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rich. Wicked and foolish servant, do you not bow down, nor condemn yourself, nor put a bridle on your tongue, nor restrain your thought, nor, leaving off meddling in these things, turn this curiosity upon your own life? Peer into the things you have done, into the sea of your sins, and if you are curious and a busybody, demand of yourself an account of the words, of the deeds, which you have spoken wickedly, which you have done wickedly; but now, leaving yourself unexamined, although this carelessness brings punishment, while meddlesomeness brings salvation, you sit judging God, and adding to your sins. Do you not hear the Prophet say 55.197 ing to him, A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom? And another again; His judgment will go forth as light. But if you do not know precisely all the things of your Master, for this very reason glorify him, for this reason especially worship him, for the ineffable nature of his greatness, for the incomprehensibility of his providence, for the varied and wise nature of his care. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity. For since he stated above the achievements, the victories, the trophies, the salvation of the world, that he filled it with truth, with meekness, with righteousness, showing that it is not at all unlikely that these things should happen, he discusses next the dignity of the one who achieved them, that he is God, that he is king, that he is without end, that he is an incorruptible judge, that he is a lover of the righteous, that he is a hater of evil. Since he is such a one, he says, for this reason such things have been achieved by him. Let no one therefore disbelieve, he says. For he who achieved so many things, achieved these things both by being able and by willing. Having then spoken of the lofty things of his divinity, he brings the discourse down again to the flesh, and says: Therefore God, your God, has anointed you. Another says, For this he anointed you. For having achieved the things that were said, he says, to cast out iniquity, to plant righteousness, to do what you have done. But do not be disturbed hearing that these things are credited to the Father. For he does not say these things to deprive him of the achievements, but ascribing the things of the Son to the Father, just as he also says the things of the Father are his own: For all that is mine is yours, and yours is mine. Since also concerning the resurrection, Paul in his discourse says that God raised him from the dead; but John says: Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. And what is, Oil of gladness? And yet Christ was nowhere anointed with oil, but with the Holy Spirit. For this reason he added, Above your companions; showing this very thing, that no one is as he is. For many were anointed ones before him, but in this way not one; just as there were many lambs, but he is the choice one; so there were many sons, but he is the Only-Begotten. For all his things are choice, not only those of his divinity, but also those of the economy; for no one was anointed with such a spirit. But if he calls it oil, do not be surprised; for being a prophet, he speaks rather enigmatically. And he said well, Of gladness, to show that it is of joy. For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. But another said, With oil of splendor. But the Hebrew Sason, that is, of beautification, of glory, of adornment. And if also of joy, this too is true. Just as, therefore, when you hear sword, you do not understand a sword, and arrows and bows, not bows and arrows, but his energy that accomplished such things as I said before; so also when you hear oil, do not simply think of oil, but understand the anointing. For the oil was a symbol of the Spirit, and the Spirit was the principal and necessary thing. 55.198 Since this, then, is so, do not doubt at all to call him Christ, since Abraham too was called an anointed one, and the prophets, but not all were anointed with oil; as when he says: Do not touch my anointed ones, and do no evil to my prophets. But when was Christ anointed? When the Spirit came upon him as in the form of a dove. But companions

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πλούσιος. Πονηρὲ δοῦλε καὶ ἀνόητε, οὐ κύπτεις κάτω, οὐδὲ καταγινώσκεις σαυτοῦ, οὐδὲ ἐπιτίθης χαλινὸν τῇ γλώσσῃ, οὐδὲ καταστέλλεις τὴν διάνοιαν, οὐδὲ ἀφεὶς τὸ ταῦτα πολυπραγμονεῖν, τὴν περιεργίαν ταύτην ἐπὶ τὸν βίον στρέφεις τὸν σόν; ∆ιάκυψον εἰς τὰ πεπραγμένα σοι, εἰς τὸ πέλαγος τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ εἰ περίεργος εἶ καὶ πολυπράγμων, ἀπαίτησον ἑαυτὸν εὐθύνας τῶν ῥημάτων, τῶν πραγμάτων, ὧν κακῶς εἶπες, ὧν κακῶς ἐποίησας· νῦν δὲ σαυτὸν μὲν ἀνεξέταστον ἀφεὶς, καίτοι γε τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ταύτης κόλασιν φερούσης, τῆς δὲ πολυπραγμοσύνης σωτηρίαν, τῷ Θεῷ κάθῃ δικάζων, καὶ προστιθείς σου τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν. Οὐκ ἀκούεις τοῦ Προφήτου πρὸς αὐτὸν λέ 55.197 γοντος, Ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος, ἡ ῥάβδος βασιλείας σου; Καὶ ἑτέρου πάλιν· Τὸ κρίμα αὐτοῦ ὡς φῶς ἐξελεύσεται. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ οἶσθα ἀκριβῶς πάντα τὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου σου, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν δόξασον, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτὸν προσκύνησον, διὰ τὸ ἄφατον αὐτοῦ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης, διὰ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον αὐτοῦ τῆς προνοίας, διὰ τὸ ποικίλον αὐτοῦ καὶ σοφὸν τῆς κηδεμονίας. Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν ἄνω τὰ κατορθώματα, τὰς νίκας, τὰ τρόπαια, τῆς οἰκουμένης τὴν σωτηρίαν, ὅτι ἀληθείας αὐτὴν ἐνέπλησεν, ὅτι πραότητος, ὅτι δικαιοσύνης, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς ταῦτα γενέσθαι, διαλέγεται λοιπὸν περὶ τοῦ ἀξιώματος τοῦ κατωρθωκότος, ὅτι Θεὸς, ὅτι βασιλεὺς, ὅτι ἀτελεύτητος, ὅτι δικαστὴς ἀδέκαστος, ὅτι τῶν δικαίων ἐραστὴς, ὅτι μισοπόνηρος. Ἐπειδὴ τοιοῦτός ἐστιν, φησὶ, διὰ τοῦτο τοιαῦτα αὐτῷ κατώρθωται. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἀπιστείτω, φησίν. Ὁ γὰρ κατορθώσας τοσαῦτα, καὶ δυνάμενος καὶ βουλόμενος ταῦτα κατώρθωσε. Τὰ τῆς θεότητος ὑψηλὰ γοῦν αὐτοῦ εἰπὼν, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν σάρκα κατάγει τὸν λόγον, καί φησι· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου. Ἄλλος φησὶν, Ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἤλειψέ σε. Ἐπὶ τῷ κατορθῶσαι τὰ εἰρημένα, φησὶν, ἀνομίαν ἐκβαλεῖν, δικαιοσύνην φυτεῦσαι, ποιῆσαι ἅπερ ἐποίησας. Σὺ δὲ μὴ θορυβηθῇς ἀκούων, ὅτι ταῦτα τῷ Πατρὶ λογίζεται. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀποστερῶν τῶν κατορθωμάτων ταῦτά φησιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ Παιδὸς τῷ Πατρὶ ἀνατιθεὶς, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ φησιν εἶναι· Πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἐμὰ σά ἐστιν, καὶ τὰ σὰ ἐμά. Ἐπεὶ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὁ μὲν Παῦλος διαλεγόμενος λέγει, ὅτι Ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν· ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης φησί· Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως; Καὶ μὴν ἐλαίῳ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐδαμοῦ ἐχρίσθη, ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προσέθηκε, Παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου· τοῦτο αὐτὸ δηλῶν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς οὕτως ὡς αὐτός. Πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ πρὸ αὐτοῦ χριστοὶ, οὕτως δὲ οὐδὲ εἷς· ὥσπερ πολλοὶ ἀμνοὶ, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐξαίρετος· οὕτω πολλοὶ υἱοὶ, αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Μονογενής. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ αὐτοῦ ἐξαίρετα, οὐ τὰ τῆς θεότητος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας· πνεύματι γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἐχρίσθη τοιούτῳ. Εἰ δὲ ἔλαιον αὐτὸ καλεῖ, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· προφήτης γὰρ ὢν, αἰνιγματωδέστερον διαλέγεται. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν, Ἀγαλλιάσεως, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι εὐφροσύνης. Ὁ γὰρ καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀγάπη, χαρὰ, εἰρήνη. Ἄλλος δὲ, Ἐλαίῳ ἀγλαϊσμοῦ, εἶπεν. Ὁ δὲ ἙβραῖοςΣασὼν, τουτέστι, καλλωπισμοῦ, δόξης, κόσμου. Εἰ δὲ καὶ εὐφροσύνης, καὶ τοῦτο ἀληθές. Ὥσπερ οὖν ῥομφαίαν ἀκούσας, οὐ ῥομφαίαν νοεῖς, καὶ βέλη καὶ τόξα, οὐ τόξα καὶ βέλη, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ τὴν τὰ τοιαῦτα κατορθώσασαν, ἅπερ προεῖπον· οὕτω καὶ ἔλαιον ἀκούσας, μὴ ἁπλῶς ἔλαιον νόμιζε, ἀλλὰ τὴν χρῖσιν νόει. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἔλαιον σύμβολον τοῦ Πνεύματος ἦν, καὶ τὸ προηγούμενον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον τὸ Πνεῦμα ἦν. 55.198 Τούτου τοίνυν τοιούτου ὄντος μηδὲν ἀμφίβαλλε Χριστὸν αὐτὸν καλεῖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ χριστὸς ἐκαλεῖτο, καὶ οἱ προφῆται, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες ἐλαίῳ ἐχρίσθησαν· ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ· Μὴ ἅπτεσθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύεσθε. Πότε δὲ ἐχρίσθη ὁ Χριστός; Ὅτε ὡς ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς τὸ Πνεῦμα ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτόν. Μετόχους δὲ