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In Gordium martyrem

HOMILY 18. On Gordius the martyr.

It is a law of nature for bees not to depart from their hives until their king has led the way in flight. Since, therefore, I saw the people of the Lord now for the first time going forth to the heavenly flowers, the martyrs, I seek the leader. Who has moved this great swarm? Who has changed the winter's gloom into the brightness of spring? For now indeed for the first time the people, poured forth from the city as from some hives, have occupied with one accord the suburban adornment, this august and all-beautiful stadium of the martyrs. Since, therefore, the wonder of the martyr has roused and brought us also, making us forget our weakness, come now, let us too, with a voice according to our ability, buzz around the deeds of the man as around some flower, performing a holy duty and at the same time a thing pleasing to those present. For when a just man is praised, the people will rejoice, the wise Solomon just now told us. And yet I was at a loss in my own mind, what on earth the proverb-writer means by the riddle. Is it that, when some clever orator or speech-writer has composed a speech to the astonishment of the hearers, with some elegant sound striking the ears, the people rejoice, approving the invention of the thoughts, and the arrangement, and the pompous style of the diction and 31.492 its rhythmic harmony? Or rather, he who nowhere used such a type of speech would never have said this; nor would he who everywhere preferred the prosaic style of diction and the unadorned quality of the voice have exhorted us to parade pompously in the encomia of the blessed.

What then is it that he says? That the people rejoice with a spiritual joy at the mere remembrance of the achievements of the just, being led to zeal for and imitation of the good things of which they hear. For the history of men of good conduct creates a kind of light for those who are being saved for the path of life. Because as soon as we heard the Spirit narrating the life of Moses, zeal for the virtue of the man immediately entered us, and the meekness of his character appeared to each one as something to be emulated and blessed. For in the case of other men, encomia are constructed from the amplification of words; but for the just, the truth of their deeds is sufficient to show the excellence of their virtue. So that, when we narrate the lives of those who have excelled in piety, we first glorify the Master through his servants; and we praise the just through the testimony of what we know, and we gladden the people through the hearing of good things. For the life of Joseph is an exhortation to self-control, and the narratives of Samson an encouragement to manliness. The divine school, therefore, does not know the law of encomia, but reckons the testimony of deeds in place of encomia, as being sufficient for praise for the saints, and self-sufficient for the benefit of those who are impelled towards virtue. For the law of encomia is to investigate one's fatherland, and to trace one's lineage, and to narrate one's upbringing; but our law, silencing the words of neighbors, fulfills the testimony from each person's own deeds. For in what way am I more venerable for this, if the city, having once waged difficult and great contests, raised splendid trophies against its enemies? Or what, if it has an opportune location, so as to be suitable for both winter and summer? And if the same land is also fertile in men, and self-sufficient for raising cattle, what benefit is there to me from these things? But it also surpasses all under the sun in its herds of horses. What then can... us

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In Gordium martyrem

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΗʹ. Εἰς Γόρδιον τὸν μάρτυρα.

Νόμος ἐστὶ φύσεως ταῖς μελίσσαις μὴ ἀπαίρειν τῶν σίμβλων πρὶν ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν τῆς πτήσεως ἀφηγήσηται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ τὸν λαὸν Κυρίου εἶδον νῦν πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὰ οὐράνια ἄνθη, τοὺς μάρ τυρας, ἐξιόντα, ζητῶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα. Τίς ὁ κινήσας τὸν πολὺν τοῦτον ἐσμόν; τίς ὁ τὴν χειμερινὴν κατ ήφειαν εἰς ἐαρινὴν φαιδρότητα μεταστήσας; Νῦν γὰρ δὴ πρῶτον ὁ λαὸς, οἱονεὶ σίμβλων τινῶν, τῆς πόλεως προχυθέντες, τὸν προπόλεον κόσμον, τὸ σεμνὸν τοῦτο καὶ πάγκαλον τῶν μαρτύρων στάδιον, πανδημεὶ κατειλήφασιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀνα στῆσαν ἤγαγε τὸ θαῦμα τοῦ μάρτυρος, ἐκλαθομέ νους τῆς ἀσθενείας, δεῦρο δὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ τῇ κατὰ δύναμιν φωνῇ, οἷόν τινι ἄνθει τῶν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἔργων περιβομβήσωμεν, ὅσιά τε ποιοῦντες καὶ τοῖς παρ οῦσιν ἅμα κεχαρισμένα· Ἐγκωμιαζομένου γὰρ δικαίου, εὐφρανθήσονται λαοὶ, ὁ σοφὸς ἡμῖν ἀρ τίως ἔλεγε Σολομών. Καίτοιγε ἠπόρουν κατ' ἐμαυ τὸν, τί ποτε ἄρα βούλεται τῷ παροιμιαστῇ τὸ αἴ νιγμα. Ἆρα, ὅτι, ῥήτορός τινος ἢ λογογράφου δεινοῦ συνθέντος λόγον πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἔκπληξιν, ἤχῳ τινὶ κεκομψευμένῳ κατακτυποῦντι τὰς ἀκοὰς, εὐφραίνονται οἱ λαοὶ, τήν τε εὕρεσιν τῶν νοημάτων, καὶ τὴν διάθεσιν, καὶ τὸ τῆς λέξεως πομπικὸν καὶ 31.492 πρὸς ἁρμονίαν κεκροτημένον ἀποδεχόμενοι; Ἢ τοῦ το μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἶπέ ποτε ὁ μηδαμοῦ τῷ τοιούτῳ εἴδει τῶν λόγων χρησάμενος· οὐδ' ἂν προέτρεψεν ἡμᾶς πανηγυρικῶς ἐμπομπεύειν τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις τῶν μακαρίων ὁ τὸ πεζὸν τῆς λέξεως καὶ τὸ τῆς φωνῆς ἀκατάσκευον πανταχοῦ προτιμήσας.

Τί οὖν ἐστιν, ὅ φησιν; Ὅτι εὐφραίνονται λαοὶ εὐφροσύνην πνευμα τικὴν ἐπὶ μόνῃ τῇ ὑπομνήσει τῶν τοῖς δικαίοις κατ ωρθωμένων, εἰς ζῆλον καὶ μίμησιν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀφ' ὧν ἀκούουσιν, ἐναγόμενοι. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν εὐπολι τεύτων ἀνδρῶν ἱστορία οἷόν τι φῶς τοῖς σωζομένοις πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου ὁδὸν ἐμποιεῖ. ∆ιότι ὁμοῦ τε ἠκού σαμεν διηγουμένου τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸν Μωϋσέως βίον, καὶ εὐθὺς ἡμᾶς ζῆλος εἰσῆλθε τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ τὸ πρᾶον τοῦ τρόπου ζηλωτὸν ἑκάστῳ καὶ μα καριστὸν κατεφάνη. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ἐκ τῆς τῶν λόγων αὐξήσεως συνίσταται τὰ ἐγκώμια· τοῖς δικαίοις δὲ ἀρκεῖ τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀλήθεια πρὸς τὸ δεῖξαι αὐτῶν τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τῆς ἀρετῆς. Ὥστε, ὅταν διηγώμεθα τοὺς βίους τῶν δια πρεψάντων ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ, δοξάζομεν πρῶτον τὸν ∆ε σπότην διὰ τῶν δούλων· ἐγκωμιάζομεν δὲ τοὺς δι καίους διὰ τῆς μαρτυρίας ὧν ἴσμεν, εὐφραίνομεν δὲ τοὺς λαοὺς διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς τῶν καλῶν. Προτροπὴ γὰρ πρὸς σωφροσύνην ὁ βίος τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ πρὸς ἀνδρίαν παράκλησις τὰ τοῦ Σαμψὼν διηγήματα. Οὐκ οἶδεν οὖν ἐγκωμίων νόμον τὸ θεῖον διδασκα λεῖον, ἀλλὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν τῶν πεπραγμένων ἀντ' ἐγκωμίων λογίζεται, ὡς καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐξαρ κοῦσαν πρὸς ἔπαινον, καὶ τοῖς ὡρμημένοις πρὸς ἀρετὴν αὐτάρκη οὖσαν εἰς ὠφέλειαν. Ἐγκωμίων μὲν γὰρ νόμος πατρίδα διερευνᾶσθαι, καὶ γένος ἀναζητεῖν, καὶ ἀγωγὴν διηγεῖσθαι· ὁ δὲ ἡμέτερος νόμος, τοὺς τῶν γειτόνων λόγους κατασιγάσας, ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ἑκάστου τὴν μαρτυρίαν πληροῖ. Τί γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ τοῦτο σεμνότερος, εἰ ἡ πόλις ποτὲ χαλε ποὺς καὶ μεγάλους ἀγῶνας διενεγκοῦσα, λαμπρὰ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀνέστησε τρόπαια; τί δὲ, εἰ θέσεως εὐκαίρως ἔχει, ὡς πρὸς χειμῶνά τε εἶναι καὶ θέρος ἐπιτηδείαν; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ ἀνδρῶν τέ ἐστιν εὔφορος, καὶ βοσκήματα τρέφειν αὐτάρκης, τί μοι ἐκ τούτων ὄφελος; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἵππων ἀγέλαις τῆς ὑφ' ἡλίῳ κρατεῖ. Τί οὖν ἡμᾶς δύναται