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they endured their sufferings, showing that they seek another country. Alas, how great a difference! Those men were in pain every day, wishing to be released from here and to return to their own country; but we are the opposite. For if a fever attacks, casting everything aside, just like little whimpering children, we fear death; and we suffer this with good reason. For since we do not live here as strangers, nor do we hasten toward our country, but are as if going away to punishment, for this reason we are in pain, because we have not used things as 63.169 we ought, but have inverted the order; for this reason we lament, when we ought to rejoice, for this reason we shudder, just like certain murderers and robber chiefs, about to stand before a tribunal, and reckoning up all that they have done, and for this reason fearing and trembling. But those men were not such, but they hastened on; and Paul even groaned. And hear him saying, For we who are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. Such were those around Abraham; strangers, it says, they were in the whole world, and they sought a country. What kind of country? The one they had left? Not at all; for what hindered them, if they wanted, from returning again, and becoming citizens? But they were seeking that which is in the heavens. Thus they hastened to their departure from here, and thus they pleased God; wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God. Alas, what a great honor! He condescended to be called their God. What do you say? He is called God of the earth, and God of heaven, and you have put it as something great that He is not ashamed to be called their God? Great, and truly great, and a proof of much blessedness is this. How? Because He is called God of earth and heaven in the same way as He is of the Greeks, and God of heaven and earth because He created and made them; but of those saints not so, but as a true friend. I will make it clear to you by an example. For instance, in great houses, when some of those who preside over the house are in high favor, and in very high favor, and manage everything themselves, and have great boldness with their masters, the master is called by their names; and one might find many so called. But what am I saying? Just as it was possible to say, The God, not of the nations, but of the world; so it was possible to say, The God of Abraham. But you do not know how great this honor is, since we do not even obtain it. For just as now the Lord is called the God of all Christians, and yet the name surpasses our worth; but if he were called the God of one man, consider how great the magnitude. The God of the world is not ashamed to be called the God of three, and reasonably so; for the saints are a counterpoise not of the world, but of ten thousand such worlds. For one who does the will of the Lord is better than ten thousand transgressors. That they thus called themselves strangers, is clear. Granted, these men said they were strangers because of the foreign land; but what about David? Was he not a king? Was he not a prophet? Did he not live in his own country? For what reason then does he say, I am a stranger and a sojourner? How are you a stranger? As, he says, all my fathers were. Do you see that they also were strangers? We have a country, he says, but not the true country. But how are you a stranger? Of the earth. Therefore they too were of the earth; for as they were, so was he, and as he was, so were they. 3. Let us then become strangers, even now, we too, so that God may not be ashamed of us, to be called our God. For it is a shame to Him, when He is called the God of wicked men, and He Himself is ashamed of them, just as He is glorified, when He is of good and virtuous men who practice virtue. For if we refuse to be called masters of our wicked slaves, and we release them; 63.170 and if someone comes up and says, So-and-so does ten thousand evil things, is he your slave? we immediately say that he is not at all, shaking off the reproach; for there is a relationship of the slave to the master, and the dishonor passes from the one to the other; much more so with God. But those men were so bright, so full of boldness, that not only was He not ashamed to be called by them, but He even said of Himself, that I am the God of Abraham, and the

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πάσχοντες ἔφερον, δεικνύντες ὅτι πατρίδα ἐπιζητοῦσιν ἑτέραν· Βαβαὶ, πόση διαφορά! ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ὤδινον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἀπαλλαγῆναι βουλόμενοι ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν αὑτῶν πατρίδα ἐπανελθεῖν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τοὐναντίον· ἂν γὰρ πυρετὸς ἐμπέσῃ, πάντα ἀφέντες, καθάπερ τὰ παιδία τὰ μικρὰ, τὰ κλαυθμυριζόμενα, τὸν θάνατον δεδοίκαμεν· καὶ εἰκότως τοῦτο πάσχομεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐχ ὡς ξένοι διάγομεν ἐνταῦθα, οὐδὲ ὡς ἐπὶ πατρίδα σπεύδομεν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπὶ κόλασιν ἀπιόντες ἐσμὲν, διὰ τοῦτο ἀλγοῦμεν, ὅτι τοῖς πράγμασιν οὐκ ἐχρησάμεθα εἰς 63.169 δέον, ἀλλὰ τὴν τάξιν ἀντεστρέψαμεν· διὰ τοῦτο ὀδυρόμεθα, ὅτε χαίρειν ἐχρῆν, διὰ τοῦτο φρίττομεν, καθάπερ τινὲς ἀνδροφόνοι καὶ λῄσταρχοι, μέλλοντες δικαστηρίῳ παρίστασθαι, καὶ πάντα λογιζόμενοι ἅπερ ἔπραξαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δεδοικότες καὶ τρέμοντες. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι τοιοῦτοι, ἀλλ' ἠπείγοντο· ὁ δὲ Παῦλος καὶ ἐστέναξε. Καὶ ἄκουε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, Καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ σκήνει ὄντες, στενάζομεν βαρούμενοι. Τοιοῦτοι ἦσαν οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀβραάμ· ξένοι, φησὶν, ἦσαν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης, καὶ πατρίδα ἐζήτουν. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; ἆρα ἣν εἴασαν; Οὐδαμῶς· τί γὰρ ἐκώλυεν αὐτοὺς, εἴ γε ἐβούλοντο, ὑποστρέψαι πάλιν, καὶ γενέσθαι πολῖται; ἀλλ' ἐκείνην ἐζήτουν τὴν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὕτω πρὸς τὴν ἀποδημίαν τὴν ἐνθένδε ἔσπευδον, καὶ οὕτως ἤρεσκον Θεῷ· διὸ οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς Θεὸς καλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν. Βαβαὶ, ὅσον ἀξίωμα! Θεὸς καλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν κατεδέξατο. Τί λέγεις; Θεὸς τῆς γῆς καλεῖται, καὶ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ὡς μέγα τι τέθεικας τὸ οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεσθαι Θεὸς καλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν; Μέγα, καὶ ὄντως μέγα, καὶ πολλῆς μακαριότητος τοῦτο τεκμήριον. Πῶς; Ὅτι γῆς μὲν καὶ οὐρανοῦ οὕτω καλεῖται Θεὸς, ὡς καὶ Ἑλλήνων, καὶ οὐρανοῦ μὲν καὶ γῆς Θεὸς, ᾗ ἔκτισε καὶ ἐδημιούργησεν αὐτά· τῶν δὲ ἁγίων ἐκείνων οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὡς φίλος τις γνήσιος. Ἐπὶ δὲ ὑποδείγματος ὑμῖν αὐτὸ ποιήσω φανερόν. Οἷον ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς μεγάλαις οἰκίαις, ὅταν τινὲς εὐδοκιμῶσι τῶν προεστηκότων τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ σφόδρα εὐδοκιμῶσι, καὶ πάντα αὐτοὶ διέπωσι, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς δεσπότας πολλὴν τὴν παῤῥησίαν ἔχωσιν, ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὁ δεσπότης καλεῖται· καὶ πολλοὺς ἄν τις εὕροι οὕτω καλουμένους. Τί δὲ λέγω; ὥσπερ ἦν εἰπεῖν, Ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχ ὁ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης· οὕτως ἦν εἰπεῖν Ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραάμ. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἴστε ὅσον ἐστὶ τὸἀξίωμα τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ τυγχάνομεν αὐτοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ νῦν ὁ Κύριος τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἁπάντων λέγεται Θεὸς, καὶ ὅμως ὑπερβαίνει τὸ ὄνομα τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀξίαν· εἰ δὲ ἑνὸς κληθείη Θεὸς, ἐννόησον ὅσον τὸ μέγεθος. Ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης Θεὸς οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται τριῶν καλεῖσθαι Θεὸς, εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἀλλὰ μυρίων τοιούτων εἰσὶν ἀντίῤῥοποι οἱ ἅγιοι. Κρείττω γὰρ εἷς ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα Κυρίου, ἢ μυρίοι παράνομοι. Ὅτι δὲ οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ξένους ἐκάλουν, δῆλον. Ἔστω δὲ, οὗτοι διὰ τὴν ξένην ἔλεγον εἶναι ξένοι· τί δαὶ καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ; οὐχὶ βασιλεὺς ἦν; οὐχὶ προφήτης; οὐχὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ πατρίδι διέτριβε; τίνος οὖν ἕνεκέν φησι, Ξένος καὶ παρεπίδημός εἰμι; Πῶς εἶ ξένος; Καθὼς, φησὶ, πάντες οἱ πατέρες μου. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι ξένοι ἦσαν; Ἔχομεν πατρίδα, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν ὄντως πατρίδα. Πῶς δὲ σὺ ξένος; Τῆς γῆς. Οὐκοῦν κἀκεῖνοι τῆς γῆς· καθὼς γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος, καὶ καθὼς οὗτος, οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι. γʹ. Γενώμεθα τοίνυν ξένοι κἂν νῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἵνα μὴ ἐπαισχυνθῇ ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, Θεὸς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι ἡμῶν. Αἰσχύνη γὰρ αὐτῷ, ὅταν ἀνδρῶν πονηρῶν καλῆται Θεὸς, καὶ ἐπαισχύνεται αὐτοὺς καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡσπεροῦν δοξάζεται, ὅταν ἀγαθῶν ᾖ καὶ χρηστῶν καὶ ἀσκούντων ἀρετήν. Εἰ γὰρ ἡμεῖς παραιτούμεθα καλεῖσθαι δεσπόται πονηρῶν ἡμῶν δούλων, καὶ ἀφίεμεν αὐτούς· 63.170 κἂν εἴπῃ τις προσελθὼν, Ὁ δεῖνα μυρία ἐργάζεται κακὰ, ἆρα σὸς δοῦλός ἐστιν; εὐθέως φαμὲν, ὅτι οὐδαμῶς, ἀποτριβόμενοι τὸ ὄνειδος· σχέσις γάρ ἐστι τῷ δούλῳ πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην, καὶ διαβαίνει ἡ ἀδοξία καὶ εἰς τοῦτον ἀπ' ἐκείνου· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι οὕτως ἦσαν λαμπροὶ, οὕτω παῤῥησίας μεστοὶ, ὡς μὴ μόνον αὐτὸν μὴ ἐπαισχύνεσθαι παρ' ἐκείνων καλούμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτὸν λέγειν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ