Hoiv Christ says " My " God.
who take the lead in counsel and action, though there Chap. i. may be others who co-operate in both.
Therefore, to her honour and glory and perpetual renown, the Saviour vouchsafed unto Mary the duty of proclaiming to the brethren the tidings contained in His words: / ascend unto My Father and your Father, and My God and your God; and do thou for thy part accept this great and profound mystery, not suffering thine heart to vault over the measure of the truth of the Divine doctrines. Observe how the Only-begotten Word of God came among us, that we also might be even as He is, so far as is possible for our nature to attain thereto, and so far as relates unto our new creation by grace. For He humbled Himself that He might exalt that which was by nature lowly to His own high station; and wore the form of a servant, though He was by Nature Lord and Son of God, that He might uplift that which was by nature enslaved to the dignity of Sonship, in conformity with His own Likeness, and in His Image. How, and in what sense, then. He, becoming one of us as Man, in order that we also might be like Him, that is, Gods and Sons, receives our attributes into Himself, and gives back unto us His own, you may well be anxious to inquire. I will explain, then, as far as I am able: In the first place, then, though we are servants by rank and nature (for creatures are subject to their Creator), He calls us His brethren, and designates God the common Father of Himself and us; and, making humanity His own, by taking our likeness upon Him, He calls our God His God, though He is His Son by Nature; that, as we mount up to His exceeding great dignity of station by likeness to Him (for it is not because we are by nature sons of God that we are so called, for He cries in our hearts by His own Spirit, Ahha, Father), so also He, since He took our form — for Rom.viii. He became Man/according to the Scriptures — might have God for His God, though He was truly God by Nature, and proceeded from Him. Be not, therefore, offended,
Book 12. though you hear Him calling God His God, but rather ^■^^- '■ contemplate His words in a teachable spirit, and attentively consider their true meaning. For He says that God is both His Father and our God; and both sajdngs are true. For, in very truth, the God of the universe is Christ's Father, but not ours by nature; but rather our God as our Creator and Sovereign Lord. But the Son, as it were, blending Himself with us, vouchsafes to our nature the dignity that is in a special and peculiar sense His own, calling Him That begat Him the common Father of us all; while, on the other hand. He receives into Himself, by taking upon Him our likeness, that which belonged to our nature. For He calls His Father His God, being unwilling, through His inherent love and mercy toward mankind, to dishonour our likeness that He had taken upon Himself. If, then, you choose in ignorance to cavil at this saying, and it seem intolerable to you that the Lord should say that God the Father was His God, you will then, in your perversity, be bringing a charge against the scheme for your own redemption; and when you ought to be offering up thanksgiving you will be dishonouring your Benefactor, and be foolishly objecting to the manner in which He manifested His love towards you. For if He humbled Heb. xii. Himself, despising shame, and became a Man for your sake, on your head is the charge of humiliation, and to Him Who chose to undergo this for your sake, exceeding great is the honour due. And I am amazed that you have ears merely for the eclipse of glor}^ (for He humbled Himself for our sake), and consider not its restoration, and, regarding only the degradation, reflect not upon the exaltation. For how was He humiliated, if you do not regard Him as perfect, as being Godl And in what sense was He degraded, if you do not take into account the lofty attributes of His ineffable Nature? Therefore, when He was perfect and all-sufficient as God, He humbled Himself for your sake, transforming Himself to your likeness; and though He was high and His God by His Incarnation. 665 exalted as the Son of God, and of the very Essence Chap. l. of the Father, He degraded Himself, being mulcted of 2o^'^' the attributes of Divine glory, so far as His Nature admitted. As therefore, now, He is at the same time God and Man, being high exalted because of His parentage (for He is God of God and truly Begotten of His Father), and also made lowly for our sake (for He became Man for us); be of a tranquil mind when you hear Him saying: / ascend unto My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. For it was very meet and right that, as being by Nature God and Son of God, He should call Him That begat Him His Father; and that, as being Man, even as we are men, He should call God His God.
18 Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the discijyles that she had seen the Lord; and how that He had said these things unto her.
That race which is specially subject to weakness — I mean the race of women — is restored by the loving-kindness of our Saviour, Who, in a manner, rolled up in one the source and origin of our infirmities, and ameliorated them for the future. For Mary announced that she had seen the Lord, Who had escaped from the bonds of death, and had heard His Voice, and brought to the disciples the words of life, and the firstfruits of the Divine Gospel.
1 9 When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciqyles were assembled, for fear of tlie Jeivs, Jesus came and stood
20 in the midst, and saith unto them. Peace he unto you. Aoul when He had said this. He shoived unto them His Hands and His Side.
On the selfsame day on which He had appeared unto Mary, and discoursed with her. He also showed Himself to the holy disciples, who dreaded the intolerable attacks of the impious Jews, and were, on that account, collected together in a certain house. For it was not likely that
Book 12. they who had been so instructed, and had often been gf'^^' ' bidden to make haste to escape from the wrath of their would-be murderers, would be found lacking in proper prudence. Christ miraculously appears unto them. For while the doors were shut, as the Apostle says, Christ unexpectedly stood in the midst, by His ineffable Divine power rising superior to the chain of cause and effect, and showing Himself able to dispense with the design and method appropriate to His action. For let no man say, " How did the Lord, Whose Body was of solid Flesh, enter without let or hindrance, though the doors were shut? " but rather let him reflect that the Evangelist is not here speaking of one of ourselves, but rather of Him Who is enthroned by the side of God the Father, and Who easily doth whatsoever He will. For He that was by Nature the true God, was of necessity not subject unto the sequences of cause and effect, as are the creatures that owe their being to Him; but rather does He exercise Lordship over necessity itself, and due and appropriate methods of performance. For how did He make the sea afford a footing unto His Feet, and walk thereon as upon dry land, though we are not so framed that we can tread upon the paths of the sea? And how did He perform the rest of His marvellous works with God-like power? All these things, you will say, surpass man's understanding. Put this miracle of Christ side by side with the rest, and do not, following the opinion of certain men, who, in the folly of their hearts, have been led astray to judge falsely, imagine on account of this very occurrence that Christ rose again without His human Body, wholly bereft thereof, and severed from the Temple that He had taken on Himself. For if thou canst not understand the working of God's ineffable Nature, why dost thou not rather cry out against the infirmity of man's reason — for that would be the wiser course — and then silently acquiesce in the limit prescribed to you by the Creator 1 For in rejecting the conclusion of wisdom, thou doest wrong to the great mystery of the Resurrection, on Chap.]. which all our reliance is fixed. For remember the ^^^^' ^^' exclamation of Paul: If the dead are not raised, neither icor. xv. hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not heen^^'^^' raised, your faith is vain, and ye are yet in your sins. And again: Yea, and we are found false vAtnesses of Ibid. 15. God; because we witnessed of God that He raised up Christ: Whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised. For what can be raised up save that which is fallen? or what restored to life, save that which is bowed down in death 1 And how shall we expect to rise again, if so be that Christ raised not up His own Temple, making Himself, for us, the Firstfruits of them which are asleep, and the Firstborn from the dead 1 Or how shall this mortal ])'^t on immortality, if, as some Ibid. 53. think, it be lost in total annihilation *? For how shall it escape this fate if it have no hope of a new life 1 Do not, then, swerve from orthodoxy in the faith, because a miracle was accomplished; but rather be wise, and add this to the other marvellous works that Christ did.
For observe how, by unexpectedly entering when the doors were shut, Christ showed, once more, that He was by Nature God, and no other than He Who had erewhile dwelt among them; and also, by laying bare the wounded Side of His Body, and by showing the print of the nails. He gave us complete satisfaction that He had raised that Temple of His Body which had hung upon the Cross, and had restored to life that Body which He had worn, thereby subduing death, which is due to all flesh, inasmuch as He was by Nature Life and God. What need, then, was there for Him to show them His Hands and Side, if, as some perversely think. He did not rise again with His Body? And, if He wished His disciples not to entertain this idea concerning Him, why did He not rather appear in another form, and, disdaining the likeness of flesh, conjure up other thoughts in their minds'? But, as it is, He thought it of so great importance that they should be convinced of the Resur-
Book 12. rection of His Body, that, when the time even seemed to 20^^' ' call Him to change His Body into some form of ineffable and surpassing Majesty, He resolved in His Providence to appear once more as He had been of old, that He might not be thought to be wearing any other form than that in which also He had suffered crucifixion. For that our eyes could not have endured the glory of the holy Body, if Christ had chosen to reveal it unto the disciples before He ascended to the Father, is easil}'^ to be inferred, when we reflect upon His transfiguration on the Mount before the holy disciples. For the blessed s. Matt. Matthew the Evangelist wi'ites, that Jesus took Peter, ^^^' ' 'and James, and John, and tvent up into the onountain, and ivas transfigured before them: and His Face did shine as lightning, and His garTnents became luhite as snoiv, and they could not endure the sight, but fell on their faces. Very appropriately, then, our Lord Jesus Christ, as He had not yet transformed the Temple of His Body into its due and proper majesty, still appeared in His original shape, not wishing the belief in the Resurrection to be transferred to another form or body than that which He had received from the Holy Virgin, in w^hich also He was crucified, and died, according to the Scripture, the power of death extending only over Flesh, from which also it was driven forth. For if His Body, after death, did not rise again, what sort of death was vanquished, and in what way was the power of corruption weakened? For it could not be by the death of a single rational being, or soul, or angel, or even the very Word of God. When, then, the power of death has reference only to that which is doomed by nature to corruption, with this it is that the power of the Resurrection is concerned, and with this alone, in order that the dominion of the lord of this world might be taken away. The entry of our Lord through the closed doors must be classed, by men of wisdom, with the other miracles that He wrought. He then greeted His holy disciples. Peace be imto you, He says; meaning by peace, Him- self. For while Christ is present among men it follows Chap. i. that the tranquillity of their minds is assured unto them. *^" ^^' ^^' Paul also declared that this boon is granted to those who believe on Him, when he says: The peace of Christ, Phil.iv.7. tvhich passeth all understanding, shcdl gxiard your hearts and your thoughts; meaning by the peace of Christ which passeth all understanding nothing else than His Spirit, of Which if any man partake he shall be filled with everything that is good.
Hereby, also, the blessed Evangelist testifies to the truth of our Saviour's Words, when he says that the disciples were full of peace and joy of heart when they saw Jesus. For we remember the mysterious utterance that He spake unto them concerning His precious Cross and Resurrection from the dead, saying: A little tvh He, Supra and ye behold Me no more; and again a little while, and ^^J,^ ' ye shcdl see Me j and your heart shcdl 7'ejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. The Jews, indeed, whose minds were transported by a frenzy of fury, rejoiced when they saw Jesus nailed to the Cross, while the heart of the holy disciples was heavy laden with an intolerable burthen of sorrow. But as He is by Nature Life, He overcame the power of death, and rose again, and the joy of the Jews was extinguished, while the heaviness of the holy disciples was turned into joy, and nothing could rob or deprive them of their souls delight. Christ, having died once for all to put atvay sin, dieth Heb. ix. no more, as is written. For He is alive for evermore, ^^' and of a surety He will preserve those whose hope is in Him, in joy without ceasing. He once more greets them with the oft-repeated assurance: Peace he unto you; Supra 19. laying down, as it were, this law for the children of the Church. Therefore, also, more especially in the assembling and gathering ot" ourselves together in holy places, at the very commencement of the blessed mystery of the Eucharist, we repeat this saying to one another. For
Book 12. our beiDg at peace with each other and with God must c. XX. -1. ^g accounted a fountain and source of all good. Therefore, also, Paul, when he prays that those who are called Eom. i. 7. may enjoy the highest of all blessings, says: Grace to you and peace, from. God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; and also, when he invites those who have not yet believed to make their peace with God, he says: 2 Cor. V. We are ambassadors on behalf of CLrist, as though God ^' were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of
Christ, be ye reconciled to God. None the less, also, the Is. xxvii. Prophet Isaiah exhorts us, crying out: Let us make ^' ^' peace with Him, let us inake peace who come. The meaning of the saying well befits the Dispenser of Peace, or rather the Peace of all men; that is^ Christ, for He is our peace, according to the Scripture.
2 1 Then said He to them again, Peace be unto you: as the living Father sent Me, even so send I you.
Hereby our Lord Jesus Christ ordained the disciples to be guides and teachers of the world, and to be ministers of His Divine mysteries, and also bade them, for the time was now come, like lights to illuminate and enlighten, not merely the country of Jud?ea, according to the limit of the commandment of the Law, which 2 Kings extended from Dan even unto Beersheba, according to xvii. 11. ^j^g Scripture, but rather also all under the sun, and men scattered throughout all lands, wheresoever they Heb, V. 4. dwelt. The saying of Paul, therefore, is true: JS^o man taketh the honour u7ito himself, but he that is called of God. For our Lord Jesus Christ called into His most glorious apostleship, before all others. His own disciples, and firmly fixed the whole earth, which was well-nigh tottering and in the act of falling, pointing out, as God, men to be props thereof who were well able to support it. Therefore, also, He thus spake by the mouth of the Ps. Ixxv. Psalmist, concerning the earth and the Apostles: / have ^'... fixed the pillars of it; for the blessed disciples were as 15. the pillars and ground of the truth, whom also He says that He sent forth, even as the Father had sent Him; Chap. i. showing at the same time the dignity of their apostle- 23, "''' ship, and the incomparable honour of the power vouchsafed unto them, and also in all likelihood suo-gesting the method of life the Apostles were to follow. For if He thought it meet that He should send forth His own disciples, even as the Father had sent Him, was it not necessary for those who were destined to imitate His mission to ascertain what the Father sent forth the Son for to do "?
In divers ways, then, expounding unto us the character of His own mission, He said in one place: / Ciwie not to call the righteous, but sinners to repen- S. Matt. tance; and again: They that are whole have no need of^^'j^lie a physician; but they that are sick: and again, in v. 3i. another place: For I am come doiun from heaven, not Supra to do Mine own Will, but the Will of Hmi That sent Me J and yet once more: For God sent not His Son into Ibid. iii. the world to judge the world; but that the ivorld should be saved through Rim. Summing up, therefore, in a few words the character of their mission. He says that He sent them even as the Father had sent Him, that they might know thereby that they were bound to call sinners to repentance, and to minister to those who were in evil plight, whether of body or soul, and in all their dealings upon earth, not in any wise to follow their own will, but the Will of Him That sent them, and to save the world by their teaching, so far as was possible. And in truth we shall find the holy disciples eager to show the utmost zeal in performing all these things; and it is not difficult for any one to satisfy himself of this, who has once turned his attention to the Acts of the Apostles, and the words of the holy Paul.
23 unto them, Receive ye the Holy Gliost: whosesoever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Book 12. distinction of the apostleship, and appointing them 23^^' "' ministers and priests of the Divine Altar, as I have just said, He at once sanctifies them by vouchsafing His Spirit unto them, through the outward sign of His Breath, that we might be firmly convinced that the Holy Spirit is not alien to the Son, but Consubstantial with Him, and through Him proceeding from the Father; He shows that the gift of the Spirit necessarily attends those who are ordained by Him to be Apostles of God. And why? Because they could have done nothing pleasing unto God, and could not have triumphed over the snares of sin, if they had S.Luke not been dotJied with power from on Jiigh, and been XXIV. 49. transformed into something other than they were before. 1 Kings Therefore, also, it was said to one of old time: The Spirit of the Lord ivill come ujion thee, and thou shalt he turned Cf. Is. xl. into another man; and the Prophet Isaiah also declared ^^' that those who waited upon the Lord should renew their strength. The wise Paul, too, when he says that he surpassed some in his labours, that is, in the deeds of an 1 Cor. XV. Apostle, adds at once: Yet not I, hut the grace of God which tvas with me. Besides, we say this, that the disciples would never at all have understood the mystery that is in Christ, nor have been true guides in this knowledge, if they had not advanced in the light of the Spirit to a revelation of things which surpass man's reason and understanding, a revelation which is able to point out to them the heights to which the}?" were bound Ibid. xii. to ascend; for no man can say Jesus is Lord, as Paul ^" says, hut in the Holy Spirit. As, then, they were destined to proclaim that Jesus was the Lord, "that is, to preach that He was God and Lord of necessity, therefore they received the grace of the Holy Spirit in immediate connexion with the office of apostleship, Christ granting Him unto them, not ministering to the desires of another, but rather vouchsafing Him of Himself; for the Spirit could only come down unto us from the Father throusfh the Son. The old and written Law, however, which contained shadows and types of the Chap. i. reality, ordained that the appointment of priests should 23^^' ' be performed in a more physical way, so to say, and that their appointment should be attended with more outward display. For the blessed Moses, by God's command, bade Aaron and the Levites wash themselves Cf. Lev. with water: then he slew the ram of consecration and ^"^' ' anointed luith the blood the tip of Aaron s right ear, as Lev. viii. is written, and also put of the blood upon the thumb of the right hand, and upon the big toe of the right foot, giving an outline and type, as in a picture, of the mystery concerning Christ. For in the presence here of water and blood, the instruments of sanctification, how can there be any question that in an obscure type an outline was given of the fair beauty of the reality? Our Lord Jesus Christ, transforming into the power of truth the figure of the Law, consecrates through Himself the ministers of the Divine Altar. For He is the Lamb of consecration, and He consecrates by actual sanctification, making men partakers in His Nature, through participation in the Spirit, and in some sort strengthening the nature of man into a power and glory that is superhuman.
And there can be no doubt that the explanation I have here given can be proved not to err from the truth. But, perhaps, someone will come and say as follows, with a praiseworthy desire for knowledge, it may be, putting to us the question, " Where then, and when, did the Saviour's disciples receive the grace of the Spirit? When the Saviour appeared unto them in the house, immediately after the Resurrection, and breathed upon them, saying: Receive ye the Holy Ghost; or in the days of the holy Pentecost, when, as they were again assembled together in one place, sudderdy there came from heaven Acts ii, a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave c. XX. 22, j^^g^ suppose that a double grace was given unto them, or we must remain in ignorance of the occasion on which they, in fact, became partakers in the Holy Spirit; if indeed our Saviour s saying, and that which is wiitten in the Acts of the holy Apostles, is found to be true. And, indeed, the question may well excite our perplexity,
Supra especially as Christ Himself said: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter cannot come unto you; but when I depart, I will send Him unto you; for the inquirer will perhaps go on to say, " The Truth, that is, Christ, cannot lie. When, then. He said in plain words that the Comforter would not come unto the disciples unless He were taken up unto the Father, but of a surety He would send Him then, when He was in heaven at His side; how, then, can He be supposed to grant the gift of the Spirit, though His journey from hence was not yet accomplished? " Still, though the inquiry is very obscure, and very likely to cause perplexity, it yet allows of an appropriate solution, when we remember our faith that Christ is not as one of ourselves, but rather is God, and of God, and so exercises dominion over His own Words, and moulds them to suit His purposes.
For He proclaimed that He would send down to us from heaven the Comforter, when He was ascended to God the Father; and this, indeed. He did, when He had gone away to the Father, and vouchsafed to shed forth the Spirit abundantly upon all who were willing to receive it. For any man could receive it, through faith, that is, and Holy Baptism; and then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the voice of the Prophet:
Joel ii. / 'ivill pour out of My Spirit upon cdl flesh. But it was necessary that the Son should appear as co-opei'ating with the Father in granting the Spirit; it was necessary that those who believed on Him should understand that He is the Power of the Father, That has created this whole world, and called man out of nothing into being.
For God the Father, at the beginning, by His own Word, Chap. i. took of the dust of the ground, as is written, and 33^^' ' fashioned the animal, that is man, and endowed him with a soul, according to His Will, and illuminated him with a share of His own Spirit; for He hreathed into his Gen. U. nostrils the breath of life, as is written. And when it came to pass that through disobedience man fell under the power of death, and lost his ancient honour, God the Father built him up and restored him to newness of life, through the Son, as at the beginning. And how did the Son restore him 1 By the death of His own Flesh He slew death, and brought the race of man back ag-ain into incorruption; for Christ rose again for us. In order, y^ then, that we might learn that He it was Who at the // beginning created our nature, and sealed us with the Holy Spirit, our Saviour again grants the Spirit, through the outward sign of His Breath, to the holy disciples, as being the tu'stfruits of renewed nature. For Moses writes concerning our creation of old, that God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life. As, then, at the beginning, man was formed and came into being, so likewise is he renewed; and as he was then formed in the Image of his Creator, so likewise now, by participation in the Spirit, is he transformed into the Likeness of his Maker. For that the Spirit impresses the Saviour's Image on the hearts of those who receive Him surely does not admit of question; for Paul plainly exhorteth those who had fallen through weakness into observance of the Law, in the words: My little children, Gal. iv. of whom I am again in travail until Christ he formed in ' you. For he says that Christ will not be formed in them save by partaking of the Holy Spirit, and living according to the law of the Gospel. Therefore, as in the firstfruits of creation, which is made regenerate into incorruption and glory and into the Image of God, Christ establishes anew His own Spirit in His disciples. For it was necessary that we should also perceive this truth, namely, that He brings down and grants the Spirit
Book 12. iiiito US. Therefore, also, He said: All things, tvhatsoever c.^xx. 22, ^j^^ Father hath, are Mine. And as the Father hath, of Supra Himself and in Himself, His own Spirit, so also the Son XVI. 15. j^g^|.j^ ^i^g Spirit in Himself, because He is Consubstantial with Him, and essentially proceeded from Him, having by Nature in Himself all the attributes of His Father.
From the following fact we can prove that, many as were the actions that He repeatedly promised us that He would perform in due season. He even in part anticipated the appointed time in the performance of them, for our edification, that we might be fully convinced that whatsoever He has spoken will a^Ssuredly come to pass. He declared that He would raise up the dead, and bring back again to life those who are lying Supra in the earth and in tombs. The hour cometh, He says, V- 25, 29.,^y^g^^ fj^g dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and shall come forth; they thcd have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment. And, desiring to satisfy us that He could readily accomplish this. He taught, Ibid. saying: / cnn the Mesurrection and the Life. But, inasmuch as the vastness of the miracle made it difficult of belief that the dead could ever be restored to life, He anticipated to our profit the time of the Resurrection, and gave us a sign by raisiug Lazarus and the widow's son and the daughter of Jairus. And what else besides 1 As He said that full of glory would be the S. Matt, resurrection of the Saints, for then, He says, shall the xni. 43. righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father, in order that here again He might be believed to speak truth. He granted the sight thereof s. Luke before the time to the disciples. Fox He took Peter and IX. 28. Ja^ues and John, and went up into the mountain, and s. Matt. '^^'(1-^ transfigured before them: and His Face did shine ^^"- ^- as lightning, and His garments became tuhite as snoiv. Just as, then, although He promised to accomplish these things in their season, yet He performed the works in part and with a limited scope even out of due time, as an earnest and foretaste of that which was expected to Chap. i. come to pass and to affect the whole world, so doing in ^J^^- -" order that faith in Him might not be shaken; even so, likewise, after having said that He would send the Comforter to us when He went away to the Father, and having fixed this occasion for granting this grace universally. He performed in the persons of His disciples the fii'st instalment, as it were, of the promise, for the many just and sufficient reasons we have previously given.
They, therefore, partook of the Holy Spirit when He hreat]:ecl on them, saying, Receive ye the Holy Ghost; for it were impossible for Christ to lie, and He would never have said " Receive " without giving; but in the days of Holy Pentecost, when God more openly proclaimed His grace, and manifested the stablishment of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, there appeared unto them tongues through flame, not signifying the beginning of the gift of the Spirit in their hearts, but rather having reference to the time when they were first endowed with the gift of languages. It is written, indeed, that they began to Actsii. 4. speak ivith other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Note, that they began to speak, not to receive sanctification, and that the gift of divers tongues came down upon them; and this was the working of the Spirit that was in them. For j ust as the Father spake from heaven, and bare witness to His Son, saying. This is My S. Matt. beloved Son, in Whom I am tuell pleased; and did this "'" to satisfy the minds of those who heard, uttering, or causing to be uttered, a sound as of some instrument which fell upon the ear; even so, also, in the case of the holy disciples He made the manifestation of the grace given them more public, sending down upon them tongues as of fire, and causing the descent of the Holy Spirit to resemble the sound of the rushing of a mighty Acts ii. luind. And that this very portent was given unto the ' Jews by way of a sign, you will readily see, if you listen to God, the Lord of all, saying by the mouth of the c. XX. ^2, strangers, will I sjieak unto this people, and yet will iCor.xiv. they not believe. And to the intent that we might
11. the Holy Spirit, and were from henceforth honoured with the grace of Christ from above, and that they were able to expound the truth, and that the glory of their apostleship was worthy all admiration, witness being borne thereto by the gift from on high, therefore it was that fire came down in the form of tongues.
I think, indeed, that I have here said enough to accurately explain the meaning of the passage; but, inasmuch as we are bound to take every precaution in our treatise, that no stumblingblock spring up to offend the brethren through the carping spirit of any amongst us, let us make this addition to what we have said, and refute the vain talk that we may expect will be started. We shall find, then, in the passage that follows, the Infra words: Thomas, called Didymus, was not luith the disciples when Jesus came. How, then, someone may not unreasonably inquire, if he were away, was he in fact made partaker in the Holy Spirit when the Saviour appeared unto the disciples and breathed on them, saying: Receive ye the Holy Ghost? We reply that the power of th- Spirit pervaded every man who received grace, and fulfilled the aim of the Lord Who gave Him unto them; and Christ gave the Spirit not to some only but to all the disciples. Therefore, if any were absent, they also received Him, the munificence of the Giver not being confined to those only who were present, but extending to the entire company of the holy Apostles. And that this interpretation is not strained, or our idea extravagant, we may convince you from Holy Writ itself, bringing forward as a proof a passage in the Books of Moses. The Lord God commanded the all-wise Moses to select elders, to the number of seventy, from the assembly of Num. xi. the Jews, and plainly declared: / ivill take of the Sp)irit which is upon thee and icill put it upon them.
Moses, as he was bidden, brought them together, and Chap. i. fulfilled the Divine decree. Two only of the men who 2'3.^^' "' were included in the number of the seventy elders were left behind, and remained in the assembly, to wit, Eldad and Medad. Then when God put upon them all the Divine Spirit, as He had promised, those whom Moses had collected together immediately received grace, and prophesied; but none the less also the two who were in the assembly prophesied, and, in fact, the grace from above came upon them first. Nay, further, Joshua, that was called the son of Nun, who was the constant attendant of Moses, not understanding at once the meaning of the mystery, but thinking that after the manner of Dathan and Abiram they were rivals in the art of prophecy to those whom Moses had brought together, said unto him: Eldad and Medad do 'prophesy in the Num. xi. camp; my lord Moses, forbid them. And what '' ' answered that truly wise and great man, seeing in his wisdom the working of the grace given unto them, and the power of the Spirit? Enviest thou for my sake? Ibid. 29. Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them! Observe how he rebukes the saying of Joshua, who knew not what had been done. Would that, he says, the Spirit were given to all the people! Nay, this will indeed come to pass in due season, when the Lord, that is, Christ, will grant unto them His Spirit; breathing upon His holy Apostles as upon the firstfruits of those whose due it is to receive Him, and saying: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Then, if Thomas were absent, he was not cut off from receiving the Spirit, for the Spirit pervaded all whose due it was to receive Him, and who were included among the number of His honoured disciples.
Christ, when He gave the Spirit unto them, said: Whosesoever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained; though only the living God is able and powerful to grant unto sinners remission of sins; for whom could it befit to pardon the
Book 12. transgressions that sinners have committed against the c^xx. 22, piyine Law, save the Lawgiver Himself? You may, if you choose, see the meaning of the saying from the analogy of human affairs. Who has authority to meddle with the decrees of earthly monarchs, and who tries to undo that which has been ordained by the will and judgment of rulers, save only someone who is invested with regal honour and dignity? Therefore, wise was the Job saying, Insolent is he tvho saith unto the king, Thou xxxiv.. 5,.g(^^/.gg^ jf/^g law. In what way, then, and in what sense did the Saviour invest His disciples with the dignity which befits the Nature of God alone? The Word that is in the Father cannot err; and this He did, and whatsoever He doeth, He doeth well. For He thought it meet that they who have once been endued with the Spirit of Him Who is God and Lord, should have power also to remit or retain the sins of whomsoever they would, the Holy Spirit That dwelt in them remitting or retaining them according to His Will, though the deed were done through human instrumentality.
They who have the Spirit of God remit or retain sins in two ways, as I think. For they invite to Baptism those to whom this sacrament is abeady due from the purity of their lives, and their tried adherence to the faith; and they hinder and exclude others who are not as yet worthy of the Divine grace. And in another sense, also, they remit and retain sins, by rebuking erring children of the Church, and granting pardon to those who repent; just as, also, Paul gave up him that had
1 Cor. V. committed fornication at Corinth, for the destruction of the flesh, that the sinrit may he saved, and admitted him
2 Cor. ii. again into fellowship, that he might not he sivalloived up ^' with his overmuch sorrow, as he says in his letter.
When, then, the Spirit of Christ dwelling in our hearts doeth things which befit God alone, surely He is the living God, invested with the glorious dignit}'' of the Divine Nature, and having power over sacred laws.
25 tliem when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said ^l^^' ' unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said tmto them, Except I shall see in His Hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His Side, I will not believe.
The greatest marvels are always attended by incredulity, and any action which seems to exceed the measure of probability is ill-received by those who hear of it. But the sight of the eyes succeeds in banishing these doubts, and, as it were, compels a man by force to assent to the evidence before him. This was the state of mind of the wise Thomas, who did not readily accept the true testimony of the other disciples to our Saviour's Resurrection, although, according to the Mosaic Law, in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. I think, however, that it was not so much that the disciple discredited what was told him, but rather that he was distracted with the utmost grief, because he had not been thought worthy to see our Saviour with his own eyes. For he, perhaps, thought that he would never receive that blessing. He knew that the Lord was by Nature Life, and that He was able to escape death itself, and to destroy the power of corruption; for surely He Who released others from its trammels could deliver His own Flesh. In his exceeding great joy he affected incredulity, and though he wellnigh leapt in his ecstasy of delight, he longed to see Him before his very sight, and to be perfectly satisfied that He had risen again to life according to His promise. For our Saviour said: Children, a little while and ye Supra behold Me no more; and again a little while, and ye ^^^- ^^' shall see Me, and your heart shall rejoice. I think that the disciple's want of faith was extremely opportune and well-timed, in order that, through the satisfaction of his mind, we also who come after him might be
Book 12. unshaken in our faith that the very Body that hiing ^.^xx. ^, ^pQj-^ ^]^Q Cross and suffered death was quickened by the Father through the Son. Therefore, also, Paul saith: ■Rom. X. Because if thou shalt say tvith thy viouth, Jesus is Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For since it was not the nature of flesh itself which brought back life, but the deed was rather accomplished by the working of the ineffable Nature of God, in which naturally abides a quickening power, the Father through the Son manifested His power upon the Temple of Christ's Body; not as though the Word was powerless to raise His own Body, but because the Father doeth whatsoever He doeth through the Son, for He is His Power, and whatsoever the Son bringeth to effect proceedeth also of a surety from the Father. We, therefore, are taught, through the slight want of faith shown by the blessed Thomas, that the mystery of the Resurrection is effected upon our earthly bodies, and in Christ as the Firstfruits of the race; and that He was no phantom or ghost, fashioned in human shape, and simulating the features of humanity, nor yet, as others have foolishly surmised, a spiritual body that is compounded of a subtle and ethereal substance different from the flesh. For some attach this meaning to the expression " spiritual body." For since all our expectation and the significance of our irrefutable faith, after the confession of the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity, centres in the mystery concerning the flesh, the blessed Evangelist has very pertinently put this saying of Thomas side by side with the summary of what preceded. For observe that Thomas does not desire simply to see the Lord, but looks for the marks of the nails, that is, the wounds upon His Body. For he affirmed that then, indeed, he would believe and agree with the rest that Christ had indeed risen again, and risen again in the flesh. For that which is dead may rightly be said to return to life, and the Resurrection surely
2G And after eight days again His disci2)tes were within, and Thomas icith them. Jesus conieth, the doors being shut, and
27 stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas, Beach hither thy finger, and see My Hands; and, reach lather thy hand, and 2>ut it into My Side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Christ appeared once more unto His disciples miraculously by His Divine power. For He did not, like unto us, bid them open the doors for Him to enter in, but disdaining, as it were, the natural sequence of events, passed within the doors, and unexpectedly appeared in the middle of the room, presenting the same kind of miracle before the sight of the blessed Thomas as He had performed on the former occasion. For he that was most deficient in faith had need of healing medicine. He made use of the gi-eeting so often on His Lips, and solemnly gave them the blessed assurance of peace, as a pattern unto us, as we have said before. One may well be amazed at the minuteness of detail shown in this passage. For such was the extreme accuracy that the compiler of this book took pains to observe, that he is not content with simply saying that Christ manifested Himself to the holy disciples, but explains that it was after eight days, and that they were gathered together. For what else can their being all brought together in one house mean? We say this to point out the diligent care that the Apostle so admirably displays, and because Christ hereby has made clear unto us the occasion of our assembling, and gathering ourselves together on His account. For He visits, and in some sort dwells with, those assembled together for His sake, especially on the eighth day, that is, the Lord's day. Let us reckon it up, if you so please: On the one occasion He appeared unto the other disciples; on the other, He manifested Himself to them, when Thomas was also
Book 12. present. It is written in the preceding passage: When ^.^xx., ^/^g^,gy^j.g ^f- yj^^g evening, on that day, the first day of the Supra week, and when the doors ivere shut, He stood in the midst, Note, that it was on the first day of the week, that is, the Lord's day, when the disciples were gathered together, that He was seen of them, and that likewise, also He appeared unto them on the eighth day following. And we must not, because he says eight days after, suppose that he means the ninth day, but that when he says this he includes the eighth day itself, on which He appeared, in the number given.
With good reason, then, are we accustomed to have sacred meetings in churches on the eighth day. And, to adopt the langua^ge of allegory, as the idea necessarily demands, we indeed close the doors, but yet Christ visits us and appears unto us all, both invisibly and also visibly; invisibly as God, but also visibly in the Body. He suffers us to touch His holy Flesh, and gives us thereof. For through the grace of God we are admitted to partake of the blessed Eucharist, receiving Christ into our hands, to the intent that we may firmly believe that He did in truth raise up the Temple of His Bod3\ For that the partaking of the blessed Eucharist is a confession of the Resurrection of Christ is clearly proved by His own Words, which He spake when He Himself performed the type of the mystery; for He brake S. Luke bread, as it is written, and gave it to them, saying: This Cf. " is My Body, %vhic}t is given for you unto remission of s. Matt, glrms- ijiig dQ {^ remembrance of Me. Participation, then, in the Divine mysteries, in addition to filling us with Divine blessedness, is a true confession and memorial of Christ's dying and rising again for us and for our sake. Let us, therefore, after touching Christ's Body, shrink back from unbelief in Him as utter ruin, and rather be found well grounded in the full assurance of faith.
Let the attentive reader call to mind that our Lord repulsed Mary Magdalene from touching Him, saying plainly: Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended unto Chap. i. the Father. Yet He allows Thomas to touch His Side, 27^^^' "" ' and to feel with his fingers the print of the nails. We Supra have already explained why our Lord did this, but none Supra the less will we call back to mind the reason, briefly ver. 25. recapitulating what we said. For not yet had the time arrived for Mary to touch Him, because she had not yet been sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit; for while Christ was yet in our midst, and had not yet ascended to the Father in heaven, it was impossible to see the descent of the Comforter fully accomplished among men. It was meet, however, for Thomas to touch Him, as he, as well as the rest, had been em-iched with the Spirit. For, as we said before, he was not on account of his absence without his share in the Spirit. For the munificence of the Giver reached unto him also, when the boon was granted to the entire company of the holy disciples.
I think we ought also to investigate the following question. Thomas felt our Saviour's Side, and found the wounds made by the soldier's spear, and saw the print of the nails. Then how was it, someone may inquire, that the marks of corruption were apparent in an incorruptible Body? For the abiding trace of the holes bored through the Hands and Side, and the marks of wounds and punctures made by steel, affords proof of physical corruption, though the true and incontrovertible fact that Christ's Body was transformed into incorruption points to a necessary discarding of all the results of coiTuption, together with corruption itself For will any man who is lame, at the Resurrection have a maimed foot or limb? And if any man have lost the sight of his eyes in this life, will he be raised again blind ■? How then, someone may say, can Ave have shaken off the yoke of corruption, if its results still remain and rule over our members? It is essential, I th'nk, to inquire into this question; and this we say, with reference to the difficulties raised by the
BnoK 12. passage. We are as far as possible anxious to assent c XX. 26, ^Q ^i^g contention that at the time of the resurrection there will be no remnant of adventitious corruption left in us, but, as the wise Paul said concerning this
1 Cor. XV. body of ours, that which is sown in weakness is raised in power, and that which is sown in dishonour is raised in glory. And what can we expect the resurrection of this body in power and glory to be, if it does not imply that it will cast off all the weakness and dishonour of corruption and disease, and return to its original purity? For the human body was not made for death and corruption. But, inasmuch as Thomas required this proof for his perfect satisfaction, our Lord Jesus Christ, of necessity, therefore, in order to leave no excuse for our want of faith, appears even as he sought to see Him; for even when He ascended into heaven itself, and made known the meaning of the mystery concerning Himself to the rulers, principalities, and powers above, and to those who commanded the legions of angels. He appeared also unto them in this same guise that they might believe that in very truth the Word That was of the Father, and in the Father, became Man for our sake, and that they might know that such was His care for His creatures that He died for our salvation. And, in order to make the meaning of my explanation clearer to my hearers, I will add the very words spoken by the mouth of Isaiah on this
Is. ixiii. subject. Hesaith: Who is This That cometh from Edoni, luith dyed garments from Basra? They who raise this shout, I mean the cry: Who is This That cometh from Edom? that is, from the earth, are angels and rational powers, for they are marvelling at the Lord ascending into heaven. And, seeing Him almost, as it were, dyed in His own Blood, they say unto Him, not yet appre-
Ibid. 2. bending the mystery: Why Is Thy apjjarel red, and ivhy ai-e TJiy garments like him that treadeth in the tvinevats? For they compare the colour of the blood t."> new wine, lately trodden in the press. And what ^aith
Christ unto them "] First, in order that He may be Chap. i. known to be the Hving God, He saith: / speak right- ^'^^' J"' eo^ts}^ess; using the word sj^eaA;, instead of "teach." And most assuredly He that teacheth righteousness must be a Lawgiver, and if a Lawgiver, surely also God. Then say the angels unto Him, as Christ showeth them the marks of the nails: What are these wounds in Thy Zech. Hands.? and the Lord answereth: Those ivith which I ''"^* ivas wounded in the house of My beloved. For Israel was the house that the Lord loved, and Israel smote Him with nails and spear. For the outrages of the soldiers may justly be ascribed unto the Jews, for they brought the Lord to His death. Therefore, when He wished to satisfy the holy angels that He was, in fact, a Man, and that He had undergone the Cross for us, and that He was risen again to life from the dead, Christ was not content with mere words, but showed unto them the marks of His suffering. What is there to astonish us in the fact, that when He desired to rid the blessed Thomas of his unbelief He showed the print of the nails, appearing unto him, contrary to expectation, for the advantage of all men, and to the intent that we might believe without question that the mystery of the Resurrection was actually accomplished, no other body being raised but that which suffered death 1
He that had shortly before been slack in the duty of faith was now eager to profess it, and in a short time his fault was wholly cured. For after an interval of only eight days the hindrances to his faith were removed by Christ, Who showed unto him the print of the nails and His wounded Side. But, perhaps, someone will ask the question: " Tell me why did the minds of the holy disciples carry out so rigid an inquiry, and so careful a scrutiny 1 For would not the sight of the Lord's Eody, the features of His Face, and the measure of His Stature, c. XX. 28. jg^(j^ ^^^ ^Q secure His recognition? " What do we reply 1 The inspired disciples were not free from doubt, although they had seen the Lord. For they thought that He was not in very truth the same as He Who of old had lived and dwelt among them, and had hung upon the Cross, but rather that He was a Spirit, cunningly fashioned like unto our Saviour's Image, and simulating the features of the form which they knew. For they fell into this delusion not without some apparent excuse, as He miraculously entered when the doors were closed; in spite of the fact that a body of coarse earthy mould requires a hole through which it can pass, and necessitates the aperture of the door to correspond in width with the size of the body. For this cause our Lord Jesus Christ, greatly to our profit, laid bare His Side to Thomas, and exposed the wounds on His Person, through his agency giving adequate proof to all. For though of Thomas alone is recorded the ver. 25. ^^y ^y^g aails, and put my hand into His Side, I ivill not believe, yet was the charge of lack of faith common to them all; and we shall find that the minds of the other disciples were not free from perplexity, though they said
Ibid, unto the holy Thomas: We have seen the Lord. And that what we say does not err from the truth we may easily perceive by what the Divine Luke tells us: As they spake these things. He stood in the midst of them, s. Luke that is, of course, Christ, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they u'ere terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they beheld a sjnrit. And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and v:herefore do reasonings arise in your hearts? See My Hands and My Feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold Me having. And ivhen He had said this, He shoived them His Hands and His Feet. And tuhile they still disbelieved for joy, and tuondered. He said unto them. Have ye here anything to eat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled Jish, and Chap. i. of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before ^' ^^" " them. You see how the thought of unbelief is found lurking, not in the blessed Thomas alone, but that the minds of the other disciples were afflicted with a kindi'ed disease. For, lo and behold! seeing that their faith wavered even after the sight of the wounds upon the Cross, He thought it right to convince them by another act, in nowise suited to a spirit, but specially appro-, priate to earthly bodies and the nature of flesh. For He ate the fish that was brought unto Him, or the portion of one. For when no mark at all of corruption any longer remained after the Resurrection of His holy Flesh, because He lived again to incorruption, and when it was incredible that His Body stood in need of food as heretofore. He yet showed unto them the print of the nails, and did not refuse to partake of food, in order that He might establish the great mystery of the Resurrection, and cause faith in it to spring up in the souls of us all. He does acts wholly alien to the nature of spirits. For how, and in what way, could the prints of nails, and the traces of wounds, and participation in bodily food, be found to exist in a naked spirit unconnected with flesh, to which all these things are suitable by the law of its being and the conditions under which it exists? In order, then, that none might think that Christ rose again a mere spirit, or an impalpable body, shadowy and ethereal, to which some give the name of spiritual, but that the selfsame body that was sown in corruption, as Paul saith, might be i Cor. xv. believed to have risen again. He openly did acts "" suitable to a palpable human form. What we said at first, however, namely, that the blessed disciple did not so much lack faith owing to infirmity of judgment, but rather was affected in this way by excess of joy, will not be wide of the mark. For we have heard the saying of the blessed Luke concerning all the others: o t ^ And vjhile they disbelieved for joy and u'ondered. It xxiv. 41. VOL. It. Y y c. XX. 28. i^Q convinced. But as henceforward there was no excuse for unbelief, as they saw with their own eyes, the blessed Thomas accordingly unflinchingly confessed his faith in Him, saying: My Lord and my God. For we must all confess that it follows of a surety that He That is Lord by Nature and Ruler over all is also God, just as also universal dominion and the glory of sovereignty is clearly seen to appertain to the living God.
Observe, too, that when he says My Lord and my God, he uses the article to show that there was One Lord and One God. For he does not say without the qualification of the article, My Lord and my God, to prevent any one from imagining that he called Him Lord or God as he might have done one of ourselves or of the holy angels. For there are gods many and lords many, in this sense, iCor. viii. in heaven and on earth, as the wise Paul has taught us; but rather he recognises Him as, in a special sense, the One Lord and God, as begotten of the Father, Who is by Nature Lord and God, when he says. My Lord and my God; and, what is a still greater indication of the truth, the Saviour heard His disciple saying this, and saw that he rested in the firm conviction that He was, in fact, the Lord and God, and thought it not right to rebuke him. Christ, then, approved his faith, and with justice. And you may easily see that what I say is true. For to him that was possessed of this faith He says, at the end of the Gospel, as unto the rest: Go ye and make disciples of s. Matt, all the nations. And if He bids him who was thus ■ minded teach all nations, and appointed him to instruct the world in His mysteries, He wishes us to have a like faith. For He is, in fact. Lord and God by Nature, even when Incarnate Man. For observe that the disciple, when he had touched His Hands, and Feet, and Side, made unto Him this confession of faith, not severing Emmanuel into a duality of Sons, but recognising Him as one and the same in the Flesh, for Jesus Christ is One Lord, according to the Scripture.
29 Jesus saith unto Mm, Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast Chap. 1. believed: Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have ^' ^^" believed.
This saying of the Saviour is very pertinent, and we may derive the greatest profit therefrom. For hereby He showed His great care for our souls; for He is good, and tuilleth that all m.en should be saved and come to the i Tim. ii. knouiedge of the truth, according to the Scripture. What ' is here said may not unlikely excite surprise. It was, indeed, necessary for Him to be long-suffering, as was His wont, with Thomas, who uttered that saying, and also with the other disciples with him, who thought that He was a spirit or apparition; and also to exhibit, as He very readily did for universal satisfaction, the print of the nails and His pierced Side; and also, contrary to use and need, to partake of food, that no plea for their unbelief might be left to those who sought to gain the benefits of His death. But it was also essential to have regard to the security of our faith. It was necessary also to have another end in view, namely, that those who should come at the last times should not easily be drawn into unbelief. For it was likely that some should err from the straight path, and from ignorance, practising a spurious kind of caution, refuse to accept the resurrection of the dead, and put themselves forward, and say unto us, like that unbelieving disciple: Except I shall see in His Hands the print of the Supra nails, and put my hand into His Side, I will not believe. ^®'"' ^^' What sufficient means of satisfying them would there have been, Christ being no longer on earth but having ascended into heaven? And would they not have been, at times, thought to be justified in thus speaking, when they appeared to be imitating therein the disciple of the Saviour, and, considering it a noble thing not to believe off'-hand, but rather to require more for their complete assurance, claimed for themselves the sight that was shown to the holy disciples "? Christ, therefore, restrains
Book 12. men from such an inclination, and keeps them from c.^xx. 30, fg^ii^Qg^ j^QP being truly God, He knew well the malicious designs of the devil and his practice to deceive. And, therefore, He declares that blessed are they who believe without seeing, for they are surely worthy of admiration. And why 1 Because unquestioning belief is due to what lies before our eyes, for there is nothing at all to raise doubt in us. But if a man accept what he has not seen, and believe that to be true which the words of his instructor in mysteries have brought to his ears, then he honours with praiseworthy faith Him that is preached. Blessed, therefore, shall be the lot of every man that s. Luke belie veth through the voice of the holy Apostles, tuhich tvere eye-ivitnesses of Christ's actions, and ministers of the Word, as Luke says. To them must we hearken if we are enamoured of life eternal, and cherish in our hearts the desire to abide in the mansions above.
31 disciples, ivhich are not written in this book: but these are ivritten, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye may have eternal life in His Name.
He sums up the book in a manner, and makes plain to His hearers the object of the preaching of the Gospel. For, he says, this book was composed that ye may believe, and believing might have eternal life. He says that the signs were many, and does not limit the actions and marvellous works of our Saviour to those which were accurately known by him personally, and recorded by him, and leaves the other disciples to publish, if they chose, whatever was vividly impressed on their memory. For all the signs, he says, are not ivritten in this book, but those only have been inserted by me which I thought best able to convince my hearers that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
This is what the inspired Evangelist says; and I think, Chap. ], too, that it may be of use to make the following obser- ^^' '■ vation: For if the whole meaning of the record is directed to producing in us this faith, and is well calculated to make us steadfast in the conviction that the Child of the Holy Virgin, Who was called Jesus by Cf. Luke the voice of the angel, is the very Christ Whose coming "' was proclaimed by Holy Writ; and if He be, indeed, very Christ and none other — not merely a son but the Son of God in a unique and special sense; what then, I ask, can they who, through ignorance, are in doubt about the faith, and who, furthermore, strive to teach others to believe that there are two Christs — what can they do or say in their defence, and what will be the sentence passed upon them when the great day shall come? For they divide Christ into two separate Beings, Man and God the Word, even after His union with man, and His ineffable and wholly incomprehensible Incarnation. Therefore are they in error, and have wandered far astray from the truth, and denied the Master that ^J^-Tetev bought them. For if we examine into the definition of the being of Christ, and form a conception of Him, we find that the flesh is different from God the Word, Which is in the Father, and proceedeth from Him; but if we consider the meaning of the Incarnation, and strive to fathom so far as we are able this exceeding great mystery, we conceive of the Word as One with His own Flesh, though not converted into flesh. God forbid that we should so say, for the Nature of the Word is inconvertible and unchangeable, and admits of no shadow of turning. Rather do we maintain, according to our Holy and inspired Scriptures, that the Messiah, conceived of as attaining to the perfect definition of manhood through the Temple of flesh that enshrined His Godhead, is One only — Jesus, the Christ and the Son of God, Consider that the selfsame truth is found to have existence in the nature of ourselves who are men. For we are combined into one man composed of soul and
Book 12. body; the body and the soul that it contains being c. XXI. - ^jg^iuct, but nevertheless coinciding to form one perfect animal, and wholly incapable of separation after combination with each other.
xxi. 1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the discijyles at the sea of Tiberias; and He manifested Himself
2 on this wise. There loere together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the
3 sons of Zehedee, and tivo other of His disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also come vnth thee. They went forth, and entered into
4 tlie boat; and that night they took nothing. But when day ivas now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach: howbeit the
5 discij)les knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye ought to eat 1 They answered Him, No.
6 And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, aiul ye shall find. And they said, We toiled all night and took nothing: but at Thy ivord, we ivill cast doivn the net. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Our Lord Jesus Christ once more gladdens His disciples with the enjoyment of the sight of Himself, Whom they so greatly longed to see, and vouchsafes unto them a third visit, in addition to the other two, in order that He might confirm their minds, and render them unchangeably steadfast in faith towards Him. For how after they had seen Him not once, but now for the third time, could they fail to have their minds released from all wavering in the faith, and to become faithful instructors of the rest of mankind in the doctrines of the religion of Christ? Peter then goes forth with the others a fishing. For when he was bound on this errand they hurried with him, and doubtless our Saviour Christ is here seen working for their good. For He once said to them, when He put upon them the yoke of their discipleship, and called them to the dignity of apostle- ship: Come ye after Me, cmd I luill make you to become Chap.i. fishers of men. In order, then, that He might convince q ^^' them by a palpable sign that every Word that He had S Matt, spoken would surely come to pass, and that His promise ^^' ' would result in complete fulfilment. He draws a convincing proof from the trade at which they were at work. For the blessed disciples were practising their art, and were fishing, but yet had they caught nothing, though they had toiled all the night. And when it was already early morning, and the dawn was beginning to break, and the sun's rays to appear, Jesus stood on the beach. And they knew not that it was Jesus. And when He questioned them whether they had any fish fit for the table in their nets, they said they had taken nothing at all. Then He bids them cast down the net on the right side of the boat. And they, although all the night they had spent their toil in vain, replied: " At Thy word we will cast down the net." And when this was done, the weight of the fish that were caught overpowered the strength of the fishermen who were hauling it up.
Such is the narrative of the inspired Evangelist. As we have just observed, the Saviour, by the actual performance of a palpable miracle, satisfied the holy disciples that they were destined to be, as He had said, fishers of men. Come, then, let us convert, so far as in us lies, that which was fulfilled in type into the truth of which it is symbolical; and let us bear witness to the truth of the Saviour's Words, and, according to our ability, unfolding the meaning of everything that took place, let us put before those who may light on these pages what may serve in some measure, I think, to start a spiritual train of thought. For give instruction to a tuise man, and Prov. ix. he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will ' increase in learning. I think, then, that the fact of the disciples fishing all the night, and taking nothing, but spending their labour in vain, signifies that no one, as we shall find, or very few, would be wholly won over by e] ■ into their net to do God's pleasure in all things. We may regard what is very small in amount as equivalent to nothing, especially when it is taken out of a great multitude. And, surely, we must regard the number of mankind scattered throughout the whole world as exceedingly great. What hindrance, then, or obstacle was there in the way which rendered the labour of the pioneers of the faith fruitless? And why did their preaching fail to bear fruit? There was still night and darkness, and a kind of mental mist and devilish deceit brooding over the eyes of the mind, not suffering men to
Ps. xiv. perceive the true light of God. For there was no man
' ' that doeth good, as said the Psalmist; yea, not one; but all had gone astray and, become abominable. And though the Israelites had been, in a manner, caught in the net by Moses, yet were they as though they had not been caught at all, and were devoted to the worship of types and shadows, and had no instruction in the law that bringeth to perfection. For that we shall find that the worship of types was abominable, and displeasing to
God, it is easy to see, from His rejection of bloody sacrifices, and every kind of earthly and physical offer-
.Ter. vi. ing. To tuhat purpose, He says, bring ye to Me incense from Sheba, and the siveet cane from a far country?
This we say not wishing to disparage the first commandment given of old, nor with the intent to accuse the Law, but rather desiring to suggest to our hearers that as God the Lord of all hath regard only to the beauty of the Gospel life, even those who were caught in the net by the Law, and brought to the barren worship of shadows and types, were but on a par with those who had not Heb. ix. been caught at all until the time of reformation dawned, ^^' Christ saying clearly, when He became Man, / am the xiv!^6. Truth. And if it be necessary to add any further words, I shall not shrink from doing so, if it be for our profit.
They who were called by Moses to learn the Law, spurned Chap. i. the Law given unto them, and, as it were, opened their g ^^" mouth wide and gaped upon the holy ordinance, and made the lyrecepts of mien their code of instruction, and s. Matt. rela]3sed into such stubbornness and perversity of heart ^'*'" ^' that even the word of the holy prophets lost its power. Therefore, also, they cried: Lord, who hath believed our Is. liii. i. report? Jeremiah also exclaims: Woe is me, my mother, jev. xv. that thou hast home me a man of strife and a riian ^^' of contention to the whole earth: I have not helped any man, nor hath any man helped me. My strength hath failed me hecause of them thcd curse me. Surely, then, one is constrained to admit that the disobedient and unruly Israelites were on a par with those who had not been caught at all, when they trampled under foot even the Law that Moses had laid down. And it needs no demonstration to show that the great multitude of the Gentiles was still uncaptured, and remained altogether outside the net. Darkness, then, and devilish night was in their hearts, driving out the light of true knowledge of God. Therefore they toiled, so to say, during the whole night, and still had their spiritual net barren of fish before Christ's coming; but when early morning came, that is, when the mist of the devil was dispersed, and the true light dawned, that is, Christ, and when Chi-ist inquired of the toilers. Have you anything within your nets which may serve as food for God, Who thirsts, as it were, for the salvation of us all (for the Scripture called the conversion of the Samaritans Cf. His food), and when they gave His question the plain j "^34 answer that they had nothing, then Christ bade them cast down the net again on the right side of the hoed. For the blessed Moses also let down the line of instruction, that is, by the letter of the Law; but this was fishing on the left side, the commandment of Christ unto us being on the right. For incomparably greater, then, and far exceeding in honour and glory the commandments of the Law, is the teaching of Christ; for the reality
Book 12. greatly surpasses the type, and the Master the servant, is placed on the right, the right hand signifjdng to us its superiority over the Law and the prophets.
The inspired disciples, then, without hesitation, obeyed the bidding of our Saviour, and let down the net. And the meaning of this is, that they did not seize for themselves the grace of apostleship, but at His bidding went s. Matt, forth to capture the souls of men. Go ye. He said, and ' make discij^es of all the nations. The disciples themselves say, that at the Word of Christ they let down the net. For they fish for men only by the Saviour's Words and commandments in the Gospels. And great was the multitude of fish within the net, so that the disciples were no longer able to haul it up. For they who have been caught, and believed, are innumerable, and the marvel thereof seems in truth to surpass, and be out of all proportion to the strength of the holy Apostles. For it is the working of Christ, Who gathereth b}^ His own power the multitude of the saved into the Church on earth, as into the net of the Apostles.
7 That disciple therefore, tohom Jesus loved, saith nnto Peter, It is the Lord. So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his coat about him {for he was naked), and
8 cast himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat {for tlieyvjere not far from land, hut about ttvo
9 hundred cubits off), dragging the net full of fishes. So u'hen they got out upon tlxe, land, they see a fire of coals
10 there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. And Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now taken.
11 Simon Peter therefore went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three: and for
12 all there were so many, the net vxis not rent. Jesus saith unto them, Come and break your fast. And none of tlie discijiles durst inquire of Him, Who art Thou? knowing
14 and giveth them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third Chap. 1. tiine that Jesus was manifested to His disciples, after that -^, He was risen from the dead.
Again, in this passage, the writer of this book calls himself the beloved disciple — and he would seem to have been thus well beloved on account of his great discernment and purity of mind, and the keenness of his mental vision, and a disposition which enabled him readily to grasp the truth. And, in fact, he seized the meaning of the sign before the rest, and perceived Christ's Presence, and told the rest, entertaining not a shadow of doubt, but crying out to them with a very confident voice. It is the Lord. The inspired Peter leapt into the sea, thinking that to go by the ship would cause delay, for he was always fervent in zeal, and easily stirred up to confidence and love of Christ. The rest followed his lead, with the ship, dragging the net. Then they see a fire of coals, for the Saviour had kindled a fire miraculously, and put a fish upon it that He had caught by His ineffable power; and this too He had done of design. For it was not the hand of the holy Apostles, or the preaching of these spiritual fishermen among men, but the power of the Saviour that started the work. For He first caught one as the firstfruits of those who were to come (not that we mean one precisely, for by one is signified a small number), then afterwards the disciples caught the multitude in their nets, being enabled by His Divine bidding to take something of what they sought. Peter then hauls up the net; by which it was to be understood, that the labour of the holy Apostles would not be without its effect. For they put the mass of captured fish before Him Who had commanded them to be caught; and the quantity of the fish is indicated by the number 153. The number 100, to the best of my judgment, signifies the complement of the nations, for the number 100 is a very perfect number, being compounded of 10 times 10; and for this reason our Lord
Book 12. Jesus Christ Himself, in one place, speaks in the parable cxxi. ^- Q^ having 100 sheep belonging to Him, signifying the S. Matt, complete sum of rational creatures, and in another place xviu. 12. declares that the best ground will bringf forth a hundred- 8, ' fold, meaning thereby the perfect fertility of the righteous soul. The number 50, on the other hand, betokens the elect remnant of the Israelites, saved by grace; for 50 is half 100, and falls short of the perfect number in amount. And by the three, reference is made to the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity, the number alone showing this; for to the glory and ceaseless praise of the Trinity the life of those who have been taken captive through faith is consecrated, and implies connexion with the Godhead. For God is in all those who believe in Him, and keeps nigh unto Him, by means of sanctification, those who have been won over by the teaching of the Gospel. And when the net had been drawn up, our Lord said again to the holy disciples: Come and break your fast; thereby teaching them, that after their pain and tribulation in gathering in those who were called S. Luke and saved, they should sit down with Him, as the ^^^^' "' ' Saviour Himself said, and their table would be spread with food such as no tongue can name, the spiritual, that is, and Divine, and that passeth man's understanding. Christ also wishes to imply that which is said by Ps. the Psalmist: Thou shall eat the fruit of the labours of thy hands. They did not take food for themselves, and eat thereof, but Christ gave to them of it; that we might learn, as in a type, that on that day Christ will Himself provide us with Divine blessings, and apportion unto us those things which may be profitable unto us as our Lord.
15 So when they had hrohen their fast, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thoio Me more than these? lie saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knoivest that I love
16 Thee. He saith unto him. Feed My lambs. He saith unto him again, a second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou
unto him, the third time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou Me / Peter was grieved because He said unto him, the third time, Lovest thou Me? And lie said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him. Feed My sheejj.
Peter started to reach Jesus before the rest, disdaining, as it appears, to go by boat, because of the incomparable fervour and admirable zeal of his love towards Christ. Therefore He comes first to land, and draws up the net; Supra for he was always an impressionable man, easily excited to enthusiasm both in speech and action. Therefore, also, he first made confession of faith when the Saviour put to them the inquiry in the parts of Coisarea Philippi, s. Matt. saying: Who do men say that I the Son of Man am? ^^^- ■^^• And of the other disciples some said Elijah, and others ibid. 14. Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But when Christ put the further question to them: But Who say ye tliat I am? Ibid. 15. Peter took the lead, and becoming spokesman for the rest, hastened to reply: Thou art the Christ, the Son o/lbid, 16. the living God. Moreover, when the band of soldiers came, together with the officers of the Jews, to take Jesus away to the rulers, the rest all left Him and fled, but S. Matt. Peter struck off Malchus' ear with a sword. For he cif^gypi-a, thought it right by every means in his power to defend xviii. lo. his Master, though the attack that he made was in fact altogether displeasing to Him. As, therefore, he came more impetuously than the rest, Christ puts to him the question whether he loved Him more than they, and repeated it three times; and Peter answers in the affirmative, and confesses his love for Him, saying that Christ Himself was a witness to his state of mind. And, after each confession, he heard Christ telling him in different words to take thought of His sheep, as He calls mankind in the parable.
Book 12. the hidden meaning that is here implied) that these o.xxi. 5- ^Qj.^g were not written without a purpose, but the saying is pregnant with meaning, and the sense of the passage contains something more than meets the eye. May not someone reasonably ask, Why is it that Christ only asks Simon, though the other disciples were present? And what is the meaning of the words, Feed My lambs, and the like? We reply, that the inspired Peter had indeed already been elected, together with the other disciples, to be an Apostle of God (for our S. Luke Lord Jesus Christ Himself named them Apostles, accord- VI, la. -j^g ^Q ^j^g Scripture), but, when the events connected with the plot of the Jews against Him came to pass, his fall came betwixt; for the inspired Peter was seized with uncontrollable fear, and thrice denied the Lord. Christ succours His erring disciple, and elicits by divers questions his thrice-repeated confession, counterbalancing, as it were, his error thereby, and making his recovery as signal as his fall. For a transgression which was verbal, and only in mere words supplied ground of accusation against him, could surely be wiped out in the same fashion as it was committed. He requires him to say whether he loved Him more than the rest. For in truth, as he had enjoyed a greater measure of forgiveness, and received from a more bountiful Hand the remission of his transgression, surely he would be likely to feel greater love than the rest, and requite his Benefactor with the extremity of affection. For although all the holy disciples alike betook themselves to flight, the inhumanity of the Jews inspiring them with a terror that they could not overcome, and the ferocity of the soldiers threatening them with cruel death when they came to take Jesus, still Peter's transgression by his thrice- repeated denial was special and peculiar to him.
Therefore, as he had received a greater measure of forgiveness than the rest, he is asked to tell Christ whether he loved Him more; for, as the Saviour Himself through his threefold confession of love. 703 said, he to whom most is forgiven will also love much. chap. l. Herein, also, is a type given to the Churches, that they ^ g^^' ^^' ought thrice to ask for a confession of Christ from those cf. who have chosen to love Him by coming to Him in ^i.^"!^®
Holy Baptism. And, by dwelling on this passage, instructors in religion may arrive at the knowledge that they cannot please the (Jhief Shepherd, that is Christ, unless i S. Pet. they take thought for the health of the sheep of His fold, and their continuance in well-being. Such was the inspired Paul, who shared the infirmities of his weak Cf. brethren, and called those who through him believed, 22. and chose to gain repute by the glory of their deeds, the boast, and joy, and crown of his apostleship. For he ^^^^- ^^' knew that this was the visible fruit of love for Christ. And this, if he reason well and justly, any one may perceive. For if He died for us, surely He must esteem the salvation and life of us all as deserving of all care. And if they who sin against the brethren, and ivound 1 Cor. their conscience luhen it is weak, in truth sin against ^"^' " Christ; surely it is true to say, that they are doing the Lord Himself service who take, as it were, by the hand the mind of those who have been admitted to the faith, and who are expected to be called to perfection therein, and are eager to stablish them firmly in the faith, by every help that they can offer. Therefore, by his thrice-repeated confession the thrice-repeated denial of the blessed Peter was done away, and by the saying of our Lord, " Feed my lambs," we must understand a renewal as it were of the apostleship, already given unto him, washing away the disgrace of his fall that came betwixt, and obliterating his faint-heartedness, that arose from human infii-mity.
1 8 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou tvouldest: but ivhen thou shalt he old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and others shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou
With great kindness and tenderness our Lord Jesus Christ testifies to the fervour of the love which His disciple bore unto Him, and the high honour of his piety and endurance, tried to the uttermost. For He tells him clearly what would be the issue of his apostleship, and what would be the end of his hfe. For He foretold unto him, that one would take him to a place whither he would not go; that is, in which his persecutors, or those who condemned him to the penalty of death, had fixed the cross. He says, that the place of his crucifixion would be a place whither Peter would not go. For no one of the Saints suffers death of his own free choice. Eut though death be bitter, and though it come upon them sorely against their will, yet do they who yearn for the glory that God gives disdain earthly life. Therefore Christ foretold, that the blessed Peter would be taken to a place to die in, sore displeasing and hateful unto him. But he would never have attained to so glorious a death, nor have been crucified for Christ, had he not followed His injunction to take charge of the sheep of His fold, and, having the power of the love of Christ firmly rooted in his heart, called to obedience those who have been ensnared into error by the wiles of the devil. For they who ventured on this crime, and slew the blessed Peter, had no other accusation to charge him withal, save only his zeal in Christ's service. We may see then hereby, that our Lord Jesus Christ well, and of necessity, foretold Peter's end, that by the doom that he was destined to sutfer he might in a manner put the seal of truth Supra upon the words he spake unto Him: Yea, Lord; Tliou ^^^ knoivest that I love Thee. For that he met his death at all on account of preaching the Gcspel was surely a plain and incontrovertible proof of afttction, and showed that he was in no way lacking in perfect love towards Christ.
Christ, then, adds to what He had said, the words " Follow Chap. i. Me," which bear the signification they so commonly have 23^^'' cf following Him as a disciple, and also hinting darkly, as I think, at something else; or meaning, Tread in the track of the perils through which I have passed, and walk in the same path, by deed and word succouring the souls of those who are called, and hesitate not to encounter death itself upon the cross, which, Christ says, will be your lot when you reach old age; not suffering Peter to be alarmed before the time, but deferring for a long season the approach of the king of terrors.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disci2>le whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned hack on His Breast at the supjper, and said unto Him, Lord, who is he that he-
22 Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
23 follow thou Me. This saying therefore loent forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him that he should not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to tliee 1
The inspired Evangelist points to himself obscurely, but still sufficiently to indicate who is meant. For he it was who was the beloved disciple, and who leaned upon Christ's Breast at the last Supper, and asked who it was that should betray Him. Peter, then, observing him, longed for information, and sought to know in what perils he would be involved in the time to come, and in what way his life would end. But the question seemed unseemly, and it appeared to savour rather of a meddlesome and inquisitive spirit, that, after having learnt what was to happen unto himself, he should seek to know the future fate of others. For this cause, then, I think the Lord makes no direct reply to his question or inquiry, but, diverting the aim of the questioner, does not say that John will not die, but, If I will that he
Book 12. tarry till I come, tvhat is that to thee? That is to say, c. XXI. 24. "pi^Q^ ]^a^g|;, heard, 0 Peter, the things concerning thyself, what need is there for thee to ask questions about others, and to seek to fathom out of season the knowledge of the Divine decrees. For if he never die at all, He says, what consolation will this be to thy heart? The man who is wise and prudent, then, if he is doomed to die, will not trouble himself as to whether another will be saved alive or not; for it will be enough for him to suffer his own doom, and he will receive no comfort at all from the misfortune or good cheer of another. The passage is fraught with some such meaning as this. Peter's speech here seems to imply that the blessed Peter anxiously desired to know what was destined to be John's fate, as he would have considered it a consolation in his own sufferings if John were surely fated to die by torture, either of the same or of some other kind. And do not be amazed at this, but rather take the following thought into consideration. It is common to us, however profitless it be, to like at times not to be seen to be the only ones who are suffering, or who are destined to undergo some dreadful fate, but to prefer to hear that others have either suffered it already or are expected to suffer it in the future.
24 Tlds is the disciple ichich also heareth ivitness of these things, and wrote these things: and ice knoio that his ivitness is true.
I think no wise man will doubt that the Lord would' not have loved John if he had not been specially remarkable for virtue, and apt and perfectly equipped for every good work. For God can never be found to be inclined by any irrational leanings to those unworthy of His love, for such affections are more worthy of men. And He that was wholly proof against every assault and inroad of passion, and trod firmly in the path of every virtue, nay rather, was Virtue itself in all its forms, most assuredly would act in this, too, with judgment, and have Chap. i. His inclination free from all reproach — I mean, the in- ^' ^^" clination which led Him to deem him to whom this boon was due worthy of His love. After this admirable preface, then, and after having said that he was beloved, he modestly and with great humility says that he testified of these things; well and admirably inviting his hearers, as a necessary consequence, to assent to the things which he had written, and of which he had testified; for the preacher of truth cannot lie. Therefore, also, he says: We knoiv that His ivltness is true. Dangerous, then, and awful is it assuredly, to lie at all; for man knoweth not how to bridle his tongue, and the Truth cannot love him that sinneth against truth.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the li'hich, if they should he ivritten every one, I supi^ose that even the world itself loould not contain the books that shoidd, he written. Amen.
Very great, then, says the Apostle, will the number of the miracles that God hath wrought, and altogether without number will the list of His deeds be seen to be, and out of many thousands have these that are recorded been taken, as not being inadequate to profit to the uttermost those who read them. And let no one who is of a teachable spirit and loveth instruction, S. John implies, blame him that wrote this book because he has not recorded the rest. For if the things that He did had been ivo'itten every one, without any omission, then would the immeasurable number of the books have filled the world. We maintain that, even as it is, the power of the Word has been displayed more than abundantly. For it is open to every one to observe, that a thousand miracles were performed by the power of our Saviour. The preachers of the Gospels, however, have recorded the more remarkable of them, in all probability, and such that their hearers could best be confirmed by them in incor-
Book 12. ruptible faith, and receive instruction in morality and p. XXI. 25. (doctrine; so that, conspicuous for the orthodoxy of their faith, and glorified by manifold works that make for righteousness, they might meet at the very gates of the city above, and being joined unto the Church of the firstborn in the faith, might at length attain unto the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ; through Whom and with Whom be glory to God the Father, with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen>