Their pernicious absurdities exposed. 33 I. ]]. · ἐπιτη they affirm unordered matter to possess such inherent' ACTS power. Fifthly, that evil is the cause of the goodness. of God, and that without this the Good had not been good. deιóτnta Sixthly, they bar against us the ways of attaining unto the knowledge of God. Seventhly, they bring God down into men, yea plants and logs. For if our soul be of the substance of God, but the process of its transmigration into new bodies brings it at last into cucumbers, and melons, and onions, why then the substance of God will pass into cucumbers! And if we say, that the Holy Ghost fashioned the Temple [of our Lord's Body] in the Virgin, they laugh us to scorn: and if, that He dwelt in that spiritual Temple, again they laugh; while they themselves are not ashamed to bring down God's substance into cucumbers, and melons, and flies, and caterpillars, and asses, thus excogitating a new fashion of idolatry: for let it not be as the Egyptians have it, "The onion is God;" but let it be, "God in the onion"! Why dost thou shrink from the notion of God's entering into a body? It is shocking,' says he. Why then this is much more shocking. But', forsooth, it is not • THY ¿vowμάTWOW Toû EOû. Edd. μετενσωμάτωσιν. But the Manichees afirmed a μετενσωμάτωσις of the par. ticle of the Divine Substance, the human soul; viz. the more polluted soul transmigrates into other men, and animals, (Archelai et Manet. Disput. §. ix. Routh, Rell. Sacc. iv. 161.) but in the last stage of the process of its purgation, into vegetable substances less attached to the earth by roots, such as gourds, &c. in which the Divine particle is self-conscious and intelligent, (see the following note,) whereas in animal substances it is brutified. In this sense it is said above, μetevo. Èkßalvei eis σKúous κ. τ. λ. What they denied was, an ἐνσωμάτωσις Θεοῦ by Incarnation. ι ̓Αλλ ̓ οὐκ αἰσχρόν, πῶς γάρ; ὅπερ (om. Α.) ἂν εἰς ἡμᾶς γένηται· τὸ δὲ σòv ovτws aloxpóv. Edd. àλλ' oùк αἰσχρόν, πῶς; ὅπερ γὰρ ἂν εἰς ἡμᾶς γένηται ὄντως αἰσχρόν. Erasmus: An non hoc turpe est? Quomodo non turpe sit in Deum, quod, si nobis contingat, revera turpe futurum sit? Ben. Quandoquidem si in nobis fiat, were turpe est. i. e. For, that same which, if it take place in us, is indeed D shocking, [how should it not be so in 6. II. 34 The soul acts by means of the body. HOMIL. Shocking-how should it be?-this same thing which is so, if it be into us! But thy notion is indeed shocking.' Do ye see the filthiness of their impiety?—But why do they not wish the body to be raised? And why do they say the body is evil? By what then, tell me, dost thou know God? by what hast thou the knowledge of existing things? The philosopher too: by means of what is he a philosopher, if the body does nothing towards it? Deaden the senses, and then learn something of the things one needs to know! What would be more foolish than a soul, if from the first it had the senses deadened? If the deadening of but a single part, I mean of the brain, becomes a marring of it altogether; if all the rest should be deadened, what would it be good for? Shew me a soul without a body. Do you not hear physicians say, The presence of disease sadly enfeebles the soul? How long will ye put off hanging yourselves? Is the body material? tell me. "To be sure, it is." Then you ought to hate it. Why do you feed, why cherish it? You ought to get quit of this prison. But besides: "God cannot overcome matter, unless he1 implicate himself with it: for he cannot issue orders to it, (O feebleness!) until he close σTab with it, and take his stand (say you) through the whole of it!" And a king indeed does all by commanding; but God, not by commanding the evil! In short, if it were unparticipant of all good, it could not subsist at all. For Evil cannot subsist, unless it lay hold upon somewhat of the accidents of Virtue : so that if it had been heretofore all unmixed with virtue, it would have perished long ago: for such is the condition of evils. Let there be a profligate man, let him put upon himself no restraint whatever, will he live ten days? Let there be a robber, and devoid of all conscience in his dealings with every one, let him be such even to his fellow-robbers, will he be able to live? Let there be a thief, void of all shame, who knows not what blushing is, but steals openly in public. It is not in the nature of evils to subsist, unless they get some small 1 συμπλακῇ 2 ting off or loss of part of his substance; to men was, because in them the particle of God was stultified, &c." And Commonitor. de recip. Manich. Art. 3. (ibid.) ut credatur pars Dei polluta teneri in cucumeribus et melonibus et radiculis et porris et quibusque vilissimis herbulis, etc. Pure evil cannot be self-subsistent. 35 I. 11. 22. 85. share at least in good. So that hereupon, according to ACTS these men, God gave them their subsistence. Let there be a city of wicked men; will it stand? But let them be wicked, not only with regard to the good, but towards each other. Why, it is impossible such a city should stand. Truly, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Rom. 1, If bodily substance be evil, then all things visible exist idly, and in vain, both water, and earth, and sun, and air; for air Ps. 119, is also body, though not solid. It is in point then to say, The wicked have told me foolish things. But let not us endure them, let us block up our ears against them. For there is, yea, there is, a resurrection of bodies. This the sepulchre which is at Jerusalem declares, this the pillar" to which He was bound, when He was scourged. For, We did eat and drink with Him, it is said. Let us then believe in the Resurrection, and do things worthy of it, that we may attain to the good things which are to come, through Christ Jesus our Lord, with Whom to the Father, and the Holy Ghost together, be power, honour, now and for ever, world. without end. Amen. " τὸ ξύλον ἔνθα προσεδέθη καὶ ἐμαστι- is exhibited in the Latin Choir of the yon. The Pillar of Flagellation' Church of the Holy Sepulchre. HOMILY III. [1.] έθετο v. 13. ACTS i. 12. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called THEN returned they, it is said: namely, when they had heard. For they could not have borne it, if the angel had 1 Tep not1 referred them to another Coming. It seems to me, that it was also on a sabbath-day that these things took place; for he would not thus have specified the distance, saying, from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey, unless they were then going on the sabbath-day a certain definite distance. And when they were come in, it says, they went up into an upper room, where they were making their abode: so then they remained in Jerusalem after the Resurrection: both Peter, and James, and John: no longer is only the latter together with his brother mentioned, but together with Peter the two: and Andrew, and Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, and James (the son) of Alphæus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas (the brother) of James. He has done well to mention the disciples: for since one had betrayed Christ, and another had been unbelieving, he hereby shews that, except the first, all of them were preserved. v. 14. These were all continuing with one accord in prayer together with the women. For this is a powerful weapon in temptations; and to this they had been trained. [Con2 kaλws. tinuing with one accord]. Good. Besides, the present This must be taken as a hasty remark, unless (which is not likely) a sabbath extraordinary is meant. b The meaning seems to be, "he is not content to mention only James and John with Peter, but gives the full list of the Apostles. 37 I. The Election of an Apostle in place of Judas. temptation directed them to this: for they exceedingly feared ACTS the Jews. With the women, it is said: for he had said that 12-16. they had followed Him: and with Mary the mother of Luke23, How then [is it said, that that disciple] took her John19, to his own home at that time? But then the Lord had 26. brought them together again, and so returned. And with John 7, His brethren. These also were before unbelieving. 55. 5. And in those days, it says, Peter stood up in the midst of v. 15. the disciples, and said. Both as being ardent, and as having been put in trust by Christ with the flock, and as having precedence in honour, he always begins the discourse. (The number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty.) Men and brethren, he says, this Scripture v. 16. must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spake before, [etc.] Why did he not ask Christ to give him some one in the room of Judas? It is better as it is. For in the first place, they were engaged in other things; secondly, of Christ's presence with them, the greatest proof that could be given was this: as He had chosen when He was among them, so did He now being absent. Now this was no small matter for their consolation. But observe how Peter does every thing with the common consent; nothing imperiously. And he does not speak thus without a meaning. But observe how he consoles them concerning what had passed. In fact, what had happened had caused them no small consternation. For if there are many now who canvass this circumstance, what may we suppose they had to say then? the citation being omitted in the Mss. |