Книга 1

1 (Maur. 7). Ambrose Justu 24 wishes salvation 1. You gave me an excellent idea, brother: to direct reasoning in letters and conversations with those who were absent to the interpretation of heavenly prophecy - asking me what that didrachm means, half of which a Jew is ordered to offer for the atonement of his soul. 25 For what else unites people more than conversation about divine things? 2. Half of the didrachm is the drachma, and the redemption of the soul is faith. So, faith is the lost drachma, which that evangelical woman, as we read, diligently seeks, lighting a lamp and sweeping her house, and, if she finds it, calls her friends and neighbors, asking them to rejoice with her, because she has found the drachma that she lost. 26 For it is a great loss to the soul if anyone loses faith or grace, which he acquired for himself at the cost of faith. So you, too, light your lamp, because your lamp is your eye, that is, we must understand, the inner eye of your mind. Light this lamp, which has received spiritual oil and is shining in your house 28 . Seek the drachma, the redemption of your soul, which whoever loses it becomes dismayed, but whoever finds it rejoices. 3. The redemption of the soul is also mercy. After all, the redemption of a person’s soul is his wealth (Proverbs 13:8), from which, of course, flows mercy, helping the poor from one’s own means. Consequently, faith is grace, charity is the redemption of the soul, which is purchased for a drachma, that is, for the full value of the largest amount. After all, this is how it is written, where the Lord says to Moses: When you number the children of Israel when they are counted, let each one give a ransom for his soul to the Lord, and they will not make any mistake when they count them. And this is what they will give, how many of them come to the review, half a didrachm, that is, according to the sacred didrachm: twenty obols are a didrachm, and half a didrachm is an offering to the Lord. Everyone who comes to the inspection, from twenty years of age and above, will give an offering to the Lord. Those who are rich give no more, those who are poor, no less than half a didrachm, when they give an offering to the Lord for the ransom of their souls. And you will take the money of the offering from the children of Israel and give it to serve the tabernacle of the covenant; and this will be for the children of Israel a legal memorial before the Lord, for the redemption of your souls (Ex. 30. 12-16). 4. Consequently, the loss would have been suffered either by the rich, who sacrificed more, or by the poor, who had less, if this half of the didrachm were calculated in money and not in virtue. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that this drachma is not material, but intelligible, if it is supposed to be offered to everyone in equal measure. 5. Finally, also about that heavenly food - and food and enjoyment of heavenly dishes is the wisdom on which the inhabitants of paradise fed; it was that unfailing bread of the soul, which the Divine Word called manna, 29 - we read that the division of it between individual souls was such that each received equally. And they gathered, according to the ordinance of Moses, some a lot, some a little, and measured it with an omer, 30 and the one who gathered a lot had nothing excess, and the one who gathered less had no shortage (Ex. 16. 17-18). 31 For according to the number of souls that were in the tents, they all gathered an omerah per person, 32 that is, according to the measure of wine, as the interpretation says. 6. There is a measure of wisdom; that which is in excess harms, for it is written: Do not be too wise (Ecc. 7:16), and Paul taught that grace is given to everyone according to their measure, 33 when he says that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for their benefit. To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; [to another faith of wisdom through the spirit of knowledge] to another faith, by the same Spirit (1 Cor. 12.7-9), and these gifts are shared according to the will of the Spirit. 34 What he divides is according to justice, but what he divides according to his will is according to power, or because he wants to give to everyone as much as will benefit him. 7. So, the measure of omor is the measure of wine that gladdens the heart of a person (Ps. 103.15). What gives pleasure to the heart if not drinking wisdom? This is the same wine that wisdom mixed in a cup and offered to drink, so that we might perceive sobriety and prudence, 35 for it is fitting that they be poured out evenly into our feelings and thoughts and into all the movements that arise within this house of ours, so that we know that we can abound for everyone and become scarce for no one. 8. This becomes clearer using the example of the Blood of Christ, from the grace of which nothing can be taken away and to which nothing can be added. Whether you taste a little or draw more, there is the same perfect measure of atonement for everyone. 9. And the Fathers are commanded to eat the Passover of the Lord, that is, the lamb, so as to make feasts according to the number of their souls (Ex. 12.4), regardless of their number; and not so as to give more to some, less to others, but precisely according to the number of souls, not so that the stronger receive more, and the weaker receive less. For grace is shared equally among all, redemption is shared, gift is shared. And it is not necessary that there should be more people, so that no one goes away deprived of hope and redemption - there are more people when someone is beyond the number, but the saints are all numbered, and even their hairs are numbered, 36 for the Lord knows those who are His (2 Tim. 2.19) - and there should not be fewer people, so that due to the greatness of grace no one is weak to perceive it. 10. And therefore everyone is commanded to bring equal piety and faith to the Passion of the Lord, that is, to the passing. For Easter is when the soul puts aside unreasonable passion and receives good compassion in order to suffer together with Christ 37 and accept His passing into itself, so that He may dwell in it, and walk, and be its God. 38 So, grace is equal for everyone, and virtue is different in everyone. Therefore, let everyone take a share corresponding to his strength, so that the strongest does not lack, and the weakest is not burdened. 11. You see this in the Gospel, because an equal reward is due to all who labor in the vineyard, 39 but few reach the reward, 40 few reach the crown, few say: A crown of righteousness is laid up for me (2 Tim. 4:8). For the gifts of generosity and grace are one thing, payment for virtue is another, and reward for labor is another. 12. So, the didrachm, and even half of the didrachm, is redemption. He redeemed us from death, He redeemed us from slavery, so that we would not be under the power of the world that we had renounced. Therefore, the Lord in the Gospel tells Peter to go to the sea and throw away the fishing rod, take the statir found in the fish’s mouth, and give it to those who demand a didrachm for the Lord and for himself. 41 So the didrachm was what was required by law, but it was not the king’s son who was to give it, but a stranger. 42 Why then did Christ, who came to take away the sin of the world, 43 have to redeem Himself from the world? Why did He who came down to forgive the Sins of all have to redeem Himself from sin? Why did He who humiliated Himself have to redeem Himself from slavery, 44 in order to give freedom to everyone? Why did He who took on flesh have to redeem Himself from death in order to gain resurrection for all by His death? 13. Surely there was no need for atonement for the Redeemer of all! But just as He accepted circumcision to fulfill the law, 45 and as He proceeded to baptism to fulfill the righteousness, 46 He did not refuse those demanding a didrachm, and immediately instead of a didrachm, He ordered a statir 47 to be given for Himself and for Peter; for He chose to give above the law rather than to neglect what was according to the law. 48 He showed that the Jews were not acting according to the law when they demanded a didrachm for one person, while Moses ordered to take half a didrachm. 49 And therefore for Himself and for Peter He gave, as it were, one drachma in a statir. This is the good tribute of Christ, Who pays with the statir, for the statir is righteousness, and righteousness is above the law; in the end, the end of the law is Christ, for the righteousness of everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4). This stater was found in the mouth of a fish, that fish which is caught by fishers of men, 50 that fish which weighs its words in order to represent them as tempered in fire. 51 14. The Jews did not know this, giving it to the traitor. The law requires half a didrachm for the redemption of the soul and dedicates this drachma to God, because it cannot demand a whole didrachm. For in Judea it is hardly possible to find even a modicum of devotion. But he who is truly free, who is truly a Jew, belongs entirely to God; everything he has is part of freedom. And he who refuses freedom has nothing of the kind, saying: I love my master, my wife and my children, I will not go free (Ex. 21.5). 52 For not only the master, but also his own weakness is to blame for the fact that he has subordinated himself to the world, that he loves the world or his mind, that is, υοῦν, 53 from which this will comes; and not only the wife, but also pleasure is to blame for the fact that he devotes himself to caring for the home, and not for the eternal. So, at the door or at the doorpost, his master will pierce his ear (Ex. 21.6), 54 so that he will remember his word, by which he chose slavery. 15. And you, Christian, do not imitate this man, for you are not commanded to bring half a didrachm to God, but so that, if you want to be perfect (Matthew 19:21), you sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and so that you do not withhold even a small amount of service to the world, but deny yourself entirely, and take up the cross of the Lord, and follow Him. 55 16. So, we learned that the law requires half of the didrachm, because half was left for this family, that is, for the worldly way of life, for household use and for offspring, for whom an inheritance without allotment was prescribed, that is, passed on to others. 56 Therefore, the Lord, when the Pharisees tempted Him with crafty questions, is it proper to give taxes to Caesar, answered: Why are you tempting Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin with which the tax is paid. They brought Him a denarius, on which was an image of Caesar. Then he says to them: So, give Caesar's things to Caesar, and God's things that are God's (Matthew 22:18-21), showing them how imperfect those who seemed perfect to themselves are, for they first of all pay Caesar, and not God, for them worldly concerns are more important, and they first of all pay taxes to the world. That is why He says: Give, - that is, it is you, in whom the image and likeness of Caesar is found, give back what is Caesar’s! 57 17. Therefore, those Jewish youths, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, that wisest Daniel, who did not worship the image of the king, who did not accept him, who did not take anything from the king’s table, 58 were not withheld to pay the tax, for they had nothing that belonged to the earthly king. So, those who imitate them do not pay taxes, these are those for whom God Himself is the inheritance. 59 Therefore the Lord says: Give up, - that is, you who display the image of Caesar, give back! I owe nothing to Caesar, for I have nothing from this world. For the prince of this world comes, and in Me he will find nothing (John 14:30). Neither Peter nor My apostles owe anything, because they are not of the world (John 17:14), although they are in this world. I sent them into this world (John 17:18), but they are no longer of the world, because they are with Me above the world. 18. Therefore, it is ordered to pay what the divine law commands, and not what is Caesar’s. However, the perfect one, that is, the preacher of the Gospel, should not pay, for he preached more. The Son of God should not have paid, nor should Peter, who by grace was adopted by the Father. 60 But so that they are not tempted, he says, go to the sea, throw a fishing rod, and take the first fish that comes across, and when you open its mouth, you will find a statir; take it and give it to them for Me and for yourself (Matthew 17:27). O great mysteries! He gives half the didrachm, as the law commanded, and does not deny that he is subject to the law as born of a woman, subject to the law. 61 He was born, I said, by incarnation, from a woman - by sex; a woman is a gender, a virgin is an image, a gender is by gender, a virgin is by purity. Consequently, just as He was born of a woman, that is, in the body, so He became under the law and therefore commands that the didrachm be paid for Himself and for Peter, since both were born under the law. And so, he commands to pay according to the law in order to redeem those under the law (Gal. 4.5). 19. However, the statir commands that they be given to put bolts on their lips, 62 so that they do not commit sin by speaking too much. 63 And he orders that what is found in the mouth of the fish be given, so that they may know the Word. Why did those who demanded what was according to the law not know what was according to the law? They should not have neglected the Word of God, for it is written: The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (Rom. 10:8). So, the whole didrachm is paid to God by the one who has saved nothing for this world. For God is rewarded with righteousness, which is sobriety of mind. God is rewarded with keeping the word, which is verbal sobriety, because with the heart one believes for righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses for salvation (Rom. 10:10). 20. But the drachma can also be taken for the Old Testament, and the didrachma is the price of both Testaments, for according to the law everyone is redeemed by the law, and he who is redeemed by the Gospel pays the drachma according to the law, redeemed by the blood of Christ, having redemption of both piety and blood by abundant grace. After all, faith alone is not enough for perfection unless one also acquires the grace of baptism and, being redeemed, accepts the blood of Christ. Therefore, this is a good drachma, which is given to God. 21. The drachma is not a denarius, 64 but is its opposite. For on the denarius is the image of Caesar, and on the drachma 65 is the image of God, for the monad 66 is applicable to one God to depict Him: from the One everything begins and extends to infinity, and again from an infinite number to the one everything returns as to completion, for God is the beginning and end of everything. Therefore, it is not number, but the element of number that is called a monad by those who are versed in such things. 67 And we said this because it is written: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the First and the Last (Rev. 22:13). And: Hear, O Israel: The Lord thy God is one Lord (Deut. 6:4). 22. So you too, in the likeness of God, be one and the same, not so that today you are sober and tomorrow drunk, today a peacemaker, tomorrow quarrelsome, today moderate, tomorrow incontinent. For everyone changes from the diversity of morals and becomes different, and in him one cannot recognize what was, and he begins to be what he was not, degenerating in comparison with himself. It’s hard to change for the worse. But just as the image on the drachma remains unchanged over the course of days, so you, maintaining the same custom, looking at the drachma, look at the image, that is, seeing the law, look at Christ - the image of God in the law, for He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15) and incorruptible, let Him shine for you as in the mirror of the law. Confess Him in the law in order to recognize Him in the Gospel. If you have known Him in the commandments, you will also recognize Him in the works. Farewell, and if you think that this didrachm was not entrusted to me fruitlessly, if you have something else, do not hesitate to entrust it. 2 (Maur. 65). Ambrose Similitsianu 68 1. You told me that while reading you were puzzled: what exactly do the words mean that Moses, when they performed the sacred act and offered saving sacrifices to the Lord, poured half of the blood into ours, and sprinkled the other half on the altar (Ex. 24.6). But why do you doubt and ask this of us, while you yourself, for the sake of faith and out of a thirst for divine knowledge, have traveled all over the world 69 and devote your entire life every day in alternating days and nights to reading, with a sharp mind embracing everything that is understandable, for even in philosophical books you usually see how much they have deviated from the truth and how empty most of them are, so that in the works of these writers the meaning has disappeared even before they are finished life? 2. However, since collecting words, like money, brings great benefit and promises huge profits for the general benefit of the cause, I cannot keep silent about how surprising this division of blood is. For part of it seems to denote the moral teaching of wisdom, and part of it the mysterious. 70 That blood that is collected in cups signifies moral teaching, that that is poured out on the altar is mysterious; because by divine gift and some kind of inspiration it is poured into human souls, so that they think about God as they should and are filled with faith. 3. Finally, those who spoke about His greatness and about heavenly things were either the apostles or holy prophets, who dared to speak about this only after receiving divine revelation. Therefore, Paul testified in his letter that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words that cannot be uttered by man (2 Cor. 12.4), and Stephen also saw the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Dsin. 7.56), and the prophet David saw Him sitting. 71 And what can I say about Moses, about whom the Scripture says: There did not arise in Israel a prophet like Moses, who knew the Lord 72 face to face by all the signs and wonders that He did in the land of Egypt (Deut. 34:10-11)? 4. Consequently, the mysterious is poured out to God, who, with the brilliance of divine Wisdom, of which He is the Father and Parent, ignites the power of the soul and enlightens the mind. The wisdom of God is Christ, 73 in whose bosom John reclined, 74 so that it would thereby become clear that he drew the divine mysteries from the very recesses of wisdom. He himself wrote this, realizing that he accepted the gift, afraid to consider it his own and attribute it to his mind. But the Lord Himself spoke to the apostles, opening His lips: Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), thereby testifying that He is the One who said to Moses: I will open your mouth and teach you what you should say (Exodus 4:12). Therefore, this divine Wisdom, inexpressible, 75 unmixed and uncorrupted, 76 pours grace into the souls of the saints and reveals to them knowledge so that they may contemplate His glory. 5. And the other part is the teaching of moral wisdom, which is poured into cups, and from them it is received and drawn. Consequently, the cups are containers of the senses, the cups are two eyes, they are the ears, nostrils, as well as the mouth and other parts of the body corresponding to the gift. 77 After all, the eyes perceive and store what they see, the ears store what they hear, the smell - the nostrils, the mouth - taste, and so on. It is into these cups that the Word, in Whom is the beginning of the priesthood or prophecy, pours out parts of His blood in order to quicken and animate what is unreasonable in us and make it reasonable. 6. Finally, having enumerated and proclaimed to the people the commandments of the divine law, 78 then, preparing to speak about the spiritual meaning of the ark of the covenant, and the lamp, and the incense, he slaughtered the sacrifices and poured out some of the blood, sprinkling the holy altars, and pouring some into the bowls. 7. So, there is a difference between that mysterious, that is, divine, and moral wisdom. After all, Λόγος separates souls and virtues. Λόγος is the Word of God, living and active and sharp, it passes and penetrates to the division of the soul. 79 Likewise, the virtues are distinguished and divided by He, whose servant Moses, by dividing the blood, determined the kinds of virtues. 8. And since in the law, first of all, nothing other than the coming of Christ is foreshadowed, and nothing other than His suffering is foreshadowed, see if this is not the saving sacrifice that God the Word offered in Himself and slain in His Body, for first He gave moral teaching both in the Gospel and in the law and by His patience and very deed set an example, pouring out how as if in the cups, in our morals and in our feelings, as if some essence and the very life-giving power of wisdom, with which He revived human souls, so that they became the source of virtue and the affirmation of piety, and then, approaching the altar, shed out the blood of His sacrifice. 9. Therefore, whether you understand this way - it seems to me that it will be reverent, or whether you want to understand it as Solomon understood it - and this also fits: when the prophet Moses poured blood into the cups, know that this is the same blood about which it is written that Wisdom mixed Her wine in the cup, saying (Prov. 9.2) that they should leave foolishness and seek wisdom. 80 So, wisdom is drawn from the cup, teaching is drawn, understanding is drawn, correction is drawn, improvement of life is drawn, the proper dispensation of morals and plans, the grace of piety, the growth of virtues, the source of abundance are drawn. 10. And the blood that he poured out on the altar can be understood as the cleansing of the world, the remission of all sins. 81 After all, he pours out that blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many (Heb. 9.28). For the sacrifice is a Lamb, but not a lamb of unreasonable nature, but of divine power, about whom it is said: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He not only washed away the sins of everyone with blood, but also endowed everyone with divine power. And isn’t it obvious to you that He shed His blood, from Whose side water and blood flowed onto the altar of suffering? 82 Farewell and love us with parental tenderness, as now! 3 (Maur. 67). Ambrose Simplicianu 1. An example of how great each one is in his own talent should be the reading that puzzled you, and not without reason: that same Moses, closer than whom no one saw God, 83 and there did not rise in Israel a prophet like Moses, who saw God face to face (Deut. 34.10), the one who for forty days and nights incessantly abode with God, when he accepted the law on the mountain, the one, I say, to whom God put words so that speak 84 - and it turns out that he preferred the judgment of his brother Aaron to his own! 85 Was man wiser and more learned than Moses? But further we read that the same Aaron, together with Miriam, made a mistake regarding the Ethiopian woman. 86 2. However, consider carefully where the knowledge of Moses was more significant, where the advice of Aaron; Moses is a great prophet who said about Christ: Obey Him as I do (Acts 3:22) 87 - and about whom the Lord Himself says: If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then if someone comes to them from the dead, they will not believe (Luke 16:31). Thus, when it comes to prophecy, Moses as a prophet is preferred, and when it comes to the gift and responsibility of the priesthood, Aaron as a priest is preferred. So, let's turn to this place itself. 3. A goat was slain for sin 88 and offered as a burnt offering. And then Moses looked for him, and he was burned. And Moses was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron, and said: Why did you not eat the sin offerings in the holy place? For this is the Holy of Holies, and He has given you this place to eat there, so that you may destroy the sin of the synagogue, and you should eat inside, as I was commanded (Lev. 10. 16-17). And when Aaron saw him angry, he peacefully answered him: If today they offered their burnt offering for their sin before the Lord, and since this happened to me, I eat what they offered today for sin, wouldn’t that please the Lord? And Moses heard and approved (Lev. 10.19–20). 4. Let's think about what this means. It is characteristic of God alone not to commit any sin; it is characteristic of a wise man to instruct and correct the lost and to bring repentance for sin. 89 However, in this human life it is difficult. For what else is as rare as a husband who exposes himself and condemns his own action? So, confession of sin is rare, repentance is rare, recognition of this word is rare among people. 90 After all, here nature resists, modesty resists. Nature - because everything is under sin (Rom. 3.9), and everyone who wears flesh is subject to fall. Therefore, the nature of the flesh and the temptation of this world resist innocence and purity. Bashfulness also resists, for everyone is ashamed to confess his sin, thinking more about the present than about the future. 5. Moses sought to find a soul free from sin, so that it would take off the garments of error and appear in sinless nakedness, not ashamed of itself - but he did not find it, because a passion that is not subject to reason quickly rises in it and a quickly spreading flame devours the soul and burns its innocence. For the present outweighs the future, and the unbridled is the moderate, and the greater is the lesser, 91 and the accepted is the serious, and the sensual is severe, and the cheerful is the sad, and the seductive is the strict, and the hasty is the slower. After all, unrighteousness is swift, 92 looking for an opportunity to harm, because its feet are quick to shed blood (Rom. 3:15), and all virtue is unhurried, and it hesitates for a long time before making a judgment or embarking on an undertaking. Thus the mind of a good man examines its plans until it decides what is worthy and what is honest, and untruth by action precedes thought. So, repentance is unhurried and bashful, because it is constrained and held back by the shame of the present, but it is directed towards the future alone, the hope for which does not come soon, the fruit comes even slower, and for the naked the very desire for it is slower. 6. In the midst of these efforts of hope and virtue, shamelessness breaks in, and the feigned importance of present affairs drives out and seems to burn out repentance and its effect, and all such feelings perish in vices. The law searches for it and does not find it: it is burned out by the heat and smoke of unrighteousness. And indignation arises in the law: Moses says that the offering should be eaten in the sanctuary itself, and condemns the priests as lazy for their laziness. 93 Aaron replies that the priest’s judgment must be far-sighted and this gift should not be easily conceded to an unhealthy conscience, so that the subsequent error does not turn out to be worse than the first. 94 If the vessel smells bad, the oil and wine easily spoil and become unusable. 7. How could sin be burned out if the fire was alien, 95 and this in the eyes of God, Who knows secrets? 96 Can the Lord be pleased if someone, hitherto mired in unrighteousness and holding injustice in his heart, says that he is doing repentance? This is the same as if some sick person pretends to be healthy; he will become even more ill, because feigned health cannot help him in any way, because it is only covered with words, but has no support in virtue. 97 8. So, alien fire (Lev. 10.1) is lust, alien fire is any kindling of unrighteous passion, fire is any kindling of greed. With this fire a person is not cleansed, but only burned out. For where there is strange fire, if anyone appears before the eyes of the Lord, he will be consumed by heavenly fire, like Abihu and Nadab, who were consumed by heavenly fire along with what was offered for sin and placed on the sacred altars. 98 So, whoever wants to cleanse his sin, let him reject alien fire from himself and give himself over only to the fire that burns sin, and not man. 9. What kind of fire is this, hear from the one who says that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). This is the same fire that dried up the source of blood from the bleeding woman, who suffered for twelve years. 99 This is the same fire that consumed the sin of Zacchaeus, who said that he would give half of his property to the poor and, if he took anything from anyone, he would repay him fourfold (Luke 19:8). This is the same fire that destroyed the sin of the thief, for the consuming fire (Heb. 12.29; Deut. 4.24; 9.3) is the One who said to him: Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23.43). So, He healed those in whom He found simple and pure repentance, and at the same time no malice, no lies. 10. Only Judas could not achieve healing, although he said: I sinned by betraying innocent blood (Matthew 27:4), because he concealed an alien fire in his chest, that fire which, having ignited, pushed him into a noose. 100 After all, he was unworthy of healing, because he did not sigh, turning, 101 from the depths of his soul, and did not earnestly repent. Such is the goodness of the Lord Jesus that He would have granted forgiveness to Judas if he had trusted in the mercy of Christ. 11. So, the priests do not remove either this guilt or the sin of the one who approaches in wickedness and still strives for what is not permitted. After all, they cannot have a meal 102 where there is a lot of lies and where inside there are scars from snake bites. For the food of the priest is the remission of sins, which is why the High Priest does: 103 My food is to do the will (John 4:34) of My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). What is the will of God if not this: When, having turned, you breathe, you will be saved (Is. 30:15). Therefore, a treacherous person has no food, and one whose conscience is insincere and unclean cannot even taste the sweetness of the meal. After all, the bitterness of lies drowns out the sweetness of the meal, and an evil conscience does not allow repentance to give rest and satiation to the guilty spirit. 12. Consequently, such a disposition, such a petition, such a repentance does not bring the priests any benefit or pleasure, and the goat that was offered as a burnt offering for sin was deservedly burned, because it was not a sincere sacrifice, because in its sacrifice an alien fire was revealed. 104 So, this is not a pleasing and pleasing sacrifice to God, because nothing pleases Him except what is witnessed among the riches of purity and truth (1 Cor. 5:8). 13. Therefore, in another place you read that there are “two goats”: 105 one on which is the lot of the Lord (Lev. 16.8), the other for scapegoating; the one with the Lord's lot is offered and slaughtered for sin, and the one with the lot for remission is released into the wilderness, 106 so that he can take upon himself the iniquities of the people or some sinner. For just as there are two in the field: one is taken and the other is left (Matthew 24:40), so there are two goats, one that is suitable for sacrifice, and the other that is released into the wilderness. This is not used in any way, and it cannot be eaten, nor can the sons of the priest eat it. For just as from what is used for food, the good is eaten, and what is useless or bad is thrown away, and so we say: what is good, what is useful, is festive. 14. Consequently, the Lord will be displeased if the priest begins to eat a sacrifice that is offered with a lie, not in the purity of zealous confession. And this is why this goat must be released into the desert where our fathers wandered; they wandered in it and could not come to the land of resurrection, 107 but their memory perished from the earth (Ps. 109.15). Finally, hear about the holiday: And the Sabbaths of the earth will be your food (Lev. 25.6). For holiday and rest are rest in God, which brings peace of mind. Therefore, we too will rest from the conversation. Farewell and love us as you love, for we love you. 4 (Maur. 27). Ambrose Irenaeus 108 1. You wrote to me that you were puzzled by the words you read: Let us offer a sacrifice disgusting to the Egyptians to God (Ex. 8:26). But you could guess what this means, because in Genesis it is written that the Egyptians disdained every shepherd of sheep, 109 of course, not because of the man himself, but because of the cattle. For the Egyptians plowed the land with a plow, 110 Abraham and Jacob, and later Moses and David, were shepherds and along with this occupation they received a certain royal teaching. 2. So, the Egyptians hated pure sacrifices, that is, perfect and full of instructions for the pursuit of virtues. Therefore, what vicious people hate is pure and honorable for good people. The cause of virtue is disdained by those who are devoted to luxury; the libertine avoids it. So, the Egyptian body, susceptible to temptation, turns away from the virtues of the soul, abhors order, avoids learning the virtues and all similar matters. 111 3. Therefore, then. what the Egyptian avoids - it is the Egyptian, and not the man himself, 112 - this is what you, possessing human knowledge, strive for. And reject what they seek and what they choose, for these two properties cannot agree with each other: prudence and recklessness. So, to the extent that prudence and self-control refuse everything that belongs to unreason and immoderation, so the unreasonable and intemperate person is deprived of everything that is characteristic of the good and which constitutes the inheritance of a wise and temperate man. 4. So those two women, saints in such a marriage, Leah and Rachel, 113 one “hardworking,” 114 the other “strong breath,” 115 avoiding not family ties, but disagreement in morals, taught by the word of Jacob, “a proven man,” that, they say, he wants to leave in order to flee from the envy of Laban and his sons, as well as their negligence, answered: Do we still have a share and inheritance in our father’s house? Doesn't he regard us as strangers? For he sold us and ate (Gen. 31:14-15) our price. And this, first of all, means that a careless and envious person who is hardworking and committed to learning considers them to be strangers and avoids them, and wants to get rid of them, because he considers them a burden to himself, and thinks that he has gained profit by selling them, and considers their price to be his own and the fruit of his pleasure. 116 5. Now let us listen to how negligence is deprived of what virtue has, for they say: All the riches and glory that God took from our father will be ours and our children’s (Gen. 31:16). It is no coincidence that they say that all this was taken away by the will of God, for He Himself is the Giver of blessings and the careless are deprived of His grace, for the unfit and weak cannot perceive the beauty of the divine inheritance, but the zealous and having the spirit of a strong spirit receives it all. For who is strong, if not God alone, Who holds everything and rules everything? 6. Therefore, this is precisely what God's inheritance is intended to be. Therefore, Isaiah says: This is the heritage of those who believe in the Lord (Is. 54:17). And he says beautifully: There is an inheritance - for this is the only inheritance, there is no other. For the blind treasury 117 is not an inheritance, and nothing that passes away has the dignity of an inheritance; inheritance is that which is inherited by God. Therefore, the saint of the Lord says: My portion is the Lord (Lamentations 3.24; Isa. 118.57), and in another place: I have become an heir of Your revelations (Ps. 119.111). You see what the righteous possesses: these are the commandments of God, His prophecies, His commandments. He is rich in them, he feeds on them, he delights in them, as in any wealth (Ps. 119.14). 7. So, having all this, Leah and Rachel did not seek their father’s riches, among which were counterfeit money, beauty devoid of reason and spiritual strength. They, being rich and free, even considered him not rich, but poor. For none of those who are involved in the good and free sciences will consider anyone foolish to be rich, but will consider him poor and needy, as well as outcast, even if he possessed an abundance of royal riches and, proud of gold, would boast of his power. 8. So, you should avoid the company of such people, even if family ties oblige you to do so. For conversations with the foolish are harmful, they infect and pollute the sober mind, because with the holy you will be holy and with the evil one you will be wicked (Ps. 17:26, 27). For it often happens that the one who, contrary to his intention, listens to the intemperate, when he himself wants to maintain a strict order of abstinence, is painted with the purple of recklessness; and it is no coincidence that strict order and excess are opposed to each other and are at enmity with each other. 9. Therefore, when the experienced man asked their judgment, they raised their voices, having already been accustomed to the daily exercise of virtue: Do we have a share and inheritance in our father’s house? (Gen. 31.14) - then the net: Are you asking us if we want to leave him? As if you don’t know that we have no desire to be in his company and the sweet thirst for worldly riches and the enjoyment of luxury does not hold us back! This is what we call insignificant and alien to us, this is what we consider full of poverty and deprivation. 10. They also add the reason for leaving: Because Laban has lost the true glory and riches of the good treasury in which we are born: this is the power of mind given to us and the good coin 118 of the image of God and likeness. This spiritual coin was lost by the one who chose worldly splendor rather than what is true and useful for his life; their beauty passes by those who are not initiated into divine goods, in which he, alien to divine goods, does not notice the beauty, because he is mistaken and deceived in what he considers beautiful. So listen to his words and judge for yourself! 11. Chasing after Saint James and his daughters, 119 wondering whether by chance he would find some of his vices in them and whether he would have the power to return them to himself, he accused the righteous, but was in turn exposed by reason, and could neither answer nor object, with which he should have restrained him: If you had told me, he says, I would have let you go (Gen. 31.27). And thereby he showed what the righteous avoids: he does not want to be pursued, to be led, to walk in such accompaniment. First of all, because he did not have to submit to the power of many masters in order to be released like a slave, and also because he was a zealous man and, seeking the true path to virtue, he was looking not for a guide, but for heavenly prophecies, “which, as he says, ordered me to leave here and which now accompany me on the way. 12. But how would you let me go? Is it not with your joy, which is filled with sadness, that is, with tambourines and harps, 120 sounding out of tune, and with the sounds of flutes, sweet, but not sweetly washed, discordant sounds, crackling rattles, dumb voices, cymbals striking the soul? And you thought that with this you could please, with this you could hold? This is exactly what I was running from and I am not afraid of the hatred in your words. I ran so that nothing like this would follow me, so that I could leave without taking anything of yours.” 13. They do not come with such guides to the Church of Christ, to which Jacob strove, in order to bring there many peoples, deliver the wealth of tribes, resettle descendants, avoiding the shadow of empty things, preferring the breathing beauty of virtues to insensitive images, putting the important above the approved. You see how the pagans decorate feasts and announce holidays. But all this is hostile to the minds of the pious, because many are tempted by this, are enticed by sweet dishes, are caught by hosts of dancers, avoid our fasts, considering them unpleasant for themselves, and consider them harmful to the body and burdensome. 14. Didn't you think that I want your gold? But you do not have gold purified by fire (Rev. 3:18), with which the righteous are tested. Or did I lust after silver? But you have no silver, for you do not have the splendor of heavenly conversation. Or perhaps I was hoping that you would give me your slaves to serve? But I seek the free, I avoid the slaves of sin. Or perhaps I needed companions on the way and guides on the roads? Oh, if only they could follow me! I would show them the ways of the Lord. But how can you, who do not know God, know His ways? Those chosen by the Lord walk His path. Not everyone takes this path, but no one is rejected. 15. Let the one who is ready follow, let him walk along the path leading to Mesopotamia, so that the one who strives for it crosses the waters, the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates, 121 strength and truth, through tears of repentance, the baptism of grace. On this path is the army of God; for all who are in the Church make war upon God. 122 In it is that glorious collection of various virtues that Jacob chose for himself. 123 For every soul without a mark is ignorant and unlearned, ignorant of sciences, but the one with a mark is rich in labors and abundant in grace-filled gifts. 16. Whoever comes into it must first make peace with his angry brother. 124 Whoever comes to it, let him settle in Shechem, 125 a valuable and arduous forge of virtues, where vengeance for offended purity is severe. 126 Whoever comes into it, let him fight with God, 127 in order to practice imitation of Him, let him descend to the humility of Christ and His Passion, let him take up his cross and follow Christ (Mark 8:34). Finally, a good fighter does not envy, does not boast (1 Cor. 13.4) and even blesses his opponent with such a gift. 17. So, let us follow Saint Isaac and his ways in order to achieve those passions, those battles, to reach the “shoulder”, 128 to achieve “patience”, the mother of the faithful, 129 and the father of Isaac, that is, containing “sweetness”, abounding in “joy”. 130 Where there is “patience,” there is “joy,” because after sorrow comes patience, and from patience comes experience (Rom. 5:3-4), in which there is hope without shame, 131 for whoever was not ashamed of the cross of Christ, Christ will not be ashamed of him. 132 Farewell, son, and do not be embarrassed to ask your father, you who, without being embarrassed, boast of the Passion of Christ. 133 5 (Maur. 4). Ambrose to Felix 134 1. Although my physical health left much to be desired, however, having read the word of your like-minded heart with me, I received considerable grace for recovery from the sweetness of your conversation, 135 for you announced that a significant day was coming for both of us, 136 when you took the reins of the highest priesthood, about which I had previously talked with our brother Vassian 137 . The conversation that arose about the basilica, which he founded in the name and honor of the apostles, 138 gave rise to this word, because he noticed that he greatly desired the presence of your holiness. 2. Then I mentioned in our conversation your birthday, 139 which was expected on the very Kalends of November, so that, if I was not mistaken, it should have been celebrated tomorrow, but not later, and then it would no longer be possible. So, I promised for you - after all, you can do this for me - I promised him, I guaranteed myself, because I assumed 140 that you would be present, because you had to be present. Therefore, my promise will bind you no more than your own rules, for your soul is accustomed to do what it should. So, you understand: it’s not that I was so bold in my promises, but I promised my brother, knowing you. So come, so as not to embarrass the two clergy: yourself, for not coming, and me, for promising so easily. 3. We will offer our prayers on the occasion of your birthday, but don’t forget us in yours. Our spirit will accompany you, and when you enter the second tabernacle, called the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9.3), act according to our custom, so that you can bring us along with you. When you kindle that golden censer in spirit, do not forget about us. For already in the second tabernacle there is that for which, like incense smoke, your prayer, full of wisdom, ascends to heaven. 141 4. There is the ark of the covenant, overlaid on all sides with gold, 142 that is, the teaching of Christ, the teaching of the wisdom of God. There is a golden vessel with manna (Heb. 9.4), in other words, a receptacle for spiritual food and a repository of divine knowledge. There is Aaron's rod, a sign of the grace of the priesthood: it withered away before, but in Christ it blossomed again. 143 There are cherubim on the tablets of the covenant, knowledge of the sacred doctrine. There is a purification place, 144 above which in the highest is God the Word, 145 the image of the invisible God (Col. 1.15), saying to you: I will talk with you above the purification place, in the midst of two cherubim (Ex. 25.22). For this is how He talks to us so that we understand His word, because He speaks not about worldly things, but about intelligible things, as He said: I will open my mouth in parables (Ps. 77.2; Matt. 13.35). For where Christ is, there is everything, there is His teaching, there is the forgiveness of sins, there is grace, there is the separation of the dead and the living. 5. And Aaron one day stood in the midst of them to prevent death from passing to the ranks of the living from the dead bodies. 146 And here everyone always has the Word, invisible to us, separating within us reasonable virtues from the corpses of passions, deadly and destructive thoughts. 147 Here stands the Word, as the One who came into this world to dull the sting of death, 148 to stop its insatiable womb, 149 to give eternal grace to the living, and to grant resurrection to the dead. 150 6. For Him you fight with good warfare, 151 You keep His pledge, 152 You lend His means, as it is written: You will lend to the nations (Deut. 15:6). This is a good purchase of spiritual grace, from which the Lord, when he comes, will demand profit 153 and, finding that you have used it well, will give you much for little, 154 and I will have the sweetest fruit, because in you my judgment is corrected, the appointment that you received through my ordination (2 Tim. 1.6) and blessing in the name of the Lord Jesus will not cause reproach. So, do a good deed, 155 so that on that day you will receive reward 156 and so that I may rest in you, and you in me. 7. The harvest of Christ is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37), and helpers are hard to find. This was the case in ancient times, but the Lord is powerful, Who sends laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:38). Of course, among the glorious class of the city of Coma, many have already believed under your leadership and, taught by you, accepted the word of God. But He who gave the faithful will also give helpers, so that you will not have to justify yourself why you are visiting us late, and the grace of your presence will flow more abundantly to me. Farewell and love us, as you love us now! 6 (Maur. 28). Ambrose Irenaeus 1. We came across in someone’s writings 157 the Pythagorean rule, by which he forbade his students to use the path that was difficult and familiar to the people. However, it is no secret where he borrowed it from. After all, since, as the majority believes, Pythagoras descended from the Jewish tribe, 158 from his teachings he drew his teaching instructions, 159 and among philosophers he is deservedly considered great, 160 and it is difficult, they say, to find his equal. Therefore, he read in Exodus the commandment of the divine voice given to Moses: Take off your shoes from your feet (Exod. 3.5), as well as, obviously, the instruction given to Joshua, 161 so that, desiring to walk the road of the Lord, they should shake off the dust of the treaded road. He read the instructions given to the same Moses, so that he and the priests would ascend the mountain, and the people would remain below. Consequently, God separated the priests from the people, and subsequently ordered Moses himself to enter the cloud. 162 2. You see the division: priests should have nothing common, nothing ordinary, nothing in common with the customs and morals of the rude crowd. The title of priest requires respect for a sober, alien to the crowd, a strict life, and exceptional responsibility. For how can the people honor someone who has nothing hidden from the people, who is no different from the majority? Why will he be surprised in you if he recognizes his own in you, if he does not see in you anything that is inaccessible to him, if what he is ashamed of in himself, in you, whom he considers worthy of reverence, hurts his gaze. 3. So, let us rise above the popular ideas and let us evade the pavements along which the rabble scurry, from the paths of everyday life, from the earth with trampled paths along which runs the one whose life is faster than the messenger, about whom it is said: He passed and did not see (Job 9.25). But let us seek for ourselves a path inaccessible to the speeches of daring people, impassable to the deeds of inexperienced people, a path that has not been trampled by anyone who is stained, that is, stained with the dirt of his own laziness, covered with the impurities of untruth, buried under the dark ruins of 164 souls, who has not tasted the sweetness of virtue, who prefers to look askance at it rather than accept it with a sincere feeling and an open bosom of mind, and who - This is the property of the majority, who consider it wit and sophistication to transform the beauty of wisdom into the ugliness of wickedness - not seeing true grace and as if being in the night, they do not believe those living in daylight, 165 for he is from among the Phemians and Sabeans, falling away and turning away from the truth, 166 of which Job says: You see the roads of Themites and the ways of the Sabeans, for he who trusts in cities will be ashamed and for wealth. So you too rebelled against me mercilessly; therefore, having seen my wound, you are afraid (Job 6.19-21). 4. So let us leave these pathless paths of those who stray from the path and that dust of the weakened, who because of their lust often fell in the desert. 167 But let us turn and follow the path of wisdom, which the sons of those who magnify and boast did not trample (Job 28.8), which destruction does not know, death does not know, for God ruled him, 168 the abyss said: He is not in me, the sea said: He is not with me (Job 28.14)! But if you are looking for the path of wisdom and teaching, then to honor God and obey Him is wisdom, to abstain from sins is teaching (Job 28.28). 5. So what do we have to do with the path of this age, on which temptation awaits us? Even human life itself is a temptation (Job 7.1) and more insignificant than empty words (Job 7.6): to live in houses of clay, 169 day and night to worry about profit and always think about profit, and, like a mercenary, to seek the daily reward, and, as they say about cicadas, to feed on the breath of passions, 170 - truly like cicadas, because they live one day at a time and are torn from their own complaints. 171 What else are frivolous people, without learning, if not the same cicadas, born to die on the same day, chirping rather than speaking; those who, in the boiling of flaming passions, relax themselves with deathly singing and suddenly die, without bearing any fruit, without receiving grace? So, their paths are the disastrous and tortuous paths of snakes, which drag along in the sliding of the body full of poison and twist into rings of vice 172 and cannot rise to anything heavenly. 6. So let us enter into the gates of the Lord, the gates of righteousness, through which, having entered, let the righteous confess to the Lord! 173 But this is the entrance of a few. That is why the Lord says that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it (Matthew 7:14). But wide is the gate and broad is the way that many go (Matthew 7:13); he is directed towards death and leads his travelers there. 7. But let our path be narrower, virtue more abundant, the path narrower, faith higher, the road more difficult, let the strength of the mind overflow, let our paths be right, for the step of virtues is unwavering. Therefore Solomon says: O you who have abandoned the right paths (Proverbs 2:13)! 8. Let our step be towards the highest, for it is better to ascend than to descend. Finally, as it is said in today's reading: Woe to those who descend into Egypt (Is. 31.1)! However, it is not criminal to go over to Egypt, but to go over to the morals of the Egyptians, 174 to go over to their crafty treachery and ugly luxury. 175 Whoever crosses there descends, whoever descends falls. So let us reject the Egyptian man, not God. For the king of Egypt himself was given over to the power of his vices; in comparison with him, Moses, commanding kingdoms, subjugating powers to himself, is considered a god. Therefore, it was said to him, as we read: I will make you a god to king Pharaoh (Ex. 7.1). 176 Be healthy and love us with filial love, as you love us now. Justus (Justus), bishop of Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France), who represented Gaul at the Council of Aquileia in 381. Soon after the council, he retired to the Egyptian desert, died c. 390 g. See: Ref. 30. 12–13. A didrachma is a Greek silver coin worth two drachmas. See: Ref. 16.15; In. 6.30. A measure of liquids and solids, approximately equal to 2.2 liters. Wed. by Philo of Alexandria, rer. diu. hercs 13. 191: “However, heavenly food for the soul is wisdom, which is called manna. The Divine Word divides it among all who will use it, caring above all for equality.” Here and below (except where otherwise noted) the translation is ours. – T.A. See: Rome. 8.17. Wed. in Philo, rer. diu. heres 40. 192: “Easter is when an unreasonable soul wants to put aside unreasonable passion and voluntarily endures prudent compassion.” See · In. 1.29; cf.: Heb. 9.28. A silver stater was equal to four drachmas. See: Ref. 30.13. The tax referred to in the book of Exodus was used for the construction of the tabernacle (see: Exodus 38.25–28) and was a one-time payment. Later, this tax was renewed several times and became annual. We are talking about the instructions of the law about how to deal with a Jewish slave, who in the seventh year should receive freedom, while his wife, given to him by his master, and the children born from her were supposed to remain in slavery. Wed. in Philo, rer. diu. heres 38. 186: ““I love my master,” that is, the mind that rules over me, and “my wife,” a loving feeling steeped in passions, “and children,” that is, their evil offspring, I will not go free.” Wed. in Philo, rer. diu. heres 38. 187: “For it is necessary to give this generation also an inheritance without allotment and transferability.” See: Dan. 1.8; 3. 15–18. See: Deut. 18.2; Lamentations 3. 24. A denarius is a Roman silver coin equal to four sesterces. The images of emperors on Roman coins changed along with the emperors themselves. Drachmas had different images in different cities, but the drachma symbol was the number 1 (with an additional horizontal stroke). About the monad in St. Ambrose writes to Courcelle (chapter “Ambroise dévot de la monade” see: Courcelle P. Recherches sur saint Ambroisë “vies” anciennes, culture, iconographie. P., 1973. P. 25–41). – Note. ed. Here St. Ambrose literally translates Philo, rer. diu. heres 38. 187: “An infinitely infinite number in addition, being divisible, is resolved into a monad, and again begins from the monad, being added into an infinite set. Therefore, those who are knowledgeable in such things called it not a number but an element.” Priest Simplician, successor of St. Ambrose at the Milan episcopal see. Prepared by St. Ambrose for baptism. He became a bishop at a very advanced age (see Peacock - uita A 46). Died in 400 or 401. Blzh. Augustine remembers him with gratitude in his Confessions (conf. 8.1 et seq.). Traveling for the sake of knowledge is a trait characteristic of many ancient sages and philosophers. For example, it is reported about Solops that he traveled through many lands while studying philosophy (see Herodotus - hist. 1. 30). Perhaps this rapprochement is not accidental (the Christian philosopher is deliberately compared with pagan philosophers). Wed. Philo's interpretation of the same passage of Scripture (rer. diu. heres 38.182). See: Ps. 38.2: 140.3; 109.1. In the text of Deut.: whom the Lord knew. See: In. 13.23–25; 21.20 Wed. in Philo (rer. diu. heres 38.183). Wed. in Philo, rer. diu. heres 38. 184–185: “The kind of feelings are subject to mixing, and nature has provided special bowls for it. The cups of vision are the eyes.” See: Number. 12. 1–10. Aaron and Miriam reproached Moses for taking an Ethiopian wife (Zipporah, cf.: Ex. 2.21). Wed. in Philo, fug. et inu. 28.157: “It is characteristic of God not to sin, but repentance is characteristic of a wise man. This is very difficult and extremely rare.” That is, the words “repentance”. Wed. in Philo (fug. et inu. 28. 158–159: “The lesser is defeated by the greater, the slow by the quick, the future by the present.” Wed. in Philo (fug. et inu. 28.159). See: Lev. 10. 19. Wed: paenit. 2. II. 104, and also in Philo (fug. el inu. 28.159). Wed. in Philo, fug. et inu. 28.160. This refers to a sacred meal. See: Heb. 3.8–11 (Ps. 94.9–11). Regarding Irenaeus, it is suggested that he could be a priest of the Milan Church. Palanque (see: Palanque J.-R. Deux correspondants de saint Ambrose, Orontien et Irénée // Revue des Études latines, 1933. 11. P 158) believed that he was a Greek or Egyptian who lived in the East. 13 letters were addressed to him. That is, the Egyptians were farmers. The reason for their hostility towards the shepherds could also be the fact that they sacrificed sheep, the sacred animals of the god Khnum. Wed. in Philo, fug. et inu. 3. 18: “For the perfect and blameless sacrifice is the virtues and virtuous deeds that the lustful Egyptian body abhors.” St. Ambrose contrasts the Egyptian, a slave of vices, with a true man with spiritual aspirations. Wed. in Philo, migr. Abr. 26. 145: “Liyu, which translated means “hard-working.” A similar interpretation is found only in St. Ambrose. The names Leah and Rachel go back respectively to the Hebrew leah - “cow” and rahel - “a sheep with lambs” (see: Iacob. 2.5.25). That is, the daughters belong to him because he gave birth to them. Perhaps closed, that is, from which the treasure cannot be taken. Moneta from the verb monere - to remind, to foretell. See: Gen. 31.23, and also: Iacob 2.5.21–24. St. Ambrose in his works interprets the name of the city of Shechem this way (see: Abr. 1. 2. 5; 2. 3. 8; Ioseph 3. 9; patr. 3. 11). Rebekah, Jacob's mother, is implied. The etymology of the name Rebekah may have been taken from St. Ambrose in Philo of Alexandria (see: congr. 7.37; cherub. 13.47; fuga et inu. 4.24). This is the interpretation of St. Ambrose repeats in lacob. 2. 4. 14; Isaac I. I. – Note. ed. See: Gen. 21.6. About the meaning of the name Isaac St. Ambrose writes in Isaac I. I. Philo of Alexandria (see: pram. 5. 31) also gives an interpretation of this name. – Note. ed. See: Mk. 8.38; OK. 9.26. Felix, Bishop of Coma (now Como, Italy), ordained by St. Ambrose. Wed: parade. 7. Participated in the council convened by St. Ambrose in Milan in 393 to condemn the teachings of Jovinian (see: epist. 15). Wed. in Cicero (fam. 16. 23 – pulegio mihi tui sermonis utendum est). Puleium (pulegium, poleium - an aromatic herb, one of the varieties of mint, was used for sweetness (see its contrast with bitter rue in the same letter of Cicero). The anniversary of Felix's ordination, which will be discussed further. St. Vassian of Lavdia, bishop of Laus Noua (now Lodi, Italy). See Peacock, uita A. 47. Memory of St. Vassian is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on June 10 (23). The basilica in question was located on the site where the church of San Bassiano a Lodivecchio is now located. That is, the day of episcopal consecration. Praesumptum habeo - perhaps this is the beginning of the appearance of analytical forms in the Romance languages. – Note. ed. The Atonement is the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, where the tablets of the Law were kept. Wed. in Philo (rer. diu. heres 42.201). Wed: Os. 13. 14 ; 1 Cor. 15. 55–56. See: 1 Cor. 15.21–26; Rome 1. 4, and also: exp. 118, 18. 12. See: 2 Tim. 4.5 ; 1 Tim. 3. 1 . For a similar idea, see Philo (pmn. prob, liber. 1. 2). Wed. in Clement of Alexandria (strom. 1. 14. 62), where it is first said that Pythagoras was a Syrian or Tyrian, and then a more general assumption is made that he was originally from the barbarians. Clement of Alexandria also speaks about this (strom 1. 22. 150), his words are repeated by Eusebius of Caesarea (praep. cuang. 9. 6. 8). Wed. in Clement of Alexandria (strom. 1. 21. 107) and in Eusebius of Caesarea (praep. euang 14. 5. 2). Conuersatio can be translated as “way of life,” but in combination with strata this word sounds like a metaphor (the way of life of most people is pavements on which some people, crowds of people, are constantly “spinning”). Wed. in Cicero (fam. 4. 3. 2). For the same idea, see Philo omn. prob, liber. 1. 3–5. About the fact that cicadas feed on the wind, see Philo (omn. prob, liber. 2.8). Wed. in Virgil, georg. 3. 328: et cantu querulae rumpent arbusto cicadae; also 3. 438: dum amnes ulli rumpuntur fontibus. A similar description of a person’s complaints about life (see: bon. mort. 3. 12). Wed. V Virgil, georg. 2. 154: squameus in spiram tractu se colligit anguis. See Isaac 6. 54 for similar argumentation. ed. Philo has the same idea, omn. prob, liber. 7.43: “The Jewish lawgiver dared to call the one who is embraced by divine love and worships only the Being, not a man, but a god.” You might be interested in: