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before all things, herself. But why must I say these things? For I have now omitted the most difficult thing of all, that you offend God, that you undermine modesty, that you kindle the flame of jealousy, that you envy the women who commit fornication on the rooftops. Therefore, considering all these things, laugh at the satanic procession and the diabolical art, and having cast off this adornment, or rather this disorderliness, create in your own souls that beauty which is lovely to angels, and desirable to God, and pleasant to those who live with you, so that you may attain both the present and the future glory; which may we all be counted worthy to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

57.369 HOMILY 31. While he was speaking these things to them, behold, a ruler

came in and worshipped him, saying, My daughter has just now died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.

1. The deed overtook the words, so that the Pharisees were even more silenced. For indeed the one who came was a ruler of the synagogue, and his grief was terrible. For the child was an only-begotten, and at twelve years old, she was at the flower 57.370.50 of her age; which is why he straightway raised her. But if Luke says that they came, saying, "Do not trouble the Teacher, for she is dead," we will say this, that the phrase, "She has just now died," was from one who was conjecturing from the time of the journey, or who was magnifying the calamity. For it is a custom for those who are in need to exaggerate their own troubles in their speech and to say something more than what is real, so as to draw more sympathy from those being supplicated. But see his 57.371 grossness. For he requires two things of Christ, both that he should come, and that he should lay his hand on her; which was a sign of his having left her still breathing. This is what that Syrian, Naaman, also required of the prophet. For I said, he says, that he will surely come out, and lay his hand. For indeed those who are more dull of understanding require both sight and sensible things. And Mark says that he took the three disciples, and so does Luke; but this one simply says the disciples. For what reason then did he not take Matthew, though he had just come to him? To cast him into a greater desire, and because he was still in a more imperfect state. For this reason he honors those, that these may become like those. But for him it was enough for the time being to see the things concerning the woman with the issue of blood, and to be honored at the table, and in the fellowship of salt. And when he had risen, many followed him, as for a great miracle, and because of the person who had come, and because the majority, being of a duller disposition, were not seeking so much the care of the soul as the healing of the body and were flocking together, some being urged on by their own afflictions, others hastening to be spectators of the cure of others; but for the sake of words and teaching, those who came to him were few for the time being. However, he did not allow them to enter the house, but only the disciples, and not even all of them, teaching us everywhere to avoid the praise of the crowd. And behold, he says, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years, came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment. For she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be saved." For what reason did she not approach him with boldness? She was ashamed because of her affliction, believing herself to be unclean. For if the woman who was menstruating was not considered to be clean, much more would she who suffered from such a disease have thought this; for indeed the affliction was considered a great uncleanness according to the law. For this reason she hides and conceals herself. For not even she yet had the fitting and perfect opinion concerning him; since she would not have thought to escape his notice. And this woman is the first to approach in public; for she had heard that he also heals women, and

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πρό γε πάντων ἑαυτήν. Ἀλλὰ τί δεῖ λέγειν ταῦτα; Τὸ γὰρ πάντων χαλεπώτερον παρῆκα νῦν, ὅτι τῷ Θεῷ προσκρούεις, ὅτι σωφροσύνην ὑπορύττεις, ὅτι ζηλοτυπίας ἀνάπτεις φλόγα, ὅτι τὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ στέγους ζηλοῖς πορνευομένας γυναῖκας. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα λογισάμεναι, καταγελάσατε τῆς σατανικῆς πομπῆς καὶ τῆς διαβολικῆς τέχνης, καὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἀφεῖσαι, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ἀκοσμίαν, τὸ κάλλος ἐκεῖνο κατασκευάσατε ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ψυχαῖς, ὃ καὶ ἀγγέλοις ἐπέραστον, καὶ Θεῷ ποθεινὸν, καὶ τοῖς συνοικοῦσιν ἡδὺ, ἵνα καὶ τῆς παρούσης καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἐπιτύχητε δόξης· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.369 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΛΑʹ. Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος αὐτοῖς, ἰδοὺ ἄρχων

εἰσ ελθὼν προσεκύνει αὐτὸν λέγων· Ἡ θυγάτηρ μου ἄρτι ἐτελεύτησεν· ἀλλὰ ἐλθὼν ἐπίθες τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπ' αὐτὴν, καὶ ζήσεται.

αʹ. Κατέλαβε τοὺς λόγους τὸ ἔργον, ὥστε πλέον τοὺς Φαρισαίους

ἐπιστομισθῆναι. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἐλθὼν ἀρχισυνάγωγος ἦν, καὶ τὸ πένθος δεινόν. Καὶ γὰρ μονογενὲς ἦν τὸ παιδίον, καὶ ἐτῶν δώδεκα γεγονὸς αὐτὸ τῆς ἡλι 57.370.50 κίας τὸ ἄνθος· ὃ δὴ μάλιστα καὶ εὐθέως αὐτὸ ἀνέστησεν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ Λουκᾶς λέγει, ὅτι ἦλθον λέγοντες· Μὴ σκύλλε τὸν ∆ιδάσκαλον· τέθνηκε γάρ· ἐκεῖνο ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι τὸ, Ἄρτι ἐτελεύτησε, στοχαζομένου ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας, ἢ αὔξοντος τὴν συμφοράν. Καὶ γὰρ ἔθος τοῖς δεομένοις ἐπαίρειν τῷ λόγῳ τὰ οἰκεῖα κακὰ καὶ πλέον τι τῶν ὄντων λέγειν, ὥστε μᾶλλον ἐπισπάσασθαι τοὺς ἱκετευομένους. Ὅρα δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν 57.371 παχύτητα. ∆ύο γὰρ ἀπαιτεῖ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ παραγενέσθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν χεῖρα ἐπιθεῖναι· ὅπερ σημεῖον ἦν τοῦ καταλιπεῖν αὐτὴν ἐμπνέουσαν ἔτι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σύρος ἐκεῖνος ὁ Νεεμὰν τὸν προφήτην ἀπῄτει. Ἔλεγον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι καὶ ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπιθήσει. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὄψεως δέονται καὶ αἰσθητῶν πραγμάτων οἱ παχύτερον διακείμενοι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Μάρκος φησὶν, ὅτι τοὺς τρεῖς ἔλαβε μαθητὰς, καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς· οὗτος δὲ ἁπλῶς φησι τοὺς μαθητάς. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὸν Ματθαῖον οὐ παρέλαβε, καίτοιγε ἄρτι προσελθόντα; Εἰς πλείονα αὐτὸν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμβάλλων, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀτελέστερον ἔτι διακεῖσθαι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐκείνους τιμᾷ, ἵνα οὗτοι κατ' ἐκείνους γένωνται. Τούτῳ δὲ ἤρκει τέως τὰ κατὰ τὴν αἱμοῤῥοοῦσαν ἰδεῖν, καὶ τὸ τραπέζῃ τιμηθῆναι, καὶ κοινωνίᾳ ἁλῶν. Ἀναστάντι δὲ ἠκολούθουν πολλοὶ, ὡς ἐπὶ θαύματι μεγάλῳ, καὶ διὰ τὸ πρόσωπον τὸ παραγεγονὸς, καὶ ὅτι οἱ πλείους παχύτερον διακείμενοι οὐχ οὕτω ψυχῆς ἐπιμέλειαν, ὡς σώματος ἰατρείαν ἐζήτουν καὶ συνέῤῥεον, οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων συνωθούμενοι παθῶν, οἱ δὲ τῆς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων διορθώσεως σπεύδοντες θεαταὶ γενέσθαι· λόγων δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ διδασκαλίας προηγουμένως ὀλίγοι οἱ παρ' αὐτὸν φοιτῶντες ἦσαν τέως. Οὐ μὴν εἴασεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μαθητὰς μόνον, καὶ οὐδὲ τούτους πάντας, πανταχοῦ παιδεύων ἡμᾶς τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν διακρούεσθαι δόξαν. Καὶ ἰδοὺ, φησὶ, γυνὴ ἐν ῥύσει αἵματος δώδεκα ἔτη ἔχουσα, προσῆλθεν ὄπισθεν, καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ. Ἔλεγε γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ· Ἐὰν μόνον ἅψωμαι τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ, σωθήσομαι. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ μετὰ παῤῥησίας αὐτῷ προσῆλθεν; Ἠσχύνετο διὰ τὸ πάθος, ἀκάθαρτος εἶναι νομίζουσα. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἐν καταμηνίοις οὖσα οὐκ ἐδόκει εἶναι καθαρὰ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ τοιαύτην νοσοῦσα νόσον τοῦτο ἂν ἐνόμισε· καὶ γὰρ πολλὴ παρὰ τῷ νόμῳ ἀκαθαρσία ἐνομίζετο εἶναι τὸ πάθος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λανθάνει καὶ κρύπτεται. Οὐδέπω γὰρ οὐδὲ αὐτὴ τὴν προσήκουσαν καὶ ἀπηρτισμένην περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν εἶχεν· ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐνόμισε λανθάνειν. Καὶ πρώτη προσέρχεται δημοσίᾳ αὕτη ἡ γυνή· καὶ γὰρ ἤκουσεν ὅτι καὶ γυναῖκας θεραπεύει, καὶ