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conquering? Let us behold these wrestling matches; for to imitate these is both seemly and profitable, and it is possible for those who imitate them to be crowned; but not those, the zeal for which brings shame to the one who imitates them. For that wrestling match you behold with demons, if indeed you behold it; but this one with angels and the Lord of angels. For tell me: if it were possible for you to sit with rulers or kings and behold and enjoy the spectacle, would you not consider this to be the greatest honor? Here, then, beholding with the King of angels, and seeing the devil held fast by the middle of his back, and striving much to overcome, but having no strength, do you not run to such a spectacle? "And how is it possible for this to happen?" he says. If you have the book in your hands. For in it you will see both the wrestling grounds, and the long double courses, and his holds, and the art of the righteous one. And beholding these things, you yourself will know how to wrestle thus, and you will be delivered from demons. For the spectacles performed outside are festivals of demons, not of men. For if it is not lawful to enter into an idol temple, much more into a satanic festival. I will not cease saying and troubling you with these things, until I see your conversion. For to say these things, he says, is not tiresome for me, but for you it is safe. Do not then be burdened by the exhortation. For if anyone should be burdened, it should be I who often speak and am not heard, not you who are always hearing, but always disobeying. But may it not be that you are always accused of these things, but having been delivered from this shame, may you be deemed worthy of the spiritual spectacle, and to enjoy the glory to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

59.187 HOMILY 33. Jesus says to her: Woman, believe me, that the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

1. Everywhere we need faith, beloved, faith, the mother of good things, the medicine of salvation; and without it, it is not possible to grasp any of the great doctrines. But they are like those who attempt to cross the sea without a ship, who for a short while suffice by swimming, using their hands and feet together, but having gone further, are quickly overwhelmed by the waves; so also those who use their own reasonings, before learning anything, suffer shipwreck; as Paul also says, "Who concerning the faith have made shipwreck." So that we may not suffer this, let us hold fast to the sacred anchor, 59.188 by which Christ now brings on the Samaritan woman. For when she said, "How do you say that Jerusalem is the place where one must worship?" Christ said: "Believe me, woman, that the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither in Jerusalem, nor on this mountain." He revealed to her a very great doctrine, which he had told neither to Nicodemus nor to Nathanael. She then was eager to show her own ways as more venerable than the Jewish ways, and she argued this from the fathers; but Christ did not answer this question. For it was for the time being superfluous to say and show this, why the fathers worshiped on the mountain, and why the Jews in Jerusalem. Therefore he was silent on this; but having done away with the preeminence of both types, he raises up her soul, showing that neither the Jews nor they themselves have anything great to bestow for the future; and then he introduces the difference. Nevertheless, even so he showed the Jews to be more venerable, 59.189 not preferring place to place, but giving the precedence from their manner of thought, as if he said:

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νικῶντα; Ταύτας θεωρῶμεν τὰς πάλας· ταύτας γὰρ καὶ μιμήσασθαι εὐπρεπὲς καὶ λυσιτελὲς, καὶ μιμουμένους στεφανωθῆναι ἔνι· ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐκείνας, ὧν ὁ ζῆλος αἰσχύνην φέρει τῷ μιμουμένῳ. Ἐκείνην μὲν γὰρ μετὰ δαιμόνων θεωρεῖς τὴν πάλην, ἂν ἄρα θεωρῇς· ταύτην δὲ μετὰ ἀγγέλων καὶ τοῦ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότου. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι· εἴ γέ σοι ἐξῆν μετὰ ἀρχόντων ἢ βασιλέων καθήμενον θεωρεῖν καὶ ἀπολαύειν τῆς θεωρίας, οὐ μεγίστην ἡγοῦ τιμὴν εἶναι τοῦτο; Ἐνταῦθα δὲ μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν ἀγγέλων θεωρῶν, καὶ ὁρῶν ἐκ μέσων κατεχόμενον τῶν νώτων τὸν διάβολον, καὶ πολλὰ μὲν φιλονεικοῦντα περιγενέσθαι, ἰσχύοντα δὲ οὐδὲν, οὐ τρέχεις εἰς τοιαύτην θεωρίαν; Καὶ πῶς ἔνι τοῦτο γενέσθαι; φησίν. Ἂν τὸ βιβλίον μετὰ χεῖρας ἔχεις. Ὄψει γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ σκάμματα, καὶ τοὺς μακροὺς διαύλους, καὶ τὰς λαβὰς τὰς ἐκείνου, καὶ τοῦ δικαίου τὴν τέχνην. Ταῦτα δὲ θεωρῶν, εἴσῃ καὶ αὐτὸς οὕτω παλαίειν, καὶ ἀπαλλαγήσῃ δαιμόνων. ∆αιμόνων γὰρ πανηγύρεις, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων θέατρα, τὰ ἔξω τελούμενα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν εἰδωλείῳ οὐ θέμις εἰσιέναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἰς ἑορτὴν σατανικήν. Ταῦτα λέγων καὶ διενοχλῶν οὐ παύσομαι, ἕως ἂν τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν ἴδω. Ταῦτα γὰρ λέγειν, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, φησὶν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Μὴ δὴ βαρύνεσθε τὴν παραίνεσιν. Εἰ γὰρ βαρύνεσθαι ἔδει, ἐμὲ ἔδει τὸν πολλάκις λέγοντα καὶ οὐκ ἀκουόμενον, οὐχ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀεὶ μὲν ἀκούοντας, ἀεὶ δὲ παρακούοντας. Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο διαπαντὸς ταῦτα ὑμᾶς ἐγκαλεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ ἀπαλλαγέντας ταύτης τῆς αἰσχύνης, καταξιωθῆναι τῆς πνευματικῆς θεωρίας, καὶ τῆς μελλούσης δόξης ἀπολαῦσαι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.187 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΛΓʹ. Λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Γύναι, πίστευσόν μοι, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, ὅτε οὔτε ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ, οὔτε ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις προσκυνήσετε τῷ Πατρί. Ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε· ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν.

αʹ. Πανταχοῦ πίστεως ἡμῖν δεῖ, ἀγαπητοὶ, πίστεως, τῆς μητρὸς τῶν ἀγαθῶν, τοῦ τῆς σωτηρίας φαρμάκου· καὶ ταύτης ἄνευ οὐδὲν ἔστι κατασχεῖν τῶν μεγάλων δογμάτων. Ἀλλ' ἐοίκασι τοῖς πέλαγος νηὸς χωρὶς ἐπιχειροῦσι διαπερᾷν, οἳ μέχρι μὲν ὀλίγου νηχόμενοι διαρκοῦσι χερσὶν ὁμοῦ καὶ ποσὶ χρώμενοι, περαιτέρω δὲ προελθόντες, ταχέως ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων βαπτίζονται· οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοῖς οἰκείοις χρώμενοι λογισμοῖς, πρὶν ἤ τι μαθεῖν, ναυάγιον ὑπομένουσιν· καθὼς καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, Οἵτινες περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν. Ὅπερ ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς πάθωμεν, τὴν ἱερὰν κατέχωμεν ἄγκυ 59.188 ραν, δι' ἧς καὶ τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπάγεται νῦν. Εἰπούσης γὰρ ἐκείνης, Πῶς ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν; ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Πίστευσόν μοι, γύναι, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, ὅτε οὔτε ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, οὔτε ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ προσκυνήσετε τῷ Πατρί. Πολὺ μέγα αὐτῇ δόγμα ἀπεκάλυψε, καὶ ὅπερ οὐδὲ Νικοδήμῳ, οὐδὲ τῷ Ναθαναὴλ εἶπεν. Αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἐσπούδαζε σεμνότερα δεῖξαι τὰ αὐτῆς τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν πατέρων ἐσοφίζετο· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐ πρὸς ταύτην ἀπήντησε τὴν ἐρώτησιν. Παρέλκον γὰρ τέως ἦν τοῦτο εἰπεῖν καὶ δεῖξαι, διατί μὲν οἱ πατέρες ἐν τῷ ὄρει, διατί δὲ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις προσεκύνουν. ∆ιὸ τοῦτο μὲν ἀπεσιώπησεν· ἀμφοτέρων δὲ τῶν τύπων τὰ πρεσβεῖα ἀνελὼν, διανίστησιν αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδὲ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ ἔχουσί τι μέγα πρὸς τὸ μέλλον δωρεῖσθαι· καὶ τότε τὴν διαφορὰν εἰσάγει. Πλὴν καὶ οὕτω σεμνο 59.189 τέρους τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἀπέφηνεν, οὐ τόπον τόπου προτιμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας ἐκείνης τὴν προεδρείαν διδοὺς, ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν·