Then when they considered that it was possible that God might be willing even to permit them to be burnt; lest, if this should come to pass, they might seem to be speaking falsehoods; they add this also and say, "If this happen not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we serve not thy gods." [208] For had they said, "Sins are the cause of His not delivering us, should He fail to deliver," they would not have been believed. Wherefore in this place they are silent on that subject, though they speak of it in the furnace, again and again alleging their sins. But before the king they say no such thing; only, that though they were to be burnt, they would not give up their religion.
For it was not for rewards and recompenses that they did what they did, but out of love alone; and yet they were in captivity too, and in slavery, and had enjoyed no good thing. Yea, they had lost their country, and their freedom, and all their possessions. For tell me not of their honors in the king's courts, for holy and righteous as they were, they would have chosen ten thousand times rather to have been beggars at home, and to have been partakers of the blessings in the temple. "For I had rather," it is said, "be an outcast [209] in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of sinners." And "one day in thy courts is better than thousands." [210] They would have chosen then ten thousand times rather to be outcasts at home, than kings in Babylon. And this is manifest, from what they declare even in the furnace, grieving at their continuance in that country. For although themselves enjoyed great honors, yet seeing the calamities of the rest they were exceedingly vexed; and this kind of thing is most especially characteristic of saints, that no glory, nor honor, nor anything else should be more precious to them than their neighbor's welfare. See, for example, how even when they were in a furnace, they made their supplication for all the people. But we not even when at large bear our brethren in mind. And again, when they were inquiring about the dreams, [211] they were looking "not to their own but the common good," [212] for that they despised death they showed by many things afterwards. But everywhere they put themselves forward, as wishing to prevail [213] with God by importunity. Next, as not accounting themselves either to be sufficient, they flee to the Fathers; but of themselves they said that they offer nothing more than "a contrite spirit." [214]
19. These men then let us also imitate. Because now too there is set up a golden image, even the tyranny of Mammon. But let us not give heed to the timbrels, nor to the flutes, nor to the harps, nor to the rest of the pomp of riches; yea, though we must needs fall into a furnace of poverty, let us choose it, rather than worship that idol, and there will be "in the midst a moist whistling wind." [215] Let us not then shudder at hearing of "a furnace of poverty." For so too at that time they that fell into the furnace were shewn the more glorious, but they that worshipped were destroyed. Only then all took place at once, but in this case some part will be accomplished here, some there, some both here and in the day that is to come. For they that have chosen poverty, in order that they might not worship mammon, will be more glorious both here and then, but they that have been rich unjustly here, shall then pay the utmost penalty.
From this furnace Lazarus too went forth, not less glorious than those children; but the rich man who was in the place of them that worshipped the image, was condemned to hell. [216] For indeed what we have now mentioned was a type of this. Wherefore as in this instance they who fell into the furnace suffered no hurt, but they who sat without were laid hold of with great fierceness, so likewise shall it be then. The saints walking through the river of fire shall suffer no pain, nay they will even appear joyous; but they that have worshipped the image, shall see the fire rest upon them fiercer than any wild beast, and draw them in. So that if any one disbelieves hell, when he sees this furnace, let him from the things present believe things to come, and fear not the furnace of poverty, but the furnace of sin. For this is flame and torment, but that, dew [217] and refreshment; and by this stands the devil, by that, angels wafting aside the flame.
20. These things let them hear that are rich, that are kindling the furnace of poverty. For though they shall not hurt those others, "the dew" [218] coming to their aid; yet themselves they will render an easy prey to the flame, which they have kindled with their own hands.
Then, an angel went down with those children; now, let us go down with [219] them that are in the furnace of poverty, and by alms-deeds let us make a "dewy air," [220] and waft the flame quite aside, that we may be partakers of their crowns also; that the flames of hell may likewise be scattered by the voice of Christ saying, "Ye saw me an hungered, and fed me." [221] For that voice shall then be with us instead of a "moist wind whistling" [222] through the midst of the flame. Let us then go down with alms-giving, unto the furnace of poverty; let us behold them that in self-restraint walk therein, and trample on the burning coals; let us behold the marvel, strange and beyond thought, a man singing praise in a furnace, a man giving thanks in fire, chained unto extreme poverty, yet offering much praise to Christ. Since they, who bear poverty with thankfulness, really become equal to those children. For no flame is so terrible as poverty, nor so apt to set us on fire. But those children were not set on fire; rather, on their giving thanks to the Lord, their bonds too were at once loosed. So likewise now, if when thou hast fallen into poverty, thou art thankful, both the bonds are loosened, and the flame extinguished; or though it be not extinguished (what is much more marvellous), it becomes a fountain instead of a flame: which then likewise came to pass, and in the midst of a furnace they enjoyed a pure dew. For the fire indeed it quenched not, but the burning of those cast in it altogether hindered. This one may see in their case also who live by the rules of wisdom, [223] for they, even in poverty, feel more secure than the rich.
Let us not therefore sit down without the furnace, feeling no pity towards the poor; lest the same befall us as then befell those executioners. For if thou shouldest go down to them, and take thy stand with the children, the fire will no longer work thee any harm; but if thou shouldest sit above and neglect them in the flame of their poverty, the flame will burn thee up. Go down therefore into the fire, that thou mayest not be burnt up by the fire; sit not down without the fire, lest the flame catch hold of thee. For if it should find thee amongst the poor, it will depart from thee; but if alienated from them, it will run upon thee quickly, and catch thee. Do not therefore stand off from them that are cast in, but when the devil gives command to cast them that have not worshipped gold into the furnace of poverty, be not thou of them that cast others in, but of them that are cast in; that thou mayest be of the number of the saved, and not of the burned. For indeed it is a most effectual dew, to be held in no subjection by desire of wealth, to be associate with poor persons. These are wealthier than all, who have trampled under foot the desire of riches. Forasmuch as those children too, by despising the king at that time, became more glorious than the king. And thou therefore, if thou despise the things of the world, shalt become more honorable than all the world; like those holy men, "of whom the world was not worthy." [224]
In order then to become worthy of the things in Heaven, I bid thee laugh to scorn things present. For in this way thou shalt both be more glorious here, and enjoy the good things to come, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be glory and might for ever and ever. Amen.
[154] See St. Jerome in loc.
[155] [St. Augustin's Harmony of the Gospels, ii. 4; Nicene Fathers, vol. vi. pp. 105, 106, where the sum of the names (forty) is given a symbolical significance.--R.]
[156] [But see Homily I. 5, 6, where the independence of the evangelists is emphasized.--R.]
[157] Exod. xii. 38; Jer. l. 37.
[158] [E d ka met tata ngonen.]
[159] "The tyrant commanded the sacred vessels to be delivered up to the imperial treasury....Into the Temple of God then," at Antioch, "there entered, along with Julian the Prefect of the East, Felix the Steward of the Imperial Treasures...And they say that Julian grievously insulted the sacred table, and when Euzoius" (the Arian bishop) "endeavored to prevent him, he gave him a blow on the temple...Julian, however, presently fell into a grievous disease, and had his bowels wasted with a kind of mortification...and so came to an end of his life. Felix also for his part being afflicted with a scourge from God, had to vomit blood night and day from his mouth...until he also wasted away." Theodoret. E H. iii. 8, 9, ed. Schulze. See also Sozom. E. H. v. 8. St. Chrys. Orat. in Babylam. t. v. p. 246, sub fin. where he says that Felix "burst asunder."
[160] Acts xii. 23, i. 18.
[161] He mentions this miracle too with the former ones, Hom. in Ps. cx. t. 1, 738; and in his first Hom. on St. Paul, t. 8, 44. "The fountains among us, whose current is stronger than the rivers, shrank suddenly and started back (a thing which never had occurred to them before), upon the Emperor's attempting to defile the place with sacrifices and libations."
[162] theoran: the allegorical or mystical sense. See Suicer on the word; and St. Just. Mart. Cohort. ad Græc. p. 29. A. Ed. Morell. See also in the Catena Aurea, from St. Jerome, the interpretation of the names in our Lord's genealogy.
[163] Matt. i. 18.
[164] [kainteron.]
[165] sntemnei.
[166] See the different opinions of the Fathers on these dates, in St. Jerome on Daniel ix.
[167] Matt. i. 18.
[168] Gen. xix. 8, 14.
[169] Gal. iv. 4.
[170] i.e., the Valentinians and some other Gnostics. Theodoret, Ep. 145. "Valentinus, and Basilides, and Bardesanes, and Harmonius, and those of their company, allow indeed the Virgin's conception and the birth, but affirm that God the Word took nothing of the Virgin, but in a manner made Himself a passage through her as through a conduit, and that in manifesting Himself to men He was employing a mere phantom, and only seeming to be a man; as He appeared to Abraham and certain other of the ancients." S. Epiph. Hær. xxxi. 7. "They affirm that He brought down His body from Heaven, and that as water through a conduit, so He passed through the Virgin Mary taking nothing of His mother's womb, but having His body from Heaven, as I said before." Comp. Massuet's 1st Dissert. prefixed to the Benedictine Irenæus, sec. 73. [Comp. the recovered work of Hippolytus (unknown when the Oxford translation was made), Refutation of all Heresies, Book VI., VII., Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. V. pp. 81 et sqq.--R.]
[171] Phil. ii. 7.
[172] John i. 14.
[173] Rom. ix. 5.
[174] phurmato.
[175] Matt. i. 19.
[176] [The punctuation of the translation has here been conformed to that of the Greek text.--R.]
[177] See Arist. Eth. Nicom. v. 1, 2.
[178] Job i. 1.
[179] Luke i. 6.
[180] Prov. vi. 34.
[181] Cant. viii. 6.
[182] [t pleon.]
[183] [pnton n mechan kathestton.]
[184] Luke i. 34.
[185] [That is, did not give way to her feeling, with loud cry, whether of joy or grief.--R.]
[186] Luke i. 29.
[187] Matt. i. 20.
[188] [agroikikteron, "more boorish."--R.]
[189] tn tkonoikonomoumena.
[190] ek periousa, "superabundantly."--R.]
[191] Matt. i. 21.
[192] metoron.
[193] [More literally, "Removal and destruction of sins."--R.]
[194] [och pl, here in the sense, "not generally, not at random."--R.]
[195] exothen. 1 Cor. v. 13.
[196] ephdion.
[197] seseruan.
[198] [pistn. The translator sometimes, as in this instance, rendered the word "Christian." For the sake of uniformity, "believer" has been substituted several times in this paragraph.--R.]