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he enjoyed so much honor; but the emperor lies cast out somewhere outside, while he holds the center of the city, as if he were a king and living. From these things, believe also concerning the things to come. If here, where he was driven out, where he was persecuted, he enjoyed so much honor, what will it be when he comes? If where he was a tentmaker, he became so glorious, what will it be when he comes shining against the rays of the sun? If with so much lowliness, he overcame so much magnificence, what will he not overcome when he comes? Is it not possible to escape these things? Whom does it not shame that the tentmaker has become more honored than the most admired of all emperors? If here things beyond nature happened, much more so in the future. Believe, O man, in the present things, if you do not want to believe in the future things; believe, O man, in the things that are seen, if you do not wish to believe in the things that are not seen. But rather, believe in the things that are seen; for thus you will also believe in the things that are not seen; but if you do not want to, it is opportune to say the Apostle's words, We are pure from your blood; for we have testified all things to you, and we have left out nothing of what ought to be said; blame yourselves, and you will reckon the punishment in Gehenna. But let us, beloved children, become imitators of Paul not only in faith, but also in life. That we may obtain heavenly glory, let us trample down the glory here; let none of all present things draw us away; let us despise the things that are seen, that we may obtain the heavenly things, or rather, we shall attain these also through those, except let the primary goal be to attain those things; of which may we all be deemed worthy to obtain.

HOMILY 5. Faithful is the saying: for if we died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, and

we shall also reign with him; if we shall deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful; for he cannot deny himself. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord, 62.624 not to strive about words to no profit, to the subverting of the hearers.

1. Many of the weaker sort of men shrink from the labor of faith, nor do they bear the delay of hope; but they seek present things 62.625 and from these they form their ideas of the future. Since, therefore, the things here were death, torments, bonds; but he says that they will come to eternal life, one would not have believed, but would have said, What are you saying? When I live, I die, and when I die, I live? On earth you promise me nothing, and in heaven you give? You do not give the small things, and you provide the great things? That no one, therefore, might think these things, he makes the argument for this indubitable, laying it down even now, and giving proofs (for, Remember that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, is this, that after death He rose again); and now declaring the same thing again he says: Faithful is the saying, that he who obtains heavenly life, will also obtain eternal life. How is it faithful? For if we died with him, he says, we shall also live with him. For tell me, do we share with him in the sad things and in those that have labor, and no longer in the good things? But not even a man would do this, as to deny to become a sharer with him who chose to die with him and suffer affliction with him, if ever he should be at ease. But where did we die with him? He means this death, both that through the font, and that through sufferings; for he says, Bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord; and,

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τοσαύτης ἀπέλαυσε τιμῆς· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐῤῥιμμένος ἔξω που κεῖται, ὁ δὲ τὸ μέσον κατέχει τῆς πόλεως, καθάπερ βασιλεὺς ὢν καὶ ζῶν. Ἀπὸ τούτων πίστευσον καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων. Εἰ ἐνταῦθα, ἔνθα ἠλαύνετο, ἔνθα ἐδιώκετο, τοσαύτης ἀπέλαυσε τιμῆς, ὅταν ἔλθῃ, τί ἔσται; Εἰ ὅπου σκηνοποιὸς ἦν, οὕτως ἐγένετο λαμπρὸς, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἀντιλάμπων ταῖς ἡλιακαῖς ἀκτῖσι, τί ἔσται; Εἰ μετὰ τοσαύτης εὐτελείας, τοσαύτης μεγαλοπρεπείας περιεγένετο, ὅταν ἔλθῃ, τίνος οὐ περιέστα; Μὴ ἔνι φυγεῖν τὰ πράγματα; Τίνα οὐκ ἐντρέπει τὸ τὸν σκηνοποιὸν ἐντιμότερον γενέσθαι τοῦ πάντων βασιλέων μᾶλλον θαυμασθέντος; Εἰ ἐνταῦθα τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἐγένετο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Πίστευσον, ἄνθρωπε, τοῖς παροῦσιν, εἰ μὴ θέλεις τοῖς μέλλουσι· πίστευσον, ἄνθρωπε, τοῖς ὁρωμένοις, εἰ μὴ βούλει τοῖς ἀοράτοις. Μᾶλλον δὲ πίστευσον τοῖς ὁρωμένοις· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἀοράτοις πιστεύσεις· εἰ δὲ οὐ θέλεις, εὔκαιρον τὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπεῖν, Καθαροὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος ὑμῶν· ἅπαντα γὰρ ὑμῖν διεμαρτυράμεθα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνελίπομεν τῶν ὀφειλόντων λεχθῆναι· ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς αἰτιάσασθε, καὶ λογιεῖσθε τὴν ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ τιμωρίαν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, ὦ τέκνα ἀγαπητὰ, Παύλου μιμηταὶ μὴ κατὰ τὴν πίστιν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸν βίον γενώμεθα. Ἵνα τύχωμεν δόξης ἐπουρανίου, καταπατήσωμεν τὴν ἐνταῦθα δόξαν· μηδὲν ἡμᾶς ἐφελκέσθω τῶν παρόντων ἁπάντων· καταφρονήσωμεν τῶν ὁρωμένων, ἵνα τῶν οὐρανίων τύχωμεν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τούτων ἐπιτευξώμεθα δι' ἐκείνων, πλὴν προηγουμένως ἔστω ὁ σκοπὸς ἐκείνων ἐπιτυχεῖν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀξιωθῆναι.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Εʹ. Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος· εἰ γὰρ συναπεθάνομεν, καὶ συ ζήσομεν· εἰ ὑπομένομεν, καὶ

συμβασιλεύσο μεν· εἰ ἀρνησόμεθα, κἀκεῖνος ἀρνήσεται ἡμᾶς· εἰ ἀπιστοῦμεν, ἐκεῖνος πιστὸς μένει· ἀρνήσα σθαι γὰρ ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται. Ταῦτα ὑπομί μνησκε, διαμαρτυρόμενος ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου, 62.624 μὴ λογομαχεῖν εἰς οὐδὲν χρήσιμον ἐπὶ κατα στροφῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων.

αʹ. Πολλοὶ τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων ἀνθρώπων πρὸς μὲν τὸν τῆς πίστεως πόνον ἀπαγορεύουσιν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀναβολὴν τῆς ἐλπίδος φέρουσι· τὰ παρόντα δὲ ἐπιζητοῦσιν 62.625 καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων τὰ μέλλοντα χαρακτηρίζουσιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ μὲν ἐνταῦθα θάνατος ἦν, βάσανοι, δεσμά· αὐτὸς δέ φησιν, ὅτι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἥξουσιν, οὐκ ἂν δέ τις ἐπίστευσεν, ἀλλ' εἶπεν ἂν, Τί λέγεις; Ὅτε ζῶ, ἀποθνήσκω, καὶ ὅταν ἀποθάνω, ζῶ; ἐν τῇ γῇ μοι οὐδὲν ἐπαγγέλλῃ, καὶ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ δίδως; τὰ μικρὰ οὐ δίδως, καὶ τὰ μεγάλα παρέχεις; Ἵνα τοίνυν μηδεὶς ταῦτα ἐννοῇ, ἀναμφίβολον ποιεῖται τούτου τὴν κατασκευὴν, προκαταβάλλων μὲν αὐτὸ καὶ ἤδη, καὶ τεκμήρια διδοὺς (τὸ γὰρ, Μνημόνευε Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐγηγερμένον ἐκ νεκρῶν, τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι μετὰ θάνατον ἀνέστη)· νῦν δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ πάλιν δηλῶν φησί· Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, ὅτι ὁ ζωῆς οὐρανίου τυχὼν, καὶ αἰωνίου τεύξεται. Πόθεν πιστός; Εἰ γὰρ συναπεθάνομεν, φησὶ, καὶ συζήσομεν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, ἐν τοῖς σκυθρωποῖς κοινωνοῦμεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κόπον ἔχουσι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς χρηστοῖς οὐκέτι; Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπος ποιήσειεν, ὥστε τὸν ἑλόμενον αὐτῷ συναποθανεῖν καὶ συνθλιβῆναι, εἴ ποτε ἐν ἀνέσει γένηται, ἀρνήσασθαι αὐτῷ γενέσθαι κοινωνόν. Ποῦ δὲ συναπεθάνομεν; Τοῦτον λέγει τὸν θάνατον, τόν τε διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ, καὶ τὸν διὰ τῶν παθημάτων· φησὶ γὰρ, Τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες· καὶ,