PL 39 · cols. 2119–2123

Appendix to Augustine's Sermones: Sermones supposititii, Sermones 196-210

Sermons CCI–CCIII

gaudio in utero meo. Ipse ⟨m⟩ihi demonstravit quia tu es mater Domini mei, quae venisti ad me. Ante mihi magister factus est quam filius; ante me ipse docuit, quam ego eum lactarem; nondum scit pulsare ubera mea, et novit instruere conscientiam meam: coelum et terram nondum vidit, et intra viscera mea Deum coeli ac terrae cognovit. Qualis est iste nuntius, qui de occultis cognoscat Dominum? In occultis loquitur mysterium, nuntiat miraculum.

joy in my womb. He himself showed me that you are the mother of my Lord, who have come to me. He became a teacher to me before he became a son; he taught me before I suckled him; he does not yet know how to press at my breasts, and he knows how to instruct my conscience: he has not yet seen heaven and earth, and within my womb he has recognized the God of heaven and earth. What sort of messenger is this, who recognizes the Lord from hidden places? In hidden places he speaks a mystery, he announces a miracle.

3. Unde, inquit, mihi, ut veniat ad me mater Domini (Matth. I, 41, 44, 43)? Unde hoc, inquit, mihi? Ipse enim Deus, ego homo; ille Dominus, ego autem servus; ille Creator, ego creatura: ipse me plasmavit intra viscera, qui suae matris implevit viscera. Unde hoc, inquit, mihi? Nulla sunt merita, et praecedûnt mihi divina beneficia. Duae invictae virtutis sunt matres, sterilis, et virgo. Duae naves oneratae de coelo: una fert promissum de viro, alia portat Verbum ex Deo: una praemisit praeconem, alia tulit judicem; una lucerna illuminatur, alia sole: virgo portat sponsum, sterilis fert amicum. Nam et temporibus distinctis paruerunt certissima signa sanctitatis. Joannes nascitur die deficiente; Dominus nascitur die crescente: ut caro deficiat, spiritus convalescat. Oportet ergo, fratres charissimi, in tantis mirabilibus gaudentes, ut credamus et de Adam facere, et fecundam reddere sterilem. Qui matris servavit pudorem, assumpsit nomen floris, non amisit candorem; pudorem servavit virginis, mysterii lumen exhibuit. Qui se ipsum tradidit pro nobis, praestet etiam et prospera nobis. Qui vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

3. Whence, she says, is this to me, that the mother of the Lord should come to me (Luke 1:41, 44, 43)? Whence is this, she says, to me? For He is God, I am human; He is Lord, but I a servant; He the Creator, I a creature: He formed me within the womb, Who filled the womb of His own mother. Whence is this, she says, to me? There are no merits, and divine benefits go before me. Two are the mothers of unconquered virtue, the barren woman and the virgin. Two ships laden from heaven: the one carries a promise from a husband, the other bears the Word from God; the one sent ahead the herald, the other brought the Judge; the one is lit by a lamp, the other by the sun: the virgin carries the Bridegroom, the barren woman bears the friend. For at distinct times too the most certain signs of holiness appeared. John is born as the day is waning; the Lord is born as the day is growing: that the flesh may wane, the spirit grow strong. It behoves us therefore, dearest brethren, rejoicing in such great wonders, that we believe [Him able] both to make from Adam, and to render the barren fruitful. He Who preserved His mother's modesty took the name of a flower, [and] did not lose its whiteness; He preserved the modesty of the virgin, [and] displayed the light of the mystery. May He Who gave Himself up for us grant prosperity also to us. Who lives and reigns for ages of ages. Amen.

SERMO CCI. In Natali apostolorum Petri et Pauli, I.

Sermon 201. On the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, I.

1. Petrus per signa, Paulus per Epistolas ubique clarus. Primum Petri signum claudi sanatio. Rei hujus convenientia. Petrus petra, Paulus vas; ambo quam Ecclesiae necessarii. Notum vobis omnibus est, fratres, et universo mundo notissimum, quod beatissimorum Petri et Pauli Natalis est hodie, nec aliquam partem orbis latere potest tantà devotio: siquidem cum de his dicat David propheta, In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum, et in fines orbis terrae verba eorum (Psal. XVIII, 5); in omnem terram mirabilis Petri virtus diffusa est, et in fines orbis terrae Epistolarum Pauli verba penetrarunt. Quis enim non audivit, quod primum beatus apostolus Petrus sedenti ad Speciosam portam templi claudo, et ex matris suae ventre olim jam debili, pedum restituerit firmitatem, ut quod natura minus contulerat, apostolica gratia repararet? Cum enim claudus ille stipem rogans, aliquid pecuniae se ab Apostolis crederet accepturum, ait illi apostolus Petrus: Argentum et aurum non habeo; sed quod habeo, hoc tibi do: in nomine Domini nostri Jesu Christi Nazareni surge et ambula (Act. III, 6). Beata plane largitas, quae petenti argentum quidem non contulit, sed contulit sanitatem! Beata largitas, quae de thesauris aurum non protulit, sed protulit medicinam! Beatus et ille claudus, qui dum stipem quaerit pecuniae, divitias incolumitatis accepit! Hoc enim ab Apostolis donatum meruit, quod nullis thesauris a medicis redimere potuisset. Primum ergo signum mirabilium suorum Petrus fecit, claudo pedum restituendo vestigia. Diximus frequenter, ipsum Petrum petram a Domi⟨n⟩o nuncupatum, sicut ait, Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam (Matth. XVI, 18). Si ergo Petrus petra est supra quam aedificatur Ecclesia, recte prius pedes sanat; ut sicut in Ecclesia fidei fundamentum continet,

1. Peter renowned everywhere through signs, Paul through his Epistles. Peter's first sign the healing of a lame man. The fittingness of this matter. Peter the rock, Paul the vessel; how necessary both are to the Church. It is known to all of you, brethren, and most well known to the whole world, that today is the Feast of the most blessed Peter and Paul, nor can so great a devotion be hidden from any part of the world: since indeed, as David the prophet says of them, Into all the earth their sound has gone forth, and to the ends of the world their words (Ps. 18:5); into all the earth the wondrous power of Peter has spread, and to the ends of the world the words of Paul's Epistles have penetrated. For who has not heard that the blessed apostle Peter first restored firmness of feet to the lame man sitting at the Beautiful gate of the temple, weak long since from his mother's womb, so that what nature had bestowed too little, apostolic grace might repair? For when that lame man, begging alms, believed he would receive some money from the Apostles, the apostle Peter said to him: Silver and gold I have not; but what I have, this I give you: in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk (Acts 3:6). Blessed indeed the bounty which did not bestow silver on the one asking, but bestowed health! Blessed the bounty which did not bring forth gold from treasuries, but brought forth medicine! Blessed too that lame man, who, while seeking alms of money, received the riches of soundness! For he was found worthy to be given by the Apostles what he could not have bought back from physicians with any treasures. Peter therefore performed the first sign of his wonders by restoring to the lame man the steps of his feet. We have often said that Peter himself was named the rock by the Lord, as He says, You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church (Matt. 16:18). If therefore Peter is the rock upon which the Church is built, rightly does he first heal feet; so that just as in the Church he holds the foundation of faith,

Editors' notes and page, col. 2119

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: de Adam facere (end of Sermo CC)› · call in col 2119

Forte, ut credamus, et Deum matrem facere virginem.

Perhaps "so that we may believe that God also makes a virgin a mother."

(printed under page 322)

(2) ‹anchor: quod primum› · call in col 2119

Editi Augustiniani, primus; repugnantibus Ambrosianis et Mss.

The Augustinian printed editions read "primus" (first, of Peter), against the Ambrosian editions and the manuscripts.

(printed under page 322)

(a) ‹anchor: SERMO CCI› · call in col 2119

Olim, de Sanctis 26; et post, in Appendice 78.

Formerly Sermon 26 on the Saints; and later, Sermon 78 in the Appendix.

(printed under page 322)

(b) ‹anchor: Petri et Pauli, I› · call in col 2119

Exstat quoque inter vulgatos Ambrosii nomine Sermones, ipsi verius forte quam Augustino tributus.

It is also found among the sermons published under Ambrose's name, perhaps more truly attributed to him than to Augustine.

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ita et in homine membrorum fundamenta confirmet: recte, inquam, primum in christiano pedes curat; ut jam non trepidus, nec imbecillis possit supra petram Ecclesiae stare, sed robustus et fortis incedere. Ubi autem verba Pauli apostoli non leguntur? Quis locus ea litteris non inscribit, corde retinet, conversatione custodit? Qui Paulus a Domino vas electionis est nominatus. Bonum vas, in quo pretiosa ma⟨n⟩datorum Christi praecepta conduntur: bonum vas, de cujus plenitudine substantia vitae populis semper erogatur, et plenum est. Optima Apostolorum nomina, petra et vasculum, necessaria domui Salvatoris. Domus enim petrarum fortitudine construitur, utilitate vasis ornatur. Petra ad firmitatem, ne labantur, sustentat populos: vas ad custodiam, ne tententur, operit Christianos.

so also in a human being he may strengthen the foundations of the members: rightly, I say, does he first take care of the feet in a Christian, so that, no longer trembling nor feeble, he may be able to stand upon the rock of the Church, and rather walk forth sturdy and strong. Where, moreover, are the words of the apostle Paul not read? What place does not inscribe them in letters, retain them in the heart, and keep them in its way of life? This Paul was named by the Lord a vessel of election. A good vessel, in which the precious precepts of Christ's commandments are stored: a good vessel, from whose fullness the substance of life is ever dispensed to the peoples, and yet it remains full. Most excellent are the names of the Apostles, rock and little vessel, both necessary to the house of the Saviour. For a house is built by the strength of rocks, and adorned by the usefulness of a vessel. The rock, for firmness, supports the peoples so that they do not totter; the vessel, for safekeeping, covers the Christians so that they are not tempted.

2. Quam congruat quod una die passi, quod Petrus confixus cruci, quod de Pauli cervice lac profluxerit. Exitus vero eorum de hoc saeculo quam beatus fuerit, nemo qui nesciat. Nam prima haec in illis beatitudo est, quod ambo una die passi esse noscuntur: scilicet ut quos una fides servitio devinxerat, una dies martyrio coronaret. Deinde ipsa passio diversa licet in singulis fuerit, tamen quanta refe⟨r⟩ta est gratiae sanctitate? Nam Petrus crucis, sic⟨u⟩t Salvator, exitum tulit, et dominicae devotionis similitudine nec in morte discerptus est: scilicet ut quem imitabatur fide, imitaretur et passione. De Pauli vero cervice, cum eam persecutor gladio percussisset, dicitur fluxisse magis lactis unda, quam sanguinis, et mirum in modum sanctum Apostolum Baptismi gratia in ipsa caede exstitisse splendidum potius quam cruentum. Quae quidem res in sancto Paulo stupenda non est. Quid enim mirum, si abundat lacte nu⟨t⟩ritor Ecclesiae? sicut ipse ad Corinthios ait, Lac vobis potum dedi, non escam (I Cor. III, 2). Haec est plane repromissionis illa terra, quam patribus nostris promisit Deus, dicens: Dabo vobis terram fluentem lac et mel (Exod. III, 17). Non enim de hac terra locutus est, quae manantibus aquis coenum involvit, lutumque permiscet: sed de illa terra Pauli et similium Pauli, quae jugiter purum suaveque distillat. Quae enim Pauli Epistola non melle dulcior est, lacte candidior? Quae Epistolae tanquam ubera, Ecclesiarum populos enutriunt ad salutem. De cervice ergo Apostoli pro sanguine lac manavit. Legimus in Epistola ipsius, quoniam caro et sanguis regnum Dei non possidebunt (I Cor. XV, 50). Jam igitur Paulus possidet regnum; quoniam caret sanguine, qui impedire dicitur regnaturos. Adhuc ergo Paulus in terris positus, etiam in regni coelestis substantiam transformatur.

2. How fitting it is that they suffered on one day, that Peter was fastened to a cross, that milk flowed forth from Paul's neck. How blessed their departure from this world was, there is no one who does not know. For this is the first blessedness in them, that both are known to have suffered on one day: namely, so that those whom one faith had bound together in service, one day might crown with martyrdom. Then, although the suffering itself was different in each, yet how full it is of the holiness of grace! For Peter, like the Saviour, underwent the death of the cross, and in the likeness of his devotion to the Lord was not torn away [from Him] even in death: namely, so that Him whom he imitated in faith he might imitate also in suffering. As for Paul's neck, when the persecutor had struck it with the sword, a stream of milk rather than of blood is said to have flowed, and in a wonderful manner the holy Apostle, through the grace of Baptism, is said to have appeared in the very slaughter shining rather than bloody. This thing indeed is not astonishing in holy Paul. For what wonder is it if the nurse of the Church abounds in milk? As he himself says to the Corinthians, I gave you milk to drink, not food (1 Cor. 3:2). This is plainly that land of promise which God promised to our fathers, saying: I will give you a land flowing with milk and honey (Exod. 3:17). For He did not speak of this land, which with its flowing waters rolls up mire and mingles mud: but of that land of Paul and of those like Paul, which continually drips what is pure and sweet. For which epistle of Paul is not sweeter than honey, whiter than milk? These epistles, like breasts, nourish the peoples of the Churches unto salvation. Therefore from the Apostle's neck milk flowed instead of blood. We read in his own epistle that flesh and blood shall not possess the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50). Paul therefore already possesses the kingdom, since he lacks blood, which is said to hinder those who are to reign. Therefore Paul, while still placed on earth, is even transformed into the substance of the heavenly kingdom.

3. Quomodo martyrum celebranda memoria. Ideo, fratres charissimi, quotiescumque martyrum memorias celebramus, praetermissis omnibus saeculi actibus sine aliqua dilatione concurrere debemus ad domum Dei, reddere illis honorificentiam, qui nobis salutem effusione sui sanguinis pepererunt, qui tam sacratam hostiam pro nost⟨r⟩a propitiatione Domino se obtulerunt: praesertim cum dicat ad sanctos suos omnipotens Deus, Qui vos honorat, me honorat; et qui vos spernit, me spernit (Luc. X, 16). Quisquis ergo honorat martyres, honorat et Christum; et qui spernit sanctos, spernit Dominum nostrum, qui vivit et regnat cum Patre et Spiritu sancto Deus, etc.

3. How the memory of the martyrs is to be celebrated. Therefore, dearest brethren, whenever we celebrate the memorials of the martyrs, we ought, setting aside all the business of the world, to hasten without any delay to the house of God, to render honour to those who brought forth salvation for us by the shedding of their blood, who offered themselves to the Lord as so sacred a victim for our propitiation: especially since almighty God says to His saints, He who honours you honours Me; and he who despises you despises Me (Luke 10:16). Whoever therefore honours the martyrs honours Christ also; and he who despises the saints despises our Lord, Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, etc.

SERMO CCII. In Natali apostolorum Petri et Pauli, II.

Sermon 202. On the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, 2.

1. Apostoli inter se pares, Petro tamen et Paulo inferiores. Petro potentiae, Paulo scientiae clavis credita. Cum omnes beati Apostoli parem gratiam apud Do†

1. The Apostles are equal among themselves, yet inferior to Peter and Paul. To Peter the key of power, to Paul the key of knowledge was entrusted. Since all the blessed Apostles equal grace with the Lord

Editors' notes and page, col. 2120

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: Spiritu sancto Deus› · call in col 2120

Haec clausula sermonis 201 abest tota a Ms. t., nec videtur cohaerere cum superioribus.

This closing passage of Sermon 201 is wholly absent from manuscript t., and does not seem to cohere with what precedes.

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(a) ‹anchor: SERMO CCII› · call in col 2120

Olim, de Sanctis 27; et post, in Appendice 79.

Formerly Sermon 27 on the Saints; and later, Sermon 79 in the Appendix.

(printed under page 322)

(b) ‹anchor: Petri et Pauli, II› · call in col 2120

In excusis locum etiam habet inter Sermones Ambrosianos et Maximianos. Ex manuscriptis vero, Augustino quidam, alii Ambrosio, sed multo plures Maximo assignant. Hujus nomine legitur in Romano Breviario die quinta julii. De num. 3 vide Hegesippum, lib. 3, cap. 2.

In the printed editions it also has a place among the sermons of Ambrose and of Maximus. Of the manuscripts, some assign it to Augustine, others to Ambrose, but many more to Maximus. It is read under his name in the Roman Breviary on the fifth of July. On no. 3 see Hegesippus, book 3, chapter 2.

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sanctitatis obtineant, nescio quo tamen pacto Petrus et Paulus videntur prae caeteris peculiari quadam in Salvatore fidei virtute praecellere. Quod quidem ex ipsius Domini judicio possumus approbare. Nam Petro, sicut bono dispensatori, clavem regni coelestis dedit; Paulo, tanquam idoneo doctori, magisterium ecclesiasticae institutionis injunxit: scilicet ut quos iste erudierit ad salutem, ille suscipiat ad quietem; ut quorum corda Paulus patefecerit doctrina verborum, eorum animabus Petrus aperiat regna coelorum. Clavem enim quodam modo a Christo scientiae et Paulus accepit. Clavis enim dicenda est qua ad fidem pectorum dura corda reserantur, mentium secreta panduntur, et quidquid intrinsecus clausum tenetur, in palam rationabili manifestatione producitur. Clavis, inquam, est quae et conscientiam ad confessionem peccati aperit, et gratiam ad aeternitatem mysterii salutaris includit. Ambo igitur claves a Domino perceperunt; scientiae iste, ille potentiae. Divitias immortalitatis ille dispensat; scientiae thesauros iste largitur. Sunt enim thesauri scientiae, sicut scriptum est: In quo sunt omnes thesauri sapientiae et scientiae absconditi (Coloss. II, 3). Ergo beati Petrus et Paulus eminent inter universos Apostolos, et peculiari quadam praerogativa praecellunt.

† of holiness hold, yet in some manner Peter and Paul seem to excel the rest by a certain peculiar power of faith in the Saviour. This indeed we can prove from the judgement of the Lord Himself. For to Peter, as to a good steward, He gave the key of the heavenly kingdom; to Paul, as to a fit teacher, He enjoined the office of teaching the Church's instruction: namely, that those whom the latter has trained for salvation, the former may receive into rest; that to the souls of those whose hearts Paul has opened by the teaching of his words, Peter may open the kingdoms of heaven. For in a certain manner Paul too received from Christ the key of knowledge. For that must be called a key by which hard hearts are unlocked to the faith of the breast, the secrets of minds are laid open, and whatever is held shut up within is brought forth into the open by a reasonable manifestation. It is a key, I say, which both opens the conscience to the confession of sin and shuts in grace for the eternity of the saving mystery. Both, therefore, received keys from the Lord; the latter that of knowledge, the former that of power. The former dispenses the riches of immortality; the latter bestows the treasures of knowledge. For there are treasures of knowledge, as it is written: In Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge (Col. 2:3). Therefore the blessed Peter and Paul stand out among all the Apostles, and excel by a certain peculiar prerogative.

2. Petrus et Paulus meritis aequales. Cur uno die, uno in loco, sub uno tyranno passi. Cur in Occidente. Verum inter ipsos quis cui praeponatur, incertum est. Puto enim illos aequales esse meritis, qui aequales sunt passione; et simili eos fidei devotione vixisse, quos simul videmus ad martyrii gloriam pervenisse. Non enim sine causa factum putemus, quod una die, uno in loco, unius tyranni toleravere sententiam. Una die passi sunt, ut ad Christum pariter pervenirent; uno in loco, ne alteri Roma deesset; sub uno persecutore, ut aequalis crudelitas utrumque constringeret. Dies ergo pro merito, locus pro gloria, persecutor decretus est pro virtute. Et in quo tandem loco martyrium pertulerunt? In urbe Romana, quae principatum et caput obtinet nationum: scilicet, ut ubi caput superstitionis erat, illic caput quiesceret sanctitatis; et ubi Gentilium principes habitabant, illic Ecclesiarum morerentur principes. Cujus autem meriti sunt beatissimi Petrus et Paulus, hinc possumus intelligere, quod cum Dominus Orientis regionem propria illustraverit passione, Occidentis plagam, ne quid minus esset, vice sui Apostolorum sanguine illuminare dignatus est. Et licet illius passio nobis sufficiat ad salutem, tamen etiam horum martyrium nobis contulit ad exemplum.

2. Peter and Paul equal in merits. Why they suffered on one day, in one place, under one tyrant. Why in the West. But which of them is to be set before the other is uncertain. For I think that those are equal in merits who are equal in suffering; and that those lived with a like devotion of faith whom we see to have come together to the glory of martyrdom. For let us not suppose it happened without cause that on one day, in one place, they endured the sentence of one tyrant. They suffered on one day, so that they might come to Christ together; in one place, lest Rome should lack either of them; under one persecutor, so that an equal cruelty might bind them both. The day, therefore, was appointed for their merit, the place for their glory, the persecutor for their virtue. And in what place, then, did they undergo martyrdom? In the city of Rome, which holds the primacy and headship of the nations: namely, so that where the head of superstition was, there the head of holiness might rest; and where the princes of the Gentiles dwelt, there the princes of the Churches might die. Of what merit the most blessed Peter and Paul are, we can understand from this, that whereas the Lord illumined the region of the East by His own passion, He deigned to illumine the tract of the West, lest it should have anything less, by the blood of the Apostles in His stead. And although His passion suffices us for salvation, yet the martyrdom of these too has been given to us for an example.

3. Mortis eorum causa. Orationis virtus. Cur Simon Magus volare in altum permissus. Hodierna igitur die beati Apostoli sanguinem profuderunt: sed videamus causam quare ista perpessi sunt: scilicet quod inter caetera mirabilia etiam magum illum Simonem orationibus suis de aeris vacuo praecipiti ruina prostraverint. Cum enim idem Simon se Christum diceret, et tanquam filium ad Patrem assereret volando se posse conscendere, atque elatus subito magicis artibus volare coepisset; tunc Petrus fixis genibus precatus est Dominum, et precatione sancta vicit magicam levitatem. Prior enim ascendit ad Dominum oratio quam volatus, et ante pervenit justa petitio quam iniqua praesumptio. Ante, inquam, Petrus in terris positus obtinuit quod petebat, quam Simon perveniret ad coelestia quo tendebat. Tunc igitur Petrus velut vinctum illum de sublimi aere deposuit, et quodam praecipitio in saxo elidens ejus crura confregit; et hoc in opprobrium facti illius: ut qui paulo ante volare tentaverat, subito ambulare non posset; et qui pennas assumpserat, plantas amitteret. Sed ne forte hoc mirum videatur, quod magus iste praesente Apostolo per aerem aliquandiu volitaverit, hoc patientia Petri fecit. Permisit enim illum sublimius ascendere, ut altius

3. The cause of their death. The power of prayer. Why Simon Magus was permitted to fly on high. On this day, then, the blessed Apostles shed their blood: but let us see the cause why they suffered these things: namely, that among other wonders they also, by their prayers, threw down that magician Simon from the emptiness of the air in a headlong fall. For when this same Simon was saying that he was the Christ, and was asserting that, as a son to the Father, he could ascend by flying, and, lifted up suddenly by magic arts, had begun to fly; then Peter, with knees bent, prayed to the Lord, and by holy prayer overcame the magic levitation. For the prayer ascended to the Lord before the flight did, and the just petition arrived before the wicked presumption. Peter, I say, placed on earth, obtained what he was asking before Simon reached the heavenly places to which he was making his way. Then, therefore, Peter brought him down from the high air as if bound, and, dashing him on a rock in a kind of headlong fall, broke his legs; and this as a reproach for that deed of his: that he who a little before had tried to fly should suddenly be unable to walk; and he who had taken up wings should lose his feet. But lest perhaps it should seem a wonder that this magician flew about through the air for some while in the presence of the Apostle, the patience of Peter brought this about. For he permitted him to ascend higher, so that from higher up

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(1) ‹anchor: not visible in the crop› · call in col 2121 (above the crop)

Ita in Augustinianis et Ambrosianis editis et in nonnullis Mss. In aliis autem et apud Maximum, peccatorum dura corda.

So in the Augustinian and Ambrosian printed editions and in some manuscripts. In others, however, and in Maximus, "the hard hearts of sinners."

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caderet: voluit eum in excelsum levari ad conspectum omnium, ut ruentem illum de excelso oculi omnium perviderent. Haec igitur est iniquitatis elatio, ut in altum se ferat, in sublime se erigat: sed sancta oratio omnem humiliat superbiam, universam dejicit vanitatem.

he might fall: he willed him to be lifted on high in the sight of all, so that the eyes of all might see him plunging down from on high. This, then, is the exaltation of iniquity, that it carries itself aloft and raises itself up on high; but holy prayer humbles all pride and casts down all vanity.

SERMO CCIII. In Natali apostolorum Petri et Pauli, III.

Sermon 203. On the Birthday of the Apostles Peter and Paul, 3.

1. Petrus ad Judaeorum, Paulus ad Gentium salutem electus. Hodie duos christiani nominis fundatores exsultantis Ecclesiae festa concelebrant. Hi enim duo electi sunt ad duorum populorum salutem; Petrus ad Judaeorum, Paulus ad Gentium: Petrus, ut in Judaeis veterem ac desertum repararet agrum, atque eum sub umbra Legis infructuosum et a calore veri solis absconditum, fidei salubritate et gratiae fecundaret; Paulus vero ad Gentes mittitur, ut terram novam, quae nullam antea dederat frugem, nullum fuerat experta cultorem, aratro dominicae crucis proscinderet, et in rudi campo Christi novellam infatigabilis operarius excitaret. Petrus itaque vineam ubi jam fuerat reparat; Paulus plantat ubi non erat. Petrus in Judaeis arborem ab antiqui germinis nobilitate degenerem in radice sua excolit; Paulus vero in alieno fomite peregrinos Gentium ramos inserit. Petrus in Judaeis de vite spinas resecat; Paulus in Gentibus uvam de rubeto vindemiat. Petrus domum reaedificat in ruinosis; Paulus novis erigit fundamentis. Petrus in Judaeis male fecunda excolit; Paulus in Gentibus nondum culta fecundat. A Petro in Judaeis olea reparatur; a Paulo in Gentibus oleaster inseritur. Petrus in Judaeis mollit duritiam; Paulus in Gentibus illuminat ignorantiam. Petrus tenebras vitiatis pellit ex oculis; Paulus reddidit oculos a nativitate caecatis. Vario ac diverso genere innumeri populi ad unius regis militiam congregantur; ac sic duo potentissimi duces Petrus antiquum de veteribus reducit, Paulus novum de tironibus Christi conducit exercitum.

1. Peter chosen for the salvation of the Jews, Paul for that of the Gentiles. Today the festivals of the rejoicing Church celebrate together two founders of the Christian name. For these two were chosen for the salvation of two peoples: Peter for that of the Jews, Paul for that of the Gentiles. Peter was chosen so that among the Jews he might restore an old and deserted field, and might make fruitful, with the wholesomeness of faith and of grace, a field that lay unfruitful under the shadow of the Law and hidden from the heat of the true sun. Paul, for his part, is sent to the Gentiles, so that he might break up with the plough of the Lord's cross a new land, which had before yielded no crop and had known no cultivator, and might, as a tireless labourer, raise up a new planting of Christ in an untilled field. So Peter restores the vineyard where it had already been; Paul plants where there was none. Among the Jews Peter tends in its own root a tree that had degenerated from the nobility of its ancient stock; Paul grafts the foreign branches of the Gentiles onto an alien stock. Among the Jews Peter cuts thorns away from the vine; among the Gentiles Paul gathers grapes from a bramble thicket. Peter rebuilds a house amid ruins; Paul raises one on new foundations. Among the Jews Peter cultivates what was badly fruitful; among the Gentiles Paul makes fruitful what was not yet cultivated. By Peter the olive is restored among the Jews; by Paul the wild olive is grafted in among the Gentiles. Among the Jews Peter softens hardness; among the Gentiles Paul enlightens ignorance. Peter drives darkness from impaired eyes; Paul restored eyes to those blinded from birth. In various and different ways countless peoples are gathered into the service of one King; and thus, of the two mightiest commanders, Peter leads back an ancient army from among the old, Paul enlists a new army from among the recruits of Christ.

2. Negotiatores sunt, et spirituales dispensatores. Discurrunt itaque per universum mundum duo splendidissimi negotiatores, portantes coram Gentibus et regibus et filiis Israel pretiosa fidei mercimonia. Circumferunt aromata justitiae, thura divinae venerationis, incensum compunctionis, balsamum castitatis. Illi igitur sal prudentiae spiritualis, de quibus dicitur, Vos estis sal terrae (Matth. V, 13); quibus utique animae condiantur, et inviolatae ab aeterna peccati corruptione serventur. Erogant per omnem terram spirituales dispensatores pretia salutis, thesauros sanctitatis. Quaerunt quos secum ad coelum attrahant piissimi animarum parentes, dispares partium studiis, operum meritis pares.

2. They are merchants and spiritual stewards. And so the two most splendid merchants travel about through the whole world, carrying before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel the precious wares of faith. They carry about the spices of justice, the frankincense of divine worship, the incense of compunction, the balm of chastity. They, then, are the salt of spiritual prudence, of whom it is said, You are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13); by them indeed souls are seasoned and preserved inviolate from the eternal corruption of sin. Through all the earth the spiritual stewards pay out the prices of salvation, the treasures of holiness. As most loving parents of souls, they seek those whom they may draw with them to heaven, unequal in the pursuits of their allotted parts, equal in the merits of their works.

3. In multis aequales. Paulus Novi Testamenti Jonas. Aequales enim illos ac similes per varia ac diversa virtutum genera dixerim. Nam etsi cum Petro Christus vixit in terris; sed Paulum compellare non dedignatur e coelis [adhuc etiam persequentem. Sed in opere persequentis Apostoli fidem praevidebat; et ideo quia prospexit zelum, honoravit affectum. Et quia sub proposito placendi Deo, agebatur ignarus ad culpam; statim post admonitionem cucurrit devotus

3. Equal in many things. Paul the Jonah of the New Testament. For I would call them equal and alike through various and different kinds of virtues. For although Christ lived with Peter on earth, yet He does not disdain to address Paul from heaven [while he was even still persecuting. But in the work of the persecuting Apostle He foresaw faith; and so, because He perceived his zeal, He honoured his disposition. And because, with the purpose of pleasing God, he was being driven unknowingly into guilt, immediately after the admonition he ran devotedly

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Alias, de Sanctis 29.

Elsewhere, Sermon 29 on the Saints.

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(b) ‹anchor: not visible in the crop (Sermo CCIII subtitle)› · call in col 2122

In Appendice nunc primum collocatur. Dubius erat apud Lovanienses, supposititius apud Verlinum et Vindingum. Si cum Eusebiana de hoc festo homilia contuleris, non difficile ex verbis et modo loquendi intelliges ejusdem esse auctoris utrumque sermonem, scilicet ipsius, nisi fallimur, Fausti semipelagiani. Certe pelagiani hominis sunt verba ista num. 3: « Sed in opere « persequentis Apostoli fidem praevidebat; et ideo quia pro« spexit zelum, honoravit affectum. » Verba habet Ambrosiani sermonis de SS. Nazario et Celso. Conclusio aliunde sermoni assuta videtur; et Augustinum, cujus nomine in Romano Breviario legitur in festo S. Petri ad Vincula, minime refert. De num. 1, 2 et 3, vide Euseb. homil. de hoc festo.

It is now placed in the Appendix for the first time. It was doubtful with the Louvain editors, spurious with Verlinus and Vindingus. If you compare it with the Eusebian homily on this feast, you will easily see from the words and manner of speaking that both sermons are by the same author, namely, unless we are mistaken, Faustus the Semipelagian himself. Certainly these words at no. 3 are a Pelagian's: "But in the work of the persecuting Apostle he foresaw his faith; and so, because he foresaw his zeal, he honoured his disposition." It has words of the Ambrosian sermon on Saints Nazarius and Celsus. The conclusion seems to have been stitched onto the sermon from elsewhere; and it does not at all recall Augustine, under whose name it is read in the Roman Breviary on the feast of Saint Peter in Chains. On nos. 1, 2 and 3, see Eusebius's homily on this feast.

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ad gratiam]. Quamobrem etsi in corpore non est locutus cum Christo Paulus, non minus illud est quod locutus est Christus in Paulo, dicente eodem : An experimentum quaeritis ejus qui in me loquitur Christus (II Cor. XIII, 3)? Ac sic quem foris praedicationibus proferebat, intus corde gestabat. Nescio igitur quid ei defuerit sanctitatis, de cujus pectore Dominus, quasi de peculiari templo suo, salutaria populis reddebat oracula. Petrus ambulare super aquas debita soli Deo potestate praesumpsit, et rerum obstupescente natura per insueti itineris novas vias pendulum inferens gressum, tumentia maris dorsa calcavit : sed non minor Paulus, qui, sicut ipse de se dicit, nocte et die in profundo maris fuit (Id. XI, 25). Non minor, inquam, Paulus, quem velut Novi Testamenti Jonam, die ac nocte per maris profunda jactatum absorbuit fluctus, et reddidit, quasi sacrum depositum violare non audens, quasi famulo eum sinu unda custodiens illaesum populorum praedicationibus reservabat.

to grace]. Wherefore, even though Paul did not speak with Christ in the body, it is no less true that Christ spoke in Paul, as the same man says: Do you seek a proof of Him Who speaks in me, Christ? (2 Cor. 13:3). And so Him Whom he brought forth outwardly by his preaching, he carried inwardly in his heart. I do not know, therefore, what holiness he lacked, from whose breast the Lord, as from His own particular temple, gave forth saving oracles to the peoples. Peter presumed to walk upon the waters by a power due to God alone, and, while the nature of things stood astonished, setting his suspended step on the new ways of an unaccustomed journey, he trod the swelling backs of the sea; but Paul is not less, who, as he himself says of himself, was a night and a day in the depth of the sea (ibid. 11:25). Not less, I say, is Paul, whom, like the Jonah of the New Testament, tossed day and night through the depths of the sea, the wave swallowed up and gave back, as though not daring to violate a sacred deposit; as though guarding him in its servant-like bosom, the water kept him unharmed for the preaching to the peoples.

4. Petrus destructor Synagogae, Ecclesiae reparator. Hic est quoque beatus Petrus in illa coelestium discipulorum schola praecipuus, ac primus idoneus qui verba vitae ex Christi ore suscipiens, per Evangelii potestatem Judaeorum gentem perditam quaereret, et abdicatos ad haereditatem vocaret, interpres Legis, assertor gratiae, destructor Synagogae, Ecclesiae reparator : et ideo solus inter Apostolos meruit audire, Amen dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam (Matth. XVI, 18) ; dignus certe qui aedificandis in domo Dei populis lapis esset ad fundamentum, columna ad sustentaculum, clavis ad regnum. De hoc ait sermo divinus : Et ponebant, inquit, infirmos suos, ut umbra saltem transeuntis Petri obumbraret eos (Act. V, 15). Si tunc opem ferre poterat umbra corporis, quanto magis nunc plenitudo virtutis? Si tunc supplicantibus proderat aura quaedam pertranseuntis, quanto magis gratia nunc permanentis?

4. Peter the destroyer of the Synagogue, the restorer of the Church. This is also blessed Peter, foremost in that school of heavenly disciples, and the first fitted to receive the words of life from the mouth of Christ, so that through the power of the Gospel he might seek out the lost nation of the Jews and call the disinherited to the inheritance: interpreter of the Law, champion of grace, destroyer of the Synagogue, restorer of the Church; and therefore he alone among the Apostles merited to hear: Amen I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church (Matt. 16:18); worthy indeed to be, for the peoples who were to be built up in the house of God, a stone for the foundation, a pillar for support, a key to the kingdom. Of him the divine word says: And they set, it says, their sick, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow them (Acts 5:15). If then the shadow of his body could bring help, how much more now the fullness of his power? If then a certain breath of one passing through benefited those who made supplication, how much more the grace of one who now abides?

5. Vinculorum Petri commendatio. Merito per omnes Christi Ecclesias auro pretiosius habetur ferrum illud poenalium vinculorum. Si tam medicabilis fuit obumbratio visitantis, quanto magis catena vincientis? Ut umbra, inquam, transeuntis Petri obumbraret eos. Si inanis quaedam species vacuae imaginis habere potuit in se vim salutis, quanto plus de corpore meruerunt attrahere salubritatis ferreo pondere sacris impressa membris vincula passionis? Si ad praesidia supplicantium tam potens fuit ante martyrium, quanto magis efficax post triumphum? Felices illi nexus qui de manicis et compedibus in coronam mutandi, Apostolum contingentes martyrem reddiderunt. Felices catenae, quae nudatis pene ossibus inhaerentes, vivas reliquias de sanguinis sudore jam attrita carne rapuerunt, tactusque membrorum cruciatus sui sanctificat instrumentum, in quo dum afflictio crescit ad poenam, causa poenae proficit ad gloriam. Felicia vincula, quae reum suum usque ad Christi crucem non tam condemnatura, quam consecratura miserunt. In illa itaque cruce imitari metuens sacrificium Redemptoris, capite in terra demergi elegit. O virtus humilitatis ingenitae, honorari etiam supplicii genere

5. A commendation of the chains of Peter. Rightly, throughout all the Churches of Christ, that iron of the penal chains is held more precious than gold. If the overshadowing of one visiting was so healing, how much more the chain of one binding? That the shadow, I say, of Peter passing by might overshadow them. If a certain insubstantial appearance of an empty image could have in itself the power of healing, how much more healthfulness have the chains of his passion, pressed with iron weight upon his sacred limbs, merited to draw from his body? If it was so potent for the protection of suppliants before his martyrdom, how much more efficacious after his triumph? Happy those bonds which, destined to be changed from manacles and fetters into a crown, by touching the Apostle rendered him a martyr. Happy the chains which, clinging to bones almost laid bare, took living relics from the sweat of blood when the flesh was now worn away; and the touch of his limbs sanctifies the instrument of his torment, in which, while affliction grows unto punishment, the cause of punishment advances unto glory. Happy the chains which sent their prisoner even to the cross of Christ, not so much to condemn him as to consecrate him. On that cross, therefore, fearing to imitate the sacrifice of the Redeemer, he chose to be plunged head downwards towards the earth. O virtue of inborn humility! To be honoured even by the kind of punishment

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Quae clauduntur ansulis, omittit Ms. f.

What is enclosed in brackets, manuscript f. omits.

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(2) ‹anchor: not visible in the crop› · call in col 2123 (above the crop)

Ms. f.: Ac sic quidem (forte, quem) lingua praedicans hominibus praeferebat.

Manuscript f.: "And thus indeed (perhaps 'quem', whom) he set forth before men, preaching with his tongue."

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Quae sequuntur non habet Ms. f., sed eorum loco haec subjicit, quae et aptius cohaerent superioribus, et Eusebianos ex dicta homilia sensus magis exhibent: Petrus igitur regni coelestis claves meruit; et Paulo adhuc in corpore constituto coelorum claustra patuerunt, sicut ipse dicit, Scio hominem in Christo, sive in corpore sive extra corpus, Deus scit, raptum usque ad tertium coelum. Quae cum ita sint, non solum beati apostoli Petrus et Paulus, sed etiam multi cum eis et per eos coelestes illas claves tenere arbitrandi sunt, qui sibi piis laboribus, invitante et cooperante Christo, illius saeculi januam patefaciunt, qui sibi portas justitiae introducente gratia reserant spiritali felicium meritorum; regnante Domino nostro Jesu Christo, cui est honor et gloria in saecula saeculorum.

Manuscript f. does not have what follows, but in its place adds the following, which both cohere better with what precedes and show more of the Eusebian thought from the said homily: "Peter, then, merited the keys of the heavenly kingdom; and to Paul, while still set in the body, the barriers of the heavens lay open, as he himself says, I know a man in Christ, whether in the body or out of the body, God knows, caught up to the third heaven. This being so, not only the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, but many with them and through them, are to be thought to hold those heavenly keys: those who by devout labours, with Christ inviting and working with them, open for themselves the gate of that world; who, grace leading them in, unlock for themselves the gates of justice by the spiritual key of happy merits; our Lord Jesus Christ reigning, to whom be honour and glory for ever and ever."

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