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In illud: Salutate Priscillam et Aquilam

ON THE (PASSAGE), "Greet Priscilla and Aquila," and the rest, Homily 1. 51.187 1. I think many of you are surprised at this section of the apostolic reading, or rather consider this part of the epistle to be unnecessary and superfluous, because it has only continuous and successive greetings. For this very reason, I myself, though I had set out for something else today, having departed from that subject, am preparing to descend to this one, so that you may learn that of the divine Scriptures nothing is superfluous, nothing is unnecessary, not even one iota, not even one tittle, but even a simple greeting opens up for us a great sea of thoughts. And what am I saying, a simple greeting? Often the addition of even a single letter has introduced a whole force of meanings. And this can be seen in the case of Abraham's name. For how is it not absurd, when receiving a letter from a friend, not only to read the body of the letter, but also the greeting written at the bottom, and from there especially to infer the disposition of the writer, but when Paul is writing, or rather, not Paul, but the grace of the Spirit dictating the letter to a whole city and so great a people, and through them to the whole world, to think that any of its contents are superfluous, and to pass over them simply, and not to consider that these things have turned everything upside down? For this it is, this, which has filled us with much indifference, not going through all the Scriptures, but selecting what we think is clearer, and taking no account of the rest. This also introduced the heresies, the not wishing to go through the whole body, the thinking that something is superfluous and unnecessary. For this reason we have been diligent in all other things, not only the superfluous, but also the useless and harmful; but experience in the Scriptures has been neglected and overlooked. And those who are wild about the spec 51.188 tacle of the horse races can tell with all accuracy the names, and herd, and breed, and country, and rearing of the horses, and their years of life, and their performance in the races, and who paired with whom will snatch the victory, and which horse released from which starting-gate, and having which charioteer, will win the race, and outrun his rival. And those who devote their time to the orchestra, show no less than these, but even a greater madness for those who behave indecently in the theaters, I mean mimes and dancing-girls, cataloging their family, and country, and upbringing, and all the other things; but we, when asked, how many and which are the epistles of Paul, do not even know how to say the number. And if some might know the number, but when asked about the cities which received the epistles, they are at a loss for an answer. And while a man, a eunuch and a barbarian, drawn by a myriad of affairs with myriad cares, was so devoted to the books, as not to be idle even during the time of his journey, but sitting in his chariot, was intent with great accuracy on the reading of the divine Scriptures; we, however, having not even the smallest part of his business, are strangers even to the names of the epistles, and this though gathering here every Lord's day, and enjoying the divine hearing. But so that we may not spend the discourse only on reproof, come, let us bring the greeting itself which seems to be superfluous and intrusive into the midst. For when it is unfolded and the profit which it provides is shown to those who attend to it with accuracy, then greater will be

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In illud: Salutate Priscillam et Aquilam

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ "Ἀσπάσασθε Πρίσκιλλαν καὶ Ἀκύλαν," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, λόγος αʹ. 51.187 αʹ. Πολλοὺς ὑμῶν οἶμαι θαυμάζειν ἐπὶ τὴν περικοπὴν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἀναγνώσεως ταύτης, μᾶλλον δὲ πάρεργον ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ περιττὸν τοῦτο τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τὸ μέρος, διὰ τὸ προσρήσεις ἔχειν μόνον συνεχεῖς καὶ ἐπαλλήλους. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἑτέρωσε τήμερον ὡρμημένος, ἀποστὰς ἐκείνης τῆς ὑποθέσεως, εἰς ταύτην καθεῖναι παρασκευάζομαι, ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι τῶν θείων Γραφῶν οὐδὲν περιττὸν, οὐδὲν πάρεργόν ἐστι, κἂν ἰῶτα ἓν, κἂν μία κεραία ᾖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψιλὴ πρόσρησις πολὺ πέλαγος ἡμῖν ἀνοίγει νοημάτων. Καὶ τί λέγω, ψιλὴ πρόσρησις; Πολλάκις καὶ ἑνὸς στοιχείου προσθήκη ὁλόκληρον νοημάτων εἰσήγαγε δύναμιν. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ προσηγορίας ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον παρὰ φίλου μὲν ἐπιστολὴν δεχόμενον, μὴ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἀναγινώσκειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κάτω κειμένην πρόσρησιν, κἀκεῖθεν μάλιστα στοχάζεσθαι τὴν τοῦ γεγραφότος διάθεσιν, Παύλου δὲ γράφοντος, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοῦ Παύλου, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὑπαγορευούσης ὁλοκλήρῳ πόλει καὶ δήμῳ τοσούτῳ, καὶ δι' ἐκείνων τῇ οἰκουμένῃ πάσῃ, νομίζειν περιττόν τι εἶναι τῶν ἐγκειμένων, καὶ παρατρέχειν ἁπλῶς, καὶ μὴ ἐννοεῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα τὰ ἄνω κάτω πεποίηκε; Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, τοῦτο, ὃ πολλῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἡμᾶς ἐνέπλησε, τὸ μὴ πάσας ἐπιέναι τὰς Γραφὰς, ἀλλ' ἃ νομίζομεν εἶναι σαφέστερα, ταῦτα ἐκλεγομένους, τῶν ἄλλων μηδένα ποιεῖσθαι λόγον. Τοῦτο καὶ τὰς αἱρέσεις εἰσήγαγε, τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι ἅπαν ἐπιέναι τὸ σῶμα, τὸ νομίζειν εἶναί τι περιττὸν καὶ πάρεργον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἅπαντα ἡμῖν διεσπούδασται, οὐχὶ τὰ περιττὰ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἀνόνητα καὶ βλαβερά· τῶν Γραφῶν δὲ ἡ ἐμπειρία ἠμέληται καὶ παρῶπται· καὶ οἱ μὲν πρὸς τὴν θεω 51.188 ρίαν τῆς τῶν ἵππων ἁμίλλης ἐπτοημένοι, καὶ ὀνόματα, καὶ ἀγέλην, καὶ γένος, καὶ πατρίδα, καὶ ἀνατροφὴν τῶν ἵππων ἔχουσιν εἰπεῖν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης, καὶ ἔτη ζωῆς, καὶ ἐνεργείας δρόμων, καὶ τίς τίνι συνταττόμενος τὴν νίκην ἁρπάσεται, καὶ ποῖος ἵππος ἐκ ποίας ἀφεθεὶς βαλβῖδος, καὶ τίνα ἔχων ἡνίοχον, περιέσται τοῦ δρόμου, καὶ τὸν ἀντίτεχνον παραδραμεῖται. Καὶ οἱ περὶ τὴν ὀρχήστραν δὲ ἐσχολακότες, οὐκ ἐλάττω τούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείω μανίαν περὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις ἀσχημονοῦντας ἐπιδείκνυνται, μίμους λέγω καὶ ὀρχηστρίας, καὶ γένος αὐτῶν, καὶ πατρίδα, καὶ ἀνατροφὴν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα καταλέγοντες· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐρωτώμενοι, ὁπόσαι, καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν αἱ Παύλου ἐπιστολαὶ, οὐδὲ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἴσμεν εἰπεῖν. Εἰ δέ τινες καὶ εἶεν τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐπιστάμενοι, ἀλλὰ τὰς πόλεις, αἳ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς ἐδέξαντο, ταύτας ἐρωτώμενοι διαποροῦσι πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν. Καὶ ἄνθρωπος μὲν εὐνοῦχος καὶ βάρβαρος, μυρίαις φροντίσιν ὑπὸ μυρίων ἑλκόμενος πραγμάτων, οὕτω προσέκειτο βιβλίοις, ὡς μηδὲ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἡσυχάζειν, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ὀχήματος καθήμενος, ἐγκεῖσθαι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας τῇ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀναγνώσει· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν μέρος τῆς ἀσχολίας ἔχοντες τῆς ἐκείνου, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ξενιζόμεθα, καὶ ταῦτα καθ' ἑκάστην κυριακὴν ἐνταῦθα συλλεγόμενοι, καὶ θείας ἀπολαύοντες ἀκροάσεως. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἵνα μὴ μόνον εἰς ἐπιτίμησιν τὸν λόγον ἀναλώσωμεν, φέρε, τὴν πρόσρησιν αὐτὴν τὴν δοκοῦσαν εἶναι περιττὴν καὶ παρενοχλεῖν, εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. Ἀναπτυσσομένης γὰρ αὐτῆς καὶ δεικνυμένου τοῦ κέρδους ὅσον παρέχει τοῖς προσέχουσιν αὐτῇ μετὰ ἀκριβείας, τότε μείζων ἔσται