CHAPTER 8
8:1-3 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
ALCUIN OF YORK. (Gen. 8:1-3) ABOUT WHAT SPIRIT DID HE SAY, "GOD BROUGHT A SPIRIT/WIND*, AND THE WATERS WERE ABATED"? — Answer. It may well be taken to refer to that spirit about which it was said, "the spirit of God moved over the waters" (Gen. 1:2). It then moved in order that, the waters being gathered into their place, the earth might appear; and now it is said to have been brought, to remove the waters of the Flood and uncover the face of the earth. One may also understand, by the name of spirit, a wind (as in these words of the Psalmist's: "there arose a spirit/storm of wind" (Ps. 106:15)) by whose repeated gusts the water was forced to recede. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 125]
AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen. 8:1-3) ON SEVERAL PECULIARITIES RELATING TO THE END OF THE FLOOD. — Concerning what is written: that after a hundred and fifty days the wind came upon the earth, and the waters ceased, and the fountains of the abyss and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain of heaven ceased; These things took place after a hundred and fifty days, or all those things that began to happen after forty days of rain are recalled as a recapitulation, so that only one hundred and fifty days belonged to the fact that water grew during those days; or because it came from the fountains of the abyss, when it ceased also to rain, or because it remained in its height, while the wind did not dry it. On the other hand, the other things that are said there did not all take place after one hundred and fifty days, but the author recalls all those things that began to be realized from the moment in which the forty days ended. [Questions on Genesis, 12]
JEROME OF STRIDON. 8:2 AND THE WATER CEASED, AND THE FOUNTAINS OF THE ABYSS AND THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN WERE REVEALED. Instead of the fountains having been revealed, all translators have rendered 'closed up' and 'stopped up'. And in place of what follows, The water diminished upon the earth and the rest, is written And the waters turned back from the earth, going and returning. Observe that, according to Ecclesiastes, all waters and torrents return to the womb of the abyss through hidden channels. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. (Gen. 8:1) See how holy Scripture descends to us. God, she said, remembered. Let us understand this, my beloved, in a manner worthy of God, and let us not explain the vulgarity of these words with the weakness of our nature. Regarded to God, this word is unworthy of his ineffable nature, but it has been said to conform to our weakness. God remembered Noah, for after having related, as I have already explained to your charity, that it had rained for forty days and as many nights, that the water had remained for a hundred and fifty days, raised fifteen cubits above the mountains, and that during all this time the righteous had remained in the ark; without being able to breathe the air and dwell with all the brutes, then God remembered Noah. What to say? He remembered ! That is to say, he pitied the righteous and his position in the ark; he took pity on a man suffering so much trouble and embarrassment, and unaware when the inconvenience would end. Think, I pray you, of the thoughts he must have in forty days and forty nights during which the impetuous waters were raging, and seeing that during a hundred and fifty days they remained at the same height without beginning to descend; the most unfortunate thing was that He could not see what had happened; shut up as he was, unable to judge by his eyes of the extent of the evil, his grief increased, and every day he supposed the most horrible disasters. For me, I am astonished how he was not engulfed in pain by reflecting on the destruction of mankind, the isolation of his family and the painful existence that it was going to lead. But the cause of all his goods, this. was his faith in God, who gave him strength to resist and endure everything; nourished by this hope, he was insensitive to all afflictions. On the one hand, if he did what depended on him, showing a lot of faith, resignation and courage, on the other hand, see how good God is to him. God remembered Noah. It is not without reason that it is said: remembered. As Holy Scripture has already testified to the righteous, saying to him, 'Enter the ark because I have seen that you were righteous in this generation (Genesis 7: 1), now it says, God remembered of Noah, that is to say, of the testimony he had given him. He does not abandon the righteous for a long time, he does not differ from his deliverance beyond what he could bear, and when that hour has come he always fills him with his blessings. Knowing the infirmity of our nature, if it allows us to be tempted, it gives trial to our weakness and makes its rewards prove our courage and mercy. So St. Paul says: God is faithful, he will not allow you to be tested beyond your strength, but at the same time as the trial, he will give you a way out and not succumb to it. (1 Corinthians X, 13.) But the righteous still retained his courage and resignation, enduring by his confidence in God the stay and troubles of the ark; so it is said: God remembered Noah. Then, to make known to you the abyss of divine mercy, the Holy Scripture adds: And of all the beasts, of all the domestic animals, of all the birds, of all the reptiles that were with him in the ark. (Gen. 8:2-3) See how good God made for man. With the men who perished by the flood, he destroyed the generality of the animals; but, wishing to show his mercy towards the righteous, he also wished, for the sake of his sake, to extend his care and his goodness even to the unreasonable beings, the quadrupeds, the birds and the reptiles. God remembered Noah, all the beasts, all the domestic animals, all the birds and all the reptiles that were with him in the ark. And God caused a wind to blow on the earth, and the water stopped rising. Remembering Noah and all that was with him in the ark, he stopped the impetuosity of the water to gradually show his goodness. The righteous then could breathe and calm his anxieties, since he covered both the air and the light. God blew a wind on the earth, and the water stopped rising. The fountains of the abyss and the cataracts of the sky were closed. (Gen. 8:2) See how all this is expressed in the style of men. The fountains of the abyss and the cataracts of heaven were closed, and the rain of heaven was stopped. This means that the Lord had ordered the waters to return to their places and not to come out of them, but to fall gradually. The water descended from the ground and diminished for a hundred and fifty days. (Gen. 8:3) How can reason ever understand this? Or, the rain has stopped, the springs have not flowed and the cataracts of the sky have been closed; but how did all this water disappear? The abyss spread over all the earth. How, then, could such a large body of water suddenly diminish? Who can ever explain it by human reason? What do we have to say? It is the order of God that has done everything. [Homilies on Genesis]
8:4-5 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
HIPPOLYTUS OF ROME. And just as the ark returned to the east, and neared Mount Qardu, so also Christ, when the work was accomplished and finished which He had proposed to Himself, returned to heaven to the bosom of His Father, and sat down upon the throne of His glory at the Father’s right hand. As to Mount Qardu, it is in the east, in the land of the sons of Raban, and the Orientals call it Mount Godash; the Arabians and Persians call it Ararat. And there is a town of the name Qardu, and that hill is called after it, which is indeed very lofty and inaccessible, whose summit no one has ever been able to reach, on account of the violence of the winds and the storms which always prevail there. And if any one attempts to ascend it, there are demons that rush upon him, and cast him down headlong from the ridge of the mountain into the plain, so that he dies. No one, moreover, knows what there is on the top of the mountain, except that certain relics of the wood of the ark still lie there on the surface of the top of the mountain. [Exegetical Fragments, ANF v.5]
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. So do not look too curiously to explore how everything went: just believe. It is the will of God that opened the abyss; it is still his will that has shut him up and brought the waters back to the place that the Lord has marked them and that he alone knows. The ark stopped the seventh month and the twenty-seventh day of that month on the mountains of Ararat. The water decayed until the tenth month, and the peaks of the mountains began to appear on the first day of the tenth month. (Gen. 8:4-5) See what a quick change and how much the waters were down for the ark to stop on the mountains. The scripture had said that the water was over the mountains fifteen cubits: now she says that the ark stopped on the mountains of Ararat, that the water gradually decreased until the tenth month until to let see then the tops of the mountains. Think, I pray you, of the firmness of the righteousness which has been kept for so many months in the darkness. [Homilies on Genesis]
THEOPHILUS OF ANTIOCH. And of the ark, the remains are to this day to be seen in the Arabian mountains. [To Autolycus 3.19, ANF v.2]
8:6-8 And it came to pass after forty days Noe opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 And he sent forth a raven; and it went forth and returned not until the water was dried from off the earth. 8 And he sent a dove after it to see if the water had ceased from off the earth.
THERE IS A QUESTION ABOUT WHERE THE RAVEN RESTED, IF THE DOVE FOUND NO PLACE TO REST? — Answer. The raven may have perched on the carcass of some animal, which the dove avoided according to her nature. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 122] AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen 8:6-8) ON THE RAVEN COMING OUT OF THE ARK. — It is written that a raven was let loose, and did not return; and then a dove was sent out, and returned, not finding or setting foot. This gives rise to the following question: Has the raven died, or has it been able to live in any way? If he could rest on the earth, so could the dove. This is what makes some people guess that the raven eagerly had been able to attach itself to some corpse, while the dove would have naturally not wanted to attach to a corpse. [Questions on Genesis, 13]
JEROME OF STRIDON. 8:6-7 AFTER FORTY DAYS NOAH OPENED THE OPENING HE HAD MADE TO THE ARK, AND LET GO THE RAVEN WHICH, AFTER LEAVING, DID NOT RETURN TO HIM UNTIL THE WATERS WERE DRIED UP ON THE EARTH. Instead of opening, the Hebrew says window. He also speaks quite different from the raven: "He let go the raven that went away, going and returning until the waters were dried up on the earth." [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. It happened after forty days that Noah opened the window he had made to the ark, and he sent a raven to see if the water had left the earth. (Gen. 8:6-7) The righteous does not yet dare to look at himself, but he sends a raven to learn in this way whether there was a happy change. But the raven did not come back until the waters were dried on the earth. Scripture adds this word until; it is not that the raven has come back later, but such is the proper language of Scripture. It would be easy to find other examples of this habit, and to point out many of them; but in order not to render you careless in telling you everything, we leave you to search the Scripture and to seek in what circumstances it uses similar phrases. Now it's time to tell you why this bird did not come back. Perhaps this foul bird, after the retreat of the waters, had found corpses of men and animals, and, meeting a food that suited him, had stopped there, which even gave the right a good reason to hope for if the raven had found nothing to support himself, he had returned. To find out if it was so, the righteous man, whose confidence increased, sent a dove, a private and familiar bird, of great gentleness, and who feeds only on seeds; also it is counted among the pure birds. And he sent the dove to see if the water had stopped covering the face of the earth. But the dove did not find where to put its feet, returned to him in the ark, because the water was all over the face of the earth. (Gen. 8:8-9) Here it is necessary to look for how the Holy Scripture, after having said above that we saw the mountain tops, now says that the dove came back to the ark because it had not found where to land: and that water covered all the face of the earth. Let us read this passage carefully and we will know the cause: it is not said simply where to land, but where to put his feet, which shows us that despite the retreat of the waters and the reappearance of the mountain tops, abundance The flood had left on these summits a large mass of silt. So the dove could not stop anywhere, nor find the food that suited her, returned to the ark, just showing by her return that there was still a large amount of water. Having spread his hand, he took it with his hand and brought it back to him in the ark. See what sweetness in this bird, how his return showed just that it was necessary to take a little patience. And having waited another seven days, he sent away the dove from the ark. [Homilies on Genesis]
8:9 And the dove not having found rest for her feet, returned to him into the ark, because the water was on all the face of the earth, and he stretched out his hand and took her, and brought her to himself into the ark.
ALCUIN OF YORK. (Gen 8:9) WHERE DID THE WATERS RETURN WHEN IT IS SAID, "THE WATERS RETURNED FROM OFF THE EARTH GOING AND COMING"? — Answer. It seems, according to the letter, that all the courses of rivers and streams return to their source, the abyss, through the hidden veins of the earth, as in these words of Solomon's: "unto the place from whence the rivers come, they return, to flow again" (Eccles. 1:7). [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 126]
AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen 8:9) ON THE DOVE. — We can also ask why the dove found no place to settle if the summits of the mountains had already appeared, as is clear from the order in which things are told. (Cf. Gen 8:5) And the previous question seems to be resolved by saying that the author, as a recapitulation, later narrated the things that had happened before, or rather because the earth had not yet dried up. [Questions on Genesis, 14]
AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen 8:9) These words: Et extendit manum suam, accepit eam et induxit eam ad semetipsum in arcam (He stretched out his hand to the dove, took it, and put it back with him in the ark.), enclose, a phrase which seems to me to come from Hebrew; for it is also very familiar with the language of the Carthaginians, who has characters of very numerous resemblance to the Hebrew language. It was enough to say: Et extendit manum, without adding suam. Let us make the same remark on this sentence, that we find a few lines further: Habebat olivoe folio, surculum in ore suo (The dove carried in its beak an olive branch laden with leaves). [Locutions]
8:10-12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11 And the dove returned to him in the evening, and had a leaf of olive, a sprig in her mouth; and Noe knew that the water had ceased from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
ALCUIN OF YORK. (Gen 8:10-12) WHY DOES THE DOVE BRING BACK A BOUGH OF AN OLIVE TREE? — Answer. The dove of the Holy Spirit, after the foulest bird has been driven away, flies down to Noah after the Flood as to Christ after baptism, and, with the bough of restoration and light, announces peace to the world. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 128]
AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen 8:12) Et non apposuit reverti ad eum amplius (And it did not come back to him anymore); this phrase is very commonly used in Scripture. This sentence: Et non adjiciam adhuc maledicere super terram (I will not smite the earth with a curse), presents a phrase similar to the previous one: Et non apposuit reverti, ad eum. Ibid. Same remark on this other sentence: Et non adjiciam percutere omnem carnem vivam (I will not exterminate living and animated creatures). [Locutions]
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. And the dove returned to him in the evening, carrying in its beak a leaf plucked from an olive tree. (Gen. 8:10-11) It is not at random or without reason that it is written in the evening: we see by that, that having fed all the day of the food which suited him, she returned at night carrying in her beak this she had picked on an olive tree. This animal is sweet and very familiar. So he returned, and by this olive leaf, he brought to the right a great consolation. But it may be said: where did he find this leaf? All this happened in accordance with God's plans, according to which the dove found the tree, gathered the leaf there and brought it back to the right. Moreover, the olive tree is always green, and it is probable that after the retreat of the waters, this tree still had its leaves. Having waited another seven days; he sent away the dove and she did not return to him. (Gen. 8:12) See that the just always receives the consolation he needs. When the dove returns with the olive leaf in its beak, it already conceives great hopes: now when it was out to not return, it was the best proof that she had found what he needed and that the waters had completely disappeared. [Homilies on Genesis]
8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Here again I can not help admiring with amazement the virtue of the righteous and the goodness of God. How, indeed, breathing the air after so long and opening his eyes to the sight of the sky, was he not dazzled and blinded? For you know that this is what usually happens to those who have spent even a short time in darkness and darkness when they see the brightness of the day. But this righteous, during a whole year and such painful months spent in the ark almost without light, suddenly seeing again the splendors of the sun, experienced no such accident. It was the grace of God, and the patience with which he had granted him, which had given more vigor even to his bodily faculties, and raised them above their nature. [Homilies on Genesis]
8:14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. In the second month the earth was dried on the twenty-seventh day of this month. (Gen. 8:14) It is not without reason that the Holy Scripture tells everything so exactly: it is to show that everything was finished on this anniversary, to make the patience of the righteous shine, and complete the purification of the earth. . Then, after all the creation had been washed away from all that was defiling it, had erased the stains left there by the human perversity, and his face became radiant, then the righteous could finally come out of the ark, and get rid of his cruel prison. [Homilies on Genesis]
8:15-17 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. And the Lord said to Noah, Come out of the ark, you and your sons, and your wife, and the women of your sons with you, and all the animals that are with you, all flesh, from the to the cattle and reptile that move on the earth: bring them out with you; grow and multiply on the earth. (Gen. 8:15-17) See how God, in his goodness, gives to the just all kinds of consolations. He brought him out of the ark, with his sons, and his wife, and the wives of his sons, with all the animals; and not to leave him in deep discouragement if he could wonder anxiously what would be his life in this desert, living alone so vast a vast expanse without meeting living beings, after having told him come out of the ark and take everything with you, he adds: Grow and multiply on the earth. [Homilies on Genesis]
8:18-20 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Noah went out, he and his wife, and the wives of his sons with him; and all the animals, the cattle, the birds, the reptiles moving on the earth, all following their kind, came out of the ark. (Gen. 8:18-19) After receiving the Lord's command and blessing in these terms: Grow and multiply, he came out of the ark with all that was there. And then he lived alone on the earth with his wife, his sons, and the wives of his sons. But as soon as he was out, he showed his natural gratitude by giving thanks to the Lord for both the past and the future. But, if you will, so as not to be too long, we will return to tomorrow, which concerns the recognition of the just, and we shall not speak of it now; we beseech you to bear your attention and your zeal continually towards this blessed, to study the perfection of his virtue and to seek to equal it. Consider, I implore you, how great is the treasure of his virtue, since, after so many days that I have devoted to you to speak of it, I have not yet been able to finish what I had to say to you. What am I talking about finishing! We will never succeed, though we may say: we and our successors, we shall talk well, we will not exhaust this subject: such is the excellence of virtue! The example of this righteousness would suffice, if we would, to instruct human nature and to urge it to imitate this virtue. For if Noah, alone in the midst of so many wicked and not having a friend, has reached this height of virtue, what will be our excuse, to us who do not meet the same obstacles, and who, for that matter, are so negligent for good works? It is not only a question of the existence of five hundred years during which he was forced to live among the wicked mice who mocked and insulted him; this year, which he spent entirely in the ark, seems to me to be worth all the rest. This righteous person experienced an infinity of afflictions and anxieties, by the privation of air and the vicinity of so many animals: in the midst of all this his spirit remained unshakable, his inflexible will, as well as his faith in God, which made it easy and light to bear. It is true that if he did much of himself; God had been prodigal to him. In spite of the torments he sustained in the ark, at least he avoided a terrible catastrophe and escaped universal destruction. So in exchange for these anxieties and this insupportable prison, he had the rest and the security, at the same time as the divine blessing: so he showed his gratitude, and you will see him your days begin there. In the early days of his life, he practiced all the virtues and fled all the vices that those who lived then were infected, which spared him praise punishment and saved him alone while all others were submerged: so too, as he preserved the faith and gratefully supported his stay in the ark, he again received a new outpouring of divine grace; as soon as he came out of the ark and returned to his first habits, he obtained a blessing, and always showing the same gratitude he has given thanks to God, who has honored him with greater blessings. For this is what God does: what we offer him may be of no importance or value; but finally, if we offer it, it rewards us liberally. And to make you see all the human poverty and all the munificence of God, listen carefully to this: if we want to make an offering to God, what can we do more than offer him words of thanksgiving? What he does for us, on the contrary, we see through works. But what a difference between words and works! The Lord does not need us and only asks us for words: Even if he requires this verbal recognition, it is not that he needs it, but it is so that we are not ungrateful and that we recognize the Author of so many benefits. So Saint Paul tells us: Be grateful. (Colossians III, 15.) This is especially what God asks of us. So let us not be ungrateful; let us not show idleness to thank God, since we receive his benefits; we will come back with new advantages. If we are grateful for the past blessings, we will receive even greater ones, and we will strengthen our confidence. Only, I conjure you, meditate, meditate in ourselves, every day and every hour, if it is possible, not only the blessings we have received from the Creator and which we share with all human nature, but those we receive each day and in particular. What do I talk about daily and special benefits? Let us thank God again for all those whom he grants us and whom we do not know. When he is anxious for our salvation, he obliges us to save without our knowledge, often even he saves us from dangers and grants us other graces. It is a source of clemency that constantly spreads its waves on the human race: Let us meditate on this subject and seek to thank the Lord for his past blessings and to prepare ourselves for those of the future so as not to appear unworthy. It is then that we will be able to direct our existence and escape from vice. For the memory of blessings is an excellent preparation for a virtuous life, it prevents us from falling into indifference and oblivion, and from turning to evil. An attentive and vigilant mind always thanks, in bad successes as in good ones, and does not allow itself to be defeated by the vicissitudes of life; he strengthens it more, and he considers the ineffable providence of God, who displays, even in our adversities, enough wisdom and resources, although we can not understand the depth of his plans, to show that he still on us. So let us always be willing to give him blood thanks to all things, whatever happens. That is why he made us reasonable beings and different animals; it is to praise, to celebrate, to glorify unceasingly the Creator Lord of all things. That is why his breath has given birth to our soul and he has given us the floor, in order to appreciate his benefits, to recognize his power and to show that we are not ungrateful by thanking him according to our strength. For if men, that is to say, our fellows, require from us the thanks for the slightest benefit, not that they worry about our gratitude, but to gain glory, how much do we not thank God who only wants to serve us? Our gratitude glorifies the men who obliged us; that which we mark to God glorifies us ourselves. Indeed, although he does not need our thanks, he desires them, but it is to bring back all the advantage and make us worthy of even greater protection. Doubtless our praises are not worthy of him; how could that be with the weakness of nature that connects us? But why talk about human nature? Not even the intangible and invisible intelligences, the powers and the dominions, the cherubim and the seraphim could properly celebrate his glory. Nevertheless, according to our strength, we must thank him and glorify our Lord unceasingly by the praises of our voice and the purity of our lives. For the best glorification of God is to have it celebrated by thousands of languages. Now every virtuous man commits all who see him to celebrate the Lord; and this glorification of which it is the cause of law draws from God a great and ineffable blessing. Indeed, can there be anything more glorious for us, not only to celebrate by our own voices the glory of God, but to commit all our fellow-creatures to glorify Him with us? For this, my beloved, nothing beats impeccable conduct. So the Lord said, Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your God who is in heaven. (Matthew V, 16.) Just as light dispels darkness, so does the brilliancy of virtue repel evil and remove the darkness from error by exciting to praise God those before whom it shines. So let us make our efforts so that our works have that brilliance which makes the Lord glorify. If Christ spoke thus, it is not for us to show our actions; far from there! It is so that we should watch over our life with enough care, so that it approves us, to give no occasion to blaspheme, and that our good actions excite all those who see us to glorify the almighty God. It is then, in fact, then that we will draw upon him all his benevolence, that we will be able to avoid chastisements and obtain ineffable goods, by the grace and goodness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, power and honor, now and forever, and for ever and ever. Amen. [Homilies on Genesis]
8:21-22 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen 8:21-22) CHARACTER OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. — Why does the Lord say: I will not any more curse the earth, because of the works of men, because the imagination of man is purposefully bent upon evil things from his youth, I will not therefore any more smite all living flesh as I have done, and after that, why does God bring back the benefits which the generosity of his love gratifies unworthy men? Is this a figure of thanks which signal the New Testament (Cf. Mt 5:38), and past revenges the image of the Old Testament? In other words, would vengeance be the type of severity of the law, and the goodness of the sweetness of grace? [Questions on Genesis, 15]
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. (Gen. 8:21) For the scripture says, And the Lord smelled it with pleasant smell. See how the priest's intention changes the smell of smoke, the smell of fat, and all the stench that exhales it. So Paul said: We are the good odor of Christ for those who are saved and for those who perish: for some it is a smell of death that causes death to die, for others a smell of life that gives life (II Cor. II, 15), this is the pleasant smell. Do not be shocked by a vulgar word these expressions, placed within reach of our weakness, only mean that God accepted the offering of the just. We can see by this very fact that God does not need anything and that he has allowed sacrifices to exercise men's gratitude. So that which was offered to him was burned by fire, so that the men who offered it understand that all this had use only for them. But why, you say, did he allow it once? It was still, in view of the weakness of our reason, that men, gradually falling into laxity, were to make other gods and to offer them also sacrifices. He therefore desired that they should be offered to him. even, in order to stop men at least on the slope of this fatal error. And to show you that it was a concession to our weakness, observe that, in the time before us, he had made a law of circumcision, not that it could serve in any way to the salvation of the soul, but as a mark of gratitude, as a sign or a seal which the Jews carried with them and which forbade them to mingle with the Gentiles. So St. Paul calls it a sign, saying, He gave the sign of circumcision as a seal. (Romans IV, 11.) It is not that this justifies, for our righteous, before circumcision had been established, came to such a high virtue: But what am I saying? The patriarch Abraham himself, before receiving circumcision, was justified by his faith alone. For before circumcision, says St. Paul, Abraham believed in God and it was imputed to him in righteousness. (Rom. IV, 3.) Why, O Jew, do you take pride in your circumcision? Learn that many men were righteous before she became known. Thus Abel was led by his faith to make his offering, and Paul said: By faith Abel made a more pleasing offering to God than Cain's. (Heb. XI, 4.) Enoch was taken up to heaven, and Noah, by his great righteousness, avoided the horrors of the flood: finally, even Abraham, before his circumcision, was praised by God for his virtue. Thus, from the very beginning, the human race found its salvation in faith. "In the same way, the God of kindness allowed sacrifices to be offered to him, at a time when our nature was more imperfect, for that man could express his gratitude to him and flee from the fatal cult of idols. If, indeed, despite so much condescension of God, many men have not avoided this fall, who could have guaranteed it without it? The Lord smelled it pleasant. He does not say as much of the ungrateful Jews: why this? Listen to the (179) Prophet: The perfume is an abomination to me (Isaiah I, 13), to show that those who offer it have a perverse will. Just as the virtue of the righteous has changed into perfume the smoke and smell of roasted meat, so their wickedness changed the perfumes into an infection. So, let us strive, I conjure you, to bring pure intentions, it is the source of all goods. The good God is not accustomed to look at our actions themselves, he considers the inner thought that makes us act: from that he blames or approves our actions. So, whether we pray or fast, or give alms (because these are our spiritual sacrifices), or we do any other spiritual cover, let's always do it with good intentions, to receive a palm worthy of our efforts. Indeed, it is absolutely impossible that our work is not rewarded if it has been directed according to the rules of virtue. It may even happen that by the extreme goodness of God we are rewarded for the sole purpose, though our work has not been accomplished. Notice, for example, what happens about almsgiving. If, on seeing a man stretched out on the spot and reduced to the last misery, you sympathize with his fate, and if you lift your mind to heaven, thanking the Lord who has spared you these sufferings and who gives the poor the courage to to support them, even if you could not appease and satisfy your hunger, you will nevertheless be completely rewarded for the intention. This is why the Lord says: He who has given only a glass of cold water to someone because he is my disciple, in truth, I say to you, he will not lose his reward. (Matt X, 42.) What is less precious than a glass of cold water? But the intention attached to it deserves a reward. We can take the opposite example. I must present these contrasts to your charity so that you can appreciate the merit with confidence. Listen to what Christ says: Whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery in her heart. (Matthew V, 28.) You see here that a bad thought leads to a condemnation, and that an unwise look is punished as if adultery had been consumed! Since we know all of this, let us strengthen everywhere and always our intention in the good, so that our actions are well received. For if a good intention changes perfume smoke and bad smell, what can it not do with a spiritual worship, and what graces of heaven can not attract us! The Lord smelled it pleasant. You see what happened to the righteous whose action, judging by the appearance, was of little value, but which had a great importance by the purity of his intention. (Gen. 8:21-22) See again the infinite goodness of the God of mercy. The Lord God says in reflection: I will no longer curse the earth on the occasion of the covers of men, because the thought of men is prone to fall into evil in their youth. I will not smite any living flesh, as I did, as long as the earth lives. How many benefits, what an extent of kindness, what an excess of clemency! The Lord God says while thinking. This word in reflection is quite human and adapted to our nature. I will not curse the earth any more for the works of men. Indeed, he had said to the first man created. The earth will give you thorns and thistles. (Gen. III, 8, and IV, 12), and he spoke the same to Cain. - Now; after the universal destruction, he addresses the righteous to console him, to give him confidence and to prevent him from telling you to himself: what will this blessing serve, grow and multiply, if we still have to perish after being multiplied? For he once said to Adam, Grow and multiply; however, the flood has come. To avoid this perpetual torment of thought, see what is the goodness of God: I will not curse the earth any more about the works of men! First, he declares that it is about their perversity that he has thus upset the earth. Then, to show us that if he makes this promise, it is not that he expects to see men behave better; he adds: For the thought of men is prone to fall into evil from their youth. This is a rare example of goodness. Since, he says, the thought of man is prone to fall into evil since dry youth, because of that, I will not curse the earth any more. I have used twice, he says, with all my power since I see malice so quick to increase, I promise not to destroy the earth anymore. Then, to show the full extent of his goodness, he adds: I will not smite any living flesh, as I did, as long as the earth lives. See, I pray you, what consolation it brings to the righteous, and even to others than just! for in his goodness he embraces all the race of men of the future, since he says: I will not smite any living flesh any more, and add, as I have done to you, and as long as the earth live; he declares thus that there will be no more deluge, and that never such a catastrophe will invade the globe. He even says as proof of his eternal benevolence: As long as the earth will live, that is to say: I promise that at no time will I indulge my indignation so much and that I will never cause such a disturbance in the world. march of the seasons, nor in the order of the elements. So, he says in a sequel: The sowing and the harvests, the cold and the heat, the summer and the spring will not cease neither day nor night. This order, he says, will be immutable: never will the earth continue to give man his sustenance and reward the labors of agriculture; the seasons will no longer be upset, but the cold and the hot, the summer and the spring will return in turn in the year. Indeed, during the flood, all this had been confounded, and the righteous in the ark was almost in a complete night; so God said to him, "The day and the night shall not cease, and until the end of the ages their offices shall be immutable." See what powerful encouragement is capable of raising the courage of the just; see what reward he has received from his merits. [Homilies on Genesis] |