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Adversus catharos

HOMILY 6. 63.491 A homily delivered in the Church of the Apostles on the day of the Emperor Theodosius against those calling themselves Cathars, after two other bishops had spoken.

aʹ. How fine the pair of speakers, the one pulling the ark with oxen, the other dedicating the first-fruits of his words. For even if their age is different, yet the idea of their husbandry is one; or rather, not even their age is different; for the young one has the stability of the old, and the old one has the vigor and prime of the young; so that one would not err in calling them both old and young, not according to the condition of their age, but according to the disposition of their mind. Come then, let us also contribute what is from ourselves. For I see that your hearing is insatiable, and we owe no small debt to the blessed Theodosius, not because he was an emperor, but because he was pious; not because he was clothed in purple, but because he was clothed in Christ, a garment that never grows old; and he had put on the breastplate of righteousness, and the sandals of the gospel of peace, and the sword of the spirit, and the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. With these weapons he overthrew the tyrants, both the first and the last. For the one he took without toil and without bloodshed, and set up the trophy, not losing even a small part of his army; the other, when battle was joined, he defeated alone. For when the armies were drawn up on either side, and clouds of arrows were being shot, and his own troops were being routed, as the enemy pressed on fiercely, leaping from his horse, and placing his shield on the ground, and bending his knees, he called for aid from heaven, and made the place of battle a place of church, warring not with bows and arrows, nor with spears, but with tears and prayers; and so, when a blast of wind suddenly fell upon them, the arrows of the enemy were carried back against those who shot them; and those enemies, breathing rage and slaughter, seeing this, suddenly changed and proclaimed him emperor, and handed over their own leader, having bound his hands behind his back. And the blessed Theodosius returned, made glorious not only by the victory, but also by the manner of the victory. For, unlike with other emperors, the soldiers do not share the trophy with him, but the whole of it belonged to him alone and to his faith. For this reason, indeed, we call him blessed, and we say he has not even died; For everyone who believes in me, he says, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. These things Christ has said, these things shine forth through his works. What then, did he not die, you say? By no means; for I would not say this is a death, but a kind of sleep and a journey abroad. For just as many of the living are dead, having buried their soul in the body as in a tomb, so many of the deceased63.492 live, shining forth in righteousness; just as this blessed man does. For the most grievous death and truly death is that which is born of sin, which He says those who believe in him do not die. For he who lives, He says, and believes in me, shall never die .....

βʹ. Not like one who, as if on wings, ran over land and sea, who brought countless nations to Christ, who was a partaker in the ineffable mysteries, who was caught up to the third heaven—did he dare to say any such thing about himself? By no means, but all the contrary; he called himself one untimely born, and the last of the apostles, and not even

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Adversus catharos

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ςʹ. 63.491 Ὁμιλία ῥηθεῖσα ἐν τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ Θεοδοσίου βασιλέως πρὸς τοὺς καλοῦντας ἑαυτοὺς Καθαροὺς, ἑτέρων βʹ ἐπισκόπων

εἰρηκότων.

αʹ. Ὡς καλὴ τῶν εἰρηκότων ἡ ξυνωρὶς, τοῦ μὲν διὰ τῶν βοῶν τὴν κιβωτὸν ἕλκοντος, τοῦ δὲ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τῶν λόγων ἀνατιθέντος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διάφορος αὐτῶν ἡ ἡλικία, ἀλλὰ μία τῆς γεωργίας ἡ ἰδέα· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἡ ἡλικία διάφορος· ὅ τε γὰρ νέος τὸ εὐσταθὲς ἔχει τοῦ γεγηρακότος, ὅ τε γεγηρακὼς τὸ σφριγῶν καὶ ἀκμάζον τοῦ νέου· ὥστε οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι ἀμφοτέρους καὶ πρεσβύτας καὶ νέους προσειπὼν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἕξιν τῆς ἡλικίας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν διάθεσιν τῆς γνώμης. Φέρε δὴ λοιπὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν εἰσενέγκωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ ἀκόρεστον ὑμῶν ὁρῶ τὴν ἀκοὴν οὖσαν, καὶ χρέος οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ὀφείλομεν τῷ μακαρίῳ Θεοδοσίῳ, οὐχ ὅτι βασιλεὺς ἦν, ἀλλ' ὅτι εὐσεβὴς, οὐχ ὅτι ἁλουργίδα ἦν περιβεβλημένος, ἀλλ' ὅτι Χριστὸν ἦν ἐνδεδυμένος, ἱμάτιον μηδέποτε παλαιούμενον, καὶ τὸν θώρακα ἐνεδέδυτο τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ τὴν ἀσπίδα τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τὴν περικεφαλαίαν τοῦ σωτηρίου. Μετὰ τούτων τῶν ὅπλων τοὺς τυράννους κατέλυσε, τόν τε πρότερον καὶ τὸν ἔσχατον. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἀπονητὶ καὶ ἀναιμωτὶ λαβὼν, τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστησε, μηδὲ μικρὸν ἀποβαλὼν τοῦ στρατοπέδου· τὸν δὲ συμβολῆς γενομένης μόνος καθεῖλεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐξ ἑκατέρου μέρους τὰ στρατόπεδα παρετάττετο, καὶ νέφη βελῶν ἠφίετο, καὶ τροπὴ τῶν οἰκείων ἐγίνετο, τῶν ἐναντίων ἐπικειμένων σφοδρῶς, ἀποπηδήσας τοῦ ἵππου, καὶ τὴν ἀσπίδα χαμαὶ θεὶς, καὶ γόνατα κλίνας, ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν τὴν συμμαχίαν ἐκάλει, καὶ τὸν τόπον τῆς παρατάξεως τόπον ἐκκλησίας ἐποίει, οὐ τόξοις καὶ βέλεσιν, οὐδὲ δόρασι πολεμῶν, ἀλλὰ δάκρυσι καὶ εὐχαῖς· καὶ οὕτως ἀθρόον ἀνέμου προσβολῆς ἐμπεσούσης, τὰ μὲν βέλη τῶν ἐναντίων κατὰ τῶν ἀφιέντων ἐφέρετο· οἱ δὲ θυμοῦ πνέοντες καὶ φόνων, ὁρῶντες πολέμιοι, ἀθρόον μεταβαλλόμενοι, τοῦτον βασιλέα ἀνεκήρυττον, καὶ τὸν αὑτῶν παρεδίδοσαν, ὀπίσω τὰς χεῖρας δήσαντες. Καὶ ἐπανῄει λαμπρὸς γινόμενος ὁ μακάριος Θεοδόσιος οὐ τῇ νίκῃ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς νίκης. Οὐ γὰρ, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων βασιλέων, μερίζονται πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸ τρόπαιον οἱ στρατιῶται, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν αὐτοῦ μόνου καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ πίστεως ἐγίνετο. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο αὐτὸν μακαρίζομεν, καὶ οὐδὲ τετελευτηκέναι φαμέν· Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύων, φησὶ, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ. Ταῦτα ὁ Χριστὸς εἴρηκε, ταῦτα διὰ τῶν ἔργων διαλάμπει. Τί οὖν, οὐκ ἀπέθανε, φησίν; Οὐδαμῶς· οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποιμι τοῦτον θάνατον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ ὕπνον τινὰ καὶ ἀποδημίαν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ πολλοὶ τῶν ζώντων τεθνήκασιν, ὡς ἐν τάφῳ τῷ σώματι τὴν ψυχὴν κατορύξαντες, οὕτω πολλοὶ τῶν τελευτησάν63.492 των ζῶσι, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ διαλάμποντες· καθάπερ καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος. Θάνατος γάρ ἐστι χαλεπώτατος καὶ ὄντως θάνατος ὁ ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τικτόμενος, ὃν οὔ φησιν ἀποθνήσκειν τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας. Ὁ γὰρ ζῶν, φησὶ, καὶ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ .....

βʹ. Οὐ καθάπερ ὑπόπτερος γῆν καὶ θάλατταν περιδραμὼν ὁ μυρία ἔθνη τῷ Χριστῷ προσαγαγὼν, ὁ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων μυστηρίων κοινωνήσας, ὁ εἰς τρίτον ἁρπαγεὶς οὐρανὸν, ἆρά τι τοιοῦτον ἐτόλμησε περὶ ἑαυτοῦ εἰπεῖν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν· ἔκτρωμα ἑαυτὸν ἐκάλει, καὶ ἔσχατον τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ οὐδὲ