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we provoke him. For tell me, if you had dragged a dead and rotting donkey from the crossroads and the streets and brought it to the altar, would not everyone have stoned you as accursed and defiled? What then, if I should prove that a sacrifice from plunder is more defiling than this, what defense shall we find? For let us suppose some treasure has been acquired from plunder; does it not stink more than a dead donkey? Do you want to learn how great is the rottenness of sin? Hear the Prophet saying: My wounds have stunk and are corrupt. But you by words deem God worthy to forget the evil things you do; but you yourself by the things you do, plundering and being covetous, you even prepare him to remember continually, placing your sin upon the altar. But now this is not the only sin, but also one more grievous than this, that you defile the souls of the saints. For this is a stone, and it is consecrated; but they always bear Christ himself; and do you dare to send there something from such uncleanness? No, he says; not the same money, but other. This is laughter and nonsense. Do you not know that even if a drop of injustice falls into a great amount of money, it is all defiled? Just as, then, someone who throws dung into a clean spring makes it all unclean; so also in wealth, if some covetousness enters, it makes everything reek of the stench from there. Then we wash our hands when entering the church; but our heart no longer? For do the hands send forth a voice? The soul utters the words; at it God looks; there is no need of the body's purity, when that is defiled. For what is the benefit, if you wipe your outer hands, but have your inner hands unclean? For 59.400 the terrible and all-overturning thing is this, that fearing small things, we despise great things. For to pray with unwashed hands is a matter of indifference; but with an unwashed mind, this is the last of all evils. Hear also what was said to the Jews who were occupied with such impurities: Wash your heart from wickedness. How long shall there be in you thoughts of your labors? Let us also wash ourselves, not with mire, but with pure water, with almsgiving, and not with covetousness. First, be rid of plundering, and then show almsgiving. Let us turn from evil, and do good. Stop your hands from covetousness, and so lead them to almsgiving. And if with the same hands we strip others, even if we do not clothe them with what was taken from those, not even so do we escape punishment. For the occasion for propitiation becomes the occasion for every transgression. For it is better not to be merciful than to be merciful in this way. Since it would have been better for Cain not to have offered at all. And if he who brought the lesser things provoked God; how shall he who gives what belongs to another not provoke him? I told you, he says, not to plunder; and you honor me with these very things? What do you think? That I am pleased with these things? Therefore he will say to you: You have supposed iniquity, that I will be like you. I will reprove you, and set your sins before your face. But may it not be that anyone hears this voice, but having worked pure almsgiving, and holding their lamps bright, thus to enter into the bridal chamber, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

59.399 HOMILY 74. Philip says to him, Lord, show us the Father, and

it is enough for us. Jesus says to him, Have I been with you so long, and you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father.

1. The prophet said to the Jews, You have had the face of a harlot,

you have been shameless towards all. But as it seems, it is not just to say these things to that city alone, but also to those who shamelessly look against the truth. For

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αὐτὸν παροξύνομεν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ γε ὄνον νεκρὸν καὶ σεσηπότα ἀπὸ τῆς τριόδου καὶ τῶν ἀμφόδων ἑλκύσας ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἔφερες, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἅπαντές σε κατέλευσαν ὡς ἐναγῆ καὶ μυσαρόν; Τί οὖν, ἐὰν ἐλέγξω, ὅτι ἡ θυσία ἡ ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς μυσαρωτέρα τούτου, ποίας τευξόμεθα ἀπολογίας; Θῶμεν γάρ τι κειμήλιον γεγενῆσθαι ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς· οὐχὶ ὄνου τεθνηκότος μᾶλλον ὄδωδε; Βούλει μαθεῖν πόση τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡ σηπεδών ἐστιν; Ἄκουσον τοῦ Προφήτου λέγοντος· Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου. Σὺ δὲ διὰ μὲν ῥημάτων τὸν Θεὸν ἀξιοῖς ἐπιλαθέσθαι ὧν ποιεῖς κακῶν· αὐτὸς δὲ δι' ὧν ποιεῖς ἁρπάζων καὶ πλεονεκτῶν, καὶ παρασκευάζεις μεμνῆσθαι διηνεκῶς, ἐπιτιθείς σου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον. Νῦν δὲ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ ἁμάρτημα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τούτου χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι τὰς τῶν ἁγίων μολύνεις ψυχάς. Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ λίθος ἐστὶ, καὶ ἁγιάζεται· ἐκεῖναι δὲ διὰ παντὸς αὐτὸν φέρουσι τὸν Χριστόν· καὶ τολμᾷς ἐκεῖ πέμπειν ἀπὸ τοιαύτης ἀκαθαρσίας; Οὐχὶ, φησίν· οὐκ αὐτὰ τὰ χρήματα, ἀλλ' ἕτερα. Γέλως ταῦτα καὶ λῆρος. Οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι κἂν εἰς πολὺ πλῆθος χρημάτων τῆς ἀδικίας ἐμπέσῃ ῥανὶς, πάντα μολύνεται; Καθάπερ οὖν εἰς πηγὴν καθαρὰν κόπρον τις ἐμβαλὼν, πᾶσαν αὐτὴν ἀκάθαρτον εἰργάσατο· οὕτω καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ πλεονεξία τις εἰσελθοῦσα, πάντα ἀποπνεῖν ποιεῖ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν δυσωδίας. Εἶτα χεῖρας μὲν νιπτόμεθα, εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσιόντες· τὴν δὲ καρδίαν οὐκέτι; Μὴ γὰρ αἱ χεῖρες φωνὴν ἀφιᾶσιν; Ἡ ψυχὴ προφέρει τὰ ῥήματα εἰς ἐκείνην ὁ Θεὸς καθορᾷ· οὐδὲν δεῖ τῆς τοῦ σώματος καθαρότητος, ἐκείνης μεμολυσμένης Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ἂν τὰς ἔξωθεν μὲν χεῖρας ἀποσμήξῃς, τὰς δὲ ἔνδον ἀκαθάρτους ἔχῃς; Τὸ 59.400 γὰρ δεινὸν καὶ πάντα ἀνατρέπον, τοῦτό ἐστι, ὅτι τὰ μικρὰ δεδοικότες, τῶν μεγάλων καταφρονοῦμεν. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν εὔξασθαι, ἀδιάφορον· τὸ δὲ ἀνίπτῳ διανοίᾳ, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ πάντων ἔσχατον τῶν κακῶν. Ἄκουσον καὶ Ἰουδαίοις τοῖς περὶ τὰς τοιαύτας ἀκαθαρσίας ἠσχολημένοις, τί εἴρηται· Ἀπόπλυναι ἀπὸ κακίας τὴν καρδίαν σου. Ἕως πότε ἔσονταί σοι διαλογισμοὶ πόνων σου; Ἀποπλύνωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, μὴ βορβόρῳ, ἀλλ' ὕδατι καθαρῷ, ἐλεημοσύνῃ, καὶ μὴ πλεονεξίᾳ. Πρῶτον ἀπαλλάγηθι τοῦ ἁρπάζειν, καὶ τότε ἐπίδειξαι τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην. Ἐκκλίνωμεν ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποιήσωμεν ἀγαθόν. Στῆσον τὰς χεῖρας ἀπὸ πλεονεξίας, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ἄγε. Ἂν δὲ ταῖς αὐταῖς ἄλλους ἀποδύσωμεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἐξ ἐκείνων ἀφῃρημένοις ἐνδύωμεν, οὐδὲ οὕτω διαφεύγομεν τὴν κόλασιν. Ἡ γὰρ ὑπόθεσις τοῦ ἱλασμοῦ πάσης πλημμελείας ὑπόθεσις γίνεται. Τοῦ γὰρ οὕτως ἐλεεῖν τὸ μὴ ἐλεεῖν κρεῖττον. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ Κάϊν βέλτιον ἦν μηδὲ ὅλως προσενεγκεῖν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ τὰ ἐλάττω κομίσας, τὸν Θεὸν παρώξυνεν· ὁ τὰ ἀλλότρια διδοὺς, πῶς οὐ παροξυνεῖ; Ἐγώ σοι εἶπον, φησὶ, μὴ ἁρπάζειν· καὶ σύ με ἐξ αὐτῶν τιμᾷς; τί νομίζεις; ὅτι ἥδομαι τούτοις; Οὐκοῦν ἐρεῖ πρὸς σέ· Ὑπέλαβες ἀνομίαν, ὅτι ἔσομαί σοι ὅμοιος. Ἐλέγξω σε, καὶ παραστήσω κατὰ πρόσωπόν σου τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου. Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο μηδένα ταύτης ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς, ἀλλ' ἐλεημοσύνην καθαρὰν ἐργασαμένους, καὶ λαμπρὰς τὰς λαμπάδας ἔχοντας, οὕτως εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα εἰσελθεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.399 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ο∆ʹ. Λέγει αὐτῷ Φίλιππος· Κύριε, δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ

ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰη σοῦς Τοσοῦτον χρόνον μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκάς με, Φίλιππε; Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα.

αʹ. Ὁ μὲν προφήτης ἔλεγεν Ἰουδαίοις· Ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι,

ἀπηναισχύντησας πρὸς πάντας. Ὡς ἔοικε δὲ, οὐκ ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει δίκαιον μόνον ταῦτα εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀναισχύντως πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀντιβλέπουσι. Τοῦ γὰρ