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he crucified, and a thief confessed. O strange and paradoxical things! priests killed, and magi worshipped. Let these things not astonish the Church. If these things had not happened, our wealth would not have been revealed; it existed, but it would not have been revealed. For just as Job was righteous, but it would not have been revealed, if not for the wounds, and the worms; so also your wealth, if not for the plots, would not have been revealed. But God, defending Himself to Job, says, "Do you think that I have dealt with you otherwise than that you might be shown to be righteous?" They plotted, they fought, and they were defeated. How did they fight? With clubs. How were they defeated? With prayers. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. You bring clubs into the church and make war; where there is peace for all, you begin a war; you did not even respect the place, O wretched and miserable one, nor the dignity of the priesthood, nor the greatness of the office. The baptistery is filled with blood; where there is remission of sins, there is shedding of blood.

In what battle do these things happen? A king enters and casts off his shield and diadem; you entered, and you seized clubs. He leaves the symbols of his kingship outside; you have brought the symbols of war in here. But you have not harmed my bride at all, but she remains displaying her beauty.

3. For this reason I rejoice, not because you have conquered. If I had been present, I would have shared the victory with you; but since I withdrew, your trophy appeared unadorned. But this is also a commendation for me, and again I share the victory with you, because I so nurtured you, that even in the absence of the father you display your own nobility. For just as noble athletes, even in the absence of their trainer, display their own strength; so also the nobility of your faith, even in the absence of the teacher, has displayed its own beauty. What need is there of words? The stones cry out; the walls utter a sound. Go into the royal courts, and you immediately hear: The people of Constantinople. Go to the sea, to the desert, to the mountains, to the houses, your praise has been recorded. By what have you conquered? Not by money, but by faith. O people who love your teacher, O people who love your father, blessed is the city, not because of its columns and golden roof, but because of your virtue. So many were the plots, and your prayers conquered; and very rightly so; for the prayers were fervent, and the fountains of tears were flowing. They had arrows, but you had tears; they had wrath, but you had meekness. Do what you will; you pray. And those who opposed, where are they now 52.445? Did we raise arms? Did we draw bows? Did we loose arrows? We prayed, and they fled; for they were torn apart like a spider's web, and you stand like a rock. Blessed am I because of you. I knew even before this how great a wealth I possess, but I was amazed even now. I was far away, and a city was moved. Because of one man the open sea became a city. Women, men, children of a tender age, women carrying children, dared the open sea, despised the waves. No slave feared his master, no woman remembered her natural weakness. The marketplace has become a church, everything everywhere for our sake. For whom did you not instruct? You took an empress dancing with you; for I will not hide her zeal. I say these things not to flatter an empress, but to minister to piety; for I will not hide her zeal. For she took not arms, but the achievements of virtue. I was led away then, you know how. For it is necessary to speak also of sad things, that you may learn the good things; but learn how I was led away, and how I returned. Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. They went on their way weeping, casting their seeds; but they will come back with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. These words became deeds. With thanksgiving you received him whom you sent forth with grief. And not even in a long time; after one day everything was resolved. For the delay happened for your sakes, since God had resolved it from the beginning. 4. I say

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ἐσταύρωσε, καὶ λῃστὴς ὡμολόγησεν. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων· ἱερεῖς ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ μάγοι προσεκύνησαν. Μὴ ξενιζέτω ταῦτα τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ἐγένετο, ὁ πλοῦτος ἡμῶν οὐκ ἂν ἐφάνη· ἦν μὲν, οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἐφάνη. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Ἰὼβ δίκαιος μὲν ἦν, οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἐφάνη, εἰ μὴ τὰ τραύματα, καὶ οἱ σκώληκες· οὕτω καὶ ὁ ὑμέτερος πλοῦτος, εἰ μὴ αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ, οὐκ ἂν ἐφάνη. Ἀπολογούμενος δὲ τῷ Ἰὼβ ὁ Θεός φησιν, ὅτι Οἴει με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι, ἢ ἵνα δίκαιος ἀναφανῇς; Ἐπεβούλευσαν ἐκεῖνοι, ἐπολέμησαν, καὶ ἡττήθησαν. Πῶς ἐπολέμησαν; Ῥοπάλοις. Πῶς ἡττήθησαν; Εὐχαῖς. Ἐάν τίς σε ῥαπίσῃ εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην. Σὺ ῥόπαλα εἰσφέρεις εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ πολεμεῖς· ὅπου εἰρήνη πᾶσι, πολέμου ἄρχῃ· οὐδὲ τὸν τόπον ᾐδέσθης, ἄθλιε καὶ ταλαίπωρε, οὐδὲ τῆς ἱερωσύνης τὸ ἀξίωμα, οὐδὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸ μέγεθος. Τὸ φωτιστήριον αἱμάτων ἐμπέπλησται· ὅπου ἁμαρτημάτων ἅφεσις, αἱμάτων ἕκχυσις.

Ἐν ποίᾳ παρατάξει ταῦτα γίνεται; Βασιλεὺς εἰσέρχεται καὶ ῥίπτει ἀσπίδα καὶ διάδημα· σὺ εἰσῆλθες, καὶ ῥόπαλα ἥρπασας. Ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὰ συνθήματα τῆς βασιλείας ἔξω ἀφίησι· σὺ τὰ συνθήματα τοῦ πολέμου ἐνταῦθα εἰσήνεγκας. Ἀλλὰ τὴν νύμφην μου οὐδὲν ἔβλαψας, ἀλλὰ μένει τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς ἐπιδεικνυμένη.

γʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο χαίρω, οὐχ ὅτι ἐνικήσατε. Εἰ παρήμην, ἐμεριζόμην μεθ' ὑμῶν

τὴν νίκην· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀνεχώρησα, γυμνὸν ὑμῶν τὸ τρόπαιον ἐφάνη. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἐμὸν ἐγκώμιον, καὶ πάλιν μερίζομαι ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν τὴν νίκην, ὅτι οὕτως ὑμᾶς ἀνέθρεψα, ὡς καὶ ἀπόντος τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγένειαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ γενναῖοι τῶν ἀθλητῶν καὶ ἀπόντος τοῦ παιδοτρίβου τὴν ἑαυτῶν ῥώμην ἐπιδείκνυνται· οὕτω καὶ ἡ εὐγένεια τῆς ὑμετέρας πίστεως καὶ ἀπόντος τοῦ διδασκάλου τὴν οἰκείαν εὐμορφίαν ἐπεδείξατο. Τίς χρεία λόγων; Οἱ λίθοι βοῶσιν· οἱ τοῖχοι φωνὴν ἀφιᾶσιν. Ἄπελθε εἰς βασιλικὰς αὐλὰς, καὶ ἀκούεις εὐθέως· Οἱ λαοὶ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Ἄπελθε εἰς τὴν θάλατταν, εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, εἰς τὰ ὄρη, εἰς τὰς οἰκίας, τὸ ἐγκώμιον ὑμῶν ἀναγέγραπται. Ἐν τίνι ἐνικήσατε; Οὐ χρήμασιν, ἀλλὰ πίστει. Ὢ λαὸς φιλοδιδάσκαλος, ὢ λαὸς φιλοπάτωρ, μακαρία ἡ πόλις, οὐ διὰ κίονας καὶ χρυσοῦν ὄροφον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀρετήν. Τοσαῦται αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ, καὶ αἱ εὐχαὶ ὑμῶν ἐνίκησαν· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· καὶ γὰρ ἐκτενεῖς ἦσαν αἱ εὐχαὶ, καὶ αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν δακρύων ἐπέῤῥεον. Ἐκεῖνοι βέλη, ὑμεῖς δὲ δάκρυα· ἐκεῖνοι θυμὸν, ὑμεῖς δὲ πραΰτητα. Ὃ βούλει ποίησον· ὑμεῖς εὔχεσθε. Κἀκεῖνοι, οἳ ἀντέλεγον, ποῦ νῦν 52.445 εἰσιν; Ὅπλα ἐκινήσαμεν; μὴ τόξα ἐτείναμεν; μὴ βέλη ἀφήκαμεν; Εὐχόμεθα, κἀκεῖνοι ἔφυγον· ὡς γὰρ ἀράχνη διεσπάσθησαν, καὶ ὑμεῖς ὡς πέτρα ἑστήκατε. Μακάριος ἐγὼ δι' ὑμᾶς. Ἤδειν μὲν καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἡλίκον ἔχω πλοῦτον, ἐθαύμασα δὲ καὶ νῦν. Πόῤῥω ἤμην, καὶ πόλις μετῳκίζετο. ∆ι' ἕνα ἄνθρωπον τὸ πέλαγος πόλις ἐγίνετο. Γυναῖκες, ἄνδρες, παιδία ἄωρα τὴν ἡλικίαν, γυναῖκες βαστάζουσαι παιδία, κατετόλμων πελάγους, κατεφρόνησαν κυμάτων. Οὐ δοῦλος ἐδεδοίκει δεσπότην, οὐ γυνὴ τῆς φυσικῆς ἀσθενείας ἐμέμνητο. Γέγονεν ἡ ἀγορὰ ἐκκλησία, τὰ πανταχοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς. Τίνα γὰρ οὐκ ἐπαιδεύσατε; Βασιλίδα συγχορεύουσαν ἐλάβετε· οὐ γὰρ ἀποκρύψομαι τὸν ζῆλον αὐτῆς. Οὐ βασιλίδα κολακεύων ταῦτα λέγω, ἀλλ' εὐσέβειαν θεραπεύων· οὐ γὰρ ἀποκρύψομαι αὐτῆς τὸν ζῆλον. Οὐ γὰρ ὅπλα ἔλαβεν, ἀλλὰ κατορθώματα ἀρετῆς. Ἀπηγόμην τότε, ἴστε πῶς. ∆εῖ γὰρ καὶ λυπηρὰ εἰπεῖν, ἵνα μάθητε τὰ χρηστά· ἀλλὰ μάθητε πῶς ἀπηγόμην, καὶ πῶς ἐπανῆλθον. Οἱ σπείροντες ἐν δάκρυσιν, ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θεριοῦσι. Πορευόμενοι ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἔκλαιον, βάλλοντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν· ἐρχόμενοι δὲ ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, αἴροντες τὰ δράγματα αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ἐγένετο πράγματα. Μετ' εὐχαριστίας ὑπεδέξασθε ὃν ὀδυνώμενοι προεπέμψατε. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ· μετὰ μίαν ἡμέραν πάντα ἐλύθη. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἀναβολὴ ἐγένετο δι' ὑμᾶς, ἐπεὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔλυσε. δʹ. Λέγω