Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fifth Sunday of Easter

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:1–8)

Rely on the truth and fear not, my brothers,
for our Lord is not weak that He should desert us in trials.
He is the power on Whom depend the creation and its inhabitants.
On Him depends the hope of His church.
Who is able to cut off its heavenly roots?
Blessed is He Whose power came down and was mingled with his churches!

Bestow on yourselves, my brothers, the treasure of consolation
from the word our Lord spoke about His church,
“The bars of Sheol cannot conquer her.”
If, indeed, she is mightier than Sheol,
who among mortals can frighten her?
Blessed is He Who made her great yet has tested her that she might be greater!

Reach out, indeed, your hands toward the Branch of Truth
that has torn asunder the arms of warriors without being bent.
She bent down from her height and came down to the contest.
She tested the true, who hung on her,
but those hanging with an [ulterior] motive withered and fell.
Blessed is He Who brought her down to go up in triumphs!

Elijah, then, was drunk with the love of the True One,
and without fear he seethed and confronted the house of Ahab,
who demeaned the Creator and worshiped creatures:
Jezebel led her retinue to Sheol.
The crowns of seven thousand men were glorious.
Blessed is He Who revealed to his servant concerning hidden treasure!

The sons of truth, then, grow large on this Branch of Truth;
they have been perfected and have become fruits fit for the kingdom.
But, although the Branch is living, on it are also
dead fruits that blossom [only] apparently.
The wind tested them and shook down the wild grapes.
Blessed is He Who crowned by it those who held fast in Him!…

Jesus, bend down to us Your love that we may grasp
this Branch that bent down her fruits for the ungrateful;
they ate and were satisfied, yet they demeaned her who had bent down
as far as Adam in Sheol.
She ascended and lifted him up and with him returned to Eden.
Blessed is He Who bent her down toward us that we might seize her and ascend on her.

Who indeed will not weep that although the Branch is great,
the weakness of one unwilling to seize her greatness
maintains that she is a feeble branch—
she who has conquered all kings and cast a shadow
upon the entire world! By suffering her power has increased.
Blessed is He Who made her greater than that vine from Egypt!

Who will not hold fast to this Branch of Truth?
She bore the true ones; she shed the false.
Not because they were too heavy for her did she shed them.
For our sake she tested them in the breeze;
it shook down the shriveled; it ripened the firm.
Blessed is He Who rejected the vineyard that was a source of wild grapes!

Ephrem the Syrian, Against Julian: On the Church 1–5, 8–10

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fourth Sunday of Easter

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. (John 10:11–18)

For the sake of His flock the shepherd was sacrificed as though He were a sheep. He did not refuse death. He did not destroy His executioners as He had the power to do, for His passion was not forced on Him. He laid down His life for His sheep of His own free will. “I have the power to lay it down,” He said, “and I have the power to take it up again.” By His passion He made atonement for our evil passions, by His death he cured our death, by His tomb He robbed the tomb, by the nails that pierced His flesh He destroyed the foundations of hell.

Death held sway until Christ died. The grave was bitter, our prison was indestructible, until the Shepherd went down and brought to His sheep confined there the good news of their release. His appearance among them gave them a pledge of their resurrection and called them to a new life beyond the grave. “The good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep” and so seeks to win their love.

Basil of Seleucia, Homily 26.2

The Devil, too, while he aimed at man, made an attempt on God. While he grows furious at the guilty one, he runs up against his Judge. While he inflicts pain, he incurs torture. While he is issuing a sentence, he receives one. And death, which lives by feeding upon mortals, dies while it is devouring the Life. Death, which swallows guilty men, gets swallowed while it is gulping down the Author of innocence. Death, accustomed to destroy all, perishes itself while it tries to destroy the salvation of all.

Therefore, by giving a pattern like this, the Shepherd went before His sheep; He did not run away from them. He did not surrender the sheep to the wolves, but He consigned the wolves to the sheep. For He enabled His sheep to pick out their robbers in such a way that the sheep, although slain, should live; although mangled, should rise again and, colored by their own blood, should gleam in royal purple, and shine with snow-white fleece.

In this way, when the good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep, He did not lose it. In this way He held His sheep; He did not abandon them. Indeed, He did not forsake them, but invited them. He called and led them through fields full of death, and a road of death, to life-giving pastures.

Peter Chrysologus, Selected Sermons 40

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday of Easter

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:36–49)

When He had quieted their reasonings by what He said, by the touch of their hands, and by partaking of food, He then opened their mind to understand, that “so it behooved Him to suffer,” even upon the wood of the cross. The Lord therefore recalls the minds of the disciples to what He had before said: for He had forewarned them of His sufferings upon the cross, according to what the prophets had long before spoken: and He opens also the eyes of their heart, so as for them to understand the ancient prophecies.

The Savior promises the disciples the descent of the Holy Ghost, which God had announced of old by Joel, and power from above, that they might be strong and invincible, and without all fear preach to men everywhere the divine mystery.

He says unto them now that they had received the Spirit after the resurrection, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” and adds, “But tarry ye at Jerusalem, and wait for the promise of the Father, which ye have heard of Me. For John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost;” in water no longer, for that they had received, but with the Holy Ghost: He does not add water to water, but completes that which was deficient by adding what was wanting to it.

Having blessed them, and gone a little in advance, He was carried up unto heaven, that He might share the Father’s throne even with the flesh that was united unto Him. And this new pathway the Word made for us when He appeared in human form: and hereafter in due time He will come again in the glory of His Father with the angels, and will take us up to be with Him.

Let us glorify therefore Him Who being God the Word became man for our sakes: Who suffered willingly in the flesh, and arose from the dead, and abolished corruption: Who was taken up, and hereafter shall come with great glory to judge the living and the dead, and to give to every one according to his deeds: by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be glory and power with the Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke 24

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday of Easter

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:19–31)

But when Thomas had heard from his fellow disciples that they had seen the Lord, he responded: Unless I see the nail-marks and put my hand into his side, I shall not believe (v. 25). Why does Thomas seek this kind of basis for faith? Why is he so harsh in his investigation of the Resurrection of One who suffered with such loving devotion? Why does the hand of a faithful disciple in this fashion retrace those wounds which an unholy hand inflicted? Why does the hand of a dutiful follower strive to reopen the side which the lance of an unholy soldier pierced? Why does the harsh curiosity of a servant repeat the tortures imposed by the rage of persecutors? Why is a disciple so inquisitive about proving from his torments that He is the Lord, from his pains that He is God, and from His wounds that He is the heavenly Physician?

The power of the devil has crumbled, the prison of hell has been thrown open, the shackles of the dead have been broken, the graves of those who have risen have been torn asunder, on account of the Lord’s Resurrection the whole condition of death has been rendered insignificant, the stone has been rolled back from that most sacred tomb of the Lord, the linen cloths have been taken off, and death has fled before the glory of the Risen One, life has returned, and flesh has arisen incapable of further harm.

So why, Thomas, do you alone, a little too clever a sleuth for your own good, insist that only the wounds be brought forward in testimony to faith? What if these wounds had been made to disappear with the other things? What a peril to your faith would that curiosity have produced? Do you think that no signs of his devotion and no evidence of the Lord’s Resurrection could be found unless you probed with your hands his inner organs which had been laid bare in such a way by the cruelty of the Jews?

Brothers, his devotion sought these things, his dedication demanded them, so that in the future not even godlessness itself would doubt that the Lord had risen. But Thomas was curing not only the uncertainty of his own heart, but also that of all human beings; and since he was going to preach this message to the gentiles, this conscientious investigator was examining carefully how he might provide a foundation for the faith needed for such a mystery. Certainly at issue is prophecy more than hesitation; for why would he be seeking such things unless he had come to know by the prophetic Spirit that the only reason that the Lord had kept His wounds was as evidence of his Resurrection? And so, the request that he made because he was late was something that in the end he provided spontaneously for others.

Peter Chrysologus, Selected Sermons 84. 8

Patristic Wisdom for Easter

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (Mark 16:1–8)

You have heard the lesson from the holy Gospel on the Resurrection of Christ. Our faith has been established on the Resurrection of Christ. Pagans, wicked people, and Jews believed in the Passion of Christ; Christians alone believe in His Resurrection. The Passion of Christ discloses the miseries of this life; the Resurrection of Christ points to the happiness of the life to come. At present, let us labor; let us hope for the future. Now is the time for work; then, for reward. He who is lazy in doing his work here is shameless if he demands recompense. You have heard what the Lord said to His disciples after the Resurrection. He sent them to preach the Gospel and they carried out His command; the Gospel was preached; it has come to us. Behold: ‘Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.’ By one journey after another the Gospel came to us and to the farthest limits of our country. In a few words the Lord sketched His plan for us, telling His disciples what we were to do and what we were to hope for. As you heard when the Gospel was read, He said: ‘He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.’ Faith is demanded of us; salvation is offered to us. ‘He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.’ Precious is the gift which is promised to us; what is bidden is fulfilled without cost.

Augustine of Hippo, Sermons for the Easter Season 233.1

Christ descended into hell to liberate its captives. In one instant He destroyed all record of our ancient debt incurred under the law, in order to lead us to heaven where there is no death but only eternal life and righteousness. By the baptism which you, the newly enlightened, have just received, you now share in these blessings. Your initiation into the life of grace is the pledge of your resurrection. Your baptism is the promise of the life of heaven. By your immersion you imitated the burial of the Lord, but when you came out of the water you were conscious only of the reality of the resurrection.… The grace of the Spirit works in a mysterious way in the font, and the outward appearance must not obscure the wonder of it. Although water serves as the instrument, it is grace which gives rebirth. Grace transforms all who are placed in the font as the seed is transformed in the womb. It refashions all who go down into the water as metal is recast in a furnace. It reveals to them the mysteries of immortality; it seals them with the pledge of resurrection. These wonderful mysteries are symbolized for you, the newly enlightened, even in the garments you wear. See how you are clothed in the outward signs of these blessings. The radiant brightness of your robe stands for incorruptibility. The white band encircling your head like a diadem proclaims your liberty. In your hand you hold the sign of your victory over the devil. Christ is showing you that you have risen from the dead. He does this now in a symbolic way, but soon He will reveal the full reality if we keep the garment of faith undefiled and do not let sin extinguish the lamp of grace. If we preserve the crown of the Spirit, the Lord will call from heaven in a voice of tremendous majesty, yet full of tenderness: Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you since the beginning of the world. To him be glory and power for ever, through endless ages, amen.

Basil of Seleucia, Easter Homily

Patristic Wisdom for Good Friday

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.… [W]ho, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9)

Jesus’ prayers were granted, but how were His prayers granted if He had demanded to be delivered from death? To be sure, He was not saved. He wanted to fulfill in Himself the will of the Father. And for this reason it was evident that He was the Son of God, because in behalf of human creatures He exposed His own soul for the rest of the soul of the one who sent Him, and His obedience was made evident by the hands of those who crucified Him. If, therefore, the crucifiers testify that His prayers were granted, if it is so, I say, He certainly wanted to die, and He demanded that the will of his Father was fulfilled. He offered supplications with loud claims to the One who was able to save Him from death; He who was about to die did not ask for delivery from death nor demand to be resurrected after His death because this had been promised to Him earlier, but He prayed for His crucifiers lest they might die in Him. And His prayers were granted, because the door was opened so that His crucifiers might live in Him. And the One who did these things, that is, the One who abased Himself to such humility and suffering for His murderers is the Son of God; and from this it was evident that He was satisfied in those sufferings which He endured. In fact, some of His murderers were converted, and through their repentance they were the heralds of His resurrection.

Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on Hebrews

Patristic Wisdom for Maundy Thursday

What shall I give back to the Lord
For all He rendered to me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His holy ones.
O Lord, I am Your servant;
I am Your servant and the son of Your handmaid.
You broke apart my bonds;
I will offer a sacrifice of praise;
I shall pay my vows to the Lord
In the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In your midst, O Jerusalem. (Psa 115:3–9 LXX [Psa 116:12–19])

I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. This is indeed a worthy promise, but it would be hazardous presumption if it rested on human powers. Who can endow confessors with endurance of tortures except Him who deigned to accept the chalice of suffering on our behalf? To show with certainty that this is impossible for human powers, they next said: And I will call upon the name of the Lord. By relying on His help they believed that they were achieving what they thought their bodily frailty inadequate to perform. The death of martyrs is defined most beautifully and briefly as: The chalice of salvation. Chalice, because it is drunk in due measure; of salvation, because through the Lord’s generosity it is served for eternal salvation. Of this chalice the Lord also said in the gospel: Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink?

After He had said that He would offer the sacrifice of praise, He adds: In the courts of the house of the Lord, so that you would not believe that it could be discharged anywhere whatsoever. Those courts are the catholic Church spread throughout the world, in which are contained all most genuine Christians, but not the heretics who are segregated through their empty wickedness. His words: I will pay my vows to the Lord, is a promise to offer Himself. The vow of all the faithful is self-offering to Christ and abiding in the right belief of the Church. Observe what follows, so that you may recognize the nature of this house of the Lord.

Notice his information here about the house of the Lord which He mentioned in the previous short verse: it is in the sight of all his people, for it is right that He who deigned to suffer for the salvation of all should receive public praise. The Lord is most perfectly aware of it even if it is performed in the recess of the heart. This contributes to the edification of the people, if a good confession is absorbed by the ears of the community at large. As Christ says in the gospel: He who confesses before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. He added: In the midst of thee, Jerusalem, where the Lord’s peace resides, and where the unity of the holy people rejoices in contemplation of the Lord.

Cassiodorus, Explanation of the Psalms 115.13, 18–19

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to Sunday of the Passion

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted;
My eye is troubled with anger;
So are my soul and my stomach.
For my life is wasted with grief
And my years with sighing;
My strength is weakened with poverty,
And my bones are troubled.
I became a reproach among all my enemies,
And especially to all my neighbors,
And a fear to all my acquaintances;
Those who saw me outside fled from me.
I am forgotten like one whose heart is lifeless;
I was made like a vessel that is utterly broken.
For I heard the blame of many who dwell round about
When they were gathered together against me,
When they plotted to take my life.
But as for me, I hope in You, O Lord;
I said, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hands;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your mercy. (Psalm 30:10–17 LXX [Psa 31:9–16])

[T]he wicked reproach the Savior. So not every reproach conveys a cause for censure to the one who is being reproached. There are times when those who reproach are to blame, and those in turn are people who are reproached by sin. And indeed, in the scripture of Proverbs it is said to the wise man, “Do not acquire the censures of evil men.” By the added phrase “of evil men,” he showed that there are reproaches of virtuous men as well. The disciples, for instance, are commanded to rejoice when they are reproached. The above censures are not those with which the apostles are censured; they belong to evil men instead. Then, since it is in our power to do things that are worthy of reproach, he prescribes, “Do not acquire the censures of evil men, and do not strive after their ways.” For the one who strives after their deeds and their thoughts has become an evil man, having acquired for himself harmful reproaches.…

About this reproach it is said that some arise “to reproach and eternal disgrace.” However, not all arise “to reproach and eternal disgrace,” but only those who seem to be good here. When, even though they are considered to be virtuous and holy men, they rise again and the shameful things of their soul appear, these arise into reproach, for those who are manifestly evil arise again not into reproach but into punishment.

And if the Savior says this, then He is calling the cross a “reproach.” For the apostle taught this: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Again, “He who, for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame.” Now, reproach and shame are the same thing. And see this at least, as far as it concerned Him, joy was set before Him because He had no sin. Therefore He disregarded the shame; He trampled over it.

Didymus the Blind, Lectures on the Psalms 30.13

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:35–45)

What He is saying is that, if you wish the privilege of the first place and the highest honor, seek the place which is last, seek to be less worthy, more humble, less important than all, and to rank yourselves below the others. This is the virtue which gives this honor. And we have a most profitable example in the verse which follows, where He says: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” What He is saying is this. “You can see that to humble themselves is what makes men glorious and remarkable if you look at what happened to me, even though I have no need for honor and glory. Still it was by my humility that I accomplished countless good deeds.” For before He humbled Himself and became man, everything had perished and was destroyed. But after He humbled himself, He exalted all things.

He erased the curse, He triumphed over death, He opened paradise. He struck down sin, He opened wide the vaults of the sky, He lifted our first fruits to heaven, He filled the whole world with godliness. He drove out error, He led back the truth, He made our firstfruits mount to the royal throne. He accomplished so many good deeds that neither I nor all men together could set them before your minds in words. Before He humbled Himself, only the angels knew Him. After He humbled Himself, all human nature knew Him. You see how His humbling of Himself did not make Him have less but produced countless profits, countless deeds of virtue, and made His glory shine forth with greater brightness. God wants for nothing and has need of nothing. Yet, when He humbled Himself, He produced such great good, increased His household, and extended His kingdom.

Why, then, are you afraid that you will become less if you humble yourself? If you do humble yourself, you will become more exalted, you will be great, you will be illustrious, you will be renowned on every side. But this will happen only when you are satisfied to become less, to face dangers, and to be put to death. First you must seek to serve, to attend to and care for all men. If you will become exalted by humbling yourself, you must be ready to do and suffer all things.

Ponder this, my beloved, and then let us be fully prepared to pursue humility. When we shall be insulted and spat upon, when we shall be subjected to every humiliation, when we shall be dishonored and scorned, let us endure all this and be glad. Nothing is so likely to exalt us and win us glory and honor, nothing is so likely to show us as great as is the virtue of humility. May it come to pass that, while we succeed in gaining this virtue in its perfection, we may obtain all the blessings which have been promised through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory and honor and worship to the Father and the Holy Spirit now and forever, world without end. Amen.

John Chrysostom, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God 45–48

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fourth Sunday in Lent

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:14–21)

What He says, is of this kind: Marvel not that I am to be lifted up that you may be saved, for this seems good to the Father, and He has so loved you as to give His Son for slaves, and ungrateful slaves. Yet a man would not do this even for a friend, nor readily even for a righteous man; as Paul has declared when he said, Scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Now he spoke at greater length, as speaking to believers, but here Christ speaks concisely, because His discourse was directed to Nicodemus, but still in a more significant manner, for each word has much significance. For by the expression, so loved, and that other, God the world, He shows the great strength of His love. Large and infinite was the interval between the two. He, the Immortal, Who is without beginning, the Infinite Majesty, they but dust and ashes, full of ten thousand sins, who, ungrateful, have at all times offended Him; and these He loved. Again, the words which He added after these are alike significant, when He says, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, not a servant, not an Angel, not an Archangel. And yet no one would show such anxiety for his own child, as God did for His ungrateful servants.

John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John 27.2

Let us praise the Son first of all, venerating the blood that expiated our sins. He lost nothing of His divinity when He saved me, when like a good physician he stooped to my festering wounds. He was a mortal man, but He was also God. He was of the race of David but Adam's creator. He who has no body clothed Himself with flesh. He had a mother who, nonetheless, was a virgin. He who is without bounds bound Himself with the cords of our humanity. He was victim and high priest—yet He was God. He offered up his blood and cleansed the whole world. He was lifted up on the cross, but it was sin that was nailed to it. He became as one among the dead, but He rose from the dead, raising to life also many who had died before Him. On the one hand, there was the poverty of His humanity; on the other, the riches of His divinity. Do not let what is human in the Son permit you wrongfully to detract from what is divine. For the sake of the divine, hold in the greatest honor the humanity, which the immortal Son took on Himself for love of you.

Gregory Nazianzen, Poem 2

The Life of Repentance

“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” —Martin Luther, 95 Theses 1

And when I saw these things in that bright mirror of the holy Gospel of my Lord, my soul became weak and my spirit was at an end and my body was bent down to the dust; my heart was filled with bitter groans that perhaps my stains might be made white by the washing of my tears. And I remembered that good Lord and kindly God who cancels through tears the bond of those in debt and accepts lamentation in the place of burnt sacrifices. When I came to this point, I took refuge in repentance and I hid myself beneath the wings of compunction. I sought refuge in the shade of humility and I said, “What more than these am I required to offer to Him who has no need of sacrifices and burnt offerings?” Rather, a humble spirit, which is the perfect sacrifice that is able to make propitiation for defects, a broken heart in the place of burnt offerings, and tears of propitiation in the place of a libation of wine are things which God will not reject.

Ephrem the Syrian, Letter to Publius 24

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday in Lent

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. (John 2:13–22)

If Jesus says that the temple in Jerusalem is the house of his own Father, and this temple was constructed for the glory of Him who created the heaven and the earth, are we not taught openly to consider the Son of God to be a Son of none other than the creator of heaven and earth? Since it is a house of prayer, the apostles of Christ, too, are commanded by the angel to enter this house of Jesus’ Father (as we have found in the Acts of the Apostles), and to stand and speak “to the people all the words of this life.” … Furthermore, if the house of Christ’s God were not the house of the same God, how would the disciples have remembered what is said in Psalm 68 [LXX]: “The zeal of your house has devoured me”? For that is what is stated in the prophet, and not ‘devours me.’ Now Christ is especially jealous for the house of God in each of us, not wishing it to be a house of merchandise, nor that the house of prayer become a den of thieves, since He is son of a jealous God. This is the case if we understand such words from the Scriptures in a reasonable manner, which were spoken metaphorically from the human viewpoint to set forth the fact that God wishes nothing alien to His will to be mingled with the soul of any men, but especially with the soul of those who wish to receive most divine faith.

Origen, Commentary on John 10.216, 220–221

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday in Lent

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:27–38)

Do you wish to follow Christ? Be humble where He was humble; do not despise His humility if you wish to reach His height. Truly, the path became rough when man sinned, but it is smooth since Christ through His Resurrection trod upon it and made a royal road out of the exceedingly narrow path. Men run upon this way with two feet, that is, through humility and charity. Loftiness delights all men on it, but humility is the first step. Why do you stretch your foot beyond you? You want to fall, not to rise. Begin with the first step, that is, with humility, and you have risen.

For this reason our Lord and Savior not only said: Let him deny himself, but He added: take up his cross, and follow me. What does this mean, take up his cross? Let him bear whatever is troublesome: thus let him follow Me. When he has begun to follow Me according to My morals and precepts, he will have many people who contradict him and stand in his way, many who not only deride but even persecute him. Moreover, this is true, not only of pagans who are outside of the Church, but also of those who seem to be in it corporally but are outside of it because of the perversity of their deeds. Although these men glory in merely the title of Christian, they continually persecute good Christians. Such men belong to the members of the Church in the same way that bad blood is in the body. Therefore, if you wish to follow Christ, do not delay in carrying His cross; tolerate sinners, but do not yield to them. Do not let the false happiness of the wicked corrupt you. You ought to despise all things for the sake of Christ, in order that you may deserve to arrive at His companionship. The world is loved, but let the One who made the world be preferred to it. The world is beautiful, but much fairer is the One by whom the world was made. The world is flattering, but more delightful is He by whom the world was created.

Caesarius of Arles, Sermons 159.4–5

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the First Sunday in Lent

Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you did this thing, and for My sake did not spare your beloved son, I will certainly bless you, and assuredly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore; and your seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:15–18 LXX)

In the former promise there was only the statement; here an oath is interposed, which the holy Apostle writing to the Hebrews interprets in this way, saying: “God, meaning to show the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed an oath.” And again, Scripture says: “Men swear by one greater than themselves.” “But God, because he had no one greater by whom he might swear,” “ ‘I swear by myself,’ said the Lord.” It was not that necessity forced God to swear (for who would exact the oath from him?), but as the apostle Paul has interpreted it, that by this he might point out to his worshipers “the immutability of his counsel.” So also elsewhere it is said by the prophet: “The Lord has sworn nor will he repent: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

At that time in the first promise there is no reason stated why the promise is given, only that he brought him forth and “showed him,” Scripture says, “the stars of heaven, and said: ‘So shall your seed be.’ ” But now he adds the reason on account of which he confirms with an oath the promise which will be steadfast. For he says: “Because you have done this thing and have not spared your son.” He shows, therefore, that because of the offering or passion of the son the promise is steadfast. This clearly points out that the promise remains steadfast because of the passion of Christ for the people of the gentiles “who are of the faith of Abraham.”

Origen, Homilies on Genesis 9.1

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Transfiguration

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. (Mark 9:2–9)

Make an effort, and do not grow weary of my prolonged discourse. For as when He manifests Himself, He is not manifested as He really is, nor is His bare essence manifested (for no man has seen God in His real nature; for when He is but partially revealed the Cherubim tremble—the mountains smoke, the sea is dried up, the heaven is shaken, and if the revelation were not partial who could endure it?) as then, I say, He does not manifest Himself as He really is, but only as the beholder is able to see Him, therefore does He appear sometimes in the form of old age, sometimes of youth, sometimes in fire, sometimes in air, sometimes in water, sometimes in armor, not altering his essential nature, but fashioning His appearance to suit the various condition of those who are affected by it. In like manner also when any one wishes to say anything concerning Him he employs human illustrations. For instance I say: "He went up into the mountain and He was transfigured before them, and His countenance shone as the sun, and His raiment became white as snow." He disclosed, it is said, a little of the Godhead, He manifested to them the God dwelling among them "and He was transfigured before them." Attend carefully to the statement. The writer says and He was transfigured before them, and His raiment shone as the light, and His countenance was as the sun. When I said "such is His greatness and power" and added "be merciful to me O Lord," (for I do not rest satisfied with the expression but am perplexed, having no other framed for the purpose) I wish you to understand, that I learned this lesson from Holy Scripture. The evangelist then wished to describe His splendor and he says "He shone." How did He shine? Tell me. Exceedingly. And how do you express this? He shone "as the sun." As the sun do you say? Yea. Wherefore? Because I know not any other luminary more brilliant. And He was white do you say as snow? Wherefore as snow? Because I know not any other substance which is whiter. For that He did not really shine thus is proved by what follows: the disciples fell to the ground. If he had shone as the sun the disciples would not have fallen; for they saw the sun every day, and did not fall: but inasmuch as he shone more brilliantly than the sun or snow, they, being unable to bear the splendor, fell to the earth.

Tell me then, O evangelist, did He shine more brightly than the sun, and yet do you say, "as the sun?" Yea: wishing to make that light known to you, I know not any other greater luminary, I have no other comparison which holds a royal place among luminaries. I have said these things that you may not rest contentedly in the poverty of the language used: I have pointed out to you the fall of the disciples: they fell to the earth, and were stupefied and overwhelmed with slumber. "Arise" He said, and lifted them up, and yet they were oppressed. For they could not endure the excessive brightness of that shining, but heavy sleep took possession of their eyes: so far did the light which was manifested exceed the light of the sun. Yet the evangelist said "as the sun," because that luminary is familiar to us and surpasses all the rest.

John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Eutropius 10–11

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (1 Cor 9:16–27)

Paul is free from all men because he preached the gospel without getting any praise for it and never wanted anything from anyone except their salvation. He has not accepted large sums of money to spend on himself, which would have been sheer hypocrisy. He says that he has acted as a slave to all in order to show by his humility that he was not unlike anyone who is weak in his thinking. Paul wanted to strengthen them by patience for their future salvation by showing his great concern for those who were sinning or who were being slow to follow the commands of their faith. All along, his main aim was that they should not feel bitter resentment at being rebuked.

Did Paul merely pretend to be all things to all men, in the way that flatterers do? No. He was a man of God and a doctor of the spirit who could diagnose every pain, and with great diligence he tended them and sympathized with them. We have something or other in common with everyone, and this is what Paul brought out in dealing with particular people. He became a Jew to the Jews in that he circumcised Timothy, because that was a scandal to them, and when he went to the temple he practiced the rite of purification, so that the Jews would not be given an opportunity to blaspheme on his account. He performed an action which by its nature should have been obsolete, but he acted in accordance with the law. He agreed with the Jews that the law and the prophets were from God, and on that basis he showed them that Christ was the promised one. He agreed with them, in other words, in order to get them to accept his teaching. …

Paul became weak by abstaining from things which would scandalize the weak. Here he shows the true marks of a wise and spiritual man, because having become all things to all men, he nevertheless did not transgress the bounds of his faith. When he made allowances, he did so in order to do good, but he never did anything other than what the law commanded. Paul did all these things in order to share in God’s plan for the salvation of the human race.

Ambrosiaster, Commentary on 1 Corinthians 19–20, 22–23

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. (Mark 1:21–28)

Even the demons cried out, on beholding the Son: “I know who You are, the Holy One of God.” Later the devil looking at him and tempting him, would say: “If You are the Son of God.” All of these thus recognized the Son and the Father, yet without believing. So it was fitting that the truth should receive testimony from all, and should become a means of judgment for the salvation not only of those who believe, but also for the condemnation of those who do not believe. The result is that all should be fairly judged, and that the faith in the Father and Son should be a matter of decision for all, so that one means of salvation should be established for all, receiving testimony from all, both from those belonging to it who were its friends, and by those having no connection with it who were its enemies. For that evidence is most trustworthy and true which elicits even from its adversaries striking testimonies on its behalf.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.6.6–7

And again, when He put a curb in the mouths of the demons that cried after Him from the tombs. For although what they said was true, and they lied not then, saying, ‘You are the Son of God,’ and ‘the Holy One of God;’ yet He would not that the truth should proceed from an unclean mouth, and especially from such as them, lest under pretense thereof they should mingle with it their own malicious devices, and sow these also while men slept. Therefore He suffered them not to speak such words, neither would He have us to suffer such, but hath charged us by His own mouth, saying, ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves;’ and by the mouth of His Holy Apostles, ‘Believe not every spirit.’ Such is the method of our adversary’s operations; and of the like nature are all these inventions of heresies, each of which has for the father of its own device the devil, who changed and became a murderer and a liar from the beginning. But being ashamed to profess his hateful name, they usurp the glorious Name of our Savior ‘which is above every name,’ and deck themselves out in the language of Scripture, speaking indeed the words, but stealing away the true meaning thereof; and so disguising by some artifice their false inventions, they also become the murderers of those whom they have led astray.

Athanasius, To the Bishops of Egypt 1.3

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. (Mark 1:14–20)

For you have our Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, admitted by your own teachers to be, not an enchanter or a sorcerer, but holy, wise, the justest of the just, and dwelling in the vaults of heaven. He, then, being such, could only have done His miracles by a divine power, which also the holy writings bear witness that He had, saying that the Word of God and the highest Power of God dwelt in man’s shape and form, nay, even in actual flesh and body therein, and performed all the functions of human nature. And you yourself may realize the divine elements of this power, if you reflect on the nature and grandeur of a Being who could associate with Himself poor men of the lowly fisherman’s class, and use them as agents in carrying through a work that transcends all reason. For having conceived the intention, which no one ever before had done, of spreading His own laws and a new teaching among all nations, and of revealing Himself as the teacher of the religion of One Almighty God to all the races of men, He thought good to use the most rustic and common men as ministers of His own design, because maybe He had in mind to do the most unlikely things. For how could men unable even to open their mouths be able to teach, even if they were appointed teachers to only one person, far less to a multitude of men? How should they instruct the people, who were themselves without any education?

But this was surely the manifestation of the divine will and of the divine power working in them. For when He called them, the first thing He said to them was: ” Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And when He had thus acquired them as His followers, He breathed into them His divine power, He filled them with strength and bravery, and like a true Word of God and as God Himself, the doer of such great wonders, He made them hunters of rational and thinking souls, adding power to His words: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” and sent them forth fitted already to be workers and teachers of holiness to all the nations, declaring them heralds of His own teaching.

Eusebius, Proof of the Gospel 3.7

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday after Epiphany

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:43-51)

In order to reassure those who were coming to him, our Lord began to speak more clearly to them so that he might reveal his secret omniscience. Thus also when Simon came to him, he told him the name by which he was called and whose son he was. When Philip wanted to follow him, but was prevented by reticence, Jesus said, “Follow me,” in order to reveal the desire of his heart. And finally, when Nathanael was in doubt, Jesus praised him by saying, Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no guile, and what he said was true. He did not praise him for anything that he was not. With these words, in whom there is no guile, he means that Nathaniel did not engage in subtlety but rightly said what he thought. Therefore, Nathanael was in doubt about what Philip had said, and naively and frankly revealed his thoughts. But even though he was praised, he did not yield to that praise but immediately asked where Jesus had found out about him. The Lord, even though he was not present, clearly pointed out the place and the tree under which he was before he had been called by Philip, so that he might show the excellence of his power in this way.

Therefore Nathanael, convinced by those deeds, said to Him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel; that is, “You are the Messiah who has already been announced.” The Messiah was certainly expected by them as someone more intimate with God than anyone else—like a king of Israel—even though they conceived of him in a fairly obscure and carnal way.…

What did the Lord answer him? Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these. Therefore He shows that nothing He had said was great or sufficient to demonstrate fully who He was. And then He declares what the greater things are that he would have seen, Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Now, if Nathanael had called Him “son” according to divine birth, what greater thing would he have seen? And how could seeing angels ascending and descending upon Him be greater than that? Certainly that is the greatest and most wonderful thing!—not only because it is consistent with His confessed divine nature which is the beginning of everything, so that Nathanael would know that angels ascend and descend upon Him (which always happens for the benefit of all humankind)—but also in order that Nathanael might understand that He is the creator of the angels. Now, after that confession, He says that something greater than what had appeared from the title “Son of God” (used in the sense of which we spoke) was expressed by Nathanael.

Theodore of Mopsuestia, Commentary on John 1.1.47–51

Patristic Wisdom for Epiphany

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (Matthew 2:1–12)

But now, after the service of the star, after the course of the Magi, let us see how glorious was the dignity that attended the king who had been born. For immediately the Magi fall down and worship the one born as Lord, and there in His very cradle they venerate the infancy of the crying child by offering Him gifts. They perceive one thing with the eyes of the body, something else with the vision of their mind. The humbleness of the body He assumed is seen, but the glory of His divinity is not concealed. It is a child who is seen, but it is God who is adored. How inexpressible is this mystery of the divine condescension! For our sake that incomprehensible and eternal nature does not disdain taking on the infirmities of our flesh. The Son of God, who is God of the universe, is born as a human being in a body. He permits Himself to be placed in a manger, within which are the heavens. He is confined to a cradle, one whom the world does not have room for. He is heard in the voice of a crying infant, at whose voice the whole world trembled in the time of his passion. And so, the Magi recognize this God of glory and Lord of majesty when they see Him as a child. Isaiah likewise shows that this child was both God and the eternal king, when he said, “For a child has been born to you; a son has been given to you, whose empire has been made on his shoulders.”

The Magi offer him gifts, therefore, namely gold, frankincense, and myrrh, in accordance with what the Holy Spirit had earlier testified about these things through the prophet, when he said, “From Saba they shall come bearing gold, frankincense, and precious stone, and they shall announce the salvation of the Lord” [Isa 60:6 LXX]. Clearly we recognize that the Magi fulfilled this prophecy. They both “announced the salvation of the Lord,” that the Christ was born as the Son of God, and in the gifts offered they confess that Christ is God, king, and man. For in the gold the authority of his kingdom is shown, in the frankincense the honor due to God in the myrrh the burial of the body. And therefore they offered gold as to a king, frankincense as to God, and myrrh as to a man. David too testifies about this as follows: “The kings of Tharsis and the isles shall offer presents, the kings of the Arabians and Saba shall bring gifts” [Ps 71:10 LXX]. And in order to show very powerfully to whom these gifts were to be given, he adds in this same psalm, “And there shall be given him of the gold of Arabia” [Ps 71:15 LXX]. In another psalm as well, the same David does not keep silent about the myrrh, when he spoke of the passion of the Lord and said, “Myrrh and stacte and cassia from your garments” [Ps 44:8 LXX]. Likewise Solomon speaks of this myrrh from Christ’s persona as follows: “I have gathered my myrrh with my spices” [Song 5:1], and again: “I gave off a sweet smell like myrrh” [Sir 24:15]. Surely in this he clearly testifies to the burial of his body, which burned with the sweetest divine smell throughout the whole world. Finally, the same David is shown to indicate these Magi when he says, “Ambassadors shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall hasten her hands” [Ps 67:31 LXX]. For since Sacred Scripture often calls this world “Egypt,” we rightly understand these Magi as the “ambassadors of Egypt,” having been chosen, as it were, as ambassadors of the whole world. In the gifts that they offered, they consecrated the belief of all the Gentiles and the commencement of faith.

Chromatius of Aquileia, Tractate on Matthew 5.1

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Baptism of Jesus

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:4–11)

The baptism of repentance therefore was employed as aspiring unto the remission and the sanctification about to follow in Christ. For in that he preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, the declaration was made in respect of a future remission. Indeed since repentance goes before, remission follows after; and this it is to prepare the way; for he that prepares the way does not himself also perfect, but procures it to be perfected by another.

Tertullian, On Baptism 10

And stretching forth slowly his right hand, which seemed both to tremble and to rejoice, John baptized the Lord. Then his detractors who were present, with those in the vicinity and those from a distance, connived together, and spoke among themselves asking: “Was John then superior to Jesus? Was it without cause that we thought John greater, and does not his very baptism attest this? Is not he who baptizes presented as the greater, and he who is baptized as the less important?” But just as they, in their ignorance of the mystery of the divine economy, babbled about with each other, the holy One who alone is Lord spoke. He who by nature is the Father of the only begotten (who alone was begotten in unblemished fashion) instantly rectified their blunted imaginations. He opened the gates of the heavens and sent down the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, lighting upon the head of Jesus, pointing him out right there as the new Noah, even the maker of Noah, and the good pilot of the nature which is in shipwreck. And he himself calls with clear voice out of heaven, and says: “This is my beloved Son,”—Jesus, not John: the One baptized, and not the one baptizing; the One who was begotten of me before all time, and not the one who was begotten of Zechariah; the One who was born of Mary after the flesh, and not the one who was brought forth by Elizabeth beyond all expectation; the One who was the fruit of the virginity which he yet preserved intact, not the one who was the shoot from a sterility removed; the One who had his encounter with you, and not the one brought up in the wilderness. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: my Son, of the same substance with myself, and not of a different; of the same essence with me according to what is unseen, and of the same essence with you according to what is seen, yet without sin.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, The Fourth Homily, On The Holy Theophany, or Of Christ's Baptism

Patristic Wisdom for the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus

And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)

On the eighth day, therefore, Christ is circumcised, and receives, as I said, His Name: for then, even then, were we saved by Him and through Him, “in Whom, it saith, ye were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands in the putting off of the fleshly body, with Christ’s circumcision, having been buried together with Him in baptism, wherein also ye were raised with Him.” His death, therefore, was for our sakes as were also His resurrection and His circumcision. For He died, that we who have died together with Him in His dying unto sin, may no longer live unto sin: for which reason it is said, “If we have died together with Him, we shall also live together with Him.” And He is said to have died unto sin, not because He had sinned, “for He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth,” but because of our sin. Like as therefore we died together with Him when He died, so shall we also rise together with Him.

Again, when the Son was present among us, though by nature God and the Lord of all, He does not on that account despise our measure, but along with us is subject to the same law, although as God He was Himself the legislator. Like the Jews, He is circumcised when eight days old, to prove His descent from their stock, that they may not deny Him. For Christ was expected of the seed of David, and offered them the proof of His relationship. But if even when He was circumcised they said, “As for This man, we know not whence He is;” there would have been a show of reason in their denial, had He not been circumcised in the flesh, and kept the law.

But after His circumcision, the rite was done away by the introduction of that which had been signified by it, even baptism: for which reason we are no longer circumcised. For circumcision seems to me to have effected three several ends: in the first place, it separated the posterity of Abraham by a sort of sign and seal, and distinguished them from all other nations. In the second, it prefigured in itself the grace and efficacy of Divine baptism; for as in old time he that was circumcised, was reckoned among the people of God by that seal, so also he that is baptized, having formed in himself Christ the seal, is enrolled into God’s adopted family. And, thirdly, it is the symbol of the faithful when established in grace, who cut away and mortify the tumultuous risings of carnal pleasures and passions by the sharp surgery of faith, and by ascetic labors; not cutting the body, but purifying the heart, and being circumcised in the spirit, and not in the letter: whose praise, as the divine Paul testifies, needs not the sentence of any human tribunal, but depends upon the decree from above.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke Homily 3