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a called apostle; Behold, I Paul say to you; but now as Paul, and everywhere he is called Paul, but is not called Saul. For what reason then was he before this called Saul, but after this Paul? The question is not a simple one; for Peter immediately comes to mind; for he too was called Simon before this, but after this he was named Cephas; and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, were renamed Sons of Thunder. And not only in the New, but also in the Old [Testament] we find Abraham before this being called Abram, but after this Abraham; and Jacob now being called Jacob, but after this Israel; and Sarra before this being called Sara, but after this Sarra; 51.124 and the change of names provides us with a great inquiry; and I fear lest, by suddenly releasing many streams of rivers, I should drown the discourse of my teaching. For just as in a place that has moisture, wherever one digs, springs leap forth from every side; so also in the field of the divine Scriptures, wherever you open, you will see many rivers coming forth, whence there is no small fear of releasing them all at once today. Therefore, having dammed up our own stream, I will send your love to the sacred spring of these presidents and teachers, this pure and drinkable and sweet stream that comes forth from the spiritual rock itself. Let us therefore prepare our minds for the reception of the teaching, to draw the spiritual waters, that there may be in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life; may we all be worthy to attain it by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, honor, power, together with the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. To those who complain about the length of what has been said, and to those who are annoyed by the brevity, and concerning the appellation of Saul
and Paul, and for what reason Adam the first man was called, that it was useful and advantageous, and to the newly illumined.
1. What then ought we to do today? For seeing your multitude, I fear to extend the discourse to great length. For when the teaching proceeds at greater length, I see you being trampled, crowded, and the distress from the crowding ruining the attentiveness of your hearing; for a hearer who enjoys no relief cannot pay attention with zeal to what is being said. Therefore, seeing your multitude, as I said, I fear to extend the discourse to great length; but considering your desire, I am afraid to shorten the teaching. For one who is thirsty, unless he first sees the cup filled, would not even gladly bring it to his lips; but even if he is not going to drink it all, he desires to see it all full. For this reason I do not know what to do with the oration. For with brevity I wish to cut short your weariness, and with the length of the discourse to satisfy your desire. But I have often done both of these things, and not once have I escaped blame. I know that many times, sparing you, I ended the discourse before the end, and those who have an insatiable soul cried out against us, those who constantly enjoy the divine streams, but are never filled, those blessed ones, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and fearing the outcries from these, again I went on, extending the teaching to great length, and for this I endured blame. For those who love brevity, meeting me, would entreat me to spare their weakness, and
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κλητὸς ἀπόστολος· Ἰδὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος λέγω ὑμῖν· νυνὶ δὲ ὡς Παῦλος, καὶ πανταχοῦ Παῦλος καλεῖται, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ Σαῦλος λέγεται. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν πρὸ τούτου μὲν Σαῦλος, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Παῦλος ἐκλήθη; Οὐκ ἔστι ψιλὸν τὸ ζήτημα· καὶ γὰρ Πέτρος εὐθέως ἐπιτρέχει· καὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνος πρὸ τούτου μὲν Σίμων ἐλέγετο, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὠνομάσθη Κηφᾶς· καὶ υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου, Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης, Υἱοὶ βροντῆς μετωνομάσθησαν. Καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ εὑρίσκομεν τὸν Ἀβραὰμ πρὸ τούτου μὲν Ἀβρὰμ λεγόμενον, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ Ἀβραάμ· καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ νῦν μὲν Ἰακὼβλεγόμενον, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἰσραήλ· καὶ τὴν Σάῤῥαν πρὸ τούτου Σάραν λεγομένην, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Σάῤῥαν· 51.124 καὶ πολλὴν ἡμῖν τῶν ὀνομάτων ἡ μετάθεσις παρέχει τὴν ζήτησιν· καὶ δέδοικα μὴ, πολλὰ ῥεύματα ποταμῶν ἐξαίφνης ἀφεὶς, ἀποπνίξω τῆς διδασκαλίας τὸν λόγον. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν χωρίῳ νοτίδα ἔχοντι, ὅπουπερ ἂν διασκάψῃ τις, πηγαὶ πανταχόθεν ἐκπηδῶσιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ὅπουπερ ἂν διανοίξῃς, ποταμοὺς ἐξιόντας ὄψει πολλοὺς, ὅθεν καὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς ἀθρόον ἀφεῖναι τήμερον δέος ἐστὶν οὐ μικρόν. ∆ιόπερ τὸν ἡμέτερον ἀποφράξας ῥύακα, παραπέμψω τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην πρὸς τὴν ἱερὰν πηγὴν τῶν προέδρων τούτων καὶ διδασκάλων τὴν καθαρὰν ταύτην καὶ πότιμον καὶ γλυκὺν, νᾶμα τὸ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐξερχόμενον τῆς πέτρας τῆς νοητῆς. Παρασκευάσωμεν τοίνυν τὴν διάνοιαν πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τῆς διδασκαλίας, ἀρύσασθαι τὰ πνευματικὰ νάματα, ἵνα γένηται ἐν ἡμῖν πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, τιμὴ, κράτος, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ζωοποιῷ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Πρὸς τοὺς ἐγκαλοῦντας ὑπὲρ τοῦ μήκους τῶν εἰρημένων, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς δυσχεραίνοντας ὑπὲρ τῆς βραχυλογίας, καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Σαύλου
προσηγορίας καὶ Παύλου, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν Ἀδὰμ ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος ἐκλήθη, ὅτι χρησίμως καὶ συμφερόντως, καὶ εἰς τοὺς νεοφωτίστους.
αʹ. Τί ποτε ἄρα χρὴ ἡμᾶς ποιῆσαι τήμερον; Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πλῆθος ὑμῶν ὁρῶν, δέδοικα πρὸς μῆκος ἐκτεῖναι τὸν λόγον. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν ἡ διδασκαλία μακροτέρω προβαίνῃ, ὁρῶ συμπατουμένους ὑμᾶς, στενοχωρουμένους, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς στενοχωρίας θλίψιν τῇ τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἀκριβείᾳ λυμαινομένην· ἀκροατὴς γὰρ ἀνέσεως οὐκ ἀπολαύων, οὐδὲ μετὰ σπουδῆς προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις δύναιτ' ἄν. Τὸ μὲν οὖν πλῆθος ὑμῶν, ὡς ἔφην, ὁρῶν, δέδοικα πρὸς μῆκος ἐκτεῖναι τὸν λόγον· τὸν δὲ πόθον ὑμῶν λογιζόμενος φοβοῦμαι συστεῖλαι τὴν διδασκαλίαν. Ὁ γὰρ διψῶν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον πεπληρωμένην ἴδῃ τὴν φιάλην, οὐδὲ τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτὴν ἡδέως ἂν προσαγάγοι· ἀλλὰ κἂν μὴ πᾶσαν αὐτὴν ἐκπίνειν μέλλοι, πᾶσαν αὐτὴν γέμουσαν ἰδεῖν ἐπιθυμεῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχω τί χρήσομαι τῇ δημηγορίᾳ. Καὶ γὰρ τῇ βραχυλογίᾳ τὸν κάματον ὑποτέμνεσθαι τὸν ὑμέτερον βούλομαι, καὶ τῷ μήκει τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ὑμῶν ἐμπλῆσαι. Ἀλλ' ἑκάτερα πολλάκις ταῦτα ἐποίησα, καὶ οὐδὲ ἅπαξ τὴν αἰτίαν διέφυγον. Οἶδα ὅτι πολλάκις φειδόμενος ὑμῶν πρὸ τοῦ τέλους κατέλυσα τὸν λόγον, καὶ κατεβόησαν ἡμῶν οἱ ψυχὴν ἀκόρεστον ἔχοντες, οἱ συνεχῶς μὲν τῶν θείων ἀπολαύοντες ναμάτων, οὐδέποτε δὲ ἐμπιπλάμενοι, οἱ Μακάριοι ἐκεῖνοι, οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὰς παρὰ τούτων καταβοήσεις φοβηθεὶς πάλιν προῆλθον μέχρι πολλοῦ τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἐκτείνων, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αἰτίαν ὑπέμενον. Οἱ γὰρ βραχυλογίας ἐρῶντες ἀπαντῶντες παρεκάλουν τῆς αὐτῶν ἀσθενείας φείδεσθαι, καὶ