2

of the divinity, but then intellectually through contemplation alone. It is called participation, because through it we partake of the divinity of Jesus; and communion, because we commune through it with Christ, and share in both His flesh and divinity. To commune and to be united also with one another through it. For since we all partake of one bread, we become one body of Christ and one blood, and members of one another, being called members of the same body of Christ. 96.1412 «And throwing the silver pieces in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.» Of abandonments, one is for the sake of hidden virtue, that it may be revealed, as that of Job; another for the aversion of pride, as in the case of Paul; another for the correction of another, as in the case of Lazarus and the rich man. For when we naturally see some people suffering, we are restrained. Another is for the glory of another, as the man blind from birth, for the glory of Christ. Another is for the zeal of another, as in the case of martyrdom. And simply, there are two kinds of abandonment: for there is providential and disciplinary abandonment, and there is complete abandonment of despair. Providential and disciplinary abandonment occurs either for the correction and salvation and glory of the one suffering, or for the zeal and imitation of others, or for the glory of God. But complete abandonment is when, though God has done everything for salvation, a person remains incurable by his own choice. For then he is handed over to destruction like Judas. «And they placed over his head the charge against him written: ‘This is Jesus the King of the Jews.’» The writing on the tablet which Pilate placed before the Lord's head fulfilled the voice of the Lord, who said, “When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself.” Therefore the reading from it revealed that the saving passion had occurred not for Judea alone, but also for every Greek and barbarian land. «And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.» The sun is eclipsed by the body of the moon becoming like a partition wall and casting a shadow, and not allowing the light to be distributed to us. Therefore, to the extent that the moon is found to hide the sun, to that extent the eclipse occurs. But the eclipse of the moon happens from the shadow of the earth, when the moon is fifteen days old, and is found opposite at the extreme center, the sun under the earth, and the moon above the earth. For the earth makes a shadow, and the sun's light does not reach to illuminate the moon, and from that it is eclipsed. «And behold, I am with you all the days, until the end of the age. Amen.» He did not say He would be with them only, but also with all who believe after them. For the apostles were certainly not going to remain until the end of the age; but He speaks to the faithful as to one body. For do not speak to me, He says, of the difficulty of the tasks. For I am with you, making all things easy. This He also said continuously to the prophets in the Old Testament, and to Jeremiah who put forward his youth, and to Moses and Ezekiel who were shrinking back, “I am with you.” So also here, to these. But consider here also the difference of these men. For those, being sent to one nation, oft 96.1413 en refused; but these, being sent to the whole world, said no such thing. But the word “until,” in many places of Scripture, signifies the limit of a determined time; but it does not deny what comes after. Now it is said concerning the Ever-Virgin Theotokos that Joseph did not know her until she bore her firstborn son; and it is by no means to be supposed that after this she accepted union with a man. Therefore here also the Lord promised to be with us until the end, not as one who will be separated after the end of the age. For the divine Apostle says, that after the common resurrection we shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

2

θεότητος, τότε δὲ νοητῶς διὰ μόνης τῆς θέας. Λέγεται δὲ μετάληψις μὲν, ὅτι δι' αὐτῆς μεταλαμβάνομεν τῆς Ἰησοῦ θεότητος· κοινωνία δὲ, διὰ τὸ κοινωνεῖν ἡμᾶς δι' αὐτῆς τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ μετέχειν αὐτοῦ τῆς σαρκός τε καὶ θεότητος. Κοινωνεῖν δὲ καὶ ἑνοῦσθαι καὶ ἀλλήλοις δι' αὐτῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐξ ἑνὸς ἄρτου μεταλαμβάνομεν πάντες, ἓν σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ ἓν αἷμα, καὶ ἀλλήλων μέλη γινόμεθα, σύσσωμοι Χριστοῦ χρηματίζοντες. 96.1412 «Καὶ ῥίψας τὰ ἀργύρια ἐν τῷ ναῷ, ἀνεχώρησε· καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπήγξατο.» Τῶν ἐγκαταλείψεων, ἡ μὲν ἔστι διὰ κεκρυμμένην ἀρετὴν, ἵνα φανερωθῇ, ὡς ἡ τοῦ Ἰώβ· ἡ δὲ δι' ἀποτροπὴν ὑπερηφανίας, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου· ἡ δὲ πρὸς διόρθωσιν ἄλλου, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου καὶ τοῦ πλουσίου. Φυσικῶς γὰρ ὁρῶντές τινας πάσχοντας, συστελλόμεθα. Ἡ δὲ εἰς ἄλλου δόξαν, ὡς ὁ ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλὸς, εἰς δόξαν Χριστοῦ. Ἡ δὲ εἰς ἄλλου ζῆλον, ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν. Καὶ ἁπλῶς τῆς ἐγκαταλείψεως εἰσὶν εἴδη δύο· ἔστι γὰρ ἐγκατάλειψις οἰκονομικὴ καὶ παιδευτικὴ, καὶ ἔστιν ἐγκατάλειψις τελεία ἀπογνωστική. Οἰκονομικὴ μὲν καὶ παιδευτικὴ, ἢ πρὸς διόρθωσιν καὶ σωτηρίαν, καὶ δόξαν τοῦ πάσχοντος γινομένη, ἢ καὶ πρὸς ἄλλων ζῆλον καὶ μίμησιν, ἢ καὶ πρὸς δόξαν Θεοῦ. Ἡ δὲ τελεία κατάλειψις, ὅτε τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντα πρὸς σωτηρίαν πεποιηκότος, ἀνίατος ἐξ οἰκείας προθέσεως διαμένῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Τότε γὰρ εἰς ἀπώλειαν παραδίδοται ὡς ὁ Ἰούδας. «Καὶ ἐπέθηκαν ἐπάνω τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένην· Οὗτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων.» Ἡ τοῦ λευκώματος γραφὴ ἣν Πιλάτος πρὸ τῆς Κυριακῆς ἔπηξε κεφαλῆς, τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπλήρου φωνὴν, Ἐπειδὰν ὑψωθῶ, λέγοντος, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν. Ἐδήλου τοίνυν ἡ ἐκεῖθεν ἀνάγνωσις οὐχ ὑπὲρ Ἰουδαίας μόνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης Ἑλλην[ικ]ῆς καὶ βαρβάρου γεγενῆσθαι τὸ σωτήριον πάθος. «Ἀπὸ δὲ ἕκτης ὥρας σκότος ἐγένετο ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, ἕως ὥρας ἐννάτης.» Ἐκλείπει ὁ ἥλιος τοῦ σώματος τῆς σελήνης ὥσπερ τι μεσότοιχον γενομένου καὶ ἀποσκιάζοντος, καὶ μὴ ἐῶντος διαδοθῆναι ἡμῖν τὸ φῶς. Ὅσον οὖν εὑρεθῇ τῆς σελήνης ἀποκρύπτειν τὸν ἥλιον, τοσοῦτον καὶ ἡ ἔκλειψις γίνεται. Ἡ δὲ τῆς σελήνης ἔκλειψις ἐκ τοῦ ἀποσκιάσματος τῆς γῆς γίνεται, ὅταν γένηται πεντεκαιδεκαταία ἡ σελήνη, καὶ εὑρεθῇ ἐξ ἐναντίας κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον κέντρον, ὁ μὲν ἥλιος ὑπὸ γῆν, ἡ δὲ σελήνη ὑπὲρ γῆν. Ἀποσκίασμα γὰρ ποιεῖ ἡ γῆ, καὶ οὐ φθάνει τὸ ἡλιακὸν φῶς φωτίσαι τὴν σελήνην, κἀκεῖθεν ἐκλείπει. «Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πᾶσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἀμήν.» Οὐ μετ' ἐκείνων μόνον εἶπεν ἔσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ πάντων τῶν μετ' ἐκείνους πιστευόντων. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος οἱ ἀπόστολοι μένειν ἔμελλον· ἀλλ' ὡς ἑνὶ σώματι διαλέγεται τοῖς πιστοῖς. Μὴ γάρ μοι, φησὶ, τὴν δυσκολίαν εἴπητε τῶν πραγμάτων. Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι μεθ' ὑμῶν πάντα ποιῶν εὔκολα. Τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἔλεγεν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ συνεχῶς, καὶ τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ νεότητα προβαλλομένῳ, καὶ τῷ Μωσῇ, καὶ τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἀναδυομένοις, Ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ' ὑμῶν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, τούτοις. Σκόπει δέ μοι κἀνταῦθα τὴν τούτων διαφοράν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ εἰς ἓν ἔθνος ἀποστελλόμενοι πολ 96.1413 λάκις παρῃτοῦντο· οὗτοι δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐφθέγξαντο εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην πεμπόμενοι. Τὸ δὲ ἕως, πολλαχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς, τὴν μὲν τοῦ ὡρισμένου χρόνου προθεσμίαν σημαίνει· οὐκ ἀποφάσκει δὲ τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα. Εἴρηται νῦν περὶ τῆς Ἀειπαρθένου Θεοτόκου ὅτι οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, ἕως οὗ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον· καὶ οὔ τί που οἰητέον ὅτι μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνδρὸς συνάφειαν κατεδέξατο. Ἐπηγγείλατο οὖν κἀνταῦθα ὁ Κύριος ἕως τῆς συντελείας εἶναι μεθ' ἡμῶν, οὐχ ὡς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ αἰῶνος συντέλειαν χωρισθησόμενος. Φησὶ γοῦν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν κοινὴν ἀνάστασιν Ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα, καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα.