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to give. For this reason He did not say, "It is fitting for us to do this and that," but, "To fulfill all righteousness." "It is fitting for me, the Master," He says, "who has, to pay on behalf of those who have not." This is the reason for the baptism, that He might be seen to fulfill all the law, both this reason, and the one spoken of before this. For this reason also the Spirit descends in the form of a dove; for where there is reconciliation of God, there is a dove. For also in the case of the ark of Noah, the dove came bearing an olive branch, a symbol of God's love for humanity, and of the cessation of the storm; and now in the form of a dove—not in a body, for one must know these things for certain—the Spirit comes, proclaiming the mercy of God to the inhabited world, and at the same time also showing that the spiritual man must be without wickedness, and simple, and harmless; just as Christ also says: "Unless you turn and become like children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." That ark, then, when the storm had ceased, remained upon the earth; but this ark, when the wrath had ceased, was caught up to heaven, and now that blameless and pure body is at the right hand of the Father. But since I have mentioned the Lord's body, it is necessary to speak to you a little about this and then end the discourse. I know that many among us, because of the custom of the feast, will run to this holy table. One ought, then, as I have often said before, not to observe feasts when one ought to commune, but to cleanse one's conscience and then partake of the holy sacrifice. For the 49.370 accursed and impure man would not be worthy even on a feast day to partake of that holy and awesome flesh; but the one who is pure and has wiped clean his sins through precise repentance would be worthy both on a feast day and always to partake of the divine mysteries, and would be worthy to enjoy the gifts of God. But since I do not know how this is overlooked by some, and many, full of countless evils, when they see the feast has come, as if pushed by the day itself, partake of the holy mysteries, which it is not lawful for them even to look upon in such a state; we ourselves will certainly keep away those who are known to us, but those unknown to us we will leave to God, who knows the secrets of each one's mind. At least the sin that is openly committed by all we shall try to correct today. What then is this sin? That you do not approach with trembling, but kicking, striking, full of anger, shouting, reviling, pushing your neighbors, filled with confusion. These things I have said many times, and I will not cease saying them. Do you not see at the Olympic games, when a judge walks through the marketplace, wearing a crown on his head, robed in a stole, holding a rod in his hand, how great is the good order, with the herald shouting for quiet and seemliness? How then is it not absurd, that where the devil parades, there is such silence, but where Christ calls to Himself, there is much clamor? Silence in the marketplace, and shouting in the church? Calm on the sea, and waves in the harbor? Why do you make a disturbance, tell me, O man? Why are you in a hurry? Does the necessity of business by all means call you? For are you at all aware that you have business at that hour? Do you at all remember that you are on the earth? And do you think you are with men? And how is this not of a mind of stone, to think at that time that you are standing on earth, and not dancing with the angels, with whom you sent up that mystic hymn, with whom you offered up that triumphal song to God? For this reason Christ called us eagles, saying, "Where the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together," that we might walk in heaven, that we might fly on high, lifted up by the wings of the spirit; but we, like serpents, crawl on the ground and eat earth. Do you wish that I say whence the disturbance and shouting come? Because we do not always shut the doors to you, but we permit before the

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δοῦναι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπε, Πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν ποιῆσαι τὸ καὶ τὸ, ἀλλὰ, Πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Ἐμοὶ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ πρέπον ἐστὶ, φησὶ, τῷ ἔχοντι, καταβαλεῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων. Αὕτη ἡ αἰτία τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἵνα δόξῃ τὸν νόμον ἅπαντα πληροῦν, καὶ αὕτη, καὶ ἡ πρὸ ταύτης εἰρημένη. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς κάτεισιν· ὅπου γὰρ καταλλαγὴ Θεοῦ, περιστερά. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ Νῶε φέρουσα κλάδον ἐλαίας ἦλθεν ἡ περιστερὰ, σύμβολον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ τῆς τοῦ χειμῶνος ἀπαλλαγῆς· καὶ νῦν ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς, οὐκ ἐν σώματι δεῖ γὰρ ἀσφαλῶς ταῦτα εἰδέναι , τὸ Πνεῦμα ἔρχεται, τὸν ἔλεον τοῦ Θεοῦ καταγγέλλον τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, ἅμα δὲ καὶ δηλοῦν, ὅτι τὸν πνευματικὸν ἄνδρα ἀπόνηρόν τινα εἶναι χρὴ καὶ ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἄκακον· καθάπερ καὶ ὁ Χριστός φησιν· Ἐὰν μὴ στραφῆτε καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἐκείνη μὲν οὖν ἡ κιβωτὸς, τοῦ χειμῶνος λυθέντος, ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· αὕτη δὲ ἡ κιβωτὸς, τῆς ὀργῆς λυθείσης, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡρπάζετο, καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ ἄμωμον ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἀκήρατον σῶμα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦ σώματος ἐμνήσθην ∆εσποτικοῦ, ἀναγκαῖον πρὸς ὑμᾶς μικρὰ περὶ τούτου διαλεχθέντας καταπαῦσαι τὸν λόγον. Οἶδα ὅτι πολλοὶ παρ' ἡμῖν διὰ τὴν τῆς ἑορτῆς συνήθειαν τῇ ἱερᾷ ταύτῃ προσδραμοῦνται τραπέζῃ. Ἔδει μὲν οὖν, ὡς καὶ πολλάκις ἔφθην εἰπὼν, μὴ ἑορτὰς παρατηρεῖν, ἡνίκα ἂν δέοι κοινωνεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ συνειδὸς καθαίρειν, καὶ τότε τῆς ἱερᾶς ἅπτεσθαι θυσίας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ 49.370 ἐναγὴς καὶ ἀκάθαρτος οὐδὲ ἐν ἑορτῇ δίκαιος ἂν εἴη μετέχειν τῆς ἁγίας ἐκείνης καὶ φρικώδους σαρκός· ὁ δὲ καθαρὸς καὶ διὰ μετανοίας ἀκριβοῦς ἀποσμηξάμενος τὰ πλημμελήματα, καὶ ἐν ἑορτῇ καὶ ἀεὶ δίκαιος ἂν εἴη μετέχειν τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, καὶ ἀπολαύειν ἂν εἴη ἄξιος τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο οὐκ οἶδα πῶς παρῶπταί τισι, καὶ μυρίων πολλοὶ γέμοντες κακῶν, ὅτε τὴν ἑορτὴν ἴδωσι παραγενομένην, ὡς ὑπ' αὐτῆς ὠθούμενοι τῆς ἡμέρας, ἅπτονται τῶν ἱερῶν μυστηρίων, ἃ μηδὲ ἰδεῖν οὕτω διακειμένους θέμις· τοὺς μὲν δήλους ἡμῖν αὐτοὶ πάντως ἡμεῖς ἀπείρξομεν, τοὺς δὲ ἀγνώστους ἡμῖν τῷ Θεῷ καταλείψομεν, τῷ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα τῆς ἑκάστου διανοίας εἰδότι· τὸ γοῦν φανερῶς ἁμαρτανόμενον παρὰ πάντων πειρασόμεθα διορθῶσαι τήμερον. Τί οὖν ἐστι τοῦτο τὸ ἁμάρτημα; Τὸ μὴ μετὰ φρίκης προσιέναι, ἀλλὰ λακτίζοντας, τύπτοντας, θυμοῦ γέμοντας, βοῶντας, λοιδοροῦντας, τοὺς πλησίον ὠθοῦντας, ταραχῆς ἐμπεπλησμένους. Ταῦτα καὶ πολλάκις εἶπον, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε ἐπὶ τῶν Ὀλυμπίων ἀγώνων, ὅταν ἀγωνοθέτης διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς βαδίζῃ, στέφανον ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχων, στολὴν ἀναβεβλημένος, ῥάβδον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ κατέχων, ὅση ἡ εὐταξία, τοῦ κήρυκος βοῶντος ἡσυχίαν εἶναι μετ' εὐκοσμίας; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, ἔνθα μὲν ὁ διάβολος πομπεύει, τοσαύτην εἶναι τὴν ἡσυχίαν, ἔνθα δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν καλεῖ, πολὺν εἶναι τὸν θόρυβον; Ἐν ἀγορᾷ ἡσυχία, καὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ κραυγή; ἐν πελάγει γαλήνη, καὶ ἐν λιμένι κύματα; Τί θορυβῇ, εἰπέ μοι, ἄνθρωπε; τί δὲ ἐπείγῃ; πραγμάτων ἀνάγκη σε καλεῖ πάντως; ὅλως γὰρ οἶδας ὅτι πράγματα ἔχεις κατὰ τὴν ὥραν ἐκείνην; μέμνησαι γὰρ ὅλως, ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἶ; νομίζεις δὲ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων εἶναι; Καὶ πῶς οὐχὶ λιθίνης ταῦτα διανοίας, τὸ νομίζειν κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐπὶ γῆς ἑστάναι, ἀλλ' οὐ μετ' ἀγγέλων χορεύειν, μεθ' ὧν τὸ μυστικὸν ἐκεῖνο μέλος ἀνέπεμψας, μεθ' ὧν τὴν ἐπινίκιον ἐκείνην ἀνήνεγκας ᾠδὴν τῷ Θεῷ; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀετοὺς ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκάλεσεν εἰπὼν, Ὅπου τὸ πτῶμα, ἐκεῖ συναχθήσονται καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ, ἵνα οὐρανοβατῶμεν, ἵνα ὑψηλὰ πετώμεθα τοῖς πτεροῖς τοῦ πνεύματος κουφιζόμενοι· ἡμεῖς δὲ κατὰ τοὺς ὄφεις χαμαὶ συρόμεθα, καὶ γῆν ἐσθίομεν. Βούλεσθε εἴπω πόθεν ὁ θόρυβος καὶ ἡ κραυγὴ γίνεται; Ὅτι οὐ διαπαντὸς ὑμῖν τὰς θύρας ἀποκλείομεν, ἀλλὰ συγχωροῦμεν πρὸ τῆς