Insights and church fathers

[Daniel_Marsh]

What insights have any of the church fathers given you into scripture?

Please post the scripture, the church father quote and your explaination.

for example,

2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Objection 3. Further, the same effect is not put down to contrary causes. But the cause of spiritual blindness is said to be the malice of man, according to Wisdom 2:21: “For their own malice blinded them,” and again, according to 2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of unbelievers”: which causes seem to be opposed to God. Therefore God is not the cause of spiritual blindness and hardness of heart.

…

Reply to Objection 3. Malice is the demeritorious cause of blindness, just as sin is the cause of punishment: and in this way too, the devil is said to blind, in so far as he induces man to sin.

Sin is what blinds people to the gospel ( Romans 1:18-32 ) thus Satan tempts mankind to sin, so that they may be blind.

1. Then Manes answers him: “And what sort of God causes blindness? For it is Paul who says, In whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the Gospel should shine unto them.” But Archelaus made a good retort, saying, "Read a little before: But if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that are perishing 2 Corinthians 4:3 . Do you see that in them that are perishing it is veiled? For it is not right to give the things which are holy unto the dogs Matthew 7:6 . Again, Is it only the God of the Old Testament that has blinded the minds of them that believe not? Hath not Jesus Himself said, For this cause speak I unto them in parables, that seeing they may not see? Was it from hating them that He wished them not to see? Or because of their unworthiness, since their eyes they had closed Matthew 13:15 . For where there is wilful wickedness, there is also a withholding of grace: for to him that has shall be given; but from him that has not shall be taken even that which he seems to have.

newadvent.org/fathers/310106.htm

God also blinds mankind to the gospel. To what purpose I do not unterstand, because elsewhere it says, God is not willing that anyone should perish, but to come to eternal life.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 

[Nita]

Sorry more have not responded to this thread. I keep checking, hoping there will be more references given that are as good as the ones you gave. (I’m assuming the first one was from Aquinas.)

I don’t have a particular verse, so I realize this isn’t quite what you are looking for, but hope it’s okay to post it anyway. St. John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) introduced me to the wonders of typology in Scripture. Here are two of his that are favorites of mine:

1. "You have observed His outstanding triumph, the splendid achievement of the cross. Now let me tell you something even more remarkable, the manner in which He gained His victory, and you will marvel all the more. Christ conquered the devil using the same means and the same weapons that the devil used to win. Let me tell you how this occurred. The symbols of our fall were a virgin, a tree and death. … And again these three tokens of our destruction, the virgin, the tree, and death, became the tokens of our victory. Instead of Eve there was Mary; instead of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the wood of the cross; instead of Adam’s death, the death of Christ.

Do you see then that the devil was defeated by the very means he used to conquer! …"

1. "There flowed from His side water and blood. Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that the water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: … Since the symbols of baptism and the eucharist flowed from His side, it was from His side that Christ fashioned the Church, as He had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. … As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from His side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

Do you understand, then, how Christ has united His bride to Himself and what food He gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with His own blood those to whom He Himself has given life."

Nita

 

[DarkMark]

I favorite verse: John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And of course my favorite Church Father/Doctor of the Church: John Chrysostom (his many homilies on the Bible has helped me alot!):

“The text, “God so loved the world,” shows such an intensity of love. . . . . He laid down his life for us and poured forth his precious blood for our sake, even though there is nothing good in us, while we do not even pour out our money for our own sake and neglect him who died for us when he is naked and a stranger . . . .He gladly goes hungry so that you may be feed; naked so that he may provide you with the materials for garment of incorruption, yet we will not even give up any of our food or clothing for him. . . . .” (In Joannem [homiliae 1-88]). The English translation of the work this can be found in is “Homilies on the Gospel of John”.

Now that Easter is on its way, Let us put our mind on what our Lord did to save our souls from destruction. God came down from Heaven, became flesh, in order to save His children. How wonderful!