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Beware of an evil woman; for honey drips from the lips of a harlot, who for a time makes your throat smooth; but afterward you will find it more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword. Let us therefore listen to these things, not to those. For from this source spring slavish thoughts, from this source servile reasonings, from this source men become irrational, because they wish to pursue pleasure everywhere according to this proverb, which even without our 58.680 words is ridiculous in itself. For after one is choked, what is the profit of the sweetness? Cease, therefore, from preparing so much laughter, and from kindling Gehenna and unquenchable fire; and let us look up, though late, as we ought, to the things to come, casting off the bleariness of our eyes, so that we may pass through this present life in an orderly manner and with much reverence and piety, and may obtain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

58.679 HOMILY 74. Woe to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets,

and adorn their monuments, and say; If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

1. Not because they build, nor because they accuse them, does he say, 'Woe'; but because

both in this way and by what they say, pretending to condemn their fathers, they do worse things. For that their condemnation was a pretense, Luke says, That you also consent, because you build. For woe to you, he says, because you build the monuments of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their monuments. For here he exposes their intention with which they were building; that it was not to honor those who were slain, but as if parading the slaughters, and fearing, lest with time the tombs should disappear and the proof and memory of so great a crime should fade, so they built the tombs, as if setting up some trophy with splendid structures, and priding themselves in the audacious deeds of their fathers and showing them off. For the things you are now daring to do show that you are also doing these things in this manner. For even if you say the opposite, he says, as if condemning them, such as, 'If we had been in those days, we would not have been their partakers;' but the intention that says these things is clear. Therefore, exposing it, he spoke enigmatically, but he spoke nevertheless. For after saying, 'You say, "If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets,"' he added, 'So you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.' And what crime is it to be the son of a murderer, if one does not share in the father's intention? None. Whence it is clear that for this very reason he reproaches them, hinting at their kinship in wickedness. And this the following also makes clear; for he added, 'Serpents, offspring of vipers.' For just as those resemble their parents in the destructiveness of their venom, so you too resemble your fathers in your murderousness. Then, since he was examining an intention that was unclear to the many, he establishes what he has said from the things they are about to dare to do, things which will be clear to all. For since he said, 'So you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets,' making it clear that he means the kinship in wickedness, and that it was a pretense to say, 'We would not have been their partakers,' he added, 'And you, fill up the measure of your fathers;' not commanding, but foretelling what would be; that is, his 58.680 own slaughter. For this reason, then, having added the refutation, and having shown that the things they were saying on behalf of

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πρόσεχε φαύλῃ γυναικί· μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς πόρνης, ἣ πρὸς καιρὸν λιπαίνει σὸν φάρυγγα· ὕστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις, καὶ ἠκονημένον μᾶλλον μαχαίρας διστόμου. Τούτων τοίνυν ἀκούωμεν, μὴ ἐκείνων. Καὶ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν οἱ ἀνελεύθεροι, ἐντεῦθεν οἱ δουλοπρεπεῖς λογισμοὶ φύονται, ἐντεῦθεν ἄλογα οἱ ἄνθρωποι γίνονται, ὅτι πανταχοῦ τὴν ἡδονὴν διώκειν ἐθέλουσι κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν ταύτην, ἣ καὶ χωρὶς τῶν ἡμετέρων 58.680 λόγων αὐτόθεν ἐστὶ καταγέλαστος. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἀποπνιγῆναι, τί τὸ κέρδος τῆς γλυκύτητος; Παύσασθε τοίνυν τοσοῦτον κατασκευάζοντες γέλωτα, καὶ γέενναν ἀνάπτοντες καὶ πῦρ ἄσβεστον· καὶ διαβλέψωμεν κἂν ὀψέ ποτε ὡς χρὴ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα, τὴν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν λήμην ἀποβαλόντες, ὅπως καὶ τὸν ἐνταῦθα βίον κοσμίως καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σεμνότητος καὶ εὐλαβείας παρέλθωμεν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

58.679 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ο∆ʹ. Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, ὅτι οἰκοδομεῖτε τοὺς τάφους τῶν προ φητῶν,

καὶ κοσμεῖτε τὰ μνήματα αὐτῶν, καὶ λέγετε· Εἰ ἦμεν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἂν ἦμεν αὐτῶν κοινωνοὶ ἐν τῷ αἵματι τῶν προφητῶν.

αʹ. Οὐχ ὅτι οἰκοδομοῦσιν, οὐδ' ὅτι ἐγκαλοῦσιν ἐκείνοις, Οὐαὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' ὅτι

καὶ ταύτῃ καὶ δι' ὧν λέγουσι, καταγινώσκειν προσποιούμενοι τῶν πατέρων, χείρονα πράττουσιν. Ὅτι γὰρ προσποίησις ἦν ἡ κατάγνωσις, ὁ Λουκᾶς φησιν, Ὅτι καὶ συνευδοκεῖτε, ὅτι οἰκοδομεῖτε. Οὐαὶ γὰρ ὑμῖν, φησὶν, ὅτι οἰκοδομεῖτε τὰ μνήματα τῶν προφητῶν, οἱ δὲ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἀπέκτειναν αὐτούς. Ἄρα μαρτυρεῖτε καὶ συνευδοκεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν· ὅτι αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοὺς, ὑμεῖς δὲ οἰκοδομεῖτε τὰ μνήματα αὐτῶν. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ τὴν γνώμην αὐτῶν διαβάλλει, μεθ' ἧς ᾠκοδόμουν· ὅτι οὐ διὰ τιμὴν τῶν σφαγέντων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐμπομπεύοντες ταῖς σφαγαῖς, καὶ δεδοικότες, μήποτε τῷ χρόνῳ τῶν τάφων ἀφανισθέντων μαρανθῇ τῆς τοσαύτης τόλμης ὁ ἔλεγχος καὶ ἡ μνήμη, οὕτως ᾠκοδόμουν τοὺς τάφους, ὥσπερ τι τρόπαιον ἱστῶντες λαμπρὰς τὰς οἰκοδομὰς, καὶ καλλωπιζόμενοι τοῖς ἐκείνων τολμήμασι καὶ ἐπιδεικνύμενοι. Τὰ γὰρ νῦν τολμώμενα παρ' ὑμῶν δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα τούτῳ ποιεῖτε τῷ τρόπῳ. Κἂν γὰρ τὰ ἐναντία λέγητε, φησὶν, ὡς καταγινώσκοντες αὐτῶν, οἷον ὅτι Οὐκ ἂν, εἰ ἦμεν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, ἦμεν αὐτῶν κοινωνοί· ἀλλ' ἡ γνώμη δήλη ἡ ταῦτα λέγουσα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐκκαλύπτων αὐτὴν, αἰνιγματωδῶς μὲν, εἴρηκε δ' οὖν ὅμως. Εἰπὼν γάρ· Λέγετε, ὅτι Εἰ ἦμεν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἂν ἦμεν κοινωνοὶ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι τῶν προφητῶν· ἐπήγαγεν· Ὥστε μαρτυρεῖτε ἑαυτοῖς, ὅτι υἱοί ἐστε τῶν φονευσάντων τοὺς προφήτας. Καὶ ποῖον ἔγκλημα υἱὸν εἶναι ἀνδροφόνου, ἂν μὴ κοινωνῇ τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ πατρός; Οὐδέν. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς προφέρει, τὴν κατὰ κακίαν συγγένειαν αἰνιττόμενος. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ· ἐπήγαγε γοῦν· Ὄφεις, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνα ἔοικε τοῖς γονεῦσι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἰοῦ λύμην, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς τοῖς πατράσι κατὰ τὸ φονικόν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ γνώμην ἤταζεν ἄδηλον τοῖς πολλοῖς οὖσαν, καὶ ἀφ' ὧν μέλλουσι τολμᾷν, τῶν πᾶσιν ἐσομένων δήλων, κατασκευάζει τὰ εἰρημένα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὥστε μαρτυρεῖτε ἑαυτοῖς, ὅτι υἱοί ἐστε τῶν φονευσάντων τοὺς προφήτας, δηλῶν ὅτι τὴν κατὰ πονηρίαν συγγένειαν λέγει, καὶ ὅτι πλάσμα ἦν τὸ λέγειν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἂν ἦμεν αὐτῶν κοινωνοὶ, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ὑμεῖς πληρώσατε τὸ μέτρον τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν· οὐκ ἐπιτάττων, ἀλλὰ προαναφωνῶν τὸ ἐσόμενον· τουτέστι, τὴν 58.680 ἑαυτοῦ σφαγήν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἐπαγαγὼν τὸν ἔλεγχον, καὶ δείξας ὅτι πλάσματα ἦν ἅπερ ἔλεγον ὑπὲρ