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to the darkness, to the immortal punishments, and to be able to need no one for deliverance. For it is not possible, he says, it is not possible from here to cross over there; for there is a great chasm between us and you; and not even for those who wish is it possible to cross over, and to reach out a hand; but it is necessary to burn forever, with no one to help us, even if it is a father, or a mother, or anyone else, even if he has great boldness towards God. For a brother, he says, does not redeem; shall a man redeem? Since, then, it is not possible to have hope for salvation in another, but in oneself after the loving-kindness of God, I beseech you, let us do all things, so that our life may be pure and our conduct most excellent, and not even from the beginning to receive any stain; but if we have received one, at least after the stain let us not sleep, but let us continually persist in washing away the filth through repentance, through tears, through prayers, through almsgiving. What then, he says, if I do not have the means to practice almsgiving? But you have a cup of cold water, however poor you may be; but you have two mites, however much in poverty you may be; but you have feet to visit the sick, to enter a prison, but you have a roof to receive strangers. For there is not, there is not any excuse for one who does not practice almsgiving. These things we continually say to you, that even a little we may accomplish from the repetition; these things we say, not caring for those who receive benefits, so much as for you. For to them you give the things here, but you receive in return the things of heaven; of which may it be granted to all of us to 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, and worship, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 32. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more (for they could not endure that which was commanded: And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake): but you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel. 1. The things concerning the temple were wonderful, the Holy of holies; but again these things that happened at Mount Sinai were also fearful, the fire, the darkness, the blackness, the tempest. For God, he says, was seen on Sinai through fire and tempest and blackness. The New Covenant, however, was given with none of these things, but has been given in simple discourse by Christ. See, then, how he makes the comparisons of these things also; and reasonably he placed them later. For when he had persuaded them through countless arguments, when he had also shown the difference of each covenant, then finally, as if it were a foregone conclusion, he easily attempts these points also; and what does he say? For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more; for they could not endure that which was commanded: and if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned. These things, he says, are fearful, and so fearful, as not even to endure the hearing, as not even for a beast to dare to go up. But not such as the things after these; for what is Sinai compared to heaven? And what is the tangible fire compared to the intangible God? For our God is a consuming fire, he says. And that the things that then happened on the mountain were full of dread, is clear from what they said: Let not God speak, but let Moses speak to us. For they could not endure, he says, that which was commanded: And if so much as a beast touch the mountain,

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πρὸς τὸ σκότος, πρὸς τὰς ἀθανάτους κολάσεις, καὶ μηδενὸς δεῖσθαι πρὸς ἀπαλλαγὴν δύνασθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντεῦθεν διαβῆναι ἐκεῖ· χάσμα γὰρ μέγα μεταξὺ ἡμῶν τε καὶ ὑμῶν· καὶ οὐδὲ βουλομένοις ἔνι μεταβῆναι, καὶ ὀρέξαι χεῖρα· ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη καίεσθαι διαπαντὸς, οὐδενὸς ἡμῖν ἀμύνοντος, κἂν πατὴρ ᾖ, κἂν μήτηρ, κἂν ὁστισοῦν, κἂν πολλὴν ἔχῃ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν παῤῥησίαν. Ἀδελφὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐ λυτροῦται· λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος; Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχειν τῆς σωτηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐν αὑτῷ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, παρακαλῶ, πάντα πράττωμεν, ὥστε ἡμῖν τὸν βίον γενέσθαι καθαρὸν καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν ἀρίστην, καὶ μηδὲ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν δέξασθαι κηλῖδά τινα· εἰ δὲ ἐδεξάμεθα, μετὰ γοῦν τὴν κηλῖδα μὴ καθεύδωμεν, ἀλλὰ διαπαντὸς ἐπιμένωμεν ἀποπλύνοντες τὸν ῥύπον διὰ μετανοίας, διὰ δακρύων, διὰ εὐχῶν, διὰ ἐλεημοσύνης. Τί οὖν, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχω, φησὶν, ἐλεημοσύνην ἐργάζεσθαι; Ἀλλὰ ψυχροῦ ποτήριον ἔχεις, ὅσον ἂν ᾖς πένης· ἀλλὰ δύο λεπτὰ ἔχεις, ὡς ἂν ᾖς ἐν πενίᾳ· ἀλλὰ πόδας ἔχεις ὥστε ἐπισκέψασθαι ἀῤῥώστους, ὥστε εἰς δεσμωτήριον εἰσελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ στέγην ἔχεις ὥστε δέξασθαι ξένους. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι συγγνώμη οὐδεμία τῷ ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ ἐργαζομένῳ. Ταῦτα συνεχῶς λέγομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα κἂν μικρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς συνεχείας ἀνύσωμεν· ταῦτα λέγομεν, οὐ τῶν εὖ πασχόντων φροντίζοντες, ὡς ὑμῶν. Ἐκείνοις μὲν γὰρ τὰ ἐνταῦθα δίδοτε, ἀντιλαμβάνετε δὲ τὰ οὐράνια· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΛΒʹ. Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ὄρει ψηλαφωμένῳ, καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ, γνόφῳ καὶ

σκότῳ καὶ θυέλ λῃ, καὶ σάλπιγγος ἤχῳ, καὶ φωνῇ ῥημά των, ἧς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρῃτήσαντο μὴ προσ τεθῆναι αὐτοῖς λόγον (οὐκ ἔφερον γὰρ τὸ διαστελλόμενον· Κἂν θηρίον θίγῃ τοῦ ὄρους, λιθοβοληθήσεται· καὶ, (οὕτω φοβερὸν ἦν τὸ φανταζόμενον) Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν, Ἔκφοβός εἰμι καὶ ἔντρομος)· ἀλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων, πανηγύρει καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπογεγραμμένων, καὶ κριτῇ Θεῷ πάντων, καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τε τελειωμένων, καὶ διαθήκης νέας μεσίτῃ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ, κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ. αʹ. Ἦν μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὸν ναὸν θαυμαστὰ, τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων· ἦν δὲ πάλιν φοβερὰ καὶ ταῦτα τὰ κατὰ τὸ Σινᾶ ὄρος γεγενημένα, τὸ πῦρ, τὸ σκότος, ὁ γνόφος, ἡ θύελλα. Ὤφθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Σινᾷ διὰ πυρὸς καὶ θυέλλης καὶ γνόφου. Ἡ μέντοι ∆ιαθήκη ἡ Καινὴ μετ' οὐδενὸς τούτων ἐδόθη, ἀλλ' ἐν διαλέξει ψιλῇ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δέδοται. Ὅρα τοίνυν πῶς ποιεῖται τὰς συγκρίσεις καὶ τούτων· καὶ εἰκότως αὐτὰ ὕστερον ἔθηκεν. Ὅτε γὰρ αὐτοὺς διὰ μυρίων ἔπεισεν, ὅτε καὶ τὸ μέσον ἔδειξεν ἑκατέρας τῆς ∆ιαθήκης, τότε λοιπὸν ὡς προκατεγνωσμένης αὐτῆς, ῥᾳδίως καὶ τούτοις ἐπιχειρεῖ· καὶ τί φησιν; Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ὄρει ψηλαφωμένῳ, καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ, καὶ γνόφῳ, καὶ σκότῳ, καὶ θυέλλῃ, καὶ σάλπιγγος ἤχῳ, καὶ φωνῇ ῥημάτων, ἧς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρῃτήσαντο μὴ προστεθῆναι αὐτοῖς λόγον· οὐκ ἔφερον γὰρ τὸ διαστελλόμενον· κἂν θηρίον θίγῃ τοῦ ὄρους, λιθοβοληθήσεται. Φοβερὰ ταῦτα, φησὶ, καὶ οὕτω φοβερὰ, ὡς μηδὲ φέρειν τὴν ἀκοὴν, ὡς μηδὲ θηρίον τολμᾷν ἀνιέναι. Ἀλλ' οὐ τοιαῦτα οἷα τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα· τί γὰρ τὸ Σινᾶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν; τί δὲ τὸ ψηλαφώμενον πῦρ πρὸς τὸν ἀψηλάφητον Θεόν; Ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ ἡμῶν πῦρ καταναλίσκον, φησίν. Ὅτι δὲ φρίκης ἔγεμον τὰ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τότε γεγενημένα, δῆλον ἐξ ὧν ἔλεγον· Μὴ λαλείτω ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ λαλείτω ἡμῖν Μωϋσῆς. Οὐκ ἔφερον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ διαστελλόμενον· Κἂν θηρίον θίγῃ, τοῦ ὄρους,