Augustine of Hippo : But when the fullness of time was come, she [Wisdom] was sent, not to fill angels, nor to be an angel, except in so far as she announced the counsel of the Father, which was her own also; nor, again, to be with men or in men, for this too took place before, both in the fathers and in the prophets; but that the Word itself should be made flesh, that is, should be made man. In which future mystery, when revealed, was to be the salvation of those wise and holy men also, who, before He was born of the Virgin, were born of women; and in which, when done and made known, is the salvation of all who believe, and hope, and love. For this is "the great mystery of godliness, which was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." — ON THE TRINITY 4.20.27 Gregory of Nyssa : We hold it necessary to honour, even as the Father is honoured, the God Who was manifested by the Cross, and they [the Eunomians] find the Passion a hindrance to glorifying the Only-begotten God equally with the Father that begat Him.… Eunomius makes the suffering of the Cross to be a sign of divergence in essence, in the sense of inferiority, considering, I know not how, the surpassing act of power, by which He was able to perform this, to be an evidence of weakness; failing to perceive the fact that, while nothing which moves according to its own nature is looked upon as surprisingly wonderful, all things that overpass the limitations of their own nature become especially the objects of admiration, and to them every ear is turned, every mind is attentive, in wonder at the marvel. And hence it is that all who preach the word point out the wonderful character of the mystery in this respect,—that "God was manifested in the flesh," that "the Word was made flesh," that "the Light shined in darkness," "the Life tasted death," and all such declarations which the heralds of the faith are wont to make, whereby is increased the marvellous character of Him Who manifested the superabundance of His power by means external to His own nature. — AGAINST EUNOMIUS 5.3 John Chrysostom : "Had ye known My Essence and My Dignity, ye would have known that of the Father also; and henceforth ye shall know Him, and have seen Him," (the one belonging to the future, the other to the present,) that is, "by Me." By "sight," He meaneth knowledge by intellectual perception. For those who are seen we may see and not know; but those who are known we cannot know and not know. Wherefore He saith, "and ye have seen Him"; just as it saith, "was seen also of Angels." (1 Tim. iii. 16.) Yet the very Essence was not seen; yet it saith that He "was seen," that is, as far as it was possible for them to see. These words are used, that thou mayest learn that the man who hath seen Him knoweth Him who begat Him. But they beheld Him not in His unveiled Essence, but clothed with flesh. — Homily on John 73 John Chrysostom : "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God [He who] was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit." Here he speaks of the Dispensation in our behalf. Tell me not of the bells, nor of the holy of holies, nor of the high priest. The Church is the pillar of the world. Consider this mystery, and thou mayest be struck with awe: for it is indeed "a great mystery," and "a mystery of godliness," and that "without controversy" or question, for it is beyond all doubt. Since in his directions to the Priests he had required nothing like what is found in Leviticus he refers the whole matter to Another, saying, "God was manifest in the flesh." The Creator was seen incarnate. "He was justified in the Spirit." As it is said, "Wisdom is justified of her children," or because He practiced no guile, as the Prophet says, "Because he had done no violence, neither was guile found in his mouth." (Isa. liii. 9; 1 Pet. ii. 22) "Seen of Angels." So that Angels together with us saw the Son of God, not having before seen Him. Great, truly great, was this mystery! "Preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world." He was heard of and believed in through all parts of the world, as the Prophet foreshowed, saying, "Their sound is gone out into all the world." (Ps. xix. 4) Think not that these things are mere words, for they are not, but full of hidden realities. "Received up into glory." He ascended upon clouds. "This Jesus," it is said, "Who is taken up from you, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." (Acts i. 11) The dispensation in our behalf he calls a "mystery," and well may it be so called, since it is not manifest to all, nay, it was not manifest to the Angels, for how could it, when it was "made known by the Church"? (Eph. iii. 10) Therefore he says, "without controversy great is the mystery." Great indeed was it. For God became Man, and Man became God. A Man was seen without sin! A Man was received up, was preached in the world! Together with us the Angels saw Him. This is indeed a mystery! Let us not then expose this mystery. Let us not lay it forth everywhere, but let us live in a manner worthy of the mystery. They to whom a mystery is intrusted are great persons. We account it a mark of favor, if a king intrusts a secret to us. But God has committed His mystery to us, yet are we ungrateful to our Benefactor, as if we had not received the greatest benefits. Our insensibility to such a kindness should strike us with horror. And how is that a mystery which all know? In the first place all do not know it, and before then too they knew it not, but now it is made manifest. — Homily on 1 Timothy 11 Leo the Great : And so it was no new counsel, no tardy pity whereby God took thought for men: but from the constitution of the world He ordained one and the same Cause of Salvation for all. For the grace of God, by which the whole body of the saints is ever justified, was augmented, not begun, when Christ was born: and this mystery of God's great love, wherewith the whole world is now filled, was so effectively presignified that those who believed that promise obtained no less than they, who were the actual recipients. — SERMON 23.4 Oecumenius : And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, received up in glory. confessedly. For no one doubts this. And faith which is in us is both great and a mystery, and a mystery of devotion, and it has no hesitation. Do you see the steps? God was revealed in the flesh, etc. Then Paul speaks of the mystery. For He who was revealed to men in the flesh was not judged righteous by human eyes, but by the eyes of the Spirit, who also searches the depths of God. (1 Cor. 2:10) But he says: He was justified because of the flesh. For since God is God, he is not justified but justifies. This is also what the prophet said: "He who has not committed sin, nor deceit found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:22) Saint Cyril in the twelfth chapter of the Scholia says: "'He who was revealed in the flesh was justified in the Spirit.' For in no way was he subjected to our weaknesses." seen by angels. For they did not disregard His birth according to the flesh. — [OECUMENIUS] He was justified in spirit. And by what justification is he justified who is righteousness itself and redemption, the Sun of righteousness according to Malachi? Which indicates the most pure and perfect righteousness, the fulfillment evidently of the legal rights; concerning which John said: "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." (Matt. 3:15) For since the law also commanded concerning baptisms, He came to the Jordan to fulfill this as well, just as He fulfilled circumcision and the offerings for the firstborn. But what does He mean by "In spirit"? Israel was bound in the spirit of slavery through the punishing law. For it did not have the spirit of adoption; this has been granted to Christians, as Paul also says: "What is above is Jerusalem the free, which is the mother of us all." (Gal. 4:26) He says therefore, Even if he fulfilled the legal righteous requirements, but not with the spirit of slavery (for how, he who also frees others?), but with the Holy Spirit of adoption, which the genuine Son received according to the human nature, bestowing the gift upon us, and consubstantial with the Spirit, and not for Himself. Just as He cared for and prayed, making our prayers acceptable, and called His own body a temple, causing us to become temples of God. [end of the excerpt by Oecumenius] — For indeed, the righteous according to the Gospel, truly spiritual, have long surpassed many of those who are justified by the law. — [PHOTIUS] Instead of being justified legally, he was justified spiritually. For he fulfilled the legal commandments not legally, but spiritually. The fact that he was not considered justified by the fleshly and hard-hearted (for they said, "Glutton and drunkard") but was justified by those who are established in the Spirit of God. "For we have seen his glory, glory as of the only begotten," and so on. (Jn. 1:14) [end of the excerpt by Photius] — seen by angels. (O the mystery! The angels saw Christ with us, when before they had not seen.) Not as by men. Thus Clement in book seven of the Hypotyposes. "He was believed in the world." Truly great is the mystery. For everywhere in the inhabited world he was believed. received up in glory. For the angels ministered to him as he was taken up on the clouds. Therefore he says, "in glory," because even the ascension itself is glorious. — COMMENTARY ON 1 TIMOTHY Origen of Alexandria : See, then, the greatness of the Savior, how it has been poured out over the whole world — and certainly I have not yet set forth his true greatness. Ascend into the heavens and see him, how he has filled the heavenly places: for indeed "he appeared to the angels". Descend in thought into the depths, and you will see that he descended there also. For "he who descended is the same also who ascended, that he might fill all things", "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth". Consider the power of the Lord, how he has filled the world — that is, the heavenly and the earthly and the infernal things — how he has penetrated heaven itself and ascended to the things above. — HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF Luke 6 Tertullian : Well, I on my side will first explain the reason of his offence, that I may the more easily explode the scandal of our heretic. Now, that the very Lord Himself of all might, the Word and Spirit of the Father, was operating and preaching on earth, it was necessary that the portion of the Holy Spirit which, in the form of the prophetic gift, had been through John preparing the ways of the Lord, should now depart from John, and return back again of course to the Lord, as to its all-embracing original. — Against Marcion Book IV Theodore of Mopsuestia : The "mystery" is the scriptural teaching concerning Christ. — COMMENTARY ON 1 TIMOTHY Theodoret of Cyrus : The "mystery" is the sacred object of reverence, namely, that what was foreordained from the beginning and afterward became manifest. — INTERPRETATION OF THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY