 COMMENTARY IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, CEREMONS XII THROUGH TWENTY-FIVE. CEREMON XII PART I. COMMENTARY IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, CEREMONS XII THROUGH TWENTY-FIVE, by Cyril of Alexandria, translated by R. Paine Smith. CEREMON XII THE TWELTH CEREMON OF THE COMMENTARY UPON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, by St. Cyril, upon the fast of our Lord in the flesh. From the Syriac. IV. ONE THROUGH TWO. But Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, and continued in the Spirit in the wilderness forty days, being tempted of the devil, and He ate nothing during those days, and when they were accomplished He hungered. The blessed prophets, when speaking of the only begotten Word of God, of Him who is equal unto God in glory and the sharer of His throne, and radiant in perfect equality unto Him, lead us to the persuasion that He was manifested as a Saviour and Deliverer for those upon earth by saying, O rise, O Lord, help me. He arose therefore and helped, having taken the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men. For so did He, as one of us, set Himself as an Avenger in our stead. Against that murderous and rebellious serpent, who had brought sin upon us, and thereby had caused corruption and death to reign over the dwellers upon earth, that we by His means and in Him might gain the victory, whereas of old we were vanquished and fallen in Adam. Come, therefore, and let us praise the Lord, and sing psalms unto God our Saviour. Let us trample Satan underfoot. Let us raise the shout of victory over him, now he is thrown and fallen. Let us exult over the crafty reptile, caught in an inextricable snare. Let us, too, say of him in the words of the Prophet Jeremiah. How is the hammer of all the earth broken and beaten small? Thou art found and hast been taken, because thou stoodest against the Lord. For of old, that is, before the time of the advent of Christ the Saviour of all, the universal enemy had somewhat grand and terrible notions about himself, for he boastfully exalted over the infirmity of the inhabitants of the earth, saying, I will hold the world in my hand as a nest, and as eggs that are left I will take it up, and no one shall escape from me or speak against me. And in very truth there was no one of those upon earth who could rise up against his power. But the Son rose up against him, and contended with him, having been made like unto us. And therefore, as I said, human nature, as victorious in him, wins the crown. And this in old time the Son himself proclaimed, where by one of the holy prophets he thus addresses Satan, Behold, I am against thee, O corrupting mountain, that corruptest the whole earth. Come, therefore, and let us see what the blessed evangelist says, when Christ was now going to battle on our behalf with him who corrupted the whole earth. But Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan. Here, behold, I pray, man's nature anointed with the grace of the Holy Ghost in Christ as the first fruits, and crowned with the highest honors, for of old indeed the God of all promised, saying, It shall come to pass in those days, that I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh. And the promise is fulfilled for us in Christ first. And whereas, of those in old time, who without restraint gave way to fleshly lust, God somewhere said, My spirit shall not dwell in these men, because they are flesh. Now, because all things have become new in Christ, and we are enriched with the regeneration that is by water and spirit. For no longer are we children of flesh and blood, but rather call God our Father. Therefore it is, and very justly, that as being now in honor and possessing the glorious privilege of adoption, we have been made partakers of the Divine Nature by the communication of the Holy Ghost. But he who is the first born among us, when he became so among many brethren, and yielded himself to emptiness, was the first to receive the Spirit, although himself the giver of the Spirit, that this dignity and the grace of fellowship with the Holy Ghost might reach us by his means. Something like this Paul also teaches us, where speaking both of him and us, he says, For both he that sanctifyeth, and they that are sanctified, are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them his brethren, saying, I will declare thy name to my brethren. For as being in no degree ashamed to call us brethren, whose likeness he took, therefore having transferred to himself our poverty, he is sanctified with us, although himself the sanctifier of all creation, that thou mightest not see him refusing the measure of human nature, who consented for the salvation and life of all to become man. When therefore the wise evangelist says of him, but Jesus being full of the Spirit returned from the Jordan, Be not offended, nor heir from the mark in thy inward thoughts, and wander from the doctrine of the truth, as to the way and manner in which the Word, who is God, was sanctified. But rather understand the wisdom of the economy, by reason of which also he is the object of our admiration. For he was made flesh and became man, not to avoid whatever belongs to man's estate, and despise our poverty, but that we might be enriched with what is his, by his having been made like unto us in every particular sin only accepted. He is sanctified therefore as man, but sanctifies as God. For being by nature God, he was made man. He was led therefore, it says, in the Spirit and the wilderness forty days, being tempted of the devil. What therefore is the meaning of the Word led? It signifies not so much that he was conducted thither, as that he dwelt and continued there. For we are ourselves also accustomed to say of any one who lives religiously, so and so, whoever it may be, is a well-conducted person. And we give the title of pedagogue not to signify, according to the literal interpretation, that they actually lead and conduct boys, but that they take care of them, and well and laudably train them, educating and teaching them to conduct themselves with propriety. He dwelt therefore in the wilderness in the Spirit, that is, spiritually, for he fasted, granting no food whatsoever to the necessities of the body. But to this I imagine someone may immediately object. And what harm, then, did it do Jesus to be constantly dwelling in cities? And in what way could it benefit him to choose to inhabit the wilderness? For there is no good thing of which he is in want. And why, too, did he also fast? What necessity was there for him to labor, who knows not what it is to feel the rising of any depraved desire? For we adopt the practice of fasting as a very useful expedient by which to mortify pleasures, and above it the law of sin that is in our members, and extirpate those emotions which lead on to fleshly lust. But what need had Christ afasting, for he it is by whom the Father slays the sin in the flesh? And knowing this, the Divine Paul wrote, He therefore, who even in us miserable beings mortifies the motions of the flesh, and has abolished sin, what fasting could he need in ought that concerns himself? He is holy, undefiled by nature, holy, pure, and without blemish. He cannot experience even the shadow of a change. Why, therefore, did he make his abode in the wilderness, and fast, and endure being tempted? The type has regard to us, my beloved. He sets before us his acts as our example, and establishes a model of the better and more admirable mode of life practiced among us, I mean, that of the holy monks. For whence was it possible for men on earth to know that the habit of dwelling in deserts was useful for them, and highly advantageous for salvation? For they retire from waves and storms as it were, from the utter turmoil and vain distractions of this world, and, so to speak, like the Blessed Joseph, they strip off and give back to the world all that belongs to it. And something like this the wise Paul too says of those who are want so to live. But those who are Jesus Christ have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts. And he shows to those who choose this mode of life that abstinence is necessary, of which the fruit is fasting in the power of endurance, and of abstaining from or taking but little food. For so will Satan when he tempts be overcome. But observe this especially, that he was first baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, and withdrew into the wilderness, and made abstinence, that is, fasting, as it were, his armor. And being thus equipped, when Satan drew near and he had overcome him, he has so set before us himself as our pattern. Thou, therefore, too, must first put on the armor of God, and the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. Thou, too, must first be clothed with power from on high, must be made, that is, partaker of the Holy Ghost by means of precious baptism. And then mayest thou undertake to lead the life well-beloved and honorable with God. Then with spiritual courage thou shall take for thy habitation the deserts. Then thou keep holy fast, and mortify pleasures, and vanquish Satan when he tempts. In Christ, therefore, have we gained all things. Lo, he appears among the combatants, who as God bestows the prize. Among those who wear the chaplet of victory is he who crowns the heads of the saints. Let us behold, therefore, the skillfulness of his wrestlings, how he overthrows the devil's wickedness. When forty days had been spent in fasting, he afterwards hungered. But he it is who gives food to the hungry, and is himself the bread that came down from heaven, and gives life to the world, as being that whereby all things consist. But because on the other hand it was necessary that he who refused not our poverty should withdraw from nothing whatsoever that belongs to man's condition. He consented for his flesh to require its natural supplies, and hence the words he hungered. It was not, however, till he had fasted sufficiently, and by his godlike power had kept his flesh unwasted, though abstaining from meat and drink, that scarcely at length he permitted it to feel its natural sensations. For it says that he hungered. And for what reason? That scarcely by means of the two, he who is at once god and man, might be recognized as such in one and the same person, both as superior to us in his divine nature, and in his human nature as our equal. Four, three. And the devil said unto him, Then the devil draweth near to tempt him, expecting that the feeling of hunger would aid him in his innate wickedness. For often times he prevails over us by taking our infirmities to aid his plots and enterprises. He thought that he would readily jump at the wish of seeing bread ready for his use, and therefore he said, He approaches him therefore as an ordinary man, and as one of the saints, yet he had a suspicion that possibly he might be the Christ. In what way then did he wish to learn this? He considered that to change the nature of anything into that which it was not would be the act indeed of a divine power, for it is God who makes these things and transforms them. If therefore says he this be done, certainly he it is who is looked for as the subverter of my power. But if he refused to work this change I have to do with a man, and cast away my fear, and am delivered from my danger. And therefore it was that Christ, knowing the monster's artifice, neither made the change, nor said that he was either unable or unwilling to make it, but rather shakes him off as important and officious, saying that man shall not live by bread alone. By which he means that if God grant a man the power he can subsist without eating, and live as Moses and Elias, who by the word of the Lord passed forty days without taking food. If therefore it is possible to live without bread, why should I make the stone bread? But he purposely does not say, I cannot, that he may not deny his own power. Nor does he say, I can, lest the other knowing that he is God, to whom alone such things are possible, should depart from him. And observe, I pray, how the nature of man in Christ cast off the faults of Adam's gluttony. By eating we were conquered in Adam. By abstinence we conquered in Christ. By the food that springeth up from the earth our earthly body is supported, and seeks for its sustenance that which is congenerate with it. But the rational soul is nourished unto spiritual healthiness by the word of God, for the food that the earth supplies nourishes the body that is akin to it. But that from above and from heaven strengthens the spirit. The food of the soul is the word that cometh from God, even the spiritual bread which strengtheneth man's heart, according to what is sung in the book of Psalms. And such also we affirm to be the nature of the food of the holy angels. 4. 5. He showed him all the kingdoms of the world. But, O thou malignant and wicked and accursed being, how dits thou dare to show the Lord all the kingdoms of the whole creation, and say, All these are mine, now therefore if thou wilt fall down and worship me I will give them thee? How dost thou promise that which is not thine? Who made thee heir of God's kingdom? Who made thee Lord of all under heaven? Thou hast seized these things by fraud. Restore them therefore to the incarnate son, the Lord of all. Herewith the prophet Isaiah says, respecting thee. Hath it been prepared for thee also to reign? A deep gulf, fire and brimstone, and wood laid in order, the anger of the Lord as a gulf burning with brimstone. How then dost thou, whose lot is the inextinguishable flame, promise to the king of all that which is his own? Dits thou think to have him as thy worshipper at whom all things tremble, while the set of theme and all the angelical powers him his glory? It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Seasonably he made mention of this commandment, striking as it were his very heart. For before his advent Satan had deceived all under heaven, and was himself everywhere worshipped. But the law of God, ejecting him from the dominion he had usurped by fraud, has commanded men to worship him only who by nature and in truth is God, and to offer service to him alone. If thou be the son of God, cast thyself down hence. The third temptation which the devil employs is that of vainglory, saying, cast thyself down hence, as a proof of thy divinity. But neither did he make him fall by means of vanity, but himself in this also shot wide of the mark. For he answers, it is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. For God grants not his aid to those who tempt him, but to those who believe in him. Nor ought we, because he deigns us mercy, therefore to make evane display. Moreover Christ never gave a sign to those who tempted him. For a wicked generation he saith, seeketh after a sign, and a sign shall not be given it. And let Satan now, when tempting, hear the same. We therefore won the victory in Christ, and he who conquered an atom went away ashamed, that we might have him under our feet. For Christ as conqueror handed on to us also the power to conquer, saying, Behold, I have granted you to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and all the power of the enemy. For it is written, that he shall give his angels charge concerning thee to guard thee. But see how maliciously he endeavours by the use of the scriptures to humble the glory of the Lord, as if in need of angelic aid. And as though it would stumble, did not the angels help it? For the application of the Psalms refers not to Christ, nor does the sovereign need angels. As for the pinnacle, it was a very lofty building erected at the side of the temple. Some, however, wrongly refer the Psalm to the person of the Lord, and taking the verses together thus read, Because thou, O Lord, art my hope, thou hast made the most high thy refuge. They say therefore that the Lord had, as his refuge, the most high, even the Father who is in heaven. And there pretexts for such a way of understanding it is that Satan so took the verses, saying, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, That he shall give his angels charge concerning thee. For Satan, being false and a deceiver, applies what is said of us to the person of Christ the saver of us all. But we do not understand it in Satan's fashion. Though if the Arians have so understood it, there is no cause for astonishment. For they follow their own Father, who is a liar, and the truth is not in him, according to the Saviour's words. For if the truth be as they say, and we have made Christ our help, and he has the Father for his refuge, Then have we fled to one who himself has need of aid, and call him our Saviour who is saved by another. This cannot be. Heaven forbid. We say therefore to those who are want so to think, Ye tell us another of your errors. Ye are travelling out of the royal and straight path. Ye are falling into thorns and pitfalls. Ye have wandered from the truth. The Son is in all things equal to the Father, the mark and impress of his substance. The Most High, as also the Father is Most High. Satan then made use of these verses as though the Saviour were a common man. For being entirely darkness and having his mind blinded, He understood not the force of what was said, That the Psalm is spoken in the person of every just man who is aided by the highest, even the God of Heaven. And besides this he knew not that the word being God was made man, And was himself now being tempted in accordance with the plan of salvation. He therefore, as I said, supposed the words were spoken as of a common man, Or even as one of the holy prophets. But it is monstrous for us who accurately know the mystery, And believe that he is God and the Son of God, And that for our sakes he became man like unto us, To imagine that the verses were spoken of him. To say then, Thou hast made the Most High Thy refuge, Befits not the person of the Saviour, For he is himself the Most High, the refuge of all, The hope of all, the all-powerful right hand of the Father, And whosoever has made him his defense no evil shall approach him. For he shall command the angels, who are ministering spirits, To guard the just. For just as our fathers in the flesh, When they see the path rough and impassable, Catch up their infants in their hands, Lest perchance their tender feet should be hurt, Being as yet unable to walk over the hard road. So also the rational powers do not permit those Who are as yet unable to labour, And whose understanding is still childish, To toil beyond their strength, But snatch them out of every temptation. Four, fourteen. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit unto Galilee. Having left the habitations of cities, He dwelt in deserts. There he fasted, being tempted of Satan. There he gained victory in our behalf. There he crushed the heads of the dragons. There, as the Blessed David says, The swords of the enemy utterly failed, And cities were destroyed. That is, those who were like towers and cities. Having therefore mightily prevailed over Satan, And having crowned in his own person man's nature With the spoils won by the victory over Satan, He returned unto Galilee in the power of the Spirit, Both exercising might and authority, And performing very many miracles, And occasioning great astonishment. And he wrought miracles, Not as having received the grace of the Spirit From without and as a gift, Like the company of the saints, But rather as being by nature and in truth The spirit of the Holy Spirit. He was the son of God the Father, And taking whatever is his as his own proper inheritance. For he even said unto him, That all that is mine is thine, And thine mine, and I am glorified in them. He is glorified therefore by exercising As his own proper might and power, That of the consubstantial Spirit. End of Sermon 12 part 1 Sermon 12 part 2 Commentary on the Gospel of Luke Sermons 12 through 25 by Cyril of Alexandria Translated by R. Paine Smith This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. 4. 16 And he came to Nazareth And entered into the synagogue. Since therefore it was now necessary That he should manifest himself to the Israelites And that the mystery of his incarnation Should now shine forth to those who knew him not. And inasmuch as he was now anointed Of God the Father for the salvation of the world He very wisely orders this also. That is to say that his fame Should now spread abroad. And this favor he grants first to the people of Nazareth Because humanly speaking he had been brought Up among them. Having entered therefore the synagogue He takes the book to read and having opened it Selected a passage in the prophets Which declares the mystery concerning him. And by these words he most plainly himself Tells us by the voice of the prophet That he both would be made man And come to save the world. For we affirm that the Son was anointed In no other way than by having become According to the flesh such as we are And taken our nature. For being at once God and man He both gives the spirit to the creation In his divine nature And receives it from God the Father In his human nature. While it is he who sanctifies The whole creation both is having shown Forth from the Holy Father And as bestowing the spirit Which he himself pours forth Both upon the powers above is that Which is his own and upon those more over Who recognized his appearing. 4.18 The spirit of the Lord is upon me Therefore he hath anointed me He hath sent me to preach the gospel to the poor. He plainly shows by these words That he took upon him the humiliation And submission to the emptying of his glory And both the very name of Christ And the reality for our sakes. For the spirit he says Which by nature is in me By the sameness of our substance and deity Also descended upon me from without And so also in the Jordan It came upon me in the form of a dove Not because it was not in me But for the reason for which he anointed me And what was the reason for which he chose To be anointed It was our being destitute of the spirit By that denunciation of old My spirit shall not abide in these men Because they are flesh These words the incarnate word Of God speaks For being very God of very God the Father And having become for our sakes man Without undergoing change With us he is anointed with the oil of gladness The spirit having descended upon him At the Jordan in the form of a dove For in old time both kings and priests Were anointed symbolically Gaining thereby a certain measure of sanctification But he who for our sakes became incarnate Was anointed with the spiritual oil of sanctification And the actual descent of the spirit Receiving it not for himself But for us For inasmuch as the spirit had taken its flight And not made his abode in us Because of our being flesh The earth was full of grief Being deprived of the participation Of the spirit of the spirit And the patient of God And he proclaimed also deliverance To captives Which also he accomplished by having bound The strong one Satan Who in tyrant fashion lorded it over our race And having torn away from him Us his goods As the words he anointed me Befit the manhood For it is not the divine nature which is anointed But that which is akin to us So also the words he sent me Are to be referred to that which is human Those also whose heart was of old obscured By the darkness of the devil He has illuminated by rising as some son Of righteousness And making them the children no longer Of night and darkness But of light and day According to Paul's word Those who were blind For the apostate had blinded their hearts Have recovered their sight And acknowledged the truth And as Isaiah says Their darkness has become light That is the ignorant have become wise Those that once were in error Have known the paths of righteousness And the father also says Somewhere unto the son himself I have given thee for a covenant Of kindred For a light of the Gentiles To open the eyes of the blind To bring out the prisoners from their bonds And from the guard house Those that sit in darkness For the only begotten came into this world And gave a new covenant to his kindred The Israelites Of whom he was sprung according to the flesh Even the covenant long before announced By the voice of the prophets The divine and heavenly light Shown also upon the Gentiles And he went and preached to the spirits And hades and showed himself to those Who were shut up in the guard house And freed all from their bonds and violence And how do not these things plainly prove That Christ is both God And of God by nature And what means the sending away The broken in freedom It is the letting those go free That Satan had broken by the rod Of spiritual violence And what means the preaching The acceptable year of the Lord It signifies the joyful tidings Of his own advent That the time of the Lord Even the son had arrived For that was the acceptable year In which Christ was crucified In our behalf Because we then were made acceptable Unto God the Father As the fruit borne by him Wherefore he said When I am lifted up from the earth I shall draw all men unto myself And verily he returned to life the third day Having trampled upon the power of death After which he said to his disciples All power has been given me Etc. That too is in every respect An acceptable year in which Being received into his family We were admitted unto him Having washed away sin by holy baptism And been made partakers of his divine nature By the communion of the Holy Ghost That too is an acceptable year In which he manifested his glory By ineffable miracles For with joy have we accepted The season of his salvation Which also the very wise Paul Referred to saying Behold, now is the acceptable time Behold, now is the day of salvation The day when the poor who airwild Were sick by the absence of every blessing Having no hope in being without God In the world such as were the Gentiles Were made rich by faith in him Gaining the divine and heavenly treasure Of the gospel message of salvation By which they have been made partakers Of the kingdom of heaven Co-partners with the saints And heirs of blessings such as Neither the mind can conceive Nor language tell For I, it saith, hath not seen And ear hath not heard Neither have entered into the heart of man The things that God hath prepared For them that love him Though it may also be true That the text here speaks of the Abundant supply of graces bestowed By Christ upon the poor in spirit But by the bruised in heart he means Those who have a weak and yielding mind Unable to resist the attacks of their passions And so carried along by them As to seem to be captives To these he promises both healing And forgiveness And to those who are blind He gives the recovering of sight For those who serve the creature Instead of the creator And say to the wood Thou art my father And to the stone Thou hast begotten me Without recognizing him Who is by nature and in truth God How can they be ought else than blind Seeing they have a heart Devoid of the light And on these the father bestows The light of the true knowledge of God For they are called through faith And acknowledge him Or rather are acknowledged of him And whereas they were children Of night and darkness They have been made children of light For the day has shown upon them And the son of righteousness has arisen And the bright morning star has dawned There is no objection however To any ones referring all these declarations To the Israelites For they were poor And crushed in heart And so to speak, prisoners And in darkness For there was not upon earth That was doing good Not even one But all had turned aside Together they had become unprofitable But Christ came Preaching to the Israelites For all others the glories of his advent And like to their maladies Were those of the Gentiles But they have been redeemed by him Having been enriched with his wisdom And endowed with understanding And no longer is their mind weak And broken but healthy and strong And ready to receive and practice Every good and saving work For in their error they have need Of wisdom and understanding Who in their great folly worship The creature instead of the creator And inscribed stocks and stones With the name of God's But those who long ago Lived in gloom and darkness Because they knew not Christ Now acknowledge him as their God These words having been read To the assembled people He drew upon himself The eyes of all Wondering perhaps how he knew letters Who had not learnt For it was the want of the Israelites To say that the prophecies concerning Christ were fulfilled Either in the persons of some of their More glorious kings Or at all events in the holy prophets For not correctly understanding What was written of him They missed the true direction And traveled on another path But that they might not again As misinterpret the present prophecy He carefully guards against error by saying This day is this prophecy fulfilled In your ears Expressly setting himself before them In these words As the person spoken of in the prophecy For it was he who preached The kingdom of heaven to the heathen Who were poor, having nothing Neither God nor law nor prophets Or rather he preached it unto all Who were destitute of spiritual riches The captives he set free Having overthrown the apostate tyrant Satan And himself shed the divine and spiritual light On those whose heart was darkened For which reason he said I am come a light into this world It was he who unbound the chains of sin From those who were not born From those whose heart was crushed thereby Who clearly showed that there is a life to come And denounced the just judgment Finally it was he who preached The acceptable year of the Lord Even that in which the saviour's Proclamation was made For by the acceptable year I think is meant his first coming And by the day of restitution The day of judgment For eleven And all bear him witness and wondered For not understanding him Who had been anointed and sent And who was the author of works so wonderful They returned to their usual ways And talk foolishly and vainly concerning him For although they had wondered At the words of grace that proceeded Out of his mouth Yet their wish was to treat them For they said Is not this the son of Joseph But what does this diminish From the glory of the worker of the miracles What prevents him from being Both to be venerated and admired Even had he been, as was supposed The son of Joseph Seeest thou not the miracles Satan fallen The herds of devils vanquished Multitudes set free The herds of melodies Thou praises the grace that was present In his teachings And then dost thou, in Jewish fashion Think lightly of him Because he accounted Joseph for his father O great senselessness True is it to say of them Low, a people foolish And without understanding They have eyes and see not Ears and hear not For twenty-three Ye will altogether say unto me This parable This was a common saying among the Jews And had its origin in a witticism For when physicians were themselves ill Men would say, physician heal thyself Christ therefore setting before them As it were this proverb Said unto them Ye wish for many signs To be wrought by me among you especially In whose country I was brought up But I know the common feeling To which all men are liable For always, somehow or other Even the choices things are despised When there is no scarcity of them And people have them in abundance And so too is the case with men For his acquaintance will often times Refuse one with whom they are familiar And who is constantly among them Even the honor which is due He rebuked them therefore For asking so foolishly Is not this the son of Joseph And still keeping to the object Of his teaching says Verily, verily I say unto you That no prophet is acceptable In his country For twenty-five There were many widows In the days of Elias For since, as I have mentioned Certain of the Jews affirmed That the prophecies relating to Christ Had been accomplished Either in the holy prophets Or in certain of their own More distinguished men He, for their good, draws them away From such a supposition By saying that Elias Had been sent to a single widow And that the prophet Elisaves had healed But one leper named the Syrian And these signifying the church Of the heathen Who were about to accept him And be healed of their leprosy By reason of Israel Remaining impenitent For twenty-eight And all in the synagogue Were filled with anger They then were inflamed With anger because he had branded Their wicked thought And also he had said Today is this scripture fulfilled Namely, that the Spirit of the Lord Is upon me For they considered that he made Himself equal to the prophets Moreover, they cast him out of their city Decreying thereby their own condemnation And confirming what the saviour had said For they themselves were banished From the city that is above For not having received Christ And that he might not convict them Of impiety in words merely He permitted their audacity against himself To proceed even unto deeds For their violence was unreasonable And their envy untamed Leading him therefore to the brow of the hill They endeavored to throw him from the crags But he went through the midst of them Without taking any notice So to say, of their attempt Not as refusing to suffer For for this reason he had even come But as awaiting a suitable time For it was now the commencement of his preaching And it would have been unseasonable to have suffered Before he had proclaimed the word of truth For it depended on him to suffer Or not to suffer For he is Lord of times as well as of things And this is a proof that when he suffered He suffered voluntarily And that neither then could he have suffered Had he not yielded himself there too 431 And he went down to Capernaum A city of Galilee Those whom argument cannot bring To the sure knowledge of him Who by nature and in truth Is God and Lord May perhaps be won by miracles Unto a docile obedience And therefore usefully Or rather necessarily He oftentimes completes his lessons By proceeding to the performance Of some mighty work For the inhabitants of Judea Were unready to believe And slighted the words of those Who called them to salvation And especially the people of Capernaum Had this character For which reason the Saviour Reproved them saying And thou Capernaum That art exalted unto heaven Shalt be brought down unto hell But although he knows them To be both disobedient And heart of heart Nevertheless he visits them As a most excellent physician With those who were suffering Under a very dangerous disease And endeavors to rid them Of their malady For he says himself That those who are in health Have no need of a physician But those who are sick He taught therefore In their synagogues With great freedom of speech For this he had foretold By the voice of Isaiah saying I have not spoken in secret Nor in a dark place of the earth The holy apostles moreover He even commanded To publish their words concerning him With full boldness of speech Saying What I tell you in darkness Speak ye in the light And what ye have heard Whispered into the ear Proclaim upon the housetops On the Sabbath also When they were at leisure from labour He conversed with them They therefore wondered At the power of his teaching And at the greatness of his authority For the word it says Was with authority For he used not flatteries But urged them to salvation For the Jews indeed Thought that Christ was nothing more Than one of the saints And that he had appeared among them In prophetic rank only But that they might entertain A higher opinion An idea concerning him He exceeds the prophetic measure For he never said Thus saith the Lord As of course was their custom But as being the Lord of the law He spake things that surpass the law God moreover said by Isaiah And I will make with them A never-lasting covenant Even the holy, the sure things Of David Behold, I have given him As a testimony among the Gentiles A ruler and commander Of the Gentiles For it was fitting that Moses As a servant Should be the minister Of the shadow that endureth not But Christ, I affirm The eternal publisher of a lasting And abiding worship And what is the eternal covenant? It means the sacred prophecies of Christ Who is of David's seed according to the flesh And which produce in us holiness And sureness Just as also the fear of God is pure Because it makes us pure And the word of the gospel is life Because it produces life For the words he says That I have spoken unto your spirit and life That is, spiritual and life-giving But mark well the exactness of the prophecy Isaiah, speaking as in the person of God The Father concerning Christ says Low, I have given him As a testimony unto the Gentiles That is, to bear witness Unto them That these things are acceptable That no one may imagine him To be one of the holy prophets But that all mankind may rather know That he is radiant with the glory of lordship For being God he appeared unto us And so he goes on to say Not merely that he was given For a testimony But also as a ruler And commander of the Gentiles For the blessed prophets And before them even Moses Holding the station of servants Ever called out to their hearers Thus saith the Lord Not as being so much commanders As ministers of the divine words But our Lord Jesus Christ Spake words most worthy of God And was therefore admired Even by the Jews themselves Because his word was with authority And because he taught them As one that had authority And not as their scribes For his word was not Of the shadow of the law But as being himself the law giver He changed the letter into the truth And the types into their spiritual meaning For he was a ruler And possessed a ruler's authority To command And Jesus rebuked him With God-like power He rebuked the unclean spirits Making the miracle Follow immediately upon his words That we might not disbelieve We have seen the guilty Satan Overcome by him in the wilderness And broken by three falls We have seen his might again shaken And the power that was against us falling We have seen ourselves rebuking the wicked spirits In Christ as our first fruits For that this also has referenced To the ennoblement of human nature Thou mayest learn from the Saviour's own words For the Jews indeed maligned his glory And even said This man casteth not out devils Except in Beelzebub, Prince of the devils But he in and forth Having first said much into the purpose Ended by declaring But if I in the spirit of God cast out devils Then has the kingdom of God come upon you unawares For if, says he, I, who have become a man like unto you Chide the unclean spirits With God-like power and majesty It is your nature which is crowned With this great glory For ye are seen both through me and in me To have gained the kingdom of God The evil demons therefore were cast out And made moreover to feel how invincible Is his might And being unable to bear the conflict With deity They exclaimed in imperious and crafty terms Let us alone What is there between us and thee Meaning thereby Why dost thou not permit us to keep our place Whilst thou art destroying the error of impiety But they further put on the false appearance Of well-sounding words And call him the holy one of God For they supposed that by this Specious kind of language They could excite the desire of vain glory And thereby prevent his rebuking them Returning as it were one kindness for another But though he be crafty He will fail of his prey For God is not mocked And so the Lord stops their impure tongues And commands them to depart From those possessed by them And the bystanders being made witnesses Of so great deeds Were astonished at the power of his word For he wrought his miracles Offering up no prayer To ask of anyone else at all The power of accomplishing them But being himself The living and active word of God the Father By whom all things exist And in whom all things are In his own person he crushed Satan And closed the profane mouth Of impure demons End of Sermon 12 part 2 Sermon 12 part 3 Commentary on the Gospel of Luke Sermons 12 through 25 By Cyril of Alexandria Translated by R. Paine Smith This LibriVox recording is in the public domain 4.38 He entered into Simon's house Observe therefore how he who endured Voluntary poverty for our sakes That we by his poverty might become rich Lodged with one of his disciples A man poor and living in obscurity That we might learn to seek the company Of the humble and not to boast ourselves Over those in want and affliction Jesus arrives at Simon's house And finds his wife's mother sick of a fever And he stood and rebuked the fever And it left her Now in what is said by Matthew and Mark That the fever left her There is no hint of any living thing As the active cause of the fever But in Luke's phrase That he stood over her And rebuked the fever And it left her I do not know whether we are not compelled To say that that which was rebuked Was some living thing Unable to sustain the influence Of him who rebuked it For it is not reasonable To rebuke a thing without life And unconscious of the rebuke Nor is it anything astonishing For there to exist certain powers That inflict harm on the human body Nor must we necessarily think evil Of the soul of those who thus suffer For being harmed by these beings For neither when the devil obtained authority To tempt Joe by bodily torments And struck him with painful ulcers Was Job therefore to be found fault with For he manfully contended And nobly endured the blow God grant however That it be said If at any time we are tempted By bodily pains But touch not his soul The Lord then by a rebuke Heals those who are possessed He laid also his hands upon the sick One by one And freed them from their malady So demonstrating that the holy flesh Which he had made his own And endowed with God-like power Possessed the active presence Of the might of the word Intending us thereby To learn that though the only begot And word of God became like unto us Yet even so is he none the less God And able easily, even by his own flesh To accomplish all things For by it as his instrument He wrought miracles Nor is there any reason For great wonder at this But consider, on the contrary, How fire, when placed in a brazen vessel Communicates to it the power Of producing the effects of heat So therefore the power Word of God also Having joined by a real union unto himself The living and intelligent temple Taken from the holy virgin Endowed it with the power Of actively exerting his own God-like might To put to shame, therefore, the Jews He says, if I do not the works Of my father, believe me not But if I do, then I will be My father, believe me not But if I do, though ye believe Not me, believe my works We may therefore see With the truth itself witnessing there too That the only begotten gave not his glory As to a man taken separately And depart by himself And regarded as the woman's offspring But as being the one only son With the holy body united To him he wrought the miracles And is worshiped also by the creation As God. He entered then into Peter's house Where a woman was lying stretched Upon a bed exhausted with a violent fever And when he might as God have said Put away the disease, arise He adopted a different course of action For as a proof that his own flesh Possessed the power of healing As being the flesh of God He touched her hand and forthwith It says the fever left her. Let us therefore also receive Jesus For when he has entered into us And we have received him into mind And heart, then he will quench The fever of unbefitting pleasures And raise us up and make us Strong, even in things spiritual So as for us to minister unto him By performing those things that please him But observe again, I pray, how great Is the efficacy of the touch of his holy flesh For it both drives away diseases Of various kinds and a crowd of demons And overthrows the power of the devil And heals a very great multitude Of people in one moment of time And though able to perform these miracles By a word and the inclination of his will Yet to teach us something useful for us He also lays his hands upon the sick For it was necessary, most necessary For us to learn that the holy flesh Which he had made his own Was endowed with the activity Of the power of the word By his having implanted in it A god-like might Let it then take hold of us Or rather, let us take hold of it By the mystical giving of thanks That it may free us also From the sicknesses of the soul And from the assault and violence of demons For, 41 And rebuking them He offered them not to speak He would not permit the unclean demons To confess him For it was not fitting for them To usurp the glory of the apostolic office Nor with impure tongue To talk of the mystery of Christ Yea, though they speak ought that is true Let now one put credence in them For the light is not known By the aid of darkness As the disciple of Christ teaches us Where he says For what communion hath light with darkness Or what consent hath Christ with belly are Five, two And he saw two ships Standing by the lake But the fishermen were gone out of them And were washing their nets Let us admire the skillfulness Of the method employed In making them a prey Who were to make prey of the whole earth Even the holy apostles Who, though themselves well skilled in fishing Yet fell into Christ's meshes That they also, letting down the dragnet Of the apostolic preachings Might gather unto him The inhabitants of the whole world For verily he somewhere's sad By one of the holy prophets Behold, I send many fishers Sayeth the Lord And they shall catch them As fish And afterwards I will send Many hunters And they shall hunt them as game By the fishers he means The holy apostles And by the hunters Those who successively Became the rulers and teachers Of the holy churches And observe, I pray That he not only preaches But also displays signs Giving thereby pledges of his power And confirming his words By the display of miracles For after he had sufficiently Conversed with the multitudes He returns to his usual mighty works And by means of their pursuits As fishers catches the disciples As fish That men may know That his will is almighty And that the creation ministers To his most godlike commands Five, four Then he had ceased speaking He said unto Simon Launch out into the deep As he had now taught them sufficiently And it was fitting also To add some divine work to his words For the benefit of the spectators He bade Simon and his companions Push off a little from the land And let down the net for a draft But they replied That they had been laboring The whole night In the name, however, of Christ They let down the net And immediately it was full of fish In order that by a visible fact And by a type and representation Miraculously enacted They might be fully convinced That their labor would not be unrewarded Nor the zeal fruitless Which they displayed And spreading out the net Of the gospel teaching Though certainly they should catch Within it the shoals of the heathen But observed this That neither Simon nor his companions Could draw the net to land And therefore being speechless From fright and astonishment For their wonder had made them mute They beckoned, it says, To their partners Those, that is, who shared their Labors in fishing To come and help them Pray For many have taken part With the holy apostles and their labors And still do so Especially such as search Into the meaning of what is written In the holy gospels And others besides them Even the pastors and teachers And rulers of the people Who are skilled in the doctrines Of truth For it still is the net drawn While Christ fills it And summons unto conversion Of the depths of the sea According to the Scripture phrase Those, that is to say Who live in the surge And waves of worldly things Five, eight And when Simon Peter saw it For this reason also Peter carried back To the memory of his former sins Trembles and is afraid And as being impure ventures Not to receive him who is pure And his fear was laudable For he had been taught by the law To distinguish between the holy And the profane Five, twelve And behold a man full of leprosy The faith, however, of him Who drew near is worthy of all praise For he testifies that the Immanuel Can successfully accomplish all things And seeks deliverance By his godlike commands Although his malady was incurable Fort leprosy will not yield To the skill of physicians I see, however, he says The unclean demons expelled By a godlike authority I see others set free For many diseases I recognize that such things Are wrought by some divine And resistless force I see further that he is good And most ready to pity those Who draw near unto him What, therefore, forbids His taking pity on me also And what is Christ's answer He confirms his faith And produces full assurance Upon this very point For he accepts his petition And confesses that he is able And says, I will Be thou cleansed He grants him also the touch Of his holy and all-powerful hand And immediately the leprosy Departed from him And his affliction was at an end And in this join with me In wondering at Christ Thus exercising at the same time Both a divine and a bodily power For it was a divine act So too well As for all that he will To be present unto him But to stretch out the hand Was a human act Christ therefore is perceived To be one of both If, as is the case The word was made flesh Five, fourteen And he charged him to tell no man Even though the leper had been silent The very nature of the fact Was enough to proclaim to all Who knew him How great was his power Who had wrought the cure But he bids him tell no man And why? That they who receive from God The gift of working cures May hereby learn not to look For the applause of those Whom they have healed Nor indeed anyone's praises What so ever Lest they fall a prey unto pride Of all vices the most disgraceful He purposely, however, bids The leper offer unto the priests The gift according to the law Of Moses. For it was indeed, Confessedly, his wish To put away the shadow And transform the types unto a Spiritual service. As the Jews, however, Because as yet they did Not believe on him, Attached themselves to the Commands of Moses, Supposing their ancient customs To be still in force, He gives leave to the leper For a testimony unto them. And what was his object In granting this permission? It was because the Jews, Using ever as a pretext Their respect for the law, And saying that the hierophant Moses was the minister Of a commandment from on high, Made it their endeavor To treat with contempt Christ the saviour of us all. They even said plainly, We know that God Spake unto Moses, But this man, We know not whence he is. It was necessary, therefore, For them to be convinced By actual facts, That the measure of Moses Is inferior to the glory of Christ. For he indeed, as a servant, Was faithful over his house, But the other as a son Over his father's house. From this very healing, then, Of the leper, Plainly see that Christ Is incomparably superior To the mosaic law. For Meriam, The sister of Moses, Was herself struck with leprosy For speaking against him. And at this, Moses was greatly distressed. And when he was unable To remove the disease from the woman, He fell down before God, Saying, Oh God, I beseech thee, heal her. Observe this, then, carefully. On the one hand There was a request. He sought, by prayer, To obtain mercy from above. But the Saviour of all Spake with Godlike authority. I will Be thou cleansed. The removal, therefore, Of the leprosy was a testimony To the priest. And by it, those who assigned The chief rank to Moses May know that they are straying From the truth. To regard Moses with admiration As a minister of the law, Inservant of the grace That was spoken of angels. But far greater Must be our admiration Of the Emmanuel, And the glory we render him As very son of God the Father. And whoever will May see the profound And mighty mystery of Christ Written for our benefit In Leviticus. For the law of Moses Gives orders for him to be Put out of the camp as unclean. But should the malady ever Be alleviated, it commands That he should then be capable Of readmission. Moreover, it clearly specifies The manner in which he is To be pronounced clean, thus Saying, This is the law of the leper On whatsoever day he shall Have been cleansed, and shall Be broad unto the priest. And the priest shall go out Of the camp, and the priest Shall see him, and behold The touch of the leprosy Is healed from the leper, and The high priest shall command, And they shall take for him Who is cleansed to living Clean birds. And the high priest shall Command, and they shall kill The one into an earthen vessel Over living water. And he shall take the living Bird, and dip it into the Blood of the bird that was Killed over the living water, And shall sprinkle it seven Times over the man cleansed Of the leprosy, and he shall Be cleansed, and he shall Send away the living bird Into the field. The birds then are Two in number, both without Stain, that is, clean, And liable to no fault On the part of the law, and The one of them is slain Over living water, but the Other being saved from slaughter, And further baptized in the Blood of that which died Is let loose. This type, then, represents To us the great and adorable Mystery of our Saviour, For the word was from above, Even from the Father, from Heaven, for which reason He is very fitly compared to A bird. For though he came down For the dispensation's sake To bear our likeness, and took The form of a slave, yet Even so he was from above. Yea, he, even when speaking To the Jews, said so plainly, Ye are from beneath, I am From above. And again no one hath Ascended up into Heaven, But the Son of Man that came Down from Heaven. As therefore I just now said, Even when he became flesh, That is perfect man, He was not earthy, Not made of clay as we are, But heavenly and superior to Things worldly, in respect Of that wherein he is perceived To be God. We may see, then, in the birds, Offered at the cleansing of the leper, Christ suffering indeed in the flesh According to the scriptures, But remaining also beyond The power of suffering, And dying in his human nature, But living in his divine, For the word is life. Yea, too, the very wise Disciple said, That he was put to death in the flesh, But made to live in the spirit. But though the word could not Possibly admit the suffering Of death into his own nature, Yet he appropriates to himself That which his flesh suffered, For the living bird was baptized In the blood of the dead one, And thus stained with blood, And all but made partaker of the passion, It was sent forth into the wilderness. And so did the only begotten word Of God return unto the heavens, With the flesh united unto him. And strange was the sight in heaven, Yea, the throng of angels marveled When they saw in form like unto us The king of earth, and lord of might. Moreover they said, Who is this that cometh from Edom? Meaning thereby the earth. The redness of his garments Is from Bosar, The interpretation of which is flesh As being a narrowing and pressing. Then to they inquired, Are such the wounds in the middle Of thy hands? And he answered, With these was I wounded In the house of my beloved. For just as after his return To life from the dead, When showing, with most wise purpose His hands unto Thomas, He bade him handle both The prince of the nails And the holes bored in his side So also, when arrived in heaven, He gave full proof to the holy angels That Israel was justly cast out And fallen from being of his family. For this reason he showed His garments stained with blood In the wounds in his hands. And not as though he could Not put them away. For when he rose from the dead He put off corruption, And with it all its marks and attributes. He retained them therefore That the manifold wisdom of God Which he wrought in Christ Might now be made known by the church According to the plan of salvation To principalities and powers. But perhaps someone will say How can you affirm that Jesus Christ Is one and the same son and lord When there were two birds offered? Does not the law very plainly Hereby show that there are certainly Two sons and Christ. Yes, verily, men have error Now been brought to such a pitch of impiety As both to think and say That the word of God the Father Is one Christ separately by himself And that he who is of the seat Of David is another. But we reply to those who, In their ignorance, imagine such To be the case what the Divine Paul writes. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. If, therefore, they affirm That there are two sons, Necessarily there must be two Lords and two faiths And the same number of baptisms. And, therefore, though he has Christ speaking within him, As he himself affirms, Yet will his teaching be false. But this cannot be. Away with such a thought. We, therefore, acknowledge One Lord, even the only begot An incarnate word of God, Not putting apart the manhood And the Godhead, but earnestly Affirming that the word of God The Father himself became man While continuing to be God. And, next, let those who hold A contrary opinion be the speakers. If they say there are two sons One specially the seat of David And the other again separately The word of God the Father Must not the word of God the Father Be superior in nature to him Of the seat of David. What, then, shall we do In seeing the two birds, Not distinct in nature from one another But on the contrary of the same kind And in no point as regards Specific difference unlike one another. But they gain nothing by their argument. For great is the distance Between the Godhead and the manhood. And in the explanation of examples We are to understand them According to their fitting analogy. For they fall short of the truth And often affect but a partial Demonstration of the things signified By them. We say, moreover, That the law was a sort of Shadow and type and a painting, As it were, setting things forth Before the view of the spectators. But in the pictorial art The shadows are the foundations For the colours. And when the bright hues Of the colours have been laid upon Them, then at length the beauty Of the painting will flash forth. And in like manner, since It was fitting for the law of Moses to delineate clearly The mystery of Christ, it does Not manifest him as both dying And at the same time living In one and the same bird. Lest what was done should have The look of a theatrical juggle. But it contained him as Suffering slaughter in the one bird And in the other displayed The same Christ as the live ant Set free. But I will endeavour to show That my argument here does Not go beyond the bounds of Probability by means of another History. For were any one of our community To wish to see the history of Abraham depicted as in a painting, How would the artist represent him? As doing everything at once? Or as in turn, And variously acting in many Different modes, Though all the while the same one Person. For instance, as at one time Sitting upon the ass with the Lad accompanying him And the servants following behind. Then again the ass left with The servants, Isaac laden with The wood and himself carrying In his hands the knife and the Fire. Then in another compartment The same Abraham in a very Different attitude with the Lad bound upon the wood And his right hand arm With the knife ready to strike The blow. Yet it would not be a different Abraham in each place, Though represented in very Many different forms in the Painting. But one at the same everywhere, The painter's art conforming Itself constantly to the Requirements of the things to Be represented. For it would be impossible in One representation to see him Performing all the above So therefore the law was a Painting and type of things Travelling with truth. And therefore even though There were two birds, Yet was he who was represented In both but one, As suffering and free from Suffering, as dying and Superior to death, And mounting up unto heaven As a sort of second first Fruits of human nature Renewed unto incorruption. For he has made a new pathway For us unto that which is above, And we in due time shall follow him. That the one bird then was slain And that the other was baptized Indeed in its blood, While itself exempt from slaughter, Typified what was really to happen. For Christ died in our stead, And we who have been baptized Into his death, he has saved By his own blood. End of Sermon 12 part 3 Sermon 12 part 4 And Fragments from Sermon 21 Commentary in the Gospel of Luke Sermons 12 through 25 By Cyril of Alexandria Translated by R. Paine Smith This LibriVox recording Is in the public domain. 5.17 And he himself was teaching And the Pharisees were sitting. Around him, verily, was a company Of the envious, scribes, that is, And Pharisees, who were spectators Of his wonderful works And listened as he taught. And the power of God was present, It says, to heal him. Is this spoken as though God Gave him the ability To affirm the miracles? Did he borrow of another the power? But who would venture to affirm this? Rather it was he himself Working by his own power As God and Lord And not as partaker Of some divine grace. For men indeed often, Even after being counted Worthy of spiritual gifts, Yet sometimes occasionally Prove in firm, according To the proportion known to him To distribute these divine graces. But in the case of the Saviour Of us all, there was not Such as this. But his power to heal him Was not a human power, But rather one divine And irresistible. For he was God And the Son of God. Christ alone teaches As being the true teacher And the wisdom of the Father. For all the rest Of us teach as receiving from him. And there was also, it says, The power of the Lord upon him To heal all. Which means that his power To heal was not human, But divine and irresistible. For the rest of the saints At one time received the power To work cures, And at another time not. But Jesus as being God And the power of the Father Ever healed all. Five, eighteen. And behold, certain bringing On a bed a man who was a paralytic. When, then, no small number, as it says, Of scribes and Pharisees Were assembled together, Behold, certain bringing upon a bed A man who was paralytic And not being able To come in by the door, They carried him up to the roof To attempt a strange and novel deed. For having pulled up the tiling, They removed the wood laid there, And, still, while this was being done, Both Jesus waited patiently, And those who were present kept silence, Watching for the result, And wishing to see what he would say and do. Having uncovered, therefore, the roof, They let down the bed, And lay the paralytic in the midst. What, then, does the Lord do? Having seen their faith, Not that of the paralytic, But of the bearers, For it is possible for one to be healed By the faith of others, Or perceiving that the paralytic Also believed he healed him. It is possible, however, That the place into which They let down the bed of the paralytic Through the tiles was open to the air, So that they would not have at all To break up the roof. But when the saviour says to him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee, He addresses this generally to mankind. For those who believe in him, Being healed of the diseases of the soul, Will receive forgiveness of the sins Which formerly they had committed. Or he may mean this, I must heal thy soul Before I heal thy body. For if this be not done By obtaining strength to walk, Thou dost but sin the more. And even though thou hast Not asked for this, Yet I as God See the maladies of the soul Which brought upon thee this disease. And as it was necessary, Now that so large a number Of scribes and Pharisees had assembled, That some especially divine miracles Should be wrought for their benefit, Because of the scorn with which They regarded him, Well does the saviour Provide again for them a most wonderful deed. For there was stretched upon a bed A paralytic, Overcome with an incurable disease. And as the art of the physician Had proved altogether unavailing, He was carried by his relatives To the physician who is from above, Even from heaven. And when he was in the presence Of him who is able to heal, His faith was accepted. And that faith can take away sin, Christ immediately shows. For he proclaims to him as he lay there, Thy sins are forgiven thee. Now someone, I imagine, May say to this, What he wanted was to be delivered From his disease. And why, then, Does Christ announce to him The forgiveness of his sin? It was that thou mayest learn That God silently and noiselessly Observes the affairs of men And watches the course Of each one's life. And so it is written, The paths of a man Were the eyes of God And he looks at all his tracks. And as he is good And willeth that all men Should be saved, He often purifies those Who are entangled in sins By inflicting sickness upon their body. For so he somewhere says By the voice of Jeremiah, Thou shalt be taught, O Jerusalem, By labor and the scourge. And the writer of the Book of Proverbs Also has somewhere said, My son despised not thou The teaching of the Lord, Nor faint when thou art Convicted by him, For whom the Lord loveth, He chaseneth, And scourgeth every son Whom he accepteth. Well, therefore, Does Christ denounce that He will cut away the cause Of the disease Even sin. For if this be removed, Necessarily must the disease Which sprung from it Be also at the same time Taken away. 521 And the scribes and Pharisees Began to reason, saying, He then, as was said, Being endowed with a most God-like authority, Declared the forgiveness of sins. But the declaration disturbs again The ignorant and envious gang Of the Pharisees. For they said one to another, Who is this that speaketh Blasphemies? But that would it not Have said this of him, O Pharisee, If thou hadst known The Divine Scriptures, And borne in mind the words Of prophecy, And understood the adorable Decision. But now they involve him In a charge of blasphemy, Determining against him The uttermost penalty, And condemning him to death, For the law of Moses commanded That whoever speak Blasphemies against God Should suffer death. But no sooner have they Arrived at this height of daring Than he shows forthwith That he is God, To convict them once more For what sayeth he Reason ye in your hearts? If thou, therefore, O Pharisee, sayest Who can forgive sins but one God? I will also say to thee Who can know hearts And see the thoughts hidden In the depth of the understanding But God only. For he sayeth himself Somewhere by the voice Of the prophets. I am the Lord that searcheth Hearts and tryeth reigns. And David also said Somewhere concerning both Him and us. He who singly formed their hearts. He, therefore, who as God Knows both the hearts and reigns As God also forgives sins. Five, twenty-four. But that he may know That the Son of man hath power. But inasmuch as a place still Remains open for disbelief In saying, Thy sins be forgiven thee. For man sees not the forgiven sins With the eyes of the body, Whereas the putting off Of the disease And the paralytics rising up And walking carries with it A clear demonstration of a Godlike power. He adds, Rise up and carry thy bed To thine house. And this was done, For he returned unto his house Delivered from the infirmity Under which he had so long suffered. It is proved, therefore, By the very fact That the Son of man Has power on earth to forgive sins. But of whom says he this? Is it of himself Or also of us? Both the one and the other are true. For he forgives sins As being the incarnate God, The Lord of the law. And we too have received from him This splendid and most admirable grace. For he hath crowned man's nature With this great honor also. Having even said to the holy apostles, Verily I say unto you, What soever things ye bind On earth shall be bound in heaven. And what soever things ye lose On earth shall be lost in heaven. And again, Whose soever sins ye remit They shall be remitted unto them. And whosoever ye bind Shall be bound. And what is the occasion On which we find him thus speaking unto them? It was after he had trampled Upon the power of death And risen from the grave When he breathed upon them And said, Receive the holy ghost. For having made them partakers Of his nature And bestowed upon them The indwelling of the holy ghost, He also made them sharers Of his glory, By giving them power Both to remit and to bind sins. And as we have been commanded To perform this very act, How must not he much more himself Remit sins, When he giveth unto others Authority to enable them to do so? Five, twenty-seven, And he saw a publican named Levi. For Levi was a publican, A man insatiable After filthy lucre Of unbridled covetousness, Careless of justice And his eagerness Was not his own. For such was the character Of the publicans. Yet was he snatched From the very workshop of iniquity And saved beyond hope At the call of Christ the Saviour Of us all. For he said unto him, Follow me, And he left all and followed him. Seeest thou that most wise Paul truly says that Christ came to save sinners. Seeest thou how the only begot And word of God, Having taken upon him the flesh Transferred unto himself The devil's goods. From sermon twenty-one Explanation of what follows From the Syriac. Or how can a man enter The house of the strong man And spoil his vessels, Unless first he have bound The strong man And then he will spoil his vessels. By the house of the strong man That is of Satan He means this country upon earth And his vessels are those Who are like-minded with him. For just as we call The saints holy vessels, So there is nothing to prevent Our giving the name of Vessels of the devil To those who are the contrivers Of all wickedness. The only begotten word therefore Of God at his incarnation Entered into the strong man's house Even into this world And having bound him And sunk him in fetters of darkness As it is written, Spoiled his goods. And Levi verily was saved While in us the deed suggests Happy hopes. For by the very fact We are taught that repentance Will save. Ye moreover God himself who is Lord of all Shall be our surety Where he says by the voice Of the prophet, Return unto me and be ye saved Even from the ends of the earth From the same sermon Explanation of what follows From the Syriac as above. Which of you that has A hundred sheep and has lost One of them will not leave The ninety-nine in the mountain And go and seek that which Has gone astray. And if he chance to find it Verily I say unto you That he rejoices more in it Than in the ninety-nine which Went not astray. For the multitude of rational Created beings which form Christ flock in heaven And on earth is innumerable And so great as even to Mount up unto a perfect number. For this is what is signified To us by the term one hundred. The companies, then, Of the holy angels are the ninety-nine. For, as I said, they are many. But the flock on earth is one. But yet useful to complete The number, and sought for Also by Christ. Did he then seek it As that which was lost? Or as that which had not yet Suffered this? But it is plain that That which is lost is sought for. In what manner, then, had it been lost? By being brought down into sin By wandering from the divine will And going far astray From the universal shepherd. But none of these things Moved the Pharisees On the contrary, they find fault With them to the disciples. For listen, Five-thirty, And their scribes and Pharisees murmured Saying unto his disciples, There are, however, some Who endeavour to deprive those Entangled in sin Of the divine gentleness. For they do not admit Of repentance, But as it were, rebuke The Saviour for seeking his own And gathering from every quarter That which was scattered. And to these we say, The Pharisees set you the example Of murmuring, When they saw Levi called, And a crowd of publicans Gathered together, And feasting with Christ The Saviour of us all. And going up to the holy Apostles, they vented their blame Saying, They drank with the publicans. But they had for answer They that are whole Need not a physician. For the Saviour of all, As being the physician of spirits, Does not withdraw from those In need of him, But as being able to cleanse them Purposely conversed with those Not as yet purified of their sins. But let us see, O Pharisee, The overweening pride of thy disposition Fort, let us take Christ himself To whom all things are known As the expounder of the great blame That thou broughtest upon thyself By thy overbearing treatment of sinners. Fort, speaking of a Pharisee Who wanted himself when praying And of a certain publican Who accused himself, he said, Verily I say unto you That he went down justified To his house rather than that Pharisee. The publican, therefore, Who confessed his sin, is justified Rather than the haughty Pharisee. But for what reason do the Pharisees Blame the Saviour for eating with sinners? Because it was the law To put a distinction between The holy and the profane. That is, That whatever was hallowed Was not to be brought into contact With things profane. They made the accusation, therefore, As vindicating the law for soothe, But really it was envy against the Lord And readiness to find fault. But he shows them that he is present now Not as a judge, but as a physician And performs the proper duty Of the physician's office In being in the company Of those in need of healing. But no sooner had they received An explanation of their first accusation Then they bring forward another, Finding fault because his disciples Did not fast, wishing to obtain Hereby an opportunity against himself. But observed their perseverance And malice. For no sooner have they received An explanation of their first accusation Then they change from one thing to another. A hope of finding an opportunity Of convicting the holy disciples And Jesus himself Of disregard of the law. But they are told in reply, Now is the bright chamber The time of calling, The time of instruction. The children are being nursed up. Those who are called Are being fed with milk. Fasting is not yet seasonable. For yes, say they, Fast with publicans and sinners Although the law commands That the pure should not hold Into course with the impure. And your pretext for transgressing The law is your love for mankind. But why fast, Gee not according to the custom Of the just, And those who wish to live according To the law? But in answer to such objections One may say, Do you understand it all yourself, O Jew, the proper method of fasting? For as the prophet Isaiah says, On the days of your fast You find your own wills And go to all who are subject unto you. If ye fast for lawsuits and contingents And strike the lowly with fists, Why fast, Gee, for me? This is not the fast I have chosen, Sayeth the Lord. And dost thou then When thou thyself knowest not how to fast? Blame the holy apostles For not fasting after thy fashion? And to view it in another light. Those who are made wise By the new covenant in Christ Fast rationally. That is, by humbling themselves In the eyes of God And imposing upon themselves as it were A voluntary sentence of labour And abstinence. That they may obtain forgiveness Of their offences Or win some fresh spiritual gift Or even to mortify the law of sin That is in their fleshly members. But this mode of fasting Thou art ignorant of O Pharisee. For thou hast refused to receive The heavenly bridegroom Who is the planter and teacher Of every virtue, even Christ. Moreover, the saints indeed Fast that they may quell the passions Of the body by exhausting it. But Christ needed not too fast For the perfecting of virtue Because, as being God He was free from all passion Nor did his companions Because they received of his grace And were made strong And wrought virtue even without fasting. And even though he fasted For the forty days It was not to mortify Any passions in himself But to set an example For men in his own conduct Of the law of abstinence With good reason there For he defends himself By the words which the evangelist Goes on to record. Five, thirty-four But he said unto them Can ye make the sons Of the bride chamber fast While the bridegroom is with them? Observe, I pray, again, The manner in which Christ shows That they have no share in the feast But are altogether strangers To the joy felt on his account And without part In the world's great festival. For the revelation of our saviour To the world was nothing else Than a general festival At which he spiritually United to himself the nature Of man, to be as it were His bride That she who had been long-bear And might be fruitful And blessed with a numerous offspring All therefore are the children Of the bride chamber Who are called by him Through the new message of the gospel But not the scribes and Pharisees Who attach themselves Solely to the shadow of the law But as he had once granted Permission to the children Of the bride chamber Not to afflict themselves As a concession suitable to the season In as much as they were keeping A spiritual feast That fasting might not be entirely Rejected by us, he adds most suitably. Five, thirty-five But the days will come When also the bridegroom Shall be taken away from them Then shall they fast in those days For all things are good in their season But what is the meaning of the bridegroom Being taken away from them? It is his being taken up into heaven Five, thirty-six And he spake also a parable unto them But that the institutions of Christ Can not be received by those Who live according to the law Nor admitted into the hearts Of such as have not as yet received The renewing by the Holy Ghost The Lord shows by saying that A tattered patch cannot be put upon a new garment Nor can old skins hold new wine For the first covenant has grown old Nor was it free from fault Those therefore who adhere to it And keep it hard the antiquated commandment Have no share in the new order Of things in Christ For in him all things are become new But their mind being decayed They have no concord nor point Of mutual agreement with the ministers Of the new covenant The God of all accordingly Somewhere set of them By one of the holy prophets That a new heart and a new spirit Will I put into them And David also sings Create in me a clean heart O God And renew a right spirit within me And we have been commanded also To put off the old man And to put on the new man Renewed after the image of him That created it And Paul also gives counsel saying Be ye not conformed to this world But be ye transformed By the renewing of your minds That ye may prove what is the good And acceptable and perfect will of God Those therefore who have not as yet Received the renewing of the spirit Are also unable to prove the good And acceptable and perfect will of God End of Fragments from Sermon 21