2 Esdras (Ezra) 6

Then King Darius commanded, etc. Josephus (Antiq. XI, 3) mentioned the name of the place where these letters of Cyrus were found thus: And a book was found in Ecbatana in a constructed tower, in the region of Media. Moreover, another translation has it thus: In Ecbatana, in the safest building of the region of the Medes. Hence it seems likely that the name Media signifies nothing other than Media. What follows is:

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

And as for laying the supporting foundations, etc., it is not for us to explain; because neither in the earlier building of the temple nor in the later one is any of these measurements or such work found. Hence it is inferred that Cyrus uttered this of his own accord, and noted the measurement or order of the work as seemed appropriate to him; inasmuch as the temple, as the Words of the Days recount, in the first measure, that is, within the inner walls, had sixty cubits of length, twenty cubits of width. Furthermore, as the history of Kings writes, the height was up to the upper chambers thirty cubits; then another thirty cubits up to the upper chamber, as the height of the porticoes ascended, as Josephus testifies (Antiq. VIII, 3); then another sixty up to the top of the roof; that is, altogether one hundred twenty cubits, as the Words of the Days teach. But how does he say that three courses of uncut stones are to be laid, and thus the courses of new wood, when the whole temple was lined inside with cedar? unless perhaps it was the custom of the Persians to build temples in a varied work such that there were three courses of stones along the walls, and the fourth of crafted wood: and he also thought that this should be done in the same way in the temple of Jerusalem. Or perhaps it should be understood that he spoke of the court of the priests, which was made around the temple in a circle, had three courses of polished stones, and a fourth of cedar wood, and it was up to the chest height of those standing by; or certainly the house of the Lord, which was in front of the temple, about which the Scripture, when the palace of King Solomon was being built, thus recounts: He also made the greater court roundabout of three courses of hewn stones, and one course of hewn cedar, and likewise in the inner court of the house of the Lord, and in the porch of the house (1 Kings VII).

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

But the golden and silver vessels of the temple, etc. It states that the vessels were then placed in the temple of God, signifying the temple of the Babylonians, in which Nebuchadnezzar had placed them, as is more clearly read above, from which Cyrus had ordered them to be taken and returned to Jerusalem. So far, the letters of King Cyrus, which were found in Ecbatana; to which were suddenly added, in a new and unusual manner, from the persona and authority of King Darius:

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

Now therefore, Thathannai, governor of the region, etc. Thus the sequence of the text is such, as if Darius himself had read the letters of Cyrus, and immediately confirmed them with his own authority upon reading them, thereby restraining all their adversaries, and ordering the temple of God to be built in its place, as it was read to them, and assisting its worshippers in all things with the most devoted mind to serve according to his will. Therefore, Artaxerxes, who forbade the building of the house or city of God above, signifies those lords who opposed the construction of the holy Church with persecutions leading to death; amidst these disturbances, the same Church flourished most especially by the victory of the martyrs. Darius signifies the pious devotion of those kings who, recognizing the will of the Christian faith, not only did not resist it but also took care to assist it with their own means. Many of these, after the prohibitions of the previous persecutions had been lifted, desired to consecrate themselves and their subjects with the sacraments of the same faith; the persons of whom fittingly correspond to what is subsequently added in the words of King Darius:

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

And there was nothing astonishing in God having done this,-He who, when, during the captivity of the people under Nebuchadnezzar, the Scriptures had been corrupted, and when, after seventy years, the Jews had returned to their own land, then, in the times of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, inspired Esdras the priest, of the tribe of Levi, to recast all the words of the former prophets, and to re-establish with the people the Mosaic legislation.

Against Heresies Book 3

After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian storming of it, every document of the Jewish literature is generally agreed to have been restored through Ezra. [On the Apparel of Women 1.3]

And this was nothing wonderful for God to do, who, in the captivity of the people under Nebuchadnezzar, when the Scriptures had been destroyed, and the Jews had returned to their own country after seventy years, afterwards, in the time of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians, inspired Ezra the priest, of the tribe of Levi, to relate all the words of the former prophets, and to restore to the people the legislation of Moses. [quoting Irenaeus, Church History 5.8.15]

Whether you choose to say that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch, or that Ezra was the restorer of the same work, I have no objections. [Adversus Helvidium]

Ezra, the priest of God, restored the law, which had been burned by the Chaldeans in the archives of the temple. For indeed he was full of the same spirit with which the Scriptures had previously been filled. [De Mirabilibus Sacrae Scripturae, 2.33]

But also it has been commanded by me, etc. For who could explain how much the Church has been aided or even enriched throughout the world by the liberality of royal gifts? Although it can also be understood allegorically, that expenses from the king's treasury are allotted to the work of the temple, when some from the family of secular princes come to the faith of Christ, with the princes themselves favoring them; who, as it were, were in the king's treasury, while they were privy to royal secrets. But they are given to the elders, that is, the senior Jews, for the expenses of the work of the temple, while to those who have preceded in the confession of Christ, entrusted to the teachers for education, and uniting to the members of the Church; such as Cassiodorus, formerly a senator, suddenly a doctor of the Church; who, while carefully considering what Ambrose, what Hilary, what Augustine, what Cyril, what John, what other brothers said in the exposition of the Psalms, which he made excellently, undoubtedly proved himself taught by the senior Jews, that is, the confessors and praisers. The subsequent statement is similar to this:

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

But if it shall be necessary, also calves, etc. For who does not know that calves, lambs, and kids, which are clean animals, also grain, salt, wine, and oil, which through the law were offered to God, are often understood in the Holy Scriptures as signifying good men, or perfect works, or spiritual gifts? All of which are now, by the king's command, offered as a burnt offering to the God of heaven, while, with the favor of the powers of this world, the holy matters of the Church increase, and the peoples subject to them from all sides are gathered into the one and the same faith of truth to be consecrated to Christ, and whatever good each one has naturally heard divinely, whatever beneficial he has learned from the men of the Churches, he expends all this in the service of divine worship. Concerning which it is aptly said that according to the custom of the priests who are in Jerusalem, they should be given, because surely the vows of those offering are made acceptable to the Lord only if they are offered according to the situation of catholic peace. For whatever good things are mixed either with pagan superstition or with heretical contention ought in no way to be considered as good. But the same priests offer them for the life of the king and his sons, according to that of the Apostle: I urge therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life (I Tim. II).

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

Therefore, a decree was established by me, etc. The sense of the letter is clear: because he wished to impose the most severe punishment, if anyone attempted to change the decree of his religion; that is, the loss of everything he could possess and his soul, which he would lose even confined to a cross, with the torment of prolonged suffering. The spiritual understanding is also clear, because our works are all compared to wood: good indeed to fruitful trees, but bad to barren and worthy of fire. The wood is taken from his house, who tried to oppose the Lord's burnt offerings; and it is raised, and he himself is nailed to it, when the works of those who resist the peace of the universal holy Church are manifest to all as useless and perverse; and they are shown to have sought not the joy of life in these works, but rather a snare of death. The house of such people is also made public, that is, written into public record, when even their bodies in which they remained longer in this life are handed over to the most savage exactors to be punished perpetually at the resurrection, that is, to spirits. However, Darius rightly and faithfully desires that his decree be confirmed with the help of divine power, as he abruptly adds in prayer, saying: "May the God who caused His name to dwell there scatter all kingdoms and people who stretch out their hand to oppose and destroy that house of God which is in Jerusalem."

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

I, Darius, have established a decree, etc. And he himself, therefore, as a man temporarily endowed with the kingdom, for the peace of the house of God, does everything he can with public law, breaks those who contradict as much as he can: and God, since he has eternal and omnipotent power, he truly asks to accomplish the same thing, and desires with pious devotion that His name may remain perpetually in His house; and whoever dares to attack this, may they be deprived of the kingdom and life forever. Which in the same order is also conducted now in the holy Church, when earthly powers converted to the faith issue public edicts for the state of the same Church, and with the Lord’s help, and placing all enemies under His feet, desire always to have tranquil peace and quiet.

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

Therefore, Thathannai, the governor of the region beyond the river, and his associates executed it diligently, etc. And now also, with people flocking to the faith, and sometimes even from those who are outside, favoring its peace, the elders of the Jews, that is, those who are worthy of the seat of teaching, build and prosper their Church daily either by word or by example; for even if the ancient enemy attacks occasionally, nevertheless the word of God finds some in whom it may prevail and, with the adversaries driven away, may construct the walls of truth.

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

And they prospered according to the prophecy, etc. For the same prophets had foretold that if they persisted in building the temple, they would soon, with the Lord's granting, complete the work itself and also abundantly abound in all good things as a reward for their devotion. Among these is the saying of Zechariah: The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands shall also finish it; and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you (Zech. IV). This means that when you see the temple completed by that same Zerubbabel who laid its foundation, then you will understand that I was sent by the Lord and that what I spoke, I said by His command. Also Haggai says: From the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? And do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still not yield? From this day, I will bless you (Haggai II). And the outcome of events showed that what was truly predicted had come true. Moreover, all the prophets, indeed all the sacred authors of Scripture, promise prosperity to the builders of the holy Church, that is, to the teachers, if they, not wearied by adversities, do not rest from their holy labor. For divine help shall be present, whereby the house of the Lord, begun in the heart of the listeners by believing and living well, will be completed. To those same architects will come the blessing of the fruits of the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree, that is, a more abundant supply of spiritual gifts, which will undoubtedly be granted to us more abundantly by the Lord as we more diligently strive to build the habitation of His glory, whether in ourselves or in the hearts of our neighbors. Nor should anyone consider contrary what Haggai says, that the foundation of the temple was laid under King Darius, to this sacred history we are expounding, which states that in the second year of King Cyrus the temple was founded by the masons, with the people greatly rejoicing and praising God (I Esdr. III). For then the foundation of the temple itself was described, that is, the interior house of holiness, whose measurements are especially referred to in the histories of Kings and Chronicles. But now, along with the building of the house itself, the buildings of the porticos and treasuries, which surrounded the house in a circle on every side, are narrated as founded, of which mention is made in the book of Chronicles as follows: He also made the courtyard of the priests, and the great vestibule, and the doors of the vestibule, which he covered with bronze (I Chron. IV). In this vestibule surrounding the temple, both the people used to stand to pray and the guards and doorkeepers of the temple used to keep watch through their shifts day and night, as the book of Chronicles abundantly teaches there. Sometimes this house generally is counted with the temple itself; as in the Gospel, where the Lord, teaching in the temple, was brought a woman caught in adultery by the Pharisees and Scribes (John VIII), whom they could have brought only into some portico of the temple; at other times, separately under the name of treasuries, or chambers, or porticoes, or courtyards. Hence the Psalmist says: Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courtyards of the house of our God.

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

And they built and constructed, etc. He says Artaxerxes, who reigned after Darius, during whose time Ezra ascended from Babylon to Jerusalem. However, it is questioned how it is said that, by order not only of Cyrus and Darius but also Artaxerxes, the house of God was constructed, when it is immediately stated that it was completed and dedicated during the reign of Darius. Unless it should be believed that Artaxerxes, having sent much gold and silver to Jerusalem, also ordered that anything lacking in the building or decoration of the temple, or in its vessels, be completed from the money he had sent and given. For it is written that the same king, along with his princes and counselors, sent much gold and silver and precious vessels to the temple while Ezra was hastening there. Among other things, it is mentioned in the copy of the king’s letter: But whatever else is needed for the house of your God, which you have to provide, you shall do so from the king’s treasury and finances (1 Esdras VII). The month of Adar, on the third day of which the house of the Lord was completed, is called March by us, which the Scripture usually calls the twelfth month according to the lunar cycle. It is not without mystery that the house of the Lord, which began in the seventh month with the building of the altar, was completed in the twelfth month. For it began at the start of the seventh month; because we begin all good works with the grace of the Holy Spirit preceding us, and, with it accompanying us, we strive for perfection. It was completed in the twelfth month due to the significance of perfection contained in this number, especially due to the sum of the apostles, in whose faith and doctrine the church is perfected. Similarly, the number twelve signifies the perfection of correct faith and action because whether you multiply three by four or four by three, you will complete twelve. The number three is rightly related to faith because of the confession of the Holy Trinity; the number four to good works because of the same number of excellent virtues, prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice; of which the Book of Wisdom, in praising Wisdom itself, mentions, saying: For she teaches soberness and prudence, righteousness, and courage; nothing in life is more useful than these (Wisdom VIII). Therefore, it is right that the house of the Lord, begun in the seventh month, was completed and dedicated in the twelfth month; because the mind of the elect is illuminated by the grace of the Holy Spirit so that it may reach the perfection of good works with faith in the holy and undivided Trinity, and thus joyfully awaits the dedication of blessed reward. And since this same reward pertains to our future celebration at the time of the universal resurrection and in the vision of the same Trinity in which we now believe, it is rightly mentioned that the house of the Lord was completed not only in the twelfth month but also on the third day of it; because the Lord rose from the dead on the third day, our resurrection can rightly be designated by the three days’ number, of which the prophet says: He has torn us, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind us up; after two days he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up (Hosea VI). The building of the temple began in the first year of King Cyrus and was completed in the sixth year of Darius; which are, according to the Chroniclers, forty years. For Cyrus reigned for thirty years, after him, his son Cambyses reigned for eight years, who in this volume, as Josephus asserts, is called Artaxerxes; after him, the Magi, who killed him, ruled for one year, after which Darius until the temple’s completion and dedication, six years; which are, as we said, forty-five years. However, it is questioned how, with the Lord saying to the Jews under the figure of the temple about his passion and resurrection: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up; they responded: It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? (John II); when no more than sixty-five years are found from the first year of Cyrus to the sixth year of King Darius. But if we read in Josephus’ History, where he adds three years after the temple’s completion and dedication, in which the construction of the surrounding fortifications and other remaining parts were completed; we will see that the sum of forty-six years can be correctly calculated for the construction of the temple with all its prominent structures completed. However, adhering to this chapter of the Gospel, we should bear in mind that the temple built by Solomon and rebuilt by Zerubbabel and Jesus has multiple representations. It signifies each chosen soul, which, because of Christ dwelling in it, is rightly called Christ’s house and temple; and the entire church, that is, the congregation of all the elect, both angels and humans; and the Lord’s own body, which was born of the virgin, lived without sin in the world, was released from death by the impious but was resurrected by him on the third day to life. This figure is particularly fitting to that which says the temple was built in forty-six years. For physiologists report that the human body in the womb grows from conception to the complete formation of its members in this number of days. And it was fitting that the house, which was to have the figure of the Lord’s body, should be founded in Jerusalem in the same number of years in which the Lord’s own body was to be formed in the sacred womb of the virgin, who is rightfully named Jerusalem, that is, the city of the great King and the vision of peace, of whom it is said: He is our peace, who made both one (Ephesians II). Just as what is written about the same temple: The door for the middle story was in the right side of the house; and they went up with winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third (1 Kings VI); specifically prefigured the Lord’s body, of which it is written: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and immediately there came out blood and water (John XIX). For the door of the middle story was in the right side of the house, meaning starting from the eastern corner of the southern side to the earth, and through its inner part by a hidden way rising gradually to the higher stories; because our Lord and Savior wished to open for us the door of salvation in his body’s right side, through whose sacraments, being washed and sanctified, we might enter the higher hall of the heavenly kingdom. We ascend through the door of the middle story into the upper room when, consecrated through the water of baptism and the cup of the Lord’s chalice, we pass from this earthly conversation to the heavenly life of souls. From the upper room, we also penetrate into the third story when we accumulate the bliss of souls with the perception of immortal bodies.

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

Now the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, etc. The sons of the captivity rightly rejoice that they are worthy to both cast off the yoke of captivity and to build the house of God, which was destroyed. They offer a great number of sacrifices in the dedication of His house as devout servants to God. They also offer sacrifices for the sin of all Israel, not only for those who could be present, but also for those who were still placed in Babylon or in other provinces, living among enemies outside the promised land. They pray to God to be merciful to them as well and to protect them from evils among the enemies or to bring them back to the desired homeland. Because the rebuilding of the house after their captivity, as often said, signifies the correction of those who have strayed from the path of truth through sin after having initially started it, the well-restored temple is rightly dedicated by the priests and Levites and the other sons of the captivity in joy. For when those who have sinned are corrected, there is great joy in heaven before the angels of God (Luke XV). There is joy also for the teachers who have labored for the salvation of the erring; and for all those who have migrated from Babylon, that is, the confusion of sins, to the height of virtues—the promised land in thought and deed. Therefore, both the priests and Levites and all the people rejoice in the dedication of the restored house of the Lord because all orders of the holy Church must rejoice together in the reconciliation through penance of those who have sinned. They offer sacrifices in this dedication when they render thanks to God for the conversion of the erring, when many, seeing their devout life to God, also gird themselves to works of greater virtues, not wanting to be slothful in good works, in which they had remained more innocent, by sinning less. This can equally be understood of those who have recently come to faith, to receive the sacraments of Christ, that many who were advanced in the faith often emulate the more fervent zeal of the newcomers and follow their examples in good works. Not only do the priests, Levites, and the people offer sacrifices for the dedication of the house of the Lord which they had renovated, but also for the sin of all Israel. For just as it is fitting to favor the good deeds of those who are with us, and to make their good deeds our own by imitation, so it is necessary with diligent care to pray to the Lord for the state of the whole Church which is scattered throughout the world, according to the example of the Lord’s prayer; in which no one asks for daily bread, or for the forgiveness of sins, or to be delivered from temptation and evil, only for himself, but rather for all who have the same Father in heaven. Likewise, after the temple has been built, dedication follows when the total number of the elect shall at the end of the world reach the grace of heavenly rewards. Many acceptable sacrifices to God are offered in this dedication; those, indeed, of which the same house of God, that is, the holy Church, rebuilt through the glory of immortality after the long captivity of mortal distress, sings to its Creator and Redeemer, saying: "You have broken my bonds, I will sacrifice an offering of praise to You" (Psalm 115). And since the same sacrifice of praise is to be offered to God, not only for the gifts of virtues given, but also for the purged and removed stains of vices: correctly, after bulls, rams, and lambs were offered in the dedication of the temple, goats are also said to have been slaughtered for the sin of all Israel; for the grace of God, which confers the benefits of virtues, also removes the iniquity of sins. No Pelagian has a place in the house of God, who persuades that by the freedom of his own will he can either be freed from evils or confirmed in good. Indeed, goats for sin are offered in this life when the elect of supreme piety supplicate to be freed from sins. They are also offered in the future when the same ones give thanks because, by the grace of God, they have been freed from sins; and therefore, they will sing the mercies of the Lord forever (Psalm 100); for they will never forget that they were once miserable and have been made blessed by His gift.

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

And they appointed priests in their orders, etc. The order demanded devotion, so that after the Lord’s house was built and dedicated, priests and Levites who would minister in it were immediately ordained; lest the house shine in vain if those who serve God within were lacking. This should be frequently impressed upon those who, constructing monasteries with magnificent work, do not at all place teachers in them who would encourage God’s people to the works of God, but rather serve their own pleasures and desires there. But what he says about priests in their orders and Levites in their turns being appointed signifies the shifts of weeks; in which the whole assembly of each rank was distributed into twenty-four parts, so that each order would minister its turn during its week, specifically from Sabbath to Sabbath in the temple; and then, for twenty-three weeks, free from the temple's duties, they would take care of their own household affairs, as the Words of the Days narrate. For around the inner sanctuary, they had already made the porches of the temple, at the gates of which the Levites kept watch in turns, as it is also written there. But what is said, “As it is written in the book of Moses,” does not refer to the shifts of the Levites, but to the works of God; for Moses wrote what the priests and Levites ought to do in the house of God; but the shifts of the Levites and the orders of the priests into twenty-four lots, as we mentioned, were described not by Moses, but by King David with the prophets, priests, and Levites of that time. And now too, with Christ's Church being built and dedicated through the regeneration of new peoples to the faith, it is fitting to appoint priests and Levites in their orders and turns over the works of God; and the people are initiated not only into the sacraments of faith but are also instructed to perform the works of God by the examples and teachings of the righteous ones preceding in Christ; and this not by the capture of human ingenuity, but as it is written in the book of Moses. To which the Lord’s saying agrees: “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28). Therefore, we must teach our hearers not our own precepts, but those which are the commands of the law and the Gospel, if we care to reach the rewards which the Lord promised, together with those same hearers.

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

However, the sons of the exile made the Passover, etc. What was the point of recounting the celebration of the Passover after the house of the Lord was built in the historical narrative? When it had long been promised that from the first day of their arrival in Jerusalem, they would offer the legitimate sacrifices and holocausts in all the festivals of the Lord. Unless perhaps he wished to recount the Passover being celebrated particularly to remind the reader that the sons of the exile completed the building of the temple with the same devotion of spirit with which they had begun. For it was already predicted there that the people gathered as one man in Jerusalem, and Joshua the son of Jozadak rose up, and his brothers, the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brothers, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it. And now, with the temple dedicated, already in the forty-sixth year, the same piety of religion is remembered to be in the hearts of all, when it is said that the priests and Levites were purified as one, all clean to sacrifice the Passover. For what greater perfection can there be in this life than the unity of a clean multitude? For there were many priests, many thousands of Levites, who were all purified and clean to sacrifice the Passover. Nor with differing intentions of souls, but, as Luke writes about the early Church of the New Testament, with one heart and one soul, which is found true in faith and love of God, nor is there a differing unity of love and chastity in the people. When it is said to sacrifice the Passover to all the sons of the exile and their brothers, the priests, and to themselves, it is immediately added:

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

And the children of Israel ate, etc. Therefore, the Passover was sacrificed for all the children of the exile, all the children of Israel ate, not only those who had returned from captivity, but also all who had previously been situated elsewhere, who had at that time purified themselves from the defilements of the people of the land to come to them. This can also be rightly understood of the proselytes, who, though naturally Gentile, were converted to the people of God, having received circumcision and being purified by legal sacrifices, so that they too were worthy of participating in the saving sacrifice. And it is to be noted that he calls the people of the land those who serve the defilers; so that by contrast, he might teach that the people of heaven are those who, being separated from them, serve the Lord in unity and chastity, and celebrate his solemnities with a sincere heart. Nowhere else, unless I am mistaken, is the same people of Israel found to have existed with such devotion with the priests and Levites, their teachers that is, since they came out of Egypt through Moses; but this devotion was made by divine chastisement, for when they were delivered to be afflicted by their enemies for their sins, afflicted by adversities, they were turned away from sins by repentance; by the merit of repentance and conversion, they were freed from their enemies: and being destined to serve God better, they were called back to their own homeland. But up to this point, we often see even those who have frequently defiled the temple of their body by sinning, and thereby have been taken captive by the devil, returning to the Lord through repentance. And rightly so, with greater diligence than they were accustomed to before, they have striven in good works to prepare again in themselves a dwelling place for their Creator. It is to be noted indeed that Solomon first completed the temple in the greatest peace of his kingdom, in a very short time, with no one contradicting in any way; but now, having been destroyed on account of sins, the children of the exile, with great contrition of heart, labored in a long work, often delayed by the enemies, and finally, divinely aided, restored it. For it is easy indeed for anyone converted to faith and recognition of the truth, to renounce the devil and confess the living and true God, to receive the sacraments of Christ; and being initiated by these, to become His temple in remission of all sins, and to keep the received innocence of life with accompanying grace. But it is of great labor for anyone who, having received the sacraments of faith, contemptuously sins, to recover their former dignity; for to such a one, cleansing cannot easily be given again through the water of baptism, but the sin tainted must be washed out with the long labor of repentance, with copious flows of tears, with the more stringent efforts of continence, by whose cleansing the very habits of vices also resist like an enemy crowd of Samaritans; the more difficult to overcome, the longer they have possessed the land of the heart devoid of virtue. It can also be said that therefore, particularly with the house of God rebuilt and dedicated, remembrance is made of the Passover, since none would doubt that people of such religion would want to celebrate the Passover in its due time; so that it might mystically be insinuated that this is the sum of all perfection, when, having transcended all the desires and allurements of the world, we always with entire intention of mind ponder the entrance into another life. For Passover is interpreted as passing, having its name from this, that either the children of Israel in it, through the sacrifice of the lamb, passed from Egyptian slavery to the joys of freedom, or the spotless Lamb Himself, that is, the Lord Christ, sacrificed for our redemption, passed from this world to the Father. Which we also imitate, when we pass from base pleasures to seek heavenly things. Indeed, we perfectly perform this when, released from the prison of the flesh, we enter the heavenly kingdom. To which sense apt is what follows:

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread, etc. The Apostle teaches us how we ought to keep this feast spiritually, saying: "Let us therefore feast not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5). This is to be observed for seven days; because throughout all this world's time, which runs for as many days, we ought to lead our life in sincerity and truth, indeed in the sacrifices and holocausts of all good works. And because our Lord, at the time of the Passover, conquered death, tasted momentarily with the eternal power of resurrection; the celebration of the Passover may be referred typologically to the time of our resurrection; so that the building of the temple designates the present state of the Holy Church, the dedication signifies the future life, which happens in the exultation of the holy souls, when they leave the body. The sacrifice of the Passover hints at the glory of the resurrection, when all the elect, no longer believing in the sacrament, but seeing in reality and truth, will be refreshed by the flesh of the spotless Lamb, that is, of our God and Lord. Hence, in this Passover, it is stated that all the priests and Levites, the entire assembly of the people, all who had flocked to them from the nations, were pure, as if they had all attended as one; for then the Lamb of God truly takes away the sins of the world. And as the Apostle John says: “The blood of Jesus, the Son of God, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1). Then there will be true unity when God will be all in all (1 John 1; 1 Cor. 15). Then the true feast of unleavened bread will be celebrated in joy, when no leaven of malice or wickedness remains in the elect, and all will cling to the divine vision in truth and sincerity of heart. And this not in the seven days of the passing world, but in the one day of everlasting life in the courts of the Lord, which is better than thousands in the light of the Holy Spirit, whose sevenfold grace the prophet commends to us (Ps. 84).

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

They celebrated the feast of unleavened bread for seven days, etc. For this is the greatest joy of the righteous, both in this age and in the future, that the work of the Church is complete, with even the Gentiles who once resisted being converted, aiding its state and confirming peace of the Christian Church's religion throughout the entire world. Thus far, it is written about the return from Babylon to Jerusalem of the people who had been taken captive; the return of the vessels that had been taken away; the restoration and dedication of the temple that had been burned; the celebration of the festivals, and the singing of the songs of the Lord, which could not be sung in a foreign land, under the leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua. All these things contain one and the same knowledge of human salvation in Christ, both those who came into the world with the sin of the first transgression, purified by the sacraments of faith, are saved; and those who corrupted the faith they had received by sinning, repent and return to their senses, and both, through one and the same Savior, the true king and priest, celebrating as if the most blessed Passover, pass from this world to the Father, from death to life. Truly, because the temple was burned and the city of Jerusalem destroyed, the holy Scriptures that were kept there were also destroyed by the hostile calamity, and these, by the mercy of the Lord and his return to his people, had to be restored; so that, having restored the buildings that had been torn down, they would have something from which they, being admonished, might learn to be restored inwardly in the faith and love of their Creator. Hence it well follows:

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah