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Non esse ad gratiam concionandum

That it is dangerous both for those who speak and for those who hear to speak publicly to please, and that it is useful and the greatest righteousness to accuse one's own sins.

50.653 1. Sufficiently, I think, we rebuked you the other day, and we inflicted a rather deep wound; therefore it is necessary to heal today, and to apply gentler medicines. For this is the best method of healing, not only to cut, but also to bind up the wounds; this is the wonderful law of teaching, not only to rebuke, but also to exhort and to comfort. Thus Paul also commanded: Convict, rebuke, exhort. If one exhorts entirely, he makes the hearers more careless; and if he only rebukes, he makes them harsher; for not being able to bear the burden of continual reproofs, they immediately leap away. Therefore the manner of teaching must be somewhat varied. Since, therefore, on the former occasion the discourse bit the mind of each one rather sharply, we need a gentler teaching today, and it is necessary to pour the gentleness of the word, like oil, upon the pains caused by the reproofs, first reminding you of the reproofs themselves. We read to you previously the law of Paul concerning participation in the mysteries laid down for all the initiated. And the law was this; for nothing prevents reading it again even now: But let each one examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. The initiated know what is said, and what the bread is, and what the cup is. For he who eats and drinks, he says, unworthily of the Lord, will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. This law we read to you; and we also explained the meaning of the saying. We said what it means, "He will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord," that he will pay the same penalty, as great a punishment as will be undergone by those who crucified Christ. For just as those murderers, it says, became guilty of the blood, so also do these who partake of the mysteries unworthily; for this is what it means, "He will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." What was said seemed to have great exaggeration and the threat seemed to be unbearable; we added also an argument from an example having much consistency. For just as, I said, if someone should tear the royal purple robe, or if 50.654 he should defile it with mud, he has in a similar way insulted the king who wears it; so indeed also here both those who killed the Master's body, and those who receive it with an unclean mind, likewise treat the royal garment insolently. The Jews, then, tore it on the cross, but he who receives it with an unclean soul also defiles it; so that even if the acts of lawlessness are different, yet the acts of insult are equal. This rebuked many, this disturbed many; it bit the conscience of the hearers, or rather not only of the hearers, but also of me who speaks before you; for the teaching is common, the wounds are common; therefore I also apply common medicines. This became the work of the loving-kindness of God, that both the one speaking and the hearers should be subject to the same laws, should share in the same nature, that each one transgressing should be equally liable. Why? So that he might make the rebuke with moderation, so that he might become forgiving to those who sin, so that, remembering his own weakness, he might not make the reproof unbearable. For this reason God did not bring down angels from the heavens and set them as teachers over human nature, so that not because of the superiority of their nature, and their ignorance of human weakness,

1

Non esse ad gratiam concionandum

Ὅτι ἐπικίνδυνον καὶ τοῖς λέγουσι, καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσι τὸ πρὸς χάριν δημηγορεῖν, καὶ ὅτι χρήσιμον καὶ δικαιοσύνη μεγίστη τὸ κατηγορεῖν

τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων.

50.653 αʹ. Ἱκανῶς ὑμῶν, οἶμαι, καθηψάμεθα πρώην, καὶ βαθυτέραν ἐδώκαμεν τὴν πληγήν· οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη θεραπεῦσαι τήμερον, καὶ προσηνέστερα ἐπιθεῖναι τὰ φάρμακα. Οὗτος γὰρ ἄριστος ἰατρείας τρόπος, μὴ μόνον τέμνειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιδεσμεῖν τὰ ἕλκη· οὗτος θαυμαστὸς διδασκαλίας νόμος, μὴ μόνον ἐπιτιμᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρακαλεῖν καὶ παραμυθεῖσθαι. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐκέλευσεν· Ἔλεγξον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον. Ἐάν τε παρακαλῇ τις διόλου, ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ποιεῖ τοὺς ἀκροατάς· ἐάν τε ἐπιτιμᾷ μόνον, τραχυτέρους ἐργάζεται· οὐ γὰρ δυνάμενοι τὸ φορτίον τῶν διηνεκῶν ἐλέγχων ἐνεγκεῖν, ἀποπηδῶσιν εὐθέως. ∆ιὸ χρὴ ποικίλον τινὰ εἶναι τὸν τῆς διδασκαλίας τρόπον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τῇ προτέρᾳ σφοδρότερον τὴν ἑκάστου διάνοιαν ἔδακεν ὁ λόγος, προσηνεστέρας ἡμῖν δεῖ τῆς διδασκαλίας τήμερον, καὶ ταῖς ἐκ τῶν ἐλέγχων γενομέναις ὀδύναις, ὥσπερ ἔλαιον, ἀναγκαῖον ἐπιστάξαι τοῦ λόγου τὸ προσηνὲς, πρότερον αὐτῶν ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσαντες τῶν ἐλέγχων. Ἀνέγνωμεν ὑμῖν πρώην τὸν Παύλου νόμον περὶ τῆς τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνίας κείμενον τοῖς μεμυημένοις ἅπασιν. Ὁ δὲ νόμος ἦν οὗτος· οὐδὲν γὰρ κωλύει καὶ νῦν αὐτὸν ἀναγνῶναι πάλιν· ∆οκιμαζέτω δὲ ἕκαστος ἑαυτὸν, καὶ οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου ἐσθιέτω, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ποτηρίου πινέτω. Ἴσασιν οἱ μεμυημένοι τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ τίς μὲν ὁ ἄρτος, τί δὲ τὸ ποτήριον. Ὁ γὰρ ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, φησὶν, ἀναξίως τοῦ Κυρίου, ἔνοχος ἔσται τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Κυρίου. Τοῦτον ὑμῖν τὸν νόμον ἀνέγνωμεν· ἐξηγησάμεθα δὲ καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ ῥητοῦ. Εἴπομεν τί ἐστιν, Ἔνοχος ἔσται τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι τὴν αὐτὴν δώσει δίκην, ὅσην ὑποστήσονται τιμωρίαν οἱ σταυρώσαντες τὸν Χριστόν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, φησὶν, οἱ σφαγεῖς ἔνοχοι ἐγένοντο τοῦ αἵματος, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι οἱ ἀναξίως κοινωνοῦντες τῶν μυστηρίων· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Ἔνοχος ἔσται τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἐδόκει πολλὴν ὑπερβολὴν ἔχειν τὸ εἰρημένον καὶ ἀφόρητος εἶναι ἡ ἀπειλή· προσεθήκαμεν καὶ λογισμὸν ἐκ παραδείγματος ἀκολουθίαν ἔχοντα πολλήν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, ἔφην, ἄν τε διαῤῥήξῃ τις τὴν πορφυρίδα τὴν βασιλικὴν, ἄν τε 50.654 μολύνῃ βορβόρῳ, παραπλησίως εἰς τὸν ἐνδύντα αὐτὴν ὕβρισε βασιλέα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα οἵ τε ἀνελόντες τὸ σῶμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν, οἵ τε ἀκαθάρτῳ δεχόμενοι τῇ διανοίᾳ, ὁμοίως ἐμπαροινοῦσι τῷ ἐνδύματι τῷ βασιλικῷ. ∆ιέῤῥηξαν μὲν οὖν αὐτὸ Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ σταυρῷ, μολύνει δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀκαθάρτῳ δεχόμενος αὐτὸ ψυχῇ· ὥστε εἰ καὶ διάφορα τὰ τῆς παρανομίας, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς ὕβρεως ἴσα. Τοῦτο πολλῶν καθήψατο, τοῦτο πολλοὺς ἐθορύβησεν· ἔδακε τὸ συνειδὸς τῶν ἀκουόντων, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχὶ τῶν ἀκουόντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ λέγοντος πρὸ ὑμῶν· κοινὴ γὰρ ἡ διδασκαλία, κοινὰ τὰ τραύματα· διὸ καὶ κοινὰ τὰ φάρμακα ἐπιτίθημι. Τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐγένετο ἔργον, ὥστε καὶ τὸν λέγοντα καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὑποκεῖσθαι νόμοις, τῆς αὐτῆς κοινωνεῖν φύσεως, ὁμοίως ἕκαστον ὑπεύθυνον εἶναι παραβαίνοντα. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα μετὰ συμμετρίας ποιῆται τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν, ἵνα συγγνωμονικὸς γένηται τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἵνα ἀναμιμνησκόμενος τῆς οἰκείας ἀσθενείας μὴ ἀφόρητον ποιῆται τὸν ἔλεγχον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀγγέλους ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν καταγαγὼν ὁ Θεὸς τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει διδασκάλους ἐπέστησεν, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ὑπερέχον, καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας τὴν ἄγνοιαν,