by way of the senses. What indeed do the four elements signify for the four-fold nature of the body? The number of the name of him who brings the good tidings of the conception shows, therefore, that the divinity of the Word, which exceeds all perfection, was ineffably united to the body through the medium of an intelligent and sensitive soul. Having clarified these matters, let us now look to the words of the annunciation itself: "Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee." A The word addressed to the Virgin is the opposite of that spoken to Eve. For from the latter, the pains of travail proceeded; but here, joy acts as the midwife to the birth. For the Virgin’s travail was free from pain. Why? Because every pleasure has pain joined to it; but here, pleasure did not precede the birth, nor did pain follow it. Even the prophecy of Isaiah anticipated this: "Before the pain of travail came, she escaped and brought forth a man-child." B "Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb." Mark the precision of the expression. He did not say, "Behold, thou shalt bring forth a son," so that those who later raged against the truth and dared to say that the Word brought down his flesh from heaven might not have a handle. He hedges, therefore, by saying, "Thou shalt conceive in the womb," showing that it was from the very virgin womb that he took on our nature. For it was necessary, truly necessary, that he should put on that very substance which he had come to rectify. And since God does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says, he built for himself a most holy temple from the all-pure bloods of the undefiled maiden, so that, according to the prediction of Daniel, the corner-stone, cut without hands from the shady mountain, as Habakkuk says, might destroy the abominations of the demons. C It was consistent, then, that the one born should also bear a name appropriate to the economy, and that he who came for the salvation of the world should be called Jesus, by whom salvation is signified. "For thou shalt call," he says, "his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest." These things are said according to the human condition; but by what follows, he reminds her of the divine oracles. For the Virgin was already persuaded, since the Lord swore to David that he would place of the fruit of his belly upon his throne; and the Holy One from the shady, wooded mountain...
HOMILY LIII.
and just as this number, when resolved into its own proper parts, returns and stands fast within itself again once those parts are recomposed; thus the only-begotten Son of God, when He had emptied Himself and taken the form of a servant, A and had as it were diminished Himself into His own perfection and dignity, was again fulfilled, never having suffered any loss of perfection. Existent as God, and equally as perfect man.
But our discourse here grows bold, and dares to ask even this: Since we know that Michael is the prince of the angelic order, as the prophecy of Daniel instructs us, and that the custody of the Jewish people was entrusted to him, as the sacred Oracles testify B, for what reason did he not rather become the minister of the mystery, but instead Gabriel instructs the Virgin in the secrets? Because in the first creation of the world, a woman was led astray second after the man, therefore the second of the archangels is sent to the second sex, as is fitting, to announce the second constitution of the world. And since the name of Gabriel C is interpreted as "the strength of God," and it was now about to come to pass that the Son of God, who is the wisdom and power of God D, should take flesh, he is quite congruently the messenger of the mystery.
But why is it that the angel is sent not to the betrothed, Joseph, but to the Virgin? Because He knew that Joseph had nothing in common regarding the generation of the Lord, however much he was termed the guardian and spouse of the Virgin. But since from the beginning the infiltration of sin occurred through a woman, therefore the entry of justice acts through the same gender. Since, moreover, that wise Maximus [(56)] taught us to be lifted up from the elements of names and their number to the understanding of higher things; and seven elements complete the name of Gabriel, the name itself indicates that Christ, whose birth is announced by Gabriel, comes for the salvation of the whole world, which is measured by this hebdomadal movement of time and defined by seven ages [(57)].
But if this inquiry does not seem meddlesome to many, neither is the number of the units of which the name consists divorced from mystical consideration; for from this very thing we shall find the providence of holy Scripture indicated. For the one hundred and fifty-four, which is the sum derived from the name of Gabriel, reveals Him who is announced to be perfect God and perfect man. For a decad, being perfect as it comprehends every number, when multiplied into itself makes a hundred, which indeed shows the divinity to be perfect in all respects. The five-fold decad is the symbol of the perfect soul of man, having its perfection from the mind and working through the senses. But the four, which exceed the body, the four
A spiritual elements, are the foundation of the virtues.
The Homily of Theophanes Kerameus on the Annunciation of the Theotokos.
And the conception was without concubines, and the labor without stain. “The Holy Spirit will overshadow you,” He said, by which He means, He will clothe you, He will fortify you, He will encompass you, and from the illumination of the Word a lamp will be kindled; and your resting place will be passionlessness, and your marriage will be incorruptibility. B And just as the conception was without common union, so the birth was immune from pollution. But the angel, persuading the Virgin, gave token of this from things apparent, and revealed Elizabeth’s pregnancy: “And behold,” he said, “Elizabeth your kinswoman, and she herself has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who is called barren.” One might ask here, from where was this kinship? For the Virgin was from the house and family of David, that is, from the tribe of Judah; whereas Elizabeth was descended from the Levitical lineage. How then does he call her a kinswoman of the Virgin? It is appropriate, therefore, to know that the Levitical tribe was often mingled with the royal one. C For Christ, who was both King and High Priest, was destined to arise from the tribe of Judah. How, then, was this kinship between them? Come, let us weave the story as we have heard it from the traditions of the fathers. Mathan the Bethleemite, and a priest, begot three daughters: Mary, and Anna, and Sobe. Now of Sobe was born Elizabeth, and of Anna the all-holy Mistress of us all. Therefore, Elizabeth and the Virgin were born of two sisters. But why did Zacharias, having disbelieved the angel, receive the punishment of muteness immediately upon his words, while the Virgin, having said, “How shall this be?” D is not punished, but is instructed in the manner of it? Because indeed Zacharias...
had the example of Abraham and Sarah; regarding whom he ought, by looking upon them, not to have disbelieved the good news. But for a virgin to give birth was truly a paradox and strange to nature. Besides, the Virgin did not say these things to the angel out of disbelief, but desiring to learn the supernatural quality of the matter. Having been initiated into the mystery, therefore, and its manner, and having heard, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you,” she accepts the good news as a grateful person, and surrenders herself entirely to the will of God, and says, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” And immediately the word of the angel was made manifest in deed, and the womb possessed God, and the law of marriage was unknown to the Mother of God. Having therefore conceived her own Creator, she sets out with haste into the hill country to partake of the joy and the wonder with Elizabeth. But that morning-star prophet, who was being carried in the barren womb, even before he beheld the sun, recognized the Sun of righteousness, as being borne in the virginal womb as in a light cloud, and silently pointed out the Master. For as he did not yet possess speech, he rendered that which he did have: a leap; and he provided his mother with the means of offering praise to the Virgin, worshipping the Lord conceived within her, to whom is due all honor and glory and praise, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY LIV. On the text, "All things have been delivered unto me by my Father." It was spoken during the feast of Saint Onuphrius.
It is for me a matter of wonder to reflect upon the property of virtue; for he who pursues it, the more he strives to keep it hidden, the more is it proclaimed. And while its laborers hid themselves in deserts, on mountains, and in ravines, virtue itself, arming its fame and thundering into ears like Stentor, has made them celebrated throughout the whole earth. A clear proof of what is said is the great Onuphrius, whose holy feast we celebrate today. For he, having from childhood despised the affairs of men, and having left behind the turmoil of the world, shaking off all worldly gossip like dust, fled into the desert as into a harbor. And having gone into its deepest parts, inasmuch as he was avoiding human glory and was hastening through virtue both to belong to God and to remain hidden from men, those things he successfully accomplished, and brought them to completion, being inarticulately united to God—but the remaining hidden, although he labored much in the hollows of the cleft rocks, he was unable to achieve. But the parchments of historians and the records of imperial ordinances shall cry out like Stentor.
A And he who had hidden himself in the inaccessible retreats of the desert is now urban, dwelling among the faithful in cities and villages; and he who was poor, naked, and barefoot [(45)] now receives honor in magnificent temples. I believe, moreover, that he spiritually revisits his own temples, celebrates the feast together with pious men, associates with them, and bestows his own graces upon his celebrants. But the virtue of this great man, and the exercise of the solitary life that he demonstrated, Paphnutius, [(46)] who saw him, has narrated in simple and unadorned speech, concerned only to set forth the naked truth. We, however, shall clarify the evangelical words now to be read for you, the noble celebrants of this feast: «The Lord said: "All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father."» B If you consider the purpose hidden in each word, you will find the Savior weaving a discourse concerning the two natures existing in Him, as to how the warp of the Divinity wove together the one garment of the Hypostasis [(47)] with the woof of flesh. For that which says, «All things have been delivered to me by the Father,» He utters as man. For those things which He possesses as God, these He says, in an human manner, that He has received from the Father, according to that which is sung to David: «You have put all things under his feet.» But the saying, «No one knows the Father except the Son,» reveals the Divinity of the Word. And by saying, «All things have been delivered,» He signified that He is Lord not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles. For if the dominion of all things has been given to Him by the Father, it is manifest that He teaches and does those things which are pleasing to the Father. And He shows this also in other places, saying: «I do not speak from myself.» For since the Evangelical teaching greatly surpassed the legal, lest anyone should think Him contrary to God, [(48)] when...
[index: entries preserved]
He says that His own words depend upon the Father's will and that He speaks nothing outside the Father’s command. But since this again gave the impression of a servile submission, He returns very swiftly to the equality of essence, and says: «No one knows the Son, except the Father.» For He is not a mere human being, so as to be known by men. B Someone might perhaps say in opposition to this statement: «But indeed they did know the Lord, those who believed the mystery, and before them the divine apostles. And the Savior indeed rebukes the holy Philip, as if he had not yet known Him: ‘For so long a time,’ He says, ‘I am with you, and have you not known me, Philip?’ But how then did the coryphaeus Peter theologize that He is the Son of the living God, if he did not know Him?» And why do I mention the disciples? Even the unclean legion of demons cries out: «We know you, who you are, the holy one of God.» How then does no one know the Son, except the Father? C The Word manifests that exact and essential knowledge, which the Trinity alone knows. For however many have known God, they have not known what He is, but that He is. For the divine nature is unutterable and unknown, surpassing every human comprehension, being known only by itself. Therefore, the Son knows the Father as consubstantial, and the Father knows the Son as Father by nature according to essence. And the Holy Spirit Himself is inside this knowledge. For He is the one who searches the depths of God. And indeed, the holy Fathers through the Spirit received the knowledge of the Son; and through the Son, they came to know the Father. D For in these points, the proof seems to be reciprocal. «Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you.» The shadowy and ancient law calls only those from Israel. But the Savior makes the call common to all, inviting both Jews and those from the nations within the evangelical wings, gathering all together into one fold. For He called the Jews «those who labor,» but the Gentiles «those who are burdened.» For the Jews, laboring in vain concerning the observances of the law, slipped into the depths of the legal curse; but the Gentiles, having shouldered the heavy burden of impiety, and practicing every kind of impiety, lived a beast-like life; which also David, grieving and as if lamenting, said: «Man, being in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts, and became like them.» They are invited, therefore, both to...
come to the knowledge of the truth and to submit their necks to the yokes of the Lord, so that, guided by the evangelical word, they might be brought back to understanding and directed toward virtue by divine precepts. And one he deters from laboring and suffering toils in vain, while the others he encourages to cast off the burden of sins and to walk swiftly toward rest. For that sin is a heavy burden, the holy interpreter Zechariah is a reliable witness, seeing wickedness sitting upon a talent of lead. B That it is also compared to a heavy burden, I do not think one ought to deny, since David has said: «For my iniquities have gone over my head; as a heavy burden they have become heavy upon me.» Virtue, however, is a light and upward-lifting thing, as Isaiah has testified, saying thus: «Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves?» But the Lord Jesus [has called] those oppressed by sins... Therefore, those who honored the one who called them by faith, did not in vain partake of the evangelical rest, «which removed their back from burdens,» according to that which is sung in the Psalms. C But those remained laboring and oppressed who, by the madness of disobedience, reproach their own mind, and, dog-like, are stooped toward the delights of the flesh. And concerning these, the wisdom in the Psalms says: «Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow their back down always.» Since, however, there is also a good labor, by which David is said to have labored: «I labored in my groaning,» and Paul, pursuing the good fight, wrote: «I labored more abundantly than them all,» there is also a praiseworthy burden, namely, the collection of virtues; he D who possesses it is not burdened, but rejoices. Perhaps the «Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,» is meant to be said to the righteous when he grants them the kingdom. For here, «Going they went and wept, casting their seeds»—for this is to labor—but when «Coming they shall come with gladness, carrying their sheaves,» they carry with them the burden which they labored [to gather], because «My yoke is sweet, and my burden is light.»
HOMILY LIV
Someone perhaps will ask, how is the yoke of the Lord sweet, when He Himself cries out that «The way of virtue is narrow and straitened»? And how is the burden light, if «through many tribulations it behooves us to enter into the kingdom of God»? The explanation of this doubt is perhaps clear to those who have reflected upon it; but it shall be briefly stated to you as well. The way of life is indeed thought to be narrow and straitened by those who are untrained in the perception of the good. But it is easy and sweet and accessible to those who have become habituated to the good. For just as an unbroken heifer will judge the imposition of the yoke to be hard to bear, as long as it is unaccustomed to the yoke, and would not easily admit the neck-collar; yet once habituated, it enters it without toil: so also the yoke of the Lord, while being sweet according to its own nature, seems rough to those who are beginners. For such is the nature of virtue, and this even one of the philosophers from without A signified by an elegant verse. For nothing hinders our taking something useful even from enemies. He says, then, that the path of virtue is long, and steep, and seems rough to the one walking it at the first; but when he has reached the summit, it is seen to be smooth and easy.
The yoke of the Lord is sweet, therefore, because of the ease of His commandments. For what is easier than: «Judge not, and you shall not be judged; and forgive, and it shall be forgiven you; and whatever you wish that men should do to you, do also to them likewise»? Because of this, the thunder of theology says: «His commandments are not grievous.» His burden is also light because of the remission of sins, which the old law could not provide—but Christ grants this to us easily. For indeed, «a thousand years are in His sight as yesterday, which is past, and as a watch in the night» to the one who has sinned and repented.
[The Greek verse follows:] For before virtue, the gods have set sweat, Immortal; and long and steep is the path to it, And rough at the first; but when one arrives at the summit, Then it is easy, though it was difficult.
Francisci Scorsi notes
...the verses here hinted at, which I have translated in a playful way: The gods have put sweat before eternal Virtue; long is the way, and steep to reach it, And rough at the first ascent; but once you pass The peaks, virtue, before impassable, now lies open as a plain.
[Note: regarding the source of the verses and the interpretation of the Psalmic "thousand years" in the context of penitence, see the full discussion in the marginal notes.]
A hidden in inaccessible places, he is now urban, dwelling with the faithful in cities and villages; and he who lived poor, naked, and barefoot (45) is now honored in magnificent temples. I believe he also spiritually revisits his own temples, celebrates the feast together with the pious, associates with them, and enriches his worshipers with his graces. But the virtue of this great man, and the exercise he displayed in the deserts, Paphnutius (46), who saw him, narrated in a simple and artless discourse, acting with the sole intention of laying bare the naked truth. We, however, will now explain the read Gospel words to you, the noble celebrants of this festival B.
The Lord said: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father." If you consider the hidden goal of every single word, you will find the Savior weaving together the discourse concerning the two natures in Him, namely how the warp of the Divinity wove together the woof of the flesh into one garment of the person (47). For that which says, "All things have been handed over to me by the Father," He speaks as a man. For what He possesses as God, these things He says He received from the Father according to the human nature, according to that which is sung to David: "You have subjected all things under his feet." But that which says, "No one knows the Father except the Son," reveals the Divinity of the Word. And by saying, C "All things have been handed over to me," He signaled that He is Lord not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles. If, therefore, the dominion of all things has been given to Him by the Father, it is evident that He teaches and does those things which are pleasing to the Father. And He shows this also in other places, saying: "I do not speak from myself." For since the Evangelical doctrine far surpassed the legal, lest anyone should consider Him contrary to God (48), when... D [Note: The remainder of the page consists of the editor's footnotes.]
He says that His own things depend upon the paternal will, and that He speaks nothing apart from the Father’s commandment. But since this, in turn, allowed the imagination of a servile submission, He runs back most rapidly to the equality of essence, and says: "No one knows A the Son except the Father," for He is not a mere man, such that He could be known by men. Perhaps someone might say, in opposition to this statement: "Yet those who believed in the mystery, and before them the divine apostles, did recognize the Lord; indeed, the Savior blames the holy Philip for not yet having known Him. 'Have I been with you so long,' He says, 'and you have not known Me, Philip?' How, then, did the leader Peter confess Him as the Son of the living God, if he did not know Him? And why mention the disciples? Even the unclean legion of B demons cries out: 'We know You, who You are, the Holy One of God.' How, then, does 'no one know the Son, except the Father'?" The Word is here speaking of that perfect and essential knowledge which the Trinity alone possesses. For as many as have known God, have not known what He is, but that He is. For the divine nature is unutterable and unknown, exceeding every human comprehension, and is known by itself alone. Therefore, the Son knows the Father, as being consubstantial, and the Father knows the Son, as being by nature and in essence Father. And the Holy Spirit Himself is not outside this C knowledge. For it is He who searches the deep things of God. And indeed, the holy Fathers received the knowledge of the Son through the Spirit; and through the Son they came to know the Father. For in these things, the demonstration appears to be reciprocal. "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." The shadowy and ancient law calls only those from Israel. But the Savior makes the call common to all, inviting both Jews and those from the nations within the wings D of the Gospel, gathering everyone together into one fold. By those who labor, He meant the Jews; by those who are burdened, the Gentiles. For the Jews, laboring in vain about the idle practices of the law, slipped into the bottom of the legal curse; while the Gentiles, having taken up the heavy burden of impiety, and practicing every kind of wickedness, lived a life like that of beasts—which David, saddened and as if weeping, expressed, saying: "Man, being in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts, and became like them." Therefore, both are called, so that once the first foundation of the Church is [laid]...
the divine table, flashing with the splendor of gold and silver, keeps the spectator struck with awe. But let the other things seen there be honored with silence. The temple, as those singing divine hymns to one another, covers them; the vault gently returns the sound, the voice rebounding due to the resistance. A great multitude of curtains is suspended, to which the silk provided the material, interwoven with gold and dyed with various colors. But as for the workmanship, the Phoenicians, having adorned it with a certain marvelous and curious art, B and the thick lamps, competing, so to speak, one with another, enlighten the temple with never-sleeping lights, making the nights as bright as the days. As for the vessels made of gold and silver, as many as are for the service of the holy rite, what speech could recount their multitude or their beauty? But the time hurries on, drawing our discourse to the explanation of the divine Gospels. Therefore, having reserved the particulars for the feast of the Dedication, let us hear the holy oracles. At that time, "Jesus came into the parts of Cæsarea Philippi, and was asking his disciples." It behooves us to inquire what prompted the Lord to make these inquiries, and how he who sees all things, from whom nothing of all that is escapes, who penetrates even to the thoughts themselves, asks who men say he is. For to think at all that he was ignorant of this is filled with the utmost impiety. But asking C while knowing suggests that we should understand something deeper. The ready answer, and the one easily understood, is that by the tongue and theology of Peter he might confirm the remaining disciples, who it was likely had been carried elsewhere in their suppositions, seeing the Savior mingling human things with those befitting God. But if we wish to bring a more recondite reason: because he foresaw the future—which he himself perceives just as he does the present—that many would bark against the truth like rabid dogs, perverting the right doctrines, he fortifies the faithful through his questioning and the disciple’s answer, signaling the duality of the natures in him, as will be understood in the following. D
HOMILY LV
Why, however, does he not perform this in Jerusalem, but in the parts of Caesarea? Perhaps to avoid the envy of the Jews and their impious decree; for they had decreed that if anyone confessed him to be the Christ, he should be cast out of the synagogue. He leads the disciples, therefore, far away from that terrifying place, so that, being freed from all panic and fear, they might openly express their own opinion. Nor did the evangelist mention the place in vain, saying thus: "Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi." For since there is also another Caesarea, called that of Strato, it was necessary to distinguish the ambiguity of the name, lest any error should arise among the audience from the sameness of the name. "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" He did not say: "Who do men say that I am, the Son of God?" in order to avoid words of boastfulness, but "Me," he says, "who have been made man, appearing in the habit of a servant." Nor does he inquire about the Pharisees and Scribes: "Who do the Scribes and the rulers of the people say that I am?" For he knew how great a smoke of envy had been poured out upon them; but [he asks] concerning the people, who were free from craftiness and malice. B Whence the disciples, clearly knowing the different opinions of the people concerning him, answered: "Some John the Baptist, others, however, Elias, or one of the prophets." What, then, had persuaded the crowds to surmise such things about Christ? For did they not know that Elias had been snatched, as it were, into heaven by the ascent of a flaming chariot, and the yoking of the four-horse team of fiery steeds? And that John had been miserably killed by the occasion of Herod's adultery and the dancing of the wanton girl? And that Jeremias had been killed and perfected by stones? But because Moses had legislated nothing openly concerning the resurrection; and David, while being the first to speak about the resurrection, did not clearly explain the mystery; and the prophets had only scattered, enigmatic hints of the resurrection—for this reason they were swayed C by various and erroneous opinions. For they thought the reviving of the dead was to occur in the present life. And perhaps Herod the tetrarch was of this opinion, who, having heard the miracles of the Lord, thought that John the Baptist had revived. Whence he even said: "John, whom I beheaded, he is risen from the dead." For this reason, therefore, some conjectured him to be John, others Jeremias, and others Elias. For a rumor prevailed that Elias would come again upon the earth. Seeing the Lord, therefore, to be a reprover, and arguing with the Pharisees and Scribes with great boldness, they imagined in their own minds that he was that Elias. Others, indeed, marveled, considering his wisdom to have blossomed from his own ingenuity, and not from any teaching. D
And therefore they said: "How does this man know letters, having not learned?" For this reason they called him Jeremiah. For Jeremiah was brought to prophecy while still a boy. Therefore, having heard the opinion of the multitude concerning himself, and as if disapproving of them—as if none of these reached the truth—he asked them gently in return: "But who do you say that I am?" It is as if he were saying: "Granted, the opinion of the multitude is thus multifarious and uncertain; but you, who have taken so long an experience concerning me, what apprehension have you gained from the facts?" The other disciples, therefore, hesitated at the answer; some, perhaps, because their reasoning was still wavering, others fearing lest they might appear B rash. But Peter, the apex of the disciples, becomes the common tongue of his fellow students; and having been raised in his reasoning above all sensible things, he flew through the air, he passed beyond the ether, he left the stars beneath him, he became higher than the starry sphere; and having become joined with the disembodied spirits, and having transcended the fiery rivers of the Seraphim, and having been initiated by the Father into the nobility of the Only-Begotten, he uttered that theological voice: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Truly this was not a revelation of flesh and blood, but of the heavenly Father. For consider how great a depth of theology is hidden in a single sentence. For the Savior had asked: "Who do men say that I the Son of man am?" indicating human nature through the addition of "the Son of man." But Peter, knowing him to be both the Son of man and the Son of God, perceived one subsistence composed of two natures, inconfusedly and unmixedly, and leaped in his mind to the nature of the Godhead: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." How this word puts to shame Nestorius, that worshiper of a man, and that impure and blasphemous and mocking tongue, that sharp sword against piety, which sliced the one Christ into two sons! And how it crushes the teeth of the heresy of the Armenians! How it describes the apex of the disciples, the chosen one, the foremost, the first, the base, the foundation, C as many-headed—
the most delightful temple of this preacher, which—like a foundation and safeguard—he built in the palace, [is] most great and most beautiful, and most distinguished by a novel beauty, and most radiant with light, and most translucent with gold, and most brilliant with stone mosaic, and most flourishing with paintings. Anyone who sees it often, and sees it again, marvels at it as if it appeared to him for the first time, and stands [there] lost everywhere in the spectacle. For the ceiling is insatiable to the sight, and a miracle to behold and to hear. Decorated with various delicate carvings fashioned in the shape of small baskets, and flashing with gold from every side, it imitates the heaven when it shines with the chorus of stars in a clear and cloudless sky. Columns, supporting the arches most excellently, raise the ceiling to an unbelievable height. The holiest floor of the temple is likened, in the true sense, to a spring meadow, adorned everywhere with variegated marble mosaic, like flowers. Except that, whereas flowers wither and are changed, this meadow is unfading and eternal, keeping the flower immortal upon itself. Every wall is covered with a variety of marble. The parts higher than these are covered by gold mosaic, as many as are not occupied by the chorus of the venerable icons. The place of the ineffable rite, a marble barrier, encloses the space for the priests; upon which one may rest and stand with safety, and delight the eyes with the sight. And this is a barrier for anyone who is rash and profane [and] struggles to overstep into the sanctuary. The divine table, flashing with the glimmers of silver and gold, strikes the spectator with awe. As for its remaining parts, let them be honored in silence. The entire temple, for those who sing the divine hymns, echoes quietly like caves, the voice returning to itself according to the reflection. And a multitude of veils hangs—
HOMILY LV
A ...most delightful temple of this preacher, which, as a foundation and safeguard, he built in the palace, most great and most beautiful; which is magnificent by an unusual sort of ornamentation, and conspicuous for its splendor, and most radiant with gold, most brilliant with B lapilli, and most pleasant as if with paintings for doors. Which when anyone has seen often and contemplated once and again, he marvels and is struck with amazement, as if it were something new and now first seen, rolling his wandering eyes hither and thither. For the ceiling is of such a kind that no one can be satiated by the sight of it; and it is a miracle to those who see it, and even to those who hear [of] it, distinguished and decorated with various baskets carved with most refined art, and glittering from every side with gold, it emulates the heaven, when it shines with the chorus of stars in a pure and serene air. The columns, indeed, supporting the arches most excellently, raise the ceiling to such a height that it seems to surpass all machines and art. Now, the most holy pavement of the temple, decorated everywhere with segments of marble—as if with flowers—is clearly most similar to a meadow in the springtime; with this exception, that flowers there wither and are changed; but this meadow never fades, and keeps its flower immortal, ever-blooming. There is nothing on the walls that is not covered with C varied marble; the upper parts, indeed, are covered with golden lapilli, which, however, are not occupied by the chorus of the venerable images. The place in which the arcane sacrifice is performed, set apart by a marble barrier, is enclosed for the priests, where it is permitted both to rest and to stand safely, and to delight the vision with the spectacle. And this enclosure also prohibits the access, should any rash and profane person contend to enter the inmost parts. D ...
A
He inspired, calling him the son of Jonas? He speaks in this sense: Just as you are by nature the son of your father Jonas, so am I by nature and essence the Son of God and the Father. Or rather, since He had said that the revelation did not come from flesh and blood, but from His Father who is in heaven, and since this revelation was brought to pass through the Holy Spirit, for this reason He names him the Son of the Spirit. For "Jonas" is interpreted as "dove." It is customary in the divine Scripture to call the power of the Spirit by this name of the dove, whose wings David the prophet also longed to be given to him. "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you." What He says is of this sort: Not remaining in flesh and blood, He says, did you receive the revelation concerning me; but having become entirely removed from sensible things, you have been initiated into the mysteries of theology. Thus also Paul, saying that he was caught up as far as the third heaven and became a hearer of unspeakable words, had no need of bodily precision in the contemplation of intelligible things; for this is what he himself indicated in his own words: "Whether in the body, or out of the body, I do not know." B
"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church." You, He says, being Peter, shall become the rock of the faith according to reason, and the foundation of the established Church, and the primary occasion of the spiritual building. For upon this confession, by which you confessed me to be the same person—the Son of God and the Son of man—upon this the foundation of the Church shall stand. For such a base having been laid, the rest of the dogmas shall also be securely built up. "And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." The gates of Hades, which could not prevail against the Church, would be the tyrants who persecute her, and the leaders of heresies, figuratively called the gates of Hades, as they drag those who follow them down to the precipice of Hades; these, having labored much and having raged like stallions against the Church, harmed her not at all, save that they made her more illustrious. C
"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." He did not say, "I give to you now," but "I will give to you," predicting the time after the resurrection, during which He also gave him the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the authority to bind and to loose, and appointed him ruler of the rational sheep. But what are the keys, and the doors of which the gatekeeper is being set by allegory? D
A
HOMILY LV
The gate, then, is Christ himself, who said: "I am the door;" the key of this door is faith, which the Lord entrusts to the chief of the disciples. And perhaps the singing bride opened this bolt, desiring to receive her beautiful beloved, and for this reason she said: "I opened the bolt of the door to my beloved." He gives, therefore, to Peter and to those after him the keys, so that the door of the kingdom of heaven may be inaccessible and impenetrable to heretics, but easily entered by the faithful; and thus the decree of the Lord remains firm: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." The opponents and enemies of faith, therefore, were called gates of hell, but the Lord Emmanuel is the door and gate of the kingdom of heaven. Wherefore, he cries out to all by way of exhortation: "If any one enter by me, he shall be saved," and, "Enter by the narrow gate," turning away from those wide ones that lead to hell.
But those who have gulped down the dregs of Greek error, and have vomited forth many blasphemies against our sound faith like some filth, have among other ravings dared to say this: how is it that Peter, having been deemed worthy of such a blessing, and having been testified by Jesus to have received the revelation from the Father, and having taken the keys of the kingdom of heaven, denied his Master three times at the time of the Passion, being terrified like a little child by the phantom of a worthless maidservant? These things are said by those who fight against the truth; but we, considering such blows of the adversaries to be like the missiles of infants, repel them in this way. For we say that the denial of Peter was permitted by God through an economy. B For since he boasted above the other fellow-students that he would die with the Master, not having carefully considered the weakness of the flesh—although the Lord asserted that "you will all be scandalized"—for this reason it was necessary that he also be put to the test as a human being, subject to carnal cowardice, and that the Lord be shown to be speaking the truth, having predicted the denial.
This is what happened to David the prophet and king as well. For having departed from his appropriate state, he uttered that arrogant voice: "I shall not be moved forever." Therefore, having been abandoned for a little while by the divine power that was covering him, he became subject to a foul desire and, apart from the sin of adultery, he was— C
[Note: The passage continues via the Latin text, which provides the context for the phrase "fœda voluptate subactus præter adulterii flagitium" (subdued by foul desire apart from the sin of adultery).]
—deprived for a little while, he was subdued by a foul desire, though he escaped the sin of adultery. For being left for a little while, he fell into that state; as is the report [prevailing] that Elijah will come again to the earth. He gives, therefore, to Peter, and to those after him, the keys. D
A under the divine power which sheltered him, he became inferior, even to the stain of adultery and the audacity of committing murder. Furthermore, and because he was about to receive the guardianship of the rational sheep, and to take the authority of binding and loosing, that he might not be someone harsh or unforgiving to those who sin, inflicting penalties sharply and without compassion, by a better providence he is allowed to fall, so that he might learn from himself to be long-suffering toward those who stumble, dispensing to others also, with forbearance, the kindness and forgiveness which he himself had received. For if the denial of Peter were not a matter of divine economy, the divinely inspired David would not have foretold this so many generations before, speaking in the person of Christ: "And they who praised me swore against me." For the same person, who at the present moment praised Him and confessed Him to be the Son of the living God, swore then that he did not know Him. And if one ought also to touch upon more mystical themes, the event which was signified through the denial of Peter was a riddle. For so long as Peter burned with love toward the Master, he was steeled with courage, and he was not terrified by the guard, and the cohort, and the military tribune, and swords, and torches, and clubs, and blades. But when he approached the fire which the soldiers of Caesar had ignited, B then, truly then, he became a plaything of a worthless serving-maid. Thus, as long as the love for God and the memory of the eternal fire keep us fervent, we do not fear the swords and the torches of temptations, nor the cohort of demons, nor the dark military tribune; but if we should draw near to the pyre of pleasures which the soldiers of the ruler of this world ignite, the enemy will not have much labor to turn us away from God. For even some small and worthless serving-maid will cause [one] to deny the covenants with God. Such a fire the demons ignited against the great David; for as soon as he saw the beauty of Bathsheba, he forgot God. Because the kindling of pleasures is likened to fire, Solomon advises not to touch a coal with a bare foot, nor to store fire in the bosom; for the burning will follow, [both] to the bosom and to the foot. Do you wish to be warmed by divine fire? Let the thought of death and the fearsome [divine] account be your meditation throughout life, and in such a meditation fire will be kindled within you. C What, then, do we learn from the riddles connected with the coryphaeus? To avoid the fire of pleasures and to keep ourselves far from the neighborhood of evil. Can one store fire in his bosom, and not have his garments consumed, or can one walk upon the coals of fire, and not have his feet burned? So it is for he who enters in unto a married woman; D
but if it should ever happen to anyone to experience this, whether to partake of the fire or the smoke of the consent, let him leap away with speed, and the sooner be outside the fall, following the example of the great Peter, who after his denial went out—that is to say, outside the fall—and wept bitterly, and thus recalled his defeat. So much power has the God-given medicine of repentance. Knowing these things, then, beloved, let us embrace repentance, cleansing away our errors with alms and tears; praying unceasingly throughout many cycles of years that the power of our pious emperor may be preserved. He who steers the rudder of the realm with piety, and adorns the crown with words, and being adorned with the goodness of character, has a genuine praise born of virtue. May Christ, who gave him the power, and who with the Father and Spirit is glorified and hymned now and always, and unto the ages of ages, preserve the scepter for him in peace and serenity. Amen.
Homily LVI. Spoken on the feast of Saint Procopius. On the text: "These things I command you."
Just as a lyre-player, often walking through the streets and encountering a crowd of youth in passing, immediately stretches the strings, and having applied the plectrum, begins a resonant song; so too, since we have gathered at this sacred festival in passing, let us add the supplement of instruction to the brilliance of the festival. For it is irrational that those who are distracted by bodily trade should occupy themselves with such things so as not to pass through the festival without doing business, while we, entrusted with the talent of instruction, should not deposit it with you, excellent bankers, so that by the performance of the commandments you might multiply what is cast down, especially when there is a great concourse and all are gaping for the hearing. Let us therefore listen to the very words of God that are to be read: "The Lord said to his disciples: These things I command you, that you love one another." The Savior, fulfilling the economy for humanity, and already hastening toward its culmination—which was the holy feast day, for we are celebrating the great martyr Procopius—