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Apology to his father

ORATION 9.

An Apology to his own father Gregory, with Basil present with him, when he was ordained bishop of Sasima.

1. Again upon me anointing and the Spirit; and again I go mourning and sullen. Perhaps you wonder. And Isaiah, before he saw the glory of the Lord, and the throne high and lifted up, and the Seraphim around it, utters nothing of the sort, nor is he despondent, nor does he fear. But he cries out against Israel, yet spares and refrains from himself, as if without fault. But when he saw these things, and heard the holy and mystic voice, as if becoming more aware of himself: Woe is me, he says, for I am undone, and what follows in the passage, that I may escape the blasphemy. And I find both Manoah, that ancient one among the judges, and Peter later, the foundation of the Church; the one saying, We are undone, O woman, we have seen God, since he perceived a vision greater than according to his own nature and power; the other not bearing the Lord's presence and power, which He showed in the fishing to those sailing with him, and for this reason, while wondering, sent Him away from the boat, adding the reason, that he was not worthy of a divine appearance and conversation.

2. And when I hear of the centurion in the Gospels, asking for His power, but declining His presence, as his roof could not contain the divine dignity and greatness, I cannot blame myself for this cowardice and this sad 35.821 ness. For the sun exposes the weakness of the eye, and God's visitation, the sickness of the soul; and to some He is light, to others fire, to each according to their underlying matter and quality. What are we to think of Saul? For he was anointed, and partook of the Spirit, and was at that time spiritual—nor would I say otherwise concerning him—but he also prophesied, and so contrary to expectation and probability, that this wonder became a proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets? which is still said and heard even now. But since he did not give himself wholly to the Spirit, nor was he purely turned into another man, as he had been told, but some spark of the old wickedness and of the evil seed remained, and there was in him a battle of spirit and flesh: why must I detail all his story? you know the contrary spirit, and the psalmist by whom he was soothed. Nevertheless, this at least is known from this, that, even if grace does not touch the unworthy, nor an instrument that is altogether evil and unsuitable (for it is well said, and I believe it, that wisdom will not enter a malicious soul), yet to preserve that worthiness and harmony is, as my argument goes, no less a task than to have been well-fitted and made worthy from the beginning, because of the changeable and alterable character and nature of humanity; by which also grace itself often—to speak of the most grievous and paradoxical of our ills—producing pride and puffing up, has cast down from God those who did not approach well, and we have been overthrown in being lifted up, that sin might become exceedingly sinful, working death in me through that which is good.

3. These are the things which, fearing, I was filled with bitterness and dejection, and I experienced something like what children do with flashes of lightning, mixing pleasure with terror from the sight; I both loved the Spirit and feared Him; and for some time

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Apologeticus ad patrem

ΛΟΓΟΣ Θʹ.

̓Απολογητικὸς εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα Γρηγόριον, συμπαρόντος αὐτῷ Βασιλείου, ἡνίκα ἐπίσκοπος ἐχειροτονήθη Σασίμων.

Αʹ. Πάλιν ἐπ' ἐμὲ χρίσμα καὶ Πνεῦμα· καὶ πά λιν ἐγὼ πενθῶν καὶ

σκυθρωπάζων πορεύομαι. Θαυ μάζετε ἴσως· καὶ Ἡσαΐας, πρὶν μὲν ἰδεῖν τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου, καὶ τὸν θρόνον τὸν ὑψηλόν τε καὶ ἐπηρμένον, καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν σεραφὶμ, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον φθέγγεται, οὔτε ἀποδυσπετεῖ, οὔτε δέδοικεν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν Ἰσραὴλ καταβοᾷ, ἑαυτοῦ δὲ φείδεται καὶ ἀπέχεται, ὡς οὐδὲν ὑπαιτίου. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτ' εἶδε, καὶ τῆς φωνῆς ἤκουσε τῆς ἁγίας καὶ μυστικῆς, ὥσ περ τι μᾶλλον ἑαυτοῦ συναισθόμενος· Ὢ τάλας, φησὶν, ἐγὼ, ὅτι κατανένυγμαι, καὶ ὅσα ἑξῆς τοῦ λόγου, ἵνα φύγω τὴν βλασφημίαν. Εὑρίσκω δὲ καὶ Μανωὲ τὸν παλαιὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐν τοῖς κριταῖς, καὶ Πέτρον ὕστερον, τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἔρεισμα· τὸν μὲν, Ἀπολώλαμεν, ὦ γύναι, λέγοντα, Θεὸν ἑωράκαμεν, ἐπειδὴ κρείττονος ὄψεως ᾔσθετο ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν καὶ δύναμιν· τὸν δὲ οὐκ ἐνεγκόντα τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιστασίαν τε καὶ ἐνέργειαν, ἣν ἐν τῇ ἁλείᾳ τοῖς συμπλέουσιν ἐπεδείξατο, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θαυμάζοντα μὲν, ἀποπέμποντα δὲ τοῦ πλοίου, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν προστιθέντα, ὅτι μὴ εἴη ἄξιος θείας ἐπιφανείας καὶ ὁμιλίας.

Βʹ. Καὶ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου δὲ ὅταν ἀκούω ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, τὴν μὲν δύναμιν ἀπαιτοῦντος, τὴν δὲ παρουσίαν παραιτουμένου, ὡς οὐ χωρούσης αὐτοῦ τῆς στέγης θεῖον ἀξίωμά τε καὶ μέγεθος, οὐκ ἔχω μέμφεσθαι τῆς δειλίας ἐμαυτὸν ταύτης καὶ τῆς σκυ 35.821 θρωπότητος. Ὀφθαλμοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἀτονίαν ἥλιος, ψυ χῆς δὲ ἀῤῥωστίαν ἐλέγχει Θεὸς ἐπιδημῶν· καὶ τοῖς μέν ἐστι φῶς, τοῖς δὲ πῦρ, ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὕλην τε καὶ ποιότητα. Τί ὑπολαμβάνο μεν περὶ τοῦ Σαούλ; Ἐχρίσθη μὲν γὰρ, καὶ μετέσχε τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ ἦν τότε πνευματικὸς, οὐδ' ἂν ἐγὼ περὶ αὐτοῦ φαίην ἑτέρως, ἀλλὰ καὶ προεφήτευ σε, καὶ οὕτω παρ' ἐλπίδα καὶ τὸ εἰκὸς, ὥστε καὶ παροιμίαν γενέσθαι τὸ θαῦμα ἐκεῖνο· Εἰ καὶ Σαοὺλ ἐν προφήταις; εἰς ἔτι καὶ νῦν λεγόμενόν τε καὶ ἀκουόμενον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐχ ὅλον ἑαυτὸν ἐμπαρέσχε τῷ Πνεύματι, οὐδὲ ἐστράφη καθαρῶς εἰς ἄνδρα ἄλλον, ὡς κεχρημάτιστο, ἀλλ' ἐνέμεινέ τι τοῦ παλαιοῦ τῆς κακίας σπινθῆρος, καὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ σπέρματος, καὶ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ μάχη πνεύματος καὶ σαρκός· τί χρὴ πάντα ἐκτραγῳδεῖν τὰ ἐκείνου; ἴστε τὸ ἐναντίον πνεῦμα, καὶ τὸν ψάλτην, ᾧ κατεπῄδε το. Πλὴν ἐκεῖνο κἀντεῦθεν γνώριμον, ὅτι, κἂν μὴ τῶν ἀναξίων ἡ χάρις ἅπτηται, μηδὲ πονηροῦ καὶ ἀναρμόστου παντελῶς τοῦ ὀργάνου (εἰς γὰρ κακότεχνον ψυχὴν μὴ εἰσελεύσεσθαι σοφίαν εἴ ρηται καλῶς, κἀγὼ πείθομαι), ἀλλὰ φυλάξαι γε τὴν ἀξίαν καὶ τὴν ἁρμονίαν, ὡς ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος, ἔργον οὐκ ἔλαττον, ἢ ἀπαρχῆς ἁρμοσθῆναι καλῶς καὶ ἀξιωθῆ ναι, διὰ τὸ τρεπτὸν καὶ ἀλλοιωτὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἕξεώς τε καὶ φύσεως· ᾧ γε καὶ ἡ χάρις αὐτὴ πολλάκις, ἵν' εἴπω τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν τὸ σχετλιώ τατόν τε καὶ παραδοξότατον, τύφον ἐμποιήσασα καὶ μετεωρίσασα, κατήνεγκεν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ τοὺς οὐ καλῶς προσεγγίσαντας, καὶ κατεβλήθημεν ἐν τῷ ἐπαρ θῆναι, ἵνα γένηται καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία, διὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μοι κατεργαζομένη θά νατον.

Γʹ. Ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἃ ἐγὼ δεδοικὼς, πικρίας ἐν επλήσθην καὶ κατηφείας, καί τι τοιοῦτον ἔπαθον, οἷον πρὸς τὰς ἀστραπὰς οἱ παῖδες, ἡδονὴν ἐκπλήξει μι γνύντες ἐκ τοῦ θεάματος· ἠγάπησά τε ὁμοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ ἐφοβήθην· καὶ χρόνου τινὸς