{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-3438","native_reference":{"book_number":580,"chapter_from":1,"chapter_to":1,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":20,"verse_to":20},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Basil of Caesarea</b>: For the true peace is above. Yet, as long as we were bound to the flesh, we were yoked to many things which troubled us. Seek, then, after peace, a release from the troubles of this world. Possess a calm mind, a tranquil and unconfused state of soul, which is neither agitated by the passions nor drawn aside by false doctrines that challenge by their persuasiveness to an assent, in order that you may obtain \"the peace of God which surpasses all understanding and guards your heart.\" He who seeks after peace, seeks Christ, because \"he himself is our peace,\" who has made two men into one new man, making peace, and \"making peace through the blood of his cross, whether on earth or in the heavens.\"</p><p><b>Cyril of Jerusalem</b>: These things the Saviour endured, and made peace through the Blood of His Cross, for things in heaven, and things in earth. For we were enemies of God through sin, and God had appointed the sinner to die. There must needs therefore have happened one of two things; either that God, in His truth, should destroy all men, or that in His loving-kindness He should cancel the sentence. But behold the wisdom of God; He preserved both the truth of His sentence, and the exercise of His loving-kindness. Christ took our sins in His body on the tree, that we by His death might die to sin, and live unto righteousness. Of no small account was He who died for us; He was not a literal sheep; He was not a mere man; He was more than an Angel; He was God made man. The transgression of sinners was not so great as the righteousness of Him who died for them; the sin which we committed was not so great as the righteousness which He wrought who laid down His life for us,—who laid it down when He pleased, and took it again when He pleased.<br/><i>— Catechetical Lecture 13:33</i></p><p><b>Ephrem the Syrian</b>: Thus, as peace began to be [established], the angels proclaimed, \"Glory in the highest and peace on earth.\" When lower beings received [peace] from superior beings, \"they cried, Glory on earth and peace in the heavens.\" At that time when the divinity came down [and] was clothed in humanity, the angels cried, \"Peace on earth.\" And at the time when that humanity ascended in order to be absorbed into the divinity and sit on the right—\"Peace in heaven\"—the infants were crying forth before him, \"Hosanna in the highest.\" Hence, the apostle also learned that one should say, \"He made peace by the blood of his cross [for] that which is in heaven and on earth.\"<br/><i>— Commentary on Tatian's Diatessaron</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: \"And...through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.\" Lest thou shouldest think that He undertook the office of a minister only, he saith, \"unto Himself.\" And yet he elsewhere says, that He reconciled us to God, as in the Epistle he wrote to the Corinthians. And he well said, \"Through Him to make an end of reconciling\"; for they were already reconciled; but completely, he says, and in such sort, as no more to be at enmity with Him. How? For not only the reconciliation was set forth, but also the manner of the reconciliation. \"Having made peace through the Blood of His Cross.\" The word \"reconcile,\" shows the enmity; the words \"having made peace,\" the war. \"Through the Blood of His Cross, through Himself, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.\" A great thing indeed it is to reconcile; but that this should be through Himself too, is a greater thing; and a greater still,-how through Himself? Through His Blood. Through His Blood; and he said not simply His Blood, but what is yet greater, through the Cross. So that the marvels are five: He reconciled us; to God; through Himself; through Death; through the Cross. Admirable again! How he has mixed them up! For lest thou shouldest think that it is one thing merely, or that the Cross is anything of itself, he saith \"through Himself.\" How well he knows that this was a great thing. Because not by speaking words, but by giving Himself up for the reconciliation, He so wrought everything.</p><p>But what is \"things in the heavens\"? For with reason indeed is it said, \"the things upon the earth,\" for those were filled with enmity, and manifoldly divided, and each one of us was utterly at variance with himself, and with the many; but how made He peace amongst \"the things in the heavens\"? Was war and battle there also? How then do we pray, saying, \"Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth\"? What is it then? The earth was divided from heaven, the Angels were become enemies to men, through seeing the Lord insulted. \"To sum up,\" he saith, \"all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth.\" How? The things in heaven indeed in this way: He translated Man thither, He brought up to them the enemy, the hated one. Not only made He the things on earth to be at peace, but He brought up to them him that was their enemy and foe. Here was peace profound. Angels again appeared on the earth thereafter, because that Man too had appeared in heaven. And it seems to me that Paul was caught up on this account, and to show that the Son also had been received up thither. For in the earth indeed, the peace was twofold; with the things of heaven, and with themselves; but in heaven it was simple. For if the Angels rejoice over one sinner that repenteth, much more will they over so many.</p><p>All this God's power hath wrought. Why then place ye confidence in Angels? saith he. For so far are they from bringing you near, that they were ever your enemies, except God Himself had reconciled you with them. Why then run ye to them? Wouldest thou know the hatred which the Angels had against us, how great it was; and how averse to us they always were? They were sent to take vengeance in the cases of the Israelites, of David, of the Sodomites, of the Valley of weeping. Not so however now, but, on the contrary, they sang upon the earth with exceeding joy. And He led these down to men, and led men up to them.</p><p>And observe, I pray you, the marvel in this: He brought these first down hither, and then he took up man to them; earth became heaven, because that heaven was about to receive the things of earth. Therefore when we give thanks, we say, \"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.\" Behold, he saith, even men appeared well-pleasing to Him thereafter. What is \"good will\"? Reconciliation. No longer is the heaven a wall of partition. At first the Angels were according to the number of the nations; but now, not to the number of the nations, but that of the believers. Whence is this evident? Hear Christ saying, \"See that ye despise not one of these little ones, for their Angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.\" For each believer hath an Angel; since even from the beginning, every one of those that were approved had his Angel, as Jacob says, \"The Angel that feedeth me, and delivereth me from my youth.\" If then we have Angels, let us be sober, as though we were in the presence of tutors; for there is a demon present also.<br/><i>— Homily on Colossians 3</i></p><p><b>Origen of Alexandria</b>: And why do I speak of the patriarchs? Following the authority of the Scriptures, I will boldly ascend to higher things, since the presence of the Lord Jesus and his dispensation profited not only things earthly but also things heavenly. Whence the Apostle also says: \"making peace through the blood of his cross, whether upon the earth or in the heavens\". But if in heaven and on earth the presence of the Lord was of profit, why should you be afraid to say that his coming profited even the greater ones, so that this might be fulfilled which is said: \"to show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father\"?<br/><i>— HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF Luke 10</i></p><p><b>Tertullian</b>: For how is He before all, if He is not before all things? How, again, is He before all things, if He is not \"the first-born of every creature\"-if He is not the Word of the Creator? Now how will he be proved to have been before all things, who appeared after all things? Who can tell whether he had a prior existence, when he has found no proof that he had any existence at all? In what way also could it have \"pleased (the Father) that in Him should all fulness dwell? \" For, to begin with, what fulness is that which is not comprised of the constituents which Marcion has removed from it,-even those that were \"created in Christ, whether in heaven or on earth,\" whether angels or men? which is not made of the things that are visible and invisible? which consists not of thrones and dominions and principalities and powers? If, on the other hand, our false apostles and Judaizing gospellers have introduced all these things out of their own stores, and Martian has applied them to constitute the fulness of his own god, (this hypothesis, absurd though it be, alone would justify him; ) for how, on any other supposition, could the rival and the destroyer of the Creator have been willing that His fulness should dwell in his Christ? To whom, again, does He \"reconcile all things by Himself, making peace by the blood of His cross,\" but to Him whom those very things had altogether offended, against whom they had rebelled by transgression, (but) to whom they had at last returned? Conciliated they might have been to a strange god; but reconciled they could not possibly have been to any other than their own God.<br/><i>— Against Marcion Book V</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"e6de4b68fbd37a58a06d0a7240e6e66ede4d6b1ac70a4ddd2058e651d0e61271","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":3438,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"fffd8638f8c32b09c99f3d1cf11100e6bcf28b1a9b87ea03ecb02465c68af2d2","translator":null,"work":null}