is taken, it catches what it wills; the Scripture has called these windows, so that, as the Word says, it prepares an entrance for death. A Be ready to endure hardships, and you will gain the greater part. B For men indeed think death is the end of punishments, but at the divine tribunal it is scarcely the beginning.
PARALLELA RUPEFUCALDINA (RUPERFUCALDINIAN PARALLELS)
After the Vatican Parallels, so that I may keep my pledged word, I append the Index of the older Ruperfucaldinian [Parallels], together with select testimonies from the books of the holy Fathers which have not yet been published to the public. Nor did I think that those long passages of Saint Justin should be omitted, which, since they were not published with the works of that same holy martyr (a), but separately by Petre Halloix, when he had received them from the same Ruperfucaldinian manuscript. Furthermore, I have indicated only those titles of the Parallels in which are found the excerpts of Irenaeus which the same Halloix likewise published separately; since indeed in the most recent editions of the works of this most holy doctor, the Oxford and the Parisian, they have been restored to their proper places by the most learned men, D. John Ernest Grabe, and the Very Reverend Father D. René Massuet, the Benedictine. Although Hoeschel in his annotations to the Bibliotheca of Photius, and Stephen le Moyne among his Varia Sacra, published a sufficiently ample fragment of the book *De Universo* against Plato, which was assigned to Josephus; I nevertheless record two entire pieces of that fragment as they lie in the aforementioned Parallels; from an examination of which my judgment concerning that work from which they were taken can be weighed more easily and conveniently. Titles that have asterisks prefixed to them in the index are absent from the Vatican Parallels. C
(a) These fragments, namely of the book on the resurrection, were later included by D. Prudentius Maranus in his edition of the Works of Justin. See our sixth volume, col. 1571-1591. EDIT. PATR.
INDEX OF CHAPTERS. Letter Alpha.
I. On the formation and structure of man, and whatever is reported about us in the Scriptures. II. * On man: that God created him endowed with free will, and set him over all earthly things. III. * On man: that he was fashioned by God through a divine gift to be incorruptible and immortal, with the divine commandment, that is, preserving this grace. IV. * On Adam: that he was most wise, and perspicacious, and a prophet, before he transgressed the law of God. V. On beneficence and benefactors. VI. * On the disobedient and insubordinate. VII. On rulers and subjects: that the failings of subjects are ascribed to the rulers, as happening because of their cause and negligence. VIII. On subjects: that subjects imitate the customs of their rulers. IX. * On subjects: that by the judgment of God, due to the wicked inclinations of subjects, pernicious rulers are appointed by God. X. * On rulers: that by imitating the Lord they ought to lead their subjects to virtue through good examples, and win for themselves the affection of the people. XI. * On rulers and prefects: that they ought to use frequent admonitions and testimonies toward the people, so that they may avert danger from themselves. XII. On anarchy: that it is pernicious and dangerous, and brings about confusion. XIII. * On upright men: that their governance and leadership are salutary to the state and the people. XIV. * On the rarity of good men: that it is dangerous to the world.
A XV. On the rarity of the divine word; and that those who do not obey its teaching are the cause thereof. B XVI. * On those who are unstable in mind and not firm in counsel. C XVII. * On things obscure and unknown to us: and that curiosity and imagination concerning these are profitless and full of vanity. D XVIII. On the messenger and the mediator of a reply. XIX. On a good message. XX. On an evil message. XXI. * On sins: and that our sins bring upon us and cause to happen the evils that come to us. XXII. On those who seek to please men, and who are of a feigned and deceitful mind. XXIII. On those who are self-complacent, and who commend themselves and applaud their own actions. XXIV. * On the defense of one's reply: that it is necessary to defend one's replies with prudence and in the name of the Lord, especially when our saving faith is at stake. For by entrusting to God the declarations of our replies, we gain the greatest glory for ourselves and for the truth as well. XXV. * On those who reply insolently. XXVI. * On those who pray: that in our prayer we should conform our petitions to God according to what pleases Him, and not according to what pleases us. For we do not know what is profitable for us. But He, as a good Father and one who knows all things, readily grants those things which are beneficial; but as for those things which bring harm, He grants nothing, however much He is entreated. XXVII. * On things that God abominates and rejects. XXVIII. On things that are impossible and difficult for us. XXIX. * On the marketplace, and the establishment of those who preside over it. XXX. * On things that are becoming and noble. XXXI. On things that are disagreeable and unseemly. XXXII. * On threatening: that the threats of God are to be feared, and that it is not right to hold one's own destruction in contempt. XXXIII. On useless and mutually opposed things. XXXIV. * On those who dishonor themselves. XXXV. On those who impiously assert that the world and the things within it are without providence. XXXVI. On untimely, vain, and thoughtless cursing. XXXVII. * On hearing: that one ought to be eager to listen to useful matters, but to flee from the words of the senseless. XXXVIII. * On those who craftily listen to the affairs of others. XXXIX. On those who speak vain, foolish, and obscene things. XL. On things that can neither be joined nor reconciled. XLI. On insatiable greed: and that we desire without limit to possess more. XLII. * On him who sins and errs: and that he ought to be ashamed and not speak against the one who rebukes him. XLIII. * On astrologers. XLIV. On the saints; and those who are praised for their deeds and their lot: and that God rests in the saints. XLV. On the remission of sins: and in how many ways the propitiation of offenses has been granted to us by God, who alone can forgive sins. XLVI. On anathema and separation: and in how many ways anathema is understood.
[MΖ'] XLVII. That the divine majesty can neither be avoided nor circumscribed; and that it holds all things in its grasp, and beholds all things, and nothing lies hidden from it. [MH'] XLVIII. That God—and His works—cannot be comprehended; and that we ought not to seek out or pry into things that are hidden and beyond what has been ordained for us. For finding these things is beyond our power and comprehension, as we are but human, and it is unprofitable. [MΘ'] XLIX. On love and fear toward God; and that they excel every good thing. [N'] L. Of those who do not love God, nor fear Him. [NA'] LI. On disputing against God; and that one ought not to gainsay Him, or plead one’s case against Him, or speak many words about Him. [NB'] LII. That the angels who sinned are also punished. [NΓ'] LIII. That God has appointed angels as our guardians. [NΔ'] LIV. On the sentence passed by God; and that it is not at all consistent with humanity to show indulgence against the commandments of God. [NE'] LV. On the renewal of visible things—namely, the heaven and the earth. [NϚ'] LVI. On the unstable and uncertain state of human affairs; and how the life of men is burdensome and full of sorrow. [NZ'] LVII. On being without sin; and that no one is without sin, save God alone. [NH'] LVIII. Of those who sin and imagine that they escape the notice of God. [NΘ'] LIX. On the curse pronounced by the Lord, and by the prophets, and by the apostles. [Σ'] LX. On charity, and peace, and concord, and peacemakers. [ΣA'] LXI. On truth and faithful testimony. [ΣB'] LXII. On sloth and anxiety of soul. [ΣΓ'] LXIII. On the unwise and the foolish. [ΣΔ'] LXIV. Of those who embrace evil things, and despise and disparage justice. [ΣE'] LXV. On the man of simple and harmless character. [ΣϚ'] LXVI. On good shame. [ΣZ'] LXVII. On evil shame. [ΣH'] LXVIII. On desperation; and that we ought not to despair of our own salvation. [ΣΘ'] LXIX. On freedom from business and quiet; and that living quietly fosters the knowledge of God. [O'] LXX. On firstfruits and tithes; that these ought to be offered to God. [OΔ'] LXXI. On coincidences and those who fall from one evil into another. [OB'] LXXII. On reward and retribution in the day of judgment; and that the things laid up for both are eternal and endless, whether they be good things or severe punishments. [OΓ'] LXXIII. On the reward of those who have lived well and according to the rule of virtue, in infinite happiness. [OΔ'] LXXIV. On the tremendous resurrection. [OE'] LXXV. On the holy, and uncreated, and coeternal, and consubstantial Trinity. [OϚ'] LXXVI. On the holy angels; and that they dwell in joyful happiness, ministering to the adorable Trinity. [OZ'] LXXVII. On heretics, and those who contend over the faith and raise disputes; and that one should not scrutinize syllables and words, but rather the mind and understanding of the dogmas; and that it is not permitted to disturb the oracles handed down by the Church.
Letter B.
[A'] I. On a king: that it is unprofitable for a king to go out to war, and that it is better [to do so] by means of mercenaries.A II. On the good and just king, and [the king] who hates the evil. III. On the king who is not very illustrious. IV. That one must pray for the king. V. On those who blaspheme and speak boastfully. VI. On the envious. VII. On violent and non-violent matters; and that whatever we accomplish by our own strength is pleasing to God. VIII. * On assistance and support provided to those who suffer wrongful accusation: that this is highly pleasing to God. IX. On the counsel of God: that it remains immovable, cannot be reached by men, and is inviolable. X. On the help of God: and that with God assisting, every ambush and assault of the enemy becomes weak, and the few overcome the many. XI. On baptism and the prophecy of the divine bath. XII. * On the constant and the inconstant man. XIII. On counsel: that one must perform all things with counsel and consideration. XIV. * On slow counsel and hesitation: and that which is done inconsiderately is harmful. XV. On food and the necessities of life. XVI. On the kingdom of heaven.
B
Littera G
I. On agriculture and farmers: that it is good to work. II. On smooth-talkers. III. * On laughter and ridiculous men. IV. On those who murmur and complain. V. * On a good generation. VI. * On a perverse and evil generation. VII. On those who change their opinion and accuse themselves. VIII. That it behooves one to know himself and to foresee his own strengths, and not to be arrogant. IX. On men endowed with knowledge: and what good things will follow them. X. On old men adorned with virtue and prudence. XI. On old men who live in foolishness and vice. XII. * On good parents: and that children must be educated with diligence and in a fitting manner. XIII. On parents who make little account of the education of their children. XIV. On women: that they must be subject to their own husbands. XV. On women: that it is not fitting for them to pray with an uncovered face. XVI. On women who bear a male or female child; and how many days they must abstain from entering the church of the Lord. XVII. On the strong, modest, and prudent woman. XVIII. On evil women, adulteresses, harlots, and those filled with every malice.
Littera D
I. * On testaments and heirs. II. On doctrine: and that to teach belongs not to everyone, but to the wise and educated. III. * On heretical teachers: and that they are to be fled. IV. On those who recount and teach vain things. V. * On those who agitate and plot evil things in their mind. VI. * On those who declare themselves to be righteous, and despise others.
C VII. On the timid, the duplicitous, the fickle, and the cowardly. D VIII. On litigious persons, and those who take up the quarrels of others. IX. On dinner and conviviality. X. * On the distinction between the most pleasant things, and their comparison. XI. On the distinction of states and morals, and the diversity of opinions. XII. On the correction of an evil life towards the good: that this is most pleasing and dear to God. This is achieved and perfected by the memory and detestation of one’s errors, and by ardently approaching those things which are praiseworthy and good. XIII. On discretion: that in every matter one ought to possess discretion and the fear of God. XIV. On the discernment and testing of morals, and the hidden inner life of a man. XV. On the acceptance of bribes. XVI. On seditious contagions: and that the commotions and dissensions of crowds are to be avoided and fled. XVII. On the slothful and idle, those given to luxury, the turbulent, and those who prepare their own destruction. XVIII. That one ought to foresee and consider the eventual outcome in all things: since all human matters are mutable and obscure. XIX. * On gifts and good endowments: that every good is from God. XX. On those who serve God: that one ought to honor and revere them, and provide what is necessary for them. XXI. On the righteous: that the Lord keeps them from temptations, and they spend many years in joy; and that they are loved by God, and the houses of the righteous are blessed. XXII. On the righteous, and the prayer made by them: that it is acceptable and precious before God. XXIII. On the righteous: and that they are despised and slandered by the unjust and impious. XXIV. * On the righteous: that their death is precious before God, and how their memory is held in honor. XXV. On those who honor righteous and good men. XXVI. On those who heap reproaches upon righteous and good men. XXVII. On justice and virtue. XXVIII. On the devil, or Satan, and the demons. XXIX. On the power of God. XXX. On the creation of the world: and that all things have been made by God, and nothing has been created by Him in vain or superfluously. XXXI. On the glorification of God: and that one ought to glorify and sanctify Him; and that he who does not do this becomes liable to judgment; and that God glorifies those who glorify Him. XXXII. On the difference between God and men: and that there is a great chasm between God and men, and regarding sin against God; and that one ought not to be distrustful of God regarding anything. For all things are possible to Him. XXXIII. On incredulity. XXXIV. On the double-tongued. XXXV. On incorruptible judges, and those who have clean hands. XXXVI. On judges who accept bribes, and who judge unjustly. XXXVII. On good masters. XXXVIII. * On evil masters. XXXIX. On good servants. XL. On evil servants. XLI. On the morose. XLII. On glory and honor: and that one ought not to bestow one's own glory upon another. XLIII. * On upright creditors. XLIV. * On dishonest creditors.
A XLV. On those who borrow: and that one ought to be grateful to one's creditors. XLVI. On those who borrow and are grateful.
Letter E
I. On the divine commandments: that they are saving and life-giving, and in all respects straight, and holy, and just. II. On those who do not keep the commandments of God. III. * On those who act prosperously in their works. IV. * On those for whom things go ill. V. On works and actions: that before every work, it is necessary to secure holiness for oneself through the remembrance of God and thanksgiving. B VI. On authority and power: that all rule is from the Lord. VII. On praises and encomia, and on those who delight in them: and that no one ought to be praised before he has been tested. VIII. * On abandonment: that to be stripped of the help and protection of God is more grievous than any calamity. IX. * On indigence and penury. X. On calamities sent upon us by the just judgment of God. XI. On vengeance and retribution for sins: that our most humane Lord will not punish our sins a second time if we have corrected ourselves. XII. * On accusation. XIII. * On covetousness: that it is by no means fitting to follow one's desires without judgment and examination, however good they may appear. For we are cajoled by these, as we are weaker toward those things which do not profit. XIV. * On the desires of holy men. C XV. On assistance: that it is good to bring aid to those in need. XVI. On beneficence, or an offering born of injustice: that it is unacceptable before God. XVII. * On those who lay hands upon one another. XVIII. * On the ingenious, the skillful, the experienced, and the well-learned. XIX. * On surety and a guarantor. XX. * On pledges. XXI. On enemies: that one ought not to remain implacable toward those who have stumbled, nor to rejoice at their misfortune and fall. XXII. * On continence. XXIII. On common business. D XXIV. On the reprover and rebuker: that such a one ought to offer reproof obscurely and not harshly, since such things are destructive: but rather to lead the responsible person toward better things with gentleness. XXV. On good and bad fortune. XXVI. * On those who are liable to death: and that no one dies for another: neither parents for children, nor children for parents. XXVII. On him who constructs an ambush for his neighbor: and that he himself will fall into the snare. XXVIII. On business affairs: and that constant occupations regarding worldly things confuse our life and deprive us of spiritual and eternal goods. XXIX. On dreams, divinations, and omens. XXX. On those who avenge themselves: that this is a sin. XXXI. * On voluntary and involuntary things, whether righteous deeds or sins, which are committed through both knowledge and ignorance. XXXII. * On thanksgiving toward God: that His benefits should not be consigned to oblivion. XXXIII. * On those who do not give thanks, but are ungrateful and unmindful. XXXIV. * On eunuchs and the unmarried.
A XXXV. On ventriloquists, and enchanters, and those who consult omens. XXXVI. On idols and idolaters. XXXVII. On happiness and blessedness: and that no one should be called blessed before his death. XXXVIII. On faith in God: that one ought to hope in God, and not in the protection of men; because no one who has hoped in God has been put to shame. XXXIX. On those who do not have hope and confidence in God, but trust in riches and in men. XL. On the Church of God, and the altar: and that one ought not to eat in church. XLI. * On the feast. XLII. On the blessing bestowed by God, and the prophets, and the apostles. XLIII. On prayer: what things are rightly accomplished for us through prayer. XLIV. On almsgiving and beneficence toward the poor. XLV. On those who do not give alms, but are devoted to avarice and injustice. XLVI. On contractors, and those who involve themselves in the lawsuits of others. XLVII. On good bishops, who keep the commandments of God. XLVIII. On evil bishops, who do not keep the commandments of God. XLIX. * On employers, or good overseers of works, and good laborers. L. * On wicked employers. B
Letter Zeta
I. That one ought to seek God and follow Him, and everything is to be done in His name. II. On brute animals, adorned with natural wisdom. III. On good zeal and best emulation. IV. On evil zeal and corrupt imitation. V. On just balances, weights, and measures. VI. On unjust balances, weights, and measures.
Letter Eta
I. On a good and festive day. II. On a hard and grievous day. III. On day and night. IV. * On the last day, and the Antichrist.
Letter Theta
I. On the bold and the courageous. II. * On the bold and the rash. III. * On those who are addicted to their own will and persuasion, and who please themselves: that this vice is grave. IV. On not trusting, nor confiding one's own affairs to everyone. V. On divine mystery. VI. On sacrifices; and that God does not accept corrupt sacrifices. VII. On divine oracles: that one ought to be diligent in listening to them. C VIII. On divine and Christian mysteries. IX. On the afflicted and the anxious, and on sadness. X. On death, and the state of the dead. XI. On those who die, and those who mourn; and that one ought not to mourn for those who have departed. XII. On death, and the fear arising from it. XIII. On the sea. XIV. On harvest and vintage. XV. On hunters. XVI. * On a chaste and well-behaved daughter. XVII. On an unchaste and uncultivated daughter.
Letter Iota
I. * On equality: that equality is of brotherly love. D
mother and nurse, both in spiritual and in carnal things. A II. On dress: that one ought not to use expensive clothing. III. On physicians and medicine. IV. On priestly equipment and things consecrated to God: that it is not permitted for a private person to touch a priestly vessel. V. On equality: that the status of rich and poor is equal before God. B Letter K. I. * On the world and the all-beautiful and diverse creation of it which came from God: that nothing in it, whether in visible or invisible things, originated or emerged spontaneously. II. On time: that there is a time for every thing. III. * On constancy and perseverance: that things sought with perseverance are brought to completion. IV. On the beauty and elegance of the body: that God does not take pleasure in these, but in the beauty of the soul. V. * On those who cultivate beauty: that the cultivation of bodily beauty is an abomination before the Lord, because it is harlot-like. C VI. On boasters and those who imagine themselves to be something. VII. On vainglory and pride: that the thing is harmful. For it is not fitting to ascribe to oneself deeds that have been rightly performed, but to God, the author and helper of good things, and to return thanks to Him. VIII. * On those who think evil and harbor wicked counsels. IX. * On the malicious. X. * On a sullen and gloomy face. XI. * On those who have noble characters and on the state of their dispositions. XII. * On those who have wicked characters and are ill-natured. XIII. On slander and detraction: that this vice is most grave, both for the one who suffers from it and for the one who participates in it. XIV. * On the deaf. D XV. On a pure heart and those who have a clear conscience. XVI. On an evil heart and those who have wicked intentions. XVII. On the wicked: that they ought to be suppressed as quickly as possible according to the rule of law, for the sake of the peace and good order of the people and the suppression of the evil. XVIII. * On those who contemptuously disregard the saving long-suffering of God toward us sinners. XIX. On a superior: that one ought not to contend against those who are superior. XX. * On not judging, condemning, and disapproving of one another, and not applying abuse. XXI. On thieves and those who associate with them. XXII. On dangers and crises: that one ought to decline and flee from their onslaughts. XXIII. On the inexplicable and unutterable judgments of God: and that one ought not to be indignant or bewildered because the just often suffer misfortune, while the unjust at times fare well in life. For the cause of such things is ineffable and known to God alone. XXIV. On the judgment and justice of God: that God distributes to each according to his merit, and does not show partiality. XXV. * On good and upright men. Letter L. I. On abuse. II. * On speech, and the praise and blame that arise from it.
III. On famine, and the necessity that it brings. IV. * On sadness, and on those who are sad and mourning. But it is not good to exceed measure.
Letter M. I. On drunkards and profligates. II. On those who are being taught: that one must diligently ask and learn those things that are profitable to the soul, and spiritual knowledge. III. * On those who dislike learning. IV. On secrets: that it is a fatal betrayal to divulge those things that are the secrets of friends. V. * On battle, and the things that occur in battles. VI. On those who bring to another state, and convert, those who are agitated, angry, and enraged. VII. On those who engage in divination, augury, and omens; and on the so-called gods, which is to say, abominations: that all these things are unlawful, censored, and forbidden by the holy Scripture, as are all things similar to them. VIII. On those who labor in vain and think vanity. IX. * On the change of things; and that nothing in life is permanent, but all things depend on the will and hand of God. X. On beatification: that no one should be called blessed before death. XI. On God’s hatred of wickedness, and of those who are displeasing to Him. XII. On the hatred of evil, and of those who turn away from abominable things. XIII. On repentance and confession. XIV. * On those who do not turn to repentance. XV. On brotherly hatred. XVI. On upright monks, and good superiors. XVII. * On monks who change their mind and return to vice. XVIII. On the idle, the slothful, the scornful, and the sluggish. XIX. On hatred and enmity, and those who join battle.
Letter N. I. * On young people adorned with discipline and prudence. II. * On young people living in folly and lack of understanding. III. * On young men and good rulers. IV. * On young men and evil rulers. V. * On the sick and infirm: that one must visit them. VI. On being vigilant, and caring for our own salvation; and that we live in a pirate-infested and dangerous life. VII. On the newly married. VIII. On fasting and continence.
Letter Ξ. I. On strangers and hospitality: and that the stranger is always without confidence.
Letter O. I. On the household and domestic state: and that it is not good to frequent the houses of others, and to listen to the affairs of others. II. * On good reproach according to God, and reproach for evil action; and that it is not at all becoming to attack with reproaches. III. On the good way. IV. On the evil way. V. * On those who are of similar habits, similar kind, and similar disposition. VI. On established boundaries.
A VII. On oaths and determinations that are not good: that one must not adhere to them. VIII. On those who love to swear; and that a vain oath should not be taken, nor should one swear at all. IX. On those who break oaths and swear falsely. X. * On poverty of life, lack of possessions, and self-sufficiency. XI. On orphans and widows. XII. On wine and its use. XIII. On opinion of self and pride of soul. XIV. On those who live a short life and those who live a long life. XV. On the eyes and sight. XVI. On a good and gracious name. XVII. On a name that is neither good nor gracious. XVIII. * That God is not the author of evils: and that evil is neither a being, nor naturally subsistent. XIX. * On the name of God.
Letter II.
I. On conduct that is blameless and pleasing to God. II. On chastisement from God, and on those who receive with gratitude and patience, and bear, the things that come upon them; for thus it is necessary to do. III. On those who do not receive the saving chastisement of God for their own amendment. IV. * On boldness of speech: and how it is possible for one to become a person of boldness. V. On offerings that are holy and acceptable, and those that are unholy and unacceptable. VI. On the tempting of God: and that God must not be tempted. VII. On temptations: that some arise from the outside to manifest the secret of our will; others arise from ourselves, and we ourselves are the authors of them, whether for our praise or our disgrace. VIII. * On those who are yielding and easily give way; that this is peaceful and profitable for souls. IX. On the obstinate, and those who do not allow themselves to yield even a little or to be overcome. X. On vicissitudes: that one must not resist vicissitudes, however powerful we may be, nor grow arrogant against those who rise up. For this brings no profit. XI. * On war and the laws of war; and that wars are stirred up against us by our own sins. XII. * On civil war. XIII. * On plunder and pillage. XIV. * On those who provoke and embitter. XV. On observation and augury. XVI. On good intent and firm purpose of mind, and an honest way of acting: that God desires, along with His own aid, a good intent regarding good works, for which He also fashioned us, so that as workers of good things we might be deemed worthy of honors from Him. XVII. On those who deceive and those who are deceived. XVIII. * On those who speak falsely. XIX. On forgers. XX. On a city filled with impiety and lawlessness. XXI. On those who are highly experienced and learned. XXII. * On a deposit. XXIII. On a faithful, like-minded man, and one privy to secrets: that he is rarely found. XXIV. On constancy, and those who persevere: that constancy performs its work; and that we must be disposed towards those who receive us not only with goodwill, but also with perseverance, and not admit anyone to the service of constancy rashly and without examination.
A XXV. On faith and piety toward God. XXVI. On those who violate piety and faith, and are irreligious toward God. XXVII. On wicked, impious, and sinful men. XXVIII. On wickedness, vice, and sin. XXIX. On gluttony, surfeit, and greed. XXX. On spiritual progress. XXXI. On temporal and eternal goods: that future things must be preferred to present ones. XXXII. On providence: that God takes care of us and provides for us. XXXIII. On zeal and anxiety: that one ought not to pursue things with excessive zeal. XXXIV. On prophets who slew men and were pleasing to God. XXXV. On prophets who rebuked kings with boldness. XXXVI. On God’s foreknowledge: and that hidden and obscure things should be left to God, since He alone knows them. XXXVII. On virginity, chastity, and honorable marriage. XXXVIII. On fornication, adultery, and unnatural lust. XXXIX. On danger and inexperience. XL. On gentleness and reverence. XLI. On the headstrong, imprudent, irascible, hot-tempered, and quick-to-anger. XLII. On the vicious conduct of the disobedient, the contumacious, the malicious, and the crafty. XLIII. On the poor and needy who bear the yoke of poverty nobly: and that one ought not to avoid or despise them. XLIV. On the ungrateful and blasphemous poor and needy. XLV. On children who honor their parents: and what good things follow those who obey them. XLVI. On children who are perfidious toward their fathers and mothers: and what evils follow those who are disobedient. XLVII. That parents ought to instruct their own children: for if they do not do this, they themselves will also be partakers of the sin that arises from them. XLVIII. On presbyters. XLIX. On sanctuary, and those who flee to holy places: that one ought to bring aid to the innocent, but drive away the guilty. L. On selling and buying. LI. On the will and disposition: and that God examines the will, for both good and evil. LII. On the discipline of God occurring by way of trial and testing. LIII. On rich men who live well and as is proper. LIV. On rich men who do not live well. LV. On one’s neighbor: that one ought to bear the burdens of one’s neighbor, and to assist him; and to rebuke with love whatever he may have perhaps done wrongly, and not to hold his faults in memory.
Letter P. I. On the slothful, the negligent, and the contemptuous. II. On the vagrant and the wandering.
Letter S. I. On relatives: that we ought to care for their guardianship generously. II. On behaving toward one another, and desiring unity. For that which is divided is quickly plotted against.
III. On those who commend themselves: that they labor in vain; for every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and has its firmness and purity from the divine decree. A IV. On carnal men, who are enslaved to carnal passions. V. On evil habit: and that it is possible to be weaned from evils, since evil does not depend upon nature, but upon the will. VI. On scandals: that we must take heed with all our might not to give an occasion of scandal to anyone. For the evil is ascribed to its author. VII. On gathering: that it is dangerous and harmful to assemble and communicate with an assembly of wicked and treacherous men. B VIII. On a good conscience, and those who are well-advised within themselves. IX. On an evil conscience, and those who condemn themselves. X. On those who are darkened by their own conscience. XI. On a counselor. C XII. On those who receive counsel and reproof; but one must know what sort of person the counselor is. XIII. On those who do not receive counsel and reproof. XIV. On those who are stiff-necked. XV. On dissimulators. D XVI. On a moderate state, and on that saying: Nothing in excess. XVII. On occurrences, and those things which happen to some unexpectedly; the knowledge of which is perhaps not open to us, but is known to God. XVIII. On indulgence and mutual compassion: that these are pleasing to the all-beneficent God, who stands in need of nothing. XIX. On wise and prudent men, and that they ought to be ready to be a help to all. XX. On erudition: and that we ought to be disciplined by the evils of others. XXI. On zeal: that every zeal and effort is useless if God is unwilling; and that the ways of men are directed by God, whether for good, or for the vengeance of enemies who behave themselves disorderly. XXII. Prophecies concerning the holy cross. XXIII. On the worldly wisdom of the prophet Isaiah. XXIV. On those things which happen and befall beyond expectation. XXV. On soldiers. XXVI. On the company of upright men: and that one ought to cling to the best men, and not to the wicked. For each man becomes like those with whom he dwells. XXVII. On the company of evil men: and that the societies of wicked men are to be avoided, as they bring forth destruction. XXVIII. On wisdom, and discipline, and intelligence, and prudence. XXIX. On those who are silent, and those who speak little: and that one ought not to answer before having heard the word.
Letter T
I. On those who are quick to speak and talkative. II. On honor: that we ought to show honor to others. III. On order and constitution. IV. On perfection: and that no one among men is altogether upright, and most perfect, and in need of nothing. V. On the blind. VI. On craftsmen: and who were the inventors of the arts.
A VII. On those who are humble-minded, and poor in spirit. VIII. On this saying: God humbles and exalts. Littera Υ. B I. On health and firm robustness. II. On hypocrisy and hypocrites. III. On divine and saving examples and patterns for those who wish to live piously. IV. On sleep: the fact that it bears the shadow of death; and that the lethargy of sleep and again the awakening is a most clear sign of the resurrection. V. On obedience and submission. VI. On revilers. VII. On evil reputation. VIII. On those who promise to help, but do not keep their own promises. IX. On those who are disposed with guile toward someone. X. On the temperate. XI. On sleep and wakefulness. XII. On a wise son. XIII. On a foolish, wicked, and uneducated son. XIV. On showers and rain. XV. On suspicion: that one ought to flee the occasions which bring forth evil suspicions. XVI. On the proud, and haughty, and arrogant, and those crazed by vainglory. XVII. On forbearance and long-suffering. XVIII. On those who forbear, but are of faint heart.
Littera Φ. C I. On the lust for power. II. On envy and jealousy. III. On medicines. IV. On murderers. V. On those who sin with intention. VI. On the querulous and murmurers, and those who are discontented and who willingly cause injury. VII. On rumor: and that one ought not to be disturbed by every rumor. VIII. On those who keep their own tongue. IX. On those who do not keep their own tongue. X. On triflers. XI. On public taxes: that they were ordained by divine judgment for the common safety, so that from a common assessment the political order might exist: whence they are also called pious revenues. XII. On the philanthropy, and goodness, and long-suffering, and gentleness of God: and that it is better to fall into the hands of God, than into the hands of men. XIII. On natural things. XIV. On the industrious and diligent: that one ought to work; for it brings benefit. XV. On upright friends. XVI. On wicked friends. XVII. On the munificent, and those who share: and that munificence provides salvation. XVIII. On the stingy, and the unsharing, and the niggardly: and that such men fall into dangers. XIX. On brotherly love.
Littera Χ. D I. On grace: that one ought to strive, through the best conduct, to have favor with God, and edification for all. II. On money, and the desire and striving for it. III. On cheerfulness and delight. IV. On the gifts and boons of God: and that they are granted by the holy Spirit on account of an honest life. V. On abominable and impious deeds. VI. On Christianity and the Church of the nations.
VII. That one ought to fear God more than men, and obey Him in all things.
Littera Ψ. I. On the soul and the mind. II. On vituperation. III. On whispering and whisperers. IV. On lying and calumny.
Littera Ω. On the hour of death: that the violation of the divine commandment deprived us of the incorruptibility and immortality granted by the divine gift, and rendered us subject to sorrows and labor.
LITTERA A.
TIT. I. — On the formation and structure of man.
Irenaeus, from the confutations of the falsly named science. — In previous times we were saying, etc.
S. Titus, Bishop of Bostra. A — It must be said, therefore, that man was brought into life by the Creator of all things, so that he might trade in nothing else but piety and virtue. For having acquired these, he will rightly pass through this age; but if he neglects them, he will be overwhelmed by his own error and fall.
S. Irenaeus, from the fourth refutation of the falsely named science. — All things consist, etc.
TIT. II. — On man: that God created him endowed with free will, and set him over all earthly things.
S. Ignatius, Epist. ad Smyrn. — You who are perfect, think of perfect things. For to those who wish to do well, God is ready to provide.
In the end of the chapter, some things are subjoined concerning the Trinity, in which:
S. Antipater of Bostra. — Sempiternal substance suffers no shadow of change. Nor indeed can it. For that which once was, and has its being from no other, nor came to be by some fortuitous chance, it is impossible for such a thing to be made, or transmuted, or converted. B Since it is impossible by nature to strip off that which it is; for that which it did not receive, it does not strip off, and that which it did not obtain later, it does not cast away; but the eternal substance, which is God alone, that is, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, always was, and is, and will be, admitting no conversion, or transmutation, or alteration.
TIT. III. — On man: that by divine gift he was formed by God as incorrupt and immortal, the divine precept, of course, preserving this grace.
S. Irenaeus, from the confutation of heresies, and subversion of the falsely named science. — What is there that hinders the flesh, etc.
Philo, from the Questions on Genesis. — What is this: Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken? (Gen. III, 19.) For not from the earth alone C
A was the man formed, but also from the divine spirit. But because he did not remain without change, having cast aside the concern for the divine command, he was diminished in the heavenly manner of living which he had from the better part, and gave himself over entirely to the earth. For if he had become a lover of virtue, which renders one immortal, he would certainly have received heaven as his lot; but because he sought pleasure, through which death of the soul is brought about, he was allotted to the earth.
TIT. IV. — Concerning Adam; that he was most wise, and insightful, and a prophet before he broke the law of God.
Philo, from the Questions on Genesis. — “God brought the animals to Adam, to see what he would name them” (Gen. II, 19). Now, God is not in doubt, B but because He gave understanding to the first-born and zealous man, whereby, being capable of knowledge, he is by nature able to reason; like a teacher for one in whom knowledge is innate, He moves him so that he might know himself, and then he contemplates the most excellent offspring of his own soul. And again, clearly and through this, He sets forth everything that is voluntary and within our power, putting to shame those who say that all things exist by necessity; and because men were about to use this, for this reason He commanded the man to place names upon them. Now, for a man most knowledgeable and excelling in prudence, this work is most fitting; and the giving of names is appropriate not only to a wise man, but also to him who is of first-born nobility. For it was necessary that the leader of the human race, C and indeed the king of all things that have been born from the earth, should be granted this unique privilege also, so that just as he was the first to see the animals, so he might be the first to be adorned with authority over all things, and might be discoverer and inventor of the names. For it would have been a strange thing for them to be left nameless and to be named by some later person, at the expense of the honor and glory of the elder. And Adam, having beheld the formation of the woman, speaks as a prophet, that she had not come into being from intercourse, nor from a woman, as those who came afterwards, but was a certain nature in a borderland, just as a shoot taken from a vine for the generation of another vine, wherefore he says: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall be D one flesh” (Gen. II, 24). In which he expressed the closest and very sensitive union, in which there is both pain and pleasure.
From the same (1), that is, from the last of the Questions on Exodus. — The divine place is truly impassable and inaccessible, nor is even the purest intellect capable of ascending to such a height (XIX, 12); so that it is impossible for human nature, even for the blink of an eye, to look upon the face of Him who truly is. But the “face” is not spoken of literally; it is a parable, for the declaration of the purest and most sincere
form of a thing: since man is known by nothing better than by his face, according to his own quality and form. For God does not say that He is not invisible by nature; for who could be more visible than He who brought forth all other visible things? Since I am, He says, of such a nature as to be seen, yet I am seen by no man. The cause of this is the incapacity of the created being. And lest I lengthen my discourse by introducing many things, it is necessary to first become God (which, however, cannot happen) so that one might be able to apprehend God. But if someone should finish this mortal life by dying, and having received the immortal life should live, perhaps he will perceive that which he never saw. All the philosophies which have flourished, both among the Greeks and among the Barbarians, when they B investigated the state of nature, were unable to see even the slightest part of it clearly. But faith is clear. The dissensions, contentions, and diversities of opinion are the portions of those who in every sect refute and are refuted; and the houses of those who fight for their sects are refuges and citadels of wars for all, by which the human mind, which is endowed with the faculty of seeing, is blinded by contrary disputations. There it is decided what is to be admitted and what is to be rejected. It is worth the effort that he who wishes to imagine within himself Him who is the best of all should first be steadfast in soul, firmly adhering to one opinion, and not be transformed toward other objects: furthermore, he should consist in a nature and opinion dry and altogether sterile, so that it may be incorrupt. For if he admits anything of the softer things, he will stray from his purpose; and even that which is endowed with the most perspicacious vision will be unable to see that which is not created, so that it would be overwhelmed by darkness before it perceives it, on account of the most acute splendor and the inflowing torrent of rays. Do you not see that the power of fire provides light to those who are at a certain distance, but burns those who approach too closely? Beware lest you suffer something of this kind in your mind, and be consumed by an ardent desire for an impossible thing.
Title VI. On the contumacious and disobedient.
Ezechiel (XII, 2). — C Dixit Dominus ad me: Fili hominis, in medio injustitiarum eorum tu habitas, qui habent oculos... idcirco averto fremitum virtutis eorum, et polluentur sancta ipsorum.
Scholium. Hoc nobis etiam peccatorum nostrorum causa accidit. Gloria et ostentatio universi Christianorum generis, salutaris crux, necnon vivifica resurrectio erant, quæ, cum propter accersitam nobismetipsis profanam Venetorum Prasinorumque nuncupationem abominabiles nos Christo constituerimus, cujus divino nomine sancti facti eramus, in manus impurorum hominum tradita D pollutaque fuerunt.
A TIT. IX. — Regarding those who are subject to authority: that by the judgment of God, on account of the evil inclinations of the subjects, the worst rulers are appointed. Philo, from the first of the Questions on Genesis. — Just as pillars support entire houses, so too do the divine powers support the whole world, and the best and most beloved by God, the human race. TIT. XII. — Regarding anarchy: that it is harmful and dangerous, and the cause of confusion. B Osee (IV, 1-3). — “Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for there is a judgment for the Lord against the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land,” and they mingle blood with blood. “Therefore the land shall mourn, and it shall be diminished for all who dwell in it,” etc. Schol. Let us learn from this divine Scripture, and the things which follow, what was the cause of the anarchy and confusion that have occupied us, and that God is not unjust in allowing us to be under the hard power of the nations. For with our ten thousand transgressions, and particularly with the blood of our citizens poured out, we have defiled the city of our God, which is holy and venerable to the whole world, such that the precious Cross, our very life, has been led away captive into another land. TIT. XIII. — Regarding the best of men: that their oversight and governance is salutary for public affairs and the people. C The Same (Philo), from the Questions on Genesis. — If anyone, in a house or village or city or nation, is a lover of prudence, it is necessary that he should urge that house or city to a better life.
NOTE. [... The note on the translation of the Cross, etc., is a historical and philological commentary. [alt-version omitted]] D Regarding war and the laws of war, and that it is due to our sins that wars are stirred up against us.
A For the honorable man is a common good to all, readily offering his own help.
TIT. XIV. — Of those who are of a fickle nature and not stable in mind.
Philo, from *Questions on Genesis*. — Such is the nature of the foolish that it is firm and stable in no doctrine. Wherefore, he now opines different things, and on the same matters holds the contrary, even though nothing new happens to him; and thus his whole life remains suspended, devoid of an immovable basis, but inclined by the things by which, on the contrary, he is twisted and pulled.
TIT. XVIII. — Of messengers and those who mediate responses.
Saint Ignatius, from the *Epistle to the Ephesians*. — Everyone whom the master of the house sends for his own administration, we ought to receive even as we would him who sent him.
TIT. XXI. — Of sins, and that our sins procure and bring evils upon us.
Cyril, from book XV *Against Julian*. — We all stumble in many things. For our nature is sickly in its ease toward sin; the author of which is he who from the beginning received vice into himself.
Clement, from the eighth *Stromata*. — Let us fear, not the external disease, but sins, which bring the disease upon us.
The same (Philo), from the books of *Questions on Exodus*. — The impetus of vices perturbs and inverts the mind, surrounding it with dizziness, by which sight is covered, closed, and forced, which is indeed proper by nature, but is blinded by deliberate choice.
From the same. — Nothing is so contrary and repugnant to the most holy virtues of God as injustice.
TIT. XLII. — Of him who sins and commits an offense: that he ought to be ashamed and not contradict the one reproving him.
Philo, from *Questions on Genesis*. — To sin not at all is an exceptional good; but for him who sins to be ashamed, this is related to it; although it is more recent, so to speak, than the other which is more ancient. For there are those who rejoice in their sins as if they were good deeds; such persons suffer from a disease, indeed, one which can by no means be healed.
TIT. XLIII. — Of holy men, and those who are called blessed because of their deeds and their lot.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa, from the *Sermon on Saint Romanus*. — The miracle-workers of Christ do not walk merely upon a thin rope, nor do they, jumping upon naked swords with their heads down, avoid wounds by a work of art; but instead of a rope, they traverse the narrow and precipitous path of piety with firm and unswerving step. And they D [exhaust/blunt] the points of the tyrants' swords by their own...
magnanimity, not cultivating this art so as to suffer nothing, but exercising themselves for victory by enduring.
A TIT. XLVII. — That the divine power cannot be avoided, nor circumscribed; and that it holds all things in its embrace, and watches over them, and nothing is hidden from it.
Eustathius, Bishop of Antioch. — God fills all things, being circumscribed by no boundary. For He who is not circumscribed by a place, as the hymn of David declares, will surely be in every place. For if He were said to be outside of any place, He would necessarily be circumscribed by that by which He is contained. Since, therefore, He is entirely present in everything, He does not move from one place to another, He who fills all things. S. Diadochus. — God alone beholds those things which do not yet exist as if they were present. For if that divine and ineffable nature were contained within a form, it would not contemplate things that do not yet exist as if they were already in being. Of the same. — It is the unique property of the Word of God who became man, who appeared on this earth not as a phantom, and did not depart from the heavens, but who, as always, holds all things in His embrace, in that the divine nature is free from circumscription; a property which in no way belongs even to the angels. For at the time they are sent into this world, it is impossible for them to be in the same place and [yet be] above the heavens. Irenæus, from the fourth refutation and overthrow of knowledge falsely so-called. — All things [are weighed] by measure, etc. Of the same (Philo), from the last of the Questions on Exodus. — He holds all things in His embrace, while being contained by none. For just as space is capable of containing bodies, and is their refuge, so also the divine Word embraces all things and has filled them.
C TIT. XLVIII. — That God and His works cannot be comprehended. S. Irenæus, from the fourth refutation and overthrow of knowledge falsely so-called. — The Lord taught us, etc. From the second of the same. — A sound mind and free from danger, etc. S. Cyril, from the eighteenth book Against Julian. — I believe we ought to honor with faith, without searching, those things that are higher than we are. For the human mind is somewhat weak in its ability to understand everything. S. Dionysius of Alexandria, On Nature. — Not only does the knowledge of men not grasp the parts of the world, and the things beneath it, and the number of eternity, but it is also ignorant of all things whatsoever, even the smallest, and is unlearned. Eustathius, Bishop of Antioch, from the book On the Soul. — The divine power is not subject to the literal circumscriptions of laws and times. Athenodorus. — A different theology is fitting for those who are endowed with the most purified understanding, a theology that is...
truly A genuine. Another kind is that which is capable of inciting the minds of the masses toward piety and righteousness, delivering them from a beastly life through mutual interaction.
TIT. XLIX. — On charity and fear toward God: and that they excel all other goods.
S. Clement, Bishop of Rome. — Love toward God is sufficient for the salvation of man. For it is the duty of a grateful mind to preserve affection toward Him who is the author of our existence; by which means we escape into a second and ageless life.
The Same. — God tempted Abraham, not that He was ignorant of who he was, but in order to present him as an example to subsequent ages, and not to allow such a man to remain hidden; but rather that others might B be stirred up to imitate his faith and patience, and be persuaded to set aside the love of children for the sake of the execution of a divine precept. Wherefore He ordained that his history should be committed to writing.
S. Irenaeus, from book V of Against Heresies. — Whatever things preserve the friendship of God, etc.
Severianus, Bishop of Gabala, from the book On Heretics. — The beginning of human salvation is the fear of God, and the root of all good things for us is the law of God. And neither is God worshipped without fear, nor is there fear without law. For the law possesses fear as a servant of the things commanded; but fear possesses the law as a judge of the things previously commanded. Therefore, he who approaches the law C with fear, and the God who gave the law, lives among the saints and converses with the holy. But he who is contumacious against the divine Word is neither granted grace, but is even excluded from piety.
TIT. LI. — On disputation against God: and that one ought not to dispute against Him, nor engage in many words about Him.
S. Irenaeus, from the fifth [book of the] Refutation and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So-Called. — But if anyone says, etc.
TIT. LV. — On the renovation of things that are seen, namely, of heaven and earth.
S. Irenaeus. — Not the subsistence, nor the essence, etc.
TIT. LX. — On love, and peace, and concord, and the peacemakers.
Dionysius of Alexandria, from the fourth festal epistle. — Charity is prompt to benefit all, and it seeks to capture even him who is unwilling; and often it encourages one who, out of modesty, acts hesitantly, or who refuses to be enriched by D benefits, lest he be burdensome and troublesome to another, and who ultimately considers it preferable to endure sad circumstances with difficulty so as not to bring any business or anxiety to anyone. He who is full of charity entreats such a person with many words to permit and allow help to be rendered to him as if he were one affected by injury: whence he may offer the greatest thanks to him, and not to himself, because it was permitted through him to put an end to his own evil.
Clement, from the eighth *Stromata*. — Charity...
rules the willing, but fear rules the unwilling, and this is evil. A And he who instructs us toward the good, leads us to Christ, and is saving.
TITLE LXI. — On truth and faithful testimony
From the same (Justin’s) *Apology to the Emperor Antoninus*. — Reason suggests that those who are truly religious and philosophers must honor and love truth alone, avoiding the following of the opinions of the multitude, if they are perverse. For prudent reason does not dictate that we should follow those who act or teach anything evil. Nay rather, it behooves him who is a true lover of truth, absolutely and above his own soul, even if death be threatened to him, to choose to do and to speak what is just. They do not know, as is likely, that he who has departed from error to the truth through true faith, knows himself truly; not as they say, that he is maddened by frenzy, but that he is freed by the simple and ever-constant truth from the unstable and mutable corruption regarding the multi-form variety of error.
From the same, from *On the Resurrection*. — The discourse of truth is free, etc.
From the blessed Justin, philosopher and martyr, from the fifth part of his *Apology*. — I do not consider living well, O men, to be anything other than living according to truth. But to live well and according to truth cannot be done without contemplating the nature of things.
From the same, from the second *Dialogue with Trypho*. — Whoever is able to speak the truth, and does not do so, shall be judged by God.
From blessed Ephraim, Archbishop of Antioch, from the third chapter of *On John the Grammarian and the Synod*. — Truth has sufficient power to convert those who attempt to contend against it; so that it is clearly recognized as a weapon that is insuperable and altogether impregnable.
Antipater, Bishop of Bostra. — Truth is sufficient to defend its own cause before those who look with the keen sight of the soul's eye.
Philo, from the second book of *Questions on Exodus*. — By some legislators, it is forbidden to bear witness by hearsay: because truth has faith through sight, but falsehood through hearsay.
TITLE LXIV. — On those who embrace evil things and contemn what is just
From blessed Cyril, from the first book *Against Julian*. — From this I think one may perceive, etc.
TITLE LXVIII. — On tranquility from business and quiet: and that leading a quiet life brings the knowledge of God
From blessed Serapion, from the 55th Epistle. — It is fitting for anyone practicing continence to flee the crowds, so that he may keep his mind undistracted and his heart untroubled; for there is great turbulence in the crowds.
A From the same. Withdrawal is a great collaborator toward the perfection of men.
From Didymus, on the Gospel according to John. If anyone enters into the desire to possess holy knowledge, let him have leisure from the world, and from its desire, and from the works of the flesh, that he may approach Him who said: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. XLV, 11).
From Philo, from the fourth book of Questions on Genesis. The wise man pursues quiet and tranquility away from business, so that he may attain the divine things in due time.
From the fifth book of the same. For he who is a lover of wisdom is not joined with a rash man, even if he happens to be a relative of his, nor does he hold society with a wicked man; but he is separated from the common crowd by his thoughts, because of which it is said that he neither sails with them, nor travels with them, nor converses, nor lives with them.
The same. The wise man is an immigrant and a stranger, changing from a confused life to that which befits the peaceful and the blessed.
D
TITLE LXXI. Concerning the reward and retribution on the day of judgment; and that they are eternal and will have no end, whether they be good rewards or punishments.
From Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, from the second book Against heresies. "But as each one of us," etc.
From the same, from the fifth book of the same. Eternal and having no end are the divine goods, etc.
C From Saint Meletius, Bishop of Antioch. But all, both the just and the unjust, shall be brought before God the Word. For the Father has given all judgment to Him, and He, fulfilling the counsel of the Father, arrives as judge, whom we call Christ, God made flesh. For not Minos, nor Rhadamanthus, whom you Greeks imagine, shall be the judges, but He whom God and Father has glorified: concerning whom we have spoken more clearly in other places to those who seek the truth. He, rendering the just judgment of the Father to all, has prepared for each his own right according to his merit. Standing by this judgment, angels, men, and demons will utter back to Him this one voice, saying: "Righteous is your judgment" (Ps. CXVIII, 137). The answer to this voice assigns to both parties what is just: to those indeed who have done well, by justly granting them the everlasting enjoyment of good things; but to those who have loved wicked deeds, by inflicting perpetual punishment. And for those [the wicked], the fire remains unquenched. And an igneous worm, not dying nor destroying the body, remains, bursting forth with restless pain from their mouth. Sleep will not give these rest, nor will the consolation of kin acting as mediators profit them. They will in no way see the just any longer, nor will they be worthy of any remembrance. But only the just remember the works of the just, by which
they arrived at the heavenly kingdom, in which there is no labor, no sorrow, no corruption, no anxiety.
A St. Ephraim, from the Sermon on Cain. — Do not doubt, heretic, that there is a judgment of souls and bodies, since you have a proof of it. Sodom lives, and is dead; it lives as it is judged, and has died having been brought to naught. You see the fire, and you do not see it. It smolders, and does not smoke; it is destroyed, and is not destroyed; it is diminished and it flourishes; it has a constitution, and is useful for nothing. O the wisdom of God! In that while rebuking He is silent, and while teaching He is not present, and while threatening He does not appear! O the power of Divinity! In that He gave the sentence against those who have no feeling, and manifested in the land of Sodom the future end-less punishment, so that He might preemptively stem the wickedness of evils, because repentance is not given to the rejected. For just as the land of Sodom has every constitution, but is able to perform no action, so also the impious are then judged, possessing the constitution of will and reason, but being stripped of action on account of the punishment. If therefore in inanimate earth the sentence endures continuously, how much more so in rational B humans? You have before your eyes the fire that burns, and does not consume; you have also the temporal [made] eternal, and the mortal [made] immortal. Let us fear the future, learning dreadful things from these examples.
TIT. LXXIII. — Concerning the terrible resurrection.
St. Irenaeus, from the fourth [book of the] Refutation and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So-Called. — How they speak of the flesh, etc. C From the same, from the fifth [book of the] Refutation. — Since we are members of Him, etc. And after a few words. — As therefore He who was made into a living soul, etc. From the same book. — He will transform, he says, the body of our humility, etc.
St. Justin the philosopher and martyr, from the book On the Resurrection. — The word of truth is free and its own master, etc.
This is of the holy hieromartyr Methodius of Patara. — But that too is obviously absurd, to think that the body will not accompany the soul in that life unto the ages, etc. D
From the same. — Since he was made a boundary of incorruption, etc.
From the same. — If from such a small drop, etc.
St. Titus, bishop of Bostra, from the first book Against the Manichaeans. — How then, you say, will the body rise? If flesh and blood cannot possess the kingdom of God, therefore, they say, there is no resurrection of the dead. They do not turn their mind to those things which were said at greater length above, but, like certain wicked ones...
A in their pursuits, they choose what suits their own impiety, not what is just. The flesh that is subject to the passions does not rise again, says the Apostle, nor will a gross body live again along with its infirmities. Wherefore he adds a clear interpretation of the question: *Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall all indeed sleep, but we shall not all be changed* (1 Cor. xv, 51). Hence, those of us who are to be saved will undergo a change, our bodies being gifted with a better state and condition. And there will indeed be a body given to us by that change, but it will no longer be flesh and blood entangled with infirmity. For it does not follow that if something is a body, it is strictly flesh as well. The sun, for instance, and the moon, and the whole celestial choir, are entirely bodies, but in no way flesh. Such a form, then, will the resurrected body take, so that the souls of the saints will henceforth dwell with a body that no longer needs carnal food, nor falls into pleasures, sorrows, and pains, but is altogether harmonious with the soul, never wavering or ceasing in its divine worship—the struggles having come to an end, and the soul having withdrawn into its rest by the decree of God. B Furthermore, he opens up and elucidates this whole matter, and explains the manner of the resurrection, saying: *For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality* (Ibid. 53). Hence, that saying must be true: *Corruption shall not inherit incorruption* (Ibid. 30). For if anyone were to say that the flesh rises again together with the affections inherent in it, and will live the same life, suffering and acting in the same way as the soul, such a one would be irrational and devoid of good hope. But if it receives this very change into a better and blessed state—which he indicates demonstratively, saying: *For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality*—then the recompense of the instrument that labored together with the soul is just, and is neither harmful nor C burdensome to it. But in that blessed life, it is necessary for the souls of those who are to be saved that they receive the body kindred to them, yet not a body heavy, earthy, and full of carnal desire as it was from the beginning, when it was necessary that they be tested by it in the struggle of virtue. For it would be unjust if the body, which was a partner to the soul in the labors of the functions of this life, were not granted a share in the reward of its prizes. D Antipater of Bostra, from the work against the blasphemies of the infamous Origen, chap. 15. — The distinction of all things which fall under sight, both the laws of nature and of discipline teach us to recognize and judge by figures or colors. Whence, as soon as we hear that certain things are truly seen and accurately known, we immediately fashion them in our thought, even if they are not present; and then the express figure and form [index: entries preserved]
A of the object becomes known to us. And again, looking upon the figure, we recognize and distinguish what is seen from the figure alone; because we contemplate this truly and without error—whether it be in a painting or a likeness—we recognize it by the figure, which we shall designate. Thus, having heard the word "sun," we know both its figure and its operation; and likewise concerning the heaven, or any of the animals, or plants, or seeds, we distinguish them by their figure and by their color.
B In this way, we distinguish every line by its figures; nor would we ever, having heard "triangle," conceive the form of a quadrangle in the mind, for otherwise the triangle would be unknown to us. Nor do we call alpha "beta," or something else; for otherwise it would not be alpha. And this rule among men remains entirely unshaken: that as long as something consists in its own proper figure, it is said to be that which is signified. But if it changes its figure, especially with its operation, it would no longer be that which is said, but something else besides it. In this way, for example, man is only properly called man as long as he remains within the limits of his own figure; but if he changes the figure which he had from the beginning, he will be called something else, not properly man. Whence, when the animal is dissolved by death, whether we look upon the dust or some of the bones, or if we wish to speak something concerning the soul, we call these things "man's," but we do not call them "man," inasmuch as we say that they do not possess the figure of a man.
C Therefore, again, the man endowed with resurrection is the same person who rises again, he who had died, although he behaves in a different way, in regard to corruption and other affections, both of the soul and of the body, yet not in accordance with that whence he is and is called man—that is, such a figure or form. For if, along with the afflictions and affections, the figure also is changed, then he who has risen from the dead is no longer a man, but something else, inasmuch as he is named after that figure alone. Whence the divine Scripture, even if some power of God appeared to some men in the figure of humans, names him "man," because it signifies simply that which is presented to the sight, unless, on account of an action or an effect, it calls it by another name, because the things that come to pass are above the nature of man. For example, it says: "God appeared to Abraham," and then, explaining the manner of the vision: "And looking up," it says, "he saw with his eyes, and behold, three men stood over against him" (Gen. XVIII, 1, 2); calling them men, who were not men by nature, but calling them so on account of their figure. So again, it called him who wrestled with Jacob "man" from his figure; just as we call any such figure "man," even if he is not a man by nature, because of such a figure. Therefore, that which is not of such a figure is, evidently, not a man, but something else. Since, therefore, the Lord also after the resurrection appeared in such a figure, and he himself announced the resurrection of men, and the apostles preached it, and the Church under heaven, awaiting the resurrection with such hope, D what is this new and strange monstrosity of those who attempt, with technical proofs, to obscure the simple and
unadulterated preaching of the Church, and A to abolish the resurrection of the dead? For we shall not call anything else a human being unless it happens to possess such a form. But again, from the wisdom that speaks from outside, they attempt, by technical methods, to deceive the ecclesiastical discourse, whether by what they call grammar, or geometry, or from somewhere else. For we do not have leisure for those who attempt such things.
And they say: "Among figures, such a figure is more fitting than such another, and again that one is better than this," and they reveal to us and compare various differences in figures, until, having gathered from everything, they prove—or so they allege—that the spherical form is better and more suitable than all other figures. B And then, these things having been thus proven by them, they impose necessity upon the Creator, if indeed they think they have grasped His deep things and His counsels by their own reasoning, claiming that it is entirely fitting, and necessary, and owed, that we should rise in such a figure as has been judged by them to be better. They are so displeased with the figure of the human being that they would not even allow, for that brief time until they reach the point of putting off everything and casting away their bodily nature and becoming pure minds, that they should take something other than the figure that seems beautiful to them. But since not all figures please everyone equally, nor is anyone delighted by everything—just as in taste, or hearing, or smell, but one person is pleased in one way and another in another—likewise it happens also with figures, that one is affected in one way and another in another. C What, then, will happen to us and to those who think as we do, to whom our figure is more acceptable than the spherical, while to you, meanwhile, that spherical figure is more pleasing and better than the one that was implanted in us from the beginning by the Creator of all things, to whom it was thus pleasing? What then, do you think, will the Master of all things do? Will He be angered by such disagreement and take away the resurrection? But that is impossible. For, foreseeing these things, He did not withhold His grace, but granted all things that have been bestowed upon us through our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. But will He perhaps bestow on each what is pleasing to him and what satisfies his figure? But it is unbecoming that, having existed in one figure in this life, we should take another and different figure in the life to come. D For even if a great difference in glory and honors will be found, it will not be in the figures. For how could the glory of individuals be recognized, if it were not confirmed by a sure knowledge of their forms that they are human beings? Why, then, do they not yield to God and approve what is pleasing to Him, not prescribing that it must be done in this way or that way, but accepting with gratitude what He willed to do from the beginning, and preferring nothing to it? Since, however, it seemed best to our Creator that human nature should be revealed in this figure, those who strive to grasp everything by logic and wisdom...
and concede nothing further to the knowledge of God, say that this figure also belongs to the condition of this life: for feet were fashioned for walking, hands for working, eyes were created for seeing, ears were implanted for hearing, and so on. But in the immortal life, since there will be no need for any of these, they argue that the differentiation and figure of such members will be superfluous—as if it were not easy for God, in the present state of this life as well, to grant a different form, to create a being without need for any requirement, or to perform those operations which are now carried out by these members without the need for such members, without any impediment. B Or do we not see among animals that some exist without one organ, others without another, and yet all live, grow, and multiply according to their kind? For what do feet contribute to the relocation of the bird kind, which pass to whatever places they wish more swiftly than all those that make their journey by foot? And again, what loss have the aquatic kinds sustained by lacking feet and hands? Do they not live and grow according to their species? And what harm is there similarly in the oyster species lacking intestines, or the mole in the lack of eyes? And I do not say that God was ignorant of how to make these, or powerless to do so—may I not be so insane—but because He is infinite in knowledge and power, and capable of producing differences and shapes of animals, plants, and seeds, He brought forth as many as He deemed fit for the constitution of the world.
Let no one, therefore, impute penury to the Creator, as if He could not possibly have made our life and constitution in another way; for He is able to produce myriad and infinite ideas of shapes, so that while He understands rational operations and what was suited to the condition of this life, He might also ensure that in the life to come, no limb should be dead or unseemly. Just as He deemed good to make the shape which we now possess—which, I know not why, those who are ashamed of it reproach their own limbs, and attempt to malign the limbs which are subject to passion and corruption in this corruptible life, because this life is subject to death and corruption, as if they could not be changed into incorruption and immutability—and mocking, they call out: "What need have I of a belly, and of intestines, or of such parts?" C They do not consider that when the use of those things which were fashioned for such a cause is removed, the operation is also removed, as all things are transformed from the state of corruption into incorruption, while the shapes themselves, having been rightly and well fashioned by the Creator, remain. For it is possible, as in an image, to perceive in this corruptible life that the member of the navel, which was useful in due season, and fulfilled the function of the seed in the maternal womb—after the human being has emerged from there, it ceases from this function, yet its figure remains in us undestroyed, and we think this to be neither a shame nor an indecency. As in an example...
let this be said: for we compare what is corruptible with what is corruptible. For the glory of the future life exceeds and surpasses present things by its incomparable excellence; the necessity ceases, yet the members obtain greater A glory.
For that the members will omit their functions and attain another, more excellent glory, the divine Apostle also indicated, writing to the Corinthians: "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and these" (I Cor. vi, 13). He does not speak as though uttering a curse, as some have conjectured, but of that which shall surely come to pass. For because he was discoursing about fornication, and with all his might was keeping the faithful far away from even hearing the name of fornication, he brings in an objection—as if from the person of the one accused, so that he might object: "All things are lawful unto me"—and repelling this objection, he says, "But all things are not B expedient" (ibid. 12). And to show that not all things are lawful, he subjoins: "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats." There is, he says, no difference, because they were created for the utility of the time, and by no means for the age to come. "But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up our Lord, and will also raise up us by his power." By saying this, he means that the body is not destroyed, as are meats and the belly, so long as it is a receptacle for meats, since otherwise it would not be a belly—and by this he means the reception of meats, not the fulfilling of such a need; and when these are destroyed, and no longer act in the age to come, then it could not properly be called a belly, as it is no longer a receptacle for meats. But the whole, body and spirit, would C justly be called "raised up," just as, indeed, is that of the Lord.
But that the discourse which they hold about these things might not become suspect to the many as if it were not taken from our own, because they use outside argumentation—having scrutinized the Holy Scripture and having taken away a small spark, as it were, from the whole body, and having twisted what is well-written and transferred it to their own purpose, they attempt to read to us the apostolic voice, fleeing to it as to a fortress: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body" (Philipp. iii, 20-21); and they say: "Lo, the Apostle openly D declared that a transformation would occur." Yet they do not pay attention to the apostolic purpose, or rather, having it, they reason falsely so that their demonstration might appear inexpugnable. For the Apostle did not speak of the transformation of the body, but of the transformation of the *humiliation* of the body, that is to say, of death, and corruption, and infirmity, and the rest of the humiliation of our life. Concerning which he speaks more clearly, writing to the Corinthians about the resurrection: "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power" (I Cor. xv, 42-43), calling corruption, and dishonor, and infirmity, the death and the post-death...
signifying the corruption; but defining the resurrection of incorruption, and glory, and virtue, and the other goods that follow it.
B And after a few words: That the divine Scripture, when it speaks of being "changed" or "transformed," does not by any means imply a change of natural composition, but rather of the qualities present, whether they are transformed toward the more glorious or toward the more ignoble, one may understand from the many things that occur in the divine Scriptures, as when it says of the Lord that He was transfigured before them; yet He was transformed from the more lowly to the more glorious. For the evangelist at once explained to us the manner of the transfiguration, that His face shone as the sun, and His garments became as the light; the appearance of His face was different. He does not mean by this that He changed the position of His face, but the glory. And this transformation of His toward glory, the Lord said was a likeness of His future coming from heaven. For He says to the company, speaking of this vision: "There are some of those standing here who shall not taste of death until they see the Son of man coming in His glory" (Luc. ix, 27); or according to the other evangelist, "until they see the kingdom of God coming in power" (Marc. ix, 1); these things He declared regarding Peter, and James, and John. For they immediately add, the one saying, "It came to pass about eight days after these words"—having counted all the days, he added, "And He took Peter, and James, and John," and related the rest concerning the vision set before them; C but the other: "After six days," counting only the days in between. Let those, therefore, who attempt to interpret the concepts of the divine words perversely cease, so that they may adhere to the tradition of the apostles and to the view of the Churches that has been delivered and practiced from the beginning: which, receiving and preaching the resurrection of men, knows that nothing else is signified by this word "men" than what it discovers to be men; so that it neither knows nor preaches as a human being that which is not of such a form.
From the same, chapter 16. — If therefore there are eternal dwellings and inexhaustible treasures, and the retribution of sinners is eternal, what place will there be to say, after the resurrection, that there is again a casting off of bodies, and again a turning away, and a falling back into the same world, when the Apostle clearly says and demonstrates that the order of the things to come shall be unchangeable? For now he promises, saying: "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also the heaven," says the Lord (Hag. ii, 7; Hebr. xii, 26). D But the words "yet once more" signify the removal of the things that are shaken, so that those things that are not shaken may remain. If therefore we are taught that it occurs once and shall no more be shaken, how are they disciples of the Gospel who slander the great gift of our resurrection and the glory of the Church, and again announce to us the destruction of bodies? For if it is an evil thing that these things should be everlasting, for what reason do they even rise again? For the resurrection is announced as glad tidings and as a joy.
A And the great Paul endured chains for this hope, and being judged concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead, he, having hope in God, teaches that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust, so that his preaching might not be judged unworthy of belief. If God raises the dead, for what purpose, if it is a good thing for souls to be without bodies once they have been delivered from them? Why do they not remain directly in the immortal state after death, if not all, at least those of the just? Why, rather, does the Lord Himself, announcing to us His benefits and munificence, cry out: "The hour is coming when those who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of man, and those who hear will live" (John v, 28)? If, therefore, in the height of perfection, bodies are superfluous and worthy of rejection, what necessity was there (for I shall say it again) for the Lord to promise to him who has hoped in Him as a great gift: "And I will raise him up in the last day" (John vi, 40); and likewise that saying, "It will be repaid to you in the resurrection of the just," when meanwhile all are to cast away the bodies that rise?
B And after a few words: But if the resurrection is imperfect, because bodies are to be received again, according to those who hold that these things are to be rejected, then it is not the resurrection, but death that turns out to be the great gift, since it delivers the soul from the body, and the resurrection is a condemnation, because it binds it again to the body; and thus our hope is undermined, since we are born again unto worse things through the resurrection. For however immortal the soul may be, because it is by no means a "man," the Apostle judges that it differs nothing from destruction; for he does not consider that the soul can enjoy, or possess, or do, or suffer anything otherwise than as it was created from the beginning with the body, so that it might be, and have its own proper delight, if indeed, after it was dissolved by death on account of the disobedience of one man, Adam, it might, through the obedience of the one Christ, by hope receive again the state of becoming a man.
But they will certainly say: "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" For these questions they stir up because of the aged and imperfect bodies that depart from life, and furthermore because of those that are mutilated. For those who do not believe in the resurrection are always whispering and inquiring about these things: namely, if the resurrection is common to all, is the glory also common to all, if indeed the resurrection is glory? C But let them receive the answer by way of an example. For it is not within our power, where there is talk of such great matters, to devise anything from ourselves, but [it is for us to learn] through him to whom these things were entrusted by God, to preach and to instruct the Church: that wheat, or any such seed, is not all whole and sound, but there is also that which is eaten away and not full, for it cannot be that such grains do not occur in the seed; and yet God gives it a body as He wills: first, the grain having been dissolved through putrefaction and death, and then thereafter, through the middle, the blade and the stalk of corn pass through, and then the...
proper seed is produced, which was sown, without change in position, or figure, or color, or magnitude, according to the completed nature of each, those which at the time of sowing were incomplete, or maimed, or damaged, suffering no detriment. A
Of Saint Irenaeus. We therefore, and bodies are to rise again, etc.
TIT. LXXV. — Of the holy angels: and that they dwell in praiseworthy joy and ineffable happiness, ministering to the adorable Trinity.
Antipater, bishop of Bostra, from the books *Against the infamous Origen*. Who, Moses, or Paul, or any other of the prophets or apostles, could thus accurately explain or teach with all authority all those things which were before the world and are above the heavens? Absolutely no one. For if anyone were to assert that he had the power to teach these things, he would nevertheless attribute the authority of his statements to another. But the proclaimers of the B dogmas of which we are speaking are not such as these; but they have persuaded themselves that their own statement is sufficient in place of every demonstration. And they raise doubts about Paul, as to whence he learned to number the various classes of the celestial powers. But if some more fervent person, approaching, should say: We, for our part, are not at all ignorant of from whom Paul learned to declare these things; do you, however, tell us by whose authority you impart such great mysteries: how, before this world, minds existed, and how they began to move, and for what cause they fell into various bodies, and various orders of celestial and terrestrial beings came to be? What will you say? For you cannot claim that you have taken your grounds from the Old or New Testament; C for it has been said that the Holy Spirit has uttered nothing of the sort. But if it seems good to be reminded of some of our words now, listen. For it is your own voice that the name "incorporeal" is unknown not only to many, but not even to the Scripture; and again, that the doctrine of the faith transmits that there are certain angels and powers that take care of the salvation of men, but when these were created, and what pertains to them, no one has ever explained.
And after a few words: Since, therefore, the ecclesiastical teaching embraces an accurate knowledge of these things, how can you say that you have grasped them, D indeed, that you know most exactly that God did not begin to create minds even immediately, and do you teach with all authority in what way they obtained both their order and their knowledge, how they subsequently fell, and into how many various classes they were divided? Nor, indeed, do you use such expressions as: "Thus saith the Lord," or, "The Lord said to us," or, "We have heard the voice of the Lord," and other things which those who begin to preach certain dogmas are accustomed to employ for the establishment of their own arguments, both before the divine Scripture and the others.
A Yet it is for us also to be astonished, even as it happened to those who heard the Master, because your word is with authority. But as for those who do not contain these things in their preaching, you seem to know so precisely that, departing from their former blessedness on account of the defeat that occurred in them, they became from minds—angels, archangels, and so on. And having departed, according to the new Scripture that has come into being, from the union with God, they attained this lot: that they should rule and have dominion over those who are more violently agitated, and should be sent into ministry for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation, they themselves having fallen from this and being in need of Him who would lead them back. To whom one might justly say, caring for their salvation: "Physician, heal thyself" (Luke IV, 23); what you procure for me, possess for yourself first. For even if it happens that I am in greater anxiety, both of us are nevertheless subject to the same judgment. But, God aiding, it was shown B more than enough, and it is now confessed, that such tenets are entirely alien to the preaching of the Gospel; wherefore let us now see what the Holy Spirit has handed down to us concerning the angels, which is also carried in the teaching of the Church. "Bless the Lord," He says, "all you His angels, you mighty ones in strength, who do His word, to hear the voice of His words. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, His ministers, who do His will" (Ps. CII, 20, 21). If, therefore, they are mighty in strength to do His will, and have the power to hear His word, how then could anyone suppose them to have become estranged from their own blessedness? Unless someone says that God is unwilling to command them to return to the former perfection of blessedness. For having received the command, they are mighty in strength, as the prophet says, to do His word and to hear the voice of His words. For the testimony of the Spirit is alien to falsehood. And how did they burn with zeal for those who lost the good seed sown by the Lord, and seek from the Lord to be entrusted with their correction, when they themselves had cast away the purity of the first seed? To whom the Lord did not say: Why did you also depart from your former union with God; but rather, that they might yield, and in some appropriate time have this duty enjoined upon them? And for what reason, again, did the Lord say that He would come with His holy angels, if they do not possess their original holiness? C But if the Lord justifies, who is he that condemns? (Rom. VIII, 34.) Furthermore, if they are not in possession of their own blessedness, how does the great Moses write concerning the God of all, that angels were at His right hand with Him? For I do not think a more glorious word could be uttered concerning them than that the angels of God were set over the nations, and the people of Jacob was made the portion of the Lord (Deut. XXXII, 9), since He brought them to such a height that they came into a share with the Lord. For even if these things have been said with exaggeration for the sake of the glory of the people, nevertheless they procure D not an insignificant honor for the angels.
A And that God promises to send His angel into his place, to give rest to the people, you have learned; what could be more honorable than this? And the blessed Micah B says that in a vision he saw God, and all the host of heaven standing before Him; and Daniel says he saw thousands of thousands ministering to Him, and Jacob calls the meeting of the angels the camp of God. And one might find ten thousand instances of the highest glory with which Divine Scripture testifies to the heavenly powers. For we are afraid to bring forward the voice of the Apostle, lest he again undergo the accusation of "From where did he take these things to say them?" If not, he himself also explicitly cries out: "I charge you before God and our Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels" (II Tim. IV, 1). And he says that the coming of the Lord is signified by the voice of an archangel. For we can say nothing about the Cherubim or the Seraphim, since that writer learned from the Hebrew—whoever that Hebrew might be whom he signifies—that the Son and the Holy Spirit are represented by them. Who then is so bold as to assert that those who have departed from their own glory and suffered a fall, are testified to by the Holy Spirit as being in such glory? C
But if they are powerful in strength to do the will of God, and seek to destroy the impious because of their devotion toward the Divine, and are signified as standing before Him, and ministering, and being at the right hand of God, who is he who imagines other things above these, and conceives in his mind something greater than this certainty, unless he is raving wildly and rendering the testimonies of the Divine Scriptures as nothing? For we can conceive nothing more glorious than these things, except God Himself. But the Holy Spirit has made these and such-like things manifest concerning the heavenly orders. Let them themselves say from where they learned that, having departed from their first blessedness, they were distributed into various orders after being embodied. But, he says, the devil has been shown to be such, because, being not created as such, he fell into this state through his own wickedness. It is clear, therefore, that they also came into this state through their own practice of virtue. D But let them reply: what were they when they came to this through their own good deeds? Were they better than they now are, or worse? But they will certainly say, "better." And not simply better, but by that great interval which the previous argument has revealed. But no one ever comes to a worse state through good deeds, but rather to a better one. If, therefore, O good people, they fell to a worse state, it was certainly due to sins, and not to noble deeds. And if they received the reward of an illustrious feat from the judge of the contest, it is manifest that they became greater than they once were, and not inferior.
Philo, from the first book of the *Questions on Genesis*: The substance of the angels is spiritual. But they often assume the figures and forms of men, transforming their shapes according to the need at hand.
From the second book of the same: All the virtues of God...
A wing their way, desiring and yearning for the path that leads upward to the Father.
TITLE LXXVI. — Concerning heretics, and those who dispute regarding the faith, and that one ought not to scrutinize syllables and words too scrupulously, but rather to examine the meaning and intellect of the dogmas, and not to disturb the oracles of the Church that have been handed down by God.
From the Epistle of Saint Ignatius the God-bearer to the Ephesians. — "Flee from divisions," as the beginning of evils. Some are accustomed to bear the name of Christ with malignant craft, while doing certain other things unworthy of God, from whom you ought to turn away as from wild beasts. For they are rabid dogs, biting stealthily, against whom you must be on your guard, as they are hard to heal. B Let no man be deceived. If anyone is not within the altar, he is deprived of the bread of God. For if the prayer of one or two has so much strength, how much more that of the bishop and of the whole Church? He, therefore, who does not come to the same place, is already proud, and judges himself. For it is written: God resists the proud (Prov. III, 34; James IV, 6).
Ibid. — "Do not err, my brothers; those who corrupt houses will not inherit the kingdom of God." If, then, those who do such things according to the flesh have died, how much more so if one corrupts the faith by evil teaching, for the sake of which Jesus was crucified? Because he who has become defiled by this, will go into the unquenchable fire, and likewise he who listens to him.
From the Epistle to the Trallians. — I exhort you, not I, but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to use only Christian food; and to abstain from alien herb, which is heresy. And they interweave C Jesus Christ with their error, being held worthy of credence, just as those who offer a deadly poison with honey-wine, which he who does not know, receives gladly, and in the pleasure of the evil, dies. Be on your guard, therefore, against such men.
From the same. — "Flee from the evil offshoots," which produce deadly fruit, which if anyone tastes, he dies instantly. For these are not the planting of the Spirit.
From the Epistle to the Philadelphians. — "Abstain from the evil herbs," which Jesus Christ does not cultivate, because they are not the planting of the Father. Do not err, my brothers; if anyone follows him who makes a schism, he will not inherit the kingdom of God.
From Saint Irenaeus, from the fourth book of the Refutation and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So-called. — "God will judge those who create schisms," etc.
From the same, from the second book. — "It is better and more beneficial," etc.
A Of holy Julius, bishop of Rome, from his letter to Dionysius. — For it is impious for those who disagree in dogmas to pretend to be in agreement in their words; but for those who agree in dogmas to disagree in their words is vain and foolish. Having this, therefore, as a settled point—that the Lord is God in the flesh, and from heaven, and from the earth, the same in form a servant, and in power God—let them remain in concord, and not disagree in vain, nor fall into the word-battles of the heretics. Thinking these things in this way, let them remain in quiet, avoiding superfluous questions, and not being divided for the sake of a word, when there is agreement on the dogmas of the faith.
Of holy Ambrose the Wonderworker, from the book on the Incarnation and Faith.
B Let, therefore, the vain questions about words be silent. For the kingdom of God is not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the revelation of power.Of the same (Gregory of Nyssa), from the sermon on the installation of holy Gregory in the city of Constantinople. — Men abstaining from self-indulgence against the Lord, etc.
Of the same, on the text: "This is my beloved Son." — Why do we, having abandoned the faith, frame our words with artifice about the faith, and fulfill the desire of our common enemy? For the devil, that common spoiler of humanity, having reasoned that if we live in tranquility, the religion of God flourishes, and as faith prevails, we become more lively and friends of the Creator, so that we might not arrive at the place from which he himself fell—see what he has done, and how cunningly he has plotted the war against us. That contriver of evils, sage in deceits, wily in ambushes, and rich in wicked C machinations, equips certain men under the guise of piety to wage war against the faith, and through them he has brought an untimely contention upon all the pious, and a soul-destroying war, and has driven the members of the Church to array themselves against one another. Let us, therefore, turn this wisdom against his own head, and turn his joy into sorrow and inconsolable mourning. Let us mourn the peace which he hates. Let us abandon strife and the weighing of the syllables of the dogma. Let us cease from wishing to be teachers of the teachers. Let us hate word-battles to the destruction of the listeners. Let us believe as our fathers have handed down. We are not wiser than the fathers. We are not more precise than the teachers. In peace God called us, not in strife. As we were called, so let us remain at the mystical
table, at which we partake of heavenly things. Let us not be fellow-diners at the same table, and yet be plotting against one another; let us not be social here, and plotters outside. A
St. Serapion, from the 23rd Epistle. — No heresy that has disturbed the Church has ever made gradual progress without immediately being extinguished. B
Clement, from the eighth book of the Stromata. — Another place and another crowd receive the tumultuous, etc.
Philo, from the first book of Questions in Exodus. — Just as those who stumble, being unable to walk with straight feet, become slower in reaching the end of the road through the fatigue of exhaustion: so also the soul is constrained from completing the journey leading to piety when it falls into impious wanderings. For these are a hindrance and a cause of stumbling, through which the mind, limping, falls short of the natural path. And this path is that which terminates at the Father of all things.
The same. — Laborious inquiries into divine excellencies and gifts make the mind better, and they undertake pleasant contests, and at the same time useful ones: especially indeed when, not after the fashion of those who today assume a false name, they struggle for the sake of appearances on behalf of dogmas, but [when they are those] who with sincere zeal and applied art investigate virtue.
From the second book of the same. — Those who strive to exhibit harmony and elegance not so much in voice as in thought, the discourse of the Wise one shows that beauty lies not in words, but in the things demonstrated. C
From the last book of Questions in Exodus. — Those who read the sacred Scriptures ought not to dispute over syllables, but, setting aside words and phrases, should look to the sense, and the times, the places, and the modes in which all things are related. For often the same expressions correspond to different things, and on the contrary, different words enunciated regarding the same thing resonate the same meaning.
From Questions in Genesis. — Absurdly do those act who judge the whole from some part; but, on the contrary, the part is recognized from the whole. For thus both the body and the object are better discerned. Moreover, the divine law is in a certain way a unified living creature, which one must consider in its entirety with great eyes, and carefully and clearly examine the purpose of the whole Scripture, so that its harmony is neither severed nor its connection disjointed. For if they are deprived of their communion, they will present other forms and species to the view. D
From the fourth book of the same. — Let the law be established against those who dare to view holy and divine things unholily, and not as is fitting for divine things, so that they may pay the penalty by blindness.
LETTER B.
A TIT. I. — Concerning a king; that it is unprofitable for a king to go forth to war, and that it is better to take vengeance upon enemies through mercenaries and gifts, rather than by himself. From the epistle of Saint Ignatius to the Ephesians. — There is nothing better than peace, in which every war is brought to an end.
TIT. II. — Concerning a king who is good, just, and a hater of evil. From the second book of Chronicles (xx, 15, 25). — Josaphat said to his people... and it became the thirteenth day as they gathered the spoils, and yet many still remained.
Scholion. The divine Apostle says: "Whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning" (Rom. xv, 4). Wherefore it is necessary that those who follow the footsteps of the saints should prepare for battle against enemies in the Lord our God, and not with a bold heart alone, the end of which is uncertain. Psal. xx, 1. — O Lord, in thy strength shall the king rejoice, etc.
Scholion. Observe here also how the Holy Spirit through the Prophet instructs those who wish to rule piously and safely, that they should lean upon the power of God in all things. Psal. lxxii, 1. — Give the king thy judgments, O God, etc.
Scholion. Consider what spiritual doctrine suggests to those who have received the scepter from God.
From the oration of Saint Chrysostom to the emperor Constantine. — The kingdom makes smooth the roughness of affairs that occur on earth. Saint Irenaeus. — Every just king holds a priestly order. From Philo, from the second book of Questions on Exodus. — Nothing is more pleasant, nor more august, than to serve God, which even surpasses the greatest kingdom. And it seems to me that the first kings were also priests at the same time, showing by their deeds that it is fitting for those who rule over others to serve the worshippers of God.
C TIT. III. — Concerning a king who is not very illustrious. From Philo, from the first book of Questions on Genesis. — Of the foolish, no one is a king, even if he should gain control of the whole earth and sea; but he alone is a king who is honorable and God-loving, even if he should lack the preparations and resources by which many strengthen their dominions. For D just as a rudder, or the compounding of medicines, or flutes and lyres, are things superfluous to one who is unskilled in the art of navigation, or medicine, or music, because he cannot use any of these for that for which they were naturally created—but they could most rightly be said to be appropriate to a navigator, a physician, and a musician—so too, since kingship is a certain art, and the best of arts, he who does not know how to handle the affairs of men...
must be considered a private citizen, while he alone is a king who is skilled in these matters.
*The Same.* Youth, when it possesses the power to rule and uses unbridled desires and impulses, is a difficult evil to overcome.
B TIT. X. — *Concerning the help of God; and that by God’s assistance, all the plots and assaults of the enemy are weak, and the few overcome the many.*
Gen. xiv, 13. — "But one who had escaped came and told Abram that his brother Lot had been taken captive. And he numbered his own household servants, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them as far as Chobal, and he brought back all his goods and all the people."
*Schol.* Abraham, having found God fighting for him, put to flight four kings with his own household servants.
II Paral. xiv, 11. — "Asa cried to the Lord his God and said: O Lord, it is no different for You to save with many or with few, with whom there is no strength. Help us, O Lord... let no man prevail against You."
*Schol.* King Asa, having arrayed an army of five hundred and eighty thousand against the Ethiopians, destroyed them utterly, though they were superior by thousands upon thousands.
TIT. XI. — *Concerning baptism and the prophecy of divine cleansing.*
*Of Saint Cyprian, Bishop, from his letter to Fidus.* — C "Moreover, if even to those who had committed the most grievous sins, and had sinned much against God before believing, the remission of sins is granted, and no one is prohibited from baptism and grace: how much more is an infant not to be prohibited, who, having been recently born, has committed no sin, except that, born carnally according to Adam, he has contracted the contagion of the ancient death from his initial birth? He approaches more easily to the reception of the forgiveness of sins in this very fact, that not his own, but others' sins are forgiven him."
TIT. XII. — *Concerning the constant and the inconstant man.*
*The Same (Philo), from Questions on Genesis.* — "It is altogether necessary that it happens that men change easily, on account of the instability of things which are outside us. Hence it occurs that those whom D we have often accepted as friends, after we have conversed with them for some time without any suspicion of a crime, we turn away from as if they were enemies."
LETTER Γ.
TIT. VII. — *Concerning those who change their opinion and condemn themselves.*
*Philo.* — "Cain, indeed, because he did not know the magnitude of his own transgression, suffered simpler penalties, so that he was not punished with death. But he who imitated him, not being able to take refuge in the same plea of ignorance, justly and deservedly suffered double penalties."
A For this reason, then, seventy-seven times for Lamech, based upon the aforementioned cause, according to which the second person who sins—not having been sobered by the punishment of the one who offended before him—receives in full that person’s punishment, which was simpler. Just as in numbers the units hold a multiplicative power reflected in the decimal places, so Lamech was tormented for his own sin, regretting it against himself.
From the same, from the same. To perceive one’s own faults and to condemn oneself is the mark of a righteous man. But to be indifferent to them renders useless the penalties which a wicked man suffers.
TITLE XVII. — On the valiant, modest, and prudent woman.
From Saint Ignatius the Theophoros. — Women should consider only their own husbands, to whom they have been joined according to the counsel of God, to be their spouses.
From Philo, from the *Questions on Exodus*. — It is said by men skilled in nature that woman is nothing other than an imperfect male.
From the same. — The minds of women are in a way weaker, so that they are unable to grasp anything that falls into the intellect beyond the sensible.
TITLE XVIII. — On wicked, adulterous, and unchaste women, and those filled with all malice.
From Eusebius. — A woman is a creature self-loving and jealous beyond measure, and terrible for subverting the character of a man and leading him astray with constant sorceries. For having practiced words of flattery and other pretense, as if on a stage, B when she has beguiled the eyes and ears of the deceived, she tricks the ruling mind as if it were a subject. And if children are born to her, filled with pride and boldness, she speaks out with greater daring the things she had previously feigned with guile, and becoming shameless, she strives to carry them out.
LITTERA A (Letter Delta).
TITLE XII. — On the emendation of a bad life to a good one; that this is pleasing and dear to God.
This is accomplished by remembering one's errors and detesting them; and by drawing near with desire to those things which are praiseworthy and good.
From Saint Ignatius the Theophoros, from the epistle to the Ephesians. — These are the last times, brothers; let us finally be ashamed. Let us fear the long-suffering of God, lest it turn into judgment for us. For let us either fear the future wrath, or love the present grace in the current life, provided only that we be found in Christ Jesus.
TITLE XXIII. — On the just; that they are despised and slandered by the unjust and the impious.
From Saint Methodius, from the books against Porphyry. —
A Optimum must truly and laudably be called this, etc.
TITLE XXVII. — On right and justice. Didymus, on Hosea. — Strength always follows justice, just as weakness follows injustice.
TITLE XXX. — On the making of the world. Saint Irenaeus, from the fourth book, Against the Exposure and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So-called. — With God is both power and wisdom, etc.
TITLE XXXI. — On the praise of God. Ignatius the God-bearer, epistle to the Ephesians. — When you assemble frequently, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and his destructive influence is undone by the concord of your faith.
Saint Gregory the Wonder-worker, from the sermon, That there is no idol in the world. — The honor which is shown to the one who is truly God is, of course, entirely to the honor of him who offers it; but the honor given to one who is not God is, conversely, a disgrace to him who offers it.
Theotimus. — To be truly mindful of God is to have a memory of life; but to forget Him is strictly the same as to die.
TITLE XXXIX. — On good servants. Saint Ignatius, from the epistle to Polycarp. — Let not servants desire to be set free from the public funds, but let them serve all the more for the glory of God, so that they may obtain a better freedom from God.
LETTER E. C
TITLE XLII. — On almsgiving and beneficence toward the poor. Saint Cyril, from the fifth book against Julian. — That which concerns almsgiving, etc.
From the same, from the eighteenth book. — Nothing makes us as pure as the brilliance of noble deeds that lead to piety, and especially having compassion on those who labor in need and during a dearth of necessary things. For even the author of Proverbs writes somewhere that sins are purged by almsgiving and faith (Prov. xv, 27).
From the same. — The first and best specimen of virtue is to distribute one’s goods to those in need, and to rise above the pleasure that riches offer, and rather to heap up for oneself in the heavens the hope that is to come and to exchange temporal for eternal things, and to take hold of things that abide; no one of those who are accustomed to think clearly would hesitate to do this. D
TITLE XLVII. — On good bishops, and those who keep the commandments of God. From the same (Genesis xlvii, 20). — Joseph bought all the land of the Egyptians for Pharaoh... Joseph did not buy only the land of the priests. For Pharaoh gave gifts to the priests, and they ate their portion.
Schol. — Since the priests are consecrated to God,
NOTE. Schol. (28) That the priests are consecrated to God, were pressed under a yoke, and indeed appear in no way to look to the times in which Palestine, all Syria, and the other regions of the Orient, together with Egypt, were pressed under the very harsh yoke of the Saracens, and thus to the age of John of Damascus; but to that [time] in which all those provinces were still subject to Roman and Christian emperors. These matters are to be compared with those which are in the annotation to tit. XIV of letter A of these Parallels.
A and themselves, and the goods that belonged to them, and for this reason Pharaoh did not acquire their land.
Schol. Observe, moreover, how even before the Law was given, the possessions of the priests were exempt from taxes, and this even among the Gentiles.
Ex Numeris (XXVIII, 16). — Moses said to the Lord: "Let the Lord, the God of the spirits, provide," etc.
Schol. The priesthood, which had been bound to one carnal lineage, having been extinguished by Jesus Christ our God, there was introduced in its place that which, after the example of Joshua the son of Nun, a man full of the Holy Spirit, is conferred by the laying on of hands, along with the devout questioning of ecclesiastical doctrines.
Saint Ignatius the Theophoros, from the Epistle to the Smyrnæans. — B Follow the bishop, all of you, as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles; and respect the deacons as the commandment of God. Let no one do anything pertinent to the Church without the bishop. Let that Eucharist be considered valid which is under the bishop, or to whom he may permit it. Wherever the bishop appears, there let the multitude be; just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to hold an agape, but whatever he approves, this is also pleasing to Jesus Christ, so that everything which is done may be safe and certain. Therefore, it is reasonable for us to sober up, while we have time to repent to God. It is well to know God and the bishop; he who honors the bishop is honored by God; he who does anything without the bishop’s knowledge serves the devil.
From the Epistle to Polycarp. — Pay attention to the bishop, that God may also pay attention to you. I am a substitute for those who are subject to the bishop, the presbytery, and the deacons; may my portion be with them in God.
To the Ephesians. — Let us be eager not to resist the bishop, that we may be subject to God. C And the more one sees the bishop silent, the more let him fear him. For every one whom the master of the house sends to his own stewardship, him you ought to receive as the one who sent him. Therefore, the bishop must be looked upon as the Lord himself.
From the same to the Magnesians. — It is fitting to obey the bishop without any hypocrisy in honor of God, who wills us to do so. Since it is not this visible bishop whom one deceives, but rather one thinks to deceive the invisible God. For such a man the speech is not directed toward flesh, but toward God who knows hidden things. It is fitting, therefore, not only to be called Christians, but actually to be so; just as there are some who indeed call the bishop, but do everything without him. D Such persons do not seem to me to have a good conscience, because they do not gather together reliably according to the commandment.
NOTE. ...I have brought forward. Where I showed that in the age of the Damascene, at least a remarkable part of the most holy cross of the Lord was still remaining at Jerusalem, and was proposed for the veneration of the faithful: so that the holy doctor could not have written that it had been snatched away from the Christ-loving citizens of the holy city and entirely carried off elsewhere. Regarding which I am to say more elsewhere.
A From the same. Let there be nothing among you that can divide you, but be united with the bishop and those who preside, towards a place and doctrine of incorruption. For just as our Lord did nothing without the Father, neither by Himself nor through the apostles, so neither should you do anything without the bishop, nor attempt anything that seems right to you privately.
From the same. Epist. ad Trall. When you are subject to the bishop, you appear to me to be living not according to man, but according to Jesus Christ, who died for our sake.
From the same. Children of light, flee from division and evil doctrines. But wherever the shepherd is, there follow him like sheep.
From the same. Epist. ad Philadelph. But He in whom I am bound is my witness that I did not know this from human flesh; but the Spirit was preaching these things: Do nothing without the bishop. Guard your flesh as a temple of God; love unity, flee from divisions; be imitators of Jesus Christ, even as He is of His Father.
From the holy Cyril, from book XVII of Contra Julianum. A prelate must strive for an irreproachable life, and apply himself to ensure that he neglects nothing of what is acceptable to God.
From the same. For those who have been allotted to rule others, and who, being placed in the middle, are more conspicuous than the rest, it is B absolutely necessary that they shine with every grace of a right life, and practice an exact manner of living, so that they may become an example to those placed under their hand, doing nothing out of ostentation or vain glory, but striving to order their own affairs for the sake of utility and as an invitation to others. For the life of those who hold a middle position and excel in illustrious dignity is always judged and examined by everyone; and if it is irreproachable, it provides no small benefit to those who see it. But if it is distracted from its proper state and flows toward prohibited things, this in no way falls out for the good of any, but rather to their detriment and ruin. For if the teacher does not know how to walk uprightly and to establish his life, what benefit will those whom he instructs receive from him?
From the holy Athanasius, from the sermon Concerning Fortitude. A minister of the Church must above all things be without anger, and not rebuke, but exhort.
C From the holy Dionysius of Alexandria. Towards the unbelieving and profane, we begin our discourses from external things and common notions and reasonings; but we ourselves, and those who feel as we do, we endeavor to strengthen through divine oracles.
From Didymus, from the book Concerning the Incorporeal. The teaching and exhortations of a master contribute to the utility of the hearers, not when the master teaches by word alone, but when he also consents in action to what has been said, and relates them to the things promised. Again, a sincere teacher must lead a life consistent with what he himself has ordained, so that his action may rightly harmonize with his word.
A From chapter 12 of Isaiah.— “The Lord shall give a word to those who preach with great power” (Ps. LXVII, 12). But they preach with great power who bring not only syllables, but express their power through both an active and a contemplative life.
From the Exhortation to the Greeks by the holy philosopher and martyr Justin.— It is impossible for those who have not first learned from those who know, to either understand truly great and divine things themselves, or to be able to teach others correctly.
B LETTER Z.
TIT. I.— On seeking God.
Of Theotimus, Bishop of Scythia, from his oration on the text: “If you offer your gift” (Matt. v, 23).— It is fitting to know nothing beyond God.
Of the same.— One approaches God rightly if he attributes to Him everything, since from Him he has received and possesses everything, even his very cares and the causes for which they occur.
Of the same [St. Cyril], C from his Sermon on Virginity.— One must seek God with all one’s heart; and to seek is to serve Him with religion, and to strive that those things which are pleasing to Him may be fulfilled. For those who seek God in this way, many fruits of piety are born, and there arises for them light from the Holy Spirit.
LETTER H.
TIT. IV.— On the last day and the Antichrist.
Of the holy Irenaeus, on the coming beast.— A recapitulation of all iniquity takes place, etc.
Of Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome, on Christ and the Antichrist.— But these things having been said beforehand for the glory of God, etc., down to, “to go about freely.”
LETTER Θ (Theta).
TIT. VII.— On divine oracles. D
Of Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria.— Very few are those who have dedicated their entire life to the examination of the divine Scriptures, so as to be able to follow more rationally the doctrines contained therein and to attain to the deeper meaning of the Scriptures with a more sublime intelligence.
TIT. VIII.— On divine mysteries and those regarding Christ.
Of Irenaeus, from book V of Against Heresies.— He confessed that the cup taken from creation is his own blood, etc.
Of Philo, from the second of the Questions in Genesis.— It is wicked to speak out the holy mysteries to those who have not been initiated, until they have been cleansed by a perfect purification. For that which is uninitiable and shallow, being unable to hear or see an incorporeal and intelligible nature, will be cheated by outward sight and will contract a blemish. To speak out the most pure mysteries to the uninitiated is the mark of one who destroys the laws of the priestly rite.
A The same. It is alien to reason that, while in cities it is provided that secret mysteries should not be divulged to those who are not initiated, the true sacred rites, which lead toward piety and holiness, should be cast into ears full of nonsense. One ought not to share everything with everyone, neither words nor things, and especially not sacred things. Therefore, for those who desire to become participants in these, it is first, most greatly, and highly necessary to possess piety and religion toward the One who truly is God, by which the error that has grown via figures, images, any statues, profane imitations, and impure mysteries is repelled; second, to be cleansed by most pure purifications, both in body and soul, according to the prescription of paternal laws and customs; third, to provide a certain pledge of most willing consent, so that, having become participants of the divine food, they may not, after the manner of gluttonous youths, be transformed by glut and satiety, reveling in that which is not permitted.
LETTER K
TIT. IX. — Concerning wicked men.
Philo, from Questions on Exodus. — He who lives with wickedness carries destruction within himself, since he has a treacherous and hostile companion. For the conscience of the wicked man is sufficient for his punishment, projecting fear into the soul from within, as if from a wound inflicted.The same. — The life of a wicked man is anxious with grief and fear, and whatever he does according to his senses is mixed with terrors and pains.
TIT. XVI. — Concerning an evil heart and those whose thoughts are unjust.
St. Cyril, from Book XVII Against Julian. — The beginning, and root, and as it were the fountain and origin of the passions that are within us is the appetite for wickedness, which calls the mind to itself and C at first bewitches it; but afterward it brings force to bear upon it and agitates it, sometimes even against its own will. For the desires for the pleasures implanted in us arise in us like smoke, or certain vapors; but he who is of sound mind and alert spirit corrects these movements and does not allow them to progress further. And this affection, while it is still weak, is overcome with little effort. But he who is sluggish and remiss receives the beginnings of pleasures as if they were still simple thoughts; but when he has granted them to progress further, he will find it very difficult to oppose them. For he who has already been captured and conquered is no longer master of his own will; but rather he will be subject, as if to a barbarian conqueror, to the passion that has won. Therefore, the best manner of continence, the first, I say, and most commendable, is that we neither admit the beginnings of vice nor let the desires take hold of us. But a second continence after this, and one full of filth, is the desire to abstain from performing the works, when the mind has already D fore-tasted the desire and has communed with the thoughts issuing from it. Since it is far better not to have allowed it even once in the vessel
than to attempt to cleanse that which is already defiled.
TIT. XXIII. — On Divine Judgments.
A From the Epistle of St. Clement, Bishop of Rome, to the Corinthians: Let not your heart be troubled because we see the unrighteous growing rich and the servants of God afflicted with straits. For no righteous person has ever quickly reaped their reward, but they await it. For if God were to render to the righteous their reward immediately, we would be practicing commerce, and not piety. For we would be considered to be righteous, not for the sake of religion, but by pursuing profit.From St. Titus, from the treatise on Providence: It was not appropriate, as it seems, for the counsels of God to be accessible to all, and for that ineffable and incomprehensible mind to be entirely known to men; seeing that even with a human king and ruler, most of their plans are hidden, so that it is unclear for what reason that which is done is being performed. It is no wonder, therefore, if men do not grasp the logic of God’s governance at all, for whom it is fitting, laying aside curiosity, to yield and to be silent, and by no means to murmur against that ineffable administration. For often it happens that we do not even B examine the craftsman—whether one skilled in building houses, or shipbuilding, or bronze-casting—out of reverence, while he is performing his own work; but having faith in his experience, we await the seeing of the work. And there are also times when we do not even notice his errors. What, then, should I say regarding the wisdom of God, which surpasses every mind? It is appropriate, whether we understand or do not understand, to be amazed and to show reverence. But if anyone, because he does not grasp the reason for the majority of the things done by God, should fall into such miserable senselessness against God’s glory, then he again betrays his own folly, as one who follows the guidance of C his own blinded senses.
LETTER M.
TIT. VII. — On those who engage in divination, auguries, and omens; and on those who are called gods; and that all these things and the like are impious, abominable, and forbidden by divine Scripture.
Eusebius: There are some who curse the stars, when they are angry even at heaven, saying, "Woe to your star." Others say: "He was born under a good star, and therefore all things succeed for him through the favoring star." Woe to those who speak such things. I know many who pray to the D sun and moon, and offer this petition to the sun: "Have mercy on me." And woe to them. Why do you leave the Creator of the sun and worship the sun? It is not permitted to serve the creature instead of the Creator. For it is written: "Cursed is everyone who worships the sun and the moon, and the stars, and anything else created, except for the Creator." Many, indulging in fanciesclaim that the moon descends. When it is red in color, they say, a man brings it down from the sky by his incantations. But woe to those who say these things. For who among men could do anything in the sky by his sorceries? Simon Magus intended this, but he fell and was broken. For no one can move any star in the sky, small or great, which God has established by His own power. Again, they claim that sorcerers bring down clouds and rains; but they utter vanities. What man, by his incantations, has the power to overturn the command of God? For the clouds, at God's bidding, pour rain upon the earth.
[TIT. XIII.] — On repentance and confession. S. Methodius, *Against Porphyry*. — Repentance then wipes away every sin.
[TIT. XVII.] — On monks who alter their ways again, and return to vices. Philo, *From the Questions on Exodus*. — There are some whose mind is fickle, who, having quickly taken up their wings again, return—not by flying back, but rather by creeping to the extremities of the underworld. Blessed are those who do not turn back their course. The same. — Certain fickle men, having tasted the goodness of virtue and been afforded the hope of health, have fallen back into the same sickness.
[LITTERA O.]
[TIT. I.] — On the house and domestic instruction: and that it is not good to linger in the houses of others, and to listen to the affairs of others. Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria. — It is ridiculous for a man who neglects his own affairs to attempt to instruct strangers.
[TIT. VIII.] — On those who commit perjury. The same (Philo), *From the Questions on Genesis*. — To commit perjury is impious and useless.
[TIT. XIX.] — On the name of God. Philo, *From the Questions on Exodus*. — The name "Lord" (Dominus) befits Him, insofar as He lords and rules, using the power of sovereign authority; but the name "God" (Deus) befits Him, insofar as [He acts] with goodness and kindness. For God is good, an appellation of the Creator. What is there to wonder at if He cannot be named by men, when even the mind of each individual is unknown to us? For who has seen the substance of the soul? Do you not see what He says to the prophet who was questioning Him, [namely] what he should answer to those inquiring after His name: "I am who I am" (Exod. III, 14)? Being one, I am by nature [such that I] have existence, not to be uttered. Furthermore, that His name "Lord" was revealed to no one, He says, "I appeared," he says, "unto Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, being their God, and my name Lord I did not reveal to them" (Exod. VI, 3). So too Jacob, after the struggle, wishing to know it, heard: "Why do you ask for my name?" (Gen. XXXII, 27). It is enough for you that my blessings are profitable to you.
S. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium. — He is called God (theos) because He has placed all things under His own power and security, and because of *theein*, which is to run, and to move, and to govern, and to give life to all things.
A From the account of the martyrdom of St. Babylas. Numerianus said: What is God? Tell me this appellation, what is its interpretation? Babylas said: Do not seek for a name for God, for you will not find one. For everything that is named, receives its name from a superior, so that the one may call, and the other may obey. Who then is it that has named God? God is not a name, but a concept about God.
LETTER H
TIT. XXV. — Concerning faith and religion towards God.
Of the holy hieromartyr Ignatius Theophorus, from his epistle to the Ephesians. Nothing escapes you, if you have faith and love toward Christ Jesus, which are the beginning and the end of life. Faith is indeed the beginning, but love is the end; and these two, being united, are God; all other things follow as consequences of goodness. No one who professes to have faith commits sin. No one who possesses love hates. The tree is manifest by its fruit. So those who profess to be of Christ shall be seen by the things they do. For the work is not now a matter of promise, but of the power of faith, if anyone is found to be faithful unto the end.
Of the same. Our faith is our guide, and love is the way leading us upward to God.
From the epistle of the same to the Magnesians. Let us learn to live according to Christianity. For whoever is called by another name beyond this, is not of God.
B Of Irenaeus, from the fourth refutation and overthrow of the falsely-named knowledge. Just as those who behold the light are within the light, etc.
Of Saint Titus, Bishop of Bostra. It must be said, therefore, that man was brought forth by the Creator of all things into this life, to acquire nothing else by his labor except piety and virtue. For having acquired these, he will have crossed this life well; but having neglected these, he will cross with great difficulty: for he will be submerged while wandering.
Of the same, from the fourth discourse. Faith according to God is the knowledge of God, which, produced from the visible creation and thoughts of natural things, along with goodwill and love toward Him, is most pleasing to God through the knowledge of virtue and vice.
Of Bishop Antipater. Faith is that to which alone it is granted to see God.
Of Methodius, from the book against Porphyry. Our state is indeed truly an evil, etc.
Of Theotimus. One ought to know nothing besides God.
Of Severian, Bishop of Gabala, from the sermon against the heretics. C He is not called a believer who believes every man, but he who believes in God; he alone is, and is called, a believer. Leave aside inquiries, and embrace faith; faith illuminates all things. Faith renders all things holy; faith bestows the Holy Spirit upon him who believes. For Stephen was full of faith. If faith had not gone before, power would not have followed the holy man. Where there is faith, there power follows, there is the Holy Spirit
A dwells. Where there is unbelief, there is weakness, there is the evil spirit. The beginning of good things is faith; the fountain of good things is faith in God. Let us take up the armor of salvation. Those who oppose the truth and the faith say that its lack of reasoning is harmful, and that if a reasoned examination is not conjoined to it, faith brings no profit to the believer. See those tortuous words. See the craftiness of the cruel serpents. But one must not be troubled in the least. For it is necessary, brothers, to know that in many ways we do not see something. A person can see that it exists: but he does not know how it exists. For in us humans there are many ways of knowing. I know this man is dwelling in this city; but I do not know what business he is engaged in. I know another is busy with such and such a task; but I do not know from what family he comes. And so I partly know, and I partly do not know; nor does a particular notion in any way generate a perfect one, nor is particular knowledge destroyed by the fact that the whole thing is not known. What then? I know that God is, that He is good, that He is immortal, that He is incorruptible, that He is inscrutable, that He is incomprehensible, that He is immutable. All these things I know, and knowing them, I worship. But the manner of His being I do not know, nor have I been taught to be meddlesome. But see, I pray you, what the enemy of the truth says again: "For not in vain did God provide us with the power of reason; not in vain did we receive the judgment of the mind. It is necessary to examine even faith with arguments of reason, and worship should not be without examination." Tell me, then, using a sequence of reasoning, how it is that the heaven stands arched at such immense height, and having no support in such a great circuit, in what is it borne? What are the foundations on which it rests? How in such a great interval of time is its beauty not dissolved, nor its harmony destroyed? Show me the pillars by which it is carried. But why do I offer the constitution of the heavens, and not of the earth? For that it is founded upon the waters, I have also received, and you yourself confess it: but by what reason it is supported even upon the waters, explain this to me, and do not just give me words, but render the reasons for the things that are asked of you. And since we are incapable of solving these difficulties, we have the true and religious solution to what is asked, which the blessed David sang, saying: "Right is the word of the Lord, and all his works are in faith" (Ps. XXXII, 4). Acts cannot be grasped without faith, and yet you wish to find God without faith? But we, leaving behind the enemies of the truth, let us tread the sound and secure path of faith, obeying God who said: "A man shall not be able to see my face, and live" (Exod. XXXIII, 20). The capacity of those who desire is not capable of the desired, nor does D mortal nature bear the immortal power of Him who created and provides for all things.
TIT. XXVI. — Of those who are refractious to piety and faith, and impious toward God.
From Saint Irenaeus, out of the fifth [book] of the refutation and overturning of false[ly named knowledge].
A Of those who by their own resolve depart from the mind of God, etc.
*Of Theophilus of Alexandria.* — Ad to this: a terrestrial emperor is believed to exist, even though he is not seen by all, but he is perceived through his laws, his constitutions, his authority, his power, and his images. Do you, however, refuse to perceive God from His works and powers?
A TIT. XXVIII. — *Concerning wickedness, vice, and sin.* From Saint Justin, philosopher and martyr, from the second part of his Apology. Vice is a specimen of its own actions, etc. From Philo, from the second [book] of Questions on Genesis. Nothing is so contrary and repugnant to the most holy powers of God as iniquity.
TIT. XXX. — *Concerning spiritual progress.* From Irenaeus, from the fourth [book] of the refutation. Through this order and such reasons, etc.
TIT. XXXI. — *Concerning temporal and eternal goods, and that one ought to prefer the future to the present.* From Saint Clement, from his second Epistle to the Corinthians. He who perceives the present understands that the things which seem pleasant to some are not foreign to nor far removed from the things that are hated. Nay, riches have frequently harmed [men] more than poverty, and health has afflicted them more than sickness; in sum, the profusion of pleasant and desirable things becomes the matter and cause of all the sad things we shun. From Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome. C This we have necessarily had to set forth, so that we might remove the suspicion of many. For some wish to say that Paradise exists in heaven and is not of created things. Since, therefore, the rivers which flow from it are seen by our eyes—which rivers anyone who wishes may behold even today—every man ought to infer that it was planted not in the heavens, but truly among created things. And it is also even a place of the orient, and a field of election.
LITTERA T
TIT. VI. — *Concerning craftsmen, and who the inventors of the arts are.* From Didymus. We call a perfect physician not him who simply succeeds in healing, but him who omits nothing of those things that contribute to relief and restoration; and a superlative commander, not him who is always victorious, but him who neglects nothing that contributes to victory. Similarly, a skilled shipmaster is not he who merely steers the ship well, but he who D accurately discharges all the duties of an excellent governor, even though the sea, stirred by a violent storm, may cover the vessel with its waves; and a superlative philosopher is not necessarily one who succeeds in drawing a crowd, but one who neglects no technical syllogism, even if he does not draw a crowd.LITTERA Y
TIT. IX. — *Concerning those who are of a guileful mind toward another.* From Dionysius of Alexandria. From manifest wickednessit is easy to guard oneself, but it is difficult to avoid that which is hidden. D TIT. XI. — *Concerning sleep and wakefulness.* Of Saint Eustathius. Sleep is common to both body and every soul. TIT. XVII. — *Concerning patience and perseverance.* From Saint Ignatius, from the Epistle to Polycarp. — Stand like an anvil that is struck. It is the mark of a great athlete to be beaten and to win; but especially for the sake of God ought we to endure all things, that He also may endure us. From the same. — Bear with one another in patience with meekness, as God [does] with you always. LITTERA PH. TIT. XIV. — *Concerning those who are industrious and diligent: and that one ought to work. For this is useful.* From Saint Dionysius of Alexandria. — Now a robust and accurate discourse asserts that bitter things are the provisions for sweet things, and that pleasures are the fruits of toils. For nothing can come to be without labor. From Saint Irenaeus (72). — They are not loved in the same way, etc. TIT. XV. — *Concerning good friends.* From Philo, from the first book of the *Questions on Genesis*. — Those ought to be reckoned as friends who wish to help and return favors to one another, even if they are not able. For friendship is established not in necessity alone, but rather in the mingling and harmony of characters, so that each of those who have entered into a friendly communion may utter the Pythagorean saying: "Is there a friend equal to me?" [E] LITTERA X. TIT. IV. — *Concerning the gifts and endowments of God: and that it is given in return by the Holy Spirit to an honest life.* From Saint Titus, from the book *On Providence*. — Furthermore, besides all these things which are usually wont to be granted by God commonly to all men, if at some time no hindrance occurred, men would have wished for their provision by the force of some immutable nature, and those not receiving these would not have offered thanks to God, nor, once having obtained them, would they have prayed in any way. Therefore, they are sometimes deprived of the gifts for a time, so that they may pray, and they receive them again, that they may offer thanks to the Giver, acknowledging that He Himself is the one who bestows, and that there is no other nature besides God which provides indiscriminately and without repentance. And God wishes gratitude to be had toward Him, so that men may become more worthy of receiving from Him, not that He might reap any benefit for Himself. For He wishes them to ask for good things, so that, upon receiving them, they may have a sense of the Giver. For He rejoices in giving what is His own; but He rejoices more in bestowing upon the worthy, as if His philanthropy were in a way dishonored if it were not directed toward those who are sensitive [to it]. From Philo, from the first book of the *Questions on Exodus*. — When the fruits of the sown crops are matured, those of the trees take their beginning, so that the graces of God may run as it were in a circuit through the age, and thus, succeeding one another, and joining ends to beginnings and beginnings to ends, they may flow without ceasing.
A From the second of the same. The graces of God do not only provide what is necessary, but also all things that yield a cumulative and abundant delight.
TITLE XXI. — On Christianity, and the Church of the Gentiles.
From the holy Ignatius, from the Epistle to the Magnesians. — It is fitting not only to be called Christians, but also to be so.
LITTERA Ψ.
TITLE I. — On the soul and the mind.
From holy Irenæus. — Souls depart to the place destined for them, etc.
TITLE IV. — On falsehood and detraction.
From Severianus, bishop of Gabala. — A falsehood, when it wishes to be believed, is not credited unless it fixes a foundation of apparent truth.
LITTERA Ω.
TITLE — On the hour of death.
From Didymus, from the discourse on Job. — The repentance of committed sins renders the mind of one who repents pure.
From the same, on Lot and David. — God, accepting present virtue, forgets old sins.
From Josephus, from the discourse inscribed *Against Plato*. — Thus far let it be said concerning demons. But it is necessary to speak regarding Hades, in which the souls of both the just and the unjust are held. Hades is an uncoordinated place in created things, a subterranean region in which the light of the world does not shine. Since, therefore, the light of this world does not shine in this region, it is necessary that there should be perpetual darkness there. This region was assigned as a place of confinement for souls, over which angels have been appointed B as guards, distributing to each according to their deeds the temporary punishments suited to the quality of the place in which they are lodged. For this place, which is called Abraham’s bosom, is a region of light, while the place of the wicked, where the fire is never extinguished, is the place of fire. C
NOTES
(33) Against Plato, as will be clarified below. For the work on the All, another excerpt is found in these *Parallela Rupefucaldina*, letter A, title LXXI, where it is attributed to Meletius of Antioch. Photius in his *Bibliotheca*, cod. 48, relates that this same work had been assigned to the holy Justin, Irenæus, and Caius, a presbyter of the Roman Church. That it is not the work of Josephus, I judge to be most certainly confirmed by the fact that both these fragments, and indeed the whole fragment which Hoeschelius published in Greek in his notes on Photius—and which Stephanus Le Moyne published in Greek and Latin among his *Varia sacra*—betray a Christian, not a Jewish, author. For he teaches that Christ is God the Word, nay, that God became man, and furthermore he uses Evangelical locutions and sentences. For he speaks thus of God the Word made flesh: "To Him the Father has given all judgment," just as he had read in John 5:22: "For neither does the Father judge anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son." Likewise, where he says: "A deep and great chaos is fixed between both, so that neither may the just, moved by affection, welcome them, nor the unjust dare to cross over," what else does it mean but that which the Lord had pronounced in Luke 16:26: "And in all these things there is a great chaos fixed between us and you, so that those who wish to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there cross over"? I do not refute those who have attributed this treatise to Caius, Justin, Irenæus, Origen, or Meletius, with deliberate intent. It would be better for us that in the very ancient stone inscription, which even now exists among the works of Hippolytus, bishop of Portus, the book *Against Plato*, or *On the Universe*, should be enumerated, so that we do not seek another for its author. Doubtless it must have happened that the scribe, when he read in the codex he had before his eyes only the first Greek letters of the name "Hippolytus," the others having been deleted or abbreviated, supposed it to have been written "Josephus," and thus felt compelled to restore the work to him. Furthermore, that the author did not support the opinions of Plato, but rather impugned them, and that therefore it should be read "Against Plato," not "For Plato," learned men have already observed. And certainly in these fragments the fables and tales of the Platonic philosophers concerning Hades are deliberately refuted and rejected, and in their place are substituted the things which the Christian faith teaches, if you remove the few things that differ from the common doctrine of the Catholics. Photius observes that this work was divided into two parts, and indeed that in some codices it had the title *On the Cause of the Universe*, and in others *On the Substance of the Universe*. You may see more in Photius himself.
A guards are appointed, who distribute temporary punishments of the regions according to the deeds of each. In this region, a certain place is separated off, a lake, namely, of unquenchable fire, into which we do not suppose that anyone has yet been cast, but [think] it has been prepared for the day foreordained by God, on which the sentence of just judgment shall be worthily pronounced upon all; and the unjust and those who have disobeyed God—those who have honored as God the vain idols fashioned by the hands of men—shall be adjudged to this eternal punishment, as being the cause of defilements; but the just shall attain the incorruptible and unending kingdom. They are B now held in Hades, but not in the same place as the just. For there is one descent to this region, and at its gate we believe an archangel is set with a host; and having passed through this gate, those who are led down by the angels appointed over the souls do not proceed by one and the same way. But the just, being guided to the right and hymned by the angels appointed over the place, are led into a luminous region, in which the just from the beginning dwell, not restrained by necessity, but ever enjoying the contemplation of the goods they behold, and rejoicing in the expectation of the new things they are ever to contemplate, and deeming those [to come] better than these, where the place does not become laborious. There is no heat, no cold, no thorn in it, but the countenanced face of the just Fathers smiles everywhere, awaiting after this dwelling the rest and eternal life in heaven. This place we call Abraham’s bosom. But the unjust are dragged to the left by tormenting angels, no longer proceeding willingly, but being dragged under force as captives; whom the angels set over them send away mocking, and reproaching, and with terrible eye threatening, pushing them into the lower parts C of Gehenna, which, as they are led, the angels set over them drag unto the proximity of Gehenna. Being near, they always hear the conflagration, and are not exempt from the smoke flowing from that heat; by that very proximity of vision, seeing the terrible and exceedingly yellow spectacle of the fire, they are struck with dread, being already punished by the expectation of the future judgment. Yet these also see the region of the just, and the just themselves, and are tormented by this very thing. For a deep and great abyss is fixed between, so that neither can a just man, moved by compassion, pass over, nor can an unjust man dare to cross. This is the discourse concerning Hades, in which the souls of all are held until the time D which God has ordained, when He shall make the resurrection of all, not transmigrating souls into bodies, but raising the bodies themselves, which, seeing dissolved, if you disbelieve, O Greeks, learn not to disbelieve. For having come to believe that the soul was created and is immortal by God, according to the doctrine of Plato, do not disbelieve that the body also, being formed from the same elements, God is able to raise up and make immortal.