And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executes his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can endure it?
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Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
In notable fashion has Scripture spoken of a “day,” not the “first day.” Because a second, then a third day, and finally the remaining days were to follow, a “first day” could have been mentioned, following in this way the natural order. But Scripture established a law that twentyfour hours, including day and night, should be given the name of day only, as if one were to say the length of one day is twentyfour hours in extent. In such fashion, also, is the generation of men reckoned, which is understood to include that of women also. Because what is secondary is bound up with what is primary, the nights in this reckoning are considered to be component parts of the days that are counted. Therefore, just as there is a single revolution of time, so there is but one day. There are many who call even a week one day, because it returns to itself, just as one day does, and one might say seven times revolves back on itself. This is the form of a circle, to begin with itself and to return to it...
Therefore he called the beginning of time not a “first day” but “one day,” in order that from the name it might have kinship with eternity. For the day that shows a character of uniqueness and nonparticipation with the rest is properly and naturally called “one.” If, however, the Scripture presents to us many ages, saying in various places “age of age” and “age of ages,” still in those places neither the first nor the second nor the third age is enumerated for us. By this, differences of conditions and of various circumstances are shown to us but not limits and boundaries and successions of ages. “The Day of the Lord is great and very terrible,” it is said.
When a maidservant is rebelling but then sees her master coming, she grows humble and returns to her good behavior. So too the paralytic’s body had revolted like the maidservant, and this caused the paralysis. But when the body saw its master coming near, it returned to its good behavior and resumed its proper discipline. And the word of Christ accomplished all this. Yet the words were not mere words but the words of God, of which the prophet said, “The works of his words are mighty.” For if God’s words made humankind when they did not exist, much more will they make humanity whole again and restore it to health even though it has grown feeble and weak with disease? Against the Anomoeans, Homily
