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The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

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into heaven, but, according to the apostle, He has passed through the<br />

heavens (Heb. iv. 14), 532 "is made higher than the heavens (Heb. vii. 26),<br />

<strong>and</strong> has "ascended up far above all heavens" (Eph. iv. 10); but, with the<br />

apostle, we add, not that He may desert all things, or be absent from them,<br />

but "that He might fill all things." One of the gr<strong>and</strong>est passages in<br />

CHRYSOSTOM 533 opens the true sense of these words: “Christ (at His<br />

Ascension) offered the first fruits of our nature to the Father; <strong>and</strong>, in the<br />

Father's eye, because of the glory of Him who offered, <strong>and</strong> the purity of the<br />

offering, the gift was so admirable that He received it with His own h<strong>and</strong>s,<br />

<strong>and</strong> placed it next to Himself, <strong>and</strong> said: 'Sit Thou at My right h<strong>and</strong>.' But to<br />

which nature did God say, 'Sit Thou at My right h<strong>and</strong>?' To that very<br />

nature which heard the words, 'Dust thou art, <strong>and</strong> unto dust thou shalt<br />

return.' Was it not enough for that nature to pass beyond the heavens?<br />

Was it not enough for it to st<strong>and</strong> with angels? Was not such a glory<br />

ineffable? But it passed beyond angels, left archangels behind it, passed<br />

beyond the cherubim, went up high over the seraphim, speeded past the<br />

Principalities, nor stood still till it took possession of the Throne of the<br />

Lord. Seest thou not what lieth between mid-heaven <strong>and</strong> earth? Or, rather,<br />

let us begin at the lowest part. Seest thou not what is the space between<br />

hell (adou) <strong>and</strong> earth, <strong>and</strong> from earth to heaven, <strong>and</strong> from heaven to the<br />

upper heaven, <strong>and</strong> from that to angels, from them to archangels, from<br />

them to the powers above, from them to the very Throne of the King?<br />

Through this whole space <strong>and</strong> height, He hath carried our nature."<br />

OECUMENIUS: "With His unclothed Divinity He, of old, filled all things;<br />

but, incarnate, he descended <strong>and</strong> ascended, that He might fill all things<br />

according to His flesh (meta sarkos)." THEOPHYLACT: "As before He<br />

had filled up all things by His divinity, He might now fill all things, by rule<br />

<strong>and</strong> operation, in His flesh."--GROTIUS: "That is above the air <strong>and</strong> ether,<br />

which<br />

532 This is the correct rendering of the passage. So the Vulgate <strong>and</strong> Arabic: penetravit Coelos. (<strong>The</strong> AEthiopic makes<br />

it a passing through the heavens, in His coming into the world.) Von Meyer: Durch die Himmel gegangen. Stolz:<br />

gedrungen.. Allioli, Gossner: die Himmel durchdrungen. De Wette: hindurchgegangen. So McKnight, Bible Union,<br />

Noyes, Alford.<br />

533 In Ascens. D. N. Jesu Christi. Opera, II. 534.

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