Church in which the holy apostle sitting taught in what way it beseems us to steer the helm which has been put into our hands, yet do we confess ourselves unequal to the honour; but therefore do we strive in every way, if any how we may be able to attain to the glory of his blessedness."-Ep. ix. Synod, Orient. Galland. vi. p. 336.

ST. EPHREM SYRUS, 370.-"Mount Sinai falls in the tenth year; it sings hymns of praise to the Lord that is born. Of old Sion melted at His presence, and fell away. But it will soon perceive Him aimed at with stones thrown by impious hands; He that was to build His Church upon Cephas (a stone), receives on Him stones. Admire the workmanship of the divine artificer."-T. ii. Serm. 13, in Nat. Dom. p. 433-4.*

"Bardesanes has stamped his own mark on the sheep, and has called it his own flock. The sect of Manes still bears his name. The stolen sheep were to be stamped with a disgraceful mark; our Saviour's sheep are called after Him, Christians, and, at His call, have been gathered into one flock....This mere commemoration on their parts, of men so utterly defiled, abundantly proves the dishonourable infamy of all such sects. Have they not even respected the sentence of the apostle, who condemns such as say, 'I am of Cephas?' Now, if it was the duty of the sheep to refuse even the name of Cephas, although he was the prince of the apostles, and had received the keys, and was accounted the shepherd of the

*"In the eleventh year, let the Mount Sinai glorify Him; it which trembled before the Lord. It saw that they took up stones against its Lord; He received stones, who should build His Church upon a stone (Cephas). Blessed be His building."-Rhythm. xiii. p. 57. Works of St. Ephrem, by Rev. J. B. Morris.

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flock, what execration is to be deemed too dreadful for him, who fears not to designate sheep that are not his, by his own name.' "-T. ii. Syr. lvi. Adv. Hæres. p. 559.

"Simon said, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here.' ...What dost thou say, Simon ?...If we remain here, how shall what I have said to thee take effect? or, how shall the Church be built? How wilt thou receive from Me the keys of the kingdom of heaven ?' Whom wilt thou bind? whom loose ?"T. ii. Gr. in Transfig. Dom. p. 44-5.

"And blessed Peter, the chief of the apostles, cries aloud concerning that day, saying, 'The day of the Lord shall come as a thief,' &c. (2 Peter, iii. 10.)”—T. ii. Gr. in Advent. Dom. p. 203. So again in the same vol. p. 387, Inter. et Resp.

"To whom, O Lord, didst Thou entrust that most precious pledge of the heavenly keys? To Barjonas, the prince of the apostles, with whom, I implore Thee, may I share Thy bridal chamber; and thee, most holy assembly of apostles, I beseech that thy authority and grace supplicate for me."-T. iii. Syr. Paran. 33, p. 486.

"Do Thou, O Lord, guard Thy Church under Thy protection, that the gates of hell may not prevail against it;' that its inherent beauty perish not; that, in fine, its treasures, filled with every kind of wealth, fail not, and be not exhausted. Fulfil, O Lord, what Thou didst promise to Peter, the prince of the apostles.”—T. iii. Syr. Paræn. 62, p. 532.

"O the ineffable power that has vouchsafed to dwell within us by means of the imposition of the sacred hands of the priests.... Peter, who was called Cephas, he who was captured on the sea shore, and who received a testimony from the great Pastor, that upon this rock I will build My Church,' by means of the priesthood received also the keys of

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heaven,' as worthy (of them)."-T. iii. Gr. de Sacerd p. 3, cf. Ib. de Caritate, p. 14.

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Thee, Simon Peter, will I proclaim the blessed, who holdest the keys, which the Spirit made. A great and ineffable word, that he binds and looses those in heaven,' and those under the earth. Blessed the flock committed to thy care. How much has it increased. For, truly, after thou didst plant the cross upon the waters, (Gen. xxx. 37), the sheep, through love of it, brought forth saints and virgins of every kind. O thou blessed one, that obtainedst the place of the head and of the tongue, in the body of thy brethren, which (body) was enlarged out of the disciples and sons of the Lord."-Asseman. Bib. Orient. T. i. p. 95.

"We hail thee, Peter, the tongue of the disciples; the voice of the heralds; the eye of the apostles; the keeper of heaven; the first-born of those that bear the keys."-T. iii. Gr. in SS. Apost. p. 461.*

ST. GREGORY NYSSEN, G. C. 370.-" Philip the apostle is recorded to have been from the city of Andrew and Peter. And this seems to me to be an encomium of Philip, that he was a fellow citizen of those two brothers who are the first to excite our wonder on account of the history concerning them. For Andrew, when the Baptist had pointed out who is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world,' both himself understands the mystery, following after Him who had been pointed out, and ascertaining where He dwelt, and also bearing the glad tidings to his own brother, that He, Who had been

These passages are given as collected and printed for the "Faith of Catholics;" but, as I have not now by me a copy of St. Ephrem's works, they have not been reexamined for these Treatises.

foreannounced by the prophets, was amongst them. But he, his faith almost anticipating his hearing, with his whole soul joins himself to that Lamb; and, by means of the change of his name, he is transformed into something more divine; instead of Simon being both called and having become Peter (a rock). And indeed to Abraham and to Sara, after many divine apparitions, after a long time, the Lord communicated a blessing from their names; making him a father, and her a ruler, on account of the change of their names. In like manner also Jacob, after wrestling all night long, is honoured with a surname, and the power of Israel. But that great Peter did not by an increase little by little come to that grace, but at once listened to his brother, believed in the Lamb, and, having cleaved to the Rock, became Peter."-T. i. Hom. 15 in C. Cantic. p. 1088, Migne.

"There is nothing false written in the Gospels; nor prediction of Christ that has a deceitful issue. Through Peter He gave to the Bishops the key of the supercelestial honours. Recognize that being loosed thou art loosed, and being bound thou art hemmed round with invisible bonds."-T. ii. De Compunct. p. 312.

"The Princes of these (apostles), and the chiefs, Peter, James and John, who are magnified on this day by their martyrdoms for Christ, ran indeed with one accord to the end of their lives, but wrestled by different kinds of martyrdom. For he indeed, who was appointed the leader and Coryphæus of the apostolic choir, attained to a glory akin to his dignity, being honoured by a Passion like that of the Saviour...The memory of Peter, the head of the apostles, is celebrated; and glorified indeed with him are the other members of the Church; but the Church of God is firmly established upon (him). For he is, in accordance with the gift conferred

upon him by the Lord, the unbroken and most firm rock upon which the Lord built the Church."-Alt. Or. de S. Steph. T. iii. p. 730-4.

"Which was more advantageous at the beginning for the city of Rome, to have taken one of their noble and puffed up members of the highest Council for the foremost position, or that fisherman Peter ?"-T. iii. Ep. 17, p. 1062.

ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN, G. C. 370." For I find both Manue, that old man in the Judges, and Peter later, that support of the Church; the one saying 'We shall surely die, we have seen God,' (Judges xiii. 22), because he had seen a vision beyond what were his nature and power; the other, because he could not bear the watchful presence and power of the Saviour, manifested, in the capture of the fishes, to those sailing with Him, and on this account, though filled with wonder, would send Him away from the ship, assigning as a cause that he was not worthy of the divine sight and conversation."-Or. 9, Apol. ad Patr. n. i. p. 235, T. i. Ed. Migne.

"Not for himself only, but also for Peter, the most honoured of the disciples, does He pay the didrachma."-Ib. Or. 19, n. 13, p. 372.

"And yet this Peter was more ardent than the others in the recognition of Christ, and on this account was pronounced blessed, and had entrusted to him the very greatest things."—Ib. Or. 28, n. 19, p. 510.

"Wilt thou that I set before thee also another ordering, and one praiseworthy and deserving of present commemoration and admonition ? Seest thou that of the disciples of Christ, all of whom were exalted and deserving of the choice, one is called a Rock, and is entrusted with the foundations of the Church; whilst another is loved more and