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nor is it possible to see present things. For drunkenness makes our days nights, and light darkness; and with their eyes open, the drunk do not see even what is at their feet. And not only is this the terrible thing, but with these things they also endure another most grievous penalty, continually enduring irrational despondencies, madness, sickness, ridicule, reproach. What pardon, then, is there for those who pierce themselves through with so many evils? There is none. Let us flee, therefore, this sickness, that we may obtain both the good things here and those to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. 58.565 HOMILY 58. And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. 1. For lest they should say, "For what reason do we stay here continually?" again He speaks to them about the Passion; hearing which, they did not even wish to see Jerusalem. See then how, even after Peter had been rebuked, and Moses and Elijah had spoken about it, and called the matter glory, and the Father had uttered a voice from above, and so many signs had been performed, and the resurrection was at the doors; (for He did not say that He would remain a long time in death, but that He would be raised on the third day;) not even so did they take it in, but They were sorry; and not simply, but Exceeding. And this happened because they still did not know the power of the things being said. This Mark and Luke, hinting at it, said; the one, that They understood not the saying, and were afraid to ask Him; the other, that It was hid from them, that they should not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him 58.566 about that saying. And yet if they did not know, how were they sorry? Because they did not not know everything; but that He would die, they knew, hearing it continually; but what this death was, and that it would quickly be undone, and would work countless good things, this they did not yet clearly know; nor what this resurrection is; but they did not know; therefore they were grieved; for they were exceedingly attached to their Teacher. And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received the didrachmas came to Peter, and said, Does not your Master pay the didrachmas? And what are these didrachmas? When God killed the firstborn of the Egyptians, He then took the tribe of Levi in their place. Then, since the number of the tribe was less than the firstborn among the Jews, He commanded a shekel to be paid for those lacking in number; and otherwise, from that time the custom prevailed for the firstborn to pay this tribute. Since, then, Christ was a firstborn, and Peter seemed to be first among the disciples, they approach him. For, as it seems to me, they demanded it in each city; which is why they also came to him in his own country, since Capernaum 58.567 was considered his country. And they did not dare to approach Him, but Peter; and not even him with much forcefulness, but rather gently. For they did not speak accusingly, but asking: Does not your Master pay the didrachmas? For they did not yet have a proper opinion concerning him, but were disposed toward him as toward a man; nevertheless they paid him some reverence and honor, because of the signs that had gone before. What then of Peter? Yes, he says; and to them he said, that He does pay; but to Him he did not say it, perhaps blushing to speak with Him about these things. Therefore the gentle One who knew all things clearly, anticipating him says: What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? When he said, Of strangers, He said: Then are the children free. For lest Peter think that He was speaking after hearing it from them, He anticipates him, both showing this very thing, and giving him confidence, who was hesitant to speak first about these things. What He says is something like this: I am free from paying tribute. For if the kings of the earth do not receive from their own sons, but from the

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οὐδὲ τὰ παρόντα ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰς ἡμέρας νύκτας ἐργάζεται ἡμῖν ἡ μέθη, καὶ τὸ φῶς σκότος· καὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀνεῳγμένων οὐδὲ τὰ ἐν ποσὶ βλέπουσιν οἱ μεθύοντες. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ δεινὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τούτων καὶ ἑτέραν χαλεπωτάτην ὑπομένουσι δίκην, ἀθυμίας ἀλόγους, μανίαν, ἀῤῥωστίαν, γέλωτα, ὄνειδος διηνεκῶς ὑπομένοντες. Ποία τοίνυν συγγνώμη τοῖς ἑαυτοὺς τοσούτοις περιπείρουσι κακοῖς; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία. Φύγωμεν τοίνυν τὸ νόσημα, ἵνα καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 58.565 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΝΗʹ. Ἀναστρεφομένων δὲ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Μέλλει ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοσθαι εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀποκτε νοῦσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστήσεται. Καὶ ἐλυπήθησαν σφόδρα. αʹ. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσι, Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐνταῦθα διατρίβομεν διηνεκῶς; πάλιν περὶ τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῖς φησιν· ὅπερ ἀκούοντες οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν ἐβούλοντο τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς καὶ τοῦ Πέτρου ἐπιτιμηθέντος, καὶ τῶν περὶ Μωϋσέα καὶ Ἠλίαν περὶ αὐτοῦ διαλεχθέντων, καὶ δόξαν τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεσάντων, καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἄνωθεν φωνὴν ἀφέντος, καὶ σημείων τοσούτων γενομένων, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐπὶ θύραις οὔσης· (οὐδὲ γὰρ πολὺν ἔφησε χρόνον ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ μένειν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστήσεσθαι·) οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀνήνεγκαν, ἀλλ' Ἐλυπήθησαν· καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ Σφόδρα. Ἐγένετο δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν ἔτι τῶν λεγομένων τὴν δύναμιν. Ὅπερ ὁ Μάρκος καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς αἰνιττόμενοι ἔλεγον· ὁ μὲν, ὅτι Ἠγνόουν τὸ ῥῆμα, καὶ ἐφοβοῦντο αὐτὸν ἐρωτῆσαι· ὁ δὲ, ὅτι Ἦν παρακεκαλυμμένον ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ αἴσθωνται, καὶ ἐφοβοῦντο αὐτὸν ἐρωτῆσαι 58.566 περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος. Καὶ μὴν εἰ ἠγνόουν, πῶς ἐλυπήθησαν; Ὅτι οὐ πάντα ἠγνόουν· ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἀποθανεῖται ᾔδεσαν, συνεχῶς ἀκούοντες· ὅ τί ποτε δὲ ἦν οὗτος ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ὅτι ταχέως λυθήσεται, καὶ μυρία ἐργάσεται ἀγαθὰ, τοῦτο οὐδέπω ᾔδεσαν σαφῶς· οὐδὲ ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις· ἀλλ' ἠγνόουν· διὸ ἤλγουν· καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ἀντείχοντο τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου. Ἐλθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν εἰς Καπερναοὺμ, προσῆλθον οἱ τὰ δίδραχμα λαμβάνοντες τῷ Πέτρῳ, καὶ εἶπον· Ὁ ∆ιδάσκαλος ὑμῶν οὐ τελεῖ τὰ δίδραχμα; Καὶ τίνα ἐστὶ ταῦτα τὰ δίδραχμα; Ὅτε τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἀπέκτεινεν ὁ Θεὸς, τότε τὴν Λευῒ φυλὴν ἀντ' αὐτῶν ἔλαβεν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις πρωτοτόκων ἐλάττων ὁ τῆς φυλῆς ἀριθμὸς ἦν, ἀντὶ τῶν λειπόντων εἰς τὸν ἀριθμὸν σίκλον ἐκέλευσεν εἰσενεχθῆναι· καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ἐξ ἐκείνου ἔθος ἐκράτησε, τὰ πρωτότοκα τὸν φόρον τοῦτον εἰσφέρειν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πρωτότοκος ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐδόκει δὲ τῶν μαθητῶν πρῶτος εἶναι ὁ Πέτρος, αὐτῷ προσέρχονται. Καὶ γὰρ, ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, κατὰ πόλιν ἑκάστην ἀπῄτουν· διὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι προσῆλθον αὐτῷ, ἐπειδὴ πατρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐνομίζετο ἡ Καπερ 58.567 ναούμ. Καὶ αὐτῷ μὲν οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν προσελθεῖν, τῷ Πέτρῳ δέ· καὶ οὐδὲ τούτῳ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος, ἀλλ' ἐπιεικέστερον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγκαλοῦντες, ἀλλ' ἐρωτῶντες ἔλεγον· Ὁ ∆ιδάσκαλος ὑμῶν οὐ τελεῖ τὰ δίδραχμα; Τὴν μὲν γὰρ προσήκουσαν περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν οὐδέπω εἶχον, ἀλλ' ὡς περὶ ἀνθρώπου οὕτω διέκειντο· πλὴν ἀπένεμόν τινα αἰδῶ καὶ τιμὴν, διὰ τὰ προλαβόντα σημεῖα. Τί οὖν ὁ Πέτρος; Ναὶ, φησί· καὶ τούτοις μὲν εἶπεν, ὅτι τελεῖ· αὐτῷ δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν, ἴσως ἐρυθριῶν ὑπὲρ τούτων αὐτῷ διαλεχθῆναι. ∆ιὸ ὁ ἥμερος καὶ πάντα σαφῶς εἰδὼς, προλαβὼν αὐτόν φησι· Τί σοι δοκεῖ, Σίμων; οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ τίνων λαμβάνουσι τέλη ἢ κῆνσον; ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῶν, ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων; Εἰπόντος δὲ, Ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ἔφη· Ἄραγε ἐλεύθεροί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοί. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσῃ ὁ Πέτρος, ὅτι παρ' ἐκείνων ἀκηκοὼς λέγει, προλαμβάνει αὐτὸν, τοῦτό τε αὐτὸ δηλῶν, καὶ παῤῥησίαν αὐτῷ παρέχων ὀκνοῦντι προτέρῳ περὶ τούτων εἰπεῖν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐλεύθερος μέν εἰμι τοῦ δοῦναι κῆνσον. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ τῆς γῆς βασιλεῖς παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῶν οὐ λαμβάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τῶν