From the Letter of Rabbula to Gamalinus

From the Letter of Rabbula to Gamalinus — Rabbula of Edessa From the letter of Rabbula to Gamalinus, bishop of Perrhe For those who with faith eat the holy bread, in it and with it they eat the living body of God which sanctifies. And those who without faith eat it, they receive it as a common thing, like the rest of the nourishment of the body. For if the bread is snatched away and eaten by enemies in a time of strife, they eat ordinary bread, because those who eat it have no faith which perceives its sweetness. For the bread alone gives taste to the body, but the power hidden in the bread — faith gives taste to it. For it is not the same thing that is eaten as the mere body of the one who gives life, as was said a little earlier, but that which partakes with it, as those who believe know. For the power which is not eaten partakes with the bread which is eaten, and becomes one with those who receive it, just as names hidden in water partake with visible waters, and from them is born a generation from a beginning. For the Spirit broods invisibly over the visible waters, so that from them a new form of life is born, like that of the mother of the heavens. From the letter which was from Rabbula to Gamalinus, bishop of Perrhe. Concerning those who enter into the mysteries and are nourished by them as by ordinary bread. I have heard that in your region some of the brothers whose dwelling is unknown, and others from among the heads of monasteries and ministers there, have openly taken upon themselves the empty name of bread which they do not eat, and have called upon themselves in vain the boast that they do not drink wine, and have named themselves after those who abstain from wine. But I have heard that they partake of the body and blood of the Son of God Jesus, who was incarnate...

because the dense and thick [—] of the bread, the one who says that that which is not moved is the one who performs the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And they partake of it without division. That holy body, and the sanctification of those who receive it, and that life and life-giving of those who drink it, are those who do not know how it is that the hungry and thirsty of their own will wickedly fill themselves from it. And that they are, even if for one day, without communion, their custom cannot endure. But daily, in abundance, they partake of the sacrament with the holy. And because of this, they also prepare the dough with their own hands, leavening it, and when they take the leaven, they purify it, and with diligence they bake it, so that it may be for them to eat. And it is not for the mystery of the body of Christ, which is offered in the bread. And the rest, whenever they gather, they also offer common bread without distinction upon each other's hands and eat it. And there are times when they travel from place to place, or go on a long journey, and they partake two or three times in one day, from it, while the hunger and thirst of their own will are satisfied by the body of our Lord. And when they have placed it where they are staying, in the evening they again offer the sacrament and partake of it as if it were a fast. Also on the holy days of the fast of forty, they act thus, performing without fear of God and without shame before men. And men like those of the countryside, who eat bread and drink water all their days, are found to be eaters of the holy bread and drinkers of the blessed wine, on such glorious days which are observed by them and also by fools. The spirit within me, my holy brother, bears witness to me.

that I am compelled to write to Your Honor concerning all that I have heard about them, since I was unable to find a way to truly believe them. And if it were possible that without my letter or my word you might know those things which I wish to teach. And those things which they have taken as a sign from your order. Because I wished you to know nothing that was heard about them. Neither you, my lord, nor they. Therefore, do not think that I or they suppose that when they believe me, I wrote to you these things about them because of a bad name, but because I am still divided, I say also to others. That it is not possible that the great sin like this which is with those who are baptized in Christ should ever be perpetrated. For they say that when they have consecrated the sacrament on the palm of the hand, they eat from it as they wish, simply. As for the cup of blood, with warm water, when they are able, each one of them dips it like wine mixed and drinks. And again he fills it and gives to his companion. As if from the abundance of wine that is drunk in the name of the sacrament, they are constrained many times that even from their mouths they spit it out. Or whether it is this or not, it is not important. The holy, venerable mysteries, which are fearful because of the mysteries in them, even for the eloquent who are worthy to approach them reverently, to the mysteries of the service of their belly they delivered these things over their lives and did them, and they did not remember even to take the head which received before the twenty-eighth king, the violent one, and was covered. Because of the mysteries of the service of God, he considered that he had dishonored God like a rebel. Because he made use of them carnally. The death that the hand of the scripture spread was sent down from the height to be written on the threshold of his house. The sad judgment of his mercy cut off. When, however, the mysteries of the service of the temple in Jerusalem were examined.

the holy service of the body and blood of the Son of God. For not even the face of the high priest of Israel was worthy to be compared in any way to the majesty of the sublime mystery. And he who ate that bread from the table which David ate when he was hungry, his body is likened to the life-giving body of God the Word; it is fitting for him to be burned by it. As the wicked one who did not distinguish the body and blood of the Lord from the bread of the faces. Therefore, he is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. For that bodily work was pure from sin when it participated in the mysteries of the holy of holies and the guardians of something. But this body and blood of the life-giving Lord Jesus is not a sin of the soul and body that merely covers and sanctifies its participants, but also makes God the Word dwell in them. And he, through his Spirit, as he is revealed in them through the body. For when he says, "He who eats my body and drinks my blood," the Son of God says, "He is in me and I am in him. I will raise him on the last day." Moreover, spiritually, they are able to understand the greatness of this service, which is the new covenant that was delivered from God the Word through the imposition of hands. Severe and harsh is the decree that Paul passed on those who delighted in it more than those who receive it. Those who passed on that ancient covenant from Moses, for he said, "If anyone who passed on the law of Moses had gone through the mouth of two or three witnesses, he would die without mercy. How much more worthy of a bitter imposition of hands is he who trampled the Son of God and considered his own blood like that of any man, and belittled the Spirit of his grace by which he was sanctified." This, then, is the bread of life that descended from heaven for the joy of being with God the Word and gives life to the world.

the bread of the holy service of the body and blood of the Son of God. For not even the face of the high priest of Israel was worthy to be compared in any way to the majesty of the sublime mystery. And he who ate that bread from the earth, but his mind was not raised from this earth, or his hair, it was known and clearly seen again, that in deed the bread was common which he ate. As that one who thus took it in a common way and did not believe the Son who said, "The bread which I gave is my body, that which is given on the faces of the living of the world." Therefore, that bread is not only the body of Christ, as it appears to them, but in that bread is the body of God which is not seen, as the believers take and receive it. For the body is simply broken, and the fine is simply crushed, the cup is not instead of bread, but is received. Again, in the prayers, in all the tastes of their passions, they are loosed in them, in the father, a great calm is much manifested, and in the dry, it is more separated, with the cakes of honey and the baskets of eggs. And because of the heat of the wine which is drunk in the name of holiness, more in summer it inflames them all, so that the milk of the goat and the eggs are drunk unfermented. And this again they did in thought, and they took, for the moisture of the bread, because of its nearness, they can soften the burning of every hour from the wine. It was in their folly because of these things, and on their faces in its time, in the saying, as it was also against them, the covering of the sorrow of God, who did with me because of his sons. For behold, I have given you all the good things of the earth, that without sin you may be furnished with them, as I separated for them all the sacrifices of the sons of Israel, that without justice you may be delighted in them, so that also you have sinned in my body and in my blood, as those who ascended in my altars and in my sacrifices. And when the iniquity from these was well overcome in God, to the iniquity from those which was being perpetrated among the people.

a great terror and trembling, lest even the face of that one who went forth against them should be cut off because of them. For this reason, then, the Lord God of Israel spoke thus: "I said that your house and your father's house would serve before me forever, and now the Lord says, 'I am grieved.'" Because my honorees I honor, and my fools I despise. See how forever they have forgotten the priesthood, and they have made the poor and the strangers into his house. But when he spoke concerning those who do not rely on the prophets of the Old Testament, nor are they compared to the apostles of the New Testament, it was fitting that even the head of the apostles, Peter, taught them what his measure was. For he heard clearly that they stood in what his bodily life was. For when the chosen Clement, his disciple, asked him that he alone might perform his service, he spoke to him thus, while praising his diligence and praising his patience: "What, then, can this entire service be accomplished by force? Is it not for us to eat bread and olives in a moderate way, and to be sanctified when he comes and receives the Eucharist? Nor again did they receive good instruction from Paul, the herald of truth. For behold, even he, because of the abundance of his sufferings, sent his tunic for sale, and with its price that bread alone which is written that they sold and brought to him upon the Eucharist, which he also placed in the law by his deed, as by his word patience for us and covering, if there is for you, this suffices for you. And if it is small, it is not for them to be compared with the apostles, the pillars of the world. And they also say, by the Lord of the apostles, the deeds of the worlds and of all that is in them, but rather he also increased his governance, the divine economy, which is simple in their eyes and contemptible. For behold, by the Lord in every place, that bread showed you that it was not to be trodden upon.

and not even bread of wheat, but of barley. And seven other loaves which she bore and baked with his word. And they kneaded from them four thousand, and they left seven baskets full of bread, and they were there. And when he ate with his disciples, unleavened bread was placed before him at Passover. And also after his resurrection from the house of the dead, he ate bread with his disciples for forty days, so that they might be convinced of the Lord's economy and his gross corporeality. As also those wrote, that with them Jesus did not enter and go out, and to the house of Cleopas, because he did not wish to be recognized by them when he traveled with them on the road. He entered, blessed bread, and broke it for them in the house, and then they recognized him. But these, as I hear, are like the blind, stubborn in their deeds, and not even perfected in truth in their actions. For they are not circumcised like Marcionites, nor are they pagans in the likeness of Christians. For behold, not even these deniers of water, who are only eaters of pulse or bread, and concerning their offerings, falsehood does not cease. Nor do they agree with the faithful in these things, that they eat only ordinary bread in measure, and they place true life and salvation in distinction. Why did these fools not seek themselves, who are content with only a little? And why did these fools not become accustomed to a hand, who in something cheap and simple stretch the skin of their belly? And why do they not eat only bread that is available, easy, and equal? But it is clear that they are not in distress. (If) if indeed they are truly in distress, they wish not to fill their bellies when they eat only bread. And behold, they are corrupted, they have perished, and they have fallen. But it is evident and known that these are not contending with their bodies, nor even with the straight path.

but instead of the glorious praise, they toiled in the distributions of their evil deceits. And not in the afflictions of error. And the rest of the letter again with demonstrations from the scriptures.