enemies their fellow servants? Be therefore like yourselves toward your enemies, as you saw the Lord toward His enemies. For you too are to be invited to a spiritual banquet; you are to recline with the Master; let no Judas be found in your midst in his way of life; all of you, with serenity and peace, approach; all of you, with a pure conscience, let us run to the Savior. For He Himself is the fasting and the feast of the faithful; He is the nourisher and the nourishment; He is the shepherd and the lamb. To Him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.
OPERADUBIA
AD HOMILY IN SANCTUM BASSUM
Having read the genuine works of Chrysostom, I refer this homily to be read, though I suspect it belongs to another region. Perhaps another may judge otherwise: wherefore I have been content to publish it among those that are doubted and dubious, rather than reject it as spurious. This Bassus, bishop and martyr, seems to be that Nicene bishop who is said to have suffered under Decius and Valerian.
The Latin translation is by Fronton du Duc.
IN COMMEMORATION OF ST. BASSUS. A SERMON DELIVERED ON FEAR, AND ON THOSE WORDS, LEARN FROM ME FOR I AM MEEK AND HUMBLE OF HEART.
A 1. Even if, when such a fountain of words has been customarily poured out to you by our preceding priests and teachers, I ought to repress the meager drops of our own words, especially since we are hindered by the long-standing infirmity of the body, the weakness of the voice, and the succession of duties, O Christ-loving listeners; yet since you, gripped by an insatiable love for holy discourses, invite us to speak, come, by the grace of the Savior aiding us well, let us present to your virtue a few things that fit and are suitable for the time. For this, I think, is more appropriate both for us who speak and for you who listen, who by reason and mind provide for yourselves those things that are better and more profitable. And the holy and famous martyr and bishop Bassus, who has gathered this sacred assembly for us today, already possesses the rewards which he earned by his own contests, and he has no need of any contribution or weighing of our praises, but he makes prayers to the Lord for us, as is his custom, as one who, on account of the struggle of martyrdom, excels greatly in boldness of speech B and grace, and has been gifted with the crown of immortality, which Christ has also prepared for the faithful. For the gifts of God are abundant, as the Apostle testifies, who both in the past distributed the rewards of the martyrs to those who sincerely call upon Him, and now especially, when the annual memory of that fear is soon to be celebrated, and the kindly and merciful wrath of God provokes us to the glorification of God on account of those terrible threats. For we truly saw the wrath from which kindness flashed, when fear of the earthquake besieged us on all sides, when we saw all created things being shaken, and the floor being quaked with great force; and the Savior did not at all deviate from His own mercies, when we expected a bitter end, when we thought our houses would immediately become our tombs, when, held by the shaking, we found no place or way of refuge, when, arriving at mid-day, we did not hope to see the evening, when the sword suspended from above hung over us, and below, benevolence fought strenuously with prayers, when the people cried out with one voice, "Lord, have mercy," and the Lord was moved by mercies; for He who with only a glance moves all things, stilled the trembling creation with His hand. Why do I not sum these things up in a few words? At that time, had not the Lord of Hosts helped us, our soul would have almost dwelt in hell (Ps. XCIII, 17). For whom does the magnitude of the Savior’s benevolence not strike with astonishment?
who is not moved to thanksgiving by the things that then occurred, and not only by those things, but also by what happened thereafter, and just a short while ago came upon us? A He shook the supports of the earth, He unsettled the foundations of the houses, the roofs were tossed about like ships in the waves of the sea; He merely showed a judicial eye, and we all trembled as if we were standing in the waters. Great was the fear, and the tokens of his loving-kindness were many times greater than the fear. For while shaking the creation, He did not destroy it; while bringing the whole into motion, He did not level it; He did not strip the earth of the beauty of the creatures; He shook the roofs only for our reminder, and brought us not even a taste of ruin. Such is the ocean of his loving-kindness toward us. And even that shaking of the foundations of the earth was as by a guardian, as by one full of compassion. For He saw those who were setting aside and provoking Him, He saw those who loved plunder, He saw those who were joining house to house, and bringing field to field, so that they might take something away from their neighbor; He saw those having no mercy on orphans, and not heeding the judgment of widows; He saw teachers doing the opposite of what they were saying; He saw disciples insulting the ecclesiastical order with the disorderly behavior of the theaters; He saw them living in wickedness and envy, He saw them coupling deceit with envy, He saw the storms of hypocrisy sinking the simpler ones like boats, He saw them murdering by design, He saw them acting as unjustly as we are able, He saw love making shipwreck, while deceit sailed smoothly in the ocean of life, He saw them leaping away from the truth and running to falsehood; and to speak comprehensively, He saw them serving Mammon rather than the Lord; and He shook the earth for us as a pedagogue for his children, and showed the bowels of a fond mother, who often, when she wishes to draw her suckling child away from a habit—that little bed—shakes it vigorously, not that she may strike the infant, but that she may frighten him. B Thus indeed does the Master of all—whom He holds in his hand—shake the habitable world, not that He may destroy it, but that He may turn back to salvation those acting disorderly.
2. And let no one complain, since we have compared the Lord to a fond mother, seeing as the Lord himself compared himself to a bird in the Gospels, saying: *Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children, as a bird doth gather her brood, and thou wouldest not?* (Matt. 23. 37.) The Lover of mankind, therefore, moved the inanimate earth, that He might establish the animate from disorderly motion; He threatened death to the flesh, that we might guard against the destruction of the soul. Do you see, lover of Christ, how great is the Creator’s compassion for us? Do you see loving-kindness flashing from the threat? Do you see mercies anticipating indignation? Do you see a sentence being overcome by goodness? And it is nothing strange: He is still now our meek and loving Master, who is customarily concerned for our salvation, He who in the Gospels explicitly cries out, as was just now read to us: *Come, learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.* O what condescension of the Creator, and yet the creature who has been fashioned is not ashamed! Come, learn of me, when did a Master arrive for the consolation of servants who have sinned? Such is Christ toward us; He displays mercies when He ought to punish the one who sins, when He ought to wipe out the race of those who provoked Him; He relaxes the steps for the responsible: *Come, learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.* God is humble, and man is puffed up; the judge is gentle, and the condemned is arrogant; the Artisan makes a poor sound, and the clay speaks like a king. *Come, learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.* The things that happened before did not persuade, the things that followed and those from a short while ago did not put to shame, how that even then and now, having shaken the creation, He again established it, having shown mercy. Come therefore, *learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.* He does not have a lash that strikes, but a nature that heals. Come, see the unspeakable loving-kindness. Who would not love a Master who does not strike? Who would not marvel at a judge who asks for a condemned one? The lowliness of the words truly astounds you: I am the Creator, and I love my work; I am the fashioner, and I spare Him whom I fashioned. If I should use my own rights, I do not save the fallen humanity, and if I do not treat it, since it is suffering from an incurable disease, with gentle remedies, it does not regain its strength. If I do not coax, it dies; if I should only threaten, it perishes. For the sake of this goodness I apply plasters, I go about it as it lies; I stoop down greatly, suffering with it, that I may raise up the fallen one. C The one who is standing, if he does not reach down his hand, does not lift the one who has been cast down from his fall. *Come, learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.* I am not making a show of words; I have delivered to you proof of deeds. That *I am meek and humble of heart*, consider from those things which I have become. Look at my form, and ponder my worth, and worship my condescension for your sake; calculate from whence I came, where I am conversing with you; having heaven as a throne, I stand speaking to you on earth; I am glorified above, and as one long-suffering I am not angry, *for I am meek and humble of heart.* If I were not meek, being the Son of the King, I would not have chosen a servant as my mother; if I, the Creator of the invisible and visible essence, were not meek, I would not have dwelt among you; if I were not meek, I, the Father of the ages, would not have been endured in swaddling clothes; if I were not humble, I, who possess the wealth of the whole creation, would not have received the poverty of a manger; if I were not meek, I, who am not even gazed upon by the Cherubim, would not have lived with irrational beasts; if I were not meek, I, who pour out light to the blind, would not have been spat upon by lawless lips; if I were not meek, I, who free servants, would not have endured the servile blow; if I were not meek, I would not have offered my back...
I offered for the captives to be struck? But why do I not say what is greater than this? If I were not meek, since others ought to have suffered, I certainly, who owed nothing, would not have paid the debt of death for them. But I did pay it, so that I might settle the fine of punishment for those who were being held down in the underworld. For I am not only the King of the living, but also the Lord of the dead. A For this reason, I came by both ways of dispensation. I appeared as a man, I even became dead for a short time, that I might bestow the gift of my incorruption upon all those who were under the earth. Come, learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. My lowliness is of an intentional focus, not of nature: I am possessed of an inaccessible substance, but a mind that reaches out to all. Come, learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, not by dignity. I am small, if you look at the focus of the mind, not if [you look at] the power: to the angels I am terrible because of my power, to men I am humble because of the focus of the mind. Come, learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. B I do not speak because of the state of my nature, but I use words as befits my mercy. Meekness is much dearer to me than power. I am the King, who speaks to you: I possess great virtue, but I do not want the power I possess to terrify your weakness. I do not say: Come, learn from me, for I am Lord, I who rule over creatures, who look upon the earth and cause it to tremble, who measure the heaven with a span, and hold the earth in my fist (Isai. XL, 12). C Thus I am meek: you have sinned, and I was beaten with stripes; thus I am humble by choice: I came, so that I might lead those who were oppressed by slavery into freedom, and they themselves, who were oppressed by slavery, struck me, the Liberator, with blows, and crucified me, and after that, I prayed to my Father for them, saying: Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do (Luc. XXIII, 34). Come therefore, learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. Come, I entreat and implore, it does not shame me to supplicate, I am content to pray to my servants, that I may not be forced to punish: come, learn from me meekness before you look upon my terrible power: come, now I heal, a little later I will settle accounts; now I spare, a little later I will pass judgment; now I am merciful, a little later I will appear as a just judge. Come, learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. Either honor my meekness or fear my power. Come, anticipate my face in confession: for this meekness of mine is limited to the present time. D The present life alone is the time of [my] long-suffering, that I may show a specimen of my kindness: the time will come when the door of this meekness of mine will be closed: the time will come when the tears of sinners dropping down will be of no use: the time will come when trumpets sounding from every side will announce my second coming: when angels running through the whole earth will bring many thousands of people into judgment: when my tribunal will be set up, and I shall proceed, carried above the heavenly powers: when principalities and powers will stand attending the One who comes: when the lamps of my kingdom will illuminate the whole world: when the books of those things which each one did in life will be opened: when the observance of the law will be exacted, and the precise account of the demons will be brought forward: when the defendant will be stood, to whom his deeds alone will be able to witness: when thoughts will accuse, and conscience will convict: when wicked spirits will attend to the words of the Judge: when the furnace will await the judgment of the Judge: when that word, "Have mercy," will no longer avail the one crying out. Come therefore before I close the doors of my mercies, before the market of life happens to end, before the spectacle of life passes away: for the set time of the end of the age is at the doors. Come, before I begin to judge: for if I sit and begin to exercise judgment, I will no longer pardon. Therefore I have set forth the example of the foolish virgins, whose lamps of life, because they had no oil of justice, were extinguished, and in what manner the doors of the bridegroom's chamber were closed to them, and how I answered from inside [the house]: I know you not (Matth. XXV, 12). By which words I expressed the voice of the Judge with which he will address sinners. If therefore, brothers, we have learned the Lord’s kindness from the Savior’s words, let us not despise the Judge who, with meek words, addresses us before the time of judgment, let us not miss the opportunity for repentance: let us clothe our souls with good works and alms: let each of us prepare the provision necessary to obtain eternal life, let us abstain from iniquitous actions. For if we conserve our faith unshaken in [the midst of] good works, the creatures will remain unshaken with us. Let us adorn our souls with chastity, and let us safely acquire for ourselves the priceless pearl of pure faith, before the time of our life is spent, before the figure of the world, and the flower of glory, and all earthly delights are taken away and perish, let us reconcile the incorrupt Judge to ourselves. For it is He who says: I live, says the Lord: I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live (Ezech. XXXIII, 11). If He desired to punish the sinner, He would keep silent: He wants to show mercy, therefore He warns: He spares, therefore He exhorts: by predicting it, He terrifies you, so that you do not fall into danger in reality. For when God threatens, He wants to save: but when He is silent, He has decided to punish. We can learn this from the experiments of others. He threatened the Ninevites, and spared them: He was silent among the Sodomites, and punished them: He prepared crowns, unless we bring torments upon ourselves. He desires to idle away hell, He desires to close the prison of darkness, He desires to reserve all wrath for the devil, He desires to sit as a Judge, not that He may punish any, but that He may crown all. Since therefore we have such a Lord, let us seize that kind voice, let us obey Him who says: Come, learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart (Matth. XI, 29), so that we may also be worthy to hear that desirable and happy voice saying: Come, you blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you.
Chapter III. The Second Terrible Coming of Christ
that we may attain the kingdom, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
A MONITION ON THE HOMILY ON THE HOLY APOSTLE PETER AND THE PROPHET ELIAS
A Regarding this homily, Henry Savile speaks thus: "Transcribed from a manuscript in the Royal Library at Paris, corrected from another manuscript in the Palatine Library—though, as I think, not of better quality—and delivered, as it seems, at Constantinople." But, as Tillemont rightly notes, the things said at the beginning suggest it was delivered at Antioch, namely that the feast of the Martyrs was celebrated in the field at that time, which is common in the Antiochene customs, but is never found in the Constantinopolitan ones. We too say this, if indeed it is a genuine and authentic work of Chrysostom. Certainly, the style of the oration is altogether abhorrent to the style of Chrysostom; and although the holy doctor is not always like himself in his manner of praying and narrating, this sermon certainly differs by the whole breadth of the heavens from all other orations, whether of better or inferior quality. The diction is inelegant, the genre of the oration is uncultivated and altogether jejune. Manuscript codices prefer a version far more inept than the published ones. In addition, many things are held here which argue for a careless and inaccurate orator, as when it is said that the handmaiden at the door, B who questioned Peter, was a harlot; since also a large part of the sermon is taken up in proving this point—namely, that Elias sinned gravely since, when Jezebel sought to inflict death upon him, he fled for the space of forty days. For these reasons, I immediately thought of banishing this homily among the spurious ones; but since Savile and Tillemont think it to be authentic, although the latter does not do so without some scruple, I have decided to place it among the suspect ones.
I have issued a new Latin translation.
(The very learned Gaume have compared this entire homily, disfigured by many omissions, with Savile and have restored it to integrity: whose corrections, borrowed from Savile, we have, upon our own collation, again approved and accepted. Ed. Patr.)
ON THE APOSTLE PETER AND ON THE PROPHET ELIAS
C 1. The martyrs are with us today: what is the cause? We are celebrating the memory of the martyrs, and no one has met us; has the distance of the road plunged them into listlessness? Or rather, it is not the distance of the road, but listlessness that has hindered them. For just as nothing can hinder a man who is diligent and eager in his purpose, so indeed can everything hinder the listless man who has fallen away. The martyrs poured out their own blood for the sake of the truth, and you do not even disdain a short journey? They laid down their heads for Christ, and do you not even wish to go outside the city for the sake of the Master? The Master died for you, and do you hesitate for Him? It is the memory of the martyrs, and you are listless and fallen away? It is necessary for you to be present and to see the devil conquered, the martyr victorious, God glorified, and the Church crowned. D But their excuse is this: "I am a sinner," he says, "and I cannot attend." It is for this very reason, that you are a sinner, that you should attend, so that you may not fall away from righteousness. For tell me, who among men is without sin? But it is for this reason that there is the sacrifice and the Church, for this reason there are prayers and fasts, because the wounds of the soul are many; for this reason, medicines for them have been found, and for each of the wounds of the soul a suitable medicine has been prepared. You have the Church offering sacrifices, the prayers of the Fathers, the administration of the Holy Spirit, the memories of the martyrs, the assembly of the saints, and many such things able to recall you from sin to righteousness; if you have not attended the prayer of the martyrs, what excuse do you have? Is there nothing of the terrifying in our midst, and have you been hindered from communion with the martyrs? But a worldly care has seized you? That is an even greater crime. Have you not lent a short hour to God, so that you might receive an entire day? "I am a sinner," he says, "and I cannot." Because you are a sinner, for that reason enter; or do you not know that even those who serve at the altar are bound to sins? For they are clad in flesh, and joined with blood, and bound by bones; and we ourselves, who sit upon the throne and teach, are bound by sins. But we do not despair of the kindness of God, nor do we attribute inhumanity to Him; for we are all men joined together from the same things, and we do not refuse the teaching, looking towards the ocean of the kindness of God. And if you, having sinned, should enter, the crime is not so great; for you are under teaching; but we, the more we excel in our position, the more we are subject to the crime; for it is one thing for the one being taught to sin, and another for the one who teaches. But nonetheless, we do not refuse this, lest by a pretense of humility we fall into listlessness. And this has happened by divine providence, that the priests themselves should fall into sins. And hear how it is: Those teachers themselves and priests, if they did not sin, nor were subject to the passions of this life, would have been inhuman towards others and unforgiving; but for this reason, He prepared the priests themselves to be slaves to passions, and the rulers…