Sermon 28, fuller recension

160 I think it is fitting for me now to say the words of the prophet, that “I have been patient like she who is in labor,” always desiring the progress of the Holy Spirit in you, found not in word and shadows but accomplished by the working “of truth” and “the power of God” according to the very declaration of the Lord, that the kingdom is not “in word” “but in” deed and “power,” and again: “the kingdom” “is within you.” For some philosophize about Christ in appearance, others also in word, and still others in the very deed, for those “in the power of God” are very rare. These are they, upon whom the “Holy” “Spirit will come” and “the power of the Most High will overshadow.” For it is likely that every soul fleeing the sorrow from the condemnation given to Eve, but pursuing the joy of Mary, is a virgin blamelessly and faultlessly for the undefiled bridegroom Christ 162 For just as through earthly understanding and fleshly passions we recognize ourselves as sons of Eve and of Adam, so we must recognize our adoption as sons through heavenly understanding and the sufferings of Christ. For “test yourselves,” “examine yourselves,” “if you are in the faith,” if “Jesus Christ” dwells “in you.” For if, wearing “the image of the earthly,” we perceived the working of wicked and shameful and defiled thoughts, how much more must we, having put on “the image of the heavenly,” perceive the working of the holy and adorable Spirit. Let the wise virgin know, therefore, that she ought thus to have Christ in herself just as Mary did; and as she in her womb, so you in your heart, and then you will be able to sing psalms with understanding and to say: “Because of your fear, O Lord, we have conceived in the womb and have been in travail and have brought forth a spirit of salvation.” So also Ecclesiastes has said: that “as bones in the womb of her who is with child,” so is “the way of the spirit.” If, therefore, you have “this treasure” in your earthen vessel, if “the one who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone” in your heart “for the enlightenment of the knowledge” of the gospel, if “the peace of God” rules in your heart without ceasing, if having pursued you have obtained “peace” with holiness, if Christ has dwelt “in your inner” “man,” if “the Father” with his only-begotten has made “a dwelling” with you, if you have been deemed worthy of the blessing through purity in heart, if you have become “a temple of God” “and his Spirit” has dwelt in you, if “in full assurance of faith” you have your heart sprinkled “from an evil conscience,” if “the God of peace” has sanctified you completely “and your whole” “spirit” and soul “and body blamelessly,” if 164 you are a wise virgin having your lamp and the oil in the vessel, if you know what this is: “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning,” if you have put on the “wedding” “garment,” if you have experienced all these things through the working in your heart, you will be able to be worthily wedded to the heavenly bridegroom; but if not, even if I am silent, “the stones will cry out.”

166 Therefore, I testify before my Lord himself and the adorable Holy Spirit, that just as an earthly virgin, even if she receives a pledge, even if after the pledge many gifts, even if she takes possession of all the property, but does not attain to that fleshly communion, she is a stranger to the man named for herso also the soul that is a virgin for Christ, even if she receives a pledge through baptism (for baptism is a perfect “pledge” “of the” future “inheritance”) and after baptism immediately receives many gifts, of word or of interpretation or of healing or of some other spiritual gift, but is not deemed worthy of the union with the immortal bridegroom, she happens to be a stranger to him. For the anointing of “gladness” and the “wedding” “garment” are not recognized in spiritual gifts, but in the adoption itself in which the

Sermo 28 recensio expletior

160 Ἡγοῦμαι κἀμοὶ νῦν ἁρμόζειν τὰ τοῦ προφήτου φάσκειν, ὅτι «ἐκαρτέρησα ὡς ἡ τίκτουσα», ἀεὶ ὀρεγόμενος τῆς ἐν σοὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος προκοπῆς, οὐ λόγῳ καὶ σκιαῖς εὑρισκομένης ἀλλ' ἐνεργείᾳ «ἀληθείας» καὶ «δυνάμει θεοῦ» ἐπιτελουμένης κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου ἀπόφασιν, ὅτι ἡ βασιλεία οὐκ «ἐν λόγῳ» «ἀλλ' ἐν» ἔργῳ καὶ «δυνάμει», καὶ πάλιν· «ἡ βασιλεία» «ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν». οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν σχήματι τὸν Χριστὸν φιλοσοφοῦσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ ἐν λόγῳ, ἕτεροι δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἔργῳ, οἱ γὰρ «ἐν δυνάμει θεοῦ» λίαν σπάνιοι. εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι, ἐφ' οὓς τὸ «πνεῦμα» τὸ «ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται» καὶ «δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει». εἰκὸς γὰρ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἀποδιδράσκουσαν μὲν τὴν ἐκ τῆς δοθείσης καταδίκης τῇ Εὔᾳ λύπην, μεταδιώκουσαν δὲ τὴν χαρὰν τῆς Μαρίας παρθενευθῆναι ἀμώμως καὶ ἀμέμπτως τῷ ἀχράντῳ νυμφίῳ Χριστῷ 162 ὥσπερ γὰρ διὰ τοῦ χοϊκοῦ φρονήματος καὶ τῶν σαρκικῶν παθῶν ἐπιγινώσκομεν ἑαυτοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς Εὔας καὶ τοῦ Ἀδάμ, οὕτως ἡμᾶς χρὴ ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν υἱοθεσίαν διὰ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου φρονήματος καὶ τῶν παθῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. «ἑαυτοὺς» γὰρ «πειράζετε», «ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε», «εἰ ἐστὲ ἐν τῇ πίστει», εἰ «Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς» οἰκεῖ «ἐν ὑμῖν». εἰ γὰρ φοροῦντες «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ» ᾐσθανόμεθα τῆς ἐνεργείας τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ αἰσχρῶν καὶ ῥυπαρῶν λογισμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς χρὴ φορέσαντες «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου» αἰσθάνεσθαι τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ προσκυνητοῦ πνεύματος. γινωσκέτω οὖν ἡ φρονίμη παρθένος, ὅτι οὕτως ὀφείλει ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸν Χριστὸν καθάπερ καὶ ἡ Μαρία, καὶ ὡς ἐκείνη ἐν τῇ γαστρί, σὺ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ τότε δυνήσῃ συνετῶς ψάλλειν καὶ λέγειν· «διὰ τὸν φόβον σου, κύριε, ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν καὶ ἐτέκομεν πνεῦμα σωτηρίας». οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς εἴρηκεν· ὅτι «ὡς ὀστᾶ κυοφορούσης» οὕτως «ἡ ὁδὸς τοῦ πνεύματος». εἰ οὖν ἔχεις «τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον» ἐν τῷ ὀστρακίνῳ σου σκεύει, εἰ «ὁ εἰπών· ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, ἔλαμψεν» ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου «πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως» τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, εἰ «εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ» βραβεύει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀδιαλείπτως, εἰ διώξας κατείληφας τὴν «εἰρήνην» σὺν τῷ ἁγιασμῷ, εἰ «εἰς τὸν ἔσω» σου «ἄνθρωπον» κατῴκησεν ὁ Χριστός, εἰ «ὁ πατὴρ» σὺν τῷ μονογενεῖ αὐτοῦ ἐποίησε «μονὴν» παρὰ σοί, εἰ κατηξιώθης τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ διὰ τῆς ἐν καρδίᾳ καθαρότητος, εἰ ἐγένου «ναὸς θεοῦ» «καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα» αὐτοῦ ᾤκησεν ἐν σοί, εἰ «ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πίστεως» ἐρραντισμένην ἔχεις τὴν καρδίαν «ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς», εἰ «ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης» ἡγίασέν σε ὁλοτελῆ «καὶ ὁλόκληρόν» σου «τὸ πνεῦμα» καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν «καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀμέμπτως», εἰ 164 εἶ παρθένος φρονίμη ἔχουσα τὴν λαμπάδα καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐν τῷ ἀγγείῳ, εἰ οἶδας, τί ἐστιν· «αἱ ὀσφύες ὑμῶν περιεζωσμέναι καὶ οἱ λύχνοι καιόμενοι», εἰ ἐνεδύσω τὸ «ἔνδυμα» τοῦ «γάμου», εἰ τούτων πάντων διὰ τῆς ἐν καρδίᾳ ἐνεργείας πεῖραν ἔλαβες, δυνήσῃ ἀξίως νυμφευθῆναι τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ νυμφίῳ, εἰ δὲ μήγε, κἂν ἐγὼ σιωπήσω, «οἱ λίθοι κεκράξονται».

166 Τοιγαροῦν μαρτύρομαι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τοῦ δεσπότου μου καὶ τοῦ προσκυνητοῦ πνεύματος ἁγίου, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἡ ἐπίγειος παρθένος, κἂν δέξηται ἀρραβῶνα, κἂν μετὰ τὸν ἀρραβῶνα δῶρα πολλά, κἂν πάσης τῆς οὐσίας κυριεύσῃ, μὴ τύχῃ δὲ τῆς σαρκικῆς ἐκείνης κοινωνίας, ξένη ἐστὶ τοῦ ἐπονομασθέντος αὐτῇ ἀνδρὸςοὕτω καὶ ἡ Χριστῷ παρθενευομένη ψυχή, κἂν δέξηται ἀρραβῶνα διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος («ἀρραβὼν» γάρ ἐστι τέλειος «τῆς» μελλούσης «κληρονομίας» τὸ βάπτισμα) καὶ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα εὐθὺς δέξηται δόματα πολλά, λόγου ἢ ἑρμηνείας ἢ ἰάσεως ἢ τινὸς ἄλλου χαρίσματος, μὴ καταξιωθῇ δὲ τῆς συναφείας τοῦ ἀφθάρτου νυμφίου, ξένη αὐτῷ τυγχάνει. τὸ χρῖσμα γὰρ τῆς «ἀγαλλιάσεως» καὶ τὸ «ἔνδυμα» τοῦ «γάμου» οὐκ ἐν χαρίσμασιν ἐπιγινώσκεται, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ υἱοθεσίᾳ ἐν ᾗ ἡ