# Matins Nocturn 2-3 readings for St. Athanasius, Bishop, Confessor, # Doctor (May 2) — SanctiM/05-02.txt inherits the whole day # (`@Sancti/05-02`) with no Nocturn 2/3 override, so this saint's own # content is sourced from the Tridentine track exactly as for a # pre-1955 saint (see memory vu-matins-pre1955-saints, # vu-matins-sanctim-saints). # web/www/horas/Latin/Sancti/05-02.txt, English/Sancti/05-02.txt. # # Nocturn 2: Lectio4-6 combined into one reading, one continuous vita, # no genuine source break. # Nocturn 3: Lectio7's Gospel citation (Matt 10:23-28) is a bare # incipit ("Et réliqua") with no full pericope text given, so — per the # pre-1955 pass's convention of not transcribing bare incipits — only # the homily portion is authored (not marked isGospel), combined with # Lectio8-9 as one continuous excerpt of St. Athanasius's own Defence # of his own flight. No responsory given for either reading. id: st-athanasius readings: - nocturn: 2 isGospel: false text: la: >- Athanasius Alexandrinus, catholicæ religiónis propugnator acerrimus, ab Alexandro episcopo Alexandrino diaconus factus est, in cujus locum successit. Quem étiam antea secutus fuerat ad Nicænum Concílium; ubi cum Aríi impietátem repressísset, tantum ódium Arianórum suscépit, ut ex eo témpore ei insidias moliri numquam destiterint. Nam coacto ad Tyrum concílio magna ex parte Arianórum episcopórum, subornarunt muliérculam, quæ accusaret Athansium, quod hospítio acceptus sibi stuprum per vim intulísset. Introductus ígitur est Athanasius, et una cum eo Timótheus presbyter; qui simulans se esse Athanasium, Ego ne, inquit, mulier, apud te sum diversatus? ego te violávi? Cui illa petulanter: Tu mihi vim attulísti; idque jurejurando affirmans, judicum fidem obtestabátur, ut tantum flagitium vindicárent. Qua cógnita fraude, rejecta est mulíeris impudéntia. Arsénium quoque episcopum ab Athanasio interfectum Ariáni pervulgarunt; quem dum occulte détinent, manum mórtui déferunt in judícium, ab Athanasio ad usum mágicæ artis Arsenio amputatam criminantes. At Arsenius noctu aufúgiens, cum se in conspectu totius concilii statuísset, Athanasii inimicórum impudentíssimum scelus apéruit. Quod illi nihilóminus mágicis artibus Athanasii tribuéntes, vitæ ejus insidiari non desistebant. Quam ob rem in exsílium actus, in Gállia apud Tréviros exsulávit. Gravibus deinceps ac diuturnis sub Constantio imperatóre, Arianórum fautore, tempestátibus jactátus et incredibiles calamitátes perpéssus, magnam orbis terræ partem peragrávit; ac sæpe e sua ecclésia ejéctus, sæpe étiam in eamdem et Julii, Romani Pontificis, auctoritate, et Constántis imperatóris, Constantii fratris, patrocinio, decretis quoque concilii Sardicénsis ac Jerosolymitani, restitútus est, Ariánis interea illi semper infestis; quorum pertinacem iram, et summum vitæ discrimen fúgiens, in sicca cisterna quinque annis se ábdidit, ejus rei tantum conscio quodam Athanasii amico, qui eum clam sustentabat. Constantio mortuo, cum Julianus Apóstata, qui ei in imperio successit, éxsules episcopos ad suas ecclésias redire permisísset, Athanasius Alexandríam reversus, summo honóre exceptus est. Sed non multo post, iísdem Ariánis impelléntibus, a Juliáno exagitatus, rursus discedere cogitur. Cumque ab ejus satellítibus ad necem conquirerétur, qua fugiebat navícula conversa in contrariam flúminis partem, iis qui se insequebántur, ex industria occurrit; et quæréntibus quantum inde abesset Athanasius, respóndit eum non longe abesse: ítaque illos contrárium tenéntes cursum effugit, atque Alexandríam rédiens, ibidem usque ad Juliáni óbitum occultus permansit. Qui paulo post, Alexandríæ alia exorta tempestáte, quatuor menses in paterno sepúlcro delituit. Ac denique ex tot tantisque periculis divinitus ereptus, Alexandríæ mórtuus est in suo léctulo, sub Valénte: cujus vita et mors magnis nobilitáta est miraculis. Multa pie et ad illustrándum catholicam fidem præcláre scripsit, sexque et quadragínta annos in summa témporum varietáte Alexandrinam ecclésiam sanctíssime gubernávit. en: >- The great Athanasius, the greatest soldier that the Catholic Religion hath perhaps ever had, was an Alexandrian. He was ordained Deacon by Alexander, Bishop of that city, whom he afterwards succeeded. He had followed Alexander to the Council of Nicea, where he wrestled triumphantly against the blasphemy of Arius. For this reason he was honoured with so much of their hatred by the Arians, that their vindictiveness never forsook him from that time forward. They called together a Council at Tyre, composed for the most part of Arian Bishops, where they suborned a wretched woman to charge Athanasius with having raped her when she had received him as a guest into her house. Athanasius therefore came into the assembly, and with him a certain priest whose name was Timothy. This Timothy arose as though he were Athanasius, and asked her, saying: Woman, was it I that was thy guest? was it I that raped thee? She cried out indignantly: Yea, thou it was that didst rape me — the which she attested with an oath, and called on the honour of the judges to punish such iniquity. Upon this discovery of her perjury, they drave the shameless woman from their presence. The Arians also accused Athanasius of having murdered the Bishop Arsenius. This Arsenius they kept shut up, and brought into the court a dead man's hand, which they declared had been his, and had been cut off by Athanasius to use in sorcery. But Arsenius escaped in the night, and when he appeared before all the Council whole and sound, the brazen-faced crime of the enemies of Athanasius was exposed. This appearance nevertheless they attributed to Athanasius being a warlock, and persisted still in their attack on him. He was driven into exile, and banished to Treves in Gaul. Thenceforth, under authority of the Emperor Constantius, that abettor of Arians, he was hunted to and fro with unceasing persecutions. He suffered hardships which it is difficult to believe. He was sent wandering all about the Roman world. He was twice more thrust out of his See, and again restored through the authority of Pope Julius of Rome, and with the protection of the Emperor Constans, the brother of Constantius, by decrees of the Councils of Sardica and of Jerusalem. The vindictiveness of the Arians never let him alone. In his third exile so great was the danger of his life from the pursuit of their undying hatred, that he had to lie hid for five years in a dry cistern, unknown to all men, save one of his friends who brought him food. After the death of Constantius, Julian the Apostate, who succeeded him, allowed every sort of Bishop who had been banished to return to their own Churches. Athanasius therefore returned to Alexandria, and was received with profound reverence. But it was not long before the same Arians got Julian to hunt him down again, and again it behoved him to fly. A band of soldiers were sent in pursuit of him to kill him, and as he fled up the Nile, their boat pressed hard on his. Athanasius, before they were yet in sight, had his own boat turned round, and went down the stream to meet them. As the vessels passed one another the murderers called out to ask if they knew where Athanasius was, and the servant of God himself cried to them in answer, Ye are close to him! whereupon they redoubled their exertions to ascend the stream, and Athanasius went peacefully down to Alexandria, and found means of concealment till the death of Julian. Yet once again he had to fly from another persecution at Alexandria, and in this his fifth and last exile he hid himself for four months in his own father's sepulchre. From all these so many and so great dangers did God deliver him, and at last he died in his own bed at Alexandria, in the reign of Valens. He wrote much that is both godly and luminous in explaining the Catholic Faith, and governed the Church of Alexandria in great holiness, amid all changes of weather, for six and forty years. status: { la: verified, en: verified } - nocturn: 3 isGospel: false source: "St. Athanasius, Bishop, Defence of his own Flight (on Matt 10:23-28)" text: la: >- In lege præcéptum erat ut constitueréntur civitátes refugiórum, ut, qui quomodocúmque ad necem quæreréntur, servari possent. In consummatióne porro sæculórum cum advenísset illud ipsum Verbum Patris, quod Móysi antea locútum fuerat, rursus hoc præcéptum dedit, Cum vos, inquiens, persecúti fúerint in civitáte ista, fugite in aliam. Pauloque post súbjicit: Cum vidéritis illam abominatiónem desolatiónis, quæ dicta est per Danielem prophétam, consistentem in loco sancto (qui legit, intélligat), tunc qui in Judǽa sunt, fúgiant ad montes; et qui in tecto est, ne descendat tollere aliquid de domo sua; et qui in agro est, non revertátur tollere túnicam suam. Hæc cum scirent Sancti, ejusmodi tenuérunt suæ conversatiónis institútum. Quæ enim nunc præcepit Dóminus, éadem quoque ante suum in carne advéntum locútus est in Sanctis; et hoc institutum hómines ad perfectiónem ducit. Nam quod Deus jusserit, id omnino faciéndum est. Ideoque et ipsum Verbum propter nos homo factum, non indignum putávit, cum quærerétur, quemádmodum et nos, abscóndere se; et cum persecutiónem paterétur, fugere, et insidias declináre: cum autem a se definitum tempus ipse adduxísset, in quo corporáliter pro ómnibus pati volebat, ultro seípsum trádidit insidiántibus. At vero sancti hómines cum hanc quoque formam a Salvatore didicissent, (ab ipso enim et antea et semper omnes docebántur) advérsus persecutores ut legitime certarent, fugiébant, et ab illis quæsíti se abscóndebant. Cum enim præstitúti sibi a divina providéntia témporis finem ignorarent, nolébant insidiántibus se témere trádere: sed contra, cum scirent quod scriptum est, in mánibus Dei esse hóminum sortes, et Dóminum mortificáre et vivificáre; potius in finem usque perseverábant, circumeuntes, ut ait Apóstolus, in melótis et pellibus caprínis, egéntes, angustiati, in solitudínibus errántes, et in speluncis et cavernis terræ laténtes, quoad vel definitum mortis tempus veníret, vel qui tempus ipsum definíerat, Deus cum eis loquerétur, et insidiántes cohibéret, aut certe persecutóribus eos traderet, utcúmque illi placuísset. en: >- It is written in the Law: Ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that in these cities they which were pursued to put them to death might enter and be safe. And in the latter days when He was come, even that very Word of the Father, Which had spoken aforetime unto Moses, He gave again the same commandment: When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another. And, a while afterward, He said: When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand in the Holy Place, whoso readeth, let him understand, then let them which be in Judaea flee unto the mountains; let him which is on the house-top not come down to take anything out of his house; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. The Saints, therefore, knowing these words of the Lord, have obeyed them in their lives. What the Lord hath now commanded by His Own Mouth He commanded through His Saints before that He Himself was come in the flesh, and to obey this commandment worketh in a man perfection, since whatever God commandeth is a thing which it behoveth man to do. For this cause, that very Word of God Which was made flesh for our sake thought it meet when they sought Him, even as at this present time they are seeking us, to hide Himself, and, when they persecuted Him, to fly and escape from their laying in wait for Him; although when that time came which He had Himself decreed, and wherein He willed, as touching the Body, to suffer for us all, He willingly gave Himself up to His enemies. Holy men of God, therefore, have learnt to take example from their Saviour, and know how that it is lawful to baffle their persecutors by flying from them, and by lying hid when they seek them. For since they know not the day nor the hour wherein an all-seeing God hath ordained their end, they do not daringly give themselves into the power of such as hate them, but rather, knowing it to be written, My times are in Thy hand, and that the Lord killeth and maketh alive, they endure unto the end, they wander about, as saith the Apostle, in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, they wander in deserts, and hide in dens and caves of the earth, until either their appointed time come, or until more plainly God, the real Appointer of times, speaketh unto them, and chaineth up the persecutors, or manifestly giveth them over into the hands of the same, as may be His Own good pleasure. status: { la: verified, en: verified }