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But you, make your wing higher than their cry, and emulate 60.572 John, the citizen of the desert, and learn how he looked down on the crowd, and seeing them flattering, was not turned aside, but seeing all the inhabitants of Palestine poured out around him, admiring and astonished, he was not puffed up by so great an honor, but he even rose up against them, and as if to a single boy, speaking to so great a populace, thus he rebuked them, saying: You serpents, you brood of vipers. And yet they ran together on his account, and left their cities, so as to see that sacred head; but nevertheless, none of these things swayed him; for he was far from glory, and free from all conceit. So also Stephen, seeing the same people not honoring him again, but raging and gnashing their teeth, becoming higher than their anger, said: You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart. So also Elijah, when those armies and the king and all the people were present, said: How long will you go limping on both your knees? But we flatter everyone, we serve them, buying their honor with this servile ministry. For this reason everything has been turned upside down, and we have fallen from this grace, and the affairs of Christianity have been betrayed, and all things have been neglected for the sake of glory from the many. Let us therefore banish the passion, and then we will know well freedom and the harbor and the calm. For the vainglorious man is like those who are storm-tossed, always trembling and fearing and serving countless masters; but he who is outside this tyranny is like those sitting in harbors and enjoying pure freedom. But not he, but as many as know him, so many masters does he have, being compelled to serve them all. How then shall we be delivered from this harsh slavery? If we fall in love with another glory, the true glory. For just as with those who love bodies, another more brilliant sight appearing has drawn them away from the former; so indeed also with those who desire glory among us, the glory that shines from the heavens will be able to lead them away from this. Let us then see that glory, and let us learn it accurately, so that, admiring its beauty, we may flee this one's ugliness, and enjoy much pleasure, delighting in that one continually; which may we all attain, 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.

HOMILY XVIII.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how are they to believe in him of whom they have not

heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written. 1. Again he takes away their excuse. For since he said, 'I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge'; and, that 'Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, they did not submit themselves,' he shows, in the next place, that for this very ignorance they owe a penalty to God. And he does not indeed say so, but he constructs this by advancing the argument in the form of a question, and making the refutation clearer by weaving this whole passage together by objection and 60.572.50 solution. Observe then: Previously, he says, the prophet said, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' But perhaps someone might say: And how could they call on him in whom they have not believed? Then a question from him after the objection: And why did they not believe? And again an objection: someone may surely say: And how could they have believed without having heard? And yet they did hear, he says. Then again another objection: And how could they hear without someone preaching? then again a solution: And yet they did preach, and were sent

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Ἀλλὰ σὺ ὑψηλότερον τῆς τούτων κραυγῆς τὸ πτερὸν κατασκεύασον, καὶ ζήλω 60.572 σον τὸν τῆς ἐρημίας πολίτην Ἰωάννην, καὶ μάθε πῶς ὑπερεώρα πλήθους ἐκεῖνος, καὶ κολακεύοντας ὁρῶν οὐκ ἐπεστρέφετο, ἀλλ' ὁρῶν ἅπαντας τοὺς τὴν Παλαιστίνην οἰκοῦντας περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκκεχυμένους καὶ θαυμάζοντας καὶ ἐκπληττομένους, οὐκ ἐχαυνοῦτο τῇ τοσαύτῃ τιμῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατεξανίστατο αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡς ἑνὶ μειρακίῳ, δήμῳ τοσούτῳ διαλεγόμενος, οὕτως ἐπέπληττε λέγων· Ὄφεις, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν. Καίτοι γε δι' αὐτὸν συνέδραμον, καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἀφῆκαν, ὥστε τὴν ἱερὰν κεφαλὴν ἐκείνην ἰδεῖν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν αὐτῶν τοῦτον ἐξέλυσε· πόῤῥω γὰρ ἦν δόξης, καὶ τύφου παντὸς ἐλεύθερος. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Στέφανος ὁρῶν τὸν αὐτὸν δῆμον πάλιν οὐχὶ τιμῶντα, ἀλλὰ μαινόμενον καὶ τρίζοντα τοὺς ὀδόντας, ὑψηλότερος αὐτῶν γενόμενος τῆς ὀργῆς, ἔλεγε· Σκληροτράχηλοι, καὶ ἀπερίτμητοι ταῖς καρδίαις. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἠλίας, τῶν στρατοπέδων παρόντων ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ δήμου παντὸς, ἔλεγεν· Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις ὑμῶν; Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἅπαντας κολακεύομεν, θεραπεύομεν, τῇ δουλοπρεπεῖ διακονίᾳ ταύτῃ τὴν ἐκείνων τιμὴν ὠνούμενοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα ἄνω καὶ κάτω γέγονε, καὶ τῆς χάριτος ταύτης ἐξεπέσομεν, καὶ ὁ προδέδοται τὰ τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ πράγματα, καὶ πάντα ἠμέληται διὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν δόξαν. Ἐξορίσωμεν τοίνυν τὸ πάθος, καὶ τότε εἰσόμεθα καλῶς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν καὶ τὸν λιμένα καὶ τὴν γαλήνην. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ κενόδοξος τοῖς χειμαζομένοις ἔοικεν, ἀεὶ τρέμων καὶ δεδοικὼς καὶ μυρίους θεραπεύων δεσπότας· ὁ δὲ ταύτης τῆς τυραννίδος ἔξω ὢν, τοῖς ἐν λιμέσι καθημένοις καὶ ἐλευθερίας ἀπολαύουσι καθαρᾶς. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλ' ὅσοις ἐστὶ γνώριμος, τοσούτους ἔχει δεσπότας, πᾶσι δουλεύειν ἀναγκαζόμενος. Πῶς οὖν ἀπαλλαγησόμεθα τῆς χαλεπῆς ταύτης δουλείας; Ἂν ἑτέρας ἐρασθῶμεν δόξης, τῆς ὄντως δόξης. Καθάπερ γὰρ τοὺς τῶν σωμάτων ἐρῶντας λαμπροτέρα ἑτέρα φανεῖσα ὄψις τῆς προτέρας ἀπέστησεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τοὺς δόξης ἐπιθυμοῦντας τῆς παρ' ἡμῖν, ἡ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν λάμψασα δόξα ἀπαγαγεῖν ταύτης δυνήσεται. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν ἐκείνην, καὶ καταμάθωμεν αὐτὴν ἀκριβῶς, ἵνα τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς θαυμάσαντες, φύγωμεν ταύτης τὴν αἰσχρότητα, καὶ πολλῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν ἡδονῆς, ἐντρυφῶντες ἐκείνῃ διηνεκῶς· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, 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.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΗʹ.

Πῶς οὖν ἐπικαλέσονται εἰς ὃν οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν; πῶς δὲ πιστεύσουσιν οὗ οὐκ

ἤκουσαν; πῶς δὲ ἀκούσουσι χωρὶς κηρύσσοντος; πῶς δὲ κηρύ ξουσιν, ἐὰν μὴ ἀποσταλῶσι; καθὼς γέγραπται. αʹ. Πάλιν ἀναιρεῖ τὴν συγγνώμην αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Μαρτυρῶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ζῆλον Θεοῦ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν· καὶ, ὅτι Ἀγνοοῦντες τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, οὐχ ὑπετάγησαν, δείκνυσι λοιπὸν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγνοίας δίκην ὀφείλουσι τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ οὐ λέγει μὲν οὕτω, κατασκευάζει δὲ τοῦτο κατὰ ἐρώτησιν προάγων τὸν λόγον, καὶ σαφέστερον ποιῶν τὸν ἔλεγχον τῷ κατὰ ἀντίθεσιν καὶ 60.572.50 λύσιν ἅπαν ὑφᾶναι τουτὶ τὸ χωρίον. Σκόπει δέ· Ἄνωθεν, φησὶν, Εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης, ὅτι Πᾶς, ὃς ἐὰν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, σωθήσεται. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἔχοι τις ἂν εἰπεῖν· Καὶ πῶς ἐδύναντο ἐπικαλέσασθαι τοῦτον, ᾧ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν; Εἶτα ἐρώτησις παρ' αὐτοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἀντίθεσιν· Καὶ διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν; Καὶ πάλιν ἀντίθεσις· πάντως ἔχει τις εἰπεῖν· Καὶ πῶς εἶχον πιστεῦσαι μὴ ἀκούσαντες; Καὶ μὴν ἤκουσαν, φησίν. Εἶτα ἑτέρα πάλιν ἀντίθεσις· Καὶ πῶς ἠδύναντο ἀκοῦσαι χωρὶς κηρύσσοντος; εἶτα πάλιν λύσις· Καὶ μὴν ἐκήρυξαν, καὶ ἀπεστάλησαν