109

he spoke when no one was listening, and was condemned. If he was condemned for speaking the truth, and for speaking when no one was listening; those who spread falsehoods everywhere, and things of which they are not convinced, like chattering women, what terrible thing will they not suffer? what will they not endure? Let us then put a door and a bolt to our mouth; for countless evils have come from chatter; houses 63.154 have been overturned, friendships have been broken, countless other grievous things have happened. Do not be meddlesome in your neighbor's affairs, O man. But are you talkative, and have a fault? speak your own things to God; thus it will no longer be a fault, but an advantage; speak your own things to friends, to very dear and just friends, and those whom you trust, so that they may pray for your sins. If you speak of the things of others, you have gained nothing, you have profited nothing, but you have also been ruined; if you confess your own things to the Lord, you have a great reward; For I said, he says, I will confess my transgression against myself to the Lord, and You forgave the wickedness of my heart. Do you wish to judge? Judge your own things; no one will accuse you, if you condemn yourself; but he accuses, if you do not condemn yourself; he accuses, if you do not convict yourself; he accuses if you do not feel pain. Did you see so-and-so getting angry, being provoked, or doing something else amiss? Immediately consider your own things also, and thus you will neither condemn him severely, and you will free yourself from the burden of your sins. If we so regulate our own life, if we so manage our own existence, if we condemn ourselves, perhaps we shall not sin much, but we shall do many good things, being gentle and moderate, and we shall enjoy all the good things promised to those who love God; of which may it be granted to all of us to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY XXII. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that not from

things which appear have the things which are seen come to be. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 1. The matter of faith requires a noble and youthful soul, one that transcends all sensible things, and passes beyond the weakness of human reasonings. For it is not possible to become faithful otherwise, unless one raises oneself above common custom. Since, therefore, the souls of the Hebrews were weakened, and although they began from faith, yet because of the circumstances, I mean their sufferings and afflictions, they were consequently faint-hearted and discouraged and were shaken, first he exhorted them from their own experience, saying, "But call to remembrance the former days"; then, from the Scripture which says, "Now the just shall live by faith"; then from reasonings, saying, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." But now again from their forefathers, the great men, those wonderful ones, as if to say: If, where the good things were at their feet, all were saved by faith, much more shall we be. For when the soul finds a partaker of the same things, it is refreshed and breathes again. This one can see happening both in the case of faith, and in the case of 63.154 affliction; as he says elsewhere: "That I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." For the human race is very unbelieving, and cannot trust itself, and is afraid about what it judges; because it has, and has great concern for, the opinion of the many. What then does Paul do? He exhorts them from the examples of their forefathers, and before these, from the common conception. For since faith was at that time slandered as an unprovable thing, and being more of a deceit, for this reason he shows,

109

εἶπεν ἀκούοντος οὐδενὸς, καὶ κατεκρίθη. Εἰ τὸ ἀληθὲς εἰρηκὼς κατεκρίθη, καὶ μηδενὸς ἀκούοντος εἰπών· οἱ τὰ ψευδῆ, καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ εἰσὶ πεπεισμένοι ταῦτα διαπορθμεύοντες πανταχοῦ, καθάπερ γυναῖκες φλύαροι, τί οὐ πείσονται δεινόν; τί δὲ οὐχ ὑπομενοῦσι; Θῶμεν λοιπὸν τῷ στόματι θύραν καὶ μοχλόν· μυρία γὰρ ἀπὸ φλυαρίας γέγονε κακά· οἰκίαι 63.154 ἀνετράπησαν, φιλίαι διεσπάσθησαν, ἕτερα μυρία χαλεπὰ γέγονε. Μὴ περιεργάζου τὰ τοῦ πλησίον, ἄνθρωπε. Ἀλλὰ λάλος εἶ, καὶ ἐλάττωμα ἔχεις; λάλει τὰ σὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· οὕτως οὐκέτι ἔσται τὸ ἐλάττωμα, ἀλλὰ πλεονέκτημα· λάλει τὰ σὰ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους τοὺς πάνυ φίλους καὶ δικαίους, καὶ οἷς θαῤῥεῖς, ὥστε εὔξασθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν σῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἂν τὰ ἑτέρων εἴπῃς, οὐδὲν ὠφελήθης, οὐδὲν ἐκέρδανας ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπώλου· ἂν τὰ σαυτοῦ ἐξαγορεύσῃς τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, πολὺν ἔχεις τὸν μισθόν· Εἶπα γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. Θέλεις κρίνειν; τὰ σαυτοῦ κρίνε· οὐδείς σοι ἐγκαλεῖ, ἐὰν καταδικάσῃς σαυτόν· ἐγκαλεῖ δὲ, ἐὰν μὴ καταδικάσῃς σαυτόν· ἐγκαλεῖ, ἐὰν μὴ ἐλέγξῃς σαυτόν· ἐγκαλεῖ ἂν οὐκ ἀλγήσῃς. Εἶδες τὸν δεῖνα ὀργιζόμενον, παροξυνόμενον, ἢ ἄλλο τι ἄτοπον ποιοῦντα; ἐννόησον εὐθέως καὶ σὺ τὰ σαυτοῦ, καὶ οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνον καταδικάσεις σφοδρῶς, καὶ σαυτὸν ἐλευθερώσεις τοῦ φορτίου τῶν ἡμαρτημένων. Ἂν οὕτω τὸν ἑαυτῶν ῥυθμίζωμεν βίον, ἂν οὕτω πραγματευώμεθα ἡμῶν τὴν ζωὴν, ἂν κατακρίνωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, οὐ πολλὰ ἁμαρτησόμεθα ἴσως, πολλὰ δὲ ἐργασόμεθα καλὰ, ἐπιεικεῖς ὄντες καὶ μέτριοι, καὶ πάντων ἀπολαύσομεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, 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 ΚΒʹ. Πίστει νοοῦμεν κατηρτίσθαι τοὺς αἰῶνας ῥήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ μὴ ἐκ

φαινομένων τὰ βλεπό μενα γεγονέναι. Πίστει πλείονα θυσίαν Ἄβελ παρὰ Κάϊν προσήνεγκε τῷ Θεῷ, δι' ἧς ἐμαρτυ ρήθη εἶναι δίκαιος, μαρτυροῦντος ἐπὶ τοῖς δώ ροις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ δι' αὐτῆς ἀποθα νὼν ἔτι λαλεῖται. αʹ. Τὸ τῆς πίστεως γενναίας καὶ νεανικῆς δεῖται ψυχῆς καὶ πάντα ὑπερβαινούσης τὰ αἰσθητὰ, καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν λογισμῶν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παρερχομένης. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἑτέρως γενέσθαι πιστὸν, ἂν μή τις ἑαυτὸν τῆς συνηθείας ὑπεραναγάγῃ τῆς κοινῆς. Ἐπεὶ οὖν αἱ τῶν Ἑβραίων ἦσαν ἐξησθενημέναι ψυχαὶ, καὶ ἀπὸ πίστεως μὲν ἤρξατο, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων, λέγω δὴ τῶν παθῶν καὶ τῶν θλίψεων, ὠλιγοψύχουν λοιπὸν καὶ ἐμικροψύχουν καὶ παρεσαλεύοντο, πρῶτον μὲν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἑαυτῶν παρεκάλεσεν, εἰπὼν, Ἀναμνήσθητε τὰς πρότερον ἡμέρας· ἔπειτα· ἀπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς τῆς λεγούσης, Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται· ἔπειτα ἀπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν, εἰπὼν, Ἔστι δὲ πίστις, ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. Νῦν δὲ πάλιν ἀπὸ τῶν προπατόρων, τῶν μεγάλων ἀνδρῶν, τῶν θαυμαστῶν ἐκείνων, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Εἰ ἔνθα παρὰ πόδας τὰ ἀγαθὰ, πάντες πίστει ἐσώθησαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς. Ὅταν γὰρ εὕρῃ τῶν αὐτῶν κοινωνὸν ἡ ψυχὴ, ἀναπαύεται καὶ ἀναπνεῖ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πίστεως, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ 63.154 θλίψεως ἔστιν ἰδεῖν συμβαῖνον· καθὼς ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Εἰς τὸ συμπαρακληθῆναι ἐν ὑμῖν διὰ τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις πίστεως. Σφόδρα γὰρ ἄπιστον τὸ γένος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, καὶ ἑαυτῷ οὐ δύναται θαῤῥεῖν, καὶ δέδοικεν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἂν κρίνῃ· ὅτι ἔχει, καὶ πολλὴν ἔχει τῆς τῶν πολλῶν δόξης φροντίδα. Τί οὖν ὁ Παῦλος ποιεῖ; Ἀπὸ τῶν προτέρων αὐτοὺς παρακαλεῖ, καὶ πρὸ τούτων, ἀπὸ τῆς κοινῆς ἐννοίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ πίστις τότε διεβάλλετο ὡς ἀναπόδεικτον πρᾶγμα, καὶ ἀπάτης μᾶλλον ὂν, διὰ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν,