Homilies on Genesis 46–67

Homily 50

HOMILY 50 "Now, Rebecca conceived, and the babes kept leaping inside her."l aULD [448] you be happy to have us set before you today, dearly beloved, our leftovers from yesterday's sermon? After all, we did not succeed in bringing the whole theme to a conclusion. The fact that Isaac managed by his own prayer and ardent entreaty to awaken Rebecca's womb to childbearing and, so to say, open up her damaged condition -all this we taught you yesterday to a sufficient degree, bringing out the number of years that blessed man spent begging and imploring God on this account. We proceeded to the story of those barren people and told you the reason why the wives of those good men proved to be barren; at that point we drew our sermon to a close. (2) Today, on the other hand, we ought also learn Rebecca's godliness so that we may not only profit from the good man's virtue but may also succeed in stirring up the listeners to imitation after hearing the story of Rebecca. You see, when God heard the good man's prayer, "Rebecca conceived;' the text says, "the babes kept leaping inside her," and their pangs caused her much distress. "She said;' the text goes on, remember, "'If this is the way it is going to be for me, what's the good of it?'''2 After all, instead of there being only one child about to be born, she was carrying two children inside her at the one time, and this further burden caused her great pain. Yet see in this instance, I ask you, the woman's godliness: unlike the behavior of many modern women who want to live a life of indifference, she did not have recourse to any human l. Cen 25.21-22. 2. Cen 25.22. 50 HOMILY 50 51 assistance or to those prepared tojudge such things by guessing and observations of their own reasoning, nor did she give herself over to the deceitfulness of busybodies intent on promising things beyond human nature. Instead, "she went to address her enquiries to the Lord:' (3) See the woman's prudence: since she saw that the Lord of nature it was who opened her womb and rendered her unfruitful womb all at once fruitful in that way, and saw the burden in her womb betokening for her certain wonderful developments, "she went to address her enquiries to the Lord;' the text says. What is the meaning of "she went to address her enquiries to the Lord"? She made haste in the direction of true knowledge by going to the priest, minister ofdivine things, anxious to acquire this knowledge by every means, without attracting attention; she narrated every detail about herself and learnt everything precisely, as God's loving kindness revealed it all to her clearly through the priest's tongue and, by this means, rendered her more zealous. (4) For you to learn how great was the worthiness of priests in those days, it nowhere says that the priest gave such and such a reply, but after saying, "she went to address her enquiries to the Lord;' it added: "the Lord said to her," through the priest, "'You hold two nations in your womb:"3 Elsewhere, too, Sacred Scripture calls the priest an angel, showing that he utters what the grace of the Spirit inspires him to say.4 So the Lord said to her through the priest, "'There are two nations in your womb; two peoples, already in your bosom, will be set at odds; one people will dominate the other; the greater will serve the lesser.'''5 See the prophecy clearly outlining to her 3· Gen 25.23. 4. Chrysostom employs here his habitual term for inspiration of the biblical authors by the Spirit, IivTJXsi'v, it can retain its etymological sense of "to make resound", as in our English "echo", which may be relevant in this case. If a priest at the time of these homilies, and one who would celebrate priesthood elsewhere in his works, Chrysostom does not labor the role of the priest in Christian life to his congregation. 5. Note that Chrysostom's recollection of the first clause differs from his previous citing of it, suggesting again the manner of a preacher, not a writer. Cf. Introduction 7 and 15. 52 ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM all that was due to...