George Leo Haydock, on Luke 1:78

“Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:”

“The rising light,[12] or the rising sun, hath visited us from on high. The Rheims translation hath the Orient, the Protestant, the day-spring. Both seem more obscure than they need be. The Latin, as well as the Greek, hath a noun substantive, by which Christ himself is signified. Yet the same word, in both languages, is sometimes taken for a rising light, and sometimes for a bud, or branch; in which latter sense it is expounded by St. Jerome. (Comment in Zachar. p. 1737, tom. 3, Ed. Ben.) But in this place it is rather taken for a light that riseth, by the following words, to enlighten them that sit in darkness, &c. (Witham) — The Orient. It is one of the titles of the Messias, the true light of the world, and the sun of justice. (Challoner) — By this he shews that God has forgiven us our sins, not through our merits, but through his own most tender mercy; (Theophylactus) and that we are to solicit this forgiveness through the bowels of his most tender mercy.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.