In illud Profecti in pagum

Of Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, on the saying: "Go into the village opposite and you will find a colt tied up." "Those who have set their minds on earthly things" and have despised the commandment of God and have labored in this life, these before the discovery of good things spent their time in ignorance. For I think that even the most wise Solomon says this: "There is a time to seek and a time to lose." That is, you have sinned; be still. For if ever, while spending time in ignorance, you procured destruction for your own soul, yet a time has come for us to seek this. As also our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teaches in the Gospels, saying: "Seek and you will find." And when shall we find this if not now, when the Lord, being present, has loosed us from the bonds of the devil? As also the blessed Apostle teaches, saying: "Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation." A time, then, has followed for the overshadowing sin to be lost, and a time has called for the wandering to be sought, for us to be loosed from the bonds. For he has come, "the one who looses the fettered and raises up the broken." He has come, "the one who proclaims release to captives and restoration of sight to the blind." "For then," "the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will be clear." And let us apply ourselves to the text in another way. For the little word of Solomon moves us to desire. For he says:

There is a time to seek and a time to lose." Since the human race had been wandering for a long time and was being destroyed by the wiles of the devil, the time had come for it to be sought out and recalled from captivity and freed from its bonds. For it was necessary for us to seek and learn that "the letter kills, but the spirit gives life." When this was accomplished, the time had come for the type and the shadow in the letter to be lost. "For they were imposed only until the time of correction." When the more perfect appeared, "the partial was abolished." "For when I was a child, I spoke as a child; but when I became a man, I abolished the things of the child." Indeed, the Savior says: "He who finds his soul will lose it, and he who loses his soul for my sake will find it." That is, he who has sought his soul and found it to be in sins, let him hasten to lose it, not allowing it to linger in wickedness, so that, having taken the opportunity, seeking again, he will find it in virtue. For if anyone wishes to find his own soul free from punishment, he will lose it for the present, in order to gain Christ. The Savior here teaches "to lose" not that we should procure destruction for our own soul, but that at the time of martyrdom we should spare neither money, nor possessions, nor children, nor parents, nor the body, nor even the soul itself; but we should surrender ourselves even unto death, so that, as I said before, we may find our own soul in the kingdom of heaven. For thus the Savior also taught, saying:

The one who loves father or mother or children more than me is not worthy of me" and "the one who loses his soul for my sake will find it." If, then, anyone wishes to find his soul, he will lose it in the present time. Therefore, it is necessary that wickedness be lost in us, so that, seeking virtue, we may find it. For if one does not cease from anger, how will he practice gentleness? If one does not lose fornication from himself, how does he profess temperance? First, it is fitting that all love of money and idolatry be lost in us, and then in this way to seek poverty and piety. For it says, "I sought the one whom my soul loved; I sought him and found him and brought him into the house of my mother and into the chamber of the one who conceived me." This is Christ who is signified, "the Lord of the powers," who came down from heaven because of our sins and was conceived and born and laid in a manger, until he saves the human race. For thus, sparing us, he even now sends his own disciples into the village opposite, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite and you will find a colt tied; untie it and bring it to me." And the holy apostles go and untie the colt according to what was commanded them by the Lord. It is for great men to untie this colt, beloved. And I say great, not in bodily stature, but great in faith, in love, in righteousness, great in prudence, in courage, in virtue. Such as Moses is testified to have been, as when the apostle says about him:

By faith Moses, having become great, denied being called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” But also Isaac, advancing, became great. For it is for those who are so great to loose this colt. And would that I too were such as to be able to loose the bonds of the present things. For each of us is bound by the bonds of sin, as Scripture also bears witness, saying, “Each is constrained by the chains of his own sins.” Let us pray, then, that Jesus may send his own disciples to us also, that they may loose us from the bonds by which each of us is bound. For one of us is bound by love of money, another is entangled with fornication; another is bound together with drunkenness, another is held by vainglory; and one does injustice, another seizes the possessions of his neighbor and the poor, another takes interest upon interest. And finally, we have all become weak in our own injustices and need healing from the Savior; and we need him, that he may send his own disciples to us also and loose us from the bonds of the devil. For thus he says to the disciples: “Go into the village opposite and you will find a colt bound; having loosed it, bring it to me.” And when you hear “the village opposite,” understand the earthly place; for the city is the heavenly one. As the blessed Paul writes, saying: “For we have no abiding city here, but we seek the one to come,” “of which God is the craftsman and creator.” And again the same says:

For you have not approached a mountain that is groped and burned by fire, but you have approached the mountain of Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the festal assembly of myriads of angels.” Such were all the saints and holy ones who, according to Paul, living as citizens, yearn for this. For hear him saying: “For if they remembered that from which they were cast out, they would have an opportunity to return; but now they yearn for something better, that is, the heavenly.” Such were the holy apostles and disciples of the Lord, who say with Peter: “Behold, we have left everything and followed you.” They are therefore sent to loose the aforementioned colt. For the presence and philanthropy of our Savior recalled us from the village opposite to the heavenly city, the upper Jerusalem. For I think that because of the disobedience that occurred with Adam, we were cast out of paradise and were settled in the village opposite. For it says: “God cast out Adam and settled him opposite the paradise of delight.” And so here, the disciples are sent by Jesus into the village opposite to loose the aforementioned colt. And see whether, because of the one cast out opposite paradise, the disciples are sent by Jesus into the village opposite to loose this colt. For because of this

The Savior came down, leaving behind the ninety-nine sheep that were not led astray, so that he might go and seek the one that had strayed, and having found it, he rejoices over it. And the angels also rejoice together "over one repentant sinner." But it must be investigated whether the disciples were sent to the village opposite solely for the sake of the service of the colt. For I know that before the apostles, invisible powers were serving Jesus. Perhaps, then, the Lord also sent these powers, who were being discipled by him, together with those around Peter to the village opposite to untie the colt. For listen to the evangelist speaking about the Lord: "And behold," he says, "angels came and served him." And concerning humanity, David cries out, saying: "A man ate the bread of angels; he gave them the bread of heaven." Therefore, let no one who dwells in a body and is distracted by this life think that he is within the city. For he who "is mindful of the flesh" cannot be found in this great city, but such a one still dwells in a village. For "the mind-set of the flesh is enmity toward God." So it must be known that he who inhabits a village does not live as a citizen in his soul, does not command his mind, does not rule himself; for these things are truly proper to a great city. For when someone lives as a citizen in virtue, commands temperance, deliberates wisdom, and rules over self-control, then he will become an imitator of the saints. For the saints "do not have a city that remains here," but, as I said before, "they seek the future one," "whose craftsman and creator is God." For listen to the apostle saying: "Walking" on the earth, we have our citizenship in the heavens.

And let your "citizenship be in the heavens," beloved. For the holy Paul indicates by this that those who "walk" on earth are making progress toward the citizenship in heaven that awaits them after their time here. So the disciples went and untied the colt. For it is the work of disciples to untie this colt, and of disciples who are able to do what is said by the teacher. For many who seem to be disciples of Jesus not only fail to do what is said by him, but even plot against the teacher, like the thrice-wretched and traitor Judas. And how great is this colt, beloved, that it does not have one master but many? For the masters of the colt said to the disciples, "Why are you untying the colt?" For if this colt were perceptible, would it not suffice for one master to sit beside it? But now it has many masters according to the Gospel. For it says, "Its masters said to the disciples, 'Why are you untying the colt?'" For perhaps they will say to them, "Do you not see how many of us sit beside it? How it is tied? How we have it in our custody? Why do you tear away from us our labor? Why do you undo our expectation? This one is still left to us, and do you wish to separate us from him? If this one is loosed from his bonds, we are bound in his place; for when he is freed, we are condemned." So the accursed demons were afraid, seeing the colt being untied. The opposing powers that had taken us captive were troubled within themselves. But when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ arrived and they recognized his presence, they were afraid, hearing.

Go into the outer darkness prepared for the devil and his angels." They were afraid when they heard it. "Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon every force of the enemy." They were afraid when they heard it. "Go forth and disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." They were afraid that this might be the one who also illuminates the darkness. For they heard the prophet saying, "Galilee of the nations, the people sitting in darkness, behold a great light." So all are gaping at the colt, all sit around it; no one leaves it. So great is this colt that all its masters guard it. Now, if this were a sensible colt, would its masters sit beside it, and would a sensible little donkey become the possession of many masters, and would all who have acquired it sit beside it? Does none of them transact business? Does none of them walk in the marketplace? Have they no other work, but are all of them together occupied with it? Or is a sensible little donkey tied in a street? It has no stable; it has no manger; it does not go to the marketplace. But is a sensible colt tied in a street, and do all its masters sit beside it guarding it? In saying this I do not abolish the history; for we do not abolish the letter for the sake of the spirit, but we preserve the power of the spirit through the letter. Truly, the Lord sat upon a sensible little donkey when entering from Bethany into Jerusalem. For so also Zechariah prophesies, saying, "Say to the daughter of Zion:

Behold, your king comes to you, meek and mounted on a donkey and a foal, the offspring of a beast of burden. Since the history is true, I seek the matters deposited within it; we seek the treasure laid up within us, we seek the power of the Spirit. For we do not attend to bare history; such folly belongs to the Jews. Indeed, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, refuting their senselessness, said: "Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life." But the Jews, attending to the bare letter, starved to death. Knowing, therefore, beloved, that "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life," we do not merely follow the history of the Scriptures, nor do we, like the Jews, attend to the bare letter, but as it is written, we ought "to search the Scriptures," so that we may thus be able to comprehend the testimony concerning Jesus from them. For the Greeks will also laugh at us, saying that the God of the Christians, called Christ, sat upon a little donkey. And we do not doubt nor deny his bodily presence. For he came for this reason, that seeking the lost he might find it and turn back the wandering. For thus he cries out through the prophet, saying: "Return, sons who are returning, and I will heal your brokenness." Therefore, beloved, the things signified in the divine Scriptures are realities. This foal is great, which elsewhere is called "younger son." For the foal is a young donkey. And we, then, are the foal. And if I say "we," it is all of humanity.

The man whom the captors had previously taken as their own masters bound him with unbreakable bonds, and each of them fastened bond upon bond. And they secured him tightly, and I think they even bound his feet, not allowing him to cross over to better things. But the benevolent Son of God, who came for this purpose, commands his disciples, saying to them: "Go to the village opposite, and you will find a foal tied up; untie it and bring it to me." So the Lord has provided us with many good things, beloved. For not only did he loose our bonds, those from sin, but he also "gave us authority to tread upon snakes and scorpions, and upon every power of the enemy." For the devil and "the world-rulers of this darkness" had taken us captive and bound us, not allowing us to advance, and having bound us with unbreakable bonds, they did not permit us to walk on the good path, nor did they leave us even then. But even when they had us bound, they sat around us, being like savage and wild masters. But our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came "to proclaim release to captives and restoration of sight to the blind." Indeed, he sends the disciples

He unties the colt. Then, having untied it, he builds a manger for it and prepares pasture for it. For this is what the prophet also wishes to show when he says: "The Lord shepherds me, and I shall lack nothing. He has encamped me in a place of grass, he has nourished me upon water of rest, he has turned my soul." And again: "He who causes grass to spring up for the cattle and herbage for the servitude of men." Let us therefore turn back, become more perceptive, and recognize our benefactor, and let us readily accept the good things given to us by him. For in this way, being grateful, we can say with David: "You have prepared a table before me opposite those who oppress me." For such also is the saying: "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey the manger of its master." And perhaps it is for this reason that Jesus is laid in a manger. For did Joseph not have a place? Being a noble man, a man descended from a royal line, called a son of David, did he have no place except the inn? Was there no other place? Or clearly, divine matters were being administered. Indeed, at that time again our adversary the devil, seeing the successes achieved for the human race, envied as usual. For, thinking the Lord to be one of all, he prepared Herod to seek the true king who had been born, in order to destroy him. For it is characteristic of the utterly vile and utterly wicked to destroy and to kill; but it is characteristic of Jesus to save and to preserve.

He spares his own creatures, since "all things came into being through him." Let us therefore seek the true king, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us examine ourselves, whether our bonds have been loosed. And if they are loosed, let us advance toward better things. But if your bonds are not yet loosed, surrender yourself to the disciples of Jesus. Take courage, for those who loose us are present even now. They have received this authority from the Savior, that "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." And again: "If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven." "Blessed" therefore "are those whose sins have been forgiven and whose lawless deeds have been covered over." So the owners of the colt said to the disciples, "Why are you untying the colt?" And they answered, saying, "Because its master has need of it." You see the wise response of the disciples. For when the false owners of the colt heard that the true and real master has need of it, they do not answer a second time. But they turn their backs, no longer responding to what is said; at once they hasten to their ruler, the devil, to report to him what has happened. And there you see turmoil and deliberation and a council formed against the Lord. For there the whole opposing power gathers, and an assembly of evildoers takes place, so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: "The kings of the earth stood forth, and the rulers assembled together against the Lord and against his Christ." For the wicked demons say to the devil:

What are we doing? The foal is loosed. For it went to its own lord; it is no longer subject to you, you no longer rule it. So the wretched devil deliberated what he would do to Jesus. Then the Pharisees and the scribes gather in the court of the one called Caiaphas and conspired against Jesus, how they might destroy him. For the wretches were ignorant that his death grants us immortality and his descent procures our ascent. For the Lord rose on the third day from the dead, having despoiled Hades, trampled the enemy, loosed death, broken the bonds of the sin that held us, and ransomed those who were fettered, saying, "Arise, let us go from here." Having been freed from the slavery of the devil, let us recognize our benefactor. Let us glorify the Father together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us confess one divinity. For living thus, let us inherit the kingdom of heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom are the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.