Why one was forbidden to bury his Father. 409 any luxury. Thus then in the present case also He makes MATT. His answer to their meaning. And see how in this also He shews forth great moderation: in that He said not, "I have it indeed, but despise it," but "I have it not." Seest thou what exact care goes along with His condescension? Even as when He eats and drinks, when He seems to be acting in an opposite way to John, this too He doeth for the sake of the Jews' salvation, or rather for that of the whole world, at once both stopping the mouths of the heretics, and desiring to win also more abundantly those of that day to Himself. [6.] But a certain other one, we read, said unto Him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. VIII. 20, 21. v 21. Didst thou mark the difference? how one impudently saith, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest; but this other, although asking a thing of sacred duty', saith, Suffer me.1v. Yet He suffered him not, but saith, Let the dead bury their dead, but do thou follow Me. For in every case He had regard to the intention. And wherefore did He not suffer him? one may ask. Because, on the one hand, there were those that would fulfil that duty, and the dead was not going to remain unburied; on the other, it was not fit for this man to be taken away from the weightier matters. But by saying, their own dead, He implies that this is not one of His dead. And that because he that was dead, was, at least as I suppose, of the unbelievers. Now if thou admire the young man, that for a matter so necessary he besought Jesus, and did not go away of his own accord; much rather do thou admire him for staying also when forbidden. Was it not then, one may say, extreme ingratitude, not to be present at the burial of his father? If indeed he did so out of negligence, it was ingratitude, but if in order not to interrupt a more needful work, his departing would most surely have been of extreme inconsideration. For Jesus forbad him, not as commanding to think lightly of the honour due to our parents, but signifying that nothing ought to be d i. e. of those heretics who commanded to abstain from meats, as though possessed with some Evil Principle: the Manichæan and Marcionite Schools. XXVII. 410 Meaning of, Let the Dead bury their Dead. HOMIL. to us more urgent than the things of Heaven, and that we 6, 7. ought with all diligence to cleave to these, and not to put them off for ever so little, though our engagements be exceeding indispensable and pressing. For what can be more needful than to bury a father? what more easy? since it would not even consume any long time. I φιλοσο φίαν. But if one ought not to spend even as much time as is required for a father's burial, nor is it safe to be parted even so long from our spiritual concerns; consider what we deserve, who all our time stand off from the things that pertain to Christ, and prefer things very ordinary to such as are needful, and are remiss, when there is nothing to press on us? And herein too we should admire the instructiveness' of His teaching, that He nailed him fast to His word, and with this freed him from those endless evils, such as lamentations, and mournings, and the things that follow thereafter. For after the burial he must of necessity proceed to enquire about the will, then about the distribution of the inheritance, and all the other things that follow thereupon; and thus waves after waves coming in succession upon him, would bear him away very far from the harbour of truth. For this cause He draws him, and fastens him to Himself. But if thou still marvellest, and art perplexed, that he was not permitted to be present at his father's burial; consider that many suffer not the sick, if it be a father that is dead, or a mother, or a child, or any other of their kinsmen, to know it, nor to follow him to the tomb; and we do not for this charge them with cruelty nor inhumanity: and very reasonably. For, on the contrary, it were cruelty to bring out to the funeral solemnity men in such a state. But if to mourn and be afflicted in mind for them that are of our kindred is evil, much more our being withdrawn from spiritual discourses. For this same cause He said elsewhere also, No man having put his hand to the plough, and look2 Luke ing back, is fit for the kingdom of Heaven. And surely it is Barfar better to proclaim the kingdom, and draw back others 9, 62. iy λείᾳ. from death, than to bury the dead body, that is nothing advantaged thereby; and especially, when there are some to fulfil all these duties. Description of the Living Dead. 411 VIII. [7.] Nothing else then do we learn hereby, but that we MATT. must not wantonly lose any, no not the smallest time, though 22. there be ten thousand things to press on us; but to set what is spiritual before all, even the most indispensable matters, and to know both what is life, and what is death. Since many even of them that seem to live are nothing better than dead men, living as they do in wickedness; or rather these are worse than the dead; For he that is dead, it is said, is freed from sin1, but this man is a slave to sin. For tell me 1 Rom. 6, 7. not of this, that he is not eaten of worms, nor lies in a coffin, nor hath closed his eyes, nor is bound in graveclothes. Nay, for these things he undergoes more grievously than the dead, no worms devouring him, but the passions of his soul tearing him to pieces more fiercely than wild beasts. And if his eyes be open, this too again is far worse than having closed them. For those of the dead see no evil thing, but this man is gathering unto himself diseases without number, while his eyes are open. And whereas the other lies in a coffin, unmoved by any thing, this one is buried in the tomb of his innumerable distempers. But thou seest not his body in a state of decay. And what of that? Since before his body, his soul is corrupted and destroyed, and undergoes greater rottenness. For the other stinketh a few days, but this for the whole of his life exhales evil odours, having a mouth more foul than sewers. And so the one differs from the other, by just so much as this, that the dead indeed undergoes that decay only which comes of nature, but this man together with that, brings in also that rottenness which is from intemperance, devising each day unnumbered causes of corruption. But is he borne on horseback? And what of that? Why, so is the other on a couch. And what is very hard, while the other is seen by no one in his dissolution and decay, but hath his coffin for a veil, this man is going about every where with his evil savour, bearing about a dead soul in his body as in a tomb. And if one could but once see a man's soul who is living in luxury and vice, thou wouldest perceive that it is far better to lie bound in a grave than to be rivetted by the chains of our sins; and to have a stone laid over thee, than XXVII.. 7. 412 Vice makes Men dead while they live. HOMIL that heavy cover of insensibility. Wherefore above all things 'it behoves the friends of these dead men, seeing that they are past feeling, to come near to Jesus in their behalf, as Mary then did in the case of Lazarus. Though he stinketh, though he be dead four days, do not despair, but approach, and remove the stone first. Yea, for then thou shalt see him lying as in a tomb, and bound in his grave clothes. And if ye will, let it be some one of them that are great and distinguished, whom we bring before you. Nay, fear not, for I will state the example without a name : or rather, though I should mention the name, not even so need there be any fear for who ever fears a dead man? seeing that whatever one may do, he continues dead, and the dead cannot injure the living either little or much. Let us then behold their head bound up. For indeed, when they are for ever drunken, even as the dead by their many wrappers and grave-clothes, so are all their organs of sense closed and bound up. And if thou wilt look at their hands too, thou shalt see these again bound to their belly, like those of the dead, and fastened about not with graveclothes, but what is far more grievous, with the bands of Covetousness: obtaining as they do no leave from her to be stretched out for almsgiving, or for any other of such like good deeds; rather she renders them more useless than those of the dead. Wouldest thou also see their feet bound together? See them again fastened about with cares, and for this cause never able to run unto the house of God. Hast thou seen the dead? behold also the embalmer. Who then is the embalmer of these? The devil, who carefully fastens them about, and suffers not the man any longer to appear a man, but a dry stock. For where there is no eye, nor hands, nor feet, nor any other such thing, how can such an one appear a man? Even so may we see their soul also swaddled up, and rather an image' than a soul. Forasmuch then as they are in a sort of senseless state, being turned to dead men, let us in their behalf draw nigh unto Jesus, let us entreat Him to raise them up, let us take caua, the lid of a coffer of any kind: here of a sarcophagus. f slower. The classical use of this word is well known: see e. g. Odyss. xi. 602. "A shadow or phantom: not a true substantial soul." 413 VIII. We must intercede with Christ to raise them. away the stone, let us loosen the grave clothes. For if thou MATT. take away the stone, that is, their insensibility to their own 22. miseries, thou wilt quickly be able to bring them also out of the tomb; and having brought them out, thou wilt more easily rid them of their bonds. Then shall Christ know thee, when thou art risen, when unbound; then will He call thee even unto His own supper1. As many therefore of you! alludas are friends of Christ, as many as are disciples, as many John12, ing to as love him that is gone, draw near unto Jesus, and pray. 2. For even though his ill savour abound and be ever so intense, nevertheless not even so should we, his friends, forsake him, but so much the rather draw near; even as the sisters of Lazarus then did; neither should we leave interceding, beseeching, intreating, until we have received Him alive. For if we thus order our own affairs, and those of our neighbours, we shall also attain speedily unto the life to come; unto which may we all attain, by the grace and love to man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. |