The Shepherd and the Lost
Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, offers a discourse concerning the sinful woman who anointed the Lord with myrrh and concerning the Pharisee.
Christ previously greatly cheered us while dining with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10); for where Christ dines and reclines with men, and enjoys our drink and table, he brings all things toward the matter of gladness. For who, having come to tax collectors or prostitutes and those who have done unspeakable things, would justify the matter of making it a feast and a festival, seeing the maker of the heaven and earth as a tax collector, the giver of the grain receiving human bread with hands, and the provider of the grapes blessing the loaves for the communion of drink? This is truly a feast, this is truly the gladness of an angelic banquet: to see the Master with the slaves, God with men, the Judge with those under accountability, enjoying a common table.
For this reason he came upon earth, not leaving heaven desolate, and he has become man, not being far from being God, so that he might also, sailing the sea, draw up from the depth of sin and guilt those tossed by the waves of the livelihood, and circling cities, running through narrow ways, paths, and streets, those wandering at the crossroads, like lost sheep, back to their own fold, the shepherd (Luke 15:4). For he is the one seeking the lost sheep, having left the ninety-nine and going about the search for the one. For he seeks the one, neither regarding the many nor preferring the one over the multitude. But since he left the ninety-nine, for it was necessary that they be safely penned in the fold, he went circling to seek the one, so that he might not be lost and become the devil's. For a lost sheep is a ready supper for beasts and an unsealed soul, vulnerable to demons. Therefore, having previously snatched Zacchaeus as a sheep from the mouth of a wolf and brought him to the fold...
And he deserved the seal. For just as a shepherd, wishing to hunt a sheep that has gone astray, sees a captured animal so that he may pull back the one that leaped away while grazing absolutely, so also the Word of God, the flesh which he took from the virgin, left Zacchaeus as a sheep in a pasture at the table of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), so that, having pulled him by the common law of the meal, he might secretly join him to the domestic flock for communion.
But the Pharisees, not understanding this, were grumbling seeing him eating with tax collectors (Luke 5:30). But let those be torn like an old wineskin (Mark 2:22), for they are not able to receive the new wine of the teaching of goodness; but let us walk after the Philanthropist Shepherd. For having joined Zacchaeus the tax collector to the flock by the logic of the apostles, he himself also, having pulled the sinful fornicatress, the worker of myriads of evils, from the throat of the devil like a lamb, delivered her to the unassailable fold.
In order that you may know also the philanthropy of Christ, and the irrationality of the Pharisees, and the turning back of the sinner, I will set before you those evangelical sayings; for if you listen to the style of the reading, you will easily grasp the sense of the interpretation. One of the Pharisees, he says, asked Jesus to eat with him. And having entered into the house of the Pharisee, he reclined (Luke 7:36). O unutterable grace! O unspeakable philanthropy! And he dines with Pharisees, and does not shun tax collectors, and receives fornicatresses, and converses with a Samaritan woman (John 4:7), and deems a Canaanite woman worthy of a word (Matthew 15:22), and grants the basin to the woman with the hemorrhage (Mark 5:25).
Yes, for he is a physician touching all sufferings, so that he might benefit all, both the wicked and the good, the ungrateful and the thankful. Therefore also now, having been called by the Pharisee, he enters into a house full of evils until the end. For where there is a Pharisee, there is a starting-place of malice, a gathering-place of sin, a reception of pride. But even so, with his house being in such a state, he does not consider it unworthy to come near.
Greek
In mulierem peccatricem Ἀμφιλοχίου ἐπισκόπου Ἰκονίου λόγος εἰς τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν ἁμαρτωλὸν τὴν ἀλείψασαν τὸν κύριον μύρῳ καὶ εἰς τὸν φαρισαῖον. Ἱκανῶς ἡμᾶς πρώην ἐψυχαγώγησεν ὁ Χριστὸς παρὰ Ζακχαίῳ ἑστιώμενος· ὅπου γὰρ Χριστὸς ἑστιᾶται καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις συνανακλίνεται καὶ ποτοῦ καὶ τραπέζης ἀπολαύει τῆς ἡμετέρας, πάντα πρὸς τὸν τῆς εὐφροσύνης μετάγεται λόγον. Τίς γὰρ τελωνῶν ἢ πορνῶν καὶ τῶν τὰ ἄρρητα ἐργασαμένων δεινὰ τὸν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ποιητὴν στέγην ὑπελθόντα τελωνικὴν βλέπων καὶ τὸν τῶν σταχύων δοτῆρα ἄρτον ἀνθρώπινον μετὰ χεῖρας λαμβάνοντα καὶ τὸν τῶν βοτρύων χορηγὸν τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τοῦ ποτοῦ τὰς ληνοὺς εὐλογοῦντα, μὴ ἑορτὴν καὶ πανήγυριν θέσθαι τὸ πρᾶγμα δικαιώσειεν; Αὕτη ἀληθῶς ἑορτή, αὕτη ἀληθῶς ἀγγελικῆς ἑστιάσεως εὐφροσύνη, τὸ τὸν δεσπότην μετὰ δούλων, τὸν θεὸν μετὰ ἀνθρώπων, τὸν δικαστὴν μετὰ τῶν ὑπευθύνων ὁρᾶν κοινῆς ἀπολαύοντα τραπέζης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπὶ γῆς ἦλθεν οὐκ ἔρημον καταλιπὼν τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν οὐκ ἀποδὺς τὸ εἶναι θεός, ἵνα καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν πλέων τοὺς εἰς τὸ βιωτικὸν χειμαζομένους πέλαγος ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ ἀνασύρῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ κώμας καὶ πόλεις περιϊών, στενωποὺς καὶ ἀτραποὺς καὶ δρόμους περιτρέχων τοὺς ἐν ταῖς τριόδοις πλανωμένους ὡς ἀποίμαντα πρόβατα ἐπὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπαναγάγῃ ποίμνην. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς πρόβατον ἐπιζητῶν, ὁ τὰ ἐννενήκοντα ἐννέα καταλιπὼν καὶ περὶ τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς παραγε νόμενος ζήτησιν. Ἐζήτει γὰρ τὸ ἓν οὔτε τῶν πολλῶν κατα φρονῶν οὔτε τοῦ πλήθους τὸ ἓν προκρίνων. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἐννενήκοντα ἐννέα κατελίμπανεν, ἔδει γὰρ ἀσφαλῶς αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὐλίζεσθαι· τὸ δὲ ἓν περιϊὼν ἐζήτει, ἵνα μὴ θοίνη τῷ διαβόλῳ γένηται. Πρόβατον γὰρ ἀποίμαντον θηρσὶν ἕτοιμον δεῖπνον καὶ ψυχὴ ἀσφράγιστος δαίμοσιν εὐεπιβούλευτος. Ὅθεν πρώην τὸν Ζακχαῖον ὡς πρόβατον ἐκ στόματος λύκου ἀφήρπασε καὶ τῇ μάνδρᾳ συνέμιξε καὶ σφραγίδος ἠξίωσεν. Ὡς γὰρ ποιμὴν πρόβατον ἀποπλανηθὲν θηρᾶσαι θέλων χειρόηθες ζῷον ἐᾷ, ἵνα ἀπολύτως νεμόμενον τὸ ἀποπηδῆσαν ἑλκύσῃ θήραμα, οὕτω καὶ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος τὴν σάρκα ἣν ἐκ τῆς παρθένου ἀνέλαβεν, ὡς πρόβατον ἐν νομῇ, ἐν τῇ τραπέζῃ Ζακχαίου ἀφῆκεν, ἵνα τῷ κοινῷ τῆς ἑστιάσεως νόμῳ ἑλκύσας αὐτὸν πρὸς συνουσίαν λανθα νόντως τῇ οἰκείᾳ συζεύξῃ ποίμνῃ. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὴ συνιέντες οἱ φαρισαῖοι ἐγόγγυζον ὁρῶντες αὐτὸν μετὰ τελωνῶν ἐσθίοντα. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ὡς ἀσκὸς παλαιὸς διαρρηγνύσθωσαν, οὐ γὰρ δύνανται τὸν νέον τῆς διδασ καλίας δέξασθαι οἶνον· ἡμεῖς δὲ κατόπιν τοῦ φιλανθρώπου βαδίσωμεν ποιμένος. Ὁ γὰρ Ζακχαῖον τὸν τελώνην τῇ λογικῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων συνάψας ποίμνῃ, αὐτὸς καὶ τὴν πόρνην τὴν ἁμαρτωλόν, τὴν μυρίων κακῶν ἐργάτιν, ἐκ τοῦ φάρυγγος τοῦ διαβόλου ὡς ἀμνάδα ἑλκύσας τῇ ἀνεπηρεάστῳ ἀπέδωκεν μάνδρᾳ. Ἵνα δὲ γνῶτε καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ τῶν φαρισαίων τὴν ἀλογίαν καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτωλοῦ τὴν παλινοδίαν, αὐτὰς ὑμῖν τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς παραθήσομαι ῥήσεις· ἐὰν γὰρ τοῦ ὕφους τοῦ ἀναγνώσματος ἐπακούσητε, ῥᾳδίως καὶ τῆς ἑρμηνείας τὴν ἔννοιαν ἀναμάσσεσθε. Ἠρώτησε, φησί, τις τῶν φαρισαίων τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἵνα φάγῃ μετ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ φαρισαίου ἀνεκλίθη. Ὢ χάριτος ἀφράστου! Ὢ φιλανθρωπίας ἀρρήτου! Καὶ φαρισαίοις συνεστιᾶται καὶ τελώνας οὐκ ἀποσείεται καὶ πόρνας προσδέχεται καὶ Σαμαρείτιδι διαλέγεται καὶ Χανα ναίαν λόγου ἀξιοῖ καὶ τῇ αἱμορροούσῃ τὸ 1 κράσπεδον παραχωρεῖ. Ναί, ἰατρὸς γάρ ἐστι πάντων ἐφαπτόμενος τῶν παθῶν, ἵνα πάν τας ὠφελήσῃ, πονηροὺς ἅμα καὶ ἀγαθούς, ἀχαρίστους καὶ εὐγνώ μονας. Ὅθεν καὶ νῦν ὑπὸ τοῦ φαρισαίου κληθεὶς εἰσέρχεται εἰς οἰκίαν τέως μεστὴν κακῶν. Ὅπου γὰρ φαρισαῖος, ἐκεῖ πονηρίας ὁρμητήριον, ἁμαρτίας καταγώγιον, ὑπεροψίας ὑποδοχή. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως αὐτοῦ διακειμένης τῆς οἰκίας οὐκ ἀπαξιοῖ παραγε νέσθαι
About this text
A bishop explores how Christ's presence transforms sin into joy, using the story of a sinful woman and a Pharisee.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 39 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.