Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/582

 PASSION

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PASSION

the simple cross is rarely found before the time of Constantino (see Cross), and when the figure of the Divine \'ictim comes to be indicated, it at first appears most commonly under some symbolical form, e. g. that of a lamb, and there is no attempt as a rule to represent the crucifixion realistically. Again, the Christian literature which has survived, whether Greek or Latin, does not dwell upon the details of the Passion or very frequently fall back upon the motive of our Saviour's sufferings. The tragedy known as "Christus Pations", which is printed with the works of St. Gregory Nazianzus and was formerly attrib- uted to him, is almost certainly a work of much later date, probably not earlier than the eleventh century (see Krumbacher, "Byz. Lit.", 746).

In spite of all this it would be rash to infer that the Passion was not a favourite subject of contemplation for Christian ascetics. To begin with, the Apostolical writings preserved in the New Testament are far from leaving the sufferings of Christ in the background as a motive of Christian endeavour; take, for instance, the words of St. Peter (I Pet., ii, 19,21,23): "For this is thankworthy, if for conscience towards God, a man endure sorrows, suffering wrongfully " ; " For unto this are you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow his steps"; "Who, when he was reviled, did not revile", etc.; or again: "Christ therefore having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the same thought" (ibid., iv, 1). So St. Paul (Gal., ii, 19) : "with Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not I; but Christ livethinme"; and(ibid., v, 24): "they that are Christ's, have crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences" (cf. Col., i, 24); and perhaps most strikingly of all (Gal., vi, 14): "God forbid that I should glor3', save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world." Seeing the great influence that the New Testament exercised from a very earh' period upon the leaders of Christian thought, it is impos.sible to believe that such passages did not leave their mark upon the devotional practice of the West, though it is easy to discover plausible reasons why this spirit should not have displayed itself more conspicuously in literature. It certainly manifested itself in the devotion of the martyrs who died in imitation of their Master, and in the spirit of martyrdom that charac- terized the early Church.

Further, w'e do actually find in such an Apostolic Father as St. Ignatius of Antioch, who, though a Syr- ian by birth, wrote in Greek and was in touch with Greek culture, a very continuous and practical re- membrance of the Passion. After expressing in his letter to the Romans (cc. iv, ix) his desire to be mar- tyred, and by enduring many forms of suffering to prove himself the true disciple of Jesus Christ, the saint continues: "Him I seek who dies on our behalf; Him I desire who rose again for our sake. The pangs of a new birth are upon me. Suffer me to receive the pure light. When I am come thither then shall I be a man. Permit me to be an imitator of the Passion of my God. If any man hath Him within himself, let him understand what I desire, and let him have fel- low-feeling with me, for he knoweth the things which straiten me." And again he says in his letter to the Smyma;an8 (c. iv) : "near to the sword, near to God (i. e. Jesus Christ), in company with wild beasts, in company with God. Only let it be in the name of Jmus Christ. So that we may suffer together with Him" (eh ri (jvinraBtlv ai5T(J!).

Moreover, t aking the Syrian Church in general — and rich as it was in the traditions of Jerusalem it was far from being an uninfluential part of Christendom — we do find a pronounced and even emotional form of de- votion to the PiLssion established at an early period. Already in the second ccnturv a fragment preserved to us of St. MeUto of Sardis speaks as Father Faber

might have spoken in modern times. Aposf rophisitig the people of Israel, he says: "Thou slewest thy Lord and He was lifted up upon a tree and a tablet was fixed up to denote who He was that was put to fleath — And who was this? — Listen while ye tremble: — He on whose account the earth quaked: lie tliat suspciuled the earth was hanged up; Hethat lixed the heavens was fixed with nails; He that supported the earth was sujiported upon a tree; the Lord was exposed to ig- nominy with a naked body; God put to death; the King of Israel slain by an Israelitish right hand. Ah! the fresh wickedness of the fresh murder! The Lord was exposed with a naked body, He was not deemed worthy even of covering, but in order that He might not be seen, the lights were turned away, and the day became dark because they were slaying God, who wiis naked upon the tree" (Cureton, "Spicilcgium Syria- cum", 55).

No doubt the Syrian and Jewish temperament was an emotional temperament, and the tone of their lit- erature may often remind us of the Celtic. But in any case it is certain that a most realistic presentation of Our Lortl's sufferings found favour with the Fathers of the Syrian Church apparently from the beginning. It would be easy to make long quotations of this kind from the works of St. Kphraem, St. Isaac of Antioch, and St. James of Sarugh. Zingerle in the "Thcolo- gische Quartalschrift" (1S70 and 1871) has collected many of the most striking passages from the last two writers. In all this literat\ire we find a rather turgid Oriental imagination emhniidering almost every de- tail of the history of the Passion. Christ's elevation upon the cross is likened by Isaac of Antioch to the action of the stork, which builds its nest upon the tree- tops to be safe from the insidious approach of the snake; while the crown of thorns suggests to him a wall with which the safe asylum of that nest is sur- rounded, protecting all the children of God who are gathered in the nest from the talons of the hawk or other winged foes (Zingerle, ibid., 1870, 108). More- over St. Ephraem, who wrote in the last quarter of the fourth century, is earlier in date and even more copi- ous and realistic in his minute study of the physical details of the Passion. It is difficult to convey in a short quotation any true impression of the effect produced by the long-sustained note of lamentation, in which the orator and poet follows up his theme. In the Hymns on the Pas.sion (Ephraem, " Syri, Hymni et Sermones," ed. Lamy, I) the writer moves hke a devout pilgrim from scene to scene, and from object to object, finding everywhere new motives for tenderness and compassion, while the seven "Sermons for Holy Week" might both for their spirit and treatment have been penned bj' any medieval mystic. "Glory be to Him, how much he suffered!" is an exclamation which bursts from the preacher's lips from time to time. To illustrate the general tone, the following passage from a description of the scourging must suffice:

"After many vehement outcries against Pilate, the all-mighty One was scourged like the meanest crim- inal. Surely there must have been commotion and horror at the sight. Let the heavens and earth stand awestruck to behold Him who swayeth the rod of fire. Himself smitten with scourges, to behold Him who spread over the earth the veil of the .skies and who set fast the foundations of the mountains, who poised the earth over the waters and sent down the blazing light- ning-flash, now beaten by infamous wretches over a stone pillar that His own word had created. They, indeed, stretched out His limbs and outraged Him with mockeries. A man whom He had formed wielded the scourge. He who su.stains all creatures with His might submitted His back to their stripes; He who is the Father's right arm yielded His own arms to be ex- tended. The pillar of ignominy was embraced by Him who bears up and sustains the heaven and the earth in all their splendour" (Lamy, 1, 511 sq.). The