making them more secure. For love is the beginning and the end of all virtue; and may we, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power unto the ages of ages, truly and continuously enjoy the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
ADMONITION
This was delivered at Constantinople. This is clearly signified by Chrysostom when he says: "At that time, therefore,"—that is, recently, as is clear from the preceding, we were weaving that argument from the Old Testament, where the glory of the only-begotten Son of God was being discussed; "now," from this same source, "Christ was saying: If you believed Moses, you would believe me also." But now we say that this was spoken by Moses: "The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brethren; like me you shall hear him." Just as, for instance, in the preceding homily, which is against the Anomoeans, no. 2. For it happens that that verse, "If you believed Moses," etc., was removed in all previous editions from the place and time and argument where Chrysostom himself, placing both together, teaches that they should not be separated.
The first Latin interpretation is by someone unknown; the second is by Flaminius Nobilius. We have placed the latter, corrected in many places, opposite the Greek text.
HOMILY XI. Homily delivered at Constantinople against the Anomoeans concerning the Incomprehensible, and that the New is in harmony with the Old, and to those who absent themselves from the divine assemblies.
Eleventh Discourse.
1. I addressed you for one day, and from that day forth I have loved you in such a way as if I had been reared with you from the beginning and from the very first. I have been so bound to you by the bonds of love as if I had enjoyed your most sweet communion for an inexpressible amount of time. And this has come to pass, not because I am a friendly and affectionate person, but because you are, above all others, desirable and lovely. For who among you would not admire and marvel at your burning zeal, your unfeigned love, your goodwill toward your teachers, and your concord toward one another, all of which are enough to draw even a heart of stone to itself? For this reason, we also love you no less than that other Church in which we were born, and reared, and educated; for this one is a sister to that one, and you have demonstrated that kinship through your deeds. And if that one is older in time, this one is warmer in faith; greater is the assembly there, and more brilliant the spectacle, but greater here is the patience, and more numerous the displays of courage. Wolves surround the sheep from every side, and the flock is not...
swallowed up; a storm and a tempest and a surge of waves have surrounded this holy ship continuously, and those sailing in it are not submerged; the aggression of an heretical flame circles it from every side, and yet those in the midst of the furnace enjoy a spiritual dew. Similarly, it is a wondrous thing in this part of the world to see this Church so planted, just as if one were to see an olive tree flourishing in the midst of a furnace, and lush with leaves, and heavy with fruit. Since, therefore, you are so grateful and worthy of ten thousand blessings, come let us pay with all grace the promise which we made to you some time ago, when we were philosophizing in your presence about the arms of David and Goliath, showing by our discourse that the one was fenced in from every side with very great and elaborate armor, while the other was naked of those arms but fortified by faith; and the one glistened from the outside with breastplate and shield, while the other shone from within by the Spirit and grace. For this reason, then, the boy defeated the youth, the naked one overcame the armed one, the shepherd cast down the soldier, and the nature of the shepherd’s stone crushed and destroyed the nature of the warrior’s bronze. Let us, therefore, also make use of that stone, I mean the cornerstone, the intelligible one. For if it is permitted for Paul to philosophize about the rock in the desert, surely no one will be angry with us if we interpret this stone in the same way. For just as with the Jews, it was not the nature of the visible rock, but the power of the intelligible ONE that sent forth those rivers of water, so too in the case of David, it was not the sensible stone, but the intelligible one that brought down that barbarian head. Thus, we promised you then that we would say nothing from mere syllogisms. For our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual, destroying syllogisms and every height that is raised up against the knowledge of God. We are ordered, therefore, to destroy them, not to raise them up; we are commanded to dismantle them, not to arm ourselves with them. “For the syllogisms of mortals are cowardly,” he says. What is “cowardly”? The coward, even if he walks on safe ground, is not yet confident, but fears and trembles; so also that which is accepted by syllogisms, even if it be true, does not yet provide full assurance to the soul and sufficient faith. Since, therefore, the weakness of syllogisms is so great, come let us take up the battle against the adversaries from the Scriptures. Whence, then, must we begin our speech? From wherever you wish, whether from the New or from the Old; for it is not only in the evangelical and apostolic words, but also in the prophetic and in the entire Old Testament that it is possible to see the glory of the Only-Begotten shining with great abundance; and for this reason, it seems to me that from there I should skirmish against them. For by taking our arguments from there, we shall be able to overthrow not only these, but many other heretics as well—Marcion, Manichaeus, Valentinus, and all the systems of the Jews. For just as in the case of David, Goliath fell, and the entire camp fled, and the slaughter was of one body A and of one head, while the flight and fear were the common lot of the entire camp; so too with us, one heresy having been struck and fallen, there shall be a common flight of all those that have been enumerated. B For while the Manichaeans and those diseased with their same errors think they receive the Christ who is preached, they dishonor the prophets and patriarchs who preached Him; the Jews, on the other hand, conversely seem to receive and honor those who preached Him—I mean the prophets and their lawgiver—but they dishonor the One preached by them. When, therefore, by the grace of God we show the glory of the Only-Begotten fore-proclaimed in the Old Testament with such abundance, we shall be able to put to shame all those god-fighting mouths and muzzle their blasphemous tongues. For when the Old Testament appears *preaching* Christ, what defense will there be for the Manichaeans and those like them, who dishonor the One who fore-proclaimed the common Master of all? And what pardon and excuse for the Jews who do not accept the One proclaimed by the prophets?
β'. Since, therefore, there is such abundance of victory, let us lead our discourse to the more ancient books, and to that which of all the ancient ones is the most ancient—I mean Genesis—and let us ascend to the summit of Genesis itself. For that Moses says much concerning Christ, listen to Christ Himself saying: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me” (John V, 46). But where did he write about Him? This I shall now try to show. For when the creation was entirely completed, and the heaven was crowned with a varied choir of stars, and the earth below shone back at it with flowers of all kinds, and the mountain peaks were full, and the plains and ravines were full, and, in short, the entire surface of the earth was *full* of plants and trees and herbs, and flocks were leaping, and herds were leaping, and the choir of songbirds—displaying its own nature—was filling all the air with music, and the seas were full of aquatic animals, and the lakes and springs and rivers were full of all the things born in them, and nothing was incomplete, but all was finished, then the body sought its head, the city its ruler, the creation its king, I mean the human being. C When, therefore, God was about to fashion him, He says: “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. I, 26). With whom is He speaking? It is evident that it is with His own Only-Begotten. And He did not say, “Make,” so that you would not think that what was being said was a servile command, but “Let us make,” so that through the form of the counsel of the words He might reveal the equality of honor. For sometimes it is said that God has a counselor, and sometimes that He does not, not because the Scripture contradicts itself, but because it hides profound dogmas from us through both of these. For when it wishes to manifest His self-sufficiency, it says He has no counselor; but when it wishes to manifest the equality of honor of the Only-Begotten, it calls the Son of God a counselor. And so that you may learn both of these—that the prophets call the Son a counselor, D not as if the Father were in need of counsel, but so that we might learn the honor of the Only-Begotten, and that, on the other hand, He does not need a counselor—listen to Paul saying: “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” (Rom. XI, 33–34).
A This person, then, demonstrated His lack of need, but Isaiah, speaking again of the Only-Begotten Son of God, says somewhat in this way: “And they shall wish, if they had been burned with fire, that a child was born to us, a son, and he was given to us, and his name is called Messenger of Great Counsel, Wonderful Counselor” (Isa. IX, 6). And if He is a Wonderful Counselor, how does Paul say: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” (Rom. XI, 34)? Because Paul, as I have just said, wishes to demonstrate the lack of need of the Father, while the Prophet wishes to show the equal honor of the Only-Begotten. For this reason, even here, He did not say, “Make,” but, “Let us make”; for the “Make” is of an order being given to a servant, and it is clear from this. A centurion once approached Jesus and says: “Lord, my servant has been lying in the house, paralyzed, terribly tormented” (Matt. VIII, 6). What then does Christ do? “I having come, will heal him” (Matt. VIII, 7). The centurion, then, did not dare to draw the physician into the house, but the Guardian and Lover of mankind offered of His own accord to go there, so that He might give that person the opportunity and excuse to show us his virtue. For knowing what he was about to say, He offered to come, so that you might learn the reverence 544 of the man. For what does the centurion say? “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof” (Matt. VIII, 8). Neither the necessity of the disease nor the infirmity of his own [servant] persuaded him to forget his reverence, but even in the calamity he recognized the preeminence of the Master. Wherefore he says: “Speak by a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man having soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to the other, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matt. VIII, 8–9).
Do you see that “Do this” is for a master addressing a servant? Therefore, “Let us make” is for someone of equal honor. So when a master speaks to a servant, he says, “Do”; but when the Father holds discourse with the Son, He says, “Let us make.” What then, he says, if the centurion suspected this, but the matter was not so? For is the centurion an apostle? Is he a disciple, so that I should accept his words? It is likely that he was mistaken, he says. Very well; what then? Let us see, then, what follows. Did Christ correct him? Did He rebuke him as one erring and introducing corrupted doctrines? Did He say to him: “Why do you do this, man? You have a greater opinion of me than is proper; you bestow upon me more than is due to me; you think I am giving commands out of authority when I have no authority”? Did He say anything of the sort? By no means; but He even ratified his opinion, and said to those who followed, “Amen, I say to you, I have not found such faith even in Israel” (Matt. VIII, 10). The praise of the Master, therefore, becomes a ratification of the words of the centurion. For the words spoken are no longer of the centurion, but it is a master’s pronouncement; for when He Himself praises what has been said, and votes for them as having been well spoken, I accept them as a divine oracle. For the authority was received from above from the answer of Christ.
C 3. Do you see how the New is in accord with the Old? How both demonstrate the authority of Christ? What then, if He were making man, but was making him as a minister? Then it is a matter of ill-timed contentiousness! For having said, “Let us make man,” He did not add, “according to the image, your lesser one,” nor, “according to the image, mine, the greater,” but what? “According to our image, and according to likeness” (Gen. I, 26), by saying it in this way showing that there is one image of the Father and the Son; for He did not say “images,” but “Our image”; for it is not two uneven things, but one and the same is the image of the Son and the Father. For this reason, He is also said to sit at the right hand, so that you may learn of the equal honor and the unvarying nature of the authority; for a minister does not sit with, but stands beside. And that sitting is the sign of the equal and unvarying nature of the masterly authority, while standing is of a servile and subordinate status, hear what Daniel says: “I was watching until thrones were set, and the Ancient of days was sitting. Ten thousand times ten thousand were ministering to him, and a thousand thousands stood before him” (Dan. VII, 9–10). And again Isaiah: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the seraphim stood” 545 “around him” (Isa. VI, 1–2). And also Micah: “I saw the Lord, the God of Israel, sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven stood by him on his right and on his left” (III Kings XXII, 19). Do you see everywhere the powers above standing, while He Himself is sitting? When, therefore, you see the Son also having the throne at the right hand, do not think of Him as having a ministerial and subordinate rank, but a masterly one, and one possessing authority. For this reason, Paul, knowing both these things—that standing is for those who serve, while sitting is for those who command and rule—see how he distinguishes both of these, saying thus: “To his angels he says: ‘Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire’; but to the Son: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever’ (Heb. I, 7–8)”; by the throne revealing the royal authority to us. Since, therefore, through all these things the discourse has shown us the Son to be not of ministerial rank, but of masterly rank, let us worship Him as Master, and equal in honor to the Father; for thus He Himself also commanded, saying: “That all should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father” (John V, 23); and let us join the accuracy of daily life and works to the correctness of doctrines, so that the matters of our salvation may not be half-complete for us.
The accuracy of life and purity of conduct cannot be achieved by anything as much as by constant preoccupation here and by listening with eagerness. For what food is to the body, this the teaching of the divine oracles is to the soul. “For man shall not live by bread alone,” He says, “but by every word proceeding through the mouth of God” (Matt. IV, 4). For this reason, He knows that not partaking of such a table brings about a famine. Hear, then, God threatening this, and holding it out as a rank of punishment and vengeance: “For I will give them,” He says, “not a drought of bread, nor a thirst of water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord” (Amos VIII, 11). How, then, is it not absurd to do everything and to labor to ward off the physical famine, but to willingly bring upon ourselves the famine of the soul, even though it is much more grievous, in as much as the loss concerns greater things? Do not, I beg and entreat, let us counsel ourselves so poorly, but let all business and care D
A be held second to this occupation. For what do you gain so much, tell me, by staying away from the assembly, as you inflict damage upon both yourself and your entire household? For even if you should find a treasure chest filled entirely with gold and were to miss it on account of this, you have been damaged, and so much the more greatly, in as much as spiritual things are better than sensible ones. For those things, even if they be many, even if they flow in from every side, yet they do not journey with us to the life beyond, nor do they accompany us to heaven, nor do they stand by at the fearful judgment-seat, but often leave us and depart even before death; and if they should remain until the end, they are certainly cut short by death. But the spiritual treasure is an inalienable possession; it follows us wherever we go and wherever we journey, and it grants us great boldness at that judgment-seat.
[546] δ'. But if from other assemblies the gain is such, from these assemblies here it becomes double. For we do not only reap the benefit that we irrigate our soul with divine words, but because we also scatter much shame upon our enemies and provide much consolation to our brethren. For this is the gain of the battle-line: to hasten to the part of the war that is laboring, that which is full of danger. Therefore, everyone must hasten here and repel the approaching enemies. Are you unable to stretch out a long argument, nor do you have the gift of teaching? Merely arrive, and you have accomplished everything. For the presence of the body becomes an addition to the flock, and it gives much zeal to your brethren and clothes your enemies in shame. For if someone stepping upon these holy porches sees few gathered, he extinguishes the zeal that is there; he grows numb, retreats, becomes more slothful, and leaves; and thus, little by little, our entire crowd is more lax or even more sluggish. But if he sees them running together, being zealous, streaming from every side, the eagerness of the others becomes a cause of zeal even to the very sluggish and languid. For if a stone rubbed against a stone has often made sparks jump out—and yet what is colder than stone, or what is hotter than fire?—nevertheless, the continuity overcame the nature of them. And if this happens in the case of stone, much more so in the case of souls being rubbed together and warmed by the heat of the Spirit. Have you not heard that in the time of our ancestors all the faithful were one hundred and twenty? Or rather, even before these one hundred and twenty, they were only twelve, and not even all of these remained, but one of them, Judas, was lost, and they were eleven in all. But nevertheless, from those eleven they became one hundred and twenty, B and from the one hundred and twenty, three thousand, then five thousand, then they filled the entire world with the knowledge of God. And the cause was that they never abandoned their gathering together, but were always together in the temple, spending the day passing their time, giving heed to prayers and readings. For this reason they ignited a great fire; for this reason they never slackened, but drew the entire world to themselves. Let us also imitate them. For how is it not absurd not to display as much providence for this Church as women do regarding their own neighbors? For those women, when they see some poor maiden who is destitute of all protection, all contribute what they have in order, and one might see there much noise and crowd as the maiden is being wedded; and some often bring money, others the presence of their body—and this is no small thing, for it becomes a covering for the feebleness of their zeal, and they thus conceal the poverty through their own eagerness. Do this also in the case of this Church. Let us all hasten from every side and cover over its poverty, or rather, let us dissolve its poverty by constantly arriving here. The head of the woman is [547] the man; the woman is a helper to the man. Therefore, let neither the head endure to step upon these holy thresholds without the body, nor let the body be seen without its head, but let the human being enter here whole, having also their children with them.
For if it is a pleasant thing to see a flourishing tree with a sapling rising up from its own root, much more so is it pleasant to see a human being, and more pleasant than any olive tree, standing nearby with the child as a sapling from his own root. And it is not only pleasant, but also profitable. For since I previously said, there is greater reward here for those who are gathered; for we admire the farmer most not when he cultivates land that has often been farmed, but when he takes fields that are unsown and unplowed and deems them worthy of much providence. Thus also did Paul, making it his ambition to preach, not where Christ was already named, but where He was not named. Let us also imitate him, both for the increase of the Church and for our own benefit. Therefore, let us hasten to this assembly each day. And if desire burns, you will be able to extinguish it easily, merely by seeing this house; and if you are angry, with ease you will calm the beast; and if some other passion besieges you, you will be able to break up all the winter and create calm, and great peace for the soul, 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 together with the holy Spirit be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
On the Paralytic, the one who had been for thirty eight years in his infirmity, and on the fact that My Father is working until now, and I am working. Homily Twelve.
a'. Blessed is God. With every assembly, I see the field growing, the crops flourishing, the threshing floor being filled, the sheaves multiplying. And yet we have not many days since we cast this seed, and lo, the rich ear of obedience has immediately sprouted for us. Whence it is clear that it is not human power, but divine grace that cultivates this Church. For such is the nature