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time of things. For in the beginning it was necessary to condescend, but after these things, no longer. And one might find him doing this in many other places. Thus both a physician and a teacher are accustomed to do; for neither the physician to those who are sick at the beginning, and to those who have finally come towards the goal of health, nor the teacher to the children learning at the beginning, and 60.394 to those needing more advanced teachings, will use the same methods. To others, therefore, moved by some cause and occasion, he wrote (and he makes this clear to the Corinthians, saying, "Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me;" and to the Galatians, showing the same thing immediately from the introduction and the whole Epistle); but to these, for what reason, and why? For indeed he seems to bear witness to them, that they are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others. For what reason, then, did he write? Because of the grace of God, he says, which was given to me that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ. For this reason he also said in the beginning, "I am a debtor, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome." For the things that were said, such as that they are able to admonish others, and such things, are more of an encomium and an exhortation; and correction through letters was also necessary for these. For since he had not yet arrived, he orders the men in a twofold way, both by the benefit of the letters, and by the expectation of his presence. For such was that holy soul: it embraced the whole world, and carried all within itself, considering kinship in God to be the greatest; and as if having given birth to them all, so he loved them, or rather he showed a natural affection greater than any father. For such is the grace of the Spirit: it overcomes the pangs of the flesh, and shows a more fervent desire. And this can be seen especially in the soul of Paul, who, having become like some winged creature by love, continually went about to all, nowhere staying or stopping. For since he heard Christ say, "Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep," and bringing forth this greatest definition of love, he showed it with excess. Therefore let us also emulate him, if not the world, nor whole cities and nations, yet let each one order his own house, his wife, his children, his friends, his neighbors. And let no one say to me, "I am inexperienced and a layman." Nothing is more unlearned than Peter, nothing more a layman than Paul. And he himself confessed this, and was not ashamed to say: "Though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge." But nevertheless this layman and that unlearned one conquered countless philosophers, silenced countless orators, accomplishing everything from their own zeal and the grace of God. What defense, then, shall we have, we who are not even responsible for twenty people, nor are useful to those who live with us? These things are an excuse and a pretext; for neither ignorance nor lack of education prevents teaching, but sluggishness and sleep. Shaking off this sleep, therefore, let us with all diligence take hold of our own members, that both here we may enjoy much peace, ordering those close to us according to the fear of God, and there we may partake of countless good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY I. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, set apart for
the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 1. Moses, having written five books, has nowhere placed his own name, nor have those after him who composed the things after him, nor Matthew, nor John, nor
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πραγμάτων χρόνον. Ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν γὰρ συγκαταβαίνειν ἔδει, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα οὐκέτι. Καὶ πολλαχοῦ δὲ ἀλλαχοῦ τοῦτο ἄν τις εὕροι ποιοῦντα αὐτόν. Οὕτω καὶ ἰατρὸς καὶ διδάσκαλος ποιεῖν εἰώθασιν· οὔτε γὰρ τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς νοσοῦσιν ὁ ἰατρὸς, καὶ τοῖς πρὸς τὸ τέλος λοιπὸν τῆς ὑγείας ἐλθοῦσιν, οὔτε τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς μανθάνουσι παιδίοις ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ 60.394 τοῖς τῶν τελεωτέρων δεομένοις διδαγμάτων, ὁμοίως χρήσονται. Τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις ἐξ αἰτίας τινὸς καὶ ὑποθέσεως κινούμενος ἐπέστελλε (καὶ δηλοῖ τοῦτο Κορινθίοις μὲν λέγων· Περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐγράψατέ μοι· καὶ Γαλάταις δὲ, εὐθέως ἐκ τοῦ προοιμίου καὶ τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς ἁπάσης τὸ αὐτὸ ἐμφαίνων)· τούτοις δὲ τίνος ἕνεκεν, καὶ διὰ τί; καὶ γὰρ φαίνεται μαρτυρῶν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι μεστοὶ μὲν εἰσὶν ἀγαθωσύνης, πεπληρωμένοι πάσης γνώσεως, δυνάμενοι καὶ ἄλλους νουθετεῖν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐπέστελλε; ∆ιὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ, φησὶ, τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι εἰς τὸ εἶναί με λειτουργὸν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἔλεγεν· Ὀφειλέτης εἰμὶ, τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ πρόθυμον, καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελίσασθαι. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ εἰρημένα, οἷον ὅτι δύνανται καὶ ἄλλοις νουθετεῖν, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, ἐγκωμίου μᾶλλόν ἐστι καὶ προτροπῆς· καὶ ἀναγκαία καὶ ἡ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων διόρθωσις καὶ τούτοις ἦν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὔπω παραγεγονὼς ἦν, διπλῇ ῥυθμίζει τοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ τῇ τῶν γραμμάτων ὠφελείᾳ, καὶ τῇ τῆς παρουσίας προσδοκίᾳ. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ ἁγία ἐκείνη ψυχή· πᾶσαν περιελάμβανε τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ περιέφερεν ἅπαντας, συγγένειαν μεγίστην τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν εἶναι νομίζων· καὶ ὥσπερ πάντας αὐτοὺς ἀποτεκὼν, οὕτως ἐφίλει, μᾶλλον δὲ πατρὸς παντὸς μείζονα ἐπεδείκνυτο φιλοστοργίαν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις· νικᾷ τὰς σαρκικὰς ὠδῖνας, καὶ θερμότερον ἐπιδείκνυται τὸν πόθον. Καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Παύλου ψυχῆς, ὃς καθάπερ πτηνός τις ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης γενόμενος, ἅπαντας περιῄει συνεχῶς, οὐδαμοῦ μένων οὐδὲ ἱστάμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤκουσε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, Πέτρε, φιλεῖς με; ποίμαινέ μου τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ τοῦτον μέγιστον ὅρον ἐκφέροντος ἀγάπης, μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς αὐτὸν ἐπεδείκνυτο. Τοῦτον οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ζηλώσαντες, εἰ καὶ μὴ τὴν οἰκουμένην, μηδὲ πόλεις ὁλοκλήρους καὶ ἔθνη, ἀλλὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ἕκαστος ῥυθμιζέτω τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, τὴν γυναῖκα, τὰ παιδία, τοὺς φίλους, τοὺς γείτονας. Καὶ μή μοι λεγέτω τις, ὅτι Ἄπειρός εἰμι καὶ ἰδιώτης. Οὐδὲν ἀμαθέστερον Πέτρου, οὐδὲν ἰδιωτικώτερον Παύλου. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸς ὡμολόγει, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο λέγων· Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἰδιώτης τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ γνώσει. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ ἰδιώτης οὗτος καὶ ὁ ἀμαθὴς ἐκεῖνος μυρίους ἐνίκησαν φιλοσόφους, μυρίους ἐπεστόμισαν ῥήτορας, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῶν προθυμίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος τὸ πᾶν ἐργασάμενοι. Τίνα οὖν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν ἡμεῖς, οὐδὲ εἴκοσιν ἀρκοῦντες ὀνόμασιν, οὐδὲ τοῖς συνοικοῦσιν ὄντες χρήσιμοι; Σκῆψις ταῦτα καὶ πρόφασις· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀμαθία οὐδὲ ἀπαιδευσία κωλύει τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἀλλὰ νωθεία καὶ ὕπνος. Τοῦτον οὖν ἀποτιναξάμενοι τὸν ὕπνον, μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς ἀντεχώμεθα τῶν οἰκείων μελῶν, ἵνα καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν τῆς γαλήνης, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον τοὺς ἡμῖν ἐπιτηδείους ῥυθμίζοντες, καὶ ἐκεῖ μυρίων μετάσχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Αʹ. Παῦλος, δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστο λος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς
Εὐαγγέλιον Θεοῦ, ὃ προ επηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν Γραφαῖς ἁγίαις. αʹ. Μωϋσῆς μὲν πέντε βιβλία συγγράψας, οὐδαμοῦ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ τέθεικεν, οὐδὲ οἱ μετ' ἐκεῖνον τὰ μετ' ἐκεῖνον συνθέντες, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Ματθαῖος, οὐδὲ Ἰωάννης, οὐ