Athanasius of Alexandria

In his own words on Lamentations

• Lamentations 3:27-32

  But all those who call their lands by their own names and have wood and hay and stubble in their thoughts; such as these, since they are strangers to difficulties, become aliens from the kingdom of heaven. Had they however known that "tribulation perfects patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope makes not ashamed," they would have exercised themselves, after the example of Paul. He said, "I bring my body into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." They would easily have borne the afflictions that were brought on them to prove them from time to time, if the prophetic admonition had been listened to by them: "It is good for a person to take up your yoke in his youth. He shall sit alone and shall be silent, because he has taken your yoke on him. He will give his cheek to him who strikes him. He will be filled with reproaches. The Lord does not cast away forever. When he abases, he is gracious, according to the multitude of his tender mercies." For though all these things should proceed from the enemies, stripes, insults, reproaches, yet shall they avail nothing against the multitude of God's tender mercies; for we shall quickly recover from them since they are merely temporal, but God is always gracious, pouring out his tender mercies on those who please him. Therefore, my beloved, we should not look at these temporal things but fix our attention on those that are eternal. Though affliction may come, it will have an end; though insult and persecution, yet are they nothing to the hope that is set before us. For all present matters are trifling compared with those that are future; the sufferings of this present time not being worthy to be compared with the hope that is to come. For what can be compared with the kingdom? Or what is there in comparison with life eternal? Or what is all we could give here, to that which we shall inherit yonder? For we are "heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Therefore it is not right, my beloved, to consider afflictions and persecutions but the hopes that are laid up for us because of persecutions.

  FESTAL LETTERS 13:4

• Lamentations 4:6

  But what need have we of many words? Our Lord and Savior, when he was persecuted by the Pharisees, wept for their destruction. He was injured, but he threatened not; not when he was afflicted, not even when he was killed. But he grieved for those who dared to do such things. He, the Savior, suffered for humankind, but they despised and cast from them life and light and grace. All these were theirs through that Savior who suffered in our stead. And truly for their darkness and blindness, he wept. For if they had understood the things that are written in the psalms, they would not have been so vainly daring against the Savior, the Spirit having said, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" And if they had considered the prophecy of Moses, they would not have hanged him who was their Life. And if they had examined with their understanding the things that were written, they would not have carefully fulfilled the prophecies that were against themselves, so as for their city to be now desolate, grace taken from them and they themselves without the law, being no longer called children but strangers. For thus in the Psalms was it before declared, saying, "The strange children have acted falsely by me." And by Isaiah the prophet, "I have begotten and brought up children, and they have rejected me." And they are no longer named the people of God and a holy nation, but rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah, having exceeded in this even the iniquity of the Sodomites, as the prophet also says, "Sodom is justified before you." For the Sodomites raved against angels, but these against the Lord and God and King of all, and these dared to slay the Lord of angels, not knowing that Christ, who was killed by them, lives. But those Jews who had conspired against the Lord died, having rejoiced a very little in these temporal things and having fallen away from those which are eternal. They were ignorant of this—that the immortal promise has not respect to temporal enjoyment but to the hope of those things that are everlasting. For through many tribulations and labors and sorrows, the saint enters into the kingdom of heaven; but when he arrives where sorrow and distress and sighing shall flee away, he shall thenceforward enjoy rest; as Job, who, when tried here, was afterwards the familiar friend of the Lord. But the lover of pleasures, rejoicing for a little while, afterwards passes a sorrowful life like Esau, who had temporal food but afterwards was condemned by it.

  FESTAL LETTERS 10:5