1

De consubstantiali

To those who were absent from the assembly, and a proof that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, and that the lowly things said and done by

Him, were not done and said through weakness of power, nor through a defect, but for various economies. From the [discourse] on the incomprehensible, and

following. Seventh Discourse. 48.755 1. Again, horse races, and again our assembly has become smaller; or rather, as long as you are present, it could not become smaller. For just as a farmer, if he should see the grain ripening and perfected, does not take much account of the falling leaves; so too I now, with the fruit present among us, do not feel so much pain, seeing the leaves being snatched away 48.756. For I am pained also by their indolence, but nevertheless the pain on their account is consoled by the eagerness of your love. For even if they should ever come, not even then are they present, but their body is established here, while their mind wanders outside; but you, even if you should ever be absent, even then are you present; for your body is outside, but your mind is here. I wanted, therefore, to stretch out a long discourse against them, but lest I seem to be shadow-boxing, rebuking those who are not present nor listening, having saved these words for their presence, 48.757 I shall try, according to divine grace, to lead your love to the accustomed meadow and the sea of the divine Scriptures. But arise, and be watchful; for among those who are sailing, even if all are sleeping, but the helmsman alone is awake, there is no danger, since his watchfulness and skill are sufficient for the ship in place of all; but here it is not so, but even if the one speaking is watchful ten thousand times, if the listeners do not show the same vigilance, our word will be sunk and gone, not having found a mind to receive it. Therefore it is necessary to be sober and watchful; for our commerce is for greater things; for we are not sailing for gold and silver and for perishing things, but for the life to come, and the treasures in heaven, and here the ways are more numerous than those in the sea and on the land; and if one does not know how to cut them with precision, he will suffer a most grievous shipwreck. All you, therefore, who are sailing with us, do not show the security of passengers, but the vigilance and care of helmsmen; for they, while all the rest are sleeping, sitting at the rudders, not only look around at the ways in the waters, but also looking up to heaven from so great a distance, as if some hand of the stars' course were guiding them, they steer the vessel with safety, and no unskilled person could sail the sea so fearlessly by day as they with all tranquility in the middle of the night, when the sea appears more fearful, being watchful, untroubled they display their own skill, and not only the paths in the waters, nor the courses of the stars, but they also observe the goings-forth of the winds, and so great is the wisdom of those men, that often when a gust of wind falls more violently, and is about to overturn the ship, by receiving it with frequent changes of the sails, they skillfully resolve all the danger, and

1

De consubstantiali

Πρὸς τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας τῆς συνάξεως, καὶ τοῦ ὁμοούσιον εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τῷ Πατρὶ ἀπόδειξις, καὶ ὅτι τὰ ταπεινῶς εἰρημένα καὶ γεγενημένα παρ'

αὐτοῦ, οὐ δι' ἀσθένειαν δυνάμεως, οὐδὲ δι' ἐλάττωσιν ἐγίνετο καὶ ἐλέγετο, ἀλλὰ δι' οἰκονομίας διαφόρους. Ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ ἀκαταλήπτου, καὶ

ἀκολούθως. Λόγος ἕβδομος. 48.755 αʹ. Πάλιν ἱπποδρομίαι, καὶ πάλιν ὁ σύλλογος ἡμῖν ἐλάττων γέγονε· μᾶλλον δὲ ἕως ἂν ὑμεῖς παρῆτε, οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο ἐλάττων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ γεωργὸς, εἰ τὸν σῖτον ἀκμάζοντα καὶ ἀπηρτισμένον ἴδοι, οὐ πολὺν ποιεῖται λόγον τῶν φύλλων καταπιπτόντων· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐγὼ νῦν, τοῦ καρποῦ παρόντος ἡμῖν, οὐ τοσαύτην ποιοῦμαι τὴν ὀδύνην, τὰ φύλλα ἀναρπαζόμενα 48.756 βλέπων. Ἀλγῶ μὲν γὰρ καὶ διὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐκείνων, παραμυθεῖται δὲ ὅμως τὴν ἐπ' ἐκείνοις ἀλγηδόνα τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης ἡ προθυμία. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ κἂν παραγένωνταί ποτε, οὐδὲ τότε πάρεισιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν σῶμα αὐτοῖς ἐνταῦθα ἵδρυται, ἡ διάνοια δὲ ἔξω πλανᾶται· ὑμεῖς δὲ κἂν ἀπολειφθῆτέ ποτε, καὶ τότε πάρεστε· τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμα ὑμῖν ἔξω, ἡ διάνοια δὲ ἐνταῦθα. Ἐβουλόμην μὲν οὖν μακρὸν κατ' ἐκείνων ἀποτεῖναι λόγον, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξω σκιαμαχεῖν, ἐπιτιμῶν τοῖς μὴ παροῦσι μηδὲ ἀκούουσι, τούτους εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων παρουσίαν τηρήσας τοὺς λόγους, τὴν 48.757 ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην ἐπὶ τὸν συνήθη λειμῶνα καὶ τὸ πέλαγος τῶν θείων Γραφῶν κατὰ τὴν θείαν χάριν ὁδηγῆσαι πειράσομαι. Ἀλλὰ διανάστητε, καὶ γρηγορεῖτε· ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν πλεόντων κἂν ἅπαντες καθεύδωσιν, ὁ δὲ κυβερνήτης ἐγρηγορὼς ᾖ μόνος, οὐδείς ἐστι κίνδυνος, τῆς νήψεως τῆς ἐκείνου καὶ τῆς τέχνης ἀντὶ πάντων ἀρκούσης τῷ πλοίῳ· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ κἂν μυριάκις ὁ λέγων νήφῃ, οἱ δὲ ἀκούοντες μὴ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγρυπνίαν ἐπιδείκνυνται, καταποντισθεὶς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος οἰχήσεται, οὐχ εὑρὼν διάνοιαν τὴν ὑποδεξαμένην αὐτόν. ∆ιὸ χρὴ νήφειν καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι· καὶ γὰρ ὑπὲρ μειζόνων ἡμῖν ἡ ἐμπορία· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑπὲρ χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου καὶ τῶν ἀπολλυμένων πραγμάτων πλέομεν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς, καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς θησαυρῶν, καὶ πλείους ἐνταῦθα αἱ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ· κἂν μὴ μετὰ ἀκριβείας τις αὐτὰς εἰδῇ τεμεῖν, ναυάγιον ὑποστήσεται χαλεπώτατον. Πάντες τοίνυν ὑμεῖς οἱ μεθ' ἡμῶν πλέοντες, μὴ τὴν τῶν ἐπιβατῶν ἄδειαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν κυβερνητῶν ἀγρυπνίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθε καὶ φροντίδα· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τῶν λοιπῶν καθευδόντων ἁπάντων ἐπὶ τῶν οἰάκων καθήμενοι, οὐ μόνον τὰς ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι περισκοποῦσιν ὁδοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐκ τοσούτου βλέποντες τοῦ διαστήματος, ὥσπερ τινὸς χειρὸς τῆς τῶν ἄστρων πορείας χειραγωγούσης αὐτοὺς, μετὰ ἀσφαλείας τὸ σκάφος ἰθύνουσι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἰδιώτης τὸ πέλαγος οὕτως ἀδεῶς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ δύναιτ' ἂν πλεῦσαι ὡς ἐκεῖνοι μεθ' ἡσυχίας ἁπάσης ἐν μέσῃ νυκτὶ, ὅτε φοβερωτέρα ἡ θάλασσα φαίνεται, ἐγρηγορότες ἀταράχως τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδείκνυνται τέχνην, καὶ οὐχὶ τὰς ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν ἀτραποὺς μόνον, οὐδὲ τῶν ἄστρων τοὺς δρόμους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνέμων ἐξόδους περισκοποῦσι, καὶ τοσαύτη τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων ἐστὶν ἡ σοφία, ὡς πολλάκις πνεύματος ῥύμην σφοδρότερον ἐμπεσοῦσαν, καὶ μέλλουσαν περιτρέπειν τὸ πλοῖον, ταῖς πυκναῖς τῶν ἱστίων μεταβολαῖς δεχομένους εὐστόχως ἅπαντα λῦσαι τὸν κίνδυνον, καὶ