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her heart, to pay attention to the things spoken by Paul. And Christ: No one comes to me, unless the Father draws him. Therefore, if this is of God, how do the unbelievers sin, with neither the Spirit helping, nor the Father drawing, nor the Son leading? For indeed He says of himself: I am the way. And He says this showing that He is needed in order to be brought to the Father. If, therefore, the Father draws, the Son leads by the hand, the Spirit enlightens, how do they sin who are neither drawn, nor led by the hand, nor enlightened? Because they do not offer themselves as worthy to receive this illumination. See, at any rate, this happening in the case of Cornelius; for he did not find this on his own, but God called him, because he had beforehand prepared himself to be worthy. For this very reason Paul, when discoursing on faith, said: And this is not of you, it is the gift of God. Yet He does not leave you destitute of right actions. For if it is His to draw and to bring over, yet He also seeks an obedient soul, and then He brings in His own alliance. Wherefore Paul also says elsewhere: To those who are called according to His purpose. For indeed the matters of our virtue and salvation have not been forced. But even if the greater part is His, and almost the whole, yet He has left some small thing to us, so that the pretext for the crowns might be plausible. For this very reason Paul, having said: And having the same Spirit of faith, that is, the one who also spoke in the Old Testament, added: We also believe, and therefore we also speak. For there is a much greater need for faith here than there, both because of the nature of the promises, being invisible and spiritual, and because of the order of the times. For the prizes were not in the present life, but in the one to come. Rather, there is a need for faith even concerning present things; for even the things being given needed faith in their giving, both the communion of the mysteries, and the gift of baptism. Thus the power of good things surpassed all reason. If, therefore, there was need for faith in those very coarse and sensible things, much more so here. But the apostolic text has received its proper interpretation; it is time now to come again to the prophetic text, and to say what this blessed 55.323 one says. What then does he say? I believed, therefore I spoke. And yet he has spoken nothing yet, but he speaks what has already been spoken according to his thought. What is it that has already been spoken? Having considered, he says, the calamity, and the Jewish tragedy, and that utter destruction, and the final desolation, I did not despair of a change for the better, but I also hoped for it, and announced it, and spoke. For indeed in the preceding psalms I have discoursed much concerning it; and I spoke and announced, being taught by faith. 3. See, then, how another not thoroughly instructed in this limps and is troubled. For if David says that psalm, yet not from his own person, but recounting the sufferings of those who limp, he spoke thus: How good God is to Israel, to those who are upright in heart! But as for me, my feet were almost shaken, my steps had nearly slipped; not speaking of feet and steps, but of limping reasonings. And he adds the cause, saying: Because I was envious of the lawless, that is, seeing the barbarians prospering, but the affairs of the Jews humbled. And what does he say is the form of his limping? And I said: Surely in vain have I justified my heart, and washed my hands in innocence. And from where was he led to say such things? He says: For behold, these are the sinners, and prospering forever they have possessed wealth. Then see how he recovers himself: If I said, I will recount thus; This is a trouble, he says, before me, until I go into the sanctuary of God, and understand their end. And what he says,

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καρδίαν αὑτῆς, τοῦ προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου. Καὶ ὁ Χριστός· Οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρός με, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι τοῦτο, τί ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ ἀπιστοῦντες, μήτε τοῦ Πνεύματος βοηθοῦντος, μήτε τοῦ Πατρὸς ἕλκοντος, μήτε τοῦ Υἱοῦ ὁδηγοῦντος; Καὶ γὰρ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φησιν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει δεικνὺς, ὅτι αὐτοῦ χρεία εἰς τὸ προσαχθῆναι τῷ Πατρί. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ Πατὴρ ἕλκει, ὁ Υἱὸς χειραγωγεῖ, τὸ Πνεῦμα φωτίζει, τί ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ μήτε ἑλκυσθέντες, μήτε χειραγωγηθέντες, μήτε φωτισθέντες; Ὅτι μὴ παρέχουσιν ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ ταύτην δέξασθαι τὴν ἔλλαμψιν. Ὅρα γοῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ Κορνηλίου τοῦτο συμβάν· οὐ γὰρ οἴκοθεν ἐκεῖνος τοῦτο εὗρεν, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν, ἐπειδὴ προλαβὼν, ἑαυτὸν ἄξιον παρεσκεύασε. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος περὶ πίστεως διαλεγόμενος ἔλεγε· Καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, Θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον. Οὐ μὲν ἔρημόν σε καταλιμπάνει κατορθωμάτων. Εἰ γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐστι τὸ ἑλκύσαι καὶ ἐπαγαγέσθαι· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ψυχὴν εὐπειθῆ ἐπιζητεῖ, καὶ τότε τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ συμμαχίαν εἰσάγει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι Παῦλος· Τοῖς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοῖς οὖσιν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἠναγκάσθη τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τὸ πλέον αὐτοῦ ἐστι, σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ πᾶν, ὅμως ἀφῆκέ τι καὶ ἡμῖν μικρὸν, ὥστε καὶ εὐπρόσωπον γενέσθαι τῶν στεφάνων τὴν πρόφασιν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο Παῦλος εἰπών· Ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως, τουτέστι, τὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ λαλῆσαν, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν, διὸ καὶ λαλοῦμεν. Πολλῷ γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐνταῦθα πίστεως χρεία, ἢ ἐκεῖ, διά τε τὴν φύσιν τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν ἀόρατόν τε οὖσαν καὶ νοερὰν, διά τε τὴν τάξιν τῶν καιρῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἦν τὰ ἔπαθλα. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν παρόντων πίστεως χρεία· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὰ τὰ διδόμενα πίστεως ἐδεῖτο καὶ ἐν τῷ δίδοσθαι, ἥ τε τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνία, τοῦ τε βαπτίσματος ἡ δωρεά. Οὕτω πάντα λόγον ὑπερέβαινε τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ δύναμις. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς παχυτάτοις ἐκείνοις καὶ αἰσθητοῖς πίστεως ἔδει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐνταῦθα. Ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ἀποστολικὴ λέξις τὴν προσήκουσαν ἑρμηνείαν εἴληφεν· ὥρα λοιπὸν πάλιν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν προφητικὴν ἐλθεῖν, καὶ εἰπεῖν τί φησιν ὁ μακά 55.323 ριος οὗτος. Τί οὖν φησιν; Ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα. Καίτοι οὐδὲν ἐλάλησεν οὐδέπω, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἤδη λαληθὲν λέγει κατὰ διάνοιαν αὐτῷ. Τί ἐστι τὸ ἤδη λαληθέν; Ἐννοήσας, φησὶ, τὴν συμφορὰν, καὶ τὴν τραγῳδίαν τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν, καὶ τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ἐκείνην, καὶ τὴν εἰς τέλος ἐρήμωσιν, οὐκ ἀπέγνων τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον μεταβολῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἤλπισα ταύτην, καὶ ἀπήγγειλα αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐλάλησα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ψαλμοῖς πολλὰ περὶ αὐτῆς διελέχθην· ἐλάλησα δὲ καὶ ἀπήγγειλα ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως παιδευόμενος. γʹ. Ἕτερος γοῦν οὐ σφόδρα ταύτην πεπαιδευμένος ὅρα πῶς χωλεύει καὶ θορυβεῖται. Εἰ γὰρ ∆αυῒδ λέγει τὸν ψαλμὸν ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξ οἰκείου προσώπου, ἀλλὰ τῶν χωλευόντων τὰ πάθη διηγούμενος οὕτως ἔλεγεν· Ὡς ἀγαθὸς ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ! Ἐμοῦ δὲ παρὰ μικρὸν ἐσαλεύθησαν οἱ πόδες, παρ' ὀλίγον ἐξεχύθη τὰ διαβήματά μου· οὐ περὶ ποδῶν λέγων καὶ διαβημάτων, ἀλλὰ περὶ λογισμῶν χωλευόντων. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπάγει, λέγων· Ὅτι ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις, τουτέστι, τοὺς βαρβάρους εὐδοκιμοῦντας ὁρῶν, τὰ δὲ Ἰουδαίων τεταπεινωμένα. Καὶ τί τῆς χωλείας λέγει τὸ εἶδος; Καὶ εἶπον· Ἄρα ματαίως ἐδικαίωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ἐνιψάμην ἐν ἀθώοις τὰς χεῖράς μου. Καὶ πόθεν τοιαῦτα προήχθη εἰπεῖν, λέγει· Ὅτι ἰδοὺ οὗτοι οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ εὐθηνοῦντες εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατέσχον πλούτου. Εἶτα ὅρα πῶς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακτᾶται· Εἰ ἔλεγον, διηγήσομαι Οὕτω· Τοῦτο κόπος, φησὶν ἐστὶν ἐνώπιόν μου, ἕως οὗ εἰσέλθω εἰς τὸ ἁγιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ συνῶ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα αὐτῶν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει,