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he did not ask for the kingdom of the heavens. From where, tell me, O robber, do you remember a kingdom? For what such thing have you seen now? Nails and a cross are the things seen, and accusation and jeers and revilings. Yes, he says; for the cross itself seems to me to be a symbol of a kingdom. And for this reason I call him king, because I see him being crucified; for it is the part of a king to die for his subjects. He himself said: The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep; therefore the good king also lays down his life for his subjects. Since therefore he has laid down his life, for this reason I call him king. Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom. 4. Do you wish to learn how the cross is also a symbol of a kingdom, and how august the matter is? He did not leave it to be on the earth, but snatched it up and raised it to heaven. From where is this clear? He is to come with it in the second coming. But let us see also how he is to come with it. Hear Christ himself saying: If they say to you, Behold, Christ is in the inner rooms, behold, he is in the desert, do not go out; speaking about his second coming, on account of the false christs, on account of the false prophets, on account of the Antichrist, so that no one, being deceived, might fall into his hands. For since the Antichrist comes before Christ, so that, he says, while seeking the shepherd, you might not fall into the hands of the wolf, for this reason I tell you the signs of the shepherd's coming. For since his first coming was in secret, do not think, he says, that the second will also be such. For that one was reasonably in secret; for he came to seek what was lost; but this one is not so. But how? Tell and teach. For as the lightning, he says, comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. It will appear to all at once; no one will need to ask. For just as when lightning appears, we do not need to inquire if there was lightning; so when his coming occurs, we will not need to inquire if Christ has come. But we have not yet even now said the thing sought, if he comes with the cross. Hear, then, this also, which he clearly indicates. 49.414 Then, he says, that is, when I come, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. For so great will be the abundance of light then, that even the brightest stars will be hidden. For the stars, he says, will fall, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. Have you seen how great the abundance of the sign, how much brightness, how much splendor? The sun is darkened, the moon does not shine, the stars fall; but that alone appears, so that you may learn that it is more brilliant than the moon and brighter than the sun. For just as when a king enters, the advancing armies carry the standards on their shoulders, and announce the entrance of the king; so when the Master of creation descends from the heavens, the armies of angels and archangels go before, bearing that sign, and announcing to us the royal entrance. Then, he says, the powers of the heavens will be shaken, speaking of the angels and archangels, and of all the invisible powers; for trembling will seize them, and great fear and anguish. But for what reason, tell me, do those powers also stand in fear? Reasonably. The tribunal will then be fearful, all of human nature is about to be judged and to be held accountable and to stand before a fearful judgment seat. Why then do the angels tremble then, and those incorporeal powers fear? For not even they are about to be judged. Just as when a judge condemns the guilty, and is seated on a high tribunal, not only the guilty, but also those of his own rank standing by, who are conscious of no wrongdoing in themselves, nevertheless fear and shudder because of the

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βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν οὐκ ᾔτησε. Πόθεν, εἰπέ μοι, βασιλείας, ὦ λῃστὰ, μέμνησαι; τί γὰρ εἶδες τοιοῦτον νῦν; Ἧλοι καὶ σταυρὸς τὰ ὁρώμενα, καὶ κατηγορία καὶ σκώμματα καὶ λοιδορίαι. Ναὶ, φησίν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ σταυρὸς βασιλείας εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ σύμβολον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸν βασιλέα καλῶ, ἐπειδὴ βλέπω αὐτὸν σταυρούμενον· βασιλέως γάρ ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀρχομένων ἀποθνήσκειν. Αὐτὸς εἶπεν· Ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων· οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀρχομένων. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τέθεικε, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν βασιλέα καλῶ. Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. δʹ. Βούλει μαθεῖν πῶς καὶ βασιλείας σύμβολον ὁ σταυρὸς, καὶ πῶς σεμνὸν τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν; Οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλ' ἀνέσπασεν αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνήγαγε. Πόθεν δῆλον τοῦτο; Μετ' αὐτοῦ μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ παρουσίᾳ. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν καὶ πῶς μέλλει μετ' αὐτοῦ ἔρχεσθαι. Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ· Ἐὰν εἴπωσιν ὑμῖν, Ἰδοὺ ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, μὴ ἐξέλθητε· περὶ τῆς δευτέρας αὑτοῦ παρουσίας λέγων, διὰ τοὺς ψευδοχρίστους, διὰ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας, διὰ τὸν Ἀντίχριστον, ἵνα μή τις πλανηθεὶς ἐκείνῳ περιπέσῃ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ Ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται, ἵνα μὴ ζητοῦντες, φησὶ, τὸν ποιμένα, τῷ λύκῳ περιπέσητε, διὰ τοῦτο ὑμῖν λέγω γνωρίσματα τῆς τοῦ ποιμένος παρουσίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ πρώτη αὐτοῦ παρουσία λανθάνουσα ἐγένετο, μὴ νομίσητε, φησὶν, ὅτι καὶ ἡ δευτέρα τοιαύτη ἔσται. Ἐκείνη γὰρ εἰκότως λανθάνουσα ἐγένετο· ἦλθε γὰρ ζητῆσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός· αὕτη δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πῶς; εἰπὲ καὶ δίδαξον. Ὥσπερ ἐξέρχεται, φησὶν, ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, καὶ φαίνεται ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Ἀθρόον πᾶσι φανεῖται· οὐ δεήσεται οὐδεὶς ἐρωτῆσαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀστραπῆς φαινομένης, οὐ δεόμεθα ἐξετάζειν, εἰ ἐγένετο ἀστραπή· οὔτω τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ γενομένης, οὐ δεησόμεθα ἐξετάζειν εἰ παρεγένετο ὁ Χριστός. Ἀλλὰ τὸ ζητούμενον οὐδέπω καὶ νῦν εἰρήκαμεν, εἰ μετὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἔρχεται. Ἄκουε τοίνυν καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς αὐτοῦ δηλοῦντος. 49.414 Τότε, φησὶ, τουτέστιν, ὅταν ἔρχωμαι, ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς. Τοσαύτη γὰρ ἔσται τοῦ φωτὸς τότε ἡ ὑπερβολὴ, ὡς καὶ τὰ φανότατα ἄστρα ἀποκρύπτεσθαι. Καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες γὰρ, φησὶ, πεσοῦνται, καὶ οὕτω τὸ σημεῖον φανήσεται τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Εἶδες πόση ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τοῦ σημείου, πόση φαιδρότης, πόση λαμπηδών; Ὁ ἥλιος σκοτίζεται, ἡ σελήνη οὐ φαίνει, τὰ ἄστρα πίπτει· ἐκεῖνο δὲ μόνον φαίνεται, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι καὶ σελήνης φανότερον καὶ ἡλίου φαιδρότερόν ἐστι. Καθάπερ γὰρ βασιλέως εἰσιόντος, τὰ στρατόπεδα προλαμβάνοντα τὰ σημεῖα φέρει ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων, καὶ προαγγέλλει τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν εἴσοδον· οὕτω τοῦ τῆς κτίσεως ∆εσπότου καταβαίνοντος ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, προλαμβάνει τὰ στρατόπεδα τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων τὸ σημεῖον ἐκεῖνο βαστάζοντα, καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν εἴσοδον ἡμῖν ἀπαγγέλλοντα. Τότε, φησὶ, καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται, περὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων λέγων, καὶ πασῶν τῶν ἀοράτων δυνάμεων· τρόμος γὰρ αὐτοὺς λήψεται, καὶ φόβος πολὺς καὶ ἀγωνία. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις ἐκεῖναι ἐν φόβῳ καθεστήκασιν; Εἰκότως. Φοβερὸν ἔσται τότε τὸ δικαστήριον, ἅπασα ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσις μέλλει κρίνεσθαι καὶ εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν καὶ παρίστασθαι βήματι φοβερῷ. Τί δήποτε δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι τότε τρέμουσι, καὶ αἱ ἀσώματοι δυνάμεις ἐκεῖναι δεδοίκασιν; οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι μέλλουσι κρίνεσθαι. Καθάπερ δικαστοῦ τοὺς ὑπευθύνους καταδικάζοντος, καὶ ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ τοῦ βήματος καθεζομένου, οὐχὶ οἱ ὑπεύθυνοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τῆς τάξεως αὐτῆς παρεστῶτες, οἱ μηδὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες, ὅμως δεδοίκασι καὶ φρίττουσι διὰ τὸν