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So on the third day in Tripoli, Peter, having risen from sleep very early, went into the garden, where there was a great water-tank, into which an abundance of water flowed continually. Having washed there, and then having prayed, he sat down, and perceiving that we were sitting around and gazing at him as if wishing to hear something, he said: There seems to me to be a great difference between those who are ignorant and those who are deceived. For one who is ignorant seems to me to be like a man who did not wish to hasten to a prosperous city because he did not know the good things there; but one who is deceived, like a man who has learned the good things in the city, but in hastening along the way has missed the path and for this reason is wandering. So it seems to me there is a great difference between those who worship idols and those who wander in piety. For those who worship idols are ignorant of eternal life (for which reason they do not even desire it; for what they do not know, they cannot love), but those who have chosen to worship the one God and have learned that eternal life is given to the good, if they believe or do anything contrary to what seems good to God, they are like those who have gone out from the city of punishment to come to the prosperous city and have wandered from the straight way. While he was discussing these things with us, one of our people, who was appointed to announce such things to him, came in, saying: “Great crowds, my lord Peter, are standing before the doors.” When he therefore gave permission, a great crowd came in. And he, having risen and stood on yesterday's platform, greeted them in the custom of piety and said: By God who created the heaven and the earth and made all things in them (as the true prophet has told us), man, having been made in His image and likeness, was appointed to rule and have dominion, I mean over the things in the air and on the earth and in the waters, as it is possible to perceive from the matter itself that by his own intelligence he brings down the things in the air, brings up the things in the deep, and hunts the things on land, although they are much greater than him in strength, I mean elephants and lions and things like these. However, when he was righteous, he was also superior to all sufferings, being unable with an immortal body to have experience of pain; but when he sinned (as we showed yesterday and the day before), having become a slave of sin, he fell under all the sufferings, having been deprived of all good things by a just judgment. For it was not reasonable, when the giver was abandoned, for the gifts to remain with the ungrateful. Wherefore, from his exceeding compassion, that we might receive back both the first things and the future eternal good things, He sent his own prophet. And the prophet commanded us to speak to you what you must think and do. Therefore, to choose [what] lies in your power. Now, the things you must think are these: to worship the God who has made all things, whom if you receive in your mind, you will receive from him both the first good things and the future eternal good things. You will be able, therefore, to persuade yourselves to what is profitable, if to the terrible serpent that lurks in your heart you say as if enchanting it: "You shall fear the Lord your God, and you shall worship him only." from every reasoning therefore

[HOMILY I.]

79

Τῇ μὲν οὖν ἐν Τριπόλει τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὀρθρίτερον ἐξ ὕπνου ἐγερθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος εἰς τὸν κῆπον εἰσῄει, ἔνθα ἦν ὑδροχοεῖον μέγα, εἰς ὃ διηνεκῶς πλούσιον ἔρρεεν ὕδωρ. ἐκεῖ λουσάμενος, εἶθ' οὕτως εὐξάμενος ἐκαθέσθη, ἡμᾶς δὲ περικαθεζομένους καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀτενίζοντας ὥσπερ ἀκοῦσαί τι βουλομένους συνεὶς ἔφη· Πολλή μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι διαφορὰ τῶν ἀγνοούντων πρὸς τοὺς πεπλανημένους. ὁ γὰρ ἀγνοῶν ἐοικέναι μοι δοκεῖ ἀνδρὶ ἐπ' εὐθηνουμένην πόλιν μὴ ὁρμᾶν βουληθέντι διὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν τὰ ἐκεῖ καλά, ὁ δὲ πεπλανημένος μαθόντι μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἀγαθά, ἐν δὲ τῷ ὁρμᾶν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τρίβον παραλλάξαντι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πλα- νωμένῳ. οὕτως οὖν μοι δοκεῖ πολλὴν διαφορὰν εἶναι τῶν εἴδωλα σε- βόντων πρὸς τοὺς ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ ἀλωμένους. οἵ τε γὰρ εἴδωλα σέβοντες ἀγνοοῦσιν τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν (οὗ εἵνεκεν οὐδὲ ὀρέγονται αὐτῆς· ὃ γὰρ μὴ ἴσασιν, ἀγαπᾶν οὐ δύνανται), οἱ δὲ τὸν ἕνα θεὸν σέβειν ἑλόμενοι καὶ αἰώνιον ζωὴν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς δεδομένην μεμαθηκότες ἐάν τι παρὰ τὰ δοκοῦντα τῷ θεῷ ἢ πιστεύσωσιν ἢ ποιήσωσιν, ἐοίκασιν τοῖς τὴν μὲν πόλιν τῆς τιμωρίας ἐκβεβηκόσιν ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν εὐθηνουμένην καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τῆς εὐθείας πλανηθεῖσιν. Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ διαλεγομένου ἡμῖν εἰσῄει τις τῶν ἡμετέρων ὁ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀπαγ- γέλλειν αὐτῷ τὰ τοιαῦτα καθεστηκὼς λέγων· Πολλοὶ ὄχλοι, κύριέ μου Πέτρε, πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἑστήκασιν. ἐπιτρέψαντος οὖν αὐτοῦ πολὺς ἐπεισῆλθεν ὄχλος. ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς καὶ τῇ ἐχθὲς βάσει ἐπιστάς, τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἔθει προσαγορεύ- σας ἔφη· Θεοῦ τοῦ τὸν οὐρανὸν κτίσαντος καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πεποιηκότος (ὡς ὁ ἀληθὴς εἴρηκεν ἡμῖν προφήτης) ὁ ἄνθρωπος κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν γεγονὼς ἄρχειν τε καὶ κυριεύειν κατεστάθη, λέγω δὲ τῶν ἐν ἀέρι καὶ γῇ καὶ ὕδασιν, ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος ἔστιν συνιδεῖν ὅτι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ συνέσει τὰ μὲν ἐν ἀέρι φέρει κάτω, τὰ ἐν βυθῷ ἀνάγει ἄνω, τὰ ἐν γῇ ἀγρεύει, καίτοιγε κατ' ἀλκὴν αὐτοῦ πολλῷ μείζονα ὄντα, λέγω δὲ ἐλέφαντας καὶ λέοντας καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια. ὅτε μέντοι δίκαιος ἐτύγχανεν, καὶ πάντων παθημάτων ἀνώτατος ἦν, ὡς ἀθανάτῳ σώματι τοῦ ἀλγεῖν πεῖραν λαβεῖν μὴ δυνάμενος· ὅτε δὲ ἥμαρτεν (ὡς ἐχθὲς καὶ τῇ πρὸ αὐτῆς ἐδείξαμεν), ὡς δοῦλος γεγονὼς τῆς ἁμαρτίας πᾶσιν ὑπέπεσεν τοῖς παθήμασιν, πάντων καλῶν δικαίᾳ κρίσει στερηθείς. οὐ γὰρ εὔλογον ἦν τοῦ δεδωκότος ἐγκαταλειφθέντος τὰ δο- θέντα παραμένειν τοῖς ἀγνώμοσιν. ὅθεν ἐξ ὑπερβαλλούσης αὐτοῦ εὐ- σπλαγχνίας πρὸς τὸ ἀπολαβεῖν ἡμᾶς ἅμα τοῖς πρώτοις καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα αἰώνια ἀγαθὰ τὸν αὑτοῦ ἔπεμψεν προφήτην. ὁ δὲ προφήτης ἡμᾶς πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγειν ὑμῖν ἃ δεῖ φρονεῖν καὶ ποιεῖν ἐνετείλατο. ἑλέσθαι οὖν [ὃ] ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κεῖται ἐξουσίᾳ. ἃ μὲν οὖν δεῖ φρονεῖν, ἐστὶν ταῦτα· τὸν πάντα πεποιηκότα σέβειν θεόν, ὃν ἂν ἀπολάβητε τῷ νῷ, ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀπο- λήψεσθε ἅμα τοῖς πρώτοις καλοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα αἰώνια ἀγαθά. πεῖσαι οὖν ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὰ συμφέροντα δυνήσεσθε, ἐάνπερ τῷ ἐμφωλεύ- οντι ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ καρδίᾳ δεινῷ ὄφει ὥσπερ ἐπᾴδοντες λέγητε· «Κύριον τὸν θεὸν φοβηθήσῃ καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις». ἐκ παντὸς οὖν λογισμοῦ

[OΜIΛIA I.]