On “Father” · §1 · Amphilochius of Iconium

Opening: the preacher arms himself for battle against heretics

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Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium, opens his homily against heretics by presenting himself as a soldier under the martyr Stephen's protection, then turns to Christ and asks him to interpret his own words in the Garden.

Again, as a soldier under orders, I take up the battle against the heretics, with Stephen, the general of piety, commanding the ranks. For just as Joshua routed the enemy while Moses prayed, so I too, with the martyr as my ally, subdue the enemies of the truth. I say this not because I trust in an abundance of words, but because I have confidence in the martyr's prayer; and so it is with confidence that I lay hold of these words. For I do not fear their bombast in speech. I do not fear the outworks of their evil-crafted deception. I have learned not to fear a fear where there was no fear. They say that Christ fears death and is afraid of it, but we, for Christ's sake, choose to die as many times as the days we live in the flesh, so that with bare head we may lead the truth in triumph. Therefore, as one who already holds the winning vote, I advance against them. For Christ encourages me through the prophet, saying: "Son of man, do not be afraid of their faces, for they will rage against you on every side. For you dwell in the midst of scorpions" (Ezekiel 2:6). I am not afraid of stinging scorpions. For I do not walk with bare feet; I have the sandals of the gospel of peace, so that even if I am bitten, I am not harmed. "And having shod your feet," he says, "with the readiness of the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15). Come then, with the sandals of peace let us trample the many-formed head of the heretics, so that by the fearlessness with which we advance against them, we may teach them how greatly they err when they attach fear and timidity to the nature of the only-begotten. For those who think and speak everything without judgment and without reason, and who do not understand "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass," vote fear against Christ and say that he is needy and lesser because he prays to the Father and seeks release from the necessity pressing upon him. Since, then, they slander the Word of God to insult God, and to reject the Spirit they chant the letter around, mocking and ridiculing the plan of salvation of Christ, and with cleverness of phrase and fluency of words they cover over their venomous bites, robbing the more innocent of their salvation—come, as those unskilled in words, let us call upon the very Word of God, so that he himself, becoming the interpreter of his own words, may expose their folly and strengthen our understanding. Tell us the meaning of what has been said, Master; unfold the leaf of the letter and show the fruit of the Spirit, so that we may not attend to the letter and die, but may run to the Spirit and enjoy life. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). Teach us as infants, and discipline the heretics as fools; for you are the instructor of fools and the teacher of infants. To us as infants, bare the breast of grace and offer the nipple of the Spirit. Pour out the pure milk of the gospel teaching. And make the folly of the heretics plain. For if they were not fools, they would not have woven a doctrine of blasphemy to destroy your divinity. For the fool has said in his heart, it says, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1). Strip bare their mask of impiety, so that the drama of their hypocrisy may be exposed. Show that they carry your name around for this reason: to cover over the blasphemy of their own choice. Tell us, then, Master, for what reason you came to the passion and yet decline to suffer, and why you fear the threat of the Jews—you who command us not to fear those who kill the body (Matthew 10:28). And if you fear death at all, why do you not decline death? For if it lies within your power to suffer or not to suffer, you say in vain, "If it is possible, let it pass." For in you—

Greek

In illud: Pater si possibile est Τοῦ ὁσίου πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀμφιλοχίου ἐπισκόπου Ἰκονίου λόγος κατὰ αἱρετικῶν εἰς τό· Πάτερ εἰ δυνατόν ἐστιν παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο. Πάλιν ὡς στρατιώτης ἔννομος τὴν πρὸς τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς ἀναδέχομαι μάχην, ταξιαρχοῦντος Στεφάνου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ Μωϋσέως προσευχομένου Ἰησοῦς ἐτροποῦτο τοὺς πολεμίους, οὕτω κἀγὼ τοῦ μάρτυρος συνεργοῦντος τοὺς ἐχθροὺς χειροῦμαι τῆς ἀληθείας. Ταῦτα λέγω οὐ περιουσίᾳ λόγων θαρρῶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ μάρτυρος πεποιθώς· διὸ καὶ θαρρῶν ἐφάπτομαι τῶν λόγων. Οὐ δειλιῶ γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸν ἐν λόγοις ὄγκον. Ἀφοβοῦμαι τῆς κακοτέχνου ἀπάτης τὰ προβλήμα τα. Ἔμαθον γὰρ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι φόβον οὗ οὐκ ἦν φόβος. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ Χριστὸν φοβεῖσθαι καὶ δειλιᾶν τὸν θάνατον λέγουσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ Χριστὸν ὅσας ἐν σαρκὶ ζῶμεν ἡμέρας, τοσαυτάκις ἀποθανεῖν αἱρούμεθα, ἵνα γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ θριαμβεύσωμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ὅθεν ὡς ἤδη τὴν νικῶσαν ψῆφον ἔχων χωρῶ κατ' αὐτῶν. Χρισ τὸς γάρ με διὰ τοῦ προφήτου παραθαρρύνει λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώ που, μὴ φοβηθῇς ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, διότι παροιστρήσουσιν ἐπὶ σὲ κύκλῳ. Ἐν μέσῳ γὰρ σκορπίων σὺ κατοικεῖς. Σκορπίους γὰρ νύττοντας οὐ φοβοῦμαι. Οὐ γὰρ γυμνῷ ποδὶ βαδίζω· ἔχω γὰρ τὰ ὑποδήματα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης, ἵνα κἂν δηχθῶ μὴ βλαβῶ. Καὶ ὑποδησάμενοι, φησίν, τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης. Φέρε οὖν τοῖς ὑποδήμασι τῆς εἰρήνης τὴν πολύμορφον τῶν αἱρετικῶν πατήσωμεν κεφαλήν, ἵνα δι' ὧν ἀφόβως κατ' αὐτῶν χωροῦμεν, διδάξωμεν αὐτοὺς ὡς μεγάλα σφάλλονται φόβον καὶ δειλίαν τῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς προσάπτοντες φύσει. Οἱ γὰρ πάντα ἀκρίτως καὶ ἀλογίστως νοοῦντες καὶ λαλοῦντες καὶ τὸ Πάτερ εἰ δυνατὸν παρελθάτω τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο μὴ συνιέντες δειλίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καταψηφίζονται καὶ ἐνδεῆ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐλάττονα λέγουσιν τῷ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα προσεύχεσθαι καὶ ζητεῖν τῆς ἐπικειμένης ἀνάγκης τὴν λύτρωσιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐφ' ὕβρει τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ διαβάλλουσι λόγον καὶ ἐπ' ἀθετήσει τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ γράμμα περιᾴδουσιν κωμῳδοῦντες καὶ διασύροντες τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἰκονομίαν, καὶ δεινότητι φράσεως καὶ εὐφραδίᾳ ῥη μάτων τὰ ἰοβόλα αὐτῶν ἐπικαλύπτουσι δήγματα, τῶν ἀκεραιο τέρων ἀποσυλῶντες τὴν σωτηρίαν, δεῦρο ὡς λόγων ἄπειροι αὐτὸν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπικαλεσόμεθα λόγον, ἵνα αὐτὸς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λόγων ἑρμηνεὺς γενόμενος ἐκείνων μὲν στηλιτεύσῃ τὴν ἄνοιαν, ἡμῶν δὲ στηρίξῃ τὴν διάνοιαν. Φράσον ἡμῖν τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ἔννοιαν, δέσποτα, ἀνάπτυξον τὴν φυλλίδα τοῦ γράμματος καὶ δεῖξον τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ πνεύμα τος, ἵνα μὴ τῷ γράμματι προσέχοντες ἀποθάνωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῷ πνεύματι προσδραμόντες τῆς ζωῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν. Τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτείνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ. Ἡμᾶς δίδαξον ὡς νήπιον, τοὺς δὲ αἱρετικοὺς παίδευσον ὡς ἄφρονας· παιδευτὴς γὰρ εἶ ἀφρόνων καὶ διδάσκαλος νηπίων. Ἡμῖν ὡς νηπίοις τὸν μαζὸν τῆς χάριτος γύμνωσον καὶ τὴν θηλὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπιδούς. Τὸ καθαρὸν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας ἐπιχεθῇ γάλα. Τῶν δὲ αἱρετικῶν τὴν ἀφροσύνην δήλην ποίησον. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἦσαν ἄφρονες, οὐκ ἂν ἐπ' ἀναιρέσει σου τῆς θεότητος βλασφημίας ὕφαναν δόγμα. Εἶπεν γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἄφρων, φησίν, οὐκ ἔστι θεός. Γύμνωσον αὐτῶν τὸ πρόσχημα τῆς ἀσεβείας, ἵνα φανῇ τὸ δρᾶμα τῆς ὑποκρίσεως. ∆εῖξον ὡς διὰ τοῦτο τὴν σὴν προσηγορίαν περιφέρουσι, 1 ἵνα τῆς οἰκείας προαιρέσεως τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐπικαλύψωσιν. Εἰπὲ οὖν, δέσποτα, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἐλθὼν παραιτῇ τὸ παθεῖν, διὰ τί δὲ φοβῇ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπειλήν, ὁ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀποκτέννοντας τὸ σῶμα παρεγγυώμενος. Ὅλως δὲ εἰ φοβῇ τὸν θάνατον, τί οὐ παραιτῇ τὸν θάνατον; Εἰ γὰρ ἐν σοὶ κεῖται τὸ παθεῖν καὶ τὸ μὴ παθεῖν, περιττῶς λέγεις τό· Εἰ δυνατὸν παρελ θάτω. Ἐν σοὶ γάρ

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About this text

A bishop confronts heretics by questioning Jesus' fear of death, using miracles to challenge doubters.

Amphilochius of Iconium (c. 340–c. 395) was the Christian bishop of Iconium in the fourth century. He preached to a Christian congregation and wrote against heretics who called the Son fearful, needy and inferior to the Father.

This work is a homily to that congregation, with the heretics addressed as opponents. It answers their use of Christ's prayer Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me to charge him with fear and inferiority.

Amphilochius opens as a soldier fighting with the help of Stephen the protomartyr, called the general of piety, then gives Christ's own first person answer to the heretics' quoted questions: his fear hides his divinity and shows human weakness to lure the devil and death to attack him as a mere man, so the flesh suffers while the Word remains impassible, meaning unable to suffer, and the Father's refusal to remove the cup of suffering is neither lack of power nor lack of mercy. The reader also meets Moses and Joshua, Peter, Paul, Hosea, Isaiah, Jacob and Job, Adam, the devil as tyrant and deceiver, those raised by Christ such as Lazarus, Jairus's daughter and the widow's son, and the named heretics Eunomius and Arius who rejoice over the prayer and Apollinaris whose error that Christ took a body without a soul is refuted. Here plan of salvation renders God's saving arrangement, flesh is the human body, divinity is the divine nature, Word is the Son, hook and bait describe the trap for the devil, and Bible books follow Septuagint names and Psalm numbering.

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Translated from PG 39 (Greek)

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