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to Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power, for ever and ever. Amen.

SERMON II. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Those through a ladder

of some sort ascend to higher things, whenever they mount the first step, through that they are lifted to the one above it, and again the second leads the one ascending to the third, and this to the next, and this to the one after itself. And thus the one ascending from where he is, always being raised towards what is above, arrives at the very summit of the ascent. With what in view do I begin my preface from this? It seems to me that the order of the Beatitudes is arranged like steps, making the ascent easy to mount in word through one another. For him who has mounted the first Beatitude in thought, the one after that one receives him, through a certain necessary sequence of thoughts, even if the discourse seems to be a little strange compared to the first. For the hearer will perhaps say that it is not possible, as in the arrangement of steps, after the kingdom of heaven, for the inheritance of the 44.1209 earth to be attained; but if the discourse had to follow the nature of things, it would have been more consistent for the earth to be put before heaven, as from here our ascent to there would be. But if we should be winged somehow by the word, and should stand above the back of the heavenly vault, we will find there the super-celestial earth, which is laid up as an inheritance for those who have lived according to virtue, so that the order of the sequence of the Beatitudes does not seem to have been mistaken, with heaven first, and after this earth, having been set forth for us by God in the promises. For the phenomenal, as far as bodily sensation is concerned, is wholly related to itself. For even if something seems to be high in its local distance, it is nonetheless below the intelligible essence, upon which it is impossible for the reason to mount, without having first passed through in word those things which the senses can reach. But if the lot above is named by the appellation of "earth," you will wonder at nothing; for the Word condescends to the lowliness of our hearing, He who for this reason came down to us, since we were not able to be raised up to Him. Therefore, through words and names familiar to us, He hands down the divine mysteries, using those utterances which the custom of human life contains. For in the promise before this one, that inexpressible blessedness in the heavens He named a "kingdom"; was He showing in word something such as the kingdom below contains? certain diadems flashing with the gleam of stones, and well-colored purple robes radiating something sweet to gluttonous eyes, and gateways and curtains, and high thrones, and ranks of spear-bearers standing in line, and whatever else those who exalt the pomp of power to something greater through such things add theatrically concerning such a stage of life. But since the name of "kingdom" in this life is something great and beyond almost all things envied among men, for this reason He used the name, for the declaration of the good things above; so that if there were anything else among men higher than a kingdom, through that name He would certainly have most especially given wings to the soul of the hearer, toward the desire of the inexpressible blessedness. For it was not possible for those good things to be revealed to men by their own proper names, which are beyond human sensation and knowledge. For "eye has not seen," he says, "nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man." But so that the hoped-for blessedness might not completely escape our aim, as we are able, according to the lowliness of our nature, so we hear of the unutterable things. Therefore, let not the homonymy of "earth," again after the heavens, draw your mind down to the earth below, but if you have been lifted up by the Word through the former beatitudes, and

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Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Βʹ. Μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν. Οἱ διὰ κλίμακός

τινος τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις προσβαίνον τες, ὅταν τῆς πρώτης ἐπιβῶσι βαθμίδος, δι' ἐκείνης ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπερκειμένην αἴρονται, καὶ πάλιν ἡ δευτέρα προσάγει τῇ τρίτῃ τὸν ἀνιόντα, καὶ αὕτη πρὸς τὴν ἐφεξῆς, καὶ αὕτη πρὸς τὴν μεθ' ἑαυτήν. Καὶ οὕτως ὁ ἀνιὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν, ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ ὑπερκεί μενον ἀνυψούμενος, ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκρότατον φθάνει τῆς ἀναβάσεως. Πρὸς τί βλέπων ἐντεῦθεν προοιμιάζομαι; ∆οκεῖ μοι βαθμίδων δίκην ἡ τῶν μακαρισμῶν διακεῖσθαι τάξις, εὐεπίβατον τῷ λόγῳ δι' ἀλλήλων ποιοῦσα τὴν ἄνοδον. Τὸν γὰρ τῷ πρώτῳ διὰ τῆς διανοίας ἐπιβεβηκότα μακαρισμῷ, δι' ἀναγκαίας τινὸς τῆς τῶν νοημάτων ἀκολουθίας, ὁ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἐκδέχεται, κἂν ὑποξενίζειν δοκῇ παρὰ τὴν πρώτην ὁ λόγος. Μὴ γὰρ εἶναι δυνατὸν ἴσως ὁ ἀκούων ἐρεῖ, καθάπερ ἐν βαθμῶν διαθέσει, μετὰ τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, τῆς 44.1209 γῆς τὴν κληρονομίαν καταλαμβάνεσθαι· ἀλλ' εἴπερ ἔδει τῇ φύσει τῶν ὄντων τὸν λόγον ἕπεσθαι, τοῦ οὐ ρανοῦ τὴν γῆν ἀκολουθότερον ἦν προτετάχθαι, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον ἐσομένης τῆς ἀναβάσεως. Ἀλλ' εἰ πτερωθείημέν πως τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ νῶτα τῆς οὐρανίας ἁψίδος σταίημεν, εὑρήσομεν ἐκεῖ τὴν ὑπερουράνιον γῆν, τὴν εἰς κληρονομίαν τοῖς κατ' ἀρετὴν βεβιωκόσιν ἀποκειμένην, ὡς μὴ δοκεῖν ἡμαρ τῆσθαι τὴν τάξιν τῆς τῶν μακαρισμῶν ἀκολουθίας, πρῶτον οὐρανῶν, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα γῆς, ἐν ταῖς ἐπαγ γελίαις ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ προτεθείσης. Τὸ γὰρ φαινόμενον, ὅσον πρὸς τὴν σωματικὴν αἴσθησιν, ὅλον πρὸς ἑαυτὸ συγγενῶς ἔχει. Κἂν γὰρ ὃ μὲν ὑψηλὸν εἶναι δοκῇ τῷ τοπικῷ διαστήματι, ἀλλ' οὖν κάτω τῆς νοερᾶς οὐσίας ἐστὶν, ἧς ἀδύνατον ἐπιβατεῦσαι τὸν λογισμὸν, μὴ διαβάντα τῷ λόγῳ ταῦτα πρότερον, ὧν καθικνεῖται ἡ αἴσθησις. Εἰ δὲ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τῆς γῆς ἡ ὑπερκειμένη κατονομάζεται λῆξις, θαυμάσεις μηδέν· τῷ γὰρ ταπεινῷ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀκοῆς συγ καταβαίνει ὁ Λόγος, ὁ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς ἡμᾶς καταβὰς, ἐπειδὴ ἡμεῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνυψωθῆναι οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦμεν. ∆ιὰ τοίνυν τῶν ἡμῖν γνωρίμων ῥημάτων τε καὶ ὀνομάτων παραδίδωσι τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια, ταύς ταῖς φωναῖς κεχρημένος, ἃς ἡ συνήθεια τοῦ ἀν θρωπίνου περιέχει βίου. Καὶ γὰρ τῇ πρὸ ταύτης ἐπαγγελίᾳ τὸν ἄφραστον ἐκεῖνον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς μακαρισμὸν, βασιλείαν ὠνόμασεν· ἆρά τι τοιοῦτον τῷ λόγῳ παραδεικνύων, οἷον ἡ κάτω περιέχει βασι λεία; διαδήματά τινα ταῖς τῶν λίθων αἴγλαις περι αστράπτοντα, καὶ εὐανθεῖς ἁλουργίδας ἡδύ τι τοῖς λίχνοις ὄμμασιν ἀπαυγαζούσας, προπύλαιά τε καὶ καταπετάσματα, καὶ ὑψηλοὺς θρόνους, καὶ δορυφό ρων στοιχηδὸν περιεστώτων τάξεις, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα προστραγῳδοῦσι περὶ τὴν τοιαύτην τοῦ βίου σκηνὴν οἱ τὸν ὄγκον τῆς δυναστείας διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον ἐξαίροντες. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μέγα τι καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα σχεδὸν τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ζηλούμενα τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ὄνομα κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐστὶν, διὰ τοῦτο συν εχρήσατο τῷ ὀνόματι, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἀγαθῶν δήλωσιν· ὡς εἴ γε ἦν ἄλλο τι παρὰ τοῖς ἀν θρώποις τῆς βασιλείας ἀνώτερον, δι' ἐκείνου ἂν τοῦ ὀνόματος πάντως μάλιστα ἀνεπτέρωσε ψυχὴν τοῦ ἀκούοντος, πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ἀφράστου μακαριό τητος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν δυνατὸν ἰδίοις ὀνόμασιν ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐκκαλυφθῆναι, ἃ ὑπὲρ αἴ σθησίν τε καὶ γνῶσιν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐστίν. Οὔτε γὰρ ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε, φησὶν, οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη. Ἀλλ' ὡς ἂν μὴ παντελῶς διαφύγοι τὸν στοχασμὸν ἡ ἐλπιζομένη μακαριότης, ὡς χωροῦμεν κατὰ τὸ ταπεινὸν ἡμῶν τῆς φύσεως, οὕτω τῶν ἀνεκφωνήτων ἀκούομεν. Μὴ οὖν ἡ τῆς γῆς ὁμωνυμία πάλιν μετὰ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καθ ελκέτω σου τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπὶ τὴν κάτω γῆν, ἀλλ' εἴπερ ὑψώθης τῷ Λόγῳ διὰ τῶν προτέρων μακα ρισμῶν, καὶ