Genesis 18 · The Lantern

And the Lord appeared to him in the vale of Mambre as he was sitting at the door of his tent, in the very heat of the day.

But let us now see what is also said in what follows. "But Abraham himself," it says, "was standing by them under the tree." For narratives of this kind we require circumcised ears. For it is not to be believed that it was of the greatest concern to the Holy Spirit to write in the books of the law where Abraham stood.

[Daniel 8:15] "And it came to pass that when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it." He beheld the vision by way of a picture or likeness, and he failed to understand it.

The Lord appeared to him in the valley of Mamre as he was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day, etc. This appearance of the Lord is considered to be more sacred than all the previous ones, in which He was seen so many times by the blessed Abraham.

And when he had lifted up his eyes, there appeared to him three men standing near to him: and as soon as he saw them, he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and adored down to the ground.

Now let us see how each one receives. "Abraham saw," it says, "and ran to meet them." Consider at once how tireless and eager Abraham is in his duties. He himself runs to meet them, and when he had met them: "he hastens back," it says, "to the tent and says to his wife: hasten to the tent." See in each detail how great is the eagerness of the one receiving.

"Three men came to Abraham and stood over him." Observe how it is that they come upon him but not against him. He had subjected himself to God's will, and for this reason God is said to stand over him. "They stood over him," not against him to repulse him but over him for protection.

The other way of anagogy is above the skies, as in the case of Abraham who saw three men and worshiped one, for the Trinity appeared in these three; and in the case of the two angels who were sent to Sodom, the Son and the Holy Spirit who are sent by the Father; and because the Father is never sent, He was not seen there, but He was seen in the case of the three men, for here H…

And he said: Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away from thy servant.

But I will fetch a little water, and wash ye your feet, and rest ye under the tree.

And I will set a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart, afterwards you shall pass on: for therefore are you come aside to your servant. And they said: Do as thou hast spoken.

Abraham made haste into the tent to Sara, and said to her: Make haste, temper together three measures of flour, and make cakes upon the hearth.

He sets forth therefore loaves sprinkled with "three measures of fine flour." He received three men, he sprinkled loaves with "three measures of fine flour." The whole of what he does is mystical, the whole is filled with sacraments.

(Chapter 18, Verse 6) And he said to him: Hurry, mix three measures of wheat flour. Because three measures are explicitly mentioned here, and the measure is uncertain: therefore I added that in Hebrew it has three sata, that is, three amphoras: so that we may understand the same mystery here and in the Gospel, where a woman is said to have fermented three measures of wheat flou…

Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said to her: "Hurry, mix three measures of fine meal, and make cakes upon the hearth." And he himself ran to the herd, and took a tender and good calf and gave it to the servant, who hastened and cooked it.

And he himself ran to the herd, and took from thence a calf, very tender and very good, and gave it to a young man, who made haste and boiled it.

"But he himself ran," it says, "to the cattle and took a calf." What kind of calf? Perhaps the one that could happen to run up first? It is not so, but a "good and tender" calf. And although he hastens in all things, yet he knows what things, being chief and great, are to be offered to the Lord or to the angels.

Now although this meat is a burden unto the wise and prudent, yet was it given by promise unto Noah, and it was sent unto Elijah in a gift, and Abraham received God and His angels thereby, and Isaac was pleased to pour out blessings upon Jacob thereby, and Samuel offered this gift beforehand to Saul as to a king, and David and all the righteous kings made use of such meat, and…

The tender and excellent calf that Abraham took from the herd signifies the Mediator between God and humans, whom the most merciful Father killed for his returning younger son, that is, the Gentile people, according to the parable of the Gospel.

He took also butter and milk, and the calf which he had boiled, and set before them: but he stood by them under the tree.

But thou wilt not be able to stand in the freedom of spiritual beings until thou hast cast away entirely the bondage of carnal beings, for when thou hast cast away this bondage like a spiritual being and freeman thou mayest eat of every thing blamelessly, without making thy heart gross by the eating of flesh, and the drinking of wine will not cloud thy thoughts, even as it is w…

He also took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had cooked, and set it before them. By the milk, the beginnings and as it were the elements of the Mosaic law; by the butter, the perfection of evangelical doctrine; by the milk, the simplicity of the letter in the Scriptures, by the butter, the virtue of the mystical sense which is usually generated from the letter, is expre…

And when they had eaten, they said to him: Where is Sara thy wife? He answered: Lo she is in the tent.

What then does the Lord say to Abraham? "Where is," he says, "Sarah your wife? And he: behold, he says, in the tent. And the Lord said: coming I will come to you in season according to this time, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.

After they had eaten, "they inquired about Sarah." She, who even in her old age had preserved her modesty, came out from inside the tent to the door of the tent.

And when they had eaten, they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He answered, "Behold, she is in the tent." Then he said, "I will return to you at this time next year, if life be with us, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." Both indeed the lords of the house, and evidently Abraham and Sarah, prepared with the utmost haste a meal; but as if in a well-ordered house, Abra…

And he said to him: I will return and come to thee at this time, life accompanying, and Sara, thy wife, shall have a son. Which when Sara heard, she laughed behind the door of the tent.

Now they were both old, and far advanced in years, and it had ceased to be with Sara after the manner of women.

And she laughed secretly, saying: After I am grown old, and my lord is an old man, shall I give myself to pleasure?

And the Lord said to Abraham: Why did Sara laugh, saying: Shall I, who am an old woman, bear a child indeed?

Is there any thing hard to God? According to appointment I will return to thee at this same time, life accompanying, and Sara shall have a son.

Sara denied, saying: I did not laugh: for she was afraid. But the Lord said: Nay; but thou didst laugh.

And when the men rose up from thence, they turned their eyes towards Sodom: and Abraham walked with them, bringing them on the way.

And the Lord said: Can I hide from Abraham what I am about to do:

Seeing he shall become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed?

For I know that he will command his children, and his household after him, to keep the way of the Lord, and do judgment and justice: that for Abraham's sake, the Lord may bring to effect all the things he hath spoken unto him.

And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous.

It was not that God, who had just said, "their sins were very grave," did not know that they had sinned. This was an example to judges not to prejudge a case, even based on very reliable hearsay.

The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is multiplied, he said. Well did he say that sins can cry out. Great surely is the cry of sinners as it mounts from earth to heaven. But why does he say that the sins of people cry out? It is because God says his ears are assaulted by the cries of our sins that the punishment of sinners be not delayed.

The Lord therefore said: "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah has been multiplied, and their sin has become very grave." He calls the outcry of Sodom the reputation or rather the infamy of their crimes, from which the Apostle, admonishing us, says: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and blasphemy, be put away from you, with all malice" (Ephesians 4:31).

I will go down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come to me; or whether it be not so, that I may know.

"I have come down therefore," he says, "that I may see whether they are being consummated according to their cry which comes to me. But if not, that I may know." From this saying the heretics are accustomed to assail my God, saying: behold, the God of the law did not know what was being done in Sodom, unless he had come down to see, and had sent those who might find out.

"I will go down," he says, "and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know." Therefore, when the Lord said that he would go down to see whether the same outcry was true, he did not show his ignorance, who possesses the knowledge of all things, but instructs our rashness, lest we presume to blame the deeds of other…

And they turned themselves from thence, and went their way to Sodom: but Abraham as yet stood before the Lord.

And drawing nigh, he said: Wilt thou destroy the just with the wicked?

If there be fifty just men in the city, shall they perish withal? and wilt thou not spare that place for the sake of the fifty just, if they be therein?

Far be it from thee to do this thing, and to slay the just with the wicked, and for the just to be in like case as the wicked; this is not beseeming thee: thou who judgest all the earth, wilt not make this judgment.

And the Lord said to him: If I find in Sodom fifty just within the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.

And Abraham answered, and said: Seeing I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes.

Let us be imitators also of those who in goat-skins and sheep-skins [Hebrews 11:37] went about proclaiming the coming of Christ; I mean Elijah, Elisha, and Ezekiel among the prophets, with those others to whom a like testimony is borne [in Scripture].

[Daniel 8:27] "And I, Daniel, languished and was sick for some days. And when I rose from my bed, I performed the king's tasks." This is the same thing as we read in Genesis about Abraham, for after he had heard the Lord speaking to him, he averred that he was but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27).

Since I have begun, I will speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes. By this word he clearly rebukes our pride, we who are far distant from the height of his merits, far removed from divine conversation due to our slowness and inertia, nevertheless inflated with the pride of arrogance, do not recall that we are destined to be dust and ashes; for blessed Abraham, the clo…

What if there be five less than fifty just persons? wilt thou for five and forty destroy the whole city: And he said: I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty.

And again he said to him: But if forty be found there, what wilt thou do? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of forty.

Lord, saith he, be not angry, I beseech thee, if I speak: What if thirty shall be found there? He answered: I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

Seeing, saith he, I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord: What if twenty be found there? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.

I beseech thee, saith he, be not angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more: What if ten shall be found there? And he said: I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.

And the Lord departed, after he had left speaking to Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.

Genesis18