Contra Judaeos gentiles et haereticos

Against the Jews, Greeks, and Heretics; and on the passage, "Jesus was invited to a wedding." The young swallows sit in the nest awaiting the arrival of their parents, who bring them food; and when they see them coming, they are lifted on the light wing of their thought. Likewise I also, about to approach this spiritual nest, proclaim beforehand and glorify God, because he has given me such loving children. But in the case of swallows, food is given from mouth to mouth, whereas in our case it is not so, but from mouth to ear. For those things proceed to corruption, these to incorruption; those nourish bodies, these fatten the soul. Now all this has been said by me not simply nor in vain; but because the content of the Gospel read today leads us by the hand to this teaching, it is necessary to instruct you. "Jesus," it says, "was invited to a wedding." But apply yourselves, I beg you, pay attention to what is said: since some use marriage as a pretext, others children, others military service, others commerce, others a craft, others slavery, others wealth, others poverty, and whatever other things there are; I wish therefore to show you that neither wealth hinders, nor poverty, nor military service, nor commerce, nor marriage, nor children, nor slavery, nor a craft, nor any such thing. Jesus was invited to a wedding; did he go or not? Clearly he went. If then he went, how is marriage evil? Have you no defense? And I not only say that he went, but he also brought gifts; for he changed the water into wine. Do not, therefore, use marriage as a pretext.

Your Master went to a wedding and glorified the wedding, and you insult the wedding, saying that marriage is an impediment? It is no impediment to piety. Do you wish to learn that having a wife and children does no harm? Did not Moses have a wife and children? Was not Elijah a virgin? Did not Moses bring down manna from heaven? Did not Elijah bring down fire from heaven? Did not Moses spread out the quail? Did not Elijah shut the heaven with a word? Did not God speak to Moses? Did not God also speak to Elijah? Did not Moses split the sea and lead the people through? Was not Elijah taken up in a fiery chariot? Did his virginity harm him in any way? Did his wife and children hinder him in any way? You have seen Elijah, the charioteer of the air; you have seen Moses, the traveler of the sea. Look also at Peter, the pillar of the Church, for he too had a wife. Is it not written that Peter had a wife? How then is it clear that he had a wife? I say: Jesus entered, it says, into Peter’s mother-in-law’s house; and she was ill, and he touched her, and her fever fled, and she served. Do you see that Peter also had a wife? For where there is a mother-in-law, it is evident that there is also a wife. Do you see that Peter also had a wife? Do not slander marriage. I say these things so that no one may use as a pretext either a wife, or children, or military service, or commerce, or a craft, or slavery, or wealth, or poverty. These are pretexts, these are excuses, these are plots of the devil. You use military service as a pretext and say, “I am a soldier, and I cannot be pious.

The centurion—was he not a soldier? And he says to Jesus, “I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; but speak a word, and my child will be healed.” And Jesus, marveling, says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I have not found such faith even in Israel.” Did his military service hinder him? But what are you? Are you a craftsman? And Paul was a tentmaker for the churches, and after that became a herald and apostle. But what are you? Are you rich? And Abraham—he too had a wife and children. And Abraham, it is said, believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called a friend of God. Did his wealth, or his wife, or his children hinder him? Do you have no excuse? Behold, the three things you use as pretexts—this man had them: wife, children, and wealth. But what are you? Are you a slave? And Onesimus—and Paul, writing to Philemon, said, “Onesimus, once useless, but now useful both to me and to you.” But what are you? Are you a king? And David—and Nathan the prophet came to him and rebuked him concerning the sin he had committed. Did the king play the tyrant? Did he pronounce judgment against the prophet? Did he not, even in his kingship, acknowledge his servitude, and say, “I have sinned against the Lord”? And the prophet, seeing his repentance, says to him, “The Lord has removed your sin.” Swift is repentance, swifter is forgiveness. Did the king not consider himself and say, “I am a king, I am clothed in purple, I wear a diadem, and I have bows and arrows and shields and helmets and soldiers as defenders—and I fear this poor man, and I do not kill him, but I endure him”?

But he said none of these things; rather, even if he were a king, he knew that he had sinned, and for this reason he repented, because he knew that he had committed a grievous transgression. Did his kingship hinder him? But what are you? A child? And Daniel—he silenced lions, shattered the serpent, overthrew Bel, condemned the elders, saved Susanna, and the incompleteness of youth did not hinder such great virtue. But what are you? A brother-lover? And Joseph—how much philosophy and self-control did he display in the presence of the Egyptian woman? He tore his garment, but he did not tear his faith; he conquered her shamelessness, but he did not fulfill her desire. But what are you? A widow? And the Sidonian woman, who received the prophet Elijah and nourished him with bread and water—and the cause of the famine did not waste away from hunger. But what are you? A prostitute? And Rahab, who hid the spies, and after the sons of Israel took possession of the land of promise, she and her house and her family were saved. But what are you? A poor man? And Lazarus—how much philosophy and endurance did he display in his poverty, and he did not become distressed while in such need! But what are you? A woman-lover? And Samson—for even if he was betrayed by a woman, God provided him vengeance, and he was avenged against the foreigners. But what are you? A child-lover? And Jacob. Do you see how many were saved? If you have faith, you have everything; if you do not have faith, even if you are a king, your kingship benefits you nothing. But I have not forgotten the promise. So Jesus was invited to a wedding. When he arrived, they had no wine; his mother says to him:

They have no wine. Jesus says to her: Go, woman; for my hour has not yet come. And having said this, Jesus says: Fill the water jars with water. And they filled the water jars with water, and he turned the water into wine. Why then did he say, Fill the water jars with water? Did the one who made the heaven by a word, and founded the earth, and all things in them, whose glance dries up abysses, whom every creation of the heavens and the earth and the underworld shudders at and trembles before, was he not able to fill the water jars by a word? But he says: Draw water. Why? I say, so that, if they should deny it, their hands which drew the water, and their shoulders which carried the water, might convict them; for he did the same also in the case of Lazarus. Before arriving at the place, he says to the disciples: Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; then when the sisters of Lazarus came, and say to him that Lazarus has died, he says to them: Where have you placed him? And they say: Come and see. O what novel and paradoxical things! A little while ago you were telling the disciples that Lazarus had died, and now you say, Where have you placed him?

You reveal death to your disciples beforehand, and you do not know the place? He knew, but he said it because of the Jews, since they were ungrateful; so that saying, "Where have you placed him?" was not from ignorance. For also in Paradise he said to Adam: "Adam, where are you?" Did he not know where he was? But because the devil was saying to them, "On whatever day you eat from this tree, you will be as gods," they supposed that they were going to become gods. And for this reason God said to him: "Adam, where are you?" After you ate, and you remained human; for this reason God said to him: "Adam, where are you?" So also he did in the case of Lazarus. Approaching the tomb, he says to the Jews: "Remove the stone from the tomb." And they removed it. The sister of Lazarus says to him: "Lord, he already stinks," for he was four days dead. And crying out with a loud voice, he says: "Lazarus, come out." And he came out bound with bandages. Therefore, the one who moves mountains in the hearts of seas, could he not move the stone with a word? The one who broke the barbs of death, the one who shattered the gates of Hades, could he not also tear the bandages? And he says to them: "Untie him." Why? So that, if they should deny it, their hands and eyes would convict them; for this reason he said: "Untie him." And at the wedding he did the same thing, because he said to them: "Fill the water jars with water." And they filled the water jars, and he turned the water into wine. Therefore, from all sides he secured them; for the Jews were always ungrateful and shameless. Do you wish to learn how much God provided for them, and they became forgetful? Learn:

But apply yourselves to me, I beg you, pay attention to what is said; for I wish to show you that from the beginning the Jews were ungrateful. Seventy-five souls went down into Egypt, and they became six hundred thousand. Joseph died, and another king arose over them, who did not remember Joseph; and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely. So they cried out to God, saying, "Lord, you swore to our fathers that you would give to your seed a land flowing with milk and honey; and now, Lord, remember the covenant you made with our fathers, and deliver us from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and from the slavery of the Egyptians." So God heard their voice, and sent Moses to them. But apply yourselves to me, I beg you. God says to Moses, "Take a spotless yearling lamb, firstborn, and sacrifice it, and each one shall smear its blood on the door, so that when the angel comes with his sword drawn, and sees that the blood is smeared on that house, he may withdraw; but if he sees that it is not there, he may enter and destroy everyone.

So Moses did this, and gave it to the people; and taking it, each anointed his own doorposts. And the angel came with his sword drawn, and saw the blood on the doors, and withdrew; but where he did not see it, he entered and slew all. All this did not happen simply; but because we were to be saved through blood and wood, for this reason God said that each should smear the blood on the doors. Why did he not say, Smear the blood on the wall? Because they were not to be saved except through wood. So Moses led them out of Egypt and brought them into the desert, and they say to Moses, Is it because there are no tombs in Egypt that you have brought us into the desert to kill us? Was it not well for us in Egypt, when we ate cucumbers and melons and onions and garlic? Do you see their ingratitude? They themselves said to God, they themselves begged, Lead us out of the land of Egypt; and having come into the desert they were ungrateful. Do you see their ingratitude? But learn the greater and extraordinary thing. They spent forty years in the desert; their hair did not grow, nor their nails; their clothing did not become soiled, their sandals did not wear out; they did not labor, they did not dig; they yoked no oxen, they drew no plow, they cut no furrows, they pulled no thorns, they sowed no

They cast themselves down, and awaited no rain, they did not expect the hot rays of the sun, they did not accept the time of harvest, they did not sharpen a sickle, nor did they reap, they did not bind sheaves and carry them, nor did they bring them to the threshing floor and labor, nor did they thresh, nor did they clean, nor did they knead flour, nor did they bake and make loaves, but none of these things at all; rather, they ate bread not worked by hand, a makeshift table was set before them, they imitated the angels in their impassibility; nature forgot its own weakness. And after so many benefactions, they said to Aaron: "Give us gods, who will go before us; for this Moses, who led us out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." And they did great violence to Aaron. He, seeing that they were hard-hearted and uncircumcised, says to them: "Take off your gold ornaments, and cast them into the fire, and whatever comes up, that is god." And the calf's head came up. Here I address the heretical ingrate, the parasitic Jew who says that God begot and underwent flux. Corrupted one, wretched and miserable, do you suppose these things of God? But we do not think so, God forbid; rather, that the Father begot the Son, only from only, God from God, perfect from perfect; for these are the beliefs of Christians. Since, then, you seem to busy yourself with the things above, tell me, if you think you know, about your own affairs: How, when the gold ornaments were cast into the fire, did the calf's head come up? No coppersmith worked, no smelter was there; how, dare you say, did the calf's head come up? If you do not know the things below, how do you meddle with the things above?

He who does not know his own things, how does he meddle with others? And they bring before us an evangelical saying of the Son himself, who says to the disciples: I am the vine, you are the branches, my Father is the farmer. Do you see, he says, that he worked the Son? For if a farmer does not work the vine, it cannot be useful. And they think that they are saying something great and virtuous. But apply yourselves to me, I beg. I said to the ignorant Jews; let me also speak to the shameless heretics: Can you tell me, ignorant and shameless heretic, that the farmer is not nourished from the vine? I defeat you with your own weapon. Just as there is a farmer working a vine, so also the Father worked his own Son. Let us see, then, which is nourished by which, the vine by the farmer, or the farmer by the vine. According to you, the Father has his being from the Son; for there is no farmer who is not nourished from his works. What then? Does the Son nourish the Father? No, let it not be; for these things are of the utmost folly. It is better to say, just as a farmer rejoices over a vine, so also the Father rejoices over the Son; for he did not say, My Father who worked me, but, My Father the farmer; for he rejoiced over the Son. Did you not hear him saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I was well pleased, when he stood in the streams of the Jordan? Did he say, This is my Son, whom I created, or whom I made? But he said, In whom I was well pleased. Do you not also falsify the voice? And again he says, I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but that of the Father who sent me.

To whom was he speaking? To the Jews, evidently; for they were saying to him, "This is the son of the carpenter," and they were attending to him as to an opponent of God, and for this reason he said, "I have come down from heaven." And because they were calling him an opponent of God, for this reason he said to them, "I have not come to do my own will, but that of the Father who sent me." Since they seemed to honor the Father but were denying him, for this reason he condescended to their weakness; for how could he who is everywhere, who fills all things, be sent? You see, then, that it was on account of the Jews that he said, "I have come down from heaven." Did he say it for his own sake? Have you no defense? But they also bring forward to us another testimony of the Apostle, who says, "One God, the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things." You say that there is no other God besides the Father; and I say to you that there is no other Lord like the Son. Why then are we contending? No, let it not be! Let us see, then, to whom Paul was speaking, and on account of whom this was said. But pay close attention to my argument. Since the Greeks worshipped polytheism, and the Jews monarchy, in order to abolish both polytheism and monarchy, for this reason he said, "For whether there are many gods and many lords, either in heaven or on earth, yet for us there is one God, the Father." And by saying "one," he abolished polytheism; for where there is one, there are not many; and by saying "Father," he abolished monarchy; for where there is a father, it is clear that there is also a son. For this reason, then, he said, "One God, the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things.

Do you see that Paul was stripping himself bare before Greeks and Jews? For this reason he said, "One Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things," since all things have come into being through the Son, both the visible and the invisible. And listen to John saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him nothing came into being." Do you see that this one is the creator of all things? Do you dare to show me that the Son is numbered among all things? But you are senseless—how long will you go about culling the Scriptures, seeking somewhere to call the Son a creature and a product? Do you wish to learn? If they hear a lofty or God-befitting statement about the Son, they go mad; they think someone is throwing dung into their mouth. I wish to give you an example. Just as when someone is inflamed with illness and many fevers, and when he has come a little into relief, the doctors prescribe that his mouth be smeared with honey; and they do as the doctors prescribe; and as the sick man is tended by the servants, the sick man thinks the honey is bitter; and then those present say, "It is honey, sir, it is good," encouraging the sick man; but the honey appears bitter in the mouth of the sick man, not because the honey is bitter—for what is sweeter than honey?—so it is not due to the nature of the honey, but due to the weakness of the one receiving it. So it is also with these people: if they hear "homoousios," they think they are being given a bitter drink, and it is not due to the statement of the speaker, but due to the weak hearing of the one receiving it.

The Father calls him Son; the apostles likewise, and these call him creature and product. How is he a creature? Are begetting and creating the same thing? If everyone who begets creates, and everyone who creates begets, we find all creatures to be offspring of God. For since all things have come into being through the Son, therefore he both created and begot them. Do you see that they are offspring of God, as you say? How long will you be ungrateful? Tell me, in what manner is the Son honored? Because he is called Son? And you. But what then? Because he is God? And you. But you can tell me: He is so in reality, you only in name. If in reality, then he is Son. Do you see that your own mouth convicts you? Not creature, not product. For he is Son by nature, you by appellation; he was begotten from the eternal Father, you were made from underlying matter. These things have been said by me to Jews, Greeks, and heretics. But let us glorify Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.