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we will be able to attain the promised good things; of which may it be granted for us all to partake, by the grace and love for mankind 63.37 of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, 63.38 honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY IV.

For He has not subjected to angels the world to come, of which we speak.

But one in a certain place testified, saying: What is man, that You are mindful of him? or the son of man, that You visit him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. 1. I wished to know clearly, if any listen to what is said with the fitting earnestness, if we are not casting the seeds by the wayside; for thus I would have delivered the teaching more eagerly. For we will speak, even if no one listens, because of the fear laid upon us by the Savior. For, He says, testify to this people; and even if they do not listen, you yourself shall be without blame. But if I had been persuaded of your earnestness, I would not speak from fear only, but I would also do this with pleasure. For now, even if no one listens, and even if the matter be without risk for me in fulfilling my part, yet the labor is not done with pleasure. For what is the benefit, when I am not blamed, but no one is profited? But if some were to pay attention, we would not receive so much benefit from not being punished as from your progress. How then shall I know this? After observing some of you who are not paying very close attention, I will ask them, meeting them privately, and if I find any who retain what was said, I do not say all things; for this is not very easy for you; but even a few things out of many, it is clear that I will no longer have any doubt about the many. And it were right for us, without having said this beforehand, to have come upon you unguarded; nevertheless, it is welcome if even so we might be able to succeed; or rather, even so I am able to come upon you unguarded. For that I will ask, I have said beforehand; but when I will ask, I no longer make it clear; for perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps after twenty or even thirty days, perhaps after fewer, perhaps even after more. So also God has made the day of our end uncertain; and He did not leave it clear to us whether it will come today, or tomorrow, or after a whole year, or after more years, so that by the uncertainty of the expectation we may continually keep ourselves in virtue; and that we will depart, He has said, but when, He did not add. So I too, that I will ask, I have said, but when, I did not add, wishing you to be constantly in concern. And let no one say, "I heard these things four and five and more weeks ago, and I cannot retain them"; for I wish the one who hears to retain them so as to have an unforgettable memory, and not a fading one, nor to spit out what is said. For I want you to retain them, not that you may tell them to me, but that you may profit; and this is my earnest concern. But since all that was needful to say for security has been said by us, it is necessary now to begin with what follows. What then is set before us to say today? For to the angels, he says, He has not subjected the world to come, of which we speak. 63.38 Is he then speaking of some other world? It is not so, but of this one. For on this account he added, "of which we speak," so that he might not allow the mind to wander and seek some other. How then does he call it "to come"? Just as elsewhere he says, "Who is a type of Him who was to come," speaking of Adam and Christ in the Epistle to the Romans, calling Christ according to the flesh "the one to come" with reference to the times of Adam (for indeed He was to come); so also now, since he said, "But when He brings the firstborn into the world," lest you should think he is speaking of another world, this is confirmed from many other places, and also from his calling it "to come"; for the world was to come; the Son of God

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δυνησόμεθα ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς μετασχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλαν 63.37 θρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος, 63.38 τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ∆ʹ.

Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξε τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν, περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν.

∆ιεμαρτύ ρατο δέ πού τις, λέγων· Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐτοῦ; ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν; Ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους. αʹ. Ἠβουλόμην γνῶναι σαφῶς, εἴ τινες μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης σπουδῆς τῶν λεγομένων ἀκούουσιν, εἰ μὴ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τὰ σπέρματα ῥίπτομεν· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν προθυμότερον τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἐποιησάμην. Ἐροῦμεν γὰρ, κἂν μηδεὶς ἀκούῃ, διὰ τὸν ἐπικείμενον παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος φόβον. ∆ιαμάρτυραι γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ· κἂν μὴ ἀκούσωσιν, αὐτὸς ἀνεύθυνος ἔσῃ. Εἰ δὲ ἐπεπείσμην περὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας σπουδῆς, οὐ διὰ τὸν φόβον ἔλεγον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεθ' ἡδονῆς τοῦτο ἐποίουν. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ κἂν μηδεὶς ἀκούῃ, κἂν ἐμοὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀκίνδυνον ᾖ τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ πληροῦντι, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ μεθ' ἡδονῆς ὁ πόνος γίνεται. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ὅταν μὴ ἐγκαλῶμαι μὲν ἐγὼ, ὠφελῆται δὲ μηδείς; Εἰ δέ τινες μέλλοιεν προσέχειν, οὐ τοσαύτην ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ κολάζεσθαι ληψόμεθα ὄνησιν, ὅσην ἀπὸ τῆς προκοπῆς τῆς ὑμετέρας. Πῶς οὖν εἴσομαι τοῦτο; Ἐπιτηρήσας ὑμῶν τινας τοὺς οὐ πάνυ προσέχοντας, τούτους ἐρήσομαι κατ' ἰδίαν συντυχὼν, κἂν εὕρω τινὰ τῶν εἰρημένων κατέχοντας, οὐ λέγω πάντα· τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν οὐ σφόδρα εὔκολον· ἀλλὰ κἂν ὀλίγα ἐκ πολλῶν, εὔδηλον ὅτι περὶ τῶν πολλῶν οὐδὲ ἀμφιβάλλω λοιπόν. Καὶ ἐχρῆν μὲν ἡμᾶς, μὴ προειπόντας τοῦτο, ἀφυλάκτοις ὑμῖν ἐπιτεθῆναι· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἀγαπητὸν, εἰ καὶ οὕτω δυνηθείημεν ἐπιτυχεῖν· μᾶλλον δὲ, καὶ οὕτω δύναμαι ἀφυλάκτοις ἐπιθέσθαι. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἐρήσομαι, προεῖπον· πότε δὲ ἐρήσομαι, οὐκέτι δῆλον καθίστημι· ἴσως γὰρ σήμερον, ἴσως δὲ αὔριον, ἴσως δὲ μετὰ εἴκοσιν ἢ καὶ τριάκοντα ἡμέρας, ἴσως δὲ μετὰ ἐλάττους, ἴσως δὲ καὶ μετὰ πλείους. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἡμέραν ἡμῶν τῆς τελευτῆς ἄδηλον ἐποίησε· καὶ οὔτε εἰ σήμερον, οὔτε εἰ αὔριον, οὔτε εἰ μετὰ ἐνιαυτὸν ὅλον, οὔτε εἰ μετὰ πλείονα ἔτη ἐπιστήσεται, δῆλον ἡμῖν ἀφῆκεν εἶναι, ἵνα τῷ τῆς προσδοκίας ἀδήλῳ διαπαντὸς ἐν ἀρετῇ κατέχωμεν ἑαυτούς· καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἀπελευσόμεθα, εἶπεν, πότε δὲ, οὐκέτι. Οὕτω κἀγὼ, ὅτι μὲν ἐρήσομαι, εἶπον, πότε δὲ, οὐ προσέθηκα, βουλόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐν φροντίδι εἶναι διαπαντός. Καὶ μή τις λεγέτω, ὅτι Πρὸ τεσσάρων ἑβδομάδων καὶ πέντε καὶ πλειόνων ταῦτα ἤκουσα, καὶ κατέχειν οὐ δύναμαι· τὸν γὰρ ἀκούοντα οὕτω βούλομαι κατέχειν, ὡς ἄληστον ἔχειν τὴν μνήμην, καὶ μὴ ἐξίτηλον, μηδὲ ἀποπτύειν τὰ λεγόμενα. Βούλομαι γὰρ ὑμᾶς κατέχειν, οὐχ ἵνα ἐμοὶ εἴπητε, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμεῖς κερδάνητε· καὶ τοῦτο ἐμοί ἐστι τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ὅσα ἐχρῆν εἰπεῖν εἰς ἀσφάλειαν, ἡμῖν εἴρηται, ἀναγκαῖον λοιπὸν ἄρξασθαι τῆς ἀκολουθίας. Τί δὴ οὖν πρόκειται ἡμῖν εἰπεῖν σήμερον; Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις, φησὶν, ὑπέταξε τὴν οἰκουμέ 63.38 νην τὴν μέλλουσαν, περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν. Ἆρα μὴ περὶ ἑτέρας τινὸς διαλέγεται οἰκουμένης; Οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ ταύτης. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο προσέθηκε, Περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν, ἵνα μὴ ἀφῇ τὸν νοῦν πλανηθέντα ἑτέραν τινὰ ἐπιζητεῖν. Πῶς οὖν αὐτὴν μέλλουσαν καλεῖ; Ὥσπερ καὶ ἑτέρωθί φησιν, Ὅς ἐστι τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος, περὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγων ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιστολῇ, πρὸς τοὺς χρόνους τοῦ Ἀδὰμ μέλλοντα τὸν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστὸν καλῶν (καὶ γὰρ ἔμελλεν)· οὕτω καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, Ὅταν δὲ εἰσαγάγῃ τὸν πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ἑτέραν οἰκουμένην λέγειν αὐτὸν, πολλαχόθεν μὲν αὐτὸ καὶ ἄλλοθεν βεβαιοῦται, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ εἰπεῖν αὐτὴν μέλλουσαν· ἔμελλε γὰρ ἡ οἰκουμένη· ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ