Homilies

For she did not cease from being beset by calamities; having buried him who was bitten by the serpent, while she was yet mourning him, there happened the grief concerning Abel. As she lamented Abel, she beheld another murder of her children by Lamech. As she was bewailing these, the common shipwreck happened to all. Before this had been extinguished, she lost the Sodomites; thereafter she grew old in other evils. She had the beginning of relief in God born of a Virgin, at whose appearance according to the dispensation, the earth was freed from its desolation and received a look of cheerfulness. She saw the Promised One coming, all the angels surrounding his manger and singing hymns; he commanded Hades concerning the resurrection of the dead, or rather their restoration, and saw it obedient. ^B He had, through the grace of the Spirit in the form of a dove descending from heaven, the testimony of the Father. And it was a strange wonder to behold the Master being baptized in the flesh by a servant in the Jordan. But this glory was turned to mourning; for she saw her benefactor being crucified, she saw her joy deadened, she saw the cause of her joy lying in a tomb. The sun suffered with the earthly calamities, heaven was grieved, and having doffed the garment of its brightness, it put on darkness like a sackcloth.

III.

IV.

[GREEK COLUMN] ^A second; look upon heaven, which welcomes your own. If your eye cannot bear to behold the entry, listen to the angels who announce the return. "This Jesus," they say, "who was taken up from you into heaven." And what is the benefit of Jesus’ ascension for men, if his vision is no longer to be enjoyed by the eyes? "Yes," he says, "he will come in the same way as you saw him going into heaven." The hope of the human race is secure, having a kindred King in heaven, who will again appear to them in glory.

V. Let us therefore be hopeful, trusting in Christ, in this hope of heavenly things; let us have confidence in this pledge of peace; let us work as much as is pleasing to God, showing thankfulness for the salvation that has been bestowed. Having experienced his philanthropy, let us have reformation; let us depart from carnal desires as companions of the angels; let us perform holiness as the temple of God and members of holy humanity; let us be at peace with God, who, instead of punishment, has granted us kingdoms and has doubled the voice of the prophet. For previously the prophet cried out: "The heaven of heaven is for the Lord, but the earth he gave to the sons of men." But now he has given the earth to men, and the heaven of heaven to man as well. Therefore the Holy Spirit says through the ^B prophet: "All nations, clap your hands." For what reason? "Because the Lord Most High is terrible, a great King over all the earth." And again: "God has ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet"; which indeed were the heavenly powers crying out, "Holy, holy, holy," confessing one lordship in three doxologies. To him be glory and power, with the all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and to the ages.

Of the same Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, a sermon on the circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ on the eighth day.

I. Common indeed is the discourse of the divinely-inspired Scripture, but it teaches a great and profound mystery, into which angels desire to look, according to that which is written. For the Greeks who seem to be wise speak nothing of useful and necessary things, but they abuse the beauty of speech, deceiving their hearers by means of this; but we, having the heavenly treasure in earthen vessels, that is, in the simplicity and commonness of speech, believe ourselves to be blessed, because the things pleasing to the Lord are known to us. Consider, then, the ineffable dispensation of the mystery concerning Christ, at which even the blessed prophet Isaiah was struck with wonder, saying: "O Lord my God, I will glorify you and hymn your name, for you have done wonderful marvels, a counsel of old, true." For Christ was foreordained and foreknown before the foundation of the world, ^D but he has been manifested in the last times of the age.

^A born from a woman, He who was the eternal Word existed in the bosom of the mother as a newborn child, while in the flesh.

II. O great and wonderful matter! A babe on earth according to the flesh, and yet He was filling heaven! He accepted circumcision and was under the law, He who had a throne equal with the Father; the Lord of Moses observed the commandment of Moses. This then was the meaning of the words of the blessed Paul: "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." For He was not under the law before the incarnation, but when He was made of a woman, then He became an observer of the law; and the mode of the dispensation in the flesh decreed for Him that it behooved Him to be under the law—He who, as God, was above the law. For it was fitting that He who had become man should not despise the measure of humanity. ^B Indeed, I also affirm that for Him to be made subject to the law was something entirely humble and completely unworthy of His inherent majesty. But although I confess that it is something humble to partake of blood and flesh, nevertheless, it was necessary, or rather more fitting, that the world should be saved by Him, that death should be rendered void, that sin should be destroyed, and, by living among men, that the whole world should be reconciled to God the Father by the same.

III. For the sake of this cause, He took hold of the seed of Abraham, and in like manner as we, He partook of blood and flesh; He took the form of a servant, that He might be subject to the law, for the duty of a servant is to be under the law. ^C He took, therefore, the form of a servant, He who by His own nature was free; He was circumcised according to the prescription of the law; He also brought for Himself a pair of turtledoves and two young pigeons. Marvel at these things also; for these were done in shadows and types under Moses, but the truth of the matter was Christ. Behold, He offered a sacrifice, He fulfilled the types, but the truth, as I said, was Christ, who was prefigured to the ancients by such a slight thing as a turtledove and a pigeon. For the dove is most mild, and the turtledove is most beautiful and vocal. Such is Christ: mild indeed as God, but vocal as the turtledove; for He delights the whole world with His evangelical preachings. Therefore, even as the legal types indicate, as the most religious, He is the turtledove; as the most mild, He is the dove. Our Savior was sacrificed, that He might redeem us with ^D His own blood, and sanctify us in the Holy Spirit. To Him belong glory and power, honor and majesty, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

SERMON ON THE DOGMA OF THE INCARNATION

III. A SERMON OF THE SAME PROCLUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ON THE DOGMA OF THE INCARNATION, PRONOUNCED ON THE SATURDAY BEFORE LENT. Lost in Greek, but now recovered from an ancient Syriac interpretation.

I. Plentiful are the gifts of divine grace, numberless the utilities of spiritual discourses, commendable the commerce of ecclesiastical congregations, grateful the honor of festivals before the altars, glorious the reward of the cross, a saving vintage of unspeakable abundance, a copious and peerless treasure of heavenly gifts. Charity knows no poverty, nor does Christ procure riches for Himself from any other source. Look, if you please, most beloved, into the divine books, so that you may fully know the breadth of these riches and the munificence of the Giver; for from these you will be taught everywhere how our Lord Jesus Christ, from the very beginning of things, never ceased to assist the human race in manifold ways. For first, He recalled that Adam who had been driven from Paradise and condemned, and willed that he should sit with Him in the heavens. Abel, he saw slain for the sake of the sacrifice offered to Him ^B, but after his death, He made him the accuser of the homicide. He looked upon Noah, who was nearly shipwrecked, and in him preserved the spark of the human race. He found Abraham a servant, and made him the father of nations. Having found Joseph a captive, He established him as an example of chastity for the world. He found Moses a fugitive from Egypt, and set him as leader over an innumerable people. To Joshua, the explorer of Palestine, He granted power to halt the course of the sun and the moon. From a small flock He took David, and made him the propagator of kings ^C, the root of generations, from which the tremendous mystery of the dispensation was to flow. He granted speech to Balaam’s brute beast; He provided a useful pilot for the crossing of the Red Sea; He adorned Aaron’s dry rod with flowers beyond nature; He raised up the admirable bronze serpent in the desert; He showed the servant Elijah, an exile in the world, riding in a fiery chariot; He converted the flame of the Babylonian furnace into a nurse for the three children; He stationed lions in the pit before Daniel as disciples reverent before their master; He offered a marine monster as a guest-house for the prophet; and he changed Rahab’s brothel into a place ^D of friends, but now speech fails me in the recounting.

II. Now let the discourse pass on to riches. Ecclesiastical solemnity redounds with every kind of benefit for salvation: here are earthly gifts and heavenly gains; here is the alienation from vices and the acquisition of virtues; here is the offering of substances and the time of remuneration; here is the cloud bringing forth rain, and healing in evangelical fashion; here is the uncreated Trinity, and the apostolic trumpets; here, in place of brutal lusts, glorious hymns are sung; here the earthly Adam is dismissed, and the Lord shines down from heaven; here the ancient rebel is expelled, and the virginal mystery is adored; here the scroll of sins is torn, and the document of granted liberty is inscribed; here is the destruction of desires and the joy of souls. O solemnity, which here brings forth labor, but in heaven brings forth rewards! For here repentance is preached with a loud voice, a useful remedy for Lent, the reward of abstinence, royal virginity, alms pleasing to God, the blessedness of meekness, the highest prudence of long-suffering, the patience that delivers from shipwreck, the fecundity of faith, the incomprehensible mystery of the Lord’s incarnation. Truly, the longer you think about these things, the more you will understand them as being wonderful and above all investigation.

III. In truth, the intellect is too weak to search out how God was inconvertibly made man; how the Word was united with the clay without confusion, and how God, impassibly and without change, fashioned Himself into flesh. Insofar as He is from the Father, He lacks a beginning; but insofar as He is made, He cannot be considered a phantasm; for He is indeed the true God and man without any falsity. He who was consubstantial with the Father, the same became equal to me by human birth, yet without sin. The divine nature is uncreated, but the assumption of humanity is not imaginary, and there is one Son, nor is He divided into two persons; for indeed, with the venerable economy, He has united two natures under one ^D person.

^A His essence, however, is immutable. He is the high priest, just as He was created in time; He is God, just as He was; He lacks a mother, insofar as He is superior to us; but He lacks a father, insofar as He is similar to us. His generation shall never be declared; it is ineffable from above, and likewise ineffable from below, and everywhere inexplicable. He assumed a body, a soul, and an intellect, so that He might become like us in all things.

V. Because of all these things, and because He has moreover saved you, be ashamed, O Jew, and also because of the torments He suffered for your sake, and finally even because of the miracles. What, you ask, are these miracles? Indeed, I reply, what miracles do you, O enemies of God, possess that are better than ours? Would it be a greater miracle to rain bread from heaven, or to have God clothed in flesh? The sea divided for those passing through, or a virgin remaining incorrupt after childbirth? A rod that made a spring of water from a rock, or a cross that sanctified the saved world? Let these miracles afflict you with shame, and finally adore Him who was incarnate. But what are these miracles I speak of? A generation without seed, a conception without male intercourse, a virgin become mother and still a virgin thereafter; the course of the star, the praise of the angels, the fear of the shepherds, the offering of gifts by the Magi, the sea obeying, the flight of spirits, walking upon the waters, the calming of storms, the exultation of the paralytics, light restored to the blind, the expulsion of demons, the dead raised to life, the creation terrified, the grief of the heavens, the sun eclipsed, rocks shattered, the veil of the temple rent, the destruction of the lower regions, the empty tomb discovered, the conversion of the thief, the nailing of the debt-note to the cross, the overthrow of the Synagogue, the exaltation of the Church, the propagation of divine religion, the adoration of the cross. When, therefore, you remember your infidelity, confess with Moses: *He is my God, and I will glorify Him*, to whom be glory and honor for ages of ages. Amen.

IV. A SERMON BY THE SAME PROCLUS ON THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

Lost in Greek, but preserved in a Syriac translation.

1. Now is the time for the words of the prophet Isaiah to be repeated: *Let the heavens rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain down justice, for the Lord has had mercy on His people.* Let the heavens rejoice from above, because when they themselves were created from the beginning, Adam was likewise formed by the Creator from the virgin earth, and appeared a friend and intimate of God. Let the heavens rejoice from above, because now through the dispensation of our Lord in the flesh, the human race has been liberated from idolatry. But let the clouds rain down justice, because today Eve's error was removed and pardoned through the purity of the Virgin Mary, and through God and man at once born from her. Today Adam, after the ancient condemnation, was liberated from that horrible sentence of death; but of deception the author... For no one has ever seen God, at any time.

as he himself has very aptly said: *No one has seen my face and lived.* Christ was therefore born of a Virgin, from whom he took flesh according to the plan of the economy, as it pleased him: *The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us*; and for this reason the Virgin became the Mother of God. How she remained a virgin after birth cannot be explained in words, nor can his birth itself, on account of the incomprehensible mystery of the divine Word toward his own visible humanity. For according to the dispensation of his flesh, the divine Word is visible; yet he is invisible, because while remaining what he was, he became what he was not. The same is passible and impassible; passible indeed in that which is seen, but impassible insofar as we know his divinity to be of the same substance as the Father. Furthermore, he is of our substance, because he is endowed with the same humanity, apart from sin. Now truly, the Virgin is Mother because she brought forth the incarnate Word without seed; yet in such a way that she retained her virginity, on account of the miraculous nature of Him who willed his birth in this manner. She herself is Mother according to the substance of the human nature of the divine Word, which was incarnate in her, and appeared, and was united [to it], according to the wisdom and will of Him who works wonders. From them is Christ in the flesh, as the blessed Paul says.

V. A SERMON BY THE SAME PROCLUS ON SAINT CLEMENT THE MARTYR. The Greek is lost, but it survives in Syriac.

1. Double, my brethren, is the feast we celebrate today on account of the commemoration of the priestly athlete; for he was both priest and martyr at once: and therefore it is necessary that there be double care for those who wish to weave a panegyric oration for him; for it will be necessary for the speaker to divide the praises between the priesthood and the martyrdom. And yet it seems difficult to me to equal both things with worthy words, since singly they exceedingly surpass the measure of words. But indeed holy men demand nothing from us except attentive goodwill, not that we be equal to celebrating their merits: for they, without any aid from my words, obtained the crown by their own struggles alone. What therefore shall we sufficiently admire in the blessed martyr and priest Clement? Shall it be his purity in the priesthood, or the renowned struggle of his martyrdom? His mercy toward the poor, or the tears which he poured forth for sinners? His solicitude for the Church, or his strenuousness against errors? His singular gentleness, or [his] at all times ^C confidence in speaking, or his continuous practice of works? ^D The union of his mind with God, or his bodily virginity from childhood? The knowledge of the sacred books, or the preaching of divine threats? His exaltation above temporary things, or his happiness in both orders of things? Shall we admire him more as the glory of his native land, or as a witness to Him who guards the world? As the flower of the Galatians, or as a vessel for the ministry of angels? Whether as the salt of Christian piety, or as a sword against the heathens? As the light of the world, or as a persecutor of the Judaic sect? As a preacher of the Trinity, or as a trumpet of the equality which exists in the essence of the same Trinity? Shall I call him a dissipator of heresies, or a gatherer of the Church?

II. For this blessed Clement was endowed with all these gifts, which even Paul depicted as the supports of virtue and the image of a bishop: inasmuch as, being a priest, he reconciled God to men, and inasmuch as he was a martyr, he waged war for the same men against er-

rors. O soul, who hast been purified by these two most honorable things, as it were brothers, the priesthood and martyrdom! For what is a martyr? He is one who is a victor through his blood for the sake of the cross; a combatant for the dogma of the resurrection performed after three days; an athlete fervent for the faith—because the fear of God drove his voice, a violent voice, I say, for the truth of the mysteries. He was a firmly grounded tower that did not collapse; a faithful executor of the command given him; a finisher of his own body; a reaper of errors; a herald of life to those who implore life. He was a plant irrigated by labors; a tree that, when cut, buds forth fruit; a patient athlete who does not shudder at wounds. He brought ignominy upon the enemy and showed himself a man greater than all praise; he anticipated paradise for himself by his own death. He was a physician conscious of the remedies of virtue; a merchant who bought the heavenly kingdom with his own blood; a sword gleaming against the enemy; not refusing to suffer the cruelty of blows from demons; the praiseworthy terror of the shrines; the millstone of idols; a diligent purifier of sacrifices; an inextinguishable light for sacred assemblies; a wise architect of the Church; a hidden treasure of the altar; and, that I may speak in one word, a true and stable column of virtue. Such is the martyr.

III. But what is a priest? He is the light of the Church, a fountain in the city, the sun of the ecclesiastical seat, the crown of the altar, a harbor for those who mourn, a moon running its course, a rule of justice, the image of virginity, an exemplar of meekness, a proof of confidence, a provider for the poor, an enemy of the wicked, a gratuitous defender of weeping widows, and the implored guardian of destitute orphans. He repels unjust force, prevents rapine, is a sharer in another’s grief, and is solicitous of his own accord for others. He is a sure salvation against death, a treasure for the poor, a memorial and, as it were, a book of Holy Scripture; he is a thundering tongue of the orthodox faith, a monitor of the people, a rational snare for heresies. In short, a priest is nothing other than a sort of visible God on earth. Such, I say, was the priest of God, the blessed ^A Clement. For he was a priest greater than Aaron, yet a martyr equal to Stephen.

IV. For what comparison is there between the ministry under the law and that of him reigning in grace? The names are indeed equal, but the acts are vastly different. Lo, there, O Jews, is the priesthood of the law, but here is the unbloody ministry; there is a stone altar, but here is a sweetness proceeding from a pure conscience. The head of that priesthood was Aaron; ours is Christ. As much as there is between a servant and a master, so much is there between the two priesthoods. Aaron made a calf in the desert; Christ offered himself on the cross to the Father as if he were an ignominy. There the ark contained the tablets, the rod, and the urn; here the Virgin, receiving the Word incarnate, is the minister ^B of the fearful mystery. There is the priestly stole, interwoven with hyacinth, purple, fine linen, and gold; here is the tunic of grace, composed of water, spirit, and the faith of baptism. There is the ephod with gems; here is the sweet yoke and light burden. There the blood of the covenant, here with the seal, the cross impressed upon our foreheads; there the golden tiara, here the anointing of justice; there resounding cymbals, here the tongues of those who praise; there the splendor of Punic dyes, here the lights of virtues; there the twelve gems adorning the breastplate, here the twelve evangelizing apostles; there the people are sprinkled with blood and water with hyssop and scarlet wool, here baptism—water, that is, with the spirit of anointing—sanctifies the people; there the priesthood consisted in one family, here power is ^C attained through works; that priesthood passed away like the morning grass, but ours shall remain forever like the moon.

V. Do not boast too much of your sacrifices, O Hebrew; they were shadows, and therefore they disappeared. Why do you enumerate to me a multitude of sacrifices, while despising the faith of Abraham? Turn your thought to the beginning of the matter, so that you may recognize your ignorance. For the priesthood indeed perfects the sacrifices; but the stock promotes the priesthood; the origin of the stock was Abraham, yet it was not the stock of Abraham, but his faith, that was praised. Why, then, when you lack faith, are you content with sacrifices commanded by the Law? If you are indeed a son of Abraham, why did you crucify him of whom Abraham was a figure? There young men accompany him, here angels praise him; there is a high mountain, here a lance; there is a fiery flame, here the Jew exclaiming; there an angel calls from heaven, ^D here the sun in heaven is saddened; there a ram is sacrificed for the liberated firstborn, here the temple is dissolved, and the Word accomplishes eternal redemption. Do you see how the shadow passed into the true reality?

VI. Furthermore, wicked men do not lack the desire to contradict. Already the Jew has brazenly constructed a reply of this sort: Why, he says, do you mock us, who are adorned with greater glory than you? Our affairs are truly commendable, while yours are detestable. Because of us, waters were turned into blood. Because of us, bread rained from heaven; because of us, the sea was divided; finally, because of us, the rod blossomed. Yet nothing of this kind is found among you: for you there is a cave, a manger, and swaddling clothes, which are signs of extreme necessity and ignobility. O Jewish impudence! Do you recall the passion, yet remain silent about the miracles? Do you mock the poverty, yet not preach the glory? You affirm that Jesus was born of Mary, yet do you dissimulate that he is prior to Mary? You shout that he is the son of Mary insofar as it pertains to the flesh, but do you not profess that he is her creator insofar as he is God? You speak of a cave, and do you not behold the star? You cry out that he was placed in a manger, yet do you suppress the angelic hymns in silence? You disparage the swaddling clothes, yet do you not commemorate the adoration of the Magi?

VII. I, O Jew, profess one Son; I believe in the uncreated Trinity, nor do I judge the unity of the Son to be compounded by any confusion or mixture. He is the same God and man; insofar as he is God, he performed miracles; insofar as he is man, he suffered the passion. Whence this? Hear, O Jew, the prophet Isaiah preaching both things: *A child is born to us.*

And he says, *A son is given to us*; now he speaks of his eternal nature. Tell us now something, O prophet, about the union of the two natures, and concerning the unique person of the Son. *And the government was upon his shoulder*; upon his, I say, not theirs. *And his name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel*; of one, I say, and not of two. Finally tell us, O prophet, who is this who has come: is he a man, or God incarnate? It is God, who for the sake of man has become a body. For his name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel, God, the Strong, the Ruler, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come; through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, now and for all time, and for the ages. Amen.

OF THE SAME HOLY PROCLUS: TREATISE ON THE TRADITION OF THE DIVINE LITURGY

^B Many, indeed, are the other divine pastors and teachers who have succeeded the holy apostles, who, having left behind in writing the composition of the mystical liturgy, have transmitted it to the Church. Among whom the first and most illustrious are considered to be: the blessed Clement, disciple and successor of that chief of the apostles, who edited it as the holy apostles dictated it to him; and divine James, who obtained by lot the Church of the Hierosolymitans, and was established as the first bishop of it by that first and great high priest, Christ our God.

Then, subsequently, the great Basil, observing the laziness and the decline into worse habits of men, and therefore seeing them weary of the length of the extended liturgy—not that he thought anything in it was superfluous or too long—but so that he might excise the sloth both of those praying together and of those listening, caused by that long interval of time, he transmitted a shorter form to be recited.

After our Savior was assumed into heaven, the apostles, before they were scattered throughout the whole world, assembling with one accord, would turn themselves to all-day prayers; and since they had found much consolation centered in that mystical sacrifice of the Lord's body, they used to chant the liturgy at great length and with a long circuit of words. For they considered this, together with the duty of teaching, to be far more excellent than all other things. Truly, they persisted with the greatest alacrity and much joy, spending their time on this divine sacrifice, being constantly mindful of those words of the Lord, saying: *This is my body*. And, *Do this in remembrance of me*. And, *He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him*. Therefore, being of a contrite heart, they were singing many prayers. ^{C D}