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walks, nor being proclaimed before other cities, but the virtue and piety of its inhabitants, this is both the dignity and ornament and security of a city, so that if this is not present, it is more worthless than all, even if it should enjoy countless honors from kings. Do you want to learn the dignity of your city? Do you want to know its ancestral glories? I will speak of these things with precision, not only that you may learn, but also that you may emulate. What then is the dignity of our city? It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. This no other city in the world has, not even the city of Romulus itself; for this reason it is able to look in the face of the whole world, because of its love for Christ, because of its boldness, because of that courage. Do you want to hear another dignity and encomium of the city? A most severe famine was once about to occur, and the inhabitants of Antioch determined, each according to his ability, to send relief to the saints who dwelt in Jerusalem. Behold also a second dignity, generosity in famine. The occasion did not restrain them, nor did the expectation of the calamity make them more hesitant; but when all were gathering the goods of others, then they sent forth their own 49.177, not only to those present, but also to those who sat afar off. Have you seen faith in God, and love for one's neighbor? Do you want to learn another dignity of this city? Certain men came down from Judea to Antioch, troubling the preaching, and introducing Judaic observances; they did not bear this innovation in silence, nor did they keep quiet; but having come together and held a church council, they sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, and prepared the apostles to send out pure doctrines everywhere in the world, free from all Judaic weakness. This is the dignity of a city, this its presidency, this makes it a metropolis, not on earth, but in heaven; for all other honors are corruptible and transient, and are dissolved with the present life, and often they come to an end even before the present life, just as they have now. To me, a city that does not have God-loving citizens is more worthless than any village, and more dishonorable than any cave. And what do I say of a city? For that you may learn precisely that virtue alone adorns the inhabitants, I say nothing to you of a city, but I shall try to demonstrate this by bringing into our midst that which is more august than any city, the temple of God in Jerusalem. For this was the temple, in which were sacrifices and prayers and services, where was the Holy of holies, and the cherubim, and the covenant, and the golden pot, the great symbols of God's providence for that race, where continuous oracles were brought from above, where inspired prophets arose, where the design was the work not of human art, but of the wisdom of God, where the walls on all sides shone with much gold, and where to an extreme degree both the costliness of the material and the precision of the art came together to show such a temple, the only one of its kind on earth at that time; or rather not only the precision of art, but also the wisdom of God took part in that building. For not from home, nor from himself, but having learned everything from God, Solomon, having brought down the plan from heaven, thus designed and raised it. But nevertheless this beautiful and wonderful and holy temple, when those who used it were corrupted, was so dishonored and despised, and became profane, that even before its capture it was called a den of robbers, and a hyena's den; and after this it was delivered into barbarian and unclean and profane hands. Do you wish to learn this same thing also concerning cities? What was more splendid than the cities in Sodom? for they had splendid houses and buildings, and walls, and a rich and fertile land, resembling the paradise of God; but the hut of Abraham was mean and small, and had no security; but when a barbarian war once occurred, the barbarians both razed and captured the walled cities, and the inhabitants

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περιπάτους, οὐδὲ τὸ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναγορεύεσθαι πόλεων, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν ἐνοικούντων ἀρετὴ καὶ εὐσέβεια, τοῦτο καὶ ἀξίωμα καὶ κόσμος καὶ ἀσφάλεια πόλεως, ὡς ἂν μὴ τοῦτο ᾖ, πάντων ἐστὶν εὐτελεστέρα, κἂν μυρίας παρὰ βασιλέων ἀπολαύῃ τιμῆς. Βούλει μαθεῖν σου τῆς πόλεως τὸ ἀξίωμα; βούλει τὰ πάτρια αὐτῆς εἰδέναι; Ἐγὼ ταῦτα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐρῶ, οὐχ ἵνα μάθῃς μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ζηλώσῃς. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τῆς παρ' ἡμῖν πόλεως τὸ ἀξίωμα; Ἐγένετο πρῶτον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τοὺς μαθητὰς χρηματίσαι Χριστιανούς. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδεμία τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἔχει πόλεων, οὐδ' αὐτὴ ἡ Ῥωμύλου πόλις· διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀντιβλέψαι δύναται, διὰ τὸ φίλτρον τὸ περὶ τὸν Χριστὸν, διὰ τὴν παῤῥησίαν, διὰ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐκείνην. Βούλει καὶ ἕτερον ἀκοῦσαι τῆς πόλεως ἀξίωμα καὶ ἐγκώμιον; Λιμός ποτε χαλεπώτατος ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ὥρισαν, καθὼς ηὐπορεῖτό τις, πέμψαι πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις. Ἰδοὺ καὶ δεύτερον ἀξίωμα, ἡ ἐν λιμῷ φιλοφροσύνη. Οὐ συνέστειλεν αὐτοὺς ὁ καιρὸς, οὐδὲ ὀκνηροτέρους ἐποίησεν ἡ τῆς συμφορᾶς προσδοκία· ἀλλ' ὅτε πάντες τὰ ἑτέρων συλλέγουσι, τότε αὐτοὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν 49.177 προΐεντο, οὐχὶ τοῖς παροῦσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πόῤῥω καθημένοις. Εἶδες πίστιν περὶ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἀγάπην τὴν περὶ τὸν πλησίον; Βούλει καὶ ἕτερον μαθεῖν τῆς πόλεως ταύτης ἀξίωμα; Κατῆλθόν τινες ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν ἐπιθολοῦντες τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ Ἰουδαϊκὰς παρεισάγοντες παρατηρήσεις· οὐκ ἤνεγκαν σιγῇ τὴν καινοτομίαν ἐκεῖνοι, οὐδὲ ἡσύχασαν· ἀλλὰ συνελθόντες καὶ ἐκκλησίαν ποιήσαντες, εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἔπεμψαν Παῦλον καὶ Βαρνάβαν, καὶ παρεσκεύασαν τοὺς ἀποστόλους καθαρὰ δόγματα, πάσης Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀπηλλαγμένα ἀσθενείας, πανταχοῦ διαπέμψασθαι τῆς οἰκουμένης. Τοῦτο πόλεως ἀξίωμα, τοῦτο προεδρία, τοῦτο μητρόπολιν αὐτὴν ποιεῖ, οὐκ ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· ὡς αἵ γε ἄλλαι πᾶσαι τιμαὶ φθαρταὶ καὶ ἐπίκηροι, καὶ τῷ παρόντι συγκαταλύονται βίω, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ παρόντος βίου τέλος λαμβάνουσι, καθάπερ οὖν καὶ νῦν ἔλαβον. Ἐμοὶ πόλις μὴ ἔχουσα πολίτας θεοφιλεῖς πάσης κώμης ἐστὶν εὐτελεστέρα, καὶ σπηλαίου παντὸς ἀτιμοτέρα. Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ πόλεως; Ἵνα γὰρ μάθῃς ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι ἀρετὴ μόνη κοσμεῖ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, οὐδέν σοι λέγω περὶ πόλεως, ἀλλ' ὃ πάσης πόλεώς ἐστι σεμνότερον, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ναὸν τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις εἰς μέσον ἐνεγκὼν τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι πειράσομαι. Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ναὸς, ἐν ᾧ θυσίαι καὶ εὐχαὶ καὶ λατρεῖαι, ἔνθα τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ τὰ χερουβὶμ, καὶ ἡ διαθήκη, καὶ ἡ στάμνος ἡ χρυσῆ, τὰ μεγάλα σύμβολα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας τῆς περὶ τὸ γένος ἐκεῖνο, ἔνθα χρησμοὶ ἄνωθεν συνεχεῖς ἐφέροντο, ἔνθα προφῆται ἔνθεοι ἐγένοντο, ἔνθα οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης τέχνης, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας ἡ διατύπωσις ἔργον ἐγίνετο, ἔνθα πολλῷ πάντοθεν οἱ τοῖχοι κατελάμποντο χρυσίῳ, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ ὕλης πολυτέλεια καὶ τέχνης ἀκρίβεια συνελθοῦσαι μόνον τοιοῦτον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔδειξαν ναὸν τότε· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τέχνης ἀκρίβεια μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία τῆς οἰκοδομῆς συνεφήψατο ἐκείνης. Οὐ γὰρ οἴκοθεν, οὐδὲ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντα μαθὼν ὁ Σολομὼν, καὶ τὴν ὑπογραφὴν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν κατενεγκὼν, οὕτως αὐτὸν διεχάραξε καὶ ἀνέστησεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ καλὸς οὗτος καὶ θαυμαστὸς ναὸς καὶ ἅγιος, τῶν χρωμένων αὐτῷ διαφθαρέντων, οὕτως ἠτιμώθη καὶ κατεφρονήθη, καὶ γέγονε βέβηλος, ὡς πρό γε τῆς ἁλώσεως σπήλαιον αὐτὸν καλεῖσθαι λῃστῶν, καὶ σπήλαιον ὑαίνης· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα βαρβαρικαῖς καὶ ἀκαθάρτοις καὶ βεβήλοις παραδοθῆναι χερσί. Βούλει καὶ περὶ πόλεων τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο μαθεῖν; Τί τῶν ἐν Σοδόμοις πόλεων λαμπρότερον ἦν; καὶ γὰρ οἰκίαι καὶ οἰκοδομήματα λαμπρὰ, καὶ τείχη παρ' αὐτοῖς ἦν, καὶ χώρα λιπαρὰ καὶ εὔγειος, καὶ τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσεοικυῖα· ἡ δὲ καλύβη τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εὐτελὴς καὶ μικρὰ, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσα ἀσφάλειαν· ἀλλὰ πολέμου ποτὲ γενομένου βαρβαρικοῦ, τὰς μὲν πόλεις τὰς τειχήρεις κατέσκαψάν τε καὶ εἷλον οἱ βάρβαροι, καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας