Martyrdom Of The Holy And Glorious Apostle Bartholomew — Around 71 A. D., Chapter Four.
And it happened, when the night had
passed, and the following day was
dawning, the sun having risen, the
apostle appeared alone with the king
in his bed-chamber, and said to him:
Why didst thou seek me yesterday
the whole day with gold and silver,
and precious stones, pearls, and
raiment? For these gifts those persons
long for who seek earthly things;
but I seek nothing earthly, nothing
carnal. Wherefore I wish to teach
thee that the Son of God deigned
to be born as a man out of a virgin's
womb. He was conceived in the womb
of the virgin; He took to Himself
her who was always a virgin, having
within herself Him who made the heaven
and the earth, the sea, and all that
therein is. He, born of a virgin,
like mankind, took to Himself a beginning
in time, He who has a beginning neither
of times nor days; but He Himself
made every beginning, and everything
created, whether in things visible
or invisible. And as this virgin
did not know man, so she, preserving
her virginity, vowed a vow(2) to
the Lord God. And she was the first
who did so. For, from the time that
man existed from the beginning of
the world, no woman made a vow of
this mode of life; but she, as she
was the first among women who loved
this in her heart, said, I offer
to Thee, O Lord, my virginity. And,
as I have said to thee, none of mankind
dared to speak this word; but she
being called for the salvation of
many, observed this--that she might
remain a virgin through the love
of God, pure and undefiled. And suddenly,
when she was shut up in her chamber,
the archangel Gabriel appeared, gleaming
like the sun; and when she was terrified
at the sight, the angel said to her,
Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found
favour in the sight of the Lord,
and thou shall conceive. And she cast off fear, and stood up, and
said, How shall this be to me, since
I know not man? The angel answered
her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Most High
shall overshadow thee; wherefore
also that holy thing which is born
of thee shall be called Son of God.(3)
Thus, therefore, when the angel had
departed from her, she escaped the
temptation of the devil, who deceived
the first man when at rest. For,
having tasted of the tree of disobedience,
when the woman said to him, Eat,
he ate; and thus the first man was
cast out of paradise, and banished
to this life. From him have been
horn the whole human race. Then the
Son of God having been born of the
virgin, and having become perfect
man, and having been baptized, and
after His baptism having fasted forty
days, the tempter came and said to
Him: If thou art the Son of God,
tell these stones to become loaves.
And He answered: Not on bread alone
shall man live, but by every word
of God.(4) Thus therefore the devil,
who through eating bad conquered
the first man, was conquered through
the fasting of the second man; and
as he through want of self-restraint
had conquered the first man, the
son of the virgin earth, so we shall
conquer through the fasting of the
second Adam, the Son of the Virgin
Mary.
St. Ambrose Concerning Virgins To Marcellina, His Sister — Around 390 A. D. Book II, Chapter II
The life of Mary is set before virgins
as an example, and her many virtues
are dwelt upon, her chastity, humility,
hard life, love of retirement, and
the like; then her kindness to others,
her zeal in learning, and love of
frequenting the temple. St. Ambrose
then sets forth how she, adorned
with all these virtues, will come
to meet the numberless bands of virgins
and lead them with great triumph
to the bridal chamber of the Spouse.
6. Let, then, the life of Mary be
as it were virginity itself, set
forth in a likeness, from which,
as from a mirror, the appearance
of chastity and the form of virtue
is reflected. From this you may take
your pattern of life, showing, as
an example, the clear rules of virtue:
what you have to correct, to effect,
and to hold fast.
7. The first thing which kindles
ardour in learning is the greatness
of the teacher. What is greater than
the Mother of God? What more glorious
than she whom Glory Itself chose?
What more chaste than she who bore
a body without contact with another
body? For why should I speak of her
other virtues? She was a virgin not
only in body but also in mind, who
stained the sincerity of its disposition
by no guile, who was humble in heart,
grave in speech, prudent in mind,
sparing of words, studious in reading,
resting her hope not on uncertain
riches, but on the prayer of the
poor, intent on work, modest in discourse;
wont to seek not man but God as the
judge of her thoughts, to injure
no one, to have goodwill towards
all, to rise up before her elders,
not to envy her equals, to avoid
boastfulness, to follow reason, to
love virtue. When did she pain her
parents even by a look? When did
she disagree with her neighbors?
When did she despise the lowly? When
did she avoid the needy? Being wont
only to go to such gatherings of
men as mercy would not blush at,
nor modesty pass by. There was nothing
gloomy in her eyes, nothing forward
in her words, nothing unseemly in
her acts, there was not a silly movement,
nor unrestrained step, nor was her
voice petulant, that the very appearance
of her outward being might be the
image of her soul, the representation
of what is approved. For a well-ordered
house ought to be recognized on the
very threshold, and should show at
the very first entrance that no darkness
is hidden within, as our soul hindered
by no restraints of the body may
shine abroad like a lamp placed within. |
