1

De Lazaro

After the Calends on the following day in Antioch, delivered against drunkards, and concerning those who enter taverns and perform dances in the city, and that the teacher ought not to despair of his students, even if for the present they are not persuaded, and on the poor man Lazarus and the rich man.

48.963 First Discourse.

1. Yesterday, which was a satanic festival, you made into a spiritual festival, receiving our words with much good will, and spending the greater part of the day here, and becoming drunk with a drunkenness full of sobriety, and dancing with Paul. Thus a double gain has come to you, because you were both freed from the disorderly dance of the drunkards, and you leaped with spiritual leaps, which have great orderliness; and you partook of a mixing bowl, not pouring forth unmixed wine, but filled with spiritual teaching; and you became a flute and a lyre for the Holy Spirit; and while others were dancing for the devil, you, having made yourselves spiritual instruments and vessels through your time spent here, allowed the Spirit to strike your souls, and to breathe his grace into your hearts; whence you sounded forth a perfectly harmonious melody, gladdening not only men, but also the powers above. Come then, today also let us arm our tongue against drunkenness, and let us cast down the fluid and dissolute life; let us accuse those who spend their days in it, not that we may shame them, but that we may free them from shame; not that we may reproach them, but that we may correct them; not that we may make a public show of them, but that we may lead them away from a shameful procession, and snatch them from the hands of the devil; for he who spends his days in drunkenness and luxury and gluttony, has come under the very tyranny of the devil. And may it be that some greater good come from our words; but if they persist in the same things even after the exhortation, not even so will we desist from counseling them; for fountains flow, even if no one draws water, and springs gush forth, even if no one draws from them, and rivers run, even if no one drinks. Therefore it is necessary for the speaker also, even if no one pays attention, to fulfill all that is his to do. For a law is laid down for us who have been entrusted with the ministry of the word by the philanthropic God, never to fail in our part, nor to be silent, whether anyone listens, or runs past. Jeremiah, for instance, since, threatening the Jews with many things, and foretelling the terrible things to come, he was derided by his hearers, and was laughed at all day long, once resolved to desist from that prophecy, 48.964 having suffered something human, and not bearing the jests and reproaches. And hear him declaring this through what he says: I am become a laughing-stock all the day; I said: I will not speak, nor will I name the name of the Lord. And it became in me as a burning and blazing fire in my bones; I am weary on all sides, and I cannot bear it. What he says is this: I resolved to desist from the prophecy, he says, since the Jews would not listen; and as soon as I resolved this, the energy of the spirit fell like a fire upon my soul, and burned up everything within, consuming my bones, and devouring them in such a way, that I was not able to bear that conflagration. But if he who was laughed at and mocked and reproached every day, because he resolved to be silent, endured so great a punishment, of what pardon would we be worthy, having as yet suffered nothing of the sort

1

De Lazaro

Μετὰ τὰς Καλάνδας τῇ ἑξῆς ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ λεχθεὶς κατὰ μεθυόντων, καὶ περὶ τῶν εἰς καπηλεῖα εἰσιόντων καὶ εἰς τὴν πόλιν χορείας τελούντων, καὶ ὅτι τὸν διδάσκαλον οὐ χρὴ ἀπογινώσκειν τῶν μαθητῶν, κἂν πρὸς τὸ παρὸν μὴ πείθωνται, καὶ εἰς τὸν πτωχὸν Λάζαρον καὶ τὸν πλούσιον.

48.963 Λόγος πρῶτος.

αʹ. Τὴν χθὲς ἡμέραν, ἑορτὴν οὖσαν σατανικὴν, ἐποιήσατε ὑμεῖς ἑορτὴν

πνευματικὴν, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐνοίας τοὺς παρ' ἡμῶν δεξάμενοι λόγους, καὶ τὸ πλέον ἐνταῦθα τῆς ἡμέρας διατρίψαντες, καὶ μέθην μεθυσθέντες σωφροσύνης γέμουσαν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Παύλου χορεύσαντες. ∆ιπλοῦν τοίνυν οὕτω τὸ κέρδος ὑμῖν γέγονεν, ὅτι καὶ τῆς ἀτάκτου τῶν μεθυόντων ἀπηλλάγητε χορείας, καὶ σκιρτήματα ἐσκιρτήσατε πνευματικὰ, πολλὴν εὐταξίαν ἔχοντα· καὶ μετέσχετε κρατῆρος, οὐκ ἄκρατον ἐκχέοντος, ἀλλὰ διδασκαλίας πεπληρωμένου πνευματικῆς· καὶ αὐλὸς ἐγένεσθε καὶ κιθάρα τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ· καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῷ διαβόλῳ χορευόντων, ὑμεῖς ὄργανα καὶ σκεύη πνευματικὰ κατασκευάσαντες ἑαυτοὺς, διὰ τῆς ἐνταῦθα διατριβῆς, ἐδώκατε τῷ Πνεύματι κροῦσαι τὰς ὑμετέρας ψυχὰς, καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ χάριν ἐμπνεῦσαι ταῖς ὑμετέραις καρδίαις· ὅθεν καὶ παναρμόνιον ἠχήσατε μέλος, οὐκ ἀνθρώπους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις εὐφραῖνον. Φέρε οὖν καὶ σήμερον κατὰ μέθης ὁπλίσωμεν τὴν γλῶσσαν, καὶ τὸν ὑγρὸν καὶ διαῤῥέοντα καταβάλωμεν βίον· κατηγορήσωμεν τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ διημερευόντων, οὐχ ἵνα αὐτοὺς καταισχύνωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτοὺς αἰσχύνης ἀπαλλάξωμεν· οὐχ ἵνα αὐτοὺς ὀνειδίσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτοὺς διορθωσώμεθα· οὐχ ἵνα αὐτοὺς ἐκπομπεύσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα πομπῆς ἀσχήμονος ἀπαγάγωμεν, καὶ τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου χειρῶν ἐξαρπάσωμεν· ὁ γὰρ ἐν μέθῃ διημερεύων καὶ τρυφῇ καὶ ἀδηφαγίᾳ, ὑπ' αὐτὴν τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν τυραννίδα γεγένηται. Καὶ γένοιτο μέν τι πλέον γενέσθαι ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ῥημάτων· ἂν δ' ἄρα τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμένωσι καὶ μετὰ τὴν παραίνεσιν, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἡμεῖς ἀποστησόμεθα τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς συμβουλῆς· καὶ γὰρ αἱ κρῆναι, κἂν μηδεὶς ὑδρεύηται, ῥέουσι, καὶ αἱ πηγαὶ, κἂν μηδεὶς ἀρύηται, ἀναβλύζουσι, καὶ οἱ ποταμοὶ, κἂν μηδεὶς πίνῃ, τρέχουσι. ∆εῖ τοίνυν καὶ τὸν λέγοντα, κἂν μηδεὶς προσέχῃ, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ πάντα πληροῦν. Καὶ γὰρ νόμος ἡμῖν τοῖς τὴν τοῦ λόγου διακονίαν ἐγκεχειρισμένοις παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου κεῖται Θεοῦ, μηδέποτε τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐλλιμπάνειν, μηδὲ σιγᾷν, κἂν ἀκούῃ τις, κἂν παρατρέχῃ. Ὁ γοῦν Ἱερεμίας, ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἀπειλῶν, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προαναφωνῶν δεινὰ, παρὰ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐκωμῳδεῖτο, καὶ δι' ὅλης ἐγελᾶτο τῆς ἡμέρας, ἐβουλεύσατό ποτε τῆς προφητείας ἀποστῆναι ἐκείνης, 48.964 ἀνθρώπινόν τι παθὼν, καὶ τὰ σκώμματα καὶ τὰς λοιδορίας οὐκ ἐνεγκών. Καὶ ἄκουε αὐτοῦ τοῦτο δηλοῦντος δι' ὧν φησιν· Ἐγενόμην εἰς γέλωτα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· εἶπον· οὐ μὴ λαλήσω, οὐδὲ μὴ ὀνομάσω τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐμοὶ ὡς πῦρ καιόμενον καὶ φλεγμαῖνον ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις μου· παρεῖμαι πάντοθεν, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι φέρειν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ἐβουλευσάμην ἀποστῆναι τῆς προφητείας, φησὶν, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἤκουον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· καὶ ἅμα τοῦτο ἐβουλευσάμην, καθάπερ πῦρ εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνέπεσε τὴν ἐμὴν ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνέργεια, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔνδον κατέφλεγεν, ἐπιδαπανῶσά μου τὰ ὀστᾶ, καὶ κατεσθίουσα οὕτως, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαί με ἐνεγκεῖν τὸν ἐμπρησμὸν ἐκεῖνον. Εἰ δὲ ὁ γελώμενος καὶ χλευαζόμενος ἐκεῖνος καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην λοιδορούμενος τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐπειδὴ ἐβουλεύσατο σιγῆσαι, τοσαύτην ὑπέστη τιμωρίαν, τίνος ἂν εἴημεν ἡμεῖς συγγνώμης ἄξιοι, τοιοῦτον μὲν οὐδέπω