1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

 9

 10

 11

 12

 13

 14

 15

 16

 17

 18

 19

 20

 21

 22

 23

 24

 25

 26

 27

 28

 29

 30

 31

 32

 33

 34

 35

 36

 37

 38

 39

 40

 41

 42

 43

 44

 45

 46

 47

 48

 49

 50

 51

 52

 53

 54

 55

 56

 57

 58

 59

 60

 61

 62

 63

 64

 65

 66

 67

 68

 69

 70

 71

 72

 73

 74

 75

 76

 77

 78

 79

 80

 81

 82

 83

 84

 85

 86

 87

 88

 89

 90

 91

 92

 93

 94

 95

 96

 97

 98

 99

 100

 101

 102

 103

 104

 105

 106

 107

 108

 109

 110

 111

 112

 113

 114

 115

 116

 117

 118

 119

 120

 121

 122

 123

 124

 125

 126

32

of Christ: "I and the Father will come, and we will make our home with him." But he dwells not simply, but in the hearts of the faithful, rooted in his love, not carried away. "That you may be able," he says. So much 62.52 strength is needed. And showing where we have need of this, he adds: "to comprehend with all the saints what is the depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." "That we may be filled with all the fullness of God." What he says is this: Even if the love of Christ surpasses all human knowledge, nevertheless you will know it, if you have Christ dwelling within you; and not only will you know this from him, but you will also be filled with all the fullness of God; by "fullness of God" he means either to know how God is worshipped in Father and Son and Holy Spirit, or he is urging us to strive so as to be filled with all virtue, of which God is full. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." Well did he say, "According to the power"; for it is a mark of power to receive what we never even hoped for. And that he has done abundantly beyond what we ask or think, is clear from what he himself wrote. For I, he says, pray; but he, even without my prayer, will work things greater than our requests, not simply greater, or "abundantly," but "far more abundantly," showing the magnitude of the gift. And how is this clear? From "the power that is at work," he says, "within us." For we neither ever asked for these things, nor expected them. "To him," he says, "be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." He well concluded his discourse with a prayer and doxology. For it was right that he who has granted us so many things should be glorified and blessed. So this too is a part of wonder, to give glory on account of the things that have been granted to us by God through Jesus Christ. "His glory in the Church," he well said so; for she alone knows how to remain forever. And since she stands for all time, he wishes him also to be glorified by us until the consummation; for this he indicated by saying, "throughout all generations for ever." What "families" are, it is necessary to say. For here families are the races, but how in heaven, where no one has been born of another? Or does he there call the companies families, just as one can also find written in Scripture, the family of the Hamathites, from which they are also called fathers. He does not demand everything from God, but also from them faith and love; and not simply love, but love rooted and grounded, so that neither winds may shake it, nor anything else cast it down. He said that tribulations are a glory; if mine are, much more are yours. Therefore to be afflicted is not a sign of being forsaken; for he who worked such great things would not have done this. But if, in order to learn the love of God, there is need of Paul's prayer, and need of the indwelling of the Spirit, who will know the essence of Christ by following reasonings? And yet what difficult thing is it to learn that God loves us? It is very difficult, beloved. For some are ignorant even of this, which is why they say that countless evils happen in the world; others are ignorant of how much. And 62.53 Paul does not seek how much, nor to measure it—for how could he?—but to learn this very thing, that it is surpassing and great; and he says that he is able to show this very thing also from the knowledge which we have been deemed worthy of. And yet what is more abundant than being strengthened? "With power," just as having Christ within is more abundant than simply having him. The things asked are great, he says, but he knows how to do even beyond them, so as not only to love, but also to do this exceedingly. Let us take care, therefore, beloved, to learn the love of God. This is a great thing, nothing so profits us, nothing so fills us with compunction; this is more able to capture our souls than the fear of hell. From where, then, will we know it? Both from the things that have been said, and from the things that happen every day. For for what reason have these things come to be? for what need of his? None. Up and down the love

32

Χριστοῦ· Ἐλευσόμεθα ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ ποιήσομεν. Κατοικεῖ δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ταῖς πισταῖς, ταῖς ἐῤῥιζωμέναις ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ αὐτοῦ, ταῖς μὴ παραφερομέναις. Ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε, φησίν. Ὥστε ἰσχύος 62.52 πολλῆς δεῖ. Ποῦ δὲ ταύτης ἡμῖν χρεία δηλῶν, ἐπάγει· Καταλαβέσθαι σὺν πᾶσιν ἁγίοις, τί τὸ βάθος καὶ ὕψος, γνῶναί τε τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἵνα πληρωθῶμεν εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Εἰ καὶ ὑπέρκειται πάσης γνώσεως ἀνθρωπίνης ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅμως ὑμεῖς γνώσεσθε, εἰ τὸν Χριστὸν σχοίητε ἐνοικοῦντα· οὐ μόνον δὲ γνώσεσθε ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ πληρωθήσεσθε εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ· πλήρωμα Θεοῦ λέγων ἢ τὸ γνῶναι, ὡς ἐν Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ προσκυνεῖται ὁ Θεὸς, ἢ προτρέπων οὕτω σπουδάζειν, ὥστε πληροῦσθαι πάσης ἀρετῆς, ἧς πλήρης ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός. Τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ ὑπὲρ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν, κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἡμῖν. Καλῶς, Κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν, εἶπε· δυνάμεως γὰρ τὸ λαβεῖν, ἃ μηδὲ ἠλπίσαμεν πώποτε. Ὅτι δὲ ἐκπερισσοῦ ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν ἐποίησε, δῆλον ἐξ ὧν ἔγραφεν αὐτός. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, εὔχομαι· αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ χωρὶς τῆς ἐμῆς εὐχῆς, μείζονα ἐργάσεται τῶν ἡμετέρων αἰτήσεων, οὐχ ἁπλῶς μείζονα, ἢ ἐκπερισσοῦ, ἀλλ' Ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ, τὸ μέγεθος ἐμφαίνων τῆς δωρεᾶς. Πόθεν δὲ δῆλον τοῦτο; Ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεως τῆς ἐνεργουμένης, φησὶν, ἐν ἡμῖν. Οὔτε γὰρ ᾐτήσαμέν ποτε ταῦτα, οὔτε προσεδοκήσαμεν. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Καλῶς εἰς εὐχὴν καὶ δοξολογίαν τὸν λόγον κατέκλεισεν. Ἔδει γὰρ τὸν τοσαῦτα παρασχόντα ἡμῖν δοξασθῆναι καὶ εὐλογηθῆναι. Ὥστε καὶ τοῦτο μέρος ἐστὶ θαυμασμοῦ, τὸ δοξάζειν ἕνεκα τῶν ὑπηργμένων ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, καλῶς οὕτως εἶπεν· αὕτη γὰρ οἶδε μόνη μένειν εἰς τὸ διηνεκές. Ἐπεὶ δὲ αὕτη διὰ παντὸς ἕστηκε, βούλεται αὐτὸν καὶ δοξάζεσθαι ὑφ' ἡμῶν μέχρι τῆς συντελείας· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰπὼν, Εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς τοῦ αἰῶνος. Τί ἐστιν, αἱ πατριαὶ, ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ πατριαί εἰσι τὰ γένη, ἐν δὲ οὐρανῷ πῶς, ἔνθα οὐδεὶς ἐξ οὐδενὸς γέγονεν; Ἢ ἐκεῖ τὰ συστήματά φησι πατριὰς, καθάπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν κείμενον, πατριὰ ἁματταρεὶ, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ πατέρες καλοῦνται. Οὐ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δὲ τὸ πᾶν ἀπαιτεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὴν ἀγάπην, ἀλλ' ἐῤῥιζωμένην καὶ τεθεμελιωμένην, ὥστε μήτε πνεύματα αὐτὴν σαλεύειν, μήτε ἄλλο μηδὲν αὐτὴν καταβάλλειν. Εἶπεν ὅτι δόξα εἰσὶν αἱ θλίψεις· εἰ δὲ αἱ ἐμαὶ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αἱ ὑμῶν. Ὥστε οὐκ ἐγκαταλιμπανομένων ἐστὶ τὸ θλίβεσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὁ τοσαῦτα ἐργασάμενος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀγάπην ὥστε μαθεῖν, τῆς εὐχῆς Παύλῳ δεῖ, καὶ Πνεύματος χρεία ἐνιδρύσεως, τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν τίς εἴσεται λογισμοῖς κατακολουθῶν; Καίτοι τί δύσκολον πρᾶγμα μαθεῖν, ὅτι φιλεῖ ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός; Σφόδρα δύσκολον, ἀγαπητέ. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἀγνοοῦσιν, ὅθεν καὶ φασὶ μυρία κακὰ εἰς τὸν κόσμον γίνεσθαι· οἱ δὲ τὸ πόσον ἀγνοοῦσι. Καὶ ὁ 62.53 Παῦλος δὲ οὐ τὸ πόσον, οὐ δὲ ὥστε μετρῆσαι ζητεῖ· πῶς γάρ; ἀλλ' ὅτι ὑπερβάλλον καὶ μέγα ἐστὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο μαθεῖν· καί φησιν, ὅτι αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἱκανός ἐστι δεῖξαι καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως, ἧς ἡμεῖς κατηξιώθημεν. Καίτοι τί περισσόν ἐστι τοῦ κραταιοῦσθαι; Τὸ δυνάμει, ὥσπερ τοῦ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχειν ἁπλῶς τὸ ἔνδον ἐστὶ περισσόν. Μεγάλα τὰ αἰτηθέντα, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οἶδε καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτὰ ποιεῖν, ὥστε μὴ μόνον ἀγαπᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Μεριμνήσωμεν τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὥστε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀγάπην μαθεῖν. Μέγα τοῦτό ἐστιν, οὐδὲν οὕτω ἡμᾶς ὠφελεῖ, οὐδὲν οὕτως ἡμᾶς κατανύσσει· τοῦ φόβου τῆς γεέννης ἱκανὸν τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἑλεῖν τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχάς. Πόθεν οὖν εἰσόμεθα; Ἔκ τε τῶν εἰρημένων, ἔκ τε τῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν συμβαινόντων. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ταῦτα γεγένηται; ποίας χρείας τῆς αὐτοῦ; Οὐδεμιᾶς. Ἄνω καὶ κάτω τὴν ἀγάπην