Philip Schaff: ANF06. Fathers of the Third Century: Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius, and Minor Writers, Methodius, Arnobius

Theme

Font

Text Size

Show footnotes

Reader Width

Chapter XXXIII.

33. Seeing that the fear of death, that is, the ruin of our souls, menaces³⁶²⁵³⁶²⁵ Lit., “is set before.” us, in what are we not acting, as we all are wont, from a sense of what will be to our advantage,³⁶²⁶³⁶²⁶ So the ms., first ed., Gelenius, Canterus, Hildebrand, reading ex commodi sensu, for which all the other edd., following Ursinus and Meursius, read ex communi—“from common sense,” i.e., wisely. in that we hold Him fast who assures us that He will be our deliverer from such danger, embrace Him, and entrust our souls to His care,³⁶²⁷³⁶²⁷ Perhaps, as Orelli evidently understands it, “prefer Him to our own souls”—animis præponimus. if only that³⁶²⁸³⁶²⁸ So Oehler, reading ea for the ms. ut, omitted in all edd. interchange is right? You rest the salvation of your souls on yourselves, and are assured that by your own exertions alone³⁶²⁹³⁶²⁹ Lit., “by your own and internal exertion.” you become gods; but we, on the contrary hold out no hope to ourselves from our own weakness, for we see that our nature has no strength, and is overcome by its own passions in every strife for anything.³⁶³⁰³⁶³⁰ Lit., “of things.” You think that, as soon as you pass away, freed from the bonds of your fleshly members, you will find wings³⁶³¹³⁶³¹ Lit., “wings will be at hand.” with which you may rise to heaven and soar to the stars. We shun such presumption. and do not think³⁶³²³⁶³² The ms. reads di-cimus, “say;” corrected du, as above. that it is in our power to reach the abodes³⁶³³³⁶³³ The first four edd. read res, “things above,” for which Stewechius reads, as above, sedes. above, since we have no certainty as to this even, whether we deserve to receive 447life and be freed from the law of death. You suppose that without the aid of others³⁶³⁴³⁶³⁴ Sponte. you will return to the master’s palace as if to your own home, no one hindering you; but we, on the contrary, neither have any expectation that this can be unless by the will of the Lord of all, nor think that so much power and licence are given to any man.

³⁶²⁵ Lit., “is set before.”

³⁶²⁶ So the ms., first ed., Gelenius, Canterus, Hildebrand, reading ex commodi sensu, for which all the other edd., following Ursinus and Meursius, read ex communi—“from common sense,” i.e., wisely.

³⁶²⁷ Perhaps, as Orelli evidently understands it, “prefer Him to our own souls”—animis præponimus.

³⁶²⁸ So Oehler, reading ea for the ms. ut, omitted in all edd.

³⁶²⁹ Lit., “by your own and internal exertion.”

³⁶³⁰ Lit., “of things.”

³⁶³¹ Lit., “wings will be at hand.”

³⁶³² The ms. reads di-cimus, “say;” corrected du, as above.

³⁶³³ The first four edd. read res, “things above,” for which Stewechius reads, as above, sedes.

³⁶³⁴ Sponte.

« Prev

Chapter XXXIII.

Contents