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58.557 HOMILY 57. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?

1. So they did not know this from the Scriptures, but those men were making it known, and this report was spread among the boundless populace, just as it was concerning Christ. Therefore the Samaritan woman also said: The Messiah is coming; when he comes, he will tell us all things. And they themselves asked John: Are you Elijah, or the prophet? For the report, as I said, prevailed, both the one concerning Christ and the one concerning Elijah, but it was not interpreted by them as it should have been. For the Scriptures speak of two comings of Christ, this one that has already happened, and the one that is to come. And Paul, declaring these, said: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared, teaching us that, denying 58.558 ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly. Behold the one; hear how he also declares the other. For having said this, he added: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. And the prophets also mention both; but of the one, the second, they say Elijah will be the forerunner. For of the first, John was the forerunner, whom Christ also called Elijah; not because he was Elijah, but because he fulfilled his ministry. For just as that one will be the forerunner of the second coming, so this one became of the first. But the scribes, confusing these things, and misleading the people, mentioned only that one to the people, the second coming, and 58.559 said that if this is the Christ, Elijah must have come first. For this reason the disciples also say: Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? For this reason also the Pharisees sent to John and asked: Are you Elijah? making no mention anywhere of the first coming. What then is the solution which Christ added? That Elijah indeed is coming then before my second coming; and Elijah has now come; thus calling John. This one came as Elijah. But if you seek the Tishbite, he is coming. Therefore He also said: Elijah indeed is coming, and will restore all things. What all things? Those which the prophet Malachi spoke. For I will send you, he says, Elijah the Tishbite, who will turn the heart of the father to the son, lest I come and strike the earth utterly. Do you see the accuracy of the prophetic utterance, For since Christ called John Elijah, because of the fellowship of their ministry, lest you think this was also now said by the prophet, he added his country, saying, The Tishbite; but John was not a Tishbite. And he adds another sign with this, saying, Lest I come and strike the earth utterly, showing his fearful second coming. For in the first he did not come to strike the earth. For I did not come, he says, to judge the world, but to save the world. Therefore, showing that the Tishbite comes before that coming which has the judgment, he said this. And at the same time he teaches the reason for his coming. And what is the reason? So that when he comes he might persuade the Jews to believe in Christ, and that they might not all be utterly destroyed when He arrives. Wherefore he himself, directing them to the memory of that, says: And he will restore all things; that is, he will correct the unbelief of the Jews who are found then. Therefore he has spoken with very great accuracy. For he did not say, He will turn the heart of the son to the father, but, of the father to the son. For since the Jews were the fathers of the apostles, he says this, that he will restore to the doctrines of their sons, that is, of the apostles, the hearts of the fathers, that is, the mind of the Jewish race. But I say to you, that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer from them. Then they understood that he spoke to them about John. And yet neither the scribes said this, nor the Scriptures; but because they were now sharper

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58.557 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΝΖʹ. Καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· Τί οὖν οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγουσιν, ὅτι Ἠλίαν δεῖ ἐλ θεῖν πρῶτον;

αʹ. Οὐκ ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν τοῦτο ᾔδεσαν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι ἑαυτοὺς διεσάφουν,

καὶ περιεφέρετο ὁ λόγος οὗτος ἐν τῷ ἀπείρῳ δήμῳ, καθάπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις ἔλεγε· Μεσσίας ἔρχεται· ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν πάντα· καὶ αὐτοὶ ἠρώτων τὸν Ἰωάννην· Ἠλίας εἶ, ἢ ὁ προφήτης; Ἐκράτει μὲνγὰρ, ὅπερ ἔφην, ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ὁ περὶ τοῦ Ἠλία, οὐχ ὡς ἐχρῆν δὲ παρ' ἐκείνων ἑρμηνευόμενος. Αἱ μὲν γὰρ Γραφαὶ δύο λέγουσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, ταύτην τε τὴν γεγενημένην, καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν· καὶ ταύτας δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ἐπεφάνη ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ σωτήριος παιδεύουσα ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἀρνη 58.558 σάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας, σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ζήσωμεν. Ἰδοὺ ἡ μία· ἄκουσον πῶς καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν δηλοῖ. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ταῦτα, ἐπήγαγε· Προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα, καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ οἱ προφῆται δὲ ἑκατέρας μέμνηνται· τῆς μέντοι μιᾶς, τῆς δευτέρας, πρόδρομον λέγουσι τὸν Ἠλίαν ἔσεσθαι. Τῆς μὲν γὰρ προτέρας ἐγένετο ὁ Ἰωάννης, ὃν καὶ Ἠλίαν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκάλει· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ Ἠλίας ἦν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὴν διακονίαν ἐπλήρου τὴν ἐκείνου. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος πρόδρομος ἔσται τῆς δευτέρας παρουσίας, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος τῆς προτέρας ἐγένετο. Ἀλλ' οἱ γραμματεῖς ταῦτα συγχέοντες, καὶ διαστρέφοντες τὸν δῆμον, ἐκείνης ἐμνημόνευον μόνης πρὸς τὸν δῆμον, τῆς δευτέρας παρουσίας, καὶ 58.559 ἔλεγον, ὅτι Εἰ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἔδει τὸν Ἠλίαν προλαβεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ λέγουσι· Πῶς οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγουσιν, Ἠλίαν δεῖ ἐλθεῖν πρῶτον; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην πέμψαντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἠρώτων· Εἰ σὺ εἶ Ἠλίας; οὐ μνημονεύοντες οὐδαμοῦ τῆς προτέρας παρουσίας. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ λύσις, ἣν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπήγαγεν; Ὅτι Ἠλίας μὲν ἔρχεται τότε πρὸτῆς δευτέρας μου παρουσίας· καὶ νῦν δὲ ἐλήλυθεν Ἠλίας· τὸν Ἰωάννην οὕτω καλῶν. Οὗτος ἦλθεν Ἠλίας. Εἰ δὲ τὸν Θεσβίτην ζητοίης, ἔρχεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἠλίας μὲν ἔρχεται, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσει πάντα. Ποῖα πάντα; Ἅπερ ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγε Μαλαχίας. Ἀποστελῶ γὰρ ὑμῖν, φησὶν, Ἠλίαν τὸν Θεσβίτην, ὃς ἀποκαταστήσει καρδίαν πατρὸς πρὸς υἱὸν, μὴ ἐλθὼν πατάξω τὴν γῆν ἄρδην. Εἶδες ἀκρίβειαν προφητικῆς ῥήσεως, Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν Ἰωάννην Ἠλίανἐκάλεσεν ὁ Χριστὸς, διὰ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς διακονίας, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγεσθαι νῦν, προσέθηκεν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν πατρίδα, εἰπὼν, Τὸν Θεσβίτην· Ἰωάννης δὲ Θεσβίτης οὐκ ἦν. Καὶ ἕτερον δὲ μετὰ τούτου παράσημον τίθησι λέγων, Μὴ ἐλθὼν πατάξω τὴν γῆν ἄρδην, τὴν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν ἐμφαίνων τὴν φοβεράν. Τῇ γὰρ προτέρᾳ οὐκ ἦλθε πατάξαι τὴν γῆν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον, φησὶν, ἵνα κρίνω τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσω τὸν κόσμον. ∆ηλῶν τοίνυν, ὅτι πρὸ ἐκείνης ἔρχεται ὁ Θεσβίτης τῆς τὴν κρίσιν ἐχούσης, τοῦτο εἴρηκε. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δὲ ὁμοῦ διδάσκει τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ. Τίς δὲ ἡ αἰτία; Ἵνα ἐλθὼν πείσῃ πιστεῦσαι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ μὴ πάντες ἄρδην ἀπόλωνται παραγενομένου. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς ἐκείνην αὐτοὺς παραπέμπων τὴν μνήμην, φησί· Καὶ ἀποκαταστήσει πάντα· τουτέστι, διορθώσεται τὴν ἀπιστίαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τῶν τότε εὑρισκομένων. ∆ιὸ καὶ σφόδρα ἀκριβέστατα εἴρηκεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἀποκαταστήσει καρδίαν υἱοῦ πρὸς πατέρα, ἀλλὰ, Πατρὸς πρὸς υἱόν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πατέρες ἦσαν τῶν ἀποστόλων οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἀποκαταστήσει τοῖς δόγμασι τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῶν, τουτέστι, τῶν ἀποστόλων, τὰς καρδίας τῶν πατέρων, τουτέστι, τοῦ γένους τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν διάνοιαν. Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν, ὅτι Ἠλίας ἤδη ἦλθε, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἐποίησαν ἐν αὐτῷ ὅσα ἠθέλησαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλλει πάσχειν ὑπ' αὐτῶν. Τότε συνῆκαν, ὅτι περὶ Ἰωάννου εἶπεν αὐτοῖς. Καίτοι οὔτε οἱ γραμματεῖς τοῦτο εἶπον, οὔτε αἱ Γραφαί· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ λοιπὸν ὀξύτεροι