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of those naked ones these are stiff and tremble? do they not groan bitterly, and condemn themselves? What then, when they go to such a one and say, Pray for me; do they not utter the same words as those others? But now, whatever we say, the nakedness is not yet apparent; but there it will be apparent. How and in what way? When these silk garments and stones are destroyed, and all appear only in the garments of virtue and of vice; when the poor are clothed in much glory, but the rich are dragged away naked and shameful to their punishments. What was more luxurious than the rich man who was clothed in purple? What was poorer than Lazarus? Who then uttered the words of beggars? And who was in abundance? Tell me, if one were to surround his house with many curtains, but he himself sits naked inside, what is the gain? So also it happens with women. For they surround the house of the soul, I mean the body, with many things; but the mistress of the house sits naked within. Lend me the eyes of the soul, and I will show you the naked 60.198 ness of the soul. For what is the soul’s garment? Virtue, clearly. And what is nakedness? Vice. For just as if someone were to strip one of the free, he is ashamed and shrinks back and flees; so too the soul, if we wish to look at it, which does not have these garments, blushes. How many do you think are now ashamed, and sink into the very depths, as if seeking some curtain and veil, that they might not hear these words? But those who have no bad conscience rejoice, are glad, exult and are beautified by what is said. Hear about the blessed Thecla. In order to see Paul, she gave her own gold; but you, in order to see Christ, do not give even an obol, but you admire the things done by her, yet you do not emulate them. Do you not hear how the Word blesses the merciful? Blessed are the merciful, it says, for they shall obtain mercy. What is the profit from costly garments? How long shall we gape at this attire? Let us put on the glory of Christ, let us be clothed with that beauty, that we may be praised both here, and there obtain eternal goods, 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.

60.197 HOMILY 26. Now about that time Herod the king laid hands

on some of the church to mistreat them. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.

1. What time does he mean? Entirely the one following. But here it is so,

but elsewhere otherwise. For when Matthew says, In those days John came preaching, he does not mean the days immediately following, but those in which the things he narrates were about to happen. For it is a custom of Scripture to use this manner, and sometimes to set forth things that are to happen later, and sometimes to relate things that are to happen later as if they were consecutive. And he says well, that it was Herod the king; for this was not the one in the time of Christ. Behold, another trial. And see, what I said from the beginning, how events are woven, how everything is interwoven through respite and tribulation. No longer the Jews, nor the Sanhedrin; but the king lays hands on them to mistreat them. The authority is greater, the war more grievous, inasmuch as it was done to please the Jews. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. Simply and as it happened. But if anyone should ask why God permitted it, we will say that it was for their own sakes; first, to persuade them that even when they are killed they conquer, which

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τῶν γυμνῶν ἐκείνων πεπήγασιν οὗτοι καὶ τρέμουσιν; οὐχὶ πικρὰ στενάζουσι, καὶ καταδικάζουσιν ἑαυτούς; Τί δαὶ, ὅταν τῷ δεῖνι προσέρχωνται καὶ λέγωσιν· Εὖξαι ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ· οὐχὶ τὰ αὐτὰ ῥήματα φθέγγονται ἐκείνοις; Ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν, ὅσα ἂν εἴπωμεν, οὔπω δήλη ἡ γυμνότης· ἔσται δὲ ἐκεῖ δήλη. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅταν τῶν σηρικῶν ἱματίων τούτων καὶ τῶν λίθων ἀπωλολότων, ἀπὸ μόνων τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς κακίας ἱματίων ἅπαντες φαίνωνται· ὅταν οἱ μὲν πένητες ὦσιν ἠμφιεσμένοι δόξαν πολλὴν, οἱ δὲ πλουτοῦντες γυμνοὶ καὶ ἀσχημονοῦντες πρὸς τὰ κολαστήρια σύρωνται. Τί ἁβρότερον ἦν τοῦ πλουσίου τοῦ τὴν πορφύραν ἐνδιδυσκομένου; τί δὲ πενέστερον τοῦ Λαζάρου; τίς οὖν τὰ τῶν ἐπαιτῶν ἐφθέγγετο ῥήματα; τίς δὲ ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ ἦν; Εἰπέ μοι, εἴ τις τὴν οἰκίαν περιβάλλοι πολλοῖς τοῖς παραπετάσμασιν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἔνδον κάθηται γυμνὸς, τί τὸ κέρδος; Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν γυναικῶν γίνεται. Τὴν μὲν γὰρ οἰκίαν τῆς ψυχῆς, τὸ σῶμα λέγω, πολλοῖς περιβάλλουσιν· ἡ δὲ οἰκοδέσποινα ἔνδον κάθηται γυμνή. Χρήσατέ μοι τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ ὑποδείξω ὑμῖν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν γυμνό 60.198 τητα. Τί γάρ ἐστιν ἱμάτιον ψυχῆς, Ἀρετὴ δηλονότι. Τί δὲ γυμνότης; Κακία. Καθάπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ἀποδύσειέ τινα τῶν ἐλευθέρων, αἰσχύνεται καὶ συστέλλεται καὶ φεύγει· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ψυχὴ, ἂν θέλωμεν εἰς αὐτὴν ἰδεῖν, ἡ μὴ ταῦτα ἔχουσα τὰ ἱμάτια, ἐρυθριᾷ. Πόσας οἴει νῦν αἰσχύνεσθαι, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ καταδύεσθαι τὸ βάθος, ὥσπερ τι παραπέτασμα καὶ προκάλυμμα ἐπιζητούσας, ἵνα τούτων μὴ ἀκούοιεν τῶν λόγων; Αἱ δὲ μηδὲν συνειδυῖαι ἑαυταῖς, γάννυνται, χαίρουσιν, ἐναβρύνονται καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίζονται τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ἄκουσον περὶ τῆς μακαρίας Θέκλης. Ἐκείνη ἵνα Παῦλον ἴδῃ, καὶ τὰ χρυσία ἔδωκεν ἑαυτῆς· σὺ δὲ ἵνα τὸν Χριστὸν ἴδῃς, οὐδὲ ὀβολὸν δίδως, ἀλλὰ θαυμάζεις μὲν τὰ γεγενημένα ὑπ' ἐκείνης, οὐ ζηλοῖς δέ. Οὐκ ἀκούεις πῶς τοὺς ἐλεήμονας μακαρίζει ὁ Λόγος; Μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, φησὶν, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται. Τί τὸ κέρδος ἀπὸ τῶν πολυτελῶν ἱματίων; μέχρι πότε πρὸς ταύτην κεχήναμεν τὴν στολήν; Ἀμφιασώμεθα τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, περιβαλώμεθα τὸ κάλλος ἐκεῖνο, ἵνα καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐπαινεθῶμεν, καὶ ἐκεῖ τῶν αἰωνίων τύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, 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.

60.197 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Κςʹ. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρώδης ὁ βασιλεὺς

τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἀνεῖλε δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρᾳ. Καὶ ἰδὼν ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, προσέθετο συλλαβεῖν καὶ Πέ τρον. Ἦσαν δὲ αἱ ἡμέραι τῶν Ἀζύμων.

αʹ. Ποῖον ἐκεῖνον λέγει καιρόν; Πάντως τὸν ἐφεξῆς. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὕτως,

ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ ἑτέρως. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Ματθαῖος λέγῃ· Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις παραγίνεται Ἰωάννης κηρύσσων, οὐ τὰς ἐφεξῆς ἡμέρας δηλῶν λέγει, ἀλλ' ἐκείνας, ἐν αἷς ἔμελλε γίνεσθαι ἅπερ διηγεῖται. Ἔθος γὰρ τῇ Γραφῇ τούτῳ κεχρῆσθαι τῷ τρόπῳ, καὶ ποτὲ δὲ τὰ ὕστερον συμβαίνειν μέλλοντα ἐκτιθέναι, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ ὕστερον συμβαίνειν μέλλοντα ὡς ἐφεξῆς ἀπαγγέλλειν. Καλῶς δὲ λέγει, ὅτι Ἡρώδης ὁ βασιλεύς· οὗτος γὰρ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἰδοὺ πειρασμὸς ἕτερος. Καὶ ὅρα, ὅπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶπον, πῶς τὰ πράγματα πλέκεται, πῶς δι' ἀνέσεως καὶ θλίψεως πάντα ὑφαίνεται. Οὐκ ἔτι Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐδὲ τὸ συνέδριον· ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιβάλλει τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸ κακῶσαι. Μείζων ἡ ἐξουσία, χαλεπώτερος ὁ πόλεμος, ὅσῳ καὶ πρὸς χάριν ἐγίνετο τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις. Ἀνεῖλε δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρᾳ. Ἁπλῶςκαὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν. Εἰ δέ τις ζητοίη, διὰ τί συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεός; ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τούτων· πρῶτον μὲν, πείθων αὐτοὺς, ὅτι καὶ ἀναιρούμενοι κρατοῦσιν, ὅπερ