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if one should mention what is called among them a fossaton, he will not look for splendid buildings. For who, tell me, even if he is very wealthy, will choose to build splendid houses upon the so-called fossaton? Not one; for he will be a laughing-stock, and he will be building for his enemies, and will rather attract them; so that if we are sober, neither will we. This present life differs in no way from a military campaign and a fossaton. Therefore I beseech you, let us do all things so as to treasure up nothing here; for if the thief should come, we shall quickly be forced to move on. Watch, he says, for you know not what hour the thief comes; thus calling death. Before he comes, therefore, let us send everything away to our own fatherland. And here let us be well-girded, that we may be able to overcome our enemies; having overcome whom, may we be deemed worthy on the day of crowns of incorruptible glory, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, and the rest. 62.167 HOMILY 24. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 1. Having girded, he says, your loins with truth. What does this mean? It was said by us in the previous discourse, that we must be so well-equipped, as to have no impediment to running. And having put on, he says, the breastplate of righteousness. Just as the breastplate is invulnerable, so also is righteousness. By righteousness here he means the universal and virtuous life. Such a one no one will ever be able to strike down, but many may wound, yet no one cuts through, not even the devil himself. As one might say, taking to heart righteous matters. Concerning these things 62.168.40 Christ says: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. He who has taken this to heart is as strong as a breastplate; such a one will never be angered. And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This is said rather obscurely. What then is it? He has put fine greaves on us, the preparation of the Gospel. Or at least he means this, that we should be ready for the Gospel, and to use our feet for this purpose, and to prepare its way and make it ready; or if not this, that we ourselves should be ready for our departure. The preparation of the Gospel, therefore, is nothing other than an excellent life. As the Prophet said, Your ear has attended to the preparation of their heart, that is, their readiness. Of the gospel, he says, of peace; with good reason. For since he mentioned war and battle, he shows that the battle must be with the demons; for the Gospel is of peace. That war destroys another wa 62.169 r, the one against God; if we war against the devil, we are at peace with God. Fear not, therefore, beloved, it is the Gospel; the victory has already been won. Above all, taking up the shield of faith. By faith here, he does not mean knowledge, for he would not have ranked it last, but the gift by which miracles are performed. And with good reason he calls faith a shield; for just as that is held before the whole body, being like a wall, so indeed is faith; for all things yield to it. With which you will be able, he says, to quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. For nothing can break through this shield. For hear Christ saying to his disciples: If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. And how shall we have faith? When we have performed those other things correctly. By darts of the evil one he means both temptations and unseemly desires. And he rightly added, The flaming ones. for such are desires. And if faith has commanded demons, much more also the passions of the soul. And the

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εἴποι τις τὸ λεγόμενον παρ' αὐτοῖς φωσσάτον, οὐ ζητήσει οἰκοδομὰς λαμπράς. Τίς γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, κἂν σφόδρα εὔπορος ᾖ, αἱρήσεται ἐπὶ τοῦ λεγομένου φωσσάτου οἰκοδομεῖν οἰκίας λαμπράς; Οὐδὲ εἷς· κατάγελως γὰρ ἔσται, καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς οἰκοδομήσει, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἐπισπάσεται· ὥστε ἐὰν νήφωμεν, οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς. Οὐδὲν στρατείας καὶ φωσσάτου ὁ παρὼν βίος διενήνοχε. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ, πάντα πράττωμεν, ὥστε μηδὲν ἐνταῦθα θησαυρίζειν· ἂν γὰρ ἔλθῃ ὁ κλέπτων, ταχέως ἀπαναστησόμεθα. Γρηγορεῖτε, φησὶν, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ ὁ κλέπτης ἔρχεται· τὸν θάνατον οὕτω καλῶν. Πρὶν ἢ τοίνυν ἔλθῃ, πάντα ἀποπέμπωμεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα τὴν ἡμετέραν. Ὧδε δὲ εὔζωνοι ὦμεν, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν περιγενέσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν· ὧν γένοιτο περιγεγονότας ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῶν στεφάνων τῆς ἀφθάρτου δόξης ἀξιωθῆναι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 62.167 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Κ∆ʹ. Στῆτε οὖν περιζωσάμενοι τὴν ὀσφὺν ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ὑποδησάμενοι τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης, ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως, ἐν ᾧ δυνήσεσθε πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ Πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβέσαι, καὶ τὴν περικεφαλαίαν τοῦ σωτηρίου δέξασθε, καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ. αʹ. Περιζωσάμενοι, φησὶ, τὴν ὀσφὺν ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστιν; Εἴρηται ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ πρὸ ταύτης διαλέξει, ὅτι δεῖ οὕτως εὐσταλεῖς εἶναι, ὡς μηδὲν ἐμπόδιον εἶναι πρὸς τὸ τρέχειν. Καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι, φησὶ, τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης. Καθάπερ ὁ θώραξ ἄτρωτός ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη. ∆ικαιοσύνην δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸν καθόλου καὶ ἐνάρετόν φησι βίον. Τὸν τοιοῦτον οὐδεὶς οὐδέποτε δυνήσεται καταβαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ τιτρώσκουσι μὲν πολλοὶ, διατέμνει δὲ οὐδεὶς, οὐκ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος. Ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐνστερνισάμενοι τὰ δίκαια πράγματα. Περὶ τούτων 62.168.40 φησὶν ὁ Χριστός· Μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χορτασθήσονται. Ὁ ταύτην ἐνστερνισάμενος οὕτως ἐστὶν ἰσχυρὸς, ὡς θώραξ· ὁ τοιοῦτος οὐδέποτε ὀργισθήσεται. Καὶ ὑποδησάμενοι τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης. Ἀσαφέστερόν πως τοῦτο εἴρηται. Τί οὖν ἐστι; Καλὰς ἡμῖν τὰς κνημῖδας περιέθηκε, τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἑτοιμασίαν. Ἢ τοῦτο γοῦν φησιν, ὥστε ἑτοίμους εἶναι πρὸς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο τοῖς ποσὶ κεχρῆσθαι, καὶ προπαρασκευάζειν αὐτοῦ ὁδὸν καὶ προετοιμάζειν· ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἑτοίμους εἶναι πρὸς τὴν ἔξοδον. Ἡ τοίνυν ἑτοιμασία τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου οὐκ ἄλλο τί ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἢ βίος ἄριστος. Ὅπερ ἔλεγεν ὁ Προφήτης, Τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν τῆς καρδίας αὑτῶν προσέσχε τὸ οὖς σου, τουτέστι, τὸ ἐμπαράσκευον. Τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, φησὶ, τῆς εἰρήνης· εἰκότως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολέμου ἐμνήσθη καὶ μάχης, δείκνυσιν ὅτι τὴν μάχην πρὸς τοὺς δαίμονας ἔχειν δεῖ· τὸ γὰρ Εὐαγγέλιον, εἰρήνης ἐστίν. Ἐκεῖνος ὁ πόλεμος ἕτερον κα 62.169 ταλύει πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· ἂν τῷ διαβόλῳ πολεμῶμεν, εἰρηνεύομεν τῷ Θεῷ. Μὴ δείσῃς τοίνυν, ἀγαπητὲ, Εὐαγγέλιόν ἐστιν· ἤδη ἡ νίκη γεγένηται. Ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως. Πίστιν ἐνταῦθα, οὐ τὴν γνῶσίν φησιν, οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτὴν ὑστέραν ἔταξεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν χάριν, δι' ἧς τὰ σημεῖα γίνεται. Καὶ εἰκότως τὴν πίστιν ὀνομάζει θυρεόν· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος προβέβληται τοῦ παντὸς σώματος, ὥσπερ τεῖχος ὢν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις· πάντα γὰρ αὐτῇ εἴκει. Ἐν ᾧ δυνήσεσθε, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ Πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβέσαι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ δύναται τοῦτον τὸν θυρεὸν διακόψαι. Ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς· Ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν, ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως, ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ, Μετάβηθι ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖ, καὶ μεταβήσεται. Πῶς δὲ ἕξομεν τὴν πίστιν; Ὅταν ἐκεῖνα κατορθώσωμεν. Βέλη δὲ τοῦ Πονηροῦ καὶ τοὺς πειρασμούς φησι, καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τὰς ἀτόπους. Καλῶς δὲ προσέθηκεν, Τὰ πεπυρωμένα. τοιαῦται γάρ εἰσιν αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι. Εἰ δὲ δαίμοσιν ἐπέταξεν ἡ πίστις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ τοῖς πάθεσι τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ τὴν