Wherefore then, saith one, doth not God reprove the aid from such sources? He hath many times reproved, and yet hath not persuaded thee; He now leaveth thee to thine error, for It saith, "God gave them up unto a reprobate mind." (Rom. i. 28.) These things, moreover, not even a Greek who hath understanding could endure. A certain demagogue in Athens is reported once to have hung these things about him: when a philosopher who was his instructor, on beholding them, rebuked him, expostulated, satirized, made sport of him. For in so wretched a plight are we, as even to believe in these things!
Why, saith one, are there not now those who raise the dead, and perform cures? Yes, then, why, I say: why are there not now those who have a contempt for this present life? Do we serve God for hire? When man's nature was weaker, when the Faith had to be planted, there were even many such; but now he would not have us to hang upon these signs, but to be ready for death. Why then clingest thou to the present life? why lookest thou not on the future? and for the sake of this indeed canst bear even to commit idolatry, but for the other not so much as to restrain sadness? For this cause it is that there are none such now; because that (future) life hath seemed to us honorless, seeing that for its sake we do nothing, whilst for this there is nothing we refuse to undergo. And why too that other farce, ashes, and soot, and salt? and the old woman again brought in? A farce truly, and a shame! And then, "an eye," say they, "hath caught the child."
Where will these satanical doings end? How will not the Greeks laugh? how will they not gibe when we say unto them, "Great is the virtue of the Cross"; how will they be won, when they see us having recourse to those things, which themselves laugh to scorn? Was it for this that God gave physicians and medicines? What then? Suppose they do not cure him, but the child depart? Whither will he depart? tell me, miserable and wretched one! Will he depart to the demons? Will he depart to some tyrant? Will he not depart to heaven? Will he not depart to his own Lord? Why then grievest thou? why weepest thou? why mournest thou? why lovest thou thine infant more than thy Lord? Is it not through Him that thou hast this also? Why art thou ungrateful? Dost thou love the gift more than the Giver? "But I am weak," she replies, "and cannot bear the fear of God." Well, if in bodily evils the greater covers the less, much rather in the soul, fear destroyed fear, and sorrow, sorrow. Was the child beautiful? But be it what it may, not more beauteous is he than Isaac: and he too was an only one. Was it born in thine old age? So too was he. But is it fair? Well: however fair it may be, it is not lovelier than Moses (Acts vii. 20.), who drew even barbarian eyes unto a tender love of him, and this too at a time of life when beauty is not yet disclosed; and yet this beloved thing did the parents cast into the river. Thou indeed both seest it laid out, and deliverest it to the burying, and goest to its monument; but they did not so much as know whether it would be food for fishes, or for dogs, or for other beasts that prey in the sea; and this they did, knowing as yet nothing of the Kingdom, nor of the Resurrection.
But suppose it is not an only child; but that after thou hast lost many, this also hath departed. But not so sudden is thy calamity as was Job's, and (his was) of sadder aspect? [856] It is not when a roof has fallen in, it is not as they are feasting the while, it is not following on the tidings of other calamities.
But was it beloved by thee? But not more so than Joseph, the devoured of wild beasts; but still the father bore the calamity, and that which followed it, and the next to that. He wept; but acted not with impiety; he mourned, but he uttered not discontent, but stayed at those words, saying, "Joseph is not, Simeon is not, and will ye take Benjamin away? all these things are against me." [857] (Gen. xlii. 36.) Seest thou how the constraint of famine prevailed with him to be regardless of his children? and doth not the fear of God prevail with thee as much as famine?
Weep: I do not forbid thee: but aught blasphemous neither say nor do. Be thy child what he may, he is not like Abel; and yet nought of this kind did Adam say; although that calamity was a sore one, that his brother should have killed him. But I am reminded of others also that have killed their brothers; when, for instance, Absalom killed Amnon the eldest born (2 Sam. 13.), and King David loved his child, [858] and sat indeed in sackcloth and ashes, but he neither brought soothsayers, nor enchanters, (although there were such then, as Saul shows,) but he made supplication to God. So do thou likewise: as that just man did, so do thou also; the same words say thou, when thy child is dead, "I shall go to him, but he will not come to me." (2 Sam. xii. 23.) This is true wisdom, this is affection. However much thou mayst love thy child, thou wilt not love so much as he did then. For even though his child were born of adultery, yet that blessed man's love of the mother was at its height, [859] and ye know that the offspring shares the love of the parents. And so great was his love toward it, that he even wished it to live, though it would be his own accuser, but still he gave thanks to God. What, thinkest thou, did Rebecca suffer, when his brother threatened Jacob, and she grieved not her husband, but bade him send her son away? (Gen. xxvii. 46; xxviii. 1.) When thou hast suffered any calamity, think on what is worse than it; and thou wilt have a sufficient consolation; and consider with thyself, what if he had died in battle? what if in fire? And whatsoever our sufferings may be, let us think upon things yet more fearful, and we shall have comfort sufficient, and let us ever look around us on those who have undergone more terrible things, and if we ourselves have ever suffered heavier calamities. So doth Paul also exhort us; as when he saith, "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin" (Heb. xii. 4.): and again, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear." (1 Cor. x. 13.) Be then our sufferings what they may, let us look round on what is worse; (for we shall find such,) and thus shall we be thankful. And above all, let us give thanks for all things continually; for so, both these things will be eased, and we shall live to the glory of God, and obtain the promised good things, whereunto may all we attain, through the grace and love toward man, &c.
[832] [This very natural inadvertence in free speaking is duly changed, by the group of mss. which make so many changes, into "how they put collars on them." These wooden collars were a disgrace, like the stocks.--J.A.B.]
[833] Or perhaps, "I could wish...that I might hear from you what is right." Gr. par' humon.
[834] axiomatos, wish to maintain dignity.
[835] i.e. put to death.
[836] [The word is anothen, as in John iii. 3, 7, and here necessarily means anew or afresh,--a sense so rare as to justify calling attention to it.--J.A.B.]
[837] [This is a passing allusion to the Manichæans, who held that matter is necessarily the seat of evil, and might try to interpret the apostle as here accusing the earth of being evil. The passage has been expanded in the often above mentioned group of documents, and so in the editions before Field, so as to be fuller and more perspicuous, thus: "But lo! say the heretics, Paul accuseth the creation; for he said before, Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth;' again he saith, Mortify your members which are upon the earth.' But the words upon earth' are here expressive of sin, not an accusing of creation. For it is thus he calls sins themselves, things upon earth, either from their being wrought by earthly thoughts and upon earth, or from their showing sinners to be earthly."--J.A.B.]
[838] As the Manichees interpreted his words.
[839] ou pros geras eteleutesen, Lat. "Nec senex mortuus est" (died not old). But the other sense seems more suitable. In either sense it is opposed to the view ascribed to Byzantine artists. See Rio's Poésie Chrétienne.
[840] egenonto, i.e. he had before called them holy, c. l. v. 2.
[841] ekeinous, "the objects."
[842] kat' eidos, from genus to species, as remarked above, on v. 7.
[843] parapempomenoi, al. paradechomenoi "receiving one another."
[844] [Literally, "not superperfectly," a singular expression, omitted in all editions before Field, but found in all the mss. he cites.--J.A.B.]
[845] [Literally, act as umpire, or as judge in the games.--J.A.B.]
[846] axiopiston. Usually "worthy of credit," but sometimes rather in a secondary sense, "worthy of honor."
[847] This must mean "in a way that has power of prevailing with God," so to speak, "putting Him to shame, if he do not grant the favor." Comp. Hebrew vi. 10.
[848] [Compare Chrys.'s famous motto, "Glory to God for all things".--J.A.B.]
[849] Sav. [and one ms.] has opheilonta, "that owed," which makes no sense; mss. Par. only ton ta hekaton; Downes conj. apaitounta ta.
[850] The sinful passions.
[851] The bodily organs.
[852] He means that the word used expresses a natural emotion or act, but the abuse of this is intended; and so it may be necessary to speak evil of one.
[853] periapta. See on Stat. Hom. xix. p. 470 and note 4. Perhaps it should be epedese, "she hath tied on."
[854] i.e. their children, periaptousi. In what he says presently after, he must be referring to the temporal ill effects of immorality.
[855] i.e. of direct idolatry.
[856] [This abrupt sentence was expanded as usual, in what came to be the common printed text.--J.A.B.]
[857] Or (Gr.), "are come upon me."
[858] He passes on to the child of Bathsheba.
[859] ekmazen. 2 Sam. xii. 24 gives the impression that David laid the crime to his own charge, and regarded her as wronged.