Hilary of Poitiers. Triumph of the Catholic and Apostolic Church

In the midst of the intense spiritual struggles of the early Church Bishops against the "false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies" (2 Pet. 2:1), Saint Hilary, the Bishop of Poitiers (353 - 368 A.D. ) declares his trust in the triumph of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church:

Hilary of Poitiers: "I trust that the Church, by the light of Her* doctrine, will so enlighten the world’s vain wisdom, that, even though it [the world] does not accept the mystery of the faith, it will recognise that in our conflict with false teachers** we, and not they, are the true representatives of that mystery. For great is the force of truth; not only is it its own sufficient witness, but the more it is assailed the more evident it becomes. The daily shocks which it [the Church] receives only increase its inherent stability. It is the peculiar property of the Church that when She is buffeted She is triumphant, when She is assaulted with argument She proves Herself in the right, when She is deserted by Her supporters she holds the field. It is Her wish that all men should remain at Her side and in Her bosom; if so, none would become unworthy to abide under the shelter of that august Mother, none would be cast out or suffered to depart from her calm retreat. But when false teachers desert Her or She expels them, the loss She endures, in that She cannot save them, is compensated by an increased assurance that She alone can offer bliss. This is a truth which the passionate zeal of rival heresies brings into the clearest prominence. The Church, ordained by the Lord (Matt. 16:18) and established by His Apostles (Eph. 2:20), is one for all; but the frantic folly of discordant sects has severed them from her. And it is obvious that these dissensions concerning the faith result from…twisting the words of Scripture into conformity with its opinion, instead of adjusting that opinion to the words of Scripture. And thus, amid the clash of mutually destructive errors, the Church stands revealed not only by Her own teaching, but by that of her rivals. They are ranged, all of them, against Her; and the very fact that she stands single and alone is her sufficient answer to their misbelief. The hosts of heresy assemble themselves against Her; each of them can defeat all the others, but not one can win a victory for itself. The only victory is the triumph which the Church celebrates over them all." (Saint Hilary, Doctor of the Church, On the Trinity; Book 7, para. 4) 

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*Her: The early Church Bishops and Christians often referred to the Bride of Christ, the Church, as "She" and "Her". Capitalized in honor of the mystical Body of Christ.

** False teachers: St. Hilary uses the word "heretics", but I've chosen to use "false teachers" in keeping with the Scriptural translation of 2 Pet. 2:1.

Clement I of Rome. The Peace and Harmony of the Universe

"And GOD saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible (Gen. 1:31, Heb. 11:3)." 

St. Clement I of Rome: "…let us look steadfastly to the Father and Creator of the universe, and cleave to His mighty and surpassingly great gifts and benefits of peace. Let us contemplate Him with our understanding, and look with the eyes of our soul to His long-suffering will. Let us reflect how free from wrath He is towards all His creation.

Milky Way by Dave Harvey (MGIO*)

"The heavens, revolving under His government, are subject to Him in peace. Day and night run the course appointed by Him, never hindering each other. The sun and moon, with the companies of the stars, roll on in harmony according to His command, within their prescribed limits, and without any deviation. The fruitful earth, according to His will, brings forth food in abundance at the proper seasons, for man and beast and all the living beings upon it, never hesitating nor changing any of the ordinances which He has fixed. The unsearchable places of abysses, and the indescribable arrangements of the lower world, are restrained by the same laws. The vast unmeasurable sea, gathered together by His working into various basins, never passes beyond the bounds placed around it, but does as He has commanded. For He said, “Thus far shalt thou come, and thy waves shall be broken within thee (Job 38:11).” The ocean...and the worlds beyond it, are regulated by the same enactments of the Lord. The seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, peacefully give place to one another. The winds in their several stations fulfil, at the proper time, their service without hindrance. The ever-flowing fountains, formed both for enjoyment and health, furnish without fail their breasts for the life of men. The very smallest of living beings meet together in peace and concord. All these the great Creator and Lord of all has appointed to exist in peace and harmony; while He does good to all, but most abundantly to us who have fled for refuge to His compassions through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory and majesty for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Clement to the Corinthians, Chs. 19, 20, A.D. 70-90) 

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* The Vatican Observatory Research Group operates the 1.8m Alice P. Lennon Telescope with its Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility, known together as the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT). This is located at the *Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO) in southeastern Arizona.

Leo the Great. The Transfiguration: The Voice of God the Father

The Transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36)

"Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves…

 

“While he [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My Beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.‘ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said, ‘Arise, and do not be afraid.’ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone (Matt. 17:1, 5-8).”

Leo the Great:  “…as a bright cloud overshadowed them , behold a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him (Matt. 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35).” The Father was indeed present in the Son, and in the Lord’s brightness, which He had tempered to the disciples’ sight; the Father’s Essence was not separated from the Only-begotten. As the effulgence of the Son’s body was displayed to their sight, so the Father’s voice from out the cloud was heard by their ears. And when this Voice was heard, “the disciples fell upon their faces, and were sore afraid (Matt. 17:6, Luke 9:34),” trembling at the majesty…. For when the Father said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom, I am well pleased; listen to Him,’ was it not clearly meant, This is My Son, Who is eternally from Me and with Me (John 8:42)? This is My Son, not adopted but true-born, not created from another source but begotten of Me, nor made like Me from another nature, but born equal to Me of My nature (John 1:14). This is My Son, “through Whom all things were made, and without Whom was nothing made (John 1:3).” All things that I do He does in like manner, and whatever I perform, He performs with Me inseparably (John 5:19) and without difference: for the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son (John 14:11) and Our Unity is never divided. [John 10:30: "I and the Father are one."]

“Listen to Him, therefore, unhesitatingly, in Whom I am well pleased, and by Whose preaching I am manifested, by Whose humiliation I am glorified; because He is “the Truth and the Life (John 14:6),” He is My “Power and Wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24).” Listen to Him, Whom the mysteries of the Law have foretold [represented by Moses], Whom the mouths of prophets have sung [represented by Elijah]. Listen to Him, Who redeems the world by His blood (Eph. 1:7), Who binds the devil and carries off his captives (Matt. 12:28-29), Who destroys the bond of sin and the compact of the transgression (John 8:34-36, Rom. 5:15-18). Listen to Him, Who opens the way to heaven, and by the... the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent to the Kingdom. Why do you tremble at being redeemed? Why do you fear to be healed of your wounds? Let that happen which Christ wills and I will. Cast away all fleshly fear and arm yourselves with faithful constancy; for it is unworthy that you should fear in the Savior’s Passion what, by His good gift, you shall not have to fear even at your own end.

“These things, dearly-beloved, were said not only for those who heard them with their own ears, but in these three Apostles the whole Church has learned all that their eyes saw and their ears heard. Let all men’s faith be established according to the preaching of the most holy Gospel, and let no one be ashamed of Christ’s cross through which the world was redeemed. Let no one fear to suffer for righteousness’ sake, or doubt of the fulfilment of the promises…since all the weakness of our humanity was assumed by Him, in Whom, if we abide in the acknowledgment and love of Him, we conquer as He conquered and receive what he promised. Whether to the performance of His commands or to the endurance of adversities, the Father’s Voice should always be sounding in our ears, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Pope St. Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome 440-461 A.D., excerpts of Homily 51 on the Transfiguration, given on the Saturday before the 2nd Sunday in Lent. Scripture references added.)

Cyril of Jerusalem. Glory in the Cross of our Lord and Savior, Jesus

The following is part of a lecture given by St. Cyril of Jerusalem to the catechumens during Lent of 347 A.D..  Presented here for the first Friday of the Lenten stations of the cross:

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: "Every deed of Christ is a cause of glorying to the Catholic Church, but Her greatest of all glorying is in the Cross; and knowing this, Paul says, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14). For it was indeed wondrous that one who was blind from his birth should receive sight in Siloam (John 9:1-7); but what is this compared with the blind of the whole world? It was a great thing, surpassing nature, for Lazarus to rise again on the fourth day (John 11:1-44); but the grace extended to him alone, and what was it compared with the dead in sins throughout the world? It was marvelous that five loaves should pour forth food for the five thousand (Matt. 14:14-21, Mark 6:34-44, Luke 9:11-17, John 6:5-13); but what is that to those who are famishing in ignorance throughout all the world? It was marvelous that she should have been loosed who had been bound by Satan eighteen years (Luke 13:10-16); yet what is this to all of us, who were bound fast in the chains of our sins? But the glory of the Cross led those who were blind through ignorance into light, loosed all who were held fast by sin and ransomed the whole world of mankind (Matt. 20:28, Mark 10:45, 1 Tim 2:6).

"Let us then not be ashamed of the Cross of our Saviour, but rather glory in it. For the word of the Cross is to Jews a stumbling-block, and to Gentiles foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23), but to us salvation, and to them that are perishing it is foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). For it was not a mere man who died for us, as I said before, but the Son of God, God made Man. Further, if the lamb under Moses drove the destroyer far away [Passover Lamb, Ex 12:21-23], did not much rather the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29), deliver us from our sins? The blood of a silly sheep gave salvation; shall not the Blood of the Only-begotten much rather save…."

"Jesus then really suffered for all men; for the Cross was no illusion, otherwise our redemption is an illusion also. His death was not a mere show, for then our salvation is also without reality [imaginary, mythical]. If His death was but a show, they were true who said, We remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I rise again (Matt. 27:63). His Passion then was real: for He was really crucified and we are not ashamed of that; He was crucified and we do not deny it, no, I rather glory to speak of it.

"I confess the Cross because I know of the Resurrection; for if, after being crucified, He had remained as He was, I might not have confessed it. I might have concealed both it and my Master, but now that the Resurrection has followed the Cross, I am not ashamed to declare it." (St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, Excerpts from his Catechesis (Lecture 13) during lent of 347 A.D. when Cyril was still a Priest).

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Leo the Great. Jesus, Unconquered Master of Christian Warfare

"…the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Begone, Satain! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve' (Matt. 4:8-10, Deut. 6:13)."

St. Leo the Great: "Dearly-beloved, as we approach the beginning of Lent, which is a time for the more careful serving of the Lord... let us prepare our souls for fighting with temptations, and understand that the more zealous we are for our salvation, the more determined must be the assaults of our opponents. But “stronger is He that is in us than He that is against us (1 Jn 4:4),” and we are powerful through Him in Whose strength we rely (Eph. 6:10): because it was for this that the Lord allowed Himself to be tempted by the tempter, that we might be taught by His example as well as fortified by His aid. For He conquered the adversary, as you have heard (Matt. 4:1-11), by quotations from the Scripture, not by actual strength, that by this very thing He might do greater honor to man, and inflict a greater punishment on the adversary by conquering the enemy of the human race not now as God but as Man. Therefore, He fought that we too might fight thereafter: He conquered that we too might likewise conquer. For there are no works of power, dearly-beloved, without the trials of temptations, there is no faith without proof, no contest without a foe, no victory without conflict. This life of ours is in the midst of snares, in the midst of battles; if we do not wish to be deceived, we must watch: if we want to overcome, we must fight. And therefore the most wise Solomon says, “My son, in approaching the service of God prepare thy soul for temptation (Sirach 2:1).” For he, being a man full of the wisdom of God, and knowing that the pursuit of religion involves laborious struggles, foreseeing too the danger of the fight, forewarned the intending combatant; for fear that if the tempter came upon him in his ignorance, he might find him unready and wound him unawares.

"So, dearly-beloved, let us, who instructed in Divine learning come wittingly to the present contest and strife, hear the Apostle when he says, “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this dark world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly things (Eph. 6:12),” and let us not forget that these our enemies feel that all we strive to do for our salvation is done against them all, and that by the very fact of our seeking after some good thing we are challenging our foes. For this is an old-standing quarrel between us and them fostered by the devil’s ill-will, so that they are tortured by our being justified, because they have fallen from those good things to which we, God helping us, are advancing. If, therefore, we are raised, they are prostrated: if we are strengthened, they are weakened. Our cures are their blows, because they are wounded by the cure of our wounds. “Stand, therefore,” dearly-beloved, as the Apostle says, “having girded your mind in truth, and your feet shod in the preparation of the gospel of peace, in all things taking the shield of faith in which you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one, and put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:14-17).” See, dearly-beloved, with what mighty weapons, with what impregnable defenses we are armed by our Leader, who is famous for His many triumphs, the unconquered Master of the Christian warfare." (St. Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome 440-461 A.D., excerpt of Sermon 39, On Lent)

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Irenaeus of Lyons. Unity of Faith in the Church Throughout the World

"Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said...Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are. I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me (John 17:1, 11, 23)."

St. Irenaeus: "The Church, though dispersed through out the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: She believes in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, Who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, Who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations* of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin (Isa. 7:14), and the passion (Ps. 22, Isa. 53:3), and the resurrection from the dead (Ps. 16:10, Dan 12:2), and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord (Ps. 68:18) and His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father (Dan. 7:13) “to gather all things in one (Eph. 1:10),” and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, “every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess (Phil. 2:10-11)” to Him. Also that, "He should execute just judgment towards all (John 5:27-29); that He may send “spiritual wickednesses (Eph. 6:12),” and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked, and profane among men, into everlasting fire (Matt. 25:41); but may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous and holy, and those who have kept His commandments (John 14:15ff), and have persevered in His love (John 15:9ff), some from the beginning, and others from their repentance [conversion], and may surround them with everlasting glory (1 Pet. 1:4, 5:4).  

"As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. She also believes these points of doctrine just as if she had but one soul, and one and the same heart, and she proclaims them, and teaches them, and hands them down, with perfect harmony, as if she possessed only one mouth [deposit of faith]. For, although the languages of the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is one and the same. For the Churches which have been planted in Germany do not believe or hand down anything different, nor do those in Spain, nor those in Gaul, nor those in the East, nor those in Egypt, nor those in Libya, nor those which have been established in the central regions of the world. But as the sun, that creature of God, is one and the same throughout the whole world, so also the preaching of the truth shines everywhere, and enlightens all men that are willing to come to a knowledge of the truth. Nor will any one of the rulers in the Churches, however highly gifted he may be in point of eloquence, teach doctrines different from these, for no one is greater than the Master; nor, on the other hand, will he who is deficient in power of expression inflict injury on the tradition. For the faith being ever one and the same, neither does one who is able at great length to discourse regarding it, make any addition to it, nor does one, who can say but little diminish it. ...the Catholic Church possesses one and the same faith throughout the whole world, as we have already said."(St. Irenaeus (120-202 A.D) Bishop of Lyons, France (177-202). Against heresies, (182-188 A.D) , book 1, ch. 10) 

* dispensations: a divinely ordained order prevailing at a particular period of history.

John of Damascus. All Scripture is Inspired by God

"Jesus answered him, 'It is written, 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of GOD' (Matt. 4:4, Deut. 8:3)." 

St. John of Damascus: "It is one and the same God Whom both the Old and the New Testament proclaim, Who is praised and glorified in the Trinity: 'I am come,' says the Lord, 'not to destroy the law but to fulfil it' (Mat 5:17). For He Himself worked out our salvation for which all Scripture and all mystery exists. And again, 'Search the Scriptures for they are they that testify of Me' (John 5:39). And the Apostle says, God, Who at various times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son (Heb 1:1, 2). Through the Holy Spirit, therefore, both the law and the prophets, the evangelists and apostles and pastors and teachers, spoke.

"All Scripture, then, is given by inspiration of God and is also assuredly profitable (2 Tim 3:16). Therefore to search the Scriptures is a work most fair and most profitable for souls. For just as the tree planted by the channels of waters, so also the soul watered by the divine Scripture is enriched and gives fruit in its season (Ps 1:3), namely, orthodox belief, and is adorned with evergreen leafage, I mean, actions pleasing to God. For through the Holy Scriptures we are trained to action that is pleasing to God, and untroubled contemplation. For in these we find both exhortation to every virtue and dissuasion from every vice. If, therefore, we are lovers of learning, we shall also be learned in many things. For by care and toil and the grace of God the Giver, all things are accomplished. 'For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened' (Mat 7:8, Lk 11:10).

"Therefore let us knock at that very fair garden of the Scriptures, so fragrant and sweet and blooming, with its varied sounds of spiritual and divinely-inspired birds ringing all round our ears, laying hold of our hearts, comforting the mourner, pacifying the angry and filling him with joy everlasting: which sets our mind on the gold-gleaming, brilliant back of the divine dove [Holy Spirit], whose bright pinions (Ps 68:13, Lk 3:22) bear up to the only-begotten Son (Jn 15:26) and Heir of the Husbandman of that spiritual Vineyard (Matt 21:33-39) and bring us through Jesus to the Father of Lights (James 1:17). But let us not knock carelessly but rather zealously and constantly, lest knocking we grow weary. For thus it will be opened to us. If we read once or twice and do not understand what we read, let us not grow weary, but let us persist, let us talk much, let us inquire. For ask thy Father, he says, and He will show you: your elders and they will tell you (Deut. 32:7). For there is not in every man that knowledge (1 Cor 8:7). Let us draw of the fountain of the perennial garden and purest waters springing into life eternal (John 4:14). Here let us luxuriate, let us revel insatiate: for the Scriptures possess inexhaustible grace. But if we are able to pluck anything profitable from outside sources, there is nothing to forbid that. Let us become tried money-dealers, heaping up the true and pure gold and discarding the spurious (1 Thess. 5:21, 22). Let us keep the fairest sayings but let us throw to the dogs absurd gods and strange myths (1 Tim 1:3, 4)...."(St. John of Damascus (676-749 AD, Monk, Priest, Doctor of the Church) Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Bk 4, Ch 17)

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Cyprian of Carthage. The Lord's Prayer and Prayer of the Heart

"Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil (Matt. 6:9-13)."


St. Cyprian of Carthage: "... what can be a more spiritual prayer than that which was given to us by Christ, by whom also the Holy Spirit was given to us? What praying to the Father can be more truthful than that which was delivered to us by the Son who is the Truth, out of His own mouth?

"Therefore, beloved brethren, let us pray as God our Teacher has taught us. It is a loving and friendly prayer to beseech God with His own word, to come up to His ears in the prayer of Christ. Let the Father acknowledge the words of His Son when we make our prayer, and let Him also who dwells within our breast Himself dwell in our voice. And since we have Jesus as an Advocate with the Father for our sins, let us, when as sinners we petition on behalf of our sins, put forward the words of our Advocate. For since He says, that 'whatsoever we shall ask of the Father in His name, He will give us (Jn 15:16, 16:23),' how much more effectually do we obtain what we ask in Christ’s name, if we ask for it in His own prayer.

"But when we pray, let our speech and petition be disciplined, observing quietness and modesty. Let us consider that we are standing in God’s sight. We must please the divine eyes both with the habit of body and with the measure of voice. ...Moreover, in His teaching the Lord bids us to pray in secret — in hidden and remote places, in our very bedrooms (Matt. 6:6) — which is best suited to faith, that we may know that God is everywhere present, and hears and sees all, and in the abundance of His majesty penetrates even into hidden and secret places, as it is written, 'I am a God at hand, and not a God far off. If a man shall hide himself in secret places, shall I not then see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth (Jer. 23:23, 24).' And again: 'The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good  (Prov. 15:3).' And when we meet together with the brethren in one place, and celebrate divine sacrifices with God’s priest, we ought to be mindful of modesty and discipline — not to throw abroad our prayers indiscriminately, with unsubdued voices, nor to cast to God with tumultuous wordiness a petition that ought to be commended to God by modesty; for God is the hearer, not of the voice, but of the heart.



"Take as an example, Hannah (1 Sam 1:9-13)...she did not pray to God with a clamorous petition, but silently and modestly, within the very recesses of her heart. She spoke with hidden prayer, but with manifest faith. She spoke not with her voice, but with her heart, because she knew that God hears; and she effectually obtained what she sought because she asked it with belief. Divine Scripture asserts this, when it says, 'She spoke in her heart, and her lips moved, and her voice was not heard (1 Sam 1:13);' but God heard her. We read also in the Psalms, 'Speak in your hearts, and in your beds...(Ps. 4:4).' The Holy Spirit, moreover, suggests these same things by Jeremiah, and teaches, saying, 'But in the heart ought God to be adored by you (Baruch 6:6).'" (St. Cyprian (190-258 AD) Bishop of Carthage (248-258 AD) Excerpts from Treatise IV, On the Lord's Prayer)
 

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Cyprian of Carthage. Born Again in the Water of Baptism

Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5)".  

Caecilius Cyprian to Donatus sends, greeting:  “While I was still lying in darkness and gloomy night, wavering here and there, tossed about on the foam of this boastful age, and uncertain of my wandering steps, knowing nothing of my real life, and remote from truth and light, I regarded it a difficult matter, especially difficult in respect of my character at that time, that a man should be capable of being born again (Jn 3:3-8) — a truth which the divine mercy had announced for my salvation. How is it that a man, quickened to a new life in the laver of saving water, should be able to put off what he had previously been and still retaining all his bodily structure, should himself be changed in heart and soul. How, said I, is such a conversion possible, that there should be a sudden and rapid divestment of all which, either innate in us has hardened in the corruption of our material nature, or acquired by us has become addictive by long accustomed use? These things have become deeply and radically engrained within us. For as I myself was held in bonds by the innumerable errors of my previous life, from which I did not believe that I could be delivered, I despaired of better things. I was inclined to give in to my clinging vices and indulge my sins as if they were actually parts of me and indigenous to me. These were my frequent thoughts.

"But after that, by the help of the water of new birth, the stain of former years had been washed away, and a light from above, serene and pure, had been infused into my reconciled heart. By the agency of the Spirit breathed from heaven, a second birth had restored me to a new man. Then, in a wondrous manner, doubtful things at once began to become sure to me, hidden things to be revealed, dark things to be enlightened. What before had seemed difficult began to suggest a means of accomplishment; what had been thought impossible, to be capable of being achieved. I was enabled to acknowledge that what previously, being born of the flesh, had been living in the practice of sins, was of the earth and earthly, had now begun to be of God, and was animated by the Spirit of holiness… 

"That we sinned before was the result of human error whereas now that we do not sin it is the beginning of the work of faith. All our power is of God; I say, of God. From Him we have life, from Him we have strength. By power derived and conceived from Him we do, while yet in this world, foreknow the indications of things to come. Only let fear be the keeper of innocence, that the Lord, Who of His mercy has flowed into our hearts…may be kept by righteous submissiveness in the frame of a grateful mind, that the assurance we have gained may not lead to carelessness, and so the old enemy creep upon us again.” (St. Cyprian of Carthage (190-258 AD). Excerpts from his 1st Epistle "To Donatus" shortly after his Baptism about 246 AD. Bishop of Carthage, AD 248 until his martyrdom in 258.)

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Cyril of Jerusalem. Jesus, the Beloved Son of God, is Baptized

"And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediatey from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16, 17)". Also, Mark 1:10, 11; Luke 3:21, 22. 

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: "Jesus sanctified Baptism by being Himself baptized. If the Son of God was baptized, what godly man would despise Baptism? But Jesus was baptized not that He might receive remission of sins, for He was sinless; but being sinless, He was baptized, that He might give to those who are baptized a divine and excellent grace. For since the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same (Heb 2:14), that having been made partakers of His presence in the flesh we might be made partakers also of His Divine grace: thus Jesus was baptized, so that we again by our participation might receive both salvation and honour. According to Job, there was in the waters the dragon that draws up Jordan into his mouth (Job 40:23). Since, therefore, it was necessary to break the heads of the dragon in pieces (Ps 74:14), Jesus went down and bound the strong one in the waters, that we might receive power to tread upon serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19). The beast was great and terrible. No fishing-vessel was able to carry one scale of his tail; destruction ran before him (Job 40:26, 41:13 LXX*), ravaging all that met him. The Life encountered him, that the mouth of Death might from then on be stopped, and all we who are saved might say, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory (1 Cor 15:55)? The sting of death is extracted by Baptism.

For you go down into the water bearing your sins, but the invocation of grace, having sealed your soul, will afterwards not allow you to be swallowed up by the terrible dragon. Having gone down dead in sins, you come up quickened in righteousness. For if you have been united with the likeness of the Saviour’s death (Rom 6:5), you shall also be deemed worthy of His Resurrection. For as Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world and died, that by putting sin to death He might rise again in righteousness; so you also, by going down into the water, and being in a manner buried in the waters... are raised again and walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4)." (St. Cyril (315-386 AD) Bishop of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church. Part of his Catechesis during Lent in 347 AD when Cyril was still a Priest.)

+ St. Cyril of Jerusalem, pray for us +

*LXX:. Job 40:26: And all the ships come together would not be able to bear the mere skin of his tail; neither shall they carry his head in fishing-vessels. 41:13: And power is lodged in his neck, before him destruction runs. (Septuagint [LXX] the Greek Translation of the Old Testament, the Early Church Scriptures)

Gregory of Nyssa. Deposit of Faith Set Forth by the Lord

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...(John 1:1ff)".
 

St. Gregory of Nyssa:  "The Christian Faith, which in accordance with the command of our Lord, has been preached to all nations by His disciples, is neither of men, nor by men, but by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who being the Word, the Life, the Light, the Truth, and God, and Wisdom, and all else that He is by nature, was made in the likeness of man, and shared our nature, becoming like us in all things, yet without sin. He was like us in all things, in that He took upon Himself manhood in its entirety with soul and body, so that our salvation was accomplished by means of both: He appeared on earth and conversed with men, that men might no longer have opinions according to their own notions about the Self-existent [I AM], formulating into a doctrine the hints that come to them from vague conjectures, but that we might be convinced that God has truly been manifested in the flesh, and believe that to be the only true “mystery of godliness (1 Tim. 3:16).” This was delivered to us by the very Word and God, Who by Himself spoke to His Apostles, and that we might receive the teaching concerning the transcendent nature of the Deity which is given to us, as it were, “through a glass darkly (1 Cor. 13:12)” from the older Scriptures: from the Law, and the Prophets, and the Wisdom Books, as evidence of the truth fully revealed to us. We reverently accept the meaning of the things which have been spoken, so as to accord in the faith set forth by the Lord of the whole Scriptures, which faith we guard as we received it, word for word, in purity, without falsification, judging even a slight divergence from the words delivered to us an extreme blasphemy and impiety. We believe, then, as the Lord set forth the Faith to His Disciples, when He said, “Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).” This is the word of the mystery [Baptism] by which, through the new birth from above our nature is transformed from the corruptible to the incorruptible, being renewed from “the old man, according to the image of Him who created (Col. 3:9, 10)” at the beginning (Gen. 1:26, 27).
 
"In the Faith then which was delivered by God to the Apostles we admit neither subtraction, nor alteration, nor addition... For whatsoever is said otherwise than in exact accord with the truth is assuredly false and not true." (St. Gregory of Nyssa (333-398 AD), Bishop of Nyssa from A.D. 372 to 376, and from 378 until his death)

Gregory Nazianzen. Jesus, God Incarnate

“For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him [Jesus] should all the fulness dwell—for in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily… (Col 1:19, 2:9).”

St. Gregory Nazianzen: “Jesus was baptized as Man, but He remitted sins as God (Matt. 3:13; 9:6) — not because He needed purifying rites Himself, but that He might sanctify the element of water. He was tempted as Man, but He conquered as God (Matt. 4:1-11); yea, He bids us be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He hungered, but He fed thousands; yea, He is the Bread that gives life, and That is of heaven (John 6:32-58). He thirsted, but He cried, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink (John 7:37-39).” Yea, He promised that fountains should flow from those who believe. He was wearied, but He is the Rest of those who are weary and heavy laden (Matt. 11:28-30). He was heavy with sleep, but He walked lightly over the sea. He rebuked the winds, He saved Peter as he began to sink (Matt. 14:25-31). He is called a Samaritan and a demoniac, but He saves the one who came down from Jerusalem and fell among thieves (Luke 10:30-37); the demons acknowledge Him, and He drives out demons and sinks in the sea a legion of foul spirits (Luke 8:28–33), and sees the prince of the demons falling like lightning (Luke 10:18). He is stoned, but is not taken. He prays, but He hears prayer. He weeps, but He causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus was laid, for He was Man; but He raises Lazarus, for He was God (John 11:34, 43). He is sold very cheaply for thirty pieces of silver, but He redeems the world and that at a great price, for the Price was His own blood (1 Pet. 1:19). As a sheep He is led to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7), but He is the Shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also (John 10:11-16). As a Lamb He is silent, yet He is the Word and is proclaimed by the Voice of one crying in the wilderness (John 1:23). He is bruised and wounded, but He heals every disease and every infirmity (Matt. 4:23, 9:35). He is lifted up and nailed to the Tree, but by the Tree of Life He restores us; yea, He saves even the robber crucified with Him (Luke 23:43); yea, He wrapped the visible world in darkness (Matt. 27:45). He is given vinegar to drink mingled with gall (Matt. 27:34) – He who turned the water into wine (John 2:1–11), Who is the destroyer of the bitter taste, Who is Sweetness and altogether desire. He lays down His life, but He has power to take it again (John 10:17, 18); and the veil is rent, for the mysterious doors of Heaven are opened; the rocks are split, the dead arise (Matt. 27:51, 52). He dies, but He gives life, and by His death destroys death. He is buried, but He rises again; He goes down into Hell, but He brings up the souls; He ascends to Heaven, and shall come again…”For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then He shall render unto every man according to his deeds (Matt. 16:27).” (St. Gregory of Nazianzus, (330-390); Bishop of Constantinople from 381 to 390. Oration 29, para. 20 -  some Scripture references added as unobtrusively as possible for those who want to read these truths about the Lord Jesus Christ directly from the written word of God)

John Chrysostom. The Scriptures For Your Pilot

“Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Lk 24:25)

St. John Chrysostom:  “Delectable indeed are the meadow, and the garden, but far more delectable the study of the divine writings. For there indeed are flowers which fade, but here are thoughts which abide in full bloom; there is the gentle breeze, but here the breath of the Spirit: there is the hedge of thorns, but here is the guarding providence of God; there is the song of cicadae*, but here the melody of the prophets: there is the pleasure which comes from sight, but here the profit which comes from study. The garden is confined to one place, but the Scriptures are in all parts of the world; the garden is subject to the necessities of the seasons, but the Scriptures are rich in foliage, and laden with fruit alike in winter and in summer. Let us then give diligent heed to the study of the Scriptures: for if you do this the Scripture will expel your despondency, and engender pleasure, extirpate vice, and make virtue take root, and in the tumult of life it will save you from suffering like those who are tossed by troubled waves. The sea rages but you will sail on with calm weather; for you have the study of the Scriptures for your pilot; for this is the cable which the trials of life do not break asunder.”  (St. John Chrysostom, (347-407). Homily II, On Eutropius)

 

*ci·ca·dae (sĭ-kā-də) A large insect whose species are easily distinguishable by song… Most North American cicadas produce rhythmical ticks, buzzes, or whines, though the “song” of some species is musical.