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we may obtain the promised good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY XVIII. I charge you in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and of the Lord

Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession, that you keep the commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in His own times He shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only has immortality, dwelling in light which no man can approach, whom no man has seen, nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting.

Amen. 1. Again he calls God to witness, having done this a little before, at once both increasing the fear and making 62.596.50 the disciple more secure, and showing that the commandments are not human, that as if receiving the commandment from the Lord Himself, that always having in mind the witness from whom he heard, he might be shaken in his mind by the memory. I charge you, he says, in the sight of God who gives life to all things. Here there is both an exhortation against dangers, and a reminder of the resurrection. And of Jesus Christ, he says, who witnessed before Pontius Pilate. Again the exhortation is from the teacher. What he says is this: Just as he did, so, he says, must you also do. For for this reason he witnessed, that we might walk in his steps, the good confession; 62.597 which he also does in the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God; and again, For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. This he now does also to his disciple; as if he were to say, Fear not death; for you are a servant of God who is able to give life to all things. What good confession does he mean? The one when Pilate asked, Are you a king then? I was born for this, he said. And again, I came to bear witness to the truth. Behold, these have heard me. He says this either because of this, or because he said, when asked if he is the Son of God, You say that I am the Son of God. And many other things he witnessed and confessed. That you keep the commandment without spot and unrebukeable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; that is, until your death, until your departure. But he did not say so, but, Until the appearing, he said, in order to arouse him more. What does it mean, That you keep the commandment without spot? Neither on account of doctrines, nor of life, having contracted any stain. Which in His own times He shall show, he says, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only has immortality, dwelling in light which no man can approach. Of whom are these things said? Of the Father? Or of the Son? Of the Son, certainly. Which in His own times the blessed and only Potentate shall show. And these things again are for comfort, that he may not wonder, nor fear the kings here. In His own times; that is, in the proper, the appointed times; so that he may not be distressed that it has not yet happened. And whence is it clear that He will show it? From His being a Potentate;

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ἐπιτύχωμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΗʹ. Παραγγέλλω σοι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τὰ πάντα, καὶ Κυρίου

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, τηρῆσαί σε τὴν ἐντολὴν ἄσπιλον, ἀνεπίληπτον μέχρι τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἣν καιροῖς ἰδίοις δείξει ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος δυνάστης, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων, καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων, ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν δύναται ᾧ τιμὴ καὶ κράτος αἰώνιον.

Ἀμήν. αʹ. Πάλιν τὸν Θεὸν μαρτύρεται, πρὸ μικροῦ τοῦτο ποιήσας, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸν φόβον αὔξων καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον 62.596.50 καθιστὰς τὸν μαθητὴν, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρώπινα τὰ παραγγέλματα, ἵνα ὡς παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆εσπότου λαμβάνων τὴν παραγγελίαν, ἵνα ἀεὶ τὸν μάρτυρα ἐν διανοίᾳ ἔχων ἀφ' οὗ ἤκουσε, κατασείηται τὴν διάνοιαν τῇ μνήμῃ. Παραγγέλλω σοι, φησὶν, ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τὰ πάντα. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ παράκλησίς ἐστι πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὑπόμνησις. Καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, φησὶ, τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου. Πάλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου ἡ προτροπή. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐποίησεν, οὕτω, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμᾶς χρὴ ποιεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐμαρτύρησεν, ἵνα κατ' ἴχνος αὐτοῦ βαίνωμεν τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν· 62.597 ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους ποιεῖ λέγων· Ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς ὑπέμεινε σταυρὸν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, ἐν δεξιᾷ τε τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκάθικε· καὶ πάλιν, Ἀναλογίσασθε γὰρ τὸν τοιαύτην ὑπομεμενηκότα ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀντιλογίαν, ἵνα μὴ κάμνητε ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ἐκλυόμενοι. Τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ποιεῖ πρὸς τὸν μαθητήν· ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγε, Μὴ δείσῃς τὸν θάνατον· Θεοῦ γὰρ εἶ δοῦλος τοῦ τὰ πάντα δυναμένου ζωογονεῖν. Ποίαν δὲ λέγει καλὴν ὁμολογίαν; Ἣν ἀνερωτῶντος Πιλάτου, Οὐκοῦν βασιλεὺς εἶ σύ; Ἐγὼ εἰς τοῦτο γεγέννημαι, ἔφη. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἦλθον μαρτυρῆσαι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Ἴδε οὗτοί μου ἤκουσαν. Ἢ οὖν διὰ τοῦτό φησιν, ἢ ὅτι εἶπεν, ἐρωτώμενος εἰ Υἱὸς Θεοῦ ἐστι, Σὺ λέγεις ὅτι Υἱὸς Θεοῦ εἰμι ἐγώ. Καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα ἐμαρτύρησε καὶ ὡμολόγησε. Τηρῆσαί σε τὴν ἐντολὴν ἄσπιλον καὶ ἀνεπίληπτον μέχρι τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· τουτέστι, μέχρι τῆς σῆς τελευτῆς, μέχρι τῆς ἐξόδου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶπεν οὕτως, ἀλλὰ, Μέχρι τῆς ἐπιφανείας, εἶπεν, ἵνα μᾶλλον αὐτὸν διεγείρῃ. Τί ἐστι, Τηρῆσαί σε τὴν ἐντολὴν ἄσπιλον; Μήτε δογμάτων ἕνεκεν, μήτε βίου, κηλῖδά τινα προστριψάμενον. Ἣν καιροῖς ἰδίοις δείξει, φησὶν, ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος δυνάστης, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων, καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων, ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον. Περὶ τίνος ταῦτα εἴρηται; ἆρα περὶ τοῦ Πατρός; ἆρα περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ; Περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ πάντως. Ἣν καιροῖς ἰδίοις δείξει ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος δυνάστης. Καὶ ταῦτα πάλιν εἰς παραμυθίαν, ἵνα μὴ θαυμάζῃ, μὴ δεδοίκῃ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα βασιλεῖς. Καιροῖς ἰδίοις· τουτέστι, τοῖς προσήκουσι, τοῖς ὀφειλομένοις· ὥστε μὴ ἀσχάλλειν, ὅτι οὐδέπω γέγονε. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον ὅτι δείξει; Ἐκ τοῦ εἶναι δυνάστην·