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with the graces of the festival, but to sing mournful dirges and bewail the tragic evils of the bridal chambers, or conversely, being commanded to perform the customary rites for one of the dead, to forget the sorrow, and to be cheerful before the assembly full of dejection? If order and knowledge are good in worldly things, surely it is much more fitting in great and heavenly things. Therefore Christ, God, the impassible, the 9.248 immortal, rose today (and wait a little, O gentile, leaving aside your rash laughter, until you have heard all), not suffering by necessity nor being forced in his descent from heaven nor finding the resurrection as an unexpected benefit against hope, but knowing the end of all things and so making the beginning. Having in the eyes of his divinity the knowledge of the things that lay ahead and seeing, before he came down from heaven, both the turmoil of the nations and the hardness of Israel and Pilate presiding and Caiaphas tearing his own garment and the seditious people inflamed and Judas betraying and Peter fighting for him and after a little while himself being transformed by the resurrection into the glory of incorruptibility and having all that was to come outlined in his knowledge he did not postpone his grace to man nor did he put off the economy, but just as those who see a weak person being dragged along a ravine, knowing that it is possible both to be entangled in the mud of the torrent and to endure the blow of the stones pushed together by the water, nevertheless, out of compassion for the one in danger, do not hesitate to enter, so also our philanthropic savior voluntarily accepted insolent and dishonorable things, that he might save the one perishing from deceit. He came down into life, because he also foreknew his glorious ascent, he allowed his human self to die, because he also foreknew the rising; for not as one of common men did he dare to risk it recklessly, entrusting the outcome to the uncertainty of the future, but as God he was administering the matter at hand with a stated and known end. 9.249

This, therefore, is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it; not with drunkenness and revelries, not with dances and drunken brawls, but with godlike thoughts. Today it is possible to see the whole world as one house gathered into the harmony of one † matter and having neglected every customary affair, but transformed by one signal to zeal for prayer. The main roads do not have travelers, the sea today is empty of sailors and seafarers, the farmer, having thrown aside his hoe and plow, has adorned himself in the guise of one celebrating, the shops are free from commerce, the disturbances have been dissolved as winter is by the appearance of spring, noises and disturbances and storms of life have given way to the peace of the festival, the poor man adorns himself as a rich man, the rich man is shown more splendid than usual, the old man runs like a youth to partake of the joy, the sick man even forces his illness, the child celebrates perceptibly by the change of its garment, since it cannot yet do so intellectually, the virgin is exceedingly joyful in her soul, because she sees the remembrance of her own hope bright and so honored, the married woman rejoices, celebrating with the whole complement of her household; for now her spouse and children and servants and all the household rejoice. And just as the swarm of bees, new and recently born, flying out first from the hive or the baskets towards the air and the light all together and joined 9.250 attaches itself to a single branch of a tree, so at this festival whole families run together to their hearths. And truly the present day is well referred in imitation to the day to come; for both are gatherings of people, that one of the whole, this one of the part. But to speak more truly, inasmuch as it brings brightness and

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τῆς πανηγύρεως χάρισι, γοερὰ δὲ μέλη θρηνεῖν καὶ τὰ ἐκ τραγῳδίας κακὰ τῶν παστάδων κατολοφύρεσθαι, ἢ τὸ ἔμπαλιν ἐπιταχθεὶς ἑνὶ τῶν τετελευτηκότων τὰ νενομισμένα τελεῖν ἐπιλαθέσθαι μὲν τοῦ πάθους, φαιδρύνεσθαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν κατηφείας γέμοντα σύλλογον; εἰ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐγκοσμίοις καλὸν ἡ τάξις καὶ ἐπιστήμη, πολλῷ δήπου πλέον ἐν τοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ οὐρανίοις ἁρμοδιώ τερον. Χριστὸς τοίνυν ἀνέστη σήμερον ὁ θεός, ὁ ἀπαθής, ὁ 9.248 ἀθάνατος (καὶ μικρὸν ἐπίσχες ὁ ἐθνικὸς παρεὶς τὸν προπετῆ γέλωτα, μέχρις ἂν πάντων ἀκούσῃς), οὐ πρὸς ἀνάγκην παθὼν οὐδὲ τὴν ἐξ οὐρανῶν κάθοδον βιασθεὶς οὐδὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὡς ἀπροσδόκητον εὐεργεσίαν παρ' ἐλπίδας εὑρών, ἀλλ' εἰδὼς πάντων τῶν πραγμάτων τὸ τέλος καὶ οὕτω τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιησάμενος. ἔχων ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τῆς θεότητος τῶν προκει μένων τὴν γνῶσιν καὶ πρὶν ἐξ οὐρανῶν κατελθεῖν βλέπων καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν ταραχὴν καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν σκληρότητα καὶ Πιλάτον προκαθήμενον καὶ Καϊάφαν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἐσθῆτα περισπαράσσοντα καὶ τὸν στασιώδη δῆμον φλεγμαίνοντα καὶ Ἰούδαν προδιδόντα καὶ Πέτρον ὑπερμαχόμενον καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον ἑαυτὸν τῇ ἀναστάσει εἰς δόξαν ἀφθαρσίας μεταμορφού μενον καὶ πᾶν τὸ μέλλον ἔχων ὑπογεγραμμένον τῇ γνώσει οὐκ ἀνεβάλετο τὴν εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον χάριν οὐδὲ ὑπερέθετο τὴν οἰκονομίαν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ τὸν ἀσθενῆ παρὰ χαράδρας συρόμενον βλέποντες εἰδότες, ὡς ἔστι καὶ τῷ βορβόρῳ τοῦ χειμάρρου ἐνειληθῆναι καὶ τῆς πληγῆς ἀνασχέσθαι τῶν λίθων τῶν συνωθουμένων παρὰ τοῦ ὕδατος, ὅμως διὰ τὸ συμπαθὲς τὸ περὶ τὸν κινδυνεύοντα οὐκ ὀκνοῦσι τὴν εἴσοδον, οὕτω καὶ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ἡμῶν σωτὴρ ἐθελοντὴς ὑβριστικὰ καὶ ἄτιμα κατεδέξατο, ἵνα τὸν ἐξ ἀπάτης ἀπολλύμενον σώσῃ. κατῆλθεν εἰς τὸν βίον, ἐπειδὴ προῄδει καὶ τὴν ἄνοδον ἔνδοξον, ἀποθανεῖν τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ ἑαυτοῦ συνεχώρησεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὴν ἔγερσιν προεγίνωσκεν· οὐ γὰρ ὡς εἷς τῶν κοινῶν ἀνθρώπων ῥιψοκινδύνως ἐτόλμα τῇ ἀδηλίᾳ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐπιτρέπων τὴν ἔκβασιν, ἀλλ' ὡς θεὸς ᾠκονόμει τὸ προκείμενον ἐπὶ ῥητῷ καὶ ἐγνωσμένῳ τῷ τέλει. 9.249

Αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ· μὴ μέθαις καὶ κώμοις, μὴ χοροῖς καὶ παροινίαις, ἀλλὰ ταῖς θεοειδέσιν ἐννοίαις. σήμερον ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ὡς μίαν οἰκίαν εἰς συμφω νίαν ἑνὸς † πράγματος συναχθεῖσαν καὶ παντὸς ἀμελήσασαν τοῦ κατὰ συνήθειαν πράγματος, μετασκευασθεῖσαν δὲ ἑνὶ συνθήματι εἰς τὴν σπουδὴν τῆς εὐχῆς. αἱ λεωφόροι τοὺς ὁδοιπόρους οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ἡ θάλασσα σήμερον ναυτῶν καὶ πλωτήρων ἔρημος, ὁ γεωργὸς τὴν σκαπάνην καὶ τὸ ἄροτρον ῥίψας εἰς τὸ τοῦ ἑορτάζοντος σχῆμα ἐκαλλωπίσατο, αἱ καπηλεῖαι τῆς ἐμπορίας σχολάζουσιν, αἱ ὀχλήσεις ἐλύθησαν ὡς χειμὼν ἐπιφανέντος ἔαρος, θόρυβοι καὶ ταραχαὶ καὶ ζάλαι τοῦ βίου τῇ εἰρήνῃ τῆς ἑορτῆς ὑπεξέστησαν, ὁ πένης ὡς πλούσιος καλλωπίζεται, ὁ πλούσιος τῆς συνηθείας περιφανέστερος δείκνυται, ὁ πρεσβύτης ὡς νέος τρέχει πρὸς τὴν μετουσίαν τῆς εὐφροσύνης, ὁ ἀσθενὴς καὶ τὴν νόσον βιάζεται, τὸ παιδίον τῇ ἐξαλλαγῇ τῆς ἐσθῆτος αἰσθητῶς ἑορτάζει, ἐπειδὴ νοητῶς οὐδέπω δύναται, ἡ παρθένος ὑπερ γάνυται τὴν ψυχήν, ὅτι τῆς ἰδίας ἐλπίδος λαμπρὰν καὶ οὕτω τιμωμένην τὴν ὑπόμνησιν βλέπει, ἡ ἔγγαμος ὅλῳ τῷ πληρώ ματι τῆς οἰκίας ἑορτάζουσα χαίρει· νῦν γὰρ αὐτῇ καὶ ὁ σύνοικος καὶ οἱ παῖδες καὶ οἱ οἰκέται καὶ πάντες ἐφέστιοι ἀγάλλονται. καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ σμῆνος τῶν μελισσῶν τὸ νέον καὶ ἀρτίτοκον πρῶτον τῆς καταδύσεως ἢ τῶν καλαθίσκων πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐξιπτάμενον ἄθρουν ὁμοῦ καὶ συνημμένον 9.250 ἑνὶ κλάδῳ δένδρου προσπλάσσεται, οὕτως ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς ἑορτῆς ὁλόκληρα τὰ γένη πρὸς τὰς ἑστίας συντρέχει. καὶ ἀληθῶς τῇ μιμήσει πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμέραν ἡ παροῦσα καλῶς ἀναφέρεται· ἀθροιστικαὶ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἀμφότεραι, ἐκείνη τῶν καθόλου, αὕτη τῶν ἐπὶ μέρους. ἵνα δὲ τὸ ἀλη θέστερον εἴπωμεν, ὅσον εἰς φαιδρότητα φέρει καὶ