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Translated by R. Payne Smith
St Cyril of Alexandria Resources Online and in Print
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This Part: 128 Pages
Page 92
8:22-25. But it came to pass on a certain day that He went into a ship with His disciples. And He said unto them, Let us go over to the other side of the lake: and they went. But as they were sailing, He fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind upon the lake, and the ship was filled and they were in danger. And they drew near, and awoke Him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. Then He arose, and rebuked the winds, and the raging of the waters, and they were still: and there was a great calm. But He said to them, Where is your faith? And they were afraid, and wondered among themselves, saying, Who, then, is This, that He commandeth even the winds, and waters, and they obey Him?
ONCE again draw near, that as with the Psalmist's harp we may cry aloud: "I will bless the Lord at all times: and at all times shall His praise be in my mouth." For He ever doeth wonderful things; and giveth occasions thick and closely pressing one upon another for His praise: and every word falls short of His power, and of His majesty far exalted above all. For true is it that "the glory of the Lord covereth over the Word." But we must not on this account forget the glory that is His due and fitting right: but rather must hasten joyfully to offer such fruits as are proportionate to our power. For certainly there is nothing whatsoever that a man can affirm to be better than praise, even though it be but little that we can offer. Come, therefore, and let us praise Christ the Saviour of all: let us behold the supremacy of His might, and the majesty of His godlike dominion.
For He was sailing, together with the holy Apostles, across the sea, or rather lake of Tiberias, and an unexpected and violent tempest arose upon the vessel; and the waves, piled up high by the gusts of the winds, filled the disciples with the fear of death. For they were terrified not a little, although well acquainted with seamanship, and by no means inexperienced in the tumults of the waves. But inasmuch as the greatness of the clangor made their terror now unendurable, as having no other hope of safety except Him only Who is the Lord of powers even Christ, they arouse Him, saying, Master, Master, save us, we perish: for the Evangelist says that He was asleep.[8] With most wise purpose, as it seems to me, was this also done. For some one, I imagine, may say, Why did He fall asleep at all? To which we reply, that the event was so arranged as to be good and profitable. For that they might not ask aid of Him immediately when the tempest began to dash upon the ship, but when, so to speak, the evil was at its height, and the terrors of death were troubling the disciples; that so the might of His godlike sovereignty might be more manifest, in calming the raging sea, and rebuking the savage blasts of the wind, and changing the tempest to a calm, and that the event might thus become a means of improvement to them that were sailing with Him, He purposely fell asleep.
But they, as I said, wake Him, saying: Save [9] me, We perish. See here, I pray, smallness of faith united with faith. For they believe that He can save; and deliver from all evil those who call upon Him. For had they not so far had a firm faith in Him, they certainly would not have asked this of Him, And yet as having but little faith, they say, Save me, we perish. For it was not a thing possible, or that could happen, for them to perish when they were with Him Who is Almighty.
8. [n] Mai here inserts two passages, the first referring to our Lord's austerity of manners (φιλοσοφία) in sleeping with only a pillow under His head; and the second at the end of the paragraph, enlarging upon the economy: but as the first of these is contained in Cramer entire and the beginning of the second, in the extracts in his Catena from S. Cyril's Commentary on S. Mark, (cf. c. iv. v. 35.), we have another proof that the passages not acknowledged by the Syriac are often taken from other works of this father. In the second extract there is a remark so worthy of Cyril that I append it: it is to the effect, that in our Lord's miracles generally the Apostles were only eyewitnesses, and in danger, therefore, of not really appreciating them: it was necessary, therefore, for them to experience in their own persons their Master's divine power, that they might be fully impressed with His majesty: and thus, therefore, He did not save them till they were in the very terrors of death.
9. [o] S. Cyril was here probably quoting from memory: for though σῶσον is read in some MSS., it is universally regarded as an interpolation, and does not appear in Cyril's own text: while the pronoun "me," "Save me," has no MS. authority whatsoever.
Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/cyril-alexandria/luke-commentary.asp?pg=92
