Methodius of Olympus

But if our opponents say, How then is it, if the universe will not be destroyed, that the Lord says that “heaven and earth shall pass away”; and the prophet, that “the heaven shall perish as smoke, and the earth shall grow old as a garment"; we answer, because it is usual for the Scriptures to call the change of the world from its present condition to a better and more glorious one, destruction; as its earlier form is lost in the change of all things to a state of greater splendor; for there is no contradiction or absurdity in the holy Scriptures. For not “the world” but the “fashion of this world” passes away, it is said; so it is usual for the Scriptures to call the change from an earlier form to a better and more comely state, destruction; just as when one calls by the name of destruction the change from a childish form into a perfect adult, as the stature of the child is turned into adult size and beauty. We may expect that the creation will pass away, as if it were to perish in the burning, in order that it may be renewed, not however that it will be destroyed, that we who are renewed may dwell in a renewed world without taste of sorrow; according as it is said, “When you let your breath go forth, they shall be made, and you shall renew the face of the earth.”

The tree of life which paradise once bore, now again the church has produced for all, even the ripe and comely fruit of faith. It is necessary that we bring such fruit when we come to the judgment seat of Christ, on the first day of the feast. For if we are without it we shall not be able to feast with God nor to have part, according to John, in the first resurrection. For the tree of life is wisdom first begotten of all. “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her,” says the prophet, “and happy is every one that retains her.” “A tree planted by the waterside, that will bring forth its fruit in due season.” That is, learning and charity and discretion are imparted in due time to those who come to the waters of redemption. One who has not believed in Christ nor understood that he is the first principle and the tree of life, since he cannot show to God his tabernacle adorned with the best of fruits, how shall [this person] celebrate the feast? How shall he rejoice? Do you desire to know good fruit of the tree? Consider the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, how pleasant they are beyond mere human words. Good fruit came by Moses, that is the law, but not as good as the gospel. For the law is a kind of figure and shadow of things to come, but the gospel is truth and the grace of life. The fruit of the prophets was pleasant, but not so pleasant as the fruit of immortality which is plucked from the gospel.

The woman who “appeared in heaven … clothed with the sun” and crowned with “twelve stars,” having the moon for her footstool, and being with child, and travailing in birth, is certainly, according to the accurate interpretation, our mother, … a power by herself distinct from her children, whom the prophets, according to the aspect of their subjects, have called sometimes Jerusalem, sometimes a Bride, sometimes Mount Zion, and sometimes the Temple and Tabernacle of God. For she is the power mentioned by the prophet which the Spirit urges to give light, crying to her: “Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; all your children gather themselves together, they come to you: your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.” It is the church whose children shall come to her with all speed after the resurrection, running to her from all quarters. She rejoices receiving the light which never goes down, and clothed with the brightness of the Word as with a robe. For with what other more precious or honorable ornament was it becoming that the queen should be adorned, to be led as a Bride to the Lord, when she had received a garment of light, and therefore was called by the Father? Come, then, let us go forward in our discourse, and look on this marvelous woman as on virgins prepared for a marriage, pure and undefiled, perfect and radiating a permanent beauty, wanting nothing of the brightness of light. Instead of a dress, she is clothed with light itself. And instead of precious stones, her head is adorned with shining stars. For instead of the clothing which we have, she had light; and for gold and brilliant stones, she had stars. But not stars such as those which are set in the invisible heaven, but better and more resplendent, so that our own may rather be considered as their images and likenesses.Now the statement that she stands on the moon, I think, denotes the faith of those who are cleansed from corruption by baptism, because the light of the moon has more resemblance to tepid water, and all moist substance depends on the moon. The church, then, stands on our faith and adoption, under the figure of the moon, until the fullness of the Gentiles come in, laboring and bringing forth natural people as spiritual people; for which reason she is also a mother. For just as a woman receiving the unformed seed of her husband, within a certain time brings forth a perfect child, in the same way, one should say, the church conceives those who flee to the Word, and, shaping them according to the likeness and form of Christ, after a certain time produce them as citizens of that blessed state. Thus it is necessary that she should stand on the laver, bringing forth those who are washed in it. And in this way the power which she has in connection with the laver is called the moon, because the regenerate shine being renewed with a new ray, that is, a new light. Hence, also, they are by a descriptive term called “newly-enlightened,” the moon [church] always showing forth anew to them the spiritual full moon, namely, the period and the memorial of the passion, until the glory and the perfect light of the great day will appear.

The great red dragon—cunning and diverse, seven-headed and horned—that draws down the third part of the stars and stands ready to devour the child of the woman who is travailing, is the devil, who lies in wait to destroy the Christ-accepted mind of the baptized as well as the image and clear features of the Word that has been brought forth in them. But he misses and loses his prey, the regenerate being caught up on high to the throne of God—that is, the mind of those who are renewed is lifted up to the divine seat and the basis of truth against which there is no stumbling, being taught to look upon and regard the things which are there, so that it may not be deceived by the dragon weighing them down. For he is not allowed to destroy those whose thoughts and looks are upwards. And the stars, which the dragon touched with the end of his tail and drew them down to earth, are the bodies of heresies. For we must say that the stars, which are dark, obscure, and falling, are the assemblies of the heterodox; since they, too, wish to be acquainted with the heavenly ones, to have believed in Christ, to have the seat of their soul in heaven, and to come near to the stars as children of light. But they are dragged down, being shaken out by the folds of the dragon, because they did not remain within the triangular forms of godliness, falling away from it with respect to orthodox practice. Thus, too, they are called the third part of the stars, as having gone astray with regard to one of the three persons of the Trinity. As when they say, like Sabellius, that the almighty person of the Father himself suffered; or as when they say, like Artemas, that the person of the Son was born and manifested only in appearance; or when they contend, like the Ebionites, that the prophets spoke of the person of the Spirit by their own power. Of Marcion and Valentinus, and those about Elkesai and others, it is better not even to make mention.

If any one, for there is no difficulty in speaking distinctly, should be troubled and reply to what we have said: “But how, O virgins, can this explanation seem to you to be according to the mind of Scripture, when the Apocalypse plainly states that the church brings forth a male, while you teach that her labor-pains have their fulfillment in those who are baptized?” We will answer: … Long before the Apocalypse, the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word was fulfilled. John speaks concerning things present and things to come. But Christ, long ago conceived, was not caught up to the throne of God when he was brought forth, from fear of the serpent injuring him. But for this purpose he was begotten and came down himself from the throne of the Father: that he should remain and subdue the dragon who made an assault upon the flesh. So you also must confess that the church labors and gives birth to those who are baptized. As the Spirit says somewhere in Isaiah: “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before her pain came, she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her son.” From whom did he flee? Surely from the dragon, that the spiritual Zion might bear a masculine people, who should come back from feminine passions and weakness to the unity of the Lord and grow strong in manly virtue.… I think that the church is here said to give birth to a male child; since the enlightened receive the features, image and the manliness of Christ, the likeness of the form of the Word being stamped on them and begotten in them by a true knowledge and faith. Thus in each one Christ is spiritually born. And, therefore, the church swells and labors until Christ is formed in us, so that each of the saints, by partaking of Christ, has been born a Christ. To this end it is said in a certain scripture, “Do not touch my anointed, and do my prophets no harm,” as though those who were baptized into Christ had been made Christs by communication of the Spirit, the church contributing here their clearness and transformation into the image of the Word.

The church, then, coming into this wilderness, a place barren of evils, is nourished, flying on the heavenward wings of virginity, which the Word called the “wings of the great eagle,” having conquered the serpent and driven away from her full moon the wintry clouds. It is for the sake of these things, meanwhile, that all these discourses are held, teaching us, O fair virgins, to imitate according to our strength our mother and not to be troubled by the pains and changes and afflictions of life.… Do not, therefore, lose courage on account of the schemes and slanders of the beast, but bravely prepare for the battle, armed with the helmet of salvation, your breastplate and your leg armor. For you will bring on him an immense consternation when you attack him with great advantage and courage; nor will he at all resist, seeing his adversaries set in array by One more powerful. But the many-headed and many-faced beast will immediately allow you to carry off the spoils of the seven contests.… Therefore, with a virile and sober mind, take up your arms against the swollen beast and do not at all give way, nor be troubled because of his fury. For you will have endless glory if you overcome him, and take away his seven diadems, on account of which we have to struggle and wrestle, according to our teacher Paul. For she who having first overcome the devil and destroyed his seven heads gains the seven diadems of virtue, having gone through the seven great struggles of chastity. For one head of the dragon is incontinence and luxury, and whoever crushes this is wreathed with the diadem of temperance. Another head is cowardice and weakness; and whoever tramples this carries off the diadem of martyrdom. Another head is unbelief and folly and other similar fruits of wickedness; and whoever has overcome these and destroyed them carries off the honors connected with them, the power of the dragon being in many ways uprooted.