22 March 2007

From Today's Vespers...

Mark 13:14 "...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

That reminded of this passage which, long before the Reformation, was (erroneously, apparently) attributed to St. John Chrysostom from a homily on the parallel passage in Matthew (cited in the medieval Glossa Ordinaria):

When you shall see the wicked heresy, which is the army of Antichrist, standing in the holy places of the church, then let those who are in Judea head to the mountains, that is, those who are Christians should head for the Scriptures. For the true Judea is Christendom and the mountains are the Scriptures of the prophets and apostles, as it is written, "Her foundations are in the holy mountains." But why should all Christendom at this time head for the Scriptures? Because in this period in which heresy has taken possession of the churches there can be no proof of true Christianity nor any other refuge for Christians who want to know the truth of the faith except the divine Scriptures. Earlier we showed in many ways which is the church of Christ, and which heathenism. But now there is for those who want to know which is the true church of Christ no way to know it except only through the Scriptures. Why? Because heresy has everything just like the church. How, then, will anyone who wants to know which is the true church of Christ know it in the midst of this great confusion resulting from this similarity, except only through the Scriptures? The Lord, therefore, knowing that there would be such great confusion of things in the last days, commands that Christians who...want to gain steadfastness in the true faith should take refuge in nothing else but the Scriptures. Otherwise, if they look to other things, they will be offended and will perish, because they will not know which is the true church, and as a result will fall into the abomination of desolation which stands in the holy places of the church. (Cited in Chemnitz' *Examen* I:156)

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