Admiration

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

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• From The Swimming-Pool Library (1988)

  ‘This is the salle à manger,’ announced Charles. ‘As you can see that slut Lewis never bothers to dust in here, because I haven’t actually mangé in it for years. It’s a jolly nice table, that, isn’t it.’ It was indeed a very handsome Georgian oak table with ball-and-claw feet, and in the middle stood a silvery statuette of a boy with upraised arms and Donatellesque buttocks, an incongruously kitsch item. ‘That little bit of nonsense is by the same chap who did the willies in the other room. We’ll see some more of his stuff, but come over here first.’ He led me—or I led him—towards a side-table where a green baize cloth covered a square object, perhaps a foot high and eighteen inches long; it might have been a picture in a stand-up frame. He leant forward and tugged the cloth away. It was a display case of dark polished dowling, rather British Museum in appearance, within which stood a tablet of pale sandy stone, a couple of inches thick. On its smooth front face three contrasting heads were incised, full profile, in shallow relief. I inspected it appreciatively, and looked to Charles for information. He was nodding in satisfaction at having turned up something interesting. ‘Fascinating, isn’t it. It’s a stele showing the King Akhnaten.’ I looked again. ‘And who are the other two?’ ‘Ah,’ said Charles with pleasure. ‘They’re King Akhnaten as well.’ He chuckled, though it could by no means be the first time he had explained its mystery. ‘It’s an artist’s sketch, like a notepad or something, but done straight on to the stone. You know about Akhnaten, do you?’ ‘No, I’m afraid I don’t.’ ‘I thought not, otherwise you would see the significance of it straight away. Like so many bizarre-seeming things, it has its logic. Akhnaten was a rebel. His real name was Amonhotep the Third—Fourth, I can’t remember—but he broke away from the worship of Amon (as in Amonhotep) and made everyone worship the sun instead. Something I’m sure you’d agree with him over,’ he added, patting my wrist. ‘But such apostasy was not in itself enough. Oh no. He had to change the way he looked as well. He shifted the court from Thebes, where it had been for God knows how long, and set it up at Tel-el-Amarna …’ ‘Aha,’ I said, remembering there had been a battle of that name. ‘As it was all made out of mud, it didn’t survive the end of his régime by long, sad to say. But there are bits and pieces in museums. There’s a thing like this at Cairo. You haven’t been to Cairo. And there’s this one, which has one more head on it. You can see how the artist changed the king’s appearance until he got the image which we know today.’

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  ORIGEN. Jesus frequently went down with His disciples, for He is not always dwelling on the mount, for they who were troubled with various diseases were not able to ascend the mount. For this reason now also He went down to them who were below. It follows: And he was subject to them, &c. GREEK EXPOSITOR. (ubi sup.) Sometimes by His word He first institutes laws, and He afterwards confirms them by His work, as when He says, The good shepherd layeth down his life for his sheep. (John 10:11) For shortly after seeking our salvation He poured out His own life. But sometimes He first sets forth in Himself an example, and afterwards, as far as words can go, draws therefrom rules of life, as He does here, shewing forth by His work these three things above the rest, the love of God, honour to parents, but the preferring God also to our parents. For when He was blamed by His parents, He counts all other things of less moment than those which belong to God; again, He gives His obedience also to His parents. BEDE. For what is the teacher of virtue, unless he fulfil his duty to his parents? What else did He do among us, than what He wished should be done by us? ORIGEN. Let us then also ourselves be subject to our parents. But if our fathers are not, let us be subject to those who are our fathers. Jesus the Son of God is subject to Joseph and Mary. But I must be subject to the Bishop who has been constituted my father. It seems that Joseph knew that Jesus was greater than he, and therefore in awe moderated his authority. But let every one see, that oftentimes he who is subject is the greater. Which if they who are higher in dignity understand, they will not be clated with pride, knowing that their superior is subject to them. GREGORY OF NYSSA. (Orat. in 1 Cor. 15:28.) Further, since the young have not yet perfect understanding, and have need to be led forward by those who have advanced to a more perfect state; therefore when He arrived at twelve years, He is obedient to His parents, to shew that whatever is made perfect by moving forward, before that it arrives at the end profitably embraces obedience, (as leading to good.) BASIL. (in Const. Mon. 4.) But from His very first years being obedient to His parents, He endured all bodily labours, humbly and reverently. For since His parents were honest and just, yet at the same time poor, and ill supplied with the necessaries of life, (as the stable which administered to the holy birth bears witness,) it is plain that they continually underwent bodily fatigue in providing for their daily wants. But Jesus being obedient to them, as the Scriptures testify, even in sustaining labours, submitted Himself to a complete subjection.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. He says then, for a testimony unto them, because this deed makes manifest that Christ in His incomparable excellence is far above Moses. For when Moses could not rid his sister of the leprosy, he prayed the Lord to deliver her. But the Saviour, in His divine power, declared, I will, be thou clean. (Numb. 12:13.) CHRYSOSTOM. (ubi sup.) Or, for a testimony against them, i. e. as a reproof of them, and a testimony that I respect the law. For now too that I have cured thee, I send thee for the examination of the priests, that thou shouldest bear me witness that I have not played false to the law. And although the Lord in giving out remedies advised telling them to no one, instructing us to avoid pride; yet His fame flew about every where, instilling the miracle into the ears of every one, as it follows, But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him. BEDE. Now the perfect healing of one brings many multitudes to the Lord, as it follows, And great multitudes came together that they should be healed. For the leprous man that he might shew both his outward and inward cure, even though forbid ceases not, as Mark says, to tell of the benefit ho had received. GREGORY. (Mor. xxviii. c. 13.) Our Redeemer performs His miracles by day, and passes the night in prayer, as it follows, And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed, hinting, as it were, to perfect preachers, that as neither they should entirely desert the active life from love of contemplation, so neither should they despise the joys of contemplation from an excess of activity, but in silent thought imbibe that which they might afterwards give back in words to their neighbours. BEDE. Now that He retired to pray, you would not ascribe to that nature which says, I will, be thou clean, but to that which putting forth the hand touched the leprous man, not that according to Nestorius there is a double person of the Son, but of the same person, as there are two natures, so are there two operations. GREGORY NAZIANZEN. (26.) And His works He indeed performed among the people, but He prayed for the most part in the wilderness, sanctioning the liberty of resting a while from labour to hold converse with God with a pure heart. For He needed no change or retirement, since there was nothing which could be relaxed in Him, nor any place in which He might confine Himself, for He was God, but it was that we might clearly know that there is a time for action, a time for each higher occupation.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xii. [xi.] 1) As if he said: We saw His glory, such as it was becoming and proper for the Only-Begotten and true Son to have. We have a form of speech, like it, derived from our seeing kings always splendidly robed. When the dignity of a man’s carriage is beyond description, we say, In short, he went as a king. So too John says, We saw His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father. For Angels, when they appeared, did every thing as servants who had a Lord, but He as the Lord appearing in humble form. Yet did all creatures recognise their Lord, the star calling the Magi, the Angels the shepherds, the child leaping in the womb acknowledged Him: yea the Father bore witness to Him from heaven, and the Paraclete descending upon Him: and the very universe itself shouted louder than any trumpet, that the King of heaven had come. For devils fled, diseases were healed, the graves gave up the dead, and souls were brought out of wickedness, to the utmost height of virtue. What shall one say of the wisdom of precepts, of the virtue of heavenly laws, of the excellent institution of the angelical life? ORIGEN. (Hom. 2) Full of grace and truth. Of this the meaning is twofold. For it may be understood of the Humanity, and the Divinity of the Incarnate Word, so that the fulness of grace has reference to the Humanity, according to which Christ is the Head of the Church, and the first-born of every creature: for the greatest and original example of grace, by which man, with no preceding merits, is made God, is manifested primarily in Him. The fulness of the grace of Christ may also be understood of the Holy Spirit, whose sevenfold operation filled Christ’s Humanity. (Is. 11:2) The fulness of truth applies to the Divinity … But if you had rather understand the fulness of grace and truth of the New Testament, you may with propriety pronounce the fulness of the grace of the New Testament to be given by Christ, and the truth of the legal types to have been fulfilled in Him. THEOPHYLACT. (hoc loc.) Or, full of grace, inasmuch as His word was gracious, as saith David, Full of grace are thy lips; and truth, (Ps. 45:3) because what Moses and the Prophets spoke or did in figure, Christ did in reality. 1:1515. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. ALCUIN. He had said before that there was a man sent to bear witness; now he gives definitely the forerunner’s own testimony, which plainly declared the excellence of His Human Nature and the Eternity of His Godhead. John bare witness of Him.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  Miniature courts were held by Margaret at Nerac and Pau, which yielded to none in Europe in the intellectual brilliancy of their frequenters. Margaret was at once one of the chief patronesses of letters that France possessed and rhe chief refuge and defender of advocates of the Reformed doctrines. Around her gathered Marot, Bonaventure, Desperiers, Deni- sot, Peletier, Brodeau, and many other men of letters, while she protected Rabelais, Dolet, etc. For a time her influence with her brother, Francis L, King of France, was effectual, but later political rather than religious considerations made him discourage Lutheranism, and a fierce persecution was begun against both Protestants and freethinkers, a persecution which drove Desperiers to suicide and brought Dolet to the stake. Margaret herself, however, was protected by her brother, and her personal inclinations seem to have been rather toward a mystical pietism than toward dogmatic Prot- estant sentiments. OF THE HEPTAMERON. y The Heptameroti, constructed, as its name indicates, on the lines of the Decameron of Boccaccio, consists of seventy-two short stories told to each other by a company of ladies and gentlemen who were delayed on the journey homeward from Cauterets, a fashionable watering-place, by the swelling of a river. Margaret died in 1549. In 1558, about ten years after the author's death, the Heptameron was first printed. It is a delightful book, and strongly characteristic of the French Renaissance. The sensuality which characterized the period appears in it, but in less coarse form than in the great work of Rabelais. It has been claimed by some critics that internal evidence is strongly in favor of its having been a joint work in which more than one of the men of letters who composed Margaret's household took part ; but against this supposition we may place the positive testimony of Brantome. The Queen of Navarre, he says, ' ' composed most of these novels in her litter as she travelled, for her hours of retirement were em- ployed in affairs of importance. I have heard this account from my grandmother, who always went with her in her litter as her lady of honor and held her ink-horn for her ; and she wrote them down as quickly and readily, or rather more so, than if they had been dictated to her."

• From Four Days to Glory: Wrestling with the Soul of the American Heartland (2005)

  So Dan and his brother Nick shared a weight doughnut that had slid off one of the barbells in the wrestling room, while other wrestlers traded off medicine balls or heavy bags of sand. Over to one side, one of Bridgewater’s varsity starters got his weight work in by hoisting and curling one of the equipment toolboxes, the stuff inside rattling noisily with each repetition. It is a provisional life in the program. And that is, in some ways, the bonding agent of the team. The wrestlers work out in this little sweatbox and crowd around taking turns on the mat and run those 46-foot sprints all day, and they and their coaches are the closer for it, the tougher. Theirs is the program that produces winners out of whatever raw material happens to be lying around. It is only just now that the generation of wrestlers who first brought the school a little statewide notice—the classes right around Doug LeClere’s 1978 team—is bringing its own offspring through the program. The good news is that many of those wrestlers have stayed around, stayed in the area and the school district. The rest of the news is that there aren’t enough of them to make a complete team, and Bridgewater finds himself trolling for talent all the time. He found Kirk Schmidt, the ninth grader with no wrestling experience, basically hanging around campus. Kirk was playing on the junior varsity football team, and he was tremendously big already, and so “I just walked up to him and said, ‘Hey, we need a heavyweight,’” Bridgewater said. “And he has come such a long way in just this year—he has learned a lot about the sport in a short time. He was always kind of a soft kid, a video-game kid. To see him do this, do these workouts and everything—it’s a huge step for him.” And wrestling is about that, sometimes. Kirk has been thrown on his back so many times he must know the shape and texture of every ceiling in the Tri-Rivers Conference, but he may yet see it through to a happy ending. He drags his big body up and down the wrestling-room floor, doing wind sprints that leave him soaked through with sweat and gasping for breath. He never says no, and he never asks out. He is a redheaded, chunky country boy who is probably too sweet-natured for his own good—but don’t tell anybody connected with the North-Linn wrestling program that he can’t someday be a winner for the Lynx. “He’s got a chance,” Bridgewater says; but Brad’s attention is suddenly diverted. Across the mat, over at the far wall, Dan hops onto the climbing rope and prepares to take himself up to the top again. What does that shirt say? HARD WORK SOLVES EVERYTHING . Dan already has put in his years of always showing up. He’s just about ready to be the one they’re all waiting to see.

• From History of the Christian Church: The Complete Set of Eight Volumes (1858)

  "When I was in Geneva," he writes, "I observed something great which I shall remember and desire as long as I live. There is in that place not only the perfect institute of a perfect republic, but, as a special ornament, a moral discipline, which makes weekly investigations into the conduct, and even the smallest transgressions of the citizens, first through the district inspectors, then through the Seniors, and finally through the magistrates, as the nature of the offence and the hardened state of the offender may require. All cursing and swearing gambling, luxury, strife, hatred, fraud, etc., are forbidden; while greater sins are hardly heard of. What a glorious ornament of the Christian religion is such a purity of morals! We must lament with tears that it is wanting with us, and almost totally neglected. If it were not for the difference of religion, I would have forever been chained to that place by the agreement in morals, and I have ever since tried to introduce something like it into our churches. No less distinguished than the public discipline was the domestic discipline of my landlord, Scarron, with its daily devotions, reading of the Scriptures, the fear of God in word and in deed, temperance in meat and drink and dress. I have not found greater purity of morals even in my father’s home."778 A stronger and more impartial testimony of the deep and lasting effect of Calvin’s discipline so long after his death could hardly be imagined. NOTES. MODERN TESTIMONIES. The condemnation of Calvin’s discipline and his conduct toward the Libertines has been transplanted to America by two dignitaries of the Roman Church—Dr. John McGill, bishop of Richmond, the translator of Audin’s Life of Calvin (Louisville, n. d.), and Dr. M. S. Spalding, archbishop of Baltimore (between 1864 and 1872), in his History of the Protestant Reformation (Louisville, 1860), 8th ed., Baltimore, 1875. This book is not a history, but a chronique scandaleuse of the Reformation, and unworthy of a Christian scholar. Dr. Spalding devotes twenty-two pages to Calvin (vol. I. 370–392), besides an appendix on Rome and Geneva, and a letter addressed to Merle D’Aubigné and Bungener (pp. 495–530). He ignores his Commentaries and Institutes, which have commanded the admiration even of eminent Roman Catholic divines, and simply repeats, with some original mistakes and misspellings, the slanders of Bolsec and Audin, which have long since been refuted.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  NEW TESTAMENT WORDS ALSO BY WILLIAM BARCLAY IN THIS SERIES The Apostles’ Creed The Lord’s Prayer The Ten Commandments We Have Seen the Lord! At the Last Trumpet The Parables of Jesus Good Tidings of Great Joy The New Testament A Translation by William Barclay NEW TESTAMENT WORDS by WILLIAM BARCLAY WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX PRESS LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY © SCM Press Ltd. 1964 Index © The Westminster Press 1974 Published by Westminster John Knox Press Louisville, Kentucky PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 10 12 14 15 13 11 9 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Barclay, William, lecturer in the University of Glasgow. New Testament words. Bibliography: p. 1. Greek language, Biblical—Dictionaries— English. I. Title. PA881.B29 487’.4 73-12737 ISBN 0-664-24761-X pbk. Silence is indeed the friend and helpmeet of thought and invention; but, if one aims at readiness of speech and beauty of discourse, he will get at them by no other discipline than the study of words, and their constant practice. GREGORY THAUMATURGUS The Panegyric on Origen I Introduction “What benefit can we reap from this generous gift if we have not the meaning of the words explained to us. ” —Gregory of Nyssa, Sermons on the Beatitudes This quotation was from the original introduction of my father’s A New Testament Workbook, and went on to say, “William Barclay does what a good teacher ought to do, he illuminates.” I have vivid memories of my father illuminating the meaning of the Greek words in his sermons in Scottish churches thirty years ago. He loved to stress the point that Jesus is described as tektōn—a master carpenter. I can still see him, arms outstretched in the pulpit, explaining hamartia, one of the Greek words for “sin.” “The archer draws his bow, the arrow flies to the target, and the cry goes up ‘hamartia — a near miss,’ ” and the meaning of sin was immediately illuminated for every member of his audience. The wonder of this book is that it communicates with beginner and expert alike.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  Contrary as this reply was to the prince's desires, nevertheless he could not help esteeming her as she de- served. He did all he could to make her believe he would never love anyone but herself ; but she had so much sense that he never could bring her to entertain so unreasonable a notion. Though, during the course of this conversation, it was often intimated to the prince that fresh clothes had been brought him, he was so glad to remain where he was that he sent back word he was asleep. But at last, supper-time being come, and not daring to absent himself from respect for his mother, who was one of the most correct ladies in the world, he went away, more impressed than ever with the excel- lence of Francoise. He often talked of her to the gentle- man who slept in his chamber. That person, imagining that money would be more effectual than love, advised him to present a considerable sum to the girl in con- sideration of the favour he solicited. As the young prince's mother was his treasurer, and his pocket money was not much, he borrowed, and out of his own funds and those of his friends he made up a sum of five hun- dred crowns, which he sent to Francoise by his gentle- man, commissioning him to beg that she would change her mind. " Tell your master," she said, when the gentleman offered her the present, " that my heart is so noble and Fifth day\ QUE EM OF NA VARIiE 365 generous, that were it my humour to do what he desires, his good looks and his pleasing qualities would have already made a conquest of me ; but since these are in- capable of making me take the slightest step at variance with honour, all the money in the world could not do it You will take back his money to him, if you please, for I prefer honest poverty to all the wealth he could bestow upon me." Baffled by this downright refusal, the gentleman was tempted to think that a little violence might succeed, and he dropped threatening hints of her master's in- fluence and power. " Make a bugbear of the prince," she said, laughing in his face, " to those who do not know him ; but I, who know him to be wise and virtuous, can never believe that you say this by his order ; and I am persuaded that he will disavow it all if you repeat it to him. But even were it true that you had his authority for what you say, I tell you that neither torments nor death could ever shake my resolution, for, as I have said before, since love has not changed my heart, no earthly good or evil can ever effect what that has failed to ac- complish."

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  ORIGEN. (in Matt. 35.) For they were grieved at the waste of the ointment, which might be sold for a large sum and given to the poor. This however ought not to have been, for it was right that it should be poured over the head of Christ, with a holy and fitting stream; wherefore it goes on, She hath wrought a good work on me. And so effectual is the praise of this good work, that it ought to excite all of us to fill the head of the Lord with sweet smelling and rich offerings, that of us it may be said that we have done a good work over the head of the Lord. For we always have with us, as long as we remain in this life, the poor who have need of the care of those who have made progress in the word, and are enriched in the wisdom of God; they are not however able always day and night to have with them the Son of God, that is, the Word and Wisdom of God. For it goes on: For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have not always. BEDE. (ubi sup.) To me, indeed, He seems to speak of His bodily presence, that He should by no means be with them after His resurrection, as He then was living with them in all familiarity. PSEUDO-JEROME. He says also, She hath wrought a good work on me, for whosoever believes on the Lord, it is counted unto Him for righteousness. For it is one thing to believe Him, and to believe on Him, that is, to cast ourselves entirely upon Him. It goes on: She hath done what she could, she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. BEDE. (ubi sup.) As if the Lord said, What ye think is a waste of ointment is the service of my burial. THEOPHYLACT. For she is come aforehand as though led by God to anoint my body, as a sign of my approaching burial; by which He confounds the traitor, as if He said, With what conscience canst thou confound the woman, who anoints my body to the burial, and dost not confound thyself, who wilt deliver me to death? But the Lord makes a double prophecy; one that the Gospel shall be preached over the whole world, another that the deed of the woman shall be praised. Wherefore it goes on: Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  If anyone should still argue, that the counsel of Our Lord concerning the renunciation of possessions is futile, because Abraham, though a rich man, was perfect, we will refer him for an answer to what has been already said. Our Lord, we repeat, did not mean, by this counsel, that rich men cannot be perfect, or cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but He meant that they cannot do so easily. The virtue of Abraham was very great; for, although possessed of great wealth, his heart was detached from riches. The virtue, likewise, of Samson was eminent, for, armed only with the jawbone of an ass, he slew many of his enemies; nevertheless the instruction which he gave to the soldier to take up arms in combat with his foes, was not unprofitable. Neither, then, is it useless to counsel those that seek perfection to part with their earthly goods, although Abraham was perfect with all his wealth. We must not draw conclusions from wonderful deeds; for the weak among us are more capable of wondering at and praising such deeds, than of imitating them. Hence we read in Sirach xxxi. 8, “Blessed is the rich man who is found without blemish; who has not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures.” This passage proves that the rich man who does not sin by covetousness, nor by pride, must, indeed, be a man of tried virtue, with a heart adhering closely, by perfect charity, to God. St. Paul bids Timothy to “charge the rich of this world not to be high-minded, nor to trust in the uncertainty of riches”(1 Tim. vi. 17). The greater the blessedness and the virtue of the wealthy who obey this behest, the smaller is their number. Thus Sirach (xxxi) speaking of a virtuous and yet a wealthy man, says: “Who is he, and we will praise him? for he has done wonderful things in his life.” For truly, he who, while abounding in riches has not set his heart upon his treasures, has indeed done wonderful things, and without the shadow of a doubt has proved himself perfect. The same chapter of Sirach continues, “Who has been tried thereby,” that is to say, who has been tested as to whether he can live a sinless life in the midst of wealth, “and made perfect.” This is as much as to say: “such a man is indeed rare, and his virtue will merit for him eternal glory.” This test of Sirach bears out the saying of Our Lord, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This, then, is the first means of attaining perfection, to wit the-renunciation of riches, and the profession of poverty, from a desire of following Christ. CHAPTER VIII

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  (20.) The answer to the twentieth objection, is that we are instructed to beg of God, to supply our temporal necessities, and that we ought not reject temporal assistance until we are provided with the food and clothing that we need. (21.) The statute, quoted in the twenty-first objection, was drawn up in favour of the ministers of the Church. But, if any choose, as a work of supererogation, to serve the Church without stipend, they are so much the more praiseworthy in that they resemble St. Paul, who preached the Gospel without reward; he was a preacher ordained by God (1 Cor. ix.). (22.) We reply to the twenty-second objection that although the holy Fathers have commended one course, they have not blamed the other. Therefore, it is not presumptuous, to follow this other course; else, it would not be lawful to introduce into the Church any new ordinance. Nevertheless, the mode of life of which we speak cannot be called new, as it was approved by many Saints, even in the primitive Church. Our answer to the twenty-third objection, is that it is a duty for rich men to assist the needy. For, as St, John says, (1 Jn. iii.), “He who has the substance of this world, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his bowels from him: how does the charity of God abide in him?” But it is even more praiseworthy if a man, besides sacrificing all his possessions, consecrates himself to God. This is truly Apostolic perfection. For, as St., Jerome says; “To offer oneself to God is a truly Christian act and worthy of the Apostles, who, having renounced all they had, offered themselves to the Lord “ (ad Lucinum Beticum). CHAPTER 6 Is it Lawful for Religious to Live on Alms?THE adversaries of Christian poverty strive to prevent its practice not only by raising objections against it, but by trying, indirectly, to abolish it entirely. They endeavour to deprive the poor of Christ of the means of subsistence, by teaching that it is not lawful for them to live on alms. They thus come under the category of those of whom the Preacher speaks, (Sirach xxxiv. 21), “The bread of the needy is the life of the poor; he who defrauds them of it is a man of blood.” They try to uphold their opinion by various arguments. 1. They quote the words of Deuteronomy (xvi. 19): “Do not show partiality or accept gifts [bribes]; for a gift blinds the eyes of the wise, and changes the words of the just.” Now alms are a species of gift; and as religious, above all other men, ought to have the eyes of the soul enlightened, they are not justified in living on alms.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  The foundation of all perfection was laid by Christ and by the Apostles. We do not, however read that when they left all that they had, they possessed property in common. On the contrary, we are told that they had no house wherein to dwell. Hence common property is not an essential of perfect poverty. St. Augustine tells us (3 De doctrina Christ.) that in the primitive church, the Jews who converted to Christianity, “being constantly in close contact with spiritual things, were so receptive of the influence of the Holy Spirit that they sold all that they had, and laid the price at the feet of the Apostles, to be distributed among the poor.” He further observes that “this fact is not narrated of any Gentile church; for they who had for gods idols made by hands were not so open to the Holy Spirit.” Hence we see that St. Augustine considers the perfection of the early Jewish church to have been superior to that of the Gentile churches. For, while the Gentile converts sold all that they had to give to the poor, the Jews sold their possessions so absolutely as to reserve to themselves no common property whatsoever. Hence poverty, without common property, is more perfect than that which retains property in common. St. Jerome, writing to Hellodorus, on the death of Nepotiau, says in derision, “Men are richer as monks than they were as seculars. With the poverty of Christ, they possess wealth that they had not when they were subject to the devil; and the Church mourns over the riches of those, whom the world despised as beggars.” These words may often be verified in religious orders that maintain common property. They can never be true of such religious as possess nothing. Hence it is more meritorious for religious to have nothing than to possess property. St. Jerome, again, writes to Lucinus Beticus: “As long as we are engaged in things of the world, and our mind is occupied about our possessions and revenues, we cannot think freely of God.” Hence it is better for religious to be without property and revenues, than to possess them. St. Gregory (3 Dialog.) says, speaking of Isaac a servant of God, “When, as frequently happened, his disciples pressed him to accept for the use of the monastery the things that were offered to him, Isaac, vigilant in his care for poverty, was wont to make use of these strong words: ‘The monk who seeks possessions on earth, is no monk.’ For he feared to lose his poverty as a miser fears to be robbed of his gold.” This example proves that it is safest for religious not to possess common property. The monks of Egypt, of whom we read in the lives of the Fathers, deemed those religious to be the most perfect, who lived in the desert, possessing nothing. Hence common property is not an essential of evangelical poverty.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  appearing at any festive meeting. The French could ndt see her without praising her beauty and her grace : one among them especially, whom I will not name. It is enough to inform you that there was not a Frenchman in Italy more worthy to be loved, for he was fully en- dowed with all the beauties and graces which a gentle- man could have. Though he saw the widow dressed in black crape, apart from the young people, and withdrawn into a corner with several old ladies, yet, being one who had never known what it was to fear man or woman, he accosted her, took off his mask, and quitted the dance to converse with her. He passed the whole evening with her and the old ladies her companions, and enjoyed him- self more than he could have done with the youngest and sprightliest ladies of the court. So charmed was he with this conversation, that when it was time to retire he hardly believed he had had time to sit down. Though he talked with the widow only upon common topics, suited to the company around her, she failed not to per- ceive that he was anxious to make her acquamtance, which she was so resolute to prevent, that he could never afterwards meet with her in any company, great or small. At last, having made inquiries as to her habits of life, and learned that she went often to the churches and religious houses, he set so many people on the watch that she could not go to any of those places so secretly but that he was there before her, and stayed as long as he could see her. He made such good use of his time, and gazed at her with such hearty good will, that she could not be ignorant of his passion ; and to prevent these encounters she resolved to feign illness for some time, and hear mass at home. This was a bitter morti- fication to the gentleman, for he was thus deprived of i6o THE HEPTAMEROX OF THE i\ovel \b

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  A young woman, a neighbour of the mercer's, dis- tantly related to Jacques, and a good friend to Frangoise, was of great help to them in bringing the good man to reason. I am informed that they continued their in- trigue without discovery or scandal until the consumma- tion of their marriage. Fran^oise, who was an only child, proved to be very rich for the daughter of a shopkeeper. It is true that Jacques had to wait for the greater part of his wife's fortune until the death of the father, who was so close-fisted and distrustful that what he held in one hand he imagined the other stole from him. There, ladies, you have an example of a tender con- nection well begun, well continued, and better ended ; for although it is usual with men to despise a woman or a girl as soon as she has given you what you sue to her for with most eagerness, yet this young man, loving well and in good faith, and having found in his mistress what 388 THE HEPTAMERON OF THE [JVovel 44. every husband desires to find in his bride ; knowing, moreover, that the girl was of good family, and correct in all but the fault into which he himself had led her, would not commit adultery elsewhere, or trouble the peace of another household : conduct for which I deem him highly commendable. " They were both very blameable, however," said Oisille ; " nor was the friend even excusable for having ministered to the crime, or at least acquiesced in such a rape." " Do you call it a rape when both parties are willing ? " said Saffredent. "Are there any better marriages than those which are thus brought about by furtive amours .-' It has passed into a proverb that marriages are made in heaven ; but this applies neither to forced marriages nor to those which are made for money, and which are re- garded as well and duly approved as soon as the father and mother have given their consent."

• From Four Days to Glory: Wrestling with the Soul of the American Heartland (2005)

  Though Kramer is obviously a solid wrestler, Jay takes him down repeatedly and pushes him around on the mat; it is all Kramer can do to avoid being pinned. “He’s on a mission,” Jim says, a touch of admiration in his voice. God, how Jim loves to watch Jay do his thing. After the final presentations, the boys all stand out on the mat together, their parents off nearby. There is still time for a few more photographs, for the albums. Jay and Kyle will stand together for one shot, their reward for having been named the most valuable wrestlers of the tournament. Not far away, Doug Streicher has room for a few smiles himself: While Jay was pounding his way through his bracket, Streicher has seen progress elsewhere as well. At 103 pounds, Matt McDonough has had a great day, winning his way to the finals before being cut down by the top-ranked wrestler in the state. At the far end of a long season of work, Matty suddenly looks like a wrestler worthy of consideration for the Barn. But that is yet to come. Here in the middle of the mat, it is the seniors, together again, smiling one more time, already looking forward to their final charge at those state championships. There is Jay, and Mitch, and Kyle, and Joey. The weights have been spaced; the competition has been thinned. They are four returning state champions, and the chance is there to go out on a glorious note. It all sets up so perfectly. It seems strange that, in the end, one of them will leave Des Moines in tatters. CHAPTER 10The Youth MovementThey start them young. Young and stupid, preferably, or at least young and as empty-headed as possible. The point, either way, is for them to receive the information that may someday lead to their knowing what to do at championship time. They start kids wrestling as soon as they safely can be tossed onto a mat, and they set them in competitions at around age 5. You can be a kindergartner on the weekdays and a wrestling maniac on the weekends, and, in fact, that’s pretty much the preferred option. It certainly worked for Dan and Jay. Perhaps it also will work for one of the hundreds of kids scattered about the North-Linn gymnasium on a Sunday morning, surrounded by hundreds of parents, each slightly more out of control than the last. With the addition of the middle school at North-Linn a few years back, it is now possible for the students of the area to drive to the same address for six years before heading off to college, which, the statistics suggest, is exactly what they’ll do. In the early years of the new millennium, Iowa’s reported literacy rate of 99 percent was the highest in the nation, and its 85 percent high school graduation rate was far above the national average of 71 percent.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  4. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? 5. For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. 6. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9. Verily I say unto, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. BEDE. (ubi sup.) The Lord when about to suffer for the whole world, and to redeem all nations with His blood, dwells in Bethany, that is, in the house of obedience; wherefore it is said, And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman. PSEUDO-JEROME. For the fawn amongst the stags ever comes back to his couch, that is, the Son, obedient to the Father even unto death, seeks for obedience from us. BEDE. (ubi sup.) He says of Simon the leper, not because he remained still a leper at that time, but because having once been such, he was healed by our Saviour; his former name is left, that the virtue of the Healer may be made manifest. THEOPHYLACT. But although the four Evangelists record the anointing by a woman, there were two women and not one; one described by John, the sister of Lazarus; it was she who six days before the Passover anointed the feet of Jesus; another described by the other three Evangelists. Nay, if you examine, you will find three; for one is described by John, another by Luke, a third by the other two. For that one described by Luke is said to be a sinner and to have come to Jesus during the time of His preaching; but this other described by Matthew and Mark is said to have come at the time of the Passion, nor did she confess that she had been a sinner.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. in Joan. xiii. [xii.] 1, 2, 3) Or he introduces this, as if to say, Do not suppose that we bear witness to this out of gratitude, because we were with Him a long time, and partook of His table; for John who had never seen Him before, nor tarried with Him, bare witness to Him. The Evangelist repeats John’s testimony many times here and there, because he was held in such admiration by the Jews. Other Evangelists refer to the old prophets, and say, This was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. But he introduces a loftier, and later witness, not intending to make the servant vouch for the master, but only condescending to the weakness of his hearers. For as Christ would not have been so readily received, had He not taken upon Him the form of a servant; so if he had not excited the attention of servants by the voice of a fellow-servant beforehand, there would not have been many Jews embracing the word of Christ. It follows, And cried; that is, preached with openness, with freedom, without reservation. He did not however begin with asserting that this one was the natural only-begotten Son of God, but cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for He was before me. For as birds do not teach their young all at once to fly, but first draw them outside the nest, and afterwards try them with a quicker motion; so John did not immediately lead the Jews to high things, but began with lesser flights, saying, that Christ was better than he; which in the mean time was no little advance. And observe how prudently he introduces his testimony; he not only points to Christ when He appears, but preaches Him beforehand; as, This is He of whom I spake. This would prepare men’s minds for Christ’s coming: so that when He did come, the humility of His garb would be no impediment to His being received. For Christ adopted so humble and common an appearance, that if men had seen Him without first hearing John’s testimony to His greatness, none of the things spoken of Him would have had any effect. THEOPHYLACT. He saith, Who cometh after me, that is, as to the time of His birth. John was six months before Christ, according to His humanity. CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xiii. [xii.] 3) Or this does not refer to the birth from Mary; for Christ was born, when this was said by John; but to His coming for the work of preaching. He then saith, is madea before me; that is, is more illustrious, more honourable; as if he said, Do not suppose me greater than He, because I came first to preach. THEOPHYLACT. (in loc.) The Arians infer from this word1, that the Son of God is not begotten of the Father, but made like any other creature.

• From The Triumph of Christianity (2018)

  < 162 < Lecture 24  The Triumph of Christianity: Gains and Losses Social Values and Practices `Another way to look at the gains and losses is in terms of broader social values and practices, based on different kinds of ideology. If one had to describe the ideology guiding those in power in ancient Rome in the simplest terms possible, it would be with the word dominance. `It was simply understood on every level that the more powerful were to assert their power over those who were weaker. yExamples included more powerful states asserting power over the weaker, masters asserting power over slaves, and men asserting power over women. yThough the ancient Romans had a wide and sustained ethical discourse, concern for those who were weak and downtrodden by and large was not on the horizon. `Using the word service is one way to describe the dominant ideology celebrated by the early Christians in simple terms. Not all Christians embraced this ideology, let alone practiced it, but it was the one that was taught, preached, and urged. yThe Christians insisted that love of the other was more important than dominance, that it was more important to serve than to be served. yIt is important to note that the Christian views came out of Judaism. `With the triumph of Christianity, the insistence on service worked its way into the public sphere. For the first time, there started to appear institutions designed to help the poor, marginalized, outcast, weak, and suffering. yThere emerged hospitals, orphanages, public funding of welfare, and private charities. yThese things did not exist in the pagan world. They came into being because of the Christian church. yMost would consider this development a real plus, hugely beneficial to the human race at large and to most of us individually.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  RABANUS. That is, To whatsoever place throughout the whole world the Church shall be propagated, there this also that she hath done shall be told. That also that is added signifies, that as Judas by his reproof of her has earned evil character of treachery, so has she also earned the glory of pious devotedness. JEROME. Note His knowledge of things to come, how though about to suffer death within two days, He knows that His Gospel will be preached throughout the whole world. CHRYSOSTOM. Behold the accomplishment of this saying; to whatsoever part of the world you go, you will find this woman famous, and this has been wrought by the power of Him who spake this word. How many victories of kings and captains have passed into oblivion; how many who built cities and enslaved many nations are now known neither by report nor by name; but the deed of this woman pouring forth ointment in the house of a leper in the presence of twelve men, this resoimds throughout the world, and though so much time has elapsed, the memory of that which was done is not effaced. But why promised He no spiritual gift to this woman, but everlasting remembrance only? Because this He did promise made her confident of receiving the other also; whereas she wrought a good work, it is clear that she shall receive an adequate reward. JEROME. Mystically; The Lord, about to suffer for the whole world, sojourns in Bethany, in the house of obedience, which once was that of Simon the leper. Simon also is interpreted ‘obedient,’ or, according to another interpretation, ‘the world,’ in whose house the Church is healed.