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ORATION 13

ORATION 13 Homily delivered on the occasion of the consecration of Eulalius as bishop of Doara.1 ccept what i have to say, my brethren, although in its brevity my sermon falls far short of what the occasion demands. Yet the Lord knows how to balance mercy with fairness.2 He accepts both Paul’s planting because it is Paul’s, but also Apollos’s watering;3 he accepts as well the widow’s two copper coins,4 and the publican’s humility,5 and Manasseh’s confession.6 Accept my newly created sermon for a newly created pastor. Accept a voice raised in thanksgiving for the marvels before our eyes. We ourselves are lowly, the least among the children of Israel, but there is nothing to keep even the lowly from richly giving thanks. The more perfect, of course, will render more perfect praise to God. We, however, shall do the best we can today. And so, Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.7 We were caught up in a mael1 . PG 35.852A–56C. Written on the occasion of Gregory’s consecration as bishop of Sasima in 372. It is generally agreed that the bishop whose consecration is being celebrated here cannot be Gregory’s cousin and eventual successor at Nazianzus, Eulalius, who, in contrast to the secular savvy ascribed to the new bishop of Doara in section 4, is characterized in nearly contemporary documents (Gregory Nazianzen, Ep. 14 and 15) by his lack of worldly experience and devotion to philosophy, i.e., monastic life. P. Gallay, La vie de Saint Grégoire de Nazianze (Lyon, 1943), p. 123, n. 3, attempted to resolve the question of identity by arguing that the Eulalius in the title was the editor of the sermon rather than its subject and that consequently the new bishop of Doara was neither Gregory ’s cousin nor another man with the same name but an anonymous third party. The problem with this identification, which has been widely accepted, is that the dative case is not normally used to indicate personal agency. Thus, the phrase that forms the basis of Gallay’s argument, oJmiliva ejkdoqei'sa Eujlalivw/ ejpiskovpw/, will not mean a homily “edited by” but rather “given for” Eulalius. 2. Is 28.17. 3. 1 Cor 3.6. 4. Lk 21.2. 5. Lk 18.13. 6. 2 Chr 33.12–13. 7. Ps 98.1 (LXX 97.1). 36 strom; we were afflicted with war; we were being forcibly expelled . Some of these calamities were already upon us; others were still to come. But who calmed the storm into a gentle breeze?8 Who broke the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war?9 Who welcomed us when we were driven away and cast off?10 Was it not you, our God, who performed this?11 The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle! 12 2. He it was who parted the sea; who fed a nation of exiles by showering them with a curious kind of rain; who made the rock gush forth; who defeated Amalek through a strange and mystical gesture of hands13 —this is what the hands of the priest, raised in an attitude of prayer on a mountain top could do and countless thousands could not; who shattered walls without war or battle;14 lastly, who brought down Goliath, the arrogant and swaggering descendant of giants, when he dared to challenge the mighty David.15 Let us then sing all together, Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! The flood would have swept us away. We have escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;16 and all else that a soul joyously proclaims amid God’s bounty. We have come to bring, not the sword, but peace.17 We have not come to dishonor the great shepherd who presides over a magni ficent city.18 We consider him venerable; we acknowledge him as our head; we call him holy even though we are the victims of his injustice. Only let him be devoted to his children and provide for the whole Church. We have directed our efforts toward increasing, not reducing, the number of priests; towards confounding heretics, not decimating the ranks of the orthodox. 3. What do you say, son of Dathan and Abiram,19 you, the unprincipled mastermind of the revolt against Moses,20 who ORATION...