Gregory the Dialogist

But first we must inquire what it means that when the Lord was born, angels appeared, yet they are not recorded as having appeared in white garments, whereas when the Lord ascended, angels who were sent are recorded as having appeared in white garments. For it is written thus: "While they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud received him from their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood beside them in white garments."

In white garments, joy and festivity of mind are shown. What does it mean, then, that when the Lord was born, angels appear not in white garments, but when the Lord ascended, angels appear in white garments, unless that then a great festivity was made for the angels, when God as man entered heaven? For when the Lord was being born, divinity seemed to be humbled; but when the Lord ascended, humanity was exalted. For white garments are more fitting for exaltation than for humiliation. Therefore at his assumption, angels ought to have been seen in white garments, because he who at his nativity appeared as humble God, at his Ascension was shown as exalted man.

For you have heard that the Holy Spirit appeared upon the disciples in tongues of fire and gave them knowledge of all languages. What indeed was signified by this miracle, except that the holy Church, filled with the same Spirit, would speak with the voice of all nations? Those who attempted to build a tower against God lost the communion of one language, but in these who humbly feared God all languages were united. Here therefore humility merited virtue; there pride earned confusion.

But we must ask why the Holy Spirit, coeternal with the Father and the Son, appeared in fire; why in fire and tongues together; why He is shown sometimes in a dove, sometimes in fire; why He appeared over the only-begotten Son in the form of a dove, and over the disciples in fire—so that He neither came upon the Lord in fire nor was shown over the disciples in a dove. Let us therefore return by solving these four questions we have proposed. For the Spirit, coeternal with the Father and Son, is shown in fire because God is incorporeal, ineffable, and invisible fire, as Paul attests: "Our God is a consuming fire." God is indeed called fire because through Him the rust of sins is consumed. Of this fire the Truth says: "I came to cast fire upon the earth, and what do I desire except that it burn?" For earthly hearts are called earth, which, while they always heap up base thoughts within themselves, are trampled by malignant spirits. But the Lord casts fire upon the earth when He kindles the hearts of carnal people with the breath of the Holy Spirit. And the earth burns when the carnal heart, cold in its wicked pleasures, abandons the desires of the present age and is set ablaze with love of God. Rightly therefore the Spirit appeared in fire, since from every heart He fills He shakes off the torpor of coldness and kindles it with desire for His eternity. Moreover He was shown in tongues of fire because the same Spirit is coeternal with the Son, and tongue has the greatest kinship with word. For the Son is the Word of the Father. And because the Spirit and the Word are of one substance, the same Spirit had to be shown in a tongue. Or certainly, because word proceeds through the tongue, the Spirit appeared in tongues because whoever is touched by the Holy Spirit confesses God's Word, that is, the only-begotten Son, and cannot deny God's Word because he now has the tongue of the Holy Spirit. Or certainly the Spirit appeared in tongues of fire because all whom He fills He makes both burning and speaking at once. Teachers have tongues of fire because, when they preach that God is to be loved, they set the hearts of their hearers aflame. For the speech of a teacher is idle if it cannot provide the fire of love.

And they went rejoicing from the presence of the council, because they were counted worthy to suffer insults for the name of Jesus. Behold, Peter rejoices in beatings, who before was afraid at mere words. And he who previously feared when questioned by the voice of a servant girl, after the coming of the Holy Spirit, though beaten, tramples down the powers of rulers. It is fitting to raise the eyes of faith to the power of this craftsman, and to consider here and there the Fathers of the new and old testament. Behold, with these same eyes of faith opened, I gaze upon David, Amos, Daniel, Peter, Paul, Matthew, and I wish to consider what kind of craftsman this Holy Spirit is, but in my very consideration I fall short. For he fills a boy who plays the harp, and makes him a psalmist. He fills a herdsman shepherd picking sycamore figs, and makes him a prophet. He fills an abstinent boy, and makes him a judge of elders. He fills a fisherman, and makes him a preacher. He fills a persecutor, and makes him a teacher of the Gentiles. He fills a tax collector, and makes him an evangelist. O what a craftsman this Spirit is! There is no delay in learning whatever he wills. As soon as he touches the mind, he teaches, and merely to have touched is to have taught. For as soon as he illuminates the human soul, he transforms it; he suddenly takes away what it was, and suddenly produces what it was not.

I briefly relate a matter, brothers, which I learned from the account of the venerable man Maximian, then the father and priest of my monastery, but now bishop of Syracuse. In our own times there was a certain Victorinus, who was also called by another name, Aemilianus, not lacking in substance according to a moderate way of life; but because the sin of the flesh often reigns amid abundance of possessions, he fell into a certain crime. Therefore, struck with compunction by consideration of his guilt, he rose up against himself, abandoned all things of this world, and sought a monastery. One night, however, the abbot of the monastery, being awake, observed him secretly going out and followed him outside with slow step. When he saw him prostrate in prayer on the secluded side of the mountain, he wished to wait until he arose, so that he might also observe the very perseverance of his prayer, when suddenly a light sent from heaven was poured out over him who lay prostrate in prayer; and such great brightness spread in that place that the whole part of that region grew white from the same light. When the abbot saw this, he trembled and fled. And when after a long space of time that same brother had returned to the monastery, his abbot endeavored to question him. But he, seeing that he had been discovered, also revealed what had been hidden from the abbot, adding: "When you saw the light descending upon me from heaven, a voice also came at the same time, saying: 'Your sin is forgiven.'" And indeed Almighty God could have pardoned his sin in silence; but by speaking through a voice, by shining through light, He wished to strike our hearts to penance by the example of His mercy. We marvel, dearest brothers, that the Lord struck down His persecutor Saul from heaven, spoke to him from heaven. Behold, in our times also a sinner doing penance heard a voice from the heavens. To him it was said: "Why do you persecute me?" But this man merited to hear: "Your sin is forgiven." Far inferior in merits is this penitent sinner compared to Paul. But because we are still speaking here of Saul breathing the cruelty of slaughter, let it be permitted to say boldly that Saul on account of pride heard a voice of rebuke, but this man on account of humility heard a voice of consolation. Because humility had cast him down, divine mercy raised him up; because pride had exalted the other, divine severity humbled him.

The [false teachers] are also to be admonished to consider well, how sacred Scripture is set up as a kind of lantern for us in the night of this life. When the words are not rightly understood, darkness is the result. And obviously, their perverse mind would not hurry them into a false understanding unless they were first inflated with pride. For while they think themselves wiser than others, they scorn to follow others in matters which these understand better. What is more, in order that they may extort from the untutored crowd a reputation for knowledge, they make every endeavor to discredit what these rightly understand and to confirm their own perverse views. Therefore, it is well said by the prophet, “They have ripped up the women with child of Gilead to enlarge their border.” Now Gilead is interpreted as meaning “a heap of testimony.” Since the whole congregation of the church together serves by its confession of it, as a witness to the truth, the church is not ineptly expressed as Gilead, for it witnesses to all truth concerning God by the mouth of all the faithful. But souls are said to be with child when they conceive an understanding of the Word by divine love, so that when they come to full term, they will bring forth the understanding conceived by them in showing forth their deeds. Again, “to enlarge the border” is to extend one’s own reputation. Thus “they ripped up the women with child of Gilead to extend their border”—that is to say, heretics by their perverse preaching slay the minds of the faithful who have already conceived some measure of the understanding of truth, and so they extend their reputation for knowledge. The hearts of little ones, already big with conception of the Word, they cleave with the sword of error, and thereby make a reputation, as it were, for their teaching. When, therefore, we endeavor to instruct these people not to entertain perverse views, we must first admonish them not to seek their own interests. For if the root of pride is cut away, the branches of false assertions become withered.

It is not enough to make a true solemnity of the heart. From this must follow good works. What value is there in partaking of his body and blood with our mouths if we oppose him with our wicked practices? And so Moses required that “unleavened bread with wild herbs” is to be eaten. One who eats bread without leaven does virtuous deeds without corrupting them with vainglory, and fulfills the precepts of mercy with no addition of sin, not perversely destroying what he properly accomplishes. In reproof of some who had mingled the leaven of sin with their good deeds, the Lord spoke by the voice of the prophet: “Come to Bethel and behave wickedly,” and shortly after, “And make a sacrifice of praise of that which is unleavened.” A person makes a sacrifice of praise of that which is unleavened when he makes ready a sacrifice for God of his misdeeds. Wild herbs are very bitter. The flesh of the lamb is to be eaten with wild herbs, so that when we receive our Redeemer’s body we humble ourselves with weeping for our sins. Thus the bitterness of repentance purges our heart’s stomach of all traces of a wicked life.