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being possessed, will be able to do this. For there is not, there is not anything, that longing does not conquer; and when it is a longing for God, it is higher than all things, and neither fire, nor iron, nor poverty, nor sickness, nor death, nor anything else of this kind will seem terrible to one who possesses such love, but having laughed at all things, he will fly to heaven, and will be in no lesser state than those who dwell there, seeing nothing else, not heaven, not earth, not sea, but straining toward one beauty alone, that of that glory; and neither will the painful things of the present life be able to humble him, nor will the good and pleasurable things be able to lift him up and puff him up. Let us love, therefore, this love (for there is nothing equal to it), both for the present things and for the things to come; but rather, before these things, for the very nature of love itself; for we shall be freed both from the punishments in the present life and in the age to come, and we shall enjoy the kingdom. However, neither deliverance from Gehenna, nor enjoyment of the kingdom, is a great thing compared to what is about to be said; for greater than all these things is to have Christ both as the beloved and the lover. For if among men this happening is superior to all pleasure, when with God both come to pass, what word, what thought will be able to represent the blessedness of this soul? There is no other, but experience alone. In order, therefore, that we may learn by experience this spiritual gladness and the blessed life and the treasure of countless good things, let us, forsaking all things, hold fast to that love, both for our gladness and for the glory of the longed-for God; for to Him is the glory and the power, with the Only-begotten and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto all the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 10.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and

through sin, death; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. 1. Just as the best of physicians always investigate the root of the diseases, and go to the very source of the evil; so also does the blessed Paul. For having said that we were justified, and having shown it from the patriarch and from the Spirit and from Christ's death (for He would not have died, unless He was going to justify), he now establishes from another quarter the things demonstrated by these, and from the opposites he confirms the matter at hand, that is, from death and from sin, 60.474 how and in what way he inquires, and from whence death entered, and how it prevailed. How then did death enter, and prevail? Through the sin of one man. What then is, "For that all have sinned?" When that one fell, even those who did not eat from the tree became mortal from him. For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. The phrase, "Until the law," some think he said to mean that time before the giving of the law; such as the time of Abel, the time of Noah, the time of Abraham, until Moses was born. What sin, then, was there at that time? Some say he means the one in paradise; for it had not yet been done away, he says, but its fruit was also flourishing; 60.475 for that sin brought the common death, which prevailed and reigned. For what reason then does he add, "But sin is not imputed when there is no law?" On account of the objection of the Jews, he says, our commentators say that he stated this, that if there is no sin without the law, how did death consume all those before the law? But to me, what is about to be said seems to have more reason, and to be consistent with the apostolic mind. And what is this? Having said, that "until the law, sin was in the world," he seems to me to say this, that when the law was given, the sin which is from transgression prevailed, and until then

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κατεχόμενοι τοῦτο δυνήσονται ποιεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν, ὃ μὴ νικᾷ πόθος· ὅταν δὲ καὶ Θεοῦ πόθος ᾖ, πάντων ἐστὶν ὑψηλότερος, καὶ οὔτε πῦρ, οὐ σίδηρος, οὐ πενία, οὐκ ἀῤῥωστία, οὐ θάνατος, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων φανεῖται δεινὸν τῷ τοιοῦτον κεκτημένῳ τὸν ἔρωτα, ἀλλὰ πάντων καταγελάσας, πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν πτήσεται, καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ διατριβόντων οὐδὲν ἔλαττον διακείσεται, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὁρῶν, οὐκ οὐρανὸν, οὐ γῆν, οὐ θάλατταν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἓν μόνον κάλλος τεταμένος τὸ τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης· καὶ οὔτε τὰ λυπηρὰ αὐτὸν τοῦ παρόντος ταπεινῶσαι δυνήσεται βίου, οὔτε ἐπᾶραι καὶ φυσῆσαι τὰ χρηστὰ καὶ ἡδονὴν ἔχοντα. Ἐρασθῶμεν τοίνυν τοῦτον τὸν ἔρωτα (τούτου γὰρ ἴσον οὐδὲν) καὶ διὰ τὰ παρόντα, καὶ διὰ τὰ μέλλοντα· μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ τούτων, δι' αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ἔρωτος φύσιν· ἀπαλλαγησόμεθα γὰρ καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα κολαστηρίων, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἀπολαυσόμεθα. Πλὴν οὔτε γεέννης ἀπαλλαγὴ, οὔτε βασιλείας ἀπόλαυσις, μέγα τι πρὸς τὸ λεχθήσεσθαι μέλλον· τούτων γὰρ ἁπάντων μεῖζον τὸ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐρώμενον ἔχειν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐραστήν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο συμβαῖνον πάσης ἡδονῆς ἐστιν ἀνώτερον, ὅταν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ τὰ ἀμφότερα ἐκβαίνῃ, ποῖος λόγος, ποία διάνοια παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται τὴν μακαριότητα ταύτης τῆς ψυχῆς; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία ἄλλη, ἀλλ' ἡ πεῖρα μόνη. Ἵν' οὖν διὰ τῆς πείρας μάθωμεν τὴν πνευματικὴν ταύτην εὐφροσύνην καὶ τὸν μακάριον βίον καὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν τῶν μυρίων ἀγαθῶν, πάντα ἀφέντες ἐκείνης ἐχώμεθα τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην ἡμετέραν καὶ εἰς δόξαν τοῦ ποθουμένου Θεοῦ· ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ Μονογενεῖ καὶ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς σύμπαντας αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ιʹ.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο, ὥσπερ δι' ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ἡ ἁμαρτία εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθε, καὶ

διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ θάνατος· καὶ οὕτως εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους διῆλ θεν ὁ θάνατος, ἐφ' ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον. αʹ. Καθάπερ οἱ τῶν ἰατρῶν ἄριστοι τὴν ῥίζαν ἀεὶ πολυπραγμονοῦσι τῶν νοσημάτων, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἔρχονται τὴν πηγὴν τοῦ κακοῦ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι ἐδικαιώθημεν, καὶ δείξας ἀπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἀπέθανεν, εἰ μὴ ἔμελλε δικαιοῦν), κατασκευάζει λοιπὸν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν τὰ διὰ τούτων ἀποδειχθέντα, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων συνιστὰς τὸ προκείμενον, τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῆς ἁμαρ 60.474 τίας, πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ ζητεῖ, καὶ πόθεν εἰσῆλθεν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ πῶς ἐκράτησε. Πῶς οὖν εἰσῆλθεν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ἐκράτησε; ∆ιὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ ἑνός. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐφ' ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον; Ἐκείνου πεσόντος, καὶ οἱ μὴ φαγόντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου γεγόνασιν ἐξ ἐκείνου πάντες θνητοί. Ἄχρι γὰρ νόμου ἁμαρτία ἦν ἐν κόσμῳ· ἁμαρτία δὲ οὐκ ἐλλογεῖται, μὴ ὄντος νόμου. Τὸ, Ἄχρι νόμου, τινὲς τὸν χρόνον ἐκεῖνον νομίζουσιν αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι τὸν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ νόμου δόσεως· οἷον τὸν ἐπὶ Ἄβελ, τὸν ἐπὶ Νῶε, τὸν ἐπὶ Ἀβραὰμ, τὸν ἕως ὅτε Μωϋσῆς ἐγεννήθη. Ποία οὖν τότε ἦν ἡ ἁμαρτία; Τινές φασι τὴν ἐν παραδείσῳ λέγειν αὐτόν· οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦν λυθεῖσα, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἤνθει αὐτῆς 60.475 ὁ καρπός· τὸν γὰρ κοινὸν ἐκείνη θάνατον ἤνεγκεν, ὃς ἐκράτει καὶ ἐτυράννει. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐπάγει, Ἁμαρτία δὲ οὐκ ἐλλογεῖται, μὴ ὄντος νόμου; Ἐξ ἀντιθέσεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων, φησὶν, οἱ τὰ ἡμέτερα εἰρηκότες τοῦτο αὐτὸν τεθεικέναι λέγονται, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἔστιν ἁμαρτία χωρὶς νόμου, πῶς ὁ θάνατος ἀνήλισκε πάντας τοὺς πρὸ τοῦ νόμου; Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ τὸ λεχθήσεσθαι μέλλον λόγον ἔχειν μᾶλλον, καὶ τῇ ἀποστολικῇ συμβαίνειν διανοίᾳ. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Εἰπὼν, ὅτι ἄχρι νόμου ἁμαρτία ἦν ἐν κόσμῳ, τοῦτό μοι δοκεῖ λέγειν, ὅτι τοῦ νόμου δοθέντος, ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐκράτει ἡ ἐκ τῆς παραβάσεως, καὶ ἕως τότε