YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY OF THE
DIVINITY SCHOOL

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS

The Department of Biblical and Patristic Greek of the
University of Chicago proposes to issue, from time to time,
Historical and Linguistic Studies in Literature Related to the
New Testament. These Studies will be grouped in three series :
I, Tests ; II, Linguistic and Exegetical Studies ; III, Historical
Studies. The volumes in each series will be issued in parts
from time to time.
Ernest D. Burton.
Shailer Mathews.
Clyde W. Votaw.
Edgab J. G-oodspeed.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE
WRITINGS OF THE
FATHERS

BY
HENRY MARTYN HERRICK, Ph.D.

CHICAGO
Gbe TUnlversitB of Cbfcago pveee
1903

Regnum fulgebit in regno, cum regno venerit regnum, quod nunc
oramus, et dicimus: Veniat regnum tuum. Haec ergo domus Dei,
hoc templum Dei, hoc regnum Dei, regnumque coelorum adhuc aedifi-
catur, adhuc fabricatur, adhuc paratur, adhuc congregatur.
— Augustine, Tractate on John, 68, 2.

Copyright 1903
By The University of Chicago

PREFACE.
This treatise upon the kingdom of God is based upon the
Christian writings of the patristic age, from Clement of Rome to
John of Damascus. These writings have been studied exegeti-
cally and historically in the standard English translations, with
reference, when necessary, to the original text. The editions
used are the following :
I. The Ante-Nicene Fathers, in twenty-four volumes, published by T. &
T. Clark. 2. Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers, Greek and English, one volume.
3. The Supplementary Volume (Vol. IX) of the reprint of the Clark edi
tion, published by the Christian Literature Co. of New York.
4.* The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, in twenty-eight volumes; also
published by the Christian Literature Co. (now by the Scribners). Series I
contains fourteen volumes, of which eight are of Augustine and six of Chrys-
ostom. These volumes, about fifty in number, contain the most impor
tant writings of the patristic age. Of many Fathers all the
extant works are given, and of the others, with hardly an excep
tion, sufficient of their writings to afford a reliable estimate of
their views of the kingdom.
One supplemental work I have found to be of great value —
the Catena Aurea of Thomas Aquinas, in the Oxford edition of
eight volumes. Of this work the Encyclopedia Britannica says
that " under the form of a commentary on the gospels, it was
really an exhaustive summary of the theological teaching of the
greatest Fathers of the church." It not only confirms many
patristic references to the kingdom, but apparently gathers in
addition all the important references (which are, of course, not
numerous) not included in the volumes named above.
A list of the references to the kingdom in these volumes of
the Fathers (3,974 in number, including 1,410 scriptural quota
tions) is given at the end.

93]

CONTENTS.
Chapter I — Introduction PERIOD I.
Chapter II — The Apostolic Fathers

PAGE 9

15

PERIOD II. THE ANTE-NICENE FATHERS SUBSEQUENT TO
THE APOSTOLIC.

A. GREEK.
Chapter III — Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Hippolytus
Chapter IV — Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Methodius
Chapter V — The Apocryphal Writings, the Apostolic Consti
tutions, and the Clementines
Chapter VI — The Liturgies and Minor Greek Fathers
B. LATIN.
Chapter VII — Tertullian and Cyprian
Chapter VIII — Lactantius and the Minor Latin Fathers

212S303538

PERIOD III. THE NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS.
A. GREEK.
Chapter IX — The Historians: Eusebius, Socrates, Sozomen,
and Theodoret - 46
Chapter X — Athanasius - - 49
Chapter XI — Ephraem Syrus, and Aphrahat - 52
Chapter XII — Basil, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, and
Gregory of Nyssa - - 55
Chapter XIII — Chrysostom - - 61
Chapter XIV — John of Damascus - 66
B. LATIN.
Chapter XV — Hilary 68
Chapter XVI — Ambrose - - 71
Chapter XVII — Jerome, Rufinus, Sulpitius, and Vincent 74
Chapter XVIII — Augustine - 78
Chapter XIX — Cassian 92
Chapter XX — Leo the Great and Gregory the Great - - 96
Chapter XXI — Additional References from the Catena A urea 98
Chapter XXII — Summary and Conclusion - 100
Tables - - - 107
Index of References 109
95] 7

CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION.
What was understood by the kingdom of God in the early
Christian centuries ? To what extent was the New Testament
usage followed, and wherein was it departed from ? Did the
Fathers, on the whole, preserve the great idea and hand it down,
or did they lose it ?
It is a notable fact that in the patristic age there seems to
be no separate treatise upon the kingdom of God. The nearest
approach to such a treatise is Augustine's great work De Civitate
Dei, in which he gives a Christian philosophy of history. To him
the kingdom of God is the divine government as realized in the
church — the church which is ideal and historical, in heaven and
on earth, and consists of angels and of men, of Israel first and
\ \ then of the gentiles. This idea is evidently at a wide remove
from the primary views of the New Testament. The doctrine of
i the kingdom, like the kingdom itself, may be said to work like
leaven, rather than to stand forth from the outset as a formal
and definite article of the Christian faith. An indication of this
appears in Jerome's Illustrious Men. In his list of 135 writers he
mentions about 240 subjects upon which they have written
(omitting many of those best known to his readers), besides
many commentaries and letters. Gennadius adds 99 men to the
list, and about 220 titles. Of these 460 treatises not one is upon
the kingdom of God. But many of the best thoughts of the
early centuries cluster around this theme, scattered throughout
the whole range of the literature, and possibly no other theme
is more suggestive as a key to patristic views of Christianity.
A brief statement of the teaching of Jesus and the apostles
concerning the kingdom is a necessary starting-point. Although
Jesus made the kingdom the predominant theme of the gospel,
he did i;ot define it. He adopted the word from the current
Jewish teaching, and gave it a new meaning. "The bond that
unites the Old Testament with the New, the religion of Israel
97] 9

10 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
with the gospel, is the idea of the kingdom of God. It is to
come, and yet it is a present reality. It is in the souls of men ;
it is a living force in the bosom of society."1 The dream of the
earlier prophets, that the nation, and then mankind, would become
obedient to the will of Jehovah ; the individualism of Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and the sages; the visions of Daniel the seer — are all
combined into a splendid ideal in the teaching of Jesus concern
ing the kingdom. Speaking in parables whose meaning was often
purposely veiled, he emphasized the inner, mysterious nature of
the kingdom more than its obvious features. The word " king
dom" is abstract in the sense of reign or dominion — of power
in the universe, of grace in the soul ;2 and concrete in the sense
of realm, or the subjects reigned over. The word in the abstract
sense occurs but rarely in the New Testament. The kingdom of
God usually means the company of believers, the Christian
society. Yet its domain is first of all in the individual soul. It
is dynamic before it is static, spiritual rather than formal. Before
the Christian society is possible, souls must be renewed.
Meyer, throughout his commentaries, maintains that the king
dom of God always signifies nothing else than the Messiah's
kingdom, the erection of which begins with the parousia, belong
ing not to "this world," but to "the world to come" (en Rom.
14:17; c/on 1 Cor. 4:20). On Luke 17: 21 he defends the
translation "the kingdom of God is among you," and claims that
the kingdom of God as an ethical condition of the soul is, a
modern idea, not historico-biblical. But an idea is not modern
which the Fathers uniformly find in Luke 17:21, translating1 it
correctly "the kingdom of God is within you," and in seyeral
instances applying with exceptional force its teaching tha/ the
kingdom of God is in the soul. '•'
The idea of the kingdom as involving eternal life seems/trace
able in Mark 9 : 45 and 47 ; probably, also, in Luke 18:18 and 24,
and John 3 : 3 and 15. The kingdom of God (synonymous with
the kingdom of heaven) and of Christ is one, Matt. 13 :43 ; John
'See Fisher, History of Christian Doctrine, pp. 23-5; Fremantle, The World
as the Subject of Redemption, p. 38.
a cy. the Lutheran and Reformed Confessions. 98

INTRODUCTION 11
18:36; Eph. 5:5. As to the relation of the kingdom to the
church, the only passage in the New Testament bearing directly
upon it (Matt. 16:17-19) is indeterminate. This passage is
peculiar to Matthew, but is evidently an original utterance of
Jesus. The idea of the kingdom is apparently here embodied
by Jesus in the church as the form whereby or wherein the
kingdom is to reach its goal. The institution which Jesus
chooses as the distinctive, visible form of the kingdom, to con
sist of men of rock-like faith such as Peter's, is to continue unvan-
quished by the death of its members. The earthly decrees of
Peter in regard to the kingdom, as represented by the church,
shall be valid in heaven.
The disciples thought that they understood the mysteries of
the kingdom (Matt. 13:51), but only after Pentecost did they
begin really to grasp them. Answering their inquiries about the
kingdom (Acts 1 : 6 f. ) the Lord said : " Ye shall receive power,
when the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be my
witnesses." Led by the Spirit, the disciples directed their ener
gies to proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and the kingdom
increased visibly in the growth of the churches. Still looking
for the speedy return of Jesus, they anticipated with his appearing
the consummation of the kingdom.
Besides the emergence of the church in the days of the apos
tles, which to some extent overshadowed the thought of the
kingdom, there was a progress of doctrine which in part trans
ferred the center of their thought and preaching from the king
dom to the king. This is in the Fathers frequently carried to
the length of identifying Christ and the kingdom. The new
point of view is manifest in comparing the discourses in Acts
with the parables of Jesus. Three times in Acts " the things
concerning the kingdom " are significantly combined with " the
things concerning Jesus " (8:12; 28:23,31). Only after Pente
cost did a definite Christology arise; but from that time it began
at once to reveal the dynamic which established the eternal life
of the kingdom in men's souls, and thereby in their relations
with one another promoted the fraternal life of the church.
But as time went on, and Jesus did not return, while members
99

12 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
of the new society were being removed by death/an adjustment
in their thought of the kingdom became inevitable. Especially
would the persecutions, as they increased, tend to make trans
cendental the views of the kingdom, as to the nature of its
conquest of the world, and the time and place of its full realiza
tion. The general tone of the thirty-two references to the king
dom in the New Testament outside the gospels is eschatological,
the thought of the kingdom as a present reality being merged
in the form of the church. The expectation seemed to be that
when Christ appeared in judgment on the earth the kingdom
would be set up to continue, possibly, on a regenerated earth,
though, at last, not under the control of the Christ, but of God
the Father.
The Apocalypse, with its vivid portrayal of the times of per
secution and of triumph, would give important testimony as to
the changing idea of the kingdom, if we knew its author and its
origin. The millennial ideas of the patristic age seem to have
sifted through the Apocalypse from the Old Testament,
especially Daniel, but met with strong opposition and proved
evanescent. The idea of a millennium, however, whether as a
transformation of earth into heaven, or as a representation of,
or prelude to, the heavenly consummation, has vitality, and
recurs at different epochs ; one phase of it notably in our day in
writings of which Fremantle's The World as the Subject of
Redemption is typical.
The following plan exhibits the New Testament usage of the
term "kingdom of God" or its equivalent, with the most
important references, some of which might be otherwise grouped.
I. God's reign — the abstract idea. — Matt. 6:10, 33; Luke
1 : 33 (Luke 17 : 21; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20).
II. Gods realm — the concrete reality: the community of saints,
or the ideal society of men as brothers because sons of a com
mon Father.
( 1) As an order of things already present or impending (indefinite
as to time, Acts 1 : 6f.; as to place, Luke 17 : 37) : Matt. 3:2;
4:23; 5:3,10; 12:28; 18:23; 19:12; 20:1; 21:43; 22:2;
25:1; Luke 19:11; Acts 1 : d^i€o. 12 : 28.

INTRODUCTION 13
(2) With special reference to its personal constituency and social
nature. Matt. 5:19,20; 8:12; 11:11, 12; chap. 13; 19:14,
23,24; 21:31; 23: 13; Acts 14:22; iCor.i5:24. Its origin,
growth, and process, John 18:36; Matt. 13; Mark 4:261. Con
ditions of entering and remaining, John 3:3, 5; Matt. 18 : 1 — 4;
Luke 9 : 62.
{3) As having bounds or limits, and thus suggesting organized
form. Matt. 16:19 marks the point of attachment for the
idea of the church as the kingdom. Possibly Matt. 13:41 is a
point of connection with the millennial idea.
(4) As future, but not definitely eschatological. Matt. 16:28;
Mark 9:1; Matt. 20:21; 26:29; Mark 9 = 47 (t/45); Luke
21 :3i; 22: 16, 30; 23:51.
( 5 ) Eschatological, associated with the parousia and the last judg
ment. Matt. 7:21; 8:11; 13:43:25:34; Luke 23: 42; 1 Cor.
6:9,10; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; 1 Cor. 15:50; Col. 4:11; 1
Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:5; 2 Tim. 4:1, 18; Jas. 2 : 5 ; 2
Pet. 1: 11; Rev. 12:10. In certain of these later references
the kingdom is apparently anticipated as about to exist in
heaven after the parousia. The thought of Christ's kingdom as
now existing in the celestial world, into which the believer
enters at death, does not appear in New Testament times.
Thus the kingdom of God in the New Testament is a com
plex idea, the emphasis falling now upon one, now upon another
of its several phases. In general it may be said that the king
dom is personal and social, and, when the idea of time enters
in, usually eschatological. The various connotations of the idea
in the Fathers are usually traceable to Scriptural references as
the points of departure.
In the present work the Fathers are considered in chrono
logical order, arranged in groups of Greek and Latin in each of
the three periods. There is in general no sharp line of demarca
tion between the second and third periods, in the current ideas of
the kingdom, and the same may be said of the Greek and Latin
churches. Of each writer the references he makes to the king
dom are characterized somewhat in detail and as a whole, with
101

14 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
quotation of those which seem most important. The number of
references quoted (out of the whole number of nearly four thou
sand) is between five and six hundred, representing about fifty
Fathers and over one hundred and seventy-five works. In the
supplement several tables are given, showing the distribution of
references to the kingdom among the Fathers, together with
their use of Scripture.

102

PERIOD I.— THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS.
CHAPTER II.
Clement of Rome, in the first certain reference to the kingdom
after the apostolic age, says that the apostles went forth with
the glad tidings that the kingdom of God was about to come
{Epistle to the Corinthians, 42). The righteous dead dwell in the
abode of the pious; and they shall be manifest in the visitation1
of the kingdom of God (50). These references regard the king- '
dom as eschatological. In chap. 54 citizenship in the kingdom
is spoken of proleptically, in the sense given it by Paul in "our
citizenship is in heaven": "This have they done and will do,
who live as citizens of that kingdom of God which bringeth no
regrets;"2 but the kingdom itself is eschatological.
The ancient homily by an unknown author, the so-called
Second Epistle of Clement, has several references to the kingdom
as a place of future rest or blessedness. "And ye know,
brethren, that the sojourn of this flesh in this world is mean and
for a short time, but the promise of Christ is great and mar
velous, even the rest of the kingdom that shall be and of life
eternal" (5). Twice the word fiacriXeiov, royal palace or seat of
empire, is used instead of fiaaiXeia. "With what confidence
shall we, if we keep not our baptism pure and undefiled, enter
into to ftao-iXeiov of God?" (6). "The unbelievers shall be
amazed when they see the kingdom of the world given to Jesus "
(17).3 This does not necessarily involve the conversion of
the world. In sec. 12 occurs the important passage: "Let us
therefore await the kingdom of God betimes in love and
righteousness, since we know not the day of God's appearing.
For the Lord himself, being asked by a certain person when
his kingdom would come, said: 'When the two shall be one, and
the outside as the inside, etc. These things if ye do', saith he,
' the kingdom of my father shall come.' " Here the kingdom of
1 iirt<rK0ir7J. s oi iroJuTevb/xevoi t^jv af/.€Tafi4\T]Tov iro\iTelav tov 6eov.
3 rb paat\eioi> toi Kbaixov iv rip 'Iijcrot.
103] 15

16 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
Christ is identical with the kingdom of God, and the time of
its coming, though future, may be imminent, and is to some
extent conditioned on human conduct. "If therefore we shall
have wrought righteousness in the sight of God, we shall enter
into his kingdom and receive the promises which ear hath not
heard nor eye seen," etc. (9). Whether it shall come in and
with this doing of righteousness, or as a consequent reward,
the ethical relation is important. These passages are clearly
eschatological. In sec. 14: "The Books and the Apostles plainly declare
that the church exists, not now for the first time, but hath been
from the beginning; for it was spiritual  and was mani
fested in the last days .... in the flesh of Christ." By these
and other mystical expressions we are reminded of Hilary's
view of the kingdom of Christ in his flesh, and of Augustine's
De Civitate Dei, which is both kingdom and church.
In the so-called Epistle of Barnabas, which is variously dated
from 70 to 182 A. D., and so may be earlier than Clement, it is
said that he that doeth righteousness shall be glorified in the
kingdom of God (21). "They that desire to see me, and to
attain unto my kingdom, must lay hold on me through tribula
tion and affliction" (7). If we relax our efforts, and slumber
over our sins, there is danger lest "the prince of evil receive
power against us and thrust us out from the kingdom of the
Lord," apparently from attaining unto it. It is mystically
declared that "the kingdom of Jesus is on the cross, and they
who set their hope on him shall live forever" (8). It is said in
the same section that "in his kingdom there shall be evil days,
in which we shall be saved," which seems to involve an earthly
experience, perhaps millennial. There is a temple of God in
renewed human hearts, a spiritual temple built up in his name in
place of the Jewish temple (16). The church, rather than the
kingdom, is probably here in mind.
In the Didache", or Teaching of the Apostles, the following
prayer, with slight variations, occurs twice : "May thy church
be gathered together from the ends of the earth into thy king
dom, which thou hast prepared for it" (9 and 10).
104

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 17
Thus in the earliest patristic reference to the church and the
kingdom together, they are clearly distinguished from each other. >
The kingdom is still future and eschatological with implied!
reference to Matt. 25 : 34 ; but nothing is indicated as to thef
place of its manifestation. The thought may be that the
church as a whole is to have place in the kingdom ; as Cyprian
speaks of the church as "that which shall reign there." Twice
in quoting the Lord's Prayer the closing words read : " For
thine is the power and the glory," omitting " kingdom."
In the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, which may possibly
be a Jewish, rather than Christian, writing, two or three general
references occur : " The Lord sware to me with an oath that the
kingdom should never fail from me" (Judah, 23). "His king
dom an everlasting kingdom" (Joseph, 19). "The kingdom of
the Lord shall not be among you, for he will forthwith take it
away" (Benjamin, 9).
The Shepherd of Hermas is written in a style so highly figura
tive and involved as to be often obscure. The Visions and
Similitudes center around the building of a tower which is
repeatedly declared to be the church (Vis. 3.3 ; Sim. 9. 13). But
in the voluminous discussions centering about this idea, the
kingdom of God seems frequently to be synonymous with the
church. The church was created before all things (Vis. 2.4). "But
the tower in building is the church ; ye shall be purified, and
shall be useful as stones for its building. The white portion is
the coming age, in which the elect of God shall dwell " (4. 3) .
Life is for all that keep the commandments of the Lord : all the
righteous and repentant have their dwelling within the tower.
The penitent had their dwelling placed within the first walls/
and some of them even ascended into the tower (Sim. 8. 7 ;\
8. 10 ; 8.6).
The tower is built upon the rock and upon the gate : it is
made a single stone with the rock (9. 15, 13). This rock and gate
is the Son of God ; the rock is ancient and the gate recent : being
made recent in the manifestation of Christ, that they who are
to be saved may enter through it into the kingdom of God.
105

18 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
Only the stones which come through the gate go to the build
ing of the tower ; thus no one shall enter into the kingdom of
God, except he receive the name of his Son. The builders of
the tower are angels, by whom the Lord is walled about. But
the gate is the Son of God ; there is this one entrance to the
Lord, to the kingdom of God (9.12). Those who believe
shall become one spirit and one body (9 . 13).
But some, having been placed in the tower, after a time
were enticed, and were cast away from the house of God.
There was therefore a cessation in the building, that, if these
repent, they may go into the building of the tower ; thus God
" restored our life " (9.14). The evil shall be cast out and the
church of God purified ; there shall be one body of them that
are purified, just as the tower when purified became made as it
were of one stone. It is hard for such as go astray to enter into
the kingdom of God ; but, if they repent and do good, they
shall live unto God. Let them do so speedily, before the tower
is completed. The righteous dwell, without doubt, in the
kingdom of God. But the other stones, which have remained
round and have not been fitted into the building, have been
put back into their place. For this world and its vanities must
be cut from off them, and then they will fit into the kingdom of
God (9.16, 18, 20, 26,29, 31). The last statement is obviously
a reference to the tower, or church, under the name of the
kingdom. There is thus in the Shepherd no distinct and consistent idea
of the kingdom ; but it is significant that this composition,
which was long treated as a part of Scripture and had large
influence upon later Fathers, so closely interweaves the idea of
the church with that of the kingdom as to make them prac
tically interchangeable. The most important note of time as
connected with the kingdom is the urgent call to repent before
the completion of the tower, To enter into the kingdom is
parallel with living unto God. The figure of the building
recalls Paul's temple of God, and Peter's living stones built
upon the Rock.
Ignatius declares in his Epistle to the Philippians, 3 : "If any
106

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 19
man followeth one that maketh a schism, he doth not inherit the
kingdom of God." In the Martyrdom of Ignatius (perhaps genu
ine) he is reported as saying : " the only-begotten Son of God,
whose kingdom may I enjoy " ( 2). Polycarp, Ep. to the Philip- ¦
pians, in sees. 2 and 5, quotes 1 Cor. 6:10, and Matt. 5 : 3 and
10 in part both apparently with an eschatological reference.
The Smyrnseans pray in The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 20: "May it be
our lot to be found in the kingdom of Jesus Christ;" and in 22:
"That the Lord Jesus Christ may gather me also with his elect
into his heavenly kingdom." Aristides says in the Apology, 16:
"Verily this is the way of the truth which leads those who travel
therein to the everlasting kingdom promised through Christ in
the life to come." The Epistle to Diognetus, 9, very beautifully
prays : " that .... we might now be made deserving by the
goodness of God, and having made clear our inability to enter into
the kingdom of God by ourselves, might be enabled by the ability
of God." This of itself might look like a reference to the kingdom
as a present reality, but in the next section (10) the reference to
the heavenly kingdom is plain : " For God loved men for
whose sake he made the world, .... to whom he promised the
kingdom which is in heaven, and will give it to those that have
loved him." The references in this paragraph are to the king
dom as a place of future reward or bliss, either terrestrial
(eschatological) or celestial. The second reference from the
Martyrdom of Polycarp and the second from the Epistle to Diog
netus are clearly celestial (cf. 2 Tim. 4:18): and the proba
bility is somewhat strong that this is the prevailing reference of
the group, it being regarded eschatologically and as even now
existent in heaven.
The millennial notions of Papias are found in fragments in/
other writers. Eusebius (Ch. Hist. 3.39) refers to the state
ments " of a somewhat mythical character, among which he
says that there will be a period of some (ten) thousand years
after the resurrection, and that the kingdom of Christ will be
set up in material form on this earth. These ideas I suppose he
got through a misunderstanding of the apostolic accounts,"
etc. Jerome, in his Illustrious Men, 18, speaks of Papias as
107

20 historical AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
having promulgated the Jewish tradition ot a millennium, teach
ing that after the resurrection the Lord will reign in the flesh
with the saints. Irenseus also (Heresies, 5.33) quotes Papias
as saying : " The days will come in which vines shall grow each
having ten thousand shoots, and on each shoot ten thousand
branches," etc. Maximus Confessor and Photius (Lightfoot, p.
534) refer to Papias as having mentioned material viands among
the anticipated joys of the kingdom.
In the Reliques of the Elders preserved in Irenaeus, 4. 27 : " He
said this ( 1 Cor. 6 : 9 f . ) , not to those who are without, but to us,
lest we be cast out of the kingdom of God," etc. "Without"
here seems to mean outside the Christian circle, and the kingdom
to be the future state of reward on earth or in heaven. In 5. 36
gradations in the heavenly reward are indicated : "The Elders
say that this is the distinction between the habitations of them
that bring forth a hundred-fold, and of them that bring forth
sixty and thirty : the first shall be taken up into the heavens, and
the second shall dwell in Paradise, and the third shall inhabit the
city ; and that therefore our Lord said, ' In my Father's house
are many mansions.' "
The apostolic Fathers contain fifty-two references to the king
dom, among which are ten quotations from the New Testament.
The phrase "kingdom of God" occurs twenty-seven times, while
"kingdom of heaven" is not used.1 In this first period, extend
ing to about 150 A. D., the view of the kingdom on the whole
resembles that of the apostles, with notable development as to
definiteness of place — on the one hand millennial on earth, on the
other celestial. Indications of a possibly non-eschatological
view of the kingdom linger apparently only in the Shepherd,
in which there is that vague intermingling of the ideas of the
kingdom and the church, which, as remarked above, was widely
influential in later times. • I
¦In the whole patristic period the phrase " kingdom of heaven " occurs three times
where the phrase " kingdom of God " occurs twice ; the relative usage in the Greek and
Latin Fathers being much the same. See Schiirer, B 'istory of the Jewish People, Div. 2
Vol. II, p. 171, and notes.

108

PERIOD II. THE ANTE-NICENE FATHERS
SUBSEQUENT TO THE APOSTOLIC.
A.— GREEK.
CHAPTER III.
JUSTIN MARTYR, IREN^EUS, AND HIPPOLYTUS.
i. Justin Martyr, the great apologist of the second
century, says in his First Apology, 1 1 : "And when you hear that
we look for a kingdom, you suppose, without making any inquiry,
that we speak of a human kingdom ; whereas we speak of that
which is with God, as appears also from the confession.1 For if
we looked for a human kingdom, we should also deny our Christ,
that we might not be slain .... But since our thoughts are
not on the present, we are not concerned when men cut us off."!
Here the idea of the kingdom is eschatological. The kingdom
is "with God," waiting to be manifested in the future. Only]
the regenerate shall see it (15.61). In the. Dialogue with
Trypho, the Jew, the kingdom is treated as the millennium.
"Christ is King, and is preached as having the everlasting
kingdom; so I prove from all the Scriptures" (34). In chap.
39, Trypho says: "You have proved from the Scriptures
that Christ must suffer, and come again with glory, and
receive the eternal kingdom over all the nations, every kingdom
being made subject to him ; now show us that this man is He."
In chap. 51, Justin says: "Christ preached also Himself, saying
that the kingdom of heaven is at hand  Moreover, he referred
to the fact that there would be no longer in your nation any
prophet, and to the fact that men recognized that the new cove
nant, which God formerly (promised), was then present, i. e.,
Christ himself; and in the following terms: 'The law and the
prophets were until John ; from that time the kingdom of heaven
suffereth violence,' " etc. The main thought of this involved pas
sage is that Christ is king: the kingdom is his. "There will be
1 Cf. the confession in the Apos. Constitutions, p. 31.
109] 21

22 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
a resurrection of the dead and a thousand years in Jerusalem ;
the everlasting and imperishable kingdom with Christ is to be
enjoyed in this same land, a future possession for all the saints"
(79. 117, 139).
Justin's idea of the kingdom is thus eschatological, in the
millennial form.
2. In Iren^eus, also, we find millennial views : Christ shall
introduce an eternal kingdom, which is the resurrection of the
just. In the times of the kingdom the righteous man on earth
shall forget to die; there shall be an inheritance in the kingdom
of the earth, foreseen by John (Against Heresies, Book 5, chaps. 26,
36). In the peaceful times of the kingdom the Spirit of God
shall vivify and increase mankind (4. 20). And yet Christ's
kingdom is now existent in heaven, for "he sent on before into
his kingdom the infants slain at Bethlehem" (3. 16). It is also
here on earth, for the "new treasure" of the kingdom in Matt.
13 : 52, is "the manner of life required by the gospel" (4.9).
Christ by the apostles announced that the kingdom of heaven
had drawn nigh, and that he was dwelling within those that
believe (3. 21). It is clear that those who disallow his salvation,
and frame an idea of another God beside him who made the
promise to Abraham, are outside the kingdom of God, blasphem
ing God, who introduces to the kingdom of heaven, through
Jesus Christ, Abraham and his seed, the church (4. 8). The
"violent" seize the kingdom by strong and earnest striving.
The heavenly kingdom is honorable to those who have known
the earthly one. The church, fashioned after the image of the
Son, is designed to bring man to perfection (4. 37). By means
of the earthly kingdom, which is the commencement of incor-
ruptibleness, those who shall be worthy are accustomed gradually
to receive God (capere Deum, 5. 22).
Irenasus thus recognized at least two kingdoms of Christ, the
|"heavenly" and the "earthly." It is not quite clear whether
I he thinks of the church as the earthly kingdom, or as one phase
or portion of it. The earthly kingdom is either now existent
in connection with the church ; or, perhaps, to be first realized
after the resurrection as the prelude to the eternal heavenly
110

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 23
kingdom. In the references cited from 4. 8 and 4. 9 Irenseus
seems to regard the kingdom as in some sense the state of
salvation. 3. Hippolytus, in the Fragments on Daniel, says: " There is »
nothing stable among men, but only that which is the appointed \\
end of all things — the kingdom of God. In 500 years from the!,'
birth of Christ the end shall be." Commenting on 7: 17, he says:
"After the fourth beast is removed, earthly things shall end, and
heavenly things begin ; that the indissoluble and everlasting
kingdom of the saints may be brought to view, and the King
coming from heaven as the world's judge ;" and on 22: "He
shall consume all with the eternal fire of punishment. But to his
servants he will give an everlasting kingdom : i. e., they shall
possess the endless enjoyment of good." In his treatise On Christ
and Anti- Christ, 5, he bids Christians: "Find out from the Scriptures
what the conflagration of the whole world shall be, and what the
glorious and heavenly kingdom of the saints is to be when they
reign together with Christ." In the Fragment on Daniel, 7:27 f.,
he makes the Sabbath "the true type and emblem of the future
kingdom of the saints, when Christ shall come from heaven and
they shall reign with him, as John says in the Apocalypse," etc.
In these references we observe that the kingdom is to
ensue on the destruction of the earth. In the Refutation of all
Heresies, Book 9, chap. 7, it is a future reward: "Thou shalt possess
an immortal body, and receive the kingdom of heaven, thou who,
while thou didst sojourn in life, didst know the Celestial King."
It is significant that Hippolytus interprets the parable of the tares
as referring to the church (Book 9, chap. 4).
In discussing and refuting the heretical notions of the Ophites
(Book 5, chaps. 2-4), the following phrases, which indicate that
the inner, subjective view of the kingdom was known among
heretics, occur in obscure connection: "the kingdom of heaven
to be sought for within a man," and "the kingdom of heaven that
reposes within us as a treasure, as leaven hid in the meal. " Perhaps
the most curious definition of the kingdom to be found anywhere
is in this quotation from the teaching of the sect just named :
"That which is nothing, and which consists of nothing, inasmuch
111

24 historical and linguistic studies
as it is indivisible — a point — will become through its own reflec
tive power a certain incomprehensible magnitude. This, he says,
is the kingdom of heaven, the grain of mustard seed, the point
which is indivisible in the body ; and, he says, no one knows this
[point] save the spiritual only."

112

CHAPTER IV.
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, ORIGEN, AND METHODIUS.
i. Clement of Alexandria. — The views of this church
Father may be seen from the following quotations. "A stranger
is permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven, when he is enrolled
and made a citizen .... made an heir of God, to share God's
kingdom with the Son. This is the first-born church .... these
are the first-born enrolled in heaven, who hold high festival with
angels '' (Exhortation to the Heathen, chap. 9) . He promises us
the kingdom of heaven as a reward for learning (chap. 1). He is
greatest in the kingdom who shall do and teach : imitating God
in conferring like benefits (Stromata, 2. 19). It is to the violent
that the kingdom of God belongs. The violent that storm the
kingdom are not so in disputations ; but by continuance in a right
life and unceasing prayers are said to take it by force. For
this alone is commendable violence, to take life from God by
force (Strom. 4. 2 : Quis Dives, 21). The least in the kingdom,
i. e., His own disciple, is greater than John. "Abandon the alien
possessions that are in thy soul, that, becoming pure in heart,
thou mayest see God, which is another way of saying : Enter
into the kingdom of heaven" (Quis Dives, 31 and 19).
In these references the idea of the kingdom as the Christian
community is conspicuous, while there is frequent quotation
of Scripture which refers to the kingdom as an inheritance of
the future, as 1 Cor. 6:9 and Matt. 25 : 34. He quotes the
two references in chaps. 42 and 50 of Clement of Rome. The
kingdom is a reward of the present as well as of the future. By
metonymy there is a notable application of the spiritual qualities
which characterize the kingdom : to take the kingdom by force
is to take life from God ; to be pure in heart is to enter the king
dom, which, accordingly, seems to be regarded as the state of
salvation. The relation of church to kingdom is suggestively referred to.
"False teachers by a perverse use of the divine words neither
113] 25

26 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
enter into the kingdom of heaven, nor permit those whom they
have deluded to attain the truth. Not having the true key, they
do not enter as we do, through the tradition of the Lord, but dig
through the wall of the church, and step over the truth," etc.
(Stromata, 7. 17). As Clement has just said that these do not
enter into the kingdom, he seems to distinguish between the
kingdom and the church, while implying that entrance through
the door into the church would bring one also into the kingdom.
The germ of the idea of the invisible church is evident. Con
nected with this is the statement, in 4. 2: "The earthly church
is the image of the heavenly," whose influence may be traced in
Origen and others.
2. Origen. — In his First Principles, 1.3, 6, he holds "That
all men have communion with God, Christ's words teach, Luke
17:20,21: 'The kingdom of God is within you.' And if Genesis
2 :j be understood as applying generally to all men, then all men
have a share in God. The kingdom is in all men potentially"
(see below). Here for the first time we meet with the abstract
idea, very frequent in the subsequent Fathers, of the kingdom as
God's reign in the soul. But the concrete idea is also clear
in Origen : " Christ himself instructs his disciples, that when
fully instructed he may form them into a kingdom worthy of
God, and present them to God the Father. They do in a sense
separate themselves .... that they may live as citizens of
heaven, coming to the living God, and to the city of God, the
heavenly Jerusalem," etc. (Against Celsus, 6. 17).
In his Commentary on John these two fundamental ideas are
blended. " One is a scribe made a disciple to the kingdom of
heaven in the simpler sense, when he comes from Judaism and
receives the teaching of Jesus Christ according to the church,
but he is a scribe in a deeper sense when, having received ele
mentary knowledge through the letter of the Scriptures, he ascends
to things spiritual, which are called the kingdom of the heavens.
.... He who abounds in knowledge free from error is in this
kingdom. ... So far as Christ, God the Word, has not his home
in the soul, the kingdom of heaven is not in it, but when any one
becomes nigh to admission of the Word, to him the kingdom of
114

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 27
heaven is nigh (Book 10. 14). Of the kingdom of heaven there
are as many keys as there are virtues. . . . And perhaps each
virtue also is a kingdom of heaven, and all together are a king
dom of the heavens ; so that according to this he is already in the
kingdom of the heavens who lives according to the virtues.
Then ' Repent ' is to be referred not to the time, but to deeds
and dispositions : for Christ, who is all virtue, has come, and
speaks, and on account of this the kingdom of God is within the
disciples " (Book 12. 14). He who beholds the excellency of the
Word, sees the Son of man coming in his kingdom ; if he beholds
him also representing truth with perfect clearness, then he would
behold his glory in addition to his kingdom : would see in him
the kingdom of God come with power ; would see this, no longer
under the reign of sin, but of Christ, who is God of all, whose
kingdom is indeed potentially " within us," but actually (as
Mark expresses it, "with power") within the perfect alone (35).
"The kingdom of heaven (in that very mystical parable Matt.
18 = 23) is likened to a certain king. Who but the Son of God ?
For he is the King of the heavens, and as he is absolute Wisdom
and absolute Righteousness and absolute Truth, is he not also
absolute Kingdom ?....' Theirs is the kingdom of heaven ' ;
you may say that Christ is theirs in so far as he is absolute
Kingdom, reigning in every thought of the man who is no longer
under the reign of sin" (Book 14.7, 14). ,
The kingdom of the future will be celestial. In First Prins.,
3. 6, sees. 8 and 9 : "There will be another earth, which receives
into it all the saints, where they may be prepared for those bet
ter institutions to which no addition can be made. For after his
agents and servants, the Lord Christ, who is King of all, will
himself assume the kingdom ; i. e., after instruction in the holy
virtues, he will himself instruct those who are capable of receiv
ing him in respect of his being Wisdom, reigning in them until
he has subjected them to the Father," etc. In his Com. on John,
Book 10. 1 1, 28, he speaks of what will take place " in the coming
age and in heaven when the kingdom of God appears ; .... in
the kingdom of heaven, the Father's house, in which are many
mansions." In First Prins., 2. 11 and 3. 7: " The pure in heart,
115

28 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
by more rapid progress, will quickly ascend to a place in the air,
and reach the kingdom of heaven, through those mansions, fol
lowing him who hath passed through the heavens," etc.
The equality of the members of the kingdom is emphasized.
" Every one who confesses Christ, the judgments of that man
abide sure ; he has the keys of the kingdom of heaven for bind
ing and loosing ; for upon such the church of Christ is built"
(Onjohn, Book 12. 14). In First Prins., 1. 3 : "Weareevenin
the present life placed in the church, in which is the form of that
kingdom which is to come" (cf. Clement of Alex.).
Origen's tendency to allegorize is given free play, as above in
his use of the Hebraistic plural " the kingdom of the heavens,"
and as when he says that Peter received the keys not of one
heaven, but of more (On John, Book 10. 14). The difficulty in
understanding certain of his expressions is increased by the
doubt as to the original reading. An instance may be cited from
his Com. on Matthew, Book 11. 16: "The righteous indeed are
prepared for the kingdom of heaven and for the exaltation in the
kingdom of God; " yet he says (Onjohn, 10. 14) that the king
dom of God and the kingdom of heaven are the same. Origen's
regard for knowledge, while profound, is ever subservient to the
ethical aim, as in his work Against Celsus, 8. 11 : "We desire
not only to understand the nature of the divine kingdom of
which we are continually speaking and writing, but to be of those
who are under the rule of God alone, that the kingdom of God
may be ours."
3. Methodius. — This writer defines the kingdom as eternal
life. "When Paul says that flesh and blood shall not inherit the
kingdom of God, he does not give a disparaging opinion of the
resurrection of the flesh, but would teach that the kingdom of
God, which is eternal life, is not possessed by the body, but the
body by the life  The kingdom of God, which is life,"
etc. (On the Resurrection, 13). He does not expressly say
whether he regards eternal life as a present possession, but there
can be little question that his prevailing conception is eschato
logical. The idea of the kingdom as a reward is prominent, as where
116

kingdom of god in the fathers 29
he distinguishes the church from the kingdom in his Oration on
Simeon and Anna, 13: " Hail to thee, Catholic Church, which hast
been planted in all the earth ; . . . . fear not, little flock, for it
is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." In the
Banquet, Discourse 7. 3, referring to the Beatitudes : "The Lord
promises different honors; to some, that they shall be numbered
in the kingdom of Heaven ; to others, the inheritance of the
earth, and to others to see the Father." The language of these
last two quotations does not forbid the kingdom being thought
of as a spiritual reward to be realized in the present life ; the
eschatological idea, however, is evident in such passages as the
following: "That which is perfect has not yet come to us,
namely, the kingdom of heaven and the resurrection ; . . . . let us
strive for a life of blessedness and the kingdom of heaven 
come into the temple and city of God." (Banquet, Disc. 9. 2, 5;
8. 4.) We meet first in Methodius with the definite statement that
" The kingdom of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
is one, even as their substance is one and their dominion one."
( Oration on Psalms, 5 . )

117

CHAPTER V.
the apocryphal writings, the apostolic constitutions, and
the clementines.
i . The Apocryphal Writings contain about thirty references to
the kingdom, distributed among three gospels, eleven books of
Acts, and three revelations, or visions. They are frequently
indefinite ; their general tone is millennial. " When Christ shall
come to reign with his saints a thousand years the first earth will
, be dissolved, and this land of promise then revealed " (Vision of
Paul) . The History of Joseph the Carpenter speaks of the banquet
of the thousand years; and the Vision of John contains the unique
declaration that " the whole world and Paradise shall be made
one, and the righteous shall be on the face of all the earth with
my angels, Ps. 37:29." The prayer of the thief on the cross is
several times given in the form, " When Thou shalt reign," or
" become king."
In the Martyrdom of Bartholomew God's kingdom is said to
exist in heaven. In one MS. of the Acts of Thomas occur these
sentences : " I rejoice with you, that you are made partakers
of His kingdom  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to whom
is due all glory and kingdom without end." The Gospel of
Nicodemus says: "Of those who have believed on Him, their
kingdom shall endure forever." The two following references
are peculiar: Jesus says in the Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew:
"I am Paradise, I am the Comforter, .... I the foundation
of the church, I the kingdom of the bishops," etc., and in the
Revelation of Moses God says to Adam, who is lying on the ground
in Paradise: " I will set thee in thy kingdom, on the throne of
him that deceived thee."
2. The Apostolic Constitutions. — In these there is about the
same number of references to the kingdom as in the apocryphal
writings, mostly eschatological, as "That ye may become partak
ers of immortality and partners of the kingdom of God," in Book
6. 30; and "Preserve us unto His heavenly kingdom " 8 10 per-
118] 30

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 31
haps celestial. The kingdom is also intimately connected with
Christ, as in Book 7. 32 : "They shall rejoice in the kingdom of
God, which is in Jesus Christ." It seems to be viewed as a present
possession in Book 5. 16 : " The kingdom of God shall be taken
from them ; . . . . having given the kingdom to you, he expects
the fruits of your gratitude and piety." In 7. 25 and 26 the
prayer " Gather together thy church from the ends of the earth "
twice occurs as in the Didache1 followed by, "Let this thy king
dom come," which may signify God's universal reign on earth,
but in any case is eschatological. The baptismal confession
is given in 7. 41: "I am baptized into the resurrection of
the flesh, and into the remission of sins, and into the king
dom of heaven, and into the life of the world to come."
In 8. 7: "Pray that, .... being initiated into the death of
Christ, they may rise with him, and become partakers of
his kingdom, and may be admitted to the communion of his
mysteries: unite them to, number them among, those that are
saved in his holy church." While the reader is, on the whole,
strongly reminded in the Constitutions of the tone of the apostles,
there seems to be an advance toward a closer relation between the
church and the kingdom.
3. The Clementines. — About eighty-five references to the king
dom occur in these writings, with only two Scriptural quotations,
which fact may indicate a comparatively early date.
A. The Homilies. — " The whole business of the church is like
unto a ship bearing through a violent storm men of many places
who desire toinhabitthe city of the good kingdom " (the so-called
Epistle of Clement to James, 14). In Homily 3. 18, 19: "The key
of the kingdom, which is knowledge, which alone can open the
gate of life  If anyone end this life in real ignorance
he is rejected from the kingdom of God."
"God gave two kingdoms to two (beings), good and evil; to
the evil, . . . the present world along with law, to punish, etc.;
to the good, the eternal age to come. The boundary line of the
two kings is the having or not having possessions" (Horn., 15.7,
9). Here the ascetic tone is noticeable, as also in the follow
ing: " Christ, being thought worthy to be king of the" world to
119

32 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
come, (fights against) him who by predestination has usurped
the kingdom that now is  But those who have determined
to accept the blessings of the future reign have no right to regard
as their own the things that are here, except such as necessary
food, since they belong to a foreign king  Two kingdoms
have been established; the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom
of the present kings of the earth  The evil king rejoices
in the destruction of the wicked. But the good one, the king
of the age to come, loves the whole nature of man; but not being
able to have boldness in the present world he counsels what is
advantageous, like one who tries to conceal what he really is "
(Horn., 3.19; 15. 7:20.2). This peculiar ethical view of expe
diency is not found elsewhere in the doctrine of the kingdom. In
the Homilies the kingdom is always eschatological.
B. The Recognitions also have much to say about the "two
kingdoms," the one evil and present, the other good and of the
future. The latter seems to be regarded as the kingdom of God,
but the idea is not clear and consistent. In 1.24 there seems to
be at first sight a recognition of the social idea: "From the
multitude came the election of the beloved, from whose oneness
of mind the peaceful kingdom of God is constructed." But
this composition of the kingdom is evidently not thought of as
now in progress on earth, for a little farther on we read: "He
established two kingdoms, that of the present time and that of
the future, and appointed times to each  and a day of
judgment, in which is to be made a severance of things and of
souls ; so that the wicked shall be consigned to eternal fire,
.... but those who have lived according to the will of God,
introduced into an eternal abode, shall receive eternal gifts"
etc. Again in 5:9: "From the beginning, as we have said,
God instituted two kingdoms, and has given to each man the
power of becoming a portion of that kingdom to which he shall
yield himself to obey. And since it is decreed by God that no
one man can be a servant of both kingdoms, .... be earnest to
betake yourself to the covenant and laws of the good King."
The kingdom is eschatological and celestial : "The condition of
this world shall pass away that the sublime condition of the
120

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 33
heavenly kingdom may shine forth " (3. 28, 29). "The city is
the kingdom in which dwells the Almighty Father" (2. 22).
" If the soul at death is ignorant of God, it is driven forth from
the light of his kingdom " (5. 18). "At his second coming he
shall take the pious into a share and association with himself in
his kingdom" (1.49).
But are the righteous while on earth in no sense in God's
kingdom ? There seems to be a wavering on this point, as if
the Recognitions were reluctant to let this idea merge wholly in
the eschatological. In 1.51, 52, as to those who die before
Christ's coming : " Know then that Christ was ever present with
the pious, though secretly, .... especially those who waited
for him, to whom he frequently appeared  Others, trans
lated to Paradise, should be kept for the kingdom 
Blessed are all who shall attain to the kingdom." In 8.55:
" God, foreseeing that some men would incline to good, ....
assigned those who would choose the good to his own govern
ment and his own care, and called them his peculiar inheritance;
but the evil to certain angels," etc. In 9. 3: " God by his Son
created the world as a double house, separated by this firmament
which is called heaven ; and appointed angelic powers to dwell
in the higher, and a multitude of men to be born in this visible
world, from among whom he might choose friends for his Son,
prepared for him as a bride  But even till the time of the
marriage, which is the manifestation of the world to come, he
has appointed a certain power, to choose out and watch over
the good ones of those who are born in this world, and to pre
serve them for his Son, set apart in a certain place of the world,
which is without sin ; in which there are already some, who are
there being prepared, as I said, as a bride," etc. These refer
ences suggest the idea of a sort of intermediate state, as it were
a transitional form of the kingdom, perhaps blended with a vague
notion akin to that of the invisible church. Certain of Hilary's
ideas have here a point of contact.
In 1.45 occurs a curious blending of the figurative and the
literal, referring evidently to the future kingdom: "Christ
anoints with oil every one of the pious when they come to his
121

34 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
kingdom, for their refreshment after their labors, as having got
over the difficulties of the way ; so that their light may shine,
and being filled with the Holy Spirit, they may be endowed
with immortality."
The kingdom is thought of as a reward or treasure, rather
than the Christian society, in the following : " The first duty of
all is to inquire into the righteousness of God and his kingdom ;
his righteousness, that we may be taught to act rightly ; his
kingdom, that we may know what is the reward appointed for
labor and patience " (2. 20). In 3 . 41 the exhortation is given
to "seek first his righteousness," omitting "kingdom." God
has concealed the kingdom of heaven, that which is profitable to
men, as a secret treasure, reporting it under various names
throughout the ages, that all lovers of good might seek and find
it in him. He who truly loves this possession of the kingdom
of heaven will cast away evil practices, or fail to possess the
heavenly kingdom ; for it is foolish to love anything more than
God, neglecting one's own salvation (3. 53). Here the king
dom is the supreme good, the way of salvation, with the empha
sis more upon the individual than the social side.

122

CHAPTER VI.
THE LITURGIES AND MINOR GREEK FATHERS.
I. The Liturgies. — In the Liturgies of James, of Mark, and of
the Apostles, the kingdom in the twenty references is usually
equivalent to heaven. Three or four are general, as in the
expression " preaching the gospel of the kingdom," and in the
Lord's Prayer. In the Liturgy of James, 44, the Prayer of
Incense at the Last Entrance : " Keep us under the shadow of
thy wings, and count us worthy till our last breath to partake of
thy holy rites for the sanctification of our souls and bodies, for
the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven," etc. The Liturgy of
the Holy Apostles, 13 : "Bless this oblation  and may it
be unto us ... . for propitiation and forgiveness, .... and
for a grand hope of resurrection from the dead, and for a new
life in the kingdom of heaven." In 20, the Obsignation or Final
Benediction : " May Christ himself render us worthy of the
splendid glory of his kingdom," etc. In the prayer of the same
section (20) said on the Lord's Day and on feast days, the king
dom is probably also celestial, though ambiguous: "May he
himself who blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavens,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, and prepared us for his kingdom,
and called us to the desirable good things which neither cease
nor perish, as he promised, .... bless this congregation,"
etc. The same may be observed of the two following: In 18,
the priest begins to break the bread and says: " O Lord, sanc
tify our lips through thy grace, that we may give the fruits of
glory and praise to thy divinity, with all thy saints in thy king
dom ;" and in 15 : "Drink ye his chalice with faith in the house
of his kingdom."
The idea of an intermediate state has a certain bearing upon
the thought of the kingdom, as in the two following : In the
Prayer for the Dead, the Liturgy of Mark, 15 : " Give peace to
the souls of all who dwell in the tabernacles of thy saints. Gra
ciously bestow upon them in thy kingdom thy promised blessing,
123] 35

36 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
which eye hath not seen .... Give peace to their souls, and
deem them worthy of the kingdom of heaven," etc. In the
Liturgy of James, 36: "Remember, O Lord, the spirits ....
from righteous Abel unto this day : unto them do thou give rest
there in the land of the living, in thy kingdom, in the joy of
Paradise, in the bosom of Abraham," etc. These prayers for
the dead seem to regard them as not yet in the celestial king
dom. But they are apparently even now, at least some of them,
"in thy kingdom," "in Paradise," "in the tabernacles of thy
saints." It seems probable that this ambiguity is in part owing
to the uncertainty as to the state of the departed, and that the
righteous dead are vaguely thought of, even before reaching
heaven, or at least the highest heaven, as "in thy kingdom."
Thus the Liturgies, expressing the general thought and feel
ing in worship, indicate that the kingdom is still conceived of
eschatologically. 2. The minor Greek Fathers of this period. — Hegesippus in The
Relatives of Christ (Euseb. Ch. Hist. 3. 20) understands the king
dom as celestial : " Being then asked concerning Christ and his
kingdom, what was its nature, and when and where it was to
appear, they answered that it was not of this world, nor of the
earth, but belonged to the sphere of heaven and angels, and
would make its appearance at the end of the world (or age)
when he shall come in glory to judge living and dead, and ren
der to every one according to his course of life." Peter of
Alexandria, Canon 5, thinks of the kingdom as the new life in
the soul: "They preached not only repentance, but the kingdom
of heaven, which, as we have learned, is within us : for the word
which we believe is near us, in our mouth and in our heart.
Dionysius of Alexandria is celebrated for his doubts concerning
the authorship of the Apocalypse, which are candidly and
forcibly expressed, and for his opposition to millennarianism in
its crude form. He says in his work On the Promises, 3: "Ce-
rinthus teaches an earthly reign of Christ ; .... he fancied that
the kingdom would consist of sensuous pleasures," etc. Caius
also combated Cerinthus in similar terms. Of Gregory Thau-
maturgus only the disputed writings refer to the kingdom ; in the
124

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 37
First Homily occurs one of the rare personifications of the king
dom: "Today, God invites  and the heavenly kingdom
is urgent to summon those who mind celestial things," etc. In
Horn. 2, On the Annunciation: "By her (the Virgin's) means are
we called sons and heirs of the kingdom of Christ." In Horn. 4,
On the Holy Theophany, Christ says : "When thou seest me cast
out demons, then hail my kingdom with adoration." These last
two references have the evangelical tone. Archelaus, in his
Disputation with Manes, speaks often of "the kingdom of the good
God," and of "the kingdom of light," and has among other
curious conceits a reference to the time when the devil's father
fell from the kingdom of heaven (33). Theophilus has an
obscure reference in his work On the Nature of God, which refer
ence may have given a suggestion to Origen : " If I call him
Power, I mention his activity ; if Providence, his goodness ; if I
call him Kingdom, I but mention his glory ; if Lord, I mention
his being Judge," etc. Melito, in a Fragment on Faith, has a gen
eral reference, beginning: "He who preached the kingdom."
Athenagoras, in his Plea for the Christians, 18, says : "May you,
by considering yourselves, be able to discover the heavenly
kingdom also !" Julius Africanus, in his Chronology, On Events
in Persia, says : "The Sages said, ' But of Judah has arisen a king
dom which shall subvert all the memorials of the Jews.'" In the
anonymous Selections from the Prophetic Scriptures, 12: "We have
received, as it were, an earnest of the eternal blessings and of
the ancestral riches. For he said: 'Seek the kingdom of God,'"
etc. In the Syriac Documents the references are as a rule to the
celestial kingdom.
There are thus in the fragments of these minor Greek Fathers
several conceptions of the kingdom, but the prevailing sense
makes it a kingdom in heaven.

125

B.—LA TIN.
CHAPTER VII.
TERTULLIAN AND CYPRIAN.
I. Tertullian's 161 references have as a whole the eschato
logical tone. The references in his Catholic, or pre-Montanistic
writings, before 202 A. D., are comparatively few and unimpor
tant, and indicate an intermingling of the ideas of the kingdom
as terrestrial and celestial. In five. Prescription against Heresies,
chap. 13: "He preached the new law and the new promise of
the kingdom of heaven." In the work on Spectacular Shows, sec.
30, he refers to the "fast-approaching advent of our Lord, the
rising of the saints, the kingdom of the just thereafter." On
Prayer, 5 : " 'Thy kingdom come' has reference to that whereto
'Thy will be done' refers — in us, that is. And if the manifes
tation of the Lord's kingdom pertains unto the will of God and
unto our anxious expectation, how do some pray for a protrac
tion of the age, when the kingdom of God, which we pray may
arrive, tends to the consummation of the age ?" In the treatise
On Baptism, chap. 13, John 3: 5 is quoted, possibly with the social
conception of the kingdom ; and in chap. 20 he says : " No one
untempted should attain the celestial kingdoms." In the trea
tise addressed To his Wife, 6, occurs the phrase, "the celestial
kingdom," which is, in a parallel passage in Woman's Dress, 9,
"the kingdom of God." On Idolatry, 9: He cannot hope for
the kingdom of heaven who abuses the heaven (as in astrology).
The Montanistic writings are in general millennial and mate
rialistic. Against Marcion, Book 3, chap. 24: "We confess that
a kingdom is promised us upon the earth, although before heaven,
only in another state of existence ; .... it will be after the
resurrection for one thousand years, in the divinely-built city of
Jerusalem, let down from heaven ; . . . . this Ezekiel knew of,
and John beheld  It is suitable that the saints be rewarded
on earth, the scene of their suffering for Christ  Of the
heavenly kingdom this is the process : after its thousand years
38 [126

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 39
are over, within which period is completed the resurrection of
the saints, will ensue the destruction of the world at the judg
ment ; we shall be changed into the substance of angels 
and so removed to that kingdom in heaven whereof we treat.
.... There is thus an earthly and a heavenly dispensation."
In Book 4, chap. 33, Christ is identified with the kingdom: "A
certain limit is placed between the old dispensation and the new,
at which Judaism ceased and Christianity began, a cessation
(which was fulfilment, not extinction) of the law and the
prophets and the commencement of that gospel in which is the
kingdom of God, Christ himself." In chap. 35, on Luke 17:20,
21: Who will not interpret "within you" to mean " in your
hand," " withinyour power," if you do the commandment of God ?
If, however, the kingdom of God lies in his commandment, ....
Moses gives the same view in Deut. 30:11-13. This means,
Neither in this place nor in that is the kingdom of God; for
behold, it is within you. This concerns the Lord's own king
dom, for he says that the Son of man must suffer many things
and be rejected, before his coming, at which time his kingdom
will be really (substantialiter) revealed. In Book 5, chap. 10:
The substance of the flesh is to be changed at the resurrection,
which is the gate through which the kingdom is entered. On
the Resurrection of the Flesh, 50 and 51: Flesh and blood are
excluded from the kingdom of God in respect of their sin, not
of their substance. In Christ flesh and blood obtain both heaven
and the kingdom of God. But sin shall be "excluded from the
kingdom and indeed from the court of heaven itself."
The millennium is thus the prelude of the true kingdom of
God, for "when the world shall pass away, then the kingdom of
heaven shall be opened " (On the Soul, 55). In two passages
the kingdom is equivalent to heaven in a way that reminds us
of Chrysostom. On the Scorpion's Bite, 10 : "For though you
think heaven still shut, remember that the Lord left here to Peter,
and through him to the church, the keys of it, which every one
.... having confessed .... will carry with him." And On Modesty,
1: "Apprehension or desire of the eternal fire or kingdom." The
church is here distinguished from the kingdom, but in his work
127

40 HISTORICAL and linguistic studies
Against Marcion, Book 3, chap. 23, he says : " His Holy Spirit, who
builds the church, which is indeed the temple, and household,
and city of God," which not only reflects a thought of Hermas,
like him leaving the relation between church and kingdom
indefinite, but is clearly a seed-thought for Augustine's De Civi
tate Dei.
Besides holding to the view of Luke 17:21, already given
above, he quotes 1 Cor. 4: 20, "not in speech but in power," in
the same vein (On Modesty, 14) ; and in his treatise On the
Soul, 39, in commenting on John 3:5, says: "cannot enter
into the kingdom of God : in other words, he cannot be
holy." The kingdom is, however, at least in words, dis
tinguished from eternal life : "To them from whom the kingdom
is taken away, of course the life which exists in the kingdom is
not permitted either" (On Modesty, 16). The social conception of
the kingdom seems to be in mind when he quotes Rev. 1 :6 in
his Exhortation to Chastity, 7 : "It is written, 'A kingdom also and
priests to his God and Father hath he made us,'" but in view
of his general usage, the expression must be taken in a proleptic
sense. Also in his work Against Praxeas, 26, he refers to Luke
22:29: "He awards the kingdom to his disciples as he says it
had been appointed to himself by the Father."
2. Cyprian is a true connecting link between " the master "
Tertullian and the great Augustine. Even more ardently than
Tertullian he looks toward the manifestation of the kingdom
in the time of the Last Things, but not in the millennial form.
Like him also he dwells upon its ethical nature, emphasizing still
further its spiritual elements as the substance of character.
Like him he declares that Christ himself is the kingdom of God,
as the impersonation of that which we pray may come, and in
whom we shall reign ; and advances toward a closer conception
of the relation between the church and the kingdom. In all
these points we may trace his influence on Augustine, who recog
nized his indebtedness to Cyprian in many germinal thoughts, as
is evident from his tribute to Cyprian in chap. 26 of his
work on Grace and Free-Will: "I strongly advise you to read
attentively the book of the blessed Cyprian on The Lord's
128

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 41
Prayer. So far as the Lord shall assist you, understand it, and
commit it to memory." In no less than eleven other places in
Vol. V of his works, does Augustine refer to this treatise of
Cyprian. '"Thy kingdom come.' We ask that the kingdom of God
may be set forth to us, even as also that his name may be sancti
fied in us. For where does God not reign ? We pray that our
kingdom, which has been promised us by God, may come, which
was acquired by the blood and passion of Christ ; that we who
first are his subjects in the world, may hereafter reign with Christ
when he reigns, as in Matt. 25:34. Christ himself, however,
may be the kingdom of God, whom we day by day desire to
come ; whose advent we crave to be quickly manifested to us.
For since he is Himself the resurrection, since in him we rise
again, so also the kingdom of God may be understood to be
Himself, since in him we shall reign. But we do well in seek
ing the kingdom of God, i. e., the heavenly kingdom, because
there is also an earthly kingdom. There is need of prayer, that
we fall not away from the heavenly kingdom, as the Jews fell.
The Jews were previously children of the kingdom, so long as
they continued to be also children of God ; but after the name
of father ceased to be recognized among them, the kingdom also
ceased ; and therefore we Christians, who in our prayer begin to
call God our Father, pray also that God's kingdom may come to
us" (On the Lord's Prayer, 13). In Epistle 72.2: " From this earth
and from these sufferings you shall speedily come to the king
dom of heaven." On Mortality, 2 : "The kingdom of God is now
beginning to be at hand ; the reward of life, .... the posses
sion lately lost of Paradise, are now coming with the passing
away of the world."
"The kingdom of God is not in the wisdom of the world, nor
in eloquence, but in the faith of the cross and in virtue of con
versation" (Against the Jews, 3.69).. In 4. 52, in illustrating the
theme that "the liberty of believing or of not believing is placed
in free choice," he quotes Luke 17:21, "the kingdom of God is
within you," with Deut. 13:18, and Isa. 1:19. On the Unity of
the Church, 14: "Charity will ever be in the kingdom, will endure
129

42 . HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
forever in the unity of a brotherhood linked to herself. Discord
cannot attain to the kingdom of heaven," etc. Here there 'may
be the thought of charity as being always in the kingdom on its
progress from earth to heaven.
The church is to reign in the kingdom. " He cannot be a
martyr who is not in the church ; he cannot attain unto the
kingdom who forsakes that which shall reign there" (Unity of
the. Church, 14). In 6 : "The bride of Christ keeps us for God.
She appoints the sons whom she has borne for the kingdom." In
Works and Alms, 9 : "The Lord says that in the judgment, those
who have labored in his church are admitted to receive the
kingdom." These references distinguish between the church and
the kingdom ; but a statement in Epistle 72. 1 1 makes the keys
of Matt. 16:19 refer to the church: "The church is founded
upon one who received the keys of it by the Lord's voice."

130

CHAPTER VIII.
LACTANTIUS AND THE MINOR LATIN FATHERS.
I. Lactantius is the only Father who identifies the kingdom
of God with the "golden age" of the poets, as something lost
in the past but to be restored. He distinguishes this kingdom
from the universal reign of God. He is a millennarian, but with
a marked ethical tone, and repeatedly speaks of immortality, or
the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom, the final state of the
kingdom of God, as the highest good. He apparently has a
vivid sense of the eschatological view of the kingdom.
" It is possible that Mt. Olympus may have supplied the poets
with the hint for saying that Jupiter obtained the kingdom of
heaven, because Olympus is the common name both of the
mountain and of heaven" (Divine Institutes, i. n). "Jupiter
changed the golden age by taking away justice. This is ... .
the laying aside of divine religion, which alone effects that man
should esteem man dear, and should know that he is bound to
him by the tie of brotherhood — since God is alike a Father to
all — so as to share the bounties of the common God and Father
with those who do not possess them ; to injure no one, to
oppress no one, not to close his door against a stranger, nor his
ear against a suppliant, but to be bountiful, beneficent, and
liberal ; which Tullius thought to be praises suitable to a king.
This truly is justice, and this is the golden age" (which Jupiter
and his offspring took away).
"But God, when the last time appeared, sent a messenger to
bring back that former age  The appearance, therefore,
of the golden time returned, and justice was restored to the
earth, but was assigned to a few only; and this justice is nothing
else than the pious and religious worship of the one God 
In order that the nature of virtue might be evident, he did not
exclude evil; .... so the golden age is not truly here" (Book
5, chaps. 6 and 7). It is at this point that all hope for the
131] 43

44 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
kingdom as the Christian community, destined to win and
possess the earth, seems to be given up.
The return of the golden age is still future, and it will come
as the prelude of the kingdom of God — as the millennium. In
Book 4, chaps. 7 and 12 : "The time for Christ's receiving this
earthly kingdom has not yet come, but he sways a heavenly and
eternal kingdom. . . . For since God decreed that Christ should
twice come to earth, once to announce to the nations the one
God, then again to reign, why do the Jews who did not believe in
his first advent believe in his second? .... Even now, in one sense,
he has (on earth) an everlasting dominion. And when he shall
come again in glory, to judge every soul, and to restore the
righteous to life, then he shall truly have the government of the
whole earth ; then, every evil having been removed from the
affairs of men, the golden age, as the poets call it, i. e., a time
of righteousness and peace, will arise." In the Epitome, 72:
Christ shall reign with the saints on earth, and the kingdom of the
righteous shall be for one thousand years. After the destruc
tion of the nations .... at the end of the one thousand years,
God will renew the world, and transform the righteous into the
forms of angels, that, being presented with the garb of immor
tality, they may serve God forever ; and this will be the kingdom
of God, which shall have no end. Then shall the wicked rise to
punishment, etc.
The righteous become a kingdom. In the Institutes, Book 7,
chap. 6 : "We are rewarded with immortality, that being made
like to the angels we may serve the Lord for ever, and be to all
eternity a kingdom to God." Although, as remarked above, he
seems to have lost the conception that the righteous even now
are such a kingdom, still in Book 5, chap. 8, he says: "Lay
aside every evil thought from your hearts, and the golden age
will at once return to you." This is the root of the matter. If
this fine sentiment is individual in application, it recognizes the
kingdom of God "within;" if collective, it points the way to the
social millennium ; and in either case it is an assurance that the
prayer "Thy kingdom come" may be granted.
2. The minor Latin Fathers. — Victorinus, in his Commentary on
132

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 45
the Apocalypse, has several important references to the kingdom.
Jerome is in error when in his Illustrious Men, 18, he classes
Victorinus as a follower of the millennial doctrine, for the latter
in his comments on Rev. 21 : 16 f. says: "Christ is the rock by
which and on which the church is founded  The church is
invincible  Therefore they are not to be heard who assure
themselves that there is to be an earthly reign of a thousand years,
who think with the heretic Cerinthus. For the kingdom of Christ
is now eternal in the saints, although the glory of the saints shall
be manifested after the resurrection." On Rev. 1:6: "And he
made us a kingdom. That is to say, a church of all believers ;
as also the Apostle Peter says, a holy nation, a royal priesthood."
On Rev. 14: 15, he speaks of "the consummation of the world,
and the kingdom of Christ, and the future appearance of the
kingdom of the blessed," apparently with the thought that
Christ's kingdom is now preparing in the church. Here is a
manifest approach toward the idea of the church as representing
the kingdom on earth, which culminates in Augustine.
Commodianus, in his Instruction in favor of Christian Discipline,
thinks of the kingdom in connection with the resurrection of the
just, but without indication as to whether it shall be terrestrial
or celestial. No references of importance are made in the writ
ings of the Pseudo-Isidorus under the names of Pontiaius, An-
terus, and Fabian, or in Minucius Felix and the anonymous
treatise on Rebaptism. It is notable that in the work of Arnobius
Against the Nations,1- there is no reference to the kingdom.
Thus in the ante-Nicene period while the Fathers exhibit a
considerable divergence of views concerning the kingdom,
representing all phases of the New Testament usage, still the
eschatological conception is the most common.
1 Which is Vol. XIX of the Ante-Nicene Fathers in the Clark series.

133

PERIOD III. THE NICENE AND POST-NICENE
FATHERS. A.— GREEK.
CHAPTER IX.
THE HISTORIANS  EUSEBIUS, SOCRATES, SOZOMEN, AND THEODORET.
The writings of Eusebius under consideration contain his
Church History and certain compositions relative to Constantine.
He speaks of history as "a narrative of the government of God."
He tells of " soldiers of Christ's kingdom," meaning Christians,
confessing their faith ; and in 8 . 13 relates how the first martyr
of the kingdom of Christ proclaimed the heavenly kingdom of
Christ, first by words, then by deeds.
But the kingdom in heaven, equivalent to heaven, is his pre
vailing thought.1 "A ready way of entrance into the kingdom
of heaven was given Pamphilus," on the day of his martyrdom
(Martyrs of Palestine, 1 1 .23). In the Oration on the Thirtieth Anni
versary of Constantine's Accession, 2.4 : " Christ opens the gates of
his Father's kingdom to those whose course is thitherward from
this world." In 4 . 1 occurs the statement : " No one has seen
the unseen kingdom, which governs all things." In this Oration
the terms "celestial" and "heavenly" are constantly applied to
the kingdom. In his Life of Constantine, describing the banquet
scene after the Council of Nicaea, he says : " One might have
thought that a picture of Christ's kingdom was thus shadowed
forth, and a dream rather than a reality." This amiable picture
must also be referred to the celestial arena, for Eusebius is an
opponent of millennarianism, and to him we owe the record of
nearly all the early writings in opposition to that doctrine.
Socrates has no original references to the kingdom, but
reports in his History several forms of creed or confession which
TCf. the Catena,\o\. VI, p. 631, where this saying is ascribed to Eusebius:
" Some thought that our Savior's kingdom would commence at his first coming ; he
therefore informs them that he should not receive the kingdom before returning to his
Father," etc. 46 [134

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 47
occasionally refer to the kingdom. In Book I, chap. 26, Arius
and Euzoius in their confession to Constantine say : "We believe
also in the Holy Ghost, and in the resurrection of the flesh, and
in the life of the coming age, and in the kingdom of heaven (or,
of the heavens), and in one Catholic church of God, extending
from one end of the earth to the other." About the middle of
the fourth century there was a considerable controversy as to the
duration of Christ's kingdom, to which reference is made by the
oriental bishops at Sardica in their Synodical Letter, 347 A. D. :
"A certain Marcellus of Galatia, who will set bounds to the per
petual, eternal, and timeless kingdom of our Lord Christ, saying
that he began to reign four hundred years since, and shall end
at the dissolution of the present world " (note, p. 45 of Vol. II,
Ser. 2). About that time four bishops having been sent for to
give account of the deposition of Athanasius and Paul, presented
to Constans a declaration of faith, composed by themselves, sup
pressing the creed which had been promulgated at Antioch, and
therein confessed their belief that Christ's kingdom " being per
petual, shall continue to infinite ages," etc. (Book 2, 18). The
Makrostich, or Lengthy Creed, sent three years later by the
eastern bishops to those in Italy, has the same declaration set
forth at length, among its statements being the following:
" Christ has not attained any new dignity, but we believe that he
was perfect from the beginning  Asserting that the Father
is God, and that the Son also is God, we do not acknowledge two
Gods, but one only, on account of the majesty of the Deity, and
the perfect blending and union of the kingdoms ; the Father
ruling over all things universally > and even over the Son himself:
the Son being subject to the Father, but except him, ruling over
all things which were made after him and by him," etc. (2 : 19).
In the creed set forth by Mark at Sirmium, in presence of Con-
stantius, the same thought of Christ's kingdom being everlast
ing is made prominent (30). The prevailing thought of his
kingdom in these confessions seems to be that of his reign with
the Father.
Sozomen, the contemporary of Socrates, has two references to
the same controversy, and in addition the following indefinite
135

48 historical and linguistic studies
reference in 3.14: "Some of the disciples of Eustathius of
Sebaste denounced the rich as altogether without part in the
kingdom of God." — See the reference to Marcellus in Athanasius,
below, also Theodoret, History (2.6).
In Theodoret the kingdom is generally equivalent to heaven.
In his History, 2. 2 : "When Constantine was about to be trans*
lated to an eternal kingdom," etc. He also refers to Christ's
relation to the kingdom, and in 5. 11 quotes the Confession
of Faith from Pope Damasus to Bishop Paulinus when in Thes-
salonica: "If any one deny one Godhead and power, one
sovereignty and glory, one lordship, one kingdom, will and
truth of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, let
him be anathema." In the Dialogues, p. 173, Orthodoxus says:
"Though the general resurrection has not yet taken place, though
the kingdom of heaven has not yet been bestowed upon the faith
ful, the Apostle says : 'Hath raised us up,' Eph. 2: 6, to teach that
we too shall attain the resurrection," etc. On p. 224 : "Consider what
belongs to Adam as compared with what belongs to Christ, the
disease with the remedy, hell with the kingdom." In Epistle 120,
to Lupicius : ' ' To receive from our Master alike his kindly care in
this present life and in the life to come the kingdom of heaven."
In the list of 182 Questions on Genesis and Exodus, Question 24
reads : " Why did God plant Paradise, when he intended straight
way to drive out Adam thence ?" The answer is : "God condemns
none of foreknowledge. And besides, he wished to show the
saints the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of
the world." (Cf. Athanasius below.)
There is in the Dialogues, p. 224, one reference which recalls
the Pauline view of the relation of the earthly life to that of the
kingdom : " In this human nature they who have exercised
themselves beforehand in the citizenship of the kingdom shall
reign with him."1
' Cf. Clement of Rome, 54, quoted above.

136

CHAPTER X.
ATHANASIUS.
This great thinker has two distinct conceptions of the king
dom; the one abstract or subjective, God's reign, especially in
the individual soul; the other the concrete reward of heaven.
He seems never to think of the kingdom as a society on
earth, either present or future. His celebrated view of the
goodness inherent in human nature appears forcibly in his
thought of the kingdom, which he even declares we have within
ourselves and from ourselves. Having in this view a strong
affinity with Origen, he lays less stress than Origen upon the
discipline required, in knowledge and virtue, to make the "poten
tial" kingdom within us a reality. While in Origen the kingdom
becomes real in us, a part of our character, only by strenuous
effort, to Athanasius it seems more like a part of ourselves at
the outset. In this Origen clearly stands on firmer ground, but
Athanasius by no means overlooks the ethical demands.
"The way to God is not afar off or outside ourselves, but it
is in us, and it is possible to find it from ourselves in the first
instance, as Moses also taught when he said, ' The word of faith
is within thy heart.' Which very thing the Savior declared and
confirmed, when he said, 'The kingdom of God is within you.'
For having in ourselves faith, and the kingdom of God, we shall
be able quickly to perceive the King of the universe, the saving
word of the Father" (Against the Heathen, Part 2. 30). " We need
not depart from home for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,
nor cross the sea for the sake of virtue. For the Lord said, 'The
kingdom of heaven is within you.' Therefore virtue needs only
willingness, since it is in us and is formed from us. For when
the soul has its spiritual faculty in a natural state virtue is
formed" (Life of Antony, 20). And yet we need divine help, for
"The Lord in the flesh becomes our guide to the kingdom of
heaven and to his own Father, saying : ' I am the way, and the
door,'" etc. (Discourses Against the Arians, 2. 61).
137] 49

50 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
The kingdom is of the Trinity : " To him the kingdom belongs,
even to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and for ever " (On
Luke 10 : 22, sec. 6). In the First Discourse Against the Arians,
46, on Ps. 45:6: "Christ had the kingdom eternally, ever ruling
in the Father's kingdom." The Nicene Creed, and several other
symbols, contain no reference to the kingdom. But after a time,
owing to the misinterpretation of such passages as Ps. 110:1 and
1 Cor. 15 : 24 by the school of Marcellus, the eternity of Christ's
kingdom was introduced into the creeds ; we find it, for example,
in the creed propounded by Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catecheti
cal Lectures. Athanasius defends Marcellus himself from error
on that point in these words: "Marcellus had never pretended
that the Word of God had his beginning from Mary, nor that
his kingdom had an end ; on the contrary, he had written that
his kingdom was both without beginning and without end "
(Defense against the Arians, 3. 47).
The kingdom is the reward in heaven. " If we exercise virtue
we shall conquer death, and receive an earnest of the kingdom
of heaven" (Epistle for Easter, 342 A. D., 14. 5). "Strangers to
difficulties become aliens from the kingdom of heaven. All
present matters are trifling compared with those which are future.
.... For what can be compared with the kingdom ? or with life
eternal?" (341 A. D., 13. 4). "At the dayof judgment .... shall
be received what is laid up for the saints in the kingdom of heaven,
which eye hath not seen," etc. (On the Incarnation of the Word,
57.3). The church is distinguished from the kingdom: "The
heresy of Arius is excluded from the communion of the church,
and alien from the kingdom of heaven" (Epistle 54, to Serapion).
" Baptized into the Trinity and united to God, we believe that
we have also inherited the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Jesus,"
etc. (To the Bishops of Africa, 11). In his Statement of Faith, 1,
on Luke 23 : 43, he says : "An entrance to Paradise was regained,
from which Adam was cast out, into which Paul also entered."
In Epistle 43, for Easter of 371 A. D., on Matt. 25 : 34 : "The
door was shut from the time that Adam was cast out of Paradise ;
Christ led into Paradise the thief, and having entered heaven as
forerunner opened the gates to all." This expresses a belief com-
138

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 51
mon in the patristic age, that the abode of the first human pair
in Eden was not on earth.
It is a fine sentiment of Athanasius that " Paul wished all men
should be as he was. For virtue is philanthropic (and sin mis
anthropic, Easter of 338 : 10.4), and great is the company of
the kingdom of heaven, for thousands there serve the Lord."
(Easter of 339 : II : 1). Here the kingdom stands for a social
order, but apparently in the heavenly rather than in the earthly
state.

139

CHAPTER XI.
EPHRAEM SYRUS AND APHRAHAT.
i. Most of the references to the kingdom by Ephraem the
Syrian are in his Hymns, as a rule poetical and indefinite. The
prevailing sense is celestial, there being no millennial idea. "Save
by the door of resurrection none can enter into the kingdom "
(Hymns for the Feast of Epiphany, 10. 10). His birth, baptism,
death, and resurrection form a fourfold bridge unto his king
dom ; and his sheep pass over in his steps (10.9). Prayer is
able to bring a man to the house of the kingdom (On Admonition
and Repentance, 7). In the First Homily on Our Lord, 1 : "He
departed from Sheol and took up his abode in the kingdom,
that he might seek out a path from Sheol which oppresses all,
to the kingdom which requites all. For our Lord gave his
resurrection as a pledge to mortals, that he would remove them
from Sheol which receives the departed without distinction to
the kingdom which admits the invited with distinction." In
these references the kingdom seems to mean heaven ; perhaps
in the reference to prayer the idea of salvation may be in mind.
There is also, however, a clear recognition of Christ's king
dom on earth, as in Hymns for Epiphany, 15. 52, Mary says to the
magi: " May Persia .... and Assyria rejoice: when my Son's
kingdom shall arise, may he plant his standard in your country."
His kingdom is conceived of as universal reign or dominion, as
when the magi say to Mary in 15. 11: "To his kingdom shall
all be obedient." In the First Homily, 54: "He received the
kingdom from the house of David, even though Herod held the
place." On the Nativity, 2, on John 10:9: "The Door for them
that go in, by which they go into the kingdom." In sec. 4:
" Herod heard the roaring of the Lion, who came to sit in the
kingdom according to the Scriptures." In 7: "Thou who pavest
the way into the kingdom." Here the way "into the kingdom '•
may be either of present salvation or of the heavenly reward.
52 [140

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 53
The kingdom spoken of in connection with Herod is a poetic
conception for dominion in general.
2. Aphrahat, the Persian sage, was a contemporary of
Ephraem, and in some of his views resembles him. The king
dom is to him the Messiah's reign and realm, especially as por
trayed in Daniel, with its realization still in the future. His
thought therefore centers chiefly on the Last Things, with
frankly expressed doubt whether the kingdom is to be terres
trial or celestial. There is no trace of the social conception
of the kingdom, nor of the inner view of its existence in the
soul. "Jesus received the kingdom from Israel, and handed over
the keys to Simon, and ascended and returned to him who sent
him" (Demonstration on Persecution, 21. 13). "The righteous have
not inherited the kingdom, nor have the wicked gone into
torment. The King has gone to receive the kingdom, but as yet
he has not returned the second time" (Dem. on the Resurrection,
8. 22). "The saints shall inherit the kingdom that is beneath
the heaven, Dan. 7 : 27. And if they say that it has not taken
place as yet, then (we ask) is the kingdom that shall be given
to the Son of man to be heavenly or earthly?" What answer
is expected here is not stated. He proceeds: "And lo !
the children of the kingdom are sealed, and they have received
their emancipation from this world  First, he gave the
kingdom to the sons of Jacob ; . . . . and when they did not
prosper in the kingdom, he took it away and gave it to the chil
dren of Esau (the Romans) until he should come whose it is.
And they will deliver up the deposit to its Giver, and will not
deal fraudulently with it" (Dem. of Wars, 5. 23 and 24).
The thought here seems to be that his kingdom which he
entrusted to Simon was within the Roman Empire, an imperium
in imperio; but it is evidently not entirely clear or consistent in
the sage's mind. His doubt also as to the future place of the
kingdom is expressed in the Dem. on the Last Things, 22. 24:
"God has power, if he chooses, to give inheritance of life in
heaven, and if it please him, in the earth. Jesus said, 'Blessed
are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ' ; and to the
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54 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
thief: 'Thou shalt be with me today in the Garden of Eden.'
The earth, and the firmament which is set to divide the upper
heavens from the earth and this life, shall pass away. And God
will make a new thing for the children of Adam, and they shall
have inheritances in the kingdom of heaven. If he shall give
them inheritance in the earth, it shall be called the kingdom of
heaven. And if in heaven, this is easy for him to do. For with
the kings of the earth also, although each one of them abides in
his own place, yet every place to which their authority extends
is called their kingdom," etc. In the Dem. of Monks, 6. 18:
"The spiritual shall inherit the kingdom that was prepared for
them from the beginning. The others shall remain on the
earth and turn back to Sheol."
To these Demonstrations, whose date is 337-344 A. D.,
Aphrahat appends the following statement: "These things I have
written, not according to the thought of one man, but of all the
church, and for the persuasion of all faith  I will receive
instruction without contention from any man who will speak
and demonstrate about any matter." So far as his views repre
sent those of the church of his time, they indicate a wide
degree of uncertainty as to chiliasm and freedom of speculation
about the locality of the kingdom when finally established.

142

CHAPTER XII.
BASIL, CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, GREGORY NAZIANZEN, AND GREGORY
OF NYSSA.
i. In Basil the two chief conceptions of the kingdom,
apart from certain indefinite references, are the celestial, and
the inner or subjective. He speaks frequently of "the gospel of
the kingdom," and in Epistle 44, To a Lapsed Monk, he says:
"You were proclaiming to all the power of the kingdom, and
you fell from it," making the kingdom substantially equivalent
to Christianity. The Trinity share in the kingdom, Epistle 105,
To the Deaconesses.
"Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to Paradise,
our ascension into the kingdom of heaven, our return to the
adoption of sons, .... in a word into all blessings of this
world and the world to come" (On the Spirit, 15. 36). "Nothing
can destroy the labors of holiness and truth, for the kingdom of
heaven that awaits them is firm and sure" (Ep. 18, To Mac arius
and John).
Two mystical passages in his Eighth Epistle, To the Cesareans,
treat of the subjective view of the kingdom. In sec. 12: "It is
said, 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'"
And, my brethren, entertain no other conception of the king
dom of heaven than that it is the very contemplation of
realities. This the divine Scripture calls blessedness. For, the
kingdom of heaven is within you, Luke 17: 21. The inner man
consists of nothing but contemplation. The kingdom of heaven,
then, must be contemplation. Now we behold shadows as in a
glass; thereafter, their archetypes," etc. In sec. 7: "All material
knowledge is said to be the kingdom of Christ: while imma
terial knowledge, and so to say the knowledge of actual God
head, is that of God the Father. But our Lord himself is the
ultimate blessedness  He calls the transition from material
knowledge to immaterial contemplation a resurrection 
143] 55

56 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
Little by little our intelligence becomes strong enough to
approach Deity unveiled  This is what is meant by deliver
ing up the kingdom, I Cor. 15:24, as Christ is the first-fruits, not
the end, of this deeper doctrine. So when the disciples asked
him, ' When wilt thou restore the kingdom? ' Acts 1 : 6, he replied,
' It is not for you to know,' etc. That is, the knowledge of such a
kingdom is not for them that are bound in flesh and blood.
This contemplation the Father hath put away in his own power."
We find a certain affinity to this peculiar conception of the
kingdom in Gregory of Nazianzen, Basil's friend; and the
thought of both may possibly have been influenced by Philo
the Jew.1
2. Cyril of Jerusalem, who has been termed "the orthodox
Arian," in his Catechetical Lectures dwells constantly upon
Christ's kingdom as the reward in heaven of the faithful, and as
being endless in duration.
In Lecture 3. 10 it is parallel with salvation: "If any man
receive not baptism, he hath not salvation ; except only martyrs
who, even without the water, receive the kingdom." In 4. 15 :
"Christ is coming to reign in a heavenly, eternal kingdom ; ....
be sure on this point, for many say Christ's kingdom hath an end."
"Now is the falling away  This created world is to be made
anew  How escape the fire ? How enter into the king
dom?" (15. 2, 8, 26). "In this holy Catholic church receiving
instruction and behaving ourselves virtuously, we shall attain the
kingdom of heaven, and inherit eternal life" (18.28). " A pure
soul that has cleansed itself from sin can say with boldness, 'Thy
"Schurer, in his History of the Jewish People, Div. II, Vol. Ill, p. 380, in sum
marizing Philo's ethical teaching, says: "As it was by falling away from God that man
was entangled in the life of sense, so must he struggle up from it to the direct vision
of God. This object is attainable even in this earthly life. For the truly wise and
virtuous man is lifted above and out of himself, and in such ecstasy beholds and
recognizes Deity itself. His own consciousness sinks and disappears in the divine
light; and the Spirit of God dwells in him and stirs him like the strings of a musical
instrument. He who has in his way attained to the vision of the Divine, has reached
the highest degree of earthly happiness. Beyond it lies only complete deliverance
from this body, that return of the soul to its original incorporeal condition, which is
bestowed on those who have kept themselves free from attachment to this sensuous
body." 144

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 57
kingdom come' "(23.13). In Procatachesis, 16, the rhetorical ref
erence to the kingdom has probably the usual meaning in Cyril ;
" Great is the baptism, .... a ransom to captives  a new
birth of the soul, .... the delight of Paradise, a welcome into
the kingdom, the gift of adoption." Likewise the reference in Lec
ture 17, 15: "as the rushing of a mighty wind, signifying the
presence of him who was to grant power unto men to seize with
violence the kingdom of heaven." Possibly, however, by "the
kingdom" in these two references he has the present Christian
community in mind. Otherwise the eschatological views of the
kingdom are found in Cyril.
3. Gregory Nazianzen. — In this versatile and talented
Father, surnamed the Theologian, the view of the kingdom
as the community of saints or Christian society seems domi
nant, while it is also viewed as the reign of Christ over all
mankind, and as the heavenly reward, the latter being empha
sized on its individual and subjective side.
In the Oration on Holy Baptism, 3, "Baptism is, ... . dying
with Christ  the bulwark of faith, the key of the kingdom
of heaven, the change of life  the loosing of chains, the
remodeling of the whole man." In 22 : "Will he not (you say)
take the desire of baptism instead of baptism ? You speak in rid
dles, if you mean that the unenlightened is enlightened in his
sight, and that he is within the kingdom of heaven who merely
desires to attain to it, but refrains from doing that which pertains
to the kingdom." In 24 : " Do not delay in coming to grace, but
hasten, lest the robber outstrip you, the publican, .... or any
of these violent ones who take the kingdom of heaven by force.
For it suffers violence willingly, and is tyrannized over through
goodness." In the Second Discourse on the Son, 4 : "As Almighty King of
both willing and unwilling he reigns ; in another sense as pro
ducing in us submission, and placing us under his kingship as
willingly acknowledging his sovereignty. Of his kingdom in
the former sense there will be no end. In the second sense the
end will be his taking us as his servants, on our entrance into a
state of salvation. What need to work submission in us when
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58 HISTORICAL and LINGUISTIC STUDIES
we have already submitted ? .... Then he will judge the earth
and make awards," etc. This seems to point to the expectation
of Christ's earthly kingdom of the saints losing its identity, so to
speak, at the end of the world, in the celestial kingdom. In
Epistle 4, Div. 2, in answer to Ep. 14 of Basil : "I admire your
strait and narrow way, leading, I know not whether to the king
dom or to Hades, but for your sake I hope it is the kingdom."
In the Panegyric on Basil, 76, he uses the expression " intrusted
with the keys of heaven," so characteristic of Chrysostom.
"The heavenly reward to those whose mind is purified, will
be Light, God seen and known, in proportion to their degree of
purity, which we call the kingdom of heaven ; but to those who
suffer from blindness of their ruling faculty, darkness, estrange
ment from God, in proportion to their blindness here" (Oration
on Holy Baptism, 45). "Some will be welcomed by the unspeak
able light and the vision of the holy and royal Trinity, which now
shines upon them with greater brilliancy and purity, and unites
itself wholly to the whole soul, in which alone and beyond all
else I take it that the kingdom of heaven consists" (On His
Father's Silence, 9). According to this, the kingdom is that light
wherein is the vision of God uniting himself with the soul ; this
heavenly vision apparently shines with greater brilliancy, with
ever-increasing appropriation of the kingdom of God in the soul,
from the beginning of the Christian life.
4. Gregory of Nyssa, in his thought of the kingdom, bears
little resemblance to his brother Basil, but has notable affinity
with Origen and Athanasius. He is a brilliant defender of
Nicene orthodoxy, and his conception of the kingdom is many-
sided. He thinks of the universal reign of Christ, which, of
course, included mankind. But through sin the right of citi
zenship was lost. This was restored to men by the entering of
Christ into human life, so that they are no longer outcasts from
the kingdom, but by their own efforts may regain their lost
estate. Again, he regards the kingdom of the future as the
reward in heaven, a restoration to Paradise.
A fundamental difference between the typical Greek theology
and the Augustinian may be illustrated in Gregory: "These
146

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 59
glad tidings he proclaims to all who, up to the present day,
become disciples of the Word — that man is no longer outlawed,
nor cast out of the kingdom of God, but is once more a son,
once more in the station assigned to him by his God, inasmuch
as along with the first fruits of humanity the whole lump is hal
lowed" (Against Eunomius, Book 12. 1). "The earthly envelop
ment once removed, the soul's beauty will again appear, becoming
again that which in the beginning we were created. This like
ness to the divine is not our work at all ; it is the great gift of
God bestowed upon our nature at the very moment of our birth ;
human efforts can go only so far as to clear away the filth of
sin, and so cause the buried beauty of the soul to shine forth
again  This truth is, I think, taught in the gospel, when our
Lord says, to those who can hear what Wisdom speaks beneath
the mystery, 'The kingdom of God is within you.' The Scripture
points out that the divine good is not something apart from our
nature, and is not removed far away from those who have the
will to seek it ; it is, in fact, within each one of us, ignored indeed
and unnoticed while it is stifled beneath the cares and pleasures
of life, but found again whenever we turn our thoughts toward it.
.... This is confirmed by the parable of the lost drachma"
(On Virginity, 12).
" Christ showed his universal sovereignty by saying to the
thief, 'Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise' " (Against Euno
mius, Book 2. 11). "Lordship is not a name of his being, but of
his being in authority, and the appellation of Christ indicates his
kingdom, while the idea of his kingdom is one, and that of his
nature another. The establishment of his kingdom does not
signify the formation of his essence, but the advance to his dig
nity" (Book6.4). "It is with an eye to Christ's humanity, I sup
pose, that David describes the establishment of His kingdom,
not as though He were not a king, but in the view that the humili
ation was taken up and absorbed into the majesty of His king
dom " (Book 11. 3).
The kingdom as celestial may be seen in the following pas
sages : " Paradise will be restored. We hope not for those things
which now pertain to the necessary uses of life, but for another
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60 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
kingdom, of a description that belongs to unspeakable mysteries"
(On the Making of Man, 21.4). " Now the resurrection promises
us nothing else than the restoration of the fallen to their ancient
state ; for the grace we look for is a certain return to the first
life, bringing back again to Paradise him who was cast out from
it " (17. 2). "Christ teaches in the gospels that the acquisition of
the kingdom comes to those who are deemed worthy of it, as a
matter of exchange. When ye have done such and such things,
then it is right that ye get the kingdom as a reward." From the
Catena two references may be added : " Perhaps the kingdom
of God being within us, means that joy which is implanted in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit." And, " 'Thy kingdom come'
according to some means ' May thy Holy Spirit come upon us
to purify us.' "

148

CHAPTER XIII.
CHRYSOSTOM.
The great preacher usually makes the kingdom a synonym
of heaven. This is clear from his constant antithesis of " hell"
and "the kingdom," occurring about sixty-three times, including
the use of the phrase " kingdom of heaven" in such connection
six times ; the antithesis " heaven and hell " is rare. This
usage is also evident in his quoting Matt. 16:19 nine times,
uniformly as "the keys of heaven." Remarkable also is his
preference for the phrase "kingdom of heaven," which he uses
about two hundred times; while "the kingdom of God"
occurs only about sixty times, and of these sixty passages all
but two are Scriptural quotations.
But in his thought of the kingdom he is profoundly evangeli
cal, and the burden of his splendid eloquence from first to last
is, "Realize the kingdom here! Make the earth a heaven!"
He has reached the social view of the kingdom, as the redeemed
society on earth, as it were by way of heaven, where Christ
dwells and reigns. He thinks but little of the return of Christ
to earth, the primitive eschatological view of the kingdom
having almost faded from sight. Placing the essence of the
kingdom in character, in a life well-pleasing to God, his strenu
ous ethical tone almost obliterates the boundary between things
present and future.
"Let us show forth a new kind of life. Let us make earth,
heaven ; let us hereby show the Greeks of how great blessings
they are deprived. For, when they behold in us good conver
sation, they will look upon the very face of the kingdom of heaven.
.... They will say : ' If the Christians are become angels
here, what will they be after their departure hence ?' Thus they
too will be reformed" (On Matthew, 43-7)- " Let us love God
as we ought. This divine and pure love is indeed the kingdom
of heaven ; this is fruition, this is blessedness  For thus
149] 61

62 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
we shall see his kingdom even from out of this life, and shall
be living the life of angels, and while we abide on earth we
shall be in as goodly a condition as they that dwell in heaven"
(On Romans, 2 3). "To live according to his will, this is the
principal thing. So that by this thou hast the kingdom already
in possession without a probation" (On 2 Cor., 10.4). In 11. 6:
" Let us above all things be afraid of sin : for this is punishment,
this is hell, this is ten thousand ills. And let us not only
be afraid of, but also flee from it, and strive to please God
continually ; for this is the kingdom, this is life, this is ten
thousand goods. So shall we even here obtain the kingdom
and the good things to come ; whereunto may we all attain," etc.
In his comments upon 1 Cor. 15 : 24 f. : " He refers to Christ
the perfecting of his kingdom, — I mean the salvation of the
faithful, the peace of the world, the taking away of evils ; for
this is to perfect the kingdom. But what is this : 'When he
shall deliver up the kingdom ' ? The Scripture acknowledges two
kingdoms of God, the one by appropriation,1 the other by
creation. Thus he is King over all in respect of his creation ;
but he is King of the faithful and willing and subject, in respect
of his making them his own. This is the kingdom which is
said also to have a beginning. To this he refers in Ps. 2:8 and
Matt. 28:18. This kingdom then doth he deliver up, i. e.,
bring to a right end  But some say that he spake this to
declare the removal of wickedness, as though all would yield
thenceforth and none would resist nor do iniquity. For, when
there is no sin, it is evident that God shall be all in all." On
Matthew, 19.7: " He hath enjoined each one of us, who pray,
to take upon himself the care of the whole world. 'Thy will
be done,' .... everywhere upon earth ; so that error may be
destroyed, and truth implanted, and all wickedness cast out,
and virtue return, and there be no difference henceforth in this
respect between heaven and earth."
In his celebrated Sermons on the Statues, 16.17, he gives a
social program which reminds us of the " golden age " of Lactan-
tius. " Exercise tender care toward thy neighbor. For we are
1 oIkcIwgiv. 150

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 63
placed with one another, inhabit cities, and meet in churches,
in order that we may bear one another's burdens, that we may
correct one another's sins. And just as persons in the same
shop carry on a separate traffic, yet put all afterwards into a
common fund, so also let us act. Whatever advantages each
man is able to confer upon his neighbor, let him not grudge,
nor shrink from doing it, but let there be a kind of spiritual
commerce and reciprocity : in order that having deposited
everything in a common store, and procured a large treasure, we
may be altogether partakers of the kingdom of heaven ; through
the grace of our Lord," etc. The immediate reference of the
closing words is probably to the kingdom above, yet the shading
of the present kingdom into that of the future is obvious.
"While the kingdom is synonymous with salvation and the
sum of all good, still it is a greater thing than the kingdom
itself to receive it from such a Giver " (Homily 6, on Acts). Hence
the kingdom is frequently spoken of as one among many good
things. On I Cor. 43 . 6 : "We ought not to do anything good for
the hope of the kingdom, but because it pleases God, which is
more than any kingdom." On Romans, 1 5, as often : " Paul would
prefer to fall into hell and be banished from the kingdom, to
losing Christ." On Matthew, 24: 5 and 6 : "The centurion went
away having received a kingdom  Judas, too, was a child
of the kingdom, and yet he became a child of hell." Onjohn, 24.
2 : "It is impossible, Christ says, for one not born from above
to see the kingdom of God ; in this pointing to himself, and
declaring that there is another besides the natural sight, and
that we have need of other eyes to behold Christ." So in
Homily 2, on Colossians : "No one by his own achievements
obtains the kingdom." Of the young man in Mark 12 : 34, who
was ' not far from the kingdom,' he says that it was because he
overlooked low things and embraced the first principle of virtue
(On Matt., 71. 1). This passage of Mark is treated at length in
Hilary. Chrysostom evidently thinks of the church as the kingdom
of Christ in some instances, but without expressly identifying
them. To Catechumens, 1. 4, on Ps. 2 : 8 : " Dost thou see how
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64 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
he has made mention of the church of the gentiles, and has
spoken of the kingdom of Christ extended on all sides ? " In
I. I : "Ye are not about to be led to an empty dignity, but to
an actual kingdom : and not simply to a kingdom, but to the
kingdom of heaven itself  Yet thirty days, and the King
of heaven shall restore you to the country which is on high, Jeru
salem, which is free — to the city which is in heaven. Remem
ber me, when you come into that kingdom, when you receive
the royal robe," etc. On Matt. 8. 6 : Now in Egypt Christ's
kingdom shines forth in its brightness  Everywhere in
that land the camp of Christ, and the royal flock, and the polity
of the powers above. In 88. i : "There ought to be choirs of
angels here, and we ought to make the earth a heaven." In
Homily 15. 11, on 1 Cor., the church is distinguished from the
kingdom when he speaks of " the priests not purging out from
their borders, that is, out of the church, the covetous and
whatsoever would exclude from the kingdom of heaven." On
the parable of the tares, On Matthew, 47. 1 : " Whereas Christ is
the sower, and of his own field and out of his own kingdom he
gathers, it is clear that the present world also is his." " The
conclusion which Augustine draws from this parable is that the
church is the kingdom of God on earth.
Chrysostom's thought of the kingdom as spiritual and
requiring the guidance of the Spirit, is manifest in two com
ments in his Discourses on the Acts. On 1:6: "It appears to
'In his famous passage on the community of goods, Homily n on Acts, he draws
this enthusiastic picture : " Let us now depict this state of things in words, and let
all sell their possessions, and bring them into the common stock — in words, I mean:
let none be excited, rich or poor ! How much gold think you would be collected ?
.... Perhaps one million pounds' weight of gold  nay, twice or thrice as
much. Shall we say there are in the city a hundred thousand Christians, and the rest
Greeks and Jews ? Of the poor I think not more than 50,000 ; . . . . Then to feed
that number daily, what abundance would there be ! And yet if the food were received
in common, all taking their meals together, it would require no such great outlay after
all. But, you will ask, what should we do after the money was spent ? And do you
think it ever could be spent ? Would not the grace of God be ten thousand fold
greater? Would it not be richly poured out ? Nay, should we not make a heaven
upon earth ? If, where the numbers were 3,000 and 5,000, the doing of this thing had
such splendid success, and none of them complained of poverty, how much more glori
ous would this be in so vast a multitude ? "
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KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 65
me that they had not any clear notion of the nature of that
kingdom ; for the Spirit had not yet instructed them." On
28 : 31 : "The things concerning the kingdom of God. Nothing
of the things of sense, nothing of things present." His spirit is
finely summarized in a remark in Homily 6, on Philippians : " I
could wish the things concerning the kingdom to be ever my
discourse, of the rest, of the green pastures  of the
pleasure of being with Christ."

153

CHAPTER XIV.
JOHN OF DAMASCUS.
It is a long leap in more than one respect from Chrysostom
to John of Damascus. Chrysostom died in 407, and John in or
near the year 757, as " the last of the Fathers." Between them
there are in the Eastern church only a few names of any impor
tance, and none whose works are considered in the present
investigation. In the Western church the succession extends to
Gregory the Great (d. 604).
The work of John selected as representive in the list is that
On the Orthodox Faith, which is the third Division of his Foun
tain of Knowledge. In this work there are six references to the
kingdom, all general and indefinite, as follows : "We believe in
one God  holding a perpetual and immortal kingdom over
all things" (Book 1. chap. 8). Also, " one lordship, one king
dom," which the English version renders "sovereignty." In 2.
11 Matt. 6:33 is quoted. In 2. 29 : "God's original wish was
that all should be saved and come to his kingdom. For it was
not for punishment that he formed us, but to share in his good
ness, inasmuch as he is a good God." In 4. 15: "John the
Baptist was the first herald of the kingdom." In 4. 25 : "From
the time when he was baptized, and the Holy Spirit appeared to
men, the spiritual worship and polity (or mode of life) and the
kingdom of heaven have been preached."
This extreme meagerness of reference to the kingdom by the
" engrosser of Greek theology " at the close of the patristic age,
is significant chiefly as showing that John wholly failed to
appreciate the importance of the kingdom. Not less striking is
the evidence from his Sacred Parallels, a collection of opinions
of the early Fathers upon various points of morality and
religion, alphabetically arranged under Scriptural quotations.
Under the title of "The Kingdom of Heaven," he first quotes
fourteen representative New Testament passages in which the
66 L154

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 67
kingdom is mentioned ; then follow eleven quotations or senti
ments, to illustrate the subject, of which seven do not mention
the kingdom at all. Four Fathers are mentioned as quoted
from (Basil, the Gregorys, Clement of Alexandria), but several
of the quotations are of doubtful source. Of the four refer
ences to the kingdom by name, two are indefinite: "It is the
dignity of the kingdom that it has no tyranny over it;" and,
" That incorruptible kingdom has no desire, but has the presence
of all good things, whence there is no place for desire."
Another is from Clement's Quis Dives : " The kingdom of God
does not belong to sleepers and sluggards, but the violent take
it by force ; . . . . for this is commendable, to take life from
God by force," etc. The fourth is important, and of doubtful
origin : " The state of those who live according to the divine
laws is to be declared the kingdom of God." This saying, and
the quotation from Clement, seem to retain something at least
of the social idea of the kingdom.
The tenor of the other seven quotations, supposed to illus
trate the kingdom without mentioning it, is of the reward of
virtue, the good things waited for. The first given reads :
" When man is made perfect, he is borne up to the dignity of
angels." As a rule, however, these quotations are sententious
and obscure: "I must be buried together with Christ, with
Christ rise again, be an heir with Christ, become a son of God,
God himself." And, " Tribulation is the flower of good things
which we wait for. Let us therefore pluck the flower on
account of the fruit."
As the Eastern church had already long been dead intellec
tually when John of Damascus wrote, we may be grateful that
in this final flickering of the flame we see even the few refer
ences to the kingdom which he gives.

155

B.—LA TIN.
CHAPTER XV.
HILARY.
The "Athanasius of the West " has many suggestive thoughts
about the kingdom, even though his views are not always clear
or consistent. He is represented in the present discussion of
patristic literature by his treatises On the Trinity, and On the
Synods, or the Faith of the Orientals. Having at hand the Benedic
tine edition of his works, and certain important references being
found apart from the two treatises mentioned, I treat as a whole
his views of the kingdom.
His most distinctive view is indicated by the title of an
essay De regno Christi a regno Dei Patris distincto, eight pages
folio, by the Benedictine editors in the preface. This essay is
of rare interest and value ; according to its own showing,
however, the somewhat uncertain use of terms by Hilary leaves
the distinction between God's kingdom and Christ's vague and
shadowy. At the transfiguration the glory of his body coming into the
kingdom was shown the disciples. The Lord shall reign in his
glorified body until the offenses shall be removed from his king
dom at the consummation of the age. Then he will deliver up
the kingdom. He says not" his kingdom," but "a kingdom,"
namely, ourselves made conformable to his glorious body, whom
he will deliver up as a kingdom to God, as in Matt. 25 : 34. For
the Son will deliver up to God as a kingdom those whom he
called into a kingdom, promising them that the pure in heart
should see God. Reigning thus he will remove offenses, and
then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. And what kingdom, he himself testified, saying to the
apostles: "The kingdom of God is in you"1 (On the Trinity,
Book 11. 37-9). 2
lJn vobis. 'Cf. the "earthly kingdom" of Irenreus, 5.32.
68 [156

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 69
Christ's kingdom is thus a sort of intermediate state, in his
glorified body, in which he keeps the righteous after death until
they enter the kingdom of God at the judgment. On Paul's
saying, "I follow on, if I may apprehend," Hilary seems to
think that the saints, their flesh being laid aside, are joined to
the flesh which Christ assumed for us, to rest in it until they
receive a body of their own ; and this resting of the saints in
Christ's body he calls the kingdom of Christ. But the church is
Christ's body : "For Christ himself is the church, per sacramentum
corporis sui in se universam eam continens" (On Ps. 125; cf. On
Matt. 5 134). Is, then, Christ's body, the church, different from
his glorified body, in which the righteous dead are waiting? So
it seems from Hilary's comments on the words in Ps. 15, "Who
shall dwell in his holy mountain ?" "The mountain," he says,
" is the body which Christ took from us. We climb this mountain
after we have dwelt in the church. There is rest in the Lord's
exaltation; there we shall be associated with choirs of angels,
since we also are a city of God " (Dei civitas) . Here is evidently
a mystical blending of ideas ; the primary idea of Christ's king
dom on earth seems to be lost in the shadows of the spirit-
world. In his comment on Matt. 12:32 he identifies Christ
with the kingdom : he perfects all work by the Spirit of God,
and is himself the kingdom of heaven, and in him is God recon
ciling the world unto himself.
And yet, in the exposition of Mark 12 : 34, of the young man
who was not far from the kingdom, there is apparently a recog
nition of the kingdom as the present company of the saints.
"Why does he say that, although such faith makes a man per
fect for the kingdom of heaven, this scribe was not in the king
dom, but only not far from it ? In Matt. 25 :34 and 5:3, it is
given in absolute possession. Did this young man, whose love to
God and man was apparently perfect, confess something less than
these confessed ? .... The Lord, praising his confession of faith,
still says he is not far from the kingdom, and did not place him
in the very possession of the blessed hope. He was on the
right way, and not far from the gospel sacrament, though still
ignorant that the one thing lacking was to confess Christ as
157

70 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
Lord." If he had also done this, Hilary would probably have
considered him as in the kingdom.
The kingdom within the soul is also emphasized. "To rule
the body, subduing the sin reigning there and all incentives to
vice, is the kingdom of God in us. Let Christ reign in us, since
through him we may reign over ourselves, according to Luke
17:20, 21, The kingdom of God is within you. The kingdom of
God is where sin is vanquished, death done away, and no enemy
reigns  This will be to us the kingdom of God, when all
the stings of our vices being broken, the blemish of bodily infirm
ity will be removed" (On Ps. 2, sec. 42). Here also there
seems to be a blending of present and future.
The church is distinguished from the kingdom in a passage
of The Trinity, Book 6. 37 : " This faith [of Peter] is the founda
tion of the church ; this faith has the keys of the celestial king
dom."1 But in other passages the two ideas are intermingled
somewhat in the manner of the Shepherd of Hermas, as On Ps.
147:15: "By this swift running of the word the building of
this blessed city has been begun, which, as the abundance of its
resources becomes known, is daily everywhere built up with the
living stones of the faithful, to the increase of the city of the
blessed kingdom." We have noted above how he makes Christ
both church and kingdom. Jerome says that Hilary drew largely
upon Origen in his treatise on the Psalms ; we may trace such
influence in his comment On Ps. 51, sec. 17 ; the Jews being said
to be torn away from Christ's body and kingdom, an assertion
hardly consonant with his peculiar views, he explains the king
dom as something promised, offered freely to all, but not yet
realized ; recalling Origen's thought of the kingdom being poten
tially in all men.
"The English translation (which appeared in May, 1899) of a. passage On the
Trinity, Book 6. 38, runs : " You may have a change of faith if the keys of heaven
are changed. That faith holds not the keys of the church," etc. In both cases the
original text in the Benedictine edition reads: "the keys of the kingdom of heaven."

158

CHAPTER XVI.
AMBROSE.
This beautiful and knightly soul, under whose preaching
Augustine was converted, has a thoroughly evangelical view of
the kingdom. He thinks of it as the community of those who
have the divine life in the soul. He lays great stress upon the
unity of the kingdom of the Trinity, his treatise On the Christian
Faith being in large part a sustained proof, fortified by Scripture,
that the kingdom of the Son is one with that of the Father;
thus taking the opposite point of view from Hilary. But these
two Fathers are in striking agreement in their insistence upon
the spiritual and ethical content of the kingdom. In the Catena
on Luke there are several valuable additions to the teaching of
Ambrose concerning the kingdom, which will be given with the
other references.
"Christ came into this world to prepare for himself a kingdom
from among us, .... to receive a kingdom from us, to whom
he says : 'The kingdom of God is within you.' This is the
kingdom which Christ has received, this the kingdom which he
has delivered to the Father  He who came will deliver
up the kingdom to the Father. Each gives the other unity of
honor. The kingdom which he delivers up is not lost, but
grows. We are the kingdom, for it was said to us, The kingdom
of God is within you. And we are the kingdom, first of Christ,
then of the Father, John 14:6. When I am on the way, I am
Christ's ; when I have passed through, I am the Father's ; but
everywhere through Christ, and everywhere under him. It is a
good thing to be in the kingdom of Christ, that Christ may be
in us. We are now under Christ's rule in the form of servants;
but when we shall see his glory we shall be in the kingdom of
God, in which are the patriarchs and prophets  But in the
kingdom of the Son the Father also reigns ; and in the kingdom
of the Father the Son also reigns" (On the Faith, 5. 12).
159] 71

72 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
"To be with Christ is life, and where Christ is, there is his
kingdom " (Catena on Luke, 23 : 43). Christ is our Way, which
hath opened the kingdom of heaven to believers (On the Faith,
3. 7). This is evidently the source of the line in the Te Deum of
the later liturgy : "Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all
believers." In Duties of the Clergy, 1. 49 : Cast out of the king
dom of thy soul the likeness of the devil, and let the likeness of
Christ glow brightly in thy kingdom, that is, thy soul.
"The kingdom of God itself is the work of the Holy Spirit,
as it is written in Rom. 14:17: 'Righteousness and joy and
peace,' etc  The Holy Spirit takes us into his kingdom by
the adoption of holy regeneration. He has made us heirs of the
new birth from above " ( On the Spirit, Book 2, chaps. 20 and 7).
We are all anointed with spiritual grace for a share in the kingdom
of God and in the priesthood (On the Mysteries, 6). " He shows
that it is a regal power which the Holy Spirit possesses, in whom
is the kingdom of God, and that we in whom the Spirit dwells
are a royal house  If, then, the mustard seed is the king
dom of God, and faith is as the grain of mustard seed, faith is
truly the kingdom of heaven, which is within us " ( Catena). " The
kingdom of God consists in simplicity of faith, not in persuasive
words, but in power plainly shown forth. But faith alone is not
sufficient to enter (On Matt. 7:21. So also Chrysostom) 
What, indeed, do we understand by being in the kingdom of
God, if not the having escaped eternal death ? But they who
have escaped eternal death see the Son of man coming into his
kingdom" (On the Faith, 2. 5, 9; 3.12). He does not say whether
this takes place before the Last Things. He occasionally speaks
of the kingdom as celestial (as in Epistle 63, on Prov. 10:1 5 a) :
"And what is that city but Jerusalem which is in heaven, in
which is the kingdom of God?" In sec. 97 of the same:
"How much ought we to raise our hopes to the kingdom of
God, where will be newness of life ?"
The relation of the church to the kingdom is touched upon
in a few places : To Peter he gave the kingdom, calling him the
rock, thereby declaring him to be the foundation of the church
(On the Faith, 4. 5). "The comparison of the leaven is suitable,
160

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 73
for the kingdom of heaven is redemption from sin, and therefore
we all, both bad and good, are mingled with the meal of the
church, that we all may be a new lump, not harmed by the sins
of the evil" (On Repentance, 1. 15). Here the phrase "the meal
of the church " is obscure, but the question is suggested : To
enter the kingdom must one first enter the church, as the apos
tles at first supposed that the gentiles must come to Christianity
through Judaism ? The Fathers undoubtedly hold the affirma
tive : that the church is not a temporary institution such as Juda
ism was. But when the consequences of this view became
gradually more apparent, the resulting tendency was inevitable
to distinguish the ideal from the actual church, and to identify
the ideal with the kingdom. One of the most striking evidences
of this transition is the expression " the kingdom of the church,"
occurring in the Catena on Luke from Ambrose : " He shows his
own kingdom to be undivided and everlasting  And there
fore the kingdom of the church shall remain for ever, because
its faith is undivided in one body."

161

CHAPTER XVII.
JEROME, RUFINUS, SULPITIUS, AND VINCENT.
i. Jerome usually thinks of the kingdom as the celestial
abode, frequently also as God's reign in the world or in the soul.
He does not seem to connect the kingdom in thought with the
church. He regards rather the form than the rich spiritual con
tent of the kingdom as the principle of the Christian life. That
he holds the conception somewhat loosely, retaining little trace
of the primitive meanings, is evident from the various definitions
of the kingdom which he sets forth, in one passage giving three
alternative meanings. The Catena supplies a few references.
Stephen the deacon, the first to wear the martyr's crown,
would be less in the kingdom of heaven than many bishops, if
rank determined the reward (Against Jovianus, i . 3 5). The sheep
which stand on the right hand will be brought into the kingdom
of heaven; the goats will be thrust down to hell (2.25). The
place and the mansions are of course in the Father's house, that
is, in the kingdom of heaven, not on earth, etc. (28). No man
is happier than the Christian, for to him is promised the kingdom
of heaven (Epistle 125. 1). Abraham and other rich men in the
Old Testament, though rich, entered the kingdom of heaven, for
they were rich for others (Against the Pelagians , 1. 10). He appar
ently thinks of Paradise in two senses, for in Epistle 51.5 he says :
" Paradise was on earth, for Adam and Eve were made to dwell
over against Paradise ; " and in Epistle 60. 3 : " Even if Lazarus
is seen in Abraham's bosom, still the lower regions cannot be
compared with the kingdom of heaven. Before Christ's coming
Abraham is in the lower regions ; after Christ's coming the rob
ber is in Paradise  This [reward] is promised us in the
resurrection, for as many of us as do not live after the flesh have
our citizenship in heaven, and while still here on earth we are
told that the kingdom of heaven is within us." In Epistle 51.5
he has a characteristic reference to Origen: "He teaches that
74 [162

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 75
the devil will return to his former dignity and rise again to the
kingdom of heaven. Apostles and prophets co-heirs of the
devil in the kingdom of heaven!"
"Thy kingdom come" is either a general prayer for the
kingdom of the whole world that the reign of the devil may
cease, or for the kingdom in each of us that God may reign
there, and that sin may not reign in our mortal body (Catena).
In Epistle 46. 10, in speaking of the advantage of pilgrimages to
Jerusalem : We do not mean to deny that the kingdom of God
is within us, or to say that there are no holy men elsewhere.
In 58. 3 : Access to the courts of heaven is as easy from Britain
as it is from Jerusalem, for the kingdom of God is within you.
In 118. 4 occurs one of the rare instances in which the kingdom
is personified: "The rich find it hard to enter the kingdom of
heaven, a kingdom which desires for its citizens souls that soar
aloft free from all ties and hindrances." In this quotation, and
in the two following, is the nearest approach to the idea of the
kingdom as the Christian society: Against the Luciferians, 4, he
quotes Rev. 1:6: "Made us to be a kingdom," etc.; and in
Epistle 22. 40, on Matt. 11:12, "The kingdom suffereth violence,"
he says : " Still, unless you use violence you will never seize the
kingdom of heaven."
The following quotations indicate the wide range of ideas
which he groups under the kingdom : " The kingdom of God
denotes either Himself, of whom it is written in another place,
'The kingdom of God is within you,'1 and, 'There standeth one
in the midst of you whom ye know not ;' or surely that kingdom
which both John and the Lord himself had preached, ' Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' There is also a third king
dom, of holy Scripture, which shall be taken from the Jews," etc.
(Catena on Matt. 12. 28). Again, from the Catena: "The kingdom
of heaven is the preaching of the gospel, and the knowledge of
the Scriptures which leads to life, concerning which it is said to
the Jews, 'The kingdom of God shall be taken from you.' ....
'In this passage the Catena is erroneously translated, "The kingdom of God is
among you;" the original reads intra vos as usual, with the meaning "within you,"
as in all the Fathers who quote the verse. 163

76 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
' His Father's kingdom,' Matt. 26 : 29, I suppose to mean the
faith of believers. When the Jews shall receive his Father's
kingdom, then the Lord will drink of their vine."
2. Rufinus seems to regard the kingdom as eschatological,
celestial, and eternal. In his Preface to the Translation of Origen's
First Principles: " By our belief in the coming kingdom, by the
assurance of the resurrection from the dead," etc. On the Apos
tles' Creed, 14 : Christ when he came brought three kingdoms at
once into subjection under his sway, referred to in Phil. 2:10,
and conquered all of them by his death. In 34 and 39 he dis
cusses the clause, "Of his kingdom there shall be no end." He
has an interesting comment in sec. 7 on Matt. 13 : 33, 47. where
the kingdom is likened to leaven and to a net : "Are we to ima
gine that the kingdom of heaven is in all respects like leaven ?
Obviously the illustration was employed simply for this: to
show how, through the preaching of God's Word, which seems so
small a thing, men's minds could be imbued with the leaven of
faith. So likewise in 13 : 47 — are we to suppose that the sub
stance of the kingdom of heaven is like twine ? The sole object
of the comparison is to show that, as a net brings fishes to the
shore from the depths of the sea, so by the preaching of the
kingdom of heaven men's souls are liberated from the depth of
the error of this world." In sec. 6 : "Jesus conducted the people,
who had been brought forth from the darkness of ignorance,
and recalled from the errors of the world, into the kingdom of
heaven." Here the lack of a note of time makes the reference
indefinite. 3. To Sulpitius Severus the kingdom is ordinarily the celes
tial reward. In Epistle 1.6 (a doubtful letter) : The Son of
God will say in the judgment, " I promised you the kingdom of
heaven ; I also placed in Paradise the robber as an example of
escape from punishment," etc. In Epistle 2. 4 he speaks of the
reward and glory to be obtained in the kingdom of heaven,
which no one can obtain who does not deserve eternal life by
keeping the commandments. In the Sacred History , Book 2, chap.
3 : The Messiah promised by Daniel will reduce to nothing that
world in which exist earthly kingdoms, and will establish another
164

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 77
kingdom, incorruptible and everlasting, that is, the future world,
which is prepared for the saints. The faith of some still hesi
tates about this point only, while they do not believe about
things yet to come, though they are convinced of the things that
are past. In the preface to Desiderius in his Life of St. Martin;
"The kingdom of God consists, not of eloquence, but faith," —
evidently in the sense of the gospel or the Christian life.
4. In Vincentius of Lerins the "children of the kingdom"
are contrasted with those who "will have their portion in hell"
(A Comminitory, 6), and in 26 the expression "the inheritance
of the kingdom of heaven" occurs, both indicating the celestial
conception.

165

CHAPTER XVIII.
AUGUSTINE.
The chief works of Augustine have about 1,300 references
to the kingdom, nearly one-third of the whole number in the
patristic writings under consideration. In the vast range of his
works nearly every phase of the kingdom may be repeatedly met
with ; but the evangelical view, of the kingdom as the community
of souls born anew through the gospel, is ever dominant. In
Augustine this view takes its most characteristic form, however,
in his explicit, though carefully modified, identification of the
kingdom with the church, which is found in several of his treatises,
but most fully expressed in De Civitate Dei and in his Tractates on
the Gospel of John. This view, occasionally traceable in patristic
thought from the time of Hermas, is nevertheless found even in
Augustine in close connection with a clear distinction between
the church and the kingdom ; showing that the kingdom is ge
neric and the church only its distinctive organized form. He
thinks also of the kingdom as the celestial abode ; but time and
place are incidental and uncertain ; to be in a state of salvation
is to be in the kingdom of God. The reign of God in the soul
is always assumed of the members of the kingdom, but the social
idea receives the greater emphasis. A certain progress of his
thought of the kingdom may be traced in his writings, and these
have therefore been arranged in seven groups, as far as possible
with reference to the chronological order of composition of each
treatise. 1. Early general writings. — In his earliest Christian compo
sition, the Soliloquies, the single reference he makes to the king
dom is prophetic of the sweep, of his vision: "God, whose
kingdom is that whole world of which sense has no ken ; God,
from whose kingdom a law is even derived down upon these
lower realms" (1. 3). In the Confessions, Book 11. 2: Let me
confess unto thee whatsoever I shall find in thy books,
78

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 79
even from the beginning, wherein thou madest the heaven and
the earth, unto the everlasting kingdom [or reign] of thy holy
city with thee.
"They are peacemakers who, by controlling all the motions
of the soul, become a kingdom of God, .... subject to Christ.
From a kingdom of this sort brought to peace, the prince of this
world is cast out" (Sermon on the Mount, Book 1.2). In the king
dom of him who came to fulfil the law, one will bring benevo
lence to perfection when he loves an enemy (21). " Thy kingdom
come," that is, be manifested to men. As a light which is pres
ent is absent to the blind, or to those that close their eyes, so
the kingdom of God, though it never departs from the earth, is
yet absent to those who are ignorant of it. But no one will be
allowed to be ignorant of the kingdom of God, when the Son
shall come from heaven visibly to judgment. The coming of
his kingdom will be manifested, not after, but in the end of the
world. Let us ask that his kingdom may come, whether it be
over ourselves, that we may become meek, or from heaven to
earth in the splendor of the Lord's advent (Book 2. 6, 10, 11).
It is evident that in saying above that the kingdom is invisible to
some, although never departing from the earth, he did not have
the visible church in mind.
In a notable passage in his treatise On Holy Virginity, 24, he
speaks thus of the present and future of the kingdom : "What
else remains for these [who misinterpret Matt. 19: 12] save to
assert that the kingdom of heaven itself pertains unto this tem
poral life, in which we now are ? For why should not blind pre
sumption advance even to this madness ? And what more full
of frenzy than this assertion ? For although at times the church,
even that which now is, is called the kingdom of heaven, cer
tainly it is so called for this end, because it is being gathered
together for a future and eternal life. Although, therefore, it has
the promise of the present and of a future life, yet in all its good
works it looks not to the things that are seen, etc. (2 Cor. 4:18;
1 Tim. 4 : 8)." " Why contend you that the kingdom of heaven
is to be understood in this life only ?" (25). In chap. 9 of the
same work occurs a unique designation of the church : " Now, out
167

80 HISTORICAL and linguistic studies
of every race and nation, members of Christ may be gathered
unto the people of God, and city of the kingdom of heaven."
In this first group, generally, the church is distinguished from
the kingdom, and the latter is often future or celestial. On the
Faith of Things Not Seen, 9 : The church, which we discern from
the toilsome beginning of faith even unto the eternal blessed
ness of the kingdom. In Christian Doctrine, 37: Christ is the
head of the church, which is his body, destined to be with him
in his eternal kingdom and glory. On the Work of Monks, 8:
Working only spiritual works in the preaching of the kingdom
of heaven and edifying of the peace of the church. In the Ser
mon on the Mount, 1. 15 : In that eternal kingdom there are no
temporal relationships (as of father and mother). In 1. 8: He
that is called least in Matt. 5:19 will perhaps not be in the
kingdom at all; the one called great is also in the kingdom.
In 1. 4 is another conception of the kingdom: "In the beati
tudes the one reward, which is the kingdom of heaven, is vari
ously named. In the first .... it is the perfect wisdom of
the soul," etc.
2. Against the Manichtzans. — In this group the kingdom has
two distinct meanings, corresponding to present and future time :
" For you are not instructed in the kingdom of heaven, that is, in
the true catholic church of Christ, as the Lord said, Matt. 13:52.
.... In the kingdom of heaven there are those who, that they
may be perfect, sell or leave all, and follow Christ," etc. (Reply
to Faustus, 4. 1 ; 5.9). On the other hand, in 19. 30 : I do not
find in the Old Testament the expression "the kingdom of
heaven." This expression belongs properly to the revelation of
the New Testament, because in the resurrection our bodies shall
be spiritual bodies, and so heavenly, that thus we may possess
the kingdom of heaven. In 1 1. 8 : We no longer in New Testa
ment times expect a temporal or carnal kingdom of God ; and
all things are become new, making the promise of the kingdom
of heaven, where there shall be no death or corruption, the
ground of our confidence. ... In the hope of spiritual things, that
is, of the kingdom of heaven, where the body itself will be, by
the change in the resurrection, a spiritual body. In 22. 76 : The
168

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 81
doctrine of the New Testament is that we must serve God, not
for temporal happiness in this life, but for eternal felicity here
after. The church and the kingdom are distinguished from each
other in the work On the Nature of Good, 48 : The keys of the
kingdom of heaven in thy holy church. In the Reply to Faustus,
22. 67, occurs one of the rare instances in Augustine of the king
dom in the soul : "The kingdom of heaven is within us, Luke
17:21; and we must worship God from our inmost feelings
instead of honoring him with our lips." With this may be placed
his comment on Rom. 14: 17 from the Catena: Wisdom is justi
fied of her children, for the holy apostles understood that the
kingdom of God was not in meat and drink, but in patient
enduring. 3. Against the Donatists. — The Catholics, says Neander, in their
controversy with the Donatists, distinguished the church on
earth, in which genuine and spurious members are mixed
together, from the purified church of heaven ; but, failing to dis
tinguish the conceptions of the visible and the invisible church,
they gave occasion to the Donatists of charging them with sup
posing the existence of two churches ; but they were extremely
uneasy under this accusation, and. would allow of no other dis
tinction than that of two different conditions, mortal and immor
tal, of one and the same church1. Thus, although the idea of the
invisible church is at the center of this controversy, it was neither
fully grasped nor consistently carried out, and it was only by
Zwingli in 1531 that the phrase "the invisible church" was first
used. In the writings of this group the kingdom is regarded as the
inheritance in heaven, of which only those are heirs who are
really members of the church. In the Correction of the Donatists,
2, he speaks of "the heavenly Jerusalem, that is to say, the true
church of God. " From this expression it is evident how easy
is the transition from the conception of the kingdom to that of
the church, whether on earth or in heaven. In similar vein,
apparently, is the remark Against the Epistles of Petilianus, Book 2.
"See Neander, History of the Church,No\. II, pp. 246 ff.
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82 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
55: " Many belong to the kingdom of God who do not cast out
devils." Also in 2. 85: The words of Christ, "Beginning at
Jerusalem," etc., Luke 24 : 47, show forth the glory which he
received from his Father in the wideness of his kingdom. The
trend of the argument may be seen in the following quotations :
"Bad men may have baptism but do not belong to the holy church
of God, though they seem to be within it. Neither does the
avaricious man, baptized within the church, become the temple
of God, unless he depart from his avarice ; for they who become
the temple of God certainly inherit the kingdom of God" (On Bap
tism, against the Donatists, 6. 3 ; 4. 4). "The sacrament of chrism
can exist even among the worst of men, wasting their life in
the works of the flesh, and destined never to possess the king
dom of heaven. Such men are not in the body of Christ, which
is the church, nor within the constitution of the church, which
increases in the increase of God in its members through connec
tion and contact with Christ" (Against the Epp. of Petil. 2. 105,
109). 4. Against the Pelagians. — In this group, which contains his
chief controversial writings, his strenuous contention is that
only through the new birth by water and Spirit can any soul,
infant or adult, enter the kingdom of God, that is, be saved. He
constantly quotes John 3 : 3 and 5, referring to the latter verse
as "sententia ilia principalis," meaning perhaps the chief Scriptural
utterance concerning the kingdom. The kingdom is therefore
the state of salvation, and time and place are secondary, although
the references are usually cast in the celestial form. But in this
group the present existence of the kingdom is made especially
prominent by the repeated quotation of Col. 1:13: "Who deliv
ered us ... . and translated us into the kingdom of his Son."
We are therefore already in the kingdom, even if this obvious
result is not always consistently adhered to. The church, now
in process of cleansing, is to remain in purity for ever in the king
dom ; Augustine does not say in this connection whether it is
already in the kingdom, nor further define its relation to the
kingdom. The Pelagians held that infants were baptized, not
for sin, but in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, which was
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KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 83
either "Paradise" or some of the mansions of the Father's
house, not strictly within the kingdom of God. Augustine
insists that the Father's house must not be thus divided; that
outside the kingdom of God there is no place of salvation.
In the prayer, "Thy kingdom come," that is called the king
dom of God in which his whole family shall reign with him in
happiness and forever. He now reigns over all. Therefore,
what is in "Thy kingdom come" but that we may deserve to
reign with him ? The lost will be under his power, but will they
be in the kingdom of God ? It is one thing to be honored with
the gifts and privileges of the kingdom of God, and another
thing to be restrained and punished by the laws of the same. It
is not necessary now to raise and discuss the question whether
the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven have the same
meaning. It is enough to find (John 3:3, 5) that no one can
enter into the kingdom of God except he be washed in the laver
of regeneration. Separate not then from the kingdom of God
any mansions that are placed in the house of God (On the Soul
and its Origin, 3. 17). The kingdom of the Most High in
Daniel is, of course, none other than the kingdom of God ; other
wise anyone might boldly contend that the kingdom of God is
one thing and the kingdom of heaven another (Acts of Pelagius,
15). In 28: Between the laver and the kingdom, where the
church will remain forever without any spot or wrinkle, there is
this intermediate time of prayer, during which her cry must of
necessity be, " Forgive us our debts." The church, now in pro
cess of cleaning, shall continue in the kingdom of heaven for
ever in a sinless state.
Exsufnation (at baptism) is intended to show that souls were
not removed into the kingdom of Christ without first being
delivered from the power of darkness (On Marriage and Concu
piscence, 2. 50). There is a curious circling of ideas in the work
On Forgiveness of Sins and Baptism, 1. 15, where he says that
original sin "not only excludes from the kingdom of God, but
also alienates from salvation and everlasting life, which cannot
be anything else than the kingdom of God. " In the Gift of Per
severance, 5 : "'Thy kingdom come,' that is, to us, which will
171

84 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
come to all saints. The kingdom of God will come only to
those who persevere to the end." In chap. 6 occurs a thought
common in Chrysostom : "'Thy will be done on earth,'" may be
for a beginning, that is, that earth may imitate heaven, man the
angel, the disbeliever the believer. Or, it may be a prayer for
perseverance." 5. The City of God. — As noted in the Introduction, this
work, sometimes reckoned the greatest monument of the
patristic age, is a philosophy of history, a treatise on the divine
government, with the church as the central fact of both. It
treats of God's kingdom in its distinctive form of organization.
The civitas is two-sided, the two sides being the regnum and the
ecclesia. The church is called the kingdom, not merel)r in
anticipation, but because it is already, on earth and in heaven,
an important, if not the essential, part of the kingdom of God.
The church is the embodiment of the coming kingdom. In De
Civitate Dei the great thoughts of the patristic age concerning
the kingdom are focalized. To live after the Spirit, to love God
rather than self and one's neighbor as himself, is the character
of the citizen of the kingdom; "for the life of the civitas is a
social life." Nowhere is the social element of the kingdom
more eloquently urged, and the effect is not weakened, even
though the writer's vision is broad and clear enough to compass
both the present life and the life beyond.
We may cite first a sentiment which reminds of Hennas ;
" A house is being built to the Lord in all the earth, even the
city of God, which is the holy church. Men through faith are
living stones in the house" (8. 24). It is good to draw near to
God. And those who have this good in common have, both
with him to whom they draw near, and with one another, a holy
fellowship, and form one city of God : his living sacrifice, and
his living temple. There are no more than two kinds of human
society, which we may justly call two cities : the one of those
who wish to live after the flesh, the other of those who wish to
live after the spirit. This is the great difference which distin
guishes the two cities : the one is the society of the godly, the
other of the ungodly; each associated with the angels that
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KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 85
adhere to their party ; and the one guided and fashioned by
love of self, the other by love of God (12. 9; 14. i, 13). The
life of the wise man must be social. For how could the city of
God either take a beginning or be developed or attain its proper
destiny, if the life of the saints were not a social life ? But who
can enumerate all the great grievances with which human
society abounds in the misery of this mortal state ? Who can
weigh them ? The heavenly city, or rather the part of it which
sojourns on earth and lives by faith, makes use of peace. It
lives like a captive and a stranger in the earthly city, obeying
the laws, calling citizens out of all nations. It avails itself of
the peace of earth and makes it bear upon the peace of heaven.
In its pilgrim state it possesses this peace by faith, and by this
faith it lives righteously when it refers to the attainment of the
peace of heaven every good action toward God and man ; for
the life of the city is a social life (19. 5, 17).
The ninth chapter of Book 31 contains some of his most sig
nificant utterances on the subject. While the devil is bound,
the saints reign with Christ during the thousand years, which is
the time between his first and second coming. They shall
gather out of his kingdom all offenses (Matt. 13 : 41). Can he
mean out of that kingdom in which are no offenses ? Then it
must be out of his present kingdom, the church, that they are
gathered. In Matt. 5 : 19 he speaks of both great and least as
being in the kingdom of heaven, and immediately adds,
"Except your righteousness exceed, ye shall not enter." We
must understand in one sense the kingdom of heaven in which
the least and the great exist together, and in another sense the
kingdom of heaven into which shall enter he who does what he
teaches. Consequently, where both classes exist it is the
church as it now is, but where only the one shall exist it is the
church as it is destined to be when no wicked person shall be
therein. Therefore the church even now is the kingdom of
Christ and the kingdom of heaven. His saints, but not "the
tares," reign with him in a sense even now, who are in his king
dom in such a way that they are themselves his kingdom.
The following points are important as bearing upon his view
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86 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
of the future life : The souls of the pious dead reign with
Christ and are not separated from the church, though not as
yet restored to their bodies (31. 9). The thousand years is the
whole interval during which the first resurrection is going on.
He that heareth hath everlasting life ; that is, by having part in
the first resurrection, by which a transition from death to life is
made in this present time (31. 9; 20. 6). The city of Rev.
21 : 2 is said to come down out of heaven, because the grace
with which God formed it is of heaven. There are many obscure
passages in the Apocalypse, but that he shall wipe away all
tears is plain and refers to the future world (31. 17). This
world shall pass away by transmutation, not by absolute
destruction ; the fashion of this world passeth away (1 Cor. 7 :
31) (14). In the great conflagration the world is renewed to
some better thing, as we ourselves also (16).
6. On the Psalms. — It is significant of the way in which the
kingdom entered into the fiber of his thought that even his
voluminous discourses on the Psalms abound in references to it,
containing indeed a larger proportion of references to the king
dom than his other writings. In this work the kingdom has
usually the meaning of the future celestial reward ; but nearly
all the other conceptions occur along with it. The kingdom in
the soul is thus beautifully described in 78. 29: "Translated
into the kingdom, Col. 1:13. This cometh to pass to so much
the greater good, as it is a more inward thing, wherein being
delivered from the power of darkness, we are in mind translated
into the kingdom of God, as God's sheep in spiritual pastures,
our faith observable to none, our life hid with Christ in God."
Here it is evident that to have the kingdom within is to be
within the kingdom. In 149. 3: True Zion or Jerusalem is
the church of the saints, in part a pilgrim, in part abiding in the
heavens. In 126. 2: Man was a citizen of Jerusalem, but
sold under sin he became a pilgrim. This whole life of human
affairs is confusion, which belongeth not unto God. In 129. 3:
How great evils do we endure, how great are the scandals that
every day thicken, as the wicked enter into the church and we
have to endure them ! 174

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 87
But the kingdom is coming. In 145. 11: "Thy kingdom
come. For that kingdom which we desire may come, that
kingdom the saints proclaim to be coming." Thus the king
dom is a coming kingdom,
" . . . . till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat."
In 72. 17 occurs a thought from Cyprian : "Thy kingdom come.
That for which we pray is perhaps concerning Christ himself.
For Christ's coming shall make present to believers the king
dom of God." We are again reminded of Hermas, and perhaps
in turn of Zech. 9:12, "Turn ye to the stronghold, ye prisoners
of hope!" in 61. 4: "Christ himself is the tower  also
the rock whereon hath been builded the church. Before thee is
the tower : call to mind and go into the tower." A reference
to the intermediate state is found in 37. 10: Come, inherit the
kingdom. Thou shalt not be there at once, but laid in that
place of rest (as Lazarus in Luke 16) thou waitest in security
for the day of judgment, when thou art to receive again a body
and be made equal to an angel.
The following illustrate the use of the kingdom in the sense
of heaven. In 69. 2 : The passing both of Christ and of our
selves is hence to the Father, from this world to the kingdom of
heaven. In 78. 3 : The land of promise is nothing in com
parison with the kingdom of heaven, whereunto the Christian
people is being led. In 104. 36: If thou fearest hell, and
lovest the kingdom of God, watch. In 147. 8: Within these
walls are more than will be in the kingdom of God, in the
heavenly Jerusalem. The kingdom is used for the state of sal
vation in 112. 3 : Zaccheus bought the kingdom of heaven for
half his goods and the widow for two mites, each possessing
an equal share. The same kingdom is worth treasures to the
rich man and a cup of cold water to the poor.
The church is probably the same as the kingdom in the two
following: In 57. 12: The kingdom of Christ we see: where
is the kingdom of the Jews? In 45. 12: The martyrs have
suffered ; and the kingdom of God has made much progress
from thence, and advanced throughout all nations. The two
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08 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
are distinguished in 109. 1 : To the church as a whole he gave
the keys of the kingdom. On Ps. 110:2: "The Lord shall
send the rod of thy power out of Zion," he says : " The prophet
is not speaking of that kingdom of Christ in which he reigneth
for ever with his Father, for when doth not God the Word reign,
who is in the beginning with God? But that reign of temporal
government, by which, through the mediation of his flesh, he
called us into eternity, beginneth with Christians ; of his reign
there shall be no end."
7. Later miscellaneous writings. — As already stated, the most
important of these as bearing on the kingdom is the commentary
on the gospel of John, in a series of Tractates. Of the more than
four hundred references to the kingdom in this last group of
Augustine's works, about two-thirds are in Scriptural quotations.
The general tenor of the group is similar to that of his other writ
ings, with many supplementary thoughts rather than essentially
different ideas. He frequently recognizes two or more inter
pretations of a passage of Scripture, notably of " Thy kingdom
come." " He is in a certain sense preparing the dwellings by preparing
for them the dwellers. Ye are God's temple. This is also the
kingdom of God which the Son is to deliver up to the Father.
The kingdom will shine forth in the kingdom when the kingdom
shall have reached the kingdom. But the realm is not vet
reigning. Accordingly it is already so far a kingdom that when
all offenses shall have been gathered out of it, it shall then
attain to sovereignty, so as to possess, not merely the name of
kingdom, but also the power of government. For it is to this
kingdom, standing then at the right hand, that it shall be said
in the end, 'Come, receive the kingdom ; ' that is, ye who were
a kingdom, but without the power to rule, come and reign ; that
what you formerly were only in hope, you may now have the
power to be in reality. This house of God, therefore, this
temple of God, this kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven, is
as yet in the process of building, of construction, of prepara
tion, of assembling" (Tractate onjohn, 68. 2).
If this brilliant passage, with its thoroughly evangelical tone,
176

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 89
and the many similar utterances of Augustine, were not over
looked, it is probable that the modern vogue of belittling the
Fathers' view of the kingdom would have less currency. It
may readily be granted that Augustine was unduly influenced
both by his view of the visible church and by the somewhat
disheartening spectacle of an empire falling to pieces ; but to
blame him too severely for his characteristic views of the king
dom, to charge him with despairing of the renewal of society,
and with "turning away from the task of elaborating an ideal of
a social state influenced by Christian principles," is not only to
do him injustice, but to direct attention to the feebleness of the
attempts to improve upon him. To say that " the great Fathers
at the end of the fourth century had little influence on society"
is to run serious risk of being challenged to produce three men
of any age whose social influence was more direct and pungent
than that of Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Augustine.
"What is his kingdom save those who believe in him, to
whom he says, 'Ye are not of this world'? .... Of the world
are all mankind, created indeed by the true God, but generated
from Adam as a vitiated and condemned stock ; the regenerated
in Christ are made into a kingdom no longer of the world"
(115. 1, 2). He ever reigns, indeed, with the Father. But the
prophets2 foretold his kingdom according to that wherein he is
Christ made man, and has made his faithful ones Christians.
As if he had answered the question in Acts i :6: "You wish
that I should manifest the kingdom now : let me first gather
what I may manifest" (25, 2). The first three petitions in the
Lord's Prayer ask for blessings that are to be enjoyed for ever ;
which are indeed begun in the world, and grow in us as we grow
in grace (Enchiridion, 115). We pray that his kingdom may
come in us ; that we may be found in it. We ought to be in his
kingdom always, to do his will always (Sermons on New Testa
ment Lessons, 6. 7, 19). In 81. 6: The church at present is an
inn ; it will be a home whence we shall never remove, when in
1 See Fremantle, pp. 146 I., 329 f.
= This indicates that Augustine regarded their prophecies of the kingdom as
spiritual rather than external and eschatological. 177

90 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
perfect health we shall have reached the kingdom of heaven.
Onjohn, 7. 21 : Christ perceived Nathaniel to belong to His
church. In Epistle 130. 2: While he was still on earth he
brought Zaccheus, though rich, into His kingdom.
He deplores the corruption in the church : " For whence
exist in the church the great evils under which we groan, save
for the impossibility of withstanding the enormous multitude
which, almost to the entire subversion of discipline, gain an
entrance, with their morals so utterly at variance with the path
way of the saints? .... He that is least in the kingdom of
heaven, as the church now exists, shall not enter into the king
dom of heaven, as the church shall be hereafter, Matt. 5 : 19, 20"
(Onjohn, 122. 7, 9). But the church itself is not corrupted.
In Epistle 91.3: Now the churches which are multiplying
throughout the world are, as it were, seminaries of public instruc
tion for morality and above all for the worship of God, who
commands, and gives grace to perform, all those things by which
the soul of man is furnished and fitted for fellowship with God,
and for dwelling in the eternal heavenly kingdom. In Sermons
on New Testament Lessons, 30. 8 : Troublous times ! such as we are,
such are the times. But what can we do ? We cannot, it may
be, convert the mass of men to a good life. But let the few who
do give ear live well, and endure the many who live ill. The
corn in the floor has the chaff, but will not have it in the barn.
Evils abound in the world, in order that the world may not
engage our love. The world itself is good : evil men make it
evil. When the Winnower comes, there will be a bodily separa
tion, which a spiritual separation now precedes. In 7. 6 : " ' Thy
will be done' may be understood in many ways. We wish well
for our enemies, that they, too, may believe and become Chris
tians." It is sometimes forgotten that this last is a sentiment of
Augustine. In regard to some of the Last Things, he says : All the dead
are sleeping; but the good, in joy; the evil, in torments. The
church possesses the faithful dead in peaceful sleep (On John,
49. 122). The saints shall succeed to the place of the fallen
angels, and shall dwell forever in that peaceful abode from which
178

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 91
they fell. After the resurrection and final judgment there will
be two kingdoms, Christ's and the devil's, each with its own dis
tinct boundaries, both consisting of angels and of men (Enchiri
dion, 30. ill.) Here Origen's speculation as to universal restora
tion is excluded.
With all his learning, Augustine remained a learner. In the
Sermons on New Testament Lessons, 35. 9, he says: An end there
will be to all earthly kingdoms. If the end be now, God know
eth. In the Epistle to Optatus,8: "I would rather know when
the desire of all nations shall come and when the kingdom of
the saints will be, than how my soul came to its earthly abode,
much as I desire to know this."

179

CHAPTER XIX.
CASSIAN.
In this monk of Bethlehem and of Marseilles we meet with
some of the most definite statements concerning the spiritual
nature of the kingdom. He was also a leader of the Semi-Pela
gians, holding that " the good that we do depends partly on
grace and partly on free-will." In a tour of seven years with a
friend, Germanus, among the monasteries of Egypt he diligently
conferred with their abbots, and many years later wrote his
book of twenty-four Conferences, which may be in part ideal com
positions of Cassian himself. These display an exceptional
insight into the kingdom regarded as God's rule in men's souls.
While the stress is laid upon the individual side, the primary
view of the kingdom as the company of those who have this
divine life within them is recognized. His concrete view, usu
ally, however, takes the kingdom as the reward in heaven. In
his Institutes of Monks, Book 12. 15 : " Fixing their gaze on those
whom they knew to be really free from sin and already in the
enjoyment of eternal bliss in the kingdom of heaven." On the
Incarnation, against Nestorius, Book 1.3: "The Pelagians say that
men can reach the heavenly kingdom by their own exertions."
In Book 3. 12: " It is clear that none can enter the gate of the
kingdom save one to whom the key bestowed on the churches is
revealed by you (Peter)." In comparison with the church the
monastery and convent have naturally a high estimate in
Cassian. As generally in the Fathers whose spiritual view of
the kingdom is conspicuous, regarding it as an ethical fact and
force of eternal validity, there is an almost imperceptible transi
tion to and from the idea of reward in a state of bliss. Alterna
tive meanings are often recognized. The following references
are from the Conferences.
In the First Conference of the Abbot Moses, 3: "The end of
our profession is the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven ;
but the immediate aim or goal is purity of heart." In chap. 5:
92 [180

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 93
"The end indeed is eternal life as the apostle declares, Rom.
6. 22: but the immediate goal is purity of heart, which he calls
sanctification," etc. In chap. 9 certain notes of a true Christian
society are well indicated : "The Lord promises the reward of the
kingdom of heaven to these works of mercy, etc., when he says,
'Come, ye blessed,' in Matt. 25:34. How, then, shall these
works be taken away, which admit the doers of them into
the kingdom of heaven?" The abbot answers: "Not the
reward, but the doing of these things will come to an end.
For what you call works of religion and mercy are needful
in this life, while these inequalities and differences of con
dition still prevail ; but even here we should not look for
them to be performed, unless such a large proportion of poor,
needy, and sick folk abounded, which is brought about by
the wickedness of men, viz.: of those who have grasped and kept
for their own use, without however using them, those things
which were granted to all by the Creator of all alike  In
the life to come this will give way to the love of God and con
templation, where equality will reign," etc. And that such a
"life to come" is conceivable on earth seems to follow from
such passages as the following, from chap. 13, on The King
dom of God and the Kingdom of the Devil: " For everything
depends on the inward frame of mind, and when the devil has
been expelled from this, and sins no longer reign in it, it follows
that the kingdom of God is founded in us, as the evangelist says,
Luke 17:20,21. But nothing else can be 'within you' but
knowledge or ignorance of truth, and delight either in vice or in
virtue, through which we prepare a kingdom for the devil or for
Christ in our heart ; and of this the apostle describes the charac
ter, when he says, Rom. 14: 17, 'The kingdom of God is not
meat and drink,' etc. And so, if the kingdom is within us, and
the actual kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy,
then the man who abides in these is most certainly in the king
dom of God, and, on the contrary, those who live in unright
eousness have their place in the kingdom of the devil, and in hell
and death. For by these tokens the kingdom of God and the
kingdom of the devil are distinguished." 181

94 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
There follows in the same chapter a shading off of the
thought of the kingdom from this vivid sense of it as a present
reality, first to the celestial view, then to a threefold aspect of
the kingdom in the abstract or formal sense of dominion. "The
apostle does not say that every joy is the kingdom of God, but
that joy alone which is in the Holy Ghost  The heavenly
powers on high, who are truly in the kingdom of God, are in
perpetual joy  In fact the kingdom of heaven must be
taken in a threefold sense : either that the heavens shall reign,
that is, the saints over other things subdued, according to Luke
19 : 17 and Matt. 19 : 28 ; or the heavens themselves shall begin
to be reigned over by Christ, when all things are subdued unto
him and God begins to be all in all ; or else that the saints shall
reign in heaven with the Lord."
" Thy kingdom come." The pure heart desires that the king
dom of its Father may come at once, namely : either that
whereby Christ reigns day by day in the saints, which comes to
pass when the devil's rule is cast out of our hearts and God
begins to hold sway by virtues ; or else that which is promised
in due time to all who are perfect, when Christ will say, " Come,
ye blessed of my Father" (First Conf. of Isaac, 9. 19). Those
cannot see Christ coming in his kingdom who are still in a state
of Jewish weakness, not able to say, " Now we know him "
(2 Cor. 5 : 16), but only those who are able to look on him with
pure eyes of the soul (Second Conf of Isaac, 6. 10). Those who
show a splendid violence, not to others, but to their own soul,
by a laudable violence seize upon the kingdom of heaven (of
Abraham 26. 24). In the First of Charemon, 6. 11, the kingdom
is regarded as the reward of virtue, and thus naturally placed
lower than virtue itself, God's kingdom in the soul. " Three
things enable men to control their faults : (1), a fear of hell or
of the laws; (2), the hope and desire of the kingdom of heaven ;
(3), a liking for goodness itself and the love of virtue."
A passage of singular beauty and significance, recognizing the
inherent weakness of the monastic idea, is found in Piamun,
16. 18 : " Unless our mind is strengthened by the power of his
protection who says in the gospel, ' The kingdom of God is
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KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 95
within you,' in vain do we fancy that we can defeat the plots of
our airy foe by the aid of men who are living with us, or that
we can avoid them by distance of place, or exclude them by the
protection of walls  For just as ' The kingdom of God is
within you,' so ' A man's foes are they of his own household.'
For no one is more my enemy than my own heart, which is truly
the one of my household closest to me. Where those of out
own household are not opposed to us, there also the kingdom of
God is secured in peace of heart."

183

CHAPTER XX.
LEO THE GREAT AND GREGORY THE GREAT
I. The references of Leo to the kingdom, in the selection of
letters and sermons here considered, are for the most part celes
tial. He does not apparently think of the church as the king
dom. In Epistle 162: "The Catholic faith, that solid rock on
which the city of God is built." In Sermon 3. 3: Peter is the
doorkeeper of the kingdom of heaven. In 73. 2 : To Peter
beyond the rest the care of the Lord's flock is intrusted, in addi
tion to the keys of the kingdom. In 33. 5 : Whoso lives reli
giously in the church is like the heavenly light. Help one
another, that in the kingdom of God, which is reached by right
faith and good works, you may shine as the sons of light. In
54. 7 : He opens the way to heaven, and by the punishment of
the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent to the kingdom.
In 95. 5 : " They shall inherit the earth." This is not distinct
from our heavenly dwelling, since it is no other than these who
are understood to enter the kingdom of heaven. The " earth "
is the flesh of the saints, which will be changed in the resurrec
tion, so as to be in complete harmony with the soul, etc.
In certain passages the kingdom of Christ and of God is
regarded as a present reality, but evidently more in the sense of
dominion than of the subjects who compose the realm. In
Sermon 21.3: "Thou wert rescued from the power of darkness
and brought out into God's light and kingdom. Do not again
subject thyself to the devil's thraldom." In 66. 7 : "Christ, the
true light, rescues from the power of darkness and transfers us
into the kingdom of the Son of God (Col. 1 : 13)." In 90. 3:
" 'Thy kingdom come:' i. e. that God may subdue those whom he
has not subdued, and make men on earth ministers of his will.
In seeking this we love God and also our neighbor : our love
has but one object, that the servant may serve and the Lord
have rule." 96 [184

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 97
2. Generally reckoned as the last of the Latin Fathers,
Gregory is a century and a half later than Leo. With him the
kingdom almost uniformly means heaven, the usual designation
being "heavenly kingdom." In Epistle 5. 20, on Matt. 16: 19 :
"He received the keys of the heavenly kingdom, and power to
bind and loose is given him ; the care and principality of the
whole church is committed to him, and yet he is not called the
universal apostle." In the Epistle to Leander, 1.43 : "Keep watch
over King Reccared (a Visigoth in Spain), that he may show by
his works that he is a citizen of the eternal kingdom, to the end
that after a course of many years he may pass from kingdom to
kingdom." A similar thought often recurs in the epistles. In
the Pastoral Rule, Part 3. 15: "In the judgment those who have
not wrought good works will sue in vain for entrance into the
kingdom." In the Catena, however, occur a number of references which
show that he regarded the kingdom as the present church,
usually in alternative interpretation, thus : " Or, by the king
dom of heaven is to be understood the present church." In
another place : " Or otherwise, the holy church is likened to a
net, by which each man is drawn into the heavenly kingdom out
of the waves of this present world ; the reprobate having lost
the light of the inward kingdom are cast forth into the outer
darkness. The shore signifies the end of the world ; the shore
shall discover what the net of the church has brought to land."
Here his thought seems to be influenced by Augustine. Per
haps his "inward kingdom" points to God's reign within; but
the meaning is somewhat uncertain, as also in Epistle 47, to
Dominicus: " We look to the returning of the Master of the
house, after receiving his kingdom, to take account of us."

185

CHAPTER XXI.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES FROM THE CATENA AUREA.
A. PATRISTIC.
i. Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444). " The kingdom of God
is within you; that is, it rests with you and your own hearts to
receive it."
2. Victor of Antioch (early in the fifth century). One
evangelist simply says " to preach," the other added " the king
dom of God," which is Christ himself.
3. Pseudo-Chrysostom. The floor is the church, the barn is
the kingdom of heaven, the field is the world. " Thine is the
kingdom " has reference to "Thy kingdom come;" that none
should therefore say, " God has no kingdom on earth."
The kingdom of God is that in which God reigns; it is clear
that the kingdom of God is confined neither by place nor by
time. 4. Pseudo-Jerome. " The kingdom of God is the church,
which is ruled by God, and herself rules over men, and treads
down the powers which are contrary to her," etc.
" For he must repent, who would keep close to eternal good,
that is, to the kingdom of God."
5. Pseudo-Augustine. " For then cometh the kingdom of
God, when we have obtained his grace. For he himself says,
'The kingdom of God is within you.' "
B. POST-PATRISTIC, AS USUALLY RECKONED.
1. Bede (d. 735). "Or else the present church is called the
kingdom of God; and some of the disciples were to see the
church built up," etc. (on Mark 9: 1).
"The kingdom of God, that is, the doctrine of the gospel."
"Or the kingdom of God means that he himself is placed in
the midst of them, Luke 17: 21, that is, reigning in their hearts
by faith." (In his Church History Bede constantly speaks of the
kingdom in the sense of heaven.) 98 [186

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 99
2. Rabanus Maurus (d. 856). On Matt. 21:43: "Yet the
kingdom of God may be understood by the gentiles, or of the
present church, in which the gentiles go before the Jews, because
they are more ready to believe."
3. Remigius of Auxerre (fl. 880). On Matt. 3:2: The
kingdom of heaven has a fourfold meaning: (1) It is said of
Christ, as, "The kingdom of God is within you;" (2) of Holy
Scripture, as, " The kingdom of heaven shall be taken from you,
and given to a nation," etc.; (3) of the holy church, as, "The
kingdom of heaven is likened unto ten virgins;" (4) of the
abode above, as, " Many shall come .... and sit down in the
kingdom of heaven." And all these significations maybe here
understood. He calls the Son of God himself the kingdom of heaven, for
he saith: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that sowed
good seed."
4. Theophylact (d. cir. 1107). "As if he said, Mark 1:15,
' From this time the kingdom of God will work,' that is, a con
versation according to the gospel, which is with reason likened
to the kingdom of heaven. For when you see a man living
according to the gospel, do you not say that he has the kingdom
of heaven, which is not meat and drink, but righteousness, etc.
(Rom. 14: 17)?"
"When they are healed in their soul, the kingdom of God
comes nigh unto them."
Besides these there are many quotations in the Catena which
give the celestial sense to the kingdom. Together they make it
clear that in the transition period between the patristic and
scholastic ages, while the general social force of the term is rare,
the identification of the kingdom with the church is almost as
much in evidence as the conception of it as something inner
and spiritual.

187

CHAPTER XXII.
summary and conclusion.
In the preceding chapters the Fathers have told the story of
their views of the kingdom of God. In the present chapter we
may group around the leading conceptions the names of those
who held them, and finally attempt to answer the questions with
which we set out in the Introduction.
These conceptions may be considered in the following order:
I. The conception of the kingdom as the Christian society
on earth.
II. The eschatological conception: the kingdom as future, to
be set up at the second coming of Christ: (a) the millennium;
(b) indefinite — without the millennial idea.
III. The kingdom as celestial.
IV. The kingdom as the church.
V. The kingdom as God's reign in the soul.
VI. The kingdom as the chief good, or some element of it.
I. THE KINGDOM AS THE CHRISTIAN SOCIETY ON EARTH.
Iren^eus: Unbelievers are outside the kingdom of God. The
heavenly kingdom is honorable to those who have known the
earthly one.
Clement of Alexandria: The "violent" take the kingdom
by prayer and a good life. The least in the kingdom, i.e.,
Christ's disciple, is greater than John.
Origen: One is made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven
when he becomes a Christian. Christ himself instructs his dis
ciples, and forms them into a kingdom worthy to deliver up to
God. [The Apostolic Constitutions: Having given the kingdom
to you, he expects the fruits of your gratitude and piety. ]
The Clementine Recognitions: From the oneness of mind
of the beloved the peaceful kingdom of God is constructed.1
1 From the context in the Recognitions it is doubtful whether the social sense is
in mind. See p. 32 above. 100 [188

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 101
Tertullian:. It is written, "A kingdom also and priests to
his God and Father hath he made us." He awards the kingdom
to his disciples as he says it had been appointed to himself
by the Father. There is an earthly and a heavenly dispensa
tion. Victorinus : He made us a kingdom, i. e., a church of all
believers. The kingdom of Christ is now eternal in the saints,
although the glory of the saints shall be manifested after the
resurrection. Ephraem Syrus : Mary says to the magi: "When my
Son's kingdom shall arise, may he plant his standard in your
country." Gregory Nazianzen : Baptism is the key of the kingdom of
heaven. He is not within the kingdom who merely desires to
attain to it (neglecting baptism, etc.).
Gregory of Nyssa : To disciples of the Word come the glad
tidings that man is no longer outlawed, nor cast out of the king
dom of God, but is once more a son, etc.
Chrysostom : When the heathen behold in us a good life,
they will look upon the very face of the kingdom of heaven,
and they too will be reformed. Thus will the kingdom be per
fected ; earth being transformed into heaven, the kingdom may
be already in possession here.
John of Damascus : The state of those who live according
to the divine laws is to be declared the kingdom of God.
Hilary : We are the kingdom which Christ is to deliver
up to the Father. The young man was "not far from the king
dom," not yet within it, because he had not confessed Christ as
Lord. Ambrose : Christ came to earth to prepare a kingdom from
among us. We are the kingdom, first of Christ, then of the
Father. But they reign together. Where Christ is, there is his
kingdom. Augustine : That kingdom which we desire may come, the
saints proclaim to be coming. We ought to be in his kingdom
always, to do his will always. While the devil is bound, the
saints reign with Christ during the thousand years between
189

102 historical and linguistic studies
the first and second coming. What is his kingdom, save those
who believe in him ? The kingdom of God, though it never
departs from the earth, is absent to those who are ignorant of it.
The church even now is the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom
of heaven, in process of being gathered together.
Cassian : That kingdom whereby Christ reigns day by day
in the saints, when the devil is cast out and God reigns in our
hearts. If the kingdom of God is within us, and the actual
kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy, then the
man who abides in these is most certainly in the kingdom of
God, etc.
[Leo the Great : Thou wert rescued from the power of dark
ness, and brought out into God's light and kingdom.]
II. THE KINGDOM TO BE SET UP OR INAUGURATED AT THE SECOND COMING
OF CHRIST.
I . The Millennium. — Until the middle of the third century mil
lennial views prevailed apparently unchallenged, while frequently,
no doubt, existing side by side with the less definite views (see
2 below). The Apocalypse (see above, p. 12) gave a basis for
this doctrine, which was first treated in detail by Papias, only a
few fragments of his writings having survived. He taught the
Jewish tradition of a millennium, saying that after the resurrec
tion Christ would set up a material kingdom on earth, and reign
in the flesh with the saints. The pleasures of sense were to be
enjoyed, as in the Moslem Paradise, with marvelous vines, each
twig bearing ten thousand clusters, etc. This period was to be
of long duration ; Lightfoot, p. 529, reads ten thousand years.
The heretic Cerinthus, who left no writings, taught similar views
earlier, perhaps, than Papias.
We find the millennial expectation in Justin Martyr, Ire-
Njeus, Hippolytus, the Apocryphal Writings, Tertullian, in
whom the doctrine is most fully given,1 and in Lactantius. The
first opponent of the traditional view of the Apocalypse was
Dionysius of Alexandria. He vigorously combated the mil
lennial views as taught by Cerinthus, as did also Caius and Vic-
1 Tertullian makes the millennium a prelude to heaven. See p. 38 f. above.
190

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 103
torinus. These views were gradually disavowed by the Fathers,
and finally Augustine threw the case out of court by making
the millennium the period between Christ's first and second
coming. 2. Indefinite — without the millennial idea. — This general escha
tological view, which we have seen to be the prevailing view of
the apostles, was common among the Fathers. While the estab
lishment or at least the consummation of the kingdom is looked
for at the end of the present dispensation, it is often left an open
question whether the kingdom will then continue on earth or be
removed to another stage. This view is thus evidently transi
tional to that which makes the kingdom definitely celestial, or
even now existent in heaven, whither the believer enters at death.
A remarkable blending of the two is found in the apocryphal
Vision of John: "The whole world and Paradise shall be made
one, and the righteous shall be on the face of all the earth with
my angels, as in Ps. 37 : 29."
Here we find certain utterances of Clement of Alexandria,
Methodius, the Apostolic Constitutions, the Clementines,
Cyprian, Victorinus, Commodianus, Aphrahat and Augustine.
Others of the Fathers without doubt held similar opinions ;
and, as usual, these views are frequently expressed with others
more definite or even at variance with them.
III. THE KINGDOM AS CELESTIAL.
Where the kingdom of God is regarded simply as heaven,
the present celestial world, it marks a departure from the New
Testament conception, in both the social and eschatological
forms, in that the kingdom is taken away from the earth. But
the later epistles probably supply a point of departure even for
this view, as 2 Pet. 1 : 1 1 ; 2 Tim. 4:18. Moreover, it is com
monly the case that several distinct conceptions of the kingdom
are held together, so that the view of it as celestial may be
only additional or supplementary to the writer's prevailing
view. The thought of the kingdom as the state of bliss in heaven
is much more general than any other single opinion about it in
191

104 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
the Fathers. It occurs with greater or less emphasis in all the
important writers, and in some of them is conspicuous, as in sev
eral of the 'apostolic Fathers, the Liturgies as a whole, Cyril,
Eusebius, and Gregory the Great. The scriptural reference
most often quoted is Matt. 25 : 34,1 being commonly understood
as a summons to the righteous to enter and enjoy the felicity of
heaven. As a rule, those who regard most highly the spiritual
and ethical elements of the kingdom think the less about it as a
celestial reward. This is noticeable in Clement of Alexandria,
Cyprian, Athanasius, Gregory Nazianzen, Ambrose, Chrysos
tom, Augustine, and others.
IV. THE KINGDOM AS THE CHURCH.
The Shepherd of Hermas, while not expressly identifying the
kingdom of God with the church, seems in some instances to
use the terms interchangeably. His influence can be traced in
the patristic age through the Clementine Recognitions, Hilary,
and perhaps others, to Augustine himself, by whom the identi
fication of church and kingdom is elaborately wrought out. It
is well known what a vast influence this conception has exerted,
especially in the church of Rome. It has, no doubt, a point of
attachment in the great commission to Peter (cf. Introduction,
11). The relation of the church to the kingdom is very differ
ently expressed in different Fathers, and in the same writer the
two are sometimes distinguished from each other in one pas
sage and made substantially identical in another. There is no
uniform usage.
A few citations will recall the various points of view.
Origen: We are even in the present life placed in the church,
in which is the form of that kingdom which is to come.
Cyprian : He cannot be a martyr who is not in the church ; he
cannot attain unto the kingdom who forsakes that which shall
reign there. Chrysostom : In Egypt Christ's kingdom shines
forth in its brightness. Ambrose : The kingdom of the church
shall remain forever, because its faith is undivided in one body.
Augustine : Although at times the church, even that which now
1 Cf. tables on p. 107. 192

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 105
is, is called the kingdom of heaven, it is because it is being
gathered together for a future and eternal life.
V. THE KINGDOM AS GOD'S REIGN IN THE SOUL.
This important conception centers in Luke 17:21, "The
kingdom of God is within you." It is thus uniformly rendered
in the Fathers, and often associated with Deut. 30: 1 1 — 13. In
modern times it has occasionally been translated, "The king
dom of God is among you," partly on the ground that the words
were addressed to the Pharisees ; partly on the ground that the
great thought involved is not definitely found elsewhere in Christ's
teaching about the kingdom. But the reference of the words is
general, not applied especially to the Pharisees : the Fathers seem
rightly to understand them as addressed "to the apostles," "to
us." Among the Fathers who quote and treat this passage are
Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of
Nyssa, Hilary, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Cassian.
It is of great significance that such marked stress is laid upon
this inner, spiritual phase of the kingdom. As the kingdom
depends directly upon the divine life in renewed souls, it is
hardly conceivable that a just, well-balanced idea of the king
dom could have existed without such a word of Christ. That it
has prevented one-sided views of the kingdom as the church, or
as heaven, from becoming too prevalent, seems evident.
VI. THE KINGDOM AS THE CHIEF GOOD, OR SOME ELEMENT OF IT.
Not only has the prayer "Thy kingdom come" been inter
preted as a petition for all blessings and rewards, present and
future, but there is hardly a good thing within the gift of God
which has failed of being identified, or at least named, with the
kingdom. Thus Christ himself is identified with the kingdom
by Tertullian, Cyprian, Hilary, Jerome, Augustine, Victor
of Antioch, and essentially by several others. Methodius
calls the kingdom eternal life; Chrysostom, love; Ambrose,
redemption; Gregory Nazianzen, the vision of God uniting
himself with the soul ; the Clementines, " God has concealed
the kingdom, as a hid treasure " ; Pseudo-Jerome, eternal good.
The kingdom is thought of as in a sense the state of salvation,
193

106 historical and linguistic studies
by Iren^eus, Clement of Alexandria, the Clementine Recogni
tions, and Augustine. Cf. also Cyril. These definitions, it may
be noted, are quite in the spirit of Rom. 14:17 and 1 Cor. 4 : 20,
and are as a rule, with many others cited in the preceding pages,
referable to a Scriptural source.
We may now recur to the questions at the beginning : To
the first, What was understood by the "kingdom of God " in the
early Christian centuries ? the Fathers of the church have been
summoned to give answer in their own words. The second, To
what extent was the New Testament usage followed, and wherein
was it departed from ? may be partly answered by referring to
the tables of Scriptural quotations at the end ; partly by bearing
in mind the general tenor of interpretation on the subject by
the Fathers. Is there not, on the whole, considering the
extreme complexity of the conception, the kingdom of God, a
surprising conformity to the teaching of Scripture ? There may
be vagaries of a Tertullian, a Lactantius, an Origen, in their
speculations ; but it may be questioned whether any great Chris
tian doctrine has suffered less in its transmission through the
age of the Fathers. And the impression grows rather than less
ens, that where the New Testament usage was departed from
by the Fathers on this theme, it was more a development of
doctrine, in the light of Providence and the Spirit's guidance,
than a perversion of the truth.
This leads to the final question : Did the Fathers on the
whole preserve the great idea and hand it down, or did they lose
it ? The former of these alternatives seems the correct one.
When we remember that whether Christ himself changed his
view of the kingdom during his ministry, in any case his teach
ing about it not only varied widely, but emphasized "the mys
teries of the kingdom of heaven ; " that the apostles' view already
indicates that distinct progress in the conception had been made;
that in the vicissitudes of the centuries following, the Fathers
adhere, to an extent somewhat remarkable, to the language and
spirit of the New Testament ; we can hardly charge them with
having lost the great idea of the kingdom of God.
194

SCRIPTURAL QUOTATIONS.
The 1,410 Scriptural references to the kingdom which are made by the
Fathers in their writings under consideration are distributed in 26 books,
including three of the Apocrypha, 86 chapters, and 143 verses. Of the
verses 118 are in the New Testament, 21 in the Old Testament, and 4 in
the Apocrypha. Of the whole number of quotations, 745, or nearly 53 per
cent, are from Matthew. Forty-two verses are quoted ten times or more
each, as follows :

Matt. 25:34
John 3:5
Matt. 6: 10
Matt. 6 : 33
I Cor. 15 : 50
1 Cor. 6: 10
I Cor. 15 : 24
Matt. 5 : 3
Matt. 19: 12
Gal. 5:21
Col. 1 : 13
Matt. 5:20
John 18:36
Matt. 8: 11
Matt. 16: 19
Matt. 5:19
Matt. 11 : 12
Matt. 7:21
Matt. 13:43
Luke 17:21
Ps. 45 : 6

Numb. 24 : 7
Ps. 145:11
Dan. 4 : 3
Dan. 4:25
Dan. 6 : 26
I Esdr. 4 : 40
Wisd. 5:17
2 Mace. 7 : 9
Matt. 4 : 23
195]

Times

95

Dan. 7:14

68

Matt. 13:52

54

1 Cor. 6 : 9

49

Matt. 3 : 2

46

Matt. 5:10

41

Matt. 19:24

39

Rom. 14: 17

38

Matt. 4: 17

38

Matt. 8 : 12

32

Matt. 13: II

32

Eph. 5 : 5

31

Luke 1 : 33

27

Luke 9 : 62

26

Ps. 22:28

25

Matt. 21 =31

24

Acts 1 : 6

24

Matt. 1 1 : 1 1

23

Matt. 12:25

23

Matt. 16:28

23

Matt. 18:3

23

John 3 : 3

erses are quoted one

Mark 1 :

15

Mark 4 :

30

Mark 10

:24

Mark II

: 10

Luke 8 :

I

Luke 9 :

[I

Luke 10

¦9

Luke 10

:II

Luke 18

:I7

107

Times 23 19191817 16
1615 1515
- 15 1414
14 12
121 1
1 1 1

Luke 19: 11
Luke 22: 16
Acts 8: 12
Acts 20 : 25
Acts 28 : 23
2 Pet. 1 : 1 1
Rev. 5 : 10
Rev. 11 : 15

108

HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES

Ante-Nicene Fathers whose writings, largely fragmentary, contain no
reference to the kingdom, of God.

Alexander of Cappadocia
Alexander of Lycopolis
Anatolius
Apollonius Aristo of Pella
ArnobiusAsterius Urbanus
Bardesan
Callistus Claudius Apollinaris
Dionysius of Corinth
Malchion
Maximus of Jerusalem

Pamphilus
Pantaenus
PhileasPierius
Polycrates of Ephesus
Quadratus of Athens
Rhodon
Serapion of Antioch
TheognostusTheonas Theophilus of Csesarea
Urban I.
Zephyrinus

196

INDEX OF REFERENCES* TO THE KINGDOM IN THE WORKS OF
THE FATHERS UNDER CONSIDERATION.
THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS.
(Total, 57.)
Clement of Rome: Ep. to the Corinthians, ch. 42, 50, (54)— 3.
The "Second Epistle of Clement," ch. 5, 6, 9, 11, 12,2 (17)— 7.
Epistle of Barnabas, ch. 4, 7, 8,2 21 — 5.
The Didache, ch. 8, 9, 10—3.
The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: Judah, 22, 24; Joseph, 19; Benja-
min, 9 — 4.
The Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude, 9, ch. 12,* 13, 15,3 20,2 29, 31=— 15.
Ignatius: Ep. to the Ephesians, 16; to the Philippians, 3'; Martyrdom, 2; Spurious
Ep. to the Tarsians, 7; to the Antiochians, 14: to Hero, Introd— 6.
Polycarp : Ep. to the Philippians, 2, 5—2.
Papias, Fragments: In Euseb., Ch. Hist., 3, 39, i2; j„ Irenams, Heresies, B. 5, ch.
33; m Photius (Lightfoot, Apos. F., p. 534). Cf. Maximus the Confessor in Lightf.,
p. 534, and Jerome, Illus. Men, 18 — 3.
Aristides: Apology, 16 — 1.
Epistle to Diognetus, ch. 9, 10—2.
Martyrdom of Polycarp (Ep. of the Smyrnaeans), ch. 20, 22 '—3.
Reliques of the Elders in Irenjeus: In B. 4, ch. 27, 1  28, 1.
THE ANTE-NICENE FATHERS AFTER THE APOSTOLIC.
GREEK.
Justin Martyr— Total, 36.
First Apology, ch. 11, 15,3 16, 32, 61. Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 31,4 32, 34, 38,
39. 45. 51.' 56, 63, 68, 76,3 (79), 105, 116, 117,118, 120,3 139, 140.2 Fragment
from Methodius on the Resurrection, in Photius.
Iren^eus— Total, 106.
Against Heresies, B. 1, ch. 6, sec. 3; ch. 8, y* ch. 30, 13; B. 2, ch. 28, 3; ch. 32,
I; B. 3, ch. 6, 1; ch. 9, 2; ch. II, 8; ch. 12, 13; ch. 16, 4; ch. 21, 4; ch. 21, 8; B. 4,
ch. 8, l;4 ch. 9, I; ch. 13, 1; ch. 16, I; ch. 18, 6; ch. 20, 5, 10,= 11,3 12; ch. 21, I;
ch. 22, 2; ch. 24, 2; ch. 25, 3; ch. 27, I, 2, 4;3 ch. 28, 2; ch. 29, I; ch. 33, 11;
ch. 34, 3; ch. 38, 6;2 ch. 37, 7;2 ch. 40, 2;4 B. 5, ch. 9, I,2 3,3 4;5 ch. 10, 1, 2;' ch.
II, 1,5 2; ch. 12, 3; ch. 13, 2, 5; ch. 14, 1, 4; ch. 25, 3; ch. 26, Is, 2; ch. 27, I; ch.
28, 1; ch. 30, 4;' ch. 32, I; ch. 33, I, 2, 3;' ch. 34, 2," 3; ch. 35, I,2 2;3 ch. 36, 2. 3.3
Fragments : Frag. 9, 34, 36,' (42, repetition of 9), 50, 54, 55.*
Clement of Alexandria — Total, 78.
Exhortation to the Heathen, ch. 1, 9,3 10,2 n.s The Instructor, B. 1, ch. 5;4 B. 2,
ch. 1,3 2, 3, 11, 13; B. 3, ch. 4, 7,2 n,4 12. Miscellanies, B. 1, ch. 11; B. 2, ch.
19,2 20; B. 3, ch. 4,' 6,3 7, 18;2 B. 4, ch. 2, 6, 8, 17, 18; B. 5, ch. 1, 3, 12;2 B.
6, ch. 11, 15; B. 7, ch. 12, 14, 16, 17. Who is the Rich Man that is Saved? sec.
2, 3, 4,3 5, 16, 17, 18, 19, 2I,2 24, 26, 29, 30, 31,2 32,' 42. Fragments, in Vpl. 24,
pp. 156, 169.
* When not otherwise described, references to pages are to the Clark and Christian Literature
Company translations.
197] 109

110 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
Hippolytus — Total, 51.
Refutation of All Heresies, B. 5, ch. 2, 3,6 4; B. 8, ch. 3; B. 9, ch. 4; B. 10, ch.
30. On Christ and Anti-Christ, 5, 22, 26, 44, 59, 65. Against the Jews, 7.
Against the Greeks, I, 3. Against Noetus, 6. Fragments: On Genesis, p. 415,
422,2 Vol. 6 (in Jerome, Ep. 36). (On Song of Sol., 440.) On Daniel, 446, 447,
460, 461,2 467,3 468, 473, 474, 483, sec. 4.3 From a Homily quoted in Theodoret,
Vol. 9, Pt. 2, p. 90. Disputed Writings, p. 104, 116, 122, 125,2 126/ 127.2
Origen — Total, 195.
On First Principles, B. 1, ch. 3, 6;' ch. 6, 2;a ch. 7, 5;3 B. 2, ch. 3, I, 3, 7;3 ch. 10,
3;2 ch. II, 2, 6; B. 3 (ch. I, 16, Lat.); ch. 6, 9; B. 4 (ch. I, 2, Lat.), (3), 23 (25,
Lat.). From the Commentary on John, B. 1, ch. 10, 23, 37,2 40,' 41; B. 10, ch.
I,2 8, 9, 10,2 11, 15, 16,2 28. From the Commentary on Matthew, B. 10, ch. 1/
2,« 3,3 4,4 5,' 6,4 7, 8, n,3 12,4 13, I4;i» iS>4 it, 23; B. 11, ch. 4,3 16;2 B. 12, ch.
n,2 14,10 31,3 32,' (33), 34,4 35;« B. 13, ch. 9, 14, 15,8 16, 17, i8,3 19,4 25, 31; B.
14, ch. 7/ 8, (12), 13,4 14. Against Celsus, B. 1, ch. 6, 39, 56,3 (60), 66;3 B. 2, ch.
5, 38, 63, 78;2 B. 3, ch. 40, 47, 59; B. 4, ch. 3,3 10, 42;' B. 5, ch. 19, 58; B. 6, ch.
16,2 17, (30. 46; B. 7, ch. 23; B. 8, ch. 5, II,6 13, 38, 41, (68).
Methodius — Total, 20.
Banquet of the Ten Virgins, Dis. 1, ch. 1; Dis. 2, ch. 7; Dis. 6, ch. 3; Dis. 7, ch.
3, 5, 8; Dis. 8, ch. 4; Dis. 9, ch. 2. On the Resurrection, (ch. 32), 13.3 In Sum
mary by Photius, 5 2 (63 is repetition). Oration on Simeon and Anna, ch. 13.2
Oration on the Palms, ch. 5.3
The Apocryphal Writings — Total, 30.
Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, ch. 9. History of Joseph the Carpenter, ch. 8,
26. Gospel of Nicodemus, Pt. 1. The Acts of Pilate, first Gk. form, ch. 3, 10, 11
(the same three in Lat. form); second Gk. form, ch. 3,2 (ch. 9,2 II, Caesar's King
dom); Lat. form, ch. 14, Pt. 2. The Descent of Christ into Hades, first Lat.
form, ch. 10 (second Lat. form, ch. 4). Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea, ch.
3,2S. Note. — The remainder of the references in the Apocryphal Writings, being without sectional
divisions, are given according to the pages in Vol. 16 of the Clark edition of the Fathers.
The Avenging of the Savior, 254; The Acts of Peter and Paul, (260), 272, 275;
Acts of Philip, 313; Acts and Martyrdom of Andrew, 339;2 Acts of Andrew and
Matthias, 352; Acts of Peter and Andrew, 371; (Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew,
374); Acts of Thomas, 402,2 410; Martyrdom of Bartholomew, 434; Acts of Thad-
deus, 442; Acts of John, (448), 449; (Revelation of Moses, 465); Revelation of Paul,
479, 492; Revelation of John, 496 (502).
The Apostolic Constitutions — Total, 34.
B. I, ch. 1; B. 2, ch. 6, 35, 55; B. 3, ch. 12,2 18;2 B. 5, ch. I, 4, 14, i6;4 B. 6, ch.
12, 15, 30; B. 7, ch. 24, 25, 26,2 32,2 35, 38, 41,2 43; B. 8, ch. 7, 10, 12, 15.2
The Clementines — Total, 86.
A.— The Homilies (in Vol. 17): Horn. 1, ch. 6; Horn. 2, ch. 19,2 40; Horn. 3, ch.
5, 8, 18,2 19, 26, 28, (62); Horn. 8, ch. 21, 23; Horn. 9, ch. 3, 4, 6;2 Horn. 10, ch.
13. 25; Horn. 11, ch. 26; Horn. 13, ch. 8, 14, 20, 21;2 Horn. 15, ch. 7; Horn. 18,
ch. 15, 16, 17;2 Horn. 19, ch. 20; Horn. 20, ch. 2.3 The so-called Epistles: To
James, ch. n, (13), 14, 17; On Virginity (in Vol. 14), ch. 1, 2,3 3,= 4, 9.
198

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 111
B. — The Recognitions (in Vol. 3), B. 1, ch. 6, 11, 24,2 42, 45, 49, 51,2 52,2 54,2
63, 69;= B. 2, ch. 20,3 2 1,2 22, 28, 30, 46; B. 3, ch. 20, 28, 29, 38, 53, 54,2 67; B.
5, ch. 8, 9,2 10, 11,12, 18; B. 6, ch. 9; B. 8, ch. 5; (B. 9, ch. 3); B. 10, ch. 2, 44,45.
The Liturgies — Total, 20.
Of James, 36, 38, 43, 44, 49; of Mark, 4, 5,2 15,2 17, 18; of the Holy Apostles,
13, 16, 18,2 19, 20.3 minor ante-nicene greek fathers.
(Total, 50.)
Melito: Frag, on Faith, p. 127.
Hegesippus (in Eusebius, Ch. Hist., 3, 20, 6): On the Relatives of Christ.
Theophilus of Antioch (in Vol. 3): To Autolycus, 1, ch. 3.
Caius (in Eusebius, Ch. Hist., 3, 28, 2): Against Proclus.
Dionysius of Alexandria: On the Promises, 1, 3, 4; Ep. to Fabius, 5, 10.
Julius Africanus: On Persian Chronology, p. 198.
Gregory Thaumaturgus: Among the dubious writings, Twelve Topics on the
Faith, Topic 12;2 First Homily, p. 118, 119; Hom. 2, p. 128; Hom. 4, p. 147, 148.
Archelaus: Disputation with Manes, ch. 13,2 21, 23,= 24,6 25,= 33,37, 40, 49.
Peter of Alexandria : Canonical Epistle, Canon 5, 8,2 9.
Athenagoras : Plea for the Christians, ch. 18.
"Selections from the Prophetic Scriptures" (Anon.). (In Vol. 24.) Sec. 12, p. 120.
Syriac Documents: Teaching of Addaeus, p. 30. Epistle, 132. Hom. by Mar Jacob,
pp. 116, 120, 125. Martyrdom of the Holy Confessors, p. 145.
LATIN.
Tertullian— Total, 161.
A. — Catholic Writings (before 202 A. D.): A Prescription Against Heretics, 13,
22. On Prayer, 5,4 6,2 9. On Baptism, 13, 20. On Spectacular Shows, 30. On
Patience, 11, 13. On Idolatry, 9, (12), 18. On Woman's Dress, g.2 To his
Wife, 6, 8.
B. — Montanistic Writings: Against Marcion, B. 3, ch. 4, 7,2 20, 21,2 23, 24-/ B.
4, ch. 8, 14,5 182 {v. footnote, p. 249 f.), 21, 23," 24,3 25, 26,3 29,3 30,8 33,* W 39s
(v. footnote, p. 365). B. 5, ch. 9, io,js 14. Against Praxeas, 4,2 13, 26. On the
Scorpion's Bite, 6, 9, (10), 13. Exhortation to Chastity, 7. Answer to the
Jews, 6,2 14.= On the Soul, 39, 55. On Flight in Persecution, 12. On the Flesh
of Christ, 4. On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 26," 27, 32, 33/ 36, 41, 48, 49/
50,9 51.3 On Fasting, 15.2 On Monogamy, 3, 7, 8. On Modesty, 1, 14, 16,* 17,2
21.2
Cyprian— Total, 142.
(His Life and Passion, by Pontius the Deacon, p. xxiv. Vol. 8.)— Epistles: Ep. 6,
5; Ep. 7, 7; Ep. 25, 3, 4; Ep. 26, 1; Ep. 51, 27; Ep. 54, 4; Ep. 55. 10; Ep. 61,
5; Ep. 62, g,2 14; Ep. 69, 7; Ep. 71, 1; Ep. 72, (11), 16. 21, 22; Ep. 73, 9; Ep.
76, 2, 6," 72; Ep. 78, 2; Ep. 80, 2, 4. On the Dress of Virgins, 4, 5, 21, 23. On
the Lapsed', 12. On the Unity of the Church, 4, 6, 14,3 15. '9, 27- On the Lord's
Prayer, I, 7, 12, I3,«4 16, 19, 2l,» 24, 30, 36- To Demetrianus, 20, 25. On the
Pestilence, 2,2 18,2 22,2 26.2 On Works and Alms, 4, 7, 8, 9,3 13, 2I> 22. 23. 2°-
199

112 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
On the Advantage of Patience, 8, 15. On Jealousy and Envy, 12, 15, 182
Exhortation to Martyrdom, 6, 7, 11, 12,2 13.3 Testimony Against the Jews.
Topic 23, B. 1, ch. 12, (152), 2353 B. 2, ch. 6, 10, (n=), 15, 26, 29,2 30; B. 3, ch.
I,2 11,2 16,2 25, 69; B. 4, ch. 19," 20, 25,2 32, 44, 52, 60, 64, 65, 69, 96." On the
Glory of Martyrdom, 16, 18, 22, 24. On Chastity, 1, 6. Exhortation to Repent
ance, p. 269. Seventh Council of Carthage, 256 A. D., pp. 202, 203, 206. Vol. 13.
Victorinus — Total, 10.
Commentary on the Apocalypse: (On 1:5.) On 1:6. On 1:16. On 5:8, 9. On
7:2. On 14:15. On 15:2. On 19:11. On 20:8-10. On 21:16 f. (Cf. "King
dom of Anti-Christ" passim.)
Lactantius — Total 28.
The Divine Institutes, B. 1, ch. 5, 7, 11; B. 2, ch. 11; B. 4, ch. 4, 7, 12,4 13,3 20;3
B. 5, ch. 3, (6, 7, 8); B. 7, ch. 6, 19, 23, 26. Epitome, 42, 47,2 67, 72.2 On the
Way in which Persecutors Died, 16.
minor ante-nicene latin fathers.
(Total, 12.)
Minucius Felix: Octavius, 18.
Commodianus: Instructions in favor of Christian Discipline. To the Gentiles, 33.
To the Jews, 38, 73.
Novatian: On the Trinity, 10. On Jewish Meats, 5.
Treatise on Rebaptism (Anon.), 3, g."
By the Pseudo-Isodorus: Of Pontianus, p. 239. Of Anterus, 246. Of Fabian, 261.
THE NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS.
GREEK.
Eusebius— Total, 46.
(Prolog., p. 72.) Church History, B. 1, ch. 2, sec. 26;= ch. 3, 14; B. 2, ch. 14, 6; ch.
22, 5; B. 3, ch. 20, 6; ch. 24, 3; ch. 28, 2, 4, 5; ch. 37, I; ch. 39, 12; B. 6, ch. 7,
2; ch. 41, 14; ch. 42, 5; B. 7, ch. 24, 5; ch. 25, 3,2 11; B. 8; ch. 4, 3; ch. 13, I, 2.
The Martyrs of Palestine, ch. 7, 1; ch. 11, 23. The Life of Constantine, ch. 3,
sec. 15. (Cf. 4, 48.) (Oration of Constantine, ch. 19.) Oration of Eusebius on the
Thirtieth Anniversary of Constantine's Reign, ch. 1, 6; ch. 2, 1,3 4;* ch. 3, 2;" ch.
4, l;4 ch. 5, 2, 5;4 ch. 6, 18; ch. 12, 4; ch. 17, 13, 18.
Athanasius — Total, 68.
(Prolog. 21, 33, 36, 44, 62, 69, 74.) Against the Heathen, Pt. 2, ch. 30, 1, 2; ch.
37, 4. On the Incarnation of the Word, ch. 56, 3; ch. 57, 3. (Statement of
Faith, 1.) On Luke 10:22, sec. 6. Defense Against the Arians, ch. 3, 47.2
Defense of the Nicene Definition, ch. 4, 17. On the Opinion of Dionysius, 10.
Life of Antony, 17,2 20,3 45, 94, Defense of his Flight, 1. History of the
Arians, 79. Four Discourses Against the Arians: Dis. 1, 12, 46,3 47,2 48, 49,2 61;
Dis. 2, 13,2 18, 52,2 61, 70, 76. (Pref. to Dis. 4.)2 On the Synods, 25, 26,4 40.2
Letter to the Church at Antioch, 7. To the Bishops of Africa, 11. Letters,
Easter of A. D. 330, 2, 7. (Of 332, 4, 3.) Of 333, 5, 3, 6. Of 334, 6, 1, 11, 12.
Of 335, 7. 8,3 10. Of 338, 10, 4, 5. Of 339, 11, 1, 6. Of 341, 13, 4.2 Of 342,
14, 5. Of 368 (Ep. 40).2 Of 371 (Ep. 43). Second to Lucifer(Ep. 51). To
Serapion (Ep. 54). 200

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 113
Ephraem Syrus— Total, 21.
From his Testament, p. 134. Nisibene Hymns, 36, 15 and 58, 9. On the
Nativity, 1, 2, 4,2 7; 13, 3; 17, 1, 14. Hymns for the Feast of Epiphany, sec.
I, 8; sec. 5, 8, 9; sec. 7, 25; sec. 10, 9, 10; sec. 15, II, 42, 52. Hymn on the
Pearl (of the Faith), sec. 1, 1; sec. 4, 4. Homilies: On our Lord, i,3 51, 54,
On Admonition and Repentance, 7. On the Sinful Woman, 5, 8, 15.
Aphrahat — Total, 43.
Demonstrations: Of Faith, 20. Of Wars, 6,2 10, 14,3 (16), 2I,3 22,2 23,8 24.'
Of Monks, I,2 6, 18. On the Resurrection, 18, 21,2 22.2 On Persecution, 21.2 Of
Death and the Latter Times, 24.3
Basil — Total, 26.
Prolog. (26, 34), 51, 56, 57,3 64. On the Spirit, ch. 15, 36 (v. notes, pp. 22, 28),
ch.. 29, 72.2 Letters: To the Caesareans, sec. 7,6 8, I23 (v. note, p. 122). To
Macarius and John, Ep. 18. To a Lapsed Monk, Ep. 44. To the Deaconesses,
Ep. 105. To the Alexandrians, Ep. 139. To Bishops of the Sea Coast, Ep. 203.
To Amphilochius, Ep. 226, 3. To Bishops of Italy and Gaul, Ep. 243, 3 (v.
notes, pp. 195, 250).
Cyril of Jerusalem — Total, 53.
(Prolog. 16, 22, 32, 33, 47, 48, 60.) Procatachesis, 16. Catechetical Lectures, 1,
2; 2, 19;2 3, 4,2 8,2 10 (v. note, p. 20); 4, 15;2 6, 7; 7, 16; 8, 5' (v. note, p. 58);
11, 16;2 12, 18,2 (23), 24;3 13, 30, 31; 14, 26; 15, I2 (v. note, p. 104), 2, 8, 17, 23,
26,2 27,5 28, 31, 32," 33;2 16, 20; 17, II, 15, 27; 18, 28; 21, 2; 23, 13.4
Gregory Nazianzen — Total, 17.
In Defense of his Flight to Pontus, 70. On his Father's Silence, 9, 19. On the
Son, 17. Second on the Son, 4.' On the Holy Spirit, 28. On the Words of the
Gospel, 20, 21 (v. note, p. 345). Oration on the Holy Lights, 16. On Holy
Baptism, 3, 22,2 24, 45. The Last Farewell, 14. Epistle 4, Div. 2 (in answer to
Ep. 14 of Basil).
Gregory of Nyssa — Total, 28.
Against Eunomius, B. I, 42; B. 2, ii;"B. 3, 2; B. 4, 2, 3, 9; B. 6, 4;3 B.9, 3; B. 11,
3,2 5; B. 12, 1. Answer to Eunomius, B. 2, p. 296" (v. note, p. 256). On the Holy
Spirit, pp. 321, 329.3 On Virginity, 12. On the Early Deaths of Infants, p. 374.2
On Pilgrimages, p. 382.= On the Making of Man, (17, 2); 18, 9; 21, 4. On the
Baptism of Christ, p. 519.
Chrysostom — Total, 694.
On the Priesthood, B. 3, 5. Letter to the Fallen Theodore, Ep. 1, 9,4 12,2 15, 16, 19
Letter to a Young Widow, 3, 7. Homily on Ignatius, 4. Instructions to Catechu
mens, 1, I,4 3, 4; 2, I. On Resisting the Temptations of the Devil, Hom. 3, 2, 3.2
Against Marcionists and Manichaeans, 2, 4.2 On the Paralytic, 3. Second
Homily on Eutropius, 6,' 12, 15,2 l6.3 Letter to Olympias, 3." On the Statues,
Hom. 2, 17,24; 5. 3, 9, 12;2 6. 7; 7,(3), 4;3 9, "; I2, 17; 15. 2, 16; 16, 13,2 I7;2
17, 15; 19, 15; 20,24; 21, 20.
On Matthew: Hom. 1, (8, 12); 3, 9; 4, 16, I7;3 6, 1. (2), 9; 8, °; 9, 8,2 10; 10, 2,2
3,2 5,2 6; 11, 3, 7; 13. °, 8; 14, 2,° 4; 15, 2, 5, 7,3 8; 16, 5,5 6,3 io,3 17;2 18, 9;3 19,
7, io;4 22, 2, 4;2 23, 9; 24, 1, 3;3 26, 2/ 4,2 5,s 6;3 27, 6;2 28, 6; 30, 6; 32, 2, 3, 6;3
33, 7;3 35, 7; 37, 3,' 4, 5; 38, U 40, 3,* 4, 5; 41, (13), 2." 4, 6; 43. 3. 7; 45, i," 3;
201

114 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
46, 1, 2,3 3; 47, 1,7 2,2 3,2 5;a 48, 9; 54, 3,a 9; 55, 8; 56, 1,3 3, 9;' 57. °;3 58, S.44i
60, 2; 61, I, 2;2 62, 3," 4,a 6; 63, 2,3 4- 64, I,2 3, 4; 65, I, 2,a (3), 5; 66, 3," 5; 67,
3; 68, 1, 3,2 5; 69, 1, (2), 45 70, 2; 71, i;3 73, 1; 76, 5; 78, 1,3 4; 79, i,3 2;8 82, 2?
(3); 86, 1; 87, 2; 88, i,2 3; 90, 4- On John: Hom. 3, 3, 6; 7, 2; 13, 4; 21, 1; 23,
3; 24, 2,4 3;' 25, 1,4 3; 26, 1; 28, 2;2 31, 1; 33, 3; 36, 2; 38, 4, 5; 42, 3;' 43. 2i
44, 1, 2; 45, 2, 3;' 48, 3; 49,3; 5L 3;3 54. 2, 4;2 59. 3, 4; 60, 4, 6; 63, 3;3 64, 4;
65, 3; 66, 2? 67, 1; 70,1; 77, 1; 78, 4; 79, 1, 2, 5;a 83, 4;4 84, i.3 2, 3; 85, 1;3 87,
3;2 88, 3. On Acts: Hom. 1,* 2,»4, 6,? (v. note, p. 46), 9, 13, 15, 16,2 17, 18,2 19, 23,"
24,= 29, 30, 31,2 (v. note, p. 202), 36,2 40, 41,' 43, 44, 45,3 55.* (v. note, p. 326). On
Romans: Hom, 1, 3,4 5,a 7, 9,4 ",' I2," M.5 I5.8 163 (v. note, p. 478), 18,2 21, 23,3
25,3 26,s 29, 30, 31 (v. notes, pp. 539, 543, 549. 56i)- On 1 Cor.: Hom.
2, 9,2 (v. note, p. 8); 2, 11; 3, 5,3 9; 4, 11; 5, 5, 6, 11; 7. 2; 9, 1, 10; 12, 5; 14,
3," 5;3 15. 5, 6, 10, 11, 15;2 16, 8,5 11; 18, i;2 19, 7; (21, 4); 23, 8; (v. notes, pp.
139, 140); 27, 6, 7; 30, 9, (»¦ note, p. 196); 35, »; 37. 3, 6; 39. 5. 6,3 8,3 g,2 n;5
40, I, 5;3 41, 4; 42, 2,3 3, 5; 43, 6;' 44, 7. On 2 Cor.: Hom. 3, 4, (5);
4, 7; 7, 8; 8, 4; 9, 2,2 4; 10, 2, 4. 5; ". 4. 5, 6;2 13, 4;3 19. 4;2 23. 1, 8; 26, 2, 4;
5; 29, 6;2 30, 4. On Gal., ch. 2; ch. 5.3 On Eph.: Hom. i,« 3, 4," 5,
8,a 13, 16,2 18,2 20, 21, 24. On Philip.: Introd., 4; Horn., I, 2,2 3, 4,3 6,5 7, 9, 10,
12, 13, 15.3 On Coloss.: Hom. 2,13 3, 8,2 10, n.s On I Thess.: Hom. I,2 2, 3,s
10, II.2 On 2 Thess.: Hom. 2/ 4. On 1 Tim.: Hom. 6, 10, 11, 13,2 15,2 17. On
2 Tim.: Hom. 3, 5, 6, 9,3 io.10 On Titus: Hom. 2,2 5, 6. On Philemon: Hom. 1,
3. On Hebrews: Hom. I, 4; 3, 2, 3, 6; 4, 6;2 6, I, 2, 7, 8; 7, II; 8, 10; 9, 7; II,
9; 13, 10; 15,9; 18, 5,2 6;3 19, 4;2 23, 3, 4; 24, 9; 25, 8; 28, 9; 30, 3; 31, 8; 32,
2, 6; 33, I, g.*
Socrates — Total, 7.
Church Hist. (Introd., p. 212), B. I, ch. 26; B. 2, ch. 18, 19/ 30.
Sozomen — Total, 3.
Church Hist., B. 2, ch. 27, 33; B. 3, ch. 14.
Theodoret — Total, 26.
Prolog., p. 15, 17,(19), 30. Church Hist., B. 1,32; B. 2, 2, 6;2 B. 4, 8;2 B. 5, II.
Dialogues, pp. 170, 171, 173, 179, 202, 224.2 Letters, 14, 21,2 60, 74, 91, 120,
(145), 146.2
John of Damascus — Total, 24,
On the Orthodox Faith, which is Div. 3 of his Fountain of Knowledge. B. 1. On
the Trinity, ch. 82 (cf. original); B. 2, ch. (11), II, 29; B. 4, ch. 15, (20), 25.
Additional, from the Sacred Parallels, under the title, The Kingdom of Heaven,
18 references. See original. Of these, 14 are verses cited which are not included
in the list of Scriptural quotations from the Fathers given above.
LATIN.
Hilary— Total, 74.
On the Trinity, B. 2, 33; B. 4, 35;' B. 6, 20, 33, 37,= 38' (v. original); B. 7, 6;
B. 8, 23, 25; B. 9, 25,7 26,3 75; B. 10, 33, 34,5 67; B. 11, 21,3 22, 25,4 29, 32,3 37,=
38,s 39;I? B. 12, 47. On the Synods, or, On the Faith of the Orientals, 34, 38.
On the Psalms, Ps. I, sec. 14. Additional, see on Matt. 12, 32; on Ps. 2, note
42; on Ps. 147, 15; on Ps. 148; cf. also on Matt. 5, 34, and Ps. 125. See the
article De Regno Christia Regno Dei Patris Distincto in the Benedictine Preface,
pp. lxi-lxviii, ed. Paris, 1 693. 202

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 115
Ambrose— Total, 124.
Duties of the Clergy, B. 1, 13, 15, 16,2 21, 26, 30, 48, (49), 49; B. 2, 4, 6,2 7. On
the Holy Spirit, B. 1, 3, 11; B. 2, 2, 7; B. 3, 10,2 17,3 20,' 21. On the Decease of
Satyrus, B. 1, 51; B. 2, 94, 101,2 105, 116. Of the Christian Faith, B. 1, I,3 2, 4,
5; B. 2, 9, 12;2 B. 3, 7, 11, 1226 (v. note, p. 258); B. 4, 5;2 B. 5, 5, I2,2S 13, 17.
On the Mysteries, 2, 4, 6. On Repentance, B. 1, 7,2 15; B. 2, 3, (4), 7, 11. Con
cerning Virgins, B. 1, sec. 6, 7, II, 12. Concerning Widows, 8, 13.2 Letters: Ep.
63, sec. 11, 93, 97,2 109.
Jerome — Total, 102.
Letters: Ep. 3, 5; 12;2 14, 1, 5, 6, 8; 16, 2; 22, 30, 32, 35, 40;2 43, 3; 45, 6;
46, 10; 48, 14; 51, 5;2 52, 12; 58, 3; 60, 3;5 66, 8; 69, 6;2 71, 3; 79, 3;2 80, 3; 92;
118, 4? 122, 3; 123, II, 14; 125; 133,3; 144, 8. Against the Luciferians, 4.
Perpetual Virginity of Mary, 6. Against Jovianus, B. 1, 3, 4, 12,s 26,2 35, 37s, 40;
B. 2, 16,2 18, 19, 25, 27/ 28,2 33, 37. To Pammachius against John of Jerusalem,
25, 34,2 364. Against the Pelagians (Argument, p. 448), B. 1. io,4 16, 31;6 B. 2,
24, 25 (p. 471); B. 3, (62), 15, 193 (v. note, p. 497). Illustrious Men, 5, (18).
Apology, B. 1, 31; B. 2, 18.*
Rufinus — Total, 23.
Epilogue to Pamphilus's Apology for Origen, pp. 423, 427. Pref. to Trans, of Ori
gen's First Prins., 428. Apology (Introd., 434), B. 1, sec. 8, 16, 32, 34. On
the Apos. Creed, 6, 7,? (14), 34 s (v. note, p. 556), 39, 46.
Sulpitius Severus — Total, 12.
Life of St. Martin: Pref. to Desiderius, p. 3. Sacred Hist., B. 2, ch. 3. Letters:
Ep. I (disputed), ch. 2, 6; Ep. 2, ch. 2, 4* 5, 8.*
Augustine — Total, 1,310.
1. Early General Writings (174 references):
Soliloquies, B. 1, 3.' Confessions, B. I, 16; B. 2, 2; B. 8, 1, 6; B. 11, 2;2 B. 13,
12, 21. Christian Doctrine, B. I, 19; B. 3, 3, 12, 17, 18, 25, 37; B. 4, 18. On the
Catechising of the Uninstructed, 7, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25. On the Creed, to
Catechumens, 12.2 On the Sermon on the Mount (in Vol. 6) (v. notes, pp. 3, 5, 6),
B. i,i,3 2,23,64,S6,8,I39,6io, 12, I5,6I7, i8,2I9, 21, 23; B. 2, 4(v. note, p. 38), 6,5
7,2 10,2 ii,3 15,4 16,18 17,5 25.8 On the Faith of Things not Seen, 5, 7, 9. On
Lying, 36. On the Work of Monks, 2, 6,3 8,2 9, 13, 35, 36, 40. On Continence,
9, 20. On the Good of Marriage, 24,' 35. On Holy Virginity, 7, 9, 13, 14,2 19,
21, 22,3 23,3 24,5 25,2 26, 27, 29, 32,= 36,2 38, 47.
2. Anti-Manichsean (in references):
On the Profit of Believing, 36. Morals of the Catholic Church, 17, 35. Morals
of the Manichaeans, (3), 5, 9, 12, 14. Faith and the Creed: In Retractations, ch.
10. On Two Souls, 12. Against Fortunatus, I, 3,3 7, 17, 19, 21. Against the
Ep. of Manichffius called Fundamental, 9,2 13, 24,6 25.= On the Nature of Good,
22, 48. Reply to Faustus, B. 2, I, 6; B. 4, I, 2/ 3;5 B. 5, 9, 10; B. 6, 8;2 B. 7, 2;
B. 8, 2;2 B. 10, I, 3;3 B. 11, 3, 7,a 8;3 B. 12, (122), 20, 32, 33, 42, 44;3 B. 15, 2;2
B. 16, 20, 22, 24,3 29; B. 17, 4J4 B. 18, 7; B. 19, 8, 24, 27, 30;* (B. 20, 17;2 B. 21,
142); B. 22, 14, 17,2 41, 54," 67, 76,2 80; B. 24, i;2 B. 28, 5; B. 30, 4; B. 33, I,6 2.2
3. Anti-Donatist (79 references):
(Introd., pp. 383, 385, 392.) On Baptism, B. 2, 14;2 B. 4, 4.3 5, 9,2 I7,2 18,7 19,9
203

116 HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES
2i,8 25; B. 5, 23; B. 6, I2,s 25, 43; B. 7, 54. Against the Letters of Petilian,
B. 2, 8,2 23/ 43, 53, 55, 59, 6l,s 63, 72, 73, 853 (v. note, p. 584), 97, 105,3 109; B.
3, 7, 56/ Correction of the Donatists, I, (2).
4. Anti-Pelagian (243 references):
Introd., p. 61. On Forgiveness of Sins and Baptism, B. 1, 15,2 21,2 24,3 26,4 30,5
33,2 36,2 39, 42, 47, 55,2 58;10 B. 2, i,2 41,6 43, 57; B. 3, 6,? 21. On the Spirit
and the Letter, 48. On Nature and Grace, 9,2 26. On Man's Perfection in
Righteousness, 15. On the Proceedings of Pelagius, 11, 13,3 14,7 15,7 23,2 24,°
28,3 57,2 62,3 65.2 On the Grace of Christ, B. 1, ch. 11, 32, 54. On Original Sin,
B. 2, sec. 5, 12,2 19,3 20, 21,2 23, 29, 45. On Marriage and Concupiscence, B. 1,
22,3 38; B. 2, 5,2 8, 33,2 50, 51. On the Soul and its Origin, B. 1, 10,6 13, 33, 34;
B. 2, 14,8 i6,s 17,418; B. 3, 15,2 16," 17,18 I9,»3 22;3 B. 4, 16, 38.2 Against Two
Letters of the Pelagians, B. 1, 11, 40;2 B. 3, 14; B. 4, 21, 22,2 24, 28.4 From Ep.,
215, 1. On Rebuke and Grace, 5, 14, i8,4 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45. On the Predes
tination of the Saints, 17, 25, 34,° 40, 42,4 On the Gift of Perseverance, 2, 5,2 6,
11,27,29,435,37,55,58,61.
5. The City of God (105 references):
(V. note, p. 1.) (V. B. 1, 36; B. 4, 2, et saepe). B. 4, 7, 28; B. 5, (16), 18, (19), 21,
24;2 (B. 8, 24); B. 9, 21; B. 10, 32; (B. n, 1; B. 12, 9); B. 13, 7; B. 14, (1), 2,
(13, 28); B. 15, 1, (8, 18, 20, 26); B. 16, 24, 34; B. 17, i,2 3, 4, 6,2 7,2 9,3 10, 12,
15, 16,2 17; B. 18, (1), 11, (29), 31,4 34,2 (47), 49, 53; B. 19, (4, 5, 17); B. 20, 4, 7,
9,21 I3.2 (14. 16, 17), 23, 24; B. 21, I,2 9,2 16, 23, 24,= 25,10 26,2 27;4 B. 22, 1, 3,3
(6), 12, 19,3 20, 23, 24,3 29, 30.
6. On the Psalms (169 references):
Ch. 2, n; 7, 8, 14; 8, 2; 10, 3, 7; 11, 6; 12,6; 14, 6, 8; 18, 16, 35; 22, 29;2 33,
10; 34, 1; 37, 10, Pt. 2, 13, Pt. 3, 5,2 10, 13; 38, 12; 39, 18; 40, 15; 41, 11; 43, 4;
44,7, 13; 45, 12, I5.222; 47,1, io;4 49,3, Pt. 2, 3; 50, 9,2 11, i3;2 51, 19; 52,2,3
5,2 I0,« II; (53, 8); 54, 3; 55, 13; 57, 7, 12; 60, 2, 4; 61, (4), 7; 62, 4,3 (9); 65,
I,2 9; 67, 8, I0;5 68, 4, 21, (37); 69, 2, 30; 72, 3, 11, 17,2 (18); 63, 5, 26; 64, 6, 20,
21; 65, n; 76, (1), n; 77, 6; 78, 2, 3, 28, 29, 33, (37); 79, 2; 81, 19,5 20; 82, 4;
83. 2; 87, 4, 5;2 89,35;* (91, 13); 92, 14; 94, 19, 23; 98, 8; (99, 11); 101, 2; 102,
2;2 103, 23;2 104,20,36; 105,6; 106,20,32; 109,1; 110,5; m, 5; H2, 3;3 113,
I*, H9, 15,75, 150, 159; (126,2); 129,6; 142, 5; 143, 8; 144, 9; 145, 1, 4, 10, II"
12,5 t8; 146, 8;2 I47, 8, 13, 21, 28; I49, 2, (3).
7. Later Miscellaneous Writings (429 references):
Letters, 29, 5;3 36,8; 43, 27; 44, 4, io;2 76, I; 78, I; 91, 3; 93, i9) 22, 30, 48;S
102, 15, 19, 37; 130, 2,3 21,2 22; (137, 16); 148, 7; 164, 11; 166, 1; 167, 3; 189,
3, 5; 220, 8. Sermons on N. T. Lessons, 3, 1,4 6, 8,3 9, 10; 6, 6," 7,2 9, 19;=
7, 5," 6, 7, 12, 13;2 8, 3,7 5, 12;2 9, 4;s 10, 8, 9,« io;2 12, 6,5 7; 16, 2;S 17, 7';2 21,
(1), 2,= 4,4 19,3 20,2 25, (33), 36; 24, 1, 2,2 5;3 25, 9;2 27, 13,4 iS; 28, i,s 4; 30, 3,
(8); 32, 5; 33, 1; 35, 2,2 5,2 7;2 36, 4. 10; 37, 4, 5; 38, 18, (19), 21; 40, 5; 50, i,»
3; 53, 6; 55, 9,2 ("), 13; 59, i,6 2; 60, 1, s;4 62, 5;2 63, 1; 64, 5; 75, 3; 76, i-
77, 1, 13; 78, u; 79, 5; 80, 4; 81, 6; 85, 8; 87, 2, 6, 7,2 9. On the Gospel- of
John: Tractate 3,21; 4, 4, i3i (7, 21); 8, 12; 9, 15- n, i,» 3, ;, (,, 12; 12, 5,2 8;
13, 2,2 II, 14; 14, 8; 16, 6;2 19, 18; 21, 7, 13, 25, 2," 3, 19; 26, 7; 27, 12; 28, 9;
3C 7; 35, 7; 42, 10; 44, 6; 49, 12, 26; 50, 12; 51, 4; 52, 1; 55, i;3 63, 2;3 64 I-
67,2,23;7 68, 2;"7 73, 4;2 76, 3. 79, 2; 101,4; 102, 3; 107, 2; 109, 4; 113,' 2*
204

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE FATHERS 117
5; 115, i,s 2,J5 3; 116, 1; 118, 4; 122, 2, 4, (7), 9;" 124, 5,2 7.2 On the First Ep.
of John, (1, 12); 2, 13; 3, II; 4, 5; 6, 143 (v. note, p. 500); 9, 2,2 8; 10, 9, 10. On
the Harmony of the Gospels, B. 1, 3, 35; B. 2, 4, 5,2 12,4 17, 19,* 30, (38), 41,45,
56, 61,2 71, 73, 77; B. 3, 3,2 8, 22; B. 4, io.3 On the Trinity (in Vol. 3), B. 1, 8»
(v. note, p. 26), 9, 10,7 11, 12, I3;5 B. 2, l8;5 B. 9, 10; B. 13, 15; B. 14, ig; B. 15,
18, 19. Enchiridion, (16), 21, 23, 30, 3g,2 67,2 69,2 70, 80, 9 1,2 in, 112, H5,2n6.
On the Good of Widowhood, 24. Against Lying, 24.2 On Patience, 23, 24.
Cassian — Total, 71.
(V. note, p. 192.) Institutes, B. 4, 36, 38; B. 7, 15, 27; B. 12, 15. Conferences:
First of Abbot Moses, 3, 4,3 (5), 9,3 I3,14 14,2 20. Second Conf., 2.2 Of Paph-
nutius, 9; of Daniel, 10; of Serapion, II.2 First of Serenus, 5, 6. Second Conf.,
14. First of Isaac, 19,4 29. Second Conf., 6, II. First of Chaeremon, 6, 12.2
Third Conf., n. First of Nesteros, 9,2 ( 1 0). Second Conf., 3. Of Piamun, i6;3
of Pinufius, 8,2 10. First of Theonas, 5,2 9. Third Conf., 15. Of Abraham, 26.2
On the Incarnation, against Nestorius, B. 1, 3; B. 3, 12, 14;2 B. 5, 7;2 B. 7, 10, 23.
Vincent — Total, 2.
A Comminitory, 6, 26.
Leo the Great — Total, 29.
(Cf. Epp. 56 and 162.) Sermons, 3, 2, 3; 9, 2;3 10, 3; 19, I; 21, 3; 22, 5;2 31, 2;2
33, 5;a 34, 2; 51, 2, 35 54, 7; 61, 7; 66, 7; 70, 3; 73, 2; 82, 1; 90, 3; 95, 1, 2,3 5.
Gregory the Great — Total, 45.
Pastoral Rule, Pt. 1, 3, 9; Pt. 2, 3, 4; Pt. 3, 3, 15, 27,2 28. Letters: B. 1, 43,= 62,
77; B. 2, 27, 36, 47;3 B. 3, 10, 65; B. 5, 18, 20,2 39; B. 6, 58; B. 7, 7, 26,3 30; B.
8, (2), 33; B. 9, 109, 120; B. 11,29, 45, (46), 65,2 66; B. 13, 1, 6, 31,2 39," 42.
(Total number of references, 3,974.)

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