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| For 339. Coss. Constantius Augustus II, Constans I; Præfect, Philagrius the Cappadocian, for the second time; Indict. xii; Easter-day xvii Kal. Mai, xx Pharmuthi; Æra Dioclet. 55.
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Letter
XI.—For 339. Coss. Constantius Augustus II, Constans I;
Præfect, Philagrius the Cappadocian, for the second time; Indict.
xii; Easter-day xvii Kal. Mai, xx Pharmuthi; Æra Dioclet.
55.
The blessed Paul, being
girt about with every virtue4260
, and called
faithful of the Lord—for he was conscious of nothing in himself
but what was a virtue and a praise4261
, or what was
in harmony with love and godliness—clave to these things more and
more, and was carried up even to heavenly places, and was borne to
Paradise4262
; to the end that, as he surpassed the
conversation of men, he should be exalted above men. And when he
descended, he preached to every man; ‘We know in part, and we
prophesy in part; here I know in part; but then shall I know even as
also I am known4263
.’ For, in
truth, he was known to those saints who are in heaven, as their
fellow-citizen4264
. And in relation to
all that is future and perfect, the things known by him here were in
part; but with respect to those things which were committed and
entrusted to him by the Lord, he was perfect; as he said, ‘We who
are perfect, should be thus minded4265
.’ For as
the Gospel of Christ is the fulfilment and accomplishment of the
ministration which was supplied by the law of Israel, so future things
will be the accomplishment of such as now exist, the Gospel being then
fulfilled, and the faithful receiving those things which, not seeing
now, they yet hope for, as Paul saith; ‘For what a man seeth, why
doth he also hope for? But if we hope for those things we see [not], we
then by patience wait for them4266
.’ Since then
that blessed man was of such a character, and apostolic grace was
committed to him, he wrote, wishing ‘that all men should be as he
was4267
.’ For virtue is philanthropic4268
, and great is the company of the kingdom of
heaven, for thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads there serve
the Lord. And though a man enters it through a strait and narrow way,
yet having entered, he beholds immeasurable space, and a place greater
than any other, as they declare, who were eye-witnesses and heirs of
these things. ‘Thou didst place afflictions before us.’ But
afterwards, having related their afflictions, they say, ‘Thou
broughtest us forth into a wide place;’ and again, ‘In
affliction Thou hast enlarged us4269
.’ For
truly, my brethren, the course of the saints here is straitened; since
they either toil painfully through longing for those things which are
to come, as he who said, ‘Woe is me that my pilgrimage is
prolonged4270
;’ or they are distressed and
spent for the salvation of other men, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
saying, ‘Lest, when I come to you, God should humble me, and I
should bewail many of those who have sinned already, and not repented
for the uncleanness and fornication
and lasciviousness which they have committed4271
.’ As Samuel bewailed the destruction
of Saul, and Jeremiah wept for the captivity of the people. But after
this affliction, and sorrow, and sighing, when they depart from this
world, a certain divine gladness, and pleasure, and exultation receives
them, from which misery and sorrow, and sighing, flee away.
2. Since we are thus circumstanced, my brethren,
let us never loiter in the path of virtue; for hereto he counsels us,
saying, ‘Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ4272
.’ For he gave this advice not to the
Corinthians only, since he was not their Apostle only, but being
‘a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity4273
,’ he admonished us all through them;
and in short, the things he wrote to each particular person are
commandments common to all men4274
| 4274 Cf.
Letter ii. §1, and Letter iii. §5. | . On this account in
writing to different people, some he exhorted as, for instance, in the
Epistles to the Romans, and the Ephesians, and Philemon. Some he
reproved, and was indignant with them, as in the case of the
Corinthians and Galatians. To some he gave advice, as to the Colossians
and Thessalonians. The Philippians he approved of, and rejoiced in
them. The Hebrews he taught that the law was a shadow to them4275
| 4275 Vid.
Letter vii. 8, note 17. | . But to his elect sons, Timothy and Titus,
when they were near, he gave instruction; when far away, he put them in
remembrance. For he was all things to all men; and being himself a
perfect man, he adapted his teaching to the need of every one, so that
by all means he might rescue some of them. Therefore his word was not
without fruit; but in every place it is planted and productive even to
this day.
3. And wherefore, my beloved? For it is right
that we should search into the apostolic mind. Not only in the
beginning of the Epistles, but towards their close, and in the middle
of them, he used persuasions and admonitions. I hope therefore that, by
your prayers, I shall in no respect falsely represent the plan of that
holy man. As he was well skilled in these divine matters, and knew the
power of the divine teaching, he deemed it necessary, in the first
place, to make known the word concerning Christ, and the mystery
regarding Him; and then afterwards to point to the correction of
habits, so that when they had learned to know the Lord, they might
earnestly desire to do those things which He commanded. For when the
Guide to the laws is unknown, one does not readily pass on to the
observance of them. Faithful Moses, the minister of God, adopted this
method; for when he promulgated the words of the divine dispensation of
laws, he first proclaimed the matters relating to the knowledge of God:
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord4276
.’ Afterwards, having shadowed Him
forth to the people, and taught of Him in Whom they ought to believe,
and informed their minds of Him Who is truly God, he proceeds to lay
down the law relating to those things whereby a man may be
well-pleasing to Him, saying, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery;
thou shalt not steal;’ together with the other commandments. For
also, according to the Apostolic teaching, ‘He that draweth near
to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
seek Him4277
.’ Now He is sought by means of
virtuous deeds, as the prophet saith; ‘Seek ye the Lord, and when
ye have found Him, call upon Him; when He is near to you, let the
wicked forsake his ways, and the lawless man his thoughts4278
.’
4. It will also be well if a man is not offended
at the testimony of the Shepherd, saying in the beginning of his book,
‘Before all things believe that there is one God, Who created and
established all these things, and from non-existence called them into
being4279
.’ And, further, the blessed
Evangelists—who recorded the words of the Lord—in the
beginning of the Gospels, wrote the things concerning our Saviour; so
that, having first made known the Lord, the Creator, they might be
believed when narrating the events that took place. For how could they
have been believed, when writing respecting him who [was blind] from
his mother’s womb, and those other blind men who recovered their
sight, and those who rose from the dead, and the changing of water into
wine, and those lepers who were cleansed; if they had not taught of Him
as the Creator, writing, ‘In the beginning was the Word4280
?’ Or, according to Matthew, that He
Who was born of the seed of David, was Emmanuel, and the Son of the
living God? He from Whom the Jews, with the Arians, turn away their
faces, but Whom we acknowledge and worship. The Apostle therefore, as
was meet, sent to different people, but his own son he especially
reminded, ‘that he should not despise the things in which he had
been instructed by him,’ and enjoined on him, ‘Remember
Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, of the seed of David, according
to my Gospel4281
.’ And speaking of these things
being delivered to him, to be always had in remembrance, he immediately
writes to him, saying, ‘Meditate on these things: be engaged
in them.4282
’ For constant meditation, and the
remembrance of divine words, strengthens piety towards God, and
produces a love to Him inseparable and not merely formal4283
| 4283 The
Syriac word here rendered not merely formal is one which stems to take
no other meaning than ‘inexpiable’—a sense scarcely
admissible in this place. The Greek was probably ἀγαπὴν πρὸς
αὐτὸν
ἀχώριστον
καὶ οὐκ
ἀφοσιουμένην. This supposition would account for the Syriac
misapprehension of the word. | ; as he, being of this mind, speaks about
himself and others like-minded, saying boldly, ‘Who shall
separate us from the love of God4284
?’ For4285
| 4285 The
Syriac text from here to the words, ‘There is also such a proverb
as this’ (end of §), was discovered after Cureton’s
edition of the Syriac, and is absent in Larsow. | such men, being confirmed in the Lord, and
possessing an unshaken disposition towards Him, and being one in spirit
(for4286
‘he who is joined to the Spirit is one
spirit’), are sure ‘as the mount Sion;’ and although
ten thousand trials may rage against them, they are founded upon a
rock, which is Christ4287
. In Him the
careless take no delight; and having no continuous purpose of good,
they are sullied by temporal attacks, and esteem nothing more highly
than present things, being unstable and deserving reproof as regards
the faith. For ‘either the care of this world, or the
deceitfulness of riches, chokes them4288
;’ or, as
Jesus said in that parable which had reference to them, since they have
not established the faith that has been preached to them, but continue
only for a time, immediately, in time of persecution, or when
affliction ariseth through the word, they are offended. Now those who
meditate evil we say, [think] not truth, but falsehood and not
righteousness, but iniquity, for their tongue learns to speak lies.
They have done evil, and have not ceased that they might repent. For,
persevering with delight in wicked actions, they hasten thereto without
turning back, even treading under foot the commandment with regard to
neighbours, and, instead of loving them, devise evil against them, as
the saint testifies, saying, ‘And those who seek me evil have
spoken vanity, and imagined deceit all the day4289
.’ But that the cause of such
meditation is none other than the want of instruction, the divine
proverb has already declared; ‘The son that forsaketh the
commandment of his father meditateth evil words4290
.’ But such meditation, because it is
evil, the Holy Spirit blames in these words, and reproves too in other
terms, saying, ‘Your hands are polluted with blood, your fingers
with sins; your lips have spoken lawlessness, and your tongue imagineth
iniquity: no man speaketh right things, nor is there true judgment4291
.’ But what the end is of such perverse
imagining, He immediately declares, saying, ‘They trust in
vanities and speak falsehood; for they conceive mischief, and bring
forth lawlessness. They have hatched the eggs of an asp, and woven a
spider’s web; and he who is prepared to eat of their eggs, when
he breaks them finds gall, and a basilisk therein4292
.’ Again, what the hope of such is, He
has already announced. ‘Because righteousness does not overtake
them, when they waited for light, they had darkness; when they waited
for brightness, they walked in a thick cloud. They shall grope for the
wall like the blind, and as those who have no eyes shall they grope;
they shall fall at noon-day as at midnight; when dead, they shall
groan. They shall roar together as a bear, or as a dove4293
.’
This is the fruit of wickedness, these rewards
are given to its familiars, for perverseness does not deliver its own.
But in truth, against them it sets itself, and it tears them first, and
on them especially it summons ruin. Woe to them against whom these are
brought; for ‘it is sharper than a two-edged sword4294
,’ slaying beforehand and very swiftly
those who will lay hold of it. For their tongue, according to the
testimony of the Psalmist, is a ‘sharp sword, and their teeth
spears and arrows4295
.’ But the
wonderful part is that while often he against whom men imagine [harm]
suffers nothing, they are pierced by their own spears: for they
possess, even in themselves, before they reach others, anger, wrath,
malice, guile, hatred, bitterness. Although they may not be able to
bring these upon others, they forthwith return upon and against
themselves, as he prays, saying, ‘Let their sword enter into
their own heart.’ There is also such a proverb as this:
‘The wicked is held fast by the chain of his sins4296
.’
5. The Jews in their imaginings, and in their
agreeing to act unjustly against the Lord, forgot that they were
bringing wrath upon themselves. Therefore does the Word lament for
them, saying, ‘Why do the people exalt themselves, and the
nations imagine vain things4297
?’ For vain
indeed was the imagination of the Jews, meditating death against the
Life4298
| 4298 The
parallel clause of this sentence would seem to determine that by
‘Life’ here we must understand Christ. | , and devising unreasonable things against
the ‘Word of the Father4299
| 4299 ἄλογα
κατὰ τοῦ
Λόγου τοῦ
Πατρός. Cf.
Suicer. Thes. s.v. ῎Αλογος tom.
i. p. 199. | .’ For who
that looks upon their dispersion, and the desolation of their city, may
not aptly say, ‘Woe unto them, for they have imagined an evil imagination,
saying against their own soul, let us bind the righteous man, because
he is not pleasing to us4300
.’ And full
well is it so, my brethren; for when they erred concerning the
Scriptures, they knew not that ‘he who diggeth a pit for his
neighbour falleth therein; and he who destroyeth a hedge, a serpent
shall bite him4301
.’ And if they
had not turned their faces from the Lord, they would have feared what
was written before in the divine Psalms: ‘The heathen are caught
in the pit which they made; in the snare which they hid is their own
foot taken. The Lord is known when executing judgments: by the works of
his hands is the sinner taken4302
.’ Let them
observe this, and how that ‘the snare they know not shall come
upon them, and the net they hid take them4303
.’ But they understood not these
things, for had they done so, ‘they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory4304
.’
6. Therefore the righteous and faithful servants
of the Lord, who ‘are made disciples for the kingdom of heaven,
and bring forth from it things new and old;’ and who
‘meditate on the words of the Lord, when sitting in the house,
when lying down or rising up, and when walking by the way4305
;’—since they are of good hope
because of the promise of the Spirit which said, ‘Blessed is the
man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in
the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of corrupters; but his delight
is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and
night4306
;’—being grounded in faith,
rejoicing in hope, fervent in spirit, they have boldness to say,
‘My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart
shall be of understanding.’ And again, ‘I have meditated on
all Thy works, and on the work of Thy hands has been my
meditation.’ And, ‘If I have remembered Thee on my bed, and
in the morning have meditated on Thee4307
| 4307 Ib. xlix. 3; cxliii. 5; lxiii.
6. | .’ Afterwards, advancing in boldness,
they say, ‘The meditation of my heart is before Thee at all
times4308
.’ And what is the end of such an one?
He cites immediately; ‘The Lord is my Helper and my Redeemer4309
.’ For to those who thus examine
themselves, and conform their hearts to the Lord, nothing adverse shall
happen; for indeed, their heart is strengthened by confidence in the
Lord, as it is written, ‘They who trust in the Lord are as mount
Sion: he who dwelleth in Jerusalem shall not be moved for ever4310
.’ For if at any time, the crafty one
shall be presumptuously bold against them, chiefly that he may break
the rank of the saints, and cause a division among brethren; even in
this the Lord is with them, not only as an avenger on their behalf, but
also when they have already been beaten, as a deliverer for them. For
this is the divine promise; ‘The Lord shall fight for you4311
.’ Henceforth, although afflictions and
trials from without overtake them, yet, being fashioned after the
apostolic words, and ‘being stedfast in tribulations, and
persevering in prayers4312
’ and in
meditation on the law, they stand against those things which befall
them, are well-pleasing to God, and give utterance to the words which
are written, ‘Afflictions and distresses are come upon me; but
Thy commandments are my meditation4313
.’
7. And whereas, not only in action, but also in
the thoughts of the mind, men are moved to deeds of virtue, he
afterwards adds, saying, ‘Mine eyes prevent the dawn, that I
might meditate on Thy words4314
.’ For it is
meet that the spiritual meditations of those who are whole should
precede their bodily actions. And does not our Saviour, when intending
to teach this very thing begin with the thoughts of the mind? saying,
‘Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath already
committed adultery:’ and, ‘Whosoever shall be angry with
his brother, is guilty of murder4315
.’ For
where there is no wrath, murder is prevented; and where lust is first
removed, there can be no accusation of adultery. Hence meditation on
the law is necessary, my beloved, and uninterrupted converse with
virtue, ‘that the saint may lack nothing, but be perfect to every
good work4316
.’ For by these things is the
promise of eternal life, as Paul wrote to Timothy, calling constant
meditation exercise, and saying, ‘Exercise thyself unto
godliness; for bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness is
profitable for all things, since it has the promise of the present
life, and of that which is eternal4317
.’
8. Worthy of admiration is the virtue of that
man, my brethren! for through Timothy he enjoins upon all4318
| 4318 Cf.
Letter 3, §3, note 17; Apol. Const. 26. | , that they should have regard to nothing
more than to godliness, but above everything to adjudge the chief place
to faith in God. For what grace has the unrighteous man, though he may
feign to keep the commandments? Nay rather, the unrighteous man is
unable even to keep a portion of the law, for as is his mind, such of
necessity must be his actions; as the Spirit says, reproving such;
‘The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.’ After this the Word,
shewing that actions correspond with thoughts, says, ‘They are
corrupt; they are profane in their machinations4319
.’ The unrighteous man then, in every
respect corrupts his body; stealing, committing adultery, cursing,
being drunken, and doing such like things. Even as Jeremiah, the
prophet, convicts Israel of these things, crying out and saying,
‘Oh, that I had a lodge far off in the wilderness! then would I
leave my people and depart from them: for they are all adulterers, an
assembly of oppressors, who draw out their tongue as a bow; lying and
not truth has prevailed upon the earth, and they proceed from
iniquities to iniquities; but Me they have not known4320
.’ Thus, for wickedness and falsehood,
and for deeds, in which they [proceed] from iniquity to iniquity, he
reproves their practices; but, because they knew not the Lord, and were
faithless, he charges them with unrighteousness.
9. For faith and godliness are allied to each
other, and sisters; and he who believes in Him is godly, and he also
who is godly, believes the more4321
. He therefore
who is in a state of wickedness, undoubtedly also wanders from the
faith; and he who falls from godliness, falls from the true faith.
Paul, for instance, bearing testimony to the same point, advises his
disciple, saying, ‘Avoid profane conversations; for they increase
unto more ungodliness, and their word takes hold as doth a canker, of
whom are Hymenæus and Philetus4322
.’ In
what their wickedness consisted he declares, saying, ‘Who have
erred from the faith, saying that the resurrection is already past4323
.’ But again, desirous of shewing that
faith is yoked with godliness, the Apostle says, ‘And all those
who will live godly in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution4324
.’ Afterwards, that no man should
renounce godliness through persecution, he counsels them to preserve
the faith, adding, ‘Thou, therefore, continue in the things thou
hast learned, and hast been assured of4325
.’ And as when brother is helped by
brother, they become as a wall to each other; so faith and godliness,
being of like growth, hang together, and he who is practised in the
one, of necessity is strengthened by the other. Therefore, wishing the
disciple to be exercised in godliness unto the end, and to contend for
the faith, he counsels them, saying, ‘Fight the good fight of
faith, and lay hold on eternal life4326
.’ For if
a man first put away the wickedness of idols, and rightly confesses Him
Who is truly God, he next fights by faith with those who war against
Him.
10. For of these two things we speak
of—faith and godliness—the hope is the same, even
everlasting life; for he saith, ‘Fight the good fight of faith;
lay hold on eternal life.’ And, ‘exercise thyself unto
godliness, for it hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that
which is to come4327
.’ For this
cause, the Ario-maniacs, who now have gone out from the Church, being
opponents of Christ, have digged a pit of unbelief, into which they
themselves have been thrust; and, since they have advanced in
ungodliness, they ‘overthrow the faith of the simple4328
;’ blaspheming the Son of God, and
saying that He is a creature, and has His being from things which are
not. But as then against the adherents of Philetus and Hymenæus,
so now the Apostle forewarns all men against ungodliness like theirs,
saying, ‘The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal,
The Lord knoweth them that are His; and, Let every one that nameth the
name of the Lord depart from iniquity4329
.’ For it is well that a man should
depart from wickedness and deeds of iniquity, that he may be able
properly to celebrate the feast; for he who is defiled with the
pollutions of the wicked is not able to sacrifice the Passover to the
Lord our God. Hence, the people who were then in Egypt said, ‘We
cannot sacrifice the Passover in Egypt to the Lord our God4330
.’ For God, Who is over all, willed
that they should go far away from the servants of Pharaoh, and from the
furnace of iron; so that being set free from wickedness, and having
carefully put away from them all strange notions, they might receive
the knowledge of God and of virtuous actions. For He saith, ‘Go
far from them: depart from the midst of them, and touch not the unclean
things4331
.’ For a man will not otherwise
depart from sin, and lay hold on virtuous deeds, than by meditation on
his acts; and when he has been practised by exercise in godliness, he
will lay hold on the confession of faith4332
| 4332 The
Syriac appears to be a translation of κρατήσει
τῆς
ὁμολογίας
τῆς πίστεως
(cf. Heb. iv. 14). | ,
which also Paul, after he had fought the fight, possessed, namely, the
crown of righteousness which was laid up; which the righteous Judge
will give, not to him alone, but to all who are like him.
11. For such meditation and exercise in
godliness, being at all times the habit of the saints, is urgent on us
at the present time, when the divine word desires us to keep the feast
with them if we are in this disposition. For what else is the feast,
but the constant worship of God,
and the recognition of godliness, and unceasing prayers from the whole
heart with agreement? So Paul wishing us to be ever in this
disposition, commands, saying, ‘Rejoice evermore; pray without
ceasing; in everything give thanks4333
.’ Not
therefore separately, but unitedly and collectively, let us all keep
the feast together, as the prophet exhorts, saying, ‘O come, let
us rejoice in the Lord; let us make a joyful noise unto God our
Saviour4334
.’ Who then is so negligent, or
who so disobedient to the divine voice, as not to leave everything, and
run to the general and common assembly of the feast? which is not in
one place only, for not one place alone keeps the feast; but
‘into all the earth their song has gone forth, and to the ends of
the world their words.’ And the sacrifice is not offered in one
place, but ‘in every nation, incense and a pure sacrifice is
offered unto God4335
.’ So when in
like manner from all in every place, praise and prayer shall ascend to
the gracious and good Father, when the whole Catholic Church which is
in every place, with gladness and rejoicing, celebrates together the
same worship to God, when all men in common send up a song of praise
and say, Amen4336
| 4336 For a
parallel passage to this, vid. Letter x. 2. | ; how blessed will
it not be, my brethren! who will not, at that time, be engaged, praying
rightly? For the walls of every adverse power, yea even of Jericho
especially, falling down, and the gift4337
of
the Holy Spirit being then richly poured upon all men, every man
perceiving the coming of the Spirit shall say, ‘We are all filled
in the morning with Thy favour, and we rejoice and are made glad in our
days4338
.’
12. Since this is so, let us make a joyful noise
with the saints, and let no one of us fail of his duty in these things;
counting as nothing the affliction or the trials which, especially at
this time, have been enviously directed against us by the party of
Eusebius. Even now they wish to injure us, and by their accusations to
compass our death, because of that godliness, whose helper is the Lord.
But, as faithful servants of God, knowing that He is our salvation in
the time of trouble:—for our Lord promised beforehand, saying,
‘Blessed are ye when men revile you and persecute you, and say
all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad, for your reward is great in heaven4339
.’ Again, it is the Redeemer’s
own word, that affliction shall not befall every man in this world, but
only those who have a holy fear of Him:—on this account, the more
the enemies hem us in, the more let us be at liberty; although they
revile us, let us come together; and the more they would turn us aside
from godliness, let us the more boldly preach it saying, ‘All
these things are come upon us, yet have we not forgotten Thee4340
,’ and we have not done evil with the
Ario-maniacs, who say that Thou hast existence from those things that
exist not. The Word which is eternally with the Father, is also from
Him.
13. Let us therefore keep the feast, my brethren,
celebrating it not at all as an occasion of distress and mourning,
neither let us mingle with heretics through temporal trials brought
upon us by godliness. But if anything that would promote joy and
gladness should offer, let us attend to it; so that our heart may not
be sad, like that of Cain; but that, like faithful and good servants of
the Lord, we may hear the words, ‘Enter into the joy of thy
Lord4341
.’ For we do not institute days of
mourning and sorrow, as some may consider these of Easter to be, but we
keep the feast, being filled with joy and gladness. We keep it then,
not regarding it after the deceitful error of the Jews, nor according
to the teaching of the Arians, which takes away the Son from the
Godhead, and numbers Him among creatures; but we look to the correct
doctrine we derive from the Lord. For the guile of the Jews, and the
unbounded impiety of the Arians, cause nothing but sad reflections, for
the former at the beginning slew the Lord; but these latter take away
His position of having conquered that death to which the Jews brought
Him, in that they say He is not the Creator, but a creature. For if He
were a creature, He would have been holden by death; but if He was not
holden by death, according to the Scriptures, He is not a creature, but
the Lord of the creatures, and the subject4342
| 4342 Syr. ὑπόθεσις. Cf. Letter x. 2, note 8. | of
this immortal feast.
14. For the Lord of death would abolish death,
and being Lord, what He would was accomplished; for we have all passed
from death unto life. But the imagination of the Jews, and of those who
are like them, was vain, since the result was not such as they
contemplated, but turned out adverse to themselves; and ‘at both
of them He that sitteth in the heaven shall laugh: the Lord shall have
them in derision4343
.’ Hence, when
our Saviour was led to death, He restrained the women who followed Him
weeping, saying, ‘Weep not for Me4344
;’ meaning to shew that the
Lord’s death is an event, not of sorrow but of joy, and that He
Who dies for us is alive. For He does not derive His being from those
things which are not, but from the
Father. It is truly a subject of joy, that we can see the signs of
victory against death, even our own incorruptibility, through the body
of the Lord. For since He rose gloriously, it is clear that the
resurrection of all of us will take place; and since His body remained
without corruption, there can be no doubt regarding our incorruption4345
. For as by one man4346
,
as saith Paul (and it is the truth), sin passed upon all men, so by the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall all rise.
‘For,’ he says, ‘this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality4347
.’ Now this came to pass in the time of
the Passion, in which our Lord died for us, for ‘our Passover,
Christ, is sacrificed4348
.’ Therefore,
because He was sacrificed, let each of us feed upon Him, and with
alacrity and diligence partake of His sustenance; since He is given to
all without grudging, and is in every one ‘a well of water
flowing to everlasting life4349
.’
15. We begin the fast of forty days on the ninth
of the month Phamenoth (Mar. 5); and having, in these days, served the
Lord with abstinence, and first purified ourselves4350
, we commence also the holy Easter on the
fourteenth of the month Pharmuthi (April 9). Afterwards, extending the
fast to the seventh day, on the seventeenth4351
of
the month, let us rest late in the evening. And the light of the Lord
having first dawned upon us, and the holy Sunday on which our Lord rose
shining upon us, we should rejoice and be glad with the joy which
arises from good works, during the seven weeks which remain—to
Pentecost—giving glory to the Father, and saying, ‘This is
the day which the Lord hath made: we will rejoice and be glad in it,4352
’ through our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, through Whom to the same, and to His Father, be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Salute one another with a holy kiss.
All the brethren who are with me salute you. That ye may have health in
the Lord, I pray, brethren beloved.
Here endeth the eleventh Letter of holy
Athanasius. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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