6

to strive after, let us also hold fast to virtue; that we may be able to obtain the good things promised to those who love him, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY II. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1. Just as a fragrant ointment does not keep its fragrance shut up within itself, but sends it forth from afar, and suffusing the air with its scent, so it also conveys it to the senses of those nearby; so also noble and admirable men do not keep their virtue shut up within themselves, but benefit many through their reputation and make them better. Which indeed also happened then. For this reason he said, "So that you became examples to all the believers in Achaia and Macedonia." For from you, he says, has sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth. You have filled all your neighbors, he says, with your instruction, but the whole world with your wonder; for this is what "in every place" means. And he did not say, "Your faith is rumored abroad," but "has sounded out"; showing that just as when a trumpet sounds a brilliant note the whole place nearby is filled, so the fame of your manliness, sounding like that trumpet, is able to fill the world, and to fall upon all everywhere with an equal sound. For great deeds are celebrated more brilliantly where they happen, and they are celebrated afar, but not so much; but from you it is not so, but a clear sound has gone forth into all the earth. And let no one think these words are an exaggeration; for this nation of the Macedonians was famous even before the coming of Christ, and was celebrated everywhere more than the Romans; and the Romans are admirable for this reason, that they conquered them. For what the king of the Macedonians accomplished surpassed all description, setting out from a small city, and seizing the whole world. For this reason the prophet also sees him as a winged leopard, signifying the speed and the vehemence and the fiery spirit and his flying suddenly across the world with trophies and victory. And they say that, on hearing a certain philosopher say that there are infinite worlds, he groaned bitterly, since while there were infinite, he had not yet conquered even one; so high-minded and great-souled was he, and celebrated throughout the world. So then, with the fame of the king, the glory of the nation also rose; for he was called Alexander the Macedonian; so that when he was renowned, it was fitting that the events there should also be celebrated everywhere; for nothing of the famous can remain hidden. The affairs of the Macedonians, then, were no less than those of the Romans. Your faith toward God, he says, has gone forth. See how he uses the term 62.400 "has gone forth," as if speaking of an animate being; and this has come from their vehemence. Then, showing that they had thus demonstrated their faith to be vehement and active, he adds: So that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you. They do not wait to hear about you, but those present and having seen your affairs

6

ὀρέγειν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐχώμεθα τῆς ἀρετῆς· ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Βʹ. Ἀφ' ὑμῶν γὰρ ἐξήχηται ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ καὶ Ἀχαΐᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξελήλυθεν, ὥστε μὴ χρείαν ἡμᾶς ἔχειν λαλεῖν τι. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν ὁποίαν εἴσοδον ἔχομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ πῶς ἐπεστρέ ψατε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων, δου λεύειν Θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ, καὶ ἀναμένειν τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦν τὸν ῥυόμενον ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς ἐρχομένης. αʹ. Καθάπερ μύρον εὐῶδες τὴν εὐωδίαν οὐκ ἐν ἑαυτῷ συγκλεῖσαν ἔχει, ἀλλὰ πόῤῥωθεν ἀφίησι, καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ἀναχρῶσαν τῆς ὀσμῆς, οὕτως ἐνίησι καὶ ταῖς τῶν πλησίων αἰσθήσεσιν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ γενναῖοι καὶ θαυμαστοὶ ἄνδρες οὐκ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἀρετὴν συγκλείσαντες ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς διὰ τῆς φήμης αὐτῶν ὠφελοῦσι καὶ ἀμείνους ἐργάζονται. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ τότε γεγένηται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· Ὥστε ὑμᾶς τύπους γενέσθαι πᾶσι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐν Ἀχαΐᾳ καὶ τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ. Ἀφ' ὑμῶν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξήχηται ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ καὶ Ἀχαΐᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξελήλυθε. Τῆς μὲν οὖν παιδεύσεως τοὺς πλησίον πάντας ἐνεπλήσατε, φησὶ, τοῦ δὲ θαύματος τὴν οἰκουμένην· τὸ γὰρ, Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, τοῦτό ἐστι. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε· ∆ιατεθρύλληται ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν, ἀλλ', Ἐξήχηται· δηλῶν ὅτι ὥσπερ σάλπιγγος λαμπρὸν ἠχούσης ὁ πλησίον ἅπας πληροῦται τόπος, οὕτω τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀνδρείας ἡ φήμη, καθάπερ ἐκείνη σαλπίζουσα, ἱκανὴ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐμπλῆσαι, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς πανταχοῦ μετὰ τῆς ἴσης ἠχῆς προσπεσεῖν. Τὰ γὰρ μεγάλα τῶν πραγμάτων ἔνθα μὲν ἂν γένηται, λαμπρότερον ᾄδεται, πόῤῥω δὲ ᾄδεται μὲν, οὐχ οὕτω δέ· ἀφ' ὑμῶν δὲ οὖν οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἠχὴ εὔσημος πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς ἐξελήλυθε. Καὶ μή τις ὑπερβολῆς εἶναι νομίσῃ τὰ ῥήματα· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ ἔθνος τὸ τῶν Μακεδόνων πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἐπίσημον ἦν, καὶ πανταχοῦ ᾔδετο Ῥωμαίων μᾶλλον· καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι διὰ τοῦτο θαυμαστοὶ, ὅτι τούτους εἷλον. Ἃ γὰρ ὁ Μακεδόνων βασιλεὺς εἰργάσατο, πάντα ὑπερέβαινε λόγον, ἀπὸ μικρᾶς μὲν ὁρμηθεὶς πόλεως, τὴν δὲ οἰκουμένην καταλαβών. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πτηνὴν Πάρδαλιν αὐτὸν ὁρᾷ ὁ προφήτης, τὸ τάχος καὶ τὸ σφοδρὸν καὶ τὸ πυρῶδες καὶ τὸ ἄφνω που διαπτῆναι τὴν οἰκουμένην μετὰ τροπαίων καὶ νίκης δηλῶν. Λέγουσι, δὲ, ὅτι καὶ φιλοσόφου τινὸς ἀκούσας λέγοντος, ὅτι ἄπειροι κόσμοι εἰσὶ, πικρὸν ἐστέναξεν, εἴ γε ἀπείρων ὄντων, μηδὲ ἑνός που κεκράτηκεν· οὕτως ἦν μεγαλόφρων καὶ μεγαλόψυχος, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ᾔδετο. Τῇ γοῦν τοῦ βασιλέως φήμῃ συνανῄει καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔθνους δόξα· Ἀλέξανδρος γὰρ ὁ Μακεδὼν ἐλέγετο· ὥστε διαβοωμένου ἐκείνου, εἰκότως καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ γενόμενα πανταχοῦ ᾄδεσθαι· τῶν γὰρ ἐπισήμων οὐδὲν δύναται λαθεῖν. Οὐχ ἧττον οὖν τῶν Ῥωμαίων τὰ Μακεδόνων ἦν. Ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς Θεὸν, φησὶν, ἐξελήλυθεν. Ὅρα πῶς ὡς περὶ 62.400 ἐμψύχου διαλεγόμενος τὸ, Ἐξελήλυθε, τέθεικε· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς σφοδρότητος αὐτῶν γέγονεν. Εἶτα δηλῶν ὅτι οὕτω τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν σφοδρὰν καὶ ἐνεργῆ ἐπεδείξαντο, ἐπάγει· Ὥστε μὴ χρείαν ἡμᾶς ἔχειν λαλεῖν τι. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν ὁποίαν εἴσοδον ἔσχομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Οὐ περιμένουσιν ἀκοῦσαι περὶ ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς παρόντας καὶ τεθεαμένους τὰ ὑμέτερα