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The Life and Passion of Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr. By Pontius the Deacon

Pontius the Deacon

Section 13

About this work

Author: Pontius the Deacon

13. What could be more plain than

‹ Section 12 Section 14 ›

this

revelation

?

What

could

be

more

blessed

than

this

condescension

?

Everything

was

foretold

to

him

beforehand

which

subsequently

followed

.

Nothing

was

diminished

of

the

words

of

God

,

nothing

was

mutilated

of

so

sacred

a

promise

.

Carefully

consider

each

particular

in

accordance

with

its

announcement

.

He

asks

for

delay

till

the

morrow

,

when

the

sentence

of

his

passion

was

under

deliberation

,

begging

that

he

might

arrange

his

affairs

on

the

day

which

he

had

thus

obtained

.

This

one

day

signified

a

year

,

which

he

was

about

to

pass

in

the

world

after

his

vision

.

For

,

to

speak

more

plainly

,

after

the

year

was

expired

,

he

was

crowned

,

on

that

day

on

which

,

at

the

commencement

of

the

year

,

the

fact

had

been

announced

to

him

.

For

although

we

do

not

read

of

the

day

of

the

Lord

as

a

year

in

sacred

Scripture

,

yet

we

regard

that

space

of

time

as

due

in

making

promise

of

future

things

.

Whence

is

it

of

no

consequence

if

,

in

this

case

,

under

the

ordinary

expression

of

a

day

,

it

is

only

a

year

that

in

this

place

is

implied

,

because

that

which

is

the

greater

ought

to

be

fuller

in

meaning

.

Moreover

,

that

it

was

explained

rather

by

signs

than

by

speech

,

was

because

the

utterance

of

speech

was

reserved

for

the

manifestation

of

the

time

itself

.

For

anything

is

usually

set

forth

in

words

,

whenever

what

is

set

forth

is

accomplished

.

For

,

indeed

,

no

one

knew

why

this

had

been

shown

to

him

,

until

afterwards

,

when

,

on

the

very

day

on

which

he

had

seen

it

,

he

was

crowned

.

Nevertheless

,

in

the

meantime

,

his

impending

suffering

was

certainly

known

by

all

,

but

the

exact

day

of

his

passion

was

not

spoken

of

by

any

of

the

same

,

just

as

if

they

were

ignorant

of

it

.

And

,

indeed

,

I

find

something

similar

in

the

Scriptures

.

For

Zacharias

the

priest

,

because

he

did

not

believe

the

promise

of

a

son

,

made

to

him

by

the

angel

,

became

dumb

;

so

that

he

asked

for

tablets

by

a

sign

,

being

about

to

write

his

son’s

name

rather

than

utter

it

.

With

reason

,

also

in

this

case

,

where

God’s

messenger

declared

the

impending

passion

of

His

priest

rather

by

signs

,

he

both

admonished

his

faith

and

fortified

His

priest

.

Moreover

,

the

ground

of

asking

for

delay

arose

out

of

his

wish

to

arrange

his

affairs

and

settle

his

will

.

Yet

what

affairs

or

what

will

had

he

to

arrange

,

except

ecclesiastical

concerns

?

And

thus

that

last

delay

was

received

,

in

order

that

whatever

had

to

be

disposed

of

by

his

final

decision

concerning

the

care

of

cherishing

the

poor

might

be

arranged

.

And

I

think

that

for

no

other

reason

,

and

indeed

for

this

reason

only

,

indulgence

was

granted

to

him

even

by

those

very

persons

who

had

ejected

and

were

about

to

slay

him

,

that

,

being

at

hand

,

he

might

relieve

the

poor

also

who

were

before

him

with

the

final

or

,

to

speak

more

accurately

,

with

the

entire

outlay

of

his

last

stewardship

.

And

therefore

,

having

so

benevolently

ordered

matters

,

and

so

arranged

them

according

to

his

will

,

the

morrow

drew

near

.

Notes

12
[See Origen, “weeks of years,” vol. iv. p. 353.]