Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew 75.1–75.5

“And Jesus went out from the temple and was going away. And his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. But he answered and said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

For since he had said, “Your house is left to you desolate,” and had foretold to them countless grievous things before, the disciples, hearing this, came to him as though marveling, pointing out the beauty of the temple, and at a loss whether such great beauties would be destroyed, and the costliness of the material, and the unspeakable variety of the workmanship. He no longer speaks to them simply of desolation, but foretells its utter destruction. “For do you not see all these things,” he says, “and marvel and are amazed? There will not remain one stone upon another.” “How then did some remain?” someone says. And what of it? Not even so has the declaration failed. For either he said these things to signify the complete desolation, or with respect to that place where he was; for there are parts destroyed down to the foundations. And besides this we might say that, from what has happened, even the very contentious ought to be persuaded about the remnants too, that they will perish completely.

“And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” For this reason they came privately, as men about to inquire about such things. For they were in travail to learn the day of his coming, because they greatly desired to see that glory which would be the cause of countless good things. And they ask him these two things: when will these things be, that is, the destruction of the temple; and what is the sign of your coming. But Luke says the question was one, that about Jerusalem, since they thought that his coming too would be at that time. And Mark says that not all of them asked about the end of Jerusalem, but Peter and John, as having more boldness. What then does he say? “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed; for all things must take place, but the end is not yet.” For since they were disposed as though hearing of a punishment that concerned others, the one being brought upon Jerusalem, and as though they would be outside the troubles, and dreamed only of good things, and expected these to come to them very soon, for this reason he again foretells grievous things to them, putting them on their guard and bidding them be doubly watchful, so as neither to be beguiled by the deceit of those who mislead, nor overpowered by the tyranny of the evils that would come upon them. For the war will be twofold, he says: that of the deceivers and that of the enemies; but the former far more grievous, since it makes its attack amid the confusion of affairs and the disorder of men frightened and troubled. For great was the storm then, when the Roman power was beginning to flourish, and cities were being taken, and camps and arms were in motion, and many men were easily believed. And he speaks of the wars in Jerusalem; for surely not of those outside and everywhere in the world—for what did they care about these? Besides, he would not have been saying anything new if he spoke of the sufferings of the world, which happen always; for before this too there were wars and troubles and battles. But he speaks of the Jewish wars, which were coming upon them not from afar; for from now on the affairs of the Romans were their concern. Since, then, these things too were enough to trouble them, he foretells all these things. Then, showing that he himself too will join in the attack on the Jews and will make war on them, he speaks not only of battles, but also of plagues driven by God, famines and pestilences and earthquakes, showing that he himself allowed the wars to come as well, and that these things do not happen simply according to the course formerly usual among men, but from the wrath from above. Therefore he says that they will come neither simply nor all at once, but with signs. For so that the Jews might not say that those who then believed were the cause of these evils, for this reason he also told them the cause of their being brought on: “For truly I say to you,” he had said before, “all these things will come upon this generation,” mentioning their bloodguilt. Then, so that when they heard of these snowstorms of evils they might not think the preaching would be torn apart, he added, “See, do not be troubled; for all things must take place”: that is, what I have foretold; and the onset of the trials will cut off none of the things I have said; there will be tumult and disorder, but nothing will shake my oracles.

Then, since he had said to the Jews, “You will not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” and the disciples thought that the end would come together with the destruction, he corrected this suspicion of theirs too, and said, “But the end is not yet.” For that they suspected so, as I said, learn from their question. For what did they ask? “When will these things be?”—that is, when will Jerusalem perish?—“and what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” But he made no answer at once to this question, but first speaks of the pressing things which they had first to learn. For he spoke neither of Jerusalem at once, nor of his second coming, but of the evils that would meet them at the very doors. Therefore he also puts them on their guard, saying, “See that no one leads you astray; for many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ.” Then, having roused them to listen about these things (“For see,” he says, “that no one leads you astray”), and having put them on their guard and prepared them to be watchful, and having spoken first of the deceivers, the false christs, then he speaks of the evils of Jerusalem, confirming the things to come, even to the foolish and contentious, from those that had already come to pass. [2] By “wars and rumors of wars,” as I said before, he means the troubles coming upon them. Then, since, as I also said before, they thought the end would come after that war, see how he secures them, saying, “But the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” He speaks of the preludes of the evils of the Jews. “All these are the beginning of birth pains”: that is, of what befell them. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you.” Opportunely he inserted their own evils, which have consolation from the common ones; and not in this way only, but also by adding, “for my name’s sake.” “For you will be hated,” he says, “by all for my name’s sake. Then many will fall away, and will deliver up one another; and many false christs and false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. And because lawlessness is multiplied, the love of many will grow cold; but he who endures to the end, he will be saved.” This is a greater evil, when the war is civil as well; for there were many false brothers. Have you seen that the war is threefold: from the deceivers, from the enemies, from the false brothers? See Paul too bewailing these same things and saying, “Fightings without, fears within,” and, “dangers among false brothers,” and again, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.” Then again, what is more grievous than all, that they will not have even the consolation of love. Then, showing that none of these things will harm the noble and enduring man, he says, “Do not fear, nor be troubled. For if you show fitting endurance, the terrors will not overcome you.” And of this there is a clear proof: that the preaching will certainly be preached everywhere in the world; so you will be above the terrors. So that they might not say, “How then shall we live?” he said more: that you will live and teach everywhere. Therefore he also added, “And this gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come”—of the end of Jerusalem. For that he meant this, and that the gospel was preached before the capture, hear what Paul says: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth”; and again, “of the gospel which was preached in all creation under heaven.” And you see him running from Jerusalem to Spain. And if one man took in so great a part, consider how much the rest accomplished as well. For writing to others too, Paul again said of the gospel that it “is bearing fruit and growing in all creation under heaven.” And what is “as a testimony to all the nations”? Since it was preached everywhere but not believed everywhere, it is “for a testimony,” he says, to those who disbelieved: that is, for conviction, for accusation, for witness; for those who believed will bear witness against those who did not believe, and will condemn them. And for this reason Jerusalem perishes after the gospel has been preached everywhere in the world, so that they may not have even a shadow of excuse for their ingratitude. For those who saw his power shining out everywhere and taking the world in an instant, what pardon could they have henceforth, if they remained in the same ingratitude? For that it was preached everywhere then, hear what Paul says: “of the gospel which was preached in all creation under heaven.” This is also the greatest sign of Christ’s power, that in twenty or thirty years in all the word took in the ends of the world. After this, then, he says, the end of Jerusalem will come. For that he hints at this, what follows made plain. For he added a prophecy too, confirming their destruction, and saying, “But when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place—let the reader understand.” He referred them to Daniel. And by “abomination” he means the statue of the man who then took the city, which he who desolated the city and the temple set up inside; therefore he also calls it “of desolation.” Then, so that they might learn that these things would happen while some of them were still living, for this reason he said, “When you see the abomination of desolation.”

From this especially one might marvel at Christ’s power and at those men’s courage, that they preached in such times, times in which especially the Jewish nation was being warred against, in which especially men regarded them as seditious, when Caesar commanded that all be driven out. And it was the same as if someone—when the sea was roused on every side, and gloom held all the air, and shipwrecks were happening one after another, and all those sailing together above were in revolt, and beasts were rising from below and devouring the sailors along with the waves, and thunderbolts were falling, and there were pirates, and those within were plotting against one another—should bid men inexperienced in sailing, who had never even seen the sea, to sit at the helm, and steer, and fight a sea battle, and, using a single skiff, troubled in the way I have said, to sink and subdue a boundless fleet advancing in great array. For they were hated by the Gentiles as Jews, and stoned by the Jews as making war on their laws, and there was nowhere to stand. So everything was precipices and reefs and crags—in the cities, in the country, in the houses; and every single person made war on them, general and ruler and private citizen, all nations and all peoples; and there was a turmoil that words cannot set forth. For the race of the Jews was exceedingly hateful to the Roman government, since it had given them countless troubles; and not even by this was the preaching harmed. But the city was plundered and set on fire, and this brought countless evils upon its inhabitants; yet the apostles, who came from there, bringing in new laws, prevailed even over the Romans. O new and wonderful things! Countless myriads of Jews the Romans then subdued, and twelve men they did not overcome, who fought them naked and unarmed. What words will be able to set forth this marvel? For these two things must belong to teachers: that they be trustworthy, and that they be loved by those who are taught; and along with these and besides them, that what is said be easy to receive, and that the time be free from turmoil and tumults. But then everything was the opposite. For they did not seem trustworthy, and they drew the deceived away from those who seemed trustworthy; they were not loved, but even hated, and they drew people away from what they loved: from customs, ancestral ways and laws. Again, the precepts had great difficulty, while the things from which men were drawn away had great pleasure. Many dangers, many deaths, both they and those persuaded by them endured; and along with all this, the time presented great difficulty, full of wars, tumults and turmoil, enough by itself, even had none of the things mentioned been present, to throw everything into confusion. It is fitting to say, “Who will tell the mighty acts of the Lord, make all his praises heard?” For if his own people did not listen to Moses, though he came with signs, merely because of the clay and the brickmaking, who persuaded men who were every day cut down and slaughtered and suffering incurable things to leave a quiet life and to prefer to it this dangerous one, full of blood and deaths—and that when those who preached to them were foreigners, and exceedingly hostile on every side? For let someone bring, not into nations and cities and peoples, but into a small house, a man hated by all in the house, and let him by himself strive to draw them away from those they love, father and wife and children: will he not be seen torn apart before he opens his mouth? And if there is also turmoil and a quarrel of wife and husband in the house, will they not stone him to death before he sets foot on the threshold? And if he is also contemptible, and gives burdensome commands, and bids the luxurious live austerely, and besides all this his contest is against far more numerous and superior opponents, is it not plain that he will utterly perish? Yet nevertheless this, which cannot happen in one house, Christ accomplished in the whole world, bringing in the physicians of the world through precipices and furnaces and ravines and reefs, while land and sea made war. And if you wish to learn these things more clearly—I mean the famines, the pestilences, the earthquakes, the other tragedies—go through the history of these things composed by Josephus, and you will know all accurately. Therefore he also said, “Do not be alarmed; for all things must take place”; and, “He who endures to the end, he will be saved”; and that the gospel will certainly be preached in the whole world. For when they were slackened and unnerved by fear of what had been said, he braces them, saying that even if countless things happen, the gospel must be preached everywhere in the world, and then the end will come.

Have you seen how matters stood then, and how varied the war was? And this at the beginning, when each thing that is being achieved most needs much quiet. How, then, did matters stand? For nothing prevents our taking up the same points again. The first war was that of the deceivers: “For false christs and false prophets will come,” he says. The second, that of the Romans: “For you will hear of wars,” he says. The third, the one bringing famines; the fourth, the one bringing pestilences and earthquakes; the fifth, “They will deliver you up to afflictions”; the sixth, “You will be hated by all”; the seventh, “They will deliver up one another and will hate one another”—here he signifies civil war; then false christs and false brothers; then, “Love will grow cold,” the cause of all the evils. Have you seen countless kinds of wars, new and strange? But nevertheless, with these and far more besides (for with the civil war a war among kinsmen was mixed as well), the preaching conquered the whole world. “For the gospel will be preached,” he says, “in the whole world.”

Where, then, are those who set up the tyranny of fate, and the revolution of the times, as a fortification against the doctrines of the church? For who has ever recorded that another Christ was seen, that such a thing occurred? And yet they tell other lies, saying that a hundred thousand years have passed; but this they cannot even invent. What revolution, then, would you speak of? For neither Sodom, nor Gomorrah, nor another flood ever happened again. How long will you play at this, talking of revolution and fate? “How then,” someone says, “do many of the things they say come true?” Since you have stripped yourself of God’s help, and betrayed yourself, and set yourself outside his providence, for this reason the demon turns your affairs as he wishes and changes them. But not in the case of the saints—or rather, not even in our case, sinners though we are, who utterly despise fate. For even if our life is not tolerable, yet since by God’s grace we hold to the doctrines of the truth with great exactness, we are above the plotting of the demons. And in general, what is fate? Nothing else but injustice and confusion, and everything being carried along at random—or rather not at random only, but irrationally as well. “And if there is no fate,” someone says, “how is it that so-and-so is rich? how is it that so-and-so is poor?” I do not know. For so I will speak to you for now, training you not to busy yourself about everything, nor to be carried along simply and at random from such questions. For it does not follow that, because you do not know this, you should invent what does not exist. It is better to be ignorant rightly than to learn wrongly. For he who does not know the cause will quickly come to the reasonable one; but the other, since he does not know the real cause and invents one that is not, will not easily be able to receive the real one, but needs more labor and sweat to remove the former. For on a tablet that has been wiped clean one may easily write whatever he wishes; but on one already engraved, no longer so; for one must first wipe out what has been badly written. And among physicians too, the one who applies nothing is far better than the one who applies harmful things; and he who builds unsoundly is worse than he who does not build at all; just as land that has nothing is far better than land that has thorns. Let us not, then, run to learn everything, but let us bear to be ignorant of some things too, so that when we find a teacher we may not give him double labor. Or rather, many have often remained incurably sick through falling at random into wicked doctrines. For the sweat is not the same, to pull up first what has been badly rooted and then to sow, and to plant clean ground. For there one must first overturn, and then put in other things; but here the hearing is prepared.

How, then, is so-and-so rich? I will tell you now. Some acquired wealth by God’s giving, but many by his permitting. For this is the short and simple account. “What then?” someone says. “Does he himself make the sexually immoral man rich, and the adulterer, and the one who has prostituted himself, and the one who uses his goods badly?” He does not make him rich, but permits him to be rich; and great, indeed infinite, is the difference between making and permitting. And for what reason does he allow it at all? Because it is not yet the time of judgment, when each will receive according to his deserts. For what was more worthless than that rich man who did not share even the crumbs with Lazarus? But nevertheless he was the most wretched of all; for he did not become master even of a drop, and that for this very reason especially, that being rich he was cruel. For if there are two wicked men who did not enjoy the same things here, but one was in wealth and the other in poverty, they will not be punished alike there, but the wealthier more severely.

You see, at any rate, this man too suffering more terribly, since he had received his good things. You too, then, when you see someone unjustly rich and prospering, groan, weep; for this wealth is an addition to his punishment. For as those who sin much and will not repent store up for themselves a treasure of wrath, so those who, besides not being punished, also enjoy prosperity will undergo a greater punishment. And of this, if you wish, I will show you an example not only from the things to come but also from the present life. For the blessed David, when he committed that sin, the one concerning Bathsheba, and was rebuked by the prophet, was charged more severely especially for this, that he was such a man even though he had enjoyed great security. Hear, at any rate, God reproaching him especially with this: “Did I not anoint you king, and deliver you from the hand of Saul, and give you all that was your master’s, and all the house of Israel and Judah? And if these were little to you, I would have added to you as much again. And why have you done what is evil before me?” For the punishments are not the same for all sins, but many and different: from times, and from persons, and from dignities, and from understanding, and from many other things. And so that what I say may become clearer, let one sin be set in the midst, sexual immorality, and consider how many different punishments I find, not from myself but from the divine Scriptures. Did someone commit sexual immorality before the law? He is punished in one way; and this Paul shows: “For as many as sinned without law will also perish without law.” Did someone commit sexual immorality after the law? He will suffer more grievously: “For as many as sinned under the law,” he says, “will be judged by the law.” Did someone commit sexual immorality while being a priest? He receives from his dignity a very great addition to the punishment. For this reason the other women who committed sexual immorality were put to death, but the daughters of priests were burned, the lawgiver showing more than enough how great a punishment awaits the priest who commits this sin. For if he exacted a greater penalty from the daughter because she was a priest’s daughter, much more from the priest himself. Was a woman violated by force? She is even set free from punishment. Was one who committed sexual immorality rich, and another poor? Here again there is a difference; and this is plain from what we said before about David. Did someone commit sexual immorality after the coming of Christ, and depart uninitiated? He will pay a penalty more grievous than all those. Did someone commit sexual immorality after the washing? Here no consolation is left any longer for the sin. And showing this very thing, Paul said, “Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses; how much worse punishment, do you think, will he be thought to deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, and regarded the blood of the covenant as common, and outraged the grace of the Spirit?” Did someone commit sexual immorality who is now a priest? This above all is the summit of evils. Have you seen how many differences there are in one sin? One sin before the law, another after the law; another that of the priest; another that of the rich woman and of the poor, of the catechumen and of the believer, of the priest’s daughter. And from understanding too there is much difference: “He who knew his master’s will and did not do it will be beaten with many stripes.” And sinning after examples brings more punishment. Therefore he says, “But you, even when you saw it, did not afterward repent,” although you had enjoyed much care. Therefore he also reproaches Jerusalem with this, saying, “How often I wished to gather your children, and you would not!” And being in luxury: this is the case of the rich man with Lazarus. And from the place the sin becomes more grievous; which he too showed when he said, “between the temple and the altar.” And from the quality of the offenses themselves: “It is no wonder if one is caught stealing”; and again, “You slaughtered your sons and your daughters; this is beyond all your acts of sexual immorality and your abominations.” And from the persons again: “If a man sins against a man, they will pray for him; but if he sins against God, who will pray for him?” And when someone exceeds in carelessness those far worse than he, which he charges in Ezekiel too: “You have not even acted according to the ordinances of the nations.” And when someone is not brought to his senses even by the examples of others: “She saw her sister,” he says, “and justified her.” And when one enjoys more care: “For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago; but it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for that city.” Have you seen a perfect exactness, and that all do not pay the same penalty for the same sins? For when we have enjoyed long-suffering and gained nothing, we will suffer worse. And this Paul shows, saying, “But by your hardness and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself.” Knowing these things, then, let us not be offended, nor troubled at anything that happens, nor bring in the storm of our reasonings; but, yielding to the incomprehensibility of God’s providence, let us take care of virtue and flee wickedness, so that we may also obtain the good things to come, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.