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is believed to be uncompounded and unformed, when also the human, through such peacemaking, comes to be outside of the double composition, and precisely returns to the good, having become both simple and unformed, and truly one, so that the visible is the same as the hidden, and the hidden as the visible; then the beatitude is truly ratified, and such men are properly called sons of God, having been blessed according to the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ, 44.1292 to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY 8.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom

of heaven. The order of the sublime teaching of the lessons, leads the present contemplation of the saying to the eighth step; but I say that it is well first to understand with reason that point, what is the mystery of the eighth day with the Prophet, which is set forth in two psalms; and what is the blessing, and the law of circumcision, both observed in the law on the eighth day. Perhaps this number has some kinship with the eighth beatitude; which, as the peak of all the beatitudes, lies at the highest point of the good ascent. For there the Prophet signifies the day of resurrection by the enigma of the eighth, and the purification indicates the return of polluted man to what is pure and according to nature, and the circumcision interprets the casting off of the dead skins, which we put on after, through disobedience, we were stripped of life; and here the eighth beatitude contains the restoration to the heavens of those who fell into slavery, but are called back again from slavery to a kingdom. For "Blessed," he says, "are those who are persecuted for my sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Behold the end of the struggles for God, the reward of the labors, the prize of the toils; to be deemed worthy of the kingdom in the heavens. No longer does the hope of a good inheritance wander about what is unstable and changeable. For the earthly realm belongs to things that turn and change; but of the things seen and moved in heaven, we know none of these things, as not being in the same state and in the same way, but that all things in heaven proceed in their own course by connection and order and sequence. Do you see, then, the excellence of the gift? That the greatness of the worth is not bestowed in things that change, as if some fear of change should distress the better hopes; but by speaking of the kingdom of heaven, he shows the unchangeable and ever-constant nature of the gift set before us in hope. But what occurs to me to question from what has been said, is this: first, that to the poor in spirit and to those persecuted for his sake, he assigns the same reward to both. For of whom the prize is the same, of them clearly the struggles are also equal; and then, how, having distinguished those on the right from those on the left, does he call them to the kingdom of heaven, stating other reasons for such an honor? For there, putting forward compassion, and generosity, and love for one another, he nowhere mentions either spiritual 44.1293 poverty, or persecution for his sake; and yet, according to a superficial understanding, these seem to be very different from one another. For what does being poor have in common with being persecuted? Or again, what harmony do these things have with the results of loving compassion? Someone fed the needy, or clothed the naked, or welcomed a wayfarer under his roof, or offered possible care to the sick and imprisoned; what do these things have in common with being poor and persecuted, according to the nature of the practice? This one heals the misfortunes of others; but of those, each one, both the poor and the persecuted, of

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ἀσύνθετον, καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον εἶναι πεπίστευται, ὅταν καὶ [ἐπὶ] τὸ ἀνθρώπινον διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης εἰρηνοποιΐας, ἔξω τῆς κατὰ τὴν διπλῆν συνθέσεως γένηται, καὶ ἀκριβῶς εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐπανέλθῃ, ἁπλοῦν τε καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον, καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἓν γενόμενον, ὡς ταὐτὸν εἶναι τῷ κρυπτῷ τὸ φαινόμενον, καὶ τῷ φαινομένῳ τὸ κεκρυμ μένον· τότε ἀληθῶς κυροῦται ὁ μακαρισμὸς, καὶ λέ 44.1292 γονται κυρίως οἱ τοιοῦτοι υἱοὶ Θεοῦ, μακαρισθέντες κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χρι στοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ηʹ.

Μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης· ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία

τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἡ μὲν τάξις τῆς ὑψηλῆς τῶν μαθημάτων διδασκα λίας, ἐπὶ τὸν ὄγδοον ἄγει βαθμὸν τὴν παροῦσαν τοῦ ῥητοῦ θεωρίαν· ἐγὼ δὲ καλῶς ἔχειν φημὶ πρῶτον ἐκεῖνο κατανοῆσαι τῷ λόγῳ, τί τὸ τῆς ὀγδόης παρὰ τῷ Προφήτῃ μυστήριον, τῆς ἐν δύο ψαλμῳδίαις προ τεταγμένης· τί δὲ ὁ μακαρισμὸς, καὶ ἡ τῆς περιτο μῆς νομοθεσία, κατὰ τὴν ὀγδόην ἀμφότερα τῷ νόμῳ παρατηρούμενα. Τάχα τι συγγενὲς ὁ ἀριθμὸς οὗτος πρὸς τὴν ὀγδόην ἔχει μακαριότητα· ἥτις ὥσπερ κο ρυφὴ τῶν μακαρισμῶν πάντων ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀκροτάτου κεῖται τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἀναβάσεως. Ἐκεῖ τε γὰρ ὁ Προ φήτης τὴν ἀναστάσιμον ἡμέραν τῷ τῆς ὀγδόης αἰνί γματι διασημαίνει, καὶ ὁ καθαρισμὸς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κα θαρόν τε καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἐπάνοδον τοῦ μολυνθέντος ἀνθρώπου ἐνδείκνυται, καὶ ἡ περιτομὴ τὴν τῶν νε κρῶν δερμάτων ἀποβολὴν ἑρμηνεύει, ἃ μετὰ τὴν παρακοὴν τῆς ζωῆς γυμνωθέντες ἐνεδυσάμεθα· καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡ ὀγδόη μακαριότης, τὴν εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀποκατάστασιν ἔχει τῶν εἰς δουλείαν μὲν ἐκπεσόν των, ἐπὶ βασιλείαν δὲ πάλιν ἐκ τῆς δουλείας ἀνακλη θέντων. Μακάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ· ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἰδοὺ τὸ πέρας τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν ἀγώνων, τὸ τῶν πόνων γέρας, τὸ τῶν ἱδρώτων ἔπαθλον· τὸ τῆς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς βασιλείας ἀξιωθῆναι. Οὐκέτι περὶ τὸ ἄστατόν τε καὶ ἀλλοιούμενον ἡ τῆς εὐκληρίας ἐλπὶς διαπλανᾶται. Ὁ γὰρ περίγειος χῶρος τῶν τρεπομένων τε καὶ ἀλλοιου μένων ἐστί· τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν φαινομένων τε καὶ κινουμένων, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐπιγινώσκομεν, ὡς μὴ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχειν, ἀλλ' εἱρμῷ καὶ τάξει καὶ ἀκολουθίᾳ πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον δρόμον πάντα κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν διεξέρχεσθαι. Ὁρᾷς τοίνυν τῆς δωρεᾶς τὴν ὑπερβολήν; ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τοῖς τρεπομένοις τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀξίας χαρίζεται, ὡς ἂν εἴ τις μετα βολῆς φόβος τὰς χρηστοτέρας ἐλπίδας παραλυπή σειεν· ἀλλ' οὐρανῶν μὲν βασιλείαν εἰπὼν, δείκνυσι τὸ ἀμετάβλητον καὶ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχον τῆς κατ' ἐλ πίδα προκειμένης ἡμῖν δωρεᾶς. Ὃ δέ μοι διαπορεῖν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπέρχεται, τοῦτό ἐστιν· πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι τῷ πτωχεῦσαι τῷ πνεύματι τοῖς ἕνεκεν αὐτοῦ διωχθεῖσιν, εἰς ἴσον ἄγειν ἑκατέροις τὸ γέρας προστίθησιν. Ὧν γὰρ τὸ ἔπαθ λον τὸ αὐτὸ, τούτων δηλαδὴ καὶ οἱ ἀγῶνες ἴσοι· ἔπειτα δὲ πῶς τοὺς δεξιοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν εὐωνύμων δια κρίνας, προσκαλεῖται πρὸς τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασι λείαν, ἄλλας τῆς τοιαύτης τιμῆς τὰς αἰτίας λέγων; Τὸ γὰρ συμπαθές τε καὶ μεταδοτικὸν καὶ φιλάλληλον ἐκεῖ προφέρων, οὐδαμοῦ μέμνηται οὔτε τῆς πνευμα 44.1293 τικῆς πτωχείας, οὔτε τῆς ἕνεκεν ἐκείνου διώξεως· καίτοι πολὺ δοκεῖ κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον τῆς διανοίας ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ταῦτα διακεκρίσθαι. Τί γὰρ κοινωνεῖ τὸ πτωχεῦσαι τῷ διωχθῆναι; Ἢ ταῦτα πάλιν τίνα συμφωνίαν ἔχει πρὸς τὰ τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς συμπαθείας ἀποτελέσματα; Ἔθρεψέ τις τὸν δεόμενον, ἢ τὸν γυ μνὸν περιέβαλεν, ἢ στεγητὸν ὁδίτην ἐδεξιώσατο, ἢ ἀσθενοῦντι καὶ κατακλείστῳ τὴν ἐνδεχομένην θερα πείαν προσήγαγεν· τί ταῦτα πρὸς τὸ πτωχεῦσαι καὶ διωχθῆναι κοινὸν ἔχει, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ ἐπιτηδεύματος λόγον; Οὗτος ἀλλοτρίας συμφορὰς θεραπεύει· ἐκεί νων δὲ ἑκάτερος, ὅ τε πτωχεύων καὶ ὁ διωκόμενος, τῶν