Книга 9

62 (Maur. 19). Ambrose Vigilius 83 1. Recently you were called to episcopal service and asked me what is most important in your new rank. You were your own mentor, and this serves as a guarantee that you, who managed to edify yourself so that you were awarded a high title, will no less successfully edify others. 2. The first thing you need to remember: you have been entrusted with the Church of the Lord and you must make every effort so that no corruption penetrates its body and it remains free from any mixing with the pagans. Scripture tells you about this: Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, but go to Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel (Gen. 28:1), that is, to the house of Wisdom, and be united with Her in marriage. Mesopotamia is a region in the East, it is surrounded by the two greatest rivers of those places, the Euphrates and the Tigris 84, which together originate in Armenia and flow separately into the Red Sea 85. So, Mesopotamia is the Church, which with the greatest streams of prudence and justice 86 nourishes the souls of the faithful. She washes away sin from them and irrigates them with the grace of holy baptism, the prototype of which is the Red Sea. Teach the people to seek the bonds of marriage not among foreigners, but in the homes of Christians. 3. Let no one deprive a mercenary of his promised pay! We are all workers with God and we all expect rewards from Him for our work 87 . Why do you, no matter what your business, refuse your mercenary a salary, a small and temporary reward? Be careful that you too are not denied the promised heavenly blessings! Do not deprive the mercenary of the promised payment! 88 – this is what is written in the law. 4. Don't lend money! It is written: He who does not lend his money at interest will remain in the house of God (Ps. 14:5, 1), - therefore, everyone who seeks gain from covetousness will stumble. A Christian, if he has money, let him give it either without expecting it back at all, or counting on the amount he borrowed, 89 and thereby he will gain considerable profit from grace. By doing otherwise, he is deceiving, not helping. Isn’t it cruel to give money to a poor man and then demand twice as much from him? If he had nothing to pay at the beginning, where will he find it to repay the debt that has doubled? 5. Let Tobit serve as an example for us. He never demanded the money he gave back 90, except at the end of his life, and rather out of fear of leaving an heir with nothing than out of a desire to collect and return the increased wealth 91. Often, usury crushed entire nations and became the cause of universal destruction. That is why we, clergy, should take special care in suppressing those vices that many shamelessly serve. 6. Teach your flock to show hospitality from the heart, not as a favor. Let no one receive a guest without sincere cordiality, let no one destroy gratitude by causing offense, but multiply it with constant attention and kind attitude. What is required from you is not rich gifts, but sincere care that fills with common peace and harmony. Better is a dish of greens, and with it friendship and love (Prov. 15:17), than a feast, decorated with exquisite dishes 92, and not with friendly feelings. We read that entire nations fell under heavy punishment and were exterminated due to non-compliance with the laws of hospitality 93 . Lust also leads to no less cruel trials. 7. There is nothing more dangerous than to tie oneself into bonds with foreigners because of motives of lust, which kindle discord and push to criminal sacrilege. Marriage must be sanctified by priestly protection 95 and blessing. But what kind of marriage union can we talk about if there is no unity in faith? If prayer should be common, how can those who disagree in faith preserve mutual marital love? Often, many enslaved by passion for a woman betrayed their faith, as, for example, the sons of Israel with Baal-peor 97, but Phinehas, drawing a sword, killed a Jew and a Midianite 98 and softened the wrath of God so that the whole people would not perish. 8. Give more examples? From many, I will choose one and show on it how disastrous it is to enter into a relationship with a foreign wife. Who from the very cradle was stronger and stronger in the Spirit of God than Samson the Nazirite? Because of a woman, he was captured and could not retain grace. We will tell about his birth and life according to the order of the narrative set out in the historical books of the Holy Scriptures, 99 but we will try to comprehend its meaning, and not just follow the letter. 9 . For many years the Jewish people remained in subjection and slavery to the Philistines because they had lost the primacy in the faith by which their fathers had gained the victory. However, they did not completely lose the stamp of their chosenness and hope for the promised destiny. In times of quiet life, the people were often exalted, and God gave them over to the power of their enemies, so that they could wait for salvation from troubles from above. By the nature of the human mind, we turn to God when misfortunes befall us, but prosperity puffs up the mind. This pattern has been confirmed many times, but a particularly clear example is when the Jews and Philistines changed their fate. 10. When, from a long and heavy oppression, the souls of the Jews were plunged into despondency and no one had a brave and courageous impulse to turn their spirit to freedom, Samson was born among them. This greatest man was foreshadowed by divine prophecy. He was not only superior to others, but was the best among the best, so that without competition it was clear that his bodily power was unstoppable. He evokes the greatest amazement not only because from his childhood he did not drink wine, testifying to his amazing abstinence and sobriety, and not because he kept the sacred vow of a Nazarite for a long time and did not cut his hair, and not because already in his adolescence, which others call a tender age, he showed amazing feats of perfect valor that exceeded human measure, but because his deeds soon revealed divine prophecy. So great was the grace accompanying him that an angel appeared to inform his parents about the miraculous birth of their son, about his future reign 100 and intercession for his fellow tribesmen who had long languished under the rule of the Philistines. 11. Samson's father came from the tribe of Dan and feared God, he was not very noble, but had other virtues. His mother was barren in her womb, but not barren in the virtues of her soul. By the good will of her mind, she was rewarded with a vision of an angel, kept the command and fulfilled the prophecy. She did not hide the divine secret from her husband and told him that a beautiful-looking man of God appeared to her and brought news of their unborn baby. With faith in heavenly promises, she introduced her husband to them, and he, having learned about this, in a pious prayer to God asked to grant him the grace of such a vision: To me, Lord, let your angel come (Judges 13:8). 12. Of course, his wife was beautiful, but I don’t think it was a matter of jealousy and some kind of suspicion, as some people believe 101. Rather, zealous for divine grace, he wished to become a spectator and participant in the sacred gift. It is unlikely that through the vices of his soul and cunning he earned such grace from the Lord that the angel again appeared in his house, uttered the prophecies that were asked of him, and miraculously ascended to heaven in the powerful flame of the altar. The wife boldly interpreted the vision that frightened her husband; she restored his joy and quenched his anxiety, explaining that seeing God is a good sign, not a bad one. 13. When the one who was foreshadowed by such signs from heaven became mature, he set his mind on marriage. Perhaps his soul turned away from the sticky and painful lust that is natural in young people, or perhaps this gave him a reason to overthrow the power of the Philistines and free his people from painful oppression. Having gone to Timnath 102 - that was the name of one of the cities in which the Philistines lived at that time - he saw a girl, beautiful in figure and face, and began to ask the parents who were traveling with him to take her as his wife. At first they decided that this desire should not be fulfilled, because the chosen one of their beloved son was a foreigner, but, seeing that reasonable arguments could not deviate him from his decision, they gave in to his request. But Samson's parents did not understand the meaning of this act. If the Philistines had refused, their son would have opposed them with all his might; and if they became related to him, then it would be possible to soften their attitude towards their subjects. In a word, a happy union would naturally establish equality and good relations, and the injury given would give rise to lasting vengeance. 14. When the proposal was accepted, Samson went to the bride. On the way, he turned away from the road. Suddenly, a ferocious lion, terrible in its indomitable freedom, jumped out at him from the forest thickets. Samson had neither a companion nearby nor a spear in his hand. To retreat is a shame; the consciousness of strength gives him confidence, and he kills the beast that rushed at him, strangling it with his bare hands. When he gave up the ghost in the grip of his fingers, he threw the corpse right there next to the road and left it in the thick grass. This place had excellent pasture with abundant greenery and planted vineyards. Samson decided that the skin of a wild animal would be an inappropriate gift for his beloved bride, since on such days joy is brought not by terrible trophies, but by peaceful fun and festive wreaths. On the way back, he found honeycomb honey in the lion’s belly and brought it as a gift to his parents and girlfriend, for such a gift was appropriate to give to a bride. He himself tasted the honey and treated it to his loved ones, but kept silent about where he got it. 15. Finally, the day of the wedding celebration arrived, during the feast the young people had fun, as is usually the case, antagonizing their neighbors with free witticisms, 103 and this competition in fun became more and more unbridled. And then Samson proposed a riddle to the young men feasting with him: From the one who walked came something that was poisonous, and from the one who was strong came something sweet (Judges 14:14). As a condition of the dispute, he appointed, according to the number of men feasting, thirty covers of fine fabric and the same number of clothes as a reward and reward for wisdom for those who guessed, and as a fine for those who did not guess. 16. No one was able to unravel the tangle and guess the incomprehensible; everyone began to demand from Samson’s wife, either frightening him with threats or pestering him with requests, that she find out from her husband the answer to the question as proof of marital affection and as a reward for love. And she, either frightened, or out of female pliability, began to feignedly complain to her husband that under the guise of love he was hiding bitter hatred and she, the companion and participant in his entire life, was not privy to the secret and was placed on an equal footing with everyone else who should not know her husband’s secret: You hate me and do not love me (Judges 14:16), if you are still hiding it. 17. And Samson’s spirit, hitherto invincible, yielded to such speeches. Having relaxed under the caresses of his wife, on the seventh day - this was the last date for fulfilling the agreement - he revealed to his beloved the answer to the riddle, and she passed it on to her fellow tribesmen. They, having learned the answer before sunset, answered like this: What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? (Judges 14:18). Samson added: and what is more treacherous than a woman 104? For if you had not screamed on my heifer, you would never have guessed my riddle (Judges 14:18). Without delay, he went to Ascalon, killed thirty husbands there, took their clothes and presented those who guessed the riddle with the promised reward. 18. Samson rejected the marriage with the girl convicted of treachery and returned to his father’s house. She, in mental confusion and fear for her deception before the indignation of the insulted and the rage of the strongest, agreed to marry another. Her new husband was the same man whom Samson, as a faithful comrade, chose as his groom's friend at the wedding when he took her as his wife. However, an attempt to find protection in marriage did not save her from punishment. When word of her act spread, Samson wanted to return to his wife, but was refused. Her father, announcing the new marriage of his daughter, offered her sister in return if Samson agreed, but he, stung by the sting of resentment, decided to punish the entire people for his humiliation. He took three hundred foxes - summer was in full swing and bread was ripe in the fields - he connected them in pairs by their tails, tied them with a tight knot, along a burning torch and, avenging the insult, sent them into the fields where the Philistines were reaping the harvest. The foxes rushed headlong in all directions to escape the flames, and everywhere they spread fire and burned bread. The Philistines, outraged by the huge losses and destruction of the entire harvest, reported what had happened to their rulers. And they sent men to Timnath to destroy in fire the woman who had betrayed Samson by entering into a new marriage, and her parents, and their entire house because she had insulted her husband, who was able to avenge himself and bring misfortune to everyone, and became the cause of loss and ruin for the Philistines 105 . 19. Samson did not forgive the Philistine people for their insults, did not stop in his revenge, but carried out a great slaughter, killing many with his sword. Then he retired to Etam to a desert stream. There was a rock there - a stronghold of the tribe of Judah. The Philistines, not daring to attack Samson and approach the inaccessible cliffs of his refuge, declared war on the tribe of Judah. They were ready to begin the battle, but realized that their subjects had reasons to object. There was no benefit in the death of the tributaries subject to the Philistines, and it would be unfair to them, since they are innocent. After consulting among themselves, the Philistines demanded that the culprit of the crime be handed over to them so that his fellow tribesmen would not pay for the crime he committed. 20. The men from the tribe of Judah, when this condition was put to them, gathered three thousand people and went up to Samson. They explained that they were only tributaries of the Philistines and were forced to obey them not out of their own free will, but out of fear and fear, trying to direct his anger at those who forced them to this act. Samson exclaimed: “Where is justice, O tribe of the descendants of Abraham? Has revenge for my wife, first deceived and then taken away, brought ruin upon me? I cannot repay my insult without risk? Are you really so lost in spirit and accustomed to the shameful lot of slavery that you put yourself at the complete disposal of your persecutors and are ready to put yourself under attack? If death is imminent, I voluntarily agree to suffer, but I prefer to die at the hands of the Philistines 106 who encroached on my home and turned my wife against me. I could not escape their deception, but let me be allowed to accept death not from my own. I avenged the insult, not inflicted it. Judge, then, whether my retribution was excessive. They complain about losses in the harvest, I complain about the loss of my wife. Compare the sheaves on the field and the spouse on the bed! They themselves recognized my pain and took revenge for my insults. Look at the service they have honored you with! According to their decision, you must punish with death the one whom they themselves considered worthy of revenge for the insult inflicted on him and to whom they themselves served the service of retribution. If you are so devoted in soul to these tyrants, then deliver me into their hands, but do not kill me yourself! I do not reject death, but I do not want to accept it from your hand. If you submit to these despots out of fear, then bind my hands with chains! Let there be no weapons, my hands will find them themselves when they are freed from their bonds. Without a doubt, the Philistines will be pleased if you give me to them alive.” 21. Hearing this, three thousand men climbed up the rock! - they swore that they would not harm him if he allowed them to tie him up and hand him over so that they would be freed from the charges brought against them. 22. Having agreed to these conditions, Samson, tied with two ropes, left the cave, leaving the fortified rock. Seeing the approach of the Philistine warriors, he was indignant in spirit, tore his bonds and, grabbing the jawbone of a donkey lying on the way, struck a thousand men with it, and put the rest to flight 107 . This was an irrefutable confirmation of valor: entire armed regiments gave way to one unarmed one! Those who dared to come closer were beheaded by him, the rest were saved from death by flight. To this day, the place is called Agon 108, because here Samson accomplished a glorious feat with incomparable valor. 23. Oh, if only he were as moderate in the joy of victory as he was brave in battle with the enemy! However, having become exalted in spirit from success, he did not connect the outcome of the battle with the favor of God, but appropriated it to himself, exclaiming: With the jaws of a donkey I killed a thousand people (Judges 15:16). He did not set up an altar, did not make a sacrifice to God, but, neglecting the sacred rite and attributing the glory to himself, he named that place “Murder with the Jaw” in order to perpetuate the memory of his victory in the name. 24. Soon he felt very thirsty. There was nothing to drink, and it was unbearable to endure. Then he realized that even what an ordinary person could do could not be achieved without divine help, and he cried out and began to pray that Almighty God would not punish him for everything he had misappropriated with rash speeches. And he gave his victory to God, saying: “You have wrought this great salvation by the hand of Your servant; and now help, for I am dying of thirst (Judges 15:18). Thirst has given me over to the power of those over whom You have given me complete victory.” And so, by God’s mercy, when Samson threw his jaw, a crack opened and a spring gushed out of it, and he drank, and perked up, and called the place “Invocation of the Spring,” because here he received forgiveness in prayers for his vanity as a conqueror. A change quickly occurred in him. Pride was immediately put to shame, and humility was restored without any damage. 25. After these events and the war with the Philistines, Samson, not recognizing the cowardice of his fellow tribesmen and despising the enemy force, went to Gaza - a city in the lands of the Philistines - and settled there in an inn. As soon as the residents of Gazan learned about this, they did not want to remain inactive, they immediately surrounded the inn and blocked all the entrances to the house so that Samson would not escape at night. Having learned that he was preparing, anticipating their intentions, at midnight he wrapped his arms around the columns of the house and, holding the building on his powerful shoulders - the entire bulk right up to the roof! - he carried her to the top of the highest mountain 109 in the vicinity of Hebron, the city in which the Jews lived. 26. When, in his unrestrained freedom, Samson not only left the borders of his father’s lands, but also transgressed the moral line prescribed by the orders of his ancestors, he brought upon himself death and future misfortune. Although he had already experienced the treachery of his foreign wife and should have learned caution, he did not disdain a relationship with a libertine named Delilah. Because of his reckless passion for her, he became defenseless against the machinations of his enemies. The Philistines came to Delilah and promised her a reward of one thousand one hundred denarii from each if she would give them the secret of Samson’s strength, knowing which they could attack him and capture him. 27. And she, who had already sold herself for money, with an insidious pretense among cups and carnal pleasures, under the pretext of admiration for his exorbitant strength, began to find out the reason for his talents and superiority over the others. Under the guise of anxiety and concern for him, she begged him to reveal to her, as a beloved, what kind of bonds should be tied to him in order to subject him to someone else’s power. He, while still maintaining sobriety and fortitude against the spell of the harlot, responded to the cunning with cunning and said that if he were tied with vine shoots, still green and unhardened, his body would become as weak as that of other people. The Philistines, hearing this from Delilah, entwined the sleeping Samson with fetters made of vines, but then, suddenly waking him up, they were convinced that his usual and characteristic power had not weakened in the least. He broke the bonds, and his courage, freed, repelled and overthrew many enemies. 28. Soon, the shamed Delilah wanted to once again try the power of her spell and test the power of his love. Samson, still unshakable in his thoughts, laughing at her tricks, said that he needed to be tied with seven ropes that had never been used, and then he would be at the mercy of his enemies. But this did not bring success either. And the third time he did not reveal the secret, however, he had already slightly revealed his secret: if you unravel the seven braids on his head and weave them into the bed, then the power will recede from him. And once again he managed to thwart the insidious plan of the conspirators. 29. The shameless woman never ceases to reproach Samson for his deception and lament her unworthiness to know his secret. She needs her to help her lover, and he in vain suspects her of betrayal. Finally, through tears, she gains trust. Samson - since the husband of hitherto invincible power was destined to experience such a defeat! – with a heavy heart he told her his secret. The power of God operates in him, he is dedicated to the Lord and, by vow, wears long hair. If they are shaved, he will cease to be a Nazirite and will lose his strength. The Philistines, having learned from the woman his vulnerable spot, brought her payment for betrayal so that, tied up with money, she would help bring their insidious plan to completion 110. 30. Delilah put Samson to sleep, tired of the corrupt temptations of debauchery, and, calling the barber, cut seven braids from his head with a razor. And as soon as the vow was broken, his strength weakened. Waking up from sleep, Samson exclaimed: “I’ll do as usual! I will rise up against my enemies!” But he felt neither courage nor strength in himself, there was neither strength nor grace left in him. And so, realizing the fatality of trusting enemy wives, convinced of deception and realizing that the powerlessness of losing his hair was preparing new trials for him, he allowed his eyes to be blinded, his hands to be chained and he was led into a prison into which no storms had hitherto been able to plunge him. 31. Time passed, and Samson's hair began to grow back. One day, during a crowded feast, they took him out of prison to the Philistines and placed him in front of all the people. There were almost three thousand men and women there, they hurled grave insults at him, showered him with ridicule, which for a noble and worthy person to endure is worse than captivity itself. To live and die is natural, but to serve as a laughing stock is shameful. And so, having decided either to wash away this reproach with vengeance, or to stop it with his death, Samson, under the pretext that even shackles were heavy for him due to his bodily weakness, asked his guide boy to lead him to the nearest columns, which served as a support for the entire house. When he was brought to them, he grabbed the supports of the building with both hands. While the Philistines were making a great sacrifice to the god Dagon in honor of the victory over the enemy, recognizing the tricks of female treachery as heavenly blessings, Samson cried out to the Lord: “Lord, remember once again your servant and avenge my eyes! Let not the pagans give glory to their gods for their victory over me! I don't need life anymore! Let my soul die with the Philistines (Judges 16:30) and let them know that my weakness is even more fatal for them than my strength!” 32. With all his might he shook the columns, shook them and broke them. The building immediately collapsed, and debris fell over Samson and everyone who looked at him from the roof. Many men and women died. For him, this worthy and heroic death became a welcome triumph that eclipsed all his previous victories. Indeed, although neither before nor after there was anyone equal to him, and in this world none of the men experienced in war could compare with him, yet in death he defeated himself and showed his invincible spirit in contempt and disdain for the last moment of life, which frightens everyone. 33. Thus, thanks to his strength, Samson ended his days in victory and met his last hour not as a prisoner, but as a triumphant. It was, without a doubt, his flesh that forced him to succumb to female deception, and not his character, because human nature is receptive to sin, it yields and succumbs to the temptations of vices. According to Scripture, he destroyed more enemies in his death than in life, 111 which means that he was captured in order to destroy his enemies, and not to bow and break before them. In what way did he fail, whose death surpassed his lifetime glory?! It was not the arrows that brought him death, but the corpses of his enemies, which became for him not only a burial mound, but also a monument to his victory. Samson left to his descendants the memory of his valor, since the people whom he found enslaved and whom he ruled for twenty years, giving an example of independence in his actions, after his death remained in his father’s land as the heir of freedom. 34. This example clearly convinces one to avoid cohabitation with foreign women, so that instead of marital love one does not experience betrayal and intrigue. Forgive and love us, for we love you. 63 (Maur. 73). Ambrose Irenaeus 1. The text you read from the apostle led you to great confusion, because today you heard: The law produces wrath, because where there is no law, there is no crime (Rom. 4:15). Therefore, you decided to ask: why was the law put in place if there was no benefit in it, but only harm, if it causes anger and leads to crime? 2. And from your very question it is clear that there was no need for the law given through Moses 112. If people could observe that natural law that God the Creator placed in the heart of everyone, there would be no need for a law written on tablets of stone, which rather shackled and bound the weakness of the human race, rather than loosed it from its bonds and freed it. The natural law is present in our hearts, and this is what the apostle teaches. He writes that often pagans by nature do what is legal and, without reading the law, keep the work of the law written in their hearts (Rom. 2:14–15). 3. So, this law is not written, but is born and is not perceived from what is read, but is poured out on everyone from an abundant natural source and is drawn from the human mind. We had to observe this law, at least in fear of the future Judgment, which is witnessed by our conscience, which reveals itself before God in secret thoughts. These thoughts expose untruth or justify innocence. Although the conscience is always open to the Lord, it will be revealed even more clearly on the Day of Judgment, when the test of the secrets of the heart that seemed hidden begins. And the revelation of these secrets would not bring any harm if natural law were present in human hearts, for it is holy, devoid of guile, devoid of deceit, involved in truth, and not involved in injustice. 4. Let's ask the babies: can we find any crime in them, is there greed, vanity, deceit, cruelty, arrogance in them? They do not know anything of their own, do not seek honor for themselves, do not know how to exalt themselves over others, do not know lies, do not want and cannot take revenge for themselves. And what arrogance is, a pure and simple soul cannot even understand. 5. This law was violated by Adam, who wanted to appropriate for himself what he did not receive in order to be like the Creator and Creator and receive divine honors. By listening, he brought disgrace upon himself and, having become arrogant, fell into sin. If he had not violated the command and remained in obedience to the heavenly commandments, he would have preserved for his heirs the advantage of natural and innate innocence. And when the authority of the natural law was violated and abolished by disobedience, a written law was recognized as necessary so that a person, having lost what was given to him at birth, with the help of knowledge would gain and preserve at least part of the lost whole. Since the cause of his exile was pride - and pride arose from the consciousness of innocence - it was necessary to introduce a law that subordinated and returned man to God. For without the law, sin remained unknown, and guilt was less where guilt was unknown. Therefore the Lord says: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin (John 15:22). 6. So, the law was given, first of all, to destroy justification, so that no one would say: “I did not know that this was a sin, because it was not prescribed what to guard against,” in order to subject everyone to God by confessing sin 114. The Law subjected everyone to Him, because it was given not only to the Jews, but also called the Gentiles, because proselytes from the Gentiles joined the Jews. The one who was called and did not come cannot find an excuse; for whom the law called, he obliged. General guilt made submission, submission - humility, humility - obedience. And just as pride gave rise to sin, sin, on the contrary, gave birth to obedience. Therefore, the written law, which seemed unnecessary, became necessary in order to destroy sin by sin. 7. But lest anyone again be afraid and say that sin only increased because of the law, and think that the law not only did not bring any benefit, but also brought harm, this is how he can reassure himself: although sin increased through the law, grace began to abound (Rom. 5:20). Let's look at what this means. 8. The law multiplied sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20), and the knowledge of what, due to weakness, I could not avoid, began to hinder me. It is useful to know in advance in order to protect myself, but if I cannot protect myself, then this knowledge gets in the way. So, the law turned into its opposite, but by the very increase of sin it became useful to me, for I humbled myself. That is why David says: It is good for me that I have humbled myself (Ps. 119:71). By humbling myself, I destroyed the bonds of the former error with which Adam and Eve bound the entire line of their offspring. Therefore, the Lord came in obedience to break the networks of human listening and treachery. And just as sin entered through listening, so through obedience it was destroyed. That is why the apostle says: Just as through one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one many will be made righteous (Rom. 5:19). 9 . Here's one explanation for you: the law was superfluous, but became not superfluous: superfluous, because there would be no need for it if we could observe the natural law; but since we did not preserve it, the law given through Moses became necessary to teach me obedience and to break the network of Adam’s treachery, which entangled all his descendants. Of course, sin increased by the law, but the parent of sin, pride, was also crushed, and this was to my benefit, for pride caused sin, but sin was created by grace. 10. Think about something else too. There was no need for the Law of Moses. He came unnoticed, entered like a thief, because he came in the place of natural law. If that law had remained in place, the Mosaic Law would never have appeared. Perfidy drove out the natural law, it almost disappeared from human hearts, pride reigned and disobedience spread. For this reason, the written law came to bring us into agreement with what was established and to stop the lips of everyone and make the whole world guilty before God 115. And the world becomes guilty thanks to the law, because the prescription of the law is addressed to everyone, but by the works of the law no one is justified, because by the law sin is recognized (Rom. 3:20), but guilt is not forgiven. 11. It would seem that the law, which made everyone sinners, was harmful, but the Lord Jesus, having come, forgave everyone the sin that no one could avoid, and destroyed our debt receipt by shedding His blood 116 . The apostle said about this: sin abounded through the law, but through Jesus grace abounded 117. When the whole world became guilty, He took away the sin of the whole world, as John testifies: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). And therefore let no one boast of his works, for no one is justified by his works, but he who is righteous has the gift, for he is justified through the font 118. Only faith liberates through the blood of Christ 119, blessed is the one to whom sin is forgiven and mercy is granted. Farewell, son, and love us, for we love you. 64 (Maur. 74). Ambrose Irina 1. You have heard, my son, today’s apostolic reading: The Law was our guide to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). This alone, I think, removes the questions that usually concern many. Because some say: If God gave the law to Moses, then why should the multitude of people who are already clearly set free by the gospel be under the law? And how can there be one Creator for both Testaments, if what was allowed by law, the Gospel no longer allows, for example, physical circumcision. Even if it was then given as a sign to signify the truth of spiritual circumcision, then why was the sign needed? How to evaluate this contradiction: if then circumcision was considered a sign of piety, now it is condemned as wickedness? Also, according to the law, the Sabbath day had to be observed as a holiday, and if someone carried a bundle of firewood, he was guilty of death 120, and now we consider the same day of the week quite suitable both for carrying heavy loads and for doing business. And there are many legal provisions that, as we see, have lost force over time. 2. Let's consider what the reason for this is, because it is not in vain that the apostle says that the law was a teacher for us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Whose tutor was he, an adult or a teenager? Of course, a teenager or a child, at least of a tender age. A teacher, as we understand this word, is one who guides a child who, due to his age, cannot accurately follow orders, because it is beyond his strength. God, who gave the law, says through the prophet: I will give you regulations that are not good, 121 that is, imperfect, for what is good is perfect. God has preserved more perfect institutions for the Gospel, for He says: I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). 3. So what is the cause of this discrepancy if not human fickleness? God knew the stiff-neckedness, the inclination to sin, the tendency to wickedness of the Jewish people, because they listened and did not hear, 122 looked with their eyes and did not see, and due to childhood inconstancy, they were frivolous and did not remember the commandments. And therefore Bot assigned the law as a teacher to the people, who were unstable in their thoughts and judgments, and determined the very commandments of the law. He wanted them to read one thing and understand something else, so that the foolish would at least observe what he read and would not deviate from the letter of the law, and the reasonable would understand the essence of the divine plan, which the letter did not convey; for the foolish to keep the commandment of the law, the wise to keep the secret contained in it. Therefore, the law holds a punishing sword, like a schoolmaster holds a rod, in order to heal the weakness of an imperfect people, at least through fear, while the Gospel brings forgiveness, remitting sins. 4. Therefore, Paul rightly says: The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6) 123. The letter commands the circumcision of an insignificant particle of flesh, the rational spirit observes the circumcision of the entire soul and body, so that, having cut off what is superfluous, is there anything less necessary than the vice of greed and the sin of lust, which did not exist in nature, but only sinfulness invented them? - they observed chastity, loved moderation. So, physical circumcision is a sign, spiritual circumcision is the truth: it cuts off a part of the flesh, this is a sin. Nature did not create anything imperfect in man, and there was no commandment to discard anything as superfluous, but circumcision was prescribed so that those who cut off part of their flesh would learn: all the more must you cut off sins, cut off those who teach vice, even if they are bound to you by the bonds of the flesh, as you read in Scripture: If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you, so that one of your members may perish, and not your whole body be thrown into hell (Matt. 5:30). Therefore, both children and Jews were given the commandments not in full, but in part, and those who could not keep their entire body clean were commanded to keep at least part of it clean. 5. They were also ordered to celebrate Saturday once a week, so as not to feel any burden on themselves and, throwing away worldly labors, as if they would retire to that endless Saturday of future centuries, without taking with them any burden of sinful offenses. But God, knowing the instability of the people, commanded the weakest to observe only a part, only one day, and left the fullness for the strongest. The synagogue honors the day, the Church honors immortality. So in the law there is a part, in the Gospel there is the perfection of fullness. 6. The Jewish people were forbidden to carry wood 124, that is, that which ignites in a fire. He who avoids the sun seeks shade. The Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2), not allowing the shadow to serve as an obstacle, pours on you the clear light of His grace with the words: Go and sin no more (John 8:11). The imitator of this divine Light says to you: Whether anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, everyone’s work will be revealed. For the day will show it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will try everyone’s work, what kind it is (1 Cor. 3:12-13). And therefore, on this foundation, on Christ, for for us the foundation is Christ, we will build something that will not burn, but will be cleansed and become better. Gold is purified in fire, silver is purified. 7. Have you heard the words: “gold and silver”. You think it’s real, you want to collect it, but it’s a waste of time! This gold and silver only burdens, but does not bear fruit. One seeks, and the heir spends. This gold burns like wood, it does not last forever; this silver will bring you loss on the Day of Judgment, not gain. Another gold, another silver is required from you, namely, good feelings, a good word, God says about this that He gives gold and silver vessels. Here they are, the gifts of God: The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified by fire, refined seven times (Ps. 11:7). What is required from you is a grateful feeling, the sparkle of a chaste word, the radiance of faith, not the ringing of silver. One remains forever, the other perishes, one receives a reward and moves with us, the other, remaining here, brings harm. 8. If a rich man believes that hidden and stored silver can help him in life, he will carry his load in vain, which will burn in the fire of judgment. Rich people, leave your firewood here so that your burden does not fuel a future fire. If you give away part of [the wealth], the burden will decrease, and what remains will not be a burden. Don’t keep anything, stingy one, lest you be a Christian in name only, but in reality a Jew, feeling that your wealth has become your punishment. It was told to you not in secret, but openly, in the sunlight: Whoever’s work that he built endures will receive a reward, but whoever’s work is burned will suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:14-15). 9 . And therefore, being perfect, versed in the law and established in the Gospel, accept the faith of both Testaments. Blessed is the one who sows by all the waters where the ox and the donkey wander (Isa. 32:20), as we read today, that is, the one who sows among the nations that follow the teachings of both Testaments. The plowing ox bears the burden of the law; the law says about it: You shall not muzzle the threshing ox (Deut. 25:4; 1 Cor. 9:9; 1 Tim. 5:18). because he has the horns of divine scriptures 125 . And in the Gospel the Lord sits on a colt, which typifies the pagan people. 10. Since the word of God is rich in meaning, I think we should understand it this way: the ox has horns that are terrifying, the ox is fierce, the donkey is docile. This fits well with the current discussion: blessed is he who is characterized by both severity and meekness, the first helps to maintain order, the second - to spare the innocent, for excessive severity with the help of fear usually extorts only lies. God wants to be loved, not feared. The master needs love, the servant needs fear. Fear in a person cannot be eternal, and today we read the Scripture: Those whom you feared will be in fear of you (Isa. 33:7). 65 (Maur. 75). Ambrose Clementianu 127 1. I know that there is nothing more difficult than discussing the Apostolic Epistles, even if Origen himself understands the New Testament worse than the Old. However, since it seemed to you that in the previous letter 128, speaking about the law-schoolmaster, I was quite convincing, therefore I will also try today to reveal the very power of the apostolic thought. 2. In the beginning it is said that no one can be justified by the works of the law, but only by faith: Those who are established by the works of the law are under a curse. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (Gal. 3:10, 13). So this inheritance was not given by law, but by promise. The promises were given to Abraham and to his seed, who is Christ (Gal. 3:16). The law was given because of transgression, until the time of the coming of the seed to whom the promise was given (Gal. 3:19), and therefore everything was concluded under sin, so that the promise would be given to those who believe through faith in Jesus Christ... After the coming of faith, we are no longer under the law, that is, no longer under the direction of a teacher (Gal. 3:22, 25), because we are children of God and are all in Christ Jesus. If we are all in Christ Jesus, then we are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise 129. This is the conclusion the apostle comes to. 3. But a Jew can also say: “And I am an heir, for I am under the law. The law is called the Old Testament, and where there is a covenant, there is an inheritance.” And although the apostle himself told the Jews that the covenant is valid only in the event of the death of the testator 130, that is, the covenant is not valid while the testator is alive, but comes into force only with his death, in Jeremiah the Lord says about the Jews: My inheritance is completed for Me like a lion (Jer. 12:8), - He does not deny that they are heirs. But there are heirs without the right to dispose of property and there are heirs with the right to dispose of property. Those who are written in the will are already called heirs during the life of the testator, but without the right to dispose of the property. 4. There are also minor heirs who are no different from slaves, because they are under the authority of trustees and stewards 131. So we too were Jews and were enslaved to the material principles of the world. But when the fullness of time came (Gal. 4:3–4) and Christ appeared, we are no longer slaves, but free, if we believe in Christ. To the Jews He gave only the appearance of an inheritance, refusing possession. They have the name of heirs, but no rights, because they, as minor heirs, own only one empty sound of inheritance, but do not have rights, do not have the right to command and dispose, waiting until they reach adulthood to free themselves from guardians. 5. Both small children and Jews are under the guidance of a teacher (Gal. 3:25). The law is a teacher: it leads to a teacher, and our only Teacher is Christ. Do not call anyone your master and mentor, for one is your Lord and Teacher (Matthew 23:10). They are afraid of the teacher, but the teacher shows the way to salvation. Fear leads to freedom, freedom to faith, faith to love, love gains adoption, adoption leads to inheritance. Where there is faith, there is freedom, for the slave is from fear, the free is from faith. This one is under the letter, this one is under grace: this one is in bondage, this one is in the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). So, where there is faith, there is freedom: where there is freedom, there is grace; where there is grace, there is inheritance; but the Jew is in bondage in the letter, and not in the Spirit: he who has no faith has no freedom of spirit. And where there is no freedom, there is no grace, where there is no grace, there is no adoption; where there is no adoption, there is no succession. 6. When the tablets 132 are printed, the Jew has no authority to read them; he sees the inheritance, but does not own it. How will one say “Our Father” who denies the true Son of God, through whom he is adopted? How will someone who denies the death of the Testator declare an inheritance? How will he be freed who denies the Blood by which he was redeemed? It is the price of our freedom, as Peter says: you have been redeemed with the precious Blood (1 Peter 1:19), but not of a lamb, but of Him who, with meekness and humility, like a lamb, came and freed the whole world with one sacrifice of His Body, as He Himself says: Like a lamb I was led to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7). That is why John says: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). 7. So, a Jew is an heir by letter, not by Spirit 133 , like a minor under the authority of trustees and stewards 134 . But the Christian who knew the fullness of times, when Christ came, born of a Woman, under the law, in order to redeem all who were under the law, a Christian, I say, by the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God grows into a perfect man, to the measure of the full stature of Christ (Eph. 4:13). 66 (Maur. 78). Ambrose Orontsianu 1. If Abraham believed the Lord, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gal. 3:6; Gen. 15:6), how much is the transition from unbelief to faith counted as righteousness, because we are especially justified by faith, and not by the works of the law (Gal. 2:16). Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, one by a maidservant, the other by a free woman 135 . And the following answer was given to him: that he should expel the servant and the son of the servant, for the son of the servant will not be the heir, and therefore we are not the sons of the servant, but of the free woman, and Christ gave us that freedom. Therefore, the sons of Abraham are from faith, since heirs by faith are more important than heirs by birth. The law is a teacher 136, faith is free. Let us reject the deeds of slavery, let us preserve the grace of freedom, let us leave the shadow, following the sun, let us leave the Jewish rites. 2. There is no benefit from circumcising only part of the body 137. The Apostle says: I, Paul, say to you: if you are circumcised, Christ will not profit you at all (Gal. 5:2). Not because He is powerless, but because He will consider those who forsake His ways unworthy of His benefits. 3. In ancient times, Zipporah, by circumcising her son, averted the threatening danger, 138 but then Christ helped, and the perfect commandments had not yet been given. The people of the faithful were in their infancy when not a child came, but the perfect Lord Jesus in everything. He was first circumcised according to the law, so as not to break the law; then he endured the cross in order to fulfill the law 139. That which is in part has ceased (1 Cor. 13:10), for that which is perfect has come. The Cross of Christ cuts off not just one part, but the excess desires of the whole body. 4. Perhaps they will ask: why did He who came to reveal perfect circumcision wish to accept circumcision according to the flesh? I don't think there's any need to think too long about this. After all, if He became sin in order to cleanse our sins, 140 if He became a curse for our sake (Gal. 3:13), in order to deliver us from the curse of the law, then He also accepted circumcision for us, in order to remove the circumcision of the law, giving salvation of the cross. 5. The Apostle asserts that we must in spirit expect hope from faith in the truth (Gal. 5:5) and we, called to freedom, should not make our freedom dependent on the flesh, for neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power, but faith working through love (Gal. 5:13, 6). And therefore it is written: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37). And the one who loves also believes, and by believing, everyone begins to love. So Abraham believed (Gal. 3:6) and so he began to love and believed, not in part, but completely. Otherwise, he could not find the fullness of love, for it is written: Love... believes everything (1 Cor. 13:7). If one does not believe completely, such love is imperfect. Therefore, perfect love has all faith. 6. However, I, perhaps, will not say that from this it absolutely follows that all faith has perfect love, for the apostle says: If I have all faith, so much so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, then it is of no use to me (1 Cor. 13:2). For these three virtues are most necessary for a Christian husband: hope, faith, love, but love is the greatest of these (1 Cor 13:13). 7. But I think the apostle said this to be convincing. Is it possible that someone who has the fullness of faith to move mountains would not have love?! In the same way, if someone knows all mysteries and has all knowledge 141, how can he not have love? After all, John says: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 John 5:1), and above he said: Everyone who is born of God commits no sin (1 John 3:9). From this it follows: if the one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and the one who is born of God does not sin, then the one who believes that Jesus is the Christ does not sin. And if someone sins, he does not believe, and whoever does not believe does not love, and whoever does not love is under the power of sin. So, he who sins does not love, for love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). And if love casts out the desire to sin, since it also casts out fear (1 John 4:18), the fullness of faith also has the fullness of love. 8. Thus, the apostles, who were destined to become friends, said: Increase our faith (Luke 17:5), asking the good Physician to heal their weak faith. And faith in them was still weak, even if Peter heard: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31). Faith, like a harbinger of love, fills the soul and prepares the way for future love. The fullness of faith is where the perfection of love is. 9 . That is why, I think, it is said that love believes everything (1 Cor. 13:7), that is, love makes faith believe everything and makes the soul have complete faith. Thus, where there is perfect love, there is the fullness of faith, and in the same way, where there is perfect love, there is the fullness of hope. And in the same way, just as love believes all things, so it is written, and hopes all things (1 Cor. 13:7), therefore love is greater because it embraces hope and faith. 10. He who has this love fears nothing, for love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), and therefore, having put aside and put aside fear, he endures everything, endures everything (1 Cor. 13:7). He who endures everything through love cannot fear martyrdom. And therefore the apostle, as a conqueror, says at the end: The world is crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14). 67 (Maur. 80). Ambrose 142 1. You heard, brother, the Gospel reading, which told how the Lord Jesus, passing, saw a man blind from birth (John 9:1). The Lord considered it impossible to pass by him, therefore we should not ignore the one who was born blind. 2. This is especially mentioned - after all, there is blindness, which occurs from a disease that blurs vision, but it goes away with time; There is blindness which comes from the effusion of fluid, and this also, if its cause is removed, is generally cured by the art of medicine. This is mentioned so that you know that the healing of one who was blind from birth was accomplished not by art, but by the power of God. For the Lord gave health, and did not apply treatment; for the Lord Jesus healed those whom no one could help. 3. How stupid are the Jews who attribute bodily infirmities to the burden of sins, asking: Who sinned, he or his parents? (John 9:2). Therefore the Lord says: Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might appear in him (John 9:3). What was lacking by nature can be compensated by the Creator, the Creator of nature. Therefore, He adds: While I am in the world, I am the light of this world (John 9:5) - that is, “all the blind can gain sight if they ask Me for light.” Come and you too will be enlightened to gain the ability to see 143. 4. He gave life by His will, He gave salvation by His word. He said to the dead man: Get out! (John 11:44) - and Lazarus came out of the tomb. He said to the paralytic: Get up, take up your bed (Mark 2:11), - and the paralytic stood up and himself carried his bed, on which they carried him, motionless with his limbs. What does His action mean? He spat and made clay and anointed the eyes of the blind man and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which means sent. He went and washed, and began to see (John 9:7). What's the point? The meaning, if I’m not mistaken, is great: he who is touched by Christ sees more. 5. See what His divine nature is and what sanctification is: like light, He touched the eyes and penetrated the night. Like a priest, He, prefiguring baptism, performed the sacrament of spiritual grace. He spat so that you understand that the light is inside Christ. He who is cleansed by the compassion of Christ sees truly! His saliva washes, His word washes, as you read: You are already cleansed through the word that I preached to you (John 15:3). 6. It was for this reason that He made clay and anointed the eyes of the blind man, so that you would understand: He who anointed the eyes with clay restored man to health (Gen. 2:7)! And this flesh of our decay must receive the light of eternal life through the sacrament of baptism. Come also to the pool of Siloam, that is, to the One who was sent by the Father, as you read: My teaching is not Mine, but of Him who sent Me (John 7:16). May Christ wash you so that you can see! Get baptized, the time has come! Proceed hastily, so that you too may say: I went and washed and received my sight (John 9:11). So that you too can say: I was blind and began to see 144; so that you too may say, as the one to whom the light has returned says: The night is past, and the day is near (Rom. 13:12). 7. Night is blindness. It was night when Judas accepted a piece of bread from Jesus, and Satan entered into him. It was night for Judas, in whom Satan dwelt. For John, who reclined on the chest of Christ, it was day 145. It was also the day for Peter when he saw the light of Christ on the mountain 146. For others it was night, for Peter it was day. But for Peter himself the night came when he denied Christ. At last the rooster crowed, and he cried 147 to correct the mistake, for the day 148 was already approaching. 8. The Jews asked the blind man: how did you begin to see 149? Greatest madness! They asked about what they saw; they asked about the reason, seeing what had happened. They reproached him and said: you are His disciple (John 9:28). Their curse is a blessing, for their blessing is a curse. You, they say, are His disciple. They do good, thinking to harm. Farewell, son, and love us as always, for we love you. 68 (Maur. 26). Ambrose Irenaeus 150 1. Although I already answered your small question in a previous letter, since you are looking for a more complete answer, I will not refuse you, my son, an explanation and interpretation. 2. The famous acquittal of the woman in the book of John who was brought to Jesus on the charge of adultery, and how the Jews sought to trap Him, is often discussed: if she had been acquitted against the law, then the Lord Jesus could have been accused of opposing the law; if she had been condemned according to the law, there would have been no place for the mercy of Christ. 3. However, the debate became especially acute after bishops 151 began trying those accused of serious crimes in civil courts. At the same time, some demanded a cruel death by beheading with a sword, while others approved such a sentence and the bloody triumph of the bishops. Is their sentence different from the Jewish one? Criminals should be punished in accordance with civil law. Is it necessary for bishops to act as prosecutors in civil courts, punishing the guilty according to the law? The reason is the same, but the authority is less, the judicial issue is the same, but the zeal for punishment is different. Christ did not allow even one woman to be punished according to the law, but these claim that only a few were punished. 4. Where exactly does Christ administer judgment? He generally found it necessary to arrange His discourses according to the place where He taught His servants. In the vestibule of the sage Solomon He said: I and the Father are one (John 10:30), and in the church of God: My teaching is not Mine, but of Him who sent Me (John 7:16). And this time He administers judgment while in the church, as it is written further: These words spoke Jesus at the treasury, while he taught in the church; and no one took Him (John 8:20). What is a treasury? Donations of the faithful, expenses for the poor, repose of the needy. Sitting next to the treasury, Christ, as you read in Luke, preferred the two mites of his widowed wife to the gifts of the rich, testifying by divine will that the sincerity of diligent good deeds is preferable in comparison with generous donations of wealth. 5. Let's see what He compared, sitting at the treasury and making such a judgment. It is no coincidence that He pointed to the example of a widow who contributed two mites. This poverty is precious, rich in the mystery of faith. These are the two coppers that the Samaritan in the Gospel parable gave to the innkeeper to treat the wounds of a man who was attacked by robbers 152 . Therefore, here too, the widow - the prototype of the Church - decided to put coins in the sacred treasury in order to heal the wounds of the poor and satisfy the hunger of wanderers. 6. Therefore, even now you should judge spiritually what Christ offers. He distributed to the people, loving them, the silver of heavenly eloquence, purified in fire, and counted out coins with the royal image. No one has given more than He who gave everything. He fed the hungry, helped the poor, returned light to the blind, freed the captives, raised the paralytic from their beds, raised the dead and, what’s more, forgave the sins of the condemned and granted forgiveness. Here they are, two coppers that the Church put into the treasury after receiving from Christ. For what is two coppers if not the price of the New and Old Testaments 153? The price of Scripture is our faith: for he who perceives according to his own discretion evaluates what he reads. The remission of our sins is the price of both Testaments, which was typified by the lamb 154 and truly fulfilled by Christ. 7. That’s why you read that a seven-day cleansing does not happen without a three-day cleansing 155 . The seven-day cleansing according to the law, under the guise of the Sabbath of this world, announced the spiritual Sabbath; the three-day cleansing 156 by grace is sealed by the gospel testimony 157 for on the third day the Lord rose again. Where punishment is inflicted, there must be repentance of sinners, where remission is granted, grace abides. Grace follows repentance. There is no repentance without grace, no grace without repentance; repentance must first condemn sin so that grace can destroy it. Therefore John, according to the image of the law, baptized into repentance, Christ - into grace 158. 8. So, the seventh day means the mystery of the law, the eighth the mystery of the resurrection, as you read in Ecclesiastes: Give part to those seven and to those eight (Eccl. 11:2). You have read that the prophet Hosea was told: Take the adulteress for fifteen denarii 159 - because for double the price of the Old and New Testaments, that is, for the full price of faith, this woman, once surrounded by a riotous and dissolute crowd of tribes gathered around her, is taken as a wife. 9 . And I took it, it is said, for a homer of 160 barley and half a homer of barley and half a homer of oats (Hos. 3:2). "Barley" signifies that He called the imperfect to faith in order to make them perfect; “homer” means a full measure, “half a homer” means half a measure. The full measure is in the Gospel, the half is in the law, the fullness of which is the New Testament. For the Lord Himself says: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). 10. It is no coincidence that among the psalms of David we count fifteen “songs of degrees” and read how sunlight passed through fifteen degrees when the righteous couple Hezekiah received the replenishment of years of life 161. For this was a sign of the coming Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2), Who was destined to illuminate with the light of His coming the fifteen steps of the Old and New Testaments, according to which our faith ascends to eternal life. Therefore, today’s reading from the Apostle 162, I believe, has a mysterious meaning: because Paul stayed with Peter for fifteen days. It seems to me that when the holy apostles held conversations, interpreting the Divine Scripture, the light of understanding shone in all its fullness and clarity, and the shadow of ignorance receded. 11. But let's move on to forgiving the adulterous woman 163. The scribes and Pharisees brought her to the Lord Jesus, accusing her of adultery. They invented the following lie: if He lets her go, He will turn out to be a lawbreaker, and if He condemns her, He will deviate from the purpose of His coming, for He came to forgive the sins of everyone. Previously He says: I do not judge anyone (John 8:15). Having brought her, they said: “We have caught this woman in adultery. And in the law of Moses it is written that every adulteress should be stoned. What can you say about her? (John 8:5). 12. While they were saying this, Jesus lowered his head and made a mark on the ground with his finger, and they waited for His answer. He raised his head and said: Let him who is without sin cast the first stone at her (John 8:7). What can be compared with this divine sentence: let those who are not involved in sin punish sin?! How can you call upon the avenger of another's sin and the defender of your own? Doesn't he bring greater condemnation upon himself who condemns in another what he himself does? 13. Having said this, He continued to draw on the ground. What exactly? He seems to be saying: You see the speck in your brother's eye, but you do not feel the plank in your own eye (Matthew 7:3). Lust, like a twig, quickly ignites and soon burns out. The sacrilegious unbelief with which the Jews rejected the Creator of their own salvation told everyone how great their sin was. 14. He drew on the ground with the finger with which he wrote the law 164. Sinners are written on earth 165, the righteous are in heaven, as you read, it was said to the disciples: Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). And the second time He wrote so that you know: the Jews are condemned by both Testaments. 15. Having heard this word, they went out one by one, starting from the elders, and sat thinking about themselves. And only Jesus remained and the woman standing in the middle (John 8:9). It is well said that those who did not want to be with Christ came out. The letter is outside, the secrets are inside. Those who lived in the shadow of the law and could not see the Sun of righteousness sought in divine readings the foliage of trees, not the fruit. 16. And so, when they left, only Jesus remained and the woman standing in the middle (John 8:9). Before granting absolution, Jesus remains alone, as He Himself says: Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, that you will be scattered, each to your own side, and leave Me alone (John 16:32). Not a messenger or a messenger, but the Lord Himself brought about the salvation of His people (Isa. 63:8). He remains alone because none of the people can share the forgiveness of sins with Christ. This is the ministry of Christ alone, who bore the sin of the world 166. And the woman who was left alone with Jesus when the Jews left deserved forgiveness. 17. Jesus raised his head and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers?” Nobody threw a stone at you? She answered: no one, Lord. Jesus said to her: “Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more (John 8:10–11). Look, reader, what are the divine mysteries and mercy of Christ! When a woman is accused, Christ lowers his head; when there are no accusers, he raises his head. He does not want condemnation for anyone, but forgiveness for everyone. 18. In a few words - no one threw a stone at you? – He resolves all the questions of the heretics, according to whom Christ does not know the day of Judgment 167, or because He says: It does not depend on Me to let you sit on my right side and on my left (Matthew 20:23), and here He asks: did no one throw a stone at you? How is it that He asks about what He saw? Of course, He asks for us, so that we know that no stone was thrown at her. People have this habit: we very often ask about what we see. The woman answered: No one, Lord. This means: Who can throw a stone at one whom You do not condemn? Who can punish another when such a sentence has been passed? 19. The Lord answered her: And I do not condemn you (John 8:11). Notice how restrained He expressed his own judgment, so that the Jews could not invent any slander about the woman’s forgiveness, but would rather turn this slander against themselves if they wanted to complain. He releases the woman, but does not drop the charges against her because no accuser has been found, and not because her innocence has been proven. What did those who were the first to renounce the accusation of the crime and the execution have to complain about? 20. He said to the lost: Go and sin no more (John 8:11). He brought the culprit to reason, but did not forgive the crime! The sentence is much more severe when a person himself hates his crime and begins to condemn the offense within himself. When a guilty person is executed, it is the person rather than the sin that is punished; where guilt is forgiven, forgiveness of a person is the punishment of sin. What does it mean: Go and sin no more! This means: from the time when Christ redeemed you, let grace correct you, since punishment would not correct you, but punish. Farewell, son, and love us like a son, for we love you with parental love. 69 (Maur. 72). Ambrose Constantius 168 1. Many are confused by the question why circumcision 169 as useful is strictly prescribed by the law of the Old Testament and as useless is rejected by the teaching of the New 170 . Abraham was the first to receive the command to perform circumcision. There is no doubt that he saw the day of the Lord Jesus and rejoiced 172, since he heeded the divine law not in letter, but in spirit, and in the sacrifice of the ram 173 he saw the true Suffering of the Body of the Lord. 2. What was the purpose of the forefather Abraham when he first established this custom, which his successors do not follow? Why should corporal circumcision be performed on infants and those recently born at risk? Did the prediction mean that in the secret of piety there would be a danger to life? What is the significance of this establishment? The real reason is hidden. This must either be made manifest by the evident fulfillment of the sacrament, or, by safe precepts, serve as a reminder of the promises. 3. Further, why is the sign of the divine covenant imprinted on a shameful part of the body? And why did our Creator, having conceived the human race, wish that His creation should be circumcised, wounded and shed blood, and that the foreskin should be torn away, which He, having rationally ordered everything, considered it necessary to create along with other parts of the body? If it was created contrary to nature, then why were people given something that does not correspond to their nature? If it was created in accordance with nature, then why is it prescribed to remove what is part of the perfect nature? It must be admitted that circumcision is especially often ridiculed by those who are strangers to our Lord God. In addition, it pleased God, as He Himself often testified, to call as many people as possible to the observance of holy piety, but how many were stopped by circumcision: some because of its insecurity, and others because of shame. 4. It is necessary to say something about the very property of circumcision. Let's go back to the beginning and stick to the proposed plan. Circumcision needs a double line of defense, since it is attacked by two opponents: the pagans and those who belong to the people of God. The first ones take up arms against him with all their fury. They believe that men who wear the sign of circumcision deserve reproach and ridicule. But if you look closely, the wisest of them so approve of circumcision that they consider it necessary to subject their chosen ones to it for initiation into the mysteries and performance of religious rites. 5. Thus, the Egyptians, experienced in geometry and in observing the movements of the stars, consider it wickedness if the priest does not have the seal of circumcision. They are sure that without it it is impossible to master either the knowledge of magic spells, or geometry, or astronomy. To give purity to the priests and the effectiveness of the ritual they perform, they must perform the sacrament of circumcision on them. 6. In the history of the ancient peoples we find that circumcision was accepted not only by the Egyptians, but also by some of the Ethiopians, Arabs and Phoenicians. They still consider it necessary: ​​initiation through the first fruits of the blood and body with the cutting off of the foreskin destroys the machinations of demons who are plotting against our race, and when they try to harm the health of people, their action is prevented by the law or the form of sacred circumcision. I think that in the past the prince of demons really preferred to abandon his evil machinations against a person on whom he saw the sign of sacred circumcision, serving as proof that his intended victim obeyed the divine law. 7. If you carefully consider the purpose of each part of the body, you can understand why the foreskin is cut off from a boy and why circumcision is performed on the eighth day, when the blood of the mother of a born child is purified, while until the eighth day her blood is considered unclean. These arguments are addressed to those who are not connected with us by the bonds of faith, and therefore, as in an argument with dissenters, it is more difficult to find the necessary arguments with them. 8. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus will receive a different answer, which we did not want to give to the pagans. We were redeemed not with perishable silver or gold, but with the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18–19), but from whom if not from him who turned us into slavery for the copper of hereditary sinfulness? He set a price for the liberation of his prisoners from slavery, and the price of our liberation was the Blood of the Lord Jesus. Its shedding was demanded by the one to whom we sold ourselves for our sins. 9 . But until this price - the shedding of the Blood of the Lord for the sake of atonement and salvation of all - was not paid for people, the blood of one who, according to the law and according to the established ritual, kept the commandments of holy piety was needed. The suffering of the Lord became a ransom for everyone, and the need to shed human blood during circumcision disappeared. By the blood of Christ the circumcision of all was accomplished, on His cross we were all crucified with Him, in His burial we were all buried with Him, and we were united with Him in the likeness of His death, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, for the one who died was freed from sin (Rom. 6:4, 5, 6, 7). 10. If someone, along with Marcion and Mani 174, considers the plan of God worthy of reproach for the fact that God considered the commandment of circumcision and the law prescribing the shedding of blood necessary, then he will inevitably pronounce a guilty verdict on the Lord Jesus, who for the redemption of this world Himself shed not a small, but abundant blood and now commands us to fight until the blood is drawn in the inevitable duel of piety, saying: If anyone wants to go follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me (Matthew 16:24) If we consider it unfair to blame someone who, in a matter of piety, sacrifices himself and is washed with his blood, and we proclaim that the Lord Jesus demands the feat of blood and death of the whole body, then can we condemn the law for establishing an insignificant drop of blood? 11. It is no coincidence that the sign of circumcision itself was given. He served as the seal of God's people, distinguishing them from other tribes. Now we have been given the name of Christ, we have received the right to the divine title and no longer need a bodily sign. Why is reverent endurance of pain and hardship caused indignation if the trial serves as a test of devotion to God?! Giving a baby the distinctive sign of piety with which he will grow from the very cradle is instructive for mature husbands; they were already ashamed to fear the suffering or pain that tender infancy had conquered. 12. For Christians, the mild pain of circumcision became unnecessary. They proclaim the death of the Lord, hourly inscribe on their foreheads 175 contempt for death and testify to everyone that without the cross of Christ it is impossible to achieve salvation. And who will fight in battle with a knitting needle, having powerful spears? 13. Every one can see how easily the assertion is refuted, that more people would be called to the duty of holy piety, if they were not held back by the fear of pain and impending wound. Could a mature husband be frightened by something that small children usually endured without harm? Even the death of some Jewish babies due to circumcision from pain and a burning wound should not have frightened the older and stronger ones, but their obedience to the heavenly commandments deserved even greater praise. 14. If someone persists in the thought that insignificant pain serves as an obstacle to the profession of faith, then what will he say about martyrdom? He who condemns the pain of circumcision also condemns the death of the martyrs, by whose deeds piety was increased and not diminished. So, the pain of circumcision did not harm the faith at all, but strengthened it. It is a greater feat if a person despises pain for the sake of piety. He receives a greater reward than the one who consented to circumcision, only in order to become famous for keeping the law and gain glory from people, and not from God. 15. It was fitting that circumcision should be performed only in part before the coming of the One who performed the circumcision of all human nature, so that people would get used to the partial and believe in the perfect. And if circumcision was to be performed, then in what part, if not in the most shameful part, as it is considered, so that more care would be taken of those who seem less noble in the body, and our unseemly ones would be more plausibly covered (1 Cor. 12:23). And what kind of blood will convince a husband better than that poured out from that organ that often leads him to stumble? 16. Finally, the turn has come to answer the statement that this part of the body is given to us by nature and does not need to be cut off, because if it is unnatural, then it simply would not exist. Let such insightful thinkers answer me, is it by nature for people to procreate, taking place in succession of generations, or against it? If it is by nature, then it should not be interrupted. In this case, what about the chastity of husbands, the purity of virgins, the abstinence of widows, and the fidelity of spouses? How can you miss at least one opportunity to get offspring? However, the Creator of nature, having become Man, Himself did not leave descendants in the flesh, choosing the role of Teacher, and He called His disciples to chastity, saying: There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. He who can contain it, let him contain it (Matthew 19:12). 17. In addition, a person consists of body and soul. Is it enough to limit ourselves to talking about the first and keep silent about the soul? They are not the same in nature, but what corresponds to the nature of the body contradicts the nature of the soul; and what is consistent with the nature of the soul is contrary to the nature of the body. I can also say this: what is in nature for the visible is against nature for the invisible, and vice versa, what corresponds to the nature of the invisible is against the nature of the visible. Therefore, there is nothing incongruous when the people of God neglect the nature of the body in that which corresponds to the nature of the soul. 18. Those who think that without circumcision more people would have believed, let them receive this answer: from their point of view, more people would have believed if there had been no martyrdom? But the firmness of the chosen is more beautiful than the slackness of the majority. Just as different types of cleansing immersions were established for the sake of the only and true sacrament of Baptism by Spirit and water, in which the salvation of the whole person is accomplished, so the circumcision of many was performed before the circumcision of the Passion of the Lord, which Jesus endured as the Lamb of God in order to take upon Himself the sins of the world 176 . 19. Our reasoning is intended to show that external circumcision should have been performed before the coming of the Lord, but after it it was rightfully abolished. The present circumcision must be internal and like the internal Jew, who is true not in letter, but in spirit. Each of us contains two people, about whom it is said: If our outer man is decaying due to the desire for sin, then the inner man is renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16) - and in another place: Through the inner man I delight in the law of God (Rom. 7:22). Our inner man is created in the image and likeness of God, our outer man is made of clay. In the book of Genesis you are told about the creation of both people, 177 and it is the second that is called genuine. 20. Just as there are two people, there are two ways of life. One is characteristic of the outer man, the other of the inner man. Most of the properties of the inner man are assimilated by the outer. For example, chastity of the soul leads to bodily chastity, and one who does not know adultery of the heart is not familiar with physical adultery. However, it does not follow from this that he who did not commit adultery physically did not commit adultery in his heart. It is said about this: Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). He committed adultery not with his body, but with his mind. So, there is a circumcision of the inner man, and the one who undergoes it, like the foreskin, cuts off all bodily pleasures in order to live in the spirit and not in the flesh and in order to mortify bodily desires with the spirit 178. 21. This circumcision is performed in secret. Just as Abraham was first uncircumcised and then circumcised, so our inner man remains uncircumcised when he is in the flesh; when he is no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit, then he is in circumcision, and not in uncircumcision 179. He who undergoes external circumcision does not put off all the flesh, but only the extreme, as the main source of temptation, and he who undergoes internal circumcision puts off only that flesh about which it is written: All flesh is grass, and all the strength of the flesh is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever (Isa. 40:68). What remains is the flesh that will see the salvation of God, as it is written: And all flesh will see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6). What kind of flesh is this? Clear your ears and hear! 22. Internal circumcision must be superior to external circumcision. And therefore the hidden Jew, 180 from the tribe of Judah, is superior to all. Behold, the True Jew rises, He is from the tribe of Judah 181, His hand is on the backbone of His enemies, He bowed down, reclined like a lion or like a skimen, His brothers praise Him (Gen. 49:8-9). In Him, Judas does not lose his firstborn, since His word creates such firstborn who are not caught by the temptations of this age and are not captivated by the pleasures of this world. And just as Judas himself took his place in the genealogy, so many of those born after him will be preferred to rejoice in the primacy of virtues. Let us strive to acquire the inner circumcision and the inner Jew, who is spiritual. The spiritual one, as the one who takes precedence, judges everything, but no one can judge him (1 Cor. 2:15) 23. The circumcision prescribed by the law was abolished as incomplete after the coming of the One who circumcised the whole man and fulfilled the law of circumcision perfectly. He is the One who said: I did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). 24. If you look carefully, you will find the following meaning: circumcision of the foreskin had to stop, because all nations came to God 182 . After all, circumcision was not commanded to the pagans, but to the seed of Abraham, as you read in the first Testament: And God said to Abraham: You shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you must keep between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations: that all your males shall be circumcised; circumcise your foreskin: and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. Eight days from birth, throughout your generations, every male child born in the house and bought with money from a son of another tribe who is not of your seed will certainly be circumcised. And my covenant upon your flesh shall be an everlasting covenant. An uncircumcised male who does not circumcise his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul will be cut off from his generation, for he has broken My covenant (Gen. 17:9-14). Although Aquila 183 claims that the Hebrew text does not say about the eighth day, but he, a Jew by letter 184, is not trustworthy in everything, he could have made an omission and not preserved the “eighth day.” 25. You also know about the eighth day, and that circumcision serves as a sign and points to something more, points to the future truth. You know that the covenant was given to Abraham and his seed, as it is said: In Isaac we will be your seed (Gen. 21:12). Consequently, circumcision was performed either on a Jew, or on someone born in his house, or on someone bought with his money. We cannot include here either a foreigner or a proselyte unless they were born in the house of Abraham or bought with his money or with the money of someone from his family. Then He did not say anything about the proselytes, but when He pleased, He named them: And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the children of Israel and say to them: a man, a man from the children of Israel or from the proselytes who have joined you, whoever will make the burnt offering (Lev. 17:1-3). Without a doubt, the commandment applies to those mentioned in it. How can it bind those to whom it is not addressed? So you read: Tell the sons of Aaron, when the command applies to the priests, so also when to the Levites. 26. The law reflects everything necessary for fulfillment according to the letter, although it is not complete without spiritual understanding. So, circumcision according to the letter was not applied to pagan peoples. It was a sign until the full number of the Gentiles came in, and so all Israel would be saved (Rom. 11:25–26), having received circumcision of the heart, and not of the foreskin. Consequently, for us the Old Testament circumcision of the Jews remains unnecessary and superfluous to this day. 27. What do we care if it has been and will be a stumbling block to the Gentiles? First of all, they should not reject or ridicule what others who share the same beliefs as them accept. But let them ridicule them! What do we care about this? Even the cross of the Lord is a temptation to the Jews, foolishness to the Greeks, but for us it is God’s power and wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24). The Lord Himself teaches us that we should not be embarrassed by any ridicule when the duty of piety calls: Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words before men (Luke 9:26), the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in His glory and the Father and the holy Angels. The addressee of the letter is St. Vigilius, Bishop of Trento. He was elected bishop in 385, therefore the letter dates from this time. For research on this letter, see Bibliography. In fact, to the Persian Gulf. Wed. in Philo, leg. alleg. 1. 21. 69: “The third river is the Tigris, it flows in the lands of the Assyrians. The third virtue is prudence, opposed to pleasure, which seems to be a concession to human weakness”; 1. 22. 72: “The Euphrates symbolizes the fourth virtue, justice.” Wed: Comrade 2:8; 14:49; 16:54. On alms see: Comrade. 4:7–11. Wed: Abr. 1. 9. 93. Wed. also in Tertullian (uirg. uel. 11). Wed. in Tertullian (ad uxor. 2.9). See: Number. 25:1–18. Baal-peor is an idol revered by the Moabites and Midianites. For the story of Samson, see: Judgment. 13–16. Samson was a judge of Israel for 20 years (see: Judges 15:20; 16:31). Wed. in Josephus (antiq. iud. 5. 8. 2). Wed. in Josephus (antiq. iud. 5. 8. 6). The same addition about the woman in Josephus (antiq. iud 5. 8. 6). Wed. in Virgil, Aen. 3 606: si pereo, hominum manibus perisse innabit. No such name for the area was found in the Holy Scriptures. – Note. ed. Wed: Court. 16:3. The text of Scripture speaks of the gate that Samson carried away from the city. Here and further St. Ambrose in his reasoning follows Origen (see in Rom. 6. 8.) On the benefits of the law of St. Ambrose writes in lacob 1. 4, 13–14, 21. – Ed. Wed: Is. 6:9; Matt. 13:14; In. 12:40; Acts 28:26; Rome. 11:8. Blzh. Augustine writes that St. Ambrose often cited this quote in his sermons (see conf. 6.4). – Note. ed. The two horns of the ox symbolize the two Testaments. Some publishers name Irenaeus, the addressee of the previous letter, as the addressee. From these words it can be assumed that this letter is addressed to the same person as the previous one, but researchers consider this phrase to be a consequence of editing (see: Zelzer. Prolegomenon. P. XXIV). Wills were kept sealed with several seals (according to the number of witnesses). For more information about this, see: epist. 69. Perhaps the letter was addressed to Bellinius (see: epist. 9), a catechumen who postponed baptism. This letter in manuscripts has no addressee. Wed: hymn. 1. 15–16; Rome. 13:12. The letter dates from 384–385. (see: Zelzer. R. 169, not.) Since this letter continues the discussion of the topic begun in epist. 50. in the Moorish edition it is addressed to Studio, although in the manuscripts the addressee is named Irenaeus. The accusers against Priscillian and his supporters were Bishops Itacius of Ossonob and Idatius of Merida; see Sulpicius Severus, chron. 2. 50 et seq. – Note. ed. Wed: Ref. 12:3; Is. 53:7. Wed: Lev. 12:2; 15:13, etc. There is also a time period between the death and resurrection of Christ. Wed: Os. 3:1–2. The price of the Old and New Testaments is made up of 7 and 8 (seven days of creation and the eighth day as the time of the future age, the time of the Gospel), see about this: epist. 31. 7–9.– Note. ed. See note. to epist. 1. 4. See Isa. 38:8. Hezekiah was sick and prayed to God for healing, which God granted him, adding 15 years to his life. See: In. 8:3ff. Wed. also: epist. 50. 11–17. For more information, see fid. 5. 5. 55 et seq. See: Ref. 31:18. See: Jer. 17:13. See: In. 1:29. For more information, see fid. 5. 5. 55 et seq. The epist is also addressed to Constantius. 36, but it is not clear whether this is one person or two different ones. In epist. 66. 2–5 (to Orontsian) St. Ambrose also discusses the issue of circumcision. We are talking about a ram, which an angel who appeared ordered Abraham to sacrifice instead of his son Isaac (cf. Gen. 22:1–14). This ram, according to the accepted typological interpretation, prefigures the saving suffering on the cross of Jesus Christ, Who is the true Lamb of God. According to St. Ambrose, Abraham's vision of the day of the Lord consists in his understanding of the meaning of the actions performed in the light of the events of the New Testament. Marcion and Mani denied the need for Jewish law and considered the God of the Old Testament to be a lower god, demanding only justice and not knowing mercy. Wed. in Tertullian (de corona 3). Wed: Rome. 4:9–13; 2:25–29. Aquila (Aquila) (II century) - author of one of the Greek translations of the Old Testament; strived for greater literalism. The Greek text he revised was used in synagogues until the 6th century. (see: Tov E. Textology of the Old Testament. M., 2003. pp. 137–139). – Note. ed. You might be interested in: