1

In illud: Exiit edictum

HOMILY ON THE TEXT, "There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus;" and on the census of the holy Theotokos.

50.795

1. When, beloved, our common Savior Jesus Christ was about to be born, a universal decree went out from Caesar Augustus to all the world. For since a universal grace was about to shine forth upon all the earth, in a certain way public affairs are joined to piety; and one command goes out through the whole world, as the Savior is being born. Therefore, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be registered in preparation for the harmony of piety, for the passage of the preaching, for the paving of the way for the teaching. For previously, local rulers were numerous, since there was no decree of Caesar for universal proclamation; but since the faith was about to be spread as a preaching of piety throughout the whole world, the world is joined together under one command; and not only the world, but also things below with things above, and piety is published for the benefit of men, so that the truth according to God might escape no one's notice. Caesar Augustus commands, and Joseph obeys, and takes the virgin. When you ask a Greek or even a Jew himself, why Augustus was honored with so long a reign (for he reigned for fifty-six years and four months)? they answer nothing, but think that his very long time was allotted to him by chance, not knowing the causes of things, nor believing in the grace of God.

For in his time Jesus the Christ was born. If, then, Augustus was king of the Romans and the first, it was fitting that Christ undertook the economy in the flesh at the foundation of the Roman empire. For the iron rod was about to be introduced, the rod concerning which David said: You shall rule them with a rod of iron; and, Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession; as if the Father were speaking with the Son, and saying: The Jews have rejected your kingdom, and your ru 50.796 le they have dishonored; the nation is contemptible, they are few who have turned away; Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession, not the corner of Palestine, nor the circumcised nation, vain and fainthearted in soul; but, I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. But you shall rule them because they were not willing to obey the Gospel; because they were not willing to yield to the miracles, you shall rule them, not by word, but by deed and with a rod of iron, by the Roman rule; for this reason they are subject to the rule of the rod. For when Jesus came into Jerusalem, and saw in the temple commerce and sordid business; for they were selling inside, and buying, carrying on business within under the pretext of sacrifices; therefore, having made a rod and a whip of cords, he drove them out of the temple, saying: Do not make my Father's house a house of trade.

And if they had endured that rod, they would not have been ruled with a rod of iron; but since they dishonored the saving rod, they have come not under the whip, nor under the word, which scourges the sensitive, but under the rod of iron; and often they wished to rebel, and the iron rod seized them, not simply striking, but destroying. When, therefore, the iron rod

1

In illud: Exiit edictum

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ, "Ἐξῆλθε δόγμα παρὰ Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου·" καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀπογραφὴν τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου.

50.795

αʹ. Μέλλοντος, ἀγαπητοὶ, τοῦ κοινοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τίκτεσθαι, δόγμα παρὰ Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου ἐξέρχεται καθολικὸν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καθολικὴ χάρις ἐκλάμπειν ἔμελλεν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, συνάπτεται τρόπον τινὰ τὰ δημόσια τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ· καὶ γίνεται ἓν πρόσταγμα καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης, τικτομένου τοῦ Σωτῆρος. Ἐξῆλθεν οὖν δόγμα παρὰ Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου, ὥστε ἀπογράφεσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην εἰς παρασκευὴν συμφωνίας τῆς εὐσεβείας, εἰς πάροδον τοῦ κηρύγματος, εἰς ὁδοποίησιν τῆς διδασκαλίας. Πρότερον μὲν γὰρ αἱ τοπαρχίαι πυκναὶ ἐτύγχανον, ἐπειδὴ Καίσαρος οὐκ ἦν δόγμα τοῦ καθολικοῦ κηρύγματος· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔμελλε κήρυγμα καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης τῆς εὐσεβείας ἡ πίστις διαδίδοσθαι, συνάπτεται ἡ οἰκουμένη ὑφ' ἑνὶ συνθήματι· καὶ οὐ μόνον ἡ οἰκουμένη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κάτω τοῖς ἄνω, καὶ δημοσιεύεται ἡ εὐσέβεια συμφερόντως ἀνθρώποις, ἵνα μηδένα διαλάθῃ ἡ κατὰ τὸν Θεὸν ἀλήθεια. Καῖσαρ Αὔγουστος κελεύει, καὶ πείθεται Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ λαμβάνει τὴν παρθένον. Ὅταν ἐρωτήσῃς Ἕλληνα ἢ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰουδαῖον, διὰ τί Αὔγουστος πολλῷ χρόνῳ τῆς βασιλείας τετίμηται (ἐβασίλευσε γὰρ ἔτη πεντήκοντα ἓξ καὶ μῆνας τέσσαρας); ἀποκρίνονται μὲν οὐδὲν, νομίζουσι δὲ κατὰ ἀποκλήρωσιν αὐτῷ τὸν χρόνον γεγονέναι μακρότατον, οὐκ εἰδότες τὰς αἰτίας τῶν πραγμάτων, οὐδὲ πιστεύοντες τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι.

Ἐπ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἐτέχθη Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός. Εἰ τοίνυν βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων Αὔγουστος καὶ πρῶτος, εἰκότως τῇ καταβολῇ τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας τὴν κατὰ σάρκα οἰκονομίαν ἀνεδέξατο ὁ Χριστός. Ἔμελλε γὰρ ἡ ῥάβδος εἰσάγεσθαι ἡ σιδηρᾶ, ἡ ῥάβδος περὶ ἧς ἔλεγεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ· καὶ, Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς· ὡσανεὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς πρὸς τὸν Υἱὸν διαλεγομένου, καὶ λέγοντος· Ἰουδαῖοι παρῃτήσαντο τὴν σὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ τὴν ἀρ 50.796 χὴν ἠτίμασαν· εὐκαταφρόνητον τὸ ἔθνος, ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ ἀποστραφέντες· Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, οὐ τὴν γωνίαν τῆς Παλαιστίνης, οὐδὲ τὸ ἔθνος τὸ περιτετμημένον, τὸ μάταιον καὶ ἀκάρδιον τῇ ψυχῇ· ἀλλὰ, ∆ώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς. Ποιμανεῖς δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὑπακοῦσαι· ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν εἶξαι τοῖς θαύμασι, ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς, οὐ λόγῳ, ἀλλ' ἔργῳ καὶ ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ· διὰ τοῦτο ὑπόκεινται τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς ῥάβδου. Ἰησοῦς γὰρ ὅτε ἦλθεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ εἶδεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐμπορίαν καὶ πραγματείαν αἰσχροκερδῆ· ἐπίπρασκον γὰρ ἔσω, καὶ ἠγόραζον, προφάσει τῶν θυσιῶν ἔνδον ἐμπορευόμενοι· ποιήσας οὖν ῥάβδον καὶ φραγέλλιον ἐκ σχοινίων, ἐξέβαλεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, λέγων· Μὴ ποιεῖτε τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Πατρός μου οἶκον ἐμπορίου.

Καὶ εἰ ἦσαν ἀνασχόμενοι ἐκείνης τῆς ῥάβδου, οὐκ ἂν ἐποιμάνθησαν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν σωτήριον ῥάβδον ἠτίμασαν, γεγόνασιν οὐχ ὑπὸ τὸ φραγέλλιον, οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τὸν λόγον, τὸν μαστίζοντα τοὺς εὐαισθήτους, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν σιδηρᾶν· καὶ πολλάκις ἠθέλησαν παρακινῆσαι, καὶ κατέλαβεν αὐτοὺς ἡ σιδηρᾶ ῥάβδος, οὐχ ἁπλῶς τύπτουσα, ἀλλ' ἀναιροῦσα. Ὅτε τοίνυν ἡ σιδηρᾶ ῥάβδος