The master of the church has many names: being called the Father, the way,^[1] the life,^[2] the light,^[3] the arm, the propitiation,^[4] the foundation,^[5] the door,^[6] the sinless one,^[7] the treasure,^[8] Lord, God, Son, the only begotten, the form of God,^[9] the image^[10] of God. So it is with the church itself. Does one name suffice to present the whole truth? By no means. But for this reason there are countless names, that we may learn something concerning God, though it is but a small part.

Then, O beloved, if we have been able to admire that man [Apa], let us not be discouraged by tribulation, for what we endure today is only a small part of what those men^[1] endured. Our salvation [comes] in time of tribulation.

It must follow that any one solidly established in the perfection of this love will rise to that more excellent and more sublime stage that is the fear derived from love. This is not a terror in the face of punishment or a desire for reward. Rather it is something that comes from the very greatness of love. It is the mixture of respect and affection that a son has for a very indulgent father, a brother for a brother, a friend for a friend, a wife for a husband. This is the fear whose splendor has been elegantly described by one of the prophets. Wisdom and knowledge are the riches of salvation, but its treasure is the fear of the Lord. He could not have more clearly described the dignity and the merit of this fear when he said that the riches of our salvation, namely, true wisdom and the knowledge of God, cannot be preserved except by the fear of the Lord. This is the fear to which saints, and not sinners, are invited by the prophetic oracles. . . . Someone holding to this fear of the Lord is certain to lack no perfection.

But, since there are many kinds of treasures and different grounds for joy, each one’s treasure corresponds to the movement of their desire. If it is an appetite for earthly things, it makes those who share in it not happy but wretched. Those who savor the things above, not what is on earth,^[1] and are not eager for what perishes but for what is eternal, have hidden, incorruptible resources, in that about which the prophet says, In your treasure is our salvation. There wisdom and knowledge and holiness are from the Lord. These are the treasures of his justice.

Through them, with God’s grace helping us, even earthly goods are transformed into heavenly, as long as many use their wealth, either left them by law or otherwise acquired, as instruments of goodness. When they distribute, from what they can count as overabundance, to the support of the poor, they collect for themselves riches that cannot be lost, so that what they have withdrawn for alms cannot be credited to expense, and they properly keep their heart where they have their treasure.^[2] It is most blessed to use wealth of this kind that it may grow, and not fear lest it be destroyed.

But true wealth^[1] signifies either the joy of eternal life itself, concerning which it is written, the riches of his inheritance in the saints,^[2] or those spiritual virtues with which the fullness of life is attained, about which Isaiah said, the riches of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord himself is its treasure.

And if you are unfaithful with goods that are not yours, who will give you something of your own?^[3] The resources of this world are alien to us, that is, external to the nature of our habitat, for we brought nothing into this world and we are without doubt unable to take anything from it.^[4] Our possession is the kingdom of heaven, our life is Christ, and our wealth consists in the fruitfulness of spiritual works, about which Solomon said, The redemption of a man’s soul is his wealth.^[5]

But if you want to see that the ancient prophets were terribly sad and aggrieved about the future blinding of their nation, which was the cause of our illumination, listen to Isaiah, for when he was sent to announce beforehand the grace of the Lord’s coming, saying that a light has arisen upon those who dwell in the region of the shadow of death, he responded immediately to the advent of the same light, saying you have enlarged the nation; you have not increased its joy.^[1] And elsewhere, while commemorating the despondency of this people, Isaiah said, among other things, the messengers of peace will weep bitterly, referring to the prophetic heralds of the divine word.

And again he speaks concerning the ears, [meaning] how he circumcised our hearts, for the Lord says in the prophet, in the hearing of the ear they obeyed.^[1] And again he says, They who are far away shall surely hear, they shall know what I have done, and Be circumcised in your hearts, says the Lord.^[2] . . . So, then, he circumcised our ears that we might hear the word and believe.

The Scripture itself . . . expressly distinguishes between Abraham’s bosom, where the poor man dwells, and the infernal place of torment. Hell (I take it) means one thing, and Abraham’s bosom another. A great gulf is said to separate those regions and to hinder a passage from one to the other.^[1] Besides, the rich man could not have lifted up his eyes,^[2] and from a distance too, except to a superior height, and from the said distance all up through the vast immensity of height and depth. . . . There is some determinate place called Abraham’s bosom, and it is designed for the reception of souls of Abraham’s children, even from among the Gentiles (since he is the father of many nations, which must be classed amongst his family), and of the same faith as that with which he himself believed God, without the yoke of the law and the sign of circumcision. This region, therefore, I call Abraham’s bosom. Although it is not in heaven, it is yet higher than hell, and it is appointed to afford an interval of rest to the souls of the righteous, until the consummation of all things shall complete the resurrections of all people with the full recompense of their reward.^[3] This consummation will then be manifested in heavenly promises. . . . Amos, however, tells us of those stories towards heaven^[4] which Christ builds—of course for his people. There also is that everlasting abode of which Isaiah asks, Who shall declare to you the eternal place, but he (that is, of course, Christ) who walks in righteousness, speaks of the straight path, and hates injustice and iniquity? Now, although this everlasting abode is promised, and the ascending stories (or steps) to heaven are built by the Creator, who further promises that the seed of Abraham shall be even as the stars of heaven, by virtue certainly of the heavenly promise, why may it not be possible, without any injury to that promise, that by Abraham’s bosom is meant some temporary receptacle of faithful souls, wherein is even now delineated an image of the future and where is given some foresight of the glory of both judgments?

He looked upon them, and the nations shook and the mountains quickly scattered.^[1] The sight of the Lord shattered what was hardened and melted what was tightly compact, so that the truth expressed by Isaiah might be evident, for God is a living fire who advances to purify, not to kill: Who among you can dwell with the devouring fire, or who among you can walk with eternal flames? Whomever he looks upon, therefore, and touches with his warmth, he melts on the spot. Consequently, when he will later look upon the nations with mercy and judge them to be most worthy of redemption through his Christ, immediately their hardness will be shattered.

There are indeed some who do not receive a price in money from an ordination, and yet they bestow holy orders as a human favor and only seek the recompense of praise for it. Undoubtedly these are not granting freely what they have received freely, because they seek payment in esteem for the holy office they have conferred. Hence the prophet, when he was describing the righteous man rightly, said that he is one who keeps his hands clean of every gift. He did not say that he is one who keeps his hands free of a gift but added every, because a gift given from deference is one thing, a gift from the hand another, and a gift from the tongue still another. A gift from deference is submission conferred without being deserved, a gift from the hand is money, a gift from the tongue esteem. Therefore whoever grants holy orders keeps his hands free from every gift when he not only demands no money but not even human favors for the sacred gifts.

We must bear in mind also, that there are three ways in which deceit itself is practiced. Its aim is either the secret interest of our fellow creatures’ feelings; or the breath of applause; or some outward advantage. Contrary to this, it is rightly said of the righteous man by the prophet: Blessed is he who shakes his hands clear of every favor. . . . Now every righteous man shakes his hands clear of every favor if in whatever he does right, he neither aims to win vainglory from the affections of his fellow creatures, nor applause from their lips, nor a gift from their hands. . . . Therefore, because our very good actions themselves cannot escape the word of ambushed sin unless they are guarded every day by anxious fear, it is rightly said in this place by the holy man, I was afraid of all my works.

Taking bribes is a violation of the truth. Therefore, it is said of the just man: He who cleanses his hands of every gift will live on the heights.

Bread signifies perfection, as Paul attested while exhorting the weak to conversion: I gave you milk to drink, not food, for you were then and still remain unable to eat.^[1] If milk is for children, then bread is only for the perfect. Consequently, it was said about the strength of the perfect man: He will live upon the heights, a fortress of rocks will be his dwelling, bread will be given to him.

Whosoever loves humility shall be heir in the land of life. Whosoever wishes to make peace shall be one of the sons of God.^[1] Whosoever knows the will of his Lord, let him do that will, that he may not be beaten much.^[2] Whosoever cleanses his heart from deceits, his eyes shall behold the King in his beauty. Whosoever receives the Spirit of Christ, let him adorn his inner man. Whosoever is called the temple of God,^[3] let him purify his body from all uncleanness.

Through the sacraments of his humanity with which we have been imbued, we may be able to attain the contemplation of the glory of his divinity, that contemplation which he himself in his faithful benevolence pledged to his faithful servants when he said, One who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.^[1] He says, I will manifest myself—that is, Not in such a way that everyone can look at me, or in such a way that even the unfaithful can see me and crucify me, but in such a way that only the pure eyes of the saints can see ‘the King of ages in his beauty.’ In this way I will show myself to those who love me, so as to reward them for their love. Therefore let us hope, as we have said, that through the visible nature of his humanity we may be able to ascend to see the beauty of his divinity, if we keep these sacraments as we have received them, unblemished in the worthy honor of justice and holiness and truth, if we follow his example in his human way of life, and if we humbly follow the words of the teaching which he ministered to us through his humanity.

The disciples indeed saw him coming in his kingdom, for on the mountain they saw him shining in that brightness with which he will be seen in his kingdom by all the saints when the judgment has been brought to completion. But since the eyes of the disciples were still mortal and corruptible, they were then unable to sustain what the whole church of the saints will have the power to look upon when she has become incorruptible through resurrection. Concerning this it is written, Their eye will see the king in his beauty.

Two advents of our Lord and Savior are indicated in the Scriptures. The one [is] his first advent in the flesh, which took place without honor by reason of his being set at nothing, as Isaiah spoke of him in the past, saying, We saw him, and he had no form nor comeliness, but his form was despised (and) rejected above all men; a man smitten and familiar with bearing infirmity (for his face was turned away); he was despised, and esteemed not.^[1] But his second advent is announced as glorious, when he shall come from heaven with the host of angels and the glory of his Father, as the prophet says, You shall see the King in glory; and, I saw one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven; and he came to the Ancient of Days, and he was brought to him. And there were given him dominion, and honor, and glory, and the kingdom; all tribes and languages shall serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away.^[2]

But it also must be noted that the Savior’s tomb, above which a memorial canopy is often seen, can properly be called a cave or a den. Clearly, then, it was about the Lord Jesus Christ in the tomb that the prophet prophesied, He lived in a high cave of fortified rocks, and shortly thereafter added, with regard to the apostles rejoicing at the resurrection of the Lord: You will see the king in his glory.

And if you want all these thoughts to diminish in you and not to have power over you, then recite in your heart without ceasing every fruit that is written in the Scriptures, having in yourself the resolution to walk in them, as it is written in Isaiah, Your heart shall meditate on the fear of the Lord, and all these things shall cease from you, little by little.

For the plainly spoken words of these interpretations have made the views of the ancient fathers clear to us. If we view the words of the text according to the plain meaning of the words and not according to the obscured meaning of allegory, then we will see that Isaiah exclaimed (as interpreted by the holy church), The place of rivers, the broadest and open streams. For the sayings of the Old Testament were as narrow and close streams, which brought together the various views in their culture. But the teachings of the holy church are broad and open streams, because its declarations are at once many in number to those who find them and are plain to those who seek them.

This is the greatest and noblest of all God’s acts: saving humanity.^[1] But those who labor under some sickness are dissatisfied if the physician prescribes no remedy to restore their health. How, then, can we withhold our sincerest gratitude from the divine Educator when he corrects the acts of disobedience that sweep us on to ruin and uproots the desires that drag us into sin, refusing to be silent and connive at them, and even offers counsels on the right way to live? Certainly we owe him the deepest gratitude.