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watchmen keeping vigil upon the walls, so the soul, having been emptied of the treasures belonging to it from the divine gift, as unworthy henceforth is neglected by the divine guard. For this reason it has been said, With all vigilance guard your heart. In order therefore to be so wakeful and sober, we pray, that by being vigilant ourselves over our guard, we may seek that he who guards Israel may not slumber, nor sleep. For unless the Lord guards the city, the one who guards has kept watch in vain. But when, on account of the destitution of good works, he abandons our guard, we are readily exposed to plunder and captivities and abductions by the enemies. 1.22 And unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah. If the whole nation is sinful and the whole people full of iniquities and all are lawless sons, what seed was left for Israel, which prevented it from enduring the sufferings of Sodom and Gomorrah? For the seed inherent in Israel was an evil seed, not a cause of salvation, but worthy of destruction. What then was this? Was it not perhaps that about which it was said in the promises to Abraham, "To you I will give it and to your seed?" For he did not say (it says) "and to seeds," as of many, but as of one: "And to your seed," which is Christ. This seed, therefore, by his own presence prevented those who, as far as the worth of their lives was concerned, were deserving to suffer the things of Sodom and be destroyed by fire and brimstone for wickedness reaching the Sodomite measure. But nevertheless, even after the sin against Christ, the remnant according to the election of grace was saved; but the rest were hardened, who also were delivered over to destruction, as Amos says: For I overthrew you, as the Lord overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah; and not even so did you return to me, says the Lord. And yet, though he threatened many times, many times he spared; but later he brought upon the unrepentant heart sufferings worthy of their works. For in a certain Prophet he rushes toward vengeance on account of the injustice of the people; but he holds back on account of his own love for mankind: How shall I deal with you, Ephraim? What shall I do to you, Judah? I will make you as Admah and as Zeboim. And these are of the Sodomite pentapolis. Then by an excess of love for mankind he immediately adds: My heart is turned within me, my repentance is stirred up together. I will not act according to the wrath of my anger. But nevertheless when they fell into the uttermost lawlessness, the temple was burned down, and the whole city became fire-burnt, and they were consumed by famine and plague and sedition and plots against one another. The part, however, of those who believed in Christ was saved from the whole of Israel, the election being found among a few; which, having become like leaven to the nations, drew all to its own likeness, so that from that time on they are also called Israel and people of the Lord, and the one who has believed from the Gentiles is the Jew in secret and heir of the spiritual promises. But since Sodom is interpreted as turning away, and Gomorrah as sedition, the interpretation of the names also suggests to us some such meaning, that if the promised seed had not come, nothing would have prevented us from falling into complete destruction, having turned away from God. And if peace had not appeared to us from on high, which surpasses all understanding, we would have been consumed, each by his own sedition and the war dwelling in him; for the passions of sin and all irrational movements, are by nature wont to produce unceasing tumults and irreconcilable sedition in souls. 1.23 Perceiving therefore the benefit from the Savior's presence, who as a small seed through human flesh fell into our life, the Church says these things in the form of thanksgiving: Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give heed to the law of God, you people of Gomorrah, in order to show that the presence of the seed left to her by the Lord of Sabaoth has become the cause of their salvation. Since, as far as it depended on them, they were liable to the sufferings of Sodom,

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φύλακας ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἀγρυ πνοῦντας, οὕτω ψυχὴ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῇ παρὰ τῆς θείας δωρεᾶς θησαυρῶν ἐκκενωθεῖσα, ὡς ἀναξία λοιπὸν τῆς θείας φρουρᾶς ὑπερορᾶται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται τὸ Πάσῃ φυ λακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν. Πρὸς οὖν τὸ οὕτω γρηγορεῖν καὶ νήφειν, εὐχόμεθα, ἵνα καὶ διὰ τοῦ αὐτοὶ ἐπαγρυπνεῖν ἡμῶν τῇ φυλακῇ ζητῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ νυστάξῃ, μηδὲ ὑπνώσῃ ὁ φυλάσσων τὸν Ἰσραήλ· Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ Κύριος φυλάξῃ πόλιν, εἰς μάτην ἠγρύπνησεν ὁ φυλάσσων. Ὅταν δὲ διὰ τὴν ἐρημίαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἐγκαταλείπῃ ἡμῶν τὴν φρουρὰν, ἕτοι μοι εἰς διαρπαγὴν καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ ἀπαγωγὰς τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐκκείμεθα. 1.22 Καὶ εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν, καὶ ὡς Γόμοῤῥα ἂν ὡμοιώ θημεν. Εἰ ὅλον τὸ ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλὸν καὶ ὅλος ὁ λαὸς πλήρης ἀνομιῶν καὶ πάντες υἱοὶ ἄνομοι, ποῖον ἐναφείθη σπέρμα τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, τὸ κωλῦσαν τὰ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥας αὐτὸν ὑπομεῖναι παθήματα; Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐνυπάρχον σπέρμα τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, σπέρμα ἦν πονηρὸν, οὐχὶ σωτηρίας αἴτιον, ἀλ λ' ἀπωλείας ἄξιον. Ποῖον οὖν ἦν τοῦτο; Μήποτε περὶ οὗ εἴρηται ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις τῷ Ἀβραὰμ τὸ Σοὶ δώσω καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου; Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε (φησὶ) καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπὶ ἑνός· Καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, ὅς ἐστι Χριστός. Τοῦτο οὖν τὸ σπέρμα, τοὺς, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ ἀξίᾳ τῶν βεβιωμένων, ὀφείλοντας, παθεῖν τὰ Σοδόμων καὶ πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ ἐκτριβῆναι διὰ τὴν κακίαν φθάνουσαν εἰς τὸ Σο δομητικὸν μέτρον, τῇ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίᾳ ἐκώλυσεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ μετὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτίαν, Τὸ μὲν λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος ἐσώθη· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐπωρώ θησαν, οἳ καὶ παρεδόθησαν τῇ καταστροφῇ, ὥς φησιν Ἀμώς· Κατέστρεψα γὰρ ὑμᾶς, καθὼς κατέστρεψε Κύριος Σόδομα καὶ Γόμοῤῥα· καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐπεστρέψατε πρός με, λέγει Κύριος. Καίτοι πολλάκις ἀπειλήσας, πολλάκις ἐφεί σατο· ὕστερον δὲ ἐπήγαγε τῇ ἀμετανοήτῳ καρδίᾳ τὰ ἄξια τῶν ἔργων πάθη. Ἐν γάρ τινι Προφήτῃ ὁρμᾷ μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἐκδίκησιν διὰ τὴν ἀδικίαν τοῦ λαοῦ· ἐπέχει δὲ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φιλανθρωπίαν· Τί σε διαθῶ, Ἐφραΐμ; τί σοι ποιήσω, Ἰούδα; Ὡς Ἄδαμα θήσομαί σε καὶ ὡς Σεβοΐμ. Αὐταὶ δέεἰσι τῆς Σοδομητικῆς πενταπόλεως. Εἶτα ὑπερβολῇ φιλαν θρωπίας εὐθὺς ἐπάγει· Μετεστράφη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ, συνεταράχθη ἡ μεταμέλειά μου. Οὐ μὴ ποιήσω κατὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ θυμοῦ μου. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὅτε εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην παρανομίαν ἐξέπεσαν, κατεπρήσθη μὲν τὸ ἱερὸν, ἡ δὲ πόλις πᾶσα πυρίκαυστος γέγονε, λιμῷ δὲ καὶ λοιμῷ καὶ στάσει καὶ ἐπιβουλαῖς ταῖς κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐξανηλώθησαν. Τὸ μέντοι μέρος τῶν πιστευσάντων εἰς Χριστὸν διεσώθη ἀπὸ τοῦ παντὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐν ὀλίγοις εὑρηθείσης τῆς ἐκλογῆς· ὅπερ ὡς ζύμη γενόμενον τοῖς ἔθνεσι, πάντας πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν εἵλκυ σεν ὁμοιότητα, ὥστε καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνου καὶ Ἰσραὴλ χρημα τίζειν καὶ λαὸν Κυρίου, καὶ εἶναι τὸν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰου δαῖον καὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν κληρονόμον, τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότα. Ἐπεὶ δὲ Σόδομα ἑρμηνεύεται ἔκ κλισις, Γόμοῤῥα δὲ στάσις, καὶ τοιοῦτόν τινα νοῦν ἡμῖν ὑπο βάλλει ἡ ἑρμηνεία τῶν ὀνομάτων, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἦλθε τὸ σπέρμα ὃ ἐπήγγελτο, οὐδὲν ἐκώλυεν ἡμᾶς εἰς παντελῆ ἀπώλειαν ἐκπεσεῖν, ἐκκλίναντας ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ εἰ μὴ εἰρήνη ἡμῖν ἐπεφάνη ἐξ ὕψους, Ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν, ἕκαστος ἂν ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας στάσεως καὶ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος. αὐτῷ πολέμου ἐξανηλώθημεν· τὰ γὰρ πάθη τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ κατὰ ἀλογίαν κινήσεις, θορύβους ἀσινήτους καὶ στάσιν ἀδιάλ λακτον ἐμποιεῖν πεφύκασι ταῖς ψυχαῖς. 1.23 Αἰσθομένη οὖν τῆς ὠφελείας ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος παρουσίας, ὃς ὡς σπέρμα μικρὸν διὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας σαρκὸς ἐνέπεσεν ἡμῶν τῷ βίῳ, ταῦτα λέγει ἐν εὐχαριστίας εἴδει ἡ Ἐκκλησία· Ἀκούσατε λόγον Κυρίου, ἄρχοντες Σοδόμων· προσέχετε νόμον Θεοῦ, λαὸς Γομόῤῥας, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι ἡ τοῦ σπέρματος τοῦ ἐγκαταλειφθέντος αὐτῇ παρὰ Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ παρουσία αἰτία αὐτοῖς γέγονε τῆς σωτηρίας. Ἐπεὶ, ὅσον τὸ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, τοῖς παθήμασι τῆς Σοδομηνῆς ὑπόδικοι ἦσαν,