Oration XVIII. Funeral Oration on His Father, in the Presence of S. Basil.

 1.  O man of God, and faithful servant,

 2.  Tell me, however, whence do you come, what is your business, and what favour do you bring us?  Since I know that you are entirely moved with and b

 3.  There are, as I said, three causes to necessitate your presence, all of equal weight, ourselves, the pastor, and the flock:  come then, and accord

 4.  Thus might you console us but what of the flock?  Would you first promise the oversight and leadership of yourself, a man under whose wings we al

 5.  Leaving to the laws of panegyric the description of his country, his family, his nobility of figure, his external magnificence, and the other subj

 6.  Even before he was of our fold, he was ours.  His character made him one of us.  For, as many of our own are not with us, whose life alienates the

 7.  I have heard the Scripture say:  Who can find a valiant woman? and declare that she is a divine gift, and that a good marriage is brought about by

 8.  She indeed who was given to Adam as a help meet for him, because it was not good for man to be alone, instead of an assistant became an enemy, and

 9.  What time or place for prayer ever escaped her?  To this she was drawn before all other things in the day or rather, who had such hope of receivi

 10.  And if it was a great thing for the altar never to have had an iron tool lifted upon it, and that no chisel should be seen or heard, with greater

 11.  I pass by in silence what is still more ineffable, of which God is witness, and those of the faithful handmaidens to whom she has confided such t

 12.  These were the objects of her prayers and hopes, in the fervour of faith rather than of youth.  Indeed, none was as confident of things present a

 13.  After a short interval, wonder succeeded wonder.  I will commend the account of it to the ears of the faithful, for to profane minds nothing that

 14.  Nor indeed would anyone disbelieve this who has heard and knows that Moses, when little in the eyes of men, and not yet of any account, was calle

 15.  Why need I count up all those who have been called to Himself by God and associated with such wonders as confirmed him in his piety?  Nor was it

 16.  He received a woodland and rustic church, the pastoral care and oversight of which had not been bestowed from a distance, but it had been cared f

 17.  What else must we say of this great man of God, the true Divine, under the influence, in regard to these subjects, of the Holy Ghost, but that th

 18.  To give a proof of what I say.  When a tumult of the over-zealous part of the Church was raised against us, and we had been decoyed by a document

 19.  Who could enumerate the full tale of his excellences, or, if he wished to pass by most of them, discover without difficulty what can be omitted? 

 20.  Who was more anxious than he for the common weal?  Who more wise in domestic affairs, since God, who orders all things in due variation, assigned

 21.  But what is best and greatest of all, his magnanimity was accompanied by freedom from ambition.  Its extent and character I will proceed to show.

 22.  So bounteous was his hand—further details I leave to those who knew him, so that if anything of the kind is borne witness to in regard to myself,

 23.  Who did more to rebuke pride and foster lowliness?  And that in no assumed or external way, as most of those who now make profession of virtue, a

 24.  But what was most excellent and most characteristic, though least generally recognized, was his simplicity, and freedom from guile and resentment

 25.  We both believe in and hear of the dregs of the anger of God, the residuum of His dealings with those who deserve it:  For the Lord is a God of v

 26.  The dew would more easily resist the morning rays of the sun, than any remains of anger continue in him but as soon as he had spoken, his indign

 27.  Such and so remarkable being his gentleness, did he yield the palm to others in industry and practical virtue?  By no means.  Gentle as he was, h

 28.  One of the wonders which concern him was that he suffered from sickness and bodily pain.  But what wonder is it for even holy men to be distresse

 29.  What then was the response of Him who was the God of that night and of the sick man?  A shudder comes over me as I proceed with my story.  And th

 30.  The same miracle occurred in the case of my mother not long afterwards.  I do not think it would be proper to pass by this either:  for we shall

 31.  I was on a voyage from Alexandria to Greece over the Parthenian Sea.  The voyage was quite unseasonable, undertaken in an Æginetan vessel, under

 32.  Such were their common experiences.  But I imagine that some of those who have had an accurate knowledge of his life must have been for a long wh

 33.  A further story of the same period and the same courage.  The city of Cæsarea was in an uproar about the election of a bishop for one had just d

 34.  The Emperor had come, raging against the Christians he was angry at the election and threatened the elect, and the city stood in imminent peril

 35.  Who is so distant from this world of ours, as to be ignorant of what is last in order, but the first and greatest proof of his power?  The same c

 36.  The things of the Spirit were exactly known to the man of the Spirit, and he felt that he must take up no submissive position, nor side with fact

 37.  From the same zeal proceeded his opposition to the heretics, when, with the aid of the Emperor’s impiety, they made their expedition, in the hope

 38.  Another of his excellences I must not leave unnoticed.  In general, he was a man of great endurance, and superior to his robe of flesh:  but duri

 39.  And since some living memorial of his munificence ought to be left behind, what other is required than this temple, which he reared for God and f

 40.  What sayest thou, my father?  Is this sufficient, and dost thou find an ample recompense for all thy toils, which thou didst undergo for my learn

 41.  And what do you think of us, O judge of my words and motions?  If we have spoken adequately, and to the satisfaction of your desire, confirm it b

 42.  The nature of God, my mother, is not the same as that of men indeed, to speak generally, the nature of divine things is not the same as that of

 43.  Does the sense of separation cause you pain?  Let hope cheer you.  Is widowhood grievous to you?  Yet it is not so to him.  And what is the good

32.  Such were their common experiences.  But I imagine that some of those who have had an accurate knowledge of his life must have been for a long while wondering why we have dwelt upon these points, as if we thought them his only title to renown, and postponed the mention of the difficulties of his times, against which he conspicuously arrayed himself, as though we were either ignorant of them, or thought them to be of no great consequence.  Come, then, we will proceed to speak upon this topic.  The first, and I think the last, evil of our day, was the Emperor who apostatised from God and from reason, and thought it a small matter to conquer the Persians, but a great one to subject to himself the Christians; and so, together with the demons who led and prevailed upon him, he failed in no form of impiety, but by means of persuasions, threats, and sophistries, strove to draw men to him, and even added to his various artifices the use of force.  His design, however, was exposed, whether he strove to conceal persecution under sophistical devices, or manifestly made use of his authority—namely by one means or the other—either by cozening or by violence, to get us into his power.  Who can be found who more utterly despised or defeated him?  One sign, among many others, of his contempt, is the mission to our sacred buildings of the police and their commissary, with the intention of taking either voluntary or forcible possession of them:  he had attacked many others, and came hither with like intent, demanding the surrender of the temple according to the Imperial decree, but was so far from succeeding in any of his wishes that, had he not speedily given way before my father, either from his own good sense or according to some advice given to him, he would have had to retire with his feet mangled, with such wrath and zeal did the priest boil against him in defence of his shrine.  And who had a manifestly greater share in bringing about his end, both in public, by the prayers and united supplications which he directed against the accursed one, without regard to the [dangers of] the time; and in private, arraying against him his nightly armoury, of sleeping on the ground, by which he wore away his aged and tender frame, and of tears, with whose fountains he watered the ground for almost a whole year, directing these practices to the Searcher of hearts alone, while he tried to escape our notice, in his retiring piety of which I have spoken.  And he would have been utterly unobserved, had I not once suddenly rushed into his room, and noticing the tokens of his lying upon the ground, inquired of his attendants what they meant, and so learned the mystery of the night.

ΛΒʹ. Τὰ μὲν δὴ κοινὰ τοιαῦτα. Πάλαι δὲ οἶμαι θαυμάζειν τινὰς τῶν τὰ ἐκείνου σαφῶς ἐγνωκότων, ὅτι περὶ μὲν τούτων οὕτω καταγεγόναμεν, ὡς μόνα πρὸς εὐφημίαν ἔχοντες: τῆς δὲ τῶν καιρῶν δυσχερείας τὴν μνήμην ἀνεθέμεθα, πρὸς οὓς παραταξάμενος ἐκεῖνος φαίνεται, ὥσπερ ἢ ἀγνοήσαντες ταῦτα, ἢ μὴ μεγάλα νομίζοντες. Φέρε οὖν καὶ ταῦτα προσθῶμεν τοῖς εἰρημένοις: Ἤνεγκεν ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς καιρὸς πρῶτον κακὸν, οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τελευταῖον, τὸν ἀποστάτην καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν βασιλέα: ὃς μικρὸν μὲν ἔργον ἡγησάμενος εἶναι Πέρσας χειρώσασθαι, μέγα δὲ τὸ Χριστιανοὺς παραστήσασθαι, καὶ ἅμα τῶν ἀγόντων αὐτὸν δαιμόνων τοῦτο πειθόντων, οὐδὲν εἶδος ἀσεβείας ἐνέλειπε, πείθων, ἀπειλῶν, σοφιζόμενος, ἕλκων πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, οὐ μόνον οἷς ἐτεχνάζετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἷς ἐβιάζετο. Οὐ μὴν λαθεῖν οἷός τε ἦν κλέπτων τὸν διωγμὸν σοφιστικαῖς ἐπινοίαις, οὐδὲ μὴν καὶ φανερῶς τῇ δυναστείᾳ χρώμενος: ἵν' ἑνί γε τῷ τρόπῳ πάντως ἁλῶμεν, ἢ κακουργηθέντες, ἢ βιασθέντες. Τοῦτον τίς μᾶλλον ἢ περιφρονήσας, ἢ καταλύσας εὑρίσκεται; Τῆς μὲν οὖν περιφρονήσεως πρὸς πολλοῖς ἄλλοις ἐκεῖνο σημεῖον, οἵ τε τοξόται, καὶ ὁ τούτων στρατηγὸς, οὓς ἐπῆγεν ἐκεῖνος τοῖς ἱεροῖς οἴκοις ἡμῶν, ὡς ἢ παραληψόμενος, ἢ καταστρεψόμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοῖς προσβαλὼν ἄλλοις, κἀνταῦθα ἧκεν μετὰ τοῦ ἴσου φρονήματος, καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἐζήτει μετὰ τῶν προσταγμάτων, τοσοῦτον ἀποσχέσθαι τοῦ τι καταπράξασθαι ὧν ἐβούλετο, ὥστε, εἰ μὴ θᾶττον ὑπεκλίθη τῷ ἐμῷ πατρὶ, ἢ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ συνεὶς, ἤ τινος συμβουλεύσαντος ἀκούσας, κἂν τοὺς πόδας ξανθεὶς ἀπηλλάγη, ζέσαντος ἐπ' αὐτὸν θυμῷ καὶ ζήλῳ περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἱερέως. Τὴν κατάλυσιν δὲ πῶς ἄν τις μᾶλλον φανείη πραγματευσάμενος, ἢ δημοσίᾳ μὲν εὐχαῖς καὶ δεήσεσι πανδήμοις βάλλων τὸν ἀλιτήριον, καὶ οὐδὲ τὸν καιρὸν εὐλαβούμενος: ἰδίᾳ δὲ τὴν νυκτερινὴν παράταξιν κατ' αὐτοῦ προβαλλόμενος, χαμευνίᾳ μὲν τὰς γεραιὰς ἐκείνας καὶ δροσερὰς κατατρύχων σάρκας, δάκρυσι δὲ πηγάζων τὸ ἔδαφος, μικροῦ καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ὅλον: καὶ τοῦτο τῷ τῶν κρυπτῶν γνώστῃ μόνῳ φιλοσοφῶν, ἡμᾶς δὲ λανθάνειν ἐπιχειρῶν διὰ τὸ ἀνεπίδεικτον, ὥσπερ ἔφην, τῆς εὐλαβείας; Καὶ λαθὼν ἂν ἦν παντάπασιν, εἰ μή ποτε ἀθρόως ἐπεισελθὼν ἐγὼ, καὶ χαμευνίας σύμβολα θεασάμενος, καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν πυθόμενος, τίνα ταῦτ' ἦν, ἔγνων τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ μυστήριον.