Therefore have we erred from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us.
All Commentaries on Wisdom of Solomon 5:6 Go To Wisdom of Solomon 5
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
One must not believe that we owe religious cult to the heavenly lights or must worship them because they are sometimes used as images to refer to the saints. We will now explain this in the name of Christ, showing how illogical it would be to want to worship the sun or the moon or the stars or the sky, because an image has been derived from them to indicate the saints. Many objects have been chosen by the inspired authors to represent the saints, but no one worships them. If in fact you wanted to worship everything symbolizing the saints, you would have to worship the mountains and the hills, given that it is written, "The mountains will exult like rams and the hills like lambs." You refer to the saints, but I will speak of Christ himself. If it is written, "The lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed," why don"t you worship the lion? And the rock as well, since it is written, "And the rock was Christ." If, then, you do not worship these earthly beings that symbolize Christ, even if certain images have been derived from them, you must remember that any creature that has been used to symbolize the saints is just an image and reserve your adoration for the Creator. Our Lord Jesus Christ has been called the sun. But is he perhaps this sun that the least significant animals see along with us? He is the light of which it is written, "He was the true light who enlightens every person who comes into this world." Material light enlightens not only people but also quadrupeds, herds and every kind of animal. The Light that enlightens all people shines in the heart and illumines only those having an intellect.
