the faith of all the Greek codices, which have only one oration here, as the series itself also requires. Morellus, however, in this matter follows the Commelinian edition, not the Savilian, which does not have two homilies here, but only one, as both the series itself and all the codices demand. From this I could easily believe that Morellus’s printing works edited the Greek of Chrysostom upon the faith of the Commelinian edition. And yet, there is no mention of the Commelinian edition in Morellus’s Note. Regarding the Latin versions, the situation is otherwise: for in reality, for the first eight homilies, they placed the Latin interpretation of Anianus from the Latin edition of Fronto Ducæus, and for the remainder that of George of Trebizond, as they stood in that edition. For Fronto Ducæus had changed those interpretations in six hundred places so that they would better conform to the Greek series. Moreover, in this Morellian edition, certain errors were admitted by the printers, but not in such a number as will be obvious to one comparing it with the Commelinian edition.
§ V.—On Anianus’s Latin interpretation.
This same Anianus is undoubtedly the person who translated into Latin the seven homilies of Chrysostom on the praises of the Apostle Paul, which interpretation we published in Vol. 2, col. 473 et seqq. Nor do we doubt that this Anianus is that Pelagian deacon of Celeda who was present at the synod of Diospolis and wrote books to assert the Pelagian heresy, as John Garnerius proved in the Dissertation after Marius Mercator, Ch. 7, VII. Indeed, it is clear from his statements that he struggled strenuously to defend the freedom of man and attacked Augustine and the Catholics, whom he calls Manichaeans and Traducians in his letter to Evangelus, which we have prefixed to the homilies on the praises of the Apostle Paul. The letter, however, which we shall shortly present, is directed to Orontius, a bishop addicted to the Pelagian error and for that reason expelled from his see. It is a prologue to the homilies of Chrysostom on Matthew, translated into Latin by him, where he inveighs vehemently against the Manichaeans (whom he calls the orthodox). For, he says, what does he (John) more inculcate to men than the coming nobility of their nature, which, against the madness of the Manichaeans, is praised by the consensus and concert of all wise men? And it is praised either for the glory of the admirable Creator, or for the rousing of the zeal of virtue, or for the chastising of the vices of pleasure. What, I ask, does he commend more pressingly than the dignity of the liberty innate to us from God, the confession of which is the principal dividing line between us and the Gentiles? Those who, contrary to the truth, think man, created in the image of God, is so unhappily bound by the violence of fate and the necessity of sinning that he is even forced to envy the beasts. What does he insinuate more against those same masters than that God's commandments are possible, and that man is capable of virtue in everything that is either commanded or urged by God? Indeed, by this alone, iniquity is repelled from the one commanding, and guilt is affixed to the transgressor. Now, this ornament of the learned, when he discusses the grace of God, with what richness, with what caution he celebrates it! For he is not incautious or excessive in either [direction], but moderate in both. He so shows the free wills of men that he nevertheless confesses everywhere the necessary aid of divine grace for the doing of God's commandments: he so commends the continuous aid of divine grace that he does not destroy the efforts of the will. In this way, he ascribes a damnable doctrine to the Catholics whom he was attacking, while he falsely claims that they deny liberty and introduce the violence of fate into human acts and the necessity of sinning; and at the same time he covers his own Pelagian opinion so that nothing appears to be attributable to error in the things he finally hands down about liberty and grace, which we also observe in his Letter to Evangelus.
It is certain, therefore, with Anianus confessing it, that he himself translated into Latin both the homilies on the praises of the Apostle Paul and these homilies on Matthew, so that he might oppose such a teacher, speaking in Latin, to the Latin Catholics. And indeed, he would rightly and deservedly have called Chrysostom into this arena if his adversaries had advanced such an opinion; if they had said that sin necessarily arises from an evil god or an evil principle: since Chrysostom often refutes and defeats the Manichaeans in these sermons as they blather such things; and if they had thought that this necessity of sinning arises from a certain violent fate, which our Chrysostom likewise refutes. But he attached this opinion to the orthodox either out of a wrongly perceived notion of the Catholics or in order to arouse envy against them by feigning such a discipline. And what should be noted is that Anianus, while he has as his one goal to repel that fatal necessity of sinning by the authority of Chrysostom—which is indeed very easy—nowhere twists the words of Chrysostom into another meaning to favor the Pelagian heresy, a fact we have already noted in the homilies on the praises of the Apostle Paul in Vol. 2, col. 472.
It is further asked whether Anianus translated all of Chrysostom’s homilies on Matthew into Latin, or only the eight that appear in the published editions, or more, but not all. I confess that I once doubted whether Anianus had translated all those homilies or only a part of them. But having pondered the matter more accurately, I have discovered, if I am not mistaken, that he translated absolutely all of Chrysostom’s homilies on Matthew into Latin. Indeed, in the letter to Orontius, which is soon to be edited, he quite clearly implies that he had rendered the entire book of Homilies on Matthew into Latin. For after having said at the beginning: "For you command, most blessed one, that the Commentary of the holy John, bishop of Constantinople, which he unfolded in ninety-one books on the evangelist Matthew, I should pour into the Latin tongue in such language as I can. Which I wish could be done by us as conveniently as it is ordered by you opportunely and usefully,"—and so, I say, having begun by declaring that he was ordered to translate all ninety-one homilies, he signifies at the end of the letter that he had completed the whole thing with these words: "If I have made myself appear sufficiently inferior in Latin, not so much to me, venerable Lord, than..."
to the empire of your authority and the enticement of your charity, it is because I preferred to lose some, indeed the greater part, of the honor of my style, rather than to commit a crime by refusing you any longer. Indeed, for this my work of whatever quality, I ask in return the most ample gift of your prayers, etc." What else did he say at the beginning, other than that he had been ordered to translate ninety-one homilies of Chrysostom into Latin? What else does he say at the end, than that he had fulfilled what was ordered? Certainly, if he had translated only a part of the homilies, would he not have said that at the end? Or would he have said that he had translated that book?
Nor are there lacking other arguments by which it is proven that the entire Commentary of Chrysostom on Matthew had been in Latin libraries for many centuries, and without doubt from the interpretation of Anianus. In the Catalog of the Pomposian Library, which was drawn up about the middle of the eleventh century, and which I reported in its entirety in the *Diario Italico*, this commentary was present in Latin, and is expressed in the Catalog on p. 84 thus: "On Matthew by John Chrysostom." But holy Thomas Aquinas, who celebrated this Commentary with such magnificent praise as we recalled at the beginning of this Preface, where could he have read this Commentary, if not in the version of Anianus, which alone was circulated at that time? Furthermore, in the notes of manuscript libraries which I brought back from Italy, in the Catalog of manuscript Codices of the Library of St. Mark in Florence, the following note is read: "In the cupboard, on the right no. 76. St. John Chrysostom on Matthew with the preface of Anianus to Bishop Orontius on paper, Homily 25: first part." By which note it is indicated that there was also a second part, and perhaps a third and fourth. In his *Itinerarium Italicum*, our Mabillon, on p. 164, speaking of the Library of the Holy Cross, which belongs to the Conventual Friars Minor, holds this: "Another Codex of Saint John Chrysostom on Matthew contains twenty-six homilies, with Anianus as interpreter, followed by the Latin translation by George of Trebizond."
I do not doubt, therefore, that Anianus translated the whole book of Homilies on Matthew into Latin. And perhaps if the manuscript Codices of all libraries were searched, the entire version of Anianus could be unearthed today. But to what end should we undertake such labor, when we have the whole book of Homilies whole and intact, just as it proceeded from the author? What would that new addition be, except to enlarge this Volume of works, already sufficiently ample, beyond measure, and that for no reward of effort? But if you should say that some knowledge is brought to us from this regarding the manner in which those ancients translated Greek into Latin, behold, you can now fish it out from those things which are brought into the public sphere. You have seven Homilies of Chrysostom on the praises of the Apostle Paul with the interpretation of Anianus, and the first eight Homilies of the same on the Gospel of Matthew.
Anianus, however, even if for that age he ought not to be considered an unskilled interpreter of the Greeks—for he translated the seven Homilies on the praises of Paul quite happily, as we said in Vol. 2, col. 470; yet in the Latin interpretation of the Homilies on Matthew he did not proceed with equal success: for he often multiplies words in vain, and using circumlocution, states in many words things which could have been set forth more briefly and conveniently; as anyone can see. For we have placed the interpretation of the first eight homilies by Anianus at the bottom of the page (a). There is, however, one thing of which it will not be tedious to warn the reader. In Homily 5, col. 113, these things are narrated concerning James, the brother of the Lord: "They narrate that he led such an austere life that all his limbs were as if dead, and from the assiduity of prayer, while he lay continually on the pavement, his forehead had become so calloused that it almost reached the hardness of a camel's knees, so frequently had he applied it to the ground." But Anianus converted this passage thus: "They say that his knees had become calloused, and that there was such neglect of the flesh in him that all his limbs were almost dead while he was still alive: and by the assiduity of prayer, and the constant prostration of his body to the pavement, his forehead was likewise covered with a callus, so that it hardly differed from a camel's knees, if you look at the hardness." Here you see that Anianus added these things, "his knees had become calloused," a thing which is not mentioned as having been read anywhere in any Greek copies of Chrysostom. Truly, Anianus seems to have borrowed that from Hegesippus in Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., Book 2, ch. 23: for there only this is read: "So that his knees became hardened like a camel's." In the lections which are recited on the feast of St. James the Less, this is had, as it seems, deduced from Hegesippus: "To whom also the assiduity of praying had so covered his knees with a callus that it imitated the skin of a camel in its hardness": but nothing of the hardness of the forehead, of which Chrysostom speaks here alone.
In this Epistle to Orontius, moreover, which acts as a prologue, Anianus counts ninety-one Homilies on Matthew, just as almost all the earlier editors do, in which the nineteenth homily is divided into two, and the second part, in which the Lord's Prayer, Our Father, etc., is explained, makes the twentieth homily, against the reliability of all Greek Codices, where one single oration 19 contains the whole, as the series altogether requires. When this homily 19 had been divided into two, its second part was inscribed as Homily 20, and the following, which was the twentieth, was designated the twenty-first; and thus all that followed increased in number, so that those which were ninety in number later made ninety-one. Whether this change was introduced by Anianus himself is uncertain. For even if in the Epistle to Orontius, which will follow shortly, XCI homilies are counted, someone could have, after the death of Anianus, made such a change and added one to the XC number, because he saw that ninety-one homilies were carried in the Latin copies. It is certainly sure that the 19th Homily was divided by the Latins; for in the Greek copies such a division nowhere exists. I would, however, more willingly believe that that division was introduced after the times of Anianus, and since in his Epistle to Orontius only ninety homilies were previously mentioned, by someone unknown later,
THE WORKS OF OUR HOLY FATHER JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE. COMMENTARY ON THE HOLY EVANGELIST MATTHEW. HOMILY I.
A It would indeed be appropriate for us to be in no need of the assistance of letters, but to exhibit such a pure life, that the grace of the Spirit might serve us in place of books; and that, just as books are inscribed with ink, so our hearts might be inscribed with the Spirit. But since we have cast away this grace, come, let us take up the second course of navigation. That the former course was better, God has shown both by words and by deeds. For to Noah and to Abraham and his descendants, and to Job and to Moses himself, He did not speak through letters, but through Himself, because He found their mind to be pure. But after the entire people of the Hebrews had fallen into the abyss of wickedness, then at length there was need of letters and tablets for their instruction; and this we find to have happened not only with the saints of the Old Testament, but also with those of the New. For God did not deliver anything in writing to the apostles, but instead of letters He promised that He would give them the grace of the Spirit: for "He," He says, "shall bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26). But B so that you may learn that this was far better, hear what He says through the prophet: "I will establish a new covenant with you, putting my laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will write them, and they shall all be taught by God" (Jer. 31:31, 33). Paul also, declaring this excellence, said that he had received the law, "not on tablets of stone, but on the carnal tablets of the heart" (2 Cor. 3:3). But since, as time went on, some stumbled concerning life and morals, that instruction through letters was again necessary. I want you to observe how great an evil it is that, even though we ought to live with such purity as to have no need even of books, but to offer our hearts in place of books to be instructed by the Holy Spirit, we have lost that honor, and have been reduced to such a state that we have need of letters and not of the C grace of the Spirit.
A And to be drawn into greater punishment. That this may not happen, let us attend with precision to the things written, and let us learn how the Old Law was given, and how the New Covenant. How then was that Law given then, and when and where? After the destruction of the Egyptians, in the desert, on Mount Sinai, with smoke and fire bursting from the mountain, a trumpet sounding, thunders and lightnings occurring, while Moses was entering into the thick darkness itself. But in the New [Covenant] it was not so; neither in a desert, nor on a mountain, nor with smoke and darkness and thick gloom and tempest; but at the beginning of the day, in a house, with everyone sitting together, everything occurred with great gentleness. For to those who were more irrational and unbridled, a bodily manifestation was needed—such as a desert, a mountain, smoke, the sound of a trumpet, and other things of that nature; but for those who were higher, and teachable, and who had risen above the very notion of bodies, there was no need for any of these things. And if a sound also occurred then, it was not for the sake of the apostles, but for the sake of the Jews present, for whose sake also the tongues of fire were seen. For if, even after this, they said that "they are filled with new wine" (Acts 2:13), much more, if they had seen none of these things, would they have said these things. And in the case of the Old [Covenant], with Moses ascending, thus did God descend; but here, with our nature having been raised to heaven, or rather to the royal throne, thus does the Spirit descend. And if the Spirit were inferior, the events would not have been greater and more wondrous. For these tablets are far better, and the achievements are more brilliant. For the apostles did not come down from a mountain carrying stone stelae in their hands, as Moses did; but carrying the Spirit in their minds, and gushing forth a certain treasure and fountain of dogmas and gifts and all good things, they thus went about everywhere, becoming, through grace, living books and laws. Thus they drew to themselves three thousand, thus five thousand, thus the peoples of the habitable world, with God discoursing through their tongue to all who approached. B From which also Matthew, filled with the Spirit, wrote what he wrote—Matthew the tax collector; for I am not ashamed to call him by his profession, neither him nor the others. For this, most of all, shows both the grace of the Spirit and their virtue.
2. And he rightly called his work "Gospel." For he came announcing to all—to enemies, to the ignorant, to those sitting in darkness—the removal of punishment, the remission of sins, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, adoption, the inheritance of heaven, and kinship with the Son of God. What, then, could be equal to these good tidings? God on earth, man in heaven; and everything was mingled; angels danced with men, men communed with angels and with the other powers above; and it was possible to see the long-standing war dissolved, and reconciliations made between God and our nature, the devil put to shame, demons fleeing, death undone, paradise opened, the curse obliterated, sin removed from the midst, error driven away, truth returned, the word of piety sown everywhere and flourishing, the heavenly way of life planted on earth, those powers conversing with us with confidence, and angels constantly frequenting the earth, and much hope existing for the things to come. For this reason he called the history "Gospel," as everything else is devoid of such realities—such as wealth, the magnitude of power, and principalities and glories and honors, and everything else that is considered a good among men. But the things reported by the fishermen would be called gospels in the genuine and strict sense; not only because they are firm and unshakable goods, and above our worth, but because they were given to us with all ease. For we did not labor and sweat, we did not toil and suffer; but having been loved by God alone, we received what we received. And why is it that, with so many disciples, only two of the apostles write, and two from those who followed them? For one was the disciple of Paul, another of Peter, and they wrote the Gospels along with John and Matthew. Because they did nothing for the sake of ambition, but all for the sake of need. What then? Was it not enough for one evangelist to say everything? It was enough; but even if there are four writing, neither at the same times, nor in the same places, nor having met and discussed with one another, yet—as if from one mouth—all speak, this becomes the greatest proof of the truth. C But you say, "Nothing of the sort happened; on the contrary, they are proven to be in disagreement in many places." Yet this very thing is the greatest proof of the truth. For if they had all agreed with precision, even down to the timing, and down to the place, and down to the very words, none of the enemies would have believed that they had not met and written what they wrote by some human agreement; for such unanimity is not a sign of simplicity. But as it is, the disagreement which appears to exist in small matters clears them of all suspicion, and eloquently defends the character of those who wrote. And if they reported things differently regarding times or places, this in no way harms the truth of the things spoken. And these things, as God grants, we shall try to demonstrate as we proceed, asking you to observe along with what has been said, that in the main points D and those that hold together our life and the preaching, no one of them is found disagreeing even in the slightest. And what are these? Such as: that God became man, that He performed miracles, that He was crucified, that He was buried, that He rose, that He ascended, that He judgment might be rendered, that He gave salutary precepts, that He did not introduce anything contrary to the Old [Covenant]: that He is the Son, the Only-begotten, of the same substance with the Father...
and so many similar things. For about these we shall find great harmony A among them. If in the miracles not all related every detail, but one related some and another others, do not be troubled by this; for if one had said everything, the number of the rest would be superfluous, and if all had written different and new things, there would be no ground for harmony. Therefore many [*] related many things together, and each took it upon himself to write that which was proper, so that they might not seem to have spoken anything superfluous or at random, and might offer us the precise proof of the truth.
Now Luke states also the reason why he comes to write: "That you may have," he says, "the certainty of those words in which you were instructed" (Luke 1:4); that is, that being continually reminded, you may have certainty, and remain in that certainty. John himself kept silent about the cause; but as we have received long ago from B our ancestors and fathers, he did not approach the writing without cause. But because the aim of the previous three had been to dwell more on the history of the [assumed] flesh, and there was a danger that the doctrines of the divinity might be passed over in silence, when Christ moved him at last, he came to the writing of the Gospel. And this is evident from the history itself and from the preface of the Gospel. For he does not begin from below like the others, but from above, which was his aim. And because of this he produced his whole book. Nor is he more sublime than the others only in the preface, but throughout the whole course of the Gospel. It is said that Matthew, when the Jews who had believed approached him and requested it, left behind in writing the things which he had spoken in words, and wrote his Gospel in the Hebrew C tongue. And that Mark, in Egypt, did the same at the request of the disciples. Therefore Matthew, as one writing for the Hebrews, sought to show nothing more than that He derived His origin from Abraham and David. But Luke, since he was speaking to all at once, extends his account higher, and proceeds up to Adam. The one begins from the generation: for nothing could please the Jew so much as to learn that Christ was the descendant of Abraham and David; but he [Luke] does not do so, but mentions many other things first, and then proceeds to the genealogy. And we shall show their harmony, with the whole world as witness, which has accepted what has been said; nay, even the enemies of the truth themselves will be witnesses. For many heresies sprang up after them, holding opinions contrary to what was said, of which some accepted all that D was written, while others accepted only certain parts and keep them mutilated among themselves. But if there were any conflict in what was said, those heresies which speak in opposition would not have accepted everything, but only that part which might seem to favor them; and those which accepted only a part would have been refuted by that part through the knowledge of those very fragments, as if crying out their harmony with the whole body of the book. Just as if you were to take some part from the side, in that part you will find everything of which the whole animal consists—nerves, veins, bones, arteries, blood, and, so to speak, the pattern and evidence of the whole mass—so also is it to be seen in the Scriptures; namely, the conspicuous affinity of each single point with the whole. But if they were dissonant, this affinity would not be discerned, and the whole doctrine would have been dissolved long ago; for "Every kingdom," He says, "divided against itself shall not stand" (Luke 11:17). Now, however, in this very matter the power of the Spirit shines forth, persuading men to be occupied with the more necessary and urgent things, and not be harmed by these trivialities.
But where each of them wrote, there is no need for us to be very solicitous; but that they did not write one against the other, we shall strive to demonstrate throughout the whole course of the work. You, however, who object to that dissonance, act as if you were commanding them to speak the same words and use the same modes of speaking. And I will not yet say that those who boast greatly in rhetoric and philosophy, and who have written many books on the same subjects, have not only differed with one another, but have even said contrary things. For it is one thing to speak differently, and another to say things that are contradictory. But I do not say any of these things; for far be it from me to use their folly to provide a defense; for I would not wish to establish the truth from falsehood. But I would like to ask: how could those things have merited faith, being dissonant? How would they have prevailed? How, if they had spoken contradictory things, would they have obtained such admiration, faith, and renown throughout the whole world? And yet there were many witnesses of what was said, just as there were many enemies and adversaries. For they did not write these in a corner and bury them, but published them in every part of the earth and sea to the hearing of all; and they were read with enemies present, just as they are today; and they offended no one ever, and quite rightly. For it was a divine power that was working all these things among everyone. For if the case had not been so, how could a tax collector, a fisherman, and an unlettered man have been able to philosophize? For things which those outside could not even imagine in their dreams, these men announce and persuade with great authority, and that not only while living, but also when dead: not to two or twenty men, not to a hundred or a thousand, or ten thousand; but to cities, nations, peoples, the earth, the sea, to Greece, to the regions of the barbarians, to the world and the deserts; and that when it was a matter of things greatly surpassing our nature. For leaving the earth, they discourse on all things heavenly: introducing to us another life and way of living, other riches, another poverty, liberty, and servitude, another life and death, another world and state, everything changed. Not like Plato, who composed that ridiculous state, and Zeno, and others...
who scribbled of a republic and issued laws. For it was evident right from the start that these men were moved in their souls by an evil spirit, a savage demon warring against our nature, an enemy of chastity and order, turning everything upside down. For when they make women common to all, and lead virgins naked into the gymnasium for the spectacle of men, and arrange clandestine unions—confusing and disturbing everything all at once and overturning the bounds of nature—what else can one say of them? That all these things are the inventions of demons and contrary to nature, even nature itself would testify, not enduring what was said; and this not amidst persecutions, not amidst dangers, not amidst wars, but written with every ease and liberty, and embellished by many in many places. But the things of the fishermen—pursued, beaten, endangered—were accepted by the unlearned and the wise alike, by bond and free, by kings and soldiers, by barbarians and Greeks, with every favor. B
5. And you could not say that they were acceptable to all because they were small or humble; for these things are much more sublime than those. For of virginity, those others did not even dream or imagine the name, nor of poverty, nor of fasting, nor of anything else that is noble. But those among us not only eliminate lust and punish the act, but also the wanton look, insulting words, disorderly laughter, bearing, gait, and clamor, extending their exactness even to the smallest things, and they have filled the whole world with the plant of virginity. And they persuade men to philosophize about God and the things in the heavens, which none of those men could ever even conceive in their minds. How could they, when they made images of wild beasts and creeping things and even more shameful things into gods? But yet these sublime doctrines were received and believed, and they bloom and increase every day. But the things of the others have vanished and perished, having vanished more easily than spiderwebs. And with good reason; for it was demons who declared those things. That is why, along with debauchery, it contains much darkness and greater pain. C
6. For what could be more ridiculous than that state in which, after the philosopher had wasted infinite lines along with the things mentioned, in order to be able to show what justice is, he filled what he said with much prolixity and much obscurity? Which, even if it had some gain, was destined to be utterly useless to human life. For if the farmer, and the coppersmith, and the builder, and the pilot, and each man who is fed by the labor of his hands, were to leave off his craft and arduous toils and waste many years in order to learn what justice is—and before he has learned, he would often arrive at perishing by starvation—he would depart having gained nothing, having learned none of the other useful things, and having ended his life by a violent death. But our things are not like that; but Christ taught us justice, and propriety, and utility, and simply all virtue, in brief and clear expressions; at one time saying that "On two commandments the law and the prophets hang" (Matt. 22:40), that is, on the love of God and of one's neighbor; at another time saying, "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do also to them; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matt. 7:12). Which are all easy to grasp and learn even for a farmer, and a servant, and a woman who is a widow, and a child, and for anyone who is thought to be extremely foolish. For such are the things of truth, and the outcome of the facts bears witness to them. At any rate, all have learned what must be done; and they have not just learned, but have also vied for it; and not only in the cities, nor in the midst of the marketplaces, but also on the mountain peaks. For there too you will see great philosophy, and choirs of angels shining in human bodies, and the heavenly state appearing here. For the fishermen have composed for us a state, not commanding that individuals be taken from childhood, as those did, nor legislating that one be of such and such an age to be virtuous; but simply addressing every age. For those things were children’s games; these, however, are the truth of things. And they assigned heaven as the place for this state, and introduced God as its craftsman, and Legislator of the laws laid down there; just as indeed it had to be. But the prizes of this state are not laurel leaves, nor wild olive crowns, nor meals in the Prytaneum, nor bronze statues—those cold and petty things—but life that has no end, and to become sons of God, and to dance with angels, and to stand at the royal throne, and to be perpetually with Christ. D
And the leaders of this state are tax collectors, and fishermen, and tentmakers, who have not lived for a short time, but live forever. For this reason, even after their departure, they could benefit those who live by this state the most. To this state, war is not against men, but against demons and those incorporeal powers. Therefore, their general is not any man or any angel, but God Himself. And the armor of these soldiers mimics the nature of the war; for it is not crafted from skin and iron, but from truth, and justice, and faith, and all philosophy. Since, therefore, this book has been written concerning this state, and it is set before us now to speak of it, let us give heed accurately to Matthew as he clearly discourses about it. For all that is said is not his, but Christ's, who legislated the state. And let us give heed, so that we may be able to be enrolled in it, and to shine with those who have already lived by it, and who are expecting those unfading crowns. Yet this discourse seems easy to many, while the things of the prophets seem to have difficulty. But this too is from being ignorant of the depth of the meanings stored within it. Therefore, I entreat...
you to follow us with great zeal, that we may be able to enter this sea of writings, with Christ as our guide. And that you might learn these things more easily, we ask and beseech you, as we have done in the case of other books of the Scriptures, that you should read beforehand the passage of Scripture which we are about to expound, so that the reading may precede the cognition; a thing which happened in the case of the eunuch, and which affords us much ease. A For many and successive questions occur. Behold, then, immediately in the very beginning of the Gospel, how many and how great are the things about which one might inquire. First, why is the genealogy of Joseph traced, who was not the father of Christ? Second, how will it be clear to us that He derives His lineage from David, seeing that it is unknown who were the ancestors of Mary His mother; for the genealogy of the Virgin was not recorded. Third, for what reason is the genealogy of Joseph, who contributed nothing to the birth, traced, while the Virgin, who became the mother, is not shown to have been born of what fathers, and grandfathers, and ancestors? Along with these, it is worth inquiring why, when proceeding through the genealogy of men, he mentioned women. And since this seemed good to him, why did he not set down all the women, but, passing over the distinguished ones—such as Sarah, and Rebecca, and those like them—he brought into the midst only those branded with vice; if, for instance, a woman was a harlot or an adulteress, or if she were a foreigner or a barbarian? B For he mentioned the wife of Uriah, and Tamar, and Rahab, and Ruth—of whom one was a foreigner, another a harlot, and another was defiled by her father-in-law, not by the law of marriage, but having stolen the union and assumed the guise of a harlot; and regarding the wife of Uriah, no one is ignorant due to the notoriety of the act. Yet, passing over all others, he placed these alone in the genealogy. And yet, if it was necessary to mention women, it was necessary to recount all; if not all, at least those who had flourished in virtue were to be brought forward, not those whose sins are manifest. Do you see how much attention is needed from us even in [these] openings? And yet the opening seems clearer than others, and even to many perhaps superfluous, because it entails only a list of names. After this, one must also inquire for what reason he passed over three kings. For if he kept silent about their names as quite impious, it was not necessary to mention others similar to them. C And this is another question. For he said there were fourteen generations, but in the third portion he did not maintain the number. And why did Luke record a list of other names, and not only did he not mention all of the same, but even many more; while Matthew mentions others and different ones, even though he ended at Joseph, where Luke also made an end? See how much vigilance is required of us, not only to resolve, but even to learn what needs to be resolved. Nor is it a small matter to find the things that are liable to be brought into doubt; for that also is numbered among the doubts, how Elisabeth, being of the Levitical tribe, is a kinswoman of Mary.
7. D But that we may not overwhelm your memory by heaping many things together, we shall pause our discourse here for the present. It suffices for you, that you be stirred up, if you learn the questions themselves. But if you desire the solution, that too will be in your power, even before we speak. For if I see you stirred up and eager to learn, I will attempt to bring you the solution; but if I see you drowsy and inattentive, I will conceal both the questions and their solution, obeying the divine law: "Do not," he says, "give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them with their feet" (Matt. VII, 6). And who is so miserable, one might say, as not to deem these things sacred and more precious than all else? He who does not pay as much attention to them as he does to harlot women in satanic theaters. For there, the many spend whole days, and neglect many things in their own house because of that untimely leisure, and carefully retain what they hear there, and keep them for the ruin of their own souls. Here, while God Himself is speaking, they do not wish to remain for even the smallest fraction of time. Therefore, we have nothing in common with heaven. Truly, for this reason did God threaten hell, not that He might cast us into it, but that He might persuade us to flee that painful tyranny. We, however, do the opposite, and every day we run toward the road that leads there; and with God commanding us not only to hear, but also to perform the things said, we do not even endure to hear. When, therefore, shall we do the things we are commanded, and bring our hands to the works, when we bear with difficulty and indignation the delays, even when postponed for the briefest moment of time? And yet, when we speak of trivial matters, we consider it a mark of contempt if we notice that those sitting with us are not attending; yet do we not think we offend God, when He is speaking of such great things, if we despise Him and turn our eyes elsewhere? Surely, any old man who has traveled a great part of the earth, describes to us with great care the number of stadia, the location and layout of cities, and ports, and marketplaces: yet we do not know even how far we are from that heavenly city; otherwise, we would have been anxious to shorten the length of the road, if indeed we held that distance in mind. For that city is not as far from us as the distance between heaven and earth; but much less, if we are not negligent; just as if we are zealous, we shall be able to arrive at its gates in an instant of time. For these spaces are to be measured not by the length of places, but by the disposition of one's character.
before, you know the things of this life with precision—things new, things old, and ancient things—and you are able to count the rulers under whom you served in time past, the umpires, the prize-winners, and the generals—things that make no difference to you. But who has been a ruler in this city, or who was first, who second, who third, or how much time each served, or what exploits he accomplished and performed, you have never so much as dreamed. Of the laws established in this city, you do not even endure to hear or attend to others speaking. A How then, tell me, do you expect to obtain the promised good things, when you do not attend even to the things being spoken? But if we did not do this before, at least let us do it now. For we are about to enter—if God permit—a city, golden and more precious than any gold. Let us learn therefore its foundations, its gates constructed of sapphire and pearls; for we have an excellent guide, Matthew. For we enter now through his gate, and we have need of much diligence. For if he sees anyone not attending, he casts him out of the city. For the city is most royal and illustrious; not like those among us, divided into marketplace and palaces, but all things there are royal. Let us open wide then the gates of our understanding, let us open wide our hearing, and with much trembling B, as we are about to mount the thresholds, let us worship the King who is within; for even the first encounter is enough to strike the observer with terror.
The gates are indeed shut to us for now; but when we see them opened wide (for this is the solution to the questions), then we shall behold the great brilliance within. For, being led by the eyes of the Spirit, this tax-gatherer promises to show you all things: where the King sits, and which of the armies stand byHim; where the angels are, where the archangels; what place is marked out for the new citizens in this city, and which is the road leading there; what lot those received who were the first to be citizens there, and those after them, and those after these; and how many are the orders of those ranks, how many of the senate, and how many the differences of dignities. C Let us not therefore enter with clamor and confusion, but with mystical silence. For if, in the theater, when much silence has been made, then the King’s letters are read, much more in this city must all be calmed, and with upright souls and ears we must stand. For it is not the letters of some earthly ruler, but of the Master of the angels that are about to be read. If we adjust ourselves in this way, the grace of the Spirit itself will lead us with much precision, and we shall reach the royal throne itself, and we shall obtain all good things, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY II
D 1. V. 1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
1. Do you remember the command which we gave to you a while ago, entreating you to hear all that is said with every silence and mystical quiet? For we are about to enter the sacred thresholds today; and for this reason I have reminded you of the command. For if to the Jews, who were about to approach a burning mountain—and to fire, and darkness, and gloom, and tempest—or rather, not even to approach, but to see and hear these things from afar, it was ordered three days before that they should abstain from women, and wash their garments, and they were in trembling and fear, both they and Moses with them; much more ought we, who are about to hear such words, and not to stand far away from a smoking mountain, but to enter into heaven itself, to display greater philosophy—not by washing garments, but by cleansing the robe of the soul, and casting off all worldly mingling. For you will not see gloom, nor smoke, nor tempest; but the King Himself sitting upon the throne of that ineffable glory, and angels and archangels standing by Him, and the ranks of the saints with those infinite myriads. For such is the city of God, having the Church of the firstborn, the spirits of the just, the assembly of the angels, the blood of sprinkling, through which all things were joined, and heaven received things from earth, and earth things from heaven, and the peace long desired by angels and saints has come. In this city the bright and illustrious trophy of the cross is set, the spoils of Christ, the firstfruits of our nature, the booty of our King; for all these things we shall know with precision from the Gospels. And if you follow with the silence that is fitting, we shall be able to lead you everywhere, and show you where death lies crucified; where sin is hanging; where the many and wonderful offerings from this war, from this battle are. You shall see the tyrant bound there, and the multitude of captives following, and the citadel, from which that unclean demon ran through everything in time past; you shall see the robber's hidden places and caves, already broken open and laid bare; for the King was present there too. But do not grow weary, beloved; for if someone were relating a sensible war, and trophies, and victories, you would not have taken your fill; nor would you have thought of food or drink before the end of such a history. But if that story is desirable, much more is this. For consider how great a thing it is to hear...
A that God has risen from the dead and trampled down death, and that the curse is being abolished, and that the tyranny which the devil formerly had, has had its tyranny dissolved by the same means. Let us then arise and shake off our sleep; behold, I see the gates opened to us; but let us enter with all modesty and trembling, at once seeking the entrance. What are these entrances? The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. What do you say? You were promising that you would speak about the only-begotten Son of God, and you mention David, a man born a thousand generations later, and you say that he is both his father and his forefather? Wait, do not seek to learn everything at once, but little by little. You are standing only at the threshold, still in the very doorway; why are you in such a rush for the interior? You have not yet properly examined everything on the outside; for I am not yet recounting for you that generation; nay, not even the one that follows it, which is ineffable and arcane. And the prophet Isaiah B proclaims this to you before me, since in preaching his passion and his providence for the whole world, wondering who he was and what he became and to what degree he descended, he exclaimed with a great and clear voice, "Who shall declare his generation?" (Is. 53:8).
Homily 2
Not, then, of that generation is our discourse now, but of this lower and earthly one, which has countless witnesses of itself. And concerning this, according to the grace of the Spirit received, we shall thus institute our discourse. And yet we cannot explain even this with all clarity; for it also is exceedingly stupendous. Do not then think that you are hearing something small when you hear of this generation, but rouse your mind, and shudder at once as you hear that God has come upon the earth. For that was so admirable, so unexpected, that the angels gathered in a choir to sing praise and glory on account of this for the whole world, and the prophets long ago were astonished at this very thing, that "he was seen upon earth and conversed with men" (Baruch 3:38). For it is truly stupendous to hear that the ineffable, inenarrable, incomprehensible God, the equal of the Father, C deigned to come through a virginal womb and be born of a woman, and that he has grandparents, David and Abraham. And why do I say David and Abraham? For what is more horrible, even those harlot women whom I mentioned a little earlier. Hearing these things, lift up your soul and suspect nothing common; and marvel most at this, that the Son, and the genuine Son of God who exists without beginning, suffered himself to be called the son of David, so that he might make you a son of God: he suffered himself to have a servant as a father, so that he might make the Master a father to you, a servant. Do you see from the very beginning what the gospels are? But if you doubt about your own [salvation], let yourself be led to believe these things from what pertains to him. For it is far more difficult, so far as human intellect goes, for God to become man than for a man to become a son of God. When, therefore, you hear that the Son of God is the son of David and Abraham, cease to doubt D that you, the son of Adam, shall be a son of God. For he would not have humiliated himself in such a way in vain and to no purpose, had he not been going to exalt us. For he was born according to the flesh, that you might be born according to the spirit: he was born of a woman, that you might cease to be a son of a woman. And therefore his generation was twofold, and such as would be like ours, and such as would surpass ours. For to be born of a woman is consistent with our nature; but to be born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of the Holy Spirit, signifies to us that generation—which is yet to come—which was to be granted to us from the Spirit. And indeed all other things likewise were of this kind. For such also was the washing; for it had something of the old, and something also of the new. For to be baptized by the prophet was expressed by that old way; but the Holy Spirit descending signified the new. And just as one standing in the middle, having joined two others who were separated by stretching out his own hands and taking theirs on either side, so also did he: he joined the Old Testament to the New, the divine nature to the human, his own to ours. Do you see the radiance of this city, and how much it has illuminated you from the beginning? How it showed you the King at once in your own form, as if in the midst of an army? For the King does not always show his own dignity there, but having put aside the purple and the diadem, he often puts on a soldier's attire. But there, he does so that, not being known, he might draw his enemies to himself; here, on the contrary, so that by being known, he might not put the enemy to flight out of fear of the conflict, nor disturb his own; for he intends to bring them salvation, not terror. Therefore he immediately called him by that name, namely, Jesus. For this name Jesus is not Greek; but in the Hebrew tongue he is called Jesus; which in Greek signifies Savior: and he is called Savior because he saves his people.
See how he has aroused the listener, speaking of things of usage, and through those things that he says, indicating to us all things that surpass hope! For there was great knowledge of both names among the Jews. Because certain unexpected things were to be done, the types of the names had already preceded them; so that long ago all tumult of novelty had been forestalled. For he who, after Moses, led the people into the land of promise is called Jesus. You have seen the figure; see also the truth. The one into the land of promise, this one into heaven and heavenly goods: the one after the death of Moses, this one after the law ceased: the one as a leader of the people, this one as King. But lest upon hearing "Jesus" you be deceived by the similarity of names, he added something else: "Jesus Christ, son of David." Now that one was not from David, but from another tribe. But why does he call it the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, even though it is not only...