Sermon 23 complete recension

115XXIII. Ausfu+hrliche Fassung B Nr. 19a f. 130v16"131v21 b Nr. 19a f. 135v6136r34. Vgl. Dorries S.

192 The man of God who truly walks the way of righteousness and the obedient servant of the Lord always makes progress in every good thing and in every state of virtue and becomes better than himself, being improved daily and acquires a foundation in all the practices of virtue, such as in humility and gentleness, in kindness, in patience, in long-suffering, in love, in faith, in hope, in self-control, in courage, in goodness. For each of them has much depth and breadth and requires subtle work. Just as if in a paradise there are many fruit-bearing and diverse trees, and each tree has branches, and in turn the branches have small twigs and even finer shoots and a great multitude of leaves, so also in each of the virtues there lies a great subtlety of work and much depth, and each is like a perfect result. But of all these, the foundation and establishment and the highest point, in which each one who comes to God ought to be established and founded, is trust in God and the firmness of faith, which above all else each one who wishes to please God ought to acquire and be established in trust of God. For those who do not first acquire trust in God are like those who build a house without a foundation. For indeed those around the Maccabees, having struggled greatly and shown nobility magnanimously in many great wars, by their faith and trust in God subjugated their own enemies in the physical war, whom let us take as an example for ourselves in the invisible war "against the spiritual forces of wickedness," that so eager and 117 courageous and noble and magnanimous ought we to be, the true warriors of Christ; for the apostle says: "Now these things happened to them as a type, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." In the various tribulations, therefore, and the diverse temptations that are stirred up against us by the spirits of wickedness, we, the noble athletes and warriors of Christ, ought to be patient and act courageously and be long-suffering, so that we may also be able to be thankful in the consolations and gifts of grace. For just as the visible world of men is governed by God with grace and righteousness—with grace, on the one hand, in the abundance and fertility of fruits and health and mildness of seasons and every good gift, and with righteousness and discipline, on the other hand, in famines and plagues and tribulations and necessities, catastrophes, hailstorms, calamities, and as many things as are ordained by God for discipline through righteousness and for the benefit of men—so also the soul that wishes to inherit the upper world of the Godhead is governed in many ways by grace, and at one time it rejoices in the relaxation and gladness of the spirit and is gladdened by the consolation of grace, and at another time it is handed over to discipline and various temptations and all kinds of tribulations of the worldly spirit, so that having been trained through all things and found approved and enduring nobly in all temptations and in nothing being diverted from pleasing God and thus having found favor in Christ, it may become worthy of God, inheriting eternal life by grace and righteousness.

β νρ. 19β φ. 131ῃ21132ρ21 β νρ. 19β φ. 136ρ34136ῃ29. ῃγλ. δο̈ρριες ς. 193 And just as in this life there is not entirely relaxation and abundance and fruitfulness and peace among men, but with the scale and measure of righteousness God disciplines and shows mercy and provides for the world, so also a soul that longs to be born to the world above is not entirely in relaxation and gladness and joy of the spirit

Sermo 23 recensio completa

115XXIII. Ausfu+hrliche Fassung B Nr. 19a f. 130v16"131v21 b Nr. 19a f. 135v6136r34. Vgl. Dorries S.

192 Ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος ὁ κατ' ἀλήθειαν τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης διοδεύων καὶ ὁ εὐπειθὴς δοῦλος τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἕκαστον ἀγαθὸν καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν κατάστασιν ἀρετῆς ἀεὶ προκοπὴν λαμβάνει καὶ κρείττων ἑαυτοῦ γίνεται ὁσημέραι βελτιούμενος καὶ εἰς πάντα τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιτηδεύματα θεμέλιον κτᾶται, οἷον εἰς ταπεινοφροσύνην καὶ πραότητα εἰς χρηστότητα εἰς ὑπομονὴν εἰς μακροθυμίαν εἰς ἀγάπην εἰς πίστιν εἰς ἐλπίδα εἰς σωφροσύνην εἰς ἀνδρείαν εἰς ἀγαθότητα. ἕκαστον γὰρ αὐτῶν πολλὴν βαθύτητα καὶ πλατύτητα καὶ λεπτότητος ἐργασίαν ἔχει. ὥσπερ ἐὰν ᾖ ἐν παραδείσῳ δένδρα πολλὰ καρποφόρα τε καὶ διάφορα καὶ ἕκαστον δένδρον ἔχῃ κλάδους καὶ πάλιν οἱ κλάδοι κλῶνας μικροὺς κάρφη τε λεπτότερα καὶ πλῆθος πολὺ φύλλων, οὕτως ἐν ἑκάστῃ τῶν ἀρετῶν πολλή τις λεπτότης ἔγκειται ἐργασίας καὶ πολλὴ βαθύτης καὶ ἕκαστον ὥσπερ ἀποτέλεσμά τι τέλειον τυγχάνει. πάντων δὲ τούτων κρηπὶς καὶ ἑδραίωμα καὶ τὸ ἀκρότατον, εἰς ὃ ὀφείλει ἡδραιῶσθαι καὶ τεθεμελιῶσθαι ἕκαστος ὁ προσερχόμενος θεῷ, ἔστιν ἡ εἰς θεὸν πεποίθησις καὶ ἡ τῆς πίστεως ἑδραιότης, ὅπερ πρὸ πάντων ἕκαστος ὁ βουλόμενος εὐαρεστῆσαι θεῷ κτήσασθαι ὀφείλει καὶ ἑδραιωθῆναι τῇ πεποιθήσει τοῦ θεοῦ. οἱ γὰρ μὴ κτώμενοι τὴν εἰς θεὸν πεποίθησιν πρότερον ἐοίκασι τοῖς οἰκοδομοῦσιν οἶκον ἄνευ θεμελίου. καὶ γὰρ οἱ περὶ τοὺς Μακκαβαίους μεγάλως ἀθλήσαντες καὶ γενναιότητα ἐνδειξάμενοι μεγαλοψύχως ἐν πολλοῖς πολέμοις καὶ μεγάλοις τῇ πρὸς θεὸν πίστει καὶ πεποιθήσει τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἐχθροὺς ὑπέτασσον ἐν τῷ σωματικῷ πολέμῳ, οὓς ὑπόδειγμα λάβωμεν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐν τῷ «πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας» ἀοράτῳ πολέμῳ, ὅτι οὕτω πρόθυμοι καὶ 117 ἀνδρεῖοι καὶ γενναῖοι καὶ μεγαλόψυχοι εἶναι ὀφείλομεν οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀληθινοὶ πολεμισταί· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος· «ταῦτα δὲ τυπικῶς συνέβαινεν ἐκείνοις, ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντησεν». ἐν ταῖς θλίφεσι τοίνυν ταῖς διαφόροις καὶ τοῖς ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς, τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς πονηρίας πνευμάτων ἡμῖν ἐπεγειρομένοις, ὑπομονητικοὶ τυγχάνειν ὀφείλομεν καὶ ἀνδρίζεσθαι καὶ μακροθυμεῖν οἱ γενναῖοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀθληταὶ καὶ πολεμισταί, ὅπως καὶ ἐν ταῖς παρακλήσεσι καὶ δωρεαῖς τῆς χάριτος εὐχάριστοι εἶναι δυνηθῶμεν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ φαινόμενος τῶν ἀνθρώπων κόσμος χάριτι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ διοικεῖται, χάριτι μὲν ἐπὶ πλήθει καὶ εὐφορίᾳ καρπῶν καὶ ὑγείᾳ καὶ εὐκρασίᾳ καιρῶν καὶ πάσῃ ἀγαθῶν δόσει, δικαιοσύνῃ δὲ καὶ παιδείᾳ ἔν τε λιμοῖς καὶ λοιμοῖς καὶ θλίψεσι καὶ ἀνάγκαις, καταστροφαῖς, χαλάζαις, συμπτώσεσι καὶ ὅσα ὑπὸ θεοῦ πρὸς παιδείαν τέτακται διὰ δικαιοσύνην καὶ ὠφέλειαν τῶν ἀνθρώπωνοὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ βουλομένη τὸν ἄνω τῆς θεότητος κόσμον κληρονομῆσαι ὑπὸ τῆς χάριτος πολυτρόπως διοικεῖται καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἐν ἀνέσει καὶ εὐφροσύνῃ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀγαλλιᾶται καὶ τῇ τῆς χάριτος παρακλήσει ἐνευφραίνεται, ποτὲ δὲ παραδίδοται παιδείᾳ καὶ πειρασμοῖς διαφόροις καὶ θλίψεσι παντοδαπαῖς τοῦ ἐγκοσμίου πνεύματος, ἵνα γυμνασθεῖσα διὰ πάντων καὶ δόκιμος εὑρεθεῖσα καὶ ἐν πᾶσι πειρασμοῖς γενναίως ὑπομένουσα καὶ τῆς πρὸς θεὸν εὐαρεστήσεως ἐν μηδενὶ παρεκπεμπομένη καὶ οὕτως εὐδοκιμήσασα ἐν Χριστῷ ἀξία θεοῦ καταστῇ χάριτι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν κληρονομοῦσα.

β νρ. 19β φ. 131ῃ21132ρ21 β νρ. 19β φ. 136ρ34136ῃ29. ῃγλ. δο̈ρριες ς. 193 Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ οὔτε τὸ ὅλον ἀνέσεις καὶ εὐφορίαι καὶ καρπογονίαι καὶ εἰρήνη παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τυγχάνει, ἀλλὰ τῷ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζυγῷ καὶ μέτρῳ ὁ θεὸς παιδεύει καὶ ἐλεεῖ καὶ προνοεῖται τοῦ κόσμου, οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ ἡ τῷ ἄνω κόσμῳ γεννηθῆναι ποθοῦσα οὐ τὸ ὅλον ἐν ἀνέσει καὶ εὐφροσύνῃ καὶ χαρᾷ τοῦ πνεύματος