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| (For 347.) Coss. Rufinus, Eusebius; Præf. the same Nestorius; Indict. v; Easter-day, Prid. Id. Apr., Pharmuthi xvii; Æra Dioclet. 63; Moon 15.
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Letter XIX.—(For
347.) Coss. Rufinus, Eusebius; Præf. the same Nestorius; Indict.
v; Easter-day, Prid. Id. Apr., Pharmuthi xvii; Æra Dioclet. 63;
Moon 15.
‘Blessed is God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ4439
,’ for
such an introduction is fitting for an Epistle, and more especially
now, when it brings thanksgiving to the Lord, in the Apostle’s
words, because He hath brought us from a distance, and granted us again
to send openly to you, as usual, the Festal Letters. For this is the
season of the feast, my brethren, and it is near; being not now
proclaimed by trumpets, as the history records4440
,
but being made known and brought near to us by the Saviour, Who
suffered on our behalf and rose again, even as Paul preached, saying,
‘Our Passover, Christ, is sacrificed4441
.’ Henceforth the feast of the Passover
is ours, not that of a stranger, nor is it any longer of the Jews4442
| 4442 Cf.
Letter 6, §2, and note. | . For the time of shadows is abolished, and
those former things have ceased, and now the month of new things4443
is at hand, in which every man should keep
the feast, in obedience to Him who said, ‘Observe the month of new things, and keep the
Passover to the Lord thy God4444
.’ Even the
heathen fancy they keep festival, and the Jews hypo-critically feign to
do so. But the feast of the heathen He reproves, as the bread4445
of mourners, and He turns His face from that
of the Jews, as being outcasts, saying, ‘Your new moons and your
sabbaths My soul hateth4446
.’
2. For actions not done lawfully and piously, are
not of advantage, though they may be reputed to be so, but they rather
argue hypocrisy in those who venture upon them. Therefore, although
such persons feign to offer sacrifices, yet they hear from the Father,
‘Your whole burnt-offerings are not acceptable, and your
sacrifices do not please Me; and although ye bring fine flour, it is
vanity, incense also is an abomination unto Me4447
.’ For God does not need anything4448
; and, since nothing is unclean to Him, He is
full in regard to them, as He testifies, by Isaiah, saying, ‘I am
full4449
.’ Now there was a law given about
these things, for the instruction of the people, and to prefigure
things to come, for Paul saith to the Galatians; ‘Before faith
came, we were kept guarded under the law, being shut up in the faith
which should afterwards be revealed unto us; wherefore the law was our
instructor in Christ, that we might be justified by faith4450
.’ But the Jews knew not, neither did
they understand, therefore they walked in the daytime as in darkness,
feeling for, but not touching, the truth we possess, which [was
contained] in the law; conforming to the letter, but not submitting to
the spirit. And when Moses was veiled, they looked on him, but turned
away their faces from him when he was uncovered. For they knew not what
they read, but erroneously substituted one thing for another. The
prophet, therefore, cried against them, saying, ‘Falsehood and
faithlessness have prevailed among them.’ The Lord also therefore
said concerning them, ‘The strange children have dealt falsely
with Me; the strange children have waxen old4451
.’ But how gently does He reprove them,
saying, ‘Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me, for he
wrote of Me4452
.’ But being faithless, they went
on to deal falsely with the law, affirming things after their own
pleasure, but not understanding the Scripture; and, further, as they
had hypocritically made a pretence of the plain text of Scripture, and
had confidence in this, He is angry with them, saying by Isaiah,
‘Who hath required these of your hands4453
?’ And by Jeremiah, since they were
very bold, he threatens, ‘Gather together your whole
burnt-offerings with your sacrifices, and eat flesh, for I spake not
unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them
out of the land of Egypt, concerning whole burnt-offerings and
sacrifices4454
.’ For they did not act as was
right, neither was their zeal according to law, but they rather sought
their own pleasure in such days, as the prophet accuses them, beating
down their bondsmen, and gathering themselves together for strifes and
quarrels, and they smote the lowly with the fist, and did all things
that tended to their own gratification. For this cause, they continue
without a feast until the end, although they make a display now of
eating flesh, out of place and out of season. For, instead of the
legally-appointed lamb, they have learned to sacrifice to Baal; instead
of the true unleavened bread, ‘they collect the wood, and their
fathers kindle the fire, and their wives prepare the dough, that they
may make cakes to the host of heaven, and pour out libations to strange
gods, that they may provoke Me to anger, saith the Lord4455
.’ They have the just reward of such
devices, since, although they pretend to keep the Passover, yet joy and
gladness is taken from their mouth, as saith Jeremiah, ‘There
hath been taken away from the cities of Judah, and the streets of
Jerusalem, the voice of those who are glad, and the voice of those who
rejoice; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride4456
.’ Therefore now, ‘he who among
them sacrificeth an ox, is as he who smiteth a man, and he who
sacrificeth a lamb is as he who killeth a dog, he that offereth fine
flour, is as [if he offered] swine’s blood, he that giveth
frankincense for a memorial, is as a blasphemer4457
.’ Now these things will never please
God, neither thus hath the word required of them. But He saith,
‘These have chosen their own ways; and their abominations are
what their soul delighteth in4458
.’
3. And what does this mean my brethren? For it is
right for us to investigate the saying of the prophet, and especially
on account of heretics who have turned their mind against the law. By
Moses then, God gave commandment respecting sacrifices, and all the
book called Leviticus is entirely taken up with the arrangement of
these matters, so that He might accept the offerer. So through the
Prophets, He blames him who despised these things, as disobedient to
the commandment saying, ‘I
have not required these at your hands. Neither did I speak to your
fathers respecting sacrifices, nor command them concerning whole
burnt-offerings4459
.’ Now it is
the opinion of some, that the Scriptures do not agree together, or that
God, Who gave the commandment, is false. But there is no disagreement
whatever, far from it, neither can the Father, Who is truth, lie;
‘for it is impossible that God should lie4460
,’ as Paul affirms. But all these
things are plain to those who rightly consider them, and to those who
receive with faith the writings of the law. Now it appears to
me—may God grant, by your prayers, that the remarks I presume to
make may not be far from the truth—that not at first were the
commandment and the law concerning sacrifices, neither did the mind of
God, Who gave the law, regard whole burnt-offerings, but those things
which were pointed out and prefigured by them. ‘For the law
contained a shadow of good things to come.’ And, ‘Those
things were appointed until the time of reformation4461
.’
4. Therefore, the whole law did not treat of
sacrifices, though there was in the law a commandment concerning
sacrifices, that by means of them it might begin to instruct men and
might withdraw them from idols, and bring them near to God, teaching
them for that present time. Therefore neither at the beginning, when
God brought the people out of Egypt, did He command them concerning
sacrifices or whole burnt-offerings, nor even when they came to mount
Sinai. For God is not as man, that He should be careful about these
things beforehand; but His commandment was given, that they might know
Him Who is truly God, and His Word, and might despise those which are
falsely called gods, which are not, but appear in outward show. So He
made Himself known to them in that He brought them out of Egypt, and
caused them to pass through the Red Sea. But when they chose to serve
Baal, and dared to offer sacrifices to those that have no existence,
and forgot the miracles which were wrought in their behalf in Egypt,
and thought of returning thither again; then indeed, after the law,
that commandment concerning sacrifices was ordained as law; so that
with their mind, which at one time had meditated on those which are
not, they might turn to Him Who is truly God, and learn not, in the
first place, to sacrifice, but to turn away their faces from idols, and
conform to what God commanded. For when He saith, ‘I have not
spoken concerning sacrifices, neither given commandment concerning
whole burnt-offerings,’ He immediately adds, ‘But this is
the thing which I commanded them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be
to you a God, and ye shall be to Me a people, and ye shall walk in all
the ways that I command you4462
.’ Thus then,
being before instructed and taught, they learned not to do service to
any one but the Lord. They attained to know what time the shadow should
last, and not to forget the time that was at hand, in which no longer
should the bullock of the herd be a sacrifice to God, nor the ram of
the flock, nor the he-goat4463
, but all these
things should be fulfilled in a purely spiritual manner, and by
constant prayer, and upright conversation, with godly words; as David
sings, ‘May my meditation be pleasing to Him. Let my prayer be
set forth before Thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the
evening sacrifice4464
.’ The Spirit
also, who is in him, commands, saying, ‘Offer unto God the
sacrifice of praise, and pay to the Lord thy vows. Offer the sacrifice
of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord4465
.’
5. Samuel, that great man, no less clearly
reproved Saul, saying, ‘Is not the word better than a gift4466
?’ For hereby a man fulfils the law,
and pleases God, as He saith, ‘The sacrifice of praise shall
glorify Me.’ Let a man ‘learn what this means, I will have
mercy, and not sacrifice4467
,’ and I will
not condemn the adversaries. But this wearied them, for they were not
anxious to understand, ‘for had they known, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory4468
.’ And what
their end is, the prophet foretold, crying, ‘Woe unto their soul,
for they have devised an evil thought, saying, let us bind the just
man, because he is not pleasing to us4469
.’ The end of such abandonment as this
can be nothing but error, as the Lord, when reproving them, saith,
‘Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures4470
.’ Afterwards when, being reproved,
they should have come to their senses, they rather grew insolent,
saying, ‘We are Moses’ disciples; and we know that God
spake to Moses4471
;’ dealing the
more falsely by that very expression, and accusing themselves. For had
they believed him to whom they hearkened, they would not have denied
the Lord, Who spake by Moses, when He was present. Not so did the
eunuch in the Acts, for when he heard, ‘Understandest thou what
thou readest4472
?’ he was not ashamed to confess
his ignorance, and implored to be taught. Therefore, to him who became
a learner, the grace of the Spirit was given. But as for those Jews who persisted in their ignorance; as
the proverb saith, ‘Death came upon them. For the fool dies in
his sins4473
.’
6. Like these too, are the heretics, who, having
fallen from true discernment, dare to invent to themselves atheism.
‘For the fool saith in his heart, There is no God. They are
corrupt, and become abominable in their doings4474
.’ Of such as are fools in their
thoughts, the actions are wicked, as He saith, ‘can ye, being
evil, speak good things4475
;’ for they
were evil, because they thought wickedness. Or how can those do just
acts, whose minds are set upon fraud? Or how shall he love, who is
prepared beforehand to hate? How shall he be merciful, who is bent upon
the love of money? How shall he be chaste, who looks upon a woman to
lust after her? ‘For from the heart proceed evil thoughts,
fornications, adulteries, murders4476
.’ By
them the fool is wrecked, as by the waves of the sea, being led away
and enticed by his fleshly pleasures; for this stands written,
‘All flesh of fools is greatly tempest-tossed4477
.’ While he associates with folly, he
is tossed by a tempest, and perishes, as Solomon says in the Proverbs,
‘The fool and he who lacketh understanding shall perish together,
and shall leave their wealth to strangers4478
.’ Now they suffer such things, because
there is not among them one sound of mind to guide them. For where
there is sagacity, there the Word, who is the Pilot of souls, is with
the vessel; ‘for he that hath understanding shall possess
guidance4479
;’ but they who are without
guidance fall like the leaves. Who has so completely fallen away as
Hymenæus and Philetus, who held evil opinions respecting the
resurrection, and concerning faith in it suffered shipwreck? And Judas
being a traitor, fell away from the Pilot, and perished with the Jews4480
. But the disciples since they were wise, and
therefore remained with the Lord, although the sea was agitated, and
the ship covered with the waves, for there was a storm, and the wind
was contrary, yet fell not away. For they awoke the Word, Who was
sailing with them4481
, and immediately
the sea became smooth at the command of its Lord, and they were saved.
They became preachers and teachers at the same time; relating the
miracles of our Saviour, and teaching us also to imitate their example.
These things were written on our account and for our profit, so that
through these signs we may acknowledge the Lord Who wrought them.
7. Let us, therefore, in the faith of the
disciples, hold frequent converse with our Master. For the world is
like the sea to us, my brethren, of which it is written, ‘This is
the great and wide sea, there go the ships; the Leviathan, which Thou
hast created to play therein4482
.’ We float on
this sea, as with the wind, through our own free-will, for every one
directs his course according to his will, and either, under the
pilotage of the Word, he enters into rest, or, laid hold on by
pleasure, he suffers shipwreck, and is in peril by storm. For as in the
ocean there are storms and waves, so in the world there are many
afflictions and trials. The unbelieving therefore ‘when
affliction or persecution ariseth is offended4483
,’ as the Lord said. For not being
confirmed in the faith, and having his regard towards temporal things,
he cannot resist the difficulties which arise from afflictions. But
like that house, built on the sand by the foolish man, so he, being
without understanding4484
, falls before the
assault of temptations, as it were by the winds. But the saints, having
their senses exercised in self-possession4485
,
and being strong in faith, and understanding the word, do not faint
under trials; but although, from time to time, circumstances of greater
trial are set against them, yet they continue faithful, and awaking the
Lord Who is with them, they are delivered. So, passing through water
and fire, they find relief and duly keep the feast, offering up prayers
with thanksgiving to God Who has redeemed them. For either being
tempted they are known, like Abraham, or suffering they are approved,
like Job, or being oppressed and deceitfully treated, like Joseph, they
patiently endure it, or being persecuted, they are not overtaken; but
as it is written, through God they ‘leap over the wall4486
’ of wickedness, which divides and
separates between brethren, and turns them from the truth. In this
manner the blessed Paul, when he took pleasure in infirmities, in
reproach, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses for
Christ, rejoiced, and wished all of us to rejoice saying,
‘Rejoice always; in everything give thanks4487
.’
8. For what is so fitting for the feast, a
turning from wickedness, and a pure conversation, and prayer offered
without ceasing to God, with thanksgiving? Therefore let us, my
brethren, looking forward to celebrate the eternal joy in heaven, keep
the feast here also, rejoicing at all times, praying incessantly, and
in everything giving thanks to the Lord. I give thanks to God, for
those other wonders He has done, and for the various helps that have now been granted us, in that though
He hath chastened us sore, He did not deliver us over to death, but
brought us from a distance even as from the ends of the earth, and hath
united us again with you. I have been mindful while I keep the feast,
to give you also notice of the great feast of Easter, that so we may go
up together, as it were, to Jerusalem, and eat the Passover, not
separately but as in one house4488
; let us not as
sodden in water, water down the word of God; neither let us, as having
broken its bones, destroy the commands of the Gospel. But as roasted
with fire, with bitterness, being fervent in spirit, in fastings and
watchings, with lying on the ground, let us keep it with penitence and
thanksgiving.
9. We begin the fast of forty days on the sixth
day of Phamenoth (Mar. 2); and having passed through that properly,
with fasting and prayers, we may be able to attain to the holy day. For
he who neglects to observe the fast of forty days, as one who rashly
and impurely treads on holy things, cannot celebrate the Easter
festival. Further, let us put one another in remembrance, and stimulate
one another not to be negligent, and especially that we should fast
those days, so that fasts may receive us in succession, and we may
rightly bring the feast to a close.
10. The fast of forty days begins then, as was
already said, on the sixth of Phamenoth (Mar. 2), and the great week of
the Passion on the eleventh of Pharmuthi (Apr. 6). And let us rest from
the fast on the sixteenth of it (Apr. 11), on the seventh day, late in
the evening. Let us keep the feast when the first of the week dawns
upon us, on the seventeenth of the same month Pharmuthi (Apr. 12). Let
us then add, one after the other, the seven holy weeks of Pentecost,
rejoicing and praising God, that He hath by these things made known to
us beforehand, joy and rest everlasting, prepared in heaven for us and
for those who truly believe in Christ Jesus our Lord; through Whom, and
with Whom, be glory and dominion to the Father, with the Holy Ghost,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Salute one another with a holy kiss. The brethren
who are with me salute you.
4489
| 4489 Vid.
Letter 2, note. | I have also thought
it necessary to inform you of the appointment of Bishops, which has
taken place in the stead of our blessed fellow-ministers, that ye may
know to whom to write, and from whom ye should receive letters. In
Syene, therefore, Nilammon, instead of Nilammon of the same name. In
Latopolis, Masis, instead of Ammonius. In Coptos, Psenosiris4490
, instead of Theodorus4491
. In Panopolis, because Artemidorus4492
desired it, on account of his old age, and
weakness of body, Arius is appointed coadjutor. In Hypsele, Arsenius,
having become reconciled to the Church. In Lycopolis, Eudæmon4493
in the stead of Plusianus4494
. In Antinoöpolis, Arion4495
, instead of Ammonius and Tyrannus4496
. In Oxyrynchus, Theodorus, instead of
Pelagius. In Nilopolis, instead of Theon, Amatus4497
, and Isaac, who are reconciled to each
other. In Arsenoitis, Andreas 4498
| 4498 Cf.
Tom. ad Ant. 10. | , instead of
Silvanus4499
. In Prosopitis, Triadelphus, instead
of Serapammon4500
. In Diosphacus, on
the river side, Theodorus, instead of Serapammon. In Sais, Paphnutius,
instead of Nemesion. In Xois, Theodorus, instead of Anubion; and there
is also with him Isidorus, who is reconciled to the Church. In
Sethroitis, Orion4501
, instead of
Potammon4502
. In Clysma, Tithonas4503
, instead of Jacob; and there is with him
Paulus, who has been reconciled to the Church.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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