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of the good things, which God has promised to them that love Him, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

HOMILY V.

For verily He taketh not hold of angels; but of the seed of Abraham

He taketh hold. Wherefore it behoved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren. 1. Paul, wishing to show the great love of God for mankind, and the love which He had for the human race, after saying, Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, he follows up this passage, and says; For verily He taketh not hold of angels; for do not attend carelessly to what is said, nor think that His taking our flesh is a simple thing; for He did not grant this to angels; wherefore also he has spoken thus: For verily He taketh not hold of angels, but of the seed of Abraham. What is it that he says? He did not take upon Him the nature of an angel, but of a man. But what is, He taketh hold? He did not seize, he says, that nature of angels, but ours. But why did he not say, He took up; but used this expression, 63.46.40 He taketh hold? From the metaphor of those who pursue them that turn away from them, and do everything to overtake them as they flee and to seize them as they leap away. For the human nature was fleeing from Him, and fleeing far away (For we were, he says, far from God, being alienated, and being without God in the world), He pursued and caught it. Hence it is shown that love for mankind alone and love and care has done this. As therefore when he says, Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? he shows His great concern for human nature, and that God has great account of it; so here also he sets forth what is much greater by comparison, saying: For He taketh not hold of angels. And indeed it is a great and wonderful thing, and full of astonishment, that our flesh should sit on high, and be worshiped by Angels and Archangels and the Seraphim and the Cherubim. When I often consider this, 63.47 I am amazed, and imagine great things concerning the human race; for I see great and brilliant beginnings, and that God has great earnestness on behalf of our nature. And he did not say: He taketh hold simply of men, but wishing to lift them up, and to show that their race is great and honorable, he says: But of the seed of Abraham He taketh hold. Wherefore it behoved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren. What is, In all things? He was born, he says, was nourished, grew, suffered all things that were necessary, finally He died; this is, to be made like unto His brethren in all things. For since he had discoursed much concerning His majesty and His glory above, he now enters upon the argument concerning the economy; and see with what understanding and power, how he shows Him putting forth great earnestness so as to be made like us; which was of great care. For having said above, Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, he also says here: to be made like unto His brethren in all things; as if saying, He who is so great, who is the brightness of His glory, who is the express image of His person, who made the worlds, who sits on the right hand of the Father, He willed and was zealous to become our brother in all things, and for this reason He left the angels and the powers above, and came down to us, and took hold of us. And consider how many good things He wrought: He destroyed death, He cast us out of the tyranny of the devil, He delivered us from bondage, by becoming a brother He honored us; and He has honored us not only by brotherhood, but also by countless other ways; for He also willed to become our high priest before the Father; for he adds:

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τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ὧν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Εʹ.

Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ

ἐπιλαμβάνεται. Ὅθεν ὤφειλε κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι. αʹ. Τὴν πολλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ὁ Παῦλος δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν περὶ τὸ γένος ἔσχε τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν· Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκὸς, καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχε τῶν αὐτῶν, ἐπεξέρχεται τούτῳ τῷ χωρίῳ, καί φησιν· Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται· μὴ γὰρ ἁπλῶς πρόσχῃς τῷ λεχθέντι, μηδὲ ψιλόν τι πρᾶγμα τοῦτο εἶναι νομίσῃς, τὸ τὴν ἐξ ἡμῶν σάρκα αὐτὸν ἀναλαβεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις τοῦτο ἐχαρίσατο· διὸ καὶ οὕτως εἴρηκεν· Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραάμ. Τί ἐστιν ὅ φησιν; Οὐκ ἀγγέλου φύσιν ἀνεδέξατο, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπου. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐπιλαμβάνεται; Οὐκ ἐκείνης, φησὶν, ἐδράξατο τῆς φύσεως τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν, ἀνέλαβεν· ἀλλὰ ταύτῃ τῇ λέξει ἐχρήσατο τῇ, 63.46.40 Ἐπιλαμβάνεται; Ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν διωκόντων τοὺς ἀποστρεφομένους αὐτοὺς, καὶ πάντα ποιούντων, ὥστε καταλαβεῖν φεύγοντας καὶ ἐπιλαβέσθαι ἀποπηδώντων. Φεύγουσαν γὰρ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, καὶ πόῤῥω φεύγουσαν (Ἦμεν γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακρὰν, φησὶν, ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι, καὶ ἄθεοι ὄντες ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ), αὐτὸς καταδιώξας κατέλαβεν. Ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυται ὅτι φιλανθρωπία μόνη καὶ ἀγάπη καὶ κηδεμονία τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὅταν λέγῃ, Οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν; τὸ περισπούδαστον αὐτῷ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως δείκνυσι, καὶ ὅτι πολὺς τῷ Θεῷ ὁ λόγος αὐτῆς· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ πολὺ μεῖζον τίθησιν ἀπὸ συγκρίσεως λέγων· Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται. Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν καὶ ἐκπλήξεως γέμον, τὴν ἐξ ἡμῶν σάρκα ἄνω καθῆσθαι, καὶ προσκυνεῖσθαι ὑπ' ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων καὶ τῶν Σεραφὶμ καὶ τῶν Χερουβίμ. Τοῦτο πολλάκις εἰς νοῦν ἐγὼ λαβὼν, 63.47 ἐξίσταμαι, καὶ μεγάλα περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους φαντάζομαι· μεγάλα γὰρ ὁρῶ καὶ λαμπρὰ τὰ προοίμια, καὶ πολλὴν τῷ Θεῷ τὴν σπουδὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἀνθρώπων ἁπλῶς ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς ἐπᾶραι, καὶ δεῖξαι μέγα τὸ γένος αὐτῶν καὶ τίμιον, φησίν· Ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται. Ὅθεν ὤφειλε κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι. Τί ἐστι, Κατὰ πάντα; Ἐτέχθη, φησὶν, ἐτράφη, ηὐξήθη, ἔπαθε πάντα ἅπερ ἐχρῆν, τέλος ἀπέθανε· τοῦτό ἐστι, Κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὰ διελέχθη περὶ τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἄνω δόξης, λοιπὸν τὸν περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας λόγον κινεῖ· καὶ θέα μεθ' ὅσης συνέσεως καὶ δυνάμεως, πῶς αὐτὸν δείκνυσι πολλὴν τιθέμενον τὴν σπουδὴν ὥστε ἡμῖν ὁμοιωθῆναι· ὅπερ κηδεμονίας ἦν πολλῆς. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ἀνωτέρω, Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκὸς, καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχε τῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησι· Κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι· μονονουχὶ λέγων, Ὁ οὕτω μέγας, ὁ ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης, ὁ ὢν χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως, ὁ τοὺς αἰῶνας πεποιηκὼς, ὁ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς καθήμενος, οὗτος ἠθέλησε καὶ ἐσπούδασεν ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν ἐν ἅπασι γενέσθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀγγέλους ἀφῆκε καὶ τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις, καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς κατῆλθε, καὶ ἡμῶν ἐπελάβετο. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ ὅσα εἰργάσατο ἀγαθά· θάνατον ἔλυσε, τοῦ διαβόλου τῆς τυραννίδος ἐξέβαλεν ἡμᾶς, δουλείας ἀπήλλαξεν, ἀδελφὸς γενόμενος ἐτίμησεν· οὐ τῇ ἀδελφότητι δὲ μόνον τετίμηκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέροις μυρίοις· καὶ γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς ἡμῶν γενέσθαι ἠθέλησε πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· ἐπάγει γάρ·