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conscience, the sins, all the demons. None of those, He says, moved Me against you, nor did I consider you unworthy of My contests, but I received you into the wrestling grounds, not from your worth, but from My love for humanity. Remain therefore and contend, whether you must run, or box, or do the pancratium; not uncertainly, nor simply, nor in vain. Hear what Paul did; immediately coming up from the waters, at once from baptism he was contending, he was preaching that this is the Son of God; and he confounded the Jews from the first. But you cannot preach, nor do you have a teacher's word? Therefore teach through your works and your manner of life, through the splendor of your deeds. For let your light, He says, shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. You cannot confound the Jews with your voice? Make them to be confounded by your manner of life, make even the Greeks to be disturbed by your change. For when they see him who before this was licentious, wicked, neglectful, corrupt, suddenly changed, and with the change according to grace, showing a change in his manner of life, will they not be confounded and say, what the Jews once said of the blind man, Is this he, it is not he, it is he? For these words are of those who are confounded, to doubt concerning one they know, to be at variance with themselves, not to trust their own conscience, nor their own eyes. He cast off his bodily maiming, you cast off the maiming of your soul; he looked up to this sun, you look up to the sun of righteousness. You have known the Master; therefore do things worthy of that knowledge; so that you may also attain the kingdom of heaven, 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 ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

At a synaxis held after a time in the old church, on the

inscription of the Acts of the Apostles, and that a virtuous life is more useful than signs and wonders, and in what way a way of life differs

from signs.

1. After a time we have returned again to our mother, this church longed for and beloved by all, to our mother and the mother of all churches. For she is a mother, not only because she is older in time, but because she was founded by apostolic hands; for this reason, though often dug down for the name of Christ, she was raised up again by the power of Christ. For not only did apostolic hands found her, but the decree of the Master of the apostles fortified her in a new and paradoxical manner of fortification. For not by putting together wood and stones did He thus build the enclosure, nor by digging a trench around the outside, and planting stakes, and raising towers, did He thus secure her; but He uttered only two bare words, and these sufficed for her as a wall, and a tower, and a trench, and every security. And what are these words that have such great strength? Upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. This is the wall, this the enclosure, this the security, this the harbor and refuge. But consider for me from this also the unbreakableness of the wall. For He did not say that the plots of men only shall not prevail against it, but that not even the devices of Hades itself; For the gates, He says, of Hades shall not prevail against it. He did not say, They will not attack it, but that They will not

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συνειδὸς, τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, τοὺς δαίμονας ἅπαντας. Οὐδείς με, φησὶν, ἐκείνων ἐκίνησε κατὰ σοῦ, οὐδὲ ἐνόμισά σε ἀνάξιον τῶν ἀγώνων τῶν ἐμῶν, ἀλλ' ἐδεξάμην εἰς τὰ παλαίσματα, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀξίας τῆς σῆς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς φιλανθρωπίας. Μένε τοίνυν καὶ ἀγωνίζου, κἂν τρέχειν δέῃ, κἂν πυκτεύειν, κἂν παγκρατιάζειν· μὴ ἀδήλως, μηδὲ ἁπλῶς, μηδὲ εἰκῆ. Ἄκουσον τί ἐποίησεν ὁ Παῦλος· Εὐθέως ἀπὸ τῶν ναμάτων ἀναβὰς, αὐτίκα ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἠγωνίζετο, ἐκήρυττεν ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ συνέχυνε τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἀπὸ πρώτης. Ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασαι κηρῦξαι σὺ, οὐδὲ ἔχεις διδασκαλικὸν λόγον; Οὐκοῦν δίδαξον διὰ τῶν ἔργων καὶ τῆς πολιτείας, διὰ τῆς λαμπρότητος τῶν πράξεων. Λαμψάτω γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὐ δύνασαι συγχέειν Ἰουδαίους διὰ τῆς φωνῆς; Ποίησον αὐτοὺς συγχυθῆναι διὰ τῆς πολιτείας, ποίησον καὶ Ἕλληνας θορυβηθῆναι διὰ τῆς μεταβολῆς. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδωσι τὸν πρὸ τούτου ἀσελγῆ, τὸν πονηρὸν, τὸν ἠμελημένον, τὸν διεφθαρμένον, ἀθρόον μεταβεβλημένον, καὶ μετὰ τῆς μεταβολῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν χάριν, μεταβολὴν τὴν κατὰ τὴν πολιτείαν ἐνδεικνύμενον, οὐ συγχυθήσονται καὶ ἐροῦσιν, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ τυφλοῦ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἔλεγόν ποτε, Οὗτός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος, αὐτός ἐστι; Συγκεχυμένων γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα, ἀμφιβάλλειν περὶ τοῦ γνωρίμου, διαστασιάζειν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς, τῷ οἰκείῳ συνειδότι μὴ πιστεύειν, μηδὲ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ὀφθαλμοῖς. Ἀπέβαλεν ἐκεῖνος τὴν σωματικὴν πήρωσιν, ἀπέβαλες σὺ τὴν ψυχικὴν πήρωσιν· ἀνέβλεψεν ἐκεῖνος εἰς τὸν ἥλιον τοῦτον, ἀνάβλεψον σὺ πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης. Ἐπέγνως τὸν ∆εσπότην· ἄξια τοίνυν πρᾶξον τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως· ἵνα καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιτύχῃς, 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.

Συνάξεως διὰ χρόνου ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ ἐκκλησίᾳ γενομένης, εἰς τὴν

ἐπιγραφὴν τῶν Πράξεων τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ ὅτι χρησιμώτερος βίος ἐνάρετος σημείων καὶ θαυμάτων, καὶ κατὰ τί διαφέρει πολιτεία

σημείων.

αʹ. ∆ιὰ χρόνου πρὸς τὴν μητέρα ἡμῶν ἐπανήλθομεν πάλιν, τὴν ποθεινὴν καὶ ἐπέραστον ταύτην ἅπασιν ἐκκλησίαν, πρὸς τὴν μητέρα ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἁπασῶν. Μήτηρ μὲν γὰρ, οὐχ ὅτι τῷ χρόνῳ πρεσβυτέρα μόνον ἐστὶν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ὑπὸ ἀποστολικῶν ἐθεμελιώθη χειρῶν· διὰ τοῦτο πολλάκις καὶ κατασκαφεῖσα διὰ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πάλιν ὠρθώθη διὰ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ αἱ ἀποστολικαὶ μόνον αὐτὴν ἐθεμελίωσαν χεῖρες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τῶν ἀποστόλων ἡ ἀπόφασις ἐτείχισεν αὐτὴν καινῷ καὶ παραδόξῳ τειχισμοῦ τρόπῳ. Οὐ γὰρ ξύλα καὶ λίθους συνθεὶς, οὕτως ᾠκοδόμησε τὸν περίβολον, οὐδὲ τάφρον ἔξωθεν περιελάσας, καὶ σκόλοπας καταπήξας, καὶ πύργους ἀναστήσας, οὕτως αὐτὴν ἠσφαλίσατο· ἀλλ' ἐφθέγξατο δύο ῥήματα ψιλὰ μόνον, καὶ ταῦτα ἤρκεσεν ἀντὶ τείχους αὐτῇ, καὶ πύργου, καὶ τάφρου, καὶ ἀσφαλείας ἁπάσης. Καὶ τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, ἃ τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν ἰσχύν; Ἐπὶ τῇ πέτρᾳ ταύτῃ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ τεῖχος, τοῦτο ὁ περίβολος, τοῦτο ἡ ἀσφάλεια, τοῦτο λιμὴν καὶ καταφυγή. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει κἀντεῦθεν τοῦ τείχους τὸ ἀῤῥαγές. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλαὶ οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐδ' αὐταὶ αἱ μηχαναὶ τοῦ ᾅδου· Πύλαι γὰρ, φησὶν, ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Οὐ προσβαλοῦσιν αὐτῇ, ἀλλ' ὅτι Οὐ