The Ancient Witnesses

Chapter 7: The Last Times • 239

How joyful the earth beneath their tread, Till the Master’s words through them to all lands spread. 18 The “beautiful feet” passage sparked much discussion and many questions. In my journal I summarized that Arator had described the proclamation of the gospel by recalling Isaiah 52:7— how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news —as well as Psalm 114, where the mountains skipped like rams and the hills like lambs . He tied the passage together, however, with the theme of soil and earth . The Gospel Treasure As Arator and Ephrem sat down, Chrysostom was joined by two new Roman witnesses, Marius Victorinus and Ambrosiaster. 19 The dark-skinned Romans stood on either side of Chrysostom, creating an image like a Russian icon. Having examined Pentecost—the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church—Mentor now turned our attention to the message of the Gospel itself, which he described as the treasure of the ancient Church. 18 My paraphrase of lines 370-382 in Arator, Acts of the Apostles , in CSEL vol. 72, pages 33-35: Qua sancti fulsere pedes, concurrere visa est/Pondere terra gravi, moxque almus Spiritus illis/Splenduit, et linguis facundia crevit abortis./Auditae valuere preces. Humana propago/Materies terrena sumus, limumque patrentem/Nomine proidit homo. Vis flexit et impulit arva/Vocis apostolicae quae de tellure creatos/Fecit habere fidem; sed quodmagis exsilit unus/Concutitureque locus, cecinit Scriptura decoros/Pacem ferre pedes; horum sub gressibus ergo/Laetamovetur humus, quibus est sermone Magistri/ Pax commissa pii, quae deportata per illos/Exiit in Cunctas veloci munere terras . Compare Schrader, Arator’s On the acts of the Apostles, page 36. 19 This father’s identity was unknown by the ancient Church. The writings he left were attributed to “Ambrosiaster” beginning in the sixteenth century.