11. “He ascended into
heaven:” believe. “He sitteth at the right hand of the
Father:” believe. By sitting, understand dwelling: as [in Latin]
we say of any person, “In that country he dwelt (
sedit
)
three years.” The Scripture also has that expression, that such
an one dwelt (
sedisse
) in a city for such a time.
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Not
meaning that he sat and never rose up? On this account the
dwellings of men are called seats (
sedes
).
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Where
people are seated (in this sense), are they always sitting? Is
there no rising, no walking, no lying down? And yet they are called
seats (
sedes
). In this way, then, believe an inhabiting of
Christ on the right hand of God the Father: He is there. And let
not your heart say to you, What is He doing? Do not want to seek
what is not permitted to find: He is there; it suffices you. He is
blessed, and from blessedness which is called the right hand of the
Father, of very blessedness the name is, right hand of the Father.
For if we shall take it carnally, then because He sitteth on the
right hand of the Father, the Father will be on His left hand. Is
it consistent with piety so to put Them together, the Son on the
right, the Father on the left? There it is all right-hand, because
no misery is there.
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1 Kings ii. 38
.
LXX.
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Cf. Serm. 214, n. 8.
Ben.