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Only take hold of the beginning. Tell me now, in all the arts, when we wish to be skilled in them, are we content with willing, or do we also take hold of the matters? I mean something like this: Someone wants to become a pilot; he does not say, "I want," and is content with this, but he also takes hold of the matter. He wants to become a merchant; he does not say, "I want," only, but he also takes hold of the matter. Again, he wants to go abroad, and he does not say, "I want," but he also takes hold of the matter. Then in all things it is not enough only to will, but the work must also be added; but when you wish to ascend to heaven, do you say, "I want," only? How then, he says, did you say that to will is enough? To will with works, that which takes hold of the matter, that which has toiled. For we have God as our co-worker and helper; only let us choose, only let us apply ourselves to the matter as a work, only let us care, only let us take it to mind, and all things follow. But if we sleep, and snoring expect to enter into heaven, when will we be able to possess the inheritance of the heavens? Let us will, therefore, I beseech you, let us will. Why do we traffic in all things for the present life, which tomorrow we shall leave? Let us choose, then, the virtue that will suffice for us for all eternity; in which we shall be continually, and we shall enjoy eternal goods; of which may it be that we all attain, by grace and loving-kindness, and what follows.

HOMILY XVII. For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things,

but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Holy of Holies every year with blood of others—for then He would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 1. The Jews were very proud of the temple and the tabernacle; wherefore they said: The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. For nowhere else on earth was such a temple built, not for the sake of luxury, nor of beauty, nor of anything else. For God who gave the command ordered it to be made with great magnificence, since they too were more attracted and drawn by carnal things. For it had golden bricks in the walls; and it is possible for one who wishes to learn this in the second book of Kings and in Ezekiel, and how many talents of gold were spent then. But the second building became more splendid, both for the sake of its beauty and of all other things. And it was venerable not for this only, but also for being one, and for attracting all by its beauty; for from the ends of the earth they came there, whether from Babylon, or from Ethiopia. And Luke, showing this in the Acts, said: And there were dwelling there Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene. Those, therefore, who were in all parts of the world came together there, and great was the name of the temple. What then does Paul do? 63.128 As in the case of the sacrifices, so also he does here; for as there he set the death of Christ against them, so also here he sets the whole heaven against the temple. But not by this only did he show the difference, but also by adding that the priest came nearer to God; For to appear, he says, in the presence of God. So that not only by heaven, but also by the entrance he made the matter venerable. For not simply, as here, through symbols, but he sees God Himself there. Do you see that for the sake of condescension the humble things are said everywhere? Why then are you surprised if He makes intercession, when he even presents him as a high priest? Nor that He should offer Himself often, he says, as the high priest enters into the holy places every year with

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ἀρχῆς ἐπιλαβοῦ μόνον. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, ἐν ταῖς τέχναις ἁπάσαις, ὅταν θέλωμεν ἐν αὐταῖς γενέσθαι, ἀρκούμεθα τῷ θέλειν, ἢ καὶ ἁπτόμεθα τῶν πραγμάτων; Οἷόν τι λέγω· Βούλεταί τις γενέσθαι κυβερνήτης· οὐ λέγει, Θέλω, καὶ τούτῳ ἀρκεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἅπτεται. Θέλει γενέσθαι ἔμπορος· οὐ λέγει, Θέλω, μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἅπτεται. Ἀποδημῆσαι πάλιν θέλει, καὶ οὐ λέγει, θέλω, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἅπτεται. Εἶτα ἐν πᾶσιν οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τὸ θελῆσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔργον προσθεῖναι δεῖ· εἰς δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν βουλόμενος ἀνελθεῖν, λέγεις, Θέλω, μόνον; Πῶς οὖν, φησὶν, ἔλεγες, ὅτι τὸ θέλειν ἀρκεῖ; Τὸ θέλειν μετὰ τῶν ἔργων, τὸ ἀντιλαμβανόμενον τοῦ πράγματος, τὸ πονέσαντα. Ἔχομεν γὰρ συνεργοῦντα καὶ συμπράττοντα τὸν Θεόν· μόνον ἑλώμεθα, μόνον ὡς ἔργῳ προσενεχθῶμεν τῷ πράγματι, μόνον μεριμνήσωμεν, μόνον, εἰς νοῦν βαλώμεθα, καὶ πάντα ἕπεται. Ἐὰν δὲ καθεύδωμεν, καὶ ῥέγχοντες προσδοκῶμεν εἰσιέναι εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, πότε δυνησόμεθα τὴν κληρονομίαν τῶν οὐρανῶν κατασχεῖν; Βουληθῶμεν οὖν, παρακαλῶ, βουληθῶμεν. Τί πάντα πρὸς τὸν παρόντα βίον ἐμπορευόμεθα, ὃν αὔριον ἀπολείψομεν; Ἑλώμεθα τοίνυν τὴν ἀρετὴν τὴν εἰς τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα ἡμῖν διαρκέσουσαν· ἐν ᾧ ἐσόμεθα διηνεκῶς, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσομεν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΖʹ. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς χειροποίητα ἅγια εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Χρι στὸς, ἀντίτυπα τῶν ἀληθινῶν,

ἀλλ' εἰς αὐ τὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν, νῦν ἐμφανισθῆναι τῷ προσ ώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· οὐδ' ἵνα πολλάκις προσφέρῃ ἑαυτὸν, ὥσπερ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰσέρχε ται εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν αἵματι ἀλλοτρίῳ· ἐπεὶ ἔδει αὐτὸν πολλάκις παθεῖν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου· νυνὶ δὲ ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς ἀθέτησιν ἁμαρ τίας διὰ τῆς θυσίας αὑτοῦ πεφανέρωται. αʹ. Μέγα ἐφρόνουν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπὶ τῷ ναῷ καὶ τῇ σκηνῇ· διὸ ἔλεγον· Ναὸς Κυρίου, ναὸς Κυρίου. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ γῆς κατεσκευάσθη τοιοῦτος ναὸς, οὐ πολυτελείας ἕνεκεν, οὐ κάλλους, οὐχ ἑτέρου τινός. Ὁ γὰρ διαταξάμενος Θεὸς ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν μετὰ φιλοτιμίας γενέσθαι πολλῆς, ἐπειδὴ κἀκεῖνοι τοῖς σωματικοῖς μᾶλλον ἐφείλκοντο καὶ ἐπεσπῶντο. Πλίνθους γὰρ εἶχε χρυσᾶς ἐν τοῖς τοίχοις· καὶ ἔξεστι τῷ βουλομένῳ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Βασιλειῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ τοῦτο καταμαθεῖν, καὶ ὅσα χρυσοῦ τάλαντα ἀνηλώθη τότε. Ἡ δὲ δευτέρα λαμπροτέρα γέγονεν οἰκοδομία, καὶ κάλλους ἕνεκεν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων. Καὶ οὐ τούτῳ μόνον σεμνὸς ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ εἶναι εἷς, καὶ τῷ πάντας τῷ κάλλει ἐφέλκεσθαι· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἐκεῖ ἤρχοντο, εἴτε ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος, εἴτε ἀπὸ Αἰθιοπίας. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Λουκᾶς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν ἔλεγεν· Ἦσαν δὲ ἐκεῖ κατοικοῦντες Πάρθοι καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Ἐλαμῖται, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν, Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, Πόντον τε καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Παμφυλίαν, Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Λιβύης τῆς κατὰ Κυρήνην. Οἱ οὖν πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὄντες, ἐκεῖ συνῄεσαν, καὶ πολὺ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ναοῦ ἦν. Τί οὖν ὁ Παῦλος 63.128 ποιεῖ; Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν θυσιῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ· ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖ τὸν θάνατον ἀντέστησε τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸν οὐρανὸν ὅλον ἀνθίστησι τῷ ναῷ. Οὐ τούτῳ δὲ μόνον τὸ διάφορον ἔδειξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ προσθεῖναι τὸν ἱερέα ἐγγύτερον γενόμενον τοῦ Θεοῦ· Ἐμφανισθῆναι γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὥστε οὐ τῷ οὐρανῷ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ εἰσόδῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα σεμνὸν ἐποίησεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς, ὥσπερ ἐνταῦθα, διὰ συμβόλων, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ὁρᾷ τὸν Θεὸν ἐκεῖ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι συγκαταβάσεως ἕνεκεν πανταχοῦ τὰ ταπεινὰ εἴρηται; Τί δὴ θαυμάζεις λοιπὸν εἰ ἐντυγχάνει, ὅπου γε αὐτὸν ἵστησιν ὡς ἀρχιερέα; Οὐδ' ἵνα πολλάκις προσφέρῃ ἑαυτὸν, φησὶν, ὥσπερ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὰ ἅγια κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν