesterday a praiser, and to-day an accuser? why yesterday
utter panegyrics, and to-day reproaches? What means this change?
what means this revolution?
5. But I am not like this: I was the subject
of his plots, yet I became his protector. I suffered countless
troubles at his hands, yet I did not retaliate. For I copy the
example of my Master, who said on the cross, “Forgive them, for
they know not what they do.” Now I say these things that you may
not be perverted by the suspicion of wicked men. Now many changes
have taken place, since I had the oversight of the city, and yet no
one learns self-control? But when I say no one, I do not condemn
all, God forbid. For it is impossible that this rich soil when it
has received seed, should not produce one ear of corn: but I am
insatiable, I do not wish many to be saved but all. And if but one
be left in a perishing condition, I perish also, and deem that the
Shepherd should be imitated who had ninety-nine sheep, and yet
hastened after the one which had gone astray.825
How long will money last? how long
this silver and gold? how long these draughts of wine? how long the
flatteries of slaves? how long these goblets wreathed with
garlands? how long these satanic drinking feasts, full of
diabolical activity?
Dost thou not know that the present life is a
sojourn in a far country? for art thou a citizen? Nay thou art a
wayfarer. Understandest thou what I say? Thou art not a citizen,
but thou art a wayfarer, and a traveller. Say not: I have this city
and that. No one has a city. The city is above. Present life is but
a journey. We are journeying on every day, while nature is running
its course. Some there are who store up goods on the way: some who
bury jewellery on the road. Now when you enter an inn do you
beautify the inn? not so, but you eat and drink and hasten to
depart. The present life is an inn: we have entered it, and we
bring present life to a close: let us be eager to depart with a
good hope, let us leave nothing here, that we may not lose it
there. When you enter the inn, what do you say to the servant? Take
care where you put away our things, that you do not leave anything
behind here, that nothing may be lost, not even what is small and
trifling, in order that we may carry everything back to our home.
Thou art a wayfarer and traveller, and indeed more insignificant
than the wayfarer. How so? I will tell you. The wayfarer knows when
he is going into the inn, and when he is going out; for the egress
as well as the regress is in his own power: but when I enter the
inn, that is to say this present life, I know not when I shall go
out: and it may be that I am providing myself with sustenance for a
long time when the Master suddenly summons me saying “Thou fool,
for whom shall those things be which thou hast prepared? for on
this very night thy soul is being taken from thee.”826
| 826 Luke xii.
20, a free quotation.
Chrysostom transposes the clauses and substitutes λαμβ€νουσι “they are taking,” for ‡παιτουσιν ‡πὸ
σου, “they are demanding from thee.” | The time of
thy departure is uncertain, the tenure of thy possessions insecure,
there are innumerable precipices, and billows on every side of
thee. Why dost thou rave about shadows? why desert the reality and
run after shadows?
6. I say these things, and shall not cease saying
them, causing continual pain, and dressing the wounds; and this not
for the sake of the fallen, but of those who are still standing.
For they have departed, and their career is
ended, but those who are yet standing have
gained a more secure position through their calamities. “What
then,” you say, “shall we do?” Do one thing only, hate
riches, and love thy life—cast away thy goods; I do not say all
of them, but cut off the superfluities. Be not covetous of other
men’s goods, strip not the widow, plunder not the orphan, seize
not his house: I do not address myself to persons but to facts. But
if any one’s conscience attacks him, he himself is responsible
for it, not my words. Why art thou grasping where thou bringest
ill-will upon thyself? Grasp where there is a crown to be gained.
Strive to lay hold not of earth but of heaven. “The kingdom of
Heaven belongs to violent men and men of violence take it by
force.”827
Why dost
thou lay hold of the poor man who reproaches thee? Lay hold of
Christ who praises thee for it. Dost thou see thy senselessness and
madness? Dost thou lay hold of the poor man who has little? Christ
says “lay hold of me; I thank thee for it, lay hold of my kingdom
and take it by violence.” If thou art minded to lay hold of an
earthly kingdom, or rather if thou art minded to have designs upon
it thou art punished; but in the case of the heavenly kingdom thou
art punished if thou dost not lay hold of it. Where worldly things
are concerned there is ill-will, but where spiritual there is love.
Meditate daily on these things, and if two days hence thou seest
another riding in a chariot, arrayed in raiment of silk, and elated
with pride, be not again dismayed and troubled. Praise not a rich
man, but only him who lives in righteousness. Revile not a poor
man, but learn to have an upright and accurate judgment in all
things.
Do not hold aloof from the Church; for nothing
is stronger than the Church. The Church is thy hope, thy salvation,
thy refuge. It is higher than the heaven, it is wider than the
earth. It never waxes old, but is always in full vigour. Wherefore
as significant of its solidity and stability Holy Scripture calls
it a mountain: or of its purity a virgin, or of its magnificence a
queen; or of its relationship to God a daughter; and to express its
productiveness it calls her barren who has borne seven: in fact it
employs countless names to represent its nobleness. For as the
master of the Church has many names: being called the Father, and
the way,828
and the
life,829
and the
light,830
and the
arm,831
| 831 Perhaps
Ps. xcviii. 1; Is. xxxiii. 2; li. 9, and other passages of the
same kind. | and the
propitiation,832
and the
foundation,833
and the
door,834
and the
sinless one,835
and the
treasure,836
and Lord,
and God, and Son, and the only begotten, and the form of God,837
and the
image838
of God so is
it with the Church itself: does one name suffice to present the
whole truth? by no means. But for this reason there are countless
names, that we may learn something concerning God, though it be but
a small part. Even so the Church also is called by many names. She
is called a virgin, albeit formerly she was an harlot: for this is
the miracle wrought by the Bridegroom, that He took her who was an
harlot and hath made her a virgin. Oh! what a new and strange
event! With us marriage destroys virginity, but with God marriage
hath restored it. With us she who is a virgin, when married, is a
virgin no longer: with Christ she who is an harlot, when married,
becomes a virgin.
7. Let the heretic who inquires curiously into
the nature of heavenly generation saying “how did the Father
beget the Son?” interpret this single fact, ask him how did the
Church, being an harlot, become a virgin? and how did she having
brought forth children remain a virgin? “For I am jealous over
you,” saith Paul, “with a godly jealousy, for I espoused you to
one husband that I might present you as a pure virgin to
Christ.”839
What wisdom
and understanding! “I am jealous over you with a godly
jealousy.” What means this? “I am jealous,” he says: art thou
jealous seeing thou art a spiritual man? I am jealous he says as
God is. And hath God jealousy? yea the jealousy not of passion, but
of love, and earnest zeal. I am jealous over you with the jealousy
of God. Shall I tell thee how He manifests His jealousy? He saw the
world corrupted by devils, and He delivered His own Son to save it.
For words spoken in reference to God have not the same force as
when spoken in reference to ourselves: for instance we say God is
jealous, God is wroth, God repents, God hates. These words are
human, but they have a meaning which becomes the nature of God. How
is God jealous? “I am jealous over you with the jealousy of
God.”840
Is God
wroth? “O Lord reproach me not in thine indignation.”841
Doth God
slumber? “Awake, wherefore sleepest thou, O Lord?”842
Doth God
repent? “I repent that I have made man.”843
Doth God hate? “My soul hateth
your feasts and your new moons.”844
Well do not consider the poverty of
the expressions: but grasp their divine meaning. God is
jealous, for He loves,
God is wroth, not as yielding to passion, but for the purpose of
chastising, and punishing. God sleeps, not as really slumbering,
but as being long-suffering. Choose out the expression. Thus when
thou hearest that God begets the Son, think not of division but of
the unity of substance. For God has taken many of these words from
us as we also have borrowed others from Him, that we may receive
honour thereby.
8. Dost thou understand what I have said?
Attend carefully my beloved. There are divine names, and there are
human names. God has received from me, and He Himself hath given to
me. Give me thine, and take mine He says. Thou hast need of mine: I
have no need of thine, but thou hast of mine inasmuch as my nature
is unmixed, but thou art a human being encompassed with a body,
seeking also corporeal terms in order that, by borrowing
expressions which are familiar to thee, thou who art thus
encompassed with a body, mayest be able to think on thoughts which
transcend thy understanding. What kind of names hath He received
from me, and what kind hath He given to me? He Himself is God, and
He hath called me God; with Him is the essential nature as an
actual fact, with me only the honour of the name: “I have said ye
are gods, and ye are all children of the most highest.”845
| 845 Ps. lxxxii. 6; comp. John x. 34. | Here are
words, but in the other case there is the actual reality. He hath
called me god, for by that name I have received honour. He Himself
was called man, he was called Son of man, he was called the Way,
the Door, the Rock. These words He borrowed from me; the others He
gave from Himself to me. Wherefore was He called the Way? That thou
mightest understand that by Him we have access to the Father.
Wherefore was He called the Rock? that thou mightest understand the
secure and unshaken character of the faith. Wherefore was He called
the Foundation? That thou mightest understand that He upholdeth all
things. Wherefore was He called the Root? That thou mightest
understand that in Him we have our power of growth. Wherefore was
He called the Shepherd? Because He feeds us. Wherefore was He
called a sheep? Because He was sacrificed for us and became a
propitiatory offering. Wherefore was He called the Life? Because He
raised us up when we were dead. Wherefore was He called the Light?
Because He delivered us from darkness. Why was He called an Arm?
Because He is of one substance with the Father. Why was He called
the Word? Because He was begotten of the Father. For as my word is
the offspring of my spirit, even so was the Son begotten of the
Father. Wherefore is He called our raiment? Because I was clothed
with Him when I was baptized. Why is He called a table? Because I
feed upon Him when I partake of the mysteries. Why is He called a
house? Because I dwell in Him. Why is He called an inmate of the
house? Because we become His Temple. Wherefore is He called the
Head? Because I have been made a member of His. Why is He called a
Bridegroom? Because He hath taken me as His bride. Wherefore is He
called undefiled? Because He took me as a virgin. Wherefore is He
called Master? Because I am His bondmaid.
9. For observe the Church, how, as I was
saying, she is sometimes a bride, sometimes a daughter, sometimes a
virgin, sometimes a bondmaid, sometimes a queen, sometimes a barren
woman, sometimes a mountain, sometimes a garden, sometimes fruitful
in children, sometimes a lily, sometimes a fountain: She is all
things. Therefore having heard these things, think not I pray you
that they are corporeal; but stretch thy thought further: for such
things cannot be corporeal. For example: the mountain is not the
maid: the maid is not the bride: the queen is not the bond-maid:
yet the Church is all these things. Wherefore? because the element
in which they exist is not corporeal but spiritual. For in a
corporeal sphere these things are confined within narrow limits:
but in a spiritual sphere they have a wide field of operation.
“The queen stood on thy right hand.”846
The queen? How did she who was
down-trodden and poor become a queen? and where did she ascend? the
queen herself stood on high by the side of the king. How? because
the king became a servant; He was not that by nature, but He became
so. Understand therefore the things which belong to the Godhead,
and discern those which belong to the Dispensation. Understand what
He was, and what He became for thy sake, and do not
confuse things which are distinct, nor make the argument of his
lovingkindness an occasion for blasphemy. He was lofty, and she was
lowly: lofty not by position but by nature. His essence was pure,
and imperishable: His nature was incorruptible, unintelligible,
invisible, incomprehensible, eternal, unchangeable, transcending
the nature of angels, higher than the powers above, overpowering
reason, surpassing thought, apprehended not by sight but by faith
alone. Angels beheld Him and trembled, the Cherubim veiled themselves with
their wings, in awe. He looked upon the earth, and caused it to
tremble: He threatened the sea and dried it up:847
he brought rivers out of the
desert: He weighed the mountains in scales, and the valleys in a
balance.848
How shall I
express myself? how shall I present the truth? His greatness hath
no bounds, His wisdom is beyond reckoning, His judgments are
untraceable, His ways unsearchable.849
| 849 Rom. xi.
33. Chrysostom has
transposed the order of the adjectives. | Such is His greatness and His
power, if indeed it is safe even to use such expressions. But what
am I to do? I am a human being and I speak in human language: my
tongue is of earth and I crave forgiveness from my Lord. For I do
not use these expressions in a spirit of presumption, but on
account of the poverty of my resources arising from my feebleness
and the nature of our human tongue. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for
I utter these words not in presumption but because I have no
others: nevertheless I do not rest content with the meanness of my
speech, but soar upwards on the wings of my understanding. Such is
His greatness and power. I say this, that without dwelling on the
words, or on the poverty of the expressions, thou mayest also
thyself learn to act in the same way. Why dost thou marvel if I do
this, inasmuch as He also does the same, when He wishes to present
something to our minds which transcends human powers? Since He
addresses human beings He uses also human illustration, which are
indeed insufficient to represent the thing spoken of, and cannot
exhibit the full proportions of the matter, yet suffice for the
infirmity of the hearers.
10. Make an effort, and do not grow weary of
my prolonged discourse. For as when He manifests Himself, He is not
manifested as He really is, nor is His bare essence manifested (for
no man hath seen God in His real nature; for when He is but
partially revealed the Cherubim tremble—the mountains smoke, the
sea is dried up, the heaven is shaken, and if the revelation were
not partial who could endure it?) as then, I say, He does not
manifest Himself as He really is, but only as the beholder is able
to see Him, therefore doth He appear sometimes in the form of old
age, sometimes of youth, sometimes in fire, sometimes in air,
sometimes in water, sometimes in armour, not altering his essential
nature, but fashioning His appearance to suit the various condition
of those who are affected by it. In like manner also when any one
wishes to say anything concerning Him he employs human
illustrations. For instance I say: “He went up into the mountain
and He was transfigured before them, and His countenance shone as
the sun, and His raiment became white as snow.”850
| 850 Matt.
xvii. 2: Mark ix. 2.
Chrysostom mixes up the accounts of the two Evangelists, and does
not quote the exact words of either. | He disclosed, it is said, a little
of the Godhead, He manifested to them the God dwelling amongst them
“and He was transfigured before them.” Attend carefully to the
statement. The writer says and He was transfigured before them, and
His raiment shone as the light, and His countenance was as the sun.
When I said “such is His greatness and power” and added “be
merciful to me O Lord,” (for I do not rest satisfied with the
expression but am perplexed, having no other framed for the
purpose) I wish you to understand, that I learned this lesson from
Holy Scripture. The evangelist then wished to describe His
splendour and he says “He shone.” How did He shine? tell me.
Exceedingly. And how do you express this? He shone “as the
sun.” As the sun sayest thou? Yea. Wherefore? Because I know not
any other luminary more brilliant. And He was white sayest thou as
snow? wherefore as snow? Because I know not any other substance
which is whiter. For that He did not really shine thus is proved by
what follows: the disciples fell to the ground. If he had shone as
the sun the disciples would not have fallen; for they saw the sun
every day, and did not fall: but inasmuch as he shone more
brilliantly than the sun or snow, they, being unable to bear the
splendour, fell to the earth.
11. Tell me then, O evangelist, did He shine more
brightly than the sun, and yet dost thou say, “as the sun?”
Yea: wishing to make that light known to thee, I know not any other
greater luminary, I have no other comparison which holds a royal
place amongst luminaries. I have said these things that thou mayest
not rest contentedly in the poverty of the language used: I have
pointed out to thee the fall of the disciples: they fell to the
earth, and were stupified and overwhelmed with slumber. “Arise”
He said, and lifted them up, and yet they were oppressed. For they
could not endure the excessive brightness of that shining, but
heavy sleep took possession of their eyes: so far did the light
which was manifested exceed the light of the sun. Yet the
evangelist said “as the sun,” because that luminary is familiar
to us and surpasses all the rest.
But as I was saying, He who was thus great and
powerful desired an harlot. I speak of our human nature under that
name. If a man indeed desire an harlot he is condemned, and doth
God desire one? Yea verily. Again a
man desireth an harlot that he may become a
fornicator: but God that He may convert the harlot into a virgin:
so that the desire of the man is the destruction of her who is
desired: but the desire of God is salvation to her who is desired.
And why did He who is so great and powerful desire an harlot? that
He might become the husband thereof. How doth He act? He doth not
send to her any of His servants, He sendeth not angel, archangel,
Cherubim, or Seraphim; but He himself draws nigh Who loves her.
Again when thou hearest of love, deem it not sensuous. Cull out the
thoughts which are contained in the words, even as an excellent bee
settles on the flowers, and takes the honey comb, but leaves the
herbs God desired an harlot, and how doth He act? He does not
conduct her on high; for He would not bring an harlot into Heaven,
but He Himself comes down. Since she could not ascend on high, He
descends to earth. He cometh to the harlot, and is not ashamed: He
cometh to her secret dwelling place. He beholds her in her
drunkenness. And how doth He come? not in the bare essence of His
original nature, but He becomes that which the harlot was, not in
intention but in reality does He become this, in order that she may
not be scared when she sees Him, that she may not rush away, and
escape. He cometh to the harlot, and becomes man. And how does He
become this? He is conceived in the womb, he increases little by
little and follows like me the course of human growth. Who is it
who does this? the Deity as manifested, not the Godhead; the form
of the servant not that of the Master; the flesh which belongs to
me, not the essential nature which belongs to Him: He increases
little by little, and has intercourse with mankind. Although He
finds the harlot, human nature, full of sores, brutalised, and
oppressed by devils, how does He act? He draws nigh to her. She
sees Him and flees away. He calleth the wise men saying Why are ye
afraid? I am not a judge, but a physician. “I came not to judge
the world but to save the world.”851
Straightway He calleth the wise
men. Oh! new and strange event. The immediate first-fruits of His
coming are wise men. He who upholds the world lieth in a manger,
and He who careth for all things is a nursling in swaddling bands.
The temple is founded and the God dwelleth therein. And wise men
come and straightway worship Him: the publican comes and is turned
into an evangelist: the harlot comes and is turned into a maiden:
the Canaanitish woman comes and partakes of his lovingkindness.
This is the mark of one who loves, to forbear demanding an account
of sins, and to forgive transgressions and offences. And how does
He act? He takes the sinner and espouses her to himself. And what
doth He give her? a signet ring. Of what nature? the Holy Spirit.
Paul saith “now He who establisheth us with you is God who hath
also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit.”852
The Spirit
then He giveth her. Next He saith “Did not I plant thee in a
garden?” She saith “yea.” And how didst thou fall from
thence? “The devil came and cast me out of the garden.” Thou
wast planted in the garden and he cast thee out: behold I plant
thee in myself, I uphold thee. How? The devil dares not approach
me. Neither do I take thee up into Heaven; but something greater
than Heaven is here: I carry thee in myself who am the Lord of
Heaven. The shepherd carries thee and the wolf no longer comes: or
rather I permit him to approach. And so the Lord carrieth our
nature: and the devil approaches and is worsted. “I have planted
thee in myself:” therefore He saith “I am the root, ye are the
branches:”853
so He
planted her in Himself. “But,” she saith, “I am a sinner and
unclean.” “Let not this trouble thee, I am a physician. I know
my vessel, I know how it was perverted. It was formerly a vessel of
clay, and it was perverted. I remodel it by means of the laver of
regeneration and I submit it to the action of fire.” For observe:
He took dust from the earth and made the man; He formed him. The
devil came, and perverted him. Then the Lord came, took him again,
and remoulded, and recast him in baptism, and He suffered not his
body to be of clay, but made it of a harder ware. He subjected the
soft clay to the fire of the Holy Spirit. “He shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost and with fire:”854
He was baptized with water that he
might be remodelled, with fire that he might be hardened. Therefore
the Prophet speaking beforehand under divine guidance declared
“Thou shalt dash them in pieces like vessels of the potter.”855
He did not
say like vessels of earthenware which every one possesses: for by a
potter’s vessels are meant those which the potter is fashioning
on the wheel: now the potter’s vessels are of clay, but ours are
of harder ware. Speaking beforehand therefore of the remoulding
which is wrought by means of baptism he saith, “thou shalt dash
them in pieces like vessels of a potter”—He means that He
remodels and recasts them. I descend into the water of baptism, and the fashion of
my nature is remoulded, and the fire of the Spirit recasts it, and
it is turned into a harder ware. And that my words are no empty
vaunt hear what Job says, “He hath made us as clay,”856
and Paul,
“but we have this treasure in earthen vessels.”857
But consider
the strength of the earthen vessel: for it has been hardened not by
fire, but by the Spirit. How was it proved to be an earthen vessel?
“Five times received I forty stripes save one, thrice was I
beaten with rods, once was I stoned,”858
and yet the earthen vessel was not
shattered. “A day and a night have I been in the deep.” He hath
been in the deep, and the earthen vessel was not dissolved: he
suffered shipwreck and the treasure was not lost; the ship was
submerged and yet the freight floated. “But we have this
treasure” he says. What kind of treasure? a supply of the Spirit,
righteousness, sanctification, redemption. Of what nature, tell me?
“in the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk.”859
“Æneas,
Jesus Christ maketh thee whole,”860
I say unto thee thou evil spirit,
go out of him.861
12. Hast thou seen a treasure more brilliant
than royal treasures? For what can the pearl of a king do like that
which the words of an Apostle effected? Set crowns innumerable upon
dead men, and they will not be raised: but one word went forth from
an Apostle, and it brought back revoked nature, and restored it to
its ancient condition. “But we have this treasure.” O treasure
which not only is preserved, but also preserves the house where it
is stored up. Dost thou understand what I have said? The kings of
the earth, and rulers when they have treasures, prepare large
houses, having strong walls, bars, doors, guards, and bolts in
order that the treasure may be preserved: but Christ did the
contrary: He placed the treasure not in a stone vessel but in an
earthen one. If the treasure is great wherefore is the vessel weak?
But the reason why the vessel is weak is not because the treasure
is great; for this is not preserved by the vessel, but itself
preserves the vessel. I deposit the treasure: who is able
henceforth to steal it? The devil has come, the world has come,
multitudes have come, and yet they have not stolen the treasure:
the vessel has been scourged, yet the treasure was not betrayed; it
has been drowned in the sea, yet the treasure was not shipwrecked:
it has died yet the treasure survives. He gave therefore the
earnest of the Spirit. Where are they who blaspheme the Spirit’s
majesty? Give ye heed. “He that establisheth us with you in
Christ is God who also hath given the earnest of the Spirit.”862
You all know
that the earnest is a small part of the whole; let me tell you how.
Some one goes to buy a house at a great price; and he says “give
me an earnest that I may have confidence: or one goes to take a
wife for himself, he arranges about dowry and property, and he says
“give me an earnest.” Observe: in the purchase of a slave and
in all covenants there is an earnest. Since then Christ made a
covenant with us (for He was about to take me as a bride) he also
assigned a dowry to me not of money, but of blood. But this dowry
which He assigns is the bestowal of good things “such as eye hath
not seen, and ear hath not heard, neither hath entered into the
heart of man.”863
He assigned
them for the dowry:—immortality, praise with the angels, release
from death, freedom from sin, the inheritance of a kingdom (so
great are his riches), righteousness, sanctification, deliverance
from present evils, discovery of future blessings. Great was my
dowry. Now attend carefully: mark what He does. He came to take the
harlot, for so I call her, unclean as she was, that thou mightest
understand the love of the bridegroom. He came; He took me: He
assigns me a dowry: He saith “I give thee my wealth.” How?
“Hast thou lost,” He saith, “paradise?” take it back. Hast
thou lost thy beauty? take it back; take all these things. But yet
the dowry was not given to me here.
13. Observe, this is the reason why He speaks
beforehand with reference to this dowry; He warranted to me in the
dowry the resurrection of the body,—immortality. For immortality
does not always follow resurrection, but the two are distinct. For
many have risen, and been again laid low, like Lazarus and the
bodies of the saints.864
But in this case it is not so, but
the promise is of resurrection, immortality, a place in the joyful
company of angels, the meeting of the Son of Man in the clouds, and
the fulfilment of the saying “so shall we ever be with the
Lord,”865
the release
from death, the freedom from sin, the complete overthrow of
destruction. Of what kind is that? “Eye hath not seen nor ear
heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Dost thou give me good
things which I know not? He saith “yea; only be espoused to me
here, love me in this world.” “Wherefore dost thou not give me
the dowry here?” “It will be given when thou hast come to my
Father, when thou hast entered the royal palace. Didst thou come to
me! nay I came to
thee. I came not that thou shouldst abide here but that I might
take thee and return. Seek not the dowry here: all depends on hope,
and faith. “And dost thou give me nothing in this world?” He
answers. “Receive an earnest that thou mayest trust me concerning
that which is to come: receive pledges and betrothal gifts.”
Therefore Paul saith “I have espoused you.”866
As gifts of betrothal God has given
us present blessings: they are an earnest of the future; but the
full dowry abides in the other world. How so? I will tell you. Here
I grow old, there I grow not old; here I die, there I die not, here
I sorrow, there I sorrow not; here is poverty, and disease, and
intrigue, there nothing of that kind exists: here is darkness and
light, there is light alone: here is intrigue, there is liberty;
here is disease, there is health; here is life which has an end,
there is life which hath no end; here is sin, there is
righteousness, and sin is banished; here is envy, there nothing of
the kind exists. “Give me these things” one says; “Nay! wait
in order that thy fellow-servants also may be saved; wait I say. He
who establisheth us and hath given us the earnest”—what kind of
earnest? the Holy Spirit, the supply of the Spirit. Let me speak
concerning the Spirit. He gave the signet ring to the Apostles,
saying “take this and give it to all.” Is the ring then
portioned out, and yet not divided? It is so. Let me teach you the
meaning of the supply of the Spirit: Peter received, and Paul also
received the Holy Spirit. He went about the world, he released
sinners from their sins, he restored the lame, he clothed the
naked, he raised the dead, he cleansed the lepers, he bridled the
devil, he strangled the demons, he held converse with God, he
planted a Church, levelled temples to the earth, overturned altars,
destroyed vice, established virtue, made angels of men.
14. All these things we were. But “the
earnest” filled the whole world. And when I say the whole I mean
all which the sun shines upon, sea, islands, mountains, valleys,
and hills. Paul went hither and thither, like some winged creature,
with one mouth only contending against the enemy, he the tentmaker,
who handled the workman’s knife and sewed skins together: and yet
this his craft was no hindrance to his virtue, but the tentmaker
was stronger than demons, the uneloquent man was wiser than the
wise. Whence was this? He received the earnest, he bore the signet
ring and carried it about. All men saw that the King had espoused
our nature: the demon saw it and retreated, he saw the earnest, and
trembled and withdrew: he saw but the Apostle’s garments867
and fled. O
the power of the Holy Spirit. He bestowed authority not on the
soul, nor on the body, but even on raiment; nor on raiment only but
even on a shadow. Peter went about and his shadow put diseases to
flight,868
and expelled
demons, and raised the dead to life. Paul went about the world,
cutting away the thorns of ungodliness, sowing broadcast the seeds
of godliness, like an excellent ploughman handling the ploughshare
of doctrine. And to whom did he go? To Thracians, to Scythians, to
Indians, to Maurians, to Sardinians, to Goths, to wild savages, and
he changed them all. By what means? By means of “the earnest.”
How was he sufficient for these things? By the grace of the Spirit.
Unskilled, ill-clothed, ill-shod he was upheld by Him “who also
hath given the earnest of the Spirit.” Therefore he saith “and
who is sufficient for these things?869
But our sufficiency is of God, who
hath made us sufficient as ministers of the new Testament, not of
the letter but of the Spirit.”870
Behold what the Spirit hath
wrought: He found the earth filled with demons and He has made it
heaven. For meditate not on present things but review the past in
your thought. Formerly there was lamentation, there were altars
everywhere, everywhere the smoke and fumes of sacrifice, everywhere
unclean rites and mysteries, and sacrifices, everywhere demons
holding their orgies, everywhere a citadel of the devil, everywhere
fornication decked with wreaths of honour; and Paul stood alone.
How did he escape being overwhelmed, or torn in pieces? How could
he open his mouth? He entered the Thebaid,871
| 871 Strictly speaking, the name of the Egyptian desert
in the neighborhood of Thebes; but here it must be used in a
general sense, to denote any wild country. The whole passage is
highly rhetorical. | and made captives of men, He
entered the royal palace, and made a disciple of the king.872
He entered
the hall of judgment, and the judge saith to him “almost thou
persuadest me to become a Christian,”873
| 873 Acts xxvi. 28. It is doubtful, however, whether
this is the right interpretation of the words. See the revised
translation. | and the judge became a disciple. He
entered the prison, and took the jailor captive.874
He visited an island of barbarians,
and made a viper the instrument of his teaching.875
He visited the Romans, and
attracted the senate to his doctrine. He visited rivers, and desert
places in all parts of the world. There is no land or sea which has
not shared in the benefits of his labours; for God has given human
nature the earnest of His signet,
and when He gives it He saith: some things
I give thee now, and others I promise. Therefore the prophet saith
concerning her “The queen did stand upon thy right hand in a
vesture woven with gold.” He does not mean a real vesture, but
virtue. Therefore the Scripture elsewhere saith “How camest thou
in hither not having a wedding garment?” so that here he does not
mean a garment, but fornication, and foul and unclean living. As
then foul raiment signifies sin, so does golden raiment signify
virtue. But this raiment belonged to the king. He Himself bestowed
the raiment upon her: for she was naked, naked and disfigured.
“The queen stood on thy right hand in a vesture woven with
gold.”876
He is
speaking not of raiment but of virtue. Observe: the expression
itself has great nobility of meaning. He does not say “in a
vesture of gold” but “in a vesture woven with gold.” Listen
intelligently. A vesture of gold is one which is gold throughout:
but a vesture woven with gold is one which is partly of gold,
partly of silk. Why then did he say that the bride wore not a
vesture of gold, but one woven with gold? Attend carefully. He
means the constitution of the Church in its varied manifestations.
For since we do not all belong to one condition of life, but one is
a virgin, another a widow, a third lives a life of devotion—so
the robe of the Church signifies the constitution of the
Church.
15. Inasmuch then as our Master knew that if
He carved out only one road for us, many must shrink from it, He
carved out divers roads. Thou canst not enter the kingdom it may be
by the way of virginity. Enter it then by the way of single
marriage. Canst thou not enter it by one marriage? Perchance thou
mayest by means of a second marriage. Thou canst not enter by the
way of continence: enter then by the way of almsgiving: or thou
canst not enter by the way of almsgiving? then try the way of
fasting. If thou canst not use this way, take that—or if not
that, then take this. Therefore the prophet spoke not of a garment
of gold, but of one woven with gold. It is of silk, or purple, or
gold. Thou canst not be a golden part? then be a silken one. I
accept thee, if only thou art clothed in my raiment. Therefore also
Paul saith “If any man builds upon this foundation, gold, silver,
precious stones.”877
Thou canst not be the precious
stone? then be the gold. Thou canst not be the gold? then be the
silver, if only thou art resting upon the foundation. And again
elsewhere, “there is one glory of the sun, and another glory of
the moon, and another glory of the stars.”878
Thou canst not be a sun? then be a
moon. Thou canst not be a moon? then be a star. Thou canst not be a
large star? be content to be a little one if only thou art in the
Heaven. Thou canst not be a virgin? then live continently in the
married state, only abiding in the Church. Thou canst not be
without possessions? then give alms, only abiding in the Church,
only wearing the proper raiment, only submitting to the queen.879
The raiment
is woven with gold, it is manifold in texture. I do not bar the way
against thee: for the abundance of virtues has rendered the
dispensation of the king easy in operation. “Clothed in a vesture
woven with gold, manifold in texture.” Her vesture is manifold:
unfold, if you please, the deep meaning of the expression here
used, and fix your eyes upon this garment woven with gold. For here
indeed some live celibate, others live in an honourable estate of
matrimony being not much inferior to them: some have married once,
others are widows in the flower of their age. For what purpose is a
paradise? and wherefore its variety? having divers flowers, and
trees, and many pearls. There are many stars, but only one sun:
there are many ways of living, but only one paradise; there are
many temples, but only one mother of them all. There is the body,
the eye, the finger, but all these make up but one man. There is
the same distinction between the small, the great, and the less.
The virgin hath need of the married woman; for the virgin also is
the product of marriage, that marriage may not be despised by her.
The virgin is the root of marriage: thus all things have been
linked together, the small with the great, and the great with the
small. “The queen did stand on thy right hand clothed in a
vesture wrought with gold, manifold in texture.” Then follows
“Hearken! O daughter.” The conductor of the bride says that
thou art about to go forth from thy home to the home of the
bridegroom who in his essential nature far surpasses thee. I am the
conductor of the bride. “Hearken O daughter.” Did she
immediately become the wife? Yea: for here there is nothing
corporeal. For He espoused her as a wife, He loves her as a
daughter, He provides for her as a handmaid, He guards her as a
virgin, He fences her round like a garden, and cherishes her like a
member: as a head He provides for her, as a root he causes her to
grow, as a shepherd He feeds her, as a bridegroom He weds her, as a
propitiation He pardons her, as a sheep He is sacrificed, as a
bridegroom He preserves her in beauty, as a husband He provides for her
support. Many are the meanings in order that we may enjoy a part if
it be but a small part of the divine economy of grace. “Hearken O
daughter” and behold, and look upon things which are bridal and
yet spiritual. Hearken O daughter. She was at first a daughter of
demons, a daughter of the earth, unworthy of the earth and now she
has become a daughter of the king. And this He wished who loved
her. For he who loves does not investigate character: love does not
regard uncomeliness: on this account indeed is it called love
because it oftentimes hath affection for an uncomely person.880
| 880 The statement is grounded on a mistaken etymology.
There is also an allusion to the proverbial blindness of love. | Thus also
did Christ. He saw one who was uncomely (for comely I could not
call her) and He loved her, and He makes her young, not having spot
or wrinkle. Oh what a bridegroom! adorning with grace the
ungracefulness of his bride! Hearken O daughter! hearken and
behold! Two things He saith “Hearken” and “Behold,” two
which depend on thyself, one on thy eyes, the other on thy hearing.
Now since her dowry depended on hearing (and although some of you
have been acute enough to perceive this already, let them tarry for
those who are feebler: I commend those who have anticipated the
truth, and make allowances for those who only follow in their
track) since the dowry then depended on hearing—(and what is
meant by hearing? faith: for “faith cometh by hearing” faith as
opposed to fruition, and actual experience) I said before that He
divided the dowry into two, and gave some portion to the bride for
an earnest, whilst He promised others in the future. What did He
give her? He gave her forgiveness of sins, remission of punishment,
righteousness, sanctification, redemption, the body of the Lord,
the divine, spiritual Table, the resurrection of the dead. For all
these things the Apostles had. Therefore He gave some parts and
promised others. Of some there was experience and fruition, others
depended upon hope and faith. Now listen. What did He bestow?
Baptism and the Sacrifice. Of these there is experience. What did
He promise? Resurrection, immortality of the body, union with
angels, a place in the joyful company of archangels, and as a
citizen in His kingdom, immaculate life, the good things “which
eye hath not seen, nor ear heard nor have entered into the heart of
man, things which God hath prepared for them that love
Him.”
16. Understand what is said, lest ye lose it:
I am labouring to enable you to perceive it. The dowry of the bride
then was divided into two portions consisting of things present and
things to come; things seen and things heard, things given and
things taken on trust, things experienced, and things to be enjoyed
hereafter; things belonging to present life, and things to come
after the resurrection. The former things you see, the latter you
hear. Observe then what He says to her that you may not suppose
that she received the former things only, though they be great and
ineffable, and surpassing all understanding. “Hearken O daughter
and behold;” hear the latter things and behold the former that
thou mayest not say “am I again to depend on hope, again on
faith, again on the future?” See now: I give some things, and I
promise others: the latter indeed depend on hope, but do thou
receive the others as pledges, as an earnest, as a proof of the
remainder. I promise thee a kingdom: and let present things be the
ground of thy trust, thy trust in me. Dost thou promise me a
kingdom? Yea. I have given thee the greater part, even the Lord of
the kingdom, for “he who spared not his own son, but gave him up
for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things?”881
Dost thou
give me the resurrection of the body? Yea; I have given thee the
greater part. What is the nature of it? Release from sins. How is
that the greater part? Because sin brought forth death. I have
destroyed the parent, and shall I not destroy the offspring? I have
dried up the root, and shall I not destroy the produce. “Hearken
O daughter and behold.” What am I to behold? Dead men raised to
life, lepers cleansed, the sea restrained, the paralytic braced up
into vigour, paradise opened, loaves poured forth in abundance,
sins remitted, the lame man leaping, the robber made a citizen of
paradise, the publican turned into an evangelist, the harlot become
more modest than the maid. Hear and behold. Hear of the former
things and behold these. Accept from present things a proof of the
others; concerning those I have given thee pledges, things which
are better than they are. “What is the meaning of this thy
saying?” These things are mine. “Hearken O daughter and
behold.” These things are my dower to thee. And what doth the
bride contribute? Let us see. What I pray thee dost thou bring that
thou mayest not be portionless? What can I, she answers, bring to
thee from heathen altars, and the steam of sacrifices and from
devils? What have I to contribute? what? sayest thou? Thy will and
thy faith. “Hearken O daughter and behold.” And what wilt thou
have me do? “Forget thy own
people.” What kind of people? the devils, the
idols, the sacrificial smoke, and steam, and blood. “Forget thy
own people, and thy father’s house.” Leave thy father and come
after me. I left my Father, and came to thee, and wilt thou not
leave thy father? But when the word leave is used in reference to
the Son do not understand by it an actual leaving. What He means is
“I condescended, I accommodated myself to thee, I assumed human
flesh.” This is the duty of the bridegroom, and of the bride,
that thou shouldest abandon thy parents, and that we should be
wedded to one another. “Hearken O daughter and behold, and forget
thy own people, and thy father’s house.” And what dost thou
give me if I do forget them? “and the king shall desire thy
beauty.” Thou hast the Lord for thy lover. If thou hast Him for
thy lover, thou hast also the things which are his. I trust ye may
be able to understand what is said: for the thought is a subtle
one, and I wish to stop the mouth of the Jews.
Now exert your minds I pray: for whether one hears,
or forbears to hear I shall dig and till the soil. “Hearken O
daughter, and behold, forget also thy own people, and thy
father’s house, and the king shall desire thy beauty.” By
beauty in this passage the Jew understands sensible beauty; not
spiritual but corporeal.
17. Attend, and let us learn what corporeal,
and what spiritual beauty are. There is soul and body: they are two
substances: there is a beauty of body, and there is a beauty of
soul. What is beauty of body? an extended eyebrow, a merry glance,
a blushing cheek, ruddy lips, a straight neck, long wavy hair,
tapering fingers, upright stature, a fair blooming complexion. Does
this bodily beauty come from nature, or from choice? Confessedly it
comes from nature. Attend that thou mayest learn the conception of
philosophers. This beauty whether of the countenance, of the eye,
of the hair, of the brow, does it come from nature, or from choice?
It is obvious that it comes from nature. For the ungraceful woman,
even if she cultivate beauty in countless ways, cannot become
graceful in body: for natural conditions are fixed, and confined by
limits which they cannot pass over. Therefore the beautiful woman
is always beautiful, even if she has no taste for beauty: and the
ungraceful cannot make herself graceful, nor the graceful
ungraceful. Wherefore? because these things come from nature. Well!
thou hast seen corporeal beauty. Now let us turn inwards to the
soul: let the handmaid approach the mistress! let us turn I say to
the soul. Look upon that beauty, or rather listen to it: for thou
canst not see it since it is invisible—Listen to that beauty.
What then is beauty of soul? Temperance, mildness, almsgiving,
love, brotherly kindness, tender affection, obedience to God, the
fulfilment of the law, righteousness, contrition of heart. These
things are the beauty of the soul. These things then are not the
results of nature, but of moral disposition. And he who does not
possess these things is able to receive them, and he who has them,
if he becomes careless, loses them. For as in the case of the body
I was saying that she who is ungraceful cannot become graceful; so
in the case of the soul I say the contrary that the graceless soul
can become full of grace. For what was more graceless than the soul
of Paul when he was a blasphemer and insulter: what more full of
grace when he said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the course, I have kept the faith.”882
What was more graceless than the
soul of the robber? what more full of grace when he heard the words
“Verily I say unto thee to-day shalt thou be with me in
paradise?”883
What was
more graceless than the publican when he practised extortion? but
what more full of grace when he declared his resolution.884
Seest thou
that thou canst not alter grace of body, for it is the result not
of moral disposition, but of nature. But grace of soul is supplied
out of our own moral choice. Thou hast now received the definition.
Of what kind are they? that the beauty of the soul proceeds from
obedience to God. For if the graceless soul obeys God it puts off
its ungracefulness, and becomes full of grace. “Saul! Saul!” it
was said, “why persecutest thou me?” and he replied “and who
art Thou Lord?” “I am Jesus.”885
And he obeyed, and his obedience
made the graceless soul full of grace. Again, He saith to the
publican “come follow me”886
and the publican rose up and became
an apostle: and the graceless soul became full of grace. Whence? by
obedience. Again He saith to the fishermen “Come ye after me and
I will make you to become fishers of men:”887
and by their obedience their minds
became full of grace. Let us see then what kind of beauty He is
speaking of here. “Hearken O daughter and behold, and forget thy
own people and thy father’s house, and the king shall desire thy
beauty.” What kind of beauty will he desire? the spiritual kind.
How so? because she is to “forget” He saith “hearken
and forget.” These are acts of moral choice. “Hearken!” he
said: an ungraceful one hears and her ungracefulness being that of
the body is not removed.
To the sinful woman He has said “Hearken,” and if she will obey
she sees what manner of beauty is bestowed upon her. Since then the
ungracefulness of the bride was not physical, but moral (for she
did not obey God but transgressed) therefore he leads her to
another remedy. Thou didst become ungraceful then, not by nature,
but by moral choice: and thou didst become full of grace by
obedience. “Hearken O daughter and behold and forget thy own
people, and thy father’s house, and the king shall desire thy
beauty.” Then that thou mayest learn that he does not mean
anything visible to sense, when thou hearest the word beauty, think
not of eye, or nose, or mouth, or neck, but of piety, faith, love,
things which are within—“for all the glory of the king’s
daughter is from within.” Now for all these things let us offer
thanks to God, the giver, for to Him alone belongeth glory, honour,
might, for ever and ever. Amen.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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