Blogger Albocicade has very kindly sent me some excerpts from Asterius the Homiletist’s 31 homilies on Psalms, which he has culled from a French book. Let me give them here; I’m sure we can all use Google Translate.
Sur l’arbre verdoyant:
“Le Verbe est le bois planté au bord des eaux, que le Père a engendré sans séparation, chargé de fruits, à la sève vigoureuse, à la cime élevée, aux belles pousses. C’est de cet arbre qu’Adam ayant refusé le fruit est déchu en son contraire. En effet, le Christ est l’arbre de vie, le démon l’arbre de mort.”
— Homélie I.5, sur Ps.1, traduction Daniélou : “Les symboles chrétiens primitifs” p 40Sur la crucifixion du Sauveur:
“Durant la Passion, le monde était secoué comme un navire, le pilote était cloué à la croix, le voile du Temple se déchirait comme une voilure ; alors le choeur des apôtres, privé de pilote et secoué par la tempête s’écrie : Délivre-moi, Seigneur, car le juste fait défaut !”
— Homélie XX.17, sur Ps.11, traduction Daniélou : “Les symboles chrétiens primitifs” p 71Sur la trahison de Judas:
“Le juste a fait défaut. Il a abrégé l’horloge des Apôtres. Du jour de douze heures des disciples, il a fait un jour de onze heures. Il a montré l’année du Seigneur privée d’un mois. Et c’est pourquoi est onzième le psaume où est rapportée la lamentation des Onze sur le Douzième”
— Homélie XX.14, sur Ps.11, traduction Daniélou : “Les symboles chrétiens primitifs” p 131Sur la fuite des apôtres:
“Avec les trois heures, les autres heures des Apôtres ont fui le jour. Les heures du jour sont devenues heures de la nuit, lorsque le jour lui-même, qui nous présente en lui l’image des Apôtre, a été changé.”
— Homélie XX.15-16, sur Ps.11, traduction Daniélou : “Les symboles chrétiens primitifs” p 131
Christ as the Day or the Sun [of Justice, as in Malachi], and the Apostles as the 12 hours, shows up in St. Hippolytus, In Benedictiones de Menses. (PO 27, 171, 28-31.) “And “According to the hour, the grains of the sun’s solstices and the moon’s track, which will be produced by one and the other,” (Deut. 33:14, variant reading); because once He, the Sun, was lifted up from the earth, the twelve apostles were shown to be twelve hours. For it is through them that the Day will be manifested; as the prophet said, “This is the day that the Lord has made.” (Ps. 117:24/Ps. 118:24).” Also cf. St. Ambrose, Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam [Exposition of the Gospel according to Luke], 7, 222. (CCSL 14, 291, 2454-2455.) (PL 15, 1759, 28-29.) “But there are twelve hours in the day; and so rightly in a mystery, Christ the Day’s twelve apostles shine brightly with heavenly light, in distinct successions of graces to them.”
Of course, I only know this because St. Beatus of Liebana uses the image in both the Commentary on the Apocalypse (mostly in the Prologue to Book 2) and in his co-written book Against Elipandus (aka the Apologeticum, Apologetico, or Apologetic in some modern Beatus editions).
Sorry to take over your combox again… It’s an interesting image and I like it. The ultimate source is the bit that shows up in John 11:8-10 —
“The disciples say to him, “Rabbi, the Jews but now sought to stone you, and you go there again?”
“Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of the day? If a man walk in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if he walk in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
I posted those pieces as was, because I was exhausted last Friday, and just trying to get to the weekend. But it’s nice to have them.
The image of Christ the Sun of Justice is very 4th century, and very attractive. Thank you for those snippets!