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to provide it, so as not only to state, but to prove from the Scriptures, that the full assurance may remain secure. I bring before you, therefore, wounded men, a whole people, full of sores, of rottenness, of worms, being one whole wound, one whole sore, and able to be so healed, as for no scar to remain, as for no trace to remain, as for no sign to remain; not having one wound, not two, not three, not four, but being a wound from feet to head. Pay close attention to the word; for this word of ours is common and saving. I prepare medicines better than those of physicians, such as not even kings can prepare. What can a king do? He can release from prison, but he cannot free from hell; he can grant money, but he cannot save a soul. But I entrust you to the hand of repentance, that you may learn its power, that you may learn its strength, that you may learn that no sin overcomes it, nor is there any transgression strong enough to overcome its power. For now I bring forward not one, not two, not three, but many thousands ulcerated, wounded, full of countless sins, able to be saved by repentance, so as to have neither trace nor scar of their former sores. But pay close attention to the word, and not only pay attention, but also commit to memory the things being said, so that you may also instruct those who were left behind, and thus make them more earnest who are destitute of the benefit of what was said. Let Isaiah be present, therefore, the beholder of the Seraphim, he who heard that mystical song, he who foretold countless things concerning Christ; let us ask what he says: The vision which Isaiah saw against Judea, and against Jerusalem. Tell the vision which you saw, Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. I promised other things, and you say other things. What other things did I promise? Beginning, you say: A vision against Judea and against Jerusalem, and having left Judea, and Jerusalem, you converse with heaven, and turning your discourse to the earth, have you left rational men, and do you converse with irrational elements? Because the rational have become more irrational than the irrational; and not for this reason only, but because Moses, when about to lead them into the land of promise, and looking to the things that were to be, that they were about to overlook the things delivered to them. Hear, O heaven, he says, and let the earth attend to the words of my mouth. I call heaven and earth to witness against you, says Moses, that if you enter into the land of promise, and forsake the Lord God, you shall be scattered among all the nations. Isaiah came, the threat was about to be put into effect; he could not call Moses who had died, nor those who had then heard and died, and he calls the elements, 49.341 which Moses had called to witness. Behold you have been cast out of the promise, O Jews; behold you have forsaken God; how shall I call you, Moses? For you have died and passed away. How shall I call Aaron? He too was given over to death. Have you no way to call a man? Call the elements. For this reason, while I lived, I called to witness not only Aaron, and this one and that one, since they were about to die, but I also call to witness against you the remaining elements, the heaven and the earth. Therefore Isaiah says: Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth. For Moses commanded to call you today. Not for this reason only does he call the elements, but because he had conversed with the Jews. Hear, O heaven, for you brought down the manna; Give ear, O earth, for you gave the quail. Hear, O heaven, hear; for you brought down the manna, for you showed yourself beyond nature; you were above, and you imitated a threshing floor. Give ear, O earth; for you were below, and you prepared an improvised table. Nature was idle, and grace was working; no labor of oxen, and the ear of corn was prepared; no hands of cooks, no command, but the manna was becoming all things, a hallowed spring; the

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παρασχέσθαι, ὥστε μὴ ἀποφαίνεσθαι μόνον, ἀλλ' ἀποδεικνύναι ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν, ἵνα ἀσφαλὴς μείνῃ ἡ πληροφορία. Εἰσάγω οὖν ὑμῖν ἀνθρώπους τετραυματισμένους, δῆμον ὁλόκληρον, ἑλκῶν γέμοντας, σηπεδόνος, σκωλήκων, ὅλον τραῦμα ὄντας, ὅλον ἕλκος, καὶ οὕτω δυναμένους θεραπευθῆναι, ὡς μὴ μεῖναι οὐλὴν, ὡς μὴ μεῖναι ἴχνος, ὡς μὴ μεῖναι δεῖγμα· οὐχ ἓν ἔχοντας τραῦμα, οὐ δύο, οὐ τρία, οὐ τέσσαρα, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως κεφαλῆς τραῦμα ὄντας. Πρόσεχε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ· κοινὸς γὰρ ὁ λόγος οὗτος ἡμῶν καὶ σωτήριος. Φάρμακα κατασκευάζω τῶν ἰατρῶν βελτίονα, οἷα οὔτε βασιλεῖς κατασκευάσαι δύνανται. Βασιλεὺς τί δύναται; ∆εσμωτηρίου ἐκβαλεῖν, γεέννης δὲ ἐλευθερῶσαι οὐ δύναται· χρήματα χαρίσασθαι, ψυχὴν δὲ σῶσαι οὐ δύναται. Ἀλλὰ τῇ χειρὶ τῆς μετανοίας ὑμᾶς ἐγχειρίζω, ἵνα μάθητε αὐτῆς τὴν δύναμιν, ἵνα μάθητε αὐτῆς τὴν ἰσχὺν, ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι οὐ περιγίνεται αὐτῆς ἁμάρτημα, οὐδὲ ἔστι παρανομία ἰσχύουσα περιγενέσθαι αὐτῆς τῆς δυνάμεως. Τέως εἰσάγω οὐχ ἕνα, οὐ δύο, οὐ τρεῖς, ἀλλὰ χιλιάδας πολλὰς ἡλκωμένας, τετραυματισμένας, μυρίων ἁμαρτημάτων γεμούσας, ἀπὸ τῆς μετανοίας δυναμένας σωθῆναι, ὡς μηδὲ ἴχνος, μηδὲ οὐλὴν ἔχειν τῶν ἑλκῶν τῶν προτέρων. Ἀλλὰ προσέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ μὴ προσέχετε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ μνήμῃ παραδίδοτε τὰ λεγόμενα, ἵνα καὶ τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας συμβιβάσητε, καὶ οὕτω τῇ ὠφελείᾳ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐρήμους ὄντας σπουδαιοτέρους καταστήσητε. Παρέστω τοίνυν Ἡσαΐας ὁ τῶν Σεραφὶμ θεωρὸς, ὁ τὸ μυστικὸν μέλος ἀκούσας ἐκεῖνο, ὁ μυρία περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προειπών· ἐρωτήσωμεν τί φησιν· Ὅρασις ἣν εἶδεν Ἡσαΐας κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Εἰπὲ τὴν ὅρασιν ἣν εἶδες, Ἄκουε, οὐρανὲ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησεν. Ἄλλα ἐπηγγείλω, καὶ ἄλλα λέγεις. Ποῖα ἄλλα ἐπηγγειλάμην; Ἀρχόμενος λέγεις· Ὅρασις κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ κατὰ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἀφεὶς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οὐρανῷ προσδιαλέγῃ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐκκλίνας τὸν λόγον, ἀφῆκας τοὺς λογικοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις στοιχείοις διαλέγῃ; Ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἀλόγων ἀλογώτεροι οἱ λογικοὶ ἐγένοντο· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μέλλων ὁ Μωϋσῆς εἰσάγειν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, καὶ ἀφορῶν τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι, ὅτι τὰ παραδεδομένα ἔμελλον παριδεῖν. Ἄκουε, οὐρανὲ, φησὶ, καὶ προσεχέτω γῆ ῥήματα ἐκ στόματός μου. ∆ιαμαρτύρομαι ὑμῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, ὁ Μωϋσῆς φησιν, ὅτι ἐὰν εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐπαγγελίας, καὶ ἐγκαταλείπητε Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν, ἔχετε διασκεδασθῆναι εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἦλθεν Ἡσαΐας, ἔμελλεν ἡ ἀπειλὴ εἰς ἔργον ἐκφέρεσθαι· οὐκ ἠδύνατο Μωϋσέα καλέσαι τὸν ἀποθανόντα, καὶ τοὺς τότε ἀκούσαντας καὶ τελευτήσαντας, καὶ καλεῖ τὰ στοιχεῖα, 49.341 ἅπερ διεμαρτύρετο Μωϋσῆς. Ἰδοὺ ἐξεβλήθητε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι· ἰδοὺ ἐγκαταλελοίπατε τὸν Θεόν· πῶς σε καλέσω, Μωϋσῆ; ἀπέθανες γὰρ καὶ ἐτελεύτησας. Πῶς καλέσω τὸν Ἀαρών; κἀκεῖνος τελευτῇ παρεδόθη. Οὐκ ἔχεις πῶς καλέσαι ἄνθρωπον; Κάλεσον τὰ στοιχεῖα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο κἀγὼ ζῶν οὐχὶ τὸν Ἀαρὼν μόνον, καὶ τόνδε καὶ τόνδε διεμαρτυράμην, ἐπειδήπερ ἔμελλον τελευτᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα τὰ μένοντα διαμαρτύρομαι ὑμῖν, τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. Λέγει οὖν ὁ Ἡσαΐας· Ἄκουε, οὐρανὲ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ. Ὑμᾶς γὰρ ἐνετείλατο Μωϋσῆς καλέσαι σήμερον. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον αὐτὰ καλεῖ τὰ στοιχεῖα, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διελέχθη τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις. Ἄκουε, οὐρανὲ, σὺ γὰρ τὸ μάννα κατήνεγκας· Ἐνωτίζου, ἡ γῆ, σὺ γὰρ τὴν ὀρτυγομήτραν ἔδωκας. Ἄκουε, οὐρανὲ, ἄκουε· σὺ γὰρ τὸ μάννα κατήνεγκας, σὺ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν ἐπεδείξω· ἄνω ἦς, καὶ ἅλωνα ἐμιμήσω. Ἐνωτίζου, γῆ· σὺ γὰρ κάτω ἦς, καὶ τράπεζαν ἐσχεδιασμένην κατεσκεύασας. Ἤργει ἡ φύσις, καὶ εἰργάζετο ἡ χάρις· οὐδὲ βοῶν ἐργασία, καὶ ὁ στάχυς παρεσκευασμένος· οὐ μαγείρων χεῖρες, οὐκ ἐπίταγμα, ἀλλ' ἦν τὸ μάννα πάντα γινόμενον, πηγὴ ἡγιασμένη· ἡ