Coptic homilies in the dialect of Upper Egypt/Sermon 10

THE DISCOURSE WHICH APA EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF CAESAREA OF CAPPADOCIA, PRONOUNCED CONCERNING THE CANAANITISH WOMAN.

[ ^[1] ] Great is the storm, but it has not been able to hinder the readiness of those who have come. Great is the trial, but it has not destroyed our sufferings. The Church will never be free from those who contend against her, [but] she will never be overcome. Certain folk plot craftily against her, [but] she vanquishes them. Howsoever great may be the evil which they meditate against her, she increases exceedingly. The waves break over her and have no effect upon her, for she has taken her stand on this Rock, which is the immoveable Word of God, and she is herself immoveable. The Rock it was Who said, ' The gates of Hades will not prevail against her.' 2 He who fights [against her] destroys only himself, but the Church herself becomes stronger and stronger.

Job was a good man before [his] trial, but the days wherein he was healthy in his body were not like the days in which his infirmity wove a crown and set it upon his head. Be not afraid at any time of temptation if your soul be prepared. For the matter is like unto the gold to which the furnace does no injury, that is to say, tribulation does no harm to him that bears himself with fortitude. What does the furnace do to the gold except to purify it more and more? That is to say, he who rises up before tribulation, when the suffering which has to be endured comes to him, is exalted thereby. Cowardly inaction weakens the soul, but trial gives victory to the layman. Know, moreover, that those who endure no trial receive shame, and that those who endure trial receive election. Where are the things which are reckoned unto them? Nothing- makes itself visible.

I come out into the market, and I look upon the wares [therein], [I see that] they are weak plants on which the wind blew, and they were thrown to the ground, and straw which had been threshed out ; nevertheless the flour has remained pure. Who is there that can fight against them [successfully]? Their conscience it is which gives them victory over those who fight against them.

Let us prepare a table. Yesterday Paul provided his table for us, today the table is that of Matthew. Yesterday it was the tentmaker, today it is the tax-gatherer. Yesterday it was the blasphemer, today it is the man of obedience. Yesterday it was the pursuer, today it is the man of avarice. The blasphemer, however, did not continue to be a blasphemer, but became an Apostle ; and he who was a robber did not continue to be a man of greed, but became an Evangelist. I will not make mention of the wickednesses of their earlier years, which afterwards became spiritual excellences. Our masters did not give light while they lived in their former state of sin, but they did shine brightly at the last [when living] in [a state of] righteousness.

Now the tax-gatherers and the blasphemers are the masters of the earth. What kind of place, then, is that of the tax-gatherer? It is a place wherein men plunder at mid-day. The injustice which is according to the law makes itself manifest, as well as the injustice which is done in the presence of the law. The tax-gatherer is the advocate of thieves. When a thief is caught in the very act of stealing he is ashamed, but the tax-gatherer is bold of speech and action, even while he plunders. But suddenly the tax-gatherer became an Evangelist ; how did this come about? When Jesus was passing by, He saw him sitting in his tax-gatherers' shed, and He said unto

him, ' Rise up, follow Me.' ^[2]

O the might of the word ! The hook came, and it hooked the captive, and it armed him like a soldier. The hook came, and it made the clay become gold. He (Matthew) was in the pit of wickedness, and it drew him up into the mesh of the net of spiritual excellence. Let no man fall into despair concerning his salvation, for evil deeds possess not a constitution which endures for ever. And, moreover, we were created in a state of liberty.

If you are a tax-gatherer, you have the power to turn yourself into an Evangelist. And if you are a thief, you have the power to enter into the Paradise. And if you are a magician you have the power to worship your God. For there is no kind of sin whatsoever which repentance will not do away ; therefore God has chosen the greatest sinners on the earth, so that no man might fall into despair about himself.

You will not say, if I have committed sin, which is what usually happens, [for] you have a Physician by you Who is wont to treat you with such medicines as you wish. Was it not He Who made you? [And when] you did not exist did not He make you to be? He has not made you anew as He made you at the beginning, when He took a piece of earth, and fashioned it into a man, but He has made the earth [and] the clay, to become flesh, similar to that which has ligaments (or, nerves), and bones, and hair, and eyelids, and eyes, and the shoulders (?), and the breast, and the hands, and the feet, and all the other members. Are not all these members earthy in their substance?

Then entered Skill in handicraft, and she made all created things according to their kinds. Inquire not concerning the manner in which they were made, and waste not your labour in prying into what is, but believe that the matter was super-miraculous. You would never be able to describe the means by which creation was made. If fire comes upon thorns it consumes them : how much more then will the Word of God make sins to become white, and consume them?

And if you are in the habit of saying, ' I have sinned exceedingly, but who is there that is without sin?' - now, I am using the very words which you will say - confess your sins first of all, and [then] do you the work of making yourself just. If you have committed sin, make haste, stand up on your feet, be sorry, and let your heart eat you [in remorse], and pour out your tears. For did not the sinful woman act in this wise? And did she not pour out her tears, and lay hold on repentance?

'Now Jesus came out of the border of Tyre and Sidon, and behold a woman set out to go to Him.' The Evangelist is stricken with wonder, and says, 'a woman.' [that is to say,] the strongest weapon of the Devil ! The mother of a sin ! The beginning of wickedness ! [Woman,] who was cast forth from the Paradise ! This is woman, and such is [her] nature.

O what strange (or, new) and wonderful works are these ! The Jews fled from Him, but the woman fled to Him, and made supplication unto Him saying, ' O Son of David, have mercy upon me.' ^[3] Consider this woman, who made herself to be a preacher, and one who acknowledged the government of God, for she said, ' Lord, which was the confession of [His] Divinity, and ' Son of David,' which was the acknowledgment [of His manhood], ' have mercy upon me. Is not this act better than every other act in this world? Consider how this truly wise soul said, ' Have mercy upon me. Is not this citizenship better than every other citizenship in the world? [She said :] ' I was in danger, I fled to His feet for mercy. Will You, then, search out my sins? Give me salvation abundantly, inasmuch as the place of mercy searches not out sins.'

O you woman, what did you think within yourself? You were a law-breaker and a harlot. How could you possibly dare to go out to meet Him? Consider, moreover, the wisdom of this woman. She did not make an appeal to the Apostles saying, ( Take me in to Him.' She made no supplication to Peter, neither needed she any of the other [Apostles to help her. But she said :] ' I want, however, to see [Him], but I have no need of men to make Him come to where I am.' And why? ' Because He came down, and took upon Himself flesh, I will speak with Him in the flesh.

O how great is the lovingkindness of God towards man ! He before Whom the Cherubim in the heavens tremble in awe [permitted] a sinful woman to stand and to talk with Him upon the earth ! She said : 'Have mercy upon me ! for this reason have You taken upon Yourself flesh, and have come forth, and have entered into the world for the sake of sinners like unto myself.' Those who are in the heavens tremble in awe before Him, yet those on the earth hold converse with Him boldly. ( Have mercy upon me ! ' What is it that you desire? I seek after mercy.' What dost you wish? ' My daughter is grievously afflicted. My sorrow is great. Heal you my members which are within me, for I am being consumed; preserve my bowels, and take You me out of this burning heat of fever. What will I do? I will die.'

Why did she not say, ' Have mercy on my daughter? ' On the contrary she said, ( Have mercy on me, for my daughter does not perceive the torment of the disease with which she is grievously vexed. That she is seized by the disease in its most severe form [is evident] because she does not perceive what it is. Have mercy upon me ! because I see this sight every day, and great is my grief. What do I call her? I call her a dead body, for though she moves and lives yet she knows not what she does. For I know not the name of the disease, neither do I know of what kind it is, or whether my daughter will die through it. Now death appertains to every one. In what condition will I see [her on my return]? With her eyes starting from their sockets in terror, and her hands with the bones thereof protruding, and the hair torn out in frenzy, and the mouth dripping with foam, and meanwhile the devil which is contending with her is hidden inside her, and does not appear. Have mercy upon me ! My water-flood (or, tempest) is great. This is the kind of disease from which I [suffer], and also from demoniacal wickedness. Have mercy upon me ! '

Consider the wisdom of this woman ! Why did she not go to the magicians, or to those who used exorcisms, or to the women who dealt with the bodies of the dead, or to the soothsayers who were in the habit of paying honour to devils, or to those who could make the sufferings of sick folk to become greater or to diminish? Nay, she forsook the court of the Devil, and she came to the feet of the Saviour of souls [and said], 'Have mercy on me, for my daughter is grievously vexed.' Do you observe the fortitude and the patient endurance? And as the woman raised herself from the ground, ' He answered her not a word.' ^[4]

O these things which were done publicly ! She made supplication to Him, and she besought Him earnestly, and she entreated Him, but He answered her not a word. The sickness increased, but the Physician kept silence. The blow was sharp and severe, and the Word kept silence. The Physician held His hand. What is this new and wonderful matter? You ran after others, and said, 'Come ye unto Me. I will heal you.' Yet from her who ran after You You ran away ! ' Have mercy on me ! ' I was not sent unto any except the sheep which had gone astray of

the House of Israel.' ^[5]

And His disciples went to Him and entreated Him, saying, ' Send her away, for she cries out after us.' [And the woman said :] ' You Yourself see that my outcry is great, [but] my cry, which is in my heart also, is to You. And again they said unto Him, ' As the Lord, and as a Lover of mankind, give salvation to this woman.' 'What will I give? I am not sent unto any except the sheep which have gone astray of the House of Israel.' ^[6]

This is in itself the whole matter. It was for this very thing that You took upon Yourself flesh, that You might do good to a certain woman who was going to perish. Would You, then, leave the world to become a desert [and destroy] the Scythians, and the Arabs, and the Elamites, and [the people of] Cilicia, and Cappadocia, and the Syrians, and the Phoenicians, and [the people] of every place on which the sun looks? Or did You come into this world only for the sake of the Jews? Will You allow [the lands of] the Gentiles to become a desert? Or have You forgotten that they scoff at your Father and worship idols? Why then, did David speak according to the flesh and say, 'Ask of Me, and I will give you the heathen for your inheritance, and your dominion unto the end of the earth.' ^[7] And in like manner also Isaiah, who saw the Seraphim, said, ' The root of Jesse will [flourish], and He who will arise will rule the nations, [and] in Him will the nations hope.' ^[8] And again, 'A ruler will not cease from Judah, nor a governor from his heritage, until there come He that has been constituted [ruler], and He it is Whom the nations await.' ^[9] And again, 'O all ye nations, clap ye your hands.' ^[10] And [yet You do thus,] You, O Lover of every soul, Who said to your disciples, ' Go, baptize all nations, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ! ' ^[11]

This Canaanitish woman, however, received a profitable rebuke. She came out of a place of madness and stupefying folly, a place where they worshipped idols. This miserable woman came and made entreaty by reason of the matter which had come upon her daughter, and You said unto her, ' I have not been sent to any except the sheep which have gone astray of the House of Israel.' Yet in that very hour wherein the centurion came to You You said, ( I am coming, I will heal him.' ^[12] And again, in the hour of the thief You said unto him, ' This day you will be with Me in My Paradise.' ^[13] And again [in the case of] the man who was paralysed, You made him take up his bed, and he walked. ^[14] And again, Lazarus You called when he had been in the tomb four days, ^[15] [and he came forth]. The dead You raised to life. Those whose members were withered You girded with strength. The harlots You held to be more chaste than the virgins. And what did You say to her, the wretched Canaanitish woman, whom You would not answer [at first]? He said, 'Is it good to take the bread of the children to throw it to the dogs?' ^[16]

O the solicitude of this Physician! He understood her, and she had been rebuked. All these words were [intended] to shame the Jews who called themselves ( children'. They had, however, taken to themselves the nature of their own dogs, according to that which Paul spoke saying, ' Beware of dogs. Beware of these workers of evil. Beware of [those of] the concision.' ^[17]

And again, she said [unto Him], 'Have mercy on me! ' But He said, ' Is it good to take the bread of the children to throw to the dogs? ' [And she said within herself :] ' Yea,

"Lord, You call me a dog, [and] I confess that You treat me like unto a dog". I do not excuse myself from derision. Give me that which You see fit. You have called me a dog, give me, then, the crumbs. For the dogs are in the habit of eating of the crumbs which fall from the table of their masters.' ^[18] He said unto her, ' Who has until now begged for that which is cast away and rejected? Therefore, O woman, you will be rewarded straightway.'

And the Lord spoke saying, ' O you woman, may your prayers be heard in that hour wherein I utter your appeal before God, and offer supplication to Him.' You say, 'I have appealed to Him once, and I have prayed to Him twice, and thrice, and ten times and twenty times have I bowed the knee [to Him]. You have bowed the knee, and your mouth spoke, but your heart was counting the cost (?), and you were thinking about your friends and your substance. Your soul has taken its stand at the door, turn not you away until you have received your request.'

Now certain folk are wont to go into the church and pour forth tens of thousands of strings of words ; but God has no need of a multitude of words, though He has very great need of your prayer. Make you yourself to be like unto this Canaanitish woman; pray in whatsoever place you art. If you are in the bath, or if you are in the street, pray. And if they hale you before the judge, pray. And if the judge break you by his decision, let your prayer go to God on your way to execution ; He inquires not about the place [where you pray],but He does enquire concerning a right mind.

When Jeremiah was in the pit of mire he found God there, and he prayed to Him. Daniel was in the pit of the lions, and God helped him. The Three Saints who were in the furnace turned to God, and made supplication unto Him. When Job was [seated] in the dust, among the worms, he turned to God, and made an appeal to Him. And you

also, if you make an appeal unto Him, He will hear you in your prayer. Make yourself like unto this Canaanitish woman. And when you go into the church of the Persians, and of the Cuthaeans, and of the Hindoos (?), and of the Moors, you will hear Christ crying out, ' O you woman, great is your faith.' ^[19] And behold, very many times you will acquire blessing and honour by the remembrance of her, which will abide and be glorious. And though you have not a daughter with you who is possessed of a devil, yet have you with you your soul which commits sin. To him who is possessed of a devil it is usual to show mercy; but he who commits sin of himself men are wont to hate. Against him that is possessed of a devil the matter is not reckoned; for him that commits sin of himself there is no defence whatsoever.

Now as concerning the Canaanitish woman : in what hour was the devil cast out [from her daughter]? In that very hour wherein Christ said unto her, ' O you woman, great is your faith.'

The Son of God cast out the devil, for no man would be able to go into the place where he was, but He was God, Who fills every place. Had He wished He could have gone against the prince [of devils] at the same time. That which is under His feet will not destroy you. If it were not thus one might say to you, ' He is inattentive, or He is asleep.' Now this is not the habit with God. In the hour wherein you will cry unto Him He will hear you, and at every hour. Let neither doorkeeper nor steward prevent you [from crying]. Do you say ' Have mercy on me ', like this Canaanitish woman, and He will come unto you immediately. Consider the following speech which makes manifest that the Son is like unto the Father, and that He is equal with Him. At the time wherein God created the heavens He said, Let heaven be,' and the heaven was. And, ' Let the earth be,' and the earth was. [And], ' Let the air (or, sky) be, and the air was. [And], ' Let the sun and moon be,' and they came into being.

O the goodness of God which created for us the Son Who is equal with the Good Father in every respect, in Divinity The Father spoke in times of old saying, ( Let [things] be,' and they came into being. The Son Himself said, ' Let it be unto you according to that which you desire, and it was so, and her daughter ceased to be vexed by the devil from that hour. What was it that enabled the Canaanitish woman to drive the devil out of her daughter, or to drive him out at all? [It was done] according to the command of the Saviour of souls. In the mercy and lovingkindness of our God, and by His Grace, will we ourselves be healed. For all these things let us give thanks to God the Father, and to the Son, Jesus Christ, Who has informed us by His holy mercy saying, 'I am in My Father, and My Father is in Me' ^[20] - to Whom belongs the glory for [all] ages. Amen.

1. See Matt. xv. 21-8. Matt. xvi. 18.
2. Matt. ix. 9.
3. Matt. xv. 22 ; Mark vii. 24.
4. Matt. xv. 23.
5. Matt. xi. 28.
6. Matt. xv. 24.
7. Ps. ii. 8.
8. Isa. xi. 10.
9. Gen. xlix. 10.
10. Ps. xlvii. 1.
11. Matt, xxviii. 19.
12. Matt. viii. 7.
13. Luke xxiii. 43.
14. Matt. ix. 6.
15. John xi. 39, 41.
16. Matt. xv. 26.
17. Phil. iii. 2.
18. Matt. xv. 27.
19. Matt. xv. 27.
20. John xiv. 10, 11.