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gain, but also great is the harm; and let us be well-disposed towards our Master, and let us send up glory to God, so that offering up thanksgiving for all things, we may be counted worthy of His love for mankind, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY V. The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to his saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we proclaim, admonishing every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

1. Having spoken of what we have obtained, and having shown the love of God for mankind and the honor in the greatness of the things given, again he introduces another intensification, that not even before us did anyone learn it; which he also does in the Epistle to the Ephesians, saying: Neither angels, nor principalities, nor any other created power, but only the Son of God knew. Wherefore he did not say simply 'hidden', but 'hidden away'; and that even if it has come to pass now, yet it is ancient, and from the beginning God willed these things, and so it was ordained; but why, he no longer says. From the ages, he says, from the beginning. And he rightly calls it a mystery, which no one knew except God. And where was it hidden? In Christ; as he says in the Epistle to the Ephesians; or as when the prophet says, From everlasting, and to everlasting You are. But now has been revealed, he says, to his saints. So the whole thing is of God's dispensation. But now, he says, it was revealed. He did not say, It came to be, but, It was revealed to his saints. So even now it is still hidden, if it was revealed to the saints alone. Therefore let not those men deceive you; for they do not know, why only, To whom He willed, he says. See how everywhere he silences their questions. To whom God willed, he says, to make known. But His willing is not without reason. But he said this, making them rather accountable to grace, than letting them be high-minded over their achievement. What is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles. He spoke solemnly, and added weight, from a great disposition seeking intensifications of intensifications. For this too is an intensification, to say indefinitely, The riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles. For it appears most of all among the Gentiles, as he says elsewhere, And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His 62.332 mercy; and it appears also in others, but much more in these is the great glory of the mystery. For to bring men more senseless than stones all at once to the dignity of angels simply through bare words and faith alone without any toil, is truly glory and riches of a mystery; just as if someone should take a dog corrupted by hunger and mange, some shameful and unsightly thing, unable even to move, but cast out, and should suddenly make it a man, and show it on the royal throne. For see: they were worshipping stones, and the earth; they learned that they are better than heaven and sun, and the whole world serves them; they were captives and prisoners of the devil; all at once they have come to be above his head and they commanded him, and scourged him; being worshippers and slaves of demons, they have become the body of the Lord of angels and archangels; not even knowing what God is, they have suddenly become also

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κέρδος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴ ἡ βλάβη· καὶ εὐγνωμόνως διατεθῶμεν περὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον ∆εσπότην, καὶ δόξαν ἀναπέμψωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, ἵνα ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἀναφέροντες, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀξιωθῶμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Εʹ. Τὸ μυστήριον τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώ νων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν, νυνὶ δὲ ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ, οἷς ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς γνωρίσαι τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης, ὃν ἡμεῖς καταγγέλλομεν, νουθετοῦντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον, καὶ διδάσκοντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ, ἵνα παραστήσωμεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

αʹ. Εἰπὼν ὧν ἐτύχομεν, καὶ δείξας τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῷ μεγέθει τῶν δοθέντων, πάλιν ἑτέραν ἐπίτασιν εἰσάγει, ὅτι οὐδὲ πρὸ ἡμῶν τις αὐτὸν ἔμαθεν· ὃ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους ποιεῖ λέγων· Οὔτε ἄγγελοι, οὔτε ἀρχαὶ, οὔτε ἄλλη τις κτιστὴ δύναμις, ἀλλὰ μόνος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς ᾔδει. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς κεκρυμμένον εἶπεν, ἀλλ' Ἀποκεκρυμμένον· καὶ ὅτι εἰ καὶ νῦν γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ παλαιόν ἐστι, καὶ ἄνωθεν ταῦτα ὁ Θεὸς ἐβούλετο, καὶ οὕτω διετετύπωτο· διὰ τί δὲ, οὐκέτι λέγει. Ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων, φησὶν, ἐξ ἀρχῆς. Καὶ μυστήριον εἰκότως καλεῖ, ὃ οὐδεὶς ᾔδει πλὴν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ποῦ κεκρυμμένον; Ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ· ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους λέγει· ἢ ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ προφήτης, Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος σὺ εἶ. Νυνὶ δὲ ἐφανερώθη, φησὶ, τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκονομίας ἐστὶ τὸ ὅλον. Νυνὶ δὲ, φησὶν, ἐφανερώθη. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐγένετο, ἀλλ', Ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε καὶ νῦν ἔτι κρύπτεται, εἴπερ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐφανερώθη μόνοις. Μὴ τοίνυν ὑμᾶς ἀπατάτωσαν ἐκεῖνοι· οὐ γὰρ ἴσασι, διὰ τί μόνοις, Οἷς ἠθέλησε, φησίν. Ὅρα πῶς πανταχοῦ ἐπιστομίζει τὰς ἐρωτήσεις αὐτῶν. Οἷς ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, γνωρίσαι. Τὸ δὲ θέλειν αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἄλογον. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε, χάριτος μᾶλλον ὑπευθύνους ποιῶν, ἢ ἀφιεὶς αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ κατορθώματι μέγα φρονεῖν. Τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Σεμνῶς εἶπε, καὶ ὄγκον ἐπέθηκεν, ἀπὸ πολλῆς διαθέσεως ἐπιτάσεις ζητῶν ἐπιτάσεων. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιτάσεως, τὸ ἀορίστως εἰπεῖν, Ὁ Πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι φαίνεται, καθὼς καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι, Τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ὑπὲρ 62.332 ἐλέους δοξάσαι τὸν Θεόν· φαίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον ἐν τούτοις ἡ πολλὴ τοῦ μυστηρίου δόξα. Τὸ γὰρ ἀθρόως ἀνθρώπους λίθων ἀναισθητοτέρους εἰς ἀγγέλων ἀγαγεῖν ἀξίωμα ἁπλῶς διὰ ψιλῶν ῥημάτων καὶ πίστεως μόνης χωρὶς ἐργωδίας πάσης, ὄντως δόξα καὶ πλοῦτος μυστηρίου· ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις κύνα λιμῷ καὶ ψώρᾳ διεφθαρμένον, αἰσχρόν τινα καὶ δυσειδῆ καὶ οὐδὲ κινεῖσθαι δυνάμενον, ἀλλ' ἐῤῥιμμένον, ἐξαίφνης καὶ ἄνθρωπον ποιήσειε, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου δείξειε τοῦ βασιλικοῦ. Ὅρα γάρ· τοὺς λίθους προσεκύνουν, καὶ τὴν γῆν· ἔμαθον ὅτι καὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἡλίου ἀμείνους εἰσὶ, καὶ ὁ κόσμος ἅπας αὐτοῖς δουλεύει· αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ δεσμῶται ἦσαν τοῦ διαβόλου· ἀθρόον γεγόνασιν αὐτοῦ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐπάνω καὶ ἐπέταττον αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐμάστιζον αὐτόν· δαιμόνων ὄντες θεραπευταὶ καὶ δοῦλοι, τοῦ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότου καὶ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων γεγόνασι σῶμα· οὐδὲ τί ἐστι Θεὸς εἰδότες, γεγόνασιν ἐξαίφνης καὶ