LETTER LXXX. 

S.Ambrose here shews that the ease of the man who was blind from his birth was the work of Divine power, and censures the question which the disciples asked about him; and dwells on some of the details of the miracle.

AMBROSE TO BELLICIUS.

1. You have heard, my brother, the lesson of the Gospel, wherein it is narrated that as  the Lord Jesus passed by He saw a man which was blind from his birth. Now if the Lord saw him He did not pass him by, neither ought we to pass him by whom the Lord overlooked not; especially since he was blind from his birth, which is not mentioned without reason.

2. Now there is a blindness in which by the operation of illness the sight of the eyes is obscured, and this by the help of time is mitigated; there is a blindness also which is caused by the entrance of humours, and this, when the defect is removed, is cured by the aid of medicine; and this I say that you may know that it was not by skill but by Divine Power that he who was blind from his birth was healed. For the Lord gave him health as a free gift, not by any medicinal skill, for they whom the Lord Jesus healed were they whom no one could cure.

3. But how foolish was the inquiry of the Jews,  Who did sin this man or his parents? ascribing bodily diseases to the score of sin. Wherefore the Lord said,  Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. That which nature created, the Creator, being the Author of nature, was capable of remedying. He added therefore,  As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world, that is, all who are blind may see whether they need Me Who am the Light.  Approach ye, and be enlightened, that ye may see. 

4. In the next place why did He Who restored life at command, Who gave health by His word, saying to the dead,  Come forth, and Lazarus came forth from the grave, saying also to the sick of the palsy,  Arise and take up thy bed, and the sick of the palsy rose and himself began to carry his bed, whereon, when all his limbs were paralyzed, he had been wont to be carried; why, I say, did He  spit on the ground and make clay, and anoint the eyes of the blind man, and say to him, Go, wash in in the pool of Siloam, which is by interpretation, Sent. He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing  ----What is the reason of this? Great indeed is the reason, if I mistake not, for he who is taught by Jesus comes to see more clearly.

5. Observe at the same time both His Divinity and His sanctity; as being Himself Light He touched and so communicated light to others; as being a Priest He fulfilled by the figure of Baptism the mysteries of spiritual grace. He spat, that you might learn that the inner parts of Christ are light; and clearly indeed does he see who receives cleansing thereby. His spittle cleanses, and so does His discourse, as it is written,  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 

6. But His making clay and anointing the eyes of the blind was intended to signify to us that the Same Who made man of clay, restored him to health by anointing with clay, and to signify also that this flesh of our clay must receive the light of eternal life by the Sacrament of Baptism. Do you also draw near to Siloam, that is, to Him Who was sent from the Father, as it is written,  My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me. Let Christ wash you that you may see. Come to Baptism, the time itself is at hand, make haste and come that you may say, I  went, and washed, and I received sight; that you may also say,  whereas I was blind, now I see, that you may say, as that man on whom light was poured said,  the night is far spent, the day is at hand. 

7. The night was blindness. It was night when Judas received the sop from Jesus, and Satan entered into him. To Judas, in whom the Devil was, it was night; to John, who lay on the breast of Christ, it was day. To Peter also it was day, when he saw the light of Christ on the mount. To others it was night, but to Peter it was day. To Peter himself however it was night when he denied Christ. But the cock crowed, and he began to weep, that he might correct his error, for now the day was at hand.

8. The Jews enquired of the blind man,  How were thine eyes opened? What signal folly! They enquired concerning what they saw; they enquired into the cause, seeing the effect.

9.  Then they reviled him, and said, thou art His disciple. Their curse is a blessing, for their blessing is a curse.  Thou, they say,  art His disciple. They confer a benefit, while they think they are doing an injury.

Farewell, my son; love me as you do, for I also love you.

[Footnotes moved to end and renumbered. Marginal biblical references and running headers omitted]

EPISTOLA LXXX.

 Ubi curationem caeci a nativitate ostendit divinae fuisse potestatis, discipulorum interrogationem reprehendit; atque nonnullas ejusdem historiae partes memorat et paucis edisserit. 

AMBROSIUS BELLICIO.

1. Audisti, frater, lectionem Evangelii, in qua decursum est quod praeteriens Dominus Jesus vidit a generatione  1271B caecum. Ergo si Dominus vidit, non eum praeterivit (Joan. IX, 1): quare nec nos quidem praeterire debemus, quem praetereundum Dominus non putavit; praesertim cum a generatione caecus fuerit, quod non otiose est positum.

2. Est enim caecitas, quae plerumque vi aegritudinis aciem obducit oculorum, eademque temporis spatio mitigatur: est caecitas, quae humorum infusione generatur; ea quoque, vitio plerumque sublato, medicinae arte depellitur; ut cognoscas quia quod iste sanatur, qui a generatione sua caecus est, non artis est, sed potestatis. Donavit enim Dominus sanitatem, non medicinam exercuit; eos enim sanavit Dominus Jesus, quos nemo curaret.

3. Quam stolidi autem Judaei, qui interrogant:  1271C  Hic peccavit, an parentes ejus (Ibid., 2)? debilitates corporum referentes ad merita delictorum. Et ideo Dominus ait:  Neque hic peccavit, neque parentes ejus: sed ut manifestarentur opera Dei in illo (Ibid., 3). Quod enim naturae defuit, creatori competit reformare, qui auctor naturae est. Unde addidit:  Cum in hoc mundo sum, lux sum hujus mundi (Ibid.); hoc est, omnes possunt videre, qui caeci sunt, si me lumen requirant. Accedite et vos, et illuminamini, ut videre possitis (Psal. XXXIII, 6).

4. Deinde quid sibi vult quod is, qui vitam refundebat imperio, salutem praecepto dabat, dicens mortuo:  Exi foras (Joan. XI, 44), et egressus est Lazarus  1272A de sepulcro; dicens paralytico:  Surge, tolle grabatum tuum (Marc. II, 11); et surrexit paralyticus, et coepit grabatum ipse portare, in quo solutus membris omnibus, portabatur: quid, inquam, sibi vult, quod exspuit et fecit lutum, et superunxit oculos caeci, et dixit ei:  Vade et lava in Siloam, quod interpretatur missus; et abiit, et lavit, et videre coepit (Joan. IX, 7)? Quae ista ratio est? Magna, ni fallor; plus enim videt, quem Jesus tangit.

5. Simul et divinitatem et sanctificationem ejus adverte. Quasi lux tetigit, infudit: quasi sacerdos per figuram baptismatis, mysteria gratiae spiritalis implevit. Exspuit, 1097 ut adverteres quia interiora Christi lumen sunt. Et vere videt , qui Christi mundatur internis. Lavat saliva ejus, lavat sermo ejus, sicut  1272B habes:  Jam vos mundi estis propter sermonem, quem locutus sum vobis (Joan. XV, 3).

6. Quod autem lutum fecit, et superunxit oculos caeci (Joan. IX, 6), quid aliud significat, nisi ut intelligeres quia ipse hominem, luto illito, reddidit sanitati, qui de luto hominem figuravit (Gen. II, 7): et quod haec caro luti nostri per baptismatis sacramenta aeternae vitae lumen accipiat? Accede et tu ad Siloam, hoc est, ad cum qui missus est a Patre, sicut habes:  Mea doctrina non est mea, sed ejus qui me misit (Joan. VII, 16). Diluat te Christus, ut videas. Veni ad baptismum, tempus ipsum adest: veni festinus, ut tu dicas:  Abii, et lavi, et videre coepi (Joan. IX, 11); ut et tu dicas:  Caecus eram, et videre coepi; ut tu dicas, sicut iste refuso lumine ait:  Nox praecessit,  1272C  dies autem appropinquavit (Rom. XIII, 12).

7. Nox erat caecitas. Nox erat, cum Judas accepit buccellam a Jesu, et introivit in eum Satanas. Judae nox erat, in quo diabolus erat: Joanni dies erat, qui in Christi pectore recumbebat (Joan. XIII, 27). Petro quoque dies erat, cum lumen Christi videret in monte (Matth. XVII, 2 et seq.). Nox erat aliis, sed Petro dies erat. At vero ipsi Petro nox erat, quando Christum negabat. Denique gallus cantavit, et flere coepit (Matth. XXVI, 70 et seq.), ut emendaret errorem; jam enim dies appropinquabat.

8. Interrogabant Judaei caecum:  Quomodo vidisti (Joan. IX, 10)? Grandis amentia! interrogabant quod  1273A videbant: interrogabant causam, cum factum viderent.

9.  Et maledixerunt ei, dicentes: Tu sis discipulus ejus (Joan. IX, 28). Maledictio eorum benedictio est; quia benedictio eorum, maledictio est.  Tu sis, inquiunt,  discipulus ejus. Tunc prosunt, quando nocere se credunt. Vale, fili, et nos dilige, ut facis; quia nos te diligimus.