486

they have become. And the whole affair was full of trickery. For what each one thought, the other held as well, but they were divided into schisms against one another, either by some hatred for each other, because Cyril of Jerusalem held a grudge against Eutychius and Eutychius against Cyril, and because Cyril was with Basil of Galatia and Anianus who was appointed over Antioch and George of Laodicea—but why do I waste time dividing and naming the parties? I shall come to their refutations and the overthrow of the cunning of each of them. But first I must speak of what happened later; for this turned out for good for some, but for evil for others. 28. For Meletius, who was appointed in Antioch by the party of Acacius—for from this an opportunity arose for Acacius to turn away even a little from their evil opinion and to make a show of himself as if among the orthodox by confirming the aforementioned Meletius in his appointment—this Meletius, then, having been appointed by the party of Acacius, was thought by them to be of their own opinion, but he was not found to be so, as many report concerning this. For now those who are attached to him and to his party, since he has been persecuted and cast out from his own throne, by the time and the protraction of the persecution are advancing and being added to, and are orthodox for God’s sake. For the people of this party were more numerous † than that of the synod; who, having appointed bishops for themselves, confess wonderfully concerning the Son and do not cast out the *homoousion*, but even have it in readiness, as they say, if a full synod 3.303 should take place, to confess and not deny it. For it happened that the aforesaid most honorable Meletius, appointed over Antioch by the Arians of the party of Acacius, in his first discourse preached as a first-fruit in the church, and, as most say, orthodoxly. And I shall set forth his exposition here. And it is this: A copy of the homily of Meletius. 29. The most wise Preacher says, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning,” inasmuch as it is better and safer to cease from the struggle of speaking than to begin, especially when the same Preacher says, “This wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heard.” But since “the body is not one member, but many,” and “all the members care for one another, that there may be no schism in the body,” and “the head cannot say to the feet, I have no need of you,” but “God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that which lacked,” it is therefore self-evident that it is indispensable for a part not to be moved when the whole body is moved. What beginning might one make for a discourse to you? Truly it is clear that for everything begun, both word and deed, it is fitting to make peace the beginning and the end, and beginning from it to end in it. “For this,” says the apostle, “will turn out for salvation, through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit,” which Jesus gives to those who believe in him. And whether one should speak edification, “or consolation, or comfort of love, or fellowship of the Spirit,” it comes through the peace that is according to God, not indeed to all indiscriminately, but “to those who love the law,” as the prophet says; 3.304 the law not of the body, which has “an image and shadow of the things to come,” but the spiritual law, which wisely reveals the outcome of the things foretold. “Great peace,” he says, “have they who love you, and for them there is no stumbling block”; so that it is clear that the stumbling block awaits those who have hated peace, and it is fitting for those who long to be freed from these things to put forward love for the Lord like some shield; “for he himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of the partition, the hostility in his flesh, the

486

γεγόνασι. καὶ ἦν τὸ πᾶν κυβείας ἔμπλεων τὸ ἔργον. ἃ γὰρ ἕκαστος ἐφρόνει, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ ἕτερος εἶχεν, εἰς σχίσματα δὲ διῃρέθησαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἢ μίσει τινὶ τῷ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, διὰ τὸ Κύριλλον τὸν Ἱεροσολυμίτην πρὸς Εὐτύχιον ἔχειν μῆνιν καὶ Εὐτύχιον πρὸς Κύριλλον, εἶναι δὲ τὸν Κύριλλον ἅμα Βασιλείῳ τῷ Γαλάτῃ καὶ Ἀνιανῷ τῷ κατασταθέντι ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων καὶ Γεωργίῳτῷ Λαοδικείας-τί δὲ κατατρίβομαι τὰς τάξεις διαιρῶν τε καὶ λέγων; ἐλεύσομαι δὲ εἰς τὰς τούτων ἀντιθέσεις καὶ ἀνατροπὴν τῆς ἑκάστου τούτων δολιότητος. δεῖ δέ με πρῶτον περὶ τῶν ὕστερον γεγονότων λέγειν· συμβέβηκε γὰρ τοῦτό τισιν εἰς ἀγαθότητα, τισὶ δὲ εἰς πονηρίαν. 28. Μελίτιος μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ κατασταθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ Ἀκάκιον ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ γέγονε τῷ Ἀκακίῳ ἔνστασις ὑπὲρ τοῦ κἂν ἀλίγον τι ἀποστρέψαι τῆς κακοδόξου αὐτῶν γνώμης καὶ ὑποφαίνει ἑαυτὸν δῆθεν ἐν ὀρθοδόξοις διὰ τοῦ βεβαιῶσαι τὸν προειρημένον Μελίτιον ἐν τῇ καταστάσει κατασταθεὶς γοῦν ὁ Μελίτιος οὗτος ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν περὶ Ἀκάκιον, ἐνομίζετο παρ' αὐτῶν εἶναι τῆς αὐτῶν δόξης, ἀλλ' οὐχ εὑρέθη, ὡς πολλοὶ περὶ τούτου ἀπαγγέλλουσι. νῦν μὲν γὰρ οἱ αὐτῷ προσκεκλιμένοι καὶ τῷ αὐτοῦ τάγματι, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκεῖνον μὲν δεδιῶχθαι καὶ ἐκβεβλῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου θρόνου τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῇ παρολκῇ τοῦ δεδιῶχθαι προβαίνοντες καὶ προστιθέμενοι διὰ τὸν θεὸν ὀρθοδοξοῦσιν. ἦσαν μὲν γὰρ οἱ λαοὶ πλείους τοῦ τάγματος τούτου † τοῦ τῆς συνόδου· οἳ ἐπισκόπους ἑαυτοῖς κατατάξαντες ὁμολογοῦσι περὶ υἱοῦ θαυμαστῶς καὶ τὸ ὁμοούσιον οὐκ ἐκβάλλουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ὥς φασι τοῦτο ἔχουσι, εἰ γέ3.303 νοιτο σύνοδος τελεία, ὁμολογεῖν καὶ μὴ ἀρνεῖσθαι. συμβέβηκε γὰρ αὐτὸν τὸν προειρημένον τιμιώτατον Μελίτιον τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀρειανῶν τῶν περὶ Ἀκάκιον κατασταθέντα ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων πρώτῃ προσομιλίᾳ ὡς ἀπαρχὴν ἐξηγήσασθαι ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ὡς μὲν οἱ πλείους φασίν, ὀρθοδόξως. τὴν δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐξήγησιν ἐνταῦθα παραθήσομαι. καὶ ἔστιν ἥδε· Ἀντίγραφον ὁμιλίας Μελιτίου. 29. Ὁ μὲν σοφώτατος ἐκκλησιαστής φησιν «ἀγαθὴν ἐσχάτην λόγου ὑπὲρ ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ», ὅσῳ κρεῖττόν ἐστι καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον παύεσθαι τῆς περὶ τὸ λέγειν ἀγωνίας ἢ ἄρχεσθαι, μάλισθ' ὅτε ὁ αὐτὸς ἐκκλησιαστής φησιν «αὕτη ἡ σοφία τοῦ πένητος ἐξουθενημένη, καὶ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀκουόμενοι». ἐπειδὴ δὲ «τὸ σῶμα οὐχ ἕν ἐστι μέλος, ἀλλὰ πολλά», «πάντα δὲ μεριμνᾷ ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων τὰ μέλη, ἵνα μὴ σχίσμα ᾖ ἐν τῷ σώματι», καὶ «οὐ δύναται εἰπεῖν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῖς ποσίν, χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχω», ἀλλ' «ὁ θεὸς συνεκέρασε τὸ σῶμα, δεδωκὼς τῷ ὑστερουμένῳ περισσοτέραν τιμήν», ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἀπαραίτητόν ἐστι κινουμένῳ παντὶ τῷ σώματι μὴ συγκινεῖσθαι, αὐτόθεν δῆλόν ἐστι. Τίνα δ' ἄν τις τοῦ λόγου τοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀρχὴν ποιήσαιτο; ἦ δῆλον ὡς παντὸς ἀρχομένου καὶ λόγου καὶ ἔργου προσήκει τὴν εἰρήνην ἀρχὴν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τέλος, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἀρχομένους καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν καταλήγειν. «τοῦτο γάρ φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος ἀποβήσεσθαι εἰς σωτηρίαν, διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος», ὃ δίδωσιν Ἰησοῦς τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς αὐτόν. καὶ οἰκοδομὴν εἴτε λαλοίη τις, «εἴτε παράκλησιν, εἴτε παραμύθιον ἀγάπης, εἴτε κοινωνίαν πνεύματος» διὰ τῆς εἰρήνης τῆς κατὰ θεὸν παραγίνεται, οὐ μὴν πᾶσιν ἀδιορίστως, ἀλλὰ «τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν νόμον», ὡς ὁ προφήτης φησί· 3.304 τὸν νόμον οὐ τὸν σωματικόν, ὃς «εἰκόνα καὶ σκιὰν ἔχει τῶν μελλόντων», ἀλλὰ τὸν πνευματικόν, ὃς σοφῶς ἀνακαλύπτει τῶν προαναφωνηθέντων τὴν ἔκβασιν. «εἰρήνη, γάρ φησι, πολλὴ τοῖς ἀγαπῶσί σε καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς σκάνδαλον»· ὡς δῆλον εἶναι ὅτι τοὺς τὴν εἰρήνην μεμισηκότας μένει τὸ σκάνδαλον, καὶ προσήκει τοὺς τούτων ἐλευθερωθῆναι ποθοῦντας καθάπερ θυρεόν τινα προβάλλεσθαι τὴν ἀγάπην πρὸς τὸν κύριον· «αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἓν καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσας, τὴν ἔχθραν ἐν τῇ σαρκί, τὸν