For as the lightning came out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
All Commentaries on Matthew 24:27 Go To Matthew 24
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
For as the lightning, &c. Ye must not give credit to wanderers, who shall say, Messiah, the Saviour of the Jews from the Romans , is hidden in desert places, or in secret chambers in the Temple; for when He shall come the second time to judgment to bless the saints and condemn the wicked, He will appear publicly to the whole world. The judge of all will appear like the lightning, radiant with great glory and majesty, so as to dazzle the eyes of all, and turn them upon Himself, in such a manner that no one will be able to doubt that He is the Christ the Saviour of the world. He means, "My advent, My return to judgment, will be like the lightning, because—1st it will be sudden; 2d it will be unexpected; 3d it will be manifest to all; 4th it will he glorious; 5th mighty, so that no one can resist it; 6th it will not be on the earth, but in the air, like the lightning, which makes itself plain to view; not in a corner, but to the world in a moment of time." For Christ is here replying to the mind and thoughts of the Apostles. For they thought that Christ would inaugurate His glorious Kingdom upon earth immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem. So S. Chrysostom, "For as the lightning needs no preacher nor messenger, but appears in a moment to all, so shall that advent be seen everywhere alway to shine immediately." Also Auctor Imperfecti, "As lightning traverses all things in the twinkling of an eye, so likewise shall the Son of God not seem to be coming, but to have come. For if the sun, which has been created for our service, possesses such splendour, that in whatsoever part of the heavens it may be, it appeareth everywhere present; how much more shall Christ, the Spiritual Sun, when He cometh, be seen by all the world, or rather, the world be seen by Him?"
This author adds, that Christ here makes mention of lightning, because lightning shall go before Him when He comes to judgment, according to the words of the Psalm 97:4-5, "His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the LORD of the whole earth."
Wheresoever the carcase Isaiah , &c. There is an allusion to Job 39:33, And wheresoever the carcase (Heb. the slain) shall be, he will be there. After the metaphor of lightning, he subjoins the parable of the eagle; both because, as the eagle is not struck by lightning, so the elect will not be affected by the thunderbolt of the sentence and the curse with which Christ shall condemn the wicked to hell in the Day of Judgment, as also in order that the Apostles might not suppose that the glorious Advent of Christ should, like lightning, pass away, and should ask, "What reward will accrue to us therefrom?" Christ gives the assurance that He will indeed appear like the lightning, unto all, but that He will abide with His elect, and will feed them with His glory, as an eagle feeds upon a body as its prey and food.
Carcase. The Vulg. seems to have read σω̃μα, as some copies still have it. But a better reading is πτω̃μα, which properly signifies ruin, fall, and from hence comes to mean a carcase. Πτω̃μα comes from πίπτω, as cadaver from cadendo. But by πτω̃μα, Salmeron understands prey, hunting, either for the body of a bird, a hare, or some such thing as eagles hunt. This is called πτω̃μα, because the bodies of those creatures which eagles capture fall upon the earth. For the eagle is too noble to eat carrion, or the dead body of anything save of what it has itself captured and killed.
Aristotle, however (lib9 , Hislor. Anim. c32), enumerate Six kinds of eagles, and amongst them the γυπάετον, or vulture-eagle, that is to say, a species which seeks out dead bodies. Hence the LXX. in Job 39:27 translate by γÏψ. This is the bird of which Christ here speaks, according to Aldrovandus and others. Both meanings and readings suit this passage, as I will presently show.
The words constitute an enigmatical parable, signifying that Christ cannot be hid. As though He had said, "As eagles discern the bodies upon which they prey, even from on high, and fly towards them, and as a vulture smells a carcase even when it is very far off, so in like manner shall My glorious return to judge the world not be hidden or secret, but manifest to all. Wherefore the faithful and righteous at that time, like eagles of most piercing sight, and like vultures of most acute scent, shall, by divine power, scent Me out, that Isaiah , they shall perceive Me beforehand. They shall discern Me with their eyes, and fly to Me, that they may most happily feed upon Me and upon My glory, and be refreshed and blessed for ever." And in truth there shall be no need then to search where is Christ. For His Advent shall be glorious, and visible to all the world. This is what Paul says, "We shall be snatched up into the clouds, to meet Christ in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." ( 1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Christ compares Himself to a carcase, that He may signify His death, by which He merited glory for us. He compares Himself also to a body made alive again, that He may signify His glorious Resurrection, by which He will feed and bless His elect. Wherefore S. Hilary gathers from this passage that the universal judgment of Christ will take place on that spot where He hung a corpse upon the cross, and where He was buried,—that is to say, near Jerusalem, in the valley of Jehoshaphat, as Joel teaches ( Joel 3:2). Hear S. Hilary, "He called the saints eagles, from the flight of the spiritual body, whose gathering together by the angels He showed would be in the place of His Passion. And rightly may His glorious Advent there be expected, where for us He procured an eternity of glory by the sufferings of the body of His humility." And S. Jerome says, "Eagles are they who take wings to fly to the .Passion of Christ." It is agreeable to reason that Christ should there judge all men, where He was unjustly judged for all; and that His glory should be there seen, where His lowliness and humility were witnessed; that He should descend from Heaven in the place where He ascended into Heaven, and that so the whole work of our salvation should be completed and finished in that same spot where it was begun.
Moreover, the saints are rightly compared to eagles, because the eagle is the king of birds, as the lion is the king of beasts. So likewise are the Saints kings, not of earth, but of Heaven. Hear Origen, "He said not, where the carcase Isaiah , thither shall the vultures or the crows be gathered together, but the eagles, to signify that those who have believed in the Passion of the Lord are all great and regal."
Here also Auctor Imperfecti, who for eagles understands vultures, "Concerning vultures, the Scripture saith in the Book of Job , Wheresoever the carcase Isaiah , there will be found the vulture"s young ones. For this is the natural property of vultures. As some say, they can scent a corpse even across the sea. But because vultures are foul birds, Christ adopted the name of eagles to the habits of vultures, that thus might be shown the gathering together of the Saints to the Advent of Christ, that in the royal eagles the regal dignity might be shown. For in this manner are the Saints like unto eagles, because as eaglets are proved by the sun, in such manner, that if without blenching they can look straight up at the sun, they are considered legitimate offspring, but if they cannot do this, they are regarded as spurious; Song of Solomon , also, the sons of God are proved by the justice of Christ. If they are able fully to accept the words of His justice, they are understood to be legitimate; but if not, they are understood to be the offspring of the devil."
2. Because, as S. Ambrose says (in S. Luke xviii.), eagles renew themselves. So also the Saints are renewed here by grace, and hereafter by glory, according to those words of the Psalm , "They shall renew their strength like eagles."
3. Because there is something divine about the eagle. As Aristotle says (lib9 , Hist. Anim. c32), "Eagles fly on high, that they may see to the farthest possible extent. Wherefore men say that the eagle is the only bird which is divine." Hence by eagles S. Chrysostom understands the multitude of Angels, Martyrs, Saints, who all, as it were divine spirits, shall he gathered together to Christ their God in the Day of Judgment, that they may ascend up with Him in glory to Heaven.
4. The saints are eagles, because they fly above the earth, and mount up to Heaven, that they may behold heavenly things, and look down upon earthly things as far beneath them. Whence they say with S. Paul, "Our conversation is in Heaven."
5. As eagles possess sharp and strong sight, so as to be able with unblenching eye to gaze at the sun; thus do the Saints assiduously, with the keen eyes of their minds, contemplate Christ, who is the Sun of justice.
Allegorically: the Body of Christ is the Church, in which are eagles, that Isaiah , spiritual persons of heavenly life and doctrine. Song of Solomon , on the contrary, heretics are like black crows and chattering daws; or like moles, wholly conversant with earth and earthly things. Hear S. Ambrose (in Luc. c. xvii. last ver.), "Do not the eagles seem to thee to be about the Body, when the Son of Man shall come in that Day with clouds of them that understand? When every eye shall see Him, and they also that pierced Him? This, is the Body of which it has been said, "My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed." Round about this Body are the true eagles, who fly with spiritual wings. There likewise fly the eagles who believe that Jesus is come in the flesh. "For every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God." For where there is faith, there is the sacrament, there is the abode of sanctity. This is the Body of the Church, in which by the grace of baptism we are renewed in spirit, and the decay of age is renewed by the return of youth."
Anagogically: the Blessed, in the Day of Judgment, after the Resurrection, shall be gathered together to the Body, i.e, to Christ risen and glorified, that they may fly with Him to life in Heaven. By eagles is denoted the swiftness of the Blessed, according to the words in Isa. xl, "They shall fly like eagles." Wherefore S. Gregory expounds thus (S. Thom. in Catena), "Wheresoever the Body," &c. As though Christ had said, "Because I, incarnate, preside in the heavenly seat, I sustain with flesh the life of My elect, I lift them up to Heaven." And S. Ambrose (in Ps. xlix. sub finem), for body, reading ruin, or fall, which is the meaning of the Greek πτω̃μα, says, "Where the ruin Isaiah , there are the eagles; i.e, where He fell, there He rose again." Again, the eagle is the symbol of the blessed eternity of the Saints. For the eagle is very long-lived, and when it grows old it renews its youth. Hence the proverb, "The old age of an eagle."
Symbolically: the eagle, because it has sharp sight, is a symbol of truth. Whence S. Ambrose, "Where the body," &c, i.e, "Where the Body of Christ Isaiah , there is truth." Again, the eagle is a type of the angels, because of their swiftness. Therefore S. Ambrose (lib1 , de Sacram. c2) understands the words of the Eucharist. For at the Eucharist, where the Body of Christ Isaiah , the eagles, i.e, the angels, assist. So also do the Saints and Priests. The same also saith (lib4 , c2), "The form of the Body is the altar, the Body of Christ is on the altar. Ye are eagles, renewed by being washed from sin."
