Christopher, Patriarch of Alexandria

CHRISTOPHORI PATRIARCHÆ ALEX. II. (FABRIC. Biblioth. Græc. edit. 1741, tom. XII, p. 656.)

Theophilo is attributed by Leo Allatius. Theophili Alexandrini’s *Dissertation on Man* in Greek and Latin with the version and notes of Fed. Morell appeared in Paris, 1608, 8vo. The title is

Discourse of Theophilus of Alexandria: To what is man likened?

(1) Compare what I said about this Epistle in Vol. VI of this Bibl. p. 688, and VIII, p. 802. (2) Cotelerius Vol. II, *Monum.* p. 669. Pseudo-Theophilus Alexandrinus, or the pseudo-Chrysostom of Savile, Vol. VIII, p. 857, who from many codices of various libraries is truly Christopher of Alexandria, in the sermon *To what is human life likened*. I sought it in vain in the Savile Chrysostom.

HOMILY OF CHRISTOPHER, PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA

^AOf our holy Father Christopher, Patriarch of Alexandria, an exhortation for the benefit of souls, showing to what this life of men is likened, and to what end it leads. Translated by Frédéric Morell.

I. All the prelates and pastors of this age, ^B (most dear), are stirred to care and provision by the divine Word, who presides over the sacred leadership through us and in us, and He concerns Himself with the salvation of all, while He kindly corrects and feeds us with the people, and even through us ourselves; He who said to Moses when he was discouraged: *It is not you who feed my people, but I through you* (Exod. iv, 12). This Word of God we invoke today, that He, as one who bestows fountainous gifts admitting of no diminution, may strengthen our infirmity by His own power, and instruct our foolishness by His own most secret and ineffable wisdom and grace.

II. When I think much and ponder in my heart the things that happened to Adam, the first man, created by God, I am astonished and filled with doubt and anxiety, as I wonder how that man, fashioned by the hand of God and having become an associate of God, and accounted worthy of the prophetic gift, and having Paradise as his dwelling, and having been proclaimed head of all that were on earth, transgressed one commandment and was deprived of all good things, ^C of all...

ancient honor and dominion, and of all divine gifts, he fell at a single moment of time, and having been excluded from Paradise, he went into exile and fell into the deep gulf of poverty and misery.

^B III. Therefore, when I compare that one fall of his disobedience with our countless sins, I am plunged into the ocean of despair. But when I turn my mind to what happened to the thief, and know that he was saved by a single request, with all his sins wiped away, I am revived by hope and gladly hasten to repentance; since he fell in deed, and this man was saved by a single word. That man saw wondrous miracles, and disobeyed; this man knew nothing, save Christ and Him crucified and treated with ignominy, and he believed. There is, therefore, a great difference, an unevenness of equality, a dissimilarity in the disease of soul and body; for the thief possessed no other virtue, except to say this alone: "Remember me, O Lord, in thy kingdom." Whoever, therefore, are disciples of Christ and hope to become his co-heirs, strive to have such faith and perform the works of pious ways. For every man who has been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and has been deemed worthy of sharing in the divine communion, is not told by the holy Gospel: "Do not do injustice, do not strike anyone." Instead, what does it say? Listen: "If you are wronged, endure; if anyone strikes your right cheek, turn to him the other; if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two." Christians do not endure these things from one of the same faith. But since the heavy yoke of the Ishmaelites has come upon us, we have been forced to bear things heavier than these, and to hear them, and to endure them even if we are unwilling; for if we were to endure such things from those of the same faith, we would have a greater reward. Because if a Christian does injustice to someone, he incurs a triple penalty; for he does not merely receive the second blow, but he himself dares to do injustice to another.

^D IV. It is therefore necessary for every Christian to repent sincerely to God for every sin, before the inevitable sentence of death is issued, and not be led astray by the deceit of this life. For our life in this present age is like a man who dwelt in a courtyard with his own wife, and an only son, and one servant; in which courtyard there was a deadly serpent. That man, having heard from others that that serpent had killed those entering that courtyard from ancient generations, ought to have either departed from that courtyard or killed the serpent—that is to say, the demon of avarice and lust. And yet, having gone to kill the serpent, he found before his feet a solid gold coin, and having taken it, he said, "If this serpent wanted to kill us, it would not have given us this coin"; and rejoicing...

that he had not killed the serpent, he took it. And coming the next day, he found another coin, and he reasoned within himself, saying, "This serpent is not worthy of death, but rather of great honor."

^B V. The serpent continued for a quite long time to exhibit the coin to him again every day, harming him in nothing. And the man rejoiced because he had not killed the serpent. Now the man had a valuable horse, and the serpent, having come, bit it. This dwelling is this life, beloved; the serpent is the ruler of the world, the enemy, who watches for the heel of each man so that he may kill everyone. The coin is evil desire, which pushes everyone toward perdition. The venom of the serpent is sin, which kills everyone who obeys it, as the Apostle says: "For desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." For because of our negligence, God sends death upon our cattle, frightening us so that we may be sober-minded.

^C VI. Then the man, seeing his horse killed by the serpent, was grieved. And he began to curse the dwelling ^D and the serpent, and to reason within himself, saying: "Inasmuch as the venom of this serpent kills, it is profitable for us to kill it before it kills us." And having come to kill it, he found the coin according to custom, and he said: "We have lost the horse, but why should we also lose the daily coin? Inasmuch as it killed only the brute animal and does not harm human beings, why should we kill it?" And he left the serpent alive. And the man spent some time receiving the coin every day and being harmed in nothing. And when the serpent saw the man acting incautiously, it came and bit his sleeping servant, so that no one might say, "And why did he go to the place of the serpent?" or "Why did this man not take care not to cast himself into death?" For who could have known the untimely time of death? Then, as the servant cried out, his master came, hurrying and cursing the serpent and the hour in which he had come to know that dwelling; just as we, too, in times of prosperity do not remember death, but in times of affliction are downcast, and we curse life and the hour in which we came to know it; and we say each one: "Truly from now on I will not be led astray by the deception of this vain life." And again, as a dog to its own vomit, so we turn toward sin, and we commit things worse than our former deeds, having concern neither for the judgment nor for death. For in prosperity and negligence, sin finds an entrance and creeps in, and just as the bird known as the hylus watches the crocodile, until it sees it sleeping sweetly and securely, with its mouth wide open, and then...

it leaps inside, enters through its mouth into its belly, and having torn its belly, comes out, leaving it dead. ^A Thus also sin delivers us to death after the deed; but let us, by repentance, forestall it and restore life to ourselves.

VII. But let us return to the subject proposed. When, therefore, the man saw his servant wounded, he summoned doctors and implored them to take care of him; but though they administered many remedies, they were of no avail. Finally, his servant died. And the man swore to kill the snake; and having come to the place, he found the coin, and taking it, he said: "The servant was purchased for a price, just as a beast; and the coin which is supplied to us every day is more valuable than the price of them." Let us therefore be on our guard, and it can no longer harm us. And blinded by the desire of greed, he let the snake go, and it remained so once again. But when ^B the snake saw that the man was unconcerned about death, it came creeping by night and bit his son. When God was angered at Terah, the father of Abraham, He took away his third son, whom he loved more than the others, that the father might become wise; but he did not become wise, for he used to make idols and sell them to idolaters. At that time the age of the world had reached the twentieth generation, 2352 years. And no human son had died before his father, except for Lamech, the son of Methuselah. And the divine Scripture, marveling at this, noted it saying: *And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity* (Gen. xi, 28).

VIII. Let us again continue the discourse concerning the snake. When the child cried out with a loud voice, his father came mourning and weeping, and shouting "Woe!", and cursing the hour in which he had come to know that house and that snake; because [the boy] was his only begotten son. ^C Thus also we are accustomed, when we see some such young person dying before his time, to hate life and to curse our own existence, and to say: "Would that we had not been born, would that we had not known this life and the vain things in it." Alas for the human condition! What are we wretched ones waiting for? If this man died in the prime of his age and the bloom of his youth, what do we hope for? Thus, this vain life will not deceive us, nor will sin allure us any longer. And yet, while our tears are still in our eyes, and while we are attending to the dead, and shaking our heads up and down in our lamentations, ^D and swearing that we will no longer look after worldly affairs, we fight over the inheritance, and we instruct our servants to guard the property securely, saying: "Guard, brothers, the property; the affliction is enough for us" —

^A for we weep for the dead. Today we weep and lament and mourn inconsolably, and tomorrow we behave as if we were immortal.

IX. But let us return the discourse to where we left it, since we are pressed to speak of the things that follow. The man, therefore, seeing his son weeping and calling upon his father’s help, gathered the physicians, promising to give them whatever they might ask if they delivered his son from death. And having labored much, they benefited him nothing. The boy, therefore, died; and the father, grieving, swore not to let the serpent live, saying: "How long shall I play the fool, and shall I not slay the accursed serpent before it slays me?" And going to kill it, he found the coin; and taking it, he began to gaze at it and say: "What am I doing? My son is dead, and perhaps, if he had been on his guard, ^B the serpent could not have harmed him. We, however, myself and my wife, will be on our guard, and it cannot harm us. I have been deprived of my son. Why? So that I might be deprived, over the course of a year, of three hundred and sixty-five coins?" And he let it go. The serpent, therefore, remained for a time, providing him with a coin each day, so that the man might give himself up to negligence and prize the vanity of this life.

X. Then the serpent returned again suddenly and bit his wife. Thus death comes as a thief, on the day we do not expect, and snatches us away. The woman cried out, and her husband came up, mourning and lamenting; and the neighbors, friends, and relatives, hearing this, gathered weeping. The man again called the physicians, promising to bestow money upon them if they delivered his wife from death. ^C And having labored very intensely, they were able to benefit her nothing. The woman also died, and the man remained alone, left behind in the house. And having taken the counsel of his friends and relatives regarding the serpent, after he had related to them all that had previously occurred, they all advised him to kill the serpent, since it was about to kill him as well. And as he approached the place, he kept watch, intending to kill the serpent as it came out. But he looked toward the place of the coin and saw lying there a white, pure, and precious pearl, equal in size to the coin. And becoming overjoyed, taking the pearl, he turned it this way and that in the palm of his hand in great exultation, as if he had forgotten the death of his son ^D and his wife and all his own people, and he said to himself: "Since this serpent has changed the sorrow and appearance of the coin into the purity and whiteness of a pearl, it has surely changed its deadly poison as well, and it will no longer harm anyone."

XI. O the folly! Thus, beloved, the ancient serpent deceives us all with the deceit and error of this vain life, so that it may alienate us from salvation and the benevolence of God, and hand us over

^A to eternal fire. Thus also is the bait of fishermen. And for this reason it is called bait, because it is a trick in a hook that deceives the fish; for the bait is moved deceitfully before the fish, so that he may show it hanging on the hook as a laughingstock to all, and hand it over to the fire. Thus, indeed, are we all deceived by the wicked one. For the whole world lies in the wicked one, yet we all recognize the harm of sin, and to it one runs eagerly and readily, so that the lion may crush and devour him.

XII. Then the man, deceived by the immense joy of the pearl, began from that time to purify the place, and to sprinkle it, and to offer incense, and to scatter certain sweet-smelling substances. And the snake continued ^B to provide him every day with a precious pearl. And the man, seeing the quantity of pearls, took gold and made a small casket from it, and threw the pearls and the rest of the coins into it. And thereafter he began to search for a place that was suitable and protective, so that he might hide it; and having searched much he found nothing, except under his head and pillow; and having dug the earth he hid it, caring for neither child nor wife. And while he was enjoying himself securely, the snake came suddenly and bit his foot; and when he cried out with a loud voice, all his neighbors and friends and relatives were gathered together, weeping and reproaching him, and saying, "Did we not tell you, 'Kill the snake, since it intends to kill you also'? In truth, you have killed yourself." Then he called again for physicians, and begged them to assist him, promising with an oath to give them whatever they might ask, if he were delivered from death; and though they administered many medicated potions to him, they could not aid him. But later, being despondent of all human help, as the righteous Job says, *I looked for help, and there was none*; and David again, *Do not trust in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation*. When, therefore, he was despondent of all, he fled to God, saying, "Lord, Lord, grant me this one thing only, to live, so that I may repent; and no longer, never will I forsake you, nor will this troublesome life and the love of money deceive me henceforth; but having scattered all my possessions, and remaining alone, I shall dwell henceforth in the desert, having renounced worldly affairs and unseemly desires; and I will care for my own salvation, and for your good pleasure. For I have known that this whole life is vain and useless." And he called upon the saints for help, having performed many acts of almsgiving to the needy, and having given his word to the Lord no longer to forsake Him; and God heard him, and granted him his life.

^C XIII. Having therefore risen from his sickness, and being restored

^A to health, he forgot the promise and the oath which he had given to God; and he said within himself: "I hope that, having once been saved, I shall not be harmed any more by that serpent. For if his venom had been deadly as before, I would not have recovered and been delivered from death." Behold laboriously formed promises, and resolutions, and preparations, and, in turn, the most swift contempt and retreat. O the heavy penalty! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born upon the earth! For man alone, in all created things, despises God and provokes Him to wrath. And so, this man returned to his own vomit and to things worse than his former state: just as those who, after the danger of the sea and shipwreck, when things were desperate, are saved; and they who rise again from sickness after despair and the signing of their will; and likewise thieves, who are released after prison and tortures and the sentence of death—by a similar manner we all conduct ourselves, and in afflictions and temptations, being moved to repentance, we find rest and prosperity; then we turn back again to sin, and we are found building and, in turn, tearing down; and thereafter we labor in vain, like the crab, which at one time strives to run forward, and at another time backward, and not because its path is plain and easy is it easily caught. For, one building, and one pulling down: what profit is there in both?

XIV. Finally, this man returned to his ancient ^B and vain custom, taking up the pearl every day as before, and saying: "Return, my soul, to your rest." But while he was again indulging himself in pleasures and living quite securely, the serpent returned and bit his hand; and as he cried out with a loud voice, his neighbors, friends, and relatives gathered again, and chiding him, they said: "How long, tell us, will you be entangled in error, and not collect your mind? How long will God endure you? You have bound yourself to Him with an oath, and you have again lapsed into scorn. In you the prophetic saying is truly fulfilled: *When He slew them, then they sought Him; and when they obtained mercy, they performed worse deeds.* And he began to say again: "Lord, Lord, ^C You know that I have been a liar, and that I have fallen away from my Lord and God; and the promise which I vowed I have not kept. There remains this year; test me again, because I did not understand the error, and I was snared by deceit; but it shall not happen again that I be carried away by error in the future." When he had prayed thus, God heard him, and he lived in safety.

XV. But he began again day by day to give himself, little by little, to sloth and negligence, until he returned to his former ^D practice, saying: "Why should these pearls, which are of such great value, perish, when many poor people cannot even find bread to eat? But I will gather and give most of them to the poor, and it will be reckoned to me as alms for righteousness." Then thus I shall depart, and

I shall be led to repentance: and perhaps for this reason God has granted me life. ^A Behold, beloved, the fraud and error of this life? He often feigned almsgiving, the wretch, so that the profit would not escape him; and it was clear that after this he hated the poor, calling them idle and indiscriminate, and withholding his hands from almsgiving, he gave himself over to prosperity, drunkenness, and lust; numbering his gold and pearls every day. And while he was still rejoicing in this, and being totally unconcerned about death, and saying: "Soul, eat, drink, be merry, for your goods have been multiplied," and while he was thinking about where he might hide his other coins—that is, his money—as the rich man said in the Gospel: "I will pull down my barns and build larger ones," to whom it was said: "Fool, this night they require your soul from you; and what you have prepared, whose will it be?" While he was still thinking these things, and speaking, the serpent suddenly came and seized his heart with a ripping. ^B And when he cried out again, his neighbors and friends gathered, dishonoring him, and saying: "You have dealt very badly with your own soul, you wretch! God showed you the deadly harm of this serpent, through your beloved son, and through your wife. And you had already reached death a second time; and you gave your word to God with an oath that you would no longer be deceived by the deception of this vain life, and God heard you, and raised you from the dead a second time, and you did not understand, O deceived one! Well, therefore, does the Holy Scripture say that 'Contrition heals the heart of the prudent; but the fool, though scourged, does not feel it.' We advised you often to kill the enemy before he killed you. And you disobeyed us, and now you are without excuse before everyone." But he, bringing out the pearls and the gold, showed them, saying: "All these I gained from him." And they, shaking their heads, said to him: "Woe to you, miserable one! For others are going to be heirs to all these, who shall possess them; but you have provoked God's wrath, and destroyed your soul, and delivered yourself to the eternal fire. ^C

XVI. And here he began to weep again and to say: "O my Lord, listen to me this once more and test me, my God and Lord, and have mercy on me, and do not take me now, being unready and unclean." And he gathered together the physicians from everywhere, and swore to give them everything he possessed, and to serve them all the days of his life, if they would deliver him from death; and he said to them while being torn apart: "O brothers, I did not know until now that death is so bitter. Woe to me, the pitiable and wretched! In truth, I have led myself astray from the straight path. And for this reason there is no one to have mercy on me, but I am also deprived of the eternal, living life." And to speak simply, he made every supplication and struggle, and through