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see only, but also the gain from thanksgiving. If we so regulate ourselves, nothing of the terrible things that befall us will grieve us, but we will also gain from those things that seem to be grievous, and loss of wealth, and grief of pleasure and gladness, and insolence of honor will be sweeter and more desirable, and all contrary things will turn out to our gain; and here we shall enjoy much calm, and there we shall attain the kingdom of heaven; of which may we all be counted worthy, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. 49.161.30 When a raid against the magistrate was rumored, and all were deliberating about flight, when the magistrate entered the church and

exhorted, the present homily was delivered; and concerning not swearing; and on the saying of the Apostle, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Homily

16. 1. I praised the magistrate for his solicitude, because the city being in an uproar

seeing and everyone deliberating about flight, he came in and exhorted you and led you to good hopes; but on your behalf I was ashamed and I blushed, that you needed consolation from outside after those many and long discourses. I prayed for the earth to open up for me and to sink down, when I heard him reasoning with you, at one moment consoling, at another blaming this untimely and irrational cowardice. For you ought not to have been taught by him, but you ought to have become teachers for all the unbelievers. For Paul did not permit to be judged by unbelievers; but you needed teachers from outside after so much exhortation from the fathers, and some runaways and scoundrels stirred up such a great city and put it to flight. With what eyes shall we henceforth look upon the unbelievers, being so fearful of noise and cowardly? With what tongue shall we converse with them, and persuade them to be courageous in the face 49.162 of impending terrors, having become more cowardly than any hare through this agony? And what are we to do?, he says. For we are human. For this very reason, therefore, you ought not to be disturbed, because we are human, and not irrational creatures. Those are scared away by every noise and sound; for they do not have reason that is able to drive away fear; but you, who are honored with speech and reason, how do you fall into their ignobility? Has someone entered, has he announced an attack of soldiers? Do not be disturbed, but leaving him, bend your knees, beseech your Master, groan bitterly, and he will ward off the terrible thing. You, for your part, hearing a false report of an attack of soldiers, were in danger of being torn from this present life; but that blessed Job, hearing messengers coming one after another and reporting terrible things, and adding the unbearable loss of his children, did not cry out, did not groan, but turned to prayer, and gave thanks to the Master. Imitate him, you also; and when someone comes and reports that soldiers have surrounded the city and are about to plunder the properties, flee to your Master, and say: The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so also it has happened; may the name of the Lord be blessed for ever. 49.163 The trial of the events did not frighten him, but does the mere report frighten you? And of what account would we be worthy, we who have been commanded even to despise death, and are so terrified by a false rumor? He who is disturbed creates even the fear that does not exist and the turmoil that is not apparent; but he who is in a state of calm and tranquility of soul dissolves even that which does exist. Do you not see those

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ἴδῃς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κέρδος τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχαριστίας. Ἂν οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ῥυθμίζωμεν, οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς λυπήσει τῶν ἐμπιπτόντων δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κερδανοῦμεν ἀπὸ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι λυπηρῶν, καὶ ζημία πλούτου, καὶ λύπη ἡδονῆς καὶ εὐφροσύνης, καὶ ὕβρις τιμῆς ἡδίων ἔσται καὶ ποθεινοτέρα, καὶ τὰ ἐναντία πάντα εἰς κέρδος ἡμῖν ἀποβήσεται· καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλῆς ἀπολαυσόμεθα τῆς γαλήνης, κἀκεῖ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιτευξόμεθα· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀξιωθῆναι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 49.161.30 Φημισθείσης εἰς τὸν ἄρχοντα πραίδας, καὶ πάντων περὶ φυγῆς βουλευομένων, τοῦ ἄρχοντος εἰσελθόντος εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ

παρακαλέσαντος, ἐλέχθη ἡ παροῦσα ὁμιλία· καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ ὀμνύναι· καὶ εἰς τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, Παῦλος δέσμιος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὁμιλία

ιςʹ. αʹ. Τὸν ἄρχοντα μὲν ἐπῄνεσα τῆς κηδεμονίας, ὅτι τεθορυβημένην τὴν πόλιν

ἰδὼν καὶ πάντας περὶ φυγῆς βουλευομένους, εἰσελθὼν παρεκάλεσέ τε ὑμᾶς καὶ εἰς χρηστὰς ἤγαγεν ἐλπίδας· ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν δὲ ᾐσχύνθην καὶ ἠρυθρίασα, ὅτι τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐδεήθητε παρακλήσεως μετὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ μακροὺς λόγους ἐκείνους. Ηὐξάμην διαστῆναί μοι τὴν γῆν καὶ καταδῦναι, ὅτε ἤκουον αὐτοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς διαλεγομένου, καὶ νῦν μὲν παραμυθουμένου, νῦν δὲ αἰτιωμένου τὴν ἄκαιρον ταύτην καὶ ἄλογον δειλίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ὑμᾶς παρ' ἐκείνου διδάσκεσθαι ἔδει, ἀλλ' ὑμᾶς τοῖς ἀπίστοις ἅπασι γίνεσθαι διδασκάλους. Οὐ γὰρ δικάζεσθαι παρὰ τοῖς ἀπίστοις ὁ Παῦλος ἐπέτρεψε· σὺ δὲ διδασκάλων τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐδεήθης μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην τῶν πατέρων παραίνεσιν, καὶ δραπέται καὶ μαστιγίαι τινὲς πόλιν τοσαύτην ἀνεπτέρωσαν καὶ εἰς φυγὴν ἐνέβαλον. Ποίοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀντιβλέψομεν λοιπὸν τοὺς ἀπίστους, οὕτω ψοφοδεεῖς ὄντες καὶ δειλοί; ποίᾳ γλώττῃ πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαλεξόμεθα, καὶ πείσομεν θαῤῥεῖν ὑπὲρ 49.162 τῶν ἐπιόντων δεινῶν, λαγωοῦ παντὸς δειλότεροι διὰ τῆς ἀγωνίας γενόμενοι ταύτης; Καὶ τί πάθωμεν, φησίν; Ἄνθρωποι γάρ ἐσμεν. ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο οὐ χρὴ θορυβεῖσθαι, ἐπειδὴ ἄνθρωποί ἐσμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἄλογα. Ἐκεῖνα ἀπὸ ψόφων καὶ κτύπων ἅπαντα σοβεῖται· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει λογισμὸν τὸν δυνάμενον ἀποκρούσασθαι τὸ δέος· σὺ δὲ λόγῳ καὶ λογισμῷ τετιμημένος, πῶς εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων καταπίπτεις δυσγένειαν; Εἰσῆλθέ τις, ἀπήγγειλεν ἔφοδον στρατιωτῶν; μὴ θορυβηθῇς, ἀλλ' ἀφεὶς αὐτὸν, κλῖνον τὰ γόνατα, τὸν ∆εσπότην σου παρακάλεσον, στέναξον πικρὸν, καὶ ἀποκρούσεται τὸ δεινόν. Σὺ μὲν στρατιωτῶν ἔφοδον ἀκούσας οὐκ ἀληθῆ, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἐκινδύνευσας ἀποῤῥαγῆναι τῆς παρούσης· ὁ δὲ μακάριος Ἰὼβ ἐκεῖνος ἐπαλλήλων ἀγγέλων ἐρχομένων, καὶ τὰ δεινὰ ἀπαγγελλόντων ἀκούων, καὶ προσθέντων τὴν ἀφόρητον τῶν παίδων ἀπώλειαν, οὐκ ἀνῴμωξεν, οὐκ ἐστέναξεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ προσευχὴν ἐτρέπετο, καὶ ηὐχαρίστει τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. Τοῦτον καὶ σὺ μίμησαι· καὶ ὅταν ἐλθών τις ἀπαγγείλῃ ὅτι στρατιῶται τὴν πόλιν ἐκύκλωσαν καὶ τὰς οὐσίας διαρπάζειν μέλλουσι, πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην σου κατάφυγε, καὶ εἰπέ· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλατο· ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. 49.163 Ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἐφόβησεν ἡ πεῖρα τῶν πραγμάτων, σὲ καὶ ἡ ἀκοὴ μόνη πτοεῖ; Καὶ τίνος ἂν εἴημεν ἄξιοι λόγου, οἱ καὶ θανάτου κατατολμᾷν κελευσθέντες, καὶ ὑπὸ φήμης ψευδοῦς οὕτω πτοούμενοι; Ὁ θορυβούμενος καὶ τὸν οὐκ ὄντα φόβον συνίστησι καὶ ταραχὴν τὴν μὴ φαινομένην· ὁ δὲ ἐν καταστάσει καὶ γαλήνῃ ψυχῆς ὢν καὶ τὸν ὄντα διαλύει. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς