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De Eleazaro et septem pueris

HOMILY 11. 63.523

A homily delivered by the same author, after another, a very old man, had previously spoken, concerning Eleazar and the seven boys.

1. How beautiful is this spiritual olive tree! though its branches have grown old, it has brought forth ripe fruit for us. For the plants of the earth are not such as the trees of the Church; for those, when they come to old age, then shed most of their leaves, and the fruit, whatever it might bear, it bears unripe and sparse; but these, when they come to old age, are then most heavily laden with fruit. Which indeed can be seen in the one who has spoken today; for this reason I decided to be silent; for it was necessary, with so many elders present and knowing how to speak, for the young man to keep quiet. Thus also the divine Scriptures instruct us; for when they address a young man, they say: Speak, young man, if there is need of you, scarcely if you are asked twice; sum up much in few words. But to the elder it does not speak with such restrictions, but letting him go, even without such limits, it allows him to run on; and again, admiring the pleasure of what is said, when it is said with understanding, it spoke thus: Speak, elder, for it is fitting for you, but with exact knowledge, and you will stop 63.524 the music. What is, "And you will stop the music"? It shows by this, that the flute and cithara and pipes are not so sweet to those who listen, as the teaching of an elder uttered with exact knowledge. For comparing pleasure with pleasure, it says that this one is much more powerful than that one, and that one prevails, while the other gives way to it; therefore it also says, "You will stop the music"; that is, you will not allow (read: will not allow) them to appear, you will overshadow them, you will cast a shadow on them. For these reasons, then, it was necessary for us to be silent and to listen, but for him to speak and to teach; but what I have often said, this I will also say now; I bear neither your tyranny nor their compulsion; therefore, again I strip for the accustomed races, an arduous matter, speaking, handling it with great ease, not through my own power, but through the eagerness of you, the listeners. Since even the other day, though the discourse descended to such a depth, it was not drowned, and crossing such great seas, it suffered shipwreck nowhere for you; and the reason was, nowhere were there reefs, nor submerged rocks, nor cliffs, but everywhere it found a sea calmer than a harbor; and just as if by some zephyr of your desire for hearing standing at the stern, it was escorted to a fair harbor 63.525. For as soon as it leapt from our tongue, you all received it with open hands, although it had great difficulty; for such was the nature of the thoughts of the other day; but nevertheless, both the excess of eagerness, and the straining of your mind with all exactness, you have assuaged our labor and have made difficult things easy. For you did not allow it to be cast upon a rock, nor upon thorns, nor upon the way, but you received it all into a rich and deep soil, into the depth of your mind. Therefore, each day we see the cornfields waving, nourished by the breezes of the Spirit instead of the zephyr, and the theater becoming brilliant for us each day. For this reason, then, today I wanted to take up the remaining matters. But what am I to do? The choir of the Maccabees stands before my eyes, and by the splendor of their own wounds

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De Eleazaro et septem pueris

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΑʹ. 63.523

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁμιλία λεχθεῖσα, ἑτέρου προειρηκότος σφόδρα πρεσβύτου, περὶ Ἐλεαζάρου καὶ ἑπτὰ παίδων.

αʹ. Ὡς ὡραία ἡ πνευματικὴ ἐλαία αὕτη! τῶν κλάδων αὐτῆς γεγηρακότων, ὥριμον ἡμῖν ἤνεγκε τὸν καρπόν. Οὐ γὰρ τοιαῦτα τὰ φυτὰ τῆς γῆς, οἷα τὰ δένδρα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ εἰς γῆρας ἐλθόντα, τότε τὰ πλείονα τῶν φύλλων ἀποτίθεται, τόν τε καρπὸν, ὃν ἂν ἐνέγκῃ, τοῦτον ἔξωρόν τε φέρει καὶ ἀραιόν· ταῦτα δὲ ὅταν εἰς γῆρας ἔλθῃ, τότε μάλιστα τῷ καρπῷ βρίθεται. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σήμερον εἰρηκότος ἐστὶν ἰδεῖν· διὸ καὶ σιγᾷν ἔγνων· ἔδει γὰρ, τοσούτων γερόντων παρόντων καὶ λέγειν εἰδότων, τὸν νέον ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν. Οὕτω καὶ αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαὶ παιδεύουσιν ἡμᾶς· ὅταν μὲν γὰρ νέῳ διαλέγωνται, φασί· Λάλησον, νεανίσκε, εἰ χρεία σου, μόλις δὶς ἐὰν ἐπερωτηθῇς· κεφαλαίωσον ἐν ὀλίγοις πολλά. Τῷ δὲ πρεσβύτῃ οὐ μετὰ τῶν τοιούτων διορισμῶν διαλέγεται, ἀλλ' ἀφεὶς τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ χωρὶς τῶν τοιούτων ὅρων συγχωρεῖ τρέχειν· καὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν δὲ πάλιν τῶν λεγομένων, ὅταν μετὰ συνέσεως λέγηται, θαυμάζουσα, οὕτως ἔφη· Λάλησον, πρεσβύτερε, πρέπει γάρ σοι, ἐν ἀκριβεῖ δὲ ἐπιστήμῃ, καὶ ἐμποδίσεις 63.524 μουσικά. Τί ἐστιν, Καὶ ἐμποδίσεις μουσικά; ∆είκνυσιν ἐκ τούτου, ὅτι οὐχ οὕτως αὐλὸς καὶ κιθάρα καὶ σύριγγες ἡδὺ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, ὡς πρεσβύτου διδασκαλία μετὰ ἀκριβοῦς ἐπιστήμης προφερομένη. Ἡδονῇ γὰρ ἡδονὴν παραβάλλουσα, πολὺ ταύτην ἐκείνης τυραννικωτέραν εἶναί φησι, καὶ τὴν μὲν κρατεῖν, τὴν δὲ αὐτῇ παραχωρεῖν· διὸ καί φησιν, Ἐμποδίσεις μουσικά· τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐάσει (λ. ἐάσεις) αὐτὰ φαίνεσθαι, ἐπισκοτήσεις αὐτοῖς, συσκιάσεις αὐτά. ∆ιὰ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ ἡμᾶς μὲν ἔδει σιγᾷν καὶ ἀκούειν, τοῦτον δὲ λέγειν καὶ διδάσκειν· ἀλλ' ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐρῶ· οὔτε ὑμῶν φέρω τὴν τυραννίδα, οὔτε τούτων τὴν ἀνάγκην· διὸ δὴ πάλιν πρὸς τοὺς συνήθεις ἀποδύομαι δρόμους, πρᾶγμα ἐπίπονον, τὸ λέγειν, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας μεταχειρίζων, οὐ διὰ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν προθυμίαν ὑμῶν τῶν ἀκροωμένων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πρῴην πρὸς τοσοῦτον βάθος κατενεχθεὶς ὁ λόγος οὐκ ἀπεπνίγη, καὶ μακρὰ οὕτω πελάγη διαβαίνων, οὐδαμοῦ ναυάγιον ὑμῖν ὑπέμεινε· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, οὐδαμοῦ σπιλάδες, οὐδὲ ὕφαλοι, οὐδὲ σκόπελοι, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ λιμένος γαληνότερον εὕρισκε πέλαγος· καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπὸ ζεφύρου τινὸς ἐπὶ πρύμνης ἱσταμένου τοῦ πόθου τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀκροάσεως, πρὸς εὔδιον λιμένα 63.525 παρεπέμπετο. Ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἐξεπήδα τῆς γλώττης τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ πάντες ὑπτίαις αὐτὸν ὑπεδέχοντο χερσὶ, καίτοι γε δυσκολίαν πολλὴν ἔχοντα· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἦν τῶν νοημάτων τῶν πρῴην ἡ φύσις· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τῆς προθυμίας ἡ ὑπερβολὴ, καὶ τὸ συντεῖναι τὴν διάνοιαν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης, τὸν πόνον ἡμῖν παρεμυθήσασθε καὶ τὰ δύσκολα ῥᾴδια κατεσκευάσατε. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς πέτραν, οὐδὲ εἰς ἀκάνθας, οὐδὲ εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν κατενεχθῆναι συνεχωρήσατε, ἀλλὰ πάντα εἰς πίονα καὶ βαθύγειον ἄρουραν ὑπεδέξασθε, εἰς τὸ τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν βάθος. ∆ιὸ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν κομῶντα τὰ λήϊα βλέπομεν, ἀντὶ ζεφύρου ταῖς τοῦ Πνεύματος αὔραις τρεφόμενα, καὶ τὸ θέατρον καθ' ἑκάστην λαμπρὸν ἡμῖν γενόμενον. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ σήμερον τῶν λειπομένων ἅψασθαι ἐβουλόμην. Ἀλλὰ τί πάθω; τῶν Μακκαβαίων ὁ χορὸς πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἵσταται τῶν ἐμῶν, καὶ τῇ λαμπηδόνι τῶν οἰκείων τραυμάτων