St Athanasius the Great LETTERS, Part I, Complete

Translated by Cardinal Newman.

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Page 75

4. Now those who do not observe the feast, continue such as these even to the present day, feigning indeed and devising names of feasts [3947] , but rather introducing days of mourning than of gladness; 'For there is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord [3948] .' And as Wisdom saith, 'Gladness and joy are taken from their mouth [3949] .' Such are the feasts of the wicked. But the wise servants of the Lord, who have truly put on the man which is created in God [3950] , have received gospel words, and reckon as a general commandment that given to Timothy, which saith, 'Be thou an example to the believers in word, in conversation, in love, in faith, in purity [3951] .' So well do they keep the Feast, that even the unbelievers, seeing their order [3952] , may say, 'God is with them of a truth [3953] .' For as he who receives an apostle receives Him who sent him [3954] , so he who is a follower of the saints, makes the Lord in every respect his end and aim, even as Paul, being a follower of Him, goes on to say, 'As I also of Christ [3955] .' For there were first our Saviour's own words, who from the height of His divinity, when conversing with His disciples, said, 'Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls [3956] .' Then too when He poured water into a basin, and girded Himself with a towel, and washed His disciples' feet, He said to them, 'Know what I have done. Ye call Me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am. If therefore I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet: for I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, ye also should do [3957] .'

[3947] Syr. schematisamenos. The allusion in this sentence is evidently to the conduct of Jeroboam, as recorded 1 Kings xii. 32, 33. The phraseology of the Syriac resembles that of the Syr. version in v. 33.

[3948] Is. xlviii. 22.

[3949] Vid. Letter iii. note.

[3950] Eph. iv. 24.

[3951] 1 Tim. iv. 12.

[3952] taxis, Syr. Cf. Col. ii. 5, blepon humon ten taxin.

[3953] 1 Cor. xiv. 25.

[3954] Matt. x. 40.

[3955] 1 Cor. xi. 1.

[3956] Matt. xi. 29.

[3957] John xiii. 12.

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