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For God is incomparably more loving to man than we are; this is clear to everyone. What do you say? If you say, I have been wronged, I have restrained my anger, I have suffered the insolence of passion because of your commandment, will He not Himself also forgive? Assuredly He will forgive. So let us cleanse our soul of resentfulness. This is sufficient for us to be heard, and let us pray with soberness, and with much perseverance, that having enjoyed His abundant love for man, we may be counted worthy of the good things which have been promised, 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 ages of ages. Amen.

60.261 HOMILY 37. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days dis

coursed with them from the Scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and 60.262 risen again from the dead; and that This is

Jesus Christ, whom I preach unto you. 1. Again they pass by the small cities, and press on to the greater ones,

from which, as from a fountain, the word was likely to flow to the neighboring 60.263 places. And Paul, as his manner was, went into the synagogue of the Jews. And yet, though he had said, “We turn to the Gentiles,” he did not leave these men; for he had a great longing for them. For hear him saying, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved;” and, “I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren.” And he did this for the promise of God and the glory, and that this might not be a stumbling-block to the Greeks. And he reasoned with them for three sabbath days from the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead; and that “This is Jesus the Christ, whom I preach unto you.” You see, that before all else he preaches the Passion; so little were they ashamed of it, but knew that it was a saving thing. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. He stated the chief point of the discourse; so simple is he, not everywhere reporting his orations. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar; and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason has received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. Oh, the accusation! Again they slandered them for sacrilege, saying, says he, that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the others, they let them go. A wonderful man, who gave himself up to danger and sent them away. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. More noble, he says; that is, more reasonable. And see, not simply, but with accuracy they searched the Scriptures (for this is what “searched” means), wishing to receive from them fuller assurance concerning the Passion; for they were already

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φιλανθρωπότερος γὰρ ἡμῶν ἀσυγκρίτως ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός· τοῦτο παντὶ δῆλον. Τί λέγεις; Ἐὰν εἴπῃς, Ἠδικήθην, ὀργῆς ἐκράτησα, θυμοῦ ἐπήρειαν ἔπαθον διὰ τὸ σὸν πρόσταγμα, οὐκ ἀφήσει καὶ αὐτός; Πάντως γοῦν ἀφήσει. Ὥστε καθαρίσωμεν τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς μνησικακίας. Ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο ἡμῖν πρὸς τὸ ἀκουσθῆναι, καὶ μετὰ νήψεως προσευχώμεθα, καὶ πολλῆς τῆς προσεδρίας, ἵνα δαψιλοῦς τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολαύσαντες, καταξιωθῶμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν, 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.

60.261 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΛΖʹ. ∆ιοδεύσαντες δὲ τὴν Ἀμφίπολιν καὶ Ἀπολλωνίαν, ἦλθον εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην, ὅπου ἦν ἡ συναγωγὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ εἰωθὸς τῷ Παύλῳ, εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπὶ σάββατα τρία δι

ελέγετο αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν, διανοίγων καὶ πα ρατιθέμενος, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν ἔδει παθεῖν, καὶ 60.262 ἀναστῆναι ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστι

Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ὃν ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. αʹ. Πάλιν τὰς μὲν μικρὰς παρατρέχουσι πόλεις, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰς μείζους ἐπείγονται,

ἐκεῖθεν καθάπερ ἔκ τινος πηγῆς μέλλοντος τοῦ λόγου διαῤῥέειν εἰς τὰς πλη 60.263 σίον. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ εἰωθὸς τῷ Παύλῳ, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Καίτοι εἰπὼν, ὅτι Στρεφόμεθα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, οὐκ ἠφίει τούτους· πολὺν γὰρ πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶχε πόθον. Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἀδελφοὶ, ἡ μὲν εὐδοκία τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας, καὶ ἡ δέησις ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν· καὶ, Εὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου. Ἐποίει δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δόξαν, καὶ ἵνα μὴ σκάνδαλον ᾖ τοῦτο τοῖς Ἕλλησι. Καὶ ἐπὶ σάββατα τρία διελέγετο αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν, διανοίγων καὶ παρατιθέμενος, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν ἔδει παθεῖν καὶ ἀναστῆναι ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς, ὃν ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι πρὸ πάντων τὸ πάθος κηρύττει· οὕτως οὐκ ᾐσχύνοντο, ἀλλ' ᾔδεσαν τοῦτο σωτήριον ὄν. Καί τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπείσθησαν, καὶ προσεκληρώθησαν τῷ Παύλῳ καὶ τῷ Σίλᾳ, τῶν τε σεβομένων Ἑλλήνων πλῆθος πολὺ, γυναικῶν τε τῶν πρώτων οὐκ ὀλίγαι. Τὸ κεφάλαιον εἶπε τῆς διαλέξεως· οὕτως ἀπέριττός ἐστιν, οὐ πανταχοῦ τὰς δημηγορίας αὐτοῦ λέγων. Ζηλώσαντες δὲ οἱ ἀπειθοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ προσλαβόμενοι τῶν ἀγοραίων τινὰς ἄνδρας πονηροὺς καὶ ὀχλοποιήσαντες, ἐθορύβουν τὴν πόλιν· ἐπιστάντες τε τῇ οἰκίᾳ Ἰάσονος, ἐζήτουν αὐτοὺς ἀγαγεῖν εἰς τὸν δῆμον· μὴ εὑρόντες δὲ αὐτοὺς, ἔσυραν τὸν Ἰάσονα καί τινας ἀδελφοὺς ἐπὶ τοὺς πολιτάρχας, βοῶντες, ὅτι Οἱ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀναστατώσαντες, οὗτοι καὶ ἐνθάδε πάρεισιν, οὓς ὑποδέδεκται Ἰάσων· καὶ οὗτοι πάντες ἀπέναντι τῶν δογμάτων Καίσαρος πράσσουσι, βασιλέα ἕτερον λέγοντες εἶναι Ἰησοῦν. Ὢ τῆς κατηγορίας! πάλιν εἰς καθοσίωσιν διέβαλλον αὐτοὺς, λέγοντες εἶναι, φησὶν, ἕτερον βασιλέα Ἰησοῦν. Ἐτάραξαν δὲ τὸν ὄχλον, καὶ τοὺς πολιτάρχας ἀκούοντας ταῦτα· καὶ λαβόντες τὸ ἱκανὸν παρὰ τοῦ Ἰάσονος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, ἀπέλυσαν αὐτούς. Θαυμαστὸς ὁ ἀνὴρ, εἰς κίνδυνον ἑαυτὸν ἐκδοὺς καὶ ἐκπέμψας αὐτούς. Οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ εὐθέως διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐξέπεμψαν τόν τε Παῦλον καὶ τὸν Σίλαν εἰς Βέροιαν· οἵτινες παραγενόμενοι, εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν ἀπῄεσαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν εὐγενέστεροι τῶν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ, οἵτινες ἐδέξαντο τὸν λόγον μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας, τὸ καθ' ἡμέραν ἀνακρίνοντες τὰς Γραφὰς, εἰ ἔχοι ταῦτα οὕτως. Εὐγενέστεροι, φησί· τουτέστιν, ἐπιεικέστεροι. Καὶ ὅρα, οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἀνηρεύνων τὰς Γραφὰς (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἀνέκρινον), βουλόμενοι ἀπ' αὐτῶν πληροφορίαν μᾶλλον περὶ τοῦ πάθους λαβεῖν· ἤδη γὰρ ἦσαν