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worthy of punishment are we who are so worthless and cast away, loved beyond all measure by one so great and wonderful, and yet grow wanton against His love? He needs nothing of ours, and not even so does He cease from loving us; but we are greatly in need of what is His, and not even so do we hold fast to His love, but we prefer money to Him, and the friendships of men, and the ease of the body, and power and glory, to Him who prefers nothing to us? For He had one only-begotten and true Son, and not even Him did He spare for our sakes; but we prefer many things to Him. Is it not then reasonable that there be a hell and a punishment, even if it were double and triple and ten thousand times as great? For what could we say, when we prefer the commands of Satan to the laws of Christ, and are careless of our own salvation, that we may prefer the works of wickedness to Him who suffered all things for our sake? And of what pardon are such things worthy? Of what defense? Of none. Let us stand then at last, not being carried down cliffs, and let us become sober, and having considered all these things, let us send up glory to Him through our works; for it is not sufficient through words; that we may also enjoy the glory that is from Him, which may it be granted for us all to obtain, by the grace and loving-kindness 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 VI.

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law. 1. Having said that the Greek lacks nothing for salvation if he is a doer of the law, and having made that wonderful comparison, he then sets forth the solemn claims of the Jews, on which they prided themselves against the Greeks. 60.432 And first the name itself, which was very solemn, just as Christianity is now; for from the name there was a great difference then too; which is why he begins from here. And see how he takes it down. For he did not say, You are a Jew, but, You are called, and makest thy boast of God; that is, as one loved by Him, and preferred to other men. Here, however, it seems to me he gently mocks them for their arrogance, 60.433 and for their great vainglory, because they used this gift not for their own salvation, but for rising up against and despising others. And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent. And yet this too is a fault without works; but still it seemed to be an advantage; which is why he also sets it down with precision. For he did not say, You do, but, You know and you approve, not you pursue and you do. And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind. Again here he did not say that you are a guide of the blind, but, You are confident, you boast so, he says; for great was the arrogance of the Jews. Which is why he utters almost the very words which they used to say boastfully. See, at any rate, in the Gospels what they say: You were born entirely in sins, and do you teach us? And they had great pride against everyone. Paul, in refuting this, insisted on this point, exalting these and taking down those, so that he might thus more effectively attack them, and make the accusation heavier. Which is why he proceeds, magnifying this sort of thing, and amplifying it by reporting it in various ways. For thou art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. He did not say again, In the conscience and in deeds and in good works, but, In the law. And having said these things, what he did in the case of the Gentiles, he does here also. For just as there he says, For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; so here also he says, Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? But there more sharply, here more gently

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κολάσεως ἄξιοι οἱ οὕτως εὐτελεῖς καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένοι, παρὰ τοιούτου μεγάλου καὶ θαυμαστοῦ φιλούμενοι μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἁπάσης, καὶ καταστρηνιῶντες αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης; Οὐδενὸς δεῖται ἐκεῖνος τῶν ἡμετέρων, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτω παύεται ἡμῶν ἐρῶν· ἡμεῖς δὲ σφόδρα δεόμεθα τῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀντεχόμεθα αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης, ἀλλὰ χρήματα αὐτοῦ προτιμῶμεν, καὶ φιλίας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ σώματος ἄνεσιν, καὶ δυναστείαν καὶ δόξαν, τοῦ μηδὲν ἡμῶν προτιμῶντος; Ἕνα γὰρ εἶχεν Υἱὸν μονογενῆ καὶ γνήσιον, καὶ οὐδὲ τούτου ἐφείσατο δι' ἡμᾶς· ἡμεῖς δὲ αὐτοῦ πολλὰ προτιμῶμεν. Ἆρ' οὖν οὐκ εἰκότως γέεννα καὶ κόλασις, εἰ καὶ διπλῆ καὶ τριπλῆ ἦν καὶ μυριάκις τοσαύτη; Τί γὰρ ἂν ἔχοιμεν εἰπεῖν, ὅταν τοῦ Σατανᾶ τὰ ἐπιτάγματα προτιμῶμεν τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ νόμων, καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀφειδῶμεν, ἵνα προτιμήσωμεν τὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἔργα τοῦ πάντα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παθόντος; Καὶ ποίας συγγνώμης τὰ τοιαῦτα ἄξια; ποίας ἀπολογίας; Οὐδεμιᾶς. Στῶμεν οὖν λοιπὸν μὴ κατὰ κρημνῶν φερόμενοι, καὶ ἀνανήψωμεν, καὶ πάντα ἀναλογισάμενοι ταῦτα, δόξαν ἀναπέμψωμεν αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν ἔργων· οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων· ἵνα καὶ τῆς δόξης ἀπολαύσωμεν τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, 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.

Ἴδε, σὺ Ἰουδαῖος ἐπονομάζῃ, καὶ ἐπαναπαύῃ τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ καυχᾶσαι ἐν Θεῷ,

καὶ γινώσκεις τὸ θέλημα, καὶ δοκιμάζεις τὰ διαφέροντα, κατ ηχούμενος ἐκ τοῦ νόμου. αʹ. Εἰπὼν, ὅτι οὐδὲν λείπει τῷ Ἕλληνι πρὸς τὸ σωθῆναι, ἐὰν τοῦ νόμου ᾖ ποιητὴς, καὶ τὴν θαυμαστὴν σύγκρισιν ποιησάμενος ἐκείνην, τίθησι λοιπὸν καὶ τὰ σεμνὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀφ' ὧν κατὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων 60.432 ἐφρόνουν. Καὶ πρῶτον αὐτὸ τὸ ὄνομα ὃ σφόδρα σεμνὸν ἦν, ὥσπερ νῦν ὁ Χριστιανισμός· καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας πολλὴ ἦν ἡ διαφορὰ καὶ τότε· διὸ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἄρχεται. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ καθαιρεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Σὺ Ἰουδαῖος εἶ, ἀλλ', Ἐπονομάζῃ, καὶκαυχᾶσαι ἐν Θεῷ· τουτέστιν, ὡς φιληθεὶς παρ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ προτιμηθεὶς τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων. Ἐνταῦθα δέ μοι ἠρέμα δοκεῖ εἰς ἀπόνοιάν τε αὐτοὺς σκώπτειν, 60.433 καὶ εἰς πολλὴν τὴν δοξομανίαν, ὅτι τῷ δώρῳ τούτῳ οὐκ εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ τῶν ἄλλων κατεξανίστασθαι καὶ ὑπερορᾷν κατεκέχρηντο. Καὶ γινώσκεις τὸ θέλημα, καὶ δοκιμάζεις τὰ διαφέροντα. Καὶ μὴν καὶ τοῦτο ἐλάττωμα χωρὶς ἔργου· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐδόκει πλεονέκτημα εἶναι· διὸ καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας αὐτὸ τίθησιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Πράττεις, ἀλλὰ, Γινώσκεις καὶ δοκιμάζεις, οὐ μετέρχῃ καὶ ποιεῖς. Πέποιθάς τε σεαυτὸν ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι εἶ ὁδηγὸς τυφλῶν, ἀλλὰ, Πέποιθας, οὕτω κομπάζεις, φησί· πολλὴ γὰρ ἦν ἡ ἀπόνοια τῶν Ἰουδαίων. ∆ιὸ καὶ σχεδὸν αὐτὰ φθέγγεται τὰ ῥήματα, ἅπερ ἐκεῖνοι κομπάζοντες ἔλεγον. Ὅρα γοῦν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τί λέγουσιν· Ἐν ἁμαρτίαις σὺ ἐγεννήθης ὅλος, καὶ σὺ διδάσκεις ἡμᾶς; καὶ μέγα ἐφρόνουν κατὰ πάντων. Ὅπερ ἐλέγχων ὁ Παῦλος ἐπέμενε, τούτους μὲν ἐπαίρων, ἐκείνους δὲ καθαιρῶν, ἵνα οὕτω μᾶλλον αὐτῶν καθάψηται, καὶ βαρυτέραν ποιήσῃ τὴν κατηγορίαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ πρόεισιν αὔξων τὸ τοιοῦτο, καὶ πλεονάζων τῷ διαφόρως ἀπαγγέλλειν. Πέποιθας γὰρ σεαυτὸν ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν, φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει, παιδευτὴν ἀφρόνων, διδάσκαλον νηπίων, ἔχοντα τὴν μόρφωσιν τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν τῷ νόμῳ. Οὐκ εἶπε πάλιν, Ἐν τῷ συνειδότι καὶ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατορθώμασιν, ἀλλ', Ἐν τῷ νόμῳ. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐθνικῶν ἐποίησε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ φησιν, Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ κρίνεις τὸν ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγει, Ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις; Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν ἀποτομώτερον, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἡμερώτερον