171

intensity, listen: As many as were possessors, he says, of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet. But others, along with their money, also gave up their souls. For who, he says, have for my life laid down their own necks. And writing about others, he said, That, if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. And writing to the Corinthians Paul said 55.213: For behold this selfsame thing, that you sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you; yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge; thus they trembled and were afraid of them. And Luke again writing said: And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And again: What do you want? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness? 4. Did you see authority and power? But all these things that word was doing, which he spoke when sending them, that I am with you. He himself cleared away the hindrances, going before them; he himself made all things easy, and made difficult things simple. And yet all things were full of wars, all things of cliffs and rocks, and there was nowhere to plant a foot, nor to stand; all the harbors were silted up, every house was closed, the ears of all were stopped up; but nevertheless, as soon as they entered and spoke, they demolished all the strongholds of the enemy, so as to give up even their own souls, and to endure countless dangers for the sake of the things spoken. He has chosen our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Another, The glory of Jacob. See the accuracy of prophecy. Above, then, he said: He has subdued the people under us, and the nations. For the Jews came first, first three thousand, then five thousand, and after these the nations. For he himself said again: And other sheep I have, and them also I must bring, and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd. Then, lest someone hearing, He has chosen our inheritance for us, should be perplexed, and distressed, and say: How then do the Jews now disbelieve? with the correction he solved the difficulty. For especially, for his part, he chose them also, and as far as it depended on him, he left no one out. But if you also seek the end, listen to what follows; for he adds: The excellency of Jacob, whom he loved. For here he seems to me to speak of the faithful, which Paul declared when he said: Not as though the word of God has taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: But, In Isaac shall your seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. And the faithful might rightly be called the excellency of the people. For what is more beautiful than those who have believed? And he calls the nation his inheritance, not as ever having neglected the others, but showing the intensity of his love for them and his intimacy, and the addition of his providence. And that you may learn the prophetic accuracy, see how he uses the expression of the many, which the many use for things for sale. For many, when buying something, often call those things that surpass the others "excellency." Showing, therefore, that not all will be saved, he says, The excellency of Jacob. These things are also shown in the Gospels through countless parables. God has gone up with a shout. He did not say, "he was taken up," but, "He went up"; showing that he went up not led by the hand of another, but he himself 55.214 traveling this road. For Elijah, not having come as far as Christ, was led by another power. For it was not in human nature to be able to travel a foreign road. But the Only-begotten went up by his own authority. For this reason also Luke said thus: And they were looking steadfastly as he went

171

ἐπίτασιν, ἄκουσον· Ὅσοι κτήτορες, φησὶ, χωρίων ἢ οἰκιῶν ὑπῆρχον, πωλοῦντες ἔφερον τὰς τιμὰς τῶν πιπρασκομένων, καὶ ἐτίθουν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων. Ἕτεροι δὲ μετὰ τῶν χρημάτων, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν προΐεντο. Οἵτινες γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς μου τὸν ἑαυτῶν τράχηλον ὑπέθηκαν. Καὶ περὶ ἑτέρων δὲ γράφων ἔλεγεν, Ὅτι, εἰ δυνατὸν, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν ἐξορύξαντες ἂν ἐδώκατέ μοι. Καὶ Κορινθίοις δὲ ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγεν 55.213 ὁ Παῦλος· Ἰδοὺ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ κατὰ Θεὸν λυπηθῆναι ὑμᾶς, πόσην κατειργάσατο ἐν ὑμῖν σπουδήν· ἀλλὰ ἀπολογίαν, ἀλλὰ ἀγανάκτησιν, ἀλλὰ φόβον, ἀλλὰ ἐπιπόθησιν, ἀλλὰ ζῆλον, ἀλλ' ἐκδίκησιν· οὕτως αὐτοὺς ἔτρεμον καὶ ἐδεδοίκεισαν. Καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς πάλιν γράφων ἔλεγε· Καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα κολλᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐμεγάλυνεν αὐτοὺς ὁ λαός. Καὶ πάλιν· Τί θέλετε; ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἢ ἐν ἀγάπῃ πνεύματί τε πραότητος; δʹ. Εἶδες αὐθεντίαν καὶ ἐξουσίαν; Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τὸ ῥῆμα ἐκεῖνο ἐποίει, ὅπερ εἴρηκε πέμπων αὐτοὺς, ὅτι Ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι. Αὐτὸς τὰ κωλύματα καθῄρει ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν πορευόμενος· αὐτὸς ἅπαντα ἐξευμάριζε, καὶ τὰ δύσκολα ἐποίει ῥᾴδια. Καίτοι πάντα πολέμων ἔγεμε, πάντα κρημνῶν καὶ σκοπέλων, καὶ οὐδὲ ὅπου ἐρεῖσαι πόδα ἐνῆν, οὐδὲ στῆναι· πάντες οἱ λιμένες προσκεχωσμένοι ἦσαν, πᾶσα οἰκία ἀποκεκλεισμένη, πάντων τὰ ὦτα ἐμπεφραγμένα· ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁμοῦ τε εἰσῄεσαν, καὶ ἐφθέγγοντο, καὶ πάντα κατέλυον τῶν πολεμίων τὰ ὀχυρώματα, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰς τὰς ψυχὰς προΐεσθαι, καὶ μυρίους λοιπὸν ἀνέχεσθαι κινδύνους ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰρημένων. Ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτοῦ, τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακὼβ, ἢν ἠγάπησεν. Ἄλλος, Τὸν ἐνδοξασμὸν Ἰακώβ. Ὅρα προφητείας ἀκρίβειαν. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν οὖν ἔλεγεν· Ὑπέταξε λαοὺς ἡμῖν καὶ ἔθνη. Καὶ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι πρῶτον προσῆλθον, πρῶτον τρισχίλιοι, εἶτα πεντακισχίλιοι, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς πάλιν ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἄλλα ἔχω πρόβατα, κἀκεῖνά με δεῖ ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ γενήσεται μία ποίμνη, εἷς ποιμήν. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσας τὸ, Ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτῷ, διαπορῇ τις, καὶ ταλαιπωρῆται, καὶ λέγῃ· Πῶς οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι νῦν ἀπιστοῦσι; τῇ ἐπιδιορθώσει τὴν ἀπορίαν ἔλυσε. Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ, τὸ αὐτοῦ μέρος, κἀκείνους ἐξελέξατο, καὶ τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον, οὐδένα ἀφῆκεν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐπιζητοίης, ἄκουε τῶν ἑξῆς· ἐπάγει γάρ· Τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακὼβ, ἣν ἠγάπησεν. Ἐνταῦθα γάρ μοι τοὺς πιστοὺς δοκεῖ λέγειν, ὅπερ ὁ Παῦλος δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Οὐχ οἷον δὲ ὅτι ἐκπέπτωκεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα· τουτέστιν, ὅτι οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς, ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα. Καλλονὴ δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ εἰκότως ἂν οἱ πιστοὶ λέγοιντο. Τί γὰρ ὡραιότερον ἐκείνων τῶν πιστευσάντων; Κληρονομίαν δὲ αὐτοῦ καλεῖ τὸ ἔθνος, οὐχ ὡς τῶν ἄλλων ἀμελήσας ποτὲ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπίτασιν τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς ἀγάπης καὶ τὴν οἰκείωσιν, καὶ τῆς προνοίας τὴν προσθήκην ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τὴν προφητικὴν, ὅρα πῶς τῇ τῶν πολλῶν κέχρηται λέξει, ᾗ ἐπὶ τῶν ὠνίων οἱ πολλοὶ χρῶνται. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλάκις ὠνούμενοί τι, καλλονὴν ἐκεῖνα λέγουσι τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερέχοντα. ∆εικνὺς τοίνυν ὅτι οὐ πάντες σωθήσονται, φησὶ, Τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακώβ. Ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις δείκνυται διὰ μυρίων παραβολῶν. Ἀνέβη ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἀνεβιβάσθη, ἀλλ', Ἀνέβη· δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐχ ἑτέρου τινὸς χειραγωγοῦντος ἀνέβη, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ταύ 55.214 την ὁδεύων τὴν ὁδόν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἠλίας οὐδὲ τοσαύτην ἐλθὼν ὅσην ὁ Χριστὸς, ὑφ' ἑτέρας ἤγετο δυνάμεως. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως δύνασθαι ξένην ὁδεύειν ὁδόν. Ὁ δὲ Μονογενὴς ἀνέβη οἰκείᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς οὕτως ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἦσαν ἀτενίζοντες πορευομένου