Chapter XII.—Concerning Worship towards the East.

It is not without reason or by chance that we worship towards the East. But seeing that we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature, that is to say, of a nature partly of spirit and partly of sense, we render also a twofold worship to the Creator; just as we sing both with our spirit and our bodily lips, and are baptized with both water and Spirit, and are united with the Lord in a twofold manner, being sharers in the mysteries and in the grace of the Spirit.

Since, therefore, God971    Basil, De Spir. Sanct., c. 27; Alcuin, De Trin. ii. 5; Wal. Strabo, De reb. eccles, c. 4; Hon. August., Gemma Animæ. c. 950. is spiritual light972    1 St. John i. 5., and Christ is called in the Scriptures Sun of Righteousness973    Mal. iv. 2. and Dayspring974    Zach. iii. 8, vi. 12; St. Luke i. 78., the East is the direction that must be assigned to His worship. For everything good must be assigned to Him from Whom every good thing arises. Indeed the divine David also says, Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth: O sing praises unto the Lord: to Him that rideth upon the Heavens of heavens towards the East975    Ps. lxviii. 32, 33.. Moreover the Scripture also says, And God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed976    Gen. ii. 8.: and when he had transgressed His command He expelled him and made him to dwell over against the delights of Paradise977    Text, ὃν παραβάντα ἐξώρισεν, ἀπέναντί τε τοῦ Παραδείσου τῆς τρυφης κατῴκισεν . Variants, ὃν παραβάντα, τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξώρισεν, and ὃν παραβάντα, τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξώρισεν, ἀπέναντί τε τοῦ παραδείσου κατῴκισεν., which clearly is the West. So, then, we worship God seeking and striving after our old fatherland. Moreover the tent of Moses978    Levit. xvi. 14. had its veil and mercy seat979    Ibid. 2. towards the East. Also the tribe of Judah as the most precious pitched their camp on the East980    Num. ii. 3.. Also in the celebrated temple of Solomon the Gate of the Lord was placed eastward. Moreover Christ, when He hung on the Cross, had His face turned towards the West, and so we worship, striving after Him. And when He was received again into Heaven He was borne towards the East, and thus His apostles worship Him, and thus He will come again in the way in which they beheld Him going towards Heaven981    Acts i. 11.; as the Lord Himself said, As the lightning cometh out of the East and shineth982    Text, φαίνεται. Variant, φθάνει. The old translation gives occupat.even unto the West, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be983    St. Matt. xxiv. 27..

So, then, in expectation of His coming we worship towards the East. But this tradition of the apostles is unwritten. For much that has been handed down to us by tradition is unwritten984    Basil, De Spiritu Sancto, ch. 27..

Περὶ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν κατὰ ἀνατολάς

Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδ' ὡς ἔτυχε κατὰ ἀνατολὰς προσκυνοῦμεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐξ ὁρατῆς τε καὶ ἀοράτου ἤτοι νοητῆς καὶ αἰσθητῆς συντεθείμεθα φύσεως, διπλῆν καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν τῷ δημιουργῷ προσάγομεν, ὥσπερ καὶ τῷ νῷ ψάλλομεν καὶ τοῖς σωματικοῖς χείλεσι καὶ βαπτιζόμεθα ὕδατί τε καὶ πνεύματι καὶ διπλῶς τῷ κυρίῳ ἑνούμεθα τῶν μυστηρίων μετέχοντες καὶ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος χάριτος.

Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν «ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστι» νοητόν, καὶ «ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης» καὶ «ἀνατολὴ» ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ὠνόμασται ὁ Χριστός, ἀναθετέον αὐτῷ τὴν ἀνατολὴν εἰς προσκύνησιν: πᾶν γὰρ καλὸν τῷ θεῷ ἀναθετέον, ἐξ οὗ πᾶν ἀγαθὸν ἀγαθύνεται. Φησὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ θεῖος Δαυίδ: «Αἱ βασιλεῖαι τῆς γῆς, ᾄσατε τῷ θεῷ, ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ ἐπιβεβηκότι ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ ἀνατολάς». Ἔτι δέ φησιν ἡ γραφή: «Ἐφύτευσεν ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Ἐδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολάς: ἔνθα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασεν, ἔθετο», ὃν παραβάντα τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς ἐξώρισεν ἀπέναντί τε τοῦ παραδείσου κατῴκισεν, ἐκ δυσμῶν δηλαδή. Τὴν οὖν ἀρχαίαν πατρίδα ἐπιζητοῦντες καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀτενίζοντες τῷ θεῷ προσκυνοῦμεν. Καὶ ἡ σκηνὴ δὲ ἡ Μωσαϊκὴ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς εἶχε τὸ καταπέτασμα καὶ τὸ ἱλαστήριον. Καὶ ἡ φυλὴ τοῦ Ἰούδα ὡς τιμιωτέρα ἐξ ἀνατολῶν παρενέβαλε. Καὶ ἐν τῷ περιωνύμῳ δὲ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ναῷ ἡ τοῦ κυρίου πύλη κατὰ ἀνατολὰς διέκειτο. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὁ κύριος σταυρούμενος ἐπὶ δυσμὰς ἑώρα, καὶ οὕτω προσκυνοῦμεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀτενίζοντες. Καὶ ἀναλαμβανόμενος πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἀνεφέρετο, καὶ οὕτως αὐτῷ οἱ ἀπόστολοι προσεκύνησαν, καὶ οὕτως ἐλεύσεται, ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσαντο αὐτὸν πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἔφησεν: «Ὥσπερ ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἐξέρχεται ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ φθάνει ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου». Αὐτὸν οὖν ἐκδεχόμενοι ἐπὶ ἀνατολὰς προσκυνοῦμεν. Ἄγραφος δέ ἐστιν ἡ παράδοσις αὕτη τῶν ἀποστόλων: πολλὰ γὰρ ἀγράφως ἡμῖν παρέδωκαν.