82

of the bodies of the saints, but the bodies of the saints; and "appeared to many," not being other than those who had died, but being recognized 100.4 by their own, because they had not died long ago. And our Lord, wishing to show the miracle to others, accomplished those difficult things, showing them to be easy. And when he comes to the recently deceased girl, the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, since she had died at that very hour, he deigned to say to her: "Arise, O child"; strengthening by the "arise" that which was already loosed, since she was still on the 100.5 bed. But the son of the widow in Nain, since he was already being carried out on the bier, he raised more easily; "for he touched the bier" and said nothing to the boy, but only touched the bier and he arose. 100.6 But what was yet more profound and far beyond human hope, when he came to Lazarus who had been dead four days, he did not say "arise," nor did he touch the tomb with his hand, but thus he readily calls in his 100.7 own authority, "Lazarus, come forth." For "come forth" is much easier and more ready than to touch, and to touch, in turn, is much easier than to call out "child, arise." And here the holy Word of God does all things, so that he might show us the hope of the resurrection. 101.1 But if I should wish to select all the testimonies from all the scriptures, my mind is indeed small and weak and unlearned, yet because of the number I am afraid that I might extend the discourse to a great length; but to put it briefly, I will say that our salvation is concise, and in all things 101.2 similar, one hope of the resurrection having been preached to us. But the faithless disbelieve these things, the heterodox corrupt them, the contentious do not accept them, the vainglorious reject them. And may God grant mercy to all and 101.3 illumine the darkened thoughts. For the Greeks, not having received the Holy Spirit, will be convicted by the truth and by all the testimonies mentioned before, but especially by you, the sons of the 101.4 holy church of God and of the orthodox faith. For you teach, having received the Holy Spirit and having been deemed worthy of fitting speech "in the opening of the mouth," first, that having been deemed worthy to be disciples of Christ, the "chief shepherd" and "guardian of our souls" *, having gathered nourishment for the flocks of Christ, for your own peoples, and taking care how you might nourish both yourselves and the livestock of God, I mean anyone who wishes to be profited, from the holy land 101.5 which is hinted at by Moses. But who of those who are right-minded, looking to you the reverent and faithful, O orthodox and sons of the church—for in speaking of some I speak of all the sons of the truth 101.6 according to what is written—who would doubt concerning these things? For being sons of a wise and most courageous woman, whose fame is with Solomon who says, "Who can find a valiant woman?" as she is rare, or rather 101.7 one of a kind, you will choose what is better and will love what is profitable. But understand by valiant woman for me the church of God, your mother, than whom nothing is more valiant, dying in each persecution that arises for the name of her own husband. 102.1 This most gentle one, therefore, asks her own bridegroom precisely in the book of the songs, "Where do you pasture your flock? Where do you make it lie down at noon?" And Christ pastures in the aforementioned holy land, and not only does he pasture, but he also commands to untie the sandal from the feet of the 102.2 shepherds, as he first says to Moses; from whom having received the tradition, you yourselves also safely lead by the hand those being introduced into the holy knowledge, first taking care that the sandals of each be untied. 102.3

82

σωμάτων τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ σώματα τῶν ἁγίων· καί «ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς», οὐκ ἄλλοι ὄντες παρὰ τοὺς τετελευτηκότας, ἀλλ' ἐπιγινωσκόμενοι 100.4 παρὰ τῶν ἰδίων, ὅτι οὐ πρὸ χρόνων ἦσαν τετελευτηκότες. καὶ ἄλλοις δεῖξαι δὲ βουλόμενος ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν τὸ θαῦμα, τὰ δὴ δυσχερῆ ἐκεῖνα εὐχερῆ δεικνὺς ἐπετέλει. καὶ ὅτε μὲν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὴν προσφάτως τελευτήσασαν κόρην, τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου, ἐπειδὴ αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ τετελεύτηκε, κατηξίωσεν αὐτῇ εἰπεῖν· «ἀνάστηθι ἡ παῖς»· τῷ δὴ ἀνάστηθι ἰσχυροποιῶν τὸ ἤδη λελυμένον, ἐπειδὴ ἔτι ἐν τῇ 100.5 κλίνῃ ἦν. τὸν δὲ υἱὸν τῆς χήρας τῆς ἐν τῇ Ναΐν, ἐπειδὴ ἤδη ἐν τῇ σορῷ ἐξεφέρετο, εὐχερέστερον ἤγειρεν· «ἥψατο γὰρ τῆς σοροῦ» καὶ οὐκ εἶπέ τι τῷ παιδί, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἥψατο τῆς σοροῦ καὶ ἀνέστη. 100.6 τὸ δὲ ἔτι βαθύτατον καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδα ἀνθρώπων πολλῷ μακρότερον, ὅτε ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν τετραήμερον Λάζαρον, οὐδὲ εἶπεν ἀνάστηθι, οὐδὲ ἥψατο τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ μνήματος, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἐν ἑτοίμῳ καλεῖ ἐν τῇ 100.7 ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ, «Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω». πολὺ δὲ εὐχερέστερόν ἐστι καὶ ἑτοιμότερον τό «δεῦρο ἔξω» παρὰ τὸ ἅψασθαι, τὸ δὲ ἅψασθαι πάλιν εὐχερέστερόν ἐστι πολὺ τοῦ καλέσαι «ἡ παῖς ἀνάστηθι». ὧδε δὲ πάντα ποιεῖ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ Λόγος, ἵνα ἡμῖν τὴν ἐλπίδα ὑποδείξῃ τῆς ἀναστάσεως. 101.1 Εἰ δὲ βουληθείην τὰς πάσας μαρτυρίας ἐκ πασῶν τῶν γραφῶν ἐκλέξασθαι, μικρὸς μὲν ὁ ἡμέτερος νοῦς βραχύς τε καὶ ἰδιώτης, ὅμως διὰ τὸ πλῆθος δέδια μὴ εἰς πολὺ πλάτος ἐπεκτείνω τὸν λόγον· συνελὼν δὲ ἐρῶ ὅτι ἡ ἡμῶν σωτηρία σύντομός ἐστιν, ἐν πᾶσι δὲ 101.2 ὁμοία, μιᾶς ἐλπίδος τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡμῖν κεκηρυγμένης. ταῦτα δὲ ἀπιστοῦσιν ἄπιστοι, παραφθείρουσι κακόδοξοι, οὐ δέχονται φιλόνεικοι, ἀπωθοῦνται κενόδοξοι. τοῖς δὲ πᾶσιν ὁ θεὸς τὸ ἔλεος παράσχῃ καὶ 101.3 διαυγάσῃ τὰ ζεζοφωμένα τῶν διανοημάτων. Ἕλληνες μὲν γὰρ μὴ λαβόντες πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐλεγχθήσονται ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ πασῶν τῶν προλεχθεισῶν μαρτυριῶν, μάλιστα δὲ ὑφ' ὑμῶν τῶν υἱῶν τῆς 101.4 ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας καὶ ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως. διδάσκετε γάρ, λαβόντες πνεῦμα ἅγιον καταξιωθέντες τε λόγου εὐθέτου «ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος», πρῶτον μέν, ὅτι μαθηταὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καταξιωθέντες εἶναι τοῦ «ἀρχιποίμενος» καὶ «προστάτου τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν» *, ὡς τὰ τρόφιμα τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιμνίοις τοῖς ἑαυτῶν λαοῖς συναγαγόντες μεριμνῶντές τε ὅπως ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ θρέμματα, φημὶ δὲ τὸν βουλόμενον πάντως ὠφελεῖσθαι, ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας γῆς 101.5 τῆς παρὰ Μωυσῇ αἰνιττομένης θρέψητε. τίς δὲ τῶν εὖ φρονούντων εἰς ὑμᾶς τοὺς εὐλαβεῖς καὶ πιστοὺς σκοπῶν, ὦ ὀρθόδοξοι καὶ υἱοὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐνίους γὰρ λέγων πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας 101.6 λέγω, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, τίς περὶ τούτων ἀμφιβάλοι; σοφῆς γὰρ ὄντες καὶ ἀνδρειοτάτης υἱοὶ γυναικός, ἧς τὸ κλέος παρὰ Σολομῶντι λέγοντι «γυναῖκα ἀνδρείαν τίς εὑρήσει;» ὡς σπανίας οὔσης, μᾶλλον 101.7 δὲ μιᾶς, τὸ κρεῖττον ἐκλέξεσθε καὶ τὸ ὠφέλιμον ἀγαπήσετε. ἀνδρείαν δὲ γυναῖκα νοεῖτέ μοι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, τὴν ὑμῶν μητέρα, ἧς οὐδὲν ἀνδρειότερον, θνῃσκούσης καθ' ἕκαστον ἐπεγειρόμενον διωγμὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ ἰδίου ἀνδρός. 102.1 Αὕτη οὖν ἡ ἐπιεικεστάτη τὸν ἴδιον νυμφίον ἀκριβῶς ἐρωτᾷ ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν ᾀσμάτων «ποῦ ποιμαίνεις; ποῦ κοιτάζεις ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ;» ποιμαίνει δὲ Χριστὸς ἐν ἁγίᾳ γῇ τῇ προειρημένῃ καὶ οὐ μόνον ποιμαίνει, ἀλλὰ καὶ προστάσσει λύειν τὸ ὑπόδημα τῶν ποδῶν τῶν 102.2 ποιμένων, ὡς Μωυσῇ πρῶτον λέγει· παρ' οὗ τὴν παράδοσιν παρειληφότες καὶ αὐτοὶ τοὺς εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐπιστήμην εἰσαγομένους ἀσφαλῶς χειραγωγεῖτε πρῶτον, τὰ ὑποδήματα ἑκάστου ἐπιλύεσθαι ἐπιμελό102.3 μενοι.