Apology for his Flight to his Father

in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory, and to the Father with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

NOTICE REGARDING ORATIONS IX, X, AND XI

I. In most manuscripts of superior quality, and even in the interpreters themselves, these three orations are arranged in this order. They concern Sasima, that is, the ordination of Gregory to the bishopric of Sasima; and for this reason, they were delivered in the same year, namely the middle of 372. The first was delivered when, overcome by the reverence he felt for his aged father, by the friendship of Basil, and by fear, he "bent his neck," as Gregory himself says, to the new bishopric of Sasima, "but did not bend his spirit" (91). The second, when he returned from the flight which he had undertaken after his consecration, confesses that he is "bound in Christ, not with iron chains, but constrained by the most tenacious bonds of the spirit," and led by old age and friendship (92). The last, finally, not long after, was delivered before Gregory of Nyssa, whom Basil had sent to our Gregory in order to "console his mind, anguished on account of the consecration" (93).

II. These three orations have the same scope and the same argument. If we are to trust Tillemont, we must believe the first was delivered after the imposition of hands had already been received. But on this matter, interpreters and scholars differ. For there are those who think otherwise than Tillemont. Indeed, Leuvenklaius, preserving the title of this oration—extracted, perhaps, from original parchments—translates it thus: "Oration delivered to his father and the great Basil, when the latter was about to create him bishop of Sasima." Elias also interprets it in this way in his argument: "At the time when he was about to be created bishop of Sasima." Bilibaldus also says in the superscription of the oration: "when he had been created bishop of Sasima, but not yet inaugurated." From which one may conjecture that the things said here can be understood not as a completed ordination, but as one designated and soon to be; and therefore nothing at all forbids one from asserting that only Gregory’s consent to his own ordination is expressed by this oration. And indeed, this consent of the Theologian is certainly no small matter, nor is it unworthy of being celebrated by a special oration. For from this, the love of quiet and solitude had to be overcome; from this, fear and reverence in the face of honors, especially those that are sacred and ecclesiastical; from this, finally, the considerations of place and circumstances, all of which greatly deterred Gregory’s mind. It is no wonder, therefore, that he provided this consent so slowly and so reluctantly.

III. It is asked, however, whether Gregory was consecrated at Sasima, or at Caesarea, or at Nazianzus. There will be no difficulty in pronouncing on this matter. Certainly not at Sasima; for the Theologian himself openly confesses (94) that "he never reached the church of Sasima assigned to him, nor did he perform any sacred rite there, nor did he offer prayers to God with the people, nor, finally, did he lay his hands on anyone." He certainly could not have said this if he had been consecrated in the church of Sasima. The matter is self-evident. Nor at Caesarea; and first of all, Gregory the Elder was present at this consecration, whose advanced age did not allow him to travel to Caesarea; furthermore, if he had gone there, the Theologian would undoubtedly not have passed over it in silence. His silence in this matter is a very strong argument that he was not consecrated at Caesarea. Therefore, he was inaugurated as bishop of the church of Sasima at Nazianzus, and Basil himself laid his hands on him there. This seems manifest from these words of Gregory (95): "There came to us Basil, most dear to me, a father to me much harder than the other," etc.

IV. That Gregory was anointed by Basil, even from the beginning, is made clear by the tenth oration. Gregory the Elder was present for it. Several other consecrating prelates were also present, as is gathered from these words of the ninth oration (n. 6): "Shepherd me, and with me this sacred flock." Indeed, from that context, Tillemont conjectures that some deputies from the Sasimenses were present at Gregory’s consecration, acting in the place of the "flock." But let us grant this for the moment: two or three deputies can never be signified by the name of "the flock," especially when mixed and confused in a larger multitude, in which they hardly count as a number. Therefore, the words praised by Tillemont should be understood not of the Sasimenses present—even if some should eventually have been present—but of those generally who were committed by the bishops to his faith, as Sasimenses indeed, even if not necessarily present. Hence the scholiast, who comments on this place of the same ninth oration (n. 3): "That the Spirit might use me as a minister, for the perfection of this people," etc., strikes out the demonstrative article "this," so that, with the ambiguity of that word removed, the proposition may be taken generally. We confess, however, that the tenth oration, in Leuvenklaius, is inscribed: "To the Sasimenses." But this is a manifest error, from

what we have said is sufficiently refuted. The most learned Petitdidier initiates another path; for he wishes this tenth oration to have been written only for the Sasimens, not spoken. But such is the agreement and connection of these orations among themselves that, if you were to grant that one was not spoken, you would be forced to concede that none of them were spoken at all. This, however, is repugnant to these words of Gregory: "Behold the very discourse which you [Basil] asked me to share with you, as you were cognizant of it." And elsewhere: "I could not even bear to share these discourses with my most loving brothers"; from which it is manifest that these orations of Gregory were truly delivered. ^A

ORATION IX

Apologeticus to his father Gregory, in the presence of Basil the Great, when he was created bishop of Sasima.

I. Once again the anointing and the Spirit are upon me, and once again I walk about mourning and dejected. Nor should this seem marvelous to you; for the prophet Isaiah himself, before he had witnessed the glory of the Lord, and that high and exalted throne, and the seraphim encompassing Him, spoke nothing of this kind, nor did he resist, nor was he shaken by fear; rather he cried out against the Israelites, while sparing and refraining from himself, as one who was in no way blameworthy. But after he saw these things, and heard that holy and mystical voice, then, as if realizing his own state more fully, he said: "Woe is me, for I am ^B pricked," and what follows in the passage, that I may avoid blasphemy.

And I find that ancient judge Manoah in the Book of Judges, and later Peter, the pillar of the Church: the one saying, "We have perished, O woman, for we have seen God," because he had perceived a vision greater than what his nature and strength could bear; and the other, unable to endure the presence and power of the Savior, which He had displayed to those sailing with Him during the fishing, and because of this, though seized with admiration, he nonetheless sent Him away from the boat, and added the reason, that he was unworthy of the divine epiphany ^C and discourse.

II. Now, when I hear in the Gospels of the centurion, who sought Christ’s power but deprecated His presence, as his roof was too narrow for it to contain such divine magnitude and dignity, I truly cannot reproach myself for this timidity ^D and...

sadness on account of any grievance. For just as the sun reveals the weakness of the eyes, in the same way God by His presence exposes the infirmity of the soul; and to some He is light, to others fire, to each according to the underlying matter and quality. What are we to think of Saul? For he was anointed and received the Spirit, and at that time he was spiritual—nor could I speak otherwise of him—and he even prophesied, and this so far beyond the expectation and opinion of men that from that miracle there flowed this proverb, which is still repeated and heard even now: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” Since, however, he did not surrender himself entirely to the Spirit, and was not purely and integrally changed into another man, as it had been declared, but some spark of the old wickedness and of the evil seed remained, and there was a conflict within him between the spirit and the flesh; what need is there to recount all his calamities with tragic speech? You know that opposing spirit, and the Psalmist, by whose singing he was soothed. ^B And so, from this it is also clearly shown that, although divine grace does not in the least flow into the unworthy, nor into an instrument that is evil and utterly devoid of all harmony (for it is well said that “wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul,” and I believe it), yet to preserve and keep its dignity and harmony—as my argument contends—is a task no less than to have been rightly led to harmony from the beginning and to have attained that dignity, given the changeability and inconstancy of human habit and nature. Indeed, as I myself think, grace itself—which is the most miserable and most wondrous of all our evils—often generates in us pride and elation, and thus it casts and drives us away from God, to whom we have not approached as we ought, and so, while we are exalted, we fall, so that sin may become exceeding sinful, surely bringing death upon me through that which is good.

III.

^A And for the instruction that is in word and that which is in deed—using the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left—this is suitable for pastoral care: to draw away from the world, to lead to God, to exhaust the body but add to the spirit, to flee darkness, to rejoice in light, to drive away wild beasts, to gather the fold, to take heed of precipices and desolate wildernesses, and to drive the flocks toward mountains and heights. Regarding these, it seems to me that the most admirable Micah also speaks, drawing us up from the earth to our own heights: "Draw near unto the eternal mountains." Arise and walk, for this is not your rest, even if to some it may seem that earthly and downward-tending things are indeed such.

IV. Teach me this art of governing the flock, my friends, who are henceforth my fellow-shepherds and colleagues ^B. Give me its tokens, both you, the common Father, who in so long a life have fashioned and replaced many shepherds, and you, the examiner and judge of my philosophy. But (I pray you, kindly accept what I shall say) is it possible that, while we are tossed in the midst of a storm and deafened on all sides by the clamor of the waves, we can skillfully tend and pasture the flock? You, I say, whom I call upon, who were more humane among the sheep—unless this remark offends you—when we were both participants in irrational pasture, than you are now among the shepherds, after we have been deemed worthy, by divine grace, of spiritual pasture. Behold, what you desired, you now have me in your power, and you have overcome the invincible! And lo, you have the discourse as well, which you knew and were seeking, and which, while praising it, you were nonetheless attacking for its delay with many and dense snows of words.

V. But I have something to reproach a friend for. Who among our common friends shall settle my case? Or who will be an impartial judge, so as to bring forth a just verdict, and not yield to the passion of the many, and show partiality ^C in judgment? Do you permit me to state the complaint, and will you not once again thrust the goad of your discourse into me? There was a certain secret between you and me, O admirable man, a secret truly incredible and as yet [not previously]...

persuaded, but constrained. O, what a marvel! How all things have become new! And how great a distance separates us! What shall I wish to say—is it the throne, or the greatness of the grace? ^B Yet, lead the way, and prosper, and reign, and shepherd us who are shepherds. We are truly ready to follow, and to be led by your high and godly soul—for the truth shall be spoken, even if I have dared ever so slightly against the law out of love. Teach your love regarding the flocks: your diligence that is at once careful and wise, the supervision, the vigils, the subjugation of your flesh which you have made subordinate to the spirit, the flower of your complexion that fades for the sake of the flock, that sharpness of intellect tempered with gentleness, that serenity and mildness in the conduct of affairs (a thing not found in many, nor having many examples), ^C the battles undertaken for the safety of the flock, and the victories which you have won in Christ.

VI. Tell me what pastures must be sought, what fountains approached, and conversely which pastures and streams are to be avoided; who are to be guided by the staff, and who by the pipe; at what time the flock is to be led to pastures, and at what time it is to be called back from them; how one must wage war against wolves, and how one must not wage war against fellow-shepherds—especially in this present time, when shepherds have acted foolishly and scattered the sheep from the pasture, ^D so that I might lament the same things in the same words as the most holy prophets. How shall I strengthen that which is weak, and raise up that which has fallen, and turn back that which has wandered, and seek that which has perished, and guard that which is strong? How, I say, shall I learn these things and guard them according to the correct principle of the pastoral art and your own? And let me not become a bad shepherd, consuming the milk, and clothing myself with the wool, and slaughtering or selling the fattest, while leaving the rest to the wild beasts and the precipices, feeding myself and not the sheep, for which the leaders of Israel of old were reproached. Teach me these things, and support me with these words. And along with these, shepherd and join in shepherding with these commands, and preserve—as by instruction, so also by prayers—both me and this sacred flock, for my security and for your boasting in the day of the appearing and revelation of the great God and our chief shepherd, Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father Almighty, together with the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and unto the ages of ages. Amen.