St Athanasius the Great LETTERS, Part I, Complete

Translated by Cardinal Newman.

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Page 105

3. But the saints, and they who truly practise virtue, 'mortify their members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness passions, evil concupiscence [4146] ;' and, as the result of this, are pure and without spot, confiding in the promise of our Saviour, who said, 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God [4147] .' These, having become dead to the world, and renounced the merchandise of the world, gain an honourable death; for, 'precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints [4148] .' They are also able, preserving the Apostolic likeness, to say, 'I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me [4149] .' For that is the true life, which a man lives in Christ; for although they are dead to the world, yet they dwell as it were in heaven, minding those things which are above, as he who was a lover of such a habitation said, 'While we walk on earth, our dwelling is in heaven [4150] .' Now those who thus live, and are partakers in such virtue, are alone able to give glory to God, and this it is which essentially constitutes a feast and a holiday [4151] . For the feast does not consist in pleasant intercourse at meals, nor splendour [4152] of clothing, nor days of leisure, but in the acknowledgment of God, and the offering of thanksgiving and of praise to Him [4153] . Now this belongs to the saints alone, who live in Christ; for it is written, 'The dead shall not praise Thee, O Lord, neither all those who go down into silence; but we who live will bless the Lord, from henceforth even for ever [4154] .' So was it with Hezekiah, who was delivered from death, and therefore praised God, saying, 'Those who are in hades cannot praise Thee; the dead cannot bless Thee; but the living shall bless Thee, as I also do [4155] .' For to praise and bless God belongs to those only who live in Christ, and by means of this they go up to the feast; for the Passover is not of the Gentiles, nor of those who are yet Jews in the flesh; but of those who acknowledge the truth in Christ [4156] , as he declares who was sent to proclaim such a feast; 'Our Passover, Christ, is sacrificed [4157] .'

[4146] Col. iii. 5.

[4147] Matt. v. 8.

[4148] Ps. cxvi. 15.

[4149] Gal. ii. 20.

[4150] The quotation is uncertain, but see ad Diognet. v. 9; cf. also Phil. iii. 20, with which the passage in the text is coupled, and ascribed to 'the Apostle,' in the probably spurious Homily on Matt. xxi. 2 (Migne xxviii. p. 177).

[4151] Cf. Letter iii. 'What else is the feast, but the service of God?'

[4152] Cf. 1 Tim. ii. 9 sub fin.

[4153] Cf. Letter vi. 3, note 14.

[4154] Ps. cxv. 17, 18.

[4155] Is. xxxviii. 18.

[4156] Vid. Letter vi. 2, note 10.

[4157] 1 Cor. v. 7.

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