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bells, nor the Holy of Holies, nor the high priest; the Church is the pillar of the world. Consider the mystery, and you have cause to shudder; and it is a mystery, and a great one, and a mystery of godliness, and admittedly so, not sought out; for it is beyond all doubt. Since when giving instructions about priests he said nothing of the kind, such as is in Leviticus, he leads the matter to another point, saying, God was manifested in the flesh, that is, the Creator, he says, was seen in the flesh. He was justified in the spirit. This either means, And wisdom is justified by her children; or that he committed no guile; as the prophet says, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. He was seen by angels. So that angels also with us saw the Son of God, not seeing him before. Truly great is the mystery. He was preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world. Throughout the whole world he was heard, and was believed; and the prophet makes this clear, saying, Their sound has gone out into all the earth. Do not think that these are merely bare words; for it is not so, but it is filled with ineffable matters. He was received up in glory; that is, upon clouds. This Jesus, he says, who has been taken up from you, will come in the same way as you have seen him. See for me the understanding of the blessed Paul. Being about to exhort those deemed worthy of the diaconate not to be immoderately 62.555 filled with wine, he did not say not to be drunk, but Not given to much wine. Reasonably; for if those entering the temple did not partake of wine at all, much more should these not. For it causes distraction, he says, and even if it does not produce drunkenness, it dissipates the soul's vigor, it dissolves its composure. But observe how everywhere he calls the dispensation on our behalf a mystery; reasonably; for it is not clear to all men, or rather it was not even clear to angels; for how could it be, which was made known through the Church? For this reason he says, Admittedly it is great. And indeed it is truly great; for God became man, and man God; a man was seen without sin; a man was taken up; he was preached in the world; with us the angels saw him. It is therefore a mystery. Let us not therefore parade the mystery, let us not set it forth everywhere, let us live worthily of this mystery. Those who are entrusted with mysteries are great ones. If a king entrusted some mystery to us, tell me, would we not make this a proof of great friendship? But now God has entrusted His mystery to us, and as if not having received great benefits we become ungrateful toward the benefactor. Let us shudder that we are still disposed insensibly toward the benefit. It is a mystery which all know; or rather, which before this not all knew, but now has become clear to all. 2. Let us therefore be trustworthy concerning the keeping of the mystery. He entrusted such a great mystery to us; but we do not even entrust money to him. But he says, Lay them up with me, no one can snatch them away, neither moth nor robber destroys, and he promises to give a hundredfold, and we are not persuaded. And yet from those with whom we might deposit a deposit, we receive nothing more, but if we receive back the whole of what we deposited, we are even thankful. And if a thief has taken it away, he says, here, reckon this to my account; I do not say to you, A robber took it, nor, A moth consumed it. He gives back a hundredfold here, and there he adds eternal life, and no one makes a deposit. But he pays me back slowly, he says. And this is a very great sign of his magnificent gift, that he does not give it back here in this mortal life; or rather, he does give back a hundredfold even here. For tell me, did not Paul leave his chisel here? Did not Peter his rod and hook? Did not Matthew his tax-collector's booth? Was not the whole world opened to them more than to kings? were not at their feet

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κώδωνας, μηδὲ τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, μηδὲ τὸν ἀρχιερέα· στῦλός ἐστι τῆς οἰκουμένης ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Ἐννόησον τὸ μυστήριον, καὶ φρίξαι ἔχεις· καὶ μυστήριόν ἐστι, καὶ μέγα, καὶ εὐσεβείας μυστήριον, καὶ ὁμολογουμένως, οὐ ζητουμένως· ἀναμφίβολον γάρ ἐστιν. Ἐπειδὴ περὶ ἱερέων διαταττόμενος οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον εἶπεν, οἷον ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ, εἰς ἕτερον ἀνάγει τὸ πρᾶγμα, λέγων, Θεὸς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκὶ, τουτέστιν, Ὁ δημιουργὸς ὤφθη, φησὶν, ἐν σαρκί. Ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι. Ἤτοι τοῦτο λέγει· Καὶ ἐδικαιώθη ἡ σοφία ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς· ἢ ὅτι δόλον οὐκ ἐποίησεν· ὅπερ ὁ προφήτης λέγει, Ὃς ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις. Ὥστε καὶ ἄγγελοι μεθ' ἡμῶν εἶδον τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρότερον οὐχ ὁρῶντες. Ὄντως μέγα τὸ μυστήριον. Ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ. Πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἠκούσθη, καὶ ἐπιστεύθη· καὶ δηλοῖ λέγων ὁ προφήτης, Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο μὴ δὴ νομίσῃς ἁπλῶς ῥήματα εἶναι ψιλά· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πραγμάτων ἀποῤῥήτων πεπλήρωται. Ἀνελήφθη ἐν δόξῃ· τουτέστιν, ἐπὶ νεφελῶν. Οὗτος, φησὶν, Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀναληφθεὶς ἀφ' ὑμῶν, οὕτως ἐλεύσεται ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσασθε. Ὅρα μοι τὴν σύνεσιν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου. Μέλλων παραινεῖν τοῖς τῆς διακονίας ἠξιωμένοις μὴ ἀνέδην 62.555 ἐμφορεῖσθαι τοῦ οἴνου, οὐκ εἶπε μὴ μεθύειν, ἀλλὰ Μηδὲ οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας. Εἰκότως· εἰ γὰρ οἱ εἰσιόντες εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, οὐδὲ ὅλως μετελάμβανον οἴνου, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τούτους οὐ χρή. Παραφορὰν γὰρ ἐργάζεται, φησὶ, καὶ κἂν μὴ μέθην ἐργάσηται, διαχεῖ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς εὔτονον, διαλύει τὸ συγκεκροτημένον. Σκόπει δὲ πῶς πανταχοῦ μυστήριον καλεῖ τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οἰκονομίαν· εἰκότως· οὐ γάρ ἐστι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις δῆλον, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἀγγέλοις ἦν δῆλον· πῶς γὰρ, ὃ ἐφάνη διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστί. Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως μέγα· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἐγένετο ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ Θεὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος· ἄνθρωπος ὤφθη ἀναμάρτητος· ἄνθρωπος ἀνελήφθη· ἐκηρύχθη ἐν κόσμῳ· μεθ' ἡμῶν εἶδον αὐτὸν οἱ ἄγγελοι. Μυστήριον τοίνυν ἐστί. Μὴ τοίνυν ἐκπομπεύωμεν τὸ μυστήριον, μὴ πανταχοῦ αὐτὸ προτιθῶμεν, ἀξίως τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ζῶμεν. Οἱ μυστήρια ἐμπεπιστευμένοι, μεγάλοι τινές εἰσιν. Εἰ βασιλεὺς ἡμῖν τι μυστήριον ἐνεπίστευσεν, εἰπέ μοι, ἆρα οὐ μεγάλης φιλίας τοῦτο τεκμήριον ἐποιούμεθα; Νῦν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον αὐτοῦ ἐνεπίστευσε, καὶ ὡς μὴ μεγάλα εὐεργετηθέντες ἀχάριστοι περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην γινόμεθα. Φρίξωμεν ἀναισθήτως ἔτι διακείμενοι πρὸς τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. Μυστήριόν ἐστιν ὃ πάντες ἴσασι· μᾶλλον δὲ ὃ πρὸ τούτου οὐ πάντες ᾔδεισαν, νῦν δὲ πᾶσι γέγονε δῆλον. βʹ. Ἀξιόπιστοι τοίνυν γενώμεθα περὶ τὴν τοῦ μυστηρίου φυλακήν. Αὐτὸς ἡμῖν τηλικοῦτον ἐπίστευσε μυστήριον· ἡμεῖς δὲ αὐτῷ οὐδὲ χρήματα πιστεύομεν. Ἀλλ' αὐτὸς μὲν λέγει· Ἀπόθεσθε αὐτὰ παρ' ἐμοὶ, οὐδεὶς αὐτὰ ἁρπάσαι δύναται, οὐδὲ σὴς οὐδὲ λῃστὴς λυμαίνεται, καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίονα δώσειν ὑπισχνεῖται, καὶ οὐ πειθόμεθα. Καίτοι γε παρ' οἷς ἂν παρακαταθώμεθα παρακαταθήκην, οὐδὲν ἀπολαμβάνομεν πλέον, ἀλλὰ ἂν ὅλον ἀπολάβωμεν ὃ παρακατεθέμεθα, καὶ χάριν ἴσμεν. Κἂν κλέπτης ὑφέληται, φησὶν, ἐνταῦθα, ἐμοὶ τοῦτο λόγισαι· οὐ λέγω σοι· Λῃστὴς ἔλαβεν, οὐδὲ, Σὴς ἔφαγεν. Ἑκατονταπλασίονα ἐνταῦθα ἀποδίδωσι, καὶ ἐκεῖ ζωὴν αἰώνιον προσδίδωσι, καὶ οὐδεὶς παρακατατίθεται. Ἀλλὰ βραδέως μοι, φησὶν, ἀποδίδωσι. Καὶ τοῦτο τῆς μεγαλοδωρεᾶς αὐτοῦ σημεῖον μέγιστον, τὸ μὴ ἐνταῦθα ἀποδιδόναι ἐν τῷ ἐπικήρῳ βίῳ τούτῳ· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκατονταπλασίονα. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, ἐνταῦθα οὐχὶ σμίλην εἴασε Παῦλος; οὐχὶ κάλαμον καὶ ἄγκιστρον Πέτρος; οὐχὶ τελώνιον Ματθαῖος; οὐχὶ πᾶσα αὐτοῖς ἡ οἰκουμένη ἀνέῳκτο μᾶλλον, ἢ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν; οὐ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν