114

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 1. By faith, he says, Noah being warned of God. Just as the Son of God, speaking about His own coming, said: In the days of Noah they were marrying and were given in marriage; so also he says. And he fittingly reminded them of a familiar image; for the example of Enoch was an example of faith only, but that of Noah was of unbelief also. And this is a complete exhortation and encouragement, when not only those who believe are found well-pleasing, but also those who disbelieve suffer the contrary. For what does he say? By faith Noah, being warned of God. What is this? It had been foretold to him, he says. And he calls prophecy a divine warning; for elsewhere he spoke thus: And it was revealed unto him by the Spirit; and again: And what says the answer of God? Do you see the equality of the Spirit? for just as God gives oracles, so also does the Holy Spirit. And for what reason did he say this? To show that the divine warning is prophecy. Of things not seen as yet, he says; that is, of the rain. Moved with fear, he prepared an ark. 63.160 Reason suggested nothing of the sort; for they were marrying and were given in marriage, the air was clear, there were no signs; but nevertheless he was afraid; wherefore he also said thus: By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house. How? By which he condemned the world. He showed that they were worthy of punishment, who were not brought to their senses even by its construction. And became heir, he says, of the righteousness which is by faith; that is, from this he was shown to be righteous, from believing God. For this is of a soul genuinely disposed toward him, and judging nothing to be more trustworthy than his words, just as unbelief is the contrary. And it is manifest that faith works righteousness. Just as we have been warned about Gehenna, so was he. And yet he was laughed at then, and reproached and mocked; but nevertheless he paid no heed to any of these things. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out into the place which he should after receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, For whom did he see, tell me, that he might emulate? 63.161 he had a Greek and idolatrous father, he had not heard prophets, nor did he know where he was going. For since those of the Hebrews who had believed looked to these as having enjoyed myriads of good things, he shows that no one has yet received anything, but all are without their reward, and that no one has yet received their recompense. He fell away from his country and his house, and went out not knowing where he was going. And what wonder, if he did, when even his seed sojourned thus? Seeing then the promise being tested, he did not grow weary; for he said: To you will I give this land, and to your seed. He saw his Son dwelling there, and his descendant in turn saw himself dwelling in a strange land, and was not troubled at all. For Abraham's case had happened reasonably, since after these things the promise was about to come to pass in his posterity; and yet it had been said to him, To you and to your seed; not, Through your seed to you, but, To you and to your seed; and neither he, nor Isaac, nor Jacob enjoyed the promise. For the one served for a wage, the other was driven out, and this one even fell away in fear; and some things he took by war, but others, if he had not obtained the favor of God, would have been lost. For this reason he says, With the heirs of the same promise. Not he alone, he says, but also the heirs. Then he added something even clearer than what had been said, saying: These all died in faith, not having received the promises. It is worth inquiring into two things here, how, after saying, He translated Enoch, that he should not see death, and was not found, he says: These all died in faith

114

Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ· δι' ἧς κατέκρινε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος. αʹ. Πίστει, φησὶ, χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε. Καθάπερ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίας διαλεγόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ Νῶε ἐγάμουν καὶ ἐγαμίσκοντο· οὕτω καὶ οὗτός φησιν. Εἰκότως δὲ αὐτοὺς οἰκείας εἰκόνος ἀνέμνησε· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑπόδειγμα τοῦ Ἐνὼχ πίστεως ἦν ὑπόδειγμα μόνον, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Νῶε καὶ ἀπιστίας. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἀπηρτισμένη παράκλησις καὶ προτροπὴ, ὅταν μὴ μόνον οἱ πιστεύσαντες εὑρίσκωνται εὐδοκιμοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἀπιστοῦντες τἀναντία πάσχοντες. Τί γάρ φησι; Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Προλεχθὲν ἦν αὐτῷ, φησί. Χρηματισμὸν δὲ τὴν προφητείαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ οὕτως εἶπε· Καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ κεχρηματισμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος· καὶ πάλιν· Καὶ τί λέγει ὁ χρηματισμός; Ὁρᾷς τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸ ἰσότιμον; ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς χρᾷ, οὕτω καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὕτως εἶπεν; Ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι ὁ χρηματισμὸς προφητεία ἐστί. Περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, φησί· τουτέστι, τοῦ ὑετοῦ· Εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτόν. 63.160 Ὁ μὲν λογισμὸς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ὑπέβαλλεν· ἐγάμουν γὰρ καὶ ἐγαμίσκοντο, ἀὴρ ἦν καθαρὸς, σημεῖα οὐκ ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐφοβήθη ἐκεῖνος· διὸ καὶ οὕτως εἶπε· Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Πῶς; ∆ι' ἧς κατέκρινε τὸν κόσμον. Ἔδειξεν αὐτοὺς ἀξίους ὄντας κολάσεως, οἵ γε οὐδὲ διὰ τῆς κατασκευῆς ἐσωφρονίζοντο. Καὶ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν, φησὶ, δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος· τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τούτου δίκαιος ἐφάνη, ἀπὸ τοῦ πιστεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐστι γνησίως πρὸς αὐτὸν διακειμένης, καὶ μηδὲν πιστότερον τῶν αὐτοῦ ῥημάτων εἶναι κρινούσης, ὡσπεροῦν ἡ ἀπιστία τοὐναντίον. Ἡ δὲ πίστις εὔδηλον ὅτι δικαιοσύνην ἐργάζεται. Ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς ἐχρηματίσθημεν περὶ γεέννης, οὕτω κἀκεῖνος. Καίτοι γε ἐγελᾶτο τότε, καὶ ὠνειδίζετο καὶ ἐχλευάζετο· ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸς οὐδὲν τούτων εἶδε. Πίστει καλούμενος Ἀβραὰμ, ὑπήκουσεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὃν ἔμελλε λαμβάνειν εἰς κληρονομίαν· καὶ ἐξῆλθε μὴ ἐπιστάμενος ποῦ ἔρχεται. Πίστει παρῴκησεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ὡς ἀλλοτρίαν, ἐν σκηναῖς κατοικήσας μετὰ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ τῶν συγκληρονόμων τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῆς αὐτῆς, Τίνα γὰρ εἶδεν, ἵνα ζηλώσῃ, εἰπέ μοι; 63.161 πατέρα Ἕλληνα εἶχε καὶ εἰδωλολάτρην, προφητῶν οὐκ ἠκηκόει, οὐδὲ ᾔδει ποῦ ἤρχετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰς τούτους ἑώρων οἱ ἐξ Ἑβραίων πεπιστευκότες, ὡς μυρίων ἀπολαύσαντας ἀγαθῶν, δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐδεὶς οὐδέπω οὐδὲν ἐκομίσατο, ἀλλὰ πάντες εἰσὶν ἀγέραστοι, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς οὐδέπω ἐδέξατο τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Τῆς πατρίδος ἐκεῖνος καὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἐξέπεσε, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν οὐκ εἰδὼς ποῦ ἔρχεται. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ αὐτὸς, ὅπου γε καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ οὕτω κατῴκησεν; Ὁρῶν γοῦν ἐλεγχομένην τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. οὐ κατενάρκησεν· εἶπε γάρ· Σοὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν ταύτην, καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου. Εἶδε τὸν Υἱὸν ἐκεῖ κατοικοῦντα, καὶ ὁ ἔκγονος πάλιν εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ κατοικοῦντα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐθορυβήθη. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εἰκότως ἐγεγόνει, ἅτε μετὰ ταῦτα μελλούσης τῆς ἐπαγγελίας εἰς ἔργον ἐκβήσεσθαι εἰς τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ· καίτοι γε καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἴρητο, ὅτι Σοὶ καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου· οὐ, ∆ιὰ τοῦ σπέρματός σου σοὶ, ἀλλὰ, Σοὶ καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου· καὶ οὔτε αὐτὸς, οὔτε ὁ Ἰσαὰκ, οὔτε ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἀπήλαυσαν τῆς ὑποσχέσεως. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μισθῷ ἐδούλευσεν, ὁ δὲ ἐξηλαύνετο, οὗτος δὲ καὶ ἐξέπιπτε δεδοικώς· καὶ τὰ μὲν εἷλε πολέμῳ, τὰ δὲ, εἰ μὴ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥοπῆς ἔτυχεν, ἀπώλετο ἄν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι Μετὰ τῶν κληρονόμων τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῆς αὐτῆς. Οὐχὶ αὐτὸς μόνος, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ κληρονόμοι. Εἶτα καὶ ἕτερόν τι τῶν εἰρημένων τρανότερον ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας. ∆ύο ἐνταῦθα ζητῆσαι ἄξιον, πῶς εἰπὼν, ὅτι Μετέθηκε τὸν Ἐνὼχ, τοῦ μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον, καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκετο, λέγει· Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον