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What the widow did, do you also at the opportune time of the day. Just as she put in two obols, and drew upon herself much favor from God; so also you, lend two hours to God, and you will bring a gain of ten thousand days into your house. But if you cannot bear it, consider lest, by being unwilling to separate yourself from earthly gains for a small part of the day, you lose the labors of entire years. For God, when he is despised, knows how to empty the money that has been collected; just as he also said, threatening the Jews, when they despised the care concerning the temple: You have brought them into your houses, and I have blown them away, says the Lord. For what, tell me, of the necessary things will we be able to teach you, who attend here once or twice a year, about the soul, about the body, about immortality, about the kingdom of heaven, about punishment, about Gehenna, about the long-suffering of God, about forgiveness, about repentance, about baptism, about the remission of sins, about this creation above, and the one below, about the nature of men, about angels, about the wickedness of demons, about the wiles of the devil, about conduct, about doctrines, about the right faith, about corrupt heresies? For a Christian must know these things and many more than these, and give an account of all these things to those who ask you. But you will not be able to know even the smallest part of these things, being gathered here once 49.365 and that as a secondary matter, and from the custom of a feast, not from reverence of soul. For it would be desirable if someone, coming here for every assembly, could grasp all these things with accuracy. Many of you who are present have servants and sons, and when you are about to hand them over to the masters of whatever trades you might choose, you make your own house completely inaccessible to them, and having prepared for them bedding and food and every other service, you have them lodge with the teacher, preventing them from entering your house, so that their constant stay there may make the instruction more accurate, with no other care interrupting their study. But now, when you are about to learn not some ordinary trade, but the one greater than all, how one must please God and attain the things of heaven, you think you can achieve this as a secondary matter. And what great folly this is? For that the matter is a study needing much attention, hear what he says: Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and again the prophet: Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord; and again: Be still, and know that I am God. So that much leisure is needed for one who is going to enjoy this philosophy. 2. But, so that we may not spend all the time in accusation of those who are absent, being content with what has been said for the correction of their own indolence, come let us discourse on something concerning the present feast. For many celebrate the feasts, and know their names, but are ignorant of the reasons, whence they arose. That the present feast is called Epiphany, then, is clear to all; but what this epiphany is, and whether it is one or two, this they do not know; which would be a matter of extreme shame and much ridicule, to celebrate this feast every year, yet be ignorant of its reason. First, then, it is necessary to say to your charity, that there is not one epiphany, but two; one, this present one which has already occurred, and a second, the one which is to come and will gloriously occur at the consummation. And concerning each of them you heard Paul today discoursing to Titus and saying thus; concerning the

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ἐποίησεν ἡ χήρα, τοῦτο ποίησον ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ σὺ τῆς ἡμέρας· καθάπερ ἐκείνη δύο κατέβαλεν ὀβολοὺς, καὶ πολλὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπεσπάσατο τὴν εὔνοιαν· οὕτω καὶ σὺ δύο δάνεισον ὥρας τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ μυρίων ἡμερῶν κέρδος εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσάξεις τὴν σήν. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀνέχῃ, σκόπει μή ποτε, μικρὸν ἡμέρας μέρος οὐ βουλόμενος ἑαυτὸν ἀποστῆσαι τῶν γηΐνων κερδῶν, ὁλοκλήρων ἐνιαυτῶν ἀπολέσῃς πόνους. Οἶδε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καταφρονούμενος καὶ τὰ συλλεγέντα κενοῦν χρήματα· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ Ἰουδαίοις ἀπειλῶν ἔλεγεν, ἐπειδὴ τῆς περὶ τὸν ναὸν κατεφρόνουν ἐπιμελείας· Εἰσηνέγκατε αὐτὰ εἰς τοὺς οἴκους ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐξεφύσησα αὐτὰ, λέγει Κύριος. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, διδάξαι σε τῶν ἀναγκαίων δυνησόμεθα, ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἢ δεύτερον παρ' ἡμῖν φοιτῶντα, περὶ ψυχῆς, περὶ σώματος, περὶ ἀθανασίας, περὶ βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, περὶ κολάσεως, περὶ γεέννης, περὶ μακροθυμίας Θεοῦ, περὶ συγγνώμης, περὶ μετανοίας, περὶ βαπτίσματος, περὶ ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως, περὶ τῆς κτίσεως ταύτης τῆς ἄνω, καὶ τῆς κάτω, περὶ ἀνθρώπων φύσεως, περὶ ἀγγέλων, περὶ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων κακουργίας, περὶ τῶν μεθοδειῶν τοῦ διαβόλου, περὶ πολιτείας, περὶ δογμάτων, περὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως, περὶ τῶν διεφθαρμένων αἱρέσεων; Ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα τούτων τὸν Χριστιανὸν εἰδέναι χρὴ, καὶ τούτων πάντων ἀποδιδόναι λόγον τοῖς ἐρωτῶσιν ὑμᾶς. Ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν τούτων εἰδέναι δυνήσεσθε μέρος, ἅπαξ 49.365 ἐνταῦθα καὶ τοῦτο παρέργως συναγόμενοι, καὶ διὰ συνήθειαν ἑορτῆς, οὐ δι' εὐλάβειαν ψυχῆς. Ἀγαπητὸν γὰρ εἰ καθ' ἑκάστην σύναξιν ἐνταῦθά τις ἀπαντῶν δυνηθείη μετ' ἀκριβείας ἅπαντα ταῦτα κατασχεῖν. Οἰκέτας ἔχετε πολλοὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα παρόντων καὶ υἱοὺς, καὶ μέλλοντες αὐτοὺς παραδιδόναι τοῖς τῶν τεχνῶν ἐπιστάταις, ὧν ἂν ἕλοισθε, καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῖς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἄβατον ποιεῖτε καθάπαξ, καὶ στρώματα καὶ τροφὰς καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν αὐτοῖς παρασκευάσαντες διακονίαν, τῷ διδασκάλῳ συγκατοικίζετε ἀπείργοντες αὐτοὺς τῆς οἰκίας ἐπιβαίνειν τῆς ὑμετέρας, ἵνα ἡ συνεχὴς ἐκεῖ διατριβὴ τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἀκριβεστέραν ἐργάσηται, μηδεμιᾶς φροντίδος τὴν σχολὴν διακοπτούσης. Νυνὶ δὲ οὐ τέχνην τὴν τυχοῦσαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν πασῶν μείζονα μανθάνειν μέλλοντες, πῶς ἀρέσαι τῷ Θεῷ δεῖ, καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων ἐπιτυχεῖν, παρέργως ἡγεῖσθε δύνασθαι τοῦτο κατορθοῦν. Καὶ πόσης τοῦτο ἀνοίας; Ὅτι γὰρ μάθησις τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι πολλῆς δεόμενον τῆς προσοχῆς, ἄκουσον τί φησι· Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ· καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης· ∆εῦτε, τέκνα, ἀκούσατέ μου· φόβον Κυρίου διδάξω ὑμᾶς· καὶ πάλιν· Σχολάσατε καὶ γνῶτε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεός. Ὥστε πολλῆς σχολῆς χρεία τῷ μέλλοντι ταύτης ἀπολαύσεσθαι τῆς φιλοσοφίας. βʹ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ, ἵνα μὴ τὸν χρόνον ἅπαντα εἰς ἔγκλημα τῶν ἀπολιμπανομένων ἀναλώσωμεν, ἀρκεσθέντες τοῖς εἰρημένοις εἰς τὴν τῆς αὐτῶν ἐκείνων ῥᾳθυμίας διόρθωσιν, φέρε τι περὶ τῆς παρούσης ἑορτῆς φιλοσοφήσωμεν. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τὰς μὲν ἑορτὰς ἄγουσι, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἴσασι, τὰς δὲ ὑποθέσεις, ὅθεν ἐτέχθησαν, ἀγνοοῦσιν. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν Ἐπιφάνεια ἡ παροῦσα λέγεται ἑορτὴ, δῆλόν ἐστι πᾶσι· τίς δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπιφάνεια αὕτη, καὶ πότερον μία τίς ἐστιν ἢ δύο, τοῦτο οὐκ ἔτι ἴσασιν· ὅπερ ἐσχάτης αἰσχύνης ἂν εἴη καὶ πολλοῦ τοῦ καταγέλωτος, καθ' ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν τὴν ἑορτὴν ταύτην ἄγοντας, τὴν ὑπόθεσιν αὐτῆς ἀγνοεῖν. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, ὅτι οὐ μία τίς ἐστιν ἐπιφάνεια, ἀλλὰ δύο· μία μὲν ἡ παροῦσα αὕτη καὶ γενομένη, δευτέρα δὲ ἡ μέλλουσα καὶ κατὰ τὴν συντέλειαν ἐνδόξως γενησομένη. Καὶ περὶ ἑκατέρας αὐτῶν ἠκούσατε σήμερον Παύλου Τίτῳ διαλεγομένου καὶ λέγοντος οὕτω· περὶ μὲν τῆς