IRENAEUS - FRAGMENTS FROM THE LOST WRITINGS
I.
I ADJURE thee, who shalt transcribe this book,(1)
by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by His glorious appearing,
when He comes to judge the living and the dead, that
thou compare what thou hast transcribed, and be careful
to set it right according to this copy from which thou
hast transcribed; also, that thou in like manner copy
down this adjuration, and insert it in the transcript.
II.
These(2) opinions, Florinus, that I may speak in
mild terms, are not of sound doctrine; these opinions
are not consonant to the Church, and involve their
votaries in the utmost impiety; these opinions, even
the heretics beyond the Church's pale have never ventured
to broach; these opinions, those presbyters who preceded
us, and who were conversant with the apostles, did
not hand down to thee. For, while I was yet a boy,
I saw thee in Lower Asia with Polycarp, distinguishing
thyself in the royal court,(3) and endeavouring to
gain his approbation. For I have a more vivid recollection
of what occurred at that time than of recent events
(inasmuch as the experiences of childhood, keeping
pace with the growth of the soul, become incorporated
with it); so that I can even describe the place where
the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse--his
going out, too, and his coming in--his general mode
of life and personal appearance, together with the
discourses which he delivered to the people; also how
he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John,
and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and
how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatsoever
things he had heard from them respecting the Lord,
both with regard to His miracles and His teaching,
Polycarp having thus received [information] from the
eye-witnesses of the Word of life, would recount them
all in harmony with the Scriptures. These things, through,
God's mercy which was upon me, I then listened to attentively,
and treasured them up not on paper, but in my heart;
and I am continually, by God's grace, revolving these
things accurately in my mind. And I can bear witness
before God, that if that blessed and apostolical presbyter
had heard any such thing, he would have cried out,
and stopped his ears, exclaiming as he was wont to
do: "O good God, for what times hast Thou reserved
me, that I should endure these things?" And he
would have fled from the very spot where, sitting or
standing, he had heard such words. This fact, too,
can be made clear, from his Epistles which he despatched,
whether to the neighbouring Churches to confirm them,
or to certain of the brethren, admonishing and exhorting
them.
III.
For(4) the controversy is not merely as regards
the day, but also as regards the form itself of the
fast.(5) For some consider themselves hound to fast
one day, others two days, others still more, while
others [do so during] forty: the diurnal and the nocturnal
hours they measure out together as their [fasting]
day.(6) And this variety among the observers [of the
fasts] had not its origin in our time, but long before
in that of our predecessors, some of whom probably,
being not very accurate in their observance of it,
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handed down to posterity the custom as it had, through simplicity or private fancy, been [introduced among them]. And yet nevertheless all these lived in peace one with another, and we also keep peace together. Thus, in fact, the difference [in observing] the fast establishes the harmony of [our common] faith.(1) And the presbyters preceding Sorer in the government of the Church which thou dost now rule--I mean, Anicetus and Pius, Hyginus and Telesphorus, and Sixtus--did neither themselves observe it [after that fashion], nor permit those with them(2) to do so. Notwithstanding this, those who did not keep [the feast in this way] were peacefully disposed towards those who came to them from other dioceses in which it was [so] observed (although such observance was [felt] in more decided contrariety [as presented] to those who did not fall in with it; and none were ever cast out [of the Church] for this matter. On the contrary, those presbyters who preceded thee, and who did not observe [this custom], sent the Eucharist to those of other dioceses who did observe it.(3) And when the blessed Polycarp was sojourning in Rome in the time of Anicetus, although a slight controversy had arisen among them as to certain other points, they were at once well inclined towards each other [with regard to the matter in hand], not willing that any quarrel should arise between them upon this head. For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp to forego the observance [in his own way], inasmuch as these things had been always [so] observed by John the disciple of our Lord, and by other apostles with whom he had been conversant; nor, on the other hand, could Polycarp succeed in persuading Anicetus to keep [the observance in his way], for he maintained that he was bound to adhere to the usage of the presbyters who preceded him. And in this state of affairs they held fellowship with each other; and Anicetus conceded to Polycarp in the Church the celebration of the Eucharist, by way of showing him respect; so that they parted in peace one from the other, maintaining peace with the whole Church, both those who did observe [this custom] and those who did not.(4)
IV.
As s long as any one has the means of doing good to
his neighbours, and does not do so, he shall be reckoned
a stranger to the love of the Lord.(6)
V.
The(7) will and the energy of God is the effective
and foreseeing cause of every time and place and age,
and of every nature. The will is the reason (<greek>logos</greek>)
of the intellectual soul, which [reason] is within
us, inasmuch as it is the faculty belonging to it which
is endowed with freedom of action. The will is the
mind desiring [some object], and an appetite possessed
of intelligence, yearning after that thing which is
desired.
VI.
Since(8) God is vast, and the Architect of the world,
and omnipotent, He created things that reach to immensity
both by the Architect of the world and by an omnipotent
will, and with a new effect, potently and efficaciously,
in order that the entire fulness of those things which
have been produced might come into being, although
they had no previous existence--that is, whatever does
not fall under [our] observation, and also what lies
before our eyes. And so does He contain all things
in particular, and leads them on to their own proper
result, on account of which they were called into being
and produced, in no way changed into anything else
than what it (the end) had originally been by nature.
For this is the property of the working of God, not
merely to proceed to the infinitude of the understanding,
or even to overpass [our] powers of mind, reason and
speech, time and place, and every age; but also to
go beyond substance, and fulness or perfection,
VII.
This(9) [custom], of not bending the knee upon Sunday,
is a symbol of the resurrection, through which we have
been set free, by the grace of Christ, from sins, and
from death, which has been put to death under Him.
Now this custom took its rise from apostolic times,
as the blessed Irenaeus, the martyr and bishop of Lyons,
declares in his treatise On Easter, in which he makes
mention of Pentecost also; upon which [feast] we do
not bend the knee, because it is
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of equal significance with the Lord's day, for the reason already alleged concerning it.
VIII.
For(1) as the ark [of the covenant] was glided within
and without with pure gold, so was also the body of
Christ pure and resplendent; for it was adorned within
by the Word, and shielded without by the Spirit, in
order that from both [materials] the splendour of the
natures might be clearly shown forth.
IX.
Ever(2), indeed, speaking well of the deserving,
but never ill of the undeserving, we also shall attain
to the glory and kingdom of God.
X.
It is indeed proper to God, and befitting His character,
to show mercy and pity, and to bring salvation to His
creatures, even though they be brought under danger
of destruction. "For with Him," says the
Scripture, "is propitiation."(3)
XI.
The business of the Christian is nothing else than
to be ever preparing for death <greek>meleman</greek>
<greek>amoqnhskein</greek>).
XII.
We therefore have formed the belief that [our] bodies
also do rise again. For although they go to corruption,
yet they do not perish; for the earth, receiving the
remains, preserves them, even like fertile seed mixed
with more fertile ground. Again, as a bare grain is
sown, and, germinating by the command of God its Creator,
rises again, clothed upon and glorious, but not before
it has died and suffered decomposition, and become
mingled with the earth; so [it is seen from this, that]
we have not entertained a vain belief in the resurrection
of the body. But although it is dissolved at the appointed
time, because of the primeval disobedience, it is placed,
as it were, in the crucible of the earth, to be recast
again; not then as this corruptible [body], but pure,
and no longer subject to decay: so that to each body
its own soul shall be restored; and when it is clothed
upon with this, it shall not experience sorrow, but
shall rejoice, continuing permanently in a state of
purity, having for its companion a just consort, not
an insidious one, possessing in every respect the things
pertaining to it, it shall receive these with perfect
accuracy;(4) it shall not receive bodies diverse from
what they had been, nor delivered from suffering or
disease, nor as [rendered] glorious, but as they departed
this life, in sins or in righteous actions: and such
as they were, such shall they be clothed with upon
resuming life; and such as they were in unbelief, such
shall they be faithfully judged.
XIII.
For(5) when the Greeks, having arrested the slaves
of Christian catechumens, then used force against them,
in order to learn from them some secret thing [practised]
among Christians, these slaves, having nothing to say
that would meet the wishes of their tormentors, except
that they had heard from their masters that the divine
communion was the body and blood of Christ, and imagining
that it was actually flesh and blood, gave their inquisitors
answer to that effect. Then these latter, assuming
such to be the case with regard to the practices of
Christians, gave information regarding it to other
Greeks, and sought to compel the martyrs Sanctus and
Blandina to confess, under the influence of torture,
[that the allegation was correct]. To these men Blandina
replied very admirably in these words: "How should
those persons endure such [accusations], who, for the
sake of the practice [of piety], did not avail themselves
even of the flesh that was permitted [them to eat]?"
XVI.
How(6) is it possible to say that the serpent, created
by God dumb and irrational, was endowed with reason
and speech? For if it had the power of itself to speak,
to discern, to understand, and to reply to what was
spoken by the woman, there would have been nothing
to prevent every serpent from doing this also. If,
however, they say again that it was according to the
divine will and dispensation that this [serpent] spake
with a human voice to Eve, they render God the author
of sin. Neither was it possible for the evil demon
to impart speech to a speechless nature, and thus from
that which is not to produce that which is; for if
that were the case, he never would have ceased (with
the view of leading men astray) from conferring with
and deceiving them by means of serpents, and beasts,
and birds. From what quarter, too, did it, being a
beast, obtain information regarding the injunc-
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tion of God to the man given to him alone, and in secret, not even the woman herself being aware of it? Why also did it not prefer to make its attack upon the man instead of the woman? And if thou sayest that it attacked her as being the weaker of the two, [I reply that], on the contrary, she was the stronger, since she appears to have been the helper of the man in the transgression of the commandment. For she did by herself alone resist the serpent, and it was after holding out for a while and making opposition that she ate of the tree, being circumvented by craft; whereas Adam, making no fight whatever, nor refusal, partook of the fruit handed to him by the woman, which is an indication of the utmost imbecility and effeminacy of mind. And the woman indeed, having been vanquished in the contest by a demon, is deserving of pardon; but Adam shall deserve none, for he was worsted by a woman,--he who, in his own person, had received the command from God. But the woman, having heard of the command from Adam, treated it with contempt, either because she deemed it unworthy of God to speak by means of it, or because she had her doubts, perhaps even held the opinion that the command was given to her by Adam of his own accord. The serpent found her working alone, so that he was enabled to confer with her apart. Observing her then either eating or not eating from the trees, he put before her the fruit of the [forbidden] tree. And if he saw her eating, it is manifest that she was partaker of a body subject to corruption. "For everything going in at the mouth, is cast out into the draught."(1) If then corruptible, it is obvious that she was also mortal. But if mortal, then there was certainly no curse; nor was that a [condemnatory] sentence, when the voice of God spake to the man, "For earth thou art, and unto earth shall thou return,"(2) as the true course of things proceeds [now and always]. Then again, if the serpent observed the woman not eating, how did he induce her to eat who never had eaten? And who pointed out to this accursed man-slaying serpent that the sentence of death pronounced against them by God would not take [immediate] effect, when He said, "For in the day that ye eat thereof, ye shall surely die?" And not this merely, but that along with the impunity(3) [attending their sin] the eyes of those should be opened who had not seen until then? But with the opening [of their eyes] referred to, they made entrance upon the path of death.
XV.
When,(4) in times of old, Balaam spake these things
in parables, he was not acknowledged; and now, when
Christ has appeared and fulfilled them, He was not
believed. Wherefore [Balaam], foreseeing this, and
wondering at it, exclaimed, "Alas! alas! who shall
live when God brings these things to pass?"(5)
XVI.
Expounding again the law to that generation which
followed those who were shin in the wilderness, he
published Deuteronomy; not as giving to them a different
law from that which had been appointed for their fathers,
but as recapitulating this latter, in order that they,
by hearing what had happened to their fathers, might
fear God with their whole heart.
XVII.
By these Christ was typified, and acknowledged,
and brought into the world; for He was prefigured in
Joseph: then from Levi and Judah He was descended according
to the flesh, as King and Priest; and He was acknowledged
by Simeon in the temple: through Zebulon He was believed
in among the Gentiles, as says the prophet, "the
land of Zabulon;"(6) and through Benjamin [that
is, Paul] He was glorified, by being preached throughout
all the world.(7)
XVIII.
And this was not without meaning; but that by means
of the number of the ten men,(8) he (Gideon) might
appear as having Jesus for a helper, as [is indicated]
by the compact entered into with them. And when he
did not choose to partake with them in their idol-worship,
they threw the blame upon him: for "Jerubbaal"
signifies the judgment-seat of Baal.
XIX.
"Take unto thee Joshua ('I<greek>hsoun</greek>)
the son of Nun."(9) For it was proper that Moses
should lead the people out of Egypt, but that Jesus
(Joshua) should lead them into the inheritance. Also
that Moses, as was the case with the law, should cease
to be, but that Joshua ('I<greek>hsoun</greek>),
as the word, and no untrue type of the Word made
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flesh (<greek>enupostatou</greek>), should be a preacher to the people. Then again, [it was fit] that Moses should give manna as food to the fathers, but Joshua wheat;(1) as the first-fruits of life, a type of the body of Christ, as also the Scripture declares that the manna of the Lord ceased when the people had eaten wheat from the land.(2)
XX.
"And(3) he laid his hands upon him."(4)
The countenance of Joshua was also glorified by the
imposition of the hands of Moses, but not to the same
degree [as that of Moses]. Inasmuch, then, as he had
obtained a certain degree of grace, [the Lord] said,
"And thou shall confer upon him of thy glory."(5)
For [in this case] the thing given does not cease to
belong to the giver.
XXI.
But he does not give, as Christ did, by means of
breathing, because he is not the fount of the Spirit.
XXII.
"Thou shall not go with them, neither shalt
thou curse the people."(6) He does not hint at
anything with regard to the people, for they all lay
before his view, but [he refers] to the mystery of
Christ pointed out beforehand. For as He was to be
born of the fathers according to the flesh, the Spirit
gives instructions to the man (Balaam) beforehand,
lest, going forth in ignorance, he might pronounce
a curse upon the people.(7) Not, indeed, that [his
curse] could take any effect contrary to the will of
God; but [this was done] as an exhibition of the providence
of God which He exercised towards them on account of
their forefathers.
XXIII.
"And he mounted upon his ass."(8) The
ass was the type of the body of Christ, upon whom all
men, resting from their labours, are borne as in a
chariot. For the Saviour has taken up the burden of
our sins.(9) Now the angel who appeared to Balaam was
the Word Himself; and in His hand He held a sword,
to indicate the power which He had from above.
XXIV.
"God is not as a man."(10) He thus shows
that all men are indeed guilty of falsehood, inasmuch
as they change from one thing to another (<greek>metaferomenoi</greek>);
but such is not the case with God, for He always continues
true, perfecting whatever He wishes.
XXV.
"To inflict vengeance from the Lord on Midian."(11)
For this man (Balaam), when he speaks no longer in
the Spirit of God, but contrary to God's law, by setting
up a different law with regard to fornication,(12)
is certainly not then to be counted as a prophet, but
as a soothsayer. For he who did not keep to the commandment
of God, received the just recompense of his own evil
devices.(13)
XXVI.
Know(14) thou that every man is either empty or
full. For if he has not the Holy Spirit, he has no
knowledge of the Creator; he has not received Jesus
Christ the Life; he knows not the Father who is in
heaven; if he does not live after the dictates of reason,
after the heavenly law, he is not a sober-minded person,
nor does he act uprightly: such an one is empty. If,
on the other hand, he receives God, who says, "I
will dwell with them, and walk in them, and I will
be their God,"(15) such an one is not empty, but
full.
XXVII.
The little boy, therefore, who guided Samson by
the hand,(16) pre-typified John the Baptist, who showed
to the people the faith in Christ. And the house in
which they were assembled signifies the world, in which
dwell the various heathen and unbelieving nations,
offering sacrifice to their idols. Moreover, the two
pillars are the two covenants. The fact, then, of Samson
leaning himself upon the pillars, [indicates] this,
that the people, when instructed, recognized the mystery
of Christ.
XXVIII.
"And the man of God said, Where did it fall?
And he showed him the place. And he cut down a tree,
and cast it in there, and the iron floated."(17)
This was a sign that souls should be borne aloft (<greek>anagwghs</greek>
<greek>yukwn</greek>) through the instrumentality
of wood, upon which He suffered who can lead those
souls aloft that follow His ascension. This event was
also an indication of
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the fact, that when the holy soul of Christ descended
[to Hades], many souls ascended and were seen in their
bodies.(1) For just as the wood, which is the lighter
body, was submerged in the water; but the iron, the
heavier one, floated: so, when the Word of God became
one with flesh, by a physical and hypostatic union,
the heavy and terrestrial [part], having been rendered
immortal, was borne up into heaven, by the divine nature,
after the resurrection.
XXIX.
The(2) Gospel according to Matthew was written to
the Jews. For they laid particular stress upon the
fact that Christ [should be] of the seed of David.
Matthew also, who had a still greater desire [to establish
this point], took particular pains to afford them convincing
proof that Christ is of the seed of David; and therefore
he commences with [an account of] His genealogy.
XXX.(3)
"The axe unto the root,"(4) he says, urging us to the knowledge of the truth, and purifying us by means of fear, as well as preparing [us] to bring forth fruit in due season.
XXXI.
Observe(5) that, by means of the grain of mustard
seed in the parable, the heavenly doctrine is denoted
which is sown like seed in the world, as in a field,
[seed] which has an inherent force, fiery and powerful.
For the Judge of the whole world is thus proclaimed,
who, having been hidden in the heart of the earth in
a tomb for three days, and having become a great tree,
has stretched forth His branches to the ends of the
earth. Sprouting out from Him, the twelve apostles,
having become fair and fruitful boughs, were made a
shelter for the nations as for the fowls of heaven,
under which boughs, all having taken refuge, as birds
flocking to a nest, have been made partakers of that
wholesome and celestial food which is derived from
them.
XXXII.(6)
Josephus says, that when Moses had been brought
up in the royal palaces, he was chosen as general against
the Ethiopians; and having proved victorious, obtained
in marriage the daughter of that king, since indeed,
out of her affection for him, she delivered the city
up to him;
Why was it, that when these two (Aaron and Miriam)
had both acted with despite towards him (Moses), the
latter alone was adjudged punishment?(3) First, because
the woman was the more culpable, since both nature
and the law place the woman in a subordinate condition
to the man. Or perhaps it was that Aaron was to a certain
degree excusable, in consideration of his being the
eider [brother], and adorned with the dignity of high
priest. Then again, inasmuch as the leper was accounted
by the law unclean, while at the same time the origin
and foundation of the priesthood lay in Aaron, [the
Lord] did not award a similar punishment to him, lest
this stigma should attach itself to the entire [sacerdotal]
race; but by means of his sister's [example] He awoke
his fears, and taught him the same lesson. For Miriam's
punishment affected him to such an extent, that no
sooner did she experience it, than he entreated Moses],
who had been injured, that he would be his intercession
do away with the affliction. And he did not neglect
to do so, but at once poured forth his supplication.
Upon this the Lord, who loves mankind, made him understand
how He had not chastened her as a judge, but as a father;
for He said, "If her father had spit in her face,
should she not be ashamed? Let her be shut out from
the camp seven days, and after that let her come in
again."(9)
XXXIII.
Inasmuch(10) as certain men, impelled by what considerations
I know not, remove from God the half of His creative
power, by asserting that He is merely the cause of
quality resident in matter, and by maintaining that
matter itself is uncreated, come now let us put the
question, What is at any time ... is immutable. Matter,
then, is immutable. But if matter be immutable, and
the immutable suffers no change in regard to quality,
it does not form the substance of the world. For which
reason it seems to them superfluous, that God has annexed
qualities to matter, since indeed matter admits of
no possible alteration, it being in itself an uncreated
thing. But further, if matter be uncreated, it has
been made altogether according to a certain
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quality, and this immutable, so that it cannot be receptive of more qualifies, nor can it be the thing of which the world is made. But if the word be not made from it, [this theory] entirely excludes God from exercising power on the creation [of the world].
XXXIV.
"And(1) dipped himself," says [the Scripture],
"seven times in Jordan."(2) It was not for
nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy,
was purified upon his being baptized, but [it served]
as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin,
we are made clean, by means of the sacred water and
the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions;
being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes, even
as the Lord has declared: "Except a man be born
again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven."(3)
XXXV.
If the corpse of Elisha raised a dead man,(4) how
much more shall God, when He has quickened men's dead
bodies, bring them up for judgment?
XXXVI.
True(5) knowledge, then, consists in the understanding
of Christ, which Paul terms the wisdom of God hidden
in a mystery, which "the natural man receiveth
not,"(6) the doctrine of the cross; of which if
any man "taste,"(7) he will not accede to
the disputations and quibbles of proud and puffed-up
men,(8) who go into matters of which they have no perception.(9)
For the truth is unsophisticated (<greek>askhmatistos</greek>);
and "the word is nigh thee, in thy mouth and in
thy heart,"(10) as the same apostle declares,
being easy of comprehension to those who are obedient.
For it renders us like to Christ, if we experience
"the power of his resurrection and the fellowship
of His sufferings."(11) For this is the affinity(12)
of the apostolical teaching and the most holy "faith
delivered unto us,"(13) which the unlearned receive,
and those of slender knowledge have taught, not "giving
heed to endless genealogies,"(14) but studying
rather [to observe] a straightforward course of life;
lest, having been deprived of the Divine Spirit, they
fail to attain to the kingdom of heaven. For truly
the first thing is to deny one's self and to follow
Christ; and those who do this are borne onward to perfection,
having fulfilled all their Teacher's will, becoming
sons of God by spiritual regeneration, and heirs of
the kingdom of heaven; those who seek which first shall
not be forsaken.
XXXVII.
Those who have become acquainted with the secondary
(i.e., under Christ) constitutions of' the apostles,(15)
are aware that the Lord instituted a new oblation in
the new covenant, according to [the declaration of]
Malachi the prophet. For, "from the rising of
the sun even to the setting my name has been glorified
among the Gentiles, and in every place incense is offered
to my name, and a pure sacrifice;"(16) as John
also declares in the Apocalypse: "The incense
is the prayers of the saints."(17) Then again,
Paul exhorts us "to present our bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service."(18) And again, "Let
us offer the sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit
of the lips."(19) Now those oblations are not
according to the law, the handwriting of which the
Lord took away from the midst by cancelling it;(20)
but they are according to the Spirit, for we must worship
God "in spirit and in truth."(21) And therefore
the oblation of the Eucharist is not a carnal one,
but a spiritual; and in this respect it is pure. For
we make an oblation to God of the bread and the cup
of blessing, giving Him thanks in that He has commanded
the earth to bring forth these fruits for our nourishment.
And then, when we have perfected the oblation, we invoke
the Holy Spirit, that He may exhibit this sacrifice,
both the bread the body of Christ, and the cup the
blood of Christ, in order that the receivers of these
antitypes(22) may obtain remission of sins and life
eternal. Those persons, then, who perform these oblations
in remem-
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brance of the Lord, do not fall in with Jewish views, but, performing the service after a spiritual manner, they shall be called sons of wisdom.
XXXVIII.
The(1) apostles ordained, that "we should not
judge any one in respect to meat or drink, or in regard
to a feast day, or the new moons, or the sabbaths.''(2)
Whence then these contentions? whence these schisms?
We keep the feast, but in the leaven of malice and
wickedness, cutting in pieces the Church of God; and
we preserve what belongs to its exterior, that we may
cast away these better things, faith and love. We have
heard from the prophetic words that these feasts and
fasts are displeasing to the Lord.(3)
XXXIX.
Christ,(4) who was called the Son of God before
the ages, was manifested in the fulness of time, in
order that He might cleanse us through His blood, who
were under the power of sin, presenting us as pure
sons to His Father, if we yield ourselves obediently
to the chastisement of the Spirit. And in the end of
time He shall come to do away with all evil, and to
reconcile all things, in order that there may be an
end of all impurities.
XL.
"And(5) he found the jaw-bone of an ass."(6)
It is to be observed that, after [Samson had committed]
fornication, the holy Scripture no longer speaks of
the things happily accomplished by him in connection
with the formula, "The Spirit of the Lord came
upon him."(7) For thus, according to the holy
apostle, the sin of fornication is perpetrated against
the body, as involving also sin against the temple
of God.(8)
XLI.
This (9) indicates the persecution against the Church
set on foot by the nations who still continue in unbelief.
But he (Samson) who suffered those things, trusted
that there would be a retaliation against those waging
this war. But retaliation through what means? First
of all, by his betaking himself to the Rock(10) not
cognizable to the senses;(11) secondly, by the finding
of the jaw-bone of an ass. Now the type of the jaw-bone
is the body of Christ.
XLII.
Speaking always well of the worthy, but never ill
of the unworthy, we also shall attain to the glory
and kingdom of God.
XLIII.
In(12) these things there was signified by prophecy
that the people, having become transgressors, shall
be bound by the chains of their own sins. But the breaking
of the bonds of their own accord indicates that, upon
repentance, they shall be again loosed from the shackles
of sin.
XLIV.
It(13) is not an easy thing for a soul, under the
influence Of error, to be persuaded of the contrary
opinion.
XLV.
"And(14) Balsam the son of Beor they slew with
the sword."(15) For, speaking no longer by the
Spirit of God, but setting up another law of fornication
contrary to the law of God,(16) this man shall no longer
be reckoned as a prophet, but as a soothsayer. For,
as he did not continue in the commandment of God, he
received the just reward of his evil devices.
XLVI.
"The(17) god of the world;"(18) that is,
Satan, who was designated God to those who believe
not.
XLVII.
The(19) birth of John [the Baptist] brought the
dumbness of Zacharias to an end. For he did not burden
his father, when the voice issued forth from silence;
but as when not believed it rendered him tongue-tied,
so did the voice sounding out clearly set his father
free, to whom he had both been announced and born.
Now the voice and the burning light 20 were a precursor
of the Word and the Light.
576
XLVIII.
As(1) therefore seventy tongues are indicated by
number, and from(2) dispersion the tongues are gathered
into one by means of their interpretation; so is that
ark declared a type of the body of Christ, which is
both pure and immaculate. For(3) as that ark was gilded
with pure gold both within and without, so also is
the body of Christ pure and resplendent, being adorned
within by the Word, and shielded on the outside by
the Spirit, in order that from both [materials] the
splendour of the natures might be exhibited together.
XLIX.
Now(4) therefore, by means of this which has been
already brought forth a long time since, the Word has
assigned an interpretation. We are convinced that there
exist [so to speak] two men in each one of us. The
one is confessedly a hidden thing, while the other
stands apparent; one is corporeal, the other spiritual;
although the generation of both may be compared to
that of twins. For both are revealed to the world as
but one, for the soul was not anterior to the body
in its essence; nor, in regard to its formation, did
the body precede the soul: but both these were produced
at one time; and their nourishment consists in purity
and sweetness.
L.
For(5) then there shall in truth be a common joy
consummated to all those who believe unto life, and
in each individual shall be confirmed the mystery of
the Resurrection, and the hope of incorruption, and
the commencement of the eternal kingdom, when God shall
have destroyed death and the devil. For that human
nature and flesh which has risen again from the dead
shall die no more; but after it had been changed to
incorruption, and made like to spirit, when the heaven
was opened, [our Lord] full of glory offered it (the
flesh) to the Father.
LI.
Now,(6) however, inasmuch as the books of these
men may possibly have escaped your observation, but
have come under our notice, I call your attention to
them, that for the sake of your reputation you may
expel these writings from among you, as bringing disgrace
upon you, since their author boasts himself as being
one of your company. For they constitute a stumbling-block
to many, who simply and unreservedly receive, as coming
from a presbyter, the blasphemy which they utter against
God. Just [consider] the writer of these things, how
by means of them he does not injure assistants [in
divine service] only, who happen to be prepared in
mind for blasphemies against God, but also damages
those among us, since by his books he imbues their
minds with false doctrines concerning God.
LII.
The(7) sacred books acknowledge with regard to Christ,
that as He is the Son of man, so is the same Being
not a [mere] man; and as He is flesh, so is He also
spirit, and the Word of God, and God. And as He was
born of Mary in the last times, so did He also proceed
from God as the First-begotten of every creature; and
as He hungered, so did He satisfy [others]; and as
He thirsted, so did He of old cause the Jews to drink,
for the "Rock was Christ"(8) Himself: thus
does Jesus now give to His believing people power to
drink spiritual waters, which spring up to life eternal.(9)
And as He was the son of David, so was He also the
Lord of David. And as He was from Abraham, so did He
also exist before Abraham.(10) And as He was the servant
of God, so is He the Son of God, and Lord of the universe.
And as He was spit upon ignominiously, so also did
He breathe the Holy Spirit into His disciples.(11)
And as He was saddened, so also did He give joy to
His people. And as He was capable of being handled
and touched, so again did He, in a non-apprehensible
form, pass through the midst of those who sought to
injure Him,(12) and entered without impediment through
closed doors.(13) And as He slept, so did He also rule
the sea, the winds, and the storms. And as He suffered,
so also is He alive, and life-giving, and healing all
our infirmity. And as He died, so is He also the Resurrection
of the dead. He suffered shame on earth, while He is
higher than all glory and praise in heaven; who, "though
He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by
divine power;"(14) who "descended into the
lower parts of the earth," and who "ascended
up above the heavens;"(15) for whom a manger
577
sufficed, yet who filled all things; who was dead, yet who liveth for ever and ever. Amen.
LIII.
With(1) regard to Christ, the law and the prophets
and the evangelists have proclaimed that He was born
of a virgin, that He suffered upon a beam of wood,
and that He appeared from the dead; that He also ascended
to the heavens, and was glorified by the Father, and
is the Eternal King; that He is the perfect Intelligence,
the Word of God, who was begotten before the light;
that He was the Founder of the universe, along with
it (light), and the Maker of man; that He is All in
all: Patriarch among the patriarchs; Law in the laws;
Chief Priest among priests; Ruler among kings; the
Prophet among prophets; the Angel among angels; the
Man among men; Son in the Father; God in God; King
to all eternity. For it is He who sailed [in the ark]
along with Noah, and who guided Abraham; who was bound
along with Isaac, and was a Wanderer with Jacob; the
Shepherd of those who are saved, and the Bridegroom
of the Church; the Chief also of the cherubim, the
Prince of the angelic powers; God of God; Son of the
Father; Jesus Christ; King for ever and ever. Amen.
LIV.
The(2) law and the prophets and evangelists have
declared that Christ was born of a virgin, and suffered
on the cross; was raised also from the dead, and taken
up to heaven; that He was glorified, and reigns for
ever. He is Himself termed the Perfect Intellect, the
Word of God. He is the First-begotten,(3) after a transcendent
manner, the Creator of man; All in all; Patriarch among
the patriarchs; Law in the law; the Priest among priests;
among kings Prime Leader; the Prophet among the prophets;
the Angel among angels; the Man among men; Son in the
Father; God in God; King to all eternity. He was sold
with Joseph, and He guided Abraham; was bound along
with Isaac, and wandered with Jacob; with Moses He
was Leader, and, respecting the people, Legislator.
He preached in the prophets; was incarnate of a virgin;
born in Bethlehem; received by John, and baptized in
Jordan; was tempted in the desert, and proved to be
the Lord. He gathered the apostles together, and preached
the kingdom of heaven; gave light to the blind, and
raised the dead; was seen in the temple, but was not
held by the people as worthy of credit; was arrested
by the priests, conducted before Herod, and condemned
in the presence of Pilate; He manifested Himself in
the body, was suspended upon a beam of wood, and raised
from the dead; shown to the apostles, and, having been
carried up to heaven, sitteth on the right hand of
the Father, and has been glorified by Him as the Resurrection
of the dead. Moreover, He is the Salvation of the lost,
the Light to those dwelling in darkness, and Redemption
to those who have been born; the Shepherd of the saved,
and the Bridegroom of the Church; the Charioteer of
the cherubim, the Leader of the angelic host; God of
God; Jesus Christ our Saviour.
LV.
"Then(4) drew near unto Him the mother of Zebedee's
children, with her sons, worshipping, and seeking a
certain thing from Him."(5) These people are certainly
not void of understanding, nor are the words set forth
in that passage of no signification: being stated beforehand
like a preface, they have some agreement with those
points formerly expounded.
"Then drew near." Sometimes virtue excites
our admiration, not merely on account of the display
which is given of it, but also of the occasion when
it was manifested. I may refer, for example, to the
premature fruit of the grape, or of the fig, or to
any fruit whatsoever, from which, during its process
[of growth], no man expects maturity or full development;
yet, although any one may perceive that it is still
somewhat imperfect, he does not for that reason despise
as useless the immature grape when plucked, but he
gathers it with pleasure as appearing early in the
season; nor does he consider whether the grape is possessed
of perfect sweetness; nay, he at once experiences satisfaction
from the thought that this one has appeared before
the rest. Just in the same way does God also, when
He perceives the faithful possessing wisdom though
still imperfect, and but a small degree of faith, overlook
their defect in this respect, and therefore does not
reject them; nay, but on the contrary, He kindly welcomes
and accepts them as premature fruits, and honours the
mind, whatsoever it may be, which is stamped with virtue,
although not yet perfect. He makes allowance for it,
as being among the harbingers of the vintage,(6) and
esteems it highly, inasmuch as, being of a readier
disposition than the rest, it has forestalled, as it
were, the blessing to itself.
578
Abraham therefore, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers,
are to be esteemed before all, since they did indeed
afford us such early examples of virtue. How many martyrs
can be compared to Daniel? How many martyrs, I ask,
can rival the three youths in Babylon, although the
memory of the former has not been brought before us
so conspicuously as that of the latter? These were
truly first-fruits, and indications of the [succeeding]
fructification. Hence God has directed their life to
be recorded, as a model for those who should come after.
And that their virtue was thus accepted by God,
as the first-fruits of the produce, hear what He has
Himself declared: "As a grape," He says,
"I have found Israel in the wilderness, and as
first-ripe figs your fathers."(1) Call not therefore
the faith of Abraham merely blessed because he believed.
Do you wish to look upon Abraham with admiration? Then
behold how that one man alone professed piety when
in the world six hundred had been contaminated with
error. Dost thou wish Daniel to carry thee away to
amazement? Behold that [city] Babylon, haughty in the
flower and pride of impiousness, and its inhabitants
completely given over to sin of every description.
But he, emerging from the depth, spat out the brine
of sins, and rejoiced to plunge into the sweet waters
of piety. And now, in like manner, with regard to that
mother of Zebedee's children, do not admire merely
what she said, but also the time at which she uttered
these words. For when was it that she drew near to
the Redeemer? Not after the resurrection, nor after
the preaching of His name, nor after the establishment
of His kingdom; but it was when the Lord said, "Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be
delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and
they shall kill Him, and on the third day He shall
rise again."(2)
These things the Saviour told in reference to His
sufferings and cross; to these persons He predicted
His passion. Nor did He conceal the fact that it should
be of a most ignominious kind, at the hands of the
chief priests. This woman, however, had attached another
meaning to the dispensation of His sufferings. The
Saviour was foretelling death; and she asked for the
glory of immortality. The Lord was asserting that He
must stand arraigned before impious judges; but she,
taking no note of that judgment, requested as of the
judge: "Grant," she said, "that these
my two sons may sit, one on the right hand, and the
other on the left, in Thy glory." In the one case
the passion is referred to, in the other the kingdom
is understood. The Saviour was speaking of the cross,
while she had in view the glory which admits no suffering.
This woman, therefore, as I have already said, is worthy
of our admiration, not merely for what she sought,
but also for the occasion of her making the request.
She did indeed suffer, not merely as a pious person,
but also as a woman. For, having been instructed by
His words, she considered and believed that it would
come to pass, that the kingdom of Christ should flourish
in glory, and walk in its vastness throughout the world,
and be increased by the preaching of piety. She understood,
as was [in fact] the case, that He who appeared in
a lowly guise had delivered and received every promise.
I will inquire upon another occasion, when I come to
treat upon this humility, whether the Lord rejected
her petition concerning His kingdom. But she thought
that the same confidence would not be possessed by
her, when, at the appearance of the angels, He should
be ministered to by the angels, and receive service
from the entire heavenly host. Taking the Saviour,
therefore, apart in a retired place, she earnestly
desired of Him those things which transcend every human
nature.
POSTSCRIPT.
THE American editor omitted in the proper place (p. 315, note 4, after what is said by the translator) to insert this important note: viz.,--
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The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the "historical Jesus" -- a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin. Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
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Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation? Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry's insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation -- and even more importantly -- amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview! Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue -- but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today. Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study -- for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John's famous letter "... to the seven churches which are in Asia." (Revelation 1:4) |
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Over four hours of instruction! Just what is “Calvinism?” Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology? This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer. |
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