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from his thighs, until he should come for whom it is reserved" and if they had observed with accuracy the times of the coming, they would not, having fallen away from Christ, have fallen in with the Antichrist; just as Christ himself, hinting at this, said to them, "I came in my Father's name, and you did not receive me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him." Do you see how great a transgression has come from ignorance of the times? Do not, therefore, neglect so great a benefit. For just as boundaries and pillars in the fields do not allow the plots to be confused, so the times and the seasons do not allow matters to clash with one another, but by separating them from each other and arranging each in its proper order, they deliver us from much confusion. It is worthwhile, therefore, to tell you who this Uzziah was and when he reigned and over whom he reigned and how long the time of his rule was and how he ended his life; or rather, it is worthwhile to be silent for the rest. For it is necessary to launch the discourse into an infinite sea of histories. And those who are about to traverse such a sea must take to the way not when the sailors are weary, but when they are vigorous. For this reason both harbors and islands are planted everywhere in the sea, so that both helmsman and sailor may rest, the one putting down the oar, the other rising from the rudders; for this reason also inns and lodgings have been devised everywhere along the roads, so that both beasts of burden and travelers may cease from their labors. For this reason also a time for silence has been appointed for the word of teaching, so that we neither wear ourselves out with the multitude of things said, nor weary you. And Solomon knew these times, saying thus: "A time to be silent and a time to speak." Let there be for us, therefore, a time to be silent, so that there may be a time for the teacher to speak. For our words are like wine recently drawn from the wine-vats, but his are like wine that is old and aged, providing much benefit and strength to those who receive it; and that saying of the gospel has come to pass today; for after the lesser wine, the better is brought in. And just as a vine did not produce that wine then, but the power of Christ made it, so also it is not a human mind that pours forth his word, but the grace of the Spirit. To these abundant and spiritual streams, therefore, let us receive them with eagerness, let us keep them with security, so that, being watered continually by them, we may bear ripe fruit to the God who has granted these things; with whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

3.t On the saying of Chronicles which says, "The heart of Uzziah was lifted up," and concerning humility, and that the virtuous man must not be confident,

and how great an evil is arrogance.

3.1 Blessed be God, that even in our generation martyrs have sprung forth, and we too have been counted worthy to see men slaughtered for Christ, dripping holy blood, watering the whole Church, dripping blood, fearful to demons, but longed for by angels, and for us, salvific. We have been counted worthy to see men wrestling for piety, being crowned. But we have been counted worthy not only to see, but also to receive the very bodies of the athletes, and we now have the crowned ones among us. But let us now leave the discourse concerning the martyrs to the emulator of the martyrs, to the common teacher; but we ourselves will now speak to you about the things concerning Uzziah, paying an old debt and releasing the long-standing pangs of hearing. For each one was in travail

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τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται" καὶ εἰ παρετήρησαν μετ' ἀκριβείας τοὺς τῆς παρουσίας καιρούς, οὐκ ἔμελλον, ἐκπεσόντες τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῷ Ἀντιχρίστῳ περιπίπτειν· καθάπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦτο αἰνιττόμενος εἶπεν, ὅτι "Ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατρός μου, καὶ οὐκ ἐδέξασθέ με· ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθῃ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἰδίῳ, ἐκεῖνον λήψεσθε." Εἶδες πόσον παράπτωμα ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν χρόνων γέγονεν ἀγνοίας; Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμελήσῃς ὠφελείας τοσαύτης. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὅροι καὶ στῆλαι ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς τὰς μοίρας οὐκ ἐῶσι συγχεῖσθαι, οὕτως οἱ χρόνοι καὶ οἱ καιροὶ τὰ πράγματα οὐκ ἐῶσιν ἀλλήλοις συμπίπτειν, ἀλλὰ διείργοντες ἀπ' ἀλλήλων αὐτὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἕκαστα διατιθέντες τάξιν, πολλῆς ἀπαλλάττουσιν ἡμᾶς ταραχῆς. Ἄξιον τοίνυν εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς τίς ἦν οὗτος ὁ Ὀζίας καὶ πότε ἐβασίλευσεν καὶ τίνων ἐβασίλευσεν καὶ πόσος αὐτῷ γέγονεν ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνος καὶ πῶς τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν· μᾶλλον δὲ ἄξιον σιγῆσαι λοιπόν. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ εἰς ἄπειρον πέλαγος ἱστοριῶν ἀφιέναι τὸν λόγον. Τοὺς δὲ τοιοῦτον μέλλοντας πορεύεσθαι πέλαγος, οὐ κεκμηκότων τῶν πλωτήρων, ἀλλ' ἀκμαζόντων, ἅπτεσθαι χρὴ τῆς ὁδοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ λιμένες καὶ νῆσοι πανταχοῦ τῆς θαλάσσης εἰσὶ πεφυτευμέναι, ἵνα καὶ κυβερνήτης καὶ ναύτης διαναπαύηται, ὁ μὲν τὴν κώπην ἀποτιθέμενος, ὁ δὲ τῶν οἰάκων ἐξανιστάμενος· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πανδοχεῖα καὶ καταγώγια πανταχοῦ τῶν ὁδῶν ἐπινενόηται, ἵνα καὶ ὑποζύγια καὶ ὁδοιπόροι τῶν πόνων λήγωσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῷ λόγῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας καιρὸς σιωπῆς ὥρισται, ἵνα μήτε ἑαυτοὺς κατατρίβωμεν τῷ πλήθει τῶν λεγομένων, μήτε ὑμᾶς ἀποκναίωμεν. Καὶ τούτους οἶδε τοὺς καιροὺς καὶ Σολομῶν, οὕτω λέγων· "Καιρὸς τοῦ σιγῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ λαλῆσαι." Γενέσθω οὖν ἡμῖν καιρὸς τοῦ σιγῆσαι, ἵνα γένηται καιρὸς τῷ διδασκάλῳ τοῦ λαλῆσαι. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἡμέτερα ἔοικεν οἴνῳ προσφάτως τῶν ὑποληνίων ἐξαντληθέντι, τὰ δὲ τούτου προσέοικεν οἴνῳ πεπαλαιωμένῳ καὶ γεγηρακότι, πολλὴν παρέχοντι καὶ τὴν ὠφέλειαν καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῖς δεχομένοις· καὶ τὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐκεῖνο γέγονε σήμερον· μετὰ τὸν ἐλάττονα γὰρ οἶνον ὁ βελτίων εἰσκομίζεται. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἄμπελος ἔτεκε τότε, ἀλλ' ἡ δύναμις ἐποίησε τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὕτω καὶ τούτου τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνη προχέει διάνοια, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις. Ἐπὶ οὖν δαψιλῆ καὶ πνευματικὰ τὰ νάματα, μετὰ σπουδῆς ὑποδεξώμεθα, μετ' ἀσφαλείας τηρήσωμεν, ἵνα τούτοις ἀρδόμενοι διηνεκῶς, ὥριμον φέρωμεν τὸν καρπὸν τῷ ταῦτα χαρισαμένῳ Θεῷ· μεθ' οὗ δόξα τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

3.τ Εἰς τὴν ῥῆσιν τῶν Παραλειπομένων τὴν λέγουσαν· "Ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία Ὀζίου", καὶ περὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης, καὶ ὅτι χρὴ μὴ θαρρεῖν τὸν ἐνάρετον,

καὶ ὅσον κακὸν ἡ ἀπόνοια.

3.1 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐβλάστησαν μάρτυρες, κατηξιώθημεν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνθρώπους ἰδεῖν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ σφαττομένους, αἷμα στάζοντας ἅγιον, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἅπασαν ἄρδον, αἷμα στάζοντας, δαίμοσι μὲν φοβερόν, ἀγγέλοις δὲ ποθεινόν, ἡμῖν δὲ σωτήριον. Κατηξιώθημεν ἰδεῖν ἀνθρώπους ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας παλαίοντας, στεφανουμένους. Οὐκ ἰδεῖν δὲ κατηξιώθημεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀθλητῶν δέξασθαι, καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς τοὺς στεφανίτας ἔχομεν νῦν. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν περὶ τῶν μαρτύρων λόγον ἀφήσωμεν νῦν τῷ τῶν μαρτύρων ζηλωτῇ, τῷ κοινῷ διδασκάλῳ· αὐτοὶ δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ὀζίαν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐροῦμεν νῦν, παλαιὸν καταβάλλοντες χρέος καὶ χρονίους ὠδῖνας ἀκροάσεως λύοντες. Ὠδίνει γὰρ ἕκαστος