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through the love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honor, now and for ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 26. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. 1. Many prophets and righteous men, he says, have desired to see the things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things which you hear, and have not heard them. Did the righteous then know all things to come? Yes, certainly. For if the Son was not revealed on account of the weakness of those who were unable to receive him, he was with good reason revealed to those who shone in virtue. This Paul now also says, that they knew the things to come, that is, the resurrection of Christ. Either then he says this, or, when he says, By faith concerning things to come, he speaks not concerning the age to come, but concerning the things that were to happen here afterwards. For if not this, how could a man dwelling in a strange land have been able to give such blessings? how then again did he attain a blessing, and not receive it? Do you see that what I said is true in the case of Abraham and in the case of Jacob, that he did not enjoy the blessing, but the blessings came to his descendants, while he himself obtained the things to come? for we find the 63.178 brother to have enjoyed them more. For the one passed all his time in servitude and bondage and dangers and plots and deceptions and fears, and when asked by Pharaoh he says: Few and evil have my days been; but the other was in great security and authority, and after this he was terrible to him. Where then did the blessings come to pass, but in the future? Do you see that from the beginning the wicked enjoyed the things here, but the righteous the contrary, though not all. For behold, Abraham was righteous and enjoyed the things here also, yet with affliction and temptations; for he had wealth only, since all his other circumstances were full of affliction. For it is not possible for the righteous man not to be afflicted, even if he be rich; for when he is willing to be defrauded, to be wronged, to suffer other things, he must be afflicted. So that even if he enjoys his wealth, it is not without grief. Why so? Because he is in affliction and pain. But if the righteous were in affliction then, much more now. By faith concerning things to come, he says, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. And yet Esau was the greater; but he prefers Jacob for his virtue. Do you see that this was faith? For from where did he promise such great goods to his sons, if not from believing in God completely? By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph. Here one must place all the blessings, that both his faith and his prophecy may become manifest. And he worshipped, he says, on the top of his staff. Here 63.179 he shows, that he not only spoke, but was so confident in the things to come, as to show it even by his action. For since another king was to arise from Ephraim, for this reason he says: And he worshipped on the top of his staff. That is, even when he was already an old man he worshipped Joseph, signifying the worship of the whole people that would be given to him. And this had already come to pass, when his brothers worshipped him; but it was to come to pass also later through the ten tribes. Do you see how he foretold the things that were to come later? Do you see how much faith they had? how they believed concerning the things to come? For here are present examples of patience only, and of suffering evil, and of receiving no good thing, as in the case of Abraham, as in the case of Abel; but also of faith, as in the case of Noah, that God exists, that there is a reward. For faith is a word of many meanings; and sometimes it signifies this, and sometimes that; but here it is significant both of there being a reward, and of not upon

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φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΣΤʹ. Πίστει καὶ περὶ μελλόντων ηὐλόγησεν Ἰσαὰκ τὸν Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸν Ἡσαῦ.

Πίστει Ἰακὼβ ἀποθνήσκων ἕκαστον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰωσὴφ ηὐλόγησε, καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ. Πίστει Ἰωσὴφ τελευτῶν, περὶ τῆς ἐξό δου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ περὶ τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτοῦ ἐνετείλατο. αʹ. Πολλοὶ, φησὶ, προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε, καὶ οὐκ εἶδον, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ ἀκούετε, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν. Ἆρα πάντα τὰ μέλλοντα ᾔδεσαν οἱ δίκαιοι; Καὶ σφόδρα. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν μὴ δυναμένων αὐτὸν δέξασθαι, οὐκ ἀπεκαλύπτετο ὁ Υἱὸς, τοῖς ἐν ἀρετῇ διαλάμπουσιν εἰκότως ἀπεκαλύπτετο. Τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, ὅτι τὰ μέλλοντα ᾔδεσαν, τουτέστι, τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἢ οὖν τοῦτό φησι, ἢ τὸ, Πίστει περὶ μελλόντων, οὐ περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα μελλόντων ὕστερον γίνεσθαι, λέγει. Ἂν γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο, πῶς ἄνθρωπος καθήμενος ἐν ξένῃ, τοιαύτας εὐλογίας ἠδύνατο διδόναι; πῶς δαὶ πάλιν ἐπέτυχεν εὐλογίας, καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβεν αὐτήν; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὅπερ ἔφην ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπώνατο τῆς εὐλογίας, ἀλλ' εἰς ἐκγόνους ἐξῆλθε τὰ τῶν εὐλογιῶν, αὐτὸς δὲ τῶν μελλόντων ἔτυχεν; εὑρίσκομεν γὰρ τὸν 63.178 ἀδελφὸν μᾶλλον ἀπολελαυκότα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν δουλείᾳ καὶ θητείᾳ καὶ κινδύνοις καὶ ἐπιβουλαῖς καὶ ἀπάταις καὶ φόβοις τὸν ἅπαντα διεγένετο χρόνον, ἐρωτώμενός τε παρὰ τοῦ Φαραὼ φησί· Μικραὶ καὶ πονηραὶ αἱ ἡμέραι μου γεγόνασιν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐν ἀδείᾳ καὶ αὐθεντίᾳ πολλῇ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἦν αὐτῷ φοβερός. Ποῦ οὖν ἐξέβησαν αἱ εὐλογίαι, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἄνωθεν οἱ πονηροὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἀπήλαυον· οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι τοὐναντίον, οὐ μὴν πάντες. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ δίκαιος ἦν καὶ ἀπήλαυσε καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα, πλὴν μετὰ θλίψεως καὶ πειρασμῶν· καὶ γὰρ πλοῦτος ἦν αὐτῷ μόνον, ἐπεὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα θλίψεως ἔγεμε τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι τὸν δίκαιον μὴ θλίβεσθαι, κἂν πλουτῇ· ὅταν γὰρ βούληται πλεονεκτεῖσθαι, ἀδικεῖσθαι, τὰ ἄλλα πάσχειν, ἀνάγκη θλίβεσθαι. Ὥστε κἂν ἀπολαύῃ τοῦ πλούτου, οὐκ ἀλύπως. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι ἐν θλίψει ἐστὶ καὶ ὀδύνῃ. Εἰ δὲ τότε ἐν θλίψει οἱ δίκαιοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν. Πίστει περὶ μελλόντων, φησὶν, εὐλόγησεν Ἰσαὰκ τὸν Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸν Ἡσαῦ. Καίτοι γε μείζων ἦν ὁ Ἡσαῦ· ἀλλὰ προτίθησιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν Ἰακώβ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἦν ἡ πίστις; Πόθεν γὰρ ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς υἱοῖς τὰ τοσαῦτα ἀγαθὰ, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ πιστεύειν τῷ Θεῷ πάντως; Πίστει Ἰακὼβ ἀποθνήσκων ἕκαστον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰωσὴφ εὐλόγησεν. Ἐνταῦθα χρὴ θεῖναι τὰς εὐλογίας ὅλας, ἵνα καὶ ἡ πίστις καὶ ἡ προφητεία αὐτοῦ κατάδηλος γένηται. Καὶ προσεκύνησε, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ. Ἐνταῦθα 63.179 δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἐθάῤῥει τοῖς ἐσομένοις, ὡς καὶ τῷ ἔργῳ αὐτῷ ἐπιδεῖξαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ ἀνίστασθαι βασιλεὺς ἕτερος, διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστι, καὶ γέρων ὢν ἤδη προσεκύνει τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, τὴν παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ προσκύνησιν δηλῶν τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτῷ. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐξέβη μὲν ἤδη, ὅτε αὐτῷ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ προσεκύνησαν· ἐκβήσεσθαι δὲ ἔμελλε καὶ ὕστερον διὰ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τὰ ὕστερον ἐσόμενα προεῖπεν; Ὁρᾷς ὅσην εἶχον πίστιν; πῶς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐσομένων ἐπίστευον; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὑπομονῆς ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν ὑποδείγματα μόνης, τὰ παρόντα, καὶ τοῦ παθεῖν κακῶς, καὶ τοῦ μηδὲν ἀπολαμβάνειν ἀγαθὸν, οἷον τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἄβελ· τὰ δὲ πίστεως, οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε, ὅτι ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι ἔστιν ἀνταπόδοσις. Ἡ πίστις γὰρ πολύσημός ἐστι λέξις· καὶ νῦν μὲν τοῦτο, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνο σημαίνει· ἐνταῦθα δὲ σημαντική ἐστι τοῦ τε εἶναι ἀνταπόδοσιν, καὶ τοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ