Eleven Discourses of St. John Chrysostom

Conversation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 The following eleven conversations were published by Min according to a list received by the Vatican Library either from Mount Athos or from Fr. Patmos. There is no doubt that they were all pronounced by the saint in Constantinople, in the years 398 and 399, and in the order in which they were published. In particular, the first conversation was delivered in the Church of the Martyrs, then called Ἐν παλαιά πέτρα. The exact location of this church is unknown. In the first conversation, it was noted that not yet 30 days had passed since the start of the huge earthquake that occurred in Constantinople. This was in 398. Others, however, understand the earthquake in the sense of the fall of Eutropius, and the time of the conversation is pushed back to 399. Said in the church of the martyrs, at the “ancient rock”, when due to the rain there were few people gathered, it is about what should constantly come (to the church), and that those who remain in sins cannot neglect their salvation, but (need) to express their repentance. 1. What is this? The whole city should be here today, but not even a small part came to us. Could it be mud and rain? No, not dirt, but carelessness and loss of spirit. How can those who remain apologize, when the martyrs neglected even their very lives, and they did not dare (neglect) the dirt in order to come? How can I please you who have come? How to depict the misfortune of those who remained - (misfortune) both in their absence, and because of this absence? Obviously, they deprived themselves of this wonderful celebration, chained to everyday worries and clinging to the all-polluting, very strong passion for profit. But even if they are not here, you need to speak (to them) to those who are absent - obviously, through you, those present, they will hear it. How long will this frenzy of profit last? How long will this unquenchable furnace continue to advance and burn? Do you not know that this flame produces that unquenchable fire, (that) this exhaustion gives birth to that poisonous worm? If you despise Gehenna, and your mind is not shocked by these words, since the punishment is still in the future, then let the present convince you. Do you not know in what fruit 1 covetousness was recently expressed? Isn’t this memory of this before your eyes? Isn't the proof of such a death fresh? Our whole city is filled with the remains of that shipwreck; and, as during the sinking of a great ship, wherever you went, some of the board, some of the oar, some of the sail, whoever saved any part of the luggage, held and turned in all directions, so (it was) during the earthquake that recently arose here: those who owned the house, some the fields, some slaves, some silver, some gold - they made of themselves a wide spectacle of misfortune and arranged for memories to be scattered everywhere confusion. And another, having spent sleepless nights, endured countless toils and dangers, having collected so many sins through such greed, (like) a homeless person outside the city, became a fugitive in a foreign land, needs the necessary nutrition and sees that extreme danger hangs over him every day, imagines swords, executioners and abysses, lives a life worse than countless deaths; others enjoy his property, and those who previously flattered him now deceive him. Is this not enough for even a completely stupid person to come to his senses? But after such a disaster, after such bad weather, after such a death, after such a revolution, and so recent that it is still before our eyes, not even a whole thirty days have passed 2 - are you so crazy again? And how can you apologize or justify yourself? And not only are you crazy, but you don’t even come to find out about it. As if to those present, I say to those absent - under the weight of my great sorrow - that they are not made better either by fear for the future, or by the experience of the present; but, predatory, selfish, they are like worms in some manure, fenced off and buried in a heap of these worries, they do not try to come even just once a week to find out where they are. Just as those with a fever cannot see for themselves what state they are in, but they need doctors to free them from the madness, so those possessed by a severe fury of profit need their teachers to let them know that they are mad. As a result of this, I especially ask them, convince and beg them to come to us and take healing from this word. I do not have a sharpened iron, but I have a word - sharper than iron; there is no fire, no caustic medicine, but there are words - hotter than fire, and delivering healing without pain. 2. Why do you run away, tell me, and do not show as much concern for your soul as you do for your flesh? When the flesh is in a bad state, you spend money, and even if you need to borrow, you give everything as collateral - and to the doctors, if they want to cut, even burn, you provide your body with complete readiness to do whatever they want; and when there are wells of worms in your soul, you - tell me - don’t go to listen to the words that cleanse you from rottenness, although for this you don’t need to spend money or endure such pain, but do you surrender yourself to complete destruction? And how can you adequately apologize for this? If I were to say: let the covetous, the predatory, the fornicator, and the adulterer not enter the church; if he persecuted and persecuted all sinners, then even then there would not be much of an excuse, because one who has been purified must enter; but now I don’t even say this, but: even if you commit fornication, although you commit adultery, although you are predatory, although you are covetous, join the church so that you will know that you do not need to do this in the future; I attract everyone and draw them to me, and, spreading the net of the word from everywhere, I want to capture with it not the healthy (only), but also the sick. Every day I say: come and heal with me, because, while healing, I also need medicine, because I am a man, and I am subject to the passions of the same nature with you, I need words that bridle the disorderly bridle; and I do not live a carefree, quiet and undisturbed life, but I myself have the noise of passion and the turmoil of the waves. However, why say (this) to me or anyone else, when it was Paul who reached heaven - even he needed a lot of healing. What he needed, he made obvious to us; even he himself did not live a carefree life, but he had a lot of struggle; that’s why he said: “But I discipline and enslave my body, so that, having preached to others, I myself would not remain unworthy” (1 Cor. 9:27). And he killed what rebelled (against him), and enslaved what wanted to be in licentiousness; and therefore he exhorted others, saying: “If anyone thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). But if Paul did not enjoy peace, but, like those overwhelmed by the sea, saw many waves rising from everywhere, then who would dare to say that he did not need correction, healing and continuous vigil? So, come and heal with me, your teacher. If you are healthy, then even because of this, come to become healthier; a word that corrects what happened and warns against what has never happened before - and frees the sick from weakness, and makes the non-sick stronger. If you don’t have this sin, then there is another one, because “who can say: “I have cleansed my heart, I am clean from my sin?” ( Proverbs 20:9 ). Since you have sinned, do not be ashamed to come, but therefore come yourself. No one says: since I have a wound, I won’t look for a doctor, I won’t even take medicine; but therefore you yourself need to most of all seek both doctors and the power of medicine. And we know how to forgive, because we ourselves are also guilty of other sins. That is why God did not give us Angels as teachers, nor did he bring Gabriel down from above and place him over his flock, but, taking from the flock itself, he makes a shepherd, from the sheep themselves - a leader over the flock, so that he would be lenient towards those in charge and, thinking about his own weakness, would not be proud before his flock, but would have humility as a bridle and basis, oppression from his own conscience. And that what has been said is not an assumption, listen to Paul, who writes and philosophizes about this in the Epistle to the Hebrews. He said this: “For every high priest, chosen from among men, is appointed for the service of men to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins, being able to bear with the ignorant and erring, because he himself is overcome with infirmities, and therefore he must offer sacrifices for sins both for the people and for himself” (Heb. 5:1-3). Do you see how excellently the reason is told to us why not Angels and not Archangels, but people are placed over the churches, so that it is they who can sympathize with their relatives, having in the consciousness of their own sins the greatest teaching about humility? After all, he says, “he himself is burdened with infirmity, and therefore he must offer sacrifices for sins both for the people and for himself.” This is happening now: before this sacred meal and offering a terrible sacrifice, we ask for forgiveness both for the sins of the people, and for our own we cry out, pray and ask, and offer a sacrifice for everyone... 3 3. Give me as an example not a self-seeking man, a slave of the womb and one who has betrayed the nobility of his nature to baseness, but this man, like him, who observes the prototype and does not desecrate his royal appearance - and then you will know what a person is sometimes like. And this one was also a man, and he was born of a woman, fed with milk, lived on the earth, breathed air, and he had everything in common with us, common in relation to nature; but since there was a peculiarity in his will, therefore he shone in grace. Although he had neither money, nor the nobility of the family, nor the greatness of the fatherland, nor eloquence, nor a sharp tongue, nor a crowd of slaves, nor a swarm of eunuchs, nor a house with a golden ceiling, nor silk clothes, nor a luxurious table, nor anything else that seems happiness to many, but extreme poverty - he did not have the means even for the necessary food, but he was a beggar, stretched out his hand and asked for bread from widowed wives, and then Sidonians; his dwelling was a cave, his clothes were leather, his table was earth, his ancestors were unknown and inglorious, his fatherland was insignificant and his means of living were rough - however, nothing like that became an obstacle to this husband’s glory; but he was richer than all the kings, and wiser than all the philosophers and orators, and more noble than those who had diadems, and much more noble than those who owned royal cities; he had the universe as his fatherland, or rather, even it was a small city for him; and Paul exclaims, saying: “They wandered about in mantles and goatskins, suffering disadvantages, sorrows, bitterness; those of whom the whole world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:37, 38). And he reached the highest city, the Artist and Organizer of which is God. Therefore, I gave you (as an example) the poor and simple, (as) enjoying fame, so that you would not have any excuse. If I brought a rich and wise man, you could say that poverty and ignorance prevent me from becoming so; and now it is you who cannot resort to any such pretext: and he was poor, even poorer than all people, he lived in the desert, unknown by his ancestors and fatherland, and in everything else - however, he shone more than the sun both then and now; and as long as the sun illuminates the earth, so long will his glory be, although he was so long before (us); this vastness of time did not drown out the memory of him, and quite naturally. Such is virtue, an immortal deed, and more shining than the sun. But (those who are carried away in the sea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe prophet's praises should not forget the main subject) what I said earlier, this (husband) also reveals in himself (namely) what was said regarding Moses. Since it was natural for him, exalted by his successes, not to be very lenient towards the people, then look what God does. Allows him to be deprived of his grace, so that his weakness is revealed; however, (we) need to show in advance how he was not very lenient. When he closed the sky and made the earth barren, and there was famine, the most severe famine of all: the waters were destroyed, all grass dried up, the rivers dried up, the face of the earth was terrible, threatening death; and, ever advancing, the famine spread, leading (behind it) a miserable death - (then) he did not yield, but, moving away, sat on the top of the mountain, betraying the Jewish people to such painful exhaustion. But the Humane-loving God and ineffable goodness did not tolerate such severity; and since He did not want to motivate him from Himself to stop the misfortune, and then also did not want to do it without him, then look what happens: first He enters into communication with him, and then he sends rain. Do you see in this the goodness of God, love for mankind and honor towards the saint? He poured out streams of rain not before he spoke to him and told him about what was to come, and sent him as a messenger of future prosperity. Since sad things happened through him, (God) wanted him to become a messenger of useful things; and, having brought him down from the mountain, he sent to proclaim the onset of torrential rain and the end of famine throughout that land. However, when the rain came down, and in a very short time a flourishing state came, (then) he gathered four hundred Baal priests and four hundred and eighty, slaughtered them and shed streams of blood 4. 4. So, why is this for the presenting main subject? Don't be embarrassed, beloved! I will finally proceed to the very top of what has been said. When he brought down that flame, won the victory and set up its brilliant sign, carried out the massacre of the priests, (then) he departs with joy, and proud of what happened. Ahab’s wife, an insignificant and despicable harlot, sent to him, saying: “Let the gods do this and that to me, and even more, if I do not do to your soul by this time tomorrow what was done to the soul of these priests.” “When he saw this, he arose” and went on a journey of forty days (1 Kings 19: 2, 3). What then? That soul high to heaven, he, despising the whole world, despised such hunger, which rebelled against such a tyrant king, closed the sky and opened it, brought down now rain, now fire, trampled upon the needs of nature, indestructible, daring everywhere - after so many successes, after so long daring, did not immediately endure the verbal threat of one prodigal woman, finally becomes a fugitive and an exile, flees into the desert, departs on a forty-day journey. Therefore, what is the reason? God deprived him of grace, and the weakness of nature was revealed; He showed the prophet, he also showed the man, so that they would learn that what also happened then was a work of grace. And He did this in order to make them lenient towards the people, to stop and delay the madness that comes from success. That he thought a lot about himself and imagined that he rebelled against everyone else - I will give you his own testimony. When God came to him and asked about the reason for his stay there, saying: “Why are you here, Elijah” (1 Kings 19:13)? - and He asked: “Why are you here?” - not wanting to know, but wanting to reveal to us his innermost thoughts, just as when Christ asked the Canaanite woman, it was not in order to find out, but in order to teach us the treasure of faith lying in her - so, He asked him why, finally, he took such a path and, leaving cities and peoples, loved the desert - and this is not in order to find out for Himself (and why would He, the All-Knowing One?), but in order to teach us through his answer his innermost thoughts, and to what he rightly allowed to be shaken by fear and fall into timidity; he allowed, but did not prompt, he yielded, but did not produce, he only deprived him (of grace), after which he was exposed - so, when He said: “Why are you here, Elijah,” let us listen to what he says: “You have destroyed Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword; I am left alone, but they are looking for my soul to take it away” (1 Kings 19:14). You see that he considered everyone to be lost, and only himself to be left, and no one else besides him; little by little it could drive him to madness. That is why God, turning away this wrong thought from him, says: I left for myself “seven thousand [men]; none of these bowed the knee to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18). Since (then), when he brought the drought, he continued to strain the punishment, and after that he imagined a lot about himself that he was the only one on earth, (then the Lord) allows him to feel his own weakness, points to the multitude of those saved, purifying his thoughts with both, inclining him to be moderate everywhere, to be lenient and dissolve philanthropy with jealousy. 5. If you want to see the same thing in the New (Testament), then again we will try to give you as an example the leaders, towers, strongholds and chapters from the New Testament. Just as Moses and Elijah are, so are Paul and Peter in the New Testament. Just as each of these two became a fugitive, fearing, the first - one Egyptian, the second - the threat of one harlot, so Peter, the foundation, the foundation, the pillar, after countless promises, after so many miracles, after such wisdom, was afraid of the threat not of the queen, not of the husband, but of the gatekeeper-maiden; and it was much more painful than before. Those, being afraid, only ran away, and this one still fell the most difficult fall, which everyone knows about. When he was deprived of grace, his weakness, left by God's care, was also revealed. God allowed him to fall, since he intended to make him the ruler over the entire universe - so that, remembering his own falls, he would be lenient towards the temptations that occurred later. And that what has been said is not an assumption, listen to Christ himself, saying: “Simone, Simone...”, how many times did Satan try to sow you like “wheat, but I prayed for you, so that your faith would not fail; and you, having once turned, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31, 32). For helping you, give Me, he says, this repayment, because if you had not tasted My providence, then you would not have the strength to endure the attack of him (the devil) on your own. So, thinking about your own, be condescending towards others - this is precisely what is hinted at - “affirm” - confirm those who waver, condescending, extending your hand, showing a lot of philanthropy in yourself. And Paul, who was braver than any lion, an undaunted soul, suffered the same thing. And look how he shows in himself that he constantly needs the medicine of humility. In the Epistle to the Corinthians, he says: “We do not want you, brothers, to be ignorant of our tribulation that happened to us in Asia, because we were burdened beyond measure and beyond our strength, so that we did not hope to survive. But they themselves had a sentence of death in themselves, in order to rely not on themselves, but on God, who raises the dead, who delivered us from such an imminent death, and is delivering us, and in whom we hope to deliver us again” (2 Cor. 1:8-10). We were in despair, he says, we did not expect that we would be alive, but we thought to ourselves that we would be completely condemned to death - this means: “we ourselves had a sentence of death” - in this very thing we were told that we would completely perish. Why did God allow us to get into so many dangers? So that we do not rely on ourselves, he says, but on God, who raises the dead. What he said means that we should not be proud, that we should not boast about our successes. He further speaks about this more clearly, again writing like this. After he spoke about the rapture to Heaven, the ascent to Paradise, the communication of those ineffable verbs to him, he added: “And so that I would not become exalted by the extraordinaryness of the revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, the angel of Satan, to oppress me, so that I would not become exalted” (2 Cor. 12:7); here he alludes to those who torment, insult and throw him into prison, since he calls each of them Satan. I was left, he says, to endure trials so that my madness would be curbed, and so that I could learn to pacify myself. As a result of this, finally, I even appealed to God, but had no success in asking, but remained subject to incessant intrigues, having torment as the medicine of humility. And his previous life before his conversion was sufficient to admonish him. Sitting at the feet of Gamaliel, living exactly according to the fatherly law, a zealot of the fatherly traditions, daily leafing through the prophets, fed on the law - he did not accept the coming Christ, who performed miracles, talked about this, offered from the Scriptures and explained, but persecuted the Crucified and Risen One, and overthrew His disciple with thousands of hands, fought against the churches and was fiercer than anyone wolf; by himself, he could not realize what was due until the light shone from above and a voice was given, drawing him to the truth. That is why he himself constantly draws attention to this in his messages, bowing down and being ashamed of what has already happened; in his Epistle to Timothy, he said: “I thank him who gave me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to serve, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and an offender, but was shown mercy because I did so out of ignorance, in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:12-13). And again: “But for this reason I received mercy, so that Jesus Christ in me first might show all longsuffering, as an example to those who will believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:16). And in the Epistle to the Corinthians he said: “I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God” (1 Cor. 15:9). 6. Nevertheless, this happened, and God left them outside of His grace so that when they learned their own weakness, and (that) how insignificant a person is who has no share in support from above, they would show a lot of philanthropy towards their subordinates, a lot of condescension, a lot of forgiveness, having entered the judgment seat, becoming leaders of the people and rulers. That is why in the Epistle to the Galatians he said: “Brothers! Even if a person falls into any sin, you who are spiritual correct him in a spirit of meekness, watching each one of you, lest you be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). So, knowing this, we will attract the unbridled, and we will forgive sinners, we will express, together with the Divine law, much love for mankind, so that we ourselves may taste much forgiveness for what we sin, according to the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. When at midnight the queen came to the Great Church and from here she raised the remains of the martyrs and accompanied them across the entire square to Dripium, the martyrium, located 9 simii from the city; the conversation was said in the martyrium, in the presence of her, the whole city and the leaders 5. 1. What should I say and what should I talk about? I am delighted and enraged by a demon, the best of prudence, I fly, I rejoice, I fly high and are completely intoxicated by this spiritual pleasure. What should I say and what should I talk about? About the power of martyrs? About the city's diligence? About the queen's jealousy? About a meeting of bosses? About shaming the devil? About the defeat of demons? About the eminence of the Church? About the power of the Cross? About the miracles of the Crucified One? About the glory of the Father? About the grace of the Spirit? About the pleasure of all the people? About the delights of the city? About meetings of monks? About choirs of maidens? About the ranks of priests? About the tension of worldly men, slaves, freemen, superiors, subordinates, poor, rich, foreigners, citizens? Is it timely to say in relation to everything: “Whoever speaks of Your power, O Lord, will declare all Your praises” (Ps. 106:2)? Women who live in inaccessible chambers and are softer than wax, leaving their closed palaces, competed in zeal with the strongest men, making such a long journey on foot; not only the young, but even the old; and neither the weakness of nature, nor the delicacy of the lifestyle, nor the arrogance of nobility became an obstacle to this zeal. Again, the leaders themselves, leaving the chariots, staff holders and spearmen, mingled with the common people. And why talk about women or leaders, when even she herself, whose head is covered with a diadem and who is clothed in purple, throughout the entire journey did not allow herself to lag behind the remains at a small distance, but, like a maidservant, accompanied the saints, holding on to the shrine and the cover lying (on it), trampling on all human arrogance, appearing before so many people in the middle of the spectacle - she who even to everyone eunuchs who attend the royal palace are not allowed to see. But the attraction to the martyrs, unlimited (their) power and fiery love (for them) prompted us to throw off all these masks and show zeal for the holy martyrs with open zeal. And she remembered blessed David, also clothed in purple, and with a diadem, with the scepter of the Jewish people, when, leaving that entire tabernacle, he erected the ark, jumped, danced and galloped, with great delight and joy, jumping, expressing his joy that he had at the completion (of the transfer of the ark). If during the time of shadow and image it was necessary for such ardor to be expressed, then even more so during the time of grace and truth - since she also lifted up an ark, much better than that of David. There are not stone tablets in it, but spiritual tablets, blooming grace, a shining gift, bones that are brighter than the very rays, or rather, emit from themselves the most brilliant lightning. Looking at the sunbeam, the demons do not suffer at all; and, unable to bear the brilliance emanating from here, they are blinded, driven away and flee from a great distance: such is the power of even the ashes of the saints, which not only rests within, in the remains, but also extends further, drives away evil spirits and sanctifies in great abundance those who come with faith. That is also why this Christ-loving (queen) followed next to the remains, constantly holding on (to them) and extracting blessings for herself, was for everyone else a teacher in this wonderful and spiritual acquisition, teaching everyone to draw from this source, from which they always draw, but which never runs dry. Just as abundant streams of springs are not contained within their own depths, but overflow and flow over the edge, so the grace of the Spirit, resting at the bones and dwelling with the saints, is also poured out on others who accompany it with faith, rushing from souls to bodies, from bodies to clothes, from clothes to shoes, and from shoes to shadows. As a result of this, not only the bodies of the holy apostles performed miracles, but even scarves and aprons, and not only scarves and aprons, but even the shadow of Peter produced an effect more powerful than the living. Once upon a time, even the mantle dropped on Elisha brought down double grace on him; not only Elisha’s body, but even that clothing was filled with grace. That is why among the three youths the nature of the flame was ashamed not only of their bodies, but even of their very shoes. And for Elisha, this grace did not depart from him, even when he died, but death itself was destroyed when another dead man was thrown into the prophet’s grave. So it was today: during the carrying of the remains, when a ray from the bones shone and burned a horde of opposing forces, the kindling of demons, howling and crying arose from everywhere. 2. I am delighted and soar with pleasure due to the fact that you made the desert a city, leaving the city empty - that you showed us today the wealth of the Church. That's how many sheep, and nowhere a wolf; so many vines, and nowhere thorns; how many ears of grain, and nowhere chaff. The sea stretched from the city to this place, a sea free from waves, without shipwrecks, free from rocks; The sea is sweeter than any honey and more pleasant to drink than drinking waters. It would not be a mistake for anyone to call this sea also a river of fire; Thus, the lamps, densely and continuously stretching at night all the way to this martyrium, presented the audience with the appearance of a fiery river. And this is at night; and when day came, other lamps appeared again; the rising sun hid those, made them dimmer, but these in everyone’s thoughts showed them in greater light; this fire of your zeal was hotter than that visible fire; and each carried a double lamp: fire - at night, zeal - night and day; more precisely, I will not finally call that (night) even night, because it competed with the day, gathering you from everywhere, like sons of light, and revealing (you) brighter than countless stars and the morning star. Just as drunken people make day and night, so those who are awake and vigilant make day and night all night. Therefore, all night long they sang the prophetic (saying): “But the night (is) light in my delight. For the darkness will not be dark from You, and the night will be as bright as the day: just as its darkness, so will its light (be)" 6 (Ps. 139:11, 12). What day was not this night brighter, when everyone was in such an excess of delight, spiritually rejoicing, when so many people poured out, flooding both the road and the square? Even bare soil was not visible, but you, having covered the entire path with people, imagined that throughout the entire journey it was like one continuous golden chain, one river rushing noisily; and, looking up at the sky, we saw the moon in the middle and the stars, and below there were many believers, and among them walking a queen, brighter than the moon. Just as the stars that are lower are better than the ones above, so this one is much brighter than that one. Is the moon as (bright) as the soul is adorned with faith with such dignity? What can you be surprised about in advance: is it jealousy, (which) is hotter than fire; believe it - harder than diamond; Is it the contrition of spirit and humility with which she hid everything, rejecting to the extreme the royal dignity and diadem, and hence all arrogance, and instead of purple she put on clothes of humility, and as a result of it became even brighter? There were many, often queens who were involved only in the same clothes and diadem, and royal glory; but that chosen outfit was only hers, and only hers was that victorious sign. Of the queens, only this one accompanied the martyrs with such honor, with such zeal and reverence, together with the people, rejecting all bodyguards, eliminating almost all inequalities of life to the extreme. As a result, she brought benefit to the people no less than the martyrs. As everyone looked at the remains, they were so amazed at her care, rich and poor, looking at her, relentlessly holding on to the bones, throughout such a journey, neither getting tired, nor leaving, but clinging to the cancer. That is why we never cease to please you, not only us, but also all subsequent generations. 3. What happened here will be heard by the limits of the universe, as far as the sun shines on the earth; those who come after us and those after them will hear; and no time will allow what happened to be forgotten, since everywhere in the universe and everywhere in subsequent generations God will accompany it with much fame. If He made the work of the harlot wife reach the limits of the universe, and established it in memory forever, He will not allow much more to be forgotten, so that the work of a decent, honorable and prudent wife, who showed so much reverence, under royal power, will be forgotten: everyone will please you, the hospitable woman of the saints, the intercessor of the churches, the rival of the apostles. In fact, even if you have received the feminine nature as your inheritance, it is still possible for you to compete with the apostolic successes. So once upon a time Thebe, she who received the teacher of the universe and became his intercessor, was a woman, your partner in the same nature; however, she shone so much that that saint, worthy of heaven and greater than all the apostles, glorified her and said that “she was a helper to many and to myself” (Rom. 16:2). And Priscilla received a feminine nature as her inheritance, but this did not at all become an obstacle for her to glorification, and to the fact that the memory of her became immortal. Then there was also another numerous host of wives who led the apostolic life. Therefore, now counting you among them, we will not sin in that you are precisely the haven for all churches, and you took advantage of the present kingdom to acquire the future Kingdom, establishing churches, honoring priests, destroying the wandering of heretics, receiving martyrs not at the table, but in the soul, not in the tabernacle, but by will, or better, both in the tabernacle and by will. Mary also once led the people, carrying the bones of Joseph, and sang a song; but the one when the Egyptians were drowned in the sea, and you, when the demons were strangled; the one when Pharaoh was drowned in the sea, and you, when the devil was cast down; she with cymbals, and you with thought and soul, sounding stronger than a trumpet; she after the liberation of the Jews, and you after the crowning of the Church; she, leading one monolingual people, and you leading numerous foreign-language nations. And you brought us numerous hosts, exclaiming the songs of David, now in Roman, now in Syriac, now in barbarian, now in Hellenic dialect; it was clear that different tribes and different hosts all had one cithara, David’s, and crowned you with prayers. The joy of this holiday also called upon the most God-loving king, drawing with you the plow of piety; but even this was a matter of your prudence - to keep him at home today and promise his arrival in the morning. So that neither the crowds of horsemen nor the noise from armed warriors would offend the maidens, elders, and elders, and would not disturb the holiday, she, acting worthy of her prudence, divided the triumph between him and herself. If they both arrived today, today would be the end of the holiday; and in order to bring peace on this day, and generously increase joy with the addition of tomorrow, she shared the divine service with him and, having arrived today herself, promised us his coming in the morning. As she is his partner in kingship, so in piety, and does not allow him to be without a share in successes, but everywhere takes (him) as an accomplice. Since our spiritual triumph should continue in the coming day, let us again show the same zeal, so that, as today we see her, Christ-loving, together with the city, so tomorrow we would contemplate the God-loving king, coming with an army and offering to God the same sacrifice of reverence, jealousy, faith; and, having taken the holy martyrs as companions in our prayers, let us pray to them for a long life, a venerable old age, for children and children’s children, and above all, for the prolongation of this zeal, the increase of reverence and such completion of this life that we may reign for endless centuries together with the Only Begotten Son of God - “if we endure”, it is said, and we will reign together (2 Tim. 2:12), - and achieve eternal blessings, which may we all be rewarded with the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. His own. The next day, when the king was in the martyrium of the Apostle and Martyr Thomas, who was in Dripiya, and when he withdrew before the conversation; a conversation was said, after he was removed, to the people 7. 1. Blessed be God: how great is the power of the martyrs! Yesterday, a whole city with a queen, today a king with an army, in great reverence, they brought us here, not by imposing bonds, but by a chain of love, a chain that will never be broken. What is surprising is not that the king came, but that with great readiness, not under duress, but willingly, not to show mercy, but to receive mercy; the benefactor of all in the universe came to enjoy the benefits from these saints and to benefit from these greatest benefits. Therefore, just as he himself wore a diadem, so did all the bodyguards, having taken off their shields, some their spears, abandoning this vanity - they all arrived with a calm spirit, as if ascending from earth to heaven, where there are no virtues, nobility and any such shadow of virtues, but only the example of life and the fruits of virtue shine. If the power of the martyrs is so great here, think how great it is in heaven; if such is their honor during exploits and struggles, then what will be the reward during retribution? And our (business) does not end with the present, but we move towards another life, better than the present, we ascend to high hopes and to the immortal enjoyment of blessings that have no end. God divided our life into these two centuries, and made the present one laborious, and the future one pleasant and endless, so that, having worked a little here, we would enjoy immortal crowns there. Even at the beginning, immediately, He wanted to lead us into that life; but we delayed, causing a great delay through our negligence and, through recklessness, making this future distant. I will try to make this clear from the past for us at the beginning. This is how God is: when He intends to deliver something useful to us, even if we appear unworthy of His dear honor, He shows in every possible way what He would like, but due to our negligence, failure occurred in what He desired. This is what He did at the beginning. When He created man, He created him immediately not with labor, not with misfortune, not with sadness, and made him not mortal, but he was then alien to despondency, labor and death. If He had first given him this as an inheritance, then after the crime he would not have condemned him to this, as punishment and vengeance. So, when he was alien to this, he shone brighter than the sun - being without clothes, he was clothed with glory. Indeed, the greatest sign of his bliss was also the fact that he did not need clothing, covering, or any other such attire, but he had a body beyond such need. But not only in this was he blessed, but also in the fact that he had previously enjoyed conversations with God and luxuriously had boldness towards Him. And the Angels trembled, the Cherubim and Seraphim did not even dare to look straight; and he seemed to be talking to each other. And when He created the dumb breeds, brought them to him, and he gave names to everyone - he left the names inviolable. And this is the greatest sign of Divine honor - not that He commanded him to put names, but that when a man shook the law given to him, God did not shake the honor that he gave him before the law, but “whatever a man calls every living soul, that is its name” (Gen. 2:19). Do you see that there is no hint of real life there? No arts, no trade, no house building, no clothes, no shoes, no roofing, no table, no labor, no sadness, no death, no swarm of other sufferings, but a brilliant introduction, a bright threshold and a beginning leading to a better life. But Adam delayed (him), having, through inexplicable negligence, transgressed the limits of what was commanded, unable to resist even one tree; however, even here a lot of Divine love for mankind is expressed. After all, God’s custom is such that when we lose something through negligence, He, doing and undertaking everything, does not stop before He leads us to even more than what we lost; that's exactly when it happened. We lost Paradise and gained Heaven; hence this enterprise became even more punishing. But we did not receive it immediately, and this is (a matter of) His care. Since the enemy said that “you will be like gods” (Gen. 3:5), he puffed them up with these hopes, set them up to expect equality with God, encouraged them to be foolish, and made them perceive a thought greater than their own nature, then, healing this wound, he immediately allows them to wait for death, so that they can experience the devil’s plan and, having educated the soul well, then receive an immortal body. (God) wanted the fear of death to be strong in the soul until then, and this matter would be terrible. 2. Therefore, He also allowed Abel to die first of all, so that the criminal would learn from the very sight (of death) what death is, and how difficult and unpleasant it is. If he himself had died first, he would not have known the nature of the matter, having never seen another dead; and now he himself, during his lifetime, seeing death ruling over another, over his son, learned the greatness of punishment more accurately and clearly. That is why he saw it not just on a stranger, but on his own son: hence the violence (of it), together with the nature of the matter, produced a more severe sorrow - with nature the virtue of the son, and with virtue the blossoming age, because he died not in old age, but in the very flower of youth; In addition to all this, he suffered from his brother, and from his brother lawlessly and unjustly. As a result of all this, the face of death became terrible and more sorrowful in appearance, a more severe sorrow was aroused in Adam, when all of the above ignited the great furnace, produced a more caustic flame and taught him what evil the devil had plunged him into. If we, seeing the dead every day, are worried, embarrassed, lose heart - and not only we, but even those who put on an important air and boast of high virtues - if they, being at the burial of even an ordinary dead man, lose heart from this spectacle, become more insignificant than anyone else - what was natural for him to endure, who first of all looked at the dead man, moreover, in the face of his son, and such son, to him, who had not yet dulled the suffering by the continuity of the dying, but was extremely shocked by the unusualness of the case? What was natural for someone looking at someone who felt no sound, no touch, no tears, no sobs, who did not move, did not sympathize with the grieving father, and did not perform the usual actions? Don’t just look at the present situation, but think that then this man, first of all, saw the dead man and was filled with great fear, great confusion. However, at the same time God thought about consolation; He wanted not only to increase the fear of death, but also for the person to take advantage of some relief. Which one exactly? The one that is from the Resurrection. But He did not give it immediately, but immediately revealed the hope for it vaguely and as if in a riddle. When fear was greatly increased, it shook the spirit of man; and it was shown what death was, how difficult, unpleasant and burdensome it was, and not only by what it was before the eyes, but also by what was behind the eyes - worms, stench, pus, dust and everything else that accompanies a dead body - when fear was increased, and it shook the spirit, see how it finally leads to the hope of the Resurrection, vague and unclear, but still leads. He did not allow Enoch, who was after this, to die; and Paul says: “By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death; and he was no more, because God had translated him” (Heb. 11:5). He offered and did not allow him to die; He has not yet made him immortal, so as not to eliminate fear, but he remains without dying - although he is not immortal, he is endowed with a long life in a mortal body, through this vaguely revealing, as I said, hope until the Resurrection. Therefore He also allowed the first righteous man to die; It would not be wrong for anyone to name another reason besides the above. Which one? The one that (refers to) the Resurrection. Since death in the future did not have constant dominion, for this purpose He made sure that its first foundation, its first root was strengthened in righteousness, so that the foundation would be rotten. Just as sin is the food of death, so righteousness is the destruction and disappearance of death. He allowed that he who had to die first should be a righteous person, telling us in advance, showing good hope and showing that He would not allow our race to remain always in death: that is why He laid a very weak foundation for it. 3. Then after Enoch, under Noah, He again gave us another way to see the Resurrection. How was Noah in a better position than those who died, imprisoned in such an abyss, darkness and prison? However, the boundless seas that covered the mountain tops did not drown the one in the ark; but, as if rising from death, Noah then emerged from that long downpour, allowing us to see the Resurrection in his own salvation. Again after him - and as time went forward, the images of the Resurrection became clearer - under Jonah, He did the same thing. Three days in the whale were a sign of three days in death, and deliverance from the whale was a harbinger of the Resurrection of the Lord; That’s why He himself said: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah; For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:39, 40). Someone would not be wrong in also calling the birth of Isaac an image of the Resurrection. Therefore, Paul, speaking about his birth from a barren woman, and saying that his father, beyond hope, believed in hope, and that “not having fainted in faith, he did not consider that his body, almost a hundred years old, was already dead, and Sarah’s womb was dead; He did not waver in the promise of God through unbelief, but remained firm in faith, giving glory to God and being fully confident that He was able to fulfill what He promised,” he added: “However, it was not written in relation to him alone that what was imputed to him, but also in relation to us; It will also be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead” (Rom. 4:19–21, 23–24). So, it is clear that the birth of Isaac was an image of the Resurrection of Christ. If it were not an image, then he would not have added and said: “It is not written in relation to him alone that what was imputed to him, but also in relation to us.” The images are written not for those who receive them at the time in which they (the images) exist, but for those who will benefit from them at a later time. Therefore, also in another place he says: “All this happened to them as images; but it is described for our instruction, who have reached the last ages” (1 Cor. 10:11). And Elijah, taken, revealed to us this hope of the Resurrection. But it’s like in images; and when, after a long and endless time, the Only Begotten Son of God came, He showed us the Resurrection in action, through His own Body, freeing it from the power of death; That’s why it is said: “Christ, having died, having risen from the dead, dies no more: death no longer has power over Him. For because He died, He died once to sin” (Rom. 6:9, 10). 4. In the (very) beginning it was vague - the hope of the Resurrection, as in a riddle, was shown to us through Enoch, and the destruction of death through Abel; but both through the Only Begotten Son of God became clear, obvious, completely true. From here the hosts of martyrs arose among us - when death was destroyed and the resurrection shines. Therefore, also, real life has become difficult and full of many labors - so that the more inert among people, willingly staying in the present, being pushed out from here and exhausted under the weight of this life, would run away from pleasures and addictions to this life, and would strive for Heavenly love and hasten to that day. (A person) wise and exalted in mind will not need this admonition, but, having thought how great the Kingdom of Heaven is, and even more than the Kingdom, being with God and with Christ - and this is truly greater than any kingdom - will not feel any sweetness in the present, but will neglect it, passing it faster than a shadow. Since many, being in bondage to the flesh and in the power of everyday worries, willingly remain in them, like nesting animals, then, in order to cut off their addiction to this, He gave them a lot of sadness, fear, worries, thoughts, struggles, dangers, timidity, a large swarm of bodily passions, a siege from the body and much more, which cannot be said in one word, so that, horrified by the clouds of these evils, they wished to return to an undisturbed harbor and enjoy unceasing silence, in which there are no evils mixed with good, but pure good, real good. What seems beautiful here is something like: wealth, fame, power, all this is beautiful only in name, and mixed with the opposite; and in that which is unalloyed and pure there is bliss not in name, but in reality. So, in order for us to achieve this, let us be jealous of the virtues of the martyrs, courage, jealousy, faith, contempt for the present, desire for the future. You can succeed in all this without persecution. Even if the fire is not lit in front, the passion is present, stronger (than it); even if there are no animal teeth, but the rage is more painful than the beast; Even if the executioners do not stand on the sides, tormenting your sides, envy lies inside, eating away at the spirit more painfully than any executioner. So, we need, having prepared to fight these passions and placing the power of wise thoughts as a bulwark against them, so commit real life, and be in asceticism all our lives, so that, after working a little time, we will continually be crowned and enjoy eternal blessings, always being with the Lord and tasting that cohabitation that surpasses every word and thought - in which may we all be participants, by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. An admonishing conversation spoken in the church of St. Anastasia regarding those who were absent, and an account of the contests and exploits of blessed and righteous Job. 1. To the extent that the number of people gathered is smaller than usual, we will use greater zeal. And it would be unfair for the negligence of those who are absent to insult our efforts, but because of this itself we will offer an even more generous meal, so that those who did not arrive, having learned the punishment by experience, will finally become more diligent regarding these meetings. Therefore, I also invite your love to be attentive to what is said; There will be a double benefit for you: by conveying what is said to those who are absent, you will make them more diligent, and you will also make your soul more wise. Just as the nature of the earth, which is neglected, produces poor herbs, but constantly nurtured by agricultural hands, gives ripe fruit, so the soul of a person, lying in laziness, gives birth to thorns of sins, and using care brings the beautiful fruit of virtue. That is why someone wise exhorts, saying: “I passed by the field of a lazy man, and past the vineyard of a foolish man; and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns, its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall fell down” (Proverbs 24:30-31). To prevent this from happening now, we constantly use the sickle of the word; and if anything bad grows, we always cut it out; and if something is ripe and bears fruit, we nourish, irrigate and bring it to color, constantly expressing our care. We need double care, or rather, even triple care: in one - so that we can be free from depravity, in the other - in order to acquire virtue for ourselves; and after that - to keep what was acquired; here even the most labor is needed, because that evil demon, envying our beauty, attacks the successful more; and just as pirates and sinkers pass by ships with sand, and if they see them somewhere with expensive luggage and the wealth stored in them, they attack them, drilling from below, striking from above, using all sorts of cunning, so the devil usually amazes, envyes and deceives especially against those who have collected a lot of virtue. There were so many people around the world under Job, and only against him did he arm himself and use all his cunning; however, he was not able to cause a shipwreck, but he made the luggage more complete and increased the goods. This is virtue: when it is struck, it becomes more powerful, and when it is treacherously attacked, it becomes more unshakable. So it was precisely with that blessed one, who, amazed from everywhere, became unshakable and did not give in to the hands of countless arrows, but emptied the devil’s quiver, and he himself did not fall, did not stumble, but, like an excellent helmsman, did not drown when the sea was furious and the waves rose, and did not become more careless when there was silence; He observed his art equally at both changes of time, and neither wealth overpowered him, nor poverty humiliated him. Neither when things were going favorably was he careless and did not grow cold, nor when almost the entire house was destroyed and complete destruction occurred, he was not indignant and did not disgrace his courage. Let the rich listen, let the poor listen! For both, this is a useful story; or rather, this story is useful for all people - both prosperous and distressed. The ascetic of piety, crowned with the universe, using both weapons, erected a victory sign here and there, and, in every kind of struggle, when the demon rose up against him, he resisted in everything, and was victorious in everything; and just as a noble warrior knows how to fight at night, besiege walls, fight on the sea, fight on foot, shoot arrows, throw a spear, use a sling, a javelin, surpass the enemy in every kind of fight and gain the upper hand everywhere - so it was that noble one who, with great courage, endured every test: poverty, hunger, illness, sorrow, loss of children, (grief) from friends, from enemies, from his wife, from slaves. And there was no human misfortune that was not poured out on his body. However, he overcame all the snares and became above the devil's baits; That’s what’s so special and surprising is that everything fell on him, everything in excess and everything at once. 2. Don’t just look at the fact that he suffered so much, but notice that not little by little, and not intermittently, but all at once and together. This is no small increase in testing; first of all, of all the rest of the people, perhaps there would not be anyone who could endure everything together, but - if someone struggles with poverty, then he enjoys health; if he suffers from poverty and illness, he is often consoled in enduring misfortune by the encouragement of his wife, who serves as a haven for him; if he is not consoled by such a wife, then he does not advise so disastrously; if the advice is so disastrous, then she does not lose all the children at once; and if immediately, then not by such a death; and if by such a death, then he has comforting friends; and if there are no comforters, then there are no shamers; if there are those who disgrace, then there are none who reproach slaves; and if they revile them, then they do not spit in his face; and even if they spit in the face, they do not suffer from such a disease; and if he suffers from such a disease, he enjoys room and protection, and does not sit on a dung heap; and if he sits on a dung heap, then he has his hand stretched out; and if there are no ones stretching out their hands, then there are no ones disgracing them. He endured all this, and, as I said earlier, what is especially surprising is that all of this together; and this gives the misfortune the appearance of a double and triple, when it is the aspirant who is not encouraged by stopping, but due to continuity the confusion becomes greater and the confusion is stronger, which is what happened to him. The loss of the sheep and the burning was followed by the kidnapping of the oxen, after this by the taking of the donkeys, after this by the theft of camels and the beating of slaves, after this by the loss of children and that terrible, unheard of death, and even more terrible is the coffin - because the same thing was both death and the coffin - and the meal, followed by a feast, and now mutilated bodies, and cups and goblets containing blood and wine together mutilated parts (bodies). However, after this difficult, terrible story, another, even more difficult, awaits him, not at all rested. Sources of worms begin, currents of pus, staying on a dung heap, a shard scraping the sides, the stench of wounds, causing unheard-of hunger, but not allowing you to touch the bread that is in front of your eyes, and an exciting disgust, more painful than hunger; and this is not for two, ten, twenty, a hundred days, but for many months. But even here the struggle did not stop: when he was in this position and was tormented from everywhere, from within and without, more intrigues of his wife followed. The concubine becomes a weapon of the demon and strikes her husband, swearing with her tongue the devil, strikes with arrows sharper and more fatal than what was said above. But even here the struggle did not end, but was again the beginning and entry into the competition. When there was no profit for the devil from here, a chorus of friends approached, expressing enmity under the guise of compassion - they attacked the one lying down, opened the wounds, replacing each other, not allowing (him) to breathe and standing in a circle many times, as if staging a painful round dance. Should I also talk about the unbearable test at night - the most unheard of and unusual? For all other people, even if they have undergone a huge number of misfortunes, even if they have lived in prison, even if they have been surrounded by chains, even if they have mourned misfortunes, even if they have endured bodily shame, even if they have been suppressed by poverty, even if they have been ill, even if they have been toils, even if they have been in adversity - however, the coming night brings the medicine of consolation, freeing the body from labor, removing the soul from worries; but then for him the pier became a cliff, medicine became a wound, consolation became something more painful than sorrow, and there was a terrible storm on the night that brings silence to all people; he ran away from the day, as from the waves, due to those unbearable sorrows, and found disturbances, whirlwinds, abysses and rocks, to such an extent that the waves of the day became desirable. That’s why, talking about that unheard-of suffering, he cried out, saying: “When I lie down, I say: “When will I get up?”, and the evening lasts, and I toss and turn until the dawn” (Job.7:4)? Why, tell me? Naturally, during the day you desire the night - after all, in the evening he calls on the night, as providing relief to everyone from the evils of the day - and being in the night, silence, oblivion of those sorrows and worries, why are you again looking for the day? Because for me the night is more painful than the day: it does not give me relief from labors, but an increase (in them), confusion and embarrassment; talking about this very thing, he said: “You frighten me with dreams and you frighten me with visions” (Job.7:14). And he was thrown into awe, seeing terrible visions at night, enduring unbearable fear, strong frenzy and horror. 3. Are you not tired of hearing about these misfortunes, one after another? But he did not tire of suffering. Therefore, it is I who urge your love to wait a little longer; We have not yet said everything, and we have not added any other excess. The first was that every misfortune characteristic of people was suffered by one person; the second - that everything was together, and he didn’t even have the usual break; but I want to say about the third. What is it? The fact is that each of the above-mentioned (misfortunes) fell not only together, but also with great excess and force: his poverty was more painful than any poverty, as well as illness, and imprisonment, and the loss of children, and everything that happened to him. Consider: does anyone lose property? But not entirely, and not in this way. Will children be lost? But not all at once, and not so many, and not like that. Is it susceptible to illness? But not like this, but either fever, or injury, or some other ordinary suffering. That defeat was somewhat strange, and clear only to the sufferer. No word would be able to imagine the bitterness of those ulcers and the torment of the wounds, but it is enough just to say about the perpetrator and his uncontrollable rage to indicate the greatness of the defeat. That sitting was also unheard of and strange; no, truly there is not a single poor man who would ever, being planted in the open air, endure as much all the time as he did - without clothes, deprived of any cover, sitting with wounds on a dung heap. Often someone has an evil wife, but never has anyone been so evil that, in such misfortune, she would attack her husband, sharpen the sword against his soul and instill such advice. And the strangeness of friends and slaves, and the unheard-of hunger - that he did not partake of the meal presented? Should we still talk about the fourth excess? I mean his former wealth and prosperity. He who first lives in poverty endures it more easily, as he becomes accustomed to suffering; and whoever has been deprived of such prosperity suffers both the most acute grief and the greatest embarrassment, due to inexperience, unpreparedness and extreme painfulness of feeling. You can name a fifth one - what is it? That each of the other people, aware of a lot of bad things in themselves, knows the reason why they suffer - this serves a lot as encouragement - but he was not even able to think that he was being compensated for his sins and sins, and this especially confused his mind. When he looked at his life, at a conscience brighter than the sun, and at his many successes, he knew that he was worthy of crowns, praise and countless rewards; and when - on the body, the wounds and everything that happened, when he saw himself suffering more painfully than those who dared to commit extreme (crimes), - he could not find a reason for which he suffered so much; That is why, having resorted to the immensity of the Divine economy, he said: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has also taken away” (Job 1:21). And objecting to his wife as much as possible, he briefly expressed a reflection showing his special reverence, saying this: “Shall we really accept good from God, but will we not accept evil” ( Job 2:10 )? Should we also talk about another excess, especially crowning, glorifying that fighter and showing his high soul reaching to the skies? What is it? There is a difference in time: he was wise before grace and before the law. This is not unimportant - you can also weave countless crowns. For the same successes - not the same rewards when one succeeded in this at an earlier time, and the other at the very last - but it is much greater for the first. It was not the same: to philosophize when Christ came, showed so much in Himself, exhorted and advised, and to reveal the same in oneself before His coming, before the law and before the prophets. That is why, having come, He demands greater application of virtue, saying: “If your righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The greater the teaching, the more just and the greater the measure of virtue. But this one, not having tasted the teaching, not having succeeded in literacy or book knowledge, not seeing (the example of) others, not having refuge in the past time to observe those who labored - because there was not yet Scripture or history conveying events - he was the only one and the first to pave this path of wisdom, along a path not yet paved, across a sea that had not yet sailed, in such darkness of evil, showing himself to be superior supreme in the essential of goods. It is a very great thing to succeed in the smaller parts of virtue, but it means much more to be supreme in the highest of all; and that patience is the most supreme of all, no one will dispute. Realizing this, even the devil himself said: “Skin for skin, and for his life a man will give everything he has; But stretch out Your hand and touch his bone and his flesh” (Job 2:4, 5). From this it is clear that this success is the most supreme of all, and requires a certain courageous and iron soul. 4. Did you see him in trials, as far as you could see? After all, I can’t imagine even the word itself exactly. Sorrow, torment, the power of despondency and the confusion that results from this cannot be explained to listeners by any power of words, as by actual experience itself. Here again I will show it to you - because this is also important, but also requires a very wise soul - I will show it to those who express a lot of wisdom in wealth and prosperity. So, what was he like when he was rich? The same haven for everyone, the same father for everyone, the same doctor, or rather, more than a doctor: listen to what he himself says: “I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame” (Job 29:15). Do you see how much bigger he is than a doctor? He was for the mutilated instead of nature, and what doctors were not able to correct with art, he achieved this through consolation, serving for them instead of members (of the body), due to his great concern for them. Like healthy people, with strong legs and eyesight, they were in the same position with mutilated members, without feeling lameness or injury, thanks to his great care. That’s why he didn’t even say that I comforted the lame and the blind, but that I was their foot and eye; and again: “I was a father to the poor” (Job.29:16). And here he didn’t say: I consoled the orphans, but: I was a father for them, - hence making it obvious that he did not even allow the feeling of orphanhood, did not allow grief to appear, - with an excess of care, destroying the very feeling of grief, just like the injury of the sufferers. He did not only look after the mutilated, he did not compensate for orphanhood, being one instead of members (of the body), another - instead of parents, but he even made himself a judge, and even more than a judge, because he says: “And the litigation, which I did not know, I examined carefully. I broke the jaws of the wicked and plucked from his teeth the stolen goods” (Job 29:16-17). There's a lot more to it than being a judge. The judges sit in anticipation of the offended, and the most skilled of the judges, after their request, provide their own assistance - but many do not do even that; he surpassed even the most skilled, and was far ahead. He did not expect the offended to come to him, and not after their request he went to help, but he himself went around in advance, looking for the offended, and not just looking, but with great vigilance, with great care. And you will clearly learn about this by delving into the meaning of this saying, because he did not say: I was looking, but: “and a lawsuit that I did not know,” that is, I searched to the smallest detail, fussed, used all means to the end, so as to find out if anyone was secretly offended somewhere. Do you notice the vigilant soul? Do you see both courage and diligence? And “I broke the jaws of the wicked.” I destroyed the power of the very thing with which they bite, he says, so as to make them unsuitable for other injustice in the future. So, I brought benefit to both those who endure evil and those who do evil, freeing and admonishing. Then (note) persistence and firmness: “and from his teeth he pulled out what was stolen.” I did not neglect or refuse, even if the task was even started, but I also extracted what I had swallowed, expressing my concern for my fellow servants, characteristic of some excellent and vigilant shepherd. What about humility? Think how great it is: “If I neglected the rights of my servant and maidservant when they had a dispute with me, what would I do when God rebelled? And when He looked at me, what could I answer Him? Didn’t He, who created me in the womb, create him also and form us equally in the womb” (Job 31:13–15)? Do you see the contrite spirit, which accurately examines human nature and knows what a slave is and what a free person is - a distinction that is used by many? Having rejected this inequality, he, on the basis of equality of birth, introduces the word about wisdom. And what is surprising about him is that, in doing this, he did not even think of being humble, but was fulfilling his duty. Therefore, he made a conclusion, convincing to all people, that no more than slaves should think to them, even if they were rulers countless times. These names - slave and free - are just bare words, devoid of action; slavery is determined by sin, and freedom by righteousness. So, is he only humble, and not amiable and pleasant? Yes, it's nice! Consider also the excess here. Just as in times of misfortune he endured with all his strength what befell him, so in times of prosperity he succeeded in every virtue with much excess, not simply, and not as it had to be, but having reached the very top. “Did not the men of my tent say, O that we were not filled with his meat?” ( Job 31:31 ). Here he talks about the mad love the slaves had for him, becoming ardent lovers of him (the body), through which he appeared to them. So, he says, they hung around me, they held themselves like that, they were nailed down like that, they loved me so much that they even wanted to be fed on the flesh itself, to drink and eat, due to their strong love and passion. 5. What could anyone say about the contempt of wealth? And in this he was extremely successful. Not only did he not covet someone else’s, which is what many people do now, but he mostly alienated even his own, even him; That’s why he said: “Did I put my support in gold and say to the treasure: You are my hope? Did I rejoice that my wealth was great, and that my hand had gained much” (Job 31:24-25). Therefore, precisely when (wealth) was taken away, he endured the deprivation with great ease - and when it was with him, he gave generous alms, stretching out his right hand to everyone and opening his house. And he did not do what the majority allows, being too busy and fussing about the recipients, but “my doors,” he says, “I opened to the passerby.” The powerless, no matter what their need, did not fail; the stranger did not come out of my door with an empty bosom (Job 31:32). Do you see generosity? Do you see philanthropy, kindness, humility? Do you also want to know about chastity? “I made a covenant,” he says, “with my eyes, so that I would not think about a girl” (stranger) (Job 31:1). What, having come after this, Christ commanded, in this he succeeded in practice. Do you see him in wealth, do you see him in poverty, do you see him in health, do you see him in illness, do you see him in the successful course of his affairs, do you see him deprived of everything, do you see how he treated children, slaves, the offended, orphans? “If I walked in vanity, and if my foot hastened to wickedness, let them weigh me on the scales of righteousness” (Job 31:5, 6), he says, that is, I did not even seek intercourse with mockers. And this is no small sign of chastity. He achieved every virtue and, surrounded by such (wealth), treated himself more strictly than those who had nothing; He who has nothing is not as free from the addiction to money as he who has much. Everywhere the mood of the soul is crowned. And he ascended to the very pinnacle of chastity, and excelled in every virtue with due diligence. Be jealous of this, beloved, imitate this and, having assimilated this inscribed image, introduce (it) into your conscience; If you are in despondency, resort to him, or if you are rich, take medicine from here, so that you neither plunge into poverty nor become arrogant with wealth, if you lose your children, here is consolation for you, you will find both unhappiness and firmness here in abundance, if you fall into illness, think about the sources of worms with which his flesh was swarming, and endure everything meekly, if a friend plots against you, again remember the saint, and you will be above this passion - if unworthy (people) will abuse, think about what he suffered from slaves, and you will recover a lot - if some bad suspicion falls on you, think how they (friends) said about him, that he had not yet given Him (God) a worthy retribution for his sins, and how they blamed him, and you will also be above this passion. As I first said, there is no human misfortune that he, who was harder than any steel, would not endure - he, who suffered hunger, poverty, illness, loss of children, and the deprivation of such property at once; and after that, having been subjected to the machinations of his wife, insult from friends, attack from slaves, in everything he proved himself to be harder than any rock; and this is before law and grace. And we will not have the slightest excuse when, having enjoyed such a gift after law and grace, we bring less than him, who showed so much wisdom at the beginning and on the eve of human life. So, so that we too may have consolation in sorrow and the teaching of the best wisdom, having imprinted this, let us go away, be jealous of the fighter and imitate his struggle, in order to also achieve future blessings through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. His conversation, spoken in the church of St. Irene, regarding the zeal of those present and the negligence of those absent, and regarding psalmody; also that for women nature does not serve as an obstacle in the pursuit of virtue. 1. How pleasant is reading Scripture - more pleasant than any meadow, more delightful than a garden, and especially when understanding is combined with reading! The meadow, the beauty of the flowers, the greenery of the trees, roses, ivy and myrtle delight the eye, but after a few days they wither. And reading Scripture surrounds the spirit with a wall, cleanses the conscience, drives out base passions, instills virtue, makes the thought sublime, does not allow it to be immersed in unexpected circumstances of affairs, puts it above the devil’s arrows, resettles it to heaven itself, frees the soul from the bonds of the body, gives light wings - everything good that, no matter what anyone names, settles in the soul of the listeners. Therefore, I continually grieve for those who are absent, and I bring joy to those who come, because you are laying up inexhaustible treasure, inexhaustible wealth and abundance without envy, and you will go home filled with much joy. Nothing can give so much pleasure as a clear conscience; and the conscience becomes clear, even if it was burdened with countless sins, enjoying unceasing listening. It does not add anything to previous sins, but it exhausts even what it has, and forces a very inert soul to take up the same thing again. That is why I invite your love to constantly talk about this to those who are absent, rather to bring them to a common mother, and make them participants in spiritual profit - because this communication does not bring any detraction, but an increase. But, oh the power of money, separating so many of our brothers from the herd! After all, nothing else takes them away from here but that serious illness and sometimes an unquenchable furnace; This is a mistress, ruder than any rudeness, more tormenting than a beast, fiercer than demons - she now circles in the square, possessing her prisoners, giving difficult orders and not at all allowing them to sigh from their disastrous labors. But what will they do when that terrible day comes, that incorruptible decision and the unwashed Judge, when the veils of heaven are drawn away, and the host of Angels descends with the Judge, when everything appears naked and open? Neither the eloquence of speakers, nor the abundance of money, nor anything else will then be able to destroy the truth. When the Incorruptible and clearly Omniscient One puts the very sins before His eyes, as if depicted in some picture, then there will be neither a king, nor a simpleton, neither poor nor rich, neither wise nor unlearned, but all these disguises will be removed, and everyone will express the spectacle of their deeds; He who is clothed in a diadem will not be seen, nor he who is clothed in purple; there will be no one rushing on a chariot and with a thousand staff holders noisily performing in the square - all this will be removed, and everyone will be brought naked, with a pledge of death or salvation from their deeds - whatever the deeds of each turn out to be, such will be the verdict. It may be of great benefit to you that you listen to these words with such eagerness; each one's groan and blow to the forehead show me the fruit of these seeds. That is why I grieve for those who are absent, because, being able to enjoy such care, they are replete with wounds and permanent scabs, and do not even know that they are sick - which is why it is difficult to make them healthy. Who will talk to them about this? Are cohabitants wives? But they have one concern - to bother their cohabitants about gold jewelry, clothes and luxury and chores around the house. Slaves? But what if they don’t have any free speech and they themselves are trying to do one thing - to perform their service? Judges? But they are talking about nothing other than the organization of public affairs. Kings and diadem wearers? But they also do all the work, all the effort about power, power and money. Are they with themselves? But how (will they be able to), having no time to breathe from the burden of work, spending night and day on it? So, why is it not more pity for those who have many wounds on themselves, and do not come here, where they can learn that, although they have wounds, it is possible to free themselves from them and receive health? So when will they take care of their soul? It is desirable that those who constantly come to church, who partake of spiritual teaching, and with such care for them, are able to overcome and curb bad desires, and be attentive to the practice of virtue. 2. But so that, by constantly blaming those, we do not deprive you of your usual, we will again offer you your usual meal, and tell you about the benefits of psalmody itself. Here some psalm united different voices, and one consonant song arose; everyone - young men and old, rich and poor, wives and husbands, slaves and free - began to sing one melody. If a musician, by combining various strings with the help of strict art, makes one out of many (strings) remaining many, then what wonder if the power of psalm and spiritual song does the same? It connects not only us who are present, but also the deceased with the living, because he, this blessed prophet, sang the psalm with us - although, however, this does not happen in royal palaces, but he who is clothed in a diadem sits, and everyone, even those in the greatest dignity, stands in silence. But here it’s not like that, but the prophet speaks, and we all answer, and we all echo together; and one cannot see here either slave or free, neither rich and poor, nor ruler and simple; all this inequality of life is driven away, and one choir is made up of all - there is great equality, and the earth imitates the sky. There is so much nobility in the church! And it cannot be said that the master praises with much boldness, and the slave is forced into silence; or again - the rich man uses speech, and the poor is condemned to silence; or else - the husband speaks with complete freedom, and the wife stands silently and silently. We all, enjoying the same equality, offer a common sacrifice, a common offering; and this one does not have anything more than that, nor that one more than this, but everything is in the same honor, and one speech is sent in different languages ​​to the Organizer of the universe. The difference is not in slave and free, not in rich and poor, not in wife and husband, but in spirit, in zeal and negligence, in depravity and virtue. So I can call the poor rich, and the rich poor, and the husband wife, and the wife husband, and the wise simple, and the simple wise, without merging the nature of things, but introducing a better, ordering guide. And how, you say, can a husband be a wife, and like a wife a husband? Not when nature changes, but when the will changes. When I see a man with gold jewelry, with rouge, curling his hair, scented with incense, basking in the soft girdle of his clothes and in his gait, thinking about luxury, then how can I call such a man if he has changed the nobility of nature and remodels himself in the manner of the female sex? If Paul does not deign to count a wife who does this even among the living, but removes her from the choir of the living, places her alongside the dead, saying: “The woman who loves pleasure died alive” (1 Tim. 5:6), then how can a husband be counted among the ranks of husbands, doing what, in doing, the wife even destroys her life? Do not point out to me my husband by his cloak, nor by his belt, nor by the fact that he puts on airs in his house, is scary and formidable, but by his wisdom in spirit - when he restrains his passions, when he overcomes the illnesses of the soul, when he rules the house within himself - I mean the house in the soul - and is not carried away by absurd thoughts; In this, most of all (discovered) is the husband. And if he thinks about drunkenness and a hangover, and spends and spends the day on revelry and excesses, becoming softer than any wax from passion - how can I call such a man, a captive, a purchased slave, yielding to all passions, fragile, tender, luxurious, rejected by everyone, unable even to stand up to compete? Or don’t you know that we have a struggle and competition not with people akin to us, but with invisible forces, hordes of demons, according to the divine Paul: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12)? 3. This is most of all the husband’s business. So, he who dresses up, but does not grow youthful, who blushes, but does not take courage, how will he begin the competition? Or how can he call himself a husband, being weaker in condition than any wife? By the same token, just as I cannot call him a husband, but weaker than a wife, so a wife who acts like a husband is stronger than any husband, if with spiritual weapons, dressed in the armor of righteousness, putting on herself the helmet of salvation, holding ready the shield of faith, girded with the belt of truth, holding the sword of the spirit, she enters into the competition, in the radiance of the weapon, with her thoughts being higher than the sky, scattering the hordes of demons, destroying the power of the devil, piercing passions, producing, more often than not military, defeats, not of people, but of absurd thoughts. The wife and husband are physically separated: she is assigned a loom, a spindle, a basket (for work), supervision of the house, staying in the inner chambers and raising children, and the husband is assigned the place of court, meetings, square, wars, battles and competitions; but in the struggle for piety there is a common list, a common struggle; in the same way, the wives arm themselves and do not abandon the feat, but they also line up in battle order, are married, declared winners, receive awards, praise, and crowns for their differences; and their signs of victory are brilliant, victories are continuous, and one follows another. And so that you do not consider these words as boasting and chatter, but clearly learn that wives are not only more courageous than husbands, but even in terms of dispassion itself they reach, so to speak, the Angels - as far as possible - let a woman by nature be cited (as an example), but by the power of wisdom she reached heaven, the mother of the Maccabees; crowned twice seven times is that wife who is taller than any excellent warrior, the most warlike, the most courageous, the most magnanimous, taller as far as the vaults of heaven are removed from the earth. A warrior, even the best, is afraid of one blow, only the one with which death is associated; and she stood like a mining mountain, bearing in her soul heavy sorrows for each son for the torment that they suffered in body; and she was a mother, a widow, who had reached old age - and you, who have become fathers, and you, who have endured the pangs of childbirth, know how much more painful this is than any sting. And no sharp arrow causes such caustic pain to the wounded as each of these stung her soul. Think what it was like to watch, on each of the children, one body being divided into parts by iron and fire, and long double races being established; how she looked, how she listened, how she perceived the smoke from the fat of their bodies, seeing that thousands of deaths were rushing towards each of the children. But she stood like a motionless rock, unshakable by the waves and turning the waves into foam - like iron, like steel; or rather, no matter what I say, I am not able to give a worthy name to this wife’s fortress. So, let’s call this wife a full husband, but isn’t she superior, with great abundance, even to the husbands themselves? Well, when you see another, young, with a tender body, spending nights without sleep, days without food, suppressing the desire of the womb, overthrowing the love of money, mortifying the body, crucifying her flesh on the cross, considering the present as nothing, walking on the earth and reaching to the very vaults (the sky), trampling on power, disdaining glory, despising nobility, dressed in instead of a thin veil in sackcloth, girded with chains, covering herself with ashes, using the earth as a bed and not demanding anything else, locked in a cramped room, conversing with the prophets, enjoying a life filled with worries about death, dying before death, melting from hunger, vigil and dirt, neglecting the charm of real life more than rotting leaves - can you call this a wife, tell me? But, having even singled her out from the ranks of husbands, would you not place her in the host of Angels because, with her feminine nature, she expresses so much wisdom? 4. And who will object to this? Nobody. Listen to what the wives were like under the apostles; listen to Paul, who says in the Epistle to the Romans: “I present to you Phoebe our sister, a deaconess of the church of Cenchrea... For she also was a helper to many and to myself” (Rom. 16:1, 2). What are you saying, Pavel? Your wife has become your intercessor, and when you say this, you are not ashamed and blush? I’m not ashamed, he says, but I’m even magnified; and my Lord was not ashamed to have a wife for his Mother; and she became my intercessor not because she was just a wife, but because she is wise and flaunts reverence. And how did she become Paul's intercessor? What, in fact, did Paul need, going around the world, in vain clothed with a body, trampling on the needs of nature, driving away demons, healing with his clothes from illness, whose voice and shadow trembled the demon, who, like an Angel, was revered by believers, whom even animals respected, whom the sea was afraid of and, having detained for a day, did not drown, a citizen of Paradise, raptured to the third Heaven, a fellow member of God in in the mysteries, who worked more than all the apostles, a vessel of election, a friend of the bride - the Church, a preacher for the pagans, who went around the earth and the sea, who placed signs of his own courage everywhere, who constantly struggled with hunger and thirst, who fought with nakedness and cold, and who said: “Even to this day we suffer hunger and thirst and nakedness” (1 Cor. 4:11), who became dead to the world, thinking that the world is dead, a citizen of heaven, an ecstatic lover of Christ, hotter than fire, stronger than iron, harder than steel - he is not ashamed when he says about his wife: “she was a helper to many and to myself”? And he not only speaks, but also writes - and not only writes, but wrote this even in a letter to such a great Roman people, arrogant and proud of external merits - not only wrote to them, but even wanted it to become obvious to subsequent generations. After all, if he did not want it, he would not have put it in the message; and now, wanting this matter to be passed on to permanent memory, he even calls his wife by name, encourages everyone to help her, calls her his intercessor, and is not ashamed and does not blush. This is what it means - a wise soul even in a female body. I am talking about this so that my wife does not use it as an excuse, saying that I have not reached the full measure of reverence, since I am a wife. That’s the wife, and her nature did not become an obstacle, but she was honored to become Paul’s intercessor, and is proclaimed everywhere in the universe. How did she become his intercessor? Maybe she pulled him out of danger? She sat next to the bound man, consoled the one who was in chains, provided relief in necessary needs, removed those who were malicious, gave herself up to death in order to free the saint from the misfortunes that befell him. That is why he glorifies the one after her, saying: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila” (Rom. 16:3). Look here again at the brilliant wife; one commonwealth, but the wife is placed ahead of the husband, because he did not say: “Aquila and Priscilla,” but: “Priscilla and Aquila.” And who were they? By craft, tent makers standing in the workshop; but neither craft nor poverty became an obstacle - having passed through the entire city, he, blessed, stopped in this very house. For what and why? Not because it had columns; not because the slabs and floors are colored with stones; not because there is a golden ceiling; not because there are crowds of slaves; not because the retinue of eunuchs; but especially because the house was free from all this, that is why the husband and wife, collecting the fruit of labor with righteousness, made their house a church - not being predatory, not being greedy, but using the service of the body for the necessary food. This is especially why Paul considered this dwelling convenient for stopping. And so that you know that, having praised the virtue of their souls, he remained there, listen to the following next. “Who laid down their lives for my life,” he says, “to whom not I alone give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles” (Rom. 16:4). Do you see that neither female nature, nor craft, nor poverty hinder the feat of virtue? Do you see that the hospitable wife and husband treat the apostle not only with a meal, but even with blood? In fact, even if they were not killed, they still did what was in their power, and, while remaining alive, they became martyrs, and frequent martyrs, always ready to be killed for Paul. He did not say: who spent the money, who opened their house - but, what was most of all, he puts on the stage murder, slaughter, in order to say that “they even wanted to be beheaded for me.” Let the rich people of today, who can hardly afford an obol for the saints, listen; they even gave their blood and laid down their very lives to save the saint and serve; and those of today could not easily donate even the smallest part of their property to the needy; Priscilla and Aquila gave up their money, their bodies, and their very lives. Do you see how wise the wife is, how much so is the husband, who lives even in poverty and by craft? We will be jealous of this, we will imitate this and, despising the present, we will give everything for what is pleasing to God, so that we too may achieve future blessings, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. A conversation given in the Church of the Apostles, on the day of King Theodosius, against those who call themselves “Kaphars,” after the speech of the other two bishops 8. 1. How beautiful is the duo of speakers, one of whom dragged the ark with the help of oxen, and the other laid the beginnings of words! Even if their ages are different, the basis of agriculture is the same; or rather, even age is not different: the young has the constancy of the old, and the old has the splendor and color of the young, so that someone would not be mistaken in calling one and the other both old and young, not according to the quality of age, but according to the disposition of the spirit. Finally, we will bring our own. For I see that your hearing is insatiable; We also owe blessed Theodosius not an ordinary debt, not because he was a king, but because he was pious, not because he was clothed in purple, but because he was dressed in Christ, in clothes that never grow old, and put on the armor of righteousness, the sandals of the Gospel of peace, the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. With this weapon he destroyed the tyrants - both the first and the last. Having captured him without difficulty and bloodshed, he put up a victory sign, without losing even a small part of the army; and he was the only one who captured this one, during the clash that took place. When on both sides the army was preparing for battle, clouds of arrows were released, and there was a flight of his own when the opponents pressed hard - he, jumping off his horse, putting his shield on the ground, bowing his knees, asked for help from heaven, and made the place of the competition the place of the church, fighting not with bows and arrows, or spears, but with tears and prayers; and thus, thanks to a sudden gust of wind, the arrows of the opponents rushed against those who launched them, while the enemies, breathing rage and murder, at the sight of (this), instantly changed, declared him king, and handed over their own, tying their hands behind them. And blessed Theodosius returned, shining not only with victory, but also with the image of victory. The warriors do not share with him the sign of victory, like the rest of the kings, but it was all a sign of him alone and his faith. That is why we please him, and do not say that he died, since everyone “who believes in Me,” says (the Lord), “even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die” (John 11:25, 26). This is what Christ said, this shines through deeds. Well, tell me, isn't he dead? No way; I can’t say that this is death, but some sleep and absence. Just as many of the living are dead, burying their soul in their body as if in a grave, so many of those who have died live, shining with truth, like him, the blessed one. Death is extremely difficult, and that which is born of sin is truly death, which, according to the word (of the Lord), those who believe in Him do not die. “And everyone,” says (the Lord), “who lives and believes in Me will never die” 9. 2. Having traveled, as if on wings, earth and sea, brought thousands of nations to Christ, participated in unspeakable mysteries, been caught up to the third Heaven, didn’t you dare say something like that about yourself? In no way, but everything the opposite: he called himself a miscarriage and the last of the apostles, and, thinking about himself that he was not worthy even of this name, he said: “I am not worthy to be called an Apostle” (1 Cor. 15:9). So what is this madness? What kind of boasting? What kind of madness is this? Being a human being, you call yourself pure (kafar) and are convinced that you are pure - how much recklessness is there in that? By saying about yourself that you are clean, you are doing something similar, as if someone said that the sea is clean from the waves. Just as the waves do not leave us, sins do not leave us. Or do you not know who we are when we rejoice, when we grieve, when we are rich, when we are poor, when we are offended, when we boast, when we are persecuted and when we struggle, when we enjoy security, when we are hungry, when we are filled? Thousands of passions surround the soul, thousands of circumstances, thousands of bodily illnesses, thousands of inconsistencies in affairs - and you dare to say that you are free from so much unrest in Euripus? 10 What could be dirtier than one in such a state? And why am I talking about my whole life? Tell me, can anyone claim to be clean for one day? If he does not commit fornication, does not commit adultery, does not sin against these prohibitions, then can he boast that he was not vain, that he was not reckless, that he did not look with unbridled eyes, that he did not covet his neighbor’s property, that he did not lie, that he did not deceive, that he did not wish ill on his enemies, that he did not slander a friend? If the one who loves the other will have for this no less than the tax collector, then what kind of forgiveness will be worthy even of one who slanderes a friend? Being overwhelmed by such evil, do you dare to call yourself pure? But the madness of this will not only be shown from here, but also from the other side; I invite you and your love, having thought it all over, to move away from their boasting and to be outside of this madness, to test yourself with all diligence, and to wash away real sins, and to remove those who pretend to do so from yourself. Even if we are surrounded by thousands of evils, if we are prudent and vigilant, we will be able to achieve much justification, much excuse, and be washed away from our sins. And listen to how it will be: if we come to church, if we complain about our sins, if we confess our sins, if we give alms, if we express our prayers, if we help the offended, if we forgive the sins of our enemies, if we cry over our sins - all this is a cure against sins. This is all – I invite you – that we will do, washing ourselves daily, cleansing ourselves; and with all this, let us consider ourselves unhappy, saying that we are worthless slaves - after all, this is not an unimportant way of atonement for sins - and, while successful, we will not at all imagine much about ourselves, so as not to suffer what the Pharisee suffered. If we dispose of ourselves in this way, then we will be able to achieve love for mankind and forgiveness on that terrible day and be rewarded with the promised blessings, which we all will enjoy, the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Conversation given in the Church of St. Anastasia 11. 1. The gathering of those present is small, but the effort is great; therefore, the meeting is not even insignificant. We are not looking for a multitude of people, but for a prepared spirit, an inspired thought, a listener who is above all worldly things; at least one such person was able to satisfy the speaker; so the Samaritan wife was poor, criminal and a foreigner, but the Lord of the universe considered her worthy of those lengthy speeches; and often He passed by the Jewish people, either without talking, or covering up his speech, but with a foreign wife, who had five husbands and was cohabiting against the law with a sixth, he talked with one, deliberately sending disciples to the square so as not to frighten the hunt. The Lord of the Universe has so much care for even one soul, if only it finds that the mood and readiness make it capable of listening to speech - which it then showed. From a harlot she became an evangelist when she proclaimed those evidences of hers and said: “Come, see a man, who told me all things that I have done: is not this the Christ” (John 4:29)? He frankly told her life, and revealed her sins, saying: “For you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband” (John 4:18). But the evidence did not strike her, but rather endeared her to her. Such are noble souls: by what others are tempted, by this they are corrected. If there had been anyone else, one of the unreasonable ones, she would have been amazed by the evidence, would have run away, and would have been moved to anger and indignation; and this one, after the accusation, is more disposed towards the Teacher and asks Him about the highest teaching - she said that “Lord! I see that You are a prophet” (John 4:19), and, recognizing Him from His knowledge of His own (her) vices, He is more surprised and questions. This was the property of a soul that wanted to be wise. And he does not ask anything about everyday matters: neither about property, nor about bodily health, nor about liberation from poverty, although he lives in extreme poverty, but about sacred places, about the life of ancestors, about paternal worship, saying: “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say that the place where we should worship is in Jerusalem” (John 4:20)? And in the introduction she does the same thing, saying: “How can you, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink” (John 4:9)? Her soul was so thoughtful and capable of salvation. That is why the One who knows the secrets of the spirit, having found rich soil, scattered the seeds with his generous hand, gradually raising it to the highest. I said all this so that you know that our meeting is not insignificant. If there one wife became enough of a spectacle, much less will we hesitate, seeing so many husbands, so many wives, and with such readiness, but let us use the usual teaching. If the Lord of Angels, Whom the Cherubim tremble, did not refuse to talk with one harlot wife, then what excuse will we have, what excuse will we have if we bypass such a meeting? So, here we are again preparing a familiar meal for you, arranging a common spiritual feast: we will put a cup and pour some whole wine. These meats do not tear the womb, but protect the spirit; This wine does not make the listener mad, but it makes even a drunken person prudent. This is the nature of this meal, which can be sufficient for us even in place of weapons. And we also need weapons, since we have a war every day, not against people related to us, but against invisible forces, against demonic hordes exceeding the cruelty of thousands of enemies, against an irreconcilable ruler who fights us without a truce, not even announcing in advance the time of war, striking invisibly, in secret. Describing this particular war, blessed Paul, the leader of the universe, exclaimed, saying: “My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10); and again in another place: “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). 2. Do you see how he prepares the thoughts of warriors for the fight, how he awakens the spirit, how he arms the army, cutting off negligence and removing inertia? Since in war there are especially two (properties) that betray warriors: betrayal of courage through cowardice and the fact that the careless increase their negligence and allow enemies to attack them, unprotected - and, indeed, neither an extremely timid person can be fit for war, since due to fear he is easily caught, nor, again, someone completely alien to fear cannot overcome his enemies, since due to extreme courage, he eliminates preparation from his undaunted soul - then Paul, correcting both one and the other, makes them combative, inaccessible to negligence, through the description of hordes of enemies, equally prepares them for courage, and protects them from falling through an indication of the strength of the Leader in such a war, Christ. Therefore, it is he, as an excellent commander, who unites the military detachment, eliminating from the souls of believers passions that are harmful to courage, expressing his love and uniting with himself in the name of kinship those who are far removed from him in pious life: “The rest,” he says, “are my brothers.” He shows tender love for everyone to a much greater extent than those born with us from the same mother’s womb, and in his soul embraces the universe - so broad was his love! - and not only in a state of safety, but even in the midst of danger. And living in prisons, and awaiting death, and being exposed to extreme danger, he took care of his disciples, often writing letters from prisons with a chained hand, bound by his right hand; entering the court, having to give an account and be led to death - that which related to the judges, having left all that: fear, danger, threats, death, revenge, punishments, executioners, the rage of the rulers, the cunning of the attackers, the whip - he remembered the believers even at that time: so his soul was free from the bonds of the body, so that even living in the flesh, it held on to the vault of heaven, and, as if transferred to the destiny there, And she did everything in accordance with him, while remaining on earth. And in order for you to understand that what is said is not exaggeration or flattery, listen to it from him, saying: “Just as I ought to think about you all, because I have you in my heart” (Phil. 1:7). But what has been said is still small compared to what will happen next; and this, it is true, is great, but what follows is much greater; Having said: “because I have you in my heart,” he added: “in my bonds, with the protection and establishment of the gospel.” Do you see how he never let them out of his thoughts? If dungeons, trials and chains did not harm the memory, then even more so were calm times. “Because I have you,” he says, “in the heart.” Do you see the word gradually growing stronger? It is great to have it in the heart, but more to have the same, and moreover in chains; and even more, this last, and in addition, in the answer and confirmation of the gospel. Here, it seems to me, is hinted at the time in which he, enduring extreme danger, was brought before the judges. And there, he says, standing, I thought not about how to free myself from the impending dangers, and not about how to get rid of the intrigues, but I enjoyed my love for you, talking even with those who were absent; and neither the length of the journey, nor the burden of the task, nor the greatness of the dangers, nor the fear of the rulers, nor the uprising of nations, nor obvious death, nor drawn swords, nor crowds of executioners, nothing like that in any way distracted me from remembering you. There is nothing more powerful than love, nothing higher than it; she soars above all these arrows, above the nets of the devil, she looks out for everything from the top of heaven; and just as the gusty pressure of the wind, falling, pushes away the annoying dust, so the power of love usually pushes away the onslaught of all passions. This was also fulfilled for Paul: and for him, the salvation of his loved ones, the remembrance (of them), was sufficient consolation in everything. What does it mean: “in the defense and establishment of the gospel”? There is one saying here, but there is an immense sea of ​​thoughts in it; I will try to open it up and explore it from all sides. The Word of God is a shining pearl! through everything, expressing much power not in the multitude of sayings, but in their brevity. But be careful and you will see how much treasure this power of utterance reveals to us. 3. So, what does affirmation of the gospel mean, and what affirmation of the gospel does he mean, and why did he, recalling the courts, prisons and chains, remember this saying? When the sermon spread (it is necessary to begin earlier in order to make the teaching clearer), everything was full of great noise, everything was full of confusion. When the eleven, they alone, lined up to fight against the universe, uprooting an ancient habit, destroying an ancient error, overthrowing the laws of fathers, grandfathers and ancestors, shaking and destroying the paternal customs of cities, speaking against everyone - philosophers, orators, rulers, judges, rulers, peoples, slaves, freemen, farmers, sailors - a heavy war arose, and, as I said before, everything became full of noise; there are rapids everywhere, cliffs everywhere, and the sea is not as agitated, raging and dissected by contrary winds, as the whole universe was shaking then, when ancient customs, strengthened over so much time, were destroyed, and not in one, two or three cities, but throughout the universe, but a new teaching was introduced, which no one had ever heard before. Hence there arose an irreconcilable war against them all, because they (the apostles) divided homes and tore kinship, because the nature of preaching, following its own path and winning over many, aroused enemies among those who did not accept the word of piety: the father abandoned his son, and the husband despised his wife, and masters fought with slaves, and bosses with subordinates - this (war) was worse than any internecine war. war - if only you need to call it war, and not something else, more painful than war. In fact, in a war, the combatants are in the same conditions, both the one and the other army both strike and are defeated; but then it was not so, but one attacked freely, and the others were only attacked, but it was impossible for them to strike, as well as to defend themselves from the treacherous, because the Leader of the battle formation commanded so, saying: “Behold, I send you out like sheep among wolves: therefore be wise as serpents, and simple as doves” (Matthew 10:16). And he not only commanded to go out against the treacherous, but even to give (them) the pleasure of committing outrages, because the turning of the right cheek and the sending of the sheep among the wolves hint at nothing more than the fact that they were given suffering as their lot, so that the sign of victory would become more brilliant. How? So that, being among the eleven, they overcame the universe, - that (they achieved this) by suffering, and not by causing (suffering), by being smitten, and not by smiting, by being deceived, and not by deceit, by being scourged, and not by scourging, by being driven out, and not by driving out, by being pursued, and not by persecution, by being slain, and not by killing, - and that, like sheep destined for the slaughter, they changed all the wolves, raging, breathing murder, who were more ferocious than beasts, to the meekness of the sheep. When the word spread and piety was sown, fires, enmity and wars were kindled everywhere, and not only against teachers, but even against students. At the same time, whoever accepted the word turned into a common enemy for everyone, was expelled from the fatherland, moved to a foreign land, lost property and was in danger of freedom itself, or rather, life itself; and the power of nature did not mean anything then, but, as I said earlier, children were despised, brothers and relatives were on the side of the enemies, students suffered troubles with their teachers. Showing all this, Paul said: “Remember your former days, when you, having been enlightened, endured the great feat of suffering, now in the midst of reproaches and sorrows serving as a spectacle for others, now taking part in others who were in the same state; for you also had compassion for my bonds and accepted the spoiling of your property with joy, knowing that you have in heaven a better and lasting possession” (Heb. 10:32-34). And again in the Epistle to the Thessalonians he said: “For you, brethren, have become imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus, which are in Judea, because you also suffered the same from your fellow tribesmen as those from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and His prophets, and drove us out, and do not please God, and oppose all men” ( 1 Thessalonians 2:14–15). And again, writing to the Galatians, he said: “Have you really suffered so much without benefit? Oh, if only it were without profit” (Gal. 3:4). And, talking about his sufferings, he said: “In great patience, in adversity, in need, in difficult circumstances, under blows, in prisons, in exiles, in labor, in vigils” (2 Cor. 6:4, 5), “in hunger and thirst, often in fasting, in cold and nakedness” (2 Cor. 11:27); and again: “Five times I was given forty strokes minus one; three times I was beaten with sticks, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the depths of the sea; I have been on journeys many times, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from fellow tribesmen, in dangers from pagans, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brethren” (2 Cor. 11:24-26); and again: “besides extraneous adventures, I have a daily gathering of people, caring for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28); and again: “In Damascus, the regional governor of King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus to capture me; and I was lowered down the wall from the window in a basket and escaped his hands” (2 Cor. 11:32–33); and again in another place: “they count us as sheep doomed to the slaughter” (Rom. 8:36); and in another place: “May the Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, because he gave me rest many times and was not ashamed of my chains, but, being in Rome, sought me with great diligence and found me” (2 Tim. 1:16-17). 4. What could anyone say about false apostles, false brethren, about countless and varied wars? After all, not only revenge and punishment were put into action, but even the eloquence of orators and the preparedness of philosophers; and not only they, but even merchants used many tricks against the Church; Hinting at this, he said: “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm... Beware of him, too, for he strongly opposed our words” (2 Tim. 4:14, 15). Just as the sea cannot exist without waves, so Paul’s soul was filled with countless trials, daily dangers: from without, from within, through words, through deeds, through money, through deceits; and no word will be able to imagine the clouds of those arrows, the multitude of waves. So, when in this (situation) there were things, not only in relation to what was said, but also much more, when not only teachers, but also students were in danger, and not only students, but also teachers - and if one part was in trial, the rest was safe, then the latter could serve as a consolation for the first, but now enemies attacked and struck both of them - when, at the sight of this, many of the very weak weakened, became numb, constantly they were sad, seeing the blessings of the preaching - the Kingdom, resurrection and incorruptibility - in hope, and here - in trial and patience - (seeing) the sad: smelters, furnaces, prisons, wars, enmity, hatred, death, danger, and their teachers, now in prison, now in synagogues, insulted, taken away, when there were clouds of evil from everywhere, and they were in some kind of deep night of trials that embraced everyone and made them very worried and embarrassed - then, notice how he arouses their thoughts with one saying. He does the same thing on the other side, in another epistle, saying: “Strengthen the weak hands and weak knees” (Heb. 12:12); speaks not of knees and hands, but of limping thoughts weakened by many trials. Then, after the exhortation, he adds the greatest consolation, saying: “A little while, a very little, and the One who comes will come and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37). But since this was still in hope, he again encourages them in another way, bringing them into a better position not by others, but by his own examples. “Remember,” he says, “your former days, when you, having been enlightened, endured the great feat of suffering” (Heb. 10:32). Be ashamed of yourself and your successes, do not make an end unworthy of the beginning, accept consolation from yourself. After exhorting in one way and another, he also exhorts with this saying. How and in what way? Calling prisons and fetters a confirmation of the Gospel. Not the dead only by rebellion, he says, not the lepers by purification, not the demons by expulsion, but we also confirm the Gospel by our imprisonment in chains. How is this, tell me? After all, in these words there is news, and much looks like a riddle. Listen, finally, to how: if we preached without fear, without enduring anything unpleasant or terrible, then many of those who wanted to slander us would think that the preaching was suspicious; and now we - persecuted, persecuted, cut, burned, thrown from cliffs, enduring countless (trials) and not yielding, but becoming more cheerful from this, even prone to the strongest shamelessness, provide sufficient proof that we are preachers of the truth, and in us there is some Divine power that facilitates all this, and does not allow the multitude of trials to surpass the preachers - although the latter are few - prevail (over them) through so many obstacles. If anyone would like to receive clear proof that we are called by the inner Divine power, let him weigh our trials, dangers, shackles, and prisons. It is not characteristic of human strength to overcome so many steep slopes, to swim across so many waves, to give way to so many arrows, but this is characteristic of the Divine and invincible fortress. Thus, the chain is a confirmation of the Gospel, not only for those, but also for us who suffer - because it makes us more experienced, stronger, makes us more despise the intrigues. That’s why he said: “We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces patience, and patience produces experience, and experience produces hope, and hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:3-5). 5. Do you see how grief strengthens the Gospel? Therefore, precisely in another place, when he asked for liberation from trials and often approached (the Lord) for this, he heard: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Weakness here refers to persecution, trials, dangers, intrigues, and insults. And what was said means this: I could, he says, prevent this, extinguish the war and hold back the waves, but I did not do so that My power would be more expressed. His power would not have been expressed in this way if this had not happened, as (it was expressed) when it existed, but did not have strength. Likewise, we call the best helmsman not the one who can guide the ship on a calm sea, but who guides those sailing on it between rocks, waves, storms and winds, and a doctor - the one who suffers from countless depressing diseases, and a commander - the one who can put a victory sign when enemies surround and strike from everywhere - and a shepherd - the one who keeps the flock safe from countless surrounding wolves and other intruders. So even then it was especially surprising that they, having suffered countless troubles, prevailed over them and surpassed those who caused (the troubles). When Peter and John, the “son of thunder” and the foundation of the faith, were thrown into prison, think of the predicament they were in when they were released. Having brought them, they said to the crowd: “What should we do with these people” (Acts 4:16)? The Jews, fed on the blood of the prophets, a frantic and furious people, who destroyed altars to the ground, killed prophets, fed on murders, a people fiercer than beasts, from whom the Master’s Blood was still dripping, a crucifier - this people, having taken two fishermen - unlearned, simple, unknown, more silent than a fish, one of whom could not bear the empty threat of even the gatekeeper - having taken them and kept them bound, naked, not endowed with wealth, nor strength of body, nor the art of speech, nor the power of oratory, nor the nobility of the family, nor the greatness of the fatherland, these fishermen from the fishermen who were struggling with extreme poverty - (the Jews) found themselves in a quandary about how to deal with them, and they say: “What should we do with these people?” . Do you see how great a thing virtue is, and how trials are a confirmation of the Gospel? And they say to them: “Have we not strictly forbidden you to teach about this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring the blood of that man upon us” (Acts 5:28). If He is only a man, why should you be afraid? And if God, why don’t you worship? Did you not recently exclaim, saying: “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:25)? Why are you afraid of this Blood? Why does it shake your spirit? Didn't you bind Him? Didn't he scourge? Was he crucified on the Cross? Did you not see him being taken down from the Cross dead? Have you not contemplated those buried and hidden in the earth? Didn't you put seals on the coffin? Did you bribe the soldiers? Did he spread the rumor that the disciples stole Him? Why are you afraid now? Why do you tremble at His Blood? Do you see that the truth shines in everything? When, after that plan, they saw that the matter was rising, and its introduction was brilliant, brighter even than the sun, that from the very beginning it was revealed that it would immediately embrace the entire universe and would drive error to its extreme limits, and they would not even be able to endure its unspeakable impulse and strength - they fear, tremble, these chained, condemned, scourged, against whom they were plotting, these two, these simple ones. Therefore Paul calls trials the confirmation of the Gospel; therefore, also in another place he says: “I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances contributed to greater success of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ became known to the whole praetorium and to everyone else, and most of the brothers in the Lord, encouraged by my bonds, began to preach the word of God with greater boldness, fearlessly.” ( Phil. 1:12–14 ). Who has seen, who has heard that prisons bring courage, and chains bring boldness, not only to the bound, but even to students? However, it was like this then: the preaching was strengthened through opponents, and the disciples - when the teacher was attacked, intrigued and imprisoned in chains - became even bolder, rejoiced more, had more fun. Did you praise these words? Let us finally imitate this courage, let us be jealous of this virtue, and let nothing frighten us, let none of the trials confuse us; these are the bonds of piety, these are the wings of wisdom, this prepares the strong and irresistible, this gives greater boldness towards God, attracts greater favor, contributes to the establishment of much grace. So, in order for us to enjoy all this, let us - I beg - endure everything that happens, glorifying God for everything, since glory, honor and power belong to Him, with His Only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. His conversation, spoken in the church of Paul, when the Goths read and the Gothic presbyter had previously spoken the conversation 12. 1. I would like the Greeks to be present today, so that they would hear what was read and know what is the strength of the Crucified One, what is the power of the Cross, what is the nobility of the Church, what is the firmness of faith, what is the shame of error, what is the ridicule of demons. The teaching of philosophers is undermined even among those who speak, by one speech (with them), but ours has a lot of force even among foreign speakers; and that fell apart easier than a spider’s web, but this established itself stronger than steel. Where is the teaching of Plato, Pythagoras and those who were in Athens? It went out. Where are the fishermen and tent makers? Not only in Jews, but even in an alien language, as you heard today, it shines brighter than the sun; Scythians, Thracians, Sauromatians, Moors, Indians, even those who settled on the most extreme limits of the universe - all philosophize, translating the same sayings into their own language; Even in a dream, it was not imagined that the Greeks had a beard, it is important in the square to push away oncoming people with a staff, shaking the curls on the head, expressing the face of a lion rather than a man. But this is not ours, and not in appearance, but in prudence, (the matter of) wisdom. The harlot, who does not have natural beauty, imposes on herself some man-made beauty by rubbing, tinting, white clothes and other such tricks, covering up her natural ugliness; and the girl is beautiful by nature, pleasant and noble, allows the gift of nature to compete on its own, does not need any such help, but pushes away so that natural beauty is not covered by these curtains. This can be seen both in the Church and among outsiders. Those, not having natural beauty, and not being able to adorn themselves with piety, attach importance to themselves with eloquence, polished sayings, style of expressions, hair, order and other things; But with us it is not so, but, having pushed all this away, discarding external fabrication, they express their natural beauty, without sophisticated language, without pursuing euphony, but, philosophizing in the power of thoughts, they also fully demonstrate in deeds and in right life the grace of God that dwells in them. Therefore, it was they who caught not only the inhabited, but also the uninhabited land, not only the land, but also the sea, not only cities, but also mountains, hills and valleys, not only Hellas, but also an alien (country), not only honorable ones, but also the extremely poor, not only husbands, but also wives, not only old people, but also young people. Not yet, but further they went, and, not content with our habitat, they landed near the ocean and captured foreign countries and the British islands in their nets; and wherever you come, finally, you will see that the names of fishermen are on the lips of everyone, not because of the power of the fishermen, but because of the power of the Crucified One, who paved the way for them everywhere, and who showed the simple wiser than philosophers, the unlearned and those who were dumber than fish, more zealous orators, writers and scientists. So, let no one consider it a shame for the Church that we forced foreigners to come out into the middle and say, because this is the beauty of the Church, this is an adornment, this is proof of the power that is in faith; The prophet also proclaimed this from above and said: “There is no language, and no dialect, where their voice is not heard. Their sound goes throughout the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Ps. 18:4, 5). Again, another, pointing to this, hinted in other words, saying: “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, (and the leopard will sleep with the kid), and the lion will eat straw like the ox” (Is. 65:25); He does not talk about lions and lambs, leopards and kids, but he proclaims to us and shows that it is the bestial among people who will achieve such ennoblement, having become dissolved in the wisdom of preaching, that they will form one herd with the noblest and meekest of men. And today you see that the rudest of all people stand with the sheep of the Church, that the pasture is common, the sheepfold is one, and there is one meal ahead for all. 2. Let the Jews be ashamed who read the Scripture and do not understand its meaning; may the Hellenes, sitting on stone seats and chasing darkness, cover their faces in shame at the sight of the truth shining brighter than a ray; Let the Church flaunt, shining and soaring everywhere. Just as the sun is common and the earth is common, the sea and the air, so the word of the sermon has become much more common; That’s why Paul said: “I intended to come to you many times (but I encountered obstacles even until now) so that I might have some fruit among you, as well as among other nations. I owe both Greeks and barbarians, wise men and ignorant. Therefore, as for me, I am ready to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome” (Rom. 1:13-15). And why are you surprised if this is in the New Testament, when even in the Old the same thing happened. The very first, who became the ancestor of both the Church and the synagogue, theirs in the flesh, and ours in spirit, was a foreigner, was brought from central Persia - I mean Patriarch Abraham, who did not hear the Scriptures, and did not participate in prophecy, and did not have a teacher, and did not hear history - since Moses had not yet - and did not recognize anything from what happened before him, and was not taught what was to come after him, but, having been born and raised in the middle country of the Persians, he immediately began to wax philosophical, as if he had previously received many commands even from the New (Testament), and expressed (this) by his deeds. Having received the command to leave his homeland, to leave home, friends and relatives, and to go to a foreign land, he did not experience anything human, was not restrained by attachment, did not reason with himself and did not say: having left the obvious and obvious, should I go to the unknown and non-obvious? - but, having faith as a guide and having acquired the promise of God instead of a staff, he lost one of his hands, and accepted the other in hope; and on the basis of this, he was also the ancestor of the Church, since we also receive the command to despise worldly and visible things, to strain our hope for the unobvious, to hold on to faith, the anchor of our salvation, and to seek that (invisible) - which is why Paul said: “We are saved in hope. But hope, when it sees, is not hope” (Rom. 8:24); and again: “our little moment of light affliction produces eternal glory in an exceeding abundance, when we look not at what is seen, but at what is unseen: for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17, 18). Having left his homeland and pitched his tent in a foreign land, this blessed Abraham again expressed the apostolic commands through his deeds. When he erected that brilliant trophy - won an unexpected victory, overcame foreigners not with the strength of his body, but with the power of faith, and he was offered the saved to take the reward for those labors and disasters - when the foreigner told him: “Give me the people, and take the property for yourself” (Gen. 14:21), - then what does he say? “I lift up my hand to the Lord God Most High, the Lord of heaven and earth, because I will not take even a thread or a shoe strap from all yours” (Gen. 14:22, 23). Do you see how he fulfilled that gospel command that says: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8)? And Moses was raised and raised in a foreign house, however, he did not receive any harm from this, but he was no less wise than the patriarch, ridiculing the sybaritic meal 13, being above that luxury, not appreciating the wealth, kingdom and scepter of Egypt, but he himself turned to clay and making bricks. That is why Paul, marveling at him, said: “He considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:26). Then, also showing the teacher of these blessings, he added, saying: “He, as if seeing the Invisible, was strong” (Heb. 11:27), which was a matter of the greatest faith. So, let us not consider it a shame that there are foreigners in the Church, but even a great adornment, because our Lord Jesus Christ himself, having come into the universe, was the first to call foreigners. When He was born and laid in a manger, the wise men, coming from Persia, worshiped Him. Oh, unheard of and strange things! When the king enters the city, curtains and lamps (arranged) 14 are greeted by all the dignitaries and authorities with a bright appearance, (there are) flutes, pipes, citharas and every kind of music, shiny clothes and wreaths, and a lot of splendor; and when the King of Heaven had to enter the universe, nothing like that, but everything disgusting: a tent, a tent and a manger, Mother, apparently simple, great poverty and oppressive poverty. Meanwhile, if He wanted, He could come, shaking the sky, shaking the earth, sending lightning - and why am I talking about this? – if He showed His Divinity only in nakedness, then what brilliance and lightness would it not be greater? But He did not do so, because He wanted not to destroy, but to save, not to frighten, but to correct, to first trample on human arrogance and destroy madness. That is why He becomes not just a man, but even a poor man, and He chooses for Himself such a Mother and a simple refuge, welcoming from the very beginning, from His birth, the extreme limit of poverty. What kind of wife, tell me, even if she were the poorest of all people, even if she was a beggar, does not have a bed to lay her newborn child? But He did not recline on the bed, but simply in a manger, as it happened, and in a tent, not in a hotel. Such is the beginning of His entrance, so brilliant and glorious is it; and when you hear about the entrance, do not think about changing the place, but about indulgence for the management of the house 15. 3. And Paul, when he says: “When he brings the Firstborn into the world” (Heb. 1:6), he announces to us about the government of the house, because He who is present everywhere and who fulfills everything, where could he enter? This is how he called the appearance (of Him) according to the government of the house. So, entering the universe, He entered in a humble form, trampling arrogance, stopping madness, convincing everyone to moderate themselves, not to dishonor poverty, not to despise poverty, not to be enchanted by wealth, not to think that human pomp is a great thing, but that it is weaker than a shadow, more insignificant than leaves, more deceptive than dreams. So, having entered, He called foreigners, and not just foreigners, but even magicians, a common type of wickedness. When everything in the universe was in a bad state: wickedness reigned everywhere, fatness and smoke; the law had no force, the prophets did not correct; neither admonitions, nor miracles, nor punishment, nor vengeance brought any benefit, the earth was desecrated with human blood, and nature itself was not recognized - “they sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons” (Ps. 105:37), - the altars were destroyed to the ground, the prophets were beaten, the church of piety became a ruin and a receptacle for idols; the people brought onto the stage to educate others became for others the basis of blasphemy, - “constantly,” it is said, “my name is dishonored every day” (Is. 52:5), - sacrifices were disgraced, holidays, new moons, Sabbaths and other forms of service were rejected, - when virtue was neglected, the voice of God accused from above, the voices of the prophets and voices from below mourned from everywhere, - when things were in a bad state, great evil intensified, a thick cloud hung over, deep night became impudent, virtue was driven out, a huge storm arose and continuous waves arose, shipwrecks became frequent and constant, everyone was sunk, not a pilot’s voice was heard, nor the skill of the sailors had any power, but wicked spirits ruled and there was no hope of salvation; Did anyone dare to call on God - because how (to call) when the prophets accused, while the Angels assigned to each people covered their faces in shame? - then, finally, time called upon the Organizer of everything, the Artist himself, who also created our race from the beginning. When there was a grave illness, especially generated by madness and boasting, the beginning, middle and end of things were distorted, He left the Father’s Throne and came to earth. Again, when you hear: He has set out, do not think about the change of place, nor about the emptying of Heaven, because, even being in the virgin womb, He was with the Father; but how (set off), do not ask and do not demand an account, because when God acts, only faith, consent and confession are needed. So, having come and seeing the sick man lying on the bed, in despair - when I say: sick, I mean the human race, (lying) not on such a bed (i.e. simple), but on the bed of depravity, - (seeing) abandoned by doctors, besieged by passions, in the grip of illness, (seeing) every kind of weakness befalling human nature, the man himself finally despairing of himself, this doctor of wounds - I speak about law - turned into a harsh accuser, multiplying guilt and making a person guilty of even greater judgment, (seeing) the power of weakness and the excess of evils, (and the sick) having no one else except the One who created us from the beginning - look at what He does first: clothe ourselves with our weakened and defeated nature, in order to fight through it and renew the fight, and from the very threshold and beginning immediately uproots nature madness, which was the cause of all evil. It precisely made the devil, who was not a devil, become a devil, as Paul points out when he says: “You must not be a convert, lest he become proud and fall into condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). It threw Adam out of Paradise: when he heard: “You will be like gods,” deceived by this hope, he touched the tree, trampled the law and violated the commandment. Therefore, God prepared a medicine appropriate to the wound. Just as in relation to the body, according to doctors, the opposite serves as a healing agent for the opposite, and we warm what is cool and moisten what is dry - so God acted regarding the passions of the soul. Madness puffed her up and made her swell, so He used medicine to stop her bloat and destroy the tumor. What kind of medicine? Surrounded her with death. Therefore, He did not create only a mortal body, but He arranged it in such a way that it would rot and mix, abound with sources of worms, dissolve into pus and be filled with stench, first laying the foundation for humility, and not allowing one to ever be proud, even to a very mad person. What is truly more smelly than the human body? What is more insignificant than someone who has died? 4. But do not be gloomy, beloved, but see God’s care here. And the deceased does not feel what is happening in order to grieve, and the living is brought up on someone else’s body to philosophize. Even if he (i.e., the living one) has assumed an important appearance an innumerable number of times and boasted a lot, but when he approaches the tomb, feeling the pervasive stench and remembering our insignificance, he stops, falls and descends to hell itself. And so that you know that this was done for the sake of this, that He does not dishonor our nature, but curbs the madness of the spirit and keeps man in constant humility - since from the beginning he had sin from here (i.e. from madness) - listen to what the prophet Isaiah says: “How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning” (Is. 14:12)! He is not talking about the morning star, because the morning star never fell, but, once established in the sky, it is unshakable and maintains its course. So, what does it mean what the prophet said: “How have you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning”? He speaks of a certain foreign king; He calls him the morning star by his splendor, by his diadem, by his purple, by the shine of his spearmen, by the shine of his weapons, by his shining gold, by his pointed and sparkling spears, by all the other splendor, by everything that is carried and worn. That he is not talking about the morning star, but, having said: “How you fell from heaven, Lucifer, son of the dawn,” he uses this name figuratively, this is further clarified: “And he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Is. 14:13, 14). That a star has no thought, no mind, no speech is, of course, obvious to everyone; but he speaks of a certain blasphemous king, boastful, eloquent and so magnified. Who is this king? We could indicate, but so that you do not learn everything from us, but you yourself would carefully and vigilantly explore the treasures of the Divine Scripture - turn to this place of the prophet and find out who the king is, of which people, and when he was, - as it says: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be even wiser” (Proverbs 9:9). So, when this king, being brilliant and noble, with much excess of wealth, after occupying the entire universe and spreading his kingdom, was immediately caught up and died, the prophet, knowing the variability of people, said: “How did you fall from heaven, Lucifer, son of the dawn,” the shaker of kings, who made the whole universe a desert? And, turning his speech to him and ridiculing him, he adds: “I said in my heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” But you are cast down into hell, into the depths of the underworld,” - pus will be spread under you, and your covering will be a worm (Is. 14:13-15). You see how for this reason He arranged, as I spoke about, that our body has such a lot to serve as a cure for madness. So, seeing him (i.e., a person) in despair, He educates him with what happens after death, reminding him of worms, stench, pus - so that, having thought about this, he would leave his madness and think with pride not about the present, but about what the end will be, what change will follow with it. Therefore, it was we who received as our inheritance a suffering body, and after death it was so fetid. If, with such a nature, many of the insane strayed into recklessness in order to imagine equality with God and neglect Heaven, then in what ways would they not have been perverted by lawlessness if they had not been restrained by this bridle? Not only this king, but also the other, imagined the same thing about himself; and another prophet, Ezekiel, ridiculing him, said: “You say: “I am a god, sitting on the seat of God, in the heart of the seas,” and not a man living in the heart of the earth: “I am a god,” whereas in the hand of him who smites you you will be a man, and not a god” (Ezekiel 28:2, 9)? Do you see that this one also hinted that death was surpassed in order to stop madness, in order to uproot by the roots that evil thought that the devil sowed in the primordial world from the beginning? This is where idolatry came from, the height of human evil, when many exalt themselves to the point of madness and desire equality with God. So, all Hellenic gods were created by people; To prevent this from happening, God imposed death, exposing the weakness of nature. That is why, precisely, the Only Begotten Son of God, stopping the madness, arranged it in such a way that He endured such a beginning of His entrance: a tent, poverty, the beggar Mother, convincing everyone with deeds so that they trample on human pride; and, having come, calls first of all foreigners. For what and why? When the human race was in a bad state - I will return again to the same words - and everyone despaired of salvation - then He first of all overthrew the strength of the devil and his strongest weapon, so that none of the rest would be in despair. On the other hand, this served to the shame of the Jews that they hesitated to come, but these even went on a long journey to see and worship Him; and going around (everyone), they say: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2)? 5. Oh, amazing and strange things! The only begotten Son of God is preached primarily through foreign speech in Judea, where there are prophets, patriarchs, righteous people, the law, the ark, the covenant, the church, sacrifices and ministries; and those who are fed on this are not taught, even after learning from foreigners, but they, who have never heard anything like this, become teachers of those who have practiced this. That is why the prophet David, ridiculing them, said: “Why are the nations in turmoil, and the nations plotting vain things” (Ps. 2:1)? Indeed, did they not study in vain when they did not accept what the prophets predicted? However, not (so) the Magi - but they even went on a long journey, leaving their fatherland, home, friends and relatives, and exposed themselves to danger. Arriving at the reigning city, they asked where the Tsar was born. They did not suspect the rage of the reigning ruler at that time, nor the uprising of the people, nor the machinations of the city. Since they have taken upon themselves to preach, they immediately become wise and martyrs during their lifetime, daring against death, neglecting dangers, despising real life, boldly preaching what they have learned, announcing the One who was born among the people and among the city. Therefore, the star also hides, so that they, having lost a leader, would be forced to learn from the Jews, or rather, to instruct them in their teaching, since they are only looking for a place, and they previously knew that He was born. But look at the wisdom of God, how He called them. He did not send a prophet, because they would not have tolerated it, nor an apostle, because they would not have heeded it, nor the Scripture, because they did not know; but distracts them from error by their own and those close to them. Since they were magicians, and they had a science regarding the stars, a star appears to them, drawing them from a foreign land - a star, not one of the visible ones, but some Divine and invisible force, which has taken on the appearance of a star from the outside; the star attracts them to finally free them from their occupation with the stars and end the power of astronomy. This is what Paul did, imitating his Master: “Therefore I urge you,” he says, “to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 4:16). Just as his Lord, calling the Magi, sent the form of a star, so that, having recognized what was familiar to them, they would willingly obey and, having come, would see the Lord of the stars and, freed from that service, would begin this dominion - so he sent Timothy with circumcision, having the intention of abolishing circumcision. Since those who accepted him were Jews, and he was the son of a believing Jewish wife, but of a Greek father, and therefore uncircumcised, he was circumcised, following the example of fishermen - because they do not throw an empty fishing rod into the sea, but put bait on it. So, let the synagogue be the sea, and the Jews be the fish, the fishing rod be Timothy, the circumcision be bait put on the fishing rod, the fisherman be Paul; therefore, he casts a fishing rod into the sea, but not empty, - Timothy with circumcision, and not uncircumcised, - since if he had sent uncircumcised, the fish would have fled when they saw the fishing rod empty; Therefore, he arranges the circumcision himself, so that, recognizing what is customary for them, they rush to the prey, and so that he does not frighten the hunters who rush to the prey - so that they are attracted through circumcision, and are retained by the word of teaching; That's exactly what happened. He came in and with the circumcision, he destroyed the circumcision. This is the business of house management: first he condescends, and then he distracts. This is what Christ did when he called foreigners. Just as when calling people, He took on the form of a man both in appearance and in nature, so when He called the Magi, He changed the invisible force from outside into the form of a star. That that star was not a star, one of many, learn from its flow. It did not go from east to west, but from north to south, because this is how Palestine lies towards Persia; and appears not at night, but during the day, which is unusual for a star; both appears and hides, which is also unusual for a star; hides when they reach Jerusalem, and appears when they leave the king. From this it is obvious that she was some kind of intelligent force that ruled everything at home by command. Not only from this is it obvious, but (also from the fact that) serving as their leader to the manger, she is not shown to them from above, but, descending down, stops where the Child was - above, so to speak, His head; if she were a star, she would not have shown such a place, cramped and limited. You know, of course, clearly that, due to its excessive height, the star could not even determine the location of the city, and its (indication), even directly descending along a plumb line, is unclear due to its excessive height. And that (star) also showed a small place, a manger, being near the head, and, having shown, immediately disappeared - which was not the work of the star. 6. If the Magi say: “We saw His star” (Matthew 2:2), then they are speaking according to their own science, which later, of course, having been brought in, they abandoned. That they saw the star together and were freed from error is obvious from the fact that they worship; if they considered her one of many, they would not bow. What did wanderers, strangers and foreigners expect from the Baby? How did they know that He would bring life and reward them at such a distance? How did they not foresee the real danger? How did they not think that it was natural to anticipate (them) even from real life, when the then king would have killed (them)? What sign of the kingdom did they see, what vestibule, what spear-bearers, what shield-bearers, what service, what golden shields, what chariots, what ceiling, what palaces, what crowd of eunuchs? Nothing like that, but everything contrary to that: a manger and a tent, a hotel and the Beggar Mother, extreme poverty and diapers. So, to whom did they bring gold, frankincense and myrrh? Isn't it quite obvious that they were already inspired by faith? And there are many peculiarities in the gifts that take the place of preaching. One cannot reject the explanation - even if it is given by the (popular) crowd - that it was they who confessed Him as God - through incense, and as a King - through gold, and as a Sufferer - through myrrh, pointing to His burial: this is how He was buried, and they foreshadowed this by what they did. So, what happened was the power not of astronomy, but of God’s economy, because He who came to teach virtue was not concerned with introducing astronomy, but, on the contrary, with greatly weakening it, putting everything good and bad in desire and unwillingness. For this purpose, He threatened Gehenna and prepared the Kingdom - because both (are) a consequence of what is happening in the soul - but He would neither prepare crowns nor threaten punishment for those bound by necessity. He would not have given laws, would not have urged with exhortations, would not have done so much if the human race were bound by necessity; but since we are free and masters of will, from negligence we become unfit, from zeal we become useful and what we should be, then He came, preparing saving medicine for this, correcting many with the fear of Gehenna and the promise of the Kingdom and instructing wisdom through laws. That there is neither fate nor the course of the stars governing human (affairs) is obvious, apart from Scripture, from the deeds themselves. If human affairs depend on fate, why do you scourge your slave, the thief? Why are you dragging an adulteress wife to trial? Why are you ashamed when you do bad things? If sin is (a matter of) necessity, why can’t you even bear the words, being offended, but no matter who calls you an adulterer, or a fornicator, or a murderer, you call this act insolence? If sins are not the work of your spirit, then what you commit is not guilt, and what you say is not insolence. Now, by the fact that you condemn others, and by the fact that you do not forgive those who sin, and by the fact that when you do, you yourself are ashamed and try to hide, and those who do it to you you consider impudent - with all this you recognize that our deeds are not bound by necessity, but are honored by freedom; obsessed with necessity, we know how to forgive. If someone, being in the power of a demon, strikes us, tears our clothes or strikes us, we not only do not punish him, we do not bring him to trial, but we even pity and forgive him. Why, finally? Because this is not done out of free will, but under compulsion from a demon. Thus, if other sins were due to necessity, from fate, we would forgive; but, since we know that we do not belong to necessity, therefore we do not forgive - neither masters to slaves, nor husbands to wives, nor wives to husbands, nor fathers to children, nor teachers to students, nor bosses to subordinates, nor legislators to those who receive laws - we are harsh examiners of insolence and vindictive, we turn to courts of law, strike, punish and do everything to free both the slave from malice and the son from depravity. That’s why we supply teachers for them, and we threaten them by sending them to teachers, and we deliver blows. For what, tell me, and why? After all, if fate determines that he will become unfit, what need is there for this help? So, it is quite clear that everything depends on free will, and is not bound by necessity. That’s why we provide help, distract people from negligence and guide them towards virtue. Why do we cross the sea, cultivate the land, build cities, exert a lot of diligence during illness - spend money, call doctors, prepare medicines, curb the stomach and punish wishes? If, as you say, life and death are determined by fate, there is no need to spend money, there is no need to visit doctors, there is no need for those who are sick to be too thorough in their wisdom. Now, from the way everyone acts, it is clear that there is nothing superfluous in this - there are no determinations of fate, no necessity directs our affairs, everything is respected by freedom of will. What is the need to work until you sweat for the sake of virtue? After all, if someone is destined by fate to become beautiful, he will be beautiful, even if he sleeps and snores; or rather, it cannot even be called beautiful if it became so out of necessity. What is the need for so much toil and sweat? If someone is destined by fate to become thin, then he will be thin, even if he makes innumerable efforts; or rather, such a person, oppressed by necessity, cannot be called bad. Just as a man who is raging, if he begins to insult - I again use the same example - we will not call him impudent, and we will not consider his insult an insolence, but (a matter of) coercion from a demon, so we will not call a bad person, if he is oppressed by fate and necessity, just as we will not call him bad, just as we will not call a beautiful person beautiful. If we do this, then there will be confusion, confusion and perversion of things in everything; there will be no virtue, no vice, no arts, no laws and nothing like that. Do you see where the bait of the devil leads, what he would like to do with the universe, and what goal he is going towards? So, knowing all this and more than this - I could say more, but for the most intelligent this is enough - let us flee from vice, choose virtue, so that, first of all, God may be merciful to us, and then so that we can be freed from Gehenna and enjoy eternal blessings - of which may we all be worthy by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen. His is about the fact that one should not go to the lists or to the spectacles. And having grieved them, then at the meeting that took place after that Sunday, he yielded to speak to the bishop who had arrived from Galatia, and after being silent, also at this (meeting), having grieved, he spoke this conversation in the great church with the words: “My Father works hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17) 16. 1. Recently, in a conversation about spectacles and lists, I touched you greatly; Therefore, I rejoice and am glad according to the apostolic expression, which says: “If I grieve you, who will make me glad but the one who grieves me” (2 Cor. 2:2)? Because that’s why I see great fruit growing from this sadness. And medicines that heal wounds also first bite the abscesses, and then free them from pus; so the word that strikes the listener becomes the beginning of correction. Just as in our body the dead part is insensitive either to cutting, or to drugs, or to cauterization - therefore, even if there are countless (medicines), it cannot return to health, having lost the beginning and basis for medical care - and the one that feels iron, fire, drugs can quickly return to health - so in souls: some, being in an insensible state, cannot easily be changed; others, who know how to be ashamed and blush, grieve and be upset during reproaches, provide us with the greatest proof that they will soon be removed from depravity. That is why blessed Paul, knowing this, strongly approved of those who were saddened and rejoiced for them, and rejected those who were otherwise inclined, saying: “They, having reached the point of insensibility, gave themselves over to debauchery so that they commit all uncleanness with gluttony” (Eph. 4:19). How can one who cannot grieve ever be corrected, unless he first learns to do so himself? Since you have succeeded in this, we are very calm about your love, because if one conversation hurt so much and led to such anxiety that you are worried, agitated and embarrassed, then it is quite clear that the second and third added will free you from the whole illness. And know that I am not flattering you when I say this: by what you have recently discovered, you have testified to the truth of what we have said. In fact, being so wounded, so distressed, being in such sorrow and anxiety, the next Sunday you staged for us a more brilliant spectacle, a larger gathering and with greater zeal, and you were all delighted, everyone clung to our tongue, like chicks swallows clinging to their nest. Then, when, in honor of our brother who came from Galatia, we, both in accordance with the very church law, which commands us to receive guests in this way, and in accordance with his venerable gray hair, yielded the floor, you walked away noisily, complaining of misfortune, like those who had suffered a long-term famine, and wanting our speech to cut, condemn, amaze, upset, doing the same thing as a child does, who, despite the blows and scolding, cannot leave his mother behind, but follows with a squeal, holding on to the side of his mother’s clothes and dragging behind her with tears. Therefore, I rejoice, inspired by pleasure, and I say that I am happy, laboring among such lovers, among you, who have so clung to my speech. This is sweeter for me than these rays, this is more pleasant than light, this is life - namely, to be with such prudent listeners, who want not just to applaud, but to correct themselves, who do not run away from censure, but resort to reproach. That is why I myself am more willing to take up the conversation with you, and today I wish to give back the remnants of what was recently said to you, leaving now the censure, so that, again accusing the careless and using the entire conversation to expose them, I do not harm the zealous. Even if we had not said anything, what happened yesterday is already enough to remove even those who are very mad and raging about the circus from this inappropriate passion. The murder that happened yesterday in the circus filled our city with tragedy, attracted crowds of women, filled the square with many cries, when it was in the midst of the people that they carried him in such a pitiful state, dissected by chariots. He, as I learned, the next day intended to light the wedding lamps, the bedchamber was already colored, and everything was prepared for the marriage - and so, by order of the tax chief, 17, running across the lists below, when the drivers unexpectedly jumped up, competing with each other, he fell into the middle and suffered this violent and pitiful death, having lost his head and extremities. 2. Do you see the fruit of the circus? How, you ask, does this apply to us, sitting above? To you most of all: if you had not all strived to run (there), this would not have happened below. But, in order not to make the word very heavy again and not to irritate the wound, I will try, leaving it to your conscience, to give what remains of what was said to you recently. So, what has been said recently? I said that Christ is called the foundation, as bearing everything, holding and weighing; Now I want to show this from another apostolic saying. Having said this, explaining this saying, he says: “He, being the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis, and upholding all things by the word of His power, having accomplished the cleansing of our sins, sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). What does "holding" mean? Driving like a driver, leading like a helmsman, managing like a house, restraining, holding, weighing. He not only brings everything from the non-existent to the existing, but even knows in advance what is happening, like the Father who gave birth to Him. That is why, explaining this, He said: “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). That is why the Jews tried even harder to kill Him, not only because He violated the Sabbath, but because He also called God His Father, making Himself equal to God. Where are the heretics now, maddened to the detriment of their salvation and separating Him from equality with His Father? Let them listen to the voice of the evangelist - and when I say: the evangelist, I mean Christ, stirring up his soul - let them listen, be ashamed and stop such their madness. Just as the Jews persecuted Him because He called Himself equal (to the Father), so these too are ready to crush themselves because we, instructed by Him, give Him this glory. But, they say, this was not the opinion of Him, nor of the Evangelist, but of the Jews. Even if they were Jews, then this in particular constitutes your greatest guilt and extreme condemnation, that you, wanting to be blind yourself, do not see what the ungrateful Jews immediately understood as a conclusion from these words. They did not add this on their own, but concluding from what Christ told them. And so that you know that this saying is not even of the Jews, but of the evangelist, both opinion and speech - and when I say: evangelist, I mean Christ, stimulating his thought - examine these very words. "My Father". Is it not obvious to everyone, even the most unreasonable, that He said: “My Father” in order to declare (Him) His own? And what did He add again: “until now he works, and I work” - is it possible (these are not words) that he draws a conclusion about equality? And he did not say: He does, but I help; He does, and I help, but: He does, and I do. Do you see why what was said was not the conclusion of the Jews, but a conclusion from His words? If some erroneous assumption and opinion of the Jews had been that He makes Himself equal to God, if He Himself did not want to be suspected of this, and the Jews, when He did not want this, would have suspected, thinking about something else besides what He himself wanted to deduce, the Evangelist would not have left this without correction, but would have noted and said it clearly. After all, the custom of doing this is characteristic of them, both of them and of Jesus; from one or two examples I will try to make this clear to you, that is, that when Christ says something, and He says it differently, and the Jews understand it differently, the Evangelist corrects. To understand this clearly, listen to John himself explain this very thing. When He entered the church of God and, having made a scourge, drove out the money changers, saying: “Take this from here, and do not make My Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:16), the scribes and Pharisees came up and said: “By what sign will You prove to us that You have the authority to do this?” What is He? “Destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up”—speaking this way about My own Body. But they didn’t understand this, so what do they say? “This church took forty-six years to build, and in three days you will raise it up” (John 2:18–20)? - meaning the Jewish church, made of stones, because it was built within forty-six years, after returning from Babylon, when the builders were hampered by foreign intrigues, and, after a long time, this church was finished. So, when Jesus spoke about His own Body, announcing His Cross and Resurrection - and this precisely means: “Destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up” - they also assumed about the Jewish church, why did they say: “This church took forty-six years to build, and in three days You will raise it up”? - you see how the evangelist did not ignore this, but added an amendment, saying: “But He spoke of the church of His body” (John 2:21). And He did not say: destroy this Body, but - “church”, to show God who dwells (in it), - destroy the church, much better than the Jewish one. That one (church) had a law, and this one had a Lawgiver; that one is the killing letter, and this one is the life-giving Spirit; that one is the rod of Aaron, and this one is the rod of Jesse. 3. In another place again, after He performed a miracle over the loaves, having sailed with them (the disciples), He crossed over to the (other) shore and said to the disciples: “See, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6). They, having heard about leaven, assumed about bread; and He spoke not about the loaves, but about the teaching of the Pharisees. Since He said otherwise, and otherwise they assumed, then see how He corrects this, saying: “Why do you think within yourselves, you of little faith, that you did not take the loaves? Do you still not understand and remember about the five loaves of bread for five thousand people, and how many boxes you collected? not about seven loaves of bread for four thousand, and how many baskets you picked up,” but about the teaching of the Pharisees, so that you could pay heed (Matthew 16:8-12). Do you see that as an evangelist regarding the church, here He Himself corrects the assumptions of those who were mistaken? So it is that He makes Himself equal to God: if He did not make Himself equal to God, and the Jews assumed this based on what was said, then the evangelist would correct this assumption and say that the Jews thought that He made Himself equal to God, but He did not do this and did not give a reason. So that you learn from the saying itself that this (equality of God) He especially wanted to root in the minds of people, let us turn to the previous word and find out what accusation He once defended himself against. What once happened that He was accused of? That he did things on the Sabbath: “They sought to kill Him because,” it is said, “He did such things on the Sabbath” (John 5:16). What exactly are “such”? That He healed the paralytic, commanded him to take up his bed and go to his house. That's why they said, asking him: who ordered him to do this on Saturday? And he said: “He who healed me said to me: take up your bed and go to your house (John 5:11). They persecuted Him, angry because He ordered on the Sabbath what seemed to be a crime and the destruction of the law. What does Christ say in defense? “My Father works until now, and I work,” although He could have said a lot more if He only wanted to defend himself and not show His equality. The Sabbath was often broken, especially in the city of Jericho. When they approached the walls, they were ordered to go around the walls with pipes for seven days, and so the city was destroyed. And that between these seven days, no matter where we start, the Sabbath must happen, it is obvious to everyone. From this it is clear that the Sabbath was broken. Again (God) commanded man to be circumcised on the eighth day; and here again the violation of the Sabbath is necessary, because it is inevitable that one born on the Sabbath should be circumcised on another Sabbath. And the priests even violated it incomparably more when, again by command, they offered sacrifice on Saturday; where there was a sacrifice, it was necessary to skin it, burn it, lay it on the altar, carry water, chop wood, take out the ashes and do much more - and thus the Sabbath was violated. To this end, creation itself violated the Sabbath: the sun works on Saturday, the moon completes its course, a motley chorus of stars appears, the winds blow, springs pour out, rivers flow, the sea is agitated, seeds and plants grow, give birth - the earth, everything unreasonable and the human race. When a woman gives birth on Saturday, nature never maintains this law, does not expect Saturday to pass, and then the labor pains would be resolved, but it does its work even on Saturday. And the heavenly powers serve on Saturday, fulfilling their ministry continuously. So, why, tell me, having so many reasons to defend, He does not use any of them, and does not say: why do you accuse Me of violating the Sabbath? - and the priests in Jericho violated, and they violate in the church; Why do you accuse Me of breaking the Sabbath? - and the sun breaks, the moon, the stars and all creation in heaven and earth - but, leaving all this, He turned to the Father, saying: “My Father works until now, and I work”? He wanted not only to defend himself, but also to show His equal honesty. Therefore he did not say: I do, because the creation also does, since He did not belong to the creation, but: I do, because the Father also does, since He was of the same being and power. 4. Therefore He is defended, not as belonging to the creation, but as His true birth. And so that you know that what has been said is not a guess, the disciples also once violated the Sabbath by plucking and eating ears of corn, and when the Jews accused and said: don’t you see what they do on the Sabbath? “He didn’t remember the Father anywhere there, but what does he say?” “Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? how did he enter the house of God and eat the showbread, which neither he nor those who were with him were to eat, but only the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the church break the Sabbath, but are innocent” (Matthew 12:3-5)? You see, when He talks about slaves, He cites slaves as an example, David and the priests; and when about Himself, the Father? If He ever uses another defense, for example, when He says: “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses might not be broken, are you angry with Me because I healed the whole man on the Sabbath” (John 7:23); and again: who is there among you who does not lose his sheep and his ox (Luke 13:15)? - then (this) is not at all surprising, because He talks not at all like God, but sometimes like a man, since He was both God and Man. Here, of course, He loudly declares regarding His own dignity, saying: “My Father works until now, and I work.” That is why the evangelist says: the Jews persecuted Him, not only because He violated the Sabbath, but because He also called God His own Father, making Himself equal to God. I would gladly ask the heretic about this: did he call God his own Father or not; was this a Jewish assumption or the conclusion of Christ? - and, even if he was shameless a thousand times, he is exposed by the truth. He said that “My Father works until now, and I work”: did he break the Sabbath or not? It is quite obvious that he violated: I do, He says, and He does. So, both the violation of the Sabbath and the fact that He calls God His own Father - neither one nor the other was a Jewish assumption, but the conclusion and conclusion of Christ. Why, calling this the conclusion of Christ, do you call that which is next to it, connected with it and equally communicated by the evangelist, a Jewish assumption? All this is the message of the evangelist explaining what Christ said. Therefore, also - when the Jews accused - he said that they persecuted Him not only because he violated the Sabbath, but that he also called God His Father, making Himself equal to God. But it is enough to denounce the heretics; and if you want to know about doing, what is what the Father does and what the Son consists of, I can call (His) providence for what exists, content, care. Everything visible happened within six days: “And God rested on the seventh day” (Gen. 2:2); the providence about this did not cease. So, Christ calls this providence work, saying: “My Father works hitherto, and I work,” providing, caring, maintaining - he says - keeping in order, not allowing anything to be scattered. So, having accepted the proof of the right dogmas also from what has been said, let us add a thorough and consistent life with the dogmas, since it is not enough for us to save only the knowledge of the right dogmas, but we also need the best life, so that, by giving glory to God in every possible way, we can achieve the promised benefits. To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen 18. His conversation, spoken in the church of the apostle, after the bishop had previously talked a little, on the words: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37) 19. 1. Have you seen an old man and a young man, old in body and young in spirit? Have you seen the blooming gray hair and magnificent strength of old age? This is how it is with us, but it is different in external (affairs). In external matters, old age is useless, for example, a warrior, having come to such an age, cannot draw a bow, nor shoot an arrow, nor shake a spear, nor climb on a horse, nor attack walls, and cannot do anything like that. And the helmsman, when old age weakens his body strength, will not be able to pull the ropes, raise the sails, operate the oar, change the rudder, fight the waves, or anything else like that. Again, the farmer, being at this age, (will not be able to) neither harness the oxen, nor drag the plow, nor draw and cut furrows, nor care for the tree, nor join the crowd of reapers, nor will he be able to do anything else like that. Each of them sits at home, enjoying the freedom of this age, and being bound by great necessity and inexorable old age. But not so the teacher of the Church; on the contrary, he will then especially strive - take up the word, offer instruction and try to put the people in order. Old age is useless for others, but in the Church and in the works of virtue it is most useful. And blessed Abraham received the greatest reward for his feat when he came to this age - because then, then it was he who destroyed (over himself) the power of nature and stabbed his son - stabbed, although not by experience, but by will, although not by execution, but by intention, although not by deed, but by thought - then he became the priest of his own womb and performed that amazing and strange thing, almost moving away from his nature and moving to Heaven. And Paul, the teacher of the universe, began in extreme old age those amazing feats, and with his aged body endured bonds, shackles and prisons with great strength; explaining this, he himself said: “I, Paul, am an old man, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:9). I say this not to shame youth, since the youths who set the stove were very young, quite youths; Jeremiah, who received the prophecy, too, and Daniel was very young when he bridled the lions and, out of his unspeakable boldness, expounded and explained those secrets of the royal dreams to the one who contemplated (them) - in no way is youth an obstacle to the virtue of a man. In external (affairs), as I said earlier, both advanced old age and immature youth can be the greatest obstacle; but in the struggle for virtue it is not so, but only one thing is needed - a prepared will and soul, then youth is not useless, and old age is not unsuitable - but at every age one can see ripe, abundant fruit, if only, as I said earlier, one has a sober soul, able to philosophize and attracting the favor of God through many virtues. So, in defense of negligence, let no one present either youth or old age as an excuse; after all, even now many of us young people fill this spiritual spectacle, and the old ones are disgraceful in the circus; again: old people with gray hair are embellished by this listening, and young people use their youth very unwisely through this contemplation. However, although there are many present with us, I am not yet full, because I would like not only many, but all to be present, so that no one would lag behind the Church - so while at least one is wandering outside the flock, I am torn and tormented by sorrows. So that shepherd, having left ninety-nine sheep, hurried to one that had gone astray, and did not leave until he had brought her to the flock, and showed a lot of zeal for her - the number one hundred was incomplete until he returned one - then a hundred became a hundred when she was saved. Don't tell me that one brother died; but think that it is a brother who is a very desirable being for God, for whom so much has been done, for whom precious Blood has been shed and so much fines have been paid, because of whom the sky is stretched out, the sun is lit, the moon completes its course, a varied chorus of stars shines, the air is widespread, the sea is poured out, the earth is settled, springs abound, rivers flow and mountains are erected, because of whom meadows and gardens are raised, because of whom change and plants, because of which there are different breeds of cereals, because of which there are different breeds of cereals, because of which there are different kinds of birds, because of which there are different tribes of birds, because of which the law, because of which the prophets, because of which the prophets, because of which the apostles, because of which there were thousands of miracles - why talk a lot? - because of which the Only Begotten Son of God became man and was slain. 2. Think about how much God has done for the salvation of people, and do not despise a single person, but, after the end of this spiritual spectacle, look for the one who was missing, and not before succeeding until you bring him, unite him with his mother, lead him away from his usual depravity, save a captive, rescue a drowned one, free someone captured by wild beasts from fierce beasts. How can you apologize, how can you justify yourself? We come to the tombs of the apostles: we see their wounds and brands, flowing blood more precious than gold, shackles, whips, daily deaths that they endured for the Church - the disciple Paul, walking everywhere with Paul and becoming equal to the teacher, the calf tied to the bull, the brother of the very first of the apostles, the fisherman who cast a net and caught people instead of fish, the preacher of the Gospel - and, as it were, meadow, we enjoy their success. And those who have left us sit, being spectators of foolish horses, inflicting reproaches and insolence on each other, igniting rage and struggle that has no reason, rejoicing joyfully, which is more pitiful than sadness - for the defeated drivers, for the weakened horses. What could be more unreasonable than this? Why are you happy, tell me? Why do you jump, jump and come back happy? Why are you grieving, covering your face, bending down and saddening your soul - that so-and-so won and the other was defeated? And why is this for you? What reason can this sadness or this pleasure have? What kind of punishment is not worthy of both of you, when, while your own soul is carried away by passions every day, you are not aware of anything, but are happy or sad for unreasonable animals and other unreasonable people? But in order not to waste our time, having again spent the entire conversation on this, we entrust the correction of them to your love, we will take up what we read today and try to lead you into the meadow of Divine Scripture. Indeed, it is similar to a meadow. Just as there are various flowers in a meadow, and one after another they all attract the viewer’s eye with their greatest beauty when each one is examined individually, so one can see exactly in the Divine Scripture. And blessed David attracts our thoughts to himself, and the apostolic saying spoken about Timothy, and also the brave Isaiah, wise about human nature, and their Lord, Jesus, talking with his disciples and saying: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). Now, if you like, having cited this saying, let us reveal its meaning; although it is very short in size, it opens up to us a vast sea of ​​thoughts. That is why we will approach it with great diligence. Since He saw, says (the evangelist), the people scattered, He said to the disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” What harvest, tell me, and why did He call this teaching that? After all, the harvest is the end of the matter. When a seed, plunged into a depression in the earth, tastes moisture, then, wet and swollen, embraces the surrounding earth and, unfolding into many fibers, takes root deep into the depths, (then) first of all it breaks through the surface, then, being nurtured little by little by the sun, rain and air, it increases in growth from the earth, first becomes very green grass and spreads tender leaves, then produces a very immature ear, and, with the onset in spring, again gradually ripening to the stem and ears, it returns full fruit. Then, finally, the farmer, having sharpened his sickle, recruits reapers and, having collected them, takes the fruit home. Hence the harvest is the end of all labor and cultivation of the land. So, tell me, why does He call harvest when things were still in the beginning? After all, wickedness reigned everywhere in the universe: altars burned, idols were worshiped, Jesus was not worshiped, and deep night enveloped everything, there was severe bad weather when the sea was agitated, cruel winds destroyed human means of life, passions ruled, and everything was drowned. Fornication, adultery and insolence are everywhere; covetousness, predation and war are everywhere; and blood on the earth, blood on the sea of ​​those drowned and those who committed murders there - continuous wars, struggles, internecine massacres and murders are more criminal than any murders; children were sacrificed for idols, nature was not recognized and kinship was destroyed - everywhere there were steep slopes, cliffs, pitfalls, dangerous rocks and not a single human helmsman; or rather, there were few pilots in the Jewish tribe, and not a single listener, when the sailors quarreled among themselves, and struck and drowned each other. The Scythians and Thracians, Moors and Indians, Persians and Sauromatians, the inhabitants of Hellas and Epirus, all, so to speak, the earth under the sun was dedicated to demons, and by those tormentors the country, city and desert, land and sea, foreign lands and Hellas, mountains, valleys and hills were driven into frenzy; only the Jewish tribe, apparently, was pious, had prophets and small seeds of knowledge of God; but over time this too was overthrown, the teachers of this people became bitter accusers of their sins among them, and were so far from educating the rest and leading them to piety that they then became the perpetrators of temptations even for the rest; and explaining this, the prophet said: “Constantly, every day My name is dishonored” (Is. 52:5). 3. So, why, when the universe was engulfed by so many evils, and the change had not yet been cast down - after all, thorns, thistles and thin herbs were everywhere - the earth had not yet been cleared, and the plow had not been pulled, and the furrows had not been cut - He talks about the harvest and says: “there is a lot of harvest”? And why does He call the Gospel that? For what? Since things were in such a state, and He intended to send them (the apostles) throughout the universe, it is natural that they are worried, confused, reason with themselves and say: how is it possible for eleven - one was caught by a beast - simple, unlearned, poor, unknown, unarmed, in only clothes, without shoes, not taking with them a belt, a staff, or money, to go through the entire universe located in in such a state, to distract them from the ancient habit, introduce them (people) to the dogmas of the New (Testament) and teach them some strange teaching? When will we actually pull up the thorns? When will we sow the seeds? When will we cultivate their soul? When will the crops come up? Who will not scatter us? Who wouldn't throw himself off a steep cliff? How can we open our mouths, stand, talk, appear before so many thousands? How shall we destroy the fury of tyrants, the indignation of nations, the arguments of philosophers, the eloquence of orators, the power of prejudice, the force of old habit, the machinations of demons, the souls that were previously possessed by thousands of diseases? So, how will we eleven correct everyone in the universe: the simple - the wise, the unarmed - the armed, the subordinates - the superiors, using the same language - in conversation with thousands of dialects, with foreign and foreign peoples? Who will tolerate us when he cannot even understand our speeches? So that, reasoning in this way, they would not worry, He called the Gospel harvest, as if saying (so): everything is prepared, everything is arranged; I am sending you to ready fruit harvesting; on that same day you will be able to both sow and reap. So, just as a farmer, going out to the harvest, is joyful, bright and cheerful, does not weigh any work or any difficulties, but hurries as if for a ready profit, runs for ready-made fruits, and nowhere is there any obstacle, no difficulty, no uncertainty in the future, no flood, no hail, no drought, no evil hordes of locusts - the one who sets about the harvest does not suspect anything, which is why cheerfully, joyfully takes on his work - just like you, even much more, you need to go out into the universe with much joy. This work is a harvest, a harvest combined with great convenience, a harvest that brings you ready-made crops; You just need, he says, not to get tired. Lend to Me, he says, your tongue, and you will see ripe fruit gathered into the Royal granaries. Therefore, even after that, sending them, He said: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He Himself made the difficult easy, and what the prophet said: “I will go before you and level the mountains” (Is. 45:2) - this was fulfilled tangibly among the apostles, because Christ preceded them and made the path easier. Declaring this, the most eloquent Isaiah said: “Let every valley be filled, and every mountain and hill be made low, the crooked places made straight, and the rough paths made smooth” (Is. 40:4), meaning not mountains and hills - because this did not happen - but by the name of mountains calling the foolish, pompous and arrogant, whom Christ humbled all with humility full of heights, and he made the mountains plains, applying to them the name of reckless not because of the height of their thoughts, but because of the futility of their madness, the callousness of their souls and their insensitivity to words. Just as a mountain cannot bear fruit, neither can madness; or rather, not like that, but even much more difficult. The mountain cannot bear fruit, and madness not only does not produce any fruit, but even the existing one makes it fade and the grown one dries out; meanwhile, humility not only warms the existing (fruit), but usually gives birth to even one that did not exist. 4. The greatest examples of this are the Pharisee and the tax collector. He, having entered with madness, not only did not bear any fruit, but even destroyed what existed; and the publican, being simple and not possessing anything good, makes progress for himself, because when he only complained and, stooping, considered himself unfortunate, he returned, abounding in many justifications and surpassing the Pharisee in this. So that you can see in reality, and recognize in certain faces, where Christ humbled mountain and hill, let our word turn again to Paul. This tent maker - I often gladly recall his art, so that you know that it is not art that is a reproach, but idleness - condemnation and guilt - so this Paul, being in Salamis, met with a certain ruler 20 and his magician. Double cliff – madness on the part of the authorities and teaching from the sorcerer. And when he saw that that vile and shameless beast was hindering the ruler and destroying his (Paul’s) teaching, listen to what he said, filled with the Holy Spirit: “Oh, full of all deceit and all villainy, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness!” (Acts 13:10)! Not every reproach is bad, but a vain reproach—Christ also determined the punishment for it—and he who does it at the right time imitates a doctor who cuts at the right time and removes rot by cutting. This is exactly what Paul does: “Will you cease to lead astray from the straight ways of the Lord” (Acts 13:10)? But he does not accept your words, Paul; use some apostolic decision, turn away the tongue, stop his lips, stop the evil stream. So what does he do? Showing that his war is not against people, he says: “And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is against you” (Acts 13:11). Himself, who said: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20), was then with Paul; and he (Paul), having this promise, calls on Him, considers it fair for himself to become an avenger, to use force and remove the obstacle. “And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you.” How great is the condescension of Christ, how great is the boldness of Paul - how he strikes (him) with the sentence, and Christ immediately agrees with the speaker! What does “the hand of the Lord” mean? A force that defeats the opposite. She was with them (the apostles) everywhere, obeying willingly, making their work a harvest, not allowing labor or disaster, but arranging it in Her own way. And he became blind “for a time” (Acts 13:11). Do you notice vengeance combined with philanthropy? After all, this sentence is admonition, not punishment, correction, not destruction. That is why he did not wither his hands, did not tear out his tongue, which loudly spoke evil speeches, did not mutilate his legs, but his very eyes. Since he himself was healed by this and removed from the sinful path and disastrous competition, he imposes the same healing on him, as if saying: I also struggled in evil, and I saw death before me; because of this I am well blinded to see the best; And I apply this medicine to you: I blind your outer eyes in order to open your inner eyes. Then the ruler, seeing what had happened, believed. Do you see that the mountain has become a plain, the hill has been humbled, the harvest is complete, the harvest is prepared, the ripe fruit is gathered, and Paul suffered neither fatigue nor distress, but with a simple word captured the ruler? That is why He calls the Gospel a harvest - because of the speed and ease that it brought to them. So that eunuch, a foreigner and a foreigner who possessed great power, was caught - and not even any time or labor was spent there: at the same time he (the apostle) mounted the chariot and began to teach, or rather, before this ascent; and it is surprising that a foreigner and a foreigner, puffed up with power - since he had considerable power in his hands - called a poor, beggar, an unknown person, whom he had never seen or known - he called him, and brought him up (on a chariot) and put him with him. Who did it? He who said: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” He made the entrance very desirable and prepared the foreigner for wisdom, humbled the mountain and made the unknown (for him) closer to every acquaintance. Don't just run through it, don't consider this matter a simple story, but think about the greatness of success. If the current leaders, being believers, brought up in humility and having nothing barbaric, cannot allow - I do not say: an unknown person, a stranger - but one of their acquaintances to easily sit with them in the square, then how did he (allow) the stranger? I will not stop talking about this, that it was the wanderer, never seen, simple, insignificant at first glance - he raised him up, planted him, gave his salvation to his tongue, condescended to become a disciple, and asks, conjures, begs, saying: “I ask you to tell me: about whom is the prophet saying this?” (Acts 8:34) and takes into account what he says with great attention. And not only (accepts), but, having accepted, did not remain careless, did not delay, did not say: I will return to my fatherland, I will see friends, family and relatives - what many of the Christians who are called to baptism now say: I will return (they say) to my fatherland, I will see my wife, I will see children and my relatives; in their presence, in their co-celebration with me, I will take advantage of baptism and partake of grace. But that foreigner did not say these words then, and although he was a Jew and was taught to carefully observe places, he was especially constantly inspired to observe this place, which is why he undertook a long journey to worship in the place where God commanded - he, however, immediately rejected all that custom and abandoned such observation, as soon as the word was completed, and when he saw a source near the path, he says: “Here is water; What hinders me from being baptized” (Acts 8:36)? Do you see that the harvest is taking place again? Do you see that no time was wasted, but immediately the earth accepted it, produced a lush ear, and the grapes became ripe? “Here is the water,” he says. He did not look for walls, or a golden ceiling, or stock of clothes, or shoes; but since his will was prepared, he was seething with desire, he was inflamed with jealousy, he immediately resorted to grace and prompted the teacher to guide him into arcane teaching and introduce him to those immortal and terrible Mysteries. Therefore, he now agreed, approving his readiness, and baptized him. This means that He calls the Gospel a harvest - because of the ease that it brought to them. Likewise, in another place it is said that they listened to the words of Paul, because the Lord opened their hearts to listen to his words. And when you hear that He humbles the mountains, completes the harvest, makes the fruit ripe and makes it much easier, do not deprive the believers of their greatest successes, because He did not force free will, did not insult self-sufficiency, but contributed, helped, extended His hand. If everything were His work, then nothing would prevent everyone from being saved; but now one thing is His, and the other is those who approach: those who approach are to desire and choose, to show a lot of readiness and sincere faith, and His is to deliver gifts, make the word easily knowable and the teaching clear, sow the seeds and help listening become mature. So, thinking about all this, we will take Him into the work of virtue as an ally and helper, bringing everything from ourselves. If in a task connected with such difficulty, He so easily succeeded not in one, two, twenty cities, but everywhere in the universe - I mean preaching and teaching - so that the whole earth, as far as the sun looks at it, turned out to be sown and abounding with this beautiful fruit, then it is quite obvious that in labors for virtue He will assist us, unless we are careless and cold, but bring in our own - readiness, diligence, desire, thought, vigilance, care, freedom from everyday affairs, the search for the future and the daily desire for it. If we deliver this with care, then everything will follow from Him; and when this happens, we will achieve heavenly blessings, which may we all be worthy to achieve through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. His conversation, spoken after another, very old one, had previously spoken, about Eleazar and the seven youths 21. 1. How flowery this spiritual olive is! With its aged branches, it brought us ripe fruit. The plants of the earth are not like the trees of the Church: those, having reached old age, then lose most of their leaves and, if they bear any fruit, they bring it withered and withered; and these, when they reach old age, are then especially abundant in fruit. This is precisely what can be seen in the speaker today; That’s why I decided to remain silent: it was necessary for a young man to remain silent in the presence of so many old people who could speak. The Divine Scripture also instructs us this way: when it talks to a young man, it says: “Speak, young man, if you need, barely two words, when you are asked, say the main thing, a lot in a few words” (Sir. 32:9, 10). It does not talk with the elder about such limitations, but, leaving him, it allows him to compete beyond such limits; and again, marveling at the pleasure of what is being said when it is spoken with reason, (the Wise One) says this: “Conduct your conversation, elder, for it is becoming for you, with thorough knowledge, and do not forbid 22 music” (Sir. 32:4, 5). What does it mean: “do not forbid music”? This shows that the flute, kephara and pipe are not as pleasant to the listeners as the teaching of the elder, offered with exact knowledge. Comparing pleasure with pleasure, he says that this is much more powerful than that, and this dominates, and that is inferior to it; That’s why he says: you will interfere with the “music,” that is, you will not allow it to appear, you will darken it, you will close it. That’s why we needed to be silent and listen, and he needed to speak and teach; but, as I have often said, I will say it now, I cannot stand either your exactingness or coercion on their part (i.e., the elders); Therefore, I am again preparing for an ordinary competition, for a difficult task, for a speech, taking advantage of great convenience, not due to my own strength, but to the readiness on the part of you, the listeners. After all, recently 23 also the word did not sink, being carried to such a depth, and nowhere among you was it wrecked, passing through such a wide sea; and the reason for this is that nowhere are there rocks, no underwater stones, no cliffs, but everywhere the sea is calmer than the pier; and it (the word) was accompanied to a quiet pier, as if by some wind blowing astern, by the diligence of your listening. It immediately rolled off our tongues, and everyone accepted it with open arms, and although there was a lot of difficulty in it - such was precisely the nature of recent thoughts - nevertheless, with an abundance of zeal and tension of mind, you carefully encouraged us in our work and made the difficult easy. You did not allow (the word) to fall on a stone, or among thorns, or on the road, but you took everything into rich and fertile arable land, into the depths of your soul. That is why we see every day that lush crops are fed by light breezes of the (Holy) Spirit instead of the wind, and the sight is brilliant for us every day. That’s why today I would like to take care of what remains (for me). But what am I experiencing? The Chorus of the Maccabees stands before my eyes and, shining around my thoughts with the brilliance of their wounds, calls our speech to its beauty. But let no one consider it untimely to say that, while the day of struggle is tomorrow, today we are weaving wreaths, and declaring a sign of victory before the proper time of war. After all, if, during marriages, those getting married set up their bedchambers before the appointed day, and decorate their houses with wreaths and curtains, then all the more will we do this, since this marriage is more spiritual, it is not a husband and wife who are united, but God with the souls of people. Therefore, it would not be a sin for anyone to call the soul of the martyrs a bride, a spiritual bride, because they also bring their blood as a dowry, a dowry that is never spent. But let the time of praise wait for us until tomorrow, and today let us correct the weaker of our brothers. Since many of the very simple, due to a lack of thought, are carried away by the enemies of the Church, do not have a proper opinion regarding these saints, and at the same time do not consider them among the rest of the host of martyrs, saying that they shed their blood not for Christ, but for the law and for the writing of the law, being slaughtered for pork's meat - we will correct this thought of theirs, because it would be a shame for those celebrating the triumph not to know the reason for the triumph. 2. So, so that, with the general joy of everyone, only those who suffer from this do not grieve, but embrace the ascetics with genuine thoughts and look at them with pure eyes, today we will offer a sedative for their thoughts and prepare them for tomorrow to come to the spiritual celebration with a bright mood and a pure thought. I do not refuse to consider them so much along with the other martyrs that I even declare them more brilliant. They labored when the copper gates had not yet been broken, the iron bolt had not yet been removed, when sin still reigned, the curse flourished, the fortress of the devil stood, and the path of such virtue was still cruel. Now even perfect youths and many gentle maidens and unmarried women throughout the universe have taken up arms against the power of death; and then, before the coming of Christ, even the righteous trembled greatly. Moses fled because of this fear; and because of this Elijah secretly went on a forty-day journey; and because of this, Patriarch Abraham advised his wife to say that “I am his sister, not his wife.” And why talk about the rest? Peter himself was so afraid of death that he could not bear the threat of even the gatekeeper - because she was terrible and inaccessible, her veins had not yet been cut off, nor her power had been destroyed. But, however, these (Maccabees) overcame and conquered her when such fear wafted from her. Since the Sun of Truth had already risen, what happens during the day happened then. Just as a bright morning appears to us when even the sun has not yet appeared, when the rays are not yet visible, but the light of the rays illuminates the universe from afar - so it happened then. Since the Sun of Truth was about to come, the darkness of timidity was finally destroyed, although He was not yet present in the flesh, but was nearby, on the threshold, and was already touching the very things. So, that they showed a lot of courage, struggling in such times, is, of course, obvious to everyone; and that they also received wounds for Christ, I will now try to show. Why did they suffer, tell me? For the law, you say, and the writing of the law. This means that if Christ, who gave that law, had appeared, is it not completely obvious that, having suffered for the law, they would have shown all that firmness for the Lawgiver? So, today we will show this - that Christ is the Lawgiver. Who is speaking? He who clearly knows the old and the new is Paul, teacher of the universe. In the Epistle to the Corinthians he says this: “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and they all ate the same spiritual food, speaking of manna, and all drank the same spiritual drink, speaking of water from a stone (1 Cor. 10:1-4). Then, showing that Christ performed these miracles, he added: “for they drank from the spiritual subsequent stone; and the stone was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). And naturally: it was not the nature of the stone that brought out the water and those streams, but the power of Christ, striking the stone, caused the springs to flow. That is why he called the stone spiritual, and said that it followed (them); the sensual stone does not follow, but is in one place; The miraculous power that is everywhere present and in everything - it even broke through the stone. If a Jew cannot bear these words, we will defeat him with his own weapons, not talking about anything from Paul, Peter and John, but from his prophets, so that he will know what he has to do, and we have an understanding of (them). 3. So, which of the prophets says this - that He gave the Old Testament? Sanctified from the womb (mother) Jeremiah, shining in his youth. Where and when? Listen to his words, and learn clearly from what he says. So what are these words? “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord” (Jer. 31:31). First, he suddenly lifts up the listener and awakens the spirit of those listening, showing that these are not his words, but the God who sent him. "The days are coming." Then he shows that he is talking to us about future things. So, how did He give the Old (Testament) if He talks about the future? Wait and do not worry, and then you will clearly see the brilliance of the truth. When he said this, the law had been given and broken, but a new one had not yet arrived. So, having cleared this in your thoughts, accept the solution to the confusion of many. “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,” denoting the present time, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not such a covenant as I made with their fathers” (Jer. 31:31, 32). I will ask a Jew, I will ask a weak brother: who gave the New Testament? Of course, everyone will say that it is Christ. So, He also gave the Old One, because by saying that “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not such a covenant as I have made,” He showed that He also bequeathed that one; So, of both Testaments there is one Lawgiver. And when, tell me, did He bequeath the Old? “On the day when he took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt” (Jer. 31:32). Look how He showed the ease of the outcome, and His tender love, and the safety of the then escape, and that He performed all the Egyptian miracles. By what He said: “When He took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,” He designated all the miracles, because that exodus was due to extraordinary signs. And “they broke that covenant of mine, although I remained in union with them, says the Lord.” So, from here it is obvious that there is one Lawgiver of the Old and New Testaments. Here, if anyone carefully examines what has been said, he will see that it is full of considerable difficulty, because, speaking about the reason why He intends to give another Testament, He called it New, that is, unusual: “I will conclude... , - he says, - a new covenant, not the same covenant as I made with their fathers...; They broke that covenant of mine, although I remained in covenant with them, says the Lord” (Jer. 31:31, 32). And therefore, it was necessary for them to be punished, to suffer extreme retribution and undergo heavy vengeance - because, having tasted so many miracles and received the law, they did not become better at all. But He does not demand retribution from them, but promises even more than before. So, today we should add a solution to this difficulty; but since with us the word tends to be different, and we want to educate you in such a way that you do not learn everything from us, but find something yourself, I leave this for you, search and find. If we see what we were looking for, but did not find, then we ourselves will extend our hand; and to make the discovery easier for you, I will tell you in advance the apostolic passages in which you can especially find the treasure and the solution to this difficulty - namely, he (the apostle) examined this subject and resolved it in his letters to the Romans, Galatians and Jews. Those who are industrious will be able to find this solution by turning to the messages, if in the intervening days you do not indulge in inappropriate meetings or stupid chatter, but search for the treasure with persistent concern for what is said. Leaving this unresolved for now, let's move on to the next one. What's next? “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law within them, and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And they will no longer teach one another, brother to brother, and say, “Know the Lord,” for they will all themselves know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, because I will forgive their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (Jer. 31:33, 34). Having spoken about the Old Testament, which He gave, and spoken about the New, which He intends to give, He also describes its beauty, shows its features and places signs one after another, so that you know how great the difference of the New is in relation to the Old - the difference, not the opposite - how great the advantage, how great the splendor, how great the radiance of gifts and grace. 4. So, what are the features of the New? “I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts.” The Old Law was written on tablets of stone, and when the first tablets were broken, Moses cut up others again and, having written there, came down with the tablets, which by nature are akin to the insensibility of those who receive them. But the New Testament is not like that - because the tablets were not cut out when the New Testament was given - but how and in what way? Listen to Luke as he tells the story: “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together with one accord,” he says, “and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). You see how the prophet clearly foretold this long ago, saying: “I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts.” The grace of the Spirit, given by God to dwell in their thoughts, made them living pillars 24... and covers this thought with His glory; That’s why he said (the apostle) that he was sent to preach “not in wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made void” (1 Cor. 1:17) - and again: “Has God not turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness?” (1 Cor. 1:20) – here he talks about the Cross everywhere. “For,” he says, “both the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God; for the foolish things of God are wiser than men, and the weak things of God are stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:22-25 ); he calls the Cross foolish of God and weak of God, not because it is foolish - what is wiser than it? - and not because it is weak - what is stronger than it? - but expresses the opinion of the unbelievers regarding this subject. That is why he said above: “The word of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but for us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). objects not from those who are dying, otherwise sick people consider even honey bitter, but this is the fault of the disease, and not a condemnation of honey. So the Cross seems like a stupid thing to outsiders, but it is not like that in reality. Then, showing that (the Cross) is not only not a stupid, but even a very wise thing, and not only not weak, but even very strong, he compares its successes with creation, and with the Old (Testament), and with external wisdom, and shows that what neither internal wisdom nor external wisdom found, what many of the people did not learn from creation, what they did not use from the Old, in this the apparent had power stupid and weak - what appears to be is not so in reality. Therefore, he, having proof from the very deeds, goes out with great boldness to fight - first of all against external wisdom, and says: “Where is the sage?” (1 Cor. 1:20). What does it mean: “Where is the wise man”? He seemed to be saying: where are the teachings of the philosophers? Where are the speakers? Where are the scientists? Where are the writers? They all disappeared, died and were abolished. The victory was so brilliant that even at the end they are not. Therefore, when they had disappeared from sight and some dust had been scattered, he asked and said: “Where is the sage?” . The Cross appeared, and everything was destroyed; the voice of the sermon rang out, and it dissipated lighter than a cobweb. "Where is the sage"? Where is the boastfulness of speeches? Where is the beauty of eloquence? Where is the power of cunning conclusions? Where is the swiftness of words? Where is the sharpness of the tongue? Where are the meetings and sessions? All this was scattered, perished, destroyed, disappeared and turned to the rear. “Where is the scribe” (1 Cor. 1:20)? Where, he says, are the Jews? The sermon took possession of them too and, like the sun, covered them in shadow. In what for so many years the people were powerless, the law, - in this, with great abundance, the Cross succeeded everywhere, destroying sins, granting justification, preparing holy people, instructing them in the knowledge of God, becoming a guide to Heaven. Then, leaving the Jewish, he again returns to the Hellenic: “Where is the questioner of this age?” (1 Cor. 1:20). Here he alludes to heretics and speculators, who before that were the edge of the sword, and when the Cross appeared, they were struck more easily than any clay. “Has God not turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness”? Again he takes up arms against Hellenic wisdom. What does "obui" mean? (With this word) showed that she was stupid; and indeed (such) she was. And their “and their sins... and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Jer. 31:34). The Prophet describes to us the splendor of the Old (Testament); and the apostle compares both, since he fought with the Jews; having said above: “Not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh of the heart,” here (he says): “not the letter, but the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:3, 6). 5. A man was gathering wood on the Sabbath and was stoned (Num. 15:32, 36). Do you see how the letter kills, that is, the law punishes? Do you know how the Spirit gives life? Someone enters, filled with many evils - who was immoral, predatory, covetous, adulterous, reached every vice, was already killed by sin; The grace of the Spirit takes him into the font, and makes the libertine a son of God, and gives birth to life for those killed by sin. This means: “but the Spirit gives life.” How does it give life? Without demanding an account of sins, according to the prophet: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34). Ask the Jew again: where was this in the law? But he won't be able to point out. And he that gathered wood was stoned, and the harlot was burned, and Moses lost the land of promise for one sin; and with grace, those who have committed innumerable horrors are born into life, having tasted baptism, and no retribution for sins is required of them. That is why Paul said: “Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor fools, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Do you see how the prophetic shines, that “I will forgive their iniquities,” how the apostolic shines, that “the Spirit gives life”? Do you also want to know something else - the Apostle Paul, who says how in a short time he traversed the entire universe? Listen to what he says: “I have spread the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to Illyricum”; and again: “Now, not having such a place in these countries, but from long ago having a desire to come to you, as soon as I take the path to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope that, as I pass, I will see you and that you will lead me there, as soon as I enjoy communication with you, at least in part” (Rom. 15:19, 23, 24). And if one apostle covered most of the universe in a short time, think how others also grasped it all. That’s why he said: the Gospel has been preached “to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23), explaining the prophetic: “all of them will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.” But that Christ gave the law is obvious from this; and that, being slain for the law, they shed their blood for the Lawgiver - and this is clear. Finally, I ask your love to come to the celebration with great readiness; rush to the wounds of the martyrs, like bees from the hives, and respect their torment, not at all afraid of the long journey. After all, if Elder Eleazar neglected the fire, and the mother of those blessed ones suffered so much torment in extreme old age, then how can you justify yourself, how can you apologize, without going even a short distance to contemplate that struggle? 25 The saint calls the fall of Eutropius, who almost 30 days before the present moment was deprived of his high position, as a fruit. Min noted: in an allegorical sense, the fall of Eutropius is spoken of; the latter was exiled in 399, at the end of August, and the conversation was spoken almost 30 days after this event; therefore, at the end of September of the same year, i.e. 399. There appears to be a gap here. In glory the text reads: “Gather together... the prophets of the cold Baal, four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred” (1 Kings 18:19); “Catch the prophets of Baal... - and eat them... - and kill them” (1 Kings 18:40). In explanation of the title, it should be noted: 1) in Dripia, located about 6 versts from Constantinople (σημείον milliarius, i.e. 1000 steps; trace., 9X10009000 sh. 3000 s. 6th century), there was a church in honor of the apostle and martyr St. Thomas; 2) by queen we mean Evdokia, the wife of the emperor. Arcadia. Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “ABC of Faith” By tsar we mean Emperor Arkady. For this conversation it is necessary to note: 1) the names of the two bishops are unknown, but one was old and the other young; 2) the imp is glorified. Theodosius the Great, who died on January 17, 395, and hence it is likely that the saint spoke in 399 on the day of the emperor’s death; 3) two usurpers of royal power are mentioned: the first is Maxim, the second is Eugene; 4) the Christian sect called “Kaphars” (καθαρός pure) is denounced, which was then numerous in Constantinople and had its own bishop there. Here, apparently, there is a missing passage where the saint contrasted the modesty of the ap. Paul to the shamelessness of the Kafars. The holy speaker likens the human soul to the Strait of Eurypus, Εϋριπος, separating Fr. Euboea from the mainland. Some ancient Hellenic writers report that the current in this strait changed seven times day and night ("Pauly, A". Real-Encyclopädie etc. Stuttg. 1844. Bd. Ill, S. 305). There is an assumption that this conversation was said by the saint on Easter week. Between the previous conversation and this one, in the Vatican list, there is a conversation against spectacles in the hippodrome and theater. This conversation was said by the saint between Easter and the 1st Sunday after Easter. It aims to expose the untruth of the learned pagans, called here “Greeks,” and the error of the “Jews,” who boasted of Abraham as their father according to the flesh. To the shame of both, the saint forced them to first read from the Gospel in their native language and give an explanation. There were Orthodox Goths in Constantinople at that time. The saint calls Egyptian luxury under Moses by the name of the city Σύβαρις, founded in Lucania by settlers from Hellas in 720 BC. In its flourishing time, the city had up to 100,000 inhabitants, whose lifestyle was characterized by extreme luxury and became a proverb (“Pauly A., Bd. vi, S. 1524). There is some omission in the text here. The theological term οίκονομία, where it means mainly the incarnation of the Lord. Its usual transmission through “housekeeping” is not accurate, because νέμω (from where - νομία from - νεμία) means: to distribute parts, shepherd, manage. Wed. Luke 12:42: δ πιστός οίκονόμος faithful “economist”. According to Min (more precisely, according to Montfaucon † 1741), this conversation was delivered on the 2nd Sunday after Easter, when on Easter itself the saint spoke strongly against the passion for spectacles, and when on Good Friday or Saturday, in fact, there was this passion on the part of the people. The accusatory word on Easter had such an effect that on the 1st Sunday after Easter an extremely large number of listeners gathered, who, however, were annoyed, since the saint ceded the conversation to the Galatian bishop Leontius, who had arrived here by that time. But Mattei thinks differently: according to him, the accusatory word was on Holy Saturday, on Easter itself Leontius spoke, and on the 1st Sunday after Easter the saint himself spoke this, 9th conversation. It also doesn’t hurt to note that, contrary to Montfaucon, Matthaei strongly disapproves of the compiler of the titles before the conversations, for his grammar, and, by the way, in the title just given. Ἐπαρχος τελών, whose duties included managing the collection of taxes (φορολογία). In this conversation, the saint uses three terms that are difficult to convey in Russian, so a reservation is necessary regarding them. This is κατασκευή with its verb κατασκευάζω (we have “conclusion”, as given to an opinion and conclusion), ψήφος (“opinion”, as a definite thought, but not expressed in a word) and άπόφασις (“conclusion”, as a thought expressed in a word). For clarity, we use this comparison. While the ship is not equipped, all its accessories are χατασχευή; a ship completely ready to sail - ψήφος; the ship at the moment of its full speed - άπόφασις. John 5:17–18 breaks down like this. “I am equal in creating to God”, since it is only thought, is ψήφος or δπόυσια “assumption”, and since “so” is said – άπόφασις. To this: κατασκευή – 1) the statement of the Lord: “My Father”; 2) fact: “ruining the Sabbath.” At the end of the conversation, the saint asks: why do you call “My Father” the conclusion of the Lord, and consider “I am equal in what I do to God” (based on: “destroying the Sabbath”) to be a Jewish assumption (δπόυοια ψήφος), when the evangelist’s both are connected. Meanwhile, the heretics admitted the first, but could not admit the second, and considered it a Jewish opinion. (Translator's note). For Ming, this conversation is timed to coincide with the church of the apostle, as the title says, but it is not known which one. Mattei thinks more specifically: he considers the Church of the Apostles to be the place and the time to be June 30th, when the memory of the 12 apostles is celebrated. As proof, he points to: 1) the words of the saint: Είς άποστόλων παραγινόμε θαθήκας we come to the tombs of the apostles; 2) the original Matthew 9 for the saint is only part of the church reading of Matthew 9:36–10 (we started with the 34th), a reading timed to coincide with June 30th; according to Matthaei, the saint hints at this reading with the words: τών σήμερον άναγνωσθέντων άψώμεθα let us deal with what we read today. – There was a preliminary conversation with some unknown bishop, whose age is determined by accepted opinion to be 52 years old. This is how we convey άνθύπατος, left untranslated in the Slavic text. Of course, an official like our vice-governor. It was pronounced by the saint on the eve of the day of remembrance of the Maccabean martyrs, which was then also celebrated on August 1. The person who spoke previously is unknown. In the Bible: καί έμ ποδίσης and do not forbid. It is unknown what kind of conversation this was. Some omission in the text. This conversation has no usual conclusion. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith”