A be negligent, for the distance is not so great, if we are willing. For it is not necessary to cross the sea, nor to climb the peaks of mountains; but sitting at home, showing piety and great contrition, it is possible to destroy the whole wall, to remove the obstacle, to shorten the length of the road. "For I am a God drawing near," He says, "and not a God far off"; and, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth." But now, many of the faithful have fallen into such folly and contempt that, pregnant with ten thousand evils, and taking absolutely no care of themselves, they approach this table at festivals simply and as it happens, not knowing that the time of communion is not a festival or a public gathering, but a clean conscience and a life delivered from sins. And just as he who is conscious of nothing evil in himself ought to approach day by day, so it is not safe for one caught in sins, and not repenting, to approach even on a festival. For approaching once a year does not deliver us from our transgressions if we approach unworthily, but it condemns us even more, because, approaching once, not even then do we approach in purity. Therefore, I entreat you all not to touch the divine mysteries simply because of the necessity of the festival; but if ever you should intend to participate in this holy offering, cleanse yourselves many days beforehand through repentance, prayer, almsgiving, and devotion to spiritual things, and do not turn back again like a dog to its own vomit. For how is it not absurd to take such care of bodily things—so that when a festival arrives, one brings out the finest garment from one’s chests many days beforehand, and makes preparations, and buys shoes, and uses a more lavish table, and devises many sources of income from everywhere, and in every way brightens and adorns himself—yet to take no account of the soul B that is neglected, filthy, parched, perishing from famine, and remaining unclean, but while adorning the body for entering here, to look on as it stands naked and unseemly? And yet, the fellow-servant sees this latter, and there is no harm even if it should be arrayed [in a certain way], but the Master sees the former, and He brings the greatest punishment for such neglect. Do you not know that this table is filled with spiritual fire, and just as springs gush forth the nature of water, so also this possesses a certain ineffable flame? Do not, therefore, approach bearing straw, nor wood and hay, so that you do not cause a greater conflagration and burn up your participating soul; but possess precious stones, gold, silver, so that you may make the material purer, so that you may depart having gained great profit. If there is anything evil, banish it, drive it away from your soul. Does anyone have an enemy, and has he been greatly wronged? Let him dissolve the enmity, let him calm his inflamed and swollen mind, so that no disturbance or turmoil may be within. For you are about to receive a King through the communion; and when a King descends upon the soul, there must be great calm, great quiet, and deep peace of mind. But you have been greatly wronged, and you cannot bear to dismiss your anger? Why, then, do you wrong yourself in a much greater and more grievous way? For the enemy will not treat you as you do yourself by not being reconciled to him, but by trampling underfoot the laws of God. Did he insult you? Tell me, do you therefore insult God? For the failure to be reconciled to one who has offended is as much an injury to Him who legislated these things as it is an act of revenge against the person. Do not, therefore, look at your fellow-servant, nor at the magnitude of his offenses; but, casting God and the fear of Him into your mind, consider this: that just as you suffer greater violence in your soul, being forced through many evils to be reconciled to the one who offended you, by so much more do you enjoy honor from God who commanded these things; and just as you will receive Him C with great honor here, so also He will receive you with great glory there, paying you back a thousandfold the rewards for this obedience; of which may we all attain through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, honor, power, and worship, together with the holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
To those who have been absent from the assembly, and a demonstration that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, and that the things said and done by Him in a humble manner were not done or said through weakness of power, nor through diminution, but through various economies. From the discourse concerning the Incomprehensible, and following thereafter.
Discourse Seven.
1. Again horse races, and again our gathering has become smaller; or rather, as long as you are present, it could not become smaller. For just as a farmer, if he sees the grain ripening and completed, does not make much account of the leaves falling off; so I, too, now, with the fruit present to us, do not feel such pain, seeing the leaves being snatched away. For I am pained indeed because of the laziness of those [who are absent], but nevertheless, the eagerness of your love comforts the pain felt because of them. For they, even if they should arrive sometime, are not truly present then, but their body is stationed here, while their mind wanders outside; but you, even if you should be absent sometime, are still present; for your body is outside, but your mind is here. I wished, therefore, to extend a long speech against them, but, so that I may not appear to fight against air by rebuking those who are not present and do not hear, having reserved these words for their presence, the
I shall attempt, by the divine grace, to guide your love to the familiar meadow and the sea of the divine Scriptures. But awake and be vigilant; for in the case of those sailing, even if everyone is asleep, provided the pilot alone is awake, there is no danger, since his watchfulness and skill are sufficient for the ship in place of all others. Here, however, it is not so; but even if the speaker be vigilant a thousand times over, if those who hear do not show the same watchfulness, the word, having been cast into the sea for us, will perish, finding no mind to receive it. Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant and awake; for our trade is for greater things. For we are not sailing for gold and silver and perishing goods, but for the life to come and the treasures in heaven; and the paths here are more numerous than those in the sea and on the land; and unless one knows how to cut through them with precision, he will suffer a most grievous shipwreck. Therefore, all of you who are sailing with us, do not show the indolence of passengers, but the watchfulness and care of pilots; for even those men, while the rest are all asleep, sitting at the rudders, not only observe the paths in the waters, but also by looking at the sky from such a great distance—as if by some hand the course of the stars guides them—steer the vessel with safety. And no layman could sail the sea so fearlessly in the daytime as they do with all tranquility in the dead of night, when the sea appears more terrifying, since being awake they show their own skill without disturbance; and they observe not only the paths in the waters, nor only the courses of the stars, but also the exits of the winds. And such is the wisdom of those men, that often, when the force of the wind has fallen upon them more violently and is about to overturn the ship, they, receiving it aptly by the frequent adjustments of the sails, resolve all the danger, and by opposing their own skill to the violent onsets of the winds, snatch the ship from the surge. But if, sailing the sensible sea for the sake of worldly goods, they have such a continuously watchful soul, we ought to be much more prepared in this way; for both the danger is greater for those who are slothful, and the safety is greater for those who are vigilant. For this ship of ours was not constructed from planks, but has been joined together from the divine Scriptures, nor do stars guide it from above, but the Sun of righteousness steers this voyage for us; and we sit at the rudders, awaiting not the breath of the west wind, but the gentle breeze of the Spirit.
β'. Let us therefore be vigilant and observe the paths with precision; for our discourse is again concerning the glory of the Only-begotten. For previously we were showing that the wisdom, the comprehension of the essence, of God, far exceeds the wealth of men, and of angels, and of archangels, and simply of all creation, and is known and plain only to the Only-begotten and to the Holy Spirit; but now our discourse has moved to another part of the struggle. For we are inquiring whether the Son is of the same power, of the same authority, and of the same essence as the Father; or rather, we are not inquiring, but have found this through the grace of Christ, and hold it with safety; but we are preparing now to demonstrate this very thing to those who are shameless regarding these matters. I am ashamed, indeed, and I blush, about to enter into these arguments against them. For who would not laugh at us as we attempt to construct and prove things so manifest? And what condemnation would there not be in inquiring whether the Son is consubstantial with the Father? For this contradicts not only the Scriptures, but also the common opinion of all men, and the very nature of things. For that the one born is consubstantial with the one who begat him, one may see this not only in the case of men, but also of all animals, and even of trees. How, then, is it not absurd that this law remains immovable in the case of plants and men and animals, but in the case of God alone you should move and overturn it? Nevertheless, in order that we may not seem to assert these things from the affairs among us, come, let us prove this from the Scriptures themselves, and let us stir up the arguments concerning these things. For it is not we who are convinced, but those who disbelieve who will incur the laughter—they who stand against things so manifest and look askance at the truth. What things are manifest, one says? For if, because he is called Son, he is consubstantial with the Father, we shall also be able to be consubstantial; for we also are called sons; for "I said," he says, "you are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High." O the shamelessness! O the ultimate folly! How they show their madness through everything! When we were moving the discourse concerning the Incomprehensible, they were contending to claim for themselves that which belonged only to the Only-begotten: to know God as accurately as He knows Himself; but now, when our discourse is concerning the glory of the Only-begotten, they contend to drag Him down to their own insignificance by saying that we also are called sons. And this by no means makes us consubstantial with God. You say "son," but He truly is; here is a word, there is a reality. You say "son," but you are not called Only-begotten as He is; you do not dwell in the bosom of the Father, you are not the radiance of his glory, nor are you the impress of his substance, nor do you exist as the form of God. If, therefore, the former does not persuade you, let these things persuade you, and many others more than these, which testify to His noble birth. For when He wishes to show the unchangeable nature of His essence relative to Him who begat Him: "He that has seen me," He says, "has seen the Father." When [He shows] the peculiar quality of His power: "I and the Father are one." When [He shows] the equality of authority: "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wills." When [He shows] the identity of worship: "That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father." And when [He shows] the authority in the transformations of the laws: "My Father," He says, "works, and I work." But they, passing over all these things, and not having taken the name "Son" in its proper sense, since they themselves have been honored with the title of sons, drag the Son down to the same insignificance, saying: "I said, you are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High." So then, since you say that because of the title of son the Son has nothing more than you, and according to this is not...
to be reckoned as different from Him, He added: "He searched out every path of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel who was loved by him." After this, He was seen upon the earth and walked among men. And Paul says: "From whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever, amen." And again: "Every fornicator or covetous person has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." And again: "According to the appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." And John also calls Him so, saying: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
γ. Yes, he says; but show me this: where does Scripture, by identifying Him with the Father, call the Father Lord? But I show not only this, but that it calls the Father Lord, and the Son Lord, and that it calls the Father God, and the Son God, placing both names together. Where, then, is this to be found? Christ, discoursing once with the Jews, says: "What do you think concerning the Christ? Whose son is he?" They say to Him, "David's." He says to them: "How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand?" Behold, Lord and Lord. Do you wish to learn where Scripture, placing them together, calls both the Father and the Son God? Hear both the prophet David and the apostle Paul declaring this to us: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of uprightness. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." And Paul, 484 again, brought forward this testimony, saying that he says to the angels: "Who makes his angels spirits," but to the Son: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." Why then, he says, did he call the Father God here, and the Son Lord? He did not do this simply or without purpose, but because his discourse was directed toward Greeks who were suffering from polytheism. Therefore, so that they might not say that while reproving us for saying there are many gods and many lords, he himself is caught by these same charges by saying "gods" and not "God," for this reason, condescending to their weakness, he calls the Son by another name that possesses the same power. And that this is true, let us read the passage from the beginning, and you will know clearly that what is said is not our conjecture: "But concerning things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Concerning the eating of things offered to idols, then, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one." Do you see that he is directing these words toward those who think there are many gods? "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (again, he fights against them), as there are many gods and many lords, that is to say, so-called; but to us there is one God the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things." For this reason he added the "one," so that they might not think polytheism was being brought back in, and he called the Father one God, not casting the Son out of the Godhead, just as he also called the Son one Lord, not casting the Father out of the Lordship, but correcting the weakness of those men, and wishing to give them no handle. This, then, has been the reason why the Son of God was not made known to the Jews through the prophets clearly and openly, but rather obscurely and rarely. For having just been set free from the error of polytheism, if they had heard "God and God" again, they would have reverted to the same sickness. For this reason, up and down, the prophets continually say that there is one God, and besides Him there is none; not rejecting the Son—God forbid—but wishing to heal their weakness, and to persuade them to be rid for the time being of the suspicion of many gods that do not exist. When, therefore, you hear "one" and "no one" and all such things, do not diminish the glory of the Trinity, but learn through these expressions its distinction from creation; since elsewhere He says: "For who has known the mind of the Lord?" And that this is the meaning here, and that it does not cast out either the Son or the Spirit from knowledge, has been proven beforehand in what was said above, that we brought forward the testimony which says: "For who knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? So also, no one knows the things of God, except the Spirit of God." And again, Christ says: "No one knows the Son, except the Father, nor does anyone fully know the Father, except the Son." So also here: "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God; he has seen the Father." For he said at once that he knows Him with precision, and he set forth the cause, for which he knows. And what is the cause? That he is from Him; and the proof that he is from Him is again the fact that he knows Him with precision. For this reason he knows Him clearly, because he is from Him, and the sign of being from Him is to know Him clearly. For an essence could not know well an essence that surpasses it, even if the distance between them be small. Hear, then, what the prophet says concerning the angels and concerning human nature, that the difference between this and that is small. For having said, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou dost visit him?" he added, "Thou didst make him a little lower than the angels." But yet, even if the distance is small, because there is a distance at all, we do not know the essence of angels with precision; even if we philosophize ten thousand things, we are unable to find it.
δ. And what do I say of angels, when we do not even know the essence of our own soul well, or rather, not even in any way? And if they contend to know, ask them what the soul is in its essence: is it air, or Spirit, or wind, or fire? But they will say none of these, for these are all bodies, whereas it is bodiless. Then, the angels they do not know, nor their own souls, yet they contend to know the Master and Creator of all with precision? And what could be worse than this folly? And why do I say, what is the soul in its essence?
agitated, or disturbed, or running away, or abused, or fleeing, if ever Christ uttered anything great and sublime, I will try to show you that they ran to Him and accepted the teaching whenever He said anything humble and lowly. 506 For those very same people, those who were running away, when He said again, "I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I speak," they immediately ran to Him. And desiring to show us that it was because of the lowliness of the words that they believed, the Evangelist notes, saying, "As He spoke these things, many believed in Him." One may find this happening in many other places. For this reason, He often uttered many things humanly, and again, not humanly, but in a way worthy of God and worthy of His own nobility—on the one hand, condescending to the weakness of the hearers, and on the other, providing for the correctness of the dogmas. For, so that His condescension, occurring continuously, might not harm the opinion regarding His dignity among those who followed, He did not neglect that aspect either. Rather, although He foreknew that they would not listen, but would even insult Him and run away, nevertheless He said it, both to establish this very thing I mentioned and to show the cause for which He mingled lowly words with them. This cause was that they were not yet able to receive the magnitude of the things being said. And if He had not wished to establish this, the teaching of the sublime dogmas would have been superfluous for those who would not listen or pay attention. But as it is, even if it did not benefit them, it trained us and prepared us to hold the proper opinion concerning Him, and convinced us that it was because they were not yet able to receive the magnitude of the things being said that He shifted the discourse to the more humble. When, therefore, you see Him saying humble things, do not consider that condescension to be one of lowliness regarding His essence, but of weakness regarding the minds of the hearers. Do you wish me to state a third cause? For not only because of the covering of the flesh, nor only because of the weakness of the hearers, but because He wished to teach His hearers to be humble-minded, He did and said many humble things. And this is also a third reason. For He who teaches humility does not instruct in this by words alone, but also by deeds, practicing moderation both in speech and in action. "For learn from me," He says, "that I am meek and lowly in heart." And again elsewhere, "The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve." He, therefore, who teaches people to be humble, and in no way to rush after positions of honor, but to accept being humbled everywhere—urging them toward this both by words and by deeds—had many pretexts for speaking in a humble way.
There is also a fourth cause to be mentioned, no less significant than those already stated. What is it? That we might never fall into the suspicion of one person and one substance because of the great and ineffable proximity of the hypostases, where even now, though He has spoken such things only a few times, some have already slipped into this impiety. Sabellius, at any rate, the Libyan, having heard Him say, "I and the Father are one," 507 and, "He who has seen me has seen the Father," seized upon the proximity to the Begetter appearing from these words as a basis for impiety, and caught at the suspicion of a single person and a single hypostasis. Nor are these the only pretexts. There is also the fact that no one might consider Him to be the first and unbegotten essence, and might suppose Him to be greater than the One who begat Him. For Paul himself also appears to have feared this very thing, lest someone might ever suspect this impious and wicked dogma. For, having said, "For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet," and having added that "He has put all things under His feet," he added, "except for Him who subjected all things to Him." He would not have added this if he had not feared that some diabolical notion of that sort might arise. In many places, He also softens the sublimity of His words to soothe the jealousy of the Jews, and often answers in response to the suspicion of those conversing with Him, as when He says, "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true." For He spoke thus pointing to their suspicion; for He did not wish to show that it was not true, but rather, as you yourselves think and suspect, He says, not willing to accept Him when He speaks about Himself.
5. It is possible to find other, more numerous causes. We could mention many pretexts for the lowliness of the words, but you could not name another pretext for the sublime dogmas, other than the one we have mentioned—which was His wish to demonstrate His own nobility to us. But you could not name another one. For the great man might be able to say something small about himself, and it is no accusation; for this is a matter of kindness. But the small man, if he should ever say something great about himself, will not escape the accusation of arrogance. For this reason, we all praise the exalted man when he says humble things about himself, but no one will praise the humble man if he should ever say something great about himself. Thus, if the Son were much inferior to the Father, as you say, He ought not to have spoken words by which He showed Himself equal to the Begetter; for that would be arrogance. However, for One who is equal to the Begetter to say certain lowly and trivial things is no reproach, nor any cause for fault; for this is a matter of praise and the greatest wonder. And in order that the things said may become clearer, and that you all may learn that we are not making conjectures about the divine Scriptures, come, let us now examine the first of these aforementioned causes, and let us show where, because of the covering of the flesh, He clearly utters words that are inferior to His own essence. And, if it pleases you, let us bring into the midst the very prayer which He prayed to the Father. But listen to us with attention; for I wish to recount the whole matter to you from the beginning. A supper was once held on that holy night on which He was to be betrayed—for I call it holy, since the ten thousand blessings that occurred throughout the world took their beginning from there. 508 At that time, therefore, the betrayer was reclining with the eleven disciples, and while they were eating, Christ says, "One of you will betray me." Remember these words of mine for me, so that when we come to the prayer, we may see for what reason He was so occupied. And consider for me the masterly care of the Master: He did not say,
A that Judas will betray Me, so as to make him more shameless by the obviousness of the reproofs; but as that man, goaded by his conscience, says, "Is it I, Lord?" He says to him, "You have said it." And not even then did He refrain from accusing him, but He made him his own accuser; yet not even so did he become better, but taking the morsel he went out. Since, therefore, he had gone out, Jesus, taking the disciples, says: "All of you will be offended because of Me." And when Peter spoke against this and said, "Even if all are offended, yet I will never be offended," Jesus again says, "Amen, I say to you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." B And as he again spoke against it, He left him at that point. "You are not persuaded," He says, "by words, but you speak against them; you will be persuaded by the events themselves, that it is not right to speak against the Master." And remember these words of mine again, for the memory of them will be useful to us when we examine the prayer. He foretold the traitor, He foretold the flight of all, and His own death: "I will strike," He says, "the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." He foretold the one who would deny Him, and when and how often, and everything with precision. And after all these things, having given sufficient proof of His foreknowledge of things to come, He comes to a certain place C and prays. And they say that the prayer belongs to His divinity, but we say that it belongs to the economy. Judge, therefore, and bring in a verdict unfavorable to none, by the very standard of the glory of the Only-begotten. For even if I am being judged now among friends, I entreat and beg for the judgment to be impartial, and neither for my favor nor for their ill will. For, in the first place, it is clear even from this that the prayer is not of His divinity; for God does not pray, for God’s part is to be worshiped; God’s part is to receive prayer, not to offer it. But nevertheless, since they are shameless, I will try to make it clear to you from the very words of the prayer that it is the whole of the economy, and of the weakness according to the flesh. For when Christ speaks something humble, He speaks it so humble and D lowly that He is able to persuade even those who are extremely contentious that the words fall far short of that ineffable and unspeakable essence. Let us go, therefore, to the words of the prayer themselves: "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." Let us therefore ask them here: does He not know whether it is possible or not, the One who a little before at the supper said, "One of you will betray Me"? The One who a little before said, "It is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered"; and, that "All of you will be offended because of Me"; the One who said to Peter that "You will deny Me," and "You will deny Me three times"—does He not know now, tell me? And who among those who are in any state of mind would say this? For indeed, when that which is unknown is not clear to anyone, neither to prophets, nor to angels, nor to archangels, perhaps it might provide some handle to the contentious; but when that which is unknown is so clear and known to all, such that even men know it with precision, what defense and what excuse is there for those who say that He said these things while ignorant? He, therefore, about whom I speak this [764 A] argument, even His servants appear to know with precision, and that He was to die, and that it was necessary for Him to suffer this by the cross, and David, revealing both of these things so many years before, spoke from the person of Christ: "They pierced My hands and My feet," and He announced the future as having happened, showing that, just as it was impossible for the events not to happen, so also it was impossible for this not to have happened. Again, Isaiah, speaking of this very thing in advance, said: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is dumb." B John, seeing this lamb again, said: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," that same One who was foretold, he says. And see, it is not said simply "the lamb," but "of God" is added. For since there was also another lamb, the Jewish one, he said it this way to show that this One is of God. That one was offered only for the nation, this One was offered for the whole inhabited world; and that one's blood prevented a bodily plague of the Jews only, but this One's blood has become a common purification for the whole inhabited world. And this blood of the Jewish lamb was able to do what it did, not by its own nature, but because it was a type of this One, it had that power.
§ 5. Where then are they who say that He is also called Son, and we are sons, and attempt to bring Him down to our lowliness from the communion according to the appellation? For behold, lamb and lamb, and the name is one, but the gap between the nature of each is infinite. Just as, therefore, hearing here of a communion of appellation, you do not imagine things to be equal, so indeed here too, hearing of son and son, do not bring the Only-begotten down to your lowliness. But why is it necessary to speak concerning the obvious? C For if the prayer is of the Godhead, He will be found to be contradicting Himself and fighting and struggling. For this One who said here, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me," and while shrinking from and recoiling from the passion, having said elsewhere that it is necessary for the Son of man to be betrayed and scourged, when He heard Peter saying, "Merciful to You, this shall never happen to You," He rebuked him so severely as to say, "Get behind Me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to Me, because you do not think the things of God, but the things of men." And yet, a short time before, He had praised and blessed him; yet, nevertheless, He called him Satan, not wishing to insult the Apostle, but desiring to show through the insult D that the thing said was not according to His will, but so alien that, although it was Peter, He did not hesitate to call him Satan. Again, He says elsewhere: "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you." For what reason, then, does He say "this Passover"? And yet He performed this feast with them at other times also; for what reason then? Because the cross was after it. And again, "Father, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You." And
we find frequently foretelling the passion, and eager for it to come to pass, and for this reason drawing near to it. How then does he say here, "If it be possible"? He is demonstrating to us the weakness of human nature, which does not simply choose to be severed from the present life, but shrinks back and hesitates because of the affection for the present life originally implanted in it by God. A For if, when he had said such great and such numerous things, some dared to say that he did not assume flesh, if none of these things had been said, what would they not have said? For this reason he foretells there as God, and desires the passion to come to pass; but here he flees and declines, as a man. For since he was coming to the passion voluntarily, he says, "I have power to lay down my soul, and I have power to take it up again. No one takes it from me, I lay it down of myself." How then does he say, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt"? And why do you marvel if, before the cross, he manifested such anxiety to give assurance of the reality of the flesh, when even after the resurrection, seeing the disciple doubting, he did not refuse to show him both the wounds and the marks of the nails, and to let him place his hand upon the scars, and to say, "Search and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones"? For this reason he did not even from the beginning assume an adult human being, but endured to be conceived, and born, and nourished with milk, and to spend so much time on earth, so that even by the length of time, and by all other means, he might give assurance of this very thing. B For since angels often appeared on earth in the form of a man, and God himself did likewise, but what was seen was not the reality of flesh, but a condescension; so that you might not imagine that this presence too was such as those were, but might be truly assured that it was true flesh, it was conceived, and born, and nourished, and laid in a manger, not in some little house, but in an inn, with a vast multitude present, so that his birth might be made public. For this reason also swaddling clothes, and prophecies from above saying this very thing, not only that he will be man, but that he will be conceived, and born, and will be nourished according to the law of children. And this Isaiah cries out saying: "Behold, the virgin shall have in her womb, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel; butter and honey he shall eat." And again, "A child has been born to us, a son and given to us." Do you see how they announced his former age beforehand? C Ask, therefore, the heretic: Does God fear, and shrink, and hesitate, and grieve? And if he says that he does, depart from him henceforth, and place him down with the devil, or rather even lower than him; for not even that one would dare to say this. But if he says that none of these things is worthy of God, say: Therefore he does not pray since he is God; for besides these things, another absurdity will arise if these are the words of God. For the words indicate not only agony, but also two wills, one of the Son, and one of the Father, contrary to each other; for the saying, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt," is what indicates this. But this even they never conceded; but while we always say that "I and the Father are one," in terms of power, they say this is spoken in terms of will, saying that the Father and the Son have one will. If, therefore, there is one will of the Father and the Son, how does he say here, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt"? For if this were said regarding the Godhead, a certain contradiction arises, and many absurdities are born from this; but if regarding the flesh, the things said make sense, and no accusation could arise. D For the flesh not wishing to die is not a condemnation; for this is of nature; but he exhibits all that belongs to nature without sin, and with much abundance, so as to shut the mouths of the heretics. When, therefore, he says, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me," and, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt," he shows nothing else, but that he has truly taken on flesh which fears death; for to fear death and to shrink and to be in agony is proper to it. Now indeed he leaves it alone, and stripped of its proper activity, in order that, having shown its weakness, he might give assurance also of its nature; but at other times he hides it, so that you might learn that he was not a mere man. For just as, if he had always demonstrated human things, this would have been thought, so if he had always performed the things of the Godhead, the plan of the economy would have been disbelieved. For this reason he varies, and mixes both the words and the deeds, so that he might give no pretext to the disease and madness of Paul of Samosata, nor that of Marcion and Manichaeus; for this reason he also foretells what is to be as God, and shrinks back again as man.
7. I wished to proceed to the other causes, and to show by those very things, that just as he cried out here exposing the weakness of the flesh, so also elsewhere he was correcting the weakness of the listeners; for one should not think that all the things spoken humbly were said only on account of the covering of the flesh, but also on account of the other causes which I mentioned; but so that I may not submerge the multitude of the things said with the abundance of those that are about to be said, here I shall stop my discourse to them, and postponing the remainder to another day, I shall turn to the exhortation of prayer again. For although it has been said to us many times regarding this subject, yet even now it is necessary to speak. For even of garments, some indeed, dyed once, lose the dye, but those which dyers dip often and continuously and draw out, preserve the bloom of the color unmoved; this indeed also happens in the case of our own souls. For when we hear the same words often, having received the teaching like some dye, we would not easily spit it out. Let us not, therefore, hear it perfunctorily; for there is not, there is not anything more powerful than prayer, nor equal to it. Not so is a king glorious, clothed in purple, as is he who is praying, adorned by his conversation with God. For just as, if there were a camp present, with commanders, rulers, and many consuls, someone were to approach and converse privately with the king, he turns the eyes of all towards himself, and by this becomes more venerable; so indeed also in the case of prayer.
Consider, for what it is worth, when angels are present, when archangels are standing by, when the Cherubim and Seraphim and all the other heavenly powers are there, for a human being—himself just a man—to be able to approach with such confidence and converse with the King of those very powers! Of how great honor would this not be worthy? And it is not honor alone, but a very great benefit that might come to us from prayer, even before we receive what we ask. For as soon as someone has lifted up his hands to heaven and called upon God, he has immediately departed from all human affairs, and in his mind has moved to the life to come, and already imagines the things that are in the heavens, and has nothing to do with the present life during the time of prayer, provided he prays with precision. But even if anger should seethe, it is easily quieted; if desire burns, it is extinguished; if envy consumes, it is driven away with great ease. And this happen—that which the prophet says—at the rising of the sun. But what does he say? "You appointed darkness and it became night; in it all the beasts of the forest shall prowl, young lions roaring to snatch and to seek from God their food. The sun rose, and they were gathered together, and they shall lie down in their dens." As therefore when the ray rises, all the beasts are driven away and hide themselves in their own dens, so indeed through prayer, as if a certain ray appearing from our mouth and tongue, the mind is illuminated, while all the irrational and bestial passions flee and are driven away, and hide themselves in their own dens, provided only that we pray with precision, and with a soul aroused and a sober mind. Then, even if the devil is present, he is driven away; even if a demon, he retreats. For if when a servant is conversing with his master, none of the fellow-servants, nor any of those who have confidence, would dare to approach and disturb them, much more so these, being offenders and having no confidence, would not be able to disturb us as we converse with God with B the proper assiduity.
Prayer is a harbor for those storm-tossed, an anchor for those buffeted by the waves, a staff for those who are unsteady, a treasure for the poor, a security for the wealthy, the destruction of diseases, the guardian of health. Prayer also preserves our good things undisturbed, and changes our bad things quickly; and even if temptation should come, it is easily warded off; and if there is a loss of money, or anything else that brings sorrow to our soul, it quickly drives it all away. Prayer is a place of refuge for all sorrows, a cause of joy, a source of perpetual pleasure, a mother of philosophy. He who is able to pray with precision, even if he is the poorest of all, is wealthier than all; just as he who is deprived of prayer, even if he sits upon the royal throne itself, is the poorest of all. Was not Ahab king, and did he not possess untold gold and silver? But because he had no prayer, he went about looking for Elijah, a man who did not even have a lodging, nor a cloak, but a sheepskin only. What is this, tell me? You who have such storehouses, are you seeking him who has nothing? Yes, he says. For what good to me are the storehouses, when this man has locked up heaven and rendered everything useless? Do you see how this man was more well-to-do than that one? For until he spoke, the king was in great poverty with his entire army. O the miracle! He did not even have a cloak, and he locked up heaven! For this very reason he locked up heaven, because he had no cloak; because he possessed nothing here, for that reason he displayed great power. For by opening his lips only, he caused myriads of treasures of good things to be brought down from above. O mouth that possessed fountains of rain! O tongue that sent forth drizzles of showers! O voice that gushed forth myriad good things! Looking always to this man, the poor and the wealthy—the man who was wealthy for this reason, because he was poor—let us despise the present things, and desire the things of the future. For thus shall we obtain all the good things of both the present and of that world; of which may we all be granted to partake, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
On the remaining points against the heretics, and on judgment and almsgiving, and on the request of the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Homily Eight.
1. We have returned yesterday from war, from the war and battle against the heretics, having our weapons stained with blood, the sword of the word reddened—not having struck down bodies, but having slaughtered arguments and "every height raised up against the knowledge of God." Such, indeed, 514 is the kind of this battle; therefore also, such is the nature of the weapons. The blessed Paul, teaching both of these things, said: "For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful with God for the destruction of strongholds, destroying arguments and every height raised up against the knowledge of God." It was necessary, therefore, to tell those who were left behind the casualties that occurred yesterday, and to recount the line of battle, the conflict, the victory, the trophies. But in order that we might not make you more slothful, having run through these things, so that by the loss, you who were left behind might be stung and become more zealous, we shall touch upon what follows again today. If, however, anyone is zealous and aroused, he will learn from those who were present today what was said by us on yesterday's day. For our listeners displayed such eagerness toward us, that they departed home having taken everything, and having left nothing...