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

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 the influence of the sovereign, a most important matter.  What change have we been able to notice?  How many men have in days gone by used us outrageously?  What sufferings have we failed to undergo?  Ill-usage?  Threats?  Banishment?  Plunder?  Confiscation?  The burning103    The burning, etc., cf. This was by order of Valens. of priests at sea?  The desecration of temples by the blood of the saints, till, instead of temples, they became charnel-houses?  The public slaughter of aged Bishops, to speak more accurately, of Patriarchs?  The denial of access to every place in the case of the godly alone?  In fact any kind of suffering which could be mentioned?  And for which of these have we requited the wrongdoers?  For the wheel of fortune gave us the power of rightly treating those who so treated us, and our persecutors ought to have received a lesson.  Apart from all other things, speaking only of our experiences, not to mention your own, have we not been persecuted, maltreated, driven from churches, houses, and, most terrible of all, even from the deserts?  Have we not had to endure an enraged people, insolent governors, the disregard of Emperors and their decrees?  What was the result?  We became stronger, and our persecutors took to flight.  That was actually the case.  The power to requite them seemed to me a sufficient vengeance on those who had wronged us.  These men thought otherwise; for they are exceedingly exact and just in requiting:  and accordingly they demand104    Demand.  After all these persecutions, some thought S. Gregory ought to have used his influence with Theodosius to requite or punish the former persecutors of the orthodox. what the state of things permits.  What governor, they say, has been fined?  What populace chastised?  What ringleaders of the populace?  What fear of ourselves have we been able to inspire for the future?

ΚΓʹ. Σκοπείτε γὰρ καὶ ἡμῶν τὰ ἐγκλήματα. Τοσοῦτος χρόνος, φησὶν, ἐξ οὗ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἄγεις, μετὰ τῆς τοῦ καιροῦ ῥοπῆς, καὶ τῆς τοῦ κρατοῦντος ὁρμῆς, τοσούτου πράγματος: τί τῆς μεταβολῆς ἡμῖν ἐπεσήμηνε; Πόσοι καθ' ἡμῶν ἔμπροσθεν γεγόνασιν ὑβρισταί; Τί δεινὸν οὐ πεπόνθαμεν; Οὐχ ὕβρεις; Οὐκ ἀπειλάς; Οὐ φυγάς; Οὐ χρημάτων ἁρπαγάς; Οὐ δημεύσεις; Οὐ πρεσβυτέρων ἐμπρησμοὺς θαλαττίους; Οὐ ναοὺς βεβηλωμένους ἁγίων αἵμασι, καὶ γενομένους ἀντὶ ναῶν πολυάνδρια; Οὐ πρεσβυτέρων ἐπισκόπων, οἰκειότερον δὲ πατριαρχῶν εἰπεῖν, σφαγὰς δημοσίας; Οὐ τὸ πάντα τόπον ἄβατον εἶναι τοῖς εὐσεβέσι μόνοις; Οὐχ ὅ τι ἂν εἴποι τις τῶν δεινῶν; Ὧν τί τοῖς πεποιηκόσιν ἀντιδεδώκαμεν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἐξεῖναι ποιεῖν εὖ ποιοῦν ἀντεστράφη, καὶ παιδεύειν ἔδει τοὺς ὑβριστάς; Ἐῶ τἄλλα: τὰ δὲ ἡμέτερα, ἵνα μὴ τὰ σὰ λέγωμεν, οὐ δεδιώγμεθα; Οὐχ ὑβρίσμεθα; Οὐκ ἀπεληλάμεθα ἐκκλησιῶν, οἰκιῶν, ἐρήμων αὐτῶν, τὸ δεινότατον Οὐκ ἠνέγκαμεν δῆμον μαινόμενον; ὑπάρχους ὑβρίζοντας; Βασιλέας ὑβριζομένους, καὶ μετὰ τῶν προσταγμάτων; Εἶτα τί; Γεγόναμεν ἰσχυρότεροι, καὶ διαπεφεύγασιν οἱ διώκοντες. Τοῦτο γάρ: αὐτάρκης ἐμοὶ τιμωρία κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων, ἡ τοῦ ἀντιδρᾷν ἐξουσία. Τοῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτω δοκεῖ: λίαν γάρ εἰσιν ἐντελεῖς καὶ δίκαιοι περὶ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν: καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπαιτοῦσι τὰ τοῦ καιροῦ. Τίς ὕπαρχος, φησὶν, ἐζημίωται; Τίς δῆμος σεσωφρόνισται; Τίνες δήμων ἀνάπται; Τίνα φόβον ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐχαρισάμεθα;