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Contra Anomoeos

HOMILY spoken in Constantinople against the Anomoeans concerning the incomprehensible, and that the New is in harmony with the Old, and to those

who absent themselves from the divine assemblies. The eleventh discourse.

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1. I spoke with you for one day, and from that day I so loved you, as if I had been brought up with you from the beginning and from the first; I was so bound to you by the bonds of love, as if I had enjoyed your most pleasant company for an unspeakable length of time. And this has happened, not because I am someone friendly and affectionate, but because you are desirable and most lovely of all. For who would not admire and marvel at your fiery zeal, your unfeigned love, 48.796 your goodwill towards your teachers, your concord with one another, all of which things are sufficient to draw even a soul of stone? For this reason we love you no less than that Church, in which we were both born and nurtured and educated; for this is her sister, and through your works you have shown your kinship. And if that one is older in time, yet this one is warmer in faith; the gathering there is more numerous, and the spectacle more splendid, but here the endurance is greater, and the demonstration of courage is more abundant. Wolves from all sides surround the sheep, and the flock is not 48.797 consumed; dizziness and storm and surging waves perpetually beset this holy ship, and those who sail in it are not sunk; the insolence of heretical flame surrounds from all sides, and those in the midst of the furnace enjoy a spiritual dew. It is likewise a paradox to see this Church planted in this part of the city, just as if one were to see a flourishing olive tree in the midst of a furnace, abounding in leaves and weighed down with fruit. Since, therefore, you are so well-disposed and worthy of countless good things, come, let us fulfill with all grace the promise which we formerly made to you, when we philosophized in your presence concerning the arms of David and Goliath, showing by our discourse that the one was fenced in on all sides with a certain full suit of armor, great and vast, while the other, naked of those weapons, was walled by faith; and the one shone outwardly from his breastplate and shield, while the other shone inwardly from the Spirit and grace. For this reason, then, the boy overcame the youth, the naked prevailed over the armed, the shepherd struck down the soldier; the nature of a shepherd's stone crushed and destroyed the nature of a warrior's bronze. Therefore, let us also handle that stone, the cornerstone I mean, the intelligible one. For if it is permitted for Paul to philosophize concerning the rock in the wilderness, surely no one will be indignant with us for understanding this stone in the same way. For just as in the case of the Jews it was not the nature of the visible rock, but the power of the intelligible one that sent forth those rivers of water; so also in the case of David it was not the sensible, but the intelligible stone that brought down that barbarian's head; so we also promised you then to say nothing from reasonings. For our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual, destroying reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We are commanded, therefore, to destroy them, not to exalt them; we have been ordered to demolish them, not to arm ourselves with them; For the reasonings of mortals are timid, he says. What does timid mean? The timid man, even if he walks on safe ground, is not yet confident, but is afraid and trembles; so also that which is accepted by reasonings, even if it be true, does not yet provide full assurance to the soul and

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Contra Anomoeos

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ῥηθεῖσα ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει πρὸς Ἀνομοίους περὶ ἀκαταλήπτου, καὶ ὅτι σύμφωνος ἡ Νέα τῇ Παλαιᾷ, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς

ἀπολιμπανομένους τῶν θείων συνάξεων. Λόγος ἑνδέκατος.

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αʹ. Μίαν ὑμῖν διελέχθην ἡμέραν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης οὕτως ὑμᾶς ἐφίλησα, ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐκ πρώτης ὑμῖν συντραφεὶς, οὕτως ὑμῖν συνεδέθην τοῖς τῆς ἀγάπης δεσμοῖς, ὡς χρόνον ἄφατον τῆς ἡδίστης ὑμῶν ἀπολαύσας συνουσίας. Τοῦτο δὲ γέγονεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ φιλικός τις ἐγὼ καὶ ἀγαπητικὸς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ποθεινοὶ καὶ ἐπέραστοι μάλιστα πάντων ὑμεῖς. Τίς γὰρ ὑμῶν οὐκ ἂν ἀγάσαιτο καὶ θαυμάσειε τὸν πεπυρωμένον ζῆλον, τὴν ἀνυπόκριτον ἀγάπην, 48.796 τὴν περὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους εὔνοιαν, τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμόνοιαν, ἅπερ ἅπαντα ἱκανὰ καὶ λιθίνην ἐπισπάσασθαι ψυχήν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκείνης, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἐτέχθημεν καὶ ἐτράφημεν καὶ ἐπαιδεύθημεν, οὐκ ἔλαττον ὑμᾶς φιλοῦμεν· ἀδελφὴ γὰρ ἐκείνης αὕτη, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὴν συγγένειαν ἐπεδείξασθε. Εἰ δὲ πρεσβυτέρα κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ἐκείνη, ἀλλὰ θερμοτέρα κατὰ τὴν πίστιν αὕτη· πλείων ὁ σύλλογος ἐκεῖ, καὶ λαμπρότερον τὸ θέατρον, ἀλλὰ μείζων ἐνταῦθα ἡ ὑπομονὴ, καὶ πλείων τῆς ἀνδρείας ἡ ἐπίδειξις, Λύκοι πανταχόθεν τὰ πρόβατα περιστοιχίζονται, καὶ τὸ ποίμνιον οὐκ 48.797 ἀναλίσκεται· ζάλη καὶ χειμὼν καὶ κλυδώνιον περιέστηκε τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην ναῦν διηνεκῶς, καὶ οἱ ἐμπλέοντες οὐ καταποντίζονται· φλογὸς αἱρετικῆς ἐπήρεια πάντοθεν κυκλοῦσα, καὶ οἱ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς καμίνου δρόσου πνευματικῆς ἀπολαύουσιν. Ὁμοίως ἐστὶ παράδοξον ἐν τῷ μέρει τῆς πόλεως ταύτης τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ταύτην πεφυτευμένην ἰδεῖν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἐν μέσῃ καμίνῳ θάλλουσαν ἐλαίαν, καὶ τοῖς φύλλοις κομῶσαν, καὶ τῷ καρπῷ βριθομένην ἴδοι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὕτως εὐγνώμονες ὑμεῖς καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν ἄξιοι, φέρε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν μετὰ πάσης χάριτος καταβάλωμεν, ἣν πρῴην ὑμῖν ὑπεσχόμεθα, ἡνίκα περὶ τῶν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ τοῦ Γολιὰθ ὅπλων ἐφιλοσοφοῦμεν παρ' ὑμῖν, δεικνύντες τῷ λόγῳ, ὡς ὁ μὲν παντευχίᾳ τινὶ πολλῇ καὶ μεγάλῃ πανταχόθεν ἐπέφρακτο, ὁ δὲ γυμνὸς τῶν ὅπλων ἐκείνων τῇ πίστει τετείχιστο· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ θώρακος καὶ τῆς ἀσπίδος ἔξωθεν, ὁ δὲ ἔσωθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ τῆς χάριτος ἔστιλβε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γοῦν ὁ παῖς τὸν νεανίσκον κατηγωνίσατο, ὁ γυμνὸς τοῦ ὡπλισμένου ἐκράτησεν, ὁ ποιμὴν τὸν στρατιώτην κατέβαλε· λίθου φύσις ποιμενικοῦ χαλκοῦ φύσιν πολεμικοῦ συνέτριψε καὶ διέφθειρεν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν λίθον ἐκεῖνον μεταχειρισώμεθα, τὸν ἀκρογωνιαῖον λέγω, τὸν νοητόν. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ Παύλῳ φιλοσοφεῖν ἔξεστι περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον πέτρας, πάντως οὐδὲ ἡμῖν νεμεσήσει τις τὸν λίθον τοῦτον κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐκλαμβάνουσι τρόπον. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὐχ ἡ φύσις τῆς ὁρωμένης πέτρας, ἀλλ' ἡ δύναμις τῆς νοουμένης τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἠφίει τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκείνους· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ οὐχ ὁ αἰσθητὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ νοητὸς λίθος τὴν βαρβαρικὴν ἐκείνην κατήνεγκε κεφαλήν· οὕτως ὑμῖν καὶ τότε ὑπεσχόμεθα μηδὲν ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ἐρεῖν. Τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλὰ πνευματικὰ, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντα καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καθαιρεῖν τοίνυν αὐτοὺς, οὐκ ἐπαίρειν κελευόμεθα· καταλύειν, οὐχ ὁπλίζεσθαι τούτοις προσετάγημεν· Λογισμοὶ γὰρ θνητῶν δειλοὶ, φησί. Τί ἐστι δειλοί; Ὁ δειλὸς κἂν ἐπ' ἀσφαλοῦς βαίνῃ χωρίου, οὐδέπω θαῤῥεῖ, ἀλλὰ δέδοικε καὶ τρέμει· οὕτω καὶ τὸ λογισμοῖς ἀποδεχθὲν, κἂν ἀληθὲς ᾖ, οὐδέπω πληροφορίαν τῇ ψυχῇ παρέχει καὶ