TIFJ7 37 A
1 MIL JCA.
A NEW TRANSLATION
Founded by
LUDWIG SCHOPP
EDITORIAL BOARD
ROY JOSEPH DEFERRARI
The Catholic University of America
Editorial Director
RUDOLPH ARBESMANN, O.S.A. BERNARD M. PEEBLES
Fordham University The Catholic University of America
STEPHAN KUTTNER ROBERT P. RUSSELL, O.S.A.
The Catholic University of America Villanova University
MARTIN R. P. McGumE ANSELM STRITTMATTER, O.S.B.
The Catholic University of America St. Anselm's Priory
WILFRID PARSONS, SJ. JAMKS EDWARD TOBIN
The Catholic University of America ()ueens College
GERALD G, WALSH, SJ.
Fordham University
by
SAINT GREGORY
NAZIANZEN
and
SAINT AMBROSE
Translated by
LEO P. McCAULEY, S. J.
JOHN J. SULLIVAN, C. S. Sp.
MARTIN R. P. McGUIRE
ROY J. DEFERRARI
With an Introduction on the Early Christian
Funeral Oration by Martin R. P. McGuire
New York
FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, INC.
1953
NIHIL OBSTAT:
JOHN M. A. FEARNS, S.TJD.
Censor Librorum
IMPRIMATUR:
% FRANCIS CARDINAL SPELLMAN
Archbishop of New York
August 15, 1$53.
Copyright, 1953 by
FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, INC,
475 Fifth Avenue, New York 17, N.Y.
All rights reserved
Lithography by Bishop Litho, Inc.
V. S. A.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The Early Christian Funeral Oration, by Martin
R. P. McGuire vii
ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
Introduction
On His Brother, St. Caesarius, translated by Leo P.
McCauley, S. J 5
On St. Basil the Great, Bishop o Caesarea, trans*
lated by Leo P. McCauley, S. J 27
On His Sister, St. Gorgonia, translated by Leo P.
McCauley, S. J 101
On His Father, in the Presence of St. Basil, trans-
lated by Leo P. McCauley, S. J. ...... 119
ST. AMBROSE
On His Brother Satyrus, translated by John J. Sul-
livan, C. S. Sp., and Martin R. P. McGuire
Introduction 159
First Oration 161
Second Oration: On Faith in the Resurrection . 197
On Emperor Valentinian, translated by Roy J.
Deferrari
Introduction 263
Text 265
On Emperor Theodosius, translated by Roy J.
Deferrari
Introduction 303
Text 307
INDEX 335
THE CHRISTIAN FUNERAL ORATION
| HE CHRISTIAN FUNERAL ORATION is one of the most
elaborate of Christian literary forms. It represents an
attempt to adapt to Christian use a pagan Greek form
with many hundreds of years of tradition behind it, a form
which in itself is only one branch, but an important branch, of
the literary genre known as the encomium. Beside the funeral
oration, there arose also a closely related literary genre, the
treatise on grief or consolation, which was often given an
epistolary form. It was inevitable that the systematic, philo-
sophical treatment of grief and consolation in such treatises
should have an increasing influence on the content of the
funeral oration. The Greek treatise on consolation impressed
the Romans profoundly and many of its essential features
passed into the Latin consolatio. Furthermore, the native
Latin laudatio funebris, in its later form at least, could not
escape the influence of the Greek encomium and of the
Greek and Latin treatises on grief and consolation.
The Christian masterpieces presented in this volume reflect,
then, a long, rich, and varied pagan literary tradition in
East and West, and at the same time exhibit modifications
and new elements which give them their specific Christian
character. Before attempting to evaluate their form and
vii
Vlii INTRODUCTION
content properly, it will be useful, therefore, if not necessary,
to examine their background in some detail.
The Greek funeral speech developed out of the formal
laudation or commemoration of those who had fallen in battle
for their country. The famous funeral speech of Pericles as
presented by Thucydides (c. 460-395 B.C.) is probably the
earliest extant example. The fallen are collectively praised
for their bravery. The State expresses its thanks to them for
victory and preservation, public and private grief for them
must be borne with dignity, and all, especially members of
their families, must remember that their fellow citizens, sons,
and brothers were mortal, and that in dying a beautiful death
they have escaped the ravages of disease and the afflictions
of old age.
Isocrates (427-329 B.C.), the great publicist and teacher
of rhetoric, apparently was the first to compose a funeral
oration on an historical individual. His speech on Evagoras
of Cyprus, addressed to the latter's son Nicocles, and the
Epitaph or funeral speech of the Attic orator Hypereides on
his friend Leosthenes, in their form and content had con-
siderable influence on the development of the funeral speech
as a literary type. Consolation is furnished by the thoughts
that the dead had enjoyed many .advantages and blessings
in life, that all men must die, that the present dead were
fortunate in the time of their death, and that they escaped
disease, sorrow, and other kinds of human .misfortune.
Hypereides adds the consolation to be derived from the
thought of happiness in a future life for, those who have
honored the gods in the present life.
In the period after Alexander the Great the funeral
oration was regarded more and more as a branch of epideictic
oratory, and a special schema with a whole series of tdpoi or
commonplaces was elaborated for this as well as for other
branches of the epideietic genre. Fortunately, we have extant
INTRODUCTION IX
the treatise on epideictic oratory 1 composed by the Greek
rhetorician Menander in the third century A.D. This repre-
sentative work gives us much precious information on the
various kinds of encomia when the genre had reached its
zenith, at least on the side of theory.
Menander divides encomia or eulogies into two main
classes: the basilikbs logos or 'royal oration, 5 for the living,
and the epitdphios logos or 'epitaph 5 for the dead. The latter
is subdivided into four types :
( 1 ) The pure encomium, which treats of one long dead,
and is primarily concerned with praise.
(2) The epitaph, which has two forms: the first or
general type, like the ancient funeral oration of Pericles;
the second or particular type, dealing with a specific in-
dividual. The second type is concerned with an individual
who has recently died, and usually combines praise with
consolation and lament.
(3) The monody, a brief but intense lament.
(4) The consolatory speech, which is closely related to
the monody, but places much more emphasis on consolation.
The schema of the typical epitdphios logos may be pre-
sented as follows: (1) exordium; (2) encomium (laudation
proper, combined with lament and developed under the
following topoi or commonplaces: family, birth, natural
endowment, upbringing, education, life and occupation, with
emphasis or moral qualities exhibited, achievements, fortune,
and comparison with others, especially the great and famous) ;
(3) final exhortation, and prayer.
The epitdphios logos was much cultivated in the Greek
schools of rhetoric and never with greater brilliance than in
the second half of the fourth century A.D,, when it was taught
in theory and exemplified in practice at Athens, Constan-
tinople, Antioch and other centers by such famous sophists
1 For the Greek text of Menander, cf. Spengel, Rhetores Graeci III 327ff.
X INTRODUCTION
as Libanius, Himerius, and Themistius. Himerius was un-
doubtedly one of the principal teachers of Gregory Nazianzen
in rhetoric at Athens. It is not surprising, then, to find the
influence of the pagan encomium and its topoi so marked in
the first great Christian funeral orations. But before con-
sidering these in detail, we must first discuss briefly the
development of the Greek treatise on consolation and the
Latin consolatio, because of their close relationship with and
influence upon the Greek and Latin funeral oration respec-
tively.
Democritus of Abdera (c. 460-c. 370 B.C.), Plato (427-
347 B.C.), Xenophon (c. 430-354 B.C.), Antisthenes (450-
366 B.C.) and Diogenes of Sinope (400-325 B.C.), the founders
of Cynic philosophy, Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), Xenocrates of
Chalcidon, Plato's successor as head of the Academy (339-322
B.C.), and Theophrastus (c. 372-288 B.C.), Aristotle's succes-
sor in the Peripatetic School, had all dealt with the theme of
death and the problem and means of consolation. It remained
for Grantor (c. 335-275 B.C.), however, the pupil of Xeno-
rates, to write a treatise On Grief which was regarded
throughout antiquity as the most comprehensive and model
work of its kind. Grantor's treatise was cast in the form of a let-
ter to a certain Hippocles on the death of his children, and
both in form and content it exercised a great influence on all
later works on the consolation theme in the Greek East and
subsequently in the Latin West. There were other important
writers, including the great Stoics, Zeno and Panaetius, but
none was regarded as important as Grantor in this field.
Panaetius, in fact, recommended that Grantor's treatise should
he learned by heart. The theme of consolation also fell within
the scope of the Cynic-Stoic diatribe from the time of Bion of
Borysthenes (c. 325-255 B.C.), and the consolation equipped
with a full complement of commonplaces became one of the
important forms of that genre. All this earlier Greek literature
INTRODUCTION XI
on consolation had a marked influence on Cicero (c. 105-43
B.C.), Seneca (c. 5 B.C.-A.D. 65), and Plutarch (c. 46-120
A.D. ) .
The 'consolation 5 as a literary genre was introduced into
Latin literature by Cicero. His first work, On Consolation
(De consolatione ) , written to console himself on the death of
his daughter Tullia, is lost. He has dealt, however, in detail
with the theme of death and consolation in Books I and III of
his Tusculan Disputations and it is thought that these books
cover substantially the material which was presented in the
last treatise. Seneca's most important contributions to the genre
are his Ad Marciam de consolatione, Ad Helviam matrem
de consolatione, and Ad Polybium de consolatione. Of these,
only the first deals with death, the other two being concerned
with consolation on exile. Mention must be made here also of
the relatively short but magnificent letter of consolation which
Servius Sulpicius Rufus wrote to Cicero on learning of the
death of Tullia. 2 There are a number of similar letters in
Cicero, Seneca, and Pliny the Younger, The consolation was
also cultivated very much as a more or less formal genre in
poetry as well as in prose. On the Latin side, let it suffice tp
mention the consolation on death in Lucretius 3.830-1094,
Horace, Odes 1.2 and 2.9, the consolatory elegies of Propertius
and Ovid, the Pseudo-Ovidian Consolatio ad Liviam, the
Epicedia of Statius, the elegies of Martial.
Closely related to the Latin consolation, and much earlier in
date, was the native Roman laudatio funebris. It was an
ancient Roman custom for a funeral speech to be given at
the death of a member of a prominent Roman family by
a kinsman or friend. Such funeral orations made a strong
impression on the Greek writers Polybius (Hist. 6.53-54),
Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Rom. Antiq. 6.17.2-6), and
Plutarch (Publicola 9.7). Unfortunately, only brief descrip-
2 Cicero, Epistolae 4.5.
Xll INTRODUCTION
tions, passing references, 3 and scattered fragments have come
down to us. The laudatio funebris was regarded as private in
character. It was not published, but a copy was kept in the
family archives. The Agriccla of Tacitus, as a laudatory
biography, probably reflects fairly well the essential features
of the laudatio funebris, but at a time when it had definitely
come under the influence of Greek rhetoric. Since it was
essentially a eulogy, it corresponded more closely to the Greek
basilikos logos than to the epitdphios logos. Cicero has in
mind the laudatio funebris as well as the panegyric in general
when he describes its character thus: 'He who proposes to
be the panegyrist of anyone will understand that he has in
the first place to deal fully with the favours of fortune. These
are the advantages of race, wealth, connexions, friendships,
power, good health, beauty, vigour, talent and the rest of
the attributes that are either physical or externally imposed:
it must be explained that the person commended made a
right use of these benefits if he po$sessed them, managed
sensibly without them, if they were denied to him and bore
the loss with resignation, if they were taken away from him;
and after that the speaker will marshal instances of conduct,
either active or passive, on the part of the subject of his
praises; whereby he manifested wisdom, generosity, valour,
righteousness, greatness of soul, sense of duty, gratitude,
kindliness, or in short any moral excellence you please . . . M
The commonplaces of the pagan Greek and Latin con-
solation literature as a whole have a monotonous similarity.
Among them may be mentioned the following; Fortune rules
all and one must always be, ready to meet its blow?; all men
are mortal; to have lived virtuously, not long, is of prime
3 Cf. Ad Herennium 3.6.I10ff.; Cicero, De oral. 2.11.46; De invent, 1.59;
Quintilian, Inst. 3.7.10-18.
4 Cicero, De orat. 2.45-46, trans. Sutton (Loeb Classical Library) .
INTRODUCTION Xlll
importance; time cures all ills; death gives freedom from the
ravages of disease, the evils of old age, and all other mis-
fortune ; the examples of others ought to give one comfort and
courage; the dead no longer suffer grief or pain; many think
that there is a happy life for the soul beyond the grave; rea-
son must temper grief; displays of emotion are unmanly.
These rather impersonal arguments based on reason became
stereotyped. They have a philosophical coldness about them
which, apart from Seneca's occasional emphasis on the
warmth of family affection as a source of consolation, only be-
comes more marked with the repetition of centuries. In
spite of their ineffectual character in many respects, they
continued to be inculcated without essential change in the
pagan schools of rhetoric until Christianity gave a new life to
the traditional genres and commonplaces of consolation
and added the incomparably superior means of consolation
furnished by the Christian faith.
Christian consolation, whatever the literary vehicle of its
expression, is based on the central doctrines of the Christian
religion: belief in a personal God, the Creator of the world
and of man, all-powerful but all-just and all-merciful, in the
three Persons of the Trinity and their attributes, in the Incar-
nation of Christ the Second Person of the Trinity, and of the
death of the God-Man on the cross as the supreme sacrifice
for our redemption, in His resurrection as the Saviour of man-
kind and as Victor over sin and death, in the reality of the
Eucharistic Sacrifice and the spiritual help and comfort to be
derived from participation in it, in the Church as a divine
institution, in the future life as the true life, in the communion
of saints, in the resurrection of the body, in a last judgment,
and in an eternal life of happiness in heaven or of punishment
in hell. Furthermore, in the Psalms and Prophets of the
Old Testament, and in the New Testament in its entirety,
XIV INTRODUCTION
Christians possessed a consolation literature of unique power
and beauty and one enjoying unique authority as the Word
of God Himself.
The Christian teachings on the resurrection of Christ and
or the resurrection of the body occupy a central place in
Christian apologetic and consolation. No Christian beliefs
met with greater opposition or ridicule from the pagan milieu
6i early Christianity. After nearly two thousand years of the
Christian tradition, it is difficult for us to appreciate the full
significance of the great passage 5 in which St. Paul cites the
resurrection of Christ as certain proof of the resurrection of
the body and as the fundamental and certain proof also of
the validity of the Christian faith, and then proceeds to
answer in detail a number of questions raised .regarding the
possibility of the resurrection of the body and the nature of
the body after its resurrection. It is not surprising, therefore,
to find that belief in the resurrection and arguments to
support that belief are emphasized in early Christian con-
solatory literature. The supporting arguments soon develop
into a body of commonplaces which appear repeatedly in the
various types of Christian writings. These commonplaces,
moreover, are interwoven with those employed by the pagans
as arguments for the immortality of the soul and taken over
by the Christians to serve the same purpose. Thus, Clement
of Rome (c. 30-100) in his Epistle to the Corinthians declares
that the resurrection of Christ is the strongest proof of the
certainty of our resurrection, and he employs arguments from
nature to support this proof : the alternation of day and night,
the living plant growing from the decayed seed in the ground,
and the example of the phoenix springing again into life
from its ashes. The last illustration was especially effective in
antiquity, because the reality of the phoenix and its life cycles
was widely believed. Athenagoras (fl. 177) in his work, On
5 1 Cor. 15.12-58.
INTRODUCTION XV
the Resurrection of the Dead, shows that the resurrection is
not only possible but necessary, drawing upon Pythagoras and
Plato for the argument that an original whole, even after the
separation of its parts, can be restored. Tertullian (d. after
200) deals with the resurrection in greater detail in his On
the Resurrection of the Flesh and On the Soul. In addition to
the authority of Scripture, he cites the pagan belief in the
immortality of the soul and the arguments used to support it :
the rising and setting of the sun, the phases of the moon, the
fall and renewal of foliage, and the story of the phoenix. St.
Cyprian (d. 258) in his On Mortality stresses the reward of
eternal joys and the certainty of the resurrection. Lactantius
(early 4th cent.) has a long section, c On the Happy Life, 5 in
his Divine Institutes. He considers the immortality of the
soul the highest good, and he argues that God who created
man has the power to restore bodies, however impossible this
may seem under certain circumstances. In his exposition, he
reviews critically the various pagan views and arguments in
respect to immortality. It may be observed in passing that
the most elaborate treatment of the phoenix in ancient
literature is the poem On the Phoenix ascribed to Lactantius.
In the course of the three centuries, then, from the coming
of Christ to the establishment of the Peace of the Church
under Constantine, all the typical elements of Christian con-
solation were formulated and developed. The commonplaces
of pagan consolation were utilized, but they were given a
new life and a new meaning when combined with the in-
finitely more effective arguments drawn from Christian doc-
trine and the Scriptures. In this period the literary vehicle
for consolation was the official or quasi-official letter, the
homily, or the treatise. Consolation was thus presented in an
incidental and general fashion, and largely as a part of
Christian apologetic. But the Peace of the Church ushereU
in the golden age of Christian literature (c. 325-451). Al-
XVI INTRODUCTION
most all the great Fathers and ecclesiastical , writers of that
period were trained in the pagan schools of rhetoric the
ancient Church did not develop a program of formal higher
education except in Scriptural studies under the leading
sophists of the time. They were intimately familiar by long
training with all the canons and conventions of style in a
period when stylistic ornament was an obsession and pro-
ficiency in its employment a mark of the highest prestige and
glory. They could not entirely escape the literary interests
and tastes of their environment. It was only natural, under
the circumstances, that they should be zealous to use their
literary training and talents in the service of their faith, and
that in so doing they should adapt long-established pagan
literary genres to their use. Hence the polished Christian
dialogues, treatises, letters and letter-treatises, homilies, pan-
egyrics, and funeral orations, to say nothing of the poetry of
high quality in form and content, of the golden age of
patristic literature. Consolation in this age finds formal ex-
pression in dialogues, treatises, letters, and funeral orations.
It is the last genre which is our primary concern here.
Of the ancient Christian funeral orations we have extant,
four by St. Gregory Nazianzen (c. 329-c. 390), four by St.
Ambrose (339-397) the second oration on Satyrus, how-
ever, is more properly a consolatio and four by St. Gregory
of Nyssa (d. 394). All the funeral orations of the first two
Fathers are included in the present volume. Those of St.
Gregory of Nyssa are omitted because they are somewhat
inferior when considered as whole. They reflect the rhetorical
exaggerations of the sophistic style to a greater degree and a
much greater dependence upon and identity with pagan
models.
St. Gregory Nazianzen was the pioneer in adapting the
pagan funeral oration to Christian use. Therefore, it will be
appropriate here to analyze briefly two of his funeral orations
INTRODUCTION XV11
which may be considered most typical of the genre in its
Christian Greek form, namely, the oration on his brother
Caesarius, the first of his extant funeral orations, and that
on his friend St. Basil, the masterpiece of Christian Greek
funeral speeches.
The oration on St. Caesarius may be analyzed as follows:
exordium division of the subject (Ch. 1); encomium
ancestry and parentage (2-4) ; physical endowments (5) ; up-
bringing and education ( 6-7 ) ; occupation and achievements
(8-10); life in Constantinople (10); struggle between Cae-
sarius and Julian (11-14); death and funeral (15); the
orator addresses his dead brother directly (16-17); exhort-
ation (18-21) and counsel (22-23); final exhortation and
prayer (24).
A glance at the schema of Menander for the epitdphios
logos given above will indicate that the oration follows the
general plan. However, apart from the Christian elements,
there are some differences. There is almost a complete absence
of lament; on the other hand, the description of the death
and funeral is borrowed from the monody. The consolatory
speech suggested the development of the thoughts on the
brevity of human life and on the lot of the soul after death
(16-17). The principal Christian elements are the Christian
outlook throughout, the frequent Biblical quotations, the
emphasis on spiritual rather than earthly goods, the emphasis
on eternal happiness of the soul with God in heaven as its true
home, the resurrection of the body, and the final solemn
prayer to God.
But it is in the funeral oration on St. Basil that St. Gregory
Nazianzen reveals his complete mastery of the genre and his
originality in adapting it to a more independent and speci-
fically Christian use. The analysis which follows is largely
taken from Boulenger 6 : exordium the orator explains his
6 F. Boulenger, Gregoire de Nazianze (Paris 1908) xxix-xxxi.
XVU1 INTRODU CTION
delay (1-2); encomium ancestors of Basil (3); their piety
and its proofs (4-8); his parents (9-10); physical endow-
ments (10); praise of knowledge, education in Caesarea in
Cappadocia and in Constantinople (11-14) and at Athens
( 14-24) ; his life as a priest, abuses in the hierarchy (25-27) ;
his disgrace, persecution, and struggle, and his acts compared
to Joseph's (28-36) ; his election as bishop and conception of
the office (37-38) ; his administration of his church, attempts
to establish unity in the Church, struggles against the em-
peror, the prefect, the judge, and against the bishops (38-
59); his moral and intellectual qualities; poverty, austerity,
celibacy, solicitude for the poor and sick, refutation of the
charge of arrogance, his eloquence, his writings and teachings
(60-69); comparisons with others: Adam, Enos, Henoch,
Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Samuel,
David, Solomon (in wisdom only), Elias and Eliseus, Daniel
and his companions, Jonas, the Machabees, St. John the
Baptist (in detail), St. Peter, the sons of Zebedee, and St.
Stephen (70-77); his death (78-79); funeral, lament, and
counsel (80); praise of Basil for his holiness and pious acts
(81) ; address to Basil and solemn prayer (82).
This oration, as the schema shows, is really an epitdphios
logos, but one in which the orator has made important modi-
fications, from the viewpoint of the traditional form, in
content, topoi, and emphasis to suit his purpose. The pagan
funeral oration is here transformed into a masterpiece of
Christian eloquence in which the pagan elements do not as-
sume undue importance, but are harmoniously subordinated
to Christian use. Guignet well says: 'This oration represents
admirably the intelligent independence which Gregory could
exhibit towards the great rhetors of whom he was the spiritual
son. Obviously, Gregory's method of composition cannot be
understood if we neglect the models which he followed. Given
the tyranny exercised in his time in all the domains of lite-
INTRODUCTION
rature, we observe in this oration a splendid emancipation.
For one who is familiar,, on the one hand, with the rigidity
of the sophistic teachings and, on the other, with the intel-
lectual pattern so strongly impressed upon young minds in the
workshops of the schools of rhetoric, the easy attitude of free-
dom which Gregory adopts towards their precepts constitutes
a definite and real effort in the direction of newness and
originality.' 7
St. Ambrose introduced the Christian funeral oration into
Latin literature most probably under the impulse given by his
great contemporaries in the East, Gregory Nazianzen and
Gregory of Nyssa. It would hardly seem accidental that his
funeral oration on Valentinian and Theodosius and his first
oration on his brother Satyrus should be the only known ex-
amples of the genre in ancient Christian Latin literature.
Apart from his excellent rhetorical training in Latin, St. Am-
brose had a much better knowledge of Greek than the great
majority of his intellectual contemporaries. Hence, his funeral
orations proper reflect an intimate acquaintance with the
canons of Menander and other Greek theorists and practi-
tioners in the field of rhetoric as well as the influence of the
Latin laudatio funebris and consolatio. It should be empha-
sized, however, that St. Ambrose did not feel as closely bound
by his pagan models as his Greek contemporaries. Furthermore,
his funeral orations are more thoroughly permeated with
Christian thought and with scriptural quotation, phraseology,
and imagery, and they are distinguished as a whole by more
marked personal tone and warmth of feeling. To give a
concrete idea of their rhetorical structure, it will suffice to
reproduce Rozynski's schema 8 of the first oration on Satyrus:
exordium (1-6); general grounds for lament My sorrow
for the death of Satyrus is very great, because without him I
7 M. Guignet, Saint Gregoire de Naziafnze (Paris 1911) 310.
8 F. Rozynski, Die Leichenreden des hi. Ambrosius (Breslau 1910) 18-19.
XX INTRODUCTION
cannot live (14), I can no longer requite him for his benefits
(19), in him I have lost all my joy, all my comfort, and
every ornament of my life (33) ; special ground for lament
I weep for my brother, and rightly, because many virtues
adorned him: fidelity in honoring God, an extraordinary
prudence, and a noble eloquence (49), courage (50), self-
control (56), a strict sense of rectitude, combined with kind-
ness (62); end of lament The recollection of all these
special excellences of his now cause me great sorrow; I shall
pine away with grief; grounds for consolation In my sorrow
I derive consolation from the favorable time of his death
(68), the thought that we Christians should not mourn as
pagans mourn (71), the thought that I have not lost my
brother completely and the thought that my episcopal office
will help much to alleviate my grief (77); conclusion
Receive my last farewell (78) and let me soon follow you
(79); prayer (80).
This oration is classified by Rozynski as a consolatory
speech, but it would seem rather to be a combination of this
and of a monody. Furthermore, his attempt to fit the speech
a little too rigidly into the schemata of Menander leads him
to de-emphasize the central role given to the Christian ele-
ments in the oration, and especially the copious employment
of Scripture.
An analysis of the structure of the so-called second oration
on Satyrus shows that it is essentially a Christian consolatio.
The commonplaces of the pagan genre and liberally employed,
especially those dealing with death as a release from the
troubles of this life and with the immortality of the soul.
There are many resemblances in content and language to
passages in the Tusculan Disputations of Cicero, but the
chief Ciceronian source or influence was most probably his
lost De consolatione. The central theme of the work, how-
ever, is the truly Christian consolation to be derived from
INTRODUCTION XXI
an unquestioning and fervent belief in the eternal happiness
of the souls of the just with God and in the certainty and
reality of the resurrection of the body at the end of the world.
In the course of his exposition, St. Ambrose draws heavily
upon Scripture and in his application of passages of the
Canticle of Canticles, St. Paul, and the Apocalypse especially
he exhibits a mystic exaltation which in its glowing intensity
reminds one of the Psalms of David and the Prophets of the
Old Testament.
The translations in the present volume are based, in general,
on the reprints of the old Benedictine editions available in
Migne, PG 35-36, and PL 16. In the case of the orations of
St. Gregory Nazianzen on St. Caesarius and St. Basil, and of
the orations of St. Ambrose on Satyrus ( I ) , Valentinian, and
Theodosius, the new or revised texts published in the special
editions listed in the bibliography were also utilized. The
text of St. Ambrose is so badly reprinted in Migne that it
was necesssary to check the text of the second oration on
Satyrus, especially, against that of the original Benedictine
text of 1686-1690.
Scriptural quotations from the books of the Old Testament,
except Genesis, are given according to the wording of Chal-
loner's revision of the Douai Version. For Genesis and for the
New Testament, the translations published under the auspices
of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine have been em-
ployed.
MARTIN R. P. McGuiRE
XX11 INTRODUCTION
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Texts and Translations:
Gregoire de Nazianze. Discours funebres en I'honneur de son frere
Ce'saire et de Basile de Cesare'e. Texte grec, traduction franchise,
introduction et index, par Fernand Boulenger (Paris 1908) .
(Textes et Documents, pour 1'Etude historique du Christianisme
publics sous la direction de Hippolyte Hemmer et Paul
Lejay 16) .
S. Ambrosii Mediolanensis Episcopi de obitu Satyri fratris laudatio
funebris, denuo edidit annotavit praefatus est D. Dr. Bruno
Alhers (Bonnae 1921) . (Florilegium Patristicum 15) .
Sancti Ambrosii Liber de consolationc Valentiniani. A text with a
translation, introduction a { nd commentary, by Thomas A. Kelly,
C.S.C. (Washington 1940). (Catholic University of America Pa-
tristic Studies 58) .
Sancti Ambrosii Oratio de obitu Theodosii: Text, translation, intro-
duction, and commentary, by Sister Mary Dolorosa Mannix, S.S.J.
(Washington 1925) . (Catholic University of America Patristic
Studies 10) .
Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen, trans, by Charles G.
Browne and James E. Swallow (New York 1894) . (A Select
Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian
Church, 2nd ser. VII).
Des heiligen Bischofs Gregor von Nazianz Reden aus dem Griechischen
iibersetzt und mil Einleitung und Anmcrkungen versehen, von
Dr. Theol. Philipp Hauser (Miinchen 1928). (Bibliothek der
Kirchenvater 59) .
Some of the Principal Works of St, Ambrose, trans, by H. de Rome-
stin et al. (New York 1896) . (A Select Library of Nicene and
Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, 2nd ser. X) .
Des heiligen Kirchenlehrers Ambrosius von Mailand Pflichtenlehrc
und ausgewdhlte kleinere Schrifteh, iibersetzt und eingeleitet von
Dr. Job. Ev. Niederhuber, III. Band (Kempten und Miinchen
1917). (Bibliothek der Kirchenvater 32).
INTRODU CTION XX111
Other Works:
B. Albers, 'Ueber die erste Trauerrede des hi. Ambrosius zum Tode
seines Bruders Satyms', Festeabe Ehrhard (Bonn and Leipzig
1922) 24-52.
Sister M. Melchior Beyenka, O.P., Consolation in Saint Augustine
(Washington 1950) . (Catholic University of America Patristic
Studies 83) . Contains a good historical introduction on the
development of the ancient consolation, pp. 1-30.
H. Dudden, The Life and Times of St. Ambrose, 2 vols. (Oxford 1935) .
C. Favez, La consolation latins chretienne (Paris 1937) .
Sister M. Edmond Fern, The Latin Consolatio as a Literary Type
(St. Louis 1941) .
M. Guignet, Saint Greeoire de Nazianze orateur et epistolier (Paris
1911).
X. Hiirth, 'De Gregorii Nazianzeni orationibus funebribus', Dis-
sertationes philologicae Argentoratenses selectae, Vol. 12 (Ar-
gentorati 1908) 1-160.
J. R. Palanque, S. Ambroise et I' empire rornain (Paris 1933) .
A. Puech, Histoire de la litterature grecque chretienne depuis les
orioines jusqu'a la fin du IVe siede, Tome III (Paris 1930) .
F. Rozynski, Die Leichenreden des hi. Ambrosius inbesondere auf
ihr Verhdltnis zu der antiken Rhetorik und den antike'n Trost-
schriften untersucht (Breslau 1910) .
NAZI AN ZEN
Translated by
LEO P. McCAULEY, S. J., Ph.D.
Boston College
INTRODUCTION
JAESARIUS, WHOSE EARLY and untimely death is
the subject of this funeral oration, was the younger
brother of St. Gregory. Celebrated as a physician, he
was highly esteemed by Emperors Constantius and Julian.
While holding an imperial office in the province of Bithynia,
he escaped death in the earthquake at Nicaea in 368, but
shortly thereafter fell a victim to an unspecified disease. His
remains were brought back to Nazianzus and interred in the
family vault. On this occasion St. Gregory delivered the
present oration in the presence of his parents.
The eulogy of Caesarius has the usual rhetorical divisions.
The topics are amplified with the fulsomeness cherished by
the age. The embellishments of rhetorical art are present in full
vigor. Noteworthy are the sections of the encounter between
Caesarius and Julian (11-14), and the stirring, if lengthy,
comparisons between this life and the life to come ( 18-23 ) .
The exact date of the panegyric on St. Basil is uncertain. It
was delivered at Nazianzus probably three years or a little
less after the death of St. Basil on January 1, 379. The orator
alleges as reasons for the delay his own ill health and the
labors which engaged him at Constantinople. The extreme
length of the speech suggests that it was not delivered in its
present form. The speech follows the traditional rhetorical
pattern. The orator presents in order, after a brief exordium
an account of the ancestors of Basil, his character, his edu-
4 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
cation, his priesthood and his episcopate, his virtues, com-
pares him with other great heroes of God, touches briefly on
his death and burial, and concludes with the customary
prayer. The oration has been admired by critics for its great
power and beauty.
The date of the panegyric on Gorgonia cannot be deter-
mined exactly. We conclude from the oration itself that it was
after the death of Gaesarius in 369 and before the death of
the elder Gregory in 374. The speech was probably delivered
in Iconium in Lycaonia in the presence of Gorgonia's
'spiritual father' (22), Faustinus, then bishop of that city. It
will seem surprising to us that the daughter of such pious
parents should have postponed her baptism so long (20),
though she must certainly have been baptized before the
extraordinary incident involving her handling of the sacred
Species (18). The eulogy is a noble and eloquent tribute to
Gorgonia and marked with greater warmth of feeling than
are his other funeral orations.
The oration on the death of his father was delivered by the
younger Gregory at Nazianzus in Cappadocia early in 374.
St. Basil the Great, who had been consecrated bishop by
Gregory the Elder, was present, and the orator addresses the
opening sections and one of the later sections (14) to his life-
long friend. St. Nonna, mother of the orator, was also present,
and the conclusion of the eulogy (42,43) is addressed to her.
Gregory the Elder is presented as truly admirable in every
way. The oration sketches his life and character, including the
story of his conversion from heresy. So long a speech on the
occasion of his father's death may seem a little out of place
today. To many the panegyric may seem to lack genuine
warmth of feeling, save perhaps in the sections dealing with
his mother. An interesting sidelight on the ecclesiastical history
of the time is the account of the election of the bishop of
Caesarea (33-36).
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS
JERHAPS YOU THINK,, my friends and brethren and
parents, who are dear to me in fact as well as in
name, that I eagerly undertake this address, that I
intend to pour forth lamentations and dirges for the deceased
or to deliver a lengthy and elegant discourse such as delights
most men. Some of you are prepared to grieve and lament
with me, to bewail your own sorrows in my sorrow if any
of you have been similarly afflicted and to learn how to
grieve through the sorrows of a friend; but others have come
to indulge their ears and be entertained. These think we ought
to make this sad event an occasion for display, as we once used
to do when we abounded in material wealth and sought
honor in public speaking. But that was before we raised our
eyes to the true and highest Word, and, in giving all to God
from whom all comes, received God in place of all. Please do
not entertain this view of us if you wish to regard us rightly.
We shall not lament the departed more than is proper, since
we do not approve of such excess in others, and we shall
not bestow immoderate and unmerited praise. Yet, for an
orator, a speech, and for one who particularly loved my
speeches, a eulogy would be, if anything would, a dear and
most personal gift. Nor would it be a gift only, but the most
D ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
just of all obligations. But in our tears and admiration we
must observe the law concerning such matters, and this is in
full accord with our philosophy: 1 'The memory of the just
is with praises,' 2 and 'Shed tears,' he says, 'over the dead,
and begin to lament as if thou hadst suffered some great
harm, 33 thus separating us equally from insensibility and im-
moderation. Afterwards we shall show the weakness of human
nature, and recall the worth of the soul, and offer the con-
solation due the mourners, and turn their grief from the flesh
and temporal concerns to the things which are spiritual and
eternal.
( 2 ) Caesarius had for parents, to begin at the most fitting
point, those whom you all know. Seeing and hearing of their
excellent character, you emulate and admire it, and describe
it to those who do not know it if there are such each
taking a different phase, since no one individual could do so
completely. It is not a task for a single tongue, however
devoted and zealous one may be. Although they furnish many
important topics for eulogy I trust I do not seem excessive
in honoring my own family there is one characteristic which
is most important of all and, as it were, their chief distinction,
namely, their piety. I call them holy and venerable, and not
less revered for virtue than for age, whose bodies are worn by
time, but whose souls grow young for God.
(3) Our father was well engrafted from the wild olive
into the cultivated olive, and so much did he share its richness
that the engrafting of others and the care of souls was
entrusted to him. Holding high office, and in a becoming
manner, he presided over his people, a second Aaron or
Moses, considered worthy to draw near to God and impart
1 The term 'philosophy' (and its derivatives) is frequently employed in
patristic Greek, as here, to designate the life of Christian perfection,
with emphasis on ascetical practices and contemplation.
2 Prov. 10.7.
3 Eccli. 38.16.
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 7
the divine voice to those standing far off. He was gentle, not
given to anger, of calm mien, warm in spirit, rich in externals,
but richer still in what is hidden from the eye. Why should I
describe one whom you know? Even if I should make an
extended speech, I could not do justice to the subject and
give an account satisfactory to the knowledge and demands
of each of you. It will be better to allow your own thoughts
scope than by my speech to mutilate the object of your
admiration.
(4) Our mother, from the beginning and by virtue of des-
cent, consecrated to God and receiving piety as a necessary
heritage not for herself alone, but also for her children, was
truly a holy lump from the holy first fruits of the dough. She so
far increased and augmented it that some have expressed their
belief the assertion is bold, but I will make it that not
even her husband's perfection was any other's work than
hers. And how wonderful it is that a greater and more per-
fect piety was bestowed as the reward of piety! Both were
lovers of their children and of Christ. Yet it is a striking
paradox that they were more devoted lovers of Christ than of
their children. Their sole enjoyment in their children was
that they be known as Christ's and called His. Their single
definition of good children comprised virtue and kinship
with the Chief Good. Compassionate and sympathetic, they
rescued much treasure from moths and brigands and from
the prince of this world, transferring it from their place of
exile to their homeland, and storing up the glory of heaven for
their children as their greatest inheritance. Thus they have
anticipated a fruitful old age, equally honored for virtue and
for years, full of days, both of those that abide and those that
pass away. Neither has obtained first prize here on earth, only
because each is kept from first place by the other. They have
filled the measure of all happiness, with the exception of this
final trial, or dispensation, whichever one thinks we ought to
8 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
call it. In my judgment, it is a dispensation, for now they
have sent before them that son of theirs most in danger on
the score of age. They may thus end their life in security and
be brought to heaven with all their family.
( 5 ) I did not mention these points because of a desire to
eulogize them or because I am unaware that one could
scarcely approach their worth though he devoted an entire
discourse to their praise. My purpose was to show that Cae-
sarius owed his virtue to his parents. It should be no cause
for marvel or incredulity if the son of such parents made
himself worthy of such praise, but it would be indeed if he
neglected the examples of his own relatives and looked to
others. His early life was proper to those of good birth and
fair prospects. To be brief about his obvious qualities, his
beauty and stature, his manifold grace, and his equability as
shown in his voice, since we do not marvel at such gifts, how-
ever important they seem to others, I shall now proceed in my
address to matters which it would be difficult to omit even
if one wished to do so.
( 6 ) While such was the character of our rearing and edu-
cation at home, we were also thoroughly trained in the studies
available in this city. In these he greatly excelled the majority
in quickness and scope of talent. How am I, without tears, to
pass over these memories and to escape being convicted by
my grief contrary to my promise of being unphilosophical?
When the time came for leaving home, we were then first
separated from each other. I devoted myself to the study of
rhetoric in the schools of Palestine then flourishing, while he
went to Alexandria, both then and now, truly and by
reputation, a workshop of all kinds of learning.
What am I to mention as first or greatest of his merits?
Or by what omission shall I do least damage to my pre-
sentation? Who was more faithful to his teachers than he?
Who more friendly to his comrades? Who better avoided
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 9
evil companionship and association? Who devoted himself
more to that of men of high character, those most renowned
and distinguished from his own and from other countries?
He knew well that these associations have an important
bearing on virtue or vice. Wherefore, who was in greater
honor with those in authority than he? Who in the entire
city though all individuals suffer obscurity because of its
size was more distinguished for moderation or more re-
nowned for understanding?
( 7 ) What field of learning was there that he did not pen-
etrate, and that better than any one else as his specialty?
Whom did he allow even to approach him, not only of his own
circle and of his own age, but even of his elders and those
longer engaged in their studies? He applied himself to all sub-
jects as if they were but one, and to each as if there were no
other. He overcame the naturally quick by industry, the ha-
bitually studious by mental acuteness; rather, he surpassed the
quick in quickness, the industrious in industry, and on both
scores those outstanding in both.
From geometry and astronomy, that branch of learning so
dangerous for others, he selected what was useful, that is,
from the harmony and order of heavenly bodies he learnt
admiration for the Creator. Yet, what was harmful he
avoided. He did not attribute all being and becoming to the
motion of the stars, as do those who set up their fellow servant,
creation, in opposition to their Creator. But he referred, as is
reasonable, their motion, as all other things, to God. In
arithmetic and mathematics, and in the marvelous art of
medicine, which deals with constitutions arid temperaments
and the causes of diseases, so that, by the removal of the
roots, their growths also may be cut off, who is so ignorant
or contentious as to give him second place and not to be glad
to be counted next after him and to carry away second prize?
Nor is my statement unsubstantiated, but the regions of the
10 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
East and West, and wherever he afterwards visited, are signal
monuments of his learning.
(8) When he had gathered all virtue and knowledge into
his single soul, as a great merchant ship gathers all kinds of
freight, he set out for his own city to share with others the
fine wares of his learning. There, something quite remarkable
occurred which is a special pleasure for me to recall, and, if
briefly told, may not displease you. It was the maternal and
loving prayer of our mother that, as she had sent off both of
us, she would see us return together. The pair of us seemed, if
not to others, at least to our mother, worthy of her prayers and
glances when seen together, though we are now unfortunately
separated. And so, through the will of God, who hears a just
prayer and honors the love of parents for virtuous children,
one of us from Alexandria, the other from Greece, one by
land, the other by sea, returned by no forethought or agree-
ment at the same time to the same city. The city was
Byzantium, now the capital city of Europe. Here Caesarius
soon after gained such fame that public honors, a distinguished
marriage, and a seat in the Senate were offered him. A
deputation was sent by public decree to the great emperor
to petition that the leading city be adorned and honored with
the leading scholar, if he had any concern that the city should
really be first and worthy of its name, and that this distinction
be added to all its others, namely, that it be embellished with
Caesarius as physician and citizen, however flourishing it al-
ready was in all its other brilliance through its distinguished
men in philosophy and other fields of learning.
But let this suffice. That occurrence seemed to others a
mere blind and uncaused chance event, of which there are
many examples in our lives, but to lovers of God it was very
evidently nothing else than the work of God-loving parents
gathering home their children from land and sea in fulfillment
of their prayer.
ON HIS BROTHER,, ST. CAESARIUS 11
( 9 ) Let us not pass over this illustration of Caesarius' vir-
tues, which may perhaps seem slight to others and unworthy of
mention, but seemed to me then and now very important if,
indeed, fraternal love is praiseworthy. I shall not cease to
place it in the first rank as often as I discuss his qualities.
The city wished to retain him by the honors I mentioned
and refused to release him for any reason. Since I had great
influence with Caesarius in all matters, I succeeded, taking
the opposite view, in bringing about the fulfillment of our
parents' prayer, our country's need, and my own desire. I took
him as the associate and companion of my journey, and he
preferred me not only to cities and peoples, and to honors and
income, which were flowing to him in profusion from many
sources or were to be expected, but almost to the emperor
himself and his commands from the capital.
Thereafter I determined to devote myself to philosophy and
to adapt myself to the higher life, shaking off all ambition
like some hard master and severe disease. Or, rather, the
desire was earlier; the life, later. Caesarius, however, offered
the first fruits of his learning to his country and was admired
in a manner worthy of his labors. But afterwards a desire of
glory and of being a guardian of the city, as he persuaded
me, took him to the court. This was not entirely pleasing
to us and contrary to expectation for I will declare to you
that the least place with God seems better and more exalted
than the first rank with an earthly king but not at all
blameworthy. For, as philosophy is the most important, it
is likewise the most difficult of vocations. It is not an under-
taking for the majority nor for any others except those called
by the divine magnanimity, which gives its hand to those who
have made a worthy choice. But it is no slight thing if a man
who has embraced the second kind of life should lay claim to
goodness and have greater esteem for God and his salvation
than for earthly glory, and should set this before him as a
12 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
stage or a sort of mask of many transient things in acting out
the drama of this world, but should personally be living for
God with that image which he knows he has received from
Him and owes to Him as the giver. That, without question,
was the purpose of Caesarius.
(10) He easily obtained the first rank among physicians.
He merely revealed his learning, or, rather, a brief indication
of his learning. Immediately he was numbered among the
friends of the emperor and enjoyed the greatest honors. To
those in power he offered the service of his art without charge.
He knew that nothing can advance a man as can virtue and
the reputation for noble actions. He far surpassed in reputation
those to whom he was inferior in rank. Because he was beloved
by all for his moderation, he was entrusted by them with
what is most precious. He had no need of Hippocrates to
administer the oath to him, and the simplicity of Crates was
as nothing compared to his. To all he was more venerable
than his rank warranted, being considered always worthy of
his present great honors and judged worthy of greater honors
to come. This was the view of the emperors themselves and
of those who held positions next to them. The greatest marvel
is that neither his fame nor the luxury surrounding him cor-
rupted the nobility of his soul. Although he possessed many
important honors, his own first claim to dignity consisted in
being and being known as a Christian. All else, compared
with this one fact, was for him mere childish games and
trifles. All else was like parts played before others as on a stage
quickly set up and dismantled, perhaps more easily destroyed
than erected, as may be seen from the many vicissitudes of
life and the rise and fall of prosperity. Piety alone is a per-
sonal good and truly abiding.
(11) This was Caesarius' philosophy, even in the
courtier's cloak. In these thoughts he lived and died, showing
and offering to God in the hidden man greater piety than ap-
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 13
peared in public. If need be, I shall omit all else, his succor of
relatives in adversity, his disdain of vanity, his equality with
friends, his boldness with rulers, his contests and discussions in
behalf of truth in which he engaged with many, not only in the
dialectic manner, but also with unusual piety and fervor.
One fact, and that the best known, I shall tell in place of all
these.
The emperor 4 of evil name was raging against us, and,
having first become maddened against himself through his
rejection of faith in Christ, was already unbearable to others,
also. Unlike the other fighters against Christ, he did not
proclaim himself arrogantly for impiety, but concealed his
persecution under the fiction of reasonableness, and, in the
manner of the crooked serpent who possessed his soul, by all
kind of machinations drew his unhappy victims into his own
abyss. His first device and trick, in order to deprive us of
honor in the contests for that noble and magnanimous man
begrudged even this to Christians was to cause those suf-
fering as Christians to be punished as criminals. The second
was to give the name of persuasion, not tyranny, to this
process, that there might be greater shame than danger in-
volved for those who voluntarily yielded to impiety. Seducing
some by bribes, some by dignities, some by promises, others by
all kinds of honors which he did not confer in a royal but in
a very slavish manner, in the sight of all, and alluring all by
the witchery of his words and his own example, he made trial,
after many others, of Caesarius himself. Alas for this madness
and folly if he hoped to take Caesarius, a man such as he was,
my brother and the son of these parents, for his prey!
(12) But to delay a little in my speech and to enjoy the
narration, as the spectators at the marvelous happening, that
noble warrior, fortified by the sign of Christ, and defending
himself with His great Word, advanced upon a man expe-
4 Julian the Apostate.
14 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
rienced in arms and formidable in his skill of argumentation.
Caesarius was not terrified at the sight, nor did he give any
ground because of the flattery of his pride. He was an athlete
ready to contend in word and deed against a contestant who
was capable in both. Such was the stadium, and such the con-
tender for piety. And masters of the contest were present: on
one side Christ, arming His athlete with His own sufferings;
on the other the dread tyrant, fawning upon him by the
familiarity of his words and terrifying him by the weight of his
power. The spectators on both sides, those who yet remained
on the side of piety and those he had snatched from it, also
were looking down to see how the contest inclined and who
would conquer, and were in greater anxiety than they upon
whom they gazed.
(13) Did you not fear for Caesarius that something un-
worthy of his zeal might befall him? Take heart. Victory is
with Christ who overcame the world. 5 I should like above all,
you may be sure, to present each single point of what was
stated and proposed at the time the discussion had some
logical turns and niceties which are most pleasant to remem-
ber but this would be wholly outside the scope of this oc-
casion and this discourse. When Caesarius had foiled all his
verbal subtleties and every hidden and open attempt, pushing
them aside as child's play, he proclaimed in a loud and clear
voice that he was a Christian and would so remain. Not even
then was he finally dismissed. A strange desire possessed the
emperor to be associated in and adorned with Caesarius'
learning. On that same occasion he even uttered his famous
cry in the hearing of all : 'O fortunate father, O unfortunate
children!' For he deemed it proper to honor me also with as-
sociation in dishonor, since he had known our learning and
piety at Athens. Preserved for a second entrance into the im-
perial court, since justice fitly armed the emperor against the
5 Cf. John 16.33.
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 15
Persians, Caesarius returned to us a blessed exile, an unbloody
victor, more renowned for his dishonor than for his glory.
(14) I judge this victory far more exalted and precious
than the emperor's powerful hand and exalted purple robe and
costly diadem. I am more uplifted by this narrative than if he
had shared the entire empire with him. Accordingly, he lived
in retirement during those evil times, and he did so according
to our law. This bids us, when the occasion demands, to dare
danger for the truth and not to betray piety through cow-
ardice, but also, as long as it is licit, not to challenge dangers, 6
either through fear for our own souls or to spare those bringing
danger upon us. When the gloom was dispelled, and a foreign
land had delivered just judgment, and the glittering sword
had overthrown the reprobate, and power had returned to
Christians, why need I tell you with what glory and honor,
or with what noble and numerous testimonies, and, as one be-
stowing rather than receiving a favor, he was again welcomed
at court and his second honor succeeded his first? Time
changed emperors, but Caesarius 3 reputation and primacy of
place with them were untouched. The emperors were in rivalry
as to which should have greater claim to Caesarius and deserve
more to be known as his intimate friend. Such was Caesarius'
piety, and such were the rewards of his piety. Let youths and
men hear of it and let them press forward through the same
virtue to the same distinction. 'For the fruit of good labors is
glorious.' 7 Let them seek this zealously and consider it a part
of true happiness.
(15) But there is another marvel concerning him which
affords the strongest evidence of his parents' piety and his own.
He was living in Bithynia, holding an office of great import-
ance from the emperor, for he was controller of the imperial
revenue and in charge of the treasury. The emperor intended
6 Cf. Matt. 10.23.
7 Wisd. 3.15.
16 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
this position to be a prelude to higher offices for him. When
the recent earthquake occurred at Nicaea and it is said to
have been the worst ever recalled it overwhelmed almost all
the inhabitants and, along with them, destroyed the beauty of
the city. He alone of the distinguished men, or together with
very few, was saved from danger, sheltered in unbelievable
safety by the falling ruins and suffering almost no ill effects
from his peril. Yet it was enough to make him take fear as his
teacher and guide to a more important salvation, and to de-
vote himself entirely to his heavenly destiny. He shifted his ser-
vice from transitory things and changed courts for his true ad-
vantage. This, then, was his intention and earnest prayer, as
he persuaded me in his letters, when I had seized the occasion
for an admonition. I had often admonished him before, when
I was angered that his nobility of nature should be devoted to
inferior pursuits and his philosophic soul should be continually
immersed in public affairs even as the sun is hidden by a
cloud.
Although he survived the earthquake, he was not immune
to disease, for he was human. His escape was peculiar to him-
self, his death common to others; the former was a sign of his
piety, the latter of his nature. Moreover, consolation preceded
our grief, so that, though shaken by his death, we might re-
joice in the marvel of his former preservation. And now the
noble Caesarius has been brought safely to us. His precious
dust, his corpse, extolled with praise, has been sent home with
hymns upon hymns, escorted to the altars of the martyrs and
honored by the holy hands of his parents. His mother, clad in
a bright robe, substitutes piety for sorrow, her tears subdued
by philosophy, her lamentations quieted by the singing of
psalms. He himself enjoys the rewards worthy of his newly
made soul which the Spirit transformed by water.
(16) This, Caesarius, is my funeral offering to you. These
are the first fruits of my oratory. You who often complained of
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 17
its concealment were destined to uncover it through its ap-
plication to yourself. This is your adornment at my hands, and
it is to you, I well know, the dearest of all adornments. It is
not the soft flowing folds of silk, in which, even while alive,
you did not delight after the manner of most men, since you
were adorned with virtue alone; nor woven robes of trans-
parent linen, nor outpourings of costly perfumes with their
fragrance lasting but a single day, which you had long since
left to the women's apartments, nor any other trifles or things
valued by triflers, all of which this bitter stone would have
concealed today along with your beautiful body. Away with
pagan games and fables, whereby ill-fated youths are honored,
garnering petty prizes from petty contests! Away with liba-
tions and first fruits and garlands and freshly plucked flowers,
with which they honor the departed, following ancestral law
and unreasoning grief rather than reason ! My gift is a speech.
Perhaps even future time will keep it, and it will continue to
live and will not suffer the departed to be utterly gone, but
will ever preserve our honored brother in men's ears and souls,
setting forth more clearly than pictures the image of our be-
loved.
(17) Such, then, is our offering. If it is slight and less than
his worth, yet what is according to our powers is pleasing to
God. We have paid some of the debt, and we will pay the
rest surely all of us as long as we live by offering honors
and remembrance every year. But you, sacred and holy soul,
may you enter heaven, may you rest in Abraham's bosom
whatever may be the meaning of this may you behold the
chorus of angels and the splendors and glories of blessed men.
Or, rather, may you join the chorus and rejoice with them,
smiling derisively from on high at everything here: so-called
riches, cast-off positions, lying honors, illusions caused by our
senses, the twists and turns of this life, the confusion and
ignorance, as it were, of night battle, as you stand before the
18 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
great King and are filled with His light. May we now receive
a slight emanation from it, such as appears in mirrors and
riddles, 8 and may we hereafter obtain the fountainhead of
Good itself, looking with pure mind upon pure Truth, finding,
as a reward of our zealous labor for the good here below, that
more perfect sharing and contemplation of the Good on high
which the divinely inspired books and minds prophesy to be
the end of initiation in our mysteries.
(18) What yet remains? Through words to offer conso-
lation to the mourners. Powerful to those in grief is the remedy
supplied by those who join in their grief. And those who have
equal suffering are more effective in bringing consolation to
those who suffer. To such, therefore, is our speech especially
addressed. Regarding them, I should be ashamed if they
should not be first in patience as in all other virtues. For, if
they are greater lovers of their children than all others, let
them also be greater lovers of wisdom and of Christ, pondering
more deeply themselves on the passing from this life, and
teaching their children. Or, rather, let them devote their
whole life to the preparation for deliverance. But, if sorrow
yet obscures your reasoning, and, like a kind of film covering
the eye, does not allow you to see your duty clearly, come,
you elders, receive a young man's admonition, and you par-
ents, a son's; you who have admonished many and garnered
experience by a long life, receive admonition from him who
deserves to be admonished rather by those of your own age.
Marvel not if I, a youth, admonish my elders. And if I can
see anything better than gray hairs can, this, also, I give to
you.
How much longer shall we live, honored elders, you who
are drawing near to God? How long shall we suffer here?
The whole life of mankind is not long when compared with
the divine and eternal Nature, much less the remnants of life
8 Cf. 1 Cor. 13.12.
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 19
and the dissolution, as we might call it, of human breath and
the end of our transient existence. By how much did Caesarius
anticipate us? How long shall we yet bewail the departed?
Are we not pressing on to the same destination? Shall we not
soon be covered by the same stone? Shall we not soon be the
same dust ourselves? Shall we gain anything in these few days
except more evils, after seeing some, suffering some, or
even perhaps committing others, being forced finally to pay
the common and unalterable tribute to the law of nature, in
following some and anticipating others, in bewailing some
and being lamented by others, and in receiving from some the
favor of tears which we have bestowed upon others?
(19) Such, brethren, is our life, we whose existence is so
transitory. Such is the game we play upon earth: we do not
exist and we are born, and being born we are dissolved. We are
a fleeting dream, 9 an apparition without substance, the flight
of a bird that passes, a ship that leaves no trace upon the
sea. 10 We are dust, a vapor, the morning dew, a flower
growing but a moment and withering in a moment, 11 'Man's
days are as grass: as the flower of the field, so shall he
flourish.' 12 Beautifully has holy David meditated on our
weakness. And again in the words: 'Declare unto me the
fewness of my days' ; 13 and he defines the days of man as the
measure of a span. 14 What would you say to Jeremias, who,
complaining of his birth, even blames his mother, and that,
too, for the failings of others? 15 'I have seen everything,' 16
says Ecclesiastes. I have reviewed in my mind all human
things, wealth, luxury, power, glory that is not stable, wisdom
9 Cf. Job 20.8.
10 Cf. Wisd. 5.10,11-
11 Cf. Osee 13.3.
12 Ps. 102.15.
13 Ps. 101.24.
14 Cf. Ps. 38.6 (Septuagint) .
15 Cf. Jer. 15.10.
16 Eccle. 1.14.
20 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
that eludes us more often than it is mastered ; again pleasure,
again wisdom, often returning full circle to the same things,
delights of the belly, orchards, numbers of slaves, a multitude
of possessions, male and female table servants, singing men
and singing women, arms, henchmen, nations at one's feet,
revenues flowing in, the pride of royalty, all life's superfluities
and necessities, in which I surpassed all the kings who were
before me. 17 And after all this what is his judgment? 'All is
vanity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation of spirit,' 18 that
is, a kind of irrational impulse of soul and distraction of
man who has been condemned to this perhaps because of
the original fall. But, 'hear all the conclusion of my discourse/
he says: Tear God.' 19 Through this he ceases from perplexity.
And this alone is your gain from life here, to be brought
through the confusion of things which are seen and unstable
to things which are firm and immovable.
(20) Let us not, then, bewail Caesarius, knowing from
what evils he has his release, but ourselves, knowing to what
evils we have been left and what we shall heap up for our-
selves if we do not nobly devote ourselves to God, and, outrun-
ning transitory things, press on to the life above, and though
still living on earth, yet leave earth behind and nobly follow the
spirit that bears us to heaven. These thoughts are grievous to
the cowardly, but they do not daunt those of manly heart.
Let us look at the matter thus. Caesarius will not rule? No, but
neither will he be ruled by others. He will not strike terror into
anyone? No, but neither will he fear a severe master who is
often not even worthy to be a subject himself. He will not
gather wealth? No, but neither will he be suspicious or envious
or suffer loss to his soul by taking unjustly and always seeking
to acquire as much again as he has acquired. For such is the
17 Cf. Eccle. 2.1-9.
18 Eccle. 1.14.
19 Eccle. 12.13.
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 21
disease of growing wealthy. It has no limit to further desires,
but makes continued drinking the remedy of thirst. He will
make no oratorical display? No, but he will be admired for
his oratory. He will not study the works of Hippocrates and
Galen and their adversaries? No, but neither will he be
afflicted by diseases or experience personal grief at others'
misfortunes. He will not expound the works of Euclid and
Ptolemy and Hero? No, but neither will he be pained at
the pompous boasts of uncultured men. He will make no
display of the doctrines of Plato or Aristotle or Pyrrho or of
a Democritus, an Heraclitus, an Anaxagoras, a Cleanthes, or
an Epicurus, and I know not of what others of the venerable
Stoa and Academy? No, but neither will he be concerned
about solving their specious arguments.
What else need I mention? Well, there remain, of course,
things that are precious and much sought after by all. He
will not enjoy a wife or children? No, but neither will he
mourn them or be mourned by them, nor will he leave them
behind to others nor he himself be left behind as a monument
of misfortune. He will not inherit property? No, but he will
be succeeded by the most satisfactory of heirs, and such as he
personally desired, so that he could leave this world bearing
all his wealth with him. What a glorious ambition! What a
novel consolation! What magnanimity in his executors! An
announcement worthy of the attention of all was heard and
a mother's sorrow is removed by a beautiful and holy promise
to give entirely to her son his wealth as his personal funeral
gift and to leave nothing to those who were expecting
legacies! 20
(21) Is this not yet sufficient for consolation? I have still to
offer the most efficacious remedy. I believe the words of wise
men that, when every beautiful and divinely loved soul is
20 Caesarius had expressed this wish that his \vealth be distributed to
the poor and this wish was carried out by his parents.
22 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
loosed from the body to which it has been bound and is re-
leased from this world, it immediately enters on the perception
and contemplation of the good awaiting it, inasmuch as the
darkening element has been purged, or put off, or whatever
the correct expression may be. It enjoys a certain marvelous
pleasure, and exults, and goes joyfully to its Lord, having
escaped from life here as if from some hard prison and having
shaken off the fetters with which it was bound and with which
the wing of the intellect was held down; it enters into the
possession of the blessedness reserved for it such as it has
already conceived in imagination. Shortly afterwards, it takes
up its own related flesh, united with which it meditated on
heavenly topics, from the earth which both gave it and was
entrusted with it, and, in a way which God knows who bound
them together and separated them, it is joint heir with it of
supernal glory. And just as such a soul shared its sufferings
because of its natural union with its flesh, so also it shares its
own joys with it, having assumed it wholly into itself and
having become with it one spirit and mind and good, life
having absorbed the mortal and transitory element. Hear at
least what holy Ezechiel teaches about the joining of bones and
sinews, 21 and, after him, what St. Paul says about earthly
habitation and a house not made with hands, the one to be
dissolved, the other to be reserved in heaven. He asserts that
absence from the body is presence with the Lord, and mourns
his life with it as an exile, 22 and for this reason desires and
seeks for his dissolution. 23 Why am I faint-hearted regarding
my hopes? Why am I so earthly in my thoughts? I shall await
the voice of the archangel, 24 the last trumpet, 25 the trans-
formation of heaven, the change of earth, the freedom of the
21 Cf. Ezech. 37.3ff.
22 Cf. 2 Cor. 5.1.
23 Cf. Phil. 1.23.
24 Cf. 1 Thess. 4.15.
25 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.52.
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 23
elements, the renewal of the universe. 26 Then shall I see Cae-
sarius himself, no longer in exile, no longer being buried, no
longer mourned, no longer pitied, but splendid, glorious,
sublime, such as you were often seen in a dream, dearest and
most loving of brothers, whether my desire or truth itself re-
presented you.
(22) But now, having put aside lamentations, I will look
into myself, that I may not unconsciously be guilty of anything
to be lamented, and I will consider my own state. C O ye sons
of men, 5 for the saying pertains to you, 'how long will you be
slow of heart 5 and dull of mind? Why do you love vanity and
seek after lying?' 27 Why do you consider our life here as
something great and these few days as many, and turn from
this separation, which is welcome and sweet, as if it were
something grievous and horrible? Shall we not know our-
selves? Shall we not cast off what is seen by the senses? Shall
we not look upon what is perceived only with the mind? Are
we not, on the contrary, even if there must be some grief, to be
annoyed at our prolonged sojourn, 28 like the inspired David,
who calls things here tents of darkness, and place of affliction,
and mire of the deep, and shadow of death, 29 because we
delay in the tombs we bear about with us, because we die like
men the death of sin, although we have been made gods?
This is my fear, and I live with it night and day. The thought
of glory on the one side and of punishment on the other does
not let me breathe. The first of these I desire until I can say:
'My soul faints for Thy salvation, 530 but at the second I
shudder and turn away. Yet I do not fear that this body of
mine through dissolution and corruption will utterly perish,
and that the glorious creature of God for it is glorious if it is
26 Cf. 2 Peter 3.10-13.
27 Ps. 4.3.
28 Cf. Ps. 119.5.
29 Cf. Ps. 68.3; 43.20 (Septuagint) .
30 Ps. 118.81.
24 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
upright, just as, if sinful, it is dishonorable in which there is
reason, law, and hope, may be condemned to the same dis-
honor as irrational things and be no more than they after
its separation: a lot that is due the wicked, who are worthy
even of the eternal fire.
(23) Would that I might mortify my members that are
upon the earth! 31 Would that I might spend all for the spirit,
walking in the way that is narrow and trodden by few, not
the way that is broad and easy ! 32 For what comes after this
life is splendid and great, and our hope is greater than our
worth. 'What is man that Thou art mindful of him?' 33 What
is this new mystery concerning me? I am small and great,
lowly and exalted, mortal and immortal, earthly and heavenly.
I am connected with the world below, and likewise with
God; I am connected with the flesh, and likewise with the
spirit. I must be buried with Christ, rise with Christ, be joint
heir with Christ, 34 become the Son of God, even God Himself,
See whither my speech has brought us in its progress. I am
almost thankful to the calamity which has led me to make
such reflections, and I have thereby become the more eager
for my departure from this life. This is the meaning of the
great mystery for us. This is the intent of God who for our
sake was made man and became poor, in order to raise our
flesh and restore His image and remake man, that we might
all become one in Christ, who perfectly became in all of us all
that He is Himself, that we might no longer be male and
female, barbarian, Scythian, slave or freeman, 35 the distinc-
tions of the flesh, but might bear in ourselves only the stamp
of God by whom and for whom we were made, so far formed
and modeled by Him as to be recognized by it alone.
31 Cf. Col. 3.5.
32 Cf. Matt. 7.13,14.
33 Ps. 8.5.
34 Cf. Rom. 8.17.
35 Cf. Gal. 3.28.
ON HIS BROTHER, ST. CAESARIUS 25
(24) And would that our hope might be realized ac-
cording to the great kindness of the munificent God, who,
asking little, makes great gifts both now and in the time to
come to those who truly love Him! Bearing all things, en-
during all things 36 for our love and hope regarding Him, let us
give thanks for all things, 37 both favorable and unfavorable
alike, I mean pleasant and painful, since reason often knows
even these as arms of salvation, commending to Him our souls
and those of men who, anticipating us as it were on the com-
mon way, have come to rest before us. Having done this our-
selves, let us end our speech, and you your tears, hastening
now to your own tomb which Caesarius has from you as a sad
and abiding gift. It was seasonably prepared for the old age of
his parents, but it has been bestowed on their son in his youth,
unexpectedly, but not without reason to Him who disposes of
our concerns.
O Lord and Maker of all, and especially of this body of
ours ! O God and Father and Pilot of Thine own mankind ! O
Master of life and death ! O Guardian and Benefactor of our
souls! O Thou who makest and changest all seasonably by
Thy creative Word, even as Thou knowest in the depth of
Thy wisdom and providence, receive Caesarius now, the first
fruits of our pilgrimage! And if the last is first, we yield to
Thy Word, by which the universe is ruled. And receive us
also afterwards in due time, having directed us in the flesh as
long as it is for our advantage. 38 And receive us, ready and
not troubled by fear of Thee, nor turning away in our last
days, nor forcibly drawn from things of earth, as is the mis-
fortune of souls loving the world and the flesh, but eagerly
drawn to the heavenly life, everlasting and blessed, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
36 Cf. 1 Cor. 13.7.
37 Cf. 1 Thess. 5.18.
38 Cf. Ps. 31.6.
ON ST. BASIL THE GREAT
JT WAS INEVITABLE that the great Basil, who con-
stantly used to furnish me with subjects for my dis-
courses and he gloried in them as no man ever
gloried in his own should now present me in the person of
himself with the loftiest theme ever given to those who have
engaged in oratory. For I believe that if anyone, testing his
oratorical power, wished to gauge it with reference to one
discourse selected from all others as a standard, as painters
do with model pictures, he would set this subject aside as
beyond the power of eloquence, and choose what was first
among the subjects that remained. So arduous a task is the
eulogy of this man, not only for myself, who long ago put aside
all love of glory, but even for those who have devoted their
lives to eloquence and made their one and only object the
gaining of distinction from subjects such as this. This is my
judgment in the matter and it is, I am convinced, quite cor-
rect. Yet I do not know in what subject I could be eloquent if
not in this, or in what better way I could gratify myself, or the
admirers of virtue, or eloquence itself, than by honoring
such a man. For myself, it will be a convenient way of paying
a debt that is due. And, surely, a discourse is due above all else
to those who have excelled especially in eloquence. To the
27
28 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
admirers of virtue may this discourse of mine be at once a
pleasure and an inspiration to virtue. I am well aware that
whatever is praised is thereby magnified, and that there is not
a single instance in which this does not hold true. As for
eloquence itself, things should go well in either case. If it
approaches his merit, it will demonstrate its own power. If it
should fall far short, an altogether necessary consequence for
those who praise Basil, the very failure will be an acknowledg-
ment that the subject of the eulogy is beyond all the powers
of eloquence.
(2) These, therefore, are the reasons which have moved
me to speech and the undertaking of this task. And if I have
come forward so long after the occasion, and after so many
others have eulogized him in public and private, let no one
wonder. But may his sacred spirit, ever revered by me, both
now and in the past, grant me pardon. When he was among
us, he used to correct me on many points according to the
rights of friendship and a still higher law. I am not ashamed to
say this, for he was a norm of virtue for all. So now, also, from
his place on high, he will be indulgent to me. May I be par-
doned, too, by those of you who have been more fervent in
praising him, if, indeed, anyone can be more fervent than
another, and all of us are not zealous for his good fame.
I have not failed through any negligence on my part to
render what was due. Far be it from me to be so careless of
the claims of virtue or friendship, or to think that the duty of
praising him befitted anyone more than myself. First of all, to
tell the truth, I shrank from speaking before I, like those
who approach holy places, had cleansed my voice and my
mind. Secondly, though you are not unaware of the fact, I will
remind you that I was engaged in the defence of the true
doctrine, then in peril. This occupation was a glorious
coercion, which carried me away from home, according to
the will of God, perhaps, and with the approval of that
ON ST. BASIL 29
noble champion of the truth, whose very breath was pious
doctrine and salvation for the whole world. Of my bodily
health I should not venture, perhaps, to speak at all, when
my subject is a man so high-minded and superior to the body
even before he departed hence, and who claimed that the
noble qualities of the soul should not be hindered by these
bodily shackles.
Here let my apology rest. I do not think there is need of a
longer one in addressing my speech to him and to those who
are well acquainted with my affairs. I must now proceed to
my eulogy, choosing his God as the guide of my discourse, that
I may not dishonor him by my praises nor yet fall far short
of the rest, even though we all fail in like measure, as those
who gaze upon the heavens and the rays of the sun.
( 3 ) If I saw that he gloried in his birth or in the advan-
tages of his birth, or, in general, in any of those petty objects
of pride to men who have their eyes fixed upon the ground, a
new catalogue of heroes would have to be made. How many
details could I have gathered from his ancestors to redound to
his glory! Nor would I have had to yield any advantage to
history in this respect, possessing this advantage above all, that
my subject is embellished not by fictions and fable, but by
facts themselves to which there are many witnesses. On his
father's side, Pontus furnishes us with many narratives, not
at all inferior to the ancient wonders attached to the place in
which all history and poetry abound. Many, too, are furnished
by this, my native land, noble Cappadocia, goodly nurse of
youth no less than horses. Hence, we can match his mother's
family with that of his father. As for military commands, high
civil offices, and power in imperial courts, and again, as to
wealth and lofty thrones and public honors, and splendors of
eloquence, what family has been more often or more highly
distinguished? If it were permitted me to speak of them freely,
the Pelopidae, the Cecropidae, the Alcmaeonids, the Hera-
30 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
cleidae and all the other noblest families would be as nothing
in comparison. For, having nothing of their own deserving of
manifest praise, they have recourse to obscurity, boastfully con-
necting certain demigods and gods with their ancestors, in all
of which what is illustrious is incredible and what is credible
is a disgrace.
(4) My discourse is about a man who claimed that a
man's nobility is to be gauged by individual worth. Just as
forms and colors and the noblest and the meanest horses are
rated on their own merits, so we ourselves, he thought, should
not be painted in borrowed hues. Therefore, after speaking of
one or two qualities which he inherited qualities, too, which
characterized his own life, and which he would be especially
pleased to have mentioned I shall turn to the man himself.
Each family and each individual has a characteristic trait and
history, great or small, which is like a patrimony that comes
down to posterity by a shorter or a longer line. The distin-
guishing characteristic of both his mother's and his father's
family was piety, as my discourse will now make clear.
(5) There was a persecution, and the most frightful and
cruel of persecutions. You know that I refer to the persecution
of Maximinus, who, coming after the many persecutors just
before him, made all appear humane, raging as he did with
extreme ferocity and striving earnestly to win the palm for
impiety. Many of our athletes overcame him, enduring the
contest even unto death or just short of death, spared to the
extent that they survived their victory and did not succumb in
their contests. But they remained as teachers of virtue for
others living martyrs, breathing monuments, mute pro-
clamations. In their numerous company were also Basil's
paternal ancestors, to whom, practicing every form of piety,
that occasion brought a noble crown. For they were so pre-
pared and disposed in mind to bear readily all the trials for
ON ST. BASIL 31
which Christ crowns those who have emulated His contest in
our behalf.
( 6 ) But, since their contest had also to be a lawful one
for this is the law of martyrdom, not to advance to the contest
deliberately out of regard for the persecutors and the weaker
brethren, and not to shrink from the contest when it is upon
us, since the first act is a mark of rashness, and the second of
cowardice to show homage to the Lawmaker, in this
respect, what should they devise? Or, rather, to what did
Providence, who governed all their counsels, direct them?
They betook themselves to one of the forests of the Pontic
mountains these forests are numerous and dense and very
extensive taking with them only a very small number to
aid their flight and supply their needs. Let others admire the
long duration of their exile, for in all it lasted, it is said, seven
years or a little longer; and their manner of life, trying and
strange for bodies nobly nurtured, as one may imagine; and
the distress they endured beneath the open sky, in cold and
heat and rain; and the solitude, without friends and social
intercourse, which assuredly must have been a grievous burden
to those accustomed to throngs to attend and honor them.
But for myself, I intend to speak of something more significant
and admirable than all this, and no one will doubt me save
the man of perverse and perilous judgment, who sees nothing
great in enduring persecutions and dangers for Christ's sake.
(7) Weary of their long exile and filled with distaste for
their poor food, these noble men longed for something more
palatable. Yet they did not use the language of the Israelites. 1
They did not murmur like the Israelites 2 when they were
distressed in the desert after their flight from Egypt and
thought that Egypt was better for them than the desert, be-
1 Cf. Exod. I6.2ff.
2 Cf. 1 Cor. 10.10.
32 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
cause it had furnished them with an abundance of fleshpots
and all the other things they had left behind, for in their folly
they counted the brick-making and the mortar as nothing.
How different was their language and how suggestive of
greater piety and faith!
Why, they said, should it be incredible that the God of
miracles, who so generously nourished a wandering and
fugitive people in the desert, 3 as to rain down bread and
supply them with quail, nourishing them not only with neces-
sities, but with superabundance, who divided the sea, 4 and
made the sun stand still, 5 and held back the river 6 and they
added all the other things that He had done, for the soul
tends in such circumstances to devote itself to such narratives
and to glorify God for His many wonders why should it be
incredible, they went on, that the same God should also today
nourish us, as athletes of the faith, with delicacies? Many
wild beasts that have escaped the tables of the rich, such as
we once had, lurk in these mountains. Many succulent birds
fly above us who long for them. What one of them but could
be captured, if only Thou will it? So they spoke, and game
was at hand, food spontaneously offered, a banquet prepared
without toil, deer suddenly appearing in herds from the hills !
How magnificent they were ! How sleek ! How ready for the
slaughter ! It almost seemed that they were annoyed that they
had not been summoned sooner. Some drew others after them
by signs, and the rest followed. Who was pursuing or forcing
them? No one. What horsemen, what dogs, what bark or
shout, or what youths occupying the exits according to the laws
of the chase? They were the captives of prayer and just
petition. Who in our time or at any time has known of such
hunting?
3 Cf. Exod. 16.13.
4 Cf. Exod. 14.21.
5 Cf. Josue 10.12.
6 C. Josue 3.16.
ON ST. BASIL 33
( 8 ) Oh, the wonder of it all ! They themselves were mas-
ters of the chase. The mere desire was enough to capture as
much as they pleased. What was left was sent away to the
thickets for a second meal. The cooks were improvised, the
feast was excellent, and the banqueters were grateful, counting
the present wonder as a prelude to future hopes. Hence
they became more eager for the struggle in return for which
these things had been lavished upon them. Such is my story.
But do you tell me of your Dianas, and of your Orions and
Actaeons, those ill-fated hunters, you, my persecutor, who
marvel at fables and the hind substituted for the maiden, 7
if you wish to present any such tale in emulation and if we
grant that this story is not mythical. As for what follows in
the story, how extremely shameful it is ! For what good is the
substitution if it saves the maiden that she may be taught to
murder her guests and to repay humanity with inhumanity?
My story, such as it is, is but one chosen out of many, and as
I think, typical of the rest. I have not narrated it for the
purpose of adding to his glory. For neither the sea has any
need of the rivers flowing into it, however many and great
they may be, nor has he whom we praise today any need
of contributions to his glory. But I wanted to show what kind
of ancestors he had, and, having such models before his eyes,
how far he surpassed them. For, if it is a great thing for others
to receive title to honor from their ancestors, it was a greater
thing for him to add to his ancestors' glory from his own, like
a stream flowing back to its source.
(9) The union of his parents in a common esteem of
virtue no less than in body was evidenced in many ways, no-
tably in their care of the poor, their hospitality toward
strangers, their purity of soul, achieved through austerity, the
dedication of a portion of their goods to God a practice not
yet pursued by many at that time, though today quite wide-
7 An allusion to the story of Iphigenia.
34 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
spread and honored, thanks to such previous examples, and in
many other noble actions, shared alike by Pontus and Cap-
padocia, which have been a source of satisfaction to all who
have heard of them. But their greatest and most distinguishing
feature, in my opinion, is the excellence of their children. Leg-
end does, perhaps, record men whose children were many
and beautiful. But these parents are known to us through ac-
tual acquaintance, and their character was such as to suffice for
their own glory, even if they never had such children. Yet they
brought forth children of such a character that, even if they
themselves had not been so zealous for virtue, they would
have surpassed all by the excellence of their children. That
one or two of their children should merit praise may be
ascribed to nature, but when eminence is found in all, the
honor is clearly due to those who reared them. This is ev-
idenced by the enviable number of priests and virgins, and of
those who in marriage did not in any way allow their union to
be an obstacle to an equal repute for virtue, making the dis-
tinction between them consist in a choice of career rather
than in conduct.
(10) Who has not known Basil, our Basil's father, a great
name among all, who attained a father's prayer as very few
have ever done? Though he surpassed all in virtue, he was pre-
vented from gaining the first place only by his son. Who has
not known Emmelia, whose name was a presage of what she
became or whose life exemplified her name. She truly bore
the name of Emmelia, which means harmony, for, to speak
briefly, she was regarded among women as he was among
men. And so, if he whose eulogy we are now undertaking was
to be given to men to serve the bondage of nature, like any
one of the men of old who were given by God for the public
benefit, it was neither fitting that he be born of any other
parents, nor that they be called the parents of any other than
him. Accordingly, this was happily realized.
ON ST. BASIL 35
In obedience to the divine precept which ordains that all
honors be rendered to parents, I have bestowed the first fruits
of my praises on those whom I have commemorated. Let me
now proceed to Basil himself, stating at the outset, and I be-
lieve that this will appear true to all who knew him, that his
own voice itself would be required to eulogize him. For he is
at once a magnificent subject for eulogy and the only one with
powers of eloquence adequate to deal with it. Beauty and
strength and size, in which I see most men delight, I shall
leave to those who are interested in them. Not that he was
inferior even in these points to those small-minded men who
are continually busy with the things of the body, while he
was still young and had not yet tamed his flesh by philosophy. 8
But I do not wish to suffer the experience of unskilled athletes,
who waste their strength in vain and minor contests, and are
defeated in the main events which decide victory and in
which crowns are awarded. I therefore shall proceed to praise
what no one will consider either superfluous or outside the
scope of my discourse.
(11) I take it all intelligent men agree that among human
advantages education holds first place. I refer not only to our
nobler form of it which disdains all the ambitious ornaments
of rhetoric and attaches itself only to salvation and the beauty
of spiritual contemplation, but also to that external culture
which many Christians by an error of judgment scorn as
treacherous and dangerous and as turning us away from God.
The heavens, the earth, the air, and all such things are not
to be condemned because some have wrongly interpreted them
and venerate the creatures of God in place of God. On the
contrary, we select from them what is useful both for life and
enjoyment and we avoid what is dangerous, not opposing
creation to the Creator, as the foolish do, but acknowledging
the Maker of the world from His works, 9 and as the holy
8 Cf. above, p. 6.
9 Cf. Wisd. 13.5.
36 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
Apostle says, bringing every mind into captivity to Christ. 10
Thus, we know that neither fire nor food nor iron nor any
other element is in itself either very useful or very harmful,
but that all depends on the will of the user. Even from certain
reptiles we have at times compounded salutary medicines. So
also from the pagans we have received principles of inquiry
and speculation, while we have rejected whatever leads to
demons, and error, and the abyss of perdition. And from
such material we have drawn profit for piety, by learning to
distinguish the better from the worse, and from its weakness
we have made our own doctrine strong.
Therefore we must not dishonor education because certain
men are pleased to do so. Rather, we should regard such men
as ignorant and uncultured who would have all others be like
themselves, that their own deficiencies might be hidden in
the general mass, and their want of culture escape reproach.
With this premise made and acknowledged, contemplate the
life of Basil.
(12) His earliest years were spent under the direction of
his illustrious father, whom Pontus put forward at that time as
its common teacher of virtue. He was swathed and fashioned
in that best and purest fashioning which holy David happily
calls the daily formation 11 as opposed to that of the night.
Under him, therefore, as his life and learning grew and
developed together, the admirable youth was educated. He did
not boast of any Thessalian mountain cave as his workshop of
virtue, nor of any arrogant centaur, 12 the preceptor of the
heroes of his day. Nor was he taught by this teacher to shoot
hares, or run down fawns or hunt deer, or excel in warlike
pursuits or in breaking young horses, having him at once as
mount and master. He was not nourished on the marrow of
10 Cf. 2 Cor. 10.5.
11 Cf. Ps. 136.16.
12 The allusion is to Chiron, the teacher of Asclepius, Jason, and other
heroes of Greek legend and mythology.
ON ST. BASIL 37
deer and lions, as in the fable, but he was trained in general
education and exercised in piety and, in a word, he was led on
from the beginning of his studies to his future perfection. For
those who are successful in either life or learning only, but
deficient in one or the other, do not differ at all, in my
opinion, from one-eyed men, whose disadvantage is great in-
deed, but their deformity is even greater when they look at
others or are regarded by them. But those who excel in both
and are, as it were, ambidextrous are in a state of perfection
and live lives of heavenly happiness.
This was the happy destiny that befell him, having as he did
in his own home a model of virtue, on which he had only to
keep his eyes to be excellent from the beginning. Just as we
see colts and calves from their birth skipping by the side of
their mothers, so he, running close at the side of his father,
with the ardor of a colt, was not left far behind in his lofty
impulses toward virtue. Or, if you prefer it, in this very
adumbration of virtue he gave an indication of the future
beauty of his virtue and, before the time of perfection arrived,
presented a sketch of perfection.
(13) When he was sufficiently instructed at home, as he
was to neglect no form of excellence, nor to be surpassed in
diligence by the bee which collects what is most useful from
every flower, he hastened to the city of Caesarea to attend its
schools. I mean this illustrious city of ours, since she was also
the guide and mistress of my studies, and not less the metro-
polis of letters than of the cities which she rules and which
have submitted to her power. To rob her of her supremacy in
letters would be to despoil her of her fairest and most singular
distinction. Other cities take pride in other embellishments,
either old or new, depending, I think, on their annals or their
monuments. This city's characteristic mark, like the identi-
fication marks on arms or on plays, is letters. What followed,
let those tell the story who instructed him and profited by his
38 ST. GREGORY NAZIAN2EN
instruction. Let them tell of his standing in the eyes of his
masters and his companions, as he equaled the former and
surpassed the latter in every form of learning. Let them tell
what glory he gained in a short time in the sight of all, both
of the common people and the leaders of the city, exhibiting a
learning beyond his years and a constancy of character beyond
his learning. He was an orator among orators, even before the
lecturer's chair, a philosopher among philosophers even before
advancing doctrines. And, what constitutes the highest tribute
in the eyes of Christians, he was a priest even before the priest-
hood. In such wise did all defer to him in everything. With
him, eloquence was only an accessory, and he culled from it
only what would be helpful for our philosophy, since its power
is necessary for the exposition of thought. For a mind inca-
pable of expression is like the movement of a paralytic. But
philosophy was his pursuit, as he strove to break from the
world, to unite with God, to gain the things above by means
of the things below, and to acquire, through goods which are
unstable and pass away, those that are stable and abide.
(14) Next, he went to Byzantium, the capital city of the
East, for it was famed at the time for its accomplished rhe-
toricians and philosophers. From these in a short time he
absorbed what was best through the quickness and the force
of his genius. From there he was sent by God and by his noble
craving for learning to Athens, the home of eloquence, Athens,
a city to me, if to anyone, truly golden, patroness of all that is
excellent. Athens brought me a more perfect knowledge of
Basil, although he was not unknown to me before. And in my
search for learning I found happiness. Yet, in a different man-
ner, I had the same experience as Saul, 13 who, when seeking
the asses of his father, found a kingdom, and gained as an ac-
cessory what was worth more than the principal.
Up to this point my discourse has proceeded smoothly,
13 Cf. 1 Kings 9.3ff.
ON ST. BASIL 39
bearing me along on an even, and very easy, and truly royal
highway in my praises of this man. But now I am at a loss for
words and know not which way to turn, for my speech has
encountered an obstacle. At this point I should like to profit
by the occasion to add some facts concerning myself to what
has been said, and to delay a little in my narrative to tell you
about the origin, the circumstance, and the beginning of our
friendship, or, to speak more exactly, about our full accord of
heart and nature. For the eye is not wont to turn away readily
from attractive sights, and if it is forcefully drawn away, it is
wont to return to them again. And the same is true of dis-
course when there is question of narrating what is very pleas-
ing to us. Yet I fear the presumptiousness of the undertaking,
and I will speak, therefore, with all possible reserve. If loving
regret forces me beyond bounds, pardon this most just of all
feelings, not to experience which would be a great loss, at least
in the judgment of intelligent men.
( 15 ) We were at Athens, after having been separated, like
the current of a river upon leaving the same native source, to
go abroad by different ways in our pursuit of culture, and
again reunited, as though by agreement, God so willing it. I
preceded him to Athens, but he came shortly afterwards,
where he had been awaited with lively and manifest im-
patience. His name was on the tongues of many before his
arrival, and everyone considered it important to be the first
to obtain the object of their desire. Nor will it be out of place
to add, as a sort of relish to my discourse, a little anecdote,
which will be a reminder for those who know it and a source
of instruction to those who do not.
At Athens, most of the young men, and the more foolish,
are mad after Sophists, and not only the ignoble and obscure
but even the noble and illustrious. They form a rather con-
fused mass, at once young and difficult to restrain. Now, you
may notice how those who delight in horses and spectacles
40 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
conduct themselves at the horse races. They leap up, they
shout, they raise clouds of dust, they drive in their seats, they
beat the air as their horses, with fingers for whips, and they
yoke and unyoke them. Although they have control of none,
they readily exchange with one another drivers, horses, stables,
and officials. And who are they that do this? They are often
poor men, indigent and without means of support for a single
day. It is exactly thus that the students conduct themselves
in respect to their masters and their masters' rivals, eagerly
striving to increase their own numbers and thereby enrich
them. The whole thing is quite senseless and insane. They
seize upon cities, roads, harbors, mountain peaks, plains,
frontiers; in fact, every part of Attica and the rest of Greece,
and even most of their inhabitants. For they have divided
these into factions by their rivalries.
(16) Whenever a newcomer arrives and falls into the
hands of those who seize him, willingly or unwillingly, they ob-
serve this Attic custom, which is a mixture of the gay and the
serious. First of all he is guided to the house of one of those
who first received him, either friends or kinsmen or compa-
triots, or of those expert in sophistry and purveyors of argu-
ments, who for that reason are held in high esteem among
them. They regard it as a recompense, also, to gain new ad-
herents. The newcomer is then rallied by everyone who wishes.
Their purpose, I think, is to humble the pretensions of the
newcomers and to bring them under their power from the
start. The rallying is coarse or reasonable, depending upon the
boorishnness or the urbanity of the rallier. The practice, to
those who are ignorant of it, seems fearful and brutal, but, to
those who already know it, quite pleasant and charming, for
there is more display than actuality in its threats. Next, he is
led in procession through the market place to the bath. Those
in charge of the procession in honor of the youth arrange
themselves in two separate ranks, and precede him to the bath.
ON ST. BASIL 41
When they are close to it, they raise great shouts and leap up
and down, as though in a frenzy, the shouting being a com-
mand not to advance any further but to stop, as though the
bath were closed to them. At the same time they pound at
the doors and frighten the youth with the uproar. Then they
allow him to enter, and finally grant him his freedom, and
on return from the bath receive him on equal terms with
themselves. This is the most pleasing feature of the whole
ceremony for the youths, as it brings instant and final relief
from their persecutors.
At that time, not only was I myself unwilling to subject my
friend, the great Basil, to shame, reverencing as I did his
gravity of character and his maturity of judgment, but I also
persuaded the other youths who did not know him to share
my sentiments. For he was already respected by most of them,
since his renown had preceded him. The result was that he
was almost the only newcomer to escape the general rule, a
distinction beyond that generally accorded to new students.
(17) This was the prelude to our friendship. This was the
spark that enkindled our union. It was thus that we were
struck with a mutual love. Then something of a similar kind
occurred, which ought not to be passed over either.
I find the Armenians not an open people, but quite dis-
sembling and crafty. At this time, some of them who had long
been his intimates and friends, dating from early association
under his father's instruction for they had belonged to his
school approached him with the appearance of friendship,
though prompted by envy, not benevolence. They plied him
with questions of a contentious rather than a reasonable
character, and strove to vanquish him at the first onset, both
because they had long recognized the genius of Basil and be-
cause they could not endure the honor being shown him at
this time. They bitterly resented the fact that they who had
taken the philosophical mantle and had already received
42 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
training in oratorical skill should have no advantage over him,
a stranger and a newcomer. And I myself, vain lover of
Athens, not suspecting the envy but crediting the pretense,
when they were giving way and turning their backs, felt
piqued that in their persons the glory of Athens should be de-
stroyed and so quickly put to shame, and I came to the sup-
port of the young men and re-established the discussion. I
graciously lent them the weight of my authority, and, as the
least addition in such circumstances is all-powerful, I made
'equal their heads in the battle,' as the saying has it. 14 When
I realized what was behind the discussion, for it could not be
kept back, but eventually revealed itself clearly, I changed my
position immediately and, putting my ship about and ranging
myself on his side, I made his victory decisive. He was at once
quite pleased with what had happened, for he was extra-
ordinarily sagacious. And full of ardor, to describe him fully
in the words of Homer, he drove in confusion 15 those proud
youths by his reasoning, and did not cease smiting them with
arguments until he had completely routed them and gained a
crowning victory. This was the second step in our friendship,
no longer a spark but a flame that burned bright and high.
(18) They withdrew, therefore, without effecting their
purpose, severely reproaching themselves for their rashness and
extremely annoyed at me because of the trap in which they
had been caught. They even openly manifested their hatred
and charged me with treason not only to them but to Athens
itself, since in their first onset they had been vanquished and
put to shame by a single man, and that, too, by one who had
not yet had the opportunity to develop a confident attitude.
It is a common human experience, when, after conceiving
high hopes, we suddenly chance upon their realization, to
look upon the result as falling short of our expectations. Basil
14 Homer, Iliad 11.72.
15 Cf. Iliad 11.496.
ON ST. BASIL 43
had this experience, and was sad and distressed, and could not
praise himself for coming to Athens. He was seeking what he
had hoped, and he called Athens an empty happiness. Such
were his feelings.
As for myself, I strove to dispel his disappointment for the
most part by entering into discussion with him and soothing
him by my arguments. I told him, and this was true, that just
as a man's character is not to be detected immediately, but
only after a long time and an intimate association, so culture
is not a thing to be judged from a few brief experiences. In
this way I restored his good spirits, and by this mutual
experience I bound him to myself all the more.
(19) Then, as time went on, we mutually avowed our af-
fection for each other, and that philosophy was the object of
our zeal. Thenceforth we were all in all to each other, sharing
the same roof, the same table, the same sentiments, our eyes
fixed on one goal, as our mutual affection grew ever warmer
and stronger. Carnal loves, centered on that which passes
away, also pass away, like the flowers of spring. The flame
does not endure when the fuel is exhausted, but disappears
along with what kindles it. Desire, likewise, does not abide
when its source wastes away. But those loves which are pleasing
to God, and chaste, since they have a stable object, are on that
accound more lasting, and, the more beauty is revealed to
them, the more does it bind to itself and to one another those
whose love is centered on the same object. This is the law of
the higher love.
I feel that I am being carried beyond due and proper
bounds. I do not know how I chance upon these topics, yet I
have no way of checking my narrative. For, constantly, what I
have omitted seems essential and superior to what I had
chosen. And if anyone attempts to push me forward by force,
I shall suffer the lot of the polyps, which, when they are pulled
from their lairs, cling to the rocks with their suckers, and
44
ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
cannot be torn away until forceful pressure has been exerted
on every one of these. If, therefore you grant me leave, I
have what I ask; if not, I shall take it from myself.
(20) Thus mutually disposed to each other, and raising
our fair-walled chamber on such pillars of gold, as Pindar
says/ 6 we went forward with God and our affection as our
helpers. Oh, how can I evoke such memories without tears!
We were impelled by equal hopes in the pursuit of learning, a
thing especially open to envy. But envy was absent, and emul-
ation intensified our zeal. There was a contest between us, not
as to who should have first place for himself, but how he could
yield it to the other, for each of us regarded the glory of the
other as his own. We seemed to have a single soul animating
two bodies. And while credence is not to be given to those
who claim that all things are in all, 17 we at least must believe
that we were in and with each other. The sole object of us
both was virtue and living for future hopes, having detached
ourselves from this world before departing from it. With this
in view, we directed our life and all our actions, following the
guidance of the divine precept, and at the same time spurring
each other to virtue, and, if it is not too much to say so, being
for each other a rule and a scales for the discernment of good
and evil. For companions we consorted, not with the most
dissolute but with the most modest, not with the most quar-
relsome but with the most peaceable, and with those with
whom association was most profitable. We knew that it is
easier to be contaminated by vice than to communicate virtue,
just as it is easier to contract a disease than to bestow health.
As for our studies, we found pleasure not so much in the
most agreeable as in the most excellent, since this also is a
means for moulding to virtue or to vice.
16 Olymp. 6.1.
17 An allusion to a doctrine ascribed to Anaxagoras and other Greek
philosophers.
ON ST. BASIL 45
(21) Two ways were familiar to us : the first and more
precious leading us to our sacred buildings and the masters
there; the second and the one of less account, to our secular
teachers. All else festivals, spectacles, assemblies, and ban-
quets we left to those with a taste for such things. For noth-
ing is worthy of esteem, in my opinion, which does not lead to
virtue and render better those who apply themselves to it. Dif-
ferent men have different names, derived from their ancestors
or their own pursuits and deeds. Our great concern, our great
name, was to be Christians and be called Christians. We were
prouder of this than Gyges of the turning of his ring, if this
is not a fable, by which he became King of the Lydians, or
than Midas of his gold by which he perished, according to
another Phrygian fable, after his prayer that all he had be
turned to gold was fulfilled. Why should I mention the arrow
of the Hyperborean Abaris or the Argive Pegasus, for whom
it was less important to be borne through the air than for us
to be lifted up to God together by our mutual efforts?
But, to be brief. Athens is harmful, in general, to the things
of the soul, and the pious are not wrong in being of this
opinion. It abounds in the evil riches of idols beyond the
rest of Greece, and it is difficult not to be led astray by their
admirers and advocates. But in our case no harm resulted, as
our minds were protected by an impenetrable armor. On the
contrary, to speak paradoxically, our own experience there
confirmed us in the faith. For we recognized their deceit and
fraudulence, and we despised those divinities in the very place
they are admired. And if there is or is believed to be a stream
flowing with fresh water through the sea, or an animal that
can dance in fire that destroys all, such were we among our
companions.
(22) Best of all, there was about us a company not with-
out renown, which was instructed and directed under the guid-
ance of Basil, and shared the same pleasures. Yet it was as foot
46 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
soldiers that we ran beside a Lydian chariot his course and
conduct. Hence, we became famous not only in the sight of
our own masters and companions, but even throughout Greece
and especially among the most illustrious men. Our fame went
even beyond its borders, as was clear from numerous accounts.
For our masters were known wherever Athens was known,
and wherever they were the subject of report or conversation,
so were we, also, since among them we were, and were spoken
of as, a famous pair. Orestes and Pylades 18 and others like
them were not to be compared with us, nor the Molionidae, 19
celebrated in. Homer for their union in misfortune, and their
skill in driving the chariot, as they shared the reins and the
whip between them. But I have been drawn unawares into
praising myself, a thing I have never tolerated in another.
But it should not be a cause for wonder that in this instance,
also, I have profit from his friendship. While he lived, he
aided me in virtue, and now after his death he has added to
my renown. But let my discourse return to its proper course.
(23) Who was so venerable for prudence, even before his
hair was grey? For it is in this way that Solomon defines old
age, 2(J Who was so respected by both old and young, not only
of our generation, but of generations long past? Who, because
of his character, had less need of training? Who possessed more
knowledge along with such character? What branch of
learning is there in which he did not engage, or rather, what
branch in which he did not excel as though it were the only
one? He passed through them all as no one ever did through
one, and through each most intensely, as though there were no
others. In his case, application went hand in hand with natural
ability, and it is through these that superiority in the arts and
the sciences is achieved. Because of his powers of concentration
18 One of the most famous pairs of friends in Greek legend.
19 Cf, Iliad 2.621; 11.750.
20 Cf. Wisd. 4.8.
ON ST. BASIL 47
he had little need of natural quickness, just as he had little
need of concentration because of his natural quickness. He
possessed and united two qualities in such a way that it was
not clear for which of the two he was the more distinguished.
Who was like him in rhetoric, 'breathing forth the might of
fire/ 21 though his character differed from that of the rhetori-
cians? Who was like him in grammar, which makes us Greeks
in language, which composes history, which presides over
meters and makes laws for poems? Who was like him in philo-
sophy, that truly sublime science which soars aloft, whether
one consider the practical and speculative side, or that which
deals with logical demonstrations and oppositions and with
controversies, namely, dialectic? In this, he so excelled that
it would have been easier for those who disputed with him to
extricate themselves from labyrinths than to escape the meshes
of arguments he wove whenever he had need. As for as-
tronomy, geometry, and mathematics, he was content with a
knowledge sufficient to avoid being confused by those who
were clever in these sciences. Anything beyond that he scorned
as useless for those who wished to lead a pious life. And so
one can admire more what he chose than what he passed over,
and, more than what he chose, what he passed over. His
bodily weakness and his care of the sick made medicine, the
fruit of philosophy and industry, a necessity for him. From
such a beginning he advanced to mastery of this art, and
not only of the branches that deal with the visible and what
is immediately apparent, but also of those which deal with
principles and theory. But what are these accomplishments,
significant as they are, compared to his knowledge of moral
science? In the eyes of those who have made trial of Basil, the
famous Minos and Rhadamanthus 22 were mere humbugs,
whom the Greeks judged worthy of the meadows of asphodel
21 Iliad 6.182.
22 Famous judges of the lower world in Greek mythology.
48 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
and the Elysian fields, for they had acquired the notion of
our Paradise, in my opinion, from the books of Moses, which
are also ours. Though their terminology is somewhat different,
this is what they convey under other words and names.
( 24 ) Such were our circumstances. We had a full cargo of
knowledge, at least the measure attainable by man's nature.
One cannot sail beyond Gades. There only remained our
return home, our entrance upon a more perfect life, and
the realization of common purpose. The day of our depart-
ture was at hand, and with it all that is involved in de-
parture: speeches of farewell and escort, salutations, laments,
embraces, and tears. For there is nothing so painful to any-
one as for those who have been fellow students at Athens to
be separated from the city and from one another. Then,
indeed, occurred a pitiable spectacle and one worthy to
be recalled. About us were gathered our companions and
classmates, as well as some of our masters, all crying out, in
the midst of their entreaties, threats of violence and attempts
at persuasion that, come what may, they would not let us go.
They said and did everything natural to men in grief.
Here I shall be presumptuous and bring an accusation
against myself and also, it may seem, against that holy and
irreproachable soul. He, after explaining the pressing rea-
sons for his return, overcame their restraint, and they, al-
though it was against their will, consented to his departure.
I myself was left behind at Athens, partly because I weakened
to the entreaties of friends, for the truth must be told, but
partly because of his betrayal, for he had been persuaded to
forsake one who had not forsaken him and to hand me over
to those who were holding him there. It was a thing that, be-
fore it happened, was incredible. For it was like cutting a body
in two parts, with the resulting death of both, or like the
parting of two oxen that have shared the same manger and
yoke, bellowing piteously for each other in distress at their
ON ST. BASIL 49
separation. My loss, however, was not of long duration, for I
could not bear for long being a pitiable spectacle and ex-
plaining to everyone the reasons for our separation. So, after
staying at Athens a little while more, my longing made me
like the horse in Homer; I burst the tie with those holding
me back and, coursing over the plain, rushed to join my
companion. 23
(25) On our return, we paid a little homage to the
world and the stage, and that only to satisfy the desire
of the multitude; we ourselves had no love for theatrical
display. We quickly became independent and were ac-
counted men instead of beardless youths, advancing in
more manlike fashion in philosophy. We were no longer
together, for envy prevented this, but we were united
in desire. The city of Caesarea took possession of Basil, as a
second founder and protector. As time went on, since I
could not be with him, he went abroad on voyages which
were necessary and in full keeping with his philosophical
resolution. Reverence for my parents, the care of their old age,
and successive misfortunes separated me from him. This was
not good, perhaps, nor fair, but at any rate they kept me from
him. I ask myself whether this was not the cause of all the
inconsistency and difficulty which has befallen me in my life,
and which has made my progress in philosophy so uneven and
unworthy of my desire and purpose. May my affairs follow
the course that God wills, but may they follow a better course
because of Basil's intercessions. As for him, the manifold
kindness of God and His providence toward our family, after
making him known by many manifest circumstances and
showing him forth day by day as more illustrious, set him up
as a brilliant and celebrated light of the Church, for he had
been enrolled meanwhile in the sacred order of the priesthood
to illumine, through the single city of Caesarea, the whole
23 Ct Iliad 6.506ff.
50 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
world. And in what manner? It was not by suddenly ad-
vancing him, nor by cleansing and instructing him in wisdom
at the same time, as is true of the majority of those today who
aspire to the episcopate. He received the honor according to
the law and order of spiritual advancement.
(26) I do not approve of the confusion and disorder that
exist among us, sometimes even in those who preside in the
sanctuary. I will not go so far as to accuse all, for that would
not be just. I approve of the naval custom which first puts
oars in the hands of the future pilot and later leads him to
the prow and entrusts him with the duties forward, seating
him at the helm only after long experience at sea and in
observation of the winds. The same holds true in military af-
fairs: one is soldier, captain, general. This order is the best
and most advantageous for subordinates. If the same system
were in force in our case, it would be of great value. As it is
now, the most holy of all the orders among us is in danger
of being the most ridiculous. For the episcopate depends not
so much on virtue as on intrigue, and the sees belong not so
much to the most worthy as to the most powerful. Samuel, who
foresaw the future, is numbered among the Prophets, but so
also is Saul, the outcast. Roboam, the son of Solomon, is
among the kings, but so also is Jeroboam, the slave and
apostate. And there is no physician or painter who has not first
observed the nature of diseases or blended many colors and
sketched various figures. But a bishop is easily found, without
the experience furnished by toil, having but recent repute and
being sown and springing up at once, as in the fable of the
giants. We manufacture holy men in a day and we bid them
to be wise, when they have had no training in wisdom, and no
previous warrant to this dignity except desire. One man is
content with his lowly position, and remains humble, though
worthy of the highest place, having devoted himself to frequent
meditation on the divine Scriptures and striven much to sub-
ON ST. BASIL 51
ject his flesh to the law of the spirit. Another arrogantly seats
himself in first place, raises his brow at his betters, does not
tremble on his throne, and does not shudder at the sight, as
he looks down on the man of self-control. On the contrary, he
supposes that, together with his power, he has acquired
superior wisdom, betraying the false judgment of a man whom
high office has robbed of his senses.
( 27 ) It was not so with our great and noble Basil. As in all
other things, so in this he appears as a model of order to
others. First, he read the sacred Books to the people and was
their interpreter, not deeming this function of the sanctuary be-
neath him. Similarly, in the chair of the priests and then in that
of the bishops he praised the Lord, not having gained this
authority by stealth or force, not having sought the honor
but having been sought by it, not having received it as a
human favor but as coming from God and divine. But let my
account of his episcopate be deferred, and let us now dwell
a little on his priesthood. How nearly this escaped me, al-
though it should occupy a central place in my discourse !
(28) A disagreement arose between Basil and his pre-
decessor in the government of this church. It is better to pass
over in silence its origin and character, but the fact remains.
Eusebius 24 was in many respects a man not without nobility,
and remarkable for piety, as the persecution of that time and
the opposition to him clearly indicated, yet he developed a
natural antipathy for Basil. Momus 2 ' 1 seizes not only upon the
common crowd but on the best of men, since it belongs to God
alone to be completely infallible and uninfluenced by the
passions. All the more select and wiser members of the Church
were roused against Eusebius; since they are wiser than the
multitude, they have separated themselves from the world
24 Eusebius of Caesarea, predecessor of Basil in the see of Caesarea, is
not mentioned by name in the Greek original.
25 Greek god of grumbling and fault-finding.
52 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
and consecrated themselves to God. I speak of the Nazarites 26
among us, who are especially zealous in such matters. They
were indignant that their chief should be ignored, outraged,
and set aside, and they ventured upon a most dangerous
undertaking. They contemplated defection and revolt from
the great and indivisible body of the Church, severing along
with themselves a considerable portion of the people, in-
cluding some of lowly station and others of high rank. This
was quite easy for three weighty reasons. First of all, Basil was
venerated, to my knowledge, as no other philosopher of our
time and, if he wished, he could give encouragement to the
faction. Second, his opponent was under suspicion by the
city because of the tumult connected with his election, on
the grounds that he had received the episcopal office not so
much in a regular and canonical manner as by violence.
Finally, some bishops had come from the West and drew to
themselves the whole orthodox portion of the Church. 27
( 29 ) What action, then, was taken by that noble man and
disciple of the peaceful One? 28 He could not resist his slan-
derers or his partisans, nor did it befit him to fight or to rend
the body of the Church, already attacked and put in peril by
the power of the heretics at the time. Following our sincere
counsels and exhortations on this point, he retired in flight to
Pontus and, assuming the direction of the monasteries there,
established for them some memorable regulations. He em-
braced solitude as had Elias and John, those perfect philo-
sophers, deeming this more advantageous for him than to
make any plans in respect to the present difficulty that would
be unworthy of his philosophy, or than to lose in the tempest
the control which in time of calm he exercised over his reason.
Although his departure was so philosophical and worthy of
26 I.e., the monks.
27 Allusion is made to the papal legates, Lucifer of Cagliari and Eusebius
of Vercelli.
28 Cf. Matt. 11.29.
ON ST. BASIL 53
admiration, we shall find that his return was even more
admirable. For so it was.
(30) While we were thus engaged, there suddenly arose a
cloud full of hail and shrill with death, devastating every
church on which it burst and fell: an emperor, 29 too fond of
gold and most hostile to Christ. Afflicted with those two
greatest of maladies, avarice and blasphemy, he was a per-
secutor following a persecutor, and following the Apostate. Al-
though he was not an apostate himself, he was no better to
Christians, or rather to that most pious and pure portion of the
Christians who worship the Trinity, which I call the only true
piety and saving doctrine. We do not weigh out the Godhead,
nor do we divorce the one and inaccessible Nature from Itself
by unnatural differences. Nor do we cure one evil by another,
dissolving the impious contraction of Sabellius by a more im-
pious separation and division. This was the disease of Arius,
who gave his name to the madness, and who threw into con-
fusion and brought to ruin a great part of the Church. Without
honoring the Father, he dishonored what proceeded from
Him by maintaining unequal degrees in the Godhead. But
we recognize one glory of the Father, the equality of the
Only-begotten, and one glory of the Son, the equality of the
Holy Spirit. And we believe that to subordinate anything of
the Three is to destroy the whole. We venerate and acknowl-
edge Three with respect to attributes; One, with respect to
Godhead. Having no understanding of this, and unable to look
upwards, and debased by those who led him on, 30 he had the
audacity to debase the nature of the Godhead along with him-
self. He became an evil creature, reducing majesty to servitude,
and putting the uncreated and timeless Nature on the same
level with created things.
29 Valens, champion of Arianism.
30 I.e., the emperor was following the lead of demons in promoting
Arianism.
54 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
(31) Such, then, were his views, and it was with such im-
piety that he took the field against us. There is no other way of
regarding it than as a barbarian invasion having for its object,
not the destruction of ramparts, or cities, or houses, or any of
the little things that are made by hand and soon restored or
replaced, but the ravaging of men's souls. He was joined in
his attack by an army worthy of him, the wicked leaders of
the churches, the cruel governors of his world empire. They
were already masters of some churches and were attacking
others, and they were hoping to gain others still through the
influence and might of the emperor. One form of violence
was being exercised and another, threatened. They came to
destroy our church, also, relying on nothing so much as the
pusillanimity of all those of whom I have spoken, on the
inexperience of the man who was then our bishop and on
the infirmities that existed among us.
Great, then, was the struggle in prospect. The ardor of the
multitude was not wanting, but their battle line was weak
for lack of a champion and one trained to fight for them with
the power of the Word and the Spirit. What was the reaction
of that noble and sublime and truly Christ-loving soul? There
was no need of long speeches to gain his presence and his
assistance. He had no sooner seen me on my mission, for the
struggle was common to us both as defenders of the faith, than
he yielded at once to my plea. And, for his part, he made
an excellent and very wise distinction, based on the precepts
of the Holy Spirit, namely, that there is a time for cap-
tiousness if one must indulge in such feelings at all that
of security, and another time for forbearance, that of neces-
sity. At once he departed with me from Pontus and was filled
with zeal in defense of truth in danger, offering himself as a
willing ally in the fight and dedicating himself to his mother,
the Church.
(32) But if he manifested such zeal beforehand, was his
ON ST. BASIL 55
ardor less in the combat? Or if he was valiant throughout the
conflict, was he lacking in prudence? Or if he fought with
skill, did he shrink from danger? Or if in all these respects he
evidenced a perfection beyond description, did he cherish
in his heart some trace of chagrin? By no means. But simul-
taneously he effected his reconciliation, took counsel, and
prepared the defense. He removed all the obstacles and
stumbling blocks in our way and all that had given encourage-
ment to those attacking us. He gained in one quarter, held his
ground in another, and drove back the attack in a third.
He became to some a strong wall and a rampart, 31 to others
an axe breaking the rock to pieces, 32 or a fire among the
thorns, 33 as divine Scripture says, easily destroying the fagots
which were insulting the Godhead. And if Barnabas, who
speaks and records these things, had some share in the
struggles of Paul, the thanks are due to Paul, who chose him
and made him his partner in the conflict.
(33 ) They therefore departed without accomplishing their
purpose, and, base men that they were, they were basely put
to shame and worsted for the first time. And they learned
that, of all men in the world, the Cappadocians were not to be
lightly despised. There is nothing so characteristic of them as
the firmness of their faith and the sincerity of their belief in
the Trinity. And from the Trinity come their unity and
strength, and for assistance rendered, assistance in return, only
far greater and more powerful.
The next object of Basil's toil and zeal was to conciliate the
bishop, to dissipate his suspicions, to persuade all men that
the vexation that had been felt was a temptation and an at-
tack of the evil one, envious of virtuous concord, and that he
himself recognized the laws of obedience and the spiritual
31 Cf. Jer. 1.18.
32 Cf. Jer. 23.29.
33 Cf. Ps. 117.12.
56 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
order. Therefore, he was at his side, instructing him, giving
ear to him, advising him. He was everything to him, a good
counselor, an expert assistant, a spiritual director, a guide of
conduct, a staff for his old age, a bulwark of the faith, the
most worthy of trust within the household and most active
outside in a word, as much disposed to benevolence as he
had once been thought to hostility. The result was that he
was invested with the government of the church, though he
was second in rank in the see, for, in return for the benevolence
he displayed, he received authority. And their harmony and
union in power was wonderful. One led the people; the other,
the leader, like a lion keeper, as it were, skillfully taming the
possessor of power. He had been newly installed in the see,
while still breathing worldly air, and not yet adjusted to the
things of the Spirit, when a violent storm was raging and
the enemies of the Church were menacing. He was in need,
therefore, of a directing and a sustaining hand. For this
reason he cherished this alliance and considered himself the
master of one who had mastered him.
(34) Of Basil's care and protection of the Church there
are many other examples. There was his independence toward
magistrates and the most powerful men in the city. There were
his decisions of disputes, which were accepted with confidence,
the mere seal of his word taking on the character of law.
There was his support of the needy, more often in cases of
spiritual want, but often, also, in those of physical distress.
For this is frequently a means of touching the soul and
reducing it to subjection by kindness. There were his sup-
port of the poor, his hospitality toward strangers, his solicitude
for virgins, written and unwritten legislation for monks,
formulation of prayers, regulations for good order in the
sanctuary, and other ways in which one who was truly a man
of God and ranged on God's side could benefit the people.
But there was one example of special importance and fame.
ON ST. BASIL 57
There was a famine, the most severe within the memory of
man. The city was in distress, but there was no help forth-
coming from any quarter, nor any remedy for the calamity.
The maritime cities support without difficulty occasions of
want like these, since they can dispose of their own products
and receive in exchange those which come to them by sea.
But we in the inland can make no profit on our superfluous
products, nor procure what we need, having no means of
disposing of what we have or importing what we lack. In
situations like this, nothing is so distressing as the cruelty
and avarice of those who enjoy plenty. They watch for oc-
casions of trafficking in want and they reap a harvest from
misfortune. They do not heed: 'He that hath mercy on
the poor, lendeth to the Lord' 34 and 'He that hideth up corn,
shall be cursed among the people/ 35 or any other of the
promises made to the merciful or the threats against the in-
human. Their insatiate desire runs beyond bounds in their
false wisdom. While they close their bowels of mercy to
others, they close those of God to themselves, not perceiving
that they are in greater need of Him than others of them.
Such are these buyers and sellers of gain, having no regard for
their fellow men or thanks to God, by whose benefit they
enjoy plenty when others are in distress.
(35) But Basil could not rain down bread from heaven 36
by prayer to feed a fugitive people in the desert, nor cause
food to well up without cost from the depth of vessels 37 which
are filled by emptying a paradox, indeed, that she who fed
the Prophet might be fed in turn for her hospitality. Nor
could he feed many thousands of men with five loaves, 38 of
which even the fragments sufficed for many tables. For these
34 Prov. 19.17.
35 Prov. 11.26.
36 Cf. Exod. 16.15; Ps. 77.24.
37 Cf. 3 Kings 17.14.
38 Cf. Matt. 14.19; Luke 9.16.
58 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
were the works of Moses and Elias and of my God who gave
them this power, fitting also, perhaps, for those times and the
conditions prevailing then, since signs are for unbelievers,
not for believers. 39 But what was in accord with these works
and tending to the same result, he devised and executed with
the same faith. By his word and exhortations he opened up the
storehouses of the rich and brought to realization the words
of Scripture: he dealt bread to the hungry 40 and he satisfied
the poor with bread, 41 and he fed them in famine 42 and 4 he
has filled the hungry with good things. 543 And in what
manner? For this contributed in no small way to his assistance.
He assembled in one place those afflicted by the famine, in-
cluding some who had recovered a little from it, men and
women, children, old men, the distressed of every age. He
collected through contributions all kinds of food helpful for
relieving famine. He set before them caldrons of pea soup
and our salted meats, the sustenance of the poor. Then,
imitating the ministry of Christ, who, girded with a towel,
did not disdain to wash the feet of His disciples, and em-
ploying his own servants or, rather, his fellow slaves and
co-workers in this labor, he ministered to the bodies and
the souls of the needy, combining marks of respect with the
necessary refreshment, thus affording them relief in two ways.
(36) Such was our new provider of grain and second
Joseph, save that on him we have something more to say. For
Joseph trafficked in famine and gained Egypt by his hu-
manity, 44 making use of the time of abundance with a view
to the time of want, appointed for this purpose through the
dreams of others, but Basil rendered service freely, relieving
39 Cf. 1 Cor. 14.22.
40 Cf. Isa. 58.7.
41 Cf. Ps. 131.15.
42 Cf. Ps. 32,19.
43 Luke 1.53.
44 Cf. Gen. 41. Iff.
ON ST. BASIL 59
the dearth of food without drawing any profit therefrom. He
had in view only one object : to win mercy by being merciful,
and to acquire heavenly blessings by his distribution of grain
here below. He furnished also the nourishment of the Word,
that more perfect charity and distribution of goods, truly
celestial and sublime, since the Word is the bread of angels, 45
the food and drink of souls who are hungry for God and
seek for food that does not pass away or fail, but abides
forever. This was the bread that he furnished and in great
abundance, that poorest and most needy man that I have
known. And it was not to relieve a hunger for bread or a
thirst for water, but a longing for the Word which is truly
vivifying and nourishing and which leads to progress in the
spiritual life whoever is well nourished thereon.
(37) After these and similar deeds, for there is no need
to spend time in recounting them all, upon the death of
Eusebius whose name denotes piety, and who expired sweetly
in the arms of Basil, he was soon exalted to the lofty throne
of the episcopate. This was not effected without difficulty nor
without the envious opposition of the bishops of the country
and of the most vicious men of the city, who had ranged
themselves with these. But it was inevitable that the Holy
Spirit should be victorious, and the victory was truly a
decisive one. For He roused up from distant parts to anoint
him men celebrated and zealous for piety and among them,
the new Abraham, our patriarch, I mean my father, in regard
to whom a sort of prodigy occurred. For, though weakened
by length of years, wasted by disease, and almost drawing
his last breath, he braved the journey to bring the assistance
of his vote, relying on the help of the Spirit. To speak briefly,
he was placed on his litter like a corpse in the tomb; he re-
turned in the vigor of youth, with head erect and eyes bright,
strengthened by the imposition of hands and the anointing,
45 Cf. Ps. 77.25.
60 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
and, if it is not too much to say, by the head of him whom
he anointed. Let this be added to those ancient narratives to
the effect that toil brings health, zeal raises the dead, and old
age leaps up when anointed by the Spirit.
(38) After Basil had been thus honored with the pri-
macy, as it was fitting for a man who had lived such a life,
attained such favor, and enjoyed such a reputation, he did
nothing thereafter that could compromise his own philosophy
or the hopes of those who trusted him. As he had previously
shown himself to surpass others, he now appeared to surpass
himself, conceiving the noblest and wisest ideas in this repect.
For he thought that the virtue of a private individual con-
sisted in avoiding vice and being good in a certain measure,
but that in a ruler and chief it was a vice, especially in such
an office as his, if he did not far surpass most men, manifest
constant progress, and raise his virtue to the height demanded
by his dignity and his throne. It was difficult, he felt, for one
in high office to achieve his proper mean, and with surpassing
virtue to lead the multitude to the common mean. Or, to be
more philosophically precise here, I consider that the same
thing happened in his case as I observe in that of our
Saviour and it holds true for every really wise man, I
imagine when He was among us in that form which was
superior to us and yet was ours. As He advanced in age, it is
said, so also did He in wisdom and grace. 46 Not that these
qualities received any increase for how could that which
was perfect from the beginning become more perfect but
the meaning is that these qualities were gradually revealed
and manifested themselves. In the same way, I think that
Basil's virtue did not receive any increase but only wider
exercise at the time, since his office supplied him with more
abundant opportunity.
(39) He first made it clear to everyone that the office
46 Cf. Luke 2.52.
ON ST. BASIL 61
bestowed on him was not due to human favor, but was a
gift of God. An instance that concerns myself will also make
this evident. How his philosophy squared with my own at that
time! Everyone thought that I would rush forward after his
accesssion with great joy as anyone else, perhaps, might
have acted and would share his power rather than rule
beside him. Our friendship led men to surmise this. But
fleeing the suspicion of arrogance, as I, if anyone, have always
done, and at the same time avoiding jealousy together with
its occasion, especially since Basil's position was still painful
and troublesome, I remained at home, forcefully checking my
desire. While Basil found fault with me, he nevertheless
excused me. And afterwards, when I did approach him, and
for the same reason would not accept the honor of this chair,
nor even the first place of dignity among the priests, far
from blaming me, he praised my action, and rightly. For he
preferred to be charged with arrogance by a few men who
were ignorant of these principles of conduct than to do any-
thing contrary to reason or his own resolutions. And, truly, in
what better way could he show that he was a man whose
soul was superior to all adulation and flattery, and that he
had only one object in view, the rule of good, than by the
attitude he observed in regard to myself, whom he acknowl-
edged as one of the first of his friends and intimates?
(40) Next, he sought to appease and heal the faction
opposed to him by applying the principles of a magnanimous
medicine. He acted without flattery or servility, but with
great courage and nobility, as a man who not only envisaged
the present but was bent upon securing future obedience. Ob-
serving that softness tends to laxity and weakness and severity
to harshness and arrogance, he amended the one by the other.
He tempered strictness with reasonableness and softness with
firmness. He rarely had need of argument, but influenced men
most effectively by his conduct. He did not enslave men by
62 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
artifice, but won them over by kindness. He did not avail
himself of his authority, but drew men by his sparing use
of authority. What is most important, all were conquered by
his intelligence and recognized that his virtue was unap-
proachable. They believed that the one way to salvation was
for themselves to be ranged on his side and under his com-
mand and that their one danger was to oppose him, for they
considered that separation from him meant alienation from
God. So they willingly gave way and surrendered and sub-
mitted as at a clap of thunder. They strove to anticipate each
other with their excuses and to make the measure of their
former hostility the measure of their good will and of their
progress in virtue, which they found to be the only effective
reparation. The only exceptions were those who because of
their incurable perversity were neglected and set aside, to
wear themselves out and be expended, as rust is consumed
with the iron it feeds upon.
(41) When he had settled affairs at home to his satis-
faction and as no one of the faithless who did not know him
would have thought possible, he conceived a far greater and
loftier design. While all other men had their eyes only on that
which lay at their feet and considered how they might safe-
guard their own interests if, indeed, this is to safeguard
them without going any further or being capable of con-
ceiving or accomplishing any great or noble purpose, Basil,
though he observed moderation in other respects, in this
knew no measure. But lifting his head high and casting the
eye of his soul in every direction, he obtained a mental vision
of the whole world through which the word of salvation had
been spread. He saw the great heritage of God, purchased by
His own words and laws and sufferings, the holy nation, 47 the
royal priesthood, in a miserable plight and torn asunder into
an infinity of doctrines and errors. He saw the vine which had
47 Cf. 1 Peter 2.9.
ON ST. BASIL 63
been brought out of Egypt and transplanted from impious and
dark ignorance, and which had grown to a surpassing beauty
and grandeur, so as to cover the whole earth and extend above
the mountains and the cedars, now ravaged by that wicked
wild boar, the Devil. He did not think it enough to lament
misfortune in silence and merely lift up his hands to God to
implore deliverance from the pressing evils, but to be asleep
himself. But he thought he was bound to render aid and
make some personal contribution.
(42) For what could be more afflicting than this calamity
or what could excite more the zeal of one whose regard was
fixed on high to act in behalf of the common welfare? The
prosperity or adversity of an individual is of no significance
for the community, but when the community itself is in this
or that condition, the individual is of necessity affected in the
same way. Such were the thoughts and reflections of him
who was the guardian and protector of the community, for
an understanding heart is a moth to the bones, as is declared
by Solomon and Truth. 48 And while callousness is cheerful
compassion begets pain, prolonged reflection wastes away
the heart. Therefore, he was troubled and grieved and
wounded. He experienced the feelings of Jonas 49 and David,
he renounced his soul, he gave no sleep to his eyes or slumber
to his eyelids. 50 What was left of his flesh he consumed in
anxieties until he should find a remedy for the evil. He
sought divine and human aid to stay the general conflagration
and disperse the darkness which was spreading over us.
(43) This device, and an exceedingly salutary one, came
to his mind. Withdrawing into himself as much as possible,
entering into close communion with the Spirit, and making
use of all human arguments as well as collecting all the pro-
48 Cf. Prov. 14.30 (Septuagint) .
49 Cf. Jonas 4.8.
50 Cf. Ps. 131.4.
64 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
found truths of Scripture, he composed a treatise on the
true religion, and by his opposition and counterattack he
beat off the bold offensive of the heretics, Those who engaged
in hand-to-hand conflicts he overthrew at close range by
word of mouth. Those who engaged at a distance he struck
with arrows of ink, no less significant than the characters on
the tables of the Law, legislating not for one small Jewish
nation, concerning meat and drink, 51 temporal sacrifices, and
purifications of the flesh, but for every nation and every
portion of the earth, concerning the true doctrine from
which comes our salvation. Then, since unreasoning action
and impractical reasoning are alike ineffectual, he added to
reason the aid of action. He visited some, sent messages to
others, and summoned still others; he admonished, reproved,
censured, threatened, and upbraided; he assumed the defense
of nations, cities, and individuals; he contrived every kind of
deliverance and cured disease by medicines from every
source. He was like Beseleel, 52 the builder of the holy taber-
nacle, employing for the work every kind of material and
art, and fashioning all into the beauty and harmony of a
single masterpiece.
(44) Why should I add anything further? That enemy of
Christ and tyrant toward the faith, the emperor, with greater
impiety and a fiercer assault, came against us again, per-
suaded that he had to deal with a stronger antagonist. He
was like that unclean and evil spirit, who, having been
driven from a man and having wandered about, returns ac-
companied by a greater number of spirits to take up the
same abode, as we have heard in the Gospels. 53 This was
the model he imitated and his purpose was to make good his
former defeat by increasing his former efforts. He felt that it
51 Cf. Heb. 9.10.
52 Cf. Exod. 31.2.
53 Luke 11.24.
ON ST. BASIL 65
was strange and abominable that he, the ruler of so many
nations, who enjoyed so much renown, who had subjected all
those about him to his impious power and crushed every
opposition that he encountered, should be worsted, in the
sight of all, by a single man and a single city, and become a
laughing-stock, not only to the champions of impiety, by
whom he was led, but also, as he supposed, to all men.
(45) They say that the King of Persia, when he was
making his expedition into Greece, and glowing with passion
and pride as he led men of every race against the Greeks, was
not content merely with exalting himself and making im-
moderate threats, but sought to make himself an object of
terror all the more by the novel offenses which he committed
against the elements. One heard of a strange land and sea
produced by this new creator; of an army sailing on the
mainland and traversing the sea on foot; of islands carried off
and of the sea being scourged; and of all other phenomena
which manifested the madness of that army and of its com-
mander, a source of terror to the cowardly but an object
of ridicule to men of braver and stouter hearts. The emperor,
however, had no need of anything of this kind in his cam-
paign against us. Yet he was reported to do and say what was
worse and more harmful. He set his mouth against heaven,
speaking blasphemy on high, and his tongue passed through
the earth. Well did holy David, long before our time, stig-
matize him who made heaven bend to earth, putting on the
same level with creation that supramundane Nature which
creation cannot contain, although for love of us It was as-
sociated in some measure with us, that It might draw to Itself
us who were lying upon the ground. 04
(46) And while those first wanton deeds of the emperor
were notorious, his last conflicts against us were even more
flagrant. What do I mean by the first? exiles, banishments,
54 Cf. Ps. 72.9.
66 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
confiscations, open and secret plots, persuasion when it was
opportune, violence when persuasion was impossible. Those
who professed the orthodox faith, our faith, were thrust from
their churches. Others were intruded who held the pernicious
doctrine of the emperor, men who demanded certificates of
impiety and were authors of still more detestable opinions.
Priests were burned at sea. 5<> Impious generals were occupied
not in conquering the Persians or reducing the Scythians or
driving out some barbaric nation, but in making war upon
churches, dancing in triumph upon altars, defiling the un-
bloody sacrifices with the blood of men and victims, and
violating the modesty of virgins. For what purpose? That the
patriarch Jacob might be driven out, and Esau, who was
hated even before his birth, 56 might be intruded in his place.
Such is the history of those first wanton acts of his, the very
recollection and mention of which brings tears to many eyes
even now.
(47) But when, after having invaded all places, he
launched his attack upon this unshaken and invulnerable
mother of the churches, the only spark of truth still remaining
unquenched, with the purpose of enslaving her, then for the
first time he realized that he had planned badly. Just as a
missile when it strikes a stronger body is repelled, and rope
when broken snaps back, he encountered such a bulwark in
the Church, and on such a rock was he shattered and broken.
Other details one may learn from the mouth and narrative of
the men who endured the trials of that time. And everyone
without exception has something to tell. But all are in ad-
miration who are acquainted with the struggles of that time :
the assaults, the promises, the threats, the legal officials sent
55 At the order of the Emperor Valens, eighty ecclesiastics were sent
to sea in a vessel off the coast of Bithynia in 370 and perished when
it was destroyed by fire. It is reported that the fire was set at
Valens' command.
56 Cf. Rom. 9.1 Iff. Gregory's Jacob here was Athanasius; his Esau,
George of Cappadocia.
ON ST. BASIL 67
to attempt to win him over, the military and those from the
women's apartments who are men among women and women
among men, whose only manliness was their impiety, and who,
incapable of natural licentiousness, prostitute themselves in
the only way they can with their tongues; the chief cook,
Nabuzardan, 57 who threatened us with the knives of his art
and was sent back to his own fire. But what to me was
most admirable in the conduct of Basil and what I could not
pass over, even if I wished, I will recount as succinctly as pos-
sible.
(48) Who does not know the prefect 58 of those days, who
personally treated us with special arrogance, since he had
received his initiation in baptism from the other party or,
rather, his destruction? He was excessively subservient to his
chief and, by showing him compliance in every way, he
strove to ensure and prolong his own possession of power. It
was before this man, who was raging against the Church,
having assumed the manner of a lion and roaring like a lion,
so that most men did not dare to approach him, that our
noble champion was brought. Rather, he entered his court
as though summoned to a banquet and not a judgment.
How can I give an adequate account either of the insolence
of the prefect or of the wisdom with which Basil met his
attack? 'What do you mean, you, sir, 3 he said, adding his
name, for he did not yet deign to call him bishop, 'by daring
to resist so great a power, and by being the only one to speak
out with arrogance?' 'In what respect,' replied our champion,
'and what is this madness you speak of? I do not yet under-
stand/ 'Because you do not honor the religion of your
sovereign,' he said, 'when all others have given way and
submitted.' 'I do not,' said Basil, 'for this is not the will of my
57 Better known by his Greek name Demosthenes, a creature of Valens,
who in spite of his ignorance played a prominent role in the conflict
between orthodoxy and Arianism.
58 Modestus, praetorian prefect of the East under Valens.
68 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
true Sovereign, and I cannot bring myself to worship a
creature, as I am a creature of God and bidden to be a god. 559
'But we, what are we in your eyes? Or are we nothing/ said
the prefect, 'who give you these commands? Besides, is it not a
great thing for you to be ranged with us and have us as your
associates? 3 'You are indeed prefects, 5 said Basil, 'and illu-
strious, I will not deny it, but in no way more honorable than
God. To be associated with you is a great thing, certainly. You
also are creatures of God. But I would be associated with you
as with any of my subjects. Faith, not the person, is the char-
acteristic mark of Christianity'.
(49) Then the prefect became excited and seethed all
the more with rage. He rose from his seat and addressed
Basil in harsher tones. 'What,' he said, 'are you not afraid of
my authority?' 'Afraid of what? What could I suffer? 5 'Any
one of the many punishments which lie within my power.'
'What are these? Make them known to me. 5 'Confiscation,
exile, torture, death. 5 'If there is anything else, 3 said Basil,
'threaten me with that, too, for none of these you mentioned
can affect me.' The prefect said to him: 'How can that be
true?' 'Because, 5 said Basil, 'the man who possesses nothing is
not liable to confiscation, unless you want, perhaps, these
tattered rags, and a few books, which represent all my pos-
sessions. As for exile, I do not know what it is, since I am not
circumscribed by any place, nor do I count as my own the
land where I now dwell or any land into which I may be
cast. Rather, all belongs to God, whose passing guest I am.
And as for torture, how can they rack a body that exists
no longer, unless you refer to the first stroke, for of this alone
you are the master? Death will be a benefit, for it will send
me to God sooner. For Him I live and order my life, and for
the most part have died, and to Him I have long been
hastening/
59 Cf. John 10.34.
ON ST. BASIL 69
(50) These words astounded the prefect. 'No one,' he
said, 'up to this day has ever spoken in such a manner and
with such boldness to me,' and he added his own name.
'Perhaps you have never met a bishop, 5 said Basil, c or he
would have spoken in exactly the same way, having the same
interests to defend. For in other respects, prefect, we are
reasonable and more submissive than anyone else, for so our
law prescribes. We do not show ourselves supercilious to
such high authority or even to any ordinary person. But when
God's interests are endangered or at stake, we count the
rest as nothing, and look to these alone. Fire and sword and
wild beasts and tongs that tear the flesh are a source of delight
to us rather than of terror. Therefore, go on with your insults
and your threats, do whatever you will, make the most of
your authority. Let the emperor hear this, also, that you
will never prevail on us or persuade us to make a covenant
with impiety, even though you utter threats still more violent. 3
(51) After this colloquy, the prefect realised that Basil's
attitude was such that nothing could terrify or overcome him,
so he sent him forth and dismissed him, no longer with the
same threats but with a certain respect and deference. Then
he himself hastened as quickly as he could to the emperor.
My lord,' he said, 'we have been worsted by the head of this
church. The man is superior to threats, deaf to arguments, in-
capable of persuasion. Some other more ignoble person must
be tried. But on this man either open force must be used, or
do not expect that he will yield to our threats.' At these words,
the emperor, condemning his own conduct and overcome by
the praises of Basil, for even an enemy can admire a man's
courage, forbade the employment of force. And the same
thing occurred in his case as happens to iron which, while
it is softened in the fire, still remains iron. Although his
threats had changed to admiration, he did not enter into
communion with Basil, being ashamed to make the change,
70
ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
but he sought the most expedient means to justify himself,
as my discourse will now show.
(52) For the emperor entered the church with all his
retinue. It was the day of Epiphany and the church was
thronged. He took his place among the people and thus
gave the appearance of professing unity. Once he was inside,
the singing of the psalms struck his ears like thunder, and he
observed the sea of people and the orderly behavior, more
angelical than human, prevailing in the sanctuary and its
precincts. He saw Basil posted, facing the people, standing
erect, as the Scripture describes Samuel, 60 with body and
eyes and mind undisturbed, as though nothing unusual had
happened, but like a pillar, if I may say so, attached to God
and the altar, while those about him stood in fear
and reverence. At this spectacle, such as he had never seen
before, the emperor experienced a feeling that was only
human, and dimness and dizziness enveloped his eyes and his
mind, because of his awe. This fact still escaped the notice of
most of the people. But when the time came for him to
present at the divine table the gifts which had to be offered
with his own hands, and no one, as was the custom, assisted
him, since it was not clear whether Basil would receive them,
then his feelings were clearly manifested. For he began to
stagger, and, if one of the ministers of the sanctuary had
not lent his hand to support his wavering steps, he would
have suffered a lamentable fall. But let this suffice.
(53 ) As to the words spoken by Basil to the emperor with
such surpassing wisdom when once again he entered into com-
munion with us in a sort of way, and passed within the veil
to see and speak to Basil, as he had desired to do for a long
time, what must I say but that in truth they were the utter-
ances of God which were heard by those about the emperor
and by us who had gone in with them at the same time.
60 Cf. 1 Kings 19.20.
ON ST. BASIL 71
This was the origin of the kindly feeling of the emperor to-
ward us, and the beginning of our restoration. This reception
dissipated like a stream most of the abusive treatment then
besetting us.
(54) There was another incident no less important than
those I have mentioned. The wicked were triumphant, exile
was decreed for Basil, and nothing was lacking for the
execution of this design. The night was at hand, the carriage
was ready, our enemies were jubilant, the pious were dis-
heartened, as we gathered about the eager traveler; in a
word, all details pertaining to that honorable disgrace had
been completed. What happened then? God rescinded the
decree. He who struck the first-born of Egypt for its harshness
against Israel 61 also afflicted the son of the emporer with a
stroke of disease. And how great was the speed! There was
the sentence of exile; here, the decree of sickness. The hand
of the impious scribe was stayed, the saint was preserved, and
the man of piety became the gift of a fever which curbed the
arrogance of an emperor. What could be more just or more
speedy? The sequel was this. The son of the emperor was sick
and afflicted in body, and his father suffered with him. But
what did the father do? He sought everywhere for a remedy
for the malady, he called in the best physicians, he resorted to
prayer as never before and prostrated himself on the ground.
For suffering humbles even kings, and this is not to be
wondered at, for Scripture records how David long ago
suffered in the same way on account of his son/ 2 Finding no
remedy for the evil from any source, the emperor sought
refuge in the faith of Basil. But he did not summon him in
his own name, because of his shame at the recent outrage.
He entrusted this mission to others of his closest and dearest
friends. Basil presented himself without delay and without the
61 Cf. Exod. 12.29.
62 Cf. 2 Kings 12.16.
72 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
reluctance which, under the circumstances, anyone else would
have shown. Immediately upon his arrival, the sickness be-
came milder, and the father was in better hope. And if he had
not mingled salt water with the fresh, since at the same time
that he summoned Basil he still had faith in the heretics, the
child would have recovered his health and been restored safely
to his father's arms. This was the belief of those who were
present at the time and shared in the distress.
(55) The same thing is said to have occurred also in the
case of the prefect not long afterwards. An attack of sickness
caused him likewise to humble himself beneath the hands of
the saint. For men of sense a stroke of calamity really becomes
a source of instruction, and affliction is often a greater blessing
than prosperity. He fell sick, he wept, he was in distress, he
sent for Basil, he entreated him : 'You have won your defense, 3
he cried out. 'Only grant me recovery. 3 And he truly obtained
it, as he himself acknowledged and assured many who had
not known of it, for he did not cease to recount with admi-
ration the actions of Basil.
Such were his relations with these men, and such the
results. But did he conduct himself, differently toward others,
or wrangle about petty things or in a petty manner, or exhibit
philosophic conduct of the average sort, best passed over in
silence, or at least not very praiseworthy? By no means. He
who once roused the abominable Adad against Israel 63 roused
against Basil the vicar 64 of the diocese of Pontus. This man
pretended to be indignant concerning a poor woman, but in
reality he fought on behalf of impiety and assailed the true
religion. I pass over all his other insults, numerous and grave
as they were, to Basil, or, I might equally say, to God, the
end and object of the contest. But the principal incident
which covered the author of the insult with shame and exalted
63 Cf. 3 Kings 11.14.
64 His name was Eusebius.
ON ST. BASIL 73
his antagonist, if there is really anything great and lofty in
philosophy and in the manifest superiority over the multitude
which it confers upon its possessor, I will describe in my
discourse.
(56) A certain woman of distinguished birth, shortly
after the death of her husband, was being violently impor-
tuned by the assessor of a judge, who sought to draw her
into marriage against her will. Not knowing how to escape this
oppression, she adopted a plan no less prudent than daring.
She fled to the holy table and made God her protector against
outrage. In the name of the Trinity Itself to adopt some-
what the language of the courtroom in my panegyric what
should have been done, not only by the great Basil, who had
established laws for all in such cases, but by any other who,
although inferior to him, nevertheless was a priest? Was it not
his duty to act in her defense, to receive her, to protect her, to
raise his hand on behalf of the mercy of God and the law
which commands respect for the altar? Was it not his duty to
be willing to do and suffer all rather than take against her
any inhuman measure, and outrage the holy table and the
faith of her supplication? 'No, 5 said this strange judge; 'all
must yield to my authority, and Christians must be traitors
to their own laws.' The judge sought to seize the suppliant, but
Basil protected her with all his power. The former became
furious and finally sent magistrates to search the saint's bed-
chamber, not from any necessity, but rather to dishonor him.
What are you saying? Search the house of that man who was
above passion, whom the angels treat with respect, upon
whom women shrink to look? But this was not enough. He
ordered him to appear in court and justify himself, not in
any mild or kindly manner, but as if he were a man con-
demned. And Basil obeyed the summons. The judge was in
his seat, full of wrath and arrogance. Basil remained standing,
like my Jesus before the judgment seat of Pilate. The thun-
74 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
derbolts did not strike; the sword of God still glittered, but
remained suspended. The bow was stretched, but was being
held back to furnish an occasion for repentance. Such is
God's custom.
(57) Now watch another struggle between our champion
and his persecutor. The judge ordered that the ragged pallium
be torn from his neck. 1 will strip myself of my tunic as well,
if you so desire, 3 said Basil. He threatened to lash that fleshless
body. Basil bowed his back to have it torn with barbs. 'By
such laceration/ he said, y u w ^ cure m y ^ ver - ^ ou see ^ ow
it is wearing me away. 5 Such was the interplay between them.
But the city, as soon as it was aware of the evil and the peril
common to all, for each person considered this outrage a
danger to himself, became completely distracted and fired
with passion. And like a swarm of bees roused by smoke, one
after another was stirred and arose, men of all classes and
ages, but particularly the imperial armorers and weavers.
For in such circumstances these men are rather impetuous
and are daring because of the freedom they enjoy. Each man
had for a weapon what his craft supplied him or anything
else improvised for the occasion. With torches in their hands,
with clubs ready, and hurling stones before them, they ran
in a single mass and with one cry in an enthusiasm they all
shared. Anger makes a formidable soldier or general. Even
the women, provoked by the situation, were armed at this
time. They no longer remained women, but, strengthened by
zeal, they took on the courage of men. The rest of the
account is short. Their hairpins were their spears. They
thought they would be sharing in an act of piety if they tore
him to pieces, and that he would be most pious in their
eyes who should be the first to lay hands on him who had
dared this outrage. What of that bold and haughty judge?
He became a suppliant, pitiable, wretched, cringing in a
ON ST. BASIL 75
most abject manner until that unbloody martyr appeared,
who had won his crown without blows, and who forcefully
restrained the people. He overcame them through the rever-
ence they had for him, and he saved his persecutor, now his
suppliant. This was the work of the God of saints, who
makes and transforms all things for the best, who resists the
proud but gives grace to the humble. 65 And why should not He
who divided the sea, and stayed the river, and subdued the
elements, and by the stretching of hands set up a trophy
to save a fugitive people, why should not He have also de-
livered this man from his dangers?
(58) This was the end of the war with the world, and
with God's help, its issue was a happy one and worthy of
Basil's faith. But at this point began the war with the bishops
and their allies, which was a source of great scandal and still
greater harm to their subjects. For, who could persuade
others to be moderate when their religious leaders were not
so disposed? Their ill will toward Basil was of long standing
and based on three motives. They were not in agreement with
him in the matter of the faith unless the pressure of the
multitude absolutely forced them. They had not completely
laid aside the resentment they felt at his election. And what
vexed them most, though it would have been most shameful
to admit it, was the fact that his prestige was far superior to
their own. But still another dissension arose which revived
these others.
When our country had been divided into two provinces
and two metropolitan sees and a considerable portion of the
older was being added to the new one, a renewal of party
strife resulted. One bishop 66 maintained that the boundaries
of our provinces should correspond with the civil division
and for that reason he laid claim to the territory recently
65 Cf. James 4.6.
66 Anthimus, Bishop of Tyana.
76 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
added to the new province as belonging to him and as severed
from its former metropolitan. The other 67 adhered to the
ancient tradition and to the division coming down from our
fathers. This contention resulted in many unfortunate in-
cidents, some of which had already occurred,, while others
were impending. Congregations were withdrawn in under-
handed fashion by the new metropolitan and their revenues
appropriated to his use. The priests of the churches were
either won over by persuasion or changed.
As a consequence, the affairs of the churches were reduced
to a still worse state of dissension and division. For men take a
certain delight in novelty and readily turn circumstances to
their own unjust gain. And it is easier to overthrow the
established order than to restore it when overthrown. But
what enraged him most was that the revenues of the Taurus,
which passed along before his eyes, were destined for Basil.
He also set great store on gathering for himself the offerings
at St. Orestes. 68 He went so far on one occasion, when Basil
was journeying along his own road, as to seize his mules and,
with the help of a gang of brigands, prevent him from
proceeding. And what a specious pretext he gave! He pre-
tended concern for his spiritual children, and souls, and the
doctrine of the faith. These pleas merely masked his cupidity
and were easy to invent, as was his assertion that revenues
should not be paid to heretics. Anyone who irked him was
labeled a heretic.
(59) Yet the holy man of God, truly the metropolitan of
the Jerusalem above, was neither carried away with those who
fell into error, nor did he suffer himself to overlook these
events, nor did he contemplate a weak remedy for the evil.
But let us consider how noble and admirable it was and, what
else shall I say, how worthy of his soul. For he turned dis-
67 St. Basil.
68 A chapel at the foot of Mt. Taurus.
ON ST. BASIL 77
sension into a source of increase for the Church, and settled
the trouble in the best possible way by the multiplication of
bishops in the country. From this there followed three ex-
cellent results : a greater solicitude for souls, self -management
for each city, and in this way a cessation of strife. In this
project I fear that I myself was just an appendage, to use
the most fitting term that occurs to me now. For, while in
general I admire this man far more than I can say, of this
one thing I cannot approve I will acknowledge my chagrin,
although from other sources it is not unknown to many of
you I mean his strangeness and distrust toward me, a cause
of pain which not even time has effaced. This has been re-
sponsible for all the inconsistency and confusion in my life and
for my inability to practice philosophy or to be esteemed for
philosophy, although the last point is of little importance. Yet
one should permit me to say in his defense that his thoughts
were beyond those of men, and his detachment from this
world before he departed from life caused him to refer all
things to the Spirit. He recognized the respect due to friend-
ship and he disregarded it only where the honor of God
had prior claim and when he had to esteem the object of our
hopes as more important than what he set aside.
(60) I am afraid that in trying to escape the reproach of
negligence which may be made by those who are anxious to
know every detail of Basil's life, I may be charged with
prolixity by those who praise the golden mean, which he
esteemed highly, approving especially the maxim, 'The mean
in all things is best,' 69 and observing it throughout his life.
However, I will disregard both those who are unduly concise
and those who are too prolix, and will thus proceed with my
discourse. Different men are successful along different lines,
devoting themselves to one of the many forms of excellence.
But no one, at least of those actually known to me, has ever
69 A saying ascribed to Cleobulus, one of the Seven Wisemen of Greece.
78 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
succeeded in attaining the highest degree in all. But he is best
in my opinion who has attained eminence in most or pre-
eminence in one. Basil reached such perfection in all things
as to be a subject of pride for universal nature. Let us con-
sider the matter further.
I take it that a man of simple and frugal life, without pos-
sessions of any kind, is a subject for praise. What did he
ever possess except his body and the necessary coverings for
his flesh? His wealth was to have nothing, possessing the
cross, which alone was his life, and which he deemed more
precious than great riches. No man, even if he has the desire,
can gain possession of all things, but one can know how to
despise all and thereby show himself superior to all. With such
thoughts and leading such a life, Basil had no need of a
pedestal, of empty glory, of a public proclamation: 'Crates
sets Crates the Theban free.' 70 For he strove not to seem
but to be excellent. He did not live in a tub in the middle
of the market place 71 to gain publicity for himself and to turn
his poverty into a novel means of enriching himself. He was
poor and unkempt without any trace of pride. And being
content to throw overboard all that he once possessed, he
sailed lightly laden across the sea of life.
(61) An admirable thing is temperance and contentment
with little and freedom from the tyranny of pleasures and from
the servitude of that cruel and degrading master, the belly.
Who was so independent of food, I could almost say even
free from the flesh? Surfeit and satiety he renounced to the
foolish whose life is servile and prone to baseness. He had
little regard for those things which, when they passed below
the gullet, are of equal value. He was content to live on
mere necessities as long as he could, and the only luxury he
knew was to prove himself free from luxury, and on that
70 A saying ascribed to the Cynic philosopher, Crates of Thebes.
71 The allusion is to Diogenes, the Cynic, and his tub.
ON ST. BASIL 79
account to have no need of more. But he looked to the lilies
and the birds, 72 whose beauty is natural and whose food is
found at random, in accordance with the great precept of
my Christ, who assumed the poverty of the flesh for our
sake, that we might be enriched with His divinity. 73 Hence,
he had only one tunic and one threadbare cloak, the ground
was his bed, he kept vigils, and he went unwashed. Such were
the forms of his luxury. For his favorite repast and relish he
had bread and salt, that new delicacy! And his sober and
plentiful drink was what fountains supply without toil. As a
consequence, or, rather, as an accompaniment of these things,
came the care of the sick and the practice of medicine, our
common intellectual avocation. For I must reckon myself his
equal in distress, though his inferior in other respects.
(62) A great thing is virginity and celibacy, and to be
ranked with the angels, and with the single nature. I shrink
from saying with Christ's, who, having willed to be born for
us who are born, was born of a virgin, giving the force of law
to virginity to detach us from this life and cut off the world,
or, rather, to put away one world for another, the present
for the future. Who, more than he, either esteemed virginity or
imposed laws on the flesh, not only by his own example but
by the objects of his zeal? Whose are the convents and the
written rules by which he subjected all the senses and regulated
all the members, and urged the practice of true virginity,
turning the eye of beauty inward, from the visible to the in-
visible, withering away the external, and withdrawing the
fuel from the flame, but showing what is hidden to God, who
alone is the pure bridegroom of souls, who takes in with
Him vigilant souls, if they meet Him with their lamps burning
and an abundant supply of oil? 74 The solitary life and the
72 Cf. Matt. 6.26-34.
73 Cf. 2 Cor. 8.9.
74 Cf. Matt. 25.1-13.
80 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
community life were then in conflict and dissension in many
ways, and neither completely possessed advantages or dis-
advantages that were unmixed. The one is more tranquil
and stable and leads to union with God, but it is not free
from pride, because its virtue escapes testing and comparison.
The other is more practical and useful, but does not escape
turbulence. Basil reconciled and united the two in the most
excellent way. He caused hermitages and monasteries 70 to be
built, not far from his cenobites and his communities of
ascetics. He did not divide and separate them from each other
by any intervening wall, as it were. He brought them close
together, yet kept them distinct, that the life of contemplation
might not be divorced from community life or the active
life from contemplation, but, like the land and the sea, they
might interchange their blessings and be united in their sole
object, the glory of God.
(63) What more? A noble thing is philanthropy and the
support of the poor and the assistance of human weakness.
Go forth a little from this city and behold the new city, 76 the
storehouse of piety, the common treasury of the wealthy,
where superfluous riches, sometimes even necessities, thanks to
the exhortations of Basil, are laid up, unexposed to the
moths 77 and no source of joy to the thief, escaping the
assaults of envy and the corruption of time. There, sickness is
endured with equanimity, calamity is a blessing, and sympathy
is put to the test. Why should I compare with this work
seven-gated Thebes or Egyptian Thebes, or the walls of
Babylon, or the tomb of the Carian Mausolus, or the
Pyramids, or the huge Colossus of bronze, or the grandeur
and beauty of temples that are no more, 78 or any of the other
things men admire and consign to history, things which
75 Used here in the literal sense of abodes for solitaries.
76 St. Basil's hospital or hospice for the sick.
77 Cf. Matt. 6.19. .
78 Almost a complete list of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
ON ST. BASIL 81
brought no profit to their founders beyond a little glory? This
to me is the most wonderful achievement of all, the short
road to salvation and the easiest ascent to heaven. We no
longer have before our eyes the terrible and pitiable spectacle
of men who are living corpses, dead in most of their limbs,
driven away from their cities and homes, public places,
fountains, even from their dearest ones, and more easily
recognized by their names than by their bodily features. They
no longer appear at our public assemblies or social gatherings
as objects, not of pity for their disease, but of loathing, expert
in singing piteous songs, if any voice is still left in them.
But why should I deck out my description in tragic phrase,
when no words are adequate to depict their suffering? It was
he above all who urged us as men not to despise our fellows or
to dishonor Christ, the one Head of all of us, by our in-
humanity to these creatures, but in the misfortunes of others to
consult well our own interests, and to lend to God the mercy of
which we stand in need ourselves. Therefore, he did not
disdain to honor disease with his lips, that noble man of noble
family and dazzling renown, but he greeted the sick like
brothers, but not, as one might think, from vainglory. For
who was farther removed from that sentiment? But he set
us an example by his own Christian spirit of approaching
them and caring for their bodies, a mute but eloquent ex-
hortation. Nor was the situation different in the city from
that in the country and beyond. On the contrary, he proposed,
as a common object of emulation for all leaders of the people,
charity and generosity toward the sick. Others had their
cooks and rich tables and enchanting refinements of cuisine,
and elegant carriages, and soft flowing garments. Basil had
his sick, and the dressing of their wounds, and the imitation
of Christ, cleansing leprosy not by word but in deed.
(64) In the light of these things, what can they who
charge him with pride and arrogance say to us those
82 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
severe critics of such conduct, who to the standard apply
standards which are not standards? Was it possible that he
who embraced lepers and descended to such humiliation
could yet treat with disdain those who were in health? And
that he who consumed his flesh by austerity should puff up
his soul with vainglory? Was it possible to condemn the
Pharisee and dwell upon the debasing effect of his pride, to
know Christ, who lowered Himself to the form of a slave,
who ate with publicans and washed the feet of His disciples,
who did not disdain the cross that He might nail my sin to
it although nothing is more wonderful than this, to con-
template God crucified, in the company of thieves and
mocked by passersby. Him who was invincible and beyond
all suffering and yet for Basil to raise himself above the
clouds and recognize no equal, as his slanderers believe? But
the steadfastness and firmness and integrity of his character
is, I imagine, what they have termed pride. These same
men, in my opinion, would readily call courage temerity,
and circumspection cowardice, and temperance misanthropy,
and justice insociability. For that sage maxim was not badly
stated, namely, that the vices are closely rooted beside the
virtues and, in a certain sense, are next-door neighbors. 79 And
it is very easy for a man to be mistaken for what he is not by
those who are not well trained in such matters.
Who either cherished virtue or repressed vice more than he,
or showed himself so benign to the upright or more severe
to wrong-doers? His very smile was often a commendation
and his silence a reproach, a touchstone of evil for the inner
conscience. And if one has not been a chatterer and a jester
and a man about town, or popular with the crowd, by be-
coming all to all and pleasing all, what of that? Does he not
deserve praise rather than blame, at least in the eyes of men
79 The thought is found expressed in similar language in Aristotle and
Menander.
ON ST. BASIL 83
of sense? Unless the lion is to be censured because he does not
look like an ape, but is terrible and royal, and his leap a
noble thing, admirable and pleasing, while actors are to be
admired as charming and kindly, because they gratify the
crowd and excite laughter by slapping one another in the
face and raising a shout. Yet, if we may examine this point,
who was so pleasant in social contact, as I myself know
from long experience with him? Who was so delightful in
his story-telling, so penetrating in his wit, so gentle in repartee?
And never did he turn censure into arrogance or indulgence
into weakness, but he avoided excess in either, making use of
both fitly and in season, following the precepts of Solomon,
who has assigned a season for all things. 80
(65) But what are these things compared to his excel-
lence in eloquence and the power of his teaching, by which he
endeared to himself the ends of the earth? We are still engaged
at the foot of the mountain, far from the summit. We are
still crossing the narrows, having turned away from the deep
and mighty ocean. For I think that if there ever has been,
or will be, a trumpet penetrating the immensity of space, or
a voice of God encompassing the world, or a universal earth-
quake resulting from some new wonder or miracle, his voice
and mind were as all of these, leaving all men as far behind
and below him as we surpass irrational creatures.
Who purified himself more for the Spirit and was better
prepared to explain divine things? Who, more than he, was
enlightened by the light of knowledge, and penetrated the
depths of the Spirit and searched out the things of God with
God's help? Whose language could better elucidate the
thought of the mind, since he did not limp., as most men,
through inability to express his ideas, or through the failure
of his mind to keep pace with his eloquence. But he was re-
markable on both counts alike and showed himself his own
80 Cf. Eccle. 3.1.
84 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
equal and truly perfect. To search out all things, even the
deep things of God, is attested to be one of the attributes of
the Spirit, 81 not because He is ignorant of them, but because
He takes delight in their contemplation. Basil, accordingly,
had searched out all the things of the Spirit, and from that
Source came his power to instruct every character and
deliver his sublime teaching and draw men's minds from
present things to prepare for things to come.
(66) The sun is praised by David for its beauty, its
grandeur, the rapidity of its course, and its power, splendid as
a bridegroom, in magnitude as a giant; 82 so great is its power
from its long circuit that it illumines the heavens with equal
light from end to end, and distance does not diminish its
heat. Basil's beauty was virtue, his greatness theology, his
course the incessant movement that carried him up to God
in its ascents, his power the sowing and the diffusion of the
word. And so I will not hesitate to say that his sound has
gone forth into all the earth and the power of his words unto
the end of the world, as St. Paul has said of the Apostles,
borrowing his words from David. 83 What other joy is there
in any assembly today? What pleasure in banquets, in public
places, in churches? What delight among those in office and
their subordinates, among the hermits or the cenobites,
among those who have leisure or those who are busy, among
those who follow profane philosophy or ours? There is but
one, running through all and the greatest: his writings and
works. Nor do writers after him need any other source
materials, beyond his writings. All the ancient work on which
men toiled hard to elucidate the divine oracles are silent,
while these new writings are bruited about, and he is con-
sidered most learned who happens to be best acquainted
81 Cf. 1 Cor. 2.10.
82 Cf. Ps. 18.6.
83 Cf. Ps. 18.5; Rom. 10.18.
ON ST. BASIL 85
with them, who has them on his tongue, and who expounds
them to others. For he alone has sufficed to take the place
of all in the minds of those who are eager for instruction.
(67) This only will I say of him. Whenever I take his
Hexaemeron in my hands and savor its words, I am put in
the presence of the Creator, and understand the account of
creation, and I admire my Creator more than before, using
my eyes only as my teacher. When I chance upon his con-
troversial works, I see the fire of Sodom, 84 by which wicked
and criminal tongues are reduced to ashes, or the tower of
Chalane, 85 impiously constructed and justly destroyed. When
I turn to his works treating of the Spirit, I find the God I
possess, and I speak the truth boldly, thanks to the support
of his theology and contemplation. When I peruse his other
commentaries which he composed for the short-sighted, after
inscribing them in three forms on the solid tablets of his
heart, I am persuaded not to be content with the literal inter-
pretation, or to fix my attention on things merely on the
surface, but to advance further and to proceed from depth
to depth, calling deep on deep, 86 and finding light after light,
until I reach the topmost peak. When I peruse his panegyrics
on the martyrs, I despise the body, I am in communion with
those he is praising, and I am roused to the struggle. When-
ever I peruse his moral and practical treatises, I am purified,
soul and body, and become a temple ready to receive God,
and an instrument struck by the Spirit, chanting hymns to
the glory and power of God. By this means my mood is
changed and I am put in harmony, and I become another
man, undergoing a divine transformation.
(68) Since I have mentioned theology and the surpassing
sublimity of Basil in treating of this subject, I will also add
84 Cf. Gen. 19.24.
85 Chalane is the Septuagint reading for Babel.
86 Cf. Ps. 41.8.
86 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
this to what has been said. For it will be most useful to the
public and prevent it from harming itself by holding a some-
what low opinion concerning him. These words are directed
against those perverse men who support their own vices by
their calumnies against others. For he, in behalf of the true
doctrine, and the union and co-equal divinity of the Holy
Trinity, to use the most exact and the clearest terms, would
have readily welcomed as a gain, not a peril, not only violent
removal from the throne which not even from the very be-
ginning had he been eager to assume, but also exile and
death and tortures before death. This is clear from what he
actually did and suffered. For when he had been sentenced to
exile for the sake of truth, he concerned himself only to the
extent of telling one of his attendants to take up his writing
tablets and follow him. But he deemed it necessary to order
his words with judgment, 87 according to the counsel of the
divine David on this point, and tolerate for a little while the
time of war and the domination of the heretics, until the
time of liberty and peace should come and allow freedom
of speech. For they sought to seize upon the bald statement
concerning the Spirit, namely, 'the Spirit is God.' Though
this is true, it was regarded as impious by them and by the
wicked champion of their impiety. Their purpose was to
banish Basil and his theological teaching from the city and,
occupying the church themselves, to make it a base of opera-
tions for their wickedness, and from that point, as from a
citadel, to overrun everything else. But he, by the use of
other terms from Scripture, and by indisputable testimonies
of identical meaning, and by conclusive arguments, so over-
powered his adversaries that they could not withstand him,
but found themselves trapped by their own statements the
best proof of the power and wisdom of his reasoning. This
is clear also from the treatise he composed on the subject, in
87 Cf. Ps. 111.5.
ON ST. BASIL 87
which his pen was guided as though it belonged to the Spirit.
He put off for the time the employment of the exact term, 88
asking it as a favor from the Spirit Himself and His loyal
champions not to be annoyed at this procedure, nor, by
clinging to a single expression, to ruin everything by an
insatiable strictness at a time when the true religion was in
process of being torn asunder. He urged that no injury would
result to them from a slight change of expression, or by
teaching the same truth in other terms, and that our salvation
does not depend more on words than on actions. For not
even the Jews should be rejected if they should consent to
join our ranks, asking only that they be allowed for a time
to use the word 'Anointed' for 'Christ, 3 whereas the greatest
harm would come to the community if the Church were
seized by the heretics.
( 69 ) That he, as well as any one, acknowledged that the
Spirit was God is quite clear from his frequent public
preaching of this truth, whenever occasion offered, and from
his forthright confession of it when he was questioned in
private. But he indicated it more clearly in his conversations
with me, as he concealed nothing when he took common
counsel with me on this subject. He was not content with
a simple declaration on this point, but, something he had
rarely ever done before, he formulated against himself the
most frightful imprecation, that he should be cast out by the
Spirit Himself if he did not worship the Spirit as consubstantial
and co-equal with the Father and the Son. If I am accepted
as an associate of Basil even in such -matters, I will disclose
something hitherto unknown to most men. When circum-
stances had reduced us to such straits and he himself had
adopted the procedure referred to, he yet granted freedom
of speech to me, whom no one, because of my obscurity, was
likely to hale into court or expel from the country, so that
88 I.e., the phrase, 'God, the Holy Spirit/
88 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
through the efforts of both of us our Gospel might remain
firm.
I have not mentioned these details to defend his reputation,
for he is above his detractors, if there are any, but that men
may not regard only the terms found in his writings as the
standard definition of the truth, and feel their faith weakened,
and consider the theology of Basil as an argument in favor
of their own perversity, a theology which was shaped by the
Spirit as well as by circumstances. Rather, they should ponder
the sense of his writings and the purpose for which he com-
posed them, and so be drawn to the truth and silence the
impious. Would that his theology were mine and that of
everyone dear to me! I am so confident of the integrity of
this man as to make common cause with him in this as in all
else. And may what is mine be ascribed to him, and what is
his to me, before God and discerning men ! For we would not
assert that the Evangelists contradict one other because some
have occupied themselves more with the humanity of Christ
and others have emphasized more His divinity, some having
begun with what is within our own comprehension and others
with what is beyond it. They thus divided their preaching in
the interest, I think, of those who receive it, and thus they
were formed by the Spirit dwelling within them.
(70) There have been many men, we know, in the Old
Testament and the New, remarkable for piety, as lawgivers,
generals, prophets, teachers, men brave to the shedding of
blood. Let us compare our Basil with them and thereby obtain
a full appreciation of his worth. Adam was deemed worthy
of the hand of God, 89 and the delights of paradise, 90 and the
first legislation. 91 But unless I am saying something slanderous
against the respect due our first parent, he did not keep the
89 Cf. Gen. 1.27.
90 Cf. Gen. 2.8.
91 Cf. Gen. 2,16.
ON ST. BASIL 89
command. But Basil received it and observed it and suffered
no harm from the tree of knowledge, and I am certain that he
has escaped the flaming sword and entered into the possession
of paradise. Enos was the first who began to call upon the
Lord. 92 Basil not only called upon Him, but, what is much
more deserving of honor, he preached Him to others. Henoch
was translated, 93 gaining his translation as the reward of a
little piety for the faith was still in shadow and escaped
the danger of a prolonged life. But Basil's whole life was a
translation and he was completely tested in a complete life.
Noe was entrusted with the ark 94 and the seeds of a new
world were committed to a few bits of wood and preserved
amid the waters. Basil escaped a deluge of impiety and made
his city an ark of safety, sailing buoyantly over the waters of
the heretics, and subsequently restored the whole world.
(71) Abraham was great and a patriarch and the offerer
of a new sacrifice, 95 offering to Him who had given it the
first fruit of His promise, a ready victim, hastening to the
slaughter. But Basil's sacrifice was also great when he offered
himself to God, without anything being offered in his place
in equal compensation for where could such be found?
And so his auspicious sacrifice was consummated. Isaac was
promised before his birth. 96 But Basil offered himself of his
own free will, and he espoused his Rebecca, I mean the
Church, not sought from afar through the mediation of a
servant, 97 but granted and entrusted to him by God near his
home. Nor was he outwitted in the preference of his children,
but he apportioned to each what was deserved, without any
deceit, with the judgment of the Spirit.
92 Cf. Gen. 4.26.
93 Cf. Gen. 5.24.
94 Cf. Gen. 6.13fL
95 Cf. Gen. 22.1 ff.
96 Cf. Gen. 18.10ft.
97 Cf. Gen. 24.3ff.
90 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
I praise the ladder of Jacob and the pillar which he
anointed in honor of God, and his wrestling with Him
whatever was its nature. It was, I think, the contrast and op-
position of man's lowly condition in relation to the sublimity
of God, and from that struggle he bears also the marks of
the defeat of his race. I praise also his skill and his success
with his flocks and the twelve patriarchs born of him, and the
distribution of his blessings, with their noble prophecy of the
future. But I praise also the ladder of Basil, which he not
only saw but mounted by his gradual ascents in virtue, and
the pillar which he did not anoint but which he erected to
God, branding with infamy the teachings of the impious. I
praise the contest which he undertook, not against God, but
in behalf of God, to overthrow the heretics. I praise his
pastoral skill by which he enriched himself, gaining a greater
number of the marked than the unmarked sheep. I praise his
glorious fruitfulness in children begotten according to God
and the benediction by which he supported many.
(72) Joseph was dispenser of grain, 98 but only in Egypt,
and then not often, and for bodily sustenance only. Basil
provided all men and at all times with spiritual food and,
therefore, in my opinion, commands greater respect. Like
Job of the land of Hus, 9 * Basil was tried and prevailed, and
he was gloriously proclaimed as victor at the end of his
struggles. Unshaken by the attacks of his many assailants
and winning a decisive victory over the tempter, he silenced
the protests of his unreasoning friends, who did not under-
stand the secret of his suffering.
'Moses and Aaron among His priests.' 100 Great indeed
was Moses, who afflicted Egypt grievously and saved his
people by many signs and prodigies, 101 who went within the
98 Cf. Gen. 41.40ff.
99 Cf. Job 1.1.
100 Ps. 98.6.
101 Cf. Exod. 7.8ff.
ON ST. BASIL 91
cloud and instituted the twofold law: the law of the letter
without and the law of the spirit within. Aaron, also, the
brother of Moses according to the flesh and the spirit, sacri-
ficed and prayed in behalf of the people, 102 as consecrated
minister of the great and holy tabernacle, 'which the Lord has
erected and not man.' 103 Basil was a rival of both, afflicting
not by bodily but by spiritual plagues the Egyptian race of
heretics. He led an acceptable people, pursuing good works. 104
to the land of promise, inscribling on unbreakable and endur-
ing tables laws no longer shadowy but completely spiritual. He
entered into the Holy of Holies not once a year, but many
times, even daily, I may say, and from this source he revealed
to us the Trinity. Finally, he cleansed the people not by tem-
porary sprinklings, but by eternal purifications.
For what was Josue most illustrious? 105 His generalship,
and his distribution of the lots, and the taking possession of
the Holy Land. But was not Basil a general, and a commander
of those saved by the faith? Was he not a distributor of the
various lots and abodes close to God, which he assigned to his
followers, so that he also could say : 'The lines are fallen unto
me in goodly places,' 106 and 'My lots are in Thy hands'? 107
These lots are far more precious than those which fall to us on
earth and which can be snatched away.
(73) And if we wish to mention the judges in passing,
or at least the most illustrious of the judges, there was
'Samuel among them that call upon His name/ 108 who was
given to God before birth, 109 and was sanctified immediately
after birth, and who anointed kings and priests with his
102 Cf. Exod. 29.4ff.
103 Heb. 8.2.
104 Cf. Titus 2.14.
105 Cf. Josue 1.2ff.
106 Ps. 15.6.
107 Ps. 30.16.
108 Ps. 98.6.
109 Cf. 1 Kings 1.20
92 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
horn. 110 But was not Basil from infancy and from the very
womb consecrated to God, and presented with a mantle at
the altar? 111 Was he not a seer of heavenly things, and the
anointed of the Lord, and the anointer of those who are
perfected through the Spirit? David was celebrated among
kings 112 and his many victories and triumphs have been re-
corded. Meekness was his distinguishing mark, 113 and, before
his kingship, his power with the harp, subduing by its en-
chantment even the evil spirit. Solomon asked and obtained
from God largeness of heart/ 14 and advanced to the very
highest degree of wisdom and contemplation, so that he be-
came the most famous of all the men of his time. Basil, in
my estimation, did not fall short, or but little, of the meekness
of the one or the wisdom of the other. And so he calmed the
arrogance of emperors who were under the spell of demons.
The renown of his wisdom did not cause a queen of the south
or any other such personage to come from the ends of the
earth to meet him, but his wisdom was well known in all the
ends of the earth themselves. The rest of the history of Solo-
mon I shall pass over. It is known to all, even if we refrain
from telling it.
( 74 ) Do you praise the fearlessness of Elias in speaking to
tyrants and his translation in fire 115 and the noble heritage of
Eliseus, the sheepskin mantle, accompanied by the spirit of
Elias? 116 Then praise also the life of Basil passed in the midst
of the fire, I mean in the multitude of temptations, and his
preservation through fire which burnt but did not consume,
the miracle of the bush. 117 Praise also the fair garment of
110 Cf. 1 Kings 16.13.
111 Cf. 1 Kings 2.19.
112 Cf. 2 Kings 5.1ff.
113 Cf. Ps. 131.1.
114 Cf. 3 Kings 4.29.
115 Cf. 4 Kings l.lff.
116 Cf. 4 Kings 2.9ff.
117 Cf. Exod. 3.2.
ON ST. BASIL 93
skin which came to him from on high, his fleshlessness. I shall
omit other parallels, as the young men bedewed in the
flames, 118 and the fugitive prophet praying in the belly of the
fish 119 and coming forth from the monster as from a chamber.
I shall pass over the just man in the den, restraining the
ferocity of the lions, 120 and the struggle of the seven Ma-
chabees, 121 who with a priest and their mother were perfected
by blood and all kinds of tortures. Basil emulated their endu-
rance and achieved their glory.
(75) I shall pass now to the New Testament, and by
comparing the life of Basil with its glorious heroes I shall
honor the disciple through his teachers. Who was the pre-
cursor of Jesus? John, 1 - 2 the voice of the Word, the lamp
of the Light, before whom he even leaped in the womb, 123
and whom he proceeded to limbo, sent there by the fury of
Herod, that there also he might herald His coming. And if
my language seems bold to anyone, let him assure himself
at the outset that it is not my purpose in making this com-
parison to place Basil above or even on a par with him who
was above all those born of women, 124 but to show that he
emulated him and bore in his own person something of the
character of John. For it is no little credit to the good that
they are imitators of the greatest men, even in a small way.
For was not Basil a visible image of the philosophy of John?
He also dwelt in the desert and wore at night a garment of
hair, concealing it from men and avoiding display. He was
also content with the same kind of food, purifying himself
for God by abstinence. He was also deemed worthy to be a
herald, if not a precursor, of Christ. And there went out to
118 Cf. Dan. 3.5ff.
119 Cf. Jonas 2.1ff.
120 Cf. Dan. 14.28ff.
121 Cf. 2 Mach. 7.1ff.
122 Cf. Luke 3.4.
123 Cf. Luke 2.41.
124 Cf. Matt. 11.11.
94 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
him not only all the country round about but also that
beyond its boundaries. He, also, standing between the two
Testaments, abolished the letter of the one by publishing
abroad the spirit of the other, and, by the dissolution of the
visible law, bringing about the realization of the law which
was hidden.
(76) He imitated the zeal of Peter, 125 the energy of Paul,
the faith of both of these men famous in name and for
their change of name, the sublime eloquence of the sons of
Zebedee, and the frugality and the simplicity of all the dis-
ciples. Therefore, the keys of heaven were also entrusted to
him. 126 And not only 'from Jerusalem round about as far
as Illyricum/ 127 but he embraced a wider circle for the
Gospel. He was a son of thunder, 128 not in name, but in fact.
He reposed on the breast of Jesus and drew thence his power
of speech and the depth of his thoughts. He was prevented
from becoming a Stephen, 129 despite his eager desire, since
he restrained by reverence those who would have stoned,
him.
To avoid going into details in each individual case, I
shall have to speak more concisely as regards virtues; he dis-
covered some, he emulated others, and others he surpassed.
In his progress through all the virtues he was superior to all
the men of our day. There is only one more point, and I
shall cover it briefly.
(77) So great were the virtue and the surpassing repu-
tation of this man that many of his minor traits and even his
physical defects have been affected by others as means of
gaining esteem. I mention, by way of example, his pallor,
his beard, his manner of walking, his pensive and, in general,
125 Cf. Acts 4.8ff.
126 Cf. Matt. 16.19.
127 Rom. 15.19.
128 Cf. Mark 3.17.
129 Cf. Acts 7.58.
ON ST. BASIL 95
introspective, hesitation in speaking, which, in the badly
conceived imitation of many, degenerated into melancholy.
Then there were his style of dress, the shape of his bed, and
his manner of eating, none of which were to him deserving
of attention, being simple things and depending merely on
circumstances. So you might see many Basils as far as external
appearance goes, mere shadowy statues, for it would be too
much to call them an echo, since an echo, while it only re-
presents final sounds, does so quite clearly. But these men be-
come further removed from him the more they desire to ap-
proach him. However, there is one thing which should not
be regarded lightly but is a highly coveted honor, and that is
to have had the opportunity to associate with him or serve
him or to carry away as a souvenir some word or deed of his,
gay or serious. I know that I myself have often taken pride in
this. For the incidental things in Basil's life were far more
precious and notable than the serious efforts of others.
(78) But when, after he had finished his course and
kept the faith, 130 he had a desire to depart 131 and the time for
the crown was imminent, 132 he did not hear the words: 'Go
up into the mountain and die, 5133 but: 'Die and ascend to us.'
At this very time he worked a wonder not inferior to those
that have been mentioned. For when he was already all but
dead and without breath, and life for the most part had ebbed
away, he became more vigorous in his farewell words, that
he might depart accompanied by pious utterances, and, by
the imposition of his hands on the best of his servants, he
gave them his hands and the Spirit, so that the sanctuary
should not be defrauded of those who had been his dis-
ciples and assistants of his priesthood. I shrink from recounting
130 Cf. 2 Tim. 4.7.
131 Cf. Phil. 1.23.
132 Cf. 2 Tim. 4.8.
133 Cf. Deut. 32.49.
96 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
what followed, yet I will proceed, even though the recital
would be more fitting to others than myself. For I cannot
be philosophic in my sorrow, although I have tried earnestly
to be so, when I think of the common loss and the calamity
which has afflicted the whole world.
( 79 ) He lay, drawing his last breath, and the choir above,
upon which he long had fixed his gaze, was eagerly awaiting
him. There poured about him the whole city, unable to
endure his loss, crying out against his departure as against
an act of tyranny, and seeking to lay hold of his soul, as
though they could restrain and hold it with their hands and
their prayers. Their grief rendered them distraught, and
each one was eager to give him a part of his own life, if that
were possible. But they were defeated, for he had to give
proof that he was a mortal. When he had spoken his last
words: ; Into Thy hands I commend my spirit; 134 he joyfully
gave up his soul to the angels who carried him away. Yet
it was not before he had given some instruction in our holy
doctrine to those who were present and rendered them better
men by his final injunctions. Then occurred the most extra-
ordinary wonder that has even taken place.
(80) The saint was being carried out, borne aloft by the
hands of holy men. All were consumed with eagerness, some
to seize the hem of his garment, 135 others only to touch his
shadow, 136 or the bier carrying its holy burden. For what
was holier or purer than that holy body? Others sought to
approach the bearers, others only to enjoy the sight, as though
even this would bring them some blessing. Squares, porticoes,
houses of two and three stories were filled with people es-
corting him, preceding, following, accompanying and treading
upon one another, many thousands of every race and age, a
134 Ps. 30.6.
135 Cf. Luke 8.44.
136 Cf. Acts 5.15.
ON ST. BASIL 97
sight unknown before that day. The singing of psalms gave
way to lamentations, and constancy of mind was destroyed by
the calamity. A contest arose between our own people and
outsiders, pagans, Jews, strangers, as to who should lament
the more and thereby gain the greater benefit. In short, the
calamity became a source of danger. Many souls departed
along with him as a result of the violent pushing and tumult.
And their consummation was regarded as a happy one in that
they were the companions of his departure and that they were
funeral victims, as one of the more emotional orators might
say. When with difficulty his body had escaped the hands of
those who would have seized it and had passed through those
in procession before it, it was then committed to the tomb
of his fathers, and the high priest was added to the priests;
the mighty voice, which still rings in my ears, to the
preachers; the martyr, to the martyrs.
' Now he is in heaven, and there in our behalf, I am certain,
he offers sacrifice and prays for the people. Though he has left
us, he has not wholly left us. But I, Gregory, who am half dead
and cut in two, now that our great union is sundered,
drag out a painful and weary life, a natural result of my
separation from him. I know not what my end shall be, now
that I no longer have his guidance, although I am still being
admonished and chided by him in nightly visions, whenever
I fail in my duty. My purpose is not so much to mingle
lamentations with my praises and sketch the manner ^ of his
life and propose a common model of virtue for all time, a
salutary example for all the churches and all souls, upon
which we may look as upon a living law and thus regulate
our lives, but rather to counsel you who have been thoroughly
imbued with his teaching, eyes fixed on him, as though he
were seeing you, and you him, that you may be perfected by
the Spirit.
(81) Come hither, now, and stand about me, all you
98 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
who made up his choir, both those of the sanctuary and
those of lower rank, all you who are our own and all you
who are oustide our fold assist me in. my eulogy, each
giving or requiring an account of some virtue of his. Let
those of you who have supreme authority consider the
lawgiver; you public officials, the founder of the city; you of
the people, his orderliness; you men of letters, the teacher; you
virgins, the groom; you married people, the counselor; you
hermits, him who gave you wings; you cenobites, the judge;
you who are simple and sincere, your guide; you contem-
platives, the theologian; you exuberant souls, the bridle; you
unfortunate, your consolation; old age, its staff; youth, its
preceptor; poverty, its relief; wealth, its dispenser. It seems
to me also that widows should praise their protector, orphans
their father, the poor the lover of the poor, strangers their
host, brothers the lover of brothers, the sick their physician,
whatever the disease or the treatment, the healthy the
guardian of their health, and, finally, all men him who
became all things to all men 137 that he might gain all, or at
least as many as possible.
(82) This is my tribute to you, Basil, from a tongue
that was once most sweet to you, and from him who was your
peer in rank and age. If it approaches your worth, the
thanks are due to you. For it was with reliance on you that I
undertook this discourse concerning you. But if it is far
below your worth and falls far short of your expectations,
what must I feel, worn out with age and disease and longing
for you? Yet, when a man does what he can it is pleasing to
God. May you look down upon us from on high, O divine
and sacred soul, and restrain by your intercession the thorn of
the flesh, 138 given to us by God for our chastisement, or in-
spire us with courage to suffer it, and direct our whole life to
137 Cf. 1 Cor. 9.22.
138 Cf. 2 Cor. 12.7.
ON ST. BASIL 99
our greatest profit. And if we can be translated, may you re-
ceive us there also in your own tabernacle, that, living together
and contemplating, with greater clarity and perfection, the
holy and blessed Trinity, of which we have received now some
faint image, we may put an end to our desire, and gain this
recompense for all the struggles we have undertaken and
endured. This, then, is my discourse in your honor. Who will
there be to praise us, who leave this life after you, if indeed
we should offer any matter worthy of a eulogy, in Christ
Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever? Amen.
ON HIS SISTER, ST. GORGONIA
IN PRAISING MY SISTER, I shall be honoring my own
family. Yet, while she is a member of my family, I
shall not on that account praise her falsely, but be-
cause what is true is for that reason praiseworthy. Moreover,
this truth is not only well founded but also well known. Nor
would I. be allowed to speak with partiality even if I wished
to-do so. The reason is that my listener stands like a skillful
arbiter, between my discourse and the truth, and censures
unmerited praise, yet also demands what is due, at least if
he be just. And so I am not afraid of running beyond the
bounds of truth, but, on the contrary, of falling short of the
truth and thereby lessening her reputation by an inadequate
eulogy. For it is a difficult task to find action and words to
match her excellence. We should not, then, praise undeservedly
the qualities of others nor should we disparage what is found
in our own, if it be truly praiseworthy. Lack of relationship
should not be an advantage and kinship prove to be a handi-
cap. For in both cases, by the praise of the one and the dis-
regard of the other, there would not be a fair and just
evaluation of the truth. But if we make the truth our standard
and rule, and fix our eyes on this alone, ignoring con-
sideration of the vulgar and the mean, we shall both praise
what merits praise and pass over what is deserving of silence.
101
102 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
(2) If we count it an unholy thing to defraud our
kindred of anything, or to slander, accuse, or wrong them in
any way, great or small, and regard injustice to those nearest
to us as the greatest of crimes, it would be most absurd to
think that we should be acting equitably in robbing them of
such an oration which is due the virtuous above all, and
by which we can render their memory immortal and be
more concerned with the charges of partiality made by evil
men than with the just demands of the good. Certainly, if lack
of personal knowledge or evidence does not prevent us, al-
though this would be far more just, from praising strangers,
friendship and the envy of the multitude will not prevent us
from praising those known to us, especially those who have
departed this life, and with whom it is too late to curry
favor, since they are beyond the reach, among other things,
of praise or blame.
(3) Since I have sufficiently justified my position and
shown that this discourse is altogether necessary on my part,
let me now proceed to the eulogy proper, spurning all pret-
tiness and elegance in style, for she whom we are praising was
unadorned and regarded lack of adornment as beauty. And
I shall be paying, as a most requisite debt, the last rites due the
dead, and at the same time I shall be instructing all in the
zealous imitation of the same virtue. My purpose in every
word and action is to advance the perfection of those who
are committed to my trust. Let another, with more regard for
the laws of panegyric, praise the country and the family of
the deceased. And he will not lack many excellent topics, if he
wishes to deck her with external ornaments, as one decks a
beautiful form with gold and precious stones and embellish-
ments of art and hand. While these things betray ugliness by
the very fact of their application, they cannot render more
attractive the beauty which surpasses them. But having
observed the rules in these matters to the extent of mentioning
ON HIS SISTER,, ST. GORGONIA 103
our common parents, for it would be impious to pass over
parents and teachers of such worth, I will turn my attention
as quickly as possible to Gorgonia herself and not disappoint
the wishes of those who are eager to hear about her.
(4) Who is there who does not know our new Abraham
and the Sara of our time? I mean Gregory and his wife
Nonna. For it is not right to omit the mention of names that
are an exhortation to virtue. He was justified by faith, and
she has dwelt together with the man of faith. He beyond hope
has been the father of many nations and she has brought
them forth spiritually. He fled the bondage of his father's
gods, and she is the daughter and the mother of the free. He
went forth from his kindred and his father's house 1 for the
sake of the land of promise, and she was the occasion of his
departure. In this one point, if I may speak a little boldly,
she surpassed Sara herself. He nobly undertook this migration,
and she was his zealous partner. He attached himself to the
Lord, and she both called and considered her husband lord,
and on that account she was in part justified. Theirs was the
promise, theirs a son Isaac, as far as in them lay, and theirs
the gift.
(5) This good shepherd was the product of his wife's
prayers and guidance, and it was she who taught him the ideal
of a good shepherd's conduct. He nobly fled from his idols,
and later even put demons to flight, but she would never
share salt with the worshipers of idols. They have been one in
honor, one in mind, one in soul, and their bond no less a
union of virtue and intimacy with God than of the flesh. They
are equal in length of life and grey hairs, equal in prudence
and splendor, vying with each other and excelling all the rest.
Bound but a little by the flesh, even before their dissolution
they have been translated hence in spirit. The world is not
theirs, and the world is theirs, in that they have despised this
1 Cf. Gen. 12.1.
1 04 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
world and preferred in honor the world beyond. They have
cast aside riches, yet they abound in riches through their
noble traffic, since they scorn the goods of this world and
deal rather in those of the next. Brief is the time remaining
for them in this life, being only what is left over through
their piety, but abundant and long-lasting is the life for which
they have toiled. I will add still one more word about them.
They have been fairly and justly apportioned to the two
sexes. He is the ornament of men, she of women, and not
only an ornament but also a pattern of virtue.
(6) From them Gorgonia received both her being and
her good repute. They were the source of the seeds of her
piety, of her noble life, and of her joyful departure with better
hopes. These, indeed, are fair blessings and such as do not
easily accrue to many of those who take pride in their noble
birth and puff themselves up because of their lineage. But if
I must discourse concerning her in a more spiritual and lofty
vein, Gorgonia's native land was the heavenly Jerusalem, the
city not seen by the eye but perceived by the mind, in which
we are citizens and whither we are hastening. Christ is a
citizen there and His fellow citizens are the 'company and
the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in the heavens/ 2
and who feast about its great Founder, in contemplation of
His glory, and who participate in a never-ending chorus. Her
nobility lay in the preservation of the divine image, and in
her assimilation to the Archetype, which is effected by reason
and virtue and that pure desire, which forms ever more and
more, in the things of God, those truly initiated in the heavenly
mysteries, and, finally, in her knowledge of our origin, our
nature, and our destiny.
(7) Such is my knowledge of these matters. Therefore,
I know and proclaim that her soul was nobler than all the
2 Heb. 12.22,23.
ON HIS SISTER, ST. GORGONIA 105
people of the East, 3 using a higher rule and standard for
nobility and ignobility than the majority of men, and distin-
guishing these not by birth but by character, and judging
those who are blamed or praised not according to family, but
as individuals. Since, however, I speak of her virtues among
those who know her, let each one contribute some particular
and assist me in my discourse. It is impossible for one man,
however gifted with observation and intelligence, to embrace
all her qualities.
(8) She so excelled in modesty and so surpassed all the
women of her own day, not to mention those of old who were
greatly famed for modesty, that in the two universal divisions
of life, I mean the married and the unmarried states, of which
one is more sublime and divine but more difficult and perilous,
while the other is lower but safer, she avoided the disadvan-
tages of both and chose and united the sublimity of the one
with the security of the other. And she was modest without
being proud, blending the virtues of the married and the un-
married states, and showing that neither of these binds us
completely to or separates us from God or the world. And so
the one of its very nature is not to be altogether shunned nor
the other exclusively praised. But it is the mind which nobly
presides over both marriage and virginity, and these, like raw
materials, are ordered and fashioned to virtue by the cratfs-
man, reason. Though she was linked in carnal union, she was
not on the account separated from the Spirit, nor because
she had her husband as her head did she ignore her first Head.
When she had served the world and nature a little, to the
extent that the law of the flesh willed it, or, rather, He who
imposed this law on the flesh, she consecrated herself wholly
to God. And what is most excellent and honorable, she also
won over her husband and gained, instead of an unreasonable
3 Cf. Job 1.3.
106 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
master, a good fellow servant. Not only that, she also made the
fruit of her body, her children and her children's children,
the fruit of her spirit, and dedicated to God, instead of her
single soul, her whole family and household. And she ren-
dered marriage itself laudable by her pleasing and acceptable
life in wedlock and by the fair fruit of her union. And she
exhibited herself, as long as she lived, as an exemplar of every
excellence to her children. When she was summoned hence,
she left her will behind her as a silent exhortation to her house.
(9) The divinely inspired Solomon in his instructive wis-
dom, I mean in his Proverbs/ praises the woman who keeps
her house and loves her husband. And in contrast to the
woman who wanders abroad, who is uncontrolled and dis-
honorable, who hunts precious souls with wanton ways and
words, he praises her who is engaged honorably at home, who
performs her womanly duties with manly courage, her hands
constantly holding the spindle as she prepares double cloaks
for her husband, who buys a field in season, and carefully
provides food for her servants, and receives her friends at a
bountiful table, and who exhibits all other qualities for which
he extols in song the modest and industrious woman. If I
were to praise my sister on such counts, it would be like
praising a statue for its shadow, or a lion for his claws, to the
neglect of greater perfections. Who was ever more worthy to
be seen, yet was seen less and kept herself more inaccessible to
the eyes of men? Who knew better than she the bounds of
gravity and gaiety, so that neither her gravity might seem
uncouth nor her tenderness wanton, but the one prudent and
the other gentle? Her norm of propriety was kindliness com-
bined with dignity. Listen, you women, you who are given
overmuch to display and indolence, and who despise the veil
of modesty. Who had such control over her eyes? Who so
derided laughter that the very beginning of a smile seemed
4 Cf. Prov. Sl.lOff.
ON HIS SISTER,, ST. GORGONIA 107
almost too much to her? Who so barred the portals of her
ears? And who opened them more to the divine words, or,
rather, set her mind as guide over her tongue in narrating
the judgments of God? Who so regulated her lips?
(10) I am sure that you wish me to mention also this
special characteristic of hers. It regards something which to
her, as to every woman truly modest and decorous in
character, seemed of no account, but which is made to appear
important by those who are overfond of ornament and ele-
gance and do not suffer correction from those who try to
instruct them on such matters. She was never adorned with
gold fashioned by art into surpassing beauty, or with fair
tresses fully or partly exposed, or with spiral curls, or with the
ingenious arrangements of those who disgracefully turn the
noble head into a show piece. Hers were no costly, flowing,
diaphanous robes, hers no brilliant and beautiful gems, flash-
ing color round about and causing the figure to glow with
light. Hers were no devices and magic tricks of the painter, or
that cheap beauty of the earthly creator who, by his rival
craftmanship, hides with deceitful pigments the image of God
and disgraces it with adornment and exhibits to wanton eyes
the divine form as a meretricious idol, that this counterfeit
beauty may steal away that natural image which is to be
preserved for God and the world to come. But while she was
familiar with the many and various external ornaments of
women, she recognized none as more precious than her own
character and the splendor which lies within. The only red
that pleased her was the blush of modesty, and the only
pallor, that which comes from abstinence. But pigments and
makeup, and living pictures, and flowing beauty of form she
left to the women of the stage and the public squares, and to
all for whom it is a disgrace and a reproach to feel ashamed.
(11) So much for this subject. But there is no one who
could give an adequate account of her prudence and her
108 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
piety, or find many examples besides those of her natural and
spiritual parents. On these alone she fixed her eyes, and to
them she was not inferior in virtue, save that she readily
gave way to them in this, that she acknowledged and confessed
that she derived her goodness from them and that they were
the root of her own illumination. Who could be keener in in-
tellect than she who was known as a common counselor not
only of her own family and those of the same people and the
one fold, but also of all those about her, who regarded her
suggestions and recommendations as an inviolable law? What
was more sagacious than her words, more prudent than her
silence? And since I have mentioned silence, I will add some-
thing especially characteristic of her, and most becoming to
women, and most useful at the present time. Who knew better
the things of God, both from the divine oracles and her own
understanding? Further, who spoke less, confining herself
within the womanly bounds of piety? And to mention the
duty of a woman who has learned to be truly pious, that duty
wherein alone insatiate desire is a noble thing, who has so
adorned not only this temple, but other temples as well, with
her offerings. I know not, now that she is gone, whether this
one will ever be so adorned again. Who had such reverence
for priests, and especially for him who was her fellow soldier
and teacher, whose are the noble seeds, and the pair of sons
consecrated to God?
(12) Who, more than she, threw open her house, with a
courteous and generous welcome to those who live according
to God? And, better still, who received them with such
modesty, or advanced to meet them in 'a manner so pleasing
to God? Further, who displayed a mind more tranquil in
misfortune, or a heart more sympathetic to those in distress?
Who was more liberal to those in want? I would not hesitate
to praise her in the words of Job: 'Her door was open to
ON HIS SISTER^ ST. GORGONIA 109
every traveller, the stranger did no stay without.' 5 'She was
an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame, and a mother to
orphans. 36 Of her compassion toward widows, what more need
I say than that she received as its fruit never to be called a
widow herself? Her house was a common hospice for all her
needy relatives, and her goods were as common to all the
needy as their own personal belongings. 'She hath distributed,
she hath given to the poor.' 7 Because of the infallible truth of
the divine promise, she stored up many treasures in the
heavenly coffers, and often received Christ Himself in the
person of the many to whom she had shown kindness. Best
of all, she was more truly what she was than she appeared to
be, and in secret she cultivated piety for Him who sees secret
things. She snatched everything from the prince of this world,
and she transferred it to safe storehouses. She left nothing
behind to earth except her body. She exchanged all things
for the hopes above. The only riches she left to her children
were imitation of her example and emulation of her virtues.
(13) While she possessed such incredible magnanimity,
she did not deliver her body to delights and the unrestrained
pleasures of the belly, that mad and ravenous dog, as though
she relied on her beneficence, as most men do, trying to
redeem their luxury by compassion toward the poor, and,
instead of healing evil by good, receive evil in the place of
good. Nor, while subjecting her dust 8 by fasting, did she leave
to another the medicine of lying upon the ground, nor, while
she adoped this means to benefit her soul, did she limit her
sleep less than anyone else. Nor did she establish this law for
herself as though independent of the body, and lie upon the
ground while others passed sleepless nights standing erect,
5 Job 31.32, with a substitution of 'her' for 'my' to suit the context.
6 Job 29.15,16, with a shift from T to 'she.'
7 Ps. 111.9, with a shift from 'he' to 'she/
& I.e., her body.
110 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
a specially favored ascetical practice of spiritual men. Indeed,
in this respect she surpassed in her fortitude not only women
but the most high-minded men, in her intelligent chanting
of the psalms, in her reading, explanation, and timely re-
collection of the divine oracles, in her bending of knees
which had grown callous and, as it were, attached to the
ground, in her tears to cleanse her stains with contrite
heart and humility of spirit, in prayer lifting her up, and in
her mind fixed in contemplation and rapture. In all these
things or in any one of them, what man or woman can boast
of having surpassed her? And it is a great thing to say, but
nevertheless true, that, while she emulated some virtues, she
was an example for emulation in others, and, while she dis-
covered some, she excelled in others. And if we grant that
there were some who rivaled her in some particular virtue,
she surpassed all to this extent, that she embraced all virtues.
Thus, she reached a higher perfection in all than anyone else
attained, even moderately, in one, and she attained such per-
fection in each that one alone would have abundantly sufficed
in place of all.
(14) O body uncared for, and garments bright with
virtue alone ! O soul, holding fast to a body all but deprived
of food, as though it were immaterial, or, rather, being forced
to die even before dissolution, that the soul might receive its
freedom and not be fettered by the senses ! O nights of vigil,
and psalmody, and standing from sun to sun ! O David, whose
songs were never overlong for faithful souls ! O tender limbs,
thrown prostrate on the earth, and being hardened, contrary
to nature! O fountains of tears, sown in affliction that they
might reap in joy! 9 O cry of the night, piercing the clouds
and reaching to Him who dwells in heaven! O fervor of
spirit, braving out of love of prayer the dogs of the night, the
cold, the rain, the thunder, the hail and the darkness! O
9 Cf. PS. 125.5.
ON HIS SISTER, ST. GORGONIA 111
nature of woman which overcame that of man in the common
struggle for salvation, and proved male and female a dis-
tinction of body but not of soul! O chastity preserved after
baptism, and soul espoused to Christ in the pure chamber of
the body ! O bitter tasting, and Eve, mother of our race and
our sin, and deceitful serpent, and death, overcome by her
abstinence! O emptying of Christ, and nature of a slave, 10
and sufferings, honored by her mortification!
(15) Oh, how can I enumerate all her excellences, or,
by passing over most of them, not do an injury to those who
do not know them? But now it is proper to add an account
of the rewards of her piety. I think that you who know her
life are eagerly desirous of hearing in my discourse an account
not only of present things and the rewards she enjoys in the
world beyond which surpass the conception and hearing and
sight of man, but also those which she received as requital
from the just Rewarder in this life. For this serves to edify
unbelievers, who attain to faith in great things from small,
and in things unseen from those which are seen. I will mention
some instances known to all, others which for the most part
have been kept secret, because she scrupulously avoided
priding herself on favors received.
You know the story of her mules getting out of control
and running away with her carriage, and its dreadful over-
turn, how she was dragged along horribly and suffered serious
injuries, and the scandal it became to unbelievers because the
upright were allowed to suffer in this way, and the swift cor-
rection of their unbelief. Although crushed and mangled in-
ternally and externally in bone and limb, she would have no
physician save Him who had permitted the accident, both
because she shrank from the eyes and hands of men, guarding
her modesty even in suffering, and also because she sought
her vindication from Him who had allowed her to suffer thus.
10 Cf. Phil. 2.7.
112 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
Nor from anyone else but Him did she obtain her restoration.
And so men were not more struck by her misfortune than they
were amazed at her unexpected recovery, and they believed
that the tragedy had happened for the very reason that she
might be glorified by her sufferings. Although her suffering
was human, her recovery was superhuman, and she gave to
posterity a compelling argument for the display of faith in
affliction and patient endurance in misfortune, but a far
greater one for the loving kindness of God toward such as
she. For to what is rightly said of the just man: 'When he
shall fall, he shall not be bruised, 511 there was added later:
'Although he shall be bruised, he shall be quickly raised up
again and glorified.' 12 For if she was afflicted beyond what
seemed possible, beyond what seemed possible also was she
restored, so that returning health almost stole away her
suffering, and the cure became more celebrated than the
visitation.
(16) O renowned and admirable misfortune! O suffering
more sublime than freedom from suffering! Oh, how those
words, 'He will strike and He will bind us up, and He will
heal us, and after three days He will raise us up,' 13 although
bearing a greater and more mystical meaning, as indeed
they did, are yet apposite to her sufferings! However, this
event is known to all, even those far off, for the fame of the
wonder reached all men and engaged the tongues and ears
of all, along with the other wonderful works and powers of
God. But a fact hitherto unknown and kept secret from most
men, because of her spiritual attitude already referred to, and
the absence of pride and ostentation in her piety, do you bid
me tell it, O best and most perfect of pastors, 14 the pastor of
this sheep, and do you finally give your assent? For this
11 Ps. 36.24.
12 Cf. Ps. 145.8.
13 Osee 6.1,2.
14 Faustinus, Bishop of Iconium, who was most probably present.
ON HIS SISTER, ST. GORGONIA 113
secret was entrusted to us alone and we were the mutual
witnesses of the wonder. Or shall we continue to keep our
faith to her who has departed? Yet it seems to me that, while
there was then a time for silence, now is the time to reveal
it, not only for the glory of God, but also for the consolation
of those in affliction.
(17) She was sick in body and grievously afflicted with a
malady of a strange and unusual character. All at once her
whole body became fevered, with a heightening of the tem-
perature and a racing of the blood, followed by a sluggishness
inducing coma, incredible pallor, and a paralysis of mind
and limbs. And this occurred not at long intervals, but some-
times quite frequently. The terrible disease did not seem
human. Neither the skill of physicians who carefully examined
the case, both singly and in consultation, proved of any avail,
nor her parents' tears, which were often very efficacious, nor
public prayers and supplications, which, as though for their
individual preservation, all the people offered on her behalf.
For they regarded her safety as then* own, and, on the
contrary, her sickness and affliction as a common disaster.
(18) What, then, was done by this great soul, worthy of
the greatest favors, and what medicine was found for her
malady? Herein lies the great secret. Despairing of all other
help, she betook herself to the Physician of all, and, waiting
till the dead of night, when the disease was somewhat abated,
she prostrated herself with faith at the altar, and calling upon
Him who is honored thereon, with a loud voice, and under
every title, recalling all His miraculous works, for she was
familiar with those of old as weU as the new, she finally
committed an act of pious and noble impudence. She imitated
the woman whose hemorrhage was dried up by the hem of
Christ's garment. 15 And what did she do? Placing her head,
with a similar cry, on the altar, and pouring abundant tears
15 Cf. Matt. 9.20.
114 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
upon it, as she who had once watered the feet of Christ, 16
she vowed that she would not loose her hold until she obtained
her recovery. Then she anointed her whole body with her own
medicine, even a portion of the consecrated precious Body
and Blood which she treasured in her hand, and with which
she mingled her tears. O the wonder \ At once she felt herself
cured and went away relieved in body and soul and mind,
having received what she hoped for as a reward of her hopes.
By her strength of soul she gained that of body. These things
are great indeed, yet they are not untrue. Believe them, all
you who are sick and you who are well, that you may keep
your health or recover it. That this account is not mere
boastfulness is clear from the fact that as long as she was alive
she kept silence concerning what I have now revealed. Nor
would I have divulged it even now, I assure you, were I not
afraid to keep so great a wonder hidden from believers and
unbelievers of the present and of future generations.
( 19 ) Such was her life. I have passed over most of its de-
tails that my discourse might not exceed due bounds and
lest I seem to have an insatiate desire of praising her. But
perhaps I would be wronging her holy and celebrated death
if I did not also commemorate some of its excellences, es-
pecially since she so eagerly desired it. I will do this as briefly
as possible. She longed to be dissolved, 17 for she had great
confidence in Him who called her, and to be with Christ
she valued above all the things of earth. And no one of the
amorous and unlicenced so loves the body as she, having flung
away these fetters and surmounted this slime with which we
live, desired to be purely joined with her fair One and em-
brace her Beloved completely, and I will even add, her Lover.
His faint rays now illumine only to the extent that we can
know from whom we are separated. Nor did she fail of this
16 Cf. Luke 7.38.
17 Cf. Phil. 1.23.
ON HIS SISTER,, ST. GORGONIA 115
inspired and sublime desire, and, what is even more signi-
ficant, she enjoyed His beauty beforehand by her foreknowl-
edge and her long vigils. One sleep gave her the sweetest of
rewards, and one vision embracing her departure at the fore-
appointed time, and even indicating the very day, that, by
the ordination of God, she might be prepared and not be
troubled.
(20) The blessing of purification and perfection, the
common gift which we have all received from God as a
foundation of our second life, had recently been conferred
upon her. Rather, her whole life was a purification and a
process of perfection. She did, indeed, receive her regeneration
from the Holy Spirit, but its security was hers because of her
previous life. And almost in her case alone, to speak some-
what boldly, the sacrament was not a grace, but a seal. She
was eager that one blessing be added to all she had received,
the perfection of her husband. If you wish me to describe him
briefly, let me say that he was her husband, for I know not
what further need be added. She wished to be consecrated
to God in her whole body, and not depart this life only half-
perfected, nor leave behind any part of her imperfect. She
did not fail to obtain an answer even to this petition from
Him who does the will of them that fear Him, 18 and brings
their pleas to fulfillment.
(21) All things had been accomplished according to her
heart's desire, and no wish of hers lacked fulfillment, and the
appointed day was near at hand. And so she prepared for
death and departure, and, carrying out the usual law in
this matter, she took to her bed. She enjoined on her husband,
her children, and her friends such precepts as befitted one so
full of love for her husband, her children, and her brothers,
and she discoursed beautifully on the future life, making her
last day a day of solemn festival. She then fell asleep, full, not
18 Cf. Ps. 114.19.
116 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
of the days of man for which she had never prayed, knowing
them to be evil for her and so closely associated with our dust
and wandering, but exceedingly full of the days of God, so
that her like could not easily be found among those who have
died at a ripe old age and have counted many cycles of years.
Thus she was dissolved, or, better, taken to God, or she
took wing, or changed her habitation, or departed a little
before the body.
(22) Yet what a praiseworthy incident regarding her all
but escaped me ! But perhaps you, her spiritual father, would
not have allowed its omission, since you carefully observed
the wonder and made it known to me. It is a detail greatly
enhancing her renown, and important for us, too, as a me-
morial of virtue and an inspiration to desire the same dis-
solution. But a shudder comes over me and tears arise when
I recall the marvel. She was just passing away and was
breathing her last, and about her was a group of relatives and
friends, showing the customary solicitude for the dying. Her
aged mother, whose soul was in agony with envy at the de-
parture, was bent over her, while the love of all present was
mingled with anguish. Some were eager to hear some word
that might enkindle recollection within them; others desired
to speak, but no one ventured to do so. There were silent
tears and inconsolable pangs of grief, since it seemed an
impious thing to honor with lamentation one dying in
this way. There was profound silence and her death took on
the semblance of a sacred ceremony. To all appearance she
neither breathed nor stirred nor uttered any sound. Her silence
seemed to indicate her dissolution, as though the organs of
speech had ceased to function because of the withdrawal of
the soul that moved them. But her pastor, who was carefully
observing everything about her, because of the manifest
wonder of the circumstances, perceived that her lips were
moving slightly. He put his ear close to them, for his character
ON HIS SISTER,, ST. GORGONIA 117
and sympathy gave him confidence but do you yourself
explain the mystery of this stillness! No one will disbelieve
your word ! She was faintly murmuring a psalm, the closing
words of a psalm, and truly they are a testimony of her con-
fidence in her parting. Blessed indeed is he who can close his
life with the words: 'In peace in the selfsame I will sleep
and I will rest.' 19 These were the words, fairest of women,
which came to your lips, and they were appropriate to you.
And your psalmody was given realization, a eulogy coincident
with your departure. And you have attained to glorious peace
after your sufferings, and have received, beyond the rest
common to all, that sleep due to the beloved of God, 20 fitting
indeed for one who lived and died amid the words of piety.
( 23 ) I am sure that in comparison with those things which
are seen by the eye, greater and far more precious are the
blessings which you now enjoy, the sound of those feasting, 21
the choirs of angels, the heavenly host, the spectacle of glory,
and the effulgence, more pure and more perfect than any
other, of the Most High Trinity, no longer evading the mind
fettered and dissipated by the senses, but beheld and com-
prehended wholly with the whole mind, and illuminating
our souls with the whole light of the Godhead. May you
enjoy to the full those things, the emanations of which you
received while still upon the earth, because of the sincere in-
clination of your mind toward them. If you have any interest
in our affairs, and the perception of such things is a privilege
granted saintly souls by God, please accept in place of and
above many funeral gifts this discourse of mine, a tribute ren-
dered to Caesarius before you and to you after him, since I
have been preserved to deliver funeral orations upon my broth-
er and sister. Whether anyone, now that you have gone, will
pay me like honor, I cannot say. But may I receive only that
19 Ps. 4.10.
20 Cf. Ps. 126.2.
21 Cf. Ps. 41.5.
118 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
honor which is pleasing to God, both during my pilgrimage
and in my home, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to whom with
the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory forever. Amen.
ON HIS FATHER
JAN OF GOD/ AND FAITHFUL SERVANT/ and dispenser
of the Mysteries of God, 3 and man of desires of the
Spirit: 4 for these are the appellations Scripture
gives to those who have attained sublimity and are superior
to visible things. I will also call you the God of Pharao, 5 of
all the Egyptian and hostile powers; I will call you a pillar
and mainstay of the Church, 6 and the pleasure of the Lord, 7
and a star in the world holding fast the word of life, 8 a
support of the faith and a resting place of the Spirit. Why
should I enumerate all the titles which your virtue has gained
for you, drawing them to you one by one and making
them your own?
( 2 ) But tell me whence you have come, and what is your
purpose, and what favor have you come to confer upon us?
For I know that in all things you act with God and through
1 Cf. Jos. 14.6.
2 Cf. Num. 12.7.
3 Cf. 1 Cor. 4.1.
4 Cf. Dan. 9.23.
5 Cf. Exod. 7.1.
6 Cf. 1 Tim. 3.15.
7 Cf. Isa. 62.4.
8 Cf. Phil. 2.16.
119
1 20 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
God for the benefit of those who receive you. Have you
come to watch over us, or to seek the pastor, or to inspect
the flock? We no longer exist, but for the most part have
departed with him, unable to endure this place of affliction,
especially now when we have lost our skilled pilot, the
beacon of our life, to which we turned our eyes and directed
our course, as it flashed the light of salvation above us. He
has gone, with all this excellence and all the pastoral skill
and practice acquired in his whole life, full of days of wisdom
and crowned, to use the words of Solomon, with old age as a
crown of dignity. 9 The flock is left without guidance, it is
downcast, as you see, and filled with sorrow and dejection. It
no longer finds rest in the place of pleasure or sustenance in
the water of refreshment. 10 It seeks out the cliffs and desert
places and abysses where it will be dispersed and perish. It
despairs of ever obtaining another wise shepherd, although,
while fully convinced that it will never find one like him, it
would be content with one not too far below him.
(3) Three things, then, as I have said, and all in equal
measure, render your presence necessary: ourselves, the
shepherd, and the flock. Come, then, and according to the
spirit of healing which is in you apply the suitable remedy to
each. Order your words with discernment, that we may
admire you all the more for your wisdom. And how will
you order them? As for the shepherd, if you praise him in
seemly fashion for his virtue, not only will you confer the
tribute of a pure funeral oration on one who was pure, but
you will also present the chosen pattern of his life to others as
a moving example of true piety. In respect to us, you may
discourse briefly on life and death, on the union and separation
of body and soul, on the two worlds, both on that which is
physically present but not permanent and on that which is
9 Cf. Prov. 2.16.
10 Cf. Ps. 22.2.
ON HIS FATHER 121
perceived by the mind and is eternal. Persuade us to despise
the deceitfulness, the disorder, and the instability of the one,
rising and falling like the waves of the sea, but to attach
ourselves to the other, which is firm and stable, divine and
unchanging, free from all disorder and confusion. In this
way, those who have departed before us would cause us less
sorrow, and would even bring us joy, if your discourse would
draw us forth and raise us on high, and hide our present
distress in future hope, and convince us that we, also, are
hastening to a good Master, that our true home is better than
our place of sojourn, and that, just as there is a calm haven
for those at sea, so for those who are tossed on the storms of
this life there is a migration and transfer to the other life.
Or, just as those who have finished a long journey enjoy
more ease and greater freedom from care than travelers still
toiling on the way, so those who have reached the hospice be-
yond have a better and more tolerable life than those who are
still advancing along the steep and crooked road of this
life below.
(4) Thus, then, would you comfort us. But how will
you comfort the flock? First of all, by pledging your care and
guidance, for under your wings all would gladly take their
rest, and we thirst more for your voice than those racked by
thirst long for the purest fountain. Next, by convincing us that
even now the good shepherd who lays down his life for his
sheep 11 has not forsaken us, but is present to tend and guide,
and knows his own, and is known by them. He is not actually
seen by bodily eye, but is with us in spirit, defending the flock
against the wolves, and suffering no one, in the manner of a
robber or a traitor, to leap into the fold and ravage and
steal by an alien voice souls rightly formed in the truth. I am
persuaded that his intercession avails more now than his
teaching did in the past, since he is closer to God. He has
11 Cf. John 10.11.
122 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
shaken off his bodily bonds and freed his mind from obscuring
clay, and, divested of all obscuring elements, he holds direct
and intimate converse with the prime and purest Mind, being
deemed worthy if it is not to bold to say so of the
privileged rank and freedom of the angels. But you, with the
power of speech and the spirit that is yours, will treat and
discuss these matters better than I can present them. Yet, in
order that, through lack of acquaintance with his noble
qualities, your discourse may not fall far short of his merit, I,
from my personal knowledge of the departed, will give a brief
outline or sketch of a eulogy to you, the skilled painter of such
subjects, that you may depict more perfectly the splendor of
his virtue and present it to the ears and minds of all men.
(5) The treatment of his country, race, bodily qualities,
external splendor, and other things on which men pride them-
selves I shall leave to the laws of panegyric, and begin with
what with us comes first and is most relevant. He was the son
of undistinguished stock, and one not naturally disposed to-
ward piety. I am not ashamed of his beginnings, because of
my confidence in the final issue of his life. It was a stock not
planted in the house of God, 12 but a most strange and
unusual one, compounded of two extremes pagan error and
legal absurdity and while it escaped some elements of each
it combined features of both. For with regard to the first, its
members reject pagan idols and sacrifices, but hold fire and
lights in reverence; with regard to the second, they observe
the Sabbath and petty regulations concerning certain foods,
but they scorn circumcision. These lowly men call themselves
Hypsistarii 13 and the Almighty alone is the object of their
worship. What was to be expected of a man with this twofold
12 Cf. PS. 91.14.
13 St. Gregory of Nyssa also refers to this obscure sect (Or. 2 Contra
Eunom.) , calling them Hypsistians. He says that they acknowledged a
God whom they called the Highest (hence their name from the
Greek) or the Omnipotent, but did not admit that he was Father.
ON HIS FATHER 123
tendency to impiety? Indeed, I do not know which to praise
more: the grace which called him or his own good will and
purpose. At any rate, he so cleaned the eye of his mind of the
infection that clung to it, and ran with such speed to the truth,
that for some time he endured the loss of his mother and his
sustenance for the sake of his heavenly Father and his true
inheritance, and bore this disgrace more readily than others
carry the highest honors. Wonderful as this really is, I do not
wonder at it so much, and for the following reason. He
shared this glory with many others, and all must be gathered
into the great net of God and be caught by the words of the
fishermen, although some are netted sooner and some later
by the Gospel. But I must now relate what especially in his
life moves me to wonder.
(6) Even before he entered our fold he was one of us.
Just as many of our own are not with us because their lives
alienate them from the common body of the faithful, in like
manner many of those outside are with us, in so far as by
their way of life they anticipate the faith and only lack in
name what they possess in attitude. My father was one of
these, an alien branch, but inclined toward us by his way of
living. He was so pre-eminent in self-control that he was at
once most beloved and most modest, a combination rarely
achieved. What better or more striking proof of his uprightness
can be advanced than the fact that he held the highest
offices in the state, yet did not enrich himself by a single
penny, although he saw others reaching with the hands of a
Briareus into the public funds and swollen with their ill-
gotten gains? For thus do I label wealth unjustly acquired.
While these facts are no small testimony to his prudence,
many more examples will be presented in the course of my
speech. As a reward for his conduct, I think, he received the
faith. Let us show how this came about, for so important a
matter should not be passed over in silence.
124 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
(7) I have heard sacred Scripture saying: 'Who shall
find a valiant woman? 514 and also that she is a gift of God, and
that a good marriage is arranged by the Lord. Those outside,
too, have the same thought if indeed the saying is theirs:
There is no greater boon for a man than a good wife, no
worse, than the opposite. 315 It is impossible to mention anyone
who was more fortunate than my father in this respect. For I
believe that, if anyone, from the ends of the earth and from all
human stocks, had endeavored to arrange the best possible
marriage, a better or more harmonius union than this could
not be found. For the best in men and women was so united
that their marriage was more a union of virtue than of bodies.
Although they surpassed all others, they themselves were so
evenly matched in virtue that they could not surpass each
other.
(8) She who was given to Adam as a helper like him-
self, for it was not good for man to be alone, 16 proved to be
an enemy rather than a helpmate and an opponent rather
than a consort, beguiling her husband by pleasure and alie-
nating him through the tree of knowledge from the tree of
life. But she who was given by God to my father became not
only a helper for this would be less wonderful but also a
leader, personally guiding him by deed and word to what was
most excellent. Although she deemed it best, in accordance
with the law of marriage, to be overruled by her husband in
other respects, she was not ashamed to show herself his master
in piety. While she is deserving of admiration for this, he is to
be admired all the more for willingly yielding to her.
While beauty, natural as well as artificial, is wont to be a
source of pride and glory to other women, she is one who
has ever recognized only one beauty, that of the soul, and the
14 Prov. 31.10.
15 Hesiod, Works arid Days, 1.700 (freely quoted) .
16 Cf. Gen. 2.18.
ON HIS FATHER 125
preservation and, to the best of her power, the purification
of the divine image in her soul. She rejected paint and other
artificial means of adornment befiting women of the stage.
She recognized only one true nobility, that of piety, and the
knowledge of our origin and final destiny. The only wealth
she considered secure and inviolate was to strip one's self of
wealth for God and the poor, and especially for kinsfolk whose
fortunes had declined. Assistance merely to the extent of their
need she regarded as a reminder of misfortune rather than
as a release from it, but more generous benefaction as a
means of giving honor and lasting consolation.
While some women excel in the management of their
households and others in piety for it is difficult to achieve
both she nevertheless surpassed all in both, because she was
pre-eminent in each and because she alone combined the
two. She increased the resources of her household by her care
and practical foresight according to the standards and norms
laid down by Solomon for the valiant woman, as though she
knew nothing of piety. She devoted herself to God and
divine things as though she were completely removed from
household cares. In no wise, however, did she neglect one
duty in fulfilling the other; rather, she performed both more
effectively by making one support the other.
(9) What time or place for prayer escaped her? This
was the first thought of her day. Rather, who had more con-
fidence in gaining a petition as soon as it was made? Who
had such reverence for the hands and countenance of priests?
Who showed such honor for every form of philosophy? 17
Who subdued her flesh more by fastings and watchings, or
stood like a pillar during the night-long or daily singing of
the psalms? Who had greater admiration for virginity, al-
though she herself was under the bond of matrimony? Who
17 Used here in the sense of the life of Christian perfection and ascetical
practices.
126 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
was a better champion of widows and orphans? Who relieved
to a like degree the misfortunes of the distressed? These things,
small perhaps, and, it may be, even despised by some because
they do not lie within the reach of the majority for the unat-
tainable, out of envy, is generally considered as not even
credible I esteem highly, for they were the inventions of
her faith and undertakings of her spiritual fervor. So, too, her
voice was never heard in the sacred assemblies or places,
except when necessary and required by the liturgy.
(10) It was once counted a glory for the altar that no
axe had been lifted upon it, no stone-cutter's tool seen or
heard, 18 with the higher meaning that whatever was con-
secrated to God should be natural and free from artifice. Why
should it not redound to her great praise that she honored the
sanctuary by her silence, that she never turned her back
upon the holy table, nor spat upon the hallowed pavement,
that she never grasped the hand or kissed the lips of any
pagan woman, however honorable in other respects and
however closely related? She would not even share salt, either
willingly or perforce, with those coming from a profane and
unhallowed table, nor suffer herself, contrary to the law of
conscience, to pass by or look upon a polluted house. She
would not let her ears or her tongue, which had received and
uttered holy things, be defiled by pagan tales or theatrical
songs, because nothing unholy is becoming to the holy. What
is deserving of greater admiration is the fact that she restrained
external manifestation of grief to such a degree, although
she was deeply affected by the sufferings even of strangers, as
never to let a cry of affliction burst forth before the Eucharist,
or to let a tear drop from eyes mystically sealed, or let any
sign of mourning remain when a festival day came, although
many sorrows befell her. For she felt that the soul that loves
God should subject all human things to the divine.
18 Cf. Deut. 27.5.
ON HIS FATHER 127
(11) I pass over in silence things more ineffable, of which
God is witness, and the faithful handmaids to whom she con-
fided such matters. What concerns myself is not even worthy
of mention, perhaps, as I have not proved worthy of the
hopes held out for me. Still, it was a great undertaking on
her part to promise me to God even before birth, with no
timidity for the future, and to dedicate me immediately after
I was born. By the grace of God, her prayer did not completely
fail of attainment, nor was her auspicious sacrifice rejected.
Some of these things were already accomplished facts, some
were to come into being, increasing by gradual additions.
Just as the sun strikes the earth most pleasantly with its
morning rays and becomes hotter and more brilliant at mid-
day, so she, who from the beginning showed marked in-
dications of piety, shone later with a brighter light.
He, therefore, had at home a strong stimulus to piety, who
had established in his house her who was endowed by origin
and descent with the love of God and Christ, and who had
received virtue as her patrimony. She had not been engrafted
as he from the wild olive upon the garden olive, nor, on ac-
count of the perfection of her faith, could she endure to be
unequally yoked. Although in other respects she surpassed all
women in patience and fortitude, this alone she could not
bear, namely, to be but half-united to God, because of the
estrangement of him who was part of her, and not possess
spiritual union in addition to physical union. Therefore, she
prostrated herself before God day and night and besought
Him with many fastings and tears for the salvation of her
head, and zealously devoted herself to her husband, and
strove to win him in various ways, by reproaches, admonitions,
attentions, estrangements, and most of all by her own character
and fervent piety, by means of which the soul is especially
swayed and softened and wiUingly constrained to virtue. It was
inevitable that the drop of water, constantly striking the rock,
128 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
should hollow it out and in time accomplish its purpose, as
the sequel shows.
(12) These, then, were the things for which she prayed
and hoped, in the fervor of faith rather than of youth. And no
one ever had such confidence in the present as she had in her
hopes, for she had learned from experience the bountifulness
of God. My father's salvation was aided jointly by his reason,
which gradually accepted the healing remedy, and jointly by
the vision of dreams, a benefit which God often bestows on a
soul worthy of salvation. What was the vision? This is for me
the most pleasing part of the story. He thought that he was
singing, what he had never done before, although his wife
often prayed and made supplication, these words from the
psalms of David: 'I rejoiced at the things that were said to
me, we shall go into the house of the Lord.' 19 The psalm was
strange and with its singing came desire. When his wife heard
it, having now gained her prayer, she seized the opportunity,
interpreting the vision most happily and truthfully, and
showing by her joy the magnitude of the benefit, and urging
forward his salvation, lest anything might occur to hinder the
call and undo what she had zealously sought.
It happened at that very time that many bishops were
hastening to Nicaea to oppose the madness of Arius, for the
evil doctrine dividing the Godhead had just arisen. My father
gave himself to God and the heralds of the truth and con-
fessed his desire and begged of them common salvation. One
of them was the famous Leontius, who governed our metro-
polis at the time. A marvelous thing then took place by God's
grace, and I would certainly do an injury to grace itself if I
passed it over in silence. There were not a few witnessses of
the marvel. 20 The teachers of the ritual for catechumens com-
19 Ps. 121.1.
20 To be admitted into the ranks of the catechumens, Gregory the
Elder should have remained standing. He fell on his knees and the
bishop inadvertently pronounced over him the formula for ordination
to the priesthood.
ON HIS FATHER 129
mitted a spiritual error, grace foreshadowed the future, and
the formula for the priesthood was mingled with that for
admission of the catechumen. O involuntary initiation! For
bending his knee he was enrolled into the catechumenate in
such a way that many of those present, not only those of su-
perior but also those of duller intellect, relying on such clear
signs, prophesied the future.
(13) A short time later, this wonder was followed by
another. I will commend this account to the ears of the
faithful, for among the profane nothing good is deemed
worthy of belief. He was drawing near to that regeneration
through water and the Spirit by which we confess to God the
formation and perfecting of man according to Christ, and the
transformation and reformation of the earthy to the spirit.
He was advancing to the water of baptism with ardent desire
and bright hope, after he had first cleansed himself as far
as possible and purified himself in body and soul far more
than those who were to receive the tablets from Moses. 21 For
their purification, was confined to dress, a slight repression of
the belly, and a brief period of continence. In my father's
case, his whole past life was a preparation for the divine
illumination, and before his purification there was already a
purification that assured the safety of the gift, that perfection
might be entrusted to purity and that the gift might not
be endangered in a state of soul which was confident with the
help of grace. As he came forth from the water a light shone
round him and a glory worthy of the disposition with which
he had approached the grace of faith. It was seen clearly by
some others, also, who at the time kept silence concerning
the wonder. They did not venture to speak of it, for each
thought that the vision had been granted to himself alone,
but a little later they communicated it to one another. But it
was so clear and evident to him who baptized and initiated
21 Ct Exod. 19.10-15.
130 ST. GREGORY NAZIAN2EN
my father that he could not keep the mystery to himself but
cried out publicly that he had anointed with the Spirit his
own successor.
(14) No one will disbelieve this who has heard and
knows that Moses, when he was still insignificant in the eyes
of men and not yet deemed of any account, was called from
the bush, which was on fire but was not burnt rather, by
Him who appeared in the bush 22 and he was confirmed by
that first miracle. I mean that Moses for whom the sea
parted, 23 and bread rained down, 24 and the rock gushed forth
water, 25 and the pillar of fire and cloud led the way in turn, 26
and the stretching forth of whose hands to represent the figure
of a cross brought victory and overcame many thousands. 27
Then there was Isaias, who saw the glory of the Seraphim, 28
and after him Jeremias, who was entrusted with great power
over nations and kings. 29 The former heard the divine voice
and was cleansed by a coal of fire before prophesying; 30 the
latter was known before his formation and sanctified before
birth. 31 Paul, also, the great herald of the truth and the
teacher of the Gentiles in the faith, while still a persecutor,
was encompassed with a light and acknowledged Him whom
he was persecuting, and he was entrusted with his great
ministry and filled every ear and mind with the Gospel. 32
(15) But why should I enumerate all those who were
called and adopted by God by wonders such as those which
confirmed my father in piety? Although the beginnings were
22 Cf. Exod. 3.4.
23 Cf. Exod. 14.22.
24 Cf. Exod. 16.4.
25 Cf. Exod. 17.6.
26 Cf. Exod. 13.22.
27 Cf. Exod. 17.11.
28 Cf. Isa. 6.1 ff.
29 Cf. Jer. 1.10.
30 Cf. Isa. 6.6.
31 Cf. Jer. 1.5.
32 Cf. Acts 9.3ff.
ON HIS FATHER 131
such as these, so incredible and so marvelous, nevertheless his
later actions put to shame nothing that had gone before, un-
like those who quickly get their fill of what is good and then
are disdainful of progress or even relapse completely into
vice. This cannot be said of him. He was remarkably consistent
with himself and his previous life. And so there was a harmony
between his life before the priesthood and his excellences as a
priest, and between his life after the priesthood and what had
gone before. Nor would it have been becoming to begin one
way and end another, nor to advance to an end different from
that intended in the beginning. He received the priesthood,
not with the ease and confusion now current, but after a brief
interval, so that he might add to his own cleansing the skill
and power of cleansing others, for that is the law of spiritual
sequence. After he had received it, its grace was glorified all
the more, since it was in reality a grace of God, and not, as
Ecclesiastes says, an independent impulse or presumption of
spirit. 33
(16) He received a woodland and rural church, which
had not been governed with pastoral care from long ago, but
had been administered by only a single predecessor, a man
of admirable and angelic character but simpler in heart than
the present rulers of the people. After he had been quickly
taken up to heaven, the church was neglected for a con-
siderable period and grew wild for lack of a leader. At first,
he sought to soften the dispositions of the people, not by
severe measures, but by words of pastoral knowledge and by
setting himself before them as a model, like a spiritual statue,
exhibiting the polished beauty of all excellent conduct. Next,
he gave himself earnestly to meditation on the divine words,
and although he was late in learning- such matters, he
gathered such wisdom within a short time that he was in no
way inferior to those who had spent the longest time upon
33 Cf. Eccle. 1.17 (Septuagint) .
132 ST. GREGORY NAZIAN2EN
them. And he received this singular grace from God, of be-
coming the father and teacher of orthodoxy. He was not like
the wise men of our day, yielding to the times, defending our
faith in equivocal and ornate language, like those who lack
firmness of faith or adulterate the truth. But he surpassed in
piety those outstanding in rhetorical skill, and in his knowledge
and learning he was superior to believers, or, rather, while he
bore off second prize in oratory, he took the first in piety. He
acknowledged one God worshiped in Trinity, and three 34
united in one Godhead. He did not Sabellianize as to the One,
or Arianize as to the Three, either by impiously contracting
and resolving the Godhead or by dividing it by unequal
distinctions of greatness or nature. For, since every quality
of the Godhead is incomprehensible and beyond our power
of intellect, how can the transcendence therein be either con-
ceived or defined? How can the infinite be measured and the
Godhead experience what is proper to finite things and be
measured by distinctions of greater and less?
(17) These were the reflections of that great man of
God and true theologian, and he was inspired by the Holy
Spirit concerning them. What else must be said but that, like
the great Noe, the father of this second world, he caused
this church to be called a second Jerusalem and a second ark
borne above the waters? Clearly it rose, above the deluge of
souls and the insults of the heretics, and in the measure it
yielded to others in numbers it surpassed them in reputation.
It has fared even as holy Bethlehem, which was hindered in
no way from being at once a small city and the metropolis of
the whole earth, since it was the nurse and mother of Christ,
who made and conquered the world.
(18) Here is proof of what I have been saying. When
we had been bitterly attacked by the more zealous element 30
34 Without paraphrasing, it would be impossible to indicate in English
that 'three' here is neuter plural in Greek. Reference is made, ac-
cordingly, to the doctrine of the three divine Persons in one God.
35 I.e., the monks.
ON HIS FATHER 133
in the Church on the ground that we had been led astray by
a document and artful phrases 36 into association with evil,
he alone was believed to have an unwounded mind and not
to have stained his soul with ink, although he had been car-
ried away by his simplicity and in his guilelessness had not
been on guard against guile. But he alone, or, rather, he first,
by his zeal for piety reconciled to himself and the rest the
opposing faction, which was the last to desert us and the first
to return, because of their reverence for him and the purity
of his doctrine. And so a terrible storm in the churches was
calmed, and a hurricane reduced to a gentle breeze, broken
by his prayers and admonitions. At the time, I if I may
speak with the presumptuousness of youth was his partner
in piety as well as in action. Co-operating with him in every
good work, accompanying him and running along beside
him, as it were, I was deemed worthy to contribute a very
large share of the labor. But here let my account of these mat-
ters, which has run a little ahead of itself, come to an end.
(19) Who could recount his many excellences or, while
desiring to pass over most of them, find easily what to set
aside? For whatever comes to mind always seems superior to
what has gone before, I become absorbed in this, and I am
more at a loss as to what I should omit than other pan-
egyrists are as to what they should say. And so the abundance
of material is in a way a disadvantage to me, and my mind
is put to the test when it strives to test his qualities, and can-
not find what is outstanding, when all are equal. There is a
phenomenon which we observe in still waters. Whenever a
pebble falls therein it becomes the center whence circle after
circle develops, and each, constantly rippling, breaks up
that which is beyond it. This is precisely what has happened
to me. One thought comes into my mind, but another follows
36 Perhaps the Creed formulated by the Council of Antioch in 363.
Since the language of the formula and its explanation was somewhat
ambiguous, it was open to interpretation in an heretical sense.
134 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
and displaces it, and I grow weary in making a choice, since
what I have first grasped continually yields place to that
which follows after.
(20) Who was more zealous for the common weal? Who
was wiser in domestic affairs, since God, who orders all things
well and in sundry ways, allotted him a house and adequate
means? Who was more sympathetic of heart or more generous
of hand to the poor, that most dishonored part of our nature
which ought to be held in equal honor. For in reality his at-
titude toward his own property was that of a steward of
another's. He alleviated poverty to the extent of his power,
expending not only his superabundance but even his necessities
for this end the clearest proof, surely, of charity toward
the poor. He gave a portion not to seven only, according to the
precept of Solomon, 37 but even if an eighth also came for-
ward he did not deal meanly, but disposed of his wealth more
cheerfully than others who we know acquire it. He took away
the chain 38 and the extension of the hand I understand by
this, meanness and testing the worthiness or unworthiness of
the recipient, and the word of murmuring in the giving. 39 It
happens with most men that they give indeed, but they do
not do so freely and readily, which is a greater and more
perfect thing than the mere act of offering itself. For it is far
better to be generous to the unworthy for the sake of the
worthy than to deprive the worthy out of fear of the unworthy.
This seems to have a bearing on our duty of casting bread
upon the waters, 40 not that it may be swept away, or perish,
in the eyes of the just examiner, but that it may come to that
place where all our goods will be stored up, and be there to
meet us in due time, even though we may think otherwise.
(21) But the best and greatest feature is that with his
37 Cf. Eccle. 11.2.
38 Cf. Isa. 58.9 (Septuagint) .
39 Cf. ibid.
40 Cf. Eccle. 11.1.
ON HIS FATHER 135
magnanimity went a contempt for ambition. Its extent and
character I shall proceed to show. Although their wealth and
the readiness to bestow it were shared equally by himself
and his spouse, since they rivaled each other in contending for
excellence, for the most part he left the function of dispensing
it in her hands, for he believed her to be the best and most
faithful steward of such matters. What woman and what sort
of woman do I mean? She is one whose demands not even
the Atlantic Ocean or any other still greater could satisfy, so
great and so boundless is her love of liberality. She rivaled
but in a contrary sense the horse leech of Solomon, 41
overcoming by her insatiable desire for good any leaning
toward evil, and unable to satisfy her zeal for beneficence.
Not only did she consider all the wealth they had from the
beginning, as well as what they later acquired, as insufficient
for her desires, but she would have readily sold herself and
her children, if possible, as I have often heard her say, that
the proceeds might be expended on the poor. Thus did
she give full rein to her generosity, a fact which I consider a
stronger argument than any example. For one also may easily
find magnanimity in money matters among others, whether
the money is spent on public or political ambitions or is lent
to God through the poor the only money which can be treas-
ured up for those who spend it. But we do not easily find any-
one who has forsaken the reputation connected with liberality.
Indeed, the readiness to spend freely is prompted in many by
their love of reputation. But where the benefaction is to pass
unnoticed, there also the impulse to give is less keen.
(22) Such, then, was his generous hand. Further details
I shall leave to those who knew him, so that if anything
of the kind is ascribed to me, also, it is from that fountain
and part of that stream. Who acted more closely with God in
admitting men to the sanctuary, or, in resenting outrages
41 Cf. Prov. 30.15.
136 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
against it, or in cleansing, with reverent fear, the holy table
from the unholy? Who with such unwavering judgment and
balance of justice decided a case, or so hated wickedness, or
so honored virtue, or preferred the most upright? Who was so
disposed to pardon the sinner, or so encouraging to those
running well? Who knew better the right time for employing
the rod and the staff, 42 though he wielded the staff the more?
Whose eyes were more on the faithful of the earth, 43 especially
on those who, despising the earth and the things of the earth,
live a solitary and celibate life for God?
(23) Who reproved vanity more or had a greater love
for humility? This was no feigned or superficial attitude, like
that of most of those who now make a pretense of practicing
asceticism and appear as elegant as the silliest women, who,
lacking natural beauty, have recourse to pigments, and, al-
though showing themselves off prettily, are, if I may say so,
uncomely in their comeliness and uglier through their ugliness.
His humility was not a matter of dress, but a disposition of
soul. He did not affect it by a bending of the neck or a
lowering of the voice, by a downcast look, or length of beard,
or close-shaven head, or manner of walking, things which
may for a while give the impression of humility, but are
quickly discredited, for all pretense is lacking in stability.
While he led a most sublime life, he was most humble of heart,
and although no one could approach his virtue, he was most
approachable for consultation. His dress was ordinary, avoid-
ing pride and meanness alike, but he surpassed all by the
spendor within. No one better overcame the disorder and in-
satiable appetite of the belly, but he was not ostentatious about
it, desiring, on the one hand, to purify himself, and on the
other, not be puffed up by seeking a reputation for doing the
unusual. He believed it to be the mark of a politician, for
42 Cf. Ps. 22.4.
43 Cf. Ps. 100.6.
ON HIS FATHER 137
whom there is no greater happiness than the present life, to do
and say everything through which he may be held in esteem
by those outside, but of a spiritual man and a Christian to look
to one thing only, his salvation, and to regard as important
what may lead to this and to despise what does not as worth-
less. Therefore, the Christian must condemn the visible and
consider this only : how he may become interiorly perfect. He
must esteem most highly whatever may increase his own
merit and draw others by his example to the highest and
best.
(24) But his noblest and most characteristic quality, re-
cognized even by the multitude, was his simplicity, and his
guileless and forgiving disposition. Of the men of ancient and
modern times, different individuals are believed to have been
conspicuous for different virtues according to the grace each
happened to receive from God. Job was conspicuous for in-
vincible patience in misfortune, 44 Moses and David for
meekness, 45 Samuel for prophesying the future, 46 Phineas for
the zeal for which he was reputed, 47 Peter and Paul for
their eagerness in preaching the Gospel, 48 the sons of Zebedee
for their lofty eloquence, whence they were also called the
sons of thunder. 49 Why should I enumerate all of them,
speaking as I am among those who know? But the distin-
guishing characteristic of Stephen and my father was freedom
from malice. Not even when he was in danger did Stephen
hate his persecutors, but while he was being stoned he
prayed for those who were stoning him, 50 as a disciple of
Christ, for whose sake he had to suffer, bearing for God in
his long-suffering fruit greater than death. With my father
44 Cf. Job 1.21.
45 Cf. Num. 12.3; Ps. 131.1.
46 Cf. 1 Kings 9.9.
47 Cf. Num. 25.7; Ps. 105.30,31.
48 Cf. Gal. 2.7.
49 Cf. Mark 3.17.
50 Cf. Acts 7.59.
138 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
there was no interval between rebuke and pardon, so that
grief itself was almost beguiled by the speed of forgiveness.
(25 ) We believe and hear that there are dregs, as it were,
of the anger of God/ 1 the residue of His action against those
who deserve it, since the Lord is a God of vengeance. 52 Al-
though He is inclined through His benignity toward mildness
rather than severity, He does not completely pardon sinners,
lest by His goodness they become worse. My father cherished
no ill will against those who provoked him, although he was
not entirely invulnerable to wrath, and in spiritual things
especially he was wont to be carried away by zeal, unless he
chanced to be prepared and armed and set in battle array to
meet as an enemy from afar what was advancing to injure
him. So not even by tens of thousands, as the saying goes,
would this sweet disposition of his have been altered. For his
wrath was not like that of the serpent, 53 causing him to
smolder within, and to be ready to defend himself, nor quick
to anger from the first excitement or exhibiting a desire of
retaliation, but like the sting of the bee, that strikes but does
not bring death. His benevolence was superhuman. The wheel
and the lash were often threatened, and men were at hand
to apply them, but the danger ended in the pinching of the
ear or the slapping of the cheek or the cuffing of the temple.
In this fashion was the threat carried out. When clothing
and shoes were pulled off and the culprit stretched upon the
ground, his anger was directed, not against the evil-doer,
but against his eager assistant, as a minister of evils. How
could anyone have appeared kindlier or worthier to offer gifts
to God? Often, he had scarcely begun to be stirred to anger
when he immediately made excuses for the one who had
provoked him, blushing for his faults as though they were his
own.
51 Cf. Ps. 74.9.
52 Cf. Ps. 93.1.
53 Cf. Ps. 57.5.
ON HIS FATHER 139
(26) The dew would more easily endure the morning
rays of the sun than any trace of anger be left in his heart.
As soon as he spoke, his indignation departed with his words,
leaving behind only his love for the good and never lasting
longer than the sun. He did not cherish the anger that brings
ruin even to the prudent or show any mark on his body of any
passion within, preserving his calmness even when he was
roused. The most surprising result of all this was that while
he was not the only one to deliver censure, he was the only
one to be both loved and admired by those he reproved, since
his goodness overcame his warmth of feeling. And surely it is
more profitable to be chastised by a just man than to be
anointed by a bad one, for the asperity of the one is pleasant
because of its usefulness while the goodness of the other is
suspect because of his wickedness.
Although he was so simple and godlike of soul and char-
acter, he was yet an object of fear to the insolent because
of his piety, or, rather, nothing made such an impression on
them as the simplicity they despised. It was impossible for
him to utter a prayer or an imprecation without the im-
mediate bestowal of some lasting benefit or temporary pain.
For the prayer proceeded from his inmost heart, while the
imprecation was only on his lips, as a fatherly rebuke. Indeed,
to many of those who offended him requital was not slow in
coming, nor was the judgment upon them of lagging foot, to
use the words of the poet. 54 But they were struck down at
the very moment of passion, were brought to their senses,
turned to him, fell on their knees before him, obtained pardon,
and withdrew, gloriously vanquished, and became better men,
both for the chastisement and the pardon. Forgiveness also is
often of great avail for salvation, as it curbs the evil-doer
through shame and leads him from fear to love, a safer
frame of mind. Some who were chastised were tossed by oxen,
54 The source of the allusion is unknown.
140 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
galled by the loops of the yoke, who suddenly rushed upon
them, since the beasts had never suffered this treatment be-
fore. Others were thrown down and trampled upon by even
the tamest and most obedient horses. Others were seized by
intolerable fevers and troubled by visions of their daring
deeds. Still others were disciplined in different ways and
learned obedience from the things they suffered.
(27) Such, therefore, being the outstanding character and
renown of his mildness, did he yield the palm to others in
industry and excellence in practical affairs? By no means.
While he himself was gentle, if any one ever was, his energy
was in proportion to his gentleness. Although the two qualities,
simplicity and severity, are generally repugnant and opposed
to each other, the one naturally implying gentleness without
enterprise, the other energy without kindliness, in him they
were blended in a marvelous unity. On the one hand, he
acted like a severe man, yet he displayed gentleness. On the
other, he readily gave way as though a stranger to practical
affairs, yet he displayed energy in patronage, in fearlessness
of speech, and in every kind of ministry. He combined the
wisdom of the serpent in regard to evil with the simplicity of
the dove in regard to good, nor did he suffer his wisdom to
degenerate into evil action, nor his simplicity into stupidity,
but he fashioned and perfected from both, so far as it was
possible, one form of virtue. Since he became so outstanding
in character and in the exercise of his priesthood, what wonder
is it that he was deemed worthy of the manifestations by which
God confirms piety?
(28) One of the wonders concerning him was that he
suffered sickness and bodily infirmity. But why should it be
surprising that holy men suffer ills, either for the purification
of some small stain, or for proving their virtue or testing
their philosophy, or for the instruction of the weaker, who
learn from their example to be brave instead of faint-hearted
ON HIS FATHER 141
in misfortune? He was sick, then, and the time of his sickness
was the holy and glorious Easter, the queen of days, that
splendid night that dissipates the darkness of sin, in which
we celebrate with abundant light the feast of our salvation,
and in which, dying with the Light who died on our behalf,
we rise again with Him who rose. This was the time of his
affliction. Its nature, to describe it briefly, was as follows. A
violent, burning fever consumed all his vitals, his strength
had failed, he was unable to take food, his sleep had departed,
he was in great distress, suffering from palpitation of the heart.
The whole interior of his mouth, including the palate and
the whole upper surface, had broken out into so many and
such virulent and incessant ulcers that the swallowing even
of water was not easy or without danger. Neither the skill
of doctors, nor the prayers of his friends, however assiduous,
nor any healing application was of avail. He was, then, in
this condition, breathing shortly and with difficulty, not even
perceiving those present, but wholly intent upon his departure
and the things he had long desired and now made ready for
him.
We were in God's temple, and occupied both with the
sacred rites and with our supplications, for we had despaired
of all else and betaken ourselves to the great Physician and
the power of that night as the last source of succor. With
what intention, shall I say? To celebrate the feast or to mourn?
To keep 'the festival or honor with funeral services one no
longer here? Oh, those tears then shed by the whole people !
Oh, the voices, and cries, and hymns mingled with the
singing of psalms! They sought the priest from the temple,
the minister from the sacred rites, their worthy protector from
God. My Mary 55 led them and struck the timbrel, 56 not of
triumph but of supplication, learning then for the first time
55 St. Nonna, his mother.
56 Cf. Exod. 15.20.
142 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
to put aside shame in the face of sorrow, and calling both
upon the people and upon God: upon the people, to sym-
pathize with her in her distress and to vie in pouring out their
tears; upon God, that He might hear her petitions, reminding
Him, with the inventive power of grief, of all His miracles in
former times.
(29) What, then, was the response of the God of that
night and of the sick man? Trembling comes upon me as I
continue the story. And you, too, may tremble as you listen
to me, but do not disbelieve for that would be impious,
since I myself am the relater and it concerns him. The time
of the mystery was at hand. All were reverently in their
places, in order and in silence for the sacred rites. My father
was then revived by Him who raises the dead to life, and by the
holy night. At first he moved a little, then with more vigor.
Then he called by name, very weakly and in an indistinct
voice, one of the servants who were attending him, and bade
him come forward and bring his clothes and lend his hand
to support him. He came in consternation, and eagerly
ministered to him. My father, making use of the guiding hand
as a staff, imitated Moses on the mount, and forming his
enfeebled hands in an attitude of prayer, and in union with or
in behalf of the people, eagerly celebrated the Mysteries. 57 He
employed few words, such as his weakened condition allowed,
but his intention, as it seems to me, was most perfect. What a
most unusual and miraculous situation! In the sanctuary
without a sanctuary, a sacrificer without an altar, a priest far
from the sacred rites yet all these things were at hand for
him by the power of the Holy Spirit, and recognized by him,
but completely invisible to those present. Then, after the
customary words of thanksgiving and the blessing of the
57 St. Gregory does not mean that his father actually said Mass in
his room, but that he was able to stand and say a few liturgical
prayers while the Eucharistic Sacrifice was being offered in his
church.
ON HIS FATHER 143
people, he reclined again on his bed. After he took a little
food and enjoyed some sleep, his spirit was revived and his
health was gradually restored. When the new day of the feast
came, for that is what we call the first Sunday after the Resur-
rection, he repaired to the temple of God, and with the
whole congregation of his church present, he celebrated the
renewal of his health and offered the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
To me this event seems to be worthy of being regarded in
the same category as the miracle of Ezechias, 58 who, when
he was sick and prayed, was glorified by God with an ex-
tension of life. And this was signified by the bringing back of
the shadow of the lines, 59 according to the petition of him who
was restored. And God honored him at once both by the
favor and the sign, confirming the extension of his days
by the extension of the day.
(30) The same miracle occurred not long afterwards in
the case of my mother, and it, too, ought not to be passed over.
For I shall both pay her the honor which no one deserves
more than she, and gratify him by associating her with him in
my narrative. Hardy and vigorous and free from disease all
her life, she herself was seized with sickness. Of the many
ills she suffered, not to prolong my story, nothing affected her
so grievously as the inability to eat. Her life was in danger
for many days, and no remedy for the disease could be found.
How did God sustain her? Not by raining down manna, as
of old for Israel, 60 nor by striking the rock that gushed forth
water for the thirsting people, 61 nor by feeding her with the
help of ravens, as the great Elias, 62 nor by satisfying her need
by a prophet carried through the air, as was done for Daniel
of old when he suffered hunger in the lions 3 den. 63 In what
58 Cf. 4 Kings 20.1ff.
59 Cf. Isa. 38.8.
60 Cf. Exod. 16.14.
61 Cf. Exod. 17.6.
62 Cf. 3 Kings 17.6.
63 Cf. Dan.14.33.
144 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
manner, then? She thought that she saw me, her darling for
not even in dreams did she prefer any other of us come up
to her suddenly in the night with a basket of purest white
bread, and after blessing and signing it with the cross ac-
cording to my custom, feed and comfort her, and that she
then recovered her strength. And this vision of the night was
a thing of reality. For from that time she returned to herself
and was of better hope. This is evidenced by a clear and
manifest token. For on the day after, when I visited her
early in the morning, I noticed at once that she was more
cheerful. Then I asked her as usual how she had passed the
night and whether she required anything. 'You fed me very
readily and kindly, my son,' she said, c and now you ask how
I am ! I feel splendid, and quite comfortable.' And at the same
time her attendants made signs to me not to gainsay her and
to accept her answer at once, lest she might be struck by
despondency if the truth were revealed. I will add one more
instance, common to both.
(31) I was voyaging from Alexandria to Greece over the
Parthenian Sea. I sailed at a very unseasonable time, on an
Aeginetan ship, impelled as I was by eager desire. What
especially influenced me was that I had fallen in with a crew
whom I knew well. We had proceeded but a little way when a
violent storm arose, and one such as my shipmates said they
had seldom experienced before. While all were afraid of a
common death, I was in greater fear of spiritual death. Un-
fortunately, I was in danger of departing from life unbaptized,
and I yearned for the spiritual water amid the waters of death.
Therefore, I cried aloud and begged and implored a brief
space of time. And my shipmates, in spite of their common
danger, joined in my cries as not even many relatives would
have done, being kindly strangers who had learned sympathy
from their perils. Thus did I suffer, and my parents suffered
with me, sharing my danger which became known to them in
ON HIS FATHER 145
a dream. And they brought help from the land, calming the
waves by prayer, as afterwards we learned upon reckoning
the time when I returned home. This was also revealed
to me in a salutary sleep which I at length experienced when
the storm abated a little. I seemed to be holding fast to a Fury
of fearful aspect, threatening danger, for the night represented
her clearly to me. Another of my fellow voyagers, a boy very
well disposed and dear to me and deeply concerned for me,
under the circumstances, thought he saw my mother walk
upon the sea and seize the ship and with no great effort draw
it to land. And this vision was believed, for the sea began to
grow calm, and we quickly arrived at Rhodes, without ex-
periencing any great distress in the meantime. As a result of
that peril, we ourselves became an offering. We promised
ourselves to God if we were saved, and, on being saved, we
gave ourselves to Him.
(32) Such were the experiences common to both. But I
think that some of those who know his life well have long
been wondering why we have delayed on these points, as
though we regarded them as his only claim to renown, and
postponed mention of the difficulties of his times, against
which he manifestly arrayed himself, as though he were un-
aware of them or did not consider them important. Come,
then, let us add these also to our narrative. Our age brought
forth its first and I think its last evil in the emperor 64 who was
an apostate from God and reason. He deemed it a small
matter to conquer the Persians, but one of the greatest im-
portance to subject the Christians to his power. Together with
the demons who led him and influenced him, he refrained
from no form of wickedness, persuading, threatening, cajoling,
and trying to draw them to himself not only by trickery but
also by force. He could not indeed escape detection in striving
to cloak persecution under sophistical artifices, nor in his
64 Julian the Apostate.
146 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
manifest use of authority, as he endeavored, in one way or
another, by guile or force, to get us completely in his power.
Who can be found who more utterly despised or defeated
him than my father? Among many other proofs of his con-
tempt may be mentioned the incident of the bowmen and
their commander whom he despatched against our churches
with the object of receiving their surrender or reducing them
by force. For when, after attacking many others, he came
here with like purpose and demanded the surrender of God's
temple on the orders of the emperor, he failed to accomplish
his objective to such a degree that, unless he had quickly
given way to my father, either by his own decision or upon
the advice of some one else, he would have departed -with
his feet mangled, so on fire was the priest with wrath and
zeal against him in behalf of his shrine. And how could any-
one appear to have effected the emperor's downfall more than
he? In public, and with no fear of the times, he assailed the
accursed one with the united prayers and petitions of the
whole people; in private, he set his nocturnal array against
him, wearing away those aged and tender limbs by lying on
the ground and by watering the earth with his tears for al-
most a whole year. These practices he pursued for love of
Him who alone knows secret things, striving to conceal them
from us because of a piety removed from display, as I have
said. And certainly he would have completely escaped notice
had not I myself come suddenly into his room, and, having
seen the signs of his lying on the ground, questioned his at-
tendants what they meant, and so learned the mystery of the
night.
(33) But there is a further story of the same period and
of the same courage. The city of Caesarea was in turmoil over
the election of a bishop. One had just departed and another
was being sought, and there arose a violent dissension that
could not be easily resolved. The city was naturally inclined
ON HIS FATHER 147
to be especially factious in this matter because of the fervor
of its faith, and the splendor of the see only increased the
rivalry. Such were the circumstances, and several bishops
were at hand to consecrate the candidate chosen. The mul-
titude was split up into many factions, all proposing different
candidates, and, as usually happens in such cases, according
as one chanced to be influenced by friendship for an individual
or by piety toward God. Finally, the whole people, with one
assent, selected by force one of their leading citizens, 65 a
man of the highest character, but one who had not yet been
sealed with holy baptism. Seizing him against his will, and
with the help of the military detachment then in the city,
they brought him into in the sanctuary and, leading him to
the bishops, begged them to consecrate him and proclaim
him bishop, mingling persuasion with force. They did not act
in very orderly fashion, to be sure, but with great piety and
ardor. And here it is not possible to mention anyone whom
time showed more illustrious or more religious than he.
What happened then, and what course did the disorder
take? The bishops were constrained, they purified him, pro-
claimed him, enthroned him, but by physical action rather
than by spiritual judgment and disposition. This is manifest
from what followed. For when they gladly withdrew and
regained their freedom of judgment, they entered into council
among themselves that they were moved by the Spirit I
am dubious. They resolved, at any rate, to consider nothing
that had been done as valid, nor the appointment legitimate,
pleading violence against him who had suffered no less
violence, and seizing upon certain words uttered at the time
more rashly than wisely.
But the great bishop and just appraiser of affairs was not
carried away by those who adopted this course of action, nor
did he approve their decision. He remained unbending and
65 Eusebius.
148 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
indomitable, as if no pressure at all had been put on him.
For, since the violence was common, it followed necessarily
that, if they brought a charge against him, they were open
to a countercharge; or, if they acquitted him, they could
likewise be acquitted; or, more justly still, not even if they
acquitted him could they thereby be acquitted. If they were
deserving of pardon, he certainly was, also ; and if he was not
to be excused, much less should they. For it would have
been far better to have run the risk at the time and to have
resisted to the very end than later to form designs against him,
and in this crisis especially, when it would be better to dis-
solve existing enmities than to devise new ones. For matters
stood as follows.
(34) The emperor was at hand, raging against the
Christians. He was incensed at the consecration and threatened
the new bishop, and the city was in the most immanent
peril, 66 as to whether it would cease to exist after that day,
or survive and receive some merciful treatment. The un-
usual character of the election had added to the exasperation
he felt at the destruction of the temple of Fortune in a time
of prosperity, and he concluded that he had been robbed of
his authority. The governor of the province was anxious
to turn the occasion to his own account, and was somewhat
ill disposed 'to the new bishop, inasmuch as he had never been
on friendly terms with him, because of disagreement on
political grounds. He summoned the consecrators by letter,
requesting them to bring charges against the new bishop, and
in no gentle terms, but adding threats, as though this was com-
manded by the emperor. When the letter reached my father
also, he replied without fear or delay. Let us consider the re-
markable courage and spirit of his answer: 'Most excellent
governor, we have one examiner and one Emperor of all our
66 The Greek reads literally 'on a razor's edge/ an expression going
back to Homer, Iliad 10.173.
ON HIS FATHER 149
actions, and He is now under attack. He will scrutinize the
present election, which we have carried out in a manner that
was lawful and pleasing to Him. In any other matter you may
very easily employ force if you wish to do so, but no one shall
take from us the right to defend what has been done as rightly
and justly done. Unless you pass a law to that effect, you have
no right to meddle in our affairs.'
The recipient himself admired this letter, although for a
while he was annoyed, according to the reports of many of
those familiar with the case. It also stayed the onset of the
emperor, and delivered the city from danger, and ourselves
and it is not inappropriate for me to add from disgrace. This
was the work of a bishop of a small city and a suffragan
see. Is it not far better to hold such a primacy than to speak
forth from a superior see, to be strong in action rather than
in name?
(35) Who is so far removed from our world as not to
know what is last in order of his deeds but the first and
greatest in significance? The same city was again in turmoil
over the same matter when the bishop who had suffered
honorable violence had been suddenly carried off and had
departed to God, for whom he had contended so nobly and
courageously in the persecutions. The agitation was as heated
as it was unreasonable. Who was pre-eminent, as not even
the sun among the stars, was not unknown; it was perfectly
clear, not only to all others, but to the select and purest
portion of the people, those concerned with the sanctuary,
and the Nazarites 67 among us. To them alone, or to them
above all, should the right of making such appointments be-
long, for thus there would be no evil for the Church, instead of
for the most wealthy and powerful, or for the impulse and
rashness of the people, and even for the most corrupt of these.
But now I am almost ready to consider that civil government
67 I.e., the monks.
150 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
is more orderly than ours, to which divine grace is attributed,
and that such matters are better controlled by fear than by
reason. For who of sound mind could ever have approached
another, ignoring your sacred and divine person, 68 molded by
the hands of the Lord, the unwedded, without possessions, all
but lacking flesh and blood, who in your words come next to
the Word Himself, wise among philosophers, superior to the
world among the worldly, my companion and my associate,
and, to speak more daringly, the sharer of my soul, the partner
of my life and education? I wish I were free to speak and des-
cribe you before others and not, because of your presence, be
forced to consider each point carefully and pass over most of
your praises, lest I be suspected of flattery. To return to what I
began to say, the Spirit knew His own, for how could it be
otherwise? But envy stood in the way, and on the part of
those whom I am ashamed to mention. And would that it
were not possible to hear it from others, who make it a point
to ridicule our affairs. But passing this by, as rivers pass by
rocks in the middle of their courses, let us honor with silence
what deserves to be forgotten and proceed to what comes
next in our discourse.
(36) The man of the Spirit had a clear insight into
the things of the Spirit, and therefore he felt that he ought not
to adopt a submissive attitude, nor contend with the aid of
factions and prejudices, which depend more on favor than
on God, but to look to one thing only, the good of the Church
and the common salvation of all. Accordingly, he wrote letters,
gave advice, united the people, the priests, and all others con-
nected with the sanctuary. He gave testimony, he voted and
ordained, even while he was absent, and he assumed the
prerogative of age in exercising authority over strangers as if
they were his own people. Finally, since it was necessary that
68 St. Basil is being addressed in these terms.
ON HIS FATHER 151
his consecration be canonical and one bishop of the number 63
required for the proclamation was lacking, dragging himself
from his couch, although broken by age and disease, he
hastened courageously to the city, or rather he was borne
along, with body dead or scarcely breathing, persuaded that,
if anything happened to him, this zeal of his would be a noble
burial. Thereupon occurred a prodigy not unworthy of belief.
He grew strong from the great exertion and, vigorous from
his zeal, he took charge of affairs, he participated in the
conflict, enthroned the bishop, and was escorted home, no
longer on a funeral bier but as if in a divine ark. His forbear-
ance, which I have but lately ceased praising, was in this case
even more fully shown. For when his colleagues could not
brook the shame of defeat and the influence of the old man in
affairs, and for that reason began to be annoyed at him and
abuse him, he had the strength of endurance to overcome
them also, finding in moderation his most effective ally, and
in declining to meet abuse with abuse. For what a terrible
thing it would be, he felt, if, when he had actually won the
victory, he should suffer himself to be vanquished by his
tongue. Consequently, he so won them over by his forbear-
ance, gaming time also as an aid for his judgment, that with
their irritation changing to admiration they fell at his feet and
excused themselves. They were ashamed of their previous
conduct and, casting aside their hatred, submitted to him as
their patriarch, their lawgiver, and their judge.
(37) The same zeal was shown in his opposition to the
heretics, when, inspired by the emperor's 70 impiety, they
marched against us with the purpose of vanquishing us also
and of adding us to the others who were nearly all enslaved.
For here, too, he was of no little assistance, both in his own
69 Three bishops were required to be present.
70 Valens.
152 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
person, and through ourselves perhaps, whom he urged on,
like well-bred dogs, against these most savage beasts, striving
to train us in piety. One thing I have to blame in both of you,
and I beg you not to be vexed at my frankness in speaking,
for I will disclose the cause of my pain, even though you find
this somewhat annoying. When I was disgusted with the
evils of this life, and filled with a passionate desire for solitude,
such, to my knowledge, as no one of our age possessed, when I
strove eagerly to avoid the surge and dust of public life and
escape to a place of safety, somehow or other you seized me
and, by the glorious title of the priesthood, handed rne over
to this mean and treacherous mart of souls. As a result, some
evils have befallen me and others are yet to be expected. For
the man who has suffered in the past is somewhat diffident
of the future, even though reason in its optimism may urge
the contrary.
(38) There is another excellence of his which I must not
leave unmentioned. He was capable of great endurance in all
respects and was superior to the garment of the flesh. During
his last sickness, a long and dangerous one, adding its assault to
the affliction of old age, he had the weakness common to all
men, but there was a circumstance that was not common, but
was quite characteristic of him, and in keeping with the other
marvels. Although there was never a time when he was not
troubled by suffering but was in pain often every day, some-
times hourly, his only relief was the liturgy, to which his suf-
fering gave way, as though banished by decree. When he had
lived almost a hundred years, exceeding David's limits of
man's age, 71 and had spent forty-five years, the average
span of human life, in the priesthood, he closed his life in
a good old age. And in what manner? With the words and
habit of prayer, leaving behind no trace of vice, but many
memorials of virtue. In consequence, there was for him, on
71 Cf. Ps. 89.10.
ON HIS FATHER 153
the lips and in the hearts of all, a reverence greater than
the lot of man. And it is not easy to find anyone who recol-
lects him and does not lay his hand upon his mouth, as
Scripture says, 72 and honor his memory. Such was his life and
such its completion and perfection.
(39) Since it was fitting that a memorial of his mag-
nanimity be left for posterity, what was more appropriate than
this temple, which he erected for God and for us, helped a
little, certainly, by the people, but defraying the greater por-
tion of the cost from his own means? It is a work not to be
passed over in silence, for in size it surpasses most and in beauty
nearly all. Graced with eight regular equilaterals, it rises aloft
in the beauty of its two stories of pillars and porticoes, adorned
with lifelike statues. Its vault above is brilliant, dazzling the
eyes with its abundant sources of light, truly the dwelling place
of light. It is surrounded by jutting equiangular ambulatories
of the most brilliant material, which encompass a wide area
within them. It is splendid in the loveliness of its doors and
vestibules and welcomes those approaching from afar. I
have not yet spoken of its external adornment, the beauty and
size of its square and perfectly fitted stonework, both the
marble in the bases and capitals which cover the corners,
and the native stone, inferior in no way to that from abroad.
Nor have I mentioned the various and multicolored friezes,
projecting or inlaid, from the foundation to the roof, which
taxes the spectator by limiting his view. How could a brief
account do justice to a work requiring so much time and so
much toil? Or will it be enough to say that while many works,
both private and public, adorn other cities, this by itself alone
has been able to render us celebrated among men everywhere?
Such is his temple. But since there was also need of a priest,
he provided one at his own expense. Whether he was worthy
of the temple, I cannot say, but at any rate he provided him.
72 Cf. Job 39.34.
154 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
And when sacrifices were required, he supplied them also in
the misfortunes of his son and his patience in adversity, that
God might receive from him a rational holocaust, a spiritual
victim, to be consumed instead of the sacrifice of the Law.
(40) What do you say, my father? It this enough, and
do you accept this eulogy accompanying you to the tomb as
recompense for those labors you undertook for my education?
And according to your old custom, do you grant peace to my
discourse, and set a limit upon it, shunning excess, that it
may be of right measure? Or do you require some addition?
You bid me cease, I know, for I have spoken long enough.
But let me add one thing more. Reveal to us what glory you
enjoy, what light encompasses you, and receive in the same
abode your consort, soon to follow you, and the children you
laid to rest before you, and me, also, when I have suffered
no further or little more at least of the ills of this life. And
before coming to that abode, receive me in this sweet stone,
which you erected for both of us, honoring even here your
priest and namesake. Excuse me both for the people whom
I left and for the people whom for your sake I accepted. 73
And guide safe from danger the whole flock and all the
bishops, whose father you were called, and especially me, who
was overpowered by you and coerced in fatherly and spiritual
guise, so that I may not entirely blame you for that tyranny.
(41) But what think you, 74 O judge of our words and
actions? If my discourse has been adequate and meets with
your desire, indicate this by your decision and we shall accept
it. For your decision is really the decision of God. But if it
falls far short of his glory and your expectations, I have an ally
near at hand. Let your voice be heard, awaited by his merits
as a shower in season. Surely, he had bound you to himself
by the closest ties, as pastor to pastor and as a father to his
73 He resigned the see of Sasima to become Bishop of Nazianzus.
74 St. Basil is being addressed here.
ON HIS FATHER 155
son in grace. What wonder, if he 75 who through you has
thundered to the whole world should himself also reap some
benefit from your voice. It remains only to join in spiritual
reflection on the last rites with our spiritual Sara, the life-
long partner of our father Abraham.
(42) The nature of God and men, my mother, or, to
speak more generally, the nature of divine things and earthly
things is not the same. The divine both in its essence and in its
properties is unchangeable and immortal, for the attributes
of things constant remain constant. But how is it with us? Our
nature is in a state of flux and corruption and suffers change
upon change. Life and death as they are called, although they
seem to differ very much, somehow succeed and replace each
other. The one, beginning from the corruption which is our
mother, passes through the corruption which is the uninter-
rupted change of the present, and ends in the corruption
which is the dissolution of this life. The other, which gives us
release from present ills and often translates us to the life
above, cannot, to my way of thinking, properly be called
death, as it is fearful more in name than in reality. We are
even likely to be somewhat unreasonably afraid of what is
not fearful and to pursue as preferable what ought to be
feared. There is one life: to look to life. There is one death,
sin, for it is the destruction of the soul. But all else, in which
some take pride, is but a dreamful vision mocking realities,
and deceitful phantasms of the soul. If such is our nature,
mother, we shall neither pride ourselves on life, nor be over-
troubled by death. What dread fate do we suffer in being
transferred hence to the true life, if, on being released from
the vicissitudes, the insolence, the turmoil, and the base tribute
exacted by this life, we shall be amid stable and unvarying
things, as little lights which dance about the great Light?
75 St. Gregory the Elder was largely responsible for St. Basil's elevation
to the episcopacy.
156 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN
(43) Does the thought of separation grieve you? Then
let hope cheer you. Is widowhood a grievous burden? Yet it is
not grievous to him. And where is love's goodness, if it gives
the easier role to itself and the more arduous one to its
neighbor? Why should it even be grievous at all to one who
is soon to be dissolved? The appointed day is neaj* at hand;
the pain will not last long. Let us not by. ignoble thinking
give weight to the merest trifles. Great is the loss we have
suffered, for great was the blessing we enjoyed. .Loss is
common to all, but the enjoyment of blessings belongs to but
few. Without being depressed by the first thought, let us be
consoled by the second. For it is more reasonable that the
better should prevail. You have endured most bravely and
sensibly the loss of children still in their prime and qualified
for longer life. Endure also the laying away of an aged frame,
already weary of life, although the vigor of his mind preserved
his senses unimpaired. But you need someone to care for you?
Where, then, is this Isaac of yours, whom he has left behind
for you in place of all? Ask him for small favors, such as
lending you his hand and serving you, and repay him with
the greater benefits of a mother's benediction, and prayers,
and the freedom of heaven. Are you vexed at being ad-
monished? I praise you for it. For you yourself have., admon-
ished many who in the course of your long life have availed
themselves of your sagacity. In no way do my words apply to
you who are supremely wise. But let them be a common balm
of consolation to those who mourn that they may realize that
they are mortals escorting mortals to the grave.
Translated by
JOHN J. SULLIVAN, C. S. Sp., Ph.D.
Duquesne University
and
MARTIN R. P. McGUIRE, Ph.D.
The Catholic University of America
INTRODUCTION
RANIUS SATYRUS, brother of St. Ambrose, died early
in the year 375 (not in 379, as is still stated in most
books of reference). The two brothers had been
closely associated from boyhood and were unusually devoted to
each other through similarity of temperament and their com-
mon pursuit of the highest Christian ideals. Both had entered
upon careers in the imperial service and had risen to high
posts. When Ambrose was unexpectedly elected Bishop of
Milan, Satyrus resigned his position in the imperial govern-
ment and returned to Milan, where he devoted himself to the
administration of the family property and also relieved Am-
brose to a large degree from the temporal cares of his episcopal
household and diocese. Satyrus was excessively shy and simple
in manner, but was a most efficient and successful admini-
strator. He also revealed great tact in composing occasional
differences which arose between St. Ambrose himself and
their strong-willed sister, Marcellina, the eldest of the three.
From an early age, she had become a consecrated virgin, and
lived in her mother's house at Rome, Satyrus, whose health
was not too robust, fell seriously ill after shipwreck and ex-
posure on a return voyage from Africa in 374 and died shortly
after reaching home. The grief of Ambrose and his sister for
159
160 ST. AMBROSE
such a devoted brother was very great and it was shared by the
public at large, for Satyrus was universally admired and
loved for his amiability and fairness.
The body of Satyrus lay in state for a week, and was then
carried by the nearest relatives accompanied by a vast throng
of people, in funeral procession, to the cemetery church at
Milan, where Mass was celebrated. Marcellina was present
at the funeral. Following the reading of the Gospel, St. Am-
brose mastered his deep grief sufficiently to deliver a very
touching and personal funeral oration, On the Death of His
Brother Satyrus. This oration, which was undoubtedly re-
corded by notaries, was subsequently revised and expanded
and given the final form in which we now read it.
It was also customary to commemorate the dead on the
third and the thirtieth, or on the seventh and fortieth day,
after the funeral. Mass was offered, and a commemorative
address was frequently delivered. Accordingly, St. Ambrose
gave a second funeral oration on his brother on the seventh
day after the funeral. This address was carefully prepared
and written out before delivery. It is less personal and more
definitely related to the pagan literary genre known as the
consolation. While drawing freely from 'pagan models, and
especially from the lost De consolatione of Cicero, St. Am-
brose naturally lays greater emphasis on the consolation to be
derived from basic Christian ideas on death and resurrection.
The idea of resurrection, in fact, is stressed so much that
this second oration is frequently called On Faith in the Resur-
rection (De fide resurrectionis] or On the Resurrection of
the Dead (De resurrectione mortuorum) in many manuscripts.
St. Ambrose himself, moreover, in a later work (Enarr. in ps.
1 .5 1 ) refers to his two orations on Satyrus as his 'books on
consolation and resurrection. 3 The first oration in its elaborated
written form was thus combined with the second and regarded
as a work in two books dealing with the theme indicated.
FIRST ORATION
|E HAVE BROUGHT HERE, beloved brethren, my sacri-
fice in the person of my lord and brother Satyrus,
an untainted victim and one pleasing to God. I
was mindful that he was subject to death and the thought
;was not false, but grace has abounded beyond measure. 1
Consequently, far from complaining, I even have reason to
thank God. For my desire has ever been that, in any troubles
awaiting either the Church or me, they should fall rather
upon me and my household. Thanks be to God, therefore,
that in the present state of universal apprehension, when
barbarian invasions make for every sort of misgiving, 2 my
personal sorrow has put an end to public grieving, and there
has been visited upon me the kind of calamity that we were
fearing for all. I only wish that this has been fully accom-
plished here, namely, that my sorrow is the price paid for
ransoming the people from their sorrow.
(2) I have considered nothing, dear brethren, in human
relationships more priceless than such a brother, nothing
worthier of my affection, nothing more dear. But public
1 Cf. 1 Tim. 1.14.
2 The barbarian peril referred to would seem to be the threatened
invasion of Italy by the Quadi and Sarmatians in 374-375, which,
however, did not materialize
161
162 ST. AMBROSE
concerns come before personal matters. Were someone also to
sound my brother's sentiments, it would be discovered that
he would prefer to be slain for others than to live for himself,
since for that reason Christ according to the flesh died for all,
so that we might learn to live not for ourselves alone. 3
(3) Furthermore, I cannot be ungrateful to God. For it
should be a cause for joy that I had such a brother rather
than a source of sorrow for having lost him. For to have had
him was a gift; to have lost him was the price to be paid.
Hence, so long as it was permitted, I enjoyed the loan en-
trusted to me. Now, He who deposited the loan has withdrawn
it. There is no difference between swearing that no loan has
been made and grieving because it has been returned. In
either case, faith wavers and salvation is in peril. If refusal to
repay a debt is a fault, is refusal to make a sacrifice an act
of virtue? Granted a lender of money can be tricked out of
his wealth, the Author of nature, who lends us our kinsmen?
cannot be cheated. The greater the amount of the sum loaned,
the more handsome must be the interest to be paid on the
capital.
(4) Hence, I cannot be ungrateful over my brother. He
has given back only what is common to nature and he has
merited the reward which belongs to grace alone. For who
can raise objection to a condition universal in application?
Who can grieve because a security especially dear to him has
been taken away, when for our comfort the Father delivered
His only Son unto death for us? 4 Who should fancy that he
ought to be exempted from dying, if he has not been exempted
from being born? It is a great mystery of divine love that not
even Christ was exempted from bodily death and that, even
though Lord of nature, He did not object to the law of the
flesh which He had taken upon Himself. I must die. For
3 Cf. 2 Cor. 5.15.
4 Cf. Rom. 8.32.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : I 163
Him there was no such necessity. Could not He who said of a
servant: c lf I wish him to remain until I come, what is it to
thee?' 5 have Himself remained alive if He had so wished?
But by his continuance in this life, he would have lost his
reward and nullified my sacrifice. What greater comfort have
we, therefore, than the fact that even Christ died according to
the flesh? Or why should I weep excessively over my brother,
so long as I know that the divine love of Christ could not die?
(5) Why should I be the one to show more grief for my
brother than all you other mourners? I have dissolved my
personal grief in the public sorrow, especially since mine is
of no avail, while yours builds up faith and provides comfort.
You who are wealthy mourn, and by your mourning you
show that accumulated riches are no aid to salvation. For
death cannot be put off with a payment of money, and the
last day carries off rich and poor alike. You who are old
mourn, because in this situation you fear for the lot of your
children. Since, then, you cannot prolong human life, train
your children not for the enjoyment of the body but for the
service of virtue. Even you who are in the bloom of youth
grieve, because the end of life is not ripe old age. The poor,
too, have mourned, and, what is much more valuable and
fruitful, they have washed away his transgressions by their
tears. These are ransoming tears, these are groans that conceal
the sorrow of death, this is the grief which hides the feeling
of former grief by the fullness of an unending joy. Therefore,
while the funeral is that of a private individual, there is
general mourning. Hence, that mourning cannot last long
which is hallowed by the affection of all.
(6) Why, indeed, should I weep for you, my dearest
brother, when you were thus taken away from me that all
might have you in common? I have not lost you; I have
simply altered my manner of enjoying you. Before, we were
5 John 21.22.
164 ST. AMBROSE
inseparable In a corporeal sense; now, we are undivided in
our affection. For you abide with me, and you will abide with
me forever. When you were living among us, our country
never took you away from me. You yourself never preferred
our country to me, and now you have given me our other
country. For I have begun to be no longer a stranger in the
land where the better portion of myself now is, I really never
lived for myself alone, since the better part of both of us was
in each other. Yet we were both in Christ, in whom is the
sum of all things and the portion of every individual. This
grave, within which is the fruit not of nature but of grace, is
more precious to me than our native soil In your body, which
now lies lifeless, is the better effort of my life, and in this body
also, which I carry about, the richer portion belongs to you.
(7) As I recall you with gratitude, so I wish that I could
breathe into your life whatever of vital spirit I possess, and
that half of my days might be cut off and be available for
your enjoyment! For it would seem proper that we who al-
ways kept our paternal inheritance undivided should not
have our span of years divided, or, at least, that we who have
lived inseparable lives should not have separate appointments
with death.
(8) But now, brother, what progress can I make, in
what direction shall I turn! If ever an ox has sought the
stricken mate with which it was accustomed to be yoked to the
plow, and has felt that a part of itself is missing, and has
given proof of its tender affection by frequent bellowing, why,
brother, should I not long for you? How can I ever forget the
one with whom I always drew the plow of this life? In labor
I was inferior to you, but in love no less united. I was not
suitable so much because of my own strength as endurable
through your patience. With anxious and devoted affection
you always protected my side with yours as a brother in
ON HIS BROTHER,, SATYRUS I I 165
love, as a father in your care, as an elder in solicitude, and
is a younger person in respect. Hence, in one relationship
^ou so exercised the offices of several toward me that in
you I seek, not one, but many lost dear ones. In you, flattery
was unknown, and dutiful affection was manifest. Your
love was so all-embracing that you had nothing to add by
resorting to guile. Thus, you could not receive an increase and
^ou did not look forward to reciprocation,
(9) But where is such unrestrained sorrow carrying me
in my recollection of kindness and forgetfulness of duty? The
Apostle recalls me and puts a curb on my grief, saying, as you
recently heard: 'We would not, brethren, have you ignorant
concerning those who are asleep, lest you should grieve, even
as others who have no hope. 56 Forgive me, dear brethren.
For not all of us can say : 'Be ye imitators of me, as I am of
Christ.' 7 But if you seek a model to imitate, you have one
whom you can imitate. Though we are not all suited to
teach, would that we were all apt to learn !
(10) But we have not committed a serious fault by our
weeping. Not every display of sorrow is a sign either of a
lack of trust in God or of weakness in ourselves. Natural grief
is one thing, sorrow which comes from lack of hope is another,
and there is a great difference between longing for what you
had and grieving because you have lost it. Not only does sorrow
beget tears, but joy does, also. Piety excites tears, prayer
waters the couch, and supplication, as the Prophet has said,
washes the bed. 8 Whenever a patriarch was buried, his people
wept profusely. Tears are, therefore, indicators of devoted-
ness, not inciters of grief. Hence, I frankly allow that I, too,
have wept, but the Lord also wept. He wept for a stranger;
6 1 Thess. 4.12.
7 1 Cor. 4.16.
8 Cf. Ps. 6.7.
166 ST. AMBROSE
I weep for my brother. 9 In one He wept for all; I will weep
for you, my brother, through all.
(11) He wept not through His feeling of emotion but
through ours, for the Godhead knows no tears. He wept in the
human nature in which He was sad. 10 He wept in the human
nature in which He was crucified, in which He died, in which
He was buried. He wept in that nature of which today the
Prophet spoke, saying: 'Shall not Mother Sion say: Man and
man is born in her and the Highest Himself hath founded
her?' 11 He wept in the nature in which He called Sion
Mother, being conceived of the Virgin and born in Judaea.
He could not, however, have a mother according to His
divine nature, because He is his mother's Creator. He was
made, not by divine, but by human generation. Because He
was made man, God was born.
( 12 ) So we have in another place: C A child is born to us,
and a son is given to us. 512 In the term 'child 5 there is an
indication of age; in the term 'son' a reference to the fullness
of Godhead. He was made of His mother, and born of the
Father, but, as the same Person, He was both born and
given. Do not think of two but of one. For the Son of God is
one Person, both born of the Father and sprung from the
Virgin. The names differ in order but unite in one, just as
the Scriptural lesson just read teaches: 'Man was made in
her and the Highest Himself hath founded her. 513 He was
man indeed in body, but the Highest in power. And while
He is both God and man through diversity of nature, He is
the same person, not two persons, though being both God and
man. He has, therefore, something peculiar to His own nature
9 Cf. John 11.35.
10 Cf. Matt. 26.38.
11 Ps. 86.5 (Septuagint) .
12 Isa. 9.6.
13 Ps. 86.5.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRXJS! I 167
and something in common with us, but in both cases He is one
and in both He is perfect.
(13) It should not, therefore, be a cause for wonder that
God made Him both Lord and Christ. He, therefore, made
Him Jesus, Him indeed who received the name in His
human nature. God made Him of whom also the patriarch
David writes: 'Shall not Mother Sion say: Man and man is
born in her and the Highest Himself hath founded her?' 14
He is unlike' the Father, not, of course, in divinity, but in His
body. He is not distinct from the Father except in function.
He remains His associate in power, though separated from
Him in the mystery of the Passion.
(14) A discussion of this topic calls for further exposition
to show the authority of the Father, the attributes of the Son,
and the unity of the whole Trinity. 15 But today I have assumed
the task, not of theological discussion, but of giving con-
solation, even though it is customary in consoling to distract
the soul from sorrow by fixing the attention on discussion. Yet
I wish to temper my grief rather than to destroy my feeling
of affection, to assuage my longing rather than to remove
it from my mind. For I do not want to digress too far from
my brother and be distracted with other matters, since I have
undertaken this address for the sake of being, as it were, his
traveling companion, that in spirit I may attend him longer
on his journey, and embrace with my mind him whom my
eyes behold. I like to fix my whole gaze upon him, to linger
with him, and show him all the offices of the heart, to address
him with all endearing terms. Meanwhile, my mind is numbed
into believing that I have not lost him whom I am still able to
see present. I cannot realize that he is dead, and I am
14 Ps. 86,5.
15 It should be recalled that St. Ambrose was speaking when Arianism
was at its height. Hence his preoccupation with the attributes and
position of Christ in the Trinity.
168 ST. AMBROSE
still not seeking in vain for those services of his to which
I attributed my life and every breath.
(15) How,' then, can I make a return for such kind-
ness and such labors? I, brother, had made you my heir,
and you left me yours. I wanted you to survive me, and I
am your survivor. That I might make some return for your
kindnesses, I used to extend my best wishes. Though I am
now deprived of the opportunity even of wishing you well,
I have not lost your benefits to me. As successor to my
own heir, what shall I do? As one who has outlived
his own life, what shall I do? As one with no right to
this light which I still enjoy, what shall I do? What
gratitude and what favors can I show you in return? From
me you receive nothing save tears. Or, perhaps, the tears,
which are all I have left, you do not seek, because you are
secure in your reward. For even when you were still alive,
you used to forbid tears and to state that our grief was a
greater cause of pain to you than the thought of your own
death. Tears prevent my going further, and weeping restrains
me. But for your sake they forbid also lest, while we shed
tears for our own loss, we seem to be despairing of your
deserts.
(16) Certainly, for me at least, you have lessened the
pangs even of this grief. I, who once feared for you, have
now no cause for fear, and I no longer have anything for
the world to take from me. Though your holy sister is still
living, reverenced for her purity, your equal in character
and no less your rival in kindness and duty, we both used
to fear more for your sake, because we thought that our joy
in this life was centered in you. For your sake it was a pleasure
to live, and for your sake the thought of death caused us no
pain. We both prayed that you would survive us, and the
thought of our surviving you was a forbidding one. Did not
our hearts shrink when a fear of this kind scarcely touched
ON HIS BROTHER,, SATYRUSI I 169
us? Were our minds not completely stunned at the news of
your sickness?
(17) What a sorry notion of things we had ! We thought
that you, whom we see taken away, were restored to us. Now
we realize that it was your vows to the holy martyr Lawrence
that obtained for you a return home. 16 And would that you
had obtained not only a safe passage, but also greater length
of days! Since you were able to obtain the privilege of
coming hither, you certainly could have obtained many more
years of life. But truly I thank Thee, almighty and everlasting
God, that Thou didst not refuse us at least these last con-
solations, and that Tliou didst grant us the longed-for return
of our most beloved brother from Sicily and Africa. He was
snatched away so quickly after he came back that his death
would almost seem to have been delayed to enable him to
return to his brother and sister.
(18) I now have my precious treasure, and no journeying
can again tear him from me. I possess his relics to embrace,
his grave to cover with my body, and his sepulchre to lie upon.
And I believe that I shall become more pleasing to God for
resting above the bones of this holy body. Would that I had
been able in similar fashion to employ my body to prevent his
death ! Had you been attacked with swords, I would rather
have offered myself to be pierced in your stead. Had I been
able to recall your departing soul, I would rather have offered
my own.
(19) It availed me nothing to have caught your last
breath and to have breathed into your mouth as you were
dying. 17 For my thought was that I could either receive
your death or transfuse my life into you. Oh, how sad, and yet
16 Satyrus had recently made a successful trip to Africa to recover family
property which had been taken over illegally by a certain Prosper. On
falling ill after shipwreck and exposure, he petitioned St. Lawrence
that he might be granted the favor of being able to reach home.
17 Cf. Vergil, Aeneid 4.684,685.
170 ST. AMBROSE
how sweet, were the pledges of our last kisses ! How sorrowful
those embraces, in the midst of which your dying body grew
tense and your last breath vanished! I tightened my arms
about you, but, as I took the last breath from your mouth
that I might share in your death, I had already lost you as
I held you. In a manner which I cannot explain, that breath
became a source of life to me, and diffused, even in death, a
richer odor of affection. Even if I could not prolong your
life by my breath, I wish, at least, that the vigor of your
own last breath might have been transfused into my mind,
and that our attitude would now be reflecting the noble in-
nocence and purity of your heart. Then, dearest brother, you
would have left me an inheritance which would confer note-
worthy honor and favor on your heir.
(20) What, therefore, shall I do, now that I have lost
all the sweetness, all the consolations, in fine, all the charm of
this life? For you alone were my comfort at home, my glory
abroad. You, I repeat, advised me in counsels, shared my
cares, relieved my anxiety, dispelled my sadness, supported
my acts, and defended my thoughts. Upon you alone, finally,
rested domestic responsibilities and public cares. I call your
holy soul to witness that in my work of church-building I
was often afraid of displeasing you. Thus, upon your last
return, you reproved rne for delay. At home and abroad you
thus assumed the role of teacher and adviser to the bishop,
that you would not allow him to think about domestic mat-
ters and would advise him to devote himself to public con-
cerns. Hence, I have no fear of seeming to speak boastfully
for this is your just meed of praise when I say that you
managed the home of your brother without offense to any-
one, and that you won honor and favor for his episcopate.
(21) I perceive, indeed, that my heart is filled with
emotion as I recount your services and enumerate your
virtues. But I find respite in my very emotion itself, and, al-
ON HIS BROTHER,, SATYRUS I 1 171
though these recollections renew my grief, they also afford me
pleasure. Is it possible for me either not to think of you, or
ever to think of you without tears? And shall I ever be able
either not to remember such a brother, or to remember him
without a kind of tearful joy? For what delight was ever
mine that did not proceed from you? What enjoyment, I
repeat, was mine without you, or yours without me? What
experience did we not have in common, including almost
our very sight and sleep? Were our wills ever in disagreement?
Were even our steps not common? Truly, when I raised my
foot, did you not seem to be moving my body or I, yours?
(22) But if ever one of us had to journey forth without
the other, you would fancy that his side was unprotected, you
would see his troubled countenance, and you would judge
that his soul was sad. That accustomed affability, that usual
vigor, was no longer conspicuous. The appearance of one of
us alone aroused the suspicion and fear of some illness so
strange it seemed to everyone when we were apart! As for
myself, in fact, forgetting my brother's absence, I would
often turn my head to speak to him as if he were present,
and I seemed to be seeing him and talking with him. But
whenever I was disappointed in my hopes I used to imagine
that I was carrying, as it were, a heavy yoke upon my neck.
I found it difficult to proceed, I was self-conscious at being
seen, and I would hurry back home, because I did not like
to go farther without you.
(23) But when both of us had to journey forth together
there was a word for every step we took, our speech was as
unbroken as our pace, and we had no thought of our walking
but only of the pleasure of conversation, for each of us hung
on the lips of the other. We gave no attention to our sur-
roundings as we passed along, but listened to each other with
mutual interest, drinking in the love in each other's eyes and
reflecting our radiant pleasure in each other's sight and
172 ST. AMBROSE
presence. How I used secretly within myself to admire your
virtues! How I used to congratulate myself that the Lord
had given me such a brother, so modest, so capable, so inno-
cent, so simple of heart ! When I would think of your inno-
cence I would begin to have doubts of your capability, and
when I would see your ability for getting things done I
could hardly think of innocence as being one of your traits.
Yet you combined both qualities through your unusual
strength and perfection of character.
(24) Hence, whatever business we had not been able to
settle together you carried through successfully alone. Prosper,
as I hear, was congratulating himself because, since I had
become a bishop, he did not imagine that he would have to
restore what he had stolen. But he found your ability alone
more formidable than that of both of us combined. And so
he paid all, fully appreciative of your moderation and
without adopting a mocking attitude toward your native
shyness. He was even grateful that you were so retiring, nor,
in the face of your competence, was he arrogant. But for
whom, brother, did you strive to get what you did? We
intended that the reward for your efforts should be in full
keeping with their demonstration. You finished everything to
the last detail and, when your work was done, you came
home. Now you alone, who are dearer to me than all, are
snatched away, just as if you had postponed death to give
full realization to your love for me and to carry off the palm
for effective action.
(25) What little pleasure, dearest brother, did we take
in the honors of this world, since they kept us separated ! Con-
sequently, we accepted them, not because we wanted to do so,
but because we feared that a lack of interest on our part
might seem reprehensible. Or perhaps they were given to us
in order that, since your sudden death was to destroy our
pleasure, we might already learn how to live without each
other.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : I 173
(26) When I reread again and again my letters to you,
I realize what deep forebodings occupied my mind. I tried to
dissuade you, brother, from going to Africa and urged, rather,
that you send someone else. I was afraid to have you begin
this journey and to entrust you to the deep. Even a greater
apprehension than usual oppressed my mind. But you made
the trip, settled the business at hand, and once more entrusted
yourself to the sea in a vessel, as I hear, which was old and
full of leaks. Since you had set your mind on a speedy re-
turn, you neglected all caution, eagerly desiring our company
again and ignoring your own danger.
(27) How deceitful is joy, and how uncertain the course
of human life! I thought that because you got back from
Africa, were restored from the sea, and saved from shipwreck,
you could no longer be taken from us. But we, though we
are on land, are experiencing a more grievous shipwreck. For
the death of my brother, who saved himself from perishing
in shipwreck through his strong swimming, has become a
shipwreck for us. What enjoyment is left to us, now that we
have lost such a dear and glorious ornament, now that our
light in the darkness of this world has been extinguished? In
him not only the glory of our family but also that of our
whole country has perished.
(28) Naturally, I am most grateful to you, beloved
brethren, my holy people, that you consider my sorrow as
your own sorrow, that you think that our bereavement has
fallen upon yourselves, and that with this new and wonderful
exhibition of affection you are offering the tears of the whole
city, of every age, and of all orders. This is not the sorrow
proper to private sympathy, but a public offering and service
inspired by general good will. Yet, if you feel any sympathy
for me personally because I have lost such a brother, I derive
a rich recompense from this, since I have the pledge of your
love. I wish my brother were alive. But I must grant that.
174 ST. AMBROSE
while proof of public kindness is pleasant in prosperity, it is
especially welcome in adversity.
(29) Indeed, it strikes me that such a wealth of kindness
deserves more than the usual form of gratitude. For it is not
without point that, in the Acts of the Apostles, widows are de-
scribed as weeping when Tabitha died, 18 or that, in the Gospel,
a crowd is represented as moved by a widow's tears and as
joining the funeral procession of the young man who was
soon to be raised from the dead. 19 Widows alone wept for
Tabitha ; the whole city weeps for Satyrus. It is certain, there-
fore, that the protection of the Apostles is obtained. It is
certain, I repeat, that Christ was moved to pity when He saw
you weeping. Though He has not now touched the coffin,
He has received the spirit commended to Him. Though He
has not summoned the dead with a human voice, by virtue
of His divine power He has liberated his soul from the pains
of death and the assaults of evil spirits. Though the deceased
has not sat up in the coffin, he has found rest in Christ.
Though he has not spoken to us, he sees the things which
are above us and he already rejoices in his superior knowledge.
For by the words which we read in the Gospel we understand
what is in store for us, and what we behold in this life is an
indication of what shall be.
(30) He for whom is reserved a restoration of life for
eternity has no need of being restored for a little while in
time. Why should he fall back into this miserable and
wretched corruption? W T hy should he return to this life of
tears? Should we not be more than happy that he has been
rescued from such impending evils and threatening perils?
For, if no one mourned for Henoch after he was taken up
bodily to heaven 20 in an age of peace and cessation of war,
18 Cf. Acts 9.36-39.
19 Cf. Luke 7.14,15.
20 Cf. Gen. 5.24.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : I 175
and if, on the contrary, the Prophet gave praise, as Scripture
says of him : 'He was taken away lest wickedness should alter
his understanding,' 21 how much more justly must this be said
now, when to the alluring dangers of the world there is added
the uncertainty of life ! He was taken away so that he might
not fall into the hands of the barbarians ; he was taken away
so that he might not witness the destruction of the whole
earth, the end of the world, the burials of his relatives, the
death of his fellow citizens, and, last but not least, something
more painful than any death, the pollution of virgins and
widows.
(31) Therefore, brother, I count you fortunate, both in
the glory of your life and in the opportuneness of your death.
Not from us were you taken away, but from perils. You did
not lose your life; you escaped the fear of impending afflic-
tions. What holy compassion you would feel for your family if
you knew that Italy was now threatened by an enemy who is so
near! How you would groan and lament that our greatest
safety lay in the barrier of the Alps and that purity's last de-
fence consisted of barricades of wood! With what anguish
would you grieve at the sight of your friends being so poorly
protected from a lustful and cruel enemy, who spares neither
chastity nor life !
(32) How, I repeat, could you bear what we shall be
compelled to endure and perhaps, what is worse, to witness:
virgins ravaged, infants dragged from their mothers' arms
and tossed upon spears, the violation of bodies consecrated to
God, and even aged widows made to serve the purposes of
lust? How, I ask, could you endure these things? Even with
your last breath, unmindful of self but much concerned for
us, you repeatedly warned us of the danger of barbarian
invasion and said that you had good reason for urging that we
should flee. You did this, perhaps, because you saw that we
21 Wisd. 4.11.
176 ST. AMBROSE
would be left destitute by your death. And you did it, not out
of timidity, but out of love for us. While always courageous
in yourself, you felt timid out of anxiety in our behalf. When
you were called home by the noble Symmachus, 22 your kins-
man, because Italy was reported to be aflame with war, be-
cause you were hastening into peril, and because you might
fall into the hands of the enemy, you replied that you were
coming for this reason only, namely, that you might not fail us
in our danger and that you might be a sharer in your
brother's peril.
(33 ) You were fortunate, therefore, in such an opportune
death and in not being saved to witness our present calamities.
Certainly you have been more fortunate than your holy
sister, 23 for she is deprived of your comfort and is in fear of
violence to her modesty. Recently happy through having two
brothers, she is now miserable because of both. She can
neither follow the one nor leave the other. Your grave is her
lodging, and your body's sepulchre her home. And would that
even this lodging place were safe ! Our food is in weeping and
our drink is in tears. 24 For Thou hast given us the bread of
tears for nourishment and Thou hast given us drink in tears
in measure, or perhaps beyond measure.
(34) What am I to say of myself? I cannot die without
leaving my sister, and I have no pleasure in life separated
from you. For what can be pleasant to me without you, since
you were ever the source of all my pleasure? What joy is
there in remaining longer in this life, and in tarrying where
we lived happily as long as we lived together? Even if there
were anything which could give us delight here, it could not
do so without your presence. If ever I rashly wished my life to
22 JL Avianius Symmachus, father of Symmachus the orator and opponent
of St. Ambrose in the Altar of Victory controversy.
23 Marcellina.
24 Cf. Ps. 79.6.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : I 177
be prolonged, now, at any rate, I would not wish to live with-
out you.
(35 ) The present situation is unbearable. How can I bear
to go on without you, the excellent companion of my life and
the partner in all my labors and duties? I could not make his
loss more bearable by reflecting on its possibility, so much did
my mind dread even to think of such a thing! Not that I was
unaware of his condition, but my constant prayer and desire
had so dulled the sense of our common weakness that I could
not think about him at all except in terms of continued hap-
piness.
(36) Therefore, when I was recently quite ill and would
that it had been the end for me! my sole regret was that
you were not by my bedside to lend your fingers in assisting
our holy sister in tenderly closing my lifeless eyes. What had
I desired? What service am I not giving in return? What
prayers and wishes lack fulfillment? What offices now follow?
I was preparing for one thing; now I am compelled to carry
out another. I am no longer the object of funeral rites, but
their minister. Oh, what unfeeling eyes are mine, that could
witness a brother dying ! What rough and cruel hands, that
closed the eyes in which I saw so much! What even more
unfeeling neck, that could carry so sad a burden, however
consoling a duty it was !
(37) You, brother, would have done these things more
appropriately for me. I looked forward to these offices at your
hands, and longed for them. But now, as the surviver of my
own life, what comfort can I obtain without you? You alone
were wont to comfort me in sorrow, arousing joy and dis-
pelling sadness. How do I now look upon you, brother, no
longer speaking to me, no longer giving me your kiss of af-
fection? Yet our mutual attachment was always so deeply
rooted that it was fostered rather by interior affection than
178 ST. AMBROSE
manifested by public displays of endearment. Having such
a deep love for each other, we did not seek the testimony of
others. The virile strength of our relationship as brothers
permeated both of us to such a degree that we did not need
to demonstrate our love by caresses. Since we were conscious
of our mutual affection we were content with our internal
love, and there appeared no need for outward parade of af-
fection when even the very image of the other fostered our
mutual love. Whether it was the way we both thought, or the
way we both looked, we certainly seemed to be one in the
other.
(38) Who looked at you and did not imagine he saw me?
How often have I bade the time of day to persons who,
having previously greeted you, would say that they had al-
ready been greeted by me? How many made some remark to
you and mentioned that they had spoken to me? What
amusement I would get, and what frequent delight, when
I would perceive that they had mistaken us! What a pleasant
mistake, what a delightful slip, what a harmless deceit, what
a charming misrepresentation ! For there was nothing for me
to be embarrassed about in either your words or your deeds,
and I was glad to have them ascribed to me.
(39) Upon occasion, when individuals would emphat-
ically assert that they had discussed some matter with me, I
would answer pleasantly and with a smile: Be sure you have
not been talking with my brother. 5 But, while we had all
things in common and were undivided in thought and af-
fection, we never shared the confidences of friends, not out of
any fear of danger resulting therefrom, but simply because
we aimed to keep our pledged word. Yet, if it was necessary
to consult together on some matter, our counsel was always
in common, but the confidential element was not always
shared. Although our friends conversed with either of us,
hoping that what they said might reach the other, I know
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : I 179
that confidences by mutual agreement were usually kept so
faithfully that they were not imparted even to a brother.
This, indeed, was convincing proof that what had not been
made known to a brother was certainly not betrayed to some
stranger.
(40) Through the possession of so many benefits and en-
joyments such as these I confess my mind was raised to a
kind of ecstasy; I ceased to have any fear of surviving him,
because I deemed him more worthy to live than I. Therefore,
I have been dealt an intolerable blow. For the wounds in-
flicted by such deep anguish are more easily endured when
there is a premonition than when they come without warning.
Who will now console me in my grief? Who will lift me up
from my affliction? With whom shall I share my troubles?
Who will free me from the cares of this world? You were the
manager of my business affairs, you took charge of the
servants, you were the arbiter between a brother and a sister,
an arbiter, not in strife, but in matters of affection.
(41) If there was ever any discussion between my holy
sister and myself, we would choose you to judge which opinion
seemed the better. You offended neither, and you aimed to
satisfy both. You retained your loving affection and observed
such moderation in judging that you sent each of us away
pleased, and you gained the gratitude of both. And if you your-
self presented some matter for discussion, how pleasantly did
you argue, and how free was even your indignation from all
bitterness! How mild your correction seemed to the servants
themselves, since you were wont rather to defer to brethren
than to be zealous in punishing ! Our profession repressed our
zeal for correcting. Or rather, you, brother, with your promise
to punish and your eagerness to be lenient, turned me away
from every intention to chastise.
(42) He gave proof, then, of no ordinary prudence. This
virtue is defined by the wise as follows. The first of good things
180 ST. AMBROSE
is to know God and with pious mind to venerate that true and
divine Being and with the whole affection of the soul to de-
light in the lovable and ardently to be desired beauty of
eternal Truth. The second is to draw from that divine and
heavenly source of nature love toward our neighbors. This
teaching, also, the wise of this world have derived from our
laws, for they could not have obtained these principles for the
education of mankind except from the source of the divine
Law in heaven. 20
(43) What, therefore, shall I say about his reverence for
the worship of God? Before he was initiated in the more
perfect Mysteries, he experienced the dangers of shipwreck.
The vessel upon which he was voyaging struck a rocky shal-
low, and the waves, tossing it hither and thither, were
breaking it up. Though he did not fear death, he was, how-
ever, deeply concerned about dying without the Eucharist.
So he asked members of the faithful, whom he knew were
fully initiated, for the Blessed Sacrament, 26 not out of a prying
curiosity to look upon it, but to obtain aid and assistance for
his faith. He had it wrapped in a napkin, and tied the napkin
around his neck, and so cast himself into the sea. He did not
look for a plank loosened from the ship's structure, floating
upon which he might save himself, for he had sought the
arms of faith alone. And so believing that he was adequately
protected and defended by these arms, he desired no other
aid.
(44) We may look upon his courage at the same time,
because as the ship was breaking up he did not, as a ship-
wrecked man, seize a floating piece of debris, but as a brave
man he found support for his courage in himself. Nor did
25 Many of the Fathers regarded the Book of Wisdom, for example, as
much earlier than Plato and as a definite but unacknowledged source
of Platonic teaching on the cardinal virtues.
26 On the custom, still widespread in the fourth century, of reserving a
portion of the Eucharistic Bread in private homes or of carrying it as
a special protection on journeys, cf. Catholic Encyclopedia IV 176.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : I 181
his hope fail, nor his judgment deceive him. In short, he was
the first rescued from the waves and brought ashore. He
was fully conscious of his debt to the Protector to whom he
had entrusted himself, and at once, when he had either
rescued the rest of his servants or found that this had been
done, without concern for his goods or regret for his losses,
he sought out a church of God to return thanks for his de-
liverance and to be fully initiated in the eternal Mysteries.
For he declared that no greater duty was incumbent upon
him for returning thanks. If ingratitude to man has been
likened to murder, what an enormous crime is ingratitude
to God!
(45) It is the mark of a prudent man to know himself
and, as the wise have put it, to live according to nature. But
what is so much in accord with nature as to give thanks to
the Creator? Look at the heaven over your head. Does it
not render thanks to its Creator when we behold it? For 'the
heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament
declareth the works of his hands.' 27 The sea itself, when it is
quiet and tranquil, gives proof of the divine tranquility ; when
it is in violent movement, the wrath on high causes terror. Do
we not all rightly marvel at the thanks due to God when we
observe that irrational nature checks its waves in a kind of
rational manner and the waters know their own limits? And
what shall I say of the earth, which in obedience to divine
command gladly provides food for all living things, and of
the fields, which, in payment of accumulating interest, as it
were, make heaping and manifold returns for what they have
received?
(46) In consequence, my brother, who under nature's
guidance grasped with his vigorous and ardent mind the
character of God's work, realized that his first duty was to
render thanks to his Preserver. While he could not make full
27 Ps. 18.2.
182 ST. AMBROSE
recompense, he could at least have a sense of gratitude. For
the quality of gratitude is this, that when a favor is returned
it is felt, and through being felt it is returned. Hence, he gave
thanks, and he received the gift of faith. For he who expe-
rienced such wonderful protection from the divine Mystery
wrapped in a napkin realized how much it would mean to
him if he could receive It with his mouth and consume It in
the very depths of his heart. If It was so helpful to him when
protected by a napkin, how much more profitable, he thought,
It would be to him when taken into his inmost being.
(47) However, unlike so many overzealous souls, his zeal
did not ignore caution. Convinced as he was that there is no
genuine thankfulness outside the true faith, he summoned
the bishop and asked him whether he was in union with the
Catholic bishops, that is, with the Roman Church. The
Church in that locality was possibly in schism, for at that
time its bishop, Lucifer, 28 had separated from our com-
munion. So, despite the fact that Lucifer had been an exile
for the faith and had left heirs of his faith, my brother never-
theless thought there could be no true faith in schism. Al-
though they had faith in God, they had no faith in the Church
of God, for they suffered her limbs, as it were, to be divided
and torn. Since Christ suffered for the Church, and since the
Church is the Body of Christ, 29 it is apparent that they show
no faith in Christ who repudiate His passion and tear His
Body asunder.
(48) Consequently, even though he owed a debt of
gratitude and feared to set sail as a debtor for so vast an
amountj he thought it better to proceed to some place where
he could make payment safely. For in his judgment payment
for God's grace consists of love and faith. Nor did he put
28 The bishop was apparently an adherent of Lucifer of Cagliari, who
had withdrawn from communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
29 Cf. Col. 1.18.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : I 183
off making this payment the moment he had free access to a
church. The grace of God, which he longed for, he received,
and what he received he preserved. Nothing, therefore, ev-
idences more wisdom than the type of prudence that distin-
guishes between divine and human matters.
(49) Why should I speak of his brilliant eloquence in
the exercise of his forensic duties? What incredible admiration
did he not attract to himself in the court of the highest pre-
fecture? But I prefer to speak of those things which, once he
received the Mysteries of God, he deemed of more importance
than human affairs.
(50) Anyone wishing a fuller view of his courage should
consider how often after shipwreck he crossed the sea with
almost a dauntless disregard for this life. In his travels he
covered widespread localities, and, to the very last, he did
not seek an escape from danger but met it. I wish he had been
as solicitous in taking precautions as he was patient when
hurt or unconcerned about cold. But he was happy in this,
that, so long as his bodily strength allowed and he could
carry out what he wished to do, he spent his life performing
tasks proper to youth and had no regard for his physical
weakness.
(51) What words have I to describe his simplicity or,
shall I call it, moderation in conduct and restraint of mind?
If I allow myself to speak somewhat at length about one
with whom I am no longer permitted to converse, kindly
pardon me and forgive my show of grief. Surely, it is for
your advantage also to observe that you are doing this kind-
ness, not out of weakness and sympathy, but because you
have been moved by sound judgment and honor for the
deceased. Every simple soul is blessed. But his simplicity was
so marked that, having become a child, as it were, he radiated
the simplicity of that innocent age and was conspicuous as a
living image of perfect virtue and as a mirror of blameless
184 ST. AMBROSE
life. Therefore, he has entered the kingdom of heaven, both
because he believed the word of God and because, like a
child, 30 he put aside the art of flattery. When some wrong
was done to him, rather than avenge himself sharply he ac-
cepted it quietly. He was more disposed to listen to complaints
that to tolerate deceit; he was easily conciliated, but was in-
accessible to ambition; and he was so reverent toward
modesty that sometimes it might be said he had more of
that virtue than he needed.
(52) But we can never have more than enough of fun-
damental goodness. For modesty does not hinder, but rather
graces, the performance of duties. A blush of virginal modesty
suffused his countenance and betrayed his inward feeling
whenever he suddenly chanced to meet some female relative.
As if overwhelmed and cast to the gound although his con-
duct was the same even in the company of men he rarely
lifted his head, or raised his eyes, or mingled in conversation.
The bashful modesty of his mind was reflected in his actions,
and with it the chastity of his body was in full harmony. He
guarded unsullied the gifts of holy baptism, pure of body,
but even purer of heart. He shrank no less from obscene
speech as from bodily impurity, and he thought that respect
should be paid to modesty no less by wholesome conversation
than by personal chastity.
(53) Accordingly, he loved continence so much that he
never sought a wife, partly because of his pursuit of chastity,
partly, also, because of his love for us. It was astonishing
how he concealed his true feeling and avoided any ostentation
regarding his resolution. So carefully, indeed, did he veil his
attitude that we, who encouraged him to marry, fancied he
was putting it off rather than avoiding it. Accordingly, this
was one matter he confided neither to his brother nor to his
30 Cf. Matt. 18.3.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS I I 185
sister, not out of any hesitation or doubt, but because of his re-
tiring modesty.
(54) Who, therefore, does not wonder at a man situated
in age between a sister and a brother, the one a virgin, the
other a bishop, who although thus competing with the two
highest callings, was so unexcelled in magnanimity that he
reflected the chastity proper to the one and the holiness proper
to the other, not under the bond of profession, but as an
exercise in virtue? If, then, lust and anger produce the other
vices, surely, I may say, chastity and gentleness are, as it were,
the parents of virtues, allowing, as we do, that, just as piety
is the source of all good things, so it is also the seed bed of
all the other virtues.
(55 ) What shall I say about his frugality, and his chaste
restraints, as it were, regarding possessions. He who takes
care of his own property does not seek other men's goods, nor
is he puffed up by immoderate wealth who is content with
his own. Therefore, he did not want to recover anything
except his own, and that, too, because he did not relish being
cheated rather than out of any desire to get richer. He
rightly used to call those who seek other people's property
'money vultures. 3 But if covetousness is the root of all evils, 31
surely he strips himself of vices who does not seek money.
(56) Unless he invited friends, he never enjoyed elaborate
meals or dinners with many courses. He sought to satisfy
nature, not superabundance to gratify pleasure. Certainly he
was not poor in this world's goods, but he was poor in spirit. 32
We ought have no doubt whatever about the happiness of
a man who in wealth took no pleasure hi riches, and in
poverty did not consider what he had as scanty.
(57 ) To complete our treatment of his exemplification of
31 Cf. 1 Tim. 6.10.
32 Cf. Matt. 5.3.
186 ST. AMBROSE
the cardinal virtues, it remains for us to note in him the role
of justice. Now, although virtues are closely interrelated, a
distinct sketch of each is desirable, especially of justice. For
this virtue, while somewhat grudging to itself, is devoted
wholly to what is outside itself, and whatever it acquires
through a kind of harshness toward itself, swept onward by
its love for all, it pours forth upon its neighbors.
(58) This virtue expresses itself in many forms: in one,
toward friends and acquaintances; in another, toward all
men; in a third, toward the worship of God, or assistance to
those in need. So, what he was toward all is quite patent
through the affection of the provincials over whom he was
governor. They used to say he was more like one's own father
than a governor, a kind judge among devoted subjects, and
a steadfast dispenser of equal justice.
(59) Although his good will embraced the whole human
race, our undivided patrimony shows what kind of man he
was in his attitude toward his brother and sister, for our
inheritance was not distributed or lessened, but was preserved
for us. For he refused to admit love as a reason for making a
will. Indeed, he signified this in his parting remarks and final
expressions of his desires to his loved ones. He said it was by
his own free choice that he had not married, since he feared
to be separated from us, and he did not want to draw up a
will, lest our freedom of action might in some way be im-
paired. Accordingly, even after we had begged and pleaded
with him, he remained convinced that he should make no
testamentary dispositions. He did not forget the poor, but
only asked that they be given as much as we thought just.
(60) By this alone he gave sufficient proof of his fear of
God and furnished an example of the proper religious attitude
toward men. What he gave to the poor he offered to God,
since 'he that giveth bountifully to the poor, lendeth to
ON HIS BROTHER,, SATYRUSI I 187
God.' 33 By earnestly requesting us to give what was just, he
left to the poor, not a scanty portion, but all. That is the
sum of justice, to sell what one has and to give it to the poor. 34
For he who 'hath distributed and hath given to the poor, his
justice remaineth forever and ever.' 35 Therefore, he did not
leave us heirs, but stewards. An inheritance is sought for an
heir, but a stewardship entails an obligation to the poor.
(61) Hence, not unmeetly has the Holy Spirit declared
today through the voice of the little reader 36 what a splendid
man my brother was: 'The innocent in hands, and the clean
of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn
deceitfully to his neighbor, this is the generation of them
that seek God.' 37 Such a one, therefore, shall ascend into
the mountain of the Lord, and shall dwell in the tabernacle
of God. 38 For c he that walketh without blemish and worketh
justice, that hath spoken the truth and not deceived his
neighbor.' 39 'Nor did he put out his money to usury' 40 who
always wished only to recover an inheritance. I recognize the
voice of God : what no testamentary disposition provided for,
the Spirit has revealed.
(62) Why should I recount how his affection carried him
even beyond the requirements of justice? When he thought
that, out of consideration for my being a bishop, something
should be given to the unlawful possessor of our property, he
lauded me as the author of the grant and the income from
his own share he turned into the common fund.
(63) These as well as similar instances, once such a
33 Prov. 19.17.
34 C. Matt. 19.21.
35 Ps. 111.9.
36 On the admission of even young boys to the rank of lector in the
fourth century, cf. Cabrol-Leclercq, DACL 82, col. 2247.
37 Ps. 23.4,5-
38 Cf. Ps. 23.3.
39 Ps. 14.2,3.
40 Ps. 14.5.
188 ST. AMBROSE
source of great pleasure to me, now through recollection
sharpen rny grief. But they abide with me and ever shall
abide, and they never pass away like shadows. For the
beauty of virtue does not die with the body, and natural life
and supernatural merit do not have the same end, although
natural life itself does not perish forever, but is at rest for a
time by a kind of a release from its activities.
(64) Hence, I shall weep more out of longing than for
the loss of a man who exemplified such virtues and has been
rescued from dangers. The very timeliness of his death sug-
gests that we attend his funeral rather with gratitude than with
sorrow. For it is written that private grief should cease in
time of public mourning. 41 Now, the Prophet does not make
his recommendation to that one woman only who is figured
there, but to each and every one, since he seems to have ad-
dressed the Church.
(65) Therefore, I too, am ac- dressed, and holy Scripture
asks: 'Is this what you teach? Do you not know that your
example is a danger to others? Or is it possible that you are
complaining that God has not heard your prayer? In the
first place, your wish to merit alone what you know has
been denied even to many saints is shameless arrogance, for
everyone knows 'that God is not a respecter of persons. 542
Even if God is merciful, were He always granting the prayers
of all He would seem no longer to act freely, but, as it were,
like someone under compulsion. Then, since all ask, if He
were to hear all, no one would die. How many things do you
not ask for daily? Must God's design be destroyed because of
you? When you know that a petition cannot always be
granted, why do you grieve that sometimes your petition is
not obtained?
41 Cf. 4 Esd. 10.11. The fourth Book of Esdras was one of the most
influential and widely used of the Apocrypha. Cf. 'Apocrypha,' in
Catholic Encyclopedia I 603-604.
42 Acts 10.34.
ON HIS BROTHER,, SATYRUS : I 189
(66) 'Thou fool/ Scripture says, 'above all women seest
thou not our mourning, and what has happened to us, how
that Sion our mother is saddened with all sadness, and
humbled with humbling? Mourn now, also very sore, since
we all mourn, and be sad since we are all sad, and thou art
grieved' for a brother. 'Ask the earth and she shall tell thee
that it is she who ought to mourn, outliving so many that
grow upon her. Out of her were all born in the beginning,
and out of her shall others come, and behold they walk al-
most all into destruction. And a multitude of them is utterly
rooted out. Who, then, ought to make more mourning than
she that hath lost so great a multitude,, and not thou, who
art sorry but for one.' 43
(67) So, let the common sorrow swallow up our sorrow
and shut out the bitterness of our own grief. We ought not
grieve for those whom we see have been set free, for we realize
that it is with design at this time that such a number of holy
souls have been released from the bonds of the body. For,
seemingly by divine decree, we see that so many revered
widows have died within the same short time that it is like
a setting out upon a journey, not the stroke of death, lest their
chastity, proven by long and faithful observance, should now
fall into danger. What groans and what lamentation do
not so bitter recollections arouse in me! Even if I had no
time for grief, yet in private sorrow itself, and in the loss of
the very flower of such noble merits, the common condition
of nature consoled me, and the mourning, centered as it was
on one, veiled the bitterness of a public funeral by the ex-
hibition of a piety characteristic rather of the family circle.
(68) So, once again, O sacred Scripture, I seek your
consolations, for I like to dwell upon your precepts and your
sayings. How 'easier it is for heaven and earth to pass away
than for one tittle of the Law to fail! 544 But now let us hear
43 4 Esd. 10.6-11.
44 Luke 16.17.
190 ST. AMBROSE
what is written: 'Now/ it says, 'keep the sorrow to thyself,
and bear with a good courage the things which have befallen
thee. For if thou shalt acknowledge the determination of
God to be just, thou shalt both receive thy son in time, and
shalt be praised among women.' 45 If such advice is given to a
woman, how much more so to a bishop? If such words are
said about a son, it is surely not improper to regard them as
applicable at the loss of a brother, who, had he been my son,
could not have been dearer to me. For, just as when children
die, the labors expended and the worries endured to no
avail appear to increase grief, so, too, among brothers the
long intimacy and close association accentuate the poignancy
of sorrow.
(69) But again I hear Scripture saying: 'Do not con-
tinue this discourse, but allow yourself to be persuaded. For
how great are the misfortunes of Sion ! Be comforted out of
regard for the sorrow of Jerusalem. For thou seest that our
holy places are polluted and the name that was called upon us
is almost profaned, and our sons have suffered shame. Our
priests are burned, our levites gone into captivity, our wives
are defiled, our virgins suffer violence, our just men carried
off, our little ones given up, our young men made slaves, and
our strong men made weak. And, which is the greatest of all
misfortunes, the seal of Sion has lost her glory, because she
is now delivered into the hands of men that hate us. Do
thou, then, shake off thy great heaviness, and put from
thee the multitude of sorrows, so that the Mighty One may
be merciful to you again, and the Most High give you rest
and surcease from sorrow. 346
( 70) My tears, therefore, shall cease. I must accept whole-
some remedies, since there must be some difference between
believers and unbelievers. Let them weep, then, who cannot
45 4 Esd. 10.15,16.
46 4 Esd. 10.20-24.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS I I 191
have the hope of the resurrection. And they are deprived of it,
not by divine decree, but by the hardness of faith. Let there
be a difference between the servants of Christ and the wor-
shipers of idols. Let idolaters mourn over their dead, con-
vinced they have perished forever. Let them not cease from
weeping, let them obtain no rest from sorrow, who believe
that there is no rest for the dead. As for ourselves, however,
death is not the end of our nature, but only of this life. Hence,
since our nature indeed is restored in a better way, 47 let the
coming of death wipe away all tears.
(71) Surely, if certain men found some consolation in
thinking that death marks the end of consciousness and ces-
sation of our nature, how much more should we have, to
whom the knowledge of our good deeds gives the promise of
better rewards after death? The heathen find satisfaction in
looking upon death as a rest from all evils. And as they lack
the fruit of life, so also they imagine they become freed from
all sense or feeling of those heavy and continual sufferings
which we endure in this life. But as for ourselves, as we
are ennobled by our recompense, so we ought to be more
patient through our consolation. For our dead do not seem
to be lost but to be sent on before us, not to be swallowed up
by death but to be received by eternity.
(72) My tears, therefore, shall cease, or, if they cannot
cease, I will weep for you, my brother, in our public lam-
entation, concealing my personal anguish under the cloak of
public grief. For how can my tears cease when at every
mention of your name tears well up, either when habit itself
recalls your memory, or when my affection brings back your
likeness, or when remembrance renews my sorrow. For when
are you separated from me, since you are present again in
so many of my occupations? You are here, I say, and you
are ever presenting yourself at my side. With my whole mind
47 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.44.
192 ST. AMBROSE
and soul I embrace you, I gaze upon you, I speak to you, I
caress you, and I am aware of your presence in the very
quiet of the night or in the clear light of day, when you
vouchsafe to come back to see and console me in my grief.
Hence, now, the very nights which, when you were alive,
seemed irksome because they denied us opportunity to look
upon each other, and now sleep itself, long the annoying
interrupter of our conversations, have both begun to be sweet,
for they restore you to me. Those whose mutual presence is
never interrupted, whose concern for each other is not
lessened, and whose esteem for each other is increased, are,
therefore, not wretched, but happy. For sleep is the likeness
and image of death.
(73 ) But if in the quiet of the night souls still held by the
chains of the body, and fettered, as it were, behind the prison
bars of their members, can nevertheless discern higher and
more hidden things, how much more do they see these, when
they now enjoy pure and ethereal mental powers and no
longer suffer from the disabilities of bodily corruption? When,
as a certain day was drawing to its close, I was justly com-
plaining about your not coming to visit me in my rest, all
the while you were so actually and undividedly present that,
although I was sound asleep as regards my limbs, I was awake
to you and you were alive to me, and I said : 'Brother, what
is death? 5 Certainly you are not separated from me for an
instant, for you will be so present to me everywhere that the
enjoyment of each other which we could not have in this life
we now possess without interruption and in all places. Pre-
viously, indeed, not everything was possible in our relations.
Embraces, the sight of each other, and sweet caresses could
not be enjoyed at all times and places. But even when we
were not together physically, our images were always present
in each other's minds. These have not disappeared even now,
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUSt I 193
but they constantly recur, and with greater frequency and
clearness the more they are longed for.
(74) I still have you, then, brother, and neither death
nor time shall tear you from me. Even tears are sweet, even
weeping is pleasant, for they cool the burning longing of the
soul, and pent up emotion is relieved and calmed. I cannot
be without you, or ever forget you, or remember you without
tears. O bitter days, that proclaim that the union with my
brother has been broken! O tearful nights, that have taken
from me such an excellent sharer of my rest and my insepar-
able companion ! What tortures you would be inflicting upon
me unless the image of him as if present were appearing to
me, unless the visions of the mind were representing him who
can no longer be seen with the eyes of the body !
(75) At last, brother most dear to my heart, although
you have departed too early from this life, you are now none-
theless fortunate in escaping the burden of these sorrows. You
do not have to mourn the loss of a brother from whom you
could never long endure to be separated, and whom you
hastened to see again as soon as possible. If in times past you
used to hurry back to dispel my wearisome loneliness, and to
relieve the sadness of a brother's heart, how much oftener
ought you now revisit my afflicted soul and by so doing al-
leviate my sorrow begotten of your death !
(76) Yet my duties give me some respite, and devotion
to my episcopal obligations occupies my mind. But what is
to become of our holy sister? Although she tempers her
affection because of her fear of God, she kindles the grief
itself arising from her love by her religious zeal. She prostrates
herself upon the ground, she embraces her brother's tomb,
she is worn out from restless walking, she is constantly sad,
and day and night she renews her grief. Even if conversation
often stops her weeping, she weeps again at prayer. More-
194 ST. AMBROSE
over, although in her knowledge of Scripture she excels those
who are wont to bring consolation, she offsets her longing to
weep by her constant prayer, and then especially, when no
one can interrupt her, she renews her heavy weeping. So in
her we have an object of pity rather than of censure, for to
weep at prayer is a mark of virtue. Young women, because
they belong to the gentler sex and have greater tenderness in
their affection, break out into tears, as we well know, at the
sight of our common weakness, even when their own families
are not mourning a loved one. Hence, when there is a greater
cause for grieving, no limit can be set for that grief.
(77) The way of consolation, therefore, is wanting, since
there is an abundance of good excuses. For we cannot forbid
what we teach, especially when she bases her tears, not upon
sorrow, but upon religious devotion, and for fear of shame
hides the natural cause of her lamentation. Console her,
then, brother, you who can visit her soul and enter her
mind. Let her see that you are present; let her not think of
you as dead. Thus, assured of your merit and having received
your consolation, let her learn not to mourn so intensely for
one who admonished us that he was not to be mourned.
( 78 ) But why am I delaying, brother? Why am I waiting
for my address to die with you and, as it were, be buried
with you? Even though the sight and form of your lifeless
body give solace, and your abiding and unchanging grace
and beauty comfort my eyes, I will delay no longer, I repeat;
let us proceed to the tomb. But first, in the presence of the
people, I bid you the last farewell. I give you peace, and I
pay the last kiss. Go before us to that common abode to
which we must all go, and which I now long for beyond all
others. Prepare a common dwelling for us, and just as here
we had all things in common, so there let us also not know
divided rights.
(79) Do not, I beg you, forsake one who pines for you;
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: I 195
expect one who is hurrying, help him as he hastens, and if
you think he tarries too much, urge him on. Never, indeed,
were we really long separated from each other, and you
always came to us on your return. Now, since you can no
longer come back to me, I will go to you. It is only fair that
I should repay your kindness and now take my turn. There
was never much difference in the way we lived, and we were
always well or ill together. When one of us got sick, the other
ran a fever, too, and when one recovered, both were up and
about. Why have we lost our common right? Even recently
we were both sick together. Why did we not both die to-
gether?
(80) To Thee, Almighty God, I now commend a guile-
less soul, to Thee I offer my oblation. Receive favorably and
kindly a brother's gift, the sacrifice of Thy priest. By anti-
cipation, I now offer these libations of myself. I am coming
to Thee with my brother as a surety, not with a pledge of
money but of a life. Do not make me remain in debt for so
great a sum too long. The interest on a brother's love is high
and nature's principal is large when both accumulate through
increments of virtue. I can bear the burden if I shall be re-
quired to pay quickly.
SECOND ORATION
ON FAITH IN THE RESURRECTION
I N THE PRECEDING BOOK I indulged my longing some-
what, for I feared that the application of unduly
severe remedies to a burning wound, as it were,
might aggravate rather than lessen pain. At the same time,
since I often addressed my brother and had him before my
eyes, it was only proper to give natural emotion some outlet
for a little while. Such emotion derives help from tears, is
calmed by weeping, and is numbed by a heavy blow. For a
soft and tender manner is of the essence of affection. It dis-
likes anything overbearing, harsh, or hard. On the contrary,
patience is proved rather by enduring than by resisting.
(2) Hence, it was inevitable that a little while ago, on
the day of death, a brother's mind should be distracted and
wholly occupied. But now, since we are returning to the
grave on the seventh day, a day symbolic of the future repose,
it will be helpful to turn my mind from my brother for a
short time and devote my attention to a general exhortation
applicable to all. Thus, my thoughts and feelings will not be
exclusively concerned with my brother. I shall not be over-
197
198 ST. AMBROSE
come suddenly by strong emotion, nor shall I be so lacking in
appreciation for such great love and merit as to desert him
whom we love. And surely I myself would increase the an-
guish of such an intense sorrow if again today I should make
his death the theme of my discourse.
(3) That is why, dear brethren, I have made up my
mind to find comfort out of common experience, and not to
deem what awaits each and all as something hard. There-
fore, death should not be regarded as a cause of grief, for, in
the first place, death is common and is a debt which all must
pay; secondly, it frees us from the calamities of this life; and
finally, when under the appearance of sleep we obtain rest
from the toils of this world, a stronger vigor is infused into
us. What sorrow does not the gift of resurrection assuage!
What grief can find entrance into the soul of man who be-
lieves that nothing perishes through death, but rather that
through speedy death itself more is preserved from possible
destruction ! Therefore, dear brethren, as is proper in a general
address of exhortation, we shall also pay a tribute of affection
to my brother. Nor shall we seem to wander too far from
him, if through our hope in the resurrection and the sweetness
of future glory he should live again for us even in our discourse
today.
(4) So, let us begin by showing that we should not mourn
over the death of relatives. What, indeed, is more ridiculous
than to deplore as something special what everybody knows
is prescribed for all? That is tantamount to exalting the
mind above the human state, to refusing to accept the uni-
versal law, to rejecting the fellowship of nature, to having a
puffed up and carnal mind, and to being ignorant of the
limitation of the flesh itself. What is more ridiculous than not
to know who you are and to be affecting what you are not?
What, too, is more lacking in foresight than to know what is
going to happen, and, when it has happened, not to be able
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : n 199
to endure it? Even nature acts to restrain us and by her own
method of consolation draws us away from grieving of this
kind. For what grief is so heavy, and what sorrow so bitter,
as never to have intervals of alleviation? For nature has a way
whereby men, no matter how great their distress, provided
only that they be men, can turn their minds from sorrow for
a little while at least.
(5) It is said that there have been certain peoples who
mourned at the births of men and celebrated their deaths
with rejoicing. And in this they showed foresight, for they
thought that they should mourn for all who entered upon the
sea of this life, while they judged that it was only proper to
hold joyful obsequies for those who had escaped from the
storms and waves of this world. We ourselves, too, forget the
birthdays of the dead, and, instead, celebrate annually the
day on which they died. 1
(6) Therefore, according to nature, we ought not give
way to deep grief, lest we should seem to arrogate to our-
selves some higher and exceptional nature or to refuse to
accept the common law. For death is the equal lot of all,
making no distinctions for the poor and no exception for
the rich. Therefore, although through one man's sin death
has passed unto all men, 2 accordingly, him whom we do not
refuse to acknowledge as the father of the human race we
cannot refuse to acknowledge also as the author of death/
And just as we have death through one, so also through
One we have the resurrection. Let us not refuse tribulation
if we wish to gain the divine reward. For, as we read, Christ
came ; to save what was lost/ 4 and 'that he might be Lord
1 On this custom in the early Church, cf. H. Thurston, 'Natal Day
Catholic Encyclopedia x 709.
2 Cf. Rom. 5.12.
3 Cf. ibid,
4 Luke 14.9.
200 ST. AMBROSE
both of the dead and of the living/ 5 In Adam I fell, in Adam
I was cast out of paradise, in Adam I died. How shall God
call me back except He find me in Adam? For just as in
Adam I am guilty of sin and owe a debt to death, so in
Christ I am justified." If, then, death is a debt, we ought to
endure its payment. But this topic must be reserved for treat-
ment later.
( 7 ) It is now proposed to show that death ought not to
cause too heavy a burden of sorrow, because nature itself re-
jects such grief. Thus, they say that the Lycians have a law
which requires men who give way to grief to wear feminine
apparel, because they deem display of grief in a man as soft
and effeminate. It is incongruous that men whose duty it is to
expose themselves to death for faith, religion, country, justice,
and the pursuit of virtue should grieve bitterly over something
which happens to another and which, if the situation should
require it, is to be desired for themselves. For how can one
avoid seeking escape from grief at his own lot when he is
unreconcilable in his grief at the death of others? Put aside
your sorrow, if you can; if you cannot, at least conceal it.
(8) Should we keep within ourselves or repress all grief?
Why should not reason rather than time lighten sadness?
Will not prudence alleviate better what the passage of time
will blot out? Truly, in my opinion, it is nothing short of an
act of impiety toward the memory of those whose loss we
mourn to prefer to forget them rather than to have our
sorrow allayed by consolation, or to recall them with a shudder
rather than to remember them with love, to fear the recol-
lection of those whose likeness should be an object of delight,
to despair rather than hope regarding the merits of the dead,
and to consider our loved ones as being sentenced to punish-
5 Rom. 14.9.
6 Cf. Rom. 5.8,9.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : II 201
ment rather than as entering upon an immortality which is
their due.
(9) But someone may remark: We have lost those whom
we loved. Is not this the lot we have in common with the
world itself and its elements? We cannot retain forever things
entrusted to us for a time. So that the earth may become
productive and bring forth fruits annually she groans under
the plow, is beaten by violent rains, is shaken by storms, is
bound fast by the cold and is baked by the sun. After she has
clothed herself in her rich and varied flowers she is stripped
and despoiled of her own adornment. What countless plunders
does she experience! Yet she does not complain about the
loss of crops born to be lost. Nor does she refuse to bear the
next harvest, aware, though she is, that it must be taken away
from her.
(10) The sky itself is not always aglitter with the twin-
kling spheres of the stars which adorn it like coronets. It does
not always grown bright at dawn and become ruddy with the
rays of the sun. But in constant alternation that most pleasing
countenance, as it were, of the world is darkened by the damp
chill of night. What is more delightful than light; what is
more cheering than the sun? Yet they come to an end daily.
Still, their departure does not trouble us, because we assume
that they will return. This teaches us what patience we should
manifest in respect to our own lost ones. If the things above
us pass away and do not cause us grief, why should we grieve
when men pass away?
(11) Let our sorrow, then, be patient. Let that mod-
eration demanded in happy circumstances be present in
misfortune. If excessive rejoicing is not proper, is excessive
grief? Inordinate grief, or dread of death, is not a minor
evil. How many has it driven to suicide by rope or blade ! In
this they evidence their own folly: not enduring, yet seeking
202 ST. AMBROSE
death, and adopting as a remedy what they flee as an evil.
Since they could not endure and suffer what is consonant
with their nature, they incur the opposite of their desire:
everlasting separation from those whom they wished to
follow. But such occurrences are rare. Though their folly
drives men headlong, nature itself restrains them.
(12) It is common, indeed, for women to make a public
spectacle of weeping, 7 as if they were afraid that their misery
might go unnoticed. They affect soiled garments, as though
there were a feeling of grief in these. They wet their disheveled
hair with filth. Finally, what seems to be the vogue in many
localities, they rend their mantles, tear open their garments
and make a public display of their nakedness, as though
making a prostitute out of modesty itself, because they have
lost the rewards of their chastity. Thus they invite wanton
eyes to lust after those naked limbs which, had they not
been exposed, would not have been desired. And would that
the sordid apparel concealed, not the bodies of such women,
but their intentions. For, frequently under a veil of mourning,
there lurks lasciviousness, and disorderly and repulsive dress
is used as a cloak to hide the secret desires of wanton minds.
(13 A wife mourns the death of her husband with proper
devotedness, not when she abandons her fidelity, but when
she guards her modesty. She discharges her duty well when
her deceased husband lives in her memory and affection. She
who manifests that she is modest has not lost her husband.
She who has not changed her husband's name has not been
made a widow. And you have not lost an heir who help the
co-heir, but in place of a successor in perishable things you
have obtained a sharer in eternal. You have someone who
can take the place of the heir. Give to the poor what is due
the heir, so that there may be not only a survivor of a father
or a mother, but also of your own life as well. You leave
7 Cf. Cicero, Tusc. Disp, 356.62.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS I II 203
more to your successor when his share is available, not for
luxury in this life, but for the purchase of the things of
heaven.
(14) But we long for our lost ones. There are two things
especially which pain us: either, as in my own case, our
longing for those whom we have lost, or the thought that they
have been deprived of the pleasure of living and have been
snatched away from enjoying the fruits of their toil. Love
indeed arouses a tender feeling of pleasure which suddenly
enkindles affection, thus leaving a mental disposition more
capable of quieting than of dispelling pain. At the same time,
since it appears proper to devotion to long for what has been
lost, weakness increases under the guise of virtue.
(15) On what grounds do you argue that a wife ought
to be more resigned after she has seen her husband off to a
foreign country, either on a military or a diplomatic mission,
or has learned that he has gone to sea on a commercial
venture? Ought you not be as equally patient when you are
left, not because of some chance decision or out of ambition
for money, but because of nature's law? But you reply that
for you hope of recovery is excluded. As if the hope for
anyone's return were certain! Oftentimes, apprehensions
are even more exhausting when the dread of danger is strong
and constant. Again, it is a heavier burden to fear that
something has happened than to endure what you know has
really occurred. In the one case, apprehension mounts con-
tinually, while in the other an end of sorrow is being awaited.
(16) Have masters the right 8 to transport their slaves
wherever they wish, and God not? We must not look for a
man's return, but we are permitted to follow one who has
gone before us. Certainly, the span of life is so brief that it
does not seem to have taken much from one who has gone
before, nor to delay very long the one who remains.
8 Cf. 1 Tim. 6.1,2.
204 ST. AMBROSE
(17) But, if you cannot soften your longing, does it not
seem unbecoming to want the whole order of nature upset so
that you may attain what you desire? When people are in
love, their longing for one another is very ardent, yet they
are controlled by a regard for necessity. If they grieve over
having been forsaken, they do not usually mourn, but, having
been cast aside, they feel embarrassed for falling in love too
hastily. And so their patience in regret is more clearly re-
cognized.
(18) But what shall I say of those who think the dead
are deprived of the sweetness of life? No true enjoyment is
possible in the bitter experiences and sorrows of this life
which are caused either by the infirmities of the body itself
or by the unpleasant things which happen outside of it.
Anxious indeed, and forever in suspense even in desires for
happier conditions, we are tossed about in a kind of un-
certainty, putting our hopes in doubtful things in place of
sure, in unsatisfactory in place of favorable, in transitory in
place of permanent, having no power in our wills and no
constancy in our wishes. But, if anything happens contrary
to our intention, we think we are ruined. We are more
broken by the sufferings caused by adversity than we are
made happy through the enjoyments of prosperity. What
advantages, then, do the dead miss in being rescued rather
from misfortunes?
(19) Good health, I believe, is more beneficial to us than
poor health is harmful. Wealth affords more pleasure than
poverty annoys us. The gift of children is more lovely than
their loss is sorrowful. Youth is more joyful than old age is
sad. How often a man becomes tired of his desires when
once attained and repents of what he has longed for, so that
he is sorry for having obtained what he feared he would not
obtain ! What homeland, what pleasures, can truly compensate
for exiles and for all other bitter penalties? Even when
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS ! H 205
pleasures are at our command, they become less attractive
either because we are not disposed to enjoy them or because
we fear to lose them.
( 20 ) But let us suppose that the whole course of a man's
life can continue unharmed, free from grief, and enjoying
pleasures without interruption. What satisfaction can the
soul obtain, enclosed within the walls of a body such as ours,
and confined within the narrow compass of our limbs? If our
flesh shuns a prison, if it loathes everything which denies it
the power of free movement and, as we know, it apparently
tries to reach beyond itself with its limited senses of seeing
and hearing how much more is our soul filled with eager
desire to escape from its bodily prison ! 9 When it is free, it has
a motion like the air, and we know not whither it goes or
whence it comes. 10
(21) We know, however, that the soul survives the body
and that, once it is freed from the shackles on its own
faculties, it beholds in clear vision what previously, when
dwelling in the body, it did not see. We can verify this fact
through the experience which comes to men in sleep. When
their bodies are, as it were, buried in sleep, their souls, being
at peace, rise to higher things and relate to the body their
visions of distant and even heavenly things. Therefore, if the
death of our flesh frees us from the miseries of this world, it
is certainly no evil, since it restores freedom and excludes pain.
(22) Here, accordingly, we must discuss the point that
death is not an evil, since it is a refuge from all miseries and
evils, a safe and secure anchorage, and a haven of rest. For
what adversity do we not experience in this life? What storms
and tempests do we not endure? By what troubles are we
not disturbed? Whose merits are spared?
(23) The holy patriarch Israel, as a fugitive from his
9 Cf. Cicero, Tusc. Disp. 1.49.118.
10 Cf. John 3.8.
206 ST. AMBROSE
country, brother, and parents, exchanged his home for exile, 11
mourned over the violation of his daughter, 12 the murder of
his son-in-law, 13 and suffered famine. 14 After he died, he lost
his grave, for, lest he should rest even in death, he begged
that his bones be translated. 15
(24) Holy Joseph experienced the enmity of his brothers,
the snares of the envious, the obsequiousness of servants, the
orders of merchants, 16 the wantonness of his mistress, the
stupid ignorance of her husband, and the miseries of im-
prisonment. 17
( 25 ) Holy David lost two sons. One was guilty of incest; 18
the other, of fratricide. 19 To have had them caused him
shame; to have lost them brought him grief. He also lost a
third, a child whom he loved. He wept over him while he
was still alive, but he did not long for him after he died. For
so we read 20 that, when the boy fell sick, David besought the
Lord for him and fasted and lay upon sackcloth, and, al-
though the elders approached him and tried to make him get
up from the ground, he resolved neither to rise nor to eat.
After he learned that the boy was dead, however, he arose
from the ground, bathed upon the spot, anointed himself,
changed clothing, worshiped the Lord, and took food. 21 Since
this seemed strange to his servants, he answered that, while
the child was still alive, he had rightly fasted and wept, be-
cause he justly thought that God might pity him, and was
certain that He who could restore the dead to life could surely
11 Cf. Gen. 28.5ff.
12 Cf. Gen 34.2.
13 Cf. Gen. 34.30.
14 Cf. Gen. 42.2.
15 Cf. Gen. 48.30; 49.29.
16 Cf. Gen. 37.4ff.
17 Cf. Gen. 39.12ff.
18 Cf. 2 Kings 13.14.
19 Cf. 2 Kings 13.28,29.
20 Cf. 2 Kings 12.15ff.
21 Cf. 2 Kings 12.20.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : H 207
preserve the life of one still living. But now that the child was
dead, why should he fast, since he could not bring him back
from death and restore him to life. 'I shall go to him rather;'
he said, 'but he shall not return to me.' 22
(26) What greater consolation to a mourner! What a
true judgment from a wise man! What wonderful wisdom
exhibited by a servant! Hence, no one should protest that
some misfortune has befallen him and complain that he has
been afflicted contrary to his merit. For who are you to pro-
claim your merit beforehand? Why do you desire to anticipate
your Judge? Why do you snatch the verdict from the mouth
of Him who is going to pronounce it? This was permitted
not even to the saints, and never was it attempted by the
saints with impunity. David confesses in one of his psalms
that he was scourged on this account : 'Behold these are sin-
ners; and yet abounding hi the world they have obtained
riches. Then have I in vain justified my heart, and washed my
hands among the innocent. And I have been scourged all the
day; and my accuser has come in the mornings.' 23
(27) Peter, also, though filled with loyal devotion, but
not yet fully conscious of our weakness, had rashly assured
our Lord: 'I will lay down my life for thee.' 24 Before the
cock crowed thrice, his presumption was put to the test. 25
Let Peter's trial be a salutary lesson for us so that we may
learn not to disregard the weakness of the flesh, lest by so
doing we should be tempted. If Peter was tempted, who
should presume or who should assert that he cannot be, also?
And, unquestionably, Peter was tempted for our sake, so that
the temptation would not be exposed to failure in a stronger
man than he, and that through him we might learn how
to persevere under persecutions and, even if we should be
22 2 Kings 12.23.
23 Ps. 72.12-14 (Sepuagint) .
24 John 13.37.
25 Cf. John 18.27.
208 ST. AMBROSE
tempted by our desire to save our lives, to overcome the stings
of temptation by tears of patience.
(28) On the other hand, that same David, lest the dif-
ference in his conduct may perhaps trouble any one who
follows Scripture closely, this same David, I repeat, who had
not wept for his innocent son, wept for the parricide when he
was killed. Accordingly, he broke out in lamentation and
cried: 'My son Absalom, my son Absalom, who will grant
me death in thy place?' 26 Therefore, not only is Absalom
wept for, the parricide is wept for, Amnon is wept for, too. 27
Not only is the incestuous son wept for, but he is also avenged.
Absalom saddened David by his contempt and revolt, and the
murder of Amnon caused his brother's exile. The wicked son
is wept for, but not the child whom he loved so much. Why is
this? What is the reason for this? Prudent men are char-
acterized by serious deliberation and the wise see their judg-
ments confirmed. As a wise man, he is quite steady in his rea-
soning, for, in spite of marked differences in facts and actions,
a consistency based on prudence and on a single faith is in
evidence. David wept over the death of two of his sons, but
he decided that he ought not weep for the dead child. He
believed that those two were lost to him forever, but he hoped
that the child would rise again.
(29) But more on the resurrection later. Let us now re-
turn to the point under discussion. We have already shown
that even holy men, without any regard for their merits,
have suffered many severe tribulations along with their
heavy toils in this world. Hence, David, returning to himself,
says later: 'Remember, Lord, that we are dust, and man, his
days are like grass 5 ; 28 and elsewhere: 'Man is like to vanity:
his days pass away like a shadow.' 29 What, indeed, is more
26 2 Kings 18.33 (Septuagint) .
27 Cf. 2 Kings 13.36.
28 Ps. 102.15.
29 Ps, 143.4.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: n 209
miserable than we human beings who are cast into this life,
as it were, stripped and naked, with fragile bodies, deceitful
hearts, and weak minds, anxious with respect to cares,
indolent toward work, and prone to pleasure?
(30) Not to be born, therefore, is by far the best, ac-
cording to the saying of Solomon. For those, also, who seemed
to themselves to be superior in philosophy have followed
him 30 . 'And I praised all the departed who have already died
rather than the living, as many as are living up to now. And
happier than them both is he that is not yet born, nor hath
seen the evil work that is done under the sun. And I saw all
the labor and all the excellence of this work, that a man be-
comes envied by his neighbor, and this too is vanity and pre-
sumption of spirit. 531
(31) Who said this but the very man who asked for and
obtained wisdom to know the arrangement of the world, the
power of the elements, the revolutions of the year, the dis-
positions of the stars, the natures of living creatures, the rage
of wild beasts, the force of the winds, and to understand the
thoughts of men? 32 How, then, could mortal matters escape
the knowledge of a man from whom heavenly things were
not hidden? The man who found out the thought of the
woman claiming the child of another as her own, 33 the man
who, although he had not investigated and studied the
nature of living things, knew them under the inspiration of
divine grace, 34 could he err or lie concerning the state of his
own nature which he knew through his own personal ex-
perience?
30 St. Ambrose is alluding to a widespread view in Christian antiquity
that all the books of the Old Testament assigned to Solomon actually
went back to him and, therefore, antedated the great Greek philo-
sophers and influenced their teachings.
31 Eccle. 4.2-4 (Septuagint) .
32 Cf. Wisd. 7.7,17-20.
33 Cf. 3 Kings 3.16-27.
34 Cf. Wisd. 7.20; 3 Kings 4.29,33.
210 ST. AMBROSE
(32) But even if Solomon alone ^ave formal expression
to this feeling, he was not the only one who had it. He had
read the words of holy Job: 'Let the day perish wherein I
was born/ 35 and he had learned that being born is the be-
ginning of all evils. Consequently, he desired the day on
which he was born to perish, so that the origin of his troubles
might be taken away, and he desired the day of his birth
to perish, so that he might receive the day of the resurrection. 36
Again, Solomon had heard his father say: 'O Lord, make me
know my end. And what is the number of my days? that I
may know what is wanting to me. 537 For David knew that
what is perfect cannot be comprehended here, and so he
hastened toward the things to come. For now we know in part,
and understand in part. But then we shall be able to com-
prehend what is perfect, when, not the shadow, but the
reality of the majesty and eternity of God shall begin to shine
and to reveal itself unveiled before our eyes. 38
(33) No one, however, would hasten to the end, unless
he were fleeing the disadvantages of this life. And, therefore,
even David explained why he hastened to the end, when he
said : 'Behold thou hast made my days old : and my substance
is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity:
every man living.' 39 Why, then, do we put off fleeing from
vanity? Or why do we wish to be troubled to no purpose in
this world, accumulating money and not knowing for what
heir we gather it? Let us pray that tribulations be removed
from us, that we be taken out of this foolish world, that our
pilgrimage may be shortened, and that we may return to
our true country and natural home. For upon this earth we
are strangers and foreigners. 40 We must return to the place
35 Job 3.3.
36 Cf. Job 19.25.
37 Ps. 38.5.
38 Cf. 1 Cor. 13.9-12.
39 Ps. 38.6 (Septuagint) .
40 Cf. Eph. 2.19.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : II 211
from which we descended. We must beg and beseech, not in
lukewarm fashion, but most earnestly, to be delivered from
the deceit and wickedness of babblers. 41 David, who knew
the remedy, bemoaned that his stay upon earth was prolonged
and lamented that he had to dwell among the unjust and
sinners. 42 What shall I do, who am both a sinner and know
not the remedy?
(34) Jeremias, likewise, laments that he was born, and
in these words: 'Woe is me, my mother, why has thou borne
me a man of contention in all the earth. I have not helped
anyone, nor has anyone helped me: my strength has failed.' 43
If, then, holy men shun life, men whose life, though useful to
us, is judged useless to themselves, what ought we to do, who
are not able even to profit others, and who know that, as
borrowed money becomes difficult to pay as interest mounts,
so this life of ours becomes more heavily burdened daily by
its debt of sin.
(35) 'I die daily, 544 says the Apostle. That, certainly, is
superior to the attitude of those who said that meditation on
death is true wisdom. For they only praised the contemplation
of death, while Paul practiced the actual experience of dying.
Moreover, they were concerned for themselves alone, but
Paul, perfect though he was, died, not for his own weakness,
but for ours. And what is meditation upon death except a
kind of separation of body and soul, since death itself is de-
fined as nothing else than the separation of body and soul?
This at least is the common opinion.
(36) According to the Scriptures, however, we learn that
there are three kinds of death. 45 The first is when we die to sin
and live unto God. 46 Blessed, then, is that death which, fleeing
41 Cf. Eccli. 19.5.
42 Cf. Ps. 119.5.
43 Cf. Jer. 15.10 (Septuagint) .
44 1 Cor. 15.31.
45 Cf. Rom. 6.10.
46 Cf. also, St. Ambrose, De bono mortis 9, and Expos, in Lucam. 7.35.
212 ST. AMBROSE
sin and devoted to God, separates us from what is mortal
and consecrates us to Him who is immortal. The second is
the soul's liberation from the bonds of the body and its de-
parture from this life. By this death the patriarch Abraham
and the patriarch David died, when they were buried with
their fathers. The third kind of death is that of which it is
said: 'Leave the dead to bury their own dead.' 47 In that death
not only does the flesh die, but the soul dies, also, Tor the
soul that sinneth, the same shall die/ 48 For it dies to the Lord,
not through natural infirmity but through the sickness caused
by guilt. This type of death is not the release from this life,
but is the fall resulting from sin.
(37) One type of death, then, is spiritual, a second
natural, and a third penal. But natural death and penal death
are not identical. For the Lord did not give death as a
penalty, but as a remedy. Hence, when Adam sinned, one
thing was prescribed as a punishment, and another as a
remedy. The punishment is contained in the words : 'Because
you have listened to your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of
which alone I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat,
cursed be the ground in your work; in toil shalt you eat of it
all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring
forth to you; and you shalt eat the plants of the field. In the
sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, till you return to the
ground, out of which you were taken.' 49
(38) Here we have freedom from punishment, for these
words contain the penalty decreed against the thorns of this
life, the cares of the world, and the pleasures of riches which
shut out the Word. 50 Death has been given as a remedy, as
an end of evils. For God did not say: 'Because you listened
to your wife, you shall return to the ground.' This would
47 Matt. 8.22.
48 Ezech. 18.4.
49 Gen. 3J7-19.
50 Cf. Luke 8.12.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : H 213
have been a penal sentence, as is this: 'Cursed be the ground.
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you.' But He said:
'In the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, till you return
to the ground.' You see that death is rather the limit of our
punishment, because by it the course of this life ended.
(39) Therefore, death, far from being an evil, is even
a good. Accordingly, it is sought as a good, for it is written:
'Men will seek death and will not find it.' 51 For they will
seek it who will begin to say to the mountains: Tall upon us;
and to the hills: Cover us.' 52 And the soul also that sins will
seek it. The rich man lying in hell, who wishes to have his
tongue cooled by the finger of Lazarus, he, too, seeks it. 53
(40) So we see that this kind of death is an advantage,
while this life is a punishment. Hence, Paul says: Tor me
to live is Christ and to die is gain.' 54 What is Christ but the
death of the body, the spirit of life? Therefore, let us die to-
gether with Him, that we may live with Him. Let us have
daily a kind of experience in and longing for death, so that,
by that separation from bodily desires which we have men-
tioned, our soul may learn to withdraw itself and, having
placed itself on high, as it were, whither earthly lusts cannot
approach and attach it to themselves, it may assume the
likeness of death, lest it incur the penalty of death. For the
law of the flesh wars against the law of the mind and sub-
jects it to the law of error, just as the Apostle revealed when
he said: 'I see another law in my members, warring against
the law of my mind and making me prisoner in the law of
sin/ r>5 We are all attacked, and we all know this, but we are
not all delivered. And, therefore, I am an unhappy man un-
less I shall seek the remedy. 56
51 Apoc. 9.6.
52 Luke 23.30.
53 Cf. Luke 16.24.
54 Phil. 1.21.
55 Rom. 7.23.
56 Cf. Rom. 7.24.
214 ST. AMBROSE
(41) But what remedy? 'Who will deliver me from the
body of this death? The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our
Lord.' 57 We have a physician: let us follow his remedy. Our
remedy is the grace of Christ, and the body of death is our
body. Let us, therefore, be exiled from the body lest we be
exiles from Christ. 58 Even if we are in the body, let us not
follow what is of the body. Let us not neglect the rights of
nature, but let us desire rather the gifts of grace. For to de-
part and to be with Christ is by far the better; yet to stay
on in the flesh is necessary for your sake.' 09
(42) But it is not necessary for all, Lord Jesus. It is not
so for me, who am of no use to anyone. For to me, to die is a
gain, so that I may sin no more. To die is a gain for me, who
in this very book wherein I am attempting to console others
I am driven by a powerful impulse into longing for my lost
brother, since it does not allow me to forget him. Now I love
him more and long for him more intensely than ever. I long
for him when I speak, I long for him when I read again
what I have composed. And therefore I think this must be
written primarily in order that I may never free myself from
remembering him. What I am doing is not contrary to
Scripture, namely, that I should grieve more patiently, but
long more ardently.
(43) You, my brother, have taken from me all fear of
death, and would that my soul might die in your soul ! That is
what Balaam desired as the greatest of goods for himself,
when endowed with the spirit of prophecy he said : 'Let my
soul die in the souls of the just, and let my seed become like
their seed/ 60 And truly he desired this according to prophecy.
For he who had seen the birth of Christ saw also His triumph,
saw His death, and saw in Him the everlasting resurrection of
57 Rom. 7.24^5.
58 Cf. 2 Cor. 5.6,8.
59 Phil. 1.23,24.
60 Num. 23.10 (Septuagint) .
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS *. II 215
mankind. Consequently, since he was to rise again, he had no
fear of death. Let, then, my soul not die in sin, nor admit
sin into itself. But let it die in the soul of the just man, that it
may receive his justice. Accordingly, he who dies in Christ be-
comes through baptism a sharer in His grace. 61
(44) Death, therefore, is not to be dreaded. It is not bitter
to the needy, nor especially grievous to the rich, nor op-
pressive to the old, nor cowardly for the brave, nor eternal
to the faithful, nor unexpected to the wise. How many have
made their lives immortal solely by the renown of their deaths !
How many have been ashamed to live and have found it a
benefit for them to die ! We have learned that often by one
man's death great nations have been freed, and that by the
death of a general hostile armies have been put to flight,
which, while he lived, he had not been able to conquer.
(45) By the death of the martyrs, religion has been de-
fended, the faith spread, and the Church strengthened. The
dead have been victorious, and the persecutors have been
vanquished. Accordingly, we celebrate the deaths of those of
whose lives we know nothing. So, too, David in prophecy re-
joiced at the departure of his own soul, saying: 'Precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of the saints. 362 He held death
in more esteem than life. The death itself of the martyrs is
the prize of life. Furthermore, even the hatreds of enemies
are dissolved by death.
(46) Are further illustrations required? By the death of
One the world was redeemed. For, had Christ so willed, He
had it in His power not to die. 63 But He did not think death
should be shunned as though it were a cowardly thing, and
He could not have saved us in a better way than by dying. 64
Hence, His death is the life of all. We sign ourselves with the
61 Cf. John 3.5.
62 Ps. 115.15.
63 Cf. John 10.18.
64 Cf. John 15.13.
216 ST. AMBROSE
sign of His death, when we pray we announce His death, when
we offer the Sacrifice we proclaim His death. His death is a
victory, His death is a mystery, His death is an annual feast
of the world. What more need we say of His death after we
show by the divine example that death alone has gained
immortality and death itself has redeemed itself? Death, then,
should not be lamented, since it is the source of salvation for
all. Death must not be shunned, for the Son of God neither
disdained nor shunned it. The order of nature must not be
destroyed. Exceptions cannot be made for individuals in
what is common to all.
(47) Death, in fact, was not in nature, but it became a
part of nature. God did not establish death in the beginning,
but gave it as a remedy. Let us then consider it, lest it seem the
opposite. For, if death is good, why is it written that c God
made not death? but by the evil of men death came into the
world 3 ? 65 Death was really not necessary to the divine plan,
since for those placed in paradise a continual succession of
all good things flowed forth. But after the transgression of
Adam and man's condemnation to long labors and unbearable
sorrow, his life became wretched. Consequently, an end had
to be established for evils, so that death might restore what
life had lost. For, unless grace should breathe upon it, im-
mortality would be rather a burden than an advantage.
(48) If we consider the matter carefully, this death is
not that of our nature but of evil, for our nature remains, but
evil dies. That which was rises again, and would that, as it
is free from sinning, so it may be without former guilt! But
this itself is a proof that there is no death of our nature,
namely, that we shall be the same as we were. Hence, we
shall either pay the penalty for our sins, or we shall obtain a
reward for our good deeds. For the same nature will rise
65 Wisd. 1.13; 2.24. The Septuagint and Vulgate have 'by the evil of
the devil' in place of St. Ambrose's 'by the evil of men/
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: II 217
again, all the more distinguished for having completed its
service to death. Accordingly, 'the dead in Christ will rise up
first. Then we who live, who survive, shall be caught up to-
gether with them in clouds to meet Christ in the air, and so
we shall ever be with the Lord. 566 The dead will be first, and
the living will be second ; the dead with Jesus, and the living
through Jesus. For the dead, life will be sweeter after rest. But
while the shortening of their life on earth will be welcome to
the living, they will have no knowledge of the remedy.
(49) There is nothing, therefore, which we should fear
in death, nothing over which we should grieve. Let the life
which was received be returned to nature when she requests
it, or let it be sacrificed to the call of duty which is concerned
with the practice of religion or virtue. No one, moreover, has
ever wished that he should remain in his present state. Such
a promise is thought to have been made to John, but this is
not true. We adhere strictly to his words, and base our position
on them. In his own Gospel he asserts that he never received
any promise that he would not die, 67 lest anyone through his
example might be filled with a vain hope. But, if such a wish
is presumptuous, how much more presumptuous is it to grieve
beyond measure over something that has not happened be-
yond measure?
(50) The pagans usually console themselves either by
the thought that death is a common calamity, or by a re-
cognition of the rights of nature, or by a belief in the im-
mortality of the soul. I wish that their opinions were consistent,
and that they did not convert the unfortunate soul into many
ridiculous monstrosities and forms. What, therefore, ought we
to do, whose reward is the resurrection? While many cannot
deny this gift, they refuse to believe. Therefore, let us establish
our faith in the resurrection, not by some one argument only,
but in as many ways as possible.
66 1 Thess. 4.16,17.
67 Cf. John 21.23 and St. Ambrose In Ps. 108 20.12.
218 ST. AMBROSE
(51) All things are accepted as true, either on the basis
of experience, or reason, or concrete example, or because it is
fitting that they are as they are, and each of these factors
supports our belief. Experience teaches us that we move;
reason, that whatever moves us must be considered as be-
longing to another power; example, that the land has pro-
duced crops, and consequently we assume that it will continue
to do so; fitness, because even where we do not count on a
return for our efforts, yet we do not believe that it is fitting
to abandon the practice of virtue.
(52) One argument, therefore, strengthens another. Be-
lief in the resurrection, however, is based most clearly on
three main arguments, and these include the rest. These are:
reason, universal example, and the testimony furnished by the
fact that many have risen. Reason is clear. For, since our
life as such functions through a union of body and soul, and
since the resurrection entails the reward of good conduct and
the punishment of evil, it is necessary that the body rise
again, since its conduct is to be weighed. For how shall the
soul be called to judgment without the body, since it must
render an account of its companionship with the body?
(53) Rising again is a common attribute of all life, but
it is difficult to believe this, because it does not result from
our merit but is a gift of God. The first argument for belief in
the resurrection, therefore, is the activities of the world, and
the state of all things; the series of generations, successive
changes and alternations, the risings and settings of constel-
lations, the daily endings of day and night, and their recur-
ring rebirths, as it were, daily. No other explanation, further-
more, can be found for the productive capacity of this earth
unless it be admitted that the divine economy replaces by the
dew of night the same amount of moisture, so necessary for
all growing things, which is absorbed by the daily heat of the
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : II 219
sun. And what shall I say about the fruits? Do they not seem
to die when they fall and to rise again when they grow green
again? What has been sown rises again, and what has died
rises again, and assumes again the same class and species as
before. The earth first gave back her fruits, and in these our
nature first sought the pattern of the resurrection.
(54) Why should we doubt that body will rise again
from body? Grain is sown, grain comes up again. The fruit
falls to earth, the fruit forms again. But the grain decks itself
with blossoms and is clothed with a husk. 'And this mortal
body must put on immortality, and this corruptible body must
put on incorruption.' 68 The blossom of the resurrection is im-
mortality; the blossom of the resurrection is incorruption.
What is richer than everlasting rest? What is a source of
greater gain and satisfaction than perpetual security? Here is
the manifold fruit, the harvest, whereby man's nature waxes
more vigorous and productive after death.
(55) But some may wonder how decayed bodies can
become sound again, scattered members brought together,
and destroyed parts be restored. 69 Yet no one wonders how
seeds softened and broken by the dampness and weight of the
earth grow and become green again. Such seeds, of course,
are rotted and dissolved by contact with the earth. But when
the generative moisture of the soil imparts life to the buried
and hidden seeds by a kind of life-giving heat, they emit the
animating force, as it were, of the growing plant. Then,
gradually, nature rears from the stalk the tender life of the
growing ear and, like a careful mother, wraps it in a sheath
as a protection against its being nipped at this immature stage
by the frost or scorched by the sun when the kernels are
emerging, as it were, from babyhood. Later, nature usually
surrounds the fully developed ear with a fence of beard, so
68 1 Cor. 15.53.
69 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.35,36.
220 ST. AMBROSE
the rain cannot beat it to pieces, the wind scatter it, or
small birds devour it.
(56) Why, therefore, should we wonder whether the
earth will restore human beings which she has received,
since she gives new life to, rears, clothes, protects, and defends
whatever seeds are sown in her? So all doubts should be
dropped whether the dependable earth, which restores with
compound interest, as it were, the seed entrusted to her, will
also return her deposit of mankind. Need I mention the
various kinds of trees which grow from the planted seed?
When their fruit has ripened and fallen with repeated
fecundity, they produce a new crop similar in all respects to
the old. And certain kinds of trees restore themselves and
have many renewed periods of life, so that they outlast the
very centuries. We see a grape decay and a vine shoot forth.
A graft is inserted and a tree is reborn. Is there a divine
providence for renewing trees and no concern for men? He
who has given these things for man's use has not allowed
them to perish. Will He allow man to perish whom He has
made to His own image?
(57 ) But it appears incredible to you that the dead should
live again. 'Senseless man, what thou thyself sowest is not
brought to life, unless it dies. 570 Sow any dried seed you
please, and it comes to life again. But, you reply, seed has a
vital fluid in it. Yet our body has its blood, and it has its
moisture. That is the vital fluid in us. Therefore, the argument
advanced by those who deny that a dry shoot revives, and
try to employ this alleged fact to the prejudice of the flesh, is,
I think, to be rejected, since all flesh comes from clay. Clay
comes from moisture, and moisture is from the earth. Ac-
cordingly, many plants grow even when there is no rainfall
and the soil is dry and sandy, since the earth itself provides
enough moisture. So, we cannot assume that the earth, which
70 1 Cor. 15.36.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS ! II 221
is wont to restore all other kinds of life, will fail in this function
as regards mankind. Hence, it is clear that we must not doubt
what is more in accord with nature than against it. For it is
as natural that all things living should rise again as it is un-
natural that they should perish.
(58) Now we come to a point which frequently disturbs
the pagans. How is it possible for the earth to restore those
whom either the sea has swallowed up or wild beasts have
torn limb from limb or devoured? This objection leads strictly
to the conclusion that there is doubt, not regarding belief in
the resurrection, but in respect to a part of mankind. For,
granted that the bodies of those torn to pieces will not rise
again, the rest shall. The resurrection as a fact is not to be
rejected because of an exceptional situation. Yet, since all
things earthly return and crumble into the earth, I wonder
how there can be any doubt even concerning the instances
noted. 71 For the most part, the sea itself also casts up on
neighboring shores whatever human bodies it has swallowed.
And if this were not so, it surely would not be difficult for
God to join what has been scattered, and to unite again what
has been dispersed. Could it be maintained for a moment
that God, whom the universe and the silent elements obey
and nature serves, did not perform a greater miracle in giving
life to clay than in joining it together?
(59) There is a bird in Arabia called the phoenix. After
it dies, it comes back to life, restored by the renovating fluid
in its own flesh. Shall we believe that men alone are not
restored to life again? Now, from the many oral and author-
itative reports written on this matter, 72 we know that the bird
71 Cf. Eccle. 3.20.
72 The story of the phoenix was introduced into Western literature by
Hesiod and particularly by Herodotus. It was widely believed to be
true, although questioned in part by Pliny the Elder and others. The
story naturally had a special appeal for Christians, and the phoenix be-
came a common symbol of immortality in Christian literature and
art. The phoenix therne received its most elaborate treatment in the
222 ST. AMBROSE
in question has a fixed life span of five hundred years, and
that when by a sort of natural premonition it knows that the
end of life is at hand, it provides itself with a casket of
frankincense and myrrh and other perfumes, and, when its
preparations and its appointed period are completed, it enters
the casket and dies. Presently, a worm comes forth from its
moisture, gradually grows birdlike in form, assumes a bird's
habits, and, borne aloft on the oarage of its wings, faithfully
takes up again the duties of its renewed life. For it carries
the box or tomb of its body or cradle of its resurrection, in
which in departing from life it dies and after dying rises
again, from Ethiopia to Lycaonia. Thus, through the resur-
rection of the phoenix the inhabitants of those regions know
that five hundred years have elapsed. Therefore, for that
bird the five-hundredth year is that of its resurrection, and,
for us, the thousandth year. 73 His resurrections occur within
the period of this world, but our resurrection will come at the
consummation of the world. Many are also of the opinion that
this bird sets fire to its own funeral pyre and rises again from
its embers and ashes.
(60) Perhaps, however, a more thorough investigation of
nature will give us a more solid foundation for our belief.
Let us, then, turn our thoughts back to the origin and be-
ginning of human procreation. You are men and women and
are not ignorant of what pertains to human nature. But if
some are so, do you imagine that we are born from nothing?
From what tiny beginnings do we grow so large. And if I
am not more plainspoken, you understand what I mean or,
poem, De ave phoenice, ascribed to Lactantius. For the Latin text
of this work, accompanied by a good introduction and translation,
see J. W. Duff and A. M. Duff, Minor Latin Poets (Loeb Classical
Library, London and Cambridge, Mass. 1935) , pp. 643-665.
73 Hardly an allusion here to the millenial reign of Christ. The term
'thousandth' is used rather to signify completeness, the fulfillment of
time. See F. H. Dudden, The Life dnd Times of St. Ambrose (Oxford
1935) II 668.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: II 223
rather, what I do not wish to say. Whence comes this head
and this wonderful countenance fashioned for various func-
tions and uses? We see the work, but we do not see its maker.
How explain the origin of this erect figure, dignified posture,
capacity for action, quickness of mind, and ability to walk
erect? We are certainly ignorant of the tools of nature, but
the effects of their work are evident. You, too, were once a
seed and your body is the seed of that which shall rise again.
Listen to Paul and learn that you are such a seed: 'What is
sown in corruption shall rise in incorruption, what is sown in
dishonor shall rise in glory. What is sown in weakness shall
rise in power. What is sown a natural body shall rise a
spiritual body.' 74 So you are sown as are all other things. Why,
then, do you wonder whether you will rise again like the rest?
You believe the first fact because you see it; you do not be-
lieve the second because you do not see it. 'Blessed are they
who have not seen, and yet have believed.' 75
(61) Yet, before the proper season arrives, not even that
first fact is believed. For not every season is suitable for
seeds to grow. Wheat is sown at one time, and it comes up at
another. At one time, the vine is grafted; at another, shoots
begin to grow, foliage becomes luxuriant, and the grape takes
form. At one time, the olive tree is planted; at another, as
though heavy with child and burdened with a progeny of
berries, it is bent low under the abundance of its own fruit.
But before the proper time arrives for each its production is
restricted, nor does the tree or plant which bears have the
time of bearing within its own power. At one season, we see
the mother of all exhibiting an unsightly appearance; at an-
other, bare of crops; at another, fresh with blossoms; at an-
other, brown and withered. If she had her own way, the earth
would like to dress herself up in season and out, and never
74 1 Cor. 15.42-44.
75 John 20.29.
224 ST. AMBROSE
lay aside the golden garments of her fields of grain, or the
fresh green-tinted attire of her meadows, instead of being
in want of herself and without benefit from the gains of her
own produce which she has transferred to others.
(62) Therefore, if you will not believe in our resur-
rection through faith, if you will not believe through parallel
examples, you are going to believe it through experience. For,
just as the end of the year is a fitting time for the ripening
of many other products, such as those of the vine and the
olive and the various fruits, so for us, also, the consummation
of the world, like the end of the year, has set a fitting time
for our rising again. And it is well that the resurrection of
the dead occurs at the consummation of the world, since we
are thus protected from falling back, after the resurrection,
into this evil age. Christ suffered to deliver us from this evil
world, so that the temptations of this world might not again
overthrow us. For being reborn would cause us harm, if we
should be reborn to a life of sin.
(63) Consequently, we have both a reason and a time
for the resurrection. We find a reason in the fact that nature
in all its productions remains consistent with itself and does
not show inconsistency in the case of mankind alone. We
have a time, in that all things are produced at the end of
the year. For the seasons of the world make up one year. And
why is it strange that the year is one when the day is one?
For on one day the Lord hired laborers for His vineyard,
saying: 'Why do you stand here, all day idle?' 76
(64) The causes of the origins of all things are seeds.
That the human body is a seed has been stated as a fact
by the Apostle of the Gentiles. 77 Whenever seed is sown, there-
fore, there is present a basic substance or cause for rising
again. But even if there were not such a substance or cause,
76 Matt. 20.6.
77 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.42.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUSI H 225
who would fancy it difficult for God to make a man anew
whence or how He might wish? For He ordered the world to
come into existence out of no matter or substance, and the
world was made. Look up at the heavens, look at the earth.
Whence have come the fiery stars; whence, the ball and
rays of the sun? Whence, the globe of the moon? Whence,
the mountain peaks, hard rocks, and woods teeming with
foliage? Whence, the widely diffused air, and the waters
poured into and spread over the earth? Now, if, as David
says, God made all things out of nothing, Tor he spoke and
they were made: he commanded and they were created, 378
how can we doubt whether what has been can be born again,
when we see that that has been given existence which did not
exist before.
(65 ) It is a strange fact that pagan philosophers, although
not believing in the resurrection, nevertheless, for fear the
race should perish, provide for this contingency with an in-
dulgent kindness, as it were. Therefore, they say that souls
pass and enter into other bodies in order that the world may
not perish. 79 But let them tell us which is the more difficult,
for souls to migrate or to return, to go back to their old abodes
or to seek new ones.
(66) But let them doubt who have not been taught. For
us, however, who have read the Law, the Prophets, the
Apostles, and the Gospel, it is forbidden to doubt. For who
can doubt, when he reads: 'And at that time shall all thy
people be saved, that is written in the book. And many of
those that sleep in the graves of the earth shall rise at one
opening, some unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach
and everlasting confusion. And they that understand shall
shine as the brightness of the firmament, and of the just
78 Ps. 148.5.
79 Transmigration was a typical doctrine of Pythagoreanism and Orphism
and thence passed into Platonism. Vergil reflects a compound of ideas
on the subject in Aeneid 6.7I3ff.
226 ST. AMBROSE
many shall be as stars for all eternity.' 80 Well, therefore, has
the Prophet spoken of the rest of those who sleep, for thus
we are given to understand that death is not eternal, but,
like sleep, it is entered upon for a time and then, at an ap-
pointed time, is put aside. He has shown, too, that the course
of the life which is to be after death will be better than that
which before death is passed in pain and sorrow. For the
life after death is compared to the stars, while our life here
is condemned to misery.
(67) Why should I need to bring in what is written in
another place: 'You will raise me up and I will praise you? 581
Or that other passage in which holy Job, after experiencing
the miseries of this life and overcoming every adversity by his
virtuous patience, anticipated the compensation for his present
evils afforded by the resurrection, when he said: 'You will
raise up this body of mine which has suffered many evils'? 82
Isaias, too, proclaiming the resurrection to the people, says
that he is the announcer of the Lord's message. For we read :
Tor the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, and they shall say
in the day. 583 What the mouth of the Lord stated, therefore,
that the people should say, is set forth later on, where it is
written: 'Because of our fear, O Lord, we have conceived
and have brought forth the Spirit of Thy salvation, which
Thou hath poured forth upon the earth. They that inhabit
the earth shall fall, they shall rise that are in the graves. For
the dew which is from Thee is health for them, but the land
of the wicked shall perish. Go, my people, enter into thy
chambers, shut thy doors upon thee, hide thyself a little for
a moment, until the anger of God pass away. 584
(68) How well did he signify that the chambers are the
80 Cf. Dan. 12.1-3 (Septuagint) .
81 Ps. 17.4930 (freely quoted).
82 Job 19.15 {Septuagint) .
83 Isa. 25.8,9.
84 Isa. 26.18-21 (Septuagint)
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: II 227
tombs of the dead, in which we are hidden for a little while,
the better to be able to pass to the judgment of God, which
will claim the right of just anger according to the extent of
our wickedness. Therefore, he who is hidden and rests is still
alive, but, as it were, withdrawing and departing from our
midst. Thus, he escapes the misery of being entangled more
tightly in the snares of this world. Through the voice of the
Prophets heaven speaks and gives assurance that the joy of
the resurrection is reserved for the dead and that health will
be restored to their dissolved bodies by divine dew. Dew is a
well-chosen sign, for by it all the living seeds of the earth are
made to grow. Why marvel, then, if the ashes and embers
of our disintegrated body also grow vigorous through the
richness of dew from heaven, and, upon receiving the life-
giving moisture, our members are again connected and assume
their former appearance?
(69) Again, in minute detail the holy Prophet Ezechiel
teaches 85 and describes how strength will be restored to our
dry bones, feeling return, and motion be added; how, with
the return of sinews, the whole structure of the human body
will grow strong, and how the driest bones will be clothed
with restored flesh, and the openings of the veins and the
streams of the blood will be concealed by a veil of skin
drawn tautly over them. At the very words of the Prophet,
as we read, the crop of human bodies seems to rise up again
to life, and one may see the wide expanses of the fields
sprouting with a novel kind of growth.
(70) It is established that seed of one sort cannot become
another kind of plant, much less produce issue so essentially
different as men springing from serpents and flesh from teeth,
although wise men of old believed that a harvest of armed
men bristled up from the teeth of the hydra sown at Thebes.
How much more credible it is, indeed, that whatever has
85 Cf. below, Ch. 71.
228 ST. AMBROSE
been sown rises again in its own nature, that crops do not
differ from their seed, that soft things do not spring from
hard or vice versa, that poison does not become blood, but
that flesh is restored from flesh, bone from bone, blood from
blood, and humor from humor? Can you, you pagans, deny
a restoration of nature, then, when you maintain your belief
in metamorphosis? Since you believe in idle fables, how can
you not believe the word of God, the Gospels, the Prophets?
(71) But let us hear the words of the Prophet himself:
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and the Lord brought
me forth in the spirit: and set me down in the midst of a
plain, and this was full of human bones. And he led me about
through them on even' side : now there were very many upon
the face of the plain, and they were exceeding dry. And he
said to me: Son of man, dost thou think these bones shall
live? And I answered: O Lord God, thou knowest. And he
said to me: Prophesy concerning these bones; and say to
them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the
Lord God to these bones: Behold, I shall send the spirit of
life into you. And I will give you sinews, and I will cause
flesh to grow over you, and I will cover you with skin; and
I will give you my Spirit and you shall live, and you shall
know that I am the Lord. And I prophesied as he had com-
manded me; and as I prophesied all these things, behold
there was a great movement of the earth.' 86
(72) Now, notice how he shows that there is hearing and
movement in the bones before the spirit of life is again in-
fused into them. For, above, the dry bones are commanded
to hear, as if they were endowed with a sense of hearing, and
here it is indicated by the Prophet that each bone went to its
proper joint, for we read: 'And the bones came together
each one to its joint. And I saw, and behold the sinews and
86 Ezech. 37.1-7 (Septuagint) .
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: H 229
the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched
out over them, but there was no spirit in them.' 87
(73) Great is the favor shown us by the Lord in making
use of a Prophet as a witness of the future resurrection, in
order that we, too, should see it through his eyes. For all
could not have been employed as witnesses, but we are all
witnesses in one. For a lie does not suit a holy man, nor error
befit so great a Prophet.
(74) Nor should it seem improbable that bones, at God's
command, should again enter their bodily structure. Actually,
we have countless examples in which physical nature has
obeyed the commands of heaven. When the earth was
ordered to bring forth vegetation, it did so. 88 When Moses
struck the rock with a rod, water for a thirsting people gushed
out, and the hard rocks poured forth streams through God's
mercy for those parched by the heat. 89 What else did the rod
changed into a serpent 90 signify than that, should God so will,
animate beings can be produced from inanimate? If bones
come together when bidden, is that conceivably less credible
than streams turning back or the sea fleeing? For so the
Prophet testifies: The sea saw and fled: Jordan was turned
back.' 91 Nor can there be any doubt about the certainty of
the facts concerning the destruction of the Egyptians and the
preservation of the people of Moses. The waters of the sea
were held back, yet, at the same time, surrounding the He-
brews. They then poured back and brought death upon the
Egyptians, so that they destroyed one people and saved the
other, 92 What, too, do we find in the Gospel itself? Did not
our Lord show there that the sea grew calm at His word, that
87 Ezech. 37.7,8.
88 Cf. Gen. 1.11.
89 Cf. Num. 20.11.
90 Cf. Exod. 4.3.
91 Ps. 113.3.
92 Cf. Exod. 14.22ff,
230 ST. AMBROSE
the storm clouds of heaven were scattered, that the blasts of
the winds subsided, and that the dumb elements obeyed Him
and the shores were quieted? 93
(75 ) But let us consider these matters in further detail, so
that we can see how the dead will be restored by the spirit of
life, how those lying in their graves will arise, and the sepul-
chres be opened. 'And he said to rne: Prophesy to the spirit,
Son of man, and say to the spirit : Thus saith the Lord :
Gome, spirit, from the four winds of heaven, and blow upon
these dead, and let them live. And I prophesied as he had
commanded me: and the spirit came into them, and they
lived: and they stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great
multitude. And the Lord said to me : Son of man : These bones
are all the house of Israel. They say : our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we shall be cut off. Therefore, prophesy,
and say to them: Thus saith the Lord: Behold I will open
your graves, and will bring you out of your sepulchres, O my
people: and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you
shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall open your
sepulchres, and shall bring you, my people, out of your graves.
And will put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will
set you down upon your own land : and you shall know that
1 am the Lord. I have spoken and I will do it, saith the
Lord. 594
(76) We note how contact with the vital spirit is again
resumed and we learn how the graves will open and the dead
will arise. Or should we wonder that the sepulchres of the
dead are unsealed at the bidding of the Lord, when the
entire earth to its utmost limits is shaken by a single peal of
thunder, when the sea overflows its bounds, and then checks
the course of its waves? Hence, he who has believed 'that in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet'
93 Cf. Matt. 8.26,27.
94 Ezech. 37.9-14.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: H 231
for the trumpet shall sound that the dead shall rise again, 95
shall be caught up amongst the first in the clouds to meet
Christ in the air. 96 He who has not believed shall be forsaken,
and by his disbelief he shall bring upon himself his own
condemnation.
(77) The Lord shows also in the Gospel, to come to
specific instances, how a person will rise again. He not only
quickened Lazarus, He quickened the faith of all. For if a per-
son believes, as he reads, his spirit, which was dead, also is
quickened with that same Lazarus. For, when the Lord went
to the sepulchre and loudly cried out: 'Lazarus, come forth,' 97
what other meaning is there in this except that He wished
to give visible proof, to exemplify our future resurrection?
Why did He cry out loudly? Was it because He was not used
to working through the Spirit, or because He was not wont
to command in silence? No, He intended rather to emphasize
the Scriptural statement 'that in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet, the dead shall rise again in-
corruptible.' 98 For the lifting of His voice corresponds to the
peal of trumpets. When He cried out: 'Lazarus come forth, 3
why did He add the specific name, except, perhaps, lest one
might be raised instead of another, or lest the resurrection
might seem to be accidental rather than something com-
manded?
(78) The dead man, therefore, heard and came forth
from the tomb. He was bound hand and foot with bandages,
and his face was covered with a cloth. 99 Imagine, if you can,
how he picks his way with eyes closed, moves forward with
his feet tied, and makes progress without taking separate steps.
Although the bands remained, they did not hold him back.
95 1 Cor. 15.52.
96 Cf. 1 Thess. 4.16.
97 John 11.44.
98 1 Cor. 15.52.
99 Cf. John 11.44.
232 ST. AMBROSE
Although his eyes were covered, they saw. Accordingly, he
who arose walked, and left his sepulchre, and had sight. For,
where the power of a divine command was operating, nature
had no need of its own functions, and, as if in a kind of
trance, no longer followed its own course, but obeyed the
divine will. The bonds of death were broken before those
of the tomb. Walking was practiced before it was prepared
for.
(79) If anyone is astonished at this, let him inquire who
gave the command and his astonishment will cease. It was
Jesus Christ, the Power of God, the Life, the Light, the Resur-
rection of the dead. The Power lifted up a man lying in the
grave; the Life made him walk; the Light dispelled the dark-
ness and restored his sight; the Resurrection renewed the gift
of life.
(80) Perhaps you are concerned by the fact that Jesus
took away the stone and loosened the bands, 100 and you are
worried that there will be no one to take away the stone from
your grave. As if He who could restore life could not remove
a stone, or that He who made a bound man walk could not
break bonds, or that He who shed light upon covered eyes
could not uncover a face, or that He who could renew nature
could not split a rock ! But in order that they who refused to
believe in their hearts might at least believe their eyes, they
removed the stone, they saw the corpse, they smelled the
stench, they broke the bands. They could not deny that he
was dead whom they saw rising again. They saw the marks of
death and the proofs of life. What wonder if, as they worked,
they had a change of heart in the process, and, as they heard,
they at least believed their ears! What wonder if, as they
looked, they were forced to believe their eyes, and, as they
broke the bonds, they loosened the shackles of their minds!
What wonder if, as Lazarus was being unbound, the people
100 Cf. John 11.41,44.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS! H 233
were set free, and, as they allowed him to go off, they them-
selves returned to God! Therefore, many who had come to
Mary, seeing what was done, believed. 101
(81 ) Nor was this the only instance our Lord Jesus Christ
afforded us, but he raised others, also, that we might believe
at least on the basis of more numerous examples. Moved by
the tears of a widowed mother, He raised up a young man.
Approaching and touching the stretcher, He said: 'Young
man, I say to thee, arise. And he who was dead, sat up, and
began to speak. 5102 The moment he heard, he sat up and
spoke. The gift of power, then, is one thing, and the order of
nature another.
(82) And what shall I say about the daughter of the
ruler of the synagogue, at whose death the people were
mourning and the flute players were playing their music? In
the belief that she was indeed dead, solemn funeral services
were being performed. The spirit returned immediately at the
voice of the Lord, she arose with revived body, and she par-
took of food to furnish proof that she was alive. 103
(83) And why should we wonder that a soul is restored
at the word of God, and flesh returns to bones, when we re-
call that a dead person was restored to life by physical contact
with the body of a Prophet? 104 Elias prayed and restored a
dead child to life. 105 Peter, in the name of Christ, bade
Tabitha rise and walk. 106 The poor rejoiced that she was re-
stored to them and believed on account of the food she gave
them. Shall we still not believe at the risk of our salvation?
They purchased the resurrection of another by their tears.
Shall we doubt that ours was purchased by the Passion of
Christ? When He gave up His spirit to show that He had
101 Cf. John 11.45.
102 Luke 7.14,15.
103 Cf. Mark 5.38-43.
104 Cf. 4 Kings 4.34; 13.2.
105 Cf. 3 Kings 17.21-23.
106 Cf. Acts 9.36-41.
234 ST. AMBROSE
died for our resurrection, He exemplified the course of the
resurrection itself. For, as soon as He again cried out with a
loud voice and gave up His spirit, the earth quaked, and the
rocks were rent, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies
of the saints who had fallen asleep arose, and, coming forth
out of the tombs after His Resurrection, they came into the
holy city and appeared to many. 107
(84) ' If these things occurred when He gave up His spirit,
why should we think them incredible when He returns for the
judgment, especially since this earlier resurrection is a proof
of that future resurrection, a pattern of the reality to come?
Indeed, it is less a pattern than it is the truth itself. Who, then,
at our Lord's Passion, opened the graves and assisted the dead
to rise and showed them how to find their way to the holy
city? If there was no one, it was certainly Divine Power
working in the bodies of the dead. Does one seek human aid
when he clearly sees the work of God?
(85) God has no need of human assistance. God com-
manded the heavens to come into existence, and it was done.
He decided to create the earth, and it was created. 108 Who
carried the stones upon his shoulders? Who paid the cost?
Who helped Him at the work? These thing were done in a
moment. Do you want to know how quickly? 'He spoke and
they were made/ 109 If the material universe sprang into being
at a word, why should not the dead also rise again at a word?
Although they are dead, yet they once were alive, they had
the sense of feeling and knowing, and they had the power of
acting. Furthermore, there is the greatest difference between
not being capable of life and remaining lifeless. The Devil
said: 'Command this stone to become a loaf of bread. 3110
When he confesses that, at God's command, material nature
107 Cf. Matt. 27.50-53.
108 Cf. Gen. 1.6ff.
109 Ps. 148.5.
110 Luke 4.3.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS I H 235
can be transformed, do you not believe that, at God's com-
mand, nature can be made anew?
(86) Philosophers discuss the course of the sun and the
system of the heavens, and there are some who think that
they should be believed although they are ignorant of what
they are discussing. For they have neither visited the heavens,
nor measured the sky, nor visually examined the universe. And
none of them was with God in the beginning, and none has
said of God: 'When he prepared the heavens, I was present.
I was fashioning with him. I was the one at whom he re-
joiced.' 111 If, therefore, such men are believed, why is not
God believed, who says: Tor as the new heavens, and the
new earth, which I will make to stand before me, saith the
Lord: so shall your name stand and your seed. And there
shall be month after month, and sabbath after sabbath : and
all flesh shall come before my face, to adore in Jerusalem,
saith the Lord God. And they shall go out and see the limbs
of men who have transgressed against me : their worm shall
not die, and their fire shall not be quenched: and they shall
be a loathsome sight to all flesh.' 112
(87) If heaven and earth are renewed, how can we
doubt the possibility of man's renewal, for whom heaven and
earth were made? If the transgressor is kept for punishment,
why should not the just man be preserved for glory? If the
worm of sinners does not die, how shall the flesh of the just
perish? For the resurrection, as the very form of the word
indicates, is this: What has fallen shall rise again, what has
died shall live again.
(88) It is in full accord with the nature and course of
justice that, since body and soul possess activity in common,
the body carrying out what the mind has planned, both
should come into judgment and both be committed to
111 Prov. 8.27,30 (Septuagint) .
112 Isa. 66.22-24 (Septuagint).
236 ST. AMBROSE
punishment or preserved together for glory. For it would
seem almost absurd that, whereas the law of the mind strives
against the law of the flesh and under pressure of the sin
dwelling in man, often does what is odious to it, the mind,
guilty only through another's fault, should be subject to
punishment, while the flesh, the author of the evil, should
obtain rest. Since the mind has not sinned alone, it should
not be punished alone; since with the aid of grace it has not
fought alone, it should not alone gain glory.
(89) Unless I am mistaken, the reason is full and ade-
quate, but I do not demand a reason from Christ. If I am
convinced by reason, I deny faith. Abraham believed God. 115
Let us also believe, so that we who are the heirs of his race
may likewise be heirs of his faith. David, too, believed, and so
he spoke. 114 Let us also believe, so that we can speak in the
knowledge that he who raised up Jesus, will raise us up also
with Jesus. 5115 For God, who never deceives, promised this.
The Truth, too, promised this in His Gospel when He said :
'Now this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose
nothing of what he has given me, but that I should raise it
up on the last day.' 116 And He did not consider it sufficient to
have said this once, but He expressly repeated it also in what
follows : Tor this is the will of my Father who sent me, that
whoever beholds the Son, and believes in him, shall have
everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 5117
(90) Who said this? It was He, of course, who, when
He died, raised up many bodies of the departed. If we do
not believe God, shall we not even believe evidence? Shall
we not believe what He promised when He actually ac-
complished even what He did not promise? Why would He
113 Cf. Gen. 15.6.
114 Cf, Ps. 115.10.
115 2 Cor. 4.14.
117 John 6.40.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : H 237
have died, unless He also had a reason for rising again? For,
since God could not die, Wisdom could not die. Yet what
had not died could not rise again. So our mortal flesh was as-
sumed, which could die, so that, while that died which was
wont to die, that which had died might rise again. For the
resurrection was not possible save through man. 'For since
by a man came death, by a man also comes resurrection of
the dead. 3118
(91) Therefore, man arose, because man died.' Man was
raised up again, but it was God who raised him. Then He
was man according to the flesh; now, God is in all. 119 Now
we no longer know Christ according to the flesh, 120 but we
have the grace of His flesh, so that we know Him as the first
fruits of those who rest, 121 the firstborn from the dead. 122
Unquestionably, the first fruits are of the same species and
nature as the rest of the fruits. The first fruits are offered to
God to beg a richer increase, as a holy gift for all gifts, and
a kind of libation, as it were, from restored nature. Christ,
then, is the first fruits of those who rest. But is He the first fruits
of His own who rest, and who, freed from death, as it were,
are held in a kind of sweet slumber, or is He the first fruits of
all the dead? On the contrary, 'For, as in Adam all die, so
also in Christ all will be made to live/ 123 Therefore, as the
first fruits of death were in Adam, so also the first fruits of
the resurrection are in Christ.
(92) All men will arise again, but let no just man be-
come discouraged and be troubled at the common lot of
resurrection, since he awaits the chief reward for his virtue.
All, indeed, shall rise, 'but/ as the Apostle adds, 'each in his
118 1 Cor. 15.28.
119 Cf. 1 Cor. 1558.
120 Cf. 2 Cor. 5.16.
121 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.20.
122 Cf. Col. 1.18.
123 1 Cor. 15.22.
238 ST. AMBROSE
own turn/ 124 The fruit of the divine mercy is common to all,
but the order of merit differs. The day gives light to all, the
sun warms all, and the rain in bountiful showers makes
fruitful the fields of all.
(93) We are all born, and we shall all rise again; but in
the state both of living and of living again there will be a
difference in grace and condition. 'In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall rise incorruptible, and we
shall be changed.' 125 Yes, even in death some rest, and some
live. Rest is good, but life is better. And so the Apostle arouses
the man who is at rest to life, saying: 'Awake, sleeper, and
arise from among the dead, and Christ will enlighten thee.' 126
Therefore, he is aroused that he may live, that, like Paul, he
can say 'that we who live, shall not precede those who have
fallen asleep.' 127 Here, he is not speaking of the common
manner of life and the breath we all enjoy, but of the merit
of the resurrection. For, after saying: 'And the dead in
Christ will rise up first, 3 he adds: 'And we who live, who
survive, shall be caught up together with them in clouds to
meet Christ in the air. 3128
(94) Paul died, certainly, and by his noble sufferings he
exchanged the life of the body for immortal glory. Was he
mistaken, then, in writing that while yet alive he would
be caught up in the clouds to meet Christ? For we
read this of Henoch and of Elias. 129 But you, too, will be
caught up in the spirit. Behold the chariot of Elias, and the
fires! Even if they are not seen, they are ready, that the just
man may ascend, the innocent be transported, and that your
life may not know death. Accordingly, the Apostles did not
124 1 Cor. 15.23.
125 1 Cor. 15.53.
126 Eph. 5.14.
127 1 Thess. 4.15.
128 1 Thess. 4.17.
129 Cf. Gen. 5.24; 4 Kings 2.11.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : II 239
know death. And, therefore, it also was said: 'Amen, amen,
I say to you, many of those standing here will not taste death,
till they have seen the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.' 130
For he lives, who does not have in him what can die, who
does not have some shoe or bond from Egypt, but put off
such before laying aside the service of this body. So not
Henoch alone lives, since not he alone was caught up.
Paul, too, was caught up to meet Christ.
(95) The patriarchs also live. For, unless the dead were
living, God would in no wise be called the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 'For He is not the
God of the dead, but of the living. 3131 And we, too, shall live,
if we have the will to imitate the deeds and conduct of our
fathers. We wonder at the rewards of the patriarchs: let us
imitate their submissiveness. We proclaim the grace which
they received: let us follow their obedience; let us not,
enticed by our appetites, fall into the snares of the world. Let
us seize our present opportunity, let us cleave to the com-
mandment of the Law, the mercy of our calling, and the
desire of suffering. The patriarchs went forth from their own
land: let us go forth in our resolve from the dictatorship of
the body; 132 let us go forth in resolve as they in exile. But they
did not regard as exile what was undertaken out of devotion
to God, or required by necessity. They changed their native
land for another: let us change earth for heaven. Theirs was
a change in dwelling: let ours be a change in spirit. Wisdom
showed them the heavens bright with stars: 133 let It brighten
the eyes of our soul. Thus the type agrees with truth, and
truth with the type.
(96) Abraham, who was glad to receive strangers, faithful
to God and tireless in His service, and prompt in fulfilling his
130 Matt. 16.28.
131 Luke 20.38.
132 Cf.l Peter 2.11.
133 Cf. Gen. 15.5.
240 ST. AMBROSE
duty, saw the Trinity typified. 134 He added religious devotion
to hospitality, for, although he beheld Three, he adored
One, and, while keeping a distinction of the Persons, yet he
called One, Lord, thus giving honor to the Three but signifying
one Power. For, not knowledge, but grace, spoke in him.
And he believed better what he had not learned than we
who have been taught. No one had falsified the type of truth,
and, therefore, he saw Three, but worshiped their unity. He
brought out three measures of meal, but slaughtered one
calf, 135 believing one sacrifice was sufficient, but a threefold
offering; one victim, but a threefold gift. Furthermore, in the
account of the four kings, 136 who does not understand that
Abraham subjected to himself the elements of material nature
and all earthly things in prefiguration of the Lord's Passion?
He was loyal in war, and was not grasping in victory, 137 for
he preferred to be enriched with the gifts of God, not of men.
(97) As an old man he believed that he could beget a
son, 138 and as a father he judged that he could sacrifice him.
And his paternal love did not cause him to hesitate when
reverence for God aided his aged hand, 139 for he knew that
his son would be more pleasing to God as a sacrifice than as
alive and unharmed. 140 Therefore, he brought his beloved son
to be sacrificed, and him whom he had begotten so late he
offered without delay. Nor was he held back by being ad-
dessed as father, when his son called him 'father' and he
answered ! my son.' 141 Names, indeed, are tender assurances
of love, but the commands of God are worthy of even greater
love. And so, while both felt mutual compassion in their
hearts, there was no faltering in resolution. The hand of a
134 Cf. Gen. IS.lff.
135 Cf. Gen. 18.6,7.
136 Cf. Gen. 14.1 ff.
137 Cf. Gen. 14.23.
138 Cf. Gen. 15.6.
139 Cf. Gen. 22.10.
140 Cf. Gen. 22.2.
141 Cf. Gen. 22.7.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUSZ H 241
father lifted the knife over his own son, and, lest the sentence
fail of execution, in his paternal love he was in the act of
striking the blow. He was afraid the stroke would miss, that
his right hand would weaken. He felt as a father would, but
he did not shrink from his duty .to God. He was hurrying to
obey, even as he heard God's voice. 142 Therefore, let us, too,
put God before all those whom we love, whether father, or
brothers, or mother, so that He can keep safe our loved ones
for us, just as in Abraham's case we see the generous Rewarder
rather than the servant.
(98) The father, indeed, offered his son, but God was ap-
peased not with blood but with religious obedience. In place
of the body, God showed the ram in the bush, 143 that He
might restore the son to his father and yet that a victim
should not be lacking to the priest. Consequently, neither
was Abraham stained with the blood of his own son, nor was
God deprived of a victim. When the Prophet saw the ram, he
did not assume a boastful attitude, he did not persist ob-
stinately in his resolve, but took the ram in place of the boy.
His conduct shows all the more how piously he offered the
son whom he received back so gladly. If you, likewise, make
an offering to God, you do not lose it. But we are selfish.
God sacrificed His only-begotten Son for us, 144 but we refuse
ours. Abraham saw this and recognized the mystery, that
our salvation would be on a tree. 145 And it did not escape
his notice that in one and the same sacrifice there was one
thing which seemed to be offered and another which could
be slain.
(99) Let us imitate Abraham's devotion to God, let us
imitate Isaac's goodness, let us imitate his purity. Isaac
was certainly a good and virtuous man, devoted to God, and
142 Cf. Gen. 22.11,12.
143 Cf. Gen. 22.13.
144 Cf. Rom. 8.32.
145 I.e., on the Cross.
242 ST. AMBROSE
faithful to his wife. He did not return evil for evil. He yielded
to those who drove him out, but he received them again
when they were sorry, being neither harsh to insolence nor
obdurate to kindness. When he went away from others, he
fled to avoid strife. When he received them again, he readily
forgave them, and he was exceptionally kind when he par-
doned. Men sought to associate with him, and he added a
delightful feast. 146
(100) In Jacob, also, let us imitate a type of Christ. Let
there be in us some likeness of his action. If we imitate him,
we shall have fellowship with him. He obeyed his mother,
he yielded to his brother, he served his father-in-law, and he
looked for his wages, not from a division, but from an in-
crease in the flock. And there was no avaricious division,
where the portion was so lucrative. 147 Nor was that sign of
the ladder from earth to heaven for no purpose, 148 for by
that vision was made evident the future fellowship of men
and angels through the Cross of Christ. And the thigh of
Jacob was paralyzed, so that in his thigh he might recognize
his lineal Heir and that the paralysis of his thigh might
prophesy his Heir's Passion. 149
(101) We see, then, that heaven is open to virtue and
that this is not the prerogative of a few. Tor many will come
from the east and the west, 3 the north and the south, { and
shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the
kingdom of heaven,' 150 as, with all agitation of mind removed,
they give expression to the joy of eternal rest. Let us follow
Abraham in our conduct, so that he may receive us into his
bosom and cherish us with loving embrace even as he did
Lazarus, the heir of his humility, and surrounded with his
146 Cf. Gen. 26.1-31.
147 Cf. Gen. 30.27-43.
148 Cf. Gen. 38.12.
149 Cf. Gen. 32.24.
150 Matt. 8.11.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : II 243
own virtues. 151 For the generation of the holy patriarch ap-
proved by God cherishes us, not in a corporeal bosom, but
in the garment, as it were, of our good deeds. 'Be not de-
ceived, 5 says St. Paul, 'God is not mocked.' 152
( 102 ) We realize how grave an offense it is not to believe
in the resurrection of the dead. For, if we do not rise again,
Christ, then, died in vain and did not rise again. 153 For, if
He did not rise for us, He did not rise at all, because there
was no reason why He should rise for Himself. The universe
rose again in Him, the heaven rose again in Him, the earth
rose again in Him. For there shall be a new heaven and a
new earth. 154 Furthermore, what need had He of resurrection
who was not bound by the chains of death? For, even
though He died as man, He was free even in hell itself.
(103) Do you wish to know how free? 'I am become
as a man without help, free among the dead. 3155 And well is
He called free who was able to raise Himself up, according
to what is written : 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I
will raise it up.' 156 Well, too, is He called free who had come
down to redeem others. He was made as a man, not in ap-
pearance merely, but actually fashioned as such, for He is
man and who shall know Him? 157 For, 'being made like unto
men, and appearing in the form of a man, He humbled him-
self, becoming obedient to death, 3158 so that precisely through
that obedience we might see His glory, 'the glory as of the
only-begotten of the Father,' as St. John says. 159 For thus the
representation of Scripture is preserved, since the glory of the
151 Cf. Luke 16.22.
152 Gal. 6.7.
153 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.13-15.
154 Cf. Apoc. 21.1.
155 Ps. 87.5.
156 John 2.19.
157 Cf. Isa. 53.3.
158 Phil. 2.7,8.
159 John 1.14.
244 ST. AMBROSE
Only-begotten and the nature of perfect man are thus pre-
served in Christ.
(104) Therefore, He needed no helper. For, as He needed
no aid when He made the world, neither did He need any
when He redeemed it. No legate, no messenger, but the
Lord Himself saved the world. 'He spoke and they were
made/ 160 The Lord Himself saved the world; He is every-
where because all things are through Him. For who could
have helped Him by whom all things were created and hi
whom all things hold together? 161 Who could have helped
Him who makes all things in an instant, and at the last
trumpet raises the dead? 162 At the last trumpet, not that He
could not raise them at the first or the second; order is pre-
served, not that a difficulty be finally overcome, but that the
proper number be completed.
(105) Since my discourse is drawing to a close, it is time
now to say something about the nature of the trumpets, so that
the trumpet may also be the sign of the completion of my ad-
dress. In the Apocalypse of St. John we read of seven trumpets
which seven angels received. 163 There, too, we read that when
the seventh angel blew a trumpet, there was a loud voice from
heaven, saying: 'The kingdom of this world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign
forever and ever.' 164 The word trumpet also means a voice,
for we read: 'For, behold, a door was opened in heaven and
the first voice which I heard, as it were, a trumpet speaking
with me and saying: Come up hither and I will show thee
the things which must come to pass. 5165 We also read: 'Blow
up the trumpet on the new moon, 5166 and again, elsewhere:
Traise him with sound of trumpet.' 167
160 Ps. 32.9.
161 Cf. Col. 1.17.
162 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.52.
163 Cf. Apoc. 8.2.
164: Apoc. 11.15.
165 Apoc. 4.1.
166 Ps. 80,4.
167 Ps. 150.3.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : U 245
(106) We should, therefore, observe as carefully as pos-
sible the signification which the trumpets have, so as not to
run the risk of looking upon this matter as an old wives' tale,
and of thinking of it as unworthy of spiritual teaching and out
of accord with the dignity of the Scripture. For when we read
that our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against
spiritual forces of wickedness on high/ 68 we ought not to
think of carnal weapons, of course, but such as are powerful
before God. 169 It is not enough that we see a trumpet or hear
its sound, unless we understand the meaning of its sound.
For, if the trumpet gives forth an uncertain note, how shall
anyone get ready for war? 170 Hence we ought to know the
meaning of the trumpet's sound, lest we should seem to be
barbarians, 171 when we either hear or speak of trumpets of
this kind. And, therefore, when we speak of them, let us
pray that the Holy Spirit will interpret their meaning for us.
(107) Let us consider what we have read in the Old
Testament concerning trumpets, realizing that the festivals
prescribed for the Jews by the Law are a shadow of cele-
brations above and heavenly feasts. For here is the shadow,
and there is the truth. 172 Let us endeavor to arrive at the
truth by means of the shadow. Certainly, in another place the
figure of truth has been presented in this fashion, for we read
that God spoke to Moses, saying: 'Say to the children of
Israel: the seventh month, on the first day of the month,
there shall be a rest for you, a memorial of the blowing of
trumpets, and you shall call it holy. You shall do no servile
work therein, and you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord/ 173
And in Numbers: 'The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: make
thee two trumpets of beaten silver wherewith thou mayest
168 Ct. Eph. 6.12.
169 Cf. 2 Cor. 10.4.
170 Cf. 1 Cor. 14.8.
171 The barbarians employed horns and drums rather than trumpets.
172 Cf. Col. 2.16,17.
173 Lev. 23.24,25.
246 ST. AMBROSE
call together the multitude and when the camp is to be re-
moved. And when thou shalt sound the trumpets among
them, all the multitude shall gather unto thee to the door
of the tabernacle of the covenant. If thou sound one trumpet,
all the princes and leaders of Israel shall come to thee. And
with the trumpet you shall blow a first signal, and they
shall move the camp forward and shall establish themselves
on the East. And with the trumpet you shall blow a second
signal, and they shall move the camp forward, and shall estab-
lish themselves towards Libanus. And with the trumpet you
shall blow a third signal, they shall move the camp forward
which shall be established towards the North. They shall blow a
signal with the trumpet in their moving forward. And the
sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sound the trumpets: and
this shall be an ordinance forever for your generations. If you
go forth to war into your land against the enemies that fight
against you, you shall sound a signal with the trumpets, and
you shall be remembered before the Lord and you shall have
deliverance from your dead. And on the days of your joy
and on your festival days, and on the first days of your
months, sound the trumpets, and at your holocausts and at
your peace offerings, and there shall be a remembrance of
you before the Lord, saith the Lord.' 174
(108) Shall we, then, think of festival days in terms of
eating and drinking? On the contrary, let no one call us to
account in respect to eating, Tor we know that the Law is
spiritual. 5175 'Let no one, therefore, call you to account for
what you eat or drink or in regard to a festival or a new
moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of things to come,
but the body is of Christ. 5176 So let us seek the body of Christ
which the voice of the Father from heaven, the last trumpet,
174 Num. 10.1-10 (Septuagint, but with some marked deviations).
175 Rom. 7.14.
176 Col. 2.16,17.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: n 247
as it were, showed to you on that occasion when the Jews
said that it thundered for Him. 177 Let us seek, I repeat, the
body of Christ which the last trumpet will again reveal to us,
Tor the Lord himself with cry of command, with voice of
archangel, and with trumpet of God will descend from
heaven; and the dead in Christ will rise up first.' 178 For,
'Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered to-
gether. 5179 Wherever the Body of Christ is, there will be the
truth.
(109) The seventh trumpet, then, seems to signify the
weekly day of rest, which not only is computed in days and
years and periods and for this reason the jubilee number,
too, is sacred but also includes the seventieth year, when the
people returned to Jerusalem after having been in captivity
for seventy years. In hundreds also and in thousands, the ob-
servance of the sacred number is by no means neglected, for
not without purpose has God said: 'And I will leave me
seven thousand men in Israel whose knees have not been
bowed before Baal.' 180 Therefore, the shadow of future rest
is represented in days, months, and years, the time of this
world. That is why Moses gave the children of Israel a com-
mandment that in the seventh month, on the first day of the
month, rest should be observed by all, a memorial of the
blowing of trumpets, and that no servile work should be done,
but sacrifice should be offered to God, 181 because at the end
of the week, the Sabbath of the world, as it were, spiritual,
and not bodily, work will be required of us. For what belongs
to the body is servile, because the flesh serves the spirit. In-
nocence makes a man free, but sin makes him a slave.
(110) It was necessary, therefore, that spiritual things
177 Cf. John 12.28,29.
178 1 Thess. 4.15.
179 Luke 17.37.
180 3 Kings 19.18.
181 Cf. Lev. 23.24,25.
248 ST. AMBROSE
should be revealed as through a mirror and in an obscure
manner. 'For, we see now through a mirror but then face to
face.' 182 Now we make war according to the flesh; 183 then in
spirit we shall behold the divine mysteries. Hence, let the
character of the true law be expressed in our lives and actions,
we who walk in the image of God, for the shadow of the
Law has now passed away. The carnal Jews had the shadow,
we have the likeness, and they who are to rise again will
again have the reality. For we know that according to the
Law there are these three: the shadow, the image, and the
reality. The shadow is in the Law; the image is in the Gospel;
the reality shall be in the Judgment. All things are Christ's,
and all are in Him. We cannot see Him now according to
reality, but we see Him in a kind of image of future things,
of which we saw the shadow in the Law. Christ, therefore,
is not the shadow but the image of God, not the mere image
only, but the reality. And, therefore, the Law was through
Moses because the shadow was through man, the image was
through the Law, and the truth or reality through Jesus. For
the Truth could not have proceeded from any other source
save Truth.
(Ill) If anyone, therefore, desires to behold this image
of God, he must love God so as to be loved by Him, no
longer as a servant but as a friend who observes His com-
mandments, that he may enter the cloud where God is. 184 Let
him fashion for himself two spiritual trumpets of pure and
beaten silver, 185 that is, composed of and adorned with pre-
cious speech. And let them not emit harsh and raucous tones
inspiring fear, but let them pour forth thanks in the highest
to God in continuous exultation. By the call of such trumpets
182 1 Cor. 13.12.
183 Cf. 2 Cor. 10.3.
184 Cf. Exod. 24.15,16.
185 Cf. Num. 10.2.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : H 249
the dead are raised. They are aroused, of course, not by the
sound of the metal but by the word of Truth. And perhaps
these are the two trumpets whereby Paul, through the divine
Spirit, cried out, saying: 'I will pray with the spirit, but I
will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the
spirit, I will sing with the understanding also.' 186 For the one
without the other seems quite incapable of giving forth a
perfect call.
(112) It is not every one's prerogative, however, to
sound both trumpets, nor is it everyone's prerogative to call
together the whole assembly; that privilege is granted to the
priests and ministers of God who are the trumpeters. 187 Thus,
whoever hears the sound and follows it to where the glory
of God is, and with early resolve hastens to the tabernacle
of the testimony, will be able to see the works of God, and
will merit for all his posterity that appointed and eternal
home. When the grace of the Spirit and the energy of the
soul act in unison, then, indeed, is the battle won and the
enemy put to flight.
(113) These are also salutary trumpets, if we believe
with the heart and confess with the mouth. Tor with the
heart a man believes unto justice, and with the mouth con-
fession is made unto salvation/ 188 Accordingly, with these twin
trumpets we arrive at that holy land, namely, the grace of
resurrection. So let them always sound together in harmony
for us, that we may always hear the voice of God. Let the
utterances of the Angels and Prophets arouse us and move
us to hasten to higher things.
(114) David was considering this resolution in his heart
when he said : Tor I shall go over into the place of the won-
derful tabernacle, even to the house of God: with the voice
186 1 Cor. 14.15.
187 Cf. Num. 10.8.
188 Rom. 10.10.
250 ST. AMBROSE
of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting. 5189 For not only
are enemies vanquished by the sound of these trumpets, but
without them there cannot be rejoicings, festivals, or new
moons either. For no one, unless he drinks in the promises of
the word of God and believes the resounding oracles of
Scripture, can exult with joy or keep festivals or new moons,
in which, freed from corporeal pleasure and worldly con-
cerns, he longs to fill himself with the light of Christ. And
sacrifices themselves cannot be pleasing to Christ, unless vocal
confession accompanies them. For at the oblation offered by
the priest this usually moves the people to implore God's
favor.
(115) Let us, therefore, be preachers of the Lord and
let us praise Him with sound of trumpet. 190 And not min-
imizing or despising the power of this instrument, let us con-
sider it as one of the things which can fill the ear of the mind
and enter into the depths of our inmost consciousness. Let us
not imagine that what suits the body is applicable to the
Godhead. We must not measure the greatness of divine
power bv standards of human strength nor inquire how or
with what kind of a body anyone will rise again, or how
separated parts will be united and lost elements restored. For
all these things are accomplished by the divine will the
moment they are decided upon. Nor do we look for a physical
hearing of trumpets, since it will be the invisible power of the
majesty of heaven which will be exercised. For with God to
will is to do. And we need not inquire into the effort involved
in rising again, but should rather seek its fruits. The resur-
rection will be accomplished more easily if, emptied of our
sins, we attain the fullness of the spiritual mystery, and re-
newed flesh receives grace from the Spirit, and the soul
obtains from Christ the brightness of eternal light.
189 Ps. 41.5,6.
190 Cf. Ps. 150.3.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS I H 251
(116) These mysteries pertain not only to individuals,
but also to the whole human race. For note that the order of
grace is according to the figure of the Law. When the first
trumpet sounds, it collects those from the East, as the
leaders and the elect. 191 When the second sounds, it gathers
together those nearly on a par in merit who, being situated
in the direction of Libanus, have abandoned the follies of
the nations. When the third trumpet sounds, it summons
souls who, as upon a sea, have been tossed about by the storms
of this world and have been turned hither and thither by the
waves of this life. When the fourth sounds, it calls those who
in no way were able to soften the hardness of their hearts in
accordance with the admonitions of God's word. That is why
they are said to be toward the North, for, according to Solo-
mon, the north is a hard wind. 192
(117) Therefore, although in a moment all are raised up
again, all, however, are raised in the order of their merits.
And so, the first to rise are those who, through an early in-
fluence of piety, going forth before the rising dawn of faith,
as it were, received the rays of the eternal Sun. I be-
lieve that this may be said rightly of the patriarchs in the
course of the Old Testament, or of the Apostles under the
Gospel. The second to rise are those who abandoned pagan
rites and passed from sacrilegious error to embrace the
teaching of the Church. So, then, the first came from the
Fathers, and the second from the Gentiles, for the light of
the faith had its origin from the former and, having been
received by the latter, it will remain among them to the
end of the world. The third and fourth groups to rise are those
who are in the South and the North. Into these four is the
earth divided, of these four is the year comprised, with these
four is the universe filled, and from these four is the Church
191 Cf. above, Ch. 107.
192 Cf. Prov. 27.16 (Septuagint) .
252 ST. AMBROSE
gathered together. For all who are united with Holy Church
and enrolled under the designation of the divine Name will
obtain the privilege of the resurrection and the grace of
eternal bliss. They will come from the east and from the
west, from the north and from the south, and will feast in the
kingdom of God. 3193
(118) Christ fills His world with copious lights, since
'His going out is from the end of heaven, and his circuit
even to the end thereof; and there is no one who can hide
himself from his heat.' 194 Benignly He gives light to all, wishing
not to repel the foolish but to correct them, and desiring not
to exclude the hard of heart from the Church but to soften
them. Hence, the Church in the Canticle of Canticles and
Christ in the Gospel invite them, saying: 'Come to me, all
you who labor, and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek
and humble of heart.' 195
(119) And recognize also the voice of the Church in-
viting us when she says : 'Arise, O north wind, and come, O
south wind, blow through my garden and let my ointments
flow forth. Let my brother come down into his garden and
eat the fruit of his apple trees.' 196 For knowing^even then, O
Holy Church, that from these also you would have fruitful
works, you promised to your anointed One the fruit from
such as these. It was you who first said that you were brought
into the King's chamber, loving His breasts above wine. 197
For you loved Him who loved you, you sought Him who
nourished you, and you despised dangers for religion's sake.
(120) Then, O spouse, you are asked to come from Li-
banus, in the Lord's judgment still all fair and all blameless.
193 Luke 13.29.
194 Ps. 18.7.
195 Matt. 11.28,29.
196 Cant. 4.16; 5.1 (Septuagint) .
197 Cf. Cant. 4.10 (Septuagint).
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS : II 253
For it is written : 'Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is no
blame in thee. Come hither from Libanus, my spouse, come
hither from Libanus.' 198
(121) Afterwards, no longer fearing rushing waters or
violent torrents descending from Libanus, you call the north
and south winds, and you desire them to blow upon your
garden so that your ointments may flow forth upon others,
and that you may, in them, offer to Christ the manifold fruits
of your fertility.
(122) Therefore, 'Blessed is he who keeps the words of
this prophesy' 199 which has revealed the resurrection to us
with the clearest testimony, saying : 'And I saw the dead, the
great and small, standing in the presence of the throne, and
they opened the scrolls. And another book was opened, which
is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the scrolls, according to their
works. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and
death and hell gave up the dead that were in them.' 200 We
must not, therefore, question how they will rise again whom
hell casts up again and the sea restores.
(123) Let us hear also when the future reward of the
just is promised. 'And I heard,' John says, c a loud voice from
the throne saying: Behold the dwelling of God with men,
and he will dwell with them. And they will be -his people; and
God himself will be with them as their God. And he will wipe
away every tear from their eyes. And death shall be no more;
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any
more. 5201
(124) Please compare now and contrast this life with
that, and choose, if you can, an unending existence of the
body spent in toil, in the wretched misery of the marked
198 Cant. 4.7,8.
199 Apoc. 22.7.
200 Apoc. 20.12,13.
201 Apoc. 21.3,4.
254 ST. AMBROSE
vicissitudes of life, in the satiety of fufilled desires, and in the
aversion that follows pleasures. If God were willing to let
such things last forever, would you choose them? For, if life
in itself is to be fled from, that there may be an escape from
troubles and rest from miseries, how much more should we
look forward to that rest which will be succeeded by the
eternal pleasure of the resurrection to come, and in which
there will be no longer any succession of grave faults or allure-
ments to sin?
( 1 25 ) Who is so patient in sorrow that he does not pray
for death? Who is so firm in sickness that he does not wish
to die rather than live as an invalid? Who is so brave in
grief that he does not desire to have done with it even through
his own death? Now, if we are dissatisfied while we live,
although we know that a limit has been set for our life, how
much more disgusted would we be with this life if we saw
that the troubles of this body would be with us without end?
Who, then, would wish to be free from death? Or what
would be more unendurable than a miserable immortality?
'If/ says St. Paul, 'with this life only in view we have had
hope in Christ, we are of all men the most to be pitied. 3202 He
said this, not because to hope in Christ is miserable, but be-
cause Christ has prepared another life for those who hope
in Him. For this life is liable to sin; the life above is reserved
for our reward.
(126) How much dissatisfaction do we see that even the
brief courses of our lives bring upon us ! The boy longs to be a
young man; the young man counts the years when he will
be older; the mature man, ungrateful for the blessing of being
in the prime of life, eagerly desires the honor associated with
old age. Thus, to all there comes naturally a desire for change,
simply because we become dissatisfied with what we now are.
Therefore, even the very things which we have wished for
202 1 Cor. 15.19.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: H 255
become wearisome to us upon their enjoyment, and what we
have desired to obtain we reject upon its attainment.
(127) Consequently, holy men have not without reason
lamented their prolonged sojourning here. David lamented
it, 203 Jeremias lamented it, 204 Elias lamented it. 205 If we can
believe wise men, even those in whom the divine Spirit spoke
were hastening to better things. If we inquire into the judg-
ments of others in order to learn that all held a single view,
what great men have not preferred death to sorrow; what
great men have not preferred it to fear ! Clearly, they judged
the fear of death worse than death itself! So, when the de-
parture of the dying is longed for and the dread of the living
is avoided, death is not feared for its evils but is preferred to
the miseries of life.
(128) Well, then, let it be granted that the resurrection
is to be perf erred to this life. But what if the philosophers
themselves have found a type of existence after death which
will give us greater pleasure than rising again? 206 Even those,
indeed, who say souls .are immortal do not mollify me, since
they allow me only partial redemption. For what happiness
can that be in which I have not entirely escaped? What life,
if the work of God dies out in me? What justice, if death as
the end of natural existence is common to saint and sinner?
What truth is that, that the soul, because it moves itself and
203 cf. PS. 119.5.
204 Cf. Jer. 20.16,17.
205 Cf. 3 Kings 19.4.
206 The problem of the immortality of the soul was much debated by
the representatives of all the ancient schools of philosophy, and
various answers were given to this question as well as to the related
one concerning the condition or life of the soul after its separation
from the body. Most of the common pagan views on these matters
are discussed in Cicero's Tusculan Disputations 1, a work undoubtedly
familiar to St. Ambrose. The philosophical proof of the soul's im-
mortality based on self motion which St. Ambrose mentions here is
treated at length in Tusc. Disp. 1.53-54, Plato's Phaedrus being cited
as an authority.
256 ST. AMBROSE
is always in motion, should be considered immortal? What
the state or activity of what we have in common with animals
in our bodies is before the body exists is uncertain, and the
truth cannot be gathered from contrary views, but would be
destroyed.
(129) But can we accept the opinion of those who say
that our souls, after they have departed from our bodies,
enter the bodies of wild beasts and various other kinds of
animals? 207 The philosophers themselves, at any rate, usually
explain that these are the ridiculous creations of poets, such
as might be produced by the deceitful potions of Circe. 208
They observe further that not so much they, who supposedly
underwent such things, as the senses of those who invented
these stories were turned by Circe's cup, as it were, into
various beasts and monsters. For what is closer to the mar-
velous than to believe that men could possibly be changed
into the form of beasts? How much more truly marvelous
would it be that the soul which governs man should be able
to assume the nature of beasts, so opposed to that of man-
kind, and, though capable of reason, pass into an irrational
animal, than that the forms of bodies might have been
changed ! You yourselves who teach such things destroy what
you teach. For you have entrusted these monstrous changes
to magicians and their spells.
(130) The poets voice such ideas in sport and the philo-
sophers censure them. But what they believe to be mere
fictions they hold to be true about the dead. The poets who
invented such fictions did so, not, indeed, because they
wanted to prove their own fable, but to ridicule the errors of
the philosophers, who fancy that the same soul, which was
wont to control anger by a meek and humble resolve, to be
207 There is a vivid discussion and strong repudiation of transmigration,
for example, in Tertullian, De anima 28-35. Cf. above, note 79.
208 Cf. Homer, Odyssey lO^lOff.; Ovid, Metam. H.lff.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRUS: n 257
patient, and to abstain from bloodshed, can now be inflamed
with the mad violence of a lion, and, with ungovernable
anger and unbridled rage, can thirst for blood and seek for
slaughter; or that the same soul, which, by kinglike counsel,
used to restrain the varied storms of popular outbreaks and
to calm them with the voice of reason, can now endure to
howl in pathless and desert places in the manner of wolves;
or that the soul, which, groaning under an excessive burden,
used to low in wretched complaint over the harsh labors of
the plow, can now, being changed into human form, look for
horns on her smooth brow; 209 or that the soul, which once
used to be carried swiftly up to the heights of heaven on the
oarage of its wings, 210 can no longer think of such flights and
must grieve over the sluggishness caused by the weight of a
human body.
(131) On this account, perhaps, you destroyed the
famous Icarus, 211 for the youth, led on by your arguments,
possibly imagined that he was once a bird. In similar fashion,
many old men also have been deceived and died in great
grief because they foolishly believed swan fables, 212 even
imagining that by comforting themselves with sad strains
they could change their gray hair into soft down.
(132) How incredible these things are! How disgusting!
How much more appropriate to believe in conformity with
nature, to believe in conformity with the process observed in
all kinds of fruits, to believe in confortmity with many actual
examples, the oracles of the Prophets, and the heavenly
promise of Christ! What is more excellent than to be con-
vinced that the work of God does not perish and that those
made after the likeness and image of God cannot be changed
into the forms of beasts ! It is the soul, of course, and not the
209 Cf. Vergil, Ed. 6.51.
210 A Vergilian phrase; cf. Aeneid 1.301.
211 Cf. Ovid, Metam. 8.195f.
212 Cf., e.g., the story of Cygnus in Ovid, Metam. 1.365-380.
258 ST. AMBROSE
body, which is according to the image and likeness of God.
For how could man migrate, to whom all other living crea-
tures whatsoever are subject, if the better nature does not
allow this? And if nature were to do so, grace would not.
( 133 ) But I have seen enough, pagans, of what you think
about yourselves. For it ought not seem so strange that
you who worship beasts believe that you can be changed
into beasts. I, however, would like to see you have a better
opinion of your merits and be convinced that you are
destined, not for mingling with the herds of the animal
kingdom, but for association with angels.
(134) The soul has to depart from the tortuousness of
this life and the defilements of the earthly body. It must
hasten to those heavenly gatherings, although it is granted
to the saints alone to reach them. There it shall sing praise
to God. For in the lesson taken from the Prophet 213 we
hear of those singing praise to God to the accompaniment of
their harps, 214 'Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord
God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, O King of the
ages. Who will not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy
name? For thou only art holy: for all nations will come and
worship before thee. 3215 And it shall see thy marriage feast,
O Lord Jesus, wherein the bride is led from earthly to
heavenly dwellings, as all sing in joyous accord, 'All flesh shall
come to thee, 5216 now no longer subject to the world but es-
poused to the Spirit, and shall look upon bridal chambers
adorned with linen, roses, lilies, and garlands. For whom else
are the nuptials so adorned? For they are adorned with the
purple stripes of confessors, 217 the blood of martyrs, the lilies
of virgins, and the crowns of priests.
213 I.e., St. John.
214 Cf. Apoc. 14.2.
215 Apoc. 15.3,4.
216 Ps. 64.3.
217 For the symbolism here, cf., also, St. Ambrose, Expos, in Lucam, 7.128.
ON HIS BROTHER, SATYRU&: II 259
(135) Holy David desired this for himself above all
else, that he might behold and see these things. Therefore,, he
says: 'One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek
after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days
of my life; that I may see the delight of the Lord.' 218
(136) It is a pleasure to believe this, and a delight to
hope for it. Certainly, not to have believed it is a penalty, and
to have hoped for it a grace. If, however, I am wrong in
preferring to be associated after death with angels rather
than with beasts, I am glad to be wrong in this, and I will
never allow myself to be deprived of this opinion as long as
I live. 219
(137) For what comfort have I left save realization of
the hope that I shall come to you, brother, very soon, and
that the separation between us caused by your departure will
not be a long one? And through your intercessions, I hope
that I, who long for you, may obtain the favor of being
called to you the more quickly. For everyone ought to desire
for himself above all else that 'this corruptible body put on
incorruption, and this mortal body put on immortality,' 220 so
that we who now succumb to death through the frailty of the
body, being placed above nature, may no longer have even
the possibility of fearing death.
218 Ps. 26.4.
219 In this statement St. Ambrose adopts the form and language of a
passage in Cicero, De senectute 23.85.
220 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.53.
SAINT AMBROSE
CONSOLATION
ON THE DEATH OF
EMPEROR FALENTINIAN
Translated by
ROY J. DEFERRARI, Ph.D.
The Catholic University of America
INTRODUCTION
| HE CONSOLATION ON THE DEATH of Valentinian is,
substantially, the funeral sermon delivered by St.
Ambrose at the burial of the remains of the youthful
Valentinian II, Emperor of the West.
One of the first acts of Theodosius, Emperor of the East,
after his victory over Maximus had been to send one of his
generals, a pagan Frank named Arbogast, to Gaul. Arbogast
had been a soldier in the army of Gratian, Valentinian's older
brother and his predecessor as Emperor of the West, and had
remained loyal to him during the defection of his troops. He
had also served ably under Theodosius in the campaign
against Maximus. Theodosius made him magister militum of
all the imperial troops in Gaul, and he ruled alone there from
388 until 391. In the summer of that year Theodosius re-
turned to Constantinople, and Valentinian, now twenty, took
up his residence at Vienne in Gaul, as Emperor of the West.
The situation was an impossible one for Valentinian. All re- ,
cognized Arbogast as master, and Arbogast recognized only
Theodosius, who had appointed him to his post and now
named him 'protector' of the young Emperor of the West.
Furthermore, Arbogast resented the very presence of Valen-
tinian.
263
264 ST. AMBROSE
On Saturday, May 15, 392, Valentinian was found
strangled with his own handkerchief. Whether Valentinian
killed himself, as Arbogast made public, or whether, as many
believe, he was murdered at the instigation of Arbogast, if not
by his own hand, is not definitely known. St. Ambrose, our
chief and best source on this question, clearly points to
murder, but he apparently had no proof. He did not openly
accuse Arbogast; in fact, he did not even mention his name.
Without clear evidence, he had need to be circumspect.
The corpse of Valentinian, temporarily interred at Vienne
on Pentecost, the day after his death, was removed to Milan,
where his sisters, Justa and Grata, went to mourn beside it
daily for two months. Theodosius, as usual, was undecided as
to what course to follow. In Gaul, Arbogast took advantage
of this hesitancy. After overcoming the reluctance of the crea-
ture of his choice, he had his soldiers proclaim an imperial
courtier, Eugenius, as Emperor of the West on August 22,
392. Arbogast apparently expected Theodosius to ratify this
action. But Theodosius was evasive even to a special em-
bassy sent to his court to announce formally the suicide of
Valentinian and the consequent creation of Eugenius as em-
peror by the army in Gaul.
More than two months after the death of Valentinian, word
came from Theodosius authorizing the burial at Milan, The
body was placed in a tomb of porphyry, next to that of
Gratian. Mass was offered, and in the presence Valen-
tinians's sisters St. Ambrose preached this eloquent and
touching funeral sermon.
The year of the delivery is known, 392, but the month
is still a matter of some controversy, and the exact day is
impossible to determine from the existing sources. All in-
dications point to the month of August. Beyond that one
cannot be more precise.
ON THE DEATH OF VALENTINIAN
1 LTHOUGH IT MAY MEAN an increase of grief to write 1
about a subject over which we grieve, yet, because
we often find solace in recalling the one over whose
loss we grieve for the reason that he seems to live again in
our discourse, while, as we write, we direct our minds to him
and fix our attention on him, it has been a task of love to
make known something of the last moments of Valentinian the
Younger. It has been such, moreover, lest we should seem by
our silence either to have blotted out the memory of a loved
one who merited well of us and to have left it unhonored, or to
have avoided an incentive to grief, since to grieve is often a
consolation to him who grieves. Furthermore, when I speak
about him or to him, let my discourse be about a man who,
as it were, is present to me, or even before me.
(2) What, then, shall I lament first? What shall I first
deplore with bitter complaint? The days of our desires have
been turned into tears for us, 2 since Valentinian has come to
us, but not as he was hoped for. Yet even by his death he
wished to fulfill his promise, but most bitter has become his
presence, which was so desired. Would that he were still absent
1 The sermon was prepared for circulation in a revised, written form.
2 Cf. Tob. 2.6.
265
266 ST. AMBROSE
from us, that for his own sake he might still be living! But
he could not endure to be inactive when he heard that the
Italian Alps were infested by a barbarian foe, 3 and he pre-
ferred to encounter danger by wholly forsaking Gaul than
to fail us in our peril. A grave crime on the part of the em-
peror do we acknowledge this to be, that he wished to come
to the rescue of the Roman Empire! This was the cause of
his death, a cause full of glory. Let us pay the noble prince
a tribute of tears, since he has paid us the tribute even of his
death.
(3) Yet the exhortation to weep is not necessary. All are
weeping : they weep who did not know him, even they weep
who feared him, even they weep who do not wish to weep,
even barbarians weep, even they weep who seemed to be his
enemies. What great lamentations among the peoples were
caused by the course of his entire journey from Gaul hither?
For all lament, not so much that their emperor is dead, but
with a family grief, as it were, that 'a common parent has died,
and all bewail his death as a death of one of their own. For we
have lost an emperor whom we lament bitterly for two rea-
sons: for immaturity of years 4 and ripeness of age in counsels.
For these things, then, do I weep, as the Prophet has said:
'My eyes are clouded by weeping, because he who consoled
me has departed from me.' 5 The eyes, not only of my body but
also of my mind, have been dimmed, and every sense has
been enveloped by a land of blindness, because he has been
snatched from me who turned my soul and recalled it from
the depths of despair to the highest hope. 6
(4) 'Hear all ye people and see my sorrow. My virgins,
3 An incursion of barbarians into Pannonia early in 382 had frightened
Italy.
4 Valentinian was only twenty years old at the time of his death.
5 Lam. 1.16.
6 This probably refers to Ambrose's struggle with the court, particularly
with the mother of Valentinian II, concerning the transfer to the
Arians of a basilica, first the Portian Basilica, later the Basilica Nova.
ON VALENTINIAN 267
and my young men are gone into captivity'; 7 but once it was
known that they were from the regions governed by Valen-
tinian, they returned free. A barbarian foe made war on the
youthful emperor, and the foe, forgetting his own victory, was
mindful of the imperial dignity. Of his own accord he freed
those whom he had captured, giving as an excuse that he did
not know that they were Italians. We were preparing even to
add a rampart to the Alps, but the majesty of Valentinian did
not wait for a palisade of the Alps, for flooding rivers, for
deep banks of snow, but, crossing over Alps and rivers, he
protected us by the rampart of his imperial power. Therefore
it seems that I should use the exordium of the Prophet's lam-
entation: How does Italy mourn, who hath abounded in
joys? 8 'Weeping she hath wept in the night, and her tears are
on her cheeks. There is none to comfort her among all them
who love her. All they who love her have despised her. All
her people sigh.' 9
(5) And because it has been said of Jerusalem 'she
hath wept,' our Jerusalem, that is, the Church, also 'hath wept
in the night,' because he who was making her more res-
plendent by his faith and devotion has died. Fittingly, there-
fore, 'weeping she hath wept, and her tears are still on her
cheeks.' Truly, the suffusion of a tear-stained countenance
is wont to show the abundance of weeping, when the cheeks
are bedewed with tears, but because it is written: 'Her
cheeks are as vials of aromatical spices begetting perfume,
her lips lilies dropping full myrrh,' 10 the mystical grace of the
weeping Church is meant, which at the death of Valentinian
has poured forth the good ointment of her sorrow and honors
his life by praising it. To her his death could not have been an
affliction, since the fragrance of his praise, worthy to be pro-
claimed by the lips of all, has taken away all stench of death.
7 Lam. 1.18.
8 C, Lam. 1.1-2.
9 Lam. 1.11.
10 Cant. 5.13.
268 ST. AMBROSE
(6) The Church therefore mourns her beloved one and
'her tears are on her cheeks/ 11 Hear what is meant by the
cheek: 'To him who strikes thee on the one cheek, offer the
other also, 512 because she is patient under pain, that the one
who strikes may repent. You were struck, O Church, on your
cheek when you lost Gratian; 13 you offered the other also
when Valentinian was snatched from you. Rightly have you
tears, not on one cheek but on both, because you piously
bemoan both brothers. You mourn, therefore, O Church, and
from weeping your cheeks are flooded, as it were, with flowing
tears of affection. What are the cheeks of the Church of which
the Scripture elsewhere says: 'Thy cheeks are as the bark
of pomegranates'? 14 They are the cheeks on which modesty is
wont to shine, beauty to sparkle, on which there is either the
flower of youth or the distinguished mark of perfect age.
Therefore, at the death of her faithful emperors faith ex-
periences a feeling of shame, the Church blushes, as it were;
and at such untimely deaths of her pious princes the whole
beauty of the Church becomes sorrowful.
( 7 ) The Church mourns in her wise men, who are, as it
were, the head of the Church: Tor the eyes of a wise man
are in his head.' 15 She mourns in her eyes, that is, in her
faithful, because it is written: 'Thy eyes are as doves apart
from thy reticence,' 16 because they see spiritually and know
how to keep silent about the mysteries which they have seen.
She mourns in her priests, who are as the cheeks of the
Church, on which is the beard of Aaron, that is, the beard
of the priesthood upon which the ointment descends from the
11 Lam. 1.2.
12 Luke 6.29.
13 Of the three emperors Valentinian, Gratian, Theodosius St. Am-
brose had greatest affection for Gratian.
14 Cant. 6.6.
15 Eccles. 2.14.
16 Cant. 4.1.
ON VALENTINIAN 269
head. 17 These are the ones in whom the beauty of the Church
exists, in whom her flower is more pleasing, in whom age is
more perfect, who, like the pomegranates, display beauty out-
wardly by their bodily abnegation, but inwardly with spiritual
wisdom nourish the people of every age and sex who have
been committed to them, subjected indeed by the world to
injuries, but dispensing inner mysteries. She mourns in her
virgins who are as lilies and lilies full of myrrh, exhibiting
the whiteness of purity and the glory of the mortified pleasures
of the body.
(8) In these, therefore, she weeps, as it is written: The
ways of Sion mourn, her priests mourn, her priests sigh, her
virgins are taken away, and she herself is indignant within
herself.' 18 And within herself she is indeed indignant, and to
Valentinian she says : C I will take you up and bring you into
my mother's house, into the chamber of her who conceived
me. I will give you to drink of a wine made with much labor
of spices,' 19 that is, made with much labor of spices of strong
odor from the juice of my pomegranates, that he may drink
the c wine 3 which 'cheers the heart of man' 20 and that there
may flow over him the juice of the pomegranates in which
there is much and varied fruitfulness. For discourse of many
meanings and abounding in various texts of Scripture, the
discourse of angels, the discourse of Apostles and of Prophets,
whom the holy Church envelops as by a single bark, is the
juice of the pomegranates.
(9) Valentinian, seeing these things filled with perfect
grace, replies: 'The mercies of the Lord that we are not
consumed; because His mercies have not been consummated,
I have renewed them like the morning light.' 21 'Many are my
17 An adaptation of Ps. 132.2.
18 Lam. 1.4.
19 Cant. 8.2.
20 Ps. 103.15.
21 Lam. 3.22,23.
270 ST. AMBROSE
groanings and my heart has failed.' 22 The Lord is my lot, I
said, therefore will I wait upon Him. The Lord is good to
those that wait upon Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is
good to hope in the salvation of God. It is good for a man
when he hath borne the heavy yoke in his youth; he shall sit
solitary and hold his peace, because he hath borne a heavy
yoke. 323 And he surely is consoling himself with the reward
of his virtues, because in his youth he endured labors, bore
many trials; he preferred to carry on the proud neck of the
mind the heavy yoke of the purpose of amendment rather
than that soft yoke full of pleasures.
(10) Blessed, indeed, is he who even in his old age has
corrected his error; blessed he who even at the point of death
turns away his mind from vice. For 'blessed are those whose
sins are covered, 524 because it is written: 'Cease from evil and
do good, and dwell forever and forever.' 25 Whoever, therefore,
shall turn away from sins, and shall be converted to better
things at whatever age, shall obtain forgiveness of his past
sins, which he has either confessed with a penitent disposition
or from which he has turned with a purpose of amendment.
But in meriting this forgiveness he shares the companionship
of many; for there are many who have been able to recall
themselves from sin both in the slippery path of youth and
in old age, but rare is he who in his youth has borne the
heavy yoke with earnest sobriety. This is the yoke of which
the Lord speaks in the Gospel: 'Come to Me all you who
labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest; take My
yoke upon you.' 26 If anyone, therefore, before he is burdened
with a heavy load of sins, has borne the yoke in his youth, he
22 Lam. 1.22.
23 Lam. 3.24-28.
24 Ps, 31.1.
25 Ps. 36.27.
26 Matt. 1138,29.
ON VALENTINIAN 271
shall sit alone; he is not to be compared with the many, but
with him who can say : Tor Thou hast singularly settled me
in hope.' 27
(11) But perhaps you may say : How does Jeremias call
the yoke heavy, when the Lord in the Gospel has said : Tor
My yoke is sweet, and My burden light'? 28 Now, first under-
stand that the Greek has 'yoke' only, and has not added
'heavy.' Notice this, also, that, although it was so in Lam-
entations, in the Gospel He said 'sweet yoke 3 and 'light burden,'
not 'light yoke.' For the yoke of the Word can be heavy,
yet sweet; heavy to the youth, heavy to the young man whose
age is in fuller flower, so that he is unwilling to offer the neck
of his mind in subjection to the yoke of the Word. The yoke
of the Word can seem heavy because of the burdens of dis-
cipline, the rigor of amendment, the weight of abstinence,
and the curbing of lust, yet it is sweet because of the fruit-
fulness of grace, the hope of eternal reward, the sweetness of
a purer conscience. Still, He called the yoke of the Word
'sweet' and the burden of conscience 'light,' because for him
who has taken up the yoke of the Word with a patient neck
the burden of discipline cannot be heavy.
(12) He, therefore, who has borne the yoke in his youth
will sit alone and will hold his peace, 29 rejoicing in the eternal
mysteries of divine recompense which have been revealed to
him. Or, surely, he will hold his peace, having no need of
obtaining a pardon for sin, when he has anticipated this need
by a timely confession and has removed it by a speedy amend-
ment. For it will not be said to him: 'The things that thou
hast not gathered in thy youth how shalt thou find them in
thy old age?' 30 But it can also be understood thus, that he who
has borne the yoke of the Word early, that is, from his
27 Ps. 4.10.
28 Matt. 11.30.
29 An adaptation of Lam. 3.27,28.
30 Eccli. 25.5.
272 ST. AMBROSE
youth, will not mingle with young men, but will sit apart and
will hold his peace until he trains himself in the full per-
fection of virtue; and he will put upon his mind the cloak of
great patience, and he will give his cheek to the persecutor, 31
even content with the outrage, that he may obey heavenly
commands.
(13) For it is a great thing either to abstain from the
vices of youth or to leave them at the very threshold of
youth and to turn to more serious things, for the ways of
youth are treacherous and confusing. Therefore, Solomon
says: 'Three things are impossible for me to understand, and
a fourth which I do not know: the footprints of an eagle in
flight and the tracks of a serpent on a rock and the paths of
a ship that is sailing, and the ways of a man in his youth.' 32
And David says: The sins of my youth and of my ignorance
do not remember.' 33 For a young man not only falls because
of the frailty of his unstable age, but he also fails frequently
because of his ignorance of heavenly commands; he quickly
wins pardon, however, who offers ignorance as an excuse. And
so the Prophet says: 'The sins of my youth and of my igno-
rance do not remember.' He does not say: 'The sins of my
old age and of my wisdom do not remember.' But like the
Prophet, who has quickly corrected and amended the vices of
his youth, he offers age and ignorance as an excuse.
(14) Valentinian, also, like the Prophet even in sin,
says: 'The sins of my youth and of my ignorance do not re-
member.' He not only said this, but also corrected his error
before he learned that there was a fall into any error. And so
he says: 'The amendment of my youth do not remember.'
Error is in many; in few, correction.
(15) And what shall I say further of one who thought
that he ought to abstain even from the sports of youth, that
31 Cf. Luke 6.29; Isa. 50.6.
32 Prov. 30.18,19.
33 Ps. 24.7.
ON VALENTINIAN 273
the joyfulness of this age ought to be restricted, that the
harshness of official severity ought to be softened, that the
leniency of old age, out of keeping with his years, ought to be
granted to one who was summoned to render judgment for
a proven crime? It was rumored at first that he took delight in
the games of the circus. He removed this charge so com-
pletely that not even on the publicly observed birthdays of
princes nor in honor of the imperial dignity did he think that
the games of the circus should be celebrated. Some said
that he was engaged in the hunt of wild beasts and that his
attention was distracted from the affairs of state; immediately
he ordered all the beasts to be slain. 34
(16) You could have seen the young man listening to the
business of the consistory 35 and truly in the spirit of Daniel
rendering a just and mature decision where old men might
have hesitated or been influenced by consideration of some
person. The envious taunted him because he sought dinner
early. He then began to make such a practice of fasting that
often he gave his courtiers an elaborate banquet though he
himself ate nothing, so that in this way he might satisfy both
the obligations of religion and the good manners of a prince.
(17) Word was brought that the young nobles of Rome
were desperately in love with the beauty and charm of a
certain actress. He ordered her to come to court. The mes-
senger, seduced by a bribe, returned without having executed
the command. He sent a second, lest he might seem to have
wished to amend the vices of the youths yet could not. An
occasion for calumny was given to some; yet when she was
brought to court, he never gazed or looked upon her. After-
wards, he ordered her to leave, so that all might know that
his command was not without effect and that he might teach
34 The conversion of the younger Valentinian described here can be
dated from his return to Italy in the summer of 388 after the fall
of Maximus.
35 The emperor's council.
274 ST. AMBROSE
the youths to refrain from the love of a woman whom he
himself, who could have had her in his power, had spurned.
And this he did when he was still without a wife, yet he gave
proof of his chastity as though bound by wedlock. Who is so
much a master of a servant as he was of his own body? Who
so much a judge of others as he was the censor of his own age?
(18) What shall I say of his piety? When an informer
accused men born of noble ancestry and wealthy by in-
heritance things which easily arouse envy of desiring the
throne, and when the prefect prosecuted them, he replied:
No sentence of capital punishment would be imposed, es-
pecially on holy days. And when some days later the charge of
the informer was being read, he pronounced it a calumny
and gave orders to regard the accused as free until the prefect
should hear the case. Neither before nor afterwards did any-
one, as long as the young man was emperor, fear the envy of
so serious a charge. The young man smiled at what strong
emperors fear.
(19) Rome had sent legates 36 to recover the rights of the
temples, the unholy prerogatives of the priests, and of their
sacred cults; and, what is more serious, the legates were
making their representations in the name of the Senate. And
when all who were present in the consistory, Christians and
pagans alike, said that these privileges should be restored, he
alone, like Daniel, 37 with the Spirit of God aroused within
him, denounced the Christians for lack of faith and resisted
the pagans by saying: 'How can you think that what my
pious brother took away should be restored by me?' since
36 During the reign of Valentian II, four deputations were sent to one
or the other of the emperors regarding the restoration of the state
subsidies to the pagan religion and of the Altar of Victory to the
Senate. This passage probably refers to the fourth made in 391.
Cf. E. K. Rand, Founders of the Middle Ages (Cambridge, Mass.
1929) 14-21.
37 Cf. Dan. 13.35.
ON VALENTINIAN 275
thereby both his religion and his brother, by whom he was
unwilling to be surpassed in piety, would be offended.
(20) And when he was confronted with the example of
his father, that during his father's regime no one had taken
away these rights and privileges, 38 he replied: 'You praise my
father because he did not take them away; neither have I
taken them away. Did my father restore them so that you
might insist that I should restore them? Finally, even if my
father had restored them, my brother took them away, and
in this matter I should prefer to be an imitator of rny brother.
Or was my father Augustus, and my brother not? Equal re-
spect is due to both, and equal was the good will of both
toward the state. I shall imitate both, so that I will not restore
what my father could not have restored, because no one had
taken it away, and I am resolved to maintain what has been
established by my brother. Let Mother Rome demand what-
ever else she may desire. I owe love to a parent, but still more
I owe obedience to the Author of salvation. 3
(21) What shall I say of the love of the provincials, 39
either of that with which he himself embraced them, or of
that which was paid in return to their protector by those
upon whom he never permitted any imposition to be visited?
'Old taxes, 3 he said, 'they cannot pay; will they be able to
endure new ones? 5 For this the provinces praise Julian. But
the latter, indeed, was in the full vigor of life, in early man-
hood; the latter found much and exhausted all, the former
found nothing and abounded in everything.
(22) While stationed in the country beyond the Alps, he
heard that the barbarians 40 had advanced toward the bound-
aries of Italy. Anxious lest his kingdom be attacked by a
38 Ambrose here refers without comment to the policy of non-inter-
ference in religious affairs, either Christian or pagan, adopted by
Valentinian I.
39 Valentinian's special subjects in Gaul.
40 In this work Ambrose refers to barbarian invasions on three occasions.
Although Italy was threatened, it was not invaded at this time.
276 ST. AMBROSE
foreign foe, he made haste to come, eager to put aside his
leisure in Gaul and to assume our dangers.
(23) All that is common knowledge, but this is personal,
that he often summoned me when absent and declared that
I especially must initiate him into the sacred Mysteries.
Furthermore, in truth, when a rumor reached the city of
Vienne that I was hastening thither to invite him to Italy,
how he rejoiced, how pleased he was that I should be with
him as he desired! The delay of my arrival seemed to him
too prolonged. And would that no message of his coming had
arrived first !
(24) I had already promised 41 that I would set out, re-
plying both to the persons of high rank and to the prefect, as
they begged me to consult the interests of the peace of Italy,
that, although I could not with propriety intrude without
need, I would not fail them in their necessities. My journey
was decided upon. Behold, after three days a letter on pre-
paring stations was received, the royal accoutrements were
brought in, and other things of this kind were done which
indicated that the emperor was about to set out on a journey.
For these reasons the mission was abandoned by the very ones
by whom it had been demanded.
(25 ) I seemed to myself to be responsible for my expected
but unrealized appearance. But would that I owed this debt
to you while still alive ! I would make excuse that I had heard
nothing of your perils, had received none of your letters,
that I could not have come to meet you with my own horses
even if I had undertaken the journey. And so, sure of pardon,
while I was subtracting the days and was picking the road of
your arrival, behold I received a rescript that I should con-
41 Because of anxiety at Milan, high officials asked Ambrose to go to
Vienne and to request the emperor to come to the defense of Italy.
Ambrose promised to go, although very reluctant to interfere between
Valentinian and Arbogast, A report, probably false, that the emperor
was already on his way caused Ambrose to cancel his trip.
ON VALENTINIAN 277
sider it necessary to set out without delay because you wished
to have me as a surety of your fidelity with your count. Did
I object? Did I delay? It was added that I should hasten
quickly and that I should not consider as a reason for my
journey a synod of Gallic bishops, because of whose repeated
dissensions I had frequently excused myself for not going, but
that he himself might be baptized.
(26) At the very moment of my departure I could have
perceived indications of what had already taken place, but
because of my eager haste I was unable to notice anything. I
was already crossing the peaks of the Alps, and behold there
came a message, bitter for me and for all, of the death of so
great an emperor. I retraced my journey and bathed myself
in tears. With what prayers from all did I set out ! With what
lamentation from all did I return! For they thought not an
emperor, but security, had been snatched from them. How
deeply was I torn with grief, above all, because so great a
prince, because a dear friend of mine, because one so ex-
ceedingly fond of me had died ! What emotions did I discover
to have been his during those two days in which he survived
the letter that he had sent me ! In the evening a silentiary set
out; on the morning of the third day he was already in-
quiring whether he had yet returned, whether I was coming.
Thus did he think that some security would come to him.
(27) O most noble youth, would that I could have found
you still living, would that some delay had preserved you
until my arrival*! I make no promise about any power on my
part, none as regards my ability and prudence, but with what
great care and with what great zeal would I have restored
concord and good feeling between you and your count!
How I would have offered my very self as a pledge for your
fidelity, how I would have pledged myself as a surety for
those of whom the count said he was afraid! Surely, if the
count were not unyielding, I would have remained with you.
278 ST. AMBROSE
I took for granted on your part that you would hear me, if
you should see that I was not heard in your behalf.
(28) Much had I to keep; now I have nothing but tears
and weeping. Daily are you greater unto my sorrow, you be-
come greater unto my grief. All testify how much you have
done for me; all declare that my absence was the cause of
your death. But I am not Elias, I am not a prophet, that I
could have known the future, but I am the voice of one
crying in lamentation 42 that I may be able thereby to bewail
the past. For what better have I to do than to make return to
you in tears for your great affection toward me? I took you up
a mere child in my arms when as an envoy I went to your
enemy; I embraced you when you were entrusted to me by the
hands of your mother. As your envoy I went to Gaul a second
time 43 and sweet to me was that service in behalf of your
safety first of all, and secondly in behalf of peace and the
piety with which you were requesting the remains of your
brother. Not yet were you without anxiety for yourself, but
already were you anxious for the honorable burial of your
brother.
(29) But let us return to Lamentations and enter the
very bowels of sorrow: 'What shall I testify to thee, 5 he says,
'or what shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? Who
shall save thee and who shall console thee, virgin daughter of
Sion? For great destruction hath been wrought upon thee.
Who shall heal thee? 344 But who will console me from whom
others seek the office of consolation? 'He hath filled me with
bitterness, he hath inebriated me with gall. 545 'My bowels are
42 C. Isa. 40.30; Matt. 3.3; Mark 1.3; Luke 3.4; John 1.23:
43 The purposes of Ambrose's second mission to Maximus in 386 were:
to secure the safety of Valentinian, threatened by the usurper;
to preserve peace in the Western Empire between Maximus in Gaul
and Valentinian in Italy; and, finally, to effect the return to Milan
of the remains of Gratian for burial.
44 Lam. 2.13.
45 Lam. 3.5.
ON VALENTINIAN
279
in pain/ 46 to use the words of the Prophet, because I have lost
him whom I was about to beget in the Gospel.
(30) But he has not lost the grace for which he asked, he
who today has risen before us in the sermon which I preached
to the people. For when in my treatment of the assigned
lesson I happened upon this, that the poor people blessed
God, I began to ask who this people was, and to distinguish
between two peoples, the one rich, the other poor. The rich
is the people of the Jews, the poor, that of the Church : the
one, rich in the revelations entrusted to it; the other, poor
and borrowing revelations from others. Rightly poor, because
it was gathered by a poor Man, namely, by Him who, being
rich, became poor that through His poverty we might be en-
riched, 47 for 'he emptied Himself 48 that He might fill all.
(31 ) But how is He poor who had the riches of eternity
and 'the fullness of divinity'? 49 Therefore, He was in the flesh,
and He said : 'Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of the Power.' 50 And elsewhere He says to
Peter: 'To thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of
heaven.' 51 Was He, then, poor who was giving away the
kingdom of heaven? But hear how He is poor: 'Take up,' He
says, 'My yoke upon you, because I am meek and humble of
heart.' 52 Therefore, even His people, whom I see to be richer
than the rich people mentioned, are poor, but not through
want, for they have merited to have not only the revelations
of the Prophets but also the precepts of the Apostles which
were infused by the divine Spirit.
(32) Not, then, through want is he poor, but poor in
spirit, to whom it was said : 'Blessed are the poor in spirit for
46 Jer. 4.19.
47 Cf. 2 Cor. 8.9.
48 Phil. 2.7.
49 Col. 2.9.
50 Matt. 26.64.
51 Matt. 16.19.
52 Matt. 11.29.
280 ST. AMBROSE
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 553 Truly blessed are the poor
who received what the rich did not have. Of this number is
that poor Prophet of whom it is written : This poor man cried
and the Lord heard him.' 54 Of this people is he who says: 'Sil-
ver and gold I have none, but what I have I give thee ; in the
name of Jesus of Nazareth arise and walk. 355 Therefore, that
poor Founder of a poor people says: C O God, be not Thou
silent in my praise, for the mouth of the wicked and the
mouth of the deceitful man is opened against me. They have
spoken against me with a deceitful tongue, and they have
compassed me about with words of hatred, and have fought
against me without cause. Instead of making me a return of
love, they detracted me, but I gave myself to prayer.' 56 Prayer
is a good shield whereby all the fiery darts of the Adversary
are repelled, 57 Therefore, the Lord Jesus prayed, and His fol-
lower, Valentinian, prayed.
(33) But perhaps it may be said: What did his prayer
profit him? Behold, he died in the first stage of life's course.
Of the suddenness of his death, not of its manner, do I
speak, for I employ not the word of censure but of sorrow.
But the Lord also prayed and was crucified; for He prayed
further that He might take away the sin of the world. Let us
hear, therefore, what the disciple of Christ prays for cer-
tainly, for what his Master taught him. Now He taught us to
watch and pray that we enter not into temptation, that is,
that we fall not into sin. For this is the temptation of a
Christian, if he fall into danger to his soul, but to fear death
is not a part of perfection.
(34) But one should pray also for his enemies, pray even
for his persecutors, as the Lord Himself prayed, saying:
53 Matt. 5.3.
54 Ps. 33.7.
55 Acts 3.6.
56 Ps. 108.2-4.
57 Cf. Eph. 6.16.
ON VALENTINIAN 281
'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' 58
Behold His great clemency. They persecuted their own
Author; He forgave even the grave sins of His adversaries;
rather, He even excused their offenses by covering them with
the cloak of ignorance, saying : Tor they know not what they
do. 5 For if they had known, they would not have persecuted
their Lord 59 on whose power and jurisdiction they believed
that their salvation depended. And because the persecutors
of Christ were not satisfied by His death alone, they added
curses and insults. And He Himself says : They will curse and
Thou wilt bless.' 60 He taught us that we should not fear in
the least curses of persecutors, since we possess the Author
of blessing, and that insults should not move us when there is
a Protector who can remove curses.
(35) What of the fact that he did not fear to die? Nay,
rather he offered himself up for all, saying that the innocent
were subjected to hatred to no purpose, that to no purpose
were others being endangered on his account. And he desired
death for himself rather than that he himself should be a
cause of death to others. Such is the Gospel teaching of our
Lord, who at the very time of His arrest said: 'If you seek
me, let these go their way. 561 And so he died for all whom he
loved, a man in whose behalf his friends thought it of little
account if they should all perish.
(36) We have noted his attitude of mind toward his
friends. Let us consider the affection which he had for his
sisters. In them he found repose, in them he obtained con-
solation, in them he found relaxation for the mind and
soothing for his heart wearied by cares. He begged of them
that if through some lapse of boyhood, if through some word,
they seemed to have been offended by their brother, they
58 Luke 23.34.
59 Cf. 1 Cor. 2.8.
60 Ps. 108.28.
61 John 18.8.
282 ST. AMBROSE
should forgive and should beseech pardon for him of the
Lord God. The hands and heads of his sisters he was wont to
kiss, unmindful of his imperial dignity, but mindful of his
kinship, and the more he stood above others by right of
power, the more humble did he show himself to his sisters.
He begged of them not to remember injury but to remember
kindness.
(37) It happened that he heard a case regarding a
possession of theirs. For so great a man was he that even in
the suit of his sisters he was thought by the provincials to be a
just judge. Although from love he inclined toward his holy
relatives, he tempered his piety with justice. He heard the
case, not regarding a right, but regarding the possession of an
estate. On the one hand, brotherly love struggled in behalf of
his sisters; on the other, mercy for the cause of an orphan,
so that he interceded with his own sisters for him. He remitted
the case to a public judge, lest he might offend against justice
or brotherly love. In secret, however, as we learn from the
final disposition made by the noble maidens, he so impressed
his pious love on his holy sisters that they were willing to re-
linquish the estate and to make this known. Sisters truly
worthy of so great a brother, who preferred of their own
accord to surrender what their mother had left them rather
than subject their brother to shame on their account !
(38) This inheritance of a brother's praise and glory is
for you, holy souls, a more precious bequest, and by it a de-
voted brother has rendered you nobler and richer. For he
adorned your head not with jewels but with kisses, and he did
not so much encircle your hands with royal insignia as he
caressed them with his imperial lips. In the enjoyment of
your presence he placed all his solace, so that he did not even
long exceedingly for a wife. Therefore he deferred marriage
because he was sustained by the pious affection of your
graciousness. Let all this, then, be more a source of pleasure
ON VALENTINIAN 283
than of grief to you, so that your brother's glory may refresh
your minds more than sorrow torment them. Tears often
both sustain and relieve the mind; weeping cools the heart
and consoles a sorrowful affection.
(39) You are indeed looking upon painful obsequies, but
even blessed Mary stood by the cross of her Son, and the
Virgin watched the passion of the Only-begotten. I read of
her standing; I do not read of her weeping. Wherefore, her
Son said to her: 'Women, behold thy son,' and to the disciple
He said: 'Behold thy Mother,' 62 leaving to them the heritage
of His love and His grace. Hence I desire, devoted children,
to show you fatherly affection, since because of my sins I was
not worthy to save your brother. Your brother I behold in you,
to your brother I cling, your brother I consider to be present to
me; nay rather, both brothers, whom I regard as my plucked-
out eyes. More happily do emperors persecute bishops than love
them. How much more fortunately for me did Maximus
threaten me! In his hatred there was praise, in the love of
these brothers is the heritage of suffering caused by death.
My sons, would that I might have been allowed to pour out
this life of mine for you! A curtailment of sorrow would I
have found, and more glorious would it have been for me
to die for such dear friends !
(40) But, holy daughters, let me return to consoling you,
although the bitterness of what has happened takes away all
the force of consolation. If consolation be brief, it offers
nothing wherewith to soothe a sorrowing love, but, if it be
too diffuse, it brings a longer remembrance of sorrow. For
the more diffuse you are, the more, while in the very act of
consoling, will you affect him whom you wish to console, and
the longer will you make his sorrow.
(41 ) Therefore, I shall not wipe away your tears by my
discourse as with a sponge. I would not wish to do this even if
62 John 19,26,27.
284 ST. AMBROSE
I could. For pious affections find a kind of pleasure in
weeping, and usually a heavy sorrow is dispelled by tears. But
I make this request, that by your deep grief you do not pluck
out the brother who has been implanted in your hearts, or
turn him away by your lamentations, or disturb him as he
rests. Let him remain in your hearts, let him live in your
breasts, let him cling to your pious embraces as he used to,
let him imprint his brotherly kisses, let him be always in your
sight, always on your lips, always in your speech, always in
your minds. His state is now such that you need not fear
for him as before. Forget his misfortune, hold fast to his virtue.
Hope in him as one who will help you, let him stand by as a
protector at night, let not even sleep now exclude him from
your presence. For his sake let repose delight you, that he
may return to you more loved than ever. It is in your power,
daughters, to prevent anyone now from taking your brother
from you.
(42) But you wish to keep his body. Throwing yourselves
upon his tomb, you cling to it. Let that tomb be for you a
brother's habitation, let it be the hall of his palace, in which
the members dear to you will repose.
(43 ) But if you again remind me of your grief because he
departed so early from life, I certainly do not deny that he
died at an untimely age, one whom we would have wished
to support with time taken from our own life, that he might
live out of our own years who could not complete his own.
(44) But I ask whether or not there is any consciousness
after death? If there is, he is alive; nay, rather, because there
is, he now enjoys eternal life. For how does he not possess
consciousness whose soul lives and flourishes and will return
to the body, and will make that body live again when it has
been reunited with it? The Apostle cries out: 'We would
not, brethren, have you ignorant concerning those who are
ON VALENTINIAN 285
asleep, lest you should grieve, even as others who have no
hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so with
him God will bring those also who have fallen asleep through
Jesus.' 63 Life, therefore, awaits them for whom resurrection
awaits.
(45) But if the Gentiles, who have no hope of resur-
rection, are consoled by this alone, in that they say that after
death the departed have no consciousness and because of this
no sense of pain remains, how much the more should we
receive consolation because death is not to be feared, since it
is the end of sin, and because life is not to be despaired of
which is restored by the resurrection? Job also says that death
is not to be feared, but rather to be desired by the just, when
he says : 'Would that Thou mayest protect me in hell and hide
me until Thy wrath pass and appoint me a time when Thou
wilt remember me. For if a man is dead, he shall live. Com-
pleting the days of my life I shall survive until I be made
again. Then Thou shalt call and I shall obey Thee; and the
works of Thy hands Thou wilt not despise. 564
(46) Granted that one should grieve that he died at an
early age, nevertheless one should rejoice that he departed a
veteran in the campaigns of virtue. For so great was the
amendment of his life in the period of youth, which is perilous
for all, so great the praise of his morals, that they overshadow
every remembrance of grief. For, that he died is a mark of
frailty; that his character was such, a mark of admiration.
How happy would the State have been, if it could have kept
him longer ! But since the life of the saints is not this life on
earth, but that in heaven for to the just 'to live is Christ,
and to die is gain,' since 'to depart and be with Christ is a lot
by far the better,' 65 we should grieve that he was so sud-
63 1 Thess. 4.12-14.
64 Job 14.13-15 (Septuagint) ; cf., also, Ps. 137.8.
65 Phil. 1.21.23.
286 ST. AMBROSE
denly snatched from us, but we should be consoled that he has
passed on to better things.
(47) Thus David wept for his son who was about to die;
he did not grieve for him when dead. 66 He wept that he might
not be snatched from him, but he ceased to weep when he
was snatched away, for he knew that he was with Christ.
And that you may know that what I declare is true, he wept
for his incestuous son Amnon 67 when he was killed, and he
mourned for the parricide Absalom when he perished, saying :
'My son Absalom, my son Absalom !' 68 He did not think the
innocent son should be mourned, because he believed that the
others had perished for their crime but that the latter would
live on account of his innocence.
(48) Therefore, you have no reason for grieving exces-
sively over your brother. He was born a man, he was subject
to human frailty. No one redeems himself from death, neither
the rich man, nor even kings; nay rather, they themselves are
subject to more grievous death. Job said: 'The years of the
mighty one are numbered, but fear is in his ears; when he
seems to have peace, then will come his destruction. 569 As for
you yourselves, you, too, should bear patiently that such trials
have befallen you which you see you have in common with the
saints. David also was left deserted when he lost his sons.
He would have wished, then, to die as your brother was
snatched from you; he bewailed the crimes, not the death of
his sons.
(49) But, granted that we must mourn. How long may
the time of our grief be extended? You have finished a period
of two months in the daily embracing of your brother's re-
mains. The daughter of Jephte alone in the Scriptures de-
manded a definite time for her weeping, when she learned
66 Cf. 2 Kings 12.15-17,19-23.
67 CL 2 Kings 13.28,29.
68 2 Kings 18.33.
69 Job 15.20-22 (Septuagint) .
ON VALENTINIAN 287
that her father as he was about to set out for battle had vowed
that, if successful, he would offer to the Lord whatever should
meet him first. As he returned home after the victory, his
daughter, aware of his love, but unaware of his vow, ran to
meet him. Her father saw her and groaned, saying: 'Woe is
me, daughter, that thou hast ensnared me, thou hast become
a goad of pain to me. For I have opened my mouth to the
Lord concerning thee, and I shall be unable to retract.' She
said to him: 'Father, if thou hast opened thy mouth against
me, do with me as it hath gone forth from thy mouth. 5 And
again she said: 'Grant me two months, and going I shall
bewail my virginity in the mountains, I and my companions. 5
And so after the two months had elapsed, she returned and
fulfilled the obligation of the sacrifice. By a decree of the
people of Israel for four days every year she was lamented
by the women of that nation. 70
(50) Therefore, for bewailing the flower of her virginity
the daughter of Jephte judged two months to be sufficient,
and the resurrection had not yet come. And in that space of
time she thought that she had been sufficiently bewailed by
a few. With you all peoples have wept, all provinces mourned,
and do you still think that this mourning of yours is too short?
If you could redeem your brother by your death he still
would be unwilling to be brought back to life by your af-
fliction, for he believes that he lives better in you. He desired
rather that he himself should die than that he should see
any injury to you, he was ready to offer himself willingly
for you, and on the very day of our sorrow he is said to have
uttered these words only: 'Alas for my poor sisters! 5 And
so he grieved more for your bereavement than for his own
death.
(51) But I hear that you grieve because he did not
receive the sacrament of baptism. Tell me: What else is in
70 Judges 11.3540.
288 ST. AMBROSE
your power other than the desire, the request? But he even
had this desire for a long time, that, when he should come
into Italy, he would be initiated, and recently he signified a
desire to be baptized by me, and for this reason above all
others he thought that I ought to be summoned. Has he not,
then, the grace which he desired; has he not the grace which
he requested? And because he asked, he received, and there-
fore is it said: 'By whatsover death the just man shall be
overtaken, his soul shall be at rest. 571
(52) Grant, therefore, O holy Father, to Thy servant
the gift which Moses received, because he saw in spirit; the
gift which David merited, because he knew from revelation.
Grant, I pray, to Thy servant Valentinian the gift which he
longed for, the gift which he requested while in health,
vigor, and security. If, stricken with sickness, he had deferred
it, he would not be entirely without Thy mercy who has been
cheated by the swiftness of time, not by his own wish. Grant,
therefore, to Thy servant the gift of Thy grace which he
never rejected, who on the day before his death refused to
restore the privileges of the temples although he was pressed
by those whom he could well have feared. A crowd of pagans
was present, the Senate entreated, but he was not afraid to
displease men so long as he pleased Thee alone hi Christ. He
who had Thy Spirit, how has he not received Thy grace?
(53) Or if the fact disturbs you that the mysteries have
not been solemnly celebrated, then you should realize that
not even martyrs are crowned if they are catechumens, for
they are not crowned if they are not initiated. But if they are
washed in their own blood, his piety and his desire have
washed him, also.
(54) Do not, I beseech, O Lord, separate him from
his brother, do not break the yoke of this pious relationship.
Now Gratian, already Thine, and vindicated by Thy judg-
71 Wisd. 4.7.
ON VALENTINIAN 289
ment, is in further peril, if he be separated from his brother,
if he deserve not to be with him through whom he has
deserved to be vindicated. What hands he now raises aloft
to Thee, O Father ! What prayers does he pour forth for his
brother! With what an embrace does he cling to him! How
he does not suffer him to be snatched from him !
(55) Your father also is present, who under Julian
spurned imperial service and the honors of the tribunate out
of his love for the faith. Give to the father his son, to the
brother his brother, both of whom he imitated, the one by
his faith, the other equally by his devotion and piety, in re-
fusing to restore the privileges of the temples- What had
been lacking in his father, he added; what his brother es-
tablished, he preserved. And I also assume the role of inter-
cessor for him for whom I anticipate reward !
(56) Offer the holy mysteries with your hands, with
devoted love let us ask for his repose. Offer the heavenly
sacraments, let us accompany the soul of our son with our
oblations. 'Lift up with me, O people, your hands to the
holy place,' 72 so that at least through this service we may
repay him for his deserts. Not with flowers shall I sprinkle
his grave, but I shall bedew his spirit with the odor of Christ.
Let others scatter lilies in basketfuls. Christ is our lily, and
with this lily I shall bless his remains, with this I shall re-
commend for his favon Never shall I separate the names of
the devoted brothers nor make a distinction in their merits.
I know that this joint remembrance will conciliate, and that
this union will delight, the Lord.
(57) Let no one think that there has been any detraction
from their merits because of their early deaths. Henoch was
snatched away lest wickedness should alter his heart; 73 Josias
in the eighteenth year of his reign so celebrated the Pasch
72 PS. 133.2.
73 C. Gen. 534; Eccli. 44.16: Heb. 11.5; Wisd. 4.11.
290 ST. AMBROSE
of the Lord that he surpassed all the princes of the past in
devotion, and he did not survive longer through the merits
of his faith. Nay, rather, because grievous destruction threat-
ened the Jewish people, the just king was taken away before-
hand. 74 I fear that you, too, were snatched away from us
because of some offense on our part, so that, as a just man,
you might escape in the eighteenth year of your reign the
bitterness of impending evil.
(58) But now I shall embrace the remains that are dear
to me, and shall deposit them in a fitting sepulchre, yet I
shall gaze on each member. My Valentinian, 'my youth
white and ruddy,' 75 having in himself the image of Christ, for
with such words the Church honors Christ in the Canticles.
Do not think this an impropriety, for with the sign of their
lord even servants are branded, and soldiers are marked with
the name of their emperor. Therefore, the Lord Himself also
says: 'Touch ye not My anointed, 576 and 'you are the light of
the world. 577 And Jacob has said: 'Juda, thee let thy brethren
praise. 378 To his own son he spoke and revealed the Lord,
And of Joseph it was said: 'My son is grown, my son Joseph
is grown, 579 and he signified Christ.
(59) Therefore it is permitted me also to mark the
servant with the sign of the Lord: 'My young man is white
and ruddy, chosen from among ten thousand. 580 My son
was chosen when, after the death of his father, as a mere
child he attained imperial power. 'His head is a rock of gold,
his eyes like doves upon a flood of waters. 581 For 'There we
sat and wept, 582 they said who came thence,
74 Cf. 4 Kings 23.21-24.
75 Cant. 5.10.
76 Ps. 104.15.
77 Matt. 5.14.
78 Gen. 48.8.
79 Gen. 49.22.
80 Cant. 5.10.
81 Cant. 5.1 1,12.
82 Ps. 136.1.
ON VALENTINIAN 291
(60) 'His belly is an ivory casket/ 83 which had received
the oracles of the Scriptures, so that he could say : 'My bowels
are in pain, 584 as the Prophet has said. For he says this who
is an imitator of Christ.
(61) 'His cheeks are as vials of aromatic spices/ 83 upon
which the ointment of Christ poured.
(62) 'His lips are as dripping lilies, full of myrrh. His
hands are turned and as of gold, full of Tharsis,' 86 because in
his words justice shone forth, and in his works and deeds
grace was resplendent. And in him speech was full of power
and royal authority, and constancy was unchanged by any
fear of death, and precious and faultless was his correction
of actions, for every good laborer is the hand of Christ.
(63) 'His throat is sweet and he is all desire.' 87 For how
sweetly have all his judgments clung to the throats of all men !
With what great affection is his every word repeated! How
greatly, my son, are you longed for by the multitudes ! Upon
me, certainly, you impressed those last words which I hold
in my heart, the words in which you asked me to become your
surety. You yourself sought of me the testimony of a glorious
judgment. I was not able to present myself as a surety for
you, as I was preparing to do. Yet, though absent, I declared
my intention, and Christ heard me state that I was a surety
in your behalf. My consent is binding in heaven, even though
it is not binding on earth. I have put myself under an ob-
ligation to God, although I could not put myself under ob-
ligation to men.
(64) I have spoken of your body. Now I shall address
your soul, which is worthy of the adornments of the Prophet.
I shall use, therefore, the Prophet's exordium: 'Who is she
83 Cant. 5.14.
84 Jer. 4.19.
85 Cant. 5.13.
86 Cant. 5.13,14 (Septuagint) .
292 ST. AMBROSE
that looketh forth as the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as
the sun?' 88 I seem to see you in your splendor, I seem to hear
you saying: The dawn is mine, O Father, the night of
earth has passed, the day of heaven is at hand,' 89 Therefore,
you look forth on us, O holy soul, looking back from
a region above, as it were, on things below. You have
gone forth from the darkness of this world, and you shine
like the moon, you are resplendent like the sun. 90 And rightly
as the moon, because even before, although in the shadow of
this earthly body, you shone and illumined the darkness of
earth, and now, borrowing light from the Sun of Justice, you
enjoy bright day. Therefore, I seem to see you withdrawing,
as it were, from the body, and, having thrust aside the
darkness of night, rising at dawn like the sun, approaching
God, and, in swift flight like an eagle, abandoning earthly
things.
(65) Turn, O Solamitess, turn, turn, and we shall look
on thee.' 91 Turn to us, O peaceful soul, that you may show
your glory to your sisters and that they may begin to console
themselves with the security of your repose and happiness.
Turn to us once only, that we may see you, and turn again
and hasten with all speed to that great Jerusalem, the city of
the saints. Or indeed, since Christ says this to the pious soul,
He commands it to turn for a little while, that its glory and
its future repose with the saints may be manifest to us, and
then He commands it to hasten to the company of the saints
on high.
(66) 'What will you see in the Solamitess,' he says, 'who
comes like the companies of camps? 392 that is, in her who has
87 Cant. 5.16.
88 Cant. 6.9.
89 a. Rom. 13.12.
90 Cf. Eccli. 50.7.
91 Cant. 6.12.
92 Cant. 7.1.
ON VALENTINIAN 293
fought much and against many in the flesh. For she fought
against external foes, she fought against the treacherous
changes of the world, she fought against the weaknesses of the
body, against manifold passions. She heard from the Lord:
'Turn, O Solamitess.' She turned once to peace in the world,
she turned, through renewed communion, to the favor of
Christ; and thus beautiful is her turning in the world, most
beautiful her stately departure and flight into heaven.
(67) And therefore she deserves to hear: 'Beautiful are
become thy steps in shoes, daughter of Aminadab, 393 that is,
daughter of a prince. For beautiful was the progress which
you made in the body, since you used this as a shoe, not as a
cloak, so that, taller and higher, as it were, you might turn
your steps wheresoever you wished without any stumbling; or,
in truth, that you might put off the body like a shoe, as Moses
did, to whom it was said: Tut off the shoes from thy feet.' 94
(68) Therefore, your father Aminadab, that prince of the
people, now says to you : 'Hearken, O daughter, and see, be-
cause the king hath desired thy beauty.' 95 'Beautiful,' there-
fore, 'are become thy steps in shoes, O daughter of Aminadab.
The joints of thy thighs are like crowns/ 96 that is, a grace
consistent with itself in all its acts and moderation equaled
the insignia of great triumphs. Therefore, because of your
moderation and peaceful serenity, not even Gaul experienced
an enemy, and Italy repulsed an enemy who threatened her
borders. Moreover, that crowns are the insignia of victory
cannot be doubted, since those who have fought bravely in
war are honored with crowns.
(69) Thy navel is .like a round bowl, not wanting
tempered wine. Thy belly is like a heap of wheat, set about
93 Cant. 7.1.
94 Exod. 3.5.
95 Ps. 44.11,12.
96 Cant. 7.1.
294 ST. AMBROSE
with lilies. Thy neck is like a tower of ivory. Thy eyes a pool
in Esebon.' 97 The good navel of the soul, capable of receiving
all .virtues, is like a bowl, fashioned by the Author of faith
Himself. 98 For in a bowl Wisdom has mixed her wine, saying:
'Come, eat my bread and drink the wine which I have
mingled for you. 3 " This navel, therefore, fashioned with all
the beauty of the virtues does not lack mixed wine. His
belly also was filled not only with the wheaten food of
justice, as it were, but also with that of grace, and it bloomed
with sweetness like a lily. 100 His neck also was white and pure,
subjected willingly to the yoke of Christ. Thoughts governed
by reason, the glory of faith, and the mark of circumcision were
the glorious adornment of his head, which was crowned not
with royal diadems but with the insignia of the blood of the
Lord.
(70) Rightly like a king, victorious over sin, and with
his head encircled with a heavenly crown, does he ascend,
and to his soul God the Word says: 'How beautiful and
sweet art thou become, my love, in thy delights!' 101 Beautiful
through the glory of virtue, sweet through grace, tall like a
palm, which is the prize of the victor.
(71) His brother Gratian runs to meet this soul as -it
ascends, and embracing it he says: 'I to my brother and his
turning to me/ 102 either because he desires him to cling
closely to himself or because with brotherly love he stands at
his side as an, advocate, saying that his turning is to be
preferred even to his favor.
(72) 'Come, my brother,' he says, 'let us go forth into
the field, let us find rest in the villages, let us get up early to
97 Cant. 7.2-4.
98 Cf. Heb. 12.2.
99 Prov. 9.5.
100 Cf. Isa. 35.1.
101 Cant. 7.6.
102 Cant. 7.10.
ON VALENTINIAN 295
the vineyards/ 103 that is, you have come here where the
fruits of the different virtues are conferred according to the
merits of each of us, where the rewards of merits abound. Let
us go forth, then, into a field in which our labor is not in.
vain, but where there is a rich harvest of graces. What you
have sown on earth reap here; what you have scattered
there gather here. Or at least come into the field which is
the odor of Jacob, that is, come into the bosom of Jacob, so
that, like poor Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, 104 you also
may find rest in the tranquility of Jacob the patriarch, for the
bosom of the patriarchs is a kind of retreat of eternal rest.
Fittingly, therefore, is Jacob a fruitful field, as the patriarch
Isaac testified, when he said: 'Behold the fragrance of my
son is as the fragrance of a plentiful field which the Lord has
blessed/ 105
(73) 'Let us find rest, 5 he says, 'in the villages,' showing
that repose there is more secure which, protected and walled
about by the hedge of heaven's refuge, is not disturbed by
the attacks of the beasts of the world.
(74) 'In our gates,' he says, 'are all the fruits of the
trees; the new and the old, my brother, I have kept for thee.
Who shall give thee to me, my brother, for my brother,
sucking the breasts of my mother. Finding thee without, I
shall kiss thee; I shall take thee up and bring thee into my
mother's house, and into the chamber of her who conceived
me. I will give thee to drink wine scented with great labor
from the juice of my pomegranates. His left hand under my
head, and his right hand shall embrace me.' 106 Gratian
promises his brother of august memory that the fruits of the
various virtues are at hand for him. For he himself was also
103 Cant. 1.11,12.
104 Cf. Luke 16.22.
105 Gen. 27.27.
106 Cant. 7.11.
296 ST, AMBROSE
faithful in the Lord, pious and meek and pure of heart; he
was also chaste in body who knew not intercourse with any
woman other than his wife.
(75) Thus in the gates of his house he has fruits pre-
pared, and not far to seek. He offers the new and the old
which he has kept for his brother, that is, the mysteries of
the Old Testament and of the Gospel, and says: 'Who shall
give thee to me, O brother, for a brother, sucking the
breasts of my mother?' 107 that is, no ordinary person but
Christ Himself enlightened you with spiritual grace. He
baptized you, because the ministry of men was lacking you.
Greater things have you gained, who believed that you had
lost lesser. What are the breasts of the Church except the
sacrament of baptism? And well does he say 'sucking,' as if
the baptized were seeking Him as a draught of snowy milk.
'Finding thee without, 3 he says, 'I shall kiss thee,' that is,
finding you outside the body, I embrace you with the kiss
of mystical peace. No one shall despise you, no one shall
shut you out, I will introduce you into the inner sanctuary
and hidden places of. Mother Church, and into all the
secrets of mystery, so that you may drink the cup of spiritual
grace,
(76) After he had embraced his brother, therefore, he
began to conduct him to his own mansion, and, since he had
proceeded beyond the ordinary in his service, he began to
ascend with his brother, praying that a greater increase of
love might there be granted to his brother and to himself,
because the human failings, envy and pride, which in most
men are wont to make void the laws of fraternal love, had
been absent from them.
(77) Both the angels and other souls, on seeing them,
inquire of those who by their company and office, as it were,
were escorting the brothers, saying: 'Who is this that as-
107 Cant. 7.13-8.1-5.
ON VALENTINIAN 297
cendeth shining, leaning on his brother?' 108 We have indeed
no doubt concerning the merits of Valentinian, but let us now
believe the testimony at least of the angels, that, with the
stain of sin wiped out, he ascended cleansed whom his faith
had washed and his petition had sanctified. Let us believe
also, as others hold, that 'he ascended from the desert, 5 that
is, from this arid and uncultivated place to those flowery de-
lights, where, united with his brother, he enjoys the bliss of
eternal life.
(78) Blessed are you both, if my prayers will avail
aught! 109 No day will pass you over in silence, no prayer of
mine will pass you by unhonored, no night will hurry on its
course without your receiving some participation in my
prayers. I will repeatedly remember you in all by oblations.
Who will prevent me from mentioning the innocent? Who
will forbid my embracing you with continuous remembrance?
'If I forget thee, holy Jerusalem, 5 that is, holy soul, devoted
and peaceful brethren, 'let my right hand forget me, let my
tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee, if I
do not remember Jerusalem in the beginning of my joy. 5110
I shall sooner forget myself than you; even if my speech ever
becomes silent, my love will speak; even if my voice fails, the
love which is implanted in my heart will not fail.
(79) 'How are the mighty fallen!' 111 How both are
fallen by the rivers of Babylon! 112 How much swifter for
both men have been their courses of life than the waters of
the Rhone itself! O Gratian and Valentinian, beautiful and
most dear to me, in what a narrow limit you have enclosed
your lives ! How close have been the confines of your deaths !
How near your burials ! Gratian and Valentinian, I say, it is
108 Cant. 8.5.
109 Cf. Vergil, Aeneid, 9.446-447.
110 Ps. 136.5,6.
111 2 Kings 1.19,25,27.
112 Cf. Ps. 136.1.
298 ST. AMBROSE
a pleasure to hang upon your names, and it is a delight to
find rest in the remembrance of you. O Gratian and Valen-
tinian, beautiful and most dear to all! Inseparable in life,
and in death you are not separated. 113 The tomb has not
separated you whom love did not separate. The causes of your
deaths have not parted you whom a single affection joined
together. A diversity of virtues did not render you unlike
whom a single religion fostered; you who were simpler than
doves, swifter than eagles, meeker than lambs, more guileless
than calves. 114 The arrow 5 of Gratian 'was not turned back/
and the justice of Valentinian 'was not in vain 5115 nor his
authority empty. 'How 5 without battle 'are the mighty fallen !*
(80) 'I grieve for you,' Gratian my son, most sweet to me.
Many are the proofs you gave of your devotion. In the midst
of your perils you sought me; in your last moments you called
me by name; you grieved the more at my grief for you. 'I
grieve for you/ also, Valentinian my son, 'most beautiful to
me. Your love has come to me as the love' 116 of a dear one.
You thought that through me you were being rescued from
peril; you not only loved me as a parent but you hoped in
me as your redeemer and liberator. You said : 'Do you think
I shall see my father? 5 Noble was your desire of me, but in-
effectual your presumption. Woe to me for your vain hope
in man ! 117 But you sought the Lord in His bishop. Woe to me
that I did not know your wish before ! Woe to me that you
did not send for me secretly before ! Woe to me for such dear
ones as I have lost! 'How are the mighty fallen, and the
weapons that were desired have perished! 5118
113 Cf. 2 Kings 1.23.
114 Ibid.
115 2 Kings L22.
116 2 Kings L26.
117 Cf. Eccli. 34.1.
118 2 Kings 1.27.
ON VALENTINIAN 299
(81) O Lord, since no one can grant to another more
than what he desires for himself, do not separate me after
death from those whom in this life I have held most dear.
O Lord, I pray that 'where I am, they also may be with
me,' 119 that there at least I may enjoy their everlasting union,
since here I was unable to enjoy their association longer. I
beseech Thee, O highest God, that Thou mayest raise and
revive these dearest youths by an early resurrection, 120 that
Thou mayest compensate for their unduly short span of life
in this world by an earlier restoration. Amen.
119 John 17.24.
120 St. Ambrose would seem to be referring here to a view still held
by some in his time that there would be a millenial reign of Christ,
at the beginning of which the saints would rise again, and at the
end of which the general resurrection would take place. But, apart
from this passage and one or two others, he adheres definitely to
the belief in one general resurrection. Cf. F. H. Dudden. The
Life and Times of St. Ambrose (Oxford 1935) II 667-668.
SAINT AMBROSE
ON THE DEATH OF
EMPEROR THEODOSIUS
Translated by
ROY J. DEFERRARI, Ph.D.
The Catholic University of America
INTRODUCTION
HE ORATION ON THE DEATH of Theodosius was de-
livered by the Bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose, on
February 25, 395, the fortieth day after the death of
the emperor. The date of February 26, often given in hand-
books, is an error created by a failure to include the day of
his death in this reckoning. The occasion of the eulogy was
the memorial service, held before the departure of the funeral
cortege for Constantinople.
A loyal and manly friendship had existed between the
emperor and the bishop, who, as they worked for a common
cause, found their mutual aims and desires to be quite
compatible. The man who did so much to make the empire
a Christian state was Theodosius, but the chief impulse be-
hind him came from Ambrose.
The task of the eulogist was not merely the preparation of
a discourse polished and made perfect according to rhetorical
canons. Officially, the task of St. Ambrose was the pres-
entation of a panegyric on the dead emperor; personally it
was much more. He had, of course, to give to the dead the
tribute customary to his rank, but he had also to reach out to
the living and to offer to each group of the varied throng
comfort and salutary spiritual advice. The audience which
303
ON THEODOSIUS 305
Then, desiring to impart a moral lesson, Ambrose develops
at length an exposition of the virtues of Theodosius, choosing
such as are profitable for imitation by the prince and his
guardian, in whose hands the reins of the government may
well prove the deciding factor either for good or for evil. In
this exposition Theodosius stands forth as the exemplar of
all Christian rulers. He is shown as the guardian of the
Church, distinguished for piety and zeal; as the refuge and
father of the poor and erring, magnanimous toward his
enemies, faithful to his friends; and, finally, as the sinner,
humbled, repentant, and forgiven.
ON THE DEATH OF THEODOSIUS
JEVERE EARTHQUAKES, continual rains, and darkness
denser than usual gave notice of this, that our most
merciful Emperor Theodosius was about to leave
the earth. The very elements, then, were mourning his death.
The heavens were veiled in obscurity; the air was shuddering
in unbroken gloom; the earth was shaken by tremors and
filled with floods of waters. Why should not the universe
itself bemoan the fact that this prince was presently to be
snatched away, for was he not accustomed to alleviate the
hardships of this world when by forgiveness he forestalled
the punishment of crime?
( 2 ) And he has indeed departed to receive his kingdom,
which he did not lay aside, but, admitted by right of piety
into the tabernacles of Christ, he has exchanged it for the
heavenly Jerusalem. Having taken his place there, he says:
'As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of
hosts, in the city of our God,' which 'God hath founded
forever.' 1 But he has left behind many deprived of a father's
protection, as it were, and, above all, his sons. But they are not
destitute whom he left as the heirs of his piety; they are not
destitute for whom he gained the grace of Christ and the
1 Ps, 47.9.
307
308 ST. AMBROSE
loyalty of the army, to which he was a proof that God
cherishes devotion and is the avenger of treachery.
(3) Recently, then, we lamented the death of this prince,
and now we are celebrating the fortieth day, with the prince
Honorius assisting at the holy altar. For as holy Joseph per-
formed the burial rites for his father Jacob during forty days,
so this son also renders his just due to his father Theodosius.
And because some are accustomed to observe the third and
the thirtieth day, others the seventh and the fortieth, let us
consider what the Scriptural text tells us. When Jacob died, it
says, 'Joseph commanded the servant undertakers to bury
him, and the undertakers buried Israel, and forty days were
completed for him; for thus the days of the funeral rites
are reckoned. And Egypt mourned for him seventy days. 52
Accordingly, the observance which Scripture prescribes is to
be followed. In Deuteronomy, also, it is written that c the
children of Israel mourned for Moses thirty days, and the
days of mourning were finished.' 3 Both observances, then,
have authority because the necessary duty of filial piety is
fulfilled.
(4) And so Joseph was good, who furnished the model
for filial devotion, whom his father loved, and to whom
his father said: 'May my God aid thee, and may he bless thee
with the blessing of the earth holding all things because of the
blessing of the breasts and of the womb, blessings of thy
mother, and because of the blessings of thy father. 54 Joseph
was the good offspring of a devoted father. So he, too, cele-
brates the fortieth day of his father, Jacob, that great sup-
plantor, 5 and we celebrate the fortieth day of Theodosius,
who, after the example of Jacob, supplanted the perfidy of
2 Gen. 50.2,3-
3 Deut. 34.8.
4 Gen. 49.25,26.
5 Cf. Gen. 25.25; 27.36.
ON THEODOSIUS 309
tyrants, 6 who put away the idols of the Gentiles. For his faith
removed all worship of images and stamped out all their
ceremonies. He grieved, too, that the remission of punishment
which he had granted to those who had transgressed against
him had come to naught, 7 the opportunity for pardon had
been denied him. But his sons will not refuse what their father
granted, nor will they refuse, even though anyone should at-
tempt to confuse or disturb them. Those who honor his grants
to individuals will not be able to refuse what he granted
for all.
(5) The death of so great a prince had in it nothing
more glorious, who had already consigned all to his sons:
his empire, his power, and the title Augustus. Nothing, I say,
more splendid was reserved for him in death than the fact
that while the promised mitigation of the necessary payment
of the grain tax in some cases was delayed, his successor has
become the heir of these indulgences, and the one who wished
to prevent this has created ill will for himself. Nevertheless,
the crown of so great a favor has not been taken away from
Theodosius. And not undeservedly, for if the last wishes of
private citizens and the testaments of the dying have per-
manent validity, how can the testament of so great a prince be
considered void? Theodosius is also glorious in this, that he
did not make his will in the ordinary manner, for he had no
further provision to make for his sons, to whom he had given
everything, except to commend them to a relative who was
present. 8 He was obliged to provide by will for all who were
6 An allusion to Theodosius' defeat of the usurper Maximus in 388
and of the usurper Eugenius in 394.
7 In a communication to the Senate, Theodosius expressed regret that
the death of Flavian, the consul who had sided with the usurpers,
had deprived him of the pleasure of granting pardon.
8 Flavius Stilicho, the great general of Theodosius, was married to
Serena, niece and adopted daughter of the emperor. Stilicho and
Serena were appointed guardians of Honorius when he was appointed
joint-emperor in 394.
310 ST. AMBROSE
subject to him or committed to his care, so that he might dis-
charge legacies and designate trusts. He ordered that a law
of indulgence which he left in writing be published. What is
more worthy than that this law be the last will of the
emperor?
(6) Thus the great emperor has withdrawn from us, but
he has not wholly withdrawn, for he has left us his children
in whom we should recognize him, and in whom we be-
hold and possess him. Let not their age disquiet you. The
loyalty of his soldiers is the perfect age of an emperor, for
age is perfect where strength is perfect. These characteristics
are reciprocal, for the faith of an emperor also is the strength
of his soldiers.
(7) You recall, I am sure, what triumphs the faith of
Theodosius acquired for you. When, because of the difficulties
of the terrain and the hindrance of camp followers, the army
was deploying too slowly into combat position and through
delay in offering battle the enemy seemed to be charging, the
emperor leaped down from his horse and, advancing alone
before the line, he cried out: 'Where is the God of Theo-
dosius?' He spoke thus when already close to Christ, for who
could have said this except one who knew that he was at-
taching himself to Christ? By this cry he aroused all, and
by his example he armed all. He was already indeed some-
what advanced in years, but robust in faith.
(8) The faith of Theodosius, then, was your victory: let
your faith be the strength of his sons. Faith, therefore, adds
to age. Hence, even Abraham did not consider age when in
old age he begot a son, nor Sara, when she gave birth. And
it is not astonishing if faith adds to age, since it anticipates
the future. For what is faith except the substance of those
things for which we hope? 9 So the Scriptures teach us. There-
fore, if faith is the substance of those things for which we
9 Cf. Heb. 11.1.
ON THEODOSIUS 311
hope, how much the more of those which we see? Good is
the faith of which it is written: 'But the just man lives by
faith. But if he draws back, he will not please my soul.' 10
(9) Now, let us not draw back at the expense of our
souls, but let us cling to faith for our soul's gain; 11 for in this
warfare of faith our elders, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
obtained proof, and thus they left us a heritage of faith.
Abraham was faithful, who was justified not by works but
by faith, since he believed in God. 12 Isaac was faithful, who
through faith did not fear the sword of his father as he was
about to strike him. Jacob was faithful, who followed in the
footprints of his father's faith and, while he was journeying,
saw an army of angels and called it the council of God. 13
(10) Elsewhere, also, that is, in the Books of Kings we
read that Eliseus was in Samaria, and suddenly an army of
Syrians surrounded and set upon him. Giezi saw them and
said to his master: 'O Master, what shall we do?' 14 And
Eliseus the Prophet said : Tear not, for there are more with
us than with them.' And he prayed that the Lord would open
the eyes of Giezi. And his eyes were opened and he saw the
mountain full of horses and chariots around Eliseus. And
Eliseus prayed that God would strike them with blindness.
And they were struck, and they entered into the city whither
they were going, seeing not at all. Surely, you soldiers who
have been surrounded have heard that where there is perfidy
there is blindness. Rightly, therefore, was the army of the
unbeliever blind. But where there is faith there is an army of
angels. Good, then, is faith, which often exercises its power
among the dead. 15 Hence, our Adversary and his legions are
daily hurled back by the virtue of the martyrs. So I think
10 Heb. 10.38.
11 Cf. Heb. 10.39.
12 Cf. Rom. 4.2.
13 Cf. Gen. 32.1,2.
14 4 Kings 6.14-16; cf., also, 4 Kings 6.17-19.
15 Cf. Col. 2.12; Acts 17.31.
312 ST. AMBROSE
that the strings of the cithern are called fides, because, al-
though dead, they give forth sound. 16
(11) Wherefore, we must strive more and more, lest
while engaged in the tasks of life we be ungrateful, and let
us bestow constant and paternal affection on the children
of the pious prince. Pay to his sons what you owe to their
father. You owe more to him now that he is dead than you
owed to him while he was living. For, if among the children
of private citizens the rights of minors are not violated without
grave crime, how much more is this true in the case of the
children of an emperor !
(12) It may be added: 'Of what an emperor!' Of a
pious emperor, of a merciful emperor, of a faithful emperor,
concerning whom the Scripture has spoken in no ordinary
manner, saying, 'Great and in honor is the merciful man;
but to find a faithful man is difficult.' 17 If it is a great thing to
find anyone who is merciful or faithful, how much more so
an emperor whom power impels toward vengeance, but
whom, nevertheless, compassion recalls from taking vengeance?
What is more illustrious than the faith of an emperor whom
power does not exalt, pride does not elevate, but piety bows
down? Of him Solomon admirably says: The threatening of
an unjust king is like the roaring of a lion, but as dew upon
the grass, so also is his cheerfulness.' 18 Therefore what a
great thing it is to lay aside the terror of power and to prefer
the sweetness of granting pardon !
(13) Theodosius of august memory thought he had
received a kindness whenever he was asked to pardon, and
he was more disposed to forgiveness at the time when the
emotion of his wrath had been greatest. A token of forgiveness
was that he had been angry, and what was feared in others
16 Cf. 1 Cor. 14.7. There is a word play in Latin here between fides
(faith) and fides (a cithern) .
17 Prov. 20.6. (Septuagint) .
18 Prov. 19.12. The word 'unjust' is not found in the Septuagint or
Vulgate.
ON THEODOSIUS 313
was desired in him, that he be moved to wrath. It was the
relief of the accused that, although he had power over all,
he preferred to expostulate as a father rather than to punish
as a judge. Often we have seen men whom he was rebuking
tremble when convicted of crime, and then, when they had
despaired, we have seen them freed from the charge. For he
wished to win them as a fair judge, not to crush them as a
dispenser of punishment, for he never denied pardon to one
confessing guilt. If there was anything which the secret con-
science concealed, he reserved that for God. Men feared that
voice of his more than punishment, because the emperor
acted with such modesty as to prefer to attach men to him-
self by reverence rather than by fear.
(14) It is said that the greatest 19 of the philosophers
granted immunity from punishment to those crimes which
had been committed through anger, but the divine Scripture
says better: 'Be angry and sin not,' 20 It preferred rather to
cut off sin than to excuse it. It is better to find praise for
mercy in an occasion for indignation than to be incited by
wrath toward vengeance.
(15) Who, then, will doubt that he will be a powerful
protector for his sons in the house of God? 21 By the favor of
the Lord, the Emperor Arcadius is already a robust youth;
Honorius now knocks on the door of manhood, a little older
than Josias. 22 For the latter, having lost his father, assumed
the government and reigned continuously for thirty-one years.
He pleased the Lord because, better than the other kings of
Israel, he celebrated the Pasch of the Lord and abolished false
religious practices. Asa, likewise, though still of immature
age when he succeeded to the throne, reigned in Jerusalem
19 Cf. Plato, Laws 9.7ff.; also, Aristotle, Nich. Ethics 7.6.
20 Ps. 4.5.
21 Cf. 1 John 2.1.
22 Cf. 4 Kings 22.1. Josias was eight years old at his accession. At the
death of Theodosius, Arcadius was about eighteen and Honorius
was in his eleventh year.
314 ST. AMBROSE
forty years. 23 When he was hard pressed by an infinite and
innumerable multitude of Ethiopians, he had trust in the
Lord that he could be among the few saved. Would that he
had been as faithful during his course as he was devout at its
beginning ! For, one of the few saved and a victor, he after-
wards abandoned the Lord and asked aid from the Syrians
and summoned physicians to cure a disease of the feet. Since
he had received such great indications of divine favor, he
ought not to have abandoned his Helper but to have retained
Him. Therefore, the physicians did not benefit him, and as
an unbeliever he paid the penalty of death.
(16) But their fathers, Abiam and Amon, were both
unbelievers. 24 Theodosius, however, was filled with the fear
of God, was filled with mercy, and we hope that he stands
before Christ as a protector of his children, if the Lord be
propitious to human affairs. The merciful man is a blessing.
While he assists others, he is mindful of himself, and by
applying remedies to others he cures his own wounds. 30 For
he who knows how to forgive realizes that he is human, and
he follows the way of Christ who, by assuming flesh, chose to
come into this world as a Redeemer rather than as a Judge.
(17) Hence the Psalmist has said beautifully: 'I have
loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.' 2b
While this psalm was being read, we heard, as it were,
Theodosius himself speaking. 1 have loved/ he says. I re-
cognize his pious voice and I recognize also his testimonies.
And truly has he loved who fulfilled his duty diligently, who
spared his enemies, who loved his foes, who pardoned those
by whom he was entreated, who did not even allow those
who strove to usurp his power to perish. That voice is of one
23 Cf, 3 Kings 15.10. Cf. also 2 Par. 14.11-12, and 16.3-12.
24 Cf. 3 Kings 15.3; 4 Kings 21.21.
25 Cf. 1 Peter 4.8.
26 Ps. 114.1.
ON THEODOSIUS 315
not partially, but fully perfected in the Law, saying: 'I have
loved. For love is the fulfillment of the law.' 27 But let us
hear what he has loved. When the kind of love is not men-
tioned, surely the grace of divine charity is signified, where-
by we love what is to be desired above all desirable things. 28
Of this it is written: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. 529
(18) Thus the good soul, on departing from earth and
filled with the Holy Spirit, when questioned, as it were, by
those who hastened to meet it as it rose to the high and lofty
regions above, kept saying: 'I have loved.' Nothing is fuller
than this, nothing is clearer. Angels and archangels asked
repeatedly: 'What have you done on earth?' For God alone is
the witness of secret things. The soul kept saying, 'I have
loved,' that is, 'I have fulfilled the Law, I have not neglected
the Gospel'; that is, 'I have offered myself to death and all
the day long I am regarded as a sheep for the slaughter.' 30
Tor I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels nor
powers, nor height, nor depth nor any other creature will
be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.' 31
(19) The Lord Jesus also teaches in the Gospel that this
commandment of the Law must be observed, when He
says to Peter: 'Simon, son of John, dost thou love Me?' And
he answered: 'Thou knowest, Lord, that I love Thee.' And
He said a second time: 'Simon, son of John, dost thou love
Me?' And again he answered: 'Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that
I love Thee.' And when asked a third time, said: 'Lord, Thou
knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee.' 32 And so
his threefold answer confirmed his love 'and effaced the fault
of his threefold- denial. And here, if we seek, we find the
27 Rom. 13.10.
28 Cf. Prov. 8.11.
29 Deut. 6.5; Matt. 22.37.
30 Cf. Ps. 43.22; Rom. 8.36.
31 Rom. 8.38,39.
32 John 21.15-18.
316 ST. AMBROSE
threefold answer: C I have loved, because the Lord will hear
the voice of my prayer. I have loved since He has inclined
his ear to me, that in my day I might call upon Him. I
have loved because I have found tribulation and sorrow, and
for the sake of my God I have not fled the dangers of hell
but have waited that they might seize and find me.' 33
(20) And beautifully does he say: 'I have loved,' be-
cause now he had completed the course of this life. Where-
fore, the Apostle also says in the midst of his suffering: 'I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a
crown of justice. 534 Great is the Lord who has given us the
struggle, whereby he who has conquered merits to be
crowned. 'I have loved, 5 he says trustingly, 'because the
Lord will hear the voice of my prayer. 535
(21) e l have loved' and therefore 'he has inclined his
ear 336 to me, to raise up the fallen, to quicken the dead. For
God does not incline his ear so as to hear corporally but to
condescend to us. He deigns thus to hear us and to lift up the
substance of our weakness. He inclines himself toward us
that our prayer may ascend to Him. He who offers mercy
does not need a voice. He did not need a voice who heard
Moses, though silent, 37 and He said that Moses cried out to
Him, although he did not speak, but was pleading with
unutterable groanings. 38 God also knows how to hear blood, 39
for which no voice exists nor tongue is present, but it received
a voice by virtue of the sacred Passion. It cried out in mar-
tyrdom, it cried out in the parricide which it suffered as a
sacrifice.
33 Cf. Ps. 114.1-3.
34 2 Tim. 4.7,8.
35 Ps. 114.1.
36 Ps. 114.2
37 Cf. Exod. 14.15.
38 Cf. Rom. 8.26.
39 Cf. Gen. 4.10.
ON THEODOSIUS 317
(22) 'I have loved/ he said, and therefore, 'with love I
have done the will of the Lord, and I have called upon Him
not on a few, but on all the days of my life. 540 For to call
upon Him on certain days and not on all is the mark of one
who is proved, not of one who hopes. It is to return the debt
of gratitude after the manner of those who abound in wealth
and not from a spirit of devotion. And so Paul said: 'Give
thanks for all things.' 41 For when do you not have something
which you owe to God? Or when are you without a gift of
God, since your daily enjoyment of living is from God? Tor
what hast thou, that thou hast not received? 342 Therefore,
because you always receive, always call upon God; and
since what you have is from God, always acknowledge that
you are His debtor. I prefer that you pay your debts rather
through love than as one forced to do so.
(23) Do you hear him saying: 'The sorrows of death
have compassed me'? 43 'Still, I have loved the Lord even
in the sorrows of death. The perils of hell have found me,
not fearing indeed, but loving, but hoping, because no
distress, no persecution, no dangers, no sword shall separate
me from Christ.' 44 Therefore, he found tribulation and sor-
row willingly, knowing that 'tribulation works out endurance,
and endurance tried virtue, and tried virtue hope. 545 As a good
athlete, he sought the contest that he might gain the crown,
but he knew that this was given to him not through his own
strength but by the aid of God. He could not have been
victorious had he not called upon Him who helps contenders.
(24) Miserable man enters the contest to be victorious,
and he rushes headlong into danger unless the name of the
Lord be present with him; unless, when he fears, he prays,
40 Cf. 22.6; Ps. 26.4; Ps. 114.2.
41 1 Thess. 5.18.
42 1 Cor. 4.1.
45 Ps. 114.3.
44 Cf. Ps. 114.5; Rom. 8.35.
45 Kom. 5.3.
318 ST. AMBROSE
saying: 'O Lord deliver my soul. 346 Hence we have these
words of the Apostle: 'But I see a law of my flesh warring
against the law of my mind, and making me prisoner to the
law of sin, that is in my members. Unhappy man that I am !
Who will deliver me from the body of this death? The grace
of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord. 547
( 25 ) He is victorious who hopes for the grace of God, not
he who presumes upon his own strength. For why do you not
rely upon grace, since you have a merciful Judge in the con-
test. 'For the Lord is merciful and just, and our God sheweth
mercy.' 48 Mercy is mentioned twice, but justice once. Justice
is in the middle, enclosed by a double wall of mercy. Sins
superabound. Therefore, let mercy superabound. With the
Lord there is an abundance of all powers, for He is the Lord
of hosts. 49 Yet there is neither justice without mercy, nor with-
out the exercise of mercy is there justice, for it is written:
'Be not over just.' 50 What is above measure, you cannot
endure, even if it is good. Preserve measure that you may
receive according to the measure. 51
(26) Yet mercy has not impeded justice, because mercy
is itself justice. 'He hath distributed, he hath given to the
poor, his justice remaineth forever. 352 For the just man knows
that he ought to succor the weak and the needy. Wherefore,
the Lord, coming to baptism in order to forgive us our sins
because we are weak, said to John: 'Let it be so now, for so it
becomes us to fulfill all justice/ 53 Thus, it is clear that justice
is mercy, and mercy is justice. For if the mercy of God did
not sustain us, how would we survive as infants in the very
46 Ps. 114.4.
47 Rom. 7.23-25.
48 Ps. 114.5.
49 Cf. Ps. 23.10.
50 Eccles. 7.17.
51 Cf. Eph. 4.7.
52 Ps. 111.9.
53 Matt. 3.15.
ON THEODOSIUS 319
beginning when, issuing from the womb, from warmth into
cold, from moisture into dryness, we are cast forth like fishes
that a flood of nature, as it were, has cast shipwrecked into
this life? Reason is lacking, but divine grace does not fail.
Therefore, He Himself guards the little ones, or at least those
who humbly confess that they are as little ones.
(27) Good, therefore, is humility. It delivers those who
are in danger and raises those who have fallen. This humility
was known to him who said : 'Behold it is I that have sinned,
and I the shepherd have done wickedly; and these in this
flock, what have they done? Let thy hand be against me.' 4
Well does he say this who made his kingdom subject to God
and did penance and, having confessed his sin, asked pardon.
He attained salvation through humility. Christ humbled
Himself to raise up all, 55 and whoever follows the humility
of Christ attains the rest of Christ.
(28) And so because Theodosius, the emperor, showed
himself humble and, when sin had stolen upon him, asked for
pardon, his soul has turned to its rest, as Scripture has it,
saying: Turn my soul unto thy rest, for the Lord hath been
bountiful to thee.' 56 Beautifully is it said to the soul: Turn,'
that the soul, tired out, as it were, with the daily sweat of its
toil, may turn from labor to rest. The horse is turned toward
the stable when it has finished its course; the ship to the port,
where it is given safe anchorage protected from the violence
of the waves. But what is the meaning of the phrase, 'to thy
rest, 5 unless you understand it according to the words of the
Lord Jesus: c Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of
the kingdom prepared for you as an inheritance from the
foundation of the world'? 57 For we receive, as it were, an in-
54 2 Kings 24.17.
55 Cf. Phil. 2.8.
56 Ps. 114.7.
57 Matt. 25.34.
320 ST. AMBROSE
herited possession, the things which have been promised to
us, for God is faithful and does not withdraw what he has
once prepared for His servants. If our faith endures, His
promise likewise endures.
(29) See, O man, the grace of Christ about you. Even
while you are harassed on earth, you have possessions in
heaven. There, then, let your heart be, where your possession
is. 58 This is the rest which is due the just, and is denied the
unworthy. Whence says the Lord: 'As I swore in my wrath,
that they shall not enter into my rest. 359 For they who have
not known the ways of the Lord shall not enter into the rest
of the Lord, but to him who has fought the good fight and
has finished his course it is said: 'Turn to thy rest. 3 It is a
blessed rest to pass by the things of the world and to find
repose in the celestial fellowship of the mysteries which are
above the world. This is the rest toward which the Prophet
hastened, saying : 'Who will give me wings like a dove and I
will fly and be at rest?' 60 The holy man knows this as his rest,
and to this rest he says his soul must turn. Therefore was his
soul in its rest, to which he says it must return. This is the
rest of the great Sabbath, in which each of the saints is above
the sensible things of the world, devoting himself entirely to
deep and invisible mystery and cleaving to God. This is that
rest of the Sabbath on which God rested from all the works of
this world.
(30) Theodosius, now at peace, rejoices that he has been
snatched away from the cares of this world and he lifts up
his soul and directs it to that great and eternal rest. He de-
clares that he has been admirably cared for, since God has
snatched his soul from death, 61 the death which he frequently
withstood in the treacherous conditions of this world, when
58 Cf. Matt. 6.21.
59 Ps. 94.11.
60 Ps. 54.7.
61 Cf. Ps. 114.8; Ps. 55.13
ON THEODOSIUS 321
he was disturbed by the waves of sin. And God has snatched
his eyes from tears, for sorrow and sadness and mourning shall
flee away. 62 And elsewhere we have: 'He shall wipe away
every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither
shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain.' 63 If, then,
death will be no more, he cannot suffer a fall when he is in
that rest, but he will please God in the land of the living. 64
For while man is here enveloped in a mortal body subject to
falls and transgressions, that will not be so there. Therefore,
that is the land of the living where the soul is, for the soul has
been made to the image and likeness of God, it is not flesh
fashioned from earth. 65 Hence, flesh returns to earth, but the
soul hastens to celestial rest, and to it is said : 'Turn, my soul, to
thy rest.'
(31) Theodosius hastened to enter upon this rest and
to go into the city of Jerusalem, of which it is said : 'And the
kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it. 566 That is
true glory which is assumed there, and that is a most blessed
kingdom which is possessed there. To this the Apostle was
hastening when he said: 'We have the courage, then, and
we prefer to be exiled from the body and to be at home with
the Lord; and therefore we strive, whether in the body or out
of it, to please Him.' 67
(32) Thus freed from an uncertain struggle, Theodosius
of august memory now enjoys perpetual light and lasting
tranquility, and in return for what he did in this body he
rejoices in the fruits of a divine reward. Therefore, because
Theodosius of august memory loved the Lord his God, he has
merited the companionship of the saints.
(33) And to conclude my discourse by a kind of per-
62 Cf, Isa. 51.11,
63 Cf. Apoc. 21.4.
64 Cf. Ps. 114.9.
65 Cf. Gen. 1.27; 2.7.
66 Apoc. 21.24.
67 Cf. 2 Cor. 5.8,9.
322 ST, AMBROSE
oration, I have loved a merciful man, humble in power,
endowed with a pure heart and a gentle disposition, a man
such as God is accustomed to love, saying: 'Upon whom shall
I rest, unless upon the humble and gentle? 368
(34) I have loved a man who esteemed a reprover more
than a flatterer. He threw on the ground all the royal attire
that he was wearing. He wept publicly in church 69 for his sin,
which had stolen upon him through the deceit of others. He
prayed for pardon with groans and with tears. What private
citizens are ashamed to do, the emperor was not ashamed to
do, namely, to perform penance publicly, nor did a day pass
thereafter on which he did not bemoan that fault of his. Need
I mention also that when he had gained an illustrious victory,
yet because the enemy lay fallen in battle he abstained from
participation in the sacraments until he recognized the grace
of God toward him in the arrival of his children?
(35) I have loved a man who in his dying hour kept
asking for me with his last breath. I have loved a man who,
when he was already being released from the body, was more
concerned about the condition of the Church than about his
own trials. I have loved him, therefore, I confess, and for
that reason I have suffered my sorrow in the depths of my
heart, and thought to be consoled by the delivery of a
lengthy discourse. I have loved, and I presume upon the
Lord that He will receive the voice of my prayer, with which
I accompany this pious soul.
(36) The sorrows of death have compassed me, the
perils of hell have found me.' 70 For perils affect many, but re-
medies are found for few. A bishop participates in the perils of
all, and he suffers anguish in all sinners. What others suffer he
himself endures; in turn, he is freed when others who are beset
68 Cf. Isa. 66.2.
69 St. Ambrose is speaking here of the public penance of Theodosius for
the massacre of Thessalonica.
70 Ps. 114.3.
ON THEODOSIUS 323
with dangers are freed from them. I am crushed in heart be-
cause a man has been taken from us whom it is almost im-
possible to replace. Yet, O Lord, Thou alone shouldst be
called upon, Thou shouldst be implored to replace him in
his sons. Thou, Lord, the keeper also of little ones in this
lowliness, 71 save those hoping in Thee. 72 Give perfect rest to
Thy servant Theodosius, that rest which Thou hast prepared
for Thy saints. Let his soul turn thither, whence it descended,
where he cannot feel the sting of death, where he knows that
this death is not the end of nature but of guilt. Tor the death
that he dies, he died to sin,' 73 so that there can no longer be
a place for sin. And he will rise again, that his life may be
restored more perfectly by a renewed gift.
(37) I have loved, and so I accompany him to the land
of the living, 74 and I will not abandon him until, by my tears
and prayers, I shall lead the man whither his merits summon,
unto the holy mountain of God, 75 where there is eternal life,
where there is no corruption, no sickness, no mourning, no
sorrow, no companionship with the dead. 76 It is the true land
of the living where 'this mortal body shall put on immortality
and this corruptible body shall put on incorruption. 577 It is the
great repose which fulfills the prayer of the living, a most
glorious promise. Therefore, Psalm 114 bears the title
'Alleluia. 5 And, accordingly, above in Psalm 14 78 we have
learned the perfection of man. But while the man represented
there may be perfect, he still is subject to sin because he is
living in this world. There above is true perfection, where
71 Cf. Ps. 114.6.
72 Cf. Ps. 16.7.
73 Cf. Rom. 6.10.
74 Cf. Ps. 114.9.
75 Cf. Ps. 2.6; Ps. 3.5; etc.
76 Cf. Rom. 8.35; Isa. 35.10.
77 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.53.
78 The reference is really to Ps. 114, not to Ps. 14.
sin has ceased and the beauty of perpetual rest has shone
forth.
(38) We have Psalm 114, because it is the recompense
of love. 79 From this the Psach of the Lord received its law of
celebration at the fourteenth moon, since he who cele-
brates the Pasch ought to be perfect. He should love the Lord
Jesus who, cherishing His people with perfect love, offered
Himself in His Passion. And let us so love that, if there
should be need, we shall not avoid death for the name of
the Lord, we shall not have thought for my suffering, and
we shall fear nothing, 'for perfect love casts out fear. 380
Sublime mystery of number, since the Father delivered His
only Son for us all when the moon shone with the full orb
of its light ! For so is the Church, which devoutly celebrates
the Pasch of our Lord Jesus Christ. As the perfect moon, she
abides forever. 81 Whoever during life fittingly celebrates the
Pasch of the Lord shall be in perpetual light. Who celebrated
it more gloriously than he who removed sacrilegious errors,
closed temples, destroyed idols? For in this was King Josias
preferred to his predecessors.
(39 ) Theodosius, then, abides 82 in the light and glories in
the assembly of the saints. There he now embraces Gratian,
who no longer grieves for his wounds, for he has found an
avenger. Although he was snatched away prematurely by
an unworthy death, he possesses rest for his soul. There those
two good and generous exponents of devotion rejoice in the
common reward for their mercy. Of them it is well said:
'Day to day uttereth speech.' 83 On the other hand, Maximus
and Eugenius are in hell, as c night to night sheweth knowl-
edge.' They teach by their wretched example how wicked it
79 In early Christian number symbolism, the Greek letters indicating the
number fourteen could signify * Jesus-Gift.'
80 Cf. 1 John 4.18.
81 Cf. Ps. 88.38.
82 Cf. 1 John 2.10.
83 Ps. 18.3.
ON THEODOSIUS 325
is for men to take up arms against their princes. And of
them it is admirably said: 'I have seen the wicked highly
exalted and lifted up like the cedars of Libanus, and I passed
by and lo, he was not !' 84 The pious man passed over from the
darkness of the world to eternal day, and the wicked man
was no more, for through his wickedness he ceased to be.
(40) Now, Theodosius of august memory knows that he
reigns, since he is in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and contemplates his temple. 85 Now, indeed, he is conscious of
his kingship when he receives Gratian and Pulcheria, his
sweetest ^children, whom he had lost here; when his Flacilla,
a soul faithful to God, embraces him; when he rejoices that
his father has been restored to him; and when he embraces
Constantine. Although Constantine was in his last hours
when he was freed by the grace of baptism from all sins, yet,
since he was the first of the emperors to believe and left
after him a heritage of faith to princes, he has found a place
of great merit. Of his times the following prophecy has been
fulfilled: 'In that day that which is upon the bridle of the
horse shall be holy to the Lord Almighty.' 86 This was revealed
by the great Helena of holy memory, who was inspired by the
Spirit of God.
(41) Blessed was Constantine with such a mother! At
her son's command she sought the aid of divine favor in order
that he might take part safely even in battles and not fear
danger. Noble woman, who found much more to confer upon
an emperor than she might receive from an emperor! The
mother, solicitous for her son to whom the sovereignty of the
Roman world had fallen, hastened to Jerusalem and ex-
plored the scene of the Lord's Passion.
(42) It is claimed that she originally was hostess of an
84 Ps. 36.3536.
85 Cf. Ps. 26.4.
86 Zach. 14.20.
326 ST. AMBROSE
inn, and thus became acquainted with the elder Constantine,
who afterwards obtained the imperial office. Good hostess,
who so diligently searched for the manger of ihe Lord ! Good
hostess, who did not ignore that host who cared for the
wounds of the man wounded by robbers! 87 Good hostess, who
preferred to be considered dung, to gain Christ! For that
reason Christ raised her from dung to a kingdom, for it is
written that 'He raised up the needy from the earth, and
lifted up the poor out of the dunghill.' 88
(43) Helena, then, came and began to visit the holy
places. The Spirit inspired her to search for the wood of the
Cross, She drew near to Golgotha and said: 'Behold the
place of combat: where is thy victory? I seek the banner of
salvation and I do not find it. Shall I,' she said, 'be among
kings, and the cross of the Lord lie in the dust? Shall I be
covered by golden ornaments, and the triumph of Christ
by ruins? Is this still hidden, and is the palm of eternal life
hidden? How can I believe that I have been redeemed if the
redemption itself is not seen? 3
(44) C I see what you did, O Devil, that the sword by
which you were destroyed might be obstructed. But Isaac
cleared out the wells stopped up by foreigners, and did not
permit the water to lie concealed. 89 So let the ruins be re-
moved that life may appear; let the sword by which the
head of the real Goliath was cut off be drawn forth; let
the earth be opened that salvation may shine out. Why did
you labor to hide the wood, O Devil, except to be vanquished
a second time? You were vanquished by Mary, who gave the
Conqueror birth. Without any impairment of her virginity,
she brought Him forth to conquer you by His crucifixion and
to subjugate you by His death. Today, also, you shall be van-
87 Cf. Luke 10.35.
88 Ps. 112.7.
89 Cf. Gen. 26.18.
ON THEODOSIUS 327
quished when a woman discovers your snares. That holy
woman bore the Lord; I shall search for His cross. She gave
proof that He was born ; I shall give proof that He rose from
the dead. She caused God to be seen among men; I shall raise
from ruins the divine banner which shall be a remedy for
our sins.'
(45 ) And so she opened the ground and cleared away the
dust. She found three fork-shaped gibbets thrown together,
covered by debris and hidden by the Enemy. But the triumph
of Christ could not be wiped out. She hesitated in her un-
certainty. She hesitated, as a woman, but the Holy Spirit in-
spired her to investigate carefully, because two robbers had
been crucified with the Lord. Therefore, she sought the
middlebeam, but it could have happened that the debris had
mixed the crosses one with another and that chance had
interchanged them. She went back to the text of the Gospel
and found that on the middle gibbet a title had been dis-
played, 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.' 90 Hence, a
sequence of sound reasoning was established and the Cross of
salvation was revealed by its title. This is what Pilate an-
swered to the Jews who petitioned him: 'What I have
written, I have written,' 91 that is: fi l have not written these
things to please you, but that future ages may know them. I
have not written for you, but for posterity,' saying, as it
were: 'Let Helena have something to read whereby she may
recognize the cross of the Lord.'
(46) She discovered, then, the title. She adored the
King, not the wood, indeed, because this is an error of the
Gentiles and a vanity of the wicked. But she adored Him
who hung on the tree, whose name was inscribed in the title ;
Him, I say, who, as a scarabaeus, 92 cried out to His Father
90 John 19.22.
91 Ibid.
92 Cf. Hab. 2.11. St. Ambrose often employs the scarab as a symbol of
Christ.
328 ST. AMBROSE
to forgive the sins of his persecutors. 93 The woman eagerly
hastened to touch the remedy of immortality, but she feared
to trample under foot the mystery of salvation. Joyful at
heart, yet with anxious step, she knew not what she should
do. She proceeded, however, tp the resting place of Truth.
The wood shone and grace flashed forth. And, as before,
Christ had visited a woman in Mary, so the Spirit visited a
woman in Helena. He taught her what as a woman she did
not know, and led her upon a way which no mortal could
know.
(47) She sought the nails with which the Lord was
crucified, and found them. From one nail she ordered a
bridle to be made, from the other she wove a diadem. She
turned the one to an ornamental, the other to a devotional,
use. Mary was visited to liberate Eve; Helena was visited that
emperors might be redeemed. So she sent to her son Con-
stantine a diadem adorned with jewels which were inter-
woven with the iron of the Cross and enclosed the more
precious jewel of divine redemption. She sent the bridle, also.
Constantine used both, and transmitted his faith to later
kings. And so the beginning of the faith of the emperors is the
holy relic which is upon the bridle. 94 From that came the
faith whereby persecution ended and devotion to God took
its place.
(48) Wisely did Helena act who placed the cross on the
head of sovereigns, that the Cross of Christ might be adored
among kings. That was not presumption but piety, since
honor was given to our holy redemption. Good, therefore, is
the nail of the Roman Empire. It rules the whole world and
adorns the brow of princes, that they may be preachers who
were accustomed to be persecutors. Rightly is the nail on the
head, so that where the intelligence is, there may be pro-
93 Cf. Luke 23.39.
94 Cf. Zach. 14.20.
ON THEODOSIUS 329
tection, also. On the head, a crown; in the hands, reins. A
crown made from the Cross, that faith might shine forth;
reins likewise from the Cross, that authority might govern,
and that there might be just rule, not unjust legislation. May
the princes also consider that this has been granted to them
by Christ's generosity, that in imitation of the Lord it may be
said of the Roman emperor: Thou hast set on his head a
crown of precious stones.' 95
(49) On that account the Church manifests joy, the Jew
blushes. Not only does he blush, but he is tormented also,
because he himself is the author of his own confusion. While
he insulted Christ, he confessed that He was King; when he
called Him king of the Jews, 3 he who did not believe con-
fessed his sacrilege. 'Behold,' they say, 'we have crucified
Jesus, that Christians after death may rise again, and, having
died, may reign! We have crucified Him whom kings adore;
Him whom we do not adore they do adore! Behold, even
the nail is held in honor, and He whom we crucified to death
is the remedy of salvation, and by an invisible power torments
demons ! We thought that we had conquered, but we confess
that we ourselves are conquered ! Christ has risen again, and
princes acknowledge that He has risen. He who is not seen
lives again.' Now we have a greater struggle; now the battle
against Him becomes more furious. We have despised Him
whom kingdoms attend, whom power serves. How shall we
resist kings? Kings are bowed under the iron of His feet!
Kings adore Him, and Photinians deny His divinity! Em-
perors prefer the nail of His Cross to their own diadem, and
Arians violate His power!
(50) But I ask: Why was the holy relic upon the bridle
if not to curb the insolence of emperors, to check the wanton-
ness of tyrants, who as horses neigh after lust that they may
be allowed to commit adultery unpunished? What infamies
95 PS. 20.4.
330 ST. AMBROSE
do we not find in the Neros, the Caligulas, and the rest, for
whom there was nothing holy upon the bridle?
(51) What else, then, did Helena accomplish by her
desire to guide the reins than to seem to say to all emperors
through the Holy Spirit: 'Do not become like the horse and
mule, 596 and with the bridle and bit to restrain 97 the jaws of
those who did not realize that they were kings to rule those
subject to them? For power easily led them into vice, and like
cattle they defiled themselves in promiscuous lust. They knew
not God. The Cross of the Lord restrained them and recalled
them from their fall into wickedness. It raised their eyes
that they might look toward heaven and seek Christ. They
threw off the bit of unbelief. They took the bridle of devotion
and faith, following Him who said : 'Take my yoke upon you,
for my yoke is easy and my burden light.' 98 Thereafter, the
succeeding emperors were Christians, except Julian alone,
who abandoned the Author of his salvation when he gave
himself over to philosophic error. After him came Gratian and
Theodosius.
(52) Prophecy did not lie, then, when it said: 'Kings
shall walk in thy light. 3 " They shall walk openly, and es-
pecially Gratian and Theodosius before other princes, no
longer protected by the weapons of their soldiers, but by
their own merits; clothed not in purple garments, but in the
mantle of glory. In this world they took delight in pardoning
many. How much the more are they consoled in the other
life by the remembrance of their goodness, recalling that they
had spared many? They now enjoy radiant light, and, pos-
sessing far nobler dwellings there than they enjoyed here,
they say: C O Israel, how great is the house of the Lord, and
how vast is the place of his possession! It is great and hath
96 Ps. 31.9.
97 Cf. Ps. 31.9.
98 Matt. 11.29,30.
99 Isa. 60.3 (Septuagint) .
331 ON THEODOSIUS
no end.' 100 And they who have endured the greatest hardships
converse with each other, saying: 'It is good for a man when
he hath borne the heavy yoke from his youth. He shall not
sit solitary, and shall hold his peace, because he hath borne
a heavy yoke.' 101 For he who has borne the heavy yoke from
youth rests afterward. Removed from the throng, he possesses
a distinguished place for his rest, saying: Tor Thou, O
Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.' 102
(53) Lazarus, the poor man, bore the heavy yoke from
his youth, and so he rests apart in Abraham's bosom, ac-
cording to the testimony of the sacred text. 103 Theodosius
bore the heavy yoke from youth, since those who had killed
his victorious father were plotting against his safety. He bore
the heavy yoke, since he endured exile because of filial de-
votion and since he assumed the imperial power when the
Roman Empire was overrun by barbarians. He bore the
heavy yoke that he might remove tyrants from the Roman
Empire. But, because he labored here, he rests there.
(54) But now let us come to the transportation of the
illustrious body. You weep, Honorius, illustrious scion, and
give testimony of your filial love by your tears. You are
sending the body of your father on a long and distant journey,
for it still lacks the honor of a tomb. But the patriarch Jacob,
because of the necessity of liberating his people who were
being oppressed by the dangers of a great and bitter famine,
also left his home, though an old man, and hastened to a
foreign land. When he had died, his body, escorted by his
son, was brought in the course of some days to the sepulchre
of his fathers. And nothing was taken away from his merits ;
rather, it redounded to his praise that, having suffered the
100 Baruch 3.24,25.
101 Lam. 3.27,28.
102 Ps. 4.10.
103 Cf. Luke 16.20.
332 ST, AMBROSE
loss of his rightful home for the sake of his family, he traveled
like an exile even after his death.
(55) You weep, also, august Emperor, because you
yourself will not escort the honored remains to Constantinople.
We are both in the same situation. We all shall accompany
them with due sorrow. We should all like, if it were possible,
to go with you as an escort for the body. But Joseph went
into a neighboring province. Here, many different regions
intervene; here, seas must be crossed. Even this would not
be laborious to you, did not the public welfare restrain you,
which good emperors place before parents and children.
Therefore, your father made you emperor, and God has con-
firmed this, so that you might not serve under your father
only, but that you might have command over all.
(56) Do not fear lest the triumphant remains may seem
to be unhonored wherever they go. This is not the feeling of
Italy, which witnessed his magnificent triumphs, which, freed
for a second time from tyrants, acclaims the author of her
liberty. This is not the feeling of Constantinople, which for a
second time has sent a prince to victory. Although she
wished to retain him, she could not. She was indeed awaiting
triumphal celebrations at his return and the tokens of
victories. She was awaiting the emperor of the whole world,
surrounded by the army from Gaul and supported by the
might of the whole world. But now Theodosius returns
thither, more powerful, more glorious. Choirs of angels
escort him, and a multitude of saints accompanies him. Surely,
blessed are thou, Constantinople, for thou art receiving a
citizen of paradise, and thou wilt possess in the august hospice
of his buried body a dweller of the celestial city.
Aaron, 6, 90, 91, 246, 268
Abraham, 59, 89, 103, 155, 212,
236, 239-243, 310, 311
Abraham's bosom, 17, 295, 331
Absalom, 208, 286
Adad, 72
Adam, 88, 124, 199, 200, 212, 237
Alexander the Great, viii
Ambrose, St., as bishop, 170,
187, 190, 277, 322; closeness to
brother, 164, 173, 176-179, 192,
195, 197; as envoy of Valen-
tinian, 278; and Latin funeral
oration, xix-xxi; De bono
mortis, 211 n.; Expositio in
Lucam, 211 n., 258 n.; In
Psalmos, 217 n,; On Satyrus,
161-259; On Theodosius, 307-
332; On Valentinian, 265-299
Amnon, 286
Anaxagoras, 21, 44 n.
Anthimus, Bishop of Tyana, 75
n.
Antioch, Council of, 133 n.
Antisthenes, x
Arbogast, 263, 264, 276 n.
Arcadius, Emperor, 304, 313
Aristotle, x, 21, 82 n., 313 n.
Arius, 53, 128, 132, 167 n.
Armenians, 41, 42
Asa, 313
astronomy, 9, 35, 47, 235
Athanasius, 66 n.
Athenagoras, xiv, xv
Athens, 14, 38-45
athletes, of God, 14, 30, 32, 317
Babel, Tower of, 85
baptism, 129, 144, 287, 288, 296,
318
barbarians, threat of invasion
by, 161, 175, 176, 266, 275,
304, 331
Barnabas, 55
Basil, St., 3, 4, 150, 154, 155; an-
cestry of, 29-35; as bishop, 51,
59-77; care of sick, 80, 81;
charity of, 57-59, 80; compar-
ison of, with others, 88-95;
cure of emperor's son, 71-72;
335
defense of orthodoxy against
Valens, 53-56; defense of right
of asylum, 73-74; dispute with
Eusebius, 51; death of, 95-97;
education of, 35-49; eloquence
of, 38, 47, 83-85; founder of
monastic communities, 80;
parentage of, 34; as priest, 38,
49-59; sentence of exile re-
seined, 71; struggle against
Arianism, 53-56; struggle with
Valens and Modestus, 64-72;
Trinitarian teaching of, 85-88;
virtues of, 56-58, 60-62, 74-83,
95; writings of, 64, 85-88
Basil, the Elder, 34, 36, 37
basilikos logos, royal oration, ix,
xii
Beseleel, 64
Bion of Borysthenes, x
bishops, inept selection of, 50, 51
Boulenger, Fernand, xvii, xxii
Byzantium, 10, 38, 332
Caesarea, 37, 49, 146
Caesarius, St., brother of St.
Gregory, charity of, 21; at
court, 10-16; death of, 16, 117;
education of, 8-10; eloquence
of, 21; learning of, 21; mar-
riage of, 10; occasion of fun-
eral oration on, 3; as phys-
ician, 9-12; struggle with Ju-
lian, 13-16; as treasurer, 15,
20; virtues of, 8, 9, 12-16
Caligula, 330
Cappadocia, 29, 34, 55, 75, 76
catechumenate, 128
celibacy, 79
Chalane (Babel) , 85
charity, 57-59, 80, 81, 108-110,
125, 126, 134, 135, 185, 186;
see also wealth
chastity, 43, 73, 184, 185, 202,
274
Christ, 7, 14, 24, 36, 53, 60, 79,
81, 82, 87, 114, 121, 129, 164,
174, 279-281, et passim] as Ar-
chetype, 104; Incarnation of,
xiii, 162, 166; as King, 18,329;
as Lover, 114; miracles of, 230-
234; as Physician, 111, 113,
140, 214, 314; as Redeemer,
xiii, 162, 163, 199, 200, 215,
216, 224, 233-237, 240, 242,
244, 314, 316, 319, 324; Resur-
rection of, xiv, 214, 232-237,
329; tears of, 165, 166; as
Truth, 23d, 248, 249, 328; as
Word, 5, 13, 25, 54, 59, 93,
150, 212, 271
Cicero, xi, xii, xx, 160, 202 n.,
205 n., 255 n., 259 n.
Cleanthes, 21
Clement of Rome, xiv
Cleobulus, 77 n.
communion of saints, xiii, 17,
104
consolatio, vii-x, xvi, xix, xx
consolatory treatise, as literary
genre, vii, x-xv
336
Constantine, Emperor, xv, 325,
326, 328
Constantius, Emperor, 3
contemplation, 80, 211
Grantor, x
Crates, 12, 78
Creed, the, 133 n.
Cross, true, 325-330
Cynics, x, 78 n.
Cyprian, St., xv
David, 19, 23, 36, 63, 65, 71, 84,
86,92, 110, 128, 137, 152, 167,
206, 208, 210, 212, 215, 225,
236, 249, 255, 259, 272, 286,
288
death, as escape from misfor-
tunes of this world, viii, xiii,
xx, 17, 20, 22, 23, 121, 155,
174, 175, 191, 198, 204, 205,
211, 213, 255, 320, 321; happy
life follows, viii, 18-20, 22, 23,
117, 121, 155, 191, 239, 321;
lot of all men, viii, xii, xvii,
19, 162, 163, 198, 199, 205,
217; natural, spiritual, and pe-
nal, 212-213; not an evil, 205-
215; origin of, 216; sin as,
211-213, 319, 320; see also
Christ as Redeemer, emotions,
grief, immortality, resurrec-
tion
Democritus, x, 21
Demosthenes, Arian agent, 67
Devil, the, 63, 234, 311; out-
witted by St. Helena, 326, 327
Diocletian, 304
Diogenes, 78 n.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, xi
Dudden, F. H., 222 n.
Duff., J. W., 222 n,
education, as human advantage,
135
Elias, 52, 58, 92, 143, 233, 238,
255, 278
Eliseus, 92, 311
Emmelia, mother of St. Basil, 34
emotion, display of, xiii, 5, 6, 18,
96, 97, 116, 126, 165, 168, 193,
194, 200, 202, 267, 284
encomium, as literary genre, vii,
ix; pagan, x, xii, xiii
encomium, as laudatory unit of
eulogy, ix, xvii, xviii; family,
2-4, 29-34, 103-104, 122-123;
physical endowments, 8, 94-
95; upbringing and education,
8-10, 35-49, 271-272; life and
occupation, 10-12, 49-81, 124-
153; moral qualities, xx, 6-8,
12-16, 56-62, 78-83, 104-115,
124-126, 133-143, 179-187, 273-
274, 309-310; achievements,
12-16, 49-82, 145-153, 266-267,
275, 309-312; comparison with
others, 88-95, 103, 124, 130,
286, 311-314; death and funer-
al, 16,95-97, 114-117, 152, 169-
170, 264
Enos, 89
Epicurus, 21
337
epitdphios logos, ix, xii, xvii,
xviii
Esau, 66
Eucharist, Holy, xiii, 113, 114,
119, 126, 180-182
Euclid, 21
Eugenius, Emperor, 264, 309 n,,
324
Eusebius of Caesarea, 51, 52, 59,
147-149
Eusebius of Vercelli, 52 n.
Eusebius, Vicar of Pontus, 72
Evagoras of Cyprus, viii
Eve, 111, 124, 328
exhortation, as unit of oration,
ix, xvii, xviii, xx, 16-25, 154,
189-195
exordium, as unit, ix, xvii, xix,
5-6, 27-29, 101-102, 119-122,
161-164, 265-271, 307-309
Ezechias, 143
Faustinus, Bishop of Iconium, 4,
112n.
Flacilla, 325
Flavian, consul, 309 n.
fortune, as fate, xii; as goddess,
148
funeral oration, as literary
genre, vii-xxi
Galen, 21
games, pagan, 17, 273
geometry, 9, 47
George of Cappadocia, 66 n.
Giezi, 311
God, 32, 35, 51, 53, 57, 58, 62,
68, 75, 86-90, 111, 119, 122,
123, 126, 127, 132, 169, 186,
187, et passim; anger of, 138; as
Creator, xiii, xv, 9, 25, 85, 162,
181, 225 n., 234, 235, 244, 275;
as Judge, 207; as Lawmaker,
31, 180; providence of, 31, 49,
188, 220, 318
gods, pagan, as ancestors, 30
Gorgonia, St., sister of St. Greg-
ory, charity of, 108-110; date
of panegyric on, 4; death of,
114-117; faith of, in Holy
Eucharist, 113, 114; marriage,
105, 106, 115; parentage of,
103, 104; physical injury to,
111, 112; virtues of, 104-114
Grata, sister of Valentinian, 264
Gratian, Emperor, 263, 268, 278
n,, 288, 294-298, 324, 325, 330
Gregory of Nazianzen, St., asso-
ciation with St. Basil, 27, 39-
49, 61, 77, 97; and baptism,
144; education of, 8; interest
in philosophy, 11; references
to own skill in oratory, 5, 8,
16, 17, 27; rhetorical method
of, xvii-xix; On His Father,
119-156; On St. Basil, 27-99;
On St. Caesarius, 3-25; On St.
Gorgonia, 101-118
Gregory the Elder, baptism and
initiation to priesthood of,
128-130; charity of, 134, 135;
comparison with others, 137;
338
courage in resisting Julian,
145, 146; defense of election
of Eusebius, 147-149; family of,
122, 123; founder of church
at Nazianzus, 153; illness of,
140-143, 151; marriage of, 124-
128; personality of, 6, 8; as
priest, 131-153; official com-
petence of, 6; orthodoxy of,
132; and selection of St. Basil
as bishop, 59-60, 155; virtues
of, 6-8, 103, 104, 133-143, 152
Gregory of Nyssa, St., xvi, xix,
122 n.
grief, Christian attitude toward,
5,6, 18,121, 156, 163-165, 191,
199, 213-215; patience in, 201-
204, 254; tempered by reason,
xiii, 17, 18, 156, 198, 200, 218
Guignet, M., xviii, xix
Helena, St., 325-330
Henoch, 89, 238, 289
Heraclitus, 21
Hero, 21
Herodotus, 221 n.
Hesiod, 124 n., 221 n.
Himerius, x
Hippocrates, 12, 21
Homer, 42, 46, 47, 49, 148 n.,
256 n.
Honorius, Emperor, 304, 308,
313, 331, 332
Horace, xi
Hypereides, viii
Hypsistarii, 122
immortality, xiv-xvii, xx, xxi,
21-23, 205, 212, 221, 321;
phoenix as symbol of, xiv, xv,
221, 222; true life in, xiii, xvii,
xxi, 174, 198, 201; see also
death
Iphigenia, 33
Isaac, 103, 156,239-243,295,311
Isocrates, viii
Jacob, 66, 90, 239, 242, 290, 295,
308,311, 331
James, St., 91, 137
Jeroboam, 50
John the Baptist, St., 52, 93
Joseph, 58, 90, 206, 290, 308, 332
Josias, 289, 313
Julian the Apostate, 3, 13-16, 53,
145, 146, 148, 149, 275, 289,
304, 330
Justa, sister of Valentinian, 264
Lactantius, xv, 222 n.
laudatio junebris, vii, xi, xii, xix
laughter, attitude toward, 106
Lawrence, St., 169
Lazarus, 213, 231-233, 242, 295,
331
lector, 187
Leontius, Bishop, 128
Libanius, x
Lucifer of Cagliari, 52 n., 182 n.
Lucretius, xi
luxury, proper attitude toward:
cosmetics, 107, 125; dress, 17,
107, 136; food, 20, 45, 109,
339
136, 185, 273; head dresses,
107; jewelry, 107; land, 20;
perfume, 17; slaves, 20; spec-
tacle, 45, 273
Marcellina, sister of St. Am-
brose, 159, 160, 168, 169, 176,
179, 193, 194
Martial, xi
martyrs, 30-33, 66, 215, 288,311,
316
Mary, sister of Lazarus, 233
Mary, Virgin, 166, 283, 328
mathematics, 9, 47
Maximinus, 30
Maximus, Emperor, 263, 278 n.,
283, 309 n., 324
medicine, study of, 9, 10, 12, 36,
47
Menander, ix, xvii, xix, 82 n.
miraculous occurrences, 111-114,
140-146, 150-151, 169, 180, 181,
230-234, 326, 327
Modestus, prefect, 67 n.
monody, as literary genre, ix,
xvii, xx
Moses, 6, 58, 90, 91, 129, 130,
137, 142, 229, 247, 248, 288,
308, 316
Mysteries, holy, 180, 183
mythology, pagan, 30, 33, 36,
4548, 51, 227, 228, 256-258
Nabuzardan, see Demosthenes
Nazarites, monks, 52, 132, 149
Nero, 330
Nicaea, 16, 128
Noe, 89, 132
Nonna, St., mother of St. Greg-
ory, 16, 21, 116, 155; attitude
toward pagans, 126; charity of,
125, 135; conversion of hus-
band, 127, 128; illness of, 143,
144; personality of, 6-8; prayers
of, 10, 141; prenatal dedica-
tion of Gregory, 127; virtues
of, 6, 8, 103, 104, 124-126;
vision of, 144-146
Offertory, at Mass, 70
'one soul in bodies twain/ 44,
48, 164, 171, 178
Orders, Holy, 50, 128-130
Orestes, St., 76
Orphism, 225 n.
Ovid, xi, 256 n., 257 n.
Panaetius, x
Paul, St., xiv, xxi, 22, 55, 84, 94,
130, 137, 211, 213, 223, 224,
238, 239, 243, 254, 317
Pericles, viii, ix
Peter, St., 94, 137, 207, 233, 279,
315
philosophy, as life of Christian
perfection, 6 n., 35, 49, 125;
study of, 47, 52
Phineas, 137
phoenix, xiv, xv, 221, 222
Photinians, 329
Pilate, 73
Pindar, 44
340
Plato, x, xv, 21, 180 n., 225 n,
255 n., 313 n.
Pliny the Elder, 221 n.
Pliny the Younger, xi
Plutarch, xi
Polybius, xi
Pontus, 29, 30, 34, 36, 52, 54, 72
prayer, ix, xvii, xviii, xx, 25, 98,
99, 118, 144, 163, 195, 214,
288, 289, 299, 317, 323
Propertius, xi
Ptolemy, 21
Pulcheria, daughter of Theodo-
sius, 325
Pyrrho, 21
Pythagoras, xv, 225 n.
Quintilian, xii n.
Rand, E. K., 274 n.
Rebecca, 89
resurrection, of body, xiii, xiv,
xvii, 216-259, 285; see also im-
mortality
Roboam, 50
Rozynski, F., xix, xx
Sabellius, 53, 132
Samuel, 70, 91, 137
Sara, 103, 155, 310
Saul, 38, 50
Satyrus, brother of St. Ambrose,
charity of, 185, 186; closeness
of Ambrose to, 164-173, 176-
179, 192-195, 197; counsel of,
170, 178; death of, 169, 170;
faith of, in Holy Eucharist,
180; as mediator between St.
Ambrose and Marcellina, 179;
and Prosper, 169 n., 172; ship-
wreck of, 180, 181; virtues of,
179-187
scarab, as symbol of Christ, 327
Scripture, Holy, xiii, xiv, xviii,
xx, xxi, 50, 51, 54, 55, 58, 64,
86, 119, 124, 153, 189, 208,
225, et passim.
Quotations from, or refer-
ences to:
Acts, 94 n., 96 n., 130 n., 137
n., 174 n., 188 n., 233 n., 280
n., 311 n.
Apocalypse, 213 n., 243 n.,
244, 253 n., 258 n., 321 n.
Baruch, 331 n.
Canticle of Canticles, 252,
253 n., 267-269 nn, 290-297
nn.
Colossians, 24 n., 182 n., 237
n., 244-246 nn., 279 n., 311 n.
1 Corinthians, xiv n., 18 n.,
22 n., 25 n., 31 n., 58 n., 84
n., 98 n., 119 n., 165 n., 191
n., 210 n., 211 n., 219 n., 220
n., 223 n., 224 n., 231 n., 237
n., 238 n., 243-245 nn., 248 n.,
249 n., 254 n., 259 n., 281 n.,
312 n., 317 n., 323 n.
2 Corinthians, 22 n., 36 n., 79
n., 98 n., 162 n., 214 n., 236
n., 237 n., 245 n., 248 n., 279
n., 321 n.
341
Daniel, 93 n., 119 n., 143,
226 n., 273, 274
Deuteronomy, 95 n., 126 n.,
308, 315 n.
Ecclesiastes, 19, 20 n., 83 n.,
131, 134 n., 209 n., 221 n., 268
n., 318 n.
Ecclesiasticus, 6 n., 211 n., 271
n., 289 n., 292 n., 298 n.
Ephesians, 210 n. } 238 n., 245
n., 280 n., 318 n.
4 Esdras, 188-190 nn.
Exodus, 31 n., 32 n., 57 n., 64
n., 71 n., 90-92 nn., 119 n.,
129 n., 130 n., 141 n., 143 n,,
229 n., 248 n., 293 n., 316 n.
Ezechiel, 22, 212 n., 227, 228-
230 nn.
Galatians, 24 n., 137 n., 243 n.
Genesis, 58 n., 85 n., 88-90 nn.,
103 n., 124 n., 174 n., 206 n.,
212 n., 229 n., 234 n., 236 n.,
238-242 nn., 289 n., 290 n.,
295 n., 308 n., 311 n., 316 n.,
321 n., 326 n.
Habacuc, 327 n.
Hebrews, 64 n., 91 n., 104 n.,
289 n., 294 n., 310 n., 311 n.
Isaias, 58 n., 119 n., 130, 134
n., 143 n., 166 n,, 226, 235 n.,
243 n., 272 n., 278 n., 294 n.,
321-323 nn., 330 n.
James, 75 n.
Jeremias, 19, 55 n., 130, 211,
255, 271, 279 n., 291 n.
Job, 19 n., 90, 105 n., 108,
109 n., 137, 153 n., 210, 226,
285, 286
John, 14 n., 68 n., 121 n., 163
n., 166 n., 205 n., 207 n., 215
n., 217, 223 n., 231-233 nn.,
236 n., 243, 244, 247 n., 253,
258, 278 n., 281 n., 283 n.,
299 n., 315 n., 318, 327 n.
1 John, 313 n., 324 n.
Jonas, 63, 93 n.
Josue, 32 n., 91, 119 n.
Judges, 287 n.
1 Kings, 38 n., 70 n., 91 n.,
92 n., 137 n.
2 Kings, 71 n., 92 n., 206-208
nn., 286 n., 297 n., 298 n.,
319 n.
3 Kings, 57 n., 72 n., 92 n.,
143 n., 209 n., 233 n., 247 n.,
255 n., 314 n.
4 Kings, 92 n., 143 n., 233 n.,
238 n., 290 n., 311 n., 313 n.,
314 n.
Lamentations, 266-271 nn.,
278, 331 n.
Leviticus, 245 n., 247 n.
Luke, 57 n., 58 n., 60 n., 64 n.,
93 n., 96 n., 114 n., 174 n.,
189 n, 199 n., 212 n., 213 n.,
233 n., 234 n., 239 n., 243 n.,
247 n., 252 n., 268 n., 272 n.,
278 n., 281 n., 295 n., 326 n.,
328 n., 331 n.
2 Machabees, 93 n.
Mark, 94 n., 137 n., 233 n.,
278 n.
342
Matthew, 15 n., 24 n., 52 n.,
57 n., 79 n., 80 n., 93 n., 94 n.,
113 n., 166 n., 184 n., 185 n.,
187 n., 212 n., 224 n., 230 n.,
234 n., 239 n., 242 n., 252 n.,
270 n., 271 n., 278-280 nn.,
290 n., 315 n., 318-320 nn.,
330 n.
Numbers, 119 n., 137 n., 214
n., 229 n., 246 n., 248 n., 249 n.
Osee, 19 n., 112 n.
2 Paralipomenon, 314 n.
1 Peter, 62 n., 239 n., 314 n.
2 Peter, 23 n.
Philippians, 22 n., 95 n., Ill
n., 114 n., 119 n., 213 n., 214
n., 243 n., 279 n., 285 n., 319
n.
Proverbs, 6' n., 57 n., 63 n.,
106 n., 120 n., 124 n., 135 n.,
187 n., 235 n., 251 n., 272 n.,
294 n., 312 n., 315 n.
Psalms, xiii, xxi, 19 n., 23-25
nn., 36 n., 55 n., 57-59 nn.,
63 n., 65 n., 70, 84-86 nn.,
90-92 nn., 96 n., 97, 109 n.,
110, 112 n., 115 n., 117, 120
n., 122 n., 125, 128, 136-138
nn., 152 n., 165-167 nn., 176
n., 181 n., 187 n., 207 n., 208
n., 210 n., 211 n., 215 n., 225
n., 226 n., 229 n., 234 n., 236
n., 243 n., 244 n., 250 n., 252
n., 255 n., 258 n., 259 n., 269-
272 nn., 280 n., 281 n., 285 n.,
289 n., 290 n., 293 n., 297 n.,
307 n., 313-326 nn., 329-331
nn.
Romans, 24 n., 66 n., 84 n.,
94 n., 162 n., 199 n., 200 n.,
211 n., 213 n., 214 n., 241 n.,
246 n., 249 n., 292 n., 311 n.,
315-318 nn., 323 n.
1 Thessalonians, 22 n., 25 n.,
165 n., 217 n., 231 n., 238 n.,
247 n., 285 n., 317 n.
1 Timothy, 119 n., 161 n., 185
n., 203 n.
2 Timothy, 95 n., 316 n.
Titus, 91 n.
Tobias, 265 n.
Wisdom, 15 n., 19 n., 35 n.,
46 n., 175 n., 180 n., 209 n.,
216 n., 288 n., 289 n.
Zacharias, 325 n., 328 n.
Seneca, xi, xiii
Serena, guardian of Honorius,
309 n.
Sodom, 85
Solomon, 46, 50, 63, 83, 92, 106,
120, 125, 134, 135, 209, 210,
251, 272, 312
soul, and visions in sleep, 192;
contemplative joys of, after
death, 21, 22; pagan beliefs
on, 217, 225, 255, 256; trans-
migration of, 225, 256; union
of, with body, in punishment
and reward, 235, 236
Spirit, Holy, 16, 53, 54, 56, 59,
63, 77, 83, 84, 86-89, 95, 105,
343
115, 129, 132, 142, 147, 150,
187, 231, 245, 249, 255, 279,
315, 327, 330
Statius, xi
Stephen, St., 94, 137
Stilicho, Flavius, 304, 309 n.
Stoics, x
Symmachus, L. Avianius, 176
Tabitha, 174, 233
Tacitus, xii
Taurus, Mount, 76
Tertullian, xv, 256 n.
theater, Greek, 49, 83, 107, 125,
126
Themistius, x
Theodosius, Emperor, 263, 264,
268; achievements of, 309-312;
comparison with others, 311-
314; date of funeral oration
on, 303; disturbance of ele-
ments at death of, 307; pen-
ance of, 319, 322; removal of
body of, to Constantinople,
332; virtues of, 309-310
Theophrastus, x
Thucydides, viii
Thurston, H., 199 n.
topoi, viii-x, xii, xiii, xviii
transmigration, 225, 256
Trinity, xiii, 53, 54, 73, 85-88,
91, 99, 117, 132, 166, 167, 240
trumpets, allegorical interpreta-
tion of, 244-251
Valens, Emperor, 53 n., 64-67;
70, 151 n.
Valentinian I, 275 n., 289
Valentinian II, 263, 264; a-
chievements of, 266, 267, 275;
and baptism, 287, 288, 296;
comparison of, with others,
286; date of consolatory ser-
mon on, 264; and Gratian,
288-298; mysterious death of,
264; and sisters, 281-288; up-
bringing of, 271, 272; virtues
of, 272-275
Vergil, 169 n., 225 n., 257 n.,
297 n.
Victory, Altar of, 274 n.
vigils, 110
virginity, 79, 125, 185
visions, 144-146, 192
wealth, spiritual vs. temporal,
xvii, 17, 19, 21, 78, 104, 125,
185
Xenocrates of Chalcedon, x
Xenophon, x
Xerxes, 65
Zeno, x
344
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