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De cognitione dei et in sancta theophania

11. Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom on the knowledge of God, and on the Holy Theophany, and on the newly enlightened.

64.43 Just as those who have the sight of their bodies damaged need those who guide them, so that they do not fall into a pit out of ignorance and die; so also those who have the eyes of their soul darkened need those who guide them to godliness, so that they do not fall into an abyss of evils out of ignorance and perish. And indeed all humanity before was enveloped in such an evil of blindness; and just as it happens to those with blurred vision, to often see those who are not instead of what is, so also those who had the eyes of the soul darkened saw many who were not, instead of the one and only God. But the physician of bodies and souls sent forth the law and the prophets, healing the blindness of men, and leading them to the knowledge of himself, but men turned away from the healing through the law and the prophets. For they closed their eyes that they might not see, and they stopped their ears that they might not hear, according to the word of Isaiah, so that they might not turn and be healed.

Similar things to these another prophet, Jeremiah, cried out, saying: We have treated Babylon, but she is not healed; no cure has come upon her. Now Babylon is interpreted as confusion; for humanity is confused by blindness. But this is the way of the best physicians; the healing of chronic wounds is beyond their apprentices. So also the only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, seeing that the impiety of men was not healed through the law and the prophets, comes from the heavenly vaults, born of the holy Virgin Mary, first routing the devil through the cross, second taking death captive, and through his three-day resurrection granting peace to those near and to those far off, he brought all to the knowledge of himself. O death, where is your sting? From God is blessedness. And seeing this, the prophet David says: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. And who is able to forgive sins, except God alone? For men who call other men blessed profit them nothing, but often even harm them, as the prophet Isaiah says: O my people, they who call you blessed lead you astray, and throw into confusion the path of your feet; but he who blesses provides the grace along with the word. And take the proof of this saying. The Lord said to Peter, when he asked the disciples, saying: Who do men say that I am? Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it 64.44 to you, but my Father who is in heaven, not the one supposed to be my earthly one. You have spoken the blessing, give the grace of the kingdom of heaven. Did you see the grace following the word? And just now in the beatitudes read out to us we have heard each of them having its corresponding grace. But let us return to the proposed subject of the present feast. For the presence of an earthly king is accustomed to bestow joy and gladness on those present; but when a heavenly king comes here from heaven to earth, not only do we who are present exult, but also the whole earth rejoices.

For if when the sun rises all that is below is illuminated, when the sun of righteousness has risen, how shall not every soul be illuminated in this light-bearing night, concerning which the prophet David, seeing by the Holy Spirit, said: For darkness

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De cognitione dei et in sancta theophania

ΙΑʹ. Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου λόγος περὶ θεογνωσίας, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἅγια Θεοφάνια, καὶ εἰς τοὺς νεοφωτίστους.

64.43 Ὥσπερ οἱ τὰς ὄψεις τῶν σωμάτων βεβλαμμένας ἔχοντες χρῄζουσι τῶν

ὁδηγούντων, ἵνα μὴ ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς βάραθρον ἐμπεσόντες ἀποθάνωσιν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς ἠμαυρωμένους ἔχοντες χρῄζουσι τῶν εἰς θεοσέβειαν αὐτοὺς ὁδηγούντων, ἵνα μὴ ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς βυθὸν κακῶν ἐμπεσόντες ἀπόλωνται. Καὶ πᾶσα μὲν ἡ ἀνθρωπότης πρὶν τοιούτῳ κακῷ τῆς ἀβλεψίας περιεκέχυτο· καὶ ὥσπερ συμβαίνει τοῖς ἀμαύρωσιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ὄντος πολλάκις ὁρᾷν τοὺς μὴ ὄντας, οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς ἠμαυρωμένους ἔχοντες ἀντὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ πολλοὺς ἑώρων τοὺς μὴ ὄντας. Ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν σωμάτων καὶ ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς ἐξαπέστειλε νόμον καὶ προφήτας, ἰώμενος τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν ἀβλεψίαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ θεογνωσίαν αὐτοὺς ἄγων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποστραφέντων τὴν διὰ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ἰατρείαν. Ἐκάμμυσαν γὰρ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν τοῦ μὴ εἰδέναι, καὶ τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν ἔφραξαν τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Ἡσαΐου λόγον, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιστραφῶσι καὶ ἰαθῶσι.

Τὰ ὅμοια τούτων καὶ ἄλλος προφήτης, Ἱερεμίας, ἔκραξε λέγων· Ἰατρεύσαμεν τὴν Βαβυλῶνα καὶ οὐκ ἰάθη· οὐκ ἀνέβη ἴασις ἐν αὐτῇ. Βαβυλὼν δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται σύγχυσις· συγκέχυται γὰρ ἡ ἀνθρωπότης τῇ ἀβλεψίᾳ. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τρόπος ἀρίστων ἰατρῶν· τοὺς μαθητὰς ὑπερβαίνει τῶν χρονίων τραυμάτων ἡ ἰατρεία. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁρῶν διὰ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν μὴ ἰαθεῖσαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν ἀσέβειαν παραγίνεται ἐξ οὐρανίων ἁψίδων, ἐξ ἁγίας Παρθένου Μαρίας τεχθεὶς, πρῶτον μὲν διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸν διάβολον τροπωσάμενος, δεύτερον δὲ τὸν θάνατον αἰχμαλωτίζων, διὰ δὲ τῆς τριημέρου αὐτοῦ ἀναστάσεως εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγὺς καὶ τοῖς μακρὰν χαρισάμενος, πάντας εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θεογνωσίαν ἐπήγαγε. Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; Παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακαριότης. Καὶ τοῦτο ἰδὼν ὁ προφήτης ∆αυῒδ λέγει· Μακάριοι, ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Τίς δὲ δυνατὸς ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας, εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός; Ἄνθρωποι γὰρ ἀνθρώπους μακαρίζοντες οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦσι, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ βλάπτουσι, καθώς φησιν ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας· Λαός μου, οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς, πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὴν τρίβον τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐκταράσσουσιν· ὁ δὲ μακαρίζων σὺν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὴν χάριν παρέχει. Καὶ λάβε τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Πέτρῳ, ἡνίκα τοὺς μαθητὰς ἠρώτα, λέγων· Τίνα με οἱ ἄνθρωποι λέγουσιν εἶναι; Μακάριος εἶ, Σίμων Βὰρ Ἰωνᾶ, ὅτι Σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ 64.44 σοι, ἀλλ' ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος, οὐχ ὁ νομιζόμενος ἐπίγειος. Εἶπες τὸν μακαρισμὸν, δὸς τὴν χάριν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἶδες τὴν χάριν ἑπομένην τῷ λόγῳ; Καὶ ἀρτίως δὲ ἐν τοῖς καταγνωσθεῖσιν ἡμῖν μακαρισμοῖς ἀκηκόαμεν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν τὴν χάριν κατάλληλον ἔχοντα. Ἐπανέλθωμεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν προκειμένην τῆς παρούσης ἑορτῆς ὑπόθεσιν. Βασιλέως γὰρ ἐπιγείου παρουσία χαρὰν καὶ εὐφροσύνην τοῖς παροῦσι δωρεῖσθαι εἴωθε· βασιλέως δὲ ἐπουρανίου ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν παραγινομένου ἐνταῦθα, οὐ μόνον ἡμεῖς οἱ παρόντες ἀγαλλιώμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ εὐφραίνεται.

Εἰ γὰρ ἡλίου ἀνατέλλοντος πᾶν τὸ ὑποκείμενον φωτίζεται, τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀνατείλαντος, πῶς οὐχὶ πᾶσα ψυχὴ φωτισθήσεται ἐν τῇ φωτοφόρω ταύτῃ νυκτὶ, περὶ ἧς ὁ προφήτης ∆αυῒδ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι βλέπων ἔλεγεν· Ὅτι σκότος