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Sermo cum presbyter fuit ordinatus

The first homily of the same, when he was ordained a presbyter, concerning himself, the bishop, and the multitude of the people

Are the things that have happened to us true? and have the things that have happened really happened and we have not been deceived? Nor are the present things night and a dream, but is it really day and are we all awake? And who would believe these things, that while it is day, and men are sober and awake, a lowly and rejected youth has been raised to so great a height of office? For in the night it is not at all unlikely for such things to happen. For indeed some, crippled in body and not even having necessary food, having fallen asleep saw themselves made whole and beautiful and enjoying a royal table; but the appearances were sleep and the deceit of dreams. For such is the nature of dreams; it is a certain cunning and marvelous thing and rejoices in reveling in the paradoxical. But not in the day these things, nor in the very truth of affairs would one perhaps see this happen. But now all has happened and come to be and has its end, as you see, these things, these things more unbelievable than dreams: that a city so great and populous, a marvelous and great people, has gaped at our lowliness, as if to hear something great and noble from us. And yet, even if fountains of words like ever-flowing rivers were laid up in my mouth, with so many running together at once for the hearing, the stream would quickly be checked in me by fear and the waters would have been turned back; but when we preserve the measure not of rivers, nor even of springs, but of a paltry trickle, how is there not fear that even the small inflow might fail, having been dried up by fear, and the same thing happen which is accustomed to happen also in the case of bodies? What happens in the case of bodies? Often holding many things in our hand and gripping them with our fingers, but being startled we have poured them all out, our sinews having grown slack and the tension of the flesh having been loosened. This indeed is the fear, lest today it also happen to our soul, and the thoughts which with much labor we have gathered for you, these small and humble things, driven by anxiety, should depart and be gone, and having left our mind desolate, fly away. Therefore I beg all of you alike, rulers and ruled, by as much anxiety you have cast upon us by your running together to the hearing, by so much to breathe courage into us through the earnestness of your prayers and to pray to him who gives the word to those who preach the gospel with great power, to give also to us a word in the opening of our mouth. Surely for you, being so many and so great, it is no labor to bind up again the soul of one youth that has been dissolved by fear; and you would be right to grant us this request, since it was for your sake that we cast this die, for your sake and for your love, than which nothing is more forceful or more tyrannical, seeing that it persuaded even us, who are not at all experienced in speaking, to speak, and prepared us to strip for the arena of teaching, although we have never before engaged in these contests, but always being ranked with the listeners and enjoying untroubled quiet. But who is so hard and intractable as to pass by your assembly in silence and, having found ardent lovers of listening, not to address them, even if he were the most speechless of all men? I wished therefore, as I was about to deliver a discourse first in the church, to begin the proemium with God who has given us this tongue; for so

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Sermo cum presbyter fuit ordinatus

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁμιλία πρώτη ὅτε πρεσβύτερος προεχειρίσθη εἰς ἑαυτὸν καὶ εἰς τὸν ἐπίσκοπον καὶ εἰς τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ

Ἆρα ἀληθῆ τὰ συμβάντα περὶ ἡμᾶς; καὶ γέγονεν ὄντως τὰ γεγενημένα καὶ οὐκ ἐξηπατήμεθα; οὐδὲ νὺξ τὰ παρόντα καὶ ὄναρ, ἀλλ' ἡμέρα ὄντως ἐστὶ καὶ ἐγρηγόραμεν ἅπαντες; Καὶ τίς ἂν ταῦτα πιστεύσειεν ὅτι ἡμέρας οὔσης, νηφόντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐγρηγορότων, μειρακίσκος εὐτελὴς καὶ ἀπερριμμένος πρὸς ὕψος ἀρχῆς ἀνηνέχθη τοσοῦτον; Ἐν νυκτὶ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα συμβαίνειν. Ἤδη γοῦν τινες τὸ σῶμα ἀνάπηροι καὶ μηδὲ τῆς ἀναγκαίας εὐποροῦντες τροφῆς, καθευδήσαντες εἶδον ἑαυτοὺς ἀρτίους γεγενημένους καὶ καλοὺς καὶ τραπέζης ἀπολαύοντας βασιλικῆς· ἀλλ' ἦν ὕπνος καὶ ὀνείρων ἀπάτη τὰ φαινόμενα. Καὶ γὰρ τοιαύτη τῶν ὀνειράτων ἡ φύσις· πανοῦργός τίς ἐστι καὶ θαυμαστὴ καὶ τοῖς παραδόξοις ἐντρυφῶσα χαίρει. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ταῦτα, οὐδὲ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦτο τάχα συμβαῖνον ἴδοι τις ἄν. Ἀλλὰ πάντα νῦν συνέβη καὶ γέγονε καὶ τέλος ἔχει, καθὼς θεωρεῖτε, ταῦτα δή, ταῦτα τῶν ὀνείρων ἀπιστότερα ὅτι πόλις οὕτω μεγάλη καὶ πολυάνθρωπος, δῆμος θαυμαστὸς καὶ μέγας πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν εὐτέλειαν κέχηνεν, ὡς μέγα τι καὶ γενναῖον ἀκουσόμενος παρ' ἡμῶν. Καίτοι καὶ εἰ κατὰ τοὺς ἀεννάως ῥέοντας ποταμοὺς πηγαὶ λόγων ἐναπέκειντό μου τῷ στόματι, τοσούτων ἀθρόων συνδραμόντων πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόασιν, ταχέως ἀνεστάλη μοι τῷ φόβῳ τὸ ῥεῖθρον καὶ ἀνεχαίτισεν ἂν εἰς τοὐπίσω τὰ νάματα· ὅταν δὲ μὴ ποταμῶν, μηδὲ πηγῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ ψεκάδος εὐτελοῦς διασώζωμεν μέτρον, πῶς οὐ δέος μὴ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ μικρὸν τῆς ἐπιρροῆς ἐπιλείπῃ τῷ φόβῳ ξηρανθὲν καὶ γένηται ταὐτὸν ὃ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων συμβαίνειν εἴωθε; Τί δὲ γίνεται ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων; Πολλὰ πολλάκις κατέχοντες τῇ χειρὶ καὶ τοῖς δακτύλοις ἡμῶν σφίγγοντες, πτοηθέντες δὲ ἅπαντα ἐξεχέαμεν, χαυνωθέντων ἡμῶν τῶν νεύρων καὶ τοῦ τόνου τῆς σαρκὸς χαλασθέντος. Τοῦτο δὴ δέος μὴ καὶ σήμερον γένηται ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ ἃ μετὰ πολλοῦ πόνου συνηγάγομεν ὑμῖν νοήματα, τὰ μικρὰ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ εὐτελῆ, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγωνίας ἐλασθέντα, φροῦδα οἰχήσηται καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἡμῖν ἐρήμην καταλιπόντα ἀποπτῇ. ∆ιὸ δέομαι πάντων ὁμοίως ὑμῶν, ἀρχόντων καὶ ἀρχομένων, ὅσην ἡμῖν ἀγωνίαν ἐνεβάλετε τῇ συνδρομῇ τῇ κατὰ τὴν ἀκρόασιν, τοσοῦτον ἐμπνεῦσαι θάρσος ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς σπουδῆς τῆς κατὰ τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ δεηθῆναι τοῦ διδόντος ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ, δοῦναι καὶ ἡμῖν λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν. Πάντως ὑμῖν πόνος οὐδεὶς τοσούτοις οὖσι καὶ τηλικούτοις ἑνὸς μειρακίσκου ψυχὴν τῷ φόβῳ διαλυθεῖσαν ἐπισφῖγξαι πάλιν· δίκαιοι δὲ ἂν εἴητε ταύτην ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν τὴν αἴτησιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ δι' ὑμᾶς τὸν κύβον ἀνερρίψαμεν τοῦτον, δι' ὑμᾶς καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην ἧς οὐδὲν βιαιότερον οὐδὲ τυραννικώτερον, ὅπου γε καὶ ἡμᾶς οὐ μάλα ἐμπείρως ἔχοντας τοῦ λέγειν, λέγειν ἀνέπεισε καὶ πρὸς τὸ τῆς διδασκαλίαν στάδιον ἀποδύσασθαι παρεσκεύασε, καίτοι μηδέποτε πρότερος τούτων ἁψαμένους τῶν παλαισμάτων, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀκροατῶν ταττομένους καὶ τῆς ἀπράγμονος ἀπολαύοντας ἡσυχίας. Ἀλλὰ τίς οὕτω σκληρὸς καὶ δυσάγωγος ὡς τὸν ὑμέτερον σύλλογον σιγῇ παρελθεῖν καὶ θερμοὺς εὑρὼν ἀκροάσεως ἐραστὰς μὴ προσειπεῖν, κἂν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀφωνότερος ᾖ; Ἐβουλόμην οὖν πρῶτον ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μέλλων ἀφιέναι λόγον, τῶν προοιμίων ἀπάρξασθαι τῷ τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡμῖν ταύτην δεδωκότι Θεῷ· καὶ γὰρ οὕτως