ADMONITION REGARDING THE FOLLOWING HOMILY
Although this little work may be found in ancient codices, it does not seem to us to be Athanasian. The style of the oration is certainly less elegant, the explanations of the Scriptures less apt and somewhat contorted, and they indeed betray a writer far inferior to Athanasius. This was the reason we decided to review it among the dubious works.
OF OUR HOLY FATHER ATHANASIUS ON THE PASSAGE: "GO INTO THE VILLAGE OVER AGAINST YOU, AND YOU SHALL FIND A COLT TIED."
A 1. Those who have set their mind on earthly things, and have spurned the commandments of God, and have labored in this life, these used to dwell in ignorance before the finding of good things. For I think that the wisest Solomon speaks on this account, saying, "A time to seek, and a time to lose." Have you sinned? Be quiet. For if, dwelling in ignorance at some time, you procured destruction for your own soul, yet a time has come for us to seek it, as our Lord also teaches us in the Gospel, saying, "Seek, and you shall find." And when, indeed, shall we find it if not now, when the Lord, being present, has freed us from the bonds of the devil? As the blessed Apostle also teaches, saying, "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." A time, therefore, has followed for destroying the sin that was darkening [the soul]; a time has called for seeking what had gone astray, for being freed from B our bonds. For He has come who releases the bound and raises up those who are crushed; He has come who preaches release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. For "then shall the lame leap as a hart, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be clear."
2. And in another way, the saying of Solomon stirs us to desire. For he says, "A time to seek, and a time to lose." Since for a long time [the human race] had been wandering,
and was perishing through the snares of the devil, the time came for it to be sought, and to be recalled from captivity, and to be delivered from bonds. For it was necessary for us to seek and to learn that the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. This having been accomplished, therefore, the time arrived to destroy the figure and the shadow which lay in the letter. For even until the time of reformation these things were impending; but when that which is more perfect appeared, that which was in part has been done away. For, "When I was a child, I spake as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." B Indeed, the Savior Himself says: "He that findeth his soul shall lose it; and he that loseth his soul for my sake shall find it." That is: he who has sought his soul, and found it in sins, let him hasten to lose it, and not permit it to linger in wickedness; so that, having taken the opportunity, when he seeks it again, he may find it in virtue. For if anyone desires to find his soul outside of punishment, he must lose it for the present time, that he may gain Christ. Furthermore, the Savior teaches what this "losing" is; namely, not that we should cast our soul into destruction, but that in the time of martyrdom we should not spare possessions, children, parents, the body, nor even the soul itself; C but let us deliver ourselves even unto death, so that, as I said above, we may find our soul in the kingdom of heaven. For thus also the Savior, teaching, said: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me."
3. If, therefore, anyone wishes to find his soul, he [must] lose it in this time. It is necessary, then, that wickedness be lost in us, so that, by seeking virtue, we may find it. For if anyone does not cease from anger, how shall he practice meekness? If anyone has not cast out fornication from himself, how shall he profess temperance? For it is necessary, first, that we cast away all avarice and idolatry, and afterward seek poverty and piety. "I sought," D He says, "him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and I found him, and I brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me." Now who this is, is Christ, who is signified,
who for our sins descended from heaven, and was conceived, and born, and laid in a manger, until such time as He should save the race of men. For thus sparing us, He sends even now His own disciples into the village over against them, saying to them: "Go A into the village over against you, and you shall find a colt tied; loose him and bring him to me." And the apostles, having gone according as they were commanded by the Lord, loose the colt.
It is for great men, beloved, to loose this colt; for great men, I say, not in bodily stature, but great in faith and love, and justice; great in wisdom and courage and virtue, such as Moses is testified to have been; as when the Apostle says concerning him: "By faith B Moses, when he was become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter." But Isaac also, as he advanced, became great. For it is for those who are thus great to loose this colt. And would that I were so great myself, as to be able to loose this colt from his bonds! For each of us is tied with the bonds of sin, as the Scripture also testifies, saying that each one is straitened by the chains of his own sins. Let us pray, therefore, that Jesus may send His disciples to us also, so that they may loose us from the bonds by which each of us is tied. For one of us is bound by avarice, C and another is entangled with fornication; and one is joined by drunkenness, another is held fast by vainglory; and one commits injustice, another seizes the goods of his neighbor and the poor, another takes usury upon usury; and finally, we all are become infirm in our iniquities, and we have need of the healing of the Savior; and we have need of Him, that He may send His disciples to us, and that they may loose us from the bonds of the devil. For thus He says to the disciples: "Go into the village D over against you, you shall find a colt tied; loose him, and bring him to me." When you hear of the village over against you, understand it as an earthly place; for that city is the heavenly one, as the blessed Apostle writes: "For we have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come: whose builder and maker is God." He says again: "For you are not come to a mount that might be touched, and a fire that blazed; but you are come to
A Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels."
4. Such were all the saints, and as many as walk according to Paul, they reach out for this. Hear him again: "For if they had been mindful of that from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly one." Such were the holy apostles and disciples of the Lord, who said with Peter: "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee." They are sent, therefore, to loose the aforementioned colt. For the coming and philanthropy of our Savior has recalled us from the village situated opposite, to His heavenly city, the Jerusalem above. I imagine, indeed, that on account of the disobedience committed by Adam, we were cast out B from Paradise, and settled in the opposite village, as if in a colony; for it says: "And God cast out Adam, and made him dwell over against the paradise of delight." Thus, therefore, are the disciples sent by Jesus into the village opposite to loose the colt. And see whether, perhaps on behalf of him who had been cast out opposite to Paradise, the disciples are sent by Jesus into the village opposite to loose the colt. For this cause the Savior came, leaving the ninety and nine sheep which had not wandered, so that He might go and seek that which had wandered; and having found it, He rejoices over it, and the angels rejoice with Him over one sinner who repents. It must be enquired, moreover, whether the disciples were sent to the village situated opposite solely for the service of the colt. For I know that, before the apostles, invisible powers ministered to Jesus. Perhaps C the Lord sent these powers themselves, as His own disciples, together with those around Peter to the village situated opposite, to loose the colt. For hear what the evangelist says regarding the Lord: "And behold, he says, angels came and ministered unto him." But concerning His humanity, David cries out, saying: "He gave them the bread of heaven, man ate the bread of angels." Let no one, therefore, lingering in the body and entangled in this life, think that he is inside the city. For he who has a carnal mind cannot be found in that great city, but such a man still dwells in the village. For the carnal mind is enmity against God. One must know, therefore, that he who is in the village D
does not live by the spirit, does not command by his understanding, does not rule himself; for these things are characteristic of a great city. For when one lives in virtue, and governs with temperance, and counsels with wisdom, and takes the lead in self-control, then he becomes an imitator of the saints. For the saints do not have here a lasting city, but, as I have said before, they seek for the one that is to come, whose craftsman and builder is God. A Listen to the Apostle saying: "Walking on earth, let our citizenship be in heaven"; and, "Let our citizenship be in heaven," beloved. For the holy Apostle signifies by the words, "Walking on earth," the progress that will come to those who, after the things here, are to live as citizens in heaven.
5. The disciples, therefore, set out and untied the colt; for it is the task of the disciples to untie this colt, and of the disciples who are able to do the things commanded by the Master. For many who seem to be disciples of Jesus not only do not do the things commanded by Him, but even plot against the Master, as did the thrice-wretched traitor Judas. But how great is this colt, beloved, that it does not have one master, but many? B For the masters of the colt said to the disciples: "Why are you untying the colt?" If this colt were a sensible one, would it not suffice for one master to sit upon it? But now, according to the Gospel, it has many masters. For it says that its masters said to the disciples: "Why are you untying the colt?" Perhaps they say to them: "Do you not see how many of us sit upon it? How it is tied? How we have held it subject? Why do you pull our labor away from us? Why do you untie our expectation? C This one still remains for us, and do you wish to deprive us of this one too? If this one is loosed from his bonds, we shall be bound in his place." The wicked demons, therefore, were afraid when they saw the colt being untied; the opposing powers that had taken us captive were in turmoil within themselves. But when our Lord Jesus Christ arrived, and they recognized His presence, they were afraid, having heard Him saying this to His disciples: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." D They were terrified having heard: "Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." They were afraid that He might be the one who would illumine the darkness; for they had heard the prophet saying: "Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light."
A Therefore, all gape at the foal, all sit around him, and no one departs from him. Such is this foal, that all his masters guard him. If he were a sensible creature, would his masters be sitting beside him? Is a sensible donkey the possession of many masters? Do all his masters sit by him, so that no one attends to any business, no one walks in the marketplace, and they have no other work, but all are occupied solely around him? Does a sensible donkey get tied up at a crossroads, lacking a lodging and a manger, not walking into the field? But the sensible foal is tied at a crossroads, and all his masters sit by him, watching him. In saying these things, I do not abolish history; for we do not destroy the letter on account of the spirit, but we preserve the power of the spirit through the letter.
6. In truth, the Lord sat upon a sensible donkey B when He set out from Bethany to Jerusalem; for so Zacharias the prophet prophesied, saying: "Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your King comes to you, meek, sitting upon an ass and a foal, the son of a beast of burden." Thus, while the history holds true, I search for the matters hidden within it; we seek the treasure stored up for us, we seek the power of the spirit. For we do not attend to the bare history; such folly belongs to the Jews. Certainly our Lord Jesus Christ, convicting them of their madness, says: "Search the Scriptures, for you think that in them you have eternal life." But the Jews, clinging to the bare letter, were consumed by famine. C Being aware, therefore, brothers, that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life, let us not only follow the history of the Scriptures, nor, like the Jews, cling to the bare letter, but, as it is written, let us search the Scriptures, so that we may thus be able to gather in our minds the testimonies concerning Jesus Christ. The Greeks will surely laugh, objecting to us that the God of the Christians, who is called Christ, sat upon a donkey. But we are neither in doubt, nor do we deny His coming in the flesh. For this is why He traveled bodily, that He might find by searching that which had perished, and might lead back that which was wandering. For thus He proclaimed through the prophet, saying: "Return, O backsliding children, and I will heal your wounds." These things, therefore, are not without significance in the divine Scriptures, beloved. This is the great foal who is called elsewhere D "the younger son." For a foal and a young creature is an ass. Thus we, that is to say, human nature,
are the foal. The masters who had taken this man captive before this had bound him with bond upon bond, and kept him strictly guarded, as I believe, because they had also bound his feet, not allowing him to progress toward better things. But the lover of mankind, the Son of God, who for this cause sojourned [among us], commands his disciples, saying to them: "Go into the village opposite you, and you will find a foal tied; untie it and bring it to me."
7. Many, therefore, are the good things the Lord has bestowed upon us, beloved: not only, indeed, has He loosed the bonds of our sins, but He has also given us the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. For the devil and the princes B of this darkness, having taken us captive and bound us with indissoluble bonds, did not allow us to advance, nor did they permit us to walk in the good way. And not even then did they depart from us, but, while we were held bound, they again sat round about us, being cruel and savage masters. But our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sojourned to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. Indeed, He sends forth His disciples, and they loose the foal. Then, having loosed it, He builds a manger for it and prepares fodder. For the Prophet, wishing to show this, says: "The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall lack nothing; in a place of pasture, there He has made me dwell. He has nurtured me by the water of rest; He has converted my soul." And again: "Who makes grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the servitude of men." Let us, then, converted henceforth, become more sensitive, and let us recognize our benefactor, and let us eagerly receive the good things bestowed upon us by Him. For thus, giving thanks, we are able to say with David: "You have prepared a table before me in the presence of those who afflict me." Such, indeed, is that: "The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master's manger." And perhaps it is for the sake of this foal that the Lord is laid in a manger. Or did Joseph not possess a place, he, a noble man, descended from royal stock, who is called the son of David? C And had he no place other than the inn? Was there no other place? Surely, truly divine matters are being transacted here. In truth, now again our adversary, the devil, perceiving that things D [are well...]
being accomplished for the human race, envied them as he is accustomed to do. For, thinking that the Lord was one of the many, he stirs up Herod to search for the true King who had been born, so that he might destroy Him. For it is the property of this most filthy and utterly wicked one to destroy and to kill; but it is the property of Jesus to save and to cherish; for He spares His own creatures, since all things were made through Him. Let us therefore seek the true King, our Lord Jesus Christ, and examine ourselves to see if our bonds have been loosed. If they are loosed, let us advance toward what is better; but if your bonds are not yet loosed, surrender yourself to the disciples of Jesus. For they are present, those who loose us, having received this authority from the Savior: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven;” 99 and: “Whose sins you remit, they are remitted to them.” 1 Blessed, therefore, are they “whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” 2
8. The owners of the colt then said to the disciples: “Why are you loosing the colt?” They answered them: “Because the Lord has need of it.” 3 You see the wise answer of the disciples. For the false masters of this colt, hearing that its true and real Lord has need of it, answered nothing in return, but turning their backs, they dared not resist any further. C And so they immediately hasten to their prince, the devil, and report to him what had happened. And here, I pray you, observe the counsel and deliberation against the Lord. All the opposing powers are gathered there, and a church of evildoers is formed, so that what was said through the Prophet might be fulfilled: “The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against His Christ.” 4 For the wicked demons say to the devil: “What are we to do? The colt is loosed, it has departed to its Lord; it is no longer under your hand, nor do you dominate it any longer.” The miserable devil then began to deliberate on what he might contrive against Jesus. Then the scribes and the Pharisees were gathered into the hall of the one called Caiaphas, and they took counsel against Jesus, how they might destroy Him. For the wretches were ignorant that His death would bestow immortality upon us, and that His descent would procure for us an ascent into heaven. For the Lord rose on the third day from the dead, having despoiled D hell, trodden underfoot the enemy, loosed death, and broken the bonds of sins by which we were held.