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87

injustice is justice. For all these things are vices one encounters, wearing the mask of virtue, and so it casts out of the divine courts those who practice the falsehood of wickedness. I, Jesus, he says, have sent my angel to testify these things to you in the churches. To testify, he says, means to bear solemn witness not in secret nor in a corner, but with the churches everywhere hearing, so that no one, feigning ignorance, should be willfully wicked. I, he says, am the root and the offspring of David, and yet according to 255 appearance it would have been more logical to say, I am the branch that has sprouted from the root of David. But now, on the contrary, he has called himself the root of David, and not only root but also offspring, as was said before. Root and cause of all things, among whom is David, inasmuch as he is and is conceived of as God; but offspring of David and having sprung from him according to the flesh, inasmuch as he is and is conceived of as man; so that he is—for to say the same things often is not tedious for me, but for those who encounter them it is safe, as the divine apostle says somewhere in his own words—so that Emmanuel is, then, from divinity and humanity, each of the natures being perfect according to its own principle, without confusion, without change, without alteration, without phantasm. And after the ineffable union we are persuaded of one person and one hypostasis and one energy, even if the difference of the natures is not ignored, from which we say the secret union was effected, nor the natural property according to quality, according to the words of our divinely-inspired father Cyril. The morning star, he says; either he means the sun, since he is also called the sun of righteousness by Malachi, and also by the prophet singing, 'Fire fell upon them'—that is, the chief priests of the Jews—'and they did not see the sun,' that is, this sun of righteousness, Christ—or the day-star. For indeed he is also called this by Peter in his second epistle, saying, 'until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.' And the Spirit, he says—that is, the prophetic spirit—and the bride, 256 the universal church in every place, say, Come. For we are commanded to seek the second coming of the Lord, and also to place it in our prayer; for he who says, 'Thy kingdom come' to God is asking for the kingdom of Christ, which is also the kingdom of the Father and of the Spirit. And let the one who hears, he says, say, Come. And everyone, he says, who hears the present words, and you too, John, make the kingdom of Christ's coming an object of prayer. And he says this, urging everyone to the works and practices of righteousness; for no one who is not conscious of righteousness in himself would make the coming of Christ an object of prayer, at which he will be required to give an account of his life; and let the one who is thirsty, he says, come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price, but while the time of my coming arrives, says the Lord, apply your mouth to the fountain of life, to the practice of virtue. And as many of you as have no money, go and buy, and drink without money and without price. Isaiah commands us, proclaiming beforehand the same things as the Lord. And it was also said in the preceding that the acquisition of virtue, with sweats and toils, he says is received as a gift, since 'the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us,' according to the words of the most wise Paul. I testify, he says, to everyone who hears the present words; that is, I solemnly witness not to add anything, lest he draw upon himself the plagues mentioned here, nor to take anything away, 257 so that his share of the tree of life and of the holy city described may not be taken away; both of which are contained in this book. Then the evangelist, making his own word trustworthy and venerable, see what he added: He who testifies to these things: yes, I am coming quickly. What Paul did, saying, 'For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand,' this he himself now says, he who is teaching these things, I, he says, both testifying, am henceforth at the very end of the present life, so that the word may not be left under suspicion for anyone. For who would

87

μειονεξία δικαιοσύνη. ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα κακίαι ἐντυγχάνουσιν, ἀρετῆς προσωπεῖον περικείμεναι, καὶ τοὺς τὸ ψεῦδος οὖν τῆς κακίας ἐπιτηδεύοντας ἔξω βάλλει τῶν θείων περιβόλων. ἐγώ φησιν Ἰησοῦς ἔπεμψα τὸν ἄγγελόν μου μαρτυρῆσαι ὑμῖν ταῦτα ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. μαρτυρῆσαί φησι τὸ διαμαρτύρασθαι οὐκ ἐν κρυφῇ οὔτε ἐν παραβύστῳ, ἀλλὰ ἀκουουσῶν τῶν πανταχοῦ ἐκκλησιῶν, ἵνα μήτις ἄγνοιαν προφασισάμενος ἐθελοκακῶν εἴη πονηρός. ἐγώ φησίν εἰμι ἡ ῥίζα καὶ τὸ γένος ∆αυίδ, καίτοι ὡς πρὸς τὸ 255 φαινόμενον ἀκολουθότερον ἦν εἰπεῖν, ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ∆αυὶδ ἀναβλαστήσας κλάδος. νῦν δὲ τοὐναντίον ῥίζαν ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ∆αυὶδ κέκληκεν, καὶ οὐ ῥίζαν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ γένος, καθὼς πρόσθεν εἴρηται. ῥίζα μὲν καὶ αἰτία τῶν ἁπάντων, μεθ' ὧν καὶ τοῦ ∆αυίδ, καθό ἐστι καὶ νοεῖται Θεός· γένος δέ γε τοῦ ∆αυὶδ καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀνατεταλκὼς κατὰ σάρκα, καθό ἐστι καὶ νοεῖται ἄνθρωπος· ὡς εἶναι αὐτόν, τὰ γὰρ αὐτὰ πολλάκις λέγειν ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀκνηρόν, τοῖς δὲ ἐντυγχάνουσιν ἀσφαλές, ὥς πού φησι τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λόγων ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολοςὡς εἶναι οὖν τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ ἐκ θεότητός τε καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος τελείως ἐχουσῶν ἑκάστῃ τῶν φύσεων κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον λόγον, ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀναλλοιώτως, ἀφαντασιάστως. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἄφραστον ἕνωσιν πεπείσμεθα ἓν πρόσωπον καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν καὶ μίαν ἐνέργειαν, κἂν ἡ τῶν φύσεων μὴ ἀγνοῆται διαφορά, ἐξ ὧν τὴν ἀπόρρητον ἕνωσιν πεπράχθαι φαμέν, μὴ δὲ ἡ κατὰ ποιότητα φυσικὴ ἰδιότης κατὰ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ θεσπεσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Κυρίλλου. ὁ ἀστήρ φησιν ὁ πρωϊνός· ἢ τὸν ἥλιον λέγει, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης κέκληται τῷ Μαλαχίᾳ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ ψάλλοντι ἔπεσε πῦρ ἐπ' αὐτούς, τουτέστι τοὺς Ἰουδαίων ἀρχιερέαςκαὶ οὐκ εἶδον τὸν ἥλιον, τοῦτον δὴ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιον Χριστόνἢ τὸν ἑωσφόρον ἀστέρα. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο καλεῖται τῷ Πέτρῳ ἐν δευτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ, λέγοντι ἕως οὗ ἡμέρα διαυγάσῃ καὶ φωσφόρος ἀνατείλῃ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. καὶ τὸ πνεῦμά φησι, τουτέστι τὸ προφητικόν, καὶ ἡ νύμφη, 256 ἡ καθόλου καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐκκλησία, λέγουσιν ἔρχου. τὴν γὰρ τοῦ Κυρίου δευτέραν παρουσίαν ζητεῖν προστετάγμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν εὐχῇ τίθεσθαι· ὁ γάρ τοι λέγων ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὴν Χριστοῦ βασιλείαν ἐξαιτεῖ, ἥτις καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματός ἐστι βασιλεία. καὶ ὁ ἀκούων φησὶν εἰπάτω ἔρχου. καὶ πᾶς φησιν ἀκούων τῶν παρόντων λόγων καὶ σὺ δὲ Ἰωάννης, εὐκτὴν ποιοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας. τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, προτρέπων ἅπαντας εἰς τὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἔργα καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα· οὐ γὰρ ἄν τις δικαιοσύνην ἑαυτῷ μὴ συνεπιστάμενος, εὐκτὴν ποιήσοιτο τὴν Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν, ἐν ᾗ λόγους τῶν αὐτῷ βεβιωμένων ἀπαιτηθήσεται· καὶ ὁ διψῶν φησιν ἐρχέσθω, ὁ θέλων λαβέτω ὕδωρ ζωῆς δωρεάν, ἐν ὅσῳ δέ φησιν ἥξει τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας ὁ καιρός, φησὶν ὁ Κύριος τῇ πηγῇ τῆς ζωῆς, τῇ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιτηδεύσει ὑπόθετε τὸ στόμα. καὶ ὅσοι μὴ ἔχετε ἀργύριον, βαδίσαντες ἀγοράσατε, καὶ πίετε ἄνευ ἀργυρίου καὶ τιμῆς. Ἡσαΐας ἡμῖν διακελεύεται, τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ προαναφωνῶν. εἴρηται δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν ὅτι τὴν μεθ' ἱδρώτων καὶ πόνων ἀντέκτισιν τῆς ἀρετῆς, δωρεὰν λαμβάνεσθαί φησιν, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι δόξαν εἰς ἡμᾶς, κατὰ τοὺς Παύλου τοῦ σοφωτάτου λόγους. μαρτυρῶ φησιν ἐγὼ πάντι τῷ ἀκούοντι τοὺς παρόντας λόγους· τουτέστι διαμαρτύρομαι μὴ προσθεῖναί τι, ἵνα μὴ ἑαυτῷ ἐπισπάσηται τὰς ἐνταῦθα εἰρημένας πληγάς, μήτε ἀφελεῖν, 257 ὅπως μὴ ἀφαιρεθῇ τῆς μερίδος τοῦ τε ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς διαγεγραμμένης ἁγίας πόλεως· ἅπερ ἀμφότερα τῷδε τῷ βιβλίῳ περιέχεται. εἶτα ἀξιόπιστον καὶ αἰδέσιμον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ποιῶν λόγον ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, ὅρα τί ἐπήγαγεν· ὁ μαρτυρῶν ταῦτα ναὶ ἔρχομαι ταχύ. ὅπερ ὁ Παῦλος πεποίηκεν, εἰπὼν ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀναλύσεως ἐφέστηκε, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν αὐτὸς λέγει, ὁ ταῦτα διδάσκων ἐγώ φησι καὶ διαμαρτυρόμενος ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰμι λοιπὸν τοῖς τοῦ παρόντος βίου τέρμασιν, ὡς μηδενὶ τὸν λόγον ἐν ὑποψίᾳ καταλειφθῆναι. τίς γὰρ ἂν