191

dead? behold also the burier. Who then is the burier of these? The devil, who binds them tightly, and no longer allows the man to appear a man, but a dry piece of wood. For where there is no eye, no hands, no feet, nor anything else of the sort, how could such a man appear? So also it is possible to see their soul swaddled, and being more an image than a soul. Since, then, they are themselves somehow insensibly disposed, having become dead, let us approach Jesus on their behalf, let us beseech him to raise them up, let us take away the stone, let us loose the grave-clothes. For if you take away the stone, that is, the insensibility towards evils, you will be able to quickly lead them out of the tomb; and having led them out, you will more easily release them from their bonds. Then Christ will know you, when you are raised, when you are loosed; then he will also call you to his own suppers. As many therefore as are friends of Christ, as many as are disciples, as many as love the one who has departed, approach Jesus and pray. For even if he is full of a myriad stench, nevertheless it is not right for his own to abandon him even so, but to approach him all the more; which indeed the sisters of Lazarus then did; and not to depart before, beseeching, praying, supplicating, until we receive him alive. For if we thus manage our own affairs and those of our neighbors, we will also quickly attain the life to come; of which may it be that we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

57.349 HOMILY 28. And when he had entered the boat, his disciples followed

him. And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but he was asleep.

a. Luke, then, releasing himself from being required to keep the order of the times, said thus: And it came to pass on one of those days, that he went into a boat, he and his disciples; and Mark similarly. But this one not so, but also maintains a sequence here. For not all wrote all things in this way. These things have been said by me also before, so that no one might think there is a discrepancy in the omission. He therefore sent the crowds away, but the 57.350 disciples he took with him; for this also they say. And he took them not in vain, nor at random, but so as to make them spectators of the miracle that was about to happen. For just as some excellent trainer, he anointed them for both, both to be unterrified in dangers, and to be moderate in honors. For so that they might not be proud, because having sent away the others he kept them, he allows them to be tossed by the waves, accomplishing this and also training them to bear temptations nobly. For the former miracles were also great, but this one also had no small training, and was a sign akin to the ancient one. For this reason he brings only the disciples with 57.351 himself. For where there was a display of miracles, he also allows the people to be present; but where there was an uprising of temptations and fears, the athletes of the world, whom he was about to train, these he takes alone. And Matthew simply said that he was asleep, but Luke says that it was on a pillow, showing both his lack of pride, and from this teaching us much philosophy. Therefore, when the surging was stirred up, and the sea was raging, they wake him, saying, Lord, save us, we are perishing. And he rebuked them before the sea. For, as I said, these things were permitted for the sake of training, and it was a type of the temptations that were about to befall them. For also after these things he often allowed them to fall into more difficult storms of affairs, and was longsuffering. Wherefore also Paul said, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that as

191

νεκρόν; βλέπε καὶ τὸν ἐνταφιαστήν. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ ἐνταφιαστὴς τούτων; Ὁ διάβολος, ὁ ἀκριβῶς αὐτοὺς περισφίγγων, καὶ οὐκ ἀφιεὶς λοιπὸν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄνθρωπον φαίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ ξύλον ξηρόν. Ὅπου γὰρ οὐκ ὀφθαλμὸς, οὐ χεῖρες, οὐ πόδες, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν, πῶς ἂν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄνθρωπος φανείη; Οὕτω καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἐσπαργανωμένην ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, καὶ εἴδωλον μᾶλλον ἢ ψυχὴν οὖσαν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀναισθήτως αὐτοὶ διάκεινταί πως νεκροὶ γεγενημένοι, προσέλθωμεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, παρακαλέσωμεν ἀναστῆσαι, ἀνέλωμεν τὸν λίθον, λύσωμεν τὰς κειρίας. Ἂν γὰρ τὸν λίθον ἀνέλῃς, τουτέστι, τὴν ἀναισθησίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς κακοῖς, ταχέως καὶ ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς δυνήσῃ τοῦ μνήματος· ἐξαγαγὼν δὲ, εὐκολώτερον τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπαλλάξεις. Τότε σε εἴσεται ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅταν ἀναστῇς, ὅταν λυθῇς· τότε σε καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ δεῖπνα καλέσει τὰ ἑαυτοῦ. Ὅσοι τοίνυν τοῦ Χριστοῦ φίλοι, ὅσοι μαθηταὶ, ὅσοι τὸν ἀπελθόντα φιλεῖτε, προσέλθετε τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ δεήθητε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μυρίας γέμει τῆς δυσωδίας, ἀλλ' ὅμως τοὺς προσήκοντας οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν καταλιμπάνειν χρὴ, ἀλλὰ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον προσιέναι· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου τότε ἐποίησαν· καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀφίστασθαι παρακαλοῦντας, δεομένους, ἱκετεύοντας, ἕως ἂν αὐτὸν ζῶντα λάβωμεν. Ἂν γὰρ οὕτω τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τὰ τῶν πλησίον διοικῶμεν, καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ταχέως ἐπιτευξόμεθα ζωῆς· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.349 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΗʹ. Ἐμβάντι δὲ αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, ἠκολούθησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ

αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ χειμὼν μέγας ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ὥστε τὸ πλοῖον καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκάθευδεν.

αʹ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Λουκᾶς, ἀπαλλάττων ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ἀπαιτηθῆναι τῶν χρόνων τὴν

τάξιν, οὕτως εἶπεν· Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὁ Μάρκος ὁμοίως. Οὗτος δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκολουθίαν ἐνταῦθα διατηρεῖ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω πάντες πάντα ἔγραφον. Ταῦτα δέ μοι καὶ ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, ἵνα μὴ τῇ παραλείψει διαφωνίαν τις εἶναι νομίζοι. Τοὺς μὲν οὖν ὄχλους προέπεμψε, τοὺς 57.350 δὲ μαθητὰς μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἔλαβε· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνοι λέγουσι. Παρέλαβε δὲ οὐ μάτην, οὐδὲ εἰκῆ, ἀλλ' ὥστε ποιῆσαι θεατὰς τοῦ μέλλοντος ἔσεσθαι θαύματος. Καθάπερ γάρ τις παιδοτρίβης ἄριστος, εἰς ἀμφότερα αὐτοὺς ἤλειφεν, εἴς τε τὸ ἀκαταπλήκτους εἶναι ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς, εἴς τε τὸ μετριάζειν ἐν ταῖς τιμαῖς. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ μέγα φρονῶσιν, ὅτι τοὺς ἄλλους ἐκπέμψας αὐτοὺς κατέσχεν, ἀφίησι κλυδωνισθῆναι, τοῦτό τε κατορθῶν, καὶ γυμνάζων πειρασμοὺς φέρειν γενναίως. Μεγάλα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὰ πρότερα θαύματα ἦν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο καὶ γυμνασίαν τινὰ εἶχεν οὐ μικρὰν, καὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ συγγενὲς σημεῖον ἦν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μόνους τοὺς μαθητὰς ἄγει μεθ' 57.351 ἑαυτοῦ. Ἔνθα μὲν γὰρ θαυμάτων ἐπίδειξις ἦν, καὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀφίησι παρεῖναι· ἔνθα δὲ πειρασμῶν καὶ φόβων ἐπανάστασις, τοὺς ἀθλητὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης, οὓς γυμνάζειν ἔμελλε, τούτους παραλαμβάνει μόνους. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος ὅτι ἐκάθευδεν εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς ὅτι ἐν προσκεφαλαίῳ φησὶ, δεικνύς τε τὸ ἄτυφον, καὶ πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἡμᾶς παιδεύων φιλοσοφίαν. Τοῦ κλυδωνίου τοίνυν διεγερθέντος, καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης μαινομένης, διεγείρουσιν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Κύριε, σῶσον ἡμᾶς, ἀπολλύμεθα. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐπετίμα πρὸ τῆς θαλάσσης. Καὶ γὰρ, ὅπερ ἔφην, γυμνασίας ἕνεκεν ταῦτα συνεχωρεῖτο, καὶ τύπος ἦν τῶν μελλόντων καταλήψεσθαι αὐτοὺς πειρασμῶν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πολλάκις ἀφῆκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς χαλεπωτέρους χειμῶνας πραγμάτων ἐμπεσεῖν, καὶ ἐμακροθύμησε. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι καθ'