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to be driven out of the city, so that those in the city might become better, and that he himself might not be set forth as an occasion for scoffs and mockery to those wishing to be insolent, but by remaining outside the city, he would have the wilderness as a veil for his misfortune. This king also ought to have endured this after his leprosy; but he did not endure it, since those in the city revered him because of his rule, but he remained in his house secretly. This provoked God, this hindered prophecy; and what happened in the case of Eli: "The word was precious, and there was no open vision." But understand for me even here the loving-kindness of God. For He did not overthrow the city, nor destroy its inhabitants; but just as friends do toward their esteemed friends when they have some just complaint, remaining silent, this is what God also did toward that nation, though it was worthy of greater chastisement and punishment. For I cast him out, He says, from the temple, but you did not even cast him out of the city; I bound him through leprosy and delivered him as a private citizen, but you were not even so victorious, but you did not bear to cast out of the city the one condemned by me. And yet what king would have borne this meekly, and would not have overthrown the city from its foundations, seeing one who was commanded to be moved into exile lingering in the city? But God did not do this; for He was "God, and not man." But when he died, He also put an end to his anger towards them along with his life, and opened the doors of prophecy and returned to them again. But you, understand also the loving-kindness of God in the manner of the reconciliation. For if one were to examine the principle of justice, it was not right to be reconciled even then. For what reason? Because it was not their achievement to have cast out Uzziah. For they themselves did not take and drive him away, but death, coming by the law of nature, cast him out of the city then. But God is not so exacting with us, but seeks one thing only, a pretext for reconciliation with us. Therefore, for all these things, let us give thanks to Him, let us glorify His ineffable loving-kindness; may we also be found worthy of it, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

6.τ On the saying: "And it came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died," and concerning repentance.

6.1 We have at last sailed through the sea of the matter concerning Uzziah, and we sailed through with difficulty, not because of the length of the journey, but because of the love of learning of you who sail with us. Thus also a pilot who has ambitious passengers desiring to see lovely cities does not complete the journey in one day, even if the distance were of one day, but is forced to spend more time, mooring the vessel at each harbor, allowing them to disembark at each city, so as to grant something to the desire of those sailing with him. This is what we also have done, not sailing around islands, nor showing ports and harbors and cities, but the virtue of men who have succeeded and the sloth of those who have fallen, the shamelessness of kings and the boldness of priests, the wrath and loving-kindness of God, both having come about for correction. But since we have now at last arrived at the royal city, let us no longer delay, but composing ourselves, as those about to enter a city, so let us ascend to the metropolis above, Jerusalem, our mother, the free city, where the Seraphim are, where the Cherubim are, where thousands

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πόλεως ἐξελαύνεσθαι, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς τῇ πόλει βελτίους γίνεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν μὴ προκεῖσθαι τοῖς βουλομένοις ὑβρίζειν σκωμμάτων καὶ χλευασίας ἀφορμήν, ἀλλ' ἔξω τῆς πόλεως μένοντα παραπέτασμα τῆς συμφορᾶς ἔχειν τὴν ἐρημίαν. Τοῦτο καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον ὑπομένειν ἐχρῆν μετὰ τὴν λέπραν· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν, τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει διὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτὸν αἰδεσθέντων, ἀλλ' ἔμενεν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ κρυφίως. Τοῦτο παρώξυνε τὸν Θεόν, τοῦτο τὴν προφητείαν ἐκώλυσεν· καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἠλὶ γέγονεν· "Ῥῆμα τίμιον ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὅρασις διαστέλλουσα." Σὺ δέ μοι καὶ ἐνταῦθα γνῶθι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνέτρεψε τὴν πόλιν, οὐδὲ ἀπώλεσε τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας· ἀλλ' ὅπερ φίλοι ποιοῦσι πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοτίμους τῶν φίλων, ἐπειδὰν ἔχωσί τι δίκαιον ἐγκαλεῖν, ἐν παρασιωπήσει μένοντες, τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τὸ ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο ἐποίησεν, μείζονος ὂν ἄξιον κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλον, φησί, τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ τῆς πόλεως· ἐγὼ δήσας αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς λέπρας, ἰδιώτην παρέδωκα, ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτω περιεγένεσθε, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὑπ' ἐμοῦ καταδικασθέντα οὐκ ἠνέσχεσθε τῆς πόλεως ἐκβαλεῖν. Καίτοι ποῖος ἂν τοῦτο βασιλεὺς πράως ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἐκ βάθρων τὴν πόλιν ἀνέτρεψεν, τὸν εἰς τὴν ὑπερορίαν μετοικισθῆναι κελευσθέντα, ἐνδιατρίβοντα τῇ πόλει ὁρῶν; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο ἐποίησεν· "Θεὸς" γὰρ ἦν, "καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος". Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐτελεύτησεν, τῇ ζωῇ τούτου καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνους ὀργὴν συγκατέλυσεν καὶ τῆς προφητείας τὰς θύρας ἀνέῳξεν καὶ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπανῆλθεν. Σὺ δὲ καὶ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς καταλλαγῆς γνῶθι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν. Εἰ γάρ τις ἐξετάζοιτο τὸν τοῦ δικαίου λόγον, οὐδὲ τότε καταλλαγῆναι ἐχρῆν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὅτι οὐκ αὐτῶν κατόρθωμα γέγονε τὸ τὸν Ὀζίαν ἐκβαλεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτοὶ λαβόντες αὐτὸν ἀπήλασαν, ἀλλ' ἡ τελευτὴ νόμῳ φύσεως ἐπελθοῦσα τῆς πόλεως αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλε τότε. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀκριβολογεῖται μέχρι τούτων πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός, ἀλλ' ἓν μόνον ζητεῖ, σχῆμα τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς καταλλαγῆς. Ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων ἁπάντων εὐχαριστήσωμεν αὐτῷ, δοξάσωμεν τὴν ἄφατον αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν· ἧς γένοιτο καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀξίους φανῆναι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

6.τ Εἰς τὸ ῥητόν· "Καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, οὗ ἀπέθανεν Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς", καὶ περὶ μετανοίας.

6.1 Μόλις ποτὲ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ὀζίαν διεπλεύσαμεν πέλαγος, μόλις δὲ διεπλεύσαμεν, οὐ διὰ τὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ μῆκος, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ φιλομαθὲς ὑμῶν τῶν συμπλεόντων ἡμῖν. Οὕτω καὶ κυβερνήτης ἐπιβάτας ἔχων φιλοτίμους καὶ πόλεις ἐρατεινὰς ἐπιθυμοῦντας ἰδεῖν, οὐκ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ διανύει τὴν ὁδόν, κἂν μιᾶς ἡμέρας τὸ διάστημα εἴη, ἀλλὰ πλείω διατρίβειν ἀναγκάζεται χρόνον, καθ' ἕκαστον λιμένα τὸ σκάφος ὁρμίζων, καθ' ἑκάστην πόλιν ἐπιβαίνειν ἐπιτρέπων, ὥστε χαρίσασθαί τι τῇ τῶν συμπλεόντων ἐπιθυμίᾳ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐποιήσαμεν, οὐ νήσους περιπλέοντες, οὐδὲ ἐπίνεια καὶ λιμένας καὶ πόλεις ἐπιδεικνύντες, ἀλλ' ἀνδρῶν κατωρθωκότων ἀρετὴν καὶ πεπτωκότων ῥᾳθυμίαν, βασιλέων ἀναισχυντίαν καὶ παρρησίαν ἱερέων, ὀργὴν Θεοῦ καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἀμφότερα πρὸς διόρθωσιν γεγενημένα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ λοιπὸν εἰς τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀπηντήσαμεν πόλιν, μηκέτι μέλλωμεν, ἀλλὰ καταστείλαντες ἑαυτούς, ὡς εἰς πόλιν εἰσιέναι μέλλοντες, οὕτως ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὴν ἄνω μητρόπολιν, τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τὴν μητέρα ἡμῶν, τὴν ἐλευθέραν, ἔνθα τὰ Σεραφίμ, ἔνθα τὰ Χερουβίμ, ἔνθα χιλιάδες