Deuteronomy 30

Deuteronomy 30:11

Augustine of Hippo: Because this precept that I am sending you today is not out of measure or far from you. He is not in heaven, saying-that is, for you to say- “Who will come up to heaven for us and bring it to us and hear it?” Nor is it on the other side of the sea, saying-that is, for You say: “Who will go for us across the sea and bring it to us and listen to it and put it to work?” This word is very close to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart and in your hands so that you put it to work. The Apostle says that this is the word of faith, belonging to the New Testament (Cf Rm 10,8). But we can ask why previously they are called commandments to the things that are written in the book of this law (Cf Deuteronomy 29,21). And the explanation is because they all mean the spiritual things belonging to the New Testament, if they are understood correctly. We can also ask why what is said here: Nor is it on the other side of the sea, for you to say: «Who will go for us to the other side of the sea and bring it to us?, The Apostle picks it up, saying: Who will go down into the abyss? “And, in explaining these words, he adds: This is: bringing Christ up from the dead (Rm 10,7). The explanation is that the author calls sea to all the life that passes in this world, and that is crossed with death, so that in a certain way the sea ends and death is called the other side of the sea, as if was the other side of this life, which is indicated by the word sea. On the other hand, what the text says: And in your hands, the Apostle does not collect it, but only says: In your mouth and in your heart (Rm 10,8). And this he continued until the end, saying: For with the heart one believes to obtain justice, and with the mouth confession is made to obtain salvation (Rm 10,10). With good reason, then, the translated text of the Hebrew, as far as I could verify, does not have the words: in your hands. But I do not believe that the Seventy have added it uselessly. They want to say that the hands themselves, which signify the works, must also be received in the heart, where faith is, that works through love (Galatians 5,6). Because if the things that God commands are done externally with the hands and are not made with the heart, there is no one so foolish that he thinks that this is how the commandments are fulfilled. For the rest, if love, which is the fullness of the law (Cf Rm 13,10), dwells in the heart, even though one can not work with the bodily hands, it naturally has peace with men of good will (Cf Lc 2,14). — QUESTIONS ON DEUTERONOMY, Q. 54 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

Deuteronomy 30:14

Clement of Alexandria: “Anyone who tries to act high-handedly annoys God,” says Scripture. For bombast is a spiritual vice. Scripture tells us to repent from it as from the other vices by turning from disharmony and by linking ourselves to a change for the better through the three instruments of mouth, heart and hands. — The Stromata Book 2

Origen of Alexandria: But consider if perhaps all people participate in him insofar as he is Word. This is why the apostle teaches us that he is sought within the seekers by those who choose to find him. He says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who shall ascend into heaven?’ that is, to bring Christ down; or, ‘Who shall descend into the deep?’ that is, to bring Christ up again from the dead. But what does the Scripture say? The Word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart.” This is as though Christ and the Word which is sought are the same. — COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF John 1.269

Origen of Alexandria: But what does Scripture say? The Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart. And to these the Savior also kindly points out the matters pertaining to the kingdom of God, that they may not seek it outside themselves or say, “Behold here or behold there.” For he says to them, “The kingdom of God is within you.” — COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF John 19.77

Origen of Alexandria: The “kingdom of God,” according to the word of our Lord and Savior, “comes not with observation”; and “neither shall they say: Behold here, or behold there”—but “the kingdom of God is within us” (for “the Word is very nigh unto” us, “in our mouth and in our heart”). So it is clear that he who prays for the coming of the kingdom of God rightly prays that the kingdom of God might be established and bear fruit and be perfected in himself. — ON PRAYER 25.1

Deuteronomy 30:15

Ambrose of Milan: Let us ponder the nature of life and of death. Life is the enjoyment of the gift of breath, death the deprivation of it. Further, this gift of breath is considered by most people as a good. And so life is this, the enjoyment of goods, but death is the divestiture of them. And Scripture says, “Behold, I have set before your face life and death, good and evil,” for it calls life good and death evil and attributes to each its proper deserts. — DEATH AS A GOOD 1.2

Basil of Caesarea: There is a certain balance constructed in the interior of each of us by our Creator, on which it is possible to judge the nature of things. “I have set before you life and death, good and evil,” two natures contrary to each other. Balance them against each other in your own tribunal. — HOMILY ON Psalms 61:4

Origen of Alexandria: Therefore, let us acquire eternal life. Let us acquire what is available to us. God does not give it to us; He offers it to us: “Behold, I have offered you life.” It is available to us to stretch out our hands to good deeds, to take possession of life and to keep it in our soul. — DIALOGUE WITH HERACLIDES

Deuteronomy 30:19

Caesarius of Arles: As he himself said … “Behold before you are fire and water, death and life. Choose life, that you may live.” Everything we mentioned above, that is, good and evil, is contained in these two. For heaven and hell, Christ and the devil, height and depth are proposed to us in them. Through his grace God has put it into the power of each one to choose and to stretch out his hand to whatever he wishes. — SERMON 149.1

Caesarius of Arles: Behold, man, you have before you “water and fire, life and death, good and evil,” heaven and hell, the legitimate king and a cruel tyrant, the false sweetness of the world and the true blessedness of paradise. Power is given to you through the grace of Christ: “Stretch forth your hand to whichever you choose.” “Choose life, that you may live”; leave the broad way on the left which drags you to death and cling to the narrow path on the right which happily leads you to life. Do not allow the wideness of that road on the left to keep you or give you pleasure. — SERMON 151.5

Salvian the Presbyter: For since, as it is written, man is confronted equally with life and death and stretches out his hand toward what he wants, it is necessary that whatever a man grasps with his hands in time he must possess forever in eternity. What here he cleaves to in affection, he must in the future cleave to forever, with his will and mind wholly fixed upon it. — FOUR BOOKS OF TIMOTHY TO THE CHURCH 1.1.7