Ante-Nicene Fathers • VOLUME 6
Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius, Julius Africanus & Others
SECTION 121
Canon XII.
Canon XII. Against those who have given money that they might be entirely undisturbed by evil, [2323] an accusation cannot be brought. For they have sustained the loss and sacrifice of their goods that they might not hurt or destroy their soul, which others for the sake of filthy lucre have not done; and yet the Lord says, "Wha…
1,415 wordsSECTION 122Canon XIV.
Canon XIV. But if any have endured much violence and the strong pressure of necessity, receiving into their mouths iron and chains, and for their good affection towards the faith have bravely borne the burning of their hands that against their will had been put to the profane sacrifice, as from their prison the thrice-blessed m…
2,531 wordsSECTION 1232. And He says as follows: "All these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him that sent Me." [2370] But i
2. And He says as follows: "All these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him that sent Me." [2370] But if they knew not Him who sent, and Him who was sent, there is no reason to doubt but that they have been ignorant of the Passover as prescribed by the law, so as not merely to err in their ch…
2,264 wordsSECTION 124We know something of Lycopolis from the blessed Alexander; it seems to have been a sort of centre to the bishoprics of the Thebais. It was j
We know something of Lycopolis from the blessed Alexander; it seems to have been a sort of centre to the bishoprics of the Thebais. It was just the sort of centre, in a region sufficient for a separate patriarchate, to suggest to an ambitious and unscrupulous prelate an effort at independency. Meletius, who succeeded the good Al…
832 wordsSECTION 125Epistles on the Arian Heresy and the Deposition of Arius
Epistles on the Arian Heresy and the Deposition of Arius Alexander. [Translated by the Rev. James B. H. Hawkins, M.A.] Introductory Notice to Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria. ------------------------ [a.d. 273 [2395] -313-326.] The records of the Ante-Nicene period, so far as Alexandria is concerned, are complete in this …
1,037 wordsSECTION 126Epistles [2403] on the Arian Heresy
Epistles [2403] on the Arian Heresy And the Deposition of Arius. ------------------------ I.--To Alexander, Bishop of the City of Constantinople. To the most reverend and like-minded brother, Alexander, Alexander sends greeting in the Lord: 1. The ambitious and avaricious will of wicked men is always wont to lay snares aga…
2,651 wordsSECTION 1278. And His proper and peculiar, natural and excellent Sonship, St. Paul has declared, who thus speaks of God: "Who spared not His own Son, b
8. And His proper and peculiar, natural and excellent Sonship, St. Paul has declared, who thus speaks of God: "Who spared not His own Son, but for us," who were not His natural sons, "delivered Him up." [2422] For to distinguish Him from those who are not properly sons, He said that He was His own Son. And in the Gospel we read:…
2,322 wordsSECTION 12814. These men, therefore, who have dared such things against Christ; who have partly in public derided the Christian religion; partly seek t
14. These men, therefore, who have dared such things against Christ; who have partly in public derided the Christian religion; partly seek to traduce and inform against its professors before the judgment-seats; who in a time of peace, as far as in them lies, have stirred up a persecution against us; who have enervated the ineffa…
2,228 wordsSECTION 129Signators
Signators Presbyters of Alexandria. I, Colluthus, presbyter, [2468] give my suffrage to the things which are written, and also for the deposition of Arius, and those who are guilty of impiety with him. Alexander, presbyter, in like manner. Dioscorus, presbyter, in like manner. Dionysius, presbyter, in like manner. Eusebius…
2,376 wordsSECTION 1306. For when our Lord was suffering upon the cross, the tombs were burst open, the infernal region was disclosed, the souls leapt forth, the
6. For when our Lord was suffering upon the cross, the tombs were burst open, the infernal region was disclosed, the souls leapt forth, the dead returned to life, and many of them were seen in Jerusalem, whilst the mystery of the cross was being perfected; what time our Lord trampled upon death, dissolved the enmity, bound the s…
2,216 wordsSECTION 131Introduction.
II. (Since the body of the Catholic Church is one, etc., p. 296.) As so shortly preceding the meeting of the Great Council, this letter is most important as a clear testimony to the meaning the first council attached to that article of the Creed which affirms "one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church." We must compare the Treati…
2,228 wordsSECTION 132Chapter I.--The Difficulty and Excellence of Virginity; The Study of Doctrine Necessary for Virgins.
"And then," I think she said, "Marcella immediately began to speak as follows." [2494] [The idea, and some of the ideas borrowed from the Symposium of Plato, but designed to furnish a contrast as strong as possible between the swinish sensuality of false "philosophy" in its best estate, and the heavenly chastity of those whom t…
1,129 wordsSECTION 133Chapter II.--Virginity a Plant from Heaven, Introduced Late; The Advancement of Mankind to Perfection, How Arranged.
Chapter II.--Virginity a Plant from Heaven, Introduced Late; The Advancement of Mankind to Perfection, How Arranged. For truly by a great stretch of power the plant of virginity was sent down to men from heaven, and for this reason it was not revealed to the first generations. For the race of mankind was still very small in num…
928 wordsSECTION 134Chapter IV.--Christ Alone Taught Virginity, Openly Preaching the Kingdom of Heaven; The Likeness of God to Be Attained in the Light of the Divine Virtues.
Chapter IV.--Christ Alone Taught Virginity, Openly Preaching the Kingdom of Heaven; The Likeness of God to Be Attained in the Light of the Divine Virtues. We have already spoken of the periods of the human race, and how, beginning with the intermarriage of brothers and sisters, it went on to continence; and we have now left for…
903 wordsSECTION 135Chapter I.--Marriage Not Abolished by the Commendation of Virginity.
Chapter I.--Marriage Not Abolished by the Commendation of Virginity. And then, she said, Theophila spoke:--Since Marcella has excellently begun this discussion without sufficiently completing it, it is necessary that I should endeavour to put a finish to it. Now, the fact that man has advanced by degrees to virginity, God urgin…
881 wordsSECTION 136Chapter III.--An Ambiguous Passage of Scripture; Not Only the Faithful But Even Prelates Sometimes Illegitimate.
Chapter III.--An Ambiguous Passage of Scripture; Not Only the Faithful But Even Prelates Sometimes Illegitimate. But Marcella, interrupting, said, "O Theophila, there appears here a great mistake, and something contrary to what you have said; and do you think to escape under cover of the cloud which you have thrown around you? …
844 wordsSECTION 137Chapter V.--The Holy Father Follows Up the Same Argument.
Chapter V.--The Holy Father Follows Up the Same Argument. And now that these things are completed, it remains for you to apply this picture, my wisest of friends, to the things which have been already spoken of; comparing the house to the invisible nature of our generation, and the entrance adjacent to the mountains to the send…
772 wordsSECTION 138Chapter VII.--The Rational Soul from God Himself; Chastity Not the Only Good, Although the Best and Most Honoured.
Chapter VII.--The Rational Soul from God Himself; Chastity Not the Only Good, Although the Best and Most Honoured. And perhaps there will be room for some to argue plausibly among those who are wanting in discrimination and judgment, that this fleshly garment of the soul, being planted by men, is shaped spontaneously apart from…
736 wordsSECTION 139Chapter I.--Passages of Holy Scripture [2550] Compared.
Chapter I.--Passages of Holy Scripture [2550] Compared. You seem to me, O Theophila, to excel all in action and in speech, and to be second to none in wisdom. For there is no one who will find fault with your discourse, however contentious and contradictory he may be. Yet, while everything else seems rightly spoken, one thing, …
869 wordsSECTION 140Chapter III.--Comparison Instituted Between the First and Second Adam.
Chapter III.--Comparison Instituted Between the First and Second Adam. And, first, we must inquire if Adam can be likened to the Son of God, when he was found in the transgression of the Fall, and heard the sentence, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." [2555] For how shall he be considered "the first-born of every…
828 wordsSECTION 141Chapter VI.--The Whole Number of Spiritual Sheep; Man a Second Choir, After the Angels, to the Praise of God; The Parable of the Lost Sheep Explained.
Chapter VI.--The Whole Number of Spiritual Sheep; Man a Second Choir, After the Angels, to the Praise of God; The Parable of the Lost Sheep Explained. Now, since He truly was and is, being in the beginning with God, and being God, [2563] He is the chief Commander and Shepherd of the heavenly ones, whom all reasonable creatures …
895 wordsSECTION 142Chapter VIII.--The Bones and Flesh of Wisdom; The Side Out of Which the Spiritual Eve is Formed, the Holy Spirit; The Woman the Help-Meet of Adam; Virgins Betrothed to Christ.
Chapter VIII.--The Bones and Flesh of Wisdom; The Side Out of Which the Spiritual Eve is Formed, the Holy Spirit; The Woman the Help-Meet of Adam; Virgins Betrothed to Christ. For it has been already established by no contemptible arguments from Scripture, that the first man may be properly referred to Christ Himself, and is no…
823 wordsSECTION 143Chapter IX.--The Dispensation of Grace in Paul the Apostle.
Chapter IX.--The Dispensation of Grace in Paul the Apostle. Now we should consider the case of the renowned Paul, that when he was not yet perfect in Christ, he was first born and suckled, Ananias preaching to him, and renewing him in baptism, as the history in the Acts relates. But when he was grown to a man, and was built up,…
767 wordsSECTION 144Chapter XII.--Paul an Example to Widows, and to Those Who Do Not Live with Their Wives.
Chapter XII.--Paul an Example to Widows, and to Those Who Do Not Live with Their Wives. Come, now, and let us examine more carefully the very words which are before us, and observe that the apostle did not grant these things unconditionally to all, but first laid down the reason on account of which he was led to this. For, havi…
723 wordsSECTION 145Chapter XIII.--The Doctrine of Paul Concerning Virginity Explained.
Chapter XIII.--The Doctrine of Paul Concerning Virginity Explained. I have now brought to an end what I have to say respecting continence and marriage and chastity, and intercourse with men, and in which of these there is help towards progress in righteousness; but it still remains to speak concerning virginity--if, indeed, any…
748 wordsSECTION 146Chapter XIV.--Virginity a Gift of God: the Purpose of Virginity Not Rashly to Be Adopted by Any One.
Chapter XIV.--Virginity a Gift of God: the Purpose of Virginity Not Rashly to Be Adopted by Any One. Consider besides how, in addition to the words already quoted, he commends the state of virginity as a gift of God. Wherefore he rejects those of the more incontinent, who, under the influence of vain-glory, would advance to thi…
1,191 wordsSECTION 147Chapter III.--That Passage of David Explained; [2616] What the Harps Hung Upon the Willows Signify; The Willow a Symbol of Chastity; The Willows Watered by Streams.
Chapter III.--That Passage of David Explained; [2616] What the Harps Hung Upon the Willows Signify; The Willow a Symbol of Chastity; The Willows Watered by Streams. But not to pass away from our subject, come, let us take in our hands and examine this psalm, which the pure and stainless souls sing to God, saying: [2617] "By the…
856 wordsSECTION 148Chapter V.--The Gifts of Virgins, Adorned with Which They are Presented to One Husband, Christ.
Chapter V.--The Gifts of Virgins, Adorned with Which They are Presented to One Husband, Christ. Now, those who sing the Gospel to senseless people seem to sing the Lord's song in a strange land, of which Christ is not the husbandman; but those who have put on and shone in the most pure and bright, and unmingled and pious and be…
713 wordsSECTION 149Chapter I.--The Offering of Chastity a Great Gift. [2634]
Chapter I.--The Offering of Chastity a Great Gift. [2634] I pray you, Arete, that you will give your assistance now too, that I may seem to speak something worthy in the first place of yourself, and then of those who are present. For I am persuaded, having thoroughly learnt it from the sacred writings, that the greatest and mos…
852 wordsSECTION 150Chapter III.--Far Best to Cultivate Virtue from Boyhood.
Chapter III.--Far Best to Cultivate Virtue from Boyhood. Therefore, it is becoming that we should kindle the unquenchable light of faith in the heart, and gird our loins with purity, and watch and ever wait for the Lord so that, if He should will to come and take any of us away in the first period of life, or in the second, or …
885 wordsSECTION 151Chapter V.--The Vow of Chastity, and Its Rites in the Law; Vines, Christ, and the Devil.
Chapter V.--The Vow of Chastity, and Its Rites in the Law; Vines, Christ, and the Devil. I will now endeavour to explain to you, O virgins, the rest of that which is prescribed; for this is attached to your duties, consisting of laws concerning virginity, which are useful as teaching how we should abstain, and how advance to vi…
1,048 wordsSECTION 152Chapter VII.--The Church Intermediate Between the Shadows of the Law and the Realities of Heaven.
Chapter VII.--The Church Intermediate Between the Shadows of the Law and the Realities of Heaven. If the law, according to the apostle, is spiritual, containing the images "of future good things," [2655] come then, let us strip off the veil of the letter which is spread over it, and consider its naked and true meaning. The Hebr…
1,077 wordsSECTION 153Chapter II.--The Parable of the Ten Virgins. [2663]
Chapter II.--The Parable of the Ten Virgins. [2663] If, then, any one will keep this beauty inviolate and unharmed, and such as He who constructed it formed and fashioned it, imitating the eternal and intelligible nature of which man is the representation and likeness, and will become like a glorious and holy image, he will be …
841 wordsSECTION 154Chapter IV.--What the Oil in the Lamps Means.
Chapter IV.--What the Oil in the Lamps Means. Now they offered, in Leviticus, [2668] oil of this kind, "pure oil olive, beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually, without the veil...before the Lord." But they were commanded to have a feeble light from the evening to the morning. For their light seemed to rese…
1,636 wordsSECTION 155Chapter II.--The Interpretation of that Passage of the Canticles.
Chapter II.--The Interpretation of that Passage of the Canticles. Consider now, O virgins, that, in saying to the bride, "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse," He shows the clear eye of the understanding, when the inner man has cleansed it and looks more clearly upon the truth. For it is clear to every one that th…
1,025 wordsSECTION 156Chapter V.--The Sixty Queens: Why Sixty, and Why Queens; The Excellence of the Saints of the First Age.
Chapter V.--The Sixty Queens: Why Sixty, and Why Queens; The Excellence of the Saints of the First Age. In addition to these matters, there is this also to be considered, so that nothing may escape us of things which are necessary, why He said that the queens were sixty, and the concubines eighty, and the virgins so numerous as…
879 wordsSECTION 157Chapter VIII.--The Human Nature of Christ His One Dove.
Chapter VIII.--The Human Nature of Christ His One Dove. Can any one now say otherwise than that the Bride is the undefiled flesh of the Lord, for the sake of which He left the Father and came down here, and was joined to it, and, being incarnate, dwelt in it? Therefore He called it figuratively a dove, because that creature is …
896 wordsSECTION 158Chapter II.--The Lofty Mind and Constancy of the Sacred Virgins; The Introduction of Virgins into the Blessed Abodes Before Others.
Chapter II.--The Lofty Mind and Constancy of the Sacred Virgins; The Introduction of Virgins into the Blessed Abodes Before Others. Those who take a downward flight, and fall into pleasures, do not desist from grief and labours until, through their passionate desires, they fulfil the want of their intemperance, and, being degra…
848 wordsSECTION 159Chapter IV.--Exhortation to the Cultivation of Virginity; A Passage from the Apocalypse [2713] is Proposed to Be Examined.
Chapter IV.--Exhortation to the Cultivation of Virginity; A Passage from the Apocalypse [2713] is Proposed to Be Examined. Now, then, O Virgins, daughters of undefiled temperance, let us strive for a life of blessedness and the kingdom of heaven. And do ye unite with those before you in an earnest desire for the same glory of c…
1,006 wordsSECTION 160Chapter VI.--The Works of the Church, the Bringing Forth of Children in Baptism; The Moon in Baptism, the Full Moon of Christ's Passion.
Chapter VI.--The Works of the Church, the Bringing Forth of Children in Baptism; The Moon in Baptism, the Full Moon of Christ's Passion. Now the statement that she stands upon the moon, as I consider, denotes the faith of those who are cleansed from corruption in the laver of regeneration, because the light of the moon has more…
980 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.