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De turture seu de ecclesia sermo

A SERMON ON THE TURTLEDOVE, or On the Church.

55.599 1. The turtledove, lover of solitude, when, nesting in the woods, it calls its mate, shaking the valleys with mournful coaxings, and having charmed its own male feeding by the waters, and having caused it to fly, urges it to make a swift flight; and with one mind they build their nest on the sturdy tree trunks and brood fearlessly, and from there cause their young to fly. Some say the turtledove is devoted to its mate and chaste; so that if its male happens to be devoured by an eagle, or caught by a fowler, it does not mate with another male, but longs for him, waits for him, and dies with his memory. Hear, O women, what chastity is found among birds. As many of you, therefore, as bear the form of the turtledove in appearance, imitate its chastity.

Such is the all-venerable Church. For when her husband Christ was crucified and ascended into heaven, she does not mate with another husband; but she longs for him, waits for him, and dies with his memory. But lest we seem, beloved, to be outside the Scriptures in mentioning the turtledove, let us call to mind the Scriptures themselves. The blessed David bears witness, and sings, saying: For the sparrow has found a house for itself, and the turtledove a nest for itself, where it will lay its young. And what sparrow does he mean? Surely, man; For our soul, like a sparrow, was delivered from the snare of the fowlers. And the Lord, wishing to show his disciples how much they differ from others in holiness, says to them: Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. For this reason also Solomon cried out, saying: That you may be saved, like a gazelle from the nets, and like a bird from the snare. And again the divine voice: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which is smaller than all the seeds; but when it has grown, it becomes larger than all the plants, so that all the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches. For here also he compared the numerous races of men to birds. For the sparrow has found a house for itself, and the turtledove a nest for itself, where it will lay its young. He compared the all-venerable Church to a turtledove because of the various gifts of wisdom. That the Church is variegated, one can hear from David saying: All the glory of the king's daughter is within, clothed in golden tassels, variegated. For the sparrow has found a house for itself, and the turtledove a nest for itself, where it will lay its young; that is, under the sturdy branches of the cross nourishing the newly enlightened children.

And Jeremiah also remembers this turtledove, saying: The turtledove and the swallow of the field, the sparrows and the cicadas have known the time of their coming, calling the all-venerable Church a turtledove, the benevolent John a swallow, the eloquent Paul a cicada, the flute of the Church. Concerning this turtledove the Lord commands Abraham: Take for me a three-year-old heifer, and a three-year-old ram, and a three-year-old goat, and a pigeon, and a turtledove. Of this turtledove the Scripture also makes mention in the Song of Songs, saying: The voice of the turtledove was heard in our land. The voice of this turtledove signifies to us that the heavenly spring, Christ, is coming from heaven. The voice of the turtledove was heard in our land

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De turture seu de ecclesia sermo

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΤΡΥΓΟΝΑ Ἤτοι εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν.

55.599 αʹ. Ἡ τρυγὼν ἡ φιλέρημος, ὅτε ἐν ὕλαις συγκοιταζομένη καλεῖ τὸν

ὁμόζυγον, γοεραῖς κολακείαις τὰς κοιλάδας δονήσασα, καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἄῤῥενα παρ' ὕδασι νεμόμενον θέλξασα, καὶ τοῦτον πετάσασα παραινεῖ ταχεῖαν τὴν πτῆσιν ποιήσασθαι· ὁμοφώνῳ δὲ γνώμῃ ἐπὶ τῶν στερεμνίων πρέμνων τὴν καλιὰν αὐτῶν πήξασαι καὶ ἀφόβως ἐπωάζουσι, καὶ τοὺς νεοττοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἐκεῖθεν πετάζουσι. Φασί τινες τὴν τρυγόνα φίλανδρον εἶναι καὶ φίλαγνον· ὥστε κἂν συμβῇ τὸν ταύτης ἄῤῥενα ὑπὸ ἀετοῦ ἀναλωθῆναι, ἢ ὑπὸ ἰξευτοῦ θηρευθῆναι, ταύτην ἑτέρῳ ἀνδρὶ μὴ ἐπιμίγνυσθαι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ποθεῖν, αὐτὸν ἀναμένειν, καὶ τῇ τούτου μνήμῃ συναποθνήσκειν. Ἀκούσατε, γυναῖκες, οἵα σωφροσύνη ἐν ὀρνέοις εὑρίσκεται. Ὅσοι τοίνυν τὴν μορφὴν τῆς τρυγόνος ἐν ὄψει φέρετε, τὴν ταύτης σωφροσύνην μιμήσασθε.

Τοιαύτη ἐστὶν ἡ πάνσεμνος Ἐκκλησία. Τοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς Χριστοῦ σταυρωθέντος καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελθόντος, ἑτέρῳ ἀνδρὶ οὐκ ἐπιμίγνυται· ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ποθεῖ, αὐτὸν ἀναμένει, καὶ τῇ τούτου μνήμῃ συναποθνήσκει. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἔξωθεν εἶναι τῶν Γραφῶν μνημονεύσαντες τρυγόνος, φέρε αὐτῶν τῶν Γραφῶν μνημονεύσωμεν. Μαρτυρεῖ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ὁ μακάριος, καὶ κελαδεῖ λέγων· Καὶ γὰρ στρουθίον εὗρεν ἑαυτῷ οἰκίαν, καὶ τρυγὼν νοσσιὰν ἑαυτῇ, οὗ θήσει τὰ νόσσια ἑαυτῆς. Καὶ ποῖον λέγει στρουθίον; Ἦ πάντως τὸν ἄνθρωπον· Ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν, ὡς στρουθίον, ἐῤῥύσθη ἐκ τῆς παγίδος τῶν θηρευόντων. Ὁ δέ γε Κύριος βουλόμενος δεῖξαι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς, πόσον ἄλλων ἐν ἁγιωσύνῃ διαφέρουσι, λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς· Μὴ φοβεῖσθε· πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε ὑμεῖς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σολομὼν ἐβόα λέγων· Ἵνα σώζῃ, ὥσπερ δορκὰς ἐκ βρόχων, καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρνεον ἐκ παγίδος. Καὶ πάλιν ἡ θεία φωνή· Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπιος, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀγρῷ· ὃ μικρότερον μέν ἐστι πάντων τῶν σπερμάτων· ὅταν δὲ αὐξηθῇ, γίνεται μεῖζον πάντων τῶν λαχάνων, ὥστε ἐλθεῖν πάντα τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ κατασκηνοῦν ἐν τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὰ πολυαρίθμητα γένη τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὀρνέοις παρείκασε. Καὶ γὰρ στρουθίον εὗρεν ἑαυτῷ οἰκίαν, καὶ τρυγὼν νοσσιὰν ἑαυτῇ, οὗ θήσει τὰ νόσσια ἑαυτῆς. Τρυγόνι παρείκασε τὴν πάνσεμνον Ἐκκλησίαν διὰ τὰ ποικίλα τῆς σοφίας χαρίσματα. Ὅτι δὲ πεποίκιλται ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἔστι τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἀκοῦσαι λέγοντος· Πᾶσα ἡ δόξα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἔσωθεν ἐν κροσσωτοῖς χρυσοῖς περιβεβλημένη, πεποικιλμένη. Καὶ γὰρ στρουθίον εὗρεν ἑαυτῷ οἰκίαν, καὶ τρυγὼν νοσσιὰν ἑαυτῇ, οὗ θήσει τὰ νόσσια ἑαυτῆς· τουτέστιν, ὑπὸ τοὺς στερεμνίους κλάδους τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐκτρέφουσα τὰ νεοφώτιστα τέκνα.

Ταύτης δὲ τῆς τρυγόνος μέμνηται καὶ Ἱερεμίας λέγων· Τρυγὼν καὶ χελιδὼν ἀγροῦ, στρουθία καὶ τέττιγες ἔγνωσαν καιρὸν εἰσόδου αὐτῶν, τρυγόνα λέγων τὴν πάνσεμνον Ἐκκλησίαν, χελιδόνα τὸν φιλάνθρωπον Ἰωάννην, τέττιγα τὸν εὔλαλον Παῦλον, τὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐλόν. Περὶ ταύτης τῆς τρυγόνος ἐντέλλεται ὁ Κύριος τῷ Ἀβραάμ· Λάβε μοι δάμαλιν τριετίζουσαν, καὶ κριὸν τριετίζοντα, καὶ αἶγα τριετίζουσαν, καὶ περιστερὰν, καὶ τρυγόνα. Ταύτης τῆς τρυγόνος μέμνηται καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ἄσμασι τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἡ Γραφὴ λέγουσα· Φωνὴ τῆς τρυγόνος ἠκούσθη ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν. Ἡ φωνὴ τῆς τρυγόνος ταύτης, τὸ οὐράνιον ἔαρ τὸν Χριστὸν οὐρανόθεν παραγίνεσθαι, ἡμῖν σημαίνει. Ἡ φωνὴ τῆς τρυγόνος ἠκούσθη ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν