1 Kings 16:2-4 — COMMENTARY ON THE THIRD BOOK OF KINGS 15
"Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, therefore, I will consume the past actions of Baasha and the past actions of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the air shall eat." These words were pronounced against all sinners, and especially against the pagans and the heretics. Indeed, those who always add new sins to their old sins and are depraved by the examples of evil become the greatest in their crimes. "I will cut off the past actions of Baasha," [the Lord] says, "and the past actions of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat." The Lord cuts off the past actions of Baasha when he takes revenge on the sin of the wicked after the end of life. And he cuts off the past actions of his house when he condemns the inhabitants of that house to eternal torments. And he will make the house of Baasha like the house of Jeroboam son of Nabat when he gives the sinners who persevere in their iniquity to the torments of hell together with the devil and his angels. In fact, Baasha, as we have already said, is interpreted as "confusion" or "dryness," Jeroboam as "he who divides the people," and Nabat as "spontaneous." Therefore, when one follows the confusions of errors and sinners and neglects the possibility of having a wife of spiritual grace, then his past actions will be cut off as those of the devil.
1 Kings 22:19 — COMMENTARY ON THE THIRD BOOK OF KINGS 22
How should we interpret the "throne of God" but as the angelic powers over whose minds the Lord presides from on high while he arranges everything below? And what does the "host of heaven" signify but the multitude of the attending angels? And what does the text mean when it asserts that the host of heaven is to the right and to the left of him? Indeed God, who is within everything as he is also outside everything, is not enclosed to the right or the left, and therefore the right of God indicates the elect portion of the angels, whereas the left designates the evil portion of the angels. In fact, not only the good ones who help God serve him, but so do those who are distressed because they do not want to return [to be helpful].… Therefore the host of the angels is to the right and to the left, because the will of the elect spirit agrees with the divine sense of justice. Therefore the mind of the evil ones, who serve their own malice is forced to fulfill the orders [of the Lord].
1MA 1:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The beginning of the book of the Maccabees is similar to the beginning of the book of the prophet Ezekiel, where it is written: And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, etc. (Ezek. 1:1) Therefore, the first question arises for us as to why he who had said nothing yet began in this way, saying: And it came to pass, after Alexander, etc. For the word "and" is a conjunction, and we know that a following statement is not joined unless to a preceding statement; therefore, why does he who had said nothing say: "And it came to pass," when there is no statement to which what he begins can be joined? In this matter, it must be considered that just as we perceive corporeal things, so prophets and writers of divine books perceive spiritual things with their senses, and to them, even those things are present which seem absent to our ignorance; therefore it happens that in the minds of prophets, the internal things are so joined to the external that they see both at the same time, and simultaneously in them there is both the word they hear inwardly and the word they speak outwardly. Therefore, the reason is clear why he who had said nothing began by saying: And it happened; then he adds: After Alexander, son of Philip the Macedonian, who first reigned in Greece, went out from the land of Kittim, he struck Darius, king of the Persians and Medes. Therefore, it is shown to all that Alexander, son of Philip and Olympias, killed Darius, king of the Persians and Medes. Daniel also clearly expressed this in his vision, in which he describes the he-goat breaking the ram with its horns. But it is asked how Alexander is said to have first reigned in Greece, when many are found to have reigned there in different places before; for long before, kings presided over the Argives, Athenians, Lacedaemonians, Corinthians, and Lydians. Nor is Alexander found to be the first king in Macedonia, but the twenty-fourth: for the first king of the Macedonians was Caraunus, at the time when Azariah, who is also Uzziah, was king of the Hebrews in Judah (1 Kings 12), and Jeroboam was king of the Hebrews in Israel (2 Chron. 26). Also, Procas Sylvius of the Latins, Calcamenes of the Lacedaemonians, Alexander of the Corinthians, and Thespites of the Athenians; but Alexander is said to have first reigned in Greece because, while other kings previously reigned in individual regions, he alone was the first to reign over all of Greece. For, after overthrowing Thebes, taking up arms against the Persians, he overcame the leaders of Darius in battle at the river Ganges, and finally struck the ram itself, and broke its two horns, the Medes and Persians, and placed it under his feet, and subdued both horns under his rule. And when it is said he went out from Kittim, it signifies Greece itself. For Sethim was of the descendants of Noah, that is, the son of Javan, the son of Japheth, the son of Noah, and he possessed the island of Sitammam, which is now called Cyprus, as Josephus is witness, and from it all islands and naval places are called Cethim in Hebrew. Let us read the books of Varro on Antiquities and those of Sisinnius Capito and the Greek Phlegon and other most learned men, and we will see that almost all islands and the shores of the whole world and lands near the sea were occupied by Greek settlers, who, from the mountains of Amanus and Taurus, possessed all maritime places as far as the British Ocean.
1MA 1:2-3 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Therefore, Alexander the Great, as historians relate, after the death of Darius, subdued Hyrcania and the Macedonians; after this, he engaged in battle with the Parthians, whom, resisting for a long time, he almost destroyed before he conquered them. Then he subdued the Thracians, the Evergetes, the Parymas, the Parxammenians, the Hydaspians, and other peoples who dwelled at the foot of the Caucasus, establishing there the city of Alexandria above the river Tanais. But, greedy for human blood, whether of enemies or even of allies, he always thirsted for fresh gore. Therefore, rushing into wars with persistent zeal, he received the Cherasinos and Dracas, a strong people, into surrender; Callisthenes the philosopher, his fellow student under Aristotle, along with many other leaders, he killed because, abandoning the custom of greeting, he would not worship him as a master. After this, he sought India, so that he might end his empire at the Ocean and the farthest East, approached the city of Nisa, the Daedalos mountains, and conquered the kingdoms of Queen Cleophis; who, when she had surrendered, redeemed her kingdom by royal intercourse. Having crossed and subdued India, Alexander, when he had reached a rock of remarkable ruggedness and height, to which many peoples had fled, learned that Hercules had been prevented from attacking the same rock by an earthquake. Moved by rivalry, so that he might surpass the deeds of Hercules, with the greatest labor and danger he gained possession of the rock, and received all the peoples of that place into surrender. He waged a most bloody war with Porus, the bravest king of the Indians. Afterwards, when he had conquered the eastern peoples of each province, not without bloody victories, he boarded ships and, as he crossed the shores of the Ocean, he arrived at a certain city over which King Ambiger presided. But in the assault on the city, he lost a great part of his army to the arrows of the enemy, which were smeared with poison; and afterwards, with the help of an herb which had been shown to him in a dream and given as a drink to the wounded, when relief was brought to the rest, he stormed and captured the city. After he had circled to the Ocean and entered the river Indus, he quickly returned to Babylon, where envoys from the provinces of the whole world, terrified, awaited him, namely, those of the Carthaginians and all the cities of Africa, as well as the Spaniards, Gauls, Sicily and Sardinia, and, moreover, many parts of Italy. So great was the fear of the general established in the far East that the peoples of the farthest West were seized with terror, so that you might see an embassy from distant lands in his presence, from whom you would scarcely believe even a rumor could have reached; therefore it is well written: and the earth was silent in his presence, because no one dared to rebel against him.
1MA 1:4 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Having conquered nations everywhere, Alexander took away their treasures and wealth from all sides, so that after his death, his attendants and soldiers, because of the massiveness of the riches he had accumulated and because of the power of the kingdom, disagreed among themselves, as Pompeius Trogus and his abbreviator Justin show in their books of Histories, writing that, after Alexander's death, fifty thousand talents of gold were found in his treasury, and thirty thousand in annual tribute. Finally, Alexander, preserved by God's will amid the dangers of battles, was at last, while staying in the city of Babylon, killed by the betrayal of the Medes, and especially by the faction of his commander Antipater, who, through his son Cassander, destroyed him with poison, as the aforementioned Pompeius Trogus narrates, saying that when Alexander, returning to Babylon, had given many days to leisure, he diligently resumed the banquet which had previously been interrupted, and, pouring himself entirely into joy, had joined night to day in wakefulness; as he was already leaving the banquet, the physician Thessalus, with the feast renewed, invited him and his companions, where, having taken a cup, he suddenly groaned as if pierced by a weapon in the middle of drinking, and was carried away from the banquet half-alive, so tortured that he called for iron as a remedy, and the touch of men caused pain as if it were wounds. But in truth, there was a plot: for the aforementioned Antipater, seeing his dearest friends killed by Alexander, and realizing that, despite his great achievements in Greece, he was not so much esteemed by the king as envied, and being harassed by various accusations from his mother Olympias, arranged for his son Cassander to poison the king, giving him the poison, since Cassander, along with his brothers Philip and Iollas, was accustomed to serve the king. The poison was so potent that it could not be contained in bronze, iron, or clay, and could only be carried in a horse's hoof, with the son warned not to trust anyone except Thessalus and his brothers. Therefore, a banquet was prepared and repeated at Thessalus's house; Philip and Iollas, who were accustomed to taste and mix the king's drink, had the poison in cold water, and after tasting it, they poured it into the king's drink. On the fourth day, Alexander, feeling certain death approaching, declared that he recognized the fate of his ancestral house: for most of the Aeacidae had died before their thirtieth year. Then, as the soldiers were in turmoil and suspected the king was dying from a plot, he himself calmed them, and when he was brought out to the highest place in the city, he admitted them all to his presence, and extended his right hand for them to kiss as they wept. And while all were crying, he himself was not only tearful, but showed no sign of a troubled mind, so much so that he comforted some who grieved more impatiently, giving them messages for their parents, so that just as he was unconquered against enemies, so too in death his spirit remained undefeated. When his friends saw that he was failing, they asked whom he would make heir to the empire; he replied, "The most worthy." So great was his nobility of spirit that, although he left behind his son Hercules, his brother Arrhidaeus, and his pregnant wife Roxana, he forgot family ties and named the most worthy as heir: as if it were a crime for a brave man to be succeeded by anyone other than a brave man, or for the wealth of such a great kingdom to be left to any but the worthy. With this voice, as if he had sounded the war trumpet among friends, or had sent the apple of discord, so all rose up in rivalry and sought the ambition of the common people with silent conversation and the favor of the soldiers. On the sixth day, with his voice failing, he handed over Perdiccas' ring, which he had removed from his finger, and this act calmed the growing disagreement among his friends. For although he was…
1MA 1:8-9 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Therefore, upon the death of Alexander the Great, the entire body of the kingdom of the Macedonians, which he had united not without great effort, was torn apart by his successors through tyranny and was rent by many and grievous battles, as is found written at length in the histories of the nations. But omitting many of these, the writer of the present history arrives at Antiochus Epiphanes, who committed many evils against the Jews, polluted the holy place, and profaned the law; concerning whom it follows: Therefore, the first to reign over Syria after Alexander the Great was Seleucus, surnamed Nicanor, for thirty-two years; the second was Antiochus, called Soter, for nineteen years; the third was Antiochus, called Theos, who reigned for fifteen years; the fourth was Seleucus, surnamed Gallinicus, son of Antiochus, for twenty years; the fifth, Seleucus Ceraunus, son of Seleucus Gallerius, for three years; the sixth, Antiochus the Great, whom Scripture here calls the illustrious Antiochus as the father, who was the brother of Seleucus Ceraunus and son of Seleucus Gallinicus, reigned for thirty-six years; the seventh, Seleucus, who was also surnamed Philopator, for twelve years; after whom Antiochus Epiphanes, who is also called renowned or noble, brother of Seleucus Philopator and son of Antiochus the Great, reigned for eleven years, about whom Scripture now narrates that from them arose the sinful root,
1MA 1:10 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
He is rightly called the sinful root, since he was a useless stock, prone to sin and most ready for wickedness, under whom the persecution of the law of God and the wars of the Maccabees are recounted. For the entire period of the kingdom of the Greeks is gathered from the first year of Seleucus Nicanor up to the beginning of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, one hundred and thirty-seven years.
1MA 1:11 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Greek and Roman history recounts that Antiochus Epiphanes plotted deceit against Ptolemy Philopator, the son of Cleopatra his sister, of whom he was the uncle, and deprived him of the kingdom of Egypt; and after the death of Cleopatra, when Alanicus the eunuch, the tutor of Philometor, and Leneus governed Egypt and sought to recover Syria, which Antiochus had seized by betrayal, a battle arose between the uncle and the boy Ptolemy. And when they engaged between Pelusium and Mount Casius, the leaders of Ptolemy were defeated; but Antiochus, sparing the boy and pretending friendship, went up to Memphis, and there, according to the custom of Egypt, received the kingdom, and claiming to provide for the boy's affairs, with a small force he subdued all Egypt, and entered the abundant and most fertile cities, and did what neither his fathers nor his forefathers had done, as it is written of him in Daniel. For no one in the kingdom of Syria had so devastated Egypt, and he scattered all their wealth, and was so cunning that he overthrew by his deceit the wise counsels of those who were the boy's leaders.
1MA 1:20-23 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Therefore, it is consequently narrated about the same king in the aforementioned histories that after he was driven out by the Egyptians, he came into Judea, that is, against the holy covenant, and plundered the temple and took away a great amount of gold, and after placing a military base of Macedonians in the citadel, he returned to his own land and, after two years, again gathered an army against Ptolemy to the south. And when the two brothers of Ptolemy, sons of Cleopatra, whose uncle was Antiochus, were besieged in Alexandria, Roman envoys came, one of whom was Marcus Publius Letias. When he found him standing on the shore and delivered a decree by which he was ordered by the friends of the Roman people to withdraw and be content with his own dominion, and when he had brought the answer to the council of friends, Marcus is said to have drawn a circle in the sand with the staff he held in his hand, and to have limited the king and said: The Senate and the Roman people command that you answer in this place what you intend to do. At these words, he, terrified, said: If this pleases the Senate and the Roman people, I must withdraw from here; and so he immediately moved his army. Josephus wrote things consistent with these, that the king Antiochus, having returned from Egypt because of fear of the Romans, led his army to Jerusalem; and arriving there in the one hundred and forty-third year after the reign of the first Seleucus, in the one hundred and fifty-third Olympiad, on the twenty-fourth day of the month Casleu, which the Macedonians call Apelleon, he took it without any resistance, as those who agreed with his will opened the gates for him, and entering the city of Jerusalem, he killed many who thought contrary to him, as well as those who, by opening the gate, betrayed the city of God, because of the wealth of the temple, and having taken away much money from it, he returned to Antioch. But after he plundered the temple, so that he carried away the vessels of God and the golden lamps, and the golden altar, and the table, and the sanctuary, nor did he refrain from the veils, which were of fine linen and scarlet, and draining the gold and treasures, leaving absolutely nothing, he brought the Jews to the greatest mourning because of these things. For he also forbade the daily sacrifices which they offered to God according to the law; and after destroying the whole city, he killed some, led others away captive with their sons and wives, so that the number of the multitude of captives seemed to be up to ten thousand. But mystically, this Antiochus, who entered the Holy Land with arrogance, devastated the temple, and defiled the holy place with pagan superstition, holds the type of the Antichrist, who wages a cruel war against the Church of Christ, and strives to defile the souls of believers, which are truly the temple of God, with his error. Concerning him, it is written in the prophecy of Daniel, under the figure of this Antiochus: "His heart shall be set against the holy covenant, and he shall act, and return to his own land. At the appointed time he shall return and come toward the south, and he shall be enraged against the holy covenant, and he shall act, and return, and shall devise against those who forsake the holy covenant. And arms from him shall stand, and they shall defile the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the continual sacrifice, and they shall set up the abomination of desolation. And the wicked shall pretend deceitfully in the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and act," etc. (Dan. 11:28-32) There is no doubt that these things, which happened under Antiochus Epiphanes as a prefigurement, that is, that the most wicked king persecuted the people of God, foreshadow the cruelty of the Antichrist, who will persecute the Christian people, who will be outraged against the covenant of God, and will plot against those whom he wishes to abandon the law of God, and will defile the…
1MA 1:24-26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Every rank, every age, and every sex grieves when the persecutor rages, because no person is immune from persecution, and each one groans both for the loss of calmness and for the harm to the faith of those who fall, because, as Paul says (1 Cor. 12:26): The members in the body of Christ care for one another, and if one member suffers, all the members suffer together; and so the same Apostle, writing against those who loved vain glory, after listing the hardships he himself suffered physically, added, saying (2 Cor. 11:28-30): Besides those things which are outside, my daily pressure, the care for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I do not burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. And elsewhere: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, having the same feeling toward one another; not being wise in your own sight, but consenting to the humble. (Rom. 12:15-16)
1MA 1:29 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
We have said above that Antiochus was a type of Antichrist; likewise, in this place, the son of perdition can similarly be understood as the chief collector of tribute, whom the prince of this world and the ruler of these present darknesses, the Devil, incites to demand that in the cities of Judah, that is, in the Churches of Christ, the tribute of sins be paid to him; however, he does not always demand this everywhere by force of persecutions, but sometimes by torments, sometimes by flattery, sometimes by threats and open cruelty, sometimes by deceit and trickery.
1MA 1:30-32 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
But whoever believes him, prepares persecution for himself; for this same most wicked enemy, by evil persuasion, performs lying signs and wonders, so that men may believe him to be God and offer him divine worship. Therefore, those who believe him, he spiritually kills in their soul; but those who resist, he afflicts with bodily torment. Therefore it happens, which must be read with great sorrow of mind, that he might destroy a great number of the people of Israel, when he converts many from the Christian faith into apostasy: he takes the spoils of the city, when he removes the ornaments of the church; he sets it on fire, when he devastates it with persecution; he destroys its houses and walls all around, when he scatters the people of believers and kills their defenders, that is, the teachers, and leads captive the women, and the children, and the livestock, because those who are soft in spirit and are children in understanding and serve carnal desires, living after the manner of brute animals, are especially open to the captivity and snare of the ancient enemy, with the churches of Christ devastated and his ministers scattered because of persecution, the evil enemy strives to establish the art of wickedness in their place and to substitute blasphemous worshipers, so that, if possible, through wicked men, the Christian name, which alone has prevailed in the world, may be utterly destroyed, and the will of the Devil may be fulfilled in the pollution of idols and the multiplication of sins.
1MA 1:37-39 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The inhabitants of Jerusalem flee when, as the persecution grows fierce, some flee physically so that they may not be scandalized; others flee in mind, and suffer great scandal in their souls; others persevere in the confession of Christ even unto death, and, free from the hands of the persecutors, escape to heaven to be rewarded; and therefore the holy land becomes the dwelling of foreigners, when, as the number of persecutors multiplies throughout the world, the members of Christ destined to be crowned through martyrdom increase: its feast days are turned into mourning, when the most celebrated rite of the Christian religion is not permitted to have the adornment of its splendor;
1MA 1:39 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
and the hope which the faithful have in the future rest of souls is abolished, or is mocked by the enemy.
1MA 1:40 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For the glory of the Church of the faithful is defiled by shame, when, with the enemy ruling, the glory of the heavenly ceremonies and the dignity of the divine offices suffer the greatest reproach from the blasphemies of the wicked.
1MA 1:41-49 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The writings and spiritual letters of Antiochus, the philosopher, are from the pagan heretics and schismatics among the Christians, who desire to subvert the truth of Christ's law and the decrees of the Catholic faith, and who are pained by divine worship and the Christian religion. Yet the more they strive through error to unite people to themselves, the more they cause them to disagree with one another, because they themselves are not in harmony with each other, but, rebel through various sects, they differ and therefore are less able to serve and unite in unity. For among the proud, as Scripture testifies, there are always quarrels, and according to the judgment of Truth, Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and house will fall upon house. (Luke 11:18) The books and letters of Antiochus command in Jerusalem and in the cities of Judea that they follow the laws of the nations, and therefore define holocausts, and sacrifices, and offerings to be made in the temple of God. For the greatest care and zeal of heretics and pagans is that in the church of Christ they either confuse or utterly extinguish divine worship, lest the sincerity of true faith, which works through love, offer a pleasing holocaust to God on the altar of the believer's heart, nor the mystical sacrifices of the body and blood of the Lord, together with the sacred prayers of the faithful and the offering of good deeds, be worthily presented in the true temple of God to the creator of all and giver of all good things. They forbid the celebration of the Sabbath, because they deny that in the heavenly kingdom there will be the rest of holy souls. They order the building of altars, temples, and idols, because they desire to make the minds of the faithful vessels for evil spirits; to sacrifice swine's flesh and common animals, that is, to lead an unclean life and, like brute animals, to live in lust and the desires of the flesh; to leave their sons uncircumcised, that is, with no guard, no self-control, and no discernment to temper thoughts, words, and deeds, so that they forget the divine law and change God's justifications into the commission of various crimes. And all these things they compel to be done not only by persuasion of words, but also by the torment of various punishments.
1MA 1:50 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Cruelty blazes when wickedness burns; savagery rages when desire boils. Throughout his entire kingdom, Antiochus decrees torments by written orders, and brings death upon the worshippers of the God of the land. In the same way, Antichrist, through his most wicked ministers, seeks out various kinds of punishments, so that he might uproot, crush, and destroy Christians from the state of the most holy religion.
1MA 1:54-55 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The month of Casleu is the same among the Greeks as what is called December among the Latins. On the tenth day of this month, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year of the reign of the Greeks, which they begin to count from the first year of Seleucus, Antiochus Epiphanes placed the abominable idol of desolation in the temple of God, that is, the statue of Jupiter Olympius; moreover, in the eighth year of his rule, in which year he built a shrine of Jupiter Peregrinus or Hospitaller on the summit of Mount Garizim in Samaria, at the request of the Samaritans themselves, who asked him to do so by letter, as Josephus testifies. But we read in the Gospel according to Matthew, when the Savior was questioned by his disciples about the sign of his coming and the end of the age, that he replied among other things: Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand (Matt. 24:15). When we are called to understanding, it shows that what has been said is mystical. It is written in Daniel in this way: And in the middle of the week my sacrifice and offerings will be taken away, and in the temple there will be the abomination of desolation, and desolation will persist until the consummation of time and the end. (Dan. 9:27) The Apostle speaks of this (2 Thess. 2), that the man of lawlessness, the adversary, will be exalted against everything that is called God and is worshipped, so that he will dare to stand in the temple of God and show that he himself is the Lord. His coming, according to the working of Satan, will destroy them and bring to desolation those who have received him. This can be understood simply either about the Antichrist, or about the image of Caesar which Pilate placed in the temple, or about the equestrian statue of Hadrian, which stood in the very Holy of Holies even to the present day. Also, according to the truth of the Scriptures, an abomination is called an idol, and therefore desolation is added, because in the desolate and deserted temple an idol was set up; but when the idol of jealousy was established in the temple of God throughout all the cities, then the ministers of the most wicked king built altars all around, and before the doors of houses and in the streets they burned incense and offered sacrifices; because, with the unclean Antichrist reigning in the house, his supporters and promoters, and all the wicked, having rejected the worship of the one God and despised the house of God, which is the holy Church, with confused mind and disordered conduct, in various places, to the demons of different errors and various crimes, they bring deadly sacrifices. And it is well said that they built altars all around, because, having abandoned the simplicity of the truth, they follow the erroneous sects of wickedness. For, as the Psalmist testifies, all the wicked walk around (Ps. 11:9). And before the doors of their houses and in the streets they burn incense and offer sacrifices, who do not deserve to enter to the altar of God and there to offer the incense of pure prayer to God, but on the broad and spacious way which leads to death (Matt. 7:13), they carry their deeds and words as offerings to the evil enemy.
1MA 1:56 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
They tear apart and burn the books of God with fire, who, through the fire of desire, wish to tear apart the purity of the law of God from its state of righteousness by heretical depravity, and eagerly seek to slaughter the holy preachers, to whom the treasure of the testaments of God has been entrusted, with the sword of their wickedness.
1MA 1:59 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is signified by the number twenty and five, except those who, entangled by the five senses of the body in carnal desires, act and think contrary to the law of God, which consists in the two Testaments and in the two commandments, namely, the love of God and of neighbor. Therefore, twenty-five is produced by multiplying five by itself, and rightly this number is compared to the deserters of the law, who, through each sense of the body, that is, through sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, oppose the divine precepts written in the Pentateuch. And therefore it is said that they sacrificed on the altar which was against the altar, because on the altar of wickedness, which pride had erected against the altar of the Catholic faith, all the wicked offer to the Devil the ill-fated sacrifices of their actions and words.
1MA 1:60 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The meaning of the story is clear, which explains the torments that wicked persecutors inflicted upon worshippers, both then in the Old Testament and now similarly in the New. Nor is it easy for anyone to name all the kinds of punishments which the most evil torturers inflicted upon the martyrs of Christ. But according to the allegorical sense, what is shown by the women who were circumcising their sons, if not the honorable persons of the faithful, who, examining their actions, words, and thoughts with the utmost discernment, hurry to cut off with the sword of the spirit whatever they find unnecessary in them? This spiritual Antiochus desires to slaughter them, because he strives either to strike them physically through torture or to kill them spiritually in the soul through denial. Antiochus is interpreted as 'the silence of poverty', and he is rightly called by this name, who, lacking spiritual knowledge and deprived of sacred virtues, persecutes in others through envy that which he himself does not at all possess.
1MA 1:61 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Because those who are children not by understanding but by evil and humble in spirit, they do not delay to kill on account of the confession of faith. Similarly, those who had circumcised them were slaughtered, because they especially harass the holy preachers, who, by the knife of holiness and the word of evangelical doctrine, restrain and discipline their subjects, with the troubles of persecutions.
1MA 1:62-63 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
No persecution nor any tribulation could ever tear the saints of God, who are predestined and called according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, from the faith of Christ: but persevering in truth, they neither ate food sacrificed to idols, nor consented to be defiled by the uncleanness of sins, nor did they allow the holy law of God to be broken and corrupted by heretical corruption, but rather chose to die for the name of Christ than to consent to wickedness. Therefore one of them, relying on this confidence, writing to the disciples, therefore testified, saying: For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angel, nor principality, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39).
1MA 2:1-5 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
In the book of Daniel, where mention of this place is made under a riddle, it is found written therefore: And the wicked shall deceitfully mimic the covenant; but the people who know their God shall prevail and act. And the learned among the people shall teach many, and they shall fall by sword, and by flame, and by captivity, and by plunder of days. And when they fall, they shall be helped with a little help, and many shall join them deceitfully. And some of the learned shall fall, that they may be refined, and chosen, and made white, until the appointed time, for there is yet another time. (Dan. 11:32-35) How much the Jews suffered from Antiochus is related by the present history of the Maccabees, and their triumph is testified by those who, for the preservation of the law of God, endured flames and swords, slavery and plundering, and the utmost punishments. No one doubts that similar things will happen under the Antichrist, with many resisting his power and fleeing in different directions. The Hebrews interpret these events, in the final destruction of the temple which happened under Vespasian and Titus, as meaning that there were many among the people who knew their Lord and were killed for preserving the law. And when they have fallen, he says (Dan. 11:35), they will be helped, and many will join them deceitfully. And some of the learned will fall, so that they may be refined, chosen, and purified until the appointed time, because there will still be another time. The little help historically refers to Mattathias from the village of Modin, who rebelled against the leaders of Antiochus and tried to preserve the worship of the true God. He calls it little help because, after beginning the defense, he lived only a short time, dying after one year, and afterwards his son Judas, called Maccabeus, fell fighting, and the rest of his brothers were deceived by the fraud of their enemies. But mystically, Mathathias signifies the Lord the Savior, who is the leader of the people of God and the defender of His elect; whose sons fight for the house of Israel, defend the sanctuary of God and the divine law. Moreover, Mathathias is interpreted as the gift of God, the mystery of whose name has revealed to us the ritual of His incarnation. Therefore, He Himself also says in the Gospel: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16). For he who is given by God is the perfect gift of God. But these things have been said only about his incarnation. However, concerning his divinity, by which he is equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit, it must be believed that he, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, accomplishes the same special consideration. Just as the Holy Spirit is read as the gift of God, yet nevertheless, together with the Father and the Son, is believed and worshipped as one God: therefore in the Gospel he is both read as sent and as coming of his own accord, as in the Lord's saying: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete (Jn. 14:16); and again: But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth (Jn. 15:26). To Nicodemus he says: The Spirit breathes where he wills, and you hear his voice, but you do not know where he comes or where he goes (Jn. 3:8). Here therefore Mathathias is described as the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest from the sons of Joarib. John is interpreted as "by the grace of God," Simeon as "hearing," Joarib as "the Lord exalting." These interpretations rightly fit this mystery, because the mediator between God and men can be called the grace of God, as the Apostle says: The grace of God tasted death for men (Heb. 2:9); and "hearing," because he himself says in the Gospel: What I have heard from the Father, these I speak in the world (Jn. 8:26); and "the Lord exalting," of whom the Prophet says: Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength (Ps.…
1MA 2:6 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
For these, indeed, recognize with sorrow the various scandals that are continually inflicted by the wicked in the Church of God; they long to avenge them with a spiritual sword, do not fear to offer themselves as a sacrifice and to deliver themselves to death for the salvation of their own.
1MA 2:14 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
What then is the tearing of garments, if not to surrender their bodies to suffering? And what is to be covered with sackcloth, if not to punish the righteous as if they were sinners, or to torment them? Sackcloth is also made from goats, a rough and coarse torment. For goats are rightly associated with offenses, since in the judgment of the Lord they are placed among the sinners (Ps. 34). Therefore, because the Lord assumed the flesh of sin, he recalls that he clothed himself in sackcloth: for if we take it historically, we never read that he actually used sackcloth. Therefore, while the Jews were troublesome through insults and plots, he concealed his divinity from their darkened minds with the veil of flesh; because they did not deserve to recognize whom they were treating with such wickedness and seeking to kill. For on account of the sins of the people, the Redeemer of the human race surrendered his flesh to death, and sympathized with our weakness: concerning whom the Lord himself says through Isaiah: For the transgressions of my people I struck him (Isa. 53:8), and: He himself will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him among many, and he shall share the spoils with the strong, because he surrendered his soul to death, and was counted among the wicked, and he himself bore the sins of many, and prayed for the transgressors (Isa. 53:12). Likewise, his sons, that is, the apostles and martyrs, taught by his example, did not hesitate to die temporarily for the law of God and the salvation of their brothers, so that through this they might merit the joys of the heavenly kingdom with the holy angels. Therefore John the apostle says: In this we know love, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (I Jn. 3:16).
1MA 2:15 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
For Antiochus the spiritual one sends into the city of Modin, which is interpreted as judgment: namely, into the holy Church, where the judgments of God are most diligently kept; so that those who had fled there seeking the remedy for their souls may be forced to depart from the law, to offer the sacrifice of sins and the worship of wickedness to the Devil.
1MA 2:16 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
But what follows we cannot read without lament, when we see some, compelled by torments, apostatize from the religion of devotion; others, enticed by the desire of this world, fall back; others, deceived by the cunning of heretics, are led astray; and others, by their own lust and passion, return to the former filth of vices.
1MA 2:17-18 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
Whether by deceit or by force, the ancient enemy always plots how he might overthrow the worship of devotion in the Church of Christ. For he himself, who approached our Redeemer in the desert to tempt Him, saying: If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread (Matt. 4:3); and after he had set Him on the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city, he said: If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down (Matt. 4:6). For it is written: For He has given His angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone (Ps. 91:12). And then, transferring Him to a high mountain, he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said to Him: All these things will I give you, if, falling down, you will adore me (Matt. 4:9). The same things he deceitfully suggests daily in His members through his ministers, so that for worldly ambition they might abandon the way of justice, and do the command of the most wicked king who reigns over all the children of pride (Job 41:34), etc.
1MA 2:19 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
The determination of Mattathias strengthened the spirits of his sons; so also the patience and long-suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthens the faith of all believers. Therefore he said to his disciples: Do not be surprised if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you (Jn. 15:18); nor fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). In your patience you will possess your souls, and your reward will be great in heaven (Luke 21:19). But he who perseveres to the end, he will be saved (Matt. 24:13).
1MA 2:23-25 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
This Jew who sacrificed to idols before the eyes of all signifies bad Catholics, who by their wicked deeds and the mark of sins scandalize their neighbors. For in this they are proved to sacrifice to idols, in that they are shown to be captivated by the principal vices. Where Paul the Apostle calls greed the service of idols (Gal. 5:20). But the sword of Mattathias slays these over the altar, because the vengeance of the most just judge exercises rightful punishment upon such people. And also he killed the man whom Antiochus had sent, who was convincing them to sacrifice, at that very moment: because on the last day of judgment, not only sinful men, but also the instigators of sinners, namely evil spirits, will receive the deserved punishment of eternal damnation; and at the same time the altar of wickedness will be destroyed, because after the judgment has been completed, no further opportunity to sin will be granted to the wicked.
1MA 2:26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
That he was zealous for the law, as Phinehas did to Zimri the son of Salu, shows that the mighty deeds of the holy fathers prefigured the most noble act of our Redeemer in the last times.
1MA 2:27-28 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
These words of Mattathias prefigured the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, who encourages us daily to leave behind the vanity of this world and to seek the heavenly joys of the kingdom. For he himself says in the Gospel: Whoever does not renounce all that he possesses cannot be my disciple. Whoever loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not carry his cross daily and follow me is not worthy of me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it (Luke 14:26-33); but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 16:25). For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul, or what exchange will a man give for his soul (Luke 9:25)? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each according to his works (Matt. 16:27). For our Redeemer and his innocent sons flee, and they leave behind whatever they have in the city, because through the guidance of Truth himself we desire to ascend to the heights of virtue, and, despising as extra those things which pertain to the luxury of the world, we cast them away. Therefore it is that we read in the Gospel (Matt. 5) that the same Lord led his disciples up the mountain, and there he sat, and there he taught them; there he prayed and there he fed the crowds, so that by his example he might always urge us to go further, to higher and more perfect things, etc.
1MA 2:29 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
These, who with Mattathias and his sons did not ascend into the mountains, but descended into the desert to sit there and seek judgment and justice, we can better understand allegorically than as Jews who, after receiving the grace of Christ's baptism, thought circumcision and the old law should still be observed. And it is fitting that these are remembered as having gone into the desert, who, with the dawning of the truth of the Gospel, considered the shadow of the law, now deserted, as still necessary for themselves, and proclaimed that the legal Sabbath should be observed, when all these things in the times of the law preceded as signs, and should be observed spiritually in the New Testament. Against whom the Apostle argues very extensively in his Epistles, asserting that the end of the law is Christ for righteousness to everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4). Therefore, these are rightly struck by the sword of spiritual enemies, who do not consider the grace of Christ sufficient for their salvation. Also, according to spiritual sense, among these seekers of the desert, lazy ones can be understood, who, having received the grace of the Christian religion, think it sufficient for themselves that they have received divine gifts and the cleansing of baptism, nor do they wish, after the removal of stains, to exercise works of virtue, nor do they remember that evangelical parable in which the Savior, narrating about the unclean spirit in the Gospel, said that the unclean spirit went out from a man and walked through waterless places, seeking rest and not finding it. Again, with seven spirits more wicked, he found his former house empty, swept, and adorned: such people are easily overwhelmed by spiritual enemies, because they did not care to be armed with the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, and the sword of the spirit (Eph. 6:14), with which they should have resisted their enemies. Therefore it is added that Mattathias and his friends mourned over their destruction, because the Church is afflicted with great sorrow when it recognizes that some from its own number have fallen into the pit of sins through the snares and persecution of evil enemies.
1MA 2:40 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
Therefore, good men greatly detest idleness, which is the enemy of the soul, and indeed they would rather choose to fight daily with spiritual enemies with courage, than to weaken in the sloth of evil idleness, especially since they presume to have the hope of victory not from themselves, but to have divine help, nor do they promise themselves security in the present, but in the future, when all adversities have been destroyed, death itself, the last enemy, will be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26), and there will be no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away (Rev. 21:4), when the saints will rejoice in the joy of the face of God, and will enjoy the most wholesome delight at His right hand forever (Ps. 16:11).
1MA 2:42 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
As Scripture relates, it is clear that while the Savior and his apostles were preaching the Gospel, many from the Jewish people came to faith, believing the law and the prophets who bore witness to the coming of Christ, and likewise many from among the proselytes and foreigners, leaving behind their idols and the superstition of paganism, flocked from everywhere to hear the word of God, and were added to the number of believers.
1MA 2:44 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
Stirred up by the zeal of faith, they cast out evil spirits and expelled them from men possessed through error, and they exposed the poisons of their deceit to them. The Jews also, being compelled, fled to the nations, according to that passage of the Gospel where, when men were healed, demons were permitted by the Savior to enter into the swine (Mark 8:28-34), so that the unclean possessors might possess vessels of uncleanness.
1MA 2:48 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
The soldiers of Christ obtained the law from the hands of kings when, persevering in the truth of the Gospel, they yielded to no error, but rather, through prayer and their preaching, subjected others to the truth. Therefore it happened that many of those who, puffed up by the pride of the world, had previously been persecutors of the Christian religion, later, having been converted, became the strongest defenders of the truth, and did not give the horn to the sinner, because they did not consent to iniquity; according to that passage from Esther, who said in her prayer: Do not give, Lord, your scepter to those who are not (Esther 14:11).
1MA 2:49 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
This call of Mattathias, who encouraged his sons to be imitators of the law of God and to give their lives for the covenant of the fathers, fits well with the evangelical doctrine, because Truth itself instructed its disciples with words and examples on how to resist all errors of the Jews, pagans, and heretics, and to convert the world to faith through their preaching; and it affirmed its own doctrine by the testimony of the law and the prophets, showing that the author of the New Testament is the same as that of the Old Testament.
1MA 2:64 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
We read in the Gospel of John that the Savior, hurrying to His passion on the very night on which He was betrayed, after the mystical supper and the washing of the feet which, tightened with a towel, He performed for His disciples, offered many teachings of encouragement, among which He both foretold the passion that was to come upon them in the world and promised the glory of the future kingdom and the joy of the heavenly homeland (Jn. 13). But since the death of Mattathias prefigures the passion of the Redeemer, let us hear how the teaching office of the Church has been ordained throughout the whole time of this present life.
1MA 2:65 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
We said above that Simeon is interpreted as "he who hears," and it is correctly said that Simeon is a man of counsel, because those who, taught by the grace of the Holy Spirit, are instructed by inner hearing, are useful and suitable for counsel in all things. Therefore the Psalmist says: I will hear what the Lord God will speak within me, for he will speak peace to his people, etc. (Ps. 85:8). And in the Apocalypse: He who hears, let him say, Come (Rev. 22:17). The heavenly teacher urges us to listen to those whom he, teaching inwardly, has made to be beneficial teachers for us.
1MA 2:66 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
What is signified by Judas Maccabeus, if not the first preachers of the Gospel, who, having been taught by the Savior himself, were made fit to wage the war of the Christian people? But because Judas is interpreted as confession, and in many places holds the type of the Savior himself, let us know that our war is then conducted in proper order, when he agrees to direct both our counsel and our action. Therefore, Truth itself says to the disciples: Remain in me and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me, for without me you can do nothing (Jn. 15:4-5). And, Behold, I am with you all days, even to the end of the world (Matt. 28:20).
1MA 2:69 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
It is found written in the Gospel how the Savior, after he finished the supper which he had with his disciples before his passion, gave his final teaching by instructing his disciples that night, and at the end, having finished his prayer directed to the Father, praised his disciples to be kept by him, saying: Holy Father, keep them in your name whom you have given me, that they may be one as we are (Jn. 17:11). And a little later: Sanctify them, he says, in the truth. Your word is truth; as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth, etc. (Jn. 17:17). For with such words our Mathathias instructed and blessed his pupils. And so he was added to his fathers, because in all things, as it was written about him, he confirmed the sayings of the holy fathers by fulfilling them with his passion, resurrection, and ascension.
1MA 2:70 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 2
It has been previously stated that Mattathias, in the one hundred and forty-sixth year, when the nations were desecrating the temple of God, rose up, and his sons were zealous for the law of God and avenged the holy things. Now, too, Scripture reports that the same Mattathias died in the one hundred and forty-sixth year. From this it appears that he lived no more than one year together with his sons after the beginning of their vengeance, and therefore he died. This number of years fits well with the mystery of the Lord's Passion, because after the fullness of time in which God decreed to send His Son, according to the testimony of the Law and the Gospel, in the sixth age of the world, the Savior, who was created on the sixth day, suffered on the sixth day, and perfectly redeemed and restored mankind by the price of His blood. Moreover, the fact that he is said to have been buried by his sons in the tomb of his fathers in Modin signifies that the memory of his passion is fittingly venerated daily by the faithful in the holy Church, where the place of judgment and fairness is, and that a beneficial mourning is celebrated there, because the holy men, inflamed by the desire for eternal life, strive in the chambers of their hearts to be moved by saving tears.
1MA 3:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Upon the death of Mattathias, Judas Maccabeus, his son, succeeded him, whom all his brothers and all who had joined his father assisted. What, then, does this event suggest to us, except that our Redeemer, after completing his passion and resurrection, ascended into heaven, and, having sent the Holy Spirit from heaven, first appointed successors to himself in the preaching of the Gospel, namely the apostles, who are rightly considered by the name of Judas, that is, confessors, because of whom Luke says in the Gospel: They were always in the temple, praising and blessing the Lord (Luke 24:53). Therefore, all his brothers and all who had joined his father assisted him: because men of lower rank, and all believers who came to faith through the doctrine of Christ, work together with the apostolic choir in the testimony of the Gospel according to their ability.
1MA 3:2-3 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For that apostolic assembly, filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, everywhere sincerely preached the word of God, rejoicing in tribulations and in hardships and in necessities, increasing and multiplying everywhere the number of believers in the Lord.
1MA 3:3-5 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For with the strength of faith he protected himself on all sides.
1MA 3:6-7 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Namely, those who tried to resist the Gospel of Christ.
1MA 3:8 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For by examining the faith of the Churches, he struck with anathema the heretics who held views contrary to the true faith.
1MA 3:9 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. (Ps. 18:5)
1MA 3:10 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is expressed by Apollonius except the cruelty of the Jews, who had gathered great strength from Samaria against Israel, because through the observance of the letter of the law they strove to fight against the faith of Christ, as if it were contrary to the commandments of God.
1MA 3:11 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Because Christ, in his apostles, overcoming the error of the Jews by the testimony of the law itself and the prophets, destroyed it, showing that the shadows of the law and the prophets prefigured the truth of the Gospel.
1MA 3:12 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
We understand the sword of Apollonius to be nothing other than the word of the law and the prophets, which the holy preachers, taking up, fight with all their days, when, taking away from the carnal people the history of the divine law, interpreted with spiritual meaning by apostolic tradition, they overcome the errors of all nations, and throughout all the days of this age the virtue of joy of the holy Church brings forth a most glorious victory.
1MA 3:13-14 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By Seron, the leader of the army of Syria, is signified the rulers of this world, who are rightly designated by the name Syria: for Syria is interpreted as exalted or moistening, because this world is cultivated by pride and boasts in luxury. Therefore, Seron plans to defeat Judas and those who are with him, as worldly arrogance plots against holy teachers and the faithful people, and gathers the camps of the wicked for this purpose, so that by the comfort of many who do harm he may oppress the innocent, trusting more in the power of the kingdom than in the virtue of God. But contrary to his expectation, it happens to him that the stone cut out of the mountain without hands (Dan. 2:45) will crush the statue of pride, will break gold and silver, bronze and iron, and the kingdom will be given to the people of the saints. The lion from the tribe of Judah has conquered, the root of David (Rev. 5:5), to whom all power in heaven and on earth has been given (Matt. 28:18).
1MA 3:16 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
It is rightly said that the army of Syria was approaching, because it carries out all its actions with uproar. But Bethoron is interpreted as the house of wrath. Judas, however, met them with a few, because the company of the saints responds to their enemies not with wrath, but with patience and humility, as they are commanded by the Lord saying: Be reconciled quickly with your adversary while you are on the way with him; but I say to you, do not resist evil; but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, offer him the other also; and to him who wishes to resist with you in court and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well (Matt. 5:39).
1MA 3:17 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The words of those who are afraid express the weakness of certain subordinates, who, considering their own frailty more, fear disaster rather than have confidence in the Lord through the strength of faith; but the wisdom of the teachers, restraining that fear with sincere encouragements, gives them sure hope of the future help of God, who is the protector of all who faithfully trust in Him.
1MA 3:23 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Because often the humility of the holy fathers lessens the fury of those who persecute, and the meekness of the humble overthrows the boldness of the proud. Therefore it is that Paul teaches, saying: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:20-21).
1MA 3:24 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The total of those who fall is fittingly concluded by the number eight, because those who voluntarily yield to the truth, and by spiritual circumcision cut off from themselves all spiritual pleasures, strive to gather within themselves the virtues of the eight beatitudes.
1MA 3:25 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The fear of Judah and his brothers fell upon all the nations, when the power of Christ shone forth in his members through virtues and miracles.
1MA 3:26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
That the preaching of his gospel became known to the rulers of this world; and all nations spoke of the battles of Judah, as the nations of the whole world proclaim the victory of our Redeemer over death and the author of death.
1MA 3:27-36 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The passions of this historical Antiochus, by which he was immediately inflamed, namely, anger, desire, and pride, well express the character of the spiritual Antiochus, by which he most powerfully afflicts the whole world now through his members, but at the end of the world through himself; when there will be such tribulation as has not been before nor will be after (Matt. 24:21). He becomes angry when he hears of the glory of the saints, and their virtue and determination, and he gathers an army, giving it pay for a year, when by the advantages of the present life and ambitious honors he provokes various people to persecute the faithful: he chooses his nobles for their wicked lives, worldly pride, and greed, so that they may manage the affairs of the kingdom, when he appoints his ministers and followers to suggest the allurements of present things, and by provoking to earthly pleasures, draws those who consent to himself. By the name of sons, those are counted who are imitators of Christ. For he nourishes these through his nobles, when by corrupting them with various vices through the most wicked people, he makes them fuel for eternal fire. He especially commands his magistrates to root out the virtues of Israel and the remnants of Jerusalem, and to appoint foreigners in their place, because there is no device, no effort more characteristic of the Devil than to overthrow the Church of Christ, to weaken the strength of faith in the elect, and to introduce vices in place of virtues.
1MA 3:38-39 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is signified by Lysias, if not worldly pride, which through three men, that is, three orders of persecutors, brings war upon the Church of Christ, namely through pagans, heretics, and false Christians? To these are added forty thousand men and seven thousand horsemen, to destroy Judas according to the king's command. What is signified by the number forty, if not the entirety of time which the Church endures persecution in the world? For there are four principal parts of the world, that is, East, West, North, and South, in which the Church, having been spread, stands. To gather it, the Son of God descended into the world; where before his passion he fasted for forty days and forty nights, showing our temptation in his flesh, which he stooped to take from our mortality, wishing to share it. Therefore, from the hour of his death until the dawn of his resurrection, there are forty hours, if the ninth hour itself is counted. After the resurrection, he wished to be with his disciples on this earth for no more than forty days: therefore, their lives still mingled with human conversation, and with them he received the food of mortals, although now no longer to die; so that through those forty days he might signify that he would fulfill what he permitted by his hidden presence, when he said: "Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world" (Matt. 28:20). By the number seven, however, by which the thousands of horsemen are described, nothing else is shown but the fullness of persecutions; because just as by the number seven the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit is shown, so also when, on the contrary, it is read in the Gospel that the evil spirit brought with him seven spirits more wicked than himself into a man (Matt. 12:45), and elsewhere it is read that the Lord cast out seven demons from the sinful woman (Luke 8:2), therefore all persecutors, rightly instigated by the Devil, are united for this purpose, that the Church of Christ may be destroyed, and the confessors of almighty God compelled to blaspheme; and this they accomplish not sluggishly, but with all their strength.
1MA 3:40 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is signified by Emmaus except lovers of this world, who through desire for the age neglect to have friendship with God? Therefore it is written: Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world is constituted an enemy of God (James 4:4); and John says: Whoever loves the world, the love of God is not in him (1 Jn. 2:15). And rightly are such people called by this name. For Emmaus is interpreted as "rejected people," and indeed those who prefer love of the present age to the love of God are worthy of rejection. Therefore Truth itself says in the Gospel: Whoever loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me (Matt. 10:37). Nor is it inappropriate that Emmaus is said to be in a plain, because broad and spacious is the way that leads to death, and many enter through it (Matt. 7:13).
1MA 3:41 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
These merchants, who seek the service of the Hebrews, I believe signify none better than the evil spirits, who desire the destruction of the faithful, and strive to take away from us heavenly glory through earthly desire, and to turn the liberty we have in the grace of Christ into the worship and servitude of the Devil. Therefore, it is read in the Gospel that the Devil himself, taking our head, that is, the mediator between God and men, up to a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and, tempting him, said: All these things will I give you if you will fall down and worship me (Matt. 4:9). And it is rightly said that the armies of Syria and the land of foreigners were added to them, because all the lustful and those unfamiliar to the true worship of God are joined to our enemies, and by plotting our destruction, they become collaborators of unclean spirits.
1MA 3:42 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
As the persecutors raged and prepared battle against the faithful, they themselves, following the example of Judah and his brothers, were stirred up all the more to increase in faith and advance in virtues, according to the words of the Psalmist: While the wicked man is proud, the poor man is set on fire (Ps. 9:23). Therefore, such should be the intention of the servants of God: to fight for their people and His saints, because for the preservation of the faith of the Christian religion and for the salvation of their brothers, they ought to fight earnestly against spiritual wickedness and against evil men, and to implore help with constant prayer, because He is the one of whom it is written: A helper in times of need, in tribulation; to you alone the poor man has been left, and you will be the helper of the orphan (Ps. 10:14), because with fatherly compassion He considers the labor and sorrow of His own, He will break the arm of the sinner and the wicked (Ibid), He judges for the orphan and the humble, so that man may no longer exalt himself upon the earth (Ibid.).
1MA 3:46-47 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Those who had gathered to fight against the enemies came to Mizpah against Jerusalem. And what does Mizpah, which is interpreted as judgment, signify if not the Old Testament; Mizpah was a place of prayer, which always looks forward to the New Testament, and the Testament provides for the Gospel of Christ. For it is necessary that the spiritual soldiers of God turn the intention of their hearts there, so that they may be instructed by divine reading on how they ought to fight against spiritual enemies. For Mizpah was a place of prayer. Not, however, in Israel; because divine oracles were first made known to us through the books of the law and the prophets, then through the Gospel. They fasted that day. Because they devoted themselves to purity. They clothed themselves in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. Because they worthily serve God by doing penance for their sins, which they have contracted through human weakness. And they tore their garments. When they discipline the body and degrade carnal desires within themselves.
1MA 3:48-50 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Showing that they demonstrate the memory of divine precepts by good deeds, those who are found worthy to serve as soldiers. For the law of the Lord is blameless, converting the souls (Ps. 19:7) of the elect, it criticizes the evil deeds of the faithless, and despises the worship of idols, and opposes every work of wickedness. They put on priestly ornaments, those who worthily perform the duties of the ecclesiastical priesthood; they give first fruits and tithes, those who attribute the beginning and perfection of good works to God; they raise up Nazirites who have fulfilled their days, those who strive to offer a pleasing life to God at all times through the purity of chastity; and he cried out with a loud voice to heaven, who by sincere prayers and good deeds provoke the Divinity to mercy. For just as the cry of the wicked, which they utter through blasphemy and evil deeds, provokes God to anger; so the confession and faith of the saints, which works through love, at all times appeases the divine majesty.
1MA 3:55 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
He calls tribunes those who were in charge of a thousand soldiers (whom the Greeks call χιλιάρχους); centurions, those who were in charge of a hundred; decurions, those who were in charge of ten. For holy preachers arrange their subjects so that nothing disordered may be found among them, but that they may fulfill the service of Christ in a rational manner. Therefore Paul says to his hearers: Let all things among you be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40); and again: No one, he says, will be crowned unless he has competed lawfully (2 Tim. 2:5).
1MA 3:56 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Therefore it is written in Deuteronomy: A fearful man and one of a timid heart shall not go out to war; let him go and return to his house, lest he make the hearts of his brothers fear, as he himself is terrified by fear. (Deut. 20:8) By these words, he teaches that no one can take up the profession of contemplation or the army of spiritual warfare, who still fears to be stripped of earthly works, lest, through weakness of mind, he return again to his former filth, and by his example turn others away from evangelical perfection and weaken the strength of the faithful: therefore, such men are ordered, departing from the battle, to return to their house, because they cannot fight the battles of the Lord with a double heart. For a man who is double-minded is unstable in all his ways. Such as these ought not even to begin the renewal; for whom it is better to remain in active life than, lukewarmly pursuing contemplation, to involve themselves in greater danger; it is better not to vow than to vow and not fulfill. Similarly, he is suspended from such warfare who has taken a wife, who has planted a vineyard, etc. For the servant of a wife cannot serve in the divine army, nor can he attain to the pursuit of contemplation who is still fixed in the delight of the flesh. No one, says the Apostle, serving as a soldier for God, entangles himself in worldly affairs, so that he may please him to whom he has given proof (2 Tim. 2:4).
1MA 3:57 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
It is rightly said that the army of Judah set up camp to the south of Emmaus, because the soldiers of Christ, when they prepare to do battle against their enemies, choose to inspire themselves more with the warmth of faith than to grow numb with the cold of unbelief.
1MA 3:58 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Such should be the teaching of holy preachers and such their incitement, that they stir up the minds of their listeners, and strengthen their hearts to resist the Devil and his army, entrusting the hope of victory to God alone.
1MA 4:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Gorgias took five thousand into his army, just as the Devil strives to gather to himself those who are given over to the five carnal senses of the body through the allurements of pleasure; he takes a thousand cavalry with him, as he intends to conduct all his warfare in pride and contempt of the commandments of God, so that he may overcome the ranks of the repentant party in this, when he persuades them to transgress the commandments of God: For the beginning of all sin is pride (Sirach 10:13); where the author of death finds ruin for himself and his followers. And it is rightly said that he moved his camp by night; because he desires to exercise all his wickedness through the blindness of mind in those subject to him, so that they may in no way foresee what kind of ruin threatens them from consenting to sin.
1MA 4:2 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
This citadel does not signify the height of virtues, but the excellence of vain glory: for they offer leadership to sinners who dare to rise up in pride; and evil spirits can also be seen in these leaders, who belong to the one who said: I will ascend into heaven and set my throne in the north, and I will be like the Most High (Isa. 14:13). For these leaders of iniquity, agreeing among themselves, never cease to draw others into the pit and abyss of crimes.
1MA 4:3 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Note, reader, that the opposing party which was joined to Gorgias arranges all its war preparations at night; and Judas and his followers do so during the day: for the workers of wickedness and executors of errors are always defiled, rulers of darkness hating the light of divine commandments and loving the obscurity of worldly pleasures. Therefore, as Paul says: Those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who are drunk, are drunk at night; but we, who are of the day, are not children of the night nor of darkness (1 Thess. 5:7-8). Truly Judas, that is, the confessor of God, arranges all the gear of war in the light of faith and the meditation on the law of God; therefore, he appears in the field with only three thousand men, namely with those who act confidently not in worldly power, but in the faith of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, striving with simplicity of mind to lead an honest life in this world.
1MA 4:12 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
As the enemies came from the opposite direction into battle, the allies of Judah sounded the trumpet, and the nations were crushed, because through the sound of the trumpet the voice of preaching is expressed; the soldiers of Judah sound the trumpet, when the preachers of Christ proclaim the Gospel throughout the whole world. Therefore the enemies are crushed, because the nations are subjected to the faith of Christ, and likewise the spiritual enemies are crushed by the power of Christ, and, slain by the sword of the Holy Spirit, are plunged into the depths of the abyss.
1MA 4:15 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The names of the places up to which Judas pursued his enemies demonstrate the effectiveness of his virtue; for Gezeron is interpreted as "near my light"; Idumaea, "red" or "earthly"; Azotus, "paternal fire"; Jamnia, "sea" or "his right hand." And what is signified by Gezeron except the light of faith, and by Idumaea except the gentile nations? But what is signified by paternal fire except the ardor of love; and by Jamnia, except the depth of knowledge and the effect of good works? Therefore, the company of holy teachers pursues the gentile people so long, until it leads them from the error of paganism to the light of faith, kindles in them the fire of love, and urges them to the meditation on the divine law and the pursuit of good works. For this persecution is salutary, and the destruction is beneficial.
1MA 4:16 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Likewise, the soldiers of Christ should by no means be quickly confident of victory when war is imminent, but ought to fight as long as necessary, until they are certain of the destruction of their spiritual enemies. For when, by pursuing sinners or unbelievers, they have converted them to repentance for their sins and to faith in Christ, which works through love to produce good deeds, then they must gather their spoils, that is, make use of their knowledge and share in the industry of their virtuous labor. For in gold we may understand knowledge, in silver eloquence, in hyacinth heavenly conduct, in purple the shedding of blood through martyrdom. Then indeed we gather these riches fruitfully, we find them acceptable in true faith, if, however, we transfer this victory to spiritual enemies. Then we ought to be secure, when after the end of this present life there is no longer any need to fear the snares of enemies. For then we gather the spoils profitably, when we receive from Christ the rewards worthy of our labor. Therefore it is rightly said that Judas exhorted his companions not to crave the spoils while the fierce wars of the enemies were still threatening; but when the enemies were utterly defeated, then he returned with his men to gather the spoils of the camps, because it is necessary for every preacher to warn his listeners to beware of the darts of enemies as long as it is a time of war. But when the time of peace comes, namely, that peace which the Savior promised to his disciples, saying: My peace I give to you (Jn. 14:27), then both superiors and subjects together will have eternal joy from the reward received, because they will no longer fear the pain of further labors and tears; then, because it is the time to sing praises to God their helper.
1MA 4:24 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
There is great salvation in Israel when the number of believers in the Lord among the peoples increases, who recognize the Savior by faith, confess with their mouths, and glorify Him together in one work. Or otherwise, then there will be great salvation in Israel, when in the Church of Christ there will be no hardship. And it is notably added, on that day; on the day, indeed, of the resurrection, because the most noble bride will be joined to the bridegroom in the heavenly kingdom above, when all the saints in the sight of God will rejoice not only in the rest of their souls, but also in the immortality of their bodies.
1MA 4:26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Finally, the foreigners who escaped announce to Lysias the victory of Judas, because some, not yet of the saints, are seized as most beneficial spoils for Christ through the ministries of the teachers, and, though unwilling, because compelled by the truth, they announce the glory of Christ to their instructors by whom they are nurtured unto death. For Lysias, which is interpreted as "generating," signifies the powerful of the world, who, although they are generated, have not yet deserved to be regenerated by the baptism of Christ. Therefore, these soldiers, hearing of Christ's victory, are discouraged and lose heart, because things did not turn out in Israel as they wished, nor as the king commanded. For their will was such that the preaching of the Gospel by the holy teachers would not prevail, nor would the multitude of those believing in the Lord increase; and they also knew that such things would please their rulers, that is, the unclean spirits; because in the blasphemous images of idols, venerated by men with divine worship, they persuaded them not to receive the faith of Christ, but they did not prevail, because the Father reveals the glory of His Son far and wide among all nations.
1MA 4:28 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
And Lysias selected sixty thousand men and five thousand horsemen to wage war against Israel, with all the power of this world, which is divided into six ages; through the five bodily senses, the prince of this age, with the rulers of these present darknesses inciting, strives to overcome the soldiers of Christ by loosening them through various vices, and through evil men he plots the destruction of the good. But Judas confronted them with ten thousand men, because the army of our King is stronger than the others in this: that it strives in all things to obey the divine commandments, and by sending constant prayers to the Lord, it is strengthened by His hand, in whose power it especially trusts; and it persists in battle until its enemies and the opposing spiritual weapons are utterly slain by the sword.
1MA 4:33 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
There are five books of the law of God, and, as we have previously said, there are five senses in the body. For whoever, according to the teaching of the law, restrains the lust of the flesh, turning away his eyes so that they do not look upon vanity, stopping his ears so that they do not hear a slanderous tongue (Ps. 119:37), and obscene songs against worldly things, by which, when frequently heard, the inner man is defiled; whoever restrains his sense of smell and taste so that he does not use them for the lure of pleasures; whoever keeps his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit, turns away from evil and does good, seeks peace and pursues it (Ps. 34:13-14), this person, overcoming his enemies, will gain the most beneficial victory and will rejoice in the greatest triumph. But spiritual Lysias, although once, twice, or even three times crushed and put to flight, nevertheless does not cease from the wickedness he has undertaken, but revived, he again renews the battles.
1MA 4:35-36 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
It is well said that Judas, after the enemies were crushed and the wars had been calmed for a time, urged his men to cleanse and renew the holy places, because the holy teachers are greatly concerned that, whenever the Church entrusted to them has been harmed by enemies, it should be restored again to its former state of holy conduct. According to the spiritual interpretation, it is necessary that every faithful person should cleanse his own mountain (which we may rightly understand as selected by the name Mount Zion, because Zion is interpreted as "watchtower," and blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt. 5:8), if anything in it has been defiled by the deceit of the enemy, with holy and watchful attention, until it is fully renewed. For there we can understand both the deserted sanctification, the profaned altar, and the burnt gates; because there the sacrifice of praise was offered to God on the altar of faith, and the entrance to heavenly life was contemplated. In the courts, however, weeds grow, when in human hearts a multitude of unnecessary thoughts is generated.
1MA 4:38-39 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Pastophoria in Greek are called chambers, or rooms, in which the Levites kept watch in the courts of the house of the Lord, whose mention is made in the last vision of the prophet Ezekiel. Therefore, pastophoria are destroyed when the secrets of the mind are torn apart by illicit desires; but above all, it is necessary that all these things be most urgently purified through repentance for sins, amendment of conduct, and devout prayers to the Lord. Therefore, it is rightly written about the army of Judah that when they saw the sanctification deserted, they tore their garments and mourned with great weeping (4:39).
1MA 4:41-43 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
It is rightly said that Judas appointed men to fight against those who were in the citadel until the holy things were cleansed, because this is what our Redeemer ordains through his preachers: that his soldiers should fight diligently against those who dwell in the citadel of pride, that is, men puffed up with the spirit of arrogance, or swelling with pride like evil spirits, until they purge the hearts of the elect from every stain of iniquity. And they chose priests without blemish, having the will to follow the law of God, and they cleansed the holy things, because, after removing from ecclesiastical office those who bore the leprosy of error or the stain of crimes, they chose as ministers of the word those who were willing and morally upright in faith, so that the assemblies of the holy Church might be made free from every infection of error. Indeed, it is further stated that they took the stones of contamination to a clean place, because heretics who did not wish to become precious stones through a life of right faith and sound doctrine, having been struck with anathema and cast out, were shown to all to be reprobate.
1MA 4:44 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The altar of burnt offerings is pure faith, pure doctrine, and the pure conduct of the ministers of Christ. But this altar had been desecrated by heretical depravity or the horror of crimes; now it had to be destroyed, that is, removed from the dignity of the priesthood, lest perhaps it be a disgrace to the holy Church to have corrupt and criminal teachers who have been seduced by diabolical cunning. Therefore, the Lord says to the disciples in the Gospel: You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, with what shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matt. 5:13) Of this, too, Paul, writing to Titus, says: A man who is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, avoid, knowing that such a one is perverted and sins, being condemned by his own judgment. (Titus 3:10-11) Therefore also, to certain offenders he says: Because of you the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles. (Rom. 2:24) Therefore, after the mystical altar has been therefore removed, those mystical stones must be set aside on the mountain of the house in a suitable place, until the coming prophet responds, saying that those who sin must be brought under penance, until through holy teachers, a fitting sanctification is carried out for the crime committed. But in their place, whole stones according to the law must be substituted, so that a new altar may be made according to what was before, because men sound in the Catholic faith, filled with the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, holy in good morals, must be appointed in the place of those who have fallen from rule; according to the authorities of the divine law, so that without reproach in newness of life and the standard of righteousness, the ministry may be exhibited to God in the holy Church, which Christ acquired for himself as a bride at the price of his blood, and not having spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27).
1MA 4:48 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Holy preachers build holy things within the house inside and the temple, when they adorn the subject people both inwardly with the knowledge of sound faith, and outwardly with upright conduct; they consecrate the courts when, by initiating those newly coming to the faith with divine rituals, they dedicate them. They make new holy vessels when they render the hearts of human beings suitable for receiving the word of God. They bring the lampstand, and the altar of incense, and the table into the temple when they awaken in the Church of God the light of spiritual teaching, the purity of holy prayer, and the meditation on the holy Scriptures. In the lampstand, therefore, in which lamps ought to shine, we can rightly discern the word of evangelical teaching, in which holy teachers, kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit, ought to shine, so that those who enter may see the light. Where Truth itself says in the Gospel: No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, so that it may give light to all who are in the house (Matt. 5:15). By the altar of incense we can understand nothing better than the perfect life of the saints, from which there daily rises the fragrance of virtues and of holy prayer in the sight of the Most High. We therefore understand the table of the Lord as nothing other than Holy Scripture, in which the perfection of souls consists. But when it is said that they hung the veils and completed all the work that they had done, in the hanging of the veils is expressed the concealment of mysteries. For the mysteries of the divine law are not to be laid open to all in every respect, but according to the capacity of each person's understanding and the progress of knowledge and virtues. Therefore the Lord commanded the apostles, saying: Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6); and Paul says to his untrained disciples: I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able, nor indeed are you even now able (1 Cor. 3:2). Concerning the knowledge of the perfect, therefore, he says elsewhere: And we, with unveiled face, contemplate the glory of the Lord, being transformed into the same image, as by the Spirit of the Lord, etc. (2 Cor. 3:18) Therefore, they bring to completion all the works that must be done in the house of God, they who, by faith, word, and deed, strive according to the proper order to fulfill all the commandments of the Lord; nor is anything lacking in perfection where the human will in all things obeys the divine will.
1MA 4:52 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Josephus narrates this renewal in this way, saying (Antiq. 12.10): "On the twenty-fifth day of the month Casleu, which the Macedonians call Appelleon, they lit the lamps on the lampstand and offered up the burnt sacrifices which they presented on the new altar." These things happened after three years, on the very day on which their religion had been changed to the profane practice of their idols. For the temple, destroyed by Antiochus, remained so for three years: for in the one hundred and fifteenth year the deed was done in the temple on the twenty-fifth day of the month Appelleon; in the one hundred and forty-eighth year, in the one hundred and fifty-fourth Olympiad. The desolation of the temple came to pass according to Daniel's preface, which he had foretold in the eighteenth year beforehand, through which he indicated that the Macedonians would destroy it. But Judas, together with his fellow-citizens, celebrated sacrifices for the renewal of the temple for eight days, omitting no kind of delight, feeding them with the most precious banquets. They glorified God with praises and psalms and took mutual joy in songs. For the renewal of the solemn observances, after the religion had been re-established for a long time, the guardians of the Law decreed that later generations should celebrate this renewal of the temple for eight days. And so from that time until now we celebrate this feast, calling it "Lights," because beyond our expectation this splendid light of the religion to be observed appeared to us; mystically, however, the renewal of the temple is the conversion of people to repentance for sins, who had been stained by certain errors and crimes. For then it is time for all the faithful to sing, rejoice, exult, shout for joy, and give praise, when they see their neighbors, by correcting their ways and meditating on the Law of God, restoring within themselves what previously they had destroyed through negligence. And so the holy Gospel relates that the Savior said (Luke 15:7) that in heaven joy arises over one sinner who repents; if over one, how much more will there be rejoicing over many who are converted to the true worship of God. For, as it is written: In the multitude of the people is the glory of the prince (Prov. 14:28); namely of that prince who wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).
1MA 4:59 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
This feast the Savior Himself is read in the Gospel to have honored by His preaching, where it is written: "The Feast of Dedication was held in Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon," etc. (Jn. 10:22). From this it must be understood that this Feast of Dedication which we have learned about from the Gospel reading does not refer to the first dedication of the temple, but to the last; which is easily conditional from the fact that it is said to have taken place in winter. For its first dedication, by Solomon, took place in the autumn; the middle one, by Zerubbabel and the priest Jeshua, in the spring; but the last, by Judas Maccabeus, took place in the winter, when it is specifically read that it was decreed that this same dedication should be recalled every year in memory by solemn rites, as we understand from the above-mentioned passage of the Gospel that this was observed up to the time of the Lord's Incarnation. This was the reason for the second and third dedications. For Solomon completed in seven years the work of the temple which he built for the Lord, and in the eighth year, on the tenth day of the seventh month, which we call October, he dedicated it with great glory. But after four hundred and thirty years the Chaldeans went up against this temple, and having destroyed the city of Jerusalem, they led the people of Israel captive into Babylon; who, after seventy years, under the rule of the Persians, were sent back to their homeland. Then the temple was rebuilt over forty-six years, and on the third day of the twelfth month, which we call March, the work was fully brought to completion. At that time indeed there presided over the work the most heroic leaders of the people, as we have said, Zerubbabel of the royal line, and Jeshua, the high priest; and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah aided them, strengthening the hearts of the people against the plots of those who tried to hinder the work. Then, after about three hundred and fifty-six years, the most wicked king of the Greeks, Antiochus, having deceitfully seized Jerusalem, defiled that same temple with the filth of idols, taking away and breaking the golden altar of the Lord, the table of the showbread, the lampstand of light, and the other things mentioned above. But Judas Maccabeus, since he was of priestly lineage, having gathered an army of the righteous and taking up arms against the generals of Antiochus, drove them out of Judea, put an end to the most cruel persecution, and, cleansing the temple from the images of idols, made new altars again and the other vessels and ornaments and placed them in the temple, and dedicated them together with the temple. He purified and renewed it on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which among us is called December, and it is beyond doubt that it belongs to winter. And he established a decree, as we have said before, that every year the day of the Encaenia, that is, of the renewal and dedication of the temple, be celebrated with devout festivity, as this place now bears witness. All these things indeed, as the Apostle teaches (1 Cor. 10:11), were done as a figure of us, and were of course written for our sake, and must therefore be examined by us more carefully according to a spiritual understanding. For King Solomon, whose name is interpreted "peaceful," typically signifies our Redeemer himself; of whom Isaiah says: "His dominion will be multiplied, and there will be no end of peace." (Isa. 9:7) The temple that he built is his Catholic Church, which he gathers together from all believers throughout the world, as though from living stones, into one structure compacted by his faith and love. That the temple was built in seven years signifies that throughout the whole duration of this age, which unfolds in seven days, the holy structure of the Church never ceases to grow. That it was dedicated in the eighth year, and that very famous and great earnestness was celebrate…
1MA 4:60 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The holy teachers build the mountain Zion when, by word and example, they stir the holy Church to progress in virtues; they construct high walls all around when they strengthen it on every side with the summit of the Catholic faith and with the work of prayers; they raise strong towers when they command that all hope be placed in the goodness of God. So that the nations may not trample it as the former mountain; so that the wickedness of evil spirits or the hatred of perverse men may no longer be able to harm them.
1MA 4:61 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The army is placed on Zion to guard him, when the multitude of ministers, for the preservation of the law of God, is employed in the Church for the rite of heavenly sacraments. They fortify him to protect Bethzur, when by strong exhortations they stir up ecclesiastical persons to observe divine worship in an orderly way (for Bethzur is interpreted as "house of the strong"). So that the people may have fortification against the face of Idumaea. That is, so that it may preserve loyalty of faith against enemies and against the stubbornness of a raging world.
1MA 5:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The nations are provoked when they see the work of the worship of God renewed, because both visible and invisible enemies, who gasp in the heat of envy against the progress of faith and virtues, grow angry, are tormented, and persecute the servants of God, wanting to reduce them to nothing when they see them desiring to keep the observance of good works on the altar of true faith. Therefore it is said that they planned to destroy the race of Jacob who were among them, and began to kill them, because as the Gospel of Christ became revealed in the world and all received faith in God, the persecutors were racked with torment and tried by punishing them with sufferings to turn them away from it. Likewise, spiritual enemies, when they fall upon see some who, out of sloth and negligence, now wish to restore themselves in the worship of devotion, undertake to kill them with the sword of sinfulness and to slaughter them as if in the death of sinners. But Judas, bravely resisting the enemies with the shield of faith, conquers the sons of Esau in Idumea, because the company of holy teachers, slaying idolaters, who are extremely harsh with the thorns of vices and most foul with deadly sacrifices and worldly lust, by the sword of the spirit, makes those who were opposed become subject and turns enemies into friends.
1MA 5:3 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Those who lived in the aforementioned places, that is Acrabathane and Bean, and who, surrounding the children of Israel, became for them a snare and an offense, lying in wait against them, signify the Jews and the heretics, who always devise scandals and plots against the Church of God. But such people are shut up by Judah and his companions in their towers, when in the schemes of their pride they are taken through the skill of learned teachers, and their errors are anathematized; whose towers are burned with fire along with all who are in them, when the authors of crimes and the inventors of errors are even now consumed by the enthusiasm of the divine word for their sins, and in the future judgment, unless they have previously performed fitting repentance, they will be burned in the fire of eternal vengeance.
1MA 5:6 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By the sons of Ammon, which is interpreted "son of my people," are signified schismatics and heretics, who once seemed to be sons of the holy Church, but now, withdrawing and casting themselves into error, have become sons of the Devil. Therefore the apostle John says: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would certainly have remained with us (1 Jn. 2:19). These have Timothy as their leader, that is, the heresiarchs, who, according to the interpretation of his name, are praised among them, but according to the truth of understanding are by no means found to be among us. Timothy is interpreted "with benefits"; but this is an opinion held by the deceived about the heresiarchs, whereas by us they are called "sorcerers," because by their evil deeds they mix the poison of error for their hearers. Against them Judas rises up, and, being superior, gains the victory and, by destroying their errors, returns with triumph into Judea, that is, into the confession of the praise of God, of his enemies.
1MA 5:9 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The nations who are in Gilead gather together against the Israelites to destroy them, when a multitude of heretics and schismatics comes together for this purpose: that, with the testimonies of Scripture corrupted according to their own understanding, they may attack the Catholic faith, which endures through the ages. For Gilead is interpreted "heap of testimony," and the name is well suited to those who devote themselves to the meditation of the Scriptures. But the Israelites flee into the stronghold, just as all the faithful flee for refuge to the truth of faith; and they ask that help be brought to them by Judah and his brothers, because by the Gospel of Christ, through the ministry of holy preachers, they desire to be defended against the spiritual Timothy, of whom we spoke above, and his companions. But what the Israelites complain about regarding the killing of their men and their captivity shows that among the faithful there is no small grief of the nations, when they saw some of their own withdraw from the truth and fall into the error of the wicked, etc.
1MA 5:14-16 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Those who gathered from various foreign places to destroy the people of God clearly signify the nations of the Gentiles, who, still in unbelief, stir up wars and persecutions against Christians. But when the words that the different groups had brought to Judas and his companions were heard, a great church assembly met to consider what they should do about their brothers who were in tribulation and were being attacked by enemies; for the concern and highest care of the whole holy Church is how it may defend its children against various enemies, that is, Jews, pagans, heretics, and schismatics. In this matter also, with prudent counsel and every effort, it takes action together with those who seem to be more learned and stronger in faith and in the practice of virtues, as to how it may resist the enemies and suitably defend its own.
1MA 5:17-20 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Just as the assaults of the Church by its enemies are many, so also the battles of spiritual warriors ought to be distinct. Therefore Simon goes into Galilee with three thousand men, as is shown in what follows, in order to free his brothers; but Judas and Jonathan go into the land of Gilead with eight thousand. And what is signified by Simon, who is sent into Galilee, that is, "the circle," if not the preachers who are directed to the nations? These, going with three thousand men, that is, with faith in the Holy Trinity, prepare to go against their adversaries and strive, through evangelical preaching, to cast down the enemies and to set free believers. But Judas and Jonathan represent those teachers who, preaching the word of God in Judea, strive to overcome either the Jews or also the heretics, who misuse the testimonies of Scripture, by means of the truth of sound understanding. And note that only Simon with his men is sent against the Gentiles, whereas two go with a greater number against the Jews and the heretics: because among the Gentiles only idolatry together with pagan error had to be overcome, but among the Jews and the heretics both an old-established practice and a new superstition had to be corrected by the spiritual knowledge of the two Testaments. Here eight thousand men are taken, because there it is taught both that the circumcision of the Law must be spiritually observed and that the resurrection of Christ must be truly believed.
1MA 5:21 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Simon engages in many battles with the nations when holy preachers throughout the whole world strive to overthrow idolatry and the confused errors of the nations; and the nations are crushed before their face when they lay aside their stubbornness in resisting the Gospel of God. He pursued them as far as the gate of Ptolemais, when, in their own devices by which, through vain studies, they were plotting to oppose the word of God, they are overcome by truth itself, taken captive, and brought into subjection by the confession of the right faith.
1MA 5:22 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
They, falling from the most wicked state of pride into repentance for their sins, by rising again through right faith are found worthy to be raised up into the state of good works. Their spoils Simon receives, when the Catholic teacher strives to convert entirely to the service of God whatever they have worked out by the knowledge of letters or the investigation of truth; where very many of those who had been trained in the liberal arts while living among the pagans… But those who were in Galilee, with their wives and children and all that they had with them, he brought into Judaea with great joy, when, by the teaching of the Gospel, rescuing any Catholics who were entangled in the affairs of the world, he teaches them with all concern and all effort to desire the things that are of God.
1MA 5:24 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Against those who were hindering the captive Jews in the region of Gilead, Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan, having been sent with their companions, crossed the Jordan and went a three days' journey through the desert. In the same way, holy preachers, sent into the world to summon people to the faith of Christ and to overthrow Jewish and schismatic errors, first cross the Jordan, that is, they teach that one must first pass by the sacrament of baptism from the darkness of unbelief into the grace of Christ, with Truth itself testifying that unless one is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Jn. 3:5) Then they go a three days' journey through the desert, because they affirm that the faith of the Holy Trinity, which all the faithful profess in baptism, must be observed with good works for the whole time of their sojourn in this world. But the fact that the Nabathaeans met them peacefully and related what had happened to their brothers in the region of Gilead signifies that the words of the holy prophets bring timely comfort to holy teachers, when by their testimony they make clear all the torments that believers in are going to suffer. For "Nabathaeans" is interpreted as "those who prophesy," and they foretell with true prophecy the errors that the sons of perdition are plotting to set up against the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Therefore Hosea attacks the cows of Beth-aven and the inhabitants of Samaria (Hos. 10:5), and Amos rebukes those who sacrifice with leavened bread, and likewise detests those who turn judgment and justice into wormwood, and who accept bribes and crush the poor in the gate (Amos 5:12). Moreover, the fact that the Nabathaeans report that certain Jews have been seized in Barasa and Bosor is well expressed by the interpretation of their names; for Barasa and Bosor are interpreted as "tribulations and distress," because all, according to the word of Paul, who wish to live spiritually in Christ will suffer persecution, nor will that person escape the injury of heretics who strives to preserve the doctrine of the true faith. These heretics John the Apostle, in his Apocalypse, describes as causing torment like the torment of scorpions when they strike a man, (Rev. 9:5) because just as scorpions carry their poison in their tail, so heretics conceal their hatred in the completion of their deceit, in order to harm the unsuspecting not with an open face, but with hidden snares.
1MA 5:28 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
In the preceding passages it is related that the cities of Gilead, in which the Jews had been seized, were fortified and great, which Judas committed to capture and destroy in a single day: for by unity the holy preachers plan to destroy all the strongholds of false doctrines that heretics establish in order to deceive innocent souls and to hold them captive in their errors. Now, however, it says that Judas, in the desert of Bosor, seized the city of Bosor, and killed every male with the edge of the sword, and took their spoils, and burned it with fire; for in this the holy teachers are greatly zealous, that, once they have taken the stronghold of the heretics, they may destroy with the sword of the Holy Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17), all the power of wicked sects that they establish through worldly philosophy and empty deceit; so that what those men, by their flashiness, had pretended to be of highest importance, these may show to be nothings and frivolous. They take their spoils when they remove from them, as from unjust possessors, the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures which they have misused, and they burn with perpetual anathema their very confession. But what follows, that they rose up in the night, shows that they were left in the darkness of their own error.
1MA 5:30 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is expressed by the rankings and schemes of the nations, if not the exultation and defiant arrogance of the proud, through which they desire to attack and overthrow the Church of Christ? But our Judas, who arranges the whole apparatus of war in the light, fights against them with three ranks, that is, either with the faith of the Holy Trinity, or with a twofold teaching, namely historical, allegorical, and tropological; and he cries out with trumpets to heaven, because by strong preaching he raises his voice in exultation, and with the deep cry of the heart he calls upon God as helper in prayer.
1MA 5:34 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The camp of Timotheus, having recognized Maccabaeus, fled from his presence, because heretics, once they have recognized the power and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, flee in terror; and they are struck with a great blow, because in them, according to justice, through holy teachers, the vengeance of anathema is carried out; and about eight thousand men fall from among them, together with all the heap of those whom they were striving to gather against the true understanding of spiritual circumcision, or against the faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His members, and the Truth itself, victorious, destroyed them. Therefore it is that the Savior in the Gospel, in loosening the figurative sabbath, on the first day of the week, which is also the eighth day after the seventh, has revealed to us the mystery of His resurrection. Therefore also the Apostle Paul teaches (Col. 2:11) that circumcision not made by hand, in the stripping off of the body of flesh, must be accomplished by the Spirit of the living God in the hearts of believers; where also the old law taught that the foreskin of the heart had to be circumcised.
1MA 5:37 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
After Timothy had been defeated once and again, he did not cease to increase his wickedness, but multiplied his hatred. Once more he rebuilds an army against Judas and his companions; for it is not enough for heretics to engage in disputes once and again with a small number, but they constantly stir up new wars against the Church and pour out the various poisons of their deceit. They set up camp against Raphon across the stream, because with the utmost effort of their pride they rouse fury and stir up the storm of wars; and they also lead the Arabs, which means "those of the plain," to their aid, because they take to the support of their error those who are devoted to pleasure and follow the luxury of this world. Therefore all these have constructed no small wickedness of their error against the Church. But Judas sends men to scout their army, just as holy teachers urge their hearers to guard against the uproar of the wicked, lest the course of their deceit bring about the destruction of simple souls. As for the fact that Timothy, as if making a calculation, says to the leaders of his army:
1MA 5:40-41 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
This shows that all heretics fear the confidence and commitment of the people who believe rightly, and acknowledge themselves to be weaker the more they see them stronger in the unity of faith; but if they observe the rest of the Catholics becoming slower in the contemplation of God's law and in the practice of good works, they eagerly promise themselves triumph and captivity over them.
1MA 5:42 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Crossing the brook of water, Judas stationed the scribes of the people so that they might urge the crowd behind him to go into battle, just as our Redeemer, approaching the passion of the cross, appointed the apostles, who were to teach those believing in him to despise the torment of bodily death and to trust in the power of heavenly truth. Therefore it is said: Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (Matt. 10:28); and again: By your patience you will possess your souls; and he who perseveres to the end, this one will be saved (Luke 21:19); and elsewhere: Blessed, he says, are those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:10). From this it is fittingly added:
1MA 5:43 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
because it was necessary that the mediator between God and humans should first fulfill the mystery of his own passion, and therefore, strengthened by his example, the faithful from all nations might learn, in suffering for him, to despise death.
1MA 5:44 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
showing how our Savior not only destroys every scheme of the error of heretics and persecutors, but indeed burns with the fire of just vengeance all those who put their trust in it. Therefore the Lord commanded in Deuteronomy, saying: If you hear in one of your cities which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, that some are saying: The sons of Belial have gone out from your midst and have turned away the inhabitants of their city and have said: Let us go and serve strange gods whom you do not know, then you shall inquire carefully and diligently, and if, with the truth of the matter fully examined, you find that what is said is certain, and that this abomination has been committed in deed, you shall immediately strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword and destroy it, and all that is in it, even to the cattle. Whatever furnishings there may be, you shall gather in the midst of its streets, and together with the city itself you shall burn them, so that you utterly consume all for the Lord your God, and it shall be an everlasting heap of ruins (Deut. 13:12-26).
1MA 5:45 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Judas gathers the Israelites from the region of Gilead, just as our Redeemer, through his teachers by the word of the Gospel, calls back to the Catholic faith those who have been taken captive by heretics; for this is what it means to come into the land of Judah: to praise the Lord with right faith and good works.
1MA 5:46 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
All the battles of the nations signify the various wars of vices and errors. We have said that those nations which were in the land of Gilead and tried to capture the Israelites represented heretics and Jews; but now, with those who were in Carnaim subdued, again those who were in Ephron strive to resist Judas and his allies: for although various heretics have been crushed, those who follow the letter of the Old Testament still refuse to open the way to spiritual understanding. For what is indicated by Ephron, which is interpreted as "dust of sorrow" or "dust and useless," if not the unnecessary observance of the law in the time of grace, in which the Jews who acknowledge it enclose themselves and block the gates with stones? Dedicated to the shadow, they set the historical tradition, which is written in stone in the law, against the preachers of the Gospel; they will in no way consent to be torn away from it, nor do they allow us to follow a more correct understanding. Therefore: Woe to you, lawyers, who have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering (Luke 11:52). But Judas sends to them with peaceful words, saying:
1MA 5:48 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For holy preachers, according to the command of our Lord, first offer peace to the opposing side, so that what is written may be fulfilled: If there is a son of peace there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, he says, it will return to you (Luke 10:6). We will pass, they say, through your land to go into our land; as if they were saying: Let us read the history of your books, so that there, by an allegorical sense, we may find in heaven the homeland promised to us; and no one will harm you, because our passing will be harmless for you; we will pass only with our feet, when by the step of good works we desire to reach the heavenly kingdom. They were unwilling to open, since in the law handed down to them they did not want to share with the preachers of the Gospel.
1MA 5:49 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Judas commanded them to preach in the camp so that each one should move toward the city from the place where he was, if not that holy teachers grant to their hearers freedom of understanding in the Holy Scriptures, so that each person may seek to have opened to himself, in the divine reading, whether through allegory, or through tropology, or through anagogy, what he desires according to the wish of his heart, and, with heavenly grace granting it, may receive the ability to enter in? And note that men of bravery are said there to move in and to attack the city all day and all night: because unless someone is a man of bravery, so that he desires in deed to fulfill what he has learned from the teaching of his masters, and constantly meditates on the law of God day and night, that is, at all times, he will not be the conqueror of that aforementioned city. Therefore the Psalmist calls blessed the man who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night, and has not gone with the counsel of the wicked, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of plague (Ps. 1:1-2). But when it says that they destroyed every male by the edge of the sword and uprooted the city, and therefore took its spoils as he passed through the whole city over the slain, and then crossed the Jordan, it shows us that if we wish to be possessors of the law of the Lord and to receive its spoils, that is, the various understandings, according to right faith, we should first strive to crush the surface of the letter and to condemn all the errors of heretics; and therefore we should cross into the great plain, that is, cleansed by baptism from burden, let us pass into the freedom of glory, where the sun of righteousness shines upon us, in whose wings true healing is found, who illumines the darkness, the hidden things of darkness, and reveals the secret mysteries to those who seek him not with the fabrication of hypocrisy, but with the truth of faith. Therefore Wisdom warns, saying: "Think about the Lord with goodness, and seek him with simplicity of heart, for he is found by those who do not test him, and he appears to those who have faith in him. For crooked thoughts separate from God, and when power is tested it exposes the foolish. Because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul, nor will she dwell in a body enslaved to sins. For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and remove from thoughts that are without understanding" (Wis. 1:1-5).
1MA 5:53 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
That Judas, returning with his army into the land of Judah, gathering the slackers, was exhorting the people along the whole way until they came into the land of Judah, teaches by his example the doctors of the holy Church what kind of care and how much diligence they ought to have toward their subjects, so that in the journey of the present life they may not neglect to bestow upon them the word of encouragement; but, by teaching, admonishing, reproving, and consoling, they may always strive to benefit them, and, so far as lies in them, may allow no one to fall back from their company and perish; rather, let them hurry all the more, so that, the number of those entrusted to their care being preserved, they may joyfully return into the land of Judah, according to the statement of Paul (Heb. 12:22-23), to Mount Sion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the assembly of many thousands of angels, and the Church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to the Judge of all, the Lord, and then render thanks to Him with worthy praises, by whose gift they have been able to come to the seat of rest and peace.
1MA 5:55 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is signified by these two leaders, namely Joseph and Azariah, who, stirred by zeal for the virtues of Judas, wished through boastfulness to gain a name for themselves in battles, if not the figure of hypocrites, who seek to imitate the virtues of the saints not with a straightforward intention, but with the pride of arrogance? But just as things did not turn out well for them, because what they did was not done with a good character, so also for these men from their attempt there follows not true glory, but everlasting disgrace; for they do not deserve to rejoice in the victory of their own people, but will rather mourn over their own and their followers' eternal damnation. Therefore it is rightly added.
1MA 5:60 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Therefore, with good reason the one who does not listen to the health-giving counsel of spiritual Judah suffers the fall of great plagues; and because they were not among the number of the elect, who, stirred by the Spirit of God, perform works of virtue, they will, on account of their shameless boldness, be disgracefully confused at the last together with sinners.
1MA 5:63 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
It is well said that the men of Judah were greatly magnified in the sight of all nations, because those who hold the true confession of right faith in such a way that they fulfill in deed what they proclaim with their mouth are deservedly praised by the voice of all nations; and they come to them with favorable cheers, that is, by keeping his commandments they declare them blessed, and they render the praises of Judah to the heavenly King, according to that saying of the Psalmist, who, considering the goods of the Church, says: "They called the people blessed who have these things; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord" (Ps. 144:15). Therefore also our Savior in the Gospel commanded his disciples, saying: "So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
1MA 5:65 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is understood by Esau, who through desire for food sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob, if not the former people, who, because of earthly desire, showed themselves unworthy of the honor of the firstborn, and on this account the whole dignity was transferred to the people of the Gentiles? And fittingly the sons of Esau are said to dwell in the land which is to the south, because the Jewish people, on account of the law they had received and the writings of the prophets that were handed down among them, seemed to draw near to the light of the eternal sun; but since they were stirred in mind, and placed close to the light, namely that light which enlightens every man coming into this world (Jn. 1:9), they were unwilling to receive it when set before them, and therefore they are clearly said to have been attacked by Judas and his brothers. For the holy teachers, criticizing them for their error, and, after the just one had been despised and condemned because of their disobedience, turning to the preaching of the Gentiles, struck down the error of the faithless both in the Synagogue itself and in individual persons with the sword of the word of God, and burned with the fire of due condemnation the towers of pride which they, with exalted mind, had raised against the Gospel of Christ.
1MA 5:66 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Note, reader, that he now briefly recapitulates, by touching on them again, all those types of adversaries which he had mentioned before, that is, of the Jews, the Gentiles, and the heretics. For when a little earlier he related that the sons of Esau had been conquered, he immediately added that the camps of the foreigners, together with their altars and the spoils of their own gods, had been burned; then that Samaria had been navigated. Now he mentions Samaria, because not only Jewish superstition, but also the error of the Gentiles and the corruption of the heretics, is overcome, confused, destroyed, and reduced to nothing through the preaching of the apostles and the Gospel of Christ. Yet above all, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David (Rev. 5:5), has conquered, and who can resist him? Judgment has been hurled from heaven, the earth trembled and was still when God rose up in judgment to save all the meek of the earth (Ps. 76:8-9). But what is said among other things, that priests fell in battle when they go out to the fight without counsel, is a most fearful sentence.
1MA 6:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
After the many works of wickedness that Antiochus committed in the holy place and among the people of God, he was justly destroyed by divine judgment, as he himself confirms in what follows, saying that he had come to know that these evils had found him out on account of those deeds, and that for that reason he would perish in sorrow in a foreign land. Although Polybius of Megalopolis, the historian, as Josephus bears witness, writes only that he perished because he wished to devastate the temple of Diana in Persia, yet this opinion is in no way accepted by the faithful, who know that all the gods of the nations are demons, and that the idols of the gentiles are silver and gold, the work of human hands (Ps. 135:15). But because he swelled with pride against the almighty Lord, he received fitting punishment; so also will all the wicked, and likewise, in the end, that new son of perdition himself, who exalts himself above everything that is called God or is worshiped (2 Thess. 2:4), of whom Antiochus was a type here, on account of the works of wickedness that he will commit, will perish under the judgment of the heavenly Visitor, whom the Lord Jesus, according to the words of Paul, will slay with the breath of his mouth (2 Thess. 2:8), and will destroy by the brightness of his coming. Therefore Antiochus here holds the role of a type of the persecutors of Christ and the Church.
1MA 6:16 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
It is not surprising that from a cruel father a savage son was born, who imitated the wicked deeds of his most wicked father. Of him the Lord says in the Gospel to the elders and the proud among the Jews: You are of your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father; for he was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). And rightly the son of a murderer plans to commit murder, not only bodily but also spiritual, that is, the destruction of souls which die in sin and wickedness.
1MA 6:18 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
But who are those who in the citadel were shutting in Israel around their own people and were always seeking evil for them to the strengthening of the nations, if not those who, raising themselves up in the citadel of pride, persecute true religion so that they may suffocate the word of God and restore error and idolatry? Against them Judas prepares to do battle, because the whole purpose of the holy teachers especially strives to arrange this: that errors may be driven out and that errors may be overcome by the preeminence of truth. But stirred by this zeal, certain people from the nations, such as the philosophers, and certain also from the ungodly in Israel, who are the heretics, provoke the dominion of this world to hatred of the servants of God, so that, helped by this support, they may be able to exalt their wickedness more easily.
1MA 6:22-28 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The typical Antiochus gathers an army not only from his own people, but also from foreigners, because the savagery of persecutors, not content with internal revolt, also rouses enormous wars from outside against the servants of Christ. They form infantry, arrange cavalry, prepare elephants, so that nothing may be lacking to their cruelty; but whatever wickedness can conceive, all massacre prepares. But figuratively, just as foot soldiers and horsemen can represent officers and executioners, so also elephants, because of the enormity of their bodies and the cruelty of their spirits, can represent the arrogance of princes; and it is fitting that they showed the blood of the grape and of the mulberry to the beasts to inflame their anger, because in the shedding of the blood of the martyrs the savagery of the persecutors was stirred up.
1MA 6:35 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For many are those who, by flattery, favor princes; whose chain-linked breastplates mean that they are entangled with one another in the deceits of wicked counsel; and they have a bronze helmet on their heads when they surround their minds with the hardness of iniquity; and there the horsemen are arranged, because the puffing up of pride will not be lacking where, through lack of mercy, the equality of common nature is not considered, but the vanity of worldly favor is sought. And the wooden towers, which, placed upon the beasts, contained thirty men within them, express the delicateness of that power by which persecutors always trust that they prevail over the martyrs.
1MA 6:37-38 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Because the cruelty of the minds that devised all this evil was burning within the hearts of the persecutors, which is the activity of pride, but outwardly it was stained in the torture of the innocent. And with these things therefore arranged, Judas set his army and resolved to exhort it, because holy preachers, when they engage in the wars of persecution, do not cease by words to strengthen the spirits of their hearers; and although earthly glory shines in worldly display, and although varied kinds of torments blaze in tortures, yet the martyrs of Christ remain unshaken, and, clinging to the side of their judge, Judas of course in the spiritual sense, they conquer and cast down the boldness of the wicked.
1MA 6:43 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Now it should be noted that Josephus asserts Eleazar to be the brother of Judah, about whom it was narrated above that he was one of the five sons of Mattathias called by this name. But it can be asked how he is said to be the son of Saura, if he was the son of Mattathias, unless perhaps Mattathias himself was called Saura by another name. And what is signified by Eleazar, who, killing the elephant, fell in death, if not the person of the arrogant, who, while they wish to undertake something bravely, yet not with a simple heart but with a proud one, are overcome and cast down in their attempts. This event can also, not inappropriately, be transferred to the signification of hypocrites. For when hypocrites fight against lust, or against gluttony, or against bodily sins through abstinence, and, taming the flesh by fasting or by vigils and the other works of abstinence, do not keep careful watch over themselves against spiritual wickedness, so that they do not beware of pride or envy or greed, they are sometimes conquered in conquering, because while they overcome in one way of life, in this victory, being careless, they are crushed by others.
1MA 6:48-49 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The mystical Antiochus advances against Judea and Mount Zion, because he turns his entire war apparatus toward the overthrow of the Church of Christ and makes peace with those who were in Bethsura, since he does not offer true peace but false peace to those whom he wishes to deceive and mislead through fabrication. But only those go out to him from the city who had no food while shut in; for only those withdraw, seduced away from the protection of the Church, who do not have the nourishment of knowledge and love with which their soul may be fed. They also keep the sabbath badly, since they love not the pursuit of virtues but the idleness of sloth; and they themselves, seized by the enemy, return into his dominion, because they refuse to anticipate his snares. Now that it is said that the king turned his camp toward the place of sanctification for many days signifies that the persecutors of the faithful do not easily cease from the cruelty of persecution, but every day, up to the end of the age, wage wars, for the testing of some believers, for the deception of others. For while the mystical woman, who is expressed under the figure of Eve, crushes the serpent's head, that poisonous snake will never cease to lie in wait for her heel.
1MA 6:54 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
That, when the persecution of unbelievers burns hot, many of those who persisted in the Church only in outward appearance, and not in the constancy of faith, are scattered because of fear of punishment, according to that which the Lord foretold in the Gospel would happen in the last times: For there shall be, he says, great tribulation upon the earth and wrath against this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations, and Jerusalem shall be trampled by the Gentiles, until the times of the nations be fulfilled. And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Luke 21:23-24).
1MA 6:55 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What Josephus reports on this point seems not unworthy to be inserted into this work; nor should it seem burdensome to the reader if the accounts of different histories are compared with one another, because they seem mutually to help in explaining the correctness of the matter and in historically weaving back the truth. Josephus, moreover, relates this in the following manner (Antiquities, 12.14): "When Lysias the general and King Antiochus were informed that Philip, coming from Persia, had dared to assume the government entrusted to him, and wished to take upon himself the commonwealth of Antiochus, they decided to leave the siege aside and go against Philip. This plan they were by no means willing to make clear to the other commanders, but the king ordered Lysias to tell the generals that a prolonged blockade could in no way benefit them, since it was evident that the enemy's position was fortified and that they themselves were suffering from a shortage of provisions, and that it would be practical to make peace with the Jews and allow them to use their own ceremonies, from which, being before forbidden by us, they appear to have become alienated. Saying this, he decided that Philip's tyranny should be passed over in silence, lest his army should be struck with wavering hearts. As Lysias said these things, the decision pleased the army and the generals. Then the king, sending to Judas, promised peace to the besieged and assured them that they might live according to their ancestral laws. They, on receiving his words, and with oaths and pledges confirmed, left the temple. When Antiochus entered and saw the fortified place, shamelessly violating the oaths, he ordered the whole army standing around to demolish the walls down to the foundations. After he had done this, Antiochus returned to Antioch, taking with him Onias, the chief of the priests, who was also called Menelaus. For Lysias persuaded the king to kill Menelaus if he wished to have the Jews at peace, saying that he had been the beginning of the evils, who had induced his father to compel the Jews to abandon their ancestral religion. Therefore the king, sending Menelaus to Berea, a city of Syria, put him to death, in the tenth year of his high priesthood; and in order that he himself might obtain the high priesthood, he had driven the Jews to transgress the laws. After the death of Menelaus, the ruler appointed was Alcimus, who was also called Joachim. But King Antiochus, finding Philip in command of affairs, fought against him, and having brought him under his own power, killed him. Now the son of the high priest Onias, of whom we have spoken before, still a little boy, left behind on his father's death, seeing that the king had killed his uncle Menelaus and had given the high priesthood to Alcimus, who did not belong to the priestly line, but that Lysias had prevailed upon him to transfer the honor from that family to another house, fled to Ptolemy, king of Egypt, and received honor from him and from Cleopatra his wife, and requested a place in the region of Heliopolis, where he might build a temple similar to that in Jerusalem." So far Josephus. But the fact that Antiochus made a treaty with the Israelites, and he and his princes swore an oath, yet did not keep the oath, but broke his sworn promise and violated the covenant, signifies that with heretics and unbelievers there will in no way be a firm covenant agreement, because in them there is by no means a settled observance of law. Therefore in no way is a treaty to be made with vices and with the author of vices, even if they promise peace and fake prosperity; rather, at all times one must persistently fight against them with the shield of faith and the weapons of righteousness. Only then should one cease from battle, when the enemy Antiochus is not merely silent in the world, but is plunged down and thrust away into hell.
1MA 7:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Concerning this Demetrius, Pompeius Trogus recounts in his History as follows, saying: When Antiochus withdrew, having left a very young son, to whom guardians had been appointed by the people, his uncle Demetrius, who was a hostage at Rome, having learned of the death of his brother Antiochus, went to the Senate, saying that he had come as a hostage while his brother was alive, and now that he was dead, he did not know whose hostage he was; therefore it was just that he be released to pursue the kingdom, because by the law of nations it had passed to his elder brother, and should now, for the same reason, belong to him, who was older in years than the region. When he perceived that he was not being released by the Senate, which, by a silent judgment, considered the kingdom safer with the region than with him, he left the City under the ploy of going hunting, and at Ostia quietly boarded a ship with his companions in flight. Carried to Syria with favorable winds, he is welcomed with universal approval, and the kingdom is handed over to him by the guardians, after the ward has been killed. (Justin, The Epitome, 34.3)
1MA 7:5 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By King Demetrius are signified nothing other than the princes of the nations who stir up persecution against the Church of Christ. This is well explained by the interpretation of his name; for it is interpreted "binding violently" or "excessively persecuting." To this ruler, therefore, there come wicked and sinful men from Israel, and Alcimus their leader, when those who, after receiving faith in Christ, have returned to apostasy, blaspheme the Christian religion and mock the worship of the Church; whose leaders are the heretics, who, through ambition for exaltation, wish to be regarded as great by all. But when deceitfulness of this kind has been undertaken, Demetrius, in a figurative sense, sends Bacchides, who ruled beyond the river in the kingdom, in order to appoint the wicked Alcimus as priest, and to exact vengeance on the sons of Israel: that is, when pagans of whatever sort, powerful in this world, who have not yet merited to be washed in the baptism of Christ and to be numbered among the faithful, lend the support of their pride to the heretics, and inflict the torment of punishments upon the true confessors of Christ; yet although such persons speak peaceful words deceitfully to Judas and his brothers, they do not accept their words, because in no way do they trust in their deceit.
1MA 7:23 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Judas demands vengeance on the transgressors, if not that our Redeemer justifies his elect and does not allow any of his own to perish in vain? But he exercises vengeance on those who deserve it in two ways: for some, by calling them from the fountain of his great mercy to repentance for their error, he causes them to rise up against themselves, so that with weeping they punish what they formerly did by their misdeeds; but others, by a just judgment, after they have committed crimes, he allows to persist uncorrected in their hardness, so that afterwards he may inflict on them fitting punishments for what they have deserved by their unjust works.
1MA 7:26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By this Nicanor, whom we read in another place to have been set over the elephants, we can understand the false apostles or false prophets, who, proceeding from the Jews in the service of their pride, came to the Church of the Gentiles. These, attempting by disguise to introduce error into the Church of Christ, pretended to be peaceable, but, as will appear in the end, were most savage enemies. Concerning them the apostle John, writing in his Apocalypse (Rev. 2:9), says: Those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan; whom the teacher of the Gentiles, in his Epistle (2 Cor. 11), calls false apostles, deceitful workers, who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ; and no wonder, since Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light; therefore it is no great thing if his ministers are disguised as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. These therefore, like Nicanor, stretching forth their hand against the temple of the Lord, blaspheme; because they reduce from the power of Christ, who is in the Church, as though it were less strong, saying to the brethren: Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved, for therefore it is read in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 15:1) that they taught them; but when victory has been won through our Judas and his companions, the blasphemous head of this error, together with Nicanor and the right hand of evil action, is cut off, lest any longer an injury of such blasphemy be inflicted upon the divine majesty. For the apostle Paul says to us (Eph. 2:8-10): By His grace you are saved through faith, and this not from yourselves, for it is the gift of God; not from works, so that no one may glory. For we are His workmanship in Christ Jesus, created for good works, which God prepared that we should walk in them.
1MA 8:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Judas sends messengers to the Romans to establish friendship and alliance with them; this signifies that our Redeemer, through His preachers, offers the Gospel of peace to the nations and calls them to His faith. They in turn wrote back on bronze tablets what had been requested, and sent them to Jerusalem, so that there would be there among them a memorial of peace and alliance: for the nations converted to belief in Christ, firm in their faith, establish a covenant which they intend to last for a long time, and they hand down in the Catholic Church a monument of true confession, so that there may be there an everlasting memorial of their fellowship. Therefore it is said through the prophet: “Behold, the Lord has made it heard, and has sent messengers to the nations” (Jer. 49:14). Likewise: “And the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them” (Isa. 63:9). And again: “It is too small a thing,” he says, “that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the remnant of Israel” (Isa. 49:6); “I have given you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth” (Isa. 42). And again: “I have given you as a covenant to the people, to restore the land and to possess the desolate heritages” (Isa. 49:8). And what does it mean that Judas sent two messengers to the Romans for the sake of making peace, if not that our Redeemer, to call the nations to faith and to the fellowship of peace, has sent the two Testaments into the world, or, in another sense, sends two messengers because of the sacrament of love, since there are two precepts of love, and love cannot exist with fewer than two persons. For no one is properly said to have love toward himself; rather, by love he extends himself toward another, so that love may exist. The Lord sends the disciples two by two to preach in the Gospel, so that he may silently suggest this to us: whoever does not have love toward another should by no means undertake the office of preaching. It is well said, moreover, that he sent them before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to come (Luke 10:1); for the Lord follows his preachers, because preaching goes before, and then the Lord comes to the dwelling of our mind; the words of encouragement run ahead, and through them truth is received in the mind.
1MA 9:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Demetrius again renews the war through Bacchides and Alcimus against Judas, because through pagans and heretics who have relapsed from the faith of Christ, the prince of this world daily renews, with new tricks, his old plots to harm the Church; with whom he also sent the right wing, when for the perpetration of such a crime he entrusted a strong band of auxiliaries; against whom Judas goes with three thousand, because against all the enemies of the faith the assembly of teachers, together with the faithful, resolves to fight, so that through faith in the Holy Trinity he may lay low the host of enemies, who, in arrogant pride, dares to raise itself up against its own author. But let us see what is written next in this passage:
1MA 9:6 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For although many seem to remain in the confession of the Catholic faith, yet when persecution blazes up, it will appear who have been steadfast in the faith, and who only seemed outwardly to be in it. Therefore it is written in the Gospel parable (Matt. 13:6) that when the sun rose, the crops that were on rocky ground and did not have much soil were scorched; because those who do not hold firm roots of belief in their heart, believing for a time, fall away in a time of temptation. Therefore, of the three thousand, none remained with Judah except only eight hundred men; because when the depraved fall away from the fellowship of the Church, only the elect, who are predestined to receive eternal blessedness, will remain in the stability of sound faith, etc.
1MA 9:11 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that, when the army advanced from the camp, the cavalry is said to have been divided into two parts, if not that among the proud and the arrogant unity and firm concord can never be preserved? As Scripture bears witness, which says: Among the proud there are always quarrels (Prov. 13:10). What is meant by slingers and archers, if not those who, in order to entice human minds to idolatry or apostasy, either by flattering with empty promises of prosperity, like the whirling of a sling, strive to pervert the faithful, or by threatening them with torments, seek to deceive them by terrifying them, as though with the blows of arrows? And these are rightly described as going before the army, because it has always been the custom of persecutors to precede the infliction of tortures with such methods.
1MA 9:13 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
And, he says, the earth was moved at the sound of the armies; that is, the hearts of the fleshly were shaken with fear of persecutions. For from the rising of the dawning faith until the end of the world, the camp of the Devil does not cease to wage war against the Church of God, and by the adversity of tribulations it never stops trying to disturb the good. For, according to the judgment of Paul: All who wish to live piously in Christ suffer persecution (1 Tim. 3:12).
1MA 9:14-15 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Having gathered to himself all those who were steadfast in heart, he crushed it, while, with fitting supports offered by the faithful, the holy teachers strive to repel the assault of the pagans by the word of faith and to lead them to the peacefulness of faith. For that part of theirs seemed stronger, because on the side of pagan error they burned against the Church through the savagery of tortures, more than those who, with invented friendships, deceitfully arranged snares for their brethren. But Judas pursued the army of Bacchides as far as Azotus, just as the preachers of the Gospel strive to turn the fury of the pagans into the flame of holy love. For Azotus is interpreted as "the fire of a paternal uncle." That love, which burned in the hearts of the patriarchs, can be so called, which the zeal of the teachers longs to shape in the minds of the children, so that what is written of Elijah may come to pass: "That he may turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the unbelieving to the wisdom of the Just, to prepare for the Lord a perfect people" (Luke 1:17).
1MA 9:16 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
When the right horn, which was stronger, fell, the left horn pursues Judah from behind; because, with the grave persecution of the pagans somewhat put to sleep, the heretics, with a misguided (left-sided) intention, by deceitfully plotting against the holy Church and secretly wounding it as if from behind, by no means cease to persecute it. Therefore it follows:
1MA 9:17 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The battle grows intense when the pagans, by open persecution, and the heretics, by deceitful seduction, assail the Church of Christ. And many fall wounded from both these and those, when the wicked, envying the good, fall stricken by the weapons of their own hatred in great numbers: they are forced by the torments inflicted by the wicked to blaspheme, which very often happens where the common people are left without the help of their teachers. Therefore it is added:
1MA 9:18 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For when the shepherds are slaughtered, the flocks are driven to flee in different directions, as it is written in the prophet Zechariah in the foretelling of the passion of Christ: "Strike," he says, "the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered" (Zech. 13:7). The evangelist brought this forward as testimony in the Lord's passion, where, when He Himself was arrested by the crowds, all the disciples, leaving Him, fled; (Matt. 26:56 and Mark 14:50) because what came first in the Head must necessarily be followed in the Body.
1MA 9:19-20 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The fall of death's historical ruin in good teachers cannot pass without their disciples' sorrow: therefore it is said that all the people of Israel had wept for Judas with great weeping (9:20). Something similar to this is also found written in the passion of Stephen: Devout men took care of Stephen and made great weeping over him (Acts 8:2). But although the departure of their own touches the minds of the faithful with compassion, nonetheless they are not without the comfort they possess concerning the future rest of souls through sure hope. For the saints grieve in some manner in the pain of their body, but they rejoice at least in spirit over the reward assigned to them in the heavenly kingdom. Where the Savior, preaching in the Gospel to his disciples about the greatness of his passion and the certain reward of his triumph, says: Blessed are you when men shall insult you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake. Rejoice in that day and exult, for your reward is great in heaven (Matt. 5:11-12).
1MA 9:22 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
There are many wars and virtues which the saints accomplish, or rather the Lord in them, the knowledge of all of which no one can grasp, but they endure only in the recognition of their author. Therefore, concerning them the Lord says in the Gospel: My sheep hear my voice, and I, the Lord, know them (Jn. 10:27); and again: Rejoice and be glad, he says, because your names are written in heaven; for, he says, even the hairs of your head are all numbered, and not a hair of your head shall perish (Luke 10:30). Of this, it is also written elsewhere: The Lord knows those who are his (Matt. 10:33); and again: He alone knows the hearts of all the sons of Adam (Luke 21:34). Therefore in the psalm the Prophet says: Who counts the multitude of the stars and calls all of them by name (Ps. 147:4); and again: Wonderful, he says, is the Lord in his saints; he himself will give strength and power to his people (Ps. 68:35). Therefore it is necessary that each one may say, and all may say: Blessed be the Lord who alone has done great marvels, and blessed be the name of his majesty forever, and unto the age of ages (Ps. 72:18).
1MA 9:23 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
In the earlier passages, where the death of Mattathias is mentioned, it is found written that he died in the one hundred and forty-sixth year. In his place his son Judas arose and fought the battle of Israel. Likewise, in what follows it is written that Jonathan, after Judas his brother, took up the leadership. After him Alcimus, in the one hundred and fifty-third year, ordered the walls of the holy house and the works of the prophets to be destroyed, and he died at that time. Josephus, however, relates that after Alcimus, who is also Joachim, having held the leadership of the priesthood for four years, entered upon the priesthood, the people of Judah opposed him; and he says that after he had exercised the leadership of the priesthood for three years, he died. In all this it is understood that Judas, after the death of Mattathias his father, bore the leadership of the people for seven years; during which, for four years he expelled by battle the generals of Antiochus from Judea, and, cleansing the temple from the images of idols, he then restored the ancestral laws to his fellow citizens, in the one hundred and fourth [first] Olympiad, and therefore he received the leadership of the priesthood and completed three years in it. Therefore also in the Chronicles it is found that Jonathan, in the sixth year of Demetrius Soter, received the leadership of the Jews, which he held for nineteen years, that is, ten years after the death of his father Mattathias, in the one hundred and fifty-fifth Olympiad. Therefore that harassment by wicked men, which after the death of Judas troubled the sons of Israel, mystically signifies that, when good teachers are taken away, the faithful hearers experience no small loss, since, once the opportunity is seized, not only pagans but also heretics weary the Church of God with grievous persecutions. From this Paul, when he was about to go up to Jerusalem, having called together the elders of the Ephesians, among other things said: Now behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Wherefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. For I have not shrunk from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Take notice to yourselves and to the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops to rule the Church of God, which he acquired with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among yourselves will arise men speaking wicked things, in order to draw away disciples after them. Therefore be watchful, remembering that for three years I did not cease, night and day, with tears, to caution every one of you. And now I hand over you to God and to the word of his grace, who is able to build up and to give an inheritance among those who are sanctified (Acts 20:25-32).
1MA 9:24-26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
When the famine arose, the whole region surrendered itself to Bacchides: because, with preachers failing on account of a famine of the word of God, from which souls ought to be nourished, for, according to the verdict of Truth: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4), some, forced by torments, and others enticed by empty persuasions, deliver themselves from the number of ministers over to the nations. These search out the friends of the true Judah, whom, as Scripture bears witness, all his brothers praise; and when they have found them, they mock them and inflict punishment on them. Everyone who reads ecclesiastical history knows that this interpretation came to pass in the earliest times among the worshipers of Christ in the Church. But also the spiritual forces of wickedness, which serve the will of the ancient enemy, when they see the souls of men lacking the bread of the word of God, strive to lead them into error and draw them into vices, so that from the friends of Judah they may make prey for Satan and turn the vessels of God into fuel for eternal fire.
1MA 9:27 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For after a prophet was no longer seen in Israel, great tribulation arose; because, when teaching ceases among the people, the scourge of sins is stirred up, and from there God's vengeance goes forth against them. Therefore it is necessary that the teachers of the Church be zealous in teaching those under them, and that the hearers be attentive in listening to the word of God. Therefore also it is said through Solomon: Good instruction will give grace (Prov. 13:25). The lips of the wise keep them. Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty; where there are many crops, there is evident strength (Prov. 14:4). For the good there will be abundance in every good work. Mercy and truth prepare good things (Prov. 14:22).
1MA 9:28 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that, after the death of Judas, Jonathan is read to have been chosen by the people to the priesthood, to fill the place of his brother, if not that, when the first teachers of the Church depart through martyrdom, their successors, by the governing grace of the Holy Spirit, are appointed in their place? The effectiveness of this governance is shown by the meaning of the name Jonathan: for it is interpreted "their dove," as has been shown above, bringing close the preachers of the word so that they may worthily bear the office of their leadership among the people of God and provide fitting defense to their subjects against their enemies. But just as against the earlier, so also against the later teachers of the people of God, cruel darts are hurled by unbelievers and heretics, and the savage hostility of enemies opposes them. Therefore it follows:
1MA 9:31 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Jonathan fled, as the battle was drawing near, into the desert of Tekoa, because, when the persecution of the enemies blazes up, holy teachers, together with their followers, by their prayers penetrate the secret court of heaven, so that by calling upon Almighty God there they may find help, whom with the full intention of their heart they ask to come to their aid. For Tekoa is interpreted as "trumpet" or "clang." But what is added:
1MA 9:33 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Signifies that they devote themselves to the tears of regret, so that they may more easily strive to obtain the support of Almighty God, when they seek refuge not elsewhere, but solely in His mercy. Therefore Asphar is interpreted as "he sat" or "ground," because when the heart is healed of vices and is pierced with regret, the moisture of tears is poured forth more abundantly from the eyes, to provoke the mercy of God.
1MA 9:34-35 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Bacchides came with his army against the Jews on the sabbath day across the Jordan, if not that the persecutors of Christians, envying the peace and serenity of the Church, strive, by breaking in with tumult, to disturb the sacrament of baptism and to overturn the condition of the faith? For this purpose they call the Nabuthaeans, their friends, to their aid, because they associate heretics and ill-inclined men with themselves for the crushing of the faithful. For the Nabuthaeans, as some affirm, are interpreted as "profaners," according to the wickedness of their heart; and heretics can rightly be called profaners in this passage, for by their teaching they do not praise the truth of sound faith, but, according to the wickedness of their heart, they bring forth the falsity of error. Therefore also in the Law the prophets who dreamed vain things and prophesied lies were, according to the judgment of the Lord, condemned to death; and it is most certain that this happens to heretics, who through useless schisms and sects separate themselves from God and, through error and blasphemy, join themselves to the Devil.
1MA 9:36-37 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By the sons of Jambri, those who are devoted to the pleasures of this world are represented, who are said to go out from Madaba, that is, from the birth of the Lord, when they strive, without any change, to indulge the carnal desire which they have contracted originally on the side of the flesh. These therefore seize John and everything he had and went away possessing them, when they draw someone from the sons of the Church, washed in the water of baptism and reborn by the grace of God, over to themselves through unlawful desires, and by corrupting the good pursuits with which he served God, they pervert them to the allurements of pleasures. But Jonathan and Simon, desiring to avenge these things, overthrew and killed the bridegroom who had taken as wife the daughter of one of the great princes of Canaan in great ambition, together with all his display and his friends: when holy teachers rescue from their evil intention some of those whom they see with all their effort to be eagerly clinging to the pleasures of the world and inclined to luxury (for whom the prince of this age, to deceive them, also sets before them those who burn with carnal desire, drawing them into his fellowship), and in them they slay, with the sword of the divine word, that which was harmful and opposed to the divine commandments. For such a victory well suits those who have learned from the heavenly Master to love their enemies and to do good to those who hate them; to pray for those who persecute and slander them, to bless those who curse and not to curse in return. They receive their spoils when they convert all their efforts and activities to ecclesiastical use. Therefore it is rightly added:
1MA 9:41-42 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For the holy preachers teach them to change the empty joy of the world into the mourning of repentance, and vain jests and useless songs into divine psalmody with regret of tears, those whom they seize as a saving prey and utterly slay from a carnal life and from the deeds of the old man. And therefore they return to the bank of the Jordan, when they lead them to the condition of the Christian religion and to the reception of holy baptism, so that there the evangelical rite may be fulfilled, for the sake of which all this labor was undertaken.
1MA 9:43 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
When the persecutors of the faithful, on the spiritual sabbath, on which the worshipers of Christ themselves withdraw from earthly desires to hear the word of God and to sing praise to the Lord, stirred up by envy strive to disturb them, and attempt to profane the sacrament of baptism by secular power, the mystical Jonathan urges his followers to spiritual combat; that is, that by patience of mind and strength of faith they may fight in opposition against their enemies, not that by fighting or striking they might harm them, but that by patience and gentleness, enduring and repaying with benefits, they may conquer them more effectively, according to that saying of the Savior, who said to his disciples: You have heard that it was said to those of old: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; but I say to you not to resist evil; but if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, offer him the other also; and to him who wishes to struggle with you in court and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well (Matt. 5:38-42). And again: In your patience you shall possess your souls (Luke 21:29). Therefore Paul also says: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for in doing this you will heap coals of fire upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:20-21). By such offerings God is propitiated, who grants victory to his servants and lays their enemies low beneath their feet. Therefore, it is written later that Jonathan made peace with Bacchides, and that Bacchides, having sworn that he would do him no harm all the days of his life, restored to him the captives he had previously taken from the land of Judah. (9:71-72)
1MA 9:54 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
We have said above that Alcimus, a defiler of the law and a traitor to his country, signifies the heretics, who do not fear to profane the Testament of God with wicked sects and to disturb the Church of God; he now destroys the walls of the holy inner house and is said to demolish the works of the prophets, which can fittingly be applied to those same heretics, who not only corrupt the oracles of the prophets with empty traditions, but also strive, in whatever way they can, to violate and dispute the bulwark of faith (which is kept in the hearts of believers with a mind intent on the observance of the mystical law of God). But let us see what follows in common:
1MA 9:56 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For although heretics may boast in empty pride, although for a time they may seem to prevail over the faithful through the support of the powerful of this world, yet by the judgment of Almighty God they will in the end be overthrown, and the strength of their perverse will shall be dissolved, when they are unable to bring to completion what they wish to accomplish. Nor is it even permitted that anything be ordered from their own house, that is, from their following manner of life, once the sentence of the heavenly Judge is already awaiting; instead, what is said through the Psalmist will be fulfilled: "May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips and the boastful tongue. Who have said: We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own; who is Lord over us?" (Ps. 12:3-4). For when heretics persist in their wickedness until the end of this present life, the second death follows, and they shall be sent, according to the sentence of the Apocalypse of John, into the lake of eternal fire, and they shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torments shall rise for ever and ever, and they shall have no rest day or night, those who adored the beast and its image, and they gnaw their tongues for pain, and they blaspheme the Lord of heaven because of the pains of their wounds, and they did not do fruitful penance for their deeds, because they were unwilling, while it was permitted, to purge themselves beforehand from their errors. (Rev. 14:9-11)
1MA 9:57 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
From the persecution of the unbelievers and the harassment of the heretics, the Church had peace for a time, according to that which is read in the Acts of the Apostles: "The Church indeed throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and was filled with the comfort of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 9:31) But because peace and security in this present life will not be long-lasting and enduring, the following statement makes this clear, where it is written:
1MA 9:58 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
All the enemies envy the peace and quiet of the Church of God. Therefore, whatever arises with happy success for the good, they seek the help of the wicked in order to harm it. This is signified by the letter of Bacchides, secretly sent to his associates who were in Judea so that they might seize Jonathan and those who were with him in Judea; because the savage persecutors from without, when they cannot overthrow the confessors of Christ by tortures, construct snares from within through false brothers, who appear to remain in the Church, so that those whom the former could not destroy by the sword, the latter may deceive by trickery. Therefore the Apostle Paul also frequently complains in his Epistles (Gal. 2) of the deceit of false brothers, who slipped in and perverted the truth of the Gospel, but they could not prevail, because their plan became known; for a good teacher's diligence acts so that he may know how to provide for the people subject to him and to guard them against the cunning of the perverse.
1MA 9:61 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What else are these but those who, content with the surface of the legal letter, wish to observe the Pentateuch of the Law not spiritually but carnally, in circumcision and in words; whom the teacher of the Gentiles reproves when writing to the Galatians, where he says: O foolish Galatians! who has bewitched you? How is it that you are turning again to the weak and poor elements, to which you wish to be enslaved once more? You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. I fear lest perhaps I have labored among you in vain. You were running well; who has hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you: for a little leaven corrupts the whole mass; I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will think nothing else; but whoever is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be. (Gal. 3:1-3 and parts of Gal. 5:9-10) But with such persons, having been destroyed by the deceit of the ancient enemy in the death of the soul, let us see what follows:
1MA 9:62 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Jonathan, when Bacchides caused an uproar, gathered himself with his men into Bethbessen, which is in the desert, and rebuilt its ruins, strengthening it, if not that holy preachers, when they see the power of persecutors prevailing so that they cannot go out openly with the word of preaching, for a time withdraw into hidden places, so that there they may devote themselves to fasting and prayers, and whatever, through carelessness while mingling with the crowds, had slipped back in the certainty of their own life, may, being set apart through diligent good study, be renewed again in full? For Bethbesse is interpreted "house of the flowering mouth." For the mouth blossoms when it resonates with prayers and psalmody and the hymns of God its companion. This also appears to be what the Lord commands the disciples in the Gospel, when he says: "When they persecute you in one city, flee into another" (Matt. 10:23). Therefore the Truth himself, when the Jews were plotting to kill him, no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went into a region near the desert, into a city called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples (Jn. 11:54); and elsewhere it is read that he went out to the mountain to pray, where he spent the night in the prayer of God (Luke 6:12). Therefore also Paul and Barnabas, when they were preaching the word of God in Iconium (Acts 14), and an assault was made by the Gentiles and Jews with their rulers, to mistreat them with insults and stones and to stone them, understanding this, fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the whole region round about, and there they preached the gospel. But the hatred of the ancient enemy allows no place in the world to become safe from ambushes. Therefore also Bacchides leads an army against Bethbessen to attack it, and does not allow the worshippers of God to live in peace.
1MA 9:65 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Jonathan left his brother Simon in the city and himself went out into the region to pursue his adversaries, if not that holy teachers labor inwardly at the virtues, and yet outwardly do not cease to fight against enemies with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit? But these enemies of the Church are not uniform; rather, they are many through the various kinds of persecutions: Jews, pagans, heretics, and schismatics, as well as false Christians, who manufacture disasters to harm the good, as has been shown above. This is also not inappropriately set forth by the meanings of the names themselves in their interpretations. For Odaren means "his generation," and Phaseron means "confusion." Therefore, through Odaren and his brothers those can be indicated who, under the unity of Catholic confession, pretend that the same hidden mystery belongs to the good and the simple, yet by their evil deeds show themselves to be different from their company; of whom the Apostle says: "They profess that they know God, but in deeds they deny Him" (Titus 1:16). Through Phaseron, however, the others are designated who differ from the unity of the Church not only in religion but also in the profession of faith, and such people never cease to prepare schisms, quarrels, and calamities for true Christians, but their conspiracies and deceits are turned back upon themselves by spiritual leaders, and they do not allow the soldiers of Christ to be harmed by their frauds.
1MA 9:72 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
With the storms of war ceasing, Jonathan goes out to Michmash, and dwelling there he judges the people and exterminates the wicked from Israel; because, when the wars of the wicked have been quieted, holy preachers strive to restore what previously, on account of the impending storms of battles, was proclaimed concerning the morality of their subjects, but they also in every way labor that, by good morals, they may render to their Creator the due of just service. For Michmash, historically, is a large village, which to this day is shown within the borders of Aelia, retaining its ancient name, and distant nine miles from it, near the village of Ramah. For Michmash is interpreted "village of the tribes" or "decree," by which, namely, the holy Church is designated, where God is diligently served every day, and where, according to the decrees of the law of God, just judgments are carefully carried out by learned members of the faithful, and the wickedness of the perverse is utterly exterminated from the true Israel.
1MA 10:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By Antiochus the Noble he means the one whom the Greeks call Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus the Great, about whom more is related above.
1MA 10:2 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
About this war between Demetrius and Alexander, as Pompeius Trogus and his abbreviator Justin relate it, it does not seem unreasonable to consider their account. For therefore it is written in the Epitome of the same Pompeius Trogus, book thirty-five: "Demetrius, after seizing the kingdom of Syria, thinking that peace was dangerous for the newness of his rule, decided to increase the strength of his kingdom and to enlarge his resources through wars with his neighbors. And so, hostile to Ariarathes, king of Cappadocia, because he had rejected marriage with his sister out of contempt, he received in supplication Ariarathes' brother Holophernes, who had been unjustly driven from his kingdom, and, rejoicing that an honorable pretext for war had been given him, resolved to restore him to his throne. But Holophernes, with ungrateful spirit, having made an agreement with the Antiochians, who at that time were offended with Demetrius, conceived the plan of driving him from the kingdom by which he was being restored. When Demetrius learned of this, he spared Ariarathes' life, lest he be freed from fear of a neighboring war, but ordered that he himself be seized and kept in custody at Seleucia; nor were the Antiochians, frightened by this judgment, discouraged from revolt. And so, with the help both of Ptolemy, king of Egypt, and Attalus, king of Syria, he sought to recover by arms a kingdom as though it were his paternal inheritance; and, that nothing should be lacking in insult, the name Alexander was given to him, and he was said to have been born of King Antiochus. So great was the hatred of Demetrius among all, that his rival received by common consent not only royal power, but also nobility of lineage. Therefore Alexander, in a remarkable change of fortune, forgetting his former disgrace, and armed with the forces of almost the whole East, wages war against Demetrius, and, having defeated him, strips him of both life and kingdom. Yet Demetrius did not lack courage in resisting the war. For at first he put the enemy to flight, and, when the kings renewed the war, he slew many thousands in Mysia; and at the last, still with unconquered spirit, he fell fighting most bravely among the bravest. At the beginning of the war Demetrius had entrusted two sons to a certain host of his, together with a great weight of gold, so that they might be removed from the dangers of war and, if fate so decreed, be preserved for avenging their father. Of these, the younger, Demetrius, having passed the years of puberty, when he heard of Alexander's luxury, Alexander whom unexpected riches and the adornments of another's good fortune, as if he were captured, kept idle in the palace among a crowd of harlots, attacks him, with the help of the Cretans, while he is unsuspecting and fearing no enemy. The Antiochians also, intending to correct their old offence against his father by new services, surrender themselves to him; and the soldiers, too, stirred by favor toward the youth, preferring the obligation of their former oath to the arrogance of the new king, transfer their standards to Demetrius. And therefore Alexander, destroyed by fortune with no less violence than he had been exalted by it, is defeated and killed in the first battle, and paid the penalty to Demetrius, whom he had slain, and to Antiochus, whose lineage he had falsely claimed."
1MA 10:7 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
With Demetrius offering peace by letters, Jonathan, dwelling in Jerusalem, began to renew the city; for although persecutors sometimes terrify the faithful with threats, and at other times encourage them with flatteries, nevertheless holy teachers continually devote themselves to spiritual edification and renew the city of the Church, so that its enemies may be able neither to break in by force nor to deceive it by fraud. Therefore it is said that Jonathan ordered Mount Zion to be fortified on all sides by the workers with squared stones, because the preachers of the Gospel especially strive to surround the camp of the Church with holy and strong men, whom the squared stones signify, so that there may not easily be an opening for enemies to attack the holy city: for every object that is four-sided is accustomed to stand firm, however it is turned. To this figure the hearts of the elect are likened, who have learned so to stand in the firmness of faith that, when any adversity arises, not even death itself can cause them to bend from the uprightness of their condition. By Bethzur, which is interpreted "house of the strong," the Church is sometimes signified, and sometimes Holy Scripture, in which the strong, that is, holy teachers and apostolic men, are seen to dwell; but just as in the present Church both good and evil are found until the net of the Lord, drawing good and bad fish to the shore (Matt. 13:47-50), that is, to the end of the world and to the judgment of final separation, brings them, so Holy Scripture also has devout readers, who search it with a catholic understanding, and corrupt ones, who, by bending it to their own perverse sense, try to corrupt it. Therefore the Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, says: "All Scripture, inspired by God, is useful for teaching, for refutation and correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17.). But evil men and impostors grow worse and worse, going astray and leading others into error. Therefore also the prince of the apostles says that the unlearned and unstable distort the sacred Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:15). Therefore, with the persecutions of the pagans having ceased outwardly, up to now heretics and schismatics are raging inwardly against good Catholics, because they have abandoned the law of the Lord and have refused to keep the way of truth. Accordingly, Bethzur is said to become for them a refuge, because whatever they have planned with wicked understanding, or expressed in perverse speech, they strive to confirm it wholly by testimonies of Holy Scripture not rightly understood.
1MA 10:15 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
As the kings of Syria and Egypt, struggling for the kingdom, each sought the help and friendship of Jonathan, I think nothing else is signified than this: that all carnal people, proud, greedy, and pleasure-loving, although they are always at odds with one another and can in no way firmly keep a settled peace and treaty, nevertheless sometimes, when they perceive the freedom and harmony of Holy Scripture or of the Holy Church, show it honor; because they venerate in it the gift which they do not see themselves as possessing, and some desire to have its friendship or to be helped by its timely comforts, so that through prayer and the pursuit of virtues they themselves may be improved.
1MA 10:67 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is signified by Apollonius, the governor of Coelesyria, whom Demetrius sent with an army into Judaea, if not the officers and ministers of earthly power, to whom it is entrusted by their masters to wage war against the faith of Christ and to compel his confessors to blaspheme? These men, unjustly confident in the numbers of their own people and exalting themselves in the help of the proud, mock Jonathan because he exercises authority in the mountains together with the holy teachers; they scoff at the hope they have in help from on high and provoke them into the plain, that is, to earthly desires and worldly pleasures, so that they may more easily overwhelm them while they move in the depths. For broad is the way that leads to death, and many there are who enter through it (Matt. 7:13). But Jonathan and Simon, with ten thousand men, engage in battle against Apollonius and his camp; and, overcoming him, they lay him low, just as the holy preachers of Christ, having joined to themselves a number of the faithful who duly keep the commandments of the Decalogue, fight unwaveringly against the persecutors of the faith, and, with divine help for their faith, conquer and defeat all their enemies who devise evil against them. For Joppa, which is interpreted "beauty," rightly signifies the world, whose appearance seems beautiful to carnal people, because they desire to satisfy the cravings of their flesh; indeed, it is there that Jonathan storms the garrison of Apollonius, where the crowd of teachers, by the truth of the Gospel, crushes and utterly defeats the empty philosophy of the world and its followers; and that same company of holy preachers also fights against Azotus, which is interpreted "paternal fire," when it seeks to extinguish in people the desire for earthly things. But the armies of Apollonius flee into Azotus to Dagon, their idol, in order to secure their freedom, just as unbelievers seek protection from the demons whom they worship in their superstition. For Dagon is interpreted "fish of sorrow," signifying the Devil, who, lurking in the sea of this world, strives to deceive all whom he can; but Jonathan sets Azotus and the temple of Dagon on fire, and kills with the sword those who fled into it, because the holy teachers, once the idols have been destroyed by the fire of anathema, likewise condemn the Devil and the love of the world to eternal punishment, and slay idolaters with the sword of the divine word, because they proclaim the punishment that will follow them into Gehenna.
1MA 10:85 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By means of the number eight, both spiritual circumcision and the day of resurrection, as we have often said, are indicated; and there all who here are not circumcised by the sword of the divine Spirit are handed over to punishment.
1MA 10:86 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Jonathan advanced the camp and arrived at Ascalon, just as the preachers of the saints arrange the equipment for virtuous combat to overthrow the errors of the nations and to convert them themselves to the faith of Christ; whom those nations receive with devotion, when they gladly render obedience to them in the Gospel. Therefore it is rightly added in common.
1MA 10:87 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For when, as the teachers of the New Testament preach, the Gentiles behold the happiness of those who believe in faith in the word of God, they immediately return to the Church of Christ to give thanks to God, so that they may offer worthy praises to Him, by whose grace they have received this gift over which they exult with great rejoicing.
1MA 10:88 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Alexander, on hearing of Jonathan's deeds, went further and glorified him by giving him royal adornment, if not that the rulers of the nations, recognizing the greatness of soul and strength of the Church, render to her the honor of royal dignity, because they truly know that she is the Bride of the heavenly King? They grant her cities as possessions, they who hand over to her the dwelling within their borders.
1MA 11:8 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Ptolemy Euergetes, who reigned in Alexandria after Ptolemy Philometor, as the books of chronicles attest, gave his daughter in marriage to Alexander, son of Bala, king of Syria. Later, when hostility arose between himself and his son-in-law, he took her away and gave her in marriage to Demetrius, son of Demetrius, together with the kingdom he had taken from Alexander, which Scripture now seems to be recalling.
1MA 11:20 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Jonathan attacks those who were in the Jerusalem citadel by means of those who are in Judea, if not that holy teachers attack the stubbornness of those who, relying on the exaltation and pride of their hearts, dare to resist the divine commandments? Against these he constructs many engines, because by various discipline and the diverse teaching of the Scriptures they strive to conquer them and to summon them to humility. But just as then certain men, enemies of their own people, wicked men, went to the king accusing Jonathan, so also now those who do not wish to accept ecclesiastical discipline hate those who try to take away their wickedness, accusing them before the powers of this world, so that they may turn them into hatred and stir up persecution against them; but they do not prevail, because God is their helper and protector, and has delivered them from all their tribulations.
1MA 11:28 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By "toparchies," that is, the leadership of villages or towns, he refers to those places which Demetrius added to Judea from the kingdom of Samaria, about which he relates in what follows, that is, Lydda and Ramatha. For Lydda is a city of Palestine situated on the shore of the great sea, and Ramatha is a city of Samaria, about which it is written in the Book of Kings (1 Kings 1). Therefore, by the right of friendship, King Demetrius, granting exemption to Jonathan, added the aforesaid cities to Judea, sending the assessment of tithes and taxes, and the tracts of saltworks, in which the production of salt was owed to the state; and likewise he forgave other debts which were imposed with royal pomp, and, in accordance with the agreement made with Jonathan, he remitted them all.
1MA 11:39 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
But how Demetrius came to experience the hatred of his own army Pompeius Trogus shows, saying: "After recovering his father's kingdom, Demetrius himself, corrupted by the success of his affairs, slipped in his youthful vices into laziness, and he experienced among all people as much contempt as his father had previously drawn upon himself in hatred through his arrogance. And so, when cities everywhere were breaking away from his rule, he resolved to wage war on the Parthians in order to wipe out the stain of his laziness. The peoples of the East were not unwilling to see his arrival because of the cruelty of Arsaces, king of the Parthians, and because, being accustomed to the ancient empire of the Macedonians, they bore with anger the arrogance of the new rulers. Therefore, when he was aided by the support of the Persians and other neighboring peoples, he moved the Parthians, laying waste to them in many battles. At last, however, being deceived under the hoax of peace, he was captured and led through the streets of the cities to the peoples who had deserted him, and he was displayed as a mockery of misplaced favor; then he was sent into Hyrcania, where he was treated kindly and maintained according to his former rank."
1MA 11:41 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Jonathan asks King Demetrius to expel those who were in the citadel of Jerusalem and in the strongholds, who also were attacking Israel, while on the contrary Demetrius asks him for help against his enemies, if not that holy teachers request from the rulers of the nations and from all people the overthrow of error and pride, and they in turn similarly ask from the holy teachers the support of doctrine and prayer for overcoming spiritual enemies? For neither order is able rightly to bring to completion the effect of its ministry without the assistance of the other, since neither can the holy teachers obtain the merit of winning souls without the conversion and obedience of their subjects, nor can the subjects themselves merit salvation without the teaching and instruction of their masters; for each order, as has been said above, is strengthened by the other and enlightened by the other. Therefore Paul says to the Thessalonians: Then we live, if you stand firm in the Lord, because we rejoice on your account before our Lord: (1 Thess. 3:8) and to the Corinthians: We are, he says, your glory, just as you are ours on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:14).
1MA 11:49 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
That the Jews were gaining victory over their enemies and were compelling them to ask for peace and to give them their right hands signifies that the strength of the holy Church surpasses all its enemies; and whether it causes them, through a wholesome way of life, to yield, or justly punishes those who continue in their stubborn contempt, this is because it has received from its Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the strength of the enemy (Luke 10:19), of which, speaking elsewhere in the Gospel to his apostle Peter, he says: You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matt.16:18).
1MA 11:51 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Because the confessors of Christ appear glorious throughout the whole world, yet the holy men do not credit this glory to themselves, but to their King, that is, to God, the giver of all good things.
1MA 11:52 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
That Demetrius repaid Jonathan with evil for his benefits signifies carnal fools, who, when advice is given them for their salvation, do not repay their backers according to the benefits owed, but according to the wicked counsels of their hardened heart. For whatever is done for their advantage, they regard it entirely as harmful, and, stirred by the rod of envy, they choose to serve their own most wicked will.
1MA 11:60 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By Jonathan's passing beyond the river we can understand the preaching of the word to those who have not yet been cleansed by the baptism of Christ, because holy preachers sometimes summon the Gentiles to sacred baptism, and sometimes stir up the faithful to the advancement of virtues. When therefore Jonathan returns across the river, the army of Syria comes to him as help, because when the apostles had passed over from the Jews to the preaching to the Gentiles, immediately many from among the Gentiles came to the faith and baptism of Christ, who were helpers to the holy preachers in the Gospel of God, so that they might lead pagans to belief. He went on to Ascalon, which is interpreted "suspended" or "shameful fire," and they came out from the city to meet him with honor. When those who had been serving worldly ambition heard the word of God from the holy preachers, they immediately, having abandoned worldly greed, hurried to the obedience of the Gospel.
1MA 11:61 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
By Gaza, which is interpreted "strength," is signified the stubbornness of unbelievers, in which the deceived minds of the wicked are enclosed, because they do not consent to yield to the truth. Jonathan overwhelmed it and burned the cities around it, just as the teachers of Christ on every side pressure the faithless with the testimonies of Holy Scripture and, by defeating the schemes of their errors, lay them waste. Therefore the people of Gaza asked Jonathan to grant them right hands, and he received their sons as hostages, sending them to Jerusalem: when the stubbornness of the proud has been overcome and they are no longer able to resist the truth for long, they beg the teachers of the Church to grant them the bonds of peace, and they hand over their sons to them as hostages, that is, the pledges of their erroneous faith, namely to renounce it and to submit in obedience, they promise this to the Church, so that a sure hope may be given that their way of life will be converted to the faith.
1MA 11:63 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The leaders of Demetrius, who broke faith in Kadesh of Galilee, can not inappropriately be understood as secular powers, which, although they are counted among the faithful because of the catholic confession, this is what Kadesh, which is interpreted as "holy" or "changed," and Galilee, that is, "wandering made," express figuratively, often nevertheless devise deceit of this kind, denying the grace of the heavenly kingdom. Jonathan meets them, because it is necessary that the zeal of holy teachers confront such people, lest they carry out in deed the fraud which they plan in their hearts. Yet he left his brother Simon within the province so that he might protect it from within against the disrespect of unruly men: so also holy preachers, although they sometimes go forth to regulate the affairs of the world and to restrain the attacks of the undisciplined, nevertheless in no way cease to order the ministry of their life within the Church; but they always have there those who preserve regular discipline in all things, so that just as they are useful in externals, so they may be found wholesome everywhere.
1MA 11:65 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is signified by Bethsura, if not the reading of the Holy Scriptures? For Bethsura is interpreted as "house of the strong," and the sacred Scripture can rightly be called the house of the strong, because there those who are strong and most heroic always dwell by speaking and acting well, they who, together with the Psalmist, meditate on the law of the Lord day and night (Ps. 1:2). For in this house at times heretics seem falsely to dwell, when they are found to read the Scriptures but not at all to understand them. Therefore it is said that Simon besieged Bethsura for many days and captured the city and drove out the wicked inhabitants from it, and they placed a garrison there; because holy teachers have this chiefly as their endeavor and strive with all their might to overcome heretics, by destroying their false opinion and wresting the Scripture of the law of God from their hands. Placing a garrison in it, that is, devout examiners and meditators on divine wisdom, who strive to understand correctly and to set forth accordingly the divine word.
1MA 11:67 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Jonathan pitched his camp by the water of Gennesar, except that the company of holy preachers, inflamed by the Spirit of God, prepares to oppose worldly waves in the persecutions of the faithful? They say that the lake of Gennesareth is the same as the Sea of Galilee. But the Sea of Tiberias takes its name from the nearby city, which was formerly called Gennessar, but rebuilt by Herod the Tetrarch and named Tiberias in honor of Tiberius Caesar. Moreover, Gennesar is named from the nature of the lake itself, since it is said that, with its rippling waters, it raises a breeze from itself for itself, and is therefore called in Greek "as if generating a breeze for itself." For the water is not spread out motionless in the manner of a pond, but is stirred by frequent blowing of winds, sweet to the taste and suitable for drinking. Yet, by the usage of the Hebrew language, every gathering of waters, whether fresh or salty, is called a sea. This lake, with the Jordan flowing through it, extends one hundred and sixty stadia in length and sixty in breadth. Since therefore the lake or sea represents the present age, our Jonathan, with his own men, hurries to resist the chaos of the world and strives to keep watch before dawn in the field of Asor; that is, he carefully takes heed to watch diligently against the ambushes of the Devil. For Asor is interpreted "arrow of light," and the Apostle, writing about the same apostate angel, says: "For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). Therefore it is no wonder if his ministers are transformed as though they were ministers of righteousness. There foreigners, meeting them in the plain, lay ambushes in the mountains: because both evil spirits and perverse men, in the luxury or pride of this present life, or in worldly desires, strive to seduce whomsoever they can; against whom it is necessary that the soldiers of Christ run in opposition and fight bravely with them, lest perhaps they agree to their persuasions and be dissolved by pleasures and allurements. But when the battle was joined, all those who had been on Jonathan's side fled,
1MA 11:70 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
commander of the army; because, sadly, many of the clergy are overthrown by ambition and the pleasures of this world. Therefore in the Gospel parable the Lord says (Luke 8:14) that the thorns which sprang up choked the crop, that is, riches and a life of pleasure choked the crop so that it did not bear fruit. Yet Mathathias, whose name is interpreted "gift of God," and Judas, that is, "one who confesses," stand firm with Jonathan, because those who are enlightened and strengthened by the gift of God, and by believing rightly and acting well are truly confessors of God, these persevere in the camps of the Church and press the enemy hard, until they crush him and restore again to their former camps their own men who had fled by yielding to the enemy. But let us see what Jonathan did when his soldiers turned to flight.
1MA 11:71 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For therefore should the superiors and teachers of the Church act when they see their own hiding in battle and turning their backs to the enemies: to tear their garments, that is, to afflict the body with fasts and tears; and to put dirt on their head, that is, to recall to mind the frailty of the body, and to pray to the Lord for their own sins or those of the people, so that he who is almighty may work salvation for the weak and restore them to their former health. And therefore it is fitting to exhort each one to come to his senses from the snares of the Devil, who had been taken captive to his will, and to return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our Lord, for he is rich in forgiving (Isa. 55:7).
1MA 11:74 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Note that the foreigners are struck down in the number three, because through faith in the Holy Trinity all the enemies of the Church are crushed, overcome, and laid low; and the crowd of believers returns with its leader to the mystical Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all, so that there it may render thanks and praises to our God forever and unto ages of ages.
1MA 12:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
The fact that Jonathan sends letters to the Romans and to the Spartans, and to other places, so that they might renew the treaty and friendship with them which his brother Judas had previously of his own accord entered into, shows that holy preachers ought to have great concern to strive with all their efforts to renew and preserve everywhere the peace which Christ has offered in the world. For the very Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile in His flesh things heavenly and earthly (Col. 1:20), immediately at the beginning of His birth willed that it be sung by the angels: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will" (Luke 2:14). This same peace the mediator between God and men, now made man, praised to His disciples, saying: "Have peace among yourselves" (Matt. 10:34); and: "My peace I give you; my peace I leave with you" (Jn. 14:27). For by peace and harmony the whole body of Christ is united, governed, and made firm; but whoever does not wish to have peace with his neighbors has no fellowship in the body of Christ, nor can he now achieve to eternal rest, from which he has separated himself through conflict.
1MA 12:19 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
But how the Spartans were of the lineage of Abraham is not easily found: for it could have happened that Abraham had many sons, apart from Isaac whom Sarah bore to him, from Hagar namely and from Bethsura, as Scripture makes clear, so that from one of them the origin of the Spartans proceeded. But Josephus, making mention of this passage, does not seem, however, to wish to express a true kinship of the Spartans with the Jews, but rather some sort of alliance; he reports a letter written by the Lacedaemonians: "The king of the Lacedaemonians to Onias Jonathan the high priest, greetings. Reading the Scriptures, we sometimes found that from one [from one stock] the Jews and the Lacedaemonians came into being, and that they had fellowship with Abraham in a friendly manner: it is therefore just, since you are brothers, to send to you and ask for what you judge necessary for yourselves: and we will do the same, and we likewise regard your own possessions as common with ours. The bearer of the letters, Demotites, brings to you letters written on a square tablet, bearing a seal with an eagle carrying a dragon in its claws." The letter therefore sent by the king of the Lacedaemonians contained a text of this kind.
1MA 12:24 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Jonathan went out against the leaders of Demetrius, who had come out to fight against him, that he went up to Jerusalem and met them in the region of Amathis, if not that the sacred order of teachers is always ready to do battle against the persecutors of the Church, that is, Jews, pagans, and heretics, and to resist their deceit? He goes out from Jerusalem and meets them in the region of Amathis because, although by inward contemplation and the eye of the mind they gaze upon the loftiness of the Creator and the greatness of heavenly rewards, they nevertheless stand forth for a time to struggle with enemies, yet in no way do they turn aside from the straightness of the truth; for Amathi is interpreted "my truth." But whether they struggle in the clash of disagreement against their errors, or patiently endure their scourges and killings, they in no way abandon the truth of justice, nor do they grant them the opportunity to enter, by deceit, in any way into the territory of the Church. They strive with the greatest effort to crush at once, at the very beginning of their treachery, their wickedness, and to keep the camp of the Church unharmed.
1MA 12:26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
With scouts sent out, Jonathan explores the enemy camp, just as holy preachers, through diligent men, investigate the deceit of the enemies, so that, once their wicked plans are discovered, they may more easily guard against their trickery. And the scouts reported to them that they were planning to come upon them by night: for they prepare to come by night, those who, with a blind heart, devise works of darkness to perform. In opposition, Jonathan orders his men to keep watch and to be armed and ready for battle all night long: for it is the proper role of chosen teachers to instruct their subjects to be ever vigilant and cautious during the entire time of this life, in which, living in uncertainty, they strive toward a certain end. And when the adversaries heard that Jonathan was ready with his men for war, they were greatly afraid and lit fires in the camp and plotted flight: Jonathan pursued them, yet did not overtake them, because he found them already positioned beyond the river. The adversaries fear when the ministers of the Church prepare themselves for spiritual battle; and when they light fires in their camp, that is, they fake the strength of war among their ranks. But in the morning of shining faith, spiritual Jonathan pursues his enemies, yet does not overtake them, that is, he does not bring them to belief, because, seeing them seething in love for the changeable world, he judged them to be beyond recall.
1MA 12:35 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
That Jonathan, having returned, set about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and, after taking counsel with the elders of the people, strengthened the garrisons and built a great height between the middle of the citadel and the city, so as to separate it from the city, signifies the holy teachers who, after having for a time been occupied with wars outside, then inwardly concern themselves, together with spiritual men, with the fortification of the Church, lest it be harmed by internal enemies. Therefore, those who were from the city of Marche and were lying in wait for the citizens of Jerusalem signify the heretics who, established on the stronghold of their pride, never cease plotting against the Church. Jonathan in his mystical sense cuts them off with spiritual protection, so that they are isolated and neither buy nor sell, having been cast out from the unity of the Church by a most forceful excommunication; neither are their sects to be received, nor is ecclesiastical teaching in any way to be entrusted to them, as to swine most filthy and defiled by every kind of foulness, for the purpose of defiling it. This is expressly contradicted and forbidden by the Lord and Savior in the Gospel, where he says: Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them underfoot and, turning, tear you to pieces (Matt. 7:6). Therefore, the Mutus who fell upon the torrent from the rising of the sun, whom Jonathan also restored, signifies those who seemed in the Church to exercise some guardianship of the flock entrusted to them, but, relying on brief things and serving worldly ambition, have slipped into the pleasures of this life and fallen from their proper state. These must necessarily be restored by the zeal of the saints, who strive to bring them back to their former stability by strengthening them with ecclesiastical doctrine.
1MA 12:39 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
This Tryphon represents the figure of hypocrites and heretics, who act in one way and speak in another, and who undertake something different in their intention. Against him Jonathan went out with forty thousand men, because against such people the doctrine of the Gospel and the observance of God's commandments are necessary: for whoever, according to the teachings of the Gospel, keeps the precepts of the Law, will safely break through the wedges of the enemy. But the fact that Tryphon by deceit persuaded Jonathan to dismiss the army from himself and to receive him peacefully, and therefore, having deceived him, captured him and killed those who were travelling with him, signifies the ruin of those who do not keep themselves properly, nor maintain watchfulness in the alertness of the heart and the conduct of the body. For these, because they do not heed that teaching of the Gospel in which the Savior commanded His disciples, saying: "Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation" (Matt. 26:41); and again: "Beware," He says, "of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matt. 7:15); therefore the army of such people is rightly overcome and destroyed, because the teaching of the heavenly master is not duly observed by them. Furthermore, in the place of Jonathan, his brother Simon exercises the priesthood and bears the leadership of the people, just as in the present Church, when some depart, others are appointed in their place to hold the office of governance and diligently train the soldiers of Christ in spiritual camps, so that they may be able to resist appropriately all enemies who wage war. But the typical Tryphon, in a similar way, attempts to deceive such people by the fabrications of his words, just as he had deceived his brother, because the ancient enemy never ceases, through himself and his ministers, to lay snares for the worshipers of Christ; yet whoever worthily carries out the office of Simon, that is, of one who is obedient and rightly complies with the divine commands, can, aided by heavenly help, avoid the snare of all enemies. But Tryphon, together with Jonathan's sons, whom he had received as hostages, killed them, although he had promised that they would be kept safe along with their father, because the ancient enemy drives all whom he deceives into the death of sin. Indeed, the sons of these, that is, their works, although he previously pretended peace with flattering speech, he will in the end reveal as deserving eternal torment. Jonathan can also bear the figure of the simple ones who are in the Church, whom the cunning deceit of the crafty seems to capture for a time when it afflicts them with bodily losses, but whose souls, persevering in the truth of faith, after the death of the flesh will escape into everlasting light. Therefore many of them after the end of this present life have deserved to have victorious signs near their tombs, just as it is read of Simon in what follows, that he established a memorial in the tombs of his father and mother and brothers. Moreover, the saints, whom the Savior strengthens as they remain in the simplicity of their innocence, saying: Do not fear those who kill the body and after this have nothing more that they can do to you, but rather fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into the hell of fire (Matt. 10:28); and again: Blessed are you, he says, when men curse you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you, lying, because of me; rejoice in that day and exult, for your reward is great in heaven (Matt. 5:11); and again: Rejoice and exult, he says, because your names are written in heaven (Luke 11:20); of whom the Psalmist says: The just man will be in everlasting remembrance, he will not fear evil tidings (Ps. 112:6-7); these are believed, through death, to be stronger and to live more happily, since their King and Lord himself, Jesus Christ namely, is known to proclaim their triumph…
1MA 13:27 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Simon constructs, for his father and mother and brothers, out of polished stone a memorial above the tombs, just as holy preachers, by recalling to those present the deeds of the fathers who went before and their glorious end, show them with great authority as examples: for this is what it means to place polished stone before and behind, namely that they strive clearly, by a faithful narrative, to explain to their hearers how they lived before the end of life in regard to doctrine and holy conduct, and what kind of example of the patience of their long-suffering they left to their descendants after their death. Moreover, that holy men are called by the name of father and mother and brothers is shown by the Savior in the Gospel, saying: "Whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother" (Matt. 12:50). Therefore the Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says (1 Cor. 4:15): "For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel;" and of Timothy he says to the Philippians: "But know the proof of him, that as a son with a father he has served with me in the Gospel." (Philip. 2:22)
1MA 13:28 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
With each teacher showing how the light of wisdom of each of the earlier Fathers was conferred on each person, a light which is granted to the faithful through the sevenfold Spirit.
1MA 13:29 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Indicating their weakness and uprightness in faith, and how in that same faith they fought against enemies with spiritual weapons.
1MA 13:31 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
About this Pompey reports as follows: While these things were taking place meanwhile in the regions of Syria, Tryphon, who had endeavored to have himself appointed by the people as guardian of Antiochus, the stepson of Demetrius, after killing his ward, seized the government of Syria. Having long held it, at last, when the favor of his recent rule had faded, he was defeated in war by Antiochus, still very much a boy, the brother of Demetrius, who was being brought up in Asia, and therefore the kingdom of Syria returned again to the offspring of Demetrius.
1MA 13:34 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
That Simon sent men to King Demetrius to obtain remission for the region signifies, if I am not mistaken, that holy Church sends its preachers to the rulers of this world, so that by the word of faith it may win them to itself and bring to nothing the figurative deeds of Tryphon, that is, of heretics and schismatics, and crush by the rigor of external powers their pride, on account of which they were unwilling to submit to ecclesiastical gentleness. To these rulers the messengers also present a golden crown and peace, which they say is an ornament made entirely from golden rings according to the custom of the province: with these they promise, for the good contest of eternal life, a crown, and, for the timely support by which they help the churches through their edicts and acts of protection, heavenly rewards. Therefore in general.
1MA 13:43 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What does it mean that Simon undertakes to attack Gaza, if not that preachers strive to vanquish errors that must be condemned? Gaza, which is interpreted "his strength," signifies the hardness and rigidity of the nations. Therefore Simon builds many schemes against Gaza, when holy teachers employ various doctrinal means of the spirit to capture the fortifications of the nations, so that they may turn them into the saving spoil of their Lord and King, that is, Jesus Christ. In this he struck one tower and took it, when he laid low the pride of the Gentiles and brought their hearts into obedience to the Gospel.
1MA 13:44 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
For although the disrespect of the barbarians has indeed tried to escape the Gospel, it has nevertheless been bound and restrained by the truthful testimonies of the law of God.
1MA 13:45 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
But who were they, and who are those who, with their wives and children, climbed up onto the wall with their garments torn and asked Simon to give them the right hand, if not those who, entangled in the anxieties and desires of this world by its riches, later converted, not tearing their clothes but their hearts through repentance, seek to receive from church leaders the right hands of reconciliation and fellowship? To whose petition Simon, the man of the Spirit, assenting with mercy, does not strike them with the sword of excommunication, but, leading them out from the superstition of paganism, removes their errors by cutting them away, so that he may prepare a fitting dwelling in their sinful hearts for the Lord Christ.
1MA 13:47 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
So also, when the errors of the pagans have been cast out, with praises of God the holy teachers will enter the assemblies of the nations; then likewise they place there the men who make the law, because by sincere preachings they cause the true worshipers of Christ to be there.
1MA 13:48 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
As, through the Gospel, they strengthen the Church everywhere with the defense of faith, by residing in its abode, the very teachers, for their devout labor, await the eternal rewards which, for the confession they have made, are to be rendered to them at the end by the judge of the living and the dead.
1MA 13:49-50 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Those who were in the citadel of Jerusalem and were attacking the Jews themselves signify the heretics and schismatics who, establishing themselves in the fortress of their own pride, stir up disputes and wars against Catholics. Simon forbids them to go out and enter the region and to buy and sell, because the holy teachers, together with the Catholics, order that no communion of fellowship at all be maintained with such people. For this reason many of them perished by famine, because many of them, once they were cut off outside the communion of the Church with anathema, perish through hunger for the word of God and lack of spiritual knowledge. But because, driven by extreme necessity, people of this sort asked that right hands of fellowship be given them by the Church, this agreement is imposed on them by the Church itself: that they abandon their errors, anathematize the wicked sects to which they had previously observed, and cleanse their conscience from all the wickedness of heretics, and therefore they are restored to the communion of the Church.
1MA 13:51-52 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
These numbers, that is, one hundred and seventy-one and twenty-three, are full of sacred mysteries: for the hundredth, in which Abraham begot Isaac, the son of promise, signifies the perfection of life; the seventieth, in which the captivity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem was ended, signifies the remission of sins. But because these things exist only in the truth of the Church, therefore a unit is added to the number seventy. Moreover, the number twenty-three signifies the faith of the Holy Trinity together with the two commandments of love, in which the whole fullness of the Law consists; and the second month, in which it seemed that Passover was to be celebrated for those who were pure with respect to the soul of man, shows the time of grace and the calling of the nations. Therefore, when according to this wording and the meaning of the mystical numbers victory is obtained by the faithful, that is, when they keep whole, according to the evangelical doctrine, the faith of the Holy Trinity with the two commandments of love, and, having the perfection of life according to their capacity, remain in the unity of the Church in understanding and faith so that they may come to the fullness of remission: therefore then they will rightly enter the heavenly Jerusalem with song and branches of palms, that is, with true praise and sure victory, and they will render various thanks and praises perpetually to their Creator for the salvation and security obtained, because the great enemy has been crushed out of Israel and death, together with its author dead, stands condemned forever. Nor does this sense conflict with the meaning of the following exposition, where it is written that Simon decreed that on this day joy should be celebrated every year, and that he fortified the mount of the temple, which was beside the citadel, and that he himself and those who were with him dwelt there: because at every time of this life the memory of that day is to be reserved in hope, on which, triumphing over death through the grace of our Redeemer, we shall be restored to eternal life. Since each year we celebrate the somberness of the Lord's resurrection to show that through his resurrection and victory over death we hope both for the resurrection of our own bodies at the end of the age and for everlasting life in the heavenly kingdom, therefore we must fortify the mount of the temple, which is beside the citadel, that is, the incarnation of Christ, which by its own perfection surpasses every height of the perfection of the saints, by holding it with firm faith in our heart and by devoutly laboring in this throughout all the time of our life, both on our own behalf and on behalf of those entrusted to us, or joined to us in fellowship, so that, being joined to his body and united with it, we may likewise, together with him who is the head of the heavenly kingdom, become heirs. The blessed apostle Peter commends to us the joy and remembrance of that day in his Epistle, saying: But do not let this one thing escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promises, but deals patiently for your sake, not wishing anyone to perish, but that all should turn back to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a great rush, and the elements will be dissolved by heat. Since therefore all these things are to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought we to be in holy conduct and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord, through which the burning heavens will be dissolved and the elements will melt with the heat of fire? Yet we await new heavens and a new earth and his promises, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, as you await these things, strive to be found without blemish, in peace, and regard the patience of our Lord Jesus Christ as salvation (2 Peter 3:8-14).
1MA 13:53 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
Simon entrusted to his son Joachim, when he saw that he was a man, the leadership of all the virtues, so as to show that no teacher ought to commit to his son or his disciple the authority and order of ecclesiastical governance unless he has first seen that he is a man, that is, proven in understanding and diligent in the works of virtue. But since above we have said that Simon bears the figure of the holy doctors, he can in this place express the meaning of the prince of shepherds, who has given to the Catholic people the ministry of sacred governance and the knowledge and effect of all virtues, to whom what is written in the following fits most suitably.
1MA 14:4 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
It is written in the prophet Isaiah about the Lord himself, the Savior: “His dominion will be increased, and there will be no end of peace. He will sit upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and strengthen it in judgment and righteousness, from now and forevermore” (Isa. 9:7). But his rule and dominion will be upon the throne and over the kingdom of David, which after the Babylonian captivity had been scattered, so that he may establish it and strengthen it, and teach that it is perpetual, lest the promise of God be judged void; and in the psalm the Prophet says: “In his days righteousness shall arise, and abundance of peace until the moon is no more” (Ps. 72:7). For this promise fits no one else but the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus, who for us was made incarnate and, by the obedience of the cross, has been made possessor of heaven and earth; to whom the Father says in the Psalter through the Prophet: “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession” (Ps. 2:8). All the land of Judah is silent, all the days of Simon, because the land of the Church, from the time of the incarnation of Christ even unto eternity, although outwardly it endures persecutions from enemies, nevertheless inwardly enjoys true peace. To whom the same Savior says in the Gospel: “My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you” (Jn. 14:27), he himself who builds up good things for his people.
1MA 14:5 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
When he had founded for himself a Church with the entrance of faith from the people of the Gentiles, from there he might open to the Gentiles of the whole world the entrance of faith through the Gospel. Joppa is interpreted as “beauty,” and what is more beautiful than the holy Church, to which the Bridegroom says in the Song of Songs: How beautiful you are, my friend, how beautiful you are; your eyes are doves’ eyes apart from what lies hidden within (Song 4:1)? Therefore he enlarged the borders of his nation, that is, of the Church; he gained possession of the region of the whole world. And he gathered a great captivity. Of him it is written above: Ascending on high he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men (Eph. 4:8, Ps. 68:18).
1MA 14:7 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
For I have purified what was accomplished through the Gospel, bringing the Lord, whom I subdued, back to what is his own and removing the uncleanness of the sinner and of vices, cleansing it by the washing of regeneration.
1MA 14:8 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
namely, his own body by practicing virtues, or the land of the Church by good works. Each of the saints, according to his strength, cultivates.
1MA 14:9 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
In the elders we can understand the prophets, apostles, and teachers of the holy Church, who help their hearers with counsel and strengthen them with their words; the youths, however, are the gatherings of the faithful, because, relying on the glory of the confession of Christ, they clothe themselves with the armor of virtues, so that they may more easily crush the army of their enemies.
1MA 14:10 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
That is, they devoted sermons and teachings to the Churches.
1MA 14:11 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
For he is our peace, who has made both one (Eph. 2).
1MA 14:12 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
This is in accordance with what is said in Micah: Each one shall rest under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and there will be no one to terrify (1 Kings 4:25). This is the vine spoken of in the Gospel: I am the vine and you are the branches, and my Father is the vinedresser. Everyone who does not bear good fruit will be cut off and cast into the fire (Jn. 15:1-6). Its fruits are drunk and eaten and gladden the heart of man, and intoxicate the friends of the Bridegroom, and in the kingdom of God they are drunk anew every day. Under the fig tree, however, rests the one who fears no plots, who enjoys the sweetness of the Holy Spirit and is filled with His fruits, love, joy, peace, self‑control, patience. Of such a planter it is said, that he who plants a fig tree eats its fruit (Prov. 27:18), who has built such houses and planted such vines, of which the Apostle speaks: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (1 Cor. 3:6). He shall eat the labors of his hands, and he who sows in the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8), nor shall he be overthrown by the deceits of the Devil and his henchmen.
1MA 14:14 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
The lowly of the people are the saints whom he calls poor in spirit in the Gospel (Matt. 5:3). The works, too, of the people of God will not grow old, but will be renewed and brought to completion, or strengthened every day, so that they may not walk in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the Spirit (Rom. 7:6); such a Law our Simon sought out, and he removed every unjust and evil person, since now through holy teachers he excommunicates heretics and schismatics, and at the end of the world he sends all the devout, and they will gather out of his kingdom all scandals (Matt. 13:41).
1MA 14:15 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
when he taught his Church to preserve the religion of the New Testament in an orderly and fittingly instituted manner.
1MA 14:16 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
When Simon received the high priesthood, various nations sent messengers to him, asking for those things that relate to peace. This signifies that, when the apostles and teachers of the New Testament, after the passion of Christ, his resurrection, and his ascension into heaven, were preaching the Gospel in the world, a multitude of nations flocked to the faith and sincerely sought to have peace with the Church.
1MA 14:19 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
that is, laying open the secrets of their hearts to them through confession—so that, by receiving the words of truth, they might learn from them the rule of justice.
1MA 14:22 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
For it is written: “The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance; he will not fear evil reports” (Ps. 112:6-7). Indeed, the metal bronze is long-lasting and ringing; likewise, the friendship and fellowship of the saints possess the surest and brightest condition of remaining.
1MA 14:24 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
Simon, by sending to the Romans a golden shield weighing one thousand minas in order to establish an alliance with them, signifies that holy teachers, in preaching the Gospel to the nations, promise the heavenly kingdom and eternal blessedness, if they are willing to receive the faith of Christ and to keep the evangelical doctrine until the end of life. For the roundness of the shield and the brightness of the gold, as well as the perfection of the number one thousand, through a figure signify the crown of eternal rest, etc.
1MA 14:26 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
Ebul [Vulg., Elul] is the eighth month among the Hebrews, which among the Greeks is called Gorpiaios (Γορπιαῖος), but among the Latins September; yet the sequences of numbers are scattered because of the different beginnings of the year that exist among each people. For the Hebrews, who place the first month Nisan, that is April, in the sixth place above the aforementioned Ebul. But the Greeks, who begin their year from their first month called Aprilis (Ἀπρίλλος), that is, from the Kalends of December, have Gorpiaios as the tenth month. The Latins, however, who in ancient times had the beginning of their year from the Kalends of March, counted September as the seventh month.
1MA 14:47 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 14
“Peribolus” in Greek is called the wall of the courtyard of the house of the Lord, which surrounded the whole temple in a square all around, as blessed Jerome shows in the Thirteenth Book of his Exposition of the Prophet Ezekiel. Therefore, in a prominent place of the inner court of the house, bronze tablets were set up, on which the priesthood of Simon and his sons had been confirmed in writing. But mystically, the priesthood of Christ and of His sons, that is, of the Christian people, is confirmed in the courtyard of the house of the Lord, that is, in the present Church, as Scripture bears witness, and it is declared to be stable and everlasting among all nations. Therefore is that which is written in the Psalm: “The Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4). And again: “Once,” he says, “I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David: his seed shall remain forever, and his throne as the sun before me, and as the moon, perfected forever, and a faithful witness in heaven” (Ps. 89:35-37). It is a common custom to swear frequently so that one may be believed; but God swears once, because He is not changed by any variation of time. We have said that it belongs to His swearing to promise things to come; for he who has no one stronger binds himself to his own authority. And he says “in your holy one,” in Christ, who said: “Keep my soul” (Ps.25:20), “for I am holy,” “if I lie to David”; if this is taken negatively, as common usage also has it. The seed of Christ are all who have believed in Him with a faithful mind, because in them the future kingdom has been sown, which the harvest to come will show, as He Himself says also in the Twenty‑second Psalm: “My seed shall serve Him.” (Ps. 22:30) Therefore the saints will remain forever, who persist in an excellent and blessed way of life. Therefore we do not properly say that those remain who are cast out from the kingdom of the Lord. But here the throne of God is to be understood as the faithful soul, in which He truly sits when He has filled it with the illumination of His majesty; for therefore it is written: “The soul of the just is the seat of wisdom.” He added, “as the sun before me.” For that soul of the just, which we have called the seat of the Savior, was indeed bright. By saying “as the sun,” he makes a comparison with visible things. For if it is great to shine with the light of a creature, it is much better to shine with the light of the Creator. The perfected moon signifies the transformation of the body from corruption into incorruption. For then the nature of our bodies will be perfect when there will no longer be any mortality or corruption; for the moon itself, which waxes and wanes, signifies the changeableness of human flesh, as can be shown in many places in the Scriptures. These testimonies indeed we have set forth from the Psalms, to show that the priesthood of the true Simon is most firm and everlasting.
1MA 15:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
This Antiochus, who was called Εὐεργέτης, that is, "Benefactor," and likewise "Faithful," was the son of Demetrius Soter, and brother of the younger Demetrius, who reigned in Syria after Alexander Philopator (Philopolus). Now Demetrius Soter, after Antiochus Eupator, son of Antiochus Epiphanes, as the Chronicle of Eusebius and Jerome attests, reigned twelve years, after whom Alexander Philopolus reigned eleven years. After him Demetrius, son of Demetrius, reigned three years; but having been captured by the Parthians, he was restricted in Hyrcania by King Arsacides. After him Antiochus Assidetes [Sidetes], his brother, held the kingdom for fourteen years, and after his death Demetrius was restored again, and thereafter held it for four years. How the succession of the kingdom fell to the brothers Demetrius and Antiochus should not seem burdensome to the reader if some material from the History of Pompeius Trogus is introduced here, who relates this in Book 30 as follows: "Antiochus, remembering that his father had been hated because of his arrogance and his brother despised because of his sluggishness, so that he might not fall into the same vices, after taking Cleopatra, his brother's wife, in marriage, pursued with the greatest diligence the cities which at the beginning of his brother's rule had revolted, and when he had subdued them, he again added them to the boundaries of the kingdom. He also subdued the Jews, who, under Macedonian rule, in the time of his father Demetrius, had by arms vindicated themselves into freedom, whose strength was so great that after this they accepted no king of the Macedonians, and, using domestic rulers, greatly harassed Syria with wars." Likewise in Book 38, and in the thirty-eighth year of his earlier narrative, he adds the following: "For Demetrius, as mentioned above, when he had brought war against the Parthians and had been victorious in many engagements, was suddenly surrounded by ambushes, and having lost his army, was captured. Arsacides in Hyrcania granted him not only the royal attire [Arsacides, king of the Parthians, of great and princely spirit, furnished him in Hyrcania not only with royal attire], but also gave him his daughter in marriage, and promised that he would restore to him the kingdom of Syria, which Tryphon had seized during his absence. After the death of this king, when Demetrius had lost hope of returning and could no longer bear captivity, weary of a private life, though wealthy, he silently planned flight back to his kingdom. His encourager and companion was his friend Gallimander, who, after Demetrius' capture, had come from Syria through the deserts of Arabia, with guides acquired for money, to Babylon in Parthian dress. But Phrahates, who had succeeded Arsacides, pursued the fugitive with cavalry speed, and, taking the shorter routes, overtook and brought him back. When he was led to the king, not only pardon but also a reward for his loyalty was granted to Gallimander. Demetrius, however, after being severely chastised, was sent back to his wife in Hyrcania, and ordered to be kept under stricter guard. After an interval of time, when trust in him and in the freedmen he had gained gave him courage, he again fled with the same friend as his companion; but with equal misfortune he was arrested near the borders of the king's realm, and being led once more to the king, was removed from his sight as hateful. Then again he was given to his wife and children and sent back to Hyrcania, the city that was his place of punishment, and was presented with such golden ornaments in criticism of his childish lightheartedness. But this kindness of the Parthians toward Demetrius, so mild, was produced neither by the custom of the nation nor by consideration of kinship, but because they coveted the kingdom of Syria, intending to make use of Demetrius against his brother Antiochus, as time or the fortune of war might require." When he heard this, Antiochus, thinking the war mu…
1MA 15:38 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees
What is indicated by Cendebaeus, the commander of the coastal region, whom Antiochus sends to wage war against the Jews, if not the powers of this world and the persecutors of the Christian religion? Antiochus, namely the mystical Antichrist, sends them with an army of officers and executioners for the destruction of the Christian people, so that they may trample down the true Judea, that is, the Church, and either lead the faithful people into captivity through error or destroy them through blasphemy. Cendebaeus is furthermore ordered to build Cedron. For Cedron is a brook or valley near Jerusalem, on the eastern side, which John the Evangelist also mentions in the account of the Lord's Passion (John 18:1). Cedron was ordered to be built for this reason: so that the gates of the city might be blocked and the people confined. Now Cedron is interpreted as "sadness," or "grief," or "pain," and it is fitting that he was sent to build Cedron to whom it was entrusted to inflict the pain of punishments upon the confessors of Christ.
1MA 16:1 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 16
We said above that Simon is the chief of the priests, that is, the one who through obedience to the Cross offered himself to the Father for us, in whose house the Son has two peoples of believers, from the Jews and from the Gentiles. To these the Father entrusts the power of war against all enemies and adversaries of the truth, that is, against Jews, pagans, and heretics, and likewise against evil spirits, so that they may defend the Christian faith and protect the true confessors of God.
1MA 16:3 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 16
Who are these brothers if not those of whom Truth itself, rising from the dead, says in the Gospel to the women visiting His tomb: Go, tell my brothers to go into Galilee; there they will see me (Matt. 28:10). Therefore, in the place of Christ and His apostles are the saints, who, doing the will of the heavenly Father, seek both the victory of truth and the salvation of souls; for them there is help from heaven, from Him indeed of whom it is written in the Psalm: Wonderful is the Lord in his saints, the God of Israel, he himself will give power and strength to his people (Ps. 68:35). These chose twenty thousand men of war, because they consider only those fit for spiritual warfare who, in the two commandments of love, become fulfillers and doers of the commandments of God.
1MA 16:6 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 16
When the commander, on seeing the people anxious about crossing the flood, crossed first, he showed that those who fulfill in the Church the place of the sick and the office of teacher ought, by the example of their faith and commitment, to strengthen the fearfulness of their subjects, and with sacred trumpets, that is, with divine doctrines, to rouse them to battle against the enemies. And therefore, the spiritual Cendebaeus and his camp are put to flight, and many from them fall wounded, because, shaken with fear, they finally feel the power of the divine majesty.
1MA 16:9 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 16
That Judas was wounded in battle and John pursued the enemies signifies, unless I am mistaken, what Paul says: “Blindness in part has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has entered in, and then all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25-26). For since the Jewish people delayed in coming to faith in Christ, the Church of the Gentiles vigorously presses its enemies, until by a saving contest it converts them to repentance, or, by proclaiming the punishment to come, chastises those who persist in wickedness. But when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled and their fullness has entered into the faith, then all Israel, that is, the whole Church, from both peoples, through saving confession by faith, hope, and love, will be saved by the gift of Christ.
1MA 16:11 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 16
What is signified by Ptolemy, if not hypocritical and crafty men? These, then, with a insincere submission attaching themselves to good teachers, and pretending devotion, whose power they utterly ignore, generally attain to honor and ecclesiastical dignity, the teachers themselves granting it to them: for this is what it means to be the sons-in-law of the high priest, to take into the power of one’s own government those persons whom good teachers were regenerating by water and the word. But when, having received promotion, they begin to be under their own authority, each one, enslaved to his desires, strives by tricks and lies to trip up and overthrow the very authors of his honor; and they likewise destroy their sons and little children, since they spare no person living with them, but by means of money and flattery they subject secular powers to themselves.... They harass the Church with hidden snares and with open persecutions. Nor is it surprising that such wickedness can sometimes prevail in the Church, since we read that the Church itself (so to speak) received the treachery of Judas the betrayer; a magician was baptized by Philip, but was not cleansed of the wickedness of his mind; Julian, the apostate, having been raised up from reader in the Church, persisted in his undertaking of evil as a savage enemy until the end of his life. The age of this present time likewise has some people of this sort who, although they do not kill their teachers with the sword, nevertheless do not cease to persecute them with envy and hatred.
1MA 16:21 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 16
John, indeed, after his father had been deceitfully killed, carefully keeps watch against the enemy and puts to death the men who had come to destroy him, because anyone from the number of the faithful who is saved by the grace of God and is wise and concerned about preserving his own salvation, when he learns of the deception of other enemies, strives to guard against their ambushes and to crush their perverse schemes. For simple-mindedness alone is not sufficient for anyone to preserve salvation, but together with simplicity there must also be carefulness. Therefore the Savior in the Gospel says to his disciples: “Be therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves” (Matt. 10:16); and the Apostle says: “Do not become children in understanding, but in hatred be infants” (1 Cor. 14:20). Therefore simplicity ought to be possessed by us so that we harm no one; carefulness also, so that we are not despised by others; nor is there much difference between deceiving someone and being able to be deceived by another.
1MA 16:23 — Commentary on 1 Maccabees 16
This John, both leader of the Jews and high priest, was a man of virtue and accomplished many wondrous deeds. He also received the name Hyrcanus, and, requesting from the Romans the right of friendship, was by decree of the Senate listed among their allies. How Josephus relates about this same Hyrcanus, in order to clarify what is briefly stated at the end of the book of the Maccabees, does not seem inappropriate for us to insert here. After he has recalled some of Simon’s victories, he reports his end in this way (Antiquities, Book 13.13–17): “Therefore Simon, having held the leadership of the priesthood of the Jews for eight years, dies at a banquet, ensnared by the plots of Ptolemy, his son-in-law, who, after imprisoning his wife and two sons, sent certain friends to kill John, the third son, whose name was Hyrcanus. But when the attack being prepared was discovered, the young man hurried to the city, relying on the support of a great multitude, both because of the memory of his father’s eternal courage and because Ptolemy’s wickedness was hateful to all. Ptolemy also tried to enter the city by another gate, but he was driven back by the people, who had received Hyrcanus more promptly, and from there he immediately withdrew to a certain fortress beyond Jericho which is called Dagon.” Hyrcanus, having obtained his father’s honor of the high priesthood and, after offering sacrifices to God, quickly set out for Ptolemy, intending to be a help to his mother and brothers alike. Attacking the fortress, he was superior in other respects, but he yielded to just grief: for whenever Ptolemy was pressed, he brought Hyrcanus’s mother and brothers up onto the wall where they could be plainly seen, beat them, and threatened to throw them down. Therefore Hyrcanus was moved more by fear than by anger. But his mother, unconcerned by the blows or the threat of death, stretched out her hands and begged her son not to spare her, for she herself, by her own command, would regard the death Ptolemy had set before her as better in her mortal condition, provided that he exacted punishment for the deeds committed against his house. John, however, sometimes thinking of his mother’s determination and then listening to her pleas, was driven to fight, but whenever he saw her being beaten and torn, he lost heart completely and was filled with grief. Because of this, the siege was prolonged for a long time, until the sabbatical year arrived, which it is the custom among the Jews to observe every seventh year as a time of rest, following the example of the seventh days; and during this period, Ptolemy, having gained a respite from the siege, killed John’s brothers along with their mother and fled to Zeno, surnamed Cotilas, the tyrant of Philadelphia. Antiochus, angered by what he had suffered at the hands of Simon, led an army into Judea and, encamping at Jerusalem, overwhelmed Hyrcanus there. But Hyrcanus, having opened the tomb of David, who had been the richest of kings, and taken from it more than three thousand talents of money, persuaded Antiochus, by giving him three hundred talents, to abandon the siege, and he was the first of the Jews by his transgressions to begin supporting foreign forces with wealth. Then Hyrcanus, after learning of Antiochus’ death, immediately prepared an expedition against the cities of Syria, thinking that they were left without defenders, as indeed they were. For he captured Medaba, and Samoga, and Sychem, and Garizim with the neighboring places, and the proud race of the Cirtheans who inhabited the places adjoining the temple, built on the model of that which is at Jerusalem. He also captured in Idumaea not a few other cities, and besides these Adoreon and Marasa. Advancing further into Samaria, to the place where the city of Sebaste, founded by King Herod, now stands, he surrounded it on every side and put his sons Aristobulus and Antigonus in charge of the siege. Since those who were within the city offered no resist…
2MA 1:1 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
This Demetrius (under whom the Jerusalemites recall that they prayed) is the one established in Egypt, who reigned over Asia and Syria after Antiochus Eupator, and he too was surnamed Soter, that is, "savior." For this man the number of years here calculated runs, that is, one hundred and sixty-nine. For Antiochus Epiphanes, who began to reign after the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks, reigned for eleven years. Antiochus Eupator for two years, and Demetrius Soter for twelve years. These are the years from the beginning of the reign of Seleucus Nicanor, king of Syria, from whom the times of the kingdom of the Greeks are reckoned, up to the end of Demetrius in the one hundred and sixty-second year; to these are added seven years of the reign of Alexander, who is described by Pompeius Trogus as dishonorable and vicious, and unworthy of royal dignity, but since he is described as having held the kingdom for ten [seven] years, they make one hundred and sixty-nine. Let us also put it another way: the first to reign over Asia after Alexander was Antigonus, for nineteen years; after whom Demetrius, who is also called Poliorcetes, reigned for seventeen years. Therefore this Demetrius, in the seventeenth year of his reign, surrendered himself to Seleucus, and Asia was joined to the kingdom of Syria in the twenty-eighth year of Seleucus Nicanor. If, then, we begin now to calculate the sequence of years from the first year of the reign of Antigonus, who reigned in Asia for seven years before Seleucus began to reign in Syria, placing those same seven years before the reign of Seleucus, and in that way carry the reckoning of the years of the kingdom of Syria down to the last year of Demetrius Soter, the total of the former number is entirely found there. But it is remarkable how, in what follows, it is said that Judas, in the one hundred and eighty-eighth year, with the council, said greetings to Aristobulus, the tutor of King Ptolemy, and gave instructions concerning the purification of the temple, which they were to carry out on the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev, whereas in the former book above Judas is read to have died long before, while Demetrius was still alive; indeed, according to the testimony of the chronicles he is found to have been killed in the sixth year of Demetrius. But since the authors of the books themselves are uncertain, they do not seem to differ absurdly in the calculation of times, especially since in the canonical books the edition of the Seventy Translators disagrees greatly with the Hebrew truth in the reckoning of years.
2MA 1:7 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Jason himself is the brother of Onias the high priest, whom the following parts of this book relate to have hastened to Antiochus Epiphanes, that is, "the noble," because of his ambition for the high priesthood, and to have persuaded him to introduce the pagan rite in Jerusalem.
2MA 1:10 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Aristobulus was by birth a Jew, but is acknowledged to have been a Peripatetic philosopher, who wrote Commentaries of explanations on Moses for Ptolemy Philometor, as the chronographers report, at which time Antiochus Epiphanes was ruling Syria and Asia.
2MA 1:11 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
How Antiochus Epiphanes, who inflicted evils upon the Jews beyond all the kings who had been before him in Syria, lost his kingdom and ended his life, is recounted in the first book of this history; and Josephus, in the twelfth book of the Antiquities of the Jews, bears witness, saying: King Antiochus, while traversing the upper province, heard of a city of the Persians outstanding in riches, called Elymais, and of a most precious temple of Diana in it, filled with every kind of ornament; moreover, he had heard that Alexander, son of Philip, king of the Macedonians, had left there both weapons and breastplates. Stirred up, therefore, he set out against Elymais and laid siege to it; but those who were in the city were in no way frightened either by his assault or by the siege, and resisted stubbornly. Deceived in his hope, he withdrew. For when the inhabitants charged forth from the city, they put him to flight and pursued him as far as Babylon. When he arrived there, after losing many of his soldiers, one of the Jews reported to him both the destruction of the commanders whom he had left to fight against the Jews and the increase of the strength of the Jews. While this misfortune was growing under his former anxiety, he fell into an illness, and as it held him for a long time and his sufferings increased, he realized that he would die. Summoning his friends, he informed them that his disease was grievous. He confessed that he suffered these things because, afflicting the nation of the Jews, he had damaged the temple and had despised God; and, having said this, he immediately expired. Therefore I marvel at Polybius of Megalopolis, who, though he is a good man, says that Antiochus perished because he wished to devastate the temple of Diana in Persia. For he who in no way committed the sin, but only conceived it, was bound by no guilt. But if it seems to Polybius that Antiochus ended his life for that reason, it appears much more probable that the king perished because of the sacrilegious destruction of the temple at Jerusalem.
2MA 1:18 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Now those things which the Jews of Jerusalem wrote to the Jews who were in Egypt, about the fire found in a well, which was changed into the likeness of thick water, we have been unable to find anywhere in the writings or sayings of Ezra or Nehemiah; just as that other matter which, in the later passages, they claim about Jeremiah hiding the ark and the tabernacle, can in no way be found written in the book of Jeremiah himself. From this it is clear that they learned this either from the tradition of their elders, or found it written in their apocryphal books. We, therefore, not curiously pursuing what is uncertain, shall turn our pen to those things which are clearly established by the evidence of the canonical books.
2MA 3:1 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
So then, because there were various high priests under different kings, we have judged it necessary, according to the account of the historians, to list the names of those who held the high priesthood in the times of the kings, and also of those who were in the nation of Judea after the captivity of Babylon, so that the truth of history may appear more clearly. The first high priest of the temple that Solomon built was Zadok; after him, however, Ahimaaz his son succeeded to the honor; after him, then, Joram, and after him Anxidranius. Then Judas, and after Judas, Sudeus. After him Hylus, and Joatham succeeded Hylus. Then again Urias, and Nerias succeeded Urias. After Nerias, however, Odeas was high priest. After him, then, Sellam, then Elchias. After him, Zara, and after him was Josedech, who was led away captive to Babylon. These men, in the high priesthood, succeeded their fathers in due order as sons. After Josedech, however, his son Joannes received the priesthood, under whom the temple was rebuilt; and after him, Joachim his son. When this one died, Joannes his son received the honor; and when Joannes ended his life, his son Jaddus succeeded to the primacy of the priests, under whom King Alexander the Macedonian came to Jerusalem. After him, his son Onias is held in high reputation. After him, his son Simon, whose surname was "the Just," because of his diligent zeal for the religion of the Lord and his ready compassion toward his fellow citizens. Then Eleazar, the brother of Simon, the high priest of the Jews, took up the ministry of the temple, Simon's son Onias having been left very young: this Eleazar, at the request of Ptolemy Philadelphus, sent the Seventy Translators to translate the divine Law. After Eleazar, however, his uncle Manasses received the priesthood. After Manasses, then, Onias, son of Simon the Just, the high priest of the Jews, is held in high reputation: he, by not paying to King Ptolemy the customary tributes, provoked him to anger. But Joseph, noble among his own people, sent by the Jews as a messenger to Ptolemy, since he had earned the king's favor by many services, was appointed leader of Judea and the neighboring regions. After Onias, however, Simon, son of Onias, the high priest of the Jews, is held in high reputation. Under him, Joannes, son of Sirach, composed the book of Wisdom, which he called Pahareton, that is, "capable of all virtues," and he made mention of Simon in it. After Simon, however, Onias, son of the same Simon, is considered outstanding: to him King Arius of the Lacedaemonians sent messengers. He held office while Antiochus the Great ruled Syria and Asia, and his son Seleucus Philopator, up to Antiochus Epiphanes; under this high priest Onias, those events which are told about Simon, overseer of the temple, took place, when Seleucus Philopator was ruling in Syria and Asia, and Antiochus Epiphanes succeeded to the kingdom. Now Simon, overseer of the temple at Jerusalem, fleeing to Apollonius, the commander of Phoenicia, and promising him many gifts, began to claim the priesthood for himself. When Seleucus heard this, he sent Heliodorus to look into the matter; when he had come into Judea, judging unjustly and conducting many prosperous undertakings, he was terrified by divine signs against him, and returned to Seleucus. But Onias the priest had seen to it that Simon became a fugitive, etc. Finally, this story, according to the rule of tropology, suggests that all who, stirred up by pride, have presumed to profane the Lord's sanctification and to handle it unworthily with defiled hands, are to be punished by heavenly judgment, because, as Truth attests, the house of prayer is for all nations (Matt. 21:13; Isa. 56:7), and no one is permitted to make it a den of robbers. Therefore the Psalmist also says: Your house is adorned with holiness, O Lord, for length of days (Ps. 93:5). Nor is it permitted that anything be done or stored there except the service of the praises and prayers…
2MA 4:7 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Of him Josephus relates as follows (Antiq. 12.6): At that same time, when Onias, the leader of the priests, had died, Antiochus bestowed the leadership of the priesthood on his brother, for the son whom Onias had left was still an infant. We shall, however, demonstrate in its proper place each point that still seemed to pertain to the boy. But Jesus (for this was the brother of Onias), the king, angered, deprived of the leadership of the priesthood, and gave it to their younger brother, named Onias; for Simon had these three sons, to whom, as we have said above, the leadership of the priesthood came, and Jesus indeed called himself Jason, while Onias was named Menelaus. Therefore the high priest Jesus first stirred up a treason against Menelaus, and when the multitude of the people was divided between them, on the side of Menelaus stood the sons of Tobias, while by word of the people the greater part supported Jason. Therefore, being hard pressed, Menelaus and the sons of Tobias departed to Antiochus, bringing to his attention that they wished to abandon the ancestral laws and to observe the way of life and customs [laws] of the Greeks. They therefore asked him to allow them to build a gymnasium in Jerusalem; and when he granted it, they concealed their circumcision so that, when naked, they would not appear different from the Greeks; and abandoning all the other things that their ancestral custom imposed on them, they followed the practices and rites of other nations. So far Josephus. But I am astonished how he can say that, after the death of Onias, Antiochus bestowed the priesthood on the brother of Jason, since this history does not agree with that account, as will be shown in what follows. In fact, when Antiochus Epiphanes, having suddenly invaded the region of the Ptolemies, had withdrawn at the command of the senate, he came into Judea; and there he handed over the pontificate to Jesus, who was also the brother of Onias. When he had finally been driven out, he gave Onias, surnamed Menelaus, to succeed him; and thustherefore when a sedition arose among the leaders because of the dignity of the priesthood, the seeds of great miseries sprang up. Therefore these deeds of the proud and transgressors of the law of God do not present to us some allegory useful for edification, but, sadly, in this time many imitators of their crime are found, those who, placed in the Church over the people of God, redeemed by the blood of His only-begotten Son, abandoning the doctrine of the Gospel and true religion, and departing from the worship of the one God who is there commended and made known, by their depraved morals run to hidden idolatry; for, through ambition for money and the riches of this present life, leading a luxurious life detestable to God, and paying heed to the favor of flatterers, they draw many with them to destruction. These, indeed, according to the Apostle, profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny Him (Titus 1:16); for they are not content with moderate food and clothing, but, wishing to become rich, fall into temptation and into the snare of the Devil, and into many desires, useless and harmful, which plunge men into destruction and punishment. For the root of all evils is greed; which, indeed, those who have desired have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Tim. 6:10).
2MA 4:18 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
In the reign of Ozias and Azaria, the leprous king, over Judaea, and of Phacee over Israel, and likewise of Aeschylus over the Athenians, and of no one over the Latins, in the second year of Aeschylus, judge of the Athenians, the first Olympiad was held, in which Choroebus of Elis emerged as victor. The Eleans hold a five-yearly contest, with four complete years in between, in which four annual magistrates are appointed; this Olympiad was first established by Iphicus, son of Praxonides or Aemon. From this time onward, Greek history regarding the chronology is believed to be reliable, for before this, as each thought best, they advanced differing opinions. For this five-yearly contest is described as having been celebrated at that time by Antiochus at Tyre, and the events that are afterward mentioned concerning Jason and Menelaus took place later.
2MA 4:23-26 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Jason, indeed, who had imprisoned his own brother, that is, Onias the elder, son of Simon, was accused before the king by Menelaus, that is, the younger Onias, who had a double name, and, having been deceived, was driven as a fugitive into the region of the Ammonites. Menelaus indeed obtained the leadership, but did nothing about the money promised to the king for the high priesthood, for which reason he likewise was removed from the priesthood, Lysimachus succeeding him. While Lysimachus held the priesthood, Menelaus, during Antiochus's absence, thinking he had found a suitable time because of the second campaign against the people of Tarsus and Mallus, stole certain golden vessels from the temple and gave them to Andronicus, the commander whom the king had left to protect the region. Then Onias the elder, the brother whom Jason had imprisoned, angered by this, accused Menelaus of the wickedness he had committed, while keeping himself in a safe place at Antioch, near Daphne. From there Menelaus, going to Andronicus, asked him to kill Onias. When he came to Onias, and after giving him his right hand with an oath, although Onias suspected him, and persuading him to come out of the sanctuary, he immediately killed him, having no fear of justice, for a deed which not only the Jews but also other nations resented and bore with great displeasure, because of the murder of so great and righteous a man. Therefore the Jews together with the Greeks went to the king when he returned from the regions of Cilicia, and reported what had been done. At this Antiochus was moved even to the shedding of tears; recalling the temperance and modesty of the deceased, and inflamed in spirit, he ordered Andronicus to be stripped of the purple, led around the whole city, and in the same place where he had committed wickedness against Onias, the sacrilegious man was deprived of life, the Lord rendering to him a punishment worthy of him. For with many acts of sacrilege in the temple committed by Lysimachus on Menelaus's advice, and when the report spread, a crowd gathered against Lysimachus: some seized stones, others strong clubs, and some threw ashes at Lysimachus; and many were indeed wounded, some even knocked down, but all were put to flight, and they killed him, the sacrilegious man, near the treasury. Therefore, proceedings began to be conducted against Menelaus; and when the king came to Tyre, three men, sent by the elders, brought the matter before him. When Menelaus was being overcome, he promised Ptolemy large sums of money to persuade the king. So Ptolemy, when the king was in a certain walkway, as if for the sake of refreshment, approached him and turned him from his decision, and Menelaus he acquitted of all the charges brought against him. But the wretched Jews, who, although they had pleaded their cause before the governors and had been judged innocent, he condemned to death.
2MA 5:2-4 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
At the same time, Antiochus prepared a second expedition into Egypt, etc. Portents therefore sometimes foreshadow prosperous events, and at other times they prefigure adverse ones; but always in accordance with what the supreme Judge determines to be fitting for each matter and each time. Nor is it surprising that in the times of the Maccabees horsemen, wearing gilded robes, and armed troops were seen rushing through the air, and that the shining splendor of golden weapons foretold coming adversity and the disaster that was to fall upon the Jews, since before the destruction of Jerusalem, as we learn from Josephus (Book VII of the Jewish War, chapter 12), a star shining like a sword was seen threatening the forsaken city on every side, and moreover a comet appeared to burn with deadly flames for an entire year. But before the time of the downfall and the war, when the people had gathered for the feast of Unleavened Bread, on the eighth day of the month of Xanthicus, which is April, during the night, at the ninth hour, so great a brightness of light surrounded the altar and the temple that all thought it had become broad daylight; and it lasted for the space of half an hour. This seemed to the unskilled and ignorant to be a good omen; but the experts in the Law and all worthy teachers were not unaware that it was a deadly portent. On the same feast as well, a heifer that had been brought up for sacrifice and was standing by, gave birth to a calf in the very hands of the attendants; and the gate of the inner sanctuary, which faced east, though covered with solid bronze of immense weight, and which could scarcely be shut by twenty men straining with all their might, and was secured besides with iron bars and bolts, and held fast by the dropping of bars into place high above, suddenly, at the sixth hour of the night, was seen to have opened of its own accord. And after the feast day had passed, after a few days, on the twenty-first day of the month of Artemisius, which we call May, a prodigious vision appeared, almost beyond belief, which would truly have been thought false, had not the destruction that followed these evils confirmed the testimony of the witnesses. For near sunset chariots and four-horsed cars were seen being driven through the air in every direction, and companies of armed men were seen moving through the clouds and surrounding the cities. On another feast day, which is called Pentecost, when the priests entered the temple at night to carry out the customary ministries, they first sensed certain movements and noises. Then they hear subdued voices saying: “Let us depart from here.” Something even more terrifying is added: for a certain Jesus, the son of Ananias, a man of the common people and a rustic, four years before the war, while the city was still enjoying peace and abundance, on the feast day of Tabernacles suddenly began to cry out: “A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice over Jerusalem, and a voice over the temple, over bridegrooms and over brides, a voice over all this people.” And this, without ceasing day and night, going around all the streets, he shouted, until some leading men of the people, disturbed with anger as though by an ill-omened prophecy, seized the man and subjected him to many beatings; but he, speaking nothing on his own behalf, nor even begging mercy from those standing around, repeated those same cries again with equal stubbornness and shouting. Then the leaders, realizing, as was indeed the case, that the impulse moving the man was more divine, brought him to the Roman judge; and there, torn with scourges down to his very bones, he shed neither prayers nor tears, but uttering the same cry in a pitiful manner and with a kind of howling, he pronounced it almost word by word, adding also this: “Woe, woe to Jerusalem.” Therefore the wretched city suffered all these phenomena deservedly, because always, according to the testimony of the giver…
2MA 5:5-9 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Menelaus, however, when under Antiochus Eupator he was planning deceit in the same way as before, the King of kings stirred up the spirit of Antiochus against this sinner, and at the suggestion of Lysias, who said that he was the cause of all the evils, he ordered that, according to their custom, he be seized and put to death in the very place. Now in that place there was a tower of fifty cubits, having a heap of ashes piled up around it on all sides; it had a total drop over the edge. From there he ordered that the sacrilegious man be thrown into the ashes, while all pushed him on to his destruction; and by such a law it happened that this transgressor of the law died, and Menelaus was not allowed to be buried in the earth, because he had committed many crimes against the altar of God, whose fire and ashes were holy; he himself was condemned to a death in ashes. Josephus reports, as we have shown in the previous book, that the son of the chief priest Onias, being still a little boy when his father died and left him, seeing that the king had killed his uncle Menelaus and had given the high priesthood to Alcimus, who did not belong to the priestly lineage, but had been persuaded by Lysias to transfer the honor from that family to another house, fled to Ptolemy, king of Egypt, and received honor from him and from his wife Cleopatra, and asked for a place in the region of Cleopatra, where he founded a city bearing his own name and built a temple in imitation of his father’s temple. Alcimus, however, bearing enmity against Judas Maccabeus, after no great length of time was struck down by the wrath of God and perished; and therefore, with the favor of all the Jews, the priesthood was granted to Judas Maccabeus. All these things seem rather to build up a moral than an allegorical understanding of the mind; they clearly show that the most just Judge and the most impartial Rewarder will restore to each one the fitting recompense, according as their wages shall have required: that is, to the virtuous and those who fear God, eternal rewards; but to the wicked, and sinners, and blasphemers, the punishment of everlasting fire. And no one ought to flatter himself because of earthly happiness and the prosperity of this present life, if he chooses to live more impurely in sins; nor should one who acts well, when pressed in this present life by severe torments or various tribulations, despair of future salvation, if he shall have persevered in the path of righteousness; because it is written: Many are the tribulations of the just, and out of all these the Lord has delivered them (Ps. 34:19); and: Many are the scourges of sinners; but mercy shall surround those who hope in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just, and glory, all you who are upright of heart (Ps. 32:11).
2MA 5:11 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
After the writer of the history had told of the destruction of the wicked and sacrilegious men Lysimachus and Jason, and had additionally recounted the vision of signs and omens in the sky, he returned to the sequence of the narrative, that is, to the departure of Antiochus Epiphanes from Egypt. Angered because, by order of the senate, he had been commanded to withdraw from the territory of the Ptolemies, which he had invaded, he came with savage mind into Judea, as has been shown above, and he took Jerusalem by force of arms, punished the people, plundered the temple, and committed many wicked deeds in it. That Antiochus bears the figure of Antichrist himself is, above all, made most evident by the tradition of the saints: for just as the Savior foreshadowed Solomon and the other saints as types of his coming, so Antichrist is rightly believed to have had as his type the most wicked king Antiochus, who persecuted the saints and violated the temple.
2MA 5:24 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
This passage and the preceding book make mention of him, where the slaughter of the Jews in the rest of the sabbath and Apollonius’ wickedness together with his destruction throughout Judea are recounted. Now that Antiochus commanded Apollonius to kill all of full age and to sell the women and the young people signifies that Antiochus, their enemy, chiefly plots the death of those whom he has observed to be perfect in the Christian religion; but those who are soft and unstable, of whom it is written: “The fool changes like the moon” (Sirach 27:12), he, entangling them in various errors and tossing them about through different vices, separates them from the land of the Church and casts them far away into the depth of crimes.
2MA 5:27 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
However, how he calls Judas Maccabeus the tenth I do not find, unless perhaps by the record of the high priests who were among the people of Judea in the times of the kingdom of the Greeks this history counts the years, of whom the first high priest was Onias, son of Jaddua; the second, Simon, son of Onias; the third, Eleazar, brother of Simon; the fourth, Manasseh, uncle of Eleazar; the fifth, Onias, son of Simon the Just; the sixth, Simon, son of Onias; the seventh, Onias, son of Simon; the eighth, another Onias, who is called Jason, brother of the former Onias; the ninth, Menelaus, brother of Jason; the tenth, Judas, who, when Alcimus was attempting to seize the high priesthood of the Jews and was destroyed by divine judgment, received the dignity of the first priesthood by the wondrous consent of all. But spiritually Judas is rightly said to be the tenth, because he is found to have kept the precepts of the Decalogue in perfect faith and devotion, and, by his zeal for the Law, was the first after his father to defend it with arms from the hands of the enemies. He is truly written to have led a life with his followers among the mountains, and to have eaten grass for food: because, following the examples of the saints (for they are the mountains of God), by despising the cruel habits of the persecutors, he chose a life pleasing to God, and considered it best always to feed himself on the ever-green nourishment of virtues, so that, nourished with the unfailing nourishment of the soul, he might not feel eternal hunger. However, the reading of the Acts of Judas is useful to us in this way only, if we are willing to imitate his virtues of faithfulness and soberness; and if we do not prefer the pleasures of the world and the pomp of this age to the righteousness and truth of God, always mindful of that saying of the Lord which says: “For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his soul?” (Matt. 8:36). And again: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world keeps it for eternal life” (Jn. 12:25).
2MA 6:2 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
But not long after, the king sent a certain old man from Antioch, who was to compel the Jews to depart from their ancestral ways and the laws of God, etc. These same events are reported in the preceding book, namely that Antiochus, through his messengers, defiled the temple by setting up in it the idol of desolation upon the altar of God; and we have given the allegorical interpretation of that passage there.
2MA 6:6-7 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Nor did anyone simply confess that he was a Jew. They were, however, led under bitter coercion on the king's birthday to the sacrifices, etc. They said that the Gentiles acknowledged Liber Pater as the lord of wine, whose rites Antiochus ordered to be especially celebrated on his own birthday, because he believed that this god favored his birthday. For they wish Liber to be named from libera mens ("free mind"), because, as it were, males in intercourse are freed by his benevolence when their seeds are discharged; on account of this the same Liber is depicted with a womanly and delicate body. For they say that women are assigned to him, and wine, for the arousing of lust. Therefore also his brow is encircled with a vine-leaf, but with his head having been formed, he has a vine crown and a horn, because when wine is drunk in Greek fashion [sparingly] and in moderation, it brings joy, but when beyond measure, it stirs up quarrels and, as it were, gives horns. He is also called Lyaeus from the drink called lyaeum, because with much wine the limbs are loosened. This same god is in Greek called Dionysus from Mount Nysa, where he is said to have been raised. Moreover, there is also a city Nysa in which the same Liber is worshipped, where he is called Nisaean. The rites of Liber Pater were first introduced among the Greeks by Orpheus, and he was the first to celebrate them on a mountain of Boeotia and at Thebes, where Liber was born, close by. Because he frequently resounded with the song of the cithara, he was called Cithaeron; and the rites are now called Orphic, in which he himself was torn to pieces, and afterwards also captured, almost at the same time as Faunus. But which of them came first in age can be doubted, since in those same years Latinus and Priam reigned. Likewise their fathers were Picus and Laomedon, during whose reign Orpheus, with the Argonauts, reached the shore of the Athenians.
2MA 6:18 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Therefore Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man advanced in age, etc. This Eleazar, whom the wickedness of Antiochus, a most cruel king, forced in his old age to eat pork, represents the Christian people, whom the savagery of Antichrist will attempt, before the end of the world, to turn to idolatry and to the filthiness of life. Moreover, Eleazar is interpreted as "My God is my helper," a name that most fittingly applies to the people of the faithful, who, together with the Psalmist, know how to say to the Lord: "You are my helper; do not forsake me" (Ps. 27:9); and again, "My deliverer, my God, I will hope in him" (Ps. 18:2). But just as the brutality of the wicked king was unable to compel Eleazar to eat pork, so neither will the cruelty of Antichrist be able in any way to defile the company of the elect with any uncleanness.
2MA 7:1 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
What is indicated by this mother of seven sons, if not the fruitfulness of Mother Church, who through the grace of the sevenfold Spirit brings forth for God the Father adopted sons? The cruelty of typical Antiochus, that is, of Antichrist, although it tears apart through its ministers the offspring of the fathers, and through himself both them and their mother with various torments, nevertheless is in no way able to draw them into blasphemy. But what reward awaits this woman and her sons in the future for the suffering they have endured in the present, Isaiah shows, saying: Rejoice, barren woman who does not give birth; sing praise and hymn, you who were not bearing: because the deserted woman has many sons, more than she who has a husband, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, and stretch out the skins of your tabernacles, do not spare: make your cords long, and strengthen your pegs. To the right and to the left you will break forth, and your seed will inherit nations. Do not fear, for you shall not be confused nor put to shame. For you shall not be ashamed, because you will forget the confusion of your youth, and you will no longer remember the criticism of your widowhood. For he who made you will rule over you, the Lord of hosts is his name, and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel: he shall be called the God of all the earth, because the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and like a wife rejected from youth, says your God. For a brief moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. In a moment of indignation I hid my face from you for a little while, but with everlasting mercy I have had pity on you, says the Lord your redeemer. Poor little one, storm-tossed, without any comfort. Behold, I will lay your stones in order, and I will found you upon sapphires. And I will set jasper as your battlements, and your gates in carved stones, and all your borders in desirable stones: all your children taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. And you shall be founded in righteousness. Stay far from oppression (Isa. 54:1-7). But the fact that after the sons the mother too was put to death shows that, after the triumphs of each of the sons of the Church, by which they overcame their enemies, they will enter with free souls into eternal rest. Finally, Mother Church herself, the mother of all the faithful, will be brought to completion at the end of the world, and, taking the trophy of glory over all her enemies, will possess the everlasting kingdom.
2MA 7:2-5 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
How illustrious, moreover, how great were the proclamations of confession which they uttered, what great evidences of faith they provided! King Antiochus, hostile, indeed, in Antiochus the Antichrist was foreshadowed, sought to stain the glorious mouths of the martyrs, joined and invincible in the spirit of confession, with the defilement of swine's flesh; and when he had severely beaten them with scourges and had been able to achieve nothing, he ordered pans to be heated. When these were red-hot and blazing, he commanded that the one who had spoken first, and who by the loyalty of his courage and faith had the more provoked the king's wrath, be brought to them and fried, after first stretching out and cutting off the tongue which had confessed God. This happened to the martyr in a more glorious way; for the tongue that had confessed the name of God ought itself to go first to God.
2MA 7:7-9 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Next, against the second he created more cruel punishments; and before he tortured the other members, he flayed off the skin of his head with the hair, in deliberate hatred. For since the head of the man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God, he who was crushing the head in the martyr was persecuting God and Christ in the head. But he, trusting in his martyrdom and promising himself the reward of the resurrection from the recompense of God, cried out and said: "You indeed, powerless one, destroy us from this present life; but the King of the world will raise us who die for His laws to the eternal resurrection of life."
2MA 7:10-11 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The third, when his tongue was demanded, promptly put it out; for from his brother he had already learned to despise the punishment of cutting out the tongue. He also steadfastly stretched forth his hands to be cut off, greatly blessed in this kind of punishment, to whom it befell, with hands extended for suffering, to imitate the likeness of the Lord's passion.
2MA 7:13-14 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Likewise the fourth, despising the tortures with equal courage and answering the king with a heavenly voice to confound him, cried out and said: "It is better, being given over to death by men, to look for the hope from God, to be raised again by Him to eternal life; for you shall have no resurrection to life."
2MA 7:15-17 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The fifth, besides the fact that by the strength of his faith he trampled underfoot the king's butchery and cruel and manifold torments, was also, inspired by the spirit of divinity to foreknowledge and understanding of things to come, a prophet to the king of the indignation of God and of the vengeance that would swiftly follow: "Having power among men," he says, "though you are mortal, you do what you will. But do not suppose that our race has been forsaken by God. Only wait, and you will see His great power, how He will torture you and your seed." What a relief that was to the martyr, how great, how immense a consolation in his torments, not to think of his own sufferings, but to proclaim the punishments of his torturer!
2MA 7:18-19 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
In the sixth, moreover, not only his courage, but also his humility must be proclaimed; that the martyr claimed nothing for himself, nor puffed up the honor of his confession with proud words, but attributed to his own sins the fact that he suffered persecution from the king, while he ascribed it to God that he would afterwards be avenged. He taught that martyrs are modest, that they trust in vengeance being taken, and that they boast of nothing in their passion. "Do not," he says, "deceive yourself in vain; for we suffer these things for our own sakes, in that we have sinned against our God. But do not think that you will remain unpunished, who have set yourself to fight against God."
2MA 7:20-23 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Admirable also was the mother, who, neither broken by the weakness of her sex nor shaken by manifold bereavement, looked with willing eyes upon her dying children, and reckoned those sufferings of her offspring not as pains but as glories, offering to God as great a martyrdom by the courage of her eyes as her sons offered by the torments and suffering of their limbs.
2MA 7:24-26 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
When six had been killed and punished and one of the brothers still remained, the king promised him riches, power, and many things, so that his cruelty and savagery might be soothed by the consolation of having at least one subdued, and he asked that the mother should plead with him to yield about the son. She did indeed plead with her son, but as was fitting for the mother of martyrs, as was fitting for one mindful of the Law and of God, as was fitting for a woman who loved her sons not delicately but courageously. For she pleaded, but that he might confess the Lord; she pleaded that her son might not be separated from his brothers in the fellowship of praise and glory; counting herself then the mother of seven sons, if it should fall to her lot to have borne seven sons to God, not to the world.
2MA 7:27-29 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Arming him therefore and strengthening him, and in that moment bringing forth her son by a happier birth, she said: "My son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months, and gave you milk for three years, and nourished you, and brought you to this age. I beg you, my son, look upon heaven and earth; and seeing all that is in them, understand that God made them out of nothing, as well as the race of men. Therefore, my son, do not fear this executioner, but, proving yourself worthy of your brothers, accept death, so that in that mercy I may receive you together with your brothers." Great is the praise of the mother in her call to courage, but greater still in the fear of God and in the truth of faith, in that she promised nothing for herself or for her son from the honor of the six martyrs, nor did she believe that the plea of the brothers would be of any avail for the salvation of one who denied; instead she persuaded him rather to become a sharer in their passion, so that on the day of judgment he might be found together with his brothers. After these things the mother also dies with her children; for nothing else was now fitting, since she who had borne and made martyrs should be joined with them in the fellowship of glory, and that she herself should follow those whom she had sent on before to God.
2MA 8:1 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
And the things which the history of the former book relates about Mattathias, the father of Maccabeus, and his brothers, the writer of this present book, striving also for brevity, has omitted, and turned himself to recounting the deeds of Judas and his battles, narrating some of them but, according to his manner, omitting very many. But because we have already, for the most part, set out the allegory of this above, we do not think it necessary to repeat what has been said once. If anyone should ask what the six thousand men, who were joined to Judas at the beginning, signify, let him recognize that, through the perfection of the numbers six and one thousand, the perfect sincerity of the soldiers of Christ in faith is indicated, their devotion being complete. Therefore, in the Acts of the Apostles, it is written to the Jews about the primitive Church: "Now the multitude of believers were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord, and great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:32-33).
2MA 8:8 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
In the previous book it is written that Antiochus, when about to set out for Persia, left within the kingdom Lysias, a noble man of royal lineage, in charge of the royal affairs and to bring up Antiochus his son; and that this same Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, powerful men from among the king's friends, and sent them with forty thousand men to destroy the Jews according to the king's command. Now, however, it is reported that Philip wrote to Ptolemy the general that he should bring assistance to the king's affairs, and that he sent Nicanor for this purpose, giving him twenty thousand armed men, and appointing Gorgias, a military man, to join him. For this Philip, on his return from Persia to Babylon, the aforesaid King Antiochus set over his whole kingdom and gave him the crown, and the robe, and the ring, so that he should bring up Antiochus his son, and nurture him, and reign; but this same Philip, when the aforementioned Lysias together with the younger Antiochus was returning to Antioch, they found ruling over the city and attacked him. Therefore the question arises, how Philip can be said to arrange through Ptolemy the march of Nicanor and Gorgias to Judea, whereas the earlier narrative relates that, while the elder Antiochus was staying in Persia, that same Nicanor together with Gorgias as general, and Lysias as organizer, were overcome and put to flight by the Jews, and that this became known to Antiochus on his return, and that on account of this he fell into sickness out of grief, because it had not been done to the Jews as he had intended. This, unless I am mistaken, is resolved in no other way than that Philip, when the empire had been entrusted to him, wrote the same decree to the generals of Syria to be carried out, which Lysias had already previously undertaken to attempt to carry out, but had not completed, nor was he able to achieve it among the Jews in the way he had planned by his own expedition, as the following history shows.
2MA 8:10 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
This was briefly mentioned in the previous book: namely, that merchants gathered with gold and silver to buy the sons of Israel as slaves for themselves. But here it is recounted more clearly that, by Nicanor, who promised the king to make up the tribute owed to the Romans from Jewish slaves, the merchants themselves were invited to purchase Jewish slaves.
2MA 8:12 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Concerning this coming of Nicanor into Judea, which took place under Antiochus, the former book clearly does not speak; yet, while relating that he was chosen by Lysias together with Ptolemy and Gorgias, powerful men, with an accompanying mass of followers, to invade and lay waste Judea, it asserts that under Demetrius he was sent there and wished by deceit to seize and invade Judea; but he was not able to prevail. Now it has already been said above that Nicanor himself bears the figure of hypocrites, who do everything in a pretended manner. But Judas engages in battle against Nicanor and his allies with seven thousand men and defeats them, because through the sevenfold grace of the Spirit, the people of the Church together with their leaders conquer all their enemies; nor does any Jew, or pagan, or heretic, or schismatic, or any hypocrite or wicked man ever win victory over it. Rather, he himself, together with his victorious King, will possess the trophy of glory forever.
2MA 8:33 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
In place of "victory songs" I have read in another edition "days of victory." Therefore, with the enemies overcome, Judas celebrates the feast, because together with the saints each person, through the grace of Christ, triumphs over the ancient enemy, and, filled with spiritual joy, ought to compose fitting praises and render many thanks to his maker; nor is it proper for someone to become ungrateful who remembers that he has been helped by divine work.
2MA 9:1 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The things that were briefly noted in the previous book about the end of Antiochus are explained more fully in this one. Mystically, however, it shows that the persecutors of Christians, for the evil deeds they have committed and the works of injustice they have performed, will in the future receive from the Lord the just recompense of punishments; and that the one who here did not fear to disturb the hearts of the faithful will, in the final vengeance, be tormented by inward pains with late repentance. Concerning this it is written in the Book of Wisdom: Then the righteous will stand with great steadfastness against those who have oppressed them and who have taken away their labors. Seeing this, they will be troubled with terrible fear, and will marvel at the suddenness of unexpected salvation. Groaning with anguish of spirit, they will say within themselves, as they do penance: These are the ones whom we once held in contempt and made a catch phrase of reproach. We fools considered their life madness, and their end without honor. Behold how they are counted among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints. Therefore we have strayed from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness has not shone for us, and the sun of understanding has not risen upon us. We have grown weary in the way of iniquity and destruction, and we have walked difficult paths, but the way of the Lord we have not known. What has our pride profited us, or what has the boasting of riches brought us? All those things have passed away like a shadow, etc. (Wisdom 5).
2MA 10:5-7 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
On the day when the temple had been polluted by foreigners, etc. This feast, which is read as being celebrated on the twenty-fifth day of the month Casleu, which among the Latins is called December, is likewise mentioned in a similar way in the previous book; moreover, when it relates that they had previously kept the Feast of Tabernacles in the mountains and in caves, and for that reason carried before him who granted that his place be cleansed the thyrsi, and green branches, and palms, it shows that in the present life, where there is a place of tribulation and sorrow, we ought to recognize ourselves as pilgrims; and that there we should strive to offer to God the flowers of virtues and the ever-green branches of good works for the attainment of eternal life and as the reward of payment to the heavenly King. For the thyrsus in general is the middle stalk of all herbs or vegetables, so called because it rises up from the earth; so also from our earthly matter a useful shoot ought to ascend, so that to the cultivator of our heart, who through the gift of His Spirit cultivates us, we may always render acceptable fruit.
2MA 10:9 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
And the death of Antiochus, who was called the Noble, took place as follows, etc. The history of the previous book relates that Antiochus the Noble, when he was about to set out for Persia, appointed Lysias over the royal affairs from the river Euphrates to the river of Egypt, and to act as guardian for Antiochus his son until he should return. Now, however, it is related that this same Antiochus, the son of Antiochus the Noble, that is, Eupator, appoints Lysias over the same royal affairs. But because he says that he has shortened in his narration many things that were done in the wars, he shows that he has passed over in the order of the history those wars which the younger Antiochus waged by himself against the Jews, when he came there with elephants and a great multitude, both of his own people and of other nations, and when Eleazar the son of Saura killed the largest of the elephants, thinking that the king was on it.
2MA 10:14 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Gorgias, however, since he was commander of the region, having gathered foreign troops, frequently waged war against the Jews, etc. This Gorgias, as we have already shown above, the earlier book relates to have acted together with Lysias, as well as with Ptolemy and Nicanor, in attacking Judea. What that attack was like is reported in the earlier and in the present book, but it is stated that the victory remained with the Jews. Now, as for Gorgias himself, since he was summoning various nations to make war against the Jews, it has already been said above that he represents the type of the Devil, who stirs up unbelievers against the Church of Christ and raises war against His faithful ones. But because it is written there that Gorgias chose seven thousand men for battle, and here, according to the multiplication of the number five in itself, twenty-seven thousand are reported to have been slaughtered, this signifies that all who, through the seven senses of the body, fight for the Devil by carnal desires are punished with a death they deserve.
2MA 10:18 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Moreover, when certain men had taken refuge in two very strongly fortified towers, etc. As the spiritual Maccabee fights, the enemies are driven to take refuge in two towers, since those who strove to overthrow Christ's army, although in no way able to resist the truth of the Gospel, yet, not believing unto salvation, and not fearing the future judgment of the Lord, choose rather to flee into the towers of pride and idolatry than, pierced by the pains of repentance, to abandon their errors. Against them Judas sends soldiers with Simon and Joseph; but some of them, deceived by the love of money, neglected to carry out the battle that had been entrusted to them, because it often happens that those to whom the dignity of the priesthood and the warfare of spiritual combat have been committed, deceived by earthly desire, prefer to satisfy their own greed rather than, despising earthly advantages, to exalt Christ's will by fighting lawfully. But such men will not escape the punishments they deserve; rather, when the true teachers, strengthened by the Spirit of God, have extinguished the enemies by fighting and overcoming them, they themselves will be justly punished by these teachers through the retribution of anathema.
2MA 10:24 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
And Timotheus, who had previously been defeated by the Jews, having assembled an army of foreign troops, etc. This Timotheus represents the type of the heretics, as we have shown in the preceding book, who always strive to destroy the faith of Christ and the truth of the Gospel, both by themselves and by the help and support of others. But against the wickedness of these men, the holy teachers ask help from the Lord, and, trusting with firm hope in heavenly assistance, they fight bravely against their enemies. Now the five horsemen who appeared on horses adorned with golden bridles and gave guidance to the Jews represent the five books of the Law; when these are brought into spiritual understanding and, with the typological veil of the letter removed, are reviewed by spiritual knowledge according to the sense of the Gospel, they offer timely comfort to those who carry them out, and, protecting the true confessors of Christ on the right and on the left through the two commandments of love, they hurl fiery darts of judgments against their adversaries, by which, confused in the blindness of their mind and filled with disturbance of understanding, they fall. From these, moreover, twenty thousand and five hundred are struck down, since all who hold opinions contrary to Catholic doctrine, which is contained in the two Testaments, and to the grace of the Holy Spirit, are overcome and cast down when the truth prevails; similarly, the six hundred horsemen are crushed when the pride of their mind, by which they often hoped to prevail over Catholics, is utterly destroyed by the will of the Most High.
2MA 10:32-33 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
But Timotheus fled to Gazara, a fortified stronghold, over which Chaereas was set. But Maccabeus and those who were with him, rejoicing, besieged the stronghold for four days, etc. What does it mean that Timotheus, defeated by Judas, fled with his men into the fortified stronghold of Gazara, and from there, trusting in the strength of the place, hurled curses against the people? Except that heretics, separated from the unity of the true faith and overcome, withdraw into the hiding places of their errors and, trusting in the protection of their own cunning, hurl words of curse against Catholics. For Timotheus is interpreted as "beneficent" or rather "sorcerer," and Gazara as "division" or "battle." But Judas, besieging the stronghold with his companions for four days, at last broke into the fortification by means of twenty young men whose spirits were inflamed because of the blasphemy; he set fire to the towers and the gates, and burned the blasphemers themselves alive. So too the holy teachers, by enclosing the enemies on every side with the four books of the Gospel, through those who keep the commandments of the Law in the two precepts of love, destroy their engines, and burn them alive with the fire of sorrow and repentance. And therefore, in two days, by the help of the two Testaments, laying waste the stronghold of all errors, they kill the true Timotheus, that is, the Devil, the head of all error and the author of all evil, who wishes to hide in his own wickedness, with the sword of God's word.
2MA 10:38 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
When these things had been done, in hymns and confessions they blessed the Lord, who had done great things in Israel and had given them victory, etc. In the first book of this history it is written that Lysias, having had the affairs of the kingdom entrusted to him by Antiochus, who was surnamed Epiphanes or the Noble, fought against the Jews, where, when the battle was joined, five thousand men were killed in the army of Lysias. And seeing the flight of his own men and the boldness of the Jews, he went off to Antioch in order to gather the forces of the army again, intending to set out once more into Judea. But now, since it is reported that again, under Antiochus Eupator, he came into Judea, and there, having waged war unsuccessfully, escaped in disgrace by flight, it appears that this same Lysias fought against the Jews under both kings named Antiochus, that is, father and son, and in each battle was defeated by the Jews; but at last, compelled by his own humiliation and terrified by Philip's incursion into the kingdom, as has been shown elsewhere, he persuaded the king to make peace with the Hebrews, which, however, he did not keep.
2MA 11:5 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Bethsura was a city in the tribe of Judah or Benjamin, and even to this day Bethsura is seen as we go from Aelia to Hebron at the twentieth milestone; near it there is a spring bubbling up at the foot of the mountain, which is absorbed by the same soil in which it is produced; and the Acts of the Apostles recount that the eunuch of Candace the queen was baptized here by Philip. (Acts 8:26-40).
2MA 11:6 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
What Lysias, the most savage enemy of the Jews, who holds the leadership of the pagans, signifies [namely] those who grievously harass the Church of God with most severe persecutions, has already been said. When he persecutes the teachers and confessors of Christ with the gravest scandals, and, relying on the arrogance of his pride, is exalted by the empty favor of those who follow him, he plans in his heart to profane the sanctuary and trample upon the law of God. Yet he does not prosper in his deeds according to his plotted deceit; rather, he is routed and cast down by the soldiers of Christ, who, with the humblest prayers, seek help from on high. To them a leader on horseback is sent for aid, in white raiment and golden armor, because to them the most pure incarnation of God and man is granted to crush the stubbornness of all enemies; whose golden arms, that is, his words and examples, are most bright and beautiful, and there is no power in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, that can resist him. But just as in the prophetic vision of Daniel it was foreshown (Dan. 2), a precious stone cut from the mountain, either by hands or without hands, crushed the gold, silver, bronze, iron, and it became a great mountain that filled the whole earth, whose kingdom shall not be destroyed forever, and its kingdom shall not be given to another people, Christ will crush and consume all kingdoms, and will stand forever. But the saints of the most high God will receive the kingdom, and they will possess it unto the age, indeed unto the ages of ages.
2MA 11:21-22 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
That month, which among the Greeks is called Dioscorus, is the same as that which among the Latins is called June. To this month, therefore, the signs of Gemini are assigned. For Gemini, that is Castor and Pollux, are in Greek called Dioscori. Witness to this fact is the city of Collorum (so written), which, having been laid low by Amphius and Circius, the charioteers of the Twins, was renamed by their title Dioscori. For many interpret Dioscori as "charioteers"; they are, however, the Twins, as we have said, Castor and Pollux. But the fact that Lysias, constrained by fear of the Jews, persuaded Antiochus to enter into an agreement with the Jews, shows that the enemies of the Church are often overcome by divine power, and, although not by their own will, yet by necessity yield to it, when they cannot bring to completion what they desire.
2MA 11:33-34 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The month Pandicus among the Athenians is the same as that which among us is called April and among the Hebrews Nisan, among whom, according to the precept of the law, this month is the first of the months of the year, in which they also celebrate Passover.
2MA 12:3-4 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Now these Joppites, of whom Scripture speaks, were inhabitants of a town in Palestine called Joppa, a coastal place located in the tribe of Dan; and, to touch briefly on the tales of the pagans, even to this day they show there very high rocks, situated on the sea shore, on which Andromeda, it is said, was once bound and freed by Perseus. But according to the mystical sense, these same Joppites who, dwelling by the sea, caused scandal to the Jews, signify heretics living near the waves of the turbulent world, who always lie in wait for the Jews, that is, the true confessors of Christ, and strive to drag into the pit of their error as many as they can from among their number. Therefore the Joppites, as it were, set up boats in which they drown the Jews, taken away from the shore into the deep, when heretics, devising wicked doctrines, adorn them with fine-sounding speech. This can well be signified by the name "Joppites," for it is interpreted "beauty," inasmuch as they may more easily deceive simple souls by the fluency of their language; and once they have drawn them away from the stability of the true faith and gathered them to themselves, they hurl these unsuspecting people headlong into the abyss of punishment. But Judas in type does not allow this to prevail greatly; rather, finding these murderers lurking in the darkness of their error, he torments them with the vengeance of just retribution, and, revealing the deceits that are owed to perpetual fire, rightly strikes down with the sword of anathema both these men and the authors of their transgression, nor does he allow the poison of their hatred to remain hidden any longer.
2MA 12:8-9 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
By Jamnia, which is interpreted "sea," may be understood the gathering place of schismatics, who are always in a storm. Schism, therefore, as some would have it, is called a cutting off of morals: for it believes with the same worship and the same rite, and in all other respects, it delights only in the disagreement of the congregation. Schism arises when they say, "We alone sanctify the unclean," and such things as these. But Judas learns that the Jamnites are acting in the same way as the Joppites, contriving plots against the Jews living with them; so when the holy teachers discover that the deceit of schismatics is similar to the fraud of heretics, they fear the deception of the faithful by them. Against such people they wage war, and finding them in the darkness of superstition, they burn them together with their devices by the fire of excommunication; so that their fire appears in Jerusalem, that is, so that the condemnation of their error may be revealed to all worshipers of the true religion. Therefore Paul also, writing to Timothy and making known the errors of the foolish, says (2 Tim. 3:1-4): "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, covetous, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without affection, without peace, slanderers, incontinent, fierce, without kindness, and traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasures rather than of God, having indeed a form of godliness, but denying its power. And from these turn away. For of these are those who creep into houses and lead captive little women laden with sins, led by various desires, always learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men corrupted, reprobate in mind concerning the faith. But they shall progress no further, for their foolishness shall be seen to all, as also was that of the former." Likewise the prince of the apostles, warning that the deceit of wicked men must be guarded against, says to the faithful (2 Peter 3:17-18): "You therefore, brethren, knowing this beforehand, guard yourselves, lest being led astray by the error of the foolish you fall from your own commitment. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. To him be glory both now and in the day of eternity. Amen."
2MA 12:10 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The Arabs, who are interpreted as "humble" or "western," can signify those who love worldly and secular wisdom; which is rightly called humble and western, because it does not know how to imitate true wisdom, which comes from heavenly things. Therefore, intent on opposing Judas and his companions, they engage in battle with five thousand foot soldiers and five hundred horsemen: because, entangled in the senses and pursuits of the flesh, everything of spiritual meaning that is conveyed to them through holy teachers seems to be contrary and blasphemous. Therefore they strive to rebel against them; but, with the truth growing stronger, they are defeated, and overcome by the steadfastness of the holy preachers, they ask that right hands be given to them; so that, abandoning their errors, they may desire the power of the Catholic faith and wish to associate themselves with the confessors of Christ. The spiritual Judas, having judged that they could become useful to the Jews in many ways, promises them peace, gives them right hands, and allows them to depart unharmed: because often such men, who had been steeped in the philosophy of the world, when they are converted to the faith of Christ, become more suitable and better equipped to destroy the foolishness and error of the pagans; and when the word of faith has been fully preached to them, being equipped with both kinds of armor, they fight more bravely against unbelief. Therefore Solomon, for the building of the temple, asks Hiram, king of Tyre, for help in cutting timber from Lebanon, because in this craft the servants of Hiram were more skilled than his own servants; yet they did not devote themselves to this work by themselves alone, since, when they were associated with Solomon's servants, they brought it to completion in a sincere and orderly manner. The reason for this is evident, namely that the apostles knew more surely the word of the Gospel of God, which they had learned to hear from the Lord; but the pagans, converted from error and transformed to the truth of the Gospel through those same apostles, knew better the very errors of the nations: and the more surely they knew them, the more skillfully they learned to attack and to abolish them.
2MA 12:13-14 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
This city, under whose fortification many multitudes of different nations gathered and dwelt, I judge signifies nothing better than the powers of this world; under whose dominion diverse peoples have come, so that under its protection they might be physically guarded and enjoy the gratification of their flesh. Therefore, such an assembly, trusting in the stability of its walls, provokes Judas with curses, and in blasphemy spoke things that ought not to be spoken: when diverse kinds of people, favoring the flattery of rulers and rejoicing in their benefits, did things contrary to the holy preachers, and worshiping idols, hurled words of blasphemy against the Divinity itself. Judas, then, having invoked the prince of this world, by his help took the city: because the holy teachers partly by prayers, and partly also by doctrines, struggled against their adversaries, until by the word of God, according to the Lord's will, they captured the rulers themselves. And therefore they were accomplishing indescribable massacres of men, not so that by eternal destruction they might utterly perish, but so that by dying to the world they might live more happily to Christ. Such a slaughter, moreover, Peter was ordered to accomplish in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10:13), when in ecstasy he saw that mystical vessel with four corners being let down from heaven to earth, in which were all the four-footed animals and creeping things of the earth, and birds of the sky, and it was said to him: "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." (Acts 10:13) The animals therefore signified all nations, unclean through errors, but to be cleansed by sacred baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, who, abandoning the image of man, through imitation of beasts and serpents had taken on their forms; which that heavenly voice commands Peter to kill and eat, because it bade him to kill in the Gentiles what they had been, and to make them what he himself was. For whoever eats food placed outside transfers it into his own body; therefore he was commanded that the nations, placed outside the doors through unbelief, with their former life put to death, be grafted into the fellowship of the Church, which Peter signifies. In accordance with this the apostle Paul says of himself: "For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live to God in Christ" (Gal. 2:19); and again: "And I now live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). Nor is that other point without mystery, namely that the adjoining pool appeared to be filled with the blood of slain men: for the shedding of blood signifies the loss of a life drenched in blood, as if the blood, turned into water, were seen to flow, since in the sacrament of baptism, where the faithful die to sin, bloody deeds and the filth of carnal life are understood to be washed away, when the old man is put off with his deeds, and the new man is put on, who according to the Lord is created in righteousness and holiness of truth (Eph. 4:24).
2MA 12:17 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
I once heard a Hebrew explaining that those Jews are called Tubianaeans who, after foreigners had been summoned, came to the aid of Judea, and that they were called Tubianaeans as if they had been brought in by foreign trumpets.
2MA 12:19 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
These two commanders, that is, Dositheus and Sosipater, represent the holy preachers who, by the arrangement of the man Maccabeus, that is, the most heroic warriors, of whom it is written in the psalm: "The Lord strong and mighty in battle" (Ps. 24:8), are appointed to wage war against all the errors of the faithless. They are fittingly marked by the number two, because, well instructed in the spiritual knowledge of the two Testaments, they are known to carry out the Lord's battle properly. Therefore they kill the ten thousand men left in the military base by Timotheus, since they justly put to death with the spiritual sword, by the authority and severity of the same Law, the associates of the heresiarchs, appointed by them to defend their own wickedness, who hold opinions contrary to the Law of God.
2MA 12:23 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The question arises how it is that Timotheus is here said to have been released alive by the Jewish leaders out of regard for the humility of his prayers, because he had parents and brothers among many of the Jews, who would happen to be deceived by his death if he were killed; and yet a little earlier it is related that he had been in the military base of Gazara, where he was killed by the soldiers. For if he had then been killed there, in no way could he now here be released alive. This, unless I am mistaken, can be resolved in no other way than that either he is said to have been killed there by prolepsis, or that one Timotheus is to be understood as the one who was killed in the military base of Gazara, and another as this one who is read to have been released by Dositheus and Sosipater. The fact, moreover, that the leaders of Judas, considering the good of their brethren and the redemption of their own people, spared Timotheus, shows that sometimes it is necessary to deal more gently with those who err, not, I say, so that one consents to their iniquity, but that with fatherly devotion one may provide for their weakness, and especially in those places where some fruit from the conversion of those who err is hoped for, so that by ecclesiastical gentleness they may be prompted to flee from the snares of the Devil and to come to catholic freedom. Therefore in the African council it was decreed concerning the Donatist heretics that a milder course be taken with them, where it is written as follows: "After all things had been examined and considered which seemed to be suited to the welfare of the Church, with the assent and admonition of the Spirit of God, we decree to deal gently and peacefully with the aforementioned men, although they hold opinions with restless dissension about the unity of the Lord's body, so that, as far as is in us, it may become thoroughly known to all who in their communion and fellowship are heretics throughout all the African provinces, in what a miserable error they have been overcome; lest at some time, as the Apostle says, while we in gentleness are correcting those who think differently, God should give them repentance for the acknowledging of the truth, and they may come to their senses out of the snares of the Devil, by whom they are held captive at his will (2 Tim. 2:26)."
2MA 12:25-27 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
We said in the exposition of the previous book, where Timotheus is discussed, that his army signified the crowd of heretics; likewise about the inhabitants of the city of Ephron, that they figuratively represent those who, in the times of grace, diminished the rite of Judaism, namely the Jews themselves and the heretics who wished, along with the Gospel, to keep the ceremonies of the Law. For these, thinking in a carnal way, wished to learn spiritual knowledge and were not able to understand that "Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Rom. 10:4), to the Jew, that is, and to the Gentile. Five thousand are reported as struck down in the Ephronite war, just as in that war which was fought at Carnion, because "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, and the prudence of the flesh is death" (1 Cor. 3); "for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (1 Cor. 3:19). Therefore it is likewise said by Paul: "God has made foolish the wisdom of this world" (1 Cor. 1:29). And again: "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). From this the Apostle James, writing to those who are scattered abroad, says (James 3:14): "If you have bitter zeal and strife in your hearts, do not boast and be false against the truth; for this wisdom does not descend from above, from the highest Father, but is earthly, animal, and devilish." Its followers the prince of battles [the apostles] calls springs or water and clouds driven about by whirlwinds, for whom the gloom of darkness is reserved: they are vain talkers, enticing in the desires of the flesh, of lust, those who barely escape, who live in error; promising them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of corruption (2 Peter 2:17-19). For Judas with his men utterly laid low the hosts of the enemy and won the victory, because the holy teachers, defenders of the truth and attackers of all error, aided by divine help, everywhere take from their enemies the trophy of victory. Therefore they can say with Paul: "But thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus and reveals through us the fragrance of his knowledge in every place" (2 Cor. 2:14).
2MA 12:29 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The Scythopolitans, who treated the Jews kindly and, because of their supports, obtained favor and praise from Judah, signify those who receive holy teachers and confessors of the true faith, and who assist them with bodily comforts as far as they are able: whose reward will not perish in vain; especially since the Lord in the Gospel says to the apostles concerning such people: He who receives you receives me; he who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward; and whoever gives a drink to one of these little ones, even a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he will not lose his reward (Matt. 10:41-42.). Therefore John, writing to Gaius in his epistle, says: Beloved, you act faithfully in whatever you do for the brothers, and this for strangers, who have accepted witness to your love before the Church: whom you will do well to send on their way worthily of God, for they went out for the sake of his name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to receive such people, that we may be fellow workers for the truth (3 Jn. 5-8). So also Paul praised this, writing to the Corinthians: I ask you, brothers, you know the household of Stephanas, and of Fortunatus, and of Achaicus, that they are the first fruits of Achaia, and have devoted themselves to the service of the saints: that you also be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. And I rejoice at the presence of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking to you: for they have refreshed both my spirit and yours. Acknowledge therefore such men (1 Cor. 16:15-18).
2MA 12:32-33 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Gorgias, the commander of Idumaea, can well bear the figure of the Devil, who, always delighting in bloody and blood-stained activity, nevertheless sometimes imitates the appearance of virtues, though he himself through vices diligently fights against virtues. Therefore, deceiving by cunning any of the simple ones from the number of the faithful, he kills them; yet he does not obtain daily victory, because rather, under the leadership of Judas, his soldiers call upon the Lord as their helper, and by persevering in prayers and hymns the opposing side, confused by fear, is turned to flight, and the honor of triumph is granted to the true worshipers of God. Therefore Peter, writing to believers in his Epistle, says: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in the time of visitation; casting all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you. Be sober and watchful, for your adversary the Devil, like a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour; resist him, firm in the faith." (1 Peter 5:6-8) Therefore also it is said through James: "Resist the Devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). But the fact that Dositheus wanted to take Gorgias alive, yet could not, because, his shoulder having been cut off, his enemy escaped, this shows figuratively that the ancient foe is conquered not by human strength but by divine help. For whoever, trusting in his own strength together with the Pelagians, hopes that he can obtain victory over the Devil, indeed does not conquer the enemy, nor does he even keep the condition of his own will unharmed.
2MA 12:39-40 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
These are the men who were struck down by the enemy because of hidden idolatry, and they more fittingly represent those who, in the secret of the heart, pollute themselves through greed and covetousness. They carry ritual offerings of idols beneath their tunic, who outwardly perform works of virtue for the sake of earthly greed or the ambition of human praise, but under the veil of devotion conceal the deceit of wickedness within; such men are deservedly struck down by enemies, because the poison of deceit, which escaped the sight of men, did not deceive the gaze of the inner Judge. That greed and avarice are idolatry is shown by Paul, who says (1 Tim. 6:10): The root of all evils is greed; which some, desiring, have strayed from the faith and have plunged themselves into many sorrows. And again (Eph. 5:5): "This, moreover," he says, "know and understand, that every fornicator, or unclean person, or greedy man, which is idolatrous service, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God; for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [Vulg. unbelief]." Against this vice, wishing to heal human minds, the Savior teaches in the Gospel, saying: "Take care not to practice your righteousness before men in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 6:1). And again, "See," he says, "and beware of all greed, for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). The mystical Judas, considering that a calamity had come upon his soldiers because of their artificial conduct, does not abandon them, but with fatherly devotion cares for them, both by interceding with prayers for their sins and by correcting their error through the word of preaching and exhortation, so that, once restored again to the practice of virtue, they may from this time watch over themselves more carefully, lest by a similar downfall they fall again into a worse state, according to that passage of the Gospel: "Behold, you have been made whole; do not sin any more, lest something worse happen to you" (Jn. 5:14).
2MA 12:42-43 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
That there must indeed be intercession made after the end of this present life for the sins of the faithful, and that works of almsgiving must be performed in order that those for whose remedy the matter is undertaken may be released from sins, is shown both by this passage and by the Lord in the Gospel, where, when speaking of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, he points out that this is an unforgivable sin, saying: "Whoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the age to come" (Matt. 12:32). For when he named that one unforgivable sin, he showed that other sins can be forgiven both in the present life and in the life to come. But how one ought to act for the salvation of the departed is shown by the holy Fathers in their writings. Therefore it has seemed good to insert one of the minor works of Saint Augustine into this volume, instructing the reader to seek similar teachings in the writings of the other Fathers; for that revered Father reports in the work which he wrote to Laurentius on Faith, Hope, and Love (1.29.109), speaking therefore: "The time which is interposed between a man's death and the final resurrection keeps souls in hidden receptacles, as each is worthy either of rest or of trial, according to what it obtained in the flesh while it lived. Nor must it be denied that the souls of the departed are relieved by the devotion of their loved ones, when the sacrifice of the Mediator is offered for them or alms are given in the Church; but these things benefit those who, while they were living, so lived that they merited that these things could afterwards profit them: for there is a certain manner of life that is not so good as not to require these helps after death, nor so evil that these helps after death do not benefit it. There is indeed a condition in the good such that it does not require these things, and there is again a condition in the wicked such that, when life has passed, it cannot be helped by them. Therefore, all merit is acquired here by which someone may be either relieved or burdened after this life. Let no one think that, once he has departed, he will obtain from the Lord what he has neglected here. Therefore these practices which the Church frequently performs for the acclaiming of the departed are not contrary to that apostolic sentence in which it is said: 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he has done through the body, whether good or evil' (2 Cor. 5:10), because each person also acquired this merit when he was living in the body, so that these things might be able to profit him. For they do not profit all; and why do they not profit all, except because of the merits of the life which each person lived in the body? When therefore sacrifices, whether of the altar or of whatever alms, are offered for the baptized deceased, for those who were very good they are thanksgivings; for those who were not very evil they are appeasements; for those who were very evil, even if they bring no help to the dead, they are, in whatever way, supports to the living. For those to whom they do profit, they either profit so that full remission may be granted, or so that the condemnation may become more tolerable."
2MA 13:9-11 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The history that recounts the war of Antiochus Eupator and his steward Lysias against the Jews has already been mentioned in the previous book and there explained also according to allegory. But it is now related in sequence that four thousand men in the king's camp were killed by the Jews during the night, and the greatest of the elephants, together with those stationed on it, was destroyed. This is expressed more clearly in the earlier narration, where it is reported that Eleazar, son of Saura, a Jew, seeing one of the beasts armored in the king's mail and towering above the other beasts, and thinking that the king was in it, broke into the legion, ran under the feet of the elephant, and killed it; but as it fell, the weight of the beast crushed him, and he died. The spiritual meaning of this is explained there, where the arrogance of the proud is shown to be broken by their own effort, as Scripture says: "Everyone who is arrogant is an abomination to God" (Prov. 16:5); and again: "Before destruction the heart is exalted, and before glory it is humbled" (Prov. 16:18); and elsewhere: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6); and in the Gospel the Lord said: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matt. 23:12).
2MA 14:3 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
What is said, that he sent to the king ankle bones together with a golden crown, and that Alcimus offered the palm, shows that he promised to him royal dignity and victory over enemies, together with the worship of the temple, by bearing these as a sign of his gifts. For such objects are said to be offertory vessels, made in the manner of towers, with which they used to make offerings on the principal feast days; a likeness of which is still found in certain places. The Assideans, moreover, are said to be those Jews who were always devoted to divine worship, called Assideans from their application, as if "the tireless ones"; such were Judas and his helpers in the worship of God and the observance of his law. Others, however, claim that the Assideans are so named from purity, as if "pure Jews," because they kept themselves from idolatry and from the rites of the Gentiles. Demetrius, having heard the report of Alcimus and the others who were enemies of the Jews and supported the accusation, immediately sent Nicanor, the chief officer and commander of the elephants, into Judea,
2MA 14:13 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
When Nicanor came into Judea, he first pretended that he wished to have a covenant of peace with the Jews; afterwards, once his hostility was revealed, he showed himself to be a most wicked man rather than a faithful friend. But, overthrown by divine power, he paid the penalty for the blasphemies uttered against God and for his stubbornness; all of which are contained in the narrative of the former book, although certain things that were there omitted because of the haste of the narrator are found inserted in this account. As for the allegorical meaning, it has been explained there on this same matter according to the measure of my small talent, and it does not seem worth the effort to repeat it.
2MA 14:37 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
Some people read this and, finding written there that Razias, inflicting death on himself with his own hand, chose to die nobly rather than be subject to sinners and to be treated with unworthy wrongs contrary to his native dignity, I have judged it useful to insert into this work of ours certain passages from the words of the venerable Father Augustine, so that readers of sound mind might understand what they ought to do in such matters, and not perhaps, being of a simpler disposition, believe that when necessity presses, it is in some way better to inflict death upon oneself by one's own act than to fall alive into the hands of sinners. Now the aforementioned Father reports, in his first book On the City of God, where he discussed at length whether it is ever permitted for someone to kill himself, speaking as follows: "Many have killed themselves lest they fall into the hands of their enemies. We do not merely ask whether this has been done, but whether it ought to have been done. Sound reason must indeed be preferred to examples; and the examples that agree with sound reason are to be followed, especially those which are all the more worthy of imitation the more they excel in reverence. The patriarchs did not do this, nor the prophets, nor the apostles, because the Lord Christ himself, when he warned them that if they suffered persecution they should flee from city to city, could have warned them to lay hands upon themselves, so as not to fall into the hands of their persecutors. But since he did not command or counsel this way of departing from this life to those whose departure he promised to prepare eternal dwellings, whatever examples the nations that do not know God may set in opposition, it is clear that this is not permitted to those who worship the one true God. It remains that we understand, concerning the human being, what was said: 'You shall not kill.' Therefore neither another person nor yourself; for whoever kills himself kills nothing other than a human being. Certain exceptions indeed have been made by that same divine authority regarding when it is not permitted to kill a human being. But, apart from those whom God commands to be killed, whether by a law given in general or by a specific command addressed to a particular person for a particular time, it is not the person who kills who is himself the author of the killing, but the one who owes the ministry of obedience to the One who commands, just as the sword is an instrument in the hand of the one who uses it. And therefore those who have waged wars under God's authority, or who, bearing the person of public power in accordance with his laws, that is, under the rule of the most just reason, have punished evildoers with death, have by no means acted against the commandment, 'You shall not kill.' Abraham not only is not accused of the crime of cruelty, but is even praised for his devotion, because he was willing to kill his son, not wickedly, but obediently. And it is rightly asked whether what Jephthah did in killing his daughter, who came out to meet her father, is to be regarded as done by God's command, since he had said that he had vowed to offer in sacrifice to God whatever should first come out to meet him when he returned victorious from battle (Judges 11). Nor is Samson excused in any other way, who destroyed himself together with his enemies by the collapse of the house, except that the Spirit, who worked miracles through him, had secretly commanded this. Therefore, with these exceptions, that is, those whom either a generally just law or God himself, the very fountain of justice, commands to be put to death, whoever kills a human being, whether himself or any other person, is bound by the guilt of murder; and whoever has perpetrated this upon himself may perhaps be admired for greatness of spirit, but is not to be praised for soundness of wisdom. Indeed, if you examine the matter more carefully by reason, even that so-called greatness of spirit i…
2MA 15:12 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
But if anyone should ask whether this vision can be related to some ministry, this, unless I am mistaken, can be understood from the fact that the priest Onias signifies the priestly order; and Jeremiah the prophet, whose name is interpreted "the Exalted of the Lord," represents the Lord himself and the head of the prophets; of whom Moses says: "The Lord will raise up a prophet from among your brothers; you shall listen to him as to me" (Deut. 18:15); and Isaiah: "Cease, he says, from man whose breath is in his nostrils, for he is reckoned as exalted" (Isa. 2:22). Therefore, the priestly order itself, through the men who under the Old Testament accordingly carried out the divine office in the temple of God, was not only summoned for the sins of the people, but also prefigured the future incarnation of our mediator, by whose help the world was to be saved. Concerning him the apostle John says in his Epistle: We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for those of the whole world (1 Jn. 2:1-2). Therefore here he gave a golden sword to Judah, when he granted to the teachers the divine Scripture, shining with spiritual meaning, for the fortification of the whole Church and the defense of his people, so that they might use it as armor against all enemies and overthrow the multitude of the enemy, etc.
2MA 15:17 — Commentary on 2 Maccabees
The book of Esther relates that, at Haman's instigation, King Ahasuerus ordered that all the Jews in his kingdom be put to death, and for the execution of this slaughter there were appointed thirty days of the twelfth month, which is called Adar, and that their goods should be plundered. But by the will of the Lord the same sentence was turned against their attackers, so that the aforesaid king, through the mediation of the Jew Mordecai, after the old writings and with new letters sent out, commanded that the Jews, on the very day on which their enemies had prepared their destruction, should kill their enemies and persecutors. And this they did on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the month; concerning which it is written in the same story as follows: The thirteenth day of the month Adar was, for all, a single day of slaughter, and on the fourteenth day they ceased from killing, which they established to be a solemn feast, so that on it thereafter, for all time, they might devote themselves to banquets, rejoicing, and festivities. (Esther 9:18) As was just written, when Nicanor had been killed and the obvious help of God had been shown, all the Jews, by common decision, decreed that the thirteenth day of the month Adar, which in the Syrian language is called the day before Mordecai's day, should always be kept as a feast, and therefore these two festivals came together mutually: that is, the one which is recorded in the Maccabees and the one which is read in the story of Esther, so that those held on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the month Adar might likewise be joined together.
Acts 2:1 — Unknown work
The Law was given on Mount Sinai, the Spirit on Mount Sion, the Law on an elevated place in the mountain, the Spirit in an upper room.
Acts 2:30 — Unknown work
Peter shows manifestly from this Psalm that the kingdom of Christ is not earthly, but heavenly.
Acts 5:5 — Unknown work
a great fear overwhelmed all who heard of it: Not without cause, because this man died that others might be frightened by his example.
Acts 8:4 — Unknown work
though scattered through fear, they were nevertheless firm in preacing the gospel.
Acts 12:19 — Unknown work
That the release of Peter should harm no one, Herod is not permitted to punish the guards.
Acts 14:7 — Unknown work
The flight of the apostles was tnot more from fear than from their love of the word of God.
Esther 1:1 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 1
Not only the Holy Scriptures, but the Jewish Antiquities of Josephus as well contain the story of Esther, although they differ in some of the historical details. Therefore, there is some question as to the actual identity of that Ahasuerus who ruled from India to Ethiopia over one hundred twenty-seven provinces. In fact, when Josephus mentions him, he relates that he was Cyrus son of King Xerxes who reigned over Persia after his father Darius. He also adds that this Cyrus was called Artaxerxes by the Greeks, having the nickname "Long-handed," and was in power for forty years. But I do not think that Esther lived at that time. Ezra writes that he had returned at that time from Babylonia, but he would never have omitted mentioning Esther if she had actually accomplished the things which are attributed to her. Therefore Eusebius, in his Chronicles, thinks that this Ahasuerus was called Artaxerxes and reigned after Darius for forty years, having the nickname Nothus as his father had.
Esther 1:1-2 — Commentary on Esther
The story of Esther is found not only in the holy books but also in the Antiquities of Josephus, though their accounts of these events differ in certain respects. But the latter also raises the question of just who was this Ahasuerus who ruled from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces; for when Josephus mentions him, he reports that Cyrus was the son of King Xerxes who ruled in Persia after his uncle Darius. He says, therefore, that Cyrus was the one the Greeks called Artaxerxes—surnamed "Longhand"—who held the kingdom for forty years; but I don't believe that Esther lived in that era because Ezra would never have kept silent about her, given that he writes that it was at that time that Ezra and Menna returned from Babylon, and then narrates their subsequent actions. Eusebius, accordingly, suggests in his Chronicle that this Ahasuerus was called Artaxerxes, and that he reigned for forty years after his uncle Darius, who was surnamed "Bastard."
Esther 1:2 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 1
Susa is the metropolis of Persia which the historians say was founded by the brother of Memnon. It is called Susa because it lies along the river Susis where the royal palace of Cyrus was constructed with glittering white stone as well as other varieties. It is conspicuous for its golden columns and roofs and for its precious stones. It also contains the sculpture of a sky full of shining stars and other incredible things to the human mind. This is the place where it is said that the king gave a lavish banquet and displayed his great wealth to his subjects.
Esther 1:2 — Commentary on Esther
Susa is the capital of Persia, which according to the chroniclers was founded by the brother of Memnon; and it is called Susa because it borders on the river Susa, which is the location of the royal palace of Cyrus. This was known for its bright and colorful stone, along with its gold columns, its ponds, and its gems; and it also contained a likeness of the heavens inlaid with shining stars, and other things that the human mind finds difficult to comprehend. And it was there, we are told, that the king in question would stage for his subject peoples a grand feast that featured impressive accouterments and a wealth of riches.
Esther 1:3-8 — Commentary on Esther
Though these preparations for so rich a feast seem intended to portray in concrete terms the parade of wealth and the abundance of delights possessed by a powerful king, it is actually a very sanctified allegory which symbolizes the magnitude of spiritual riches, and the excellence of the necessities of life, provided by the most powerful of kings, namely the Lord Christ, which he—in accord with his method of dispensation—has generously distributed to each of his faithful ones. For this king of great wealth, who was convinced by the entreaties of his faithful wife to do away with the imminent destruction of the Jews which wicked men were plotting, prefigures no one more than our Redeemer who is accosted every day by the prayers of the Church who is his dearest wife, and frees his chosen ones from the hands of their enemies, and subjects their adversaries to the punishment they deserve. And that Esther prefigures the Church, no one can doubt; nor may she be described as the bride of anyone but Christ. That is why no one should reject this interpretation merely because this actual king was faithless, as though this would mean he could never be a figure of the just king; for we do not say that anyone's treacheries or transgressions are the sum of his behavior, whether he is trustworthy or even faithless: "He did not sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2). "For how can light associate with darkness; or what can Christ have in common with Belial (2 Corinthians 6)?" Rather, the good actions and just judgments of any individual should be associated with no less an authority than the one from whom comes every good, about whom it is written: "He will judge the world in fairness, and the peoples in his truth" (Psalm 9). For the transgressions and sins of the faithful do not provide the most accurate representation of their character, as do the errors and wicked actions of the gentiles; and the reason we are saying this is because certain of our teachers have used David's behavior toward Uriah and his wife as a prefiguration of Christ and the Church. Why would anyone want to suggest that Moses' doubts at the "waters of dissension," Aaron's deception about manufacturing the calf, Solomon's lust, Ezekiel's arrogance, Peter's denial, and Saul's blasphemy are fitting prefigurations of our Redeemer? And yet no one can properly deny that the good actions and the correct doctrines of those men offered a great deal of evidence on his behalf. No one, therefore, ought to take us to task for comparing, by some sort of analogy, the righteous works and the just judgments of a great king to the king and judge of all the ages; since whatever is good belongs to him, and every sin flees his presence. But if anyone should feel that what we are saying is inappropriate, let him read the prophet Isaiah who compared Cyrus, the king of Persia and a gentile, to our Redeemer when he said in the person of the Lord: "I will give you hidden treasures and the secrets of hidden things so that you may know that I am the Lord, since I the God of Israel call on your name for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one; and I have summoned you in your name, I have made you like me though you have not acknowledged me. I am the Lord and there is none greater; aside from me there is no God. I have strengthened you, though you have not acknowledged me" (Isaiah 45). Let him read as well the short works of the Fathers, who said that the deeds—or rather, the misdeeds—of the shameful kings Saul and Jeconiah were symbolic prefigurations of the holy actions of our Redeemer—that is, they interpret the death of Saul, who was anointed king but was quite rightly killed for his crimes, in reference to the death of Christ the innocent king; and they explain the fact that Jeconiah was exiled from Judah to Babylonia—which he deserved because of his sins—as a prefiguration of the grace of that same Redeemer of ours, which was why he deigned to wander through the…
Esther 1:3-8 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 1
Even though from the historical point of view it simply appears to show the abundance of riches and the luxury of delights of a powerful king, … according to the holier mystery of our most powerful king, namely, Our Lord Christ, this preparation of a most magnificent banquet signifies the greatness of the spiritual riches and the excellence of the living treasures that he distributes according to the measure of his dispensation to each of his faithful.
Esther 1:9 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 2
The person of Queen Vashti provides a clear expression of the Jewish people who themselves appeared to reign as queen when they were found to prevail over all the other nations in the worship of the one God. Therefore when she gave a banquet for the women where the king used to linger, this symbolized the Jewish people who demonstrated their observance of the law in the worship they performed in Jerusalem where the temple and the Holy of Holies used to be.
Esther 1:9 — Commentary on Esther
"Vashti the queen also held a feast for the women in the palace where King Ahasuerus liked to stay." Queen Vashti must symbolize the Jewish people, which at the time seemed to have ruled like a queen since it was found to stand apart from all the other nations in its worship of a single God. So she held a feast for the women where the king would liked to stay; that is, in Jerusalem itself—the site of the Temple of God and the Holy of Holies—it demonstrated its observance of the Law in worship or rather by meditating on the Holy Scriptures, through which it supplied to its members the refreshment of spiritual knowledge by granting them the awareness of their power from Heaven.
Esther 1:10 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 2
The seventh day of the banquet signifies the beauty of the time in which the incarnate Lord manifested with more abundant grace all the mysteries of the law and the prophets on which the pious minds of the faithful had until then pastured. And writing about that fullness to the Galatians, the apostle Paul says, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba Father.' "
Esther 1:10-12 — Commentary on Esther
"So on the seventh day when the king was very festive, and after he had drunk too much and grown heated from the wine, he ordered Mehuman, and Biztha, and Harbona, and Bigtha, and Abigtha, and Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who ministered in his presence, to bring in Queen Vashti before the king once the diadem had been placed upon her head, so that he could show off her beauty to all the peoples and officials; for she was very beautiful. But she refused, and disdained to come at the king's command." The seventh day of the feast symbolizes the beauty of the time when the Lord incarnate clarified in his abundant grace all the mysteries of the Law and the prophets upon which the pious minds of devout men had been feeding till then. It is about this completion that Paul writes to the Galatians when he says: "And when the time was completed, God sent his own son made from a woman so that he might redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive the adoption given to children. Because you are the children of God, God has sent the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: 'Abba! Father (Galatians 4)!'" And it is well said that after drinking too much he had grown heated from the wine, because he poured into his disciples, through the arrival of the Paraclete, abundant grace through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We read about this wine in the Acts of the Apostles that when, in the Cenacle of Zion, the Holy Spirit settled upon one hundred and twenty believers and the Jews thought that they were full of new wine, Peter answered them with: "Brothers, despite what you think these men are sober, since it is the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 'And it will be in the last days, says the Lord, that I will pour out from my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. And I will indeed pour out from my spirit in those days upon my servants and my maids, and they will prophesy; and I will show marvels in the heavens above, and signs on the earth below (Acts 2).'" When, during the allegorical wedding in the Gospel, the chief steward tastes the sweetness of the wine, he says to the groom: "Every man serves the good wine first, and once they have become drunk he serves the inferior stuff. But you have saved the good wine till now." So the king in his happiness ordered the seven eunuchs who ministered in his presence to bring in Queen Vashti before the king once the diadem had been placed upon her head, so that he could show off her beauty to all the peoples. And in the same way, our Redeemer Christ (i.e. the Lord) directed the order of the aforementioned saints, which was full of the grace of the sevenfold Holy Spirit, to assemble the Jewish people at a spiritual feast, so that its beauty and nobility— which it had as a privilege of its ancestors, and because of its knowledge of the Law and the prophets and its cultivation of righteousness (for which it was better known than the other nations before the coming of the Lord)—would be known to the peoples of the entire world. But she disdained to come, not only showing her contempt for the emissaries but even rejecting the authority of the supreme king. Of course, the Lord himself referred to this in the Gospel parables, when he explained that it was the mercy of the righteous father toward his wasteful but penitent son, whom he took into his home, that led him to sacrifice a calf and hold a feast which his older son refused to attend even though his father had summoned him from town. And elsewhere we read about the men who—occupied with their pursuit of other things—did not want to come to the wedding which the king had prepared for his son, or to the great meal which, it is written, a certain man had prepared and to which he had invited many people. It was, we are told, because of this that the head of the household—who had every right…
Esther 1:12-19 — Commentary on Esther
But let us hear what Scripture has to say about the stubbornness of Vashti, that most foolish of queens: "So the king was angered, and enflamed by his excessive rage he questioned his wise men, who were always at his side according to royal custom; and he used to do whatever they advised him, since they knew the laws and the rules of the ancestors. And in the first and second place were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven leaders of Persia and Media who would see his face and whose authority was normally second only to his own; and it was to their judgment that Queen Vashti was subject when she did not want to obey the command of King Ahasuerus given to her through the eunuchs. And as the king and his officials listened to him, Memucan said: 'Vashti has injured not only the king, but all the officials and peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For her words will go out to all the women, so that they will despise their husbands and say: "King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti to come to him, and she did not want to." And with this example, all the wives of the officials of Persia and Media will hold cheap the authority of their husbands; so that the king's indignation is just. And if it pleases you, let an edict go forth from your face, and let it be written according to the law of Persia and Media— which it is forbidden to ignore—that Vashti may no longer come into the king's presence, but that her reign should be given to another who is better than her.'" Now, when Vashti shows her arrogance, King Ahasuerus seeks the advice of the seven wise men who are always at his side according to royal custom, and commands that their judgment about her should be carried out; and this can only mean that our Savior— through his learned men who are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and always take care to stand in his presence with upright faith and good works—bases his verdict upon the stubbornness of the Jewish people who are guilty of punishing and condemning him. He ruled, in other words, that they should be driven from the seat of the king, i.e. from their relationship with God for which they were ordained and chosen; and that another, better people—namely, the Church of the nations—should take its place in genuine faith and full devotion. So the Lord promised by the Law and the prophets shows in the Gospel itself that he was destined, at the behest of the Father, to summon Judea when he says: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15)"; and likewise: "It is not good to take the bread of children and toss it to the dogs" (ibid.). But when the gentile woman continues to petition him, the Lord himself rightly praises her great faith; and elsewhere the faith of the centurion is shown preference over the faith of the Jews, when he says: "Amen, I tell you, many will come from the East and the West and will recline with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven; while the children of this kingdom will be cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8). Likewise, in another passage the Truth herself says to Jerusalem: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill your prophets and you stone those who were sent to you; how often have I wanted to gather your children, like the hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings, but you did not want me to. See, your house will be left to you desolate" (Luke 13). Moreover, after his resurrection he commanded his disciples as follows about summoning the nations: "Go and teach all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to keep everything I have ordered you to do. And see, I myself am with you for all the days until the very end of the age" (Matthew 28). It is also fitting that he was publishing his decision about Vashti through Memucan, who is mentioned last in the series of seven wise men, because he symbolizes the p…
Esther 1:13-19 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 2
The advice which King Ahasuerus asks of his seven sages who were, according to royal custom always by his side, concerning the insolent Vashti—as well as the sentence he orders them to pass concerning her—undoubtedly signifies the sentence our Savior passes against the arrogance of the Jewish people. He passes this sentence through his teachers who are always in his presence and full of the grace of the Holy Spirit in their orthodox faith and good works. The Jewish people themselves who incurred this judgment bear the responsibility for the punishment and condemnation they have received of being expelled from the royal bridal room, that is, from the congregation of God for which they had been ordained and elected, so that another, better bride, namely, the church of the nations, may take their place with sincere faith and full devotion.
Esther 2:1-4 — Commentary on Esther
When, therefore, Judea had been repulsed from its relationship with the king, various nations—and the various inhabitants of particular nations from the various parts of the world—were brought in to receive a share in the royal grandeur through the holy preachers, who were ministers of the words of the Gospel. And they were placed under the hand of Hegai, meaning quick or customary, who was in charge of the king's women; that is, under the care of the shepherds and rulers of the Church to whom the governance of the souls of the faithful was committed, so that they might be able to offer them, in word and by example, whatever they needed for the cultivation of righteousness. And so whatever souls pleased the eyes of the inner breast in proper faith and pure conscience would be brought, pure and holy, to the bed of the eternal king in place of the stubborn and shameless Vashti who had been cast out.
Esther 2:1-4 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 3
After Judea had been expelled from the royal marriage, different peoples and different individuals from each nation from different parts of the world were led to the royal congregation by the holy preachers who were ministers of the evangelical word. They were given into the custody of Hegai, whose name is interpreted as "celebration" or "solemnity." He was the superintendent of the royal women. In other words, they were given to the care of the pastors and leaders of the church to whom the custody of the souls of the faithful was entrusted.
Esther 2:5-9 — Commentary on Esther
Now, what can Esther—whose name means hidden, and who was also called Hadassah, i.e. mercy—signify if not the Church of the nations, which pleases God in the recesses of its heart because its faith is pure, and it finds before the eyes of God more mercy and grace than the Synagogue of the Jews which the prophet Hosea rightly calls "No-mercy" on account of its wickedness. So the spiritual Mordecai adopts her as his daughter, because she had lost both her parents; and what can Mordecai signify if not the teachers of the nations, and especially the blessed apostle Paul who was also, we are told, from the line of Jemin, i.e. from the tribe of Benjamin? He too was entrusted with the Church of the nations after the call of God transformed him from a persecutor into an apostle; and after the deaths of her father and her mother—that is, the errors and superstitions of the gentiles—he made her in a sense his own when, through the grace of baptism and the word of the Gospels, he sired anew a daughter for the all-powerful Father for eternal salvation. Hence he said to them: "Though you might have many masters, you do not have many fathers; for I sired you in Christ through the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 4). She was, therefore, been taken into captivity at one time by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, when—because of the Devil—she was taken from natural law and the worship of one God to the confusion of idolatry. Yet God's righteousness never abandoned her, and in fact called her back to the path of truth by means of his preachers, who looked after her with great care and brought her up in complete righteousness, justice and truth. For her, Hegai the eunuch—i.e. the chaste order of pastors—prepared the cosmetics of women, that is, healthful doctrine and examples of good works; and he gave her his own share of food, which was actually the knowledge of Scripture and an upright character. He also arranged for her seven beautiful girls as attendants, in that he adopted—for the sake of giving her a very beneficial apprenticeship—more of the faithful who were reborn through the grace of the sevenfold Holy Spirit and likewise took up good works. In other words, she would therefore be found suitable in every way for the couch of the eternal king, adorned as she was with a flourishing faith and the glow from every kind of virtue.
Esther 2:5-7 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 3
It is evident that Esther signifies the gentile church. Her name is interpreted as "hiding place," and she also had the other name of Hadassah, that is, "mercy." The church is pleasing to God in the hiding place of his heart because of the chastity of her faith and before the eyes of God it finds a greater mercy and grace than the synagogue of the Jews which with good reason the prophet Hosea calls merciless because of its impiety. Therefore the spiritual Mordecai adopted [Esther] as his own daughter because she had lost both her parents. And what is signified by Mordecai but the future teachers of the Gentiles? This is especially true of the blessed apostle Paul who also descended from the stock of Jemin, that is, he testified to be from the tribe of Benjamin. After Paul was transformed from persecutor into apostle, the gentile church was entrusted to him. And he himself, after her mother and father had died—namely, the errors and superstitions of the Gentiles—made her his own daughter when he regenerated her through the grace of baptism and the word of the gospel, making her also a daughter of the almighty Father, saved for all eternity. Therefore Paul said to them, "For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel."
Esther 2:10 — Commentary on Esther
That is, the Church of the nations, which was instructed in the precepts of the sacred teachers, does not want to betray the place of her country and people because now that she has been cleansed through baptism of all the pollution born of sin and the filth of idolatry, she can no longer endure in any form the shame of her original impiety. Moreover, the Lord is also commanding her through his prophet, when he says: "Listen daughter, and see, and lend your ear, and forget your people and your father's home, because the king has desired your beauty, because he is the Lord your God" (Psalms 45).
Esther 2:10-11 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 3
Indeed the church of the nations, being instructed with the precepts of the holy teachers, did not want to disclose the place of its homeland and people, because, after being purified through baptism from any corruption of sin or defilement of idolatry, it is no longer able to bear the shame of its former impiety. And the Lord taught [the church] through the prophet by saying, "Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house, because the king desired your beauty, as he is also the Lord your God."
Esther 2:11 — Commentary on Esther
So it follows that Scripture demonstrates through the figure of Mordecai the cleverness of the leaders, when it says: "He would stroll every day in front of the forecourt of the house where the chosen virgins were serving, expressing his concern for Esther's welfare and wanting to know what was happening to her." Because every day the sacred teachers take care to keep watch, venturing out to teach the Gospel so that they might examine the faith and the works of the people entrusted to them, to see if they are following with attentive concern the rule of proper faith through which we obtain eternal salvation; or if they are diligent about worshipping God and doing good works, which is how we may win the reward of the heavenly kingdom in the life to come. For those whose hearts burn incessantly with the heat of proper faith and the fire of divine love cannot be free of this concern for even an hour. Hence when the teacher of the nations glories in his labors and in the persecutions which he suffered for Christ, he adds as follows: "And in addition to any secondary concerns, I am faced every day with my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is offended without my being disturbed?" (2 Corinthians 11) And to the Romans: "God, whom I serve in my spirit in the Gospel of his Son, is my witness that I remember you in my prayers always, and without interruption" (1 Romans).
Esther 2:12 — Commentary on Esther
Now, why is it that the girls who were to be brought into the king's bedchamber were prepared for twelve months with oil and scent, i.e. for six months they were anointed with oil of myrrh (which is known to have a pleasant odor) and for another six they used various pigments and scents? It must be that all the souls who are invited to receive the gift of holy baptism and to enter the bed of the true Groom, i.e. Christ the king, are thoroughly imbued by oil of myrrh—i.e. by the light of faith and the salve of love—with the scents of the virtues, so that they will deserve to be worthy of his company. For what are the holy preachers doing when they instruct their catechumens in the truth of the faith, if not teaching them to adorn that faith with good works so that with fasting, prayer and charity, and with other works of virtue, they may quickly wash away the original filth of the old man and clothe themselves in the elegance of the new one. We read, after all, in the Acts of the Apostles that the centurion Cornelius had first pleased God with prayer and charity, and then when Peter arrived he received the purification of baptism and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit.
Esther 2:13 — Commentary on Esther
For any soul that strives to hurry to the bed of the heavenly Groom receives from its teachers the adornment that is appropriate to it, and with which it shows itself more devoted to the understanding of the faith and the knowledge of virtue, so that—by the intact faith of the holy Trinity and full confession—it may go forth from among the postulants to receive the sole baptism and anointment with the holy oil, when it is genuinely united with the heavenly Groom.
Esther 2:14 — Commentary on Esther
What then follows—"She would enter in the evening and leave in the morning, and was then brought to the second building"—and so on, proves in an allegorical way that after our vices have subsided, the glow of our virtues (which will not shine properly anywhere but in the unity of the holy Church) ought to rise. And yet one who has sequestered himself from it because he has some foul odor of error or vice is quite rightly kept from being brought to the second building where the king's concubines were waiting, because a decline in robust faith deserves not a advance in but a restoration of respect; and he will no longer have such an authorization to return to our king until he has been visited once again by celestial grace, and restored through his calling to his original dignity.
Esther 2:15 — Commentary on Esther
It says "in the course of time," i.e. once the five ages of the world—during which the posterity of the Fathers was gaining ground, and the institution of the Law was flourishing among the Jews—had come to an end, and a sixth age was at hand when, with the arrival of the Redeemer, a multitude from among the nations would be brought together through the Gospel. For it was then that Esther in the allegorical sense, i.e. the Church, was being brought from among the nations to Christ the king through the apostles' preaching, and by means of the belief of robust faith and the sacrament of baptism; she was shapely, and in the incredible beauty of her virtues she appeared gracious and lovely to all who saw her. The apostle Paul mentions this period when he writes to the Galatians, as follows: "After the fullness of time had come, God sent his own Son born from a woman, made under the Law so that he might redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive the adoption given to children" (Galatians 4). And to the Ephesians: "God, who is rich in mercy, revived us together with Christ by whose grace you were saved, because of the great charity with which he loved us even though we were dead through our sins; and he revived us with him, and had us sit with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus to show in the ages to come the abundant riches of his grace in his goodness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2).
Esther 2:16-17 — Commentary on Esther
Hence we should also bear in mind the crucial moment when Esther was brought to the king's bedchamber: "So she was brought to the bedchamber of King Ahasuerus in the tenth month, which is called Tevet, in the seventh year of his reign; and the king loved her more than all the women, and placed the diadem of kingship on her head, and had her rule in place of Vashti." For Tevet is that month in the Hebrew calendar which corresponds to the Greek Eudymos and the Latin Januarius, when the Lord incarnate was circumcised on the eighth day and was adored even as a tiny infant by the Magi, who were brought there by a star that led the way, and honored as God, man and king with the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh that were offered to him. This was also the month when he was heralded and baptized by John. So in the seventh year of Ahasuerus, Esther went up to the king's bed; and the Church was brought to and joined with the king Christ, in whom she remains without change by the grace of the sevenfold Spirit. "Whom he loved more than all the women;" and she had before him grace and mercy above all women, that is, above all the nations of the world. "He placed on her head the diadem of kingship," when he summoned her as his consort in kingship; "and he had her rule in place of Vashti," i.e. the Synagogue of the Jews which lost its place of honor when it spurned and crucified our king. That is, the prophet is looking at the excellence of this queen when he says to Christ the king: "The queen stood at your right hand in golden robes, cloaked in colorful clothing" (Psalms 45). And right after that, he speaks to her as follows: "Listen daughter, and see, and lend your ear, and forget your people and your father's home, because the king has desired your beauty. He is the Lord your God, and the daughters of Tyre will adore him; with gifts all the wealthy among the people will seek your face" (ibid.).
Esther 2:18 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 4
It is evident that the magnificent banquet for Esther's wedding, prepared for both the princes and the people, represents the greatest bliss that is enjoyed by the entire human race, both great and small, for the spiritual union of Christ with the church. In this banquet, in fact, no carnal foods are consumed by those who are worthy to participate in it. Instead they consume a spiritual diet of wisdom and virtue. In this banquet, all the faithful receive the holy mysteries of the body and blood of the Lord as a remedy for their salvation. Here the meal of eternal life resides. And our king gives peace to all the provinces, and bestows abundant gifts in freeing those who believe in him from the weight of sins, and rewarding them with spiritual gifts. Therefore he himself says in the gospel, "Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Esther 2:18 — Commentary on Esther
Now, what can "prepare a greatly magnificent feast for all his officials and slaves in honor of his marriage with Esther" mean, if not that everyone throughout the world, from the greatest to the least, celebrates with the greatest joy the spiritual union of Christ and the Church? After all, at this feast it is not meals of the flesh that the celebrants have the honor to consume, but the spiritual dishes of wisdom and virtue. It is there that all of the faithful receive—for the sake of restoring their salvation—the sanctified mysteries of the body and blood of the Lord; and there that the fodder of eternal life is stored. Our king gives a respite to all the provinces, and bestows gifts of many kinds, when he frees those who believe in him from the burden of sin, and repays them with spiritual gifts. That is why he himself says in the Gospel: "Come to me all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will restore you. Take my yoke upon yourselves, and learn from me because I am mild and humble of heart, and you will find rest in your souls" (Matthew 11). The prophet as well says about this: "When he went up on high he led captivity away captive; he gave gifts to men" (Psalms 68). That is why the apostle adds to this: "And he made some of them apostles, others prophets, still others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers for finishing the training of the saints for the work of ministry, for building the body of Christ until we all arrive at the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, at the complete man, at the measure of the age at which Christ reaches his fullness" (Ephesians 4).
Esther 2:19-20 — Commentary on Esther
Virgins are being sought for the king a second time and gathered together, because it was not enough for our Lord Jesus Christ to associate himself exclusively with the Jewish members of the early Church; rather he also acquired through his preachers copious numbers of the faithful from among the nations so that a single catholic Church would arise from both peoples, namely his most noble bride who has no blemishes or wrinkles. Hence he himself says in the Gospels: "And I have other sheep which are not from this fold, and it is right that I should lead them; and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one fold and one shepherd" (John 10). "Mordecai was staying at the king's door," because the holy teachers who are persistently committed to teaching the Gospel call together the nations to the entryway of faith and the sacrament of baptism; and our Esther had still not betrayed her country and her people in keeping with the order of Mordecai the prefiguration because in keeping with the doctrine of faith, the Church of the saints never does anything out of arrogance but rather obeys—humbly and in pure conscience—everything commanded her by the aforementioned evangelists. And it is about her that the prophet says: "All the glory of the king's daughter from within" (Psalms 45). And the apostle says: "She is our glory, the testimony of our conscience" (2 Corinthians 1).
Esther 2:21 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 5
There is no doubt that the Scribes and Pharisees of the Jews are signified by the two eunuchs who were the caretakers of the royal house and guarded the threshold of the palace. Indeed it was said that even though they had the key to knowledge, they did not enter and did not let others enter. They wanted to rebel against the king and kill him because they were jealous of the teaching and virtue of the Savior. They constantly put him in danger and conspired with the ministers of Roman power to find a way to kill him. Therefore it is written in the gospel, "Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' " And in another passage it is read, "So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, 'What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take our place and people.' " And a bit further it is added, "So from that day on they planned to put him to death."
Esther 2:21-22 — Commentary on Esther
Now, what can these two eunuchs, who were doorkeepers of the royal house and presided over the first rank in the palace, symbolize if not the scribes and the Pharisees of the Jews about whom it is said that though they had the key to knowledge, they did not enter themselves and would not allow anyone else to enter. These men decided to rise up against the king and kill him because they constantly envied the teachings and virtues of the Savior and so decided to plot against him; and together with the administrators of Roman rule they were trying to kill him in some way. Hence we read in the Gospel that "the Pharisees went out and hatched a plot to catch him with his words; and they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians, saying 'Master, we know that you are truthful and you teach the way of God in truth; and that you do not concern yourself with anyone because you show no regard for a man's status. Tell us, then, what you think—should one pay taxes to Caesar, or not (Matthew 22)?'" And elsewhere it is written that "the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled a council, and they said 'what shall we do? Because this man does many wonders, if we let him go like this everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and do away with our place and our nation'" (John 11). Hence a bit after that, he adds: "So from that day forth they determined to kill him" (ibid.). The prophet Isaiah is alluding to these two characters when he mentions the two houses in which the Savior incarnate became a stone to trip against and a rock to stumble over, a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem on which many of them will stumble and fall, and be bruised, and ensnared, and caught. So our Mordecai, who knew about the wickedness of these eunuchs, turned them into the king through Esther, because the order of preachers shows the faithful—who are the limbs of Christ—how to be on guard against the deceit and the depravity of these men. These two eunuchs might also represent the character of heretics and schismatics who, because they carry in their hearts the poison of deception and wickedness, attack the truth by assiduously constructing evil schemes for removing it from the hearts of believers, and somehow killing within them Christ who is the life of the faithful. But the sacred teachers, who illuminate the sinfulness of these men, expose to the light the darkness of their errors by showing how the innocent are rescued from the death of the soul because God has pointed them out; how the guilty are punished with just vengeance; and how those who deserve it are repaid with the appropriate reward.
Esther 2:23 — Commentary on Esther
Then it adds: "And it was investigated, and discovered, and both men were hung on a gibbet; and the king commanded that it be written in the record book that he should be repaid somehow for saving his life; and it was set down in the accounts, and recorded in the chronicles before the king." The "record books" are, then, the volumes of the two Testaments which set down the rewards that await the righteous in return for their good deeds, and the punishments that await the wicked for their sins. Hence it is written in the Gospel: "The son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father, and will then repay each one according to his works" (Matthew 16). And likewise, "The wicked will come to eternal punishment, while the just come to eternal reward" (Matthew 25). Hence Paul as well writes to the Romans as follows: "For the wrath of God is unleashed upon all the wickedness and injustice of men, who repress in their injustice the truth of God who repays each according to his works; and those who seek glory, honor, and purity by patiently doing good deeds will receive eternal life, while those who trust in wickedness, because they are contentious and will not acquiesce to the truth, will receive wrath and indignation. There will be trouble and distress for every soul of an evildoer" (Romans 1 and 2). Ezekiel as well speaks about this: "The justice of the just man will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will be upon him. When a soul has sinned, it will die" (Ezekiel 18). The Psalmist also refers to this in the same terms: "The eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears attend to their prayers; the face of the Lord is upon those who do evil, that he may wipe their memory from the earth" (Psalms 33).
Esther 3:1-6 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 6
Nothing else is symbolized by the arrogant Haman than the opulence of the powerful of this world who take advantage of the benefits conceded to them by divine mercy. They despise allowing their neighbors, who are given to them as companions by nature, to have as sharers of such grace. Therefore they are guilty of striving to transfer to themselves the honor and reverence that are rightly due to God alone. And so they pursue with hatred all those who do not want to act according to such behavior or comply with it. They persecute them with afflictions and endeavor to put them to death. But the heavenly judge, "who regards the lowly, and perceives the haughty from far away, who knows the deceiver and he, who is deceived, makes the pain return upon the heads of the sinful, and their iniquity descends on their head. The sinful are caught in their own traps: the righteous will be freed from their anguish, the impious will be handed over in their stead."
Esther 3:1-2 — Commentary on Esther
Now, what could the arrogant Haman symbolize if not the haughtiness of the powerful of this world, who exploit the benefactions conferred on them in the name of godly piety even as they disdain to treat their neighbors—who share their lot in nature—as partners in their good fortune? That is why they wickedly attempt to direct toward themselves the honor and reverence which should properly be paid to God alone; and they persecute with hatred, pursue with torments, and even try to have killed anyone who refuses to do or agree to this. But the supreme judge, "who looks down upon the humble but recognizes the haughty from far away; who knows the deceiver and he who is deceived, turns the grief caused by the wicked back upon their heads, and their wickedness comes down on the tops of their heads. The unjust are caught in their own traps; the just man is freed from his constraints; and the wicked man is put in his place" (Psalms 138 and 7). It may also be that this Haman the Agagite, who according to Josephus was descended from the line of Amalek, prefigures the bloody people of the Jews who killed their prophets and were not afraid to kill even the Lord of the prophets and his apostles. It was when they lost the nobility of their race because of their disbelief and hardness of heart that Isaiah called them the princes of Sodom and the people of Gomorrah; and Ezekiel tells them: "Your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite" (Ezekiel 16). Hence these proclaimers of Christ regard them as enemies of the law of God. So they rush to lay their hands not only on Mordecai, that is, on the preachers of the Gospel, but also on the entire catholic people, and to wipe them out from this life; and yet the death they were scheming to inflict upon the innocent in this world they are forced to endure endlessly within their souls because their own actions demand it, and a just judge is paying them back.
Esther 3:7 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 6
The fact that the twelfth month, which is called Adar, was chosen for the destruction of Israel after casting lots is not with its own spiritual meaning. It is referring, in fact, to the grace of Christ which has been prepared for the faithful in the fullness of time when the faithful will undergo a fierce persecution in the world in the last days. And writing about this to Timothy, the teacher of the Gentiles says, "You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the outward form of godliness but denying its power." And the Lord himself says in the Gospel, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come." And a bit further: "For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be."
Esther 3:9-10 — Commentary on Esther
So Haman promised ten thousand talents of silver to the king, and asked for the death of the Jews; and so too the Jewish people, who were dedicated to the fleshly observance of the rites of the Law in the belief that they were pleasing God in this way, planned the death of the true witnesses to Christ who were performing their spiritual service to God in accordance with the teachings of the Gospels. And just as Haman, when he sent his letters, took care to enforce them with the king's seal because this would make it easier for him to carry out his wishes, the faithlessness of the Jews wrongly exploited—as evidence for their heresy—the books of divine law in which the seal of the supreme king is impressed, that is, the grace of the Holy Spirit is made manifest. This they did in their effort to denounce the conversion of the nations to a fellowship of faith, and to condemn the Gospel of Christ as something contrary to God's precepts.
Esther 3:13 — Commentary on Esther
Nor is it merely a straightforward fact that it was the twelfth month of the year, which is called Adar, that was set aside by lot for the murder of Israel; it signifies rather that the grace of Christ, which has been entrusted to the faithful in the fullness of time, is going to experience a harsh persecution in this world in the last days, carried out upon the faithful. This is what the teacher of the nations is also writing about when he says to Timothy: "And let it be known that in the last days we will face dangerous times; and men will be lovers of themselves, greedy, arrogant, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, wicked, emotionless, implacable, slanderers, unrestrained, harsh, without kindness, treacherous, reckless, bombastic, loving their pleasures more than they do God; and though they will have the appearance of righteousness, they will deny its power." Hence the Lord also says in the Gospel: "This evangel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will arrive" (Matthew 24). And a bit after that: "Then there will be great tribulation, of a sort there has not been since the beginning of the world till now; but it will not happen unless those days have been cut short" (ibid.).
Esther 3:15 — Commentary on Esther
"And the decree was immediately issued in Shushan; and the king and Haman were attending the feast while all the Jews in the city were crying." This is what the Savior preached to his disciples in the Gospel: "Amen, amen I say to you that you will cry and weep, while the world rejoices; and though you will be sad, your sadness will turn to joy" (John 16).
Esther 4:1-2 — Commentary on Esther
When Mordecai hears that the slaughter of the Jews has been fixed by imperial decree, he dresses himself in somber clothing and approaches the doors of the palace with a bitter soul and a wailing voice; and when the leaders of the Church hear about the persecution which the princes of the earth desire to inflict upon the blameless slaves of Christ, they long to pour out their troubles—with fasting and charity, with vigils and prayer, with tears and the devotion of the heart—to the hidden recesses of Heaven, i.e. in the sight of the supreme judge. So in light of the honor and the prayers of the true queen, i.e. the holy Church which even now wanders the earth for some of the time, and rules with the Lord in Heaven for the rest, they deserve to be heard by the king of all ages. If, moreover, one were to ask how it might befit a just king to inflict torments on the innocent, he should know that the source of this is not some desire to do harm but the intention of the highest providence; for the divine wisdom—which conquers every sort of wickedness and reaches powerfully from one end to the other, and disposes everything with ease—does whatever it wishes in Heaven and on earth, on the sea and in all the depths. It is, in other words, with just judgment that his faithful servants are delivered into the hands of the persecutors, whether to expiate their sins or to correct their behavior or even to add to their merits or multiply their rewards, since— as the prophet testifies—"the Lord is just in all his ways, and holy in all his acts; he is close to all who call upon him" (Psalms 145). In truth, he will do the will of those who fear him, and will listen to their prayers and bring them salvation; for the Lord did not deliver Job into Satan's hands to destroy him because he asked him to, but so that with Job's help he could defeat his most wicked enemy and so acquire for himself the palm of victory, and leave to that enemy the just punishment for his wickedness. The apostle Paul was subjected to a corporal goad, namely the angel of Satan, who pummeled him so that his virtue would be perfected in a state of weakness. We should also be careful not to pass over in silence the statement that Mordecai could not enter the royal court because he had put on sackcloth, but instead got as far as the doors of the palace; because no one who has been polluted by the life of this world may enter the court of the heavenly realm, rather each of us should, before the last day of his life, knock on the entrance of the kingdom by chastising his body and repenting in his heart for as long as he is here. And this way, he will be fortunate to enter the paradise of the Lord after he has passed into death.
Esther 4:1-4 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 7
When Mordecai heard about the destruction of the Jews which had been sanctioned with an imperial decree, he put on clothes for mourning and proceeded to the gates of the palace with bitterness in his soul and grief in his voice. In the same way, after the teachers of the church hear of the persecution which the princes of this world want to bring against the innocent servants of Christ, they come with their prayers and alms, with vigils and prayers, with tears and heavy hearts in view of what they know must happen. They give their all before the supreme judge, so that through the dignity and prayers of the true queen, namely, the holy church—which is still a stranger in this world even as it reigns in heaven together with the Lord—they might be heard by the king of the universe. If someone, then, should ask how it might be fitting to a most just king to inflict torments on the innocent, let him know that this is not the result of an evil decision, but of the command of a supreme will. Indeed divine wisdom—a wisdom which defeats every wickedness and leads things from beginning to end with its power, and perfectly arranges everything—does whatever it wants in heaven and on earth, in the sea, and in every abyss. The events that occur, occur fairly so that (God's) faithful servant may be given into the hands of their persecutors both for the expiation of sin, and the correction of their habits … as the prophet testifies, "the Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him."
Esther 4:15-16 — Commentary on Esther
Mordecai prays with the Jews on behalf of Queen Esther, and the queen likewise prays for Mordecai and the Jews, because a teacher ought to offer prayers to the Lord on behalf of his students, and students on behalf of their teachers, that the entire community of the faithful—i.e. the limbs along with the whole body—may be kept whole through the kindness of Heaven. This explains why, when Paul writes to the Romans, he tells them that he constantly mentions them in his prayers; and he also makes these same Romans swear on the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the charity of the Holy Spirit, that they would help him in their prayers and pray for him to the Lord that he might be freed from the faithless who were in Judea, and that his ministry—which he was bringing to Jerusalem—might be acceptable to the saints. So too is it written in the Acts of the Apostles that when Peter was thrown in jail, the Church prayed constantly to the Lord on his behalf; and he himself likewise asks in his letter that the grace of God, and the peace of the Church, may be multiplied and fulfilled in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Esther 5:1 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 8
The fact that Esther put on all her royal robes on the third day undoubtedly signifies that the church of the nations, in the third time of the world, that is, after the incarnation, passion and resurrection of Christ, clothed herself through the sacrament of baptism and the confession of the Holy Trinity with faith, hope and charity, and the ornament of every virtue so that she might become worthy of the royal marriage while the love of (the Lord) remained constantly fervent. She stood in the inner court of the royal palace, that is, in the pious actions of this life which look at the future reward in heaven where the king himself sits on the supreme throne and fulfills the prayers of those who implore him piously.
Esther 5:1 — Commentary on Esther
What can it mean that on the third day Esther dressed in royal garments, if not that in the third age of the world—i.e. after the incarnation, passion and resurrection of Christ—the Church of the nations dressed herself in faith, hope and charity, and in the beauty of all the virtues, to receive the sacraments of baptism through the confession of the holy Trinity so that she would then be worthy of the king's company, since she was burning incessantly with a special love for him? She stands in the courtyard of the king's house which was inside, opposite the king's basilica, i.e. in the righteous works of this life which looks toward future compensation in Heaven, where the king himself sits on his celestial throne and assents to the prayers of those who piously cry out to him.
Esther 5:2 — Commentary on Esther
He extends to this queen the staff he holds in his hand when he shows her the power of his rule, or rather the cross of his passion through which he has acquired for himself power in Heaven, on earth, and below the earth; so that "in his name every creature—celestial, terrestrial and infernal—shall bend his knee." In fact, she kisses this staff lovingly, that is, she reveres it with total devotion.
Esther 5:2 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 8
He, who held out to that queen the golden scepter that was in his hand, showed the power of his rule, that is, the cross of his passion through which he gained authority over heaven, earth and the underworld so that "at his name every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth." And (the church) lovingly kissed it, that is, worshiped it with all her devotion.
Esther 5:3 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 8
And with regard to her petition, the king answered that he would listen to it, as it is said in the gospel as well, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." And again: "Ask, and you will receive, that you joy may be full." Indeed the full joy of the church is provided nowhere but in the perception of the heavenly kingdom where the queen will happily reign with the king Christ forever.
Esther 5:3 — Commentary on Esther
And the king himself pledges that he will agree to her request, just as he says in the Gospel: "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you" (Matthew 7). And likewise: "Seek and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." For complete joy is given to the holy Church solely in the sense that it partakes in the kingdom of Heaven, where the fortunate queen will rule forever with Christ the king.
Esther 5:4 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 8
But she, after choosing her petition, invited him to the banquet that she had prepared. This cannot be better interpreted than as the full and perfect devotion of her faith of which the supervisor and arbiter of all things himself nourishes in her. To that magnificent repast, that is, to the communion of wholesome faith, the church invites not only her friends but also her enemies and persecutors, namely the pagans, the Jews, and the heretics so that, after abandoning the wrong path of error, they may rejoice in the one house of universal confession for the common good.
Esther 5:4 — Commentary on Esther
And yet once she is allowed to choose her request, she invites him to the feast she has prepared for him; though this can best be understood as that complete and perfect devotion to her faith upon which the observer and arbiter of all the ages nourishes himself within. Of course, the Church invites to this refreshment, i.e. to this communion of vigorous faith, not only her friends but even her enemies and persecutors, namely pagans, Jews and heretics, so that—leaving behind the isolation of complete error—they may rejoice in the common good in the single home of catholic belief.
Esther 5:5 — Commentary on Esther
Notice that the will of the queen when she invites them is at one with the order issued by the king; but woe to anyone who approaches with evil intent the table of the Lord, who has a breast marred by hatred and an impure conscience and so does not fear to enter the feast of the Lord even though he is unworthy. And even when he has often been invited and has come, he will not linger amid the joyousness of the feasters because his faults force him to leave; but when the king comes in to see him lying there without having dressed in wedding clothes, he chastises him for his arrogance and orders his men to tie his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where he is rightly forced to suffer the harm he was wickedly planning to inflict on the innocent; as Solomon tells us: "The wicked are caught in their own traps." So after the king once again gives Esther the chance to make a request, she responds as follows: "If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to give me what I ask and fulfill my request, may the king and Haman come to the feast which I have prepared for them, and tomorrow I will surrender my will to the king." The fact that she puts off her request should be attributed not to the vice of laziness, but to the virtue of patience; it signifies, in other words, that in the future rewards will be given to the righteous, but punishment to the sinner. For tomorrow means here a future time, as it does in the Gospel passage "Do not concern yourselves about tomorrow." And in Genesis, Jacob says to Laban: "Tomorrow my justice will appear." In Exodus as well, where the commandment to eat the paschal lamb is given, it adds: "And nothing of it will remain till the morning." When, moreover, the day of future judgment arrives, and the entire human race- i.e. both the righteous and the sinners—is stood in the presence of the supreme Judge, the intent with which a person has lived in this world will be revealed; and there the righteous are invited by a verdict of the judge who sits before them to partake in the kingdom of their heavenly homeland, and the sinners are expelled to be punished, together with the Devil, with the torments of Hell.
Esther 5:5-6 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 8
Notice how the will of the inviting queen and the order of the commanding king agree. But woe to the one who comes to the banquet of the Lord with an evil mind! Even though such a person has his heart defiled by hatred and a corrupt conscience, he is not ashamed to enter unworthily the banquet of the Lord. Even though he comes after being invited, he does not bask in the joy of the guests. But when the king comes and sees that he sits there without wearing a wedding robe, he will rebuke his temerity and will order him to be bound hand and foot and thrown into the outer darkness where he will be forced to suffer the evil of his deception which he was wickedly preparing against the innocent, as Solomon says, "The wicked will be caught in his snares."
Esther 5:6-7 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 8
This postponement of the petition is not due to a fault of laziness but must be attributed to the virtue of patience, clearly indicating that the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the sinners are reserved for the future. "Tomorrow," in fact, must be interpreted as "the future," as in that comforting sentence, "Do not worry about tomorrow." And in Genesis Jacob says to Laban, "My justice will answer for me tomorrow." And in Exodus, when the rules about the eating of the Passover lamb are given, it is added, "You shall let none of it remain until the morning." Therefore when the day of future judgment comes and the entire human race, both righteous and sinners, is brought before the supreme Judge, then it will be revealed with which mind each person lived in this world. The righteous will be invited to reach the kingdom of the heavenly homeland through the sentence of this judge, and the sinners will be punished and expelled together with the devil into the torments of hell.
Esther 6:1-2 — Commentary on Esther
What can the fact that the king spent a sleepless night mean but that which is written in the Psalm: "See, the one who guards Israel will not sleep or slumber" (Psalms 121). They read before him the histories and chronicles of earlier times in which are mentioned the loyalty and the good deeds of Mordecai, because the king of the saints and the prince of the kings of the earth—who remains the same within himself—comes to know with a single glance the course of all the ages and the actions of every individual; and nothing ever escapes his notice, rather everything lies open before him in his sight. Jeremiah tells us about this: "For it is he who has strengthened all things, and Israel is the staff of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name" (Jeremiah 10). Hence the apostle also says: "For in Christ Jesus there is no 'is' and 'was', but in him there is always 'is'." And likewise: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and for all time" (Hebrews 13). So Mordecai's actions are mentioned before this king, because the good deeds of the holy teachers never fade from his memory; rather it is as it is written: "The righteous will be in eternal memory, he will have no fear of bad tidings" (Psalms 112).
Esther 6:11 — Commentary on Esther
After all, the preachers of the sacred Gospel and the leaders of the Church, who glisten with their practice of all the virtues and the beauty of wisdom and—because they are the limbs of the supreme king—are nobly honored with the diadem of royal rank, are ordered to mount the king's horse, i.e. to take charge of and govern the people of the faithful in whose hearts the king of Heaven himself presides continuously. The Lord himself is told about these horses by the prophet Habakkuk: "Going up you shall mount your horses, and your horsemanship is salvation" (Habakkuk 3). It is to Mordecai that Haman, the spiritual enemy of the people of God, offers—if unwillingly—the appropriate obeisance, since the persecutors of the holy Church are often forced with the assent of Heaven to preach with accurate testimony the praises of the Church, even though they do so in a spirit of disdain; because once the truth has been revealed, the guilty cannot conceal what is obvious by hiding it away.
Esther 6:12-13 — Commentary on Esther
This is the change in the right hand of the Most High, when someone who was only recently boasting that he had power over others, and was more arrogant than anyone, suddenly becomes more wretched than anyone else and weaker than all of them. It is the magnitude of this phenomenon that Mary, the mother of the Lord, has in mind when she says in her song in the Gospels: "He has made power in his arm, and scattered the arrogant with the thought of his heart. He has dislodged the powerful from their seats, and raised up the humble. He has sated the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty-handed" (Luke 1). We are told about this in Isaiah: "Lebanon will be turned into Carmel, and Carmel will be regarded as a forest" (Isaiah 29). Here we see how the stubbornness of the Synagogue of the Jews was crushed, and the humility of the Church of the nations exalted; how the persecutors of the Christian faith, who once tore apart the flock of Christ like savage lions, have now been destroyed and reduced to nothing; and how those who proclaim Christ throughout the world have been raised up in a state of vigorous faith and exalted through the power of the virtues. The head has been turned into the tail and the tail into the head, because "Everyone who exalts himself will be brought low; and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted."
Esther 6:12-13 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 9
This is the change caused by the right hand of the Highest: the one who had just boasted about his power and was arrogant towards everyone else becomes viler and weaker than anyone else. When Mary the mother of our Lord considered the greatness of this divine ordering, she sang in her song of praise, "He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty." And through Isaiah it is said about this same power, "Shall not Lebanon be transformed into Carmel, and Carmel be regarded as a forest?"
Esther 6:14 — Commentary on Esther
Now, notice that Haman is now attending the second day just as he had come before when he was summoned; and yet once Esther lays out her request, he is condemned and goes off to his punishment. This explains the fact that in one place in the Gospels is mentioned a lunch made by a person, and elsewhere a dinner; since the lunch symbolizes the present Church, and the dinner the eternal and final feast. Hence once the sinners have been removed, only the good may rejoice in the sight of their creator. Because Haman—who was of course the spiritual enemy of the people of God—was not wearing the garment of charity which would have made him worthy of the king's feast, he realized that the king was angry; and when the king rushed into the garden—that is, when he invited his chosen ones to the delights of paradise—he tried to plead with the queen for his own safety but in vain, since he could not find an opportune moment for this. For once the penalty of vengeance is imminent, it is too late to look for a means of salvation. So too in the Gospel parable, the foolish virgins ask for oil to refill their lamps when the groom is on his way, but do not receive it. So after the Groom has entered the wedding with the wise virgins, and the door has been closed, the others remain locked out and must look for a point of entry; but there is no way they can be worthy of this, since they no longer find the opportunity for absolution which they had earlier failed to seek out by doing the appropriate deeds. One may no longer deserve there what he asks from the Lord, if he did not listen here to what he was ordered to do; once he has lost the chance to do the appropriate penance, in vain does he come with his prayers before the door of the kingdom. This is, in fact, the reason why the Lord says through Solomon: "I called and you refused; I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; you despised all my counsel, and you ignored my reproaches. I too will laugh at your destruction, and I will mock you when that which you fear comes to pass; when sudden disaster overwhelms you, and destruction assails you like a storm. Then they will call on me but I will not listen; they will arise in the morning but will not find me" (Proverbs 1).
Esther 6:14 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 10
The second day of the banquet arrives to which Haman is invited like before. However, after Esther reveals her petition, he is condemned and brought to his place of execution. The gospel mentions this as a noonday meal in one passage and as an evening meal in another. For it designates the noonday meal of the present church but also the eternal supper and final banquet where only the righteous will rejoice before their creator after sinners have been separated out. Therefore Haman, the spiritual enemy of the people of God, realized that the king was angry because he did not have the robe of charity that would make him worthy of the royal banquet. And while he was hurrying to the palace gardens, that is, while he invited his elect to the delights of paradise, he tried to entreat the queen for his salvation. It was to no avail, however, because he was not able to find the right time for this. It is already too late to ask for the remedies of salvation when revenge and punishment are near.In the parable of the gospel concerning the coming bridegroom, the foolish virgins also ask the wise for oil to fill their lamps, but do not receive any. And after the bridegroom has entered the wedding banquet with the wise virgins, the door is closed. And because they are left outside, they ask to be admitted. They are no longer able to incur this favor, however, because the time for mercy which they neglected to ask for previously with their good works is now past. One who has no desire to hear what the Lord has commanded cannot receive from him what he asks for. And one who has neglected the time for appropriate repentance comes in vain to the door of the kingdom with his prayers. And indeed the Lord says through Solomon, "I called you and you refused. I stretched out my arms and no one heeded. And because you ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me."
Esther 7:8 — Commentary on Esther
That is, Haman's attempt to beseech Queen Esther was regarded by King Ahasuerus as a ruse, because when the day of judgment arrives the petitions of the wicked are seen not as prayer but as provocation. Hence it is written in the Psalm: "When he is judged let him leave condemned, and let his prayer become sin" (Psalms 109). For it is then that the oppression with which they were crushing the humble is thrown back in their faces, because the time of recompense is at hand; for then those who have been condemned for their sins are covered in shame, as it is written: "The confusion of their faces will cover them," when they are dragged off to the depths of Hell to be given a reward that suits their actions.
Esther 7:8 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 10
Haman's appeal to Queen Esther was considered by King Ahasuerus to be an act of deceit. Indeed, when the day of judgment is about to come, the petition of the wicked is no longer a prayer but a source of irritation. This is what is written in the psalm: "When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin." Therefore the request is made for the oppression of those who previously oppressed the humble because the time of retribution has come. Then, after they are condemned, they are covered with the shame of their sins, as is written, "The confusion of their face will cover them," when they are dragged to the darkness of hell to be rewarded with retribution suitable to their works.
Esther 7:9-10 — Commentary on Esther
It is written in Proverbs: "He who digs a pit will fall into it; and when one starts a stone rolling it will roll back upon him" (Proverbs 26). So too Haman was forced to suffer the cross he had prepared for Mordecai. We might, however, ask what it means that, as we have read, the cross itself was made fifty cubits high. For the Law had previously been given to the people on the fiftieth day after a lamb was sacrificed on Mount Sinai; and given that we said before that Haman signified the Jews themselves when they were rioting against Christ—who had been promised to them in the Law—and persecuting his Church, the Law itself, which had been given to them to safeguard their lives, became the cause of their deaths because with it they had snuffed out the name of Christ and tried mightily to kill those who professed him. In other words, those who wanted by means of the Law to oppress the guiltless unjustly received through it the verdict of a just judgment, about which we are told by Paul: "Whoever has sinned in the Law will be judged through the Law" (Romans 2). Moreover, Harbona the eunuch, who handed over the actual cross that had been made, signifies the teachers of the Law who brought to light—by reading the Law itself—the deceit of the Jews and everything which they did contrary to the precepts of God. Hence because Moses foresaw in the spirit the rebels and apostates who would one day come to be, he predicted in his song in Deuteronomy everything that was going to happen to sinners. So too the Savior says to the Jews themselves in the Gospel: "Do not think that I am going to indict you before the Father—it is Moses, in whom you hope, who accuses you; for if you believed in Moses you would perhaps believe in me as well, for it is about me that he wrote. But if you do not believe what he wrote, then how will you believe my words (John 5)?"
Esther 7:9-10 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 10
It is written in the book of Proverbs: "Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling." So also Haman was forced to support the cross that he had prepared for Mordecai.
Esther 8:1 — Commentary on Esther
When King Ahasuerus gives Queen Esther the house of Haman the enemy of the Jews, this must refer to the fact that after the people spurned the arrival of the incarnate intermediary between God and man and refused to accept his evangel, the true king and our Lord put at the disposal of the holy Church all the dignity and honor which in the past they had gotten from their knowledge of the Law and the prophets and from their practice of righteous faith, so that the Church would possess spiritual wealth and become the most respected guardian of all the virtues. Hence it is written in Proverbs: "The wealth of the sinner is guarded by the righteous" (Proverbs 13). And in the Gospel, the Lord says to the Jews themselves: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation that produces its fruits" (Matthew 21). This is also the reason for what Solomon says: "He who is good receives favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 12). We are next told about Mordecai that he went in before the face of the king, meaning that because the Church praises and proclaims the dedication of its leaders, these sacred teachers discover—in exchange for the effort they have exerted in nurturing the faithful—abundant grace in the sight of the creator of all things. We might also apply this principle to the characterization of all the persecutors of the Church more generally, because whatever the latter produced in their eagerness to acquire wisdom or useful disciplines; or sought out by investigating the respectability of the virtues; or whatever sorts of punishments they devised to torment the martyrs, it was all subverted by the faithful so as to magnify the honor and the glory of Christ. Nor did the wicked possessors of these things retain any of the good rewards that they earned for their labors, but everything was transferred to the righteous to consummate their perfection. And what follows this, where the king took the ring he had gotten from Haman and gave it to Mordecai, is an allegorical expression of the fact that the seal of faith, which the faithless Jews and all the persecutors of the name of Christ did not want to accept when it was offered to them through the preaching of the Gospel, was transferred to the nations by the apostles of Christ for the sake of their salvation. So Esther holds onto the house of Haman the enemy of the Jews, just as the Church of Christ possesses the world which was once the enemy of Christianity. And Mordecai goes in before the face of the king because the souls of the saints are taken every day from their homes in this life to contemplate the visage of the supreme Judge; there is no limit to the measure of their happiness—each day they experience ever more glory in the joy of eternal exultation.
Esther 8:1-2 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 11
The fact that King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, clearly signifies that the true king who is our Lord transferred to the holy church all the dignity and honor which the people previously possessed because of their knowledge of the law and the prophets and because of their holy and religious worship. This happened because they despised the advent in flesh of the Mediator between God and humanity and because they had no desire to receive his gospel. And so the church was able to possess all the spiritual riches and become the sincere guardian of all virtue. Therefore it is written in the book of Proverbs, "The sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous." And the Lord says to the Jews themselves in the gospel, "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom." And again it is said through Solomon, "The good obtain favor from the Lord."
Esther 8:2 — Commentary on Esther
So Esther appointed Mordecai over her house, because it serves the beneficial intentions of the holy Church that great numbers of the faithful might be placed under the government of the aforementioned saints to be subjected—in humility and obedience—to the authority of their chosen magistrates.
Esther 8:3 — Commentary on Esther
So when Esther falls at the feet of the king and beseeches him for the sake of her people, this must refer to the fact that every day the holy Church humbly petitions the Lord Almighty—through the faith and mysteries of the incarnate, only-born Son of God—to free her children so that through his grace, the arrogance of the enemy might be crushed and the innocence of the faithful be freed from their hands.
Esther 8:3 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 11
The fact that Esther falls at the feet of the king and entreats him for the salvation of the people plainly symbolizes the holy church that humbly implores the almighty Lord every day for the rescue of her children through the faith and the mystery of the incarnation of the only begotten Son, so that the arrogance of her enemies may be restrained by the (Lord's) grace, and the innocence of the faithful may be freed from the clutches of the (wicked).
Esther 8:4 — Commentary on Esther
The supreme king holds out his golden scepter toward the queen as she pleads with him, because he is lavishing on her the mercy of his righteousness.
Esther 8:4 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 11
The heavenly king holds out his golden scepter to the pleading queen because he abundantly bestows the clemency of his mercy upon her.
Esther 8:5 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 11
She asks that the old decree of the most wicked Haman may be changed into a new decree. Indeed this is the interest of the true queen, namely that any sect that is in error, any hostile plot which the ancient enemy prepares through his ministers for the extinction of the people of God, may be repelled and destroyed through the saving documents of the gospel.
Esther 8:5 — Commentary on Esther
She asks that the earlier letters of the wicked Haman be replaced with new instructions, because it is the fervent wish of the new queen that the followers of every error in doctrine, and all the hostile machinations with which the ancient enemy tried through its agents to exterminate the people of God, should be rejected and destroyed by the thoroughly salutary writings of the Gospels.
Esther 8:8 — Commentary on Esther
The letters themselves are written in the name of the king and then sealed with his ring, because the teaching of the Gospels—which are preached throughout the world in the name of Christ—are declared everywhere to be confirmed by the seal of the Holy Spirit, since the preachers themselves, who are filled with its gift, seem to everyone to be undefeatable in their unflagging strength and to remain ever glorious and triumphant over their enemies.
Esther 8:9-10 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 11
The month of Sivan, which is the third after Nisan among the Jews, and is called Thessari among the Greeks, is named June among Latin peoples. On the twenty-third day of this month new letters were written according to Mordecai's dictation in order to invalidate the old letters of Haman. And the meaning of this event is quite clear, because the doctrine of the gospel was founded by the writers of the New Testament through our Lord Jesus Christ so that the faith of the Holy Trinity might be contained in it in its fullest form, and the supreme perfection might be shown to lie in two principles of charity that encompass the entire Decalogue. And the Scripture itself, through mounted couriers, that is the holy preachers, was provided to the whole world, which is signified by the one hundred twenty provinces that constituted the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
Esther 8:9-10 — Commentary on Esther
The month of Sivan, which comes third after Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, is the same one the Greeks call Thessaroi and the Romans Junius. On the twenty-third day of that month new letters were dictated by Mordecai in order to refute the earlier letters of Haman. The significance of this is obvious—the teaching of the Gospel was framed by the writers of the New Testament, under the direction of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that it would fully encompass the faith in the holy Trinity, and the absolute perfection of the entire Decalogue would be proven in the two commandments of charity. And by means of the couriers—i.e. the sacred preachers—the Scripture itself is directed toward the entire world, which is symbolized by the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces that made up the realm of Ahasuerus, since the number ten when multiplied by twelve makes one hundred and twenty; and if we were to add another seven to this, it would allow us to complete the entire sum. In the same way, the true custodianship of the Decalogue within the apostolic tradition was imparted to all parts of the world through the sacred teachers; whereas by the grace of the sevenfold Spirit it was spread through the hearts of the faithful. It is likewise of mystical significance that these letters which were sent in the name of the king and were sealed with his ring were, we are told, written according to the scripts and the languages of each and every nation, so that each nation might be able to read and to understand; that is, the teaching of the Gospels was ordained in such a way that its first teachers—who had been taught through the grace of the Holy Spirit—spoke first in the words of all the languages, and then the word of faith was seeded by their ministry through all parts of the world. Hence we read in the Acts of the Apostles that in the Cenacle of Zion, the Paraclete of the Spirit came over the one hundred and twenty believers in the form of a fire and enabled them to declare in the tongues of all the nations the marvels of God, so that those who gathered to listen to them would all be struck dumb by this miracle.
Esther 8:11 — Commentary on Esther
So when this earthly king orders his couriers to gather the Jews in each place, and to command them to assemble so that they might fight for their lives and kill all their enemies together with their wives and children and all their houses, this can only mean that our king, who rules over all of Heaven and earth, is—through his preachers—ordering the true Jews and their adherents throughout the nations to assemble as a union of fellowship and peace; and to fight for the salvation of their souls; and to condemn all their enemies both visible and invisible, i.e. the false Jews who are the synagogue of Satan and the incorrigible pagans and heretics, as well as the impure spirits with all their impieties and perverse notions. Nor should they permit any remnant of these to survive, or even their wives and children, i.e. they should wipe out completely the carnal desires and the works of sinners together with their houses, namely with their worldly ambitions; or allow to remain any offshoot of these things that could pose a threat to them. So it is that in the Law, the Lord commanded the Israelites to kill and to wipe out those nations in the Promised Land that were antagonistic to them; so too he afterward commanded them to destroy the Amalekites until they were all slaughtered, because he wanted to deprive them of any occasion for misbehavior. This is what the prophet is thinking of when he says in the Psalms: "In the mornings I was killing all the sinners of the land, to wipe out from the city of the Lord all the evildoers" (Psalms 101).
Esther 8:11 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 11
The fact that this earthly king sends his couriers to gather the Jews in each place and to assemble them in a single location so that they may fight for their lives and destroy all their enemies with their children and women and houses signifies that through his preachers our king, the absolute ruler of heaven and earth, orders the true Jews and his confessors among all the Gentiles, after they have gathered in the unity of society and peace, to fight for the salvation of their souls and to condemn their enemies both visible and invisible, namely the false Jews, who belong to the synagogue of Satan, and the unredeemed pagan and heretics, and the unclean spirits with all their impieties.
Esther 8:12 — Commentary on Esther
Furthermore, the time at which this slaughter of enemies was ordered to take place accords very well with the mystery of this spiritual slaughter, since the twelfth Hebrew month, which is Adar, can only symbolize the last age of our world when this spiritual war is being waged above all by the soldiers of Christ. And in the same way, the thirteenth day symbolizes the faith in the holy Trinity through the observing the commands of God, which is the basis upon which all our adversaries are effectively subdued.
Esther 8:14 — Commentary on Esther
Moreover, what follows next—"And the king's edict was published in Shushan"— means that the domain of the heavenly king rules over and governs the entire world: "everything has been placed under his jurisdiction, and there is no one who can resist his will" (Esther 13); and our mundane ambitions are laid low by his power. So it makes sense that according to the text the king's edict was also published in Shushan, since "Shushan" means riding or conveying. In the end, the arrogance of the world is bested by the power of God; which is why the Savior says to his disciples in the Gospel: "in the world, you will face repression; but take heart, for I have conquered the world" (John 16).
Esther 8:15-16 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 12
The glory of the holy teachers is exalted because it is through their doctrine and exhortation that the faithful defeat the cruelty of their most evil enemy with the help and strength of their heavenly king. And their reward remains with them in the heavenly kingdom of eternal blessedness and perpetual splendor, which appears to be signified by the colors of blue and white and the brightness of gold.
Esther 8:15 — Commentary on Esther
It is to the great credit of our sacred teachers that with their teaching and encouragement the faithful are able to conquer, through the power of the supreme king, the savagery of a most wicked enemy; and their reward for this awaits them in the heavenly kingdom of eternal blessing and perpetual brightness, which seem to be prefigured by the color blue and the flash of gold. Moreover, in the celestial citadel the martyrs of Christ, along with those who are going to rule together with Christ the king, are repaid with the dignity given to kings by that most righteous of source of recompense, in exchange for shedding their blood. The terms "purple" and "silken" offer us a prefiguration of this fact; and every gathering of saints will be happy and rejoice no less over this in the celestial Jerusalem. This is described in what follows: "So for the Jews, a new light was seen to arise; and joy, and honor, and celebration. Among every people, city and province, and wherever the king's orders reached, there was a wonderful exultation, banquets, and feasting, and a holiday; and so much so that many members of other nations and beliefs adopted their religion and their rites. For a great terror of the Jewish people had fallen upon them all." Many, therefore, among the gentiles and enemies of the Church left behind their idolatry and their gentile superstitions, and were converted to the Christian faith by the power, wisdom and perseverance of the holy martyrs, and through the virtue of Christ that shines through them; which should be perfectly obvious to anyone who reads about the sufferings of the saints and the triumphs of the martyrs. And since that time, the numbers of the faithful have been growing every day by the mercy of God, and the precincts of the Church have been replenished. This is mentioned by the Psalmist: "Let all the land fear the Lord; let everyone be moved by him, and all who inhabit the world" (Psalms 33). And likewise: "The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and will hope in him; and all the upright in heart will be praised" (Psalms 64). And the apostle says: "In the name of Jesus every creature—celestial, terrestrial and infernal—shall bend his knee, and every tongue shall proclaim that the Lord Jesus is in the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2).
Esther 8:17 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 12
Thanks to the strength, wisdom and constancy of the holy martyrs—and to the virtue of Christ which shines among them—many among the Gentiles and the enemies of the church abandoned their idolatry and their pagan superstitions and were converted to the Christian faith because it does not hide the suffering of the saints and the triumphs of the martyrs from those it encounters. And therefore, through God's mercy, the number of the faithful increases daily and the flocks of the church are filled. The power of the Christian name causes terror among infidels and joy among believers the world over. The psalmist also wrote about this: "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."
Esther 9:1-2 — Commentary on Esther
The twelfth month, as we said before, symbolizes the last era of our world when the Redeemer has been made incarnate and the preaching of the Gospel itself has spread throughout the entire world. And in the same way, the thirteenth day declares the light of faith and of good works, which—as the Gospels predict—is fulfilled every day by the faithful. For in the twelfth month, "on the thirteenth day of the month, when the slaughter of all the Jews was being readied and their enemies were eager for blood, the tables were turned and the Jews began to gain the upper hand, and to avenge themselves on their opponents." This means that even though the enemies and persecutors of the name of Christ are constantly stirring up attacks against the community of the faithful—which maintains the true expression of the correct faith— and making every effort to oppress them, the latter have been helped by the grace of God and strengthened with the shield of faith and the arms of justice so that they might defeat their adversaries and carry back from them the spoils of glory. This they do by converting them to the light of faith and making them partners in the grace of Christ, after repelling their spiritual wickedness and the disseminators of error who were seducing them through various vices. "And no one dared to resist them." That is, the fear of God's majesty, which in the Church is made known by the gleam of miracles, thrashes soundly the hearts of fleshly creatures and compels them to yield to the word of God, which is naturally described in what follows...
Esther 9:1-2 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 12
The twelfth month, as we have said above, signifies the last age of the world when our Redeemer became incarnate and the preaching of the gospel spread over the entire world. In a similar way, the thirteenth day proclaims the light of faith and good works which is produced by the preaching of the gospel in the church through the faithful. Indeed, in the twelfth month on the thirteenth day when the destruction of all the Jews was being prepared and their enemies longed for their blood, the Jews, on the contrary, began to triumph and started taking revenge on their adversaries because they [represent] the assembly of the faithful where the true confession of the right faith resides who are helped by the grace of God and comforted by the shield of faith and the weapons of justice in the face of the enemies and persecutors of the name of Christ who persecute and oppress them wherever they are. The assembly of the faithful is thus able to defeat its enemies and to gain the triumph of glory over them.
Esther 9:3-4 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 12
"All the officials of the provinces, the satraps and the governors, and the royal officials were supporting the Jews." Certainly the praiseworthy action of the holy teachers and the strength of their virtue have contributed great honor and respect to the multitude of the faithful. Therefore, in the Acts of the Apostles, in which we read how the first preachers of the gospel labored to teach the word of God and cared for it, it is written, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles."
Esther 9:3-4 — Commentary on Esther
That is, the praiseworthy actions of our sacred teachers and the power of the virtues gave great honor and reverence to the mass of the faithful. Hence in the Acts of the Apostles, where we read that these first preachers of the Gospel were trying to teach and to care for the word of God, it is written: "For they were devoted to the teachings of the apostles, and to breaking bread together, and to their prayers. Every soul was full of awe, and many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles in Jerusalem, and there was great fear among them all" (Acts 2). And likewise: "Many signs and wonders were being performed among the people by the apostles; and they were all together in the portico of Solomon. But none of the others dared to join them, though the people were paying them homage" (Acts 5).
Esther 9:5-14 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 12
Queen Esther's endeavor to successfully crush her enemies and root them out reveals the eagerness and zeal of a true queen, namely, of the holy church that constantly fights against her enemies and strives to defeat them completely and subdue them. And it is her voice the psalmist uses when he says, "I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down so that they were unable to rise." And when she first kills five hundred people in Susa, and then three hundred, she shows that eternal death awaits not only those who do not want to repent of their sins, but also those who neglect to adorn the faith of the Holy Trinity with good works.
Esther 9:5-10 — Commentary on Esther
What can it mean when we read that the Jews pursued their enemies and killed five hundred men in Shushan, except for the ten sons of Haman whom they nailed to gibbets? Merely that to the people of God, it is not only all the evildoers among the nations who appear to be loathsome and worthy of damnation when they persist in their wickedness, refuse to repent for their sins, and make no effort to obtain forgiveness for their offenses through the grace of the Holy Spirit; but also the actual Jews of the flesh, i.e. those who violated the Decalogue of the Law of Moses, and were guilty of the cross of Christ whom in their faithlessness they took responsibility for at his very passion, are quite rightly forced to bear the torments of Hell. And none of the chosen would deign to share in their wickedness, or to imitate their unspeakable actions; so it makes sense that the text would add that once the Jews had killed their enemies, they refused to touch or to handle any of the spoils of their property.
Esther 9:12-14 — Commentary on Esther
This contention of Queen Esther, in which she fights to have her enemies aggressively attacked and wiped out, expresses the zeal and ingenuity of the true queen, that is, of the holy Church which harasses her enemies without respite and struggles to scatter them completely and subject them to itself. It is in her voice that the Psalmist speaks: "I will harass my enemies, and I will encompass them, and I will not turn away until they are ruined; I will afflict them, and they cannot stand" (Psalms 18). In Shushan she killed first five hundred men, then three hundred, since she shows that not only those who refuse to repent their sins, but also those who fail to adorn their faith in the holy Trinity with good works, are worthy of perpetual death. So it happens that just as the Jews killed, in the course of two days, seventy-five thousand of their enemies, so too the faithful strive and attempt to truly defeat and scatter, in the light of the two Testaments, all those enemies who—because they are devoted to the five senses of the body, and experience the Law of God in the flesh—refuse to know it in spirit, complete and perfected by spiritual dogma through the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit. And yet no one wants to touch any of their property, because the chosen believers would never consent to sully themselves with the wickedness of the damned; rather, they make themselves in every way foreign to and separate from the false dogmas, and the evil deeds, of such people.
Esther 9:17-19 — Commentary on Esther
Now, the Scripture tells us that some of the Jews carried out the killing of their enemies on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and stopped their slaughter on the fourteenth day when they held this festival; but that others carried out the killing of their enemies for two days, i.e. the thirteenth and the fourteenth of the aforementioned month, and finally held a formal rest on the fifteenth when they left off the slaughter. And this can only mean that some of the saints, having completed the labors which they carried out in the service of God by performing it according to the proper doctrine and living it properly, now have in their hands—even before the time of universal judgment—the Sabbath rest of eternal peace; while others endure in the flesh until the final day of resurrection, so that once all their enemies have been bested they will be suddenly changed through God's power, and will attain eternal rest and blessed immortality for both their souls and their bodies. This we know from the statement that the apostle makes when he writes to the Corinthians: "Behold the mystery I am telling you: we will all, it is true, rise again, but we will not all be changed. In a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet, the dead will rise up uncorrupted, and we will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15). And to the Thessalonians: "For this we say to you in the word of the Lord: we will not precede those who are sleeping, since the Lord himself—in his command, and in the voice of the archangel, and in the trumpet of God—will come down from Heaven. And the dead who are in Christ will rise up first, and then those of us who are still alive, we who still remain, will be taken up together with those in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord always" (1 Thessalonians 4). After all, the number fourteen, which contains twice seven, symbolizes the rest of souls from labor and worry of every kind; and fifteen, which combines the numbers seven and eight, prefigures the coming rest and the immortality of both souls and bodies; and so, once the mass of the chosen have completed the labors of the present life and victory over every enemy has been achieved, they will rejoice in the kingdom of Heaven in their eternal exultation and their love for one another. And there will be no end to this joy, because there will no longer be any further labors to cause us unhappiness.
Esther 9:20-23 — Commentary on Esther
For those who always faithfully perform pious labors, and good works, and who generously give charity, are fighting for this so that they will be worthy to win entry to eternal life in faith, hope and charity, in accordance with the teachings of the Gospels and the apostles; and so that by comforting both themselves—and those who obey them—in the midst of the troubles of this world, they will gain strength. So by rejoicing in hope they are patient in times of tribulation, they pray without respite, they give thanks for everything, and with pious prayers they place their suffering in the hands of the faithful Lord so that they may be repaid, through his help, with eternal happiness.
Esther 9:24-25 — Commentary on Esther
For wicked men often find that their desires are fulfilled in ways they had not expected to happen; and they are caught in the same traps they set to ensnare others, as the Scripture shows when it says: "The wicked are caught in their traps; and whoever digs a pit falls into it" (Proverbs 26). Hence Haman, who prefigures the enemies of the Church, was likewise forced to suffer the death he had planned for Mordecai. For the lot cast into an urn symbolizes the disposition of each and every thing in the mind of man, whose outcomes depend even so upon the judgment of God. Hence we are told by Solomon: "Lots are cast in the lap, but they are tempered by the Lord. For his way is not in the power of man; rather it belongs not to one who wills, or one who runs, but to God who grants mercy. For all things obey at his nod, and he does whatever he wishes in Heaven and on earth, on the sea and in all the depths" (Proverbs 16).
Esther 9:24-25 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 13
Very often people's evil schemes turn out differently than they had hoped and the trap they had placed to capture others ensnares them, as the Scripture confirms, "The wicked are ensnared in their traps. And whoever digs a pit will fall into it." Therefore also Haman, who prefigures the enemies of the church, was obligated to suffer the death that he had prepared for Mordecai. The lot cast into the urn represents the machinations of the human mind; but the result of such machinations entirely depends on divine judgment. Therefore it is said through Solomon, "The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is the Lord's alone."
Esther 9:27-28 — Commentary on Esther
So the days of lots—on which God gives his true followers victory over their enemies—will never fall into oblivion, but will be celebrated throughout the world in every generation since each of the faithful must declare, with firm hope, the coming rest of souls and the resurrection of bodies on the day of judgment; nor should any of the Churches of Christ throughout the world be bereft of this faith, but should be always mindful of this most salutary rite and be prepared at every moment, and should make themselves fit to receive the coming good so that what they celebrate here in this world they may possess there forever in faith and hope, in the truth of the thing itself and in eternal happiness. And for the present, while we are journeying through this life the ingenuity of the teachers, and the Church's adherence to the precedent of Esther and Mordecai, ought to accomplish this along with us through teaching and exhortation, so that we are always devoted to the celebration and the cultivation of this faith.
Esther 9:27-28 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 13
The fateful days in which God gives the victory over the enemies to his true confessors must never be forgotten but must be celebrated all over the world by every generation, because the remembrance of the future rest of souls and of the resurrection of the bodies on the day of judgment must be kept alive with firm hope among all the faithful. And no church of Christ in the whole world must be deprived of this religious celebration but, always remembering this truly saving rite, must be ready at any moment and make herself worthy of receiving future blessings so that what she now celebrates in this world with faith and hope she may possess there forever in true reality and eternal blessedness. In the meantime, while we journey as pilgrims, the zeal of the teachers and the admonishment of the church must lead us to follow the example of Esther and Mordecai in doctrine and zeal so that we may be always devout in observing this rite which is to be celebrated and performed.
Esther 9:29-32 — Commentary on Esther
For we require this admonition so that we will have always in our hearts the peace of Christianity, and will adopt the truth of the Gospel itself; which will prevent us from inadvertently falling, through discord and disagreement, into the errors of the heretics from which there can be no salvation but certain damnation and ruin. So all those who recognize that, through the seed of the word of God, they have been reborn in baptism from the Church and the ministry of the sacred teachers as sons to God the Father, are certainly required to fast in piety, i.e. to lead a pious, chaste and modest life; to send up the cries of their prayers and teachings; to celebrate the days of lots, i.e. of the victory to come, with reverence and firm hope; and to observe with robust faith and good works everything contained in the book of the two Testaments.
Esther 10:1-3 — EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 14
What does the text mean when it says that King Ahasuerus made all lands and all islands of the sea subject to his tributes? Since the historical king of the Persians and Medes did not have all lands under his rule, nor was he able to make all the islands of the sea subject to his tributes since the fame of his name could not even reach some of those islands or parts of the world, this sentence more truly applies to our king and Lord Christ whose power is in heaven, on earth, over the sea and every abyss. And he called himself "door," because through him we have access to eternal life, according to the testimony of the psalmist, "And the kings of the entire universe adore him. And all the kings of the earth serve him, the kings of Tharsis and the islands offer gifts, the kings of Arabia and Sheba bring gifts." Therefore not only the voices and the writings of the Jewish people alone, but also those of all the nations testify how the power of this king, his authority, dignity and preeminence advanced the true Mordecai, that is, the assembly of the holy teachers and masters of the church who lead the Christian people. Those whom he made his elect at the beginning through the gift of grace, those whom he made glorious and honorable before all the nations are the ones who look out for the good of his people and speak the words which concern the peace of his seed, according to the prediction of Isaiah: "Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices; together they sing your praises."
Esther 10:1-3 — Commentary on Esther
That King Ahasuerus exacted tribute from all the islands, which is where the Hebrew version of the story of Esther comes to an end... Why are we told that King Ahasuerus exacted tribute from every land, and from all the islands of the sea? Because the historical king of the Persians and Medes never held every land under his sway, and could not exact tribute from all the islands of the sea since not even his name could have reached the aforementioned islands and parts of the world; whereas this statement more accurately reflects our king and Lord Christ, whose power is in Heaven, and on earth, and on the sea and in all the depths. In fact, in the Gospels he calls himself a gateway, since through him we gain the entry to eternal life; and according to a statement of the Psalmist: "The whole world, all the kings of the earth, adore him. All the kings of the earth will serve him, the kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer him gifts, the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring presents" (Psalms 72). So the strength, and power, and dignity, and grandeur of this king, and how he raised up the true Mordecai—that is, the community of sacred teachers who were leaders of the Church at the head of the Christian people—are documented in the statements and the writings of not only the single people of Judea, but of all the nations as well. He has from the start exalted his chosen ones with the gift of his grace, and has glorified and honored them in the sight of all the nations; these seek the best for their people and whatever they say is concerned with the well-being of their seed, since according to the prophecy of Isaiah: "The watchmen of the Lord will lift up their voices, and will praise altogether (Isaiah 52); their feet are beautiful, the feet of those who bring the gospel of peace, the gospel of good things" (Romans 10). This is because they always ask after the peace of Jerusalem, and their seed will be known among the nations and their offshoots amid the peoples. All who have seen them will know them, because they are the seed which the Lord has blessed.
Jonah 2:1 — Unknown work
The fish which swallowed Jonah in the sea, shows forth the death which Christ suffered in the world. Three days and nights was the one in the whale's belly, the other in the tomb.
Matthew 1:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
By this exordium he shows that it is the birth of Christ according to the flesh that he has undertaken to narrate. Though the genealogy occupies only a small part of the volume, he yet begins thus, The book of the generation. For it is the manner of the Hebrews to name their books from that with which they open; as Genesis. He says, The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, because he knew it was written, 'The book of the generation of Adam.' He begins thus then, that he may oppose book to book, the new Adam to the old Adam, for by the one were all things restored which had been corrupted by the other. By saying, of Jesus Christ, he expresses both the kingly and priestly office to be in Him, for Jesus, who first bore this name, was after Moses, the first who was leader of the children of Israel; and Aaron, anointed by the mystical ointment, was the first priest under the Law.
Matthew 1:4 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or following another interpretation, according to the abundance of grace, and the width of love. He isn Aram the chosen, according to that, Behold my Servant whom I have chosen. (Is. 42:1.) He is Aminadab, that is 'willingo,' in that He says, I will freely sacrifice to Thee. (Is. 54:6.) Also He is Naassonp, i. e. 'augury,' as He knows the past, the present, and the future; or, 'like a serpent,' according to that, Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. (John 3:14.) He isq Salmon, i. e. 'that feeleth,'as He said, I feel that power is gone forth out of me. (Luke 8:46.)
Matthew 1:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or; 'the might of the people,' because he quickly converts the people to the faith.
Matthew 1:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, 'embracing,' because None knoweth the Father but the Son. (Matt. 11:27.)
Matthew 1:10 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And that incense signifies prayer, the Psalmist witnesses, saying, Let my prayer come up as incense before Thee. (Ps. 141:2.) Or, 'The salvation of the Lord,' according to that, My salvation is for ever. (Is. 55.)
Matthew 1:12-16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But let us see what moral signification these names contain. After Jeconias, which means 'the preparation of the Lord,' follows Salathiel, i. e. 'God is my petition,' for he who is rightly prepared, prays not but of God. Again, he becomes Zorobabel, 'the master of Babylon,' that is, of the men of the earth, whom he makes to know concerning God, that He is their Father, which is signified in Abiud. Then that people rise again from their vices, whence follows Eliacim, 'the resurrection;' and thence rise to good works, which is Azor, and becomes Sadoch, i. e. 'righteous;' and then they are taught the love of their neighbour. He is my brother, which is signified in Achim; and through love to God he says of Him, 'My God,' which Eliud signifies. Then follows Eleazar, i. e. 'God is my helper;' he recognizes God as his helper. But whereto he tends is shown in Matthan, which is interpreted 'gift,' or 'giving;' for he looks to God as his benefactor; and as he wrestled with and overcame his vices in the beginning, so he does in the end of life, which belongs to Jacob, and thus he reaches Joseph, that is, 'The increase of virtues.'
Matthew 1:16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But let us see what moral signification these names contain. After Jeconias, which means 'the preparation of the Lord,' follows Salathiel, i. e. 'God is my petition,' for he who is rightly prepared, prays not but of God. Again, he becomes Zorobabel, 'the master of Babylon,' that is, of the men of the earth, whom he makes to know concerning God, that He is their Father, which is signified in Abiud. Then that people rise again from their vices, whence follows Eliacim, 'the resurrection;' and thence rise to good works, which is Azor, and becomes Sadoch, i. e. 'righteous;' and then they are taught the love of their neighbour. He is my brother, which is signified in Achim; and through love to God he says of Him, 'My God,' which Eliud signifies. Then follows Eleazar, i. e. 'God is my helper;' he recognizes God as his helper. But whereto he tends is shown in Matthan, which is interpreted 'gift,' or 'giving;' for he looks to God as his benefactor; and as he wrestled with and overcame his vices in the beginning, so he does in the end of life, which belongs to Jacob, and thus he reaches Joseph, that is, 'The increase of virtues.'
Matthew 1:19 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He beheld her to be with child, whom he knew to be chaste; and because he had read, There shall come a Rod out of the stem of Jesse, (Is. 11:1.) of which he knew that Mary was comes, and had also read, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, (Is. 7:14.) he did not doubt that this prophecy should be fulfilled in her.
Matthew 1:20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
How the Angel appeared to Joseph is declared in the words, In his sleep; that is, as Jacob saw the ladder offered by a kind of imagining to the eyes of his heart. Or, to take her, that is, in marriage union and continual converse.
Matthew 1:21 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Thou shalt call His name, he says, and not, "shalt give Him a name," for His name had been given from all eternity.
Matthew 1:22-23 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
First, Angels hymning, secondly, Apostles preaching, then Holy Martyrs, and lastly, all believers.
Matthew 2:1-2 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Otherwise, he mentions the foreign king to show the fulfilment of the prophecy. The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. (Gen. 49:10.) The Magi are men who enquire into the nature of things philosophically, but common speech uses Magi for wizards. In their own country, however, they are held in other repute, being the philosophers of the Chaldæans, in whose lore kings and princes of that nation are taught, and by which themselves knew the birth of the Lord.
Matthew 2:10-11 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Joseph was absent by Divine command, that no wrong suspicions might occur to the Gentiles.
Matthew 2:13-15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Here Matthew omits the day of purification when the first-born must be presented in the Temple with a lamb, or a pair of turtle doves, or pigeons. Their fear of Herod did not make them bold to transgress the Law, that they should not present the Child in the temple. As soon then as the rumour concerning the Child begins to be spread abroad, the Angel is sent to bid Joseph carry Him into Egypt. For when the true light withdraws, they who hate the light are in darkness, when it returns they are again enlightened.
Matthew 2:16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He is not satisfied with the massacre at Bethlehem, but extends it to the adjacent villages; sparing no age from the child of one night old, to that of two years.
Matthew 2:17-18 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, The Church weeps the removal of the saints from this earth, but wishes not to be comforted as though they should return again to the struggles of life, for they are not to be recalled into life. Rachel is well set for a type of the Church, as the word signifies 'a sheep' or 'seeing;' (vid. note i, p. 19.) her whole thought being to fix her eye in contemplation of God; and she is the hundredth sheep that the shepherd layeth on his shoulder.
Matthew 2:19-20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Rachel is well set for a type of the Church, as the word signifies 'a sheep' or 'seeing;' (vid. note i, p. 19.) her whole thought being to fix her eye in contemplation of God; and she is the hundredth sheep that the shepherd layeth on his shoulder.
Matthew 2:22-23 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, we may apply it to the last times of the Jewish Church, when many Jews having turned to the preaching of Enoch and Elijah, the rest filled with the spirit of Antichrist shall fight against the faith. So that part of Judæa where Archelaus rules, signifies the followers of Antichrist; Nazareth of Galilee, whither Christ is conveyed, that part of the nation that shall embrace the faith. Galilee means 'removal;' Nazareth, 'the flower of virtues;' for the Church the more zealously she removes from the earthly to the heavenly, the more she abounds in the flower and fruit of virtues.
Matthew 3:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For because Christ was to preach, as soon as it seemed the fit time, that is, about thirty years of age, he began by his preaching to make ready the way for the Lord.
Matthew 3:3 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He is rightly called, The voice of one crying, on account of the loud sound of his preaching. Three things cause a man to speak loud; when the person he speaks to is at a distance, or is deaf, or if the speaker be angry; and all these three were then found in the human race.
Matthew 3:4 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Content with poor fare; to wit, small insects and honey gathered from the trunks of trees. In the sayings of Arnulphusa, Bishop of Gaul, we find that there was a very small kind of locust in the deserts of Judæa, with bodies about the thickness of a finger and short; they are easily taken among the grass, and when cooked in oil form a poor kind of food. He also relates, that in the same desert there is a kind of tree, with a large round leaf, of the colour of milk and taste of honey, so friable as to rub to powder in the hand, and this is what is intended by wild honey. His dress and diet express the quality of his inward conversation. His garment was of an austere quality, because he rebuked the sinner's life. He ate locusts and honey, because his preaching was sweet to the multitude, but was of short continuance; and honey has sweetness, locusts a swift flight but soon fall to the ground.
Matthew 3:5-6 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Rightly are they who are to be baptized said to go out to the Prophet; for unless one depart from sin, and renounce the pomp of the Devil, and the temptations of the world, he cannot receive a healing baptism. Rightly also in Jordan, which means their descent, because they descended from the pride of life to the humility of an honest confession. Thus early was an example given to them that are to be baptized of confessing their sins and professing amendment.
Matthew 3:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Rightly are they who are to be baptized said to go out to the Prophet; for unless one depart from sin, and renounce the pomp of the Devil, and the temptations of the world, he cannot receive a healing baptism. Rightly also in Jordan, which means their descent, because they descended from the pride of life to the humility of an honest confession. Thus early was an example given to them that are to be baptized of confessing their sins and professing amendment.
Matthew 3:8 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Because as a preacher of truth he wished to stir them up, to bring forth fruit meet for repentance, he invites them to humility, without which no one can repent.
Matthew 3:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Otherwise; the Gentiles may be meant who worshipped stones. Of stones there were sons raised up to Abraham; forasmuch as the Gentiles by believing in Christ, who is Abraham's seed, became his sons to whose seed they were united.
Matthew 3:10 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
There are four sorts of trees; the first totally withered, to which the Pagans may be likened; the second, green but unfruitful, as the hypocrites; the third, green and fruitful, but poisonous, such are heretics; the fourth, green and bringing forth good fruit, to which are like the good Catholics.
Matthew 3:11-12 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, by this sign of baptism he separates the penitent from the impenitent, and directs them to the baptism of Christ. As though he had said, I indeed am mighty to invite to repentance, He to forgive sins; I to preach the kingdom of heaven, He to bestow it; I to baptize with water, He with the Spirit. By the fan is signified the separation of a just trial; that it is in the Lord's hand, means, 'in His power,' as it is written, The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son. The cleansing of the floor will then be finally accomplished, when the Son of Man shall send His Angels, and shall gather all offences out of His kingdom. There is this difference between the chaff and the tares, that the chaff is produced of the same seed as the wheat, but the tares from one of another kind. The chaff therefore are those who enjoy the sacraments of the faith, but are not solid; the tares are those who in profession as well as in works are separated from the lot of the good.
Matthew 3:13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
That is, when He was thirty years old, showing that none should be ordained priest, or even to preach till He be of full age. Joseph at thirty years was made governor of Egypt; David began to reign, and Ezekiel his prophesying at the same age.
Matthew 3:16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
As by the immersion of His body He dedicated the laver of baptism, He has shown that to us also after baptism received the entrance to heaven is open, and the Holy Spirit is given, as it follows, and the heavens were opened. (ap. Anselm.) Seven excellencies in the baptized are figured by the dove. The dove has her abode near the rivers, that when the hawk is seen, she may dive under water and escape; she chooses the better grains of corn; she feeds the young of other birds; she does not tear with her beak; she lacks a gall; she has her rest in the caverns of the rocks; for her song she has a plaint. Thus the saints dwell beside the streams of Divine Scripture, that they may escape the assaults of the Devil; they choose wholesome doctrine, and not heretical for their food; they nourish by teaching and example, men who have been the children of the Devil, i. e. the imitators; they do not pervert good doctrine by tearing it to pieces as the heretics do; they are without hate irreconcileable; they build their nest in the wounds of Christ's death, which is to them a firm rock, that is their refuge and hope; as others delight in song, so do they in groaning for their sin.
Matthew 4:3-4 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This verse is quoted from Deuteronomy (c. 8:3). Whoso then feeds not on the Word of God, he lives not; as the body of man cannot live without earthly food, so cannot his soul without God's word. This word is said to proceed out of the mouth of God, where he reveals His will by Scripture testimonies.
Matthew 4:5-7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It should be noted, that though our Saviour suffered Himself to be placed by the Devil on a pinnacle of the temple, yet refused to come down also at his command, giving us an example, that whosoever bids us ascend the strait way of truth we should obey. But if he would again cast us down from the height of truth and virtue to the depth of error we should not hearken to him. Otherwise, it was a suggestion to Him, as man, that He should seek by requiring some miracle to know the greatness of God's power.
Matthew 4:5 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Jerusalem was called the Holy City, for in it was the Temple of God, the Holy of holies, and the worship of the one God according to the law of Moses.
Matthew 4:8-9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The Devil shows all this to the Lord, not as though he had power to extend his vision or show Him any thing unknown. But setting forth in speech as excellent and pleasant, that vain worldly pomp wherein himself delighted, he thought by suggestion of it, to create in Christ a love of it.
Matthew 4:12 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Matthew having related the forty days' fast, the temptation of Christ, and the ministry of Angels, proceeds, Jesus having heard that John was cast into prison.
Matthew 4:12-15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(ap. Anserm.) In allegory, John and the rest of the Prophets were the voice going before the Word. When prophecy ceased and was fettered, then came the Word, fulfilling what the Prophet had spoken of it, He departed into Galilee, i. e. from figure to verity. Or, into the Church, which is a passing from vice to virtue. Nazareth is interpreted 'a flower,' Capernaum, 'the beautiful village;' He left therefore the flower of figure, (in which was mystically intended the fruit of the Gospel,) and came into the Church, which was beautiful with Christ's virtues. It is by the sea-coast, because placed near the waves of this world, it is daily beaten by the storms of persecution. It is situated between Zabulon and Naphtali, i. e. common to Jews and Gentiles. Zabulon is interpreted, 'the abode of strength;' because the Apostles, who were chosen from Judæa, were strong. Nephtali, 'extension,' because the Church of the Gentiles was extended through the world.
Matthew 4:17 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
In this He further teaches that none should despise the words of a person inferior to Him; as also the Apostle, If any thing be revealed to him that sits, let the first hold his peace. (1 Cor. 14:30.)
Matthew 4:18-22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The two vessels signify the two Churches; the one was called out of the circumcision, the other out of the uncircumcision. Any one who believes becomes Simon, i, e. obedient to God; Peter by acknowledging his sin, Andrew by enduring labours manfully, James by overcoming vices,
Matthew 4:18 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The sea of Galilee, the lake of Gennesareth, the sea of Tiberias, and the salt lake, are one and the same.
Matthew 4:24 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Syria here is all the region from Euphrates to the Great sea, from Cappadocia to Egypt, in which is the country of Palestine, inhabited by Jews. Paralytics are those whose bodies have their nerves slackened or resolved from a Greek word, signifying this. Mystically, Syria is interpreted 'lofty,' Galilee, 'turning:' or 'a wheel;' that is, the Devil and the world; the Devil is both proud and always turned round to the bottom; the world in which the fame of Christ went abroad through preaching: the dæmoniacs are the idolaters; the lunatics, the unstable; the paralytics, the slow and careless.
Matthew 4:25 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Crowds that followed Him consisted of four sorts of men, some followed for the heavenly teaching as disciples, some for the curing of their diseases, some from the reports concerning Him alone, and curiosity to find whether they were true; others from envy, wishing to catch Him in some matter that they might accuse Him.
Matthew 5:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Mystically, this sitting down of Christ is His incarnation; had He not taken flesh on Him, mankind could not have come unto Him.
Matthew 5:11-12 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The preceding blessings were general; He now begins to address His discourse to them that were present, foretelling them the persecutions which they should suffer for His name.
Matthew 5:18 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He fitly mentions the Greek iota, and not the Hebrew jod, because the iota stands in Greek for the number ten, and so there is an allusion to the Decalogue of which the Gospel is the point and perfection.
Matthew 5:22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The Saviour here names the torments of hell, Gehenna, a name thought to be derived from a valley consecrate to idols near Jerusalem, and filled of old with dead bodies, and defiled by Josiah, as we read in the Book of Kings.
Matthew 5:37 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Having forbidden swearing, He instructs us how we ought to speak, Let your speech be yea, yea; nay, nay. That is, to affirm any thing it is sufficient to say, 'It is so:' to deny, to say, 'It is not so.' Or, yea, yea; nay, nay, are therefore twice repeated, that what you affirm with the mouth you should prove in deed, and what you deny in word, you should not establish by your conduct.
Matthew 5:46 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
If then sinners be led by nature to show kindness to those that love them, with how much greater show of affection ought you not to embrace even those that do not love you? For it follows, Do not even the publicans so? The publicans are those who collect the public imposts; or perhaps those who pursue the public business or the gain of this world.
Matthew 5:47 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Ethnici, that is, the Gentiles, for the Greek word ἔθνος is translated 'gens' in Latin; those, that is, who abide such as they were born, to wit, under sin.
Matthew 6:14-15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
By the word Amen, He shows that without doubt the Lord will bestow all things that are rightly asked, and by those that do not fail in observing the annexed condition, For if ye forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your sins.
Matthew 6:19 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(ap. Anselm.) Here are three precepts according to the three different kinds of wealth. Metals are destroyed by rust, clothes by moth; but as there are other things which fear neither rust nor moth, as precious stones, He therefore names a common damage, that by thieves, who may rob wealth of all kinds. a Allegorically; Rust denotes pride which obscures the brightness of virtue. Moth which privily eats out garments, is jealousy which frets into good intention, and destroys the bond of unity. Thieves denote heretics and demons, who are ever on the watch to rob men of their spiritual treasure.
Matthew 6:31 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It should be observed that He does not say, Do not ye seek, or be thoughful for, food, drink, and raiment, but what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. Wherein they seem to me to be convicted, who, using themselves the usual food and clothing, require of those with whom they live either greater sumptuousness, or greater austerity in both.
Matthew 7:6 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or; The dogs are returned to their vomit; the swine not yet returned, but wallowing in the mire of vices.
Matthew 7:9-10 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or; bread which is the common food signifies charity, without which the other virtues are of no avail. The fish signifies faith, which is born of the water of baptism, is tossed in the midst of the waves of this life and yet lives. Luke adds a third thing, an egg, (Luke 11:12.) which signifies hope; for an egg is the hope of the animal. To charity, He opposes a stone, that is, the hardness of hatred; to faith, a serpent, that is, the venom of treachery; to hope, a scorpion, that is, despair, which stings backward, as the scorpion.
Matthew 7:17-18 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And man is denominated a good tree, or a bad, after his will, as it is good or bad. His fruit is his works, which can neither be good when the will is evil, nor evil when it is good.
Matthew 7:27 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or the great ruin is to be understood that with which the Lord will say to them that hear and do not, Go ye into everlasting fire. (Mat. 25:41.)
Matthew 7:28-29 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This ending pertains both to the finishing the words, and the completeness of the doctrines. That it is said that the multitude wondered, either signifies the unbelieving in the crowd, who were astonished because they did not believe the Saviour's words; or is said of them all, in that they reverenced in Him the excellence of so great wisdom.
Matthew 8:6 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
All these things he recounts with grief, that he is sick, that it is with palsy; that he is grievously afflicted therewith, the more to show the sorrow of his own heart, and to move the Lord to have mercy. In like manner ought all to feel for their servants, and to take thought for them.
Matthew 8:8 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Beda.) Conscious of his gentile life, he thought he should be more burdened than profited by this act of condescension from Him with whose faith he was indeed endued, but with whose sacraments he was not yet initiated.
Matthew 8:12 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or; The gnashing of teeth expresses the passion of remorse; repentance coming too late and self-accusation that he has sinned with such obstinate wickedness.
Matthew 8:13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
As though He had said, According to the measure of thy faith, so be thy grace. For the merit of the Lord may be communicated even to servants not only through the merit of their faith, but through their obedience to rule. It follows, And his servant was healed in the self-same hour.
Matthew 8:14-15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Bed.) Or, every soul that struggles with fleshly lusts is sick of a fever, but touched with the hand of Divine mercy, it recovers health, and restrains the concupiscence of the flesh by the bridle of continence, and with those limbs with which it had served uncleanness, it now ministers to righteousness.
Matthew 8:16-17 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Took them not that He should have them Himself, but that He should take them away from us; and bare our sicknesses, in that what we were too weak to bear. He should bear for us. Sunset shadows forth the passion and death of Him Who said, While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5.) Who while He lived temporally in the flesh, taught only a few of the Jews; but having trodden under foot the kingdom of death, promised the gifts of faith to all the Gentiles throughout the world.
Matthew 8:20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Heretics confiding in their art are signified by the foxes, the evil spirits by the birds of the air, who have their holes and their nests, that is, their abodes in the heart of the Jewish people.
Matthew 8:22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
From this we may also take occasion to observe, that lesser goods are to be sometimes forfeited for the sake of securing greater.
Matthew 8:23-27 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Otherwise; The sea is the turmoil of the world; the boat in which Christ is embarked is to be understood the tree of the cross, by the aid of which the faithful having passed the waves of the world, arrive in their heavenly country, as on a safe shore, whither Christ goes with His own; whence He says below, He that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Mat. 16:24.) When then Christ was fixed on the cross, a great commotion was raised, the minds of His disciples being troubled at His passion, and the boat was covered by the waves. For the whole strength of persecution was around the cross of Christ, on which He died; as it is here, But he was asleep. His sleep is death. The disciples awaken the Lord, when troubled at His death; they seek His resurrection with earnest prayers, saying, Save us, by rising again; we perish, by our trouble at Thy death. He rises again, and rebukes the hardness of their hearts, as we read in other places. He commands the winds, in that He overthrew the power of the Devil; He commanded the sea, in that He disappointed the malice of the Jews; and there was a great calm, because the minds of the disciples were calmed when they beheld His resurrection.
Matthew 8:28 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Gerasa is a town of Arabia beyond Jordan, close to Mount Gilead, which was in the possession of the tribe of Manasseh, not far from the lake of Tiberias, into which the swine were precipitated. Gerasa is interpreted 'casting out the dweller,' or, 'a stranger approaching;' this is the Gentile world which cast out the Devil from it; and which was first far off, but now made near, after the resurrection being visited by Christ through His preachers. It is not without cause that he speaks of them as dwelling among the tombs; for what else are the bodies of the faithless but sepulchres of the dead, in which the word of God dwells not, but there is enclosed the soul dead in sins. He says, So that no man might pass through that way, because before the coming of the Saviour the Gentile world was inaccessible. Or, by the two, understand both Jews and Gentiles, who did not abide in the house, that is, did not rest in their conscience. But they abode in tombs, that is, delighted themselves in dead works, and suffered no man to pass by the way of faith, which way the Jews obstructed.
Matthew 9:6-7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
His rising up is the drawing off the soul from carnal lusts; his taking up his bed is the raising the flesh from earthly desires to spiritual pleasures; his going to his house is his returning to Paradise, or to internal watchfulness of himself against sin.
Matthew 9:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
In the call of Matthew and the Publicans is figured the faith of the Gentiles who first gaped after the gain of the world, and are now spiritually refreshed by the Lord; in the pride of the Pharisees, the jealousy of the Jews at the salvation of the Gentiles. Or, Matthew signifies the man intent on temporal gain; Jesus sees him, when He looks on him with the eyes of mercy. For Matthew is interpreted 'given,' Levi 'taken,' the penitent is taken out of the mass of the perishing, and by God's grace given to the Church. And Jesus saith unto him, Follow me, either by preaching, or by the admonition of Scripture, or by internal illumination.
Matthew 9:11 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
They are here in a twofold error; first, they esteemed themselves righteous, though in their pride they had departed far from righteousness; secondly, they charged with unrighteousness those who by recovering themselves from sin were drawing near to righteousness.
Matthew 9:12 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He calls Himself a physician, because by a wonderful kind of medicine He was wounded for our iniquities that He might heal the wound of our sin. By the whole, He means those who seeking to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the true righteousness of God. By the sick, He means those who, tied by the consciousness of their frailty, and seeing that they are not justified by the Law, submit themselves in penitence to the grace of God.
Matthew 9:13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He therefore warns them, that by deeds of mercy they should seek for themselves the rewards of the mercy that is above, and, not overlooking the necessities of the poor, trust to please God by offering sacrifice. Wherefore, He says, Go; that is, from the rashness of foolish fault-finding to a more careful meditation of Holy Scripture, which highly commends mercy, and proposes to them as a guide His own example of mercy, saying, I came not to call the righteous but sinners.
Matthew 9:14 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For John drank neither wine, nor strong drink, increasing his merit by abstinence, because he had no power over nature. But the Lord who has power to forgive sins, why should He shun sinners that eat, since He has power to make them more righteous than those that eat not? Yet doth Christ fast, that you should not avoid the command; but He eats with sinners that you may know His grace and power.
Matthew 9:16-17 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The different comparisons all refer to the same thing, and yet are they different; the garment by which we are covered abroad signifies our good works, which we perform when we are abroad; the wine with which we are refreshed within is the fervor of faith and charity, which creates us anew within.
Matthew 9:18-22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(part. e Beda.) Or; The ruler of the synagogue signifies Moses; he is named Jairus, 'illuminating,' or, 'that shall illuminate,' because he received the words of life to give to us, and by them enlightens all, being himself enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The daughter of the ruler, that is, the synagogue itself, being as it were in the twelfth year of its age, that is, in the season of puberty, when it should have borne spiritual progeny to God, fell into the sickness of error. While then the Word of God is hastening to this ruler's daughter to make whole the sons of Israel, a holy Church is gathered from among the Gentiles, which while it was perishing by inward corruption, received by faith that healing that was prepared for others. It should be noted, that the ruler's daughter was twelve years old, and this woman had been twelve years afflicted; thus she had begun to be diseased at the very time the other was born; so in one and the same age the synagogue had its birth among the Patriarchs, and the nations without began to be polluted with the pest of idolatry. For the issue of blood may be taken in two ways, either for the pollution of idolatry, or for obedience to the pleasures of flesh and blood. Thus as long as the synagogue flourished, the Church languished; the falling away of the first was made the salvation of the Gentiles. Also the Church draws nigh and touches the Lord, when it approaches Him in faith. She believed, spake her belief, and touched, for by these three things, faith, word, and deed, all salvation is gained. She came behind Him, as He spake, If any one serve me, let him follow me; (John 12:26.) or because, not having seen the Lord present in the flesh, when the sacraments of His incarnation were fulfilled, she came at length to the grace of the knowledge of Him. Thus also she touched the hem of His garment, because the Gentiles, though they had not seen Christ in the flesh, received the tidings of His incarnation. The garment of Christ is put for the mystery of His incarnation, wherewith His Deity is clothed; the hem of His garment are the words that hang upon His incarnation. She touches not the garment, but the hem thereof; because she saw not the Lord in the flesh, but received the word of the incarnation through the Apostles. Blessed is he that touches but the uttermost part of the word by faith. She is healed while the Lord is not in the city, but while He is yet on the way; as the Apostles cried, Because ye judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46.) And from the time of the Lord's coming the Gentiles began to be healed.
Matthew 9:22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
What is this that He bids her, Be of good cheer, seeing if she had not had faith, she would not have sought healing of Him? He requires of her strength and perseverance, that she may come to a sure and certain salvation.
Matthew 9:23-24 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Morally; The damsel dead in the house is the soul dead in thought. He says that she is asleep, because they that are now asleep in sin may yet be roused by penitence. The minstrels are flatterers who cherish the dead.
Matthew 9:25 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The maiden is raised in the house with few to witness, the young man without the gate, and Lazarus in the presence of many; for a public scandal requires a public expiation; a less notorious, a lesser remedy; and secret sins may be done away by penitence.
Matthew 9:27-28 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The house of the ruler is the Synagogue which was ruled by Moses; the house of Jesus is the heavenly Jerusalem. As the Lord passed through this world and was returning to His own house, two blind men followed Him; that is, when the Gospel was preached by the Apostles, many of the Jews and Gentiles began to follow Him. But when He ascended into Heaven, then He entered His house, that is, into the confession of one faith which is in the Catholic Church, and in that they were enlightened.
Matthew 9:32 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Figuratively; As in the two blind men were denoted both nations, Jews and Gentiles, so in the man dumb and afflicted with the daemon is denoted the whole human race.
Matthew 10:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(cf. Tertull. cont. Marc. iv. 13.) This number is typified by many things in the Old Testament; by the twelve sons of Jacob, by the twelve princes of the children of Israel, by the twelve running springs in Helim, by the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate, by the twelve loaves of the show-bread, by the twelve spies sent by Moses, by the twelve stones of which the altar was made, by the twelve stones taken out of Jordan, by the twelve oxen which bare the brazen sea. Also in the New Testament, by the twelve stars in the bride's crown, by the twelve foundations of Jerusalem which John saw, and her twelve gates.
Matthew 10:2 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Beda.) The Greek or Latin 'Petrus' is the same as the Syriac Cephas, in both tongues the word is derived from a rock; undoubtedly that of which Paul speaks, And that rock was Christ. (1 Cor. 10:4.)
Matthew 10:3 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Beda.) This James is he who in the Gospels, and also in the Epistle to the Galatians, is called the Lord's brother. For Mary the wife of Alphæus was the sister of Mary the mother of the Lord; John the Evangelist calls her Mary the wife of Cleophas, probably because Cleophas and Alphæus were the same person. Or Mary herself on the death of Alphæus after the birth of James married Cleophas. Thaddæus or Lebbæus is interpreted 'a little heart,' that is, a heart-worshipper.
Matthew 10:4 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Simon Chananæus, and Judas Scarioth, who also betrayed him. Also He willed to be betrayed by a disciple, that you when betrayed by your intimate might bear patiently that your judgment has erred, that your favours have been thrown away.
Matthew 10:5 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Also He willed to be betrayed by a disciple, that you when betrayed by your intimate might bear patiently that your judgment has erred, that your favours have been thrown away.
Matthew 10:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The kingdom of heaven is here said to draw nigh by the faith in the unseen Creator which is bestowed upon us, not by any movement of the visible elements. The saints are rightly denoted by the heavens, because they contain God by faith, and love Him with affection.
Matthew 10:14 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Otherwise; The feet of the disciples signify the labour and progress of preaching. The dust which covers them is the lightness of earthly thoughts, from which even the greatest doctors cannot be free; their anxiety for their hearers involves them in cares for their prosperity, and in passing through the ways of this world, they gather the dust of the earth they tread upon. They then who have despised the teaching of these doctors, turn upon themselves all the toils and dangers and anxieties of the Apostles as a witness to their damnation.
Matthew 10:15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And lest it should seem a slight thing not to receive the Apostles, He adds, Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Matthew 10:16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The serpent moreover seeks out narrow chinks through which it crawls to draw off its old skin; so the preacher passing through the narrow way lays aside the old man.
Matthew 10:17 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
That by the wolves above He intended men, He shows when He adds, Take heed of men.
Matthew 10:23 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or; He foretels that they shall not have brought all the cities of Israel to the faith by their preaching, before the Lord's resurrection be accomplished, and a commission given them to preach the Gospel throughout the world.
Matthew 10:27 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And what He says, Preach ye upon the housetops, is spoken after the manner of the province of Palestine, where they use to sit upon the roofs of the houses, which are not pointed but flat. That then may be said to be preached upon the housetops which is spoken in the hearing of all men.
Matthew 10:32-33 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It should be known that not even Pagans can deny the existence of God, but the infidels may deny that the Son as well as the Father is God. The Son confesses men before the Father, because by the Son we have access to the Father, and because the Son saith, Come, ye blessed of my Father. (Mat. 25:34.) Or, He confesses Jesus who by that faith that worketh by love, obediently fulfils His commands; he denies Him who is disobedient.
Matthew 10:34 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, He confesses Jesus who by that faith that worketh by love, obediently fulfils His commands; he denies Him who is disobedient. For no other mutual rights can be preserved between those who are at war in their creeds.
Matthew 10:37 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He is unworthy of the divine communion who prefers the carnal affection of kindred to the spiritual love of God.
Matthew 10:39 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Otherwise; He who seeks an immortal life, does not hesitate to lose his life, that is, to offer it to death. But either sense suits equally well with that which follows, And whoso shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 11:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The Lord having sent out His disciples to preach with the foregoing instructions, Himself now fulfils in action what He had taught in words, offering His preaching first to the Jews; And it came to pass when Jesus had ended all these sayings, he passed thence.
Matthew 11:11 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
As much as to say; What need to recount one by one the praises of John the Baptist; I say verily unto you, Among them that are born of women, &c. He says women, not virgins. If the same word mulier, which denotes a married person, is any where in the Gospels applied to Mary, it should be known that the translator has there used 'mulier' for 'femina;' as in that, Woman, behold thy son! (John 19:26)
Matthew 11:21 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Corozaim, which is interpreted 'my mystery,' and Bethsaida, 'the house of fruits' or, 'the house of hunters,' are towns of Galilee situated on the shore of the sea of Galilee. The Lord therefore mourns for towns which once had the mystery of God, and which ought to have brought forth the fruit of virtues, and into which spiritual hunters had been sent. Tyre and Sidon axe cities of Phœnicia. Tyre is interpreted 'narrowness,' and Sidon 'hunting;' and denote the Gentiles whom the Devil as a hunter drives into the straits of sin; but Jesus the Saviour sets them free by the Gospel. We at this day see the words of the Saviour fulfilled; Corozaim and Bethsaida would not believe when the Lord came to them in person; but Tyre and Sidon have afterwards believed on the preaching of the Apostles.
Matthew 11:24 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Corozaim, which is interpreted 'my mystery,' and Bethsaida, 'the house of fruits' or, 'the house of hunters,' are towns of Galilee situated on the shore of the sea of Galilee. The Lord therefore mourns for towns which once had the mystery of God, and which ought to have brought forth the fruit of virtues, and into which spiritual hunters had been sent. We at this day see the words of the Saviour fulfilled; Corozaim and Bethsaida would not believe when the Lord came to them in person; but Tyre and Sidon have afterwards believed on the preaching of the Apostles.
Matthew 11:28 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(non occ.) I will not only take from you your burden, but will satisfy you with inward refreshment.
Matthew 11:29 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The yoke of Christ is Christ's Gospel, which joins and yokes together Jews and Gentiles in the unity of the faith. This we are commanded to take upon us, that is, to have in honour; lest perchance setting it beneath us, that is wrongly despising it, we should trample upon it with the miry feet of unholiness; wherefore He adds, Learn of me. We must learn then from our Saviour to be meek in temper, and lowly in mind; let us hurt none, let us despise none, and the virtues which we have shown in deed let us retain in our heart.
Matthew 11:30 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But how is Christ's yoke pleasant, seeing it was said above, Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life? (Mat. 7:14.) That which is entered upon by a narrow entrance is in process of time made broad by the unspeakable sweetness of love.
Matthew 12:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
They pluck the ears of corn when they withdraw men from devotion to the world; they rub them in their hands when they tear away their hearts from the lusts of the flesh; they eat the grain when they transfer such as are amended into the body of the Church. This they do on the sabbath, that is in the hope of eternal rest, to which they invite others. Also they walk through the corn fields with the Lord, who have delight in meditating on the Scriptures; they are hungry while they desire to find the bread of life, that is the love of God, in them; they pluck the ears of corn and rub them in their hands, while they examine the testimonies to discover what lies hid under the letter, and this on the sabbath, that is, while they are free from disquieting thoughts.
Matthew 12:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Jesus teaches and works chiefly on the sabbath, not only on account of the spiritual sabbath, but on account of the gathering together of the people, seeking that all should be saved.
Matthew 12:10-13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Otherwise; The man who had the withered hand denotes the human race in its barrenness of good works dried up by the hand which was stretched out to the fruit; (Gen. 3:6.) this was healed by the stretching out of the innocent hand on the Cross. And well is this withered hand said to have been in the Synagogue, for where the gift of knowledge is greater, there is the greater danger of an irrecoverable infliction. The withered hand when it is to be healed is first bid to be stretched out, because the weakness of a barren mind is healed by no means better than by liberality of almsgiving. A man's right hand is affected when he is remiss in giving alms, his left whole when he is attentive to his own interests. But when the Lord comes, the right hand is restored whole as the left, because what he had got together greedily, that he distributes freely.
Matthew 12:14 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He says, went out because their mind was alien from the Lord. They took counsel how they might destroy life, not how themselves might find life.
Matthew 12:16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
In this also He instructs us, that when we have done any thing great we are not to seek praise abroad.
Matthew 12:18 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Whom I have chosen, he says, for a work which none else has done, that He should redeem the human race, and make peace between God and the world. It follows, My beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased, for He alone is the Lamb without spot of sin, of whom the Father speaks, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mat. 17:5)
Matthew 12:20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, Until that judgment which was being done in Him should come forth to victory. For after that by His resurrection He had overcome death, and driven forth the prince of this world, He returned as conqueror to His kingdom to sit on the right hand of the Father, until He shall put all His enemies under His feet.
Matthew 12:23-24 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Beda in Luc.) The multitude who seemed less learned, always wondered at the works of the Lord; they, on the other hand, either denied these things, or what they could not deny laboured to pervert by an ill interpretation, as though they were wrought not by a Deity, but by an unclean spirit, namely, Beelzebub, who was the God of Acharon: The Pharisees when they heard it said, This man does not cast out dæmons but by Beelzebub, the prince of the dæmons.
Matthew 12:27-28 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, because the Apostles well knew within their own conscience that they had learnt no evil art from Him.
Matthew 12:29 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Therefore He has spoiled his house, in that them whom He foresaw should be His own, He set free from the snares of the Devil, and has joined to the Church. Or in that He has divided the whole world among His Apostles and their successors to be converted. By this plain parable therefore He shows that He does not join in a deceitful working with the dæmons as they falsely accused Him, but by the might of His divinity He frees men from the dæmons.
Matthew 12:30 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Therefore He has spoiled his house, in that them whom He foresaw should be His own, He set free from the snares of the Devil, and has joined to the Church. Or in that He has divided the whole world among His Apostles and their successors to be converted. By this plain parable therefore He shows that He does not join in a deceitful working with the dæmons as they falsely accused Him, but by the might of His divinity He frees men from the dæmons.
Matthew 12:34-35 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or the words, Generation of vipers, may be taken as signifying children, or imitators of the Devil, because they had wilfully spoken against good works, which is of the Devil, and thence follows, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. That man speaks out of the abundance of the heart who is not ignorant with what intention his words are uttered; and to declare his meaning more openly He adds, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things. The treasure of the heart is the intention of the thoughts, by which the Judge judges that work which is produced, so that sometimes though the outward work that is shown seem great, yet because of the carelessness of a cold heart, they receive a little reward from the Lord.
Matthew 12:39 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Then He begins to answer them, giving them a sign not from heaven, which they were unworthy to see, but giving it them from the deep beneath. But to His own disciples He gave a sign from heaven, to whom He showed the glory of His blessed eternity both in a figure on the mount, and after in verity when He was taken up into heaven. Wherefore it follows, And there shall no sign he given it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas.
Matthew 12:40 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He shows that the Jews were as criminal as the Ninevites, and that unless they repented they would be destroyed. But like as punishment was denounced against the Ninevites, and at the same time a remedy was set before them, so neither should the Jews despair of pardon, if at least after Christ's resurrection they should do penitence. For Jonas, that is The Dove, or The mourner, is a sign of Him on whom the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a Dove, and who bare our sorrows. (Is. 53:4) The fish which swallowed Jonas in the sea, shows forth the death which Christ suffered in the world. Three days and nights was the one in the whale's belly, the other in the tomb; the one was cast up on dry laud, the other arose in glory.
Matthew 12:41-42 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The Ninevites typify those who cease from sin—the queen those that know not to sin; for penitence puts away sin, wisdom shuns it.
Matthew 12:43 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, the dry places are the hearts of the faithful, which after they have been purged from the weakness of loose thoughts, the crafty lier-in-wait tries if by any means he may fix his footsteps there; but flying from the chaste spirit, the Devil finds no resting-place to his mind but in the heart of the wicked; as it follows, and findeth none. For when any one is converted to the faith, the Devil is cast out of him in Baptism, who driven thence wanders up and down through the dry places, that is, the hearts of the faithful.
Matthew 12:44 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And returning to his house whence he had gone out, he findeth it empty, of good works through slothfulness, swept, that is, of its old vices by Baptism, and garnished with feigned virtues through hypocrisy.
Matthew 13:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For not only the Lord's words and actions, but His journeyings also, and the places in which He works His mighty works and preaches, are full of heavenly sacraments. After the discourse held in the house, wherein with wicked blasphemy He had been said to have a dæmon, He went out and taught by the sea, to signify that having left Judæa because of their sinful unbelief, He would pass to the salvation of the Gentiles. For the hearts of the Gentiles, long proud and unbelieving, are rightly likened to the swelling and bitter waves of the sea. And who knows not that Judæa was by faith the house of the Lord. Or, He went forth, when having left Judea, He passed by the Apostles to the Gentiles.
Matthew 13:2 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, that He went into a ship and sat on the sea, signifies that Christ by faith should enter into the hearts of the Gentiles, and should gather together the Church in the sea, that is in the midst of the nations that spake against Him. And the crowd that stood on the sea shore, neither in the ship nor in the sea, offers a figure of those that receive the word of God, and are by faith separated from the sea, that is from the reprobate, but are not yet imbued with heavenly mysteries. It follows; And he spake many things unto them in parables.
Matthew 13:4-8 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But those things which He silently left to our understanding, should be shortly noticed. The wayside is the mind trodden and hardened by the continual passage of evil thoughts; the rock, the hardness of the self-willed mind; the good soil, the gentleness of the obedient mind, the sun, the heat of a raging persecution. The depth of soil, is the honesty of a mind trained by heavenly discipline. But in thus expounding them we should add, that the same things are not always put in one and the same allegorical signification.
Matthew 13:15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The heart of the Jews is made gross with the grossness of wickedness, and through the abundance of their sins they hear hardly the Lord's words, because they have received them ungratefully.
Matthew 13:17 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Also Isaiah and Micah, and many other Prophets, saw the glory of the Lord; and were thence called 'seers.'
Matthew 13:22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Rightly are they called thorns, because they lacerate the soul by the prickings of thought, and do not suffer it to bring forth the spiritual fruit of virtue.
Matthew 13:24-30 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And it should be noted that, when He says, Sowed good seed, He intends that good will which is in the elect; when He adds, An enemy came, He intimates that watch should be kept against him; when as the tares grow up, He suffers it patiently, saying, An enemy hath done this, He recommends to us patience; when He says, Lest haply in gathering the tares, &c. He sets us an example of discretion; when He says, Suffer both to grow together till the harvest, He teaches us long-suffering; and, lastly, He inculcates justice, when He says, Bind them into bundles to burn.
Matthew 13:31-32 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And it should be noted that, when He says, Sowed good seed, He intends that good will which is in the elect; when He adds, An enemy came, He intimates that watch should be kept against him; when as the tares grow up, He suffers it patiently, saying, An enemy hath done this, He recommends to us patience; when He says, Lest haply in gathering the tares, &c. He sets us an example of discretion; when He says, Suffer both to grow together till the harvest, He teaches us long-suffering; and, lastly, He inculcates justice, when He says, Bind them into bundles to burn.
Matthew 13:33 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He says, Until the whole was leavened, because that love implanted in our mind ought to grow until it changes the whole soul into its own perfection; which is begun here, but is completed hereafter.
Matthew 13:36 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Figuratively; Having sent away the multitude of unquiet Jews, He enters the Church of the Gentiles, and there expounds to believers heavenly sacraments, whence it follows, And his disciples came to him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.
Matthew 13:41 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Observe, He says, Those that do iniquity, not, those who have done; because not they who have turned to penitence, but they only that abide in their sins are to be delivered to eternal torments.
Matthew 13:43 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
That is, Let him understand who has understanding, because all these things are to be understood mystically, and not literally.
Matthew 13:44 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
That is, Let him understand who has understanding, because all these things are to be understood mystically, and not literally.
Matthew 14:2 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
From this place we may learn how great the jealousy of the Jews was; that John could have risen from the dead, Herod, an alien-born, here declares, without any witness that he had risen: concerning Christ, whom the Prophets had foretold, the Jews preferred to believe, that He had not risen, but had been carried away by stealth. This intimates that the Gentile heart is more disposed to belief than that of the Jews. All men have well thought concerning the power of the resurrection, that the saints shall have greater power after they have risen from the dead, than they had while they were yet weighed down with the infirmity of the flesh; wherefore Herod says, Therefore mighty works are wrought in him.
Matthew 14:10 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(Antiq. xviii. 5 Machaerus.) Josephus relates, that John was sent bound to the castle of Mecheron, and there beheaded. Otherwise; Even at this day we see that in the head of the Prophet John the Jews have lost Christ, who is the head of the Prophets.
Matthew 14:12 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Ecclesiastical history relates that he was buried in Sebastia, a town of Palestine, which was formerly called Samaria.
Matthew 14:15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
When John is to describe this miracle, he first tells us that the passover is at hand; Matthew and Mark place it immediately after the execution of John. Hence we may gather, that he was beheaded when the paschal festival was near at hand, and that at the passover of the following year, the mystery of the Lord's passion was accomplished. When the disciples ask the Lord to send away the multitudes that they might buy food in the towns, it signifies the pride of the Jews towards the multitudes of the Gentiles, whom they judged rather fit to seek for themselves food in the assemblies of the Pharisees than to use the pasture of the Divine books.
Matthew 14:17 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, by the two fishes we may understand the Prophets, and the Psalms, for the whole of the Old Testament was comprehended in these three, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
Matthew 14:19 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The multitude being hungry, He creates no new viands, but having taken what the disciples had, He gave thanks. In like manner when He came in the flesh, He preached no other things than what had been foretold, but showed that the writings of the Law and the Prophets were big with mysteries.
Matthew 14:20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
That which, the multitude leave is taken up by the disciples, because the more secret mysteries which cannot be comprehended by the uninstructed, are not to be treated with neglect, but are to be diligently sought out by the twelve Apostles (who are represented by the twelve baskets) and their successors. For by baskets servile offices are performed, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the strong.
Matthew 14:21 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The five thousand for the five senses of the body are they who in a secular condition know how to use rightly things without.
Matthew 14:24 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Whence it is well said here, that the ship was in the middle of the sea, and He alone on the land, because the Church is sometimes oppressed with such persecution that her Lord may seem to have forsaken her for a season.
Matthew 14:25 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Lastly, Theodorus wrote that the Lord had not bodily weight in respect of His flesh, but without weight walked on the sea. But the catholic faith preaches the contrary; for Dionysius says that He walked on the wave, without the feet, being immersed, having bodily weight, and the burden of matter.
Matthew 14:31 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The Lord looked back upon him, and brought him to repentance; He stretched forth His hand, and forgave him, and thus the disciple found salvation, which is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. (Rom. 9:16.)
Matthew 14:32 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Nor should we wonder that the wind ceased when the Lord had entered into the boat; for in whatsoever heart the Lord is present by grace, there all wars cease.
Matthew 14:33 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This may be understood either of the sailors, or of the Apostles.
Matthew 14:34 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The land of Gennezar, by the lake of Gennezareth, takes its name from a natural power which it is said to have of spontaneously modulating its waters so as to excite a breeze; the Greek words importing, 'creating for itself the breeze.' Genezar is interpreted, 'rise', 'beginning.' For then will complete rest be given to us, when Christ shall have restored to us our inheritance of Paradise, and the joy of our first robe.
Matthew 15:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The men of Gennezareth and the less learned believe; but they who seem to be wise come to dispute with Him; according to that, Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Whence it is said, Then came to him from Jerusalem Scribes and Pharisees.
Matthew 15:7-8 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Esaias saw before the hypocrisy of the Jews, that they would craftily oppose the Gospel, and therefore he said in the person of the Lord, This people honoureth me with their lips, &c. Also, they honoured Him with their lips when they said, Master, we know that thou art true, (Mat. 22:16.) but their heart was far from Him when they sent spies to entangle Him in His talk.
Matthew 15:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Therefore they shall not have their reward with the true worshippers, because they teach doctrines and commandments of men to the contempt of the law of God.
Matthew 15:14 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
They are blind, that is, they want the light of God's commandments; and they are leaders of the blind, inasmuch as they draw others headlong, erring, and leading into error; whence it is added, If the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the ditch.
Matthew 15:22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Also whosoever has his conscience polluted with the defilement of any sin, has a daughter sorely vexed by a daemon. Also whosoever has defiled any good that he has done by the plague of sin, has a daughter tossed by the furies of an unclean spirit, and has need to fly to prayers and tears, and to seek the intercessions and aids of the saints.
Matthew 15:27 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But the whelps eat not the crust only, but the crumbs of the children's bread, because the despised among the Gentiles on turning to the faith, seek out in Scripture not the outside of the letter, but the spiritual sense, by which they may be able to profit in good acts.
Matthew 15:28 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Great indeed was her faith; for the Gentiles, neither trained in the Law, nor educated by the words of the Prophets, straightway on the preaching of the Apostles obeyed with the hearing of the ear, and therefore deserved to obtain salvation.
Matthew 15:29-31 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Mystically; Having in the daughter of this Chauanæan prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, He came into Judæa; because, when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, then shall all Israel be saved. (Rom. 11:25.) Thus raising his hearers to meditate on heavenly things. He sat down there to show that rest is not to be sought but in heavenly things. And as He sits on the mountain, that is, in the heavenly height, there come unto Him multitudes of the faithful, drawing near to Him with devoted mind, and bringing to Him the dumb, and the blind, & c. and cast them down at Jesus' feet; because they that confess their sins are brought to be healed by Him alone. These He so heals, that the multitudes marvel and magnify the God of Israel; because the faithful when they see those that have been spiritually sick richly endued with all manner of works of virtuousness, sing praise to God.
Matthew 15:32 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, this is said because in all time there have only been three periods when grace was given; the first, before the Law; the second, under the Law; the third, under grace; the fourth, is in heaven, to which as we journey we are refreshed by the way.
Matthew 15:39 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This Magedan is the country opposite Gerasa, and is interpreted 'fruits,' or 'a messenger.' It signifies a garden, of which it is said, A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed, (Song of Sol. 4:12.) wherein the fruits of virtues grow, and where the name of the Lord is announced. It teaches us that preachers having ministered the word to the multitude ought to be refreshed themselves with the fruits of the virtues within the chamber of their own heart. It follows; And there come unto him Pharisees and Sadducees tempting him, and desired him to show them a sign from heaven. The signs of the times He means of His own coming, or passion, to which the evening redness of the heavens may be likened; and the tribulation which shall be before His coming, to which the morning redness with the lowring sky may be compared. To this generation that thus tempted the Lord is not given a sign from heaven, such as they sought for, though many signs are given on the earth; but only to the generation of such as sought the Lord, in whose sight He ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 16:13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He enquires the opinions of His disciples and of those without, not because He was ignorant of them; His disciples He asks, that He may reward with due reward their confession of a right faith, and the opinions of those without He enquires, that having the wrong opinions first set forth, it might be proved that the disciples had received the truth of their confession not from common opinion, but out of the hidden treasure of the Lord's revelation.
Matthew 16:16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And by a remarkable distinction it was that the Lord Himself puts forward the lowliness of the humanity which He had taken upon Him, while His disciple shows us the excellence of His divine eternity.
Matthew 16:18 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The gates of hell are the torments and promises of the persecutors. Also, the evil works of the unbelievers, and vain conversation, are gates of hell, because they show the path of destruction.
Matthew 16:19 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For as with a zeal beyond the others he had confessed the King of heaven, he is deservedly entrusted more than the others with the keys of the heavenly kingdom, that it might be clear to all, that without that confession and faith none ought to enter the kingdom of heaven. By the keys of the kingdom He means discernment and power; power, by which he binds and looses, discernment, by which he separates the worthy from the unworthy. But this power of binding and loosing, though it seems given by the Lord to Peter alone, is indeed given also to the other Apostles, and is even now in the^ Bishops and Presbyters in every Church. (vid. Matt. 18:18.) But Peter received in a special manner the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and a supremacy of judicial power, that all the faithful throughout the world might understand that all who in any manner separate themselves from the unity of the faith, or from communion with him, such should neither be able to be loosed from the bonds of sin, nor to enter the gate of the heavenly kingdom.
Matthew 16:28 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Bed. in Luc. 9.) It is of the saints He speaks as tasting death, by whom the death of the body is tasted just as it were sipping, while the life of the soul is, held fast in possession.
Matthew 17:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Bed.) Justly was it after six days that He showed His glory, because after six ages is to be the resurrectiond. (e Bed.) Or; He took only three disciples with Him, because many are called but few chosen. Or because they who now hold in incorrupt mind the faith of the Holy Trinity, shall then joy in the everlasting beholding of it.
Matthew 17:4 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Also in supposing that tabernacles were to be built for conversation in heaven, in which houses are not needed, as it is written in the Apocalypse, I saw not any temple therein. (Rev. 21:22.)
Matthew 17:13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
From the mention of His own passion which the Lord had often foretold to them, and from that of His forerunner, which they beheld already accomplished, the disciples perceived that John was set forth to them under the name of Elias; whence it follows; Then understood the disciples that he spake to them of John the Baptist.
Matthew 17:15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The lunatic is figuratively one who is hurried into fresh vices every hour, one while is cast into the fire, with which the hearts of the adulterers burn; or again into the waters of pleasures or lusts, which yet have not strength to quench love. (Hos. 7:4, 6.)
Matthew 17:20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For faith gives our minds such a capacity for the heavenly gifts, that whatsoever we will we may easily obtain from a faithful Master.
Matthew 17:21 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But while He teaches the Apostles how the dæmon ought to be cast out, He instructs all in regulation of life; that we may all know that all the heavier inflictions, whether of unclean spirits, or temptations of men, may be removed by fasts and prayers; and that the wrath also of the Lord may be appeased by this remedy alone; whence he adds, Howbeit this kind is not cast out but by prayer and fasting.
Matthew 18:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Scandal (offence) is a Greek word, which we may call a stumbling-block, or a fall, or hitting of the foot. He then scandalizes his brother, who by word or deed amiss gives him occasion of falling.
Matthew 18:12 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Note, that nine wants only one to make it ten, and ninety and nine the same to be a hundred. Thus members which want one only to be perfect, may be larger or smaller, but yet the unit remaining invariable, when it is added makes the rest perfect. And that the number of sheep might be made up perfect in heaven, lost man was sought on earth.
Matthew 18:15-17 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He does not command us to forgive indiscriminately, but him only that will hearken and be obedient, and do penitence; that neither should forgiveness be unattainable, nor sufferance be too far relaxed.
Matthew 18:21-22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It is one thing to give pardon to a brother when he seeks it, that he may live with us in social charity, as Joseph to his brethren; and another to a hostile foe, that we may wish him good, and if we can do him good, as David mourning for Saul.
Matthew 18:23-35 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It is one thing to give pardon to a brother when he seeks it, that he may live with us in social charity, as Joseph to his brethren; and another to a hostile foe, that we may wish him good, and if we can do him good, as David mourning for Saul. Allegorically; The servant here who owed the ten thousand talents, is the Jewish people bound to the Ten Commandments in the Law. These the Lord oft forgave their trespasses, when being in difficulties they besought His mercy; but when they were set free, they exacted the utmost with great severity from all their debtors; and of the gentile people which they hated, they required circumcision and the ceremonies of the Law; yea, the Prophets and Apostles they barbarously put to death. For all this the Lord gave them over into the hands of the Romans as to evil spirits, who should punish them with eternal tortures.
Matthew 19:1 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Here then He begins to relate what He did, taught, or suffered in Judæa. At first beyond Jordan eastward, afterwards on this side Jordan when He came to Jericho, Bethphage, and Jerusalem; whence it follows, And He came into the coasts of Judæa beyond Jordan. It should be known, that the whole territory of the Israelites was called Judæa, to distinguish it from other nations. But its southern portion, inhabited by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, was called Judæa proper, to distinguish it from other districts in the same province as Samaria, Galilee, Decapolis, and the rest. It follows, And great multitudes followed him.
Matthew 19:5 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For by the wholesome design of God it was ordained that a man should have in the woman a part of his own body, and should not look upon as separate from himself that which he knew was formed out of himself.
Matthew 19:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
There is then but one carnal cause why a wife should be put away, that is, fornication, and but one spiritual, that is, the fear of God. But there is no cause why while she who has been put away is alive, another should be married.
Matthew 19:16 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(e Bed. in Luc. Mat. 18:3.) This man had, it may be, heard of the Lord, that only they who were like to little children were worthy to enter into the heavenly kingdom; but desiring to know more certainly, he asks to have it declared to him not in parables, but expressly, by what merits he might attain eternal life. Therefore it is said And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?
Matthew 19:21 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
See two kinds of life which we have heard set before men; the Active, to which pertains, Thou shalt not kill, and the rest of the Law; and the Contemplative, to which pertains this, If thou wilt be perfect. The active pertains to the Law, the contemplative to the Gospel; for as the Old Testament went before the New, so good action goes before contemplation.
Matthew 19:23 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But though there be a difference between having and loving riches, yet it is safer neither to have nor to love them.
Matthew 19:30 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But because many with what zeal they take up the pursuit of virtue, do not with the same complete it; but either grow cool, or fall away rapidly; it follows, But many that are first shall be last, and the last first.
Matthew 20:8 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But when they had rendered their day's task, at the fitting time for payment, When even was come, that is, when the day of this world was drawing to its close.
Matthew 20:19 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For Judas delivered the Lord to the Jews, and they delivered Him to the Gentiles, that is to Pilate, and the Roman power. To this end the Lord refused to be prosperous in this world, but rather chose to suffer affliction, that He might show us, who have yielded to delights, through how great bitterness we must needs return; whence it follows, To mock, and to scourge, and to crucify.
Matthew 20:22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
They knew not what they asked, for they were asking of the Lord a seat in glory, which they had not yet merited. The honourable eminence liked them well, but they had first to practise the laborious path thereto; Can ye drink of the cup that, I shall drink of?
Matthew 20:29 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But Jericho, which is interpreted 'the moon,' denotes the infirmity of our changefulness.
Matthew 20:30-31 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But recognizing the rumour of Christ, they desired to be made partakers of Him. Many spake against them; first the Jews, as we read in the Acts; then the Gentiles harassed them by persecution; but yet they might not deprive those who were preordained to life of salvation.
Matthew 21:5 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
In history, Daughter of Sion is the name given to the city of Jerusalem, which stands on mount Sion. But mystically, it is the Church of the faithful pertaining to the Jerusalem which is above.
Matthew 21:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Whence Matthew, who wrote his Gospel to the Jews, is the only one who mentions that the ass was brought to the Lord, to show that this same Hebrew nation, if it repent, need not despair of salvation,
Matthew 21:10 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But it is to be noted, that this entry of His into Jerusalem was five days before the passover. For John relates, that six days before the Passover He came to Bethany, and on the morrow sitting on the ass entered Jerusalem. (John 12:1.) In this observe the correspondence between the Old and New Testaments, not only in things but in seasons. For on the tenth day of the first month, the lamb that was to be sacrificed for the passover was to be taken into the house, (Exod. 12:3.) because on the same day of the same month, that is, five days before the passover, the Lord was to enter the city in which He was to suffer.
Matthew 21:21 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And he avenges his exclusion from the elect by more cruel treatment of the reprobate.
Matthew 21:22 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But whenever we are not heard when we pray, it is either because we ask something adverse to the means of our salvation; or because the perverseness of those for whom we ask hinders its being granted to them; or because the performance of our request is put off to a future time, that our desires may wax stronger, and so may have more perfect capacity for the joys they seek after.
Matthew 21:27 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
There are two reasons why the knowledge of truth should be kept back from those who ask; either when he who asks is unfit to receive, or from his hatred or contempt of the truth is unworthy to have that which he asks opened to him.
Matthew 21:31 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Yet the kingdom of God may be understood of the Gentiles, or of the present Church, in which the Gentiles go before the Jews, because they were more ready to believe.
Matthew 21:32 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
John came preaching the way of righteousness, because he pointed to Christ, who is the fulfilling of the Law.
Matthew 21:33-41 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Morally; a vineyard has been let out to each of us to dress, when the mystery of baptism was given us, to be cultivated by action. Servants one, two, and three are sent us when Law, Psalm, and Prophecy are read, after whose instructions we are to work well. He that is sent is beaten and cast out when the word is contemned, or, which is worse, is blasphemed. He kills (as far as in him lies) the heir, who tramples under foot the Son, and does despite to the Spirit of grace. The wicked husbandman is destroyed, and the vineyard is given to another, when the gift of grace which the proud has contemned is given to the lowly.
Matthew 21:34 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The season of fruit, He says, not of rent-paying, because this stiff-necked nation brings forth no fruit.
Matthew 21:34-36 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, the first servants who were sent were the Lawgiver Moses himself, and Aaron the first Priest of God; whom, having beaten them with the scourge of their tongue, they sent away empty; by the other servants understand the company of the Prophets.
Matthew 21:38-39 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
By what they say, This is the Son, He manifestly proves that the rulers of the Jews crucified the Son of God, not through ignorance, but through jealousy. For they understood that it was He to whom the Father speaks by the Prophet, Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance (Ps. 2:8.) The inheritance given to the Son is the holy Church; an inheritance not left Him by His Father when dying, but wonderfully purchased by His own death. Or, The Jews endeavoured by putting Him to death to seize upon the inheritance, when they strove to overthrow the faith which is through Him, and to substitute their own righteousness which is by the Law, and therewith to imbue the Gentiles. It follows, And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
Matthew 21:42 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But despite of their displeasure, the same stone furnished the head stone of the corner, for out of both nations He has joined by faith in Him as many as He would.
Matthew 21:45-46 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This, that they are afraid to lay hands on Jesus because of the multitudes, is daily acted in the Church, when any who is a brother only in name, is ashamed or afraid to assail the unity of faith and peace which he does not love, because of the good men with whom he lives.
Matthew 22:29-32 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
These things which are spoken concerning the conditions of the resurrection He spoke in answer to their enquiry, but of the resurrection itself He replies aptly against their unbelief.
Matthew 22:40 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For to these two commandments belongs the whole decalogue; the commandments of the first table to the love of God, those of the second to the love of our neighbour.
Matthew 22:46 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Hence we learn that the poison of jealousy may be overcome, but can hardly of itself rest at peace.
Matthew 23:6-7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It should be noted, that He does not forbid those to whom this belongs by right of rank to be saluted in the forum, or to sit or recline in the highest room; but those who unduly desire these things, whether they obtain them or not, these He enjoins the believers to shun as wicked.
Matthew 23:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And herein they are not without fault, that the same men should be concerned in the litigations of the forum, who in the synagogue in Moses' seat, seek to be called Rabbi by men.
Matthew 23:35 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
That is, all the vengeance due for the shedding of the blood of the righteous.
Matthew 23:37 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
(non occ.) Let heretics then cease to assign to Christ a beginning from the Virgin; let them leave off to preach one God of the Law and another of the Prophets.
Matthew 24:1-2 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The historical sense is clear, that in the forty-second year after the Lord's passion, the city and temple were overthrown under the Roman Emperors Vespasian and Titus.
Matthew 24:6 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
RABANUS.b Or, this is a warning to the Apostles not to flee from Jerusalem and Judæa in terror of these things, when they should begin to come upon them; because the end was not immediately, but the desolation of the province, and the destruction of the city and temple should not come till the fortieth year. And we know that most grievous woes, which spread over the whole province, fell out to the very letter.
Matthew 24:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Nation shall rise against nation, shows the disquietude of men's minds; pestilences, the affliction of their bodies; famines, the barrenness of the soil; earthquakes in dicers places, wrath from heaven above.
Matthew 24:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For what desert so many evils are to be brought upon Jerusalem, and the whole Jewish province the Lord shows, when He adds, Then shall they deliver you up,&c.
Matthew 24:24 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He says not this because it is possible for the divine election to be defeated, but because they, who to men's judgment seemed elect, shall be led into error.
Matthew 24:29-30 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But nothing hinders our supposing that the sun and moon with the other stars shall for a time lose their light, as we know did the sun at the time of the Lord's passion; as Joel also says, The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord come. (Joel 2:31.) But when the day of judgment is passed, and the life of future glory shall dawn, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, then shall that come to pass of which Isaiah speaks, The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold. (Is. 30:26.) The stars shall fall from heaven, is expressed in Mark; There shall be stars falling from heaven, (Mark. 13:25.) that is, lacking their proper light.
Matthew 24:35 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The heaven which shall pass away is not the starry but the atmospheric heaven which of old was destroyed by the deluge.
Matthew 24:36 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
I have read also in some one's book, that the Son here is not to be taken of the Only-begotten, but of the adopted, for that He would not have put the Angels before the Only-begotten Son, saying, Not the Angels of heaven, neither the Son.i
Matthew 24:38-39 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Marriage and meats in themselves are not here condemned, as the error of Marcion and Manichæus teaches; for in the one the continuation of the species, in the other that of life, depends; but what is reproved is an unrestrained use of things lawful.
Matthew 24:45-46 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The lord is Christ, the household over which He appoints is the Church Catholic. It is hard then to find one man who is both faithful and wise, but not impossible; for He would not pronounce a blessing on a character that could never be, as when He adds, Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Matthew 24:47 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Not that they only, but that they before others, shall be rewarded as well for their own lives as for their superintendence of the flock.
Matthew 24:49 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Typically, we may understand his beating his fellow servants, of offending the consciences of the weak by word, or by evil example.
Matthew 24:51 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, appoints him his portion with the hypocrites, that is, a twofold share of punishment, that of fire and frost; to the fire belongs the weeping, to the frost the gnashing of teethk.
Matthew 25:21 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Well done is an interjection of joy; the Lord showing us therein the joy with which He invites the servant who labours well to eternal bliss; of which the Prophet speaks, In thy presence is fulness of joy.
Matthew 25:23 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Well done is an interjection of joy; the Lord showing us therein the joy with which He invites the servant who labours well to eternal bliss; of which the Prophet speaks, In thy presence is fulness of joy.
Matthew 25:31 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
After the parables concerning the end of the world the Lord proceeds to describe the manner of the judgment to come.
Matthew 25:34 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, they are called blessed, to whom an eternal blessing is due for their good deserts. He calls it the kingdom of His Father, ascribing the dominion of the kingdom to Him by whom Himself the King was begotten. For by His royal power, with which He shall be exalted alone in that day, He shall pronounce the sentence of judgment, Then shall the King say.
Matthew 25:35-36 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Mystically, He who with the bread of the word and the drink of wisdom refreshes the soul hungering and thirsting after righteousness, or admits into the home of our mother the Church him who is wandering in heresy or sin, or who strengthens the weak in faith, such an one discharges the obligations of true love.
Matthew 25:37-39 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Lord, when sate we thee &c. This they say not because they distrust the Lord's words, but they are in amaze at so great exaltation, and at the greatness of their own glory; or because the good which they have done will seem to them to be so small according to that of the Apostle, For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. (Rom. 8:18.)
Matthew 26:1-2 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
All these sayings, i. e. about the consummation of the world, and the day of judgment. Or, finished, because He had fulfilled in doing and preaching all things from the beginning of the Gospel to His Passion.
Matthew 26:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Alabaster is a kind of marble, white but marked with veins of different colours, which was in use for vessels to hold ointment, because it was said to preserve it from corruption. From the Greek πίστις, faith, whence 'pisticus,' faithful. For this ointment was pure, unadulterated.
Matthew 26:13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
That is, To whatsoever place throughout the whole world the Church shall be propagated, there this also that she hath done shall be told. That also that is added signifies, that as Judas by his reproof of her has earned evil character of treachery, so has she also earned the glory of pious devotedness.
Matthew 26:14 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Went, he says, because he was neither compelled, nor invited, but of his own free will formed the wicked design.
Matthew 26:18 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, he omits the name, that all who would fain celebrate the true Passover, and receive Christ within the dwelling place of their own minds, should understand that the opportunity is afforded them.
Matthew 26:20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For this reason also, because in Christ's Passion, wherein the true sun hasted to his setting, eternal refreshment was made ready for all believers.
Matthew 26:23 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
What Matthew calls 'paropsis,' Mark calls 'catinus.' The 'paropsis' is a square dish for meat, 'catinus,' an earthen vessel for containing fluids; this then might be a square earthen vessel.
Matthew 26:25 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This might have been so said by Judas, and answered by the Lord as not to be overheard by the rest.
Matthew 26:26 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This might have been so said by Judas, and answered by the Lord as not to be overheard by the rest.
Matthew 26:30 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
This hymn may be that thanksgiving which in John, (c. 17.) Our Lord offers up to the Father, when He lifted up His eyes and prayed for His disciples, and those who should believe through their word. This is that of which the Psalm speaks, The poor shall eat and be filled, they shall praise the Lord.] (Ps. 22:26.)
Matthew 26:35 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Peter understood the Lord to have foretold that he should deny Him under terror of death, and therefore he declares that though death were imminent, nothing could shake him from his faith; and the other Apostles in like manner in the warmth of their zeal, valued not the infliction of death, but human presumption is vain without Divine aid.
Matthew 26:36 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Luke says, To the mount of Olives, (Luke 22:39.) and John, Went forth over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, (John 18:1.) which is the same as this Gethsemane, and is a place where He prayed at the foot of mount Olivet, where is a garden, and a Church now builtr When the Lord prayed in the mountain, He taught us to make supplication for heavenly things; when He prays in the garden, He teaches us to study humility in our prayer. And beautifully, as He draws near His Passion, does He pray in the 'valley of fatness,' showing that through the valley of humility, and the richness of charity, He took upon Him death for our sakes. The practical instruction which we may also learn from this is, that we should not suffer our heart to dry up from the richness of charity.
Matthew 26:39-44 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, The Lord prayed thrice, to teach us to pray for pardon of sins past, defence against present evil, and provision against future perils, and that we should address every prayer to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that our spirit, soul, and body should be kept in safety.
Matthew 26:49 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The Lord suffered the traitor's kiss, not to teach us to dissemble, but that He might not seem to shrink from His betrayal.
Matthew 26:51 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, Peter does not take away the sense of understanding from them that hear, but opens to the careless that which by a divine sentence was taken away from them; but this same right ear is restored to its original function in those who out of this nation believed.
Matthew 26:52 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It behoved also that the Author of grace should teach the faithful patience by His own example, and should rather train them to endure adversity with fortitude, than incite them to self-defence.
Matthew 26:56 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Mystically, As Peter, who by tears washed away the sin of his denial, figures the recovery of those who lapse in time of martyrdom; so the flight of the other disciples suggests the precaution of flight to such as feel themselves unfit to endure torments.
Matthew 26:57 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And the action suits his name; Caiaphas, i. e. 'contriving,' or, 'politic,' to execute his villainy; or 'vomiting from his mouth,' because of his audacity in uttering a lie, and bringing about the murder. They took Jesus thither, that they might do all advisedly; as it follows, Where the Scribes and the Elders were assembled.
Matthew 26:69-70 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
What means this, that a handmaid is the first to tax him, when men would be more likely to recognise him, except that this sex might seem to sin somewhat in the Lord's death, that they might be redeemed by His passion? He denied before them all, because he was afraid to reveal himself; that he said, I know not, shows that he was not yet willing to die for the Saviour. In this denial of Peter we affirm that Christ is denied not only by him who denies that He is Christ, but who denies himself to be a Christian.
Matthew 26:70-74 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Observe, that he said the first time, I know not what thou sayest; the second time, He denied with an oath; the third time, He began to curse and to swear that he knew not the man. For to persevere in sinning increases sinfulness, and he who disregards light sins, falls into greater.
Matthew 26:74-75 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
After the third denial comes the cock-crow; by which we may understand a Doctor of the Church who with chiding rouses the slumbering, saying, Awake, ye righteous, and sin not. (1 Cor. 15:14.) Thus Holy Scripture uses to denote the merit of divers cases by fixed periods, as Peter sinned at midnight and repented at cock-crow.
Matthew 27:2 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Though it should be observed that they did not now first bind Him, but before, when they first laid hands upon Him in the garden, as John relates. (John 18:12.)
Matthew 27:5 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
He hung himself, to show that he was hateful to both heaven and earth.
Matthew 27:19 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
It is to be noted, that the bench (tribunal) is the seat of the judge, the throne (solium) of the king, the chair (cathedra) of the master. In visions and dreams the wife of a Gentile understood what the Jews when awake would neither believe nor understand. Or otherwise; The devil now at last understanding that he should lose his trophies through Christ, as he had at the first brought in death by a woman, so by a woman he would deliver Christ out of the hands of His enemies, lest through His death he should lose the sovereignty of death.
Matthew 27:26 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Those who were crucified being suspended on a cross, by nails driven into the wood through their hands and feet, perished by a lingering death, and lived long on the cross, not that they sought longer life, but that death was deferred to prolong their sufferings. The Jews indeed contrived this as the worst of deaths, but it had been chosen by the Lord without their privity, thereafter to place upon the foreheads of the faithful the same cross as a trophy of His victory over the Devil. Barabbas also, who headed a sedition among the people, is released to the Jews, that is the Devil, who to this day reigns among them, so that they cannot have peace.
Matthew 27:29-30 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
They smite the head of Christ with a reed, who speak against His divinity, and endeavour to maintain their error by the authority of Holy Scripture, which is written by a reed. They spit upon His face who reject in abominable words the presence of His grace, and deny that Jesus is come in the flesh. And they mock Him with adoration who believe on Him, but despise Him with perverse works.
Matthew 27:33 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Golgotha is a Syriac word, and is interpreted Calvary.
Matthew 27:35 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, according to the practical exposition, the cross in respect of its broad transverse piece signifies the joy of him that works, for sorrow produces straitness; for the broad part of the cross is in the transverse beam to which the hands are fastened, and by the hands we understand works. By the upper part to which the head is fastened is denoted our looking for retribution from the supreme righteousness of God. The perpendicular part on which the body is stretched denotes endurance, whence the patient are called 'long-suffering.' (longamines) The point that is fixed into the ground shadows forth the invisible part of a sacrament.
Matthew 27:37 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For because He is at once King and Priest, when He would offer the sacrifice of His flesh on the altar of the cross, His title set forth His regal dignity. And it is set over and not beneath the cross, because though He suffered for us on the cross with the weakness of man, the majesty of the King was conspicuous above the cross; and this He did not lose, but rather confirmed, by the cross.
Matthew 27:39-44 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Had He then been prevailed on by their taunts to leave the cross, He would not have proved to us the power of endurance; but He waited enduring their mockery; and He who would not come down from the cross, rose again from the tomb.
Matthew 27:46 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Or, The Saviour said this as bearing about with Him our feelings, who when placed in dangers think ourselves forsaken by God. Human nature was forsaken by God because of its sins, and the Son of God becoming our Advocate laments the misery of those whose guilt He took upon Himf; there in showing how they who sin ought to mourn, when He who never sinned did thus mourn.
Matthew 27:47 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The soldiers misunderstanding the sound of the Lord's words, foolishly looked for the coming of Elias. But God, whom the Saviour thus invoked in the Hebrew tongue, He had ever inseparably with Him.
Matthew 27:54 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Whence with good reason by the Centurion is denoted the faith of the Church, which, when the veil of heavenly mysteries had been rent by the Lord's death, immediately asserts Jesus to be both very Man, and truly Son of God, while the Synagogue held its peace.
Matthew 27:59 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
From this also has prevailed in the Church the custom of celebrating the sacrifice of the altar not in silk, or in coloured robes, but in linen grown from the earth, as we read, was ordered by the Holy Pope Silvester.
Matthew 27:62 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
By the Parasceve is meant 'preparation;' and they gave this name to the sixth day of the week, on which they made ready the things needed for the Sabbath, as was commanded respecting the manna, On the sixth day they gathered twice as much. (Exod. 16:22.) Because on the sixth day man was made, and on the seventh God rested; therefore on the sixth day Jesus died for man, and rested the Sabbath day in the tomb.
Matthew 27:63 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
The Chief Priests although in putting the Lord to death they had committed a heinous crime, yet were they not satisfied unless even after His death they carried on the venom of their malice once begun, traducing His character, and calling one, whom they knew to be guileless, a deceiver. (John 11:49.) But as Caiaphas prophesied without knowing it, that it is expedient that one man should die for the people, so now, Christ was a deceiver, not from truth into error, but leading men from error to truth, from vices to virtue, from death to life.
Matthew 27:64 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day. For Christ's disciples were spiritually thieves; stealing from the unthankful Jews the writings of the New and Old Testament, they bestowed them to be used by the Church; and while they slept, that is, while the Jews were sunk in the lethargy of unbelief, they carried off the promised Saviour, and gave Him to be believed on by the Gentiles. When they say, And the last error will be worse than the first, they utter a truth unwittingly, for their contempt of penitence was worse for the Jews than was their error of ignorance.
Matthew 27:65 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Pilate's answer to their request is as much as to say, Be it enough for you that ye have conspired the death of an innocent man, henceforth let your error remain with you.
Matthew 28:4 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
These who had not the faith of love were shaken with a panic fear; and they who would not believe the truth of the resurrection become themselves as dead men.
Matthew 28:6 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
His fleshly presence, that is; for His spiritual presence is absent from no place. He is risen, as he said.
Matthew 28:7 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
And this glad tiding is given not to you alone for the secret comfort of your own hearts, but ye must extend it to all who love Him; Go quickly, and tell his disciples.
Matthew 28:9 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Hereby He showed that He will meet with His help all those who begin the ways of virtue, and enable them to attain to everlasting salvation. It was told above how He rose when the sepulchre was closed, to show that that body which had been shut up therein dead, was now become immortal. He now offers His feet to be held by the women, to show that He had real flesh, which can be touched by mortal creatures.
Matthew 28:11-13 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Simple minds, and unlearned country-folk, often make manifest without guile the truth of a matter, as the thing is; but on the other hand, a crafty wickedness studies how to recommend falsehood by glosing words.
Matthew 28:15 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
But as the guilt of His blood, which they imprecated upon themselves and their children, presses them down with a heavy weight of sin, so the purchase of the lie, by which they deny the truth of the Resurrection, charges this guilt upon them for ever; as it follows, And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Matthew 28:20 — Catena Aurea by Aquinas (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26.) Hence we understand that to the end of the world shall not be wanting those who shall be worthy of the Divine indwelling.
SIR 4:12 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 1:17
Let us understand that the divine wisdom, which is rightly praised, in some way, is the same wisdom of God, that is, nothing else than Christ, the Son of God, of whom the apostle says, I preach Christ, the power of God and wisdom of God." That same wisdom "inspires the lives of his children" when it gives to his disciples and to all the other faithful the knowledge of his mystery and reveals that of the gospel. It welcomes those who search for it, as it shall welcome the meek, and it shall precede them on the way of the justice of the Lord, who says, "I am the way, the truth and the life; whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." Therefore, who loves him, loves life, for he, observing his commandments, shall obtain eternal life, and "everyone who watches over it shall overflow with joy." It is as promised in the book of Proverbs: "Blessed is the one who hears me, watching every day at my gates and looking toward my doorposts." Call the holy Scriptures and their doctors the gates and the doorposts of the gate, without which we cannot enter into the promised life.
SIR 6:17 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 2:2
The gift of a full and perfect friendship cannot last if it is not among people of similar virtue. And this is what the holy Fathers taught, establishing certain stages in order to arrive at a perfect and unchanging condition of friendship. They said that the first step of true friendship is to despise earthly things and all possessions. Second, everyone should put in check his own will in order to avoid thinking that he is the only wise and sensible person around, preferring his own opinions to those of his neighbor. Third, they said that he should know to defer everything, even the things that he considers useful and necessary, when it will benefit charity and peace. Fourth, he should be convinced that he must not anger himself for no reason at all, whether the anger is just or unjust. Fifth, he should desire that the anger of his brother be assuaged like his own, even if that anger rises against him without reason, knowing that the pain of the one is equally damaging to both; if he lashes out against someone else, he will make every effort to remove that offense of his brother as well. Finally, he should believe that every day might be his last, which sentiment undoubtedly brings about the death of any vice. This conviction not only leaves no place for any sadness in our heart but furthermore stops any movement of evil desire and impedes all sins. Whoever, then, respects these things cannot experience or carry out the bitterness of anger and discord.
SIR 7:34 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 2:10
It shows that the offering that one offers to God with a humble mind and pure love purifies him from many shortcomings and omissions, even if they are small. Concerning these matters it is written, "Love covers a multitude of sins." And the psalmist writes, "A broken spirit is a sacrifice to God, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." And it is for this same reason that the Lord did not despise the two small coins from the poor widow but accepted them with joy.
SIR 8:9 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 2:13
The apostle Peter recommends, "In your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you." It is good for a servant of God to learn from his masters with diligence and commitment what afterwards he must teach to others with prudence and for their benefit. Because if he does not and instead is lazy and indolent in applying himself, he will turn out to be useless in teaching others later.
SIR 10:2 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:1
The city of Christ is the holy church, which follows his footsteps with the affection of a devoted heart and imitates him in the realization of good works. It is there where his ministers, that is, the leaders of the faithful, and the holy preachers observe his commandments and never cease in ordering others to do so as well. And Qoheleth praises their conduct inspired by moderation: "Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of free people, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!" Of another king he says quite the opposite: "Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!" Woe, then, to the land whose king is the devil, always avid for new prey; as judges and princes he has those who love the pleasures of this world, those who say before their death arrives, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Instead, blessed is the land of the church, for Christ is its king, the son of nobles, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who descends from the lineage of the prophets and all the saints, from those who have not been dominated by sin and for that reason are free. His princes are the apostles and all the saints, whose king is the son of nobles, and they do not eat until the morning—or with voracious appetites. They do not indeed search for the pleasures of this world, but they will eat in their due time, when the moment of reward arrives: "Blessed is one who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."
SIR 10:26 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:3
Avoid boasting about one's own good works, for arrogance of this kind is an abomination before the eyes of God and stops one from doing good in adversity, "because tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope."
SIR 10:31 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:3
This means that the one who places all of his trust in the abundance of earthly things must fear future poverty, always remembering that evangelical parable of the rich man dressed in purple and the poor Lazarus. The one clothed with temporary glory is thrown into eternal torments while the other clothed in the misery of the present life rises to eternal joy. And James also says this: "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted and the rich in that he is made low." For whoever humbly undergoes adversities for the Lord shall receive the highest rewards of the kingdom from him. In other words, the rich should boast in their humiliation—in an ironic twist—otherwise, they will see the "glory" that is due them for the pride they placed in their riches while disregarding the poor or even oppressing them—their end will be perpetual punishment.
SIR 11:7 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:4
Avoid reckless judgments. This is why the Lord commands that the innocent, or the one against whom there is only one witness, should not be punished. Instead, "everything must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." Likewise, the apostle orders Timothy to "not receive accusations against an elder without the deposition of two or three witnesses."
SIR 11:10 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:4
Divine wisdom teaches its children not to overly struggle to obtain earthly profits, for otherwise you will not avoid such adversity as greed, envy and similar pains. Therefore it is written in the book of Proverbs, "The one with a covetous eye is impatient to enrich himself and does not consider that misery will fall on him." And again, "He who is greedy of dishonest gain troubles his own house," and, "Better is little with the fear of the Lord than a great treasure with trouble," and, in Qoheleth, "He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loves abundance with profit."
SIR 14:1 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:9
Declare blessed one who is prudent in his words and tries not to say what he might regret. In fact, "one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself from trouble." This also agrees with the words of James, "If one does not err in speech, he is a perfect person." But you might ask us, how can he say that one who does not offend in speech is perfect, since the apostle had just said, "We all fall short in many respects"? And Solomon says, "There is no one on earth so just that he does only good and never sins." And the psalmist, "I said with dismay, 'Everyone is false.' " And John the Evangelist, "If we say that we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." To which it can be replied that there are different kinds of falling short, since the elect fall short in a different way than reprobates, according to Solomon's testimony: "Because if the just person falls seven times, he gets up, but the impious succumb to disaster." Indeed, if the just individual falls short through the weakness of the flesh or through ignorance, he does not cease to be just, since, as this type of failure is daily and inevitable, so also is the remedy of prayer and good works always at hand. This immediately raises up the just individual who sins, so that he does not end up staining or ruining the wedding garment of charity and faith with the dirt of vice.
SIR 17:15 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 4:5
The ways of human beings are their desires and their actions, which in any case do not escape God's knowledge, since "everything is naked and exposed before his eyes." This is why the psalmist says, "The Lord knows a person's thoughts: they are but a breath." But he has especially known the way of those whom he approves. Conversely, it is said that he does not know the ways of those whose actions he condemns. Thus it is written, "The Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked ends in ruin."
SIR 17:17 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 4:5
We may interpret that the rulers placed by God over every people are the angels to whom he entrusted the care of each people, according to that word of Deuteronomy, "He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the angels of God." And one reads in the book of Daniel that there is a head of the Greeks and a head of the Persians, besides Michael, who is the head of the people of God. It also deals with the holy doctors, whom divine election established as those who would preach his word throughout the earth. Thus John was commanded in the Apocalypse to write to the angel of Ephesus and to the angel of Smyrna, and also to the angel of Pergamum and to the angels of the other churches.
SIR 19:4 — ON Ecclesiasticus 4:10
"One who trusts lightly will be harmed, and one who sins against his own soul will suffer even worse harm." Note that this statement does not contradict that of the apostle, who says regarding charity, "It bears all, believes all, hopes all. Charity will never end," since here the perfection of a good will is present, always ready for any good work. The other statement, rather, describes levity of soul, always changeable and lacking in stability. For this reason it is written elsewhere, "The fool changes like the moon." One, therefore, who with itching ears lets himself be easily convinced, stops listening to the truth and turns to fables will suffer harm in both his intelligence and his virtue, and one who harms his own soul will be considered a fool.
SIR 19:12 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 4:11
"Like an arrow stuck in a dog's leg are words in the heart of a fool." The dog is at times explained in a good sense, at times in a bad. The good sense one finds in the Psalter: "They return at evening, hungry as dogs, and roam about the city," which indicates the doctors of Judaism who hunger for the justice of God's law. After the evening of Christ's passion, they went diligently about the city of the church, defending it with the barking of their preaching. We also read in the Gospel that the dogs licked the wounds of Lazarus the beggar. The dog is understood in a negative sense, however, when it indicates the filthiness of sinners, as in this passage: "As the dog returns to its vomit, so the fool repeats his folly." The arrow sticks in the dog's thigh when, under the devil's inspiration, perverse concupiscence lodges in the heart of a sinner. He is rightly called foolish, since like an ox he is led to the slaughter, neither thinking of himself nor keeping himself from ruin and eternal death.
SIR 20:14 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 4:13
The gift of a fool is useless, since the doctrine of heretics benefits no one. "It is as though he had seven eyes," because the intentions of his will are contaminated by various perversities, always ready to do harm. The number seven, which is identified with perfection by the divine charisms that the prophet Isaiah lists as gifts of the Holy Spirit, can, conversely, sometimes indicate the fullness of wickedness, as in that Gospel passage where the Savior tells about the unclean spirit that for a time abandons a person. "When the unclean spirit leaves the person, it roams through arid places in search of repose, and, finding none, it says, 'I will return to my house where I left.' Returning, he finds it swept and clean. Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits worse than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first."
SIR 20:25 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 4:14
The text was not written to justify the thief as though he were not guilty, but by using the comparison it indicates that the habit of lying is worse. As is said in the prophet Ezekiel, the fornication of Jerusalem is worse if compared with that of Samaria, though both merit condemnation. And in the Gospel, according to the word of the Lord, the sin of Sodom will be judged with more forbearance than that of Judea. In a mysterious way the thieves could indicate the Jews, of whom Paul says, "You who preach against stealing, steal," and the lying heretics, whose crime is more intolerable than that of the Jews, since after receiving the grace of baptism and putting on the garments of Christ, they have returned to apostasy, offending the grace of the Spirit—but both crimes will be met with eternal perdition if repentance does not intervene.
SIR 23:22 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:11
The divine judgment condemns the adultery of both the husband and the wife in the same way, and the fruit of such unions is not pleasing to the Lord, nor can what has clearly been born of the contamination of sin please him. According to allegorical interpretation, the assembly of the heretics, or any soul that is deceived by heretical perversity, ceases to please God, since she has abandoned her first husband, the guide of her youth, who had united her to himself in the sacred bond of baptism and adorned her with the beauty of virtue. Ezekiel wrote very clearly on this: "She has united with another man," that is, with the devil, "who has contaminated her with various errors, making her completely guilty."
SIR 24:25-27 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 6:2
We will first speak of the nature itself of the rivers, according to what we have learned from writers in the natural sciences, so as to then expound their allegories. The Pishon is a river that is also called the Ganges, which flows out of paradise toward the regions of India. Pishon means "multitude," since the river is formed from the confluence of ten large rivers. The Ganges received its name from king Gangaro of India. It is also said that it has floods like those of the Nile, inundating the lands of the East. The Tigris is a river of Mesopotamia that flows out of paradise and runs toward Assyria, and after many bends it empties into the Dead Sea. It received this name because of its velocity, which is like that beast called the tiger, which runs with great agility. The Euphrates is a river of Mesopotamia, full of gems, that springs from paradise and flows across Babylon. It receives its name from the harvests, that is, from its fruitfulness, since in Hebrew Euphrata means "fertility," and it irrigates some parts of Mesopotamia like the Nile does Alexandria. Sallust, a very reliable author, says that the Tigris and the Euphrates rise at the same source in Armenia and, following separate courses, move away from each other leaving a space of many miles, and that the land they embrace is called Mesopotamia. The Jordan is a river of Judea that receives its name from two sources, one of which is called Ghor and the other Dan. These begin at a great distance from each other but then flow together into a single bed, called the Jordan from that point on. It begins at the feet of Mount Lebanon and separates Judea from Arabia, and after a sinuous course it flows into the Dead Sea. The Gihon River flows out of paradise and encircles all of Ethiopia. It was given this name because it irrigates the entire land of Egypt with its floods. Ge in Greek is the same as "earth" in Latin. The Egyptians call it the Nile for the silt that it carries and that causes fertility: for this reason the Nile is called Niam ciaon, and previously in Latin it was called Melo. It makes its appearance in the Nile lake, from which it enters Egypt from the south; there it encounters winds from the north that make the waters regress, swelling and flooding Egypt. The identification of the four rivers of paradise, which come from a single source, with the wisdom of the king born of David, indicates that the four Gospels proceed from our Lord Jesus Christ, true Son of God and also true Son of man, that is, of David, since he took flesh from David's descendant. And the Gospels irrigate all the lands of the peoples with their preaching, so that Christ's faithful might cause many fruits of virtue to germinate. The course of the Jordan also comes from the same source, since the sacrament of baptism has come into the world that the offenses of the human race might be purified by its administration. It sends forth discipline as light, since its precepts give the light of eternal life to those who follow it faithfully. For this reason, when Christ sent his disciples to teach and baptize the nations after his resurrection, he said to them in the Gospel, "Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. See, I am with you all days, to the end of the world."
SIR 26:29 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 6:5
If we do not examine it closely, this passage seems contradictory and problematical. If in fact every merchant or shopkeeper merits condemnation, then no one who practices a trade can escape the same punishment. Is not a transaction the attempt to sell something at a higher price than what it cost? Elsewhere, we read in the Lives of the Fathers that Paphnutius, a very holy man, was compared by a divine revelation with a merchant, and even now we find some in the church who are dedicated to business but are very highly thought of. What is condemned is evil action, not honest activity, as when we read that a rich person will not enter the kingdom of heaven, though Job and the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were very rich. Therefore, only those merchants are considered blameworthy who, corrupted by an immoderate desire for money, never think of the Lord's justice and fix their prices more to cheat people than to make an honest gain. Such were cast out of the temple by the Lord with the words, "Do not make of my Father's house a marketplace and a den of thieves."
SIR 27:21 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 6:7
Treachery is the worst evil, and of difficult remedy. This was shown by the example of Judas the traitor, of whom it was said through the prophet in the psalm, "Even the friend in whom I trusted, even he, who ate my bread, raises his heel against me." One who despairs in horror at the consciousness of his own sin thinks more of the noose than of the salutary medicine of repentance. This is why it is written about him, "He loved cursing: may it fall on him! He did not want blessing: may it be far from him!"
SIR 28:9 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 6:8
If we consider what a good peace is, it is easy to understand the evil of discord. If, in fact, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God," there is no doubt that the contentious are evil and children of the devil, since, giving birth to enmities, they sow discord among those who are at peace. Principal among these are the heretics and schismatics who, defending their pernicious sects, are not afraid to provoke arguments and scandals. For this reason the apostle Paul exhorted Timothy with these words: "Avoid vain discussions, which are good for nothing but the destruction of those who listen." And, "Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, knowing that they breed quarrels. A servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome but meek toward all, apt to teach, patient, gentle in reproof of those who oppose the truth."
SIR 29:7 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 6:10
This statement refers to the attitude of those who do not desire to do evil with ill will but are reprehensible for the fact that they do not want to help others, out of fear of losing perishable things. To this sickness one must apply the remedy of mercy and charity and the recollection of that saying of the Lord that says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. Rather, store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, where thieves do not break in and steal." And elsewhere one reads regarding riches what comes from the same charity, "To one who has will be given more, and he will have in abundance. But to one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
SIR 29:16 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 7:2
This passage opposes Pelagius, who puts free will before grace, even though the elect are freed from every stain only by the grace of Christ. Thus the apostle says, "By grace we have been saved." And, "Who will free me from this body given over to death? The grace of God through Christ our Lord." And again, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me has not been in vain."
SIR 29:22 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 7:3
According to the literal sense it is more agreeable to take a frugal but secure meal under the roof of a shack than to seek splendid banquets but in uncertain circumstances and at the price of enormous effort and excessive worry. Allegorically, the food of the spiritual sense that the poor people of the church obtain under the humble roof of the letters of catholic unity is better than the ambitious delicacies of philosophical dogmas, enclosed as they are by philosophers or heretics in the various books of the rhetoricians in the form of errors or hypotheses, instead of in respect for the truth. These latter involve huge labors and excessive worries and are of little use. Paul says on this theme, "They are always learning, without ever arriving at a knowledge of the truth." In fact, "God has shown the wisdom of this world to be foolish," and "the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in virtue."
SIR 33:19 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 7:11
Reason teaches the immediate sense of these things to parents, concerning the right way to rule over their children and to raise them strictly until they have reached maturity, so that they will be worthy heirs of their parents after they are gone. Moreover, according to the spiritual sense it instructs the leaders of the church, so that they might preserve the dignity of their order until death, with a deliberate authority and right guidance. In this way they will leave disciples who have been raised well and who will be useful heirs of their works.
SIR 36:19 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 8:7
Zion is translated as "contemplation." And the holy church is rightly called "contemplation," because it is from there that the hearts of the faithful contemplate the joys of the heavenly kingdom. The Lord fills them with his unspeakable words and instructs them with knowledge of the divine books, in which are proclaimed the inexpressible power of God and the incomparable glory of his majesty. Moreover, by the signs of miracles he manifests his power among all peoples, so that, for this reason, it will be a motive for terror and for honor among all the surrounding nations. Thus we read in the Acts of the Apostles that while Paul preached and performed miracles in the city of Ephesus, "all were filled with fear," that is, the Jews and the Gentiles who lived there, "and they glorified the name of the Lord Jesus. Many who had embraced the faith came to confess their actions in public. And many who had followed magic arts brought their books and burned them before all. The value of all of these was calculated, and they found it to be fifty thousand drachmas of silver. In this way the word of God grew and was strengthened."
SIR 36:20 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 8:7
The perverse heart of heretics contemplates injustice all day long, and their tongue prepares to deceive. The expert in right doctrine resists them with the shield of the true faith and with "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
SIR 37:14 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 8:11
Having first discussed the differences between counselors, here he adds how human wisdom is surpassed by the knowledge of the holy person, infused in him by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The seven counselors are the philosophers that teach the liberal arts (which they have divided into seven parts). It is clear, however, that in every way the modest doctrine of a person having right faith, which is found in the divine books, is more true than the manifold intelligence of the philosophers in discussion and argumentation. In the one, the truth shines without blemish by means of a few pure words. In the other, in babbling on about abstruse questions, erroneous opinions emerge, or even obvious falsehoods.
SIR 37:20 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 8:12
With this statement, malicious discourse is reproved and the malice of heretics condemned. In fact, the arts of debate and calculation are not referred to the senses of the body but to the rational faculty of the soul. Through these arts the truth is piously sought by those who fear God, who find it with profit, but the art of debate is useful for deepening and resolving every sort of question found in the holy Scriptures. One must merely avoid the desire to argue and the puerile ostentation of deceiving one's adversary. There are many arguments called sophisms, that is, deductions based on false reasoning, that so closely imitate true reasoning that they deceive not only the obtuse but also those who, gifted with intelligence, do not give them the necessary attention. Someone, for example, says to another, "You are not what I am." And he responds that he agrees (which is in part true). But since the one was treacherous and the other a simpleton, the first added, "I am a man." And when the second said that he agreed, the first added, "Then you are not a man." I think that the Scripture condemns this kind of captious conclusion when it says, "One who has recourse to sophisms in discourse is hated," but also discourse that, though not being deceptive, is contorted by making use of more twists and turns of words than is appropriate to seriousness. This way of speaking by sophisms is characteristic of heretics, who do everything so as to seduce others with captiousness and malice. They are detestable to God and to all virtuous people.
SIR 38:5 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 8:13
The passage records an ancient episode, when the children of Israel "walked three days in the desert of Shur and did not find water. They arrived" finally "at Marah, but they could not drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter." But the Lord "pointed out a piece of wood" to Moses, and when he "threw it into the water, it became sweet." According to the account, the power of God was manifested there through his medical science, in the waters made sweet by the wood. And the mystery of this event is obvious. The people grumble, seeing the waters and being unable to drink. Moses throws the wood into the waters, and they become sweet. Understand that the bitter waters represent the letter that kills and the Law. If one throws on this the confession of the cross and adds the mystery of the passion of the Lord, then the bitter water becomes sweet, and the bitterness of the letter is transformed into the sweetness of spiritual knowledge. For this reason it is written, "The Lord established a law and judgments for his people, and he tested them." According to another sense, the bitter waters that become sweet by receiving the wood are an image of the bitterness of the nations over the wood of the cross of Christ, which at a certain point is destined to become sweet.
SIR 38:29 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 8:16
And what is meant by this potter if not the holy preachers that we have spoken of already? Through various activities they worthily exercise the degrees of their ministry, adapting their doctrine according to the condition of their hearers. The wise, in fact, must be admonished in a way different from the ignorant, the strong different from the weak, the young different from the old and men different from women. With the plow of the gospel they cultivate the field of the Lord. They pasture the sheep and animals of the Lord with the fodder of the Word. They engrave the seals of the new person in human hearts, producing the weapons of the virtues by the ministry of their tongue. They give an example, consoling by their words and behavior those who are fragile and sickly, until they are transformed into honorable vessels, fully fit for God's ministry. This is why this potter works, turning the wheel with his feet, transforming the changeable situations of this life into an example for his disciples through the signs of good works. He watches what he does so that he might persevere in good actions, and by his own actions he invigorates the activity of the sick, giving them an example of humility and meekness and setting his whole heart on the smoothing of all that is bitter in the habits of those under him by the sweetness of his example. In addition, he spends all of his solicitude cooking every action of the disciples in the fire of the furnace of the heart, so as to render them firmer by the flame of love. He does this because all of his work could be damaged by a fall if it is not held together by the bond of charity.
SIR 41:1 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 9:2
The death of the flesh, which is the end of bodily life, is bitter for one who trusts in the prosperity of this world and the pursuit of riches, since he has not learned to love the joys of the future life. But since "the world and its disordered desires are passing away," all those who love it will weep when it is no more.
SIR 41:5 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 9:2
The children of sinners are detestable in the eyes of the Lord, not because they are born of sinful parents (since many righteous people had wicked fathers, like Hezekiah son of Ahaz and Josiah son of Amon), but because they imitated the wicked actions of their fathers. For this reason he added, "One who stays in the dwelling of the ungodly," speaking of those who imitated the crimes of their reprobate parents, whose conduct was wicked and who consequently will miss the inheritance of the heavenly homeland, forever ashamed.
SIR 41:21-22 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 9:3
The wife of another man is the perverse doctrine of the heretic, who is estranged from faith and from religion, from the company of God and from association with the faithful. For this reason wisdom forbids turning one's gaze toward her, that is, to love her captivating speech. The maidservant is rather his carnal desire, which must be subjected to the dominion of the spirit, according to the words of the Lord to Cain, "Your instinct is toward you, but you can dominate it," but which nonetheless prevails in the life of reprobates. For this reason we are forbidden to look toward this maidservant, that is, to give in to her suggestions or to enter her bed, that is, to lie down in her delights. And it is for this reason that in Proverbs, wisdom reproaches this lustful woman in her bed and forbids us to follow her ways, saying, "Now, my son, listen to me, pay attention to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn toward her ways, do not lose yourself on her paths, because she has caused many to fall, pierced through, and every one of her victims was vigorous. Her house is a road to the netherworld, leading down to the chambers of death."
SIR 43:8 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 9:7
After having discussed the sun, he rightly speaks also of the moon, because the church follows Christ, and as the moon is illuminated by the sun, in the same way the church is illuminated by Christ and established by his glory. Scripture recalls this in the psalm in which the prophet speaks in a mysterious way of the king and of the king's son, saying, "He will endure as the sun, like the moon through all ages." The sun, in fact, is the Word of the Father, the Son of God, the Christ who remains as God and man, one from two natures and in two natures distinct and perfect. Moreover, Christ remains before the moon, that is, before the church, which gazes on him always with the light of the heart. It is right to compare the moon with the church, since it does not have a splendor of its own but receives light from the sun in certain ways that astronomers accurately explain, along with other things. In the same way, the church is apportioned light from the true Creator. In time of persecution, the light diminishes. Then, with the return of peace, it becomes full again with the joy of the clearest light.
SIR 43:9 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 9:7
The beauty of the saints adorns the church. Those whom the most high Lord has ordained to enlighten the whole world with the preaching of the gospel and with the marks of the virtues await the judgment of God in holy words, that is, they attend with constancy to the doctrine of the true faith and are not broken by the adversities of this world. Nor do they let themselves be overcome by anger but endure all things with patience, continually caring for the flock entrusted to them, always diligently remembering in their hearts those words of the Lord, "Be ready, with your loins girded and your lamps lit. Be like those who await the master's return from the wedding." "Be ready, because in an hour you do not expect, the Son of man will come." "By your perseverance you will save your souls."
SIR 43:11 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 9:7
God almighty set the rainbow as a sign between himself and humanity, indicating that he would never again destroy the world with a flood. And this is why the rainbow has the color of both water and fire—in part light blue and in part red—so that it might testify to both judgments, to the one that is to come and to the one that has already taken place, since the world will be burned by fire and was once destroyed by the waters of the flood. For this reason we liken the rainbow to the Scripture of the New and the Old Testaments, since, in a certain way, it encircles the necks of the faithful with two curved parts. On this we read, "He has strung and aimed his bow," and thus he gives a sweet yoke to to the faithful, but for rebels he proclaims himself to be a fearsome weapon. The rainbow is very beautiful in its brilliance, because the sense and intelligence of sacred Scripture are magnificent. "It encircles the heavens with a ring of glory," because it speaks abundantly of the highest things and of the lowest.
SIR 44:9 — ECCLESIASTICUS 10:1
The godless and sinners were not worthy of memory, because if the Scripture says something of them, it does so not to praise them but to blame. In the psalm it is written of them, "The fortresses of the enemy have been pulled down forever, the memory of the city you destroyed has disappeared. Their memory has disappeared with a roar." At the end of the world, in fact, to the devil's joy, those who it has been determined belong to his city will fall, and their memory will perish with a fantastic din when they go to eternal punishment.
SIR 44:16 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:3
It is right that he began to enumerate the holy fathers, not from Adam, who transgressed the divine commandment and was expelled from paradise, but from Enoch, who walked with God and was taken up into paradise. And in this way the splendor of the saints shines, because from the pains of this world they are taken up to the peace of the heavenly kingdom. It is believed that he will return together with Elijah at the end of the world, to counsel men and women so that they would turn from their sins to repentance. In this way, together with his companion, he will pay the debt of death in the persecution of the antichrist.
SIR 44:21 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:5
The inheritance that he was promised symbolizes two things. The comparison with the sand of the sea indicates the Jews, who are sterile. And the comparison with the stars of heaven designates all the people who believe in Christ, who by the light of the resurrection will shine like the stars of heaven. "Every star in fact differs from another in splendor. So also in the resurrection." His descendents will inherit "from one sea to the other, from the river to the ends of the earth," since Christ, born of the descendents of Abraham, rules from one sea to the other and from the river to the ends of the earth, and his church, his very body, fills all the limits of the world. One also notes that Abraham represents in himself three things. In the first place, the Savior, who, leaving his family, came into this world. Second, the Father, when he sacrificed his only Son. Third, by the fact that he had welcomed three men and adored one of them, he symbolized the saints, who joyfully received the coming of Christ in the flesh. This mystery of the incarnation is the work of the entire holy Trinity but was realized only in the Son. "And the Word was made flesh and came to dwell among us."
SIR 45:4 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:8
It is certain that his faith and his meekness made holy and acceptable to God the one who was chosen by the divine providence to govern all. While the sons of Israel listened, the Lord gave him the law on Mount Sinai and established the precepts of life, speaking with him in the cloud so that he would teach his people and instruct them in how to live justly. And though he would symbolize many things at different times, by the fact that he brought the people of God out of Egypt through the waters of the Red Sea and led them through the desert, while the cloud guided and indicated the way, he is the image of the Law. Under the guidance of Christ, the Law freed the faithful from the spiritual Egypt and from the power of the true pharaoh by the waters of baptism, so that in the desert of this world, instructed and taught by the divine precepts, they would reach the promised land, the heavenly homeland, where they will have every good thing in abundance and will enjoy eternal life.
SIR 45:8 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:9
The vestments of the high priest are nothing other than the works of the virtues and the wise doctrine that truly adorn the priest of the Lord, since he must constantly possess these. And for this reason he said, "You have crowned him with instruments of virtue." The wise in heart, who have been filled by God with a spirit of prudence so as to make those very vestments, are the prophets and apostles, as well as the other doctors of the truth. They show us with the greatest clarity how priests and ministers of the altar must live and how they must teach, by example and action or with words of exhortation. The vestments made by Moses and his brother Aaron—that is, the sacred Scriptures—are what Paul indicates and recommends to leaders, saying, "Bishops, as administrators of God, must be beyond reproach: not arrogant, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not avid for dishonest gain, but hospitable, loving the good, sensible, just, pious, self-controlled, holding fast to sure doctrine according to the teaching that has been handed down."
SIR 45:24 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:10
In a mysterious sense, it is right that the dignity of the eternal priesthood is promised to Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, for the zeal that he had against the fornicators. Indeed, whoever, moved by godly zeal, makes an effort to suppress the impulses of his flesh or reproves and restrains those under him, so as to not let them deviate from the truth out of lust and sexual desire, will have the dignity of the eternal priesthood in the church of God, which rightly belongs to that priest of whom it is written, "Like Melchizedek, you are a priest forever." He will possess, with him, the eternal kingdom in heavenly light.
SIR 46:1 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:11
Joshua son of Nun showed himself by his name and his actions to be a figure of the Savior, to whom God the Father "has given the name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee would bend in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth." And since this name is above every other name, for generations it was not borne by anyone. Moses wrote the book of Genesis, in which we read of Abraham and of those born to him, of whom many are righteous but none of whom merited to be called Jesus. Not even Abel was called Jesus, nor he who began to invoke the name of the Lord God nor he who pleased God and was taken away and did not know death. Nor Noah, who was the only just person of his generation before God. And not Abraham, who received the promises of the covenant, nor Isaac, born of him, nor Jacob the deceiver nor any of his sons. Moses was faithful in all his house, but not even he was called Jesus. Rather, I find the name of Jesus for the first time in the book of Exodus. I want to reiterate when the name of Joshua-Jesus is first mentioned, "Amalek came to fight against Israel, and Moses said to Joshua at Rephidim." This is the first mention of the name Joshua-Jesus: "Choose some brave men from among the sons of Israel to fight against Amalek tomorrow." He is the one who was given command after the death of Moses, who led the army and fought against Amalek and, as is symbolized by the hands stretched out on the mountain, nailed the principalities and powers to his victorious cross.
SIR 46:9 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:11
What Caleb says, "As my vigor was then, so it is now," indicates that all the saints and the wise of heart have the same vigor in things present as in those past, in things recent as in those ancient, in the Gospels and in the Law. This is therefore what he says, the one who is vigorous now under Jesus as he was vigorous then under Moses, since a vigilant heart remains vigorous in the mysteries of both Testaments. But we also see the request made by the same Caleb, son of Jephunneh, to Joshua: "Give me this mountain, of which the Lord spoke in that day." The saint asks for nothing earthly or lowly, nothing that lies in the deep valleys, but asks for a very high mountain, a mountain on which there is a great, fortified city. He asks for it because he knew how to fight, as it is written, "The wise man storms a city of warriors and breaks down the stronghold in which it trusted." Hearing these words of Solomon, do you think his intent was to teach us that the wise man had taken a city and destroyed fortresses made of stone? Or rather, does he indicate that the cities and walls are the dogmas of the godless and the syllogisms of the philosophers by which they compose impiety and what is opposed to the divine law, as practiced by the pagans and barbarians? But it must be assumed that the fortified cities set on the mountains are those things that heretics base on the statements of the Scriptures, as on high mountains. The wise man will therefore destroy the cities, preaching the word of truth and overthrowing the lying fortresses with the battering ram of truth, as Paul also said: "Destroying arguments and every bulwark that raises itself against the knowledge of God."
SIR 46:11 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:11
After Joshua son of Nun, the people of God were ruled by judges, who governed them and defended them from enemies. In the same way, after the passion, resurrection and ascension into heaven of our Savior, the church of God had the apostles and the apostolic leaders who instructed it with holy admonitions, fortifying it, with good merits and with holy prayers, against spiritual iniquity and against all enemies. For this reason it is right to say that "their hearts were not corrupted, and they did not turn away from the Lord," since they persevered to the end of their lives in right faith and in the true religion, to such an extent that their memory has been honored by a perennial blessing and the power of their good works was rewarded with an eternal prize. Thus the memory of their name will be handed down to their posterity with glory. Indeed, all peoples will recount their wisdom, and the entire assembly of the saints sings their praises.
SIR 47:2 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:13
When it says that Nathan, like the fat of salvation, was separated from the meat, it indicates that he was full of the grace of the Holy Spirit and that his conduct and his life were far from and foreign to those of carnal and sinful people.
SIR 47:25 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:16
This wicked innovation was perpetuated among the people of the ten tribes until the Lord enacted his revenge and they were deported to Assyria. When it says, "Until their justification came, and he freed them from all their sins," I think it refers to the justification and freedom of our Savior, who at his coming frees and protects from every enemy those who have turned to faith in him and have been purified from all their sins through baptism in him.
SIR 48:12 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:18
How is it possible that Elisha, when Elijah his master gave him the opportunity, asked for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah? The Lord says in the Gospel, "The disciple is not greater than the master. But everyone who is well prepared will be like his master." But if we examine the mystery of this request, we will find that it is not an inopportune one but necessary. In fact, "Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I must do for you before I am taken from you. Elisha responded, I beg you that a double portion of your spirit be in me. And he responded, You have asked a difficult thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken away from you, it will be granted to you. If not, it will not be granted you." What does Elijah symbolize here but our head, that is, the Lord our Redeemer, and Elisha his body, which is the church? Elijah, then, gives the occasion to ask, because in the Gospel it says, "Ask, and it will be given you." And also, "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." Having received this assurance from the Lord, Elisha, that is, the Christian people, asks that the spirit of Christ be doubled in him, which is to say, a double grace of the Holy Spirit, for the remission of sins and for the conferral of virtue. Our Redeemer, who had no sin, and neither did he commit sin, nor was deception found in his mouth, had no need for the remission of sins, not having any sin, but carried out the works of the Holy Spirit. He says this to the Jews in the Gospel: "If I cast out demons by the finger of God, it is because the kingdom of God has come on you."
SIR 48:15 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:18
When it says, "There remained only a people very few in number, with a prince of the house of David. Some of them did what was pleasing to God, but others multiplied sins," it indicates that the descendents of the house of David and the tribes of Judah and of Benjamin did not completely reject the worship of God and his temple, as did the ten tribes that were in Samaria. But some of them were idolaters, such as Joram, Ahaziah, Manasseh, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. Others adhered to their God, as did Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah. Similarly, their subjects also acted in different ways: some followed the right way, others stumbled into error. For this reason it later happened that when many had already deviated from the truth, they were punished with imprisonment, so that those who had worshiped idols in their own land would also worship them in a foreign land.
SIR 48:17 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:19
What it says in this passage, "He dug a canal in the rock with iron and built cisterns for water," mysteriously indicates the holy city, of which it is written, "The Savior is our fortified city," which cannot remain hidden since it is built on a hill. Elsewhere it is also written, "The rush of the river gladdens the city of God," and, "Marvelous things are said of you, city of God." He founded it and fortified it. And the Father says, "He built my city" and restores all the walls—which were in part knocked down by the malice of the pagans or of the heretics—with correct faith and true religion, raising the towers of the virtues and putting another wall without, a bulwark. In the building of forts these are called parapets, and they teach us to hold on to the efficacy of good works. It is not enough in fact to have the wall of faith, if this faith is not reinforced by good works. This wall and this bulwark are in fact made of living stones, which, according to the prophet, turn on the earth. The king made every kind of armor and shield, establishing the various testimonies of Scripture and commanding the evangelical doctrine in defense of his church. He established doctors who would lead the spiritual warriors and guide all the armies in a just and reasonable way, adequately defending the church's camps against every enemy.
SIR 49:2 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:21
According to the allegory, Josiah is a figure of the saving Lord, he who is called the salvation and strength of the Lord, since Scripture says of him, "The mighty Lord, the Lord strong in battle." And elsewhere, "He will save his people from their sins." In fact, out of zeal for God, he who said through the prophet, "Zeal for your house consumes me," purifies the land of Judah and Jerusalem from all filth and abomination. Of him John says, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor."
SIR 49:9 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:23
Ezekiel, whose name is translated "confirmed by God" and who, in Babylon, predicted to the sinful masses the coming imprisonment, though promising forgiveness of sins to those who would turn and do penance, points in a mysterious way to the Lord and Savior, who is the power and wisdom of God and was called by the prophet the arm of the Lord. He has visited us, we who were in the prison of this world, foretelling future punishments for sinners and promising eternal healing to those who were repentant.
SIR 49:11 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:25
How he is a seal in the right hand of Israel is what the prophet Haggai shows at the end of his book: "In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, my servant, says the Lord of hosts, and I will place you like a seal, because I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts." In the end, he is commanded to speak only to Zerubbabel, since he preceded Christ as his image, having assumed the flesh of the line of David. He is told, therefore, what will happen at the end, that this world will pass away and that he will destroy every principality, power and might, pull down the thrones of kings and destroy the power of kingdoms and nations, and the chariots, the horses and the riders. "In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, my servant." He calls him "servant" because of the human body, since "then he also, the Son, will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him," and with all things subjected it will be seen that he also is subjected. But when all of this is fulfilled, God will put a seal in his hands. God the Father marks him, and he is the image of the invisible God, his imprint and his substance, and whoever will believe in God will be sealed as with a ring.
SIR 49:14 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:27
What was set forth at first and again recapitulated concerning Enoch, if not that his being taken away prefigured the ascension into heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ, who became incarnate in the last days of the world and was testified to by all the patriarchs and prophets? It is rightly said of him that "no one was created on earth equal to Enoch," which means consecration, as one who has consecrated his church, consecrating it with his blood. He came into the world without sin and was received into heaven in glory. Of him the psalmist says, "You are the most beautiful among the sons of men," and, "Ascending on high, he took prisoners with him; he gave gifts to human beings."
SIR 50:25 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:30
He says that he hated two peoples. One of these is the Jewish people subject to the letter of the law, which was also known by the name of Seir, which means "shaggy" or "hairy." Seir is Esau, whose name means "red," the older son of Isaac and Rebecca; the younger was called Jacob. But why was Esau all red and hairy, if not because the first people was stained by the blood of the prophets and of Christ and lived in the squalor of sin and wickedness? For this reason the younger one grabbed onto his heel, since the younger people would mysteriously surpass the older. This is in fact "a perverse and adulterous generation," according to the truthful voice of the Gospel, that "kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to them." In the last days they did not fear to raise their impious hands against the heir, killing the Son of God. … The other people are the Philistines, whose name means "double ruin" and symbolizes the people of the nations, contaminated by both idolatry and perverse conduct and thus making themselves hateful, since in error they have strayed far from the way of truth. The third is then the assembly of heretics, the foolish people living at Shechem, in the sides of the mountain and in discomfort, because, writing and teaching perverse things every day, they foolishly waste their effort. The fact that they are not even considered a people shows that heretics do not have a single origin or a single error but have arisen in many different places and fallen into many errors. And they even contradict each other.
SIR 51:4 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:31
We read that this happened frequently in the passions of the martyrs. Like the three young men, who remained unhurt in the intense flames of the furnace, they also would not have suffered harm from the consuming flames. But since this has not been granted to all the martyrs of God, since many of them were burned bodily by the fire, though their souls arrived freely in the heavenly places, it is better to understand this fire and this flame as the intense heat of persecution, which, although it can afflict the saints of God for a little while, cannot go so far as to cause them to lose their souls.
SIR 51:14 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:31
After the prayer offered by the author of this book, speaking as the church, he tells how he had sought wisdom from his childhood, having asked it of the Lord. When he says that he sought wisdom before his youth, before the opportune time to ask, he shows to have desired it prior to the errors of childhood and adolescence, and even before his youth, and to have asked insistently that God would give it to him, promising to seek it always. Adolescence and youth are fraught with dangers, because the actions of the exterior person dominate, as Solomon says in the book of Proverbs, confessing that he does not know "the way of a youth in his adolescence," and the prophet asks the Lord, "Do not recall the sins of my youth and of my ignorance." For this reason philosophers, representing human life with the letter Y, assign the lefthand stroke to infancy and adolescence and the righthand stroke to the more mature age, when the intellect is more robust and rejects the earlier foolishness of the senses. In fact, this letter was first used by Pythagoras as an example of human life, in such a way that the bottom stroke, thinner than a comma, would indicate the uncertain condition of the earliest age, not yet given to either vice or virtue. The junction above it begins with adolescence, of which the right side is difficult but tends to a blessed life, and the left is easier but leads to perdition and death.
WIS 1:1 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Love righteousness, you who judge the earth. Divine wisdom admonishes the rulers of God's people, to whom the power of judging has been given, that they should love righteousness and preserve equity in judgment. Otherwise, this statement may generally pertain to all who are endowed with reason and have an understanding mind, so that, judging the earth, that is, their own flesh, they may love righteousness; namely, that they do not make provision for the flesh in its lusts, but, subjecting it to the command of the spirit, devote themselves especially to the virtues by which the soul is nourished; then let them care for their body according to necessity, and not according to pleasure, always recalling that saying of the law: For man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). think about the Lord with goodness, and seek him with simplicity of heart. But he thinks about the Lord with goodness who reads and understands Sacred Scripture according to piety, and he seeks Him in simplicity of heart who humbly submits himself to His will, namely to keep His commandments. For he who devoutly seeks the Lord honors Sacred Scripture, and does not criticize what he does not yet understand, and therefore does not resist: this is to be meek, of whom in the Gospel Truth itself says: Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth (Matt. 5:5). Therefore, philosophers of the world and their heretical followers are excluded, who think that by human reason they can grasp divine secrets, since it is written: Who shall investigate the wisdom of God that precedes all things? (Rom. 1:33) And the Apostle clearly says: The judgments of God are incomprehensible, and His ways unsearchable; He is to be worshipped in this present life with right faith, rather than with reckless conflict.
WIS 1:2-3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Because He is found by those who do not test Him, but He appears to those who have faith in Him. For it is dangerous to tempt God by human assumption, since it is written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God. (Deut. 6:16) But it is beneficial to honor Him with true faith, because the righteous shall live by faith. For true wisdom by no means enters a wicked mind, nor can it dwell in a wicked man; therefore the philosophers of the Gentiles flatter themselves in vain, and all heretics, as well as false Christians, who think that with a defiled mind and criminal conduct they can receive the wisdom of God, which only those of a pure heart deserve to receive by the gift of the Holy Spirit. For perverse thoughts separate from God; but proven virtue corrects the foolish. It is clear that every wicked thought and depraved will can in no way be joined to the Lord, nor be in harmony with the highest good; for there is no fellowship between light and darkness, nor agreement between Christ and Belial. But where the intention and pursuit of sacred virtues are present in a devout heart, they always reject the vices of the foolish and refute their errors; therefore, those who truly love wisdom must cleanse their hearts and direct the whole intention of their mind to the love of their Creator.
WIS 1:4-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins. In agreement with this testimony, the apostle James wrote similarly in his Epistle, saying: Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a vine figs? So neither can salt water make sweet. Who is wise and learned among you? Let him show by good conduct his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and strife in your hearts, do not glory and be liars against the truth. For this wisdom does not descend from above, from the Father of lights; but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where there is jealousy and dispute, there is instability and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first indeed pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, judging without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (James 3:12-18). For true wisdom does not enter into a hateful mind, nor can it dwell in a wicked man; therefore, in vain do the philosophers of the Gentiles flatter themselves, and all heretics, as well as false Christians, who think that with a base mind and wicked conduct they can receive the wisdom of God, which only those with a pure heart are worthy to receive as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul. Therefore, it is most certain that Mani, Arius, and Eunomius, and the other heretics, composed their doctrines, most full of errors, without the grace of the Holy Spirit, because the good Spirit of the Lord always leads into the right way; but the evil spirit deceives, and drags his followers with him into the snare of eternal perdition, concerning whom it is also added: and will be put to the test when unrighteousness comes in. For when the time of retribution comes, all the wicked and sinners will receive perpetual punishment for their iniquities.
WIS 1:6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This statement refutes the error of those who, just as good thoughts are known to be inspired in us by God, also believe that evil thoughts are generated in our minds by His instigation. In no way does God, who is supremely good and wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, impose the necessity of an evil word or wicked deed on anyone, through which he might perish, as the apostle James shows when he says: "Let no one, when he is tempted, say: I am tempted by God; for God is not the tempter of evils, and He Himself tempts no one" (James 1:13); as if he were saying: Let no one, when he has committed robbery, theft, false testimony, murder, adultery, or other such things, say that he was compelled by God to do these things, and therefore could in no way have avoided their outcome. "For God is not a tempter of evils," it is understood, of temptations; for He Himself tempts no one, namely with that kind of temptation which deceives the wretched so that they sin. For there are two kinds of temptation: one which deceives, the other which tests; according to that which deceives, God tempts no one; according to that which tests, God tempted Abraham. Concerning this, the Prophet also asks: Prove me, O Lord, and try me (Ps. 26:2). But each one is tempted by his own desire, drawn away and enticed, namely, drawn away from the right path and enticed into evil, into which, however, he is permitted to fall by the just judgment of God, who did not wish to obey the Spirit of truth.
WIS 1:7 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the spirit of the Lord has filled the world. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, who in the beginning of creation was moving over the waters with invisible power, fills and contains every creature with His majesty, or by the gift of His power fills the whole world of the Church, in which He daily shows the abundance of His gift. Therefore it is added: and that which holds all things together has knowledge of what is spoken, because, as Paul says: To one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith in the same Spirit, to another the grace of healing in one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues: for all these are worked by one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as He wills (1 Cor. 12:8-11).
WIS 1:8 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For just as the elect receive the gift of knowledge and virtue through the grace of the Holy Spirit, so heretics and all the depraved, puffed up by their own pride and incited by the evil spirit, cannot hide before the Spirit of God the wickedness of their error, which they shamelessly proclaim, and therefore they cannot escape the just punishment of vengeance; for just as the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers, so the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
WIS 1:9-10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah has multiplied and come to the Lord, and He descended to see whether they had completed by deed the outcry that had come to Him. Therefore, the Lord rained upon the sinners sulfur and fire from the Lord, and overthrew these cities and the entire surrounding region. Therefore, also the murmuring of the children of Israel went up to the Lord, and behold, the wrath of the Lord was stirred up against the people, and He struck them with a very great plague. For the Lord God is a consuming fire, a jealous God, and He will render to each according to his works.
WIS 1:11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
How wicked grumbling and detraction are can be proven by many statements of the Holy Scriptures and by examples of the judgments of the Lord; especially since the Lord Himself is often found to have sent vengeance upon those who grumble and complain. And Scripture says that every scoffer is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 24:9). The Apostle also says: Whisperers and detractors are hateful to God (Rom. 1:30). Therefore, the psalmist also says: Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him I will destroy. And elsewhere it is read: Whoever slanders anything binds himself for the future, and just as a serpent bites in silence, so does he who secretly slanders his brother. (Ps. 101:5) Death and life are in the power of the tongue. He who is of a perverse heart finds no good, and he who twists his tongue falls into evil. And it is well said that an obscure answer will not go in vain, because it will be reserved for the judgment of the Lord. Therefore, that saying of the Lord: Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (Matt. 12:36) For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned. and a lying mouth destroys the soul. Therefore, a lying mouth kills the soul of the liar himself, because it pierces it with the sword of sin; therefore, every lie must be most carefully avoided, although sometimes there is a kind of lie that is a lesser fault, if someone lies in order to do a good deed. This is clearly expressed by Father Augustine in his book On Lying, where he mentions that there are eight kinds of lies; anyone who wishes can find out how he discusses this there. But whoever thinks that any kind of lie is not a sin deceives himself disgracefully, while he considers himself to be an honest deceiver of others. Therefore, when examples of lying are presented to us from the Holy Scriptures, either they are not lies, but are thought to be so because they are not understood; or if they are lies, they are not to be imitated, because they cannot be just, but as it is written: God did well to the Hebrew midwives and to Rahab the prostitute of Jericho, not because they lied, but because they were merciful to the people of God. Therefore, it was not their deceit that was rewarded, but their goodwill; the kindness of their mind, not the wickedness of their lying. For just as it would not be strange or absurd if God wished to forgive evil deeds previously committed by them because of their later good deeds, so it is not surprising that, at one time and in one case, God, seeing both aspects of the same act, mercifully rewarded the act as good and, because of this good, forgave the evil in it.
WIS 1:12-13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Above, he has listed those things which are harmful to man, that is, grumbling, detraction, and lying, from which he has commanded us to guard ourselves. Now he repeats the same in other words, namely, that we should not do those things which are subject to death, because our destruction does not please God, who wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth. He who speaks through the prophet: Why will you die, house of Israel? For I do not will the death of the one who dies, says the Lord God (Ezek. 18:31-32). Turn back and live. For God is the author of our salvation, not of our destruction, who saw all that He had made, and it was very good. But according to the Apostle, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 6:23).
WIS 1:14 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
From this statement, as in the previous one, it is evident that the Lord is the author of good works, not of evil ones; therefore, He is a just judge, who punishes wicked deeds and sins. Nor do we sin out of necessity when we transgress, but by a stubborn will, which proceeds from the quality of free will. We therefore acknowledge God as just and good, the creator of human substance and of both inner and outer senses, so that absolutely everything pertaining to nature is from Him, and absolutely nothing that is against nature is from Him. But sin is against nature, from which death and all things that arise from death originate. Man then clothed himself with these evils when, deprived of faith and obedience, the Devil led him away from the law of God into trust in his own promises, and bound all the offspring of his successors to himself by the condition of the appointed lineage.
WIS 1:15-16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, righteousness is rightly said to be perpetual and immortal, because it frees those who obey it from eternal death. Unrighteousness, on the other hand, is the purchase of death, because the torments of Hades are the certain reward of sinners. The immoral have summoned unrighteousness with their hands and words, because they follow it in their deeds and speech, and, deceived by error, confidently believe they can sin with liberty, in no way consenting to be separated from its company, since, already condemned by the just judgment of God, they do not strive to escape it. Therefore the saying from the Gospel: But he who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:18). And again: He who believes in the Son of God has eternal life. But he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him (Jn. 3:36).
WIS 2:1-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This is the voice of the lost, who, like brute animals, look only at the present and do not think about the future, nor do they have any hope of eternal rest after the end of this life, about whom it is said by the psalmist: Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts, and became like them (Ps. 49:20). The prophet Isaiah rebukes their voice, saying: For you have said: We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we will make an agreement. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not come upon us, for we have made lies our hope, and we are protected by falsehood (Isa. 28:15). Therefore says the Lord: I will set judgment as a measuring line, and righteousness as a plumb line; hail will sweep away the hope of falsehood, and waters will overflow the shelter, and your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Hades will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it; whenever it passes through, it will take you away (Isa. 28:17-18). To which the prophet Amos added similar words, saying: Woe to you who are wealthy, and separated for the day of evil, and who draw near to the throne of iniquity; who sleep on beds of ivory, and indulge on your couches; who eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the herd; who sing to the sound of the harp, and, like David, think themselves to have instruments of song. Who drink wine in bowls, and are anointed with the best ointment, and do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore now you will go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the revelry of those who indulge will be taken away (Amos 6:4-7). And again: Because you plundered the poor, and took the best spoil from him, you build houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you plant pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine: for I know your many crimes, and your mighty sins. (Amos 5:11-12)
WIS 2:10-11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Although these things may generally pertain to those who, despising God, spare neither sex nor age, but through injustice and greed wish to oppress all, nevertheless, in a deeper sense, they can be applied to the treacherous persecutors of Christians and to heretics, who burden the poor people of the Church with their wickedness and persecutions, and that widow of whom it is written: "Blessing, I will bless his widow, I will satisfy his poor with bread," (Ps. 132:15) they intend to crush with the worst will, and strive to find fault with the prophets and apostles, whom he here calls elders, in their words; by no means do they endeavor to keep the statutes of the divine law, but strive to proceed in the unorthodoxies of their own error, nor do they themselves obey our Head, but presume to utter such words of wickedness against Him.
WIS 2:12-16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The dishonest Jews were then planning to bypass righteousness, when, confronted by the words of the Gospel, they were admonished through Christ to abandon their former filth of vices and to follow the truth of God's commandments. But where they ought to have hoped for the cause of salvation, taking grave offense, they considered killing him as if he were a blasphemer. As it is written in the Gospel: The Jews took up stones to stone him. Jesus answered them: I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of these do you stone me? The Jews answered him: We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God, etc. (Jn. 10:31-33). For, instigated by envy, they did not consider what he was doing, but what they themselves were unwilling to do; in the rays of light they became darkened. Therefore such words suited them, so that they said: He is even a burden to us to look upon, because his life is different from others, and he keeps himself away from our ways as from filth. And because they did not think about the future life, they therefore grieved that the hope of future life was preferred to their own pleasure; and therefore, by wicked counsels, they aimed at his death, as the following words demonstrate.
WIS 2:17-20 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
They are clearly described in the Gospel, where the chief priests and Pharisees took counsel on how they might deliver Jesus to death, and when he was placed on the cross, the chief priests with the scribes and elders, mocking, said: He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him now if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God (Matt. 27:42-43). He calls the most shameful death the cross, because until the passion of Christ it was the punishment of criminals, which now is the trophy of victory and the glory of believers. For when he says, "for there will be an examination of him according to his words," this refers to his resurrection; for the unbelieving Jews wanted to test whether he could raise his flesh after death, because they remembered that he had said: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (Jn. 2:19). And elsewhere: Behold, he said, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on; and after they have scourged him, they will kill him, and the third day he shall rise again (Luke 18:31-34). Wherefore, even during His Passion, they said to Pilate: Lord, we remember that this deceiver said while still alive: After three days I will rise again. Therefore, command that the tomb be guarded until the third day, lest perhaps His disciples come and steal Him away, and say to the people: He has risen from the dead; and the last error will be worse than the first (Matthew 27:64).
WIS 2:21-22 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, they were not able to grasp the mystery of God's counsel, envious and deceitful, "for wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul" (Wis. 1:4); nor could they understand that the death of Christ is the honor and salvation of holy souls, because through it they hope for the reward of justice, and receive entrance into the heavenly kingdom.
WIS 2:23-24 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By this statement, the error of the Manichaeans is refuted, who introduced two natures and substances, that is, good and evil: because our Creator is not the author of our downfall, and as far as the truth of nature is concerned, we were created immortal by Him. However, by assenting to the serpent's suggestion, we were subjected to the sentence of death; yet the first robe of immortality, which the human race, created in the image of God from the beginning but lost in Adam through the Devil's envy and seduction, was received again through the death of Christ: for our death was destroyed in His death, and our life was restored in His resurrection, although those who choose to be imitators of the Devil's envy rather than of Christ's humility and gentleness do not belong to that destiny.
WIS 3:1 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
In the previous chapter, the opinion of the wicked was expressed, which they put forth against our head with perverse understanding and nefarious words. Now, however, their error is condemned, which they believed occurred in the destruction of his members, when they slaughtered them with various punishments for the confession of his name. But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, that is, under his protection, and the torment of eternal death cannot harm them in any way.
WIS 3:2-3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
They were truly foolish when they considered the suffering and extermination of the martyrs to be a defeat, since these were for them the cause of victory and perpetual peace.
WIS 3:4-6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Temporal death and the affliction of this present life have brought perpetual prosperity as a reward to the saints of God, because their hope was unfailing and their solid faith endured to the end. For God chastised them with various temptations, and through the endurance of patience proved them worthy of the eternal crown. The two examples he set forth, that is, gold tested in the furnace and holocausts burned in fire, show their most thorough examination and perfect purity, because just as gold is not burned by fire but tested, so the holy substance of the martyrs is not brought to destruction, but prepared for immortality and future glory; and just as the holocaust, which is wholly offered to God through fire, is a most acceptable sacrifice, so also the passion of the martyrs, offered to the Lord in the fragrance of sweetness through the heat of faith and the fervor of love, stands as a most pleasing gift and a most precious offering to Him. Therefore it is said by the Psalmist: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. (Ps. 116:15) And what is added: as gold in the furnace he proved them, signifies that the death of the saints is not perpetual according to the estimation of the reprobate; but rather, on the day of judgment, when Christ judges, their reward will be most abundant.
WIS 3:7 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By presenting another example, he demonstrates that at the final judgment there will be a sudden reward for the saints, and a swift punishment for the depraved. For when the elect are changed from corruption to incorruption, from mortality to immortality, from disgrace to glory, then they will rise to judge their adversaries, and just as a spark of fire suddenly kindles a flame in a field of reeds, so the sentence of the just Judge of the saints brings strong and swift vengeance of punishments upon the reprobate.
WIS 3:8 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The saints will judge the nations, but through them God judges, who presides over their minds. They will rule over peoples, for no adversity of opposition resists them. Their Lord will reign forever, because the kingdom of Christ will endure without any end. Concerning this, the angel said to Mary: The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32-33). Therefore, it is also said through Isaiah: His dominion will be multiplied, and there will be no end of peace (Isa. 9:7). The saints will also reign with their king, that is, the members with their head, as the words of the angel testify to Daniel in prophetic vision, saying: But the kingdom and power and greatness of the kingdom under all heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is everlasting, and all kings will serve him and obey him. (Dan. 7:27)
WIS 3:9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is clear that whoever perfectly trusts in the Lord in this present life, according to the distribution of the Holy Spirit, perceives here an understanding of the truth in a manner appropriate to himself; because now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face; now we know in part, but then we shall know even as we are known. But now remain faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:12-13) Because when the others pass away, that alone remains, therefore it is said: The faithful shall abide with him in love, for the elect of God, after the end of the world, delighting in the good which they formerly sought with faith and hope, will in no way be able to be separated from His company, since, rewarded with the gift of eternal satisfaction, they will enjoy perpetual peace.
WIS 3:10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The sentence of the universal judgment will be completed when the saints, united with their King, joyfully enter the kingdom of their heavenly homeland; then the wicked and sinners who were negligent regarding their salvation, according to the wickedness of their hearts and actions, will be plunged with the Devil into the abyss of Gehenna, where they will be tormented without end, for their worm does not die, and the fire is not extinguished. (Mark 9:48)
WIS 3:11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Now he shows what this is, which he previously said had departed from the Lord, that is, to cast away wisdom and discipline, of which hope is empty, and labors are without fruit, because they vainly hope that they can use temporal things perpetually, or that by committing sins they can escape unpunished. The labors of these people are without the fruit of future reward, and their works are rundown: for the workers themselves cannot make anyone a participant in the heavenly dwelling. Against this, when the Psalmist foretold the crimes of the chief of all the wicked by reproaching him, he said: Therefore God will destroy you forever, He will pluck you out and remove you from your tent, and uproot your root from the land of the living (Ps. 52:5). Heretics also cannot inappropriately be understood in this statement, who, rejecting divine wisdom and the rule of right faith, spend the labors of their doctrine and the sects of their errors in vain and without the fruit of eternal life, whose intention is foolish and whose works are most wicked.
WIS 3:12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He calls women either carnal desires or interpretations of wicked sense: from which the most wicked children, that is, nefarious acts or perverse doctrines, proceed, who are liable not to the reward of the heavenly kingdom, but to the torment of Hades.
WIS 3:13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The cursed creature of those, that is, their creation. For divine wisdom does not impose the mark of a curse on the creatures of God, whom their Creator blessed at the beginning when He created them, but shows that the work of the depraved is worthy of eternal curse. for the barren woman is happy; and the undefiled one, who has not known the bed in sin, will have fruit in the consideration of holy souls. He praises the barren, that is, the chaste and disciplined soul, which is not defiled by the filth of heretics, nor contaminated by the impurities of idolatry; for this soul will have fruit in the regard of holy souls, indeed on the day of judgment, when the saints will be taken up to contemplate the glory of God, then she too will receive the reward of her labor in heavenly blessedness.
WIS 3:14 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
According to the rule of the figurative interpretation, in the name of this blessed barren one, or eunuch, virgins can be understood, about whom it is written accordingly in Isaiah: Let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree," for thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: "Who have kept my sabbaths, and have chosen what I desired, and have held fast my covenant, I will give them in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not perish" (Isa. 56:3-5). This barren one is fruitful in virginity. This eunuch forces his way into the kingdom of heaven and aggressively seizes it. He is the keeper of the sabbaths, and will never perform the works of marriage. He has chosen what the Lord wished, so as to offer more than is commanded, so that he considers not the apostle's indulgence but the Lord's will. He holds fast the Lord's eternal covenant, so that he does not devote himself to prayer only for a time and then return again to it, but knows that he will receive in the house of the Lord, which is His Church, the best place: for there are many dwelling places with the Father. (Jn. 14:2) And whoever is a eunuch and does all that is written, will have the best place within its walls, so that he may indeed become a tower of the Lord, and stand in the priestly rank, so that for sons of the flesh he may have many spiritual sons. Such a eunuch, whom Jesus loved most dearly, was the evangelist John, as ecclesiastical histories relate; he who reclined on the breast of Jesus (Jn. 13:23); who, while Peter walked more slowly, ran to the Lord, lifted on the wings of virginity. Therefore, let all the mockery of the Jews be put away, and let them cease to make themselves a laughingstock by claiming that the kingdoms of heaven are closed to eunuchs, since it is by chastity, not by bodily weakness, but by the will of the spirit; nor will sloth have the merit of a good reward, but virtuous striving.
WIS 3:15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The fruit of good labors is indeed glorious; for eternal joy and certain rest follow them, nor do those seeds of doctrines or actions which have proceeded from the root of true wisdom ever fail, but they will bring forth the fruit of everlasting salvation. But on the contrary, the dogmas of heretics and the disciples and followers of their wickedness will be exterminated; nor will they have hope of salvation, but condemned to a bitter death, they will be given to perpetual oblivion.
WIS 3:16-19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Indeed, heretics are adulterers, who, adulterating the word of God, attempt to transfer it into another meaning. Their children, that is, their disciples, will be at the end, because they tend toward eternal perdition. These, having been brought up from a wicked bed, nourished by the poisonous nourishment of a polluted conscience, even if they are long-lived upon the earth, yet this will profit them nothing, when they are to be destined for the burning of eternal fire. and their old age shall be dishonorable, because their memory will forever lack blessing, nor on the day of recognition, namely at the hour of the universal judgment, when the elect, recognized by their judge, will be invited to the possession of the heavenly kingdom, will they be consoled by any hope of their restoration, but will be expelled to be tormented forever from the presence of the human king.
WIS 4:1-2 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Just as he previously criticized the lead heretics and their schismatic followers, so now he praises the Catholics and their disciples, whose faith is pure, and whose doctrine is simple and eternal; therefore, they are worthy of remembrance, because their generation is approved by the Lord and honorably accepted among men. In this present life, this produces fruit through sacred examples of good works, and when transferred to the heavenly kingdom, it leaves a worthy remembrance of itself to generations to come, nor will there be any sorrow for the completed struggle, when the greatness of persecutions is surpassed by the reward.
WIS 4:3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For he alternates, speaking of Catholics and heretics, so that he may show the praiseworthy wisdom of the former and demonstrate the blameworthy cunning of the latter. Indeed, the diverse and various doctrine of the heretics will not be useful, but harmful; nor do their redundant arguments, which indicate spurious offspring, have the root of truth, therefore they do not have the foundation of strength, but when touched by the wind of persecutions or the test of strict judgment, they quickly fall from their firmness.
WIS 4:4-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He names branches as the sayings of perverse scriptures, and the fruits as the meanings of those sayings; by winds, he also signifies either the troubles of persecutions or the debates of judgment: because just as fragile branches are broken by the wind, so their imperfect sayings, when struck by any hardship or debate, are easily broken, and their fruits are useless and bitter, because the meanings of their words are depraved and poisonous, and therefore suited to no usefulness.
WIS 4:6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He calls the sons of the wicked either disciples or works, because just as the followers of heretics are, on the day of judgment, an increase of sorrow for those who have been led astray by false doctrines, so evil works, at the time of the final examination, are proof of their wickedness, for which reason they are deservedly condemned.
WIS 4:7 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Having previously spoken about the destruction of the wicked, he now afterward explains the rest of the good, because after the end of the present life, which is common to both good and bad, the just will then begin to live better, when they seem to be utterly destroyed by the wicked, since eternal rest will then be given to them, when perpetual punishment follows for these.
WIS 4:8-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He shows what should be sought in old age, because it is not the age of the body, but the maturity of the mind and the uprightness of character that are praised in it. Therefore, in the Book of Numbers, the Lord commanded Moses to choose seventy elders, whom He Himself knew to be elders, so that He might appoint them as teachers and judges of the people. (Num. 11:16-17) And Paul, writing to Timothy, says: Let no one despise your youth; but be an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (1 Tim. 4:12)
WIS 4:10-11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
God does not therefore take a man whom He loves out of this world because He cannot keep him, living among sinners, free from sin; He who, sending His disciples as lambs among wolves, praised them to the Father, saying: I do not pray that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from evil (Jn. 17:15); but rather, so that He may observe the order of His judgment: those whom He foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, He calls, justifies, magnifies, and glorifies; but the rest, on account of their iniquity, He condemns by His just judgment. Concerning this, the Apostle Peter says: God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, but to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:9).
WIS 4:12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By this statement, although generally the immorality of the wicked is denoted, more clearly, however, the cunning of heretics is reproved in it, which, by depraved doctrines and harmful desire, turns the mind of man away from the path of truth; for it fascinates, that is, it burdens, whoever hinders by flattering or deceives by praising. We read in the Apostle: You were running well; who has fascinated you? (Gal. 3:1). And in Proverbs: The gift of the envious torments the eyes. (Sir. 18:18) He who is envious among us is more significantly called a fascinator among the Greeks. In these examples, we are taught that either the envious person is tormented by another's happiness, or he in whom there are some good things is harmed by another who fascinates or envies. For the envy of heretics, which is accustomed to offer mere plays, not the foundation of truth, often obscures the good things of mortality in the simple, as in that saying: Evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Cor. 15:33). Therefore Wisdom forbids having fellowship with such people, saying in Proverbs: Do not eat with an envious man, nor desire his foods, for he estimates what he does not know as the likeness of a diviner and a soothsayer. Eat and drink, he will say to you, but his heart is not with you. The foods which you have eaten you will vomit up, and you will lose your beautiful words (Prov. 23:6-8).
WIS 4:13-14 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Just as in the previous verse he exposed the deceit of the heretics, so now in the following he expresses the glory of the martyrs, who, although they spent their admirable lives in a short time through the tortures of their persecutors, nevertheless that very death is reckoned to them as a long life, because it brought them eternal life. Indeed, their Creator, loving them, separated them from the company of the wicked, and led them out from the oppression of this present life, so that in the heavenly kingdom he might hide them in the secret of his face, from the disturbance of men, and protect them in his tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.
WIS 4:15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, the persecutors of the martyrs could by no means recognize the future glory that followed them, but thought that they would perish together with the torments of their bodies, and that they could not receive the blessedness of eternal life after death; but everything happens differently for each side, because just as life and victory will follow the good after death, so also death and perpetual damnation will follow the wicked after temporal life.
WIS 4:16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is clear indeed that the martyrs of Christ will be judges of their persecutors after death, just as in the Apocalypse, in the condemnation of Babylon, the divine voice shows, saying: Come out of her, my people, so that you do not partake in her sins, and so that you do not receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached up to heaven, and the Lord has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she herself rendered, and double the double according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix for her double; as much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her that much torment and grief, because in her heart she says: I sit as a queen, and am no widow, and will never see mourning. Therefore in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned with fire (Rev. 18:4-8).
WIS 4:17-19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the persecutors of the Church of Christ, as we have said, believed that the end of the martyrs was destruction, and therefore they despised the steadfastness of their faith. But the Lord will mock them, when He shows them that what they hoped would benefit them has completely harmed them; for when they wished to defend the false deities of their gods against the followers of Christ, they delivered themselves into perpetual damnation. [Verse 19] For the Lord will overthrow them, swollen with pride, without a word of excuse, so that they will then be in all things inexcusable, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks; but they became fruitless in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds and serpents and four-footed animals. Therefore God gave them up to shameful passions, and to a debased mind, to do things that are not fitting, filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, fornication, greed, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence, whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, rude, proud, arrogant, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, without affection, without covenant, without mercy; who, although they knew the justice of God, did not understand that those who do such things are worthy of death (Rom. 1:22-32); and He will shake them from their foundations, because He will utterly overthrow the state of their life, and they will be desolate even to the utmost; for never after this will they be relieved by any comfort, but they will be groaning in torments, and their memory will perish forever.
WIS 4:20 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, the wicked will come into judgment, timid because of the conscience of their sins, for their thoughts accuse them for the evil deeds they have previously committed, nor is any place given for defense, where there is no fruit of good works in the conscience.
WIS 5:1-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Then indeed the righteous will stand with great determination against their persecutors, who afflicted them here with undeserved punishments and reproached their labors as foolish; for, being raised by heavenly brightness, they will judge according to truth those who had previously condemned them unjustly. Therefore, when these persecutors see themselves suddenly changed from glory to humiliation, and equally see their adversaries transferred from temporal affliction to heavenly honor, they will then seek with late and fruitless repentance what they could previously have obtained fruitfully, if they had wished, while it was permitted.
WIS 5:6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The way of truth is the Gospel of Christ, and the divine law, from which the sinful have strayed, because they were unwilling to believe and obey. For them, the light of righteousness did not shine, and the sun of understanding did not rise, because for them Christ is not the true light, which enlightens every man coming into this world (Jn. 1:9), and the sun of righteousness who rises for those who fear Him. (Mal. 4:2) In whose punishments, too, there is true healing, since in His protection the abundance of eternal life is assured. He did not shine for the faithless philosophers of the Gentiles, nor for the heretics, because, by despising the path of truth, they preferred to follow vain traditions and wicked sects.
WIS 5:7 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The philosophers were left on the path of evil and destruction, because by reasoning they wished to elevate the machinery of the world to divine honor, and chose rather to serve the creature than the Creator: in their very inquiry they failed, and found not salvation but destruction. Similarly, the heretics, by walking difficult paths in pride, composed wicked sects, nor did they recognize the way of the Lord, which is truth and life; therefore, they delivered themselves to perpetual destruction, nor did their pursuit of the present life bring them any benefit, for after death not reward but punishment awaited them.
WIS 5:8-13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Through the five types of likenesses, which, by presenting, he laments that the fruitless repentance of the wicked causes their efforts to flow away, the fleeting nature of life and the deficiency of earthly things are shown to us. For just as a shadow has no firmness in its state, nor does a messenger running about endure delay, and just as a bird in the sky, or a ship in the sea, or an arrow in the air, proceed on an uncertain path, so too is the course of brief life always unstable and uncertain, nor does anything from it remain fixed, except what is expended with virtuous effort for the attainment of eternal life. According to the allegory, however, the shadow can be understood as forgetfulness of the mind or death of the flesh, to which human life is subject. In the messenger running, we can see the passions of the soul or illnesses of the body, which indicate and proclaim the end of corruptible life. By the bird, however, is signified the arrogance of worldly boasting, or heresy. But by the ship is signified the lightness of the human mind, which is tossed by the bitter waves of this age and the blasts of unclean spirits. By the arrow are signified the deceits and snares of the wicked. For all these things are involved in the tribulations of the present life, but after the end is accomplished, they leave fruitless repentance to their possessors in the underworld, for whom they will always groan and will be uplifted by no consolation.
WIS 5:14-15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He has further introduced four other examples to demonstrate the weakness of the hope of the wicked, by which they either believed that present things were stable and would endure, or thought that they could live in sin and escape with impunity. For the fuzz that arises from the withering flower of herbs expresses the frailty of the flesh, which is taken away by the wind of sickness or bodily distress, nor is it permitted to remain long, because all flesh is grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass has withered, and its flower has fallen; but the word of the Lord endures forever (Isa. 40:8). But the foam which is produced from the waters and floats on the waters can be understood as the desire for human favor and common boasting: which is scattered by the storm of temptations or the scrutiny of future judgment, because their vanity is proven by such contact. Likewise, smoke demonstrates the vanity of a fleeting life; for just as smoke is dispersed by the wind, so human life is dissolved by the change of times. Therefore, by analogy, it is compared to a passing guest; for we are all guests and strangers here, of which Ecclesiastes says: One generation passes away, and another generation comes, but the earth stands forever; therefore, all is vanity (Eccles. 1:4). For what is more vain than this vanity, that the earth remains, which was made for the sake of men, and man himself, the master of the earth, is suddenly dissolved into dust? Therefore it follows: The sun rises and sets, and returns to its place (Eccles. 1:5). For the sun itself, which is given to mortals for light, daily indicates the destruction of the world by its rising and setting; and all this is to teach that by the changes of times and the rising and setting of the stars, human life slips away and perishes while it is unaware. Therefore, it is just that the wicked, placed in Hades, grieve that they put their hope in that which has no stability, and turned their minds away from Him who, before all things and after all things, remains the same now and forever.
WIS 5:16-17 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
But when he described the punishments of sinners and their late repentance in Hades, he consequently recounted the glory and reward of the just with the Lord in heaven, who, having been received into the heavenly kingdom, enjoy a blessed life in the contemplation of God; and this is because they placed all their hope and the intention of their mind in the goodness of their Creator, by whose hand they are also crowned and protected by the right hand of His strength. For the hand of God, and the right hand, and the arm, because of their effective power, signify the only-begotten Son of God: through whom all things were made, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, whom the Father raised from the dead and set at His right hand in the heavenly places, above every principality and power and virtue and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come, and He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the Church, which is His body and the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
WIS 5:18-21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
According to history, therefore, the Creator of all, whose weapons are truth, justice, and judgment, through the creature subject to Him, rebukes and strikes those who do wrong. According to the allegory, however, the same Lord arms the creature for the vengeance of His enemies, when through the preachers of the Gospel He reproves the treachery of the Jews, the foolishness of the Gentiles, and the deceit of heretics, concerning sin and righteousness, and judgment, and pierces their hearts with the darts of words, so that, terrified by wholesome fear, they may yield to the hand of Almighty God and learn to be subject to Him, whose admonition they ought by no means to resist, since they are in no way able to withstand His power. But when he says that the whole world fights with Him against the senseless, he shows that the entire Church of Christ, together with its King, that is, the members with the head, fights against the errors and wickedness of the unjust, through the weapons of truth and justice. And which, founded by the authority of the Lord upon the most solid rock, in no way fears ruin: Because the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18); but fixed and unshaken, it remains through all ages.
WIS 5:22 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Lightning emissions are the thunder of proclamations, or the flashes of miracles, which will go directly: because, according to the privilege of their author, they occur for the benefit of the elect or for the damnation of the reprobate. They will be discharged like from a well-bent bow of clouds, when, by the authority of the divine Scriptures, through the virtuous intention of the holy doctors, they are brought forth to terrify adversaries; and they will leap to a certain place, because they proceed in a straight path against those whom it is necessary, nor can it be confused, what divine wisdom is known to be ordered. And hailstones are sent from the stony wrath: because, according to the equality of merits, harsh rebukes are issued.
WIS 5:23 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
And the water of the sea will burn upon them, and the rivers will rush together violently. He calls the disturbances of the sea the troubles of the world, the rivers the agitations of persecutions; because often the hearts of the wicked, which the teachings of preaching do not soften, are broken by the scourges of various corrections through fear. The spirit of virtue is the vengeance of the final judgment, which will separate the wicked and ultimately bring all the land to the end of their iniquity, when it will imitate earthly substance and carnal works; by its sentence, the just judge will assign punishment in Gehenna and eternal desolation. For wickedness will overthrow the seats of the mighty, because the evil of the reprobate is the cause of their damnation.
WIS 6:1 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Wisdom, therefore, wherever it dwells, always governs the mind well. For the powers of the body, being mostly foolish, often cast themselves into the abyss of sins: therefore the wise is preferred to the strong, because wisdom directs the steps of man; but bodily strength, although sometimes, when it has overcome someone through power, may imitate strength, yet without the guidance of carefulness it will appear weak, when it is exhausted by foolish labor. Therefore it is written in the psalm: He will not take pleasure in the strength of the horse; nor is there delight in the legs of a man. The Lord's delight is in those who fear Him, and in those who hope in His mercy (Ps. 147:10–11).
WIS 6:2-6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
They admonish the rulers of the Church to keep the justice of God's commandments, and to hurry to learn and understand the truth of the divine testimonies: for just as they themselves, having been appointed by the Lord with given authority, are made teachers and judges of their brethren so that they may judge them according to the principle of impartiality, and teach them to keep the rule of faith with good works, so they themselves also await divine judgment, which neither deceives nor can be deceived, who judges not only their deeds but also their thoughts and wills, and will judge with strict examination those who did not live according to the will of God and the law of the commandments, nor even taught or judged others.
WIS 6:7 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
To those who, through ignorance or weakness or even necessity, have committed certain crimes, and yet have not ceased through humility and repentance to erase those sins, the most merciful Judge grants the grace of forgiveness. But for those who, through stubbornness and contempt for the commandments of God, have committed many and grave crimes, and have neglected to repent of them, more severe torments are assigned in Hades: for just as they were more powerful in the act of wickedness, so they endure stronger punishments in the fire of Gehenna.
WIS 6:8-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For God is not a respecter of persons, as the apostle Peter testifies; but in every nation, whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted by Him (Acts 10:35). But for those who are false teachers and introduce destructive sects, and deny the Lord who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Peter 2), the gloom of darkness is reserved. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Hades, delivering them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment and punishment, and did not spare the original world, but preserved Noah, the eighth, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes, making them an example to those who would act wickedly; and delivered righteous Lot, oppressed by the unjust conduct of the lawless; for by sight and hearing he was righteous, living among them, tormenting his righteous soul day by day by their wicked deeds: so also now those who walk after another flesh in lust and impurity, bold, self-pleasing, and do not fear to make sects, blaspheming, will perish in their own corruption, receiving the reward of their injustice. For God fears no one's greatness, because He Himself is above all and His greatness has no end. He accepts no one's person, because He will judge each according to his ways. He cares equally for all, because He is the creator of all, and He takes proper care of His work and provides the help by which it may subsist. Therefore, after wisdom has spoken to the powerful and rebuked the hardness of their hearts with words, it now turns the speech of exhortation to the rulers themselves, and wonderfully explains the praise of wisdom.
WIS 6:10-11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
They admonish ecclesiastical rulers, indeed all generally to whom governance of their souls is entrusted, to learn divine wisdom, so that they may not transgress the commandments of God. For those who keep what is just will be justly justified, that is, those who pursue justice will receive from the just Judge the reward of their justice; and those who have learned what is just, surely by believing rightly and acting well, to them it will be given what to answer when the examination of each one takes place, because the good merit of the present life seeks the blessed reward of eternal glory.
WIS 6:12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is true that whoever loves wisdom and is hard-working in its meditation preserves discipline in morals, nor can a lover of wisdom be proven otherwise unless he is a preserver of discipline. Therefore, Truth itself says: If you love me, keep my commandments (Jn. 14:15). And again: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word (Jn. 14:23). Therefore James also says: Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, because not the hearers of the law will be justified before the Lord, but the doers of the law (James 1:22).
WIS 6:13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The glory of wisdom is unfading, and it is open only to those who truly love it and diligently seek it. But those who seek it falsely will in no way attain it, because, as was said above, the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from deceit, and wisdom will not enter into a wicked soul. Therefore, in Proverbs, wisdom says: I love those who love me, and those who rise early to seek me will find me (Prov. 8:17). And again: Blessed is the man who listens to me, who watches daily at my gates, and waits at the posts of my doors. Whoever finds me finds life, and will draw salvation from the Lord. But whoever sins against me injures his own soul. All who hate me love death (Prov. 8:34-36)
WIS 6:14-15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This wisdom is Christ, the Son of God, of whom the Apostle says: I speak of Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, in whom all the fullness of divinity dwells bodily (Col. 2:9). Therefore, he anticipates all with his grace, whoever longs for his love, because he himself is the way, the truth, and the life; through him one goes, toward him one strives, to him one arrives. But he who has vigilantly watched with a devoted heart from the origin of dawning faith in himself is not consumed by empty labor but is crowned by him for the zeal of good works. For he will find her sitting at his doors, because he will always have her help ready. Therefore, in the Apocalypse he himself says: Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone opens to me, I will enter to him, and will dine with him, and he with me (Rev. 3:20).
WIS 6:16-17 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The thought of pure mind is the desire for divine contemplation; how then will he not be fulfilled in feeling, who is always intent on the love of the highest good, and blessed will he be, who with ever-watchful intention seeks the highest Wisdom, whose true adoption is the perception of true sincerity? But no one becomes exalted suddenly; rather, ascent to the highest must be through progress in virtues. Therefore, in the present life, effort must be devoted to learning wisdom, and in conduct, one must live according to the rule of its discipline. But when it has saturated him and perfectly possessed him, it will make him a participant in eternal happiness.
WIS 6:18-21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The Apostle Peter shows the steps of this benefit and progress in his Epistle, saying: But you, brothers, making every effort, supply in your faith virtue, and in virtue knowledge, and in knowledge self-control, and in self-control patience, and in patience godliness, and in godliness brotherly love, and in brotherly love charity. For if these things are present and abound in you, they will make you neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8). For he who, for the love of wisdom, lives with discipline in this world, keeping the commandments of God, through the progress of sacred virtues, will attain to the incorruption of immortality and eternal life, which is surely in the knowledge of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore he himself says in the Gospel to the Father: And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (Jn. 17:3). But when he has truly known God, then in the contemplation of Him, he will enjoy everlasting blessedness, and reigning together with his King, he will remain in perpetual light. If then you delight in thrones and scepters, O tyrants of peoples. It is necessary to remind the kings of the earth to love wisdom, because without wisdom it is impossible for anyone to rule rightly. Therefore this saying of Plato: The state is well governed when philosophers rule, and rulers philosophize. For to wish to hold the kingdom without wisdom is more an act of tyrannical cruelty than of royal moderation. Therefore, rulers should consider how fitting it is that they themselves be constant in meditation on the divine law. For whoever follows the standard of the sacred Scriptures in learning, teaching, and acting will without doubt receive the joy of the heavenly kingdom.
WIS 6:22-23 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is clear that the plague of envy is not a companion of wisdom, because through the envy of the Devil, death entered into the whole world, and through the wisdom of God the human race was rescued from the snare of death.
WIS 6:24-25 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
But the multitude of the wise is the assembly of holy preachers, whose teaching is the health of the world, because through it an innumerable crowd of various nations has been converted to the faith of Christ. Of this crowd, indeed, the wise king is, or rather, the very wisdom and power of God, Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, who becomes the strength of his elect, since, as the Psalmist attests, the Lord is the strength of his people, and the protector of the salvation of his Christ (Ps. 28:8); of whom the same Prophet says: The Lord is my rock and my strength, and my savior, my strong God, I will hope in him (2 Sam. 22:2-3).
WIS 7:1-6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, wisdom displays its virtue through a vessel suited to itself; first, it makes its own preacher humbly recount the origin of human condition, so that everyone may know what they possess from the origin of the flesh and what from divine gift. For when he says that he was formed in blood and the seed of man during a period of ten months, and by the agreeable pleasure of sleep, he demonstrates the difference of the two sexes. For, as the natural philosophers say, the seed of man is white, and the seed of woman is bloody. Their mixture, within certain periods of time, causes the body of the infant to be formed, until it becomes animated and reaches the time of birth in the tenth month, although not all reach the tenth month, since some are born in the seventh, others in the eighth, others in the ninth; but they assert that the birth which occurs in the tenth month is more perfect, more vital, and healthier than that which occurs in the eighth or ninth month. For this, he says, is the beginning of birth common to all men, both noble and immoral, and he shows that there is one entrance for all into life and a similar exit for all: because every earthly man, sprung from the seed of man and woman, receives the beginning of temporal life, and passes from this world through the death of the body. However, the heavenly Adam, who was born without male seed from a virgin mother, has his own manner of birth, and he also arranged the manner of his death by his sovereign power. Nevertheless, the seriousness of his birth is celebrated by Christians in the tenth month after his conception, when from the eighth day before the Kalends of April, when he is believed to have been conceived, to the eighth day before the Kalends of January, when he is said to have been born, two hundred and seventy-six days are counted, which number of days joins nine months and six days, and therefore that evangelical saying, by which the same Savior foretold to the Jews that the temple of his body, built in forty-six years, would be destroyed, shows the perfection of his incarnation by the multiplication of the number six: because two hundred and seventy-six contains forty-six sixes. From this it is clearly evident that just as he is perfect God, so also is Jesus Christ our Lord perfect man.
WIS 7:7-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The lover of wisdom said that he had chosen, invoked, and sought after wisdom, and for this reason, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, he obtained it, because, as the apostle James says: Whoever lacks this, let him ask of God, who gives to all abundantly and does not reproach (James 1:5); which is rightly preferred to kingdoms, thrones, and all riches, since all precious things of the world become worthless in comparison to it. Therefore, wisdom itself says in Proverbs: With me are riches and glory, heavenly wealth and righteousness; my fruit is better than gold and precious stone, and my gem than chosen silver (Prov. 8:18-19). Therefore, Truth itself in the Gospel likens the kingdom of heaven to a merchant seeking fine pearls; who, having found one precious pearl, went and sold all he had and bought it (Matt. 13:45-46); because whoever truly finds heavenly wisdom, that is, the word of God in the highest, despises all advantages of this present life, all human philosophy, and all eloquence of lecturers, and will rejoice to devote himself solely to divine contemplation.
WIS 7:10-11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The salvation of the soul, which is in the possession of divine wisdom, together with works of justice, must absolutely be preferred to all bodily health and to every kind of corporeal things, because, as will be shown later, this wisdom is more beautiful than the sun and surpasses every arrangement of the stars; compared to light, it is found to be purer, since night and darkness follow them, but its light is inextinguishable. Moreover, that all good things came to him together with it was experienced by Solomon himself, who, asking God for wisdom alone, also obtained with it the greatness of the kingdom, riches, and glory. Mystically, however, whoever has truly received the knowledge of Christ rejoices that he possesses the grace of all virtues together, and in the future will possess eternal life with Him.
WIS 7:12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Whoever is guided in all things by wisdom, which leads and governs him in all his counsels and actions, is truly happy in everything; but it is remarkable how he says that he was ignorant that she is the mother of all these things, when previously he said that she anticipates those who desire her and shows herself first to them. Unless perhaps, in the course of his meditation, he realized that he had advanced so much that, by equating his former knowledge with the latter, when he saw that the latter excelled the former, he considered the former as ignorance in comparison to the latter. It is like that passage in the Gospel: for John the Baptist, proclaiming the coming Lord and pointing to him present with his finger, after he had baptized him, said that he did not know him before, but that it was revealed to him when the Holy Spirit descended upon him, saying therefore: "And I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me: 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (Jn. 1:33-34). So also among the lights of the world, although the other stars are bright in themselves, in comparison to the sun they are found to be by no means bright. Therefore, the sun itself, because it alone shines with daylight among the other stars, is so named.
WIS 7:13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Earlier it was said that the Holy Spirit, the giver of divine wisdom, would flee from a artificial discipline, and that wisdom would not enter into a wicked soul. But now the true possessor of wisdom says that he has learned it without deceit, and therefore he could truly attain its knowledge and share it without envy, and did not hide its honesty, because envy can in no way coexist with true wisdom, which is known to be the lover of generosity and mercy. For what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what communion has Christ with Belial? (2 Cor. 6:14) Therefore the apostle James says: Who is wise and disciplined among you? Let him show by good conduct his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter zeal and contentions in your hearts, do not glory, and do not be false against the truth: for this wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is zeal and contention, there will be instability and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first indeed pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to persuasion, consenting to good, full of mercy and good fruits, judging without hypocrisy (James 3:13–17).
WIS 7:14 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The infinite therefore calls wisdom a treasure, because the more diligently one learns it, the deeper one realizes it to be; and the more one advances by meditating on it, the more one understands that it is sought at greater depth; and therefore those who meditate on it become participants in the friendship of God, because they become true knowers of the commandments and will of God. Concerning this, Truth itself says to the disciples in the Gospel: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (Jn. 15:15).
WIS 7:15-16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
God is the guide of wisdom, for the almighty Father is the author of the incarnation of His only-begotten Son, whom He sent into the world so that the human race might receive the illumination of truth. To Him He gave all power in heaven and on earth, for from Him, and through Him, and in Him are all things, and He made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture (Ps. 100:3). Whatever we rightly think, whatever we rightly speak, and whatever we accomplish in good deeds is His gift.
WIS 7:17-21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
However, how Solomon excelled in wisdom by divine gift, Scripture shows by saying: God also gave Solomon wisdom and very great prudence, and breadth of heart, like the sand that is on the seashore, and Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the Orientals and of the Egyptians, and he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and he was renowned among all the nations round about. Solomon also spoke three thousand proverbs, and he discussed about trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; and he discoursed about beasts and birds, and reptiles and fishes; and people came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34). But our Peaceful One, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God, before whose eyes all things are naked and open, not only knows all things that are, and that have been, and that will be, but also gives to his own disciples, that is, to his own members, understanding of his mysteries, so that they may have knowledge not only of visible things but even of invisible things, and may perfectly understand what history teaches, or what allegory shows, what moral teaching recommends, and what anagogy associates about heavenly things. Therefore it is well read in the Gospel: He is the light of the world, who enlightens every man coming into this world (Jn. 1:9), whom whoever follows does not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
WIS 7:22-23 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Isaiah the Prophet, enumerating the divine gifts which he foretold would rest with the sevenfold Spirit upon the flower of the root of Jesse, shows that the fullness of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit exists in the humanity of the Savior, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and in whom the fullness of divinity dwells bodily; nor does the Father give the Spirit to him by measure, therefore he confidently says: All things that the Father has are mine; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him (Matt. 11:27). Therefore, when the writer of history wished to recount the power of this wisdom, he said that in it is the Spirit of understanding, because the recognition of truth is discussed through it. Holy, because it sanctifies all things. Unique, because it creates unity and concord among the elect. Diverse, because it bestows variety of knowledge and virtue. Subtle and mobile, because the word of God is living and effective, and sharper than any two-edged sword, reaching even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts. Eloquent, because it opens the mouth of the mute, and makes the tongues of infants eloquent. Unstained, because no spot of sin adheres to it. Certain, because it deceives no one nor can it be deceived. Sweet, because it is gentle and merciful to all who call upon it. Loving good action, and forbidding no one to do good, because it does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Humane and kind, because it is merciful, gentle, and virtuous, steadfast, certain, secure, who says in the Gospel: I am the way, the truth, and the life (Jn. 14:6). And it is called steadfast, because by its nature it contains all things. But it is called mobile, because it meets even those who do not know it everywhere. Therefore, holding all things, being steadfast, and presenting itself to all, it is called mobile. But in these words a great question arises for us: why is this Spirit, who fills all things at once, called both mobile and steadfast? But if we return to the usage of human custom, we find the sense more quickly. For a man who moves everywhere in the region where he is, without doubt comes to meet everyone, and is suddenly found where he is not expected. Therefore, the omnipotent Spirit, so that it might be signified as present everywhere, is at once mobile, possessing all power, foreseeing all things, because it gives strength to the weary and light to the blind, for he alone will give strength and fortitude to his people. He comprehends all intelligible, pure, and subtle spirits, because in his hand are all the ends of the earth, and he beholds the heights of the mountains (Ps. 95:4). In whose name every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father (Philip. 2:10-11).
WIS 7:24 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
What can be more mobile and subtle than wisdom, which created all things, governs all things, arranges all things, directs all things? For in it we live, move, and have our being. Moreover, it reaches everywhere because of its purity, for it is light, and there is no darkness at all in it.
WIS 7:25 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is evident that the only-begotten Son of God, born from the substance of God the Father, is coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial with the Father, and therefore nothing impure is found in him, because no evil approaches the highest good, but the simple good always remains the same.
WIS 7:26 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The Apostle says of the same Son: Who, being the brightness of glory, and the express image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3). For the Father calls him Wisdom itself so that he is his Word, not as a word is uttered from the mouth with sound, or thought before it is spoken; for this is accomplished within the spans of time, but that is eternal, and by enlightening he tells us both about himself and about the Father, what must be said to men, and therefore he says: No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matt. 11:27). Because the Father reveals through the Son, that is, through his Word. For if this word which we utter is temporal and transitory, and shows itself and that about which we speak; how much more does the Word of God, through whom all things were made, show the Father as he is, because it too is as he is, and this is what the Father is, according to wisdom and essence. For according to the Word, he is not what the Father is, because the Word is not the Father; and the Word is spoken of relatively, as the Son, who certainly is not the Father; and therefore Christ is the power and wisdom of God, because from the Father as power and wisdom, he too is power and wisdom, as the light of God and from the Father as light, and the fountain of life with God the Father, who is surely the fountain of life: For with you, he says, is the fountain of life. In your light we shall see light (Ps. 36:9); because as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself (Jn. 5:26). And he was the true light which enlightens every man coming into this world; and this light was the Word with God, but the Word was also God. Now God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. But the light is not bodily but spiritual; nor is it so spiritual that it is made by illumination, as was said to the apostles: You are the light of the world; but the light which enlightens every man, that very highest wisdom is God, of whom we are now speaking. Therefore the Son is Wisdom, from the Father who is Wisdom: as light from light, and God from God, so that both the Father is light, and the Son is light, and the Father is God, and the Son is God. Therefore both the Father is wisdom, and the Son is wisdom, and therefore both together are one light, and one God, therefore both one wisdom, but the Son was made wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and sanctification, because we turn to him temporally, and that from a certain time, so that we may remain with him forever, and he too from a certain time the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
WIS 7:27 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, when something is pronounced or narrated in the Scriptures about wisdom, whether by wisdom itself speaking, or when something is said about it, the Son is especially indicated to us, by the example of whose image we also may not depart from God, because we too are the image of God, not indeed equal, for we are made by the Father through the Son, not born of the Father as that wisdom is; and we, because we are illuminated by the light, but that wisdom truly because it is the light illuminating, and therefore that wisdom is without an example, but for us it is an example. For it does not imitate anyone preceding it to the Father, from whom it is never separable, because it is the very same as He from whom it is; but we, imitating, imitate the one who remains, and we follow the one who stands, and walking in Him we strive toward Him: because He became for us a temporal way through humility, who is for us an eternal dwelling through divinity; for indeed, to pure intellectual spirits who have not fallen by pride, in the form of God and equal to God, and God, He offers the example, so that the same example might also offer a way of return to fallen man, who, because of the uncleanness of sins and the punishment of mortality, could not see God, He emptied Himself, not by changing His divinity, but by assuming our changeableness, and taking the form of a servant, He came to us in this world, who was in this world, because the world was made through Him, so that He might be an example above for those seeing God, an example below for those marveling at man, an example for the healthy to remain, an example for the weak to recover, an example for the dying not to fear, an example for the dead to rise again. In all things He Himself holds the primacy, for man ought not to follow anyone but God to attain happiness, and he could not perceive God by following, so he would follow God made man, at once both the one whom he could perceive and the one whom he ought to follow. Indeed, the Almighty Father begot almighty wisdom from Himself, which, remaining, renews all things in itself, because it, being absolute, rules and orders all changeable things by its will, which, transferring itself into the souls of the elect, by its grace makes them friends of God, and appoints them prophets. For all things were made through Him, and without Him was made nothing (Jn. 1:3). Therefore it is said: You have made all things in wisdom, because through His Son, that is, His Word and His wisdom, God made all things. (Prov. 3:9)
WIS 7:28 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
If God loves no one except him who dwells with wisdom, then surely He hates all followers of foolishness. Therefore, it is declared in this statement that anyone who hates discipline cannot be a partaker of the grace of God, because the Lord is far from the wicked, and he who hates rebuke will die (Prov. 15:29). Therefore, the heart of the wise seeks doctrine, and the mind of the just will meditate on obedience. But he who trusts in his own heart is foolish; and he who walks wisely, this one will be saved (Prov. 15:10).
WIS 7:29 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
According to history, wisdom is said to be more splendid than the sun and the brightness of all the stars: for bodily light, which, being changed by the alternation of day and night, sometimes appears and sometimes is hidden, when compared to the spiritual and perpetual light of wisdom, seems to have scarcely the small brilliance of a certain spark. For every temporary thing, when compared to what is everlasting, seems as if it no longer exists, since it is consumed by eternity. Therefore, in a mystical sense, the brightness of the wisdom of God, which is Christ, when compared to the splendor of any of the saints, whom He here calls by the name of the sun and stars, far surpasses them, because they are changeable, but He always remains the same. The Psalmist, contemplating this, says to the Lord Himself: In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; all of them will grow old like a garment, and like clothing you will change them, and they will be changed; but you are the same, and your years will have no end (Ps. 102:25-27).
WIS 7:30 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Since none of the elect in this life is immune from sin; therefore, no wickedness approaches Christ. Of whom it is written: Blessed is the just man in the Lord who has been found without stain (Sir. 31). And again: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (Isa. 53:9). To whom the prince of this world comes and finds nothing in him. Nevertheless, he himself bore our weaknesses and carried our diseases, because he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose wounds we have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).
WIS 8:1 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, the only-begotten Son of God is co-eternal and co-equal in all things to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. From end to end, that is, from eternity to eternity, he reaches mightily, because he is the power of God; and he arranges all things sweetly, because he himself is wisdom, who in the Revelation of John therefore says: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord God (Rev. 22:13). The beginning, whom no one precedes. The end, to whom no one succeeds in the kingdom, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. Who elsewhere through the Prophet says: Before me no god was formed, and after me there will not be (Isa. 43:10). Otherwise, wisdom reaches from end to end mightily when, from the beginning of the creation of the world to the coming of the Lord, it mightily asserts the wondrous works of God and the pure testimonies of the divine law through the Old Testament, and from the incarnation of the Word to the end of the world, it sweetly explains the sweetness of the divine commandments through the Gospel. Therefore, the one and the same creator is of both Testaments, namely the mediator of God and men, who in the law commended the fear of himself to his elect, and in the Gospel the love of himself. Therefore, elegantly, wisdom is said to reach from end to end mightily: because everywhere it is proclaimed to be of flawless and perfect virtue; for we often find in the Scriptures that the end is put for perfection, as is that saying of the Apostle: The end of the commandment is charity, from a pure heart and a good conscience, and faith sincere (1 Tim. 1:5). And again: The end of the law is Christ for righteousness to everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4). Therefore also in the Gospel, Truth itself wished to show that the two precepts of love are the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and answered the lawyer, saying: On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 22:40), that is, all the doctrine of the Law and the Prophets is fulfilled in these, and in these is completed.
WIS 8:2 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
I have loved her, I have sought her from my youth. The lover of wisdom says that he has sought wisdom itself from his youth, that is, from the cradle of human life, and therefore he has truly found it, because he was a diligent seeker of it, according to that promise which she elsewhere made to her lovers, saying: Blessed is the man who listens to me, and who watches at my doors daily, and observes the posts of my gates (Prov. 8:34). Whoever finds me finds life, and will draw salvation from the Lord (Prov. 8:35). And again: I, she says, love those who love me, and those who watch for me in the morning will find me (Prov. 8:17). And I sought to take wisdom as my bride, and I became a lover of her beauty. I sought, he says, to take wisdom as my bride, that is, to join her to myself in a perpetual covenant, from whose companionship I know that I never wish to be separated, and whose beauty I have chosen to desire above all; for the beauty of wisdom is truth, which all who are truly religious especially long to know: because it is by this alone that all the elect of God hope to be made blessed in eternal rest. Therefore, Truth itself says to the Father in the Gospel: This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (Jn. 17:3).
WIS 8:3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Generosity is glorified by having fellowship with God. Therefore, generosity and nobility belong to the only-begotten Son, to have an eternal and omnipotent Father, with whom he himself remains coequal and coeternal from the beginning: because in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:1-2). The Lord of all sits and loved her. Because the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand: For she is the teacher of God's discipline, and the chooser of his works. John clearly proves this in the Gospel, saying: He who is to come after me has been made before me, because he was before me, and from his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace: because the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him (Jn. 1:15-18).
WIS 8:5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
And if riches are sought in life, what is richer than wisdom, which accomplishes all things? Therefore, the wisdom and power of God is the Lord Christ, through whom all things were made, and who, together with the Father, arranges and governs all things by his own will, according to the saying of the Gospel: My Father, he says, works even now, and I work (Jn. 5:17). He contains within himself the riches of all virtues, and distributes them to his lovers according to his will, as is equally declared in both the New and the Old Testament. Therefore, as wisdom itself speaks in Proverbs, saying: With me are riches and glory, lofty sheep and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold and precious stone, and my produce than chosen silver. I walk in the ways of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may enrich those who love me, and fill their treasures (Prov. 8:18–21). So also in the Gospel, the same cries out and says: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me does not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn. 8:12). Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30). And elsewhere: Everyone, he says, who has left house or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will possess eternal life (Matt. 19:29). This saying can also especially pertain to those who meditate on the divine law, who meditate on it day and night properly, and are constant in contemplation, because whoever seeks it with attentive heart and good determination will be filled with the indescribable sweetness of its inner truth, and will enjoy the abundance of all good things.
WIS 8:6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
But if sense is at work, which of these is more an artificer than that? If, therefore, wisdom is the creator of sound sense and profound understanding, how is it that she herself is not the producer of all good works, of sacred virtues, which offer lasting salvation to their lovers?
WIS 8:7 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
And if anyone loves justice, the labors of it possess great virtues. No one can attain the prize of righteousness unless he follows the rule of wisdom, because it preserves the standard of equity and leads by the way of truth to eternal life. For indeed, the labors of it possess great virtues, because there is nothing idle, nothing combative in its works, but whatever things are true, whatever are pure, whatever are righteous, whatever are holy, whatever are lovable, whatever are of good reputation, these it performs; and it entrusts these things to its lovers to be done, so that by the practice of this good they may obtain eternal life; for the fruit of light is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth. for she teaches soberness and caution, righteousness and courage, than which nothing is more useful in life for human beings. Not only do philosophers believe that there are four principal virtues, but our own authorities also agree, which here are called restraint, wisdom, righteousness, and virtue. Elsewhere, however, these same virtues are called by different names: wisdom, righteousness, courage, and restraint. But what these four are, or what the works of each are, we ought briefly to demonstrate with the Lord enlightening us. Hardly anyone is ignorant that the number four is sacred to perfection, since the whole world is found to be bounded by four parts or corners: east, west, north, and south; and Adam himself, the father of the human race, or the general name which is called "man," is spelled with four letters. The body also, constructed from four elements, contains within itself the mystery of the number four. Even the soul itself is said to have four affections, by which we are led either to good or to evil; and the ancients discovered this subtly, and their discoveries have been approved and received by their successors. Moreover, the four rivers which flow from the source of paradise, or the four Gospels as the divine course of the wheel, and the four living creatures, their four wings and faces, all abundantly commend the dignity of this number. Therefore, we must carefully consider how much perfection these virtues, which are so numerous, contain in their number, how much sanctity they grant upon the Christian soul, and how there is nothing perfect anywhere which is not found in these virtues. For if restraint makes one moderate, wisdom wise, righteousness righteous, and courage brave, I do not know what could be more perfect than one who acts with restraint, righteously, wisely, and bravely. Therefore, it is indeed difficult for us to show the names of the individual virtues from which perhaps other virtues arise, which originate from those four we have called principal; but when their properties and actions begin to be revealed, it may appear from the effects what virtues arise from each. Nevertheless, above all, we must know and hold that these four virtues, or all those which arise from them, are gifts of God, and that no one has, had, or will have them except to whom God, who is the source and origin of all virtues, has granted them. For whoever at any time, in any nation, believed in God and lived by faith, could certainly become moderate, wise, righteous, or brave by His gift. But those who, not knowing God or even blaspheming, lived without faith, are to be believed to have been unable to receive or possess any of those virtues from God. For all have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is none who does good, not even one (Ps. 14:3). And although they seemed to have a certain appearance of holiness, they were entirely ignorant of its power, because they were unwilling to submit to their Creator. Therefore, searching various things and striving by different inquiries and debates, they did not know the way of wisdom, nor did they find the way of discipline, and therefore they perished. And because they did not have the wisdom of God, they perished by their own wisdom. For God, our…
WIS 8:8 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is clear that to the eternal power and wisdom of God, namely our Lord Jesus Christ, all things are open, and everything is possible for Him; there is nothing hidden from Him, nor can anything resist His will. But whatever He wishes, He does in heaven and on earth, in the sea and in all the depths; He Himself knows the past and judges the future, as He says through the prophet: "Before Me no god was formed, and after Me there will be none" (Isa. 43:10). And in Proverbs: "The Lord," he says, "possessed me at the beginning of His ways, before He made anything from the beginning; I was ordained from eternity, and from ancient times, before He made the earth" (Prov. 8:22-23). And again: "When He prepared the heavens, I was there; when He set a law and circle around the depths, when He established the sky above, and balanced the fountains of waters, when He surrounded the sea with its limit, and set a law for the waters so that they would not pass their boundaries, when He hung the foundations of the earth, I was with Him arranging all things, and I delighted every day, playing before Him" (Prov. 8:27-30). He Himself knows the subtleties of words and the endings of arguments, who in the Gospel said to His disciples: "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict" (Luke 21:15). He Himself knows signs and wonders before they happen, and the outcomes of times and ages, who, instructing His chosen ones about the future, foretold to them the signs and wonders which will come before the day of judgment and His coming at the end, therefore saying: "There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and expectation of what is coming upon the whole world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty," and the rest (Luke 21:25-27).
WIS 8:9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The wise man, recounting many things about the virtues of wisdom, finally added that he desires to be joined to its company, from which he would have comfort and relief from his weariness; so also the people of the Church, who can truly be said to be king and genuinely wise, because they are members of the heavenly King and Lord, as the apostle Peter says: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession (1 Peter 2:9), rejoice in having the communication of divine wisdom, namely of the Lord Jesus Christ, and delight in remaining continually in his embrace and spiritual banquet, whom they know to be most merciful and kind, and the most generous dispenser of heavenly gifts. Therefore, the same speaks in the Apocalypse of Saint John, saying: Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me. To the one who conquers, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat with my Father on his throne (Rev. 3:20-21). This passage can also be referred to the Virgin Mother of God, who, having the purpose of most chaste virginity within herself, deserved to be made fruitful by the divine word of power, and by giving birth to the Son of God for the salvation of the human race, is to be venerated by all with the proclamation of most celebrated praise. Therefore, she herself says in the song of the Gospel: Because he has regarded the humility of his handmaid, for behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed (Luke 1:48). To which voice also agree those things which are added in this place.
WIS 8:10-12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the birth from the Virgin has been a wonder for all ages, who came, according to the word of blessed Simeon, for the fall and resurrection of many, and as a sign which would be contradicted. Of whom it is also said through Isaiah: The root of Jesse, who stands as a sign for the peoples, before whom kings will shut their mouths, him the nations will seek, and his tomb shall be glorious (Isa. 11:10). Otherwise, the assembly of holy teachers, filled with the doctrine of the Savior and illuminated by the grace of the Holy Spirit, has brightness before the crowds, when by preaching the Gospel and by recommending the word of God through miracles, it calls together a multitude of the elect from all nations to the faith of God. It has honor among the elders when it subjects the principalities and powers of this world to the Christian religion; or even, according to the mystical sense, it has honor among the elders when it is joined with the patriarchs and prophets in the heavenly kingdom. It is found young and sharp in judgment, when it discerns and judges all things according to the law of God. And it is admirable in the sight of the mighty, when the kings of the earth and princes are amazed at the preaching of the Gospel, and, marveling, revere it, and look upon the speaker, and are unable to resist his argument, as has happened very often, as the book of Acts of the Apostles and the passions of the holy martyrs under the New Testament testify. Therefore, it is read in the aforementioned book that, when Peter was preaching, fear came upon every soul. Many wonders and signs were also done by the apostles in Jerusalem, and great fear was upon all (Acts 1). Similarly, in the same book it is narrated that those who disputed with Stephen could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke (Acts 6). Likewise, Saul, after he received the faith of God and was baptized in Damascus through the preaching of Ananias, grew stronger and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus, affirming that this is the Christ, acting confidently in the name of God (Acts 9). The same apostle, when he was preaching the word of God on the island of Cyprus, and there found a false prophet of the Jews named Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a wise man, when he found that this man was resisting him, he rebuked him and struck him with blindness; immediately the proconsul, when he saw what had happened, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord (Acts 13).
WIS 8:13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The saints possess immortality, because, instructed by the truth of faith and rooted and grounded in divine love, they are already partakers of the hope of future immortality, and by the teachings of sound doctrine, as well as by the examples of good works with the fruits of virtues, they will leave a blessed memory to the generations that come after them, and deservedly so, because they will have a great multitude of faithful disciples from all nations as preservers of their discipline.
WIS 8:14-15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Holy teachers arrange the peoples and the nations subject to them to live with discipline, when they open up and explain to them the testimonies of the Law and the Prophets, and make them obey the sacred words of the Gospel. They no longer allow them to wander, wavering through various sects, but compel them to preserve the truth of faith and the purity of doctrine in all things. Even the most savage persecutors and dreadful kings are forced to yield to their patience, because they are in no way able to resist the power of Christ, who works wonders in them. He said to his disciples in the Gospel: "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage, for I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). And again: "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 Jn. 4:4) Therefore, among the multitude of the faithful, they appear sincere and kind, but in battle against their adversaries, they are loyal and most courageous. But while these things are done outwardly, let us hear what wisdom grants them inwardly.
WIS 8:16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
After the preaching of the divine word, after the labors of good works by which holy men outwardly offer comfort to their listeners, returning to the homes of their hearts, they devote themselves in meditation to the contemplation of divine wisdom, and therefore, from the troublesome annoyances of secular affairs, they inwardly attain the peace of heavenly sweetness. For, as it is said, "her company has no bitterness, nor does her companionship bring weariness," because bodily pleasures, when taken greedily, burden the body; but spiritual delights, the more they are received, the more they uplift the mind. For this is the usual difference between the delights of the heart and those of the body: bodily pleasures, when not possessed, kindle a grievous desire; but when greedily consumed, they immediately turn the eater to disgust through filling. On the other hand, spiritual delights, when not possessed, are a source of weariness; but when possessed, they are desired; and the more they are consumed by the one who hungers, the more they are hungered for by the one who consumes. In the former, desire pleases, experience displeases; in the latter, desire is of little value, experience pleases more; in the former, desire produces filling, filling produces disgust; but in the latter, desire produces filling, filling produces desire. For spiritual delights increase their own desire in the mind as they satisfy it, because the more their flavor is perceived, the more it is understood that they are to be loved more eagerly, and therefore, when not possessed, they cannot be loved, because their flavor is unknown.
WIS 8:17-18 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Immortality is in the kinship of wisdom, because whatever is truly known about its nature is found to be wholly immortal and always living. In whose friendship, there is good delight; and the more one advances in love for it, the more sweetly one burns with affection for it. In the works of its hands is honor without failure, because it is the origin of all things, and through it all things were created which are in heaven and which are on earth, and which are under the earth. Of which it is written: You have made all things in wisdom (Ps. 104:24). And in the Gospel it says: All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made; in him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (Jn. 1:3-5). In the contest of its speech, wisdom and brilliance are in the communication of its words, because wisdom itself opens the mouth of the mute, and makes the tongues of infants eloquent. Indeed, I do not want you to seek all these things outside of Christ, for all things that are of God, Christ is: he himself is his wisdom, he himself is strength, he himself is justice, he himself is holiness, and redemption, he himself, to come to the present, is also forethought. But since it is in the underlying, according to the variety of senses, it is called by different names, wisdom signifies one thing, justice another. For when wisdom is spoken of, it institutes the disciplines of divine and human things. When justice, it signifies the distributor and judge of merits. When holiness, that virtue is described which makes believers in God holy. I was going around seeking to take her for myself. This going around signifies the diligence of seeking and the effort of meditating, through which the hearts of the elect strive to attain the knowledge of wisdom. Therefore, also the bride in the Song of Songs says: I will rise and go around the city, through the streets and squares, seeking whom my soul loves. I sought him and did not find him; the watchmen who guard the city found me. Have you seen him whom my soul loves? Scarcely had I passed them, when I found him whom my soul loves (Songs 3:2-4).
WIS 8:19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
From the Scriptural account of the Kings, we have learned that Solomon, in his youth, asked the Lord for wisdom and a teachable heart so that he might rightly judge the people of the Lord and discern between good and evil, which he obtained, to such an extent that no king before him was like him, nor would any arise after him. Therefore, in a certain way, this statement can be applied to him, because he was granted a good soul, in that he possessed a wise and understanding heart. But it must be considered whether what is added afterwards can pertain to him. Since Scripture itself in many places reproves him, because he loved foreign women, who turned his heart away, and he offended the Lord by building idols for the sake of foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods, therefore it seems to me more fitting, according to the allegory, to refer this to the people of the saints, who, regenerated by the washing of holy baptism and filled with faith in the Savior, received the childhood of good character and similar innocence, and, intent on sacred studies, strive to make progress and to reach the summit of virtues.
WIS 8:20 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
And when I became better, I came to the defiled body. For the Wisdom of God, which is the unchangeable good, came to the holy and incorrupt virgin, taking from there the defiled body, from which all generations call her blessed. The lover of Wisdom asks God to grant him wisdom, so that he may know what is beneficial before him at all times. And when I became better, I came to a defiled body. For it is written above that the keeping of God's laws is the completion of incorruption, and incorruption makes one to be near to God. But no one can attain to such perfection unless divine grace exalts him. From which, also, the gift of knowledge and the bestowal of virtues are to be sought and hoped for, because, according to the statement of James: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17).
WIS 9:1-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
In the Gospel, after presenting the example of the one who persistently asked his friend, who was in a room, for three loaves of bread, the Lord immediately turned his speech to the disciples, saying: Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened (Matt. 7:7-8). Similarly, the apostle James admonishes his hearers to implore wisdom from God, saying: But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all abundantly and does not reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5). From this it is clear that whoever asks rightly, and for those things which are according to God's will, will not be frustrated in the effect of his petition. Therefore, this wise petitioner begs God the Father to give him wisdom, the assistant at his throne, namely that wisdom which always remains with him, and reigns, and can never be separated from him, which is also his Word, through whom all things were made, and man himself, rational, was created in the image of God, so that he might surpass all earthly creatures, and, subject to God, might rule the world placed under him. However, in a higher sense, this can be referred to our Redeemer himself, who, sent by the Father into the world, consented to be born as a man through the Virgin, and who rules and governs the world of the Church by his own will. His judgment never fails, because, as the Prophet testifies: Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his waist (Isa. 11:5). He will judge the world in equity, and the peoples in his truth (Ps. 96:13), who was not rejected but rather chosen by God, of whom it is said through Isaiah: Behold my servant, I will uphold him, my chosen one, my soul delights in him (Isa. 42:1). He also agreed to be called by the name of servant, therefore the divine voice said to him through the aforementioned prophet: It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth (Isa. 49:6). His mother also did not refuse to profess herself the handmaid of God, who, when the angel announced to her the divine birth in the Gospel, replied: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). Therefore, the saints are his members, who, reborn by water and the word through the mother Church, and cleansed from the stain of sins by the grace of the Holy Spirit, humbly submit themselves to his service. Therefore, the Son prays to the Father, the head interceding for the body, that it may be enlightened by his grace and led in the way of righteousness; for he knows that whatever good he has in speech, will, and deed is his gift.
WIS 9:6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This is also read in the book of Job: Is not wisdom found among the aged, and does not understanding come with long life? With Him are wisdom and strength; He has counsel and understanding. If He tears down, none can rebuild; if He shuts a man in, none can open (Job 12:12-14). It is clearly evident that human weakness, unless it is sustained by divine help, will fail in countless ways and be reduced to nothing. For by the grace of God we are saved, and every perfect gift comes from above. Aware of this, Paul says of himself: Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 7:24). And again he says: By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me (1 Cor. 15:10).
WIS 9:7-10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The history of the kings narrates that King David, wishing to build a temple, was forbidden by the Lord through the prophet, because his son, who would succeed him in the kingdom, would be the one to build a temple for the Lord; and so it happened that Solomon, who is considered the author of this book, built a wondrous temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. Therefore, now the same king, recalling the benefits of God, asks that His wisdom, through which He made the world, remain with him, and that his actions and heart be directed according to His will. But because the temple itself prefigured the Church of Christ, which the true peacemaker and our King, the Lord Jesus, builds daily through His workers, that is, the holy preachers, for the praise, glory, and honor of His name, we cannot inappropriately transfer these prayers which Solomon offered for himself to the person of the teachers of the holy Church, who know that all things pertaining to the governance of the people of God are not of their own power but of divine gift. Therefore, they also daily ask that He who is the author of every good work may Himself be the giver of supreme perfection. For whatever is written in the divine Scriptures about the wisdom of God, we ought to refer to none other than the mediator between God and men; for He is our peace, who made both one, who is called by the Apostle the power and wisdom of God: the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, because in Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through Him and in Him, and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together, and He is the head of the body, the Church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might have preeminence in all things: because it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Col. 1:15-20).
WIS 9:11-12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For all things are naked and open before the eyes of the wisdom of God, nor does any thought escape it; therefore, the one whom it governs, it leads soberly along the path of virtues, and truly protects from the injuries of adversaries, and by making his works acceptable, will render him worthy of the reward of the saints in the heavenly kingdom. But because it belongs to God alone to know what He Himself wills, and He acts in all things by His own command, therefore this praiser of the works of God, suddenly struck with awe, marvels at His greatness.
WIS 9:13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Whose excellence Paul, amazed, says: O the depth of the riches of wisdom and knowledge, how incomprehensible are His judgments, and unsearchable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be repaid to him? For from Him, and through Him, and in Him are all things; to Him be honor and glory forever and ever (Rom. 11:33-36).
WIS 9:14 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore the thoughts of mortals are timid, because they are fragile, and therefore the foresight of man is uncertain, because his soul is changeable, and his flesh is corruptible, as the following sentence shows.
WIS 9:15-18 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Blessed is the man who is always fearful (Prov. 28:14), and does not presume to think, speak, or act at any time. On the contrary, the foolish people of heretics are confident and ensnared, caught by their own words; therefore Scripture says: But he who is stubborn of mind will fall into evil (Ibid.). For it is fitting for the servant of God to deal soberly with earthly things and cautiously with heavenly things, and let him remember what is written: Do not seek things that are too high for you; God made all good things in their own time, and handed over the world to their conflict, so that man may not find the work which God has done from the beginning to the end (Eccles. 3:11). And elsewhere: I applied, he says, my heart to know wisdom, and to understand the dispensation that is at work on earth; and I understood that of all the works of God, no man can find the reason for those things which are done under the sun: and the more he labored to seek, the less he would find. Even if the wise man says he knows, he will not be able to find it (Eccles. 8:16–17). Therefore it is rightly said here: What is in view we find with labor, but what is in the heavens, who has investigated? But lest he should cause us to despair of inquiring into divine things, he brings us consolation by adding the grace of the Holy Spirit.
WIS 9:19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
But who has known your mind, unless you have given him wisdom, and sent your Holy Spirit from on high? For it is clear that we can only perceive knowledge of divine things through the grace of the Holy Spirit, because no one knows what is in a man except the spirit of the man which is in him. So also, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God; he himself enlightens the hearts of the saints, and instructs them about invisible and heavenly things, so that they may perceive the understanding of the divine majesty according to their capacity, and are always compelled to love his goodness. For by wisdom all those who pleased you, Lord, from the beginning have been healed. Now he begins to explain that through the wisdom of God, that is, Christ, all who pleased God have been healed.
WIS 10:1-2 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By the goodness of the Creator, the first man was created and placed in paradise, and by the order of his Maker, he was set above all living creatures, so that Scripture relates that after all the creatures of the earth and all the birds of the sky were formed, God brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam named all the animals, all the birds of the sky, and all the beasts of the earth (Gen. 11). But when, because of the transgression of the command, he was cast out of paradise and plunged into the misery of this world, he was again restored through divine wisdom, through which he was first created, that is, Christ; and this is the sign of the great mercy of almighty God, that He decided to restore the man who, having been deceived by another's persuasion, fell into sin, so that His work would not perish, which from the beginning He had made in His own image and likeness. For He made the nations of the world able to be healed (Wis. 1), and He who did not do evil, lest His work should become worthless, that is, lest His work in man should utterly perish.
WIS 10:3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He denotes the first offspring of Adam, that is, Cain, who through the wickedness of envy departed from God and unjustly killed his brother Abel, bringing about his own destruction. When the punishment for this crime was exacted in the flood and the generation of Cain was destroyed, divine wisdom again, through the construction of the ark, preserved Noah, descending from the line of Seth, together with his sons, for the restoration of the world, as the following statement demonstrates:
WIS 10:4 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
But in a higher sense, wisdom, governing the righteous through a humble piece of wood, restored the human race, when through the passion of Christ's cross it erased the sin of the whole world and led the chosen to the entrance of the heavenly kingdom. But again, after the cleansing of the flood, it then adds what wisdom accomplished as a wondrous work:
WIS 10:5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
After the Devil, through pride, deceived the human race in the building of the tower, so that by this transgression the unity of the common language was lost, again the wisdom of God united the offspring of Abraham in the truth of his faith, giving him a law and worship in which they might prove themselves to be true worshipers of the one God. From his seed also, producing the redemption of the human race, He blessed in him all the nations of the earth, and therefore what the pride of the Devil had confounded, the humility of Christ, through His grace, reunited in the knowledge and speech of all languages.
WIS 10:6-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This opinion was in a certain way explained by the blessed Peter in his Epistle concerning the justice of God, writing thus: "He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and he rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the evil conduct of the lawless. For that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard. The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment," etc. (2 Peter 2:6-9) The story is well known, how God sent fire upon Pentapolis and justly condemned the sinful cities, turning the most fertile land into a wilderness, so that it no longer yields any fruit, showing that the souls damned in hell will burn forever without the fruit of repentance. For when Lot fled from there and headed for the mountains, his wife, because she looked back and did not persevere in her begun journey, is said to have been turned into a pillar of salt. This mystically warns us that those who have been regenerated by the grace of God and called to eternal life should not look back to the old way of life, nor remain foolishly midway. The fact that Lot's wife looked back and remained, and was turned into salt, serves as an example for the seasoning of the faithful, by which others may be salted; for Christ did not keep this silent, saying, "Remember Lot's wife," (Luke 17:32) namely, that he might season us as with salt, so that we might not neglect as fools, but be wise and beware. This, too, she admonished when she was turned into a pillar of salt. But the wisdom of God frees those who observe Him from all sorrows and preserves them perpetually in the peace of eternal rest.
WIS 10:10-12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This passage, although it may seem to pertain specifically to the patriarch Jacob according to the historical account, who, fleeing his brother Esau, went to his uncle Laban in Mesopotamia, where on the journey he saw in a dream a ladder set up, and the angels of God descending and ascending on it, and the Lord leaning on the ladder, saying to him: I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land on which you sleep I will give to you and to your descendants (Gen. 28:13), and upon arriving in Mesopotamia, he took Leah and Rachel, the daughters of his uncle, as wives, for whom he also tended his sheep for a very long time. But although that man tried to deprive him of his wages through deceit, he was kept unharmed by the wisdom of God, and returned to his homeland enriched with great wealth. More generally, however, according to the allegorical interpretation, it pertains to the holy martyrs, whom the divine wisdom, namely Christ our Lord, by His mercy delivered from all persecutions of their enemies, and protected them unblemished from their snares, strengthening them by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the hope of future reward, and finally, with all their enemies defeated, led them as most blessed victors to the eternal kingdom, so that there they might forever sing praises to Him, by whose help they knew themselves to have been preserved and saved.
WIS 10:13-14 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The story of the patriarch Joseph seems to recount both his slanders and later happiness, who, having been sold by his brothers, was brought to Egypt, and there, because of the accusation of his master's wife, was sent to prison, therefore, due to his interpretation of dreams, he was brought out by order of Pharaoh and made ruler of Egypt. But just as the wisdom of God delivered him from the hands of his enemies and made him lord of the land, so also, in a special way, He rescued the holy martyrs from the punishments of their persecutors and exalted them in the heavenly kingdom, where, enjoying eternal glory, they will come as judges with Christ over their enemies, so that they may assign to them eternal punishments for their crimes and lies.
WIS 10:15-20 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He calls a just people and a seed without complaint the people of Israel, who, descending from the seed of the patriarchs, became worshippers of the one God, but were oppressed by the Egyptians and other nations. Through the leadership of Moses and Aaron, they were delivered from there and exalted by the wonders of God, that is, by the crossing of the Red Sea, by the protection of the cloud by day, the brilliance of fire by night, and by the other miracles that were abundantly performed among them in the desert. Mystically, however, the Lord delivers his chosen ones from the hands of their persecutors, and through the flashing of miracles terrifies their adversaries, and gives his servants wisdom which none of their adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Therefore, even before kings and powers of this world, they stand unafraid, confidently speaking the word of God, and through the suffering of the martyrs, they attain the rewards of the heavenly kingdom, where perpetually and without end they sing worthy praises to their King and Deliverer.
WIS 10:21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is clear that without the wisdom of God, the human mind can neither conceive anything worthy nor utter anything fitting; therefore, sober understanding and the ability of sound speech must be sought from Him alone, since all things are from Him, through Him, and in Him.
WIS 11:1-2 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The former people, departing from Egypt under the leadership of Moses, journeyed through the deserts and pitched their tents in uninhabitable places, as the history of the Pentateuch recounts. In the same way, the people who follow now, that is, the Christians, journey through the desert of this world under the guidance of prophecy, so that, with Christ reigning, they may reach the homeland of the heavenly kingdom. This is also clearly stated by the Apostle Peter, who says: We have the more sure prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19).
WIS 11:4 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
But what that rock signified, from which the Israelites drank, Paul testifies, saying: "They drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4). This rock, struck by the rod of the cross, which was foretold in the hands, that is, in the writings of the prophets, poured forth living water which fills all the elect and satisfies them with eternal fulfillment. Therefore, Truth itself says: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink, and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (Jn. 7:37-38). And elsewhere: "Whoever drinks the water that I will give him, it will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (Jn. 4:14). Therefore, this rock is called the highest because in it is contained the most abundant grace of the Holy Spirit; it is called a hard stone because it is firm and stable, upon which every wise man builds his house so that it is not moved by any storm. Concerning this, Moses also says in the song of Deuteronomy: "They sucked honey from the rock, and oil from the hard stone" (Deut. 32:13). Nowhere is such a thing read in the history; if the whole sequence of the Old Testament is reviewed, nowhere did the people suck honey from the rock, nowhere did they suck oil. But because, according to Paul's word, the rock was Christ, they sucked honey from the rock who saw the deeds and miracles of our Redeemer. But they sucked oil from the hard stone who, after his resurrection, deserved to be anointed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; as if, therefore, the hard stone gave honey when the Lord, still mortal, showed the sweetness of his miracles to the disciples. But the hard stone poured out oil because, after his resurrection, now made obstructed, he poured forth the gift of holy anointing through the breathing of the Spirit. Of this oil it is said through the prophet: "The yoke will rot because of the oil" (Isa. 10:27). Indeed, we were held under the yoke of demonic domination, but we have been anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and because the grace of liberty has anointed us, the yoke of demonic domination has rotted.
WIS 11:4 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 2:8
What that rock from which the Israelites drank was to signify is attested to by Paul with these words, "They drank from a spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was the Christ." This rock, struck by the wood of the cross and announced by the spirits (that is, by the writings) of the prophets, poured forth the living water that fills all of the elect, restoring and satisfying them for all eternity. For this reason the Truth says, "Whoever thirsts, let him come to me and drink, and rivers of living water will flow from his heart." And elsewhere, "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up for eternal life." This rock is also called most high, because in it is contained the immense grace of the Spirit. And also hard rock, since it is firm and stable, and whoever is wise builds his house on it in such a way that no storm can shake it.
WIS 11:5-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He commemorates the blessings of God, which were bestowed upon the former people through divine mercy, when, as they thirsted, He brought forth water from the rock and refreshed them with abundant drink. Likewise, on the contrary, he recounts the punishments which their enemies suffered in the slaughter of their firstborn and the various calamities that, by the just judgment of God, came upon them. Mystically, however, it signifies that the people of God and the sheep of His pasture, whom the supreme shepherd redeemed at the price of His own blood, quench their thirst at the fountain of living water, and their persecutors, failing in eternal want, will be delivered to perpetual death. Similar to this is that which the Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah against His adversaries, saying: Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame. Behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart, and shall wail for breaking of spirit (Isa. 65:13-14). But that drink is to be understood here, which will spring from the fountains of Israel, which whoever drinks will have within himself a fountain of water springing up into eternal life, which also the Savior promises to drink with the apostles in the kingdom of the Father, which gladdens the heart of man, so that those who drink may say: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). And the mother of the Lord, full of the Holy Spirit, prophesied: He has filled the hungry with good things, who previously did not have the food of the Lord, and the rich He has sent away empty (Luke 1:53), who were given for His burial, and whom, though they promised a prophet, they rejected. Concerning whom also in another place the Psalmist sings: The rich have lacked and suffered hunger (Ps. 30:10), that is, the people of the Jews. But those who seek the Lord, that is, the multitude of the Gentiles, will not lack any good thing. And when those serving Christ and believing in Him shall have rejoiced and praised the Lord for gladness of heart and joy, then those others will be put to shame, seeing others received into their place, and will cry out for pain of heart, fulfilling that which is written: There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 13:42), when the lambs of the Gentiles and the righteous will stand at the right hand, and the goats of the Jews and the wicked at the left, the former receiving eternal rewards, the latter everlasting punishments. But the regret of spirit, through pain of heart, is to be understood in the conscience of sinners, according to that which is written: Those who err in spirit will come to understanding (Isa. 29:24), and a contrite and humbled heart, O God, you will not despise (Ps. 51:17). The spirit is crushed when it is lifted up, as is written of the wicked king of Israel: The Lord hardened his spirit. And of the prince of the Babylonians, when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened, so that in pride he said: This is Babylon, and I have made it (Dan. 5:20).
WIS 11:7 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 2:8
It indicates in a mysterious way that the people of God and the sheep of his pasture, whom the great Shepherd rescued with the price of his blood, will have their thirst quenched with the fountain of living water and that their persecutors, falling into eternal destitution, will be given over to everlasting death. Similar to this passage is the one pronounced by the Lord through Isaiah against his adversaries: "See, my servants will eat, and you will be hungry. See, my servants will drink and you will be thirsty. See, my servants will rejoice and you will be downcast. See, my servants will shout for joy of heart, but you will cry out for sorrow of heart and howl for anguish of spirit." One must therefore receive that drink that rises from the springs of Israel, and the one who drinks it will have in himself a "spring of water that wells up for eternal life," that drink that the Savior promises he will drink together with the apostles in the kingdom of the Father. It gladdens the hearts of human beings, so that those who drink it can say, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness." And, full of the Holy Spirit, the mother of the Lord prophesied, "He has filled the hungry with good things," those who previously did not have the food of the Lord, and "he has sent the rich away empty," those who did everything they could to do away with him, rejecting the one whom they recognized to be a prophet. Of them, that is, of the Jewish people, the psalmist elsewhere sings, "The rich grow poor and are hungry." "But those who seek the Lord," that is, the multitude of the peoples, "lack nothing."
WIS 11:10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Whoever examines the reading of the Old Testament carefully, easily recognizes how God frequently chastised the Israelites, who sinned often, with deserved punishments, and again, when they repented, comforted them with timely comfort. However, as for foreigners, that is, the Egyptians and the Canaanites, judging them unworthy of His mercy, He exterminated them with harsh vengeance.
WIS 11:11-12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
What is said, that both the absent and the present were similarly tormented, either signifies according to history that not only those Egyptians who were present with Pharaoh before Moses and Aaron were struck by the ten plagues, but also all the others who dwelled throughout the land of Egypt were similarly punished; or it refers to the time when not only those whom the Israelites destroyed in each city by recent calamity suffered penalties, but also all the nations of the land of the Canaanites, hearing indeed the victory of the people of God and the power of the signs which were performed at their departure by the will of the Lord, were greatly terrified by them. This is also shown by the words spoken by Rahab the prostitute to the spies of Joshua: "I know," she said, "that the Lord has given you the land; indeed, your terror has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have suffered. We have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea at your entrance, when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you destroyed. And hearing these things, we feared, and our hearts suffered, nor did any spirit remain in us at your entrance. For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath" (Josh. 2:9-11). But although these things were done among the former people in the times of the law, nevertheless, conversely, the Jews who despised the incarnation of the Son of God and refused to accept His preaching, not only within their homeland but also wandering and exiled throughout the whole world, are tormented by various calamities; and the nations who received the faith of God and were converted from their idols to the true worship of the one God, when they sin, accepting paternal correction, are never cast away from the mercy of God. This is the change of the right hand of the Most High, so that those who were once the head now become the tail, and those who were once the tail now become the head. Lebanon has been turned into Carmel, and Carmel has been reckoned as a forest. The Lord is just in all His ways, and holy in all His works (Isa. 29); for therefore the first shall be last, and the last shall be first (Matt. 20:16).
WIS 11:13-15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The misery of the wicked is twofold, when the memory of past evils is not diminished, and the storm of present tribulations increases. Therefore, they have no hope of remedy in the future, because although they may fake repentance for their sins, they have no real intention of improving their ways. Therefore, it is written of the Jews in Psalm 79: When He slew them, then they sought Him, and they returned and sought God early; and they remembered that God was their helper, and the Most High God was their redeemer. And they loved Him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to Him, but their heart was not right with Him, nor were they steadfast in His covenant. (Ps. 78:34-37) He does not act in the same way toward the just. Why does He not do the same to them? Because they do not sin in the same way. For the just man falls seven times and rises again; but the wicked shall fall into evil (Prov. 24:16). For when the wicked has come into the depth of evils, he despises.
WIS 11:16-20 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
But for their senseless thoughts, their iniquities. According to their hardness and impenitent heart, they are storing up wrath for themselves on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, for a hard heart will fare badly (Rom. 2:5). In the end, judgments are prepared for mockers and sinners will pursue evil, but good will be repaid to the just (Prov. 19:29). Was not at a loss to send upon them a multitude of bears or bold lions or newly created beasts full of rage, unknown, either breathing a fiery breath or hissing clouds of smoke or flashing terrible sparks from their eyes. It was fitting that those who worshipped the creature instead of the Creator should receive vengeance from the very source from which they sought help. For the world itself fights against the senseless on His behalf. But since in the history of the Old Testament these types of unknown beasts, which are listed, are nowhere else mentioned as being expressed, so that such monsters would punish sinners, it is better to transfer this to a spiritual sense, so that we may understand that all idol worshippers, as well as heretics and schismatics, who follow the sects of their errors as if they were truth, are deservedly punished by spiritual beasts, that is, by unclean spirits, from whom the Prophet prays that faithful souls may be delivered by divine grace: "Do not give the souls who confess to you to the beasts" (Ps. 74:19). Their appearance is terrifying, their cruelty excessive, and their rage immense, because their entire intention is to pursue the human race with hatred and to bring them to be tormented with themselves in the torments of Hades. But since God condemns no one unjustly, and subjects no one to punishment undeservedly. But you have arranged all things in measure, number, and weight. For He does all things according to truth, judgment, and justice, and there is nothing disordered or inappropriate in His works and deeds, but He moderates and arranges all His judgments by the balance of the highest equity. This statement can also be applied to the condition of all creatures; because the almighty Creator made all His works, which He created from the beginning, with a definite number, measure, and weight. Of Him it is written: He counts the multitude of the stars, and calls them all by their names (Ps. 147:4). Therefore also it is read in Job: For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees all things under the heavens, who made a weight for the winds, and measured the waters, when He gave the rain its law, and a path for the thunderstorm (Job 28:24-26). Therefore also it is said by someone: All things whatsoever have been constructed from the primeval nature of things seem to be formed by the principle of numbers, for this was the chief pattern in the mind of the Creator. Therefore the multitude of the four elements was changed, therefore the succession of times, therefore the motions of the stars and the revolution of the heavens. Since these things are so, and since the state of all things is shaped by the connection of numbers, it is also necessary that number itself always remains in its own substance equally. Who then is sufficient to comprehend this measure, this number, and this weight of God, so as to be able to describe all His arrangements under these three definitions? In measure, I think, consists quality; in number, quantity; in weight, proportion. These are balanced in the judgment and mercy of God, because they are enclosed within these two holy boundaries, by which He established, governs, and will judge the world; in these, God the just Judge cannot be comprehended, cannot be reproved. Therefore, all that we have said above, or will say, now lie hidden from us within the enclosure of these three: which will then be unlocked only by the keys of God's judgment and mercy, so that they may be known, when at the coming of the Lord they will be revealed, so that praise or punishment may be from God to each one.
WIS 11:21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Nothing is impossible for the Almighty, therefore no one can resist Him; for all things are placed in the will of the Lord, and there is no one who can resist His will. Whatever God willed, He did in heaven and on earth, in the sea and in the depths. Therefore, the arm of the Lord is none other than the only-begotten Son of God, to whom it is said through Isaiah: Arise, arise, put on strength, O arm of the Lord. Arise as in the ancient days, in generations of old. Was it not you who struck the proud one, who wounded the dragon? etc. (Isa. 51:9). The prophet speaks on behalf of the people to the arm of the Lord, and requests His coming, so that He who for many ages delivered His saints from dangers, now coming in person may defend His chosen ones from their enemies.
WIS 11:22 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Similar to this statement is what is read in Isaiah: Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance (Isa. 40:15). And a little later: All the nations, he says, are as nothing before him, and are accounted by him as nothing and emptiness. (Isa. 40:17) This is meant to be understood as that the mind and reason and sense of the Lord, through whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made, is the one of whom it is sung in the psalms: By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all their power by the breath of his mouth (Ps. 33:6). All the nations who do not know their creator, or the whole of mankind in comparison to God, are as a drop from a bucket and as the small dust of the balance, which with slight weight inclines to the other side; and just as the early morning dew-drop, which is easily dried when the sun rises, or as if a small drop flows from a bucket and is disregarded by the one carrying it, so the entire multitude of the nations, when compared to the heavenly splendor, and the ministries above, and the multitude of angels, is considered as nothing.
WIS 11:23 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, the power of God, always joined with goodness, although it is in need of nothing, nevertheless does not despise His work in men on account of their sins, but by granting forgiveness through repentance, He washes them from sins, and with fatherly compassion, He encourages and nourishes them to be gathered back to Himself.
WIS 11:24-26 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The good worker loves, preserves, and governs good work, and therefore, if ever human weakness strays from the way of truth by sinning, he endures with much patience, waiting for them to be converted for the better through repentance. Therefore, he makes his sun rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45). But those who abuse the patience of God and do not turn to repentance are condemned by his just judgment, because the Lord is just and loves justice; his face has seen equity (Ps. 11:7).
WIS 12:1-2 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the Spirit of God is gentle, for He Himself is the love of God, and the giver of all good; He Himself reproves men, because He causes those whom He fills to reprove sinners, just as Truth itself says to the disciples in the Gospel: I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see Me no longer; concerning judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (Jn. 16:7-11). Blessed is the man who hears the voice of this Teacher and obeys His commands, for he will be the possessor of the heavenly kingdom.
WIS 12:3-11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It commemorates historically how the seven nations, which had possessed the land of the Canaanites, were driven out of their places by the Lord because of the infidelity and injustices they had committed, and how the children of Israel, namely the worshippers of His name, were brought into their place. Mystically, however, those seven most wicked nations signify the universality of vices which, after the transgression of the first man, began to possess the human race, but through the grace of Christ were expelled from the hearts of the faithful, and the multitude of sacred virtues was introduced there, so that, with the evil possessors expelled from the land of souls by the Gospel of Christ, legitimate inhabitants, that is, the fruits of virtues, might produce vital shoots there by the working of the Holy Spirit. If anyone thinks it necessary to ask how it is said that the Lord sent wasps before His army into the most depraved nations, so that they might gradually exterminate them, when nowhere in the history of the Old Testament is it read that this happened physically, let him know that many things can happen there in the punishment of the wicked, which the writer of history did not care to express throughout, or rather that wasps are placed here in a figurative expression for the terrors which the Israelites, fighting against the surrounding nations, brought upon them. For the fame of those wars, which were accomplished by the power of the Lord, pierced the hearts of the fearful with the sharpest stings of terror, so that it utterly destroyed in them all strength to resist, and this lasted as long as they faithfully rendered worship to God. But after they sinned and neglected to serve God, they were delivered into the hands of their enemies, so that those who had previously been subject to them afterwards became their superiors.
WIS 12:12-14 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He clearly shows by reason that in no way should it be attributed to the Creator that He disposes of His creature according to His own will. For all things are placed in His will, and there is none who can resist His will (Esther 13). Therefore, it is said by Paul: O man, who are you to answer back to God? Does the thing formed say to him who formed it: Why did you make me? Or does the potter not have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Rom. 9:20-21) For from Him and through Him and in Him are all things: but the Lord is just in all His ways, and holy in all His works. (Ps. 145:17)
WIS 12:15-16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
What is it that condemns him who ought not to be punished, since the condemnation itself is certainly punishment; but here he uses “punish” for “correct,” as if he were saying: He who does not accept correction will receive correction, he justly condemns to eternal fire him who is outside the power of God, that is, unworthy of divine mercy. For the power of God is the beginning of justice; because the judgment of God, whether in the correction of the elect or in the condemnation of the reprobate, is the highest perfection of equity, and therefore, through His goodness, He delays judgment for a long time so that He may have more to whom He can render benefit. For when the creature, in its pride, raises itself against its Creator, it does not wish to be subject to His dominion; indeed, just punishment avenges, lest the creation seem to prevail against its Maker. This passage can also be aptly transferred to the passion of our Redeemer, whom the Father delivered up to death for us. But it must be considered how He is just and arranges all things justly, if He condemns him who ought not to be punished. Our Mediator ought not to be punished for Himself, because He committed no contagion of guilt, but if He had not taken upon Himself an undeserved death, He would never have freed us from deserved death. Therefore, since the Father is just, punishing the Just One, He arranges all things justly, because by this He justifies all things, in that He condemns Him who is without sin for sinners, so that all the elect might rise to the summit of justice by Him who, above all, endured the condemnation of our injustice.
WIS 12:17 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For divinity indeed shows its power in the correction of wrongdoers, so that the stubbornness of the proud may not presume upon its own strength; yet it will do so without any passion or disturbance, because God is impassible, and is never changed by any alteration, but always remaining the same, He renews, arranges, and orders all things, as the following statement proves.
WIS 12:18 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the Almighty God judges all things with the peacefulness of His nature, but in the patient vengeance of God He seems to restrain His anger, which in fact does not exist, but human emotions, just as bodily members, are ascribed to God in figurative language, so that the divine words may be adapted to our manner and understanding. Therefore, it is also read in the Scriptures: the eyes of God, and ears, mouth, hands and feet, anger and fury, and other emotions which are diverse in men, whereas the simple nature has no division, nor does true unity admit any division, but the one and the same God always works diverse and varied works, of whom it is said through the Prophet: All things shall grow old like a garment, and as a clothing you will change them, and they shall be changed; but you are the same, and your years shall not fail (Ps. 102:25-28). For in the prophet Micah it is written in this way: The Lord shall go forth from His place, and shall come down and tread upon the high places of the earth, and the minds under it shall be consumed, and the valleys shall be cleft (Micah 1:3). Also in Isaiah: The Lord of hosts shall go forth and crush war, and will stir up the heavens, and will cry out over His enemies with strength (Isa. 42:13). Therefore, God will go forth from His place when He is compelled to break His rest and gentleness and mercy for the correction of sinners, who, though by nature He is sweet, becomes bitter through our fault, not to Himself, but to those who endure, for whom the torments are bitter. Concerning His nature, He Himself speaks otherwise through the prophet, saying: I am God and I do not change (Mal. 3:6). Therefore, it is also said through James: With whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration (James 1:17). Therefore Paul also says of Christ: Who is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). And again: Now to the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God (1 Tim. 1:17). And in the Gospel it is written: No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (Jn. 1:18).
WIS 12:19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For by the wondrous works of the almighty God the faithful are instructed to beware of involving themselves in the sins of the wicked, and rather to strive to keep themselves untainted by such matters, and by maintaining faith and hope in the Lord, not to neglect the time granted to them for doing penance and good works; indeed, with all their strength, through love, they should try to serve their Creator.
WIS 12:20-21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The book of Exodus narrates how the Lord, through Moses and Aaron, struck the Egyptians, namely, the enemies of God’s people with ten plagues, and at times allowed them to breathe amidst these plagues, so that, having been chastised, they might be corrected. But because they persisted in wickedness, they were destroyed by divine vengeance. On the other hand, the people of God, to whom the promise was made and to their fathers, were scarcely chastised and partly comforted, as long as they endured to be educated by discipline. However, after they spurned the Gospel of Christ and crucified the Son of God, they were, in a wondrous manner, turned from friends into enemies, and therefore expelled from their own land, dispersed throughout the whole world, and finally felt harshly chastised, which previously they refused to understand when corrected by paternal kindness. We can similarly interpret this sentiment regarding the martyrs of Christ and their persecutors, because when those persecutors tortured the confessors of Christ with torments, they could, if they wished, be instructed by their patience to abandon the worship of idols and submit themselves to the Christian religion. But just as the martyrs attained eternal glory through temporal sufferings, so too did the persecutors, after the brief joys of this life, sink into eternal punishments.
WIS 12:22 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This is what is written in the psalm: Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy will surround those who hope in the Lord (Ps. 32:10). For there is a great difference between the judgment of the elect and that of the depraved, because the Lord corrects the former to cleanse them from sins and restrain them from vices, but the latter so that they may pay the penalties for their pride and treachery, and recognize that they cannot resist the ruler of all. Indeed, happy is he who always keeps before his eyes the compassion and goodness of his judge when judging, and just as he wishes the Lord to have mercy on him, so he should not refuse to have mercy on others, because judgment will be without mercy for him who does not show mercy. For blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matt. 5:7).
WIS 12:23-25 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The punishment for those who lived unjustly and senselessly in their lives was that, through the things they worshipped, they endured torment; and by divine judgment, since they were unwilling to know their Creator and to honor Him as was fitting, they were handed over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not fitting, dishonoring their bodies among themselves, so that in this they would have shame now, and in the future, eternal torment. The apostle Paul explains the truth of this matter in his Epistle to the Romans, saying: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because what is known of God is evident in them. For God has shown it to them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse; because, when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up to the lusts of their own hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Rom. 1:18-25). Therefore their heart was blinded, so that the majesty of the invisible God, whom they had recognized from these works, they changed, not to men, but, what is worse, into an inexcusable crime, into the likeness of men, so that God is called by them in the form of corruptible man, that is, the image of a man; so that those whom they do not dare to call by the name of God while alive, they receive the images of the dead into the glory of God. How great is the sickness, how great the foolishness, to call these wise to their own damnation, among whom the dead have more power than the living, and the dead are preferred to the living; for, departing from the living God, they favor the dead, of whom it is written, “A mortal man makes a dead thing with wicked hands” (Wis. 15:17); for therefore they diminished the majesty and glory of God, that to these things which are least and smallest, they gave the honor due to God’s likeness. For the Babylonians were the first to call a thing god, the image of Bel, once a dead man, who is said to have ruled over them. They also worshipped the serpent, the dragon, which Daniel, the man of God, killed, whose likeness they have. The Egyptians, however, worshipped a four-footed animal, which they called Apis, in the likeness of a cow. Jeroboam imitated this evil, making calves in Samaria for the Jews to sacrifice to, and birds, because the pagans have sacred rites for ravens. Yet the Egyptians worshipped the images of all these things I have mentioned, and others which it is not necessary to mention now. These things were done by those who considered themselves wise in the world; for, because they did not honor the invisible God by doing these things, neither could they rightly understand the things that are visible.
WIS 12:26 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Indeed, those who, having been chastised by the scourges of God, were not corrected, have experienced the fitting punishment of damnation; for God chastises for this purpose, that He may amend, not wishing anyone to perish, because He wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But he who is ungrateful for God's visitation, and through impatience falls into murmuring, is led from temporal chastisement to perpetual torments.
WIS 12:27 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Wretched breeding, which for so long served idols, was also deceived by error and believed those to be gods by whose persuasions they were led astray, and because of this they were subjected to various punishments. Therefore, many from among them later recognized the true God, whom previously they refused to believe in through His benefits, as almighty in just judgment. For He could not remain hidden, since He is acknowledged to be the ruler of all, because either He grants mercy here to those who are converted through repentance, or He assigns everlasting punishment in the future to those who rebel through pride.
WIS 13:1 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For all men by nature were vain, in whom there was ignorance of God. And if every living man is altogether vain, how much more vain are those who do not acknowledge their Creator. But all men are vain in whom there is no knowledge of God, that is, the fear and reverence of God. Therefore it is said through Job: Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding (Job 28:28). For he departs from evil who withdraws from the worship of idols; he fears God who keeps His commandments. For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; a good understanding have all they that do His commandments (Ps. 111:10). and who were unable from the visible good things to know him who is. For from good works they could have known the good craftsman, who truly is, because He is always unchallengeable, who alone has immortality, and dwells in inaccessible light; who is always the same, and whose years never fail: who is eternal and omnipotent, without beginning and without end, always remaining in Himself, according to His will governs and directs all things; therefore, the vanity of men is most vain, who worship creatures instead of the Creator.
WIS 13:2-3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For some worshipped fire as a divine power, which they called Vulcan; others worshipped the ether or air, which they named Jupiter or Juno; others worshipped excessive water, which they called Neptune; others the circle of stars, who distributed the positions and courses of the stars according to the various shapes of animals; others venerated the sun as God, which they called Phoebus or Apollo; others the moon, which they used to call Diana. For, deceived by such error, they attributed the power of the almighty God to their false inventions, as a certain pagan poet concluded in three verses, saying: "So many and such images did God place in the heavens, and through the dark shadows scattered, He commanded the bright lights to give clarity to the devastating night." But if it is not possible for the stars to be gods, then neither can the sun nor the moon be gods, since they differ from the lights of the stars not in kind, but in size. But if these are not gods, then neither is the sky, in which all these are contained. In the same way, if the earth which we tread, which we cultivate and till for sustenance, is not a god, then neither will the fields nor the mountains be gods; if these are not gods, then the whole earth cannot be considered a god. Likewise, if the water which serves living beings for drinking or washing is not a god, then neither are the springs from which water flows. If the springs are not gods, then neither are the rivers which are gathered from the springs. If the rivers also are not gods, then the sea, which is made up of rivers, cannot be considered a god. But if neither the sky, nor the earth, nor the sea, which are parts of the world, can be gods, then neither is the whole world a god, which the same Stoics claim to be both living and wise, and therefore God, in which they have been so inconsistent that nothing has been said by them which has not also been overturned by themselves.
WIS 13:4-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It would have been fitting that the most beautiful and splendid Creator be recognized through beautiful creatures, but they became vain in their thoughts and chose to serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Therefore, they are refuted not only by the truth but also by their own words; for just as a house, made for the purpose of dwelling, feels nothing of itself and is subject to the master who made or inhabits it, so the world, feeling nothing of itself, is subject to God the Maker, who made it for His own use. Therefore, the sinner is at fault before the foolish for two reasons: first, because they prefer the elements, that is, the works of God, to God Himself; then, because they worship images of the elements themselves, fashioned in human form, for they make images of the sun and moon in the manner of humans, likewise of fire and earth and sea, which they call Vulcan, Vesta, and Neptune. Such is the desire of men for images that they are even more attracted to those which are rare; they delight, of course, in gold and gems and ivory, the beauty and brilliance of these dazzle their eyes, nor do they consider any place sacred unless these things have shone there. Therefore, under the hoax of gods, greed and desire are worshipped; for they believe that the gods love whatever they themselves desire, whatever it is for which thefts, murders, and robberies are daily committed, and for which wars overturn peoples and cities throughout the world. Therefore, they consecrate to the gods their spoils and plunder, whom, indeed, they must admit to be weak and devoid of the highest virtue, if they are subject to desires: for why should we think them heavenly, if they desire something from the earth? Or blessed, if they need anything? Or incorruptible, if they take pleasure in those things in the desire for which human greed is rightly condemned?
WIS 13:6-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Paul the Apostle, writing to the Romans in his Epistle, as we have already shown above, expressed the likeness of this place, saying: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness, because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God has revealed it to them. For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divinity, so that they are without excuse (Rom. 1:18-20). The knowledge of God is revealed from the structure of the world. For God, who is by nature invisible, can also be known as visible, for a work was made by him which, by its visibility, reveals the maker, so that through the certain, the uncertain can be known; so that by what is impossible for others, he who made this work might be believed to be the God of all; so that they are without excuse: because they could not be ignorant of his existence and his working for their benefit, for it is clear to all that he has ordained those things which are produced for human use in the course of the year; but when they had known him, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became vain in their imaginations, claiming to be wise, they became fools (Rom. 1:21-22). For they consider themselves wise because they think they are investigating physical principles, examining the course of the stars and the qualities of the elements, but despising the Lord of these things, they are therefore fools. Since these things are praiseworthy, how much more so is their creator? Yet, having suffered the shame of neglecting God, they often use a miserable excuse, saying that through these things one can go to God, just as one reaches the king through companions. Come now, is anyone so senseless or so forgetful of his own salvation as to give the honor of the king to a companion, when, if anyone is found even to discuss such a thing, he is rightly condemned for treason? And these people do not consider themselves guilty who prefer the honor of God's name to the creature, and, leaving the Lord, worship fellow servants, as if there were something more that could be preserved for God! For indeed, it is through the king that one goes to tribunes or companions, because the king is, after all, a man, and does not know to whom he should entrust the state; but to God, whom nothing escapes, for he knows the merits of all, there is no need for an intercessor to obtain favor, but only a devoted mind.
WIS 13:10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
They therefore come to the gods, not so much for the sake of religion, which can have no place in things ill-prepared and perishable, as to feast their eyes on gold, to gaze at the polish of refined marble or ivory, to handle with greedy contemplation the garments distinguished by little stones and colors, or cups adorned with shining gems; and the more decorative and beautiful the temples and statues are, the more majesty they are believed to possess. Therefore, their religion is nothing other than what their desire admires. We have often said that silver and gold can be understood as speech and thought, which, since they are given by God to humans so that they may either speak or think of God and praise their Creator, they misuse this gift in the imitation of idols, according to what is written: I gave them silver and gold, but they made Baal from my silver and gold (Hosea 2:8). Therefore, when someone, terrified by the fear of the Lord, first hides idols in the cave of his heart and, not daring to bring forth what he has wrongly fashioned, conceals them in the depths of the earth, the next step is to cast away what was previously engraved and not allow it to remain in himself, according to that saying of Isaiah: On that day, a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats. And they will enter into the clefts of the rocks and into the caves of the stones from the face of the terror of the Lord and from the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth (Isa. 2:20-21).
WIS 13:11-19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This wisdom was brought forth to insult idols and idolaters, so that such makers and worshippers might understand how wicked and how close to eternal death it is to abandon the one omnipotent God and Creator of all things, and to worship various creations as divinity in contempt of God. Therefore, through the prophet, the Lord spoke long ago to His people about His own veneration and the falsity of idols: I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no other God. Who is like me? Let him call and declare, and set in order for me since I established the ancient people, and let him announce to them the things to come. Do not fear, nor be troubled; from then on I have made you hear, and I have announced the future: you are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me, or a maker whom I do not know? All makers of idols are nothing, and their most beloved things will not profit them: they themselves are their witnesses, because they do not see nor understand, so that they may be confused. Who has formed a god, or cast a graven image that is of no use? Behold, all his associates shall be confused; for they are craftsmen, and they gather from all, all shall stand and tremble and be confounded together. The ironworker works with a file in the coals, and with hammers he shapes it, and works with the strength of his arm; he will hunger and grow weak, he will not drink water and will faint. The woodworker stretches a line and shapes it with a plane; he makes it with a square, and turns it with a compass: and he makes the image of a man, as a beautiful person dwelling in a house. He cuts down cedars, takes holm oak and oak which stood among the trees of the forest; he plants a pine which the rain nourished, and it becomes fuel for men; he takes some of it and is warmed, and kindles it and bakes bread; but from the rest he makes a god, and worships it; he makes a graven image, and bows down before it. He burns half of it in the fire, and with the half he eats meat; he cooks stew and is satisfied, and is warmed, and says: Aha, I am warmed, I have seen the fire. But the rest of it he makes into a god, and a graven image for himself; he bows down before it, and worships it, and prays saying: Deliver me, for you are my god. They did not know nor understand; for their eyes are blinded so that they may not see, nor understand with their heart. Nor do they consider in their mind, nor know, nor feel, so as to say: I burned half of it in the fire, and baked bread on its coals, cooked meat and ate, and from the rest shall I make an idol? Shall I bow down before a block of wood? Part of it is ashes: a foolish heart has worshipped it, and has not delivered his soul, nor said: Perhaps there is a lie in my right hand (Isa. 44:6-20)? The sense of this prophecy's narrative is as follows: For when it says: I am the first and the last, it is the same as what is elsewhere read as spoken from divine majesty: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev. 21:6). For He does not say He is alone, but that besides His power and wisdom there is no external God, condemning the opinion of many gods and their images: Who, He says, is like me? Let him call things that are not as if they are, and explain the order of my creation by which I have freed all things with reason, since I made man upon the earth, and not only do I will, but I also seek knowledge of the future. Therefore you, Israel, whose king and redeemer I am, do not fear images, which you learned to be nothing on Mount Sinai. Is perhaps another creator whom I do not know, or besides this is there another world which shows the power of an unknown God? Nor are only the things made, but also those who make them considered as nothing: and when the time of vengeance comes, the works of their hands will by no means be able to deliver them, which blind and insensible things confound their makers. For who can believe that a god is formed by a file, drill, and hammer, or that images are cast in coal…
WIS 14:1-3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He likewise presents these things, just as the previous ones, as a reproach against idolaters, because it is the greatest folly that a man, created in the image of God, possessing a rational soul from Him, by which he was able to devise the art of how to have a way to travel on the waves, building a ship according to his skill in the craft, does not give honor to Him who gave him this knowledge, but rather invokes an idol which he himself has fashioned with similar skill but even greater vanity. For since he is greater and better by reason of nature than the insensible thing which he himself has shaped into some image, he ought not to have erred so that the greater worships the lesser, because the lesser ought to seek help from the greater, not the greater from the lesser. Moreover, by divine gift, just as the preparation of the ship, so also the course of sailing must be sought, because the Almighty Creator destroys whomever He abandons; but whoever is guided by Him exults in complete prosperity. But all heretics who, in their doctrines, establish various images of errors, are therefore engulfed in the waves of this world, because they have abandoned the ship of the Church and did not wish to have God as their guide.
WIS 14:4 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, according to the history, the power of the Lord was demonstrated when He made the people of Israel cross the Red Sea on dry foot; likewise, when they left the desert, He led them through the bed of the Jordan, with the waters divided on either side, so as to instill terror in the nations of the Canaanites to be exterminated. But according to the allegory, the Lord Himself prepares for His faithful a path of faith and constancy amid the waves of the world and the torments of persecutors, through which they can pass unharmed from every scandal, nor will they need human comfort there, where the power of the Most High shows the marvelous effects of His virtue.
WIS 14:5-6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The wondrous Creator gave knowledge to His creature, so that in the present age he might be able to attend to his own necessity, and serve the will of his Lord. Therefore also from the beginning, when the human race began to serve idolatry, and all evils were fashioned upon the earth by proud giants, the almighty Judge commanded His faithful servant Noah to build an ark, through which he and his offspring might be saved, and the species of all living creatures might be preserved for the future restoration of the world. The mystery of this, indeed, the Apostle Peter shows in his Epistle, saying: Christ once died for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might offer us to God; put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. In which also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient, when the patience of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water; which now saves you also, baptism of a like figure (1 Peter 3:18-21). They say that the form of baptism is likened to the ark and the waters of the flood, and rightly so, because the very construction of the ark from smoothed wood signifies the building of the Church, which is made from the gathering of the souls of the faithful by the architects of the Word. And that, when the whole world perished, only a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water, signifies that, in comparison to the perishing Gentiles, Jews, heretics, and false believers, the number of the elect is much smaller. Therefore, concerning the narrow gate and the strait way which leads to life, it is said: And few there are who find it (Matt. 7:13-14). And again: Fear not, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Therefore, that the water of the flood did not save those outside the ark, but destroyed them, undoubtedly prefigured that every heretic, although having the sacrament of baptism, is not raised by the waters but is drowned by them into hell, while the ark is lifted up to heaven. Also, the very number eight of the souls who were saved through water signifies that the holy Church receives the washing of baptism as a sacrament of the Lord's resurrection, so that just as He rose from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we, cleansed from sins by the water of regeneration, may walk in newness of life.
WIS 14:7-8 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This comparison of the two trees is different, because one deserves blessing, while the other deserves a curse. For blessed is the wood of the cross, on which, through the blood of Christ, the world was restored, and the redemption of the human race was perfected. On the contrary, the idol is cursed, that is, the image and worship of false gods, whose destruction is certain, and eternal torment awaits its maker. For the Devil will rightly be punished for having persuaded and agreed to have divine honor offered to himself; and men who worshipped him as God will deservedly suffer torments, because they tried to venerate falsehood instead of truth, and the creature instead of the Creator. But since we often find in the Holy Scriptures that wood is set for man, according to the rule of figurative speech, blessed is the man who speaks words of truth and does works of righteousness. But the heretic who worships the inventions of his own error is cursed, and assigned to eternal destruction, he himself, indeed, and his work, that is, his doctrine, which he presumed to teach falsely as truth.
WIS 14:9-10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, it is also said through Jeremiah: Every man has become foolish by his own knowledge, every maker of idols is confounded by his carved image, because his molten image is false, and there is no spirit in them; for their works are vain and worthy of ridicule; in the time of their visitation, they shall perish (Jer. 10:14-15).
WIS 14:11 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the idols of the nations are not gods, and their inhabitants are, evidently, evil spirits, deserving of pardon, since men who were created in the image and honor of God were being led away from their Creator, and by casting them into the snare of their own error, were being overthrown. Likewise, if heretics persist in their wickedness, by which they lead men from truth into falsehood, and do not correct themselves and do penance, they will not escape the judgment of eternal fire.
WIS 14:12-13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Although there are many kinds of fornication, the worst is that by which the soul fornicates, departing from God and worshipping idols. Similarly, that is also destructive which abandons the truth of divine doctrine and follows the falsehood of heretical opinion. For the Apostle Paul calls greed the service of idols (Eph. 5:5), from which it can be assumed that every evil desire may rightly be called fornication, when the soul, neglecting the higher law by which the lower is governed, is corrupted as if prostituted for a price to the base will of the natures. But all these things, just as they were not created from the beginning, so also they will not remain forever. For the Lord will destroy all deceitful lips, and will cut off all who speak lies (Ps. 12:3). Therefore, it is also said through Jeremiah: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens. But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God and the eternal King (Jer. 10:10-11). Therefore idols first arose, the following sentence shows.
WIS 14:14-21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
However, Firmianus Lactantius, in the first book he wrote on the false religion of the gods, presents similar things regarding this passage, saying: It is not obscure by what reasoning men began to be called gods, for it was because of the depravity of men who lived a rural life without any ruler. There is no doubt that in those times they began to praise a man who was king, and his whole people, with the highest praises, so that they even called them gods, whether they truly believed this because of the miracle of virtue, being still rude and simple, or, as often happens, out of flattery for present power, or because of the benefits by which they were brought to civilization. Then, when these kings were dear to them, they also arranged their lives accordingly, and after their death left behind a great longing for themselves. Therefore, men fashioned images of them, so that they might have some consolation from the contemplation of their likenesses, and, going further out of love, they began to honor the memory of the deceased, so that they might seem both to repay gratitude to those who had deserved well, and to attract their successors to the desire of ruling well. Cicero teaches this about the nature of the gods, saying: But the common custom of men has taken up the practice that those who excel in benefits, men, are raised to heaven by fame and will. Therefore Hercules, later Castor, therefore Pollux, later Aesculapius, therefore Liber. And in another place: And in most cities it can be understood that, for the sake of sharpening virtue, or because they would more willingly face danger for the sake of the republic, the memory of the best and bravest men was consecrated in honor of the immortal gods. By this reasoning, of course, the Romans consecrated their Caesars, and the Moors their kings; therefore, little by little, religions began to exist, while those first who knew them in that rite filled their children and grandchildren, and then all their descendants; and yet these greatest kings, because of the fame of their name, were worshipped in all provinces. But privately, each people venerated with the highest reverence the founders of their race or city, or men notable for their bravery, or women remarkable for their chastity, as the Egyptians did Isis, the Carthaginians Urania, the Romans Quirinus, Samos Juno, Naxos Liber, the Moors Juba, the Latins Faunus; likewise, Paphos Venus, Delos Apollo, the Macedonians Scabrius, the Athenians Minerva, Lemnos Vulcan; therefore, throughout peoples and regions, various sacred rites were undertaken, while men desired to show gratitude to their rulers. And why they should bestow other honors on those who lack life, I cannot find: therefore, the devotion of those who succeeded contributed greatly to the error, who, so that they might seem born of divine stock, bestowed divine honors on their parents, and ordered them to be bestowed. Therefore, he says, the incommunicable name was placed upon stones and wood: because the incomprehensible name of the living and omnipotent God, who alone is, they wickedly ascribed to images treacherously composed of insensible and fragile matter, and, together with false religion, shamelessly destroyed themselves with all vices.
WIS 14:22-26 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of the image of corruptible man, and of birds and quadrupeds and serpents, and they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever; although they called themselves wise, they became fools: for they were given over to a reprobate mind, so that they dishonored their bodies among themselves, and those who refused to enter into a covenant with God through right faith and good works, being placed under the worship of the Devil, could in no way have true peace among themselves. Therefore they sacrificed their own children, as the pagans themselves did in the rites of Saturn, who sacrificed to Saturn out of hatred for Jupiter, and extinguished tender and innocent souls, which is the age most sweet to parents, without any regard for virtue. Others, indeed, offered human blood to the virtue they called Bellona; for the priests themselves sacrificed not with another's blood, but with their own, striking themselves with drawn swords. About this, Quintilian rightly says: "If God requires this, He is angry." Others, performing obscure rites, held vigils full of madness, as they were accustomed to do in the rites of Egyptian Isis and Eleusinian Ceres; for just as Osiris was sought there with the lamentation of his mother, so here Proserpina, abducted for the incestuous marriage of her uncle, was sought. Because Ceres is said to have searched for her in Sicily with torches lit from the summit of Etna, therefore her rites are celebrated with the tossing of burning torches. Likewise, in the rites of Father Liber, vigils full of madness were held; also in the festival of the Great Mother, where, following the example of their gods, who spent the night in feasting and games during her festival, these people consumed the whole night in useless play. Neither life nor marriage was kept pure by the pagans themselves, because they thought they could please their gods through lust and impurities of life; for all things were confused where reason and true religion held no place, but the more wicked someone was, the more he thought he pleased his god.
WIS 14:27 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
There is no greater madness than to abandon the living God and serve dead idols, and therefore the cause and beginning of all evil is the worship of idols, because after the human mind turns away from its creator, it becomes entangled in the errors of all crimes. For the beginning of all sin is pride (Eccles. 10:13). Likewise, the end, that is, the completion or fullness of all evil, is the same idolatry; for nothing is lacking in any wickedness to him who worships the Devil as divine power; therefore, everything is reckoned to him as evil and sin.
WIS 14:28-29 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Their whole life is established in errors; if they rejoice, either at festivals or in their games, they act madly, while they either commit murders or defile themselves obscenely with lust; while they prophesy, they deceive and lead their listeners astray; while they live unjustly, they are dead in soul; if they swear falsely, they are quickly led to hell; when they swear by idols, they pollute the name of God, who commands in the law, saying: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Ex. 20:7). And again: By the name, he says, of foreign gods you shall not swear, but by the name of the Lord your God (Ex. 23:13). But when they think they can mock God, they cast themselves into eternal death. Allegorically, however, heretics, worshipping the images of their errors, are themselves the cause of their own destruction, whose doctrine is false, life unjust, joy insane, and death abominable. For when they swear unjustly by an idol and do not hope in the true God, despising justice, they will receive the just punishment of their deeds. This is also consequently implied.
WIS 14:30-31 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By the just judgment of God, those who are condemned and repent too late recognize what, while living before, they refused to believe; therefore also the Psalmist bears witness, saying: The Lord will be known by executing judgments; the sinner is caught in the works of his own hands. The sinners shall be turned into Hades, all the nations that forget God (Ps. 9:16-18).
WIS 15:1-3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Our God is gentle, for His love is indescribable. He is true, because He deceives no one and is deceived by no one. Patient and in mercy arranging all things; for because of His goodness He patiently endures us, waiting for us to turn for the better. Not wishing anyone to perish, but that all may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim. 2:4) As He says through the prophet: I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live (Ezek. 33:11). If we have sinned, we cannot escape His hand, because we are His creation. But if we cease to sin and persist in good works, we will receive a sure reward from Him, with whom the full number of all good deeds is kept. For He knows all, and no secret is hidden from Him. What His knowledge brings us is made clear by the following statement. For to know you is perfect justice, and to know your justice and virtue is the root of immortality. Whoever truly desires to know God strives to abstain from all sin, as the apostle John confirms, saying: Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure (1 Jn. 3:3). And again: Everyone who abides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen him nor known him (1 Jn. 3:6). But to know God is perfect justice, that is, the highest perfection of blessedness; and to know his justice and virtue is the root of immortality. But what is the justice and virtue of God except him of whom the Apostle says: I mean Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, who has become for us from God wisdom and justice, sanctification and redemption. For to know God and his justice and virtue is the root of immortality (1 Cor. 1:30), that is, the perception of incorruption and the contemplation of truth in eternal life, as Truth itself says to the Father in the Gospel: This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent; whom now we know in part by faith, but then we shall know in truth, just as we are known, for we shall see him as he is; for now we see through a mirror and in a riddle, but then face to face (Jn. 17).
WIS 15:1 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:4
Our God is good, because love is ineffable. He is true because he deceives no one, and he is not deceived by anyone. He is patient, ordering all with mercy. In his goodness he waits patiently for us to turn to the good, because he wants no one to perish but all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. It is he who says through the prophet, "I do not delight in the death of the wicked." If we sin, we cannot flee from his hand, since we are his creatures. If we cease from sin and persist in good works, we will receive a sure reward from him in whom the essence of every good act remains whole and entire. He knows everyone, and no secret is hidden from him.
WIS 15:4-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He speaks from the perspective of the faithful, who, fortified by the grace of God, in no way wish to involve themselves in the wickedness of the pagans, nor do they deem it worthy to imitate the errors they have in idolatry and various crimes, because such labor is without the fruit of righteousness; indeed, it deserves eternal death.
WIS 15:6 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:5
Not only those who fabricate idols are criminals and traitors, but also those who love and worship them, putting their hope in them, since not only those who do evil deserve death but also those who agree with them. The psalmist shows the condition of those who put their hope in idols, "The idols of the nations are of silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths and do not speak, eyes and do not see, ears and do not hear, noses and do not smell. They have hands and do not feel, feet and do not walk. No sounds issue from their throats. Those who make them and trust in them will be like them." Indeed, with wicked hands a mortal shapes something dead, and a fool worships what is beyond foolish. Speaking allegorically, this treats first of heretics, who devise and give shape to perverse opinions, while those who love and worship them are their followers and disciples. And all of them are condemned and destined to be lost. In fact, "they will all be amazed and confused together." "The Lord will disperse the one who has acted thusly, the master and his disciple." "Woe to the godless! He will be repaid according to the misdeeds of his hands."
WIS 15:6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Not only therefore are those who make idols guilty, but also those who love and worship them, placing their hope in them, are guilty and transgressors, because not only those who do evil, but also those who consent to those who do evil are worthy of death. The kind of people who place their hope in their idols is shown by the Psalmist, saying: The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak, they have eyes but do not see. They have ears but do not hear, they have noses but do not smell. They have hands but do not feel, they have feet but do not walk, they do not make a sound in their throats; for there is no breath in their mouths. May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them (Ps. 115:4-8). For a mortal fashions a dead thing with wicked hands and the fool worships the most foolish thing. In an allegorical sense, the inventors and builders of perverse doctrines are heresiarchs; their lovers and worshipers are their followers and disciples, all of whom are guilty and liable to destruction: For all will tremble and stand, and together be confounded (Isa. 44:11). For the Lord will destroy the man who has done this, both the master and his disciple (Mal. 2:12). Woe to their souls, for evil has been repaid to them (Isa. 3:11).
WIS 15:7-12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Previously, he had spoken about those who had made idols from wood or stones or certain metals; now he also speaks about those who, following the same vanity in the craft of the potter, are shown to be equally guilty through a similar error. For the pagans themselves have fallen into such foolishness that not only did they make idols from gold or silver, or even from precious stones, but they also fashioned images in the same way from cheap clay, calling a god that which was formed from the clay of the earth by the work of a potter. Therefore, it was justly repaid to them that, since they were made from the earth and did not wish to follow the better part of themselves, that is, the rational soul which is created in the image of God, to worship the living God, by imitating the baser part of themselves, that is, the earthly body, they worshipped a clay god. Therefore, afterwards, without the fruit of good works, they themselves, senseless and useless, were rendered to the insensible earth from which they were taken. Mystically, all heretics and schismatics who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness and worship a lie instead of the truth in the images of their doctrines, even if they sometimes possess attractive speech or seem to have reasonable virtues, will nevertheless be proven to be altogether fragile, as if made of clay, because they invent useless things. Therefore, their heart is ashes, that is, their thought is foul, and their life is more sleazy than any mud, because they are ignorant of Him who formed them and gave them an intelligent mind. Instead, they vanish in their own thoughts, despising the understanding of the holy Fathers, which those Fathers had in the divine Scriptures through the gift of the Holy Spirit. They shamelessly establish new errors, as if vain amusements, for human favor and earthly gain, wandering themselves and leading into error whomever they can, so that they may be inexcusable on the day of judgment, when the Judge of all shall come to judge the secrets of hearts and render to each according to his works.
WIS 15:13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Heretics have no excuse, for they sin knowingly, when they refuse to follow the holy and catholic teachers in right faith and sound doctrine, but according to their own perverse inventions, they choose rather an earthly and fragile understanding than to strive for a spiritual and heavenly one in their dogmas. For all fools are excessively proud in their souls.
WIS 15:14-16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Indeed, the proud enemies of the people of God and all enemies of justice, although they may seem to rule on earth for a time, yet because they are foolish, they consider the senseless idols of the nations to be gods, which have neither sight, nor hearing, nor touch, nor any sense of life; they are most unhappy, awaiting the destruction of their souls in Gehenna, where there will be perpetual punishment of torment; for their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched, because they did not give honor to the living and true God, and served carved images which they themselves wickedly made (Mark 9:44-48).
WIS 15:17 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For man is better than idols according to the reason of his creation, because he himself lives and understands, but they never do. Yet, because he has followed the vanity of error more than the knowledge of truth, it is fulfilled in him what is said by the Psalmist: Man, being in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts, and became like them (Psalm 49:20).
WIS 15:18-19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Miserable paganism not only worshipped the human form shaped in insensible things as a deity, but also perversely adored the forms of other animals, nor did it have a just discernment in any matter. For according to the consideration of truth, living things are set before the dead, and sensible things before insensible, and rational animals before other animals; but it was fitting that those who ignored their Creator also did not know how to make proper distinctions among His creatures; for whoever neglects to have the praise and blessing of God within himself will prove himself to err in the observation and discernment of animals.
WIS 15:18 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:6
Paganism was so disgusting that it not only worshiped as gods the image of human beings shaped in insensible material, but it also gave perverse cult to the images of other animals, being entirely without discretion in this regard. Indeed, according to the sense of the truth, the living are prior to the dead, and sensible things prior to inanimate and rational animals prior to the other animals. But it stands to reason that someone who ignored the Creator would be unable to adequately distinguish his creatures. He who neglected to bear within himself the praise and blessing of God showed himself capable of erring with respect to the nature and differences between animals.
WIS 16:1 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
If you refer this to the Egyptians, who, being idolaters and given to various errors, also unjustly persecuted the people of God, in those ten plagues with which the Lord punished them because they were unwilling to let His people go, it can be understood that they experienced the viciousness of beasts; for there, too, flies of various kinds and locusts are described as having devastated them, likewise frogs and reptiles and other creatures of the earth, of which it is written in the psalm: He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; frogs, which destroyed them; and He gave their fruits to the caterpillar, and their labors to the locust (Ps. 78:45-47). In another sense, heretics and schismatics and all the wicked are also torn, scattered, and destroyed by spiritual beasts, that is, by evil spirits, to whose will they consented and, by the just judgment of God, were subjected to their power, so that they might torment and scatter them.
WIS 16:2-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is read in the Book of Numbers that when the Israelite people desired to eat meat in the desert, the Lord provided them with a multitude of quails, which they ate until they were satisfied to the point of nausea; nevertheless, the punishment for their desire was not far from them, for the wrath of the Lord, stirred up against the people, struck them with a very great plague, and the place was called the grave of desire (Num. 11). Therefore, wisdom now remembers this, alternating its discussion about the destruction of the Egyptians and the correction of the Israelites, because those who resisted God and exercised tyranny over His people perished suddenly without excuse. However, these were corrected for a time and punished three times in a manner suitable for discipline, yet they were not entirely deprived of divine comfort.
WIS 16:6-8 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It is read in the aforementioned book of Numbers that the murmuring children of Israel, in the thirty-fifth encampment, because of the weariness of the journey and labor, and the lack of food, aroused the anger of the Lord against themselves. Therefore, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and after many had been wounded and killed by them, they came to Moses and said: We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray that He may take the serpents away from us. Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord spoke to him: Make a bronze serpent and set it up as a sign; whoever is bitten and looks at it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it up as a sign, and when those who had been bitten looked at it, they were healed (Num. 21:6-9). But it must be carefully considered what is said: For he who was healed was not healed by what he saw, but by You, the Savior of all. For it was not the bronze serpent, which was set up as a sign in a figurative way, that saved them, but the ritual of the mystery, that is, the death of Christ, who was prefigured in that serpent; He Himself saved the human race: for all these things happened to them as a figure. Moreover, they were written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. But what does it mean that wounds in men caused by the bite of wild serpents were healed by the raising up and looking at the bronze serpent, unless it is that now, in the type of the Savior, who on the wood of the cross triumphed over the wild and ancient serpent, the venom of the Devil is overcome? So that whoever truly and clearly beholds the image of the Son of God and His passion is preserved. For this is also signified by the words of the Lord Himself, saying: As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life (Jn. 3:14-15). Therefore, rightly was it a bronze serpent that was suspended on the wood; for bronze is usually more durable than other metals, and openly the bronze serpent was suspended on the wood, so that the Lord might be signified both as dead in the serpent and as eternal in the bronze; namely, that He might be shown as dead through His humanity, and yet, as it were, bronze, because of His divinity.
WIS 16:9-10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
A distinction must be noted, because just as punishment sometimes tests and admonishes the elect, so that they may avoid sins and persist in works of righteousness, and diligently observe the faith of God and the keeping of His commandments, so also correction applied to the depraved casts them down and destroys them, since no correction or worthy change is found in them; therefore, by the will of God, small animals killed the idolaters, and conversely, the Israelites, worshippers of the true God, could not be exterminated by the venom of serpents, because the Lord knows how to rescue the virtuous from temptation, but to keep the wicked for torment on the day of judgment.
WIS 16:11-13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Note that he says those harmed by serpents were not healed by bandages and the work of doctors, but by the Word of the Lord, that is, the Son through whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made: whose power rules everywhere, and does whatever he wills in heaven and on earth, in the sea and in all the depths; he himself heals bodies, he himself saves both bodies and souls from spiritual beasts, that is, evil spirits, nor is there anyone who can resist his will (Esther 13:11).
WIS 16:14-15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By the hatred of man the soul is slain, that is, by the wickedness of one's own will and the effect of evil deeds. Therefore someone has said: No one can be harmed except by himself, because he is either the inventor of his own crime, or the supporter and encourager of another's wickedness. For if a man guards his mind and does not consent to evil persuasion, he is free from all guilt.
WIS 16:16-17 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
When Moses compelled Pharaoh by the word of the Lord to allow the children of Israel to depart from Egypt so that they might sacrifice to the Lord in the desert, Pharaoh, hardened in his profane speech, replied: I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go (Ex. 5). Therefore, he was struck with various plagues together with his people, among which he was struck by hail and fire at the same time, as it is read in Exodus: for hail and fire were mingled and carried together, and struck everything that was in the fields, from man to beast, and the hail struck every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the region (Ex. 9:24-25). Nor is it surprising that two contrary elements, that is, fire and hail, struck together, since all things obey the will of their Creator, and there is no opposition where the divine majesty commands. For at one time the fire was gentle so that the animals sent by the wicked would not be burned, but so that those who saw would know that they suffered persecution by the judgment of God. And at another time, fire burned above the power of water everywhere to destroy the wicked nation of the land. Therefore, just as it is read in the book of Genesis that the Lord rained fire and sulfur from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy the wicked (Gen. 19), and in Exodus it is told that a mixture of hail and fire struck the wicked (Ex. 9), so in the book of Numbers it is mentioned that fiery serpents destroyed the rebellious and murmurers, so that the stubborn might recognize that every creature is prepared for the vengeance of the wicked, when they do not fear to rebel against the commands of their Creator (Num. 21).
WIS 16:18-23 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Here wisdom commemorates for the people of Israel in the desert the manna, the sweetest and healthiest food given from heaven, so that they might render greater thanks to their Redeemer, who not only mercifully freed them from their enemies when they were oppressed, but also generously fed them with heavenly provisions when they were in need (Ex. 16). If anyone thinks it necessary to inquire what is meant by saying that snow and ice withstand the force of fire and do not melt, let him understand that it was not made known there, that two contrary elements, namely fire and frozen water, struck the wicked in harmony, or that some quality of the heavenly food given as food to the people of God was expressed there, which endured the force of fire where it was necessary, and yet, when it was necessary, melted in the heat of the sun. It is also read in Exodus that in the wilderness appeared something white, small, and cut like hair, resembling frost upon the ground, the taste of which was like flour mixed with honey, nor did it suffer any loss from the force of fire. Therefore it is written in the book of Numbers: Now the manna was like coriander seed, the color of bdellium; and the people went about gathering it, grinding it in mills or pounding it in mortars, cooking it in pots and making cakes of it, the taste of which was like bread made with oil. But when the sun rose, it melted (Num. 11:7-15). Mystically, just as in the scourge of hail and fire there is a harsh rebuke, so divine Scripture is understood to torment sinners, so also in the heavenly food there is a heavenly comfort, which daily refreshes the righteous and those devoted to God. Otherwise, manna signifies that bread which in the Gospel says: I am the bread of life who came down from heaven, and I give life to the world. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. And again: The bread, he says, which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. And again: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him (Jn. 6:35-40). Whoever therefore truly attains to the participation of this bread will undoubtedly possess eternal life without end. Therefore, the reprobate are tormented by spiritual hunger, and the elect are healthily fed by the heavenly bread: the former are daily prepared by various labors for future punishment; the latter, however, are daily nourished by divine help for eternal life. Which the Prophet also testifies, saying: Many are the sorrows of the wicked; but mercy shall surround those who hope in the Lord (Ps. 32:10).
WIS 16:24 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By this sentence all the wicked and sinners are confused, because while the rest of creation serves its Creator, they alone are found to resist His will and commands. But since no one can resist His will, they are deservedly scourged and corrected by the harmony of all creatures, and if they do not repent nor improve themselves, they will be handed over to be tormented with perpetual punishments. But for the good alone true goods are prepared, while for the wicked unending torments are appointed.
WIS 16:25-26 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, the people of God in the desert were comforted by various support and cherished by divine mercy. Manna rained down for them from heaven, most abundant water was given to them from the rock, they were fed with the flesh of birds, their garments were not worn out, nor were their shoes consumed; during the day the sun did not burn them, because He led them in a cloud by day, and all night in the illumination of fire, so that they might become more devoted to their Creator, who helped them freely by providing for every necessity. For this reason He cared for them temporarily, so that they might love and understand Him perpetually, according to the mention of this place, since it is not the fruits of birth that feed men, but the word of God preserves those who believe in Him. Moses also proves this in Deuteronomy, saying: He afflicted you with want, and gave you the food of manna, which you and your fathers did not know, to show you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Your garment with which you were clothed did not fail through age, and your foot was not worn out. Behold, it is the fortieth year, so that you may reflect in your heart, because just as a man instructs his son, so the Lord your God has instructed you, that you may keep the commandments of your God, and walk in His ways, and fear Him; for the Lord your God will bring you into a good land (Deut. 8:3–7). But because they were always ungrateful and clung to figures, they did not wish to receive the truth itself coming to them; therefore, all things were transferred to the fruits of the Holy Church; for all things happened to them in figure. Moreover, they were written for our correction, as Paul also clearly proved, writing to the Corinthians, saying: For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them; and the rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:1-4). For Christ is the foundation of the whole law and the truth of the figures; whoever believes in Him has fulfilled the whole law; but whoever does not believe, as a transgressor of the law, will perish eternally.
WIS 16:27-28 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
We have already said above that the manna, which endured the odor of fire, would melt at the heat of the sun; but now, since he repeats the same mystery, we believe it is enough to speak of its meaning. For that figurative food fed our fathers in a historical sense, but it melted at the rising of the true sun, that is, at the birth of Christ it was dissolved for spiritual use and was transformed into a heavenly ritual, so that we may anticipate the sun in blessings, that is, proclaim the divinity of Christ with eternal praises, saying with the evangelist John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God: all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made, etc. (Jn. 1:1-3). But at the rising of the light, that is, at the coming of the Savior, let us say: The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. But let us see what follows concerning that carnal people.
WIS 16:29 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the hopes of the people, that is, the Jews' hope which they now have for the coming of their king, namely the Antichrist, melts away like winter ice, that is, it withers cold in unbelief without the fruit of righteousness, and will perish like surplus water, when all the tradition of their doctrine is deemed of no use; for our Savior, speaking to the apostles, says to us: Let them alone, they are blind leaders of the blind. Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up (Matt. 15:13-14).
WIS 17:1 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Great are the judgments of the almighty God, and inexpressible are the words by which, with wondrous command, He governs all creation. For this reason, the senseless souls of unbelievers have gone astray, because they were unwilling to believe and understand their Creator, who made all things by His word, nor did they render to Him the due honor in the worship of devotion. Nor is it contrary to this statement, that the words of God are indescribable, what the Psalmist says: I have declared with my lips all the judgments of your mouth (Ps. 119:13), because those things which He wished to be declared by the mouth, that is, to be made revealed, human frailty can understand and recount; but those things which He Himself has decreed to remain hidden, no one at all has been able to investigate.
WIS 17:2-3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It commemorates the fact that in Egypt the enemies of the people of God suffered in the darkness of gloom, which Scripture reports as so dense that it could be felt; in which, having suffered excessive horror, they were justly punished for their sins and for the dark oblivion. Mystically, all persecutors of the Church of Christ, namely Jews, pagans, heretics, and also false Christians, suffer the enormous darkness of their crimes and errors, nor can they be safe and secure anywhere, for the rulers of these darknesses lead them according to their own will, and finally plunge them into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, to be punished perpetually with them. That all those who act wickedly are in darkness is shown by Truth itself in the Gospel, saying: “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light lest his works be reproved; but whoever does the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be manifest, because they are done in God” (Jn. 3:20-21). And again: “He who follows me,” he says, “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). Therefore John also says: “He who hates his brother is still in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he goes, because darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 Jn. 2:11). Of which Peter also says to believers: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people, but now are the people of God; and who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Therefore Paul also says to them: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).
WIS 17:4-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Horror always accompanies darkness, and the less one can see or discern the things around oneself, the greater fear one has, suspecting adversity on all sides and dreading harm. Therefore, it also happened to the Egyptians, when they endured the greatest darkness for three days, which neither the sun, nor the moon, nor even the stars could illuminate: wherever they hid, they trembled with excessive terror. But when it is said that sad figures appeared to them, causing fear, it could have happened that, by the scheming of evil spirits, certain phantasms appeared to them, which struck them with excessive horror to increase their punishments. Similarly, even now, the persecutors of the Christian faith and the enemies of truth are surrounded everywhere by the darkness of their sins, because they are ignorant of the sun of righteousness, nor do holy teachers illuminate them in any way with the brightness of their doctrines. These also are disturbed by a descending sound, that is, the heavenly preaching foretelling the punishments to come for them, and sad figures, that is, demons who are to torture them, terrify them beforehand; yet this does not generate fruitful repentance in them, but rather, having become worse, they are prepared without ceasing for eternal destruction: for since they despair of themselves, nor do they wish to correct themselves so as to abandon their error and do works of righteousness, they are storing up wrath for themselves on the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each according to his works.
WIS 17:6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For from that fire, which was punishing the wicked, they were terrified with fear, dreading punishments on all sides, because the more severe the pains of punishment one feels, the greater the horrors he fears may come upon him.
WIS 17:7-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
How the magi in Egypt resisted Moses by performing false wonders through magical incantations to deceive the people, the book of Exodus recalls; but at last, when they saw themselves overcome by the power of the signs which were divinely performed through Moses and Aaron, they were compelled to confess that it was the finger of God who accomplished these great deeds (Ex. 4:30). And those who just before boasted themselves to be healers of all diseases, at the coming of the serpents and other animals which afflicted them, were struck with fear and suffered in the same way as the others; and so also now, in the times of grace, all who mock the Christian religion, who boast in their own arts, that is, the diviners and soothsayers of the pagans, as well as those who have departed from the unity of the Church through apostasy, such as heretics and schismatics, although they pretend to be victorious, are nevertheless truly overcome by the power of Christ, and in the end will suffer the most cruel enemy, the ancient serpent, with his followers.
WIS 17:10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For in this, he says that those wicked men denied seeing the air, whose presence no living and breathing animal can ever avoid; he expresses the excess of fear, which, because of the oppression of impending punishments, they suffer as their own evil rebukes their conscience. Moreover, since wickedness is always fearful, its own terror gives rise to punishments when it is condemned.
WIS 17:11-12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the conscience is always troubled, and if it does not have the serenity of tranquility within itself, it arrogantly elevates itself, but this presumption is restrained by fear itself. Therefore it is said that his fear is a help, that is, a remedy. It also reveals the weakness of the proud mind, which, by imagining vain hopes of help, was driving itself mad, when it hoped it could achieve what it could in no way accomplish; and therefore, as its inner health was less than the things it suffered outwardly, it thought its power was greater. This often happens also among the persecutors of the faithful; for, because of the blindness of their hearts, they consider themselves powerful when they torture the bodies of the saints with various torments, but when, overcome by their patience, they see that they cannot achieve what they wanted, they are crushed by the anguish of their own mind, and at last they recognize that they are not what they previously thought themselves to be, and they realize that he is stronger who granted his soldiers patience, the endurance to suffer punishments, and the strength to overcome their enemies.
WIS 17:13-15 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
He says this when, in Egypt, the enemies of the people of God were surrounded by the horror of darkness, so that neither those awake nor those asleep had any rest. For either those sleeping were disturbed by terrifying visions, or those awake were tormented by excessive fear; nor was there any opportunity given to them to withdraw freely anywhere, but without a shackle or iron chain, they were confined in the prison of darkness. Therefore it is written: For three days, no one saw his brother, nor did anyone move from the place where he was (Ex. 10:23).
WIS 17:16-18 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For on every side the wretched were constrained by punishment, for whatever they perceived with their ears from sound, or sensed by any feeling, they feared that all was aimed at their destruction.
WIS 17:19-20 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For only the wicked were in darkness; but the worshippers of God abounded in the most abundant light. Therefore, it is written: But wherever the children of Israel dwelt, there was light (Ex. 10:23). But it must also be considered what is said: Only for them there was a heavy night, an image of the darkness that was to come upon them, for they themselves were a heavier darkness to themselves. In this it is clearly shown that spiritual darkness, which the mind suffers, is heavier than bodily darkness, which the eye endures; for from these darknesses, that is, of unbelief and error and wickedness, a man is led to the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; which darkness of the Egyptians prefigured, for just as there bodies were held useless for every good work, so here both bodies and souls are shut up in eternal prison, unfit for every good work, because neither reason, nor place, nor time for working is found among the dead.
WIS 18:1-3 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For the saints of God there was the greatest light, when they were illuminated both outwardly by bodily light and inwardly by spiritual radiance; for the faith of God and the purity of conscience enlightened them within, whose voices the enemies heard, but whose appearance they did not see, because darkness blinded their eyes, and because, by the temptation of the plagues which came upon the Egyptians, these were not struck, but were led by heavenly guidance through the pillar of fire at night and the pillar of cloud by day, and gave worthy thanks to their Creator. Therefore, since those holy fathers who lived under the Old Testament bore the type of the saints who serve Christ under the New Testament; those in historical Egypt labored afflicted under Pharaoh, while the persecution of the Devil in the world burdens these with tribulations; for the greatest light shines for those who diligently carry the true light, which enlightens every man coming into this world, in the dwelling of their heart. Indeed, the enemies hear the voice of their preaching, but do not recognize the form of the truth that is in them, and therefore do not believe them. Both the pillar of fire at night and the pillar of cloud by day lead them, because the incarnation of Christ always protects them with the shield of His protection in adversity and prosperity.
WIS 18:4-6 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
By the merit of Egypt, they endured the punishments of darkness, who, blinded by the obscurity of envy, wished to keep the people of God, to whom the light of the divine law was to be handed down, in their prison, and although they intended not even to spare their infants, by the judgment of God, when one son, that is, Moses, was rescued from death by water, a multitude of adversaries was drowned in mighty water through his ministry. In the same way, now the spiritual enemies who strive to destroy the assembly of the faithful, when the elect of God are freed from their enemies through the water of baptism, only those enemies, together with their king the Devil, are overwhelmed in those very waters by the power of Christ. The reason for this mystery was both foreshadowed long ago in the deeds of the ancients, and is now fulfilled through the coming of Christ.
WIS 18:7-9 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
At the time when the people of God were to be led out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron, the people themselves, still situated in Egypt, were sacrificing the Passover victim at the Lord's command; and therefore it is said that they sacrificed secretly, because, terrified by fear of their enemies, they did this in hiding, just as they learned from Moses' teaching how the law of the Passover was to be observed thereafter, having suffered the temptation of the wicked for a time, but soon to be freed from the hands of their enemies by divine help. In a similar way, even now in the times of grace, the servants of God to whom the divine law has been given for the harmony of the two Testaments, although they may be hindered for a time by their persecutors from openly celebrating the worship of the Christian religion, nevertheless cannot in any way be prevented from offering sacrifices worthy of the divine presence in the hidden places of their hearts, because it is written: The sacrifice to God is a repentant spirit; a repentant and humbled heart God does not despise (Ps. 51:17). And the same Prophet also says: In me are your vows, O God, which I will repay with praises to you (Ps. 56:12). The vows of the righteous are pleasing to the Lord, and the sacrifices of the wicked are abominable.
WIS 18:10-13 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
It commemorates what the Book of Exodus recounts about the killing of the firstborn, when the Lord struck in the middle of the night every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive woman who was in the prison, and every firstborn of the animals (Ex. 11). There, unlike before when they pretended not to agree to the departure of the Israelites, they openly urged the people of God to leave the land of Egypt quickly, saying: We shall all die.
WIS 18:10 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS
Recall what the book of Exodus recounts concerning the death of the firstborn, when God "at midnight struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the beasts." At that point they did not feign to want to allow the Israelites to leave, as they had before, but openly asked the people of God to leave Egypt quickly, saying, "We are all going to die."
WIS 18:14-16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
The Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1), through whom all things were made, who elsewhere is also called the arm of the Lord, as Isaiah says: And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? (Isa. 53:1) The same is also called the right hand of the Lord because of the effective power of divine might. Therefore, the Word himself is to be understood as then executing judgment on the firstborn of the Egyptians through the ministry of the Gospel, who afterwards will sanctify for himself the firstborn of the Israelites, and now through the water of his baptism saves the multitude of believers, where he also destroyed the innumerable army of spiritual enemies. For it is said that the Lord's command carried a sharp sword; because the Word of the Lord is living and effective and more penetrating than any two-edged sword. In truth and without any deception, he judges and arranges all things; standing on earth, he reaches up to the heavens: for although incarnate he lived among men on earth, yet by his majesty he transcended all the heavenly realms.
WIS 18:14 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:15
It says that at midnight, almighty God made his word descend from heaven, from the royal throne, like a ruthless champion in the middle of the land of slaughter, to powerfully carry out the judgment of death on the godless. What is the word of the Lord if not the Son of God, of whom John says, "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God," through whom everything was made? Elsewhere he is called the arm of God, as Isaiah says, "To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" He is also called the right hand of the Lord, in that he is the power that brings into effect the divine power. It must be understood, then, that this word, in virtue of the evangelical ministry, carried out at that time the judgment on the firstborn of the Egyptians and then consecrated the firstborn of the Israelites to himself. He now saves the multitude of believers through the waters of baptism, at the same time destroying the huge army of spiritual enemies.
WIS 18:17-19 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
In the middle of the night, he says that the almighty God sends a word from heaven, from royal seats, a harsh conqueror, to leap into the midst of the land of destruction, and to exercise the judgment of death powerfully upon the wicked. For what is the word of the Lord, if not the Son of God? Of whom John says: In the beginning was the Word, and it is rightly said that the visions of evil dreams and unexpected fears disturbed the enemies of the people of God, so that neither to those awake nor to those sleeping was any rest given, who, because of their crimes, were destined for perpetual torments. But the very plagues warned the guilty so that they might recognize why they suffered evils, lest they perish in ignorance; this is the goodness of God, who therefore chastises sinners so that they may restrain themselves from sins and repent of past evils; but if they persist in evil and abuse the patience of God for the increase of their crimes, condemned by the just judgment of God, they will be punished without excuse in the future.
WIS 18:20-22 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Here is recalled the story, which is narrated in the Book of Numbers, of how after the killing of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying: You have killed the people of God. And when the sedition arose and the chaos increased, Moses and Aaron fled into the tabernacle of the covenant. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: Depart from the midst of this congregation, and I will destroy them at once. And they fell on their faces. And while they lay on the ground, Moses said to Aaron: Take the censer, and having taken fire from the altar, put incense upon it, and go quickly to the people to pray for them, for already wrath has gone out from the Lord, and the plague is raging. When Aaron had done this, and had run into the midst of the crowd, which the fire was devastating, he offered incense, and standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the people, and the plague ceased. The number of those who were struck was fourteen thousand seven hundred, apart from those who perished in the sedition of Korah (Num. 16). From this, it must be considered how in Sodom, when at least ten were required, by whom perhaps those who dwelled in the Pentapolis of Sodom might possibly be saved, now even if only two such as Moses and Aaron are found, they can serve for the salvation of the whole nation of Israel. What then shall we say is greater in these two, what power, what merit, by which six hundred thousand and more are freed from the destruction of the destroyer? I believe that in Moses the law is signified, which teaches men the knowledge and love of God. In Aaron consists the form of appealing God and begging Him. Therefore, if it ever happens that God is angry with us or with the whole people, and the sentence of vengeance proceeds from God, but the law of God returns to our hearts, reminding us and teaching us to turn to repentance, to make satisfaction for our sins, to plead for our faults, then anger will immediately cease, anger will be calmed, the Lord will be appeased, as if Moses and Aaron were interceding for us and the whole people were petitioning. But if ever the anger of God arises and severe correction comes for sins, and our hearts are not hardened so that we do not turn to God, nor humble ourselves in His sight, so that in the confession of prayers we may lessen His wrath and anger, but on the contrary we say: God does not care about the life of mortals, nor do these things pertain to God; He has long since abandoned us, nor do these things come to His knowledge. If we think such things in our hearts, and these proceed from our mouths, it is certain that Moses and Aaron are not in us, namely the knowledge of the law and the fruits of repentance, by which we can escape the destruction of imminent ruin.
WIS 18:23-24 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
In what he says about the robe of the ephod, which the high priest wore, that it contains the whole world, and the great deeds of the ancestors engraved on the four rows of stones, and the magnificence of God in the crown which the high priest himself wore on his head, although these express the series of all virtues which the priest of God ought to have in his teaching and conduct, nevertheless, the meaning which the Hebrews characteristic to the priestly garment, placing here its mystical significance, we reserve for discussion elsewhere. Therefore, the four colors refer to the four elements from which all things subsist: they assign linen to earth, because it is produced from the earth; purple to the sea, because it is dyed from its shellfish; blue to air, because of the similarity of color; scarlet to fire and ether, which in Hebrew is called sani; and they recall that it is just that the high priest of the Creator should pray not only for Israel, but also for the whole world. Indeed, this world consists of earth, water, air, and fire, and these elements belong to all things. Therefore, the first linen garment signifies the earth; the second, the blue one, shows the color of air, because from earthly things we are gradually lifted to the heights, and the blue robe itself, coming from the head down to the ankles, indicates the air stretched from the heavens down to the earth. The pomegranates and bells placed at the lower parts represent lightning and thunder, or earth and water, and the harmony of all the elements among themselves, and therefore all things are so intertwined that everything can be found in each part. As for the aforementioned colors being interwoven with gold, they wish it to be understood that the vital color and the providence of divine sense penetrate all things. Over the ephod and the two stones, either emerald or onyx, which are above and cover each shoulder, they interpret as two hemispheres, one above the earth, the other below, or as the sun and moon which shine above. That belt by which the priest's chest is tightened, and the linen tunic, that is, the earth, is bound, they interpret as the ocean. The breastplate placed in the middle they explain as the earth, which, like a point, although it contains all things in itself, is nevertheless surrounded by all the elements. The twelve stones are interpreted as the circle of the zodiac, or the twelve months, and to each verse is assigned a particular time, and to these are given three months each. Fittingly, this very thing in the middle is called the breastplate of judgment; for all things are full of reason, and earthly things are connected to heavenly things. The intermingling of earthly things and the times of heat and cold, and the double temperance between each, descends from the course and order of the heavens, therefore also the breastplate is more tightly bound with the ephod. Furthermore, what is said in the breastplate, "and analogy," that is, indicator and teaching or truth, signifies that there is never any falsehood in the reason of God, but that truth itself is shown to men by many signs and arguments, and comes even to mortals. Therefore it has come about that we know the course of the sun and moon, and of the year, and of the months, and of the times, and of the hours, and also of the sowing seasons and winds and all things, receiving the wisdom implanted by God, and with God himself, the inhabitant and teacher of his own dwelling, showing us also the knowledge of the structure; above all, the mitre and the blue ribbon represent the heavens, and the plate of gold which is on the forehead of the high priest, and the name of God written on it, show that all things below are governed by the will of God.
WIS 18:25 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, the devastator who was sent feared the spiritual, not the figurative, appearance, because he recognized the greatness of the true Pontiff. Now ascend to the higher traces of this word, and from there see how the true Pontiff, Jesus Christ, having assumed the staff of human flesh and placed upon it the fire of the altar, with the soul undoubtedly that magnificent one with which he was born in the flesh, and also adding incense, which is the immaculate spirit standing between the living and the dead, stood, and did not allow death to spread further, but as the Apostle says: He destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil, so that whoever believes in him may no longer die, but live forever (Heb. 2:14-15). This, therefore, was the mystery that the one who was devastating the people already feared would happen later; for he recognized the figure of the staff and the fire and the incense and what kind of offering should be made to God by him who stood between the dead and the living, he foresaw. And indeed, at that time the prefigured image saved them; but for us, the truth of salvation itself has arrived, nor would that devastator angel have been ashamed of the pontiff's garments woven of purple, wool, and linen.
WIS 19:1-5 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For this reason, vengeance came upon the enemies of the people of God until the end, because in their morals and life there was no worthy amendment. Therefore, with pretended arguments they pretend repentance, and for this reason, from the inspector of hearts, they did not receive perfect forgiveness. Therefore it is read in Exodus that Pharaoh, when any plague was divinely inflicted upon him and his people, immediately promised to let the people of God go if he escaped the present danger, but after a short interval, he returned again to his former cruelty, until at last, when he was pursuing the departing people, he was drowned and perished in the waves of the Red Sea (Ex. 14). Such is indeed the stubbornness of the unbelieving and proud enemies of the name of Christ, that when they persist hopelessly in wickedness, they finally feel by experience how great is the justice of the omnipotent God in judging.
WIS 19:6-8 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Every creature from the beginning is restored to its own kind when it obeys the commands of its Creator and serves His will in all things. For this is the purpose of creation: that it might become subject and obedient to its Creator. How the cloud covered the camp of the Israelites, shining for them at night and shading them against the heat of the sun by day, and how the Red Sea, divided, prepared a way for the people of God and, when it returned upon itself, drowned their enemies, is clearly explained in the history of Exodus. Nor is it any less clear that the cloud which led the people of God signifies the incarnation of Christ, who enlightens believers in this world with the light of the Gospel and protects and guards them by His grace from their persecutors. The Red Sea, moreover, bears the ritual of baptism, where the faithful are saved and the opposing powers are drowned; just as then the children of Israel, having been delivered, sang praises to the Lord, rejoicing with great exultation.
WIS 19:7 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:17
The Red Sea represents the sacrament of baptism, in which the faithful are saved and the powers that oppose them are drowned.
WIS 19:9 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:17
It is fitting that we, too, give thanks at all times to our Creator for our liberation, saying with the prophet, "Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all his benefits." And we see that the apostle also teaches us, "Pray constantly, in all things give thanks. This is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."
WIS 19:9-10 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Therefore, we also ought at all times to give thanks to our Creator for our deliverance, exulting and saying with the Prophet: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits (Ps. 103:2). The Apostle also seems to teach us this, saying: Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for all of you (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
WIS 19:11-12 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Note, wise reader, that for the adversaries of God the earth produced flies, and the river brought forth frogs; but for the worshippers of God the earth gave fruit and the sea provided meat as food, because it is fitting that through His works divine providence should acquire nourishment for His faithful. For His enemies, however, it is fitting that through the creatures subject to Him, the justice of the Almighty should prepare appropriate torment.
WIS 19:13-16 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For if those who harshly and mercilessly treated the ancient servants of God, who came to them out of profane necessity, received fitting punishments, so that, darkened in mind and hardened in feeling, they endured the obscurity of darkness and various idols in bodily sense, how much more will those who dishonorably reject and despise the servants of Christ and preachers of the Gospel be eternally tormented with immeasurable and unspeakable punishments. Therefore, Truth itself says to the disciples: Whoever does not receive you or listen to your words, as you go out from that house or city, shake the dust from your feet. Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city (Matt. 10:14-15). And it is rightly said that they were struck with blindness, just as those were blinded by darkness who wandered at the doors of the righteous man, that is, Lot, seeking the entrance to his door and not finding it; for whoever suffers the darkness of error within is hemmed in on all sides by the gravest losses, since he has not known the way of life. And that door of which the Gospel says, I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture, the one who wanders will not be able to find it (Jn. 10:9).
WIS 19:17 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:18
It rightly says that they were stricken with blindness, like those who were blinded by the darkness and wandered before the door of the righteous one—that is, of Lot—looking for the door's opening without finding it. In fact, whoever suffers interiorly because of the darkness of error is surrounded on all sides by extremely grave dangers, since he does not know the way to life. And nor can one who errs find that door who says in the Gospel, "I am the door. If someone enters through me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture."
WIS 19:17 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
Just as in the instrument of the organ, different sounds differ from each other, but musicians agree to temper them for the harmony of the melody, so also, although the various elements differ from each other in quality, they are nevertheless bent to the will of their Creator, preserving the law of their nature; for our Maker did not create His creation contrary to Himself, but made it in all things conformable to His will.
WIS 19:18 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:18
People and herds crossed the depths of the Red Sea dry-shod, and frogs from the river filled the houses of the Egyptians. Fire rained from heaven mixed with hail, and neither the fire opposed itself to the water nor the water to the fire, but falling together they struck the land of the Egyptians. Where the children of Israel were, they hurt no one, to show that all the elements of the world are subject not only to their proper condition but also to the service of the will of the Creator.
WIS 19:18-21 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
For men and beasts crossed the depths of the Red Sea on dry ground, and frogs coming out of the rivers filled the houses of the Egyptians. Fire mixed with hail rained down from heaven, and neither did fire shun water, nor water shun fire, but falling together, they struck the land of the Egyptians. But where the children of Israel were, they harmed no one, so as to show that all the elements of the world not only strive for their own nature, but are subject and serve the will of their Creator.
WIS 19:22 — Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109
This closing passage of the book makes mention not only of the faithful of former Fathers, but also of those present and future at the same time, because our virtuous and merciful Creator, almighty God, never abandons nor will abandon those who hope in Him; rather, He cherishes, protects, and governs them with caring help. Nor should anyone object to us that the bodies of the holy martyrs are handed over into the hands of their persecutors, because this is permitted not for their condemnation, but for their testing, so that just as gold in the furnace of fire is not destroyed but tested, so too the souls of the elect, examined by the fire of tribulation, may be rendered more precious in the sight of their Creator. For it is written: The furnace tests the potter's vessels, and the trial of tribulation tests just men (Sirach 27:5). For many are the tribulations of the righteous, and from all these the Lord will deliver them. The Lord guards all their bones; not one of them shall be broken. He will redeem the souls of His servants, and none of those who hope in Him will be forsaken (Ps. 34:22).
WIS 19:22 — ON ECCLESIASTICUS 3:18
We must not object that the bodies of the holy martyrs are given over to the hands of their persecutors, since this is not allowed for their condemnation but to try them. As gold does not burn in the furnace but is tested, so the souls of the elect, tried by the fire of tribulation, are made purer before their Creator, since it is written, "The furnace tries the objects of the potter, the temptation of tribulation tests the righteous." "Many are the misfortunes of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He preserves all his bones; not one of them will be broken. He rescues the lives of his servants. The one who trusts in him will not be condemned."