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more unclean words. Therefore I beseech you to change this wicked habit, so that the Church may breathe of myrrh. But now we offer sensible incense in it, but we do not make much effort to cleanse and drive out the spiritual uncleanness. What then is the profit? For we do not so shame the Church by bringing in dung, as we shame it by uttering such things to one another, about gains, about 58.782 merchandise, about tavern-keeping, about things that are nothing to us, when there ought to be choirs of angels here, and we should make the Church a heaven, and know nothing else than earnest prayers and silence with listening. But let us do this even from now on, that we may both purify our life, and may obtain the promised good things by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

58.781.10 HOMILY 89. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir,

we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead:

and the last error shall be worse than the first. 1. Everywhere error falls into its own traps, and unwillingly advocates for the truth.

But consider. It needed to be believed, that He died, and that He was buried, and that He rose again; and all these things are done by means of His enemies. See then how these words bear witness to all these things. We remember, it says, that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive; therefore He is dead; that After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be sealed; therefore He was buried; lest his disciples come and steal him away. Therefore if the tomb is sealed, there will be no mischief. For there was not. Therefore the proof of the resurrection has become irrefutable, through what you yourselves proposed. For since it was sealed, no mischief has been done. But if no mischief has been done, and the tomb was found empty, it is clear that He rose clearly and irrefutably. Do you see how even unwillingly they cooperate with the proof of the truth? But consider for me the love of truth of the disciples; how they hide nothing of what is said by their enemies, even if they speak reproachfully. See, for instance, they even call him a deceiver, and these men do not keep silent about it. And these things show both their cruelty, that they did not let go of their anger even with His death; and the simple and truth-loving manner of these men. It is also worth investigating, where did He say, After three days I will rise again? For one would not find it so clearly stated, except for the example of Jonah. So they knew what was said, and they willingly did evil. What then of Pilate? You have a guard, make it as sure as you know how. And they made it sure, sealing the tomb with the guard. He does not allow the soldiers alone to seal it; for since he had learned about Him, he no longer wished to cooperate with them. But for the sake of getting rid of them he endures this also, and says: You seal it as you wish, so that you may have no one else to blame. For if the soldiers alone had sealed it, they could have said (even if what they said was improbable and false; but nevertheless, as they were shameless in other things, so also in this they would have been able to say 58.782) that the soldiers, having allowed the body to be stolen, provided the disciples with the opportunity to fabricate the story about the resurrection; but now that they have made it sure themselves, they cannot even say this. Do you see how they labor for the truth against their will? For they themselves came, they themselves asked, they themselves sealed it with the guard, so that they might be accusers and proofs against one another. And yet when would they have stolen it? On the Sabbath? And how? not even

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ῥήματα ἀκαθαρτότερα. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ μεταβαλεῖν τὴν πονηρὰν ταύτην συνήθειαν, ἵνα μύρου ἡ ἐκκλησία πνέῃ. Νῦν δὲ θυμιάματα μὲν αἰσθητὰ ἀποτιθέμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ, τὴν δὲ νοητὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν οὐ πολλὴν ποιούμεθα σπουδὴν ὥστε ἐκκαθαίρειν καὶ ἀπελαύνειν. Τί οὖν τὸ ὄφελος; Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως αἰσχύνομεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν κόπρον εἰσάγοντες, ὡς αἰσχύνομεν αὐτὴν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους φθεγγόμενοι, περὶ κερδῶν, περὶ 58.782 ἐμπορίας, περὶ καπηλείας, περὶ τῶν οὐδὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὄντων, δέον ἀγγέλων ἐνταῦθα εἶναι χοροὺς, καὶ οὐρανὸν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ποιεῖν, καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἢ εὐχὰς ἐκτενεῖς καὶ σιγὴν μετὰ ἀκροάσεως εἰδέναι. Τοῦτο δὲ κἂν ἐκ τοῦ νῦν ποιῶμεν, ἵνα καὶ τὸν βίον ἐκκαθάρωμεν τὸν ἡμέτερον, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

58.781.10 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΘʹ. Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον, ἥτις ἐστὶ μετὰ τὴν παρασκευὴν, συνήχθησαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι πρὸς Πιλάτον, λέγοντες· Κύριε,

ἐμνήσθημεν ὅτι ἐκεῖ νος ὁ πλάνος εἶπεν ἔτι ζῶν, ὅτι Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡ μέρας ἐγείρομαι. Κέλευσον οὖν ἀσφαλισθῆναι τὸν τάφον ἕως τῆς τρίτης ἡμέρας, μήποτε ἐλθόν τες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ κλέψωσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ εἴπωσι τῷ λαῷ, ὅτι ἠγέρθη ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν·

καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἐσχάτη πλάνη χείρων τῆς πρώτης. αʹ. Πανταχοῦ ἡ πλάνη ἑαυτῇ περιπίπτει, καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἄκουσα συνηγορεῖ.

Σκόπει δέ. Ἔδει πιστευθῆναι, ὅτι ἀπέθανε, καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη, καὶ ὅτι ἀνέστη· καὶ ταῦτα πάντα διὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν γίνεται. Ὅρα γοῦν τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα τούτοις μαρτυροῦντα ἅπασιν. Ἐμνήσθημεν, φησὶν, ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ πλάνος ἐκεῖνος ἔτι ζῶν· οὐκοῦν ἐτελεύτησεν· ὅτι Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι. Κέλευσον οὖν σφραγισθῆναι τὸν τάφον· οὐκοῦν ἐτάφη· μήποτε ἔλθωσιν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ κλέψωσιν αὐτόν. Οὐκοῦν ὁ τάφος ἐὰν σφραγισθῇ, οὐκ ἔσται τις κακουργία. Οὐ γὰρ οὖν. Οὐκοῦν ἀναντίῤῥητος ἡ ἀπόδειξις τῆς ἀναστάσεως, δι' ὧν ὑμεῖς προετείνατε, γέγονεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐσφραγίσθη, οὐδεμία γέγονε κακουργία. Εἰ δὲ οὐδεμία γέγονε κακουργία, εὕρηται δὲ ὁ τάφος κενὸς, δῆλον ὅτι ἀνέστη σαφῶς καὶ ἀναντιῤῥήτως. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ ἄκοντες συναγωνίζονται τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποδείξει; Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τῶν μαθητῶν τὸ φιλάληθες· πῶς τῶν λεγομένων παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν οὐδὲν ἀποκρύπτονται, κἂν ἐπονείδιστα λέγωσιν. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν καὶ πλάνον καλοῦσι, καὶ οὐ σιγῶσιν αὐτὸ οὗτοι. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων δείκνυσιν ὠμότητα, ὅτι οὐδὲ τῷ θανάτῳ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀφῆκαν· καὶ τούτων τὸν ἁπλοῦν καὶ φιλαληθῆ τρόπον. Ἄξιον δὲ κἀκεῖνο ζητῆσαι, ποῦ εἶπεν, ὅτι Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι; Οὐ γὰρ εὕροι τις ἂν οὕτω σαφῶς εἰρημένον, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ παράδειγμα. Ὥστε ᾔδεσαν τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ ἑκόντες ἐκακούργουν. Τί οὖν ὁ Πιλάτος; Ἔχετε κουστωδίαν, ἀσφαλίσασθε ὡς οἴδατε. Καὶ ἠσφαλίσαντο σφραγίσαντες τὸν τάφον μετὰ τῆς κουστωδίας. Οὐκ ἀφίησι τοὺς στρατιώτας μόνους σφραγίσαι· ἅτε γὰρ μαθὼν τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐκέτι συμπράττειν αὐτοῖς ἤθελεν. Ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἀπαλλαγῆς αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦτο ἀνέχεται, καί φησιν· Ὑμεῖς ὡς βούλεσθε σφραγίσατε, ἵνα μὴ ἑτέρους ἔχητε αἰτιᾶσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ μόνοι οἱ στρατιῶται ἐσφραγίσαντο, ἠδύναντο λέγειν, (εἰ καὶ ἀπίθανα καὶ ψευδῆ τὰ λεγόμενα· ἀλλ' ὅμως ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀναισχύντουν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τούτῳ λέ 58.782 γειν εἶχον,) ὅτι οἱ στρατιῶται τὸ σῶμα δόντες κλαπῆναι, παρέσχον τοῖς μαθηταῖς τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως πλάσαι λόγον· νῦν δὲ αὐτοὶ ἀσφαλισάμενοι, οὐδὲ τοῦτο λέγειν δύνανται. Εἶδες πῶς σπουδάζουσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἄκοντες; Καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ προσῆλθον, αὐτοὶ ᾔτησαν, αὐτοὶ ἐσφράγισαν μετὰ τῆς κουστωδίας, ὥστε ἀλλήλων εἶναι κατήγοροι καὶ ἔλεγχοι. Καίτοι πότε ἂν ἔκλεψαν; Τῷ σαββάτῳ; Καὶ πῶς; οὐδὲ