Sermon against all heresies

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS ATHANASIUS AGAINST ALL THE HERESIES.

The lesson is from the Gospel according to John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the 28.504 beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." Each of the holy prophets and evangelists, being clairvoyant, and instructed by the Holy Spirit, narrates the whole holy and great salvation that was to come to the human race. But someone will say, How? Explain it to us. Listen, beloved. The prophets, as I said before, being clairvoyant, signify the things that are to be after so many generations, showing indicatively as present the things that are to come. Likewise also the great evangelists at the coming of the Word, confirm what was proclaimed through the prophets, each the pre-signification in the Gospels. For example: the great prophet Isaiah says: "As a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. And in his humiliation his judgment was taken away. Who will declare his generation? By his stripes we were all healed." And when the one who had been pre-signified came to us, and the great Baptist John saw him passing by, fulfilling what was pre-signified through Isaiah the prophet, he says: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Behold, the great Baptist confirms the prophesied voice. Likewise also the hierophant Moses concerning this stripe, through which the whole race of men was to become a partaker of salvation, what did he say? "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree;" and again he says: "You will see your life hanging on a tree." He did not say first the life, then the curse; but he said first the curse, then the life. For it was necessary first for the handwriting to be nailed to the cross, and for the side of the Word to be pierced by the spear, so that the stripe in the piercing might become a purification for the world, the blood and the water for the human race. Wretched are the ungrateful Jews, for when such and so great signs and benefactions occurred among them, instead of glorifying and blessing him who had come among them for what was happening, they said the opposite: "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." However, the sun withdrew its rays, not bearing to see the Lord hanging on the scaffold. And two robbers were with him, hanging 28.505; and while one was cursing, the other robber said: "Why do you curse the just one? We have suffered according to our own sins; what have you to do with the just one?" And to Jesus he said: "Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus said to him: "Truly, truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." O great matter! The curse having been nailed up, he opened paradise by his promise to the robber. O this blessed robber! He seized things by robbing in the world, and he seized the kingdom of heaven by his confession. Concerning this the great prophet said: "And a beetle will speak from the wood." You know, brothers, that the beetle, being unclean, occupies itself with unclean things; so also the robber once occupied himself with robberies; but when he was on the cross, he himself confessed, as I said before, and the prophecy is fulfilled in him: "And a beetle speaks from the wood." Having spoken, therefore, he was deemed worthy

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Sermo contra omnes haereses

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ ΚΑΤΑ ΠΑΣΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΑΙΡΕΣΕΩΝ.

Τὸ προκείμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννην· «Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Οὗτος ἦν ἐν 28.504 ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν, ὃ γέγονεν.» Ἕκα στος τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν, διορατικοὶ ὄντες, καὶ ἐνηχούμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, διηγοῦνται πᾶσαν τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ μεγάλην σωτηρίαν, τὴν μέλλουσαν γίνεσθαι τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις, Πῶς; Ἑρμήνευσον ἡμῖν. Ἄκουσον, ἀγαπητέ. Οἱ μὲν προφῆται, καθὼς προεῖπον, διορατικοὶ ὄντες, σημαίνουσι τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι πρὸ τοσούτων γενεῶν, δεικτικῶς δεικνύοντες ὡς παρόντα τὰ μέλλοντα. Ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι εὐαγ γελισταὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπιδημίᾳ τοῦ Λόγου, τὰ προκη ρυχθέντα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν βεβαιοῦσιν ἕκαστος τὴν προσημασίαν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις. Οἷον· ὁ μέγας προ φήτης Ἡσαΐας λέγει· «Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἡ κρίσις αὐτοῦ ἤρθη. Τὴν δὲ γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται; Τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἰάθημεν.» Ἐπιδημήσαντος δὲ τοῦ προσημανθέν τος πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἑωρακὼς αὐτὸν παρερχόμε νον ὁ μέγας Βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης, πληρῶν τὸ προση μανθὲν διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγει· «Ἰδοὺ ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.» Ἰδοὺ βεβαιοῖ τὴν προφητευθεῖσαν φωνὴν ὁ μέγας Βαπτιστής. Ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ ἱεροφάντης Μωσῆς περὶ τούτου τοῦ μώλωπος, δι' οὗ πᾶν τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων γένος σωτηρίας ἔμελλε μέτοχον γίνεσθαι, τί ἔλεγεν; «Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου·» καὶ πάλιν λέγει· «Ὄψεσθε τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν κρεμαμένην ἐπὶ ξύλου.» Οὐκ εἶπε πρῶτον τὴν ζωὴν, εἶτα τὴν κατάραν· ἀλλ' εἶπε πρῶτον τὴν κατάραν, ἔπειτα τὴν ζωήν. Ἔπρεπε γὰρ πρότερον προσηλωθῆναι τὸ χειρόγραφον τῷ σταυρῷ, καὶ νυχθῆναι τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Λόγου τῇ λόγχῃ, ἵνα ὁ μώλωψ ἐν τῇ νύξει καθάρσιον γένηται τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, τὸ αἷμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τάλανες οἱ ἀχάριστοι Ἰουδαῖοι, τοιούτων καὶ τηλικούτων σημείων καὶ εὐεργεσιῶν γενομένων παρ' αὐτοῖς, ἀντὶ τοῦ τὸν ἐπιδημήσαντα παρ' αὐτοῖς δοξά ζειν καὶ εὐλογεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις, ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων ἔλεγον· «Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατάβηθι ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ.» Ὁ μέντοι ἥλιος συνέστελλε τὰς ἀκτῖνας, μὴ φέρων ὁρᾷν τὸν Κύριον κρεμάμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰκρίου. Καὶ δύο σὺν αὐτῷ ἦσαν λῃσταὶ κρεμά 28.505 μενοι· καὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς καταρωμένου, εἶπεν ὁ ἕτερος λῃστής· «Τί καταρᾶσαι τῷ δικαίῳ; ἡμεῖς κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἑαυτῶν πεπόνθαμεν· τί σοὶ καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ;» Τῷ δὲ Ἰησοῦ ἔλεγε· «Μνήσθητί μου, Κύ ριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.» Καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς αὐτόν· «Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ.» Ὢ μεγάλου πρά γματος! τῆς κατάρας προσηλωθείσης, ἠνέῳξε τὸν παράδεισον ἐν τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ τῷ λῃστῇ. Ὢ τοῦ μακαρίου λῃστοῦ τούτου! ἀφήρπασεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ λῃ στεύων, ἀφήρπασε καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ. Περὶ τούτου εἶπεν ὁ μέγας προφήτης· «Καὶ κάνθαρος ἐκ ξύλου φθέγξεται.» Οἴδατε, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι ὁ κάνθαρος περὶ τὰ ἀκάθαρτα σχολάζει, ἀκάθαρτος ὤν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ λῃστής ποτε ἐσχόλαζεν ἐν ταῖς λῃστείαις· ὅτε δὲ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ ἦν, ὡμο λόγησεν αὐτὸς, καθὼς προεῖπον, καὶ πληροῦται εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ προφητευθέν· «Καὶ κάνθαρος ἐκ ξύλου φθέγγεται.» Φθεγξάμενος τοίνυν ἠξιώθη

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