[6.] But if you will, let us listen too to the voice itself. What then was the voice? "Abraham, Abraham, lay not thy hand upon Isaac, neither do thou any thing unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy son, thy well-beloved, for My sake." (Gen. xxii. 11, 12.) What is this? He that knoweth all things before they are, did He now know! And yet even to man the Patriarch's [512] fear of God was evident: so many proofs had he given that his heart was right toward God [513] , as when He said to him, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred;" (Gen. xii. 1.) when for His sake and the honor due to Him he relinquished to his sister's son his priority; when He delivered him out of so great perils; when He bade him go into Egypt, and on his wife's being taken from him, he repined not, and more instances besides; and as I said, from these things even man would have learned the Patriarch's fear of God, much more than God Who waiteth not for the acts to know the end. And how too justified he him, if He knew not? For it is written, "Abraham believed, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." (Gen. xv. 6; Rom. iv. 3.)
What then means this, "Now I know?" The Syriac hath, "Now thou hast made known;" that is, to men. For I knew of old, even before all those commandments. And why, to men even, "now?" for were not those acts enough to prove his mind was right toward God? They were enough indeed, but this one so much greater than them all that they appear nothing beside it. As exalting then this good work and showing its superiority to all, He so spake. For of things which exceed and surpass all that went before, most men are wont to speak so: for instance, if one receive from another a gift greater than any former one, he often says, "Now I know that such an one loves me," not hereby meaning that he knew not in the time past, but as intending to declare what is now given to be greater than all. So also God, speaking after the manner of men, saith, "Now I know," intending only to mark the exceeding greatness of the exploit; not that He "then" came to know either his fear or the greatness of it. For when He saith, "Come, let Us go down and see," (Gen. xi. 7; xviii. 21.) He saith it not as needing to go down, (for He both filleth all things and knoweth all things certainly,) but to teach us not to give sentence lightly. And when He saith, "The Lord looked down from Heaven:" (Ps. xiv. 2.) it describeth His perfect knowledge by a metaphor taken from men. So also here He saith, "Now I know," to declare this to be greater than all which had preceded it. Of this itself too He furnisheth proof by adding, "Because thou sparedst not thy son, thy well-beloved, for My sake; He saith not "thy son" only, but yet more, "thy well-beloved." For it was not nature only, but also parental fondness, which having both by natural disposition and by the great goodness of his child, he yet dared in him to spurn [514] . And if about worthless children parents are not easily indifferent, but mourn even for them; when it is his son, his only-begotten, and his well-beloved, even Isaac, and the father himself is on the point of immolating him; who can describe the excessiveness of such philosophy? This exploit outshineth thousands of diadems and crowns innumerable. For the wearer of that crown, both death ofttimes assaileth and annoyeth, and before death, assaults of circumstances without number; but this diadem shall no one have strength to take from him that weareth it; no not even after death; neither of his own household, nor of strangers. And let me point you out the costliest stone in this diadem. For as a costly stone, so this comes at the end and clasps it. What then is this? the words, "for My sake?" for not herein is the marvel, that he spared not, but that it was "for His sake."
Oh! blessed right hand, of what a knife was it accounted worthy? oh! wondrous knife, of what a right hand was it accounted worthy? Oh! wondrous knife, for what a purpose was it prepared? to what an office did it serve? to what a type did it minister? How was it bloodied? how was it not bloodied? For I know not what to say, so awful was that mystery. It touched not the neck of the child, nor passed through the throat of that holy one: nor was crimsoned with the blood of the righteous; rather it both touched, and passed through, and was crimsoned, and was bathed in it, yet was not bathed. Perchance I seem to you beside myself, uttering such contradictions. For, in truth, I am beside myself, with the thought of the wondrous deed of that righteous man; but I utter no contradictions. For indeed the righteous man's hand thrust it in the throat of the lad, but God's Hand suffered it not, so thrust, to be stained with blood of the lad. For it was not Abraham alone that held it back, but God also: and he by his purpose gave the stroke, God by His voice restrained it. For the same voice both armed and disarmed [515] that right hand, which, marshalled under God, as if under a leader, performed all things at His beck, and all were ministered at His voice. For observe; He said, "Slay," and straightway it was armed: He said, "Slay not," and straightway it was disarmed: for every thing [before] had been fully prepared.
And now God showed the soldier and general to the whole world; this crowned victor to the theatre of the angels; this priest, this king, crowned with that knife beyond a diadem, this trophy-bearer, this champion, this conqueror without a fight. For as if some general having a most valiant soldier, should use his mastery of his weapons, his bearing, his ordered movements [516] to dismay the adversary; so also God, by the purpose, the attitude, the bearing only of that righteous man, dismayed and routed the common enemy of us all, the Devil. For I deem that even he then shrunk away aghast. But if any one say, And why did he not suffer that right hand to be bathed, and then forthwith raise him up after being sacrificed?' Because God might not accept such bloody offerings; such a table were that of avenging demons. But here two things were displayed, both the loving kindness of the Master, and the faithfulness of the servant. And before, indeed, he went out from his country: but then he abandoned even nature. Wherefore also he received his principal with usury: and very reasonably. For he chose to lose the name of father, to show himself a faithful servant. Wherefore he became not a father only, but also a priest; and because for God's sake he gave up his own, therefore also did God give him with these His own besides. When then enemies devise mischief, He allows it to come even to the trial, and then works miracles; as in the case of the furnace and the lions; (Dan. iii. and vi.) but when Himself biddeth, readiness [517] attained, He stayeth His bidding. What then, I ask, was wanting further in this noble deed? For did Abraham foreknow what would happen? Did he bargain for the mercy of God? For even though he were a prophet, yet the prophet knoweth not all things. So the actual sacrifice afterwards was superfluous and unworthy of God. And if it was fit he should learn that God was able to raise from the dead, by the womb he had learnt this much more marvellously, or rather he learnt it even before that proof, for he had faith.
[7.] Do not then only admire this righteous man, but also imitate him, and when thou seest him amid so great uproar and surge of waves sailing as in a calm, take thou in hand in like way the helm of obedience and fortitude. For look, pray, not only at this that he built up the altar and the wood; but remember too the voice of the lad, and reflect what hosts like snow storms [518] assaulted him to dismay him, when he heard the lad say, "My father, where is the lamb?" Bethink thee how many thoughts were then stirred up armed not with iron, but with darts of flame; and piercing into and cutting him through on every side. If even now many, and those not parents, are broken down [519] , and would have wept, did they not know the end: and many, I see, do weep, though they know it; what must it be thought he would feel, who begat, who nurtured him, in old age had him, had him only, him such an one, who sees, who hears him, and is presently about to slay him? What intelligence in the words! What meekness in the question! Who then is here at work? The Devil that he might set nature in a flame? God forbid! but God, the more to prove the golden soul of the righteous man. For when indeed the wife of Job speaks, a Devil is at work. For of such sort the advice is. But this one uttereth nothing blasphemous, but what is both very devout and thoughtful; and great the grace that overspread the words, much the honey that dropped therefrom, flowing from a calm and gentle soul. Even a heart of stone these words were enough to soften. But they turned not aside, nay, shook not that adamant. Nor said he, Why callest thou him father, who in a little while will not be thy father, yea, who hath already lost that title of honor?' And why doth the lad ask the question? Not of impertinence merely, not of curiosity, but as anxious about what was proposed. For he reflected that had his father not meant to make him a partner in what was done, he would not have left the servants below, and taken him only with him. For this reason, too, surely, it is that when they were alone, then he asks him, when none heard what was said. So great was the judgment of the lad. Are ye not all warmed towards him, both men and women? Doth not each one of you mentally infold and kiss the child, and marvel at his judgment; and venerate the piety which, when he was both bound and laid on the wood, made him not be dismayed nor struggle nor accuse his father as mad; but he was even bound and lifted up and laid upon it, and endured all in silence, like a lamb, yea, rather like the common Lord of all. For of Him he both imitated the gentleness, and kept to the type. For "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep dumb before his shearer." (Is. liii. 7.) And yet Isaac spake; for his Lord spake also. How dumb then? This meaneth, he spake nothing wilful or harsh, but all was sweet and mild, and the words more than the silence manifested his gentleness. For Christ also said, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?" (John xviii. 23.) and manifested His gentleness more than if He had held His peace. And as this one speaketh with his father from the altar, so too doth He from the Cross, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." What then said the Patriarch? (ver. 8.) "God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt-offering, my son." Either uses the names of nature; the former, father; the latter, son; and on either side arduous is the war stirred up, and mighty the storm, and yet wreck no where: for religion [520] triumphed over all. Then after he heard of God, he spoke no further word nor was impertinently curious [521] . Of such judgment was the child even in the very bloom of youth. Seest thou the king, over how many armies, in how many battles which beset him, he hath been victorious? For the barbarians were not so fearful to the city of Jerusalem when they assaulted her oftentimes, as were to this man the thoughts on every side besieging him: but still he overcame all. Wouldest thou see the priest also? The instance is at hand. For when thou hast seen him with fire and a knife; and standing over an altar, what doubtest thou after as to his priesthood? But if thou wouldest see the sacrifice also, lo, here a twofold one. For he offered a son, he offered also a ram, yea, more and above all, his own will. And with the blood of the lamb he consecrated his right hand [522] , with the sacrifice of his son, his soul. Thus was he ordained a priest, by the blood of his only-begotten, by the sacrifice of a lamb; for the priests also were consecrated by the blood of the victims which were offered to God. Wouldest thou see the prophet also? It is written, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad." (Levit. viii.; John viii. 56.)