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is necessary; but if we do not have this, even if we have the kingdom itself, we are poorer than all. Nothing is equal to the one who fears the Lord; For the fear, he says, of the Lord surpasses all things. Let us acquire this, for this let us do all things; even if it is necessary to give up our soul, let us not spare it, even if it is necessary to have our body cut in pieces; let us do all things, that we may attain this fear. For thus we will be more resourceful 62.205 than all, and we will obtain the good things to come in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father 62.206 together with the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY IV. And what I shall choose, I know not. But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ; for it is very far better. But to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith; that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Christ Jesus in

me through my coming to you again. a. Nothing is more blessed than the soul of Paul, since nothing is more noble. But now it is opportune to say the opposite concerning all men: nothing is weaker than we are, nor more wretched. For this reason we all dread death, some because of the multitude of their sins, of whom I myself am one, and others because of their love of life and misery, of whom may I never be; for they are carnal who fear this fear. This, then, which we all dread, he prayed for, and hastened toward it, saying, To depart is far better, and what I shall choose, I know not. What do you say? You who are about to depart from here to heaven, and to be with Christ, do you not know what you shall choose? But these things are far from the soul of Paul. For if one said this and affirmed it to anyone, would he not immediately have seized it? Yes, he says; but just as it is not for us to depart and be with Christ; so also it is not for us, when it is possible to obtain this, to remain here; but both belong to Paul and to his soul. What do you say? you know and are persuaded that you are about to be with Christ, and you doubt, saying, I know not what I shall choose? and not only this, but you also choose what is here, I mean to remain in the flesh? What can this be? Did you not live a most bitter life? in watchings, in shipwrecks, in hunger and thirst and nakedness, in cares, in anxieties? with the weak you were weak, and for those who were scandalized you were on fire. In much patience, he says, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in fastings, in purity; five times I received forty stripes save one, thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils among false brethren. Did you not, when the whole nation of the Galatians returned to the observance of the law, cry out saying, You who would be justified by the law, you have fallen away from grace? how many things did you not then lament, and do you still more desire this perishable life? For if none of these things had happened to you, but you had accomplished all that you accomplished with security, with luxury, should you not, fearing the uncertainty of the future, hasten to some harbor? What merchant, tell me, having his vessel full of ten thousand treasures, when he could run into harbor and rest, 62.206 would choose to be still at sea? what athlete, when it is possible

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δεῖ· ἂν δὲ τοῦτο μὴ ἔχωμεν, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτὴν ἐὰν ἔχωμεν, πάντων ἐσμὲν πενέστεροι. Οὐδὲν ἴσον τοῦ φοβουμένου τὸν Κύριον· Ὁ φόβος γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦ Κυρίου πάντα ὑπερέβαλε. Τοῦτον κτησώμεθα, ὑπὲρ τούτου πάντα πράττωμεν· κἂν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀποδόσθαι δέῃ, μὴ φεισώμεθα, κἂν τὸ σῶμα κατακόψαι· πάντα πράττωμεν, ἵνα τοῦ φόβου τούτου ἐπιτύχωμεν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐσόμεθα πάντων εὐπορώτε 62.205 ροι, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτευξόμεθα ἀγαθῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ 62.206 ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ∆ʹ. Καὶ τί αἱρήσομαι, οὐ γνωρίζω. Συνέχομαι δὲ ἐκ τῶν δύο, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχων εἰς τὸ ἀνα λῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι· πολλῷ γὰρ μᾶλ λον κρεῖσσον. Τὸ δὲ ἐπιμένειν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ, ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς. Καὶ τοῦτο πεποιθὼς οἶδα, ὅτι μενῶ, καὶ συμπαραμενῶ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν, εἰς τὴν ὑμῶν προκοπὴν καὶ χαρὰν τῆς πί στεως· ἵνα τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν περισσεύῃ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐν

ἐμοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας πάλιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. αʹ. Οὐδὲν τῆς Παύλου ψυχῆς μακαριώτερον, ἐπειδὴ μηδὲ γενναιότερον. Ἀλλὰ νῦν τὸ ἐναντίον εὔκαιρον εἰπεῖν περὶ πάντων· οὐδὲν ἡμῶν ἀσθενέστερον, οὐδὲ ταλαιπωρότερον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντες πεφρίκαμεν τὸν θάνατον, οἱ μὲν διὰ τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων πλῆθος, ὧν καὶ αὐτὸς εἷς εἰμι, οἱ δὲ διὰ τὴν φιλοψυχίαν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν, ὧν μήποτε γενοίμην ἐγώ· ψυχικοὶ γὰρ οἱ τοῦτον δεδοικότες τὸν φόβον. Τοῦτο τοίνυν, ὃ πάντες πεφρίκαμεν, ἐκεῖνος ηὔχετο, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἠπείγετο, Τὸ ἀναλῦσαι, λέγων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον, καὶ τί αἱρήσομαι, οὐκ οἶδα. Τί λέγεις; μέλλων ἐντεῦθεν πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν μεθίστασθαι, καὶ μετὰ Χριστοῦ εἶναι, οὐ γνωρίζεις τί αἱρήσῃ; Ἀλλὰ πόῤῥω τῆς Παύλου ταῦτα ψυχῆς. Τίνι γὰρ εἴ τις εἶπε τοῦτο καὶ διεβεβαιώσατο, οὐκ ἂν εὐθέως ἥρπασε; Ναὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῶν τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι· οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸ, παρὸν τούτου τυχεῖν, μεῖναι ἐνταῦθα ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' ἀμφότερα Παύλου καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου ψυχῆς. Τί λέγεις; οἶδας καὶ πέπεισαι, ὅτι μετὰ Χριστοῦ μέλλεις εἶναι, καὶ ἀμφιβάλλεις λέγων, Οὐκ οἶδα τί αἱρήσομαι; καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐνταῦθα αἱρῇ, τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι λέγω τῇ σαρκί; Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστιν; Οὐχὶ κατάπικρον ἔζης βίον; ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις, ἐν ναυαγίοις, ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει καὶ γυμνότητι, ἐν μερίμναις, ἐν φροντίσι; μετὰ τῶν ἀσθενούντων ἠσθένεις, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων ἐπυροῦ. Ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ, φησὶν, ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις, ἐν πληγαῖς, ἐν φυλακαῖς, ἐν ἀκαταστασίαις, ἐν νηστείαις, ἐν ἁγνότητι· πεντάκις τεσσαράκοντα παρὰ μίαν ἔλαβον, τρὶς ἐῤῥαβδίσθην, ἅπαξ ἐλιθάσθην, νυχθήμερον ἐν τῷ βυθῷ πεποίηκα· κινδύνοις ποταμῶν, κινδύνοις λῃστῶν, κινδύνοις ἐν πόλει, κινδύνοις ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, κινδύνοις ἐν ψευδαδέλφοις. Οὐχὶ, ὅτε τὸ Γαλατῶν ἅπαν ἔθνος ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ νόμου παρατήρησιν ἐπανῆλθεν, ἐβόας λέγων, Οἵτινες ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦσθε, τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσετε; πόσα τότε οὐκ ἐπένθησας, καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τοῦτον ποθεῖς τὸν ἐπίκηρον βίον; Εἰ γὰρ μηδέν σοι τούτων συμβεβήκει, ἀλλὰ πάντα, ἅπερ κατωρθώκεις, κατώρθωσας μετὰ ἀδείας, μετὰ τρυφῆς, οὐκ ἐχρῆν τὸ ἄδηλον τοῦ μέλλοντος δεδοικότα πρός τινα λιμένα σπεύδειν; Τίς ἔμπορος, εἰπέ μοι, θησαυρῶν μυρίων πλήρη τὴν ὁλκάδα ἔχων, παρὸν εἰς λιμένα καταδραμεῖν καὶ ἀναπαύε 62.206 σθαι, ἕλοιτο θαλαττεύειν ἔτι; τίς ἀγωνιστὴς, παρὸν