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| On the words, Crucified and Buried.
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Lecture XIII.
On the words, Crucified and
Buried.
Isaiah liii. 1; 7
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of
the Lord revealed?…He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
&c.
1. Every deed of
Christ is a cause of glorying to the Catholic Church, but her greatest
of all glorying is in the Cross; and knowing this, Paul says, But
God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of
Christ1484
. For wondrous
indeed it was, that one who was blind from his birth should receive
sight in Siloam1485
| 1485 Cf. Athanas. (de
Incarn. § 18, 49). | ; but what is this
compared with the blind of the whole world? A great thing it was,
and passing nature, for Lazarus to rise again on the fourth day; but
the grace extended to him alone, and what was it compared with the dead
in sins throughout the world? Marvellous it was, that five loaves
should pour forth food for the five thousand; but what is that to those
who are famishing in ignorance through all the world? It was
marvellous that she should have been loosed who had been bound by Satan
eighteen years: yet what is this to all of us, who were fast
bound in the chains of our sins? But the glory of the Cross led
those who were blind through ignorance into light, loosed all who were
held fast by sin, and ransomed the whole world of mankind.
2. And wonder not that the whole world was
ransomed; for it was no mere man, but the only-begotten Son of God, who
died on its behalf. Moreover one man’s sin, even
Adam’s, had power to bring death to the world; but if by the
trespass of the one death reigned over the world, how shall not
life much rather reign by the righteousness of the One1486
? And if because of the tree of food
they were then cast out of paradise, shall not believers now more
easily enter into paradise because of the Tree of Jesus? If the
first man formed out of the earth brought in universal death, shall not
He who formed him out of the earth bring in eternal life, being Himself
the Life? If Phinees, when he waxed zealous and slew the
evil-doer, staved the wrath of God, shall not Jesus, who slew not
another, but gave up Himself for a ransom1487
, put away the wrath which is against
mankind?
3. Let us then not be ashamed of the Cross
of our Saviour, but rather glory in it. For the word of the
Cross is unto Jews a stumbling-block, and unto Gentiles
foolishness, but to us salvation: and to them that are
perishing it is foolishness, but unto us which are being saved it is
the power of God1488
. For it was
not a mere man who died for us, as I said before, but the Son of God,
God made man. Further; if the lamb under Moses drove the
destroyer1489
far away, did not
much rather the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world1490
, deliver us from
our sins? The blood of a silly sheep gave salvation; and shall
not the Blood of the Only-begotten much rather save? If any
disbelieve the power of the Crucified, let him ask the devils; if any
believe not words, let him believe what he sees. Many have been
crucified throughout the world, but by none of these are the devils
scared; but when they see even the Sign of the Cross of Christ, who was
crucified for us, they shudder1491
| 1491 Cf. Cat. i. 3; xvii.
35, 36. | . For those
men died for their own sins, but Christ for the sins of others; for He
did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth1492
. It is not Peter who says this, for
then we might suspect that he was partial to his Teacher; but it is
Esaias who says it, who was not indeed present with Him in the flesh,
but in the Spirit foresaw His coming in the flesh. Yet why now
bring the Prophet only as a witness? take for a witness Pilate himself,
who gave sentence upon Him, saying, I find no fault in this
Man1493
: and when he
gave Him up, and had washed his hands, he said, I am innocent of the
blood of this just person1494
. There is yet
another witness of the sinlessness of Jesus,—the robber, the
first man admitted into Paradise; who rebuked his fellow, and said,
“We receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath
done nothing amiss1495
| 1495 Luke xxiii. 41. Cf. Cat. xiii. 30, 31. The
Benedictine Editor remarks, “We know not whence Cyril took the
notion that the two robbers were present at the trial of
Jesus.” He may have inferred from the words ἐν
τῷ αὐτῷ
κρίματι that the sentence of
crucifixion was pronounced on them at the same time as on Jesus. | ; for we were
present, both thou and I, at His judgment.”
4. Jesus then really suffered for all men;
for the Cross was no illusion1496
| 1496 δόκησις. Cf.
Ignat. Smyrn. § 2: “He suffered truly, as also
He raised Himself truly: not as certain unbelievers say, that He
suffered in semblance (τὸ
δοκεῖν αὐτὸν
πεπονθέναι).”
See § 37, below. | , otherwise our
redemption is an illusion also. His death was not a mere
show1497
| 1497 φαντασιώδης.
Athanas. c. Apollinar. § 3: “Supposing
the exhibition and the endurance of the Passion to be a mere show
(φαντασίαν).” | , for then is our salvation also
fabulous. If His death was but a show, they were true who said,
We remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After
three days I rise again1498
. His Passion
then was real: for He was really crucified, and we are not
ashamed thereat; He was crucified, and we deny it not, nay, I rather
glory to speak of it. For though I should now deny it, here is
Golgotha to confute me, near which we are now assembled; the wood of
the Cross confutes me, which was afterwards distributed piecemeal from
hence to all the world1499
. I confess
the Cross, because I know of the Resurrection; for if, after being
crucified, He had remained as He was, I had not perchance confessed it,
for I might have concealed both it and my Master; but now that the
Resurrection has followed the Cross, I am not ashamed to declare
it.
5. Being then in the flesh like others, He
was crucified, but not for the like sins. For He was not led to
death for covetousness, since He was a Teacher of poverty; nor was He
condemned for concupiscence, for He Himself says plainly, Whosoever
shall look upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with
her already1500
; not for smiting or
striking hastily, for He turned the other cheek also to the smiter; not
for despising the Law, for He was the fulfiller of the Law; not for
reviling a prophet, for it was Himself who was proclaimed by the
Prophets; not for defrauding any of their hire, for He ministered
without reward and freely; not for sinning in words, or deeds, or
thoughts, He who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth;
who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered,
threatened not1501
; who came to His
passion, not unwillingly, but willing; yea, if any dissuading Him say
even now, Be it far from Thee, Lord, He will say again, Get thee
behind Me, Satan1502
.
6. And wouldest thou be persuaded that He
came to His passion willingly? others, who foreknow it not, die
unwillingly; but He spoke before of His passion: Behold, the
Son of man is betrayed to be crucified1503
. But knowest thou wherefore this
Friend of man shunned not death? It was lest the whole world
should perish in its sins. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and
the Son of man shall be betrayed, and shall be crucified1504
; and again, He stedfastly set His face to
go to Jerusalem1505
. And wouldest
thou know certainly, that the Cross is a glory to Jesus? Hear His
own words, not mine. Judas had become ungrateful to the Master of
the house, and was about to betray Him. Having but just now gone
forth from the table, and drunk His cup of blessing, in return for that
drought of salvation he sought to shed righteous blood. He who
did eat of His bread, was lifting up his heel against Him1506
; his hands were but lately receiving the
blessed gifts1507
| 1507 “τὰς
εὐλογίας. The
word has this meaning in Chrysostom and Cyril of Alexandria also;
afterwards it came to signify consecrated bread, distinct from that of
the Eucharist. Vid. Bingham, Antiq. xv. 4, §
3.” (R.W.C.)
The custom of sending the bread of the
Eucharist was forbidden in the latter part of the 4th century by the
Synod of Laodicea, Canon 14: “At Easter the Host shall no
more be sent into foreign dioceses as
eulogiae.” Bp. Hefele (Councils II. p.
308) says—“It was a custom in the ancient Church, not
indeed to consecrate, but to bless those of the several breads of the
same form laid on the altar which were not needed for the Communion,
and to employ them partly for the maintenance of the Clergy, and partly
for distributing them to those of the faithful who did not communicate
at the Mass.” See Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. V.
24), with the note thereon in this Series. | , and presently for
the wages of betrayal he was plotting His death. And being
reproved, and having heard that word, Thou hast said1508
, he again went out: then said Jesus,
The hour is come, that the Son of man should be
glorified1509
. Seest thou
how He knew the Cross to be His proper glory? What then, is
Esaias not ashamed of being sawn asunder1510
| 1510 See Cat. ii. 14, note
4. | ,
and shall Christ be ashamed of dying for the world? Now is the
Son of man glorified1511
. Not that He
was without glory before: for He was glorified with the
glory which was before the foundation of the world1512
. He was ever glorified as God; but now
He was to be glorified in wearing the Crown of His patience. He
gave not up His life by compulsion, nor was He put to death by
murderous violence, but of His own accord. Hear what He
says: I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to
take it again1513
: I yield it
of My own choice to My enemies; for unless I chose, this could
not be. He came therefore of
His own set purpose to His passion, rejoicing in His noble deed,
smiling at the crown, cheered by the salvation of mankind; not ashamed
of the Cross, for it was to save the world. For it was no common
man who suffered, but God in man’s nature, striving for the prize
of His patience.
7. But the Jews contradict this1514
| 1514 There is so close a
resemblance between the remainder of this Lecture and the explanation
of the same Article of the Creed by Rufinus, that “I have no
doubt,” says the Benedictine Editor, “that Rufinus drew
from Cyril’s fountains.” Cf. Rufin. de
Symbolo, § 19, sqq. | , ever ready, as they are, to cavil, and
backward to believe; so that for this cause the Prophet just now read
says, Lord, who hath believed our report1515
? Persians believe1516
| 1516 Cf. Acts ii. 9: Parthians and Medes and
Elamites. These Jewish converts of the day of Pentecost would
naturally be the first heralds of the Gospel in their respective
countries. On the dispersion of the Apostles, “Parthia,
according to tradition, was allotted to Thomas as his field of
labour” (Euseb. Hist. Eccl. III. 1; cf. I.
13). An earlier notice of the tradition is found in the
Clementine Recognitions, L. IX. c. 29, where the Pseudo-Clement
professes to have received a letter from “Thomas, who is
preaching the Gospel among them.” | , and Hebrews believe not; they shall see,
to whom He was not spoken of, and they that have not heard shall
understand1517
, while they who
study these things shall set at nought what they study. They
speak against us, and say, “Does the Lord then suffer?
What? Had men’s hands power over His
sovereignty?” Read the Lamentations; for in those
Lamentations, Jeremias, lamenting you, wrote what is worthy of
lamentations. He saw your destruction, he beheld your downfall,
he bewailed Jerusalem which then was; for that which now
is1518
shall not be
bewailed; for that Jerusalem crucified the Christ, but that which
now is worships Him. Lamenting then he says, The breath of
our countenance, Christ the Lord was taken in our
corruptions1519
. Am I then
stating views of my own? Behold he testifies of the Lord Christ
seized by men. And what is to follow from this? Tell me, O
Prophet. He says, Of whom we said, Under His shadow we shall
live among the nations1520
. For he
signifies that the grace of life is no longer to dwell in Israel, but
among the Gentiles.
8. But since there has been much gainsaying
by them, come, let me, with the help of your prayers, (as the shortness
of the time may allow,) set forth by the grace of the Lord some few
testimonies concerning the Passion. For the things concerning
Christ are all put into writing, and nothing is doubtful, for nothing
is without a text. All are inscribed on the monuments of the
Prophets; clearly written, not on tablets of stone, but by the Holy
Ghost. Since then thou hast heard the Gospel speaking concerning
Judas, oughtest thou not to receive the testimony to it? Thou
hast heard that He was pierced in the side by a spear; oughtest thou
not to see whether this also is written? Thou hast heard that He
was crucified in a garden; oughtest thou not to see whether this also
is written? Thou hast heard that He was sold for thirty pieces of
silver; oughtest thou not to learn what prophet spake this? Thou
hast heard that He was given vinegar to drink; learn where this also is
written. Thou hast heard that His body was laid in a rock, and
that a stone was set over it; oughtest thou not to receive this
testimony also from the prophet? Thou hast heard that He was
crucified with robbers; oughtest thou not to see whether this also is
written? Thou hast heard that He was buried; oughtest thou not to
see whether the circumstances of His burial are anywhere accurately
written? Thou hast heard that He rose again; oughtest thou not to
see whether we mock thee in teaching these things? For our
speech and our preaching is not in persuasive words of man’s
wisdom1521
| 1521 1 Cor. ii. 4. The simple style of the New
Testament is defended by Origen, c. Celsum, iii. 68, and in many
other passages. | . We stir now
no sophistical contrivances; for these become exposed; we do not
conquer words with words1522
| 1522 Cyril alludes to
the same proverb in the Homily on the Paralytic, c. 14:
“Word resists word, but a deed is irresistible.” The
Jerusalem Editor refers to Gregory Nazianzen (Tom. II. p.
596): Δόγῳ
παλαίει πᾶς
λόγος. | , for these come to
an end; but we preach Christ Crucified1523
,
who has already been preached aforetime by the Prophets. But do
thou, I pray, receive the testimonies, and seal them in thine
heart. And, since they are many, and the rest of our time is
narrowed into a short space, listen now to a few of the more important
as time permits; and having received these beginnings, be diligent and
seek out the remainder. Let not thine hand be only stretched out
to receive, but let it be also ready to work1524
| 1524 Ecclus. iv. 31: Let not thine hand be
stretched out to receive, and shut when thou shouldest repay.
The passage is quoted in the Didaché, c. iv.,
Barnab. Epist. c. xix., and Constit. Apost. VII.
11. | . God gives all things freely.
For if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who
giveth1525
, and he shall
receive. May He through your prayer grant utterance to us who
speak, and faith to you who hear.
9. Let us then seek the testimonies to the
Passion of Christ: for we are met together, not now to make a
speculative exposition of the Scriptures, but rather to be certified of
the things which we already believe. Now thou hast received from
me first the testimonies concerning the coming of Jesus; and concerning
His walking on the sea, for it is written, Thy way is in the
sea1526
. Also
concerning divers cures thou hast on another occasion
received testimony. Now therefore I begin from whence the Passion
began. Judas was the traitor, and he came against Him, and stood,
speaking words of peace, but plotting war. Concerning him,
therefore, the Psalmist says, My friends and My neighbours drew near
against Me, and stood1527
. And again,
Their words were softer than oil, yet be they spears1528
. Hail, Master1529
; yet he was betraying his Master to death;
he was not abashed at His warning, when He said, Judas, betrayest
than the Son of Man with a kiss1530
? for what He
said to him was just this, Recollect thine own name; Judas means
confession1531
; thou hast
covenanted, thou hast received the money, make confession
quickly. O God, pass not over My praise in silence; for the
mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitful, are opened against
Me; they have spoken against Me with a treacherous tongue, they have
compassed Me about also with words of hatred1532
. But that some of the chief-priests
also were present, and that He was put in bonds before the gates of the
city, thou hast heard before, if thou rememberest the exposition of the
Psalm, which has told the time and the place; how they returned at
evening, and hungered like dogs, and encompassed the city1533
.
10. Listen also for the thirty pieces of
silver. And I will say to them, If it be good in your sight,
give me my price, or refuse1534
, and the
rest. One price is owing to Me from you for My healing the blind
and lame, and I receive another; for thanksgiving, dishonour, and for
worship, insult. Seest thou how the Scripture foresaw these
things? And they weighed for My price thirty pieces of
silver1535
. How exact
the prophecy! how great and unerring the wisdom of the Holy
Ghost! For he said, not ten, nor twenty, but thirty, exactly as
many as there were. Tell also what becomes of this price, O
Prophet! Does he who received it keep it? or does he give it
back? and after he has given it back, what becomes of it? The
Prophet says then, And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast
them into the house of the Lord, into the foundry1536
. Compare the Gospel with the
Prophecy: Judas, it says, repented himself, and cast
down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed1537
.
11. But now I have to seek the exact
solution of this seeming discrepancy. For they who make light of
the prophets, allege that the Prophet says on the one hand, And I
cast them into the house of the Lord, into the foundry, but the
Gospel on the other hand, And they gave them for the potter’s
field1538
. Hear then
how they are both true. For those conscientious Jews forsooth,
the high-priests of that time, when they saw that Judas repented and
said, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed innocent blood,
reply, What is that to us, see thou to that1539
. Is it then nothing to you, the
crucifiers? but shall he who received and restored the price of murder
see to it, and shall ye the murderers not see to it? Then they
say among themselves, It is not lawful to cast them into the
treasury, because it is the price of blood1540
. Out of your own mouths is your
condemnation; if the price is polluted, the deed is polluted
also: but if thou art fulfilling righteousness in crucifying
Christ, why receivest thou not the price of it? But the point of
iniquity is this: how is there no disagreement, if the Gospel
says, the potter’s field, and the Prophet, the
foundry? Nay, but not only people who are goldsmiths, or
brass-founders, have a foundry, but potters also have foundries for
their clay. For they sift off the fine and rich and useful earth
from the gravel, and separate from it the mass of the refuse matter,
and temper the clay first with water, that they may work it with ease
into the forms intended. Why then wonderest thou that the Gospel
says plainly the potter’s field, whereas the Prophet spoke
his prophecy like an enigma, since prophecy is in many places
enigmatical?
12. They bound Jesus, and brought Him into
the hall of the High-priest. And wouldest thou learn and know
that this also is written? Esaias says, Woe unto their soul,
for they have taken evil counsel against themselves, saying, Let us
bind the Just, for He is troublesome to us1541
| 1541 Isa. iii. 9: (R.V.) they have
rewarded evil unto themselves. Say ye of the righteous, that it
shall be well with him/ In the Septuagint, from which Cyril
quotes, there is an evident interpolation of Wisdom ii. 12: Let us lie in wait for
the righteous; because he is not for our turn (δύσχρηστος,
as in Cyril). | . And truly, Woe unto their
soul! Let us see how Esaias was sawn asunder, yet after this
the people was restored. Jeremias was cast into the mire of the
cistern, yet was the wound of the Jews healed; for the sin was less,
since it was against man. But when the Jews sinned, not against
man, but against God in man’s nature, Woe unto their
soul!—Let us bind the Just; could He not then set
Himself free, some one will say; He, who freed Lazarus from the bonds
of death on the fourth day, and loosed Peter from the iron bands of a prison?
Angels stood ready at hand, saying, Let us burst their bands in
sunder1542
; but they hold
back, because their Lord willed to undergo it. Again, He was led
to the judgment-seat before the Elders; thou hast already the testimony
to this, The Lord Himself will come into judgment with the ancients
of His people, and with the princes thereof1543
.
13. But the High-priest having questioned
Him, and heard the truth, is wroth; and the wicked officer of wicked
men smites Him; and the countenance, which had shone as the sun,
endured to be smitten by lawless hands. Others also come and spit
on the face of Him, who by spittle had healed the man who was blind
from his birth. Do ye thus requite the Lord? This people
is foolish and unwise1544
. And the
Prophet greatly wondering, says, Lord, who hath believed our
report1545
? for the thing is
incredible, that God, the Son of God, and the Arm of the
Lord1546
, should suffer such
things. But that they who are being saved may not disbelieve, the
Holy Ghost writes before, in the person of Christ, who says, (for He
who then spake these things, was afterward Himself an actor in them,)
I gave My back to the scourges; (for Pilate, when he had
scourged Him, delivered Him to be crucified1547
;)
and My cheeks to smitings; and My face I turned not away from the
shame of spittings; saying, as it were, “Though knowing
before that they will smite Me, I did not even turn My cheek aside; for
how should I have nerved My disciples against death for truth’s
sake, had I Myself dreaded this?” I said. He that loveth
his life shall lose it1548
: if I had
loved My life, how was I to teach without practising what I
taught? First then, being Himself God, He endured to suffer these
things at the hands of men; that after this, we men, when we suffer
such things at the hands of men for His sake, might not be
ashamed. Thou seest that of these things also the prophets have
clearly written beforehand. Many, however, of the Scripture
testimonies I pass by for want of time, as I said before; for if one
should exactly search out all, not one of the things concerning Christ
would be left without witness.
14. Having been bound, He came from Caiaphas
to Pilate,—is this too written? yes; And having bound Him,
they led Him away as a present to the king of Jarim1549
| 1549 Hosea x. 6: (R.V.) It also shall be
carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb. This
passage is applied in the same manner to Luke xxiii. 7 by Justin M. (Tryph. §
103), Tertullian (c. Marcion. iv. 42), and Rufinus
(de Symbolo, § 21), who adds,—“And rightly does
the Prophet add the name ‘Jarim,’ which means ‘a wild
vine,’ for Herod was…a wild vine, i.e. of an alien
stock.” For the various interpretations of the name see the
Commentaries on Hosea v. 13, and x. 6; Schrader, Cuneijorm
Inscriptions, II. § 439, Driver, Introduction to O.
T. Literature, p. 283. | . But here some sharp hearer will
object, “Pilate was not a king,” (to leave for a while the
main parts of the question,) “how then having bound Him, led they
Him as a present to the king?” But read thou the Gospel;
When Pilate heard that He was of Galilee, he sent Him to
Herod1550
; for Herod was then
king, and was present at Jerusalem. And now observe the exactness
of the Prophet; for he says, that He was sent as a present; for the
same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together, for before they
were at enmity1551
. For it
became Him who was on the eve of making peace between earth and heaven,
to make the very men who condemned Him the first to be at peace; for
the Lord Himself was there present, who reconciles1552
| 1552 Job xii. 24: (R.V.) He taketh away
the heart of the chiefs of the people of the earth. The
rendering “who reconciles” (ὁ διαλλάσσων,
Sept.) is forbidden by the context. | the hearts of the princes of the
earth. Mark the exactness of the Prophets, and their true
testimony.
15. Look with awe then at the Lord who was
judged. He suffered Himself to be led and carried by
soldiers. Pilate sat in judgment, and He who sitteth on the right
hand of the Father, stood and was judged1553
| 1553 Some
mss. have ἠνεσχετο or ἠνείχετο, “He
submitted to stand.” | . The people whom He had redeemed from
the land of Egypt, and oftimes from other places, shouted against Him,
Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him1554
. Wherefore, O ye Jews? because He
healed your blind? or because He made your lame to walk, and bestowed
His other benefits? So that the Prophet in amazement speaks of
this too, Against whom have ye opened your mouth, and against whom
have ye let loose your tongue1555
? and the Lord
Himself says in the Prophets, Mine heritage became unto Me as a lion
in the forest; it gave its voice against Me; therefore have I hated
it1556
. I have not
refused them, but they have refused Me; in consequence thereof I say,
I have forsaken My house1557
.
16. When He was judged, He held His peace;
so that Pilate was moved for Him, and said, Hearest Thou not what
these witness against Thee1558
? Not that He
knew Him who was judged, but he feared his own wife’s dream which
had been reported to him. And Jesus held His peace. The
Psalmist says, And I became as a man that heareth not; and in whose
mouth are no reproofs1559
; and again, But
I was as a deaf man and heard not; and as a dumb man that openeth not
his mouth1560
. Thou
hast before heard concerning
this1561
| 1561 “Perhaps in some
Homily” (Ben. Ed.). | , if thou rememberest.
17. But the soldiers who crowd around mock
Him, and their Lord becomes a sport to them, and upon their Master they
make jests. When they looked on Me, they shaked their
heads1562
. Yet the
figure of kingly state appears; for though in mockery, yet they bend
the knee. And the soldiers before they crucify Him, put on Him a
purple robe, and set a crown on His head; for what though it be of
thorns? Every king is proclaimed by soldiers; and Jesus also must
in a figure be crowned by soldiers; so that for this cause the
Scripture says in the Canticles, Go forth, O ye daughters of
Jerusalem, and look upon King Solomon in the crown wherewith His mother
crowned Him1563
. And the
crown itself was a mystery; for it was a remission of sins, a release
from the curse.
18. Adam received the sentence, Cursed is
the ground in thy labours; thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to
thee1564
| 1564 Gen. iii. 17, 18. By mistaking one letter in the
Hebrew, the Seventy give the meaning “in thy labours”
instead of “for thy sake.” | . For this
cause Jesus assumes the thorns, that He may cancel the sentence; for
this cause also was He buried in the earth, that the earth which had
been cursed might receive the blessing instead of a curse. At the
time of the sin, they clothed themselves with fig-leaves; for this
cause Jesus also made the fig-tree the last of His signs. For
when about to go to His passion, He curses the fig-tree, not every
fig-tree, but that one alone, for the sake of the figure; saying, No
more let any man eat fruit of thee1565
;
let the doom be cancelled. And because they aforetime clothed
themselves with fig-leaves, He came at a season when food was not wont
to be found on the fig-tree. Who knows not that in winter-time
the fig-tree bears no fruit, but is clothed with leaves only? Was
Jesus ignorant of this, which all knew? No, but though He knew,
yet He came as if seeking; not ignorant that He should not find, but
shewing that the emblematical curse extended to the leaves
only.
19. And since we have touched on things
connected with Paradise, I am truly astonished at the truth of the
types. In Paradise was the Fall, and in a Garden was our
Salvation. From the Tree came sin, and until the Tree sin
lasted. In the evening, when the Lord walked in the Garden,
they hid themselves1566
; and in the evening
the robber is brought by the Lord into Paradise. But some one
will say to me, “Thou art inventing subtleties; shew me from some
prophet the Wood of the Cross; except thou give me a testimony from a
prophet, I will not be persuaded. Hear then from Jeremias, and
assure thyself; I was like a harmless lamb led to be slaughtered;
did I not know it1567
| 1567 Jer. xi. 19: I was like a tame
(R.V. gentle) lamb that is led to the slaughter; and I knew
not that they had devised devices against me. Cyril’s
interrogative rendering is not admissible. | ? (for in this
manner read it as a question, as I have read it; for He who said, Ye
know that after two days comes the passover, and the Son of Man is
betrayed to be crucified1568
, did He not know?)
I was like a harmless lamb led to be slaughtered; did I not know
it? (but what sort of lamb? let John the Baptist interpret it, when
he says, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the
world1569
.) They devised against Me a wicked
device, saying1570
—(He who knows
the devices, knew He not the result of them? And what said
they?)—Come, and let us place a beam upon His
bread1571
| 1571 Ibid. R.V. Let us destroy the tree with the fruit
thereof. The word rendered fruit is literally
bread. The phrase is evidently proverbial. The
Hebrew word which means “destroy” is misinterpreted
by ἐμβάλωμεν in
the Greek. Hence arose the fanciful application of the passage to
the cross laid on the body of Christ to be borne by Him. Justin
M. (Tryph. lxxii.) charges the Jews with having recently cut out
the passage because of the supposed reference to Christ.
Tertullian (adv. Judæos, c. 10) writes: “Of
course on His body that ‘wood’ was put; for so Christ has
revealed, calling His body ‘bread.’” He gives
the same interpretation elsewhere (adv. Marcion. III. 19; IV.
40). Cf. Cyprian (Testimonia ad Quirinum, Lib. II. 15);
Athanas. (de Incarn. § 33). | —(and if the
Lord reckon thee worthy, thou shalt hereafter learn, that His body
according to the Gospel bore the figure of bread;)—Come
then, and let us place a beam upon His bread, and cut Him off out of
the land of the living;—(life is not cut off, why labour ye
for nought?)—And His name shall be remembered no
more. Vain is your counsel; for before the sun His
Name1572
abideth in the
Church. And that it was Life, which hung on the Cross, Moses
says, weeping, And thy life shall be hanging before thine eyes; and
thou shalt be afraid day and night, and thou shalt not trust thy
life1573
. And so too,
what was just now read as the text, Lord, who hath believed our
report?
20. This was the figure which Moses
completed by fixing the serpent to a cross, that whoso had been bitten
by the living serpent, and looked to the brasen serpent, might be saved
by believing1574
| 1574 Num. xxi. 9; John iii. 14. The Jerusalem Editor asks,
“How did Moses complete the figure by fixing the serpent to a
cross? First he set up the wood and fixed it in the earth as a
post: then by putting the brazen serpent athwart (πλαγίως, he
formed a figure of the Cross.” Cf. Barnab.
Epist. c. xii.; Justin M. (Apol. i. c. 60); Iren.
(Hæres. IV. c. 2); Tertull. adv. Judæos,
c. 10). | . Does then
the brazen serpent save when crucified, and shall not the Son of God
incarnate save when crucified also? On each occasion life comes
by means of wood. For in the time of Noe the preservation of life was by an
ark of wood. In the time of Moses the sea, on beholding the
emblematical rod, was abashed at him who smote it; is then Moses’
rod mighty, and is the Cross of the Saviour powerless? But I pass
by the greater part of the types, to keep within measure. The
wood in Moses’ case sweetened the water; and from the side of
Jesus the water flowed upon the wood.
21. The beginning of signs under Moses was
blood and water; and the last of all Jesus’ signs was the
same. First, Moses changed the river into blood; and Jesus at the
last gave forth from His side water with blood. This was perhaps
on account of the two speeches, his who judged Him, and theirs who
cried out against Him; or because of the believers and the
unbelievers. For Pilate said, I am innocent and washed his
hands in water; they who cried out against Him said, His blood be
upon us1575
: there came
therefore these two out of His side; the water, perhaps, for him who
judged Him; but for them that shouted against Him the blood. And
again it is to be understood in another way; the blood for the Jews,
and the water for the Christians: for upon them as plotters came
the condemnation from the blood; but to thee who now believest, the
salvation which is by water. For nothing has been done without a
meaning. Our fathers who have written comments have given another
reason of this matter. For since in the Gospels the power of
salutary Baptism is twofold, one which is granted by means of water to
the illuminated, and a second to holy martyrs, in persecutions, through
their own blood, there came out of that saving Side blood and
water1576
| 1576 John xix. 34. Cf. Cat. iii. 10. Origen
(In Lib. Judic. Hom. vii. § 2): “It is the
Baptism of blood alone that can render us purer than the Baptism of
water has done.” Cf. Origen (in Ev. Matt. Tom.
xvi. 6): “If Baptism promises remission of sins, as we have
received concerning Baptism in water and the Spirit, and if one who has
endured the Baptism of Martyrdom receives remission of sins, then with
good reason martyrdom may be called a Baptism.” For a
summary of the “Patristic Interpretation” of the passage,
see Bp. Westcott, Speaker’s Commentary.) | , to confirm the grace of the confession made
for Christ, whether in baptism, or on occasions of martyrdom.
There is another reason also for mentioning the Side. The woman,
who was formed from the side, led the way to sin; but Jesus who came to
bestow the grace of pardon on men and women alike, was pierced in the
side for women, that He might undo the sin.
22. And whoever will inquire, will find
other reasons also; but what has been said is enough, because of the
shortness of the time, and that the attention of my hearers may not
become sated. And yet we never can be tired of hearing concerning
the crowning of our Lord, and least of all in this most holy
Golgotha. For others only hear, but we both see and handle.
Let none be weary; take thine armour against the adversaries in the
cause of the Cross itself; set up the faith of the Cross as a trophy
against the gainsayers. For when thou art going to dispute with
unbelievers concerning the Cross of Christ, first make with thy hand
the sign of Christ’s Cross, and the gainsayer will be
silenced. Be not ashamed to confess the Cross; for Angels glory
in it, saying, We know whom ye seek, Jesus the
Crucified1577
. Mightest
thou not say, O Angel, “I know whom ye seek, my
Master?” But, “I,” he says with boldness,
“I know the Crucified.” For the Cross is a Crown, not
a dishonour.
23. Now let us recur to the proof out of the
Prophets which I spoke of. The Lord was crucified; thou hast
received the testimonies. Thou seest this spot of Golgotha!
Thou answerest with a shout of praise, as if assenting. See that
thou recant not in time of persecution. Rejoice not in the Cross
in time of peace only, but hold fast the same faith in time of
persecution also; be not in time of peace a friend of Jesus, and His
foe in time of wars. Thou receivest now remission of thy sins,
and the gifts of the King’s spiritual bounty; when war shall
come, strive thou nobly for thy King. Jesus, the Sinless, was
crucified for thee; and wilt not thou be crucified for Him who was
crucified for thee? Thou art not bestowing a favour, for thou
hast first received; but thou art returning a favour, repaying thy debt
to Him who was crucified for thee in Golgotha. Now Golgotha is
interpreted, “the place of a skull.” Who were they
then, who prophetically named this spot Golgotha, in which Christ the
true Head endured the Cross? As the Apostle says, Who is the
Image of the Invisible God; and a little after, and He is the
Head of the body, the Church1578
. And
again, The Head of every man is Christ1579
;
and again, Who is the Head of all principality and
power1580
. The Head
suffered in “the place of the skull.” O wondrous
prophetic appellation! The very name also reminds thee, saying,
“Think not of the Crucified as of a mere man; He is the Head
of all principality and power. That Head which was crucified
is the Head of all power, and has for His Head the Father; for the
Head of the man is Christ, and the Head of Christ is God1581
.”
24. Christ then was crucified for us, who
was judged in the night, when it was cold, and therefore a fire of
coals1582
was laid. He
was crucified at the third hour; and from the sixth
hour there was darkness until
the ninth hour1583
; but from the
ninth hour there was light again. Are these things also
written? Let us inquire. Now the Prophet Zacharias says,
And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be
light, and there shall be cold and frost one day; (the cold on
account of which Peter warmed himself;) And that day shall be known
unto the Lord1584
; (what, knew He not
the other days? days are many, but this is the day of the
Lord’s patience, which the Lord made1585
;)—And that day shall be known unto
the Lord, not day, and not night: what is this dark saying
which the Prophet speaks? That day is neither day nor night? what
then shall we name it? The Gospel interprets it, by relating the
event. It was not day; for the sun shone not uniformly from his
rising to his setting, but from the sixth hour till the ninth hour,
there was darkness at mid-day. The darkness therefore was
interposed; but God called the darkness night1586
. Wherefore it was neither day nor
night: for neither was it all light, that it should be called
day; nor was it all darkness, that it should be called night; but after
the ninth hour the sun shone forth. This also the Prophet
foretels; for after saying, Not day, nor night, he added, And
at evening time it shall be light1587
| 1587 Zech. xiv. 7. Cf. Euseb. (Dem. Evang.
x. 7): “It was not day, because of the noon-tide
darkness: and again it was not night, because of the day which
followed upon it, which he represented by a sign in saying, at
evening time there shall be light. | . Seest thou the exactness of the
prophets? Seest thou the truth of the things which were written
aforetime?
25. But dost thou ask exactly at what hour
the sun failed1588
| 1588 ἐξέλιπεν. See
Cat. x. 19, note 2. Acta Pilati. c. xi. | ? was it the fifth
hour, or the eighth, or the tenth? Tell, O Prophet, the exact
time thereof to the Jews, who are unwilling to hear; when shall the sun
go down? The Prophet Amos answers, And it shall come to pass
in that day, saith the Lord God, that the sun shall go down at noon
(for there was darkness from the sixth hour;) and the light shall
grow dark over the earth in the day1589
.” What sort of season is this, O
Prophet, and what sort of day? And I will turn your feasts
into mourning; for this was done in the days of unleavened bread,
and at the feast of the Passover: then afterwards he says, And
I will make Him as the mourning of an Only Son, and those with Him as a
day of anguish1590
; for in the day of
unleavened bread, and at the feast, their women were wailing and
weeping, and the Apostles had hidden themselves and were in
anguish. Wonderful then is this prophecy.
26. But, some one will say, “Give me
yet another sign; what other exact sign is there of that which has come
to pass? Jesus was crucified; and He wore but one coat, and one
cloak: now His cloak the soldiers shared among themselves, having
rent it into four; but His coat was not rent, for when rent it would
have been no longer of any use; so about this lots are cast by the
soldiers; thus the one they divide, but for the other they cast
lots. Is then this also written? They know, the diligent
chanters1591
| 1591 Synod of Laodicea,
Can. xvi. 15: “Besides the appointed singers, who mount the
ambo and sing from the book, others shall not sing in the
Church.” Hefele thinks that this was not intended to forbid
the laity to take any part in the Church music, but only to forbid
those who were not cantors to take the lead. See Bingham,
Antiquities, III. c. 7; XIV. c. 1. | of the Church, who
imitate the Angel hosts, and continually sing praises to God: who
are thought worthy to chant Psalms in this Golgotha, and to say,
They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture they did
cast lots1592
| 1592 Ps.
xxii. 18, quoted in John xix. 24. | . The
“lots” were what the soldiers cast1593
| 1593 κλῆρος δὲ ἦν
ὁ λαχμός.
Bishop Hall, Contemplations, Book IV. 32, speaks of the
soldiers’ “barbarous sortitions.” The
technical term is “sortilege.” Cf. Evang.
Pet. § 4; Justin M. Dial. 97. | .
27. Again, when He had been judged before
Pilate, He was clothed in red; for there they put on Him a purple
robe. Is this also written? Esaias saith, Who is this
that cometh from Edom? the redness of His garments is from
Bosor1594
; (who is this who
in dishonor weareth purple? For Bosor has some such meaning in
Hebrew1595
| 1595 Bozrah means a
“sheepfold,” and is the name of a city in Idumea.
Cyril’s interpretation rests on a false derivation. | .) Why are
Thy garments red, and Thy raiment as from a trodden
wine-press? But He answers and says, All day long have I
stretched forth Mine hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying
people1596
| 1596 Isa. lxv. 2. “It is a commonplace in
patristic literature that the Crucifixion was prefigured by
Isa. lxv. 2.” (Dr. C. Taylor,
Hermas and the Four Gospels, p. 49.) Cf. Barnab.
Epist. c. xii.; Didache xvi.; Justin M. (Apolog.
I. c. 35; Tryph. cc. 97, 114); Tertull. (contra Jud.
xii); Irenæ. IV. xxxiii. 12. | .
28. He stretched out His hands on the Cross,
that He might embrace the ends of the world; for this Golgotha is the
very centre of the earth. It is not my word, but it is a prophet
who hath said, Thou hast wrought salvation in the midst of the
earth1597
| 1597 Ps. lxxiv. 12. The passage does not refer to
Palestine especially: “in the midst of the earth” is
equivalent to “in the sight of all nations.” Cf.
Orac. Sibyll. viii. 302: “He shall spread out His
hands, and span the whole world,” quoted by Dr. Taylor,
“The Teaching,” p. 103. | . He stretched
forth human hands, who by His spiritual hands had established the
heaven; and they were fastened with nails, that His manhood, which here
the sins of men, having been nailed to the tree, and having died, sin
might die with it, and we might rise again in righteousness.
For since by one man came death, by One Man came also
life1598
; by One Man, the
Saviour, dying of His own accord: for remember what He said, I
have power to lay
down My life, and I have power to take it again1599
.
29. But though He endured these things,
having come for the salvation of all, yet the people returned Him an
evil recompense. Jesus saith, I thirst1600
,—He who had brought forth the waters
for them out of the craggy rock; and He asked fruit of the Vine which
He had planted. But what does the Vine? This Vine, which
was by nature of the holy fathers, but of Sodom by purpose of
heart;—(for their Vine is of Sodom, and their tendrils of
Gomorrah1601
;)—this Vine,
when the Lord was athirst, having filled a sponge and put it on a reed,
offers Him vinegar. They gave Me also gall for My meat, and in
My thirst, they gave Me vinegar to drink1602
. Thou seest the clearness of the
Prophets’ description. But what sort of gall put they into
My mouth? They gave Him, it says, wine mingled with
myrrh1603
. Now myrrh is
in taste like gall, and very bitter. Are these things what ye
recompense unto the Lord? Are these thy offerings, O Vine, unto
thy Master? Rightly did the Prophet Esaias aforetime bewail you,
saying, My well-beloved had a vineyard in a hill in a fruitful
place; and (not to recite the whole) I waited, he says,
that it should bring forth grapes; I thirsted that it should
give wine; but it brought forth thorns1604
;
for thou seest the crown, wherewith I am adorned. What then shall
I now decree? I will command the clouds that they rain no rain
upon it1605
. For the
clouds which are the Prophets were removed from them, and are for the
future in the Church; as Paul says, Let the Prophets speak two or
three, and let the others judge1606
; and again,
God gave in the Church, some, Apostles, and some,
Prophets1607
. Agabus, who
bound his own feet and hands, was a prophet.
30. Concerning the robbers who were
crucified with Him, it is written, And He was numbered with the
transgressors1608
. Both of them
were before this transgressors, but one was so no longer. For the
one was a transgressor to the end, stubborn against salvation; who,
though his hands were fastened, smote with blasphemy by his
tongue. When the Jews passing by wagged their heads, mocking the
Crucified, and fulfilling what was written, When they looked on Me,
they shaked their heads1609
, he also reviled
with them. But the other rebused the reviler; and it was to him
the end of life and the beginning of restoration; the surrender of his
soul a first share in salvation. And after rebuking the other, he
says, Lord, remember me1610
; for with Thee is
my account. Heed not this man, for the eyes of his understanding
are blinded; but remember me. I say not, remember my works, for
of these I am afraid. Every man has a feeling for his
fellow-traveller; I am travelling with Thee towards death; remember me,
Thy fellow-wayfarer. I say not, Remember me now, but, when
Thou comest in Thy kingdom.
31. What power, O robber, led thee to the
light? Who taught thee to worship that despised Man, thy
companion on the Cross? O Light Eternal, which gives light to
them that are in darkness! Therefore also he justly heard the
words, Be of good cheer1611
| 1611 θάρσει. An addition
to the text of Luke xxiii.
43 in Codex Bezae. | ; not that thy deeds
are worthy of good cheer; but that the King is here, dispensing
favours. The request reached unto a distant time; but the grace
was very speedy. Verily I say unto thee, This day shalt thou
be with Me in Paradise; because to-day thou hast heard My
voice, and hast not hardened thine heart1612
. Very speedily I passed sentence upon
Adam, very speedily I pardon thee. To him it was said, In the
day wherein ye eat, ye shall surely die1613
;
but thou to-day hast obeyed the faith, to-day is thy salvation.
Adam by the Tree fell away; thou by the Tree art brought into
Paradise. Fear not the serpent; he shall not cast thee out; for
he is fallen from heaven1614
. And I
say not unto thee, This day shalt thou depart, but, This day shalt
thou be with Me. Be of good courage: thou shalt not be
cast out. Fear not the flaming sword; it shrinks from its
Lord1615
. O mighty and ineffable grace!
The faithful Abraham had not yet entered, but the robber
enters1616
| 1616 Cf. Iren. V. c. 5,
§ 1; Athan. (Expos. Fid. c. i.): “He shewed
us.…an entrance into Paradise from which Adam was cast out, and
into which he entered again by means of the thief.” S. Leo
(de Pass. Dom. Serm. II. c. 1): “Excedit humanam
conditionem ista promissio: nec tam de ligno Crucis, quam de
throno editur potestatis.” | ! Moses and
the Prophets had not yet entered, and the robber enters though a
breaker of the law. Paul also wondered at this before thee,
saying, Where sin abounded, there grace did much more
abound1617
. They who had
borne the heat of the day had not yet entered; and he of the eleventh
hour entered. Let none murmur against the goodman of the house,
for he says, Friend, I do thee no wrong; is it not
lawful for Me to do what I will
with Mine own1618
? The
robber has a will to work righteousness, but death prevents him; I wait
not exclusively for the work, but faith also I accept. I am come
who feed My sheep among the lilies1619
, I
am come to feed them in the gardens. I have found a
sheep that was lost1620
, but I lay it on My
shoulders; for he believes, since he himself has said, I have gone
astray like a lost sheep1621
; Lord, remember
me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.
32. Of this garden I sang of old to My
spouse in the Canticles, and spoke to her thus. I am come into
My garden, My sister, My spouse1622
; (now in
the place where He was crucified was a garden1623
;) and what takest Thou thence? I
have gathered My myrrh; having drunk wine mingled with myrrh, and
vinegar, after receiving which, He said, It is finished1624
. For the mystery has been fulfilled;
the things that are written have been accomplished; sins are
forgiven. For Christ being come an High-Priest of the good
things to come, by the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made
with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet by the blood
of goats and calves, but by His own blood, entered in once for all into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption; for if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the defiled,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more the blood of
Christ1625
? And again,
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated
for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh1626
. And because His flesh, this veil, was
dishonoured, therefore the typical veil of the temple was rent asunder,
as it is written, And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in
twain from the top to the bottom1627
; for not a
particle of it was left; for since the Master said, Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate1628
, the house
brake all in pieces.
33. These things the Saviour endured, and
made peace through the Blood of His Cross, for things in heaven, and
things in earth1629
. For we were
enemies of God through sin, and God had appointed the sinner to
die. There must needs therefore have happened one of two things;
either that God, in His truth, should destroy all men, or that in His
loving-kindness He should cancel the sentence. But behold the
wisdom of God; He preserved both the truth of His sentence, and the
exercise of His loving-kindness. Christ took our sins in His
body on the tree, that we by His death might die to sin, and live unto
righteousness1630
. Of no small
account was He who died for us; He was not a literal sheep; He was not
a mere man; He was more than an Angel; He was God made man. The
transgression of sinners was not so great as the righteousness of Him
who died for them; the sin which we committed was not so great as the
righteousness which He wrought who laid down His life for us,—who
laid it down when He pleased, and took it again when He pleased.
And wouldest thou know that He laid not down His life by violence, nor
yielded up the ghost against His will? He cried to the Father,
saying, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit1631
; I commend it, that I may take it
again. And having said these things, He gave up the
ghost1632
; but not for any
long time, for He quickly rose again from the dead.
34. The Sun was darkened, because of the
Sun of Righteousness1633
. Rocks were
rent, because of the spiritual Rock. Tombs were opened, and the
dead arose, because of Him who was free among the dead1634
; He sent forth His prisoners out of the
pit wherein is no water1635
. Be not then
ashamed of the Crucified, but be thou also bold to say, He beareth
our sins, and endureth grief for us, and with His stripes we are
healed1636
. Let us not
be unthankful to our Benefactor. And again; for the
transgression of my people was He led to death; and I will give the
wicked for His burial, and the rich for His death1637
. Therefore Paul says plainly, that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was
buried, and that He hath risen again the third day according to the
Scriptures1638
.
35. But we seek to know clearly where He has
been buried. Is His tomb made with hands? Is it, like the
tombs of kings, raised above the ground? Is the Sepulchre made of
stones joined together? And what is laid upon it? Tell us,
O Prophets, the exact truth concerning His tomb also, where He is laid,
and where we shall seek Him? And they say, Look into the solid
rock which ye have hewn1639
. Look
in and behold. Thou hast in the Gospels In a sepulchre
hewn in stone, which was hewn out of a rock1640
| 1640 Matt. xxvii. 60; Mark xv. 46; Luke xxiii.
50. | . And what happens next? What
kind of door has the sepulchre? Again another Prophet says,
They cut off My life in a dungeon1641
,
and cast a stone upon Me. I, who am the Chief
corner-stone, the elect, the precious1642
,
lie for a little time within a stone—I who am a stone of
stumbling to the Jews, and of salvation to them who believe. The Tree of
life1643
| 1643 Gen. ii. 9; iii. 22. Methodius (Sympos. ix. c.
3): “He that hath not believed in Christ, nor hath
understood that He is the first principle and the Tree of Life,
&c.” | , therefore was
planted in the earth, that the earth which had been cursed might enjoy
the blessing, and that the dead might be released.
36. Let us not then be ashamed to confess
the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our
fingers on our brow, and on everything; over the bread we eat, and the
cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep,
when we lie down and when we rise up; when we are in the way, and when
we are still1644
| 1644 Cf. Cat. iv. 14, note
3; Euseb. (Dem. Ev. ix. 14). | . Great is
that preservative; it is without price, for the sake of the poor;
without toil, for the sick; since also its grace is from God. It
is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of devils: for He
triumphed over them in it, having made a shew of them
openly1645
; for when they see
the Cross they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him,
who bruised the heads of the dragon1646
. Despise not the Seal, because of the
freeness of the gift; out for this the rather honour thy
Benefactor.
37. And if thou ever fall into disputation
and hast not the grounds of proof, yet let Faith remain firm in thee;
or rather, become thou well learned, and then silence the Jews out of
the prophets, and the Greeks out of their own fables. They
themselves worship men who have been thunderstricken1647
| 1647 See Cat. vi. 11, note
2. | : but the thunder when it comes from
heaven, comes not at random. If they are not ashamed to worship
men thunderstricken and abhorred of God, art thou ashamed to worship
the beloved Son of God, who was crucified for thee? I am ashamed
to tell the tales about their so-called Gods, and I leave them because
of time; let those who know, speak. And let all heretics also be
silenced. If any say that the Cross is an illusion, turn away
from him. Abhor those who say that Christ was crucified to our
fancy1648
| 1648 κατὰ
φαντασίαν.
Cf. Ignat. Trall. 9, 10; Cat. iv. 9; xiii. 4. | only; for if so, and if salvation is from
the Cross, then is salvation a fancy also. If the Cross is fancy,
the Resurrection is fancy also; but if Christ be not risen, we are
yet in our sins1649
. If the Cross
is fancy, the Ascension also is fancy; and if the Ascension is fancy,
then is the second coming also fancy, and everything is henceforth
unsubstantial.
38. Take therefore first, as an
indestructible foundation, the Cross, and build upon it the other
articles of the faith. Deny not the Crucified; for, if thou deny
Him, thou hast many to arraign thee. Judas the traitor will
arraign thee first; for he who betrayed Him knows that He was condemned
to death by the chief-priests and elders. The thirty pieces of
silver bear witness; Gethsemane bears witness, where the betrayal
occurred; I speak not yet of the Mount of Olives, on which they were
with Him at night, praying. The moon in the night bears witness;
the day bears witness, and the sun which was darkened; for it endured
not to look on the crime of the conspirators. The fire will
arraign thee, by which Peter stood and warmed himself; if thou deny the
Cross, the eternal fire awaits thee. I speak hard words, that
thou may not experience hard pains. Remember the swords that came
against Him in Gethsemane, that thou feel not the eternal sword.
The house of Caiaphas1650
| 1650 The house of Caiaphas
and Pilate’s Prætorium (§ 41), and Mount Zion itself
(Cat. xvi. 18), on which they both stood are described by Cyril as
being in his time ruined and desolate. Eusebius (Dem. Ev.
VIII. 406), referring to the prophecy of Micah (iii.
12), repeated by Jeremiah
(xxvi. 18), that Zion shall be plowed as
a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, testifies that he had
seen with his own eyes the place being ploughed and sown by strangers,
and adds that in his own time the stones for both public and private
buildings were taken from the ruins. The Bordeaux Pilgrim (333
a.d.) says, “It is evident where the
house of Caiaphas the Priest was; and there is still the pillar at
which Christ was scourged:” this pillar is described by
Jerome (Ep. 86) as supporting the portico of the Church which by
his time had been built on the spot. Prudentius circ. 400
a.d.):—
“Impia blasphemi cecidit domus alta
Caiphae.…
Vinctus in his Dominus stetit ædibus atque
columnae
Annexus tergum dedit ut servile flagellis.
Perstat adhuc, templumque gerit veneranda
columna.”
(Benedictine Editor.) | will arraign thee,
shewing by its present desolation the power of Him who was erewhile
judged there. Yea, Caiaphas himself will rise up against thee in
the day of judgment, the very servant will rise up against thee, who
smote Jesus with the palm of his hand; they also who bound Him, and
they who led Him away. Even Herod shall rise up against thee; and
Pilate; as if saying, Why deniest thou Him who was slandered before us
by the Jews, and whom we knew to have done no wrong? For I Pilate
then washed my hands. The false witnesses shall rise up against
thee, and the soldiers who arrayed Him in the purple robe, and set on
Him the crown of thorns, and crucified Him in Golgotha, and cast lots
for His coat. Simon the Cyrenian will cry out upon thee, who bore
the Cross after Jesus.
39. From among the stars there will cry out upon
thee, the darkened Sun; among the things upon earth, the Wine mingled
with myrrh; among reeds, the Reed; among herbs, the Hyssop; among the
things of the sea, the Sponge; among trees, the Wood of the
Cross;—the soldiers, too, as I have said, who nailed Him, and
cast lots for His vesture; the soldier who pierced His side with the
spear; the women who then were present; the veil of the temple then rent asunder; the hall of
Pilate, now laid waste by the power of Him who was then crucified; this
holy Golgotha, which stands high above us, and shews itself to this
day, and displays even yet how because of Christ the rocks were then
riven1651
| 1651 Cf. Lucian. Antioch.
ap. Rufin. Hist. Eccl. ix. c. 6; “Golothana rupes sub
patibuli onere disrupta.” | ; the sepulchre nigh at hand where He was
laid; and the stone which was laid on the door, which lies to this day
by the tomb; the Angels who were then present; the women who worshipped
Him after His resurrection; Peter and John, who ran to the sepulchre;
and Thomas, who thrust his hand into His side, and his fingers into the
prints of the nails. For it was for our sakes that he so
carefully handled Him; and what thou, who wert not there present,
wouldest have sought, he being present, by God’s Providence, did
seek.
40. Thou hast Twelve Apostles, witnesses of the
Cross; and the whole earth, and the world of men who believe on Him who
hung thereon. Let thy very presence here now persuade thee of the
power of the Crucified. For who now brought thee to this
assembly? what soldiers? With what bonds wast thou
constrained? What sentence held thee fast here now? Nay, it
was the Trophy of salvation, the Cross of Jesus that brought you all
together. It was this that enslaved the Persians, and tamed the
Scythians; this that gave to the Egyptians, for cats and dogs and their
manifold errors, the knowledge of God; this, that to this day heals
diseases; that to this day drives away devils, and overthrows the
juggleries of drugs and charms.
41. This shall appear again with Jesus from
heaven1652
; for the trophy
shall precede the king: that seeing Him whom they
pierced1653
, and knowing by the
Cross Him who was dishonoured, the Jews may repent and mourn; (but
they shall mourn tribe by tribe1654
,
for they shall repent, when there shall be no more time for
repentance;) and that we may glory, exulting in the Cross, worshipping
the Lord who was sent, and crucified for us, and worshipping also God
His Father who sent Him, with the Holy Ghost: To whom be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
