Oration XLII. The Last Farewell in the Presence of the One Hundred and Fifty Bishops.

 1.  What think ye of our affairs, dear shepherds and fellow-shepherds:  whose feet are beautiful, for you bring glad tidings of peace and of the good

 2.  What then is my defence?   If it be false, you must convict me, but if true, you on behalf of whom

 3.  To speak in a more feeling strain, trusting in Him Who then forsook me, as in a Father, “Abraham has been ignorant of us, Israel has acknowledged

 4.  To return to my original startingpoint.  This was my field, when it was small and poor, unworthy not only of God, Who has been, and is cultivating

 5.  But since God, Who maketh poor and maketh rich, Who killeth and maketh alive Who maketh and transformeth all things Who turneth night into day,

 6.  Such then was once this flock, and such it is now, so healthy and well grown, and if it be not yet in perfection, it is advancing towards it by co

 7.  I seem indeed to hear that voice, from Him Who gathers together those who are broken, and welcomes the oppressed:  Enlarge thy cords, break forth

 8.  Thou countest tens of thousands, God counts those who are in a state of salvation thou countest the dust which is without number, I the vessels o

 9.  This I seemed to hear Him say, and to see Him do, and besides, to hear Him shouting to His people, which once were few and scattered and miserable

 10.  These we present to you, dear shepherds, these we offer to you, with these we welcome our friends, and guests, and fellow pilgrims.  We have noth

 11.  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see, thou critic of my words!  See the crown which has been platted in return for the hirelings of Ephraim

 12.  To those who platted this crown—that which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, nevertheless I will say it—I also have given assistance.  Some

 13.  Would you have me say something still more venturesome?  Do you see the tongues of the enemy made gentle, and those who made war upon the Godhead

 14.  But you are perhaps longing for me to give an exposition of the faith, in so far as I am able.  For I shall myself be sanctified by the effort of

 15.  One concise proclamation of our teaching, an inscription intelligible to all, is this people, which so sincerely worships the Trinity, that it wo

 16.  Let us then bid farewell to all contentious shiftings and balancings of the truth on either side, neither, like the Sabellians, assailing the Tri

 17.  But, to resume:  let us speak of the Unbegotten, the Begotten, and the Proceeding, if anyone likes to create names:  for we shall have no fear of

 18.  Moreover, the Moabites and Ammonites must not even be allowed to enter into the Church of God, I mean those sophistical, mischievous arguments wh

 19.  You have now, my friends, heard the defence of my presence here:  if it be deserving of praise, thanks are due for it to God, and to you who call

 20.  What then do I mean?  I am no proficient in virtue without reward, having not attained to so high a degree of virtue.  Give me the reward of my l

 21.  What more need be said?  But how can I bear this holy war?  For there has been said to be a holy, as well as a Persian, war.   How shall I unite

 22.   I cannot bear your horse races and theatres, and this rage for rivalry in expense and party spirit.  We unharness, and harness ourselves on the

 23.  Now, consider the charges laid against us.  You have been ruler of the church, it is said, for so long, and favoured by the course of time, and t

 24.  Perhaps we may be reproached, as we have been before, with the exquisite character of our table, the splendour of our apparel, the officers who p

 25.  What say you?  Are you persuaded, have you been overcome by my words?  Or must I use stronger terms in order to persuade you?  Yea by the Trinity

 26.  Farewell my Anastasia, whose name is redolent of piety:  for thou hast raised up for us the doctrine which was in contempt:  farewell, scene of o

 27.  Farewell, mighty Christ-loving city.  I will testify to the truth, though thy zeal be not according to knowledge.   Our separation renders us mor

18.  Moreover, the Moabites and Ammonites must not even be allowed to enter96    Deut. xxiii. 3. into the Church of God, I mean those sophistical, mischievous arguments which enquire curiously into the generation and inexpressible procession of God, and rashly set themselves in array against the Godhead:  as if it were necessary that those things which it is beyond the power of language to set forth, must either be accessible to them alone, or else have no existence because they have not comprehended them.  We however, following the Divine Scriptures, and removing out of the way of the blind the stumbling blocks contained in them, will cling to salvation, daring any and every thing rather than arrogance against God.  As for the evidences, we leave them to others, since they have been set forth by many, and by ourselves also with no little care.  And indeed, it would be a very shameful thing for me at this time to be gathering together proofs for what has all along been believed.  For it is not the best order of things, first to teach and then to learn, even in matters which are small and of no consequence, and much more in those which are Divine and of such great importance.  Nor, again, is it proper to the present occasion to explain and disentangle the difficulties of Scripture, a task requiring fuller and more careful consideration than our present purpose will allow.  Such then, to sum up, is our teaching.  I have entered into these details, with no intention of contending against the adversaries:  for I have already often, even if it be imperfectly, fought out the question with them:  but in order that I might exhibit to you the character of my teaching, that you might see whether I have not a share in the defence of your own, and do not take my stand on the same side, and opposed to the same enemies as yourselves.

ΙΗʹ. Πρὸς ταῦτα, Μοαβίταις μὲν καὶ Ἀμμωνίταις μηδὲ εἰσιτητὸν εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν ἔστω Θεοῦ, λόγοις διαλεκτικοῖς τε καὶ κακοπράγμοσιν, οἳ γέννησιν Θεοῦ πολυπραγμονοῦντες, καὶ πρόοδον ἄῤῥητον, κατεξανίστανται τολμηρῶς θεότητος: ὡς δέον, ἢ ἐφικτὰ μόνοις εἶναι τὰ ὑπὲρ λόγον, ἢ μηδὲ εἶναι, ὅτι μὴ αὐτοὶ κατειλήφασιν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς ἑπόμενοι, καὶ τὰ ἐγκείμενα σκῶλα τοῖς τυφλώττουσι λύοντες, τῆς σωτηρίας ἑξόμεθα, πάντα τολμῶντες πρότερον, ἢ κατὰ Θεοῦ τι νεανιεύεσθαι. Τὰς μὲν δὴ μαρτυρίας ἄλλοις παρήσομεν, πολλοῖς τε λογογραφηθείσας ἤδη πολλάκις, καὶ ἡμῖν οὐ παρέργως. Καὶ ἅμα λίαν αἰσχρὸν ἐμοὶ γοῦν, νῦν τὰς πίστεις συλλέγειν τῶν πάλαι πεπιστευμένων. Τάξις γὰρ οὐκ ἀρίστη διδάσκειν πρότερον, εἶτα μανθάνειν, μὴ ὅτι τὰ θεῖα καὶ τηλικαῦτα τὸ μέγεθος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν μικρῶν καὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἀξίων. Καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς Γραφῆς προσκόμματα λύειν καὶ διαρθροῦν, οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ, σπουδῆς δὲ τελεωτέρας καὶ μείζονος, ἢ κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ὁρμὴν τῆς ὑποθέσεως. Ὁ δ' οὖν λόγος ἡμῶν, ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ περιλαβεῖν, ἔστιν οὗτος. Καὶ ταῦτα διῆλθον, οὐχ ἵν' ἀγωνίσωμαι πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιθέτους (πολλάκις γὰρ ἤδη διηγωνισάμεθα, εἰ καὶ μετρίως), ἀλλ' ἵν' ὑμῖν ἐπιδείξω τὸν χαρακτῆρα τῶν ἐμῶν διδαγμάτων, εἰ μὴ τῶν ὑμετέρων ἐγὼ συναγωνιστὴς, καὶ κατὰ τῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν ἱστάμενος.