§10Aeque stationes nostras ut indictas, quasdam uero et in serum constitutas nouitatis nomine incusant, hoc quoque munus et ex arbitrio obeundum esse dicentes et non ultra nonam detinendum, de suo scilicet more.
They likewise accuse our stations as being appointed, and some indeed even as established until a late hour, under the name of novelty, saying that this duty also ought to be performed voluntarily and not detained beyond the ninth hour, according to their own custom, of course.
sed quod pertineat ad indictionis quaestionem, semel pro omnibus causis respondebo.
But as far as it pertains to the question of appointment, I will answer once for all cases.
nunc ad proprium huius speciei articulum, de modo temporis dico, de ipsis prius expostulandum, unde hanc formam nona i dirimendis stationibus praescribant.
Now, to the proper point of this species, concerning the limit of time, I say—it must first be demanded of them themselves, whence they prescribe this form of the ninth hour for breaking off the stations.
si, qua Petrus et qui cum eo ad horam nonam orationis templum introgressi leguntur, quis mihi probabit illos ea die statione functos, ut horam nonam ad clausulam et expunctionem stationis interpretetur? atqui facilius inuenias Petrum hora sexta capiendi cibi causa prius in superiora ad orandum ascendisse, quo magis sexta diei finiri officio huic possit, quae illud absolutura post orationem uidebatur.
If, in that place where Peter and those with him are read to have entered the temple at the ninth hour of prayer, who will prove to me that they on that day performed a station, so that he may interpret the ninth hour as the conclusion and termination of the station? And yet you would more easily find that Peter at the sixth hour, for the purpose of taking food, had first ascended to the upper parts to pray, so that this duty (the station) might rather end at the sixth hour of the day, which seemed about to finish it after the prayer.
porro cum in eodem commentario Lucae et tertia hora orationis demonstretur, sub qua spiritu sancto initiati pro ebriis habebantur, et sexta, qua Petrus ascendit in superiora, et nona, qua templum sunt introgressi, cur non intellegamus salua plane indifferentia semper et ubique et omni tempore orandi tamen tres istas horas ut insigniores in rebus humanis, quae diem distribuunt, quae negotia distinguunt, quae publice resonant, ita et sollemniores fuisse in orationibus di-.
Furthermore, since in the same commentary of Luke there is demonstrated both the third hour of prayer, under which those initiated with the Holy Spirit were held to be drunk, and the sixth, in which Peter ascended to the upper parts, and the ninth, in which they entered the temple, why should we not understand, with complete freedom of praying always and everywhere and at all times preserved, that those three hours, as being more notable in human affairs, which distribute the day, distinguish businesses, and resound publicly, were likewise more solemn in divine prayers?
uinis? quod etiam suadet Danielis quoque argumentum ter. die orantis, utique per aliquarum horarum exceptionem, non aliarum autem quam insigniorum, exinde apostolicarum, tertiae, sextae, nonae.
Which is also suggested by the argument of Daniel, who prayed three times a day, certainly with the exception of certain hours, and of no others than the more notable ones, henceforth the apostolic ones—the third, the sixth, and the ninth.
hinc itaque et Petrum dicam ex uetere potius usu nonam obseruasse tertio orantem supremae orationis munere.
Hence, therefore, I will say that Peter also, rather from ancient custom, observed the ninth hour, praying for the third time as the duty of his last prayer.
haec autem propter illos qui se putant ex forma Petri agere, quam ignorant; non quasi respuamus nonam, cui et quarta sabbati et sexta plurimum fungimur, sed quia eorum quae ex traditione obseruantur tanto magis dignam rationem adferre debemus, quanto carent scripturae auctoritate, donec aliquo caelesti charismate aut confirmentur aut corrigantur.
But these things are said on account of those who think they act according to the pattern of Peter, which they are ignorant of; not as if we reject the ninth hour, which we mostly perform on the fourth day of the week and on the sixth, but because we ought to bring forward a worthy reason for those things which are observed by tradition all the more as they lack the authority of Scripture, until they are either confirmed or corrected by some celestial charism.
et si qua, inquit, ignoratis, dominus uobis reuelabit. itaque seposito confirmatore omnium istorum paracleto, duce uniuersae ueritatis, an dignior apud nos ratio adferatur nonam obseruandi require, ut etiam Petro ea ratio deputanda sit, si statione tunc functus est.
"And if you are ignorant of anything," he says, "the Lord will reveal it to you." Therefore, setting aside the Paraclete, the confirmer of all these things and the leader into all truth, inquire whether a more worthy reason for observing the ninth hour is brought forward among us, so that even to Peter that reason must be imputed, if he then performed a station.
uenit enim de exitu domini, quem etsi semper commemorari oportet sine differentia horarum, impressius tamen tum ei secundum ipsum stationis uocabulum addicimur. nam et milites numquam immemores sacramenti magis stationibus parent.
For it comes from the death (exit) of the Lord, which, although it ought always to be commemorated without distinction of hours, yet at that time we are more impressively devoted to it according to the very word "station." For even soldiers, never unmindful of their oath (sacramentum), more closely obey their stations.
itaque in eam usque horam celebranda pressura est, in qua a sexta contenebratus orbis defuncto domino lugubre fecit officium, ut tunc et nos reuertamur ad iucunditatem, cum et mundus recepit claritatem.
Therefore, the distress (fasting) is to be celebrated up to that hour in which the world, darkened from the sixth hour, performed its mournful duty upon the death of the Lord, so that we also may then return to joyfulness when the world also received back its brightness.
hoc si magis ad religionem sapit Christianam, dum magis Christi gloriam celebrat, possum aeque serae stationis ex eodem rei ordine statum figere, ut ieiunemus ad serum expectantes tempus dominicae sepulturae, cum Ioseph postulatum detulit corpus et condidit.
If this savors more of the Christian religion, since it more celebrates the glory of Christ, I can equally fix the status of a late station from the same order of events, so that we may fast until late, expecting the time of the Lord's burial, when Joseph took down the requested body and buried it.
inde et irreligiosum est ante famulorum carnem refrigerari quam domini.
Hence it is also irreligious for the flesh of the servants to be refreshed before that of the Lord.
sed hactenus haec ex argumentationum prouocatione commiserim coniecturas coniecturis et tamen puto fidelioribus repercutiens.
But so far, from the provocation of arguments, I have committed these conjectures to conjectures, and yet, I think, striking back with more faithful ones.
uideamus, an aliquid tale nobis de uetustatibus quoque patrocinetur.
Let us see whether anything of the kind from antiquity also patronizes us.
in Exodo habitus ille Moysis aduersus Amalech orationibus proeliantis usque in occasum perseuerans nonne statio fuit sera? legum Naue debellantem Amorrhaeos prandisse illa die existimamus qua ipsis elementis stationem imperauit? stetit sol in Gabaon et luna in Aialon, stetit sol et luna in statione, donec ultus est populus de inimicis suis, et stetit sol medio caelo.
In Exodus, was not that posture of Moses, persisting in prayers until sunset while battling against Amalek, a late station? Do we think that Joshua, son of Nun, while subduing the Amorites, dined on that day on which he commanded a station to the elements themselves? The sun stood in Gibeon and the moon in Aijalon; the sun and the moon stood in their station, until the people avenged themselves of their enemies, and the sun stood in the midst of heaven.
ut autem accedebat in occasum et finem diei unius, non fuit dies talis retro et in nouissimo, utique tam prolixus, ut, inquit, exaudiret deus hominem, parem scilicet solis, instantem tam diu in officio, stationem etiam sera longiorem.
And as it approached sunset and the end of one day, there was no such day before or since, surely so prolonged, that, as he says, God should hearken to a man—namely, to one who, equal to the sun, was instant for so long in duty, a station even longer than a late one.
certe Saul et ipse in proelio constitutus manifeste munus istud indixit: maledictus homo, qui ederit panem ad uesperam usque, dum ulciscar de inimico meo, et non gustauit totus populus eius, et tota terra prandebat.
Certainly Saul himself also, being in battle, manifestly commanded this duty: "Cursed be the man who shall eat bread until evening, until I be avenged of my enemy"; and all his people tasted nothing, and all the land was fasting.
tantam autem deus praestitit auctoritatem edicto stationis illius, ut Ionathan, filius Saulis, quamquam ignarus ieiunationis in serum definitae gustum mellis admiserat, et forte mox de delicto sit traductus et uix per precem populi periculo exemptus.
And God gave such authority to the edict of that station that Jonathan, the son of Saul, although ignorant of the fasting defined until evening, had admitted a taste of honey, and perhaps was soon betrayed of his transgression and was scarcely exempted from danger by the prayer of the people.
gulae enim licet simplicis reus fuerat.
For he had been guilty of gluttony, though simple.
sed et Daniel anno primo regis Darii, cum ieiunus in sacco et cinere exomologesin deo ageret, et adhuc, inquit, loquente me in oratione, ecce uir, quem uideram in somnis initio, uelociter uolans appropinquauit mihi quasi hora uespertini sacrificii. haec erit statio sera quae ad uesperam ieiunans pinguiorem orationem deo immolat.
But Daniel also, in the first year of King Darius, when fasting in sackcloth and ashes he made confession to God, says, "And while I was yet speaking in prayer, behold, the man whom I had seen in dreams at the beginning, flying swiftly, approached me about the time of the evening sacrifice." This will be the late station which, fasting until evening, immolates a richer prayer to God.