Friday, January 1, 2021

Patristic Wisdom for the Second Sunday after Christmas


And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:6–9)

And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. … And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:40, 52)


Since the narrative is accurate in the facts, nobody can have any doubt that Solomon received his noble sovereignty, his elevated thought, and extraordinary power as a gift from God, thus it is evident that no one among those kings who were dead, nor among those who would succeed him, could be compared with him. It is certain, nevertheless, that these qualities, and others, which are described in the psalms about Solomon, mostly are to be transferred to Christ; otherwise the words would not be in absolute and complete agreement with their meaning and truth. Therefore Christ is that prince of peace whose wisdom and royal power were never preceded in time or overcome in greatness. And before Him no Son was born of an eternal nature or equal to the Father, nor after Him will there ever be someone similar to Him, as the Word, God says through another prophet: “Before Me no god was formed, nor will be after Me.”

Ephrem the Syrian, On the First Book of Kings 3.12

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