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he exhorts and comforts, and raises them up as they are falling and lying down? For they were already become stiff, and had despaired from their many afflictions. And this he shows near the end, saying: "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees"; and again: "Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry"; and again, "If ye be without chastisement; then are ye bastards, and not sons." For since they were Jews, and they themselves had learned from their fathers that they should expect both good and evil things at once, and to live accordingly, but then the opposite was the case, the good things being in hopes and after death, but the evil things in hand, and since they had endured 63.13 much, it was likely that many would become fainthearted, he makes a long discourse about this. But these things we will resolve at the proper time; for now, however, that he wrote to them of necessity, for whom he had so much forethought. For the reason why he was not sent to them was clear; therefore he was not prevented from writing. And that they were fainthearted, he shows by saying: "Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths"; and again: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and your love." For the soul, when overtaken by many trials, often also turns away from the faith. Therefore he exhorts them to give heed to the things they have heard, and not to have an evil heart of unbelief. For this reason, in this epistle especially, he discourses much concerning faith, and at the end shows many examples, that to them also the good things were promised immediately, and he gave nothing. And besides these things, so that they might not think they had been forsaken, he establishes these two things: one, to bear nobly all things that happen, and the other, to by all means expect the reward; for He will surely not overlook Abel and the righteous who followed him, leaving them unrewarded. And he makes his exhortation in three ways: first, from what Christ suffered; as he himself says: "A servant is not greater than his lord"; second, from the good things which are laid up for those who believe; and third, from the evil things. And this he argues not only from things to come, 63.14 which was less persuasive, but also from things past, and things that happened to their fathers. Christ also does this, saying at one time: "A servant is not greater than his lord"; and again: "In my Father's house are many mansions"; and he endlessly pronounces woes upon those who have not believed. He also makes a long discourse about the New and Old Covenants; for this was very useful to him for faith in the resurrection. For so that they might not disbelieve that he was raised because of what he suffered, he confirms it from the prophets; and he shows that the Jewish things are not august, but ours are. For the temple still stood, and the sacrifices; wherefore he also said, "Therefore let us go forth outside, bearing his reproach." And this also was an objection to him; for it was likely that some would say, "If these things are a shadow, if these things are an image, how is it that they did not give way, nor withdraw when the truth appeared, but these things still flourish?" And this he gently hinted would also come to pass at the proper time. But that they had been a long time in the faith and in afflictions, he showed by saying: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers"; and, "lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief"; and, "be followers of them who through patience inherit the promises."

HOMILY I. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the

prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son; whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds." 1. "Truly where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." This, at any rate, the blessed Paul here in his preface also hints at in his letter to the Hebrews. For since it was likely

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παρακαλεῖ καὶ παραμυθεῖται, καὶ ἀναπίπτοντας αὐτοὺς καὶ κειμένους ἀνορθοῖ; καὶ γὰρ τεταριχευμένοι λοιπὸν ἦσαν, καὶ ἀπεγνωκότες ταῖς πολλαῖς θλίψεσι. Καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς τῷ τέλει ἐμφαίνει λέγων· ∆ιὸ τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε· καὶ πάλιν· Ἔτι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει, καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ· καὶ πάλιν, Εἰ ἐκτός ἐστε παιδείας· ἄρα νόθοι ἐστὲ, καὶ οὐχ υἱοί. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι ἦσαν, καὶ αὐτοὶ παρὰ τῶν πατέρων ἐμάνθανον, ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ τὰ κακὰ παρὰ πόδας ἐχρῆν προσδοκᾷν, καὶ οὕτω βιῶναι, τότε δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον ἦν, τὰ μὲν ἀγαθὰ ἐν ἐλπίσι καὶ μετὰ θάνατον, τὰ δὲ κακὰ ἐν χερσὶ, καὶ πολλὰ καρτερη 63.13 σάντων αὐτῶν, εἰκὸς ἦν ὀλιγοψυχεῖν πολλοὺς, πολὺν ὑπὲρ τούτου ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐν καιρῷ τῷ προσήκοντι ἐπιλύσομεν· τέως δὲ, ὅτι ἀναγκαίως αὐτοῖς ἔγραφεν, ὧν τοσαύτην ἐποιεῖτο πρόνοιαν· καὶ γὰρ ἡ αἰτία, δι' ἢν οὐκ ἀπεστάλη πρὸς αὐτοὺς, δήλη ἦν· οὐ τοίνυν ἐκωλύετο γράφειν. Ὅτι δὲ ὠλιγοψύχουν, δείκνυσιν εἰπών· Τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε, καὶ τροχιὰς ὀρθὰς ποιήσατε· καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ γὰρ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης. Ἡ ψυχὴ γὰρ ὑπὸ πειρασμῶν πολλῶν καταληφθεῖσα, πολλάκις καὶ τῆς πίστεως ἐκτρέπεται. ∆ιὸ παραινεῖ προσέχειν τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσι, καὶ μὴ εἶναι καρδίαν πονηρὰν ἀπιστίας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ μάλιστα τῇ ἐπιστολῇ πολλὰ περὶ πίστεως διαλέγεται, καὶ παραδείγματα πολλὰ ἐν τῷ τέλει δείκνυσιν, ὅτι κἀκείνοις παρὰ πόδας τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐπηγγέλλετο, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔδωκε. Καὶ χωρὶς τούτων, ἵνα μὴ ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι νομίσαιεν, δύο ταῦτα κατασκευάζει· ἓν μὲν πρὸς τὸ φέρειν πάντα γενναίως τὰ συμπίπτοντα, ἕτερον δὲ πρὸς τὸ πάντως προσδοκᾷν τὴν ἀμοιβήν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ περιόψεται τοὺς περὶ Ἄβελ καὶ τοὺς καθεξῆς δικαίους ἀγεράστους. Καὶ ποιεῖται τὴν παράκλησιν ἀπὸ τριῶν τρόπων· ἑνὸς μὲν, ἐξ ὧν ἔπαθεν ὁ Χριστός· καθὼς καὶ αὐτὸς λέγει· Οὐκ ἔστι δοῦλος μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· ἑτέρου δὲ, ἐξ ὧν ἀπόκειται τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἀγαθῶν· καὶ τρίτου, ἐκ τῶν κακῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόν 63.14 των ἰσχυρίζεται μόνον, ὅπερ ἧττον ἦν πιθανὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν παρελθόντων, καὶ γεγονότων εἰς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ποιεῖ, λέγων ποτὲ μέν· Οὐκ ἔστι δοῦλος μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· Πολλαὶ μοναί εἰσι παρὰ τῷ Πατρί· καὶ μυρία ταλανίζει τοὺς μὴ πεπιστευκότας. Ποιεῖται δὲ πολὺν λόγον καὶ περὶ τῆς Καινῆς καὶ Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης· καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως πίστιν σφόδρα αὐτῷ τοῦτο ἐχρησίμευεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἐξ ὧν ἔπαθε διαπιστῶσιν ὅτι ἀνέστη, ἀπὸ προφητῶν αὐτὸ ἰσχυροποιεῖ· καὶ δείκνυσιν οὐκ ὄντα σεμνὰ τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἡμέτερα· ἔτι γὰρ καὶ ὁ ναὸς εἱστήκει, καὶ τὰ τῶν θυσιῶν· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε, Τοίνυν ἐξερχώμεθα ἔξω, τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτοῦ φέροντες. Ἠναντιοῦτο δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦτο· εἰκὸς γὰρ ἦν εἰπεῖν τινας, ὅτι Εἰ ταῦτα σκιὰ, εἰ ταῦτα εἰκὼν, πῶς οὐ παρεχώρησεν, οὐδὲ ὑπεξέστη τῆς ἀληθείας φανείσης, ἀλλ' ἔτι ταῦτα ἀνθεῖ; Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἠρέμα ᾐνίξατο ἐσόμενον καὶ αὐτὸ εἰς καιρὸν τὸν προσήκοντα. Ὅτι δὲ πολὺν χρόνον εἶχον ἐν τῇ πίστει καὶ ταῖς θλίψεσιν, ἐδήλωσε λέγων· Ὀφείλοντες γὰρ εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον· καὶ, Μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας· καὶ, Μιμηταὶ ἐγενήθητε τῶν διὰ μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Αʹ. Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς

προφήταις, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν Υἱῷ· ὃν ἔθηκε κληρονόμον πάντων, δι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν. αʹ. Ὄντως ὅπου ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ αἰνίττεται ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐπιστέλλων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν