XXXIX. Ambrosii Opera, Paris, 1836, v. 4, p. 201; Clich

toveus, Elucidat. Eccles., p. 75.

XL. Clichtoveus, Elucidat. Eccles., p. 158; Rambach, Anthol. Christl. Gesänge, p. 285; Daniel, Thes. Hymnol., v. 2, p. 64.

1. Heri] The Church has always loved to bring out, as Adam of St Victor does here, the significance of the day on which it commemorates the martyrdom of St Stephen-namely, that it is the day immediately following the day of Christ's nativity. Thus Durandus; (Rational., 1. 7, c. 42;) Augustine, Serm. 314 and often; Bernard, v. 1, p. 794, Bened. ed.; and Fulgentius (Appendix to Augustine, v. 5, p. 357): Hesterno die celebravimus Natalem quo Rex martyrum natus est in mundo; hodie celebramus natalem quo primicerius martyrum migravit ex mundo. Et ideò natus est Dominus ut moreretur pro servo; ne servus timeret mori pro Domino. Natus est Christus in terris, ut Stephanus nasceretur in cœlis: altus ad humilia descendit, ut humiles ad alta adscenderent. Another hymn on St Stephen (Clichtoveus, p. 20) has these noble lines expressing the same thought:

Tu per Christum hebetatam
Primus transis rhomphæam,
Primum granum trituratum
Christi ditans aream.

The poupaía here is the fiery sword of the Cherubim, which precluded all access to Paradise, but which sword was quenched and blunted in the blood of Christ, so that Stephen could now pass it by, and enter into life.

7. Levita] It is hardly necessary to observe that, by a very natural transfer of Jewish terms to Christian things, Levita in the early Church language was equivalent to diaconus. (Bingham, Antiqq., b. 2, c. 20, §. 2.)

11. insultavit] Cf. Acts vii. 51-53.