A COMMENTARY
UPON
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S. LUKE,
BY
S. CYRIL,
PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA.
NOW FIRST TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH
FROM AN ANCIENT SYRIAC VERSION
BY
R. PAYNE SMITH, M.A.,
SUBLIBRARIAN OF THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY.
PART I.
OXFORD :
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.
M.DCCt .LIX.
P R E F A C E.
WHEN I undertook the task of preparing for the
press the Syriac Version of S. Cyril s Commentary
upon the Gospel of S. Luke, discovered among the
manuscripts lately obtained from Egypt, and depo
sited in the British Museum, I was aware that my
labours would be of little practical benefit, unless I
also made it accessible to theologians generally by
means of an English translation. In the performance
of this duty, my chief assistance has been derived
from the Nova Bibliotheca Patrum of Cardinal Mai,
published in 1844-58 at Rome: for so miserably
defective is even the best Syriac Lexicon, that it has
repeatedly happened that I have only been able to
arrive with something like certainty at the meaning
of a passage, by waiting until I found in some ex
tract in Mai the equivalent in Greek of the word or
phrase in question. Wherever this help has failed,
I have carefully examined the use of words in other
Semitic dialects, or in the numerous Syriac works
which during the last few years have issued from the
press, and in which I had been in the habit of noting
the occurrence of all new and unusual terms. To
A 2
iv PREFACE.
have discussed these difficulties in notes, would have
been only to crowd my pages with matter not gene
rally interesting, and for which, I trust, I shall here
after have a more fitting opportunity. I think, how
ever, that I can safely say, that in no case have I
come to a conclusion except upon reasonable grounds,
and that, after due allowance made for possible errors,
my translation will be found to convey a correct and
adequate representation of the original work.
Of the value of the Commentary, I shall probably
not be considered an impartial judge: still my con
viction is, that it can scarcely fail of being regarded as
an important addition to our means of forming an
accurate judgment of what was the real teaching of
one of the most famous schools of thought in the early
Church. It has not indeed gained entire acceptance ;
its philosophy was too deep, its creed too mysterious,
its longings too fervently fixed upon the supernatural,
for the practical mind of the West readily to assent to
doctrines which mock rather than exercise the powers
of even the subtlest reason. And while the names of
its doctors have become household words with us, and
we owe to their labours the establishment of the doc
trine of the Trinity in Unity in its main outlines as
we hold it at present, still the student of Church His
tory is aware, that in many minor, though still im
portant particulars, the teaching of the Alexandrine
school was in excess of what we at present hold. The
Athanasian Creed does not embody the actual tenets
of Athanasius, nor of the other great masters of Alex
andria, except in the form in which they were modi
fied and altered by the influence of rival schools: and
PREFACE. v
in like manner S. Cyril, the inheritor at once of Atha
nasius throne, and of his views, often uses arguments
which the Monophysites could fairly claim as giving
a colour to their belief, that after the union of the
two natures in Christ it was no longer lawful to dis
tinguish their separate limits.
It was the Nestorian controversy which called out
the argumentative powers and the fiery zeal of S. Cyril ;
and it is certainly true that in that controversy lie
used Nestorius unfairly, taxing him with deduc
tions, which, however logically they might seem to
follow from his opponent s teaching, yet Nestorius
himself expressly denied : hut it is not true that the
controversy led him into statements of doctrine beyond
what his predecessors in the see of Alexandria had
taught. For constantly what he opposed to his
rival s views was the very doctrine of S. Athanasius ;
and the passage which he quotes in his treatise De
recta Fide, ad Imperatrices, from that father s treatise
on the Incarnation of Christ, is never exceeded in
any of his own dogmatic statements. Its words are
as follow: 6/J.o\oyoviJ.ev, Kal elvai avrov vtov TOV Oeou
KOI Oeov Kara Tn/ev/xa, vtov avOpwirov Kara crapKa ov Svo
(f)U(Tt9 TOV Va VIOV, /X/CtJ/ TTpO(TKVVr]Tr]V KO.I
Kvvt]TOv aXXa /atai/ (pvcrtv TOV Oeov \oyov
Kcii Trpoa-KvvovfjLevqv /xera rrjs arapKO? avrov /mia
This was S. Athanasius doctrine, this also was S.
Cyril s ; and it is only a falsification of the facts of
history to endeavour to bring the Alexandrine school
into verbal accordance with the decrees of the general
council of Chalcedon. The doctrine which prevailed
there was that of the rival school of Antioch, which
had always firmly stood by the literal interpretation of
vi PREFACE.
the plain letter of Scripture ; a sound, judicious, com
mon-sense school, which had never depth enough to
have fought the battle of the Arian heresy with the
profoundness of conviction which gave such undying-
energy to the great chiefs of Alexandria ; but which
nevertheless had under Providence its due place in
the Church, and corrected the tendency of Athanasius
and Cyril to a too immoderate love of the super
natural and mysterious.
That S. Cyril however felt that there was no insu
perable barrier between the two schools is shown by
his reconciliation with John of Antioch, and their
signing common articles of faith. For essentially
both Cyril and John of Antioch held the mean be
tween the extremes of Nestorius and Eutyches ; only
Cyril s leaning was towards Eutyches, John s towards
Nestorius. And when subsequently the council of
Chalcedon, A. D. 451, modified, happily and wisely,
the decrees of the previous general council of Ephesus,
A. D. 431, and adopted as their standard of faith the
teaching of the Antiochian school as embodied in the
famous Epistola Flaviana of Leo, Pope of Rome, they
acknowledged this substantial agreement between
Antioch and Alexandria, between themselves and
the council of Ephesus, by their declaration that
Aew errre TO. rov KvpiXXov, that what Leo wrote was
the same that Cyril taught. And that in the main
they were right this present Commentary will shew ;
for S. Cyril s doctrine in it is essentially moderate.
There are indeed passages in which he apparently
confounds the limits of the two natures in Christ, but
many more in which he gives to each its proper at
tributes, and bears witness to the existence of both
PREFACE. vii
the godhead and the manhood in the one person of
our Lord, inseparable, yet unconfused.
But when Mai would go further, and deny that
the Monophysites had any ground for claiming S.
Cyril s authority in their favour, his uncritical turn
of mind at once betrays him: for he rests chiefly
upon the treatise De Incarnatione Domini, Nov. Bib.
Pat. ii. 32-74, ascribed by him to S. Cyril upon the
testimony of a MS. in the Vatican. But indepen
dently of other internal evidence that this piece was
written subsequently to the council of Chalcedon, it
is absolutely impossible that Cyril could ever have
adopted the very keystone and centre of Nestorius
teaching, the doctrine I mean of a o-wdfata (pp. 59,
71), a mere juxtaposition, or mechanical conjunction
of the two natures in Christ, in opposition to a real
union
In the West, under the guiding minds of Augustine
and Ambrose, the council of Chalcedon met at once
with ready acceptance ; but not so in the East. It
was there that the controversy had been really waged
against Arius, and the reaction from his teaching led
many of the fathers into overstrained arguments
which ended in* heresies, ejected one after another
from the Church. As in the process of fermentation
there is a thick scum upon the surface while the
work of purification is going on below, so each ex
traneous element, after mingling for a time with the
great mass of Christian truth, was at length rejected
with an ease or difficulty proportioned to the intense-
ness of its admixture with sounder doctrines. And
thus the general orthodoxy and invaluable services of
the Alexandrine school caused whatever there was of
viii PREFACE.
exaggeration in their views long and violently to
resist this purifying process in those parts of the
world which had been the nearest witnesses of their
struggles in defence of the doctrine of the consub-
stantial nature of the Son. Up to the time also of
the council ofChalcedon the language of the Fathers
had been vague and confused : and the expression of
S. John i. 14, that " the Word was made flesh ;" as
it had led the Arians to affirm that the Logos was a
created being, so it had led orthodox Fathers to speak
as if Christ s human body was " very God." And
thus the Monophysites could count up a long array
of all the great names in the Church, Ignatius, Poly-
carp, Clemens of Rome, Irenseus, Melito of Sardes,
Felix and Julius of Rome, the Gregories, Athanasius,
Basil, and many more, who had confounded in Christ
the human with the divine. With such authorities
on their side the conflict was long and dubious, and
in Justinian s time they seemed likely to gain the
ascendancy : for the Pope then was the mere crea
ture of simony, and consequently there was nothing
to balance the tendencies of the Eastern Church.
Accordingly in A. D. 533 Justinian, though nominally
opposed to their tenets, decreed that " one of the
holy and consubstantial Trinity was crucified :" and
twenty years after, the fifth general council of Con
stantinople authoritatively ratified the same doctrine.
But in the subsequent weak reign of Justin, the Pa
triarch of Constantinople, John the Jurist, thwarted by
the Monophysite monks whom Theodora had planted
in the capital, took such vigorous measures against the
leaders of the party, that their principles have since
exercised no appreciable influence in the Church.
PREFACE. ix
As the Mo nophy sites had only pushed to excess
the tendencies of the Alexandrine school and it
must be remembered that they are by no means to
be confounded with the Eutychians, according to the
fashion of Church histories in general, whereas really
they anathematized them the above sketch may
place the reader in a position to judge of the state
ments of S. Cyril regarding this doctrine, a doctrine
after all of metaphysical rather than of practical im
portance. But, as a general rule, he will find the
Commentary written in a tone of moderation, as
might be expected in homilies addressed by a teacher
to his own people, far from the baleful -atmosphere of
controversy, and in a place where his views were in
full and hereditary possession of the teacher s chair.
There is too a practical tone throughout, and while
in his interpretation of the Old Testament he follows
the usual tendencies of the fathers to see nothing
there but types and allegories, in the New he chiefly
follows the obvious meaning, and considers each
parable or narrative or discourse as a whole, the
key of which he generally finds in the occasion which
gave rise to it. He even warns us against pushing
the minutia? of parables into too prominent a posi
tion, by means of which the machinery to enforce
a moral lesson becomes the medium for convey
ing some cabbalistic mystery : as when, instead of in
ferring the certainty of our having to give an account
of the use of our worldly means from the parable of
Dives and Lazarus, commentators use it to unveil the
secrets of the future world ; or discover the two sa
craments in the pence given by the Samaritan to the
host at the inn.
b
x PREFACE.
Like many other patristic Commentaries, it was
delivered in a course of short Sermons, preached ex
temporaneously : for so we may conclude, not only
from the opening sentences of Sermon III, and the
reiteration of favourite texts, but also from their
evidently being quoted from memory. Repeatedly
S. Cyril s reading agrees neither with the Septuagint
nor with any other Greek version of the Old Testa
ment, though occasionally he (apparently) purposely
follows Theodotion. In the New Testament he was
evidently most familiar with S. Matthew s Gospel,
and not only does he make his ordinary quotations
from it, but even introduces its readings into the
Commentary, after correctly giving S. Luke s text
at the head of the Sermon. And as increased at
tention is now being paid to the collection of
the various readings of Holy Scripture contained in
the works of the fathers, the caution may not be out
of place, that certainly in S. Cyril, and probably in
the patristic writings generally, no importance is to
be attached to the substitution of the words and
phrases of one Gospel for those of another.
In the headings however placed before each Ser
mon, we have a most valuable addition to our mate
rials for biblical criticism : for evidently they give us
the received Alexandrine text as it was read in the
beginning of the fifth century ; and that S. Cyril was
fully aware of the importance of correctness on this
head is evident from his constant allusions to the
readings of the other Gospels. Its value however
will best appear by a comparison between it and the
chief extant authorities, and I have therefore collated
it in the margin, 1. with the readings of the great
PREFACE. xi
Vatican MS. published posthumously by Cardinal
Mai, and which I have marked as B. ; 2. with the
seventh edition of Tischendorf, now in process of
publication, T.; 3. with Griesbach, G.; and, 4". with
the textus receptus, 9. I have not however consi
dered it necessary to notice unimportant transposi
tions in the order of words, and where Griesbach is
equally in favour of two readings, I have usually
omitted his name ; as also I have done with the Sy-
riac, represented by S., in the few cases in which it
corresponds as much with the one as with the other
Greek reading. It will be noticed that in all cases
I have represented the Syriac by its equivalent in
Greek, which rule I have also followed wherever it
has appeared expedient to give in the margin the
original word ; often however of course the Greek is
actually taken from the remains in Mai.
The most cursory glance at the margin will shew
that the high expectation naturally formed of the
probable value of so ancient a text is fully carried out
in fact. Its readings are almost always supported by
one or other of the chief authorities, far more so than
those of B. itself. And even where it seems to stand
alone, an examination of the readings in Tischendorf
will almost universally shew that tljere is a strong
array of evidence in its support among the most
valued MSS., while it contains nothing which mo
dern criticism has definitely condemned. One obser
vation is however necessary, namely, that the Syriac
language indulges in a fuller use of pronouns even
than our own; and though I have noticed in the
margin their addition wherever they might possibly
b2
xii PREFACE.
exist in the Greek, yet, like those in italics in our own
version, they are really not to be regarded as varise
lectiones, but only as the necessary result of the idiom
of the language.
It may however be asked, whether the Syriac trans
lator may be depended upon in his rendering of the
original Greek text. To this I can answer unhesi
tatingly in the affirmative : wherever the Greek is
extant in Mai s collection, the exactness with which
it is reproduced in the Syriac without the slightest
alteration of tense and number, and with the most
curious expedients for rendering those compound
words in which Greek delights, is marvellous. Wher
ever also Mai has misunderstood a passage, or wrongly
punctuated a sentence, it is as a usual rule correctly
given in the Syriac, and though occasionally it has
erred, as in rendering (T X oa/o?, in Jer. viii. 8, by "cord,"
whereas it really means "pen," still such instances are
extremely rare.
At the same time the translator has been guilty of
one fault, which I am the more anxious to mention,
as otherwise it might be laid to my own charge,
namely, that he has taken no care to render each quo
tation always in the same words. The most glaring
instance of this occurs in Is. i. 23, where no less than
three different renderings are given of " Thy princes
" are disobedient" one only of which is the exact equi
valent of the Greek aveiOovn, though none deviate
far from it ; while the Peschito gives a fourth word,
the equivalent of the Hebrew " rebellious." Similarly
the words crwr^/ous eTri<paveias in Amos v. 22, have
greatly puzzled the Syriac translator, who renders
PREFACE. xiii
them sometimes by " your appearances for salvation,"
sometimes " the salvation of your appearances," the
language not admitting of a literal rendering on ac
count of its scanty use of adjectives. And though the
same Greek text naturally suggested to the translator
the same Syriac rendering, still he has not troubled
himself about maintaining verbal identity in the
various places in which the same text occurs. For
my own part, originally I made an entry of each text
upon translating it, for the puqwse of retaining as
much verbal accuracy as possible ; but when I found
these variations in the Syriac, I gave up the attempt,
and following the same plan as my predecessor, have
contented myself with carefully rendering each text
as it occurred, without comparing it with previous
translations, and I think it will be found that neither
of us have gone far astray from the exact sense of the
original.
I need scarcely mention after the above, that the
Syriac translator does not take his quotations from
the Peschito. Of course in the Old Testament this
was impossible, as that version represents, not the
Septuagint, but the Hebrew. For the same rea
son, the use of our own version was equally an im
possibility to myself, since, as is well known, the
Greek differs too considerably from the Masoretic
text, of which ours is a translation, for one to be
at all the equivalent of the other. I am by no
means however prepared to join in the general con
demnation of the Septuagint, stamped as it is by the
approval of our Lord and His apostles ; and though
parts of it are done far less efficiently than the rest,
xiv PREFACE.
yet whoever neglects it throws away one of the most
important means for attaining to a knowledge of the
original Scriptures ; and I know of no more difficult
question than the adjudication between the vocalising
and arrangement of the Hebrew text as represented
by the Septuagint, and that which gives us the sub
sequent tradition of the Jewish schools. Not that
there is the slightest room for doubting the authenti
city and genuineness in all substantial points of the
Scriptures of the Old Testament ; for the question
affects only the vowels and the division of words ; and
the vowels in Semitic languages are not so important
as in those of the Indo-Germanic family. To the
present day no Jewish author ever expresses them in
writing, though they have so far adopted modern
customs as no longer to string their consonants to
gether in one unbroken line. Necessarily, however,
under such circumstances reading in ancient times was
a matter of no slight difficulty, and hence the dignity
of the profession of the scribe, and the wonder of the
Jews at our Lord and His apostles possessing the
requisite knowledge. The Septuagint therefore pos
sesses especial value, as being both the first attempt
at fixing the meaning of the uncertain elements in
the Hebrew language, and as dating prior to the
establishment of Christianity: and though Jewish
tradition subsequently grew more exact, and elimi
nated many mistakes into which the authors of the
Septuagint had fallen, still the fact that these subse
quent labours of the Jewish schools first found their
expression in the version of Aquila, who had deserted
Christianity, and published his translation as a rival
PREFACE. xv
to the Septuagint, and certainly with no kindly in
tention towards the religion which he had abandoned,
may well make us hesitate before we so unceremoni
ously decry a version, the mistakes of which can be
ascribed to nothing worse than simple inefficiency.
That from such hands and under such auspices the
Masoretic text is so trustworthy, and so free from any
real ground of suspicion, entirely as regards its con
sonants, and to a great extent as regards its vowels, is
the result, under God s Providence, of the extreme
reverence of the Jews for the letter of those ordi
nances which had been entrusted to their keeping,
since the Christian Church was by no means aware
of the importance of an exact inquiry into the true
meaning of the earlier Scriptures, and contented
itself with receiving what the Jews provided for its
use ; even Jerome himself scarcely giving us more
than what his Jewish masters taught him, and Ori-
gen s knowledge of Hebrew being about as much as
could be expected from the time it took him to
acquire it.
In the New Testament the case was different : for
of course it was just possible there to have used the
words of our authorized Version. But so to have
done would have brought me into constant opposition
to my text ; for I had not the Greek before me, but
a Syriac rendering of it, punctuated to an extreme
degree of nicety, and fixing the meaning to one defi
nite sense. It seemed therefore my only honest course
to reproduce as exactly as I could the version of the
Syriac translator. Whether I should myself in all
cases have given the same meaning to the original
xvi PREFACE.
Greek is an entirely distinct thing ; for the duty of
a translator is not to give his own views, but those
of his author. Still, as the memory naturally sug
gested the language of the authorized Version, it will
no doubt be found to have exercised no little in
fluence upon the words which I have used.
But it seemed to me expedient for another reason
to reproduce as exactly as possible the renderings of
the Syriac translation. For the perfecting of the
English translation of the Inspired Word is one of
the noblest tasks which the mind of man can under
take : and though there may be evils attendant upon
interfering with our present noble Saxon Version,
still none can be so great as its being regarded by
a gradually increasing proportion of the community
as deficient in correctness. To commission however
any body of scholars, however competent, to under
take a completely new version, or at present even a
general revision of what we have, would be, in my
opinion, at least premature. The controversy ought
to be carried on in a region distinct from the book
which we use in our worship and devotion : and such
at present is the case, the attempts at improvement
being made by individuals, and not by any consti
tuted authority. When, however, there has been
gained a sufficient mass of results generally received,
the time will have come for the proper steps to be
taken for admitting them into the authorized version.
And possibly in the New Testament the labours of
so many scholars and commentators may in a few
years bring matters to such a pass as may justify the
proper authorities in undertaking its revision : but in
PREFACE. xvii
the Old Testament the case is very different, and a
lengthened period of far more profound study of He
brew literature than at present prevails, carried on
by many different minds, is required before anything
more could be done than to bring the translation in
a few unimportant particulars nearer to the Maso-
retic text.
In the present translation, therefore, I have used
the utmost exactness in rendering all quotations from
Holy Scripture, in the hope that it might not be
without its value to shew in what way the New Tes
tament was understood and rendered by so compe
tent and ancient an authority as the Syriac translator
of this present work.
It remains now only to mention the relation in
which the Syriac Version of the Commentary stands
to the Greek remains collected by Mai, and of which
I have given a translation wherever the MS. of the
Syriac was unfortunately defective.
As early then as the year 1838 Mai had shewn the
great value of this Commentary by the extracts pub
lished in the tenth volume of his Auctores Classici :
and from that time he laboured assiduously in making
his collection as complete as possible, until at length
in the 2nd vol. of his Bib. Pat. Nova, the fragments
gathered by him from twelve different Catenae, toge
ther with a Latin translation, occupy more than 300
quarto pages.
But the critical acumen of Mai was by no means
commensurate with his industry. With the usual
fault of collectors, the smallest amount of external
xviii PREFACE.
evidence was sufficient to override the strongest in
ternal improbability : nor apparently did his reading
extend much beyond those Manuscripts, among
which he laboured with such splendid results. At
all events, though Cyril was an anthor whom he
greatly valued, not only does he ascribe to the Com
mentary a vast mass of matter really taken from
Cyril s other works, but even numerous extracts from
Theophylact, Gregory Nazianzen, and other writers,
whose style and method of interpretation are entirely
opposed to the whole tenor of Cyril s mind.
Although it scarcely belonged to my undertaking
to sift these extracts, yet, as it might have thrown a
suspicion upon the genuineness of the Syriac Version
to find it unceremoniously rejecting nearly a third
of what Mai had gathered, I have in most cases in
dicated the work or author to whom the rejected
passages belong. A few still remain unaccounted
for; but as the principle of Niketas, the compiler
of the chief Catena upon S. Luke, confessedly was
to gather from all Cyril s works whatever might il
lustrate the Evangelist s meaning, and as in so do
ing he often weaves two, or even three distinct ex
tracts into one connected narrative, it is no wonder
if it was more easy to gather such passages than to
restore the disjecta membra to their original position.
Several extracts also which escaped me at the time
have since met my eye, of which the only one of
importance is the remarkable explanation of the two
birds at the cleansing of the leper, conf. Com. on
Luke v. 14, and which is taken from a letter of Cyril
to Acacius,
PREFACE. xix
But the value of the Commentary does not arise
simply from the uncertainty attaching to what Mai
has gathered, but also from the superior form in
which it gives what really is Cyril s own. As a ge
neral rule, the Catenists give conclusions without pre
misses, striking statements separated from the context
which defines their meaning, results as true generally
which are only true particularly, or which at least are
greatly modified by the occasion which led to them.
As it is moreover the manner of the Catenists often
to introduce extracts by a summary of what precedes
them, or where their length precluded their admis
sion to give an abstract of them in briefer words, it
often happens that a passage really Cyril s is followed
in Mai by an abstract of itself taken from some
smaller Catena : and thus an amount of confusion
and repetition is occasioned which contrasts unfa
vourably with the simplicity of arrangement and
easiness of comprehension which prevail throughout
the Commentary itself.
Nevertheless Mai probably took the best course in
confining himself to the simple collection of mate
rials : and at all events his works are carefully edited,
punctuated intelligibly, and translated with very con
siderable correctness. No one, in using his very vo
luminous works, however much he may be inclined
to regret his want of critical ability, will accuse him
of an inefficient treatment of the materials before
him. The very reverse is the case with the other
Catena which I have used, and which was edited by
Dr. Cramer.
In itself it is of considerable intrinsic value, but is
xx PREFACE.
entirely untranslateable, except by one who will take
the trouble of restoring the text, and entirely altering
Dr. Cramer s punctuation.
In conclusion, I have to return my thanks to the
Delegates of the University Press for undertaking
both the publication of the Syriac Version of S. Cyril s
Commentary, and also of the present English trans
lation.
Oxford, Jan. 1859.
COMMENTARY OF S.CYRIL,
PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA,
TPON
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
CHAP. I.
Who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers v>r. 2.
of the Word.
IN saying that the Apostles were eyewitnesses of the substan- From Mai
tial and living Word, the Evangelist agrees with John, who says,
that "the Word was made flesh, and tabernacled in us, and John i. 14.
" His glory was seen, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the "^
" Father." For the Word became capable of being seen by
reason of the flesh, which is visible and tangible and solid :
whereas in Himself He is invisible. And John again in his
Epistle says, " That which was from the beginning, That i Joh
" which we have heard, That which we have seen with our
" eyes, and our hands have handled around the Word of
" Life, and the Life became manifest." Hearest thou not that
he speaks of the Life as capable of being handled? This he
does that thou mayest understand that the Son became man,
and was visible in respect of the flesh, but invisible as regards
His divinity.*
a There can be little doubt that on v. 32. is from the tenth Book
this passage does not belong to the against Julian, Op. VI. 331.; the
Commentary, but as I have hitherto following on v. 37. is the thirteenth
been unable to find it in S. Cyril s chapter against the Anthropomor-
Collected Works, I have thought it phites, VI. 380. ; and the third ex-
best to retain it. Mai s next extract tract on v. 42. is the Commentary
B
COMMENTARY UPON
v. 51. He hath shewed strength with His arm : He hath scattered
the proud in the imagination of their heart.
The arm enigmatically signifies the Wqrd that was born of
her : and by the proud, Mary means the wicked demons who
with their prince fell through pride: arid the Greek sages,
who refused to receive the folly, as it seemed, of what was
preached : and the Jews who would not believe, and were scat
tered for their unworthy imaginations about the Word of God.
And by the mighty she means the Scribes and Pharisees, who
sought the chief seats. It is nearer the sense, however, to
refer it to the wicked demons : for these, when openly claim
ing mastery over the world, the Lord by His coming scattered,
upon Issachar s name, signifying
" a reward," in the Glaphyra, I. 227.
(Ed. Aub.) All these I have omitted.
The remaining extracts, forming a
continuous Commentary upon the
hymns of the blessed Virgin and
Zacharias, I have retained, since it
is scarcely probable that S.Cyril en
tirely passed them over; and, though
the homilies, as proved by the Sy-
riac, commenced with the first verse
of chap, ii., yet possibly he may
have prefaced them by an Exposi
tion of these hymns. Cramer s
Catena, nevertheless, contains por
tions of several of these extracts
anonymously. The proof from the
Syriac that the homilies began with
the second chapter is decisive. Of
the nine MSS. in which more or
less of this Commentary is preserved,
eight constantly mention the num
ber of the homily, which they quote
either in part or entire : in one of
these, N. 12, 154., a MS. probably
of the eighth century, a series of
extracts occurs occupying forty
pages, beginning with the first
and ending with the hundred
and eighteenth homily ; and the
numbering of this Codex is
identical with that of the rest,
wherever two or more of them
contain the same passage. The
Syriac numbering apparently is also
identical with that of the Greek.
For in my earliest authority, Cod.
12, 158, transcribed, as the Copyist
states, in the year of our Lord 588.,
the numbering of the quotations
from S. Cyril is still identical with
that of the other Codices. This MS.
contains a translation of two trea
tises of Severus of Antioch against
Julian, and is probably at least a
century anterior to the Syriac ver
sion of S. Cyril ; so that its agree
ment with it, both in this and more
material points, is of considerable
importance. Evidently S. Cyril s
Commentary upon the beginning of
the Gospel was much more brief
than it became subsequently : for
whereas the twenty-first homily car
ries us down to the end of the fifth
chapter, those that follow average
ten homilies each. In like manner
the concluding chapters of St. Luke
were passed over by him very ra
pidly. Finally, as the Syriac, from
time to time, does not recognise
some of the passages collected by
Mai from the Catenae, it is worth
notice, that of his four first extracts,
not less than three have been dis
covered in the published works of
S.Cyril, in complete as Aubert s edi
tion is.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 3
and transferred those whom they had made captive unto His
own dominion. For these things all came to pass according to
her prophecy, that
He hath put down, rulers from their thrones, and exalted v. 52.
the humble.
Great used to be the haughtiness of these demons whom He
scattered, and of the devil, and of the Greek sages, as I said,
and of the Pharisees and Scribes. But He put them down, and
exalted those who had humbled themselves under their mighty
hand, - having given them authority to tread upon serpents Luke x. 19.
" and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy :" and
made the plots against us of these haughty-minded beings of
none effect. The Jews, moreover, once gloried in their empire,
but were stripped of it for their unbelief; whereas the Gentiles,
who were obscure and of no note, were for their faith s sake
exalted.
He hath filled the hungry unth good things, and the rich He V. 53.
hath sent empty away.
By the hungry, she means the human race : for, excepting
the Jews only, they were pining with famine. The Jews,
however, were enriched by the giving of the law, and by the
teaching of the holy prophets. For "to them belonged the Rom. ix. 4 .
" giving of the law, the adoption of sons, the worship, the pro-
" mises." But they became wanton with high feeding, and
too elate at their dignity ; and having refused to draw near
humbly to the Incarnate One, they were sent empty away,
carrying nothing with them, neither faith nor knowledge, nor
the hope of blessings. For verily they became both outcasts
from the earthly Jerusalem, and aliens from the glorious life
that is to be revealed, because they received not the Prince of
Life, but even crucified the Lord of Glory, and abandoned the
fountain of living water, and set at nought the bread that
came down from heaven. And for this reason there came upon
them a famine severer than any other, and a thirst more bitter
than every thirst : for it was not a famine of the material
bread, nor a thirst of water, " but a famine of hearing the Amos viii.
" Word of the Lord." But the heathen, who were hungering f
B 2
4 COMMENTARY UPON
and athirst, and with their soul wasted away with misery, were
filled with spiritual blessings, because they received the Lord.
For the privileges of the Jews passed over unto them.
v - 54 He hath taken hold of Israel His child to remember mercy.
He hath taken hold of Israel, not of the Israel according
to the flesh, and who prides himself on the bare name, but of
him who is so after the Spirit, and according to the true
meaning of the appellation ; even such as look unto God, and
believe in Him, and obtain through the Son the adoption of
sons, according to the Word that was spoken, and the promise
made to the prophets and patriarchs of old. It has, however,
a true application also to the carnal Israel ; for many thou
sands and ten thousands of them believed. " But He has re-
" membered His mercy as He promised to Abraham :" and
Gen. xxii. has accomplished what He spake unto him, that " in thy seed
" shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed." For this pro
mise was now in the act of fulfilment by the impending birth
of our common Saviour Christ, Who is that seed of Abraham,
Heb. ii. ,6. in Whom the Gentiles are blessed. For He took on Him the
" seed of Abraham," according to the Apostle s words : and so
fulfilled the promise made unto the fathers.
v - 6 9- He hath raised up a horn of salvation for us. b
The word horn is used not only for power, but also for
royalty. But Christ, Who is the Saviour that hath risen for
us from the family and race of David, is both : for He is the
King of kings, and the invincible power of the Father.
To perform mercy.
Christ is mercy and justice : for we have obtained mercy
through Him, and been justified, having washed away the
stains of wickedness through faith that is in Him.
The oath which He swore to our father Abraham.
derias C r " But let n ne accustom himself to swear from hearing that
God sware unto Abraham. For just as anger, when spoken of
b Referred by Corderius to Victor.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 5
God, is not anger, nor implies passion, but signifies power ex
ercised in punishment, or some similar motion ; so neither is an
oath an act of swearing. For God does not swear, but indicates
the certainty of the event, that that which He says will ne
cessarily come to pass. For God s oath is His own word, fully
persuading those that hear, and giving each one the conviction
that what He has promised and said will certainly come to
pass.
And thou, child, shah be called Prophet of the Highest. V. 76.
Observe, I pray, this also, that Christ is the Highest, Whose From Mai.
forerunner John was both in his birth, and in his preaching.
What remains, then, for those to say, who lessen His divinity?
And why will they not understand, that when Zacharias said,
" And thou shalt be called Prophet of the Highest," he meant
thereby " of God," of Whom also were the rest of the pro
phets.
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and the shadow v. 79.
of death.
For those under the law, and dwelling in Judea, the Baptist
was, as it were, a lamp, preceding Christ : and God so spake
before of him ; " I have prepared a lamp for My Christ." And p * cxxxii.
the law also typified him in the lamp, which in the first taber
nacle it commanded should be ever kept alight. But the Jews,
after being for a short time pleased with him, flocking to his
baptism, and admiring his mode of life, quickly made him
sleep in death, doing their best to quench the ever-burning
lamp. For this reason the Saviour also spake concerning him ;
" He was a burning and shining lamp, and ye were willing a Jolm v - 35
" little to rejoice for a season in his light."
c " He means the Arians, who face to his translation of the Theo-
said the Son was indeed God, but phania, a Syriac version of which
* nevertheless inferior to the Fa- was discovered among the Nitrian
ther : as Eusebius, who was an MSS. His translation is, however,
* Arian writer, especially in his in- inaccurate to the last degree; and
terpretation of the ;8th Psalm." the treatise in question leaves no
Mai. This charge against Euse- doubt that Euaebius was the pre-
bius, the late Professor Lee has cursor of Arian doctrines,
endeavoured to disprove in the pre-
fi COMMENTARY UPON ST. LUKE.
79. To guide our feet into the way of peace.
For the world, indeed, was wandering in error, serving the
creation in the place of the Creator, and was darkened over
by the blackness of ignorance, and a night, as it were, that
had fallen upon the minds of all, permitted them not to see
Him, Who both by nature and truly is God. But the Lord of
all rose for the Israelites, like a light and a sun.
CHAP. II.
" From S. CyriFs Commentary upon the Gospel of From the
" St. Luke, Sermon the First: MS.i2,i 5 4.
And it came to pass in those days, 8fc. Luke ii. i.
(CHRIST therefore was born in Bethlehem at the time when
Augustus Caesar gave orders that the first enrolment should be
made. But what necessity was there, some one may perhaps
say, for the very wise Evangelist to make special mention of
this ? Yes, I answer : it was both useful and necessary for him
to mark the period when our Saviour was born : for it was said
by the voice of the Patriarch : " The head shall not depart Gen. xlix.
" from Judah, nor a governor from his thighs until He come,
" for Whom it is laid up : and He is the expectation of the
" Gentiles." That we therefore might learn that the Israelites
had then no king of the tribe of David, and that their own na
tive governors had failed, with good reason he makes mention
of the decrees of Ca>sar, as now having beneath his sceptre
Judaia as well as the rest of the nations : for it was as their
ruler that he commanded the census to be made.
Because he was of the house and lineage of David. v. 4 .
The book of the sacred Gospels referring the genealogy to From Mai.
Joseph, who was descended from David s house, has proved
through him that the Virgin also was of the same tribe as
David, inasmuch as the Divine law commanded that marriages
should be confined to those of the same tribe : and the inter
preter of the heavenly doctrines, the great apostle Paul, clearly
declares the truth, bearing witness that the Lord arose out of Heb. vii.
Juda. The natures, however, which combined unto this real I4>
union were different, but from the two together is one God
8 COMMENTARY UPON
the Son, d without the diversity of the natures being destroyed
by the union. For a union of two natures was made, and
therefore we confess One Christ, One Son, One Lord. And it
is with reference to this notion of a union without confusion
that we proclaim the holy Virgin to be the mother of God, be
cause God the Word was made flesh and became man, and by
the act of conception united to Himself the temple that He re
ceived from her. For we perceive that two natures, by an in
separable union, met together in Him without confusion, and
indivisibly. For the flesh is flesh, and not deity, even though
it became the flesh of God : and in like manner also the Word
is God, and not flesh, though for the dispensation s sake He
made the flesh His own. But although the natures which con
curred in forming the union are both different and unequal to
one another, yet He Who is formed from them both is only
One : nor may we separate the One Lord Jesus Christ into
man severally and God severally, but we affirm that Christ
Jesus is One and the Same, acknowledging the distinction of
the natures, and preserving them free from confusion with one
another.
V 5- With Mary, his betrothed wife, being great with child.
The sacred Evangelist says that Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, to shew that the conception had taken place upon her
betrothal solely, and that the birth of the Emanuel was mira
culous, and not in accordance with the laws of nature. For
the holy Virgin did not bear from the immission of man s seed.
And what was the reason of this ? Christ, Who is the first-fruits
of all, the second Adam according to the Scriptures, was born
of the Spirit, that he might transmit the grace (of the spiritual
birth) to us also : for we too were intended, no longer to bear
the name of sons of men, but of God rather, having obtained
the new birth of the Spirit in Christ first, that he might be
Col. i. 15. " foremost among all," as the most wise Paul declares.
And the occasion of the census most opportunely caused the
holy Virgin to go to Bethlehem, that we might see another
d Geo? KOI vl6i, God the Son ; as tion in these phrases is constantly
Qeos Kal rraTTjp is used by S. Cyril retained, while in those of a later
for God the Father. In the more date the tendency is to omit it.
ancient Syriac MSS. the conjunc-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 9
prophecy fulfilled. For it is written, as we have already men
tioned, "And thou Bethlehem, house of Ephratah, art very Mich. v. 2.
small to be among the thousands of Judah : from thee shall
come forth for Me to be Ruler in Israel I"
But in answer to those who argue that, if He were brought
forth in the flesh, the Virgin was corrupted : and if she were
not corrupted, that He was brought forth only in appear
ance, we say; the prophet declares, "the Lord, the God ofEzek. xiiv.
Israel, hath entered in and gone out, and the gate remaineth 2
closed." If, moreover, the Word was made flesh without
sexual intercourse, being conceived altogether without seed,
then was He born without injury to her virginity.
And she brought forth her firstborn Son. Ver. 7.
In what sense then her firstborn? By firstborn she here
means, not the first among several brethren, but one who was
both her first and only son : for some such sense as this exists
among the significations of " firstborn." For sometimes also
the Scripture calls that the first which is the only one ; as " I ! xiiv. 6.
am God, the First, and with Me there is no other." To shew
then that the Virgin did not bring forth a mere man, there is
added the word firstUorn ; for as she continued to be a virgin,
she had no other son but Him Who is of the Father : concerning
Whom God the Father also proclaims by the voice of David,
And I will set Him Firstborn high among the kings of theP.lxxxix.
earth." Of Him also the all-wise Paul makes mention, saying, 2
u But when He brought the First-begotten into the world, HeHeb. i. 6.
saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him." How
then did He enter into the world ? For He is separate from it,
not so much in respect of place as of nature ; for it is in nature
that He differs from the inhabitants of the world: but He
entered into it by being made man, and becoming a portion of
iTjby the incarnation. For though He is the Only-begotten
as regards His divinity, yet as having become our brother,
He has also the name of Firstborn ; that, being made the first-
fruits as it were- of the adoption of men, He might make us
;iU<> the sons of God.
Consider therefore that He is called the Firstborn in respect
of the economy: for with respect to His divinity He is the
c
10 COMMENTARY UPON
Only-begotten. Again, He is the Only-begotten in respect of
His being the Word of the Father, having no brethren by
nature, nor being co-ordinate with any other being : for the
Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, is One and Alone :
but He becomes the Firstborn by descending to tha, level of
created things. When therefore He is called the Only-be
gotten, He is so with no cause assigned by reason of which He
Johni. 18. is the Only-begotten, being " the Only-begotten God e into the
bosom of the Father :" but when the divine Scriptures call Him
Firstborn, they immediately also add of whom He is the first
born, and assign the cause of His bearing this title : for they
Rom. viii. say, " Firstborn among many brethren :" and " Firstborn from
Col i 1 8 ^ e ^ad : " ^ ie one > ecau se He was made like unto us in all
things except sin ; and the other, because He first raised up
His own flesh unto incorruption. Moreover, He has ever been
the Only-begotten by nature, as being the Sole begotten
of the Father, God of God, and Sole of Sole, having shone
forth God of God, and Light of Light : but He is the Firstborn
for our sakes, that by His being called the Firstborn of things
created, whatever resembles Him may be saved through Him :
for if He must of necessity be the Firstborn, assuredly those
must also continue to exist of whom He is the Firstborn. But
if, as Eunomius f argues, He is called God s Firstborn, as born
the first of many ; and He is also the Virgin s Firstborn ; then
as regards her also, He must be the first as preceding another
child : but if He is called Mary s Firstborn, as her only child,
and not as preceding others, then is He also God s Firstborn,
not as the first of many, but as the Only One born.
Moreover if the first are confessedly the cause of the second,
but God and the Son of God are first, then is the Son the cause
of those who have the name of sons, inasmuch as it is through
Him that they have obtained the appellation. He therefore
who is the cause of the second sons may justly be called the
e Mai translates contrary to the degree and kind, whence his follow-
Greek " Unigenitus Dei." S. Cy- ers were called di/d/Aoiot. He flou-
ril s reading ecdy, agrees as usual rished about A. D. 360, and was a
with the Vatican MS., and is also disciple of Aetius. St. Athanasius
supported by many of the fathers, often refers to him in his treatise
and by the Oriental versions. against the Arians. For a fuller
f Eunomius taught, that the Fa- account of him, cf. Newman s Ari-
ther and Son are unequal, both in ans, c. iv. sect. 4.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 11
Firstborn, not as being the first of them, but as the first
cause of their receiving the title of sonship. And just as
the Father being called the first "for I, He saith, am the Is. xli. 4 .
first, and I am after these things" assuredly will not compel
us to regard Him as similar in nature to those that are after
Him ; so also though the Son be called the first of creation, or
the Firstborn before all creation, it by no means follows that
He is one of the things made : but just as the Father said " I
am the first," to shew that He is the origin of all things, in the
same sense the Son also is called the first of creation. "For John i. 3
all things were made by Him/ 11 and He is the beginning of all
created things, as being the Creator and Maker of the worlds.
And she laid him in the manger. Ver. 7.
He found man reduced to the level of the beasts : therefore
is He placed like fodder in a manger, that we, having left off
our bestial life, might mount up to that degree of intelligence
which befits man s nature ; and whereas we were brutish in
soul, by now approaching the manner, even His own table, we
find no longer fodder, but the bread from heaven, which is
the body of life.
* For a very full and accurate TrpwrdroKo?, the reader may consult
discussion of the sense in which S. Cyril s eighth Paschal Homily,
our Lord is both p.ovoy(vr)t and
C 2
SERMON II.
om. iSov,
cum B.
56a Qeo
sol.
KU.I KflfJLWOV
curn B.
From the SERMON OF S. CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, FROM THE
Syriac,
MS. 1 2, 165. COMMENTARY UPON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE ; UPON THE
BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR IN THE FLESH.
c. ii. ^8-18. And there were shepherds in that country, ivatching and
keeping guard by night over their flock : and the angel of
the Lord came unto them, and the glory of God shone upon
them, and they luere sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not : for lo ! I brine/ unto you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all the people : that there is
born unto you to-day in the city of David a Saviour, Who
is Christ the Lord. And this is your sign ; ye shall find
a babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a
manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multi
tude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and among men
good will. And it came to pass that when the angels had
gone from them unto heaven, the shepherds said unto one
another, Let us go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
ivhich hath come to pass, ivhich the Lord hath made known
unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and
Joseph, and the babe laid in the manger. And when
they had seen, they made known the word that was spoken
unto them concerning the child. And all that heard won
dered at what was told them by the shepherds.
LET me begin my discourse to you with that which is
Ps. xcv. i. written in the book of Psalms, " Come let us praise the
Lord, and sing unto God our Saviour :" for He is the Head of
our feast-day, and therefore let us tell His noble doings, and
ovpavtvv,
sol.
COMMENTARY ITON ST. U T KK. 1
the manner of that beautifully contrived dispensation, by
means of which He has saved the world, and having placed on
each one of us the yoke of His kingdom, is justly the object of
our admiration. The blessed David therefore says in the
Psalms, "All ye people clap your hands ;" and again adds p s . xKH.
thereto, "Sing with understanding, God hath set a king over I<7
all the heathen." For this holy mystery was wrought with
a wisdom most befitting Christ, if it be true, as true most cer
tainly it is, that the Lord, though He is God, appeared unto
us, and though He is in the form of God the Father, and pos
sesses an incomparable and universal preeminence, took the
likeness of a slave. But even so He was God and Lord ; for
He did not cease to be that which He had been.
The company of the holy prophets had before proclaimed
both His birth in the flesh, and His assumption of our likeness
as about in due time to come to pass : and inasmuch as this
hope had now reached its fulfilment, the rational powers of
heaven bring the glad tidings of His manifestation and appear
ance in this world, to shepherds first of all at Bethlehem, who
were thus the earliest to receive the knowledge of the mystery.
And the type answers to the truth : for Christ reveals Himself
to the spiritual shepherds, that they may preach Him to the
rest, just as the shepherds also then were taught His mystery
by the holy angels, and ran to bear the glad tidings to their
fellows. Angels therefore are the first to preach Him, and
declare His glory as God born in the flesh in a wonderful
manner of a woman.
But perchance some one may object to this; "that He Who
was now born was still a child, and wrapped in swaddling-
clothes, and laid in a manger : how then did the powers above
praise Him as God ?" Against such our argument stands firm.
Understand, man, the depth of the mystery ! God was in
visible form like unto us : the Lord of all in the likeness of a
slave, albeit the glory of lordship is inseparable from Him.
Understand that the Only-begotten was made flesh ; that He
endured to be born of a woman for our sakes, to put away the
curse pronounced upon the first woman : for to her it was said,
"In pains shalt thou bring forth children:" for it was asGen. Ui.i6.
bringing forth unto death, that they endured the sting of
14 COMMENTARY UPON
death 11 . But because a woman has brought forth in the flesh
the Immanuel, Who is Life, the power of the curse is loosed,
and along with death have ceased also the pains that earthly
mothers had to endure in bringing forth.
Wouldst thou learn also another reason of the matter?
Rom.viii.s. Remember what the very wise Paul has written of Him. " For
as to the powerlessness of the law, wherein it was weak through
the flesh, God having sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and because of sin, has condemned 1 the sin in His flesh, that
the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit k ."
What then is the meaning of his saying that the Son was sent
" in the likeness of sinful flesh I" It is this. The law of sin lies
hidden in our fleshly members, together with the shameful
stirring of the natural lusts : but when the Word of God be
came flesh, that is man, and assumed our likeness, His flesh
was holy and perfectly pure ; so that He was indeed in the
likeness of our flesh, but not according to its standard. For
He was entirely free from the stains and emotions natural to
our bodies 1 , and from that inclination which leads us to what is
not lawful.
When therefore thou seest the child wrapped in swaddling-
clothes, stay not thy thought solely upon His birth in the flesh,
but mount up to the contemplation of His godlike glory:
elevate thy mind aloft : ascend to heaven : so wilt thou behold
h Mai more correctly perhaps with great force in his treatise De
reads rrjs dvias wrpov. Incarnat. Dom. c. xi., wherein he
1 The Peschito has also this read- shews, that our Lord took the flesh
ing, though manifestly wrong. holy and perfectly pure, " to con-
k The passage which follows oc- " vict sin of injustice, and to de-
curs also in MS. 12, 154, with no
varies lectiones : as does also the
subsequent explanation of Is. viii. 3.
1 The Syriac translator has here
misinterpreted S. Cyril, who does
not say that our Lord was free from
the emotions natural to bodies, but
/cat
TTS
a fj.f) Offjus, that is, from
that corruption of our nature which
suggests sin to us, and inclines us
to seek it. (James i. 14.) S. Cyril s
main argument here is used by him
stroy the power of death. For as
long as sin sentenced only the
guilty to death, no interference
with it was possible, seeing that
it had justice on its side. But
when it subjected to the same
punishment Him Who was inno-
cent, and guiltless, and worthy of
crowns of honour and hymns of
praise, being convicted of injust
ice, it was by necessary conse
quence stripped of its power."
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 15
Him in the highest exaltation, possessed of transcendent glory ;
thou wilt see Him " set upon a throne high and lifted up;" Is. vi. i.
thou wilt hear the Seraphim extolling Him in hymns, and
saying that heaven and earth are full of His glory. Yea!
even upon earth this has come to pass : for the glory of God
shone upon the shepherds, and there was a multitude of the
heavenly armies telling Christ s glory. And this it was which was
proclaimed of old hy the voice of Moses, " Eejoice, ye heavens,
with Him, and let all the sons m of God worship Him." ForDeut.
very many holy prophets had been born from time to time, but 30
never had any one of them been glorified by the voice of .
angels : for they were men, and according to the same measure
as ourselves, the true servants of God, and bearers of His
words. But not so was Christ : for lie is God and Lord, and
the Sender of the holy prophets, and, as the Psalmist says,
" Who in the clouds shall be compared unto the Lord, and who PS. ixxxi
shall be likened unto the Lord among the sons of God ?" For
the appellation of sonship is bestowed by Him as of grace upon
us who lie under the yoke, and are by nature slaves : but
Christ is the true Son n , that is, He is the Son of God the
Father by nature, even when He had become flesh : for He
continued, as I have said, to be that which He had ever been,
though He took upon Him that which He had not been.
And that what I say is true, the prophet Isaiah again as
sures us, saying, " Behold the virgin shall conceive and bearls. vii. 14
" a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel ; butter
" and honey shall He eat : before He knoweth or chooseth
" the evil, He shall prefer the good : for before the Child dis-
" tinguisheth good or evil, He is not obedient to evil in that
" He chooseth the good." And yet how is it not plain to all,
that a new-born babe, as yet unable, from its youth and ten
derness, to understand anything, is unequal to the task of distin
guishing between good and evil ? For he knows absolutely no
thing. But in our Saviour Christ it was a great and extraordinary
miracle : for He ate while yet a babe both butter and honey.
And because He was God, ineffably made flesh, He knew only
m This reading is supported by St. Paul, Heb. i. 6.
several MSS., two Scholia, and S. n Mai reads 17 d\r)d(ia, the re-
Augustine ; but is rejected by ality.
16 COMMENTARY UPON
the good, and was exempt from that depravity which belongs
to man. And this too is an attribute of the supreme Substance;
for that which is good by nature, firmly and unchangeably,
Luke xviii. belongs specially to It, and It only ; " for there is none good,
" but one God," as the Saviour has Himself said.
Wouldst thou see another virtue of the Child ? Wouldst thou
see that He is by nature God, Who in the flesh was of woman ?
Is. viii. 3. Learn what the prophet Isaiah says of Him : " And I drew
" near unto the prophetess, and she conceived, and bare a
" male; and the Lord said unto me, Call His name, Quick
" take captive, and spoil hastily. For before the Child shall
" know to call father or mother, He shall take the strength of
" Damascus." For contemporaneously with the birth of Christ
the power of the devil was spoiled. For in Damascus he had
been the object of religious service, and had had there very
many worshippers ; but when the holy Virgin brought forth,
the power of his tyranny was broken ; for the heathen were
won unto the knowledge of the truth ; and their firstfruits and
leaders were the Magi, who came from the East to Jerusalem ;
whose teacher was the heaven, and their schoolmaster a star.
Look not therefore upon Him Who was laid in the manger
as a babe merely, but in our poverty see Him Who as God is
rich, and in the measure of our humanity Him Who excels the
inhabitants of heaven, and Who therefore is glorified even by
the holy angels. And how noble was the hymn, " Glory to
" God in the highest, and on earth peace, and among men
"good will \ } For the angels and archangels, thrones and
lordships, and high above them the Seraphim, preserving their
settled order, are at peace with God : for never in any way
do they transgress His good pleasure, but are firmly established
D The Fathers constantly refer His birth the heavenly and super-
i name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, natural infant, while yet in svvad-
to our Lord, and explain it of the dling bands and on His mother s
overthrow of Satan. Another in- bosom, because of His human na-
jtance of S. Cyril s use of it will be ture, stripped forthwith Satan of
found in his i 7 th Paschal Homily, as his goods by His ineffable might as
The prophetess is the holy God : for the Magi came from the
gin : and the name given tolhe East to worship Him, &c. [In the
hUd suiteth not man, but God : above I correct f *i
for, With He, call His name, Spoil and 7ro P/ ^ (W
(juickly : hastily plunder. For at
T1TK GOSPEL OF ST. LURK.
17
in righteousness and holiness. But we,wretched beings, by having
set up our own lusts in opposition to the will of our Lord, had put
ourselves into the position of enemies unto Him. But by Christ
this has been done away: for He is our peace; for He has Eph. ii. 14.
united us by Himself unto God the Father, having taken away
from the middle the cause of the enmity, even sin, and so jus
tifies us by faith, and makes us holy and without blame, and
calls near unto Him those who were afar off: and besides this,
He has created the two people into one new man, so making
peace, and reconciling both in one body to the Father. For it Eph. i. 10.
pleased God the Father to form into one new whole all things
in Him, and to bind together things below and things above,
and to make those in heaven and those on earth into one flock.
Christ therefore has been made for us both Peace and Good
will ; by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be glory
and honour and might with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever,
Amen. p
P Several passages referred by Mai
to this homily are not found in the
Syriac, as was to be expected, the
Catenists having made use not only
of the Commentary, but also of
S. Cyril s other works, especially
the Julian books, besides the possi
bility of interpolations, and passages
erroneously ascribed to him. The
first omitted extract from B. is to
shew that the shepherds typified
the pastors of the Church, as also
Christ the chief shepherd, Who
came to seek the lost Hock : while
Bethlehem, the house of bread, His
birthplace, is the Church, " where
" daily the mystical bread of life is
" sacrificed." The second passage
(from what MS. is uncertain) gives
a physical interpretation of the but
ter which the Emmanuel ate, un
worthy of Cyril, and at variance
with the spiritual interpretation of
the prophecy given above. Thirdly,
there are a series of extracts from I .
taken chiefly from the Commentary
on Isaiah. Conf. Vol. II. 134. 200.
(Ed. Aub.) And, lastly, an extract
from B., to the effect that probably
it was an archangel who brought
the message, accompanied by his
usual attendants. The first passage
is remarkable, both as speaking of
a daily communion, and for its ap
plication of the word iepovpyflrai to
the " mystical bread of life." The
Fathers generally use this word in
the same manner as St. Paul, Rom.
xv. 1 6., for the discharge of any re
ligious duty, and in this sense it
will be found to occur more than
once in the course of the Commen
tary. Other examples may be seen
in Suicer s Thesaurus under Itpovp-
y((i> t and the only instance he gives
of its application to the Lord s sup
per is from Zonaras, a writer of the
twelfth century. It occurs, however,
in Philostorgii Hist. Eccl. ix. 4., and
is there referred by Valerius to the
Lord s supper, but this interpreta
tion is far from certain. For the
historian is speaking of the heretic
Eunomius, who, he says, retired to
a small estate situated on the sea
shore near Chalcedon, oi^e Itpnvp-
18 COMMENTARY UPON
c.ii.ai-4, SERMON IILi
From VERY numerous indeed is the assembly, and earnest the
hearer : for we see the Church full : but the teacher is but
poor. He nevertheless Who giveth to man a mouth and tongue,
will further supply us with good ideas. 1 " For He somewhere
Ps. Ixxxi. says Himself, " Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Since
therefore ye have all come together eagerly on the occasion of
this joyous festival 5 of our Lord, let us with cheerful torches
brightly celebrate the feast, and apply ourselves to the consi
deration of what was divinely fulfilled, as it were, this day,
gathering for ourselves from every quarter whatsoever may
confirm us in foith and piety.
But recently we saw the Immanuel lying as a babe in the
manger, and wrapped in human fashion in swaddling bands,
but extolled as God in hymns by the host of the holy angels.
For they proclaimed to the shepherds His birth, God the Fa
ther having granted to the inhabitants of heaven as a special
privilege to be the first to preach Him. And to-day too we
have seen Him obedient to the laws of Moses, or rather we
have seen Him Who as God is the Legislator, subject to His
yias f ov TTJS KV&KOV /uereo-n; ov is, that this extract is incorrectly
pev ovv fs oa-ov evfftia) \povov fj-^aTo. referred to S. Cyril.
This Valesius translates by " ne sa- 1 The original Greek of both the
" era quidem mysteria unquam ce- third and fourth Sermons has been
" lebravit;" but it rather means, that preserved in the Imperial Library
" he entirely abstained from all the at Paris; and that of the fourth
" duties of his sacred office." In sup- only at Trinity College, Cambridge,
port of his rendering Valesius quotes The former has been printed by
from Eusebius Life of Constantine, Aubert in his collected edition of
Lib. IV. 45. ffva-iats dvaipots ical pv- S. Cyril s Works, Vol. V. part ii.
n-TiKms itpovpyiais TO ddov IXdffKov- p. 385., where the two Sermons are
TO, where, however, as Wernsdorf incorporated into one.
shews, by a comparison with other r ^op^o-ei nd\iv folv evvoias
passages of Eusebius, that historian, dya6d s . From this it appears that
L his usual rhetorical style, thus these homilies were delivered ex-
described the prayers for the safety temporaneously, which accounts for
the Emperor, and the Church a certain amount of repetition in
htant which, as in our service, them, especially of favorite texts,
preceded the celebration of the Eu- The feast of circumcision,
charist. 1 he probability, therefore,
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 19
own decrees. And the reason of this the most wise Paul
teaches us, saying, " When we were babes we were enslaved Gal. iv. 3.
" under the elements of the world ; but when the fulness of
" the time came, God sent forth His Son, born 1 of a woman,
" born under the law, to redeem them that were under the
" law." Christ therefore ransomed from the curse of the law
those who being subject to it, had been unable to keep its
enactments. And in what way did He ransom them ? By ful
filling it. And to put it in another way : in order that He
might expiate the guilt of Adam s transgression, He showed
Himself obedient and submissive in every respect to God the
Father in our stead: for it is written, "That as through the Rom. v. 19.
" disobedience of the One man, the many were made sinners,
" so also through the obedience of the One, the many shall be
" made just." He yielded therefore His neck to the law in
company with us, because the plan of salvation so required :
for it became Him to fulfil all righteousness. u For having as
sumed the form of a slave, as being now enrolled by reason of
His human nature among those subject to the yoke, lie once
even paid the half shekel to the collectors of the tribute, al
though by nature free, and as the Son not liable to pay the tax.
* Mai has the received reading " (oiKoi/o/xt a) which He had under-
yevofifvov. I have not noticed the " taken for our sakes. And we
many verbal discrepancies between " shall find Him, moreover, even in
him and Aubert, as the Catenists " the payment of the half shekel
naturally had to make many slight " marked out as a Saviour and Re-
alterations in forming their extracts deemer (? read Avrpo>ri)i/ for Xu-
into a connected discourse. The " TTJV.) For the half shekel was a
v. 1. yfvv^vov, though received by " coin stamped with the royal
some of the Fathers, is unsupported " image : and it was paid according
by MS. authority. to the law for two persons. Be-
u This passage, as far as " the " hold therefore again Christ repre-
" plan of salvation," Mai for the " sented in the half shekel. For
present omits, but afterwards gives " being the image of the Father,
it in so different a form, and with " the impress of His substance, the
such additions, that I think it bet- " coin that came from heaven, He
ter to append a separate translation. " offered Himself as the ransom for
" Again He paid the half shekel to " the two people, the Jews, I mean,
" the collectors of the tribute, al- " and the Gentiles." This fanciful
" though not bound to pay, as be- style of interpretation seldom ap-
" ing in very truth the Son : but pears in the Syriac, and is equally
" He paid as being made under the rejected in the present case by An-
" law. For He must verily act fully bert s MS.
" according to the dispensation
20 COMMENTARY UPON
When therefore thou seest Him keeping the law, be not of
fended, nor place the free-born among the slaves, but reflect
rather upon the profoundness of the plan of salvation.
v Upon the arrival, therefore, of the eighth day, on which it
was customary for the circumcision in the flesh to be performed
according to the enactment of the law, He receives His Name,
even Jesus, which by interpretation signifies, the Salvation of
the people. For so had God the Father willed that His Son.
should be named, when born in the flesh of a woman. For
then especially was He made the salvation of the people, and
not of one only, but of many, or rather of every nation, and of
the whole world. He received His name, therefore, on the
same occasion on which He was circumcised.
But come, and let us again search and see, what is the
riddle, and to what mysteries the occurrence directs us. The
blessed Paul has said, " Circumcision is nothing, and uncir-
" curncision is nothing. " To this it is probable that some may
object, Did the God of all then command by the all-wise Moses
a thing of no account to be observed, with a punishment de
creed against those that transgressed it ? Yes, I say : for a&
far as regards the nature of the thing, of that, I mean, which
is done in the flesh, it is absolutely nothing, but it is pregnant
with the graceful type of a mystery, or rather contains the hid
den manifestation of the truth. For on the eighth x day Christ
arose from the dead, and gave us the spiritual circumcision,
For He commanded the holy Apostles: " Having gone, make
Mat. u. (( ^ G c jj sc ip] es O f a || na ti ons? baptizing them into the Name of
" the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And
we affirm that the spiritual circumcision takes place chiefly in
v This passage exists among the ness by means of the resurrection
Syriac fragments, and is important from the dead of our Lord Jesus
in so far establishing the accuracy Christ on the first day of the week.
of Aubert s text, as it agrees with it For the first day of the week, while
in omitting an interpolation of the remaining the first of all the days,
Catenist, found in Mai. is, nevertheless, in its relation to
So Justin Martyr s Dial, with the whole circle of the week, called
Trypho. (p. 201. ed. F. Sylburgii, the eighth, and yet continues to be
leidelb. 1793.) " The ordinance of the first." So again, p. 288. " The
circumcision, which commanded in- ark, in which were eight persons,
fants to be circumcised on the eighth symbolizes by that number tbe
day only, was a type of the true cir- eighth day, on which Christ arose
cumcision from error and wicked- from the dead."
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 21
the season of holy baptism, when also Christ makes us par
takers of the Holy Ghost. And of this again, that Jesus of Aub. &px<-
old, who was captain after Moses, was a type. For he first jjjjj^
of all led the children of Israel across the Jordan : and then Aub. om.
having halted them, immediately circumcised them with knives " f
of stone. So when we have crossed the Jordan, Christ cir
cumcises us with the power of the Holy Ghost, not purifying
the flesh, but rather cutting off the defilement that is in our
souls.
On the eighth day, therefore, Christ is circumcised, and
receives, as I said, His Name : for then, even then, were we
saved by I limy and through Him, " in Whom, it saith, ye were col. ii. n.
" circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands in the From Mai.
" putting off of the fleshly body, with Christ s circumcision,
" having been buried together with Him in baptism, wherein
" also ye were raised with Him." His death, therefore, was
for our sakes. as were also His resurrection and -His circum-
ci>i<n. For lie died, that we who have died together with Him
in His dying unto sin, may no longer live unto sin : for which
reason it is said, "If we have died together with Him, we shall
" also live together with Him." And He is said to have died
unto sin, not because He had sinned, " for lie did no sin, nei- iPet. 11.22.
" ther was guile found in His mouth," but because of our sin.
Like as therefore we died together with Him when He died,
so shall we also rise together with Him.
Again, when the Son was present among us, though by nature
God and the Lord of all, He does not on that account despise
our measure, but along with us is subject to the same law, al
though as God He was Himself the legislator. Like the Jews,
He is circumcised when eight days old, to prove His descent
from their stock, that they may not deny Him. For Christ
was expected of the seed of David, and offered them the proof
of His relationship. But if even when He was circumcised they
said, "As for This man, we know not whence He is;" there John ix. 29.
T The next two or three paragraphs Aubert s MS. in reducing two Ser-
are not found in Aubert, but as they mons into one, made large omis-
are in Mai s same MS. E, which Bions to avoid the too great length,
contains most of the foregoing, and I have received them into the text,
as it is possible that the Copyist of
og COMMENTARY UPON
would have been a show of reason in their denial, had He not
been circumcised in the flesh, and kept the law.
But after His circumcision, the rite was done away by the
introduction of that which had been signified by it, even bap
tism : for which reason we are no longer circumcised. For
circumcision seems to me to have effected three several ends :
in the first place, it separated the posterity of Abraham by a
sort of sign and seal, and distinguished them from all other
nations. In the second, it prefigured in itself the grace and
efficacy of Divine baptism ; for as in old time he that was
circumcised, was reckoned among the people of God by that
seal, so also he that is baptized, having formed in himself
Christ the seal, is enrolled into God s adopted family. And,
thirdly, it is the symbol of the faithful when established in
grace, who cut away and mortify the tumultuous risings of
carnal pleasures and passions by the sharp surgery of faith,
and by ascetic labours ; not cutting the body, but purifying
the heart, and being circumcised in the spirit, and not in the
Rom. ii. 29. letter : whose praise, as the divine Paul testifies, needs not the
sentence of any human tribunal, but depends upon the decree
from above. 2
After His circumcision, she next waits for the time of her
purification : and when the days were fulfilled, and the fortieth
was the full time, God the Word, Who sitteth by the Father s
side, is carried up to Jerusalem, and brought into the Father s
presence in human nature like unto us, and by the shadow of
the law is numbered among the firstborn. For even before the
Incarnation the firstborn were holy, and consecrated to God,
From Aub. being sacrificed to Him according to the law. a ! how great
Kom.xi.33. and wonderful is the plan of salvation ! " the depth of the
" riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God !" He
Who is in the bosom of the Father, the Son Who shares
His throne, and is coeternal with Him : by Whom all things
are divinely brought into existence, submitted nevertheless to
the measure of human nature, and even offered a sacrifice to
His own Father, although adored by all, and glorified with
Mai s next extract is from the a Aubert beging again here ffhe
1 5th book of the De Ador. Spir. passage is also in the Aurea Catena,
l - 553 a is omitted. upon Luke ii. 24.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 23
Him. And what did He offer? As the firstborn and a male a
pair of turtles, or two young doves, according to what the law
prescribed. But what does the turtle signify ? And what too
the other, the dove ? Come, then, and let us examine this.
The one, then, is the most noisy of the birds of the field : but
the other is a mild and gentle creature. And such did the
Saviour of all become towards us, shewing the most perfect
gentleness, and like a turtle moreover soothing the world, and
filling His own vineyard, even us who believe in Him, with the
sweet sound of His voice. For it is written in the Song of
Songs, "The voice of the turtle has been heard in our land." Cant.ii. 12.
For Christ has spoken to us the divine message of the Gospel,
which is for the salvation of the whole world.
Turtles, therefore, and doves were offered, when He pre
sented Himself unto the Lord, and there might one see simul
taneously meeting together the truth and the types. And
Christ offered Himself for a savour of a sweet smell, that He
might offer us by and in Himself unto God the Father, and so
do away with His enmity towards us by reason of Adam s
transgression, and bring to nought sin that had tyrannized
over us all. For we are they who long ago were crying,
" Look upon me, and pity me." b
b A passage follows in Mai, either of the immaculate conception of the
from E. or H., going over ground blessed Virgin Mary: for it testifies
already traversed, and probably only that all women, except the Virgin,
a summary gathered from S. Cyril, (at liXXaiyvvaiKfs,) conceived in sin,
It is valuable, nevertheless, as shew- (eV
ing how little idea the ancients had
COMMENTARY UPON
c. 11.25-35.
Is. Hi. 7.
SERMON IV.
c THE prophet Isaiah says, " Beautiful are the feet of
" them that bring good tidings of good :" and what could
there be so sweet to learn as that God has saved the world by
the mediation of the Son, in that He was made like unto us ?
i Tim. ii. 5. For it is written, "that there is one God, and one Mediator of
" God and men, the Man Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself a
" ransom for us." For of His own accord He descended to our
poverty, that He might make us rich by our gaining what is
His. Behold Him therefore as one in our estate presented
unto the Father, and obedient to the shadows of the law, offer
ing sacrifice moreover according to what was customary, true
though it be that these things were done by the instrumentality
of His mother according to the flesh. Was He then unrecog
nised by all at Jerusalem, and known to none dwelling there ?
How could this be the case ? For God the Father had before
proclaimed by the holy prophets, that in due season the Son
would be manifested to save them that were lost, and to give
light to them that were in darkness. By one too of the holy
i. ixli. i. prophets He said, " My righteousness approacheth quickly,
" and My mercy to be revealed, and My salvation shall burn
" as a torch." But the mercy and righteousness is Christ : for
through Him have we obtained mercy and righteousness, hav
ing washed away our filthy vileness by faith that is in Him.
And that which a torch going before them is to those in night
and darkness, this has Christ become for those who are in
mental gloom and darkness, implanting in them the divine
light. For this reason also the blessed prophets prayed to be
Ps. Ixxxv. made partakers of His great grace, saying, " Shew us Thy
" mercy, Lord, and grant us Thy salvation."
T. aylwv.
Aub. OT
c The text is now taken from the
Tr. Coll. MS. B. Q. 7. apparently of
the 1 2th century. It is a volume of
sermons, and among them has one
with the following superscription :
is rov diVmop
pp.rjvfias TOV Kara \ov<av tvayye-
\iov Ke evXo-f
I owe my transcript to a friend,
himself engaged in collecting and
editing the Greek remains of this
Father.
Ka CK
. i. 25.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 25
hrist d therefore was carried into the temple, being yet a
little child at the breast : and the blessed Symeon being en
dowed with the grace of prophecy, takes Him in his arms, and
filled with the highest joy, blessed God, and said ; " Lord,
" now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to
" Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation, Which
" Thon hast prepared before the face of all the nations, the
" Gentiles light for revelation, and a glory of Thy people
" Israel." For the mystery of Christ had been prepared even
before the very foundation of the world, but was manifested in
the last ages of time, and became a light for those who in dark
ness and error had fallen under the devil s hand. These were
they " who serve the creation instead of the Creator/ wor- Rom
shipping moreover the dragon, the author of evil, and the im- fx
pure throng of devils, to whom they attach the honour due unto
Ood : yet were they called by God the Father to the acknow
ledgment of the Son Who is the true light. Of them in sooth
He said by the voice of Isaiah, " I will make signs unto them, Zech. x. s
" and receive them, because I will ransom them, and they shall
" be multiplied, as they were many : and I will sow them
" among the nations, and they who are afar off shall reinem-
" ber Me." For very many were they that were astray, but
were called through Christ : and again they are many as thcv
d Mai, whose extracts begin again impossible to say which MS. con-
at this clause, has admitted at the tains this interpolation, as the let-
end of the first sentence an interpo- ters put by Mai at the commence-
lation so curious, that I append it : ment of each extract merely mean
. . . and offered what is appointed that those MSS. severally contain
in the law, a pair of turtles and more or less of what follows. Im-
two young pigeons, the type of mediately afterwards he has another
temperance and gentleness, as passage, the false philosophy and
well as also of each kind of life, bad Greek of which confirm its re-
marriage, namely, and celibacy, jection by the two trustworthy
of both of which He is the Law- MSS. It is to the effect, that Sy-
giver. For you may say that the meon was to be set free from tho
" active and more spiritual, who leaping-ground of life : for life is a
have taken upon themselves the ransom and prison, (XvTpa KOI 6>
single life, are the pigeons : but O-^T^PLOV.) Upon the offering of
that those who occupy themselves the turtle doves, the reader may
with a family and other domestic compare S. Cyril s explanation in
- cares are the turtle doves." As the De Ador. Spir. Ed. Aub. I. 531.
in the unworthy interpretation of which agrees with the present Com-
the butter, referred to in the note mentary.
at the end of the 2nd Sermon, it is
26 COMMENTARY UPON
were before ; for they have been received and ransomed, hav
ing obtained as the token of peace from God the Father, the
adoption into His family and the grace that is by faith in
Jesus Christ. And the divine disciples were sown widely
among the nations : and what is the consequence ? Those
who in disposition were far from God, have been made near.
Eph. ii. 13. To whom also the divine Paul sends an epistle, saying, " Now
" ye who some time were afar off have been made near in the
" blood of Christ." And having been brought near, they make
Christ their glorying : for again, God the Father has said of
Zech.x. 12. them, "And I will strengthen them in the Lord their God, and
" in His Name shall they glory, saith the Lord." This also the
blessed Psalmist teaches, speaking as it were unto Christ the
PR. ixxxix. Saviour of all, and saying, " Lord, they shall walk in the light
" of Thy countenance, and in Thy Name shall they exult all
" the day, and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted : for
" Thou art the glorying of their strength." And we shall find
Jer. xvi.ip. a l so the prophet Jeremiah calling out unto God, "Lord, my
" strength and my help, and my refuge in the day of my evils,
" to Thee shall the heathen come from the end of the earth,
" and say, Our fathers took unto themselves false idols, in
" which there is no help."
Christ therefore became the Gentiles light for revelation :
but also for the glory of Israel. For even granting that some
of them proved insolent, and disobedient, and with minds
void of understanding, yet is there a remnant saved, and ad
mitted unto glory through Christ. Arid the firstfruits of these
were the divine disciples, the brightness of whose renown light
ens the whole world.
And in another sense Christ is the glory of Israel, for He
Rom. ix. 5. came of them according to the flesh, though He be " God over
" all, and blessed for evermore, Amen."
And Symeon blesseth also the holy Virgin as the handmaid
of the divine counsel, and the instrument of the birth that sub
mitted not itself to the laws of human nature. For being a
virgin she brought forth, and that not by man, but by the
power of the Holy Ghost having come upon her.
Also in the And what does the prophet Symeon say of Christ ? " Be-
M&ia,i54. " hold This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in
" Israel, and for a sign that shall be spoken against." For the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 27
Immanuel is set by God the Father for the foundations of Sion,
" being a stone elect, chief of the corner, and honourable. 1 i Pet. ii. 6.
Those then that trusted in Him were not ashamed : but
those who were unbelieving and ignorant, and unable to per
ceive the mystery regarding Him, fell, and were broken in
pieces. For God the Father again has somewhere said, " Be- Is. xxviii.
" hold I lay in Sion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, L uke xx
" and He that believeth on It shall not be ashamed; but on 18.
" whomsoever It shall fall, It will winnow him." But the pro
phet bade the Israelites be secure, saying, " Sanctify the Lord Is. viii. 13.
" Himself, and He shall be thy fear : and if thou trust upon
" Him, He shall be thy sanctification, nor shall ye strike
" against Him as on a stone of stumbling, and a rock of of-
" fence." Because however Israel did not sanctify the Emmanuel
Who is Lord and God, nor was willing to trust in Him, having
stumbled as upon a stone because of unbelief, it was broken in
pieces and fell. But many rose again, those, namely, who
embraced faith in Him. For they changed 6 from a legal to a
spiritual service : from having in them a slavish spirit, they
were enriched with That Spirit Which maketh free, even the
Holy Ghost : they were made partakers of the divine nature : 2 Pet. i. 4.
they were counted worthy of the adoption of sons : and live in
hope of gaining the city that is above, even the citizenship, to
wit, the kingdom of heaven.
And by the sign that is spoken against, he means the precious Also in the
Cross, for as theTnost wise Paul writes, " to the Jews it is a stum- ^12,154.
" blingblock, and foolishness to the heathen." And again, "To iCor. i. 23.
" them that are perishing it is foolishness : but to us who are iCor. i. 18.
" being saved, it is the power of God unto salvation." The sign
therefore is spoken against, if to those that perish it seem to
be folly ; while to those who acknowledge its power it is salva
tion and life.
And Symeon further f said to the holy Virgin, " Yea, a
" sword shall go through thy own soul also," meaning by the
sword the pain which she suffered for Christ, in seeing Him
e Aubert s reading here, jzfrf^u- its compounds, occur in S. Cyril
Tcvdrja-av, for /ifTf^oirr/o-ai/, is wor- constantly in the sense of /3aiVo>.
thy of notice. It is possibly, never- f The Tr. MS. has rrpos TOVS TOL-
theless, only the correction of some OVTOVS, but the Syriac
scribe, not aware that $otrdco, and which I have adopted.
COMMENTARY UPON
Whom she brought forth crucified; and not knowing at all
that He would be more mighty than death, and rise again
from the grave. Nor mayest thou wonder that the Virgin
knew this not, when we shall find even the holy Apostles
themselves with little faith thereupon : for verily the blessed
Thomas, had he not thrust his hands into His side after the
resurrection, and felt also the prints of the nails, would have
disbelieved the other disciples telling him, that Christ was
risen, and had shewed Himself unto them.
The very wise Evangelist therefore for our benefit teaches us
all things whatsoever the Son, when He was made flesh, and
consented to bear our poverty, endured for our sakes and in
our behalf, that so we may glorify Him as our Redeemer, as
our Lord, as our Saviour, and our God : gby Whom and with
Whom to God the Father and the Holy Ghost be the glory
and the power for ever and ever, Amen. h
The doxology is taken from
Aubert, and is identically the same
with that which concludes every
homily in the Syriac.
h Mai does not contain the above
explanation of the sword that was
to pierce the holy Virgin, but in its
place has the following adaptation
of it : " But to speak more briefly,
" we affirm that the sword here sig-
" nifies the temptation like a knife,
" or even the passion itself brought
" upon the Immanuel by the mad-
" ness of the Jews. And so the just
" Symeon seems to understand, and
" even to say. For the holy Virgin
" was all but killed by a sword in
" seeing Him That was born of her
" in the flesh crucified. Such also
" was that said by Zechariah (xiii.
" 7.): Awake, O sword, against My
" Shepherd, that is, forthwith let
" the saving passion be enacted,
" and let the time of the shewing
" forth of good things come." To
this Mai appends the following
note : " In codice B. f. 31. post
" crapKa additur, KCU a^iyvooixra
" e t ye KOI Bavarov Kparrja-fi Qavara)-
" Gets : quam particulam de B. Vir-
" ginis dubitatione circa futuram
filii sui resurrectionem cum nee
ceteri codices in Cyrillo habeant,
nee pietas Christiana admittat,
baud immerito preetermisirnus :
quamquam eadem legitur sub fi-
nem predictse homilia? in hypa-
pantem," &c. The danger of such
a method of treating MS. authority
is shewn by the additional authority
of the Tr. Cod., which completely
agrees with Aubert, some slight
verbal differences excepted.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON V.
And the Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, being filled c. 11.40-52.
From Mai
and Cramer.
with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. And * rom Mai
again ; But Jesus increased in stature and wisdom and
grace with God and men.
TO say that the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him,
must be taken as referring to His human nature. And examine,
I pray you, closely the profoundness of the dispensation : the
Word endures to be born in human fashion, although in His
divine nature He has no beginning nor is subject to time : He
Who as God is all perfect, submits to bodily growth : the In
corporeal has limbs that advance to the ripeness of manhood :
He is filled with wisdom Who is Himself all wisdom. And what
say we to this? Behold by these things Him Who was in the form
of the Father made like unto us: the Rich in poverty : the High
in humiliation : Him said to " receive," Whose is the fulness as
God. So thoroughly did God the Word empty Himself ! For
what things are written of Him as a man shew the manner of
the emptying. For it were a thing impossible for the Word
begotten of God the Father to admit ought like this into
His own nature : but when He became flesh, even a man like
unto us, then He is born according to the flesh of a woman,
and is said also to have been subject to the things that belong
to man s state : and though the Word as being God could have
made His flesh spring forth at once from the womb unto the
measure of the perfect man, yet this would have been of the
nature of a portent : and therefore He gave the habits and
laws of human nature power even over His own flesh.
Be not therefore offended, considering perchance within thy- From the
self, How can God increase? or how can He Who gives grace ^^ 151,
to angels and to men receive fresh wisdom ? Rather reflect
upon the great skill wherewith we are initiated into His mys
tery. For the wise Evangelist did not introduce the Word in
His abstract and incorporeal nature, and so say of Him that
30 COMMENTARY UPON
He increased in stature and wisdom and grace, but after hav
ing shewn that He was born in the flesh of a woman, and took
our likeness, he then assigns to Him these human attributes,
and calls Him a child, and says that He waxed in stature, as
His body grew little by little, in obedience to corporeal laws.
And so He is said also to have increased in wisdom, not as re
ceiving fresh supplies of wisdom, for God is perceived by the
understanding to be entirely perfect in all things, and altoge
ther incapable of being destitute of any attribute suitable to
the Godhead : but because God the Word gradually mani
fested His wisdom proportionably to the age which the body
had attained.
From Mai. The body then advances in stature, and the soul* in wisdom:
for the divine nature is capable of increase in neither one nor
the other ; seeing that the Word of God is all perfect. And
with good reason he connected the increase of wisdom with
the growth of the bodily stature, because the divine nature
revealed its own wisdom in proportion to the measure of the
bodily growth.
r - 42- And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jeru
salem according to the custom of the feast.
After the Evangelist had said, that Jesus advanced in wis
dom and grace with God and men, he next shews that what
he says is true : for he carries Him to Jerusalem in company
ith the holy Virgin, upon the summons of the feast : and
then he says that He remained behind, and was afterwards
Hind in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors both
iskmg and answering questions regarding those things, as we
1 sure, which were spoken of old by the law : and that
was wondered at by all for His questions and answers.
Him advancing in wisdom and grace, by reason of
mng known unto many as being what He was.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 31
Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing. v. 48.
His mother certainly knew that He was not the child of
Joseph, but she so speaks to avoid the suspicions 1 * of the Jews.
And upon her saying, that " Thy father and I have sought
" Thee sorrowing," the Saviour answers ;
Did ye not know that I must be at My Father s ? v 49
Here then first He makes more open mention of Him Who
is truly His Father, and lays bare His own divinity : for when
the holy Virgin said, Child, why hast Thou so done unto us ?
then at once shewing Himself to transcend the measure of hu
man things, and teaching her that she had been made the
handmaid of the dispensation in giving birth to the flesh, but
that lie by nature and in truth was God, and the Son of the
Father That is in heaven, He says, Did ye not know that I
must be at My Father s? mere let the Valentinians, when
they hear that the temple was God s, and that Christ was now
at His own, Who long before also was so described in the law,
and represented as in shadows and types, feel shame in affirm
ing, that neither the Maker of the world, nor the God of the
law, nor the God of the temple, was the Father of Christ. 111
k Cramer (ii. 26.) adds, vo^i(6v- Him considered as the Word, but
TO>V e* Tropveias avrov ytyev^aOm. either must be understood of the
1 The style of the short extract increase of admiration on the part
that follows is entirely unlike Cy- of all who beheld Him, and daily
ril s. Mai says, that the Catenae witnessed a fuller manifestation of
ascribe it to Orjgen as well as His glory : or, as the two latter ex-
Cyril, tracts teach, it refers to the human
m Mai s next extract upon v. 52. nature. As I have not been able
may serve as an instance of the to find the second extract in
manner in which the Catenists S. Cyril s collected works, I give
joined with the utmost neatness it entire : " And observe, that that
passages from various works. It " which increases in any thing is
commences with S. Cyril s Com- " different from that in which it is
mentary on John i. 14, Op. iv. 96 : " said to increase. If therefore He
after which there follow a few lines, " is said to increase in wisdom, it
which may possibly be from the " was not the wisdom that in-
Commentary on Luke : and finally, " creased, but the human nature
we have the 28th assertion of the " that increased in it. For as the
Thesaurus, Op. v. pt. i. 253. The " Godhead day by day unveiled and
doctrine of these extracts is nearly " manifested Itself in Him, He ever
identical, all affirming that our " became an object of greater admi-
Lord s increase in wisdom and sta- " ration to those that saw Him."
ture and grace cannot be said of
COMMENTARY UPON
CHAPTER III.
SERMON VI.
From Mai. As it is ivHttcn in the look of the words of Isaiah
the prophet.
THE blessed Isaiah was not ignorant of the scope of John s
preachings, but of old, even long before the time, bearing witness
of it, he called Christ Lord and God : but John he styled His
minister and servant, and said that he was a lamp advancing
before the true light, the morning star heralding the sun,
foreshowing the coming of the day that was about to shed its
rays upon us: and that he was a voice, not a word, forerunning
Jesus, as the voice does the word. n
Prepare ye the ivays of the Lord, make His paths straight.
John, being chosen for the Apostleship, was also the last of
the holy prophets : for which reason, as the Lord was not yet
Fr th< come, he says, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. And what is
Ms. I2 .i 54 . the meaning of Prepare ye the way of the Lord ?" It is put
for, Make ready for the reception of whatever Christ may wish
.o enact : withdraw your hearts from the shadow of the law :
cease from the types : think no more perversely. Make the
" paths of our God straight." For every path that leadeth
good is straight and smooth and easy : but the other is
crooked that leadeth down to wickedness them that walk
F Ma,, herein For of such it is written, - Whose paths are crooked
and the tracks of their wheels awry." Straightforwardness
fore of the mind is as it were a straight path, having no
ps crookedness. Such was the divine Psalmist s character, who
JOB. xxt. J sm S s > " A crooked heart hath not cleaved unto me." And
son of Nun, in exhorting the people, said, -Make
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 33
" straight your hearts unto the God of Israel :" while John
cries, " Make straight your ways." And this means, that the
soul must be straight, displaying its natural intuition as it was
created : and it was created beautiful and very straight. But
when it turns aside, and its natural state is perverted, this is
called vice, and the perversion of the soul. The matter there
fore is not very difficult : for if we continue as we are made, we
shall be virtuous. P
But when some one, as it were, exclaims against us, saying,
How shall we prepare the way of the Lord ? or how make His
paths straight ? for there are many impediments in the way of
those that will live well, Satan, who hates all that is beauti
ful, the unholy throng of wicked spirits, the law of sin itself
that is in our fleshly members, and which arms itself against
the inclinations of the mind to what is good, and many other
passions besides, that have mastery over the mind of man :
what then shall we do, with so great difficulty pressing upon
us ? The word of prophecy meets these objections, saying,
" Every valley shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill Is. xl. 4 .
" shall be brought low : and the crooked way shall become
" straight, and the rough ways shall become smooth : and all
" flesh shall see the salvation of God." M
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. V. 6.
And all flesh did see the salvation of God, even of the Father :
for He sent the Son to be our Saviour. And in these words
by " fiesh," man generally is to be understood, that is, the
whole human race. For thus all flesh shall see the salvation
of God : no longer Israel only, but all flesh. For the gentle
ness of the Saviour and Lord of all is not limited, nor did He
save one nation merely, but rather embraced within His net
the whole world, and has illuminated all who were in dark
ness. And this is what was celebrated by the Psalmist s lyre,
" All the nations whom Thou hast made shall come and wor- p s . ixxxvi.
" ship before Thee, Lord." While at the same time the rem- 9-
nant of the Israelites is saved, as the great Moses also long
ago declared, saying, " Rejoice ye nations with His people." Deut.xxxii.
P The style of this comment, so this extract.
unlike Cyril s, and the extraordinary 1 The next extract is from the
conclusion, both suggest caution in Commentary on Isaiah, Op. ii. 506,
attributing to him the latter part of and is therefore omitted.
34 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON VII.
MS. 12, 1 54.
C. iii. 7-9. The Baptist therefore said to the multitudes that came to be
baptized of him, Generation of vipers, who hath ivarned
you to flee from the coming wrath ?
WE affirm therefore that the blessed Baptist, as being full
of the Holy Ghost, was not ignorant of the daring acts that
Jewish wickedness would venture against Christ. For he fore
knew that they would both disbelieve in Him, and wagging
their envenomed tongue, would pour forth railings and accusa
tions against Him : accusing Him at one time of being born of
X1 - J 5. fornication; at another, as one who wrought His miracles by
the help of Beelzebub, prince of the devils : and again, as one
that had a devil, and was no whit better than a Samaritan.
Having this therefore in view, he calls even those of them who
From Mai. repent wicked, and reproves them because, though they had the
law speaking unto them the mystery of Christ, and the pre
dictions of the prophets relating thereunto, they nevertheless
had become dull of hearing, and unready for faith in Christ
the Saviour of all. " For who hath warned you to flee from
the coming wrath ?" Was it not the inspired Scripture, which
tells the happiness of those who believe in Christ, but fore
warns those who believe not, and are ignorant, that they will
be condemned to severe and inevitable punishment ?
Briny forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.
Moreover, the fruit of repentance is, in the highest degree,
faith in Christ : and next to it, the evangelic mode of life, and
111 general terms the works of righteousness in contradis
tinction to sin, which the penitent must bring forth as fruits
worthy of repentance. And he has added ; Begin not to say
within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father : for I
11 you that God is able of these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham." You see how most skilfully he humbles
their foolish pride, and shews that their being born of Abra
ham according to the flesh is useless for their profit For of
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 35
what benefit is nobility of birth, if men practise not the like
earnest deeds, nor imitate the virtue of their ancestors ? For
the Saviour says unto them, <( if ye were Abraham s children, John ^
" ye would have done the works of Abraham/ 1 The relation- 39-
ship which God requires is one in character and manners : so
that it is a vain tiling to boast of holy and good parents, while
we fall, far short of their virtue.
But, says the* Jew, if this be so, in what way is the seed of
Abraham still to be multiplied, and the promise made to him
of God hold true, of which the terms are, that " He will mul-
" tiply his seed as the stars of heaven ?" By the calling of
the GentileSi O Jew : for it was said to Abraham himself, that
" in Isaac shall a seed for thee be called :*" and that " I have Gen.xxi.i2.
" set thee as a father of many nations." But the phrase " in id. xvii. 4 .
" Isaac" means, According to promise. He is set therefore as
a father of many nations by faith, that is to say, in Christ.
And of these it was that God spake also by the voice of Eze-
kiel : "And I will take away out of their flesh the heart of Ezek.xi.iQ.
" stone, and will give them a heart of flesh, that they may
" know Me, that I am the Lord."
And the blessed Baptist apparently calls them stones, be- From the
cause they as yet knew not Him Who is by nature God, but Ms!r2, r54 .
were in error, and in their great folly worshipped the creation
instead of the Creator : but they were called, and became the
sons of Abraham, and acknowledged, by believing in Christ,
Him Who is by nature God.
But that he may benefit in a still higher degree those that
hear him, the blessed Baptist brings forward something more :
" But already even the axe is laid at the root of the trees."
But by the axe in this passage he signifies the sharp wrath
which God the Father brought upon the Jews for their wick
edness towards Christ, and audacious violence: for the wrath From Mai
was brought upon them like an axe. And this the prophet
Zecharias has explained to us, saying. " The wailing of Jeru- Zech.xii.n.
" salem shall be as the wailing of a grove of pomegranate trees
" cut down in the plain." And Jeremiah also addressing her, Jer. xi. i*.
said, " The Lord called thy name a beautiful olive tree, very
" leafy to behold : at the sound of its felling, a fire was kindled
" upon it : great was the lamentation over it : its branches
F 2
W COMMENTARY UPON
" have been made unserviceable : and the Lord of hosts That
" planted thee hath uttered evils against thee." And to this
thou mayest add also the parable in the Gospels about the fig-
tree. As being therefore a plant unfruitful, and no longer of
generous kind, it was cut down by God. He does not, how
ever, say that the axe was laid into the root, but at the root,
that is, near the root. For the branches were cut off, but the
plant was not dug up by its root : for the remnant of Israel
was saved, and did not perish utterly.
SERMONS VIII AND IX.
And t1i e multitudes asked him.
THE blessed Luke has introduced three classes of men
making inquiry of John,-the multitudes, the publicans, and,
thirdly, the soldiers : and as a skilful physician applies to each
malady a suitable and fitting remedy, so also the Baptist gave
to each mode of life useful and becoming counsel, bidding the
multitudes m their course towards repentance practise mutual
kindness: for the publicans, he stops the way to unrestrained
tions : and very wisely tells the soldiers to oppress no one,
but be content with their wages.
-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 37
SERMON X.
From the
SERMON THE TENTH, FROM S CYRIL S COMMENTARY UPON LUKE, Syriac
UPON JOHN THE BAPTIST.
But when the people were in expectation, and all men rea- c. Hi.
soned in their hearts concerning John, whether he were not I 5~ 1 7-
the Christ, John answered, and said to them all, I indeed
baptize you in water, but there cometh He Who is mightier
than I : Whose shoe s latchet I am not worthy to unloose :
He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and injire, Whose
fan is in His hand, and He shall purge His floor, and
gather His wheat into stores, but the chaff He ivill burn
in unquenchable fire. 5
IT is written, that "a just father will bring up (his children)
" excellently." For those who are clad in the glory of the
righteousness that is by Christ, and are acquainted with His
sacred commands, will train up excellently and piously those
who are their sons in the faith, giving them not the material
bread of earth, but that which is from above, even from hea
ven. Of which bread the admirable Psalmist also makes men
tion, where he says, " Bread established! man s heart, and P. civ. 15.
" wine rejoiceth man s heart." Let us therefore now also
establish our hearts : let our faith in Christ be assured, as we
correctly understand the meaning of those evangelic writings
now read unto us. " For when the people, it says, were in
" expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts of John, whe-
" ther he were not the Christ, he answered them in the words
" which we have just heard read."
8 Although the preposition eV is is the simple verb " to stand." Thus
occasionally used for the instrument v. 21. is literally ; "And it came to
or means, yet this is only admissible " pass, when all the people stood,
where the sense can still be traced " that Jesus also stood." And so
back to its proper signification of the passage above is exactly; " 1
local presence. And so here : " to " indeed make you to stand in
" baptize," is literally in Syriac " to " water;" " He shall make you to
" make to stand," by a metaphor " stand in the Holy Ghost," &c.
evidently drawn from what was ac- And I have therefore in the transla-
tually the practice of John and the tion retained " in," as most closely
early Church : and " to he baptized" representing the Syriac.
38 COMMENTARY UPON
They had beheld with admiration the incomparable beauty
of John s mode of life : the splendour of his conduct : the un
paralleled and surpassing excellence of his piety. For so great
and admirable was he, that even the Jewish populace began to
conjecture whether he were not himself the Christ, Whom the
law had described to them in shadows, and the holy prophets
had before proclaimed. Inasmuch therefore as some ventured
on this conjecture, lie at once cuts away their surmise, de
clining as a servant the honours due to the Master, and trans
ferring the glory to Him Who transcends all, even to Christ,
For he knew that He is faithful unto those that serve Him.
And what he acknowledges is in very deed the truth : for he-
John iii. 2 8. tween God and man the distance is immeasurable. "Ye your-
" selves, therefore, he says, bear me witness that I said I
" am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him." But
where shall we find the holy Baptist thus speaking? In
the Gospel of John, who has thus spoken concerning him ;
9- " And this is the testimony of John when the scribes and Pha-
" risees at Jerusalem sent to ask him whether he were the
Christ, And lie confessed, and denied not, and said, that I
" am not the Christ, but am he that is sent before Him."
Great therefore and admirable in very deed is the forerunner,
who was the dawning before the Saviour s meridian splendour,
the precursor of the spiritual daylight, beautiful as the morn
ing star, and called of God the Father a torch.
Having therefore thus declared himself not to be the Christ,
lie now brings forward proofs, which we must necessarily con
sider, and by which we may learn how immeasurable the dis
tance evidently is between God and man, between the slave
and the Master, between the minister and Him Who is min
istered unto, between him who goes before as a servant, and
V ho shines forth with divine dignity. What, therefore, is
the proof? I indeed baptize in water: after me shall come He
Vho is mightier than I, Whose shoe s latchet I am not worthy
:oop down and unloose." As I said, therefore, the dif-
* incomparable, the superiority immeasurable, if, as is
se, the blessed Baptist, being so great in virtue, declare.
that he is not worthy even, as it were, to touch His shoes.
his declaration is true : for if the rational powers above,
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 39
principalities, and thrones, and lordships, and the holy Sera
phim themselves, who stand around His godlike throne, hold
ing the rank of ministers, unceasingly crown Him with praises
as the Lord of all, what dweller upon earth is worthy even to
be nigh unto God ? For though He be loving unto man, and
gentle, and mild, yet must we, as being of slight account, and
children of earth, confess the weakness of our nature.
And after this, lie again brings forward a second proof, say
ing, " I indeed baptize you in water : but He shall baptize you
" in the Holy Ghost and in fire." And this too is of great
importance for the proof and demonstration that Jesus is God
and Lord. For it is the sole and peculiar property of the
Substance That transcends all, to be able to bestow on men
the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and make those that draw
near unto It partakers of the divine nature. But this exists in
Christ, not as a thing received, nor by communication from
another, but as His own, and as belonging to His substance :
for " He baptizes in the Holy Ghost." The Word therefore
That became man is, as it appears, God, and the fruit of the
Father s substance. But to this, it may be, those will ol>ject
who divide the one Christ into two sons, those I mean who,
as Scripture says, are "animal, and dividers, and having not Jude 19.
" the Spirit," that He Who baptizes in the Holy Ghost is
the Word of God, and not lie Who is of the seed of David.
What answer shall we make, then, to this ? Yes ! we too
affirm, without fear of contradiction, that the Word being God
as of His own fulness bestows the Holy Ghost on such as are
worthy : but this He still wrought, even when He was made
man, as being the One Son with the flesh united to Him in an
ineffable and incomprehensible manner. For so the blessed
Baptist, after first saying, " I am not worthy to stoop down
"and loose the thong t of His shoes," immediately added,
1 The Catenist in Mai has in- gint, whence Cyril s word is taken,
serted in a parenthesis a curious Gen. xiv. 23, the right reading is
observation, namely, that by the o-QvpwTrjp, " a thong for the ankles,"
<r$aipo>T7p i s meant " the tip of the whereas o-cpmpeor^p, from oxpcupn,
" shoe, ending in a point, such as " a ball," is the word for the pome-
" the barbarians wear." The word, granates, used in the adorning
however, used by the Evangelist is of the golden candlestick. (Ex.
ipds, simply a " thong :" and there xxv. 31.)
can be no doubt that in the Septua-
40 COMMENTARY UPON
" He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and in fire ;" plainly
while having feet for shoes. For no one whose mind was awake
would say, that the Word, while still incorporeal, and not as
yet made like unto us, had feet and shoes, but only when He
had become a man. Inasmuch, however, as He did not then
cease to be God, He wrought even so works worthy of the
Godhead, by giving the Spirit unto them that believe in Him.
For He, in one and the same person, was at the same time
both God and also man.
But yes, he objects, the Word wrought the works of Deity
by means of Him Who is of the seed of David. If so then thou
arguest, we will repeat to thee in answer the words of John ;
John i. 30. for he somewhere said unto the Jews, " There cometh after
me a man Who was before me, because He is before me : and
I knew Him not, but He That sent me to baptize in water,
He said unto me, Upon Whom thou seest the Spirit descend
ing from heaven, and abiding upon Him, This is He That
baptizeth in the Holy Ghost : and I saw, and bare witness,
that This is the Son of God." Behold, therefore, while
plainly calling Him a man, he says that He is prior to him,
and was before him, in that He is first, evidently in His divine
nature ; according to what was plainly said by Himself to the
Johnviii. Jewish populace, "Verily I say unto you, before Abraham
" was, I am."
Next, he says as well, that the Spirit also came down from
heaven upon Him. Do they pretend that the Holy Ghost came
down upon the Word of God while still abstract and incor
poreal if and represent Him Who bestows the Spirit as made
partaker of His own Spirit ? Or rather is this their meaning,
that having received the Spirit in His human nature, He in
s divine nature baptizes in the Holy Ghost ? For He is
Himself singly, and alone, and verily the Son of God the Fa
ther, as the blessed Baptist, being taught of God, himself bare
witness, saying, "And I saw, and bare witness that This is the
" Son of God!" v
In the above defence of catholic one Christ into two sons, and not
> tnne agamst the heresies of K*. that he expressly so taught. For in
,h y ," , """" , take " ** "" SCTen ^ quaternion he says,
8 te 1 natUra V C ^ U f " G d the Wold CTen <*fre the
> teaching ,s to divide the " incarnation, was Son, and God
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 4-1
Wouldst thou have also a third proof, in addition to what Also in
have already been given ? " His fan," he says, " is in His hand,
" and He shall purge His floor, and gather His wheat into His
" stores, but the chaff He shall burn with fire unquenchable."
For he compares those upon earth to ears of corn, or rather to
the threshingfloor and the wheat upon it : for each one of us has
grown like an ear of corn. And our Lord once, when speaking
to the holy Apostles, made a similar comparison of our state :
" The harvest indeed is great : but the labourers are few : LuUe x. 2.
" pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth labour-
" ers into His harvest." We therefore, who are upon the
earth, are called ears of corn and wheat, and the harvest.
And this harvest belongs to God over all : for He is Lord of
all. But behold ! says the blessed Baptist, the threshing floor
belongs to Christ as its owner ; for as such He purges it, re
moving and separating the chaff from the wheat. For the
wheat is the just, whose faith is established and assured : but
" and coexistent with the Father :
" but in these last times assumed
" the form of the slave. But while,
" before He was Son, and so called ;
" after the assumption of the flesh,
" He cannot be called Son sepa-
" rately, lest we should infer two
" Sons ." The doctrine of Nesto-
rius, as briefly sketched by the
Council of Ephesus, was, that " He
" Who for our sakes became man,
" must not be called God," ov fifl
\(yeo~dai 0fbv TOV 01 >%ui; avdpconov
ycy(vr)p.(vov. Hence his objection
to the title dforoxos, applied to the
Virgin, and so valued by the fathers
as expressing the inseparable union
of the Divine and human natures in
the one person of Christ. Hence
his protest against worshipping
Christ absolutely, 8ia TOV (popovvra
TOV <popovp.(vov <7f/3ci>" 8ia rov Kf-
KpVfJ.p.VOV TTpCHTKVVto) TOV (f>Uv6f*tVOV .
ax&purTos TOV <ati/o/iVou Qtos.
(Quat. xvi.) : and such expressions
as, 6/joAoyof /if j/ TOV cv ai/$po)7r<i>
(Tf/3u>[i(v TOV TTJ dtiq o~vva<fi( iq
T<U rravTOKpaTOpi Gfai
pevov uvdpomov. (Quat. xv. Conf.
Hardtiin. Concil. I. 1414, 1442.)
In drawing these subtle conclu
sions, Nestorius (Ep. ad Cyrilliun
Hard. Cone. I, 1281.) also made
that distinction between the Son of
David and God the Word, so often
attacked by Cyril in this Commen
tary : " God the Word, he says,
" w*s not the Son of David ;" and
as Cyril would fairly judge of his
doctrine by this letter addressed to
himself, no wonder he attributes to
him, both here and elsewhere, a
conclusion which follows apparent
ly so directly from these words. In
his seventeenth quaternion occurs
probably Nestorius most exact
statement, and from it equally
S. Cyril would draw this conclu
sion : 7rei$r)7T(p 6 vibs TOV Qcov 81-
7T\OVS O~Tl KOTO. TOS <pl>O~flf, OVK
iy(vvT)(r ptv r) -napBtvos TOV vlbv TOV
6eoC, aXX rycWi}<7* TTJV dv0pa)ir6-
TTjTd, fJTLf ffTTlV VtOS 5m TOV O~Vl>T}fJ.-
p.fVOV VIOV.
COMMENTARY UPON
the chaff signifies those whose mind is weak, and their heart
easy to be ensnared, and unsafe and timorous, and blown about
by every wind. The wheat, then, he says, is stored up in the
granary : is deemed worthy, that is, of safety at God s hand,
and mercy, and protection and love : but the chaff, as useless
matter, is consumed in the fire.
In every way, therefore, we may perceive that the Word of
God, even when He was man, nevertheless continued to be one
Son. u For He performs those works that belong to Deity,
possessing the majesty and glory of the Godhead inseparable
from Him. If so we believe, He will crown us with His grace :
by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be glory and
dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen. x
u In these words S. Cyril most
accurately sums up the Catholic
doctrine of the inseparable union of
the two natures in Christ; which
union Nestorius denied, anathema
tizing all who said that the Emma
nuel was very God, and teaching
instead that the Emmanuel was
God indwelling in our nature. Si
quis Bum Qui est Emmanuel,
Deum verum esse dixerit, et non
potius nobiscum Deum; hoc est,
inhabitasse earn qua? secundum
nosmet est naturam, per id quod
unitus est nostrae, quam de Maria
Virgine suscepit ; anathema sit.
(An. I. Hard. Con. I. 1298.) To
which it might well be replied, that
the Emmanuel is "God with us,"
God and man, not God in man.
A similar doctrine is contained in
his fifteenth quaternion, as quoted
above.
x The most importanif passages
in the above homily have been pre
served by the Catenists, but with
the connection and course of the
argument more than once broken.
They ascribe, however, to S. Cyril,
two short passages at the end (cf.
Mai, p. 146.) not belonging to the
Commentary; and there are some
slight verbal differences in the in
tervening extract. On the other
hand, two passages, preserved by
Thomas Aquinas, are both con
tained in the Syriac.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 43
SERMON XI. >mth.
oynao
MS. 12,165.
THE ELEVENTH SERMON OF THE COMMENTARY UPON THE GOSPEL
OF LUKE BY THE HOLY CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA,
UPON THE MANIFESTATION OF OUR LORD.
And it came to pass, that tvhen all the people were baptized, C. iii. 11-
Jems also was baptized : and as He was praying, the hea- *
vens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon Him
in bodily form like a dove. And there was a voice from
heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son : in Thee I am
well pleased. And Jesus Himself was beginning to be about
thirty years old.
AGAIN come, that fixing our mind intently upon the Evan
gelic Scriptures, we may behold the beauty of the truth. Come
let us direct the penetrating and accurate eyes of the mind unto
the mystery of Christ ; let us view with wonder the admirable
skill of the divine economy : for so shall we see His glory.
And thus to act is for our life : as He Himself assures us, when
speaking unto God the Father in heaven, " These things are Johnxvii.3.
" life eternal : to know Thee Who alone art true ; and Jesus
" Christ, Whom Thou hast sent." How therefore was He sent?
and what was the manner of His coming unto us ? For being
by nature God That filleth all, how, as the blessed John the
Evangelist said, " was He in the world," Himself being Lord ? John i. 10.
And how was He sent by the Father, when as God He is the
Creator and Sustainer of all things ? for all things were esta
blished by Him.
The wise John the P>angelist then teaches us, saying,
" And the Word was made flesh." But perchance some one John i. 14.
will say, What then ? Having ceased to be the Word, did
y It is to be observed, that S. omission here of vv. 18-20. : 6 p.a-
Cyril often omits several verses in Kapios KvptXXor rov Hpo>8ov tv rfj
his Commentary. In one of Mai s tpp.Tjvda OVK $tttpvr\<r&r\ and pro-
MSS. some one has written the fol- ceeds to give a reason for it.
lowing anonymous note upon the
O 2
44 COMMENTARY UPON
He change into being flesh ? Did He fall from His Majesty,
having undergone a transformation unto something which
previously He was not ? Not so, we say. Far from it. For
by nature He is unchangeable and immutable. In saying,
therefore, that the Word became flesh, the Evangelist means
a man like unto us. For we also are often called flesh our-
* l. 5- selves. For it is written, " And all flesh shall see the salvation
" of God," meaning thereby that every man shall see it. While
therefore He immutably retains that which He was, yet as
having under this condition assumed our likeness, He is said
to have been made flesh.
Behold Him, therefore, as a man, enduring with us the
things that belong to man s estate, and fulfilling all righteous
ness, for the plan of salvation s sake. And this thou learnest
from what the Evangelist says : " And it came to pass that
" when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized,
" and prayed." Was He too then in need of holy baptism ?
But what benefit could accrue to Him from it ? Vhe Only-
le. vi. 3 . begotten Word of God is Holy of the Holy : so the Seraphim
name Him in their praises : so every where the law names
Him : and the company of the holy prophets accords with the
writings of Moses. What is it that we gain by holy baptism ?
Plainly the remission of our sins. But in Jesus there was
iPet.ii.. nought of this; "for He did no sin: neither was guile found
< in His mouth," as the Scripture saith. He was holy, harm-
less, undefiled, separate from sins, and made higher than the
heavens/ according to the words of the divine Paul.
But yes ! perchance some one will say, who has been ill
instructed in the faith, Was it then God the Word that was
baptized? Was He in need of being made partaker of the
Holy Ghost ? Not at all. Therefore it is that we affirm, that
the man who was of the seed of David, and united unto Him
by conjunction", was baptized and received the Spirit, The
* By |Zc2x^j I imagine the it, with respect, namely, to the
translator means Nestorius favourite < dignity of the Sonship, that God
rd vwafaa, as he uses it for in- the Word is also called Christ,
stance in his xvnth quaternion : AiA inasmuch as He has a perpetual
>TO,^C. TO aftmpa rf,s viorrjTos, icat conjunction with the Christ "
Xtorfc *
Adyoy bofulfrm, Hard. Con. I. 1414. Conf. also
rJipr*p ex (Tvvdfaiav TT)I> rrpos note in page 41
Therefore is
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 45
Indivisible therefore is divided by you into two sons : and because
He was baptized when thirty years old, He was made holy, as
you say, by being baptized. Was He therefore not holy until
He arrived at His thirtieth year ? Who will assent to you,
when thus you corrupt the right and blameless faith? For
there is one Lord Jesus Christ," as it is written. But this we iCor.viii.6.
affirm : that He was not separate a from Him, and by Himself
when baptized and made partaker of the Holy Ghost : for we
know, both that He is God, and without stain, and Holy of the
Holy: for we confess that "of His fulness have all we re- John i. 16.
ceived." For the Holy Spirit indeed proceedeth from God the
Father, but belongeth also to the Son. It is even often called
the Spirit of Christ, though proceeding from God the Father.
And to this Paul will testify, saying, at one time, " They that Rom.viii.8.
" are in the flesh cannot please God : but ye are not in the
" flesh, but in the spirit, if so be the Spirit of God dwelleth
" in you. But if any one have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
V none of His." And again, " But because ye are sons, God Gal. iv. 6.
41 hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying,
" Father, our Father." The Holy Spirit therefore proceedeth
indeed as I said from God the Father, but His Only-begotten
Word, as being both by nature and verily Son, and resplendent
with the Father s dignities, ministereth It to the creation, and
bostoweth It on those that are worthy. Yea verily He said,
" All things that the Father hath are mine." John xvi -
But let us retort upon those who pervert the right belief this
question; k How can He Who received the Spirit, if lie be,
* according to your phrase, a man, and the Son separately and
by Himself, baptize with the Holy Ghost, and Himself give
4 the Holy Spirit to them who are baptized? For to be able to
impart the Spirit to men suiteth not any one whatsoever of things
created, but, together with God s other attributes, is the distinct
property of Almighty God alone. But He Who gave It was
man : for the wise John said, "After me cometh a Man, Who John i. 30.
" was before me ... He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost
" and with fire." As therefore it is unbefitting God the Word,
This refers to the doctrine of in His human nature, and distin-
Nestorius, that He Who was bap- guished from God the Word,
tized was the man Christ, regarded
46 COMMENTARY UPON
regarded as God the Word, to draw near unto holy baptism,
and be made partaker of the Spirit, so in like manner it is
altogether incredible, or rather impossible to believe that the
ability to baptize men with the Holy Ghost, is the act of a
mere man with nothing in Him superior to ourselves.
How then will the mystery be true ? In that for our aid He
assumed a kind of adaptation b . The divine Word became man,
Phil. ii. 6. even "He Who was in the form of God the Father, and thought
" it not robbery to be equal unto God," as most wise Paul says,
" but took the form of a slave, being made in the likeness of
" men, and humbling Himself to poverty." Enquire therefore
Who He was that was first in the likeness of God the Father,
and could be regarded as on an equality with Him, but took
the form of a slave, and became then a man, and besides this
made Himself poor. Was it He of the seed of David, as they
argue, Whom they specially regard separately and by Himself
as the other Son, distinct from the Word of God the Father ?
If so, let them shew that He ever was on an equality with the
Father. Let them shew how He assumed the form of a slave.
Or what shall we say was that form of a slave ? And how did
lie empty Himself? For what is poorer than human nature?
He therefore Who is the exact image of God the Father, the
likeness, and visible expression of His person, Who shines re
splendent in equality unto Him, Who by right of nature is free,
and the yoke of Whose kingdom is put upon all creation, He
it is Who took the form of a slave, that is, became a man, and
made Himself poor by consenting to endure these human
things, sin only excepted.
But how then, they object, was He baptized, and received
also the Spirit ? To which we reply, that He had no need of
holy baptism, being wholly pure and spotless, and holy of the
holy. Nor had He need of the Holy Ghost : for the Spirit
That proceedeth from God the Father is of Him, and equal to
Him in substance. We must now therefore at length hear
what is the explanation of the economy. God in his love to
man provided for us a way of salvation and of life. For be
lieving in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and making this
confession before many witnesses, we wash away all the filth
b Economy.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 47
of sin, and are enriched by the communication of the Holy
Spirit, and made partakers of the divine nature, and gain the
grace of adoption. It was necessary therefore that the Word
of the Father, when He humbled Himself unto emptiness, and
deigned to assume our likeness, should become for our sakes
the pattern and way of every good work. For it follows, that
He Who in every thing is first, must in this also set the example.
In order therefore that we may learn both the power itself of
holy baptism, and how much we gain by approaching so great
a grace, He commences the work Himself; and, having been
baptized, prays that you, my beloved, may learn that never-
ceasing prayer is a thing most fitting for those who have once
been counted worthy of holy baptism.
And the Evangelist says thafc the heavens were opened, as
having long been closed. For Christ said, "Forthwith shalUohni. 51.
" ye see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending
" and descending upon the Son of man." For both the flock
above and that below being now made one, and one chief
Shepherd appointed for all, the heavens were opened, and
man upon earth brought near to the holy angels. And the
Spirit also again came down as at a second commencement of
our race : and upon Christ first, Who received it not so much for
His own sake as for ours : for by Him and in Him are we en
riched with all things. Most suitably therefore to the economy
of grace does He endure with us the things of man s estate :
for where otherwise shall we see Him emptied, Whose in His
divine nature is the fulness ? How became He poor as we are,
if He were not conformed to our poverty ? How did He empty
Himself, if He refused to endure the measure of human
littleness ?
Having taken therefore Christ as our pattern, let us draw
near to the grace of holy baptism, that so we may gain bold
ness to pray coastantly, and lift up holy hands to God the
Father, that He may open the heavens also unto us, and send
down upon us too the Holy Ghost, to receive us as sons. For
He spake unto Christ at the time of holy baptism, as though
having by Him and in Him accepted man upon earth to the
sonship, " This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well
pleased." For He Who is the Son by nature and in truth, and
the Only-begotten, when He became like unto us, is specially
48
COMMENTARY UPON
declared to be the Son of God, not as receiving this for Him
self : for He was and is, as I said, very Son : but that He
might ratify the glory unto us. For He has been made our
firstfruits, and firstborn, and second Adam : for which reason it
iCor.v. 17. is said, that " in Him all things have become new :" for having
put off the oldness that was in Adam, we have gained the new
ness that is in Christ : by Whom and with Whom, to God the
Father, be glory and dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever
and ever, Amen. c
c As frequently is the case, the
short extracts in Mai at the end are
not found in the Syriac, probably
either from being taken from S. Cy
ril s other works, or erroneously
ascribed to him. The first (from B.)
contradicts the doctrine maintained
throughout this Commentary, viz.
that our Lord submitted to baptism
as the pattern and type of humanity,
and refers His baptism to His hu
man nature, Kaff o ntyvKfv avBpw-
Troy. But Christ s human nature
needed no baptism, as having no
stain of sin. The second (from E.
and F.) is a refutation of Paul of
Samosata, drawn from the Evange
list s words, that " Jesus was be-
" ginning to be about thirty years
" old," and shewing that though
He had a beginning as man, as God
He had no beginning. And the
last is a reproof addressed to those
who justified the delay of holy bap
tism by our Lord s example, and
which being referred to S. Cyril by
four MSS. (A. E. F. H.), as well as
for its own sake, I append entire;
Thus great and beyond expecta-
tion is the harm that is done by
deferring the grace that is by bap-
tism for a long and unseasonable
* time : chiefly because no one can
look forward with certainty to the
accomplishment of his plans, and
also because, though his purpose
arrive at its fulfilment, he is sanc-
tified indeed, but receives only the
* forgiveness of his past transgres-
sions, while his talent he brings
back to his Lord bare, having had
no time to gain by trading any
thing to add thereunto.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 49
CHAPTER IV.
SERMON XII.
THE TWELFTH SERMON OF THE COMMENTARY UPON THE GOSPEL From the
OF LUKE, BY S. CYRIL, UPON THE FAST OF OUR LORD MS T ~^~
IN THE FLESH.
But Jesus being full of the Holy G/tost, returned from the u. iv. i, 2.
Jordan, and continued in the Spirit in the wilderness forty "Us 5 fpr] ~
days, being tempted of the Devil. And he ate nothing * v TV
during those days ; and ivlien they were accomplislied He retinent
hungered. iWepoi^G
THE blessed prophets, when speaking of the Only-begotten
Word of God, of Him Who is equal unto God in glory, and
the sharer of His throne, and radiant in perfect equality unto
Him, lead us to the persuasion that lie was manifested as a
Saviour and Deliverer for those upon earth, by saying,
" Arise, O Lord, help me." He arose therefore and helped, p H . x n\ .
having taken the form of a slave, and being made in the like- ~ r> -
ness of men : for so did He as one of us set Himself as an
avenger in our stead, against that murderous and rebellious
serpent, who had brought sin upon us, and thereby had caused
corruption and death to reign over the dwellers upon earth, that
we by His means, and in Him, might gain the victory, whereas
of old we were vanquished, and fallen in Adam.
Come therefore and let us praise the Lord, and sing psalms
unto God our Saviour : let us trample Satan under foot ; let
us raise the shout of victory over him now he is thrown and
fallen : let us exult over the crafty reptile, caught in an inex
tricable snare : let us too say of him in the words of the pro
phet Jeremiah, " How is the hammer of all the earth broken Jer. I. ?.$.
" and beaten small ! Thou art found and hast been taken,
" because thou stoodest against the Lord." For of old, that is
before the time of the advent of Christ the Saviour of all, the
universal enemy had somewhat grand and terrible notions
50 COMMENTARY UPON
about himself: for he boastfully exulted over the infirmity of
the inhabitants of the earth, saying, " I will hold the world in
is. x. 14. my hand as a nest, and as eggs that are left I will take it up :
" and no one shall escape from me or speak against me." And
in very truth there was no one of those upon earth who could
rise up against his power ; but the Son rose up against him,
and contended with him, having been made like unto us. And
therefore, as I said, human nature, as victorious in Him, wins
the crown. And this in old time the Son Himself proclaimed,
where by one of the holy prophets He thus addresses Satan ;
Jer. H. 2.5. " Behold, I am against thee, corrupting mountain, that cor-
" ruptest the whole earth."
Come therefore and let us see what the blessed Evangelist
says, when Christ was now going to battle in our behalf with
him who corrupted the whole earth. " But Jesus being full of
" the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan." 7 Here behold,
I pray, man s nature anointed with the grace of the Holy
Ghost in Christ as the firstfruits, and crowned with the highest
honours. For of old indeed the God of all promised, saying,
Joel ii. 28. " it shall come to pass in those days, that I will pour out of My
" Spirit upon all flesh." And the promise is fulfilled for us in
Christ first. And whereas of those in old time who without
Gen. vi. 3. restraint gave way to fleshly lust, God somewhere said, " My
" Spirit shall not dwell in these men, because they are flesh :"
now because all things have become new in Christ, and we
are enriched with the regeneration that is by water and
Spirit ; for no longer are we children of flesh and blood, but
rather call God our Father ; therefore it is, and very justly,
that as being now in honour, and possessing the glorious privi
lege of adoption, we have been made partakers of the divine
nature by the communication of the Holy Ghost. But He Who
is the Firstborn among us, when He became so among many
brethren, and yielded Himself to emptiness, was the first to
receive the Spirit, although Himself the Giver of the Spirit,
that this dignity, and the grace of fellowship with the Holy
Ghost might reach us by His means. Something like this Paul
also teaches us, where speaking both of Him and us, he says,
Heb.ii. 12. " For both He that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified,
" are all of One : for which reason He is not ashamed to call
" them His brethren, saying, 1 will declare Thy name to My
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 51
c< brethren."" For as being in no degree ashamed to call us
brethren, whose likeness He took, therefore, having transferred
to Himself our poverty, He is sanctified with us, although Him
self the Sanctifier of all creation ; that thou mightest not see
Him refusing the measure of human nature, Who consented
for the salvation and life of all to become man.
When therefore the wise Evangelist says of Him, " But
" Jesus being full of the Spirit returned from the .Jordan/ be
not offended, nor err from the mark in thy inward thoughts,
and wander from the doctrine of the truth, as to the way and
manner in which the Word, Who is God, was sanctified: but
rather understand the wisdom of the economy, by reason of
which also He is the object of our admiration. For He was
made flesh and became man, not to avoid whatever belongs to
man s estate, and despise our poverty, but that we might l>r
enriched with what is His, by His having been made like unto
us in every particular, sin only excepted. He is sanctified
therefore as man, but sanctifies as God : for being by nature
God, He was made man.
" He was led therefore, it says, in the Spirit in (1 tin- wilder-
* ness forty days, being tempted of the devil/" What there
fore is the meaning of the word led ? It signifies not so much
that He was conducted thither, as that He dwelt and con
tinued there. For we are ourselves also accustomed to say of
any one who lives religiously, So and so, whoever it may be, is
a well-conducted 6 person. And we give the title of pedagogue,
not to signify, according to the literal interpretation, that they
actually lead and conduct boys, but that they take care of
them, and well and laudably train them, educating and teaching
them to conduct themselves with propriety.
He dwelt therefore in the wilderness in the Spirit, that is
spiritually ; for He fasted, granting no food whatsoever to the
necessities of the body. But to this I imagine some one may
immediately object ; i And what harm then did it do Jesus to
be constantly dwelling in cities ? And in what way could it
benefit Him to choose to inhabit the wilderness ? For there is
d Mai reads ds rfjv tprjfjiov, which c The Syriac translator explains
would render this interpretation of his own term : the Greek is " that
ffytTo impossible. " so and so l-eads a good life."
H2
52 COMMENTARY UPON
no good tiling of which He is in want. And why too did He
also fast ? What necessity was there for Him to labour, Who
knows not what it is to feel the rising of any depraved desire ?
For we adopt the practice of fasting as a very useful ex-
i Cor. ix. pedicnt, by which to mortify pleasures,, and buffet the law of
sin that is in our members, and extirpate those emotions
which lead on to fleshly lust. But what need had Christ of
fasting ? For He it is by Whom the Father slays the sin in the
Kom. viii. flesh. And knowing this, the divine Paul wrote, " For as to
" the powerlessness of the law, by reason of its weakness be-
" cause of the flesh, God having sent His Son in the likeness
" of sinful flesh, and because of sin, condemned the sin in the
"flesh, that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in
"us, who walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit/ He
therefore, who even in us miserable beings mortifies the
motions of the flesh, and has abolished sin, what fasting
1 could He need in ought that concerns Himself? He is
holy : undefiled by nature : wholly pure, and without blemish.
He cannot experience even the shadow of a change. Why
therefore did He make His abode in the wilderness, and
4 fast, and endure, being tempted ? The type has regard to us,
my beloved : He sets before us His acts as our example, arid
establishes a model of the better and more admirable mode of
life practised among us, I mean, that of the holy monks. For
whence was it possible for men on earth to know that the habit
of dwelling in deserts was useful for them, and highly advan
tageous for salvation? For they retire from waves and storms
as it were ; from the utter turmoil, and vain distractions f of this
Gen.xxxix. world, and so to speak like the blessed Joseph, they strip off and
give back to the world all that belongs to it. And something
like this the wise Paul too says of those who are wont so to live.
Gal. v. 24 . But those who are Jesus Christ s have crucified the flesh with
s affections and lusts." And he shews to those who choose
this mode of life that abstinence is necessary, of which the fruit
fasting and the power of endurance, and of abstaining from
or taking but little food. For so will Satan, when he tempts.
be overcome.
i
reading anoQoiTwTfs yap
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 53
But observe this especially : that he was first baptized and
filled with the Holy Spirit, and withdrew into the wilderness,
and made abstinence, that is, fasting, as it were His armour ;
and being thus equipped, when Satan drew near, and He had
overcome him, He has so set before us Himself as our pattern.
Thou therefore too must first put on the armour of God, and
the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. Thou too must
first be clothed with power from on high, must be made, that
i^partaker of the Holy Ghost by means of precious baptism,
and then mayest thou undertake to lead the life well beloved
and honourable with God : then with spiritual courage thou
shalt take for thy habitation the deserts : then shalt thou keep
holy fast, and mortify pleasures, and vanquish Satan when he
tempts. In Christ therefore have we gained all things s.
Lo ! He appears among the combatants, Who as God From Mai.
bestows the prize : among those who wear the chaplet of vic
tory is He Who crowns the heads of the saints. Let us behold
therefore the skilfulness of His wrestlings ; how He overthrows
the devirs wickedness. When forty days had been spent in
fasting, " He afterwards hungered." But He it is Who gives
food to the hungry, and is Himself the bread that came down
from heaven, and gives life to the world, as being That whereby
all things consist. But because, on the other hand, it was
necessary that He Who refused not our poverty should with
draw from nothing whatsoever that belongs to man s condition,
He consented for His flesh to require its natural supplies ; and
hence the words, " He hungered." It was not however till He
had fasted sufficiently, and by His Godlike power had kept His
flesh unwastcd, though abstaining from meat and drink, that
scarcely at length He permitted it to feel its natural sen
sations : for it says, that He hungered. And for what reason !
That skilfully by means of the two h , He Who is at once God
and Man, might be recognised as such in one and the same
person, both as superior to us in His divine nature, and in His
human nature as our equal.
* The MS. is imperfect, and ends forty days without His body wast-
here abruptly. ing ; and His permitting it to feel
h The two, viz. His fasting for hunger afterwards.
54 COMMENTARY UPON
Ver. 3. And the devil said unto him.
Then the devil draweth near to tempt Him ; expecting that
the feeling of hunger would aid him in his innate wickedness :
for oftentimes he prevails over us by taking our infirmities to
aid his plots and enterprizes. He thought that He would
readily jump at the wish of seeing bread ready for His use :
and therefore he said, " If Thou be the Son of God, bid this
" stone become bread." He approaches Him therefore as an
ordinary man, and as one of the saints : yet he had a suspicion,
that possibly He might be the Christ. In what way then did he
wish to learn this ? He considered, that to change the nature
of any thing into that which it was not, would be the act and
deed of a divine power : for it is God Who makes these things
and transforms them : if therefore, says he, this be done, cer
tainly He it is Who is looked for as the subverter of my
power : but if He refuse to work this change, I have to do with
a man, and cast away my fear, and am delivered from my
danger. And therefore it was that Christ, knowing the mon
ster s artifice, neither made the change, nor said that He was
either unable or unwilling to make it, but rather shakes him
off as importunate and officious, saying that " man shall not
" live by bread alone ;" by which He means, that if God grant
a man the power, he can subsist without eating, and live as
Moses and Elias, who by the Word of the Lord passed forty
days without taking food. If therefore it is possible to live
without bread, why should I make the stone bread ? But He
purposely does not say, I cannot, that He may not deny His
own power : nor does He say, I can ; lest the other, knowing
that He is God, to Whom alone such things are possible, should
depart from Him.
And observe, I pray, how the nature of man in Christ casts
off the faults of Adam s gluttony : by eating we were con
quered in Adam, by abstinence we conquered in Christ.
By the food that springeth up from the earth our earthly
body is supported, and seeks for its sustenance that which is
congenerate with it: but the rational soul is nourished unto
1 The parallelism in the original 6cii$ npos (vtgiav ddpvvfrm rfjv TTVCV-
cannot be preserved in a transla-
tion: ^VXT) fie 17 XoyiKr) Xo yo) TW
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 55
spiritual healthiness by the Word of God. For the food that
the earth supplies nourishes the body that is akin to it : but
that from above and from heaven strengthens the spirit. The
food of the soul is the Word that cometh from God, even the
spiritual bread which strengthened man s heart, according to PS. civ. 15.
what is sung in the Book of Psalms. And such also we affirm
to be the nature of the food of the holy angels.
He shelved Him all the kingdoms of the world.
But thou malignant, and wicked, and accursed being, how
didst thou dare to shew the Lord all the kingdoms of the
whole creation, and say, " All these are mine ? Now therefore
" if Thou wilt fall down and worship me, I will give them
" Thee." How dost thou promise that which is not thine ?
Who made thee heir of God s kingdom ? Who made thee lord
of all under heaven ? Thou hast seized these things by fraud.
Restore them therefore to the incarnate Son, the Lord of all.
Hear what the prophet Isaiah says respecting thee ; " Hath it I
" been prepared for thee also to reign ? a deep gulf, fire, and
" brimstone, and wood laid in order ; the anger of the Lord as
" a gulf burning with brimstone." How then dost thou, whose
lot is the inextinguishable flame, promise to the King of all
that which is His own ? Didst thou think to have Him as thy
worshipper at Whom all things tremble, while the Seraphim,
and all the angelical powers hymn His glory ? It is written,
" Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt
" thou serve k ." Seasonably He made mention of this com
mandment, striking as it were his very heart. For before His
advent, Satan had deceived all under heaven, and was himself
everywhere worshipped : but the law of God, ejecting him
from the dominion he had usurped by fraud, has commanded
men to worship Him only Who by nature and in truth is God,
and to offer service to Him alone.
k T. Aquinas here inserts : " But " the creature instead of the Crea-
" how is the Son adored, if, as the " tor, if we worship as God, the
" heretics say, He is a creature ? " Son Who, according to them, is
" What charge can be brought " a creature ?"
" against those, who have served
56 COMMENTARY UPON
Ver. 9. If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down hence.
The third temptation which the devil employs is that of
vain-glory, saying, "Cast Thyself down hence/ as a proof of
Thy divinity. But neither did he make Him fall by means of
vanity, but himself in this also shot wide of the mark. For He
answers, " It is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
For God grants not His aid to those who tempt Him, but to
those who believe in Him : nor ought we, because He deigns
us mercy, therefore to make a vain display. Moreover, Christ
Mat.xii.39. never gave a sign to those who tempted Him : a for a wicked
" generation, He saith, seeketh after a sign, and a sign shall
" not be given it." And let Satan now when tempting hear
the same. We therefore won the victory in Christ : and he
who conquered in Adam went away ashamed, that we might
have him under our feet ; for Christ as Conqueror handed on
Lukex. 19. to us also the power to conquer, saying, "Behold I have
granted you to tread upon serpents, and scorpions, and all
" the power of the enemy."
Ver. ro. For it is written, that He shall give His angels charge
concerning Thee to guard Thee.
But see how maliciously he endeavours by the use of the
Scriptures to humble the glory of the Lord, as if in need of
angelic aid ; and as though it would stumble, did not the
angels help it. For the application of the Psalm refers not to
Christ, nor does the Sovereign need angels. As for the pin
nacle, it was a very lofty building, erected at the side of the
temple.
1 Some however wrongly refer the Psalm to the person of the
Lord, and taking the verses together thus read ; " Because
" Thou, Lord, art my hope, Thou has made the Most High
" Thy refuge." They say therefore that the Lord had as His
refuge the Most High, even the Father Who is in heaven.
And their pretext for such a way of understanding it is, that
Satan so took the verses, saying, " If Thou be the Son of God,
" cast Thyself down : for it is written, that He shall give His
1 Mai notices that this passage is Mai s Patrum Nov. Bibl. vol. iii.
either taken from the Commentary pp. 419. 420. on Ps. xc. 9.
on the Psalms, or vice versa. Cf.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 57
" angels charge concerning Thee." For Satan being false and
a deceiver, applies what is said of us to the person of Christ
the Saviour of us all. But we do not understand it in Satan s
fashion ; though if the Arians have so understood it, there is
no cause for astonishment : for they follow their own father,
" who is a liar, and the truth is not in him/ according to the John
Saviour s words. For if the truth be as they say, and we have 44
made Christ our help, and He has the Father for His refuge,
then have we fled to one Who Himself has need of aid, and call
Him our Saviour Who is saved by another. This cannot be :
Heaven forbid. We say therefore to those who arc wont so to
think, Ye tell us another of your errors : ye are travelling out
of the royal and straight path : ye are falling into thorns and
pitfalls : ye have wandered from the truth. The Son is in all
things equal to the Father: the mark and impress of His
substance : the Most High, as also the Father is Most High.
Satan then made use of these verses, as though the Saviour
were a common man. For being entirely darkness, and having
his mind blinded, he understood not the force of what was said,
that the psalm is spoken in the person of every just man who is
aided by the Highest, even the God of heaven. And besides
this, He knew not that the Word being God, was made man,
and was Himself now being tempted in accordance with the plan
of salvation. He therefore, as I said, supposed the words were
spoken as of a common man, or even as of one of the holy pro
phets. But it is monstrous for us, who accurately know the
mystery, and believe that He is God and the Son of God, and
that for our sakcs He became man like unto us, to imagine that
o
the verses were spoken of Him. To say then, " Thou hast
" made the Most High thy refuge," befits not the person of
the Saviour. For He is Himself the Most High : the refuge
of all : the hope of all : the all-powerful right hand of the
Father : and whosoever has made Him his defence, no evil
shall approach him. For He shall command the angels, who
are ministering spirits, to guard the just. For just as our
fathers in the flesh, when they see the path rough and unpass-
able, catch up their infants in their hands, lest perchance their
tender feet should be hurt, being as yet unable to walk over
the hard road, so also the rational powers do not permit those,
who are as yet unable to labour, and whose understanding is
i
58 COMMENTARY UPON
still childish, to toil beyond their strength, but snatch them out
of every temptation.
Ver. 14. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit unto Galilee.
Having left the habitations of cities, He dwelt in deserts :
there He fasted, being tempted of Satan ; there He gained
victory in our behalf : there He crushed the heads of the dra-
Ps. ix. 6. gons : there, as the blessed David says, " The swords of the
" enemy utterly failed, and cities were destroyed/ that is,
those who were like towers and cities. Having therefore
mightily prevailed over Satan, and having crowned in His
own person man s nature with the spoils won by the victory
over him, He returned unto Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
both exercising might and authority, and performing very many
miracles, and occasioning great astonishment. And He wrought
miracles, not as having received the grace of the Spirit from
without and as a gift, like the company of the saints, but
rather as being by nature and in truth the Son of God the
Father, and taking whatever is His as His own proper inherit-
John xvii. ance. For He even said unto Him, " That all that is Mine is
" Thine, and Thine Mine, and I am glorified in them." He is
glorified therefore by exercising as His own proper might and
power that of the consubstantial Spirit.
Ver. 1 6. And He came to Nazareth : and entered into the synagogue.
Since therefore it was now necessary that He should mani
fest Himself to the Israelites, and that the mystery of His in
carnation should now shine forth to those who knew Him not,
and inasmuch as He was now anointed of God the Father for
the salvation of the world, He very wisely orders this also,
[viz. that His fame should now spread abroad.] And this fa
vour He grants first to the people of Nazareth, because, hu
manly speaking, He had been brought up among them.
Having entered, therefore, the synagogue, He takes the book
to read : and having opened it, selected a passage in the pro
phets, which declares the mystery concerning Him. And by
these words He most plainly Himself tells us by the voice of
the prophet, that He both would be made man, and come to
save the world. For we affirm, that the Son was anointed in
no other way than by having become according to the flesh
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 59
such as we are, and taken our nature. For being at once God
and man, He both gives the Spirit to the creation in His di
vine nature, and receives it from God the Father in His human
nature ; while it is He Who sanctifies the whole creation, both
as having shone forth from the Holy Father, and as bestowing
the Spirit, Which He Himself pours ra forth, both upon the
powers above as That Which is His own, and upon those
moreover who recognised His appearing.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me ; therefore He hath V. 18.
anointed Me : He hath sent Me to preach the Gospel to
the poor.
He plainly shews by these words that He took upon Him
the humiliation and submission to the emptying (of His glory),
and both the very name of Christ and the reality for our
sakes : for the Spirit, He says, which by nature is in Me by
the sameness of Our substance and deity, also descended upon
Me from without. And so also in the Jordan It came upon Me in
the form of a dove, not because It was not in Me, but for the
reason for which He anointed Me. And what was the reason
for which He chose to be anointed ? It was our being desti
tute of the Spirit by that denunciation of old, " My Spirit shall Gen. vi. 3.
" not abide in these men, because they are flesh."
m As the Greek Church denies
the procession of the Spirit from
the Son, and says that it is not
taught by their Fathers ; and as
S. Cyril in a previous passage, (cf.
c. iii. v. 21.), speaks as if he held,
that though the Spirit is the Son s,
yet that It proceeds from the Father
only, this passage is of great value,
and therefore I append the original.
To e avrov npo^fofifvov Tri/fC/za rais
avu) dvvap.((nv eViety cos eauroC. An
other passage to the same effect
will be found in the treatise against
Nestorius, vol. vi. pp. 98, 99, where
S. Cyril thus comments on Luke x.
19. : " The Spirit, therefore, is His
" own, and from Him : of which a
" plain proof is, that He can give
" It to others also, and that not by
measure, as the blessed Evangelist
says. For the supreme God has
measured out to the saints the
grace of the Spirit, giving to one
the word of wisdom ; to another
the word of knowledge ; to an
other the gift of healings : and
this is, I think, the meaning of
those thus endowed having the
power by measure. But our Lord
Jesus Christ, pouring out the
Spirit of His own fulness, even
as doth also the Father, gives it,
not as by measure to those who
are worthy to receive it." A more
full account of the teaching of the
Fathers upon the procession of the
Holy Ghost, may be seen in Owen s
Introduction to Dogmatic Theology,
pp. 169-178.
CO COMMENTARY UPON
These words the incarnate Word of God speaks : for being
very God of very God the Father, and having become for our
sakes man without undergoing change, with us He is anointed
with the oil of gladness, the Spirit having descended upon
Him at the Jordan in the form of a dove. For in old time
both kings and priests were anointed symbolically, gaining
thereby a certain measure of sanctification : but He Who for our
sakes became incarnate, was anointed with the spiritual oil of
sanctification, and the actual descent of the Spirit, receiving It
not for Himself, but for us. For inasmuch as the Spirit had
taken its flight, and not made His abode in us because of our
being flesh, the earth was full of grief, being deprived of the
participation of God.
And He proclaimed also deliverance to captives, which also
He accomplished by having bound the strong one, Satan, who
in tyrant fashion lorded it over our race, and having torn
away from Him us his goods.
As the words "He anointed Me" befit the manhood : for it
is not the divine nature which is anointed, but that which is akin
to us : so also the words " He sent Me" are to be referred to
that which is human.
Those also whose heart was of old obscured by the darkness
of the devil, He has illuminated by rising as some Sun of
Righteousness, and making them the children no longer of
iThes.v.5. night and darkness, but of light and day, according to Paul s
word. And those who were blind, for the Apostate had
blinded their hearts, have recovered their sight, and acknow-
s. xlii. 16. lodged the truth ; and, as Isaiah says, " Their darkness has
" become light :" that is, the ignorant have become wise : those
that once were in error, have known the paths of righteous
ness. And the Father also says somewhere unto the Son Him-
Is. xlii. 6. self, " I have given Thee for a covenant of kindred, for a light
" of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out
" the prisoners from their bonds, and from the guard-house
" those that sit in darkness." For the Only-begotten came
into this world and gave a new covenant to His kindred,
the Israelites, of whom He was sprung according to the flesh,
even the covenant long before announced by the voice of the
prophets. But the divine and heavenly light shone also upon
the Gentiles: and He went and preached to the spirits in
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 61
Hades, and shewed Himself to those who were shut up in the
guard-house, and freed all from their bonds and violence. And
how do not these things plainly prove that Christ is both God,
and of God by nature ?
And what means the sending away the broken in freedom ?
It is the letting those go free whom Satan had broken by the
rod of spiritual violence. And what means the preaching the
acceptable year of the Lord ? It signifies the joyful tidings of
His own advent, that the time of the Lord, even the Son, had
arrived. For that was the acceptable year in which Christ was
crucified in our behalf, because we then were made acceptable
unto God the Father, as the fruit borne by Him. Wherefore
He said, " When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw Jolmxii.32.
" all men unto Myself." And verily He returned to life the
third day, having trampled upon the power of death : after
which He said to His disciples, "All power has been given Mat. xxviii.
" Me, &c." That too is in every respect an acceptable year l
in which, being received into His family, we were admitted
unto Him, having washed away sin by holy baptism, and been
made partakers of His divine nature by the communion of the
Holy Ghost. That too is an acceptable year, in which He
manifested His glory by ineffable miracles : for with joy have
we accepted the season of His salvation, which also the very
wise Paul referred to, saying, "Behold, now is the acceptable 2Cor.vi. 2.
" time, behold now is the day of salvation :" the day, when the
poor who erewhilc were sick by the absence of every blessing,
having no hope and being without God in the world, such as
were the gentiles, were made rich by faith in Him, gaining
the divine and heavenly treasure of the Gospel message of sal
vation ; by which they have been made partakers of the king
dom of heaven, copartners with the saints, and heirs of bless
ings such as neither the mind can conceive nor language tell.
" For eye, it saith, hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, i Cor. ii. 9.
" neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that
" God hath prepared for them that love Him." Though it
may also be true, that the text here speaks of the abundant
supply of graces bestowed by Christ upon the poor in spirit.
But by the bruised in heart, He means, those who have a
weak and yielding mind, unable to resist the attacks of their
62 COMMENTARY UPON
passions, and so carried along by them, as to seem to be cap
tives : to these He promises both healing and forgiveness.
And to those who are blind, He gives the recovering of
sight. For those who serve the creature instead of the Creator,
Jer. ii. 27. " and say to the wood, Thou art my father, and to the stone,
" Thou hast begotten me," without recognising Him Who is
by nature and in truth God, how can they be ought else than
blind, seeing they have a heart devoid of the light that is di
vine and spiritual ? And on these the Father bestows the light
of the true knowledge of God : for they are called through
faith, and acknowledge Him, or rather are acknowledged of
Him, and whereas they were children of night and darkness,
they have been made children of light. For the day has shone
upon them, and the sun of righteousness has arisen, and the
bright morning star has dawned.
There is no objection, however, to any one s referring all
these declarations to the Israelites. For they were poor, and
crushed in heart, and, so to speak, prisoners, and in darkness.
PS. xiv. 3. F or there was not upon earth that was doing good, not even
" one. But all had turned aside, together they had become
" unprofitable." But Christ came, preaching to the Israelites
before all others, the glories of His advent. And like to their
maladies were those of the Gentiles ; but they have been re
deemed by Him, having been enriched with His wisdom, and
endowed with understanding, and no longer is their mind weak
and broken, but healthy and strong, and ready to receive and
practise every good and saving work. For in their error they
had need of wisdom and understanding, who in their great folly
worshipped the creature instead of the Creator, and inscribed
stocks and stones with the name of Gods. But those who long
ago lived in gloom and darkness, because they knew not Christ,
now acknowledge Him as their God.
These words having been read to the assembled people, He
drew upon Himself the eyes of all, wondering perhaps how He
knew letters Who had not learnt. For it was the wont of the
Israelites to say, that the prophecies concerning Christ were
fulfilled, either in the persons of some of" their more glorious
kings, or, at all events, in the holy prophets. For not cor
rectly understanding what was written of Him, they missed the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 63
true direction, and travelled on another path. But that they
might not again thus misinterpret the present prophecy, He
carefully guards against error by saying, " This day is this
prophecy fulfilled in your ears," expressly setting Himself
before them in these words, as the person spoken of in the
prophecy. For it was He Who preached the kingdom of
heaven to the heathen, who were poor, having nothing, neither
God, nor law, nor prophets ; or rather, He preached it unto all
who were destitute of spiritual riches : the captives He set free,
having overthrown the apostate tyrant Satan, and Himself
Bhed the divine and spiritual light on those whose heart was
darkened ; for which reason He said, " I am come a light into John xii.
" this world :" it was He Who unbound the chains of sin from 4
those whose heart was crushed thereby : Who clearly shewed
that there is a life to come, and denounced the just judgment.
Finally, it was He Who preached the acceptable year of the
Lord, even that in which the Saviour s proclamation was made :
for by the acceptable year I think is meant His first coming ;
and by the day of restitution the day of judgment.
And all bare Him witness and wondered.
For not understanding Him Who had been anointed and
sent, and Who was the Author of works so wonderful, they
returned to their usual ways, and talk foolishly and vainly
concerning Him. For although they had wondered at the
words of grace that proceeded out of His mouth, yet their
wish was to treat them as valueless : for they said, " Is not
" this the son of Joseph ?" But what docs this diminish from
the glory of the Worker of the miracles? What prevents
Him from being both to be venerated and admired, even had
He been, as was supposed, the son of Joseph ? Seest thou not
the miracles? Satan fallen, the herds of devils vanquished,
multitudes set free from various kinds of maladies ? Thou
praisest the grace that was present in His teachings ; and then
dost thou, in Jewish fashion, think lightly of Him, because He
accounted Joseph for His father ? O great senselessness ! True is
it to say of them, " Lo ! a people foolish, and without under- J r. v. 21.
" standing : they have eyes and see not, ears, and hear not."
64 COMMENTARY UPON
Ver. 23. Ye will altogether say unto Me this parable...
This was a common saying among the Jews, and had its
origin in a witticism 1 : for when physicians were themselves ill,
men would say, Physician, heal thyself. Christ therefore,
setting before them as it were this proverb, said unto them, Ye
wish for many signs to be wrought by Me among you espe
cially, in whose country I was brought up ; but I know the
common feeling to which all men are liable : for always, some
how or other, even the choicest things are despised when there
is no scarcity of them, and people have them in abundance.
And so too is the case with men : for his acquaintance will
oftentimes refuse one with whom they are familiar, and who is
constantly among them, even the honour which is due. He
rebuked them therefore for asking so foolishly, " Is not this
" the son of Joseph?" and still keeping to the object of His
teaching, says, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, that no pro-
" phet is acceptable in his country."
Ver 25. There were many widows in the days of Elias.
For since, as I have mentioned, certain of the Jews affirmed
that the prophecies relating to Christ had been accomplished
either in the holy prophets, or in certain of their own more
distinguished 111 men, He for their good draws them away from
such a supposition", by saying that Elias had been sent to a
single widow, and that the prophet ElisaBus had healed but one
leper, Naaman the Syrian : by these signifying the church of
the heathen, who were about to accept Him, and be healed of
their leprosy, by reason of Israel remaining impenitent.
1 Cr. dcnrao-p.ov. Mai doretoyiov. " prophecies chiefly apply to Him,
Aq. improperium. " by saying that Elias had been
m Cr. roil/ Trap avrols pfpa<n\ev- " sent to a single widow, though
KOTWV. Mai, Teal/ cv86a>v nap avrois f< there were many at that time in
yeyovorav, and so Aq. " Israel -, and that the prophet Eli-
n In Cramer s Catena, in which " sseus had healed one leper, Naa-
this passage occurs anonymously, " man the Syrian, though there
as is often the case with extracts " were very many of them in Israel ;
from S. Cyril, the conclusion is as " because of all the widows she
follows : " Convicting them of dis- " alone was found faithful, and he
" believing and denying, that these " in like manner of all the lepers."
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 65
Aiid all in the synagogue were filled with anger. Ver. 28.
They then were inflamed with anger, because he had
branded their wicked thought; and also because He had said,
To-day is this Scripture fulfilled, namely, that " The Spirit
" of the Lord is upon Me ;" for they considered that He
made Himself equal to the prophets. Moreover, they cast Him
out of their city, decreeing thereby their own condemnation,
and confirming what the Saviour had said : for they themselves
were banished from the city that is above, for not having
received Christ. And that He might not convict them of im
piety in words merely, He permitted their audacity against Him
self to proceed even unto deeds : for their violence was unrea
sonable, and their envy untamed. Leading Him therefore to
the brow of the hill, they endeavoured to throw Him from the
crags : but He went through the midst of thorn without taking
any notice, so to say, of their attempt : not as refusing to
suffer, for for this reason He had even come, but as awaiting
a suitable time. For it was now the commencement of His
preaching, and it would have been unseasonable to have suf
fered before He had proclaimed the word of truth. For it
depended on Him to suffer, or not to suffer ; for He is Lord of
times as well as of things. And this is a proof, that when He
suffered He suffered voluntarily, and that neither then could Cr. ov&
He have suffered, had He not yielded Himself thereto. rrfr* M.orn.
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. Ver. ^t.
Those whom argument cannot bring to the sure knowledge
of Him Who by nature and in truth is God and Lord, may Mai ?<TT/,
perhaps be won by miracles unto a docile obedience. And Cr - * <7Ta< -
therefore usefully, or rather necessarily, He oftentimes com
pletes His lessons by proceeding to the performance of some
mighty work. For the inhabitants of Judaea were unready to
believe, and slighted the words of those who called them to
salvation, and especially the people of Capernaum had this
character : for which reason the Saviour reproved them,
saying, "And thou Capernaum, that art exalted unto heaven, Luke x. 15.
" shalt be brought down unto hell." But although He knows
them to be both disobedient, and hard of heart, nevertheless
He visits them as a most excellent physician would those who
K
COMMENTARY UPON
Js. xiv.
Mat. x.
were suffering under a very dangerous disease, and endeavours
to rid them of their malady. For He says Himself, that
" those who are in health have no need of a physician, but
Luke v. 31. " those who are sick." He taught therefore in their syna
gogues with great freedom of speech : for this He had foretold
19. by the voice of Isaiah, saying, " I have not spoken in secret,
" nor in a dark place of the earth." The holy apostles more
over He even commanded to publish their words concerning
27- Him with full boldness of speech, saying, " What I tell you in
" darkness, speak ye in the light : and what ye have heard
" (whispered) into the ear, proclaim upon the housetops." On
the Sabbath also, when they were at leisure from labour, He
conversed with them. They therefore wondered at the power
of His teaching, and at the greatness of His authority : " For
" the word, it says, was with authority ;" for He used not flat
teries, but urged them to salvation. For the Jews indeed
thought that Christ was nothing more than one of the saints,
and that He had appeared among them in prophetic rank
only : but that they might entertain a higher opinion and idea
concerning Him, He exceeds the prophetic measure; for He
never said, Thus saith the Lord, as of course was their custom,
but as being the Lord of the law He spake things that surpass
the law.
God moreover said by Isaiah, " And I will make with them
" an everlasting covenant, even the holy, the sure things of
" David : behold I have given Him as a testimony among the
" gentiles, a ruler and commander of the gentiles." For it
was fitting that Moses, as a servant, should be the minister
of the shadow that endureth not : but Christ, I affirm, was
the eternal publisher of a lasting and abiding worship. And
what is the eternal covenant ? It means the sacred prophecies
of Christ, Who is of David s seed according to the flesh, and
which produce in us holiness, and sureness : just as also the
fear of God is pure, because it makes us pure : and the word
Is. Iv. 3.
Acts xiii.
34-
Cr. reads dvafiaivei for e*/3mWt,
and proceeds thus ; " for neither
did He ever speak these things in
the way of argument, but as one
enunciating law, He spake things
that surpass the law, and with
godlike authority rebuked the im-
" clean spirits." Aq. agrees with
M., but adds, "changing the letter
" to the truth, and the figures to
" the spiritual meaning," with which
the conclusion of M. s next extract
agrees.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 61
of the Gospel is life, because it produces life : " for the words, Jolmvi.6.^.
He says, " that I have spoken unto you are spirit and life,"
that is, spiritual and life-giving. But mark well the exactness
of the prophecy. Isaiah, speaking as in the person of God the
Father concerning Christ, says, " Lo, I have given Him as a
" testimony unto the Gentiles," that is, to bear witness unto
them, that these tilings are acceptable; that no one may
imagine Him to be one of the holy prophets, but that all man
kind may rather know, that He is radiant with the glory of
lordship, for being God, He appeared unto us ; and so ho
goes on to say, not merely that He was given for a testimony,
but also as " a ruler and commander of the gentiles." For
the blessed prophets, and before them even Moses, holding the
station of servants, ever called out to their hearers, " Thus
" saith the Lord," not as being so much commanders, as
ministers of the divine words. But our Lord Jesus Christ
spake words most worthy of God; and was therefore admired
even by the Jews themselves, because His word was with
authority, and because He taught them as one that had
authority, and not as their scribes. For His word was not of
the shadow of the law, but as being Himself the lawgiver, He
changed the letter into the truth, and the types into their
spiritual meaning. For He was a ruler, and possessed a
ruler s authority to command.
And Jesus rebuked him. Ver .**
With godlike power He rebuked the unclean spirits, making
the miracle follow immediately upon His words, that we might
not disbelieve. We have seen the guilty Satan overcome by
Him in the wilderness, and broken by three falls: we havr
seen his might again shaken, and the power that was against
us falling : we have seen ourselves rebuking the wicked spirits
in Christ as our firstfruits. For that this also has reference to
the ennoblement of human nature, thou mayest learn from the
Saviour s own words. For the Jews indeed maligned His
glory, and even said, " This man casteth not out devils except Matt. xii.
" in Beelzebub, prince of the devils :" but He in answer, hav
ing first said much and to the purpose, ended by declaring ;
" But if I in the Spirit of God cast out devils, then has the
" kingdom of God come upon you unawares." For if, says He,
K 2
68 COMMENTARY UPON
I, Who have become a man like unto you, chide the un
clean spirits with godlike power and majesty, it is your
nature which is crowned with this great glory : for ye are
seen both through Me and in Me to have gained the king
dom of God.
The evil demons therefore were cast out, and made more
over to feel how invincible is His might ; and being unable to
bear the conflict with Deity, they exclaimed in imperious and
crafty terms, " Let us alone : what is there between us and
<e Thee ?" meaning thereby, Why dost Thou not permit us to
keep our place, whilst Thou art destroying the error of im
piety ? But they further put on the false appearance of well-
sounding words, and call Him the Holy One of God. For they
supposed that by this specious kind of language they could ex
cite the desire of vainglory, and thereby prevent His rebuking
them, returning as it were one kindness for another. But
though he be crafty, he will fail of his prey : for " God is not
" mocked ;" and so the Lord stops their impure tongues, and
commands them to depart from those possessed by them.
And the bystanders being made witnesses of so great deeds,
were astonished at the power of His word. For He wrought
His miracles, offering up no prayer, to ask of any one else at
all the power of accomplishing them, but being Himself the
living and active Word of God the Father, by Whom all
things exist, and in Whom all things arc, in His own person
He crushed Satan, and closed the profane mouth of impure
demons,
He entered into Simon s house.
Observe therefore how He Who endured voluntary poverty
for our sakes, that we by His poverty might become rich,
lodged with one of His disciples, a man poor, and living in
obscurity, -that we might learn to seek the company of the
humble, and not to boast ourselves over those in want and
affliction.
^ Jesus arrives at Simon s house, and finds his wife s mother
sick of a fever : and He stood, and rebuked the fever, and it
left her. Now in what is said by Matthew and Mark, that
fs?: " the fever left hcr " thcre is no hint of an J livin g thi ng as the
active cause of the fever: but in Luke s phrase that " He stood
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
" over her, and rebuked the fever, and it left her, 1 I do not
11 j J.T_ j.1, i,* u omitted just
know whether we are not compelled to say that that which before.
was rebuked was some living thing unable to sustain the influ
ence of Him Who rebuked it: for it is not reasonable to rebuke
a thing without life, and unconscious of the rebuke. Nor is it
anything astonishing for there to exist certain powers that in
flict harm on the human body : nor must we necessarily think
evil of the soul of those who thus suffer for being harmed by
these beings. For neither, when the Devil obtained authority
-to tempt Job by bodily torments, and struck him with painful
ulcers, was Job therefore to be found fault with, for he man
fully contended, and nobly endured the blow. God grant, how
ever, that it be said, if at any time we are tempted by bodily
pains, " but touch not his soul." p The Lord then by a rebuke Job ii. 6.
heals those who are possessed.
P The word ^rv\r] in Greek signifies
"the vital principle of the body :" and
as there is no equivalent in English,
a difficulty occasionally arises in
translating it. Sometimes it signifies
"sensation;" so St. Paul andSt.Jude
call those ^VXIKOVS, sensuous, who
live a mere animal life. Sometimes
it means " a person s self :" so the
rich man said to his \Jx7 or se ^
Self, thou hast much goods, &c. :
and such is the meaning of its He
brew and Syriac equivalent |^<^ .
" that which exists by breathing ;"
and so one s self: still even here
there may be an allusion to man s
animal nature, which was the sole
part of him which the rich man
valued. Sometimes it is used in
opposition to the body, because the
life is something better than the
frame which it vivifies ; and so
S. Cyril seems to understand it in
this place, though doubtless it is
rightly translated in our version,
" But save his life." Certainly just
above he had used it for man s
moral state, saying, that we must
not think evil of the soul of
those who suffer from bodily mala
dies. In all cases the ^t>x T } }S ra ~
ther the mortal than the immortal,
and is opposed to the Tri/tC/za, al
though even in this word, as in
Spiritus, the original idea is taken
from the physical act of breathing.
Possibly, however, we often take
the word " soul" in the A.V. in a
sense not intended by the transla
tors. For by the gradual change of
language, the meaning of the term
has been limited since their time to
its higher signification, and a dif
ferent sense thereby given to many
passages of Scripture ; such, for in
stance, as, " What is a man profited
" if he gain the whole world, and
" lose his own soul ?" that is, his
life. (Mat. xvi. 26.) So "to deliver
" their soul from death, and to
" keep them alive in famine." (Ps.
xxxiii. 19.) Wicklif uses soul-haver
as equivalent to animal : " Thou
" shalt be cursed among alle the
" soul-hauers and beestis of the
" erthe." (Gen. iii. 14.) From not
attending to this gradual alteration
in the meaning of words, curious
misunderstandings often arise; as,
for instance, in an emended Book of
Common Prayer lately put forth, the
word wealth, which signifies our
general well-being, is expunged as
being supposed to signify money.
70 COMMENTARY UPON
He laid also His hands upon the sick one by one, and freed
them from their malady, so demonstrating that the holy flesh,
which He had made His own, and endowed witli godlike power,
possessed the active presence of the might of the Word : in
tending us thereby to learn that though the Only-begotten
Word of God became like unto us, yet even so is He none the
less God, and able easily, even by His own flesh, to accomplish
all things : for by it as His instrument He wrought miracles.
Nor is there any reason for great wonder at this; but consider,
on the contrary, how fire, when placed in a brazen vessel, com.-.
municates to it the power of producing the effects of heat. So
therefore the all-powerful Word of God also, having joined by
a real union unto Himself the living and intelligent temple
taken from the holy Virgin, endowed it with the power of ac
tively exerting His own godlike might. To put to shame, there-
John x. 37. fore, the Jews, He says, " If I do not the works of My Father,
" believe Me not: but if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe
" My works." We may, therefore, see, with the Truth Itself
witnessing thereto, that the Only-begotten gave not His glory
Trap^ tauTfo as to a man taken q separately and apart, by himself, and re
garded as the woman s offspring ; but as being the One only
Son, with the holy body united to Him, He wrought the mi
racles, and is worshipped also by the creation as God.
He entered, then, into Peter s house, where a woman was
<i S. Cyril refers in these words Lord has been thus defined by the
to the doctrine of Nestorius, who Council of Chalcedon : o^oXoyou-
taught that in the one person of ( ^v ____ eva K al TOV avrov Xpurrbv,
Christ the two natures existed se- vlbv, wpiov, povoyev?), S <u-
parately, so as to energize ava pepos o-ecoi/ do-vyxvrus, arpeVrcos-, uStat-
m turn, or rather apart from one peYeoy, dxa>pitrra>s yvupi&pevov:
another, sometimes one nature ex- (Hard. Cone. ii. 456.): that the two
rtmg its influence, and sometimes natures in our Lord remain distinct
the other. In explaining, therefore, and unaltered, and not blended and
uracle such as that before us, in confused, as the Eutychians taught,
which the flesh of our Lord per- into some new third nature ; but,
the proper act of Deity, Nes- on the other hand, that they are in-
nus must have used some such separable in their action, and while
argument as S. Cyril here brings each preserves its own proper attri-
ionvard, and to conjecture from the butes, the two united form but one
,
solute use of 6 Movoyerfs, and person and substance, (ds
other technical Nestorian terms, it UTTOV Kal ^lav wrooraow
was a quotation. The catholic doc-
trine respecting the nature of our
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 71
lying stretched upon a bed, exhausted with a violent fever :
and when He might as God have said, " Put away the disease,
" arise," He adopted a different course of action. For, as a
^rpof that His own flesh possessed the power of healing, as
being the flesh of God, He touched her hand, and forthwith,
it says, the fever left her. Let us, therefore, also receive Jesus :
for when He has entered into us, and we have received Him
into mind and heart, then He will quench the fever of unbe
fitting pleasures, and raise us up, and make us strong, even in
things spiritual, so as for us to minister unto Him, by perform
ing those things that please Him.
But observe again, I pray, how great is the efficacy of the
touch of His holy flesh. For It both drives away diseases of
various kinds, and a crowd of demons, and overthrows the
power of the devil, and heals a very great multitude of people?
in one moment of time. And though able to perform these
miracles by a word and the inclination of His will, yet to teach
us something useful for us, He also lays His hands upon tho
sick. For it was necessary, most necessary, for us to learn,
that the holy flesh which He had made His own was endowed
with the activity of the power of the Word by His having
implanted in it a godlike might. Let It then take hold of
usj, or rather let us take hold of It by the mystical " Giving 1
" of thanks," that It may free us also from the sicknesses of
the soul, and from the assault and violence of demons.
And rebukiny them, He suffered them not to speak. Ver. 41
He would not permit the unclean demons to confess Him ;
for it was not fitting for them to usurp the glory of the Apo
stolic office, nor with impure tongue to talk of the mystery of
r From St. Paul s words in i Cor. while tvKoyia has special reference
x. 1 6., evXoyia came to be applied to the opening words, " Blessed be
generally to the Lord s Supper, of " Thou, O Jehovah," of which the
which use several instances, besides Greek translation is, Kvptf, evXo-
the present, occur in this treatise, yrja-ov. In process of time, pieces of
Like fv^apio-ria, the term is taken the consecrated bread, sent to other
from the Jewish Grace before meat, churches as marks of communion,
which we find our Lord always or to the sick, came to be called
using ; only fu^aptoria expresses (v\oyiat. Cf. Suiceri Th.
the general act of thanksgiving,
72 COMMENTARY UPON
Christ. Yea ! though they speak ought that is true, let no one
put credence in them : for the light is not known by the aid of
darkness, as the disciple of Christ teaches us, where he says,
2Cor.vi.i5. p or w hat communion hath light with darkness? or what con-
" sent hath Christ with Beliar?"* 8
s BeXiap is the reading of most of the ordinary Hebrew use of " son,"
the MSS. and Fathers. The Hebrew signifies " worthless persons." Bar-
is Belial, and signifies " worthless- bahlul says, that the word Beliar is
ness," from fa, without, and ^, derived from j^j, dr)p, and means
utility. Sons of Belial, therefore, Lord of the air.
as in i Sam. ii. 12., according to
THE GOSPKL OF ST. LUKE. 73
CHAPTER V.
And He saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fisher- Ver. 2.
men were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
LET us admire the skilfulness of the method employed in ol
making them a prey who were to make prey of the whole
earth ; even the holy Apostles, who, though themselves well
skilled in fishing, yet fell into Christ s meshes, that they also,
letting down the drag-net of the Apostolic preachings, might
gather unto Him the inhabitants of the whole world. For ve
rily He somewhere said by one of the holy prophets, " Behold Jer.xvi.i6.
" I send many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall catch
" them as fish : and afterwards I will send many hunters, and
" they shall hunt them as game." By the fishers He means
the holy Apostles ; and by the hunters, those who successively
became the rulers and teachers of the holy churches. And
observe, I pray, that He not only preaches, but also displays
signs, giving thereby pledges of His power, and confirming His
words by the display of miracles : for after He had suffi
ciently conversed with the multitudes, He returns to His usual
mighty works, and by means of their pursuits as fishers catches
the disciples as fish : that men may know that His will is al
mighty, and that the creation ministers to His most godlike
commands.
And ivhen He ceased speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch Ver. 4 .
out into the deep.
As He had now taught them sufficiently, and it was fitting
also to add some divine work to His words for the benefit of
the spectators, He bade Simon and his companions push off a
little from the land, and let down the net for a draught. But
they replied, that they had been labouring the whole night,
and had caught nothing : in the name, however, of Christ, they
let down the net, and immediately it was full of fish ; in order
that by a visible fact, and by a type and representation, mira
culously enacted, they might be fully convinced that their la
bour would not be unrewarded, nor the zeal fruitless which
74 COMMENTARY UPON
they displayed in spreading out the net of the Gospel teach
ing ; for that most certainly they should catch within it the
shoals of the heathen. But observe this, that neither Simon
nor his companions could draw the net to land ; and therefore,
being speechless from fright and astonishment: for their won
der had made them mute : they beckoned, it says, to their
partners, those, that is, who shared their labours in fishing, to
come and help them in securing their prey. For many have
taken part with the holy Apostles in their labours, and still do
so, especially such as search into the meaning of what is writ
ten in the holy Gospels ; and others besides them, even the
pastors and teachers and rulers of the people, who are skilled
in the doctrines of truth. For still is the net drawn, while
r.s. ixix.i ( . Christ fills it, and summons unto conversion those in the depths
of the sea, according to the Scripture phrase ; those, that is to
say, who live in the surge and waves of worldly things.
Yor. 8. And when Simon Peter saw it.
For this reason also Peter, carried back to the memory of
his former sins, trembles and is afraid, and as being impure
ventures not to receive Him Who is pure : and his fear was
laudable : for he had been taught by the law to distinguish be-
Ez.xxii.26. tween the holy and the profane.
Yer. 12. And behold a man full of leprosy.
The faith, however, of him who drew near is worthy of all
praise : for he testifies that the Emmanuel can successfully
accomplish all things, and seeks deliverance by His godlike
commands, although his malady was incurable : for leprosy
will not yield to the skill of physicians. I see, however, he
says, the unclean demons expelled by a godlike authority : I
see others set free from many diseases : I recognise that such
things are wrought by some divine and resistless force : I see,
further, that He is good, and most ready to pity those who
draw near unto Him : what therefore forbids His taking pity
on me also ? And what is Christ s answer ? He confirms His
faith, and produces full assurance upon this very point. For
He accepts His petition, and confesses that He is able, and
says, " I will : be thou cleansed." He grants him also the
touch of His holy and all-powerful hand, and immediately the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 75
leprosy departed from him, and his affliction was at an end.
And in this join with me in wondering at Christ thus exer
cising at the same time both a divine and a bodily power. For
it was a divine act so to will, as for all that He willed to be
present unto Him : but to stretch out the hand was a human
act : Christ therefore is perceived to be One* of both, if, as is *fs e a^u-
the case, the Word was made flesh.
And He cJtaryed him to tell no man. Ver. 14.
Even though the leper had been silent, the very nature of
the fact was enough to proclaim to all who knew him how
great was His power Who had wrought the cure. But He bids
him tell no man : and why ? That they who receive from God
the gift of working cures may hereby learn not to look for the
applause of those whom they have healed, nor indeed any one s
praises whatsoever, lest they fall a prey unto pride, of all vices
the most disgraceful.
He purposely, however, bids the leper offer unto the
priests the gift according to the law of Moses. For it was
indeed "confessedly His wish to put away the shadow, and
transform the types unto a spiritual service. As the Jews,
however, because as yet they did not believe on Him, at
tached themselves to the commands of Moses, supposing
their ancient customs to be still in force, He gives leave to
the leper to make the offering for a testimony unto them.
And what was His object in granting this permission ? It was
because the Jews, using ever as a pretext their respect for the
law, and saying that the hierophant Moses was the minister of
a commandment from on high, made it their endeavour to
treat with contempt Christ the Saviour of us all. They even
said plainly, " We know that God spake unto Mose* : but This johnix.sy.
" man, we know not whence lie is." It was necessary, there
fore, for them to be convinced by actual facts that the measure
of Moses is inferior to the glory of Christ : " For he indeed as Heb. Hi. 5.
" a servant was faithful over his house ; but the other as a Son
" over His Father s house." From this very healing, then, of
the leper, we may most plainly see that Christ is incomparably
* That is, One person consoling extract in Aquinas, is from the
of both natures. The passage re- Thesaurus,
ferred to by Mai, aa preceding this
L 2
76 COMMENTARY UPON
superior to the Mosaic law. For Mariam," the sister of Moses,
was herself struck with leprosy for speaking against him :
and at this Moses was greatly distressed ; and when he was
unable to remove the disease from the woman, he fell down
Num. xii. before God, saying, " God, I beseech Thee, heal her." Ob
serve this, then, carefully : on the one hand, there was a re
quest ; he sought by prayer to obtain mercy from above : but
the Saviour of all spake with godlike authority, " I will : be
" thou cleansed." The removal therefore of the leprosy was a
testimony to the priests, and by it those who assign the chief
rank to Moses may know that they are straying from the
truth. For it was fitting, even highly fitting, to regard Moses
with admiration as a minister of the law, and servant of the
Gal. iii. 19. grace that was spoken of angels ; but far greater must be our
admiration of the Emmanuel, and the glory we render Him as
very Son of God the Father.
And whoever will may see the profound and mighty mystery
Lev. xiii. 8. of Christ written for our benefit in Leviticus. For the law of
Moses declares the leper defiled, and gives orders for him to
be put out of the camp as unclean: but should the malady ever
be alleviated, it commands that he should then be capable of
readmission. Moreover it clearly specifies the manner in which
Lev. xiv. 2. he is to be pronounced clean, thus saying ; " This is the law of
" the leper on whatsoever day he shall have been cleansed,
" and shall be brought unto the priest. And the priest shall
" go out of the camp, and the priest shall see him, and behold,
" the touch of the leprosy is healed from the leper : and the
" high priest shall command, and they shall take for him who
" is cleansed two living clean birds ; and the high priest shall
" command, and they shall kill the one into an earthen vessel
i. e. fresh. " over living water : and he shall take the living bird, and dip
" it into the blood of the bird that was killed over the living
" water, and shall sprinkle it seven times over the man cleansed
" of the leprosy, and he shall be cleansed : and he shall send
" away the living bird into the field." The birds then are two
in number, both without stain, that is, clean, and liable to no
fault on the part of the law : and the one of them is slain over
u As the Masoretic punctuation retained the spelling of the LXX.
of this word as Miriam, is appa- Even Jerome apparently had never
rently of very modern date, I have heard of it.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 77
living water, but the other, being saved from slaughter, and
further baptized in the blood of that which died, is let loose.
This type, then, represents to us the great and adorable
mystery of our Saviour. For the Word was from above, even
from the Father, from heaven ; for which reason He is very
fitly compared to a bird : for though He came down for the
dispensation s sake to bear our likeness, and took the form of
a slave, yet even so He was from above. Yea, He even, when
speaking to the Jews, said so plainly, " Ye are from beneath : John \-iii.
" I am from above. And again, " No one hath ascended 23
" up into heaven, but the Son of man That came down from
" heaven." As therefore I just now said, even when He be
came flesh, that is, perfect man, lie was not earthy, not made
of clay as we are, but heavenly and superior to things worldly
in respect of that wherein lie is perceived to be God. \Ve may
see, then, in the birds (offered at the cleansing of the leper),
Christ suffering indeed in the flesh according to the Scrip- i Pet. iv. i.
tures, but remaining also beyond the power of suffering ; and
dying in His human nature, but living in His divine; for the
Word is Life. Yea, too, the very wise disciple said, " that He iPet.iii.i8.
" was put to death in the flesh, but made to live in the spirit."
But though the Word could not possibly admit the suffering
of death into His own nature, yet He appropriates to Himself
that which His flesh suffered : for the living bird was baptized
in the blood of the dead one ; and thus stained with blood, and
all but made partaker of the passion, it was sent forth into the
wilderness. And so did the Only-begotten Word of God return
unto the heavens, with the flesh united unto Him. And strange
was the sight in heaven, yea, the throng of angels marvelled
when they saw in form like unto us the King of earth, and
Lord of might: moreover they said, " Who is This that cometh Is. Ixiii. i.
" from Edom ? meaning thereby the earth : the redness of
"His garments is from Boson" * the interpretation of which
is flesh, as being a narrowing and pressing. Then too they
1 *lS signifies " cohibuit, ar- however deriving " flesh," there is
cuit," and thence in Piel munivit. a confusion between it and 1U>H,
Its derivatives "itfl, Dent. iv. 43., originally ion, flesh, which has the
and n^Vl, Is. Ixiii. i.. signify same sound as Bosor, and only dif-
" a fortified town." The mean- fers from iyn by having another
ings therefore of "narrowing" and sibilant.
" pressing" are correct. In thence
78 COMMENTARY UPON
Zech.xiii.6. inquired, " Are such the wounds in the middle of Thy
"hands /" and He answered, "With these was I wounded
" in the house of My beloved." For just as after His re
turn to life from the dead, when shewing, with most wise pur-
Johnxx.s;. pose, His hands unto Thomas, He bade him handle both the
prints of the nails, and the holes bored in Ills side : so also,
when arrived in heaven, He gave full proof to the holy angels,
that Israel was justly cast out and fallen from being of His fa
mily. For this reason, He shewed His garment stained with
blood, and the wounds in His hands, and not as though He
could not put them away ; for when He rose from the dead,
He put off corruption, and with it all its marks and attributes :
He retained them therefore, that the manifold wisdom of God,
which He wrought in Christ, might now be made known by
the Church, according to the plan of salvation, to principalities
and powers.
But perhaps some one will say, How can you affirm that
Jesus Christ is one and the same Son and Lord, when there
were two birds offered ? Does not the law very plainly
hereby shew that there are certainly two Sons and Christs ?
Yes, verily, men y have ere now been brought to such a pitch
of impiety, as both to think and say, that the Word of God
the Father is one Christ separately by Himself, and that He
Who is of the seed of David is another. But we reply to those
who, in their ignorance, imagine such to be the case, what the
Eph. iv. 5. divine Paul writes, " One Lord, one faith, one baptism." If,
therefore, they affirm that there are two Sons, necessarily
there must be two Lords, and two faiths, and the same number
2 Cor.xiii.3. o f baptisms : and therefore, though he has Christ speaking
within him, as he himself affirms, yet will his teaching be
false. But this cannot be : away with such a thought ! We
therefore acknowledge one Lord, even the Only -begotten in
carnate Word of God : not putting apart the manhood and the
Godhead, but earnestly affirming that the Word of God the
Father Himself became man while continuing to be God.
And next, let those who hold a contrary opinion be the
y The Nestorians, to whom this " the same Son and Lord," was
doctrine is several times expressly afterwards formally enacted by the
assigned by S. Cyril in this Com- Council of Chalcedon. Cf. above,
mentary. The phrase, " one and
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 79
speakers. 2 4 If, they say, there are two Sons, one specially of
* the seed of David, and the other again separately the Word
* of God the Father; must not the W r ord of God the Father be
superior in nature to him of the seed of David ? What, then,
shall we do in seeing the two birds, not distinct in nature from
one another, but, on the contrary, of the same kind, and in no
point, as regards specific difference, unlike one another. But
they gain nothing by their argument ; for great is the distance
between the Godhead and the manhood : and in the explana
tion of examples, we are to understand them according to their
fitting analogy; for they fall short of the truth, and often
effect but a partial demonstration of the things signified by
them. W T e say, moreover, that the law was a sort of shadow
and type, and a painting, as it were, setting things forth before
the view of the spectators: but in the pictorial art, the shadows
are the foundations for the colours ; and when the bright hues T ^
of the colours have been laid upon them, then at length the rut
beauty of the painting will flash forth. And in like manner,
since it was fitting for the law of Mo>es to delineate clearly
the mystery of Christ, it docs not manifest Him as both dying
and at the same time living in one and the same bird, lest what
was done should have the look of a theatrical juggle ; but it
contained Him, as suffering slaughter in the one bird, and in
the other displayed the same Christ as alive and set free.
But I will endeavour to shew that my argument here does
not go beyond the bounds of probability by means of another
history. For were any one of our community to wish to see
the history of Abraham depicted as in a painting, how would
the artist represent him ? as doing every thing at once ? or as
in turn, and variously acting in many different modes, though
all the while the same one person ? I mean, for instance, as at
one time sitting upon the ass with the lad accompanying him,
and the servants following behind : then again the ass left with
the servants, Isaac laden with the wood, and himself carrying
in his hands the knife and the fire : then in another compart
ment, the same Abraham in a very different attitude, with the
lad bound upon the wood, and his right hand armed with the
z The Monophysites, whose doctrines Eutyches subsequently pushed to
an extreme.
80 COMMENTARY UPON
knife ready to strike the blow. Yet it would not be a different
Abraham in each place, though represented in very many dif
ferent forms in the painting, but one and the same everywhere,
the painter s art conforming itself constantly to the require
ments of the things to be represented. For it would be impos
sible in one representation to see him performing all the above-
mentioned acts. So therefore the law was a painting and type
of things travailling with truth, and therefore even though
there were two birds, yet was He Who was represented in
both but One, as suffering and free from suffering, as dying
and superior to death, and mounting up unto heaven as a sort
of second firstfruits of human nature renewed unto incorrup-
tion. For He has made a new pathway for us unto that which
is above, and we in due time shall follow Him. That the one
bird then was slain, and that the other was baptized indeed in
its blood, while itself exempt from slaughter, typified what was
really to happen. For Christ died in our stead, and we, who
have been baptized into His death, He has saved by His own
blood.
Ver. 17. And He Himself iv as teaching, and the Pharisees were
sitting.
Around Him verily was a company of the envious, scribes,
that is, and pharisees, who were spectators of His wonderful
works, and listened as He taught : " and the power of God
atT<*/, with " was present, it says, to heal him." Is this spoken as though
God gave Him the ability to perform the miracles ? Did He
borrow of another the power ? But who would venture to
affirm this ? Rather it was He Himself, working by His own
power, as God and Lord, and not as partaker of some divine
grace. For men indeed often, even after being counted worthy
of spiritual gifts, yet sometimes occasionally prove infirm, ac
cording to the proportion known to Him Who distributes these
divine graces. But in the case of the Saviour of us all, there
was nought such as this ; but His power to heal him was not
a human power, but rather one divine and irresistible : for He
was God and the Son of God.
From Christ alone teaches as being the (true) teacher, and the
wisdom of the Father. For all the rest teach as receiving from
Him. " And there was also, it says, the power of the Lord
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 81
" upon Him to heal all ;" which means that His power to heal
was not human, but divine and irresistible. For the rest of the
saints at one time receive the power to work cures, and at an
other time, not : but Jesus, as being God, and the power of
the Father, ever healed all. 1
And behold certain bringing on a bed a man who wa-s v< r. 18.
paralytic.
When, then, no small number, as it says, of scribes and pha- From
risees, were assembled together, behold certain bringing upon c<ul - D
a bed a man who was paralytic ; and not being able to come
in by the door, they carried him up to the roof, to attempt a
strange and novel b deed. For having pulled up the tiling, they
removed the wood laid there : and still, while this was being
done, both Jesus waited patiently, and those who were present
kept silenCe, watching for the result, and wishing to see what
He would say and do. Having uncovered, therefore, the roof,
they let down the bed, and lay the paralytic in the midst.
What then does the Lord do ? Having seen their faith.
not that of the paralytic, but of the bearers; for it is possible
for one to be healed by the faith of others; or, perceiving that
the paralytic also believed, He healed him. It is possible, how
ever, that the place into which they let down the bed of the
paralytic through the tiles was open to the air, so that they
would not have at all to break up the roof. But when the
Saviour says to him, ." Man, thy sins are forgiven thee," He
addresses this generally to mankind : for those who believe in
Him, being healed of the diseases of the soul, will receive
forgiveness of the sins which formerly they had committed.
Or He may mean this ; I must heal thy soul before I heal thy
body : for if this be not done, by obtaining strength to walk,
them dost but sin the more : and even though thou hast not
a This passage being evidently the difficult reading of the old MSS.
collected out of the preceding, avrov into Travras.
shews that the writers of the smaller b Mai has *<j/<, hut translates as
Catena? rather gave an epitome in if the MS. had KO.IVW. Cr. reads
their own words than an exact
transcript of the Fathers. It changes
82 COMMENTARY UPON
asked for this, yet I as God see the maladies of the soul, which
brought upon thee this disease.
And as it was necessary, now that so large a number of
scribes and pharisees had assembled, that some especially di
vine miracle should be wrought for their benefit, because of
the scorn with which they regarded Him, well does the Saviour
provide again for them a most wonderful deed. For there was
stretched upon a bed a paralytic, overcome with an incurable
disease : and as the art of the physicians had proved altogether
unavailing, he was carried by his relatives to the Physician
Who is from above, even from heaven. And when he was in
the presence of Him Who is able to heal, his faith was ac
cepted : and that faith can take away sin, Christ immediately
shews; for He proclaims to him as he lay there, " Thy sins are
" forgiven thee." Now some one, I imagine, may say to this ;
What he wanted was to be delivered from his disease ; and why,
then, does Christ announce to him the forgiveness of his sin ?
It was that thou mayest learn that God silently and noiselessly
observes the affairs of men, and watches the course of each
Prov. v.2i. one s life ; and so it is written, "The paths of a man are be-
" fore the eyes of God ; and He looks at all his tracks." And
as He is good, and willeth that all men should be saved, He
often purifies those who are entangled in sins by inflicting sick
ness upon their body. For so He somewhere says by the voice
Jer. vi. 8. of Jeremiah, " Thou shalt be taught, Jerusalem, by labour
" and the scourge." And the writer of the book of Proverbs
Prov.iii.n. also has somewhere said, "My son, despise not thou the teach-
" ing of the Lord, nor faint when thou art convicted by Him,
" for whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth
" every son whom He accepteth." Well, therefore, does Christ
announce that He will cut away the cause of the disease, and
the very root, as it were, of the malady, even sin : for if this
be removed, necessarily must the disease which sprung from it
be also at the same time taken away.
c This extract from D., which I cious, I find assigned in Cramer s
had previously marked as suspi- Catena to Titus Bostrensis.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 83
Ami the scribes and pharisees began to reason, saying. Ver. 21.
He then, as was said, being endowed with a most godlike
authority, declared the forgiveness of sins. But the declara
tion disturbs again the ignorant and envious gang of the Pha
risees : for they said one to another, " Who is This That
" speaketh blasphemies ?" But thou wouldest not have said
this of Him, Pharisee, if thou hadst known the divine
Scriptures, and borne in mind the words of prophecy, and
understood the adorable and mighty mystery of the incarna
tion. But now they involve Him in a charge of blasphemy,
determining against Him the uttermost penalty, and condemn
ing Him to death : for the law of Moses commanded that who- Lev. xxiv.
ever spake blasphemies against God, should suffer death. But l6 *
no sooner have they arrived at this height of daring, than He
shews forthwith that He is God, to convict them once more of
intolerable impiety. " For what, saith He, reason ye in your
" hearts ?" If thou, therefore, Pharisee, sayest, who can for
give sins but One, God ; I will also say to thee, Who can know
hearts, and see the thoughts hidden in the depth of the under
standing, but God only? For He saith Himself somewhere
by the voice of the prophets, " I am the Lord that searcheth Jcr.xvii.io.
" hearts, and trieth reins." And David also said somewhere
concerning both Him and us, " He Who singly formed their Ps. xxxiii.
" hearts." He therefore Who as God knows both the hearts If
and reins, as God also forgives sins.
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power. Ver. 24.
But inasmuch as a place still remains open for disbelief, in
saying, " Thy sins be forgiven thee :" for man sees not the
forgiven sins with the eyes of the body, whereas the putting off
of the disease, and the paralytic s rising up and walking
carries with it a clear demonstration of a godlike power : He
adds, " Rise up and carry thy bed, and go to thine house :"
and this was -done, for he returned unto his house, delivered
from the infirmity under which he had so long suffered. It is
proved therefore by the very fact, that " the Son d of man has
d In Syriac, the ordinary Ian- was upon earth, the phrase " son of
guage of Palestine when our Lord "man," is equivalent to man simply:
M 2
84 COMMENTARY UPON
" power on earth to forgive sins." But of whom says He this ?
Is it of Himself, or also of us ? Both the one and the other are
true. For He forgives sins as being the Incarnate God, the
Lord of the law : and we too have received from Him this
splendid and most admirable grace. For He hath crowned
man s nature with this great honour also, having even said to
Mat. xviii. the holy apostles, (t Verily I say unto you, whatsoever things
" ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : and whatsoever
" things ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." And
John xx. again, " Whosesoever sins ye remit, they shall be remitted unto
" them : and whosesoever ye bind shall be bound." And
what is the occasion on which we find Him thus speaking unto
them ? It was after He had trampled upon the power of death,
and risen from the grave, when He breathed upon them, and
John xx. said, " Receive the Holy Ghost." For having made them
partakers of His nature, and bestowed upon them the in
dwelling of the Holy Ghost, He also made them sharers of His
glory, by giving them power both to remit and to bind sins.
And as we have been commanded to perform this very act,
how must not He much more Himself remit sins, when He
giveth unto others authority to enable them to do so ?
Ver. 27. And He saw a publican named Levi.
For Levi was a publican, a man insatiable after filthy lucre,
of unbridled covetousness, careless of justice in his eagerness
after what was not his own ; for such was the character of the
publicans: yet was he snatched from the very workshop of
iniquity, and saved beyond hope, at the call of Christ the
Saviour of us all. For He said unto him, " Follow Me : and
" he left all and followed Him." Seest thou that most wise
and the word etoj man signifies Adam is called [* jj.o, son of man,
"any," "some," so that we even find in the Syriac version of i Cor. xv.
c^.j( |oulj, literally Deus homo, 45. This sometimes leads to an am-
as the translation of Qcos ns. In biguity in Scripture, as that noticed
Hebrew ttflJN is seldom found, ex- in the text by S.Cyril: and again,
cept in poetry, but men are called Luke vi. 5, where some interpret
"sons of Adam," and Adam is even that our Saviour is Lord of the
used simply for " any one," as in Sabbath day, whereas the sense re-
Lev, i. 2. " Son of man" therefore quires us to understand it of man-
signifies man absolutely, and so even kind generally.
i
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 85
Paul truly says, that "Christ came to save sinners?" Secst i Tim. 1.15.
thou how the Only-begotten Word of God, having taken upon
Him the flesh, transferred unto Himself the devil s goods?
FROM SERMON XXL From the
Syriac
EXPLANATION OF WHAT FOLLOWS. MS. 12, 154.
" Or how can a man enter the house of the strong man, and Matt. xii.
" spoil his vessels, unless first lie have bound the strong man, 2(>
" and then he will spoil his vessels." By the house of the
strong man, that is of Satan, He means this country upon
earth, and his vessels are those who are likeminded with him.
For just as we call the saints holy vessels, so there is nothing cf. Kom.
to prevent our giving the name of " vessels of the devil to 1X
those who are the contrivers of all wickedness. The Only-
begotten Word therefore of God at His incarnation entered
into the strong man s house, even into this world, and having
bound him, and "sunk him in fetters of darkness," as it is - 1>ci - " *
written, spoiled his goods.
And Lcvi verily was saved, while in us the deed suggests From Mai -
happy hopes ; for by the very fact we are taught that repent
ance will save. Yea, moreover, God Himself, Who is Lord of
all, shall be our surety, where He says by the voice of the
prophet, " Return unto Me, and be ye saved, even from the is. xlv. 22.
" ends of the earth."
FROM THE SAME SERMON. From the
Syriac, as
EXPLANATION OF WHAT FOLLOWS.
" Which of you that has a hundred sheep, and has lost one Mat. xviii.
" of them, will not leave the ninety -nine in the mountain, and l "
" go and seek that which has gone astray ? And if he chance
" to find it, verily I say unto you, that he rejoices more in
" it, than in the ninety-nine which went not astray." For
the multitude of rational created beings which form Christ s
flock in heaven and on earth is innumerable, and so great as
86 COMMENTARY UPON
even to mount up unto a perfect number. For this is what is
signified to us by the term " one hundred." The companies
then of the holy angels are the ninety-nine; for, as I said,
they are many : but the flock on earth is one, but yet useful to
complete the number, and sought for also by Christ. Did He
then seek it as that which was lost, or as that which had not
yet suffered this? But it is plain that that which is lost is
sought for. In what manner then had it been lost ? By being
brought down into sin : by wandering from the divine will, and
going far astray from the universal Shepherd.
From Mai. But none of these things moved the Pharisees : on the con
trary, they find fault with them to the disciples ; for listen,
Ver. 30. And their scribes and pharisees murmured, saying unto
His disciples :
There are however some who endeavour to deprive those
entangled in sin of the divine gentleness : for they do not
admit of repentance, but as it were rebuke the Saviour for
seeking His own, and gathering from every quarter that which
was scattered : and to these we say, The pharisees set you the
example of murmuring, when they saw Levi called, and a
crowd of publicans gathered together, and feasting with Christ
the Saviour of us all. And going up to the holy apostles, they
vented their blame, saying, " Why do ye eat and drink with
" the publicans T But they had for answer, "They that are
""whole need not a physician. - For the Saviour of all, as
being the physician of spirits, does not withdraw from
those in need of Him, but as being able to cleanse them,
purposely conversed with those not as yet purified of their
Cr. arpo- sins. But let us see, pharisee, the overweening pride of
thy disposition : for let us take Christ Himself, to Whom all
things are known, as the expounder of the great blame that
thou broughtest upon thyself by thy overbearing treatment of
sinners. For speaking of a Pharisee who vaunted himself
when praying, and of a certain publican who accused himself,
Luke xviii. He said, " Verily I say unto you, that he went down justified
14 to his house rather than that Pharisee." The publican
e The Novatians are probably than once referred to in the course
meant, who subsequently are more of the Commentary.
incur.
THPT GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 87
therefore, who confessed his sin, is justified rather than the
haughty Pharisee. But for what reason do the Pharisees
blame the Saviour for eating with sinners ? Because it was
the law to put a distinction between the holy and the profane : Lev. x. 10.
that is, that whatever was hallowed was not to be brought into
contact with things profane. They made the accusation
therefore as vindicating the law forsooth : but really it was
envy against the Lord, and readiness to find fault. But He
shews them that He is present now, not as a judge, but as a
physician ; and performs the proper duty of the physician s
office, in being in the company of those in need of healing.
But no sooner had they received an explanation of their first
accusation, than they bring forward another, finding fault
because His disciples did not fost, wishing to obtain hereby an
opportunity against Himself f .
But observe their perseverance in malice : for no sooner
have they received an explanation of their first accusation,
than they change from one thing to another, in the hope of
finding an opportunity of convicting the holy disciples, and
Jesus Himself, of disregard of the law. But they arc told in
reply, now is the bride-chamber, the time of calling, the time
of instruction : the children are being nursed up ; those who
are called are being fed with milk : fasting is not yet season
able. For yes ! say they, you feast with publicans and sinners,
although the law commands that the pure should not hold
intercourse with the impure : and your pretext for transgressing
the law is your love for mankind. But why fast ye not
according to the custom of the just, and those who wish to live
according to the law ? But in answer to such objections one
may say, Do you understand at all yourself, O Jew, the proper
method of fasting ? For as the prophet Isaiah says, " On the Is. Iviii. 3.
" days of your fasts ye find your own wills, and goad all who
" are subject unto you. If ye fast for lawsuits and contentions,
" and strike the lowly with fists, why fast ye for Me ? This is
f This extract, and some sentences xxxiii. in the Bodleian, that the Ca
in the next, apparently belong to tena upon that Evangelist is to be
the Commentary upon St. Mark, assigned to S. Cyril, rather than to
cf. c. ii. vv. 17, 18, and confirm Victor of Antioch; who possibly
Cramer s opinion, upon the au- nevertheless compiled it, as in many
thority of the Laudian Greek Codex codices it bears his name.
88 COMMENTARY UPON
" not the fast I have chosen, saith the Lord." And dost thou
then, when thou thyself knowest not how to fast, blame the
holy apostles for not fasting after thy fashion ?
And to view it in another light, those who are made wise by
the new covenant in Christ, fast rationally ; that is, by humbling
themselves in the eyes of God, and imposing upon themselves
as it were a voluntary sentence of labour and abstinence, that
they may obtain forgiveness of their offences, or win some
fresh spiritual gift, or even to mortify the law of sin that is in
their fleshly members. But this mode of fasting thou art
ignorant of, Pharisee ! For thou hast refused to receive the
heavenly Bridegroom, Who is the planter and teacher of every
virtue, even Christ. Moreover, the saints indeed fast that
they may quell the passions of the body by exhausting it : but
Christ needed not to fast for the perfecting of virtue, because,
as being God, He was free from all passion ; nor did His com
panions, because they received of His grace, and were made
strong, and wrought virtue even without fasting. And even
though He fasted for the forty days, it was not to mortify
any passions in Himself, but to set an example for men in His
own conduct of the law of abstinence. With good reason there
fore He defends Himself by the words which the Evangelist
goes on to record.
Ver. 34. But He said unto them. Can ye make the sons of the bride-
chamber fast, ivhile the bridegroom is ivith them?
Observe, I pray again, the manner in which Christ shews
that they have no share in the feast, but are altogether
strangers to the joy felt on His account, and without part in
the world s great festival. For the revelation of our Saviour
to the world was nothing else than a general festival, at which
He spiritually united to Himself the nature of man, to be as it
were His bride : that she who had been long barren might be
fruitful, and blessed with a numerous offspring. All therefore
are the children of the bridechamber who are called by Him
through the new message of the Gospel : but not the scribes
and Pharisees, who attached themselves solely to the shadow
of the law. But as He had once granted permission to the
children of the bridechamber not to afflict themselves, as a
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 89
a concession suitable to the season, inasmuch as they were
keeping a spiritual feast, that fasting might not be entirely
rejected by us, He adds most suitably,
But the days will come, when also the bridegroom shall be v e r. 35.
taken away from them ; then shall they fast in those days.
For all things are good in their season. But what is the
meaning of the bridegroom being taken away from them ? It
is His being taken up into heaven.
And lie spake also a parable unto them. Ver. 36.
But that the institutions of Christ cannot be received by
those who live according to the law, nor admitted into the
hearts of such as have not as yet received the renewing by
the Holy Ghost, the Lord shews by saying, that "a tattered
" patch cannot be put upon a new garment, nor can old skins
" hold new wine." For the first covenant has grown old, nor
was it free from fault. Those therefore who adhere to it, and
keep at heart the antiquated commandment, have no share in
the new order of things in Christ : " For in Him all things are 2 Cor. v.
" become new :" but their mind being decayed, they have no I7>
concord nor point of mutual agreement with the ministers of i fpov pyoit.
the new covenant. The God of all accordingly somewhere
said of them by one of the holy prophets, that " a new heart EZ. xxxvi.
" and a new spirit will I put into them." And David also 26-
sings, " Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a right p s . li. ro.
" spirit within me." And we have been commanded also " to Col. iii. 9 .
" put off the old man, and to put on the new man, renewed
" after the image of Him that created it." And Paul also
gives counsel, saying, " Be ye not conformed to this world, but Rom.xii.z,
" be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that ye
" may prove what is the good and acceptable, and perfect will
" of God." Those therefore who have not as yet received the
renewing of the spirit, are also unable to prove the good and
acceptable, and perfect will of God.
cjo COMMENTARY UPON
FROM SERMON XXIL
From the
Syriac, is
before. EXPLANATION OF THAT WHICH IS BELOW.
" And no man puts new wine into old skins." The heart of
the Jews then is an old skin, and therefore cannot hold the
new wine : for this is the saving commandment of the Gospel,
Ps. civ. 15. making glad the heart of man. But Christ hath filled us with
these great blessings, by bountifully endowing us with spiritual
gifts, and opening the pathway wide unto all virtue.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 91
CHAPTER VI.
Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbaths? Vor. 2.
Yet a new covenant God promiseth us, now that " the first From Mai.
" hath waxed old and is near to vanish away," according to the ^ eb V1
words of the divine Paul. Yea, He even says by one of the
holy prophets, " Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I Jer. xxxi.
" will perfect with the house of Israel, and with the house of 3
" Judah, a new covenant : not according to the covenant which
<{ I made with their fathers in the day when I took hold of
" their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt." If
therefore the new covenant is the second, and different from
the first, there is every necessity for those who wish to live
according to it, to abandon the old laws, and conform to those
which will guide them into the newness of the gospel polity.
But of all this we can see that the Scribes and Pharisees com
prehended nothing : for being altogether destitute of know
ledge of the sacred Scriptures, they had but one sole purpose,
on every occasion to find fault with the divine and heavenly
preaching. They lie in wait therefore for the holy apostles in
their constant attendance upon our common Saviour Christ,
and tell Him concerning them ; " Behold we see those who are
" under Thy instruction acting contrary to the precepts of the
" law : for they do what it is not lawful to do on the sabbaths :
" for while the law enjoins men to do no work on the sabbath,
" and to meddle with no labour whatsoever, the disciples are
" rubbing ears of corn with their hands." But tell me, dost
not thou thyself, when setting thy sabbath meal, break the
bread ? Why then dost thou blame others ? But that we may
use against thee the bulwark of the Saviour s words, listen ;
And Jesus answered and said unto them. Have ye not even Ver. 3.
read what David did ...?
Now even though David thus acted contrary to what the
law approves, yet he is rightly and justly esteemed by us as
92 COMMENTARY UPON
worthy of all admiration : for he was in truth a saint and pro
phet. Since, therefore, the law of Moses expressly commands,
Deut. i. 16. " Judge just judgment, and regard not the person in judg-
" ment ;" how, saith He, condemn ye My disciples, while ye
still admire as a saint and prophet the blessed David, although
he did not keep Moses command ?
But by the loaves (of the shewbread), there is clearly indi
cated to us the bread that cometh down from heaven to be set
forth upon the holy tables of the churches : and all the furni
ture of the table, used for the performance of its mystical ser
vice, was a plain type of the divine treasures. 11 But spiritually
[the bread signifies] the twelve Apostles: of whom we shall
speak in due order, when our discourse reaches the disciples
themselves.
From the FROM SERMON XXIII.
Syriac, as
before - EXPLANATION OF WHAT FOLLOWS.
Hos. vi. 6. B U I Q d sa id } l require mercy > and not sacrifice : and the
acknowledgment of God, and not whole burnt offerings.
What is meant by mercy ? and what by sacrifice ? By mercy
then is signified, Justification and grace in Christ : even that
which is by faith. For we have been justified, not by the works
of the law that we have done, but by His great mercy. And
sacrifice means the law of Moses.
Ver. 6. And He was teaching : and there was a man there whose
right hand was withered.
From Mai. But His teaching was ever of things too high for reason, and
such as made plain to His hearers the pathway of salvation
h This extract is probably a* says, on de TVTTOI Xpiorou rov ava>-
summary of the doctrine in the De 0ev KOI e ovpavov TO, O-KCVTJ TO. if pa,
Adorat., where in I. 459. S. Cyril dia paicpw ^Iv fjdr) TrpocnrodedeKTai
says, o-77/imWi pfv rj rpdirc^a, TTJV Xo yeoi/. The whole extract wears the
TTpodtcriv e^owa TU>V aprw, TTJV appearance of a summary, especially
dvaifj,aKTov Bvo-iav, fit rjs cv\oyov- towards the end. With the next
pe6a, TOV aprov fcrOlovrfs rov e ou- passage maybe compared De Ador.
pavov, TotTeo-n Xpicrro i/. And speak- p. 345. aprois votivQai (papev rovs
ing of the table, with its coverings ayiovs diroo-roXovs.
of purple and hangings of blue, he
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 93
opened through Him : and immediately after His teaching He
displayed His godlike power, having first by words smoothed,
as it were, the road to belief. For the miracle sometimes con
verts unto faith those who had disbelieved the word. But the
Pharisees watched Him, to see if He would heal on the sab
bath : for such is the nature of an envious man, that he makes
the praises of others food for his own disease, and wickedly is
maddened by their reputation. And what once more said He
to this, Who knoweth all things, Who searcheth the hearts,
and understandcth whatever is therein ? "For with Him is Dan. ii. 22.
" the light," as Scripture declares. " He spake to him that
" had the withered hand, Stand forth into the midst." And
why did He do this ? It might perhaps be to move the cruel
and unpitying Pharisee to compassion : the man s malady per
haps might shame them, and persuade them to allay the flames
of envy.
/ will ask you something : Is it lawful on the sabbath days Ver. 9.
to do (jood y or to do evil f
Most wise in very deed is this question, and a statement
most suitable to meet their folly. For if it be lawful to do
good on the sabbath, and nothing prevents the sick being
pitied by God, cease thus picking up opportunities for fault
finding against Christ, and bringing down on thy own head
the sentence which the Father has decreed against those who
dishonour the Son : for thou hast heard Him where He says of
Him by the voice of David, " And I will cut off His enemies p 8 .
" from before His face, and put to flight those that hate Him." 2 3-
But if it be not lawful to do good on the sabbath, and the law
forbids the saving of life, thou hast made thyself an accuser of
the law, thou hast slandered the commandment, for which the
ministry of Moses is regarded with admiration. No, he replies,
the God of all did not enact the law of the sabbath for Him
self, but for us rather, whose neck is bowed to it. Thou sayest
well ; I assent to thy words ; therefore that which is divine is
free from the compulsion of the law. Why, then, dost thou
blame Christ for wishing also to shew mercy on the sabbath,
and benefit a living soul ? And were it our wish to examine
closely the law enacted for the sabbath, we should find it or
dained by God for purposes of mercy. For He commanded to
94 COMMENTARY UPON
do no work on the sabbath, and entirely to abstain from labour,
and even to give rest at the same time to the irrational animals.
Deut.v. i 4 . For He said, that its purpose was, " that thy manservant may
" rest, and thy maidservant, thy ox, and thy beast of burden,
" and all thy cattle/ But He Who has mercy on the ox and
other animals, how would not He pity on the sabbath day a
man who was attacked by a severe and irremediable malady ?
^ er - " And they were filled tvith madness.
Is not the miracle enough to produce faith ? Thou seest Him
working with godlike dignity, and with supreme power healing
the sick, and travaillest thou with murder, bred of envy and
malice ?
Ver. 12. He went out into the mountain to pray.
All that Christ did was for our edification, and for the be
nefit of those who believe in Him ; and by proposing to us His
own conduct as a sort of pattern of the spiritual mode of life,
He would make us true worshippers. Let us see, therefore, in
the pattern and example provided for us by Christ s acts, the
manner in which we ought to make our supplications unto
God. We must pray secretly and in concealment, and with no
one seeing us : for this is the signification of Jesus going into
the mountain alone, and praying, as it were, leisurely. And
Mat. vi. 6. this He has Himself taught us, saying ; " But thou, when thou
" prayest, enter into thy closet." For we ought to pray, not
i Tim. ii. 8. seeking after glory, but " lifting up holy hands," while the
soul, as it were, mounts aloft to the contemplation of God,
withdrawing from all tumult, and quitting worldly anxiety.
And this we must do not with fickleness, nor with a listless
feebleness ; but, on the contrary, with earnestness and zeal,
and a patience worthy of admiration : for thou hast heard that
Jesus did not merely pray, but that He also passed the night
in this duty.
But possibly the enemy of the truth will not endure us when
Anus, thus speaking : for he says, He prays and requests from the
1 This extract, which is taken sage in page 92, [conf. note h.J, is
from the same MSS. A. and H., assigned by Cramer s MS. to Titus
which contained the dubious pas- of Bostra.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 95
r Father what He hath not : how then do ye still say, that He
is both consubstajitial and equal to Him in all things, and in
no way whatsoever unlike Him ? " For without all coutro- Heb.
" versy the less is blessed of the greater :" and decidedly he
who gives is greater than lie who makes request to receive
something. Let then those who pervert the right faith teach
us first of all, of what they imagine the Son to be in need I
And what did He seek to obtain as not as yet possessing it ?
He is the true light ; He is in His own nature life, and the
cause of life ; He is the Lord also of powers; He is wisdom and
righteousness ; the Creator and framer of the universe ; supe
rior to every thing that has been brought into being ; is the
King of the universe ; the dispenser of heaven and earth ; the
giver, with God the Father, of every blessing. And this tliou
wilt learn by what the blessed Paul has somewhere written ;
" Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and our R om .
" Lord Jesus Christ." He is conspicuous on the throne fur
above, and is glorified by the whole rational creation. Accord
ingly He is by substance the heir of all the divine dignities of
God the Father: and therefore spake He unto Him, that " all John
" that is Mine is Thine ; and Thine Mine : and I am glorified IC
" in them." But lie Who has every thing that belongs to God
the Father as His very own, of what is He still in need ? But
if, in fine, He is in need of any thing, and they affirm that this
is true, there is nothing to prevent our saying, that there are
certain things of which the Father Himself is in need. For if
all that the Son has is the Father s, but there is something of
which the Son is in need, therefore must the Father too be
similarly circumstanced : for all that the Son hath is the Fa
ther s. But the Father is all perfect, and is deficient of no
good whatsoever that is suitable to Deity : therefore is the
Son all perfect, as having all that the Father hath, and being
His image and the impress of His substance: but in the impress
there is displayed entirely the original form, and in the original
form there exists entirely the impress. And thus much then as
respects them.
And those too who have been caught by the empty declama
tions of Xestorius, say that it is entirely unbefitting the Son,
considered as God by nature, to pray : and rather belongs to
96 COMMENTARY UPON
the man, k coupled with Him by way of connexion, to him, that
is, of the seed of David. He it was therefore who offered up
the prayer. What reply, then, shall we make to this ? That
ye are utterly ignorant of the mystery of the incarnation of
the Only-begotten. Remember the blessed Evangelist John,
John i. 14. who says ; " And the Word was made flesh." And of this the
all-wise Paul has given us a plain proof by saying concerning
Heb. ii. 16. Him : " For He taketh not hold at all of the angels, but taketh
" hold of the seed of Abraham : whence it became Him to be
" made like unto His brethren in all things, that He might
" become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertain-
" ing unto God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."
On what account therefore does Nestorius eject from the mea
sure of human nature Him Who, though divinely begotten as
the Word by God the Father, yet humbled Himself unto emp
tying, even to becoming our brother, by being made like unto
us, and similar in all things to the inhabitants of the earth,
sin only excepted ? For having become like unto us from His
exceeding gentleness and love to mankind, He disdains not hu
man things : but sets before us His conduct as a type of good
ness unto the end, that as I said we may be earnest in follow
ing His footsteps.
Ver. 13. And when it was day. He called His disciples, and of them
having chosen twelve.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, having spent the night in prayer,
and having conversed with His Father and God in heaven in
a way ineffable and beyond our powers of understanding, and
such as is known solely to Himself, even therein making
Himself an example unto us of that which is necessary for sal
vation ; for He taught us in what way we too may rightly and
blamelessly offer our prayers : comes down from the moun
tain, and appoints those who were to be the world^s teachers,
k <Twa(j)dcvTi Kara a-vvdfaiav,
Nestorius favourite word : upon
his use of which Cyril observes in
his Commonitorium to Posidonius :
" Therefore he always avoids the
" word union, o/wo-iy, and calls it
instead (rvvdfaia, a connection,
like one who is from without,
and as God said to Jesus, As I
was with Moses, so will I also be
with thee." Hard. Cone. i. 1319.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 97
according to the words He spake, "Ye are the light of the Mat. v. i 4 .
" world." And of this appointment of the holy Apostles, the
blessed David also makes mention, addressing himself, as it
were, to Christ: " Thou shalt make them rulers over all the Ps.xlv. 16.
" earth ; they shall make mention of Thy name in every suc
cessive generation." For verily, while they were in the body,
they made mention of the glory of Christ, telling His mystery
both in cities and villages : and now that they have been called
to the mansions that are above, none the less do they still even
thus converse with us about Him, by the most wise history
which they have written concerning Him. And those, indeed,
who were appointed priests according to the law of Moses,
even Aaron and his company, were made beautiful to the
senses by vestments suitable to their priestly dignity ; but the
divine disciples, being adorned with spiritual gifts, had en
trusted to them the ministry of the Gospel oracles. For it was
said unto them, "Heal the sick: cast out da3mons: cleanse Mat. x . 8.
" lepers: raise the dead." And being thus invested with Christ s
power, they have filled the whole world with astonishment. But
mark the extreme moderation of the Evangelist : for he does
not simply say that the holy Apostles were appointed, but ra
ther, by introducing the record of these chief ones each by
name, takes care that no one should venture to enrol himself
in the company of those that were chosen. For as Paul saith,
"Xo man taketh this honour upon himself, but he that is Heb. v. 4 .
" called by God." And though the holy Apostles were called
by name to this great and splendid dignity, yet from time to
time some men have gone to such a pitch of madness and au
dacity, as even to name themselves Apostles of Christ, and to
usurp an honour not granted unto them. Of these the divine
disciples have made mention; for they say, "Such are false 2<Jor.xi.i 3 .
" apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into angels
" of righteousness. And no wonder : for Satan even transforms
" himself into an angel of light. It is no great thing, there-
" fore, if his ministers also transform themselves into angels of
" righteousness." But we neither acknowledge nor will receive
any one, except those only so named in the Evangelic writings,
and him who was appointed after them, the most wise Paul :
to whom also the Saviour Himself bore witness, saying, that
o
98 COMMENTARY UPON
Actsix. 15. " he is a vessel of election for Me, to carry My name before
" all the heathen."
1 The law indeed pointed them out before in type, and the
prophets also proclaimed them. As, for instance, it is written
Lev.xxiv.5. in the Mosaic record, " And ye shall take fine flour, and make
" it into twelve loaves : and he shall put them in two rows
" upon the pure table before the Lord. And ye shall put upon
" the row frankincense and salt : and they shall be for loaves,
" set before the Lord for a memorial." For the bread that
came down from heaven, and giveth life to the world, Who
else can it be but Christ the Saviour of the universe ? And in
imitation too of Him, the blessed disciples also are named
Conf. upon loaves : for having been made partakers of Him Who nourishes
us unto life eternal, they also nourish by their own writings
those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. And as the
Saviour Who is the true light called the disciples also light :
Mat. v. 14. " for ye are the light of the world :" so also being Himself
the bread of life, He has bestowed upon His disciples to be
ranked as loaves." 1 And observe, I pray, the marvellous art
of the law : " for ye shall put, it says, upon the loaves frank-
" incense and salt." Now the frankincense is the symbol of a
sweet odour; and the salt 11 that of understanding and good
sense : both of which existed in the highest degree in the holy
Apostles. For their life was one of a sweet savour, as they
2 Cor. 11.15. also said, that "we are a sweet savour of Christ unto God:"
and they were moreover also full of understanding, so that I
hear the prophet David even singing of them in the Psalms :
Ps. Ixvlil. " There is Benjamin in enhancement : the princes of Judah are
" their leaders: the princes of Zebulon, the princes of Nephtha-
" lim." For the blessed disciples were chosen out of almost
every tribe of Israel, and were the bearers of light to the
Phil. li. 16. world, " holding up the word of life." And the wonder indeed
1 Mai s difficulty from finding of sermons.
that this passage is quoted in two m In the original apros both
codices as from a homily of S. Cyril, means " bread," and a " loaf:" but
and also that occasionally direct ad- this identity of the terms cannot be
dresses are made as to persons pre- preserved in the translation,
sent, is cleared up by the Syriac, n Similarly on Mat. v. 13. the
which shews that the whole com- Catenist quotes from S. Cyril, a\as
mentary was delivered in a course KaXel TTJV
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 99
is this, that the sages of the Greeks possess a splendid copious
ness of speech, and an admirable beauty of language : but the
disciples of our Saviour were mere artificers, and boatmen, and
fishers, having no boast of words, no fluency of picked phrases,
and in expression indeed were simple men, but rich in know
ledge : yet is the literature of the Greeks, with its sonorous
phrases, silent; while the power of the Evangelic preaching
has possession of the world. God also makes mention of them
by the voice of Jeremiah, saying of the enemy of all, even
Satan ; " Woe to him, who multiplieth for himself that which Habac.ii.6.
" is not his, and maketh his collar thick and heavy : for sud-
" denly shall they arise that shall bite him, and thy adversa-
" ries shall wake up, and thou shalt be their prey." For Satan
had gathered unto him all the inhabitants of the earth,
though they were not his, and had caused them to be his
worshippers, making his collar heavy : but those who were to
plunder his goods woke up : for the net of the apostolic teach
ing caught all those that were in error, and brought back unto
God the whole world.
FROM SERMON XXV.
EXPLANATION OP THE SAYING OF THE APOSTLE THAT FOLLOWS. From the
Syriac.
Be ye like unto me, as I also am unto Christ. iCor. xi. i.
AND how was the wise Paul like unto Christ ? Did he Pa.xxxiii.6.
establish the heavens, as did the Word of God ? Did he set
the earth upon its firm foundation, and bring forth the sun
and moon, and the stars, and light ? How therefore was ho
like Him ? By being an imitator of that human virtue, which
Christ shewed forth for our example.
He stood upon level ground, and a crowd of His disciples Ver. 17.
and a great multitude of the people.
But observe, I pray, the manner of the election. For the From Mai.
most wise Evangelist says that it was not done in a corner and
secretly, but rather when many disciples were gathered toge
ther, and a vast crowd from all the country of the Jews, and
from the sea-coast of Tyre and Sidon. These latter were
o 2
100 COMMENTARY UPON
idolaters, lame in the hollow of both knees. in part observing
the customs of the Jews, but yet not altogether abandoning
their idolatrous practices. The election, therefore, was held in
the presence of all these spectators, and teachers appointed for
all beneath the heaven : and this duty they also fulfilled, sum
moning the Jews from their legal worship, and those who
served demons, from Grecian? error to the acknowledgment
of the truth.
And when He had appointed the holy Apostles, He per
formed very many wonderful miracles, rebuking demons, deli
vering from incurable diseases whosoever drew near unto Him,
and displaying His own most godlike power: that both the
Jews, who had run together unto Him, and those from the
country of the Greeks, might know, that Christ, by Whom
they were honoured with the dignity of the Apostolate, was
not some ordinary man of those in our degree, but, on the
contrary, God, as being the Word That was made man, but
Lukev. 17. retained, nevertheless, His own glory. For "power went
Conf. p.8i. forth from Him, and healed all." For Christ did not borrow
strength from some other person, but being Himself God by
nature, even though He had become flesh, He healed them all,
by the putting forth of power over the sick.
If further you wish to learn the interpretation of the
Apostles names, know that Peter is explained as meaning
" loosing," or " knowing :" Andrew as " comely strength," or
" answering :" James as " one who takes labour by the heel :"
John, "the grace of the Lord:" Matthew, "given:" Philip,
" the opening of the hands," or " the mouth of a lamp :" Bar
tholomew, " the son suspending water :" Thomas, an " abyss,"
or " a twin :" James, the son of Alphaeus, " the supplanting
The lyvva is the hollow of the nerally : and so S. Chrysostom,
knee, where Jacob s sinew shrank. Horn. cxxi. T. v. p. 792., says,
The Jews thus were lame of one speaking of those who preceded
knee, the Sidonians of both, as Abraham, rives ^crav ; "EXAqi/fs ;
having mingled up Judaic rites with dAX ov a-vyx^pfl. j? TT KTTLS. ov yap
their heathenism. Conf. i Kings, dmo-Tia crvvefro-av, 8aifj.o<nv OVK
xvni. 21. 8ov\cvo~ai>, ^oavois OVK VTrfTayrjcrav,
P Grsecian in the Fathers is often 777 ir\avg T>V Saipovow avreo-rrjo-av
equivalent to heathen. So " the ov Svvavrai roivvv eXX^es OW/LUZ-
" sages of the Greeks" above means (eo-tfat. [Ed. Sav. 1612.]
the chief writers of heathenism ge-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
101
" of the passage of life :" Judas, " thanksgiving :" and Simon,
" obedience." 4
1 The explanation given by S.
Cyril of the names of the Apostles
corresponds in great measure with
that in S.Jerome. Peter, which is the
Greek translation of the title given to
Simon by our Lord of \2t\2, Kipha,
" a stone," is interpreted by Je
rome from the Hebrew as " agno-
scens, sive dissolvens." The first
" knowing," may come from in 5,
to interpret, Gen. xl. 8. : the se
cond is from "itDG, to set free that
which is shut up, Prov. xvii. 14. :
whence also the passages of Scrip
ture, read just before the conclu
sion of the service in the Jewish
synagogue, are called Ilaftarot,
" dismissals," answering to the
Latin term Missa. Andrew is also
a Greek name, unknown to the
Jews before the time of the Alex
andrian conquests, and derived
from ain]p. The first explanation,
therefore, is correct : the second,
" answering," from n;i?, is in Je
rome s own words " violentum."
His addition of " pabulo" " re-
spondens pabulo," is an instance
of the primary error, scarcely yet
expelled from philology, of giving a
meaning (other than a grammatical
one) to terminations. It supposes
ptas in \\v8ptas to be derived from
(liT), to feed. The same error appears
in S. Cyril s explanation of James;
but in this case it is avoided by
S. Jerome. Supplantans, from
3 pi?, to take by the heel, is right ;
Gen. xxv. 26. : but the deriva
tion of /Soj, from Jn> is utterly
wrong. John, from mrr and pn,
is rightly interpreted : as also is
Matthew, from fni The two next
are as absurd, as the derivation of
Greek terms from the Hebrew-
might naturally be expected to be.
Philip, the " horselover," a com
mon name in the East, as being
that of the great conqueror s fa
ther, becomes C5N >5, cf. )Arr>a>
jjj?, or Tab >S; and Bartholo
mew, " the son of Ptolemy," is de
rived from CTE nbn. Thomas,
a twin from CDND, is further in
correctly connected with CD inn,
Ps. Ixxi. 20. In James, the son
of Alphaeus, the Fathers have
joined the two names together in
their interpretation. Alphaeus,
Heb. >s!?n, whence the form Cle-
ophas, is possibly taken by S. Cyril
from F|^n, which in Is. xxiv. 5.
means " migravit :" while farjs is
an attempt to connect atoy with
rrn. In the edition, however, of
S. Jerome by Vallarsius, vol. iii.
543. the Vat. Cod. contains what
possibly is the right reading here.
TTTfpvio-fjios fiadrja-fu): fafjf, from
t\b&, in Syriac of constant occur
rence, as t2u\^> docuit t and toi\| T
didicit ; while the derivation of
j3adiWa>s from the Hebrew is diffi
cult. In Jerome s own interpreta
tion it is wonderful that he should
have so neglected the initial gut
tural. It is really n, but his first
explanation is supplantator millesi-
mus, from tfitf, his second, sup
plantator super os, from "a bi?.
Judah is rightly rendered " thanks
giving" or " praise." Gen. xlix. 8.
The other explanation, confessio,
arises from the ambiguous meaning
of 0/10X07770-19. So also Symeon,
literally " hearing," has been ren
dered by the compound uTraKor/,
the term in the LXX for " obedi
ence." S. Jerome, still attaching
a meaning to the termination, ex
plains it as " pone mcerorem,"
from pi? CDlUy, and " audi tristi-
tiam," from pi?
102 COMMENTARY UPON
FROM SERMON XXVII.
EXPLANATION OF WHAT FOLLOWS.
Ver. 20. Blessed are ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God.
These are the Saviour s words, when directing His disciples
into the newness of the Gospel life after their appointment to
From the the apostolate. But we must see of what poor it is that He
Syriac. speaks such great things : for in the Gospel according to Mat-
Mat, v. 3. thew it is written, " Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs
" is the kingdom of heaven :" wishing us to understand by the
poor in spirit the man who entertains .JLowly thoughts _of Jbim-
self, and whose mind, so to speak, is closely reefed, and his
heart gentle, and ready to yield, and entirely free from the
guilt of pride.
From Mai. Such a one is worthy of admiration, and the friend of God ;
Is. Ixvi. i. yea, He even said by one of the holy prophets ; " Upon whom
" will I look but upon the humble and peaceable, and that
" trembleth at my words ?" And the prophet David also said,
Ps. 11.17. that "a contrite and humbled heart God will not set at
Mat. xi.29- " nought." Moreover, the Saviour Himself also says, " Learn
" of Me, for I am meek and humble in heart." In the lessons,
however, now set before us, He says, that the poor shall be
blessed, without the addition of its being in spirit. But the
Evangelists so speak, not as contradicting one another, but as
dividing oftentimes the narrative among them : and at one time
they recapitulate the same particulars, and at another that
which has been omitted by one, another includes in his narra
tive, that nothing essential for their benefit may be hidden
From the from those who believe on Christ. It seems likely, therefore,
Syriac. fa^ jj e j^g means by the poor, whom He pronounces blessed,
such as care not for wealth, and are superior to covetousness,
and despisers of base gifts, and of a disposition free from the
love of money, and who set no value upon the ostentatious dis
play of riches.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 103
And so the most wise Paul manifestly guides us into the best
doctrines, where he says, " Let your disposition be free from Heb.xiii.s.
" the love of money, being contented with what it has :" and to
this he has added, that " having nourishment and the means of iTim.vi. 8.
" shelter, we will be therewith content." For it was necessary,
absolutely necessary, for those whose business it would be to
proclaim the saving message of the Gospel to have a mind
careless about wealth, and r occupied solely with the desire of
better things. The argument, however, does not affect all
whose means are abundant, but those only whose desire is set
upon riches : and who are these ! All to whom our Saviour s
words apply : " Store not up for yourselves treasures upon the Mat.vi. 19.
" earth."
Blessed are ye that hunger now; for ye shall be filled. Ver. 21.
In Matthew, however, again He says ; " Blessed arc they Mat. v. 6.
" that hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall be
" filled :" but here He simply says, that " those that hunger
" shall be filled." We say, therefore, that it is a great and
noble thing to hunger and thirst after righteousness : that is,
habitually to take part in earnest endeavours after piety : for
such is the meaning of righteousness : as if it were our meat
and drink. And inasmuch as we ought to give to this passage
also a meaning, in accordance with the foregoing explanations,
we say again as follows: The Saviour pronounced those blessed
who love a voluntary poverty, to enable them honourably, and
without distraction, to practise the apostolic course of life. For
it is in plain keeping with the having neither gold nor silver
in their purses, nor two coats, to endure also very great hard
ness in their way of life, and scarcely obtain food for their
need. But this is a burdensome thing for those who are suffer
ing poverty and persecutions, and therefore He That knoweth
hearts, very suitably does not permit us to be dispirited be
cause of the results of poverty : for He says, that those who
hunger now for their piety s sake towards Him shall he filled :
that is, they shall enjoy the intellectual and spiritual blessings
that are in store.
literally signifies, " being unoccupied with other
having abundant leisure for as " things."
104 COMMENTARY UPON
Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.
P ronounces ^em that weep blessed, and says that they
shall laugh. But by those who weep, we say that those are
not meant who simply shed tears from their eyes : for this is a
thing common to all without exception, whether believers or un
believers, if ought happen of a painful nature ; but those rather
who shun a life of merriment and vanity, and carnal pleasures.
From Mai. For of the one we say, that they live in enjoyment and
laughter ; whereas believers abandoning luxury and the care
less life of carnal pleasures, and all but weeping because of
their abhorrence of worldly things, are, our Saviour declares,
blessed ; and for this reason, as having commanded us to
choose poverty, He also crowns with honours the things which
necessarily accompany poverty: such, for instance, as the want
of things necessary for enjoyment, and the lowness of spirits
Ps. xxxiv. caused by privation : for it is written, that " many are the
" privations of the just, and the Lord shall deliver them out
" of them all."
Ver. 22. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you.
Already did the Lord mention persecution, even before the
Apostles had been sent on their mission. The Gospel antici
pated what would happen. For it was altogether to be ex
pected that those who proclaimed the Gospel message, and
made the Jews abandon their legal mode of worship to learn
the Gospel way of virtuous living, while too they won over
idolaters to the acknowledgment of the truth, would come in
contact with many impious and unholy men. For such are
they who, in their enmity against piety, excite wars and per
secutions against those who preach Jesus. To prevent them,
therefore, from falling into unreasonable distress whenever the
time should arrive at which such events were sure to befal
them from some quarter or other, He forewarns them for their
benefit, that even the assault of things grievous to bear will
bring its reward and advantage to them. For they shall re
proach you, He says, as deceivers, and as trying to mislead :
they shall separate you from them, even from their friendship
and society : but let none of these things trouble you, He says :
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
105
for what harm will their intemperate tongue do a well-estab
lished mind ? For the patient suffering of these things, will not
be without fruit, He says, to those who know how to endure 8
Jously, but is the pledge of the highest happiness. And be
sides, He points out to them for their benefit, that nothing
strange will happen unto them, even when suffering these
things : but that, on the contrary, they will resemble those
who before their time were the bearers to the Israelites of the
words that came from God above. They were persecuted, they
were sawn asunder, they perished slain by the sword, they en
dured reproaches unjustly cast upon them. He would there
fore have them also understand that they shall be partakers
with those whose deeds they have imitated ; nor shall they fail
in winning the prophet s crown, after having travelled by the
same road.
8 Literally, " to philosophize ;"
but from the philosophers affecting
an austere life, it came to bear the
general meaning of " endurance."
So Greg. Nanz. of the martyrs, KOI
TO.VTO. KOI TOVTtoV fTC 0aVfJ.a(Tla)T(pa
^iXocro^crafTay. So he records of
Cyprian, -yiVrai *ai vcvicopos, iva
<pi\oo-o(pr)arr) TO rarrfivov. So Chry-
sost. Horn. 80. in Joan. TO 8ia prj-
KOI fjLfyd\ov. And again Horn. 55.
in Matth. eon *at no\iv oiKovvra
TTJV TUV fiova^cav <pi\o<ro(j)iav ^Xco-
o-cu. In the middle ages its mean
ing further altered, and philosophy
was equivalent to monkery ; so
Luitprand, v. 9. Et ad vicinam in-
sulam, in qua Coenobitarum multi
tude philosophabatur, tonso ei ut
moris est capite ad philosophandum
transmittunt.
tpyuv e7ri 8eiiy, yewaiov nvos
106 COMMENTARY UPON
c.vi* 4 ... SERMON XXIX.
******
From the * * receive those things that will lead you unto life
MS 14 551 eternal. For it is written, that " man doth not live by bread
Mat. iv. 4. alone, but by every word that goeth forth from the mouth
" of God." All Scripture, indeed, is inspired of God ; but
this is especially true of the proclamations in the Gospels : for
He Who in old time delivered unto the Israelites by the min
istry of Moses the law that consisted in types and shadows,
the very same having become man spake unto us, as the wise
Heb. i. i. Paul testifies, writing; " God, Who in divers manners spake
" in old time to the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last
iThes.iv.9. " days spoken unto us by His Son:" and " we are taught of
" God :" for Christ is in truth God and the Son of God. Let
us therefore fix our careful attention upon what He says : and
scrupulously examine the very depth of His meaning. For
" Woe, He says, unto you rich, in that ye have received your
" consolation."
Very fitly is this added to His previous discourse : for having
already shewn that poverty for God s sake is the mother of
every blessing, and said that the hungering and weeping of
the saints would not be without a reward, He proceeds to
speak of the opposite class of things, and says of them, that
they are productive of grief and condemnation. For He blames
indeed the rich, and those who indulge immoderately in plea
sures, and are ever in merriment, in order that He may leave
no means untried of benefitting those who draw near unto
Him, and chief of all the holy Apostles. For if the endurance
of poverty for God s sake, together with hunger and tears :
by which is meant the being exposed to pain and afflictions in
the cause of piety : be profitable before God, and He pro
nounce a threefold 11 blessedness on those who embrace them ; as
a necesary consequence, those are liable to the utmost blame,
* The principal Syriac MS. com- ing sermons are entirely lost.
mences here, but the first leaf is in u One for poverty, one for him-
part illegible, and the three follow- ger, and one for tears.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 107
who have prized the vices, that are the opposites of these
virtues.
In order therefore that men may be won by the desire of
the crowns of reward unto willingness to labour, and voluntary
poverty for God s sake ; and, on the other hand, by fear of the
threatened punishment, may flee from riches, and from living
in luxury and merriment, that is to say, in worldly amuse
ments, He says that the one are heirs of the kingdom of heaven,
but that the others will be involved in the utmost misery :
" for ye have received, He says, your consolation."
And this truth we are permitted to behold beautifully deli
neated in the Gospel parables like as in a painting. For we
have heard read that there was a rich man decked in purple
and fine linen", at whose gate Lazarus was cast, racked with
poverty and pain ; and the rich man felt no pity for him.
But Lazarus, it says, was carried to Abraham s bosom ; while
he was in torments and in flame. And when ho saw Lazarus
at rest and in happiness in Abraham s bosom, he besought Luke xvi.
saying, " Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus 2 ^
" that he may dip the tip of his finger y in water, and cool my
" tongue ; for t am tormented in this flame." But what was
blessed Abraham s reply ? " Son, thou hast received thy good
" things in thy life, and Lazarus evil things ; but now he is
" here in happiness, and thou art tormented." True therefore
is what is here said by Christ of those who live in wealth and
luxury and merriment, that "ye have received your conso-
" lation :" and of those who now are full, that they shall
x After scholars had satisfactorily ever says, that the mummies were
decided on philological evidence that enveloped 2ii/8oi>oy PVO-O-IVTJS rfXa-
the byssus was cotton, the micro- /zwo-i (ii. 86.), and Mr. Thompson
scope has proved it to be linen. The (on the mummy cloth of Egypt, as
main points of the argument were quoted in Wilkinson s Ancient E-
that the Hebrew word shesh, sS gyptians, iii. 113.) has shewn, that
always rendered * byssus by the the wrappers are invariably of linen,
Septuagint, is the Arabic modern though occasionally so fine as not
term for fine muslin : and that cot- to be distinguishable from muslin,
ton garments are mentioned on the until the microscope revealed the
Rosetta stone as supplied by govern- different texture of the filaments,
ment for the use of the temples, y The Syriac makes the smallness
being in great request, according to of the request more apparent, by
Pliny s account (xix. 8.), by the using a term peculiar to the little
Egyptian priests. Herodotus how- finger.
P 2
108 COMMENTARY UPON
hunger, and that those who laugh now shall weep and
lament.
But come and let us examine the matter among ourselves.
Lukexviii. Our Saviour in His parables has thus spoken : " Two men
" went up unto the temple to pray ; the one a Pharisee, and
" the other a publican. And the Pharisee forsooth prayed
" saying, God I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of man-
" kind, extortioners, unjust, adulterers ; or like this publican.
" I fast twice in the week : and I pay tithes of all that I
" possess. But the publican, He says, did not venture to lift
u up his eyes unto heaven, but stood smiting his breast and
u saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner. Verily I say unto
" you, that this man went down to his house justified rather
t( than the other." For the proud Pharisee was boasting over
the publican, and indecently assuming the rank of a lawgiver,
would have condemned one, on whom it was rather his duty to
have shewn pity : but the other was the accuser of his own
infirmity, and thereby aided in his own justification; for it is
Is. xliii. 26. written, u Declare thou thy sins first, that thou mayest be
"justified." Let us therefore unloose, that is, set free those
who are suffering sicknesses from having been condemned by
us, in order that God may also unloose us from our faults : for
He condemneth not, but rather sheweth mercy.
Closely neighbouring, so to speak, upon the virtues which we
have just mentioned is compassion, of which He next makes men
tion. For it is a most excelling thing, and very pleasing to God,
and in the highest degree becoming to pious souls : and concern
ing which it may suffice for us to imprint upon our mind that it
is an attribute of the divine nature. "For be ye, He says, iner-
" ciful, as also your heavenly Father is merciful/ But that we
shall be recompensed with bountiful hand by God, Who giveth
all things abundantly to them that love Him, He has given us
full assurance by saying, that " good measure, and squeezed
" down, and running over shall they give into your bosom :"
adding this too, " for with what measure ye mete, it shall be
" measured to you." There is however an apparent incom
patibility between the two declarations : for if we are to receive
" good measure, and squeezed down, and running over," how
" shall we be paid back the same measure wherewith we
" mete?" for this implies an equal recompense, and not one of
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 109
far-surpassing abundance. What say we then ? The all wise
Paul frees us from our difficulties, by bringing us the solution
of the matters in question. For he says, that " he that soweth 2 Cor. ix. 6.
" sparingly, meaning thereby, that he who distributed the
" necessaries of life to those who are in penury and affliction
" moderately, and so to speak, with contracted hand, and not
" plentifully and largely/ shall also reap sparingly : and he
" that soweth in blessings y, in blessings shall also reap." By
which is meant, he who bountifully ***** So that if any From Mai.
one hath not, he has not sinned by not giving it ; for a man
is acceptable according to that which he hath, and not according
to that which he hath not. And this the law of the very wise From the
Moses has taught us in type : for those that were under the Svriac -
law brought sacrifices to God according to what they severally
possessed, and were able to afford : some for instance bullocks,
and some rams, or sheep, or doves, or pigeons, or meal mingled
with oil, but even he who offered this * *, because he had no
calf to offer, though so little and to be procured so cheaply, was
equal to the other as regards his intention.
FROM SERMON XXIX. From the
, , Syriac.
EXPLANATION OF WHAT is BELOW. MS.i2,i54.
Woe unto you rich ; For ye have received your consolation. Ver. 24.
This too we must discuss among ourselves : For is it the
case, that every one who is rich, and possesses abundant Avealth,
y Or bountifully, eV fvXoyiais. e. g. Theoph ylact on Rom. xv. 29.
In this and similar passages euAo-yia " I know that I shall come in the
(Syr. |A^;co,) is used as the equi- " fulness of the blessing of the
valent of the Hebrew nmn, lite- " gospel of Christ," explains bless-
rally, a blessing, but implying a ing by almsgiving ; Aui/ao-cu cv\o-
present ; cf. for instance Gen. xxxiii. yiav TTJV eAeq/zoo-ui/rji/ i/or/o-ai : so that
n, where the term is applied to the the sense, he says is, I shall find
blessings, i. e. the presents sent by you perfect in almsgiving and mu-
Jacob to propitiate Esau : so 2 tual love. In the Western Church
Kings v. 15, "Take a blessing of benedictio frequently means boun-
" thy servant :" and in Prov. xi. ty, as may be seen in Du Cange,
25. mil tfoa signifies anima mu- who explains it thus : " Benedictio-
nifica, a liberal man. It is im- " nes, eulogise, munera : maxime ea
portant to bear in mind this mean- " xenia quee a sacerdotibus et cleri-
ing of ei-Xoyia, as the fathers often c is mitti solebant, ab iis benedic-
make an unexpected use of it, " tione sua sanctificata."
110 COMMENTARY UPON
is determinately cut off from the expectation of God s grace ?
Is he entirely shut out from the hope of the saints ? Has he
neither inheritance nor part with them that are crowned ? Not
so, we say, but rather on the contrary, that the rich man
might have shewn mercy on Lazarus, and so have been made
partaker of his consolation. For the Saviour pointed out a
way of salvation to those who possess earthly wealth, saying,
" Make unto yourselves friends of the unrighteous mammon,
" that when ye depart this life they may receive you into
" their tents/
Ver. 27. Love your enemies.
From Mai. The blessed Paul speaks the truth where he says, that " if
i Cor. v. t( an y one k e i n Christ, he is a new creation :" for all things
have become new, both in Him and by Him, both covenant,
and law, and mode of life. But look closely and see how
thoroughly the mode of life here described becomes those holy
teachers, who were about to proclaim the message of salvation
to every quarter of the world : and yet from this very fact they
must expect that their persecutors would be beyond num
bering, and that they would plot against them in many different
ways. If then the result had been that the disciples had be
come indignant at these vexations, and wished for vengeance on
those that annoyed them, they would have kept silence and
passed them by, no longer offering them the divine message,
nor calling them to the knowledge of the truth. It was neces-
sary therefore to restrain the mind of the holy teachers by so
solemn a sense of the duty of patience, as to make them bear
with fortitude whatever might befal, even though men insulted
them, yea and plotted against them impiously. And such was
the conduct of Christ Himself above all others for our example :
for while still hanging upon the precious cross, with the Jewish
populace making Him their sport, He put up unto God the
Luke xxiii. Father prayers in their behalf, saying, " Forgive them, for
34 " they know not what they do." Yea, and the blessed Stephen
too, while the stones were smiting him, knelt down, and prayed,
Act3vii.6o. saying, " Lord, lay not this sin upon them." And the blessed
i Cor. iv. Paul also says, " being reproached we bless, being reviled we
I2 - " entreat."
The exhortation of our Lord therefore was necessary for the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. Ill
holy apostles, and most useful for us also, to oblige us to live
rightly and admirably : for it is full of all philosophy z . But
our mistaken preconceived ideas, and the fierce tyranny of our
passions, render it a thing difficult for our minds to accomplish :
and therefore knowing that the natural a man does not admit
of these things, regarding as folly and mere impossibilities the
oracles of the Spirit, lie separates such from those able to
hear, and says, " I speak unto you that hear and are prepared Ver. 27.
" readily to perform My words." For the gloriousness of
spiritual fortitude is displayed in temptations and labours.
Imitate therefore in these things Christ, " Who when lie was iPet.ii. 23.
" reviled, reviled not again, suffering He threatened not, but
" committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously." But
perhaps thou^wilt object, saying within thyself, Christ was
God, but I a frail man, having but a feeble mind, and one
unable to resist the attack of covetousness and pain. Thou
speakest rightly : for the mind of man easily slides into wrong
doing. Nevertheless, I say, The Lord has not left thee desti
tute of His compassion and love : thou hast Him by thee, yea
within thee, by the Holy Ghost : for we arc His abode, and
He lodgeth in the souls of them that love Him. He gives thee
strength to bear nobly whatever bcfals, and to resist manfully
the attacks of temptations. " Be not overcome therefore by R m. xii.
u the b evil, but overcome the evil in the good."
To him that striketh thee on the cheek, offer also the other. Ver. 29.
That Christ is the end of the law and the prophets, is declared Rom. x. 4.
by the most wise Paul : for the law served as a schoolmaster to
guide men unto His mystery. " But now that faith has come, Gal. iii. 25.
" as the blessed Paul has again himself said, we are no longer
" under a guide : for no longer are we children in mind, but, SMywyfo,
P an error for
" on the contrary, have grown up to the perlect man, to the ^aiSa^w-
" measure of the mature age of the fulness of Christ." We do ^ . y ^
z On the meanir1| of philosophy, is to be overcome in the good One,
consult the note on ver. 22. God, yet the gender in the second
a ^VXIKOS, having a soul only, clause proves this idea to be incor-
Cf. note on iv. 38. rect. The meaning therefore is,
b Although the article might sug- " Overcome evil of every kind, what-
gest, as in the Lord s prayer, that ever it be, by whatever is good."
Satan, the evil one, is signified, who
COMMENTARY UPON
not therefore require milk, but rather, food of a more solid
nature, such as Christ bestows upon us, by setting before us
the pathway of that righteousness which surpasses the power
Mat. v. 20. of the law. For He said Himself to the holy apostles, " Verily
" 1 say unto you, except your righteousness be over and above,
" more than of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye cannot enter into
" the kingdom of heaven." This then it is necessary to discuss,
what, namely, is meant by the " over and above" in the
righteousness in accordance with the saving message of the
Gospel.
The law spoken by Moses to them of old time enacted like
for like : and while it forbade the doing a wrong, it by no means
commanded those who had already been injured to bear
Ex. xx. 15. patiently, as the Gospel law requires. For it^says, "Thou
" shalt not kill: thou shalt not steal : thou shalt not forswear
Ex. xxi. 24. " thyself." But to this is added, "Eye for eye, hand for
" hand, foot for foot, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
Such an enactment required a man not to injure others ; and
supposing him to have sustained an injury, that his anger at the
wrong doer must not go beyond an equal retribution. But
the general bearing of the legal mode of life was by no means
pleasing to God ; it was even given to those of old time as a
schoolmaster, accustoming them by little and little to a fitting
righteousness, and leading them on gently to the possession of
Prov.xvi.s. the perfect good. For it is written, " To do what is just is the
" beginning of the good way :" but finally, all perfection is in
Christ, and His precepts. " For to him that striketh thee, He
" saith, on the cheek, offer also the other." In this there is
pointed out to us the pathway to the highest degree of
patience. But He wills besides, that we pay no regard to
riches ; so that even if a man have but one outer garment, he
must not count it a thing unendurable to put off with it also his
undergarment, if it so befal. But this is a virtue possible only
for a mind entirely turned away from covetousness : for " do
" not, He says, ask back whatever any one talj^th away that is
" thine: but even give to every one that asketh of thee:" a
proof indeed of love and willingness to be poor; and the
compassionate man must necessarily also be ready to forgive,
so as to shew friendly acts even to his enemies.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 113
As ye wish that men should do unto you, even so do ye Ver. 31.
unto them.
It was probable however that the holy apostles would per
chance think these things difficult to put into practice : He
therefore Who knoweth all things takes the natural law of self-
love as the arbiter of what any one would wish to obtain from
another. Shew thyself, He says, to others such as thou
wishest them to be towards thee. If thou wouldest have
them harsh and unfeeling, fierce and wrathful, revengeful and
ill-disposed, shew thyself also such : but if on the contrary
thou wouldst have them kind and forgivin^, do not think it a
o O
thing intolerable to be thyself so. And in the case of those
so disposed, the law is perchance unnecessary, because God
writes upon our hearts the knowledge of His will : " for in j er . xxxi.
" those days, saith the Lord, I will surely give My laws into 33-
" their mind, and will write them on their heart/
Be ye therefore merciful. Ver. 36.
Great is the glory of compassion, and so verily it is written,
that "man is a great thing, and the merciful man an honour- Prov.xx.6.
t( able thing." For virtue restores us to the form_pf God, and
imprints on our souls certain characters as it were of the
supreme nature.
Judye not, and \je shall not be Judy ed. Ver. 37.
He cuts away from our minds a very unmanageable passion,
the commencement and begetter of pride. For while it is
men s duty to examine themselves, and to order their conduct
according to God s will, they leave this alone to busy them
selves with the affairs of others : and if they see any in
firm, forgetting as it seems their own frailties, they make
it an excuse for faultfinding, and a handle for calumny.
For they condemn them, not knowing that being equally
afflicted with the same infirmities as those whom they censure,
they condemn themselves. For so also the most wise Paul
writes, " for wherein thou judgest the other, thou condemncst Rom. ii. r.
" thyself: for thou that judgest doest the same things." And
yet it were rather our duty to have compassion on the infirm,
as those who have been overcome by the assaults of thejmssions,
Q
114 COMMENTARY UPON
and entangled without hope of escape in the meshes of sin,
and to pray in their behalf, and exhort them, arid rouse
them up unto soberness, and endeavour ourselves not to fall
James iv. into similar faults. " For he that judgeth the brother, as the
" " disciple of Christ saith, speaketh against the law, and judgeth
" the law." For the lawgiver and judge is One : for the
judge of the sinning soul must be higher than that soul : but
since thou art not so, the sinner will object to thee as judge,
" why judgest thou thy neighbour ?" But if thou venture to
condemn him. having no authority thereto, it is thyself rather
that w T ill be condemned, inasmuch as the law permits thee not
to judge others.
Whoever therefore is guided by good sense, does not look at
the sins of others, nor busies himself about the faults of his
neighbour, but closely scans his own misdoings. Such was
the blessed Psalmist, falling down before God, and saying on
Ps. cxxx. 3. account of his own offences, " If Thou, Lord, Lord, closely
" regardest iniquities, who can endure ?" And once again,
putting forward the infirmity of human nature as an excuse, he
Ts. dii. 14- supplicates for a not unreasonable pardon, saying, "Remember
" that we are earth/
Ver. 39. And he spake a parable unto them.
This parable He added as a most necessary appendage to
what had been said. The blessed disciples were about to be
the initiators and teachers of the world : it was necessary for
them therefore to prove themselves possessed of every thing re
quisite for piety : they must know the pathway of the evangelic
mode of life, and be workmen ready for every good work, and
able to bestow upon well-instructed hearers such correct and
saving teaching as exactly represents the truth. This they
must do, as having already first received their sight, and a
mind illuminated with the divine light, lest they should be
blind leaders of the blind. For it is not possible for men
enveloped in the darkness of ignorance, to guide those who
are afflicted in the same way into the knowledge of the truth :
for should they attempt it, they will both roll into the ditch
of licentiousness.
Next, overthrowing the vaunting passion of boastfulncss, to
which most men give way, that they may not emulously strive
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 115
to surpass their teachers in honour, He added ; " The disciple
" is not above his teacher ;" and even if some make such
progress, as to attain to a virtue that rivals that of their
teachers, they will range themselves no higher than their
level, and be their imitators. And Paul shall again be our
warrant, saying, " Be ye imitators of me, as I also am of i Cor. xi.
" Christ." Since therefore the Teacher as yet judgeth not,
why judgeth thou? For He came not to judge the world, but
to shew pity. And according to the foregoing explanation, if
I, He says, judge not, neither must you the disciple. But if
thou art guilty of worse crimes than those for which thou
judgest another, how canst thou keep thyself from shame when
thou art convicted of it? And this the Lord made plain by
another parable.
116 COMMENTARY UPON
From the SERMON XXXIII.
Syriac.
MS.]
Ver. 4 i. " And why, saith He, beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
" brother s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine
" own eye?" Having previously shewn us that the judging
others is utterly wicked and dangerous, and the cause of final
condemnation : for " Judge not, He said, and ye shall not be
" judged : and condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned."
He now by conclusive arguments persuades us to avoid the
very wish of judging others : and rather to examine our own
hearts, and try to free them from the passions that dwell
within them, and their frailties, by asking it of God : for He it
is Who healeth the broken in heart, and freeth us from the
maladies of the soul. For if thou, He says, art thyself sick
with maladies more dangerous and severe than those of others,
why, neglecting thy own, dost thou find fault with them, and
whilst thou hast a beam in thine own eye, commencest a hot
accusation against those who have a mote ? Tell me by what
The Commentary, like similar this title I had made use of until I
works of S. Chrysostom and others, met with the following heading to a
was delivered in a course of Ho- sermon contained in MS. 12, 165,
milies; these however the Syriac in the British Museum, which
translator terms Targums, literally shews that the verb signified also
Interpretations or Expositions ; and to " preach."
pdrn.i
: oa A OA cu i
Sermon upon the death of Meletius the Great, bishop of Antioch. S.
* Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, preached it before one hundred and fifty
bishops at Constantinople/ This sermon is also extant in Greek.
Upon the authority therefore of this heading I have called them
Sermons.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 117
boldness doest tliou this ? Deliver thyself first from thy great
crimes, and thy rebellious passions, and then thou mayest set
him right who is guilty of but trifling faults.
Wouldst thou see the matter clearly and plainly, and that
it is a very hateful thing for men to give way to this feeling ?
Our Lord was once walking on the sabbath day among the
cornfields, and the blessed disciples plucked some ears, and
rubbing them in their hands, ate the grains. But some Pha
risees drew near, and say, " Behold, Thy disciples do that
" which is not lawful to do on sabbath days ! " And yet they
themselves in manifold ways were guilty of disregarding the
law altogether. For even the prophet Isaiah cried out against
them, saying, "How has the faithful city Zion become a bar- Is. i. 21.
" lot ! It was full of judgment ; righteousness lodged in it :
" but now murderers. Your silver is reprobate; thy merchants
" mix the wine with water ; thy princes arc contentious, the
" partners of thieves, loving bribes, pursuing after recompense;
" they judge not the orphans, and to the widow s suit they
" have no regard. 1 Yet these very men, themselves liable to
these most severe reproaches, accused the disciples of breaking
the sabbath !
But they met with just rebuke from Christ, Who said unto
them ; " Woe unto you, scribes and pharisces, hypocrites ! who Mat. xxiii.
" tithe mint and cummin, and have neglected the weighty 23
" matters of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith."
And again, " Ye are they who strain out a gnat, but gulp Mat. xxiii.
" down a camel." For while their teaching was of mere 74-
trifles, and they condemned the people under them for the
most contemptible matters, they had the hardihood, as I said,
to treat as of no consequence those weighty crimes. For this
reason the Saviour called them " whitened sepulchres, which Mat. xxiii.
" outside appear indeed to men to be beautiful, but inside 7 "
" are full of the bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness." -
And such is every hypocrite : and whenever they would cast
an imputation upon others, who have yielded to infirmity in
any particular, deservedly will they have it said to them, " First
" cast out the beam from thine own eye, and then thou wilt
" see to cast out the mote from thy brother s eye."
The commandment, therefore, is indispensable for every one
118 COMMENTARY UPON
who would live piously : but, above all, for those who have been
intrusted with the instruction of others. For if they are good
and sober-minded, and enamoured of the elect life, and not
merely acquainted with, but also practisers of virtuous arts,
and setting in their own conduct the pattern of a holy life,
they can with open countenance rebuke those who will not do
the same, for not having imitated their example, nor imprinted
their virtuous manners on themselves : but if they are careless,
and quickly snared by pleasures to do evil, how can they blame
others when similarly affected? Wisely, therefore, did the
Jamesiii.i. blessed disciples write, saying; " Let there not be many teach-
" ers among 6 you, my brethren : for ye know that we shall
" receive greater condemnation." For as Christ, Who is the
Distributor of the crowns, and the Punisher of those who do
Mat, v. 19. wrong, Himself says; " He who shall do and teach, shall be
" called great in the kingdom of heaven : but he who hath not
" done, but hath taught, shall be called least in the kingdom
" of heaven."
But I can imagine some one saying, How are we to dis
tinguish the man who has a beam in his eye, but finds fault
with those who have a mote, and are infirm only in part ? But
there is nothing difficult in this, He says ; for any one who will,
may see it easily : " for it is not a good tree that brings forth
" evil fruit : nor a good tree that brings forth good fruit : for
u every true is known by its fruit." Each man s actual life,
therefore, is that which decides what are his morals : for it is
not by mere outside adornments, and fictitious virtues that the
beauty of the truly honourable life is delineated, but by the
deeds a man does : for they are the fruits of a mind that for
the love of piety chooses a blameless life. It is by deeds,
therefore, and not by outside shew, that we must see who is
the man truly approved, and who is not so. Again, Christ
Mat.vii.T5. somewhere says, "Beware of those who come to you in the
" likeness d of sheep, but within are ravenous wolves." See
c The reading " among you," is the Greek of Mai, which has ev
an error probably of the translator, wSvp-ao-i, as have all the MSS. of
as there is no such varia lectio, nor the N. T., and so the Syriac just
is it in the Greek of Mai. below has " by their clothing"
d The reading Aalc r o, " in the I^Q^^ ^c.
likeness of," is not confirmed bv
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 119
again, Christ commands that those who come unto us must be
distinguished not by their clothing, but by what they really
are. " For by its fruit, He says, the tree is known :" and just
as it is ignorance and folly for us to expect to find the choicer
kinds of fruits on thorns, grapes for instance, and figs ; so it is
ridiculous for us to imagine that we can find in hypocrites and
the profane ought that is admirable, the nobleness, I mean, of
virtue.
Wouldst thou see the truth of this again ? Wouldst thou see
who the wolves are that clothe themselves in the sheep s skin ?
Examine the writings of the holy Apostles : hear what they
say of certain men : " For they who are such are false Apo- 2 Cor. xi. 13.
" sties : deceitful workers, transforming themselves into angels
" of righteousness : and no wonder, for Satan even trans-
" forms himself into an angel of light. It is no great thing,
" therefore, if his ministers also transform themselves into an-
" gels of righteousness." These one may well call thorns and
briars : in such there is no particle of sweetness, but every
thing that is bitter and of an evil nature : for the tig grows
not on thorns; nor will one find any thing pleasant in them,
for grapes are not produced on briars. We must decide, then,
the character of the teacher, not by appearances, but by the
acts of each one s life. c
This is also made clear by another declaration of our Lord :
" for the good man, He says, as out of a good treasure,
" poureth forth from the heart f good things :" but he who is
differently disposed, and whose mind is the prey of fraud and
wickedness, necessarily brings forth what is concealed deep
within. For the tilings that are in the mind and heart boil
over, and are vomited forth by the outflowing stream of speech.
The virtuous man, therefore, speaks such things as become his
c A few lines follow in Mai not have separated this word wilfully
recognized by the Syriac, but pro- from it usual dependance upon
bably taken from the Commentary " treasure," I may here observe,
on Matth. vii. 18, as they give an once for all, that the punctuation of
^explanation of the different bearing the Syriac is exact to the last de-
of the interpretation of the two pas- gree of minuteness : and in this
sages. and all similar places I have scru-
f Lest I should be thought to pulously adhered to it.
120 COMMENTARY UPON
character, while he who is worthless and wicked vomits forth
his secret impurity.
Every thing, therefore, that is to our benefit, Christ teaches
us, and requires His disciples to be on their guard against de
ceit, and vigilant and careful. For this reason He shews them
the straight way, and discloses the snares that lead down to
wickedness, that thus escaping from offences, and being stead
fast in mind beyond risk of sin, they may quickly reach the
mansions that are above by Christ s blessing : by Whom and
with Whom to God the Father & be praise and dominion with
the Holy Ghost for ever and ever, Amen.
Syriac, God and Father.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON XXXIV.
But luhy call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which C.vi. 4 6- 49 .
I say ? Every one that cometh unto Me, and heareth My 6 *? B.
words, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like. GTsT
He is like a man building a house, who dug and made it
deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock : and when
there ivas a flood, the river beat against that house, and
could not shake it, because it was well built. But he that 5< T\> Ka -
hath heard and not done, is like a man who built a house * IKO *
[j.e<.<TVat av-
upon the earth without foundation, ayainst which the river rfa BST.
beat, and that moment it fell, and the fall oft/tat house "//rfrV
was great. irtrpav Gs.
THERE is " one Lord, one faith, one baptism," for so the Eph. iv. 5.
wise Paul writeth. For both the name of lordship, and also
the reality, are appropriate solely to that nature Which tran
scends all, and is supreme; even That Which is divine, and to
be worshipped, as possessing and governing all things. For so
Paul again somewhere says of Him; "For even, if there be iCor.viii.5.
" Gods many and Lords many, in heaven or in earth ; yet for
" us there is one God, the Father, from Whom is all, and we
" by Him : and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom is all, and
" we by Him." As therefore we acknowledge God the Word
alone, Who reigneth with God the Father, as by nature
and verily Lord, we accordingly give this name to Him.
" But why, He asks, call ye Me indeed Lord, but do not the
" things which I say?" For if He possess no real authority, nor
glory of lordship, but, on the contrary, it is conferred upon
Him from without, and bestowed by favour, do not offer Him
thy obedience : refuse His service : consent not to be subject
unto Him. But if lie be verily, and in its precise meaning
Lord, and the whole nature of things created bow beneath His
c5
sceptre, and as a thing set under the feet of its Lord, then pay
what is due : accept the yoke : and as being due, offer Him
thy obedience ; that thou maycst not hear Him blaming thec in
words spoken by one of the holy prophets to them of old time ;
R
122 COMMENTARY UPON
Mai. i. 6. " A son honoureth his father, and a servant his lord : if I then
" am a father, where is My honour ? and if I am a lord, where
(t is My fear ? saith the Lord Almighty "
For come, and let us see by what takes place among us the
blame to which we become liable by disobedience. We are
ourselves accustomed to require of our servants 11 obedience
mingled with fear : and when they plan rebellion, and throw
off the yoke of servitude, we make them humble by bonds and
tortures and the scourge. When therefore we, who are of
earth, and by nature the brethren of those who are bowed be
neath the yoke, cannot tolerate them when rebellious, how will
God endure it ; He Whom principalities, thrones, and lord
ships worship : in Whose presence the high-exalted Seraphs
stand, readily rendering their service ? For the divine David
Pe. ciii. 20. somewhere says of them in the Psalms ; " Bless the Lord, all
" ye His angels, who hearken to the voice of His words.
" Bless the Lord, all ye His hosts : His ministers, who do all
" of them His pleasure."
It is dangerous, therefore, and merits final condemnation,
to be unwilling to submit to Christ the Almighty : but those
who prize His service, shall receive the most excellent bless
ings. For He has said by one of the holy prophets to those
who run away from His yoke, and will not submit to be set
Is. ixv. 13. under His authority; "Behold, they that serve Me shall eat;
" but ye shall suffer hunger : behold, they that serve Me shall
" drink ; but ye shall suffer thirst : behold, they that serve
h Domestic service in old time by associations of his degraded posi-
freemen was all but unknown, and tion. That Christianity gradually,
therefore " servant" is equivalent to though very slowly, led to the ame-
" slave." Hence the full force of lioration of their state, we may see
Luke xvi. 13., xvii. 9., &c. ; and by the acknowledgment in the text
such expressions as * sold under that the slave was by nature his
" sin." (Rom. vii. 14.) Of their master s brother; and by S. Chry-
treatment, S. Chrysostom (Horn. iv. sostorn s appeals in their behalf,
in Titum) complains that masters as, for instance, If Paul was not
generally neglected their morals, ashamed to call a slave his son,
and thought only of their service; and his own bowels, and brother
and that therefore " it was a diffi- and beloved, why should we be
" cult thing for a slave to be a good ashamed ? And what say I ?
" man :" for being left without edu- Paul s Lord was not ashamed to
cation, and not admitted into the call our slaves His brothers, and
society of freemen, there was no- are we ashamed thereat ? (Horn,
thing to counteract the debasing ii. in Phil.)
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 123
" Me shall exult ; but ye shall mourn : behold, they that obey
" Me, shall be merry with joy ; but ye shall cry out for the
" grief of your heart, and howl for contrition of your spirit."
Thou seest that the crown of those who bear the yoke of ser
vitude is very beautiful, worthy of being acquired, and pre
cious : while severe and manifold condemnation is decreed
against the rest.
And yet again in another place thou mayest see that the
true servant is adorned with surpassing honour, while the dis
obedient and careless is rejected with disgrace, or rather is
banished to the outer darkness. For they who received the
talents, and doubled for the owner what had been given them,
O
were honoured by him with praises : for he said to each one
of them, " O good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful Mat. xxv.
" over a few things; I will set thee over many things: enter *
" the joy of thy lord." But him who hid in the ground what
had been given him, as not loving service and indolent, he con
demned to severe and inevitable punishment.
Elsewhere too He has said, " Who then is that faithful and Mat. xxiv.
" wise servant, whom his lord shall set over his household to 45
" give them meat at its season ? Blessed is that servant, whom
" his lord shall come and find so doing. Verily I say unto you,
(t that he will set him over all that he hath."
Those therefore who keep our Saviour s will are made glo
rious, and worthy of emulation, and adorned with praises for
their fidelity : yea, moreover, they have a name given them,
for He has said again of them in a certain place, " On them j. ixv. 15.
" that serve Me, there shall be called a new name, k even That
" Which is blessed upon earth."
And there is yet another point which I think must be added
to what has been already said, namely, that by being willing
1 As servant meant slave, so the k The name of Christ, fulfilled
" lord," 8f 0-7TOT/7S 1 , was the master in the title of Christians ; of which
or owner of the household. Hence S. Gregory of Nyssa, (de perf. Chr.
the well-known objection of the forma, iii. 277.) says, "The good-
Romans to the title of Dominus, as " ness of God has granted us to
implying the relation between mas- " share in that great and most di-
ter and slave. Each slave had usu- " vine and chief of names, being
ally a monthly allowance of food, " honoured with Christ s own title,
which one of them was commis- and so called Christians."
sioned to distribute.
COMMENTARY UPON
to submit to our Saviour s words and serve Him, we shall gain
in return the honour of freedom by His decree. For He said
John viii. to those that believe in Him, " If ye abide in My Word, ye
" are truly My disciples, and ye shall acknowledge the truth,
" and the truth shall make you free." We gain therefore the
Mai Mfftv. glory of freedom by subjection : that is, by servitude under
Him. This makes us sons and heirs of God, and fellow heirs
with Christ : of which He again shall be thy proof, saying ;
John viii. " that every one that doeth sin is the servant of sin : but the
" servant abideth not in the house for ever. 1 If therefore the
" Son make you free, ye are really free."
The being willing therefore to serve is that which invites us
to freedom, and the honour which is the especial prerogative of
sons : but disobedience humbles us to a base and ignominious
servitude, if it be true, as true certainly it is, that " every one
" that doeth sin is the servant of sin.""
But yes I says some one, obedience unto Christ s service is a
most excellent thing, and highly to be appreciated ; but it is
by no means an easy matter : for there is much that stands in
the way, and is able to exhaust our zeal. Y"es, so say I too : for
first of all Satan resists whatever is excellent : and the flesh,
Gal. v. 17. in its fondness for pleasure, strives against the Spirit, " for they
" are contrary one to the other," according to the expression
of the wise Paul : and the law of sin that is in the members,
savagely and very bitterly makes opposition. For I know that
Paul, who was instructed in the law, excellently discusses these
Rom. vii. questions. For he said, u For I rejoice in the law of God in
" the inner man : but I see another law warring against the
" law of the mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of
" sin, that is in my members." And again ; " I therefore in
" my mind serve indeed the law of God, but in my flesh the
" law of sin." And besides this, there is a certain powerful
inclination of the mind of man, which makes the will wander
after pleasures : and engenders the delights of worldly lusts,
and leads it away from the wish to labour in the cause of vir
tue. Shall we, therefore, on this account, refuse our service ?
1 The omission of 6 vibs pcvei els Greek text retains it. It is, how-
TOV al&va, is probably an error of ever, omitted in one or two MSS.
the translator, or some copyist : the of the N. T.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 125
Is He ever seen to command ought that is impossible, and that
cannot be done ? Does He demand of us anything that exceeds
the limits of our nature ? And who would venture to say this ?
For certainly He adapts to our minds whatever is commanded.
When, therefore, thou tellest me of the difficulty of obedience,
I tell thee also : Do those things that are great and excellent
come of themselves? or do those who seek to win them succeed
without toil? or, on the contrary, are they attained to by earnest
ness and labours ? Who are the men that in the conflicts of the
palestra are accustomed to win the crown ? Is it those who
have entirely devoted themselves to skill in the art of wrest
ling, and have gone through bitter toils? for " they endure all iCor.ix.35.
" things," according to the expression of St. Paul : or, on the
contrary, is it the indolent and luxurious, and those entirely
unacquainted with what is suitable for athletes? Who of those
that till the ground have their threshing-floor full of sheaves ?
Is it such as neglect ploughing, and will not undertake the se
vere toil of the mattock : or, on the contrary, is it tho diligent
and industrious, and such as apply themselves to the labours
necessary for ensuring a prolific crop ? The answer is known,
even if no one speak it ; that it is with those who are willing
to labour, and not with those whose wont it is to be at ease,
that a life of happiness is to be found, and nothing wanting for
a tranquil existence. The Psalmist also bears witness, in a pas
sage where he makes mention of the tillers of the ground as
an exemplification of something else, " They went out, and that Ps.cxxvi.6.
" with tears, carrying their seed : but they shall surely come
" with joy bringing their sheaves." Joy therefore is the fruit
of labour.
Moreover, the Lord Himself somewhere quickens us for the
love of exertion in every praiseworthy pursuit, by saying,
" Enter at the strait gate: because narrow is the gate, and Mat.vii.i3.
" strait the way that leadeth unto life ; but broad and wide
" is that which leadeth down those that run thereon unto de-
" struction." Observe therefore that the end of that strait
path leadeth unto life, while the easy descent of the broad way
sends men to the flame and never-ending torments.
If therefore we call Christ, the Saviour of us all, Lord, let
us do the things which He says. For He teaches us Himself
what the benefit is of our being willing to do that which is
126 COMMENTARY UPON
commanded : and what the loss of our refusing to obey : for
He says, " Every one that heareth My words and doeth them,
" is like a man who builds a house, and firmly places its foun-
" dations upon the rock :" while he who does not obey, he also
is like a man building a house, but who has taken no care for
its stability. For he who is obedient and tractable holds a
thoroughly firm position in every thing that is honourable and
good, by reason of his being not so much a hearer of the law,
as a doer of its works : he resembles therefore a house firmly
settled, and having a foundation that cannot be shaken, so that
even though temptations press upon him, and the savageness
of the passions that dwell within us assail him like some winter
torrent, or a waterflood, he will sustain no serious loss. But he
who merely inclines his ear to what Christ saith, but stores no
thing up in his mind, nor performs anything that is commanded,
he, on the other hand, is like a house just ready to fall. For
he will be led away at once into things unseemly whenever
pleasure allures him, and leads him into the pitfalls of sin.
The service therefore of Christ invites us, as we affirm, unto
every blessing : and if we will blamelessly fulfil it, Christ will
crown us with His grace ; by Whom and with Whom to God
the Father be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost, for
ever and ever, Amen. m "
m The greater part of the above in Cramer s Catena a part of it is
homily has perished in the Greek, quoted eg dvemypcKpov, \. e. as given
but Mai has among his fragments without the author s name, whereas
one from his second Catena B. not Cyril had been very largely quoted
recognized in the Syriac : its style, by name almost immediately before,
however, differs from Cyril s; and
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 127
SERMON XXXV.
And when He had ended all His words in the hearing of the c. vii. i-io.
people, He entered into Capernaum. And a certain centu- <=8^ BT.
, . . , 7ret 5e GSs.
nons servant who ivas dear unto him was sick, and near
to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto Htm
elders of the Jews, beseeching Him to come and save his
servant. And when they came unto Jesus, they besought
Him earnestly, saying, that lie is worthy that Thou
shouldst grant this unto him : for he lovcth our nation,
and hath also built us himself a synagogue. And Jesus
ivent with them. And when He was now not far distant
from the house, the centurion sent his friends unto Him, om. vpbs
saying unto Him, Lord, trouble not Thyself; for I am not ai
sufficient that Thou shouldest enter under my roof: there
fore neither thought I myself wort/iy to come unto Thee :
but speak only with a word, and my child 11 will be healed. m0rjT BT.
.For / also am a man set under authority, having under QQ,."
me soldiers ; and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth : and
to another, Come, and he cometh : and to my servant, Do
this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus heard these things,
He marvelled at him, and turned Himself, and said to the
multitude that followed Him, I say unto you, that I have
not found so great faith even in Israel. And ivhen they
who had been sent returned unto the house, they found the add. a<r0e~
, -, vowraGTs.
servant whole. om BS .
THE wise Evangelist fillcth our minds with sacred les
sons, and endeavours to throw abundant light upon what
ever makes our faith assured : for this is the object of his
tidings concerning Christ. Very appropriately therefore he
introduces Him as at one time teaching the holy Apostles
n A domestic servant was con- quently it is rendered " servant" in
stantly styled irais, child. So ir: the A. V. as i Sara. ii. 15. The
in Hebrew, " Joseph was serving term was also applied to females, as
" boy, (in charge of the sheep pro- when Boaz bade Ruth continue
" bably,) with the sons of Bilhah." with his " young women" during
(Gen. xxxvii. 2.) : and very fre- the gleaning.
COMMENTARY UPON
things superior to the service enacted in the law, and pointing
out to them a path new and untrodden by them of old time of
the conversation that becometh saints: and at another, he very
beautifully displays to us the manifestation of a godlike power,
in order that in every way it may be known that the Only-
begotten Word of the Father is very God even though He be-
Heb.i. 3. came flesh, that is, man, " and produces every thing by the
" word of his power :" as is proved unto us by the examina
tion of what is written concerning Him.
When then, so to speak, he had satiated the holy Apostles
with the most perfect doctrines, and had set before them a
banquet of evangelical commands, and had mingled the wine
that maketh glad the heart of man, and very clearly told them
the means by which they would become triumphant and praise
worthy, He goes down to Capernaum. And there also He
works a great and wonderful deed, worthy of the greatness
of His majesty -..there a glorious theatre was moved with
astonishment, in which angels and men were spectators. For
Israel is rebuked, and is dull of understanding, and unready
for faith : while the multitude of the heathen, in mind at least,
is ready thoroughly both to understand and believe : so that
Christ is seen by just decree rejecting His servant Israel, while
He accepts and honours and crowns by His grace those who
of old served the creature apart from the Creator : who were
in gloom and darkness, and without the knowledge of God :
and had bowed the neck of their slavish mind to the wicked
ness of demons.
What, then, was that which was accomplished, or what was
the miracle? There was a pious man, distinguished for the
excellence of his conduct, and the commander of a body of sol
diers, who was a fellow inhabitant with the people of Caper
naum. A faithful servant of his as it chanced fell sick, and, so
to speak, had already reached the gates of death, and to all
appearance was now at his last gasp. " And he was dear to
" him," so that he was pierced with anguish. What remedy,
then, can he find for what has happened, or what aid can he
procure for him who is lying ill ? " He heard, it says, the
Cr. contains several fragments and probably on this account, not
of this exposition, but anonymously, included by Mai in his collection.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
" things of Jesus ;" and so he sends unto Him, asking of Him
manifestly as of God things that exceed the nature and power
of man. For his request was, that one who was laid prostrate
in the last stage of sickness might be delivered from the bands
of death. And whence, then, did he know Jesus, since he was
not as yet of the number of those who believed on Him ? for
hitherto he had been one of the mass wandering in error. He
heard, it says, the things concerning Him. And since certainly
he had never heard His personal instruction, nor seen any of
His miracles, nor had met with the writings of Moses, nor
searched the divine Scriptures, he could only have attained
to faith in Him from simple rumours and hearsays. But as
being fully assured that by the mere act of His will lie could
accomplish his request, he sends as supplicants in his behalf
the principal men of the Jews ; and these were the elders.
Upon their arrival they offer their request, saying, " that he
" is worthy that Thou shouldest grant this unto him."
marvellous act! They who slandered Christ s glory, request
Him to work a miracle ! Those who refused to believe in Him,
ask Him to display before men who had not yet believed
such acts as lead on to faith ! Tell me in what character
dost thou approach with thy request? Dost thou know and
believe that He is able to perform things that are the preroga
tive of God ? Art thou fully convinced that it belongs solely to
the supreme Substance, Who is above all, to be able to make
alive, and to deliver men from the snares of death ? If so, how
then didst thou say when thou sawest Jesus working miracles,
" This man casteth not out devils but by Beelzebub, Prince of Mat. xii.
" the devils?" And when that man who had been blind from 24
his mother s womb was wonderfully healed, and gained an un
wonted light, thou advisedst him, saying, "Give God the glory, John ix. 24
" we know that this man is a sinner." Dost thou then ask
this sinner, as thou calledst Him, to perform an act of Deity ?
Is not this madness, and sheer stupidity ? Are not those who
hitherto had not believed far better than those who had been
taught by the law and the prophets ?
Wouldst thou see the fact that such is the case and such
only ? Observe what follows ; The Saviour had now set out
upon His way to restore the sick man : but the centurion
sent unto Him, saying, " Lord, trouble not Thyself; but speak
130 COMMENTARY UPON
" with a word, and my child will be healed." Consider then,
that these elders of the Jews begged Jesus to go to the house of
him who requested His aid, as not being able in any other way
to raise him up who was lying ill, except by going to his side :
whereas the other believed that He could do it even at a dis
tance, and effect it by the inclination of His will. He asked
for the saving word, the loving assent, the all mighty utter
ance ; and justly therefore did he win a sentence of surpassing
worth : for Jesus said, " Verily I say unto you, that not even
" in Israel have I found so great faith." The proof then and
demonstration, follows closely and immediately from what we
have now said. Finally, He delivered that same hour from his
sickness him who a little before had been the prey of death :
for He Who willed the undoing of what had happened was God.
As I said then at the beginning of this discourse, by God s
holy decree Israel fell from his relationship unto Him, and in
his stead the heathen were called and admitted, as having a
heart better prepared for that faith in Him, which justly is
required. And of this the divine Psalmist shall again be our
Ps. x. 17. proof, where he says concerning them; at one time, "Thou
" hast inclined Thine ear because of the preparation of their
Ps. xvi. 4 . " heart ;" and at another, " Many were their infirmities, and
" afterwards they went quickly." For many indeed were the
offences laid to their charge, to which he gently gives the
name of infirmities: for they were wandering in error, and
guilty of abominable crimes, not merely in one way, but in
many : but they went quickly to the faith, that is, they were
not slow in accepting the commands of Christ, but very readily
embraced the faith. For that they were to be caught in
Christ s net, He teacheth thee where He saith by one of the
z ep b.iii.8. holy prophets, For this wait for Me, saith the Lord, until
" the day of My rising up to bear witness, because My judg-
" ment is for the congregations of the heathen." For when
Christ rose from the dead, He bestowed on those that were in
error that judgment which is for their happiness and salvation.
Mat.xxviii. For He even commanded the holy disciples, Go make disci-
" pies of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
" Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : and
" teaching them to observe all those things that I have com-
t( manded you."
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 131
By the holy decree therefore, and just sentence of our
common Saviour Christ, the heathen were honoured; but
Israel we see rejected from His love and affection. For what
do we find the chief Shepherd of all saying to them by one of
the holy prophets ? " And T have declared,, He says, that I will Zech. xi. 9.
" not feed you, and that which is dying shall die : and that
" which is fainting shall faint : and those that are left shall
" devour every one the flesh of his neighbour . v And again ;
" God hath rejected them, because they have not heard Him : llos. ix. 17.
" and they shall be wanderers among the heathen. " And
again by the voice of the prophet Ezechiel, " Thus saith my EZ. xii. 15.
" Lord, the Lord; that I will drive them amon^ the heathen, xx :. 2 3-
xxn. 15.
" and disperse them over the whole earth." Take the actual
result of facts for your persuasion and faith in what is here
said. For they are vagabonds and strangers in every land and
city, neither preserving in its purity the worship enjoined by
the law, nor submitting to accept the gloriousness of the excel
lency of the Gospel life : while we, who have received the
faith are fellow-citizens with the saints, and called the sons of
the Jerusalem that is above, in heaven, by the grace of God
which crowneth us. And Him we affirm to be the completion of
the law and the prophets : we confess His glory ; we admire
Him as He worketh miracles ; by Whom and with Whom, to
God the Father be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost,
for ever and ever, Amen.
3 2
COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON XXXVI.
C. vii. n. And it came to pass the day after, He was going to a city
Gr. Nafr. called Nair, and His disciples were going with Him,...*
******
From Mai But observe how He joins miracle to miracle : and in the
andCra- f ormer instance, the healing of the centurion s servant, He
was present by invitation : but here He draws near without
being invited. For no one summoned Him to restore the dead
man to life, but He comes to do so of His own accord. And
He seems to me to have purposely made this miracle also
follow upon the former. For there was nothing improbable in
supposing that at some time or other some one might rise up
and say, in opposition to the Saviour s glory, What is the
prodigy wrought in the case of the centurion s son? For
o. K&V ( though he was ailing, he was in no danger of death, even
M^om et though the Evangelist has so written, shaping his narrative
rather with a view to what was pleasant, than to what was
true. To stop therefore the intemperate tongue of such de
tractors, he says, that Christ met the dead young man, the
only son of a widow. It was a pitiable calamity, able to arouse
one s lamentation, and make one s tears gush forth ; and
the woman follows, stupified with her misfortune, and all but
fainting, and many with her.
From the * * * : f or that dead man was being buried, and many
Syriac. friends were conducting him to his tomb. But there meets him
the Life and Resurrection, even Christ: -for He is the De-
i A folium is here lost, and appa- Civ. Dei, 1. xxii. c. 10.) Gentiles ta-
rently at some distant time, as the libus diis suis, sc. qui antea ho-
ornamental writing of the title has mines fuerant, et templa sedificave-
left its marks on the opposite side, runt, et statuerunt aras, et sacer-
In the margin is a note, " Fit to be dotes instituerunt, et sacrificia fe-
" read at the commemoration of the cerunt. Nos autem martyribus
" departed." To depart was a com- nostris non templa sicut diis, sed
mon euphemism in the ancient memorias sicut hominibus mortuis,
church for death ; cf. Suiceri Th. quorum apud Deum vivunt spiritus,
sub drro&jj/it a : and of the Comme- fabricamus.
morations, St. Augustin says (De
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. L W
stroyer of death and of corruption : He it is "in Whom we live Actaxvii.
u and move and are :" He it is Who has restored the nature of 2l
man to that which it originally was; and has set free our
death-fraught flesh from the bonds of death. He had mercy
upon the woman, and that her tears might be stopped, He
commanded, saying, " Weep not." And immediately the cause
of her weeping was done away : how, or by what method ? He
touched the bier, and by the utterance of his godlike word,
made him who was lying thereon return again to life: for
He said, " Young man, I say unto thee, Arise ;" and immedi
ately that which was commanded was done : the actual accom
plishment attended upon the words, " And that dead man, it
" says, sat up, and began to speak, and He gave him to his
" mother."
Observe here too, I pray you, the accuracy of the ex
pression : for the divine Evangelist not only says, that the
dead man sat up, but lest any one should by false arguments
attack the miracle, saying, What wonder ! if by means of some
* artifice or other the body was set upright ! for it is not as yet
clearly proved to be alive, or delivered from tho bonds of
death f for this reason he very skilfully notes down two proofs
one after the other, sufficient to produce the conviction that he
did in very truth arise and was restored. * For he began, he
" says, to speak" but an inanimate body cannot speak "And
" He gave him to his mother :" but assuredly the woman
would not have taken her son back to her house if he had been
dead, and had breathed his last.
Those pei-sons therefore who were restored to life by the
power of Christ, we take as a pledge of the hope prepared for
us of a resurrection of the dead : and these were, this young
man, and Lazarus of Bethany, and the daughter of the chief of
the synagogue. And this truth the company of the holy pro
phets proclaimed before : for the blessed Isaiah said, " The Is. xxvi.
" dead shall arise, and those in the graves shall be restored to "
" life : for the dew from Thee is healing to them." And by
dew he means the life-giving operation of Christ, which is by
the instrumentality of the Holy Ghost. And the Psalmist
bears witness, thus speaking concerning them in words ad
dressed to God the Saviour of us all. " When Thou turnest PS. civ.
" away Thy face they are troubled, and return to their dust.
134 COMMENTARY UPON
" Thou sendost Thy Spirit, and they are created, and Thou
" rcnewest the face of the ground." For it was by reason of
Adam s transgression of the commandment that we, having our
faces turned away from God, returned to our dust: for the
Gen. iii.i 9 . sentence of God upon human nature was, " Dust thou art, and
" unto dust thou shalt return :" but at the time of the con-
summation of this world, the face of the earth shall be renewed :
for God the Father by the Son in the Spirit will give life to
all those who are laid within it.
It is death that has brought men to old age and corruption :
death therefore has made old, that is to say, has corrupted :
Heb.viii. for " that which is made old, and is growing aged, is near cor-
" ruption," as Scripture saith : but Christ renews, in that He
is " the Life." For He Who in the beginning created, is able
again to renew unto incorruption and life. For one may well
affirm that it is the office of one and the same energy and
power, to effect both the one and the other. As therefore the
Is. xxv. 8. prophet Isaiah says, " He hath swallowed up death, having
become mighty. 1 And again, " The Lord hath taken away all
" weeping from every countenance. He hath taken away the
" reproach of the people from all the earth/ By the reproach
of the people he means sin, which disgraces and depraves
men : and which, together with destruction, shall be slain, and
sorrow and death shall perish, and the tears cease which are
shed on its account
Disbelieve not therefore the resurrection of the dead ; for long
ago Christ wrought it among us with a Godlike majesty. And
let no man say, that He Who raised two, for instance, or three,
and effected thus much, is not thoroughly sufficient for the life
also of us all. Such words, foul with utter ignorance, are
simply ridiculous. Right rather is it for us to understand, that
He is the Life, and the Life-giver by nature. And how can
the Life be insufficient for making all alive ? It would be the
same thing as to say in one s excessive folly, that the Light also
is sufficient indeed for little things, but not for the Universe.
He therefore arose who was descending to his grave. And
the manner of his rising is plain to see ; "for He touched, it says,
" the bier, and said, Young man, I say unto thee, arise." And
yet how was not a word enough for raising him who was lying
there? For what is there difficult to it, or past accomplish-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 135
merit? What is more powerful than the Word of God / Why
then did He not effect the miracle by a word only, but also
touched the bier? It Avas, my beloved, that thou mightest
learn that the holy body of Christ is effectual for the salvation
of man. For the flesh of the Almighty Word is the body of
life, and was clothed with His might. For consider, that iron,
when brought into contact wjth fire, produces the effects of
fire, and fulfils jts functions ; so, because it became the flesh of
the Word, Who gives life to allji therefore also has the power
of giving life, and annihilates the influence of death and cor
ruption 1 ". May our Lord Jesus Christ also touch us, that
delivering us from evil works, even from fleshly lusts, He may
unite us to the assemblies of the saints ; for He is the giver of
all good, by Whom, and with Whom, to God the Father, be
praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever,
Amen.
r Two passages follow in Mai, not and C. is referred also by Aquinas
recognised by the Syriac. The first and Cramer s MS. to Cyril : " That
from Cod. A. is as follows : " for fear fell upon all, and they glorified
we believe that the body of Christ God, was indeed a great thing on
makes alive, because It is both the the part of the senseless and un-
temple and dwelling-place of the grateful people (Cr. reads Xo yw for
living Word, and possesses all Its Xa&&gt;) : for shortly afterwards they
activity. It was not enough there- regard Him neither as a prophet,
fore for Him only to command, nor as having appeared for the good
though accustomed by a word to of the people : yea they deliver up
accomplish whatsoever He wished, to death Him Who destroys death,
but He laid also His hands on the not knowing that at that very time
bier, shewing that His body also He destroyed death, when in His
possesses the power of making own person He wrought the resur-
alive." The second from Codd. A rection."
136 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON XXXVII.
1 vii. 17- A na thjg wor( i concerning Him went forth in all Judaea, and
in all the region round about. And his disciples told
John of all these things : and John called certain two of
^ s disciples, and sent them unto Jesus, saying, Art Thou
He that cometh, or look we for another ? When the men
came to Him, they said, John the Baptist sent us to Thee*
saying, Art Thou He that cometh, or look we for another ?
But in that same hour he healed many of sicknesses and
scourges, and of evil spirits: and unto many that ivere
&PO. GSs. blind He gave sight. And He answered and said to
1
them, Go tell John ivhat things ye have seen and heard :
^ iat ^ le Miiul see,- and the lame walk; and the lepers are
om. tin B. cleansed ; and the deaf hear ,- the dead arise, and the
quater P oor are preac/ied unto ; and blessed is he who is not
BGT*. offended in Me.
Ox the present occasion also the Word about to be ad
dressed to you,, and the investigation of the sacred doctrines
cannot but be most certainly for your benefit. Come then,
that together with the holy angels we may praise the universal
Saviour : for He is worshipped, as in heaven so also in earth ;
Phil. ii. 10. and to Him every knee shall bow, as it is written. Be it
therefore known to people everywhere, that the Lord is God,
and even though He appeared in fashion like unto us, yet has
He given us the indications of a godlike power and majesty on
many occasions, and in a multitude of ways : by driving away
diseases; by rebuking unclean spirits; by bestowing on the
blind their sight; and finally, even by expelling death itself
Rom. v. 14. f rom t h e bodies of men ; -death which cruelly and mercilessly
had tyrannized from Adam even unto Moses, according to the
expression of the divine Paul. That widow s son then at Nain s
8 In the preceding sermon this way as in Sanscrit certain final let-
place was called Nair, in the same ters are regularly changed into r,
way as Beliar has occurred for Be- from the ease with which the voice
lial, and as no Gr. MS. recognises rests upon that letter at the close of
this form, it is possible that it is a a word.
Syriac provincialism, in the same
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. J37
arose unexpectedly and wonderfully, and the miracle remained
unknown to no one throughout the whole of Juda?a, but was
noised abroad as a divine sign, and admiration was upon every
tongue. And some of his intimate friends, that is, his disci
ples, tell it also to the blessed Baptist : and he chose out and
selected two persons from the rest, and sends them to Jesus
to ask Him, if it is He Who cometh, or whether they must
wait for another. What hast thou done, O excellent Bap
tist ! Dost thou not know Him Whom thou preachcdst, being
thyself the precursor of this rising, as the morning star pro
claims the coining sun ? Thou wcntcst before Him like a torch.
Thou pointedst Him out to the holy apostles, saying very
plainly, " Behold the Lamb of God, Who takcth away the sin John i. 29.
" of the world !" Elsewhere also we heard Thee saying to the
multitudes of the Jews, that " after me comctli the man who John i. 30.
" was before me, because He is before inc. And I knew Him
" not : but He Who sent me to baptize in water, lie said
" unto me, On Whom thou sccst the Holy Ghost descend from
u heaven, and remain upon Him, He it is Who baptizeth in
" the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bore witness, that This is
" the Son of God." How then dost thou ask, if it is He that
comctli? For thou saidst, "I saw and bore witness, that He
" is the Son of God." But the blessed Baptist did not fail
to recognise the Word of God Who had become man. Do
not imagine so. Well and very clearly was he persuaded
that He was He that cometh ; but what He did was something
wise and well-contrived, and tit in no slight degree to benefit
his disciples. For they indeed, because they did not yet
know Christ, inasmuch as His glory and all-excelling majesty
was concealed from them, were even silently stung at His
working miracles, and surpassing the Baptist in the greatness
of the deeds wrought by Him. For on one occasion they
even drew near to him, pining with envy and vexation, and with
their heart still requiring to set free from Jewish maladies,
and said to the blessed Baptist concerning Christ the universal
Saviour, " Rabbi, He Who was with thee on the other side of
" Jordan, to Whom thou bearest witness, He baptizeth, and
" every man cometh to Him." For they did not wish any one
else to baptize at all, and exalt himself against the honour of
John. They learnt however from him the superiority of Christ s
138 COMMENTARY UPON
glory,, and the incomparable greatness of His splendour : for
John ill. they heard him say in answer, " Ye arc yourselves my wit-
" nesses that I said, that I am not the Christ, but that I
** have been sent before Him. He who hath the bride is
" the bridegroom : but the bridegroom s friend, who standeth
" and heareth his voice, joyfully rejoiceth because of the
" bridegroom s voice : this therefore, which is my joy, is com-
" plete. He must grow great, but I must be made small."
We do not however say that the blessed Baptist in any respect
whatsoever decreased in dignity, himself of himself, during the
time that Christ s glory was constantly receiving addition from
those that believed on Him : but inasmuch as the blessed
John continued in the measure of human nature : for it was
not possible for him ever to advance to any thing beyond : but
the incarnate Word, being in His nature God, and ineffably be
gotten of God the Father, advancing continually to His proper
glory, was admired of all men ; for this reason it was he said,
" He must grow great, but 1 must be made small." For he
who remains in exactly the same state seems to grow small, in
comparison with one who is continually advancing. But that
it was right that as being by nature God, He should surpass in
might and glory human things, he explained to them saying :
Jolmiii.ar. He Who cometh from above is above all: and he who is of
" the earth, belongeth to the earth, and speaketh of the earth."
Who then is He Who cometh from above, and is above all as
being God? Plainly the only-begotten Word of the Father,
Who was in His likeness, and on an equality with Him : but
for the love He had unto the world, humbled Himself to our
estate. As being such therefore, He must necessarily sur
pass one who was of the earth : one, that is to say, num
bered among the things of earth, and their like in nature, such
as was the Baptist. For he was indeed praiseworthy in virtue,
and incomparable in piety, and had attained to the perfection
of all righteousness, and was honourable and worthy of admi-
Mat.xi.ii. ration: for the Lord bore him witness saying, "There hath
" not risen among the sons of women one greater than John
" the Baptist, 1 But he was not from above ; not of the Sub
stance, I mean, that is set above all: rather he was from
below, a son of earth, and one of us. Therefore, to return, from
this digression, as their heart was not free from Jewish mala-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 139
x dies, they tell the blessed Baptist of the Saviour s divine signs :
and he, as thoroughly knowing Who it was That wrought the
miracles, exulted indeed in himself, in seeing the Saviour s
glory spread abroad : but to produce a firm and steadfast faith
in Him, in those, who as yet were halting, nor thus far con
vinced that He is the Christ, he puts on the appearance
of ignorance, and so sends to Him certain to ask Him, saying,
"Art Thou He That comcth, or do we wait for another?"
Cometh whither perhaps some will say : for there are men
who think that we ought to understand something of this sort :
that as the Baptist was about before the precious cross to
undergo death by the wickedness of Herod, and, so to speak,
anticipate Christ s departure, and as His forerunner, pre
cede His arrival in Hades, he asks whether He will come there
also, to redeem those in darkness and the shadow of death,
and entangled in inevitable bonds. But such an opinion is
utterly to be rejected : for nowhere do we find that the Scrip
ture inspired of God has declared that the divine Baptist
preached beforehand to the spirits in Hades the coining of the
Saviour. And this also we may truly say, that inasmuch as
once for all he knew the whole effect of the dispensation in tho
flesh of the Only-begotten, he of course knew, in addition to
the other particulars, that He will redeem those in Hades, and
shine forth even upon them, as " by the grace of God tasting Heb. ii. 9.
" death for every man," that as Paul says, " He may be Lord Rom.xiv. 9 .
" both of the dead and of the living."
What then does he wish to understand by asking, " Art
" Thou He that cometh, or do we wait for another?" I said
then, that he puts on the appearance of ignorance purposely,
not so much that he might himself learn : for as being the
forerunner he knew the mystery : but that his disciples might
be convinced, how great is the Saviour s superiority, and that,
as the word of the inspired Scripture had announced before,
He is God, and the Lord That was to come. All the rest then
were servants, sent before a master, preceding Him Who is
beyond all, and preparing the way of the Lord, as it is written. Is. xi. 3.
By the holy prophets therefore the Saviour and Lord of all is
called, " He that cometh." For the prophet David in a psalm
declares : " Blessed be He That cometh in the Name of the P S . cxviii.
" Lord." And what means that expression " in the Name of 2(
T 2
140 COMMENTARY UPON
" the Lord?" It means in godlike glory, and lordship, and all
transcending majesty. And this again he has signified in what
p*.cxviii. follows: "The Lord is God, and hath shone forth upon us."
For Moses indeed came, and appeared in his season, and by his
instrumentality the law was spoken to the Israelites : and then
after him Jesus the son of Nun commanded the host, and then
in order the blessed prophets. And they were indeed Jiolj_
men, honourable beyond comparison, and endowed with a
spiritual and all-excelling splendour: but no one of them
shone forth upon the inhabitants of earth in the name of the
Lord, in the glory that is of Godhead and dominion. But the
only-begotten Word of God shone forth upon us as being in
His nature and verily God and Lord. So God the Father
Habac.ii.3. named Him by the prophet Habakuk, thus saying ; " Yet a
" little He That cometh will come, and will not tarry/ And
again also by another prophet the only-begotten Word of God
Zech. ii. thus spcaketh : " Rejoice, and be glad, daughter of Zion :
" for behold! I come, and will lodge in the midst of thce,
" saith the Lord. And many nations shall find refuge in the
" Lord on that day; and I will be to them a God, and they
" shall be to Me a people/ And that this has come to pass,
one may see by actual facts : for a multitude of nations has
been caught in the net, and Christ is their God, and they are
His people.
Having therefore taken from the inspired Scripture the
name of "He That cometh/ the divine Baptist sent certain
of his friends to ask, " if He were He that cometh/ And
what follows ? Inasmuch as Christ by nature and in truth is
God, the purpose of John did not escape Him, but as well
knowing the cause of his disciples coming, He especially
at that particular time began accomplishing divine miracles
many times more numerous than those which He had hitherto
wrought. For so the wise Evangelist has told us, saying, " In
" that same hour He healed many of sicknessess and of
" scourges, and of evil spirits : and gave sight to many that
" were blind." Having then been made spectators and eye
witnesses of His greatness, and gathered into them a great
admiration of His power and ability, they bring forward the
question, and beg in John s name to be informed, whether He
is He Who cometh. Here see I pray the beautiful art of the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 141
Saviour s management. For He does not simply say, 1 am ;
though had He so spoken, it would have been true : but He
rather leads them to the proof given by the works themselves,
in order that having accepted faith in Him on good grounds,
and being furnished with knowledge from what had been done,
they might so return to him who sent them. " For go, He
" says, tell John the things that ye have seen and heard."
For ye have heard indeed, He says, that I have raised the
dead by the all-powerful word, and by the touch of the hand :
ye have seen also, while ye yourselves stood by, that those
things that were spoken of old time by the holy prophets are
accomplished : the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the dumb hear, and the dead arise, and the
poor are preached unto. All these things the blessed pro
phets had before announced, as about in due time to be
wrought by My hands. If then I bring to pass those things
that were prophecicd long before, and ye arc yourselves spec
tators of them, return and tell those things which ye have
seen with your own eyes accomplished by My might and
ability, and which at various times the blessed prophets fore
told. And then He added necessarily to these things ; " And
" blessed is he who is not offended in Me !" For the Jews
indeed were offended, either as not knowing the depth of the
mystery, or because they did not seek to know. For though
the inspired Scripture announced beforehand, in every part of
it, that the Word of God would humble Himself to emptiness,
and be seen upon earth, plainly referring to when He was
such as we arc, and would justify by faith every thing under
heaven, yet they stumbled against Him, and struck against
the rock of offence, and fell, and were ground to powder. l
For though they plainly saw Him invested with ineffable dig- fj 1
nity and surpassing glory, by means of the wondrous deeds Luke xx.
He wrought, they threw stones at Him and said : " Why dost Jo i, n X . B
" Thou, being a man, make thyself God ?" In answer to these
things, Christ reproved the immeasurable infirmity of their
intellect, and said; "If I do not the works of My Father, John x. 37
believe Me not : but if I do, then though ye believe not Me,
" believe My works/ Blessed therefore is he, who doth not
stumble against Christ ; that is, who believeth in Him.
And what the advantage is that is derived from this, and m
33
142 COMMENTARY UPON
what way we are benefitted by attaining to jaith in Him,
every one knows : nothing however forbids our enumerating a
few particulars. For first indeed we obtain the light of the true
knowledge of God : and next, when by the aid of holy baptism~~
we have washed away the stains of sin, being purified that we
may serve Him purely, we are also made partakers . .of His
divine nature, and gain Him to dwell within us by hayingjhg
communion of the Holy Ghost. And we are made also sons of
God, and win for ourselves brotherhood with Him Who by
nature and verily is the Son. Moreover, in addition to these
things, we are exalted to the inheritance of the saints, and
dwell in bliss in the enjoyment of those blessings which are
bestowed on those who love Him, and which the divine Paul
Cor. ii. 9 . declares surpass understanding and description : " for eye hath
" not seen, nor ear heard, and into the heart of man have "not
" entered the things that God hath prepared for them that
" love Him." Of those may we also be thought worthy by
the grace and love of Him Who giveth to every one bounti
fully all good things, even of Christ, by Whom and with Whom,
to God the Father, be praise and dominion with the Holy
Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.*
1 Mai from Cod. A. contains a and instances will subsequently be
few lines here and there not ac- pointed out of his having thus intro-
knowledged by the Syriac, but ap- duced single sentences into the body
parently only intended to convey of the Commentary, though natural-
the general sense of the passages ly such intrusions generally escape
omitted ; though even these may discovery. The subject of this ser-
possibly be from other works of S. mon is again treated of by S. Cyril
Cyril, as Niketas acquaintance with in his Thesaurus, c. xi.
them was evidently most complete,
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 143
SERMON XXXVIII.
And ivhen the messengers of John had departed, He began to c. vii. 24-
speak unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out 2
into the wilderness to see? A reed, shaken luith the wind?
But what went ye out to see ? A man clad in soft gar- f^cm^
ments ? Behold they ivho wear soft clothing, are in the eV5 % Kal
Tpv<f>rj
abodes of kings. Bnt what went ye out to see? A Pro- BGTs.
phet ? Tea, I say unto you : and more than a prophet : ^ ^"s
for this is he of whom it is written, Behold I send My rnes- om. yap
senger before Thy face, to prepare Thy way before Thee. MaY iii. i.
Verily I say unto you, Among those born of ivomen there *w v A 7 w
is no one greater than John : but he who is least in the \^ y(a y dp
kingdom of God is greater than he.
YE who thirst for the knowledge of the divine doctrines, ^
, . . Ia afj/ov T.
open once again the treasure-house ot your minds: satiate your- Tr po <f>. iw.
selves with the sacred words : or rather, give way to no feeling
of satiety herein : for gluttony in things that tend to edification
is a quality worth the gaining. Let us approach, then, the
Saviour s words, not carelessly, and without due preparation,
but with that attentiveness and vigilance which befits those
who wouldTlearn. For so alone can those subjects for contem
plation, which are difficult of comprehension, be rightly under
stood. Let us, therefore, ask of Christ that light, which He
sends down upon the mind and heart, that thus being enabled
correctly to understand the force of what is said, we may again
admire the beautiful skill of the management. For He had
been asked by the disciples of John, whether He is He that
cometh? When then^He had answered them in a suitable
manner, and commanded them to return to him that sent them,
He began to say unto the multitudes concerning him, " What
" went ye out into the wilderness to see ? a reed shaken by
" the wind ?" And what the instruction is which we gain from
this, or what the end to which our Saviour s words have refer
ence, how must it not be worth our while to inquire ? Let us
examine, therefore, the meaning of what is said : let us search
144 COMMENTARY UPON
it as a treasure : let us spy into its secrets : and fixing our
]Tbes.v.2i. mind upon the profundity of the mystery, let us be like careful
moneychangers, 11 proving every thing, as Scripture says.
There were then certain who prided themselves upon their
performance of what was required by the law : the Scribes
namely, and Pharisees, and others of their party ; who were
regarded according to their professions as exact observers of
the law, and claimed on this score, that their heads should be
adorned with honours. This too is the reason why they neither
accepted faith in Christ, nor paid due honour to that mode of
life which truly is praiseworthy and blameless : even that which
is regulated by the commands of the Gospel. The purpose,
therefore, of Christ the Saviour of all, was to shew them that
the honours both of the religious and moral service that are
by the law, were of small account, and not worthy of being at
tained to, or even perhaps absolutely nothing, and unavailing
for edification : while the grace that is by faith in Him is the
pledge of blessings worthy of admiration, and able to adorn
with incomparable honour those that possess it. Many, then,
as I said, were observers of the law, and greatly puffed up on
this account : they even gave out that they had attained to the
perfection of all that is praiseworthy, in the exact perform
ance of the righteousness that consisted in shadows and types.
In order, then, that, as I said, He might prove that those who
believe in Him are better and superior to them, and that the
glories of the followers of the law are evidently but small in
comparison with the evangelic mode of life, He takes him who
was the best of their whole class, but nevertheless was born of
woman, I mean the blessed Baptist : arid having affirmed that
he is a prophet, or rather above the measure of the prophets,
and that among those born of women no one had arisen greater
than he in righteousness, that namely, which is by the law, He
declares, that he who is small, who falls short, that is, of his
measure, and is inferior to him in the righteousness that is by
the law, is greater than he : not greater, in legal righteous
ness, but in the kingdom of God, even in faith, and the excel
lencies which result from faith. For faith crowns those that
receive it with glories that surpass the law. And this thou
u For this quotation, consult the note at the commencement of Serm. 39.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 145
learncst, and wilt thyself affirm to be the case, when thou
meetest with the words of the blessed Paul: for having de
clared himself to be free from blame in the righteousness that
is by the law, he added forthwith, " But those things that were Phil. m. 7 .
" gain unto me, those I have counted loss for Christ s sake :
" and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ : not
" having my own righteousness which is by the law, but the
" righteousness that is of the faith of Jesus Christ," And the
Israelites he even considers deserving of great blame, thus say
ing : " For being ignorant of God s righteousness, that namely Rom. x. 3.
" which is by Christ, and seeking to establish their own ; even
" that which is by the law ; they have not submitted thcm-
" selves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the com-
" pletion of the law for righteousness unto every one that be-
" lieveth." And again, when speaking of these things : " We, Gal. ii. 15.
" he says, who by nature are Jews, and not sinners of the
" Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works
" of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, we also have be-
" lieved in Jesus Christ, that we may be justified in Him."
The being justified, therefore, by Christ, that is to say, by faith
in Him, surpasses the glories of the righteousness that is by
the law. For this reason the blessed Baptist is brought for
ward, as one who had attained the foremost place in legal
righteousness, and to a praise so far incomparable. And yet
even thus he is ranked as less than one who is least : " for
" the least, He says, is greater than he in the kingdom of
" God." But the kingdom of God signifies^ as we affirm, the
grace^hat js by faith, by means of which we are accounted
worthy of every blessing, and of the possession of the rich gifts
which come from above from God. For it frees us from all
blame ; and makes us to be the sons of God, partakers of the
Holy Ghost, and heirs of a heavenly inheritance.
Having prefaced therefore thus much by way of preparation,
and to explain the connection of the ideas, come now, and let
us examine the actual words. As I have already said then,
He exalts the divine Baptist to a great height, and crowns the
Forerunner with surpassing honours purposely ; that thou
mayest the more thoroughly admire faith ; as that which
makes believers to have a grandeur far surpassing even that
of men thus illustrious. He asks the Jews, then, saying,
tr
146 COMMENTARY UPON
" What went yc out into the wilderness to see ? a reed shaken
" by the wind?" Now He compares to a reed, a thing tossed
about, and, so to speak, reeling and shaken to and fro by the
violence of the winds, the man who lives in worldly honours and
pleasures, and in the grandeur of temporal sovereignty. For
there is nothing stable or firm or unshaken with such persons,
but things change frequently in an unexpected manner, and to
that which they did not anticipate, and their prosperity lightly
i Pet. 1.24- passes away. For true it is, that "all flesh is grass, and all
" the glory of man as the flower of grass : the grass withereth,
" and the flower falleth." Did ye then, He says, go out into
the desert to see a man like a reed ? This, however, possibly
he is not. but of a different character ; one of those who live in
pleasures, and are wont to be clad in beautiful garments, and
value childish honour. And yet one does not see persons such
as these dwelling in the desert, but at the courts of kings: and
as for the blessed Baptist s raiment, it was of camel s hair, and
a leathern girdle upon his loins.
What then did yc go out to see ? Perhaps ye say, A Pro
phet. Yea, I also say as well as you. For he is a saint and a
prophet : nay, he even surpasses the dignity of a prophet ; for
not only did he announce before that I am coming, but pointed
John i. 29. Me out close at hand, saying ? " Behold the Lamb of God,
" That beareth the sin of the world." Moreover, he was tes-
Mai. iii. i. tilled of by the prophet s voice, "as sent before My face, to
" prepare the way before Me/ And 1 bear him witness that
there hath not arisen among those born of women one greater
than he : but he that is least in the life I mean according to
the law in the kingdom of God is greater than he. How and
in what manner? x ln that the blessed John, together with as
x The passage in Mai, p. 213, John was more honourable than
from B. f. 72. agrees, as far as it the prophets, as being himself the
goes, with the Syriac. It is pre- object of prophecy : and guards
ceded, however, by two passages, against a misinterpretation of the
the second of which from B. f. 71. word angel in the prediction, " Be-
is much too rhetorical to be really " hold I send My angel before Thy
S. Cyril s, and is given by Cramer " face/ The otber passage from
anonymously, following one taken A. n 8. has the appearance of being
from Titus of Bostra, whose style a summary of S. Cyril s argument
it much more resembles. It ex- respecting John being the greatest
plains, however, more fully what of those born of women, though it
Cyril very shortly refers to, viz. that includes new matter in an important
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 147
many as preceded him, was born of woman : but they who
have received the faith, are no more called the sons of women,
but as the wise Evangelist said, 4 are born of God. " For to John i. n.
" all, he says, who received Him, that is, Christ, He gave
" power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe
" on His Name : who have been born, not of blood, nor of the
" will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." For
we have been born again to the adoption of the sons, " not of iPet.i. 23.
" corruptible seed," but, as Scripture saith, " by the living and
" abiding Word of God." Those then who are not of corrupt
ible seed, but, on the contrary, have been born of God, are
superior to any one born of woman.
There is also another respect in which they surpass those
born of women. For they have earthly fathers : but we Him
Who is above in heaven. For we have received this also of
Christ, Who calleth us to the adoption of sons and brotherhood
with Him. For He has said, " Ye shall not call any one on Mat. xxiii.
" earth father : for One is your Father, Who is in heaven.
"But ye, all of you, are brethren." And most wise Pauls,
gives us surety of this, writing as follows : 4 Fur because ye Gal. iv. 6.
" are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your
" hearts, calling Father, our Father." For when Christ rose,
and spoiled hell, the spirit of adoption was then given to them
that believed on Him, and first of all to the holy disciples ; for
" He breathed upon them, saying. Receive ye the Holy Ghost. John xx.
" If ye remit the sins of any, they are remitted them ; and if "
" ye retain the sins of any, they are retained." For inasmuch
as they have become part^Hers of the divine nature, by being
richly endowed with that lordly and all-governing Spirit ;
therefore lie has also given them the godlike power of remit
ting the sins of whomsoever they will, and of retaining those
interpretation of Luke xvii. 2 1 .: to paragraph in page 148: "Even
the effect that " the kingdom of " though, therefore, we be infe-
" heaven signifies the gift of the " rior to them, &c." But soon
" Holy Ghost," according to the afterwards it diverges again to ex-
words, " The kingdom of heaven is plain more fully than the Syriac
" within you." Soon after this quo- does, that our Lord s words that
tation it runs into the Syriac, at the from the days of John the kingdom
sentence with which B. 72. ends, of heaven is taken by force, would
with some verbal differences. This not justify the conclusion, that the
sentence will be found in my trans- saints of the old dispensation did
lation at the commencement of the not gain admission therein.
22.
148 COMMENTARY UPON
of all others. But that previously to the resurrection of Christ
from the dead, and His ascent to heaven, there was not among
men the spirit of adoption, the most wise Evangelist John
John vii. makes plain where he says : " For the Spirit was not as yet :
39 " because that Jesus was not yet glorified." And yet cer
tainly, how can the Spirit be unequal in eternity to God the
Father, and the Son ? And when did He not exist, Who is
before all ? For He is equal in substance to the Father, and
the Son. " But inasmuch as Christ, he says, was not yet glo-
" rified," that is to say, had not yet risen from the dead, and
ascended to heaven, the spirit of adoption did not as^yet exist
for men. But when the Only -begotten Word of God ascended
np into heaven, He sent down for us in His stead the Com
forter, Who is in us by Him. And this He taught us, thus
Johnxvi. 7. saying : " It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go
" not away, the Comforter will not come unto you : but when
" I have departed, I will send Him unto you."
Even though, therefore, we be inferior to them who have
fulfilled the righteousness that is by the law : inferior, I mean,
in righteousness of life, yet are we who have received faith in
Him endowed with greater privileges. We must, however,
bear in mind, that although the blessed Baptist was thus great
in virtue, yet he plainly confessed that he stood in need of holy
baptism : for he somewhere said, speaking to Christ, the Sa-
Mat.iii. 14. viour of us all, " I have need to be baptized of Thee." But he
would have had no need of holy baptism, nor have requested
leave to have it granted him, had there not been in it some
thing more and better, than the righteousness that is by the
law.
Christ therefore does not contend against the honours of the
saints ; nor is it His purpose to diminish and strip of their re
nown those holy men who had before attained to victory : but as
I said, it rather is to prove that the Gospel mode of life is su
perior to the legal worship, and to crown with surpassing ho
nours the glory of faith, that we all may believe in Him. For
so we enter by Him, and with Him, into the kingdom of hea
ven : by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be praise
and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
149
SERMON XXXIX.
To what therefore shall I liken the men of this generation, c. vii. 31-
and to what are they like ? They are like to children sit- 35<
tiny in the market-place, and calling one to another, and
saying, We have played unto you, and ye have not danced:
u>e have wailed unto you, and ye have not wept. For John
the Baptist came, neither eating bread, nor drinking wine,
and ye say, that he hath a devil. The Son of man came
eating and drinking : and ye say, Behold a man glutton
ous, and a wine drinker : a friend of publicans and sin- add. vdv-
ners. And wisdom is justified of her children. To^BGTs.
THOSE who have a sound mind examine everything, reject
ing the false, but receiving and praising that which is without
blame. And srfch the wise Paul also requires us to be, where
writing he said: "7 Be ye wise money-changers; prove all iThes.v.ai.
y Concerning this quotation,
which very frequently is met with
in S. Cyril, three different opinions
have been held: i. that of Archbp.
Usher, who contended that it be
longed to some apocryphal Gospel,
as that of the Hebrews : 2. that
of Crojus, who considered that it
was collected by the Fathers from
Christ s parable of the Talents :
and 3. that of Sylburgius, who re
ferred it to St. Paul s Epistle to the
Thessalonians, I. v. 21. That the last
alone is true, the Syriac here goes
far to prove, quoting it expressly
from St. Paul, as also do S. Cyril s
Greek remains, as his Commentary
on Is. iii., on Job. vii. 12., &c. In
the previous Sermon also the quo
tation has already occurred, coupled
with a portion of the same text,
" prove all things/ And Tischen-
dorf gives it as a different reading
of the passage in Thes. from Chry-
sostom, Theodoret, (srec. v.), Am-
brosiaster, (sacc. iii. vel iv.), and
Q^cumenius, (sa a c. xi.) The patris
tic authority for this opinion is,
however, really far greater, as it oc
curs frequently in their works, in
connection with the two other main
portions of St. Paul s command.
Thus Basil the Great (ssec. iv.), in
his homily on the beginning of the
book of Proverbs, says : us doKip.os
TpaTTf&TrjS, TO fJLCV doKlfJLOV KO.6f%(l,
tiTTo 8e navros c idovs novrjpov a0e e-
TCII. And Athanasius, Horn, in
Mat. xxi. 8. a>s SOKI/J-OI Tparrf^lrai
r6 i\()v K\^o)fjL(da, (tiro navTos fi-
8ovs novTjpov aTTf^o /zfi/ot. And simi-
lar quotations might be multiplied
indefinitely. On the contrary, how
ever, Origen, in the Latin version
of his Commentary in Johannem,
and Jerome, Ep. ad Minerium,
quote it as a saying of our Lord s :
there can, however, be little doubt
150 COMMENTARY UPON
" things, and hold that which is good : abstain from every evil
" kind." We therefore also, as I said, must closely examine
with the discerning eye of the mind whatever is done, and
search into the nature of actions, that so we may approve of
that which is without blame, while we reject that which is
counterfeit. But if, making no distinctions, we run the risk of
passing an evil sentence upon things highly praiseworthy : and
of deeming that which is evil fit for commendation and ap
is, v. 20. plausc, the prophet s words will apply to us : " Woe unto them
" that call evil good, and good evil : who call bitter sweet, and
" sweet bitter : who put light for darkness, and darkness for
" light." Such was the character of the Israelites, and espe
cially of those whose lot it was to be their chiefs, the Scribes
namely and Pharisees : of whom Christ said, " To what shall I
" liken the men of this generation ? and so on."
There was perchance a sort of game among the Jewish chil
dren, something of this kind. A troop of youths was divided
into two parts : who, making sport of the confusion in the
world, and the uneven course of its affairs, and the painful
and rapid change from one extreme to the other, played some
of them on instruments of music : while the rest wailed.
But neither did the mourners share the merriment of those
who were playing music and rejoicing : nor again did those
with the instruments of music join in the sorrow of those who
were weeping : and finally, they reproached one another with
their want of sympathy, so to speak, and absence of affection.
For the one party would say, " We have played unto you, and
" ye have not danced :" to which the others would rejoin,
" We have wailed unto you, and ye have not wept." Christ
declares, therefore, that both the Jewish populace, and their
rulers, were in some such state of feeling as this ; z " For John
that the majority of the Fathers of by the prophets, and the players by
the fourth and fifth centuries re- the Apostles, the predictions of the
garded it as a genuine portion of former being generally of woe and
St. Paul s Epistle, though probably punishment, while the latter pro-
it was not extant in many of the claimed "the grace of repentance."
MSS., and so was occasionally As alien both to the general tenor
quoted as a saying attributed by of the Commentary, and the close-
tradition to our Lord. ness with which S. Cyril confines
z A passage follows in Mai from himself to the text, it is most pro-
B. f. 73, interpreting the mourners bably an interpolation.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 151
" came, He says, neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and
" they say, that he hath a devil : the Son of man came eating
" and drinking ; and they say, Behold ! a man gluttonous, and
" a wine drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners." By what
then wilt thou be won unto the faith, foolish Pharisee, when
thou thus blamest all things indifferently, nor countest any
thing worthy of thy praise ? The blessed Baptist was the fore
runner of the Saviour, saying, l< Repent ye, for the kingdom Mat. iii. .
" of God is at hand." For he was a man lit to win confidence,
and able to persuade, as having even from them the testimony
that his life was noble, and worthy of admiration. For he dwelt
in the deserts, clad in poor and rough clothing, and scarcely
allaying the necessities of the body with locusts and wild ho
ney. Thou wentest out to see him as one who was holy, and
had attained to the perfection of all virtue. And dost thou
venture afterwards to speak ill of such a one ? of one who
ought rather to be counted worthy of all admiration ( Dost
thou say that he hath a devil, who by fastings is mortifying
the law of sin that lurks in our fleshly members, and wars Rom. vii.
against the law of our mind? What is greater than a life of ~*
abstinence ? For the very fact of being able to rebuke wisely
those pleasures that lead to evil, and to cast over them as a
bridle the laboriousness of a life of abstinence, how is not this
a great and excellent thing ! The blessed Baptist was entirely 11
devoted to piety unto Christ ; nor was there in him the very
slightest regard either for fleshly lusts, or for the things of this
world. Having altogether abandoned, therefore, the vain and
unprofitable distractions of this world, he laboured at one, and
that a very urgent task, of blamelessly fulfilling the ministry
entrusted to him. For he was commanded to preach, saying :
" Prepare ye the way of the Lord." Tell me, dost thou think I*, xl. 3.
that this man hath a devil ? one over whom the tyranny of
Satan had no power ; who was the captive of no evil lusts ;
who had overleapt the pitfalls of the base love of the flesh ;
who had commanded the herds of demons to be still, and man
fully resisted their attacks. For verily he could not have at
tained to this glory and virtue but through Christ, Who is ex-
a Mai, who has part of this pas- TKTTTJS T^S els Xpioroi/ ev<rc@fias t for
sage, reads, 6S6r 771; 6 naKapws Ban- which the Syriac has oXos.
152 COMMENTARY UPON
altecl above Satan, who tempts and gnashes his teeth at the
prosperity of the saints. Art thou not ashamed, then, of slan
dering one who had attained to so great patience and endu
rance, and had wound chaplets of manly virtue round his head ?
Hast thou whetted thy tongue even at him, and ventured
basely to calumniate him, by affirming that he is a madman,
and contemptible, and not in his right mind ?
Let us, then, see what b is on the other side, and which seems,
as it were, to follow a different course from the Baptist s conduct.
Christ was not in the wilderness, but rather made the city His
habitation in company with the holy Apostles : He did not eat
locusts and wild honey : His clothing was not of camel s hair,
nor had He a leathern girdle upon his loins. His mode of life
rather was such as is usual in towns, with no such hardness in
it as that practised by the holy Baptist. Dost thou, then,
praise Him at least ? Dost thou approve of His easiness of
approach, and His freely mixing with others, and entire care
lessness about His diet ? By no means. Thy censoriousness
extended even unto Christ : for thou saidst, " Behold a man
" gluttonous, and drinking wine ! a friend of publicans and
" sinners ! Because thou hast occasionally seen Jesus faring
luxuriously, does He appear to thee a drinker of wine, and a
carouser, and gluttonous ? How canst thou prove this ? For
when once upon a time Mary and Martha received Him at
Bethany, and one of them was distracted with overmuch ser
vice, Christ is seen preventing excess, and reducing us to a
Luke x. 4 i. bare sufficiency. For He said, "Martha, Martha: thou art
" careful, and hurried about many things : but few things are
SicetiamB. required, or one." And such He was constantly and every
where.
But dost thou accuse Him because He went about with pub
licans and sinners ? And is this the cause of thine offence ?
But what detriment can it be imagined that Christ suffered,
from His willingness to be with sinners ? He was not liable at
all to be taken by their sins, being entirely beyond the reach
John xiv. of fault. He even said, at one time : " The prince of this
<e world cometh, and will fmd c nothing in Me?" at another,
b ^Mai reads in the masc. rov ?- c The Syriac may either repre-
pov os, K.T. X. " Him Who is on the sent efip^w, which is Griesbach s
" other side, &c." reading, supported by Athanasius,
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 153
vm.
again: "Who of you rebuketh Me because of sin?" He John
could in no respect therefore be contaminated by being with 46>
sinners.
But thou sayest, the law of Moses commanded that " we Ex.
" should not hold converse with the wicked." Let us, how- 32
ever, study the object of the law : let us see for what cause
it forbade the Israelites holding intercourse with the wicked,
and mingling with the deceivers. Now the truth most cer
tainly is, that the law of Moses ordained these things, not so
much that thou mightest vaunt thyself over others, and make
the commandment a reason for boasting ; but rather, because
thy mind is weak, and readily drawn aside into folly, and be
cause thy heart runs willingly after evil pleasures, it would free
thce from the wish to be with those whose life is culpable,
lest thou shouldst become like them in mind, and foolishly be
caught in their snare. " For evil communications corrupt good i Cor. xv.
" manners." Thou receivcdst the commandment therefore 33>
as_4L safeguard for thy infirmity. For if thou hadst been
established in virtue, and thy mind steadfast in the fear of
God, the law would not have hindered thee from holding use
ful intercourse with those who were weak, in order that tlfey
might become imitators of thy piety, and learn to emulate thy
doings : that walking in the steps of thy zeal, they might ad
vance to that which is more excellent. Conceive, therefore, no
proud imaginings, since, even in the commandment of Moses,
thou art accused of infirmity. Thou blamest Christ for going
about with sinners and publicans. Is it because thou art afraid
lest He should suffer from their contamination ? Tell me, then,
dost thou imagine that He also shares thy frailness? Art thou
entirely ignorant of the mysteries respecting Him ? That the
Word being God was with us : that is, was incarnate for our
sakes? That the Father sent Him " not to condemn the world, John Hi. 17.
" but that the world through Him might be saved." Now it
belongs to one who condemns, to avoid the company of such
as are still in their sins: but it is the part of him who wishes
to save to be with them, and admonish them, and prevail upon
them to change from their disgraceful courses, and instead of
Theodoret, and others, and by Cy- which also has considerable patristic
ril himself elsewhere; or evpiVjcct, authority.
X
154
COMMENTARY UPON
the path of wickedness, to choose the way that leadeth to
Luke v. 32. eternal life. " He came not to call the righteous, but sinners,
Luke .31. " to repentance." And as He said Himself, " They that are
" whole need not a Physician : but they that are sick." Why
therefore dost thou blame Him for loving man so well, and find
fault with His godlike gentleness? Why reproach Him for
being kind to us, and healing our sickness ? And yet every
body praises physicians, not when they avoid those who are
sick, but when they are constantly with them, and by the re
sources of their art bring them gradually back to sound health.
And why then, since Jesus is the Physician of souls and spirits,
dost thou blame Him for saving sinners ? He could sustain no
pollution, even though He ate with sinners: for yon bright sun
sheds its radiance upon, and visits every thing under heaven :
it chances, then, that impurities also are found lying exposed to
it : but that which pours down this radiance is not in the least
defiled, even though it shed it on matters so abominable. d
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousness : a wicked
man, then, in no way whatsoever defiles Him, though close at
His side, and eating with Him.
And thus much, then, we have said respecting Christ the
Saviour of us all. It is not, however, perhaps unlikely, that
some may object, and say ; < Does not also the new and saving
"preaching of the Gospel plainly command us to withdraw
from the communications of impure men ? For most wise
i Cor. v. 9. < Paul also wrote to some : " I have written unto you in the
" epistle, that ye hold no intercourse with fornicators : If any
" one called a brother be a fornicator, or a drunkard, or co-
" vetous, or an extortioner, or idolater : with such a one no
1 " not to eat." It had been fitting, therefore, for Christ to
have been the type to us of this behaviour/ Thou hast
missed thy measure, my beloved ! Thou wishest to vie with
d S. Cyril uses a similar meta
phor in his 1 5th paschal homily, to
shew that the divine nature of our
Lord suffered no corruption by its
union with the human nature. (Ed.
Aub. V. pt. 2. 205.) "The sun re-
" tains its brightness untarnished,
" even though it shed its rays upon
" mud and slime : how, then, could
the divine nature, which is incor
ruptible, and liable to no change
or injury, sustain harm by con
sorting with the inferior ? Would
it not rather overpower the infe
rior nature, and, illuminating it
with its own excellencies, elevate
it to something incomparably
better?"
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 155
thy Master s sovereign dignity : Thou catchest at that
which is above thy nature. Consider the infirmity of thy
mind. Christ was God : but thou art a man, tyrannized over
by fleshly pleasures, with a mind easily beguiled into error,
and readily made the prey of sins. If, however, thou feelest
confident of thy ability manfully to maintain a blameless course
o_conduct, and also to admonish others, there is nothing to
hinder even thee from wishing to be with the wicked and sin-
loving. For often the admonitions of spiritually-minded 6 men
have profited those who are in sin. If, on the contrary, thou
thyself art scarcely saved, even when keeping far away from
the company of the evil, maintain thy carefulness in this re
spect. Call to thy remembrance the writer of the book of
Proverbs, who says ; " He that walketh with the wise, shall p r0 v. xiii.
" become wise : but he who walketh with fools, shall become 20 -
" known." And again, " He that toucheth pitch shall bo dc-
" filed." And again also the blessed David : " With the holy,
" thou wilt become holy ; and with the pure, thou wilt become
" pure : with the elect, thou wilt become elect ; and with the
" crooked, thou wilt be made crooked." In order, then, " that Prov. vi. 5.
" thou mayest be delivered like a roe from the nets," flee from
wicked men ; keep apart from those who cannot be restrained
from pollution ; and supplicate Christ to purify thy corruptions,
or rather all thy human weaknesses. For the Word that came
from God is God, even though He became flesh, that is, man :
by Whom and with Whom to God the Father, be praise and
dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
e The Grammar shews that the " ing to the soul," and therefore
construction of j.i *^ is as I placed by St. James, c. iii. 15., half
have taken it; for if it belonged way between the earth, which is
to " those in sin," it would be neither good nor evil, and the devil,
j.i^iA. otherwise its meaning, who is evil only. Here, however, it
like that of the Greek ^v^xos, is seems used as equivalent to spi-
generally an inferior one, " belong- ritual.
156 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON XL.
C.vii. 36- And a certain Pharisee desired Him to eat with him.
And having entered the Pharisees house, He reclined at his
tv r$ Ae t table. And, behold, a woman who was a sinner in the city,
a M apAo s w j ien s ] ie j mew that He was reclining at table in the Phari-
a/J eV T77 TT. see s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood
Kal -into behind Him at His feet, and, weeping, began to wash His
K\alovcra S.feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head,
and kissed His feet, and anointed them with ointment. When
om. \iyuv, the Pharisee who had bidden Him saw it, he said in himself,
If this were a prophet, He would have known who and of
what sort the woman is who toucheth Him, that she is a
sinner. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Simon, I
fy-n s. have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, Teacher, say
udd. AeV* on ff e sa ith to him; A certain money-lender had two
CLUTCV rv
debtors ; the one owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty :
om. Se BT. and whan they could not repay, he forgave them both. Which
add Jv 7r tS, s therefore of them will love him most ? and Simon answered
om. 5e BT. .
and said, I suppose he that had most forgiven him. And He
said to him, Thou hast rightly judged. And turning to the
woman He said to Simon, Thou seest this woman. I entered
into thine house : thou gavest no water for My feet; but she
TT)S hath ivashed My feet with tears, and wiped them with her
hair. Thou gavest Me no kiss, but she from the time I came in
hath not ceased kissing My feet. My head ivith oil thou
didst not anoint ; but she hath anointed My feet with oint
ment. For this reason, I tell thee, her many sins are for
given her, because she hath loved much : but he to whom
KO.I OA. little is forgiven, loveth little. And He said unto her, Thy
addTo-oi k s ^ ns are forgiven thee. And those who were reclining with
Him at table began to say in themselves, Wlio is This That
forgiveth sins also ? But He said to the woman, Thy faith
hath made thee live : go in peace.
Ps. xivii. i. "ALL ye people, clap your bands, and praise God with
" the voice of thanksgiving." And what is the cause of
the festival? It is that the Saviour hath newly constructed
for us a way of salvation, untrodden by them of old timeA
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 157
For the law, which the all-wise Moses ordained, was for
the reproof of sin, and the condemnation of offences : but
it justified absolutely no one. For the very wise Paul
writes, " Whosoever rejected the law of Moses, was put Heb. x. 28.
" to death without mercy at the mouth of two or three
witnesses." But our Lord Jesus Christ, having removed
the curse of the law, and proved the commandment which
condemns to be powerless and inoperative, became our mer
ciful High Priest, according to the words of the blessed Paul. Heb.ii. 17.
For He justifies the wicked by faith, and sets free those held
captive by their sins. And this He proclaimed to us by one of
the holy prophets, saying, " In those days, and at that time, Jer. 1. 20.
" saith the Lord, they shall seek for the sin of Israel, and
" there shall be none : and for the sin of Judah, and thou
" shalt not find it : for I will be merciful to those that have
been left in the land, saith the Lord." But lo ! the fulfilment
of the promise came to pass for us at the time of His Incar
nation, as we arc assured by the purport of the holy Gospels.
For he was invited by one of the Pharisees, and being kind
and loving unto man, and "willing that all men should bciTim.ii. 4
" saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth," He con
sented, and granted the favour to him who requested it. And
having entered, He reclined at table : and immediately there
entered a woman defiled with filthy lewdness: who, like one
scarcely roused from wine and intoxication, and made sensible
of the guilt of her transgressions, offered supplication unto
Christ, as able to cleanse her, and deliver her from all
fault, and free her from her former sins, as " not remem- Heb. viii.
" bcring iniquities." And this she did, washing His feet with r
tears, and anointing them with ointment, and wiping them
with her hair. Thus a woman, who beforetime had been lewd,
and guilty of sensuality, a sin difficult to wash away, missed
not the path of salvation ; for she fled for refuge to Him Who
knowcth how to save, and is able to raise from the depths
impurity.
She then failed not in her purpose. But the foolish 1 ha-
risce, the blessed Evangelist tells us, was offended, and said
within himself, " If this were a prophet, He would have known
" who and of what sort the woman is that toucheth Him,
that she is a sinner." The Pharisee therefore was boastful,
158 COMMENTARY UPON
and utterly without understanding. For it was his duty ra
ther to regulate his own life, and earnestly adorn it by all vir
tuous pursuits ; and not to pass sentence upon the infirm, and
condemn others. But we affirm of him, that having been
brought up in the customs of the law, he gave too wide an
influence to its institutions, and required the Legislator Him
self to be subject to the commandments of Moses. For the
law commanded the holy to keep apart from the impure : and
God also blamed those whose lot it was to be the chiefs of the
congregation of the Jews, for their unwillingness in this re-
Ez. xxii. spect. For He thus spake by one of the holy prophets : " they
" make no distinction between the holy and the profane/ But
Christ arose for us, not to subject our state to the curses that
are by the law, but to redeem those subject to sin by a mercy
Gal. iii. I9 . superior to the law. For the law was instituted " because of
-transgressions," as Scripture declares, "that every mouth
< might be stopped, and all the world become guilty before
" God, because by the works of the law no flesh is justified."
For there was no one so far advanced in virtue, spiritual
virtue I mean, as to be able to fulfil all that had been com
manded, and that blamelessly. But the grace that is by Christ
justifieth, because, doing away with the condemnation of the
law, it frees us by means of faith.
That proud and foolish Pharisee therefore did not even
deem Jesus to have attained to the measure of a prophet :
but He made the woman s tears an opportunity for clearly
instructing him in the mystery. For He taught the Pha
risee, and all who were assembled there, that the Word
John iii. being God, " came into the world in our likeness, not to
" condemn the world, but that the world might be saved by
Him." He came that He might forgive the debtors much
nd little, and shew mercy upon small and great, that there
might be no one whatsoever who did not participate in His
goodness. And as a pledge and plain example of His grace,
Ic freed that unchaste woman from her many iniquities by
saying, Thy sins are forgiven thee." Worthy indeed of God
s a declaration such as this ! It is a word joined with supreme
authority. For since the law condemned those that were in
> who, I ask, was able to declare things above the law,
xcept Him only Who ordained it ? Immediately therefore He
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 159
both set the woman free, and directed the attention of that
Pharisee, and those who were dining with him, to more ex
cellent things : for they learned that the Word being God,
was not as one of the prophets, but rather far beyond the
measure of humanity, even though He became man. And
one may say to him who invited Him, Thou was trained up, O
Pharisee, in the sacred Scriptures ; thou knowest I suppose of
course the commands given by most wise Moses : thou hast
examined the words of the holy prophets : Who then is This
That walking in a path contrary to the sacred commands
hath delivered from guilt ? Who That hath pronounced them
free who have boldly broken the things ordained ? Recognise
therefore by the facts themselves One superior to the prophets
and the law: remember that one of the holy prophets pro
claimed these things in old time of Him, and .said, " They Mic.vii.iy.
" shall be in wonder at our God, and shall be afraid of Thee.
" Who is a God like unto Thee, That forgiveth the trans-
" gressions, and passeth over the iniquities of the remnant of
" His inheritance, nor rctaineth His anger unto the end, be-
" cause He willeth mercy \"
Those therefore who were at meat with the Pharisee, were
astonished and wondered at seeing Christ the Saviour of all
possessed of such godlike supremacy, and using expressions
above the right of man. For they said, " Who is This That
" forgiveth sins also?" Dost thou wish me to tell thee Who
He is ? He Who is in the bosom of God the Father, and was
begotten of Him by nature : by Whom every thing was
brought into being : Who possesses supreme sovereignty, and is
worshipped by every thing in heaven and in earth. He sub
mitted Himself to our estate, and became our High Priest, in
order that He might present us unto God, pure and clean, Col. i. 22.
having put off the ill savour of sin, and having Him instead in
us as a^weet savour. For, as most wise Paul writes, " We are
" a sweet savour of Christ unto God." This is He Who spake 2 Cor. ii.
by the voice of the prophet Ezechiel, "And I will be to you a j^" X xxvi.
" God, and I will save you from all your uneleannesses." See 28, 29.
therefore, that the actual accomplishment agreed with what
had before been promised by the holy prophets. Acknowledge
Him as God Him so gentle and loving unto men. Seize upon
the way of salvation : flee from the law that killeth :" accept
160 COMMENTARY UPON
aCor.iii. 6. the faith which is above the law. For it is written, "That
11 which is written killeth," even the law : " but the spirit
" givcth life," even the spiritual purification that is in Christ.
Satan had bound the inhabitants of earth with the cords of
sin : Christ has loosed them ; He has made us free, has abo
lished the tyranny of sin, has driven away the accuser of our
Ps. cvii. 42. infirmities; and the Scripture is fulfilled, that "all iniquity
Rom. viii. " shall stop its mouth ;" " for it is God That justifieth : Who is
u he that condemneth ?" This the divine Psalmist also prayed
might be accomplished, when thus addressing Christ the
Ps. civ. 35. Saviour of all. " Let sinners perish from off the earth : and the
" wicked, so that they may not be found." For verily we must
not say of one clothed with the Spirit, that he curseth those
who are infirm and sinful : for it is not fitting for the saints to
curse any : but rather that he prays this of God. For before
the coming of the Saviour we all were in sin : there was no one
who acknowledged Him Who by nature and verily is God.
Rom. iii. " There was no one doing good, no not one ; but they all had
" turned aside together, and become reprobate." But because
Phil. ii. 7. the Only-begotten submitted Himself to emptiness, and became
flesh, and was made man, sinners have perished, and exist no
longer. For the dwellers upon earth have been justified by
faith, have washed away the pollution of sin by holy baptism,
have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, have sprung out
of the hand of the enemy ; and having bidden as it were the
hosts of devils to depart, dwell under the yoke of Christ.
Christ s gifts therefore raise men to a hope long looked for,
and to a most dear joy. The woman who was guilty of many
impurities, and deserving of blame for most disgraceful deeds,
was justified, that we also may have confidence that Christ
certainly will have mercy upon us, when He sees us hastening
to Him, and endeavouring to escape from the pitfalls of wick
edness. Let us too stand before Him : let us shed the tears of
repentance : let us anoint Him with ointment : for the tears of
him that repenteth are a sweet savour to God. Call him to
Joel i. 5. mind wno sa ith, "Awake, they who are drunken with wine:
" weep and howl all they who drink wine to drunkenness."
For Satan intoxicates the heart, and agitates the mind by
wicked pleasure, leading men down to the pollutions of sen
suality. But while there is time, let us awake ; and as most
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 161
wise Paul says, " Let us not be constantly engaged in revels Rom.
" and drunkenness, nor in chambering and wantonness; but I3>
" rather let us work what is good : for we are not of the night,
" nor of darkness, but children of light and of the day. Let
" us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and clothe our-
" selves with the works of light." Be not troubled when thou
meditatest upon the greatness of thy former sins : but rather
know, that still greater is the grace that justifieth the sinner,
and absolveth the wicked.
Faith then in Christ is found to be the pledge to us of these
great blessings : for it is the way that leadeth unto life : that
bids us go to the mansions that are above : that raises us to the
inheritance of the saints : that makes us members of the king
dom of Christ : by Whom and with Whom, to God the Father
be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and
ever, Amen.
1G2 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON XL!
c. viii. 4-8. And when a large multitude ivas (fathered together, and some
of every city were come to Him, He spake by a parable.
The Sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed,
o pev fw f - some fell by the way side, and, was trampled upon, and the
yutf ST. birds of heaven devoured it. And other fell upon the rock,
( , T ^ y - and ivhen it had sprung up, it withered away because it
avr6 GTS*, had no moisture. And other fell among the thorns, and
the thorns grew up with it, and choked it. And other fell
upon the good ground, and it greiv up, and brought forth
fruit a hundredfold. Wliile saying these things He cried
out, He that hath ears to hear let him hear.
THE blessed prophets have spoken to us in manifold ways
respecting Christ the Saviour of us all. For some proclaimed
Him as a Light that was to come : and others as One of royal
is. xxxi. 9 . rank and greatness. For ono of them even says, " Blessed is
" he who hath seed in Zion, and kinsmen in Jerusalem : for
" lo ! her just king shall reign, and princes shall bear rule
" with judgment. And That Man shall be One That hideth
" His words." For the word of the Saviour is constantly, so
to speak, hidden. So also the blessed Psalmist has brought
Ps. Ixxviii. Him before us saying, " I will open My mouth in parables."
See therefore that that which was spoken by Him in old time
has come to pass. For a large multitude was assembled round
Him of people from all Judaea, and He spake to them in para
bles. But inasmuch as they were not worthy to learn the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the word was wrapt for
them in darkness : for they had killed the holy prophets, and
being guilty of much blood of the righteous, heard themselves
Acts vii. thus plainly addressed : " Which of the prophets have not
Luke xiii. " y ur fatliers killed ?" And again, " Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
34- " that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto
" her ; how often would I have gathered thy children, as a
" hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
" not. Behold your house is left unto you f ."
"Epijfios, desolate, though re- loxenian versions, and our own tex-
tained by both the Peshito and Phi- tus receptus, is most probably an
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 163
But their wicked acts did not extend merely to the holy
prophets, but even mounted up to Him Who is Lord of the
prophets : that is Christ. For being insolent, and setting up
against Him, so to speak, their haughty neck, they gave not
the slightest heed to the duty of receiving faith in Him : and
even wickedly resisted His public teaching, and rebuked those
who wished to be constantly with Him, and thirsted for His
instruction, impiously saying, " He hath a devil and is mad : John
why hear ye Him?" To them therefore it was not granted to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but rather unto
us, who are more ready to embrace the faith. For He hath
given unto us, as being perfect wisdom, the ability " to un- Pruv. i. 6.
" derstand parables, and the dark saying, the words of the
" wise, and their riddles." For parables we may say are the
images not of visible objects, but rather of those cognizable by
the intellect and spiritual. For that which it is impossible to
see with the eyes of the body, the parable points out unto
the eyes of the mind, beautifully shaping out the subtilty of
things intellectual, by means of the things of sense, and which
are as it were palpable to the touch s. Let us see therefore
what benefit the Saviour s word weaves for us.
The Sower, He says, went out to " sow his seed, and so
" forth." Concerning whom then did He thus speak ? Evi
dently concerning Himself. For He verily is the Sower of all
that is good, and we are His husbandry : and by Him and
from Him is the whole harvest of spiritual fruits. And this He
taught us when saying, " Without Me ye can do nothing." John xv. 5.
In the imaginations therefore of the mind, see, I pray, a
husbandman walking along, and everywhere casting seed in
the fields: of which some falls on the pathways, and some on
the rocks ; and some on thorny places : and again some on
good, that is, on fertile ground. That however on the path-
interpolation from Mat. xxiii. 38, parable to those allegories in which
and is rejected in all modern edd. the actors are rational beings, as
In Mat. it is retained by all except that of the ten virgins, of the unjust
Lachmann, who follows B. The A. V. steward, &c. This of the sower, the
follows the Vulgate in the mistrans- tares, &c., they call J^Aic, <simi ~
lation, " sent unto thee." litudes. Here, however, the trans-
* The Syrians confine the word lator adopts the Greek usage.
Y 2
164 COMMENTARY UPON
ways was snatched away : and that on the rocks, when it had
just sprouted, and scarcely shot up, quickly withered of
drought : and that among thorns was choked : but that which
fell on good ground prospered, for it bore fruit, He says, a
hundredfold.
Now what the aim is of the discourse, and what the pro-
founder teaching of the parable, we shall learn from Him Who
framed it. Before us even the blessed disciples found these
things hard to understand, and drew near unto the Revealer
of mysteries, supplicating Him and saying, " What is the
" parable ?" And what was Christ s reply ? " The seed is the
" word of God : those on the way are they who have heard,
aKofoavres " an ^ after wards the devil cometh, and taketh away the word
BS. from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. 7
And h as to the cause of the seed on the pathways being
snatched away, we see in a moment that it is the hardness of
the ground. A pathway always is hard and untilled, because
it is exposed to every one s feet, nor is any seed admitted into
it, but lies rather upon the surface, ready for any birds that
will to snatch it away. All those therefore, whose mind is
hard and unyielding, and so to speak, pressed together, do not
receive the divine seed : for the divine and sacred admonition
finds no entrance into them, nor do they accept the words that
would produce in them the fear of God, and by means of
which they could bring forth as fruits the glories of virtue.
They have made themselves a beaten and trampled pathway
for unclean demons, yea, and for Satan himself, such as never
can bear holy fruit. Let those therefore awake, whose heart
is sterile and unfruitful : open your mind, receive the sacred
seed, be like productive and well-tilled soil, bring forth unto
God the fruits that will raise you to an incorruptible life :
guard your mind, shut the entrance against the thief, drive
away from your hearts the flocks of birds, in order that the
seed may abide with you ; that ye may be ground luxuriant
in corn, and very fertile, and rich abundantly in bringing forth
fruit.
h This passage is contained in is rendered comparatively valueless
Cramer ii. 66, and as generally is by the extreme carelessness and in-
the case, his MS. agrees more close- accuracy with which it is edited,
ly with the Syriac than Mai s, but
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 165
And next, let us also consider those others of whom Christ
said, "And those upon the rock are they who, when they hear,
" receive the word with joy, and they have no root : these for
" a while believe, and in time of temptation depart away."
For there are verily men whose faith has not been proved,
depending on words simply, and not applying their mind to the
examining of the mystery : of such the piety is sapless and with
out root. For when they enter the churches, they feel pleasure
often in seeing so many assembled, and joyfully receive in
struction in the mysteries from him whose business it is to
teach, and laud him with praises : but this they do with no
discretion or judgment, but with unpuriiied wills : and when
they have gone out of the churches, at once they forget the
sacred doctrines, and proceed in their customary course ; not
having stored up within them any thing for their future benefit.
And if the affairs of Christians go on peacefully, and no trial dis
turb them, they even then scarcely maintain in them the faith,
and that, so to speak, in a confused and tottering state. But Cf. 131,- 14.
if persecution trouble them, and the enemies of the truth
attack the churches of the Saviour, their heart loves not the
battle, and their mind throws away the shield and flees, being
devoid of zeal, and destitute of love towards God, and ready
for desertion. But ye fearful and infirm, one may well say,
whjlo_yje flee from that which would be your glory ? and
escape_ from conflicts to which ye have been trained? For
hereby those who wish may win for themselves the trophy of
victory. Do ye also struggle: twine the chaplet of man
liness, thirst for the rewards of perseverance, for the honours
of_patiencc.
I think too that I may rightly bring forward the following
argument: they who glitter on lofty thrones, and govern
earthly things, when is it they see the steadfast soldier, whose
desire is set on victory ? Is it in times when peace smiles, and
the din of arms is still ? Or is it rather when he goes courage
ously against those who are marshalling for the attack ? As I
imagine, it is the latter case that is true rather than the former.
Therefore as the prophet Jeremiah has said, " Take up arms jerem.
" and shields." Especially as the right hand ot God our
Saviour is invincible in the battle, and as most wise Paul has
saidT" He does not permit men to be tried more than they can ^
166 COMMENTARY UPON
" bear, but with the trial will make also the way of egress, that
" they may be able to endure patiently."
But even if it possibly be our lot to suffer when contending
in defence of piety towards Christ, then altogether and in every
way are we worthy of envy, and glorious, and possessed of
splendid hopes. Moreover, a praised death is incomparably
better than an ignominious life. For so also the Saviour said to
Lukexii. 4 . the holy apostles, " Fear not them who kill the body, but are
" not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him Who is able
" to destroy both soul and body in hell." Did He therefore
command us thus entirely to disregard these extreme dangers,
Avhile He Himself remained aloof from similar trials ? But lo !
He laid down His life for us, and with His blood purchased
the world. We are therefore not our own, but His Who
bought and redeemed us, and to Whom we owe our lives. For
as the divine Paul said, " For this reason Christ died and lived,
" that He might be Lord of the dead and the living." We
ought therefore to possess a mind incapable of being shaken,
that especially whenever temptation arrive, we may shew our^
selves approved and victorious in the power of patience : and
ready with joy to undergo conflicts, and seize the opportunity
of suffering for piety s sake towards Christ.
Thus much then being disposed of and explained, let us next
consider the thorns among which the divine seed is choked.
What again says the Saviour ? " But that which fell among the
" thorns are they who have heard, and by cares, and wealth,
" and pleasures of the world, go and are choked, and yield no
" fruit/ For the Saviour scatters the seed, which having
obtained a firm hold in the souls that have received it, and al
ready, so to say, shot up, and just begun to be visible, is choked
by worldly cares, and dries up, being overgrown by empty occu-
pations, and as the prophet Jeremiah [ said, " it becomes a hand-
" ful, that can produce no meal." In these things therefore we
must be like skilful husbandmen : who having perseveringly
cleansed away the thorns, and torn up by the root whatever
is injurious, then scatter the seed in clean furrows; and there-
PH. cxxvi. fore one can say with confidence, " that doubtless they shall
" come with joy, bearing their sheaves." But if a man cast his
1 One or two similar instances will subsequently be found of incorrect
quotations probably from memory.
ov. x.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 167
seed in ground that is fertile in thorns, and fruitful in briars,
and densely covered with useless stubble, he sustains a double
loss : of his seed first, and also of his trouble. In order there
fore that the divine seed may blossom well in us, let us first cast
out of the mind worldly cares, and the unprofitable anxiety
which makes us seek to be rich, " For we brought nothing into iTim.vi. 7.
" the world, nor can we take any thing out." For what profit
is there in possessing superfluities ? " Treasures profit not the Pro
" wicked," as Scripture saith, " but righteousness dclivereth
" from death. For immediately upon the possession of afflu
ence, there run up, and, so to speak, forthwith hem us in, the
basest wickednesses ; profligate banquets, the delights of glut
tony, and carefully prepared sauces ; music, and drunkenness,
and the pitfalls of wantonness ; pleasures and sensuality, and
pride hateful to God. But as the disciple of the Saviour has said,
" Every k thing that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, and
" the lust of the eye, and the pride of the world; and the ""
" world passcth away, and its lust ; but he that docth the will
" of God abideth for ever."
This is the good seed, and worthy of admiration : the land
rich and well productive, that bringcth forth fruit a hundred
fold. For men say, that the best soils do sometimes under cul
tivation produce a hundredfold ; so that this is a mark of
every fertile and productive spot. And of such it has been
very justly said by one of the holy prophets at the mouth of
God, " And all nations shall congratulate you ; because ye are Malach. ii
" a desirable land." For when the divine word falls upon a *"
mind pure and skilful in cleansing itself from things hurtful, it
then fixes its root deeply, and shoots up like an ear of corn, and
so to speak, being strong in blade, and well flowered, brings its
fruit to perfection.
But I think it may be useful to mention this to you, who
wish to learn what is good. For Matthew, when relating this Matt, xiii,
chapter to us, said that the good ground brought forth fruit in * ;
three degrees. " For one, he says, brought forth a hundred,
k In this quotation, which repeat- next, TOV KOO-^OV is substituted after
edly occurs in this Commentary, f) d\aoveia for TOV @iov : and lastly,
the latter clause of v. 16 is always by the insertion of the copula in the
omitted, viz. OVK (O~TIV CK TOV ira- previous clause, the sense is fixed as
rpoy, aXAci fK TOV Koo-fiov fa-Tiv : I have translated it.
168 COMMENTARY UPON
" and one sixty, and one thirtyfold." Observe therefore, that
just as Christ described three degrees of loss, so similarly the
degrees of success are equal in number. For those seeds that
fall upon the pathway are snatched away by the birds : and
those upon the rocks, having merely shot up, within a little
while wither away : and those among the thorns are choked.
But that desirable land brings forth fruit in three several
degrees, as I said : a hundred, sixty, and thirtyfold. For as
iCor.vii. 7. most wise Paul writes, " Each one severally of us has his own
" gift from God, one in one manner, and another in another."
For we do not at all find that the successes of the saints are in
equal measure. On us however it is incumbent to emulate
these things that are better and superior to those of meaner
kind ; for so will Christ bountifully bestow happiness upon us :
by Whom and with Whom, to God the Father be praise and
dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 169
SERMON XLll.
And there came to Him His mother, and His brethren, and C. viii 19-
were not able to speak luith Him because of the multitude. 21
But it was told Him, Thy mother, and Thy brethren stand
without, wishing to see Thee. But He answered and said Add. A*-
unto them, My mother and My brethren, are these icho QrJJ* 1
tear the word of God and do it.
ONCE again let the words of praise in the book of Psalms
be quoted by us ; " What shall I render unto the Lord for all p 8 . C xvi.
" He hath rendered unto me ?" For what can we otter Him I2 -
that is equal to His love towards us ? Shall we choose for our
guidance the commands of the law, and honour Him with
sacrifices of blood ? Does He feel pleasure in the slaughter of
bullocks and goats ? No certainly : for they are an abomination
unto Him. For by one of His holy prophets He even plainly
declared to those who were rendering Him the legal service,
" I hate, I abominate your feast days : nor will I smell at your Amosv.si
" festivals : because though ye bring Ale whole burnt offerings
" and sacrifices, I will not accept them ; nor regard your dis-
" plays for salvation." What therefore ought to be the spi
ritual sacrifice which we offer Him, the wise Psalmist again
teaches us saying, " I said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord; PS. xvi. 2.
" because my good things Thou ncedest not." AVhen thus we
approach Him, He will accept us : if this be the offering we
make Him it will be dear and agreeable : this is the spiritual
sacrifice, according as it is written, " Hath the Lord delight in i Sam. \v.
" whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in our hearkening to
" His voice? Behold! to hearken is better than sacrifices; and
" to listen than the fat of rams." For that obedience and the
hearkening unto God, is the cause of every blessing, the pre
sent lesson teaches us. For some entered and told Christ re
specting His holy mother and His brethren. And He, it says,
answered in these words, " My mother and My brethren are
" they who hear the word of God and do it."
Now let not any one imagine that Christ spurned the honour
due to His mother, or contemptuously disregarded the love owed
170 COMMENTARY UPON
to His brethren : for He it was Who spake the law by Moses,
Dout.v. 16. and clearly said, " Honour thy father and thy mother, that it
" may be well with thee." And how I pray could He have
rejected the love due to brethren, Who even commanded us to
love not merely our brethren, but those who stand in the rela-
Mat. v. 44. tion to us of foes ? For He says, " Love your enemies." What
therefore does Christ wish to teach? His object then is highly
to exalt His love towards those who are willing to bow the neck
to His commands : and in what way I will explain. The greatest
honours, and the most complete affection is that which we all
owe to our mothers and brethren. If therefore He says that
they who hear His word and do it are His mother and brethren,
is it not plain to every one, that He bestows on those who
follow Him a love thorough and worthy of their acceptance ?
For so He would make them readily embrace the desire of
yielding themselves to His words, and of submitting their mind
to His yoke, by means of a complete obedience.
But that God greatly rejoices in those whose minds are, thus
disposed, He assures us by one of the holy prophets, thus
is. ixvi. 2. saying, "And on whom shall I look, except upon the humble
" and meek, and that trembleth at My words V For just as
our fathers after the flesh feel pleasure in those sons whose
choice it is to perform the things that are good and agreeable
to them, and who wish to accord with them in mind, so also the
God of all loves the obedient, and deigns His mercy to him
who thoroughly hearkens to Him. And the converse also is
true : that he rejects him who is disobedient and untractable.
For He also blamed the Jews who fell into this wickedness,
Mai. i. 6. saying, "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master :
"if I then am a father, where is My honour? and if I am a
" master, where is My fear ? saith the Lord Almighty." For
either we ought to fear the Lord of all as a master, or to
honour Him at least as a father, a thing which is far greater
i John iv. and better than the former : for love casteth out fear.
For that there is no obedience without reward, and on the
other hand, no disobedience without penalty, is made plain by
what God spake by His holy prophet to those who disregarded
Is. ixv. 13. Him: "Behold, they who serve Me shall eat, but ye shall
" suffer hunger : behold, they who serve Me shall drink, but
" ye shall suffer thirst : behold, they who obey Me shall
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 171
" rejoice, but ye shall lament : behold, they who serve Me
" shall exult in happiness, but ye shall groan, and wail from
" contrition of your heart." For let us see, if you will, even
from the writings of Moses, the grief to which disobedience has
brought us. We have been driven from a paradise of delights,
and have also fallen under the condemnation of death ; and
while intended for incorruption : for so God created the uni
verse : we yet have become accursed, and subject to the yoke
of sin. And how then have we escaped from that which betel us >
or Who is He that aided us, when we had sunk into this great
misery ? It was the Only-begotten Word of God, by submitting Phil. ii. s.
Himself to our estate, and being found in fashion as a man, and
becoming obedient unto the Father even unto death. Thus has
the guilt of the disobedience that is by Adam been remitted :
thus has the power of the curse ceased, and the dominion of
death been brought to decay. And this too Paul teaches,
saying, " For as by the disobedience of the one man, the many Kom.v. i<>
" became sinners, so by the obedience of the One, the many
" became righteous." For the whole nature of man became
guilty in the person of him who was first formed ; but now it is
wholly justified again in Christ. For He became for us the
second commencement of our race after that primary one; and
therefore all things in Him have become new. And Paul as
sures of this, writing, " Therefore every man who is in Christ 2 * > v.
" is a new creation; and the former things have passed away :
" behold, they have become new." om. TO *<
In order then that Christ may win us all unto obedience, He re ti n ent
promises us surpassing honours, and deigns us the highest love, GTy -
saying, * My mother and My brethren are those who hear the
" word of God and do it." For who among men is so obdurate
and ungentle, as to refuse to honour, and accord the most com
plete love to his mother and brethren ? For the all-powerful
law of nature, even without our will, obliges us to this. When
therefore, bowing our neck to the Saviour s commands, we be
come His followers, and so arc in the relation of a mother and
brethren to Him, how does He regard us before God s judgment
seat ? Is it not with gentleness and love ? What doubt can there
be of this ? And what is comparable to this honour and good
ness ? What is there worthy of being matched with a gift thus
splendid and desirable ? For He takes us unto Him, that where
z 2
TO COMMENTARY UPON
He is, there we also may be with Him. For this He even
Johnxiv.3. deigned to promise us, saying, "I will go, and make ready a
" place for you : and return again and take you with Me, that
" where I am, there ye also may be with Me."
Servitude, therefore, is a thing worth our gaining, and the
pledge of noble honours. And this, we say, is fulfilled not by
our merely hearing the words of God, but by our endeavouring
to perform what is commanded. This thou learnest from what
James i. 22. one of the holy Apostles declares : " But become doers of the
om. gi-isol. " law 1 , and not hearers only. If any be a hearer of the law,
" and not a doer, he is like a man regarding his natural face,
" in a mirror. For he has regarded himself, and gone away :
" and at once forgotten what manner of person he was. But
" he who hath looked into the perfect law of liberty, and
tpywv sol. " wrought : not being a forgetful hearer, but an active doer, m
" he shall be blessed in his doing."
Now though the argument already brought forward is suffi
cient for the persuasion of right-thinking men, yet I will add
for their advantage that also which is correctly said in the
Heb. vi. 7. words of the blessed Paul : " For the land that hath drunk in
" the rain that hath come oft upon it, and bringeth forth the root
" serviceable for them for whose sake it is tilled, receiveth a
" blessing from God. But if it bring forth thorns and thistles,
" it is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing : and its end is to be
" burnt." For like rain, the Saviour sendeth down upon the
hearts of those who hear, the word of spiritual consolation ;
even the sacred doctrine of salvation. If then a man be pos
sessed of understanding, he will bring forth the fruits of an
abundant intellectual harvest : but if he be careless and negli
gent, he of course has no claim to the praises of virtue, and
instead of grapes will bring forth thorns. And what his end
will be, we learn from the words of Isaiah. For he says :
1 The reading vopov for \6yov in quent in the Greek of the N. T.,
this and the following verse is but nowhere more so than in St.
found in very few even of the infe- James. As, therefore, " the mam-
rior MSS., but occurs in the ^Ethi- mon of unrighteousness" is " the
opic and Arabic versions. unrighteous mammon," and " a
m Owing to the paucity of adjec- ( hearer of forgetfulness," " a for-
tives in Syriac, an attribute is ge- getful hearer ;" so a " doer of
nerally expressed by the addition of doings" is " an active doer."
a substantive, and this idiom is fre-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 173
" For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the man of Judah : is. v. 7.
" a plant new and well-beloved : and I looked that it would
" bring forth grapes, but it brought forth iniquity, and not
" righteousness, but a cry." And that Israel was thus punished
for its neglect of that fruitfulness which was both fitting for
itself and well pleasing to God ; having neither obeyed His
commands, nor consented to perform them ; we learn again
from His words, where He says : " But now I will shew you Is. v. 5.
" what I will do to My vineyard. I will take away its fence,
" and it shall be wasted : and I will rend its wall, and it shall
" be trampled under foot. And I will abandon My vineyard :
" and it shall not be pruned, nor tilled : and thorns shall grow
" up in it as on waste ground ; and I will command the clouds
" to rain no rain upon it." It is plain, therefore, to every man,
that God hath no respect for the wicked soul that bcarcth
thorns. For it is left unprotected, and without a wall, and ex
posed to the depredations of whoever will ; a place for thieves
and wild animals ; and sharing in no spiritual consolation. For
this I consider, and this only, is the meaning of there falling
upon it no rain. When Israel suffered these things, the Psalmist
so to speak wailed over him, and said to the God of all :
" The vine that Thou broughtest out of Egypt, Thou castedst PS. ixxx.
" out the nations and plantedst it." And again thus proceeds :
" its shade covered the mountains; and its boughs were as the
" cedars of God : it sent forth its branches to the sea, and its
" foliage to the river." lie made too supplications for what
they had suffered, saying ; " Why hast Thou broken down her w. 12, 13.
" hedges, and all the wayfarers pluck her I The boar out of
" the wood destroyed! hgr : and the ass of the desert feedeth
" upon her." For the soul that is undefended, and deemed
unworthy of protection from on high, becomes a pasture
ground for evil beasts. For it is plundered by Satan and his
angels.
In order, therefore, that we may not fall into such severe
tribulations, let us bow the neck of our mind to Christ the Sa
viour of all. Let us receive the Word of God and do it : for it
our choice be so to act, He will crown us with lofty honours ;
for He is the distributor of the crowns ; by Whom and with
Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion with the
Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
174 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON XLIII.
c. viii. a 2- But it came to pass on a certain day that He went into a
ship with His disciples. And He said unto them, Let us
go over to the other side of the lake : and they went. But
as they were sailing, He fell asleep: and there came
KOI ffwe- down a storm of wind upon the lake, and the ship was
T&TIoToj/ filled and they were in danger. And they drew near,
sol. and awoke Him, saying, Master, Master, we perish.
rots ai>ffj.ots, Then He arose, and rebuked the ivinds, and the raging
/*e- f ^ e waters, and they luere still : and there ivas a great
sol. ca i m But He said to them) where is your faith? And
lrpbs^\^- they were afraid, and wondered among themselves, saying,
\ovt, sol. Who, then, is This, that He commandeth even the winds,
KoJov i" ana wa ters, and they obey Him ?
aura?, B.
ONCE again draw near, that as with the Psalmisfs harp we
Pa.xxxiv.i. may cry aloud : " I will bless the Lord at all times : and at all
" times shall His praise be in my mouth." For He ever doeth
wonderful things; and giveth occasions thick and closely press
ing one upon another for His praise : and every word falls
short of His power, and of His majesty far exalted above all.
Prov. xxv. For true is it that " the glory of the Lord covereth over the
" Word." But we must not on this account forget the glory
that is His due and fitting right : but rather must hasten
joyfully to offer such fruits as are proportionate to our power.
For certainly there is nothing whatsoever that a man can af
firm to be better than praise, even though it be but little that
we can offer. Come, therefore, and let us praise Christ the
Saviour of all : let us behold the supremacy of His might, and
the majesty of His godlike dominion.
For He was sailing, together with the holy Apostles, across
the sea, or rather lake of Tiberias, and an unexpected and vio
lent tempest arose upon the vessel ; and the waves, piled up
high by the gusts of the winds, filled the disciples with the fear
of death. For they were terrified not a little, although well
acquainted with seamanship, and by no means inexperienced
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 175
in the tumults of the waves. But inasmuch as the greatness
of the danger made their terror now unendurable, as having
no other hope of safety except Him only Who is the Lord
of powers even Christ, they arouse Him, saying, Master,
Master, save us, we perish : for the Evangelist says that He
was asleep. n With most wise purpose, as it seems to me, was
this also done. For some one, I imagine, may say, Why did
He fall asleep at all ? To which we reply, that the event was
so arranged as to be good and profitable. For that they might
not ask aid of Him immediately when the tempest began to
dash upon the ship, but when, so to speak, the evil was at its
heigh th, and the terrors of death were troubling the disciples ;
that so the might of His godlike sovereignty might be more
manifest, in calming the raging sea, and rebuking the savage
blasts of the wind, and changing the tempest to a calm, and
that the event might thus become a means of improvement to
them that were sailing with Him, He purposely fell asleep.
But they, as I said, wake Him, saying: Save me, We
perish. See here, I pray, smallness of faith united with faith.
For they believe that He can save; and deliver from all evil
those who call upon Him. For had they not so far had a firm
faith in Him, they certainly would not have asked this of Him.
And yet as having but little faith, they say, Save me, we
perish. For it was not a thing possible, or that could hap-
n Mai here inserts two passages, rally the Apostles were only eye-
the first referring to our Lord s witnesses, and in danger, therefore,
austerity of manners ((pi\oa-o<pia) in of not really appreciating them : it
sleeping with only a pillow under was necessary, therefore, for them
His head ; and the second at the to experience in their own persons
end of the paragraph, enlarging their Master s divine power, that
upon the economy : but as the first they might he fully impressed with
of these is contained in Cramer en- His majesty: and thus, therefore,
tire and the beginning of the se- He did not save them till they were
cond, in the extracts in his Catena in the very terrors of death,
from S. Cyril s Commentary on S. Cyril was here probably
S. Mark, (cf. c. iv. v. 35.), we have quoting from memory : for though
another proof that the passages not o-oxroi/ is read in some MSS., it is
acknowledged by the Syriac are universally regarded as an interpo-
often taken from other works of lation, and does not appear in Cy-
this father. In the second extract ril s own text : while the pronoun
there is a remark so worthy of Cyril " me," " Save me," has no MS. au-
that I append it : it is to the effect, thority whatsoever,
that in our Lord s miracles gene-
176 COMMENTARY UPON
pen, for them to perish when they were with Him Who is
Almighty.
The vessel, then, was severely tossed by the violence of the
tempest, and the breaking of the waves : and along with the
ship the faith of the disciples also was tossed, so to speak, by
similar agitations. But Christ, Whose authority extends over
all, immediately arose, and at once appeased the storm, re
strained the blasts of wind, quieted their fear, and yet further
proved by deeds that He is God, at Whom all created things
tremble and quake, and to Whose nods is subject the very
Sic etiam nature of the elements. For He rebuked the tempest : and
cod. Gr, Matthew says that the manner of the rebuke was with godlike
authority. For he tells us, that our Lord said to the sea :
Markiv.39. " Peace, be thou still." What can there be more grand
than this in majesty ? or what can equal its sublimity ? Right
worthy of God is the word, and the might of the command
ment, so that we too may utter the praise written in the book
Ps. ixxxix. of Psalms : " Thou rulest the power of the sea : and stillest
9- " the turbulence of its waves." He too has Himself said some-
Jer. v. 12. where by one of the holy prophets : " Why fear ye not Me,
" saith the Lord ? nor tremble at My presence ? I Who have
" set the sand as the bound of the sea, a commandment for
" ever, and it hath not passed it." For the sea is subject to the
will of Him Who made all creation, and is, as it were, placed
under the Creator s feet, varying its motions at all times ac
cording to His good pleasure, and yielding submission to His
lordly will.
When, therefore, Christ had calmed the tempest, He also
changed into confidence the faith of the holy disciples, which
had been shaken along with the ship, no longer permitting it
to be in doubt ; and wrought in them, so to say, a calm,
smoothing the waves of their weak faith. For He said,
"Where is your faith ?"P Another Evangelist, however, af-
Mat. viii. firms of Him, that He said, " Why are ye fearful, ye of
"little faith?" For when the fear of death unexpectedly
P Mai adds a passage enlarging " monishing them, that their fear
upon the idea, " and with the tempest " was caused not by the trials that
" of the waves does away with the " befel them, but hy the weakness
" tempest of their soul, rehuking " of their faith."
" them, and at the same time ad-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 177
befals, it troubles sometimes even a well-established mind, and
exposes it to the blame of littleness of faith ; and such also is
the effect of any other trouble too great to bear upon those
who are tried by it. For this reason there once drew near cer
tain unto Christ, and said : " Increase our faith." For the man Luke xvii.
who is still exposed to blame for littleness of faith falls short 5>
of him who is perfect in faith. For just as gold is tried in the
fire, so also is faith by temptations. But the mind of man is
weak, and altogether in need of strength and help from above,
in order that it may be well with him, and that he may be able
to maintain a steadfast course, and be strong, manfully to en
dure whatsoever befal. And this our Saviour taught us, saying ;
" Without Me ye can do nothing." And the wise Paul also John xv. 5.
confesses the same, where he writes; " I am able to do all Phil. iv. 13.
" things through Christ, That strengthened! me."
The Saviour, therefore, wrought miracles, changing by His
all-prevailing nod the tempest into a calm, and smoothing the
raging storm into a settled peace. But the disciples wondering
at the divine sign, whispered one to another, saying : " Who,
ft then, is This, that He commands even the winds and the
"waters, and they obey Him?" Did the blessed disciples,
then, thus say to one another, " Who is This?" from not
knowing Him ? But how is not this utterly incredible ? For
they knew Jesus to be God, and the Son of God. For also
Nathaniel plainly confessed, " Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, John i. 49 .
" Thou art the King of Israel." Yes, and Peter too, that
chosen one of all the Apostles, when they were in the neigh
bourhood of Ca?sarea Philippi, and Christ put a question to
them all, and said, " Whom do men say that the Son of man M.it.xvi.i 3.
" is ?" and certain had answered, Some, indeed, Elias ; but
" others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets" made a correct
and blameless confession of faith in Him, saying, " Thou art the
" Christ the Son of the living God." And Christ praised him
for thus speaking, honoured him with crowns, and counted the
disciple worthy of surpassing honours : for He said, " Blessed
" art thou, Simon, son of Jonah : for flesh and blood hath not
" revealed it to thee, but My Father in heaven. v And how
could Peter, who was taught of God, not know Him Whom he
plainly said was the Son of the living God ? It was not then
as being ignorant of His glory, that the wise disciples say,
A a
178 COMMENTARY UPON
Who is This ? but rather as wondering at the immensity of
His power, and at the lofty and incomparable greatness of His
sovereignty. For the wretched Jews, either as being entirely
ignorant of the mystery of Christ, or as not deigning Him, in
their great wickedness, any regard, rebuked Him, and threw
stones at Him, when He called God His Father. For they
John x. 33. ventured even to say, " Why dost Thou, being a man, make
" Thyself God?" For they did not comprehend in their mind
the depth of the mystery. God was in visible form like unto
us : the Lord of all bore the likeness of a slave : He Who is
high exalted was in lowliness : and He who surpasses all in
tellectual comprehension, and transcends every created being,
was in the measure of us men. And as the disciples knew this,
they wonder at the glory of the Godhead ; and as they view It
present in Christ, and yet see that He was like unto us^ and
visible in the flesh, they say, " Who is This?" instead of, How
great He is ! and of what nature ! and with how great power,
and authority, and majesty. He commands even the waters and
the wind, and they obey Him !
There is also in this much for the admiration and improve
ment of those who hear : for creation is obedient to whatsoever
Christ chooses to command. And what excuse can avail us, if
we do not submit to do the same ? or can deliver from the fire
and condemnation him who is disobedient and untractable, set
ting up, so to speak, the neck of his haughty mind against
Christ s commands, and whose heart it is impossible to soften ?
It is our duty, therefore, understanding that all those things
that have been brought into existence by God entirely agree
with His will, ourselves to become like the rest of creation, and
avoid disobedience as a thing that leads to perdition. Let us
rather, then, submit to Him Who summons us to salvation, and
to the desire of living uprightly and lawfully, that is, evange
lically : for so Christ will fill us with the gifts that come from
above, and from Himself: by Whom and with Whom to God
the Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for
ever and ever, Amen q .
Q Mai from A. f. 126. appends a after His resurrection He said,
passage containing two allegorical Peace be unto you : and the second
interpretations, the first explaining the more ordinary one of the ship
the lake as signifying Judsea, in being the Church, the saints the
which a tempest rose against the rowers, &c.
disciples, appeased by Christ, when
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 179
SERMON XLIV. c.viii.,6.
36.
Fepao Tjj wj/
And they went to the country of the Gferasenes, which is over BTS -
- against Galilee. And when He went out on land, there ^ aSapwa "
met Him a certain man who had devils, and for a lona 01 ! 1- * K TS
J TT
, S.
time had not luorn clothing, nor abode in a Iwuse, but in *<&
the tombs. And when he sau> Jesus, he cried out, and fell "5!^ BS.
down before Him, and with a loud voice said, What is
there between me and 7 //<r, Jesus, /Son of God Most SL/Tdl !>""
///*// . ? / beseech Thee, Torment me not. But He had 2J s ^ a
commanded the unclean spirit to go out of the man: for fpd^asGTs.
from a long time it had seized him, and he ivas kept bound UH^&.
with chains and fetters, and ivas watched : and breaking Kei 8 * s -
his bonds, he was driven by the devil into the wilderness.
And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name ? And lie om. \4ywv
said, Legion : because tliat many devil* had entered into
him. And they besought Him not to command them to go
into the abyss. But there was there a herd of many swine
feeding on the mountain : and the*/ besought Him to suffer POO-KO^^
TJ^J
them to enter into them. And He suffered them. But when __^ VO)V
the devils had gone out of the man, they entered into Ae GTy -
swine. And the herd rmhed over the precipice^ into the
lake, and ivas drowned. When then the keepers saw what
had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and vil- a( ia. ^ nf \.
lages. . And they went out to see what had happened, and jj 1
came to Jesus, and found the man out of whom the devils
had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed, and sober-
minded. And they were afraid. But they who saw it told ol I
them in what manner the demoniac had been saved. Ka { i ; 5
GTs.
THE prophet Ilabakkuk foresaw the glory of the Saviour,
and, overcome by His wonderful deeds, he offered up praises
unto Him, saying : " O Lord, I have heard Thy hearing, and Hah. iii. 2.
" been afraid : I have considered Thy doings, and been asto-
r The literal translation is, " And nothing more than a periphrasis for
" its own impulse carried the herd wp^aev, for which the Syriac 1ms
" over the precipice ;" but this is no direct equivalent.
A a 2
180 COMMENTARY UPON
" nished." For of which of the deeds wrought by our common
Saviour Christ can any one say, that it is not worthy of all
admiration? which of them is not great, and highly to be
praised, and a proof of His godlike authority ? And this we
can very clearly see in what has been here read to us from the
evangelic Scriptures. Let us behold, then, the tyranny of the
enemy shaken by Christ, and the earth set free from the wick
edness of demons : let us see the heads of the serpent bruised
by Him, and the swarm of venomous reptiles driven away over
powered and in terror: and those who in old time had been full
of cunning and audacity ; who had held subject to their sway
all that lies beneath the heavens ; who had prided themselves
upon their temples of vast cost, and on their beautifully sculp
tured altars ; who had been honoured with sacrifices ; and
crowned with universal praises ; fall from their former glory,
and as though retaining sovereignty over no one single man,
beg for a herd of swine ! A very plain proof is this of the
unexpected misery that had befallen them, and of their being
broken utterly.
But no more : for I perceive that in my discourse I have
taken a leap, as it were, from what we began with, and have
hurried to the latter part of the lesson. Come, therefore,
that, like a fleet and strong-limbed horse, we may as with a
bridle, turn it back to the beginning. For the Saviour, in com
pany with the holy disciples, had landed in the country of the
Gerasenes ; and immediately a man met them, in whom dwelt
many unclean spirits : and he was void of mind and under
standing, and in no respect different from those already dead,
and laid in the earth : or rather, perhaps, even in a more
miserable state. For they, carefully wrapped in their grave-
clothes, are laid in the earth, like one on his mother s bosom :
but he, in great misery and nakedness, wandering among the
graves of the dead, was in utter wretchedness, leading a dis
graceful and ignominious life : and so was a proof of the cruelty
of the demons, and a plain demonstration of their impurity.
And besides this, it is a charge and accusation against them of
hatred unto mankind : for they would have no man whatsoever
upon earth sober, but wish them like one intoxicated, and
crazed, to know nothing to their profit, but be left in igno
rance even of Him Who is the Maker of all. For of whomso-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 181
ever they have possession, and have subjected to their power,
him at once they make an example of great misery, deprived
of every blessing, and destitute of all sobriety, and bereft more
over entirely even of reason itself.
But why, say some, have they possession of men ? To
such, then, as wish to have this explained, I answer, that
the reason of these things is very deep : for so somewhere
God is addressed by one of His saints, " Thy judgments are Ps.xxxvi.6.
a vast abyss." But as long as we bear this in mind, we shall
perchance not shoot beside the mark. The God of all, then,
purposely permits some to fall into their power, not so much
that they may suffer, as that we may learn by their example
in what way the demons treat us, and so may avoid the wish
of being subject to them. For by the suffering of one, many
are edified.
But the Gerasene, or rather the herd of demons lying con
cealed within him, fell down before Christ s feet, saying, " What
" is there between me and Thee, Jesus, Son of God Most High ?
" I beseech Thee, torment me not." Here observe, I pray,
the mixture of fear with great audacity, and overweening
pride : and that the words which he is forced, as it were, to
ejaculate, are coupled with inflated haughtiness ! For it is
a proof of the pride of the enemy, that he ventures to say,
" What is there between me and Thee, Jesus, Son of God
" Most High r Thou knowest, then, for certain, that He is
the Son of God Most High : thou therefore confessest that He
is also God, and Lord of heaven and earth, and of all things
therein : and how, then, having usurped that which is not
thine, or rather that which is His, and assumed to thyself a
glory which in no possible way is thy right : for thou claim-
edst to be worshipped : didst thou affirm that He had nothing
to do with thee, Whom, as far as thy endeavours went, thou
causedst to be expelled from that dignity which most fitly is
His alone ? All men upon earth are His ; and these thou
wickedly corruptedst, removing them far from the knowledge
of Him Who truly is the Lord and Maker of all, and plungedst
them into the mire of sin, making them thy worshippers :
and afterwards dost thou say, " What is there between me and
" Thee ?" What earthly king would endure to have those
placed under his sceptre harrasscd by barbarians ? Or what
182 COMMENTARY UPON
shepherd is so unfeeling and indifferent, as when savage beasts
attack his flocks, to take no heed of the calamity, nor endeavour
to aid his sheep ? Confess, even though against thy will, who
thou art, and to Whom thou speakest. Utter words such as
befit thee : such namely as, " I pray Thee, torment me not." "For
" He had commanded, it says, the spirit to go out of the man."
Observe, I pray again, the incomparable majesty of Him
Who transcends all, even of Christ. With irresistible might
and unequalled authority He crushes Satan by simply willing
that so it should be. He does not permit him to venture to
give one look of opposition to His commands. Fire and flames
unto him was Christ s will : so that it is true as the blessed
Ps.xcvii.5. Psalmist said, that " the hills melted like wax before the face
PS. civ. 32. " of God." And again elsewhere, " Touch the hills, and they
" shall smoke." For he compares to the hills those high and
boastful powers of wickedness ; which nevertheless, as though
in contact with fire, melt like wax before the might and
sovereignty of our Saviour. And besides this they smoke :
now smoke is an indication of fire about to burst into a blaze ;
and this it is the lot of the impure spirits to suffer.
But Christ asked him, and commanded him to tell, What
was his name. And he said, "Legion, because that many
" devils had entered into him." Did Christ then ask because
He did not know it, and like one of us, wished to learn it as
something that had escaped Him ? But how is it not perfectly
absurd for us to say or imagine any thing of the kind ? For as
Ps. vii. 9. being God, " He knoweth all things, and searcheth the hearts
" and reins." He asked therefore for the plan of salvation s
sake, that we might learn that a great multitude of devils
shared 5 the one soul of the man, engendering in him a wretched
and impure madness. For he was their work, and they indeed
Jer. iv. 22. are " wise to do evil/ 1 as the Scripture saith, but to do " good
" they have no knowledge."
Ps. cxviii. Ag therefore the Psalmist said, " let us keep the feast with
Ps. xlvii. i. flowers*." And " Let all the people clap their hands." For
8 As a general rule, the Syriac is a meaning of " possessed," the proper
very exact translation of the Greek, signification being to " graze off
to judge by the fragments in Mai : land with cattle," " depasci."
here, however, the word Karevfipa- t Jj^j^ may perhaps mean
TO, which he renders " divided" or " thick boughs," as evidently it is
" shared,** has probably only the intended to represent the LXX ver-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
183
let us bear in mind what was the character of our enemies ;
and who were those princes of all beneath the heavens before
the coming of our Saviour : bitter were they, impure, mur
derers, and full of all immorality. But Christ setteth us free
from the hatred of these noxious beings. Let us therefore with
exultation and gladness in our great joy exclaim, " We will Pa. H.
" cut asunder their cords, and cast away their yoke from us."
For we have been set free, as I said, by the might of Christ,
and delivered from those bitter and iniquitous beings, who in
old time had the dominion over us.
sion, (TvaTTj(Ta(r6f (opn}v tv TO LS TTVKO.-
ov<riv. The Hebrew most probably
means, " Rind ye the festival with
thick boughs," and is rightly re
ferred by the LXX (apparently) to
the feast of tabernacles : the word
" bind," which has led the inter
preters into error, having reference
to one of its ceremonies. The noun
311, with the corresponding words
in Arabic and Syriac, never means
" a victim," but a festival : the in
stances which Gesenius and Winer
give to the contrary notwithstand
ing. Of these the first is Ex. xxiii.
I 8. ^n~^f PT, Ol>8e fJirj KOlfJLT)6f) <TT((lp
TT)S eoprrjs fwv eW Trpcot, as the
LXX render it, the meaning being
not that the fat of one particular
victim was to be carefully consumed
before the next morning broke, but
that of all the victims throughout
the feast day, " the fat of the feast
day." The other instance is exactly
similar, Mai. ii. 3. D D^M U71Q,
rendered by the LXX fwa-rpov eop-
TWV : and very strong reasons in my
judgment are required to counter
weigh upon a point like this the
testimony of the LXX interpreters,
whose authority has been unfairly
depreciated in modern times, ow
ing to the general ignorance of
even the elements of Hebrew criti
cism. The Vulgate from the LXX
gives the literal rendering : " Con-
" stituite diem solennem in conden-
" sis, usque ad cornu altaris :" and
Luther the sense, " Schmiicket das
" Fest mit Maien bis an die Hb rner
" des Altars." And this translation
agreeing in the main with the LXX
and Jerome, has been retained by
Tholuck, and defended by Stier.
A very interesting discussion upon
this Psalm, proving that it was com
posed for the Festival of Taberna
cles, may be read in Lakemaker,
vol. i. p. 197. ed. 1799, who shews
that victims neither were nor could
be bound to the horns of the altar,
but that a fence of willow wands
was formed on one of the days of
the feast round it. I should there
fore prefer rendering [j^na, as
" boughs," the word being of very
rare occurrence. Golius however
renders ^\jij floruit, pec. comoso
capite talive spica : and in the only
other place in which I have met
with it, viz. Serm. 126, the Syriac
translator puts it for avBos in Is.
xi. i. If therefore we render it, ac
cording to Golius, " let us keep the
" festival with clusters of flowers,"
it will still have reference to the
feast of tabernacles, which was a
sort of rustic holyday-keeping in
the fields, but the particular refer
ence of the Hebrew will be lost.
The Syriac version in the London
Polyglott throws no light upon the
text, being, "Bind our festivals
" with chains, even up to the horns
" of the altar."
184 COMMENTARY UPON
The herd then of impure spirits asked for a herd worthy
of and like itself of swine ! And Christ purposely gave them
leave, though He well knew what they would do. And I can
imagine some one saying, Why did He grant their request? To
which we answer, That He gave them the power, in order that
this, like all His other conduct, might be a means of benefit to
us, and inspire us with the hope of safety. But perhaps thou
wilt say, How, and in what manner ? Listen therefore. They
ask for power over swine : plainly as something which they do
not possess. For what possible doubt can there be, that they
would not have asked it, if it had been in their power to take
it without hindrance? But those who have no power over
things thus trifling and valueless, how can they injure any one
of those whom Christ has sealed, and who place their hope on
Him ? Comfort therefore thy heart : for perhaps thou wast ter
rified at hearing that a crowd of wicked spirits dwelt in one
man, and made him wander among the graves of the dead in
shame and nakedness, and bereft of mind and understanding.
Inasmuch as thou too art a man exposed to temptations, thou
fearedst a misery thus bitter and unendurable, should Satan
attack thee. Rouse therefore thy heart to confidence : do not
suppose that any such thing can happen while Christ sur
rounds us with protection and love. It is certain that they
possess no power even over swine. So great is the providence
which the Almighty Governor of our affairs deigns to bestow
Mat. x. 29. on human things. For He even said to the holy apostles, " Are
" not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and not one of them
" falleth to the ground without your Father. And even the
" hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye
" are of more value than many sparrows." For if He bestow
His protection upon things thus trifling and valueless, how will
He not deem us worthy of all regard, for whose sake He Who
by nature is God, even became man, and endured the contu
melies of the Jews? Away therefore with fear : for God aids,
and encircles with the armour of His good pleasure those
whose wish it is to live for Him, and who seek to perform
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
And this too we may learn, from what befel the herd of
swine, that wicked demons are cruel, and mischievous, and
hurtful, and treacherous to those who are in their power.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 185
This the fact clearly proves, that they hurried the swine over
a precipice and drowned them in the waters. Christ therefore
granted their request, that we might learn from what hap
pened, that their disposition is ruthless and bestial, incapable
of being softened, and solely intent on doing evil to those whom
they can get into their power.
If therefore there be any one among us wanton and
swinish, filth-loving and impure, and willingly contaminated
with the abominations of sin, such a one by God s permission
falls into their power, and sinks into the abyss of perdition.
But it can never happen to those who love Christ, to become
subject unto them : nor to us, as long as we walk in His foot
steps, and, avoiding negligence in the performance of what is
right, desire those things which are honourable, and belong to
that virtuous and laudable conversation, which Christ has
marked out for us by the precepts of the Gospel : by Whom
and with Whom, to God the Father be praise and dominion
with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
Bb
186
COMMENTARY UPON
C. viii. 40 -
48.
tv 5e TW
S. (-(peii/B.
^yei/ero 5e
eV rw GTs.
OVTOS BS.
avTos GTs.
om. KCU
ante
S.
S. om. av-
rr,s GTs.
BST. V
ovS. Gs.
om. Ka
Afyeis, TIS
6 a^/djj.fv6s
[AOV } S.
BST. aTr.
< Gs.
yartp Gs.
SERMON XLV.
And when Jesus returned, the multitude received Him ; for
they were all waiting for Him. And behold there came a
man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue :
and he fell down at Jesus feet, and besought Him to come
to his house ; for he had an only daughter, about twelve
years old, and she was dying. And as He went, the mul
titudes thronged Him. A woman who had had an issue of
blood twelve years, and had spent all her substance upon
physicians j and could be healed of none, came near behind
Him, and touched the hem of His garment: and immedi
ately her issue of blood staunched. And Jesus said, Who
touched Me? And when all denied; Peter and they that
ivere luith him said, Master, the multitudes press and
throng Thee. But Jesus said, Some one touched Me ; for
I know that power has gone forth from Me. And when the
woman saw that she ivas not hid from Him, she came
trembling, and fell down before Him, and declared before
all the people, for what cause she had touched Him, and
that she was healed immediately. And He said unto her,
My daughter, thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace.
Those who are skilful in elucidating the mystery of the dis
pensation of the Only-begotten in the flesh, and whose minds
are illuminated with divine light, the Spirit commanded,
Ps. xcvi. 3. saying, " Declare His praise among the Gentiles, and His
" miracles among all nations." Did He then command them
to declare the praise of our universal Saviour Christ among
the multitudes of the Gentiles, to the inhabitants, that is, of the
whole world, for no other reason than that He might be ad
mired, or was it not that He might also be believed on by all
men ? I verily affirm that it was both in order that He might
be admired, and also that we might believe that the Word of
John 1.14. God the Father is very God, even though, as John says, He
was made flesh. For He also somewhere declares unto the
John x. 37. Jews, "If I do not the works of Mv Father, believe Me not:
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 187
" but if I do them, though ye believe not Me, believe the
" works/
Let us then once again behold Him benefiting multitudes by
the miracles He wrought for their good. For there was a
O c5
ruler and teacher of the synagogue of the Jews, called Jairus ;
and him the Gospel narrative here announces to us. For he
fell down before the feet of Christ our common Saviour, to ask
for the unloosing of death, and the annulling of corruption.
For his daughter was, so to speak, at the very gates of the
grave. Come then, and let us ask Jairus to tell us in what
light he regards Him to Whom he offers his request. For if
thou drawest near regarding Him as a mere man, and like unto
one of us ; as one, that is, Who possesses no power superior to
ourselves, thou missest thy mark, and hast wandered from the
right road, in asking of a man that which requires the power
of God. The supreme nature alone is able to give life to the
dead. It alone has immortality : and from It every thing that
is called into being borrows its life and motion. Ask therefore
of men the things that belong unto men, and of God the things
that belong unto God.
Moreover thou worshippcst Him as the Almighty God : and
doest so, as certainly knowing and testifying that He is able to
give thee the accomplishment of thy requests. What argument
therefore is sufficient for thy defence, that once thou stonedst
Christ the Saviour of all ; and with the rest didst persecute
Him, and most foolishly and impiously say, "For a good John x. 33.
" work we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy : because that
" Thou being a man, makest Thyself God."
And not only must we wonder at this, but at the following as
well. For Lazarus indeed arose from the dead at the summons
of Christ, Who made him come forth from the very grave,
when he had been there four days, and corruption had already
begun. And those indeed who were spectators of the miracle
were astonished at the majesty of the deed. But the rulers of
the synagogue of the Jews made the very miracle food for
envy, and an act thus great and excellent was stored up in
their memory as a seed whence sprung the guilt of murder.
For when they had assembled, they took counsel one with
another, certainly for no lawful deed, but for one rather that
/ , . , -.-IT-I John xi.
brought upon them their final doom. For they said, What 47<
B b 2
188 COMMENTARY UPON
" do we ? for This man doeth many miracles. If we let Him
" thus alone, the Romans will come, and take away both our
" nation and our place." What then sayest thou to this, O
Jairus ? Thou sawest death abolished in the case of Lazarus ;
death which always and to every one before had been stern
and unyielding. Thou sawest destruction lose its power, from
which no one on earth had escaped. And how then dost thou
imagine thou canst make Him subject unto death Who is
supreme over death : the Overthrower of destruction, and the
Giver of life? How can He Who delivered others from the
snares of death, Himself be liable to suffer it, unless He wills
so to do for the plan of salvation s sake. The text therefore
Jer. iv. 22. concerning them is true, "that they are foolish children, and
" unwise."
But the fate of the damsel was not without profit to her
father. For just as sometimes the violence of the reins brings
the spirited steed that has bounded away from the road back
to its proper course, so also trouble often compels the soul
of man to yield obedience to those things which are for its
good, arid are commanded. To this effect we find the blessed
David also addressing God over all, concerning those men
who, not being as yet willing to walk uprightly, were led on,
so to speak, by the disorderly impulses of their mind to the pit
Pe.xxxii. 9 . of destruction. " With bridle and bit Thou shalt restrain the
" jaws of those who draw not near to Thee." For the force of
circumstances brings men, as I said, even against their wills to
the necessity of bowing their neck to God, as we may see indi
rectly shewn in the Gospel parables. For Christ somewhere
said, that when the banquet was ready, a servant was sent to
call them to the supper, and gather those that were bidden :
but they, employing fictitious excuses of various kinds, would
not come. Then the Lord, it says, spake to that servant :
Luke xiv. Go into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come
" in that My house may be filled." What then is the meaning
of men being invited from the hedges, and that as it were by
force, if it be not what is here referred to ? For sometimes
misfortunes beyond the power of endurance hedge men into
extreme misery : and meeting, it may be, with care and assist
ance from those who fear Christ, they are thus led on unto
faith in Him and love : and being weaned from their former
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 189
error received by tradition from their fathers, they accept the
saving word of the Gospel. And such we may well affirm
to be those who are called from the hedges. It is indeed more
excellent and praiseworthy, when the withdrawal from former
error to hasten to the truth is the fruit of freewill : and such
converts gathering the confirmation of their belief from the
sacred Scriptures, and enjoying the instruction of such as are
skilful in initiating men into the mysteries, will advance on
wards to a correct and blameless faith. But those others, who
are kindled, if we may so speak, by force and the troubles they
meet with to the acknowledgment of the truth, are not upon an
equality with the former, but when admitted must be careful
to maintain constancy, and flee from a fickle levity : for it is
their duty to preserve an unwavering faith, lest they be found
reprobate and feeble workers, deserters after the scal u , cow
ards and traitors after taking up arms. Let them not hasten
back to their former deeds, lest that be said of them which was
spoken by one of the holy apostles : " For it had been better 2 Pet. ii.
" for them not to have known the way of truth, than having
" known it to turn back from the holy commandment that was
" delivered unto them. The case of the true proverb has
" befallen them : the dog that returns to his vomit, and the
" sow that was washed to wallowing in the mire."
Not however to make this digression too long, let us return
to our original subject. Jairus then drew near ; but we deny
that his coming was the fruit of freewill; rather it was the
fear of death which made him thus act against his will : for it
had already, so to speak, assailed his daughter ; and she was
u S. Chrysostom also speaks of when he was required to take the
soldiers having a seal, at the end of military oath, he refused, saying,
Horn. iii. in Ep. ii. ad Cor. " For " Non accipio signaculum sseculi,
" like the seal that soldiers have, so
" He also gives the Spirit to the
" faithful, that shouldest thou de-
" sert, thou mayest be detected by
" all. For the Jews indeed had
et, si signaveris, rumpo illud, quia
nihil valeo. Ego Christianus sum :
non licet mihi plumbum collo por-
tare post signum salutare Domini
Jesu Ghristi, Quern tu ignoras "
" circumcision as a seal, but we Du Cange Glos. By the fathers,
" have the earnest of the Spirit," the word " seal" is generally ap-
And in the Martyrdom of S. Maxi- plied either to baptism or ordina-
milian, we learn that this was a tion : but it has several less frequent
stamped piece of lead, worn pro- meanings,
bably only by new recruits : for
190 COMMENTARY UPON
his only one. He set utterly at nought then the reputation of
consistency in his wicked words and thoughts. For he who
had ofttimes made the attempt to slay Christ, for raising the
dead from the grave, asks of Him the unloosing of death. In
order then that his character may be seen to be harsh and
abominable, and that he may be convicted of being such by the
very facts, Christ accompanied him, and yielded to his request.
But there was also a sort of wise management in what was
done. For had He not yielded to his request for grace, both
himself and whosoever else suffered under the same ignorance,
or rather, want of common sense, would have said forsooth,
that He was not able to raise the damsel, nor drive death
away from her, even if He had gone to the house : that being
then without power, and unequal to the accomplishment of the
divine miracle, He made His displeasure at Jairus a pretext
for keeping away. To put a stop therefore to the impure and
unbridled calumny of the Jews, and restrain the tongues of the
numerous persons ever ready for fault-finding, He consents
immediately, and promises to raise up her who was in danger.
And the promises were followed by the fulfiment, in order that
disbelief on their part might be without excuse, and that this
miracle, like the rest, might be for their condemnation. For
John xv. Christ also said of them, " If I had not done among them
" the works which none other man did, they had not had sin :
" but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My
" Father."
The Saviour then went to raise the damsel, and to implant
in the dwellers upon earth the sure hope of the resurrection of
the dead. But as He was midway on His road, another
miracle, not unlike the former, was wonderfully wrought. For
there was a woman afflicted with an issue of blood, the prey of
a severe and violent malady, which refused to yield to the
skill of physicians, and set at nought all the appliances of
human remedies. For she could " not be healed, it says, by
" any," even though she had unsparingly lavished all her sub
stance upon those who promised to deliver her from her
disease. When therefore the unhappy woman had given up
all hope from men, and now survived only for utter misery, she
conceived in her a wise plan. For she had recourse to the
Physician Who is from above, from heaven, as One Who is able
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 191
readily and without effort to effect those things that are beyond
our power, and Whose decrees, whatever it be He would ac
complish, nothing can oppose.
Her faith in this was perhaps occasioned by seeing Jairus
leading Him to his house, to prove Himself mightier than
death, by delivering his daughter from its inevitable bonds.
For she thought perchance within herself, that if He be
mightier than death, and the destroyer of corruption, how
much more can He also alleviate the malady that afflicts her,
staunching by ineffable power the fountains of her issue of
blood ! She draws near therefore and touches the hem of His
garment ; but secretly and not openly : for she hoped to be
able to escape notice, and, as it were, to steal healing from One
Who knew not of it. But why, tell me, was the woman careful
to escape notice t For why should she not draw near to Christ
with more boldness than that leper, and ask for the remission
of her incurable pain ? For he said, " Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou Luke v. 12.
" canst make me clean." Why should not she act like those
blind men, who when Christ passed by called out and said,
" Have mercy upon us, Lord Jesus, the Son of David " ? What Matt. xx.
then was it made that sick woman wish to remain hid ? It was 3-
because the law of the all-wise Moses imputed impurity to any
woman who was suffering from an issue of blood, and every
where called her unclean : and whoever was unclean, might
neither touch any thing that was holy, nor approach a holy
man. For this reason the woman was careful to remain con
cealed, lest as having transgressed the law, she should have to
bear the punishment which it imposed. And when she touched,
she was healed immediately and without delay.
But the miracle did not remain hid; for the Saviour, though
knowing all things, asked as if He knew it not, saying, l Who
touched Me? And when the holy apostles with good reason
said, " The multitudes throng Thee and press Thee V He sets
before them what had been done, saying, " Somebody touched
" Me : for 1 know that power has gone forth from Me." Was
x Of this portion of the com- portant is, that it inserts here, "which
mentary Mai has recovered but very was a very great sign of the reality
little : this passage, however, is of His flesh, and of His trampling
found by him in one Catena A. f. down pride; for they did not follow
130, but with three or four slight Him at a distance, but closed Him
additions ; of which the most im- round on all sides."
192 COMMENTARY UPON
it then for love of glory that the Lord did not allow this
instance of His godlike working the miracle, I mean, that
had happened to the woman to remain concealed ? By no
means do we say this, but rather, that it was because He ever
keeps in view the benefit of those who are called to grace
through faith. The concealment then of the miracle would
have been injurious to many, but being made known, it bene
fited them in no slight degree ; and especially the ruler of the
synagogue himself. For it gave security to the hope to which
he looked forward, and made him firmly trust that Christ
would deliver his daughter from the bonds of death.
But it is itself a fit subject for our admiration. For that
woman was delivered, being saved from a state of suffering
thus bitter and incurable ; and thereby we again obtain the
firm assurance, that the Emmanuel is very God. How and in
what manner ? Both from the miraculous event itself, and from
the words which with divine dignity He spake. " For, I
" know, He said, that power has gone forth from Me." But it
transcends our degree, or probably that even of the angels, to
send forth any power, and that of their own nature, as some
thing that is of themselves. Such an act is an attribute appro
priate solely to the Nature That is above all, and supreme.
For every created being whatsoever that is endued with
power, whether of healing, or the like, possesses it not of
itself, but as a thing given it by God. For to the creature all
things are given, and wrought in it, and of itself it can do
nothing. As God therefore He said " I knew that power has
" gone forth from Me."
And the woman now made confession ; and inasmuch as with
her malady, with the disease, I mean, which had afflicted her, she
had put off the fear, which made her wish to remain concealed,
she proclaimed the divine miracle : and therefore was very fitly
deemed worthy of His tranquillizing words, and received secu
rity that she should suffer from her malady no more ; for our
Saviour Christ said unto her, " Daughter, thy faith hath saved
thee : go in peace."
And this too was for the benefit of Jairus, though it was
indeed a hard lesson. For he learns, that neither the legal
worship, nor the shedding of blood, nor the slaying of goats
and calves, nor the circumcision of the flesh, nor the rest of the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 193
sabbaths, nor ought besides of these temporary -and typical
matters, can save the dwellers upon earth ; faith only in
Christ can do so, by means of which even the blessed Abraham
was justified, and called the friend of God, and counted worthy
of especial honours. And the blessing of God has been given
also to those, who according to the terms of the promise were
to be his sons : even unto us. " For they are not all Israel, Rom. ix. 6.
" who are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abra-
u ham, are they all sons : but the children of the promise are
" accounted as the seed." To us then this grace belongs : for
we have been adopted as Abraham s sons, " being justified not
" so much by the works of the law, as by faith in Christ ;" by Uai. ii. 16.
Whom, and with Whom, to God the Father be praise and
dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen>.
y Mai adds from H. f. 30. an pendix however to vol. xiv. of the
allegorical interpretation of the two liibliotheca vet. Patrum Gallandii,
miracles given there under the p. 95, it is found in Origen s Corn-
names both of Origen and Cyril, mentaries, and to him therefore it
and in Corderius under those of should be assigned.
Cyril and Geometra. In the ap-
o c
194 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON XLVI.
c. viii. 49- And while He is speaking, there cometh one from tJie ruler
of the synagogue s house, saying, Thy daughter is dead :
om. yuTj/ceVi trouble no more the Teacher. But when Jesus heard it,
He answered and said, Fear not : believe only, and she
shall live. And when He came unto the house, He suffered
no one to go in luith Him, save Peter, and James, and
Joh n > an d the father and the mother of the maiden. And
all wept and beivailed her. But He said, Weep not : for
rb Kopda-iov f/ ie aamse l { s no t dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed at
ave0. s. Him, knowing that she ivas dead. But He made them all
o^yapa^Q. ^ Q Qu ^ an ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ hand, and called, saying,
OVK air4e. Maid, arise. And her spirit returned, and she arose im-
om. ej8a- mediately : and He commanded to give her somewhat to
idWafieai eat And her parents ivere astonished. And He commanded
BT. them to tell no one what was done.
COME, all ye who love the glory of the Saviour, and
thereby weave crowns for your heads, come once again, that
we may rejoice in Him, and as we extol Him with endless
Is. xxv. i. praises, let us say in the words of the prophet Isaiah : "
" Lord, my God, I will praise Thee ; and I will laud Thy
" name ; for Thou hast wrought wonderful works, even a
" counsel true from the beginning." What then is the counsel
and purpose of God the Father, which was from the beginning,
and was true ? Plainly that respecting us. For Christ fore
knew, even before the foundations of the world, His mystery :
but it was in the last ages of the world that He arose for the
inhabitants of earth, that having borne the sin of the world, He
might abolish both it and death, which is its consequence, and
was brought upon us by its means. For so He Himself plainly
Johnxi.25. said, " I am the resurrection and the life :" and " he that be-
Johnv. 24. " lieveth on Me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
" judgment, but hath passed from death unto life." And this
then we shall see fulfilled in actual facts. For the ruler of the
synagogue of the Jews drew near, and embracing the Saviour s
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 195
knees, besought Him to deliver his daughter from the bonds
of death : for lo ! already she had been brought down unto
this, and was in extreme danger. And the Saviour con
sented, and set out with him, and was even hastening onward
to the house of him who asked the favour, as well knowing
that what was being done would profit many of those who fol
lowed Him, and would also be for His own glory. And thus
on the way the woman was saved, who was the victim of a
severe and incurable malady. For she had an issue of blood,
which no one could stanch, and which set at nought the art of
physicians : but no sooner had she touched the hem in faith,
than she was forthwith healed; and a miracle thus glorious
and manifest was, so to speak, the work merely of Christ s
journey.
And afterwards there met them from the ruler of the syna
gogue s house a messenger, saying : " Thy daughter is dead :
" trouble not the Teacher." What, then, was Christ s answer,
seeing that He possesses universal sovereignty ; that He is
Lord of life and death ; and by the all-powerful determination
of His will accomplishes whatsoever He desires ? He saw the
man oppressed with the weight of sorrow, swooning, and stu
pefied, and all but despairing of the possibility of his daughter
being rescued from death. For misfortunes are able to disturb
even an apparently well-constituted mind, and to estrange it
from its settled convictions. To aid him, therefore, He gives
him a kind and saving word, fit to sustain him in his fainting
state, and work in him an unwavering faith, saying, " Fear
" not : only believe, and she shall live."
And having now come to the house of His supplicant, He
quiets their lamentations, silences the musicians, and stops the
tears of the weepers, saying, " The damsel is not dead, but
" rather sleepeth." And they, it says, laughed at Him. Ob
serve here, I pray, the great skill of the management. For
though He well knew that the damsel was dead, He said,
" She is not dead, but rather sleepeth." For what reason ?
That by their laughing at Him, they might give a clear and
manifest acknowledgment that the damsel was dead. For pro
bably there would be some of that class who always resist His
glory, who would reject the divine miracle, and say, that the
damsel was not yet dead ; and that in being delivered from
196 COMMENTARY UPON
sickness, there was nothing done by Christ very extraordinary.
To have, therefore, the acknowledgment of many that the
damsel was dead, He said, that she was rather sleeping. And
le tno man affirm that Christ spake untruly. For to Him, as
being Life by nature, there is nothing dead. And this is the
reason why we, having a firm hope of the resurrection of the
dead, call them " those that sleep." For in Christ they will
Rom. vi. 8. arise : and, as the blessed Paul says, " They live to Him," in
that they are about to live.
But observe this also. For as if to teach us to avoid vain
glory ; though certainly no such admirable deeds can be
wrought by us ; when He came to the house in which the
damsel was lying dead, He took in with Him but three of the
holy Apostles, and the father and the mother of the damsel.
And the manner in which He wrought the miracle was wor
thy of God. For having taken her, it says, by the hand, He
said, Damsel, arise : and she arose immediately. the power
of a word, and the might of commands that nothing can resist !
the life-producing touch of the hand, that abolishes death,
and corruption ! These are the fruits of faith, for the sake of
which the law also was given to those of old time by the hand
of Moses.
But perhaps some one may say to this : ( But lo ! any one
can see that the ceremonial ordained by the law is unlike and
at variance with faith in Christ : for the law commands us to
make use of bloody sacrifices ; but faith rejects every thing
1 of the kind, and has brought in for mankind a worship to be
1 offered in spirit and in truth. For even Christ is somewhere
found thus speaking by the harp of the Psalmist to God the
< Father in heaven : " Sacrifices and offerings Thou didst not
" desire : whole burnt offerings, and for sins, Thou hadst no
pleasure in : but a body hast Thou framed for Me. Then
" said I, Lo ! I come : for in the chapter of the books it is
" written of Me : I delight to do Thy will, God," Offerings
therefore by blood are unavailing ; but the sweet savour of
spiritual worship is very acceptable to God. And this no man
1 can present unto Him, unless first he possess that faith which
is by Christ, And the blessed Paul bears witness to this,
Heb. xi. 6. where he writes : " Without faith, no man can ever do that
( " which is well pleasing." 7
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 197
It is necessary, therefore, for us to explain in what sense
we say that the law was given because of faith. The blessed
Abraham then was justified by obedience and faith. For it is
written : " That Abraham believed God ; and he was called Jam. ii. , 3
" the friend of God, and faith was counted to him for right-
" cousness." And God promised him both that he should be
the father of many nations, and that all nations should be
blessed in him ; that is to say, by the imitation of his faith.
One can see, therefore, that the grace that is by faith is prior
to the ceremonial enjoined by the law, in that Abraham at
tained unto it while still uncircumcised. And afterwards, in
process of time, the law entered by the hand of Moses. Did
it then thrust away the justification that is by faith, that I
mean which God promised to those who follow the steps of the
faith of our father Abraham, which he had while still uncir
cumcised ? But how can this be true ? The blessed Paid,
therefore, writes: "This I say then, that the covenant, which Gal. iii. 17.
" was confirmed of old by God, the law, which was four hun-
" dred and thirty years afterwards, does not disannul, so as to
" make the promise given to the fathers of no effect. 1 And
again: "Is the law then against the promises of God? It Gal. iii. 21.
" may not be." And the same divine Paul further teaches us
the reasons for which the law at length entered by the minis
tration of angels, and the manner in which it confirms the
faith in Christ, by having been brought in before the time of
the incarnation of the Only-begotten, saying at one time, that
" the law entered that sin might abound :" and at another Rom. v. 20.
again, " that the Scripture hath included all things under sin:" Gal. iii. 22.
and again, " The law, therefore, was added, because of trans- Gal. iii. 19.
" grcssions."
Do you wish to learn how the Scripture included all thi-ngs
under sin ? If so, I will explain it to the best of my ability.
The heathen, then, as those who were without God, and desti
tute of hope, were in this world as men imprisoned in the pit
falls of baseness, and entangled without hope of escape in the
cords of sin. On the other hand, the Israelites possessed in
deed the law as a schoolmaster : but no man could be justified
by its means. For there is no profit to them that are in their
sins in an offering by blood. And to this Paul again bears
witness, saying ; " For the blood of bulls, and of goats, cannot Heb. x. 4 .
198 COMMENTARY UPON
" take away sins." The law is the proof of the infirmity of all
2 Cor. iii. 7. men : anc [ therefore the blessed Paul calls it " the ministry of
" condemnation." Sin abounded by its means : and that, not
as though it made any man sin, but rather because it declared
the condemnation of him who was subject to offences. It was
enacted, therefore, because of transgressions, that as now no
man was able to attain to a blameless life, the bringing in of
the justification that is by Christ might be altogether neces
sary. For there was no other way by which the inhabitants
of earth could escape from the tyranny of sin. The law, then,
entered first for the sake of faith, to declare the guilt of those
who were liable to infirmities, and prove them to be sinners.
It sent men, therefore, so to speak, to the cleansing that is in
Christ by faith. And for this reason the blessed Paul again
Gal. iii. 24. wrote : " Therefore the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ.
" But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a
" schoolmaster." For we are all sons of God by faith in
Christ Jesus.
Faith, then, in every way, is the cause of life, as that which
slays sin, the mother and nurse of death. Excellently, there
fore, said Christ to the ruler of the synagogue of the Jews,
when his daughter was dead ; " Fear not : only believe, and
" she shall live." For, as I said, Christ makes those live who
Acts xvii. approach Him by faith, in that He is life ; " for in Him we
" live and move, and are :" and He will raise the dead " sud-
Cor. xv. ft denly, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump," as it is
written. And having this hope in Him, we shall both attain
to the city that is above, and reign as kings with Him ; by
Whom and with Whom, to God the Father be praise and do
minion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
52.
THK GOSPEL OF ST. LUKK. 199
SERMON XLVII. c.fc.i- 5 .
airo<TT6\ovs
And when He had called the twelve Apostles, He gave them
a _
Bs.
power and authority over all the devils, and to heal sick-
* . i / y^V J Olll. VT-L.
nesses. And He sent them to preach the kingdom oj troa, 0111 T0 j, s
and to heal the sick. And He said iwto them, Take nothing M*
for the way : no staff: no scrip : neither bread nor money :
nor shall ye have two coats. And into whatsoever house
ye enter, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever
will not receive you, when ye depart from that city, shake
off the dust from your feet for their testimony.
OV KOV.
IT is a true saying, that the fruit of good deeds is honour
able. For those who wish to lead lives pure and undefiled as
far as is possible for men, Christ will adorn with His gifts, and
grant them an abundant recompense for all their saintly deeds,
and make them partakers of His glory. For it is impossible
that He should ever lie who says : As I live, saith the Lord, iSam.ii.
" those who honour Me, I will honour.""
As a plain and clear proof of this, I take the glorious and
noble company of the holy Apostles. Behold them highly dis
tinguished, and crowned with more than human glory, by this
fresh gift bestowed by Christ. " For He gave them, it says,
" power and authority over all the devils, and to heal sick-
" nesses." Observe again, I pray, that the Incarnate Word
of God exceeds the measure of humanity, and is radiant with
the dignities of the Godhead. For it transcends the limits o
human nature, to give authority over unclean spirits to whom
soever He will : as does also the enabling them to deliver from
sicknesses such as were afflicted with them. For God, indeed,
bestows on whom He will powers of this kind ; and on His
cree alone it depends that any are able, according to His good
pleasure, to work divine miracles, and act as ministers of t
grace that is from above : but to impart to others the gift
stowed on them, is altogether an impossibility. For the
jesty and glory of the supreme nature is found existing ess
tially in nothing that has being, except in Itself, and It only.
200 COMMENTARY UPON
Be it, therefore, angel or archangel, that any one mentions, or
thrones and dominions, or the seraphim, which again are higher
in, dignity, let him wisely understand this: that they indeed
possess pre-eminent authority by the powers given them from
above, such as language cannot describe, nor nature bestow :
but reason altogether forbids the supposition of their imparting
these powers to others. But Christ bestows them, as being God
therefore, and as out of His own fulness : for He is Himself
the Lord of glory and of powers.
The grace then bestowed upon the holy Apostles is worthy
of all admiration ; but the bountifulness of the Giver surpasses
all praise and admiration: for He gives them, as I said, His own
glory. Man receives authority over the evil spirits, and re
duces unto nothingness the pride that was so high exalted, and
arrogant, even that of the .devil : his wickedness he renders
ineffectual, and, by the might and efficacy of the Holy Ghost,
burning him as with fire, he makes him come forth with groans
and weeping from those whom he had possessed. And yet in
Is. x. 14. old time he had said: " I will hold the whole world in my
" hand as a nest, and will take it as eggs that are left : and
" there is no one that shall escape from me, or speak against
" me." He missed, then, the truth, and fell from his hope,
proud and audacious though he was, and vaunting himself
over the infirmity of mankind. For the Lord of powers mar
shalled against him the ministers 2 of the sacred proclamations.
And this verily had been foretold by one of the holy prophets
Hab. ii. 7. when speaking of Satan and the holy teachers : " That sud-
" denly they shall arise that bite thee : and they shall awake
" that afflict thee, and thou shalt be their prey." For, so
to speak, they bit Satan by attacking his glory, and making
his goods a spoil, and bringing them unto Christ by means of
z Ministers, iepovpyovs : and again, to such as had the office of initiating
a little below, it occurs in the same the catechumens ; but in process of
sense as one occupied with or en- time it came simply to mean " to
gaged in any religious duty, " the teach :" so Cyril, Glaph. i. in Ex.
ministers of the divine preaching." p. 252. even adds ^va-rr^pLov, to
See also Rom. xv. 16. And at the complete the sense; napa T^ S f
end of the sentence " teachers" in c6vS>v e /c/cXqo-ias dfgerai Xpicrrbv f)
the Greek is ^uoraywyoi, properly TWV louSaiW o-vvayuyr)
" initiators in the mysteries," and yov^vrj TO cV aura
so applied in the Church originally
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 201
faith in Him: for so they attacked Satan himself. Great there
fore was the power given unto the holy Apostles by the decree
and will of Christ, the Saviour of us all. " For He gave them
" power and authority over the unclean spirits."
We will, in the next place, also inquire, if it seem good,
whence a grace, thus illustrious and famous, descended upon
mankind. The Only-begotten Word therefore of God crowned
human nature with this great honour by becoming flesh, and
taking upon Him our likeness. And thus, without in one single
particular departing from the glories of His majesty ; for He
wrought deeds worthy of God, even though He became, as I
said, like unto us, and was of flesh and blood; He broke the
power of Satan by His almighty word. And by His rebuking
the evil spirits, the inhabitants of earth became able to rebuke
them also.
And that what I say is true, I will endeavour to make quite
certain. For the Saviour, as I said, was rebuking the unclean
spirits : but the Pharisees, opening their mouth to deride His
glory, had the effrontery to say, "This man casteth not out Mat.xii.24,
" devils, but by Beelzebub, prince of the devils." But the Sa
viour rebuked them for so speaking, as men prone to mockery,
and ill-disposed, and utterly without understanding, thus say
ing ; " If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your
" sons cast them out ? Therefore shall they be your judges."
For the blessed disciples, who were sons of the Jews by their
descent according to the flesh, were the terror of Satan and
his angels : for they broke their power in the Name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth. And our Lord further said : " But if I by
" the Spirit of God cast out devils, then the kingdom of God is
" come upon you." For He, as the Only-begotten Son of the
Father, and the Word, both was and is omnipotent, and there
is nothing that is not easy to Him : but inasmuch as He re
buked evil spirits while He was man, human nature was tri
umphant in Him, and crowned wih godlike glory ; for it was
capable of rebuking even the evil spirits with power. By
Christ s casting out devils, therefore, the kingdom of God
came unto us : for one may affirm that it is the perfection of
godlike majesty to be able to beat down Satan in spite of his
resistance.
Dd
COMMENTARY UPON
He glorified therefore His disciples by giving them authority
and power over the evil spirits, and over sicknesses. Did He
then thus honour them without reason, and make them illus
trious without any cogent cause ? But how can this be true ?
For it was necessary, most necessary, that having been publicly
appointed ministers of the sacred proclamations, they should
be able to work miracles, and by means of what they wrought
convince men of their being the ministers of God, and mediators
of all beneath the heaven, inviting them all to reconciliation
and justification by faith, and pointing out the way of salvation
and of life that is thereby. For the devout and intelligent
need generally only reasoning to make them understand the
truth : but those who have wandered without restraint into re
bellion, and are not prepared to receive the sound speech of
him who would win them for their true profit ; such require
miracles, and the working of signs : and scarcely even so are
they brought to thorough persuasion.
For we often find that the discourse of the holy Apostles
prospered in this way. For, for example, Peter and John deli
vered from his malady that lame man who lay at the beautiful
gate. And upon his entering the temple, they had his aid, as
it were, in testimony of the great deed that had been wrought,
and spake with great boldness concerning Christ, the Saviour
of us all ; even though they saw that those whose lot it was to
be rulers of the synagogue of the Jews, were still travailling
Acts iii.i2. with bitter ill-will against Him. For they said: "Ye men of Israel,
tf why wonder ye at this, or why gaze ye at us, as though by
" our own might or righteousness we made this man to walk ?
" The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
" Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus,
" Whom ye delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate,
" when he would have let Him go. But ye denied the Holy
" One, and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted
" you. And Him the Prince of Life ye killed ; Whom God
" raised from the dead. And of Him we are witnesses : and
" His Name, through faith in His Name, hath made this man
1 1 strong whom ye see and know : and faith in Him hath given
" him this soundness in the presence of you all." But although
many of the Jews were embittered at a loftiness of speech such
THE GOSPEL *OF ST. LUKE. 203
as this, yet against their will they put, so to speak, a bridle
upon their wrath, being ashamed because of the greatness of
the miracle.
And there is another point we must not omit. For having
first invested the holy Apostles with powers thus splendid, He
then bids them depart with speed, and commence their office
of proclaiming His mystery to the inhabitants of the whole
earth. For just as able generals, having equipped their bravest
soldiers with weapons of war, send them against the phalanxes of
the enemy ; so too does Christ, our common Saviour and Lord,
send the holy teachers of His mysteries, clad as it were in the
grace that He bestows, and fully equipped in spiritual armour,
against Satan and his angels ; that so they may be unconquer
able and hardy combatants. For they were about to do battle
with those who in old time held mastery over the inhabitants
of earth ; even against the wicked and opposing powers, who
had divided among them all under heaven, and had made
those their worshippers who had been created in the image of
God. These, then, the divine disciples were about to vex, by
summoning to the knowledge of the truth those that were in
error, and giving light to them that were in darkness : while
those who in old time worshipped them, they rendered earnest
followers of such pursuits as become saints.
For this reason very fitly He bade them take nothing with
them, wishing them both to be free from all worldly care, and
so entirely exempt from the labours that worldly things occa
sion, as even to pay no regard to their necessary and indispen
sable food. But manifestly One Who bids them abstain even
from things such as these, entirely cuts away the love of
riches and the desire of gain. For their glory, He said,
and, so to speak, their crown, is to possess nothing. And He
withdraws them even from such things as are necessary for
their use, by the command to carry nothing whatsoever, nei
ther staff, nor scrip, nor bread, nor money, nor two coats,
serve, therefore, as I said, that He withdraws them from vain
distractions, and anxiety about the body, and bids them have
no cares about food, repeating to them, as it were, that pas
sage in the Psalm : Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He P.. iv a
shall feed thec." For true also is that which Christ said :
204 COMMENTARY UPON
Lukexvi. Ye are not able to serve God and Mammon." And again;
Mat. vi. 21. " For where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also."
That they may lead, therefore, a consistent and simple life,
and, being free from vain and superfluous anxiety, may devote
themselves entirely to the duty of proclaiming His mystery,
and labour without ceasing in publishing to men everywhere
the tidings of salvation, He commands them to be indifferent
both as regards clothing and food. And to the same effect the
Luke xii. Saviour elsewhere spake : " For let your loins, He says, be
" girt, and your lights burning." But by their loins being
girt, He means the readiness of the mind for every good work :
and by their lights burning, that their heart be filled with di
vine light. And in like manner the law also of Moses plainly
Ex. xii. ii. commands those who ate of the lamb : i( Thus shall ye eat it :
" your loins shall be girt : and your staves in your hands :
" and your sandals on your feet." Observe, therefore, that
those in whom Christ, the true Lamb, dwells, must be like
Eph. vi. 15. men girt for a journey : for they must " shoe their feet with the
" readiness of the. Gospel of peace," as blessed Paul wrote unto
us ; and be clad as becometh wayfarers. For it is not fitting
for those charged with the divine message, if they would pros
per in their office, to remain stationary ; but, as it were, they
must constantly be moving forward, and run, not for an uncer
tainty, but to win a glorious hope. For even those who once
had fallen under the hand of the enemy, if by faith they fight
for Christ, the Saviour of us all, will inherit an incorruptible
crown.
But I can imagine some one saying, Lord, Thou hast
commanded thy ministers to carry with them no supply what
soever of necessaries for food and raiment : whence, then, will
they obtain what is essential and indispensable for their use ?
This too He at once points out, saying ; " Into whatsoever
" house ye enter, there abide, and thence depart." The fruit,
He says, which you will obtain from those you instruct, shall
be sufficient. For those who receive from you things spiritual,
and gain the divine seed for their souls, shall take care of your
bodily needs. And this no one can blame : for the wise Paul
iCor.ix.ii. also sent word as follows : " If we have sown unto you spiritual
" things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your bodily things ?
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 205
" So the Lord also commanded, that those who preach the
" Gospel shall live of the Gospel." And that this same truth
is signified by the command of Moses, he clearly shews, saying,
" It is written, Thou shalt not muzzle the trampling ox." And Deut. xxv.
what the intention of the law is he again showed, saying, 4-
" Doth God care for oxen ? or sayeth He it altogether on our
" account, because it is fit that he who plougheth should
" plough in hope : arid he who trampleth the corn as having
" hope to share in it?" For the teachers, therefore, to re
ceive from those taught these trifling and easily procurable
matters is in no respect injurious.
But He commanded them both to abide in one house, and
from it to take their departure. 8 For it was right, both that
those who had once received them should not be defrauded of
the gift : and that the holy Apostles themselves should not
place any impediment in the way of their own zeal and earn
estness in preaching God s message, by letting themselves be
carried off to various houses by those whose object was, not to
learn of them some necessary lesson, but to set before them a
luxurious table, beyond what was moderate and necessary.
And that it is by no means without its reward to honour the
saints, we learn from our Saviour s words. For He said unto
them ; " Whosoever receiveth you receiveth Me, and whoso- Mat. x. 40.
" ever receiveth Me receiveth Him That sent Me." For He
purposely makes His own, and takes unto Himself, the honours
paid to the saints, in order that on every side they may have
security. For what is there better, or what is comparable unto
the honour and love due unto God ? But this is rendered by
giving honour to the saints. And if he who receiveth them is right
blessed, and of glorious hope, how must not also the converse
be entirely and absolutely true ! For he must be full of utter
misery, who is indifferent to the duty of honouring the saints.
For this reason He said, " that when ye go out from that
" house, shake off the very dust from your feet for their testi-
mony."
a Mai here inserts ^ in the that when they took their final de-
Greek, which equally with the Sy- parture from the city, it was to be
riac has no negative : but certainly from the same house which they
without reason, as the meaning is, had first entered.
206 COMMENTARY UPON
And next, we must see what this signifies. And it is this :
That from those who would not receive them, nor set store by
the charge confided to them, nor obey the sacred message,
nor receive the faith; from such they should refuse to re
ceive any thing whatsoever. For it is unlikely that those who
despise the master of the house, will shew themselves generous
to the servants : and that those who impiously disregard the
heavenly summons, will ask a blessing of its preachers, by of
fering them things of no value, and such as the disciples could
without trouble obtain from their own people. For it is written,
P3. cxii. 5. " Let not the oil of the wicked anoint my head." And besides
they ought to feel that their love was due to those only who
love and praise Christ ; and avoid all others of a different cha-
Ps cxxxix. racter : for it is written : " Have I not hated, O Lord, them
" that hate Thee : and been hot exceedingly at Thy enemies ?
" I have hated them with a perfect hatred : they have become
" my enemies." So is the love proved of earthy soldiers : for
it is not possible for them to love foreigners, while paying a
due regard to their king s interests. We learn this too by
Mat.xii.3o. what Christ says: "that he who is not with Me is against
" Me ; and he that gathereth not with Me altogether scat-
" tereth."
Whatsoever, therefore, Christ commanded his holy Apostles
was exactly fitted for their use and benefit : by Whom and
with Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion, with
the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 207
SERMON XLVIII.
And the day began to decline: and the twelve drew near, c.ix. 17-17.
and said unto Him, Send the multitudes away, and let
them go into the villages, and fields round about, and
lodge, and find victuals : for we are here in a desert place.
But He said unto them, Give ye them to eat. But they
said, We have no more than five loaves and two fishes :
unless we go and buy food for all this people. But they flow 8 s.
were about five thousand men. And He said to His dis-
ciples, Make them sit down in companies of fifty each.
And tliey did so, and made them all sit down. And when
He had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, He looked
up to heaven and blessed them, and brake, and gave to His
disciples to set before the multitudes. And they did eat,
and were all filled : and that which remained over unto
tliem was taken up, even twelve baskets of fragments.
THE Jews, in my opinion, have not a single argument that
can serve before the tribunal of God as a defence for their dis
obedience : for their opposition had no appearance of reason
on its side. And why so ? Because the law of Moses, by sha
dows and figures, led them unto the mystery of Christ. For
the law, or rather the things it contained, was symbolical, and
in it the mystery of Christ was depicted by type and shadow
as in a painting. And the blessed prophets also foretold long
before that in due time there should come One to redeem all
beneath the heaven, and further proclaimed the very place of
His birth in the flesh, and the signs that He would accomplish.
But they were so obdurate, and their mind so indiscriminately
set upon that alone which agreed with their prejudices, that
they would not receive the words of instruction, nor be brought
to obedience even by miracles so splendid and glorious.
Such then was their conduct : but let us, who have acknow
ledged the truth of His appearing, offer Him our praises for
His godlike works ; such as that which the passage before us
records. For we learn bv it, that our Saviour from time to
208 COMMENTARY UPON
time went out from Jerusalem and other cities and towns,
followed by multitudes, some seeking deliverance from the
tyranny of devils, or recovery from sickness ; but others de
siring to receive instruction from Him, and constantly with
great earnestness, remaining with Him, that they might be
made fully acquainted with His sacred doctrines. When then
the day was declining, as the Evangelist says, and evening had
all but arrived, the disciples had care of the multitudes, and
drew near, offering requests on their behalf. For they said,
" Send them away, that they may go into the neighbouring
" villages and fields, and lodge and find victuals ; for we are
" in a desert place."
But let us carefully inquire what is the meaning of the ex
pression " Send them away." For we shall see by it both the
admirable faith of the holy apostles, and also the supernatural
and wonderful power of Christ the Saviour of us all, in what
soever He willeth to perform. For, as I said, some of them
followed beseeching Him to deliver them from the evil spirits
that oppressed them, while others sought recovery from various
maladies. Since, therefore, the disciples knew that by the
mere assent of His will he could accomplish for those sick per
sons what they wanted, they say " Send them away :" not so
speaking as though they were themselves at all annoyed, and
considered that the proper time had gone by ; but seized with
love toward the multitudes, and beginning to have a concern
for the people, as being already intent upon their pastoral
office : so that we may even take pattern by them ourselves.
For to draw near, and make supplication on the people s be
half, is an act becoming to the saints, and the duty of spiritual
fathers, and the proof of a mind that has regard not to selfish
objects alone, but already considers as its own the interests of
others : of which surpassing love this is a clear and very evi
dent instance. And if we may be permitted to carry our
argument above the level of human things, we say, for the
benefit of such as meet with it, that when in earnest prayer
we continue with Christ, whether asking of Him healing "for
the maladies of our souls, or deliverance from other sicknesses,
or desiring to obtain anything whatsoever for our advantage ;
there is no doubt that when we ask in prayer any thing that
is good for us, there supplicate in our behalf both the intelli-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 209
gent powers, and those holy men who have freedom of access
unto Him.
But observe the incomparable gentleness of Him Whom they
supplicate. For not only docs He grant all that they ask
Him to bestow on those who followed Him, but also adds
thereto of His own bountiful right hand ; refreshing in every
way those that love Him, and nurturing them unto spiritual
courage. And this we may see from what has now been read.
For the blessed disciples besought Christ that those who were
following Him, having had their requests granted them, might
be sent away, and disperse as they best could. But He com
manded them to supply them with food. The thing, however,
was impossible in the eyes of the disciples, for they had brought
nothing with them but five loaves and two fishes : and this
they drew near and confessed to Him. To magnify, there
fore, the greatness of the miracle, and make it in every way
evident that He is in His own nature God, He multiplies that
little many times, and looks up to heaven to ask a blessing
from above, being intent in this also upon our good. For He
is Himself That which filleth all things, being the blessing b
that cometh 7rom above from the Father. But that we may
learn that when we commence a meal , and are about to break
bread, it is our duty to offer it to God, placing it, so to speak,
upon our stretched out hands, and calling down a blessing
upon it from above, He purposely became our precedent, and
type, and example in the matter.
But what was the result of the miracle ? It was the satisfy
ing a large multitude with food : for there were as many as
five thousand men besides women and children, according to
what another of the holy Evangelists has added to the narra- Mat
tive. Nor did the miracle end here; but there were also
gathered twelve baskets of fragments. And what do we infer
from this ? A plain assurance that hospitality receives a rich
recompense from God. The disciples offered five loaves : but
b Ev\fryia, upon which word conf. blessing upon it from above." The
the note in p. 71 . same hand has marked with a cross
c In the margin there is the fol- all the passages in the first volume
lowing note ; " Upon the duty, when of the MS. which affirm the divinity
we are about to approach the table, of the Son.
of offering the bread, and invoking a
E c
o
. X 1 1 1 .
21.
COMMENTARY UPON
after a multitude thus large had been satisfied, there was
gathered for each one of them a basketful of fragments. Let
nothing therefore prevent those who are willing from receiving
strangers, whatever there may be likely to blunt the will and
readiness of men thereunto : and let no one say, " I do not
" possess suitable means ; what I can do is altogether trifling
" and insufficient for many." Receive strangers, my beloved ;
overcome that unreadiness which wins no reward : for the
Saviour will multiply thy little many times beyond expectation,
and though thou givest but little, thou wilt receive much.
2 Cor. ix.6. " For he that soweth blessings shall also reap blessings d ," ac
cording to the blessed Paul s words.
The feeding, therefore, of, the multitudes in the desert by
Christ is worthy of all admiration ; but it is also profitable in
another way. For we can plainly see that these new miracles
accord with those in old time, and that they are the acts of
PS. ixxvili. one and the same power. " He rained manna in the desert
" upon the Israelites ; He gave them bread from heaven ;
" man did eat angels food," according to the words of praise
in the Psalms. But lo ! again in the desert He has abundantly
supplied those in need of food, bringing it down, as it were,
from heaven. For His multiplying that little many times, and
feeding, so to speak, with nothing so large a multitude,
is not unlike that former miracle. And to address myself
once again to the throng of the Jews, Thou wast in need of
the natural water, when thou wast walking in that long wilder
ness; and God gave thee thy desire beyond thy hopes, and from
F*. ixxviii. an unlooked-for quarter. For, as the Psalmist says, " He clave
" the rock in the desert ; He gave them drink as from the
" vast abyss ; and He brought forth water out of the rock,
" and made water flow like rivers." Tell me then, when thou
hadst drunk, didst thou praise the Worker of the miracle ?
Didst thou raise thy tongue for thanksgiving ? or wast thou
induced by what had happened to acknowledge the ineffable
power of God ? Not so : for thou murmuredst against God,
Pa. Ixxviii. saying, " Can God prepare a table in the wilderness ? If He
" smote the rock, and the waters flowed, and He made the
" streams overflow ; can He also give bread, or prepare a
d For the meaning of " blessings," see p. 109.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 211
" table for His people ?" Thou wast not astonished at seeing
the flint rock the source of copious rivers ; fountains issuing
marvellously from stones, and streams running with rapid
force, but imputedst weakness to Him Who is Almighty. And
yet how was it not rather thy duty to perceive that He is the
Lord of powers ? How indeed could He be unable to prepare a
table, Who made the flint rock a fountain and a stream, flowing
over for that multitude ?
But since thou hast brought thyself to so great folly as to
imagine that there is anything impossible with God, and with
empty babble hast said that He cannot prepare a table for His
people in the wilderness, answer the question we now put to
thee : Wilt thou embrace the faith now that thou seest a table
prepared by Christ in the wilderness, and an innumerable mul
titude so abundantly supplied with food that twelve baskets of
remnants were collected ? or wilt thou still refuse to believe,
and ask another sign ? When, therefore, wilt thou be found
believing ? When wilt thou cease from finding fault with the
ineffable power of Christ? When wilt thou put a door and
bolt to thy tongue ? and delivering it from the language of
blasphemy, change it to a better use by praising Him, so that
thou also mayest be a partaker of the blessings He bestows ?
For His mercies are revealed upon those who love Him, and
He delivers them from all sickness. He supplies them also
with spiritual food, by means of which each one attains to
manliness in every thing that is praiseworthy. But upon the
unbelieving and contemptuous lie bestows no such gifts, but
rather brings upon them that condemnation which they fitly
deserve. * For by one of His holy prophets He as it were said
unto them, " Behold, they who serve Me shall eat, but ye shall Is. ixv. 13.
" suffer hunger. Behold, they who serve Me shall drink, but
" ye shall thirst. Behold, they who submit themselves to Me
" shall rejoice in happiness, while ye shall lament from sorrow
" of heart, and wail from contrition of spirit," And again it
is written, " The Lord killeth not the righteous soul with Prov. x. 3-
" hunger, but wastcth the life of the wicked."
For the flocks of the believers have, as it were, a pasture
full of divers plants and flowers, in the holy Scriptures, which
are their wise guides : and filled with spiritual joy at the glo
rious doctrines and instructions which they contain, they fre-
E e 2
COMMENTARY UPON
quent the sacred courts. And this it is which long ago was
J. xx.\. 25. proclaimed in the words of Isaiah : "And there shall be upon
" every high mountain, and upon every high hill, running
Joeliii. 18. " waters upon that day." And again; " And the mountains
" shall drop sweetness : and the hills flow with milk." For it
is the custom of divine Scripture to compare to mountains and
hills those set over others, and whose office it is to teach, inas
much as they are high exalted, in respect, I mean, of their
thoughts being occupied with elevated subjects, and withdrawn
from things earthly : while the waters and the sweetness and
the milk are the instructions which flow from them as from
fountains. " There shall be then, He says, at that time from
" every high mountain, and from every high hill, flowing
" waters, and sweetness and milk." And these are the spiri
tual consolations of holy instructors, oifered to the people
under their charge. Of these the Jewish congregations are
deprived, because they did not receive Christ, the Lord of the
hills and mountains, the Giver of spiritual consolation, Who
Johnvi. 33, offers Himself as the bread of life to those who believe in
Him : for He it is Who came down from heaven, and gave life
to the world : by Whom, and with Whom, to God the Father
be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and
ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON XLIX.
And it came to pass that as He was alone, praying, His dis- c. ix. 18
ciples ivere with Him : and He asked them, saying, Whom *
do the multitudes say of Me that I am ? And they answered
and said, Some, indeed, John the Baptist : and others, &\\OL
Elijah : and others, that some prophet of those in old time
has risen again. And He said unto them ; But whom do ye
say that I am ? And Peter answered and said, The Christ
of God. And He charged and commanded them to tell
this to no man, saying, The Son of man is about to suffer
many things, and to be rejected of the elders, and chief
priests, and scribes : and be slain, and rise again the a^aa-T^
third day. tyeps^a
WELL may we call out to those who would search the B
sacred Scriptures, " Arouse ye, and awake." For it is a thing
impossible to perceive the exact meaning of the mystery of
Christ, if we use for this end a debauched mind, and an under
standing drowned, so to speak, in sleep. Need rather is there
of a wakeful mind, and a penetrating eye; for the subject is
one difficult to comprehend in the highest degree. And this is
apparent now that our discourse has come to the explanation
of the passage before us. For what says the Evangelist?
% " And it came to pass that as He was alone, praying, His dis-
" ciples were with Him; and He asked them, saying; Whom
" do the multitudes say of Me that I am T Now the first thing
we have to .examine is, what it was which led our Lord Jesus
Christ to propose to the holy apostles this question, or inquiry.
For no word or deed of His is cither at an unseasonable time
or without a fitting reason ; but rather, He docs all things
wisely and in their season. What therefore do we say, or
what suitable explanation do we find for His present acts? He
had fed in the desert a vast multitude of five thousand men :
and how had He fed them ? With five loaves ! breaking with
them into morsels two small fish ! And these so multiplied out
of nothing, that twelve baskets of fragments even were taken
up. The blessed disciples therefore were astonished as well as
the multitudes, and saw by what had been wrought., that He is
COMMENTARY UPON
in truth God and the Son of God. And afterwards, when they
had withdrawn from the multitude and He was alone, He occu
pied Himself in prayer, in this too making Himself our ex
ample, or rather instructing the disciples how to discharge effi
ciently their office as teachers. For it is, I think, the duty of
those who are set over the people, and whose lot it is to guide
Christ s flocks, constantly to occupy themselves with their
necessary business, and openly practise those things with which
God is well pleased : even that saintlike and virtuous conduct
which gains great admiration, and is certain to profit the
people under their charge. For they ought either to be
actively engaged in those duties which are to the glory of God :
or such as in their retirement bring upon them a blessing, and
call down upon them power from on high : of which latter, one
and the most excellent is prayer. Knowing which the divine
i Thess. Paul said, " Pray without ceasing."
As I said, then, the Lord and Saviour of all made Himself
an example to the disciples of saintlike conversation, by pray
ing alone, with them only in His company. But His doing so
might perchance trouble the disciples, and beget in them dan
gerous thoughts. For they saw Him praying in human
fashion, Whom yesterday they beheld working miracles with
godlike dignity. It would not therefore have been entirely
without reason, had they said among themselves ; Oh, strange
conduct! Whom must we consider Him to be ? God, or man ?
If we say man, and like one of us ; like one, that is, of the,
holy prophets ; we see from the ineffable miracles which He
works, that He far transcends the limits of human nature : for
in manifold ways He doeth wonders as God. If we say He is
God, surely to pray is unbefitting One Who is God by nature.
For of whom can God ask what He wishes to receive ? And of
what can God at all be in want ? To chase away therefore
such confusing thoughts, and to calm their faith, which, so to
speak, was tempest-tossed, He makes this inquiry ; not as
though He were at all ignorant of what was commonly said of
Him, either by those who did not belong to the synagogue
of the Jews, or by the Israelites themselves : His object rather
was to rescue them from the general mode of thinking, and
implant in them a correct faith, " Whom, therefore, He asks,
" do the multitudes say that I am ?"
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 215
Thou seest the skilfulness of the question. lie did not at
once say, " Whom do ye say that I am ? but refers to the
rumour of those that were without, that having rejected it, and
shewn it to be unsound, He may then bring them back to the
true opinion. Which also happened : for when the disci
ples had said, " Some John the Baptist, and others Elijah, and
" others, that some prophet of those in old time has risen up ;"
He said to them, " But ye, whom do ye say that I am?" Oh!
how full of meaning is that "ye !" He separates them from all
others, that they may also avoid their opinions, and not con
ceive an unworthy idea of Him, nor entertain confused and
wavering thoughts, themselves too imagining that John had
risen again, or one of the prophets. Ye therefore, He says,
who have been chosen ; who by My decree have been called
to the apostlcship ; who are the witnesses of My miracles ;
whom do ye say that I am ?
First before the rest Peter again springs forth, and makes
himself the mouthpiece of the whole company, pouring forth
the expression of love to God, and giving utterance to a correct
and faultless confession of faith in Him, saying, " The Christ of
God." The disciple is unerring : a thoroughly intelligent
explainer of the mystery. For he does not simply say, that
He is a Christ of God ; but " the Christ" rather : for there
are many who have been called " Christ," from having in
various ways been anointed of God. For some have been
anointed as kings; and some as prophets; while others, having
received salvation by That Christ Who is the Saviour of all,
even we ourselves, obtain the appellation of christ, as having
been anointed by the Holy Ghost. For it is said in the words
of the Psalmist, of those in old time, that is, before the coming
of our Saviour : " Touch not My christs, and do My prophets PS. cv. 15.
" no harm." But the words of Habakkuk refer to us ; " Thou Hab.iii.i3-
" hast gone forth to the salvation of Thy people : to save Thy
" christs." Christs therefore there are many, and they have
so been called from the fact [of having been anointed] : but He
Who is God the Father s Christ is One, and One only : not as
though we indeed are christs, and not God s christs, but be
longing to some other person : but because He and He alone
has as His Father Him that is in heaven. Since therefore
most wise Peter, confessing the faith correctly and without
216 COMMENTARY UPON
error, said, "The Christ of God," it is plain, that distinguishing
Him from those to whom the appellation generally belongs, he
referred Him to God, as being His sole (Christ). For though
He be by nature God, and shone forth ineffably from God the
Father as His only begotten Word, yet He became flesh ac
cording to the Scripture. The blessed Peter therefore pro
fessed faith in Him, lending, as I before said, his words to the
whole company of the holy apostles, and acting as spokesman
for them all, as being more accurate than the rest.
And this too we ought to observe : that in Matthew s ac-
Mat. xvi. count we find that the blessed disciple said, " Thou art the
" Christ, the Son of the living God :" but the wise Luke, sum
ming up so to speak the purport, agrees with him in the
thoughts, but using fewer words, tells us that he said, " The
" Christ of God." Moreover no mention is here made of that
which the Saviour spake to him : but in Matthew again we
Id. v. 17. find that He said to Him plainly : " Blessed art thou, Simeon,
" son of Jonah : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it to
" thee, but My Father in heaven." The disciple therefore
was verily taught of God ; nor did he make this profession of
faith for us of his own thoughts merely, but because the
divine light shone upon his understanding, and the Father led
him to a correct knowledge of the mystery of Christ. What
therefore do those mistaken innovators 6 say to this, who un
warrantably pervert the great and adorable mystery of the
incarnation of the Only Begotten, and fall from the right way,
walking in the path of crookedness? For the wise Peter ac
knowledged one Christ : while they sever that One into two,
in opposition to the doctrines of truth. But yes, he replies,
the disciple acknowledged one Christ ; and so do we also
affirm that there is one Christ, by Whom we mean the Son,
even the Word that is from God the Father f . To this then
e The Nestorians. appellation, Christ, to the divine
f These words contain the sup- Person, but said that it was a title
posed defence of Nestorius, con- common to both. So in his letter
fining the appellation "Christ" to to Cyril, Harduin s Cone. I. 1278,
the divine Person, the Word, and having quoted the words of the
denying it to the human person, the Creed, "We believe in Jesus Christ,
" Son of man," or " Son of David." " our Lord, His only-begotten Son,"
But they require some modification : he says, Observe, I pray, how,
for Nestorius did not confine the having laid do\vn as foundations
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
217
what do we reply ? Is it not plain then, we say, to every one,
that Christ asks the holy apostles, not, Whom do men say that
the Word of God is ? hut, who " the Son of man is ?" and that
the terms Lord, Jesus, Christ,
Only-begotten, and Son, as cora-
mon both to the Godhead and the
* manhood, they proceed to build
upon them the tradition of the In-
* carnation, and the Passion, and
the Resurrection. And soon af
terwards commenting upon Phil.
ii. 5, he says, St. Paul being about
* to speak of the Passion, that no
one may imagine God the Word
to be capable of suffering, uses the
term Christ, as significative of the
Substance incapable of suffering
and of that capable of suffering in
* a single person. So again he
does not object to the title of Xpr-
TOTOKOS being applied to the Virgin;
OV <JJ00VW TT)S $0>J/T?? Tfi XplO-TOTOKO)
rrapGfvy : Quat. xxi. p. 1 41 2. What
he denied was that there was any
such union of the two natures in
our Lord as for the Virgin to be
correctly called QCOTOKOS, or for it
to be orthodox to affirm the di
vinity of our Lord considered as the
Son of man. Thus in Quat. xvi,
p. 1415, he says, Because God
* was present in that which was as-
sumed, viz., human nature, that
* which was assumed, as being
joined with That Which assumed
it, is also called God, because of
the Assumer. ETrfiS^TTfp cv rat
\r)(f)6tvri Qtos, (* rov Xaftovros 6
Qeos. But in this
very quaternion he says that Christ
is a title applicable to either nature :
The appellation Christ, like that of
Son, and Lord, as used in the
Scriptures of the Only- Begotten,
expresses the two natures, signi-
fying at one time the Godhead, at
another the manhood, and at an-
1 other both together. Nevertheless
he affirmed that these titles were
used differently of the two natures :
for while they belonged to the divi
nity absolutely, they belonged to
the manhood only Kara o-vvdfaiav,
by conjunction : for the two natures
were not united but coupled, each
energizing separately and apart.
And this crvvdfaia was the very
keystone of his doctrine, so that he
well said in Quat. xv. aa-vyx vTOV T *l v
TO>I> (frvo-ftov rrjpwp-fv (rvvdfaiav.
In Cyril s answer to his letter pre
served in Harduin I. 1286, we have
a most temperate and exact state
ment of the doctrine sanctioned by
the council of Ephesus, and con
firmed subsequently at Chalcedon;
Confessing that the Word was
substantially united yvcoo-dai not
<rvvfj<l>6ai to the flesh, we worship
one Son and Lord Jesus Christ,
not putting them apart and dis-
* tinguishing between man and God,
nor regarding them as joined to
one another by oneness of dignity
and command : nor again giving
the name of Christ in one special
sense to the Word of God, and in
another special sense to the seed
of the woman: but acknowledging
one Christ only, even the Word of
God the Father, with the flesh
which He made His own." This
last quotation shews with what
modification we are to take the less
exact statement in the text ; in an
swering which, however, S. Cyril
refutes, not the confining the title,
Christ, to the divinity, but the
separation of the natures, shewing
that Peter acknowledged Him
Whom he saw present before him
as "the Son of God the Father, the
" Word That sprang forth from His
" substance."
F f
218 COMMENTARY UPON
it was of Him that Peter confessed, that He is " the Christ of
" God?" Let them also explain this to us : How is Peter s con
fession worthy of admiration, if it contain nothing profound
and hidden, and, so to speak, not apparent to the generality ?
For what verily did God the Father reveal to him ? That the
Son of man is a man ? Is this the God-taught mystery ? Is it
for this that he is admired, and deemed worthy of such sur
passing honours ? For thus he was addressed, " Blessed art
" thou, Simeon, son of Jonah."
The reason, however, for which he was thus admired is a
very just one ; for it was because he believed that He Whom
he saw as one of us, that is, in our likeness, was the Son of
God the Father, the Word, namely, That sprang forth from
His substance, and became flesh, and was made man. See
here, I pray, the profundity of the thoughts, the import
ance of the confession, the high and weighty mystery. For
He Who was there in the likeness of mankind, and as a por
tion of creation, was God, Who transcends all created things !
He Who dwells in the high and lofty place was abased from
His glory to be in poverty like unto us ! And He Who, as
God, is Lord of all, and King of all, was in the likeness of a
slave, and in the measure of a slave ! This is the faith the
Saviour crowns ; to those thus minded He extends His bounti
ful right hand. For when He had praised Peter, and said
that he was taught of God, as one who had obtained the reve
lation from above, from God the Father, He makes him more
assured and more abundantly confirmed in the faith he had
Mat. xvi. professed concerning Him, by saying : " And I say unto thee,
" that thou art a stone ; and upon this stone I will build My
" church : and I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of
" heaven. Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound
" in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
" loosed in heaven."
For observe how He makes Himself at once the Lord of
heaven and of earth. For He promises things that exceed our
nature, and surpass the measure of humanity; yea, rather,
even that of the angelic rank : and are suitable for that nature
only to bestow, Whose glory and sovereignty transcend all.
For, first He says that the church belongs to Him ; the sacred
Scriptures nevertheless distinctly ascribe it rather to God,
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 219
and to Him only, saying that it is " the church of God." i Tim. iii.
For they say that " Christ presented it to Himself, having J^
"neither spot nor stain, but holy rather, and blameless."
As being God therefore He says that it is His, and promises
moreover to found it, granting it to be unshaken, as being
Himself the Lord of powers.
And next He says that He gives him the keys of heaven.
Who is it then that thus pours forth language appropriate to
God ? Is it an angel ? or some other intelligent power, whether
principality, or throne, or dominion ? or those holy seraphs ?
Not at all : but, as I said before, such language belongs to
Almighty God alone, Whose is the sovereignty of earth and
heaven. Let not, then, these innovators divide the one Christ,
so as to say that one Son is the Word of God the Father,
an3" that He Who is of the seed of David is another Son.
For Peter made mention of one Christ ; even the Only-be
gotten Who became man and was made flesh : and for this con
fession was counted worthy of these extraordinary honours.
When, however, the disciple had professed his faith, He
charged them, it says, and commanded them to tell it to no
man : " for the Son of man," He said, " is about to suffer
" many things, and be rejected, and killed, and the third day
" He shall rise again." And yet how was it not rather the
duty of disciples to proclaim Him everywhere ? For this was
the very business of those appointed by Him to the apostle-
ship. But as the sacred Scripture saith, " There is a time for Eccle-s. iii.
" everything." There were things yet unfulfilled which must *
also be included in their preaching of Him : such as were the
cross ; the passion ; the death in the flesh ; the resurrection
from the dead ; that great and truly glorious sign by which
testimony is borne Him that the Emanuel is truly God,
and by nature the Son of God the Father. For that He
utterly abolished death, and effaced destruction, and spoiled
hell, and overthrew the tyranny of the enemy, and took away
the sin of the world, and opened the gates above to the
dwellers upon earth, and united earth to heaven : these things
proved Him to be, as I said, in truth God. He commanded
e The Copyist has here appar- that the Scriptures also ascribe the
ently omitted a line to the effect church to Christ.
pfg
220 COMMENTARY UPON
them, therefore, to guard the mystery by a seasonable silence
until the whole plan of the dispensation should arrive at a
suitable conclusion. For then, when He arose from the dead,
He gave commandment that the mystery should be revealed
to all the inhabitants of the earth, setting before every man
justification by faith, and the cleansing efficacy of holy baptism.
Mat.xxviii. For He said, " All power is given unto Me in heaven and in
" earth : Go ye, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
" ini the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
" Ghost, and teaching them to observe all those things which
" I have commanded you. And lo ! I am with you always,
" even unto the end of the world." For Christ is with us
and in us by the Holy Ghost, and dwells in the souls of us all :
by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be praise and
dominion and honour with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever,
Amen.
1 As the Syriac has but one pre- either be "into" the Name, or "in"
position <> with which to express the Name,
both fls and eV, the translation may
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON L.
FlT TO BE KEAD AT A TIME OF PERSECUTION.
And He said to them all, Whosoever will come after Me, let C.ix.23-26.
him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and
come after Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it, and ivhosoever will lose his life for My sake shall save it.
For what is a man profited, who hath gained the whole world,
but hath lost himself, or fallen short? For whosoever shall
be ashamed of Me, and of My words, of him shall the Son om. \6yovs
of man be ashamed when He shall come in His glory, and
in His Father s, and of His holy angels.
MIGHTY generals encourage their trained warriors to
deeds of courage, not only by promising them the honours
of victory, but even by telling them that the very fact of
suffering brings them glory, and gains for them all praise. For
it is impossible for those who would win fame in battle not some
times to have to endure wounds also from their opponents. But
their suffering is not without its reward, for they are praised as
those who bravely assaulted the enemy ; and the very wound
bears witness to the courage and valour of their mind. And
much the same arguments we see our Lord Jesus Christ also
using in a discourse, the occasion of which was as follows ; He
had just shewn the disciples that it was altogether necessary
for Him to endure the wicked enterprizes of the Jews, and be
mocked by them, and spit upon in the face, and put to death,
and the third day rise again. To prevent them, therefore,
from imagining that He indeed for the life of the world would
suffer the scorn of those murderers, and the other cruelties
which they inflicted upon Him ; but that they would be per
mitted to live quietly, and might without blame avoid the suffer
ing readily for their piety s sake, and the endurance even of death
a A few passages occur in the ever, an instance to the contrary,
Aurea Catena, ascribed to S. Cyril, the purport of it being very cor-
not contained in the Greek, and rectly given; as also another pas-
such are generally also not recog- sage which occurs towan
nised by the Syriac. The com- end.
mencement of this homily is, how-
222 COMMENTARY UPON
itself in the flesh, should it so befal, and by so doing would incur
no disgrace, He of necessity, so to speak, testifies that those
who would be thought worthy of the glory He bestows, must
attain to it by proportionate acts of bravery, saying, " He that
" will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
" cross every day, and come after Me."
Here, too, we must wonder at the love of Christ the Saviour
of us all towards the world ; for He not only consented Himself
to suffer and bear so great ignominy, humbling Himself even
to the cross and death for our sakes, but also rouses His chosen
followers to the same excellent desire : even those who were to
be the instructors of men every where, and hold the post of
commanders-in-chief over the people committed to their care.
For those who were appointed to so great a ministry must in
very deed be thoroughly brave and valiant, armed with an
unshaken mind and invincible courage, so as to dread no diffi
culties, and even if death befal, to deride its terrors, and set at
nought every fear. He who thus acts denies himself, since, so
to speak, he resigns this temporal life, and deems its concerns
worthy of no regard, inasmuch as his choice is to suffer for the
blessedness and love that is in Christ. So does a man follow
Christ. For the company of the holy Apostles is, as it were,
set before us by the Psalmist s harp, as crying out unto Christ
Ps.xliv.22. the Saviour of all : " For Thy sake we are killed every day ; we
" have been counted as sheep for the slaughter." For in this
Heb.xii.2. also they are like unto the Emmanuel, "Who for the joy that
" He had, endured the cross, having despised the shame."
He would have those, therefore, who were to be the teachers
of all beneath the sun superior to timidity and the base love of
the world, laying it down as their duty to suffer for love of
Him. And He has Himself taught us what is the character
of those of His apostles who love Him, where he said to
John xxi. the blessed Peter, " Simeon, son of Jonah, lovest thou Me ?
x. n. " Feed M y lambs ; feed Mv shee P" " He was the good
" Shepherd ; He laid down His life for -the sheep." For He
was not a hireling ; rather, those that were saved were His
own : He saw the wolf coming ; He made no attempt to flee ;
He despised not the flock ; but, on the contrary, yielded Him
self to be torn by it, that He might deliver and save us :
Is. liii. 5. " For by His bruises we have been healed," " and He was
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 223
" afflicted for our sins/ Those, therefore, who would follow
Him, and earnestly desire to be like Him, and are set over
His intelligent flocks, must undergo similar labours. For
numerous savage beasts encircle them, violent, and implacable,
and that slay cruelly, and hurry souls to the pit of destruction.
For the more learned and skilful of the heathen possess great
eloquence, and adorn their false doctrine with beautiful lan
guage : and thus they pervert some simple-minded men,
making them often wish to share their malady, and depart
from the God Who is over all, to worship others in His stead
which are no gods. These heaped upon the holy Apostles
unendurable persecutions, and exposed them again and again
to dangers. For the blessed Paul commemorates the things 2 Tim iii.
he had been seen to suffer at Iconium and Lystra, and at r
Ephesus and Damascus. For at one time he says, " In Da- ^Cor. xi.
" mascus the chief captain of Arctas the king watched the city 3
" of the Damascenes wishing to seize me, and from a window they
" let me down from the wall in a basket, and I was delivered from
" his hands." And again at another time, " Alexander the smith a Tim. iv.
" caused me much evil." What then is the testimony of this M
mighty Evangelist, this courageous and valiant champion, who
everywhere despised the utmost dangers ? " For to me," he Phil.
says, " that I live is Christ ; and that I die is gain." And again,
I am crucified with Christ ; but henceforth I no more live, Gal. ii. 10
" but Christ liveth in me : and that which I live here in the
" flesh, 1 live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me, and
" yielded up Himself for my sake."
But the violence of the Jews broke forth frequently against
the other apostles also : they persecuted them ; they sum
moned them before their synagogues ; they scourged them
wickedly, commanding them to keep silence, and desist from
their sacred preachings : for they said, " Did we not strictly *.
" command you not to speak to any man in this Name? even the
" Name of Christ, the Saviour of us all ; and behold ! ye have
" filled Jerusalem with your doctrine." But after the disciples
had borne their violent accusation for the firm love they had to
Christ, they went out " rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for the Name." But had they been
timid, and abject, and frightened at words, and overpowered
by the terrors of death, how would they have been proved . c
how have offered as fruits to God those who were called by their
COMMENTARY UPON
means ? For, also, the wise Paul whom no difficulty whatsoever
could overpower, when on his way to Jerusalem the prophet
Agabus loosed his girdle, and bound his own feet, and said,
Acts xxi. " So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind that man to whom this
" girdle belongs," answered and said, " What do ye, that ye
" weep and break my heart ? for I am ready not only to be
" bound, but also to die for the Name of our Lord Jesus
" Christ." Excellently, therefore, did He command them
manfully to prevail over every persecution, and boldly to
undergo trials, as being well assured that if thus they will be
zealous in His cause, they will become His friends, and share
His glory. If, therefore, a man be ready to endure and
despise the terrors of death, has he lost himself and departed,
and is there nothing more in store for him ? By no means : for
in that he loses his life, he especially finds it ; while to find it is
to bring upon himself destruction. What fear, therefore, can the
saints now feel, if that which seemed to be hard proves rather
joyous to them that bear it ; while that which is dear to men, as
being exempt from pain, leads them especially downwards to
destruction and the snare of hell, according to the Scripture.
But b that it is incomparably better, far above the splendour
and pleasure of the world, to excel in the love of Christ, He
shews us by saying, " For what is a man profited who hath
" gained the whole world, but hath lost himself, or fallen
" short t" For when a man looks chiefly to that which is
pleasant and profitable for the moment, and therefore avoids
suffering, and desires to live joyously, even though he have
wealth and abundance of possessions, yet what profit hath he
Prov. x. 2. therefrom when he has lost himself? " Treasures profit not
iCor.vii.3i. "the wicked," but " the fashion of this world passeth away :"
Wisd. v. 9. and " like clouds those pleasures recede," and riches flies away
Prov. x. 2 ; from those that possess it : " but righteousness delivereth from
xi> 4> " death."
And further, to set plainly before us the reward of our
b Aquinas (Ed. Ven. 1775, vol. v. of the Fathers, who renders it,
134), has "Quod autem incompara- But that incomparable exercise
" biliter exercitium pacis Christi su- of the passion of Christ, which
" peret delicias et pretiosa mundi, surpasses the delights and precious
" insinuat subdens ; Quid proficit things of the world, is alluded to
" &c." It is impossible to conjee- when He adds, What is a man
ture what can have been the read- advantaged, " &c.
ing of the translator in the Library
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
being willing to labour, He says : " For whosoever shall be
" ashamed at Me and at My words, at Him shall the Sou of
" man be ashamed when He shall come in His glory, and of
" His Father, and of His holy angels." Much that is both
useful and necessary does Ho effect by these words. For in
the first place He shews that entirely and altogether it follows
that those who are ashamed c at Him and at His words will
meet with the reward they merit. And what could so give us
joy as this ? For if there are some in whose presence the
Judge feels shame, as owing them the reward of obedience,
and the dignities and crown due to their love and affection for
Him, and the honours won by their bravery, how may we not
without fear of contradiction say that they most certainly will
henceforth live in never-ending honours and praises who have
attained to such splendid blessings ?
But, next, He also begets in them fear as well, in that he says
that He shall descend from heaven, not in His former lowliness
and humiliation, like unto us, but in the glory of His Father ;
even in godlike and transcendent glory, with the holy angels
keeping guard around Him. Most miserable, therefore, and
ruinous would it be to be condemned of cowardice and indo
lence when the Judge has descended from above, and the
angelic ranks stand at His side. But great and most blessed,
and a foretaste of final blessedness is it to be able to rejoice in
labours already accomplished, and await the recompense of
past toils. For such as these shall be praised, Christ Himself
saying unto them : " Come, yo blessed of My Father, inherit Mat.
" the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the ^
" world." May we also be deemed worthy of these rewards
by the grace and lovingkindness of Christ the Saviour of us
all : by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be praise
and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
c In this argument S. Cyril takes " schameth Me and My wordis,
the being ashamed in a good sense, " rnannes Sone shall schame him,"
as "feeling reverence at." Similarly &c. And the sense in which he
it is understood by the Vulgate : uses shame we may see in his ver-
Qui enim erubuerit Me, et Meos sion of Luke xviii. 2 : "
sermones, hunc Filius hominis eru- " a juge in a citee, that drede not
bescct. This Wiclif renders, "Whoso " God, neither scharnede of men.
COMMENTARY UPON
8e
8.
nu.1 e?8ov S.
SERMON LI.
c. ix. 27- But I say unto you truly, there are some of those standing
here who shall not taste of death, until they have seen the
kingdom of God. And there were after these things about
eight days, and He took Peter, and John, and James, and
went up to the mountain to pray. And while He was
praying, the look of His countenance was altered, and His
raiment was white, shining like lightning : and behold ! two
men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah : who
having appeared in glory, spake of His departure, that He
was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and
they that were with him were heavy with sleep: but having
roused themselves, they both saw His glory, and the two
men that stood with Him. And it came to pass, that when
they were separating from Him, Peter said unto Jesus,
Master, it is good for us to be here : and let us make three
tabernacles, one for Thee : and one for Moses : and one
for Elijah : not knowing what he said. While he spake
these things, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them ;
and they feared as they entered the cloud. And there was
a voice from the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son,
hear Him. And when there was the voice, Jesus ivas found
alone ; and they kept silence, and told no man in those
days ought of the things they had seen.
THOSE who are skilful in the combat rejoice when the
spectators clap their hands, and are roused to a glorious height
of courage by the hope of the chaplets of victory: and so those
whose desire it is to be counted worthy of the divine gifts, and
who thirst to be made partakers of the hope prepared for the
saints, joyfully undergo combats for piety s sake towards
Christ, and lead elect lives, not setting store by a thankless
indolence, nor indulging in a mean timidity, but rather man
fully resisting every temptation, and setting at nought the vio
lence of persecutions, while they count it gain to suffer in His
behalf. For they remember that the blessed Paul thus writes,
6 o
GSy.
d 6KA.eA.e7-
Hwos BGT.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 227
" The sufferings of this present time are not worthy of the Rom. viii.
44 glory that is about to be revealed in us."
Observe, therefore, how perfectly beautiful is the method ol K0 ^ia.
which our Lord Jesus Christ uses here also for the benefit and
edification of the holy Apostles. For He had said unto them,
" Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself and Lukeix.7 3 .
take up his cross every day, and follow Me. For he that
" will save his life shall lose it ; and he that will lose his life
for My sake shall find it." The commandment is indeed
both for the salvation and honour of the saints, and the cause
of the highest glory, and the means of perfect joy : for the
choosing to suffer for the sake of Christ is not a thankless
duty, but on the contrary makes us sharers in everlasting life,
and the glory that is prepared. But as the disciples had not
yet obtained power from on high, it probably occasionally hap
pened, that they also fell into human weaknesses, and when
thinking over with themselves any such saying as this, may
have asked how does a man deny himself?" or how having
lost himself does he find himself again ? And what reward will
compensate those who thus suffer ? Or of what gifts will they
be made partakers? To rescue them therefore from such timid
thoughts, and, so to speak, to mould them unto manliness, by
begetting in them a desire of the glory about to be bestowed
upon them, He says, I say unto you, there are some of those
standing here, who shall not taste of death until they have
- seen the kingdom of God/ Does He mean that the measure
of their lives will be so greatly prolonged as even to reach tc
time when He will descend from heaven at the consummation
of the world, to bestow upon the saints the kingdom prepares
for them? Even this was possible for Him : for He is omnipo
tent : and there is nothing impossible or difficult to His
powerful will. But by the kingdom of God He means
light of the glory in which He will appear at His manifesto
to the inhabitants of earth: for He will come m the glory of God
the Father, and not in low estate like unto us. How there
did He make those who had received the promise spectato
of a thing *o wonderful ? He goes up into the mountain ti
with Him three chosen disciples : and is transformed to s<
passing and godlike a brightness, that His garments even glil
228 COMMENTARY UPON
tered with rays of tire, and seemed to flash like lightning. And
besides, Moses and Elijah stood at Jesus side, and spake with
one another of His departure, which He was about, it says, to
accomplish at Jerusalem : by which is meant the mystery of
the dispensation in the flesh ; and of His precious suffering
upon the cross. For it is also true that the law of Moses, and
the word of the holy prophets, foreshowed the mystery of
Christ : the one by types and shadows, painting it, so to speak,
as in a picture ; while the rest in manifold ways declared before
hand, both that in due time He would appear in our likeness,
and for the salvation and life of us all, consent to suffer death
upon the tree. The standing, therefore, of Moses and Elijah
before Him, and their talking with one another, was a sort of
representation, excellently displaying our Lord Jesus Christ, as
having the law and the prophets for His body guard, as being
the Lord of the law and the prophets, and as foreshewn in
them by those things which in mutual agreement they before
proclaimed. For the words of the prophets are not at variance
with the teachings of the law. And this I imagine was what
Moses the most priestly and Elijah the most distinguished of
the prophets were talking of with one another.
But the blessed disciples sleep awhile, as Christ continued
long in prayer : for He performed these human duties as be
longing to the dispensation : and afterwards on awaking they
became spectators of changes thus splendid and glorious :
and the divine Peter, thinking perchance, that the time of the
kingdom of God was even now come, proposes dwellings
on the mountain, and says that it is fitting there should be
three tabernacles, one for Christ, and the others for the other
two, Moses and Elijah : " but he knew not," it says, " what he
" was saying." For it was not the time of the consummation
of the world, nor for the saints to take possession of the hope
Phil. iii.2 1. promised to them; for as Paul says, "He will change our
" humble body into the likeness, of His, that is, Christ s glo-
" rious body." As therefore the dispensation was still at its
commencement, and not yet fulfilled, how would it have been
fitting for Christ to have abandoned His love to the world,
and have departed from His purpose of suffering in its behalf?
For He redeemed all under heaven, by both undergoing death
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 229
in the tfesh, and by abolishing it by the resurrection from the
dead. Peter therefore knew not what he said n .
But besides the wonderful and ineffable sight of Christ s
glory, something else was done, useful and necessary for the
confirmation of their faith in Him : and not for the disciples
only, but even for us too. For a voice was given forth from
the cloud above, as from God the Father, saying : " This
" is My beloved Son, hear Him. And when there was the
" voice," it says, " Jesus was found alone." What then will he
who is disputatious and disobedient, and whose heart is incur
able, say to these things ? Lo ! Moses is there, and does the
Father command the holy apostles to hear him ? Had it been
His will that they should follow the commandments of Moses,
He would have said, I suppose, Obey Moses ; keep the law.
But this was not what God the Father here said, but in the
presence of Moses and the prophets, He commands them rather
to hear Him. And that the truth might not be subverted by
any, affirming that the Father rather bade them hear Moses,
and not Christ the Saviour of us all, the Evangelist has
clearly marked it, saying, " When there was the voice, Jesus
" was found alone." When therefore God the Father, from
the cloud overhead, commanded the holy apostles, saying,
" Hear Him; 1 Moses was far away, and Elijah too was no
longer nigh ; but Christ was there alone. Him therefore He
commanded them to obey.
For He also is the end of the law and the prophets : for
which reason He cried aloud to the multitudes of the Jews :
" If ye had believed Moses, ye would have believed Me also : John v. 4 6.
" for he wrote of Me"." But as they persevered even unto the
end in despising the commandment given by most wise Moses,
and in rejecting the word of the holy prophets, they have justly
been alienated and expelled from those blessings that were
n Mai adds a passage from B, upon the terror with which the
giving a completely distinct reason disciples fell to the ground on hear-
for the transfiguration, namely, that ing the Father s voice, that it proves
it was to teach the disciples that at the necessity of Christ s mediator-
the resurrection the body is not ship in human form, s
put off, but a sort of light-like the glory of God would otherwise
glory envelopes it." have been unendurable to mankind.
o Again Mai ascribes a passage The passage fo lowing the quota-
from B and F to Cyril, remarking tion from St. John he omits.
230 COMMENTARY UPON
Sam. xv. promised to their fathers. For " obedience is better than
" sacrifices, and to hearken than the fat of rams," as the
Scripture saith. And thus much then of the Jews: but upon us
who have acknowledged the revelation, all these blessings have
necessarily been bestowed, by means of and as the gift of the
same Christ : by Whom and with Whom, to God the Father
be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and
ever. Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON LII.
But it came to pass, the day after, as they came down from c. i x . 37-
the mountain, a great croivd met Him. And, behold, a *$
man cried out from the crowd, saying, Teacher, I beseech
Thee to regard my Son, for he is my only one. And lo, a M
spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out, and it con-
vulseth and teareth him, and he foameth ; and having GST.
bruised him scarcely departeth from him. And I besought ^iT
Thy disciples to cast him out, and they could not. And BGT*.
Jesus answered, and said : faithless and perverse ge
neration, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you?
Bring thy son hither. And when he was yet coming, the
devil threw him down, and convulsed him. But Jesus
rebuked the unclean spirit , and healed the child, and gave
him to his father. And all ivondered at the majesty of
God.
ALL Scripture is inspired of God and profitable : but espe
cially above all besides this is the case with the holy Gospels.
For He Who in old time spake the law to the Israelites by the
ministry of angels, has in person spoken unto us, when having
taken our likeness, He appeared upon earth, and went about
among men. For most wise Paul writes : " That while in old Heb. i. i
" time God spake to the fathers by the prophets in manifold
" parts, and manifold manners. He hath in these latter days
" spoken unto us by the Son." And by one of His holy pro
phets, He somewhere Himself saith, " I Who speak am near as Is. Hi. 6.
M the brightness upon the mountains, as the feet of him that
" proclaimeth tidings of peace ; as one that proclaimeth good
" things." For lo ! He frees us from the tyranny of the
enemy, that we may in purity follow Him ; and that having
brought to nought " the world rulers of this darkness," even Eph.vi.i
wicked spirits, He may present us unharmed unto God the
Father.
For that it is by Him that we have gained deliverance from
the power of unclean spirits, this lesson proves. For we heard
read that a man ran towards Him from among the multitude,
and related the intolerable malady of his son. For he said
COMMENTARY UPON
that he was cruelly torn by an evil spirit, and suffered violent
convulsions. But the manner of his approach was not free
from fault : for he made loud outcries against the company of
the holy apostles, saying that they could not rebuke Satan :
Avhereas it would have been more fitting, had he honoured
Jesus when asking His aid, and imploring grace. For He
grants us our request when we honour and confide in Him, as
being the Almighty, Whose power nothing can withstand. For
He verily is the Lord of powers P, and nothing can offer re
sistance to His will. Yea rather, everything whatsoever that
is capable of possessing power obtains entirely from Him the~
possibility of being what it is. For just as He sheds His light
upon those who are capable of being illuminated, as being
Himself the true light ; and just as in like manner He is the
bestower of wisdom upon those who are capable thereof, as
being Himself Wisdom, and perfect understanding : so, inas
much as He is Power, He bestows power on those capable of
receiving it. When then by our disbelief we despise His glory,
and wickedly scorn His supreme majesty, we can receive no-
James i. 6. thing from Him : for "we must ask in faith, nothing wavering,"
as His disciple said.
And that this saying is true, we may perceive even from
what takes place among us. For such as present petitions to
those who preside over affairs upon earth, and govern mighty
thrones, preface their requests with suitable praises, and con
fess their universal power and majesty; addressing the memo
rial they present, "To the Lords of earth, and sea, and of
P This title of Deity, which is of 2. Singers. 3. Doorkeepers. 4. Read-
very frequent occurrence in S. Cy- ers. 5. Subdeacons. 6. Deacons. 7.
ril s works, is the Greek translation Priests. 8. Visitors. 9. Chorepi-
of "Jehovah Sabaoth," the Lord of scopi. 10. Bishops. 1 1. Metropoli-
Hosts, Ps. xxiv. 10 ; and this again tans. 12. Patriarchs. 13. Angels,
the Latins render, Dominus vir- 14. Archangels. 15. Principalities,
"tutum. By "powers" the Sy- 16. Dominions. 17. Thrones. 18.
nans understood an order of the Lordships. 19. Powers. 20. Che-
angelic hierarchy, inferior only to rubs. 21. Seraphs. By visitors,
the Cherubs and Seraphs. Among though the title is taken from the
the MSS. obtained by the late Dr. Peschito version of i Pet. ii. 25, I
Mill from the Syriac Christians of imagine the nepio^vral of the Greek
Malabar, I have found two lists of Canons to be meant; and the Chor-
ecclesiastical and angelic dignities, episcopi, or Village-bishops, had no
m which they are ranked as follows : power to ordain any one above a
i. Players on musical instruments, subdeacon.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 233
" every people and race among mankind :" and afterwards
they add an account of what they would ask. The father
therefore of the demoniac was rude and uncourteous: for he
did not simply ask the healing of the child, and in so doing
crown the healer with praises, but, on the contrary, spake
contemptuously of the disciples, and found fault with the
grace given them. " For I brought him, he says, to Thy
" disciples, and they could not cast it out." And yet it was
owing to thy own want of faith that the grace availed not.
Dost thou not perceive that thou wast thyself the cause that the
child was not delivered from his severe illness ?
For that we must have faith when we draw near to Christ,
and whosoever have obtained from Him the grace of healing,
He teaches us Himself, by everywhere requiring faith of those
who approach Him, desiring to be counted worthy of any of
His gifts. For, for instance, Lazarus died at Bethany, and
Christ promised to raise him. When then one of his sisters
doubted of this, and had no expectation that the miracle would
take place, Christ said, "I am the resurrection and the life. John xi. 25.
" He that believeth in Me, even though he die, shall live."
And we find elsewhere a similar occurrence. For Jairus, a
ruler of the synagogue of the Jews, when his only daughter
was now breathing her last, being caught, so to speak, in the
meshes of death, besought Jesus to deliver the damsel from
what had happened : and Christ accordingly promised so to do
upon arriving at the house of the supplicant. But as He was
on His way, a man met Him from the relatives of the ruler of
the synagogue, saying, "Thy daughter is dead: trouble not Luke viii.
" the Teacher." And what was Christ s reply? " Fear not : 49
" only believe, and she shall live."
It was the duty therefore of the father of the lad rather to
lay the blame upon his own unbelief, than upon the holy
apostles. For this reason Christ justly called out, " faithless
" and perverse generation : how long shall I be with you, and
" suffer you ?" He justly therefore calls both the man himself,
and those like him in mind a faithless generation. For it is a
wretched malady, and whosoever is seized by it is, as He
shews, perverse, and utterly without knowledge to walk up
rightly. And therefore the sacred Scriptures say of such
persons, " that their ways are crooked, and their paths per- Prov.ii.is.
H h
COMMENTARY UPON
order that he may also benefit us, he reveals the set purpose
Ps. ci. 4. of his mind thereupon, saying, "A crooked heart hath not
" cleaved unto me :" that is, one that cannot walk in an up
right course. To such the blessed Baptist, as the forerunner of
Mat. iii. 3. tlie Saviour, cried, saying, " Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
" make His paths straight.* 1
The man therefore was thoroughly an unbeliever, and per
verse, refusing the straight paths, straying from the mark, and
wandering from the right ways<l. And Christ deigns not to
be with such as are thus minded, and have fallen into this
wickedness : and if one may speak in the manner of men, He
is tired and weary of them. And this He teaches us saying,
" How long shall I be with you, and suffer you?" For he
who says, that those were powerless for the expulsion of evil
spirits, who by Christ s will had received power to cast them
out, finds fault with the grace itself, rather than with the
receivers of it. It was wicked blasphemy therefore : for if
grace be powerless, the fault and blame is not theirs who have
received it, but rather belongs to the grace itself. For any
who will may see that the grace which wrought in them was
Christ s. For, for instance, the lame man at the beautiful gate
of the temple was made whole ; but Peter ascribed the miracle
Acts iii. 16. to Christ, saying to the Jews, "For Him Whom ye crucified,
" even by Him this man stands before you whole : and the
" grace which He bestows hath given him this soundness."
Elsewhere the same blessed Peter proclaimed to one of those
Acts ix. 34. w ho were healed by Him, " ^Eneas, Jesus Christ hcaleth thee."
It is plain therefore in every way that the man wickedly
found fault with Christ s power in saying of the holy apostles,
" they could not cast it out."
And besides, Christ is angry when wrong is done unto the
holy preachers who have been entrusted with the word of His
Gospel, and appointed to teach it to all under heaven, inasmuch
as witness is borne them by His grace, that they are His
<i Aquinas translates correctly, path. The translator of the Aurea
Nescientes procedere rectis incessi- Catena nevertheless renders it, " not
bus : for though incessus is pro- " knowing how to continue in the
perly the act of walking, yet as early " right beginnings."
as Tacitus it began to be used for a
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 235
disciples, and they shed the light of the true knowledge of God
on those who everywhere were convinced by their doctrines,
and the wonderful miracles they wrought. For the miracle
constantly, so to speak, leads on to faith. It would have been
deserved therefore, had the father of the demoniac gone away
disappointed, and been refused the bounteous gift. But that
no man might imagine that Christ also was unable to work the
miracle, He rebuked the unclean spirit, and forthwith deli
vered the youth from his malady, and gave him to his father.
For up to this time he had not been his father s, but the pro
perty of the spirit that possessed him : but being now deli
vered from his violence, he became once again his father s
property, as Christ s gift : Who also gave the holy apostles
authority to work divine miracles, and rebuke with irresistible
might impure spirits, and crush Satan.
And the multitudes, the blessed Evangelist says, wondered
at the majesty of God. When Christ then works miracles, it
is God Who is glorified, and God only and solely. For He is
by nature God, and His majesty is incomparable, and His
supremacy without a rival, resplendent with the sovereignty of
God the Father. He is therefore to be extolled with praises,
and let us say unto him, " Lord God of powers, Who is like p
" unto Thee ? Powerful art Thou, Lord, and Thy truth is
round about Thee." For all things are possible to Him, and
easy to accomplish, and nothing whatsoever is too difficult or
high : by Whom and with Whom, to God the Father be praise
and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
236 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LIII.
c. ix. 43- And while every one wondered at all things which He did,
**olci H B sa id unto H disciples. Lay ye these words to your
BGST. ears : For the Son of man is about to be delivered up into
add. 6 irj- ^ ie hands of men. But they knew not this saying, and it
<rovs BGs. was hid from them that they should not understand it : and
they feared to ask Him of this saying.
i Tim. iii. PROFOUND in very deed is the mystery of godliness,
according to the expression of the wise Paul: but God the
Father reveals it to such as are worthy of receiving it. For
the Saviour Himself also, when speaking to the Jews, said,
John vi. 43. Murmur not among yourselves : no man can come unto Me,
" unless the Father Who sent Me draw him." When then the
blessed Peter had been counted worthy of a grace thus glorious
and wonderful, being in the neighbourhood of Caesarea Phi-
lippi, he made a correct and faultless confession of faith in him,
Mat. xvi. saying, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
And what was the reward of which he was thought worthy ?
It was to hear Christ say, " Blessed art thou, Simeon, son of
" Jonah : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but
" My Father in heaven." And he further received surpassing
honours : for he was entrusted by Him with the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and the confession of his faith was made
the firm foundation for the Church. "For thou/ 1 He says, " art
" a stone : and upon this stone I will build My Church : and
" the gates of hell shall not overpower it."
That those therefore who were to teach the whole world
might know exactly His mystery, He usefully and necessarily
explains it clearly to them beforehand, saying, u Lay ye
" these words to your hearts r ; for the Son of man is about
" to be delivered into the hands of men." The reason then
which led Christ so to speak is, I think, a subject both useful
In the text S.Cyril has the right possibly through inadvertence, as
reading " ears," but both here and no MS.coritains this reading, though
afterwards he changes it to "hearts," the more obvious expression.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 237
and necessary for our consideration. He had then led up into
the mountain Peter, and James, and John, and been trans
figured before them, and His countenance shone as the sun :
and He shewed them the glory, with which in due time He
will arise upon the world. For He will come, not in humiliation
such as ours ; nor in the meanness of man s estate, but in the
majesty and splendour of the Godhead, and in transcendent glory.
And again, when He came down from the mountain, He delivered
a man from a wicked and violent spirit. Yet was He certainly
about to bear for our sakos His saving passion ; and endure the
wickedness of the Jews ; and, as the minister of His mysteries
says, " by the grace of God to taste death for every man." Heb. ii. 9-
But when this came to pass, there is nothing unlikely in sup
posing that the disciples would be troubled; and in their
secret thoughts perhaps even say, How is One so glorious;
Who raised the dead by His godlike power ; Who rebuked
the seas and the winds; Who by a word crushed Satan;
how is He now seized as a prisoner, and caught in the snares of
these murderers? Were we then mistaken in thinking that He
is God ? Have we fallen from the true opinion regarding Him ?
For that those who knew not the mystery, that our Lord Jesus
Christ would endure the cross and death, would find therein an
occasion of stumbling, is easy to perceive, even from what t
blessed Peter said to Him. For though he had not as yet beei
witness of His passion, but only had heard beforehand that it
would befal Him, he interrupted Him, saying, -That be far Mat. *vi,
from Thee, Lord : this shall not be unto Thee."
In order, therefore, that they might know what certainly
would happen, He bade them, so to speak, store up the mystery
in their mind. -For lay ye it," He says, to your hearts
In which words, the "ye" distinguishes them from all oth
For He wished indeed that they should themselves know wn
would happen, but not that they should communicate ,
others. For it was not right for the unlearned to be taught
simplv His future passion, but far better, to convince
at the same time of His having risen divinely from the grave,
and abolished death, and so avoid the danger of their
offended. When therefore the time comes, He says tj
must suffer, ask not, How it is that One so glorious, Who pei
238 COMMENTARY UPOtf
formed all these signs, has fallen like one of us unawares into
the hands of His enemies : but, on the contrary, be assured,
when reflecting upon the dispensation, that I am not led by
human compulsion, but go willingly thereunto. For what is
there to hinder one Who knows beforehand and clearly pro
claims what is to happen, to refuse to suffer, if He so will ?
But I submit to suffer, in order that I may redeem all beneath
the heavens. For this He plainly teaches us elsewhere, saying,
Johnx. 1 8. JN T o man taketh My life from Me, but I lay it down of My
" own will. I have power to lay it down : and I have power
<( to take it again."
" But they, it says, knew not this saying ; and it was hid
" from them, that they might not perceive it." Now naturally
any one may justly wonder, when meditating with himself,
how it was that the disciples knew not the mystery of Christ.
For though they belonged to the companies of the Jews, yet
they were neither slothful nor contemptuous, but on the con
trary most earnest and diligent. For though reckoned as
handicraftsmen, whoso trade was fishing in the lake, yet, as I
said, they had been soberly educated, and were far from igno
rant of the Mosaic Scriptures : for for this very reason Christ
had chosen them. How then were they ignorant of the mys
tery of Christ, when it had been shadowed forth for them in
various places by the law, and beautifully foreshewn in its types
as in a painting ? For, to shew my meaning by an example,
they were not able to flee away from the bondage of Egypt,
nor escape from the hand that oppressed them, until they had
sacrificed a lamb according to the law of Moses ; and when
they had eaten its flesh, they anointed the lintels with its
blood; and so put the destroyer to shame. But it was not
the mere sacrifice of a sheep that made them superior to
death and the destroyer. Types travail with the truth : and
this act of theirs was, as I said, a foreshowing, by means of
what was done in shadows, of the saving efficacy of the death
of Christ., and of the abolition of destruction by His blood :
Who also further drives away our cruel tyrant, Satan, and
delivers from the mastery of impure spirits those whom they
had enslaved, and who, like the Israelites made to serve in
bricklaying, had become the victims of earthly cares, and pol-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 239
luted fleshly lusts, and the unprofitable distractions of this
world.
The mystery of the passion may be seen also in another
instance. For according to the Mosaic law two goats were Lev. xvi. 8.
offered, differing in nothing from one another, but alike in size
and appearance. Of these, one was called - the lord :" and the
other, the " sent-away." s And when the lot had been cast for
8 This translation of Lev. xvi. 8.
was apparently adopted by S. Cyril
to escape from an objection brought
against the passage by Julian, as
proving the existence of a Deus
Averruncus, " an evil-averting de-
" mon." For the text is rightly
translated by the Sept. K\^pov tva
TO) Kupua, ccai K\ijpov (vu. rep dironofj.-
Trai a) : " one lot for the Lord, and
" the other lot for the scapegoat,"
as the A. V. renders it. But as
anoTTo^-rralos in classical Greek sig
nifies a " demon who averts evil,"
Julian inferred from it the existence
of these inferior powers, unto one
of which he supposed the second
goat was offered : and therefore
Cyril, not being acquainted with
Hebrew, gives it another meaning,
of which the Greek may possibly
admit: namely, that two lots were
written for the goats, inscribed with
these two names, conf. Lib. ix.
contra Jul. vi. 301. E. So again in
his Epistle to Acacius, V. pt. ii.
224. arguing against a faction, who
had adopted the same opinions, he
says, " He commanded therefore
" two goats to be offered, and two
" lots to be written for them, so as
" for the one goat to be called Lord,
" and the other goat aTroTrofiTrmo?.
" These therefore were the names
" of the goats." In modern times,
Bochart, Suicer, and Gesenius, all
adopt Julian s view, that dnoTrop.-
iraios is equivalent to d-rroTpoTralos,
though it draws but slight confir
mation from Josephus, who says,
indeed, that the goat was an OTTO-
rpo7aaorp.oy, an averting of evil, but
evidently is referring to v. 21. where
Aaron is commanded to lay the sins
of the people upon the goat s head.
That Cyril had never heard of this
meaning of airoTTo^iraios is plain ;
for he calls it oi/o/za roiy p.fv ifpois
vofjiois OVK yva)(Tfj.fvov, fVTpifies oe
to-cos eaur&i, i. e. to Julian : and no
thing could be more unsafe than to
interpret the language of the Sept.
hy classical Greek usage. That the
Jews of the second century under
stood it in a passive sense is plain
from Aquila, who renders it aTroXe-
\vpevos, and Symmachus who gives
a7Tfpx ( V i6J 0? : while the Greek fa
thers always treat it as equal to
aTTOTTf/iTrdjuei/os-, and the Latins as
Emissarius, i. e. the goat sent away.
Besides, it is quite impossible to
suppose that either the Sept., or
Aquila and the other Greek trans
lators of the O.T., meant their ren
derings as an equivalent of the He
brew btWtybf any more than our
own translators their word " scape
goat :" for there is not the most
distant connection between the He-
hrew and any of these significa
tions. They are mere substitutions
of the general sense of the passage
for a word confessedly untranslat
able ; for Jonathan, Onkelos, the
Samaritan, and most other versions,
retain the original word, as does
also the A. V. in the margin: or
perhaps, they may have supposed
it to be explained by nVttf, as it
240 COMMENTARY UPON
that which was called " lord," it was sacrificed: while the other
was sent away from the sacrifice : and therefore had the name
of the " sent-away." And Who was signified by this ? The
Word, though He was God, was in our likeness, and took the
form of us sinners, as for as the nature of the flesh was con
cerned. The goat, then, male or female, was sacrificed for sins.
But the death was our desert, inasmuch as by sin we had fallen
under the divine curse. But when the Saviour of all Himself,
so to speak, undertook the charge, He transferred to Himself
what was our due, and laid down His life, that we might be
sent away from death and destruction.
The mystery, therefore, was revealed to the Jews, by what
was shadowed in the law, had they only been acquainted
with the sacred Scriptures. But, as the blessed Paul wrote,
Rom.xi.25. " Blindness in part hath happened unto Israel ;" and " even
2Cor.iii.i5. " to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is laid upon their
" heart : nor is it unveiled, because in Christ it is done away."
They then boast indeed of the law, but its purpose is entirely
hidden from them ; for it leads us to the mystery of Christ.
But that they were without understanding our Saviour shews,
John v. 39. saying ; " Search the Scriptures : for in them ye think ye
" have eternal life : and they it is that testify of Me. And ye
" desire not to come unto Me, that ye may have life." For
the divinely-inspired Scriptures conduct him who has under
standing to an accurate knowledge of the doctrines of the
occurs in vv. 10. 21. 22. As regards Lev. assures us are Sammael, Aza-
the meaning of b?Ni}?, Azazel, zel, Azael, and Machazeel : others,
some consider it to be the name of a that it is Satan s lieutenant, so
mountain ; Bochart, " the wastes :" called in the hymn against Mar-
others, one of the four chiefs of the cion cited by Epiphanius from
devils, whose names Menachem on Irenaeus :
a trot xop^yti cros rraTrjp 2arai> aet
Upon the whole, I think Ewald s were at hand, has little force, since
opinion, Krit. Gr. p. 243, is the possibly Moses may have preserved
most defensible, that Azazel means in this rite some patriarchal observ-
" total separation or removal;" for ance : and nothing is so retentive of
Gesenius objection, that Moses ancient words, as well as also of
would not have used so hard a customs and ideas, as the ritual
word when simpler expressions of a nation.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 241
truth : but they do not at all benefit the unwise, the ignorant,
and the careless. Not because they cannot do so, but because
the infirmity of their mind renders them incapable of receiving
the light which the Scriptures give. For just as the light of
the solar radiance is useless to those deprived of sight; not
as though it cannot shine, but because their eyes are inca
pable of admitting and receiving it; so the holy Scriptures,
though inspired by God, profit nothing the unlearned and
foolish.
Our duty, therefore, is to draw near unto God, and say ;
" Open mine eyes : and I shall perceive the wondrous things Ps.cxix.i8.
" of Thy law." So He will reveal Christ to us : by Whom
and with Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion
with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LIV.
<J. ix. 46- And there entered a thought among them, which of them
. * s tf ie greatest. And Jesus, knowing the thought of their
<5<W BGTs. heart, took a child, and set him by Him, and said unto
them, Whosoever shall receive this child in My name, re-
ceiveth Me : and whosoever receiveth Me, receiveth Him
Who sent Me. For he that is least among you all, shall be
the chief.
YE who are zealous after spiritual skilfulness, and thirst for
the communication of the sacred doctrines, receive once ap-ain
o
the things ye love. Arid it is no earthly teacher Who leads
you to the gainful booty, nor one like unto us Whom ye obtain
as your guide, but the Word of God, Who came down from
above, even from heaven, and is the true light of heaven and
earth. For the whole rational creation is illuminated by His
means, inasmuch as He is the giver of all wisdom and under
standing. From Him we receive all knowledge of virtue, and
the perfect ability to perform good works such as become
Is. liv. 13. saints. For, as Scripture saith, " we are taught of God." And
the passage just laid before us bears witness also to what I
have said. " For there entered," it says, " a thought among
" them:" that is, among the holy Apostles, " which of them
" is chief."
And now let him who thinks that Jesus was a mere man
learn that he is in error, and far gone from the truth. For let
him know, that though God the Word became flesh, yet that
it was not possible for Him to cease to be that which He was,
and that He continued to be God. For to be able to search
the hearts and reins, and know their secrets, is the attribute
of the supreme God alone, and besides Him of no other being
whatsoever. But behold, Christ searcheth the thoughts of the
holy Apostles, and fixeth the eye of Godhead upon their hid
den feelings. Therefore He too is God, as being adorned with
honours thus glorious and divine.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
But let us just now investigate this question, whether all the
blessed disciples in common were seized with this malady ?
whether this thought entered all at once ? But it is, in my
opinion, altogether incredible to suppose that all of them at
the same moment became the common prey of one malady :
but when, as I imagine, it happened to one, the wise Evan
gelist, that he might not be found framing an accusation
against an individual among his fellow disciples, expresses
himself indefinitely, saying, " There entered a thought among
" them, who of them is chief." By this, however, we are per
mitted to see how very wily Satan is in doing evil. For most
versatile and full of contrivance is this snake for mischief,
plotting in a diversity of ways against those whose love is fixed
upon an honourable life, and who earnestly seek after more
excellent virtues : and if by fleshly pleasures he can prevail
over any one s mind, he savagely makes the assault, and
sharpens the goad of voluptuousness, and by the very audacity
of his attacks, humbles to base lusts even a well-confirmed
mind. But if any one be manly, and escape from these snares,
he then uses other artifices, contriving baits to tempt him
unto mental maladies. For he sows some seed or other dis
pleasing to God : and in those in whom there is something
noble, and the praise of an excellent life, he excites the pas
sion of vainglory, exciting them by little and little to an
abominable haughtiness. For just as those who in warlike
guise are equipped to do battle with invaders, use many
contrivances against them ; cither drawing bows, which dis
charge arrows, or hurling stones from slings, or manfully
charging them with drawn swords : so also Satan uses every
artifice in carrying on war against the saints by means of
manifold sins.
The passion, therefore, and lust of vainglory attacked some
one of the holy Apostles ; for the more disputing who of them
is the chief, is the mark of an ambitious person, eager to
stand at the head of the rest, But lie slept not Who knoweth
how to deliver, even Christ ; He saw in the disciple s mind this
thought, springing up, in the words of Scripture, like some Heb.xii.i5-
bitter plant : He saw the tare, the work of the wicked sower :
and before it grew up high ; before it struck its root down
i i 2
COMMENTARY UPON
deep ; before it grew strong, and took possession of the heart ;
He, so to speak, tears up the evil by the very root. He saw
the barbarian s arrow that had found entrance : and before
it prevailed, and pierced through the mind, He contrives a
medicine. For when passions are but beginning in us, and, so
to speak, as yet in their infancy, and not full grown, nor firmly
rooted, they are easily overcome. But when they have in
creased, and grown strong, they are hard to put off, and bear
themselves with no little audacity. For this reason one of the
Eccles.x. 4 . wise said: " If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave
" not thy place : for yielding heals many sins."
In what way, then, does the Physician of souls amputate the
passion of vainglory ? How does He deliver the beloved dis
ciple from being the prey of the enemy, and from a thing
hateful to God and man ? " He took a child, it says, and set
" it by Him ;" and made the event a means of benefiting both
the holy Apostles themselves, and us their successors : for this
malady as a general rule preys upon all those who are in any
respect superior to other men.
But of what did He make the child He had taken a type
and representation ? Of an innocent and unambitious life. For
the mind of a child is void of fraud, and his heart sincere ; his
thoughts are simple ; he covets not rank, and knows not what
is meant by one man being higher in station than another : he
has even no unwillingness to be regarded as the least, nor sets
himself above any other person whatsoever : and though he be
of good family by birth, he does not quarrel about dignity
even with a slave : nor though he have rich parents, is he
aware of any difference between himself and poor children.
On the contrary, he likes being with them, and talks and
laughs with them without distinction. In his mind and heart
there is great frankness arising from simplicity and innocence.
For even the Saviour once said to the holy Apostles, or rather
Mat. xviii. to all those who love Him : " Verily I say unto you, that unless
" ye be converted, and become like these children, ye cannot
" enter the kingdom of God." And at another time again,
when the women were bringing to Him their infants, and the
Luke xviii. disciples prevented them, He said, " Suffer the little children,
l< and forbid them not, to come unto Me ; for of such as they is
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 245
" the kingdom of heaven." And again the most wise Paul de
sires that those who believe in Christ should be " grown men i Cor. xiv.
" in understanding, but in malice babes." And another of the
holy Apostles said : " As babes just born, love the rational and i Pet. ii. a.
" pure milk, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation, if so be
" ye have tasted that the Lord is kind."
As Lsaid then, Christ brought forward the child as a pattern
of simplicity and innocence, " and set him also by Him ; v shew
ing by him, as in a figure, that He accepts and loves those who
are such, and deems them worthy, so to speak, of standing
at His side, as being like-minded with Him, and anxious to
tread in His steps. For He said, " Learn of Me: for 1 am Mat. xi. 29.
" meek, and lowly in heart." And if He Who transcends all,
and is crowned with such surpassing glories, is lowly in heart,
how must it not bring upon such as we are, yea, even upon
our very selves, the blame of utter madness, i if we do not bear
ourselves humbly towards the poor, and learn what our nature
is, but love to vaunt ourselves ambitiously above our mea
sure !
And He further says : " He that rccciveth this child in My
" name ruceiveth Me : and he that receiveth Me receiveth
" Him that sent Me." Since, therefore, the reward of those
that honour the saints is one and the same, whether he who is
honoured be, if it so chance, of modest rank, or of exalted sta
tion and dignity ; for he receiveth Christ, and by Him and in
Him the Father ; how was it not utterly foolish for them to
quarrel among themselves, and aim at pre-eminence, and be
unwilling to be thought inferior to others, when they were to
be accepted on equal terms !
But He makes the purport of this declaration even still more
t S. Cyril apparently must have j-j o as nausea, = ^^^ an er -
used in the original some such ^ for ^ . an( j t hi s he ren-
word as ppovrnats, or Kfpavvaxris, .
which the translator has literally ders pAte < an intense pun m
rendered l^So^c ; ">,, * the head ," (Pita. xx. 13. S i.) : tat
term he explains in the margin as as inv signifies the temple, (conf.
signifying " madness ; as it were Buxtorf s Rah. Lex.), I have no
the headache, j-o., produced doubt that its exact meaning is,
"by thunder." CasteL explains a pain in the temples."
246 COMMENTARY UPON
plain by saying : " For he that is least among you all, the same
" is chief." And how is he the chief, who is regarded as the
least ? Is the comparison in point of virtue ? But how can this
be ? The foremost place is not assigned to him who is chief in
virtue above him who is otherwise. In what way, then, is he
chief who is least ? Probably, then, He calls him least whom
lowly things please, and who, from modesty, does not think
highly of himself. Such a one pleases Christ : for it is written,
Luke xiv. " that every one that exalteth himself shall be abased : and he
" that humbleth himself shall be exalted." And Christ Him-
Mat. v. 3. self somewhere says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their s
" is the kingdom of heaven." The ornament, therefore, of a
soul that is sanctified is a poor and humble mind: but the wish
to think highly of oneself, and to be at strife with the brethren
for the sake of honour and dignity, and foolishly to quarrel
with them, is in like manner a disgrace. Such conduct sepa
rates friends, and makes even those perhaps great enemies
whose dispositions are similar. It overpowers the law of na
ture, and subverts that innate affection which we owe our bre
thren. It divides lovers, and sometimes makes even those ene
mies of one another, who are united by being born from one
womb. It fights against and resists the blessings of peace.
Miserable is it, and a malady invented by the wickedness of the
devil. For what is there more delusive than vainglory ? Like
smoke it is dispersed ; like a cloud it passeth away, and like
the vision of a dream changeth into nothingness. It scarcely
equalleth the herbage in endurance, and withereth like grass.
i Pet. 1.24. For it is written, that "all flesh is grass, and all the glory of
" man as the flower of grass." It is a weakness, therefore, de
spised even among us, and numbered among the greatest evils.
For who does not reckon a vainglorious man, inflated with
empty airs, an annoyance ? Who does not regard with con
tempt, and give the name of " boaster," to one who refuses to
be on an equality with others, and thrusts himself forward as
if claiming to be accounted their superior ? Let, then, the
malady of vaingloriousness be far from those who love Christ :
and let us rather consider our companions as better than we
are. and be anxious to adorn ourselves with that humility of
mind, which is well-pleasing to God. For being thus simple-
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
minded, as bccometh saints, u we shall be with Christ, Who
honoureth simplicity : by Whom and with Whom, to God the
Father, be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever
and ever, Amen.
u The MS. reads, "as becometh cular, I imagine that the .translator
" the rich ;" but as the argument mistook 60-1015 for TrXouaiW, and
is not addressed to them in parti- have translated accordingly.
248 COMMENTARY UPON
c.ix.49,5o. SERMON LV,
BGTs.
8<5a<r/ca\eS. And John answered and said : Teacher, we saw one casting
out devils in Thy Name, and we forbade him because he
$ & v 6p. followeth not with us. But Jesus said unto him : Forbid
him not : for he is not against you. For whosoever is not
against you, is on your part.
B.
?7rej/_& BS. PAUL requires us to "prove every thing," and says, "Be
GTs. " wise money-changers." But an exact and scrupulous know-
<TTt Ka9^ af> l ec te e f ea h particular matter we can obtain from no other
source than from divinely-inspired Scripture. For David in
^ ie Psalms, addressing as it were Christ, the Saviour of all,
declares ; " Thy law is a lamp to my feet, and a light unto my
paths." And Solomon also writes, that " the commandment
i Thess. O f } ie j aw j s a } am p an( j a light." For just as this sensible
Ps. cxix. light that is in the world, by falling on our bodily eyes, dispels
Prov vi -23 *ke darkness ; so also the law of God, when admitted into the
mind and heart of man, illuminates it thoroughly, and does not
suffer it to fall against the stumblingblocks of ignorance, nor
be caught in the wickednesses of sin.
And this I say from admiration of the skilfulness here also
displayed in the lessons from the Gospel just set before us, and
the purport of which ye doubtless wish to be taught, seeing ye
have assembled here from love of the sacred doctrines, and
with eagerness have formed the present meeting. What there
fore do the wise disciples say, or what do they wish to learn
from Him Who endoweth them with all wisdom, and revealeth
to them the understanding of every good work ? " Teacher,
" we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and we forbade
" him." Has the sting of envy troubled the holy disciples ?
Do they grudge those highly favoured ? Have even they ad
mitted within them a passion so abominable and hateful to
, God ? " We saw one, they say, casting out devils in Thy name,
" and we forbade him." Tell me, dost thou forbid one who in
Christ s name troubles Satan, and crushes evil demons ? How
was it not thy duty rather to reflect, that he was not the doer
x. i.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 249
of these wonders, but that the grace which was in him wrought
the miracle by the power of Christ / How therefore dost tliou
forbid him who in Christ wins the victory ? " Yes," he saith ;
" for he followeth not with us." Oh blind speech ! For what
if he be not numbered among the holy Apostles, who is crowned
with Christ s grace, yet is he equally with you adorned with
apostolic powers. There are many diversities of Christ s gifts,
as the blessed Paul tcachcth, saying ; " that to one is given
" the word of wisdom, but to another the word of knowledge :
" and to another faith ; and to another gifts of healings."
What therefore is the meaning of his " not walking with us,"
or what is the force of the expression ? Look then ; for I will
tell you as well as I can. The Saviour gave the holy Apo- Mat.
sties authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to
heal all disease and all sickness among the people. And so
they did ; nor was the grace given them ineffectual. For they
returned with joy, saying; " Lord, even the devils are subject Lukcx 17.
" to us in Thy name." They imagined, therefore, that leave
was given not to any one else but to themselves alone to bo
invested with the authority which He had granted them. For
this reason they draw near, and want to learn, whether others
also might exercise it, even though they had not been ap
pointed to the apostleship, nor even to the office of teacher.
We find something like this also in the ancient sacred Scrip
tures. For God once said to the hierophant Moses : " Choose Num. xi.i 6.
" thee seventy men of the ciders of Israel, and I will take of
" the Spirit that is upon thee, and give it," He says, " to them."
And when those who were chosen had assembled at the former
tabernacle, two men only excepted, who had remained in the
camp, and the spirit of prophecy descended upon them, not
only those who were assembled in the holy tabernacle pro
phesied, but those also who had remained in the camp. But
" Jeshua, it says, who stood before Moses, said, Eldad and
" Midad, lo ! they prophesy in the camp. My lord Moses
" forbid them. And Moses said unto Jeshua, Enviest thou mei
Would that all the Lord s people were prophets, the Lord
putting His Spirit upon them." But it was Christ Who at
that time made the hierophant Moses thus speak by the 1
Ghost : and here also in person He saith to the holy Apostles ;
Forbid not him who is crushing Satan," that is, in His name,
K k
COMMENTARY UPON
"for he is not against you, x He says; for he who is not
" against you is on your part." For on the part of us who
love Christ, are all who wish to act to His glory, and are
crowned by His grace. And this is a law to the churches con
tinuing even to this day. For we honour only those who lift
up holy hands, and purely and without fault or blame, in
Christ s name, rebuke unclean spirits, and deliver multitudes
from various diseases : for we know that it is Christ Who
worketh in them.
We must, however, examine such things carefully. For
there are verily men, who have not been counted worthy of
Christ s grace, but make the reputation of being saints and
honourable an opportunity of gain. Of such one may say, that
they are bold and shameless hypocrites, who seize honours for
themselves, even though God has not called them thereto ;
they praise themselves, and imitate the bold doings of the
Jer. xxiii. f a ] se prophets of old, of whom God said ; " I have not sent the
" prophets, yet they ran : I have not spoken unto them, yet
" they prophesied." And so too may lie say of these, I have
not sanctified them, but they falsely assume the gift for them
selves : they have not been counted worthy of My grace, but
wickedly seize those things which I bestow on such alone as
are worthy to receive them. These, making a show of fasting,
walk sadly with downcast looks, while full of fraud and base
ness. And often they pride themselves on letting their nails
grow long : and are especially fond of their complexion being
sallow : and though no one compel them, they delight in en
during such misery as men have to bear in prison, hanging
collars on their necks, and putting fetters sometimes on their
hands and feet. Such persons the Saviour has commanded us
Mat.vii. 15. to avoid, saying; " Beware of those who come to you in sheep s
" clothing : but within are ravening wolves. 1
To this, however, some one may object, But who, Lord,
knows the heart of man ? Who sees what is concealed within
< us, but Thou alone, AVho by Thyself didst form our hearts,
Mat.vii. 20. f and tryest hearts and reins? Yes, He says: "By their
" fruits ye shall know them :" not by appearances, not by out
ward show, but by fruits. For what is the object of their hy-
x This reading is also found in most copies of the Philoxenian Version.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 251
pocrisy ? Plainly it looks to the love of gain. For they gape
at the hands of those who visit them : and if they see them
empty, they are greatly distressed, and stung with annoyance.
For piety is with them merchandize. If, however, thou lovest
wealth, and lusteth after base gains, and hast given a place in
thy mind to that most base passion, the love of money, put
off the sheep s skin ; why labourcst thou in vain, by making a
pretence of an austere and unworldly conduct ? Abandon this
excessive rigour of life, and aim instead at being one who is
contented with little. Ask this of God : seek His righteous
ness: "Cast thy care upon the Lord: and He shall nourish Ps. iv. 22.
" thec."
But there<ire even some who use from time to time incanta
tions and certain abominable mutterings, and wickedly make
certain fumigations ?, and command the use of amulets. But
( yet/ savs one, ( who has without thought taken part in these
practices, in their incantations they use the Name of the
Lord of Sabaoth. Arc we, then, to acquit them of blame
because they bestow on a wicked and impure devil an ex
pression suitable to God only, and call the wicked Satan the
Lord of Sabaoth ; asking of him as the reward of blasphemy,
aid in the things they request of him ? Not that he really aids
them, for he is powerless ; but rather brings down to the pit
of destruction those that call upon him. For the Lord speak-
eth not untruly where He says that Satan casteth not out Mark iii. 23.
Satan 2 .
It is necessary, therefore, for our salvation and well-pleasing
to God, to flee far from every thing like this. But when thou
seest one who has been brought up in the church, innocent,
simple, without hypocrisy, whose mode of life is worthy of
emulation, who is known of many as the companion of holy
monks, who flees from the arts of the city, who is fond of
desert places, who loves not gain, nor schisms, and, besides all
this, has a correct faith, and is made honourable by the grace
of Christ, through the operation of the Holy Ghost, so as to
be even able to work those things that are by Christ ; unto Miracles.
v In the margin this is explained " In the margin this passage is
by "they make fumigations, like said to be spoken " against the sor-
" persons burning spices." " cerers.
K k 2
COMMENTARY UPON
such a one draw near with confidence : he shall pray for thee
purely, and his grace shall minister unto thec. For the
Saviour and Lord of all grants the requests of those who
ask Him : by Whom and with whom to God the Father be
praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever,
Amen.
TILE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON LVI.
And it came to pass that when t/te days were fulfilled for
His being taken up, that He set Hi* face to <jo to Jeru-
salem : and sent messengers before His face, and they went ^
and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready GSy - ,
for Him. And they did not receive Him, because His face B.
was as thowjh He would <jo to Jerusalem. And when His p 11 a " T r
disciples James and John saw it, they said, Witt Thou om. v.
that we bid fire come down from heaven to consume them ?
But He turned and rebuked t/tem, and went to another
village. Add., ? U;-
/ TTtV OVK 01-
Thosc who are abundantly endowed with vast wealth, and vj f fy6s
pride themselves on their ample riches, asscmhle lit persons to i T T 6 ?,
1 . 1 Gs. et add.
their banquets, and set before them a sumptuously furnished t yap vlos
table, producing by a diversity of dishes and sauces of various ^MA0e
kinds a pleasure superior to the mere satisfying of hunger. $ u x s *"-
T, . ,. V. . . epdmwv airo-
But from this no benefit arises, but rather great injury to the A rc,
banqueters. For more than a sufficiency after the calls of fftu * .,
J lieoptiifh) S.
hunger have been satisfied is always hurtful. But those who
possess heavenly riches, and know the sacred doctrines, and
have been illuminated with divine light, nourish their souls by
feasting them on instructive discourses, in order that they may
become both fruitful towards God, and skilled in the pathway
unto all virtue, and earnest in accomplishing those things by
means of which a man attains to a happy issue. To this in
tellectual and holy table, therefore, the sacred Word invites
us; for it says, " Eat and drink, and be drunken, my friends." Cant. v. i.
But friends of whom ? evidently of God. And it is worthy of note
that we are to be drunken with these things, and that we can
O *
never be satiated with that which is to our edification. Let us
see, therefore, what kind of profit the lesson from the Gospel
sets before us upon the present occasion.
"For a when," it says, "the days were fulfilled for His
a The Greek of this passage is tion of this sermon in his Catenae,
partially preserved in Cr. s Catena, and very little of those that pre-
p. 80. Corderius and Aquinas have cede, except of that upon the trans-
also each some fragments in the figuration.
Latin, but Mai has found no por-
254 COMMENTARY UPON
" being taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem." By
which is meant, that as the time had now come when at length
having borne for us His saving passion, He should ascend to
heaven, and dwell with God the Father, He determined to
proceed to Jerusalem. For this is, I think, the meaning of
His having set His face. He sends, therefore, messengers to
prepare a lodging for Him and His companions. And when
they came to a village of the Samaritans, they were not re
ceived. At this the blessed disciples were indignant, not so
much on their own account as because they did not honour
Him Who is Saviour and Lord of all. And what followed?
They murmured greatly : and as His majesty and power was
not unknown to them, they said, "Lord, wilt thou that we
" bid fire come down from heaven, and consume them ?" But
Christ rebuked them for so speaking. And in these last words
lies the purport of the lesson : and therefore let us accurately
Prov. xxx. examine the whole passage. For it is written, " Churn milk,
" and it becomes butter."
It would be untrue, then, to affirm that our Saviour did not
know what was about to happen : for as He knows all things,
He knew, of course, that His messengers would not be received
by the Samaritans. Of this there can be no doubt. Why,
then, did He command them to precede Him ? The reason of it
was His custom assiduously to benefit the holy Apostles in every
possible way : and for this end His practice sometimes was to
put them to the proof. As for instance, He was sailing once
upon the lake of Tiberias with those named above ; arid while
so doing he fell asleep purposely : and a violent wind having
risen upon the lake, a rough and unusual storm began to rage,
and the boat was in danger, and the crew in alarm. For He
intentionally permitted the storm and the fury of the tempest
to rage against the ship, to try the faith of the disciples, and
to make manifest the greatness of His power. And this, also,
was the result. For they, in the littleness of their faith, said,
Mat. viii. Master, save us, we perish." And He at once arose and
shewed that He is Lord of the elements ; for Tie rebuked the
sea and the tempest, and there was an exceeding great calm.
And so also on this occasion: lie knew, indeed, that those
who went forward to announce that he would lodge with them
would not be received by the Samaritans ; but He permitted
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKK. 255
them to go, that this again might bo a means of benefiting
the holy Apostles.
What, then, was the purpose of this occurrence ? lie was
going up to Jerusalem, as the time of His passion was already
drawing near. He was about to endure the contumelies of
the Jews ; He was about to be set at nought by the scribes
and Pharisees ; and to suffer those things which they inflicted
upon Him when they proceeded to the accomplishment of all
violence and wicked audacity. In order, therefore, that they
might not be offended when they saw Him suffering, as under
standing that He would have them also to be patient, and not
to murmur greatly, even though men treat them with con
tumely, He, so to speak, made the contempt they met with
from the Samaritans a preparatory exercise in the matter
They had not received the messengers. It was the duty of
the disciples, treading in the footsteps of their Lord, to bear
it patiently as becometh saints, and not to say anything of
them wrathfully. But they were not yet so disposed ; but
being seized with too hot indignation, they would have called
down fire upon them from heaven, as far as their will went,
But Christ rebuked them for so speaking.
See here, I pray, how great is the difference between i
and God : for the distance is immeasurable. For He is slow
to anger, and long-suffering, and of incomparable gentleness
and love to mankind : but we children of earth are quick unto
anger, hasty unto impatience, and refuse with indignation t
bejudged by others when we are found out in committing any
wrongact ; \vhile we are most ready to find fault with others.
And therefore God the Lord of all affirms, saying ;
" My thoughts are not as your thoughts, nor your ways as
My ways* but as the heaven is far from the earth, so arc
My ways from your ways, and My thoughts from your
thoughts." Such, then, is He Who is Lord of all : but we,
as I said, being readily vexed, and easily led into anger, take
sometimes severe and intolerable vengeance upon those
have occasioned us some trifling annoyance : and though com-
manded to live according to the Gospel, we fall short ot the
practice commanded by the law. For the law indeed
-Eye for eve; tooth for tooth; hand for hand:" and com- Ex. xx, , 4 ,
manded that an equal retribution should suffice : but we, ab
256 COMMENTARY UPON
said, though perhaps we have suffered but a trilling wrong,
would retaliate very harshly, not remembering Christ, who
Mat. x. 24. said : The disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor the
i Pet. ii. 23. " slave than his master;" Who also, "when He was reviled,
" reviled not again ; when suffering, threatened not ; but com-
" mitted His cause to Him Who judgeth righteously." As
treading this path much-enduring Job also is justly admired :
Job. xxxiv. for it is written of him, " What man is like Job, who drinketh
" wrongs like a draught ?" For their benefit, therefore, He
rebuked the disciples, gently restraining the sharpness of their
wrath, and not permitting them to murmur violently against
those who sinned, but persuading them rather to be long-suf
fering, and to cherish a mind immovable by ought of this.
It benefited them also in another way : they were to be the
instructors of the whole world, and to travel through the cities
and villages, proclaiming everywhere the good tidings of sal
vation. Of necessity, therefore, while seeking to fulfil their
mission, they must fall in with wicked men, who would reject
the divine tidings, and, so to speak, not receive Jesus to lodge
with them b . Had Christ, therefore, praised them for wishing
that fire should come down upon the Samaritans, and that so
painful a torment should be inflicted upon them, they would have
been similarly disposed in many other instances, and when men
disregarded the sacred message, would have pronounced their
condemnation, and called down fire upon them from above
And what would have been the result of such conduct ? The
sufferers would have been innumerable, and no longer woulc
the disciples have been so much physicians of the sick, as tor
turers rather, and intolerable to men everywhere. For their
own good, therefore, they were rebuked, when thus cnragec
beyond measure at the contumely of the Samaritans : in ordei
that they might learn that as ministers of the divine tidings,
they must rather be full of long-suffering and gentleness ; not
revengeful ; not given to wrath, nor savagely attacking those
who offend them.
And that the ministers of God s message were longsuffering,
b This apparently very simple 1843), who renders, " quasi non
metaphor, though it occurs also in " concedentes secum commorari Je-
Rev.iv. 20, has not heen understood " sum," " allowing not that Jesus
by the translator of Aquinas (Oxf. " sojourned on earth with them !"
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 257
Paul teaches us, saying, " For I think that God hath set forth i Cor. iv. 9.
" us the apostles last, as it were, condemned to death ; for we
" are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to
" men. Being reviled, we bless ; being defamed, we persuade :
" we have become the offscouring of the world ; the refuse of
" all men up to this day." He wrote also to others, or rather
to all who had not yet received Christ in them, but, so to
speak, were still afflicted with the pride of the Samaritans :
" We pray you in Christ s stead, be ye reconciled to God." -2 Cor. v. 10.
Great, therefore, is the benefit of the gospel lessons to those
who are truly perfect in mind ; and may we also, taking them
unto ourselves, benefit our souls, ever praising Christ the
Saviour of all : by Whom and with Whom to God the Father
be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and
ever, Amen.
L!
258 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LVII.
C. ix. 5 7,58. And as they were going in the ivay, a certain man said unto
BGST PU Him > * will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And
fywero 8e Jesus said unto Him : The foxes have holes, and the birds
add. rip* of heaven a place to lodge in: but the Son of man hath not
Gs. where to lay His head.
TO covet the gifts that come from above from God is in
very deed a state of mind worthy of being attained to, and
that wins for us all good. But though the Lord of all be a
bountiful Giver, yet giveth He not simply to all men without
distinction, but to such rather as are worthy of His bounty.
For just as those invested with the glory of royalty bestow
their honours, and the various offices of state, not upon rough
and ignorant men, who have nothing in them worthy of
admiration, but crown those rather, who have hereditary
nobility, and have been proved by trial worthy of receiving
them, and likely to be successful in the discharge of their duties;
so also God, Who knoweth all things, bestoweth not a share in
His bounties upon souls careless and pleasure seeking, but
upon such as are in a fit state rightly to receive them. If
then any one would be accounted worthy of these great
honours, and of being accepted by God, let him first free himself
from the pollutions of evil, and the guilt of indifference ; for so
he will become capable of receiving them : but if he be not so
disposed in mind, let him depart far away.
And this the purport of the passage from the Gospels just
placed before us teaches us : for a certain man drew near to
Christ the Saviour of us all saying, " Teacher, I will follow
" Thee whithersoever Thou goest." But He rejected the man,
saying, " The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven a place
" to lodge in : but that He had not where to lay His head."
And yet perchance some one may say, that he who promised
to follow Him had attained to the desire of what was honour-
able, and good, and profitable. For what is comparable to
being with Christ, and following Him ? Or how must it not aid
in his salvation ? Why therefore did He reject one who was
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 259
eagerly promising to follow Him constantly ? For one may
learn from His own words, that to follow Him leads on to every
blessing : for He said, " He that folio weth Me, walketh not in John viii.
" darkness, but possesseth the light of life." What therefore l
1 was there improper in promising to follow Him, in order to
4 gain the light of life T What then is our answer to this? That
this was not his object, How could it be? For it is easy for
any who will examine such matters accurately, to perceive
that in the first place there was great ignorance in his manner
of drawing near ; and secondly, that it was full of excessive
presumptuousness. For his wish was not simply to follow
Christ, as so many others of the Jewish multitude did, but
rather to thrust himself into apostolic honours. This then was
the following which he was seeking for, being self -called
thereto : whereas the blessed Paul writes, " that no man taketh Heb. v. 4 .
" the honour unto himself unless he be called of God, as Aaron
" also was." For Aaron did not enter upon the priesthood of
himself, but on the contrary was called of God. And of every
one of the holy apostles we find, that lie did not promote him
self to the apostleship, but rather received the honour from
Christ, For He said, Come after Me ; and I will make you to Mark i. 17
" become fishers of men." But this man, as I said, boldly took
upon himself gifts thus altogether honourable, and, though no
one called him, thrust himself into that which was above his
rank. Now were any one to draw near to an earthly king,
and say, " 1 shall promote myself, even though thou grantest
" it no t, to this or that honour, whatever it may be ;" it would
be a dangerous act, and one that would bring upon him the
loss often even of his life. Who can doubt that certainly this
would be the result? For in every matter we must await th
decision of him who possesses sovereign authority,
could it be fitting for this man to appoint himself among tJ
disciples, and crown himself with apostolic powers, wit!
being called thereunto at all by Christ ?
And there is another reason for which He justly rejected
him, and deemed him unworthy of so ulustrious ^ an honour.
For earnestly to follow Christ is confessedly profitable ,
vation: but he who wishes to be coun ted w orthy , of so g r a
glory must, I say, bear his cross. And what is i to beai the
Ls ? It is to die unto the world, by denying its empty dis-
260 COMMENTARY UPON
i John ii. tractions, and manfully abandoning a carnal and pleasure-loving
life. For it is written : " Love not the world : neither the
" things that are in the world : for every thing that is in the
" world is the lust of the body, and the lust of the eyes, and
Jwnesiv.4. the pride of life."... And again, "Know ye not that the love
" of the world is enmity unto God ? Whosoever therefore
" would be a friend of the world is found God s enemy." The
man therefore, whose choice it is to be with Christ, loves that
which is admirable and profitable unto salvation ; but let him
hearken to our words : withdraw thyself far from fleshly lusts;
wash away the pollution of wickedness ; cleanse off the stains
caused by the base love of pleasure; for these keep thee away,
and permit thee not to be with Christ. Remove that which
separates thee; break down the enmity; burst open the hedge
that is between ; for then thou wilt be with Christ. But if the
hedge which keeps thee from communion with Him be not yet
destroyed, in what manner canst thou follow Him ?
That such then was the case with the man before us, He
shews by the indirect rebuke which He gave him, not in order to
reproach him, but rather for his correction, that he might of
his own accord grow better, and become earnest in following the
ways of virtue. Therefore He says, The foxes have holes, and
" the birds of heaven a place to lodge in : but the Son of man
" hath not where to lay His head." And the simple meaning
of the passage, and that ready to hand, is as follows : that the
beasts and birds have dens and dwellings ; but I have nothing
to offer of those things which are the objects of general pursuit :
for I have no place where to dwell, and rest Myself, and lay
My head. But the inner and secret signification of the passage
is attained to by more profound thoughts. For He seems to
mean by the foxes and birds of heaven, those wicked, and cun
ning, and impure powers, the herds of demons. For they are
so called in many places in the inspired Scripture. For the
Ps.lxiii.ro. blessed Psalmist says of certain men, "They shall be the por-
" tions of foxes." And in the Song of Songs it is written
Cant.ii 15. again: "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that destroy
" the vines." And Christ Himself somewhere says of Herod,
Luk. xiii. who was a bad man, and crafty in his wickedness ; " Tell that
" fox." And elsewhere He said of the seeds that fell upon the
Luk.vii.5. pathways, "the birds of heaven came and devoured them."
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
And this we affirm that He said, not of the material and visible
birds, but rather of those impure and wicked spirits, who oft-
times, when the heavenly seed has fallen upon the hearts of
men, remove and, so to speak, carry it away, that they may
not bring forth any fruit. As long therefore as the foxes and birds
have holes and dens in us, how can Christ enter ? Where can
He rest? What communion is there between Christ and Belial?
For He lodgeth in the saints, and dwelleth in them that love
Him: but withdraws from the impure and the unclean. Expel
the beasts : hunt out the foxes : drive away the birds : free thy
heart from their impurity, in order that the Son of man may
find a place in thce to lay His head : even the Word of God
Who was incarnate and became man. For light has no con
cord with darkness, nor the impure with the holy. It is a
thing altogether incredible for there to be stored up in one
vessel perfume and filthiness. It is impossible for a man to be
invested with apostolic honour, and conspicuous for his virtues,
and every good and manly quality, if he have not admitted
Christ into him. And so most wise Paul has taught us saying :
" Or seek ye a proof of Christ, Who speaketh in us ?" But he ^Cor.
in whom Christ dwells is a temple, not of one of those gods X1
falsely so named, but of Him Who by nature, and in truth is
God. For we have been taught to say, that " we are the aCor.vi.i6.
" temples of the living God." But to a divine temple incense
is suitable, such as is of a most sweet scent : and every virtue
is a rational incense, altogether acceptable to the God of all.
" Let us therefore cleanse ourselves from every stain of the *
" flesh, and of the spirit." " Let us put to death those mem- <
" bers which are upon the earth." Let us close the entrance
to impure spirits. Let not reprobate and wicked birds lodge
within us. Let our heart be holy and unpolluted, as far as is
possible and may be. For so shall we follow Christ, according
as He giveth us the grace, and He will dwell joyfully in us.
For then He will have where to lay His head, and rest in us
as in saints. For it is written; " Become ye holy, because , Pet. i. 1 6
" I am holy." And devoting ourselves to these earnest pur
suits, we shall also attain to the city that is above, by the aid
of the same Christ : by Whom, and with Whom, to God the
Father be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost, ft
and ever, Amen.
COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LVIII.
C.ix. 59,60. And He said unto another, Folloiv Me: but he said, Lord,
R WT suffer me to go first and bury my father. And Jesus said
7 to h * m> ^ et t1ie C ^ eac ^ ^ ur y tiie * r d ea d : b ut (jo thou and
om. 6 I??- preach the kingdom of God.
aovs BT.
IN Christ we have the head and teacher of every virtue.
Is. liv. 13. For " we are taught of God/ as the prophet declares, and
Heb. i. i. moreover the wise Paul bears witness saving : " God, Who in
" manifold parts and manifold manners spake in old time to the
" fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto
" us by the Son." And what spake He by the Son ? Plainly
the gospel message of salvation, by means of which we are
successfully guided into every kind of virtue, and advance in
the praiseworthy and admirable pathway of the better life,
so that by following His footsteps we gain the treasure of
His gifts. The manner, then, in which we follow Him, and
are counted worthy of those perfect aud surpassing honours
which were first bestowed upon the apostles, the lesson just
laid before us clearly teaches us. " For He said, it tells us,
" unto another, Follow Me."
Now the first point to consider is this : that in the preceding-
passage we learnt, that one drew near to Him, and said,
" Teacher, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest :" but
was rejected with scorn by Christ ; first as being self called, and
thrusting himself into honours which God bestows upon those
only who are fit to receive them, and who as being announced
by every excellent quality, and skilful in practising every good
work and deed, are crowned by Christ, and inscribed in the
companies of the holy teachers. But inasmuch as this man
was not so disposed, he met with rebuke ; for his mind
was the dwelling of evil spirits, and full of all impurity. For
the Saviour, indirectly touching his case, said ; " The foxes
" have holes, and the birds of heaven a place to lodge in : but
" the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.*"
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 268
Now at our last meeting we sufficiently discussed the man
ner in which this is to be understood by us. But here it was
no self-called disciple who came, nor one presumptuously forward
in promises of deeds thus praiseworthy : but, on the contrary,
it was one called by Christ to the apostleship, as not unfitted
for it. For he was honoured by the divine decree, and was
doubtless holy, and venerable ; and able to conform himself to
the intention of the evangelic message. But he did not as yet
know clearly in what way he ought to conduct himself in so
great a matter ; for he had perchance a father bowed down
with old age : and thought himself acting in a manner highly
pleasing to God in anxiously shewing him tenderness and fit
ting love. He knew, of course, as meeting with it in the books
of die law, that the God of all has provided also for this, say
ing; "Honour thy father, and thy mother: that it may be Ex. xx .
" well with thee : and that thou mayest live long upon the earth."
On being, therefore, summoned to the sacred ministry, and to the
office of proclaiming the Gospel message: for this is what was
signified by Christ s command to follow Him : he is troubled
in his human understanding, and asks for a delay of time
enough to tend the old age of his parent. For " Suffer me,"
he said, " first to go and bury my father." And what wo say
is, not that he asked permission to bury his father, being al
ready dead and laid out: for Christ would not have forbidden
this Ibut he used the word " bury" instead of " that I may
" take care of his old age till his burial."
What, then, was the Saviour s answer ? " Leave the dead
"burying c their dead: but go thou, preach the kingdom of
" God." For there were, no doubt, other guardians and rela
tives of his father: but as I consider dead, because they had
not yet believed in Christ, nor been able to receive the new
birth by holy baptism unto the life incorruptible. Let them,
He says, bury their dead, because they also have wit]
c Although this i the literal the literal meaning of which is ;<to
translation of the verse, I have not leave," but which has a so to do
marked the use of the participle for duty for "to P*
the infinitive as a different reading, suffer," retaining, however,
considering it only as a construction per conBtruction.
required by the Syriac verb
264 COMMENTARY UPON
them a dead mind, nor as yet have been numbered among
those who possess the life that is in Christ. From this, then,
we learn, that the fear of God is to be set even above the re
verence and love due to parents. For the law of Moses also,
Deut. vi. 5 . w hile it commanded, in the first place, that " thou shalt love
" the Lord God with all thy soul, and all thy might, arid all
" thy heart :" put as second to it the honour due to parents,
Ex. xx. 12. saying, "Honour thy father and thy mother/
For come, and let us examine the matter in dispute, and
inquire what is the reason why we consider the honour and
love due to parents, not a thing to be neglected, but, on the
contrary, carefully to be attended to. One may say, then, that
is because we have our being by their means. But the God of
all brought us into being, when we absolutely did not" exist.
He is the Creator and Maker of all : and, so to speak, the
principle and radical essence of everything. For to everything
existence is His gift. The father, then, and mother, were the
means by which their offspring came into existence. Ought
not, therefore, the primary Author justly to be loved more
than the secondary and subsequent ? And will not He Who
gave the more precious gifts require of us the more marked
honour ? Our endeavours, therefore, to please our parents
must give way to our love to God, and human duties must
yield precedence to those which are divine. And this the Saviour
Mat. x. 37. has Himself taught us, saying, " He who loveth father or
" mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me : and he who
" loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me."
He does not say that they are condemned for simply loving,
but for loving them more than Me. He permits sons and
daughters, therefore, to love their parents, but not more than
they do Him. When therefore any thing which concerns
God s glory has to be done, let no impediment stand in the
way ; let thy earnestness be without pretext : thy zealous ex
ertions ardent and irrepressible. Forthwith let father and
mother and children be disregarded, and the power of natural
affection towards them cease, and yield the victory to the love
of Christ.
So was that thrice-blessed Abraham tried : so was he jus
tified, and called the friend of God : and counted worthy of
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 265
surpassing honours. For what can equal in the balance the
being a friend of God? What can this world offer compa
rable with a grace so glorious and admirable ? He had
one only-begotten and beloved son, who, after long delay,
and scarcely, and in his old age had been given him. Upon
him too rested all his hope of offspring: for it was said to
him : " In Isaac shall thy seed be called." But as the sacred Gen.xxi.i2.
Scripture saith, " God tried Abraham, saying : Take thy be- Gen.xxii.z.
" loved son, even him whom thou lovest, Isaac, and go to the
" high land, and offer him to Me for a whole burnt-offering,
" upon one of the mountains that I will tell thee." Was God
trying Abraham, as not foreknowing what would happen, and
waiting to learn the result ? But how can this be true ? For
He knows all things before they happen. Why therefore
did He try him ? That we by the fact might learn the old
man s love of God, and ready obedience, and unchanging earn
estness in the dutiful performance of God s will. And observe
how God made him, so to speak, unready for the act, that the
patriarch might obtain the more worthy admiration, as pre
ferring nothing to his Lord s will. "Take," He says, not simply
Isaac, but " thy son : the beloved one ; him whom thou hast
" loved." This strengthened in his case the sting of natural
affection. Oh ! how mighty a turmoil of bitter thoughts rose
up in the old man ! For the force of innate affection naturally
called him to compassion for the child. He had wished to be a
father : for he had even lamented his childlessness unto God,
when He promised to give him all that land which had been
told him, and said, " Lord, what givest Thou me ? and I dwell Gen. xv. 2.
" childless." The law, therefore, of natural affection urged
him to spare the lad ; while the power of love towards God
called him to ready obedience : and he was like some tree,
driven to and fro by the violence of the winds; or like a
ship at sea, reeling, so to speak, and staggering by the beat
ing of the waves. But there was one true and powerful
thought to which he held fast. For he considered, that though
the lad were slain, and became the work and victim of the fire,
aT being a whole burnt-offering, well-pleasing to God: yet
that He " was not unable to raise him up again, even from the Heb. xi.i 9 .
" dead."
M in
266 COMMENTARY UPON
Much, therefore, at once was taught him by this event. For,
in the first place, he learnt that ready obedience leads on to
every blessing, and is the pathway to justification, and the
pledge of friendship with God : and secondly, that God is able
to raise again, even from the dead. And, moreover, he learnt
what is more important, and more worthy of account, I mean
the mystery of Christ: that for the salvation and life of the world
God the Father was about to yield His own Son to the sacri
fice : even Him, Who by nature was beloved, that is, Christ.
Rom. viii. And the blessed Paul confirms this, saying of Him : " He That
" spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all."
The patriarch Abraham therefore learnt what kind of and
how great a thing it is, not to spare his own son, the only-
begotten and beloved. He then was found approved, because
he set nothing above those things that are well-pleasing to
God. Such Christ requires us to be, so as to love and prize
what concerns His glory far above the ties of fleshly rela
tionship.
And once more to look at it in another light. It was right
that the power of love towards Him should outweigh with us
even that of those who begat us in the flesh. He has given
Mat. xxiii. us God as a Father; for He said: <f Call not any one father
" upon earth : for One is your Father Who is in heaven : and
John i. u. "ye are all brethren." And the wise John said of Him, " He
" came to His own, and His own received Him not : but to all
(( who received Him He gave power to become the sons of
" God."" Ought they therefore who have Him as Father Who
is Lord of heaven and earth : Who transcends all created
things: Who is guarded by mighty cherubim: Who excels
thrones and dominions, principalities and powers; ought such,
I say, to fall into so great folly, as not to set Him above all
natural relationship ? Can it be that we shall be guilty if we
disregard the honour due to parents and children and bre
thren : but free from guilt, if we pay not the honour due to
Mai. i. 6. the Father of all ? Hear what He plainly saith ; " The son
" honoureth his father, and the servant his master : if I am a
" Father, where is My honour ? and if I am a Master, where is
" My fear ? saith the Lord Almighty."
Fitly therefore did Christ make him who was called to the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 267
apostleship acquainted with apostolic conduct, and the spi
ritual manliness required for its discharge, by saying, " Leave
" the dead burying their dead : but go thou, preach the king-
" dom of God." For such must the ministers of the divine
message be. To whose wise teaching let us also in everything
adhere, advancing onwards unto Christ : by Whom and with
Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion, with the
Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
M 111 I
268
COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LIX.
FIT TO BE READ WHEN ANY ONE RECEIVES
THE TONSURE a.
c.ix. 61,62. And another also said, I will follow Thee, Lord; but first let
i^bs wur&v me ^^ farewell to the members of my house. But Jesus
om. avrov said to him, No man who putteth his hand to the plough,
6ri0oAAi/ an( l looketh back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
C* o
OF zeal in virtuous pursuits we say, that it is worthy of all
praise. But those who have attained to this state of mind
d The marginal note,, which li
terally means, " Fit to be read
" when any one is shaven," refers
to the rite of admission into the
monastic order, and is of course of
the date, not of the original work,
but of its translation into Syriac,
or even its transcription, that is, of
the seventh or eighth century. In
the Syriac historian, John of Ephe-
sus, the phrase is of frequent oc
currence, and always in the sense
of becoming a monk. Thus in p.
47, we read that Photius, son of
Antonina, the wife of Belisarius, for
some reason or other, left the
army, and shaved his hair, and
put on the monastic habit : but
being unable to submit to mo-
nastic rule, he went to Justin II.,
still clad in the monkish stole,
and was by him made governor of
Samaria : where for twelve years
he gave free licence to his ungo-
verned temper and avarice: as an
instance of which, the historian
mentions, that he hung the bishop
of Ascalon up by one arm, ordering
him not to be loosed for three days,
unless upon payment of three ta
lents of gold. Again, in p. 55 he
mentions, that at the time when the
great eunuch Narses received or
ders to proceed on his last expe
dition to Italy, he was occupied in
building a monastery in Bithynia,
intending to retire thither, and
shave his hair, i. e. become a
monk. Even ladies had to submit
to this rite : for in p. 88 he tells us,
that in the severe persecution car
ried on in Justin s latter years by
the patriarch, John of Sirmium,
against the Monophysites, two noble
ladies, Antipatra, whose daughter
was married to the consul John,
and Juliana, the emperor s own
sister-in-law, having refused to re
ceive the holy communion from a
bishop who accepted the council of
Chalcedon, were sent to a nunnery,
with strict orders that their hair
should be shorn, and that they
* should wear the black habit of the
nuns, and be compelled to per-
form the most menial labours :
which these ladies found so painful,
that they submitted, and were al
lowed to return to their families.
Similar testimonies have already
been collected from Greek and La
tin authors, as, e. g. Socrates, 1. 3.
c. i. says of the apostate Julian, eV
TOV ro)V fjiova^wv uTre-
Kpivero fiiov. To shave the head
was peculiar to the monks ; for of
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 269
must be strong in purpose, and not feebly disposed towards the
mark that is set before them. Rather they must plainly possess
an unwavering and inflexible mind : for so, starting impetuously
as from the barriers of the race-course, they will reach the
goal, and gain the victory, and twine around their hair the
conqueror s crown. And to this heartiness of purpose the
Saviour of all encouraged us, as being a quality worth the
gaining, where He says, " Who of you wishing to build a Luke xiv.
" tower, sitteth not down first and counteth whether he have 2<s>
" sufficient to finish it ; lest, saith He, having laid the founda-
" tion, and not being able to finish it, the passers by say, This
" man began to build, and was not able to finish." One who
so acts becomes an object merely of ridicule : for upon every
honourable and virtuous undertaking a fitting conclusion ought
to follow. And to teach this truth the law of Moses com
manded those who were building a house to erect upon it also Deut. xxii.
a battlement. For he who is not perfect in good, is not free 8<
from blame. Just then as discredit was of course attached to
a house that had no battlements, so the passage just read to us
from the Gospel teaches us a similar lesson.
" For one drew near saying, I will follow thee, Lord ; but
" first let me go and bid farewell to those in my house." The
promise then that he makes is worthy of emulation, and full of
all praise : but the fact of his wishing to bid farewell to those
at home shews him, so to speak, divided, and that he had not
as yet entered upon the course with unshackled mind. For
look how, like some colt eager for the race, there holds him
back as with a bridle, the stream of worldly things, and his
wish in part still to take interest in this world s occupations.
For no one hinders him from hastening, if he will, to the wished
for mark, according to the free inclinations of his mind. But
the very wish to consult first with his relatives, and to make
those his counsellors who were not likely to entertain senti-
the clergy nothing more was re- and effeminacy. So Morinus Com.
quired than that modesty of dress de Sac. Eccles. Ordin. P. iii. 266,
and apparel which became the gra- grants that the clergy for many
vity of their office; so Cone. Carth. centuries did not shave the head;
iv. c. 44. " Clericus nee comam nu- and Jerome bears witness to the
" triat, nee barbam radat," letting same effect in his Commentary on
the hair grow long, and shaving the Ezech. xliv. 20.
beard, being equally marks of luxury
270 COMMENTARY UPON
raents similar to his own, nor to share at all in his resolution,
sufficiently proves him infirm and halting, and not as yet fully
inclined to act upon his desire of following Christ.
But He, as it were by gentle reproofs, corrected him, and
taught him to practise a more determined zeal, saying, " No
" man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit
" for the kingdom of God." For just as the husbandman, who
has begun to break up his land by the plough, if he grow
weary, and leave his labour half done, sees not his field thick set
with ears, nor his threshing-floor full of sheaves, and suffers of
course the loss which is the natural result of idleness; the
absence, I mean, of produce, and the consequent penury, and
incurs also the ridicule of those that see him : so he who
wishes to cleave unto Christ, but does not bid farewell to the
things of the world, and abandon all love of the flesh, and even
deny his earthly relatives ; for by so doing he attains to a
resolute courage in all praiseworthy pursuits ; is not fit for the
kingdom of God: One who cannot attain to this resolution,
because his mind is fettered with indolence, is not acceptable
unto Christ, nor fit for His company, and necessarily is refused
permission to be with Him.
Such were those of whom Christ spake, when forming that
Mat. xxii. similitude in the Gospels. For He said, " A rich man made a
" banquet for his son ; and sent therefore his servants to call
" them that were bidden, saying, My oxen and my fatlings are
" killed, and every thing is ready : come to the banquet. But
" they, it says, would not come : but one said, I have bought a
" field, and I cannot come. And another, I have bought a
" yoke of oxen : and another, I have taken a wife, hold me
" excused." Thou seest that they were called, and while it
was in their power to partake of the feast, they excused them
selves, and gave themselves up without restraint to those tem
poral and earthly matters, which rapidly fade, and the pos
session of which must quickly be abandoned. And yet surely
it was their duty rather to have understood, that a wife and
lands, and those other possessions, are but finite pleasures,
short in duration, and fleeting like the shadows, and, as it
were, a bitterness mingled with honey. But to be members of
the church of God, from which they, I know not how, foolishly
fled, would have procured for them an eternal and unchanging
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. <m
joy. Whoever would follow Christ, let him be thoroughly
constant, and intent solely upon this end; let him not be
divided; let him not be possessed by timidity and slothfulness ;
let him be free from all carnal lust, and prefer nothing to his
love unto Him. But if he be not so disposed, nor so affected in
his will, even if he do draw near, he will not be accepted.
Something of this sort the law of Moses also has taught us
indirectly in figure. For whenever, as emergencies arose, the
children of Israel went out to battle against their enemies,
before they engaged in the combat, the herald of the host
made proclamation, " Whosoever hath betrothed a wife, and Deut.xx.y.
" hath not taken her, let him return to his house, that he die
" not in battle, and another man take her. AVhosoever hath
" built a new house, and hath not dedicated it, let him return
" to his house, that he die not in battle, and another dedicate it.
" Whosoever is frightened in his heart, let him return to his
" house, that he make not the heart of his brother frightened
" as his own." Thou scest that the man who loves the world,
or wealth, and whosoever is full of excuses, is not every where
in his place : but we shall find the holy apostles verv different
from such as these. For when they heard Christ saying, Mark i. 1 7.
" Follow Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men :
" they, it says, at once left the ship and their father, and fol-
" lowed Him." And the wise Paul also writes, " But when God Gal. 1. 15.
" willed to reveal unto me His Son, immediately I counselled
" not with flesh and blood." Thou seest the valiant mind, and
the brave and hearty purpose, not subject to the bonds of
indolence, but superior to all cowardice and fleshly lust. Such
must they be who would follow Christ: not looking behind
them, not walking, that is, so to speak, backwards, and turning
their faces from that manly virtue which becometh saints, and
excusing themselves from the duty of labouring : not loving
things temporal, not of a double mind, but hastening onwards
with perfect zeal to that which is well pleasing to Christ : by
Whom and with W r hom, to God the Father be praise and
dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LX.
C. x. 1-3. After these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and
sent them two and two before His face, unto every city and
P lace -> whither He was about to enter. And He said unto
f them, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers few.
repxeri Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth
labourers into the harvest.
-L .
y, ol V
manded the ministers of the saving word of the gospel, saying,
r) GS. " Sound the trumpet on the new moon : on the solemn day of
Ps.lxxxi.3. " your feast." And to the new moon we may compare the
time of our Saviour s coming. For a new world arose for us,
in which all things have become new, as the very wise Paul
^Cor. v. assures us in his writings. For he says, " The former things
" have passed away : behold, all things have become new."
By the new moon therefore, and solemn feast, we understand
the time of the incarnation of the Only-begotten,, when a
trumpet sounded loudly and clearly,, even that which pro
claimed the saving message of the gospel. For is not that a
time which invites us to keep festival, when we were justi
fied by faith, and washed from the pollutions of sin, and death
abolished, which had tyrannized over us, and Satan ejected
from his mastery over us all ; and in which by sanctification
and justification we have been united to our common Saviour
Christ, and enriched with the hope of unending life and glory.
These are the loud trumpet s sounds, and they run not only
through JudaBa, like that law which was of old, but throughout
the whole earth.
And this is pictured for thee in the writings of Moses. For
the ^rod of all came down in the likeness of fire on Mount
Ex. xix.i6. Sinai, and there was a cloud, and darkness, and gloom, and
the voice of the trumpet with a loud ringing sound, according
Ex.xix. 19. to the Scripture. But the notes of the trumpet were, it says,
few at first, but afterwards they waxed longer, and became louder
and louder continually. What then was it which the shadow of
the law signified to us by these things ? Was it not this : that
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
273
there were but few to publish the Gospel tidings ; but
afterwards they became many ? And Christ began the work :
and having first chosen the twelve apostles, He afterwards
appointed, it says, seventy others. And that, not as though
those who had been already called to the honour of the apo-
stleship had been guilty of any neglect, or been led into any
thing unbecoming, but because a great multitude was about to
believe in Him. For not Israel only was caught in the net,
but also the crowds of the Gentiles. For that the message of
salvation would take possession of the whole world, the God of
all declared by one of the holy prophets, saying of it, " Judg- Hos. x. 4 .
" merit springeth up like couch-grass 6 in the furrows of the
e In the original Hebrew this
plant is called c*n, and nothing can
be more uncertain than its signifi
cation. In the A. V. it is every
where translated " gall," except Job
xx. 1 6, where it is rendered "the
" poison of asps," and in this place,
where we find hemlock : but as it
gives the same explanation of nir-b
in Amos vi. 12, which everywhere
else is " wormwood/ probably the
translators did not intend any stress
to be laid upon their rendering.
Celsus considers that the hemlock
is really the plant meant ; but (Kl-
mann takes it as the aloe, Michaelis
as darnel, and Gesenius as the
poppy. The latter rendering I con
sider quite indefensible, as the idea
that it takes its name from TTN-I,
caput, is a mere fancy, and his view
that \c>n a, in Jer. viii. 14, ix. 14,
xxiii. 15, is opium, is warranted
neither by the language, nor by any-
known use of this drug, which is
rather vrjmvdfjs, the killer of sor
row, than its aggravator. The Chal-
dee paraphrase generally follows the
rendering in Job, and explains as
"the poison of serpents :" while the
LXX. almost constantly translate
xtfto by ^0X17, and n:rS by niKpia.
In opposition to their rendering we
have only this passage, where evi
dently some fast-growing plant is
signified, but where they make no
attempt to connect it with its pre
vious meaning, but render by a-
ypcoo-n?, a word apparently used by
them simply for grass, as they so
translate NHH Deut. xxxii. 2, and
ncs- Mich. v. 7 : and in like manner
the Syriac version, passing by its
rendering in all other places, as
"bitterness," and in Jer. as "bitter
" waters" gives j.^f^ -.^j ut vepre-
tum, "asathicket." Jerome takes MJN-I
as signifying here also amaritudo,
but gives an exact account of ciypa-
(TTIS, which he translates by gra-
men, in these words ; Est genus
herbse calamo simile, quse per sin-
gula genicula, fruticem sursum, et
radicem mittit deorsum : rursus-
que ipsi frutices et virgulta alte-
rius herbac seminaria sunt : atque
ita in brevi tempore, si non imis
radicibus effodiatur, totos agros ve-
prium similes facit. Denique etiam
si sicca ejus aliqua pars, dummodo
geniculum habeat, super cultam
terrain ceciderit, omnia replet gra-
mine. This explanation exactly tal
lies with the meaning given in Lid-
dell and Scott from the Interpp. ad
Theophrastum, as triticum repens,
or couch-grass ; and I have there
fore so rendered the Syriac word
used here, viz.
N n
274 COMMENTARY UPON
" field." For like as the couch-grass springs up in the
furrows that are left without cultivation, and takes possession
of them, and spreads everywhere,, constantly advancing on
wards, so in an exactly similar manner has judgment, that is
to say, the grace that justifieth the world as declared in the
saving tidings of the Gospel, taken possession of every city and
place.
Besides these twelve therefore, there were also seventy
others appointed by Christ. And again a type of this was
Num. xi. prefigured in the words of Moses. For at God s command he
also chose seventy, and God sent the Spirit upon those who
had been chosen. And yet again, we find the twelve disciples,
and these seventy also, indicated to us by the shadow of the
law. For it is thus written in the Exodus concerning the
Ex. xv. 23. children of Israel; " And they came to Marah f : and the
" people could not drink the waters of Marah ; for they were
" bitter. And Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Lord
lt shewed him a tree ; and he cast it into the waters, and the
" waters were made sweet." Now Marah, when translated,
means bitterness ; and is taken by us as a type of the law.
For the law was bitter, in that it punished with death. And
Heb. x. 28. of this Paul is witness, saying, " He that hath despised Moses"
" law is put to death without mercy at the mouth of two or
Actsxv.io. " three witnesses." It was bitter therefore, and unendurable
to those of old time, and was unacceptable on this account, just
as were also those bitter waters. But it also was sweetened
by the precious cross, of which that tree there shewn by God
to the blessed Moses was a type. For now that the shadow
eewpia. has changed to the spiritual contemplation, we behold with the
eyes of the mind the mystery of Christ, that lay hid in the
types of the law. Although therefore the law was bitter, it
has now ceased to be so any longer.
Ex. xv. 27. And after Marah, they came, it says, to Elim." And Elim
again when translated means an ascent or increase. And
what again was there at Elim ? " Twelve wells of water, it
" says, and seventy palm trees." For as we ascend to more
perfect knowledge, and hasten onward to spiritual increase, we
f Although the translator gene- place as found in the Syriac version,
rally takes the Septuagint text, he and calls it Morat.
has here preserved the name of this
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 275
find twelve wells, that is, the holy Apostles : and seventy palin
trees, those, namely, who were appointed by Christ. And
very excellently the disciples s are compared to wells, and the
seventy, who were subsequently chosen, to palm trees. For as
from holy wells we draw from the disciples of our Saviour the
knowledge of all good : while we praise the seventy also, and,
so to speak, call them palms ; for this tree is strong-hearted,
and firm of root, and very fruitful, and constantly grows besides
tjiejvaters. And such we affirm the saints to be : for their
mind is pure, and steadfast, and fruitful, and habitually delights
itself in the waters of knowledge.
o
Therefore, to return again to what we were at first saying,
the Lord " appointed other seventy." But some may per
chance imagine that the former had been dismissed, and de
prived of the honours of the apostleship ; and that these were
promoted in their stead, as being better able to teach than
they were. To remove therefore such thoughts from our
minds, lie Who knoweth hearts, and is acquainted with things
to come, even as it were apologized, saying, " The harvest
" indeed is great ; but the labourers are few : pray therefore
" the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into His
* harvest." For just as lands covered thick with produce, and
broad and long, require numerous and able labourers ; so the
whole earth, or rather the company of those about to believe
in Christ, being great and innumerable, required not a few
teachers, but as many as would suffice for the work. And for
this reason Christ appointed those who were to be the allies,
so to speak, and assistants of the twelve disciples. They went
therefore on their mission, being sent two and two to every city
and village, crying, as it were, in the words of John, " Prepare Mat. iii. 3-
" ye the way of the Lord."
But observe this : that while He said, " Pray ye the Lord of
" the harvest to send forth labourers into His harvest," He
did it Himself. And yet Who besides is Lord of the harvest,
that is, of the dwellers on earth, but He Who by nature and
truly is God. " For to Him belongs the whole earth and its PS. xxiv.i.
" fulness," as Scripture says : and He is the Creator of all, and
its Fashioner. But inasmuch as it belongs to the supreme God
e The reader has probably al- Cyril uses " disciples," as synony-
ready noticed how constantly S. raous with " apostles."
N n
COMMENTARY UPON
alone to send forth labourers, how was it that Christ appointed
them ? Is He not therefore the Lord of the harvest, and God
the Father, by Him and with Him, the Lord of all ? All things
therefore are His, and there is nothing of all things which are
named that belongs to the Father, which is not also the Son s.
John xvii. For He also said to the Father, " Those whom Thou gavest
" Me out of the world, Thine they were, and Thou gavest them
" unto Me. 11 For, as I said, all those things that belong to
the Father are declared to be, and are, the property of the
Son, and He is radiant with His Father s dignities. And the
glory of the Godhead belongs to Him, not as a thing conferred
and given Him by another ; but rather He subsists in honours
which are His by nature, as He also doth Who begat Him. Arid
the wise John also affirms that we all are His, thus saying of
Mat.iii.ii. Him: "I indeed baptize you in water : but after me cometh
" He Who is mightier than I : He [Who h ] shall baptize you in
" the Holy Ghost, and in fire. Whose fan is in His hand, and
" He will cleanse His floor, and will gather the wheat into His
" garner, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."
May it be our lot then as rational wheat, to be carried into
God s treasure house, even into the mansions that are above :
that there, in company with the rest of the saints, we may enjoy
the blessings which God bestows in Christ : by Whom, and
with Whom, to God the Father be praise and dominion with
the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen 1 .
h The pronoun () is probably an zled both editors. Mai puts one
error, not being supported by any full stop between the verb rrpoeypd-
MS. authority, nor read elsewhere fa, and TO. aKoXovda its nomi-
in the Syriac. native case : but Cramer puts two
1 The passage in which S. Cyril full stops, and begins the verb with
compares the seventy disciples to a capital letter. Nor is this by any
the palm trees in Elim, is contained means a solitary instance on the
in a brief form both in Mai and part of this latter editor, of his
Cramer, but ascribed by the latter punctuation rendering his text un
to Titus of Bostra. Another pas- intelligible. (Cf. ii. p. 85, last three
sage, rightly assigned by Cramer to lines.) In his next page, he again
Cyril, but at the end of which the contains a passage belonging to
Catenist has referred his readers to Cyril, but given under the name
his collections on St. Matthew s of Titus of Bostra : followed by one
Gospel for the explanation of Luke which really does belong to this
x. 2, 7, and 16, has evidently puz- writer.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 277
SERMON LXI.
FIT TO BE READ AT THE COMMEMORATIONS
OF THE APOSTLES.
Go: behold, I send you as sheep among wolves. c. x. 3.
ALL those who praise the divine and sacred Word cor- ^r.^
rectly, and without error, arc, we affirm, the allies of the doc
trines of truth, and its best teachers ; well knowing how to
guide whosoever wish to advance in Christ, rightly unto every
good work, and to the life incorruptible, and to participation
in the blessings bestowed upon us. Of these most wise Paul
also declares, that they are " the lights of the world, holding Phil. ii. 15.
" the word of life."
Now of these illustrious and famous men the divine disciples
were the commencement, and stand foremost in order : for
they had as a schoolmaster Him Who is the Giver of all under
standing; and Who richly bestoweth His light upon those who
love Him. For He is the true light Who illumineth the
heavens, even the powers who are above ; and delivereth from
ignorance and darkness those also upon earth. And observe
how He made the appointed teachers of all beneath the sun to
be ready workmen, conspicuous for their earnest zeal, and able
to win the glory of apostolic victories ; preferring none of this
world s affairs to the duty of proclaiming their sacred message,
and so bravely disposed in their manly mind as to be superior
to all fear, and no whit terrified at hardships, nor alarmed at
death itself, when brought upon them for Christ s sake. For
" go," He says : and in this word " go," He encourages them
to be courageous ; makes them eagerly desirous of saintly vic
tories ; establishes them in the steadfast resistance of all tempt
ation ; and permits them not to shrink from the violence of
persecutions. For just as valiant generals, when the battle
begins, and the enemy discharge their shafts, encourage those
under their command bravely to resist the attacking foe, and
to bear themselves manfully against the enemy; using such
words as these ; Fellow soldiers, let none of these things that
278 COMMENTARY UPON
ye see trouble your mind ; we are not weak and inexperienced
4 in warfare, but know well the ways of battle : we have coats
of mail strongly made ; armour and swords ; bows too and
4 darts : by exertion we shall purchase the victory ; stout-
heartedriess will win for us a right glorious renown : so does
the Saviour of all, if we may so speak, send forth the disciples
against the hosts of unbelievers, saying, " Go ; behold, I send
fe you as sheep among wolves."
What sayest Thou Lord ? How can sheep converse with
wolves ? When was a wild beast ever at peace with the sheep ?
Scarcely can the shepherds protect their flocks by gathering
them into folds, and shutting them up in enclosures, and fright
ening the beasts of prey by the barking of dogs, yea, and even
themselves fighting in their defence, and running risks to pro
tect the more weakly members of their flock. How then does
He command the holy Apostles, who are guileless men, and if
we may so speak, sheep, to seek the company of wolves, and
go to them of their own accord ? Is not the danger manifest ?
Are they not set as a ready prey for their attacks ? How can
a sheep prevail over a wolf? How can one so peaceful vanquish
the savageness of beasts of prey ? Yes, He says, for they all
have Me as their Shepherd : small and great ; people and
princes ; teachers and taught. I will be with you and aid you,
and deliver you from all evil. I will tame the savage beasts ;
I will change wolves into sheep ; I will make the persecutors
become the helpers of the persecuted : and those who wrong
My ministers I will make to be sharers in their pious designs.
For I make and unmake all things, and there is nothing that
can resist My will.
And that this was the actual result, we may see in instances
which really occurred. For the divine Paul was a blasphemer,
and persecutor, more injurious and cruel than any wolf against
those who believed in Christ. Did he then persist in this con
duct ? Did he continue to be a wolf even unto the end ? Far
from it : for he was called by Christ, and experienced an
unlocked for change. He who in old time was a wolf became
more gentle than a lamb ; and preached the faith which once he
persecuted. And a change so unexpected in its manner was
the wonder of all men, and Christ was glorified, Who had
changed him from a beast of prey into a lamb. And this the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 279
divine Jacob had in his blessings before announced concerning
him : " Benjamin is a ravening wolf : in the morning he shall Gen. xlix.
" eat flesh : and in the evening divide victual." For the wise ^
Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin, and, at first, he resisted
those who believed in Christ like a ravening wolf ; but when a
short time had elapsed, a space, so to speak, as from morning
to evening, he divided victual. For he taught and preached
Jesus : and to those that as yet were babes in intellect he
offered milk ; but set before the full grown strong meat. In
the morning therefore he eats flesh, and in the evening divides
victual.
And thus much then briefly respecting the blessed Paul:
but let us next discuss from a similar point of view the calling
of nations. Let us see whether they too also were not at one
time beasts of prey, and fiercer than wolves against the min
isters of the gospel message of salvation, but were transformed
unto the gentleness and guilelessness which are by Christ s
help. They too persecuted the holy apostles, not so much like
men struggling with wolves, as like beasts of prey, raging
savagely against sheep. And though they wronged them not,
but rather called them to salvation, they stoned them, they
imprisoned them, they persecuted them from city to city. And
yet those, who thus acted at first, afterwards became gentle
and guileless, and like the sheep which once they persecuted.
And who else accomplished all these things but Jesus Christ
our Lord ? For He also it is " Who hath broken down the Eph. ii. 14.
" fence wall that was in the middle, abolishing the law of com-
" mandments contained in doctrines ; Who hath made the two
" nations into one new man ; Who hath made peace, and re-
" conciled both in one body unto the Father." For that there
ha ^ been joined unto the faith in concord and unity of mind
and will, the savage in company with the gentle ; the impure
and sin-stained with the saints ; those, that is, of the herds
of the Gentiles with those of Israel who believed; the prophet
Isaiah shews, thus speaking in the Spirit : And the wolf shall Is. . 6.
" graze with the lamb ; and the leopard rest with the kid ;
" and the bear and the cow shall graze together ; and the ox
"and the lion eat provender together, and their young ones
shall be with one another." Consider, my beloved, and i
derstand that those who were sanctified by faith did not con-
280 COMMENTARY UPON
form to the habits of the heathen, but on the contrary those
who were called of the heathen conformed to them. For such
beasts as the wolf and lion, the bear and leopard, are eaters of
flesh ; but those animals which are of a gentle nature, kids and
lambs, and steers, feed upon grass. But those beasts of prey,
he says, shall graze with these gentle ones, and eat their food.
It is not therefore the gentle ones who have conformed to the
habits of the savage : but, on the contrary, as I said, the
savage who have imitated them. For they have abandoned
their cruel disposition for the gentleness that becometh saints,
and been changed by Christ, so that the wolves have become
lambs ; for He it is Who hath made them gentle, and united,
as I said, the two nations unto a mind full of the love of God.
Deut. And this of old the hierophant Moses cried out, saying, " Re-
! 43- tt j i ce> y e nations, with His people ; ascribe majesty unto God."
Let us therefore exalt Him and honour Him with praises
because of the Saviour and Lord of all : by Whom and with
Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion, with the
Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 281
SERMON LXII.
FIT TO BE READ AT THE COMMEMORATIONS OF THE
APOSTLES.
Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes ; and ask not the C. x. 4-7.
peace of any one by the way. And into whatsoever house M ** S
ye enter, first say, Peace to this house. And if there be eiWp
there one k ivorthy of peace, your peace shall rest upon ^
him ; but if not, it shall return to you. And in that BG t T .
house remain, eating and drinking of their things : for O m. | GST.
the labourer is worthy of his hire. Change not from house
to house.
THE prudent and skilful bee visits the flowers in every field
and meadow, and gathering the dew that has settled upon
them, so makes sweet honey. Arid Solomon leads us to imitate
her conduct, saying, " Draw near to the bee, and learn how in- Prov. vi. 8.
" dustrious she is, and how excellent is her workmanship.
" She is beloved, therefore, and praised by every man, and
" her labours kings and private persons employ for their
" health." Come, therefore, and let us also, wandering, as it
were, around some intellectual meadow, gather the dew let fall
by the Holy Ghost upon the divine message of the Gospel,
that so being enriched in mind we may bring forth the spi
ritual honey, even the word profitable and useful to all who
thirst after the communication of the divine doctrines, whether
they be noble and illustrious, or obscure and private persons
in a humble rank of life. For it is written, " Good words are Prov. xvi.
" as honeycomb ; and their sweetness is healing to the soul."
k Literally, " a son of peace ;" a son of likeness ; connatural, a son
the Syriac with all the best MSS. of his nature ; brought up together,
rejecting the article. It is, more- avvTpo<pos, a son of his bringing up;
over, written in one word (vj\ *-o. a fellow-heir, a son of his inherit-
Sirnilar instances of this idiom are, ance, &c. The translators of the
Uo^O man, literallv, a son of A.V. do not seem to have under-
malrrV^O immediately, liter- stood this as they translate jour
ally, son of the hour. So also a " peace shall rest upon it, the
counsellor is a son of counsel; a house : whereas Christ s peace rests
ecretary, a son of the secret ; like, upon the man who is worthy of it.
282 COMMENTARY UPON
Now these fair and good words, what else are they than those
certainly which Christ spake unto us, making those who love
Him skilful by repeated teaching in virtuous pursuits? For
take here also as a proof of what I have said the sense of the
passage just read to us. " Carry," it says, " neither purse,
" nor scrip, nor shoes." Consider, I pray you, here again the
nature of the pathway of apostolic virtue set before them.
For it was right that they who were to be the lights and
teachers of all beneath the heaven, should learn it from no
other than from Him Who is the Word that came down from
above from heaven : the fountain of wisdom and intellectual
light ; from Whom cometh all understanding, and the know
ledge of every thing that is good. What, then, He requires
of them is, that in preaching to men everywhere the Word
that He spake, and in calling the inhabitants of the whole
earth to salvation, they should travel about without purse, or
scrip, or shoes; and journey rapidly from city to city, and
from place to place. And let no man on any account say that
the object of His teaching was to make the holy Apostles re
fuse the use of the ordinary articles of equipment. For what
good would it do them, or what harm, to have shoes on their
feet, or go without them ? But what He does wish them
to learn by this command, and to endeavour to practice is cer
tainly this, that they must lay all thought of their sustenance
Ps. lv. 22. upon Him, and call to remembrance the saint who said, " Cast
" thy care upon the Lord, and He shall feed thee." For He
giveth the saints what is needful for life, nor speaketh He
Mat.vi. 25. falsely where He saith, " Be ye not anxious for yourselves
" as to what ye shall eat, and what drink : nor for your body,
" what clothing ye shall wear : for your Father knoweth that
" ye have need of all these things. But seek first His right-
" eousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
For verily it was fitting and necessary that those who were
adorned with apostolic honours, should have a mind free from
covetousness, and altogether averse from the receiving of gifts,
i Tim. vi. and content, on the contrary, with what God provides. " For
" the love of money is the root of all evils" as Scripture
declares. They, therefore, in every way must be free and
exempt from that which is the root and nourisher of all evils,
and must expend, so to say, all their zeal upon their necessary
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 283
duties, not being exposed to Satan s attack, as taking w ith
them no worldly wealth, but despising the things of the flesh,
and desiring only what God wills.
For just as brave soldiers when they go out to battle carry
nothing with them but such equipments only as are suitable
for war, so also it was right that those who were sent out by
Christ to carry aid to the world, and wage war in behalf of
all who were in danger against the " world-rulers of this dark- Eph.vi.r*.
" ness," yea, and against Satan himself, should be free from
the distractions of this world, and from all worldly anxiety ;
that being tightly girt, and clad in spiritual armour, they
might contend mightily with those who resisted the glory of
Christ, and had made all beneath the heaven their prey. For
they had caused its inhabitants to worship the creature instead
of the Creator, and to offer religious service to the elements of
the world. Armed, therefore, with the shield of faith, and the Eph. vi. 16.
breastplate of righteousness, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the Word of God, they must prove themselves invincible
antagonists to their enemies ; and not drag after them a heavy
load of things worthy of blame arid condemnation : such as are
the love of wealth and hoards of base gains, and eagerness
after them : for these things turn aside the mind of man from
that behaviour which pleaseth God, and permit it not to mount
upward to Him, but humble it rather to feelings set upon dust,
and earthly things.
In enjoining them, therefore, to take neither scrip nor purse,
nor, moreover, to trouble themselves about shoes, He clearly
teaches them that his commandment requires them to abandon
all carnal wealth, and that His wish is that they should be free
from every impediment in entering upon the duty to which
they were especially called, of preaching, namely, His mystery
to men everywhere, and of winning unto salvation those who
were entangled in the nets of destruction.
And to this He adds that " the 1 were not to ask of the
1 This is not a different reading word for salutation is
from the Greek text, but the sub- amplecti : in Rome they said Salve,
stitution of the customs of the East Be well, whence Saluto : and in the
for those of Greece. In Greece East they asked of one another s
when friends met they embraced peace, 2 Kings ix. 22 ; whence the
one another, and therefore their phrase in the text. In the present
002
284 COMMENTARY UPON
" peace of any one by the way." But what harm would this
have done the holy apostles ? Come, therefore, come, and
let us see the reason why it was not right for them to offer
greeting to those that met them. Thou doubtless wilt say that
it was because it might sometimes happen that those who met
them were not believers : and that therefore it would not
have been right for those who were ignorant of Him Who by
nature and verily is God to be blessed by them. What, there
fore, do we say to this ? Does it not then seem an incredible
supposition that this was the reason why they were com
manded not to ask of the peace of any one by the way ? For
Mat.ix. 13. they were sent forth "not so much to call the righteous as
" sinners to repentance." And how, therefore, was it not
fitting that they who were about to enlighten all who were in
darkness, and to bring them unto the acknowledgment of the
truth, should rather use gentleness and great kindliness in
stead of roughly withdrawing themselves from associating with
them, and even refusing to ask of their health ? For certainly
with other good qualities, gentleness of address becometh
the saints, and greetings, provided they are made in a fitting
manner. And, moreover, those who met them would, of
course, sometimes not be unbelievers, but men of their own
persuasion, or m who had already been enlightened, and to
whom it would even be their duty to offer an acknowledgment
of love by a kindly greeting.
What, therefore, does Christ teach by this ? He does not
enjoin them to be rude, nor command them to lay stress upon
the not making salutation : such conduct He rather teaches them
to avoid. But it is not a thing unbefitting to suppose that when
day Orientals greet by saying, Peace to look favourably upon the labours
be to you ; to which the answer is, of the Apostles, or they might even
And to you peace : Cf. also John have publicly acknowledged their
xx. 26 : it is thus that the word for convictions, and been received into
peace, Salaam, has become equiva- the church by baptism. That (^ta
lent with us to salutation. ri oo constantly has this meaning is
m The use of this conjunction well known, and the Peschito,
leads to the conclusion that " by which often is rather a paraphrase
" having been enlightened" is meant than a translation, renders (^con-
having been baptized : and thus two o-devras in Heb. vi. 4. by "who
stages of feeling would be marked " have gone down to baptism ;" and
in those who might meet them ; in Heb. x. 32. by "ye have received
they might either be men disposed " baptism."
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 285
the disciples were travelling about among the cities and vil
lages, to instruct men everywhere in the sacred doctrines, they
might wish to do this, perhaps, not with haste, but, so to
speak, in a loitering manner, making deviations from the road,
and permitting themselves to pay visits, because they wished
to see some one or other as being an acquaintance or friend,
and so would waste prodigally in unnecessary matters the
fitting time for preaching. With great industry, therefore,
says He, be zealous in delivering your sacred message ; grant
not to friendship an unprofitable delay, but let that which is
well pleasing to God be preferred by you to all other things :
and so practising an irresistible and unhampered diligence,
hold fast to your apostolic cares.
Besides this He further commanded them " not to give Mat. vii. 6.
" holiness to dogs, nor again to cast the pearls before swine,"
by bestowing upon unbelievers their society in lodging with
them : they were rather to grant it to such as were worthy of
having it deigned them, by being sons of peace, and yielding
obedience to their message. For it would have been a most
disgraceful act for them to wish to be intimate with any
who were still resisting Christ s glory, and guilty of the charge
of ungodliness. " For what part hath the believer with sCor.vi.is.
" the unbeliever?" For how could those who had not as yet
even listened to their words, but made their instruction, how
ever worthy it was of being embraced, an occasion sometimes
even of ridicule, receive them as meriting their admiration?
So too at Athens some once ridiculed the divine Paul. For he
indeed taught them " that God dwelleth not in temples made Acts xvii.
" with hands," being incorporeal and infinite, and That Which * 4
filleth all, but is contained by none: and declared that he
preached unto them " Him Whom though they knew Him not,
" they imagined they rightly worshipped." But they being
given up to superciliousness, and greatly priding themselves on
their fluent tongue, said in their folly, " What would this seed-
" picker" say? For he seemeth to be a setter forth of
n S. C yril explains a-nfp^.o\6yos applied by the Athenians contempt-
in almost the same terms as Theo- uously to the worthless fellows who
phylact, and others of the Fathers, hung about the market-place to pick
Casaubon, however, from Eusta- up any thing that might fall : and
thius, has shewn that the word was hence the explanations given in Sui-
286 COMMENTARY UPON
" foreign gods." Seed-picker was the name they gave to a
worthless bird, whose habit it was to pick up the seeds scat
tered on the roads : and in comparing to it the divine Paul,
these foolish men were ridiculing the word of salvation then
offered them.
Christ therefore commanded them to lodge with the sons of
peace, and to eat at their cost, affirming that this was by a just
decree ; " for a labourer, He says, is worthy of his hire." And
therefore, let not any of those who acknowledge the truth, dis
regard or be careless of the duty of honouring the saints : for
iCor.ix.n. they bless us, when " sowing to us things spiritual, they reap
" of us things carnal :" and " the Lord also commanded that
" those who preach the gospel shall live of the gospel : " since
also according to the law of Moses, " those who offered sacri-
" tices shared with the altar." And let those who are careless
of honouring the saints, and illiberally close the hand, be as
sured that they are deprived of their blessing. But may it be
our lot to be partakers of the blessing -prepared for them with
God, by offering to them as fruit whatever we possess; and by
i Cor. ix. 7. feeling pleasure in so doing ; " for Christ loveth a cheerful
giver:" by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be
praise arid dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever,
Amen .
das^and Hesychius of evpo\6yos and the Catenist has interpolated an il-
<j)\vapos. And in this sense it is lustration of our Lord s command
taken in the A. V. to the disciples by referring to
Scarcely any of this part of the Elisha s similar instruction to Ge-
commentary has been discovered by hazi to salute no one by the way,
Mai ; he has however a very short when sent to visit the Shunamite s
summary of this sermon, in which dead son, 2 Kings iv. 29.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 287
SERMON LXIII.
He that heareth you, heareth Me : and he that rejecteth yov, c. x. 16.
rejecteth Me: and whosoever rejecteth Me, rejecteth Him
That sent MeP.
THOSE who adorn thrones of earthly royalty, and possess
supreme authority, when they wish to render fitting men
illustrious with this world s dignities, send them in the missives
on which the decree commanding their appointment is in
scribed, a declaration of their praiseworthiness. And this we
find that Christ did. For consider how great was the authority
He gave the holy apostles, and in what manner He declared
them to be praiseworthy, and adorned with the highest ho
nours. For let us search the sacred Scripture, even the trea
sure of the written words of the Gospel : let us there see
the greatness of the authority given unto them. " He that
" heareth you," He says, " heareth Me : and he that rejecteth
" you. rejecteth Me : and he that rejecteth Me, rejecteth Him
" That sent Me." O what great honour ! What incomparable
dignities ! O what a gift worthy of God ! Though but men,
the children of earth, He clothes them with a godlike glory ;
He entrusts to them His words, that they may be condemned
who in ought resist, or venture to reject them : for when they
are rejected He assures them that He it is Who suffers this ;
and then again He shews that the guilt of this wickedness, as
being committed against Him, mounts up to God the Father.
See, therefore, see with the eyes of the mind, to how vast a
height He raises the sin committed by men in rejecting the
saints ! What a wall He builds around them ! How great secu
rity He contrives for them ! He makes them such as must be
feared, and in every way plainly provides for their being
uninjured.
And there is yet another way in which thou mayest attain to
P S. Cyril has passed over with- Christ s teaching. On several other-
out notice, vv. 815, containing the occasions he has similarly omittc
denouncement of the woes upon passages, probably as having been
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Caper- explained by him in his othei
naum, for not having received mentanes.
COMMENTARY UPON
the meaning of what is said by Christ. " For he," He says,
" who heareth you, heareth Me." He gives those who love
instruction the assurance, that whatsoever is said respecting
Him hy the holy apostles or evangelists, is to he received neces
sarily without any doubt, and to be crowned with the words of
truth. For he who heareth them, heareth Christ. For the
2Cor.xiii. 3 . blessed Paul also said; "Or seek ye proof of Christ That
" speaketh in Me !" And moreover Christ Himself somewhere
Mat. x. 20. said to the holy disciples ; " For it is not ye that speak, but
" the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you." For Christ
speaketh in them by the consubstantial Spirit. And if it be
true, and plainly it is true, that they speak by Christ, how can
that man err from what is fitting who affirms, that he who doth
not hear them, doth not hear Christ, and that he who re-
jecteth them rejecteth Christ, and with Him the Father.
Against Inevitable therefore is the guilt decreed against the wicked
the Anans. } ieret i CS) W h re j ect t h e wor( j s O f fo G j^ty a p OS tl es and evan-
gelists, and pervert them to that meaning only which without
due examination seems to them to be right. These fall from
the straight way, and wander from the doctrines of piety,
2Tim.iii.i3- deceiving, and being deceived." For while, so to speak, they
Jer. xxiii. have bidden farewell to the sacred Scriptures, " they speak of
" their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord/ as
Scripture saith. For though the blessed evangelist John wrote
John i. i. to us, that " in the beginning was the Word, and the Word
" was with God, and the Word was God ;" they drag to the
exact opposite both the tenet concerning Him, and the quota
tion which proves it : saying that the only begotten Word of
God was not in the beginning, nor very God, and that He was
not even with God; that is, in union with Him by nature,
inasmuch as He Who is incorporeal cannot be imagined to be
in any place. These most audacious men even say that He
was made, and measure out for Him such glory as they for
sooth please : for they elevate Him above created things, as
far as the language goes of praise. And in inventing for Him
this mere and naked majesty, they imagine that they are doing
something wise, or even pious : not understanding that if in
any respect He be regarded as a created being, iti avails Him
i Namely, the position invented considered Him greater than all
for our Lord by the Arians, who created beings, but less than God.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 289
nothing for the proof of His being really God : and that if in
any respect He be made, and His nature similar to that (of
things which are made), that then it follows, as they (virtually)
affirm, that He was not in the beginning. For one who is
made is not without beginning. How therefore does the wise
Paul say, " By Him the Father made the worlds?" For if He Heb. 1.2.
were created, He had, as I said, a beginning of existence, and
there must have been a time previous to His existence : and
there must have been a time also, in which even the Father
apparently was not that which the name signifies, but on the
contrary, not a Father at all by nature. The word therefore
that has come to us concerning Him is untrue, as also is
that respecting the Son ; and both forsooth are falsely so
called.
And how then, I pray, can we believe the Son in saying, " I Joimxiv.6.
am the Truth ;" for how is He the truth, Who is not what His
name implies ? Or how must not Paul be false in his words,
when he thus writes, " For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who 2 Cor. 1.19.
" was preached unto you by me, and Sylvanus, and Timotheus,
" was not yea and nay ?" For how was He not yea and nay, if
He is said to be God, and is not God by nature ? if He is
called a Son, and was not begotten of the Father? if the
divinely inspired Scripture saith, that the worlds were made
by Him, and there was a time before He existed ? if all things
were brought into being by His means, and He is Himself one
of them, in that He is regarded as a thing made ? if He is
called the only begotten, and is not so in truth ? For the things
that have been made, those, I mean, which have been brought
into existence from non-existence by having been created, are,
so to speak, akin to one another.
But we follow not the vain words of these men, in disregard
of the declarations of the holy apostles and evangelists. We
reject not them, that we may not reject Christ, and with Him
and by Him the Father. We believe that the Only-begotten
Word of God is God, and was begotten of God by nature :
Subsequently, I have inserted, vir- trines are to ^ cilable t ^ Q ^
/ tt // y ,becauseS.Cyrildoesnotmean plain meaning Ihis mu * be borne
that "he Arians rented the Scrip- in mind all through &"***
ture absolutely, but that the legiti- as otherwise it is unintelligible.
mate deductions from their doc-
290 COMMENTARY UPON
that He is not created; not made; but. the Creator of all:
and not so much in all things, as rather supreme above all
substantially with the Father. And when ^again we hear
John i. 14. John saying, " And the Word became flesh/ we do not falsify
the expression : we do not use violence to the freeness of the
the declarations : we do not pervert the mystery of Christ to
that which is not right. We believe that the Word, though
He was God, became flesh, that is, man ; and not that He
joined some man unto Him in equal honour: for this some ven
ture to say and think, so that the Word from God the Father
is to be regarded by us as one Son by Himself ; and He Who
sprang from the holy virgin as another beside Him, separately
and by Himself : for such are the impure inventions of these
men. We however agree with the divine Paul, who says :
E P h. iv. 5. There is one Lord ; one faith ; one baptism :" for we divide
not Him Who is indivisible, but confess one Christ, the Word,
Who is from God the Father, Who was made man, and incar
nate, Whom the heavens worship, and the angels honour : and
we too with them praise Him, crowning Him with divine
honour, not so much as a man Who was made God, but as God
Who became man. And holding this opinion respecting Him,
we shall also by His means enter the kingdom of heaven : by
Whom, and with Whom, to God the Father be praise and
dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 291
SERMON LXIV.
And tJie seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the C. x. 17-20.
devils are subject unto us in Thy Name. And He said
unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Behold I have given you the authority to tread upon ser- Se Sowa
penis and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy, s ^ u ^ Gy
and nothing shall hurt you. But in this rejoice not, that
the sjnrits are subject unto you ; but rejoice that your add. ^n\-
, \ov By.
names are written in heaven.
IT is somewhere said by one of the holy prophets, " Will the Amosiii. 7
" Lord God do anything without revealing the teaching thereof
" to His servants the prophets?" For the God of all made
known to the holy prophets those things which were here
after to take place, in order that they might previously declare
them, that so they might not be disbelieved, when in due time
what had been foretold arrived at its fulfilment. And those
who will may see that what we have now affirmed is true, even
from the present lessons. " For the seventy" it says, " returned
" with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us
" in Thy Name." For first of all the twelve disciples had
been appointed, holy and elect men, and worthy of all admi
ration. But inasmuch as, according to Christ s declaration,
" the harvest indeed was great, but the labourers few," He Luke x . *
further, in addition to those first chosen, " appointed seventy
" others, and sent them to every village and city of Judea
" before His face," to be, that is to say, His forerunners, and
to preach the things that belonged to Him.
And in sending them, He ennobled them with the grace o
the Holy Ghost, and crowned them with the power of working
miracle^, that they might not be disbelieved by men, nor be
supposed to be self-called to the apostleship : just as of old
there were some who prophesied, though they spake not it J.
of the mouth of the Lord, 1 as Scripture saith but rather
vomited forth lies from their own heart. For God by i
voice of Jeremiah somewhere also said, at one time I have Je, sxiii.
< not sent the prophets, yet they ran : I have not spoken unto
i> n 7
292 COMMENTARY UPON
Jer.xiv.i4. " them, yet they prophesied:" and again at another; " The
" prophets prophesied lies in My name : I sent them not, nei-
" ther spake I unto them ; neither had I commanded them."
In order, therefore, that men might not subject to such a sus
picion those who were commissioned by Christ, He gave them
power over unclean spirits, and the ability to perform signs.
For when the divine miracle followed close upon their word,
no form, either of calumny or of Jewish false-speaking, could
find a place against them. For they were convicted of accusing
them without reason, or rather of choosing to fight against
God. For to be able to work miracles is possible for no man,
unless God give him the power and authority thereunto. The
grace of the Spirit therefore witnessed of those who had been
sent, that they were not persons who ran of themselves, nor
self-called to the duty of speaking concerning Christ ; but that,
on the contrary, they had been appointed to be the ministers
of His message.
o
The authority, however, which they bore to reprove evil
spirits, and the power of crushing Satan, was not given them
that they might themselves so mucli be regarded with admi
ration, as that Christ might be glorified by their means, and
be believed on by those whom they taught, as by nature God,
and the Son of God ; and invested with so great glory and su
premacy and might, as to be even able to bestow upon others
the power of trampling Satan under their feet.
But they, it says, in that they were counted worthy of so great
grace, " returned rejoicing, and saying, Lord, even the devils
" are subject to us in Thy name." For they confess the au
thority of Him Who honoured them, and wonder at the supre
macy and greatness of His power. But they seem to have re
joiced, not so much because they were ministers of His mes
sage, and had been counted worthy of apostolic honours, as
because they had wrought miracles : but it would have been
better for them to have reflected, that He gave them the power
to work miracles, not that they might be regarded by men
with admiration on this account, but rather that what they
preached might be believed, the Holy Ghost bearing them
witness by divine signs. It would have been better, there
fore, had they manifestly rejoiced on account of those ra
ther who had been won by their moans, and had made this
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 293
a cause of exultation. Just as also the very wise Paul gloried
in those who had been called by his means, saying, My joy Ph ii. iv r.
" and my crown." But they said nothing at all of this kind,
but rejoiced only in that they had been able to crush Satan.
And what is Christ s reply ? " I saw Satan fall like light-
" ning from heaven." That is, I am not unaware of this : for
inasmuch as ye set out upon this journey, so to speak, by My
will, ye have vanquished Satan. " I saw him fall like lightning
" from heaven." And this means that he was cast down from
on high to earth: from overweening pride to humiliation: from
glory to contempt : from great power to utter weakness. And
the saying is true : for before the coming of the Saviour, he
possessed the world : all was subject to him, and there was no
man able to escape the meshes of his overwhelming might : he
was worshipped by every one : everywhere he had temples and
altars for sacrifice, and an innumerable multitude of worship
pers. But because the Only-begotten Word of God has come
down from heaven, he has fallen like lightning : for he who of
old was bold and supercilious, and who vied with the glory of
Deity ; he who had as his worshippers all that were in error,
is put under the feet of those that worshipped him. Is it not
then true, that he has fallen from heaven to earth, by having
suffered so great and terrible an overthrow ?
Who then is He That hath destroyed his might, and hum
bled him to this misery ? Plainly it was Christ. And this
He announced to us in the words, " Behold, I have given you
" the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon
" all the power of the enemy ; and nothing shall hurt you."
But, O Lord, some one may reply, behold already we rejoice
in the glory and grace bestowed upon us by Thee : for we have
acknowledged that even the devils are subject to us in Thy
name. And how then dost Thou proclaim to those who know
it, and have openly acknowledged it, " Behold I have given you
"the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions?"
Yes, He saith, I have carefully on purpose called you to the
remembrance of those things which lo ! already ye know, that
ye may not be carried away with the ignorance of the Jews,
who, not understanding the mystery of My incarnation, ap
proach Me as a mere man, and persecute Me, saying, " Why John x. 33.
" dost Thou, being a man, make Thyself God ?" And yet it was
294 COMMENTARY UPON
rather their duty, He says, to have known, that not " as being
" a man," to use their words, I affirm of Myself that I am
God ; but rather that being by nature God, I have put on the
form of a slave, and appear on earth as a man like unto you.
And what is the proof of these things ? " Behold, I have given
" you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions." But
it was not the act of a mere man, nor of one such as we are,
to bestow on others an authority so glorious and admirable, as
for them to be able to tread upon all the power of the enemy :
rather it was a deed suitable to God alone, Who is supreme
over all, and crowned with surpassing honours.
It is capable also of being explained in another way. For
thus He leaves them no excuse for giving way to cowardice,
but rather requires of them to be very hearty and courageous.
For such ought those to be who are ministers of the divine
word : not subject to timidity, nor overpowered by sloth, but
Actsiv. 33. preaching " with great power," as Scripture saith, and bold in
pursuing after those who are drawn up in array against them,
and bravely struggling against the enemy; as having Christ to
help them, Who will also humble the impure powers of evil
under their feet, and with them even Satan himself. What man
Eph.vi.i2. is there more powerful than "the world-rulers of darkness/
or than that wicked serpent and prince of evil ? He therefore
Ps. kxiv. vvho " brake the heads of the dragons," how can He be too
weak to -save them from the attacks of any of this world s in
habitants ? Not without benefit, therefore, did Christ proclaim
to His disciples : " Behold I have granted you to tread on ser-
" pents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy."
But He also further benefits them by immediately adding ;
" But in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you ;
" but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Dost Thou not, Lord, permit those who have been honoured
( by Thee to rejoice in their honours ? And yet it is written of
Ps. ixxxix. < those who were appointed to the apostleship : " They shall
" walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance, and in Thy
" name shall they exult all the day, and in Thy righteousness
" shall they be exalted. For Thou art the glory of their
" strength, and in Thy good pleasure shall our horn be ex-
" alted." How then didst Thou command them not to rejoice
in the honour and glory which Thou didst Thyself bestow?
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 295
What can we say to this ? I answer, that Christ raises them
to something greater, and commands them to account it their
glory that their names were written in heaven. For it is of
the saints that God is thus addressed, " And in Thy book they Ps. cxxxix.
" are all written/ l6 -
But besides, to rejoice solely in the fact that they were able
to work miracles, and crush the herds of demons, was likely
to produce in them possibly the desire also of vainglory : and
the neighbour, so to speak, and kinsfellow of this passion con
stantly is pride. Most usefully, therefore, does the Saviour of
all rebuke the first boasting, and quickly cuts away the root,
so to speak, that had sprung up in them of the base love of
glory, imitating good husbandmen, who, immediately that they
see a thorn springing up in their pleasure 1 " grounds or gardens,
tear it up with the teeth of the mattock, before it strike its
root deep.
Even though, therefore, we receive some gift from Christ
not unworthy of admiration, we must not think too highly of
it, but rather make the hope prepared for us our cause of re
joicing, and that our names are written in the companies of the
saints, by Christ s gift, the Saviour of us all, Who, from His
love to man bestows, with all besides that we have, this also
upon us : by Whom, and with Whom, to God the Father
be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and
ever, Amen.
r Literally, " the paradise," a " the pleasure ground immediately
word borrowed from the Persian " attached to a house."
language, and exactly signifying
296 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXV.
TS w" ~ In that Same hour Jesus r Ji ced in M e H oty Ghost, and
ayltp BS. said, I thank Thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and the
cj OS?" earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and
om. T ay. prudent, and revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father ;
for so it was good in Thy sight.
Is. lv. i. ONE of the holy prophets has said ; " Whoever thirst, come
ye to the waters." For he sends us to the writings of the holy
Prov. xxv. Evangelists as to fountains of water. For just as " waters are
" pleasant to the thirsty soul," as Scripture saith, so to the
mind that loveth instruction is the life-giving knowledge of the
mysteries of our Saviour. Let us, therefore, draw from the
sacred springs the living and life-giving waters, even those that
are rational and spiritual. Lot us take our fill : and weary not
in thy drinking : for in these things more than enough is still
for edification : and greediness is great praise. What then it
was the Saviour said : That fountain which came down from
heaven, That river of delight, we learn from what has here
been read to us. " In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the
" Holy Ghost, and said," Whosoever then loveth instruction,
must approach the words of God not carelessly, and without
earnestness ; but, on the contrary, with eagerness : for it is
Prov. xiv. written, " That for every one that taketh care, there is some-
" thing over." Let us, therefore, examine them, and especially
what is meant by the expression, that He " rejoiced in the
" Holy Ghost."
The Holy Ghost then proceedeth from God the Father as
from the fountain ; but is not foreign from the Son : for every
property of the Father belongeth to the Word, Who by nature
and verily was begotten of Him. Christ saw therefore that
many had been won by the operation of the Spirit, Whom He
bestowed on them that were worthy, and whom He had also
commanded to be ministers of the divine message : He saw
that wonderful signs were wrought by their hands, and that
the salvation of the world by Him, I mean by faith, had
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 297
now begun: and therefore He rejoiced in the Holy Ghost,
that is, mjthe works and miracles wrought by means of the
Holy Ghost. For He had appointed the twelve disciples,
whom He also called apostles, and after them again seventy
others, whom He sent as His forerunners to go before Him
unto every village and city of Judaea, preaching Him, and
the things concerning Him. And He sent them, nobly
adorned with apostolic dignities, and distinguished by the
operation of the grace of the Holy Ghost. " For He ^ve
" them power over unclean spirits to cast them out." They
then, having wrought many miracles, returned saying, " Lord,
" even the devils are subject unto us in Thy Name. " And
therefore as I have already said, well knowing that those
who had been sent, by Him had benefited many, and that
above all others, they had themselves learned by experience
His glory, He was full of joy, or rather of exultation. For
being good and loving unto men, and wishing that all should
be saved, He found His cause of rejoicing in the conversion of
those that were in error, in the enlightenment of those that
were in darkness, and in the answer of the understanding
to the acknowledgment of His glory, of those who had been
without knowledge and without instruction.
What then does He say ? " Father, I confess Thee, Lord of
" the heaven and the earth. 1 And these words, " I confess
" Thee," He says after the manner of men, instead of, "I
" accept Thy kindness," that is, "I praise Thee s ." For it is
the custom of the divinely inspired Scripture to use the word
s As the English translation " I a favour being supposed to convey
thank " has already obviated the dif- an acknowledgment of gratitude,
ticulty in the original, it may be ne- The Latin of Corderius gives the
cessary to say, that it literally means general sense of the passage very
as rendered above, " I confess," " I correctly : Confiteor Tibi, Pater, di-
" make confession to Thee, O Fa- cit more hominum, pro gratiam
" ther :" but as the Greelt language agnosco, quare laudo Te, gratias
has no word strictly meaning " to ago tibi. Solet enim divinitus in-
" thank," the Sept. use this verb to spirata scriptura confessionis nomen
express the Hebrew min, gratias secundum talem aliquem modum
egit, laudavit, and hence its use in sumere. Scriptura est enim; Con-
biblical Greek in this sense. The fiteantur nomini Tuo magno: et
Syriac periphrasis is also remark- iterum ; Confitebor Tibi, Domme,
able, being, " I accept thy grace or in toto corde meo. Ihe Greek has
" kindness," the acceptance of it as not been preserved.
Qq
298 COMMENTARY UPON
confession in some such way as this. For it is written, that
Ps. xcix. 3. they shall confess, Lord, Thy great name ; for it is terrible
Ps. Ixxxvi. " and holy." And again, " I will confess Thee, O Lord, with
" all my heart, and I will tell all Thy wonders."
But I perceive again, that the mind of these perverted men
departs not from its depravity ; and some of them perhaps will
object to us the following argument : Lo ! the Son makes
confession of gratitude to the Father : and how must He not
be^inferior to Him ? But whosoever is skilful in defending
the doctrines of truth may well reply to this : And what hin-
ders, O worthy sir, the Son, though equal in substance, from
thanking and praising His Father, for saving by His means
all beneath the heaven ? But if thou thinkest that because of
this thanksgiving He is inferior to the Father, observe that
also which follows ; for He calls the Father " Lord of the
4 " heaven and the earth." But of a certainty the Son of
f Almighty God is equally with Him Lord of all, and above all :
not as being inferior, or different in substance, but as God of
God, crowned with equal honours, and possessing by right of
His substance equality with Him in all things. And thus
much then in answer to them.
But let us consider the words which He addresses to His
Father respecting us and in our behalf. " Thou hast hid, He
" says, all these things from the wise and prudent, and re-
." vealed them unto babes: Yea, Father, that so it seemed
" good in thy sight." For God the Father has revealed unto
us the mystery, which before the foundations of the world was
hidden and reserved in silence with Him : even the Incarnation
of the Only-begotten, which was foreknown indeed before the
foundations of the world, but revealed to its inhabitants in the
Eph. iii. 8. last ages of the world. For the blessed Paul writes, that " to
< me who am the least of all saints, has this grace been given,
" that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
" riches of Christ; and clearly teach them all, what is the dis-.
Cf pensation * of the mystery that for ages has been hid m God
Who created all." The great and adorable mystery of our
The reading of the edd. There is considerably more
textus^ receptus Kowwia, fellow- support for its addition of dia lr)<rov
ship, has scarcely any MS. au- Xpurrov, but far outweighed by the
thority, and is rejected in all modern evidence for its rejection.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. ^99
Saviour was hidden therefore even before the foundations of the
world, in the knowledge of the Father. And in like manner we
also were foreknown and foreordained to the adoption of sons.
And this again the blessedPaul teaches us, thus writing, "Blessed E P h. i. 3 .
" be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has
" blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven in Christ,
" according as He has chosen us in Him before the founda-
" tions of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
" before Him, having foreordained us in love to the adoption
" of_SQjns by Jesus Christ unto Himself/ To us therefore, as
unto babes, the Father has revealed the mystery that for ages
had been hidden and reserved in silence.
And yet multitudes of men have preceded us in the world
past numbering, who, as far as words went, were wise, who
had a practised and skilful tongue, and beauty of style, and
grandeur of expression, and no mean reputation for wisdom :
but as Paul said, " They had become empty in their reason- iiom. i. 21.
" ings, and their foolish heart was darkened : while professing
" to be wise, they had made themselves fools, and changed the
" glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the imago
" of corruptible man, and into that of birds, and four-footed
" beasts and reptiles. For this cause they were given up to a
" reprobate mind ;" "and God made the wisdom of this world iCor. 1.20.
" to be folly :" neither did He shew unto them the mystery.
And to us too it is written, " Whosoever seemcth to be wise in i Cor. Hi.
" this world, let him become foolish, in order that he may become l
" wise : for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."
It may truly therefore be affirmed, that he who possesses
merely and by itself the wisdom of the world, is foolish and
without understanding before God : but that he who seems to
be a fool to the wise men of the world, but possesses in his
mind and heart the light of the true vision of God, is wise
before God. And Paul again confirms this, saying, " For iCor.i. 17.
" Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach : not with
" wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ be made ineffectual.
" For the speech of the cross is to them who are perishing
" foolishness ; but to us who are being saved, it is the power
" of God. For it is written, T will destroy the wisdom of the J* nix.i 4 .
" wise, and take away the understanding of the prudent."
And to others also he sent, saying, -For sec your calling, iCor.i.,6.
Q q 2
300 COMMENTARY UPON
" brethren : that there are not among you u many wise men
" after the flesh : nor many mighty, nor many of high birth ;
" but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, that He
" may confound the wise." To those therefore who seemed to
be foolish, by which is meant, men of an innocent and guileless
mind, and simple as a child in wickedness, the Father hath
revealed His Son, as being themselves also foreknown and
foreordained to the adoption of sons.
Nor is it in my opinion unreasonable to add also the fol
lowing. The Scribes and Pharisees, who held high rank
among the Jews, as having the reputation of legal learning,
were regarded as wise men. But they were convicted by the
very result of not being so in reality. For even the prophet
Jer. viii. 8. Jeremiah thus somewhere addressed them : " How say ye,
" that we are wise, and the word of the Lord is with us ? The
" lying cord x of the scribe is for emptiness. The wise men
" are ashamed ; they fear and are taken : what wisdom is in
" them, because they have rejected the word of the Lord ? "
Because then they rejected the word of the Saviour, that is,
the saving message of the Gospel, or in other language, the
Word of God the Father, Who for our sakes became man, they
have themselves been rejected. For again the prophet Jere-
u With the exception of the Pe- case to Karat^x^vrj.
schito, I am not aware of any other x i h ave no doubt that the LXX.
authority for the reading " among by er^oti/os meant "the writing reed,"
"you," which otherwise however " pen," though literally it means a
makes a very good sense, Observe " rush :" and from cords being ge-
that in your company, forming the nerally formed of twisted rushes,
Christian church at Corinth, ye do o-^oTi/oy gradually became equiva-
not find many men distinguished lent to a " cord," in which sense the
either for wealth, power, or li- Syriac erroneously takes it. In the
neage, but principally the poor London Polyglott the Syriac has
and ignoble. Most probably the correctly ULO, and the Targum
translator, though not quoting it calamus. The prophet s meaning
literally, had the Peschito in his i s , that the scribe s reed, Heb. TQS,
mind, as otherwise he would scarce- the insignia of his office, ought to
ly have used the obsolete plural indicate a learned man; but so er-
^4*^0) for m^jB, nor have roneous and mistaken were their
changed the much more emphatic doctrines, that it had become un-
repetition of the negative in the meaning, and was no longer a proof
Greek, "not many mighty, &c.," of the bearer possessing any know-
into the tamer nor. Add also, that ledge. In Rost s ed. of Passow,
they concur, as does however the 1857, I find o-xoivos, das Schreib-
Philox., in making 0foy the nom. rohr, Jer. viii. 8. Aquil. Ps. xliv. 2.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 301
miah said of them, " Call ye them reprobate silver, because the Jer. vi. 30.
" Lord hath rejected them." And the mystery of Christ was
also hid from them : for He somewhere even said to his disci
ples concerning them, " To you it is given to know the mys- Mat. xiii.
" teries of the kingdom of heaven; but to them it is not 11
" given." " To you/ that is, to whom ? Plainly to those who
believed : to those who have recognised His appearing, who
understand the law spiritually, who can perceive the meaning
of the previous revelation of the prophets, who acknowledge
that He is God and the Son of God, to them the Father is
pleased to reveal His Son : by Whom and with Whom, to God
the Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost,
for ever and ever. Amen.
302 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXVI.
C. x. 12. Every thing hath been delivered unto Me of My Father; and
no one knoweth Who the Son is but the Father ; and Who
the Father is but the Son ; and to whomsoever the Son will
reveal Him.
OUR Lord Jesus Christ again reveals unto us His glory,
olicovo- and the dignity of His godlike majesty, and the skilful method
6U " f *k e dispensation in the flesh ; and plainly shews how great
is the benefit which the dwellers upon earth derive from it. Let
us ask of Him wisdom : let us seek understanding, that we may
be able to perceive the exact meaning of His words. For it is
Job xii. 12. He " Who revealeth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth
" to light those things that are hid ;" and giveth wisdom to the
blind, and maketh the brightness of the truth to shine forth
upon those that love Him. And among these are we : for lo !
ye have again come, as being, so to speak, athirst, and the
church is full of men loving to hear ; and all are true wor
shippers, and searchers into the doctrines of piety. Come there
fore, and let us approach the Saviour s words, opening wide
the eye of the mind. And His words are, " Every thing hath
" been delivered unto Me of My Father."
For He was and still is Lord of heaven and earth, and sits
with the Father on His throne, and equally shares His govern
ment over all. But inasmuch as, by humbling Himself to our
estate, He became man, He further speaks in a manner not
unbefitting the dispensation in the flesh, nor refuses to use
such expressions as suit the measure of His state, when He had
emptied Himself, that He might be believed upon as having be
come like unto us, and put on our poverty. He therefore Who
was Lord of heaven and earth, and, in a word, of all things,
says, that " everything was delivered unto Him of the Father."
For He has been made ruler of all under heaven ; since of old
only the Israel after the flesh bowed the neck to His laws :
but God the Father willed to make all things new in Him, and
iTim.ii. 5. by His means reconcile the world unto Himself. For u He
Eph. ii. 14. " became Mediator between God and men," and " was made
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 303
" our peace/ 7 in that He united us by Himself to God the
Father : for He is the door and the way whereby this is done ;
for He has even plainly said, "No man cometh unto the John xiv.6.
" Father but by Me." He then Who of old delivered Israel
by the hand of Moses from the tyranny of the Egyptians, and
appointed the law to be their schoolmaster, has now called the
whole world, and Himself has spread for it the net of the
Gospel message, according to the good-will of God the Father.
And this then is the reason why He says, " Every thing has
" been delivered unto Me of My Father."
But though we may affirm that these things are thus rightly
understood and explained by us, the heretic will not submit to
the conditions of the dispensation, but betakes himself, it may
be, to his usual audacity, and makes what is said food, so to
speak, for the wickedness of his mind ; and, forsooth, proceeds
to say, Lo ! the Father giveth every thing to the Son ; but
the Son would not have needed to receive any thing, had it
been lawful for Him to obtain it of Himself. How, then, is
He equal to the Father, as ye say, when He receives from
Him authority over what He did not previously possess?
Let us see, therefore, whether in any thing at all He is inferior
to the glory and supremacy of the Father, as ye in your folly
say.
Now there are many arguments one might use when wishing
to defend the doctrines of truth, but on the present occasion
let us enquire what is true from the lessons now set before us,
even from His own words. For after having said, " Every
" thing hath been delivered unto Me of My Father," honouring
thereby the mystery of His Incarnation, and using expressions
suitable to the manhood, He mounts at once, as I said, to His
own. glory and supremacy, and shews that He is in no way
whatsoever inferior to His Father. For what were the words
which He next spake ? " No one knoweth Who the Son is
" but the Father, and Who the Father is but the Son, and to
" whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." Let us ask, then,
those who have resisted His glory, and still resist it, Does
Christ speak falsely, or is He true ? For if He speak falsely,
and ye affirm that this is verily the case, ye are void of all un
derstanding, ye have fallen from your senses, having drank
of the wine of " the vine of Sodom," and stumbled like
304 COMMENTARY UPON
drunkards upon unrighteous courses. But if ye believe that
Johnxiv.6. He speaketh truth, for He is the Truth/ how do ye, while He
says that " no one knoweth the Son but the Father only," ven
ture both to think and say that He is inferior to the Father,
as though ye exactly know Who He is ? And yet how must not
He, Who is known of His Father only, far transcend all under
standing and all powers of speech : just as also the Father
Himself doth, as being known of His Son only ? For the holy
and consubstantial Trinity alone knoweth Itself, being far
above all speech and understanding. How sayest thou then
that He is inferior to the Father, seeing that no one knoweth
Who He is but the Father alone Who begat Him ?
And I will add this too ; Dost thou say that He is inferior to
the Father as being "very God," but yet inferior to Him Who
is " very God and Father ;" or as being something made and
created ? If, indeed, as something made, thou canst not com
pare them at all : for the interval between the Maker and
the thing made is infinite ; between the Lord and the slave ;
between Him Who is by nature God, and him who has been
brought into existence. For whosoever is made is not merely
inferior to God, but altogether different, both in nature, and
in glory, and in every attribute that appertained to the divine
substance. But if He be made, as ye affirm, how can " no one
" know Who He is ?" For He would not be above all under
standing, even though it may surpass the mind of man to be
able to know the nature of a created thing. If, on the other
hand, thou affirmest that He is very God, and being such by
nature, yet sayest that He is inferior to the Father, I cannot
understand how this can be. Tell me, I pray, in what this
inferiority consists. I mean, for instance, thus : those who
are of the same nature and substance are, of course, equal
to one another in all those qualities which belong to them
as pertaining to their substance : as, for instance, one man
is in no respect inferior to another man with regard to the
manhood which is common to them both : and so neither is
one angel to another angel. How, then, can very God be
inferior to very God ?
For come, if you will, and let us raise ourselves to the investi
gation of the Father s prerogatives and attributes : those,
namely, which specially belong to Him as God. God the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 305
Father is by nature Lite, Light, and Wisdom. But the Son
also is in like manner the same, as the divinely inspired Scrip
ture everywhere testifies. For He is Light, and Wisdom, and
Life. But if lie be inferior to the Father, then of course He
is indebted to Him for it, and that not in one particular only,
but in every attribute that appertained! to His substance.
Nor is He perfectly Life ; nor Light perfectly ; nor Wisdom
perfectly. And if this be true, then there exists in Him some
thing of corruption ; something also of darkness ; and some
thing also of ignorance. But who will assent to you in thus
arguing ? For if He be a creature, then, as I said, ye must
not compare Him with the Creator and Lord of all. Bring
down His place to the level of creation, while ye extol to in
comparable supremacy that Nature Which created all, and
transcends all. But if He be very God, as sprung from Him
Who is very God and Father, perhaps, forsooth, the Father
hath begotten one not equal to Himself in nature, and His
nature alone hath suffered this, while certainly of all created
beings there is not one that hath endured so strange a mis
chance. For man is born of man, the definitions of his father s
substance existing fully in him ; and all the other animals in
like manner are regulated by the law of their own nature. And
how then can the all-transcending nature of God suffer that
which even we do not suffer, nor any other being which has
the power of generation ?
Let those, therefore, hear who think scorn of the greatness
of the glory of the Son ; let those that are drunken awake from
their wine ; worship with us Him Who is equal in substance
with the Father, and crowned with equal praises, and undistiri-
guishable preeminence. " For to Him every knee shall bow, Phil. ii. 10.
" of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
" the earth : and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ
u is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Amen.
n r
306 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXV1I.
( :.x. 2$, 24. And He turned Himself unto the disciples when they ivere
alone, and said. Blessed are the eyes ivhich see the things
that ye see. For I say unto you, that many prophets and
kings have desired to see the things which ye see, and have
a.Kov<rai IJLOV not seen them ; and to hear the things whicli ye hear, and
have not heard them.
THE shows which the world offers (in its games and theatres)
lead men often to the sight of things unprofitable, or rather,
to what constantly does them great injury. For the frequenters
of such places either give themselves up to the admiration of
dancers, and yielding to the soft langour they produce, are
dissolved in effeminate emotions ; or they extol the declaimers
of frigid sentiments ; or delight themselves in the sounds and
vibrations of pipes and harps. But vain and altogether unpro
fitable are such things, and able to lead the mind of man astray
from all good. But us, who practise a virtuous course of life,
and are earnest in upright deeds, Christ gathers in His holy
courts, that delighting ourselves in singing His praise, we may
again be made happy by His sacred words and doctrines, which
invite us unto eternal life.
Let us, therefore., see here too what gifts He has deigned to
bestow upon us, who have been called by faith in Him to the
knowledge of His glory. " And He turned Himself," it says,
" unto the disciples when they were alone, and said, Blessed
" are the eyes which see the things that ye see." Now, per
chance, some one may object, Why did He not address to all
who were assembled there His words describing these blessings?
and what made Him turn Himself to the disciples, so as to say
to them when they were alone, " Blessed are the eyes which
"see the things that ye see?" What then shall be our
reply ? That it is right to communicate matters of a more
secret nature, not to any chance person, but to the most in
timate friends. But those are His friends, whosoever have
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 307
been deemed by Him worthy of disciples!) ip : and the eye of
whose mind is enlightened, and their ear ready for obedience.
For He also said on one occasion to the holy apostles, " ISTo Joh.xv. 15.
" longer do I call you servants ; ye are My friends : for the
" servant knoweth not what his lord docth : but I have called
" you friends, because I have made known unto you all things
" which I have heard of My Father. " There were, no
doubt, many assembled there and standing in His presence
besides His chosen followers, but they were not all believers ;
and how then could He with truth say to them all, without
distinction, " Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye
see, and who hear the things that ye hear ?" It was, therefore,
with good reason that, having turned Himself to the disciples,
having, that is, averted His face from those who would neither
see nor hear, but were disobedient, and their mind darkened,
He gave Himself entirely to those who loved Him, and, looking
upon them, said, Blessed are the eyes which see, or rather,
gaze upon, those things which they were the first, before all
others, to behold.
Now the expression which is here used is taken from the
common custom of men, and we must bear in mind that in
such passages " seeing" docs not refer to the action of our bodily
eyes, but rather to the enjoyment of those things which are
bestowed by Christ on such as fear God. Just, for instance, as
if any one say, u So and so saw happy times," instead of
" enjoyed happy times." Or you may understand it in the
same way as that which is written in the book of Psalms,
addressed to those who constantly fixed their thoughts on
things above ; " And thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem," PS. cxxviii.
instead of, " thou shalt partake of the happiness of Jerusalem,"
even of that which is above, in heaven, which the wise Paul
calls " the mother of all saints." For what doubt can^ there Gal. iv. 6,
be that those who were spectators of the godlike miracles
wrought by Christ, and of the admirable works He performed,
were not necessarily in all cases blessed ? For all the Jews saw
Christ working with divine majesty, yet it would not be right
to account them all as blessed ; for they by no means believed,
nor did they see His glory with the eyes of the mind. Truly,
therefore, they were only the more guilty, and cannot prc
308 COMMENTARY UPON
perly be regarded as blessed, for though they saw Jesus pos
sessed of divine glory by the ineffable deeds which he wrought,
yet they did not accept faith in Him.
But come, in what way has blessedness befallen our eyes ?
and what have they seen ? and for what reason did they attain
to this blessino- ? Thev saw that God the Word, Who was in the
e> t/
form of God the Father, had become flesh for our sakes : they
saw Him Who shares the Father s throne, dwelling with us,
in our form,, that by justification and sanctification He might
fashion us after His own likeness, imprinting upon us the
beauty of His Godhead in an intellectual and spiritual manner,
i Cor. xv. And of this Paul is witness, who thus writes : u For as we have
" been clothed with the image of the earthy, we shall also be
" clothed with the image of the heavenly":" meaning by the
earthy man, Adam, the first created : but by the heavenly,
the Word Who is from above, and Who shone forth from the
substance of God the Father, but was made, as I said, in our
likeness. He Who by nature is a Son took the form of a slave,
not that by taking upon Him our state, He might continue in
the measure of slavery, but that He might set us free, who
were chained to the yoke of slavery, for every thing that is
made is by nature a slave, enriching us with what is His.
For through Him and with Him we have received the name of
sons, being ennobled, so to speak, by His bounty and grace. He
Who was rich shared our poverty, that He might raise man s
nature to His riches : He tasted death upon the tree and the
cross, that He might take away from the midst the offence in
curred by reason of the tree (of knowledge), and abolish the
guilt that was thereby, and strip death of his tyranny over us.
AVe have seen Satan fall : that cruel one broken : that haughty
one laid low : him who had made the world submit to the
yoke of His empire, stripped of his dominion over us : him
in contempt and scorn, who once was worshipped : him who
seemed a God, put under the feet of the saints : him who re
belled against Christ s glory, trampled upon by those who love
Him. " For they received power to rebuke the unclean spirits,
and to cast them out." And this power is a very great honour,
and too high for human nature, and fit only for the supreme
God.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 309
And of this too the Word manifested in human form was
the first to set us the example : for lie also rebuked the impure
spirits. But the wretched Jews again vomited forth against
Him their envious calumnies; for they said, " This man casteth Mat.xii.s 4 .
" not out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils."
But these wicked words of theirs the Lord refuted, saying ;
If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast
" them out ? But if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then
" has the kingdom of God come upon you." For if I, He says,
being a man like unto you, can thus exercise a divine power,
this great and excellent blessing has come upon you : for
human nature, lie says, is ennobled in Me, by trampling down
Satan. Upon us, therefore, the kingdom of God has come, by
the Word having been made like unto us, and working in the
flesh deeds worthy of God.
He also gave the holy Apostles po\ver and might even to
raise the dead, and cleanse lepers ; and heal the sick, and to
call down upon whomsoever they would the Holy Ghost from
heaven by the laying on of hands. He gave them power to
bind and to lose men s sins; for His words are, "1 say unto Mat. xviii.
" you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in l8 -
" heaven : and whatsoever ye shall lose on earth, shall be
" loosed in heaven. 1 " 1 Such are the things of which we see
ourselves possessed : and blessed are our eyes, and those of all
who love Him. We have heard His ineffable teaching : He
has given us the knowledge of God the Father : He has shewn
Him to us in His own nature. The things that were by Moses
were but types and symbols : Christ has revealed the truth to
us. He has taught us that not by blood ^md smoke, but rather
by spiritual sacrifices, we must honour Him Who is incorporeal
and immaterial, and above all understanding. Many holy pro
phets desired to see these things ; yea, and many kings : for
we find them at one time saying, " Shew me Thy mercy, Ps. bcxxv.
" Lord : and, O Lord, grant us Thy salvation." For they call 7
the Son Mercy and Salvation. At another time again ; " Re- Ps. cvi. 4 .
" member me, O Lord, with the favour of Thy people : and
" visit me with Thy Salvation : that we may behold the happi-
" ness of Thy chosen, and rejoice in gladness with Thy people. 1
And who the people are, that are chosen in Christ by God the
310 COMMENTARY UPON
Father, the wise Peter tells us, when saying to those who
Pet. ii. 9 . have been ennobled by faith : "But ye are a chosen genera-
" tion : a royal priesthood : a holy people, a redeemed multi-
" tude : that ye may tell forth His virtues, Who hath called
" you out of darkness into His marvellous light."
And to this we have been called by Christ : by Whom and
with Whom, to God the Father be praise and dominion, with
the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON LXVIII.
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, tempting Him, and c.x.zs-tf.
saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ? om Ka B
And He said unto Him, What is written in the law ? how
readest thou ? And he answered and said, That thou shalt
love the Lord thy God from all thy Iteart, and from a^eVcumdat.
thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: j^ g ^
and thy neighbour as thyself. And He said unto him, cum gen.^
Thou hast answered rightly : this do, and thou shalt live. qua
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus; And
who is my neighbour ? And Jesus answered, and said ; om. te B.
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and
fell among thieves, who, when they had stripped and beaten
him, went away, leaving him half dead. And by chance add. rvyxd-
there came down a certain priest that way : and when |^ v B s>
he saw him, he passed him by. And in like manner also
a Levite, when he came to the place, and saiv him, passed ad
him by. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came
to him; and when he satu him, his bowels yearned: and om.
he went to him, and bound up his wounds, and poured
upon them oil and wine. And having mounted him on his
own beast, he brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And the day after he took out two denarii, and gave them add.
to the host, and said to him, Take care of him: and if
thou spendest any thing more, when I come again I will 5^. B.^
repay thee. Which therefore of these three thinkest thou
was neighbour of him that fell among the thieves ? And he
said ; He that wrought mercy with him. And Jesus said |
unto him, Go, and do thou also likewise. j. O i v
A MOST base pest, my beloved, is double-dealing and hypo
crisy in our actions and conduct ; and for a man to make pre
tence of pleasant-spoken words, and of a tongue anointed, so to
speak, with the honey of deception, while the heart is full ot
utter bitterness. Of such we say, in the words of one of the
holv prophets, -Their tongue is a piercing arrow: the words Je, i:
312 COMMENTARY UPON
" of their mouth are deceitful : he speaketh peacefully to his
P. lv. 21. neighbour, and enmity is in his heart." And again; "Their
" words are smoother than oil, yet are they arrows :" by which
is meant that they have the force of darts falling violently and
shot forth from bows.
The proof of my assertion is close at hand : for let us exa
mine the lawyer s words : let us strip off his borrowed counte
nance : let us lay bare his scheming : let us view his pleasant
words sprung from deceit, and the guile which they conceal.
" For behold/ it says, " a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted
" Him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
By a lawyer, the blessed evangelist here meant, according to
the custom of the Jews, one acquainted with the law, or at
least having the reputation of knowing it, though in reality he
knew it not. This man imagined that he could entrap Christ;
and in what way I will mention. Certain tale-makers, accus
tomed to talk at random, went about everywhere in Judcea and
Jerusalem itself, accusing Christ, and saying, that He taught
that the commandment given by Moses was of no avail, and
refused to pay any attention to the law given of old to the fa
thers, while He Himself introduced new doctrines, and spake
to all who would fear God things out of His own mind, which
were not in accordance with the law that was given of old.
There were even then believers, who resisted the words of
these men, everywhere accepting the saving tidings of the
gospel. The lawyer therefore wishing, or even expecting to be
able to entrap Christ, and get Him to say something against
Moses, and affirm that His own doctrine was far better than
the commandment of which Moses was the minister, drew near
tempting Him, and saying, " What shall I do to inherit eternal
" life ?"
But any one who thoroughly understands the mystery of
the Incarnation may well say to him, If thou hadst been skilful
tupla. in the law, and in the meaning of its hidden teaching, it had
not escaped thee Who He is thou venturest to tempt. For thou
thoughtest that He was a mere man, and that only; and not
rather God, Who appeared in human likeness, and Who know-
eth what is secret, and can look into the hearts of those who
approach Him. In manifold ways is the Emmanuel depicted
to thee by the shadowing of Moses. Thou sawest Him there
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 313
sacrificed as a lamb, yet vanquishing the destroyer, and abo
lishing death by His blood. Thou sawest Him in the arrange
ment of the ark, in which was deposited the divine law : for
He was in His holy flesh like as in an ark, being the Word
of the Father, the Son that was begotten of Him by nature.
Thou sawest Him as the mercy-seat in the holy tabernacle,
around which stood the Seraphim [Cherubim] : for He is our
mercy-seat for pardon of our sins. Yea ! and even as man,
He is glorified by the Seraphim, who are the intelligent and
holy powers above ; for they stand around His divine and
exalted throne. Thou sawest Him as the candlestick with se
ven lamps in the Holy of Holies : for abundant is the Saviour s
light to those who hasten into the inner tabernacle. Thou
sawest Him as the bread placed upon the table : for He is the John vi. 51.
living bread, that came down from heaven, and giveth life to
the world. Thou sawest Him as the brazen serpent that was
raised on high as a sign, and being looked upon healed the
bites of the serpents : for though He was like us, in the form
therefore of that which is evil, as being in our form, neverthe
less He is by nature good, and continues to be that which He
was. For the serpent is the type of wickedness ; but yet, by
being lifted up, and enduring the cross for us, He rendered
powerless the bites of those rational serpents, who are no other
than Satan, and the wicked powers under his command.
But though the lawyer was invested with the reputation of
being instructed in the law, nevertheless He Who is marked
out by the shadowing of the law was completely unknown to
him, even though He was proclaimed of old by the words of
the holy prophets. For had he not been sunk in utter ignorance,
how could he have drawn near unto Him as to a mere man ?
Or how have ventured to tempt God, Who trieth the hearts
and reins, and to Whom nothing that is in us is hid ? For he
saith, " Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?"
Callest thou Him Teacher, when thou wilt not submit to learn ?
Makest thou a show of honouring Him, Whom thou hopest to
entrap, and placest thou as the bait upon thy hook the plea
santness of words ?
But what wouldst thou learn ? " For what, he says, shall I
" do to inherit eternal life ?" Observe again, I pray, the malice
in the lawyer s words. For he might have said, What shall I
s s
314 COMMENT AH Y UPON
do to be saved, or to please God, and receive reward of Him ?
But this he passes by, and uses rather the Saviour s ex
pressions, pouring ridicule upon His head. For as it was the
custom of our common Saviour Christ to speak constantly of
eternal life to as many as drew near unto Him, the haughty
lawyer to ridicule Him, as I said, makes use of His own
expressions.
Now hadst thou been truly desirous of learning, thou wouldst
have heard from Him the things that lead on to eternal life :
but as thou wickedly temptest Him, thou wilt hear nothing
more than those commands only which were given to them of
old time by Moses r . For " What," saith He, "is written in the
" law ? How readest thou T And on the lawyer s repeating
what is enacted in the law, as if to punish his wickedness, and
reprove his malicious purpose, Christ, as knowing all things,
saith, " Thou hast answered rightly : this do, and thou shalt
" live." The lawyer has missed his prey ; he has shot wide of
the mark, his wickedness is unsuccessful, the sting of envy has
ceased, the net of deceit is torn asunder, his sowing bears no
fruit, his toil gains no profit: and like some ship that mis
fortune has overwhelmed, he has suffered a bitter wreck. Let
us therefore cry out against him in the words of Jeremiah,
Jer. i. 24. " Thou art found, and caught, because thou hast stood up
" against the Lord."
But having, as I said, missed his prey, he falls headlong into
vanity ; he is hurried from one pitfall to another, from snare
to snare, from deceit to pride : vices, so to speak, lend him to
one another, and he is tossed about everywhere, one wicked
ness as soon as it has seized him thrusting him on unto
another, and carrying him whithersoever it may chance, and
easily making him wander from destruction to destruction.
For he does not ask in order that he may learn, but as the
Evangelist said, " wishing to justify himself." For observe
how from self-love as well as pride he shamelessly called out,
" And who is my neighbour s ?" And is there no one, lawyer,
r Mai adds from A 141, an inter- and the possession of some bless-
polation to the effect that the writ- ings ; and bringing forward Lev.
ings of Moses plainly did not con- xxvi. in proof,
tain as their sanction the promise of s Again Mai inserts, apparently
eternal life, but merely of the life from A 143, though possibly from
here, with deliverance from evils, F, a rhetorical dilation of S. Cyril s
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 315
like thec ? Dost thou raise thyself above every one ? Be less
supercilious : Remember what the author of the book of Pro
verbs says, " that those who know themselves are wise/ He Prov.
exalts himself therefore, and breathes forth proud things, and I0>
boasts himself in vain imaginations : but he learnt of Christ, ^
that as he was destitute of love towards his neighbours, the
bare profession only of being learned in the law profited him
in no way whatsoever. For God over all looketh at works
rather, arid giveth not praise to bare and merely fictitious
professions.
Very skilfully therefore does the Saviour of all weave the
parable of him who fell into the hands of thieves, saying, that
when he was lying half dead, and in the last extremity of evil,
a priest passed by, and in like manner a Levite, without feeling
towards him any sentiment of humanity, or dropping upon him
the oil of compassionate love ; but rather, their mind was un-
sympathizing and cruel towards him. But one of another race,
a Samaritan, fulfilled the law of love. Justly therefore He
asked, which of these three he thinks was the sufferer s neigh
bour. And he said, "He that wrought mercy with him."
And to this Christ added, "Go thou also, and act in like
" manner." Thou has seen, O lawyer, and it has been proved
by the parable, that it is of no avail whatsoever to any man, to
be set up by empty names, and to pride himself upon un
meaning ;m J ridiculous titles, so long as the excellence of deeds
does not accompany them. For the dignity of the priesthood
is unavailing to its owners, and equally so is the being called
learned in the law, to those who are so reputed, unless they
idea, as follows ; " Who is there for changed by the Gospel, but extend-
" me to love as myself? I surpass ed, so that the latter embraces not
" all : I am a lawyer : I judge all, only our countrymen, but all who
" and am judged of none : I decide share our nature : and these we are
" for all, and am liable to no man s to love more than ourselves, follow-
" decision : I differ from all : I am ing our Lord s example, who laid
" better than all : all need me, but down His life for His friends. As
" I need no one : who then is my it concludes however with a repe-
" neighbour, that I should love him tition in slightly different words of
as myself?" And the quotation the charge brought against the law-
from Proverbs is followed by a pas- yer of pride, it is not probable that
sage of some length, to the effect the passage belonged to the corn-
that the old commandments of love mentary.
to God and our neighbour are not
S 8 1
xm.
316
COMMENTARY UPON
excel also in deeds. For lo ! a crown of love is being twined
for him who loveth his neighbour : and he proves to be a
Samaritan. Nor is he rejected on this account : for he who
was foremost among the disciples, even the blessed Peter,
Acts x. 34. testified, thus writing, " In truth I perceive that God is not
" a respecter of persons : but in every nation, whosoever
" feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of
" Him." For Christ, Who loveth our virtues, accepteth all who
are diligent in good pursuits : by Whom and with Whom, to
God the Father be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost,
for ever and ever, Amen.*
* As S. Cyril in this Homily has
chiefly confined himself to unmask
ing the lawyer s motives, and has
devoted but few words to the pa
rable itself, the Catenists have en
deavoured to supply this omission
from other sources, and thus already
we have had in Mai three passages
not recognised by the Syriac. But
besides these, on v. 30 he has an
extract from E 179, of which only
the latter part is in the Syriac, and
which is to the effect that the ques
tion, Who is our neighbour, is to
be settled, not by a man s acts or
merits, but by his having the same
nature as ourselves : adding thereto
the remark that the neighbour is
more easily found by him who is
humble, than by one who is proud :
and lastly, on v. 34, a very long ex
tract from A B and E, contains an
allegorizing exposition of the whole
parable. The wounded man is hu
man nature, which Christ assumes,
and carries to the inn, the church,
the Travdoxe iov, or common recep
tacle of all, because no longer " the
" Ammonite and Moabite are ex-
" eluded," the command being to
" teach all nations." There his
wounds meet with fuller care than
they could by the way side, and for
the supply of all his wants Christ
gives unto the chief pastors of the
church two denarii, which are the
two testaments, both stamped with
the image of the same heavenly
King, as being inspired by the Holy
Ghost. And to these the pastors of
the church are to add their own la
bours, which will not be without
their reward, "for whatsoever thou
" spendest more, I, at My second
" advent, will repay thee."
Since writing tha^bove, I have
found that not only these two latter
extracts are from Theophylact, with
some verbal differences, but also the
previous one respecting the exten
sion in the gospel of the command
ments of love to God and our neigh
bour. Cf. Theoph. in Quat. Evang.
Comm. ed. Paris, 1631. pp. 384,
385* 387. Of these Cramer con
tains that of the two denarii being
the two testaments, anonymously.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 817
SERMON LXIX.
And it came to pass as they journeyed, that he entered into a c.x. 3 8- 4 a
certain village, and a certain woman named Martha re- om - *"
ceived Him into her house. And she had a sister called 3E&
Mary, who also sat at our* Lords feet, and heard His
J Z, ~n/r / if}ffov
word : out Martha ivas distracted ivith much service. K^
And standing before Him, she said, Lord, dost Thou
not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone ? Bid om. ofo s.
her help me. But our Lord answered and said unto her, ^a-ovsGs.
Martha, Martha, t/tou art anxious and busied about many K <V B ST.
things : but few things are required, or one : and Mary &\t yuv &
hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away F/ y f J/Bg"
from her. ^ s oe
CO-HI/ x/aeia
YE who love the virtues which adorn piety, and carefully GTs>
practice every art which becometh the saints, again come and
listen to the sacred doctrine, and let not the method of hospi
tality be unknown to you. For it is a great and valuable
quality, as the wise Paul testifies, where he writes, " Forget Heb.xiii. i.
" not hospitality : for thereby some have entertained angels
" unawares." Let us learn therefore of Christ, the Saviour of
all, this also, as well as all other things. For it would be a dis
grace to us, that while those who desire worldly wisdom, and
gather written learning, select the best teachers for their in
structors; we who are encouraged to pay earnest heed to
doctrines of such surpassing value, and may have as our in
structor and teacher Christ the Giver of all wisdom, do not
imitate this woman in her love of learning, even Mary,
who sat at the Saviour s feet, and filled her heart with the
doctrines He taught, feeling as if she could never have enough
of what so profited her.
For the Saviour lodged with the holy women, but Mary, it
11 Both here and in v. 41 the usage of the Syriac Scriptures to
the Syriac has j.^, our Lord: put .-Jo for 6 Kvpins, whenever it
but I have not marked it as a dif- signifies Christ,
ferent reading, because it is the
318 COMMENTARY UPON
says, listened to Him as He taught ; while the other, Martha,
was distracted with much service. She therefore besought
Him that her sister might share her carefulness with her. But
Christ consented not, saying, "Martha, Martha, thou art
< anxious and busied about many things : only few things are
" required, or but one." And He further praised Mary, that
" she had chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away
" from her." For the acquisition of spiritual blessings is never
lost.
The first thing however which we must examine is the
manner in which the Saviour again benefits His disciples, by
setting Himself before them as an example, in order that they
may know how and in what manner to behave in the houses of
such as receive them. For they must not immediately on
entering indulge themselves in relaxation, or suppose that
this is the reason why they lodge with men, but rather that
they may fill them with every blessing, and the divine and
sacred doctrines. So somewhere the blessed Paul also sends a
Rom. i. ii. message unto certain : "For I desire to see you, that I may
" give you some spiritual gift, that ye may be confirmed."
Observe therefore, that our Lord Jesus Christ, on entering to
lodge with these holy women, did not cease from giving
instruction, but still grants them, without stint, the sober doc
trines of salvation. And one of these women was steadfast in
her love of hearing : but Martha was distracted with much
service. Does any one then blame her for being occupied
with careful service? By no means. For neither does the
Saviour chide her for having proposed to herself the discharge
of this duty; but rather He blamed her, as one who was
labouring in vain, by wishing to procure more than was neces
sary. Arid this He did for our benefit, that He might fix a
limit to hospitality. For far better is that other part, of
earnestly desiring the divine doctrine.
We do not then say that the wish to entertain strangers,
when it does not aim at anything excessive, is to be despised,
and is no service. The saints especially are bound to be con
tent with little, and when they eat, and are prevailed upon to
draw near to the table, they do so, rather to appease the
infirmity of the body, in accordance with the laws of na
ture, than as caring about pleasure and relaxation. When
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 319
therefore we lodge with the brethren, in wishing to reap their
corporeal things, let us first sow for them things spiritual;
and imitating therein careful husbandmen, let us lay bare
their hearts, lest some root of bitterness spring up and injure
them : lest the worm of human innovation attack them, and work
in them secret decay. And if ought like this have happened,
then thrusting forthwith into their minds the saving word of
instruction, like the teeth of the mattock, let us eradicate the
root of ungodliness ; let us pluck up the heretical darnel from
the very bottom ; let us implant the knowledge of the truth :
thus we may reap the corporeal things of those who have
a superfluity, receiving them as a matter of debt: for the
workman, He saith, is worthy of his hire. And the law of
Moses, hinting at the same truth, saith somewhere in like
manner, " Thou shalt not muzzle the trampling ox." And as i Cor. ix.
Paul said, " Doth God care for oxen ? Or saith He it alto- 5
" gether for our sakes ? " Thou therefore wilt give things
more valuable than those thou receivest of men : for things
temporal Thou wilt give things eternal : for earthly things
things heavenly : for the things of sense, things intellectual :
for the things that perish, things that endure. And thus much
of those who receive hospitality.
But let those who open to them their house, meet them
cheerfully, and with alacrity, and as their fellows : and not so
much as those who give, but as those who receive : as those
who gain, and not as those who expend. And the more so as
they profit doubly ; for in the first place they enjoy the in
struction of those whom they hospitably entertain: and se
condly, they also win the reward of hospitality. Every way
therefore they are profited. When however they receive the
brethren into their house, let them not be distracted with much
service. Let them not seek any thing beyond their means, or
more than sufficient. For every where and in every thing
excess is injurious. For often it produces hesitation in those
who otherwise would be glad to receive strangers, and causes
but few [houses] to be found fit for the purpose : while it
proves a cause of annoyance to those who are entertained.
For the rich in this world delight in costly banquets ; and in
many kinds of viands, prepared curiously often with sauces
and flavours ; a mere sufficiency is utterly scorned, while that
COMMENTARY UPON
which is extravagant is praised, and a profusion beyond all
satiety is admired, and crowned with words of flattery. The
drinkings and revellings are excessive ; and the draining of
cups, and courses of wines, the means of intoxication and glut
tony. But when holy men are assembled at the house of one
who fears God, let the table be plain and temperate, the viands
simple, and free from superfluities : but little to eat, and that
meagre and scant: and a limited sufficiency of drink. In
every thing a small supply of such necessaries as will allay
the bodily appetite with simple fare. So must men receive
strangers. So too Abraham by the oak at Mamre, received
those three men, and won as the reward of his carefulness, the
promise of his beloved son Isaac. So Lot in Sodom honoured
the angels, and for so doing, was not destroyed by fire with
the rest ; nor became the prey of the inextinguishable flame.
Very great therefore is the virtue of hospitality, and espe
cially worthy of the saints : let us therefore also practise it,
for so will the heavenly Teacher lodge and rest in our hearts,
even Christ ; by Whom and with Whom, to God the Father be
praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever.
Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 321
SERMON LXX.
And it came to pass, that as He was in a certain place c. xi. 1-4.
praying, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto
Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his dis
ciples. And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our vdrtp
Father*, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy ^ ^$ v
ivill be done, as in heaven, so in earth ; give its every day 6 o ^ vr I 5
the bread of our necessity ; and forgive us our sins, for we O m. y fv . r.
also forgive every one that is indebted to us ; and bring us J^^ JJj
not into temptation. ^ r. 7775.
BGT.
O WARM and fervent in spirit, now also ye have come, and add.
we behold God s sacred court full of eager listeners. The pur- |r^
pose doubtless of your assembling is a pious one, and ye have rnpov s.
met together to be taught ; and He Who is the Dispenser of
the divine gifts, again satisfieth you with those things of which
ye wish to be accounted worthy, and prepareth a spiri
tual table, crying out and saying, " Come, eat of My bread, p rov . ix. 5.
" and drink the wine which I have mingled for you:" and as
the Psalmist saith, " Bread strengthened man s heart, and the p s . civ. 15-
" intellectual wine gladdeneth it." Let us therefore draw near
to the table now spread before us, even unto the signification of
the gospel lessons: and let us attentively consider what advan
tage it brings us, and what it begets in us of these qualities
which are necessary for the fitting honour of the saints.
" Christ," it says, " was praying alone :" and yet He is
very God, and the Son of God over all ; and Himself dispenses
* Though the Syriac has ^oo) sion, which exactly represents the
it is not equivalent to ndrtp fo&v, best Greek MS. procurable at Alex-
bat simply to Tmrep, the same rule andria in A.D. 508, Polycarp hav-
applvini to it as to * ; cf. note ing been sent thither for the express
i c v TTonr.tV.Pr il purpose of obtaining an exact repro-
to Serm. Ixix, of which another . ^ ^ ^ ^ rp est
lustration occurs here, the Kvpr just Jf^ ^^ authentic sources,
above being in the Syriac ^pc rea( j s Our Father, which art in
" Our Lord." S. Cyril in Sermon heav ^ an d correctly expresses
Ixxi expressly mentions that 6 > t ^ ^^ It algo con t a ins
rols ovpavols was read in St. Mat- W> v ause s^<Thv will be done," &c.,
thew s, but not in St. Luke s Gospel : ne ^ /
nevertheless the Philoxeman ver- and
T t
322 COMMENTARY UPON
to the creation all those things by means of which it flourishes
and is kept in being ; and Himself is absolutely in need of
Is. i.u. nothing: for He is "full," as He said Himself. Of what
4 then, some one asks, is He in need, Who by right of nature
possesses all that belongeth to the Father ? For He said
John xvi. plainly, " All that the Father hath is mine." But it is the
1 property of the Father to be full of all good, and of such
prerogatives as befit Deity : and this too belongs to the Son.
John i. 16. And knowing this the saints say, " Of His fulness have all we
" received." But if He give as from His own godlike ful-
ness, of what, can one say that He is in need, or what does He
want to receive from the Father, as though He had it not
already ? And for what, forsooth, does He pray, if He be full,
and needeth nothing that is the Father s !
To this we reply, that He permits Himself, in accordance
with the manner of the dispensation in the flesh, to perform
human actions whensoever He willeth, and as the season re
quires, without being liable to blame for so doing. For if He
ate and drank, and is found partaking of sleep, what is there
absurd, if also having humbled Himself to our measure, and
fulfilled human righteousness, He not unfitly offered up prayer?
And yet certainly He is in need of nothing ; for " He is full,"
as we already said. For what reason therefore, and in the
performance of what necessary and profitable duty, did He
pray? It was to teach us not to be slack in this matter,
but rather to be constant in prayers, and very urgent; not
standing in the middle of the streets ; for this some of the Jews
used to do, the scribes namely and Pharisees ; nor making
it an occasion of ostentation, but rather praying alone and
silently, and by ourselves : and, so to speak, conversing alone
with God alone, with pure and undistracted mind. And this
He clearly taught us in another place, saying of those who
Matt. vi. 5. were wont to make a show of their prayers ; " For they love
" to pray standing in the corners of the streets, and in the
" synagogues. But thou, when thou prayest, enter thy
" chamber, and shut thy door, and pray to thy Father Who
" is in secret ; and thy Father Who seeth in secret shall
" reward thee."
For there are men who make a gain of the reputation of
piety, and while earnestly attending to outward appearances,
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 323
within are full of the love of vainglory. These often, when
entering the church, first of all glance about in every direction,
to observe the number of those standing there, and see whether
they have many spectators. And as soon as the assembly
pleases them, then raising their hand to their forehead, not
once merely, but again and again they make there the sign
of the precious cross. And so spinning out a long prayer
according to their own fancy, they babble in a loud tone, as
though praying to the bystanders, rather than to God. To
such we say in the words of the Saviour, " Ye have received Mat. vi. 5.
" your reward :" since ye pray as hunting after the praises of
men, and not as seeking any thing of God. Thy wish is
fulfilled ; thou hast been praised as being religious ; thou hast
gained vainglory : but thou hast traded in a fruitless labour; thou
hast sown emptiness, and thou shalt reap nothing. Wouldst
thou sec the end of thy artifices? Hear what the blessed David
says ; that " God hath scattered the bones of them that please Pa. liii. 5.
"men." And by bones he here of course means not those of
the body ; for there are no instances of any men having suffered
this : but rather the powers of the mind and heart, by means
of which a man is able to effect good. The powers then of the
soul are that earnestness which leads on strenuously to perse
verance, spiritual manliness, patience and endurance. These
qualities God will scatter in such as please men.
In order therefore that we, withdrawing far from these dis
graceful ways, and escaping from the snares to which they are
exposed who seek to please men, may offer unto God prayer,
holy and blameless and undefiled, Christ made Himself our
example, by going apart from those who were with Him, and
praying alone. For it was right that our Head and Teacher
in every good and useful deed should be no other than He
Who is first among all, and receives the prayers of all, and
with God the Father bestows on those who ask Him what
soever they require. If therefore thou seest Him praying as a
man, that thou maycst learn how to pray, withdraw not from
the belief and conviction, that being by nature God Who
filleth all, He became like unto us and with us on earth as a
man, and fulfilled human duties as the dispensation required :
but that even so He was seated in heaven with the Father,
dispensing of His own fulness all things to all, accepting the
T t 2
324 COMMENTARY UPON
prayers of the dwellers upon earth, and of the spirits that are
above, and crowned by them with praises. For He ceased not
to be God by becoming like unto us, but continued even so to
be whatsoever He had been. For it became Him to be that
which He had been, since He is unchangeable, and, as Scrip-
James i. 17. ture declares, not subject even to a " shadow of turning/
But inasmuch as a long discourse is required for what re
mains, holding it in for the present, as it were, with a bridle,
lest it should become- tedious to the hearers, we will hereafter
with God s help explain it to you, when next Christ the
Saviour of us all assembles us here: by Whom and with
Whom, to God the Father be praise and dominion with the
Holy Ghost for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 325
SERMON LXXL
Upon, " Our Father, Who arty in heaven" C. xi. i.
OUll Lord Jesus Christ counted the insatiate desire of
learning as worthy of all praise, thus saying : " Blessed are Mat. v. 6.
" they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they
" shall be satisfied." For it is right constantly to hunger and
thirst after those things, by means of which a man becomes a
warm lover of saintly glories, and earnest in every good work.
And to all who are thus minded, Christ reveals the way by
which they can accomplish their desire. But serviceable is it
above all things besides for the religious unto salvation, that
they know how to pray, and offer not supplications displeasing
to Almighty God. For as the wise Paul wrote to us, "We know Eom. viii.
" not what to pray for as we ought." Let us therefore draw 2
near unto Christ, the Giver of wisdom, and say, " Teach us to Luke xi. i.
" pray." Let us bo like the holy apostles, who above all other
things asked of Him this profitable and saving lesson.
Now at our last meeting wo heard the gospel read, which
says of Christ, the Saviour of us all, that " it came to pass, that
" as He was in a certain place praying by Himself." And we
addressed you, explaining as well as we could the dispensation,
by reason of which Christ prayed : and when we had carried
our argument to this point, we reserved the rest for some fit
ting occasion. This has now arrived, and is present. Let us
then proceed to what follows ; for the Saviour said, " When
" ye pray, say, Our Father." And another of the holy evan
gelists adds, " who art in heaven." Mat - Vlt 9-
O boundless liberality ! incomparable gentleness, and that
befitteth Him alone! He bestows upon us His own glory:
He raises slaves to the dignity of freedom : He crowns man s
estate with such honour as surpasseth the power of nature :
He brings that to pass which was spoken of old by the voice
y S. Cyril notices below that the Matthew was that best known, as
sentence, " Who art in heaven," having been adopted in the htur-
was not found in S. Luke s Gospel, gies : or possibly from b Cyril
Its insertion therefore here is be- habit of quoting S. Matthew s Gos-
cause the fuller form given by S. pel in preference to b. Luke s.
326 COMMENTARY UPON
Ps. Ixxxii. of the Psalmist : " I said, Ye are gods : and all of you children
" of the Most High." For lol He rescues us from the mea
sure of slavery, bestowing upon us by His grace that which by
nature we possessed not : and permits us to call God Father,
as being admitted to the rank of sons. Of Him have we re
ceived this, together with all our other privileges : and the
wise John the Evangelist witnesses thereto, thus writing of
John i. IT. Him : " He came to His own, and His own received Him not :
" but to all who received Him He gave power to become the
" sons of God, even to those who believe in His Name : who
" were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
(f the will of man, but of God." For we have been fashioned
unto the sonship by that birth which is spiritually wrought in
1 Pet. 1.23. us, " not by corruptible seed, but rather by the living and
James i.i8. " abiding Word of God," as Scripture says. By willing it
" He begat us by the Word of truth, that we might be a kind
<e of firstfruits of His creatures ;" for so one of the holy apo
stles declares. And Christ Himself, in a certain place, clearly
John iii. 5. explained the manner of this birth by declaring ; " Verily I
" say unto you, that unless a man be born of water and Spirit,
" he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Or rather, for to
you it is right to speak even of those things that are mysteri
ous, He Himself became both the way and the door, and the
cause of a grace being bestowed upon us thus glorious and
worthy of our gaining by having taken upon Him our likeness.
For although in that He is perceived to be, and is God, He
Phil. ii. 7. i s f reGj y e t He took the form of a slave, that He might
bestow upon us those things which are His, and enrich the
slave with His own excellencies. For He alone is by nature
free, because He alone is Son of the Father, even of Him
Who is supreme above all, and ruleth over all, and Who is by
nature and verily free. For whatsoever has been brought into
existence bows the neck of slavery to Him Who created it.
Ps.cxix.gi. For the Psalmist singeth unto Him, saying, that " all things
" are Thy slaves :" but inasmuch as in the dispensation He
transferred to Himself what was ours, He has given us what
was His. And most wise Paul, the minister of His mysteries,
2 Cor.viii.9- is our proof, thus writing: " That when He was rich, He made
" Himself poor, that we by His poverty might be rich." For
our things, by which is meant the condition of human nature,
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 327
is poverty to God the Word : while it is wealth to human na
ture to receive what things are His. And of these one is the
dignity of freedom, a gift peculiarly befitting those who have
been called to sonship. And this, as I mentioned, is also His
gift : for He said unto us, " And call no man your Father on Mat. xxiii.
" earth : for One is your Father, Who is in heaven : and ye 9>
" all are brethren." And again, He Himself too, from His in
finite love to mankind, is not ashamed to call us brethren, thus
saying ; " I will preach Thy name to My brethren." For be- Ps.xxii.22.
cause Jle became like unto us, we thereby have gained bro
therhood with Him.
He commands us therefore to take boldness, and say in our
prayers, " Our Father." We children of earth and slaves, and
subject by the law of nature to Him Who created us, call Him
Who is in heaven Father. And most fittingly He makes those
who pray understand this also : that if we call God Father,
and have been counted worthy of so distinguished an honour,
must we not necessarily lead holy and thoroughly blameless
lives, and so behave as is pleasing to our Father, and neither
think nor say anything unworthy or unfit for the freedom that
has been bestowed upon us ? And so one of the holy apostles
spake : "If ye call Him Father, Who without respect of per- i Pet. 1.17.
" sons judgeth according to every man s work, let your con-
" versation during the time of your sojourning be in fear/
For it is a most serious thing to grieve arid provoke a father,
by turning aside unto those things which are not right. How
do earthly fathers act, or what is their feeling towards their
sons ? When they see them willing to conform themselves to
their wishes, and choosing that course of conduct which is
pleasing to them, they love and honour them ; they open to
them their house ; they multiply their presents of whatsoever
they wish, and acknowledge them as their heirs. But if they
are disobedient, and untractable, having no respect for the laws
of nature, and indifferent to that affection which is implanted in
us, they drive them from their house, and deem them unworthy
of any honour, or indulgence, or love : they even refuse to
acknowledge them as sons, and do not write them as their
heirs.
Mount now, I pray, from things as they are with us to those
that transcend us. Thou callest God Father : honour Him with
328 COMMENTARY UPON
ready obedience : yield submission as that which is His due :
live so as He pleaseth : shew not thyself harsh or proud, but,
on the contrary, tractable and submissive, and ready without
delay to follow His directions, so that He may hono ur thee in
return, and appoint thee fellow-heir with Him Who is the Son
Rom. viii. by nature. For if " He gave Him for us, how will He not with
" Him also give us all things/ according to the expression of
the blessed Paul. But if thou hast no regard for thyself, and
therefore heedest not the bounteous gift that is bestowed, thou
art proved to be bold, and, so to speak, without salt, loving
pleasure more than thou lovest the Father. Fear, therefore,
lest of thee also God say that which was spoken of the
Is. i. i. Israelites by the word of Isaiah; " Hear, heavens; and
" give ear, earth, for the Lord hath spoken : I have be-
" gotten and brought up children, but they have rejected Me."
Heavy in every way, my beloved, is the guilt of those who
rebel ; and most wicked the crime of rejecting (God). Very
wisely therefore, as I said, does the Saviour of all grant us to
call God Father, that we, well knowing that we are sons of
God, may behave in a manner worthy of Him Who has thus
honoured us ; for so He will receive the supplications which
we offer in Christ : by Whom and with Whom to God the
Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever
and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
SERMON LXXIL
Upon " Hallowed be Thy Name." 0. xi. 2.
ALL who desire the sacred words of God, the prophet
Isaiah commands, saying; " Ye who thirst come to the waters:" Is . i v . lm
for whosoever will may draw from the life-giving fountain.
And who is this fountain ? Plainly it is Christ, and His doc
trines. For He has somewhere said unto us, " Whosoever Johnvii.37.
" thirsteth, let him come unto Me and drink." Let us then
once again come as to a fountain : let us fill our souls : let us
satiate ourselves of the torrent 2 of pleasure. For the blessed
David somewhere in a psalm thus speaketh of Him unto God
the Father: " They shall be satisfied with the fatness of Thy Ps.xxxvi.8.
" house : and Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of
" Thy pleasure. For with Thee is the fountain of life." For
the river of pleasure is richly poured forth for us, and the foun
tain of life, even that which is in Christ : Who also by one of
the prophets has thus spoken concerning us ; " Behold, I bend Is. ixvi. 12.
" down unto them as a river of peace, and as a torrent flooding
" them with the glory of the Gentiles/
For observe how Christ watereth us with rich streams of
spiritual blessings. For what will He next teach us ? When ye
pray, He says, say, " Our Father, Hallowed be Thy Name."
Now behold ! already we have discoursed unto you not without
profit, when explaining in what manner it is right for us to
say, " Our Father." And ye, I think, remember my words,
in that ye are, as I said, eager after learning. In order, there
fore, that we may not say the same things ; for that were te
dious to attentive listeners, who store up in the treasure-house
z I.X.KO is not a river, but a ley, but really a constantly-flowing
torrent flowing after rain ; whence stream, the bed therefore of which
cornea its other signification of a could not be cultivated.) Ihese tor-
valley, (the only one noticed by rent beds are what m India are called
Castellus,) as the bed of such " nallahs :" and as generally being
streams was often of considerable rough and precipitous, the word is
breadth, and cultivated in the dry used by the Synac translator to re-
season: cf. Deut. xxi. 4. ( ? nK br present <j>apayt in Luke in. 5.
translated in the A.V. a rough val-
U U
330 COMMENTARY UPON
of their heart whatever they have already understood, and
wish constantly to advance unto something further, let us pro
ceed to that which follows, namely, " Hallowed be Thy Name:"
and let us consider in what way this also must be understood.
Do we then pray that additional holiness may accrue unto the
all-holy God ? And how would not this be absolutely absurd ?
For if indeed there be anything wanting to God over all, in
order to his being perfect, and in need of nothing, He may
Is. i. ii. need additional holiness : but if He be full, as He says, and in
every respect perfect in and by Himself, and the Giver of ho
liness to the creation out of His own fulness; what addition
can He receive ? For all things are His, and He has reached
the highest perfection in every good : for this is also an attri
bute of His by nature. And besides it is a foolish and ridicu
lous thing for those who pray to imagine that they offer their
supplications not on their own behalf but on His. What there
fore is the meaning of " Hallowed be Thy Name ?"
We say then, that men do not supplicate for any addition of
holiness to accrue unto God over all : for who is greater than
Heb. vii. 7. He, and able to give Him any increase ? " For without all
" doubt the less is blessed of the greater." But they suppli
cate rather that this may be granted unto them and all man
kind. For when it is our settled conviction and belief, that He
Who by nature is God over all, is Holy of the Holies, then we
confess His glory and supreme majesty : then we receive His
fear into our mind, and lead upright and blameless lives, that by
thus becoming ourselves holy, we may be able tp be near unto
Lev. xi. 44. the holy God. For it is written; "Become ye holy: for I am
Lev. x. 3. " holy." And He once also said to the hierophant Moses, " I will
" be hullowed in them that draw nigh unto Me." The prayer
therefore is, May Thy Name be kept holy in us, in our minds
and wills : for this is the signification of the word " Hallowed."
For just as one who suffers under a disease in his bodily sight,
and is able to see but little, and with difficulty; and prays,
saying, Lord of all, grant that the light of the sun s radiance
may illuminate me also, does not, we affirm, make his suppli
cations on the sun s behalf, but, on the contrary, upon his own :
so also if a man say, " Our Father, hallowed be Thy Name,"
he is not requesting any addition to be made to God s holiness,
but rather asks, that he may himself possess such a mind and
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 331
faith, as to feel that His Name is honourable and holy. The
act therefore is the source of life, and the cause of every bless
ing : for to be thus affected towards God, how must it not be a
thing worthy of the highest estimation, and useful for the sal
vation of the soul ?
But do not imagine, that when those who depend upon His
love are earnest in their supplications towards God, that they
ask these things of Him for themselves alone : but know ra
ther, that their purpose is to intercede for all the dwellers
upon earth : for those who already have believed ; and for
those who have not as yet received the faith, nor acknowledged
the truth. For for those who already have believed, they ask
that their faith may be established, and that they may be able
to practise the glories of the more excellent life : while for
those who as yet are not believers, they ask that they may be
called, and their eyes be opened ; even in this following the
footsteps of Christ, Who according to the words of John is
" the Advocate with the Father for our sins : and not for our s i Johnii.i.
" only, but for the whole world." He therefore Who is the In
tercessor for the saints, and for the whole world, wills that His
disciples be like Himself. When therefore men say to the
Father, " Hallowed be Thy Name, 11 bear in mind, that among
those who have not as yet gained the light of truth, nor re
ceived the faith, the Name of God is despised. It does not as
yet seem to them to be holy, honourable, and adorable. But
no sooner has the light of truth risen upon them, and they
have with effort awoke as from some night and darkness, then
learning Who and how great He is, they acknowledge Him as
Holy of the Holies, and have correspondent sentiments and
belief.
But that the phrase, that God is hallowed by us, is a con
fession of our regarding Him as Holy of Holies, and does
not bestow on Him any additional holiness, thou rnayost under
stand hence. One of the holy prophets said, "Hallow the Is. viii.i 3 .
" Lord, and He shall be Thy fear : and if thou trustest m
" Him, He shall be holiness unto tl?ee." Do we then make
God holy ? Is it the act of human nature to bestow ought on
God? Does the thing made benefit the Maker? Does any
man imagine that He, Who of his fulness richly distributes
unto the creature His gifts, will Himself receive ought of us,
U U 1
332 COMMENTARY UPON
whose place it is to listen to the words of the blessed Paul ;
i Cor. iv. 7. " What hast thou that thou hast not received ?" When, there
fore, the prophet said, " Hallow the Lord, and He shall be thy
" fear, and holiness unto thee ;" we affirm that what he teaches
is, * Believe that He is holy, for then ye will fear Him ; and
so He will thus be to you the means of holiness. And it is
Is. xlix. 7. written again of Christ the Saviour of us all ; " Hallow Him,
who despised Himself." For He did despise Himself, by
deeming His life of no account, and laying it down for our
sakes. But let Him be hallowed, it says, by you : that is, let
Him be acknowledged as holy. For such He is by nature, as
being very God, and the Son of God. For to be essentially
holy suits not any one whatsoever of those things, which from
nonexistence have been brought into being: but only that
supreme nature which transcends all. By believing therefore
that He is by nature holy ; for this is the meaning of our
hallowing Him ; we further acknowledge Him to be very
God.
For ourselves therefore and not for God let us pray, saying,
" Hallowed be Thy Name." For if we are thus disposed, and
with free mind offer up prayers such as this, God the Father
will accept us, and Christ with Him will bless us : by Whom
and with Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion,
with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.
XI. 2.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 333
SERMON DXIII.
Upon " Thy kingdom come." C.
THOSE who love riches, and whose mind is set on wealth
and gain, gather by every means in their power the wished for
ohject, and there is no labour they will not undertake. But
their pursuit ends in no happy issue : For what," as the Mat. xvi.
Saviour saith, " is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, 26
" but lose himself?" But those who love the Word of salva
tion, and unrol the divine Scripture as a treasure, and care
fully search out the things therein concealed, find the lifegiving
knowledge which leads them on to every virtuous pursuit,
and makes them perfect in the knowledge of the doctrines of
truth. Let us search therefore into the sense of the passage
set before us. And our object is intelligently to see what the
Saviour commanded. For we must, He said, when we pray
say, " Thy kingdom come." Nevertheless He reigns over all
with God the Father : nor can any addition be made to His
kingly glory, either as accruing to Him from without, or as
given Him by another. Nor did it gather by the course of
time, but, so to speak, sprang up with Him without a beginning.
For He at all time was and is that which He was. Altogether
therefore, and in every way it follows upon His being God by
nature and verily, that He must be omnipotent, and that this
glorious attribute is, so to speak, His without a beginning, and
without end. For one also of the holy prophets said unto
Him, "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever, and yet." Ex. xv. 18.
And the divine Psalmist too says, "Thy kingdom is an ever- Ps.cxlv.is,
" lasting kingdom." And again ; " God is our king before Ps. ixxiv.
" the worlds." Since, therefore, God ever reigns, and is omni- l<i
potent, with what view do those who call God Father offer up
to Him their supplications, and say, Thy kingdom come ?
They seem, therefore, to desire to behold Christ the Saviour of
all rising again upon the world. For He will come, He will come
and descend as Judge, no longer in low estate like unto us, nor in
the meanness of human nature ; but in glory such as becometh
God, and as He dwells in the unapproachable light, and with the iTim.vi.i6.
334 COMMENTARY UPON
angels as His guards. For so He somewhere Himself said,
Mat. xvi. that " the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father,
" with His holy angels." And I think, therefore, that I ought
to add this too : that at the consummation of this world He will
descend from heaven, but no longer to instruct those on earth, as
He did of old, nor again to shew them the way of salvation ;
the season for this has passed away ; but to judge the world.
And the wise Paul also bears witness to what I say, declaring
2 Cor. v. 10. that " we all must be revealed before the judgment seat of
" Christ, that every man may be requited for those things
" that were by means of the body, according to what he hath
" done, whether it be good, or whether it be bad."
Terrible, therefore, is that judgment seat ; without respect
of persons is the Judge ; it is a time of pleading, or rather
of trial, and of retribution. The fire is prepared for the
wicked, and enduring punishment, and eternal torments : and
how can men pray to behold that time ? Observe, I pray again,
the Saviour s skilfulness, and His admirable management in
every particular. For He commanded them to ask in prayer
that this dread time may come, to make them know that they
must live, not carelessly, nor dissolutely, nor moreover as be
guiled into laxity and the love of pleasure ; but, on the con
trary, as becometh saints, and according to God s will : that so
that time may prove the bestower upon them of crowns, and
not of fire and condemnation f . For for the wicked and impure,
in that they lead base and lascivious lives, guilty of every vice,
it were in no way fit for them in their prayers to say, Thy
kingdom come. Rather let them know that in so saying they,
as it were, charge God with blame, because the time of their
punishment does not quickly arise and manifest itself. Of them
Amos v.i 8. one of the holy prophets said, " Woe unto those that desire
" the day of the Lord ! What will the day of the Lord be unto
" you ? For it is darkness, and not light ; and that thick dark-
" ness in which is no brightness."
f Aquinas, who has preserved cc. xxv. xxvi., however, does affirm
this passage, has added to it an its absence, saying that two clauses
assertion that the clause, " Thy will are wanting in the shorter form of
be done," &c., is borrowed from the Lord s Prayer as given by St.
St. Matthew; but really we have Luke; namely, "Thy will be done"
seen that S. Cyril acknowledges it and " Deliver us from evil :" and
as a part of St. Luke s Gospel, all modern editors, except Lach-
S. Augustine in his Enchiridion, mann, agree in rejecting both.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
t.
The saints, therefore, ask that the time of the Saviour s
perfect reign may come, because they have laboured dutifully,
and have a pure conscience, and look for the requital of what
they have already wrought. For just as those who are ex-
P^ctin^,a_Jestival and merriment about forthwith to come,
and shortly to appear, thirst for its arrival, so also do they.
For they trust that they shall stand glorious in the presence of
the Judge, and hear Him say : " Come, ye blessed of My Mat. xxv.
" Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 34
" foundations of the world." They were wise and zealous
stewards, when their Lord set them over His household, to
give them their meat in its season. Well and wisely did they
distribute to their fellow servants those things by the receiving
of which they had themselves before been made rich ; for they
remembered Him Who said : " Freely ye have received, freely Mat. x. 8.
" give." When they received of Him the talent, they did not
bury it in the earth. They were not like that slothful, and
indolent, and careless servant, who drew near, saying, " Lord, Mat. xxv.
" I knew Thee that Thou art a hard man ; reaping where ?4
" Thou sowedst not, and gathering whence thou scatteredst not :
" and I was afraid, and hid the talent. Behold ! Thou hast
" Thine own." They, on the contrary, traded : and so they
brought it greatly multiplied, saying, " Lord, Thy pound hath Luke xix -
" made ten pounds," and were admitted to yet further honours
They possessed an active, and right hearty, and courageous
disposition ; they had put on the panoply of God ; the breast- Eph.vi. 13.
plate of righteousness ; the helmet of salvation ; had taken the
Spirit s sword : It did not escape them that they had a war,
not against blood and flesh, but against magistracies, against
powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the
spirits of wickedness in the heavenly regions. For many
wove for themselves crowns of martyrdom, and by enduring
conflicts, even unto life and blood, were made " a spectacle to i Cor. iv. 9.
" the world, and to angels, and to men," and were accounted
worthy of all admiration. There were others who endured
labours and persecutions, eagerly contending for His glory.
" Cruel wolves sprang in upon Christ s flocks, not sparing the Actsxx.^.
" flock," as the divine Paul declares. " Deceitful workers;" 2Cor.xi.i 3 .
" false apostles," vomiting forth the gall of the malice of the
devil, and "speaking perverse things," such as lead ignorant souls Actsxx. 3 o,
336 COMMENTARY UPON
i Cor. viii. to destruction, and " wound their weak conscience." These, by
flattering the powers of this world, brought persecutions and
distresses upon the champions of the truth. But they made no
great account of what they suffered, for they looked unto the
hope which they had in Christ. For it was not unknown to them
2Tim.ii.i 2 . thaj; " by suffering for Him they would reign with Him." They
Phil.iii. 2 i. knew that at the time of the resurrection, " He will change the
body of their humiliation into the likeness of His glorious body."
They fully believed what He said about the consummation of
the world, that when He shall appear to them again from
Mat. xiii. heaven, " they shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their
" Father." Justly, therefore, in their prayers they say, "Thy
" kingdom come." For they feel confident that they shall receive
a recompense for their bravery, and attain to the consumma
tion of the hope set before them.
May it be our lot also to be counted worthy of this great
inheritance in Christ ; by Whom and with Whom to God the
Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever
and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 337
SERMON LXXIV.
Upon " Thy will be done; as in heaven, so on earth." c. xi. i.
THE prophet David made his supplications to Christ the
Saviour of all, saying, " Lead me unto Thy truth, and teach Ps. xxv. 5.
" me that Thou art God my Saviour." For all those are
taught of God who are in Christ by faith ; and among these
are we. Of Him, therefore, let us ask the explanation of His
words : for whosoever would understand correctly and without
error what He wishes to teach, are in need of divine light :
but He is the Giver of all wisdom, and sheds His light upon
the mind and heart of those that ask Him. For again the
Psalmist said, " Open mine eyes, and I shall behold Thy won- Ps.cxix.i8.
" ders out of Thy law. 1 Let us, therefore, examine this part
also of the prayer : for it will profit us in no slight degree to
the salvation of the soul. Why then did He command the
saints to say unto God the Father in heaven, " Thy will be
" done ; as in heaven, so in earth ?"
Worthy of the saints, and full of all praise is this petition
also. For for them to ask that the good -will of God may
prevail on earth, what else is it but to ask that all mankind
may lead praiseworthy and elect lives, and practise and know
all virtue ? By so doing, the holy angels, we affirm, dwell
in glory in heaven : for it is written; " Bless the Lord all ye Ps. ciii. u.
" His powers ; His ministers who do His will." For by ad
hering to the will of their Lord, and fulfilling that righteous
ness which transcends human things, they preserve their high
estate, whereas those who acted otherwise fell therefrom.
But to gather to a head, and, so to speak, collect briefly
the meaning of the words, we supplicate, that power may be
given to the dwellers upon earth to do the will of God, and
imitate the conduct practised above in heaven by the holy
angels. Let us see, therefore, as well as we can, in what way
the powers above and the ranks of the holy angels successfully
perform their duty. How do they honour God? Is it by
sacrifices of blood ? Is it by perfume and frankincense, as for
sooth the Israel after the flesh did ? But this I think is alto-
x x
338 COMMENTARY UPON
gether incredible both to think and say. For it is rather true
to affirm that they fulfil a spiritual and not a material service,
ever crowning with lauds and praises the Creator of all, and
fulfilling that righteousness which is suitable to holy spirits.
Those, therefore, who in their prayers ask that the will of
God may be done also on earth, ought necessarily themselves
to live blamelessly, and to pay no regard to these earthly
things, but free themselves from all impurity, and leap out of
2 Cor. vii. the pitfalls of iniquity, and " perfect holiness in the fear of
" God ;" that as Paul also saith, even while walking upon earth,
Phil. iii. 20. their conversation may be in heaven." And above all others
let those who belong to the Jewish multitude, but have been
enriched with the righteousness that is in Christ by faith,
know that it is altogether fitting for them if they would fulfil
the word of God, to cease from the shadows of the law, and
abandon the service that consists in semblances and types :
and choose rather the service which is spiritual, and pure, and
John iv. 24. immaterial. For as the Saviour somewhere said, " God is a
" Spirit ; and they that worship Him must worship Him in
" spirit and in truth. For such the Father also requireth
" those to be who worship Him."
For that the legal manner of service is not what He re
quires, is a thing in no respect difficult to see from the pro
phetic and apostolic writings. For by the word of Jeremiah He
Jer. vi. 20. says, " Why bring ye unto Me the frankincense from Sheba ;
" and cinnamon from a far country ? Your whole burnt-offering
" is not acceptable, and your sacrifices please Me not." And
Ps. l. 9. by the voice of David, " 1 will not take bullocks from thy
" house, nor he goats out of thy flocks : should I eat the flesh
" of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" And the blessed Paul
also shows that the service that is by the law is powerless unto
Gal. iii. ii. justification, thus saying ; " For that no man is justified by the
" law before God is evident." The will therefore of God, that
will which we pray may be done upon earth, is not that we
should conform to the law, and live according to the grossness
of its letter, but that we should endeavour to live by the gospel.
And this is effected by a faith correct and free from error, and
by a holy life, possessed of the sweet savour of every virtue,
and proved by the testimony of good and noble conduct in
every thing that is excellent.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.
And to explain also in another way the sense of what is laid
before us, we say, that those who utter unto God the petition
" Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth," pray that they
may see the cessation of sin. For the law of Moses was given
unto the Israelites to be their schoolmaster; but those who
received it paid but slight heed to its commands : they were
" lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;" and turned 2 Tim. iii. 4 .
aside to follow their own will : for they wandered after the
doctrines and commandments of men. For God also some
where said of them; "This people draweth near unto Me; Is.xxix.i3.
" with their lips they honour Me, but their heart is far from
" Me. But in vain fear they Me, while teaching the doctrines
" and commandments of men." And He also said of them by
the word of Jeremiah ; " Hear, earth, behold I bring upon Jer. vi. 19.
" this people evils ; the fruit of their turning aside : because
" they have not regarded My Word, and have rejected My
" law." Such then was the state of the Jews. But that
other multitude, spread over the whole earth, was in error in
manifold ways. " For they served the creatures instead of the Rom. i. 25.
"Creator:*" and having humbled their mind to submission
unto unclean spirits, were led by them readily and without
understanding, into every thing base, and every kind of wick
edness was honoured among them, and " they gloried in their Phil.iii.ig.
" shame," as Scripture saith.
The saints therefore supplicate, that both of these, as well
Israel as the Gentiles, may be counted worthy of peace froui
on high, and be comforted in that they were in misery, and
caught, so to speak, in the net of sin, without possibility of
escape : that having received the righteousness which is in
Christ by faith, they may become pure, and skilful in every good
work. For this reason they pray, " Thy will be done, as in
" heaven, so in earth :" for as I said, the will of God over all
is, that the dwellers upon earth should live holily, and piously,
and without blame, being washed from all impurity, and dili
gent in imitating the spiritual beauty of the spirits above in
heaven ; so that the church on earth, being, as it were, the
visible likeness and image of the " church of the firstborn" that Heb. i.
is above, may please Christ; by Whom, and with Whom, to
God the Father be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost,
for ever and ever, Amen.
x x 2
340 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXXV.
c - xi - 3- Upon " Give us every day our needful bread"
THOSE who possess earthly riches invite to their house
such of their friends as they wish to honour,, and setting before
them a costly banquet, make them enjoy themselves, though
providing for them nothing further than the satiating of the
appetite. But the Saviour and Lord of all, feasts us not with
bodily enjoyments ; for this is profitless, and injurious even to
the body itself: rather He banquets with spiritual feasts the
hearts of those who would live virtuously, bestowing on them
the saving doctrine of the gospel, by means of which a man
becomes full of all good, and an heir of eternal life. And what
I have said is clearly taught us in the passage now set before
us. For when ye pray, He says, ye must say, " Give us every
" day the bread of our necessity."
But some, perchance, may think and even say, that it is
unsuitable and not fitting for the saints to ask of God these
corporeal things ; and may therefore divert what is said to a
spiritual sense ; and affirm that they ask not earthly bread,
nor that for the body, but rather That Which came down
from above, from heaven, and gave life to the world. And I
too without all doubt would say, that it most becomes the saints
earnestly to endeavour to be accounted worthy of spiritual
gifts. We must, however, also understand, that though they ask
simple bread, and this be what the Saviour bids them do, that
their address to God is nevertheless free from all blame, and
suitable to the piety of their lives. For examine what is the
sense concealed in these words, and with what doctrines it is
pregnant. For in that He commanded to ask for the bread,
that is, for the food of a day, it is evident, that He does not
permit them to possess any thing, but requires them rather
to practise a saintlike poverty. For to ask is not the part
of those who have, but of those rather who are in need of
what the body indispensably requires, and cannot do without.
Should then any one who is in want of nothing, say unto the
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 341
omniscient God, " Give us the bread of a day," he would of
course seem to wish to receive in derision, or perchance even to
ridicule the meaning of the command, and to imagine as some
do, " That the Lord doth not see, neither the God of Jacob p a . xc iv. 7.
" understand." By this very command therefore, inasmuch as
they ask what they have not, we may perceive, that He does
not wish His disciples to set their desire upon wealth. And
this He is found elsewhere clearly enjoining : "Be not anxious Mat.vi.25.
" for yourselves, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ;
" neither for your body what ye shall put on : for all these
" things the Gentiles seek after. But seek ye chiefly the
" kingdom of God and His righteousness : and all these things
" shall be added unto you. For your heavenly Father knoweth
" that all these things are needed by you."
The word (TTLOVO-LOS a , applied here to the bread, some explain
as meaning that which is coming, and about to be given in the
future world, understanding it again spiritually : while others
give the word a different sense. But if it be true, that the bread
men make mention of when they pray, is that which is to be
a The meaning of the word eVt- sion, and which is quite untenable,
OIHTIOS has greatly troubled inter- we have Cyril s second derivation
preters : but the two explanations from r! and ovcrm, which he sup-
given by Cyril are the most im- ports by the analogy of TTfptovo-ioy,
portant. Of these the first derives a word coined by the LXX, as eVt-
it from 7ret/u, to come upon, or ra- oixnos was by the Evangelists. And
ther from the participle eVtoOo-a, this analogy is, I think, conclusive;
which with foe pa understood, signi- for as ntpiovaios means that which
fies tomorrow. And Jerome even exceeds our absolute needs, and so is
mentions that in the apocryphal abundant; similarly emovo-ios means
Hebrew gospel the reading was nnb that which just meets our absolute
TO tomorrow s bread; but it seems nee ^> * nd s is barel V sufficient,^,
scarcely possible to suppose that as Cyril renders it a.rap^- J^
Svriac version of the gospels lately
our Lord commanded us to pray ^ Dr. Cureton gives no
unto God to give us today tomor- P the Interpretation, being in
row s bread. Nor is much gained
by explaining that tomorrow s bread S - Mat - PW I*-*! ^^ C
signifies that of the life to come; ^ ooi "Give us our bread con-
for it is even more improbable that slant of the day," and in S. Luke,
according to S. Luke s reading, we >ooJia! }-L^c| fe-"-^ --* <^ OT
are to pray for this to be given us " Give us the constant bread of
" every day." Passing by Jerome s every day." The Peschito, how-
own rendering of supersubstan- ever, and Philoxenian both agree
tialem, which he substituted for the with S. Cyril in rendering it " our
quotidianum of the old Latin ver- " necessary bread."
COMMENTARY UPON
given them in the world to come, why do they add, " Give it
" us every day?" For by this we may see, that what they
request is their daily provision, asking not as loving wealth,
but as free from all earthly anxiety. We must explain there
fore TTLovcnos as meaning that which is necessary and sufficient.
The blessed Paul has somewhere applied this phrase to Christ
the Saviour of us all, with a slight alteration ; for he said that
K- U- "He has prepared for Himself a people ire/wcrtW," using Trcpt-
ovo-ios instead of imofoios, and meaning a people sufficient, and
not falling short of perfectness. When therefore they ask
food for the day, understand, that they offer the request as
men free from the desire of riches, and who count it their boast
to be entirely destitute of earthly things.
For it is fitting for those who are appointed to the priest
hood, to be free from all worldly distraction and care, whoring
after none of those things which overwhelm men with necessary
cares, and cast them as in a slough into the filth of worldly
i Tim. vi. lusts. " For the love of money is the root of all evil." And
it is right that I should say to those who would renounce such
faults, that they must strip off for the world what belongs to it,
and deny these bodily things, and seek from God those things
only which are necessary for existence, protesting as it were
against the weakness of the body, which constantly requires
food ; and ready, were it lawful utterly to escape from it, and
life could so be prolonged, even to accept this with great joy.
For just as those who know how to contend in bodily strife,
and are skilled in the combats of the games, strip off even their
garments, and stand up manfully against the vigorous strength
of their opponents ; so also the saints, withdrawing from all
worldly anxiety, and bodily lusts ; and careless even of having
abundance of food, and stripping as I said to oppose Satan and
the enemies of the truth, apply themselves to the contests of
the priestly office, and conquer as combatants. And the divine
Tim.ii.4. Paul too somewhere said of those that war in the flesh : "No
" man that warreth entangleth himself with worldly mer-
" chandise, that he may please him who hath chosen him for a
" soldier." For he goeth not forth to the combat laden with
superfluities, but on the contrary only taking with him such
equipments as are fit for warriors.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 343
It becometh therefore the saints, as having a combat to
wage, not only " against blood and flesh, but also against Eph.vi. 12.
" magistracies and powers, and against the world-rulers of
" this darkness, and against the spirits of evil in the hea-
" venly regions," to be so well girt in mind, as not to be
open to the grasp of those who resist them, and who war
against the message which they proclaim. And it is right also
for them to be single-minded, that is, to think only of those
things which please the Lord, not being partly given up unto
worldly anxiety, but being all of them entirely holy and with
out blame, so to make their conduct a sacrifice unto God. For
it is written that "every sacrifice of the priest shall be a whole Lev. vi.z?,,
" burnt-offering." For the lives of the worldly are " divided b ," i Cor. vii.
according to the expression of the blessed Paul ; but of the 33- *
saints not so: but they are entirely consecrated, completely
holy, emitting a sweet savour unto God : and this we say is a
whole burnt-offering. But when ought that is unsaintly is
found in any, it pollutes the sacrifice, alters and divides it : or
rather filth is mingled with the ointment ; for its sweet savour
has utterly perished. But the love of money is an unsavoury
thing ; and the being anxious for the things of the body ; for
God has everywhere promised the saints that they shall not
want. If then we do not believe that He will grant this, we
become partakers of the unbelief of the Jews. For when God
over all wonderfully and ineffably brought out for them water
from the rock, they murmured at Him saying; "Can God Pa. ixxviii.
" prepare a table in the wilderness?" And why can He not,
and wherefore should He not give what He has promised? For
all men of good character abide faithfully by their words : and
how shall God Who transcends all, be false in ought that He
hath promised ? Men moreover, after having promised some
good, are often too weak to fulfil their engagements : but He
who knoweth no weakness, but rather is the Lord of powers,
Who doeth whatsoever He will without labour and with ease,
how shall not He accomplish whatsoever He promiseth unto
men
* S. Cyril evidently punctuates " anxious about the things of the
this verse in the same way as the world to please his wife, and
Vulgate; "The married man is divided."
344 COMMENTARY UPON
i Pet. v. 7. " Casting therefore upon Him our care/ let us ask of Him
what sufficeth for life ; food, that is to say, and clothing, and
whatever is sufficient for us, avoiding all wish to be rich, as
that which threatens us with destruction. For if such be our
will, Christ will accept and bless us ; by Whom, and with
Whom, to God the Father be praise and dominion with the
Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 345
SERMON LXXVI.
And forgive us our sins : for we also forgive every one that is C. xi. 4.
indebted unto us.
THE blessed prophet Isaiah, when revealing the way of
salvation by the preaching of the Gospel, thus somewhere
speaks : " There shall be there a level way, and it shall be Is. xxxv. 8.
" called the holy way. 1 For it leads those who walk thereon
unto holiness by a spiritual service, and a righteousness supe
rior to the law. We remember also Christ, Who says to those
who love Him; "Verily I say unto you, that unless your Mat. v. -20.
" righteousness be more than that of the scribes and pharisees,
" ye shall not enter the kingdom of God. 13 And I say that it
is the duty of those who have been called by faith to the ac
knowledgment of the glory of our universal Saviour Christ,
and have Him for their head, to delight in imitating His ac
tions, and be in earnest in letting their light shine by holy
conduct, such as was unknown to them of old time. " For all * Cor. v. 17.
" things are become new in Christ." He requires therefore
His disciples to be gentle, and slow unto anger, that so they
may be able to say blamelessly in their prayers, " Forgive us
" our sins : for we also forgive every one that is indebted
unto us." Oh ! what great and admirable skill ! what saga
cious thought ! or rather, oh! the depth of the riches, both of
the wisdom and knowledge of God ! He first commands them to
ask forgiveness of the sins they commit, and then to confess
that they also entirely forgive others : and if I may so say,
they ask God to imitate the long suffering which they prac
tise : and that same gentleness which they shew to their fellow
servants, they pray that they may receive in equal measure
from God, Who giveth justly, and knoweth how to shew mercy
unto every man.
Come, therefore, and let us endeavour to perceive
clearly the meaning of the prayer, by entenng upon a more
extended and exact consideration of the passage before us As
I said, therefore, He has commanded us when we diaw near t
346 COMMENTARY UPON
say : "Forgive us our sins. 1 And we will examine, if you please,
what the benefit is which we receive from this. Those then
who thus speak are not supercilious : they do not think great
things of themselves : do not vaunt themselves over the weak :
Prov. xiii. but, as Scripture saith, " they know themselves/ For they
are not like that ignorant and haughty Pharisee, who even
made the Lord his witness, according to the parable which
Luke xviii. says : " Two men went up into the temple to pray ; the one a
" Pharisee and the other a publican : and the Pharisee stood
" and said thus : God, I thank Thee that 1 am not as the rest
" of mankind, extortioners, unjust, adulterers ; or as this pub-
" lican. I fast twice in the week ; and tithe every thing I
" possess. But the publican stood afar off, smiting upon his
" breast, and saying ; God, be merciful to me a sinner. I say
" unto you, that this one went down to his house justified ra-
" ther than the other." Observe therefore how ruinous it is
to vaunt oneself over those who are weak, imagining that our
conduct is in no respect whatsoever worthy of blame. We
Jamesiii. 2. ought rather to consider and reflect, that " in many things we
" all of us are guilty," and, so to speak, are always in sins,
Ps. xix. 12. sometimes even involuntarily: for it is written; " Who can
" understand his offences ?" We find also the blessed Psalmist
very anxious in making his supplications to God, and plainly
Ps. xix. 13. saying : " Both cleanse me from my secret doings : and from
<( the deeds of others spare Thy servant, lest they overpower
" me : tlien shall I be blameless, and purified from great sin."
And further also, the very patient Job offered sacrifices for the
unknown, or rather undiscovered sins of his sons, considering
Job i. 5. and saying ; "It may be my sons have spoken evil in their
" heart against God." We remember also the very wise Paul,
i Cor. iv. 4. who, when he had written, " For I am not conscious of any
" fault in myself :" thoughtfully added, " but I am not hereby
" justified : but He That judgeth me is the Lord."
It is therefore greatly to our profit constantly to fall down
before God, Who loveth what is good, and say, Forgive us our
Is. xliii.26. sins. For He said by one of the holy prophets, " Declare thou
" first thy unlawfulnesses, that thou mayest be justified." And
inasmuch as this was not unknown to the blessed David, he
Ps.xxxii.5. thus sings; " I said that I will confess of myself my iniquity
" unto the Lord ; and Thou forgavest the wickedness of my
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 347
" heart/ 1 For God readily accepts, and has mercy on those
who do not forget their offences, but fall down before Him, and
ask of Him forgiveness : but He is severe, and very justly so,
upon the obdurate and the proud, and on him who in his great
ignorance acquits himself of blame. For He said unto one thus
disposed, " Behold, I have a suit against thee, because thou Jer. ii. 35.
" sayest, I have not sinned." For who can boast that he has a
pure heart ? or who can have confidence that he is undenled by
sins ? The road then to salvation, and which delivers those
who earnestly walk thereon from the wrath of God, is the con
fession of offences, and to say in our prayers to Him Who pu-
rifieth the wicked, Forgive us our sins.
There is also another way in which it benefits us. For
those verily who own that they have sinned, and wish to obtain
pardon from God, necessarily fear Him, as One Who is about
to be the Judge : they are not forgetful of God s terrible judg
ment-seat, For, as the very wise Paul writes; We shall all Cor.v.io.
" be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every
" man may be requited for the things done by the body, ac-
" cording to what he hath done, whether it be good, or whether
" it be bad." Those in whose mind the conviction is present,
that they must stand before Him, and make their defence ; and
if they are accused of wicked conduct, will suffer bitter punish
ment ; but will be praised, if they have well and wisely lead
the life that is in the flesh on earth ; thirst, on the one hand,
for the forgiveness of the sins they have already committed,
that they may escape the unending torment and eternal pun
ishment : and, on the other, they hasten to live uprightly and
blamelessly, that they may receive the crown that becometh
the excellence of their lives. For so will the Judge be gentle
towards them, nor remember evil : for the iniquity, He saath E.ech. ^
of the wicked shall not harm him in the day that he sh;
" repent of his iniquity."
And let not any one imagine that it is lawful for men withou
distinction to say, Forgive us our iniquities." For it is not
fitting for those who still continue in wickedness, and wish t<
do so to the last, to say, Forgive us our sins : but for those ra-
ther, who have abandoned their former wicked deeds, and now
earnestly desire to live as becometh saints. Were it not so no
thing would prevent men who are still wicked, outers of their
Yy 1
348 COMMENTARY UPON
fathers, and matricides,, and adulterers, and sorcerers, and
whoever are guilty of these most abominable crimes, to con
tinue in the practice of them, and cherish their evil propen
sities unchanged, and be polluted by the pursuit of every
thing that is base ; and nevertheless to draw near, and pre
sumptuously say, " Forgive us our sins." For with good rea
son the Saviour of all and Lord did not conclude this clause of
the prayer at this point, but commanded us to add, " For we
" also ourselves have forgiven every one who is indebted to
" us." But this is fitting only for those to say, who have
chosen a virtuous life, and are practising without remissness
Kom. xii.2. that will of God, which, as Scripture saith, is "good and ac-
" ceptable and perfect." These honour a long-suffering temper,
"and acquit of all blame those who have wronged them : and
even though any one afflict them, they think nothing of the
matter. To be slow then unto anger, is a virtue altogether
Eom. xiii. excellent, and the fruit of that love which the wise Paul even
declares to be " the fulfilling of the law."
And consider, I pray, the exceeding beauty of this virtue,
even from the deformity of the vice opposed to it. For irasci
bility is in truth a serious malady, and whoever is subject to
it in mind becomes irritable and morose, harsh and obdurate,
the abode and habitation of wrath and vexation ; and this long
continued, and that cannot be charmed away. Ever doth he
behold with evil eyes whoever has wronged him : he watches
him sternly ; seeks for time and place in which to injure him :
and that generally not in equal measure, but many times
greater than the wrong : he is secret and plotting. Is not
such a one full of all deformity, hateful to God, and rejected
Prov. xii. by Him, and therefore in utter misery ? " For the ways of
P ) a fa e an g r y ^ as ft j s written, " are to death." But he who is
(piKoffoQia. simple, and not irascible, is full of forbearance, and that not so
much the forbearance which men practise, as that which cometh
from above, and from God. His heart is not subject to the fester
of vexation : it masters its anger, and repels the bitter feelings
which spring therefrom. He is forgiving, kind to his com
panions, gentle and affable, and humbles himself to the in
firmity of his neighbour. Such was the character of the disci-
iCor.iv.T2.ples of the Saviour: for the blessed Paul wrote; "Being
" reviled, we bless : being persecuted, we bear patiently : being
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 34,9
" defamed, we entreat," For they have grown like their Lord,
" Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again : and when He iPet.ii.2 3 .
" suffered, threatened not ; but committed His cause to Him
" that judgeth righteously."
We must ask, therefore, of God the forgiveness of the sins
we have committed, when we have ourselves first forgiven
whoever have offended in ought, provided that their sin is
against us, and not against the glory of the supreme God.
For over such actions we are not lords, but only over those
which have been committed against ourselves. And by thus for
giving the brethren what they do unto us, we shall then cer
tainly find Christ, the Saviour of all, gentle and ready to shew
us mercy : by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be
praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever,
Amen.
350 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXXVII.
C. xi. 4. Ana lead us not into temptation.
O ALL ye who love the divine will, and are enamoured
of a blameless life, draw near unto God over all, and say,
Ps. xxv. 4 . Shew me Thy ways, Lord, and teach me Thy paths/
For all wisdom and understanding is from Him; and the
knowledge of all good cometh unto us from above from the
supreme throne, as from a fountain ; and no man can accom
plish any thing praiseworthy, unless he receive the ability
John xv. 5. from Him. And this He teacheth us Himself, saying, " With-
" out Me ye can do nothing." He therefore Who giveth to
every man all things whatsoever wherein they can justly glory,
now leadeth us on to another of those things which are neces
sary to salvation. For He commands us when we are instant
in prayer to say, " Lead us not into temptation."
With these words Luke concludes the prayer ; but Matthew
Mat.vi.is. is found to add, " but deliver us from evil." And there is a
certain close connection in the clauses : for plainly it follows
from men not being led into temptation, that they are also
delivered from evil ; or perchance, were any one to say, that
the not being led into it is the same as the being delivered
from it, he would not err from the truth. But let us consider
this : Does the Saviour and Lord of all wish His friends to be
cowardly? Are they to be lazy and abject, and in earnest
rather in avoiding the contest than in winning renown ? And
Ps. xxxi. yet the Spirit said in the book of Psalms, " Be strong, and let
" your heart be firm, all ye who trust in the Lord." And the
Mat. v. ro. Saviour Himself somewhere saith, " Blessed are they who are
" persecuted for righteousness sake : for theirs is the kingdom
" of heaven/ If then He crown with such splendid honours
him who is persecuted, and to be persecuted is undeniably a
temptation m , in what sense does He command them to avoid
temptation ? For certainly it is not inactivity, and an unprofit
able dilatoriness, and a thankless sloth, which render those train
ed for gymnastic contests successful, and worthy of honours, and
m Or in more modern language a trial, which is the strict meaning of
temptation, a derivative of tento.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 851
the clapping of hands, but, on the contrary, severe toil.
Moreover, it is not in time of peace that one sees the man
who is well acquainted with the tactics of war, and bold withal,
and tried in battle, but he must have shewn himself a hardy
combatant against the enemy. And why then does Christ, so
to speak, even hamstring those who love Him, by making
them say, " Lead us not into temptation."
To this we reply, gathering after our manner those ideas
which are best, that He does not wish His followers to
be abject, nor yet indolent in any other way ; that He
even incites them to courageousness in all things praise
worthy, saying, "Enter in at the strait door: for narrow is Mat.vii.is.
" the door, and strait the way, that leadeth unto life, and
" few are they who find it." There must therefore be in us
an unchangeable and manly spirit of ardour: and a mind
patient in endurance, such as was that of the blessed Paul, who
said, " Who shall separate me from the love of Christ ? Shall Rom. viii,
" tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or naked- 35
" ness, or danger, or the sword ?" But even though we be
thus minded, and attain to these measures of manliness, yet
we must think humbly of ourselves, being " poor in spirit/ Mat. v. 3.
according to the Saviour s word, and not imagine that always
and necessarily we shall conquer all temptations. For some
times an unendurable" alarm falling upon the mind of a man
terrifies it into abject fear ; as also does Satan, who hates what-
^verTs good ; and the severity of the temptation unbends
sometimes even the most courageous mind. So do the violent
and unendurable blows of the waves dash to pieces a firmly
built and well-manned ship : and so does a dense mass of
darts shot from the hands of the enemy put to flight the most
steadfast soldier. No one therefore ought to be over-confident,
or rash in encountering temptations, even though he be brave
in mind : but rather let us reflect upon the infirmity of our
mind, and fear with soberness, lest perchance we prove a cause
of ridicule to our tempters, by not being able to bear the 1
of the battle. . .
Let us therefore pray that we may not be tempted : for it is
a thing difficult to escape from, and difficult to most men to
endure unto the end. But when the conjuncture summons us of
necessity thereto, then indeed, exerting all our strength, we
352 COMMENTARY UPON
must enter the conflict, and struggle for our souls, nothing
fearing, but, on the contrary, calling to mind what Christ the
Mat. x. 18. Saviour of all said to us ; Fear ye not them who kill the
" body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him Who is
" able to destroy both soul and body in hell." As also that
Jam. i. 12. holy apostle who thus wrote, " Blessed is the man that en-
" dureth temptation : who, when he is proved, shall receive the
" crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love
u Him/
There are however many kinds of temptation ; of which two
are of universal occurrence, and common and very general.
And what these are it behoves us to tell. There are in the
world many heresies ; false apostles, and false teachers,, who
gathering the wearisomeness of frigid inventions, and glorying
in the arts of worldly wisdom, adulterate the language of the
sacred proclamations, and multiply blasphemous words against
Ps. lxxv.5. their own pates : and as the Psalmist saith, " they set up their
" horn on high, speaking iniquity against God :" yea, and
against God the Word the Maker of all, Who, they say, is to
be reckoned among those things that were made by Him ; and
is a servant, and not a son ; and a creature, and not the Lord.
These, resisting the champions of the truth, persecute those
whose choice it is to hold sound doctrine, and who defend the
divine glory, and endeavour to crown the only-begotten Word
of God with incomparable praises. When therefore any tempta
tion arrive on this account, be not thou found one who throws
away his shield, nor a soldier who runs from the battle, nor an
athlete destitute alike of skill and courage. Wish not an un
seasonable peace, the cause of future ruin ; but remember that
Mat. x. 34. Christ the Saviour of all said, " Think not that I am come to
" bring peace upon earth ; I am not come to bring peace, but
" a sword." And if perchance it happen that the persecutors
possess worldly power, fear not the harm they can do thee, nor
the danger even of blood, and the risk of life ; but remember
i Pet. iv. again the exhortation of the holy apostle, who says, " There-
I9> " fore let those also who suifer according to the will of God
" commend their souls to a faithful Creator." And again,
i Pet. iv. " For let no one of you suffer as a thief, or as an evil doer, or
" as one busy with other men s things ; but if as a Christian,
" let him not be ashamed, but glorify God on this account."
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 353
For it follows as a matter of course upon having to suffer, that
we shall justly be accounted worthy of eternal honours. The
struggle is not unrewarded ; the labour is not in vain ; for as
Paul said, u God is not unrighteous to forget your labour and Heb. vi.io.
" your love, which ye have shewed in His Name." These then
are the conflicts ordained for all who fear God, to give the
proof of him who knoweth how to endure patiently. For the
blessed martyrs are crowned, as " having fought a good fight, iTim.iv.;.
" and finished their running, and kept the faith."
Furthermore, other kinds of temptations there are besides
this, common, so to speak, to every one, but which happen to
each one differently. For as one of the holy apostles said,
" Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; James 1.13.
" for God doth not tempt with evils : neither doth He tempt
" any one. But every one is tempted, when he is drawn away
" and enticed of his own lust. And afterward lust, having
" conceived, bringcth forth sin : and sin when it is consum-
" mated bringcth forth death." A struggle therefore and
great danger is laid upon every one, lest he fall into sin, and
be led away from that which is seemly, wandering into wrongful
deeds. Violent is the force of passions, and there wars against
the mind of every one a motley crowd and furious multitude
of base pleasures. For some humble men into fleshly lust and
filthy lewdnesses; while others lead them to the desire of gain,
making their victims lovers of sordid hoards, and drawing
them on to every blameful crime. Well therefore does it
become us who arc exposed to such serious evils, even though
as yet we have not fallen into them, to pray, saying, " Lead us
" not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." For it were
good for a man to run his course apart from evil: but if
temptation assail, then be brave and unconquerable ; rebuke
the flesh, put a bridle on the mind, ask aid of God, the safety
vouchsafed by power from on high. Be established and con
firmed, not feeble, not easy to be ensnared ; rather be cau
tious, and a lover of God more than a lover of pleasure :
for then He will aid thee and grant thee victory Who is
Saviour and Lord of all: by Whom and with Whom, to God
the Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost, ft
ever and ever, Ainen.
354 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXXVIII.
C. xi. 5-10. And He said unto them, Who of you shall have a friend,
and shall go to him at midnight, and say unto him,
Friend, lend me three loaves : for my friend has come to
me from the way, and I have nothing to set before him.
And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me
. not : lo ! the door is shut, and the children are with me
in bed : I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, that
though he will not rise and give him, because he is his
friend ; because of his urgency he will rise and give him as
many as he needeth. And I also say unto you, Ask, and it
shall be given you : seek, and ye shall find : knock, and it
shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh re-
ceiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth : and whosoever
knocketh, it shall be opened unto him.
THE language of the divinely inspired Scripture is con
stantly, so to speak, profound ; nor will it bend itself for those
to be able to understand it who merely wish to do so, but only
for those who know how to search it well, and are enriched
with the divine light in their mind, by means of which they
attain unto the meaning of hidden truths. Let us therefore
ask for the understanding which cometh from above, from God,
and the illumination of the Holy Ghost, that we may attain to
a correct and unerring method, whereby we may be enabled
to see the truth contained in the passage set before us.
We have heard then what the Saviour said in the parable
now read to us, which if we understand we shall find to be
laden with benefits. And the order of the ideas is very won
derful. For the Saviour of all had taught at the request of
the holy apostles, in what way we ought to pray. But it was
possible that those who had obtained from Him this precious
and saving lesson, might sometimes make indeed their suppli
cations according to the pattern given them, but would do so
wearily 11 and lazily. And so, when not heard at their first or
n Neither the Syriac nor Aquinas Greek, which reads, p.rj
contain the negative found in the TOVTO dpav p?Se pa
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 355
second prayer, would desist from their supplications, as being
unavailing to their benefit. In order therefore that we may
not experience this, nor suffer the injury that would result
from such littleness of mind, He teaches us that we must dili
gently continue the practice, and in the form of a parable plainly
shews that weariness in prayer is to our loss, while patience
therein is greatly to our profit : for it is our duty to perse
vere, without giving way to indolence. And this He teaches
us by saying, that " though he will not rise and give him
" because he is his friend, because of his importunity he will
" rise and give him as many as he needeth."
And now come, and let us transfer to the truth what was
shewn in the form of a parable. Be urgent in prayer ; draw
near unto God Who loveth to be kind; and that very con
stantly. And if thou seest that the gift of grace is delayed,
yield not to weariness : despair not of the expected blessing :
abandon not the hope set before thee; nor further foolishly
say within thyself, I have drawn near frequently ; I have
gained absolutely nothing ; I have wept, and received not ; I
have supplicated, but not been accepted : for of all I asked,
nothing has been accomplished. Rather think thus within
thyself, that He Who is the universal treasure house better
knoweth our state than we do, in that He weigheth to every
man what is duo and suitable to him. Thou askest sometimes
what is beyond thy measure ; thou wishest to receive those
things of which thou art not yet worthy. The Giver Himself
knoweth the time suitable for His gifts. Earthly fathers do not
immediately and without discretion fulfil the desire of their
sons : but often delay in spite of their asking, and that not
because they have a grudging hand, nor again because they
regard (merely) what is pleasant to the petitioners, but as con
sidering what is useful and necessary for their good conduct.
And how will that rich and bounteous Giver neglect the due
accomplishment for men of what they pray for, unless of course,
and without all doubt, He knows that it would not be for their
benefit to receive what they ask ? We must therefore offer our
prayers to God with knowledge, as well as with assiduity : and
even though there be some delay in thy requests continue
patiently with the vintagers, as being well assured that what
is gained without toil, and readily won, is usually despised:
Z Z 2
356 COMMENTARY UPON
whereas that which is gathered with labour is a more pleasant
and abiding possession.
But perchance to this thou sayest ; I draw near frequently,
making requests ; but the vintage therefrom has wandered
far away. I am not slothful in supplications, but persevering
and very importunate : who will assure me that I shall
( receive? who is my security that I shall not labour in vain?
" Therefore I also say unto you ;" and it is the Bestower of
divine gifts Who Himself enters, and speaks; " I also say unto
" you, Seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened
" unto you : for every one that asketh receiveth ; and he who
" seeketh findeth : and whosoever knocketh, it shall be opened
" unto him." In these words, " I say unto you" has the full
force of an oath : not that God is false, even though the promise
be not accompanied with an oath ; but to shew that the little
ness of their faith was groundless, He sometimes confirms His
hearers by an oath. For the Saviour is also found in many
places prefacing His words by saying, " Verily, verily, I say
" unto you." As therefore He makes this very promise on
oath, it is not a thing free from guilt to disbelieve it.
In telling us therefore to seek, He bids us labour : for by
labour, that which is needed is always, so to say, found;
especially when it is something fit for us to possess. He who
knocks, not once merely, but again and again, rattles the door
with his hand, it may be, or with a stone, so that the master of
the house, unable to endure the annoyance of the knocks, will
open it even against his will. Learn therefore, even from what
happens among us, the way to gain that which is to thy profit.
Knock, be urgent, ask. So must all act who ask any thing
iThess. v. of God: for wise Paul writes. "Pray without ceasing." We
T 7- are in need of urgent prayer, because many are the turmoils of
worldly matters which encircle us around : for that many
headed serpent greatly distresses us, involving us sometimes in
unexpected difficulties, that he may humble us unto baseness and
manifold sin: and, besides this, there is also the inbred law of vo
luptuousness lurking in our fleshly members, and warring, as
Rom. vii. Scripture saith, "against the law of our mind:" and lastly,
the enemies of the doctrines of truth, even the impure and pol
luted gangs of heretics, oppose those who wish to hold correct
opinions. Constant and earnest prayer therefore is necessary.
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 357
For arms and the implements of warfare are needed for sol
diers, that they may be able to overcome those who are drawn
up against them : and for us prayer, " for our weapons/ as Cor. x. 4 .
Scripture saith " are not carnal, but mighty to God."
And this too we ought to add, as being in my opinion amply
sufficient to quicken us unto prayer. The Saviour and Lord of
all is seen again and again passing the night in prayer. And
when too He was about to undergo His saving passion upon
the precious cross, He knelt down and prayed, saying; "Father, Mat. xxvi.
" if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." Was this because 39
Life was afraid of death ? Was it because there was no escape
for Him from the net, no deliverance from the snare, in that
the hand of the Jews was mightier than His power ? And how
is it not altogether abominable to think or speak thus? He was
by nature God, and the Lord of powers, even though He was
in form like unto us. Of His own will He took upon Him the
suffering upon the cross, because He was the helper of us all.
What need was there then of prayer ? It was that we might
learn that supplication is becoming and full of benefits, and
that we must be constant in it whenever temptation befal, and
the cruelty of enemies press upon us like a wave.
And to put it in one more light ; for man to converse with
God is a very great honour to human nature. And this we do
in prayer, being commanded to address the Lord as Father ;
for we say, Our Father. But if He bo a Father, necessarily
Ho both loves and generously cherishes His sons, and honours
them of course, and counts them worthy of indulgence. Draw
near therefore in faith with perseverance, as being well assured
that to those who ask urgently Christ bows His ear: by
Whom and with Whom, to God the Father be praise and
dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
358 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXXIX.
C. xi. Ti- And luhich of you that shall ask his father bread, will he
rlste S. offer him a stone? or if he ask of him a fish, will he for a
fi s h ff er hi m a serpent? If lie ask an egg, will he offer
.. **.. " a T^ r
om. &prov him a scorpion ? If ye therefore, who are evil, know how to
add all V?7 ^ ve # 00 ^ ffffi 8 to V our children ; how much more shall the
a.vr6v s. heavenly Father give a good spirit to them that ask Him ?
om.WS.
add. 1$ TO love instruction and be fond of hearing becometh saints :
Trvev/j-a aya- but those who are thus minded must, I say, keep in remem-
e ^ s< brance, and store up in the treasure-house of their heart, what
soever has been spoken by those who are skilful in teaching
right doctrine, and whose study it is ably to initiate men in the
truth. For this is both profitable to themselves for their spi
ritual improvement ; and besides, it rejoices the teacher, just,
for instance, as the seed also gladdens the husbandman when
it springs up, as having been well covered in the furrow, and
escaped being the food of birds. Ye therefore remember that
at our last meeting we addressed you on the duty of praying
without ceasing, and making supplication continually in offering
our requests unto God : and that we must not give way to any
littleness of soul, nor at all grow weary, even though He some
what delay His gift, considering that He knoweth whatsoever
is to our benefit, and that the fitting season for His bounties is
not forgotten by Him.
And in to-day s lesson from the gospel, the Saviour again
teaches another point most useful for our edification. And
what this is, come, that we may declare it as to sons. We
sometimes draw near to our bounteous God, offering Him
petitions for various objects, according to each one s pleasure :
but occasionally without discernment, or any careful exami
nation what truly is to our advantage, and if granted by God
would prove a blessing; and what would be to our injury if we
received it. Rather, by the inconsiderate impulse of our fancy,
we fall into desires replete with ruin, and which thrust the
souls of those that entertain them into the snare of death and
the meshes of hell. When therefore we ask of God ought of
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 359
this kind, we shall by no means receive it : on the contrary, we
offer a petition fit only for ridicule. And why shall we not
receive it? Is the God of all weary of bestowing gifts upon us?
By no means. Why then, some one forsooth may say, will He
not give, since He is bounteous in giving? Let us learn of
Him ; or rather, thou hast already heard Him here saying,
" What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,
"will he give him a stone?" Understand, he says, by an
image or plain example taken from what happens among you,
the meaning of what I say ; Thou art the father of children ;
thou hast in thcc the sharp spur of natural affection towards
them; in every way thou wishest to benefit them: when there
fore, He says, one asks of thee bread, without delay and with
pleasure thou givest it, as knowing well that he seeks of thee
wholesome food. But when, from want of understanding, a
little child that knows not yet how to distinguish what it sees,
nor moreover what is the service and use of the various objects
that fall in our way, asks for stones to eat, dost thou, He says,
give them, or rather dost thou not make him desist from any
such desire as would be to his injury ?
And the same reasoning holds good of the serpent and fish,
and the egg and scorpion. If he ask a fish, thou wilt grant
it: but if he see a serpent, and wish to seize it, thou wilt
hold back the child s hand. If he want an egg, thou wilt offer
it at once, and encourage his desire after things of this sort,
that the infant may advance to riper age : but if he see a scor
pion creeping about, and run after it, imagining it to be some
thing pretty, and as being ignorant of the harm it can do, thou
wilt, I suppose, of course stop him, and not let him be injured
by the noxious animal. When therefore He says, " Ye who
In quoting the text at the com- commenting upon S. Luke s Gospel,
mencement of the sermon, S. Cyril yet, wherever there is any differ-
reads ris fie e vpS>v TOV Trarepa ence, S. Cyril constantly adopts the
mYiJcm aprov, supported by one or words of S. Matthew : from which
two of the best MSS. ; here however I conclude that he knew that gospel
he reads, ris fie ttrnv e ty&v Avdpa- best, and that his memory therefore
iroff, ov airiaei 6 vios avrov ctprov ; suggested to him its readings in
This however is not to be regarded preference to any other. Caution
ae a different reading, but as a sub- therefore is necessary m quoting
stitution of the words of S. Mat- S. Cyril as an authority for any
thew s Gospel for those of S. Luke : reading in the other Gospels which
and I may notice here, that though agrees verbatim with S. Matthew.
360 COMMENTARY UPON
" are evil ;" by which He means, ye whose mind is capable of
being influenced by evil, and not uniformly inclined to good
like the God of all ; " ye know how to give good gifts to your
" children : how much more shall your heavenly Father give a
" good spirit to them that ask Him ?" And by u a good spirit"
He means spiritual grace : for this in every way is good, and
if a man receive it, he will become most blessed, and worthy of
admiration.
Most ready therefore is our heavenly Father to bestow gifts
upon us : so that whosoever is denied what he asks, is himself
the cause of it : for he asks, as I said, what God will not give.
For God wishes us to be holy and blameless, and to advance
uprightly and boldly in every good work ; walking apart from
every thing that denies, and from the love of fleshly pleasure,
and rejecting the anxieties of worldly pursuits ; not involving
ourselves in worldly business; not living profligately and
carelessly ; not delighting in unruly pleasures ; nor moreover
practising a dissolute mode of life ; but desiring to live well
and wisely, and in accordance with God s commands, making
the law which He gave us the regulator of our conduct, and
earnest in the pursuit of whatever tends chiefly to our edifi
cation. If therefore thou wishest to receive ought of this kind,
draw near with joy : for our Father Who is in heaven, because
He loveth virtue, will readily incline His ear.
Examine therefore thy prayer : for if thou askest ought by
receiving which thou wilt become a lover of God, God, as I
said, will grant it : but if it be any thing unreasonable, or that
is able to do thee an injury, He will withhold His hand : He
will not bestow the wished-for object; in order that neither
He may give ought of an injurious nature, for this is com
pletely alien from Him, nor thou be harmed thyself by receiv
ing it. And let me explain how: for which purpose I shall bring
forward examples. When thou askest for wealth, thou wilt not
receive it of God : and why ? Because it separates the heart
of man from Him. Wealth begets pride, voluptuousness, and
the love of pleasure, and brings men down to the pitfalls of
worldly lusts. And so one of the disciples of our Lord has
James iv. i, taught us, saying ; "Whence are there wars, and whence
" quarrels among you ? Is it not hence ; from your lusts, that
" war in your members ? Ye lust, and have not : ye seek, and
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 361
" find not : ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask wickedly,
" that ye may spend it on your pleasures." When thou askest
worldly power, God will turn away His face : for He knows
that it is a most injurious thing to those who possess it. For
constantly, so to speak, charges of oppression attach themselves
to those who possess worldly power : and those are for the
most part proud, and unbridled, and boastful, who are set in
temporal dignities. When thou askest for any to perish, or be
exposed to inevitable tortures, because they have annoyed or
molested thee in any way, God will not grant it. For He will-
eth us to be long-suffering in mind : and not to requite any one
with evil for evil, but to pray for those who spoil us : to do
good to those who injure us, and be imitators of His kindness.
For this reason Solomon was praised; for when offering up
prayers unto God, he said : " And thou shalt give Thy servant
" a heart to hear, and to judge Thy people righteously." And
it pleased the Lord that Solomon asked this thing. And what
did God, Who loveth virtue, say to him ? " Because thou hast
" not asked for thee many days : nor hast asked the lives of
" thy enemies ; but hast asked for thee understanding, and to
" hear judgment : behold ! I have done what thou spakest :
" behold ! I have given thee a heart prudent and wise."
Do thou therefore ask the bestowal without stint of spiritual
gifts. Ask strength, that thou mayest be able manfully to
resist every fleshly lust. Ask of God an uncovetous disposi
tion; long suffering; gentleness; and the mother and nurse
of all good, I mean, patience. Ask calmness of temper; con
tinence; a pure heart; and further, ask also the wisdom that
cometh from Him. These things He will give readily : these
save the soul : these work in it that better beauty, and imprint
in it God s image. This is the spiritual wealth ; the riches that
hath never to be abandoned : these prepare for us the lot of
the saints, and make us members of the company of the holy
angels ; these perfect us in piety, and rapidly lead us onward
to the hope of eternal life, and make us heirs of the kingdom
of heaven, by the aid of Christ, the Saviour of us all ; by
Whom, and with Whom, to God the Father be praise and
dominion, with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever, Amen.
362 COMMENTARY UPON
SERMON LXXX.
C. xi. 14
18.
Kwtfv BS. And He was casting out a dumb devil : and it came to pass,
teal avr}) fa when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake. And the
multitudes wondered : but some of them said, He casteth
om. r$ 8. out devils through Beelzebub, the prince, of the, devils : and
others tempting, sought of Him a sign from heaven. But
He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them ; Every king
dom divided against itself is laid desolate: and a house
against a house falleth. And if Satan also be divided
against himself, how shall his kingdom stand ? Because
ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
i Kings " I HAVE been very jealous for the Lord," as Scripture
xrx I0 saith ; and I too would say, fixing an accurate attention upon
the lessons from the Gospel set before us, that the frantic
tongue of Israel was bold and unbridled in insult, tyrannized
over by harsh and unrestrainable wrath, and vanquished by
unappeasable envy. For consider how, so to speak, they were
even gnashing their teeth at Christ, the Saviour of all, because
He made the multitudes wonder by His many divine and
astonishing miracles ; and because the very devils cried out at
His ineffable and godlike power and authority. And this, I
suppose, was what was celebrated by David when thus ad-
Ps. ixvi. 3. dressing Him : " Through the greatness of thy power shall
" Thy enemies be found liars unto Thee."
But the reason for which those who warred against Hia
glory thus acted, this lesson plainly teaches us. " There was
" brought unto Him one who was possessed with a dumb
" devil." Now dumb devils are, so to speak, difficult for any
one whatsoever of the saints to rebuke ; and are more obstinate
than any other kind, and excessively audacious. But there was
nothing difficult to the all-powerful will of Christ, the Saviour
of us all. For He immediately set the man who was brought
to Him free from the wicked and impure devil ; and he whose
tongue had before been closed by door and lock, once again
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 363
poured forth his customary speech. For we say that he is
called dumb in this passage as being without tongue, that is,
without speech. P And upon the accomplishment of this won
derful act, the multitude extolled Him with praises, and has
tened to crown the worker of the miracle with godlike honour.
But certain of them, it says, being Scribes and Pharisees,
with hearts intoxicated with pride and envy, found in the mi
racle fuel for their malady ; and not only did they not praise
Him, but betook themselves to the very opposite. For having
stripped Him of the godlike deeds He had wrought, they as
signed to the Devil almighty power, and made Beelzebub the
source of Christ s might. " For by him, they said, He casteth
" out devils." Andq others being afflicted, so to speak, with
a kindred wickedness, and running without discernment into a
disgraceful forwardness of speech, and being stung by the like
goadings of envy, required, it says, to see of Him a sign from
heaven ; calling out, as it were, and saying, Even if Thou hast
expelled from a man a bitter and malicious demon, that as yet
is no such great matter, nor worthy of admiration. What as
yet is done is no proof of divine ability. We see nothing as
* yet equal to the miracles of old. Shew us some deed of which
there is no doubt of its being wrought by power from above.
Moses made the people pass over, having causedthe sea that
was bet ween to become capable of being walked upon : the waters
were piled up like a wall. He smote the rock with his rod, and
made it the mother of rivers, so that fountains burst forth
* from the flinty stone. Likewise also Jeshua, his successor,
made the sun stand still in Gibeon, and the moon in the valley
of Arnon. He laid bonds on the streams of Jordan. But Thou
shewest no such deed as these. Thou castest out a devil : this
authority the prince of the devils, even Beelzebub, grants to
* men. Of him Thou borrowest the power of doing those things,
P Mai inserts here a passage, was His usual custom,
ascribed, however, he says, in 1 Again Mai inserts a few lines
the MS. to Chrysostom, as well as from A., which break the order of
Cyril, to the effect that the man s the construction, and apparently
dumbness was not owing to any phy- are only a heading gathered by
sical defect, but to the guile of the some Catenist from what precedes
demon. And that as he could not to serve as an introduction to the
speak for himself, Christ does not following passage,
ask of him a confession of faith, as
3 A 2
364 COMMENTARY UPON
which in unlearned and ignorant people beget wonder. Such
were their fro ward fault-findings. For the fact of their wishing
to ask a sign from heaven proves nothing else than that they
entertained such thoughts as these respecting Him.
And what said Christ to these things ? First, indeed, He
proves Himself to be God, by knowing even that which was
secretly whispered among them : for He knew their thoughts.
And it is an act that altogether belongs to God, to be able to
know what is in the mind and heart, and even what is
spoken anywhere by men secretly. To draw them away then
from so obdurate a crime, He says, that " Every kingdom di-
:( vided against itself is laid desolate : and a house against a
" house falleth. And if Satan be divided against himself, how
" shall his kingdom stand?" For He well might have said to
those who babbled thus foolishly about Him, Ye depart from
the right way : verily ye err, and without doubt are ignorant
of My nature. The greatness of My might, and the splendour
of My glory, is unperceived by you. Moses was a servant : I
am Lord. He was the minister of the law: but I the legis
lator ; for I am by nature God. He was the minister of the
signs; but I the doer of them, and the worker of the miracles.
I divided the sea : it was the work of My power, that the
waters were divided, and the people passed over : I displayed
the flint stone as the mother of rivers. I made the sun stand
still in Gibeon, and the might of My commands stayed the
moon in the valley of Arnon. It was I Who laid bonds on the
streams of Jordan. Had He, however, used words such as
these, it is perhaps not improbable to imagine that they would
have conceived in them a yet more violent flame of envy : for
they would at once have said, < He exalts Himself above the
< glory of the saints : He boasts Himself over the illustrious
patriarchs, who, He says, were nothing : He appropriates to
Himself their glory/ And they would have added to these
other words, which in unlearned persons would have given oc
casion for wickedness towards Him.
Very ^wisely therefore, omitting these things, He proceeds
to arguments, drawn indeed from common things, but which
have the force of truth in them ; " For every kingdom/ He
says, divided against itself, becomes desolate; and every
" house against a house, falleth : and if Satan be divided
THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE. 365
against himself, how shall his kingdom stand?" For r that
which establishes kingdoms is the fidelity of subjects, and the
obedience of those under the royal sceptre : and houses are
established when those who belong to them in no way whatso
ever thwart one another, but, on the contrary, accord both in
will and deed. And so I suppose it would establish the
kingdom too of Beelzebub, had he determined to abstain from
every thing contrary to himself. How then does Satan cast
out Satan ? It follows then that devils do not depart from men
of their own accord, but retire unwillingly. Satan, He says,
does not fight with himself. He does not rebuke his own
satellites. He does not permit himself to injure his own
armour-bearers. On the contrary, he aids his kingdom. It
remains therefore for you to understand, that I crush Satan by
divine power.
So must we be persuaded who believe in Him, and have de
parted far away from the wickedness of the Jews. For what
is at all impossible to that Almighty right hand ? Or what is
great and difficult to Him, Who can accomplish every thing by
His will alone ? He Who established the heavens, and founded
the earth, Who is the Creator of all, Who is perfect power,
how can He be in need of Beelzebub ? Oh, thoughts never to
be spoken ! Oh, wickedness never to be endured ! A people
foolish and without understanding ! Very justly may one say
of the Israelites, " They have eyes, and see not : they have Mark viii.
" ears, and hear not." For though they were spectators of r
the wonderful deeds wrought by Christ, and by the holy pro
phets, and heard of them, and knew them long before, never
theless they continued obdurate and intractable. Therefore
" they eat the fruit of their way," as Scripture saith. But let
us be" earnest in extolling Christ with endless praises; for thus
shall we be heirs of the kingdom of heaven, by the gift of the
same Christ : by Whom, and with Whom, to God the Father
be praise and dominion with the Holy Ghost, for ever and
ever, Amen.
r Cramer has this passage, cf. p. from Cyril, it is probably some con-
02 but says that it is referred in the traction of his name, with a for o
MS to AiwX., by whom he sup- atofe prefixed. Mai also contains
poses Apollinarius to be meant. As the passage, but ascribes it to it
it follows, however, another passage proper author.
O JL
366 COMMENTARY UPON ST. LUKE.
Here ends the first portion of the Explanation of the Evan
gelist Luke, by the holy Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria ;
containing eighty Sermons.
Blessed be God for ever ; and praised be His Name for
generations.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost, now and always, and for ever and ever, Amen and
Amen.
gS.2595.3 .C9513V.1 SMC
