Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

On the Advantage of Patience

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 6

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

6. Nor, beloved brethren, did Jesus Christ, our

‹ Section 5 Section 7 ›

God

and

Lord

,

teach

this

in

words

only

;

but

He

fulfilled

it

also

in

deeds

.

And

because

He

had

said

that

He

had

come

down

for

this

purpose

,

that

He

might

do

the

will

of

His

Father

;

among

the

other

marvels

of

His

virtues

,

whereby

He

showed

forth

the

marks

of

a

divine

majesty

,

He

also

maintained

the

patience

of

His

Father

in

the

constancy

of

His

endurance

.

Finally

,

all

His

actions

,

even

from

His

very

advent

,

are

characterized

by

patience

as

their

associate

;

in

that

,

first

of

all

,

coming

down

from

that

heavenly

sublimity

to

earthly

things

,

the

Son

of

God

did

not

scorn

to

put

on

the

flesh

of

man

,

and

although

He

Himself

was

not

a

sinner

,

to

bear

the

sins

of

others

.

His

immortality

being

in

the

meantime

laid

aside

,

He

suffers

Himself

to

become

mortal

,

so

that

the

guiltless

may

be

put

to

death

for

the

salvation

of

the

guilty

.

The

Lord

is

baptized

by

the

servant

;

and

He

who

is

about

to

bestow

remission

of

sins

,

does

not

Himself

disdain

to

wash

His

body

in

the

laver

of

regeneration

.

For

forty

days

He

fasts

,

by

whom

others

are

feasted

.

He

is

hungry

,

and

suffers

famine

,

that

they

who

had

been

in

hunger

of

the

word

and

of

grace

may

be

satisfied

with

heavenly

bread

.

He

wrestles

with

the

devil

tempting

Him

;

and

,

content

only

to

have

overcome

the

enemy

,

He

strives

no

farther

than

by

words

.

He

ruled

over

His

disciples

not

as

servants

in

the

power

of

a

master

;

but

,

kind

and

gentle

,

He

loved

them

with

a

brotherly

love

.

He

deigned

even

to

wash

the

apostles

’

feet

,

that

since

the

Lord

is

such

among

His

servants

,

He

might

teach

,

by

His

example

,

what

a

fellow

-

servant

ought

to

be

among

his

peers

and

equals

.

Nor

is

it

to

be

wondered

at

,

that

among

the

obedient

He

showed

Himself

such

,

since

He

could

bear

Judas

even

to

the

last

with

a

long

patience

—

could

take

meat

with

His

enemy

—

could

know

the

household

foe

,

and

not

openly

point

him

out

,

nor

refuse

the

kiss

of

the

traitor

.

Moreover

,

in

bearing

with

the

Jews

,

how

great

equanimity

and

how

great

patience

,

in

turning

the

unbelieving

to

the

faith

by

persuasion

,

in

soothing

the

unthankful

by

concession

,

in

answering

gently

to

the

contradictors

,

in

bearing

the

proud

with

clemency

,

in

yielding

with

humility

to

the

persecutors

,

in

wishing

to

gather

together

the

slayers

of

the

prophets

,

and

those

who

were

always

rebellious

against

God

,

even

to

the

very

hour

of

His

cross

and

passion

!

Notes

15
Baluzius reads, “compares obaudientes”—His obedient peers. The mss. have “obaudientes” only.