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In illud: Ignem veni mittere in terram

I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

62.739 Mothers who love their infants, until the infants grow to a greater and stronger age, offering the milk-giving springs of their breasts to their beloved ones, entice them to draw the tireless nourishment of milk; but when they come to a greater age and perception, so as to then grind the tender morsels of food with their teeth, the mothers, first breaking the hard part of the bread, prepare the nourishment soft and tender, like marrow, and place it in their mouth. Such are the teachers of the Church. For to those who are infants in the state of their understanding, they do not present concepts difficult to understand and hard to discern, but, in the manner of mothers, having let down for them the nipple of the intellect, they encourage them with a gentle nod to draw the pure milk of the word.

Then, whenever the infants grow in understanding toward a greater comprehension of thoughts, they are accustomed to reveal to them the meanings of greater mysteries. This Paul also did; for writing to those who were infants he said: I gave you milk to drink, not solid food. In the same way our Lord still does even now; for having measured the scripture of the evangelical thoughts against the measure of the state of his hearers, in the days that have gone before, as to infants, he provided to us the soft and easily digestible nourishment of the word; but now, having observed that the mind of our understanding has grown, he permits us to enjoy greater teachings. For what does he say? I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. But those who are infants in their minds think that the Lord has come to consume all things with fire, and to slay all with the sword. But come, and let us, having understood the same things as the infants, discuss the Lord's sayings with the Lord, so that we may convey the Lord's sayings to the infants.

I have come to cast fire upon the earth. You came to cast fire on the earth, Lord, and you did not come to bring peace, but a sword? Our sin has struggled against us, death has ruled over us, the gehenna of fire is threatened for us, the army of accursed demons has strug 62.740 gled against us, and hearing of you as a helper from the prophets we were expecting you; and having come you say, I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword? We had no trophy of faith, we do not have strength for the battle-line of the devil; for we had no weapon of faith; the devil stripped and laid bare our breastplate of righteousness, which was Adam while still in paradise. Wherefore each of us, being naked of help, cries out to you, saying: Judge, O Lord, those who wrong me, fight against those who fight against me; take up weapon and shield, and rise up to my help; draw forth a sword, and shut the way against those who pursue me; say to my soul, I am your salvation; and having come to our aid you say, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword? And where is the supplication of the saints for peace made to you, that is, Lord our God, give us peace. For you have given us all things. We supplicated for peace, we prayed for calm, we did not want war, we renounced the sword; and having come you say, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword? His terrible [word] against us

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In illud: Ignem veni mittere in terram

Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· καὶ, Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν.

62.739 Αἱ τῶν νηπίων φιλότεκνοι μητέρες, μέχρι δ' ἂν πρὸς μείζονα ἡλικίαν καὶ

δυνατωτέραν οἱ νήπιοι αὐξηθῶσι, τὰς γαλακτοτρόφους πηγὰς τῶν μαζῶν προΐσχουσαι τοῖς φιλτάτοις, τὴν ἀκάματον τροφὴν τοῦ γάλακτος ὑφέλκειν αὐτοὺς κολακεύουσιν· ἐπειδὰν δὲ πρὸς μείζονα ἡλικίαν καὶ αἴσθησιν ἔλθωσιν, ὡς καὶ ὀδοῦσι λοιπὸν τὰ τρυφερὰ τῶν βρωμάτων λεαίνειν, πρότερον αἱ μητέρες τὸ σκληρὸν τοῦ ἄρτου συντρίψασαι, ἁπαλὴν καὶ τρυφε ρὰν, δίκην μυελοῦ, τὴν τροφὴν ἑτοιμάσασαι τῷ στό ματι αὐτῶν ἐνοικίζουσι. Τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλη σίας διδάσκαλοι. Τοῖς γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν ἕξιν τῆς φρονήσεως νηπιάζουσιν, οὐ δυσνόητα αὐτοῖς καὶ δυσδιάκριτα νοή ματα προσβάλλουσιν, ἀλλὰ, τρόπον μητέρων, τὴν θηλὴν τῆς διανοίας αὐτοῖς προσχαλάσαντες, τὸ ἄδολον τοῦ λό γου γάλα πραεῖ νεύματι ὑφέλκειν αὐτοὺς παρακαλοῦ σιν.

Εἶτα, ὁπόταν πρὸς μείζονα νοημάτων κατάληψιν οἱ νήπιοι αὐξηθῶσι τῇ φρονήσει, μειζόνων αὐτοῖς μυστη ρίων ἀποκαλύπτειν εἰώθασι νοήματα. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦ λος ἐποίει· νηπίοις γὰρ τυγχάνουσι γράφων ἔλεγε· Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα. Τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν ποιεῖ· πρὸς γὰρ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἕξεως τῶν ἀκουόντων τὴν τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν νοημά των γραφὴν συσταθμησάμενος, ἐν ταῖς προλα βούσαις ἡμέραις, καθάπερ νηπίοις, ἁπαλὴν καὶ εὔλυτον τὴν τροφὴν τοῦ λόγου ἡμῖν παρέσχετο· νυνὶ δὲ τὸν νοῦν τῆς φρονήσεως ἡμῶν αὐξηθέντα σκοπήσας, μειζόνων ἡμᾶς συγχωρεῖ ἀπολαύειν διδαγμάτων. Τί γάρ φησι; Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· καὶ, Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν νήπιοι ταῖς φρεσὶν οἴονται ἐληλυθέναι τὸν Κύριον ἐπὶ τὸ πυρὶ τὰ πάντα ἀναλῶσαι, καὶ μαχαίρα τοὺς πάντας κατα σφάξαι. Ἀλλὰ δεῦρο, καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς νηπίοις νοήσαντες, τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ῥήματα πρὸς τὸν Κύριον διαλεχθῶμεν, ἵνα τοῦ Κυρίου ῥήματα τοῖς νηπίοις δια πορθμεύσωμεν.

Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Πῦρ ἦλθες βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, Κύριε, καὶ οὐκ ἦλθες βα λεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν; Ἁμαρτία ἡμῶν κατ ηγωνίσατο, θάνατος ἡμῶν ἐκυρίευσε, γέεννα πυρὸς ἡμῖν ἠπείληται, τῶν ἐναγῶν δαιμόνων στρατόπεδον κατηγω 62.740 νίσατο ἡμῶν, καί σε ἀρωγὸν παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἀκούοντες ἐξεδεχόμεθα· καὶ ἐλθὼν λέγεις, Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· καὶ, Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν; Τρόπαιον παρ' ἡμῖν οὐχ ὑπῆρχε πί στεως, τῇ τοῦ διαβόλου παρατάξει οὐκ ἰσχύομεν· ὅπλον γὰρ ἡμῖν οὐχ ὑπῆρχε πίστεως· τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡμῶν ἔτι ὄντα τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐκδύσας ὁ διάβολος ἐγύμνωσε. ∆ιὸ ἕκαστος ἡμῶν γυ μνὸς βοηθείας ὑπάρχων πρὸς σὲ βοᾷ λέγων· ∆ίκασον, Κύριε, τοὺς ἀδικοῦντάς με, πολέμησον τοὺς πολε μοῦντάς με· ἐπιλαβοῦ ὅπλου καὶ θυρεοῦ, καὶ ἀνά στηθι εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου· ἔκχεον ῥομφαίαν, καὶ σύγκλεισον ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν καταδιωκόντων με· εἰπὸν τῇ ψυχῇ μου, σωτηρία σου ἐγώ εἰμι· καὶ ἐλ θὼν πρὸς βοήθειαν ἡμῶν λέγεις, Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν; Καὶ ποῦ ἡ τῶν ἁγίων ἱκεσία ἡ περὶ εἰρήνης πρὸς σὲ γεγενημένη, τὸ, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, εἰρήνην δὸς ἡμῖν. Πάντα γὰρ ἀπέδωκας ἡμῖν. Εἰρήνην ἱκετεύσαμεν, γαλήνης ἐδεήθημεν, πόλεμον οὐκ ἠθελήσαμεν, μάχαιραν ἀπειπάμεθα· καὶ ἐλθὼν λέγεις, Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν; ∆εινὸν αὐτοῦ τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν