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49.171 To the magistrates sent by the emperor Theodosius, Hellebichus the general and Caesarius the magister, for the examination of those who had transgressed on account of the statues

destruction. Homily 17. 1. Today we all together have opportunely sung: Blessed be the Lord God

of Israel, who alone does wonderful things. For wonderful and marvelous things have happened; a whole city and so great a populace, on the verge of being submerged and sunk and utterly destroyed all at once, in a single moment of time He has delivered from all the shipwreck. Let us give thanks, therefore, not only because He ended the storm, but also because He allowed it to happen; not only because He delivered us from the shipwreck, but also because He permitted us to fall into so great an agony, and for the danger of utmost extremities to hang over us. For so also Paul commanded to give thanks in all things. And when he says, In everything give thanks, he means this, not only in the release from terrible things, but also in the time of terrible things; For to those who love God all things work together for good. Let us give thanks to Him for the release from trials, and let us never forget these things; let us attend to prayers, to constant supplications, with great reverence. When at the beginning the harsh fire of these evils was kindled, I said that it was not a time for teaching, but a time for prayers; this same thing I also say now, since it has been extinguished, that now is a time for prayers more than before, now is especially a time for tears and compunction and a contrite soul and much zeal and much security. For then the very nature of the afflictions, even against our will, checked us and prepared us to be sober, and led us to greater reverence; but now that the bridle has been removed, and the cloud has passed, there is fear that we may incline toward sloth, that we may become more listless again from the relief, lest someone say even of us: When he slew them, then they sought him, and they returned, and rose early to God. For this reason Moses also exhorted the Jews, saying: When you have eaten and drunk and are full, remember the Lord your God. 49.172.20 Now your gratitude will be revealed, if you remain in the same reverence; for then many reckoned your zeal to be from fear and the imposition of terrible things; but now your good deed will be pure, if you remain maintaining the same zeal. For just as a child, as long as he is led by some strict tutor, and lives with sobriety and propriety, it is nothing wonderful, but all attribute the youth's sobriety to fear of the tutor; but when, having put aside the constraint from there, he remains in the same gravity, then everyone also credits him with the sobriety of his earlier age. Let us do this very thing; let us remain in the same reverence, so that we may also reap much praise from God for our former zeal. We expected countless terrible things, that the property of all would be plundered, that the houses would be burned with their inhabitants, that the city would be snatched from the midst of the inhabited world, and all its remnants would be destroyed, that its soil would receive the plow; but behold, all these things remained only in expectation and did not come to pass. And not only is this wonderful, that God has resolved so great a danger, but that He has also greatly benefited us, and has adorned our city, and through this trial and disaster has made us more proven; and how, I shall tell. When those sent by the emperor for the examination of what had happened convened that fearful tribunal, and called all to account for what had been dared, and there was an expectation of various deaths for all, then the monks dwelling on the mountaintops demonstrated their own philosophy.

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49.171 Εἰς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοὺς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Θεοδοσίου ἀποσταλέντας, Ἐλλέβιχον στρατηλάτην καὶ Καισάριον μάγιστρον, εἰς τὴν τῶν πεπλημμεληκότων ἐξέτασιν διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνδριάντων

καταστροφήν. Ὁμιλία ιζʹ. αʹ. Εἰς καιρὸν ὑπεψήλαμεν ἅπαντες κοινῇ τήμερον· Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς

τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια μόνος. Καὶ γὰρ θαυμαστὰ καὶ παράδοξα γέγονε πράγματα· πόλιν ὁλόκληρον καὶ δῆμον τοσοῦτον καταποντίζεσθαι μέλλοντα καὶ ὑποβρύχιον γίνεσθαι καὶ ἀπόλλυσθαι τέλεον ἀθρόον, ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ τῆς ναυαγίας ἁπάσης ἀπήλλαξεν. Εὐχαριστήσωμεν τοίνυν, μὴ μόνον, ὅτι τὸν χειμῶνα ἔλυσεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν συνεχώρησε· μὴ μόνον ὅτι τῆς ναυαγίας ἡμᾶς ἀπήλλαξεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τοσαύτην ἀγωνίαν καταπεσεῖν ἀφῆκε, καὶ τὸν περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἡμῖν ἐπικρεμασθῆναι κίνδυνον. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐκέλευσεν ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖν. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ, Ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε, τοῦτο λέγει, μὴ μόνον ἐν τῇ λύσει τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν δεινῶν· Τοῖς γὰρ ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθόν. Εὐχαριστήσωμεν αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν λύσιν τῶν πειρασμῶν, καὶ μὴ ἐπιλαθώμεθα τούτων ποτέ· εὐχαῖς προσέχωμεν, ἱκετηρίαις συνεχέσιν, εὐλαβείᾳ πολλῇ. Ὅτε παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡ χαλεπὴ τῶν κακῶν τούτων ἀνήφθη πυρὰ, ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι καιρὸς διδασκαλίας, ἀλλὰ καιρὸς εὐχῶν· τοῦτο δὴ καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὴ ἐσβέσθη, λέγω, ὅτι νῦν μάλιστα καιρὸς εὐχῶν ἢ πρότερον, νῦν μάλιστα καιρὸς δακρύων καὶ κατανύξεως καὶ ψυχῆς πεπονημένης καὶ πολλῆς σπουδῆς καὶ πολλῆς ἀσφαλείας. Τότε μὲν γὰρ αὐτὴ τῶν θλίψεων ἡ φύσις καὶ ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς συνέστελλε καὶ σωφρονεῖν παρεσκεύαζε, καὶ πρὸς πλείονα ἤγαγεν εὐλάβειαν· νυνὶ δὲ ἀφαιρεθέντος τοῦ χαλινοῦ, καὶ τοῦ νέφους παρελθόντος, δέος, μὴ πρὸς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἀποκλίνωμεν, μὴ χαυνότεροι γενώμεθα πάλιν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνέσεως, μὴ καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν εἴπῃ τις· Ὅτε ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοὺς, τότε ἐξεζήτουν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπέστρεφον, καὶ ὤρθριζον πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Μωϋσῆς Ἰουδαίοις παρῄνει λέγων· Φαγὼν καὶ πιὼν καὶ ἐμπλησθεὶς μνήσθητι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου. 49.172.20 Νῦν ὑμῶν ἡ εὐγνωμοσύνη φανεῖται, ἂν ἐπὶ τῆς εὐλαβείας μένητε τῆς αὐτῆς· τότε μὲν γὰρ πολλοὶ τῷ φόβῳ καὶ τῇ τῶν δεινῶν ἐπαγωγῇ τὴν σπουδὴν ὑμῶν ἐλογίζοντο· νῦν δὲ καθαρὸν ὑμῶν ἔσται τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἂν μείνητε τὴν αὐτὴν διατηροῦντες σπουδήν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ παιδίον, ἕως μὲν ἂν ὑπὸ παιδαγωγοῦ τινος ἄγηται φοβεροῦ, καὶ μετὰ σωφροσύνης καὶ ἐπιεικείας ζῇ, θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τοῦ παιδαγωγοῦ φόβῳ τὴν σωφροσύνην τοῦ νέου λογίζονται πάντες· ὅταν δὲ ἀποθέμενος τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀνάγκην, ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένῃ σεμνότητος, τότε καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας ἡλικίας σωφροσύνην αὐτῷ πάντες λογίζονται. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιήσωμεν· ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένωμεν εὐλαβείας, ἵνα καὶ τῆς προτέρας σπουδῆς πολὺν τὸν ἔπαινον παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καρπωσώμεθα. Μυρία προσεδοκήσαμεν δεινὰ, τὰς οὐσίας διαρπαγήσεσθαι πάντων, τὰ οἰκήματα ἐμπρησθήσεσθαι μετὰ τῶν οἰκούντων, τὴν πόλιν ἐκ μέσης ἀναρπασθήσεσθαι τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ τὰ λείψανα αὐτῆς ἀπολεῖσθαι ἅπαντα, ἄροτρον αὐτῆς τὸ ἔδαφος δέξεσθαι· ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ ταῦτα πάντα ἐπὶ τῆς προσδοκίας ἔστη μόνον καὶ εἰς ἔργον οὐκ ἐξῆλθε. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον ἔλυσεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μεγάλα ἡμᾶς εὐηργέτησε, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν ἐκόσμησε, καὶ διὰ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ τούτου καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς δοκιμωτέρους εἰργάσατο· καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ὅτε οἱ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποσταλέντες ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν γεγενημένων ἐξέτασιν, τὸ φοβερὸν ἐκεῖνο συνεκρότησαν δικαστήριον, καὶ πάντας ἐπὶ τὰς εὐθύνας τῶν τετολμημένων ἐκάλουν, καὶ θανάτων διαφόρων προσδοκία πᾶσιν ἦν, τότε οἱ τὰς ἀκρωρείας τῶν ὀρῶν κατοικοῦντες μοναχοὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπεδείξαντο φιλοσοφίαν.