“This abode is not just a house but heaven on earth”

Balai the Syrian, at the beginning of the 5th century, consecrating a church near Aleppo (1):

“This dwelling is not just a house but heaven on earth because it contains the Lord. If you want to scrutinize it, it is entirely in the heights, but if you seek it, it is entirely present on earth. If you strive to grasp it, it escapes you by its transcendence, but if you love it, it is very close to you. If you study him, he is in heaven, but if you believe in him, he is in the sanctuary. And so that he may remain with us, the men of the earth, we have built him a dwelling; we have erected the altar, the table where the Church eats life. »