January 4 – Epiphany of the Lord

OVERVIEW: This psalm applies to Christ, who alone rules eternally, exists from eternity and whose justice endures until the end of the world (JUSTIN, ORIGEN, EUSEBIUS). Sometimes the Scriptures use hyperbole to make a point, such as the prophecy of the extent of Solomon’s kingdom (THEODORE). Prophecy is compared with the refreshing benefits of rain, the absence of which results in unbelief. Christ ended the drought when he came and gave the world the Holy Spirit (AMBROSE). Christ is prophesied as the Prince of Peace who will shepherd his flock after his birth at Bethlehem (EUSEBIUS). The unusual and quiet nature of Christ’s conception and birth were prophesied by David (MAXIMUS).
All Scripture, both the Old and New Testaments, declares that the true church will be spread throughout the world. Prophecies of universal rule can apply only to Christ, whose dominion began at the time of his baptism in the Jordan River. The recognition of Christ and the beginning of his reign occur at the time of John the Baptist’s declaration of his identity and baptism of him. The spreading of the Christian church is evidence that Christ has subdued all the kings of the earth and brought them into happy submission. While it may be more honorable to rely on legitimate governments than on heretics, ultimately one’s reliance and hope must be in God (AUGUSTINE). Since Christ, like the Father, is God, he should be worshiped throughout the world (FULGENTIUS).
Believers who are afflicted in this world can be cheerful because God has conquered their enemies, delivered them from their oppressors and made their former enemies subject to him (ORIGEN). The magi’s gift of gold symbolizes the submission of the Eastern kingdoms to the King of kings (TERTULLIAN).
Christ is God to whom all created things have become subject (JUSTIN). David attests to Christ’s eternal existence and therefore to his deity, a fact incomprehensible to the human mind but proclaimed by prophecy (HILARY). Since Christ existed from eternity, it is his human nature that is exalted, not his deity (ATHANASIUS). It is by the power of God that we are transformed spiritually from captives to free persons, from sinful to just and holy, from being disinherited to heirs of God (CHRYSOSTOM). God performs miracles under his own power; when people perform miracles they need God’s help in doing so (AUGUSTINE). Some godly people have been so blessed in doing wonderful God-pleasing deeds that they defy human eloquence to describe them (BRAULIO).

CHRIST IS KING. JUSTIN MARTYR: As a further proof of your ignorance of the Scripture, I am going to quote another psalm, dedicated to David by the Holy Spirit, which you erroneously think refers to your king Solomon but which in reality refers to Christ. One cause of your error is that you are misled by the false interpretation of equivocal terms. For when the law of God is called a “blameless law,” you do not understand it as applying to the law that was to come after Moses but to the Mosaic law itself, even though God had promised to establish a new law and a new covenant. And when the psalm says, “Give to the king your judgment, O God,” you claim that the words were spoken of Solomon because he was a king, whereas the words clearly proclaim that they were spoken of the eternal King, that is, Christ. I prove from all the Scriptures that Christ is spoken of as a king, and a priest, and God, and Lord, and an angel, and a man, and a leader, and a stone, and a begotten son and as one who at first endured suffering, then ascended into heaven, and as returning to earth with glory and having the eternal kingdom. _{DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO 34}
A PROPHECY OF CHRIST. ORIGEN: And I support this from Psalm 71 [LXX], which says, “Give to the king your judgment, O God; and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice, and your poor with judgment.” For clearly the psalm, which has been ascribed to Solomon, prophesies of Christ. _{COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 1.193}
CHRIST, THE SEED OF DAVID, SHALL REIGN FOREVER. EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA: As this psalm is addressed to Solomon, the first verse of the psalm must be referred to him, and all the rest to the son of Solomon, not Rehoboam, who was king of Israel after him, but him that was of his seed according to the flesh, the Christ of God; for all who are acquainted with the holy Scriptures will agree that it is impossible to connect what is said in this psalm with Solomon or his successors, because of what they reveal about Christ. No, how is it possible to apply to Solomon, or his son Rehoboam, the burden of the whole psalm?—for instance, “He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.” And “He shall remain as long as the sun, and before the moon for ever,” and other similar statements. Yet the words at the beginning of the psalm are at once seen to apply to Solomon, which say, “O God, you will give judgment to the king,” And the addition, “And your justice to the king’s son,” to the Son of Solomon, not his firstborn who succeeded him in the kingdom (for he only ruled the Jewish nation seventeen years, being a wicked king), nor any of the successors of Rehoboam, but only to one of the seed of David, who could thus be called the son both of David and Solomon. And this is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For his kingdom and its throne will stand as long as the sun. And he alone of people, as the Word of God, existed before the moon and the creation of the world, and he alone came down like dew from heaven on all the earth; and it was said in our quotation a little above, that he had risen on all people and that his justice would remain even until the consummation of life, which is called the removal of the moon. And our Savior’s power is supreme from the eastern sea to the west, beginning its activity at the river, which is either the sacrament of baptism, or from Jordan, where he first appeared to benefit humankind. From that time his kingdom has spread and extended through the whole world. _{PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 7.3}

GOD RULES THE EARTH. AUGUSTINE: But the testimonies of the entire Scripture proclaim with one voice that the church, with which the sect of Donatus is not in communion, is indeed spread throughout the entire world. “In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” the law of God said. “From the rising of the sun even to the going down, there is offered to my name a clean offering, for my name is great among the Gentiles,” said God through the prophet. “He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth,” God said in the psalm. “Bringing forth fruit and growing in the whole world,” God said through the apostle. _{LETTER 185.5}
SOLOMON WAS A FAINT FORESHADOW OF CHRIST. AUGUSTINE: Indeed, even in Solomon there appeared some image of the future event, in that he built the temple, and had peace according to his name (for Solomon means “pacific”), and in the beginning of his reign was wonderfully praiseworthy; but while, as a shadow of him that should come, he foreshowed Christ our Lord, he did not also in his own person resemble him. Whence some things concerning him are so written as if they were prophesied of himself, while the Holy Scripture, prophesying even by events, somehow delineates in him the figure of things to come. For, besides the books of divine history, in which his reign is narrated, the 72nd Psalm (LXX) also is inscribed in the title with his name, in which so many things are said which cannot at all apply to him, but which apply to the Lord Christ with such evident fitness as makes it quite apparent that in the one the figure is in some way shadowed forth, but in the other the truth itself is presented. For it is known within what bounds the kingdom of Solomon was enclosed; and yet in that psalm, not to speak of other things, we read, “He shall have dominion from sea even to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth,” which we see fulfilled in Christ. Truly he took the beginning of his reigning from the river where John baptized; for, when pointed out by him, he began to be acknowledged by the disciples, who called him not only Master, but also Lord. _{CITY OF GOD 17.8}
CHRIST’S DOMINION BEGAN AT HIS BAPTISM. AUGUSTINE: Where? At the river Jordan. That, you see, is where Christ’s work of teaching began. It was there that the baptism of Christ that was to come was commended to us, because the previous kind of baptism was received there, and the one preparing the way, and saying, “Prepare a way for the Lord, make straight his paths.” The Lord, you see, wished to be baptized by the servant, so that those who are baptized by the Lord might appreciate what it is they receive. So he began from the very place where prophecy had very properly preceded him: “He will have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the limits of the whole wide world.” At the very river where Christ began to have dominion, John saw Christ, recognized him, bore witness to him. _{SERMON 288.2}
ALL NATIONS WILL SERVE CHRIST. AUGUSTINE: I hear that you often repeat and call attention to the passage in the Gospel where it is written that the seventy disciples went back from the Lord and were left to their own choice in their evil and impious separation; and to the twelve who stayed with him he said, “Will you go away also?” You fail to notice that the church then was just beginning to put forth young shoots and that as yet there was no fulfillment of that prophecy: “And all the kings of the earth shall adore him; all nations shall serve him.” Surely, the more complete the fulfillment, the greater the authority exercised by the church, not only to invite but to compel people to goodness. This is what the Lord wished to convey by that incident, for, in spite of possessing full power, he chose, instead, to commend humility. He showed this quite clearly in the parable of the wedding feast, in which, after the invited guests had been notified and had refused to come, the servant was told, “Go out into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the feeble and the blind and the lame. And the servant said to his lord, It is done as you have commanded and yet there is room. And the lord said to the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled.” _{LETTER 173}
CHRIST IS THE TRUE PRINCE OF PEACE. AUGUSTINE: This and many similar prophecies, which it would take too long to quote, would surely impress the mind of the inquirer. He would see these very kings of the earth now happily subdued by Christ, and all nations serving him. He would also hear the words of the psalm in which this was predicted very long ago: “All the kings of the earth shall bow down to him; all nations shall serve him.” And if he were to read the whole of that psalm, which is figuratively applied to Solomon, he would find that Christ is the true King of peace, for Solomon means peaceful; and he would find many things in the psalm applicable to Christ, which have no reference at all to the literal King Solomon. _{AGAINST FAUSTUS, A MANICHEAN 13.7}
RELY ON GOD. AUGUSTINE: But we on our side do not rely on any human power, although, no doubt, it would be much more honorable to rely on the emperors than to rely on Circumcellions and to rely on laws than to rely on rioting, but we recall what is written: “Cursed be everyone who puts his hope in man.” So, then, if you want to know on whom we rely, think of him whom the prophet foretold, saying, “All the kings of the earth shall adore him; all nations shall serve him.” That is why we make use of this power of the church that the Lord both promised and gave to it. _{LETTER 105}
THE FATHER AND CHRIST ARE ONE GOD. FULGENTIUS OF RUSPE: Therefore, let them [Arians] say that the Father and the Son are not two lord gods but their one Lord God, if they wish to hold to the truth of the faith and are unwilling to be found in rebellion against the commandments of the law and the gospel. For thus they will be able to preserve equally the understanding and the obligatory force of that text where it is said, “The Lord your God you shall adore, and him alone shall you serve.” Nor is it right for anyone to adore the Father as God in such a way that he does not adore the Son as God, for indeed it has been written about the Son in Deuteronomy: “Praise, O heavens, his people; worship him, all you gods.” Concerning him as well, the blessed David says in the psalms, “May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.” _{LETTER 8.3.8}

GOD HELPS THE POOR AND NEEDY. ORIGEN: We are taught, therefore, to be of good cheer when we are afflicted in the world. We learn that the reason for being of good cheer is this: the world has been conquered and, of course, subjected to him who conquered it. For this reason, all the nations, set free from those who formerly controlled them, serve him, because “he delivered the poor from the mighty” through his own passion, “and the needy who had no helper.” _{COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 6.286}

OVERVIEW: Paul is now a prisoner, which has become his permanent condition. We must look for order in Paul’s meaning rather than in his words, which skip around and leave the reader in suspense (JEROME). He alludes to the charge that he received at Damascus (AMBROSIASTER) and notes that he has expounded the mystery of the gospel discreetly (THEODORET, AMBROSIASTER). We, however, cannot expect to receive it by a similar revelation (MARIUS VICTORINUS). The old prophets had partial revelation (CHRYSOSTOM). Paul and the apostles share an identical revelation (MARIUS VICTORINUS) and pass it on to new proclaimers (THEODORET). The Gentiles are fellow heirs of Israel and Christ, cemented in one body by mutual love (JEROME).

HIS STEWARDSHIP OF GRACE. CHRYSOSTOM: He is hinting at what was said about him in Damascus to Ananias, when the Lord said, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.” By “dispensation of grace” he means the revelation made to him. It is as if he were saying: “I did not learn it from any human. God chose to reveal it to me for your benefit, though I am only an individual.” _{HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 6.3.1-2}

HIS REVELATION UNIQUE. MARIUS VICTORINUS: Paul indicates that this mystery was made known to him through revelation. From this passage it is evident that a Christian, and a very excellent Christian at that, can be brought into being solely by grace. . . . Nevertheless, the power of God dispenses grace in many ways. Others come to faith by teaching, wherein by a legitimate training process and through the commandments of the Savior a person is reborn through the Spirit and water, so as to receive the spirit of Christ, in a teaching process that is mediated from human beings and through human beings. But what happened to Paul came to him by the grace of God through revelation. Although he, in my judgment, was the only one who received this particular revelation, God is able to reveal himself in this form or in other ways to others. _{EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.3.1-2}
WHY BRIEFLY? AMBROSIASTER: He indicates that he has been shown the revelation of the mystery of God, about which he says that he has written briefly, that is, precisely, according to their capacity to comprehend the wisdom of the apostle in the mystery of Christ. _{EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 3.4}
HAS PAUL WRITTEN OF THIS BEFORE? THEODORET: The words I wrote a little before do not mean, as some think, that he has written another letter. For it is not with respect to himself that he says “I have written” but with respect to the mystery. For he is referring to “the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I wrote to you a little while ago,” yet it is this “about which I have just now written.” For this has been his subject from the outset right up to this passage. _{EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 3.1-4}

THE HARMONY BETWEEN PAUL’S REVELATION AND THE APOSTLES’. MARIUS VICTORINUS: He teaches that there is a perfect harmony—a complete unity and identity—between the revelations given to him and those given to the apostles. His purpose is to avoid discord and any appearance of having received by revelation something that was not given to the apostles by the living Christ. _{EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.3.5}
THE PROPHETS GRASPED THE REVELATION IN PART. CHRYSOSTOM: Tell me then, what part did the prophets not fully grasp? How can Christ say later that Moses and the prophets wrote “these things about me”? . . . What he is saying is that the expectation of Christ was not revealed to everyone. It “was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” Peter, if he had not been guided by the Spirit, would never have gone to the Gentiles. . . . The prophets therefore spoke but did not have complete knowledge at the time. They did not even have complete knowledge after they heard the gospel, which far exceeds human reason and common expectations. _{HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 6.3.3-6}
NOT MADE KNOWN TO OTHER GENERATIONS. THEODORET: It was made known incrementally to the prophets of old, but not fully then as it is now. For they did not see the whole picture but wrote down words about aspects of it. . . . Remember that in the apostles’ day there were many who had the gift of prophecy. It is in this order that he mentions that the revelation was known to the apostles and then to the prophets. _{EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 3.5}

FELLOW HEIRS WITH CHRIST. JEROME: The Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel. Put more precisely, they are fellow heirs with Christ. . . . It is not that some possession is divided among us but that God himself in his fullness is our inheritance and possession. _{EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.3.5 SEQ}
MEMBERS OF THE SAME BODY. JEROME: Now the meaning of fellow heirs is this: Just as there are many members in one body . . . and these, though in one body, have their differences and feel their own joy and grief in turn, so those who have believed in Christ, even if they have different gifts, are bonded together in the one body of Christ. _{EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.3.5 SEQ}

Overview: Christ came during the reign of Herod, who was not a Jew by race but whose reign was prophesied (Theodore of Mopsuestia). Herod continues to serve as a symbol of false devotion (Gregory the Great). Feigning adoration of the Christ child (Peter Chrysologus), Herod would have destroyed him if only he could find him (Gregory the Great). Silent elements (a star) preached of the Christ child before he ever spoke. Later the apostles would make the Lord known to us by speaking when he was no longer present in earthly body to speak (Gregory the Great). If Herod had believed the prophecy was true, he would not have attempted to frustrate what was divinely mandated (Chrysostom). When the wicked want to do serious harm, they paint treachery in the color of humility (Anonymous). Nothing restrained Herod. This is how wickedness works, stumbling over its own greed (Chrysostom). Jerusalem remained troubled by the same idolatrous affections that had previously caused them to turn from God precisely when God was pouring out his greatest benefits upon them (Chrysostom). The whole people of God was called by the name of Israel, as if by a name divinely chosen, setting them apart from other nations, as was true of the church (Cyril of Alexandria). God came to help the human race in the form of the Christ child, who needed help from no one else (Peter Chrysologus).

How Herod’s Rule Was Anticipated.
Theodore of Mopsuestia: The patriarch Jacob had already anticipated this very time precisely when he said, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs.” Matthew brought these same prophetic testimonies forward in order to show from them that everything came about according to the words of the prophets. On the one hand, he showed that Christ would come from Bethlehem, as had been said by the prophet. On the other hand, he demonstrated that this saying of Jacob prefigured that this was to occur “in the days of Herod.” First then those who ruled over Israel were from David, from the tribe of Judah (Levi’s brother), until the captivity in Babylon. After these things the high priests themselves who held the leadership of the people were of the tribe of Levi, but their lineage was also traced from Judah. An intermixture had occurred between the levitical tribe—especially the high priests—and the royal tribe of Judah. Afterward, when the brothers Aristobulus and Hyrcanus came into conflict with each other and warred over the monarchy, the kingdom finally settled upon Herod, who was not a Jew by race, for he was the son of Antipater, an Idumean. And it was, in fact, during the time of his kingdom that Christ the Master appeared, when the kings and rulers from among the Jews had ceased. _{Fragment 6}
Herod and Christ. Peter Chrysologus:
What does this mean, that it was in the time of a very malevolent king that God descended to earth, divinity entered into flesh, a heavenly union occurred with an earthly body? What does this mean? How could it happen that a tyrant could then be driven out by one who was not a king, who would free his people, renew the face of the earth and restore freedom? Herod, an apostate, had wrongly invaded the kingdom of the Jews, taken away their liberty, profaned their holy places, disrupted the established order, abolished whatever there was of discipline and religious worship. It was fitting therefore that God’s own aid would come to succor that holy race without any human help. Rightly did God emancipate the race that no human hand could free. In just this way will Christ come again, to undo the antichrist, free the world, restore the original land of paradise, uphold the liberty of the world and take away all its slavery. _{Sermons 156.5}

More Than Human Leading. Chrysostom:
A star appeared in the heavens, calling the wise men from on high. They made a long pilgrimage to worship the One who lay in swaddling clothes in a manger. The prophets of old had proclaimed his coming. These and all the other events were more than human. _{The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 7.3}

Distinguishing a Silent Sign from a Spoken Prophecy. Gregory the Great: We must ask what it means that when our Redeemer was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds in Judea, but a star and not an angel guided the magi from the east to worship him. This was the reason: It was a reasoning being, an angel, who preached to the Jews as persons capable of using their reason. But a sign and not a voice guided the Gentiles, who were not prepared to make full use of reason to know the Lord. Hence Paul says that “prophecy has been given for believers not for unbelievers, but signs have been given for unbelievers and not for believers.” And so prophecy has been given to the Jews as believers and not unbelievers, and signs have been given to the Gentiles as unbelievers and not believers. Note that the apostle preached our Redeemer to these same Gentiles when Jesus was already a grown man, but a star declared him to the Gentiles even when he was a small child, not yet able to perform the normal human function of speaking. It was surely reasonable both that silent elements should preach him when he was not yet speaking and that preachers should make the Lord known to us by speaking when he was already speaking. _{Forty Gospel Homilies 10.1}

Trouble in the Holy City. Chrysostom:
Since Herod was king, he was naturally afraid both for himself and for his children. But why was Jerusalem troubled? Surely the prophets had foretold him as the Savior, Benefactor and Deliverer who would come from above. But Jerusalem remained troubled by the same idolatrous affections that had previously caused them to turn from God precisely when God was pouring out his greatest benefits on them. While God was offering them new freedom, they were once again mindful only of the fleshpots of bondage in Egypt.
Note the accuracy of the prophets, who had foretold this judgment earlier: “They shall compensate for every garment that has been acquired by deceit and all clothing with restitution; and they shall be willing, even if they had been burnt with fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Although troubled, they nevertheless did not try to understand what was happening. They did not follow the wise men or even take any particular notice. To this extent were they both contentious and careless. This happened just when those in Jerusalem under Herod had reason to pride themselves that a king was being born among them. This had even attracted the attention of the wise from Persia. They were on the point of having everything going their way, as though their affairs were advancing toward improvement. But most did not even take notice. Amid an empire that had become so magnificent, they showed little improvement.
Jerusalem had only recently been delivered from subjugation. It might have been more reasonable for them to think, If the Persians tremble before this king now merely at his birth, wouldn’t they tremble much more when he grows up? They would fear and obey him, and our situation might then be more glorious than that of the barbarians. Even if they knew nothing of mysteries or revelations but formed their judgments only on the basis of present self-interest, they surely might have thought along these lines. But nothing like this really occurred to them, so great was their dullness in prophecy and envy in human affairs.
Such dullness and envy must be rooted out of our minds. One must be more impassioned than fire to stand up against such an array. This is why Christ said, “I am come to send fire on earth, and how I wish it were already kindled.” And the Spirit on this account appeared in fire.
_{The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 6.4}

How the Church Became Israel. Cyril of Alexandria: Jacob was called the first Israel when he beheld the ladder and, on it, the “angels ascending and descending.” He wrestled with the one who appeared to him. He heard him say, “Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel.” By this name the entire people of Israel was called, as if by a name divinely chosen, setting them apart from other nations. Now, Israel means “a mind that sees God.” Thus the church from among the Gentiles is also called Israel, not according to the flesh but according to divine grace. _{Fragment 11}

The Intent to Destroy. Gregory the Great: When Herod learned of the birth of our King, he resorted to crafty means to prevent his earthly kingdom from being endangered. He demanded that it be reported to him where the child was to be found. Pretending that he wished to worship him, he would have destroyed him if only he could find him. But of what avail is human malice against the divine plan? “There is no wisdom, no prudence, no plan against the Lord.” The star appeared to guide the magi. They found the newborn king and offered him their gifts. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. And so Herod was unable to find Jesus, whom he was seeking. Herod symbolizes all those today who, falsely seeking after the Lord, never manage to find him. _{Forty Gospel Homilies 10.2}
What Troubled Herod. Cyril of Alexandria: It wasn’t the words of the magi that troubled Herod. It was the speculations of the legal experts about the words of the believing prophets. For the magi were seeking a king, but the Jews were declaring that Christ had been born. For this reason, turning aside the magi, Herod calls the Jews and asks them where the Christ should be born, he “whom you, having heard the magi, are now announcing.” This is how the enemies of the truth may sometimes unwillingly speak the truth. They interpret the whole prophecy uselessly, failing to grasp what is necessary. _{Fragment 10.3}

Herod Sent the Magi. Cyril of Alexandria: Herod treats the magi as ambassadors. For after a certain manner, they had come to the King of Israel in order to intercede that there might be peace between them and the Israelites. They hoped that, for Gentiles and Jews alike, there might be “one fold, one shepherd.” _{Fragment 10}
Nothing Restrained Herod. Chrysostom:
The attempt to murder the child just born was not only an act of madness but also of extreme folly, since what had been said and done was enough to hold him back from any such attempt. For these were not merely natural or human occurrences. . . . Nevertheless nothing restrained Herod. This is how wickedness works—it stumbles over its own greed, always attempting vain objectives. What utter folly. So on either premise his craftiness was bizarre. It was also folly for him to think that the wise men would take him more seriously than the child whom they had come so far to see, whose identity had been confirmed by prophecy. How could Herod hope to persuade the wise men to betray this child to him, even before they had seen the One for whom they had so long hoped? Nevertheless, as many as were the good reasons to hold him back, Herod persisted with his evil attempt. . . . He must have imagined that the Jews would be so anxious to protect the child that they would never be willing to give up their national Deliverer and Savior. With all these miscalculations, he called in the wise men privately and sought to discern the timing of the star. The object of his pursuit was far more than a star. For the star, I think, must have appeared and been visible a long time before, because it took a long time for the wise men to come on their journey to find him in swaddling clothes. If the star appeared at the moment of Jesus’ birth in Palestine, it would have already been seen by many in the distant east. The trip to Jerusalem would have taken quite some time.
As to Herod’s murder of the children “who were two years old and under,” this shows the extent of his irrational wrath and dread in trying to prevent even one from escaping. . . .
But the wise men perceive nothing of this, by reason of their exceeding awe. They would never have expected that Herod could have persisted toward such great wickedness as to attempt to form plots against a dispensation so marvelous.
_{The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 7.2-3}
Painting Malice in the Color of Humility. Anonymous: After Herod heard the response, he found it believable on two counts: first, it had been spoken by the priests, and second, it had been substantiated by the prophets. He did not bow in devotion to the King about to be born. Rather he harbored malice, seeking Jesus’ death through deceit. The wicked may be able to understand what pertains to God when they cannot do what pertains to God. Human intellect was created by God, while human actions spring from free will. Herod saw the great devotion of the magi to Christ. He could not manipulate them with blandishments or frighten them with threats or corrupt them with gold to make them acquiesce with him in the murder of the future King. So he sought to deceive them. But it could not be that, having been lured by blandishments, they would betray the One on account of whom they had undertaken so arduous a journey. Neither could these men announce another king. They belonged to another kingdom and had no high regard for either Herod or Caesar. They could not be intimidated by anyone into betraying him, nor could they desire anything more than Christ, to whom they were bringing precious gifts from so distant a province.
Herod saw there was nothing else he could do. While sharpening his sword, he promised his devotion and painted the malice of his heart in the color of humility. Such is the habit of all wicked people when they want to do serious harm to someone: they feign humility and friendship. _{Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 2}
Feigned Adoration. Peter Chrysologus:
“Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word.” Appropriately did Herod say, “Bring me word,” for the one who hastens to come to Christ always brings a word of renunciation to the devil. When the priest says to the future Christian, “Do you renounce the devil?” the latter will answer, “I do renounce him.” Properly therefore are the magi instructed to bring word to Herod, who realized he was taking the place of the devil. Satan knew how to corrupt a person.
“That I may come and worship him.” He wants to lie but he cannot. He who feigned adoration will come that he might bow to abuse, kneel to inflict punishment, recline to do harm. . . . But when the clouds of treachery have passed, in the fair weather of emerging Christian faith, the magi behold again the star they had seen, preceding and leading them on. Finally they arrive at the most holy place of the Lord’s birth. _{Sermons 158.8-9}

Overview: The star of Bethlehem was not an ordinary star, for no other star has this capacity to guide, not merely to move but to beckon (Chrysostom). The star went ahead of the magi, showing how all the cosmic elements pay tribute to Christ (Anonymous). The Son of God, who is God of the universe, was born a human being in the flesh. He permitted himself to be placed in a manger while the heavens were being upheld by the same One who was within the manger (Chromatius). The wise men saw a dark and lowly stable, more fit for animals than people, in which no human would be content to retreat unless compelled by the necessity of the journey (Anonymous). Realizing that the baby was a king, they offered him costly gold, the fragrance of frankincense and myrrh (Anonymous). Gold symbolizes wisdom, frankincense the fragrant pursuit of holy speech, and myrrh the mortification of the flesh. We too offer myrrh to God when we employ the spice of self-restraint to keep this earthly body of ours from decomposing through decadence (Gregory the Great). It was foretold that our Lord and infant Savior would be triumphant even at the beginning of his life in the flesh (Chromatius). It was not possible for those who had come from Herod to Christ to return to Herod, so they came back by another route (Anonymous). God thereby signified that he intended to heal both Babylon and Egypt (Chrysostom). So let us, like the magi, return to our home country (paradise) by another way than the way we left it (Gregory the Great).

An Ordinary House, Not an Ordinary Star. Chrysostom: “And lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.” The star brought them to inquire of the Jews, that their discovery might be made evident to all, and then appeared to them again. Note how fitting was the order of events: the wise men saw the star, were received by the Jews and their king; they heard prophecy to explain what had appeared; the angel instructed them; and then they journeyed from Jerusalem to Bethlehem by the guidance of the star. From all this we learn that this was not an ordinary star, for no other star has this capacity to guide, not merely to move but to beckon, to “go before them,” drawing and guiding them along their way.
The star remained after bringing them to the place, in order that the child might also be seen. For there is nothing conspicuous about the place. The inn was ordinary. The mother was not celebrated or notable. The star was needed to manifest and illumine the lowly place, until they had reached their destination at the manger. _{The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 7.3}
The Elements Pay Tribute. Anonymous:
Considering the homage paid by the star, they became aware of the dignity of the king and said among themselves, “How can this be—an earthly king to whom a star pays tribute?” What wonder, then, that with the sun of justice about to arise, the heavenly star paid tribute to him! It went before them, that it might show how all the elements pay tribute to those who seek God. Therefore, if you think it a great thing that the star paid homage to Christ, see how much greater are those things which pay tribute to you who have been made human. Look at the sun that hastens to rise for you and the moon that does not cease to shine. If the elements pay tribute to you who have been made, what wonder if the star paid tribute to Christ? If the elements pay tribute to you who are a sinner, what wonder if the star hastened before those who were seeking Christ? And if angels pay tribute to people, whom God created not out of respect for humans but for himself, what great thing is it if the elements that were created for humans should pay tribute to humans? Hearing this, it behooves us both to rejoice and to be fearful, for the greater the benefits given to humanity, all the greater will be the judgments prepared for sinners. And the star stood above the child’s head, saying simply: Here he is. Though unable to point him out by speaking, it pointed him out by remaining in one place. _{Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 2}

They Found What They Sought. Chrysostom: In this way marvel was linked to marvel: the magi were worshiping, the star was going before them. All this is enough to captivate a heart made of stone. If it had been only the wise men or only the prophets or only the angels who had said these things, they might have been disbelieved. But now with all this confluence of varied evidence, even the most skeptical mouths are stopped. Moreover, the star, when it stood over the child, held still. This itself demonstrates a power greater than any star: first to hide itself, then to appear, then to stand still. From this all who beheld were encouraged to believe. This is why the magi rejoiced. They found what they were seeking. They had proved to be messengers of truth. Their long journey was not without fruit. Their longing for the Anointed One was fulfilled. He who was born was divine. They recognized this in their worship. _{The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 7.4}
With Great Joy. Anonymous: “And when they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly,” because they had not been deceived in their hope but rather confirmed even more that they had not undertaken the burden of so great a journey without reason. By the sign of the star appearing to them at the time, they understood that the birth of the King was revealed to them by divine authority. Through the mystery of the star they understood that the dignity of the King who was born exceeded the measure of all earthly kings. For it was inevitable that they considered this King more glorious than the star, which devotedly paid homage to him. What else could these men do but submit to him when even the stars in the sky saw they were subject to him? How could the earth be rebellious against him upon whom the heavens waited? _{Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 2}

A Cradle the World Cannot Hold.
Chromatius: Let us now observe how glorious was the dignity that attended the King after his birth, after the magi in their journey remained obedient to the star. For immediately the magi fell to their knees and adored the one born as Lord. There in his very cradle they venerated him with offerings of gifts, though Jesus was merely a whimpering infant. They perceived one thing with the eyes of their bodies but another with the eyes of the mind. The lowliness of the body he assumed was discerned, but the glory of his divinity is now made manifest. A boy he is, but it is God who is adored. How inexpressible is the mystery of his divine honor! The invisible and eternal nature did not hesitate to take on the weaknesses of the flesh on our behalf. The Son of God, who is God of the universe, is born a human being in the flesh. He permits himself to be placed in a manger, and the heavens are within the manger. He is kept in a cradle, a cradle that the world cannot hold. He is heard in the voice of a crying infant. This is the same one for whose voice the whole world would tremble in the hour of his passion. Thus he is the One, the God of glory and the Lord of majesty, whom as a tiny infant the magi recognize. It is he who while a child was truly God and King eternal. To him Isaiah pointed, saying, “For a boy has been born to you; a son has been given to you, a son whose empire has been forged on his shoulders.” _{Tractate on Matthew 5.1}
What They Saw. Anonymous: “And upon entering the house they saw the boy and his mother.” Do we understand why, on seeing such a glorious sight, they delighted in the boy, the boy whom they sought as King and for whom they undertook the labor of so great a journey? Did they see a palace splendid in its marble? Did they see his mother crowned with a diadem or reclining on a gilded couch? Did they see a boy swaddled in purple and gold, a royal hallway thronged with various peoples? What did they see? A dark and lowly stable, more fit for animals than people, in which no one would be content to hide unless compelled by the necessity of the journey. They saw his mother with scarcely one tunic to her name, and that tunic was not dressy clothing for her body but a covering for her nakedness, such as a carpenter’s wife might have—the garb of an immigrant. The child was covered in the most lowly swaddling clothes and placed in an even lowlier manger. The place was so confining that they could find no room to set him down.
If then they had been seeking a king of this world and thus had found him, they would have been more perplexed than delighted, because they would have undertaken the effort of so great a journey for nothing. Yet because they were seeking the heavenly king, even if they saw nothing regal in him, they were nevertheless delighted, content in the testimony of the star. Their eyes could not see an unworthy boy, because the spirit in their hearts was revealing him to them as an awesome thing. If, moreover, they had sought him as a king of this world, they would have stayed with him, as is often the case when people abandon one king and transfer their allegiance to another. Instead they adored him and returned home that they might have Jesus as the just, heavenly king over their souls and the king of their home country as ruler over their bodies. _{Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 2}
Intimations of Divinity. Anonymous:
“And they adored him.” Do you think they would have adored a boy who did not understand the honor of their adoration unless they had believed that God was in him? Therefore they did not postpone their honoring of him, as to one childishly lacking understanding. They treated him as one whose divinity is aware of everything. Even the very nature of the gifts they offered gave witness that they had a certain intimation of the infant divinity. _{Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 2}
Gifts Fit for Nations. Anonymous: “For they opened their treasure chests, and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Thus they were fulfilling the acknowledgment of Christ on behalf of all nations. They were signifying the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “All those who are in Sheba shall come, offering gold and precious stones and spreading the good news of the Lord; all the sheep of Kedar shall be gathered together, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come, and they will offer pleasing incense on your altar.” They recognized him at once. They opened their treasure chests. They displayed their offerings, gifts in themselves fit for nations to give. For, realizing that he was king, they offered him their elegant and costly first fruits, fit for the Holy One. They offered him gold they had stored up for themselves. Moreover, recognizing his divine and heavenly coming to them, they made an offering of frankincense, a beautiful gift like the soothing speech of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, understanding as they did that human life is but a sepulcher, they offered myrrh. _{Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 2}
Offering of the Hallowed Mind, Speech and Will. Gregory the Great: There is something more that must be understood about the gold, incense and myrrh. Solomon testifies that gold symbolizes wisdom when he says, “A pleasing treasure lies in the mouth of the wise.” The psalmist bears witness to that incense which prayer offers to God when he says, “Let my prayer ascend as incense in your sight.” The myrrh indicates the mortification of our bodies, of which the holy church speaks of its workmen who strive even unto death on behalf of God, “My hands dripped with myrrh.” And so do we too offer gold to the newborn king if we shine in his sight with the brightness of the wisdom from on high. We too offer him incense if we enkindle on the altar of our hearts the thoughts of our human minds by our holy pursuit of prayer, so as to give forth a sweet smell to God by our heavenly desire. And we offer him myrrh if we mortify the vices of our bodies by our self-denial. Myrrh brings it about, as I have said, that dead bodies do not decompose. For a dead body to decompose is the same as for the human body of ours to become a slave to the decay of dissoluteness, as is said by the prophet: “The pack animals have decomposed in their own dung.” This indicates fleshly minded persons who end their lives in the stench of dissoluteness. Therefore we are offering myrrh to God when we employ the spice of self-restraint to keep this earthly body of ours from decomposing through decadence. _{Forty Gospel Homilies 10.6}

They Departed Another Way. Anonymous: Oh, the faith of the magi! They did not speak disparagingly of the warning, saying, “We have come a long way, passing through a multitude of nations, feeling no fear. We did not tremble at all before the dread kings when we were there, but we stood our ground and faithfully foretold the king who had been born and, as if to a god, we brought him worthy gifts. And now like slaves you bid us flee further and return by a different route from that we would normally travel?”
No, having already faithfully stood their ground, they did not fear to become known, nor were they ashamed to withdraw in secret. It was not possible that those who had come from Herod to Christ would return to Herod. For those who, abandoning Christ, make their way to Herod still can readily return to Christ. But those who abandon Herod and come to Christ with all their heart do not wish to return to Herod. This is to say: the one who by sinning crosses over from Christ to the devil may readily return through repentance to Christ. But those who abandon the devil for Christ do not easily return to the devil. This is because the one who has never been involved in evil but has known only innocence, so long as evil has not been experienced, is easily deceived and crosses over to the devil. But when he has had experience of evil and has recalled the good that he has squandered, he quickly returns to God, from whom he strayed. The man who has been involved in evil, moreover, and has converted to good, so long as he rejoices in the goodness he has found and recalls the evil he has escaped, with difficulty is called back to evil. _{Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 2}
The Wiles of the Tyrant Overcome.
Chromatius: This is an example to us of modesty and faith, that once we have come to know and adore Christ as King, we may abandon the path we were traveling before, which was the path of error. We may now proceed by the other path, on which Christ is our guide. We may return to our place, paradise, from which Adam was driven out. This place is mentioned in the psalm as one where we will please the Lord in the land of the living. Thus it was that the magi, having been advised to follow another road, frustrated the tyrant’s cruel designs in their return. It was in this manner, through the magi, that the boy who was born a king became known, while at the same time the wiles of the tyrant Herod were overcome. It was predicted that our infant Lord and Savior would be triumphant even at the very beginning of his life in the flesh. This was foretold in advance by Isaiah when he said, “For before the child shall have knowledge to cry ‘father’ and ‘mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.” By “riches of Damascus” is meant the gold that the boy, born the Son of God, received as offered to him by the magi. The “spoils of Samaria” represent the worship of idols, the superstitious error of Samaria from which he diverted those same magi. Those who previously were the prey of the devil because of their false religion became the plunder of God through their knowledge of Christ. The “king of the Assyrians” refers to Herod, or in fact to the devil, to whom the magi themselves became enemies, reverencing as they did the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. _{Tractate on Matthew 5.2}
The Other Way Home. Gregory the Great: The return of the magi “by another way” home suggests a spiritual interpretation: As they were advised to take another way, so are we. Our home country is the paradise from which we have fallen. We are forbidden to return to it. When we come to know Jesus, we can return along the way by which he returned. We left our paradise by our pride and disobedience, by overvaluing visible things, by succumbing to the tasting of forbidden fruit. We now can return only by weeping and obedience, rejecting visible things, and by curbing our bodily appetites. So let us, like the magi, return to our home country by another way than the way we left it. Our evil inclination led us away from the joys of paradise. Our turning around in repentance summons us to return by another way. In this way, dearly beloved, we are being awakened to the fear of God. Be vigilant. Set before the eyes of your heart the deceitfulness of your works. Take seriously the severity of the final judgment. Consider how strict a judge is coming. He threatens the impenitent with terror. Yet he still gives them time for repentance. He bears with us. He puts off coming for this reason, that he may find fewer to condemn. _{Forty Gospel Homilies 10.7}