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becomes yours, that of patience; and that of the Spirit's provision, both anointing you for hope and through it again lightening your labors. Then, that you may learn that not only in your labors and dangers has this grace been present, but it also cooperates in what seem to be the easiest matters, and everywhere brings its own alliance, he added, saying: For what we should pray for as we ought, we do not know. And he said these things, both showing the great providence of the Spirit concerning us, and teaching them not to think that those things are always advantageous which seem so to human reasoning. For since it was likely that they, being scourged, persecuted, suffering countless 60.533 terrible things, would seek relief, and think it profitable for them and to ask this grace from God, he says: Do not by any means think that the things that seem advantageous to you are in fact so. For in this too we need God's help; so weak is man, and in himself nothing. Therefore he also said: For what we should pray for as we ought, we do not know. For so that the disciple might no longer be ashamed of his ignorance, he showed that the teachers were also in the same position. For he did not say, You do not know, but, We do not know. And that he was not saying these things out of modesty, he showed through other examples. For he continually prayed in his prayers to see Rome, and he did not obtain it when he prayed; and for the thorn given him in the flesh, that is, concerning the dangers, he pleaded many times, and completely failed; and Moses in the Old Testament, praying to see Palestine, and Jeremiah supplicating for the Jews, and Abraham interceding for the Sodomites. But the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. What is said is unclear because many of the miracles that happened then have now ceased. Therefore it is necessary to teach you the situation at that time, and so the discourse will then be clearer. What, then, was the situation at that time? God gave various gifts to all who were baptized then, which indeed were also called spirits; For the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, he says. And one had the gift of prophecy, and foretold the future; another of wisdom, and taught the many; another of healings, and healed the sick; another of powers, and raised the dead; another of tongues, and spoke in various languages. And with all these there was also a gift of prayer, which spirit itself also prayed. For since, being ignorant of many things that are expedient for us, we ask for things that are not expedient, the gift of prayer would come upon one of the people then, and he himself would stand and ask on behalf of all for what was for the common advantage of the whole Church, and would instruct the others. So here he calls "spirit" both such a gift, and the soul that receives the gift and intercedes with God and groans. For the one who has been deemed worthy of such a grace, standing with great compunction, with many groanings in his mind, falling down before God, asks for the things that are expedient for all. Of this even now the deacon who offers up the prayers for the people is a symbol. Therefore, indicating this, Paul said: The Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts. Do you see that the discourse is not about the Paraclete, but about the spiritual heart? since if this were not so, it would have been necessary to say: And He that searches the Spirit. But that you may learn that the discourse is about a spiritual person, and one having the gift of prayer, he added: And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit; that is, of the spiritual man; because he makes intercession for the saints according to God. For he does not teach God, who is not ignorant, he says, but this happens so that we may learn to pray for those things which we ought, and to ask from God the things that seem good to Him; for this is what "according to God" means. So this happened both for the sake of the consolation of those who came, and for the best instruction; for He who provides the gifts and gives countless good things was the Paraclete. For all these things, he says, works one and the same Spirit. And of our
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γίνεται σὸν, τὸ τῆς ὑπομονῆς· τὸ δὲ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χορηγίας, εἴς τε τὴν ἐλπίδα σε ἀλείφοντος καὶ δι' αὐτῆς πάλιν τοὺς πόνους σου κουφίζοντος. Εἶτα, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τοῖς πόνοις σου μόνον καὶ τοῖς κινδύνοις παρέστηκεν αὕτη ἡ χάρις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς εὐκολωτάτοις δοκοῦσιν εἶναι συμπράττει, καὶ πανταχοῦ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτῆς εἰσφέρει συμμαχίαν, ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, τήν τε πολλὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος πρόνοιαν ἐμφαίνων τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς, καὶ παιδεύων αὐτοὺς, μὴ πάντως ἐκεῖνα νομίζειν εἶναι συμφέροντα, ἃ τοῖς λογισμοῖς φαίνεται τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἦν εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς μαστιζομένους, ἐλαυνομένους, μυρία 60.533 πάσχοντας δεινὰ, ἄνεσιν ζητεῖν, καὶ νομίζειν αὐτοῖς λυσιτελεῖν καὶ ταύτην αἰτεῖν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν χάριν, λέγει· Μὴ πάντως τὰ δοκοῦντα ὑμῖν εἶναι συμφέροντα, ταῦτα καὶ εἶναι νομίζετε. Καὶ γὰρ εἰς τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δεόμεθα βοηθείας· οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀσθενὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν οὐδέν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μηκέτι ὁ μαθητὴς αἰσχύνηται τὴν ἄγνοιαν, ἔδειξε καὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὄντας. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Οὐκ οἴδατε, ἀλλ', Οὐκ οἴδαμεν. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ μετριάζων ταῦτα ἔλεγεν, ἐδήλωσε δι' ἑτέρων. Καὶ γὰρ ἀδιαλείπτως ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν Ῥώμην ἰδεῖν ἐδεῖτο, καὶ οὐχ ὅτε ἐδεῖτο, τότε ἐπέτυχε· καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ σκόλοπος τοῦ δεδομένου αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ, τουτέστι, ὑπὲρ τῶν κινδύνων πολλάκις παρεκάλεσε, καὶ ὁλοσχερῶς ἀπέτυχε· καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς δὲ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν Παλαιστίνην ἰδεῖν δεόμενος, καὶ ὁ Ἱερεμίας ὑπὲρ Ἰουδαίων ἱκετεύων, καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ὑπὲρ Σοδομιτῶν ἐντυγχάνων. Ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπερεντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις. Ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τὸ πολλὰ τῶν τότε γινομένων θαυμάτων πεπαῦσθαι νῦν. ∆ιόπερ ἀναγκαῖον διδάξαι ὑμᾶς τὴν τότε κατάστασιν, καὶ οὕτω σαφέστερος λοιπὸν ἔσται ὁ λόγος. Τίς οὖν ἡ τότε κατάστασις ἦν; ∆ιάφορα πᾶσι τοῖς τότε βαπτιζομένοις ἐδίδου χαρίσματα ὁ Θεὸς, ἃ δὴ καὶ πνεύματα ἐκαλεῖτο· Πνεύματα γὰρ προφητῶν προφήταις ὑποτάσσεται, φησί. Καὶ ὁ μὲν εἶχε προφητείας χάρισμα, καὶ προέλεγε τὰ μέλλοντα· ὁ δὲ σοφίας, καὶ ἐδίδασκε τοὺς πολλούς· ὁ δὲ ἰαμάτων, καὶ ἐθεράπευε τοὺς νοσοῦντας· ὁ δὲ δυνάμεων, καὶ ἤγειρε τοὺς νεκρούς· ὁ δὲ γλωσσῶν, καὶ διαφόροις ἐλάλει φωναῖς. Μετὰ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων ἦν καὶ εὐχῆς χάρισμα, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα ηὔχετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὰ τῶν συμφερόντων ἡμῖν ἀγνοοῦντες, τὰ μὴ συμφέροντα αἰτοῦμεν, ἤρχετο χάρισμα εὐχῆς εἰς ἕνα τινὰ τῶν τότε, καὶ τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἁπάσης αὐτός τε ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ἵστατο αἰτῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπαίδευε. Πνεῦμα τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ τό τε χάρισμα τὸ τοιοῦτον, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν δεχομένην τὸ χάρισμα καὶ ἐντυγχάνουσαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ στενάζουσαν. Ὁ γὰρ τοιαύτης καταξιωθεὶς χάριτος, ἑστὼς μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κατανύξεως, μετὰ πολλῶν τῶν στεναγμῶν τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν τῷ Θεῷ προσπίπτων, τὰ συμφέροντα πᾶσιν αἰτεῖ. Οὗ καὶ νῦν σύμβολόν ἐστιν ὁ διάκονος τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου ἀναφέρων εὐχάς. Τοῦτο τοίνυν δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις. Ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐ περὶ τοῦ Παρακλήτου ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς καρδίας τῆς πνευματικῆς; ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, ἔδει εἰπεῖν· Ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι περὶ ἀνθρώπου ὁ λόγος πνευματικοῦ, καὶ χάρισμα ἔχοντος εὐχῆς, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας, οἶδε τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος· τουτέστι, τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ· ὅτι κατὰ Θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων. Οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοοῦντα, φησὶ, διδάσκει τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο γίνεται, ἵνα ἡμεῖς μάθωμεν εὔχεσθαι ταῦτα ἃ χρὴ, καὶ αἰτεῖν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ δοκοῦντα αὐτῷ· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Κατὰ Θεόν. Ὥστε καὶ παρακλήσεως ἕνεκεν ἐγίνετο τοῦτο τῶν προσιόντων, καὶ διδασκαλίας ἀρίστης· καὶ γὰρ ὁ παρέχων καὶ τὰ χαρίσματα καὶ τὰ μυρία διδοὺς ἀγαθὰ, ὁ Παράκλητος ἦν. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα, φησὶν, ἐνεργεῖ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα. Καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας