Erechtius, Bishop of Antioch in Persis

ERECHTHIUS, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. FRAGMENT.

^A From the homily of the blessed Erechthius, bishop of Antioch in Pisidia, delivered on the holy Epiphany in the Great Church of Constantinople, in the presence of the blessed bishop Proclus.

We have heard from the great prophet Isaiah God being proclaimed: "For a child," he says, "is born to us, and a Son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called the Angel of Great Counsel, Wonderful, Counselor, God the Mighty, the Potentate, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come." Let, therefore, no Jewish shoot deceive you—for thus must we call those who follow heretics—as if he who was born were one thing, and the God who dwelt in him were another, and as if there were two natures of him who was born. For if anyone should dare to say this, oppose to him this name alone, and the memory of this name shall be a bridle of silence for him. For it was not two natures, but God incarnate that the Virgin mystically brought forth, having received the overshadowing of the Spirit. For if Christ were a growth of human seed, we would concede that the fruit imitates the root according to nature; but if he is from the Holy Spirit, according to the voice of the archangel, he who was born is God, since God is also the author of his birth. ^B

SAINT PETRUS, BISHOP OF LAODICEA. ON THE COMMENTARY OF PETRUS OF LAODICEA ON THE FOUR GOSPELS.

Of Petrus, bishop of Laodicea, very little—and almost no—information is found among bibliographers. There survives his brief paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer in the first volume of Origen, in the Maurist edition, column 909, in Greek, with a Latin interpretation from the Lyons Library, Fathers, volume XII, page 522. A paraphrase of the canticles of the Blessed Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon was also edited by Morel, which I have not seen. Finally, in the catena of Possinus on Matthew xix, 11, a passage is cited from the same Petrus of Laodicea. Now, however, a full commentary on the four Gospels, bearing the name of Petrus of Laodicea, has been happily encountered by me in the Vatican codices.

This is regarding the work. But as to the age of the author, what shall I say? Except that in the cited place of the Maurists, as well as in the index of *Bibliotheca PP.*, vol. I, this Petrus is conjecturally assigned to the seventh century, as pleased Coccins and others; and if this is truly affirmed, we have, by Hercules, a venerable and estimable author. Of the three Vatican codices of Petrus, the most excellent was written in Armenia at Theodosiopolis (now Erzerum); for which reason verses also written in the Armenian language and characters are on the front of the codex. I remark, moreover, in passing, that two bishops of Theodosiopolis named Petrus are recorded in Le Quien’s *Oriens Christianus*, vol. I, col. 437, 438. Nevertheless, ours is constantly called bishop of Laodicea. Finally, at the end, the writer of the codex or the owner speaks thus of himself, partly in distinct letters, partly in monograms, though sometimes erroneously and solecistically. *Item*: "I, Joannes,protospatharios by rank. I, Joannes the protospatharios, the successor, deliver this Tetraevangelion to Germanos in memory of my father, the protospatharios Joannes. To Joannes the all-sinful and protospatharios, let those who read and receive benefit (having been benefited) from the Tetraevangelion pray for me before the Lord; for I also, existing in measureless sins, and having done no other good thing in this life, wretched as I am, yet by the good pleasure of God, having taken on the trial and desire of the divine scriptures, and having encountered these holy gospels being interpreted in Theodosiopolis, whence also having purchased them with my own just labors, I immediately and renewed and adorned them, together with silver clasps, for a memorial of myself and my parents, wherefore I beseech you, O lovers of Christ, to whomever this holy volume might chance to fall after my decease, that I shall not be unremembered by you; which may God grant. Joannes, grammaticus, spatharios. [The year] 6719 (of Christ 1211)." We, therefore, being about to publish in the following volumes this work of Petrus, shall now extract a few things, namely those which, in the four Gospels, pertain to the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist; so that the Catholic doctrine may be confirmed from all sides against the contrary heresy.

Matth. chap. 1, v. 5. *Judas autem genuit Phares et Zaram de Thamar*. ^A *Ἰούδας δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Φαρὲς καὶ τὸν Ζαρὰ ἐκ τῆς Θάμαρ.*

Petrus Laodicenus. To boast in the virtues of ancestors, and not to pride oneself on one’s own, is entirely most base, and destructive of virtue. Wherefore the guardian of our race, Christ our God, not only by commands and exhortations appears to abolish such a notion, but even deigned to be born from such ancestors, from whom one cannot be glorified; teaching us who have believed in Him to consider the virtues and vices of ancestors as of no account, to take care of ourselves, and to do what is necessary; from which the salvation of our souls will come to us.

Chap. xix, 11. *Qui dixit illis: Non omnes capiunt verbum illud, sed quibus datum est*. ^B *Ὁ δὲ εἶπε αὐτοῖς· Οὐ πάντες χωροῦσι τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, ἀλλ᾽ οἷς δίδοται.*

Petrus Laodicenus. When this word was spoken from the beginning, the disciples did not understand it. But now, having understood it more accurately, they are troubled. For if, He says, for this reason a man and woman were united that they might be one, and never be torn from one another, then if the woman is wretched and beast-like, it is not advantageous to marry. For it is better not to marry at all, and to endure natural temptations as best one can, than to be joined to a wicked woman, and to be bound by the bond of such necessity.

Chap. xxvi, 26. *Cœnantibus autem eis*. ^C *Ἐσθιόντων δὲ αὐτῶν.* — Interpretatio. After Judas had departed, the Lord delivered the mystery to the eleven, as He was about to suffer; but some say that He also imparted the mysteries to Judas, and not even so was he changed.

^A Receiving the bread and giving thanks, He teaches the disciples to give thanks for the things that He bestowed through His own passion, through which also the symbols come into being, having the remembrance of His body and blood. Therefore, in delivering these, He was close to His passion; for he who partakes of the bread, partakes of the body of the Lord. For we do not attend to the nature of the things perceived by the senses that are set before us, but through faith we lift up our soul to the body of the Word. For He did not say, "This is the symbol," but, pointing to the bread, "This is my body," lest anyone should suppose that what is perceived by sight is only a figure. But by saying, "Take, eat," He indicates the cause of the passion, that He suffered in order to release the sin of the world. — *And taking the cup.* — Interpretation. Likewise, taking the cup, He reminds them of His passion, and teaches again that one must perform the mystery with thanksgiving. In the time of the Passover He imparts the mysteries, so as to show that those former things were a shadow, but this is the truth. Wherefore it also took place in the evening, at the end of the times, when the legal ordinances were to cease. Therefore He says, "Do this," as if calling us away from that [law]; and remembering the covenant and the blood, He indicates that He is about to die; for His blood constitutes the new covenant, just as the blood of the sheep [constituted] the old—for even those things came to pass on account of these. Having tasted the cup, He bids farewell to the physical drink; and He promises to His disciples a certain new kind of joy, which He manifested after the resurrection, eating and drinking, not by necessity, but to certify the true nature of ^B His body. For He calls His resurrection the kingdom of God; and He calls it "new" because of its novel excellence; since, having hereafter an incorruptible mystery of the coming age, of which the saints shall partake, and of which He says that He Himself also partakes, as He considers our salvation to be His own proper food. After the mystical delivery, etc.

*And as they were eating.* — Interpretation. Through these words He taught the disciples how it was fitting for them to perform the mystery of the new covenant. For on this account He blessed and said, as He gave them to partake of what was fitting, so that they, through the blessing and thanksgiving, might learn how truly great are the things dispensed through Christ's passion, and that He delivered these mysteries to them as the symbol of those things. But by saying, "This is my body" and "This is my blood," [He taught] that, having set the bread before them after the thanksgiving, it was fitting for them to believe they were partaking of the body, and to regard the cup in the order of the blood; regarding which the passion came to pass for the common ^C salvation of all and for the forgiveness of their sins. For the faith that comes to be upon these holds both the confession of the things fulfilled, and grants the partaking of forgiveness to those who believe. He teaches them, moreover, not to look at the nature of the things ^D that are set before them, but through the thanksgiving that occurs over them, to believe...

^A that they are those things: for the life-giving Word of God, having united it to His own flesh in the way that He alone knows, demonstrated it to be life-giving. For He said: *The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world*; and again: *Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you do not have eternal life*. Therefore, doing this, we have life within ourselves. For He said: *He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him*. For it was necessary that He should dwell within us through the Holy Spirit in a manner worthy of God, but also be mixed with our bodies through His holy flesh and precious blood; which we have indeed received ^B as a life-giving blessing, as it were in bread and wine, lest perhaps our piety should grow dull while we see flesh and blood set forth upon the altars of the churches. For, condescending as befits God to our weaknesses, He imparts the power of life to the bread that is offered, and transforms it into His own flesh, that we may have it for a life-giving communion, and that the body of life may be found in us like a life-giving seed. And when He says that His blood is shed for many, He means that it is shed for all: *For one*, as Paul says, *died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again*. It must also be noted that Judas, even after participation in the mysteries, according to the narrative of Luke, remained the same, nor was he changed by having enjoyed ^C the awesome table: for after these things, the evangelist says, *Satan entered into him*, making nothing of his body. But Christ, mocking the impudence of the traitor, did not restrain him, although He knew all things, but proved that He neglected nothing of what could contribute to his correction. According to the narrative of John, however, Judas had gone out beforehand; for it was not fitting that the minister of the slaying of Christ should be consecrated by the reception of the salutary communion; for although Christ endured all other reproaches, yet this was not permitted to be inflicted upon him.

And taking bread, He gave thanks. Interpretation.

^A its corruption, and rendered it incorruptible and life-giving. Since, therefore, it was fitting that the Word of God should, in a manner worthy of His divinity, dwell in us through the Holy Spirit, and, as it were, be mingled with our bodies through His own holy flesh and precious blood, etc. By saying, "Do this in remembrance of me," He separates them from Jewish customs. For just as, He says, you performed the rite of the lamb in memory of the miracles that took place there, so you [should perform] this in my memory until I come. Likewise, He took the cup with the bread, clearly so that you might understand the aforementioned [teaching], which is not something other than the first [cup], which He permits to be partaken of after the reception of the bread; and having taken it, He said: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you." Some say that this was done a second time; and that in the first instance, having received the cup and given thanks, He said: "Take this and divide it among yourselves"; and in the second instance, after the bread and after supper had been finished, He said: "This cup," etc.

^B He (John) alone remains silent, in those very words, regarding the handing down of the mystery, etc. Yet he did not leave the word regarding the mystery unaddressed; rather, he recounts that it was spoken by the Savior in the form of an exposition: "I am the bread of life"; and again: "If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world"; and again: "For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." He calls His own flesh bread because it is eaten in the mysteries. Do not, therefore, behold the food given by me with carnal eyes, but with intellectual ones; for the flesh of the Word surpasses all intellect ^C and speech.

PETRUS LAODICENSIS EXPOSITION ON THE LORD'S PRAYER

(Bibliotheca Patrum, Vol. XII, p. 222.)

—

Our Father. ^D Then at last God wishes to be called our Father, when the Holy Spirit, coming upon us, deems us worthy of the adoption of sons of Christ. For whoever calls God Father ought to be pure.

^A from sins, and an heir of the heavenly kingdom; but the reckless one, having become like the devil, calls God Father, whom he does not glorify. Furthermore, by this pronoun, "our," he indicates the many: because clearly there is one body of all, and one head, which is Christ. He also implies that we ought to pray for one another, since we are all brothers.

[When he says, "in heaven," he does not say this to enclose God there, but to lead the one who prays away from the earth and fasten him to the things above.]

Hallowed be thy name.

This word, "hallowed," is not imperative, but optative; as if to say, "may it be hallowed": not that it should be made holy from being profane, but that, its holiness having been revealed to us, we may show forth a holiness worthy of it, especially whenever we express the name of God. ^B

Thy kingdom come.

He means either the enjoyment of future goods, or the grace which he imparts to us through the Holy Spirit, or his second coming. Since Christ is indeed by nature God, he is called king in terms of the economy, or the flesh assumed, representing man; and therefore the faithful pray that this same kingdom may come even to the unbelieving, so that, having believed in Christ, they may acknowledge him as their own King.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The meaning of these words, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," is this: Just as all the angels in heaven live pure and blameless lives, so also cause men on earth to conduct themselves in the same manner. Or: Just as the angels are in heaven, so also grant us in the resurrection to be there through the restoration of a spiritual and pure body. Or: Just as the Church in heaven is peaceful and untroubled, so may it be done also on earth.

EXPOSITION ON THE LORD’S PRAYER

^A “Give us this day our daily bread.” By “daily bread” (or 7) he means that which sustains our body, that is, the temporal, or the “approaching” (8) and expected life-giving bread of the Spirit—that is to say, the bread of the future: it is therefore called 9 *epiousion* (daily), either from [epienai] (to come upon) and [hyperexesthai] (to pass over), so that it is not something proper to the present age, but rather the bread which shall be given to the saints in the future, which we ask to be given to us now; or, since *ousia* (essence) is properly that which is present and firm, such as the nature of our soul, which bears the image of the invisible God, for this reason the Word—who is God and the living bread—might be called the *epiousion* bread, as he converses with the true essence.

“And forgive us our debts.”

^B Afterward, the Word exhorts us not to hold grudges, as we are conscious of our own sins, and teaches us to be moderate, that is (10), to desire to receive the same treatment, for he says: “And forgive us our debts.” All sin is a debt.

For if one does not put on the virtue of not holding grudges, one cannot obtain forgiveness.

“And lead us not into temptation.”

^C Afterward, he teaches us not to decline struggles, yet not to cast ourselves into them; but if necessity calls, we must pray to be delivered and not to be defeated. For he who conquers in the contest and is not abandoned does not enter into temptation; for temptation is defeat and the deception of the devil. And he who has not fallen into the nets of temptation has been delivered from the evil one. The evil one (11) is the devil, not by nature, but by choice; for wickedness is not among the things of nature, but comes from self-determined malice and choice.