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whom do we blame? how long do we find fault? For ought not such people to have been driven out of the Church as destroyers, as corrupters, as utterly depraved and ruined, and full of countless evils? When will these people refrain from laughter, they who laugh in the hour of awe? when will they abstain from trifles, they who converse during the time of the blessing? Do they not respect those present? For do they not fear God? For is not our 60.191 slothfulness of mind enough for us, nor that when praying we wander elsewhere? But we also bring in laughter and much boisterous merriment. For is this place a theatre? But, I think, the theatres do this: they render the many unruly and disorderly for us. What we build up here, is destroyed there; and not only this, but they must needs be filled with other impurities. And the same thing happens, as if someone should wish to clean a field, while a spring situated above sends down mud; for as much as you clean, more flows in again. This also happens here. For when we cleanse those coming in from the theatres, bringing their impurity, they go away again there, and receive a greater impurity, as if living on purpose for this, to give us troubles, and they come again bearing much filth, in their manners, in 60.192 their movements, in their words, in their laughter, in their sloth. Then again we dig from above, as if digging on purpose for this, that having sent them away clean we may again see them gathering the mud. For this reason I hand you over to God. From this point on I also protest to you who are sound, that it will be a judgment and a condemnation to you, if anyone seeing another behaving disorderly, if anyone conversing especially at that time, does not denounce him, nor turn him back; this is better than prayer. Leave your prayer, and rebuke him; thus you will both benefit him, and you will gain. Thus we shall all be able to be saved, and to attain the kingdom of heaven; which may it be granted to us all to enjoy, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

60.191 HOMILY 25. Those therefore who were scattered abroad from the tribulation that arose

about Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one, except only to Jews.

1. The persecution achieved no small thing for the word. For to those who love

God all things work together, he says, for good. They would not have done anything other than this, if they had purposely sought to establish the Church; I mean the scattering of the teachers. And see how far the preaching was extended. They traveled, it says, as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one, except only to Jews. Do you see that all things concerning Cornelius happened providentially? And this is both for the defense of Christ, and for the accusation of the Jews. When, therefore, Stephen was killed, when Paul was twice in danger, when the apostles were scourged, when they were often driven out, then the Gentiles were received, then the Samaritans. Which Paul also cries out, saying: It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. They went about therefore, also conversing with Gentiles. But some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord Jesus. See, they preach the gospel to Greeks. For it is likely that they henceforth knew Greek, and that there were many such in Antioch. And the hand of the Lord, it says, was with them; that is, they worked signs. Do you see why also now the

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τίνος ἐγκαλοῦμεν; μέχρι τίνος μεμφόμεθα; Οὐ γὰρ ὡς λυμεῶνας, οὐ γὰρ ὡς φθορέας, οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐξώλεις καὶ διεφθαρμένους τοὺς τοιούτους, καὶ μυρίων γέμοντας κακῶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐπελαύνεσθαι ἔδει; Πότε οὗτοι φείσονται γέλωτος, οἱ ἐν ὥρᾳ φρίκης γελῶντες; πότε ἀφέξονται φλυαρίας, οἱ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εὐλογίας διαλεγόμενοι; οὐ τοὺς παρόντας αἰδοῦνται; οὐ γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν δεδοίκασιν; οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν 60.191 ἡ κατὰ διάνοιαν ῥᾳθυμία, οὐδὲ ὅτι εὐχόμενοι ἀλλαχοῦ ῥεμβόμεθα· ἀλλὰ καὶ γέλωτα ἐπεισάγομεν καὶ πολὺν τὸν καγχασμόν. Μὴ γὰρ θέατρόν ἐστι τὰ ἐνταῦθα; Ἀλλ', οἶμαι, τὰ θέατρα τοῦτο ποιεῖ· δυσηνίους τοὺς πολλοὺς ἡμῖν καθίστησιν καὶ ἀῤῥύθμους. Ἅπερ οἰκοδομοῦμεν ἐνταῦθα, ἐκεῖ καταστρέφεται· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρας ἀκαθαρσίας ἀνάγκη αὐτοὺς ἀναπεπλῆσθαι. Καὶ ταυτὸν γίνεται, οἷον ἂν εἴ τις χωρίον ἐθέλοι καθᾶραι, πηγῆς ἄνωθεν ὑπερκειμένης βόρβορον ἀφιείσης· ὅσον γὰρ ἂν καθάρῃς, πάλιν ἕτερον ἐπιῤῥεῖ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα γίνεται. Ὅταν γὰρ καθάρωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν θεάτρων εἰσιόντας, ἀκαθαρσίαν ἐπιφέροντας, ἀπελθόντες πάλιν ἐκεῖ, μείζονα δέχονται τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν, ὡς ἐπίτηδες διὰ τοῦτο ζῶντες, ἵνα κόπους ἡμῖν παρέχωσι, καὶ ἔρχονται πάλιν πολλὴν κόπρον βαστάζοντες, ἐν τοῖς ἤθεσιν, ἐν 60.192 τοῖς κινήμασιν, ἐν τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ἐν τῷ γέλωτι, ἐν τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ. Εἶτα πάλιν ἡμεῖς σκάπτομεν ἄνωθεν, ὡς ἐπίτηδες διὰ τοῦτο σκάπτοντες, ἵνα καθαροὺς αὐτοὺς πέμψαντες πάλιν ἴδωμεν συναγαγόντας τὸν βόρβορον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παραδίδωμι ὑμᾶς τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη καὶ διαμαρτύρομαι ὑμῖν τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσιν, ὅτι κρῖμα ὑμῖν ἔσται καὶ κατάκριμα, εἴ τις ἰδὼν ἀτακτοῦντα, εἴ τις διαλεγόμενον μάλιστα ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ, μὴ καταμηνύσει, μηδὲ ἐπιστρέψει· βέλτιον εὐχῆς τοῦτο. Ἄφες σου τὴν εὐχὴν, κἀκείνῳ ἐπιτίμησον· οὕτω κἀκεῖνον ὠφελήσεις, καὶ σὺ κερδανεῖς. Οὕτω καὶ δυνησόμεθα ἅπαντες σωθῆναι, καὶ τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας ἐπιτυχεῖν· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι χάριτι καὶ 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.

60.191 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΕʹ. Οἱ μὲν οὖν διασπαρέντες ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως τῆς γενο μένης

ἐπὶ Στεφάνῳ, διῆλθον ἕως Φοινίκης καὶ Κύπρου καὶ Ἀντιοχείας, μηδενὶ λαλοῦντες τὸν λόγον, εἰ μὴ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις.

αʹ. Οὐ μικρὸν ὁ διωγμὸς κατώρθωσεν εἰς τὸν λόγον. Τοῖς γὰρ ἀγαπῶσι τὸν

Θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ, φησὶν, εἰς ἀγαθόν. Οὐκ ἂν, εἴ γε ἐπίτηδες ἐσπούδασαν στῆσαι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἄλλο τι ἐποίησαν, ἢ τοῦτο· λέγω δὲ τὸ διασπεῖραι τοὺς διδασκάλους. Καὶ ὅρα ποῦ τὸ κήρυγμα ἐξετάθη. ∆ιῆλθον, φησὶν, ἕως Φοινίκης καὶ Κύπρου καὶ Ἀντιοχείας, μηδενὶ λαλοῦντες τὸν λόγον, εἰ μὴ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οἰκονομικῶς πάντα γέγονε τὰ περὶ Κορνήλιον; Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ εἰς κατηγορίαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν. Ὅτε γοῦν Στέφανος ἀνῃρέθη, ὅτε Παῦλος δὶς ἐκινδύνευσεν, ὅτε οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐμαστίχθησαν, ὅτε πολλάκις ἠλάθησαν, τότε τὰ ἔθνη ἐδέχθη, τότε Σαμαρεῖται. Ὃ καὶ Παῦλος βοᾷ λέγων· Ὑμῖν ἦν ἀναγκαῖον πρῶτον λαληθῆναι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπωθεῖσθε αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἀξίους κρίνετε ἑαυτοὺς, ἰδοὺ στρεφόμεθα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη. Περιῄεισαν οὖν καὶ ἔθνεσι διαλεγόμενοι. Ἦσαν δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες Κύπριοι καὶ Κυρηναῖοι, οἵτινες ἐλθόντες εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν, ἐλάλουν πρὸς τοὺς Ἑλληνιστὰς, εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν. Καὶ ἦν χεὶρ Κυρίου μετ' αὐτῶν, πολύς τε ἀριθμὸς πιστεύσας ἐπέστρεψεν ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν. Ὅρα, Ἕλλησιν εὐαγγελίζονται. Εἰκὸς γὰρ αὐτούς τε λοιπὸν εἰδέναι Ἑλληνιστὶ, καὶ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τοιούτους εἶναι πολλούς. Καὶ ἦν χεὶρ Κυρίου, φησὶ, μετ' αὐτῶν· τουτέστι, σημεῖα εἰργάζοντο. Ὁρᾷς διὰ τί καὶ νῦν ἡ