Oration XLII. The Last Farewell in the Presence of the One Hundred and Fifty Bishops.

 1.  What think ye of our affairs, dear shepherds and fellow-shepherds:  whose feet are beautiful, for you bring glad tidings of peace and of the good

 2.  What then is my defence?   If it be false, you must convict me, but if true, you on behalf of whom

 3.  To speak in a more feeling strain, trusting in Him Who then forsook me, as in a Father, “Abraham has been ignorant of us, Israel has acknowledged

 4.  To return to my original startingpoint.  This was my field, when it was small and poor, unworthy not only of God, Who has been, and is cultivating

 5.  But since God, Who maketh poor and maketh rich, Who killeth and maketh alive Who maketh and transformeth all things Who turneth night into day,

 6.  Such then was once this flock, and such it is now, so healthy and well grown, and if it be not yet in perfection, it is advancing towards it by co

 7.  I seem indeed to hear that voice, from Him Who gathers together those who are broken, and welcomes the oppressed:  Enlarge thy cords, break forth

 8.  Thou countest tens of thousands, God counts those who are in a state of salvation thou countest the dust which is without number, I the vessels o

 9.  This I seemed to hear Him say, and to see Him do, and besides, to hear Him shouting to His people, which once were few and scattered and miserable

 10.  These we present to you, dear shepherds, these we offer to you, with these we welcome our friends, and guests, and fellow pilgrims.  We have noth

 11.  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see, thou critic of my words!  See the crown which has been platted in return for the hirelings of Ephraim

 12.  To those who platted this crown—that which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, nevertheless I will say it—I also have given assistance.  Some

 13.  Would you have me say something still more venturesome?  Do you see the tongues of the enemy made gentle, and those who made war upon the Godhead

 14.  But you are perhaps longing for me to give an exposition of the faith, in so far as I am able.  For I shall myself be sanctified by the effort of

 15.  One concise proclamation of our teaching, an inscription intelligible to all, is this people, which so sincerely worships the Trinity, that it wo

 16.  Let us then bid farewell to all contentious shiftings and balancings of the truth on either side, neither, like the Sabellians, assailing the Tri

 17.  But, to resume:  let us speak of the Unbegotten, the Begotten, and the Proceeding, if anyone likes to create names:  for we shall have no fear of

 18.  Moreover, the Moabites and Ammonites must not even be allowed to enter into the Church of God, I mean those sophistical, mischievous arguments wh

 19.  You have now, my friends, heard the defence of my presence here:  if it be deserving of praise, thanks are due for it to God, and to you who call

 20.  What then do I mean?  I am no proficient in virtue without reward, having not attained to so high a degree of virtue.  Give me the reward of my l

 21.  What more need be said?  But how can I bear this holy war?  For there has been said to be a holy, as well as a Persian, war.   How shall I unite

 22.   I cannot bear your horse races and theatres, and this rage for rivalry in expense and party spirit.  We unharness, and harness ourselves on the

 23.  Now, consider the charges laid against us.  You have been ruler of the church, it is said, for so long, and favoured by the course of time, and t

 24.  Perhaps we may be reproached, as we have been before, with the exquisite character of our table, the splendour of our apparel, the officers who p

 25.  What say you?  Are you persuaded, have you been overcome by my words?  Or must I use stronger terms in order to persuade you?  Yea by the Trinity

 26.  Farewell my Anastasia, whose name is redolent of piety:  for thou hast raised up for us the doctrine which was in contempt:  farewell, scene of o

 27.  Farewell, mighty Christ-loving city.  I will testify to the truth, though thy zeal be not according to knowledge.   Our separation renders us mor

22.100    § 22 is a comparison of Ecclesiastical partisanship to the emulation and party spirit connected with the horse races in the amphitheatre.  I cannot bear your horse races and theatres, and this rage for rivalry in expense and party spirit.  We unharness, and harness ourselves on the other side, we neigh against each other, we almost beat the air, as they do, and fling the dust towards heaven, like those which are excited; and under other masks satisfy our own rivalry, and become evil arbiters of emulation, and senseless judges of affairs.  To-day sharing the same thrones and opinions, if our leaders thus carry us along; to-morrow hostile alike in position and opinion, if the wind blows in the contrary direction.  Amid the variations of friendship and hatred, our names also vary:  and what is most terrible, we are not ashamed to set forth contrary doctrines to the same audience; nor are we constant to the same objects, being rendered different at different times by our contentiousness.  They are like the ebb and flow of some narrow strait.101    Narrow strait, lit. Euripus.  For as when the children are at play in the midst of the market place, it would be most disgraceful and unbecoming for us to leave our household business, and join them; for children’s toys are not becoming for old age:  so, when others are contending, even if I am better informed than the majority, I could not allow myself to be one of them, rather than, as I now do, enjoy the freedom of obscurity.  For, besides all this, my feeling is that I do not, on most points, agree with the majority, and cannot bear to walk in the same way.  Rash and stupid though it may be, such is my feeling.  That which is pleasant to others causes pain to me, and I am pleased with what is painful to others.  So that I should not be surprised if I were even imprisoned as a disagreeable man, and thought by most men to be out of my senses, as is said to have been the case with one of the Greek philosophers, whose moderation exposed him to the charge of madness, because he laughed at everything, since he saw that the objects of the eager pursuit of the majority were ridiculous; or even be thought full of new wine as were in later days the disciples of Christ, because they spoke with tongues,102    Acts ii. 4. since men knew not that it was the power of the Spirit, and not a distraction of mind.

ΚΒʹ. Οὐ φέρω τοὺς ἱππικοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ θέατρα, καὶ τὴν ἀντίῤῥοπον ταύτην μανίαν ἔν τε δαπανήμασι καὶ σπουδάσμασι. Μεταζεύγνυμεν, ἀντιζεύγνυμεν, ἀντιφρυασσόμεθα, μικροῦ καὶ τὸν ἀέρα παίομεν, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ βάλλομεν κόνιν εἰς οὐρανὸν, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐξεστηκότες: καὶ ὑπ' ἄλλοις προσώποις τὰς ἡμετέρας ἐκπληροῦμεν φιλονεικίας, κακοὶ γινόμεθα τῆς φιλοτιμίας διαιτηταὶ, καὶ κριταὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀγνώμονες. Σήμερον σύνθρονοι καὶ ὁμόδοξοι, ἂν οὕτω φέρωσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ ἄγοντες: αὔριον ἀντίθρονοι καὶ ἀντίδοξοι, ἐὰν ἀντιπνεύσῃ τὸ πνεῦμα. Μετὰ τῆς ἔχθρας καὶ τῆς φιλίας, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα: καὶ, τὸ δεινότατον, οὐκ αἰσχυνόμεθα τοῖς αὐτοῖς χρώμενοι τῶν ἐναντίων ἀκροαταῖς: οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν βεβήκαμεν, ἄλλοτε ἄλλους ποιούσης ἡμᾶς τῆς φιλονεικίας. Εὐρίπων μεταβολαί τινες, ἢ ἀμπώτιδες. Ὥσπερ οὖν εἰ μειρακίων ἐν ἀγορᾷ παιζόντων ἐν μέσῳ καὶ παιζομένων, αἰσχρὸν ἂν ἦν λίαν καὶ οὐχ ἡμῶν, καταλιπόντας τὰς οἰκείας διατριβὰς, ἐκείνοις συμφέρεσθαι (οὐ γὰρ ὡραῖον γήρᾳ, παίδων ἀθύρματα): οὕτως οὐδ' εἰ, φερόντων καὶ φερομένων τῶν ἄλλων, αὐτός τι βέλτιον τῶν πολλῶν γινώσκων, δεξαίμην ἂν ἐκείνων εἷς εἶναι μᾶλλον, ἢ, ὅπερ εἰμὶ, μετὰ τῆς ἀφανίας ἐλεύθερος. Πρὸς γὰρ αὖ τοῖς ἄλλοις πάσχω τι καὶ τοιοῦτον, οὐ τὰ πολλὰ συμφέρομαι τοῖς πολλοῖς, οὐδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν βαδίζειν ἀνέχομαι: θρασέως μὲν ἴσως καὶ ἀμαθῶς, πάσχω δ' οὖν ὅμως. Ἀνιᾷ με τὰ τῶν ἄλλων τερπνὰ, καὶ τέρπομαι τοῖς ἑτέρων ἀνιαροῖς. Ὥστε οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσαιμι οὐδὲ τοῦτο, εἰ καὶ δεθείην, ὡς δύσχρηστος, καὶ ἀνοηταίνειν δόξαιμι τοῖς πολλοῖς, ὅ τις λέγεται τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλοσοφησάντων παθεῖν, ἐγκληθεὶς ὡς μανίαν τὴν σωφροσύνην, ὅτι διεγέλα τὰ πάντα, γέλωτος ὁρῶν ἄξια τὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς σπουδαζόμενα: ἢ καὶ γλεύκους νομισθείην εἶναι μεστὸς, ὡς ὕστερον οἱ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ τῷ λαλεῖν γλώσσαις: ἀγνοηθέντες, ὅτι Πνεύματος δύναμις ἦν, οὐ φρενῶν ἔκστασις.