to a land which he did not know. "For a fire is kindled from my wrath, it will be burned against you." After this, <ὁ> he who prayed above completes the prayer, also with the words of the threats spoken against the people, and joins these things to what was said before: "You know, O Lord; remember me and visit me, and acquit me from those who persecute me, not unto long-suffering." And let the prophet say these things, being persecuted by those who are reproved, being hated by those who do not accept the truth; for he has become an enemy to his listeners by speaking the truth to them. And let our Savior say the same things, who was also persecuted by the people and says: "not unto long-suffering." What is "not unto long-suffering"? You have always been long-suffering toward the people for their sins, but for what they have dared against me, do not be long-suffering. And truly God was not long-suffering. If you examine the times of the passion and of the fall of Jerusalem and of the destruction of the city, and in what manner God abandoned that people after they killed the Christ, you will see that he no longer dealt with the people in long-suffering. But if you wish, listen: from the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar to the destruction of the temple, forty-two years were fulfilled. For some little time had to be allowed for repentance, especially for those of the people who were going to believe on account of the signs and wonders that would be performed by the apostles. 14.14 "Know how I have received reproach for your sake from those who reject your words." Let it be the prophet, speaking and being scorned for what he said, being rejected by sinners; for he himself says: "I was continually mocked." He was reproached, therefore, by those who reject the words spoken through him by God, and he prays on being reproached to be helped by God, saying: "Know how I have received reproach for your sake from those who reject your words; make an end of them." Let the prophet say it, but "make an end of them" is more fitting when said by the Savior; for a consummation came upon Jerusalem and the people, for the things that happened from the plot of the people against our Savior. After this, because the prophets suffered many things for reproving and championing the word and speaking the things commanded by God, it is necessary to remind the hearers about their life and their promises and our own purpose, so that, as far as is possible for us, if we wish to have rest with the prophets, we may emulate the works of the prophets. What I am saying is this: Often in our prayers we say: God Almighty, give us our portion with the prophets, give us our portion with the apostles of your Christ, that we may be found also with Christ himself. But when we say these things, we do not perceive what we are praying for; for in effect we are saying this: Grant that we may suffer what the prophets suffered, grant that we too may be hated as the prophets were hated, give such words for which we shall be hated, grant that we may fall into so many trials <ὅσ>as the apostles. For to say, "Give me a portion with the prophets," without having suffered the things of the prophets nor wishing to suffer them, is unjust. To say, "Give me a portion with the apostles," without being willing from the disposition of Paul to say truthfully, "in labors more abundantly, in stripes more abundantly, in prisons exceedingly, in deaths often," and so forth, is most unjust of all. If, then, we wish to be with the prophets, see the lives of the prophets, that for reproving, for rebuking, for admonishing, they were tried, they were judged, they were condemned. "They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they died by the slaughter of the sword, they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, mistreated, wandering in deserts," when there were many synagogues of the Jews; and these men were "wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and the holes of the earth." What is strange, then, if someone wishing to emulate the prophetic life, by reproving, by rebuking the sinner, is spoken ill of, is hated, is plotted against? just as also in the case of the
γῇ ᾗ οὐκ ᾔδει. «ὅτι πῦρ ἐκκέκαυται ἐκ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου, ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καυθήσεται». Μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ τοὺς λόγους τῶν ἀπειλῶν τῶν εἰρημένων πρὸς τὸν λαὸν <ὁ> ἀνωτέρω εὐξάμενος συμπληροῖ τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ συνάπτει τοῖς προειρημένοις ταῦτα· «σὺ ἔγνως, κύριε, μνήσθητί μου καὶ ἐπίσκεψαί με, καὶ ἀθώωσόν με ἀπὸ τῶν καταδιωκόντων με, μὴ εἰς μακροθυ μίαν». καὶ ὁ προφήτης λεγέτω ταῦτα διωκόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐλεγχο μένων, μισούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν μὴ χωρούντων· ἐχθρὸς γὰρ γέγονε τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ἀληθεύων αὐτοῖς. ταὐτὰ δὲ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν λεγέτω, ὅστις καὶ ἐδιώχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ καί φησι· «μὴ εἰς μακροθυμίαν». τί ἐστι τὸ «μὴ εἰς μακροθυμίαν»; ἐμακροθύμησας ἀεὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς κατ' ἐμοῦ τετολ μημένοις μὴ μακροθυμήσῃς. καὶ ἀληθῶς ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐμακροθύμησεν. ἐὰν ἐξετάσῃς τοὺς χρόνους τοῦ πάθους καὶ τῆς πτώσεως Ἱερουσα λὴμ καὶ τῆς κατασκαφῆς τῆς πόλεως, καὶ τίνα τρόπον ἐγκατέλιπεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν ἐκεῖνον, ἐπεὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀπέκτειναν, ὄψει ὅτι οὐκ εἰς μακροθυμίαν ἔτι ἐχρήσατο τῷ λαῷ. εἰ δὲ θέλεις, ἄκουε· ἀπὸ πεντεκαιδεκάτου ἔτους Τιβερίου Καίσαρος ἐπὶ τὴν κατασκαφὴν τοῦ ναοῦ τεσσαράκοντα καὶ δύο πεπλήρωται ἔτη. ἔδει γὰρ ὀλίγον τινὰ χρόνον συγχωρηθῆναι εἰς μετάνοιαν, μάλιστα διὰ τοὺς πιστεύειν μέλλοντας ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐκ τῶν σημείων καὶ τῶν τεράτων τῶν ἐσομένων ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων. 14.14 «γνῶθι ὡς ἔλαβον περὶ σοῦ ὀνειδισμὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀθετούντων τοὺς λόγους σου». ἔστω ὁ προφή της, λέγων καὶ ἐξουθενημένος ἐφ' οἷς ἔλεγεν, ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἀθετούμενος· φησὶ γὰρ αὐτός· «διετέλεσα μυκτηριζόμενος». ὠνειδίζετο οὖν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀθετούντων τοὺς λόγους τοὺς δι' αὐτοῦ λαλουμένους ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ εὔχεται ἐπὶ τῷ ὠνειδίσθαι βοηθηθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγων· «γνῶθι ὡς ἔλαβον περὶ σοῦ ὀνειδισμὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀθε τούντων τοὺς λόγους σου· συντέλεσον αὐτούς». λεγέτω ὁ προφή της, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἁρμόζει τὸ «συντέλεσον αὐτοὺς» λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος· συντέλεια γὰρ ἦλθε περὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς τοῦ λαοῦ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἀναγκαῖον διὰ τὸ πολλὰ πεπονθέναι τοὺς προφήτας ἐλέγχοντας καὶ τὸν λόγον πρεσβεύοντας καὶ λαλοῦντας τὰ προστασ σόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὑπομνῆσαι τοὺς ἀκροατὰς περὶ τοῦ βίου αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας προαιρέσεως, ἵνα κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν, εἰ θέλομεν μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἔχειν ἀνάπαυσιν, τὰ ἔργα τῶν προφητῶν ζηλώσωμεν. ὃ δὲ λέγω τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· πολλάκις ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς λέγομεν· θεὲ παντοκράτορ, τὴν μερίδα ἡμῶν μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν δός, τὴν μερίδα ἡμῶν μετὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου δός, ἵνα εὑρεθῶμεν καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ταῦτα δὲ λέγοντες οὐκ αἰσθανόμεθα τί εὐχόμεθα· δυνάμει γὰρ τοῦτό φαμεν· δὸς ἡμᾶς παθεῖν ἃ πεπόνθασιν οἱ προφῆται, δὸς καὶ ἡμᾶς μισηθῆναι ὡς ἐμισήθησαν οἱ προφῆται, λόγους τοιούτους δὸς ἐφ' οἷς μισηθησόμεθα, δὸς τοσαύταις περιστάσεσι περιπεσεῖν <ὅσ>αις οἱ ἀπό στολοι. τὸ γὰρ λέγειν· δός μοι μερίδα μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν, μὴ παθόντα τὰ τῶν προφητῶν μηδὲ παθεῖν θέλοντα ἄδικόν ἐστι. τὸ λέγειν· δός μοι μερίδα μετὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων, μὴ θέλοντα ἀπὸ δια θέσεως Παύλου ἀληθεύοντα εἰπεῖν· «ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως, ἐν πληγαῖς περισσοτέρως, ἐν φυλακαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως, ἐν θανάτοις πολλάκις» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, πάντων ἐστὶν ἀδικώτατον. εἴπερ οὖν θέλο μεν μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν γενέσθαι, ὅρα τοὺς βίους τῶν προφη τῶν ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἐλέγχειν, ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιτιμᾶν, ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιπλήσσειν ἐδι κάζοντο, διεκρίνοντο, κατεδικάζοντο. «ἐλιθάσθησαν, ἐπρίσθησαν, ἐπειράσθησαν, ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανον, περιῆλθον ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι, ἐπ' ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι», ὅτε συναγωγαὶ πολλαὶ Ἰουδαίων· καὶ οὗτοι ἦσαν «ἐπ' ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς». τί οὖν παράδοξον, εἰ θέλων τις ζηλοῦν τὸν βίον τὸν προφητικόν, ἐλέγχων, ἐπιπλήσσων τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα κακολογεῖται, μισεῖται, ἐπιβουλεύεται; ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ