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De Melchisedech

OF THE SAME. On Melchizedek. 56.257 1. Today I want to set before you an apostolic table, and I am preparing to extend my discourse to the sea of Paul's voice. But what am I to do? I shrink and I fear lest, having left the harbor and come to the depth of the apostolic thoughts, we might become dizzy, as happens to those unaccustomed to sailing. For when they, having left the land, see the open sea from either side of the ship, and nothing else but sea and sky, they are seized by dizziness, and they think the ship is turning in circles with the sea. But the dizzy spells happen not because of the nature of the sea, but because of the inexperience of the sailors. So other sailors with naked bodies dive headfirst against the waves, and suffer nothing of the sort; but having gone down to the very depth, they pass the time more safely than those sitting on the ground, and receiving the brine with mouth, and eyes, and their whole body, they are not distressed. So much and of such a kind is the evil of inexperience. Thus the one persuades to despise even fearful things; while the other prepares one to suspect and fear even safe things. For some, sitting on the high decks of the ship, grow dizzy at the sight, but others in the midst are not disturbed by the waves. This also happens in our mind. For often waves of passions, wilder than those of the sea, seize it, such as giddiness, anger stirring the heart from below, winds of evil desire, causing much confusion of the mind. But the inexperienced and unpracticed man, at the beginning of the storm of anger, is immediately disturbed, troubled, shaken; he sees his soul being submerged by the passions, and suffering shipwreck; but the one who is experienced and has practiced, bears such things nobly; just as a pilot at the rudders, so, having placed his reason above the passions, he does not stop doing everything until he can steer the vessel to the calm harbor of philosophy. Therefore, what happens on the sea, and occurs in the mind, this must also happen in the exegesis of the Scriptures, to be disturbed, to be troubled; when we go out into the open sea; not because the sea is fearsome, but because we who are sailing are inexperienced. For that it is possible for a discourse, which is by nature easy, 56.258 to become difficult because of the inexperience of the hearers, I will present Paul to you as a witness. For having said that Christ became a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and seeking who this Melchizedek is, he added: "Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain." What are you saying, O Paul? Hard for you to explain, who have spiritual wisdom? who heard unutterable things? who was caught up to the third heaven? If it is hard for you to explain, by whom can it be comprehended? "Hard for me to explain," he says, "not because of my own weakness, but because of the difficulty of the hearers." For having said, "Hard to explain," he added: "Since you have become dull of hearing." Do you see that not the nature of the discourse, but the inexperience of the hearers has made what is not difficult, difficult? And not only difficult, but the same cause also makes what is short, long. Therefore he said it was not only hard to explain, but also long, attributing the cause of both the length and the difficulty to the dullness of hearing. For just as with the sick it is not necessary to set out a brief and simple table, but one must prepare various foods, so that if

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De Melchisedech

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ Εἰς τὸν Μελχισεδέκ. 56.257 αʹ. Ἀποστολικὴν ὑμῖν σήμερον βούλομαι παραθεῖναι τράπεζαν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ πέλαγος τῆς Παύλου φωνῆς διατεῖναι τὸν λόγον παρασκευάζομαι. Ἀλλὰ τί πάθω; Ὀκνῶ καὶ δέδοικα μήποτε τὸν λιμένα ἐξελθόντες, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βάθος καταντήσαντες τῶν ἀποστολικῶν νοημάτων ἰλιγγιάσωμεν, ὅπερ πάσχουσιν οἱ τῶν πλωτήρων ἀήθεις. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπειδὰν τὴν γῆν ἀφέντες, ἐξ ἑκατέρου μέρους τῆς νηὸς πέλαγος ἴδωσιν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ θάλατταν καὶ οὐρανὸν, σκοτοδινίᾳ κατέχονται, καὶ περιφέρεσθαι αὐτοῖς τὸ πλοῖον κύκλῳ νομίζουσι μετὰ τῆς θαλάττης. Ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν φύσιν τῆς θαλάττης, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν τῶν πλούντων οἱ ἴλιγγοι γίνονται. Ἕτεροι οὖν τῶν ναυτῶν γυμνοῖς τοῖς σώμασιν ἐκκυβιστῶσι κατὰ τῶν κυμάτων, καὶ οὐδὲν πάσχουσί τι τοιοῦτον· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ βάθος καταβάντες αὐτὸ, τῶν ἐν ἐδάφει καθημένων ἀσφαλέστερον διατρίβουσι, καὶ τῷ στόματι, καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ παντὶ τῷ σώματι δεχόμενοι τὴν ἅλμην, οὐ δυσχεραίνουσιν. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστι μᾶλλον καὶ τοιοῦτον ἀπειρία κακόν. Οὕτως αὕτη καὶ τῶν φοβερῶν καταφρονεῖν πείθει· ἐκείνη δὲ καὶ τὰ ἀσφαλῆ ὑποπτεύειν καὶ δεδοικέναι παρασκευάζει. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐφ' ὑψηλῶν τῶν ἰκρίων καθήμενοι τῆς νηὸς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν θέαν ἰλιγγιῶσιν, οἱ δὲ ἐν μέσοις οὐ θορυβοῦνται τοῖς κύμασιν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας γίνεται τῆς ἡμετέρας. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταύτην πολλάκις καταλαμβάνει κύματα παθῶν, θαλαττίων ἀγριώτερα, οἷον ζάλη, θυμὸν κάτωθεν στρέφοντα τὴν καρδίαν, πνεύματα ἐπιθυμίας πονηρᾶς, ποιοῦντα πολλὴν τῆς διανοίας τὴν σύγχυσιν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἄπειρος καὶ ἀμελέτητος, ἀρχομένου τοῦ χειμῶνος τῆς ὀργῆς, εὐθέως θορυβεῖται, ταράττεται, κλονεῖται· ὁρᾷ γινομένην ὑποβρύχιον τὴν ψυχὴν ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν, καὶ ναυάγιον ὑπομένουσαν· ὁ δὲ ἔμπειρος καὶ μεμελετηκὼς, τὰ τοιαῦτα φέρει γενναίως· καθάπερ κυβερνήτης ἐπὶ τῶν οἰάκων, οὕτως τὸν λογισμὸν ἐπάνω τῶν παθῶν καθίσας, οὐ πρότερον ἀφίσταται πάντα ποιῶν, ἕως ἂν κατευθύνῃ τὸ σκάφος πρὸς τὸν εὔδιον τῆς φιλοσοφίας λιμένα. Ὅπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάττης γίνεται, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας συμβαίνει, τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐξηγήσει τῶν Γραφῶν συμπίπτειν ἀνάγκη, θορυβεῖσθαι, ταράττεσθαι· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἐξέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τὸ πέλαγος φοβερὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡμεῖς οἱ πλέοντες ἄπειροι. Ὅτι γάρ ἐστιν, εὔκολον φύσει 56.258 λόγον ὄντα, δύσκολον γενέσθαι παρὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν τῶν ἀκουόντων, Παῦλον ὑμῖν παραστήσομαι μάρτυρα. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς ἐγένετο ἀρχιερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ, καὶ ζητῶν τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, ἐπήγαγεν· Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος. Τί λέγεις, ὦ Παῦλε; ∆υσερμήνευτός σοι τῷ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἔχοντι σοφίαν; τῷ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἀκούσαντι; τῷ πρὸς τρίτον ἁρπαγέντι οὐρανόν; Εἰ σοὶ δυσερμήνευτος, τίνι καταληπτός; Ἐμοὶ δυσερμήνευτος, φησὶν, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν μου ἀσθένειαν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν δυσκολίαν τῶν ἀκουόντων. Εἰπὼν γοῦν, ∆υσερμήνευτος, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐπειδὴ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐχ ἡ φύσις τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀπειρία τῶν ἀκουόντων δύσκολον τὸ οὐ δύσκολον πεποίηκεν; Οὐ μόνον δὲ δύσκολον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολὺν ποιεῖ αὐτὸν βραχὺν ἡ αὐτὴ αἰτία. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ δυσερμήνευτον ἔφησεν εἶναι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολὺν, καὶ τοῦ μήκους καὶ τῆς δυσκολίας ἀναθεὶς τὴν αἰτίαν τῇ νωθρότητι τῆς ἀκοῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀῤῥωστούντων οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον σύντομον καὶ ἐσχεδιασμένην παραθεῖναι τράπεζαν, ἀλλὰ δεῖ παρασκευάσαι τὰ σιτία διάφορα, ἵνα ἂν