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but was saving them in the resurrection. If he had taken back the same ones, his number would have been diminished; but now by giving others in their place, he will present them also in the resurrection. All these things came to him from his being ready for almsgiving; which let us also do, that we may obtain the same good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

HOMILY 8. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, trucebreakers, without natural affection, slanderers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, reckless,

conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. 1. If anyone is distressed now at the heretics, let him consider, 62.642 that such things have happened from the beginning, the devil always weaving falsehood into the truth. God promised good things from the beginning, the devil also came promising; He planted a paradise, that one deceived, saying, You will be as gods. For since he showed nothing in deeds, he promises the greater things in words. For such are deceivers. After these were Cain and Abel, then the sons of Seth and the daughters of 62.643 men, then Ham and Japheth, Abraham and Pharaoh, Jacob and Esau; and so it is until the end, Moses and the magicians, and the prophets and the false prophets, the apostles and the false apostles, the Christ and the antichrist. Therefore, both before and then, the same things were. Then there was Theudas, then Simon, when the apostles were, and these men concerning Hermogenes and Philetus. There is therefore no time when falsehood has not been woven into the truth. Let us not then be distressed, these things have been said from the beginning. For this reason he said: Know that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection. Thus the unthankful is unholy; with good reason. For he who is unthankful toward his benefactor, what would he ever be toward others? The unthankful is a trucebreaker, the unthankful is without natural affection. Slanderers, he says; that is, evil-speakers. For those conscious of no good in themselves, as if having some consolation in blaspheming the reputations of others, commit countless offenses and sins. Incontinent, both of tongue and of stomach and of all other things. Fierce. From this comes cruelty, from this comes harshness, when one is a lover of money, when one is a lover of self, when unthankful, when lecherous. Despisers of those that are good, traitors, reckless. Traitors, of friendship; Reckless, that is, having nothing stable. Conceited; filled with desperation. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying its power. And writing to the Romans, he says something like this: Having the form of knowledge and of truth in the law. But there he presents it with praise; here, however, he shows this sin to be more grievous than all the faults. Why so? Because he did not take it in the same meaning. For just as he often takes "image" for likeness, and often for that which is lifeless and of no account; for example, as he himself says writing to the Corinthians: For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the Prophet: Surely every man walks about like a shadow; and the lion, Scripture sometimes takes for royalty

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δὲ ἔσωζεν ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει. Εἰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀνέλαβεν, ἠλάττωτο ἂν αὐτῷ τὰ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ· νῦν δὲ ἑτέρους δοὺς ἀντ' ἐκείνων, καὶ ἐκείνους ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει παραστήσει. Ταῦτα πάντα αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρόχειρον αὐτὸν εἶναι περὶ τὰς ἐλεημοσύνας ὑπῆρξεν· ὅπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιήσωμεν, ἵνα τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ηʹ. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐν στήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί. Ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, ἀλαζόνες, ὑπερήφανοι, βλάσφημοι, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, ἀχάριστοι, ἀνόσιοι, ἄσπονδοι, ἄστοργοι, διάβολοι, ἀκρατεῖς ἀνήμεροι, ἀφιλάγαθοι, προδόται, προπετεῖς,

τετυφωμένοι, φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι. αʹ. Εἴ τις ἐπὶ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς ἀσχάλλει νῦν, ἐννοείτω, 62.642 ὅτι καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοιαῦτα γέγονεν, ἀεὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ ψεῦδος παρυφιστῶντος. Ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἦλθε καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἐπαγγελλόμενος· ἐφύτευσε παράδεισον, ἠπάτησεν ἐκεῖνος, εἰπὼν, Ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔργοις οὐδὲν ἐδείκνυ, ῥήμασι τὰ μείζονα ὑπισχνεῖται. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ οἱ ἀπατεῶνες. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἦν ὁ Κάϊν καὶ ὁ Ἄβελ, εἶτα οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ Σὴθ καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες τῶν 62.643 ἀνθρώπων, εἶτα ὁ Χὰμ καὶ ὁ Ἰάφεθ, ὁ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ Φαραὼ, ὁ Ἰακὼβ καὶ ὁ Ἡσαῦ· καὶ μέχρι τέλους οὕτως ἐστὶν, ὁ Μωϋσῆς καὶ οἱ μάγοι, καὶ οἱ προφῆται καὶ οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται, οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ψευδαπόστολοι, ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ὁ ἀντίχριστος. Καὶ πρότερον οὖν, καὶ τότε τὰ αὐτὰ ἦν. Τότε ὁ Θευδᾶς, τότε ὁ Σίμων, ὅτε οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ οὗτοι οἱ περὶ Ἑρμογένην καὶ Φίλητον. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν ὅτε οὐ παρυφέστηκε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ ψεῦδος. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀσχάλλωμεν, ἄνωθεν ταῦτα εἴρηται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγε· Γίνωσκε, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί. Ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, ἀλαζόνες, ὑπερήφανοι, βλάσφημοι, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, ἀχάριστοι, ἀνόσιοι, ἄστοργοι. Ἄρα ὁ ἀχάριστος ἀνόσιος· εἰκότως. Ὁ γὰρ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀχάριστος, τίς ἂν γένοιτό ποτε περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους; Ὁ ἀχάριστος ἄσπονδος, ὁ ἀχάριστος ἄστοργος. ∆ιάβολοι, φησί· τουτέστι, κακήγοροι. Οἱ γὰρ μηδὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες ἀγαθὸν, ὥσπερ τινὰ παραμυθίαν ἔχοντες τὸ τῶν ἄλλων τὰς ὑπολήψεις βλασφημεῖν, μυρία πλημμελοῦσι καὶ ἁμαρτάνουσιν. Ἀκρατεῖς, καὶ γλώσσης καὶ γαστρὸς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων. Ἀνήμεροι. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ὠμότης, ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ἀπήνεια, ὅταν τις φιλάργυρος ᾖ, ὅταν τις φίλαυτος, ὅταν ἀχάριστος, ὅταν λάγνος. Ἀφιλάγαθοι, προδόται, προπετεῖς. Προδόται, τῆς φιλίας· Προπετεῖς, τουτέστιν, οὐδὲν βεβηκὸς ἔχοντες. Τετυφωμένοι· ἀπονοίας πεπληρωμένοι. Φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι· ἔχοντες μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι. Καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους γράφων, οὕτω πώς φησιν· Ἔχοντες τὴν μόρφωσιν τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν τῷ νόμῳ. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν ἐπαινῶν αὐτὸ τίθησιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἐλαττώματα χαλεπώτερον τοῦτο δείκνυσι τὸ ἁμάρτημα. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι οὐ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ σημαινόμενον αὐτὸ ἔλαβεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν εἰκόνα πολλάκις μὲν εἰς ὁμοίωσιν λαμβάνει, πολλάκις δὲ εἰς τὸ ἄψυχον καὶ οὐδαμινόν· οἷον καθάπερ καὶ αὐτός φησι Κορινθίοις γράφων· Ἀνὴρ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ὀφείλει κατακαλύπτεσθαι τὴν κεφαλὴν, εἰκὼν καὶ δόξα Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων· ὁ δὲ Προφήτης· Πλὴν ἐν εἰκόνι διαπορεύεται ἄνθρωπος· καὶ τὸν λέοντα ἡ Γραφὴ ποτὲ μὲν εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν