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De petitione matris filiorum Zebedaei

On the remaining matters against heretics, and concerning judgment and almsgiving, and on the request of the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Eighth Discourse.

48.767 1. Yesterday we returned from war, from war and heretical battle, having our weapons bloodstained, the sword of the word reddened, not by casting down bodies, but by destroying reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, For such is the nature of this battle; wherefore such is also the nature of the weapons. Teaching both of which, the blessed Paul said: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through 48.768 God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. It was necessary, then, to tell those who were absent of the casualties that occurred yesterday, and to recount the battle-line, the engagement, the victory, the trophies; but lest we make you more sluggish, passing these things by, so that you who were absent, being stung by the loss, might become more diligent, we will again take up the next topics today; but if anyone is diligent and aroused, he will learn from those who were present the things said by us yesterday. For the hearers showed us such eagerness, that they departed for home having grasped everything, and let nothing of what was said 48.769 slip away. Those things, then, you will learn from them; but what it is necessary to say today, these things we will tell you, setting forth in our midst the objection which the children of the heretics brought against us. What then is this? Since we were recently discoursing on the authority of the Only-begotten, showing His authority to be equal to that of the Father who begot Him, and we spent much discourse on these things, they, being struck by what was said, brought against us a certain evangelical utterance—which was said in one sense, but suspected by them to have been said in another—saying: And indeed it is written: But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but for whom it has been prepared by my Father. But what I always exhort your love to do, this I also advise and counsel today, not to approach the letters simply, but to investigate the meanings; for if someone simply sits beside the words, and seeks nothing more than what is written, he will err in many things. For the Scriptures say that God has wings, as the prophet says, In the shadow of your wings you will cover me, but on account of this we will not say that that spiritual and indestructible substance is winged.

For if it is not possible to say this of men, much more so of that pure and invisible and incomprehensible nature. What then must we understand by the wings? The help, the security, the covering, the alliance, the invincibility of the help. Again the Scriptures say He sleeps, speaking thus: Arise, why do you sleep, O Lord? not that we should suspect God sleeps; for this is the utmost folly; but by the name of sleep they show us His long-suffering and forbearance. And another prophet says: Will you be as a man sleeping? Do you see that we have need of much understanding when investigating the treasure of the divine Scriptures? since if we hear what is said simply and randomly and as it happens, not only will those absurdities follow, but also much conflict in

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De petitione matris filiorum Zebedaei

Εἰς τὰ ὑπόλοιπα κατὰ αἱρετικῶν, καὶ περὶ κρίσεως καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης, καὶ εἰς τὴν αἴτησιν τῆς μητρὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου.

Λόγος ὄγδοος.

48.767 αʹ. Ἐκ πολέμου χθὲς ἐπανήλθομεν, ἐκ πολέμου καὶ μάχης αἱρετικῆς, ᾑμαγμένα τὰ ὅπλα ἔχοντες, τὸ ξίφος τοῦ λόγου πεφοινιγμένον, οὐ σώματα καταβαλόντες, ἀλλὰ λογισμοὺς ἀνελόντες καὶ Πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τῆς μάχης ταύτης τὸ εἶδος· διὸ καὶ τοιαύτη τῶν ὅπλων ἡ φύσις· ἅπερ ἀμφότερα διδάσκων ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ 48.768 Θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντα καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἔδει μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἀπολειφθεῖσιν εἰπεῖν τὰ πτώματα τὰ χθὲς γενόμενα, καὶ διηγήσασθαι τὴν παράταξιν, τὴν συμβολὴν, τὴν νίκην, τὰ τρόπαια· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ὑμᾶς ποιήσωμεν, ταῦτα παραδραμόντες, ὥστε τῇ ζημίᾳ τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας ὑμᾶς δηχθέντας σπουδαιοτέρους γενέσθαι, πάλιν τῶν ἑξῆς ἁψόμεθα σήμερον· εἰ δέ τις σπουδαῖος καὶ διεγηγερμένος ᾖ, παρὰ τῶν παραγενομένων εἴσεται τὰ λεχθέντα ἡμῖν τῇ χθὲς ἡμέρᾳ. Καὶ γὰρ τοσαύτην ἡμῖν οἱ ἀκροαταὶ τὴν προθυμίαν ἐπεδείξαντο, ὡς πάντα λαβόντες οἴκαδε ἀναχωρῆσαι, καὶ μηδὲν ἀφεῖναι 48.769 διαῤῥυῆναι τῶν εἰρημένων. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν οὖν παρ' ἐκείνων εἴσεσθε· ἃ δὲ σήμερον ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν, ταῦτα ἡμεῖς ἐροῦμεν ὑμῖν, τὴν ἀντίθεσιν, ἣν οἱ τῶν αἱρετικῶν παῖδες ἀντεπήγαγον, εἰς μέσον προθέντες. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη; Ἐπειδὴ πρώην περὶ τῆς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἐξουσίας διελεγόμεθα, δεικνύντες ἴσην οὖσαν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ γεγεννηκότος αὐτὸν Πατρὸς, καὶ πολὺν ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀναλώσαμεν λόγον, πληγέντες τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐκεῖνοι, φωνήν τινα εὐαγγελικὴν, ἑτέρως μὲν εἰρημένην, ἑτέρως δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν ὑποπτευθεῖσαν εἰρῆσθαι, ταύτην ἀντεπήγαγον λέγοντες· καὶ μὴν γέγραπται· Τὸ δὲ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ' οἷς ἡτοίμασται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός μου. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὅπερ ἀεὶ παρακαλῶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, τοῦτο καὶ σήμερον παραινῶ καὶ συμβουλεύω, μὴ ἁπλῶς ἐπιέναι τὰ γράμματα, ἀλλὰ διερευνᾶσθαι τὰ νοήματα· εἰ γάρ τις ἁπλῶς ταῖς λέξεσι παρακάθοιτο, καὶ μηδὲν πλέον τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐπιζητοίη, πολλὰ ἁμαρτήσεται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ πτέρυγας τὰ γράμματα ἔχειν φησὶ τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου σκεπάσεις με, ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο πτερωτὴν φήσομεν εἶναι τὴν νοερὰν ἐκείνην καὶ ἀνώλεθρον οὐσίαν.

Εἰ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἔνι τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκηράτου καὶ ἀοράτου καὶ ἀκαταλήπτου φύσεως ἐκείνης. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ἀπὸ τῶν πτερύγων νοητέον ἡμῖν; Τὴν βοήθειαν, τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, τὴν σκέπην, τὴν συμμαχίαν, τὸ ἀχείρωτον τῆς βοηθείας. Πάλιν ὑπνοῦν αὐτόν φασιν αἱ Γραφαὶ οὕτω λέγουσαι· Ἀνάστηθι, ἱνατί ὑπνοῖς, Κύριε; οὐχ ἵνα τὸν Θεὸν καθεύδειν ὑποπτεύωμεν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας· ἀλλὰ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ ὕπνου τὴν μακροθυμίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνεξικακίαν ἡμῖν ἐμφαίνουσαι. Ἕτερος δὲ προφήτης φησί· Μὴ ἔσῃ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὑπνῶν; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι πολλῆς ἡμῖν τῆς συνέσεως χρεία τὸν θησαυρὸν διερευνωμένοις τῶν θείων Γραφῶν; ὡς ἐὰν ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῆ καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἀκούωμεν τῶν λεγομένων, οὐ μόνον τὰ ἄτοπα ἐκεῖνα ἕψεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴ μάχη ἐν