OUR HOLY FATHER JOHN OF DAMASCUS ON SACRED PARALLELS. (CONTINUATION.)
LETTER Θ. TITLE I. — On divine instruction.
Isa. xxiv, 16. — “My secret for me and mine.” A Matth. vii, 6. — “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you.” Luc. v, 37, 38. — “No one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” S. Basil. in Prov. — To cast the mysteries of salvation before anyone at all, and to admit all equally who are possessed of neither purity of life nor exact and certain doctrine of faith, is just the same as if one were to pour an unguent of great price into a filthy vessel. B The same. — How shall I declare the sweetness of honey to those who are ignorant of it? S. Greg. Naz. orat. De theol. — Let us speak mystically of mystical things, and holily of holy things; and let us not cast before profane ears those things which are by no means to be brought forth, nor let us permit that those who worship demons and cultivate obscene things and fables should seem to surpass us in the gravity of their conduct. Philo. — It is a sacrilege to explain holy mysteries to the profane.
TITLE II. — On sacrifices: and that God does not admit adulterated offerings.
Gen. iv, 6, 7. — “The Lord God said to Cain: Why have you become sad? And why has your countenance fallen? Is it not so, that if you offer aright, but do not divide aright, you have sinned? Be still. Unto you shall be his turning, and you shall rule over him.” C Levit. xxii, 22. — “All things which have a blemish in themselves, you shall not offer to the Lord; because they shall not be acceptable.”
Malachi 1:8, 9. — “And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto your governor; will he be pleased with you, or accept your person? says the Lord Almighty.”
Malachi 1:14. — “Cursed be the deceiver, who has in his flock a male, and makes a vow, and sacrifices unto the Lord a corrupt thing.”
Concerning divine oracles and that one ought to listen to them and meditate upon them.
Deuteronomy 11:18-20. — “Therefore shall you lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall teach them your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them upon the door posts of your house, and upon your gates: that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land.”
Psalm 11:7. — “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times,” etc.
Psalm 17:31. — “The words of the Lord are tried in the fire,” etc.
Psalm 18:8. — “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
Psalm 118:2-4. — “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies. I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches. How sweet are your words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I will rejoice at your word, as one that finds great spoil. Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Proverbs 6:23. — “The commandment of the law is a lamp, and light. To know the law is of a good understanding.” B
Proverbs 10:8. — “The wise in heart will receive commandments.”
Proverbs 30:5. — “Every word of God is pure.”
Ecclesiasticus 32:9. — “Let it be your delight to hear every word of God; and let not the parables of understanding escape you.” — 32:15. — “Give your mind to the commandments of the Lord, and meditate continually in his precepts.”
Ecclesiasticus 9:15. — “Let all your discourse be in the law of the Most High.” C
John 5:39. — “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life.”
2 Timothy 3:16, 17. — “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” D
St. Basil, On Envy. — Since spiritual discourse overflows in the Church, and a pious heart gushes like a fountain from the gifts of the Spirit, receive with gladness the things that are spoken,
and harvest the fruit resulting from the benefit. For when the sun is shining, no one closes their eyes.
A "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable" (2 Tim. 3:16), and for this reason it was written by the Spirit, so that as in a common infirmary for souls, we may all—each of us—select the remedy for our own affliction. For the remedy, he says, "will suppress great sins" (Eccl. 10:4). In short, it is a common storehouse of good teachings, discovering what is appropriate for each person according to their diligence. For it heals the old wounds of souls, and brings rapid restoration to the newly wounded, and preserves the healthy. And, in all things, it removes the passions, as much as possible, which in various ways tyrannize souls in the life of men. What then could you not learn from it? Or rather, what virtue could you not acquire? From it, is there not the magnificence of fortitude? Is there not the precision of justice? Is there not the solemnity of temperance? Is there not the perfection of prudence? Is there not a way of repentance? Is there not a measure of patience? Is there not whatever good thing you could name? Here is contained the perfect theology, the prediction of the advent of Christ in the flesh, the threat of judgment, the hope of resurrection, the fear of torments, the promises of glory, the revelation of mysteries—all things, as in a great and common storehouse, are treasured up in divine Scripture. B
S. Greg. Thaumat. in laud. Origen. — The same power is needed for those who prophesy and for those who hear the prophets; and no one would understand a prophet unless the Spirit who inspired the prophet granted him the understanding of his words.
The sweetness of spiritual words is insatiable.
— When someone sets up a lifeless image of a child, or a friend, or a kinsman, he thinks that he who has departed is present to him, and through the lifeless image he imagines him in his mind. Much more do we enjoy the presence of the saints through the divine Scriptures, having the images not of their bodies, but of their souls; for the things said by them are images of their souls. — Just as it is not possible for land that is not watered, even if someone casts countless seeds, to bring forth ears of corn, so it is not possible for a soul not first watered by the Scriptures, even if someone pours out countless words, to show any fruit. — Beloved, nevertheless hold fast to the words themselves; for even the mere reading of the Scriptures sanctifies the soul. C And this will not be your only gain, but in time you will also derive more from the continuous reading, as your mind opens of its own accord. D
Ejusdem. Quod periculosum sit ad spectacula pergere. — If images of the body afford some comfort to those who behold them, how much more shall the images of divine Scripture do so? For it is impossible to see those ones everywhere, but they must be fixed in one place. But this one, wherever you go, there is nothing to prevent you from carrying it about.
A For when you have deposited it in the storerooms of the mind, wherever you may be, you will be able to behold it constantly and to reap great benefit from it.
We must occupy ourselves with the divine Scriptures. For just as wine, when drunk, puts an end to sorrow and changes the heart into joy, so too does spiritual wine change the soul into gladness.
And as the sea is open to all, and one swims, another trades, and another catches fish; and as the earth is common, and one travels, another plows, and another builds: in the same way, while Scripture is being read, one is helped toward faith, another toward morality, and from another, superstition is removed through the knowledge of the letters. Finally, the athlete, when he has recognized the Olympic B racecourse, undergoes training, struggles, and becomes victorious, having struck down and overcome his opponents and those who harass the path of knowledge.
TITLE IV. — Concerning divine mysteries.
John vi, 51-59. — "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. Amen, amen I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living C Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven. Not as the fathers ate the manna and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."
I Cor. x, 21, 22. — "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?"
I Cor. xi, 23-29. — "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is D broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner,
A eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord."
St. Chrysostom. — Moses says: "Sacrifice a lamb without blemish, and smear its blood upon the doors" (Exod. XII, 5-7). What are you saying? Can the blood of a creature lacking reason bring salvation to men endowed with reason? Yes, he says. Just as royal statues, although they lack soul and sense, yet save the creatures with souls and senses who take refuge in them—not because they are made of bronze, but because they are the image of the king—so too did that blood, which was without sense or soul, save men possessing souls; not because it was blood, but because it was a type of this blood. When the destroyer saw the blood smeared on the doors, he did not dare to leap upon them. Now, if the devil sees [in you] not blood of the body smeared on doors, but the blood of truth, the blood of the Christ-bearing temple, smeared upon the mouths of the faithful, will he not much more be restrained? For if the angel stood in awe when he saw the type, how much more will the devil flee when he sees the truth? That soldier pierced the side, and opened the wall of the holy temple; and I found the treasure, and received the wealth. Thus it happened concerning the Lamb. The Jews were slaughtering the sheep, and I harvested the sacrifice, from the side, namely, blood and water. — Just as a woman always nourishes the child she has borne with her own blood and milk, so does Christ constantly nourish those whom He has begotten with His own blood.
B What are you doing, O man? With Christ present, with angels standing by, with the table set forth, while your brothers are still being initiated into this mystery, do you yourself leave everything and flee? When you are invited to a meal, even if you are already satiated, you do not dare to depart before your friends while the rest are reclining; yet here, while the mysteries are being performed, while the sacred rite is still taking place, do you leave everything in the middle and depart? And what forgiveness do these things deserve? What defense? Do you wish me to say whose work they perform C who depart before the final Eucharist and do not offer the hymns of thanksgiving at the conclusion of the table? Perhaps what is about to be said is burdensome, but it is nonetheless necessary to say it because of the negligence of many. When Judas partook of the final supper on that last night, while all the others were reclining, he jumped up and went out. Those who jump up before the final prayer imitate him. If he had not gone out, he would not have become a traitor. If he had not left the disciples, he would not have perished. If he had not torn himself away from the flock, the wolf would not have found him and devoured him. If he had not separated himself from the Shepherd, he would not have become prey to wild beasts. D Because of this, he was with the Jews, but these [others] are with the Master; and "after singing a hymn," it says (Matt. XXVI, 30), "they went out immediately." You see that the final prayer after the sacrifice is according to that type. Let us reflect on these things; let us consider them. Let us fear the judgment that lies upon this.
A He imparts his own flesh to you, yet you do not even return the favor with words, nor do you give thanks for what you have received. Moreover, when you have partaken of bodily food and the table has been removed, you betake yourself to prayer; yet when you enjoy spiritual food, which surpasses every creature, both visible and invisible, being a man of lowly nature, do you not persist in offering thanks both in word and in deed? How are these things not worthy of the ultimate punishment? I say these things not so that you might be in an uproar and shout, but so that you might show the proper order. It is called Mysteries, and so it truly is. But where there are mysteries, there must also be deep silence. Therefore, with much compunction, with much good order, and with the reverence that becomes us, let us approach this holy sacrifice, so that we may draw to ourselves the greater benevolence of God, and, having purified our souls, thus be able to attain the eternal goods. B
TITLE V. — Concerning those who are in affliction, cares, and sorrow.
Job III, 20-21. — "Why is light given to those who are in bitterness, and life to the souls that are in sorrows, who desire death, but do not obtain it? Death is rest to a man."
Job VII, 13-15. — "You frighten me with dreams, and terrify me with visions. If I sleep, I say, 'When will it be day?' And if I arise, I say again, 'When will it be evening?' And I am full of sorrows."
Job XVII, 11-14. — "My days have passed in a murmuring. I called death to be my father."
Job XIX, 12. — "They have come together with one accord, the temptations against me."
Ibid. — "I have been forsaken by all; I have perished, and I have become homeless."
Job IX, 18. — "Now the lowest mock me. Now they admonish me in part, those whom I did not consider worthy to be with the dogs of my flocks."
Job XIX, 13-14. — "My brothers have departed from me. They have known strangers rather than me. My friends have become unmerciful. I called my servant, and he did not obey me. My mouth begged, and I supplicated my wife. Have pity on me, O friends, for the hand of the Lord is that which has touched me."
Job XXX, 27. — "My belly boiled, and I will not be silent."
Psal. VI, 6. — "I labored in my groaning; I will wash my bed every night."
Psal. XII, 1. — "How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me unto the end?" etc.
Psal. XVII, 4. — "The pangs of death encompassed me," etc.
Psal. XXI, 14. — "My heart has become like wax melting."
Psal. XXIV, 17. — "The tribulations of my heart have been multiplied," etc.
XLIII, 13. — "You have made us a reproach to our neighbors," etc. "You have humbled us in a place of evil," etc. "Our soul has been humbled to the dust," etc. Psal. LIV, 3. — "I was grieved in my meditation, and I was troubled," etc. Psal. LXVIII, 1. — "Save me, O God, for the waters have entered," etc. "They have been multiplied beyond the hairs," etc. "I have become a stranger to my brethren," etc. — 10. "It has become a reproach to me; and I have set," etc. "I am poor and sorrowful; your salvation," etc. Psal. LXXIX, 8. — "Let your mercies quickly anticipate us," etc. B Psal. LXXXVIII, 8. — "My soul has been filled with evils, and my life," etc. Psal. CVII, 39. — "They were diminished, and they were afflicted by tribulation," etc. Prov. XVII, 22. — "The bones of a sorrowful man are dried up." Prov. XXXI, 6, 7. — "Give strong drink to those who are in sorrow, and wine to those who are in pain, that they may forget their poverty, and remember their labors no more." Prov. XXV, 20. — "As the moth damages a garment, and a worm wood, so does the sorrow of a man damage his heart." Cant. V, 2. — "I sleep, and my heart watches." C Mich. VII, 1, 2. — "Woe is me, my soul, for I have become as one gathering stubble in the harvest, and as a grape-gleaning in the vintage, there being no cluster to eat of the first-fruits." Jon. I, 12. — "Jonas said to them: Take me up, and throw me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm, for I have known that this storm is on my account." Jon. II, 2. — "I cried in my tribulation." Jon. IV, 3. — "Master Lord, take my soul from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." Isa. XXVI, 16. — "Lord, in tribulation we have remembered you, in small tribulation is your instruction to us." Jerem. IV, 19. — "I feel pain in my belly, and the senses of my heart are agitated in me." D Jerem. IX, 1. — "Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? And I will bewail this people day and night." 539 Jerem. XV, 10. — "Woe is me, mother, as one whom you have borne, a man judged and disputing in all the earth? Neither have I profited, nor has anyone profited me. My strength has failed in those who curse me." Jerem. XX, 14. — "Cursed be the day in which I was born, in it; the day in which my mother bore me, let it not be desirable. Why did I come out from the womb to see labors
and sorrows, and my days were consumed in confusion?" Jerem. XXIII, 9. — "My heart is broken within me, all my bones have trembled: I am become as a man broken, and as a man overcome by the face of the Lord." Jerem. LI, 34. — "Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon has devoured me like a dragon; he has filled his belly with my food. My labors have cast me into Babylon." Baruch II, 18. — "The soul that is sad, and the soul that hungers, shall give glory and justice, O Lord." Baruch IV, 12, 13. — "Let no man rejoice over me, a widow, B deserted by many. Walk, my children, walk; for I have been left desolate. I have put off the robe of peace; I have put on sackcloth of supplication." Thren. I, 9, 20, 21. — "Behold, O Lord, my humiliation, for the enemy has been magnified. Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress, my belly is troubled, and my heart is turned within me. He has fed me with bitterness, he has made me drunk with wormwood. He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has fed me with ashes; he has kept my soul far from peace." Eccli. IV, 2. — "Do not provoke to anger a man in his anxiety. Do not further trouble a heart that is already irritated." Eccli. VII, 12. — "Do not mock a man in the bitterness of his soul; for there is one who humbles, and one who exalts." Eccli. XI, 29. — "The misery of an hour makes one forget C delights." Eccli. XXX, 12, 13. — "Better is death than a bitter life, and eternal rest than a lingering sickness. Give not up thy soul to grief, and cast grief far from thee. For grief has killed many, and there is no profit in it." Eccli. XXXVIII, 19. — "From grief comes death, and the grief of the heart will bow down strength. Do not give your heart to grief, but cast it away from you, mindful of the last things." Act. XIV, 21. — "Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heaven." II Cor. VII, 5, 6. — "When we were come to Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we suffered tribulation on all sides: fightings without, D fears within. But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus." II Cor. II, 1-3. — "I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I grieve you, who is there that can make me glad, but he who is grieved by me? And I wrote this same thing to you, that when I came, I might not have sorrow upon sorrow from those of whom I ought to rejoice." S. Basil. in Psal. LXI. — God is wont to grant help out of the most grievous tribulation to those who seek Him. Are you struggling with disease? Be of steady mind. For whom the Lord loves, He chastises (Prov. III, 12). Are you suffering scorn for the sake of the name of God? Blessed are you, because your shame [shall be] unto…
changed into the glory of an angel. Let us therefore persuade ourselves, brethren, in the time of temptation not to turn to human hopes, nor to seek help from them, but to offer our supplications with tears and groans, and diligent prayer, and intense wakefulness. For he who scorns human help as vain receives help from the affliction. — The companionship of groans brings comfort to him who is suffering in sorrows. — Rebuke is burdensome to those whose soul is harmed by sorrow. — There is a time when even this, affliction, is a good medicine for salvation. — Affliction also makes kings humble.
Do not be too greatly bitten by painful things. For if we are less grieved, they are less painful. B S. Greg. Naz. in S. Basil. — Do not be greatly bitten by painful things. For the less sorrow we conceive from them, the less painful they are.
S. Chrysost. — For the troubles by which we are vexed, we either blot out sins, or, if we do not have so many sins, we receive more brilliant crowns. — If you desire to enter into the kingdom of heaven, invite affliction. For he who is not afflicted will in no wise enter, because the gate is narrow.
S. Nili. — He who presses himself in the narrow way, this man will also without doubt attain that divine breadth and rest in the heavenly courts. But he who expands himself in the present life through luxury, and drunkenness, and fading glory, will not enter, even if he should use force. C — The Lord has commanded you to call upon Him in the day of affliction. Therefore we must not hesitate, but in every time we must call upon God, and most especially in times of affliction, so that we may show to our enemies that we have not been swallowed up by circumstances, but look toward God with confidence.
Fifth is our contest against the spirit of sorrow, which darkens the soul from every spiritual contemplation and prevents it from every good work. For when this evil spirit encompasses the soul and darkens it completely, it does not allow it to perform prayers with readiness, nor to persist in the benefit of sacred readings. It does not suffer a man to be gentle and ready to mingle with his brethren. And it even creates D hatred toward the very promise of life. For this reason our one purpose is to fight the spiritual fight, and with all guard to keep our own hearts from the spirit of sorrow. For as a moth eats a garment, and a worm wood, so sorrow gnaws the soul of man, persuading it to turn away from every good encounter; and allowing it neither to receive counsel from genuine friends, nor permitting it to share a kind and peaceful answer, but having taken hold of the whole soul, it fills it with bitterness and unpleasantness. And further, it suggests to
us the thought that we should flee from those very people as if they were the authors of this sadness for us. This kind of sadness we ought to avoid just as we do fornication, 541 A greed for money, anger, and the remaining passions. Yet this is cured by prayer, by hope in God, and by the meditation on the divine Scriptures.
TIT. VI. — On death, and the state of those in Hades.
Job vii, 9. — "If a man goes down to Hades, he shall not ascend again, nor shall his place know him any more." Job x, 21. — "A land of darkness and gloom, a land of eternal darkness, where there is no light, and where it is not permitted to see the life of men." Ps. vi, 5. — "There is no one in death who remembers you," etc. Ps. xxix, 9. — "What profit is there in my blood, when I descend?" etc. Ps. lxxxvii, 11. — "Will anyone tell of your mercy in the grave?" etc. Ps. cxv, 17. — "The dead will not praise you, O Lord, nor all," etc. Eccli. xvii, 27. — "Who will praise the Most High in Hades? From the dead, as one who is not, confession perishes." Eccli. xli, 1-4. — "There is no accusation of life in Hades. O death, how bitter is your memory to a man who has peace in his possessions; to a man who is quiet, and whose ways are prosperous in everything, and who is still able to receive food! O death, how good is your judgment to a man who is needy and failing in strength, in extreme old age, and who is anxious about everything, and disbelieving, and has lost patience!" Prov. xxvii, 20. — "Hades and destruction are not filled." S. Basil. hom. *That God is not the author of evil*. — The evils that are in Hades do not have God as their author, but us ourselves. S. Chrysost. — Hades is a common lodging house, and a workshop of laments.
TIT. VII. — On the dead: and that we ought not to mourn for those who have departed.
Levit. xix, 28. — "You shall not make any cuttings on your flesh for the dead." II Reg. i, 26, 27. — "I am in distress for you, my brother Jonathan: you were very dear to me. Your love was wonderful to me, above the love of women." II Reg. xii, 20-23. — "David rose from the earth, and washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes, and entered the house of God, and worshipped Him. And he asked for bread to eat, and they set bread before him, and he ate. And his servants said to him: What is this word that you have done? You fasted and wept and kept watch while the child was yet alive; and
when he was dead, you arose, and ate bread and drank. And David said: While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said: Who knows if the Lord will have mercy on me, and the child will live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Shall I be able to bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. A
Sacra Parallela
"They spent their lives in good things, and in the rest of Hades they slept." [Job xxi, 13]
"There they rested, fatigued in body; unanimously the eternal ones did not hear the voice of the exactor. Small and great are there, and the servant fearing his lord." [Job iii, 18]
B "If a man dies, shall he live, having completed the days of his life?" [Job xiv, 14]
"You shall come to the grave, as ripe wheat harvested in its season." [Job v, 26]
"Death is a rest for a man." [Job xvii, 16]
"Let the blessing of him who is perishing come upon me." [Job xxix, 13]
"It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." [Eccli. vii, 2]
"For man has gone to his eternal house, and the mourners have surrounded him in the market-place." [Eccli. xii, 5]
"As he came out of his mother’s womb naked, he shall return as he came, and he shall take nothing from his labor, that he may go with it in his hand." [Eccle. v, 15]
"A good day of death is better than the day of his birth." [Eccle. vii, 1]
"Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long times; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord; therefore He hastened to take him out of the midst of wickedness." [Sap. iv, 13]
C "Do not fall short of those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn." [Eccli. vii, 32]
"Do not rejoice over the dead; remember that we all die." [Eccli. viii, 7]
"Music in mourning is an untimely narration. Weep over the dead; for the light has failed. Mourning for the dead is seven days." [Eccli. xxii, 6] [Eccli. xxxviii, 14, 15]
"Child, let fall tears for the dead, and make lamentation according to his merit for one day, and two for the sake of detraction; and be comforted because of your sorrow. For know that there is no return. For you will not benefit him, and you will injure yourself. For from sorrow comes death." [Eccli. xxxviii, 14, 15]
"When a man dies, he will inherit reptiles, and beasts, and worms." [Eccli. x, 11]
Neither to women nor to men is it permitted to indulge excessively in grief and tears, but only so far as to draw some sorrow from sad and grievous things, and to shed a little tear, and that quietly, neither boiling over, nor wailing, nor rending one’s tunic, nor casting dust D upon
A oneself, nor adopting any of those other disgraceful practices of those who are ignorant of human affairs. For it is the sign of a faint heart, one that has gathered no strength from hope in God, to collapse violently and break down at grievous events. For just as worms are bred mostly in the softest woods, so too do sorrows take root in the softer characters of men.
S. Chrysost. — Do not, therefore, look at that dead man, who has closed his eyes and lies voiceless, but look upon him rising again, and behold him as a partaker of an immortal and tremendous glory. But you seek his familiarity and the custom of his life, and for that reason you mourn, and groan, and weep? And how can you B maintain that this is not inconsistent? For if you have given your daughter in marriage, and then the husband takes her and departs to a far country, and continues to fare well, you do not consider what has happened to be a terrible thing, but you use the report of his prosperity to soothe your despondency. Here, however, when it is not a man, not a friend, not a relative who has taken him, but the Lord himself, is it right for us to be distressed and to lament? But how is it possible, you ask, for a man, being human, to abstain from weeping and lamenting? I do not say this, but I do away with the intensity of the despondency. For to be sorrowful is of nature, but to be so beyond measure is of madness, of diabolical operation, and of a womanish soul. Grieve, shed tears, but do not be overcome by discouragement, do not be vexed, do not be angry. Give thanks to Him who has taken him, so that you may adorn the departed and provide him with bright funeral rites. For if you are vexed or angry, you have insulted both him and the One who has taken him, and you have harmed yourself. But if you give thanks, you have both adorned him, and glorified the One who has taken him, and benefited yourself. Weep as your Lord wept for Lazarus, setting for us measures, and weights, and boundaries of sorrow, which it is not right to overstep. Thus, also, Paul said: "But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope" (I Thess. IV, 12). Be sorrowful, but not as a Gentile who has no hope at all of his own life, and who does not at all look to the coming C resurrection. Believe me, beloved, that I am ashamed when I pass through the marketplace and hear the choruses of immodest women, with plucked hair, lacerated cheeks, and arms cut open. What, then, will the Gentiles say against us? What? Are these not they who philosophize about the resurrection, yet in their deeds do the things of those who are in despair? For if they were confident that there is truly a resurrection of the dead, they would not lament in this way. Why do you weep so, tell me, for the departed? Was he wicked? Then for that very reason you ought to give thanks that he was snatched away sooner, before his character could be changed, and God took him away into a region where he henceforth dwells with security, and from which change D cannot even be suspected anymore. But was he young? And for that reason you ought to give thanks...
to the One who took him, because he called him more quickly to the life above. But was he an old man? And for that reason, praise the One who took him all the more, and give thanks again. Let us feel ashamed at the appearance of the funeral procession. For this reason, there are prayers, and psalms, and thanksgiving to God, so that you might not weep and lament, but rather that you might give thanks to God who took him. For in the way that all escort those who are being called to authority with much honor, so also [do we escort] this one with much honor, as one called to greater dignity, and honor, and manner of life. Death is rest, a release from the labors and cares of life. Do not be vexed, do not be exasperated, but give thanks to God. B St. Basil, Homily on the Martyr Julitta. Why have you not accustomed yourself to think mortal thoughts regarding a mortal, but rather received the death of your child as something unlooked-for? When the birth of your son was first announced to you, if someone had asked you what kind of thing had been born, what indeed would you have answered? Would you have said anything else, save that it is a human being that has been born? But if it is a human being, it is also mortal. Do you not see the sun rising, and again setting? The moon waxing, and then waning? The earth blossoming, and then drying up? What of the things around us stands firm? What has a nature that is motionless and unchangeable? Look up to heaven, and look at the earth; not even these things endure forever. For heaven and earth will pass away, He says, the stars will fall from heaven, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light (Matt. xxiv). What is surprising, then, if we too, being part of the world, partake in the lot of worldly things? C For the separation of habit is quite grievous even to the irrational creatures. And at that time I saw an ox at the manger shedding tears for his yoke-mate and fellow-yoke-fellow who had died, and it is possible to see the rest of the irrational creatures clinging strongly to companionship. But you have not learned thus, nor have you been taught. For it is not at all absurd to receive the beginning of friendship from long conversation and time-honored habit; but to lament a separation because of the association that has existed with us for the longest time is altogether irrational. For example, a wife fell to your lot as a partner in life, providing you with every pleasure while she lived; she was a creator of cheerfulness, a conciliator of joys, she increased pleasant things along with you, and in sad times she took away the greatest part of the troubles. But she was suddenly snatched away and is gone. Do not be savage at the affliction, nor say that what has happened is a chance occurrence of some kind, as if no governor were ordering the world; nor...
fall away from the bounds of piety. For since you two existed as one flesh, there is much pardon for you, who receive the dichotomy and the division of the union with pains; yet for this reason alone, it is not profitable for you to think of things that are not fitting, or to utter them. For consider that God, who fashioned us and gave us a soul, granted a private span of time to each soul, and fixed other limits for its departure. For He ordained one to remain longer in the presence of the flesh, while He decreed another to be released more quickly from the bonds of the body, according to the ineffable reasons of His wisdom and justice. As, therefore, those who are cast into prisons, some are locked up for a longer time in the misery of the dungeons, while others find a speedier release from their hardship: so also with souls, some are held longer in this life, while others for a shorter time, according to the proportion of each one's merit, with God our Creator governing and moderating the affairs of each of us wisely and deeply, and in a way that the human mind cannot grasp. Do you not hear David saying, "Bring my soul out of prison?" (Ps. CXLI, 10.) Did you not hear about the saint, that his soul was released? And what of Simeon? When he embraced our Lord, what voice did he utter? Was it not this: "Now dismiss your servant, Master?" (Luc. II, 29.) For to one who is hastening with a swift course toward the life above, staying with the body is more bitter than any torture or any prison. Do not, therefore, seek for the dispensations concerning souls to comply with your own pleasure; but concerning those who were united with you in life and thenceforth have been separated by death, consider this: that they are like travelers who are journeying along the same road and do not fall away from the bounds of piety. For since you were altogether...
Neither untimely deaths, nor any other misfortunes that happen unexpectedly, will ever terrify us if we are trained in the doctrine of piety. For example, I had a young son, the only successor of my lineage, a consolation of old age, the ornament of the family, the pride of his peers, the pillar of the house, living the sweetest part of his age: he has been snatched away by death and is gone, and has become earth and ashes, he who a little while ago, as he spoke, was listened to with pleasure, and offered a most pleasing spectacle to the eyes of his father. What then shall I do? Shall I tear my garment, and shall I allow myself to wallow on the ground, and to lament, and to be affected by some intolerable grief, and to show myself to those present like some child crying out and convulsing at the blows of the lash? Or, by paying attention to the necessity of what is taking place, that the law of death is inescapable, moving through every age alike, and dissolving all composite things in turn, shall I not be surprised at the occurrence? Shall I not suffer my mind to be overthrown as if struck down by unexpected blows, having been instructed long ago that being mortal, I had a mortal child, and that nothing human is secure, nor is it in its nature to remain forever with those who possess it? But even great cities...
which were adorned at that time by the splendor of their buildings, by the power of their inhabitants, and by the remaining abundance and wealth of the region, the forum, and the markets, now bear in their ruins alone the signs of their former magnificence. Furthermore, a ship that has frequently escaped the sea unscathed, has traversed the main six hundred times with rapid speed, and has carried countless goods for merchants, has been overwhelmed by a single gust of wind and taken from our midst. Armies, too, that have often defeated enemies in battle, once their prosperity has been overturned, have become a pitiable spectacle and a subject of discourse. Even entire nations and islands, B having advanced to great power and having erected many trophies on land and at sea, and having gathered much wealth from spoils, have in time been consumed or, having been taken captive, have exchanged their freedom for slavery. And, to sum it all up, you could call no evil, however great or unbearable, that human life does not have examples of.
C See D from the Homily of St. Chrysostom on I Thessalonians: You see in the Epistle to the Thessalonians how the Apostle writes concerning those who have fallen asleep—he did not say "concerning the dead"—*that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope* (I Thess. IV, 13). To lament, therefore, over those who have departed is the mark of those who have no hope. For a soul that knows nothing of the resurrection, but thinks that this death is immortal, is naturally crushed and mourns over those who have been lost, and grieves unbearably. But you who expect a resurrection, for what reason do you lament? It is for those who do not have hope to lament. Hearken, you women who are prone to mourning, you who give way uncontrollably to the passions of the soul, for you are acting after the manner of the Gentiles. But if it is heathen to grieve over those who have departed, then tell me, whose custom is it to beat the breast and tear the cheeks? Why do you mourn? If you believe that he will rise again, he has not perished. When, therefore, you lose a child in the flower of his youth, who is not yet able to do anything, why do you mourn? What are you seeking? "He was showing promise of fine hopes," she says, "and I was expecting that he would be my protector. For this reason I seek my husband, for this reason my son; and for this reason I beat my breast and mourn, not disbelieving in the resurrection, but having been left without my support, having lost my protector, my housemate, one who shared in all things, one who consoled me: these are the things I mourn. I know he will rise again, but I cannot bear the intervening separation. A great crowd of affairs presses upon me; I am exposed to any who wish to do me harm. These are the things that do not allow me to bear my widowhood with a calm mind." If you grieve for these reasons, why do you speak of second marriages? Do not love the husband more than God, and you will never sense widowhood. Why? Because you have as a protector Him who loves you more—the Immortal One. Who gave him to you, O woman? Was it not He? And who made you? Was it not He? Of how much anger are these things the...
A words? What did you have of such sort from your husband? For if he did even show some kindness, it was because he was receiving kindness from you. But in the case of God, you could not say any such thing. For God does not grant us blessings because He receives them from us; rather, being in need of nothing, He does good to the human race out of goodness alone. He promised you kingdoms, gave you immortal life, glory, and adoption, and made you a co-heir with the Only-Begotten. And you mourn your husband? What did he bestow of such a sort? He made his sun rise, gave rain, and nourishes you with the sustenance of the years. Woe to us for our great ingratitude! For this reason He takes away the husband, so that you might not seek him, when you ought to give thanks, when you ought to cast everything upon Him. For what is there that you obtained from your husband? Birth-pangs, and pains, and insults, and revilings, and often reproaches and grievances. Are these not the things that happen to you from husbands? But, you say, there were also other good things. What indeed are these? He adorned you with costly garments; he placed gold about your face; he made you B respected by all. This King also has garments, but not of that sort; there is a raiment that has gold for ornament. If you wish, clothe your soul. "But," you say, "he did not make me a person subject to contempt." What is so great about that? Yet widowhood does not allow you to become a subject of contempt to the demons. Then you controlled your servants, if indeed you controlled them at all; but now, in place of servants, you command incorporeal powers, principalities, and authorities, and indeed the Ruler of the world Himself. But are you anxious about how to raise the children who have been left behind? The Father of the orphans will take care of them. Who gave them to you, tell me? Do you not hear Him who says in the Gospels that "the life is more than food, and the body than clothing" (Luke XII, 23)? Do you see that our mourning arises from habit, C indeed from faithlessness? "But," you say, "are the children of a deceased father not brilliant?" Why, when they have God as their Father, are they not brilliant? How many can I show you who were raised by widows and became illustrious, and how many who were under fathers and became corrupted and perished? Do not look toward those who are girded with golden belts, nor those carried on horses, nor those shining in royal halls because of their fathers, nor those having as escorts and pedagogues. For these are perhaps the things that cause the widow to beat her breast concerning the orphans, when she thinks to herself: "Even this, my child, had his father still been living, would have enjoyed such great blessedness; but now he is in gloom and disgrace, and is worthy of no account." D Do not think these things, O woman, but open wide the gates of heaven; discern with your reason the kingdoms there. Look at the King seated there. It is possible, if you wish, to serve Him in the heavens; enroll yourself in that army. For those enrolled there are not carried on horses, but in clouds; they do not walk upon the earth, but are caught up into heaven; they do not have children as their guides, but the angels themselves; they have not stood before a mortal king, but before the immortal King of those who reign; they do not have a leathern girdle about their loins, but that ineffable glory, and
become more brilliant than those of kings. For in those royal palaces, not wealth, not nobility, not anything else but virtue is sought. You have been separated from your husband, but you have been joined to Christ. You do not have as a companion a fellow servant, but you have the Master. When you pray, do you not converse with God? When you read, you hear Him speaking to you. And what does He say to you? Words much gentler than those of any man. For a husband, even if he flatters, there is not much honor in it, for he is a fellow servant. When, therefore, the Master flatters his handmaid, then there is great healing. How, then, does He not heal us? Listen. B "Come to me," He says, "all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt. xi, 28). And again through the prophet He cries out, saying: "Can a woman forget her offspring, the fruit of her womb? And if a woman should forget, yet I will not forget you, says the Lord" (Isa. xlix, 15). How much love these words carry! "Turn to me, and you shall be saved." What is sweeter than these words? Do you see the conversation of God with men? Endure, therefore, so that you may enjoy eternal blessings.
For was Job of an adamantine heart? Was his inward parts made of stone? His ten children perished in a brief moment of time, crushed by a single blow in the house of pleasure, at the time of enjoyment, when the devil shook the building upon them. He saw the table mingled with blood; he saw his children born at different times, but departed from life together. He did not wail; he did not tear his hair; he did not let out any base cry, but he uttered that famous and universally praised [saying] with boldness: "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it pleased the Lord, so it came to pass; may the name of the Lord be blessed forever" (Job i, 21). Was this man unfeeling? And how, when he says about himself, "I wept for every wretch" (Job xxx, 25)?
D Have you been shamed? But look toward the glory laid up in the heavens through patience. Have you suffered loss? But gaze upon the heavenly wealth and the treasure which you have stored up for yourself through good deeds. Have you been cast out of your country? But you have the heavenly country, Jerusalem. Have you lost a child? But you have angels with whom you will dance around the throne of God, and you will be gladdened with eternal joy. By setting the expected blessings against present miseries in this way, you will preserve for yourself a state of mind free from grief and untroubled, to which the law of the Apostle invites us. Neither look upon the bright
A things of men as if they should bring boundless joy to your soul, nor let sorrows lower its pride through gloom and contraction.
St. Basil, *in mart. Jul.* — It is appropriate to be sad at the calamities of those who mourn. For only thus will you win over the souls of those who suffer, if you do not display a cheerful spirit in the midst of their bitter misfortunes, nor hold the sorrows of others in contempt. Yet it is not right to be affected by excessive grief along with those who mourn, nor to cry out and suffer with him who struggles against adverse fortune, or in other respects to imitate and follow one whom pain has darkened. For by doing so, you will increase the calamity rather than soften it.
*Ibid.* — He who wishes to raise up one who is lying down must by all means be on higher ground than the fallen one. But he who has fallen equally himself needs another to raise him up; yet it is right to be bitten by what happens and to be silently sad with those who mourn.
*Ibid.* — Why do we not entrust our assets to the prudent Lord, that He may manage them as He pleases, but instead, as though we were being stripped of our own property, we are furious, and we grieve for those who have departed this life as if they had been wronged?
*Ibid.* — Let us be pained that we delay in the tombs which we carry about; that, having been made gods, we die the death of sin, as human beings.
St. Greg. Naz., *Orat. in Caesar.* — How much longer shall we mourn the departed? Are we not hastening to the same dwelling? Are we not shortly to enter the same stone? Shall we not soon be the same dust? Such is our life, brothers; such is the play on earth: to be born when we were not, and, having been born, to melt away. C
St. Chrysost. — Do not begrudge the rest of your son, O man; but know that he who has died has migrated to a better joy and has journeyed to a superior region; and you have not lost your son, but have instead placed him in a secure abode. See to it, therefore, that you do not say: "I shall no longer be called father." For what is it, I ask, because the son remains, that you should cease to be called father? Have you lost your son? Have you suffered the loss of a child? Rather, you have gained him, and you have him more securely. For this reason, you are called father not only here, but also in heaven.
St. Nilus — Do not lament for the dead. For this journey is common, and blessed is he who goes before.
TITLE VIII. — On death, and the fear arising from it.
Gen. XII, 10–19. — "And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there. And he said to his wife: I know that you are a beautiful woman; it shall be, therefore, when the Egyptians see you, they will say: She is his wife, and they will kill me, but you they will spare. Say, therefore, I beseech you, that I am his sister, so that it may be well with me
and that my soul may live on your account. A And it came to pass when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians, seeing that the woman was very beautiful, praised her before Pharaoh, and they acted kindly toward Abram for her sake. And God beset Pharaoh with great and grievous afflictions, and his house, on account of Sarah, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh, calling Abram, said to him: "Why have you done this to me, and did not tell me that she is your wife? And I took her for myself as a wife; and behold your wife, and taking her, depart."
«Abraham sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said concerning his wife, that "She is my sister." For he was afraid to say, "She is my wife," lest the men of the city might kill him. Abimelech said to Abraham: "Why have you done this to me?" And Abraham said: "I said, perhaps there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me for her sake."» B Similarly, Isaac sojourned in Gerar, and spoke in like manner concerning Rebecca.
«David was afraid from the face of Achish, king of Gath, and he changed his countenance; and he was carried away, and fell down, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.»
«Jezebel sent to Elijah, and said: "May the gods do so to me, and may they add so, if tomorrow I do not set your soul like the soul of one of them." And he was afraid, and traveled a journey of forty days.» C
«Then the disciples, leaving Jesus, fled.»
It is inherent in every human being to fear death.
TITLE IX. — Concerning the Sea.
«By his power he stilled the sea, and by his wisdom he laid out its depth.» (Job xxvi, 12)
«I shut in the sea with gates, when it burst forth and was going out from its mother’s womb. I set a cloud as its clothing, and I wrapped it in mist as in swaddling bands. And I set boundaries, placing bars and gates, and I said to it: "Up to this point you shall come, and you shall not go beyond, but in yourself your waves shall be broken."» (Job xxxviii, 8–10)
«Gathering as into a bottle the waters of the sea,» and so forth. (Ps. xxxii, 7)
«Who troubles the depth of the sea,» and so forth. (Ps. lxiv, 7) D
«You confirmed the sea in your power, you crushed,» and so forth. (Ps. lxxiii, 14)
«This sea is great and spacious,» and so forth. (Ps. ciii, 23)
«Those who go down to the sea in ships,» and so forth. (Ps. cvi, 23)
«All the streams go into the sea, and the sea is not filled.» (Eccl. i, 7)
«When he gave the sea his determination, and the waters shall not pass beyond his commandment.» (Prov. viii, 27)
A Isa. XLIII, 16. — «The Lord who gives a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.» Jerem. v, 22, 23. — «Who placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, by an everlasting ordinance, and it shall not overpass it. And they shall be moved, and its waves shall roar, and they shall not overpass it. Who gave a sound in the sea, and quieted its waves; the Lord Almighty is his name.»
Sap. XIV, 2-5. — «That a ship might carry merchandise, men devised, and the craftsman built it by his wisdom. But thy providence, O Father, governs it: for thou hast given a way even in the sea, and a most sure path in the waters, showing that thou art able to save out of everything, even if a man go to sea without art. But thou willest not that the works of thy wisdom should be idle; and therefore men entrust their lives even to a little piece of wood, and passing through the waves on a raft have been saved.»
Eccli. XLIII, 16, 17. — «They that sail on the sea have told of the danger thereof, and by the hearing of our ears we admire it. And there are clear works and wonders, the habitation of every living thing, the creation of monsters.»
S. Basil. hom. 4 in Hexaem. — The sea, frequently driven into fury by the winds and rising to a very great height with its waves, as soon as it touches the shores, breaks its force into foam and returns. «Will you not fear me?» says the Lord, «who place the sand as a boundary for the sea?» With sand, which is the weakest of all things, the sea, which the violence of the winds makes intolerable, is restrained as if by a bridle.
Ibid. — Truly a pleasant spectacle is the whitening sea, when firm tranquility holds it; and pleasant also when, roughened by gentle breezes, it casts upon the eyes of those who look at it a purple or azure color; when it does not strike the neighboring land violently, but greets it as if with certain peaceful embraces.
Ibid. — The sea connects lands far distant from one another by its bond, providing free commerce for those who sail, and becomes a source of wealth for merchants, and easily repairs the necessities of life: providing an export for the surplus for those who are in abundance, and bestowing what is lacking upon those who are in need. C
S. Greg. Naz. orat. 2 Theol. — If I could not admire the magnitude of the sea, at least I would admire its gentleness, and how, although it is loose, it keeps itself within its own bounds. But if I could not admire its gentleness, I would certainly pursue its magnitude with admiration. Since, however, both are in it, let us praise its power in both. What compelled it? What bound it as if with certain chains? In what way does it rise and yet consist within its own limits, as if it feared the neighboring land? How does it receive all rivers, and yet itself remain the same through the abundance of its overflow? How is sand a boundary for it? How great a commandment did He surround the element with upon the face of the water? This is the bond of the liquid nature. And how does it lead the terrestrial traveler with a small piece of wood and with the wind; do you not marvel to see this? Does your mind not stand in awe, so that earth and sea may be bound by the D
A necessity of commerce for necessary uses, and for the sake of man they might come together, though by nature they are so greatly divided from each other?
S. Greg. Naz. orat. 1. — For what shall I say of the sea and the earth, which placidly intermingle, and kindly give and receive, and with great humanity nourish man, abundantly and generously supplying him with their own riches?
S. Chrysost. — *They that go down to the sea in ships, they have seen the works of the Lord in the deep* (Ps. CVI, 23, 24). What works? The sea swelling up to the clouds, the earth shining forth in the midst of the waters, the ship hanging from a lofty wave, now sliding down into the depths as if over precipices, and now again rising up as the wave lifts it as if from a sling.
Ejusd. — The sea, troubled from its lowest depths by the force of the winds and driven with great violence, does not pass over the boundaries of the sand. *For you set a boundary,* he says, *which it shall not pass.* But when a wave, rolling from the open sea, runs along and foams and hollows itself out, and roars, and is immediately broken back and curls itself, and curls over like one struggling upon its own head, it bows down in reverence and fear, and dissolves into itself, and does not cross the boundary of the sand. O the wonder! The great and terrible sea is walled in by sand—the Euripus of sand—and thin earth, downy and scattered here and there by the winds, becomes a curb to the raging waves, acting as a wall, and holding back and restraining the furious billows. B
Philon. — It is worth marveling at the sea, by whose benefit the regions of the earth exchange goods with one another, and both receive what they lack and send back that of which they have a surplus.
TIT. X. — Concerning daughters.
Num. xxx, 3-5. — "If a woman should make a vow, and bind herself by an oath, in the house of her father in her youth, and her father hears her vows, and the bonds which she has sworn against her soul, and her father keeps silent, all her vows shall stand, and they shall remain for her. But if her father repeatedly disallows all her vows and the bonds which she has sworn, they shall not stand; and the Lord will forgive her, because her father disallowed them."
"Have you daughters? Be concerned for their body, and do not show them a cheerful face. Give away your daughter, and you will have accomplished a great work, and give her to a man of understanding." C
"A daughter is a secret wakefulness to a father, and concern for her takes away sleep."
"Over an unruly daughter, establish a strong guard."
"A daughter becomes a loss."