TIMOTHY OF ANTIOCH ON THE CROSS AND THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
A A soldier trained in many and various weapons is fortified when he undertakes battle against the phalanxes of the Barbarians: and following his leader, the Roman emperor, he is girded with weapons on all sides, and strives to keep himself safe from the enemy. And this, indeed, the external soldier does. But the faithful man, a lover of Christ, prepared to follow the heavenly Emperor in spirit, is able to extinguish the whole army of demons with one and the same military quiver. But if he extinguishes the army of demons with the quiver of the cross, it is altogether clear that it is superior to every assault and, as it were, storm of the Barbarians: just as the Prophet says: I am prepared, and I am not troubled. And again: He set me as a chosen arrow, and hid me in his quiver. Whence Christ the Lord, without beginning, B eternal, perpetual King, at the time of His incarnation, showing the invincible weapons of the cross to those who wish to obey Him, even now exhorts us, just as you heard a little while ago in the Gospel according to Luke: If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
What do you say, friend? A spiritual soldier who wishes to follow the heavenly King in spirit does not need many weapons. If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. O admirable thing: the cross was not yet being fashioned by the Jews, and the trophy of the cross was being shown to the faithful. O the nourishing power and efficacy of the cross, strengthened and rooted in the time of grace by the very sight of the eyes; C but in the time of the law, shadowed forth by the experience of aid and Mosaic figures!
A That the victory-bestowing energy of the Cross was prefigured long ago in Mosaic symbolism, even before grace, one can demonstrate with a zealous argument. When Jesus, son of Nave, as you well know, having drawn up his line of battle against the foreigners, saw that in the clash between the foreigners and the Israelites the foreigners were superior to Israel and gaining strength in the struggle, he signaled to Moses, saying: "Pray, Moses, servant of God, because the enemy is prevailing, the foreigner is being exalted; offer up a prayer." For more powerful than missiles is sincere supplication to God. What then did Moses do, having received a revelation from the divine Spirit? In what way did he believe it fitting to rout the enemies? Having gone up onto the wall, he did not bend his knee, he did not lower his head, he did not utter a sound, but he stretched out his hands, he lifted up his head, B and he fashioned the shape of the Cross. From this it was made manifest to those present when Moses extended his hands and pre-formed the shape of the Cross, that it was not the secret motion of the lips, but the formation of the Cross that received the glory of victory. For what happened? As long as Moses kept his hands extended, Jesus, son of Nave, prevailed. But as soon as Moses became tired, as a human being, and lowered his hands, the foreigner prevailed. When those present knew this, that it was the formation that was granting the victory, two men were stationed to support the hands of Moses: Aaron and Hur—Aaron from the Israelite priesthood, and Hur from the royal [office]. For it was necessary for the Cross to be upheld by priesthood and kingship. C When, after the cruciform symbol, the enemies were turned to flight and a mighty victory was won, God said to Moses: "Write this for a memorial for me, for their generations."
Wherefore the Lord also, in His incarnation, put the tyrant to flight through the Cross. The first man, Adam, caused death to sprout through a green tree. The Lord brought forth life through a dry tree, having handed over to the faithful the invincible weapon of the Cross. Whence He said a little before: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." But the Lord said these things to His own disciples above all others. For He knew that before the resurrection they were timid, D faint-hearted, occupied by human feeling, and saying that only the present life is true, filled with light and enjoyment, and [ignorant of] another regeneration better than this present life. In order, therefore, to demonstrate to them that the regeneration is more wonderful and more pleasant than this present life, He provides this knowledge to them right before their eyes. For they had just heard Him say: "I must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things, and be killed, and on the third day rise again." The apostles, having received these things with their ears, were debating with bitter spirit, saying to one another: "Strange are the master's injunctions; he speaks to us in allegorical language, that I must go to Jerusalem and be killed."
A In whom will our hope reside? Vainly, it seems, have we followed him and left our ships, our nets, and the care of our households; we had been encouraged like immortals, thinking ourselves disciples of one who would raise the dead, and our hope has turned to the contrary. Allegorically he says to us: "I must be killed, and on the third day rise again." If he rises after three days, why does he die? Why does he surrender himself to his enemies? If he rises from the dead after three days, his words are idle. Who ever rose from the dead? Elijah was taken up and did not appear; Moses died, was buried in an unknown tomb, and still remains in that place. None were more powerful than these, nor more celebrated for works performed beyond the faculty of nature. Neither of these appeared again, yet our master, as he declares, is about to be handed over, and that to a violent death, and after three days he will rise? He is deceiving us as if we were unlearned and ignorant; none of the things he says will come to pass.
Because of this bitter reasoning of the apostles, B the Lord, abounding in assurance, labored much to render them certain and secure, and not to let his disciples be swallowed by the waves of unbelief. He quickly removed their doubt while they were still on earth and dwelling in the body, by demonstrating the divine power of the resurrection and subjecting it to their very bodily eyes, and by setting before them Moses and Elijah—the dead whom they had been pondering in their minds—dressed in excellent glory, and, with their own voices, recounting the business of the cross C and the passion he was to sustain in Jerusalem, so that it might remain impressed upon their eyes and ears. That these things are so, you have heard a little before, when the Lord said to them: "In truth I say to you (oh, the goodness of the Master! He swears to those who doubt!)," that is, "By oath I say to you, since you do not have faith in my words, let me persuade you even so: In truth I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God." What kingdom? The glory stored up for the faithful after the departure from this life, the future glory.
What then does the evangelist add? "And it came to pass after these words, about eight days." D Quick is the Lord's assurance; he soon satisfies the desire. Jesus takes Peter and James and John, and went up onto the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was changed, and his clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men stood by him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory, and spoke of his exodus which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. What exodus? The passion of the cross, the indignity there, the blows inflicted by the servants, the salvation of the thief on the right. To whom were they speaking? To those who were wavering—to Peter, and to James and to John—saying to them: "Since you do not obey the Master, believe at least us, his servants!"
A Peter and those with him were weighed down with sleep; but having fully awakened, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. And Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah," not knowing what he said. While he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. And behold, a voice from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him."
What are you saying, my friend? Have you seen how much assurance the Master Christ provided to the apostles, while they were still wavering and still dwelling on earth, eight days later by appearing to them in person, having shown them the inaccessible beauty of his divinity—not as it was, but as their weak eyes could bear—and revealed his own glory? Likewise, he presented Moses and Elijah more radiant than they had been in their former life, recounting the proofs of what was about to happen regarding the cross, so that the apostles might perceive that death has no power over the righteous, and so that they might hate the present life according to that divine saying which declares B that "the righteous live forever, and their reward is with the Lord, and their hope is with the Most High," since they are victorious in the struggle against their adversaries. Whence Peter, having been assured by sight, was thereafter moved from sorrow to joy, considering the Master and his inaccessible glory, surrounded by Moses and Elijah. And from where did they have the knowledge that it was Moses and Elijah? From the tokens; for Elijah stood by with the chariot, and Moses was carrying the tablets. But why was it necessary that he should lead these three only, and none of the prophets, except Moses and Elijah; and why these three, and those two? So that the saying of Paul might be fulfilled: "In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth." C From those under the earth he brought up Moses; from those in heaven he brought down Elijah; from the dwellers on earth he presented Peter, James, and John.
Therefore Peter, having been changed from sorrow to joy, approached the Lord, saying, "Master, it is good for us to be here, and let us make here three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. We have recognized from this transfiguration of yours, the invincible glory of your kingdom. Why then, to terrify us, did you say: 'I must go up to Jerusalem, and be killed, and on the third day rise again'? Why do you deliver yourself to death at the hands of your enemies? It is good for us to be here. No one dares, neither of the chief priests nor of the great multitude, to come up here. D And if they should come up, they ascend to their own destruction. For you have here the most powerful military commanders, Moses and Elijah. Elijah will again rain fire down upon them, and Moses will send them all to a suffocating tomb in the Egyptian manner. It is good for us to be here, and let us make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah."
But the Lord said A to him: What are you saying, Peter? Do you intend to build three tabernacles? Do you treat me and the Master as the equal of servants? You provide an occasion for blasphemy to Arius and Eunomius, when you desire to assign me a dwelling along with created things. Shall I dwell here, and be found outside the paternal bosom? I have indeed assumed humanity, but my eternal power is neither circumscribed nor comprehended. What has come into your mind, Peter? Do you undertake to do things you have not learned? You learned to weave nets; are you now to build tabernacles as well? Am I to obey you, or save the world? Am I to remain here? And who will wake Adam? Who will deliver Eve? Who will redeem the world? Are you concerned only for yourself, and not for the whole world? Therefore the evangelist, B excusing Peter, said: *Not knowing what he was saying.* And he received pardon, since he spoke in ignorance.
After the Lord had chastised Peter with words, Peter, as is likely, answered: So great, Lord, is your condescension, that you deigned to dwell in a tabernacle, and in such modesty, even before the time of grace, did you use it? Did you not enter into the tabernacle of Abraham? Did not the patriarch receive you? Did he not provide a calf? Did he not perform what was pleasing to you? Did you not reward him with a blessing earned by his merits? But the Lord said to Peter: It is so, Peter. I entered into the tabernacle of Abraham, and having entered, I remained. But observe the faith, and the knowledge, and the victory of Abraham. He recognized me as the third C with two angels. Did he build three tabernacles? Did he compare me with servants? Did he not prepare one table to receive the Lord in hospitality? Imitate Abraham, and make the tabernacle. What, then, does the evangelist say? *And behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them.* Whom? Moses and Elijah. Why? In order that the Apostles also might surely know in what glory they stood. The Apostles were afraid when they entered into the cloud, trembling as they perceived the magnitude of the glory. But after those two had entered, a paternal voice came from above, saying: *This is my beloved Son.* Observe the paternal voice, and how clearly and distinctly it expressed the matter. For while Moses and Elijah were present, it did not say: *This is my beloved Son,* lest the Apostles, being deceived, might D think it was this one or that one; but after they had vanished, then, demonstrating the true One, he said: *This is my beloved Son.*
Let the Jews come, let those from every heresy come, the adulterators of the divinity; let them hear the authority: *This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.* This one alone, not as the Greeks, being deceived, thought there were many. This is he whom I show you from heaven, not the one whom the senseless Jews expect. This is the one consubstantial with me the Father in all things, not as certain heretics who have reduced him to the rank of servants. This is he who exists with me before the ages. This is he who fashioned the world
having compacted [all things] in the Spirit. This is He with whom I took counsel to make man. This is He who took dust from the earth and fashioned man. This is He who miraculously translated Enoch A from among men. This is He who is perceived both by sight and by intellect. This is He who is with Me, and who stood upon the mountain. This is He who converses with you, and is not separated from the Begetter. This is the timeless, the beginningless, the successorless, the eternal, the unchangeable, the incomprehensible, the ineffable, the inconceivable [One]. This is He; He was not made, He was not created. He is [God] by nature, not by grace. He is; He did not begin to exist in time. He is; for He was even before, and existed. For neither was I made Father in time, but I am always Father. But if I am always Father, always also is this Son, always also the Holy Spirit, who with Me, and with the Son, is worshipped together and glorified together, both now and always, and unto the unending ages of ages. Amen.
DOGMATIC FRAGMENTS OF TIMOTHEUS III OF ALEXANDRIA
NOTICE.
(Ang. MAI, Spicileg. Rom. vol. III, p. 708.)I shall insert here the homily of Timotheus III of Alexandria, the heretical patriarch, taken from the Vatican Syriac codex 105 (see Script. vet. vol. V part II, p. 39), which, although it treats the same subject of Christ as God and man—a subject often corrupted by the Monophysites—it seems to contain nothing worthy of reprehension. This Timotheus came to Alexandria in the year of Christ 519, and exchanged life for death in the year 535. However, Cosmas Indicopleustes preserved a mediocre fragment of the homily, the title of which we shall cite below, in Greek—that is, in its original language—in book X, p. 552, among the authorities of the Fathers compiled by him. But the aforementioned Syriac codex exhibits the complete version; wherefore it pleases me to exhibit in Latin the first and last parts that exist only among the Syrians, while joining the middle part, which survives in Cosmas, in Greek; so that the whole of this sermon may be represented to the readers in both languages.
Homily of Timotheus, Archbishop of Alexandria, delivered from the ambo of the church of Dionysius, when the evangelical words of John had been read, "And Jesus, being wearied with his journey, sat thus." Delivered on the Lord's Day, May 22, in the fourth indiction. The Greek title is slightly different:
OF TIMOTHEUS, ON A SUNDAY IN THE CHURCH OF CYRUS, THE 22ND OF PACHON, 5TH INDICTION, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN HAVING BEEN READ: "AND JESUS, BEING WEARIED WITH HIS JOURNEY, SAT."
THE HOMILY BEGINS.
Our Lord and God Jesus is the very truth, confidence, and light. There is no difficulty in this, nothing abstruse, nothing exposed to question; but He wished Himself to be believed perfectly as such, as He truly is.
B Since, therefore, He is at once God and man himself, He proves both through His works, and does not allow Himself to be hidden from those who see Him. For that He is God by nature is demonstrated through His works and signs, while He cleanses lepers, illuminates the blind, strengthens the paralyzed, and gives life to the dead; and, which is the greatest thing—for perhaps the prophets also set forth these things previously mentioned,