Divine foreknowledge of Christ. 161 I. 42. at length; but the Evangelists from their care for concise- JCHN ness constantly cut many things short. Besides, it is not said absolutely that " he believed," but that he brought him to Jesus, to give him up for the future to Him, so that from Him he might learn all; for the other disciple also was with him, and contributed to this. And if John the Baptist, when he had said that He was the Lamb, and that He baptized with the Spirit, gave them over to learn the clearer doctrine concerning this thing from Him, much more would Andrew have done this, not deeming himself sufficient to declare the whole, but drawing him to the very fount of light with so much zeal and joy, that the other1 neither deferred nor 1èkeîvov delayed at all. что Ver. 42. And when Jesus beheld him, saith the Evangelist, TUxó He said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a stone. He begins from this time forth to reveal the things belonging to His Divinity, and to open It out little by little by predictions. So He did in the case of Nathaniel and the Samaritan woman. For prophecies bring men over not less (2.) than miracles; and are free from the appearance of boasting. Miracles may possibly be slandered among foolish men, (He casleth out devils, said they, by Beelzebub,) but nothing Mat. 12, of the kind has ever been said of prophecy. Now in the case of Nathaniel and Simon He used this method of teaching, but with Andrew and Philip He did not so. Why was this? Because those (two) had the testimony of John, no small preparation, and Philip received a credible evidence of faith, when he saw those who had been present. 24. Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas. By the present, the future is guaranteed; for it is clear that He Who named Peter's father foreknew the future also. And the prediction is attended with praise; but the object was not to flatter, but to foretel something future. Hear3 at least in the case 3 al. of the Samaritan woman, how He utters a prediction with sider' severe reproofs; Thou hast had, He saith, five husbands, c. 4, 18. and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. So also di. e. those mentioned above, v. 40. who were present when St. John Baptist gave his testimony, one of whom was M Andrew. e al.' reproving with earnestness.' con XIX. Is. 47, 13. Is. 43, 12. 162 Of the names given by Christ. HOMIL. His Father makes great account of prophecy, when He sets Himself against the honour paid to idols: Let them declare to you, saith He, what shall come upon you; and again, I have declared, and have saved, and there was no foreign LXX. God amongst you; and He brings this forward through all prophecy. Because prophecy is especially the work of God, which devils cannot even imitate, though they strive exceedingly. For in the case of miracles there may be delusion; but exactly to foretel the future belongs to that pure Nature alone. Or if devils ever have done so, it was by deceiving the simpler sort; whence their oracles are always easily detected. τίας. But Peter makes no reply to these words; as yet he knew nothing clearly, but still was learning. And observe, that not even the prediction is fully set forth; for Jesus did not say, "I will change thy name to Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church," but, Thou shalt be called Cephas. The former speech would have expressed too great 1avdev- authority' and power; for Christ does not immediately nor at first declare all His power, but speaks for a while in a humbler tone; and so, when He had given the proof of His Mat.16, Divinity, He puts it more authoritatively, saying', Blessed 17. 18. art thou, Simon, because My Father hath revealed it to thee; and again, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church. Him therefore He so named, and James Mark 3, and his brother He called sons of thunder. Why then doth He this? To shew that it was He Who gave the old covenant, that it was He Who altered names, Who called Abram Abraham, and Sarai Sarah, and Jacob Israel. To many He assigned names even from their birth, as to Isaac, and Is. 8, 3. Samson, and to those in Isaiah and Hosea; but to others Hoseal, He gave them after they had been named by their parents, as to those we have mentioned, and to Joshua the son of Nun. It was also a custom of the Ancients to give names from things, which in fact Leah also has dones; and this 17. 4. 6. 9. fal. And I say unto thee, Thou art Simon, thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone.' 3 ὅπερ δήπου καὶ Ἡλίας πεποίηκε. and there are no various readings. Savile has in the margin ὅπερ οὖν καὶ 'HAía. We may venture to read " Aeta," as he praises her for this, Hom. lvi. on Genesis. 'Observe how she gave names to those she bore, not lightly nor at random.' Greatness of the Christian name. 163 1. 42. takes place not without cause, but in order that men may JOHN have the appellation to remind them of the goodness of God, that a perpetual memory of the prophecy conveyed by the names may sound in the ears of those who receive it. Thus too He named John early1, because they whose virtue was1&vwbev. to shine forth from their early youth, from that time received their names; while to those who were to become great at a 2 èmiðílater period, the title also was given later. δοναι. more least.' 23. [3.] But then they received each a different name, we now have all one name, that which is greater than any, being called "Christians," and "sons of God," and (His) "friends," 3 al. the being and (His) "Body." For the very term itself is able more than called.' all those others to rouse us, and make us more zealous for al. the practice of virtue. Let us not then act unworthily of the ready.' honour belonging to the title, considering the excess of our sal.'condignity, we who are called Christ's; for so Paul hath named sider at us. Let us bear in mind and respect the grandeur of the 1 Cor. 3, appellation. For if one who is said to be descended from some famous general, or one otherwise distinguished, is proud to be called this or that man's son, and deems the name a great honour, and strives in every way so as not to affix, by remissness of his own, reproach to him after whom he is called; shall not we who are called after the name, not of a general, nor any of the princes upon earth, nor Angel, nor Archangel, nor Seraphim, but of the King of these Himself, shall not we freely give even our very life, so as not to insult Him Who has honoured us? Know ye not what honour the royal bands of shield-bearers and spearmen that are about the king enjoy? So let us who have been deemed worthy to be near Him, and much closer, and as much nearer than those just named, as the body is closer to the head than they, let us, I say, use every means to be imitators of Christ. 58. What then saith Christ? The foxes have holes, and birds Luke 9, of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His Head. Now if I demand this of you, it will seem perhaps to most of you grievous and burdensome; because therefore of your infirmity I speak not of such perfection, 6 àøíŋμ. but desire you not to be nailed to riches; and as I, because of the infirmity of the many, retire somewhat from (demanding) XIX. use.' ματα. HOMIL. the excess of virtue, I desire that you do so and much more on the side of vice. I blame not those who have houses, and lands, and wealth, and servants, but wish them to al.' to possess these things in a safe and becoming way. And what is "a becoming way ?" As masters, not as slaves; so that they rule them, be not ruled by them; that they use, not abuse them. This is why they are called, "things to be 2 xph- used," that we may employ them on necessary services, not hoard them up; this is a domestic's office, that a master's; it is for the slave to keep them, but for the lord and one who has great authority to expend. Thou didst not receive thy wealth to bury, but to distribute. Had God desired riches to be hoarded, He would not have given them to men, but would have let them remain as they were in the earth; but because He wishes them to be spent, therefore He has permitted us to have them, that we may impart them to each other. And if we keep them to ourselves, we are no longer masters of them. But if you wish to make them greater and therefore keep them shut up, even in this case the best plan of all is to scatter and distribute them in all directions; because there can be no revenue without an outlay, no wealth without expenditure. One may see that it is so even in worldly matters. So it is with the merchant, so with the husbandman, who put forth the one his wealth, the other his seed; the one sails the sea to disperse his wares, the other labours all the year putting in and tending his seed. But here there is no need of any one of these things, neither to equip a vessel, nor to yoke oxen, nor to plough land, nor to be anxious about uncertain weather, nor to dread a fall of hail; here are neither waves nor rocks; this voyage and this sowing needs one thing only, that we cast forth our possessions; all the rest will that Husbandman do, of Whom c. 15, 1. Christ saith, My Father is the Husbandman. Is it not then absurd to be sluggish and slothful where we may gain all without labour, and where there are many toils and many troubles and cares, and after all, an uncertain hope, there to display all eagerness? Let us not, I beseech you, let us not be to such a degree senseless about our own salvation, but let us leave the more troublesome task, and run to that which is most easy and more profitable, that we 3 al. ' more.' |