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31

but the flood in the time of Noah, the fire, the drowning of the Egyptians, the things in the wilderness. It was necessary for many things to precede baptism also; it has happened, all the things in water, and countless others, such as the things in the Old Testament, the things in the pool, the cleansing of the one who was not well, the flood itself, the baptism of John. It was necessary to believe that God gives up his own Son; a man did this beforehand. Who was this? Abraham the patriarch. Therefore, we shall find types of all these things, if we are willing, if we search in the Scripture. But let us not grow weary, but let us discipline ourselves in these things; let us have a steadfast faith, and let us show forth precision of conduct, so that having given thanks to God for all things, we may be deemed worthy of the good things promised to those who love him, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 6. As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

1. Again he takes them with his own testimony, saying, As therefore you received. We introduce nothing strange, he says; therefore neither should you. Walk in him; for he is the way that leads to the Father; not in the angels; this way does not lead there. Rooted; that is, fixed; not sometimes this way, sometimes that, but rooted; for that which is rooted could never be moved. See how he uses authoritative words. And built up, he says; that is, arriving at him in your mind. And established in him; that is, holding fast to him, and being built as on a foundation. He shows that they had fallen down; for the word, Built up, signifies this. For faith is truly a building, and it requires both a strong foundation and a secure structure. For if one does not build with security, it is shaken; and if it is on security, but does not stand firm, it no longer stands. As you were taught. Again, the word, As, indicates that he says nothing new. Abounding, he says, in it with thanksgiving. For this is the mark of the grateful; I do not say simply to give thanks, but with great presence, more than you have learned, if it is possible, with great eagerness. See that no one makes a prey of you. Do you see how he showed him to be a thief, and a stranger, and one who enters stealthily? for he has already 62.338 represented him as entering. And he said well, Making a prey. Just as one digging under a mound from below gives no sign, but it is being undermined; so also does he. Beware, therefore; for this is his work, to give no sign. Through philosophy. Then, since the name of philosophy seems to be venerable, he added, And vain deceit. For there is also a good deceit, by which many have been deceived, which one ought not even to call deceit; about which Jeremiah says: You have deceived me, O Lord, and I was deceived. For such a thing one ought not even to call deceit; since Jacob also deceived his father, but it was not deceit, but a dispensation. Through philosophy, he says, and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For the time being he takes up the refutation of the observance of days, calling the sun and moon the elements of the world, just as he also said in the Epistle to the Galatians: How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements? And he did not say, The observances of days, but through the whole of the present world, that he might show its worthlessness; for if the world is nothing, much more so [are] the elements.

31

δὲ ὁ κατακλυσμὸς ὁ ἐπὶ Νῶε, τὸ πῦρ, ὁ καταποντισμὸς ὁ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Ἔδει καὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος πολλὰ προηγήσασθαι· γέγονεν, ὅσα ἐν ὕδατι, καὶ μυρία ἄλλα, οἷον τὰ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, τὰ ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ, τὸ τὸν μὴ ὑγιαίνοντα καθαίρεσθαι, αὐτὸς ὁ κατακλυσμὸς, τὸ βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου. Ἔδει πιστευθῆναι ὅτι τὸν Υἱὸν αὑτοῦ ἐκδίδωσιν ὁ Θεός· προλαβὼν ἐποίησε τοῦτο ἄνθρωπος. Τίς οὗτος; Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατριάρχης. Πάντων οὖν τούτων τύπους, ἂν θέλωμεν, εὑρήσομεν, ἂν ζητῶμεν ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀποκάμωμεν, ἀλλ' ἐν τούτοις ῥυθμίζωμεν ἑαυτούς· στεῤῥὰν ἔχωμεν τὴν πίστιν, καὶ ἀκρίβειαν πολιτείας ἐπιδειξώμεθα, ἵνα διὰ πάντων εὐχαριστήσαντες τῷ Θεῷ, καταξιωθῶμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, 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 ΣΤʹ. Ὡς οὖν παρελάβετε τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Κύριον, ἐν αὐτῷ περιπατεῖτε, ἐῤῥιζωμένοι καὶ ἐποικοδομούμενοι ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ βεβαιούμε νοι ἐν τῇ πίστει, καθὼς ἐδιδάχθητε, περισ σεύοντες ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ.

αʹ. Πάλιν αὐτοὺς τῇ οἰκείᾳ προκαταλαμβάνει μαρτυρίᾳ, λέγων, Ὡς οὖν παρελάβετε. Οὐδὲν ξένον, φησὶν, ἐπεισάγομεν· οὐκοῦν μηδὲ ὑμεῖς. Ἐν αὐτῷ περιπατεῖτε· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ προσάγουσα εἰς τὸν Πατέρα· μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἀγγέλοις· οὐ φέρει αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς ἐκεῖ. Ἐῤῥιζωμένοι· τουτέστι, πεπηγότες· μὴ ποτὲ μὲν ταύτην, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκείνην, ἀλλ' ἐῤῥιζωμένοι· τὸ δὲ ἐῤῥιζωμένον οὐκ ἄν ποτε μετασταίη. Ὅρα πῶς κυρίας τὰς λέξεις τίθησι. Καὶ ἐποικοδομούμενοι, φησί· τουτέστι, τῇ διανοίᾳ φθάνοντες εἰς αὐτόν. Καὶ βεβαιούμενοι ἐν αὐτῷ· τουτέστι, κατέχοντες αὐτὸν, καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ θεμέλιον οἰκοδομούμενοι. ∆είκνυσιν αὐτοὺς καταπεσόντας· τὸ γὰρ, Οἰκοδομούμενοι, τοῦτο δηλοῖ. Οἰκοδομὴ γάρ ἐστιν ὄντως ἡ πίστις, καὶ δεῖ καὶ τοῦ θεμελίου ἰσχυροῦ, καὶ τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἀσφαλοῦς. Ἄν τε γὰρ μὴ ἐπ' ἀσφαλείᾳ τις οἰκοδομήσῃ, σαλεύεται· ἄν τε ἐπ' ἀσφαλείας, καὶ μὴ ἑστήκῃ, οὐκέτι ἵσταται. Καθὼς ἐδιδάχθητε. Πάλιν τὸ, Καθὼς, δηλωτικόν ἐστι τοῦ μηδὲν καινόν τι λέγειν. Περισσεύοντες, φησὶν, ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ. Τοῦτο γὰρ εὐγνωμόνων· οὐ λέγω ἁπλῶς εὐχαριστεῖν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παρουσίας, πλέον ἢ ἐμάθετε, εἰ οἷόν τε, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς φιλοτιμίας. Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς ἔσται ὁ συλαγωγῶν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἔδειξε κλέπτην ὄντα, καὶ ἀλλότριον, καὶ ἡρέμα ἐπεισιόντα; ἤδη γὰρ 62.338 παρέστησεν αὐτὸν εἰσιόντα. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, Συλαγωγῶν. Ὥσπερ ἄν τις χῶμα κάτωθεν διορύττων μὴ παρέχῃ αἴσθησιν, τὸ δὲ ὑπονοστεῖ· οὕτω καὶ ἐκεῖνος ποιεῖ. Βλέπετε οὖν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἔργον ἐκείνῳ τὸ μηδὲ αἴσθησιν παρέχειν. ∆ιὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ δοκεῖ σεμνὸν εἶναι τὸ τῆς φιλοσοφίας, προσέθηκε, Καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ καλὴ ἀπάτη, οἵαν ἠπατήθησαν πολλοὶ, ἣν οὐδὲ ἀπάτην δεῖ καλεῖν· περὶ ἧς φησιν ὁ Ἱερεμίας· Ἠπάτησάς με, Κύριε, καὶ ἠπατήθην. Τὸ γὰρ τοιοῦτον οὐδὲ ἀπάτην δεῖ καλεῖν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἠπάτησεν ὁ Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπάτη, ἀλλ' οἰκονομία ἦν. ∆ιὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας, φησὶ, καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης, κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν. Τέως τοῦ ἐλέγχου ἅπτεται τῆς τῶν ἡμερῶν παρατηρήσεως, στοιχεῖα κόσμου ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην λέγων, καθάπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας ἔλεγε· Πῶς πάλιν ἐπιστρέφετε ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα; Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἡμερῶν παρατηρήσεις, ἀλλὰ ∆ι' ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ παρόντος, ἵνα τὸ εὐτελὲς δείξῃ· εἰ γὰρ ὁ κόσμος οὐδὲν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον [καὶ] τὰ στοιχεῖα.