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is able to accomplish anything with respect to what has been given by God; but Father and Son and Holy Spirit order all things; but the priest lends his own tongue, and provides his own hand. For it was not just that 59.473 those who approach in faith should be harmed in the symbols of our salvation on account of another's wickedness. Knowing all these things, therefore, let us both fear God, and hold His priests in honor, bestowing on them all honor; so that both for our own good deeds, and 59.474 for our service to them we may receive a great reward from God, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

59.473 HOMILY 87. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said, "Unless I see, I will not believe," and what follows.

1. Just as to believe simply and at random is a mark of an easy-going nature, so to be overly curious and meddlesome beyond measure is a mark of a very dull mind. For this reason Thomas is also found fault with. For when the apostles said, "We have seen the Lord," he did not believe, not so much disbelieving them as he considered the thing itself to be impossible; that is, the resurrection from the dead. For he did not say, "I do not believe you," but, "Unless I put my hand, I will not believe." How then, when all were gathered together, was this man alone absent? It was likely that from the dispersion which had already taken place he had not yet then returned. But when you see the disciple disbelieving, consider the loving-kindness of the Master, how even for one soul He shows Himself bearing His wounds, and comes to save even the one, although he was duller than the others. Therefore he sought faith through the grossest sense, and did not even trust his eyes. For he did not say, "Unless I see;" but, "Unless I touch," he says, lest what was seen might be a phantom. And yet the disciples who reported these things were trustworthy then, and He Himself had promised it; but nevertheless, since he sought more, Christ did not deprive him even of this. And for what reason does He not appear to him immediately, but after eight days? So that in the meantime, being instructed by the disciples, and hearing the same thing, he might be inflamed with greater desire, and become more faithful for the future. But how did he know that His side had been opened? From hearing the disciples. How then did he believe one thing, but not believe the other? Because this was very paradoxical and wonderful. But consider for me the truthfulness of the apostles, how they do not hide the faults, neither their own, nor those of others, but record them with much truth. Jesus appears again, and does not wait to be asked by him, nor to hear anything of the sort, but when he had said nothing, He Himself anticipated and fulfilled what he desired, showing that He was also present when he was saying these things to the disciples. For He used the same words, and very reproachfully, and instructively for the future. For having said, "Bring your finger, and see My hands, and put your hand into My side;" He added, "And do not be unbelieving, but believing." Do you see that the doubt was from unbelief? but this was before they received the Spirit; but after these things, no longer, but they were then perfected. And He reproached him not only in this way, but also through what followed. For when he, being fully assured, caught his breath and cried out, "My Lord, and my God," He says, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed." For this is of faith, to accept things not seen. 59.474 For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And here he does not bless the disciples

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ἐργάσασθαί τι δύναται εἰς τὰ δεδομένα παρὰ Θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ Πατὴρ καὶ Υἱὸς καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα πάντα οἰκονομεῖ· ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δανείζει γλῶτταν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρέχει χεῖρα. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ δίκαιον ἦν διὰ τὴν 59.473 ἑτέρου κακίαν εἰς τὰ σύμβολα τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν τοὺς πίστει προσιόντας παραβλάπτεσθαι. Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα εἰδότες, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν φοβώμεθα, καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας αὐτοῦ ἐντίμως ἔχωμεν, πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς ἀπονέμοντες τιμήν· ἵνα καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων, καὶ 59.474 ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς ἐκείνους θεραπείας πολλὴν λάβωμεν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, 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.

59.473 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΖʹ. Θωμᾶς δὲ εἷς τῶν δώδεκα, ὁ λεγόμενος ∆ίδυμος, οὐκ ἦν

μετ' αὐτῶν ὅτε ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄλλοι μαθηταί· «Ἑωράκαμεν τὸν Κύριον.» Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· «Ἐὰν μὴ ἴδω, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

αʹ. Ὥσπερ τὸ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε πιστεύειν, εὐκολίας ἐστίν· οὕτω τὸ πέρα

τοῦ μέτρου περιεργάζεσθαι καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν, παχυτάτης διανοίας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θωμᾶς ἐγκαλεῖται. Τοῖς γὰρ ἀποστόλοις εἰρηκόσιν, ὅτι Ἑωράκαμεν τὸν Κύριον, οὐκ ἐπίστευσεν, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐκείνοις ἀπιστῶν, ὅσον τὸ πρᾶγμα ἡγούμενος ἀδύνατον εἶναι· τουτέστιν, τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐ πιστεύω ὑμῖν, ἀλλ', Ἐὰν μὴ βάλω τὴν χεῖρά μου, οὐ πιστεύσω. Πῶς οὖν, πάντων συνηγμένων, οὗτος ἀπελιμπάνετο μόνος; Εἰκὸς ἦν ἀπὸ τῆς διασπορᾶς τῆς ἤδη γενομένης μηδέπω καὶ τότε αὐτὸν ἐπανελθεῖν. Σὺ δὲ ὅταν ἴδῃς [αὐτὸν] ἀπιστοῦντα τὸν μαθητὴν, ἐννόησον τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, πῶς καὶ ὑπὲρ μιᾶς ψυχῆς δείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν τραύματα ἔχοντα, καὶ παραγίνεται ἵνα διασώσῃ καὶ τὸν ἕνα, καίτοι τῶν ἄλλων παχύτερον ὄντα. ∆ιὸ τὴν διὰ τῆς αἰσθήσεως τῆς παχυτάτης ἐζήτει πίστιν, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐπίστευεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἂν μὴ ἴδω· ἀλλ', Ἐὰν μὴ ψηλαφήσω, φησὶ, μή πως φαντασία τὸ ὁρώμενον ᾖ. Καὶ μὴν οἱ μαθηταὶ ταῦτα ἀπαγγέλλοντες ἀξιόπιστοι τότε ἦσαν, καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπισχνούμενος· ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἐπειδὴ πλέον ἐζήτησεν, οὐδὲ τούτων αὐτὸν ἀπεστέρησεν ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ εὐθέως αὐτῷ φαίνεται, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἡμέρας ὀκτώ; Ὥστε μεταξὺ κατηχούμενον αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν μαθητῶν, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀκούοντα, καὶ εἰς πλείονα ἐκκαῆναι πόθον, καὶ πιστότερον πρὸς τὸ μέλλον γενέσθαι. Πόθεν δὲ ᾔδει ὅτι καὶ ἡ πλευρὰ ἠνεῴχθη; Παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀκούσας. Πῶς οὖν τὸ μὲν ἐπίστευσε, τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐπίστευσεν; Ὅτι τοῦτο πολὺ παράδοξον καὶ θαυμαστὸν ἦν. Σκόπει δέ μοι τὸ φιλάληθες τῶν ἀποστόλων, πῶς τὰ ἐλαττώματα οὐ κρύπτουσιν, οὔτε τὰ ἑαυτῶν, οὔτε τὰ ἑτέρων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὰ ἀναγράφουσι τῆς ἀληθείας. Ἐφίσταται δὲ πάλιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ οὐ περιμένει παρ' ἐκείνου ἀξιωθῆναι, οὐδὲ ἀκοῦσαί τι τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ μηδὲν εἰπόντος, αὐτὸς προλαβὼν, ἅπερ ἐπεθύμει, πληροῖ, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ, ἡνίκα ταῦτα ἐφθέγγετο πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς, παρῆν. Καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἐχρήσατο τοῖς αὐτοῖς, καὶ σφόδρα ἐπιτιμητικῶς, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς παιδευτικῶς. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Φέρε τὸν δάκτυλόν σου, καὶ ἴδε τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ βάλε τὴν χεῖρά σου εἰς τὴν πλευράν μου· ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ μὴ γίνου ἄπιστος, ἀλλὰ πιστός. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἀπιστίας ἦν ἡ ἀμφιβολία; ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἢ τὸ Πνεῦμα λαβεῖν· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα οὐκέτι, ἀλλ' ἀπηρτισμένοι λοιπὸν ἦσαν. Οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον ἐπετίμησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἀνέπνευσε πληροφορηθεὶς, καὶ ἀνεβόησεν, Ὁ Κύριός μου, καὶ ὁ Θεός μου, λέγει· Ὅτι ἑώρακάς με, πεπίστευκας· μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες, καὶ πιστεύσαντες. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι πίστεως, τὸ τὰ μὴ ὁρώμενα δέξασθαι. 59.474 Ἔστι γὰρ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις πραγμάτων, ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐ τοὺς μαθητὰς μακαρίζει