Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Ossius of Cordova and Silence: Christ Can Even Save The Broken

Ossius of Cordova and Silence: Christ Can Even Save The Broken

Last updated on: January 23, 2017 at 6:45 am by Henry Karlson

Ossius of Cordova and Silence: Christ Can Even Save The Broken 2017-01-23T06:45:23-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Even after his fall, Athanasius held him in the greatest esteem. We read, for example, Athanasius briefly discussing this point in his “Defense of his Flight”:

Of the great Hosius, who answers to his name, that confessor of a happy old age, it is superfluous for me to speak, for I suppose it is known unto all men that they caused him also to be banished; for he is not an obscure person, but of all men the most illustrious, and more than this. When was there a Council held, in which he did not take the lead , and by right counsel convince every one? Where is there a Church that does not possess some glorious monuments of his patronage? Who has ever come to him in sorrow, and has not gone away rejoicing? What needy person ever asked his aid, and did not obtain what he desired? And yet even on this man they made their assault, because knowing the calumnies which they invent in behalf of their iniquity, he would not subscribe to their designs against us. And if afterwards, upon the repeated stripes above measure that were inflicted upon him, and the conspiracies that were formed against his kinsfolk, he yielded to them for a time, as being old and infirm in body, yet at least their wickedness is shown even in this circumstance; so zealously did they endeavour by all means to prove that they were not truly Christians.[1]

St. Athanasius clearly defined as Ossius as being great, despite the “yielding for a time” against his will to the torture he and his family suffered at the hands of Arians. Athanasius understood the weight of the blows and the infirmity of old age, and saw that what it caused Ossius to do did not remove his greatness, but rather demonstrated it because of how long he suffered and endured for the Christian faith. Indeed, Athanasius brought Ossius up in his History of the Arians, once again describing the torture and what it brought about, but also using it to demonstrate Ossius’s greatness:

But although they had done all this, yet these impious men thought they had accomplished nothing, so long as the great Hosius escaped their wicked machinations. And now they undertook to extend their fury to that great old man. They felt no shame at the thought that he is the father of the Bishops; they regarded not that he had been a Confessor ; they reverenced not the length of his Episcopate, in which he had continued more than sixty years; but they set aside everything, and looked only to the interests of their heresy, as being of a truth such as neither fear God, nor regard man. [2]

After describing Ossius’ initial resistance to the emperor, including his refusing to denounce Athanasius, Athanasius continued:

Such were the sentiments, and such the letter, of the Abraham-like old man, Hosius, truly so called. But the Emperor desisted not from his designs, nor ceased to seek an occasion against him; but continued to threaten him severely, with a view either to bring him over by force, or to banish him if he refused to comply. And as the Officers and Satraps of Babylon, seeking an occasion against Daniel, found none except in the law of his God; so likewise these present Satraps of impiety were unable to invent any charge against the old man (for this true Hosius, and his blameless life were known to all), except the charge of hatred to their heresy. They therefore proceeded to accuse him; though not under the same circumstances as those others accused Daniel to Darius, for Darius was grieved to hear the charge, but as Jezebel accused Naboth, and as the Jews applied themselves to Herod. And they said, ‘He not only will not subscribe against Athanasius, but also on his account condemns us; and his hatred to the heresy is so great, that he also writes to others, that they should rather suffer death, than become traitors to the truth. For, he says, our beloved Athanasius also is persecuted for the Truth’s sake, and Liberius, Bishop of Rome, and all the rest, are treacherously assailed.’ When this patron of impiety, and Emperor of heresy , Constantius, heard this, and especially that there were others also in the Spains of the same mind as Hosius, after he had tempted them also to subscribe, and was unable to compel them to do so, he sent for Hosius, and instead of banishing him, detained him a whole year in Sirmium. Godless, unholy, without natural affection, he feared not God, he regarded not his father’s affection for Hosius, he reverenced not his great age, for he was now a hundred years old ; but all these things this modern Ahab, this second Belshazzar of our times, disregarded for the sake of impiety. He used such violence towards the old man, and confined him so tightly, that at last, broken by suffering, he was brought, though hardly, to hold communion with Valens, Ursacius, and their fellows, though he would not subscribe against Athanasius. Yet even thus he forgot not his duty, for at the approach of death, as it were by his last testament, he bore witness to the force which had been used towards him, and anathematized the Arian heresy, and gave strict charge that no one should receive it.[3]

Ossius lapsed under pressure, and yet we can see how Athanasius, who looked up to Ossius as a mentor, exonerated him, realizing that what is done out of external force is not freely willed, and therefore not to be seen as imputing guilt. Certainly some heroic saints could suffer through such persecution and perish in it, and their martyrdom is to be recognized for the greatness found in it as well, but those who suffer as confessors for a long time also demonstrate a heroic virtue as well, even if they crack due to external pressure.

Japanese Martyrs by Abraham (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

What Ossius suffered was quite similar to what is shown in Endo’s Silence. In it, the priest Sebastião Rodrigues, has as his trial the suffering of his flock. He is told they will be tortured and killed unless he does as the Japanese officials want of him. He was told if he would only recant the faith, the people would be let go, and he was being selfish not to do so – that their pain and suffering is his fault. All he had to do, he was told, was stomp on the image of Christ, demonstrating his rejection of Christ and affirmation of the authority of Japan as being superior.

Rodrigues sees his duty is to be charitable to his flock, to love them and do what he can for their safety, and this in the end is what motivates him to be unselfish, to give up claims of personal holiness, and so to do as asked by the Japanese authorities. In the midst of the pain and suffering he is feeling, in the midst of all the confusion, he feels that Christ has even come to him to tell him that if he follows through with the demands of the Japanese nationalists, mercy and grace could still be his, because Christ’s death already took such sin into account and is meant to hold everyone up. Jesus was already stomped on by taking up the cross and it was what he came to do, to hold up all the sinners, all those who suffer and cannot stand on their own.

Too many take Endo was indicating apostasy is fine. This, however, was not the point; he was right in saying that if someone did apostatize, Jesus’ work on the cross has already taken it into consideration, and they can still receive mercy and grace from Jesus. They need not despair like Judas did, but see that their weakness was like Peter, a sin for a season which does not have to define them and make them necessarily hell-bound. This was the message of the Church in its rejection of the Novatians.

Moreover, we do not have to accept that Rodrigues really had Christ come to him, but rather, we can see it as what went on in his personal imagination; it can be seen as the vain imagination of a man broken down; there is grace in it, healing which is given to him through it, because it is based upon an aspect of truth, but we do not need to see it as being real and so indication of Jesus telling anyone to sin. We can add to it what Athanasius indicated: when someone is so broken that they lapse against their will, the guilt is not theirs, but those who break them down.

Silence therefore is a movie about humanity, about a priest who loves others thanks to his love for Christ, and gives us a reason to expect for mercy for such a man even if they are broken down because of that love. It is profound, but to take for granted the vision, the words he imagines Christ says, is to forget what is happening to him in his mind and body and so to ignore the whole point of how such mercy is revealed. It is the mercy which the earliest Christian martyrs always gave to their compatriots, to those who could not hold out to the end. For, as St. Jerome indicated, those who held out to the end are exceptional: “If anyone persecuted for confessing the Name [that is, of Christ] sees another person deny it under pain of torture, he should empathize with what the denier has suffered and be astonished not as much because anyone overcame him as because he overcame himself.”[4]

[1] St. Athanasius, “Defense of His Flight” in NPNF2(4):256.

[2] St. Athanasius, “History of the Arians” in NPNF2(4):284-5.

[3] Ibid., 286-7.

[4] St. Jerome, Commentary on the Galatians. trans. Andrew Cain (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2010), 248.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook:

A Little Bit of Nothing

Previous Post

January 19, 2017

Social Justice, The Traditional Anti-Pelagian Praxis Of The Church

Next Post

January 25, 2017 Greatness Is Found In Humble Love, Not Boastful Pride

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz