Sermo in ramos palmarum Of the <same> Athanasius, archbishop of Alexandria, a sermon on the palms.

1.1 An awesome mystery, beloved, has also taken place today in Jerusalem. And I speak of the mystery proclaimed by the prophets and fulfilled by Christ. 1.2 For truly, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," according to the blessed David. And again the same: "Out of the mouths of infants and nursing children you have perfected praise." 1.3 For confirming the common resurrection of the human race, the Lord and creator of all, Jesus Christ, who ordered all things for our sake, before His saving passion raised Lazarus from the dead. 1.4 Whence after this hastening, as I finally said, to undertake the voluntary passion on our behalf. 1.5 "He sends," says the evangelist, "two of his disciples, saying: Go into the village opposite you, and you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me." 2.1 For this reason the blessed Jacob, the patriarch, when he was giving blessings by lot to his children, coming to Judah, spoke thus: 2.2 "Judah, your brothers shall praise you." And after a little: "and he is the expectation of nations." Of what nations has Judah become the expectation? Of the Jews? By no means. But the prophet declares this, because the Lord has risen from Judah. 2.3 And again, after other things, the same: "binding his donkey to the vine, and to the tendril the colt of his donkey." By speaking of a donkey and a colt he signified the church of the nations. 2.4 For the Lord truly bound the nations to the vine and to the tendril, that is, to the old and new testament, so that they might bear the fruit of piety through faith. 2.5 Then he adds: "He will wash his robe in wine and his garment in the blood of the grape." He calls the flesh the robe and garment of Christ. 2.6 For willingly for our sake he was nailed to the cross in the flesh, so that with his own blood he might wash away the filth of our sins. 2.7 As it is also written in Isaiah: "Why are your garments red, and your clothes like from a trodden winepress, full of what has been trampled?" 3.1 But let us return to the subject at hand. For the Lord says to the disciples about the donkey: "And if anyone says to you: What are you doing? or Why are you untying the colt?, say that its Lord has need of it." 3.2 "Do not hesitate," he says, "in any of the things being done according to my dispensation; no one will stand against you nor will contradict a single word." 3.3 "Say that its Lord has need of it." "No one will hinder you from doing what is commanded by me." "For mine is the world and its fullness." 3.4 "Therefore all things written about me must come to pass." "I must enter Jerusalem today riding on a beast of burden." 3.5 "Search the scriptures;" "behold Zacharias the prophet cries out plainly, saying: 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; a just and saving one is proclaimed to you; he is meek and mounted on a beast of burden and a young colt of a donkey.'" 3.6 "The present time, then, is a time of goodwill." "I must destroy the enmity and make peace in all things through the cross." "The present Jerusalem must come to an end and the church of the nations must be established." 3.7 "Or did not also the psalmist David prophesy concerning this calling of the nations?" "For what has he said?" "'All the nations, as many as you have made, shall come and worship before you, O Lord.'" "These are the 'true worshipers,'" "who receive the word through faith." 3.8 Then the evangelist says: "And the disciples went and did as he had commanded them and they brought the donkey and the colt and they placed their garments upon them, and they sat the

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Sermo in ramos palmarum Τοῦ <αὐτοῦ> Ἀθανασίου, ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας, λόγος εἰς τὰ βαΐα.

1.1 Φρικτόν, ἀγαπητοί, μυστήριον καὶ σήμερον ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ γέγονε. μυστήριον δέ φημι τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν κηρυχθὲν καὶ ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ τελεσθέν. 1.2 ὄντως γὰρ «εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου» κατὰ τὸν μακάριον ∆αυίδ. καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτός· «ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον.» 1.3 τὴν γὰρ κοινὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους πιστούμενος ὁ πάντων δεσπότης καὶ δημιουργός, Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ πάντα δι' ἡμᾶς οἰκονομήσας πρὸ τοῦ σωτηρίου αὐτοῦ πάθους ἐκ νεκρῶν ἤγειρε τὸν Λάζαρον. 1.4 ὅθεν μετὰ τοῦτο σπεύδων ὡς λοιπὸν ἔφην τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἑκούσιον πάθος ἀναδέξασθαι. 1.5 «ἀποστέλλει,» φησὶν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, «δύο τινὰς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μαθητῶν λέγων· πορεύεσθε εἰς τὴν κατέναντι ὑμῶν κώμην, εὑρήσετε ὄνον δεδεμένην καὶ πῶλον σὺν αὐτῇ· λύσαντες ἀγάγετέ μοι.» 2.1 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ μακάριος Ἰακώβ, ὁ πατριάρχης, ἡνίκα τὰς εὐλογίας ἐν κλήρῳ παρεῖχε τοῖς τέκνοις, ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν οὕτως εἴρηκεν· 2.2 «Ἰούδα, σὲ αἰνέσαισαν οἱ ἀδελφοί σου.» καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «καὶ αὐτὸς προσ δοκία ἐθνῶν.» ποίων δὲ ἐθνῶν γέγονε προσδοκία Ἰούδας; Ἰουδαίων; οὐδαμῶς. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο δηλοῖ ὁ προφήτης, ἐπειδὴ ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ κύριος. 2.3 καὶ πάλιν μεθ' ἕτερα ὁ αὐτός· «δεσμεύων πρὸς ἄμπελον τὴν ὄνον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ ἕλικι τὸν πῶλον τῆς ὄνου αὐτοῦ.» ὄνον καὶ πῶλον εἰπὼν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐσήμανεν. 2.4 ἐδέσμευσε γὰρ ἀληθῶς τὰ ἔθνη ὁ κύριος τῇ ἀμπέλῳ καὶ τῇ ἕλικι τουτέστι τῇ παλαιᾷ καὶ καινῇ διαθήκῃ, ὅπως καρποφορήσωσι καρπὸν εὐσεβείας διὰ τῆς πίστεως. 2.5 εἶτα ἐπάγει· «πλυνεῖ ἐν οἴνῳ τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν αἵματι σταφυλῆς τὴν περιβολὴν αὐτοῦ.» στολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ περιβολὴν τὴν σάρκα λέγει. 2.6 ἑκουσίως γὰρ δι' ἡμᾶς ἐν σταυρῷ προσηλώθη σαρκί, ἵνα τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματι τὸν ῥύπον ἐκπλύνῃ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτιῶν. 2.7 καθὼς καὶ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ γέγραπται· «διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ, πλήρης καταπεπατημένης;» 3.1 Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. λέγει γὰρ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ κύριος περὶ τῆς ὄνου· «καὶ ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ· τί ποιεῖτε ἢ τί λύετε τὸν πῶλον, εἴπατε ὅτι ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχει.» 3.2 μὴ διστάσητε, φησίν, ἐν μηδενὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἐμὴν οἰκονομίαν πραττομένων· οὐδεὶς ὑμῶν ἀντιστήσεται οὐδὲ ἀντιρρημονήσει πρὸς οὐδὲ ἓν ῥῆμα. 3.3 «εἴπατε ὅτι ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχει.» οὐδεὶς κωλύσει ὑμᾶς ποιοῦντας τὸ ὑπ' ἐμοῦ προσταττόμενον. «ἐμὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς.» 3.4 δεῖ τοίνυν πάντα τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ γεγραμμένα εἰς πέρας ἐλθεῖν. δεῖ με εἰσελθεῖν εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ σήμερον ἐποχούμενον ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον. 3.5 «ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς·» ἰδοὺ Ζαχαρίας ὁ προφήτης διαρρήδην βοᾷ λέγων· «χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών· κηρύσσεταί σοι δίκαιος καὶ σῴζων· αὐτὸς πραῢς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον ὄνου νέον.» 3.6 καιρὸς οὖν εὐδοκίας ὁ παρών. δεῖ με τὴν ἔχθραν λῦσαι καὶ εἰρη νοποιῆσαι τὰ πάντα διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ. δεῖ τὴν νῦν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τέλος λαβεῖν καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν στηριχθῆναι. 3.7 ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ ὁ ὑμνῳ δὸς ∆αυὶδ περὶ τῆς κλήσεως ταύτης τῶν ἐθνῶν προεφήτευσε; τί γὰρ εἴρηκε; «πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ὅσα ἐποίησας, ἥξουσι καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου, κύριε.» οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ «ἀληθινοὶ προσκυνηταί,» οἱ διὰ πίστεως τὸν λόγον δεχόμενοι. 3.8 εἶτά φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· «πορευθέν τες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐποίησαν καθὼς συνέταξεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἤγαγον τὴν ὄνον καὶ τὸν πῶλον καὶ ἐπέθηκαν ἐπάνω αὐτῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπεκάθησαν τὸν

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