[4051] The Syriac seems to represent Paterius,' not Paternus' as Larsow writes it. A former præfect of Egypt was called Paterius, according to Gelas. Cyz. in Hard. Conc. i. 459.
[4052] Cf. Rev. iii. 14, c. Apoll. i. 20.
[4053] John vii. 37. The Syriac is rather obscure here.
[4054] Vid. note 2, to Letter 1.
[4055] Ps. i. 1, 2.
[4056] 2 Cor. ii. 17.
[4057] This sentence is preserved in the original Greek in Cosmas, Topogr. Christ. p. 316.
[4058] Ps. cxvi. 12.
[4059] Pseudo-Ath. in Matt. xxi. 9. (Migne xxviii. 1025), after quoting the same passage from the Epistle to the Romans, says, all' epedemesen ho Kurios hemon 'Iesous Christos lutroumenos tous aichmalotous, kai zoopoion tous tethanatomenous
[4060] Rom. v. 14; Luke xxiii. 43; Ps. xciv. 17
[4061] Ps. cxvi. 13, 15.
[4062] Matt. xx. 22, 23.
[4063] Gal. ii. 20.
[4064] Num. xxviii. 2, LXX.
[4065] Mal. iv. 2.
[4066] 2 Tim. ii. 8.
[4067] The reasoning of Athan. is to this effect. The due observance of such festival will have its effect in quickening our habitual meditation on the resurrection. The same mode of reasoning might be applied to all the other Christian festivals.
[4068] Job xiv. 4 (LXX.); Phil. iii. 13.
[4069] 1 Cor. xi. 27.
[4070] Cf. 2 Pet. i. 4
[4071] Syr. sabbath.'
Letter VI.--For 334. Easter-day, xii Pharmuthi, vii Id. April; xvii Moon; Æra Dioclet. 50; Coss. Optatus Patricius, Anicius Paulinus; Præfect, Philagrius [4072] , the Cappadocian; vii Indict.
Now again, my beloved, has God brought us to the season of the feast, and through His loving-kindness we have reached the period of assembly for it. For that God who brought Israel out of Egypt, even He at this time calls us to the feast, saying by Moses, Observe the month of new fruits [4073] , and keep the Passover to the Lord thy God [4074] :' and by the prophet, Keep thy feasts, O Judah; pay to the Lord thy vows [4075] .' If then God Himself loves the feast, and calls us to it, it is not right, my brethren, that it should be delayed, or observed carelessly; but with alacrity and zeal we should come to it, so that having begun joyfully here, we may also receive an earnest of that heavenly feast. For if we diligently celebrate the feast here, we shall doubtless receive the perfect joy which is in heaven, as the Lord says; With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, that I will not eat it, until it is fulfilled with you in the kingdom of God [4076] .' Now we eat it if, understanding the reason of the feast, and acknowledging the Deliverer, we conduct ourselves in accordance with His grace, as Paul saith; So that we may keep the Feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth [4077] .' For the Lord died in those days, that we should no longer do the deeds of death. He gave His life, that we might preserve our own from the snares of the devil. And, what is most wonderful, the Word became flesh, that we should no longer live in the flesh, but in spirit should worship God, who is Spirit. He who is not so disposed, abuses the days, and does not keep the feast, but like an unthankful person finds fault with the grace, and honours the days overmuch, while he does not supplicate the Lord who in those days redeemed him. Let him by all means hear, though fancying that he keeps the feast, the Apostolic voice reproving him; Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years: I fear lest I have laboured among you in vain [4078] .'
2. For the feast is not on account of the days; but for the Lord's sake, who then suffered for us, we celebrate it, for our Passover Christ, is sacrificed [4079] .' Even as Moses, when teaching Israel not to consider the feast as pertaining to the days, but to the Lord, said, It is the Lord's Passover [4080] .' To the Jews, when they thought they were keeping the Passover, because they persecuted the Lord, the feast was useless; since it no longer bore the name of the Lord, even according to their own testimony. It was not the Passover of the Lord, but that of the Jews [4081] . The Passover was named after the Jews, my brethren, because they denied the Lord of the Passover. On this account, the Lord, turning away His face from such a doctrine of theirs, saith, Your new moons and your sabbaths My soul hateth [4082] .'
3. So now, those who keep the Passover in like manner, the Lord again reproves, as He did those lepers who were cleansed, when He loved the one as thankful, but was angry with the others as ungrateful, because they did not acknowledge their Deliverer, but thought more of the cure of the leprosy than of Him who healed them. But one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell on his face at the feet of Jesus giving Him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but those nine--whence are there none found who returned to give glory to God, but this stranger [4083] ?' And there was more given to him than to the rest; for being cleansed from his leprosy, he heard from the Lord, Arise, go thy way, thy faith hath saved thee [4084] .' For he who gives thanks, and he who glorifies, have kindred feelings, in that they bless their Helper for the benefits they have received. So the Apostle exhorts all men to this, saying, Glorify God with your body;' and the prophet commands, saying, Give glory to God.' Although testimony was borne by Caiaphas [4085] against our Redeemer, and He was set at nought by the Jews, and was condemned by Pilate in those days, yet exalted exceedingly and most mighty was the voice of the Father which came to Him; I have glorified, and will glorify again [4086] .' For those things which He suffered for our sake have passed away; but those which belong to Him as the Saviour remain for ever.
4. But in our commemoration of these things, my brethren, let us not be occupied with meats, but let us glorify the Lord, let us become fools for Him who died for us, even as Paul said; For if we are foolish, it is to God; or if we are sober-minded, it is to you; since because one died for all men, therefore all were dead to Him; and He died for all, that we who live should not henceforth live to ourselves, but to Him who died for us, and rose again [4087] .' No longer then ought we to live to ourselves, but, as servants to the Lord. And not in vain should we receive the grace, as the time is especially an acceptable one [4088] , and the day of salvation hath dawned, even the death of our Redeemer [4089] . For even for our sakes the Word came down, and being incorruptible, put on a corruptible body for the salvation of all of us. Of which Paul was confident, saying, This corruptible must put on incorruption [4090] .' The Lord too was sacrificed, that by His blood He might abolish death. Full well did He once, in a certain place, blame those who participated vainly in the shedding of His blood, while they did not delight themselves in the flesh of the Word, saying, What profit is there in my blood, that I go down to corruption [4091] ?' This does not mean that the descent of the Lord was without profit, for it gained the whole world; but rather that after He had thus suffered, sinners would prefer to suffer loss than to profit by it. For He regarded our salvation as a delight and a peculiar gain; while on the contrary He looked upon our destruction as loss.
5. Also in the Gospel, He praises those who increased the grace twofold, both him who made ten talents of five, and him who made four talents of two, as those who had profited, and turned them to good account; but him who hid the talent He cast out as wanting, saying to him, Thou wicked servant! oughtest thou not to have put My money to the exchangers? then at My coming I should have received Mine own with interest. Take, therefore, from him the talent, and give it to him that hath ten talents. For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth [4092] .' For it is not His will that the grace we have received should be unprofitable; but He requires us to take pains to render Him His own fruits, as the blessed Paul saith; The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace [4093] .' Having therefore this right resolution, and owing no man anything, but rather giving everything to every man, he was a teacher of the like rightness of principle, saying, Render to all their dues [4094] .' He was like those sent by the householder to receive the fruits of the vineyard from the husbandmen [4095] ; for he exhorted all men to render a return. But Israel despised and would not render, for their will was not right, nay moreover they killed those that were sent, and not even before the Lord of the vineyard were they ashamed, but even He was slain by them. Verily, when He came and found no fruit in them, He cursed them through the fig-tree, saying, Let there be henceforth no fruit from thee [4096] ;' and the fig-tree was dead and fruitless so that even the disciples wondered when it withered away.
6. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophet; I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the scent of myrrh, and the light of a lamp, and the whole land shall be destroyed [4097] .' For the whole service of the law has been abolished from them, and henceforth and for ever they remain without a feast. And they observe not the Passover; for how can they? They have no abiding place, but they wander everywhere. And they eat unleavened bread contrary to the law, since they are unable first to sacrifice the lamb, as they were commanded to do when eating unleavened bread. But in every place they transgress the law, and as the judgments of God require, they keep days of grief instead of gladness. Now the cause of this to them was the slaying of the Lord, and that they did not reverence the Only-Begotten. At this time the altogether wicked heretics and ignorant schismatics are in the same case; the one in that they slay the Word, the other in that they rend the coat. They too remain expelled from the feast, because they live without godliness and knowledge, and emulate the conduct shewn in the matter of Bar-Abbas the robber, whom the Jews desired instead of the Saviour. Therefore the Lord cursed them under the figure of the fig-tree. Yet even thus He spared them in His loving-kindness, not destroying them root and all. For He did not curse the root, but [said], that no man should eat fruit of it thenceforth. When He did this, He abolished the shadow, causing it to wither; but preserved the root, so that we might [not] [4098] be grafted upon it; they too, if they abide not in unbelief, may attain to be grafted into their own olive tree [4099] .' Now when the Lord had cursed them because of their negligence, He removed from them the new moons, the true lamb, and that which is truly the Passover.
7. But to us it came: there came too the solemn day, in which we ought to call to the feast with a trumpet [4100] , and separate ourselves to the Lord with thanksgiving, considering it as our own festival [4101] . For we are bound to celebrate it, not to ourselves but to the Lord; and to rejoice, not in ourselves but in the Lord, who bore our griefs and said, My soul is sorrowful unto death [4102] .' For the heathen, and all those who are strangers to our faith, keep feasts according to their own wills, and have no peace, since they commit evil against God. But the saints, as they live to the Lord also keep the feast to Him, saying, I will rejoice in Thy salvation,' and, my soul shall be joyful in the Lord.' The commandment is common to them, Rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord [4103] '--so that they also may be gathered together, to sing that common and festal Psalm, Come, let us rejoice [4104] ,' not in ourselves, but, in the Lord.'