{"slug":"khazarzar-asterius-amasenus-homiliae","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-asterius-amasenus-homiliae","title":"Homiliae","title_source":"Homiliae","author":"Asterius Amasenus","genre":"homily","date":null,"tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash:floor","provider":"Baidu","generated":"2026-11-15T18:57:16Z","cost_usd":0.022994},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-asterius-amasenus-homiliae","work_id":"khazarzar-asterius-amasenus-homiliae","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":null,"url":null},"stats":{"passages":202,"english_words":55614,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":225546,"commentary_units":0,"commentary_kinds":0,"derived_notes":6,"ambiguities":0,"work_notes":0,"external_links":0,"timeline":0},"summary":{},"links":[],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-asterius-amasenus-homiliae","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":202,"translated":202,"commentary_passages":0,"commentary_units":0,"english_words":55614,"source_letters":225546,"commentary_kinds":0},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Greek; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: homily in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 202 narrative."},{"kind":"caution","severity":"caution","text":"5 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note."},{"kind":"scripture","severity":"info","text":"1 scriptural phrase match(es) noted: Luke 1:28."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar."}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":202},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πάτρος ἡμῶν Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας ὁμιλία ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Λουκᾶν εὐαγγελίου εἰς τὸν πλούσιον καὶ εἰς τὸν Λάζαρον Οὐ τοῖς ἀποφατικοῖς καὶ δογματικοῖς μόνον θεσπίσμασιν ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν καὶ σωτὴρ παιδεύει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὥστε μισεῖν κακίαν καὶ ἀγαπᾶν ἀρετήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐναργέσι τῶν ὑποδειγμάτων σαφῆ παραδίδωσι τὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας μαθήματα, ἔργοις ὅμου καὶ λόγοις προσβιβάζων ἡμᾶς τῇ καταλήψει τῆς ἀγαθῆς καὶ φιλοθέου ζωῆς. Οὕτω τοι καὶ νῦν πολλαχοῦ προειρηκὼς ἡμῖν διά τε προφητικῶν καὶ εὐαγγελικῶν στομάτων, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ οἰκείας φωνῆς, ἀποστρέφεσθαι μὲν τὸν ὑπερήφανον καὶ ὑψαύχενα πλοῦτον, ἀγαπᾶν δὲ γνώμην φιλάνθρωπον καὶ τὴν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης πενίαν, ἵνα τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ συμβουλὴν βεβαιοτέραν ἐργάσηται, τεκμηριοῖ τὸν λόγον πρακτικοῖς ὑποδείγμασι καὶ γράφει τῇ διηγήσει τὸν πλούσιον καὶ τὸν πένητα, καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὴν φιλότιμον ἀπόλαυσιν, τοῦ δὲ τὴν τεθλιμμένην ζωὴν ὑποδείκνυσι καὶ τὸ τέλος ἀμφοτέρων τοῦ βίου εἰς ὅ τι κατέληξεν, ἵνα τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπιτηδεύ μασι σκεψάμενοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν σώφρονες γενώμεθα τῶν ἰδίων κριταί. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος καὶ ἐνεδιδύσκετο πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον. Διὰ δύο συντόμων ὀνομάτων ὁ λόγος σκώπτει καὶ κωμῳδεῖ τὴν πλαδῶσαν καὶ ἄμετρον τῶν κακῶς πλουτούντων διάχυσιν. Τῆς μὲν γὰρ πορφύρας τὸ χρῶμα πολυδάπανον καὶ περίεργον· τῆς δὲ βύσσου οὐκ ἀναγκαία ἡ χρῆσις.","english":"A homily of our father among the saints Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, from the Gospel according to Luke, on the rich man and on Lazarus. Our God and Savior does not train people only by negative and doctrinal decrees, so that they hate vice and love virtue, but he also hands down the clear lessons of good conduct through vivid examples, drawing us on by deeds together with words to the understanding of the good and God-loving life. Thus indeed now also, having forewarned us in many places through prophetic and evangelical mouths, and not only through his own voice, to turn away from arrogant and haughty wealth, and to love a humane disposition and poverty with righteousness, in order that he might make the counsel of the good more certain, he confirms his word by practical examples and writes in his narrative the rich man and the poor man, and shows the one's honor-loving enjoyment and the other's afflicted life, and what end the life of both came to, so that by considering the truth through the practices of others we might become prudent judges of our own. There was a certain man who was rich and clothed himself in purple and fine linen. By two brief names the word mocks and ridicules the flabby and immoderate extravagance of those who are badly rich. For the color of purple is costly and elaborate; the use of fine linen is not necessary.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Τῶν δὲ τὴν εὐπολίτευτον ζωὴν αἱρουμένων καὶ ἀπερίεργον οἰκεῖον καὶ φίλον τὸ τῇ χρείᾳ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν χρῆσιν μετρεῖν, φεύγειν δὲ τῆς ματαίου κενοδοξίας τὸν συρφετὸν καὶ τὴν πολύπλαδον διαγωγὴν ὡς κακίας μητέρα. Καὶ ἵνα σαφέστερον αὐτοῦ τούτου τοῦ λεγομένου τὴν δύναμιν καταμάθωμεν, ἡ τῶν ἐνδυμάτων πρώτη διαγνωσθήτω χρῆσις, μέχρι πόσου καὶ τίνος παραληφθήσεται ὅροις καὶ κανόσι περιλαμβανομένη σώφροσιν. Τί τοίνυν ὁ τοῦ δικαίου νόμος φησίν; Πρόβατον ὁ Θεὸς ἔκτισεν εὔκομον τὴν δορὰν καὶ τοῖς μαλλοῖς εὐθηνούμενον· τοῦτο λαβὼν ἀπόκειρον καὶ δὸς ὑφαντικῇ τέχνῃ τὴν ὕλην, χιτῶνα σαυτῷ καὶ ἱμάτιον κατασκεύασον, ὅπως ἂν διαφεύγῃς χειμῶνος ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ τῆς ζεούσης ἀκτῖνος τὴν βλάβην. Εἰ δέ σοι καὶ κουφοτέρας ἐσθῆτος χρεία κατὰ τὴν ὥραν τοῦ θέρους, ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ λίνου τὴν χρῆσιν εἰς πλατυτέραν ἀπόλαυσιν· καί σοι ῥᾷστον ἐκεῖθεν κτήσασθαι σκέπην εὐσχήμονα ἀμφιεννῦσαν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀναψύχουσαν τῇ κουφότητι. Καὶ τούτων ἀπολαύων ὁμολόγει τῷ κτίστῃ τὴν χάριν ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ ἐποίησεν μόνον ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀσφαλείας ἐφρόντισεν.","english":"But for those who choose a life of good citizenship and simplicity, it is proper and dear to them to measure the use of necessities by their need, and to flee the rabble of vain vainglory and the manifold manner of living as the mother of vice. And so that we may understand more clearly the power of this very thing that is said, let the first use of garments be discerned, to what extent and by what bounds and sober rules it is to be received and encompassed. What then does the law of the righteous say? God created the sheep with a fleece easy to shear and abounding in wool; take this, shear it, and give the material to the weaving craft; make for yourself a tunic and a cloak, so that you may escape the misery of winter and the harm of the blazing ray. But if you also have need of lighter clothing in the season of summer, God has given the use of linen for a broader enjoyment; and it is very easy for you to obtain from there a seemly covering that both clothes and refreshes by its lightness. And enjoying these things, confess gratitude to the Creator, because he not only made us, but also took thought for our safety with regard to living.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Ἂν δὲ καταλιμπάνων τὸ πρόβατον καὶ τὸ ἔριον καὶ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ὅλων παρασκευὴν ταῖς ματαίαις ἐπινοίαις καὶ ταῖς ἐμπλήκτοις ἐπιθυμίαις ἐκδιαιτώμενος τὴν βύσσον ἐπιζητῇς καὶ συνάγῃς τὰ τῶν περσικῶν σκωλήκων νήματα, ἱστὸν δὲ ἀράχνης ἀνεμιαῖον ὑφαίνῃς, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀνθόβαφον ἐρχόμενος μισθοὺς τελῇς δαψιλεῖς, ἵνα τὸν κόχλον ἐκ θαλάσσης θηρεύσας τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ζῴου χρίσῃ τὸ ἔνδυμα, τοῦτο ὑπερμαζῶντος ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου παραχρωμένου τῇ κτήσει, οὐκ ἔχοντος ὅπου τὸ περιττεῦον ἐκχέῃ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰκότως ὁ τοιοῦτος μαστίζεται παρὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κατηγορούμενος ὡς βλὰξ καὶ θηλυδρίας, κόσμοις ἀθλίων κορασίων καλλωπιζόμενος. Ἄλλοι πάλιν κατὰ τὴν γνώμην τῆς ὁμοίας ματαιότητος ἐρασταί· μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸς τὸ πλέον τὴν κακίαν ἀσκήσαντες οὐδὲ μέχρι τῶν εἰρημένων ἔστησαν τῆς μωρᾶς ἐπινοίας τοὺς ὅρους, ἀλλά τινα κενὴν ὑφαντικὴν ἐξευρόντες καὶ περίεργον, ἥτις τῇ πλοκῇ τοῦ στήμονος πρὸς τὴν κρόκην\n\nτῆς γραφικῆς μιμεῖται τὴν δύναμιν καὶ πάντων ζῴων τοῖς πέπλοις τὰς μορφὰς ἐνσημαίνεται, τὴν ἀνθίνην καὶ μυρίοις εἰδώλοις πεποικιλμένην φιλοτεχνοῦσιν ἐσθῆτα ἑαυτοῖς τε καὶ γυναιξὶ καὶ παισίν· παίζοντες λοιπόν, οὐ σπουδάζοντες· κατὰ τῆς ἀμετρίας τοῦ πλούτου παραχρώμενοι τῷ βίῳ, οὐ χρώμενοι, ἀντινομοθετοῦντες τῷ Παύλῳ καὶ μαχόμενοι ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις φωναῖς, οὐ γράμμασιν ἀλλὰ πράγμασιν. Ἃ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἀπεκήρυξε λόγῳ, ταῦθ' οὗτοι κρατοῦσι καὶ κυροῦσι τοῖς ἔργοις. Ὅταν οὖν ἐνδυσάμενοι φανῶσιν, ὡς τοῖχοι γεγραμμένοι παρὰ τῶν συντυγχανόντων ὁρῶνται.","english":"But if, abandoning the sheep and the wool and the necessary provision of the Creator of all things, and living a life of excess in vain fancies and reckless desires, you seek after fine linen and gather the threads of Persian worms, and weave a web of spider's silk, airy and profitless, and going to the purple-dyer pay lavish wages, so that having hunted the murex from the sea you may smear your garment with the blood of the creature—this is the mark of a man who is mad with excess, who misuses his possessions, having nowhere to pour out what is superfluous. And for this reason such a man is rightly scourged, accused by the Gospel as a fool and a womanish man, adorning himself with the ornaments of wretched girls. Others again are lovers of the same vanity in their disposition; or rather, having practiced wickedness to a greater degree, they did not stop the boundaries of their foolish conceit even at the things that have been said, but invented some empty and elaborate weaving, which by the intertwining of the warp with the woof imitates the power of painting and stamps the shapes of all living creatures on their robes, and they fashion for themselves and for their women and children a flowery garment embroidered with countless figures—playing, no longer in earnest—misusing life against the excess of wealth, not using it, legislating in opposition to Paul and fighting against the God-inspired voices, not in letters but in deeds. For the things that he renounced in word, these men hold fast and ratify in deeds. When, therefore, they appear having put them on, they are seen by those who meet them like painted walls.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Καί που καὶ τὰ παιδία αὐτοὺς περιίστανται μειδιῶντα πρὸς ἄλληλα καὶ δακτυλοδεικτοῦντα τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις γραφήν· βαδίζουσι δὲ παρεπόμενα, οὐκ ἀναχωροῦντα μέχρι πολλοῦ. Ἐκεῖ λέοντες καὶ παρδάλεις, ἄρκτοι καὶ ταῦροι καὶ κύνες· ὕλαι καὶ πέτραι, καὶ ἄνδρες θηροκτόνοι καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τῆς γραφικῆς ἐπιτήδευσις μιμουμένη τὴν φύσιν. Ἔδει γὰρ μὴ τοὺς τοίχους αὐτῶν μόνον, ὡς ἔοικεν, καὶ τὰς οἰκίας κοσμεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τοὺς χιτῶνας καὶ τὰ ἐπ' ἐκείνοις ἱμάτια. Ὅσοι δὲ καὶ ὅσαι τῶν πλουτούντων εὐλαβέστεροι, ἀναλεξάμενοι τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ἱστορίαν τοῖς ὑφανταῖς παρέδωκαν· αὐτὸν λέγω τὸν Χριστὸν ἡμῶν μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν ἁπάντων, καὶ τῶν θαυμασίων ἕκαστον ὡς ἡ διήγησις ἔχει. Ὄψει τὸν γάμον τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ τὰς ὑδρίας· τὸν παραλυτικὸν τὴν κλίνην ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φέροντα· τὸν τυφλὸν τῷ πηλῷ θεραπευόμενον· τὴν αἱμορροοῦσαν τοῦ κρασπέδου λαμβανομένην· τὴν ἁμαρτωλὸν τοῖς ποσὶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ προσπίπτουσαν· τὸν Λάζαρον ἐκ τοῦ τάφου πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν ὑποστρέφοντα. Καὶ ταῦτα ποιοῦντες εὐσεβεῖν νομίζουσι καὶ ἱμάτια κεχαρισμένα τῷ Θεῷ ἀμφιέννυσθαι. Ἐμὴν δὲ εἰ δέχονται συμβουλήν, ἐκεῖνα πωλήσαντες τὰς ζώσας εἰκόνας τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμησάτωσαν. Μὴ γράφε τὸν Χριστόν ἀρκεῖ γὰρ αὐτῷ ἡ μία τῆς ἐνσωματώσεως ταπεινοφροσύνη, ἣν αὐθαιρέτως δι' ἡμᾶς κατεδέξατο, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς σου βαστάζων νοητῶς τὸν ἀσώματον Λόγον περίφερε. Μὴ τοῖς ἱματίοις ἔχε τὸν παραλυτικόν, ἀλλὰ τὸν κείμενον ἄρρωστον ἐπιζήτησον. Μὴ ἱστόρει συνεχῶς τὴν αἱμορροοῦσαν, ἀλλὰ χήραν θλιβομένην ἐλέησον.","english":"And indeed children also stand around them, smiling at one another and pointing with their fingers at the depiction on their garments; and they walk along following them, not withdrawing for a long time. There are lions and leopards, bears and bulls and dogs; woods and rocks, and men slaying wild beasts, and all the pursuit of painting imitating nature. For it was necessary, it seems, that not only their walls and houses be adorned, but now also their tunics and the cloaks worn over them. And as many men and women of the wealthy as are more devout, having gathered up the Gospel story, handed it over to the weavers; I mean Christ himself with all his disciples, and each of the wonders as the narrative has it. You will see the marriage of Galilee and the water-jars; the paralytic carrying his bed on his shoulders; the blind man healed by the clay; the woman with the flow of blood taking hold of the fringe; the sinful woman falling at the feet of Jesus; Lazarus returning from the tomb to life. And in doing these things they think they are being pious and are clothing themselves in garments pleasing to God. But if they accept my advice, let them sell those things and honor the living images of God. Do not paint Christ—for the one humility of his incarnation, which he willingly accepted for our sake, is enough for him—but carrying the incorporeal Word noetically in your soul, bear him about. Do not have the paralytic on your garments, but seek out the sick man who lies ill. Do not weave the woman with the flow of blood continually, but have mercy on a widow in distress.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Μὴ τὴν ἁμαρτωλὸν γυναῖκα ἐπιμελῶς ὅρα γονυπετοῦσαν τὸν Κύριον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ πλημμελήμασι συντριβόμενος πυκνὸν ἔκχει τὸ δάκρυον. Μὴ τὸν Λάζαρον ἐγειρόμενον ἐκ νεκρῶν σκιαγράφει, ἀλλὰ τῆς σῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀγαθὴν τὴν ἀπολογίαν εὐτρέπιζε. Μὴ τὸν τυφλὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐσθῆτος περίφερε, ἀλλὰ τὸν ζῶντα καὶ τῶν ὄψεων ἀφῃρημένον ταῖς εὐποιΐαις παραμυθοῦ. Μὴ τοὺς κοφίνους ζωγράφει τῶν λειψάνων, ἀλλὰ τρέφε τοὺς πεινῶντας. Μὴ τὰς ὑδρίας ἐπὶ τῶν ἱματίων βάσταζε, ἃς ἐν Κανᾷ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπλήρωσεν, ἀλλὰ πότιζε τὸν διψῶντα. Ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ὠφέλησε τὸ ὑπερήφανον ἔνδυμα τοῦ πλουσίου, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ ἑξῆς παροπτέον. Προσέθηκε γὰρ τῇ πορφύρᾳ καὶ τῇ βύσσῳ τὸ τρυφᾶν καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς· πάντως δὲ τῆς μιᾶς γνώμης ἀμφότερα, τὸ καὶ τῇ ἀχρήστῳ φιλοτιμίᾳ τῶν ἐσθημάτων ἐγκαλλωπίζεσθαι καὶ τῇ γαστρὶ καὶ τῇ φάρυγγι δουλεύειν ἡδυπαθῶς. Τρυφὴ τοίνυν ἐστὶν πρᾶγμα πολέμιον φιλαρέτου ζωῆς, βλακείας δὲ καὶ διαχύσεως δηλούσης, ἀπολαύσεως ἀμέτρου καὶ ἀνδραποδώδους συνηθείας. Καὶ λεγόμενον μὲν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἕν τι φαίνεται· ἐξεταζόμενον δὲ κατὰ μέρος καὶ κατηγορούμενον, ἐκ ποικίλης καὶ πλείονος καὶ πολυ κεφάλου κακίας ἔχει τὴν σύστασιν. Τρυφὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο μὴ πολλαῖς αὐξηθεῖσα ταῖς ὕλαις. Ὕλας δὲ πλούτου σωρεῦσαι ἀναμαρτήτως ἀμήχανον, πλὴν εἰ μή τινι κατὰ τὸ σπάνιον, ὡς τῷ Ἰώβ, συμβαίη καὶ πλουτεῖν δαψιλῶς καὶ ζῆν κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἀκριβῶς. Δεῖ τοίνυν τῷ τρυφῶντι πρῶτον μὲν οἰκίας πολυτελοῦς, ψήφῳ καὶ λίθοις καὶ χρυσῷ κατὰ τὰς νύμφας κεκοσμημένης· πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐξαλλαγὰς τῶν ὡρῶν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐπιτηδείως ἐχούσης.","english":"Do not intently watch the sinful woman kneeling before the Lord, but rather, crushed by your own transgressions, pour out tears frequently. Do not sketch Lazarus being raised from the dead, but prepare a good defense for your own resurrection. Do not carry the blind man around on your clothing, but comfort the living man who has been deprived of sight with good deeds. Do not paint the baskets of leftovers, but feed the hungry. Do not carry on your garments the water jars that he filled in Cana of Galilee, but give drink to the thirsty. For these purposes the proud garment of the rich man benefited us, nor indeed should we overlook what follows. For to the purple and the fine linen he added the daily feasting in splendor; and both belong altogether to one disposition—to take pride in the useless vanity of garments and to serve the belly and the throat in luxury. Luxury, then, is a thing hostile to a life that loves virtue, since it reveals slackness and dissipation, immoderate enjoyment and a slavish habit. And when spoken of, the thing appears to be one; but when examined in detail and accused, it has its constitution from a varied and greater and many-headed evil. For luxury could not exist unless increased by many materials. But it is impossible to heap up the materials of wealth without sin, except if, in rare cases, it should happen to someone, as with Job, both to be abundantly rich and to live strictly according to justice. The luxurious man must first have a costly house, adorned with mosaic and stones and gold like a bride; and suited to the changes of the seasons of the year.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Ζητεῖται γὰρ [θερμή,] ἀλεεινὴ μὲν ἡ τοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ τετραμμένη πρὸς τὴν ἀκτῖνα τῆς μεσημβρίας, ἀναπεπταμένη δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἄρκτον\n\nθερινή, ἵνα λεπταῖς ὁμοῦ καὶ ψυχραῖς ταῖς αὔραις ταῖς βορει ναῖς καταπνέηται. Μετὰ ταύτην χρεία πολυτελοῦς ἐσθῆτος τῆς μελλούσης ἀμφιέννυσθαι τὰ βάθρα, τὰς κλίνας, τὰς στιβάδας, τὰς θύρας. Πάντα γὰρ παρ' ἐκείνοις ἐπιμελῶς ἐνδύεται καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα, ἐλεεινῶς τῶν πενήτων ἐκδυομένων. Πρόσθες ἑξῆς τούτοις καὶ λόγισαι τὸν ἐν τοῖς σκεύεσιν ἄργυρον, τὸν χρυσόν, τὴν πολυδάπανον ἀγορασίαν τῶν ἐκ Φάσιδος ὀρνίθων, οἴνου τοῦ Φοίνικος, ὃν αἱ ἄμπελοι Τύρου πολὺν τοῖς πλουσίοις καὶ τίμιον ἀπορρέουσι· πᾶσαν τὴν ἄλλην τῆς ἀπολαύσεως τὴν παρασκευήν, ἣν αὐτῶν τῶν χρωμένων ἐστὶν ἐπιμελῶς ὀνομάσαι. Αὔξουσα γὰρ καθ' ἡμέραν ἐπὶ τὸ περιεργότερον ἡ τρυφὴ ἤδη καὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἰνδικῆς ἀρωμάτων παρεγχέει τοῖς ὄψοις, καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν ἰατρῶν οἱ μυροπῶλαι τοῖς μαγείροις ὑπηρετοῦσιν. Ἐντεῦθεν ἐννόησον τὸ δορυφορικὸν τῆς τραπέζης πλῆθος, τραπεζοποιούς, οἰνοχόους, ταμιείας καὶ τοὺς τούτων ἀφηγουμένους μουσικούς, μουσικάς, ὀρχηστρίδας, αὐλητάς, γελωτοποιούς, κόλακας, παρασίτους, τὸν ἀκόλουθον τῆς ματαιότητος συρφετόν. Ταῦτα ἵνα κτηθῇ, πόσοι πένητες ἀδικοῦνται! πόσοι δὲ ὀρφανοὶ κονδυλίζονται! πόσαι χῆραι δακρύουσιν! πόσοι σφοδρῶς σπαραττόμενοι σπεύδουσιν πρὸς ἀγχόνην! Ἡ δὲ τῶν τοιούτων ψυχὴ ὥσπερ Ληθαίου τινος ὕδατος γευσαμένη ἑαυτῆς ἀμνημονεῖ καθάπαξ, τίς ἐστιν καὶ τίνι συνέζευκται, καὶ ὅτι ποτὲ τῆς συζυγίας ταύτης λυθήσεται καὶ πάλιν ἀνακτισθέντι συνοικήσει τῷ σώματι.","english":"For what is sought is a warm, sunlit place for winter, turned toward the midday sun, but open to the north—a summer place, so that it may be cooled by the light and cold northern breezes. After this there is need of costly clothing to dress the benches, the couches, the mats, the doors. For among them even inanimate things are carefully clothed, while the poor are pitiably stripped. Add to these next and reckon the silver among the vessels, the gold, the lavish purchase of birds from Phasis, of Phoenician wine, which the vineyards of Tyre pour out in abundance and at great price for the rich; and every other preparation for luxury, which it belongs to those who enjoy them carefully to name. For luxury, increasing day by day toward greater extravagance, now even pours Indian spices into their dishes, and the perfumers serve the cooks more than the physicians do. From this consider the bodyguard-like multitude of the table: table-setters, cup-bearers, stewards, and the male and female musicians who lead them, dancing girls, flute-players, jesters, flatterers, parasites, the attendant rabble of vanity. That these things may be acquired, how many poor are wronged! How many orphans are beaten with fists! How many widows weep! How many, violently torn apart, hasten to the noose! But the soul of such people, as if having tasted some water of Lethe, altogether forgets itself—who it is and to whom it is joined, and that this union will one day be dissolved and it will dwell again with the body that has been rebuilt.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Ἐλθόντος δὲ καιροῦ τοῦ καθήκοντος καὶ τοῦ ἀπαραιτήτου προστάγματος τῆς πρὸς τὸ σῶμα κοινωνίας ἀπο σπῶντος αὐτήν, ἀναλογισμὸς εἰσέρχεται τῶν βεβιωμένων καὶ ἀνωφελὴς μετάνοια, κατόπιν γινομένη τῆς χρείας. Τότε γὰρ ὀνίνησι μεταμέλεια, ὅταν ὁ μεταβουλευόμενος ἐξουσίαν ἔχῃ τῆς διορθώσεως· ἀναιρεθείσης δὲ τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ κατορθοῦν ἀχρεῖος ἡ λύπη καὶ μάταιος ἡ μετάγνωσις. Πτωχὸς δέ τις ἦν ὀνόματι Λάζαρος. Οὐ πένητα ἁπλῶς ὑπογράφει ὁ λόγος τῆς δαπάνης καὶ τῆς χρείας τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐστερη μένον, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἀρρωστίᾳ ὀδυνηρᾷ συνεχόμενον καὶ διερρυηκότα τὸ σῶμα, ἄοικον, ἀνέστιον, ἀθεράπευτον, τῇ πύλῃ τοῦ πλουσίου προσερριμένον. Καὶ λίαν ἐπιμελῶς τῇ διηγήσει τὰς συμφορὰς ἐπὶ τέλει ἐκτραγῳδεῖ τοῦ πτωχοῦ, ἵνα τὴν τοῦ μὴ ἐλεοῦντος στηλιτεύσῃ σκληρότητα. Ὁ γὰρ πρὸς λιμὸν καὶ νόσον μηδὲν πάσχων ἐλεεινὸν ἢ συμπαθὲς θηρίον ἐστὶν ἄλογον, κακῶς εἰς ἀνθρώπου μορφωθὲν σχῆμα, ψευδόμενον τῇ προαιρέσει τὴν φύσιν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν θηρίων ἀσυμπαθέστερον, εἴ γε χοίρου μὲν σφαζομένου ἕλκονται πρός τινα λυπηρὰν αἴσθησιν οἱ χοῖροι καὶ τῷ νεορρύτῳ αἵματι ἀνιαρὰ ἐπιτρύζουσι· περιίστανται δὲ τοῦ ταύρου τὸν φόνον οἱ βόες ἐμπαθεῖ μυκηθμῷ τὴν ἄλγιδα σημαίνοντες. Ἀγέλαι δὲ γεράνων, μιᾶς τῶν συννόμων περιπεσούσης θηράτροις, περιίπτανται τὴν κρατουμένην καί τινος ὀδυρτικῆς κλαγγῆς τὸν ἀέρα πληροῦσιν, τὴν ὁμόφυλον ζητοῦσαι καὶ σύννομον. Ἄνθρωπον δέ, τὸ λογικὸν ζῷον καὶ ἥμερον καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ τὴν ἀγαθότητα παιδευόμενον, μικρὸν οὕτω φροντίζειν τῶν συγγενῶν ἐν ταῖς ὀδυνηραῖς τῶν συμφορῶν περι στάσεσιν!","english":"When the fitting time came and the inexorable command of union with the body was drawing her away, a reckoning of the life that had been lived entered in, and a useless repentance, coming after the need. For repentance benefits then, when the one changing his mind has the power of correction; but when the capacity to set things right has been removed, grief is worthless and regret is vain. Now there was a certain poor man named Lazarus. The account does not simply describe a poor man deprived of expenditure and of the necessities of need, but one also held fast by a painful illness and with his body wasting away, homeless, without a hearth, uncared for, cast down at the gate of the rich man. And very carefully in the narrative he dramatizes the poor man's misfortunes at the end, in order to pillory the cruelty of the one who shows no mercy. For the man who feels nothing pitiable or sympathetic at hunger and disease is an irrational beast, badly formed into the shape of a man, falsifying his nature by his choice; or rather he is more unsympathetic even than the beasts themselves, if indeed when a pig is slaughtered the pigs are drawn to a certain painful sensation and squeal distressfully at the newly flowing blood; and the oxen stand around the killing of the bull, signaling the pain with a passionate bellowing. And flocks of cranes, when one of their companions falls into snares, fly around the one caught and fill the air with a kind of mournful cry, seeking their kin and companion. But a man—the rational and gentle animal, taught goodness according to the likeness of God—to care so little for his kindred in the painful assaults of misfortune!","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Ἔκειτο τοίνυν ὁ πολυώδυνος καὶ εὐχάριστος πένης πόδας οὐκ ἔχων, ἦ γὰρ ἂν τὸν ἀλάστορα καὶ ὑπερήφανον ἔφυγεν, ἕτερον τόπον ἀλλαξάμενος ἀντὶ τῆς ξενοκτόνου πύλης τῆς κεκλεισμένης τοῖς πένησιν χειρῶν ἀφῃρημένος καὶ οὐδὲ παλάμην ἔχων προτείνειν εἰς αἴτησιν, ἐμφραχθεὶς αὐτὰ τὰ ὄργανα τῆς φωνῆς καί τινα βραγχῶσαν καὶ τραχεῖαν τῶν στέρνων ἠχὴν προϊέμενος, πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς ἠκρωτηριασμένος τοῖς μέλεσιν, νόσου πονηρᾶς λείψανον, ἐλεεινὸν ὑπόδειγμα τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ τοσοῦτος κατάλογος συμφορῶν ἔκλινεν πρὸς ἐπίσκεψιν τὸν ὑψαύχενα· παρῄει δὲ ὡς λίθον τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπροφάσιστον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπιτελῶν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶχεν ἐγκαλούμενος λέγειν ταῦτα τὰ κοινὰ καὶ εὐπρόσωπα· Οὐκ ἔγνων, οὐκ ᾔδειν· ἔλαθεν με ποτνιῶν ὁ πτωχός· ὃς ἔκειτο πρὸ τῆς πύλης εἰσιόντος\n\nκαὶ ἐξιόντος θέαμα, ἵνα ἀπαραίτητον ἐργάσηται τοῦ ὑπερηφάνου τὴν καταδίκην. Ἐπεθύμει καὶ τῶν ψιχίων τῆς τραπέζης καὶ οὐδὲ τούτων ἐτύγχανεν· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τῇ πλησμονῇ διερρήγνυτο, ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐνδείας ἐτήκετο. Καλὸν οὖν ἦν καὶ δίκαιον τὴν Χαναναίαν ἐκείνην τὴν Φοίνισσαν διδάσκαλον ἐπιστῆσαι τῷ μισανθρώπῳ πλουσίῳ, λέγουσαν ἐκεῖνα τὰ γεγραμμένα ὅτι Ὦ ἀλάστορ καὶ ὑπερήφανε, καὶ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν· σὺ δὲ τὸν ἀδελφόν σου, τὸν ὁμόφυλον, ταύτης τῆς δωρεᾶς οὐκ ἠξίωσας; Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν κύνες ἐπιμελῶς ἐτρέφοντο, κατ' ἰδίαν οἱ φύλακες, χωρὶς οἱ θηρευτικοί·","english":"So there lay the much-suffering and thankless poor man, without feet—for otherwise he would have fled the accursed and arrogant man, changing to another place instead of the gate that slew strangers and was closed to the poor—deprived of his hands and not even having a palm to stretch out in begging, his very organs of speech blocked up, and emitting a certain hoarse and rough sound from his chest, simply mutilated in all his limbs, a remnant of a grievous disease, a pitiable example of human weakness. But nevertheless not even so great a catalogue of misfortunes inclined the proud man to visit him; he passed by the man as though a stone, committing sin without excuse. For when accused he could not say those common and fair-seeming things: I did not know, I was not aware; the beggar pleading escaped my notice—he who lay before the gate as a spectacle for those entering and going out, so that he might make the condemnation of the arrogant man inexcusable. He desired even the crumbs of the table and did not obtain even these; but the one was bursting with satiety, while the other was wasting away from want. It was good, then, and just to set that Canaanite woman, the Phoenician, as a teacher over the man-hating rich man, saying those things that are written: O accursed and arrogant man, even the little dogs eat from the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters; but you did not deem your brother, your own kin, worthy of this gift? But the dogs were carefully fed, the guardians separately, the hunting dogs apart;","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"καὶ στέγης ἠξιοῦντο καὶ κλίνης καὶ θεραπευτὰς εἶχον ἀποκεκληρωμένους κατὰ σπουδήν, ἔρριπτο δὲ χαμαὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰκὼν ἀμελουμένη καὶ πατουμένη, ἣν ἰδίᾳ χειρὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἀριστοτέχνης καὶ δημιουργὸς διεπλάσατο, εἰ τῷ Μωϋσῆς ἀξιόπιστος τεκμηριῶσαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν γένεσιν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐτελεύτησεν μέχρι τούτου τὸ τοῦ Λαζάρου διήγημα καὶ οὕτως εἶχε τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ φύσις, ὡς τῇ ἀνωμαλίᾳ τοῦ βίου τούτου τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν περιγράφεσθαι, μεγάλας ἂν ἀφῆκα σχετλιάζων φωνάς, ἐφ' οἷς οἱ κτισθέντες ὁμοτίμως οὕτως ἀνίσως μετὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων διάγομεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καλὰ τὰ λειπόμενα πρὸς ἀκρόασιν, ἐν τοῖς παρελθοῦσι στενάξας, ὁ πένης, ἐν τοῖς ἀκολούθοις εὐθύμησον μαθὼν τοῦ συμπτώχου σου τὴν μακαρίαν ἀπόλαυσιν. Εὑρήσεις γὰρ δικαίου κριτοῦ ἀκριβὲς δικαστήριον, ἐν ᾧ στενάζει ὁ ἡδυπαθήσας καὶ τρυφᾷ ὁ μοχθήσας· ἑκάτερος δὲ κομίζεται τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν ἐπίχειρα. Ἐγένετο δὲ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτωχὸν καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἰς τὸν κόλπον Ἀβραάμ. Ὁρᾷς τοὺς διακονιστὰς τοῦ δικαίου καὶ πένητος καὶ τοὺς ὑπηρέτας τῆς μεταστάσεως; Ἄγγελοι γὰρ ἐδορυφόρουν, γαληνόν τε καὶ πρᾶον εἰς αὐτὸν βλέποντες καὶ τῷ σχήματι προδηλοῦντες τὴν ἀναμένουσαν αὐτὸν θεραπείαν καὶ ἄνεσιν. Ἐνετέθη δὲ κομισθεὶς τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ πατριάρχου, ὃ καὶ διαπορήσεως ἀφορμὴν παρέχει τοῖς ἡδέως τὰ βάθη τῶν Γραφῶν βασανίζουσιν. Εἰ γὰρ πᾶς τελευτῶν δίκαιος πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν κομίζοιτο τόπον, πολύς τις ἂν εἴη καὶ ἐπ' ἄπειρον ἀνηπλωμένος ὁ κόλπος, εἴ γε μέλλοι χωρητικὸς ἔσεσθαι τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ὁσίων παντός.","english":"And they were deemed worthy of a roof and a bed, and they had attendants assigned to them with zeal, while the image of God lay cast on the ground, neglected and trampled—the image which the master craftsman and creator of all things molded with his own hand, if Moses is trustworthy for establishing the origin of human beings. If, then, the account of Lazarus had ended at this point and the nature of things stood so that our life were defined by the unevenness of this present life, I would have uttered great cries of indignation, that we who were created with equal honor live so unequally with those of the same race. But since what remains is good to hear, having groaned over what has passed, O poor man, be of good cheer in what follows, having learned of the blessed enjoyment of your fellow poor man. For you will find the exact tribunal of a righteous judge, in which the one who lived in pleasure groans and the one who toiled revels; and each receives the recompense due to his worth. And it came to pass that the poor man died and was carried by the angels into the bosom of Abraham. Do you see the ministers of the righteous poor man and the servants of his departure? For angels escorted him, looking upon him with calm and gentleness and by their appearance foretelling the care and rest that awaited him. And having been carried, he was placed in the bosoms of the patriarch, which also provides an occasion for perplexity to those who pleasantly examine the depths of the Scriptures. For if every righteous person at death were carried to the same place, the bosom would be something great and stretched out to infinity, if indeed it were going to be able to contain the whole multitude of the saints.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο παντελῶς ἀμήχανον κόλπος γὰρ κοιλανθεὶς ἄνδρα μὲν καὶ ἕνα δυσχερῶς, μόλις δὲ δύο περιστέλλει βρέφηθεωρία τις ἡμᾶς ἐκδέχεται τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ κόλπου πρὸς νοητήν τινα πραγματείαν χειραγωγοῦσα. Τί γάρ ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον; Ὁ Ἀβραάμ, φησίν, ἀποδέχεται τοὺς τὸν εὐπολίτευτον ζήσαντας βίον. Εἰπὲ τοίνυν, ὦ θεσπέσιε Λουκᾶ ὡς πρὸς παρόντα γάρ σε καὶ ὁρώμενον διαλέξομαι διὰ τί πολλῶν ὄντων δικαίων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ταύτην τῷ μεθηλικεστέρῳ τὴν τιμὴν ἀπεκλήρωσας, σιωπήσας τὸν Ἑνώχ, τὸν Νῶε καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος κατὰ τὸν βίον τούτοις ἀκόλουθος; Ἀλλά σου τάχα συνίημι καὶ οὐκ ἔξω βάλλει τοῦ σκοποῦ ἃ λογίζομαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ θεράπων Χριστοῦ καὶ διαφερόντως οὗτος ἀνθρώπων τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφανείας ἐδέξατο, καὶ τὸ τῆς Τριάδος μυστήριον ἱκανῶς ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ γέροντος τούτου διετυπώθη, ἡνίκα τοὺς τρεῖς ἀγγέλους ὡς ἄνδρας ὁδοιπόρους ἐξένισε, καὶ ἁπλῶς ἐκ πολλῶν τῶν μυστικῶν αἰνιγμάτων οἰκεῖος ἄνθρωπος οὗτος γεγένηται τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ χρόνοις ὕστερον ἀμφιεσαμένου τὴν σάρκα καὶ διὰ μέσου τοῦ ἀνθρωπικοῦ τούτου παραπετάσματος ἐναργῶς ὁμιλήσαντος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ τοῦτο τὸν κόλπον αὐτοῦ οἷον εὔδιόν τινα λιμένα καὶ ἄκλυστον ἀναπαυτήριον εἶναι τῶν δικαίων φησίν. Ἐν Χριστῷ γὰρ πάντων ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς καὶ ἡ ἀπεκδοχὴ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, τῷ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπικὴν ἀκολουθίαν βλαστήσαντι. Καί μοι δοκεῖ ἡ περὶ τὸν γέροντα τοῦ λόγου τιμὴ εἰς τὸν Σωτῆρα τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχειν, τὸν καὶ κριτὴν ὄντα καὶ μισθαποδότην τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῇ θεραπευτικῇ φωνῇ","english":"But if this is entirely impossible—for a bosom, when hollowed out, scarcely contains one man, and with difficulty two infants—a certain contemplation awaits us, leading us by the image of the perceptible bosom to some intelligible transaction. For what is it that is said? Abraham, it says, receives those who have lived a well-ordered life. Tell me, then, O inspired Luke—for I will speak to you as though you were present and visible—why, when there were many righteous men and men older than Abraham, did you assign this honor to the younger, passing over Enoch, Noah, and anyone else who in his life followed these? But perhaps I understand your meaning, and my thoughts do not fall outside the mark. For since Abraham was a servant of Christ, and he especially among men received the appearances of Christ, and the mystery of the Trinity was sufficiently depicted for us in this old man's tent, when he received the three angels as traveling men, and simply put, from many mystical enigmas this man became familiar to God, who in later times clothed himself in flesh and through this human veil clearly conversed with men—for this reason he says that his bosom is like a fair harbor and a calm resting place of the righteous. For in Christ is the salvation of us all, and the hope and expectation of the age to come, for him who sprang from the flesh of Abraham according to human succession. And it seems to me that the honor given to the old man in this discourse has its reference to the Savior, who is both judge and rewarder of virtue, and with his healing voice","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"προσκαλούμενον τοὺς δικαίους καὶ λέγοντα· Δεῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν. Ἐγένετο δὲ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτωχόν. Διπλῆ τις ἐστὶν ἡ περὶ τὸν πτωχὸν σημασία· ἡ μὲν δηλοῦσα τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν ἔνδειαν, ἡ δὲ τὴν μετριοφροσύνην καὶ τοῦ ἤθους τὴν ταπεινότητα. Μὴ τοίνυν ὁ τῶν ὑλῶν ἀπόρως ἔχων καὶ πενόμενος ἀργυρίου, ἠμφιεσμένος δὲ τὴν ἐλεεινὴν ἐφεστρίδα, οἰκειούσθω τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν ἔπαινον, μηδὲ νομιζέτω ἀρκέσειν αὐτῷ τὴν ἔνδειαν πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ κατ' ἀνάγκην πενόμενος ἐπαινεῖται, ἀλλ' ὁ τὴν γνώμην αὐθαιρέτως μετριάζων θαυμάζεται. Ἐπεὶ τοῖς ἀπορουμένοις ἁπλῶς, ἔχουσι δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἀπαιδαγώγητον ἢ ἀκατόρθωτον, ἐφόδιον γίνεται πολλῶν καὶ πονηρῶν τολμημάτων ἡ πρὸς ἀνάγκην ἀκτημοσύνη. Καὶ πάντας ἐγὼ τοὺς τοιχωρύχους καὶ ἀνδρα ποδιστάς, ἔτι μὴν λωποδύτας καὶ κλέπτας καὶ τοὺς ἀνδροφόνους αὐτούς, εἴ ποτε παρέβαλον ἀρχοντικῷ κριτηρίῳ, πένητας ἐθεασάμην, ἀγνώστους, ἀοίκους, ἀνεστίους. Ὡς ἐκ τούτου πρόδηλον εἶναι, ὅτι μακαρίζει νῦν ἡ Γραφὴ τὸν πτωχὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν φιλοσόφῳ ψυχῇ τοὺς μόχθους βαστάζοντα, καρτεροῦντα δὲ γενναίως πρὸς τὰς περιστάσεις τοῦ βίου καὶ οὐδὲν κακουργοῦντα πονηρόν, ἵνα τῇ σαρκὶ χαρίσηται τῆς τρυφῆς τὴν ἀπό λαυσιν. Ὃν καὶ σαφέστερον διαγράφει ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν μακαρισμῶν ὁ Κύριος λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι. Οὔτε οὖν πᾶς πτωχὸς δίκαιος, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος οἷος ὁ Λάζαρος, οὔτε πᾶς πλούσιος ἀπεγνωσμένος, ἀλλ' ὁ μετὰ τοιαύτης ζῶν προαιρέσεως, οἵαν εἶχεν ὁ τοῦ Λαζάρου σύγχρονος·","english":"calling the righteous and saying, \"Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.\" And it came to pass that the poor man died. The meaning concerning the poor man is twofold: the one indicating the lack of necessities, the other the modesty and the lowliness of character. Let not him, therefore, who is destitute of material things and poor in silver, but clad in the pitiable cloak, claim as his own the praise of virtue, nor let him think that his destitution will suffice for salvation. For it is not the one who is poor by necessity that is praised, but the one who of his own free choice is moderate in disposition that is admired. Since for those who are simply destitute but have a character untaught or incapable of uprightness, poverty by necessity becomes a provision for many evil daring deeds. And I have seen all those house-breakers and slave-dealers, and moreover robbers and thieves and the murderers themselves, whenever they came before a magistrate's court, as poor men, unknown, homeless, without a hearth. So that from this it is evident that Scripture now calls blessed that poor man who with a philosophic soul bears his toils, enduring nobly against the circumstances of life and doing nothing evil, so that he might gratify the flesh with the enjoyment of luxury. Whom the Lord also describes more clearly in the first of the beatitudes, saying, \"Blessed are the poor in spirit.\" Neither, then, is every poor man righteous, but only the one such as Lazarus, nor is every rich man condemned, but only the one living with such a disposition as he who was the contemporary of Lazarus had.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"καὶ τούτου οἱ διὰ τῆς πείρας τοῦ βίου μάρτυρες πρόδηλοι. Τί γὰρ τοῦ θείου Ἰὼβ πλουσιώτερον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ εἰς ἄγαν εὐπορία τὸν ἄνδρα οὔτε τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἠλλοτρίωσεν, οὔτε συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν, τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐξώρισεν. Τί τοῦ Ἰσκαριώτου πενέστερον; Καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπώνατο τῆς ἐνδείας εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἕνδεκα πένησι καὶ φιλοσόφοις συνδιαιτώμενος καὶ αὐτῷ γε τῷ Κυρίῳ, τῷ δι' ἡμᾶς αὐθαιρέτως πτωχεύσαντι, κακίᾳ προαιρέσεως εἰς φιλαργυρίαν παρενεχθεὶς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τὴν προδοσίαν ἐρᾳδιούργησεν. Ἄξιον δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐκφορὰν ἑκατέρου τῶν τεθνηκότων συνετῶς δοκιμάσαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πτωχὸς κοιμηθεὶς ἀγγέλους εἶχεν δορυφόρους καὶ θεραπευτάς, ἄγοντας αὐτὸν μετὰ καλῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος εἰς τὸν τόπον τῆς ἀναπαύσεως· ὁ δὲ πλούσιος ἀποθανών, φησίν, ἐτάφη. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οἷον αὐτῇ χρήσασθαι τῇ λέξει τῇ γραφικῇ, ἱκανῶς διὰ μιᾶς λέξεως ἑρμηνευούσῃ τὴν ἄτιμον τοῦ πλουσίου κατάλυσιν. Ὁ γὰρ ἁμαρτωλὸς τελευτῶν ὄντως θάπτεται, χθόνιος ὢν τὸ σῶμα, γήινος δὲ καὶ τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ τὸ φυσικὸν ἐκείνης ἀξίωμα τῇ συμπαθείᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς πρὸς τὴν ὕλην καταγαγών, οὐδὲν χρηστὸν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς καταλιμπάνων ὑπόμνημα, λήθῃ δὲ ἀτίμῳ καλυπτόμενος καὶ τὸν τῶν βοσκημάτων θάνατον τελευτῶν. Τάφος μὲν γὰρ ἔχει τὸ σῶμα, ᾅδης δὲ τὴν ψυχήν· δύο σκοτεινὰ δεσμωτήρια μεριζόμενα τοῦ πονηροῦ ζῴου τὴν τιμωρίαν. Καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν τῆς ἀβουλίας τὸν ἄθλιον καταμέμψαιτο;","english":"And the witnesses of this through the experience of life are plain to see. For what was richer than the divine Job? Yet all the same, his exceedingly great prosperity neither estranged the man from righteousness nor, to put it in a word, exiled him from virtue. And what was poorer than the Iscariot? Yet he gained nothing from his poverty toward salvation, but though he lived together with the eleven poor and philosophic men, and with the Lord himself, who for our sake freely became poor, he was carried away by the wickedness of his own choice into love of money, and from that source he also contrived the betrayal. And it is worth wisely examining the burial of each of the dead men. For the poor man, when he had fallen asleep, had angels as his guards and attendants, leading him with good hope to the place of rest; but the rich man, it says, died and was buried. For nothing is so fitting as to use the scriptural expression itself, which sufficiently interprets through a single word the dishonorable dissolution of the rich man. For the sinner, when he comes to his end, is truly buried, being earthly in body and earthly also in soul, and having dragged down that soul's natural dignity to matter through the sympathy of the flesh, leaving behind no good memorial of his own life, but covered over by dishonorable forgetfulness and meeting the death of grazing animals. For the grave holds the body, and Hades the soul—two dark prisons dividing the punishment of the wicked creature. And who would not blame the wretched man for his folly?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":13,"ref":"p13","source":"ἡνίκα μὲν ὑπὲρ γῆς ἦν γαυριῶντα, μεγαλαυχούμενον, πάντων ὑπερφρονοῦντα τῶν συζώντων καὶ ὁμοφύλων καὶ μονονουχὶ μύρμηκας καὶ σκώληκας ἀποκαλοῦντα τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, κενῷ δὲ φρονήματι τῆς ὀλιγοχρονίου δόξης διαρρηγνύμενον· ἡνίκα δὲ ἀπεσπάσθη τοῦ βίου καὶ ὡς μαστιγίας δοῦλος ἀφῃρέθη τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ὧν ἐξ ἀνοίας ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι δεσπότης, εἰς ἀντίρροπον τῆς ὑπερηφανίας καταφέρεται ταπεινότητα, καὶ γραὸς θρηνούσης ὀδυρμοὺς προβαλλόμενος μακρὰ καὶ ἀνόνητα τὸν πατριάρχην ἐπικαλεῖται λέγων· « Πάτερ Ἀβραάμ, ἐλέησον με καὶ πέμψον Λάζαρον, ἵνα βάψῃ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ δακτύλου αὐτοῦ ὕδατος καὶ καταψύξῃ τὴν γλῶσσαν μου, ὅτι ὀδυνῶμαι ἐν τῇ φλογὶ ταύτῃ», ζητῶν ἔλεον, ὃν οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἡνίκα τοῦ εὐεργετεῖν πρόχειρον εἶχεν τὴν ἐξουσίαν· ἀξιῶν δὲ αὐτῷ βοηθὸν κατὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀφικέσθαι τὸν Λάζαρον· εὐχόμενος ἀπομυζῆσαι τοῦ λεπροῦ τὸν δάκτυλον ὀλίγον νενοτισμένον\n\nὕδατι. Τοιαῦται τῶν φιλοσωμάτων αἱ ἀβουλίαι, τοῦτο τῶν φιλοπλούτων καὶ φιληδόνων τὸ τέλος. Καὶ προσήκει τὸν συνετὸν καὶ προμηθῆ τοῦ μέλλοντος, οἷον φάρμακόν τι προφυλακτικὸν νοσήματος τὴν παραβολὴν ἡγησάμενον, φυγεῖν τῶν ὁμοίων κακῶν τὴν πεῖραν, τὸ συμπαθὲς καὶ φιλάνθρωπον ὡς αἰτίαν τῆς ζωῆς τῆς μελλούσης ἀσκήσαντα. Δραματικῶς γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος τὴν νουθεσίαν ἐπὶ προσώπων ὡρισμένων ἐξέθετο, ἵνα ἐμψύχως καὶ δεικτικῶς παιδευθέντες τῆς ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας τὸν νόμον, μηδέποτε καταφρονήσωμεν τῶν τῆς Γραφῆς παραγγελμάτων ὡς ἄχρι λόγου μόνον φοβούντων, οὐ μὴν τὴν ἀπειλὴν προαγόντων εἰς τιμωρίαν.","english":"When he was on earth, he was exulting, boasting, looking down on all who lived with him and were of the same race, and all but calling those he met ants and worms, and bursting with empty conceit over his short-lived glory. But when he was torn from this life and, like a slave deserving the lash, was stripped of the goods of others, over which in his folly he thought he was master, he is brought down into a humility that counterbalances his arrogance, and, casting before him the laments of a wailing old woman, he calls in vain and to no avail upon the patriarch, saying: \"Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame,\" seeking mercy which he did not give when he had the power to do good ready at hand; and deeming Lazarus worthy to come to him as a helper against the fire; and praying that the leper might moisten his finger with a little water. Such are the follies of those who love the body; this is the end of those who love wealth and pleasure. And it befits the prudent man who takes thought for the future, having regarded the parable as a kind of preventive medicine against disease, to flee the experience of similar evils, cultivating compassion and love for humanity as the cause of the life to come. For our discourse has set forth its admonition dramatically, in the persons of specific individuals, so that, instructed vividly and by direct demonstration in the law of good conduct, we may never despise the precepts of Scripture as though they only frighten us with words and do not actually bring the threat to punishment.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":14,"ref":"p14","source":"Οἶδα γάρ, ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ταῖς τοιαύταις ὑπονοίαις δελεαζόμενοι ἀκώλυτον ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν χαρίζονται. Πᾶν δὲ τοὐναντίον παρὰ τῆς προκειμένης Γραφῆς διδασκόμεθα ὡς οὐδὲ συγγνώμη τις τῆς ἐκεῖ κρίσεως ἐπελαφρύνει τὴν κόλασιν, οὐδ' ἐλαττοῖ τὴν ὡρισμένην τιμωρίαν φιλανθρωπία, εἴ γε δεῖ ταῖς φωναῖς τοῦ πατριάρχου τεκμηριῶσαι τὸν λόγον. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἱκετευθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ πλουσίου καὶ μυρίων ἐλεεινῶν ἐπακούσας φωνῶν οὔτε τοῖς ὀδυρμοῖς ἐπεκλάσθη οὔτε τῆς ὀδύνης ἐξείλετο τὸν πικρῶς μαστιζόμενον, ἀλλ' αὐστηρῷ δὲ τῷ φρονήματι τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν ἐκύρωσεν εἰπών, ὅτι πρὸς ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ διεκλήρωσεν ὁ Θεός· καὶ σοὶ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ βίου τρυφήσαντι κατὰ τῶν ἀλλο τρίων συμφορῶν δίκη τοῦ πλημμελήματος ἐπετέθη ἃ πάσχεις· τῷ δ' ἐκεῖ μοχθήσαντι καὶ πατηθέντι καὶ πικρᾶς ἀνασχομένῳ τῆς ἐνσάρκου ζωῆς γλυκεῖα τις καὶ εὐφραίνουσα ἡ ἐνθάδε ἀπενεμήθη κατάστασις. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ χάσμα μέγα εἶναι φησιν, τὸ κωλύον αὐτοὺς τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπιμιξίαν καὶ διεῖργον τοὺς τιμωρουμένους ἀπὸ τῶν τιμωμένων, ἵνα εὐκρινῶς διάγωσιν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ἀμφότεροι ἀσύγχυτον ἔχοντες τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν κακῶν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Οἶμαι δὲ τὴν αἰσθητὴν παραβολὴν νοητῆς εἶναι θεωρίας αἴνιγμα. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τάφρον ὄντως ἐννοήσωμεν ἐκεῖ πρὸς τῶν ἀγγέλων διορυχθεῖσαν, οἷάπερ ἐν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις γίνεται τὰ τῶν πολεμίων μεταίχμια, ἀλλὰ τὸν χωρισμὸν ἡμῖν ὁ Λουκᾶς ὑπογράφων ὃν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ κεχωρισμένοι, οἵ τε κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ οἱ ἑτέρως ζήσαντες, ὑπέθετο τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χάσματος.","english":"For I know that most people, lured by such suspicions, grant themselves unhindered license to sin. But we are taught the very opposite by the Scripture set before us—that no pardon lightens the punishment of the judgment there, nor does any benevolence lessen the appointed penalty, if indeed we must establish the argument by the words of the patriarch. For though he was entreated many times by the rich man and heard countless pitiful cries, he was neither softened by his lamentations nor delivered from his pain the man who was bitterly scourged, but with stern resolve he ratified the just judgment, saying that God has allotted to each according to his desert: and to you, who lived in luxury and reveled in the misfortunes of others, the penalty of your transgression was imposed in the things you suffer; but to him there, who toiled and was trampled upon and endured the bitterness of life in the flesh, a sweet and gladdening condition was apportioned here. Moreover, he says that there is a great gulf, which prevents their intercourse with one another and separates those who are punished from those who are honored, so that both may dwell clearly apart from each other, having an unconfused enjoyment of goods and evils. I think that the sensible parable is a riddle of intelligible contemplation. For let us not suppose that a trench was actually dug there by the angels, such as the no-man's-lands of enemies are in camps, but Luke, sketching for us the separation by which those who lived according to virtue and those who lived otherwise are separated from one another, set before us the image of the gulf.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":15,"ref":"p15","source":"Ἐπισφραγίζεται δὲ τὴν διάνοιαν ἡμῶν ταύτην καὶ Ἡσαΐας οὕτω πως λέγων· Μὴ οὐκ ἰσχύει ἡ χεὶρ Κυρίου τοῦ σῶσαι ἢ ἐβάρυνε τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι; Ἀλλὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὑμῶν διιστῶσιν ἀνὰ μέσον ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ Θεοῦ.\n\n2. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁμιλία ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Λουκᾶν εὐαγγελίου εἰς τὸν οἰκονόμον τῆς ἀδικίας Πολλάκις ὑμῖν εἶπον διαλεγόμενος, ὅτι πεπλασμένη τις καὶ ψευδὴς ἔννοια τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐμπεσοῦσα πληθύνει τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καὶ ἐλαττοῖ τὰ ἀγαθά, ἅπερ ἕκαστος ὀφείλομεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν πολιτείας ἀσκεῖν. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν τὸ νομίζειν, ὅτι πάντα ὅσα ἔχομεν ἐν τῇ χρήσει τοῦ βίου ὡς κύριοι κεκτήμεθα καὶ δεσπόται. Καὶ ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑπολήψεως σφοδρῶς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν διαμαχόμεθα καὶ πολεμοῦμεν καὶ δικαζόμεθα καὶ εἰς ἄκρον αὐτῶν περιεχόμεθα ὡς ἐξαιρέτων κτημάτων. Ἡ δὲ ἀλήθεια οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐναντίως. Πάντα γὰρ ὧν ἀπελάβομεν, οὐχ ἡμέτερα· οὔτε μὴν ἡμεῖς ὡς αὐθένται καὶ κύριοι τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ὡς ἡμετέρᾳ οἰκίᾳ ἐνῳκίσθημεν, ἀλλ' ὡς πάροικοι καὶ ἐπήλυδες καὶ μετανάσται ἀγόμεθα ὅπου οὐ θέλομεν καὶ ἡνίκα οὐ προσεδοκῶμεν. Ἀφαιρούμεθα δὲ τῶν ὄντων, ὅταν δόξῃ τῷ Κυρίῳ, τῆς κτήσεως. Διὸ καὶ εὐμετάβολον χρῆμα ἐστιν τὸ τῆς ἐπικήρου ταύτης","english":"Isaiah also seals this understanding of ours, saying something like this: \"Is the hand of the Lord not strong to save, or has he made his ear heavy so as not to hear? But your sins stand between you and between God.\"\n\n2. From the same author, a homily from the Gospel according to Luke, on the steward of unrighteousness. I have often said to you in my discourse that a certain fabricated and false notion, having fallen into people's minds, multiplies sins and diminishes the good things that each of us ought to practice in our own conduct of life. This notion is the belief that all things we have in the use of life we possess as lords and masters. And for the sake of this supposition we fiercely contend and fight and go to law over them, and we cling to them to the utmost as though they were exceptional possessions. But the truth is not so, but quite the opposite. For all things we have received are not our own; nor indeed were we settled in this life as authors and lords, as though in our own house, but we are led as sojourners and strangers and migrants where we do not wish and when we did not expect. And we are deprived of our possessions, whenever it seems good to the Lord of the property. Therefore the affair of this perishable","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":16,"ref":"p16","source":"ζωῆς· καὶ ὁ σήμερον ἔνδοξος αὔριον ἐλεεινὸς, οἴκτου καὶ βοηθείας ἄξιος· ὁ νῦν εὔπορος καὶ εὐθηνούμενος ταῖς ὕλαις τοῦ πλούτου πένης μετὰ μικρόν, οὐδὲ τὸν ἄρτον οἴκοθεν ἔχων, ὃν προσφέρηται εἰς ζωήν. Καὶ τούτῳ μάλιστα ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν τῶν θνήτων ὑπερέχει, τῷ ἀεὶ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶναι καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχειν καὶ ἀναφαίρετον κεκτῆσθαι ζωὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ δύναμιν. Πόθεν οὖν εἰς ταύτην ἦλθον τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ λόγου, ἦ τάχα γνώριμον ἤδη τυγχάνει τοῖς νοῦν ἔχουσι καὶ φιλολόγοις. Ὁ Λουκᾶς ἡμῖν παραβολὴν ἀναπλάσας ὑπανέγνω ἀρτίως, ἐν ᾗ τὸν οἰκονόμον τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ὑπογράφει στενούμενον καὶ θλιβόμενον, ἐπειδὴ ὡς σπαθητὴς καὶ πολυδάπανος ἤκουσεν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου τῶν χρημάτων καὶ τῶν κτημάτων, ὅτι Δὸς τὸν λόγον τῆς διοικήσεως καὶ μετάστηθι· οὐ γάρ σε τοῖς ἐμοῖς ὡς ἰδίοις ἐντρυφᾶν ἀνέξομαι. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν οὐ γενομένου πράγματος ἐξήγησις, ἀλλὰ πλάσις παραβολῆς τοῖς ἐπεσκιασμένοις τῶν λόγων ἠθικὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκπαιδεύουσα. Γνῶθι τοίνυν ἕκαστος, ὡς ἀλλοτρίων εἶ διοικητής, καὶ ῥίψας ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς σου τῆς αὐθεντίας τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν τὸ τοῦ ὑπευθύνου καὶ οἰκονόμου ἀνάλαβε ταπεινὸν καὶ εὐλαβές, ἀεὶ τὸν κύριον σου ἀναμένων καὶ μετὰ δειλίας συγγράφων τῆς ἀπολογίας τὸ λογοθέσιον. Πάροικος γὰρ εἶ, ὀλιγοχρονίου χρήσεως καὶ παροδικῆς λαβὼν συγχώρησιν. Εἰ δὲ ἀμφιβάλλεις ἐπὶ τοῖς γνωρίμοις, κατάμαθε τὰ γινόμενα καὶ τῇ ἀψευδεῖ διδασκάλῳ, τῇ πείρᾳ, παιδεύθητι. Κέκτησαι χωρίον, ἢ παρὰ πατέρων λαβὼν ἢ ἀπό τινος συναλλάγματος κύριος γεγονώς. Ἀναλόγισαι οὖν τῇ μνήμῃ καὶ ἀπαρίθμησαι πάντας, εἰ δύνασαι, τοὺς πρὸ σοῦ κατεσχηκότας αὐτό·","english":"of life; and the one who is glorious today is tomorrow pitiable, worthy of compassion and help; the one now wealthy and abounding in the materials of wealth is shortly afterward poor, not even having bread at home to set before himself for life. And in this especially our God surpasses mortal beings, in that he is always the same and remains in the same state and possesses life and glory and power as something that cannot be taken away. From where, then, did I come to this beginning of my discourse, or is it perhaps already familiar to those who have understanding and love learning? Luke, having fashioned a parable for us, has just been read, in which he depicts the steward of another's property being pressed and distressed, because he heard from the master of the money and the possessions, as from one who strikes and spends lavishly: Give the account of your stewardship and step down; for I will not endure that you revel in my goods as though they were your own. And this is not the explanation of something that happened, but the fashioning of a parable, educating those who are overshadowed by the words toward moral virtue. Know, then, each one, that you are a steward of another's property, and having cast away from your soul the pride of authority, take up the lowliness and reverence of one who is accountable and a steward, always awaiting your master and with fear writing up the account of your defense. For you are a sojourner, having received pardon for a brief and passing use. But if you doubt concerning things that are known, learn from what happens and be instructed by experience, the truthful teacher. You possess a field, either having received it from your fathers or having become its owner through some transaction. Reckon it up, then, in your memory and count, if you can, all those before you who have held it.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":17,"ref":"p17","source":"ἐπίβαλλε δὲ καὶ τῷ μέλλοντι χρόνῳ τὸν νοῦν καὶ πόσοι αὐτοῦ κυριεύσουσι μετὰ σὲ κατανόησον. Φράσον δέ μοι τίνος ἡ δεσποτεία καὶ τίσι κατ' ἐξαίρετον διαφέρουσα, τοῖς ἐσχηκόσι, τοῖς ἔχουσιν ἢ τοῖς μέλλουσιν; Εἰ γάρ τις ἐκ μηχανῆς πάντας ἀθροίσειεν, εὑρεθήσονται πλείους τῶν βώλων οἱ κεκτημένοι. Μᾶλλον δέ, εἴπερ ἀκριβῶς βούλει κατιδεῖν τίνι παρόμοιος ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, μνημόνευσον εἴποτε ὥρᾳ θέρους ὁδοιπορῶν ἐθεάσω δένδρον ἀμφιλαφές, ἐπὶ πολὺ τοῦ πλάτους καὶ τοῦ μήκους διῆκον, ἱκανὸν τῇ σκιᾷ οἰκίας πληρῶσαι χρείαν. Τούτῳ τερφθεὶς ὑπῆλθες καί, ἐφ' ὅσον ἐξῆν, ἐκεῖσε κατέμεινες. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔδει πάλιν ἀπᾶραι καὶ σοῦ βουλευομένου τὴν ἄφιξιν, ἕτερος ὁδοιπόρος ἐπέστη. Καὶ σὺ μὲν ἐφόρτους τὴν ἀποσκεύην, ὁ δὲ τὴν ἰδίαν καθῄρει καὶ πάντα τὰ σὰ ἀθρόον διεδέξατο, τὴν στιβάδα, τὸ πῦρ, τὴν τοῦ δένδρου σκίαν, τὸ παραρρέον ὕδωρ. Καὶ ὁ μὲν εἴχετο τῆς ἀνακλίσεως, σὺ δὲ τοῦ περιπάτου, Ἐτέρφθη κἀκεῖνος, εἶτα ἀφῆκεν· καὶ τὸ ἓν δένδρον ἐπὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας ἐγένετο τυχὸν δέκα ξένων ὀλιγοχρόνιον καταγώγιον· καὶ τὸ πάντων γενόμενον ἑνὸς ἦν τοῦ ὄντως κυρίου. Οὑτωσὶ δὲ καὶ αἱ περιουσίαι τῆς ἐνταῦθα διαγωγῆς τέρπουσι μὲν πολλοὺς καὶ τρέφουσι, τῆς δεσποτείας μόνῳ τῷ Θεῷ προσηκούσης τῷ ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀνώλεθρον ἔχοντι τὴν ζωήν. Ἐθεάσω καὶ πανδοχεῖον, ἐφ' οὗ πάντως ὁδεύων κατέλυσας· ἔλαβες δὲ ἐκεῖθεν πολλὰ βαστάζων μηδέν, κλίνην, τράπεζαν, ἐκπώματα, πίνακα, ἄλλα σκεύη παντοδαπά.","english":"Apply your mind also to the time to come, and consider how many will be masters of it after you. Tell me, whose is the ownership, and to which class does it belong in a preeminent way—to those who have had it, to those who have it now, or to those who will have it? For if someone were to gather all people together by a device, those who have possessed it will be found more numerous than the clods of earth. Rather, if you wish to see precisely what our life resembles, remember whether at some time in the summer season, while traveling on the road, you saw a spreading tree, extending far in breadth and length, sufficient in its shade to fulfill the need of a house. Delighted with it, you went under it, and as long as it was possible, you remained there. But when it was necessary to set out again, and while you were deliberating about your departure, another traveler arrived. And you were loading up your baggage, while he was setting down his own and at once took over all your things—the bed, the fire, the shade of the tree, the water flowing nearby. And he took hold of the reclining place, while you took to walking. He too was refreshed, and then he left it; and the one tree in a single day became, perhaps, a brief lodging for ten strangers; and what had become everyone's belonged to the one who was truly its owner. In this way also the possessions of this present life delight many and nourish them, while ownership belongs to God alone, who has a life imperishable and indestructible. You have seen also an inn, at which you certainly stopped while traveling; and you received from there many things while carrying nothing—a bed, a table, cups, a platter, and other vessels of every kind.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":18,"ref":"p18","source":"Οὐδέπω δέ που πρὸς αὐτάρκειαν χρησαμένου ἧκεν ἄλλος πνευστιῶν, κεκονιμένος, κατεπείγων σε καὶ ἐξείργων τοῦ πανδοχείου καὶ ζητῶν τὰ ἀλλότρια ὡς ἐξαίρετα. Τοιοῦτος ἡμῶν ὁ βίος, ἀδελφοί, καὶ εἴ τι τῶν λεχθέντων παροδικώ τερον. Ἐγὼ δὲ θαυμάζω τοὺς λέγοντας· τὸ χωρίον μου· καί, ἡ οἰκία μου· ὅπως ματαίῳ συλλαβῇ ἐξοικειοῦνται τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα καὶ τρισὶ στοιχείοις ἀπατηλοῖς ἐναγκαλίζονται τὰ ἀλλότρια. Ὡς γὰρ τὰ τῶν θαυματοποιῶν προσωπεῖα ἔχει μὲν οὐδεὶς κατ' ἐξαίρετον, πάντες δὲ ἐπίθενται οἱ τῶν δραμάτων ὑποκριταί, οὕτως τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰς ἀπ' ἐκείνης ὕλας ἄλλοι ἐξ ἄλλων ὡς ἱμάτια μετενδύονται. Μή τι βασιλείας, εἰπέ μοι, δυνατώτερον; ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐρεύνησον τὰ βασίλεια· ζήτησον χλανίδας βασιλικάς· εὑρήσεις δὲ ταύτας ἱκανάς, αἳ πολλῶν βασιλέων ἐνέδυσαν σώματα. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους καὶ\n\nτὰς πόρπας καὶ τὰς ζώνας, πάντα κληρονομίαν ἄστατον, χρῆσιν κοινὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδευόντων εἰς τοὺς μένοντας ἀποβαίνουσαν. Τί δὲ τῆς τῶν ὑπάρχων ἀξίας ἡ σκηνή, τὸ ἀργυροῦν ὄχημα, ἡ καλαμὶς ἡ χρυσῆ; οὐκ ἀεὶ ταῦτα ἔχει τὸν ὕπαρχον καὶ οὐδέποτε τὸν αὐτόν, εἰ μὴ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἕκαστον; Ὡς γὰρ ἡ κλίνη τῆς ἐκφορᾶς ἄλλοτε ἄλλα δέχεται σώματα, οὕτως καὶ τῶν ἀρχῶν τὰ σύμβολα τοὺς χρωμένους ἀμείβει. Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἡμῖν ἐβόα πλείστας φωνὰς ταύτης τῆς διανοίας παιδευτικάς· Παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· καὶ τό, Ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες καὶ πάντα κατέχοντες· καὶ τό, Οἱ χρώμενοι ὡς μὴ παραχρώμενοι. Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα πρὸς ἕνα τείνει σκοπόν, ὅτι προσῆκεν ὡς ἐφημέρους ἡμᾶς διαζῆν ἀναμένοντας τῆς ἐξόδου τὸ σύνθημα.","english":"Before he has yet come to use it to sufficiency, another arrives, panting, covered in dust, pressing upon you and driving you out of the inn and seeking others' goods as though they were his own. Such is our life, brothers, and if any of what has been said is rather commonplace. But I marvel at those who say, \"My property,\" and, \"My house,\" how by a vain grasp they appropriate to themselves things that do not belong to them, and with three deceptive elements embrace what is another's. For just as no one has the masks of the wonder-workers as his own possession, but all the actors of the dramas put them on, so the earth and the materials from it are passed from one to another like garments. Is anything, tell me, more powerful than a kingdom? But nevertheless search the palaces; seek the royal robes; you will find that these are sufficient, which have clothed the bodies of many kings. Likewise also the crowns and the brooches and the belts—all an unstable inheritance, a common use passing from those who are on the way to those who remain. And what of the tent of the rank of the prefects, the silver carriage, the golden reed? Do these not always have the prefect and never the same one, except for a little while each? For just as the bier receives different bodies at different times, so also the symbols of offices exchange those who use them. Hence also the apostle cried out to us with very many voices instructive of this thought: For the fashion of this world passes away; and, As having nothing and possessing all things; and, Those who use as not misusing. For all these things tend to one goal, that we ought to live as those whose life is for a day, awaiting the signal of our departure.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":19,"ref":"p19","source":"Καὶ ἵνα καταμάθῃς ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι νόμοις ὑπόκεισαι καὶ κανόσι δεσποτικοῖς, καθ' οὕς σε προσῆκεν ζῆν ἀκριβῶς, ἀπὸ σαυτοῦ πρῶτον κατανόησον, ὅτι καὶ τὸ σῶμα σου καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ πανταχόθεν τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑπόκειται παραγγέλμασι καὶ οὐδὲ σαυτοῦ κύριος εἶ· ἀλλὰ προσῆκεν σε οἰκονομεῖν καὶ λόγον καὶ πρᾶξιν καὶ πᾶν τῆς ζωῆς σου κίνημα. Ἔλαβες σῶμα παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος, ἐκ πολλῶν μορίων συγκείμενον καὶ πέντε αἰσθήσεσιν εἰς τὰς τῆς ζωῆς χρείας οἰκονούμενον. Εἰσὶ δὲ οὐδὲ αὗται ἐλεύθεροι καὶ αὐτόνομοι, ἀλλ' ἑκάστη δούλη νόμων ἐστίν. Καὶ πρῶτος ἀκούει ὀφθαλμός· βλέπε φύσιν καὶ θεώρει ἃ βλέπειν καλόν· ἥλιον, πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην φωτίζοντα· σελήνην, τὸ σκυθρωπὸν καὶ ζοφῶδες τῆς νυκτὸς καταυγάζουσαν· τοὺς ἄλλους ἀστέρας, οὐ πολὺ μέν, οὐδὲ αὔταρκες ἡμῖν τὸ παρ' ἑαυτῶν φῶς χορηγοῦντας, πλὴν τὸ κάλλος ὃ ἔλαχον ἀποστίλβοντας. Θεώρει γῆν, φυτοῖς παντοδαπέσι καὶ βοτάνοις κομῶσαν· θάλασσαν ἡπλωμένην ὡς πεδίον ὁμαλές, ὅταν εἰς καθαρὰν γαλήνην παγῇ. Εἰς ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κατακέχρησο τῷ ὁρᾶν· τὰς δὲ ἄλλας θέας, ὅσαι διὰ τῆς ὄψεως τὴν βλάβην ἐπεισάγουσι τῇ ψυχῇ, φεῦγε καὶ παράτρεχε καὶ ἐπιτίθει σαυτῷ κάλυμμα, ἵνα μὴ βλέπῃς. Βέλτιον γὰρ σκοτίσαι τὴν αἴσθησιν, ὅταν τῶν ἔργων τοῦ σκότους τὴν αἰτίαν παρέχῃ. Διὰ τοῦτο χθὲς ἔλεγεν ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος διὰ Ματθαίου· Πᾶς ὁ βλέπων γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ· καὶ βέλτιον ἐκκόπτειν αὐτόν, ὅταν ἄτακτα βλέπῃ καὶ ἐπιζήμια. Ἔχει καὶ ἡ ἀκοὴ παραγγέλματα κωλυτικὰ κακῆς ἀκροάσεως.","english":"And so that you may learn precisely that you are subject to laws and to master's rules, according to which you ought to live exactly, understand this first from yourself: that both your body and your soul are in every respect subject to the commandments of virtue, and you are not even master of yourself; but you ought to govern both word and deed and every motion of your life. You received a body from the Creator, composed of many parts and administered by five senses for the needs of life. And not even these are free and autonomous, but each one is a slave of laws. And the eye is the first to hear: observe nature and contemplate what is good to see—the sun, illuminating the whole inhabited world; the moon, lighting up the gloomy and dark night; the other stars, furnishing us light from themselves, not much indeed nor sufficient, yet gleaming with the beauty they have received. Contemplate the earth, adorned with plants of every kind and herbs; the sea spread out like a smooth plain, when it is fixed into clear calm. For these and such things make use of sight; but the other spectacles, as many as through the eyes bring harm upon the soul, flee and run past and put a covering upon yourself, so that you may not see. For it is better to darken the sense, when it provides the cause of the works of darkness. For this reason yesterday the Lord said to us through Matthew: Everyone who looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart; and it is better to cut it out, when it looks at disorderly and harmful things. Hearing also has commandments that hinder evil listening.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":20,"ref":"p20","source":"Χρὴ γὰρ αὐτήν, ὅταν μὲν ἀγαθῶν τινων ἀκούῃ, ἀναπεπταμένην εἶναι καὶ δι' ἑαυτῆς τῇ ψυχῇ παραπέμπειν τῶν συμφερόντων λόγων τὴν αἴσθησιν. Εἰ δέ τις κακίας ἑταῖρος καὶ λοιμὸς καὶ φθόρος πλησιάσας αὐτῇ ἐπαντλεῖν μέλλει τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸν βόρβορον, δεῖ φεύγειν αὐτὸν ὡς ἰοβόλον θηρίον. Σωφρονείτω καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα μετὰ τοῦ στόματος· λαλείτω τὰ δίκαια· τῶν δὲ ἀπηγορευμένων ἀπεχέσθω, λοιδοριῶν, συκοφαντιῶν, κατηγορίας ἀδίκου, καταλαλιᾶς τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, βλασφημίας τῆς πρὸς Θεόν· φθεγγέσθω δὲ ὅσα εὔφημα, ὅσα εὐσεβῆ, ὅσα πράξεων ἀγαθῶν ἔχει τὴν συμβουλήν· καὶ λεγέτω πᾶς ἄνθρωπος τὰ τοῦ ἱεροψάλτου· Εἶπα· Φυλάξω τὰς ὁδούς μου, τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν με ἐν γλώσσῃ μου· καὶ τό, Ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν· καὶ τό, Τί ἐγκαυχᾷ ἐν κακίᾳ, ὁ δυνατὸς ἀνομίαν; Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀδικίαν ἐλογίσατο ἡ γλῶσσα σου· ὡσεὶ ξυρὸν ἠκονημένον ἐποίησας δόλον. Γευέσθω τῶν ὠφελούντων τὸ στόμα. Σωφρω νείτω καὶ ἡ ῥὶς μὴ τρυφὴν ἀεὶ ὀσφραινομένη, μήδε μύρων πολυτελῶν ἀτμοὺς εὐωδίας ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀνέλκουσα. Τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας σφοδρῶς ἐστιν κατήγορος. Μεμνήσθω καὶ ἡ χεὶρ τῶν ἐντολῶν, ἵνα μὴ πάντων ἀκωλύτως ἅπτηται. Ἐκτεινέσθω πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ πρὸς ἁρπαγήν· τηρείτω τὰ ἴδια, μὴ συναγέτω τὰ ἀλλότρια· ἁπτέσθω σωμάτων νωθρῶν καὶ κεκακωμένων δι' ἀγαθῆς ἐπισκέψεως, μὴ τῶν σφριγώντων καὶ ταῖς πορνείαις ἐσχολακότων. Ἔδειξεν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτῶν οὐ δεσπόται ἐσμέν, ἀλλ' οἰκονόμοι. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ νόμοις ὑποκείμενον καὶ προστάγμασιν δοῦλον τοῦ νομοθέτου ἐστὶν καὶ ὑπήκοον. Εἰ","english":"For it is necessary that the ear, whenever it hears certain good things, be open and through itself transmit to the soul the perception of profitable words. But if some companion of vice and a plague and a destroyer, approaching it, is about to pour in the mire of sin, one must flee from him as from a venomous beast. Let the tongue also be sober along with the mouth; let it speak just things; and let it abstain from forbidden things—from revilings, slanders, unjust accusation, evil-speaking against brothers, blasphemy against God; and let it utter whatever is of good omen, whatever is pious, whatever contains counsel toward good deeds; and let every man say the words of the sacred psalmist: I said, I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; and, With their tongues they dealt deceitfully; and, Why do you boast in evil, O mighty one in iniquity? All the day long your tongue devised injustice; like a sharpened razor you wrought deceit. Let the mouth taste of profitable things. Let the nose also be sober, not always smelling luxury, nor drawing up to the head the fragrant vapors of costly perfumes. For Isaiah is a vehement accuser of such things. Let the hand also remember the commandments, so that it does not touch all things without restraint. Let it be stretched out for almsgiving, not for plunder; let it keep its own things, not gather the things of others; let it touch sluggish and afflicted bodies through good visitation, not those that are sleek and given over to fornications. The word has shown us that we ourselves are not masters of ourselves, but stewards. For everything subject to laws and ordinances is a slave and obedient to the lawgiver. If","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":21,"ref":"p21","source":"δὲ τὰ μόρια τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐλεύθερα ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλὰ δεσποτικῷ βουλήματι πρὸς τὰς ἐνεργείας κανονιζόμενα, τί ἂν εἴποι τις πρὸς τοὺς οἰομένους χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ γῆς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνεύθυνον ἔχειν τὴν κτῆσιν; Οὐδὲν σόν, ἄνθρωπε. Σὺ δοῦλος καὶ τὰ σὰ τοῦ Κυρίου. Δοῦλος γὰρ ἐλεύθερον πεκούλιον οὐκ ἔχει. Γυμνὸς γὰρ ἤχθης εἰς τοῦτο τὸ φῶς· ἔλαβες ἃ ἔχεις κατὰ νόμον τοῦ Κυρίου σου· ἢ κληρονομήσας πατέρα, ἐπειδὴ οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς διετάξατοΓονεῖς γὰρ τέκνοις, φησί, μεριοῦσι σκύλα, ἢ ἀπὸ γάμου τὴν εὐπορίαν κτησάμενοςγάμος δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ παρὰ Θεοῦ διατέτακται, ἢ ἀπὸ ἐμπορίας καὶ γεωργίας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προφάσεων Θεοῦ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα συμπράξαντος. Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν, ἐδείχθη ὅτι ἔλαβες τὰ μὴ σά. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν λοιπὸν τί σοι ἐπετάχθη καὶ οἵα ἐπ' ἐκείνοις διοίκησις. Δὸς τῷ πεινῶντι, ἔνδυσον τὸν γυμνόν, θεράπευσον τὸν κεκακωμένον, μὴ περιίδῃς τὸν ἄπορον, τὸν ἐρριμμένον ἐν ταῖς τριόδοις. Σὺ περὶ σαυτοῦ μὴ μεριμνήσῃς, μηδὲ φροντίσῃς πῶς διάξεις ἐπὶ τῆς ὑστεραίας. Κἂν ταῦτα, φησίν, ἐργάσῃ, τιμηθήσῃ παρὰ τοῦ νομοθέτου· ἂν δὲ παρακούσῃς τῆς ἐντολῆς, κολασθήσῃ πικρῶς. Ταῦτα ἐγὼ οὐ βλέπω τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου οὐδὲ τοῦ ζῶντος μετ' αὐθεντείας, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον, τὰ πολλὰ καὶ συνεχῆ προστάγματα ὑποδείκνυσί μοι ἄνθρωπον βασιλευόμενον ἰσχυρῶς καὶ νόμοις δεσποτικοῖς ὑπεύθυνον καὶ τὴν κεκανονισμένην πολιτείαν ἀπαιτούμενον ὡς χρέος.","english":"But if the parts of our body are not free to exercise authority, but are regulated for their activities by a master's will, what could one say to those who think they possess gold and silver and land and other things without accountability? Nothing is yours, O man. You are a slave, and what is yours belongs to the Lord. For a slave does not have a free peculium. For you were brought naked into this light; you received what you have according to the law of your Lord—either having inherited from a father, since God so ordained—\"For parents,\" it says, \"shall divide the spoils for their children\"—or having acquired wealth from marriage, and marriage and what pertains to it has been ordained by God, or from trade and farming and other pretexts, with God cooperating toward those ends. Behold, then, it has been shown that you received what is not yours. Let us see, then, for the rest, what has been commanded you and what sort of stewardship is required in those matters. Give to the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the afflicted, do not overlook the poor man, the one cast out at the crossroads. Do not be anxious about yourself, nor worry how you will live on the morrow. And if, it says, you do these things, you will be honored by the lawgiver; but if you disobey the commandment, you will be punished bitterly. These things I do not see as belonging to free will or to one living with authority, but on the contrary, the many and continuous commandments show me a man strongly ruled and subject to masterly laws and required to render the regulated conduct of life as a debt.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":22,"ref":"p22","source":"Ἡμεῖς δὲ πῶς ὡς ἀλογίστευτον ἔχοντες τὸν βίον τοὺς μὲν ἀθλίους καὶ πενομένους περιορῶμεν ἐντελευτῶντας ταῖς συμφοραῖς, δαπανώμεθα δὲ φιλοτίμως ταῖς ματαιότησιν, κολάκων πλῆθος ἀσώτων τρέφοντες καὶ φρατρίας κακοδαιμόνων παρασίτων ἐπισυρόμενοι· καὶ αὖθις θηριομάχοις καὶ θηρίοις σκορπίζοντες τὸν πλοῦτον κἀν ταῖς ἱπποτροφίαις οὐδενὸς τῶν ὄντων φειδόμενοι καὶ πάλιν θαυματοποιοῖς καὶ μίμοις καὶ τοῖς ἑξῆς ὀλεθρίοις δαπανῶντες τὴν εὐπορίαν! Καὶ πρᾶγμα πάσχομεν κενὸν καὶ μανίας ἐγγύς. Ἔνθα μὲν γὰρ ἡ δαπάνη φέρει τὸ κέρδος ἀνάριθμον καὶ σωτηρίαν ἀθάνατον, συνέχομεν σφοδρῶς τὸ ἀργύριον, ὡς μηδὲ ὀλίγους ὀβολοὺς τῆς χειρὸς ἐκπεσεῖν· ὅπου δὲ ἁμαρτωλῶν γίνεται τὸ ἀνάλωμα καὶ μυρίων κολάσεων αἴτιον καὶ αὐτῆς γε τῆς διὰ πυρὸς τιμωρίας, αὐτοκέλευστοι ῥέομεν. Καὶ ἡ φιλοτιμία προλαμβάνει τὴν αἴτησιν· καὶ πάσας θύρας ἀνοίξαντες ἀφίεμεν τὸν πλοῦτον πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω χωρεῖν. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ φρόνημα οὐκ ἔστι δούλων ἀναμενόντων τὸν κύριον, ἀλλὰ νέων ἀσώτων, κωμαστῶν, ἀκολάστων. Εἰ δὲ θέλεις, ὁ ἀκροατής, ἰδεῖν οἰκονόμου φόβον μετὰ τῆς σώφρονος εὐλαβείας διοικοῦντος τὰ πιστευθέντα, ἀνάπτυξον τὴν βίβλον τοῦ Δαβίδ· ζήτησον ἐκείνους τοὺς λόγους ἔνθα φησὶν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁ ἀνὴρ πολυπραγμονῶν τοῦ ἰδίου τέλους τὴν προθεσμίαν· Γνώρισόν μοι, Κύριε, τὸ πέρας μου καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμέρων μου τίς ἐστιν, ἵνα γνῶ τί ὑστερῶ ἐγώ.","english":"But how is it that we, who have a life that cannot be reckoned, overlook the wretched and the poor perishing in their misfortunes, while we spend lavishly on vanities, feeding a multitude of prodigal flatterers and dragging along bands of miserable parasites; and again scattering our wealth on beast-fighters and wild beasts, and in horse-breeding sparing nothing of what we have, and once more lavishing our substance on wonder-workers and mimes and the rest of the destructive sort! And we suffer a vain thing and near to madness. For where the expense brings countless gain and immortal salvation, we hold our silver tightly, so that not even a few obols fall from our hand; but where the spending belongs to sinners and is the cause of ten thousand punishments and of the very punishment through fire, we run of our own accord. And our lavishness anticipates the request; and having opened all the doors, we let our wealth go forth to those outside. But this disposition is not that of slaves awaiting their master, but of prodigal youths, revellers, and the dissolute. But if you wish, O hearer, to see the fear of a steward administering what has been entrusted with prudent reverence, unroll the book of David; seek those words where the man who busies himself with the appointed limit of his own end says to God: Make known to me, Lord, my end and the number of my days, what it is, that I may know what I lack.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":23,"ref":"p23","source":"Ὁρᾷς ὅπως ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι θεωρεῖται τῷ λόγῳ ἡ τοῦ εὐξαμένου διάθεσις, ὅτι περιδεής ἐστι καὶ προορᾷ τὸ μέλλον καὶ ἀναμένει τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὴν προθεσμίαν περιεργάζεται, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἀπαράσκευον αὐτὸν καταλάβῃ τῆς ἐξόδου τὸ σύνθημα· καὶ ζητεῖ λογισάμενος κατιδεῖν τί τὸ τῆς παροικίας ὑστέρημα, ἵνα σπεύσας ἀναπληρώσῃ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὸν ἐξάγοντα. Ἀληθῶς γάρ ἐστιν εἰκὼν οἰκονόμου ἡ ἑκάστου ἡμῶν τελευτή, ἂν τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ἀλλήλοις ἀντεξετάσωμεν, τί μὲν πάσχει ὁ ἀποθνήσκων, τί δὲ ὑπομένει ὁ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐκβαλλόμενος. Ὁμοίως γὰρ καὶ ὁ τελευτῶν ἄλλοις μεταπαραδίδωσι τὴν διοίκησιν, ὡς ὁ οἰκονόμος τὰς κλεῖδας· ἐκεῖνος ἐκβάλλεται ἀγροῦ, οὗτος τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς ὡς ἑνὸς χωρίου. Περιπαθῶν ἀναχωρεῖ ὁ οἰκόνομος τῶν ἰδίων πόνων οἷον ἀμπέλων, κήπων, οἰκιῶν· τί οὖν δοκεῖ σοι καὶ ὁ τελευτῶν πάσχειν; Οὐκ ὀδύρεται τὰ κτήματα; οὐκ ἐλεεινὸν περιβλέπει τὴν οὐσίαν, μετὰ τοσαύτην προσπάθειαν ἀπροαιρέτως αὐτῆς ἀποσπώμενος, πόρρω θησαυρῶν, ταμιείων; καὶ ὅταν ἀφίκηται πρὸς τὸν κληρωθέντα τόπον ἀκούων· Ἀπόδος τὸν","english":"You see how, as in a picture, the disposition of the man who prayed is contemplated by the discourse—that he is thoroughly fearful and foresees the future and awaits the judgment and busies himself with the appointed time, so that the signal of his departure may not overtake him unprepared; and he seeks, having reasoned it out, to discern what is the deficiency of his sojourning, so that he may hasten to fill it up before the one who leads him out comes. For truly the death of each one of us is an image of a steward, if we compare the particulars of each with one another—what the dying man suffers, and what the one cast out of his stewardship endures. For in like manner the one who dies hands over the administration to others, as the steward hands over the keys; that one is cast out of a field, this one out of the whole world as though it were a single plot. The steward withdraws with emotion from his own labors—vineyards, gardens, houses, as it were; what then do you think the dying man also suffers? Does he not bewail his possessions? Does he not piteously look around upon his substance, being torn from it against his will after so great an attachment, far from his treasures and storehouses? And when he arrives at the place allotted to him, hearing, \"Render the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":24,"ref":"p24","source":"λόγον τῆς οἰκονομίας σου, δεῖξον ὅπως ἤκουσας τῶν ἐντολῶν, ὅπως διετέθης πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοδούλους, ἢ χρηστῶς καὶ φιλανθρώπως ἢ τοὐναντίον ἐπαχθῶς καὶ τυραννικῶς, παίων, κονδυλίζων, ἀποστερῶν τὸ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης σιτηρέσιον. Κἂν μὲν δυνηθῇ ἵλεω καταστῆσαι τὸν δεσπότην ἀγαθὸν δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν ἀποδείξας, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι· εἰ δὲ τοὐναντίον, οὐκ ἔτι μάστιγες ἐκεῖ διὰ ῥάβδων, οὐδὲ μύλων σκοτεινὸς καὶ πέδαι σιδηραῖ, ἀλλὰ πῦρ ἄσβεστον καὶ σκότος αἰώνιον οὔποτε φωτὶ καταυγαζόμενον, καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων, ὃν σαφῶς ἡμῖν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον προεδήλωσεν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐδέποτε τῶν ἐνταῦθα ὡς ἀλλοτρίων ἐκβάλλει, κατατρύφησον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ κατὰ πάσης αἰσθήσεως ἀκώλυτον ἄφες τὴν ἡδονήν. Εἰ δὲ συντελεσθήσεται ταῦτα κἂν οὐκ ἐπὶ μακρὸν αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν, φοβηθῶμεν, ἀδελφοί, τὴν ἐνθένδε μετάστασιν καὶ ζήσωμεν ἐν τῷ καίρῳ τῆς παροικίας ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἐνετείλατο· μὴ ἀπαχθῶμεν δεσμῶται μετὰ χρεῶν, ἀλλ' ὁδεύσωμεν ἐλεύθεροι καὶ εὐπαρρησίαστον τὸ συνειδὸς ἐπαγόμενοι, ἀκατάγνωστα φέροντες τὰ τῆς τοῦ βίου πολιτείας βιβλία. Κακὸς ἦν οἰκονόμος τῆς ἐνθάδε ζωῆς ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος, οὗ ἡ χώρα ηὐφόρησεν, ἐπειδὴ τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ τῶν καρπῶν οὐδὲν ὁ ἄνθρωπος χρηστὸν ἐβουλεύσατο, ἀλλ' ἀνοίξας γαστρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ τοὺς πλατεῖς καὶ ἀχωρήτους τῆς πλεονεξίας κόλπους πάντα ἀπεκλήρου τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπολαύσει λέγων· Καθελῶ μου τὰς ἀποθήκας καὶ μείζονας οἰκοδομήσω καὶ ἐρῶ τῇ ψυχῇ μου· Ἔχεις πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ κείμενα, ἀναπαύου, φάγε, πίε, εὐφραίνου· καὶ μεταξὺ λαλοῦντος ὁ ἀπάγων ἐπέστη. Ἦλθε φοβερὸς σύνδουλος ἀνάσπαστον ἐκ τῆς οἰκονο μίας ἀπάξων·","english":"the account of your stewardship, show how you listened to the commandments, how you conducted yourself toward your fellow servants, whether kindly and humanely or the opposite—harshly and tyrannically—striking, pummeling, defrauding them of the allowance of almsgiving. And if he is able to propitiate the master by showing himself a good servant, well and good; but if the opposite, there are no longer there scourges by rods, nor the dark mill and iron fetters, but unquenchable fire and eternal darkness never illumined by light, and the gnashing of teeth, which the Gospel clearly foretold to us. If, then, he never casts out the things here as alien, revel in the world and let pleasure flow unhindered through every sense. But if these things shall be accomplished, even though we enjoy them not for long, let us fear, brothers, the departure from here and live in the time of our sojourning as the Lord commanded; let us not be led away as prisoners with debts, but let us journey free and bringing with us a conscience full of boldness, bearing the books of our conduct of life free from condemnation. That rich man was a bad steward of the life here, whose land bore well, since in the abundance of his fruits the man devised nothing good, but opening the desire of his belly and the broad and capacious bosoms of greed, he allotted everything to his own enjoyment, saying: I will pull down my barns and build greater ones, and I will say to my soul: You have many good things laid up; rest, eat, drink, be merry; and while he was yet speaking, the one who leads away stood by. There came a fearful fellow servant to lead him away by force from his stewardship.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":25,"ref":"p25","source":"καὶ τί τὸ ὄφελος τῆς φιληδόνου βουλῆς; Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐμψύχως ἐγράφη εἰς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν· Ἡ δὲ πεῖρα τοῦ βίου ποταπή; Οὐ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ταῦτα διὰ τῶν ἔργων βοᾷ, δείκνυσα ἡμῖν τὸν ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὑγιαίνοντα πρὸ τῆς ἐπιτολῆς τοῦ ἑσπέρου νεκρόν· καὶ τὸν ἐρρωμένον ἐν τῇ ἑσπέρᾳ τὴν ἀκτῖνα τὴν ἐωθινὴν οὐ καταλαμβάνοντα· καὶ ἄλλον μεταξὺ τοῦ ἐσθίειν τοῦ ζῆν ἀπολήγοντα; Τίς δὲ οὕτως ἠλίθιος, ὡς μὴ συνορᾶν ὅπως καθ' ἡμέραν ἄλλος ἄλλοτε τῆς ἐνθάδε οἰκονομίας ἀποκινούμεθα; Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς καὶ πιστὸς οἰκέτης καὶ πεποιθὼς τῇ ἑαυτοῦ διοικήσει οὕτως ἔχει γνώμης ὡς εἶχε Παῦλος. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ τοῦ Κυρίου μὴ κατεπείγοντος ἔσπευδε πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν ἀνάλυσιν ἐπόθει καὶ παρῃτεῖτο ἑκὼν τὴν οἰκονομίαν, πῇ μὲν λέγων· Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος, τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου, καὶ πάλιν· Ἐμοὶ δὲ καλὸν ἀνα λῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι. Ὁ δὲ γήινος τὸ φρόνημα καὶ τῶν βώλων ἀληθῶς συγγενὴς τοιαῦτα ὀδύρεται ἀμηχανῶν ἐπὶ τῇ μεταστάσει, οἷα οὗτος ὁ τῆς παραβολῆς ἄνθρωπος· Τί ποιήσω, ὅτι ὁ κύριος μου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ; Σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω, ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι. Ἀργοῦ καὶ φιληδόνου ἡ λύπη. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναχωρήσει θρηνεῖν ἔλεγχός ἐστιν τοῦ προστετηκέναι τῷ χωρίῳ καὶ τὰς ἐμπαθεῖς τῆς σαρκὸς ἀπολαύσεις ὀδύρεσθαι, τὸ δὲ ἀδυνατεῖν πρὸς ἔργον ἀργοῦ βίου καὶ ἀναπεπτωκότος ἐστὶ κατηγόρημα. Εἰ γὰρ εἶχεν πρὸς φιλοπονίαν συνήθειαν, οὐκ ἂν ἐφοβεῖτο το[ῦ] σκάπτειν.","english":"And what is the benefit of pleasure-loving counsel? These things were written with animation for our admonition. But what is the experience of life? Does it not cry out every day through deeds, showing us the man who is healthy in the middle of the day dead before the rising of evening, and the man who is strong in the evening not reaching the morning ray, and another ceasing to live in the midst of eating? Who is so foolish as not to see how every day, one at one time and another at another, we are removed from the stewardship here below? But the good and faithful servant, who has confidence in his own administration, holds this mind as Paul held it. For though the Lord was not pressing him, he was hastening toward him and longed for his departure and willingly declined the stewardship, saying in one place: Wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death? and again: For me it is good to depart and be with Christ. But the earthly-minded man, truly akin to clods, bewails such things in his helplessness at the removal, like this man of the parable: What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not able to dig; I am ashamed to beg. The grief is that of an idle and pleasure-loving man. For to lament at one's departure is a proof of having clung to the place and of bewailing the passionate pleasures of the flesh, while to be unable for work is the accusation of an idle and slack life. For if he had a habit of industriousness, he would not have feared digging.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":26,"ref":"p26","source":"Εἰ δὲ ἀλληγορικῶς τὴν παραβολὴν ἐπὶ τὸ νοητὸν ἐκλάβοιμεν, μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε μετάστασιν οὔτε τοῦ ἐργάζεσθαι οὔτε τοῦ προσαιτεῖν καιρός. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μηδεὶς λεγέτω· Σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω. Κἂν γὰρ δύνηται, οὐδεὶς συγχωρεῖ. Ὁ βίος οὗτος ἔχει τῶν ἐντολῶν τὴν γεωργίαν, ὁ δὲ μέλλων τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Ὥστε εἰ μηδὲν εἰργάσω ἐνταῦθα, ἀπέμειναν αἱ ἄμπελοι καὶ περιττῶς φροντίζεις περὶ τῆς σκαπάνης· οὔτε δὲ προσαιτῶν ὠφελήσεις τι σαυτόν. Καὶ τούτου σαφὲς ἡμῖν ὑπόδειγμα παραδέδοται τὸ τῶν μωρῶν παρθένων· αἵτινες ἀπορίᾳ καταστᾶσαι τοῦ ἐλαίου ἀναιδῶς ᾔτησαν παρὰ τῶν φρονίμων· ὤνησαν δὲ οὐδέν, ἀλλ' ἀπεστράφησαν ἄπρακτοι· δεικνύντος τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι ἀλλοτρίῳ ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ νυμφίου οὐδεὶς κέχρηται, τουτέστιν ἀλλοτρίῳ\n\nκατορθώ ματι εἰς ἰδίαν ἀπόλαυσιν. Ἕκαστος γὰρ τὴν ἰδίαν πολιτείαν ὡς ἱμάτιον περιβέβληται, εἴτε λαμπρὸν καὶ τίμιον εἴτε φαῦλον καὶ τῆς πτωχικῆς ἐφεστρίδος ὅμοιον. Ἐκδύσασθαι δὲ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἔστιν, οὔτε ὑπαλλάξαι καὶ διαμείψασθαι πρὸς ἕτερον, οὔτε ἐκ δάνους ἢ χρήσεως ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς κρίσεως καλλωπίσασθαι καὶ κοσμηθῆναι. Μένει δὲ ἕκαστος οἷος ἐπὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστίν, εἴτε πένης ἀγαθῶν εἴτε πλούσιος. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον. Τί δ' ἂν εἴποιμεν περὶ τῆς συγχωρήσεως τῶν χρεῶν, ἣν ἐπενόησεν ὁ οἰκονόμος τῆς ἀδικίας παραμυθίαν ἑαυτῷ τῶν κακῶν πρὸς τοὺς ὁμο δούλους πραγματευσάμενος; Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν εὔκολον εἰς ἀλληγορίαν ἀκόλουθον μετασκευάσαι τῷ γεγραμμένῳ. Ὃ δέ μοι πολλὰ σκοπησαμένῳ παρέστη, τοιοῦτον τυγχάνει·","english":"But if we take the parable allegorically in its spiritual sense, after the departure from here there is no time either for working or for begging. And for this reason let no one say, \"I am not able to dig.\" For even if one is able, no one permits it. This present life holds the cultivation of the commandments; the life to come holds the enjoyment. So if you have worked nothing here, the vineyards remain and you are concerned about digging in vain; nor will you benefit yourself at all by begging. And of this a clear example has been handed down to us in the foolish virgins: who, having come into want of oil, shamelessly asked the wise ones; but they gained nothing, but were turned away empty-handed—the word showing that no one uses another's oil at the coming of the bridegroom, that is, another's\n\ngood deed for his own enjoyment. For each one is clothed in his own manner of life as in a garment, whether bright and honorable or base and like the beggar's cloak. And to strip it off is not possible, nor to exchange it and change it for another, nor to adorn and beautify oneself from a loan or a borrowing in the time of judgment. But each one remains such as he is in truth, whether poor in good things or rich. And these things are so far. But what should we say about the forgiveness of debts, which the steward of unrighteousness devised, procuring for himself consolation for his evils from his fellow servants? For it is not easy to transform the written account into a fitting allegory. But what has occurred to me after much consideration is this:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":27,"ref":"p27","source":"Πάντες ἄνθρωποι ὅσοι τὴν μέλλουσαν ἑαυτοῖς ἄνεσιν πραγματευόμεθα ἀλλότρια διδόντες ἢ συγχωροῦντες, οἰκεῖον ποριζόμεθα κέρδος. Ἀλλότρια δὲ λέγω τὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου. Οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἡμέτερον, ἀλλὰ πάντα τῆς ἐκείνου δεσποτείας κτήματα. Ὅτε ἂν οὖν τις αἰσθόμενος τῆς τελευτῆς καὶ τῆς ἐνθένδε μεταστάσεως εὐποιίαις κουφίσῃ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὸ φορτίον, ἢ χρεωσταῖς συγχωρήσας ὀφλήματα ἢ τοῖς πενομένοις χορηγήσας τὴν εὐπορίαν τὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου διδούς, φίλους κτᾶται πολλοὺς τοὺς μέλλοντας αὐτῷ προσμαρτυρεῖν παρὰ τῷ κριτῇ τὴν ἀγαθοσύνην καὶ διὰ τῆς μαρτυρίας εὐτρεπίζειν ἀναψύξεως καταγώγιον. Μαρτυρεῖν δὲ λέγονται οἱ εὖ παθόντες παρὰ τῷ κριτῇ, οὐ φωναῖς ὡς ἀγνοοῦντα διδάσκοντες, ἀλλ' ὡς τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς πράξεως τῆς τιμωρίας τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας ἐξαιρουμένης. Ὃν γὰρ τρόπον τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Ἄβελ ἐλέγετο βοᾶν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἔργον λεχθήσεται μαρτυρεῖν τῷ κατωρθωκότι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"All we human beings, as many of us as procure for ourselves the relief that is to come by giving or forgiving what belongs to others, gain a profit of our own. By \"what belongs to others\" I mean what belongs to the Master. For nothing is ours; all things are possessions of his dominion. Whenever, then, someone, perceiving his end and his departure from here, lightens the burden of his sins by good deeds—either by forgiving debtors their debts or by supplying the poor with abundance, giving what belongs to the Master—he acquires many friends who will testify on his behalf before the Judge to his goodness and, through their testimony, prepare for him a lodging of refreshment. Those who have been well treated are said to testify before the Judge—not by voices, as though instructing one who is ignorant, but because the deed done toward them excludes the guilty from punishment. For in the same way that the blood of Abel was said to cry out to God, so too the good work will be said to testify on behalf of the one who has done rightly in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":28,"ref":"p28","source":"3. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ κατὰ πλεονεξίας Ἄνδρες χριστιανοὶ καὶ κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι ἄνδρες· ὑμεῖς ὁ χωρικὸς δῆμος καὶ πάντες ὅσοι τῶν πόλεων ἐκφοιτήσαντες πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν συμφώνως ἑορτὴν συνεδράμετε γενικῷ γὰρ ὑμᾶς πάντας περιλαμβάνω κηρύγματι ἆρα ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἐνεβάλετο τῇ διανοίᾳ φροντίδα, συνεῖδεν δὲ καὶ κατενόησεν ὑπὲρ τίνος ἠθροίσθημεν; ἀνθ' ὅτου δὲ τιμῶνται μάρτυρες οἴκων περιφανῶν κατασκευαῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐνιαυσίοις τούτοις συλλόγοις, καὶ πρὸς τίνα σκοπὸν βλέποντες οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐνομοθέτησαν τὰ ὁρώμενα καὶ ἰσχυρὸν ἀφῆκαν τὸν νόμον τοῖς μετέπειτα; Ἢ πρόδηλον τῷ καὶ μικρὸν πυκνώσαντι τὴν διάνοιαν, ὡς ζήλῳ ἡμῖν εὐσεβείας ταῦτα διετυπώθη καὶ κοινὰ παιδαγωγεῖα τῶν ψυχῶν αἱ πανηγύρεις συνάγονται, ἵνα μάρτυρας τιμῶντες τὸ τῶν μαρτύρων ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καρτερὸν μιμησώμεθα· ἵνα τοῖς συναγομένοις παιδευταῖς ὑποθέντες τὸ οὖς μάθωμεν τι χρηστόν, ὃ πρὸ βραχέος οὐκ ἐγινώσκομεν, ἢ δόγματος ἀσφάλειαν ἢ λύσιν ἀπορουμένης Γραφῆς ἤ τινα λόγον τὴν τῶν ἠθῶν ἐπανορθοῦντα κατάστασιν; Ὑμεῖς δέ μοι δοκεῖτε τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιμέλειαν ἀφέντες καὶ τῆς περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν σπουδῆς ἐκλαθόμενοι ὅλην ἑαυτῶν μετατεθεικέναι τὴν μέριμναν πρὸς τὸν συρφετὸν τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ καὶ τὴν ἀσχολίαν τῶν πρατηρίων· οἱ μὲν αὐτοὶ συναλλάττοντες, οἱ δὲ κεχηνότες εἰς τὰ ἀλλότρια καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς ὠνίοις φιλονεικοῦντας ἱστοροῦντες, ὅπως τὰ ἀλλήλων ἐπευωνίζουσιν. Ἀλλὰ μετάθετέ μοι τὸν πόθον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· καταλείψατε τὴν φιλαργυρίαν, τὴν ἀγόραιον, τὴν μαινάδα.","english":"3. By the same author, Against Greed. Men who are Christians and men who are partakers of the heavenly calling: you, the rural populace, and all of you who have come out from the cities and gathered together in concord for the present festival—for I embrace you all in a general proclamation—did each of you, then, cast a thought into his mind, and did he see and consider for what purpose we have assembled? And for what reason are martyrs honored with the construction of splendid houses and with these yearly gatherings, and looking to what goal did our fathers legislate what is now seen and leave the law strong for those who came after? Or is it clear even to one who has but slightly sharpened his mind, that these things were ordained for us by zeal for piety, and that these festivals are gathered as common schools of souls—so that, honoring the martyrs, we might imitate the martyrs' endurance for piety; so that, lending our ear to the teachers who assemble, we might learn some good thing which we did not know a short time before, either the security of a doctrine or the solution of a perplexing Scripture, or some word that corrects the condition of our morals? But you, it seems to me, having let go your care for virtue and forgotten your zeal for the soul, have transferred your whole concern to the rabble of mammon and the busyness of the marketplaces—some of you trafficking yourselves, others gaping after what belongs to others and recounting those who quarrel over wares, how they cheapen one another's goods. But transfer your desire, I urge you, to the church; abandon greed, the marketplace, the mad frenzy.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":29,"ref":"p29","source":"Ἀποστράφητε αὐτὴν ὡς ἄκοσμον ἑταιρίδα προσγελῶσαν τῷ πλήθει, ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις ὕλαις καλλωπιζομένην καὶ τοῖς ἄνθεσι τοῦ\n\nφαρμακοπώλου. Ἐράσθητε ταύτης τῆς θείας καὶ σώφρονος ἐσταλμένης κοσμίως, σεμνὸν καὶ ἀμετεώριστον βλεπούσης. Οὕτως γὰρ Σολομὼν ἐν τῇ παροιμιακῇ βίβλῳ φησίν· Μὴ ἐγκαταλείπῃς αὐτὴν καὶ ἀνθέξεται σου. Ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς καὶ τηρήσει σε. Μὴ παρέλθῃς καταφρονήσας μηδὲ τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης ταύτης προκείμενα διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὰ νομίσῃς ἄτιμα, ἐπειδὴ προῖκά σε ἔξεστιν τὴν κτῆσιν περιποιήσασθαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπιθύμησον, ὅτι οὐ καθήμεθα κάπηλοι ζυγὸν ἢ τρυτάνην μεταφέροντες· ἓν δὲ κέρδος ζητοῦμεν, τὴν τοῦ μαθητοῦ σωτηρίαν. Ἀνεγνώσθη ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν Πράξεων Παύλου λόγος πρὸς Φῆστον καὶ Ἀγρίππαν, Παύλου τοῦ πιστοῦ ἀποστόλου καὶ σοφοῦ δημηγόρου. Εἶδες πάντως, ὁ ἀκροατής, εἰ τὸν νοῦν ἐπέστησας, ὅπως καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐ προδίδωσιν ἐκ δειλίας καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀγρίππαν θεραπείαν τῇ παρρησίᾳ κεράσας τὸ τραχὺ κριτήριον ἐκμαλάσσει πρὸς ἀγαθότητα, ὥσπερ θηρία τινὰ κατεπᾴδων ταῖς τοῦ λόγου μεταχειρήσεσιν. Προεφήτευσεν καὶ σήμερον Ζαχαρίας τῶν μεγάλων ἡμῖν μυστηρίων τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ὑπανοίγων τὴν θύραν διὰ τοῦ λίθου τὰς ἑπτὰ βολὰς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν κεκτημένου, διὰ τῆς χρυσῆς λυχνίας, ἐφ' ἧς οἱ ἑπτὰ λύχνοι καὶ τὰ δύο στελέχη τῶν ἐλαιῶν. Πολλαὶ αἱ ἑξῆς Γραφαὶ πλούσιον τὸν θησαυρὸν τῆς ὠφελείας ἔχουσαι, αἷς ἐβουλόμην πάσαις ἐπελθεῖν καὶ δεῖξαι ὑμῖν τὴν τῆς πνευματικῆς πανηγύρεως εὐθηνίαν. Ἐπείγει δέ με πρὸς τὴν ἔκτισιν τοῦ χρέους ἡ τῆς προτεραίας ὑπόσχεσις.","english":"Turn away from her as an unseemly courtesan who smiles on the crowd, adorned with borrowed materials and with the flowers of the drug-seller. Desire instead this divine and modest woman, clothed with propriety, looking with a grave and steady gaze. For thus Solomon says in the book of Proverbs: Do not forsake her, and she will hold fast to you. Desire her, and she will keep you. Do not pass by in contempt, nor for this reason think the things set before us at this table are without honor, because you may obtain possession of them for free; but rather desire them all the more, because we do not sit as hucksters carrying a balance or a scale; we seek one profit, the salvation of the disciple. There was read to us from the Acts the speech of Paul to Festus and Agrippa, of Paul the faithful apostle and wise orator. You surely saw, hearer, if you applied your mind, how he does not betray the truth out of cowardice, and how, tempering his courtesy toward Agrippa with boldness, he softens the harsh judgment toward goodness, as if charming wild beasts by his handling of the word. Zachariah also prophesied today, opening for us the door of the great mysteries of the Only-Begotten through the stone that has the seven eyes, through the golden lampstand on which are the seven lamps and the two branches of the olive trees. Many are the Scriptures that follow, possessing the rich treasure of benefit, which I wished to go through all of them and show you the abundance of the spiritual festival. But the promise of the previous day presses me to the payment of the debt.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":30,"ref":"p30","source":"Ἀρξάμενοι γὰρ πολλαῖς κατηγορίαις τῆς πλεονεξίας καθάπτεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἔφθημεν αὐτῆς γυμνῶσαι τὴν ματαιότητα, εἰς τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμέραν τὸν ἔλεγχον τῆς κατηγορίας ὑπερεθέμεθα. Ἀκούσατε οὖν καὶ γένεσθε εὐγνώμονες τῆς ἀληθείας κριταί ἐπειδὴ μήτε ἄλλοις τισίν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίᾳ δικάζετε, καὶ πάσας τὰς κατακρινούσας ψήφους ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπεύθυνον φέρετε, ἕκαστος τῆς ἰδίας ψυχῆς ὥσπερ οἰκίας ἢ πόλεως αὐτὴν ἀπελάσαντες. Πλεονεξία τοίνυν ἐστὶν οὐ μόνον τῷ ἀργυρίῳ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις κτήμασιν ἐπιμαίνεσθαι καὶ βούλεσθαι τοῖς παροῦσι τὰ μὴ προσόντα συνάπτειν, ἀλλά, γενικώτερον εἰπεῖν, τὸ ἐπὶ παντὸς πράγματος πλέον ἔχειν βούλεσθαι τοῦ ὀφειλομένου καὶ ἐπιβάλλοντος. Καὶ δὴ τοῦτο τὸ πλημμέλημα πρῶτος ἔπαθεν ὁ διάβολος, ἀρχάγγελος μὲν ὢν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς καλλίστης ζωῆς καὶ τάξεως τεταγμένος, τυραννίδα δὲ καὶ ἐπανάστασιν κατὰ τῆς θεότητος ἐννοήσας, ὁ ματαιόφρων· εἶτα καταβληθεὶς καὶ εἰς τὸν περίγειον τοῦτον ἀέρα καταπεσὼν κακὸς γείτων τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς. Οὔτε γοῦν κατέλαβεν ὃ ἐδίωκεν, τὴν θεότητα· καὶ ἀπώλεσεν ὃ ἐκέκτητο, τὸ ἀρχάγγελον· δοῦλος ἄπιστος ταῖς κατὰ μικρὸν τόλμαις εἰς λῃστὴν ἐξελθών· κύων τοῦ παρ' Ἕλλησιν μύθου καὶ τοῦ κρέως στερηθεὶς καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς οὐ δραξάμενος πῶς γάρ; ἀκαταλήπτου πράγματος. Μετὰ τοῦτον ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος εἰς ἡδυπάθειαν δελεασθεὶς ἀπηγορευμένῃ βρώσει τὴν ἀθανασίαν ἀπώλεσεν, ὡς Ἡσαῦ ὕστερον διὰ φακὸν τὰ πρωτοτόκια. Καὶ τὰς διαλέκτους δὲ ταύτας καὶ τὰς πολλὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φωνὰς ἔρως τοῦ πλείονος εἰς τὸν βίον εἰσήγαγεν.","english":"For when we began to attack greed with many accusations, since we did not succeed in stripping bare its vanity, we deferred the exposure of the accusation to the present day. Listen, then, and become fair-minded judges of the truth, since you are judging not for anyone else but for your own salvation, and you bring all the condemning votes against the one who is liable, each of you driving it out of your own soul as though out of a house or a city. Greed, then, is not only to be mad after silver along with other possessions and to wish to join to what is present the things that are not, but, to speak more generally, to wish to have more than what is owed and allotted in every matter. And indeed the devil was the first to suffer this transgression, being an archangel and appointed to the most beautiful life and order, but the foolish-minded one, having conceived tyranny and rebellion against the Godhead—then he was cast down and fell into this air around the earth, a wicked neighbor to our life. At any rate he did not obtain what he pursued, the Godhead, and he lost what he possessed, the rank of archangel—an unfaithful servant who by his gradual acts of daring went out into a robber; a dog from the myth among the Greeks, both deprived of the meat and not grasping the shadow—for how could it?—since the thing is incomprehensible. After him, the first man, lured to pleasure by forbidden food, lost immortality, as Esau later lost the birthright for a mess of pottage. And these languages and the many voices of men—the love of having more brought them into life.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":31,"ref":"p31","source":"Οἱ γὰρ τῇ ἀνθρωπικῇ εὐθηνίᾳ ὑπερμαζήσαντες, βατὸν δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ἔσεσθαι τὸν οὐρανὸν προσδοκήσαντες καὶ πύργον γελοῖον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκείνου ματαιοποιοῦντες ἀνάβασιν, οὗτοι τοὺς ὁμοφώνους ἀνθρώπους ἑτερογλώσσους ἐποίησαν· καὶ τὸ πλέον οὗ εἶχον ζητοῦντες αὐτοί τε συνεχέθησαν καὶ τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατέλιπον κάμνειν ἐν ἀκοαῖς ἀσήμων φωνῶν καὶ ἑρμηνειῶν ζητήσει. Τί δὲ ὁ Φαραώ; Πόθεν ταῖς διαφοραῖς καὶ ποικίλαις περιέπεσε μάστιξιν; οὐ διὰ πλεονεξίαν καὶ τὸ βούλεσθαι κύριος εἶναι ξένου λαοῦ καὶ μηδαμόθεν τῇ ἐκείνου βασιλείᾳ προσήκοντος; Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους οὐκ ἀφιεὶς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀπώλεσεν· τοὺς μὲν ἐν πληγῇ τῶν πρωτοτόκων, τοὺς δὲ ἐν τῇ διώξει τῇ κατὰ θάλασσαν. Ἀφίημι γὰρ ποταμοὺς εἰς αἷμα ῥυέντας καὶ βατράχων ἄπλετον γένεσιν καὶ βρούχου λύμην καὶ φλυκταινῶν ἐξάνθησιν καὶ τῶν τετραπόδων τὸν θάνατον καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κάκωσιν,\n\nἣν Αἴγυπτος κατεδικάσθη διὰ τὴν πλεονεξίαν τοῦ ἄρχοντος. Ἀλλαχοῦ πάλιν τέλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατέμαθον λέπραν ἀθρόον τῷ πλεονέκτῃ περιχεθεῖσαν. Καί μοι συνδιαμνημόνευσον, εἴ τις φιλοΐστωρ καὶ τῶν κατορθωμάτων Ἐλισσαίου φιλήκοος, ὅπως μὲν ὁ Σύρος Νεαιμὰν ἐκαθαρίσθη τῆς λέπρας ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ λουσάμενος, ὅπως δὲ μετῆλθεν τὸ πάθος εἰς Γιεζεῖ τὸ παιδάριον, νεάνισκον πλεονέκτην καὶ ἀφιλόσοφον, πνευματικὸν πωλήσαντα χάρισμα καὶ τὴν ἄμισθον ἰατρείαν τοῦ διδασκάλου. Πόθεν ὁ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ πατραλοίας ἐγένετο, ὁ τοῦ πράου πατρὸς φλεγμαίνων καὶ θρασὺς νεάνισκος; οὐ πρὸ καιροῦ ζητήσας τὴν κληρονομίαν τῆς βασιλείας, ἐπιπηδήσας δὲ ἀλλοτρίοις ὡς ἅρπαξ;","english":"For those who were puffed up beyond measure by human prosperity, and expected that heaven would be accessible to them, and in their vanity were building a ridiculous tower for the ascent to it—these men made humans who spoke the same language speak different tongues; and seeking more than they had, they themselves were confounded and left the human race to toil in hearing meaningless sounds and in the search for interpretations. And what of Pharaoh? From where did he fall into diverse and manifold plagues? Was it not because of greed and because he wished to be lord over a foreign people that in no way belonged to his kingdom? And for this reason, by not releasing those who were not his own, he destroyed his own—some in the plague of the firstborn, others in the pursuit at the sea. For I pass over rivers turned to blood, and the countless generation of frogs, and the ruin of the locust, and the eruption of boils, and the death of the cattle, and all the affliction with which Egypt was condemned because of the greed of its ruler. Elsewhere again I have learned that the end of sin is leprosy suddenly poured over the greedy man. And recall with me, if anyone is a lover of learning and a eager hearer of the mighty deeds of Elisha, how Naaman the Syrian was cleansed of his leprosy by bathing in the Jordan, and how the affliction passed over to Gehazi the servant, a greedy and unphilosophical young man, who sold the spiritual gift and the free healing of his teacher. From where did Absalom become a parricide, the hot-headed and reckless young man of the gentle father? Was it not because he sought the inheritance of the kingdom before the time, and rushed upon what belonged to another as a plunderer?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":32,"ref":"p32","source":"Τὸν Ἰούδα δὲ πάλιν, τί τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν μαθητῶν ἐξέβαλεν, ἐποίησεν δὲ προδότην ἀντ' ἀποστόλου; οὐ τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον πρῶτον ῥᾳδιουργούμενον, εἶτα ἡ κτῆσις τῆς ἀτίμου τιμῆς; Ἀνανίαν καὶ Σάπφειραν διὰ τί τραγῳδοῦσιν τῶν ἀποστόλων αἱ Πράξεις; οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἰδίων ἐγένοντο κλέπται καὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἀναθημάτων ἱερόσυλοι; Ἐπιλείψει με τάχα καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα τοὺς τῆς πλεονεξίας ὑπηρέτας ἀπαριθμούμενον. Ἀφέντες δὲ τὴν παλαιὰν ἱστορίαν τὴν πεῖραν ἐξετάσωμεν τὴν παρακολουθοῦσαν τῷ βίῳ· οἷον οἶδεν θηρίον τὴν πλεονεξίαν καὶ ὧν ἂν λάβηται δυσαπάλλακτον, ἀκμάζον ἀεὶ καὶ οὐ μαραινόμενον, συγγηράσκον δὲ τοῖς ἁλοῦσι καὶ εἰς τέλος συνόν. Ὁ λάγνος καὶ σωμάτων ἐραστής, κἂν ἐπὶ πολὺ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις λυσσήσῃ, ἢ αὐτὸς εἰς πρεσβυτικὴν ἡλικίαν ἐλθὼν ἢ τὸ ποθούμενον ἑωρακὼς παλαιωθὲν καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἀποβαλόν, στάσιν εὑρίσκει τῆς νόσου. Ὁ γαστρίμαργος ἀναχωρεῖ καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς φιληδονίας, ἢ τοῦ κόρου πληρώσαντος ἢ τῶν πεπτικῶν μορίων ἀσθενησάντων καὶ παυσάντων τὴν ἐπιτεταμένην ὄρεξιν. Ὁ φιλοδόξος πολλαῖς ἐγκομπάσας περιφανείαις τοῦ φανητιᾶν ἀπολήγει. Ἡ δὲ τῆς πλεονεξίας νόσος κακόν ἐστιν δυσαπάλλακτον·","english":"What was it, then, that cast Judas out from the roll of the disciples and made him a traitor instead of an apostle? Was it not the money-box first mismanaged, and then the acquisition of dishonorable gain? Why do the Acts of the Apostles make a tragedy of Ananias and Sapphira? Was it not because they became thieves of their own property and sacrilegious robbers of their own dedicated offerings? The day will perhaps fail me before I can enumerate the servants of greed. But leaving aside the old history, let us examine the experience that follows upon life: what a beast greed is known to be, and how hard to escape from whatever it seizes—flourishing always and never withering, growing old together with those it has captured, and staying with them to the end. The lustful man and lover of bodies, even if he rages long with his desires, either by coming himself to the age of old age, or by seeing the object of his longing grown old and having lost its bloom, finds a cessation of the disease. The glutton also withdraws from pleasure-seeking, either when satiety has filled him or when his digestive parts have weakened and put an end to his strained appetite. The lover of glory, having vaunted himself in many distinctions, ceases from making a show. But the disease of greed is an evil hard to escape.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":33,"ref":"p33","source":"καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ κίσσος οὗτος, τὸ εὐθαλὲς φυτὸν καὶ ἀείφυλλον, ἐπὶ τὰ παραπεφυκότα τῶν δένδρων ἀνέρπον ἰσχυρῶς περιελίττεται τοῖς ξύλοις ὧνπερ ἂν δράξηται, καὶ οὔτε πεπονθότων οὔτε ξηρανθέντων ἀναχωρεῖ, εἰ μή τις αὐτοῦ σιδήρῳ καθάπερ δράκοντος διατέμει τοὺς ἑλιγμούς, οὕτως οὐδὲ τοιούτου ψυχὴν ἐλευθερῶσαι ῥᾴδιον, εἴτε νεάζοντος τοῦ σώματος εἴτε καὶ ὑπομαρανθέντος, ἐὰν μή τις νηφάλαιος λογισμὸς ἐπελθὼν ὡς μάχαιρα διακόψῃ τὴν νόσον. Τοῖς οἰκείοις ὁ πλεονέκτης ἐστὶν ἀηδής, οἰκέταις βαρύς, φίλοις ἄχρηστος, ξένοις δυσέντευκτος, γείτοσιν ὀχληρός, γυναικὶ μοχθηρὸς σύνοικος, παιδῶν φειδωλὸς καὶ μικρολόγος τροφεύς, ἑαυτοῦ κακὸς ἐπιστάτης, νύκτωρ φροντίζων, μεθ' ἡμέραν πεπυκνωμένος, διαλεγόμενος ἑαυτῷ κατὰ τοὺς ἐξεστηκότας ἢ παραφέροντας· πάντων εὐθηνούμενος καὶ στένων ὡς ἐνδεής, τῶν παρόντων οὐκ ἀπολαύων καὶ τὰ ἀπόντα ζητῶν, τοῖς ἰδίοις οὐ κεχρήμενος, ἐποφθαλμιῶν δὲ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις. Πολύαρνον τοῦ τοιούτου τὸ ποίμνιον στενοῦν τοὺς σηκοὺς ἐφ' ὧν κατακλείεται, καλύπτον πεδιάδας ἐν αἷς νέμεται· κἂν εὔσαρκον ὀφθῇ τοῦ προσοίκου πρόβατον, ἀφεὶς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀγέλην τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ ἀλλοτρίῳ τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ προσκάθηται. Τὸ αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τῶν βοῶν, ὁμοίως ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων, οὐκ ἄλλως ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Πάντα στενοχωρεῖ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ οὐδὲν ἐν τῇ χρήσει· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπολαυστικὸν οἷον τε εἶναι τὸν ἄπληστον, ἀλλ' ἔστιν αὐτοῦ ἡ οἰκία τάφου παραπλησία. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ οἱ τάφοι γέμουσι πολλάκις ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ, ἀλλ' αἱ ὕλαι τοὺς χρωμένους οὐκ ἔχουσιν. Τὸ σῶμα οὐ τρέφεται, ψυχῆς οὐκ εὑρίσκεται κέρδος·","english":"And just as this ivy, the flourishing and evergreen plant, creeping up the trees that grow beside it, winds itself strongly about the wood of whatever it has seized, and does not withdraw whether they are still sound or have withered, unless someone cuts through its coils with iron as one would a serpent's—so too is it not easy to set free the soul of such a man, whether the body be young or already wasting away, unless a sober-minded reason comes upon it like a sword and cuts through the disease. The covetous man is disagreeable to his own household, burdensome to his servants, useless to his friends, hard of access to strangers, troublesome to his neighbors, a wretched companion to his wife, a stingy and petty-minded rearer of his children, a bad overseer of himself, anxious by night, harried by day, talking to himself like the deranged or the delirious; prospering in all things yet groaning as though in want, not enjoying what is present and seeking what is absent, not using his own possessions but casting an envious eye on those of others. Many-flocked is the herd of such a man, crowding the pens in which it is shut up, covering the plains in which it grazes; and if a fat sheep of his neighbor is seen, he abandons his own flock and sits down in his desire upon that one sheep that belongs to another. The same holds for oxen, likewise for horses, and no differently for land. He confines his whole house and has nothing in use; for the insatiable man cannot be one who enjoys his goods, but his house is like a tomb. For behold, tombs too are often full of silver and gold, but their materials have no users. The body is not fed, no profit is found for the soul.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":34,"ref":"p34","source":"οὐκ εὐθηνεῖ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς δεξίας ἐλεημοσύνη. Τί τὸ τέλος τοῦ μόχθου, διδαξάτω μέ τις τῶν ταύτῃ προειλημμένων τῇ νόσῳ. Οἶδα δὲ πολλοὺς ἐγώ, γνωρίσας ἐπὶ τῆς πείρας, ὡς καὶ ἐν νόσοις μᾶλλον τῆς ὑγιείας ἀγαπῶσι τὰ χρήματα· κἂν μὲν ὁ ἰατρὸς διά τινος ὕλης εὐώνου τὸν τῆς θεραπείας εἰσηγήσηται τρόπον, οἷον διὰ σελίνου ἢ θύμου ἢ ἀνήθου, ὧν ἡ εὐπορία ἀδάπανος, εὐπειθῶς τῆς συμβουλῆς ὑπακούοντας· ἂν δέ τινος φαρμάκου γένηται μνήμη τῶν οἷα τὰ ποικίλα\n\nκαὶ πολυσύνθετα, καὶ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὸν φαρμακοπώλην ἢ τὸ μυροπώλιον κελευσθῶσιν, θᾶττον τὴν ψυχὴν ἀφίεντας ἢ λύοντας τὸ βαλάντιον. Γήϊνοι γὰρ ὄντες τὸ φρόνημα τὴν κτῆσιν τῶν γηΐνων ὑλῶν νομίζουσι τὴν ζωήν. Τούτους λυποῦσιν ἄγαν καὶ αἱ κοιναὶ εὐπραγίαι, εὐφραίνουσι δὲ αἱ περιστάσεις. Εὔχονται καὶ φόρων ἀνυποΐστων φοιτᾶν ἐπιτάγματα, ἵνα τόκοις πλεονάσωσι τὸ ἀργύριον· ἐπιθυμοῦσι βλέπειν τοὺς παρὰ τῶν δανειστῶν ἀγχομένους, ἵνα κτήσωνται τὸν ἀγρὸν ἢ τὸ σκεῦος ἢ τὸ ζῷον εὐώνως ἐκ τῆς ἀνάγκης ῥιπτούμενον. Συνεχῶς δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβλέπουσι κατὰ τοὺς φιλοσόφους, τοὺς τὰ μετέωρα φροντιστάς, οὐκ ἀστέρος ἐπιτολὴν ζητοῦντες, οὐδὲ τίς οἶκος ἕνα τῶν πλανητῶν ἔχει περισκοπούμενοι, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος πολυπραγμονοῦντες κατάστασιν, εἰ τὰ προφαινόμενα σημεῖα ὄμβρων ἐπιρροὴν ἢ αὐχμὸν ἐπαγγέλλεται. Κἂν ἴδωσί τι τοῖς πολλοῖς δυσχερὲς προσδοκώμενον, εὐφραίνονται τῇ τῶν ἄλλων κακώσει. Πάντα συνάγουσιν ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις ἀσφαλῶς κατασημαίνοντες καὶ δισσοῖς κλείθροις κατασφαλίζονται· διαμετροῦντες ἀλήκτως ψηφίζουσιν.","english":"For almsgiving does not prosper from the right hand. Let one of those who have been caught beforehand by this disease teach me what is the end of their toil. And I know many, having come to recognize it by experience, that even in sicknesses they love money more than health; and if the physician, by means of some inexpensive material, suggests the manner of treatment, such as through celery or thyme or dill, whose supply is without expense, they obey the advice compliantly; but if mention is made of some drug of the kind that is varied and compounded of many ingredients, and they are ordered to go to the druggist or the perfumer's shop, they would sooner give up their soul than loosen their purse. For being earthly in their mindset, they consider the acquisition of earthly materials to be life. Common prosperities grieve them greatly, but adversities gladden them. They pray that the ordinances of unbearable taxes may come upon them, so that they may increase their silver with interest; they desire to see those oppressed by lenders, so that they may acquire the field or the vessel or the animal cheaply, cast off by necessity. And they continually look up to heaven, like the philosophers, those who ponder things on high, not seeking the rising of a star, nor peering about to see which house holds one of the planets, but busying themselves with the condition of the air, whether the signs appearing beforehand promise an influx of rains or a drought. And if they see something difficult expected by the many, they rejoice in the affliction of others. They gather everything into their treasuries, sealing it securely and safeguarding it with double bolts; measuring without cease, they reckon it up.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":35,"ref":"p35","source":"Ἀσχολουμένου δὲ τοῦ πλεονέκτου περὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ἐλπίδα καὶ τέως ὄναρ πλουτοῦντος ἐν τῇ σκιαγραφίᾳ τῶν ἐννοιῶν, ἐὰν ἐπιγένηται νέφος βαθύ, φοβεῖται ὡς κινδυνεύσων. Ἂν ψεκάδες τὴν γῆν ἐπιρραίνωσιν, ὑποδακρύειν ἄρχεται· ἂν δὲ καὶ ὑετὸς ἐπιγένηται ἀρκῶν τὸν αὐχμὸν ἐξιάσασθαι, πένθος τέλειον τὸ πρᾶγμα. Περινοστεῖ λοιπὸν πᾶσι συσκοπούμενος περὶ τοῦ σίτου ὡς υἱοῦ κινδυνεύοντος, τίς ἴασις, τίς μηχανή, ἵνα πρὸς πολὺν αὐταρκέσῃ χρόνον, ἵνα τῶν σητῶν διαφύγῃ τὸ πάθος. Κἂν αἴσθηται καύσωνος, ὡς ἰατροὶ τοὺς διαφορουμένους διαπλώσας αὐτόν, καταμερίζει καὶ καταψύχει, μοχθῶν προσκαθέζεται, σκέπην κατὰ τὴν μεσημβρίαν σοφίζεται, τὰς σκιὰς νυκτὸς ἀπογυμνοῖ, ἵνα ταῖς αὔραις ταῖς νυκτεριναῖς ὑποπνέηται. Ταῦτα αὐτῷ ταλαιπωροῦντι ὁ πένης παρίσταται, ζητῶν ἐκ τοῦ κινδυνεύοντος σίτου, καὶ οὐ δίδωσιν· ἢ δούς, φειδωλῶς χαρίζεται καὶ ἡμίθνητος τοῦ σίτου σφόδρα περιεχόμενος. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀπέραντα μόχθει καὶ χαλέπα, ὁ τοιοῦτος, παρακαλῶ. Ἐλέου μὲν γὰρ ἄξιος καὶ ὁ τρυφῶν πλεονέκτης, ὁ τῇ γαστρὶ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἡδοναῖς περιορίζων τὸν βίον, τοῦτο τέλος νομίζων τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Ὁ δὲ μικροπρεπὴς καὶ σμικρολόγος οὐδὲ μέτρον ἔχει τῆς ἀθλιότητος, λαμβάνων τὰ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ ἑαυτῷ μὴ διδούς, εἰς οὐδὲν δὲ καταλήγων τῆς σπουδῆς ἀποτέλεσμα. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν, ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν γινομένων, πλὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν, αὐτὸ δι' ἑαυτὸ γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τι πράττομεν, ἵν' ἄλλο κατορθώσωμεν; Οὐδεὶς πλέων δι' αὐτὸ τὸ πλεῖν θαλαττεύει, οὐδὲ γεωργῶν δι' αὐτὸ τὸ γεωργεῖν τοῖς πόνοις συζῇ·","english":"While the greedy man is busy with such a hope and for the time being is rich in a dream, in the shadow-sketching of his thoughts, if a deep cloud comes upon him, he is afraid as though he were about to be in danger. If drops of rain sprinkle the earth, he begins to weep a little; and if a rain comes that is sufficient to heal the drought, the matter becomes complete mourning. He goes about henceforth, scrutinizing everything with everyone concerning the wheat, as though a son were in danger—what remedy, what device, so that it may suffice for a long time, so that it may escape the affliction of the moths. And if he perceives a heatwave, like physicians he fans himself as he divides and cools the grain, toiling he sits by it, at midday he devises a shelter, at night he strips away the shadows, so that he may be fanned by the night breezes. While he is enduring these miseries, the poor man stands by him, seeking from the endangered wheat, and he does not give; or if he gives, he grants sparingly and, half-dead, clings exceedingly to the wheat. Do not, then, toil endlessly and be vexed, such a man, I beseech you. For the luxurious greedy man is worthy of pity, the one who bounds his life by the belly and the other pleasures, thinking this the end of humanity. But the petty and small-minded man has no measure of wretchedness, taking what belongs to the many and not giving it to himself, and leading to no completion of his zeal. For who does not know that none of the things that come to be, except the virtues, comes to be for its own sake, but we do one thing in order to accomplish another? No one sails the sea for the very sake of sailing, nor does the farmer, for the very sake of farming, live together with his toils.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":36,"ref":"p36","source":"ἀλλὰ πρόδηλον, ὡς τοῖς λυπηροῖς ἐγκαρτεροῦσιν ἀμφότεροι, ὁ μὲν ἵνα τὴν ἐπικαρπίαν τῆς γῆς, ὁ δὲ ἵνα τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ναυτικῆς ἐμπορίας κομίσηται. Σὺ δέ, τί τὸ σὸν πέρας εἰπέ. Ἵνα συναγάγῃς; Καὶ ποῖον τοῦτο τέλος, τὸ ἄχρηστον ὕλην σωρεύσαντα βλέπειν; Τέρπει με, φησί, καὶ ἡ θέα. Οὐκοῦν ἄλλως τὸ σαυτοῦ νόσημα μέτελθε. Ἔξεστιν γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις χρήμασι προσαναπαύειν τὸν πόθον. Εἰ εὐφραίνει σε τὸ στιλπνὸν τοῦ ἀργυρίου, προσκαθήμενος τοῖς ἀργυροχόοις ἀπόβλεπε πρὸς τὴν πυκνὴν καὶ στίλβουσαν αὐγήν, ἢ καὶ τὰ πρατήρια καταλαμβάνων τέρπου τοῖς ποικίλοις σκεύεσιν, ὀψοφόροις τε καὶ προχόοις· προῖκα γάρ σοι καὶ ἀκώλυτον ἡ θέα. Ὅρα καὶ τοὺς ἀργυρογνώμονας τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν τραπεζῶν ψηλαφῶντας καὶ ἀριθμοῦντας συνεχῶς τὰ νομίσματα· μᾶλλον δὲ παραινέσει πεισθεὶς ἀγαθῇ μετάθου τῆς γνώμης. Εὔκολος γὰρ ἡ διόρθωσις, ἐπειδὴ μὴ φύσεώς ἐστιν ἀνάγκη πλεονεξία, ὁρμὴ δὲ προαιρέσεως, ἣν μεταβαλεῖν τοῖς τὸ συμφέρον ἐπιλογιζομένοις οὐ χαλεπόν. Ὑπέρκυψον τῷ λογισμῷ εἰς τὸν ἑξῆς χρόνον, ὅτε οὐκ ἔσῃ, ὅτε μικρὰ γῆ καθέξει σοῦ διηπλωμένον τὸ σῶμα ἀναίσθητον· πλὰξ δὲ ὀλίγων σπιθαμῶν καλύψει τὸ λείψανον. Ποῦ τότε ὁ πλοῦτος καὶ τὰ συναχθέντα κειμήλια; Τίς ὁ τῶν","english":"But it is clear that both endure hardships, the one so that he may receive the produce of the land, the other so that he may obtain the wealth of maritime trade. But tell me, what is your own goal? That you may gather? And what kind of end is this, to look upon useless material heaped up? It pleases me, he says, and so does the sight of it. Then pursue your own disease in another way. For it is possible to give rest to your desire even with the possessions of others. If the gleam of silver delights you, sit beside the silversmiths and gaze at the thick and shining radiance, or else occupy the market stalls and take pleasure in the varied vessels, dishes and pitchers; for the sight is free for you and unimpeded. Look also at the money-testers at the banks, feeling and counting the coins continually; or rather, persuaded by good advice, change your mind. For the correction is easy, since greed is not a necessity of nature but an impulse of the will, which it is not hard for those who consider what is advantageous to change. Look up with your reason to the time that follows, when you will not exist, when a little earth will hold your body spread out insensible; and a slab of a few spans will cover the remains. Where then is the wealth and the treasures gathered? Who is the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":37,"ref":"p37","source":"καταλειφθέντων κληρονόμος; Οὐ γὰρ πάντως ἐκεῖνος ἔσται διάδοχος, ὃν σὺ προσδοκᾷς. Ἂν παῖδας καταλείπῃς, τυχὸν κονδυλισθήσονται καὶ ὁμότροπός σου πλεονέκτης θρηνοῦντας αὐτοὺς τῆς οἰκίας τῆς πατρικῆς ἀπελάσει. Κἂν ἄπαις ὢν ἐπί τινα τῶν φίλων παραπέμψῃς τὸν κλῆρον, μὴ πρόσεχέ σου τῇ διαθήκῃ ὡς ἀκινήτῳ νόμῳ, ὡς πράγματι ἀναντιρρήτῳ καὶ ἰσχυρῷ. Ὀλίγη σπουδὴ ἄκυρον ποιεῖ τὴν γραφήν. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς συνεχῶς ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις κατὰ τῶν διαθηκῶν ἀγωνιζομένους, ὅπως αὐτὰς ποικίλοις ἐγχειρήμασι παρακρούονται τοὺς τῶν νόμων τεχνίτας προϊστάμενοι συνηγόρους, τοὺς δεινοὺς ῥήτορας ἐπαγόμενοι βοηθοῦς, ψευδομάρτυρας τρέφοντες, δικαστή ρια διαφθείροντες; Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐξ ὧν ὁρᾷς ζῶν, περὶ τῶν μελλόντων τῶν μετὰ σὲ παιδεύου. Εἰ δίκαιον ἔχεις τὸν πλοῦτον, εἰς δέον χρῆσαι, ὡς ὁ μακάριος Ἰώβ· εἰ ἄδικον, ἀνάλυσον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς βιασθέντας κυρίους, ὡς αἰχμάλωτον ἐκ πολέμου· ἢ αὐτὸν ὃν ἔλαβες ἢ μετὰ προσθήκης, ὡς ὁ Ζακχαῖος. Εἰ μὴ ἔχῃς, μὴ κτήσῃς κακῶς. Σοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἀκολουθήσει πικρὸν ἐφόδιον ἡ ἁμαρτία τὴν ἀναγκαίαν πορευομένῳ πορείαν· ἡ δὲ ἀπόλαυσις τῶν κτηθέντων οἷς οὐ γινώσκεις καταλειφθήσεται. Καὶ τότε τὸν Δαβὶδ θαυμάσεις λέγοντα· θησαυρίζει καὶ οὐ γινώσκει τίνι συνάξει αὐτά. Γνωρίσῃς δὲ καὶ τὸν πλούσιον τὸν ἀντίθετον τοῦ Λαζάρου, τὸν ἀρτίως ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἀναγνωσθέντα, οὐ μῦθον συγκείμενον εἰς κατάπληξιν, ἀλλὰ τύπον ἀκριβῆ παραδοθέντα τοῦ μέλλοντος. Ἡ βύσσος ἐσάπη, ἡ βασιλεία μετῆλθεν εἰς ἕτερον, αἱ τρυφαὶ κατηργήθησαν·","english":"as heir of what is left behind? For that man will not by any means be your successor whom you expect. If you leave children, perhaps they will be beaten with fists, and a covetous man of your own character will drive them out of their father's house while they weep. And if, being childless, you pass the inheritance on to one of your friends, do not trust in your will as in an unchangeable law, as in a matter beyond dispute and strong. A little effort makes the document invalid. Or do you not see those who continually contend in the courts against wills, how by various devices they circumvent them, putting forward lawyers skilled in the laws as their advocates, bringing in clever orators as helpers, feeding false witnesses, corrupting judges? And for this reason, from what you see while living, learn about the things that will come after you for your children. If you have wealth justly, use it for what is needful, like the blessed Job; if unjustly, return it to the masters who were wronged, like a captive taken from war—either the same amount you received or with an addition, like Zacchaeus. If you do not have it, do not acquire it wickedly. For sin will follow you as a bitter provision as you travel the necessary journey; but the enjoyment of what was acquired will be left to those you do not know. And then you will marvel at David saying: He stores up and does not know for whom he will gather them. And you will recognize also the rich man, the counterpart of Lazarus, the one recently read to us from the Gospels—not a myth composed to cause astonishment, but an exact type handed down of what is to come. The fine linen rotted, the kingdom passed to another, the luxuries were abolished.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":38,"ref":"p38","source":"ἡ ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἁμαρτία συνεξεδήμησεν ὡς σκιὰ παρα μένουσα βαδίζοντι σώματι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τὴν πολυτέλειαν τῶν συμποσίων καὶ τὴν ἁβροδίαιτον τράπεζαν ὕδατος ῥανίδα ζητεῖ δακτύλου λεπροῦ ἀποστάζουσαν· καὶ καλεῖ τὸν πτωχὸν τῆς τιμωρίας θεραπευτήν, τὸν οὐδὲ χεῖρας ἔχοντα τάχα, ἡνίκα τῷ πυλῶνι προσέρριπτο· ἦ γὰρ ἂν τοὺς κύνας ἀπεσόβησεν τοὺς ἐπιλειχομένους τὰ τραύματα. Ἐπιθυμεῖ δὲ συμμίξαι τῷ Λαζάρῳ ἐκ τοῦ κατάντικρυ βλεπομένῳ καὶ μέσῳ διείργεται τῷ ὀρύγματι ἢ τῷ χάσματι· οὐ βόθρου τινὸς ὄντως ὠρυγμένου οὐδὲ τάφρου πεποιημένης, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν στρατοπέδων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὸ τοῦ πολέμου μεταίχμιον, ἀλλὰ τὸ κώλυμα, οἶμαι, τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται, ὃ τῷ κατεγνωσμένῳ τὴν πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον πάροδον ἀπετείχισεν. Καί μου τὴν ἑρμηνείαν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης ἐπισφραγίζεται πρὸς λαὸν ἄφρονα βαρέως ἀποτεινόμενος καὶ λέγων· Μὴ οὐκ ἰσχύει ἡ χεὶρ Κυρίου διασῶσαι; ἢ ἐβάρυνεν τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι; Ἀλλ' αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν διιστῶσιν ἀνὰ μέσον ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ἁμαρτήματα ἀνθρώπους χωρίζειν οἶδεν Θεοῦ, οὐδὲν ἂν πλεονεξίας ἁμαρτωλότερον γένοιτο, ἣ καὶ παρὰ τῆς ἀψευδοῦς φωνῆς Παύλου, τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκος, εἰδωλολατρεία προσαγορεύεται καὶ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ῥίζα καὶ μήτηρ. Πόθεν γὰρ οἱ τῆς μερίδος ὄντες ποτε τῶν χριστιανῶν καὶ κοινωνοὶ τῶν μυστηρίων πρὸς τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων λατρείαν εἱλκύσθησαν; Οὐκ ἔρωτι τοῦ πολλὰ κτήσασθαι καὶ κύριοι γένεσθαι τῶν ἀλλοτρίων;","english":"The sin committed by those people traveled along with him, remaining like a shadow that follows a walking body. And for this reason, after the extravagance of his banquets and his luxurious table, he seeks a drop of water dripping from a leper's finger; and he calls the poor man to heal his punishment—the man who perhaps no longer even had hands when he was thrown down at the gate; for otherwise he would have driven off the dogs that licked his wounds. And he longs to join Lazarus, who is seen from the opposite side, and is separated by the middle by the pit or the chasm—not that some pit had truly been dug or a trench made, as one can see the space between battle lines in camps, but the passage, I think, indicates the obstacle of sins, which walled off the passage to the righteous man for the one condemned. And the prophet Isaiah seals my interpretation, addressing a foolish people harshly and saying: Is the hand of the Lord not strong to save? Or has he made his ear heavy so as not to hear? But your sins separate between you and between God. And if sins are known to separate people from God, nothing would be more sinful than covetousness, which even by the truthful voice of Paul, the herald of truth, is called idolatry and the root and mother of all evils. For from where were those who were once of the portion of Christians and partakers of the mysteries drawn to the worship of demons? Was it not out of love for acquiring many things and becoming masters of what belongs to others?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":39,"ref":"p39","source":"Λαβόντες δὲ ὑποσχέσεις παρὰ τῶν ἀθέων καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἢ ζωῆς ἀρχοντικῆς ἢ περιουσίας τῆς ἐκ βασιλικῶν ταμιείων, ὥσπερ ἱμάτιον ταχέως τὴν θρησκείαν μετημφιέσαντο. Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῶν ἀνωτέρω χρόνων τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς μνήμη καὶ ἀκοὴ διεσώσατο καὶ ἐδίδαξεν. Ἔστιν δὲ ἃ καὶ ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς βίος τῇ πείρᾳ παρέδωκεν. Ὅτε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὸ προσωπεῖον τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ἀθρόον ἀποθέμενος, γυμνώσας δὲ τὸ δρᾶμα τὸ κωμικὸν ὃ ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ καθυπεκρίνατο, αὐτός τε ἀναιδῶς ἔθυεν δαίμοσιν καὶ τοῖς τοῦτο βουλομένοις ποιεῖν πολλὰ προετέθη τὰ χρέα, πόσοι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀφέντες ἐπὶ τοὺς βωμοὺς ἔδραμον; πόσοι δὲ τὸ τῶν ἀξιωμάτων δέλεαρ εἰσδεξάμενοι μετ' ἐκείνου κατέπιον τὸ τῆς παραβάσεως ἄγκιστρον; Στιγματίαι δὲ περινοστοῦσι κατὰ τὰς πόλεις, μισούμενοι· δακτυλοδεικτούμενοι προδόται καὶ οὗτοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ δι' ὀλίγον\n\nἀργύριον· ἐξόριστοι τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν χριστιανῶν, ὡς Ἰούδας τῶν ἀποστόλων· ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας τοῦ παραβάτου γνωριζόμενοι, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν σημάντρων οἱ ἵπποι· ἑλκυσθέντες μόνον εἰς τὴν χαλεπωτάτην πασῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ εὐθὺς ἀκολουθήσαντες τῷ τῆς βεβήλου καὶ μιαρᾶς δυσσεβείας μυσταγωγῷ. Οὕτω τοίνυν κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον ἡ πλεονεξία καὶ εἰδωλατρεία γίνεται καὶ ῥίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν, ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς ἀμυθήτους γεννῶσα κακίας.","english":"Taking promises from the godless and impious—whether of a life of office or of wealth from the imperial treasuries—they changed their religion like a garment, swiftly. The things of earlier times our memory and hearing have preserved and taught us. But there are also things that our own life has handed down through experience. For when that emperor, who suddenly put off the mask of the Christian and, stripping bare the comic drama he had long played beneath, both shamelessly sacrificed to demons himself and set out many inducements for those willing to do so, how many left the church and ran to the altars? And how many, having welcomed the bait of honors, swallowed the hook of transgression along with him? Branded men roam about the cities, hated, pointed at with the finger—these too are betrayers of Christ for a little silver, exiles from the roll of Christians as Judas was from the apostles, recognized by the name of the transgressor as horses are by their brands, drawn only into the most grievous of all sins and straightway following the mystagogue of profane and foul impiety. Thus, then, according to the apostle, covetousness becomes idolatry and is the root of all evils, generating from itself countless wickednesses.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":40,"ref":"p40","source":"Ὡς γὰρ οἱ τὸν χρυσὸν ἐκ τῶν κόλπων τῆς γῆς ἀνιχνεύοντες φασὶν τὴν χρυσῖτιν γῆν ἐπ' αὐτῆς μὲν τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς κυριωτάτης γενέσεως σωρηδὸν ἀποκεῖσθαι, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ὥσπερ φλέβας τινὰς ἀπό τινος ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν εἰς μακρὸν διήκειν καὶ πολυσχιδῶς ἀποτείνεσθαι κατ' αὐτάς που τὰς ῥίζας τῶν δένδρων, τὰς ἐκ τοῦ πρέμνου διαπλουμένας, οὕτως κἀνταῦθα πολλὰς βλέπων τὰς ἀποφύσεις μιᾷ ῥίζᾳ, τῇ πλεονεξίᾳ, τὰς πάσας συνδε δεμένας εὑρίσκω. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ οὐκ ἀνοικεῖον εὗρεν ὁ λόγος πρὸς πλεονεξίαν ἐκ τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα. Ἐντεῦθεν ὁρῶ τὸν πατραλοίαν τῆς κεφαλῆς τῆς γεννησάσης κατατολμῶντα, οὐκ αἰδούμενον δὲ οὔτε τὴν πολιὰν οὔτε τὸ πατρικὸν ἀξίωμα, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐπὶ πλέον ζωῇ τοῦ γέροντος βαρούμενον. Πάντα γὰρ ὁρῶν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἄφθονα καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν βλεπομένων οὐκ ἔχων, ἐπιθυμῶν δὲ κύριος εἶναι αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῆς περιουσίας στενοῦται τῇ πατρικῇ αὐθεντείᾳ. Καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα σιωπᾷ καὶ ἐν τῷ βάθει κατέχει τὴν νόσον· τῷ χρόνῳ δὲ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν πλεονάσας καὶ πληρωθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν ἀθρόον ἐκρήγνυσι τὴν κακίαν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν σωλήνων τὰ ὕδατα. Καὶ λοιπόν ἐστιν ἀφόρητος τῷ πρεσβύτῃ, μονονουχὶ συνελαύνων αὐτὸν πρὸς τοὺς τάφους ὑγαίνοντα καὶ βαδίζοντα. Ἂν κούφως ἀναβῇ τὸν ἵππον, ὑπερθαυμάζει· ἂν τροφῆς ἐρρωμενέστερον μεταλάβῃ, γογγύζει· ἂν τοὺς οἰκέτας ἐωθινὸς διεγείρῃ πρὸς τὰς ὑπηρεσίας, τῇ ἐγρηγόρσει καὶ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ γέροντος ἄχθεται.","english":"For as those who search out gold from the bosom of the earth say that the gold-bearing earth lies heaped up at its very beginning and most sovereign origin, and from there, like certain veins, extends from this side and that over a long distance and branches out in many directions, as it were, at the very roots of the trees that are threaded through from the trunk, so here too, seeing many offshoots bound together by one root, greed, I find them all connected. And indeed the account has found no unsuitable illustration from gold for greed. From this I see the parricide daring to lay hands on the head that gave him birth, ashamed neither of the gray hair nor of the paternal dignity, but burdened by the old man's continued life. For seeing everything in the house in abundance and not having authority over what he sees, but desiring to be master of both them and the property, he is constrained by his father's authority. And at first he is silent and keeps the disease in the depths; but in time, having increased his desire and been filled in his soul, he suddenly bursts forth in wickedness, like waters from pipes. And for the rest he is unbearable to the old man, all but driving him to the tombs while he is still healthy and walking. If he mounts the horse lightly, he marvels exceedingly; if he partakes of food more vigorously, he grumbles; if in the morning he rouses the servants to their duties, he is vexed at the old man's wakefulness and strength.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":41,"ref":"p41","source":"Ἂν δὲ καὶ δωρήσηταί τι τῶν κειμηλίων ἢ οἰκέτην ἀφῇ τῆς δουλείας, τότε δὴ τότε καὶ λῆρος καὶ παραπαίων καὶ τοὺς τῆς ζωῆς ὑπερβὰς ὅρους καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων σπαθητὴς καὶ πᾶν βλάσφημον ἀκούων ἐμπαροινεῖται· διὰ τί μὴ ταχέως ἀπέθανεν ἐγκαλούμενος. Σὸς οὗτος, ὦ μιαρὴ πλεονεξία, καρπός· παρὰ σοῦ τὰ κέντρα λαμβάνων ὁ παῖς πολέμιος γίνεται τοῦ γεννήσαντος. Σὺ πληροῖς τὴν γῆν λῃστῶν καὶ φονευτῶν, καταποντιστῶν δὲ θάλασσαν, τὰς πόλεις θορύβων, τὰ δικαστήρια ψευδομαρτύρων, συκοφαντῶν, προδοτῶν, συνηγόρων, δικαστῶν ἐκεῖ ῥεπόντων, ὅπου δ' ἂν σὺ καθελκύσῃς. Πλεονεξία μήτηρ τῆς ἀνισότητος, ἀνηλεής, μισάνθρωπος, ὠμοτάτη. Διὰ ταύτην ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος ἀνωμαλίας γέμει· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ κόρου ναυτιῶσι τὴν περισσείαν τῶν κτημάτων οἷον τροφὴν ἄπληστον ἀποβλύζοντες, ἄλλοι δὲ λιμῷ καὶ ἐνδείᾳ πιεζόμενοι κινδυνεύουσιν. Οἱ μὲν ὑπ' ὀρόφοις χρυσοπάστοις κατάκεινται καὶ ὡς μικρὰς πόλεις οἰκοῦσι τὰς οἰκίας, λουτροῖς καὶ οἴκοις ποικίλοις καὶ στοαῖς ἐπὶ μακρότατον διηκούσαις καὶ παντοίᾳ πολυτελείᾳ κεκοσμημένας· ἕτεροι δὲ δύο δοκῶν σκέπην οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ διαζῆν μὴ δύνωνται, ἢ πρὸς τὰς καμίνους καταφεύγουσι τῶν λουτρῶν ἢ καὶ τοῖς βαλανεῦσι κακοξένοις περιτυχόντες, παραπλησίως τοῖς χοίροις τὴν κόπρον ὀρύττοντες τὴν ἀναγκαίαν θέρμην ἑαυτοῖς μηχανῶνται. Καὶ τὸ ὁμότιμον ζῷον, ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν διαφορὰν τῆς διαίτης πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον· οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς τὴν ἀταξίαν ταύτην καὶ τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν ἢ τῆς πλεονεξίας ἐπεισαγούσης.","english":"But if he should make a gift of some of his treasures or set a slave free from servitude, then indeed, then he is called a fool and a madman, one who has overstepped the bounds of life, a plunderer of others' goods, and he is reviled with every kind of blasphemy, being accused: why did he not die quickly? This is your fruit, O filthy greed. Receiving its goads from you, the child becomes an enemy of the one who begot him. You fill the earth with robbers and murderers, the sea with wreckers, the cities with tumults, the courts with false witnesses, sycophants, traitors, advocates, and judges who lean there, wherever you drag them down. Greed, mother of inequality, pitiless, hating mankind, most savage. Because of her the life of men is full of disorder; and some, from satiety, are nauseated, spewing forth the excess of their possessions like insatiable food, while others, pressed by famine and want, are in danger. Some lie beneath roofs embroidered with gold and inhabit their houses like small cities, adorned with baths and varied chambers and colonnades extending to the greatest length and every kind of luxury; others do not have the shelter of two beams, but when they cannot survive in the open air, they flee to the furnaces of the baths, or encountering inhospitable bath attendants, digging through the dung like pigs, they contrive for themselves the necessary warmth. And man, that creature of equal honor, has such a difference of livelihood from those of his own kind—no other thing than greed introducing this disorder and inequality.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":42,"ref":"p42","source":"Ὁ μὲν γυμνοῖς ἀσχημονεῖ τοῖς μέλεσι καὶ ὁ ἄλλος πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἐσθῆτα δυσαρίθμητον ἔχειν πορφυραῖς πλαξὶν τοὺς τοίχους ἐνδύει. Ὁ πένης ἐπὶ ξυλίνης τραπέζης ἄρτον ἀπορεῖ διαθρύψαι καὶ ὁ τρυφῶν ἀργυρῆν τράπεζαν ἐλάσας εἰς πλάτος τῷ στίλβοντι ψυχαγωγεῖται τῆς ὕλης. Καὶ πόσῳ δικαιώτερον ἦν τὸν μὲν ἑστιᾶσθαι ἀρκούμενον τῇ ἄλλῃ τρυφῇ, τῆς τραπέζης δὲ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἀπόρων εἶναι τρυφήν; Ἄλλος γηραιὸς καὶ βαδίζειν ἀδυνατῶν ἢ διά τινα λώβην χωλεύων\n\nὄνον οὐ κέκτηται, ἀναγκαῖον τῆς χρείας ὄχημα· καὶ ἕτερος διὰ πλῆθος τὰς ἀγέλας οὐ γνωρίζει τῶν ἵππων. Τῷ μὲν ἐλαίου ἐνδεῖ πρὸς τὸ λύχνον ἀνάψαι· καὶ ἄλλος μόναις ταῖς λυχνίαις πλουτεῖ. Ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους ἔρριπται καὶ ὁ μάτην πλουτῶν τῷ κόσμῳ τῆς κλίνης περιαστράπτεται, ἀργυρᾶς σφαίρας ἐχούσης καὶ ἁλύσεις ἀντὶ τῶν σχοίνων. Ταῦτα τὰ τῆς ἀκορέστου πλεονεξίας ἀποτελέσματα. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὸν βίον τὴν ἀνισότητα, οὐκ ἂν αὗται ἦσαν τῆς ἀνωμαλίας αἱ ἐξοχαὶ καὶ κοιλότητες, οὐδ' ἂν αἱ ποικίλαι συμφοραὶ ἀηδῆ καὶ πολύδακρυν τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν ἀπειργάζοντο. Ἐντεῦθεν τὴν φυσικὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλίαν ἀπώλεσαν ἄνθρωποι καὶ σίδηρον ἀκονῶσι καὶ συγκροτοῦσι παρατάξεις καὶ ὥσπερ τινὰ θηρία μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀγριότητος ἀλλήλοις συνάπτουσι. Τὰ δὲ ἀκόλουθα τούτοις πῶς ἄν τις καὶ ἐξηγήσαιτο; Τείχη καρτερὰ τοῖς μηχανήμασι κατασείεται καὶ πόλεις ἁλίσκονται καὶ γυναῖκες ἄγονται καὶ παῖδες ἀνδραποδίζονται· τέμνεται γῆ καὶ κείρεται καὶ τὰ δένδρα πολεμοῦνται ὡς ἀδικήσαντες ἄνθρωποι· φόνος δὲ τῶν ἐν ἀκμῇ πολὺς καὶ οἱ τοῦ αἵματος ῥύακες ἀπορρέουσι τῶν ἀθλίων σωμάτων·","english":"One man is disfigured by his naked limbs, while another, to have clothing beyond counting, dresses his walls in purple panels. The poor man lacks bread to break on a wooden table, while the luxurious man, having driven a silver table out to its full width, delights his soul with the gleaming of the material. And how much more just it would have been for the one to feast, content with the rest of his luxury, and for the honor of the table to be the luxury of the poor! Another, aged and unable to walk, or lame from some injury, does not possess a donkey, the necessary vehicle for his need; and another, because of their multitude, does not know his herds of horses. One lacks oil to light his lamp; and another is rich in lampstands alone. One has been cast down on the ground, and the man who is rich to no purpose is radiant all around with the ornament of his couch, which has silver spheres and chains instead of cords. These are the results of insatiable greed. For if he had not introduced inequality into life, these heights and hollows of unevenness would not exist, nor would the varied misfortunes have made our life unpleasant and full of tears. From this, men have lost their natural friendship for one another, and they sharpen iron and muster battle lines and, like some wild beasts, join together with one another in great savagery. And how could one even explain the things that follow these? Strong walls are shaken down by siege engines, and cities are captured, and women are led away, and children are enslaved; the earth is cut and ravaged, and trees are warred against as though they were men who had done wrong; and there is great slaughter of those in their prime, and streams of blood flow from wretched bodies.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":43,"ref":"p43","source":"ὁ δὲ πλοῦτος τῶν ἡττηθέντων ἆθλον τῶν κρατησάντων. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ὀδυρμοὶ χηρείας, ὀρφανῶν δάκρυα καὶ πατέρας ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν θρηνούντων· ὁ δὲ πρώην κύριος πλούτου πολλοῦ ἄρτου μεταιτεῖ τέμαχος προτείνων τὴν δεξιάν· καὶ ὁ πολλοὺς ἔχων δούλους ὑφάντας καὶ οἰκίας γεμούσας ἐσθῆτος ῥάκια περιβεβλημένος δουλεύει, ὕδωρ πρὸς ἀνάγκην κομίζων καὶ τοῦ ἱππῶνος ἀποξύων τὴν κόπρον καὶ ταῖς αἰσχραῖς ὑπηρεσίαις διακονούμενος· ἄλλα μυρία κακά, ἃ περιλαβεῖν ἀθρόως ἀδύνατον. Τούτων δὲ πάντων ἀρχὴ καὶ αἰτία καὶ ῥίζα ἡ τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμία, ἔρως ἄδικος τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κτημάτων. Εἰ δέ τις τοῦτο τὸ πάθος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξέκοψεν, οὐδὲν ἐκώλυσεν εἰρήνην μὲν τῷ βίῳ βαθεῖαν ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι, πολέμους δὲ καὶ ταραχὰς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων φυγαδευθῆναι, ἐπανελθεῖν δὲ πάντας ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ φύσιν στοργὴν καὶ φιλίαν. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐπιμελῶς τοῖς παραγγέλμασι ταύτην ἐξιᾶται τὴν νόσον ποτὲ μὲν ἀποφαινόμενος· Οὐ δύνασθε Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ· ποτὲ δὲ τὸν πλούσιον ἐκεῖνον ἄθλιον ἀποφαίνων, τὸν τῇ ἑξῆς τελευτᾶν μέλλοντα καὶ τὴν μακροχρόνιον ἀπόλαυσιν τὴν τρυφῆς ἑαυτῷ προτυποῦντα· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ τὸν τέλειον ἐκεῖνον εἶναι διδάσκων, ὃς ἂν πάντων ὧν ἔχει τοῖς δεομένοις παραχωρήσας πρὸς τὴν ἀκτήμονα φιλοσοφίαν αὐτομολήσει, τὴν μητέρα τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ ὁμόσκευον. Ἀλλά μοι δοκῶ καὶ σιωπώντων ἀκούειν τῶν ἐκ συνηθείας τὰ τοιαῦτα φθεγγομένων πρὸς τοὺς διδάσκοντας· Καὶ πῶς τὸν βίον διατελέσομεν, εἰ ἡ κτῆσις τῶν χρημάτων ἀμεληθείη; πῶς δὲ ταῖς χρείαις ἐπαρκέσομεν; πῶς λυθήσεται δάνεισμα;","english":"But wealth is the prize of the defeated for the conquerors. On top of these things come the laments of widowhood, the tears of orphans mourning both their fathers and their freedom at once; and he who was formerly master of great wealth begs for a piece of bread, stretching out his right hand; and he who had many slaves as weavers and houses full of clothing, wrapped in rags, serves as a slave, carrying water under compulsion and scraping the dung from the stable and ministering in shameful services—and countless other evils besides, which it is impossible to encompass all at once. But the beginning and cause and root of all these things is the desire for more, an unjust love of others' possessions. And if anyone cut out this passion from men, nothing would prevent deep peace from dwelling in our life, and wars and tumults from being banished from among men, and all from returning to natural affection and friendship. For this reason our Lord also, through his commandments, carefully heals this disease, at one time declaring: You cannot serve God and mammon; at another time pronouncing that rich man wretched, who was about to die the next day and was prefiguring for himself the long-lasting enjoyment of luxury; and elsewhere teaching that that man is perfect who, having yielded up all that he has to those in need, will desert to the possessionless philosophy, the mother of virtue and its companion in dress. But it seems to me that I hear even those who by habit say such things, though they are silent, speaking to their teachers: And how shall we live out our life, if the acquisition of money is neglected? And how shall we meet our needs? How will a loan be discharged?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":44,"ref":"p44","source":"πῶς δὲ καὶ δοθήσεται δάνος τῷ ζητοῦντι, ἂν πάντες ὦμεν διὰ τὴν σὴν παραίνεσιν ἄποροι; Ἀπίστου τὸ ῥῆμα, ἀσυνέτου ἡ φωνή, οὐκ εἰδότος, ὅτι δεσπότην ἔχομεν τὸν Θεόν, οἰκονόμον τοῦ βίου, τῷ γενομένῳ ζῴῳ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ χορηγοῦντα τὰ χρήσιμα καὶ τοὺς ἀναγκαίους πορισμοὺς τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τῶν σκεπασμάτων τὴν χρείαν. Ἡ γὰρ πρόνοια τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν οἰκείων ποιημάτων ἐστὶν περιεκτική· καὶ τὸν ἐν πίστει πλουτοῦντα πενίας οὐδέποτε κατέσχεν συμφορά. Ἓν δὲ τῶν θείων προκομίσας λόγιον εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ προκει μένου ἱκανήν, ὡς οἶμαι, μαρτυρίαν παρέξω. Ἐν τῇ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορίᾳ γυνή τις ἀναγέγραπται χήρα, βαρυνομένη λίαν τῇ συμφορᾷ τῆς μονώσεως. Ἐπολιόρκει δὲ αὐτὴν δανειστὴς φιλάργυρος καὶ μισάνθρωπος, ἐνέχυρον τοὺς υἱοὺς ἀφαιρούμενος οὓς μόνους εἶχεν ἀντὶ πάντων ἡ μήτηρ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς ἀμηχανίαν αὐτῇ περιεστήκει τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ οὐδεὶς ἠλέει τῶν ἐχόντων χρυσίον, ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν ἔχοντα φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ πίστιν. Ἐλισσαῖος δὲ οὗτος ἦν ὁ προφήτης, ἀνὴρ ἀκτήμων τῶν γηΐνων ὑλῶν καὶ περισσευόμενος τῆς ἀσωμάτου περιουσίας· φιλόσοφος ἐξ ἀροτήρων, ἄοικος, ἀνέστιος, μονο είμων· νεωστὶ μὲν κληρονομήσας,","english":"But how will a loan be given to the one who seeks it, if we all become destitute through your advice? The word is that of an unbeliever, the voice of a fool, of one who does not know that we have God as our master, the steward of life, who from himself supplies to the living creature he made the things that are useful and the necessary provisions of food and the need of coverings. For the providence of God encompasses his own works; and the misfortune of poverty has never held captive the one who is rich in faith. Having brought forward one of the divine oracles as sufficient proof of what is set before us, I will, as I think, provide adequate testimony. In the history of the Kingdoms a certain woman is recorded, a widow, heavily burdened by the misfortune of her solitude. A money-loving and man-hating creditor was besieging her, taking away as a pledge her sons, whom the mother had as her only ones in place of everything. And when the matter had reduced her to helplessness and no one of those who had gold took pity, she came to the one who had love for humanity and faith. This was Elisha the prophet, a man without possession of earthly materials and abounding in incorporeal wealth; a philosopher from among plowmen, without a house, without a hearth, having one garment; having recently inherited,","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":45,"ref":"p45","source":"τὴν δὲ κληρονομίαν λαβὼν μηλωτὴν εὔωνον καὶ εὐλογίαν ἀόρατον τοῦ πυρίνου ἅρματος ἐκπεσοῦσαν. Οὐ μὴν ἄπρακτον τὴν ἱκεσίαν ἀπέπεμψεν, οὐδὲ ἀπέγνω τῆς βοηθείας, ἐπειδὴ μὴ παρῆν τὸ ζητούμενον, οὐδὲ εἶπεν ἀγεννῆ τινα καὶ ἄπιστα ῥήματα, ὡς εἷς τῶν πολλῶν· Καὶ πόθεν ἐμοὶ ἀργύριον, ὥστε διαλῦσαι τὸ ὄφλημα; Ὥσπερ δὲ ἄριστος ἰατρὸς καὶ φαρμάκων μὴ παρόντων ἐξ ἐπινοιῶν παραδόξων εὗρε τῇ νόσῳ τὴν ἴασιν, καί, Τί σοι, φησίν, ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας, ὦ γύναι; Μνημόνευσον εἴ τι καὶ ὀλίγον ἔνδον τυγχάνει. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτως πένης, ὡς καθάπαξ μηδενὸς κύριος εἶναι. Ὡς δὲ εἶπεν, ὅτι κεράμιόν ἐστιν καὶ λείψανον ἐν αὐτῷ βραχὺ ἐλαίου, Παρασκεύασόν μοι, εἶπεν, πλῆθος ἀγγείων. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ηὐτρέπισεν, ὁ δὲ δι' αὐτῆς ἐπλήρωσεν καὶ τῷ δανειστῇ διελύθη τὸ ὄφλημα· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἀπῆλθεν ἐξ ἀπόρων εὑροῦσα τὸν πόρον. Τὸ γὰρ ὀλίγιστον ἔλαιον, ὃ εἶναι παρ' αὐτῇ εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν προφήτην, ἐπήγασεν ἐκ τοῦ παραδόξου καὶ πάντας τοὺς εὐτρεπισθέντας ἀμφορίσκους ἐπλήρωσεν· ἕστη δὲ τότε τῆς ῥύσεως, ὅτε ἀγγεῖον οὐκ ἔτι ἦν τὸ δεχόμενον· καὶ τῇ χρείᾳ συνεμετρήθη ἡ χάρις. Ἀληθῶς ἔλαιον ἐκεῖνο, ὃ φυτὸν οὐκ ἐκαρποφόρησεν, ἀλλ' οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκτιρμοὶ ἐγεώργησαν. Ταύτην ὠνήσασθε τὴν ἐπιστήμην, εἰ δύνασθε, οἱ ἀπὸ ἡλίου ἀνίσχοντος μέχρι καὶ δυομένου, βασιλεῖς, δυνάσται, πλούσιοι. Οἱ σοφοὶ τῆς ἐγκοσμίου σοφίας, κτήσασθε τοῦ ἀπὸ ἀροτήρων προφήτου τὸ χάρισμα, ὃ ἀναφαίρετον τῷ λαβόντι συνῆν. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς ὑμετέρας σπουδῆς κτήματα μυρίους ἔχει παρακειμένους τῆς ἀπωλείας κινδύνους·","english":"But when he received the inheritance, a cheap sheepskin and an invisible blessing of the fiery chariot that had fallen. Yet he did not send the supplication away ineffective, nor did he despair of help, since what was sought was not present, nor did he speak some ignoble and faithless words, as one of the many: And from where is there silver for me, so as to discharge the debt? But just as the best physician, when medicines are not at hand, by unexpected devices found the cure for the disease, he also says, What is there with you in the house, woman? Remember if there happens to be even a little something inside. For no one is so poor as to be altogether master of nothing. And when she said that there was a jar and a little remnant of oil in it, he said, Prepare for me a multitude of vessels. And she prepared them, and he through her filled them and the debt was discharged to the creditor; and the woman departed, having found a resource out of resourcelessness. For that very little oil, which she said she had, in the presence of the prophet, gushed forth from the unexpected and filled all the little jars that had been prepared; and then the flow stopped when there was no longer a vessel to receive it; and the grace was measured to the need. Truly that was oil which no plant bore as fruit, but the mercies of God cultivated. Buy this knowledge, if you can, you who are from the rising of the sun even to its setting, kings, rulers, rich men. You who are wise in the wisdom of this world, acquire the gift of the prophet from the ploughmen, which remained inseparable for the one who received it. For the possessions of your zeal have ten thousand dangers of destruction lying close at hand.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":46,"ref":"p46","source":"λῃστὰς τοιχωρυ χοῦντας, τυράννους ἁρπάζοντας καὶ συκοφάντας ἐπιβουλεύοντας, θάλασσαν καταποντίζουσαν καὶ γῆν ὑπορρηγνυμένην τοῖς χάσμασιν. Ἔστω τοίνυν ἐλπὶς καὶ ταμιεῖον ἀνθρώποις ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεξιά, ἡ τὸν λαὸν Αἰγύπτου ἐξαγαγοῦσα καὶ ἐν ἐρήμῳ χώρᾳ τὴν εὐθηνίαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγήσασα· ἡ τῷ Δανιὴλ ἀγαγοῦσα τὸν Ἀμβακούμ, καὶ τὸν Ἰσμαὴλ σώσασα τῆς μητρικῆς ἀγκάλης ἀπορριφέντα, καὶ τοῖς καθ' ἑκάστην γενεὰν ἐπαρκέσασα, καὶ τελευταῖον πέντε κριθίνους ἄρτους ὡς ἄπειρον γεωργίαν πληθύνασα, ἵν' ὁ εἷς ἄρτος χιλίων ἀνδρῶν πεινώντων πληρώσῃ γαστέρα καὶ πρός γε κόφινον τῶν λειψάνων. Τῷ δὲ Θεῷ ἡμῶν ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\n4. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἀστερίου λόγος κατηγορικὸς τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶν Καλανδῶν Δύο κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἑορταὶ συνέδραμον ἐπὶ τῆς χθιζῆς καὶ τῆς ἐνεστώσης ἡμέρας, οὐ συμφωνοί τε καὶ ἀδελφοί, πᾶν δὲ τοὐναντίον ἐχθρῶς τε καὶ ἐναντίως ἔχουσαι πρὸς ἀλλήλας. Ἡ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν τοῦ ἔξωθεν συρφετοῦ, πολὺ συνάγουσα τοῦ μαμωνᾶ τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὴν ἄλλην καπηλείαν ἐφελκομένη, τὴν ἀγοραῖόν τε καὶ ἀνελεύθερον· ἡ δὲ τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ἀληθοῦς θρησκείας, οἰκείωσιν τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ τοῦ κεκαθαρμένου βίου τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκπαιδεύουσα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὶ προτιμῶντες τὴν ἐκ τῆς ματαιότητος τρυφὴν καὶ ἀσχολίαν ἀπελείφθησαν τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συλλόγου, φέρε, τὴν μωρὰν καὶ βλάπτουσαν τέρψιν λόγῳ τῶν ψυχῶν ἀπελάσωμεν, ὥσπερ τινὰ φρενῖτιν ἐν τῷ γελᾶν καὶ παίζειν τὸν θάνατον ἄγουσαν. Ἐν καιρῷ δ' ἂν τὸν Σολομῶντα ζηλώσαιμι τῆς τοῦ λόγου μεταχειρήσεως.","english":"robbers breaking through walls, tyrants seizing by force, and sycophants plotting, the sea sinking men beneath the deep and the earth torn apart by its chasms. Let the right hand of God, then, be hope and a treasury for men—the hand that led the people of Egypt out and in a desert land supplied the abundance of good things; the hand that brought Habakkuk to Daniel, and saved Ishmael when he was cast out from his mother's embrace, and provided for those in every generation, and finally multiplied five barley loaves as if an boundless field of grain, so that the one loaf might fill the stomachs of a thousand hungry men and even leave a basket of remnants. To our God be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\n4. Of the same Asterius, a discourse of accusation against the festival of the Kalends. Two festivals ran together on the same day, yesterday's and the present one, not harmonious and sisterly, but quite the opposite—hostile and opposed to one another. For the one belongs to the outside rabble, gathering much of Mammon's silver and drawing in the rest of the huckstering, both the marketplace trade and the illiberal; but the other belongs to the holy and true religion, teaching the kinship with God and the virtue of the purified life. Since, then, many, preferring the luxury and idleness that come from vanity, have abandoned the assembly in the church, come, let us drive away the foolish and harmful pleasure by the word of our souls, as one might drive away a frenzy that in laughing and playing leads death along. And I would be right to emulate Solomon in the handling of my discourse.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":47,"ref":"p47","source":"Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος συμβουλεύων τοῖς νέοις ἀσφαλῶς ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν παγίδων τῆς ἀκολασίας τηρεῖν, ἵνα δραστήριον καὶ ἐνεργῆ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ νουθεσίαν ἐργάσηται, προσωποποιεῖ τὴν ἀκολασίαν εἰς γυναῖκα κατεγνωσμένην· πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν κακίαν αὐτῆς στηλιτεύων οὕτως μίσους ἀξίαν ἀποφαίνει τοῖς δελεαζομένοις. Διὸ κἀγὼ τὴν ματαιότητα τῆς ἀνθρωπικῆς ἑορτῆς ὑποδείξας τῷ λόγῳ πειράσομαι\n\nτοὺς ἐραστὰς ἐκείνης ἀποστῆσαι τῆς πεπλανημένης σπουδῆς. Ἑορτῆς τοίνυν πανδήμου οὗτος ὁ θεσμὸς καὶ ὁ νόμος· πρῶτον μὲν φανερὸν σκοπὸν εἶναι τῆς πανηγύρεως, ἔπειτα κοινὴν εἶναι πάντων εὐφροσύνην καὶ μὴ μέρος μὲν ἥδεσθαι, τὸ δὲ λειπόμενον ἐν λύπῃ καὶ κατηφείᾳ διάγειν. Τοῦτο γὰρ πολέμου μᾶλλον ἢ ἑορτῆς ἐξαίρετον· ἐπειδήπερ ἐπάναγκες τοὺς μὲν κρατήσαντας ἐμπομπεύειν τῇ νίκῃ, τοὺς δ' ἡττηθέντας δακρύειν τὴν συμφοράν. Ἐπὶ δέ γε τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, πρῶτον μὲν τὸ ἐπὶ τίσι τελεῖται ἡ πανήγυρις ἄδηλον. Μῦθοι γὰρ λέγονται πολλοί, ἀλλήλων ἀνατρεπτικοί· ἀληθὲς δὲ οὐδέν. Εἶτα ὀλίγους μὲν εὐφραινομένους βλέπω· ἀνιωμένους δὲ τοὺς πολλούς, κἂν εὐπρεπεῖ ἑτερότητι τὴν λύπην ἐπισκιάζωσιν· πάντα δὲ θορύβου γέμοντα καὶ ταραχῆς, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος πρὸς ἑαυτῷ εἰκῆ ὠθιζόμενον. Ἀνάμνησίς ἐστιν καὶ εὐφροσύνη ἐνιαυτοῦ. Ποία εὐφροσύνη, ἄνθρωπε; Πρῶτον, ὅταν ἐννοήσω τῆς συντυχίας τὸ σχῆμα, οἷόν ἐστιν, καὶ ὅπως ὕποπτον καὶ οὐ φιλικόν! Ἀδρανεῖ τῇ φωνῇ καὶ λεπτῇ ἡ προσηγορία πρόεισι τῶν χειλέων· εἶτα ἀκολουθεῖ φίλημα τοῦ λήμματος προοίμιον, καὶ φιλεῖται μὲν τὸ στόμα, ἀγαπᾶται δὲ τὸ νόμισμα· τὸ σχῆμα διαθέσεως καὶ τὸ ἔργον πλεονεξίας.","english":"For he too, advising the young to keep themselves safely from the snares of licentiousness, so that he might make his admonition effective and active, personifies licentiousness as a condemned woman; and exposing all her vice, he thus shows her worthy of hatred to those who are enticed. Therefore I too, having shown by my discourse the vanity of the human festival, will attempt to turn its lovers away from their misguided zeal. This, then, is the ordinance and law of a public festival: first, that the purpose of the assembly be clear; then, that the gladness be common to all, and not that one part rejoice while the remainder passes its time in grief and dejection. For this is characteristic of war rather than of a festival, since of necessity the victors parade in triumph over their victory, while the defeated weep over their misfortune. But in these days, first, it is unclear for what reasons the assembly is held. For many myths are told, mutually contradictory, and nothing true. Then I see few rejoicing, but the many distressed, even if they overshadow their grief with a seemly difference; and all things are full of confusion and turmoil, and the crowd pushes itself on at random. It is a commemoration and gladness of the year. What gladness, O man? First, when I consider the character of the gathering, what it is, and how suspect and unfriendly! With a feeble and thin voice the greeting proceeds from the lips; then follows a kiss, a prelude to the catch, and the mouth is kissed, but the coin is loved; the form is of affection, but the deed is of greed.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":48,"ref":"p48","source":"Ἔνθα δὲ καθαρὰ φιλία καὶ ἄδολος, ἄμισθοι καὶ ἀκερδεῖς εἰσιν αἱ φιλοφρονήσεις. Περιφέρεται γοῦν πολὺ πανταχοῦ καὶ δίδοται τὸ χρυσίον, πρόφασις δὲ δικαία καὶ εὐπρεπὴς τοῦ λήμματος οὔτε ἔστιν οὔτε λέγεται. Γάμος οὐκ ἔστιν, ἵνα νυμφίου τις γαύρου καλέσῃ φιλοτιμίαν. Ἐλεημοσύνην οὐκ ἔχω καλεῖν τὴν δαπάνην· οὐδεὶς γὰρ πένης ἀφίεται συμφορᾶς. Συνάλλαγμα οὐκ ἄν τις καλέσειεν τὸ γινόμενον· οὐδὲν γὰρ διαμείβουσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους τὸ πλῆθος. Δωρεὰν δὲ εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲ μέχρις ὅτου δίκαιον, ἔνθα συνέζευκται ἀνάγκη τῇ δόσει. Τί τοίνυν ἢ τὴν ἑορτὴν καλέσωμεν ἢ τὰ ἐν ταύτῃ δαπανώμενα; Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐχ εὑρίσκω. Εἴπατε δέ, οἱ περὶ αὐτὴν ἐσπουδακότες· δότε λόγον, ὡς ἡμεῖς τῶν ἀληθινῶν καὶ κατὰ Θεὸν πανηγύρεων. Γενέθλιον ἑορτάζομεν, ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἐν σαρκὶ θεοφάνια κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἔδειξεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεός. Φῶτα πανήγυριν ἄγομεν, ἐπειδὴ τῇ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσει οἷον ἐκ σκοτεινοῦ τινος δεσμωτηρίου τοῦ προτέρου βίου πρὸς τὸν φωτεινὸν καὶ ἀνεύθυνον ἀναγόμεθα. Καλλωπιζόμεθα πάλιν καὶ χαίροντες ἐμπομπεύομεν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀναστάσεως· τὴν γὰρ ἀφθαρσίαν ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον δηλοῖ μετακόσμησιν. Οὕτως ταύτας ἑορτάζομεν, οὕτως τὰς ἐφεξῆς· καὶ παντὸς ἀνθρωπικοῦ πράγματος λόγος ἡγεῖται· οὗ δὲ αἰτία καὶ σκοπὸς ἄπεστιν, λῆρος τοῦτο καὶ φλήναφος. Ὢ τῆς ἀτοπίας! Πάντες κεχηνότες περινοστοῦσι, τὰ παρ' ἀλλήλων ἐλπίζοντες. Οἱ δόντες λυποῦνται, οἱ λαβόντες οὐ κατέχουσι. Μεταβαίνει γὰρ εἰς ἀλλήλους τὸ λῆμμα καὶ ὁ παρὰ τοῦ ὑπευθύνου δεξάμενος δίδωσι τῷ μείζονι.","english":"But where there is pure and guileless friendship, the acts of kindness are without pay and without gain. At any rate, gold is carried about everywhere in abundance and is given, but a just and seemly pretext for the receipt there neither is nor is spoken of. There is no marriage, so that someone might invoke the generosity of a proud bridegroom. I cannot call the expenditure almsgiving; for no poor man is released from misfortune. No one could call what takes place a contract; for they exchange nothing with one another, the multitude. And to call it a gift—not even to the extent that it is just—where necessity is yoked together with the giving. What, then, shall we call either the festival or the things spent at it? I for my part do not find it. But tell us, you who are zealous for it: give an account, as we do of the true festivals according to God. We celebrate a birthday, because at this time God showed us the manifestations of God in the flesh. We hold a festival of lights, because by the forgiveness of sins we are led, as it were from some dark prison of our former life, to the bright and blameless life. We are adorned again and rejoice and go in procession on the day of the resurrection; for it declares to us incorruption and our transformation to the better. Thus we celebrate these festivals, thus those that follow; and reason leads the way in every human affair; but where cause and purpose are absent, this is nonsense and drivel. O the absurdity! All go about with mouths agape, hoping for things from one another. Those who give are grieved, those who receive do not keep it. For the receipt passes over to others, and he who has received from one who is liable gives to the greater.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":49,"ref":"p49","source":"Ἄστατον δέ ἐστιν τὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης χρυσίον, ὥσπερ ἡ τῶν παιζόντων σφαῖρα, ὀξέως παρ' ἐμοῦ πεμπόμενον πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον. Καὶ καινὸς δωροφορίας καὶ λειτουργίας τρόπος, ἀπαραίτητον ἔχων τῆς ἀνάγκης τὴν εἰσφοράν. Ὁ γὰρ μείζων καὶ ἔνδοξος δυσωπεῖ, ὁ ἐλάττων αἰτεῖ, καὶ πάντες βαθμοῖς ἐπὶ τοὺς κόλπους τῶν ὑπερεχόντων κινοῦνται. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς συρροίας τῶν ὑδάτων γίνεται, τοῦτο νῦν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ λεπτὸς ῥύαξ ἀπορρεύσας τοὺς ῥοῦς τῷ μετ' αὐτὸν καὶ μείζονι μίγνυται· κἀκεῖνος καλύπτεται πάλιν παρὰ τοῦ μᾶλλον πλημμυροῦντος καὶ πολλὰ λεπτότερα ῥεύματα ἀθροισθέντα ποταμοῦ γείτονος προσθήκη γίνονται· οὗτος πάλιν ἑτέρου τοῦ μείζονος καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλου, μέχρις ἂν ὁ τελευταῖος τῷ βάθει καὶ τῷ πλάτει τῆς θαλάσσης ἐγκαθορμίσῃ τὸ ὕδωρ. Ἑορτὴ αὕτη ψευδώνυμος, ἐπαχθείας γέμουσα· καὶ γὰρ ἡ πρόοδος ἐπαχθὴς καὶ ἡ ἔνδον μονὴ οὐκ ἀνενόχλητος. Δημόται γὰρ ἀγύρται καὶ οἱ τῆς ὀρχήστρας θαυματοποιοὶ εἰς τάξεις καὶ συστήματα ἑαυτοὺς καταμερίσαντες ἑκάστην οἰκίαν διοχλοῦσιν· καὶ δῆθεν μὲν εὐφημοῦσι καὶ ἐπικροτοῦσιν, μένουσι δὲ πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις τῶν πρακτήρων εὐτονώτερον, μέχρις ἂν ἀποκναισθεὶς ὁ ἔνδον","english":"The gold of this day is unstable, like the ball of those at play, swiftly sent by me to the other. And it is a strange manner of gift-bearing and service, having the contribution of necessity that cannot be refused. For the greater and glorious man importunes, the lesser asks, and all are moved by degrees toward the bosoms of those who excel. And what happens in the confluence of waters, this one may now see. For there too a slender stream flowing down mingles its currents with the one after it and greater; and that one is covered again by the more flooding one, and many very slender streams gathered together become an addition to a neighboring river; this one again to another greater, and another to another, until the last settles the water in the depth and breadth of the sea. This is a falsely named festival, full of burdensomeness; for the procession is burdensome and the staying within is not without annoyance. For the local beggars and the wonder-workers of the orchestra, dividing themselves into ranks and companies, trouble every house; and ostensibly they applaud and clap, but they remain at the gates of the tax-collectors more strenuously, until the man within, worn out,","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":50,"ref":"p50","source":"πολιορκούμενος προῆται τὸ ἀργύριον ὅπερ ἔχει καὶ ὃ οὐ κέκτηται. Ἀμοιβαδὸν δὲ προσιόντες ταῖς θύραις ἀλλήλους διαδέχονται καὶ μέχρις δείλης ὀψίας ἄνεσις οὐκ ἔστιν τοῦ κακοῦ, ἀλλὰ φατρία φατρίαν καταλαμβάνει καὶ βοὴ βοὴν καὶ ζημία ζημίαν. Αὕτη ἡ βελτίστη ἑορτὴ καὶ δανεισμάτων αἰτία γίνεται τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις, καὶ τούτων ἐντόκων· ἀφορμὴ πενίας, δυστυχημάτων ἀρχή. Ἂν δέ τις διὰ τὸ τῆς οὐσίας ἀναξιόπιστον μηδὲ τοῦ δανείζοντος εὐπορήσῃ, ἕλκεται ὡς ὁ τοὺς φόρους τοὺς βασιλικοὺς ἐλλιπών, δακρύει ὡς ὁ δημευό μενος, ὀλοφύρεται ὡς ὁ λῃσταῖς περιπεσών, φρουρεῖται, μαστίζεται. Ἂν δέ τι μικρὸν ὑπάρχῃ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν εἰς διατροφὴν γαμετῆς καὶ παίδων ἀθλίων, τοῦτο προΐεται· κάθηται δὲ λιμώττων παγγενεὶ ἐπὶ τῆς φαιδρᾶς ἑορτῆς. Καινὸς κακῆς συνηθείας νόμος, ἀηδίαν ἑορτάζεσθαι καὶ ἀπορίαν ἀνθρώπων πανήγυριν λέγεσθαι. Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ τοὺς μικροὺς παῖδας καὶ ἀφελεῖς καὶ ἁπλοϊκοὺς φιλαργύρους εἶναι διδάσκει καὶ παρασκευάζει οἰκίαν ἀμείβειν ἐξ οἰκίας καὶ δῶρα προσφέρειν καινά, ὀπώρας ἀργυρίῳ καθηλωμένας. Ἔστιν δὲ ἡ δόσις τοῦ διπλοῦ ἀντίδοσις καὶ τὸ καπηλικὸν καὶ ἀνελεύθερον ἐντεῦθεν ἄρχεται ἁπαλοῖς τοῖς φρονήμασιν ἐντυποῦσθαι τῶν νέων. Τοὺς δὲ ἱεροὺς καὶ βελτίστους γεωργοὺς οἷα διατίθησιν αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα! Φευκτὴν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἄβατον τὴν πόλιν ἐργάζεται· καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτὴν ἀποδιδράσκουσιν ἢ οἱ λαγοὶ τὰ δίκτυα. Οἱ γὰρ εὑρισκόμενοι μαστίζονται, παροινοῦνται, ἀπολλύουσιν τὰ ἐν χερσίν, ἐν εἰρήνῃ πολεμοῦνται, ἐπιχλευάζονται, κωμῳδοῦνται λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις·","english":"Being besieged, he surrenders the silver that he has and that which he does not possess. Coming in turn to the doors, they succeed one another, and until late evening there is no relief from the evil, but a faction takes over from a faction, a shout from a shout, a loss from a loss. This best of festivals becomes a cause of loans for men, and of interest-bearing ones at that: a starting-point of poverty, the beginning of misfortunes. And if someone, because of the unreliability of his property, does not even have a lender at hand, he is dragged off as one who has fallen short of the imperial taxes, he weeps as one whose property has been confiscated, he wails as one who has fallen in with robbers, he is guarded, he is scourged. And if there is some small thing in the house for the sustenance of a wife and wretched children, he gives it up; and he sits starving with his whole family at the bright festival. A new law of a bad custom, that unpleasantness be celebrated as a festival and the destitution of men be called a public assembly. This day teaches even little children and the simple and naive to be lovers of silver, and prepares them to exchange house for house and to offer new gifts, fruits of the season nailed down with silver. And the giving is a repayment of double, and the hucksterly and illiberal begins from here to be stamped upon the tender minds of the young. But how does this day dispose the sacred and most excellent farmers! It makes the city something to be fled and untrodden for them; and they run away from it more than hares from nets. For those who are found are scourged, are treated with drunken insolence, lose what is in their hands, are warred upon in peace, are mocked, are made a comedy in words and deeds.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":51,"ref":"p51","source":"πληροῦνται τῆς ὕβρεως οἱ βέλτιστοι ἡμῶν προφῆται, τὰ ἀπόνηρα ζῷα, αἱ ἁπλοϊκαὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰκόνες, οἱ ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ πιστοὶ δοῦλοι τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς. Οὕτως μὲν οὖν οἱ ἐν τέλει, οὕτως πένητες, οὕτως παιδία, οὕτως ἄγροικοι. Οἱ μὲν μοχθοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ γογγύζουσιν, οἱ δὲ μανθάνουσιν ἃ μὴ εἰδέναι καλόν. Σκεψώμεθα δὲ ὅπως καὶ οἱ ἔνοπλοι στρατιῶται παρὰ ταύτης ὠφελοῦνται τῆς ἑορτῆς. Εἰς χρήματα ζημιοῦνται καὶ ἑνὸς ἐκπτώματος μισθὸν προσφέρουσιν τὸν ἐπισιτισμὸν τοῦ πολέμου. Εἰς τρόπους καὶ ἤθη βλάπτονται. Μανθάνουσι γὰρ ἀνελευθερίαν, ἐπιτηδεύματα σκηνικῶν, ἔκλυσιν καὶ μαλακίαν ἠθῶν, παιδιὰν κατὰ τῶν νόμων καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἧς ἐτάχθησαν φύλακες. Τὴν γὰρ μεγίστην ἀρχὴν κωμῳδοῦσιν καὶ διασύρουσιν, ἅρμα ὡς ἐπὶ σκηνῆς ἀναβαίνοντες καὶ δορυφόρους πεπλασμένους χειροτονοῦντες καὶ δημοσίᾳ ποιοῦντες τὰ τῶν ἐξυρημένων πρὸς κόνδυλον. Καὶ ταῦτ' ἔστιν τῆς πομπείας τὰ σεμνότερα. Τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πῶς ἄν τις εἴποι; Μὴ καὶ ἐκκαλυψάμενος γυναικίζεται ὁ ἀριστεύς, ὁ τὸν θυμὸν λεοντώδης, ὁ μετὰ τὴν ὅπλισιν θαυμαστὸς ὀφθῆναι τοῖς οἰκείοις καὶ φοβερὸς τοῖς ἐναντίοις· καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα μέχρι τῶν σφυρῶν ἀφίησι καὶ τοῖς στέρνοις περιελίττει τὴν ζώνην καὶ ὑποδήματι κέχρηται γυναικείῳ καὶ τὸν κρώβυλον ἐπιτίθεται τῇ κεφαλῇ, ᾗ γυναιξὶ νόμος· καὶ φέρει τὴν ἠλακάτην ἐρίου γέμουσαν καὶ τῇ δεξιᾷ νῆμα κατάγει, τῇ ποτε φερούσῃ τὸ τρόπαιον· καὶ τὸν τόνον τῆς ψυχῆς ἐναλλάττων τὸ ὀξύτερον καὶ γυναικῶδες φθέγγεται; Ταῦτα τῆς πανηγύρεως τὰ χρηστά· ταῦτα τῆς πανδήμου ἑορτῆς τὰ συμφέροντα σήμερον.","english":"Our best prophets are filled with outrage, the guileless creatures, the simple images of God, the faithful servants of our life in freedom. Thus then do those in office, thus the poor, thus children, thus country folk. Some labor, some murmur, and some learn things that it is not good to know. But let us consider how even the armed soldiers are benefited by this festival. They are fined in money and offer as the wage of a single offense the provisioning of war. They are harmed in character and morals. For they learn illiberality, the practices of stage performers, the relaxation and softness of morals, mockery against the laws and the authority of which they were appointed guardians. For they lampoon and deride the highest authority, mounting a chariot as on a stage, electing fabricated spear-bearers, and publicly performing the deeds of those shaved for the cudgel. And these are the more dignified parts of the procession. But the rest, how could one speak of them? Does not the champion, the man lion-like in his fury, the man wondrous to behold by his own after his arming and fearsome to his enemies, uncover himself and act like a woman? And he lets his tunic down to the ankles and wraps the belt around his breast and uses a woman's sandal and puts on his head the krobylos, as is the custom for women; and he carries the distaff full of wool and with his right hand draws down the thread, the hand that once carried the trophy; and changing the tension of his soul, he speaks in a sharper and womanish voice. These are the good things of the festival; these are the benefits of the public feast today.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":52,"ref":"p52","source":"Καὶ οἱ τῆς κορυφῆς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἀνθρωπικῶν ἐπιβάντες, οἱ πολυθρύλητοι ὕπατοι, τῇ ματαιότητι δαπανῶσι τὸν πλοῦτον, σωροὺς χρημάτων σκορπίζοντες εἰς ἀκαρπίαν δικαιοσύνης καὶ καρπὸν ἁμαρτίας· ὧν τοσοῦτον περιφανὴς ἡ ἀφροσύνη, ὅσον ὑψηλὸς ὁ θρόνος. Πολλοῖς γὰρ ἀνθρωπικοῖς ἐμβατεύσαντες θρόνοις καὶ τὰς μεγίστας τῆς βασιλείας ἀρχὰς διοικήσαντες, λαμβάνουσιν ἀφειδῶς ἀπὸ πάσης τὰ πλεῖστα· οἱ μὲν πενήτων στρατιωτῶν τὸ σιτηρέσιον σφετερισάμενοι, ἄλλοι τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πολλάκις πωλήσαντες, καὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν ταμιείων ἕτεροι ἄφατον ἐξαντλήσαντες πλοῦτον καὶ τὰ πανταχόθεν σπουδαίως ἀθροίσαντες· φεισάμενοι δὲ οὐδενὸς λήμματος, οὐκ ἀπρεποῦς, οὐκ ἀδίκου· καὶ Θεὸν παροξύνοντες προκάθηνται νῦν, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον ἡνιόχοις μερίζοντες τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ\n\nαὐληταῖς κακοδαίμοσι καὶ μίμοις καὶ ὀρχησταῖς καὶ ἀνδρογύνοις καὶ γυναιξὶ πόρναις ὤνιον παρεχούσαις τῷ δημίῳ τὸ σῶμα· καὶ αὖθις θηριομάχοις μιαροῖς καὶ ἀνελπίστοις καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς θηρίοις. Πρόδηλον γάρ, ὡς καὶ τὰ θηρία τρέφει χρυσός, τοῖς μὲν τὰ κρέα, τοῖς δὲ τὴν μάζαν ὠνούμενος. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα προΐενται ὑπὲρ μιᾶς σπουδῆς, ἵνα τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν τῶν συναλλαγμάτων προ γράφηται. Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! Ὢ τῆς τυφλότητος! Θεὸς ἐπαγγέλλεται τῶν πτωχοτρόφων τὰ ὀνομάτα βίβλοις ζώσαις ἐγγράφειν, ταῖς ἀθανάτοις, ταῖς ἀδιαφθόροις, ἃς σὴς οὐκ ἀφανίζει καὶ χρόνος οὐκ ἐξαλείφει· κἀκείνων τῶν γραμμάτων οὐκ ἐρᾷς, οὐδὲ λόγον τινὰ ποιῇ τῆς μακαρίας ἐπαγγελίας, οὐδὲ τῇ μνήμῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγγραφῆναι ζητεῖς; Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βίβλος ἡ ζῶσα.","english":"And those who have climbed to the very summit of human offices, the much-talked-of consuls, squander their wealth in vanity, scattering heaps of money to the barrenness of righteousness and the fruit of sin; whose folly is as conspicuous as their throne is high. For having trodden many human thrones and administered the greatest offices of the kingdom, they take without stint the most from everyone: some seizing the rations of poor soldiers, others often selling justice and truth, and others draining the unspeakable wealth of the royal treasuries and eagerly gathering it from every quarter; sparing no gain, neither shameful nor unjust; and provoking God, they now sit in state, and shortly after distribute gold to charioteers and\n\nto wretched flute-players and mimes and dancers and effeminates and prostitute women who offer their body for sale to the executioner; and again to foul beast-fighters and desperate men and to the beasts themselves. For it is evident that gold feeds even the beasts, buying flesh for some and barley-cake for others. And all these things they lavish for a single ambition, that the names of these very transactions may be inscribed in public records. O the folly! O the blindness! God promises to inscribe the names of those who feed the poor in living books, immortal, incorruptible, which moth does not destroy and time does not erase; and do you not long for those letters, nor give any thought to the blessed promise, nor seek to be inscribed in the memory of God? For this is the living book.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":53,"ref":"p53","source":"Περὶ πολλοῦ δὲ ποιῇ παρὰ τῶν συμβολαιογράφων γράφεσθαι καὶ παρὰ τῶν ὠνουμένων τὰ ἀνδράποδα λαλεῖσθαι καὶ κροτεῖσθαι παρὰ δημοτῶν κολάκων, κακὸς τῆς χρείας τῶν πραγμάτων κριτής, ἀνόητος δοκιμαστὴς τοῦ συμφέροντος. Δὸς τῷ λελωβημένῳ πτωχῷ καὶ μὴ τῷ λελυμένῳ μουσικῷ· χάρισαι πρὸ τῆς πόρνης τῇ χήρᾳ, πρὸ τῆς δημοσίας τῇ σεμνῶς κατακεκλημένῃ. Περιέργασαι ποῦ παρθένος ἁγία Θεῷ ψάλλουσα καὶ μίσησον ψάλτριαν ἀναιδῆ πρὸ τῆς ὄψεως τῷ μέλει τοὺς ἀκολάστους θηρεύουσαν· ἐπάρκεσον ὀρφάνῳ, λῦσον δάνεισμα πένητος, καὶ ὄψει δόξαν διαιωνίζουσαν. Κενοῖς πλῆθος βαλαντίων ὑπὲρ παιδιᾶς ἀσχήμονος καὶ ἀτάκτου γέλωτος, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅσα πενήτων χαρίζῃ δάκρυα ἐξ ὧν συνήχθη ἡ εὐπορία· πόσοι ἐδέθησαν, πόσοι ἐμαστιγώθησαν, πόσοι ἐγγὺς ἦλθον ἀγχόνης καὶ βρόχου, ἵνα σήμερον οἱ ὀρχούμενοι λάβωσιν. Καὶ τί τὸ τέλος; Ματαιότης. Μετὰ πάντα τάφος μικρός, ἐσθὴς ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν τὸ σωμάτιον περιστέλλουσα, λήθη μετ' ὀλίγον, τὸ ἀναγ καῖον πάθος τοῦ χρόνου, πάντα τὰ σπουδασθέντα καλύπτουσα· κρίσις ἐπὶ τούτοις Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς κακῆς προαιρέσεως κόλασις ἀπαραίτητος. Ποῦ οἱ ὕπατοι; Τοὺς χθὲς καὶ πρώην ἀρίθμησον. Οὐχ ὁ μὲν ὡς οἱ κακοῦργοι τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀπετμήθη, πλήθους ὁπλιτεύοντος ἀθρόᾳ κινήσει περιπεσών· ἐπομπεύθη δὲ μετὰ θάνατον μᾶλλον ἢ ὅτε φερόμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ δίφρου ἐγαυρία τοῦ ἀξιώματος; Ἄλλος δὲ μετὰ στρατηγίας τῆς αὐτῆς ταύτης ἐπιτυχὼν τιμῆς, κακῶς ἐν ταῖς ἐσχατιαῖς Αἰγύπτου καὶ τῆς Λιβύης ἀπώλετο φεύγων τῆς καταδίκης τὴν τιμωρίαν, εἶτα ταῖς ψάμμοις ἐντελευτήσας, ἐπειδὴ πᾶσα ἦν ἡ χώρα δι' ἧς ἀπεδίδρασκεν, ἄνυδρος καὶ ἀοίκητος;","english":"But you consider it a great thing to be recorded by the notaries and to be talked about by those who buy slaves and to be applauded by flattering commoners, a poor judge of the usefulness of things, a foolish assessor of what is advantageous. Give to the maimed beggar and not to the loose musician; show favor to the widow before the prostitute, to the woman who sits solemnly at home before the public woman. Look carefully for where a holy virgin sings to God, and hate the shameless female singer who hunts the licentious with her song before their eyes; relieve the orphan, cancel a poor man's debt, and you will see glory that endures forever. You pour out a multitude of purses for shameful jesting and disorderly laughter, not knowing how many tears of the poor you are lavishing, from which your wealth was gathered; how many were bound, how many were scourged, how many came near to the noose and the rope, so that today the dancers might receive it. And what is the end? Vanity. After all things, a small tomb, a garment of a few obols wrapping the little body, forgetfulness soon after, the necessary passion of time, covering over all that was earnestly pursued; upon these things, the judgment of God and the inexorable punishment of evil choice. Where are the consuls? Count those of yesterday and the day before. Was not one beheaded like the criminals, falling upon the massed movement of an armed multitude? And was he not paraded after death more than when, carried on the chariot, he exulted in his rank? And another, after a generalship, having obtained this same honor, perished wretchedly in the farthest parts of Egypt and Libya, fleeing the penalty of condemnation, then dying in the sands, since the whole country through which he was escaping was waterless and uninhabited?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":54,"ref":"p54","source":"Τί δ' ἂν εἴποιμεν πρὸς τὸν ἐκ στρατηγῶν καὶ ὑπάτων, ὁμοίως ἐπὶ τῆς Κολχίδος νῦν χώρας διάγοντα καὶ τῇ τῶν ἐκεῖσε βαρβάρων φιλανθρωπίᾳ διασωζόμενον; Τὸν δὲ ἐξ ὑπάρχων ἐκεῖνον, τόν, ὡς ᾤετο, ἄμαχον καὶ λεοντώδη τὴν γνώμην, οἵα τοῦ βίου καταστροφὴ διεδέξατο! Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἐπεῖδε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ παῖδα ἀποτμηθέντα τῆς κεφαλῆς· εἶτα καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ψῆφον ἐδέξατο καὶ τῆς σχοίνου προσαχθείσης ἤδη τῷ στόματι φιλανθρωπία βασιλικὴ ἐκώλυσεν ἐνεργῆσαι τὸν δήμιον. Ζήσας δὲ ὀλίγον ὀδύναις καὶ συμφοραῖς ὁ πρεσβύτης καὶ τῇ αἰσθήσει τῶν κακῶν ἐπιχρονίσας, ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ ἀπῆλθεν τοῦ βίου, τοῦτο τῆς μεγάλης ὑπατείας τὸ τέλος εὑράμενος. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ παρελθόντος ἐνιαυτοῦ πῶς ἐφρόντισεν μείζονα τῶν γιγάντων, γυναιξὶν ὢν καὶ ἀνδράσιν ἀμφισβητήσιμος; Ῥάβδους κυρίων φύγων, ῥάβδων ὑπατικῶν ἐπεθύμησεν· ἐκτήσατο γῆν ὅσην οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν εὔκολον· ἐτάφη δὲ ἐν τοσαύτῃ, ὅσης ὁ ἐλεήσας μετέδωκεν. Ἆρα οὖν κατὰ τὸν σοφὸν Ἐκκλησιαστὴν οὐ πάντα, ὅσα τοιαῦτα, Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, καὶ φάσματά ἐστιν τὰ ἀξιώματα ἀνυποστάτων ὀνείρων, τέρψαντα πρὸς ὀλίγον, εἶτα παραδραμόντα, ἀνθήσαντα καὶ μαρανθέντα; Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν ἕως τούτου στήσαντες τὸν λόγον δόξαν ἀναπέμψωμεν τῷ Σωτῆρι.","english":"But what should we say of the man who came from the ranks of generals and consuls, now living likewise in the land of Colchis and preserved by the kindness of the barbarians there? And that man from the ranks of prefects, who, as he thought, was invincible and lion-like in spirit—what a downfall of life succeeded him! For first he saw his own son beheaded; then he himself received the sentence of death, and when the rope had already been brought to his mouth, royal clemency prevented the executioner from carrying it out. Having lived a little while in pains and misfortunes, the old man, lingering on in the awareness of his evils, departed from life in dishonor, finding this to be the end of his great consulate. And how did the man of the past year think greater things than the giants, being disputed over by women and men? He fled the rods of masters, he desired the rods of consuls; he acquired land such that it is not easy even to describe; but he was buried in as much as the merciful man apportioned to him. Is it not, then, according to the wise Ecclesiastes, that all such things are vanity of vanities, and that honors are phantoms of unsubstantial dreams, delighting for a little while, then passing by, blooming and withering? Let us, therefore, having stopped the discourse at this point, send up glory to the Savior.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":55,"ref":"p55","source":"5. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἀστερίου ὁμιλία ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Ματθαῖον εὐαγγελίου εἰς τό· Εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν Καλὴ συνωρὶς τῶν δύο τούτων ἡμερῶν τοῖς χριστιανοῖς καὶ φιλοπόνοις τυγχάνει, τοῦ σαββάτου καὶ τῆς κυριακῆς λέγω, ἣν καθ' ἑκάστην ἑβδομάδα ὁ χρόνος ἀνακυκλῶν περιφέρει. Ὡς γὰρ μητέρες ἢ τροφοὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἀθροίζουσι καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας παιδευτὰς προκαθίζουσιν· δημαγωγοῦσι δὲ καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς καὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους εἰς τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπιμέλειαν. Ἐμοὶ τοίνυν ἔτι τῆς χθιζῆς ἡμέρας ὁ λόγος ἐνηχεῖ καὶ ἐγκάθηται τῇ μνήμῃ τὰ πονηθέντα. Βλέπω τὸν σταυρὸν διὰ τῆς προφητείας παρὰ Ἡσαΐου πηγνύμενον καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ Κυρίου ὡς τὰ τοῦ ληνοβάτου κεχρωσμένα τῷ αἵματι, καὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα τὸν μισθὸν πρόχειρον ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς φέροντα. Καὶ τὸν Σολομῶντα θεωρῶ τὰ ζυγὰ ἡμῖν καὶ τοὺς σταθμοὺς ἀκριβοῦντα εἰς δύναμιν. Καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τὸν χρεωφειλέτην οἰκτείρω, μὴ μεταδοῦντα τῷ ὁμοδούλῳ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ἧς παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου μετέλαβεν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἀβουλίας καὶ τῆς σκληρότητος τὴν ἰδίαν συμφορὰν ἀνανεωσάμενον. Τούτοις γὰρ τοῖς κεφαλοίοις κατὰ τὴν παρελθοῦσαν ἐκάμομεν, ὡς ἴστε πάντες οἱ οὐκ ἐν παρέργῳ τὴν ἀκρόασιν θέμενοι. Σήμερον δὲ πάλιν ἡμῖν πολλὰ μὲν καὶ καλὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης τῆς ὁρωμένης τὸ Πνεῦμα κατέθετο. Ἐπέστησα δὲ τὸν νοῦν τοῖς ἀδολέσχαις ὁμοῦ καὶ πειρασταῖς Φαρισαίοις καὶ σφόδρα γε αὐτοὺς τῆς μοχθηρίας τῶν τρόπων ἠλέησα, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ τὴν πηγὴν τῆς σοφίας ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐρωτήσεσιν ἐπεχείρουν κατασοφίζεσθαι·","english":"5. A homily of the same Asterius, from the Gospel according to Matthew, on the text: \"Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?\" A fair pair of days for Christians and lovers of toil are these two, I mean the Sabbath and the Lord's Day, which time, rolling them around, brings about each week. For like mothers or nurses of the church they gather the people together and set the priests, their teachers, in the front seat; and they win over both the disciples and the teachers to the care of souls. For me, then, the word of yesterday's day still resounds, and the things that were labored over sit deep in my memory. I see the cross being fixed by the prophecy of Isaiah, and the garments of the Lord dyed with blood like those of the treader of the winepress, and the Savior carrying the reward ready in his right hand. And I behold Solomon making the scales and the weights exact for us, as far as he can. And from the Gospel I pity the debtor, who did not share with his fellow servant the kindness that he had received from his master, but by his folly and hardness renewed his own misfortune. For with these headings we labored on the day that has passed, as you all know, you who have not treated the hearing as a side matter. But today again there are many things for us, and all beautiful, whatever the Spirit has set down on the table that is seen. But I fixed my mind on the Pharisees, both the babblers and the tempters, and I greatly pitied them for the wickedness of their ways, in that they were attempting to outwit the very fountain of wisdom with their own questions.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":56,"ref":"p56","source":"καὶ τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως ἀπετύγχανον τῆς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς θεότητος εἰς τοὐναντίον αὐτοῖς ἀεὶ περιτρεπούσης τὰ ἐρωτήματα. Περὶ ὧν, μοὶ δοκεῖ, καὶ Ἡσαΐας προφητεύων ἔλεγεν· Ἀποστρέφων φρονίμους εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν μωραίνων καὶ ἱστῶν ῥήματα παιδὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν Δαβίδ· Ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν· κρῖνον αὐτούς, ὁ Θεός· ἀποπεσέτωσαν ἀπὸ τῶν διαβουλιῶν αὐτῶν. Πλὴν χάρις αὐτοῖς, καὶ πολεμίοις τυγχάνουσιν, ὅτι τὴν σοφίαν ἐκίνησαν πρὸς ἀπόκρισιν, ἵνα ἡμῖν τοῖς δούλοις ἀνάγραπτον καταλίπῃ τῶν συμφερόντων τὴν μάθησιν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ γάμος κανονίζεται, πρᾶγμα τοῦ ἀνθρωπικοῦ βίου κεφάλαιον, καὶ τῆς συστάσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς διαλύσεως ἀκριβεῖς νομοθετοῦνται οἱ ὅροι. Ὧν λίαν ἐσπουδασμένως ἀκουσάτω τὰ δύο τάγματα, ἵνα καὶ ἡ γυναικωνῖτις παιδευθῇ τὰ ἴδια καὶ ἡ ἀνδρωνῖτις ὠφεληθῇ τὰ ἐξαίρετα. Εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν. Τοῦτο μὲν τῶν Ἑβραίων τὸ πρόβλημα. Ἐγὼ πρὸς τῶν ἄλλων τὸν σκοπὸν βλέπω τῆς ἐρωτήσεως.","english":"and they were failing in their attempt, since the divinity of the Only-Begotten always turned their questions to the opposite. Concerning which, it seems to me, Isaiah also spoke prophetically, saying: \"Turning the wise backward and making their counsel foolish, and establishing the words of his child\"; and again David: \"With their tongues they dealt deceitfully; judge them, O God; let them fall from their counsels.\" Nevertheless, thanks be to them, even though they are enemies, because they stirred up wisdom for an answer, so that it might leave to us, his servants, a written record of the learning of profitable things. For behold, marriage is being regulated, a matter that is the chief thing of human life, and precise boundaries are being legislated for its constitution and its dissolution. Let the two orders hear these things with great eagerness, so that the women's quarters may be taught their own duties and the men's quarters may be benefited in the things that excel. \"Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?\" This is the Hebrews' problem. I, before others, look to the aim of the question.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":57,"ref":"p57","source":"Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν γένος εὐκολώτερόν ἐστι πρὸς τὸ πείθεσθαι καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπε κλίνετο πρός τε τὴν τῶν τεράτων μεγαλουργίαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν συγκατά θεσιν καὶ πίστιν τῆς θεότητος τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὕτω τοι καὶ τελευταῖον τῶν ἀνδροφόνων τῶν τῇ γνώμῃ πρὸς τὸν σταυρὸν ἑλκόντων τὸν Κύριον, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τὸ πάθος ἀπεθρήνει καὶ ἀκολουθοῦν τῷ Σωτῆρι ἐλεεινῶς ἀπεδάκρυεν, ἵνα τινὰ προσκρουσμὸν καὶ δυσμένειαν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ σύστημα τῶν γυναικῶν μηχανήσωνται διὰ τῆς δολερᾶς ἐρωτήσεως, αὐτοὶ μὲν τὰ θήρατρα, ὡς ἐνόμιζον, καὶ τοὺς βρόχους τοὺς διὰ τῶν λόγων ἐπήξαντο· ὁ δὲ Κύριος τῇ δυνάμει τῆς θεότητος βλέπων τοῦ κατασκευαζομένου τὴν κακουργίαν, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τὰ φιλάνθρωπα δογματίζων τῷ βίῳ, κἀκείνοις τὴν ἔνεδραν ματαίαν ἀπεργα ζόμενος, συνηγοροῦσαν ταῖς γυναιξὶ προβάλλεται τὴν ἀπόκρισιν· λύκους κενοὺς ἀποπέμψας τοὺς Φαρισαίους διακενῆς τῷ ἐρωτήματι περιχήναντας. Αὐτή, φησί, ἡ κτίσις συναφείας καὶ οὐ διαλύσεως ἐπιδείκνυται τὸν σκοπόν· καὶ τοῦ γάμου πρῶτος νυμφοστόλος ἐστὶν ὁ Δημιουργὸς τοὺς πρωτοπλάστους ἀνθρώπους τῷ γαμικῷ συζεύξας δεσμῷ, δοὺς δὲ τοῖς","english":"For since the race of women is more easily inclined to be persuaded, and was more drawn both to the mighty working of miracles and to the assent and faith of the divinity of Christ, so indeed also at the last, when the murderers in their intent were dragging the Lord to the cross, the multitude of women both bewailed the suffering and, following the Savior, wept piteously, so that they might contrive some offense and ill will for him against the company of women through their deceitful question. They themselves, as they thought, set up the snares and the nooses made of words; but the Lord, seeing by the power of his divinity the wickedness of what was being contrived, and at the same time establishing in the world the things that are loving toward humanity, and making their ambush vain, brings forward an answer that speaks in defense of the women, sending away the Pharisees as empty wolves, who gaped in vain at the question. This very creation, he says, shows its purpose to be union and not dissolution; and the first giver of the bride is the Creator, who joined the first-formed human beings with the marriage bond, and gave to them","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":58,"ref":"p58","source":"γενησομένοις εἰς ἔπειτα τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς συνοικήσεως ἀπαραίτητον, ἣν τιμᾶν προσῆκεν ὡς νόμον Θεοῦ. Οἱ δὲ ἀλλήλοις συναφθέντες οὐκ ἔτι εἰσὶ δύο, ἀλλὰ σὰρξ μία· ὥστε ὃ συνέζευξεν ὁ Θεός, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω. Ἐλέχθη μὲν ταῦτα τοῖς Φαρισαίοις τότε· ἀκούσατε δὲ νῦν, οἱ τούτων κάπηλοι καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ὡς ἱμάτια εὐκόλως μετενδυόμενοι· οἱ τὰς παστάδας πολλάκις καὶ ῥᾳδίως πηγνύντες ὡς πανηγύρεως ἐργαστήρια· οἱ τὰς εὐπορίας γαμοῦντες καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἐμπορευόμενοι· οἱ μικρὸν παροξυνόμενοι καὶ εὐθὺς τὸ βιβλίον τῆς διαιρέσεως γράφοντες· οἱ πολλὰς χήρας ἐν τῷ ζῆν ἔτι καταλιμπάνοντες. Πείσθητε, ὅτι γάμος θανάτῳ μόνῳ καὶ μοιχείᾳ διακόπτεται. Οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἑταιρίδων ὀλίγος ἡμερῶν ἀριθμὸς πειράζει τὴν συμβίωσιν καὶ μόνην θηρεύει τὴν ἡδονήν, οὕτως ἐστὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν νόμῳ καὶ θεσμῷ τελουμένων· ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, μία τις ἕνωσις γίνεται καὶ σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς, ὡς καὶ τὸ ἦθος τῷ ἤθει συνανακιρνᾶσθαι καὶ τὴν σάρκα τῇ σαρκὶ τρόπον τινὰ συνδεδέσθαι. Πῶς οὖν ἀπαθῶς διατέμνῃ; Πῶς εὐκόλως καὶ χωρὶς ἀλγηδόνος ἀναχωρεῖς, βίου κοινωνὸν λαβών, οὐκ ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν ὑπηρέτιν, τὴν ἀδελφὴν καὶ γυναῖκα; Ἀδελφὴν μὲν κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς πλάσεως καὶ τῆς δημιουργίας ἀφ' ἑνὸς γὰρ αἰτίου τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὕλης ὑπέστητε· γυναῖκα δὲ διὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν τῆς συζυγίας, διὰ τὸν νόμον τοῦ γάμου. Ποῖον οὖν διαρρήξεις δεσμὸν καὶ νόμῳ δεδεμένος καὶ φύσει; Πῶς δὲ ἀθετήσεις τὰς ὁμολογίας ἃς ἐπὶ τῷ γάμῳ κατέθου; Καὶ ποίας με οἴει λέγειν;","english":"For those who come together afterward, the sequence of living together is unavoidable, which it is fitting to honor as the law of God. And those who have been joined to one another are no longer two, but one flesh; so what God has joined together, let no man separate. These things were said to the Pharisees then; but hear them now, you who traffic in these things and change wives as easily as garments; you who often and readily set up bridal chambers as workshops for a festival; you who marry wealth and trade in women; you who are provoked a little and immediately write the bill of divorce; you who leave behind many widows while still alive. Be persuaded that marriage is broken only by death and adultery. For it is not as in the case of courtesans, where a small number of days tests the union and seeks only pleasure, that things are with those who are married by law and ordinance; but quite the opposite, O man: there becomes a certain single union of both body and soul, so that character is mingled with character and flesh is bound to flesh in a certain way. How then do you cut it apart without feeling? How do you depart easily and without pain, having taken as a partner of life—not as a servant for a few days—the sister and wife? A sister according to the account of formation and creation, for you came into being from one cause, the earth, and the same material; and a wife through the union of marriage, through the law of marriage. What bond, then, will you break, bound as you are by both law and nature? And how will you set aside the agreements you made at your marriage? And what kind do you think I mean?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":59,"ref":"p59","source":"Ἆρα τῆς προικὸς τῆς συγγραφείσης ἐνταῦθα, ὅτε τῇ σαυτοῦ χειρὶ ἐπεσημήνω τῷ βιβλίῳ ἐπισφραγιζόμενος τὰ τελούμενα; Ἰσχυρὰ μὲν γὰρ κἀκεῖνα καὶ ἱκανὴν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἔχοντα· πλὴν ἐγὼ πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐμαυτὸν ἀναφέρω· Τοῦτο σὰρξ ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν μου καὶ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν μου· αὕτη κληθήσεται μου γυνή. Αὕτη ἡ φωνὴ οὐ μάτην ἀνάγραπτος σώζεται, ἀλλὰ κοινή ἐστιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁμολογία, δι' ἑνὸς προσώπου τοῦ πρώτου τούτου κοίνῳ πλήθει τῶν γυναικῶν ἐκτεθεῖσα τῶν νόμῳ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν συναπτομένων. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ ἐξ ὧν ἄλλος εἶπεν, ἄλλος εὐθύνεται. Πάντα γὰρ ὅσα περὶ τῶν πρωτοπλάστων ἐν ἀρχαῖς συνέβη, ταῦτα τοῦ ἀκολούθου γένους φύσις ἐγένετο. Ἂν οὖν λαβοῦσα τὸ τῆς κοσμοποιίας βιβλίον ἡ μάτην ἀφιεμένη γύνη ἑλκύσῃ σε πρὸς τὸν δικαστήν δικαστὴν τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ μάρτυρα, τί λέξεις, εἰπέ; Πῶς ἐξαλείψεις τὴν σαυτοῦ φωνήν, ἣν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ ἐποιήσω, ἧς συγγραφεὺς ἀντὶ εὐώνου συμβολαιογράφου Μωϋσῆς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ θεράπων ἐγένετο; Ἀπάτορα καὶ ἀμήτορα τὴν γυναῖκα ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἐξέδοτο καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὡς ἀγαθὸς κηδεμὼν τὴν ὀρφανὴν ἠσφαλίσατο· τοῖς τῆς μητρὸς δὲ νῦν δικαιώμασιν ἰσχυρῶς αἱ θυγατέρες κέχρηνται κατὰ τῶν ἀγνωμόνων καὶ ἀπίστων ἀνδρῶν, ὥστε σοι παντα χόθεν ἡ καταφρόνησις τῆς γαμετῆς ἀδύνατος, καὶ ἀρχαίοις νόμοις τοῖς θείοις καὶ νέοις τοῖς ἀνθρωπικοῖς δεδεμένῳ. Δυσωπείτω δέ σε καὶ τὸ χρήσιμον τῆς γυναικὸς πρὸς τὸν βίον. Μέλος ὑπάρχει, βοηθός ἐστιν· συνεργὸς εἰς διαγωγὴν τοῦ βίου, εἰς παίδων γένεσιν· νόσου ἐπίκουρος, θλίψεων παραμυθία, φύλαξ τῆς ἑστίας, θησαυρὸς τῶν κτημάτων·","english":"Was it not for the dowry written down here, when you put your own hand to the document, sealing what was being completed? For those things too are strong and have sufficient security; yet I refer myself to the voice of Adam: This is flesh from my flesh and bone from my bones; this one shall be called my woman. This voice is not preserved in writing in vain, but it is the common confession of human beings, set forth through the one person of this first man for the common multitude of women who are joined to men by law. And do not wonder if, from what one man said, another is held accountable. For all things that happened in the beginning concerning the first-formed parents became the nature of the succeeding race. If, then, the woman who is dismissed in vain takes the book of the creation of the world and drags you before the judge—the same judge and witness—tell me, what will you say? How will you erase your own voice, which you made before God, of which Moses the servant of God became the recorder instead of a cheap notary? God gave the woman to Adam without father and without mother, and for this reason, as a good guardian, he secured the orphan; but now daughters strongly use the rights of the mother against senseless and faithless husbands, so that contempt of your wife is impossible for you from every side, bound as you are by both the ancient divine laws and the new human ones. Let the usefulness of the woman for life also persuade you. She is a limb, she is a helper; a co-worker for the conduct of life, for the generation of children; a helper in sickness, a consolation in afflictions, a guardian of the hearth, a treasure of possessions.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":60,"ref":"p60","source":"τὰ αὐτὰ λυπουμένη, τὰ αὐτὰ χαίρουσα· κοινὸν κεκτημένη τὸν πλοῦτον, εἰ παρείη· τὴν μοχθηρὰν οἰκονομοῦσα πενίαν, εὐμηχάνως καὶ καρτερῶς ἀντέχουσα πρὸς τὰ παρ' ἐκείνης ὀδυνηρά, ἐπιμόχθου παιδοτροφίας ἀνεχομένη διὰ τὴν πρὸς σὲ συνοίκησιν. Ἂν δέ που καὶ περίστασις καταλάβῃ πραγμάτων, βαπτισθεὶς ἀφανίζεται· οἱ δὲ νομιζόμενοι φίλοι τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εὐπραγίας τὴν φιλίαν μετροῦντες ὑποχωροῦσιν ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς· οἱ δοῦλοι καὶ τὸν δεσπότην ὁμοῦ καὶ τὰς συμφορὰς δραπετεύουσιν. Λείπεται λοιπὸν ἡ γυνή, τοῦ νοσοῦντος μέρους τὸ μέλος καὶ τῶν κακῶν δούλη καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς θεραπείας, τὸ δάκρυον ἀποψῶσα· τὴν πληγήν, ἂν μαστιχθῇ, θεραπεύουσα· ἀκολουθοῦσα πρὸς δεσμωτήριον ἀγομένῳ· κἂν μέν τις ἀφῇ συνεισελθεῖν, ἡδέως τῆς καθείρξεως\n\nκοινωνεῖ· ἂν δὲ κωλυθῇ καὶ τοῦτο, ταῖς θύραις τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου, ὡς κυνίδιον τῷ δεσπότῃ σύνηθες, παραμένει. Ἔγνων ἐγὼ γυναῖκα καὶ τὴν κόμην κείρασαν καὶ ἀνδρικὴν περιθεμένην ἐσθῆτα καὶ ταύτην ἀνθεινήν, ἵνα ἀνδρὸς φεύγοντος καὶ κρυπτομένου μὴ χωρισθῇ. Δοῦλος δὲ εἶναι δοκοῦσα, ἀληθῶς δουλεύει τῷ πόθῳ· καὶ τοῦτον τὸν βίον ἐν πολλοῖς ἔτεσιν διετέλεσεν, τόπον ἐκ τόπου καὶ ἐρημίαν ἐξ ἐρημίας ἀμείβουσα. Τοιαύτην δὲ καὶ τοῦ καρτερωτάτου Ἰὼβ εὑρίσκομεν τὴν γυναῖκα. Κατέλιπον γὰρ κἀκεῖνον οἱ πάντες καὶ οἱ κόλακες τῷ πλούτῳ συναπερρύησαν καὶ οἱ φίλοι τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εὐπραγίας τὴν φιλίαν ἐμέτρησαν. Εἰ δέ που καὶ παρεγένοντο, ὄνειδος ἦν ἡ παρουσία καὶ οὐκ ἐπίσκεψις· ἐπιθήκη τῆς συμφορᾶς, οὐ παραμυθία. Διὸ δὴ καὶ οἱ παρακλήτορες κακῶν πάντες πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀπεσχετλίασαν.","english":"Grieving the same things, rejoicing in the same things; possessing their wealth in common, if it be present; managing wretched poverty, resourcefully and steadfastly holding out against the pains that come from it, enduring the toil of child-rearing because of her living together with you. But if ever a crisis of circumstances overtakes him, once submerged he disappears; and those considered friends, measuring friendship by the season of prosperity, withdraw in times of danger; slaves flee both the master and the disasters together. What remains, then, is the woman, the limb of the ailing part and both slave of the evils and of her husband's care, wiping away the tear; healing the wound, if he be scourged; following him when he is led to prison; and if someone allows her to enter in with him, she gladly shares the confinement; but if this too is prevented, she stays at the doors of the prison, like a little dog accustomed to its master. I have known a woman who both cut off her hair and put on men's clothing, and this of a manly sort, so that she might not be separated from her husband as he fled and hid. And seeming to be a slave, she truly serves her longing; and this life she continued for many years, exchanging place for place and desert for desert. Such a woman we find the wife of the most steadfast Job to be as well. For all had abandoned that man too, and the flatterers had flowed away together with his wealth, and his friends had measured friendship by the season of prosperity. And if ever they did come, their presence was a reproach and not a visitation; an addition to the misfortune, not a consolation. Therefore indeed all those comforters of evils railed against him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":61,"ref":"p61","source":"Μόνη δὲ ἡ ποτὲ περιφανὴς ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας τῷ ἀνδρὶ συνεκάθητο ἀποξέουσα τὸν ἰχῶρα καὶ τοὺς σκώληκας τῶν τραυμάτων ἐξέλκουσα. Οὕτως τοῦ βίου κοινωνός, οὐ τῆς εὐπραγίας σύνοικος· ἀχώριστος φίλος, οὐ κόλαξ τῶν ἡδονῶν· πάσης εὐκληρίας καὶ πάντων φιλτάτων καὶ συγ γενῶν μόνον ἀγαθὸν λείψανον. Διόπερ ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας καὶ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν φιλανδρίας καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῆς βλασφημίας ἐξέπεσεν, ἵνα μὴ μακρὰ κολάζηται ὁ ἀνήρ, μηδὲ βλέπῃ αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς ἀληκτοῖς ὀδύναις, εἰπεῖν τι ῥῆμα βλάσφημον εἰς Θεὸν συμβουλεύουσα καὶ ταχεῖαν τὴν τελευτὴν ὑπελθεῖν. Τὴν γὰρ ἰδίαν λοιπὸν συμφορὰν τὴν τῆς χηρείας οὐκ ἐλογίζετο· ἓν δὲ μόνον ἐμερίμνα, ὅπως τὴν ἀβίωτον ζωὴν ὁ ἀνὴρ διαφύγοι. Ταῦτα μετὰ τῆς νέας πείρας καὶ ἡ μνήμη τῶν παλαιῶν παιδεύει τὸν τῶν γάμων ὑβριστήν. Τί δ' ἂν εἴποι πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ τῆς κατηγορίας ὑπεύθυνος; Ποίαν δὲ εὐπρόσωπον ἀπολογίαν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ εὐκολίας προβάλοιτο; Φαῦλον, φησίν, καὶ μίσους ἄξιον τὸ ἦθος τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα προπετὴς καὶ ὁ τρόπος οὐκ οἰκουρὸς καὶ ἀνοικονόμητος ἡ διοίκησις. Ἔστω· δεδόσθω. Πείθομαι τέως καὶ δέχομαι, ὡς οἱ μὴ σφόδρα τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀκριβεῖς δικασταί, εὐκόλως δὲ ταῖς καταδρομαῖς τῶν κατηγόρων παρα συρόμενοι. Σὺ δὲ εἰπέ· Τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀγόμενος οὐκ ἐγίνωσκες ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ συνάπτῃ; Ἀνθρώπου δέ τις ἀκούσας οὐκ εὐθὺς ὁρᾷ τὴν γοῦν μικρὰν ἁμαρτίαν ἀκολουθοῦσαν; Θεοῦ γὰρ μόνου τὸ ἀνεπίληπτον. Αὐτὸς δὲ ἆρα οὐχ ἁμαρτάνεις; Οὐ παρέχεις δὲ λύπας ἐκ τοῦ τρόπου τῇ γυναικί; Ἀθῶος δὲ εἶ πάσης πλημμελείας καὶ τῇ συνοικήσει τὸν θεσμὸν τηρεῖς ἀδιάφθορον;","english":"She alone, once so distinguished, sat with her husband on the dung-heap, scraping off the ichor and drawing out the worms from his wounds. Thus she was a partner in his life, not a companion of his prosperity; an inseparable friend, not a flatterer of pleasures; the only good remnant of every felicity and of all dearest kin. Therefore it was from the utmost and excessive love for her husband that she fell into the sin of blasphemy, so that her husband might not be punished long, nor see him in unceasing pains, advising him to speak some blasphemous word against God and to undergo a swift death. For she no longer reckoned her own misfortune, that of widowhood; she cared for one thing only, how her husband might escape a life not worth living. These things, together with her fresh experience and the memory of former things, teach the mocker of marriage. What then would the one liable to the accusation say to these things? What plausible defense of his own fickleness could he put forward? Wretched, he says, and worthy of hatred is the woman's character, and her tongue reckless, and her manner not housekeeping, and her management not well-ordered. So be it; let it be granted. For the present I am persuaded and accept it, as judges not very exact in hearing, but easily dragged along by the assaults of accusers. But you, tell me: when you were first led in marriage, did you not know that you were joining yourself to a human being? And has anyone who hears of a human being not immediately seen at least the small sin that follows? For freedom from blame belongs to God alone. But do you yourself not sin? Do you not give griefs to your wife by your manner? Are you innocent of every transgression and do you keep the ordinance of living together undefiled?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":62,"ref":"p62","source":"Ὦ πόσας σου τυχὸν παροινίας ἤνεγκεν ἡ γυνή! Πόσων δὲ προχείρων ὕβρεων καὶ λόγων ἀσέμνων ἠνέσχετο! Ὅσα δέ σου ἐλαττώματα σιγᾶται, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐδημοσίευσεν ἡ γυνή! Ἠνέσχετό σου καὶ μάτην ὀργιζομένου καὶ τῷ θυμῷ ὑπερζέοντος· καὶ ἡ ἐλευθέρα καὶ ὁμότιμος ἐσιώπησεν ὡς δούλη τῶν ἐκ πωλητηρίου. Καὶ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα μὴ χορηγοῦντι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου διαγωγὴν διὰ πενίαν ἢ φειδωλίαν οὐκ ὠνείδισεν λυπουμένη· οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐκ συμποσίου ἐλθόντα ποτὲ καὶ οἰνωμένον καὶ ἔκφρονα ἀπέρριψε τῆς μέθης μισήσασα, ἀλλὰ ὑπεδέξατο μετὰ συγγνώμης ἀνθρωπικῆς καὶ ἐχειραγώγησέ σε τὸν κολάζοντα καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐθεράπευσεν τοῖς ἀτμοῖς περιδονουμένην τοῦ οἴνου· ὡδήγησεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν κοίτην τὴν γαμικὴν μόνη συμπαθοῦσα, τῶν οἰκετῶν γελώντων καὶ ἐπιχλευαζόντων τὴν ἐκ τῆς μέθης παραφοράν. Σὺ δὲ τὰ ἄμφοδα περινοστεῖς ἐπὶ ψυχραῖς αἰτίαις ἐκτραγῳδῶν τὴν γυναῖκα, ἵνα σαυτῷ τὴν συγγνώμην παρασκευάσῃς τῆς προχείρου διαιρέσεως. Σκληρὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνδρῶν ἡ γνώμη, θηριώδης καὶ ἀμείλικτος, ἐκ δρυὸς ἢ ἐκ πέτρας, κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον, τὴν γέννησιν ἔχουσα. Πάντων γὰρ ὁμοῦ τὴν μνήμην ἐξαλείψαντες ἀπαθῶς διατέμνονται. Τίς δὲ μέλος νοσῆσαν ἀντὶ τοῦ θεραπεύειν ἐκκόπτει, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐπικινδύνου πάθους ἐνσκήψαντος, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν ἔχοντος καὶ ῥᾳδίαν τῆς ἰάσεως τὴν ἐλπίδα; Ἐπεγένετο φλύκταινα τῇ χειρί, ἐπιμελῶς αὐτὴν θεραπεύσωμεν· φλεγμονὴ τὸν πόδα διώχλησεν, φαρμάκῳ τὴν ἐξοίδησιν","english":"O how many drunken fits of yours your wife perhaps endured! How many ready insults and indecent words did she put up with! How many of your failings are passed over in silence, because your wife did not make them public! She endured you even when you were angry to no purpose and boiling over with rage; and she, a free woman and your equal in honor, kept silent like a slave bought from the slave-market. And when you failed to provide the necessities for the conduct of life, whether through poverty or stinginess, she did not reproach you in her distress; nor indeed, when you once came from a banquet drunk and out of your senses, did she cast you off in hatred of the drunkenness, but received you with human forgiveness and led you by the hand—you, her punisher—and tended your head as it swam with the fumes of wine; and she guided you to the marriage bed, alone sympathizing with you, while the servants laughed and mocked the frenzy of your drunkenness. But you go about the streets on trivial pretexts, making a tragic display of your wife, so that you may procure for yourself forgiveness for your hasty divorce. Hard is the mind of such men, beast-like and implacable, having its birth, as the saying goes, from an oak or from a rock. For having erased the memory of all things together, they cut themselves off without feeling. But who cuts off a diseased limb instead of healing it, and that when no dangerous affliction has set in, but one that has much and easy hope of cure? A blister has appeared on the hand—let us treat it carefully; an inflammation has troubled the foot—let us reduce the swelling with a remedy","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":63,"ref":"p63","source":"καταστείλωμεν. Εἰ δὲ παρέντες τὴν τῶν ἰατρῶν ἐπίσκεψιν περὶ τὴν τομὴν καὶ τὸν σίδηρον ἀσχοληθείημεν καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν λυπούντων, οὐδὲ μικρὸν τῆς ζωῆς διαγενόμενοι χρόνον πᾶσι τοῖς μέλεσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἀκρωτηριάσωμεν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως, ὦ ἄνδρες· ἔστω τις μνήμη καὶ τῶν κώλων· δυσωπεί τωσαν ὑμᾶς αἱ θεραπεῖαι τῶν γυναικῶν. Ὅσον δ' ἂν παροξυνθῆτε, ἑνὸς τόκου τὴν ὠδῖνα ἀντιθέντες ταῖς μέμψεσιν εὑρήσετε νικωμένην τὴν τῶν λυπούντων περίστασιν. Ἀναφερέτω ὁ ἀναλογισμὸς εἰς μέσον καὶ τῆς εὐνοίας τὰ ἀγαθά· νόσων θεραπείας, συμφορῶν κοινωνίαν, δάκρυα τὰ ὑπὲρ ἀνδρὸς προσαχθέντα τισίν, τὸ καταλιπεῖν τοὺς γεννησαμένους καὶ ἑστίαν γονικὴν καὶ ἀκολουθῆσαι τῷ ξένῳ, τὸ πωλῆσαί τι τῶν οἰκείων, ἵνα ὕβριν καὶ ὄχλησιν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐξωνήσηται. Ταῦτα πάντα παιδαγωγείτω πρὸς τὴν διάθεσιν καὶ γινέσθω σύνδεσμος τῆς στοργῆς, οἷον οἰκίαν τινὰ σαθροτέραν τὴν εὐόλισθον ψυχὴν διεγείροντα καὶ συνέχοντα. Ἔλεος δὲ κρατείτω καὶ συνήθεια καὶ μακροῦ χρόνου συμβίωσις μὴ πατείσθω, ἥτις καὶ τὰ ἄλογα ποιεῖ τῶν ζῴων ἀχωρίστως ἔχειν ἀλλήλων. Ἐμπαθῶς γὰρ εἶδον ἐγὼ βοῦν μυκώμενον, ἐπειδὴ τῶν συννόμων ἀποπλανηθεὶς ἐμονώθη, καὶ πρόβατον ἐν νάπῃ βληχώμενον καὶ διατρέχον τὰ ὄρη, μέχρις ἂν τῇ ἀγέλῃ συνάψῃ, ἧς ἐχωρίσθη νεμόμενον. Αἲξ δὲ ταὐτὸ τοῦτο παθοῦσα, κἂν πολλὰς ἀγέλας αἰγῶν διατρέχουσα καταλάβῃ, οὐ πρότερον ἵσταται, πρὶν ἂν τὴν συνήθη εὕρῃ καὶ τὸν αἰπόλον τὸν ἴδιον.","english":"Let us restrain ourselves. But if we set aside the physicians' examination and occupy ourselves with the knife and the scalpel, cutting away each of the things that cause pain, then before we have lived even a little time of life we shall have mutilated ourselves in all our limbs. But not so, O men; let there be some remembrance also of the limbs; let the care given by your wives shame you into it. However much you may be provoked, if you set the pangs of a single childbirth against your complaints, you will find that the assault of the things that cause pain is overcome. Let your reckoning bring into the midst also the good things of her goodwill: the healing of illnesses, the sharing of misfortunes, the tears shed for a husband's sake by some women, the leaving of their parents and their ancestral home and following a stranger, the selling of some of their own possessions so as to buy back their husband from outrage and harassment. Let all these things train you toward the right disposition and become a bond of affection, rousing and holding together the soul that slips easily, like some rather unsound house. And let mercy prevail, and let not habit and the long companionship of time be trampled underfoot, which makes even the irrational animals hold inseparably to one another. For I have seen with emotion an ox lowing because, having strayed from its herd-mates, it was left alone, and a sheep bleating in a glen and running over the mountains until it joins the flock from which it was separated while grazing. And a goat, suffering this same thing, even if it runs through many flocks of goats and reaches them, does not stop before it finds its accustomed companion and its own goatherd.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":64,"ref":"p64","source":"Μὴ τοίνυν ἀπαθέστεροι πρὸς φιλίαν εὑρεθῶμεν τῶν ἀλόγων οἱ λογικοί, μηδὲ ἀτιμωτέραν τὴν γαμετὴν κρίνωμεν συνοδοιπόρου τινὸς ἢ τοῦ διὰ μικρὰν πρόφασιν ἐν ὀλίγῳ προσφιλιωθέντος. Ὁρᾷς ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς λεωφόρου ἀλλήλοις συμμίξαντες ἄνθρωποι, ὄροφον δὲ καταγωγίου τὸν αὐτὸν ὑπελθόντες ἢ δένδρον ἀμφιλαφὲς ὥρᾳ θέρους τὴν μεσημβρίαν ἀποσκιάσαν, ἀφορμὴν διαθέσεως γνησίας τὴν συντυχίαν ποιοῦνται· κἂν ἔλθωσιν ἐπὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν μερίζουσαν, ἀπαθῶς ἀλλήλων οὐκ ἀπαλλάττονται, ἀλλ' ἵστανται καὶ ὑποδακρύουσιν βλέποντες ἀτενὲς εἰς ἀλλήλους, καὶ σύμβολα μνήμης ἕκαστος δίδωσιν φέρειν· καὶ μικρὸν προβάντες πάλιν μεταστρέφονται καὶ ἀνακαλοῦσιν, ἐπεύχεται δὲ ἕτερος τῷ ἑτέρῳ τὰ αἴσια· καὶ ὀλίγος χρόνος οὕτως ὀξυτάτην κίρνησι τὴν φιλίαν, ὡς δυσαπάλλακτον αὐτοῖς γίνεσθαι καὶ βεβιασμένην τὴν ἀναχώρησιν; Σὺ δὲ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου κοινωνὸν οὕτως καταφρονητικῶς ἔχεις, ὡς πρὸς σκεῦος ἀποπεσὸν ἢ ἱμάτιον εὐτελὲς ἐν ὁδοιπορίᾳ ληθαργηθὲν ἢ κυνίδιον τῶν Μελιττέων ὑποχωρῆσαν οἰκίας; Καὶ ποῦ ἡ ἐν ἀρχαῖς πεπλασμένη διάθεσις; Ποῦ ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς μιᾶς κοίτης ἀνάπαυσις, ἡ τοῦ νόμου σύνειρξις, ἡ τῆς πολλῆς καὶ μακρᾶς συνηθείας δύναμις, ἣν καὶ εἰς φύσιν μεταποιεῖσθαι καὶ λόγος ἔχει καὶ ἡ πεῖρα ὑπέδειξεν; Πάντα διέκοψας εὐκολώτερον ἢ ὁ Σαμψὼν τὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καλώδια. Καίτοι ὅγε σώφρων καὶ τῆς διαθέσεως φύλαξ οὐδὲ ἀναχωρησάσης τοῦ βίου τῆς γαμετῆς ῥᾳδίως ἐπιλανθάνεται, ἀλλὰ θάλπει τοὺς παῖδας ὡς κοινὴν παρακαταθήκην τῆς μητέρος καὶ τῆς φύσεως, ἐν ἐκείνοις δὲ καθορᾶν δοκεῖ τὴν ἀπελθοῦσαν.","english":"Let us not, then, we who are rational be found less affectionate toward friendship than the irrational creatures, nor let us judge a wife to be of less honor than some fellow traveler or one who has been made a friend in a short time for a slight pretext. Do you see how even on the highway people who have met one another, or who have entered under the same roof of an inn or a spreading tree that shaded the noon in summer, make their chance meeting an occasion of genuine affection? And even if they come to the road that divides them, they do not part from one another without feeling, but they stand and shed a few tears, gazing intently at each other, and each gives tokens of remembrance to carry away; and having gone forward a little they turn back again and call out, and each prays for the other things that are auspicious; and a short time thus mixes a most keen friendship, so that their departure becomes hard to break off and forced? But you are so contemptuous toward the partner of your life as toward a fallen vessel or a cheap cloak forgotten on a journey or one of the Maltese puppies that has withdrawn from the house? And where is the disposition formed in the beginning? Where is the rest upon one bed, the yoking together by law, the power of much and long companionship, which both reason holds to be transformed even into nature, and experience has shown? You have broken through all things more easily than Samson the cords of the foreigners. And yet the prudent man and guardian of affection does not easily forget his wife even when she has departed from life, but he warms the children as a common deposit of the mother and of nature, and in them he seems to behold the one who has gone away.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":65,"ref":"p65","source":"Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῶν παίδων τῆς μητρικῆς φωνῆς ὁμοιότητα σώζει, ἄλλος τὸ πολὺ τοῦ χαρακτῆρος ἐφέλκεται, ἕτερος τὴν τοῦ ἤθους κατάστασιν ἐμορφώθη πρὸς τὴν τεκοῦσαν· καὶ οὕτως ὁ πατὴρ πολλὰς ἔχων τῆς γαμετῆς εἰκόνας ζώσας καὶ ἐναργεῖς ἀθάνατον ὑποτυποῦται τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνην συνοίκησιν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲν φιλήδονον ἐννοεῖ· οὐ σήμερον χώσας τὸν τάφον μετ' ὀλίγον χρόνον παστάδας κατασκευάζει· οὐδὲ μετὰ τὸ δάκρυον καὶ τοὺς στεναγμοὺς ἐπὶ γαμικὴν πάλιν χορείαν ἐπείγεται· οὐδὲ τὴν μέλαιναν ἐσθῆτα καὶ πενθικὴν εἰς νυμφικὴν διαμείβει στολήν· οὐδὲ θερμῇ τῇ κοίτῃ τῆς ἀπελθούσης τὴν δευτέραν γαμετὴν ἐπεισάγει· οὐδὲ μητρυιὰν δίδωσι τοῖς παισί, τὸ ἐπαχθὲς ὄνομα. Μιμεῖται δὲ τῶν τρυγόνων τὴν ἄλογον καὶ φυσικὴν σεμνότητα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνην τὴν ὄρνιν, φασίν, τῆς ὁμοβίου διαζευχθεῖσαν ἀγαπᾶν διηνεκῆ τὴν χηρείαν\n\nκαὶ ἐναντίως ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν περιστερὰν εἰς τὸ τῆς πολυγαμίας εὔκολον. Μέχρι τούτου πυκναῖς ὁ ἀνὴρ ταῖς κατηγορίαις βαλλέσθω καὶ νιφάδων πυκνότερον αὐτὸν τιτρωσκέτω τὰ τῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης ἐγκλήματα. Ἂν δέ που μοιχείας αἰτίαν προβάληται καὶ τοιαύτην παράσχοι τοῦ χωρισμοῦ τὴν ἀπολογίαν, εὐθὺς τὴν συνηγορίαν μεταθήσομαι τοῦ ἀδικηθέντος καὶ τὸν λόγον κατὰ τῆς μοιχαλίδος παρασκευάσας ἀγαθὸς συνασπιστὴς ἀντὶ πολεμίου τῷ ἀνδρὶ παραστήσομαι, ἐπαινῶν τὸν φυγόντα τὴν ἐπίβουλον, τὸν διακόψαντα τὸν δεσμόν, ᾧ πρὸς τὴν ἀσπίδα ἢ τὴν ἔχιδναν προσεδέδετο. Τούτῳ γὰρ δίδωσι τὴν συγγνώμην πρῶτος ὁ τοῦ παντὸς ποιητής, ὡς καὶ δικαίως ἀλγοῦντι καὶ προσηκόντως τῆς οἰκίας ἀπελαύνοντι καὶ τῆς ἑστίας τὴν νόσον.","english":"For one child preserves the likeness of his mother's voice, another draws much of her character, another has been fashioned in his disposition to resemble the woman who bore him; and thus the father, having many living and vivid images of his wife, stamps upon himself an undying remembrance of his life with her, and for this reason entertains no lustful thought: he does not today heap up the tomb and after a little time prepare the bridal chamber; nor after tears and groans does he hasten again to the wedding dance; nor does he exchange the black and mourning garment for a bridal robe; nor does he bring a second wife into the warm bed of the departed; nor does he give his children a stepmother, that hateful name. But he imitates the irrational and natural dignity of the turtle-doves. For that bird, they say, when separated from its mate, loves a perpetual widowhood and is the opposite of the dove in its readiness for many matings. Up to this point let the man be assailed by frequent accusations, and let the charges of his unreasonableness wound him more thickly than snowflakes. But if he should allege a charge of adultery and offer such a defense for the separation, I will immediately transfer my advocacy to the side of the wronged man, and having prepared my argument against the adulteress, I will stand by the man as a good ally instead of an enemy, praising him who fled the plotter, who cut the bond by which he had been bound to the asp or the viper. For the Maker of all things is the first to grant him forgiveness, since he grieves justly and fittingly drives the disease from his house and his hearth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":66,"ref":"p66","source":"Γάμος γὰρ τούτων χάριν τῶν δύο συνίσταται, διαθέσεως καὶ παιδοποιΐας, ὧν οὐδέτερον μετὰ μοιχείας σώζεται. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ διάθεσις οὐκ ἔστιν πρὸς ἄλλον τῆς εὐνοίας ἀπο κλινάσης· παιδοποιΐας δὲ τὸ καλὸν ἀνῄρηται συγκεχυμένων τῶν τέκνων. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν εἰς τοῦτο φέροντα τὸ ἁμάρτημα εἴρηται ἐν ἄλλῃ ὑποθέσει συμμέτρως. Ἀμφότερα δέ μοι τὰ μέρη σωφροσύνην ἀσκήσατε, τὸν ἀρραγῆ τῶν γάμων σύνδεσμον. Ὅπου γὰρ αὕτη τιμᾶται, ἐπάναγκες εἶναι καὶ εἰρήνην καὶ πόθον, οὐδεμίας πανδήμου καὶ νόθου ἐπιθυμίας τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπιθηγούσης, ἐκβαλούσης δὲ τὴν νόμιμον καὶ δικαίαν στοργήν. Οὗτος τῆς σωφροσύνης ὁ νόμος οὐ ταῖς γυναιξὶ μόνον παρὰ Θεοῦ ὥρισται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν. Οἱ δὲ τοῖς τοῦ βίου τούτου νομοθέταις προσέχοντες ἀνεύθυνον καταλείπουσι τῆς πορνείας τοῖς ἀνδράσι τὴν ἐξουσίαν βαρεῖς μέν εἰσιν κριταὶ καὶ διδάσκαλοι τῆς τῶν γυναικῶν σεμνότητος, οἱ δ' ἐν πολλοῖς ἀνέδην ἐπιμαίνονται σώμασιν, ἄλλων ἰατροί, κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, μυρίοις βρύοντες ἕλκεσιν. Κἄν τις αὐτῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς πλημμελείαις ταύταις καθάψηται, κεκομψευμένην καὶ παίζουσαν ἀπολογίαν προΐσχονται. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄνδρες, φασί, κἂν πάνυ πολλαῖς γυναιξὶ πλησιάσωσιν, οὐδὲν τῇ ἑστίᾳ λυμαίνονται· αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες, ἐξ ὧν ἁμαρτάνουσι, κληρονόμους ἀλλοτρίους ταῖς οἰκίαις καὶ τοῖς γένεσιν ἐπεισάγουσιν. Ἀκουσάτωσαν δὲ οἱ τῆς ἐμπλήκτου γνώμης σοφισταὶ καὶ εὑρεταί, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἄλλας ἑστίας καὶ οἰκίας ἀνατρέπουσιν. Αἱ γὰρ γυναῖκες αἷς ὁμιλοῦσι, πάντως τινῶν εἰσιν ἢ θυγατέρες ἢ γαμεταί·","english":"For marriage is constituted for the sake of these two things, affection and the procreation of children, neither of which is preserved with adultery. For affection is not present when one's goodwill has turned away toward another; and the beauty of procreation is destroyed when the children are confounded. But the things that lead to this sin have been spoken of in another discourse with due measure. But both these parts of marriage—do you practice self-control, the unbreakable bond of marriages. For where this is honored, peace and longing must necessarily be present, since no common and bastard desire sharpens the soul, but it casts out lawful and just affection. This law of self-control has been ordained by God not only for women but also for men. But those who pay heed to the lawgivers of this life leave to men an unaccountable license for fornication; they are harsh judges and teachers of the modesty of women, while they themselves madly rush upon many bodies without restraint, physicians of others, as the proverb says, teeming with countless wounds. And if anyone reproaches them for these transgressions, they put forward a refined and playful defense. For men, they say, even if they have intercourse with very many women, do no harm to the household; but women, by the very things in which they sin, bring foreign heirs into their houses and families. But let these sophists and inventors of a deranged mind hear that they too overturn other households and houses. For the women with whom they consort are certainly either daughters or wives of certain men.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":67,"ref":"p67","source":"καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ εὑρεθήσεται ἢ γάμος ἐπιβουλευόμενος ἢ γονεὺς ἀδικούμενος, ὃς ἐγεννήσατο καὶ ἐξέθρεψε καὶ παρθένον ἕξειν ἐπὶ παστάδα καὶ θάλαμον ἤλπισε, ἀφῃρέθη δὲ πάσης χρηστῆς προσδοκίας παρὰ τῶν τῆς σωφροσύνης λῃστῶν. Εἰ πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ ἀκόλαστος, γνωριζέτω πατρὸς πάθος ἀποτυγχάνοντος· εἰ ἀνήρ, ἑαυτὸν ὑποτυπωσάσθω τὸν ἀδικούμενον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπίπαν οὕτως ἔχει καλῶς, ἕκαστον τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις δικάζειν, ὡς ἂν ἄλλον ἑαυτῷ βούληται. Εἰ δέ τι καὶ τοῖς νόμοις Ῥωμαίων τινὲς προσέχοντες ἀνεύθυνον τὴν πορνείαν εἶναι νομίζουσι, δείνην πλανῶνται πλάνην οὐκ εἰδότες, ὡς ἄλλως Θεὸς νομοθετεῖ καὶ ἑτέρως ἄνθρωποι δογματίζουσιν. Ἄκουσον Μωϋσέως τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καταγγέλ λοντος καὶ πικρὰς τὰς κατὰ πόρνων ἀποφάσεις ἐκφέροντος. Ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος· Πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός. Οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι οὐκ ἀρκέσουσίν σοι πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως, ἀλλὰ τρέμοντες καὶ ἱδροῦντες ἐκτήξονται. Ἄσοφός σοι καὶ ἀπαίδευτος ὀφθήσεται ὁ Πλάτων, τῶν νόμων σοφιστής, ταπεινὸς δὲ ὁ βαρὺς τόνος ἐκεῖνος καὶ κατὰ πάντων νομοθετῶν ἀνῃρημένος τὸ κράτος, ὅταν βλέπωσιν τοὺς σωμεραστὰς διελκομένους, οἷς αὐτοὶ κακῶς ἐφῆκαν τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Πάντως δὲ οἱ τοὺς ἄλλους μὴ κωλύσαντες εἰς ἑαυτοὺς πρῶτον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπέστρεψαν καὶ διπλῆς εὑρεθήσονται κατηγορίας ὑπαίτιοι, ἧς τε ἔπραξαν αὐτοὶ καὶ ἧς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀκολασταίνειν ἀφῆκαν. Οἱ τοίνυν βουλόμενοι κοσμίαις ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα γαμεταῖς συζῆν, αὐτοὶ τὸν ἴδιον τρόπον διδάσκαλον τῶν συνοίκων ποιησάτωσαν, ἵν' ἔχωσιν ἀγαθὸν ἀφ' ἑστίας τὸν ζῆλον.","english":"And in every way it will be found either that marriage is being plotted against or that a father is being wronged—a father who begot and raised her and hoped to have her a virgin for the bridal chamber and the marriage bed, but was deprived of every good expectation by the robbers of chastity. If he is a father, let the licentious man recognize the passion of a father who fails of his hope; if he is a husband, let him picture to himself the man who is wronged. For indeed it is altogether well that each man judge the affairs of others as he would wish another to judge for him. But if some, attending to the laws of the Romans, think fornication to be without guilt, they are deceived by a dreadful deception, not knowing that God legislates in one way and men decree in another. Hear the will of Moses, proclaiming the will of God and uttering bitter sentences against fornicators. Hear Paul saying: God will judge fornicators and adulterers. But the others will not suffice for your salvation in the time of recompense, but trembling and sweating they will be consumed. Plato will appear to you foolish and uneducated, that sophist of laws, and that heavy-toned one will be lowly, and the authority of him who legislated against all will be abolished, when they see the partners in vice dragged away, to whom they themselves wickedly granted license. And certainly those who did not restrain others first turned the sin back upon themselves and will be found liable to a double accusation—both of what they themselves did and of what they allowed others to do licentiously. Therefore let those who wish to live with modest wives as much as possible make their own character the teacher of their housemates, so that they may have from their own household a good example of zeal.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":68,"ref":"p68","source":"6. Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας λόγος εἰς τὸν προφήτην Δανιὴλ καὶ εἰς τὴν Σωσάνναν Ἀεὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ἡ χάρις ὑπερχεόμενον ἔχουσα τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δωρεᾶς οὐκ ἀργεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς ὁπηνίκα καὶ οἷς ἂν ἐθέλῃ ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Οἷα γὰρ ποταμὸς πεπληρωμένος τῶν εἰς ζωὴν ἁλλομένων ὑδάτων ἀπεναντίας τοῖς ὁρωμένοις τούτοις καὶ κατὰ γῆν, τὰς τῆς ἐνεργείας ἀφέσεις ἔχει χορηγουμένας. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπιλείπει τὸ ῥεῖθρον αὐτῇ καθάπερ ἐκείνοις ἐνίοτε, οὐδ' ἀναβάσεις καὶ ὑποβάσεις ὥσπερ αὐτοὶ ἐπιδέχεται, οὐδὲ τὸ καὶ τὸ μέρος κατὰ τούτους περιλαμβάνει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλήθει ἀεὶ καὶ πᾶσιν ἀρκεῖ· καὶ εἰς τοὺς μετόχους ὑπορρέουσα τοῦ πληρώματος οὐδὲν ἧττον μένει πεπληρωμένη, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ οὕτω τὴν χάριν ἔχουσα δαψιλῆ οὐδὲ πρὸς ἡλικίας οἶδεν διαδίδοσθαι καὶ μερίζεσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ὄγκῳ σωμάτων τὰ ἀμέτρητα οἶδεν μετρεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς εὐγενείᾳ καὶ καθαρότητι συνέρχεσθαι τε καὶ ἐπιφαίνεσθαι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο νῦν μὲν συμπεριφέρεται ἀρτιγαλακτοτροφουμένῳ τῷ Σαμουήλ, νῦν δὲ τὸν Δαβὶδ ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων αὐτῶν προβάτων ἀναλαμβάνει τῶν ἀδελφῶν οἷς ἐδόκει παρεωρᾶσθαι διὰ τὸ ἀτελὲς τῆς ἡλικίας ἐκκρίνουσα. Ἄλλον ἐξ ἀροτῆρος τῷ χρίσματι τελειοῖ καὶ μετ' ἐκείνους τὸν νῦν κείμενον εἰς ὑπόθεσιν, μακάριον καὶ τῷ ὄντι σοφὸν Δανιήλ, ἁπαλὸν ἔτι καὶ κομιδῇ νέον ὁμοῦ καὶ πρεσβυτέρων κριτὴν καὶ προφήτην καθίστησιν·","english":"6. A discourse of Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, on the prophet Daniel and on Susanna. The grace of the Spirit, ever overflowing with the wealth of its gift, is not idle in its own workings whenever and in whomever it wishes to display them. For like a river filled with waters that leap up unto life, in a manner contrary to these visible and earthly waters, it has the outpourings of its energy supplied. For the stream does not fail in it as sometimes in those, nor does it admit ascents and descents as they do, nor does it encompass this part and that part as those do, but it is always sufficient both in abundance and for all; and flowing down to those who partake of its fullness, it nonetheless remains filled, but even so, having grace in abundance, it does not know how to be distributed and divided according to age. For it does not know how to measure immeasurable things by the bulk of bodies, but comes together and appears through the nobility and purity of the soul. And for this reason now it accompanies Samuel, still fed on fresh milk, and now it takes David from the flocks of his own sheep, singling him out from his brothers, in whose eyes he seemed overlooked because of the imperfection of his age. Another it perfects with anointing from the plough, and after those, the one now set before us as our subject, the blessed and truly wise Daniel, still tender and altogether young, it appoints at once judge of elders and prophet.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":69,"ref":"p69","source":"ὃς εἰ καὶ τῆς βαρείας ἐκείνης ἔργον ἐγεγόνει αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ τῆς ἐνεγκούσης εἶχε τὴν Βαβυλῶνα καὶ ἐν ἀδόξοις ἐδόκει διὰ τῆς ὥρας τὸ ἀτελὲς καὶ ἀπαρρησίαστος διὰ τὸ ἐναπειλῆφθαι τοσούτοις κακοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιφέρεσθαι καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ στοιχειωθῆναι τὴν πρώτην αὔξησιν καὶ καρτερὸς εἶναι τὴν γνώμην καὶ ἐμβριθής, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἄνθει τῆς ἡλικίας τῶν γηραιῶν ἐκείνων καὶ καθεστηκότων ἔλεγχος ἐδείκνυτο καὶ κριτής. Ἀλλὰ μικρόν, εἰ δοκεῖ, πρὸς ἀρχὴν ἀναγαγόντες τὸν λόγον ἴδωμεν, ὅπως ὑψηλὸν καὶ μακάριον τὸ φίλον ὑπάρχειν Θεῷ. Τῆς πόλεως τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατάκραν τῷ πολέμῳ παρὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ληφθείσης οἱ τότε λαοὶ τῶν Ἑβραίων ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα διήχθησαν. Εἶχε δὲ καὶ τὸν μακάριον Δανιὴλ τῶν δορυαλώτων μειρακίων τὸ πλῆθος καὶ διήγετο ἐπὶ τῆς πολεμίας παῖς εὐκαταφρόνητος, κεκακωμένου δήμου μικρὸν καὶ πολλοστὸν ἐφόλκιον, οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις ἀφορμὴν ἔχων τοῦ φαίνεσθαι, οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀξιόλογον τοῦ πολέμου νομιζόμενος κέρδος· ἀφανής, ἄδοξος διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν, διὰ τὴν συμφοράν· μόνῳ τῷ καλῶς βλέποντι καθορώμενος. Θεὸς γὰρ μόνος ἔβλεπε τὴν καθαρὰν τοῦ νεανίσκου ψυχήν, ὥσπερ τινὰ μαργαριτὴν ἐν θαλαττίοις ὀστράκοις ἐνδεδεμένον ἢ χρυσὸν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις ἐνόντα τῆς γῆς· ὡς νύμφην εὐπρεπῆ τοῖς παραπεπτάσμασι τῆς παστάδος καλυπτομένην. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἦλθεν ὁ καθήκων καιρὸς καὶ ἔδει τὸν κρυπτόμενον φανῆναι, γνώριμον γενέσθαι τὸν ἀφανῆ, περίβλεπτον τὸν καταφρονούμενον, λάμψαι τὸν τῷ σκότῳ τῆς συμφορᾶς κεκρυμμένον, ὀλίγη τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπιφοίτησις καὶ πάντων ὁ ταπεινὸς ὑψηλότερος·","english":"He who, even though he had been a work of that heavy captivity and had Babylon as the land that carried him away, and seemed inglorious because of his youth's incompleteness and without boldness of speech because he had been involved in so many evils—yet, because he bore virtue with him and had been grounded in philosophy from his earliest growth, and was stout in mind and grave, in the very flower of his age he was shown to be a reproof and a judge of those aged and settled men. But, if it seems good, let us bring our discourse back a little to the beginning and see how lofty and blessed a thing it is to be dear to God. When the city of Jerusalem had been utterly taken in war by the Assyrians, the peoples of the Hebrews at that time were led away to Babylon. The blessed Daniel was also among the multitude of the captive youths and was led away into the enemy's land, a boy easily despised, a small and far-off appendage of an afflicted people, having no occasion to appear among his own people, nor being reckoned by the enemy as any notable gain of war—unseen, inglorious because of his age, because of his misfortune; seen only by the one who sees well. For God alone saw the pure soul of the young man, like some pearl set in the shells of the sea or gold existing in the hollows of the earth; like a comely bride covered by the curtains of the bridal chamber. But when the fitting time came and it was necessary that the hidden one appear, that the unseen become known, that the despised become looked upon, that the one hidden in the darkness of misfortune shine forth, a little visitation of the Spirit came, and the lowly one became higher than all.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":70,"ref":"p70","source":"σοφὸς ὁ μὴ διαίρων τὸ στόμα· ἔλεγχος κρυπτομένων· κριτὴς δικαστῶν ὁ ἀπαίδευτος· ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενος ὑψηλοῦ ὁ μηδέπω μηδὲ ὑπηρέτης δικαστηρίων γενόμενος· σωφροσύνην συκοφαντουμένην ἐκδικῶν ὁ νέος, δῆμον πλανώμενον ἐπιστρέφων, ψῆφον πόλεως ὅλης κακῶς ἐνεχθεῖσαν ἀνακαλούμενος. Ἠκούσατε γὰρ ἀρτίως τοῦ ἀναγνώσματος καὶ τῷ θαύματι πάντως κατέχεσθε τὴν ψυχήν. Κἀγὼ δὲ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων βιβλίων ἀφεὶς ὅσα οἱ ψαλμοὶ ἡμῖν ἐπωφελῶς μεθ'\n\nἡδονῆς ἐμελῴδησαν, ὅσα συνεβούλευσεν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὅσα δεσποτικῶς ἐνομοθέτησεν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Κύριος, ταύτῃ προσεκλίθην τῇ ἱστορίᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ δύο νεότητας βλέπω εὐδοκι μούσας, τὴν μὲν ἐν τῷ δικάζειν, τὴν δὲ ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαι· καὶ τὸν μὲν Δανιὴλ ἐπὶ ταῖς ψηφοῖς κροτούμενον, Σωσάνναν δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ στεφανουμένην τῆς σωφροσύνης. Δεῦτε τοίνυν, εἰ δοκεῖ, οἱ τῶν καλῶν ἐρασταὶ καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἀνανεωσώμεθα τὴν παλαιὰν κρίσιν τῇ μνήμῃ· ἀρχαίᾳ σωφροσύνῃ τὴν νεάζουσαν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀκολασίαν ἐκκό ψωμεν στηλιτεύσαντες γῆρας μειρακιῶδες καὶ νεότητα πεπολιωμένην θαυμάσαντες. Ὦ πρεσβύται μιαροὶ καὶ ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ, μυρίων παιδαγωγῶν εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν χρῄζοντες γάμων νόμῳ ζευχθέντων ἐπίβουλοι, σωφροσύνης ἐνεδρευταί, μηχανορράφοι δόλων, συκοφαντίας ταχεῖς εὑρεταί! Ὑμεῖς ἦτε οἱ τὴν πορνείαν τοῖς χείλεσι κρίνοντες καὶ τὴν μοιχείαν καταδικάζοντες· οἱ τῶν ἄλλων ἰατροὶ καὶ τῆς νόσου γέμοντες· οἱ κεκονιαμένοι τάφοι ἔνδον τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας πεπλησμένοι καὶ τὴν ἔξωθεν ἐπιφάνειαν καλλωπίζοντες.","english":"Wise is he who does not divide his mouth; a reproof of hidden things; a judge of judges is the uneducated man; seated on a high throne is he who had never yet even become a servant of courts; the young man avenging chastity that was slandered, turning back a people that was led astray, recalling a vote of a whole city that was wrongly carried. For you have just heard the reading and are surely held in your soul by wonder. And I too, setting aside the things of the other books—as many as the psalms melodiously sang to us profitably with pleasure, as many as the apostle counseled, as many as the Lord legislated with authority in the gospels—have inclined to this history. Since I see two youths prospering, the one in judging, the other in being judged; and Daniel applauded for his votes, and Susanna crowned for the victory of her chastity. Come then, if it seems good, you lovers of noble things and of virtue, let us renew the ancient judgment in memory; with ancient chastity let us cut off the licentiousness that is young in the present, exposing a boyish old age and marveling at a youth grown gray. O vile elders and rulers of the people, needing ten thousand tutors for correction, plotters against those joined by the law of marriage, ambushers of chastity, devisers of deceit, swift inventors of slander! You were the ones judging fornication with your lips and condemning adultery; physicians of others yet full of the disease; whitewashed tombs filled within with uncleanness and beautifying the outward appearance.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":71,"ref":"p71","source":"Οἱ ὑψηλοὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν θρόνων τῶν δικαστικῶν προκαθήμενοι, ὅτε δὲ ἀκολασταίνειν προείλεσθε τοῖς λασίοις τῶν φυτῶν καὶ τοῖς θάμνοις ἐνέρποντες. Ἐγέλα τότε βλέπων ὑμᾶς ὁ τῶν παραβάσεων εἰσηγητὴς καὶ τῶν κακῶν σύμβουλος, ὅπως οἱ ἐν κορυφῇ τοῦ λαοῦ, οἱ λογάδες καὶ ἔκκριτοι, ὡς τοιχωρύχοι τινὲς ἢ λῃσταὶ τῇ γῇ προσεσύρεσθε, ἵνα βλέψητε θέαν ἀκόλαστον· καὶ τοῖς θάμνοις ἐνεκρύπτεσθε κατὰ τὰς ἀλώπεκας, αἳ ἀπὸ τῶν συμφύτων καὶ ἐπισκίων τόπων τὰς κατοικιδίους ἐνεδρεύουσιν ὄρνιθας καὶ νενομέναις ἀπροόπτως ἐπιπηδῶσιν. Ὢ τῆς ὁμοιοτρόπου κακίας, ἣν ὁ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν ὀλοθρευτὴς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος ἐπιτηδεύει! Ἐν παραδείσῳ τὸ πρῶτον τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ ἀνθρώπου πτῶμα, ἐν παραδείσῳ καὶ νῦν οἱ γέροντες παρὰ τοῦ ὄφεως ἐνεργούμενοι τῆς ἀρχικῆς δόξης ἐκπίπτουσι, γίνονται δὲ ἀντὶ κριτῶν καταδεδικασμένοι, τῆς ζωῆς ἀλλό τριοι καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐργάται. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἀνδρῶν ἐκράτησε, τῆς δὲ γυναικὸς ἡττήθη καὶ τὸ κοῦφον τῆς πρώτης ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας οὐχ εὗρε νεάνιδος. Καὶ καλῶς ἂν εἴποι τις, ὡς οὐκ ἔστι Βαβυλὼν σύγχυσις διὰ Σωσάνναν, ἀλλὰ τήρησις ἐντολῶν Θεοῦ, φυλακὴ σωφροσύνης, πόλις ἀνδρικῆς γυναικός, τόπος ἑορτῆς ἐπινικίου. Ταύτην ἐγώ, τοὺς ἐν μέσῳ χρόνους ἀνελών, τῇ ὁμοιότητι τῆς ἀρετῆς πρὸς τὸν κόσμον Ἰωσὴφ ἄγω· ἵστημι δὲ τὴν εὐσχήμονα παρὰ τὸν σώφρονα τὴν τῷ Θεῷ φίλην παρὰ τὸν παῖδα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀμφοτέροις, τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς σωφροσύνης, ἐπιτίθημι στέφανον· ὑπορρίπτω δὲ τοῖς ποσὶ τῶν νικησάντων τοὺς ἡττημένους·","english":"You who are lofty and seated in front of the judgment seats, when you chose to live licentiously, creeping among the shaggy plants and the bushes. Then the introducer of transgressions and counselor of evils laughed as he saw you, how those at the head of the people, the picked and chosen men, were dragged along the ground like housebreakers or robbers, so that you might gaze on a licentious spectacle; and you hid among the bushes like foxes, which from their native and shaded places lie in wait for the domestic birds and leap suddenly upon them as they graze. O the like-natured wickedness, which the destroyer of human souls has practiced from beginning to end! In paradise was the first fall of the lofty man; in paradise even now the elders, worked upon by the serpent, fall from their original glory, and instead of judges they become condemned, strangers to life and workers of sin. But here he prevailed over men, yet he was defeated by the woman, and the lightness of the first man did not find it in the Babylonian maiden. And one might well say that Babylon is not confusion because of Susanna, but a keeping of the commandments of God, a guard of chastity, a city of a manly woman, a place of triumphal festival. Her I bring, having removed the intervening times, by the likeness of her virtue, to Joseph the world; and I set the modest woman beside the temperate man, the friend of God beside the child of Israel. One and the same crown, the crown for chastity, I place upon both; and I cast the defeated beneath the feet of the victors.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":72,"ref":"p72","source":"τῷ μὲν Ἰωσὴφ τὴν ἀκόλαστον Αἰγυπτίαν, τὴν δέσποιναν τοῦ ἐλευθέρου δούλου· Σωσάννῃ δὲ τοὺς ἀτίμους γέροντας. Τίθημι τούτους παιδαγωγοὺς σωφροσύνης· τὴν μὲν τῆς γυναικείας, τὸν δὲ τῆς τῶν ἀνδρῶν νεότητος· λαμπτῆρας τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἄνθη τῆς ἀναστάσεως, μοιχῶν κριτάς, γάμων ἐνθέσμων φύλακας. Τέως δὲ περὶ μόνην ἀσχολήσωμεν τὴν ἱερὰν γυναῖκα τὸν λόγον· νῦν γὰρ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπεισόδιόν ἐστι καὶ παρενθήκη σωφροσύνης ὁ σώφρων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ γέροντες, ὡς ἐνόμιζον, εἶχον τὴν θήραν εἴσω δικτύων, εἰσεπήδησαν δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἐνέδρας ὡς αὐτίκα ληψόμενοι, οὐχ εὗρον δειλὴν τὴν βελτίστην ἔλαφον, ἀλλ' ἀνθισταμένην καὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ τῷ δράκοντι τῷ τῶν γινομένων αἰτίῳὀφιοκτόνον δὲ ζῷον ἡ ἔλαφος· καὶ καλῶς εὗρεν ὁ λόγος τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ζῴου· παρεκάλεσαν, οὐκ ἠκούσθη σαν· ἠπείλησαν, οὐ κατέπληξαν. Ἀμηχανοῦσι λοιπὸν οἱ δυσέρωτες καὶ δύο τοῖς μεγίστοις συνέχονται, ἀποτυχίᾳ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας καὶ φόβῳ τοῦ ἐλέγχου. Ῥάπτουσι δὲ συκοφαντίαν αἱ μιαραὶ κεφαλαὶ καὶ λύσιν τοῦ κακοῦ ἄλλο κακὸν ἐξευρίσκουσι καὶ μοιχείας κάλυμμα συσκευάζονται φόνον. Ἁμαρτωλὸς γάρ, ὅταν εἰς ἀρχὰς ἐμπέσῃ πλημμελημάτων, ὥσπερ σχοίνῳ τῇ ἀρχῇ καὶ τὰς ἀκολούθους ἀνομίας ἐφέλκεται. Καὶ γεννητικὰ τυγχάνει τῶν καλῶν τὰ καλά, τῶν δὲ φαύλων τὰ ὅμοια.","english":"To Joseph, the unchaste Egyptian woman, the mistress of the free slave; to Susanna, the dishonorable elders. I set these as tutors of chastity: the one of the youth of women, the other of the youth of men; lamps of the inhabited world, flowers of the resurrection, judges of adulterers, guardians of lawful marriages. For now let us occupy our account with the sacred woman alone; for now Joseph the chaste is an episode and an appendage of chastity. For since the elders, as they thought, had the hunt within their nets, and they rushed in from the ambush as about to seize her at once, they did not find the best hind timid, but resisting both them and the dragon who is the cause of things that come to be; and the hind is a snake-killing animal; and well did the account find the image of the animal: they urged, she was not heard; they threatened, she did not cower. Henceforth the wretched lovers are at a loss and are held by the two greatest things, failure of desire and fear of exposure. The foul heads stitch together slander and devise another evil as a release from the evil, and they prepare murder as a veil for adultery. For a sinner, when he falls into beginnings of offenses, draws on the subsequent lawless deeds as if by a rope attached to the beginning. And good things are productive of good things, and like things of base things.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":73,"ref":"p73","source":"Διὸ καὶ νῦν φόνος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς μοιχείας ὑποβλαστάνει καὶ συνέδριον κατὰ σπούδην κάθηται ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλῳ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀδικήματι, καὶ δημαγωγεῖται πλῆθος θέαν ἔχον τὴν κρινομένην. Κατήγοροι δὲ καὶ δικασταὶ οἱ αὐτοί· καὶ πολιὰ συκοφαντοῦσα ἀξιόπιστος ἦν καὶ νεότης συκοφαντουμένη ἐκ τῆς κρατούσης ὑπονοίας κατεδικάζετο. Δῆμος δὲ ἀναρριπισθεὶς καὶ παθὼν ὃ δὴ πάσχειν ἀπὸ ὁρμῆς ἐμπλήκτου εἴωθε δῆμος, ἠγανάκτει πεπλανήμενος καὶ τῇ ὁρμῇ τῶν γερόντων συνεξεφέρετο· γονεῖς τῆς κρινουμένης ἐθρήνουν, ἀνὴρ τὴν συμφορὰν ὠδύρετο, παῖδες ὠλόλυζον ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν τῆς μητρὸς κινδυνευούσης ἀπηρτήμενοι, τὸ γένος τῇ αἰσχύνῃ κεκάλυπτο. Οἱ δὲ καλοὶ δικασταί, οἱ τῆς σωφροσύνης σύμμαχοι, σεμνῶς κεκαλυμμένην ἱματίῳοὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς συγχύσεως τῶν κακῶν ἑαυτῆς ἐπελάθετο ἕξιν τῆς κοσμιότητος ἔχουσαγυμνοῦσθαι τῆς εὐπρεποῦς σκέπης ἐκέλευσαν, ἵν' ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ τῆς μοιχείας μοιχείαν ἐργάσωνται τῇ θέᾳ τῆς κρινομένης τὴν αἰσχρὰν ἐπιθυμίαν προσαναπαύσαντες· ἐπετίθεσαν δὲ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας τῇ κεφαλῇ ὃ δὴ σύμβολον τῆς κατακρίσεως ἦν, χραίνοντες σῶμα καθαρόν, οἱ ἀκόλαστοι, τῇ ἁφῇ καὶ κατ' αὐτῆς ἐδημηγόρουν τὸ ψεῦδος, οἱ καλοὶ τῆς ἀληθείας προστάται. Ὡς δὲ ὁ λαὸς ὑπήχθη καὶ ἡ ψῆφος ἠνέχθη καὶ ἡ τιμωρία πλησίον ἦν, ἀνέβλεψε τότε ἡ συκοφαντουμένη πρὸς τὸν δικαστὴν τῶν κριτῶν· ἐφέσιμον τὴν δίκην ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἤγαγε πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, ἐπεκαλέσατο τὸ ἀπαραλόγιστον δικαστήριον καὶ οὐκ ἐβράδυνεν ἡ ἀλήθεια. Ἀνάστηθί μοι λοιπόν, ὦ μακάριε Δανιήλ, καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ λόγου ὡς διηγέρθης καὶ τότε παρὰ τοῦ πνεύματος·","english":"Therefore even now murder sprouts as the fruit of adultery, and a council sits in haste as if over some great wrong of the woman, and the crowd is stirred up, having as its spectacle the woman on trial. The accusers and the judges are the same men; and hoary old age, playing the false accuser, was deemed trustworthy, and youth, falsely accused, was condemned out of the prevailing suspicion. And the people, inflamed and suffering what a people is wont to suffer from a reckless impulse, were indignant in their delusion and were carried along with the impulse of the elders; the parents of the woman on trial were lamenting, her husband bewailed the calamity, the children were wailing, clinging on this side and that to their mother in her peril, and the family was covered with shame. But those fine judges, the allies of chastity, ordered her who was modestly covered with a garment—for even in the confusion of evils she had not forgotten herself, possessing as she did the habit of modesty—to be stripped of her decent covering, so that in the court of adultery they might commit adultery, resting their shameful desire upon the sight of the woman on trial; and they laid their hands upon her head, which was the symbol of condemnation, defiling a pure body—the unchaste men—by their touch, and they harangued their lie even against her, those fine champions of the truth. But when the people had been led on and the vote had been cast and the punishment was near, then the falsely accused woman looked up to the judge of judges; she brought the case on appeal from men to God, she invoked the tribunal that cannot be deceived, and the truth did not delay. Rise up for me, then, O blessed Daniel, even now in this discourse, as you were roused then by the Spirit;","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":74,"ref":"p74","source":"εἰπὲ καὶ σὺ Ἀθῷός εἰμι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος ταύτης, ὡς καὶ Πιλᾶτος ὕστερον κατὰ τῶν μαινομένων Ἑβραίων. Ἀνάλυσον τὸν λαὸν ἐπὶ τὸ κριτήριον· δὸς ἀρχὴν τῇ δίκῃ κακῶς τελεσθείσῃ· στῆσον κρινομένους τοὺς ψευδωνύμους κριτάς· ἐναλλαγήτω τῶν προστατῶν ἡ τάξις καὶ θεωρείτω ἡ γυνὴ τοὺς γέροντας, ὡς αὐτὴ πρὸ ὀλίγου θέαμα τῆς πόλεως ἦν. Κρῖνον, ὁ αἰχμάλωτος, τοὺς πολίτας· ὁ ξένος τοὺς ἐγχωρίους· ὁ νέος τοὺς παλαιούς. Χρῆσον ἅγιον στόμα τῷ πνεύματι· οὐ γὰρ ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχεις, ὡς Ἡσαΐας αὑτὸν ἐξευτελίζων φησίν· οὐδὲ ἑνὸς τῶν Σεραφεὶμ καὶ τοῦ καθαρσίου ἄνθρακος χρῄζεις. Χώρησον σοφῶς τοὺς ψευδωνύμους κριτάς, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ταῖς σαῖς ἐρωτήσεσι συμφώνως ἐπιπηδήσωσιν ὡς ἐν παραδείσῳ τῇ γυναικί. Οἵα γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ τῶν λόγων τοῦ τρισμακαρίου παιδὸς συνετῶς καταμάθωμεν· Πεπαλαιωμένε ἡμερῶν κακῶν· νῦν ἥκασί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἃς ἐποίεις τὸ πρότερον, τοὺς μὲν ἀθῴους κατακρίνων, ἀπολύων δὲ τοὺς αἰτίους. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος καὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἐλευθερίας τοῦ πνεύματος! Οὗ γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα Κυρίου, ἐλευθερία. Ὁρᾶτε γάρ, ὡς οὐδὲ ἐν προοιμίοις ὑποστέλλεται· ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ βάθος τοῦ συνειδότος ἐνατενίσας καὶ βλέπων τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν γερόντων ἀποθήκας ἁμαρτιῶν μάρτυρας μὲν καὶ ἀποδείξεις οὐ ζητεῖ· ὑβρίζων δὲ ἐπαχθῶς προσκαλεῖται, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ἔχει γεγραμ μένην ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους ὁ προφήτης. Καὶ ὅσον γε εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκεν, οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ εἶπέ τι, ἀλλ' ἀνυπερθέτως τῇ τιμωρίᾳ παρέπεμψεν·","english":"Say also yourself, \"I am innocent of the blood of this woman,\" as Pilate later did against the raving Hebrews. Dissolve the people before the tribunal; give a beginning to the trial that was carried out wickedly; set the falsely named judges to be judged; let the order of the leaders be reversed, and let the woman behold the elders, as she herself a little before was a spectacle of the city. Judge, O captive, the citizens; the stranger, the natives; the young, the old. Lend a holy mouth to the Spirit, for you do not have unclean lips, as Isaiah says in belittling himself; nor do you need one of the Seraphim and the cleansing coal. Receive wisely the falsely named judges, lest they also, in agreement with your questions, leap upon the woman as in a garden. For let us understand wisely what kind of beginning the words of the thrice-blessed child also have: \"You who have grown old in evil days; now your sins have come, which you did previously, condemning the innocent and releasing the guilty.\" O the wonder and the great freedom of the Spirit! For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. For you see how he does not hold back even in his opening words, but having looked intently into the depth of the conscience and seeing the souls of the elders as storehouses of sins, he does not seek witnesses and proofs; but he calls them out insultingly and grievously, since the prophet has the sentence written on his breast. And as far as it depended on him, he would not even have said anything, but would have sent them to punishment without delay.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":75,"ref":"p75","source":"ἵνα δὲ πείσῃ λαὸν ἄφρονα καὶ κριτὰς κούφους τῇ πολίᾳ κατηγόρων οὐ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δικάσαντας, καὶ τὴν πεῖραν τῆς ἐρωτήσεως κεχωρισμένοις προσάγει καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος ἐκ τῆς διαφωνούσης ἀποκρίσεως διελέγχει· καὶ τὴν κρίσιν ἐξενεγκὼν οὐ δημίοις δίδωσιν ὑπευθύνους, ἀλλ' ἀγγέλους κατ' αὐτῶν κολαστηρίους καλεῖ. Εἰς τοσοῦτον γὰρ ηὐξήθη τὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀξίωμα, ὡς δυνάμεις ἀοράτους ἔχειν τὰς ὑπηρετουμένας αὐτοῖς. Τίνα τὰ ἑξῆς τοῖς μιαροῖς γέρουσι; Προετράπη ἡ κρίσις· ἀπῆλθον δὲ καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν ἀνομιῶν καὶ τῆς νέας ἁμαρτίας δίδοντες διὰ θανάτου τὴν δίκην· Βαβυλὼν δὲ πᾶσα τὸ παράδοξον τῶν γενομένων διὰ στόματος εἶχον καὶ ὕμνοις τὸν Θεὸν ἀνευφήμουν τὸν τῶν λανθανόντων δραμάτων τὴν γνῶσιν δημοσιεύσαντα. Καὶ Χελκίας ὑπὲρ τῆς παιδὸς χαίρων ἀνενεώθη· Ἰωακεὶμ τὴν ἐπινίκιον ᾖσεν ὑπὲρ τῆς γυναικὸς ἑορτήν·\n\nπαῖδες δέ, γνησίας καὶ τῆς σώφρονος ἔκγονα, μειδιῶσι προσώποις τὴν μητέρα περιεσκίρτων καὶ τὸ πολύδακρυ πένθος μετεσκευάσθη εἰς εὐφροσύνην. Ὑμεῖς δέ, ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λαός, εὐσεβεστάτης καὶ ψυχωφελοῦς ἱστορίας ἀκούσαντες μὴ ἀδιαφόρως τὴν ἀκοὴν παραδράμητε, ἀλλὰ παιδείαν καὶ ἄσκησιν τοῦ ὑμετέρου βίου τὸν λόγον ποιήσασθε. Αἱ γυναῖκες, ζηλώσατε τὴν Σωσάνναν· οὕτως φυλάξατε τοῖς ἀνδράσι τὴν σωφροσύνην ὡς ἐκείνη τῷ ἑαυτῆς· παθεῖν τε καὶ κινδυνεῦσαι κατεδέξατο μᾶλλον ἢ μοιχείᾳ σπιλῶσαι τὸν βίον· μοιχεία Θεὸν παροργίζει, ἄνδρα καταισχύνει, οἴκους καὶ ἑστίας ἐξαφανίζει, παῖδας ἀμφιβόλους ἐργάζεται. Οἱ πρεσβύται, τοὺς τοιούτους μισήσατε γέροντας· οἱ δυνάσται, φοβήθητε τῶν κριτῶν τῶν παρανόμων τὸ τέλος·","english":"But to persuade the foolish people and the frivolous judges, who gave judgment for the city of the accusers and not for the truth, he brings the test of the questioning to them separately and convicts the lie by their discordant answer; and having brought forth the judgment, he does not hand them over to the public executioners as liable, but calls punitive angels against them. For to such a degree was the dignity of the saints increased that they have invisible powers ministering to them. What follows for the vile elders? The trial was set in motion; and they departed, paying the penalty for their old lawless deeds and their new sin through death; and all Babylon had the marvel of what had happened on their lips and hymned God with praises, who had made public the knowledge of hidden deeds. And Helcias was renewed, rejoicing on behalf of his daughter; Joachim sang the song of victory, a festival for his wife;\n\nand the children, genuine offspring of the modest woman, with smiling faces skipped about their mother, and the tearful mourning was changed into gladness. But you, the people of Christ, having heard a most pious and soul-profiting history, do not let your hearing pass by indifferently, but make the word a discipline and training of your life. Women, emulate Susanna; guard chastity for your husbands as she did for her own; she chose rather to suffer and be in danger than to defile her life with adultery. Adultery provokes God to anger, shames a husband, destroys houses and homes, makes children of doubtful parentage. Elders, hate such old men; rulers, fear the end of lawless judges.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":76,"ref":"p76","source":"οἱ νέοι, μιμήσασθε τὸν ἡλικιώτην τὸν νέον, ἵν' οὕτως ἑκάστης ἡλικίας εἰς τὸν τύπον τῶν καλῶν μορφωθείσης τὸ πᾶν πλήρωμα τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἅγιον καὶ εὐδόκιμον γένηται ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν, ᾧ πρέπει δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ σὺν τῷ συνανάρχῳ πατρὶ καὶ σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ καὶ ζωοποιῷ αὐτοῦ πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\n7. Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας λόγος εἰς τὸν ἐκ κοιλίας τυφλόν Ἠκούσαμεν ἀρτίως τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς βροντῆς Ἰωάννου, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τοῦ τὸν ἁλιέα καὶ χειροτέχνην συγγραφέα καὶ λογογράφον ἐργασαμένου θείων ὄντως καὶ ὑψηλῶν ὑποθέσεων. Ἐξηγήσατο γὰρ ἡμῖν πολλὴν καὶ μακρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου διάλεξιν, δι' ἧς τὸν ἀπειθῆ λαὸν καὶ δυσήκοον τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ θεογνωσίαν ἐπαίδευεν τῆς μοναρχικῆς ἐννοίας τῶν Ἑβραίων ἀπάγων τοὺς λογισμούς, ἀνοίγων δὲ αὐτοῖς τὴν θύραν τῆς χαρίτος ἐκ τῆς νομικῆς παραδόσεως, καὶ πρὸς τὴν καινὴν Διαθήκην ἐκ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἠρεμαίως ἄγων, ὡς ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου πρότερον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν πλουσίαν καὶ εὔκαρπον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως δεικνύντος αὐτοῦ ποικίλως καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ὕπαρξιν, ὡς προαιώνιος ὑπάρχει καὶ ἀεὶ τῷ πατρὶ συνημμένη, καὶ διαρρήδην τοῖς κωφοῖς ἐμβοῶντος· Πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγώ εἰμι· οὔτε τοῦ λόγου μαθόντες τὴν δύναμιν, οὔτε διά τινος ἐπιστήμονος ἀντιρρήσεως τὸ μὴ παραδεχθὲν διελέγξαντες ἐπὶ τοὺς λίθους ἀντὶ τῶν λόγων ἐχώρουν· καὶ πόρρωθεν τοῦ σταυροῦ τὰς φονικὰς χεῖρας πρὸς τὴν μιαιφονίαν ἐγύμναζον.","english":"Young men, imitate the young man of your own age, so that when each age has thus been formed according to the pattern of good things, the whole fullness of the church may become holy and approved in Christ Jesus our Savior, to whom belong glory, might, and honor, with the Father who shares his rule and with his all-holy and life-giving Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\n7. A homily of Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, on the man blind from birth. We have just heard John, the son of thunder—or rather, the Holy Spirit, who made the fisherman and craftsman a writer and recorder of truly divine and lofty subjects. For he expounded to us the Lord's long and extended discourse, through which he taught the disobedient and hard-of-hearing people the knowledge of God the Father and the Son, leading their thoughts away from the Hebrew notion of a single principle, opening to them the door of grace from the legal tradition, and gently leading them from the old covenant to the new, as from the wilderness of old to the rich and fruitful land. But although he was showing in various ways his own existence also, that he is from before the ages and always united with the Father, and was crying out plainly to the deaf: Before Abraham was, I am—yet they, neither learning the power of the word nor refuting by any knowledgeable objection what they did not accept, resorted to stones instead of words; and from afar they bared their murderous hands for bloodshed against the cross.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":77,"ref":"p77","source":"Ὁ δὲ κρίνας πανταχοῦ μακροθύμως ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν ὑβριστὴν δῆμον καὶ βλάσφημον, ἐξέκλινεν αὐτῶν τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὸν θόρυβον οὐ ταπεινῶς ἀποδιδράσκων, ἀλλὰ θεϊκῶς· ὃς ἐν μέσῳ τε εἱστήκει καὶ ψηλαφώμενος οὐκ ἐβλέπετο καὶ τοῖς φλεγμαίνουσι προστριβόμενος οὐχ ὁρᾶτο, ἀλλ' εἱστήκεσαν ἐνεοὶ τῇ μὲν προαιρέσει φονῶντες, καθ' ὅτου δὲ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκπληρώσουσιν οὐκ εὑρίσκοντες· ὅμοιοι θηρευταῖς ἀπείροις, οἳ ἐπειδὰν πρὸ καιροῦ τὴν θήραν ἀνασοβήσωσιν, ὑποδραμούσης τῆς ἐλάφου λόχμην τινὰ καὶ ἀφανῶς ἐξελθούσης, εἰκῆ πλανῶνται κατὰ τὴν νάπην ἄχθος περιττὸν τὰ δίκτυα φέροντες καὶ μάτην τοὺς σκύλακας ἐφελκόμενοι. Ἐγὼ δέ, εἰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα φαῦλος οἰκέτης, τούτου γοῦν οὐκ ἐξελαθόμην, ὅτι δοῦλός εἰμι καί με προσῆκεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Δεσπότου κατὰ τῶν ὑβριστῶν ἐξανίστασθαι. Διὸ καὶ κεκράξομαι πρὸς τοὺς Ἑβραίους ὡς παρόντας σήμερον καὶ παρὰ τῆς μανίας ἐνεργουμένους· Βάλλετε, μιαροί, λίθοις τὸν εὐεργέτην; τίς γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἐκ πέτρας ἐπότισε; βάλλετε λίθοις τὸν πλαξὶ λιθίναις τὸν βίον ὑμῶν κακονίσαντα; βάλλετε τὸν ἐκλεκτὸν λίθον καὶ ἔντιμον, ὃν Ἡσαΐας ὑμῖν προεφήτευσε; βάλλετε τὸν νοητὸν λίθον τὸν τῆς ἀκροτόμου πέτρας ἀπορραγέντα ἄνευ χειρὸς ἀνθρωπίνης, ὡς ὁ θεσπέσιος Δανιὴλ ὑμᾶς ἐδίδαξε; βάλλετε λίθοις τὸν ἀκρογωνιαῖον τὸν τοὺς δύο","english":"But he who had determined everywhere to be patient with the insolent and blasphemous people eluded their anger and uproar, not fleeing basely but in a divine manner. He stood in their midst, yet though he was handled he was not seen, and though he was pressed against those inflamed he was not visible; but they stood speechless, murderous in intent, yet unable to find against whom they would fulfill their anger—like inexperienced hunters who, when they have startled the game before the time, and the deer has run under some thicket and escaped unseen, wander aimlessly through the glen carrying their nets as a useless burden and dragging their hounds along in vain. And I, though in other respects a worthless servant, at least have not forgotten this, that I am a servant and that it was fitting for me to rise up on behalf of the Master against the insolent. Therefore I will cry out to the Hebrews as though they were present today and were being driven by their madness: Throw stones, you polluted ones, at your Benefactor? For who gave you drink from the rock? Throw stones at him who made your life wretched by tablets of stone? Throw stones at the chosen and precious stone which Isaiah foretold to you? Throw stones at the spiritual stone that was torn from the unhewn rock without human hand, as the inspired Daniel taught you? Throw stones at the cornerstone that joins the two","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":78,"ref":"p78","source":"τοίχους τῆς καινῆς καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς Διαθήκης συνέχοντα; Κἂν γὰρ ὑμεῖς μὴ πιστεύσητε, δυνατὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ, τουτέστιν ἀθροῖσαι τῷ Χριστῷ λαὸν περιούσιον τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ἀκρόβυστον, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐδέξατο εἰπόντος αὐτῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι Ἐνευλογισθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Τῇ γὰρ ἀπορρήτῳ προγνώσει βλέπων ὁ Θεὸς τὸ μέλλον τῷ ἀρχηγῷ τῆς πίστεως πάντας τοὺς εἰς ὕστερον πιστεύειν μέλλοντας εἰς τάξιν ἀπεκλήρωσε τέκνων. Ἐθεώρει γὰρ ἔκτοτε τῶν Ἑβραίων τὴν στάσιν καὶ τοὺς λίθους ἔβλεπε καὶ τοὺς ψευδωνύμους υἱοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἀποκηρύκτοις ἠρίθμει. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ λόγῳ καταγγέλλων αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐκ ἔπειθεν εὐσεβεῖν, παρεστὼς ἀπεκρύβη καὶ φαινόμενος οὐκ ἐβλέπετο, ἵν' ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης αὐτοῦ θαυματουργίας ἑλκύσῃ πρὸς συγκατάθεσιν τοῦ, ὅτι καὶ Θεὸς ἐτύγχανεν καὶ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ πρεσβύτερος. Ἀκούσατε οὖν, φησίν, ὦ ἀληθῶς τυφλοὶ καὶ ἀνόητοι· Τίς οὗτος, ὁ καὶ συμπαρὼν ὑμῖν καὶ μὴ βλεπόμενος; ἢ τάχα ἐκεῖνος ὁ καὶ πρὸς Μωϋσῆν λαλῶν καὶ μὴ φαινό μενος; Ἑωρᾶτο γὰρ καὶ τότε πῦρ καὶ βάτος, ἀμφότερα ἄφωνα· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ φωνὴ ἠκούετο καὶ λόγος ἐπαίδευε καὶ ἀσφαλῶς τὸ μέλλον προηγορεύετο. Καὶ χρὴ τοὺς νοῦν ἔχοντας ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας τῶν πραγμάτων γνωρίσαι τὸ πρόσωπον. Οὕτως δὲ ἀλόγως καὶ ἀνοήτως τῶν Ἑβραίων ἐχόντων ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτήρ, ὥσπερ τις ἰατρὸς ἐπιμελής τε ὁμοῦ καὶ σοφός, πρὸς τὴν πρώτην πεῖραν οὐκ ἐνδόντος τοῦ πάθους ἄλλον τρόπον τῆς θεραπείας μεταχειρίζεται.","english":"the walls that hold together the New and the Old Testament? For even if you do not believe, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham, that is, to gather for Christ a people for his own possession, taken from the Gentiles and the uncircumcised, for which Abraham also received the promise, when God said to him, that in you all the nations will be blessed. For by his ineffable foreknowledge God, seeing the future, allotted to the founder of the faith all those who would later believe, assigning them to the rank of children. For from that time he observed the faction of the Hebrews and saw the stones and numbered the falsely named sons among the disowned. But since by his word he proclaimed the truth to them and did not persuade them to be pious, though standing present he was hidden, and though appearing he was not seen, so that by such a wonderworking of his he might draw them to agreement that he was both God and God older than Abraham. Hear then, he says, you who are truly blind and foolish: Who is this, who is both present with you and not seen? Or perhaps that one who also spoke to Moses and was not seen? For even then fire and bush were seen, both voiceless; but nevertheless a voice was heard and a word taught and the future was safely foretold. And those who have understanding must recognize the person from the kinship of the deeds. But since the Hebrews were so unreasonably and foolishly disposed, our Lord and Savior, like some physician both diligent and wise, when the disease did not yield to the first attempt, employs another manner of treatment.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":79,"ref":"p79","source":"Τυφλῷ δὲ βούλεται θεραπεῦσαι τυφλοὺς τὴν διάνοιαν, ὃς ἐκ τοῦ προστυχόντος εὑρέθη, οὐ λώβῃ τινι συμβάσει παθὼν τὴν τυφλότητα, ἀλλὰ πταίσματι φύσεως οὕτως ἐκ γαστρὸς παραχθεὶς εἰς τὸν βίον. Θεασάμενος δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔστη καὶ πρὸς θεραπείαν ἕτοιμος ἦν· θεραπείαν ἀνθρωπικοῦ λόγου καὶ τέχνης κρείττονα. Ἰατρικὴ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ὁ κατ' αὐτὴν λόγος ἐκείνοις τῶν νοσημάτων ἐπιβάλλει τὴν θεωρίαν, ὅσα τῆς φύσεως ἀπαρτισάσης τὸ ζῷον καὶ προαγούσης εἰς φῶς χρόνοις ὕστερον κατά τινας περιστάσεις ἐπισυμβαίνει, τῆς δὲ συντεχθείσης τῷ σώματι λώβης οὐκ ἐπαγγέλλεται θεραπείαν. Οὐ μέντοι γε οὐδὲ τῶν παθῶν πάντων τῶν εἰς ὕστερον συμβαινόντων. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυρες οἱ ἠκρωτηριασμένοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἷς οὐδεὶς ἰατρὸς τὴν τῶν μελῶν στέρησιν ἐπηνώρθωσε. Διόπερ καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ τὸ πάθος κατελεήσαντες καὶ βλέποντες ἄνθρωπον τῆς καλλίστης ἡδονῆς τοῦ φωτὸς μὴ γευσάμενον τὴν αἰτίαν περιεργάζοντο τῆς κακώσεως καὶ ἐπυνθάνοντο παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου οὐ λίαν ἐπιστημόνως, εἴπερ ἐξ ἁμαρτίας οἰκείας ἢ διὰ πλημμε λήματα τῶν γονέων τοιοῦτος εἰς τὸν βίον παρήχθη. Ἑκατέρωθεν δὲ ἡ ἐρώτησις ἔχει τὸ ἐπιλήψιμον· οὔτε γὰρ ἂν ὑπὲρ τῶν πατέρων ὁ παῖς κατεγνώσθη, ἄλλον ὑπὲρ ἄλλου τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ κολάζοντος· οὔτε μὴν ἰδίων πλημμελημάτων ἀπέτισε δίκας, εἴγε οὗτος μὲν τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἁμαρτωλὸς πρὸ γεννήσεως. Ἡ μὲν οὖν πεῦσις οὐ λίαν δόκιμος· ὅπως δὲ ἡ ἀλήθεια, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἀπε κρίνατο, καταμάθωμεν.","english":"He wishes to heal a man blind in mind, who was found so by chance, having suffered blindness not from some injury or accident, but from a defect of nature, brought forth thus from the womb into life. When he saw the man, he stood still and was ready to heal him—a healing beyond human reason and skill. For medicine and the theory that belongs to it undertake the study of those diseases which arise later in certain circumstances, after nature has completed the living being and brought it into the light; but it does not promise a cure for a defect that has been formed together with the body. Nor, indeed, does it promise a cure for all afflictions that occur afterward. And of this the mutilated among men are witnesses, whose loss of limbs no physician has repaired. Therefore the disciples also, pitying the affliction and seeing a man who had never tasted the fairest pleasure of light, inquired into the cause of the affliction and asked the Lord—not very knowledgeably—whether it was from his own sin or through the transgressions of his parents that such a man was brought into life. But the question is objectionable on both sides: for neither would the child have been condemned on account of the fathers, since God does not punish one for another; nor indeed did he pay the penalty for his own transgressions, since he was born blind. For no one is a sinner before birth. The question, then, is not very sound; but let us consider how the Truth, our Lord, answered the question.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":80,"ref":"p80","source":"Τὸ γὰρ πάθος τοῦτο, φησίν, ὦ μαθηταί, οὐχ ἁμαρτημάτων ἐστὶν ἀντίδοσις, ἀλλ' ἑτοιμασία μελλούσης οἰκονομίας, ὅπως ἂν ὁ τέως κοινὸς νομιζόμενος ἄνθρωπος ἐνεργήσῃ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον καὶ ὁ κτίστης τῶν ὅλων μετὰ τὴν πρώτην ποίησιν εὕρῃ καὶ νῦν τοῦ δημιουργεῖν ἀφορμάς, ἐκ δὲ τῶν μερικῶν καὶ τὰ καθόλου πιστώσηται, ὁ δὲ σκλῆρος λαὸς καὶ δυσάγωγος πεισθῇ προσκυνεῖν ῥίψας τοὺς λίθους. Φωτισθήτωσαν τοίνυν ὀφθαλμοὶ μὴ βλέποντες, ἵνα καταλάμψῃ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀσυνέτων ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος. Γενέσθω πρᾶγμα παράδοξον καὶ κτισθήσωσαν ὄψεις, ἵνα μάθωσιν οἱ στασιάζοντες, ὡς ὁ λεγόμενος υἱὸς τοῦ Ἰωσήφ, εἰ ἦν ἀληθῶς τέκτονος παῖς, δίφρον μὲν ἐδύνατο διαρραγέντα ἐπανορθοῦν, ἢ τὰ ξύλα συνάγειν τῆς ἁρμονίας ἀποζευχθέντα, ἢ τὴν κλασθεῖσαν ὑπερείδειν δοκόν, ἢ λεαίνειν τὸ τραχὺ τῶν σανίδων, ἢ ποιεῖν ὅλως\n\nἐκεῖνα, ἃ χειροτέχνης πατὴρ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ ἐπιτηδεύματος διδάσκει τὸν παῖδα· ἀνθρώπου δὲ μέρος, καὶ μέρος τὸ κάλλιστον τὸν ὀφθαλμόν, τὸ μάλιστα παρὰ τῆς φύσεως φιλοπόνως δημιουργούμενον, οὐκ ἂν ἐποίησεν ἄλλος, εἰ μήγε ὁ τῆς πρώτης ἀρχῆς τῆς κατὰ φύσεως ἔχων τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Κἄν τις θελήσει προσεχῶς τοῖς ἀνθρωπικοῖς μέλεσιν ἐπιστῆσαι τὸν νοῦν, ἐν τούτῳ δὴ μάλιστα τῷ μορίῳ τοῦ σώματος τὴν παντοδύναμον καὶ ποικίλην τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν κατόψεται ἐν μικρᾷ μέλους περιγραφῇ τοσαύτην ἐπιδειξαμένου τὴν φιλοτιμίαν τῆς τέχνης.","english":"For this affliction, he says, O disciples, is not a recompense for sins, but a preparation for the coming dispensation, so that the man who until then was considered ordinary might accomplish things beyond man, and the Creator of all things, after the first creation, might find even now occasions for creating, and from particular things might confirm the universal, and the hard and intractable people might be persuaded to worship, casting away their stones. Let eyes that do not see be enlightened, then, so that the sun of righteousness may shine upon the souls of the senseless. Let a wondrous thing come to be, and let eyes be created, so that those in revolt may learn that the one called the son of Joseph, if he were truly a craftsman's child, could repair a broken stool, or join together pieces of wood parted from their fit, or prop up a shattered beam, or smooth the roughness of planks, or in general do those things that a craftsman father, according to the principle of the trade, teaches his child; but a part of man, and the most beautiful part, the eye, which is especially fashioned by nature with labor, another could not have made, unless indeed he who has authority over the first principle of nature. And if anyone wishes to apply his mind closely to the human limbs, in this part of the body especially will he behold the almighty and manifold wisdom of God, who in the small compass of a limb has displayed so great a generosity of art.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":81,"ref":"p81","source":"Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ χάρις τις ἐπικέχυται καί ἐστιν ἁπαλώτατός τε καὶ ἄσαρκος, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐν τῷ τρυφερῷ τὸ στερεὸν ἔχων καὶ ἐν τῷ μαλακῷ τὸ διατεταμένον καὶ ποικίλαις διήνθισται ταῖς χρόαις. Τὸ γοῦν μέσον αὐτοῦ τὴν περιγραφὴν ἔχει τοῦ μέλανος, καὶ ταύτην οὐ δι' ὅλου μονοειδῆ, ἀλλὰ ποικίλοις τισὶ κύκλοις συνδεδεμένην· τοῦ κέντρου μὲν αὐτοῦ καὶ μέσου τὸ βαθύτερον ἔχοντος, τῆς δὲ ἐξωτέρω περιφερείας πρὸς τὴν ξανθοτέραν κατὰ μέρος ἀποληγούσης βαφήν. Ταύτης ἔξωθεν τὸ λευκὸν περιβέβληται, στιλπνὸν καὶ διαυγές, οὐκ ἄκρατον ἔχον τὴν λευκότητα, ἀλλ' ἐν κρυσταλλοειδεῖ τινι καὶ διαυγαζούσῃ πεποιημένον τῇ μορφῇ. Τὸ ἐρυθρὸν κεῖται περὶ τὴν κόρην, ἵνα τῷ λευκῷ καὶ μέλανι κεράσῃ τὴν χάριν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις οὕτως ἐστὶ διαυγὴς καὶ λεῖος ἐν τῇ πυκνότητι, ὥστε καὶ τὰς τῶν ἐγγιζόντων εἰδωλοποιεῖν μορφὰς καὶ οἱονεὶ κάτοπτρον ἀκριβὲς τῶν προσδιαλεγομένων ἐντυποῦσθαι τοὺς χαρακτῆρας, διὸ δὴ καὶ τὸ μεσαίτατον αὐτοῦ τοῦ κύκλου, τὸ κέντρον, προσηγορεύεται κόρη, ἀεὶ τὴν μορφὴν τῷ καταντικρὺ βλέποντι δεικνύον ἀνθρωπικήν. Ὡς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι τὸν ὁρῶντα εἰς κάτοπτρον μὴ εὐθὺς ἐνσκιάσαι τῇ ὕλῃ τὸν ἴδιον χαρακτῆρα, οὕτω τὸν ἀντιπρόσωπον ἑστῶτα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μὴ ἐγγράψαι τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τὴν οἰκείαν μορφήν. Εἰς ἀλλήλους γοῦν ἄνθρωποι βλέποντες ἀλλήλων γίνονται κάτοπτρα. Θαύματος τοίνυν ἄξιος ἐν τοῖς κτίσμασιν ὁ ὀφθαλμός. Οὗτος γάρ μοι καὶ Θεὸν ἑρμηνεύει πᾶσαν ἀκριβῶς καταμανθάνων τὴν κτίσιν κἀκ τῆς ἐνεργείας ὑποδεικνὺς τὸν τεχνίτην· οὗτος ἐκ τῶν ὁρατῶν ἑρμη νεύει τῇ ψυχῇ τὰ ἀόρατα·","english":"For first, a certain grace has been poured over it, and it is, so to speak, most delicate and fleshless, possessing the solid within the tender and the firm within the soft, and it is tinged with various colors. At any rate, its middle has the outline of black, and this not uniform throughout, but bound together by certain varied circles—its center and middle having the deeper shade, while the outer circumference gradually fades into a more golden hue. Outside this, white is wrapped around, gleaming and translucent, not possessing its whiteness unmixed, but made in a certain crystalline and translucent form. Red lies around the pupil, so that it might blend its grace with the white and black. In addition to these, it is so translucent and smooth in its density that it forms images of the shapes of those who approach, and, as it were, an exact mirror, imprints the features of those conversing with it; for which reason indeed the very middle of its circle, the center, is called the pupil, always showing a human form to the one looking directly at it. For just as it is impossible for one looking into a mirror not immediately to shadow his own features upon the material, so too is it impossible for a man standing face to face not to imprint his own form upon the eye. At any rate, when men look at one another, they become mirrors of one another. The eye, then, is worthy of wonder among created things. For this, as I see it, interprets God, accurately comprehending all creation and from its working pointing out the craftsman; this interprets to the soul the invisible things from the visible.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":82,"ref":"p82","source":"διὰ τούτου ἔχω γνῶσιν ἡλίου καὶ οὐρανοῦ κόσμον ἔμαθον καὶ κάλλος ἀστέρων ἱστόρησα καὶ γῆς ὑπόστασιν καὶ φύσιν θαλάσσης, σπερμάτων διαφορὰν καὶ φυτῶν ποικιλίαν καὶ χρω μάτων ποικίλην βαφήν, σκότους κατήφειαν καὶ φωτὸς λαμπήδονα καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς ὅσα ὁ Θεὸς κτίσας ἐπῄνεσεν. Ὡς εἴ γε ὀφθαλμὸς μὴ ὑπῆρχεν, ἀμάρτυρος ἂν ἡ κτίσις ἐγήρασεν, οὐδενὸς καθορῶντος τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ σωζομένην. Διὰ ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν θαυμαστὴν τῶν ὄψεων κατασκευὴν ὀφθαλμοὶ καὶ νῦν ἐκτίσθησαν αὐτοσχέδιοι, ἵνα τὰς μικροπρεπεῖς ἐννοίας τὰς ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐγγινομένας ἡμῖν περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἀποθώμεθα τῇ μεγαλουργίᾳ τῶν γινομένων ἐκβάλλοντες τῆς ψυχῆς πᾶσαν ὑπόληψιν μικροπρεπῆ καὶ χαμαίζηλον· γνωρίσωμεν δέ, ὅτι τὸ μακάριον φῶς καὶ κάλλος τῆς θεότητος ὀστράκινον σκεῦος ἐδέξατο διακονοῦν ἡμῖν κατὰ τοὺς λύχνους τὴν λαμπηδόνα. Αὐτουργεῖ δὲ διόλου τὴν θεραπείαν ὁ Κύριος καὶ οὐ λόγῳ μόνῳ χρῆται πρὸς τὴν ἐνέργειαν ὁ προστάγματι τὴν πᾶσαν ὑποστησάμενος διακόσμησιν, ὁ δύο λόγοις βραχέσι τὸν παραλυτικὸν θεραπεύσας· ἀλλὰ καὶ στόματι καὶ χερσὶ καὶ ἄλλῃ πολλῇ προνοίᾳ θεραπεύει νῦν τὴν τυφλότητα, ἵνα βεβαίαν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐμποιήσῃ τοῖς ἀπίστοις τὴν πίστιν. Πτύει ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους καὶ τῷ σιάλῳ πῆλον ἐργάζεται, τῇ μὲν γῇ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν θεραπείαν συγ χρώμενος, ἵνα δείξῃ ὡς ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ χοῦ, ὅθεν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὁλόκληρον ἐπλάσθη τὸ ζῷον, καὶ τὸ λεῖπον ἀρτίως μέρος δημιουργεῖται.","english":"Through this I have knowledge of the sun, and I have learned the order of the heaven and have beheld the beauty of the stars, and the substance of the earth and the nature of the sea, the difference of seeds and the variety of plants and the varied dyeing of colors, the gloom of darkness and the brightness of light, and simply all things whatsoever God, having created them, praised. For if the eye did not exist, creation would have grown old without a witness, with no one beholding the wisdom in it and the power of God preserved. Therefore for the sake of this wondrous construction of sights, eyes were created even now, self-formed, so that we might put away the petty thoughts that arise in us from the flesh concerning the Only-Begotten, casting out from the soul every petty and lowly supposition by the great workmanship of the things that come to be; and that we might recognize that the blessed light and beauty of the Godhead received an earthen vessel, ministering to us the brightness as lamps do. But the Lord accomplishes the healing wholly by himself and does not use word alone for the working—he who by command established the whole order of the universe, who by two brief words healed the paralytic—but with mouth and hands and much other forethought he now heals the blindness, so that through deeds he might implant firm faith in the unbelieving. He spits on the ground and with the saliva makes clay, using the earth for this purpose for the healing, so that he might show that from that dust, from which the whole living being was formed in the beginning, the remaining part is now also fashioned.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":83,"ref":"p83","source":"Σιάλῳ δὲ τοῦτο ἀναλαμβάνει καὶ συνέχει τὸν ἐσκεδασμένον καὶ ἀκόλλητον, ἵνα φανερῶς ἡμῖν δείξῃ, ὅτι τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὁ Λόγος τὰ πάντα κατώρθωσε. Τῷ λόγῳ γὰρ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν. Τάχα δὲ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο\n\nπτύων θεραπεύει, ἵνα κατανύξῃ πρὸς φόβον τοὺς μικρὸν ὕστερον ὑβρίζειν τοῖς ἐμπτύσμασι μέλλοντας· καὶ ὅμως οὐκ ἐδυσώπησε τῶν μαινομένων τὸ θράσος, ἀλλ' ἐνεπτύσθη πολλὰ ὁ τοιαῦτα κατορθῶν διὰ πτύσματος. Τῆς πρώτης ταύτης πράξεως τὴν δημιουργικὴν ὑποφαίνει δύναμιν καὶ διὰ μὲν τοῦ προστάξαι εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν τοῦ Σιλωὰμ νίψασθαι τὴν δι' ὕδατος σωτηρίαν ἡμῖν ἐνδείκνυται, ἣν πᾶσιν ὁ ἀπεσταλμένος (Σιλωὰμ) ἐχαρίσατο. Τότε γὰρ καλῶς βλέπομεν, ὅτ' ἂν τῷ μυστικῷ καθαρθῶμεν ὕδατι· τότε φῶς ἡμᾶς περιλάμπει τῆς χάριτος, ὅτ' ἂν ἡ δύναμις τοῦ βαπτίσματος τὸν ῥύπον τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τὰς κηλῖδας ἐκνίψῃ. Καὶ πάντες ὅσοι τῇ ἐντολῇ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ ἀπολουόμεθα, τὸ πνευματικὸν ὁρῶμεν φῶς, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος καὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἐνεργείας! Ἀπῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς κολυμβήθρας ὁ πρὸ ὀλίγου τυφλὸς κοσμηθεὶς τὸ πρόσωπον τῇ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν προσθήκῃ, βλέπων ἀκριβῶς πρὸς τὴν ἡλιακὴν ἀκτῖνα. Ἐξέπληττε τοὺς γείτονας καὶ τοὺς γνωρίμους τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ἐθορύβει τὸν βίον ὁ καινὸς τῆς θεραπείας τρόπος· περιενόστει τὴν πόλιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος βλέπων, ἵνα βλέπηται παρὰ πάντων ἔργον γενόμενον καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ ἐν Βηθλεὲμ γεννηθέντος, τοῦ μικροῦ βρέφους ἐκείνου τοῦ ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ τοῖς σπαργάνοις ἐνειληθέντος.","english":"By spittle he takes up and holds together what has been scattered and unjoined, so that he may clearly show us that by the power of his mouth the Word set all things right. For by the word the heavens were established, and by the breath of his mouth all their power. Perhaps for this reason too\n\nhe heals by spitting, in order to prick to fear those who a little later would insult him with spittings; and yet he did not put to shame the boldness of the madmen, but he who accomplished such things through spittle was spat upon many times. By this first act he hints at the creative power, and by commanding the man to wash in the pool of Siloam he shows us the salvation that comes through water, which the one who was sent (Siloam) bestowed on all. For then we see well, when we are cleansed by the mystic water; then the light of grace shines around us, when the power of baptism washes away the filth of sins and their stains. And all of us who are washed at the command of Siloam see the spiritual light, which enlightens every man coming into the world. O the wonder and the great working! The man who a little before was blind went away from the pool, his face adorned with the addition of eyes, seeing accurately toward the sun's ray. The matter astonished the neighbors and acquaintances. The new manner of healing disturbed life; the man walked about the city seeing, in order that he might be seen by all as a new and paradoxical work wrought by Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, that little infant who was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":84,"ref":"p84","source":"Ταῦτα γάρ ἐστιν, ἃ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἀπιστεῖν ἐποίει τῇ θεότητι. Οὐκοῦν, ὦ ἀνόητοι καὶ παχυκάρδιοι, ἐπιβάλετε τὸν λογισμὸν τοῖς ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀνθρώποις. Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἀρξάμενοι τοὺς ἑξῆς πάντας διερευνήσατε, ἐὰν εὕρητε τὸ νῦν γενόμενον καὶ ἐπ' ἄλλων πραχθέν, ἐὰν ἔχοντα τὸν βίον τοιαύτης θεραπείας ὑπόδειγμα· καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ διασυρμῷ τοῦ Κυρίου μου τὸν τοῦ τέκτονος προφέρετε παῖδα, οὗ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς γνωρίζετε, οὗ τὴν οἰκίαν ἴστε. Ἀπαριθμεῖσθε πάντα τὰ ταπεινά, φιλονεικήσατε, πολλὴν ἡμῶν καταχέατε τὴν ἀδοξίαν. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲν τοιοῦτον μήτε ἄνθρωπος ἔπραξε μήτε ὁ βίος ἔσχε διήγημα, καταγνόντες ἑαυτῶν τῆς ἀγνοίας λοιπὸν πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀναβλέψατε. Νίψασθε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν Σιλωάμ, ἵνα μὴ ἐναποθάνητε τῇ τυφλότητι. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ὡς ἔοικεν ἐπ' ἐκείνων. Οὐ λόγος ἐπαίδευεν, οὐ πρᾶξις ἐδίδασκεν, οὐκ ἐνέργεια θαυμασίων ἐδυσώπει· πάντα δὲ τοὐναντίον διὰ τὴν ἔντυφον ἀγνωμοσύνην μυρίοις τρόποις ἐπεχείρουν ἀφανίζειν καὶ διασύρειν· περιετρέπετο δὲ αὐτοῖς πρὸς τοὐναντίον ἡ κακουργία. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἠπίστουν ἐκεῖνοι καὶ προσερωτῶντες ἀνατρέπειν ἐσπούδαζον, τοσούτῳ πλέον ἐβεβαιοῦτο ἡ ἀλήθεια· καὶ ταὐτὸν ἔπασχον τῶν θηρίων ἐκείνοις, ἃ πληγέντα παρά τινος καὶ μηδέπω πᾶσαν τὴν αἰχμὴν ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ δεξά μενα τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁρμῇ καὶ φιλονεικίᾳ ὅλον ἐφ' ἑαυτὰ συνωθεῖ τὸν σίδηρον. Πρώτη πολυπραγμοσύνη· Εἰ οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ τυφλὸς καὶ μὴ ἕτερος ἀντ' ἐκείνου ἐδείχθη·","english":"For these are the things that made the Jews disbelieve in the divinity. Therefore, O foolish and dull-hearted, apply your reasoning to the men of old from the beginning. Beginning from Adam, search out all who came after, whether you find what has now happened also done among others, whether you find a life that has an example of such healing; and again, to mock my Lord, you bring forward the son of the carpenter, whose brothers you know, whose house you know. Count up all his lowly circumstances, contend, pour out great dishonor upon us. But if neither any man did any such thing nor has life any such account, then condemn your own ignorance and look up at last to the truth. Wash also in Siloam, that you may not die in your blindness. But, as it seems, nothing of this sort happened among them. No word taught them, no deed instructed them, no working of wonders shamed them; but everything to the contrary, through their stubborn ignorance, they attempted in countless ways to destroy and mock; but their malice turned back upon themselves. For the more they disbelieved and eagerly sought to overturn by questioning, the more the truth was confirmed; and they suffered the same as those beasts which, struck by someone and not yet having received the whole point in their belly, by their rush and eagerness against the man drive the whole iron into themselves. First curiosity: whether this man himself, the blind man, and not another in his place, was shown;","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":85,"ref":"p85","source":"τοῦτο σαφῶς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου διαμαρτυρομένου καὶ κεκραγότος καὶ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς θεραπείας σαφῶς ἀπαγγέλλοντος, ὅτι καὶ πηλὸς κατεχρίσθη τὸ τῆς τυφλότητος φάρμακον, ὅτι καὶ κολυμβήθρα τὸν πηλὸν ἀπονίψασα τὸ βλέπειν παρέσχεν. Ταῦτα περιεργάζοντο γείτονες καὶ ἐμάνθανον· ἀνεζήτουν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οὐκ ἐπείθοντο. Δευτέρα τέχνη εἰς ἀθέτησιν τοῦ γενομένου παρελαμβάνετο τὸ πειρᾶσθαι δεικνύειν, ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ἐνεργήσας τὴν θεραπείαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἄνθρωπος τὸν σωτῆρα ἐβόα καὶ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ καὶ τῷ κηρύγματι ἀντεδίδου τὴν χάριν καὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐδημοσίευεν, ἀποφραττόμενοι τὰ στόματα, ἰλιγγιῶντες τὴν γνώμην, οὐκ ἔχοντες ὅ τι καὶ πράξωσιν, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ πάθους πάλιν ἀνατρέχουσι ζήτησιν καὶ εἰ ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλός, τοῦτο περιεργάζονται καὶ τοὺς γονεῖς ἀναζητοῦσι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἀκριβεῖς ἐξετασταὶ γίνονται τῶν καθ' ἕκαστον, οὐχ ἵνα βεβαιώσωσι τὸ πραχθέν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀνατροπήν ποθεν τοῦ θαυμασίου λάβωσι καὶ ψευδῆ τινα σκευωρίαν κατασκευάσαντες τὸ πιστεῦον πλῆθος τῆς ὁρμῆς ἀνατρέψωσιν. Ὢ κακίας ὑπερβολή!","english":"This the man was clearly testifying and crying out, clearly proclaiming the sequence of the cure—that clay had been smeared on as the remedy for blindness, and that the pool, washing away the clay, had granted sight. The neighbors busied themselves with these things and learned; the Pharisees inquired and were not convinced. A second device for invalidating what had happened was brought into play: the attempt to show that it was not the Christ who worked the cure. But when the man cried out that it was the Savior, and by his confession and proclamation repaid the grace and made the benefactor publicly known, they were stopped in their mouths, dizzy in mind, having nothing they could do; so they run back again to the inquiry into the affliction, and whether he was blind from birth—this they busy themselves with, and they summon the man's parents and become exact examiners of each detail, not in order to confirm what was done, but so that they might find some way to overturn the marvel and, fabricating some false scheme, turn back the believing crowd from its impulse. O excess of wickedness!","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":86,"ref":"p86","source":"Μάχεσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἀληθείαν καὶ μὴ προσκυνεῖν τὸν ταῦτα ποιοῦντα, ἀλλὰ διασύρειν τὸν εὐεργέτην· μὴ θαυμάζειν τὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλ' ἐξευτελίζειν πειρᾶσθαι τὰ πράγματα. Πείσθητε καὶ παρὰ τῶν γονέων, ὦ Φαρισαῖοι, ὅτι μετὰ τῆς τυφλότητος ἐτέχθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος· καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν τυφλὸν ἀνατρέχετε, ἐκ δευτέρου καὶ τρίτου παρ' ἐκείνου πληροφορούμενοι τῶν κακῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων καὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλῶν. Ἀλλ' ὅτ' ἂν τῆς πρώτης ἐκπέσητε πείρας, ἐπὶ τὴν δευτέραν χωρεῖτε· ὅτ' ἂν τῆς δευτέρας, ἐπὶ τὴν τρίτην· ὅτ' ἂν τῆς τρίτης ἐπὶ τὴν καθεξῆς. Ἀλώπεκος κακουργούσης ἀναστρέφεσθε δρόμους καὶ πανταχοῦ μὲν ὑμᾶς τὰ δίκτυα τῆς ἀληθείας περιεστοίχισται· ἄφυκτος δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ θαυμασίου διέξοδος. Ὅμως δὲ πάσης οὐκ ἀμελεῖτε πλοκῆς ἱστὸν ἀράχνης ὑφαίνοντες, ποικίλως μέν, ἀλλ' ἀσθενῶς καὶ ἀνηνύτως ἐπιβουλεύοντες. Πατρικὸν ὑμῶν τὸ νόσημα. Ἀπίστων πατέρων ὅμοιοι παῖδες. Τοιοῦτοι κἀκεῖνοι τὸν τρόπον περὶ τὰ θαυμάσια τὰ κατ' Αἴγυπτον. Ἐκ πολέμων ἐσώζοντο καινῶς καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδας καὶ τῷ διδόντι τὴν σωτηρίαν ἠπίστουν· ἐτρέφοντο τροφαῖς ὑπερβαινούσαις τὴν φύσιν καὶ τῶν λιμωττώντων ἦσαν πλέον ἀχάριστοι· μάννα ὑπεδέχοντο οὐρανόθεν πεμπόμενον καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν σκορόδων τε καὶ κρομμύων τὴν δυσωδίαν ἐπόθουν·","english":"To fight against the truth and not to worship the one who does these things, but to mock the benefactor; not to marvel at the power, but to try to belittle the deeds. Be persuaded even by the parents, O Pharisees, that the man was born with his blindness; and again run back to the blind man, being fully assured a second and third time by him concerning your wicked schemes and plots. But whenever you fail in the first attempt, proceed to the second; whenever in the second, to the third; whenever in the third, to the next in order. You turn about in the courses of a mischievous fox, and everywhere the nets of the truth have surrounded you; and the escape from the wonderful thing is not to be escaped. Nevertheless you neglect no entanglement, weaving the web of a spider, plotting in varied ways, but weakly and to no purpose. Yours is an inherited disease. Like children of faithless fathers. Such were those men also in character concerning the wonders in Egypt. They were saved from wars in a novel way and beyond hope, and yet they disbelieved the one giving them salvation; they were fed with nourishment surpassing nature and were more ungrateful than those who were starving; they received manna sent from heaven and longed for the stench of the Egyptian garlic and onions.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":87,"ref":"p87","source":"στύλῳ νεφέλης τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπεσκιάζοντο, ἵνα μὴ τῇ θέρμῃ τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος ταλαιπωρήσωσι, καὶ στύλῳ πυρὸς ἐν νυκτὶ κατελάμποντο ἄλλον φωστῆρα καινὸν παρὰ τὴν σελήνην λαβόντες ἐξαίρετον, καὶ ὡς οὐδεμίας ἐνεργείας θεϊκῆς ἀπολαύοντες οὕτως καινοὺς καὶ μετεώρους ἐζήτουν θεοὺς εἰσπράττοντες, ἵνα μικρὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους κατασχεθεὶς Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῇ δόσει τοῦ νόμου τὴν ἐπάνοδον παρελκύσῃ. Ὑμεῖς ἀληθῶς κληρονόμοι τῆς ἐκείνων ἀγνωμοσύνης καὶ τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀγαπήσαντες καὶ τὴν χάριν μισοῦντες, οὐ ῥάβδου καρυΐνης ἐπιστασίας, ἀλλὰ σιδηρᾶς χρῄζοντες. Ἄνθρωπον ὁρᾶτε παρελθόντα μὲν εἰς φῶς, ἐν σκότῳ δὲ μέχρι πόρρω τῆς ἡλικίας διατελέσαντα ἀνενέργητον τὰς ὄψεις, ἀλλοτρίοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁδηγούμενον, καθ' ἡμέραν πρὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ καθήμενον, δημο σιεύοντα τὴν συμφοράν, ἵνα πολλοὺς εἰς ἔλεον ἐφελκύσηται, τὴν πόλιν ἔχοντα τοῦ πάθους μάρτυρα, βλέποντα νῦν καὶ ἰαθέντα ταχέως, οὐ φαρμάκων ποικίλων συνθέσει, οὐδὲ σιδήρου τομαῖς, ἀλλὰ πηλῷ μόνῳ, καὶ τούτου διὰ σιέλου γενομένου· καὶ πῶς οὐ τεθήπατε, οὐκ ἐκπλήττεσθε, οὐ καταβάλλοντες εἰς γῆν προσκυνεῖτε τὸν ἀπὸ γῆς ὀφθαλμοὺς κτίσαντα καὶ σέβετε τὴν θεϊκὴν ἐνέργειαν; Φθόνῳ δὲ διαρρήγνυσθε καὶ ζηλοῦτε τὸν Θεὸν ὡς ἀντίτεχνον, ὡς δημιουργοὶ δημιουργόν, ὡς ὁμόφυλοι τὸν ὁμότιμον.","english":"By a pillar of cloud the day was overshadowed, so that they might not suffer distress from the heat of the sun's ray, and by a pillar of fire they were illuminated in the night, receiving another new luminary beside the moon, chosen out; and as though they enjoyed no divine working, they thus sought new and lofty gods, exacting it so that Moses, detained a little on the mountain in the giving of the law, might prolong his return. You are truly heirs of their folly, neither loving the law nor hating grace, needing not the oversight of a rod of nut-wood but of iron. You see a man who came into the light, yet in darkness until far advanced in age continued inactive in his eyes, guided by others' eyes, sitting daily before the temple, making public his misfortune, so that he might draw many to pity, having the city as witness of his suffering, seeing now and healed quickly, not by the compounding of various drugs, nor by cuttings of iron, but by clay alone, and that made through saliva; and how do you not marvel, are you not astonished, do you not fall to the ground and worship the one who from the earth created eyes, and revere the divine working? But you are torn apart by envy and are jealous of God as a rival craftsman, as craftsmen of a craftsman, as kinsmen of one of equal honor.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":88,"ref":"p88","source":"Καὶ παλαιᾶς μὲν ἐντυγχάνοντες βίβλοις, ὅσαι ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ λαοῦ οἰκονομίᾳ ἐγράφησαν, καὶ ὅσαι τὰς τῶν βασιλέων ἀρχὰς καὶ τὴν ἐπ' ἐκείναις ἱστορίαν σαφῶς ἐκδιδάσκουσιν, εὐπειθῶς περὶ ἑκάστου τὰ λεγόμενα παραδέχεσθε, ὡς Μωϋσέα μὲν μικροῦ δέοντος νομίζειν Θεὸν καὶ Ἑλισσαῖον ὑπερθαυμάζειν καὶ τὸν τούτου διδασκάλον τὸν Θεσβίτην ὑμνεῖν· καὶ πάντας τοὺς καθ' ἑκάστην γενεὰν ἁγίους τοὺς ἐνεργηθέντας παρὰ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰ μεγάλα καὶ ἀοίδιμα καταπραξαμένους, ἰσαγγέλους ἀνάγετε ταῖς τιμαῖς· οὐδὲν δὲ ζυγομαχεῖτε περὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων, οὐδὲ ἀθετεῖτε τὴν τῶν πατέρων ἐξήγησιν, καὶ ταῦτα πεφυκότων ἀνθρώπων μὴ λίαν εὐκόλως ἀνάγεσθαι πρὸς τὴν πίστιν τῆς ἀκοῆς· ὃ δὲ ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑστέροις ἐπὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν εἴδετε καὶ ἃ τοῖς δακτύλοις ἔξεστι ψηλαφῆσαι καὶ ἀκριβῶς τῇ αἰσθήσει καταλαβεῖν, ταῦτα ἀπίστως καὶ ἀγνωμόνως ὁμοῦ κακουργεῖτε καὶ προφητείας καταπατοῦντες καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τῶν προρρήσεων ἀνατρέποντες. Τὰ γὰρ νῦν ἐπὶ τῆς πείρας ὁρώμενα καὶ πάλαι φθάσας Ἡσαΐας διὰ τῶν λόγων ἐδίδαξεν· Ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν κρίσιν ἀνταποδίδωσι καὶ ἀνταποδώσει· αὐτὸς ἥξει καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς. Τότε ἀνοιγήσονται ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν καὶ ὦτα κωφῶν ἀκούσονται· τότε ἁλεῖται ὡς ἔλαφος ὁ χωλὸς καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογιλάλου. Ταῦτα οὐ Πέτρου καὶ Ἰωάννου τὰ ῥήματα,","english":"And when you encounter the ancient books, as many as were written for the ordering of the people, and as many as clearly teach the reigns of the kings and the history concerning them, receive what is said about each one obediently, so as to consider Moses almost a god, and to marvel exceedingly at Elisha, and to hymn his teacher the Tishbite; and all the saints in each generation who were energized by God and accomplished great and celebrated deeds, raise up in honors as equal to angels; and do not wrangle about the ancients, nor set aside the interpretation of the fathers, and this though men are by nature not very easily led to faith in what they hear; but the things which you have seen with your own eyes, and which it is possible to touch with your fingers and to grasp accurately by sense—these you disbelieve and at the same time wickedly and senselessly treat with contempt, trampling on prophecies and overturning the fulfillment of the predictions. For the things now seen in experience Isaiah long ago taught beforehand through his words: Behold, our God renders judgment and will render it; he himself will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will hear; then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the stammerer will be clear. These are not the words of Peter and John,","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":89,"ref":"p89","source":"οὐδέ τινος τῶν νέων καὶ ὑπόπτων προσώπων οἱ λόγοι, ἵνα κεχαρισμένην εὐφημίαν ὑπονοήσαντες ἀθετήσητε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας προφητείας οἱ λόγοι, εἰ τὸν Θεκουΐτην γνωρίσητε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ἀμώς, προφήτην προφήτου παῖδα, Ἰσραηλίτην ἐκ γένους ἄνδρα, τῆς κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀγωγῆς τὸ κεφάλαιον. Τῷ δὲ Θεῷ δόξα, κράτος, τιμή, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\n8. Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας ἐγκώμιον εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ κορυφαίους ἀποστόλους Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον Πᾶσαι μὲν αἱ συνήθεις αὗται καὶ κατὰ νόμον τελούμεναι τῶν μαρτύρων τιμαί, ἱεραὶ πανηγύρεις εἰσὶ καὶ τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν ἀνδραγαθη σάντων στῆλαι διαιωνίζουσαι· ἐν αἷς οἱ πρόεδροι τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ὅταν εἰς τὸ λέγειν ἀφίκωνται, τὰς ἑαυτῶν δυνάμεις ἀντεξετάζοντες τῷ μεγέθει τῶν ὑποθέσεων εὐθὺς ἐν προοιμίοις εἰς τὴν συγγνώμην καὶ τὴν παραίτησιν καταφεύγουσιν καί φασιν ἐλαττοῦν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων μεγαλοπρέπειαν τῇ τοῦ λόγου σμικρότητι. Εἰ δ' ἐκεῖνοι τοὺς καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν μαρτύρων ἐγκωμιάζειν μέλλοντες ἀπαγορεύουσι πρὸς τὸν ἔπαινον καὶ λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ τὴν σφῶν αὐτῶν ὁμολογοῦσιν ἀσθένειαν, τίς ἂν γενοίμην ἐγὼ σήμερον, ὁ τοὺς διδασκάλους τῶν μαρτύρων ἔχων προκειμένους εἰς εὐφημίαν, τοὺς γνησίους καὶ πρώτους μαθητὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοὺς πατέρας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, τοὺς μόνους ἀξιοπίστους τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κήρυκας, τοὺς Θεῷ λαλήσαντας καὶ τὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ φωνὴν δεξαμένους ταῖς ἀκοαῖς;","english":"Nor are these the words of some recent and suspect persons, so that you might suspect a flattering eulogy and reject the truth, but they are the words of your own prophecy, if you recognize the Tekoite, the son of Amos, a prophet and the child of a prophet, an Israelite by race, the sum of the conduct according to the law. To God be glory, power, honor, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\n8. Encomium of Asterius, bishop of Amasea, on the holy and chief apostles Peter and Paul. All these customary honors of the martyrs, performed according to the law, are sacred festivals and everlasting pillars of those who have acted manfully according to God; in them the presidents of the churches, whenever they arrive at speaking, comparing their own powers against the greatness of the subjects, immediately in their prefaces flee to indulgence and excuse, and say that they diminish the magnificence of the matters by the smallness of their speech. But if those men, when about to praise each one of the martyrs, give up before the praise and with a bright voice confess their own weakness, who would I become today, I who have the teachers of the martyrs set before me for eulogy, the genuine and first disciples of Christ, the fathers of the churches, the only trustworthy heralds of the gospel, those who spoke with God and received the voice from God in their ears?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":90,"ref":"p90","source":"Οὐ μήν, ἐπειδὴ λίαν ὑψηλὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσέφικτος ἡ ἐγχείρησις, τὴν ἀργὴν καὶ ἄπρακτον σιωπὴν ἀγαπήσωμεν, ὥσπερ οἱ δειλοὶ καὶ ἀπειροθάλαττοι, οἳ πρὸς μόνην τὴν ὄψιν τῆς θαλάττης ἀπαγορεύοντες οὔτε τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπιβῆναι τῆς νηὸς ἀνέχονται οὔτε πείρας ἕνεκεν μικρὰ τοὺς αἰγιαλοὺς περιπλεῦσαι· αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς τρισμακαρίοις πιστεύ σαντες τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, τοῖς ὑπὲρ ὧν συνεληλύθαμεν σήμερον, τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν τῇ τῶν ἄλλων εὐφροσύνῃ παρασχέσθαι πειραθῶμεν. Οἶδα γάρ, ὅτι τοσοῦτον ζητήσεται, οὐχ ὅσον ἐκείνοις ὀφείλεται, τοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ θεσπεσίοις, ἀλλ' ὅσον δυνατὸν παρ' ἡμῖν εὑρεθῆναι τοῖς πένησιν. Ἐβουλόμην μὲν οὖν ἐκείνης τῆς χάριτος ὀλίγον μέρος ἐμοὶ χορηγηθῆναι σήμερον, ἧς ἑκάτερός τε τῶν ἁγίων τούτων μεταλαβὼν ὁ μὲν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τοὺς ἀπειθοῦντας ἐδίδασκεν, ὁ δὲ τὸν Ἄρειον πάγον ἐν Ἀθήναις καταλαβὼν ἐκ τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης τοὺς δεισιδαιμονοῦντας ἐπέστρεψεν ὑποδεικνὺς αὐτοῖς τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας καταγγείλας μυστήριον. Οὕτω γὰρ ἀνεδείξαμέν τι τῶν προκειμένων ἐπιτελεῖν καὶ μὴ πολὺ τοῦ μεγέθους ἀπολιμπάνεσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ αἱ μεγάλαι τοῦ Πνεύματος δωρεαὶ τῶν μεγάλων εἰσὶ καὶ ἀνάξιος ἐγὼ τοιαύταις πλουτίζεσθαι χάρισιν, προσθήσω τὴν πενίαν μετὰ τῆς προθυμίας ὑμῖν ὡς Ἐλισσαῖος μετὰ τῶν ἀλεύρων τὰ λάχανα, τῆς τοῦ προέχεσθαι πάντως τὸ καλὸν οὐκ ἀμοιρήσων τιμῆς. Μηδεὶς δέ με οἰηθείη τῶν ἀκουσομένων ὑμῶν εὐφημίαν γενναίων ἀνδρῶν προελόμενον τοῖς νόμοις ἀκολουθήσειν τῆς σοφίας τῆς ἔξωθεν.","english":"Yet let us not, because the word is exceedingly lofty and the undertaking difficult of attainment, embrace idle and inactive silence, like cowards and men unacquainted with the sea, who, giving up at the mere sight of the sea, cannot endure even to set foot at first upon the ship, nor for the sake of trial to sail a little way around the shores. But having entrusted the undertaking to those thrice-blessed men themselves, for whose sake we have come together today, let us attempt to furnish what lies in our power for the joy of others. For I know that as much will be sought as is owed to those great and divine men, but only as much as can be found among us who are poor. I wished, then, that a small portion of that grace might be supplied to me today, of which each of these saints partook—the one teaching the disobedient in Jerusalem, the other reaching the Areopagus in Athens and turning back those who were superstitious from the polytheistic error, showing them Christ and proclaiming the mystery of true piety. For thus we would have shown ourselves to accomplish something of what lies before us and not to fall far short of its greatness. But since the great gifts of the Spirit belong to the great, and I am unworthy to be enriched with such graces, I will add my poverty with my eagerness for you, as Elisha added the vegetables with the flour, not altogether deprived of the honor of preferring the good. And let none of you who are to hear suppose that I, having chosen the eulogy of noble men, will follow the laws of the wisdom from outside.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":91,"ref":"p91","source":"Οὐ γὰρ τέχνῃ συγκειμένῃ κολακείαν ἀπεργαζόμεθα, ἀλλὰ ψυχῶν φιλοθέων ἀρετὴν μετὰ ἀληθείας ὑμῖν παραστῆσαι σπουδάζομεν. Διὸ σιωπηθήσεται γένος καὶ πατέρων περιφάνεια οὐ διοχλήσει τὸν λόγον. Σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν. Οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῶν περιγείων καὶ ἐγκοσμίων τοὺς οὐρανοπολίτας τιμήσομεν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον, πατέρων ἀφανὴς βίος καὶ τέχναι βάναυσοι καὶ πενίας ὀνομαζόμενον ὄνειδος, ταῦτα τοῖς ἐπαίνοις μνημονευθήσεται. Δόξα γὰρ χριστιανῶν κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ\n\nἡμέτερον ταπεινότης ἐστίν. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐγκωμίων συνορῶν δεινῶς καταμέμφομαι, ὅτι σεμνύνειν βουλόμενοι οὓς ἂν ἕλωνται, ὡς μηδὲν ἐξαίρετον εἰπεῖν ἔχοντες ἀγαθὸν μάτην τοῖς τάφοις προσεδρεύουσι καὶ διοχλοῦσι τοὺς κειμένους εἰκῆ καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ποιοῦνται κόσμον τῶν ζώντων· δι' ὧν ἐπικαλοῦνται τοὺς τελευτήσαντας ὁμολογοῦντες μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν τοῖς παρ' αὐτῶν ἐγκωμιαζομένοις προσεῖναι. Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, εἰ μὲν ὁμολογούμενον ἦν, πάντως τοὺς ἐκ λαμπρῶν πατέρων κατάγοντας καὶ αὐτοὺς ὑπάρχειν ἀγαθοὺς καὶ ὥσπερ τινὰ φύσιν τὴν ἀρετὴν διαδέχεσθαι, εὔκαιρον ἦν ἴσως μνείαν τινὰ τῶν γονέων ποιεῖσθαι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ψεύδεται τὰς τοῦ γένους διαδοχὰς ἐπὶ πλέον ἡ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων διαφορά γίνεται γὰρ ἄσωτος ὁ τοῦ φιλοσόφου καὶ φιλόσοφος ὁ τοῦ φιληδόνου, μάταιος πόνος τῶν προπάππων μεμνῆσθαι· δέον ἐπιδεικνύειν, εἴπερ ἔχει τις ἀρετῆς κατορθώματα. Καὶ ταῦθ' ὅτι τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλοθεν πολυπραγμονοῦντας μαθεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἱερᾶς ἡμῶν Γραφῆς πολύτροπον ἐχούσης καὶ ποικίλην τὴν ὠφέλειαν.","english":"For we are not producing flattery by means of some contrived art, but we are eager to set before you the virtue of God-loving souls together with the truth. Therefore lineage will be passed over in silence, and the illustriousness of fathers will not trouble our discourse. Flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God. Nor will we honor the citizens of heaven on the basis of things earthly and worldly, but quite the contrary: the obscure life of fathers, vulgar crafts, and the reproach that is called poverty—these will be remembered in our praises. For the glory of Christians according to our Gospel is humility. But I, observing also the praises of outsiders, severely censure them, because, wishing to extol whomever they choose, since they have nothing exceptional to say that is good, they sit idly at tombs and trouble those who lie there to no purpose, and they make the dead an ornament of the living; through which they call upon the departed, confessing that those whom they praise have no good in them. And besides this, if it were acknowledged that those descended from illustrious fathers are themselves also good, and that virtue is inherited as a kind of nature, it would perhaps be timely to make some mention of parents; but since the difference of pursuits proves the successions of lineage false to a greater degree—for the son of the philosopher becomes prodigal and the son of the pleasure-lover becomes a philosopher—it is vain labor to remember great-grandfathers, when one ought to demonstrate, if indeed one has any achievements of virtue. And that this is so, it is not possible to learn by inquiring from elsewhere, but from our sacred Scripture itself, which has a manifold and varied benefit.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":92,"ref":"p92","source":"Ἴσμεν πάντως τὸν ἱερέα, τὸν πρεσβύτην ἐκεῖνον, τὸν τοῦ μεγάλου Σαμουὴλ τροφέα τε καὶ διδάσκαλον· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοὺς υἱοὺς ὠφέλησεν αὐτὸς ἄριστος ὤν· καὶ ταῦτα τραφέντας ὑπ' αὐτῷ τῷ γεννησαμένῳ καὶ καθ' ἡμέραν μανθάνοντας τοὺς τῆς ἱερωσύνης θεσμούς. Ἐκ πατέρων πάλιν ἀσεβῶν ὁ Τιμόθεος, τὸν ἀπόστολον λέγω, τὸν γενναῖον τοῦ Παύλου σκύλακα, καὶ οὐ μὴν ἠκολούθησεν ὥσπερ τινὶ φύσει τῶν γονέων τῇ γνώμῃ· λογικῶς δὲ μισήσας τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσέβειαν πρὸς τὸν ἅγιον θεσμὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀπηυτομόλησε καὶ καρπὸς ἀνεφάνη γλυκὺς ἀπὸ ῥίζης πικρᾶς. Ἡμιόνων ἡ συνουσία καὶ προβάτου ὁ τόκος. Οὕτως ὁ Ἀβεσσαλών, πατρὸς ἐπιεικοῦς μεμηνὼς νεανίσκος καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπὶ θρασύτητι γνώριμος, ὅσον ὁ πατὴρ ἐν χρηστότητι· ἢ μᾶλλον, εἰ δεῖ τἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ ὑπερβαλλόμενος τῇ κακίᾳ τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ γεννήσαντος. Καὶ ὅλως, εἴ τις θελήσειε ταῖς τοιαύταις τῶν παίδων πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἐναντιότησιν ἐπιστῆσαι τὸν νοῦν, μυρίους εὑρήσει σπουδαίους ἀπὸ κακῶν καὶ πονηροὺς ἐκ βελτίστων. Καὶ σφόδρα γε εἰκότως. Εἰ γὰρ φύσις καὶ μὴ τρόπος ἀρετὴν ἢ κακίαν εἰργάζετο, οὐκ ἂν ἦν τὰ δύο, ἀλλὰ μονομερῶς ἐπεκράτει τὸ ἕτερον. Λεγέσθω τοίνυν Πέτρος υἱὸς Ἰωνᾶ· τίνος δὲ τούτου, οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκ τῶν πράξεων τοῦ υἱοῦ σεμνύνω τὸν γεννησάμενον· καὶ κάτωθεν ἀρξάμενος ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω παραπέμπω τὴν δόξαν, ὥσπερ οἱ λύχνοι οἱ νύκτωρ ἐκ τοῦ ἐδάφους τοὺς ὀρόφους φωτίζοντες.","english":"We know fully that priest, that elder, the foster-father and teacher of the great Samuel; but being himself most excellent profited his sons nothing—and that too though they were reared by him who begot them and learned day by day the ordinances of the priesthood. Again, Timothy—I mean the apostle, the noble whelp of Paul—was of impious fathers, and yet he did not follow the mind of his parents as though it were some nature; but reasoning rightly he hated their impiety, deserted to the holy ordinance of piety, and appeared a sweet fruit from a bitter root. The company of mules and the offspring of a sheep. Thus Absalom, a mad young man of a gentle father, and as well known for his recklessness as his father for his goodness—or rather, if one must speak more truly, surpassing by a great measure the virtue of him who begot him by his wickedness. And in general, if anyone will apply his mind to such oppositions of children to their fathers, he will find countless good men from bad and wicked from the best. And very reasonably so. For if nature and not character wrought virtue or vice, there would not be the two, but one would prevail exclusively. Let Peter then be called the son of Jonah; whose son this Jonah is matters nothing to me. For I glorify the begetter from the deeds of the son, and beginning from below I send glory upward, just as lamps at night illumine the ceilings from the floor.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":93,"ref":"p93","source":"Ἡσαΐας μὲν οὖν φησι προφητεύων, ὅτι λίθον ἀκρογωνιαῖον ὁ Πατὴρ ἔθηκε τὸν Υἱόν, ἐνδεικνύμενος ὡς ἡ πᾶσα τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις ἐκεῖνον ἔχει τὴν ἕδραν καὶ τὴν κρηπῖδα. Ὁ δὲ Μονογενὴς πάλιν, καθὼς ἐν εὐαγγελίοις φησίν, θεμέλιον τὸν Πέτρον ὀνομάζει τῆς ἐκκλησίας, Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. Πρῶτος γὰρ ἀληθῶς οὗτος ὥσπερ τις λίθος μέγας καὶ καρτερὸς ἐνερρίφη τῇ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου κοιλότητι ἢ τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος, ὥς φησιν ὁ Δαβίδ, ἵνα πάντας χριστιανοὺς ἐποικοδομουμένους βαστάσας ἀναγάγῃ πρὸς τὸ ὕψος, ὃ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν ἐστιν οἰκητήριον. Θεμέλιον καλεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ Παῦλος φάσκων· Θεμέλιον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Τῇ ὁμοίᾳ δὲ κλήσει ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν πρῶτον ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὴν κατεκόσμησε πέτραν ὀνομάσας τῆς πίστεως. Διὰ Πέτρον τοίνυν ἄπτωτον καὶ ἀκλινὲς τὸ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἕδρασμα σώζεται, γνήσιον καὶ πιστὸν γενόμενον τῆς εὐσεβείας μυσταγωγόν. Διὰ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ δικαίου ἑστήκαμεν ἐρριζωμένοι, οἱ ἀπὸ ἀνίσχοντος ἡλίου μέχρι καὶ δυομένου χριστιανοί. Πολλῶν δὲ πειρασμῶν κινηθέντων ἀφ' οὗ κατηγγέλη τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, καὶ μυρίων τυράννων καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνων τοῦ διαβόλου κατασεῖσαι θελήσαντος καὶ εἰς ἔδαφος καθελεῖν ἡμᾶς αὐτοῖς κρηπιδώμασιν· ἔρρευσαν μὲν οἱ","english":"Isaiah therefore says in prophecy that the Father placed the Son as the cornerstone, showing that the whole constitution of the world has that one as its seat and foundation. And the Only-begotten again, as he says in the Gospels, names Peter the foundation of the church: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. For truly this one first, like some great and mighty stone, was cast into the hollow of this world, or into the valley of weeping, as David says, so that having borne all Christians built upon him he might lead them up to the height which is the dwelling-place of our hope. Paul also calls Christ a foundation, saying: No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. And by a like calling our Savior also adorned his first disciple, naming him a rock of faith. Through Peter, therefore, the foundation of the churches is preserved unshaken and unwavering, having become a genuine and faithful guide into piety. Because of the building of the righteous man we stand rooted, we Christians from the rising of the sun even to its setting. But when many temptations were stirred up since the gospel was proclaimed, and ten thousand tyrants, and before them the devil, wished to shake us and cast us down to the ground together with our very foundations, the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":94,"ref":"p94","source":"ποταμοί, ὥς φησιν ὁ σωτήριος λόγος, ὡς χείμαρροι, σφοδροὶ δὲ ἄνεμοι τῶν διαβολικῶν πνευμάτων προσέβαλον, λαῦροι δὲ ὑετοὶ τῶν διωκόντων χριστιανοὺς κατερράγησαν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον ὤφθη τοῦ κατὰ Θεὸν ὀχυρώματος, ἐπειδὴ ταῖς ἁγίαις παλάμαις τοῦ πρώτου τῶν ἀποστόλων κατεσκευάσθη τὸ τῆς πίστεως οἰκοδόμημα. Ταῦτα δὲ γέγονε δι' ἕνα λόγον τῆς εὐλογίας τοῦ πέτραν τὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν ὀνομάσαντος. Ἴδωμεν δέ, εἰ δοκεῖ, πῶς οἰκοδόμει Πέτρος· οὐ λίθοις καὶ πλίνθοις, οὐδὲ ταῖς ἄλλαις ὕλαις ταῖς γεηραῖς, ἀλλὰ λόγοις καὶ πράξεσιν αἷς ἐνηργεῖτο παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Τοῦ τοίνυν Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνελθόντος εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἡνίκα τὴν νεφέλην εἶχεν ὄχημα τῶν ἀποστόλων βλεπόντων, οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀντελάβετο τῆς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διδασκαλίας· καὶ πρὸ πάντων τῶν κοινωνῶν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα τῶν λυσσώντων κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας κατεθάρσησε δήμων καὶ δημηγόρος ἀνεφάνη σοφὸς ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ἀνθρώπων ἀκονώντων τοὺς ὀδόντας καὶ θυμοῦ πληρουμένων, εἴ τις τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὀνομάσειεν. Ὥστε τὸ εἰς τὸν Κύριον παρὰ τῆς προφητείας λεχθὲν ἁρμόζειν πάνυ καὶ Πέτρῳ, τὸ Περιεκύκλωσάν με κύνες πολλοί, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ζέων τῷ Πνεύματι καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἀνεπίληπτον σῴζων τὴν εἰποῦσαν αὐτῷ· Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου, στὰς εἰς δῆμον σύμμικτον ἐκ μυρίων ἐθνῶν ἐβόα· Ἄνδρες Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἅπαντες. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ μακρολογῶμεν πᾶσαν τὴν ῥῆσιν συνείροντες, ἀπομέμνηται τῶν λογίων τοῦ Ἰωὴλ προφητευόντων τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπιφοίτησιν·","english":"Rivers, as the saving Word says, like winter torrents, and fierce winds of diabolical spirits assailed, and violent rains of those persecuting Christians burst down, and nothing stronger was seen than the fortress according to God, since by the holy hands of the first of the apostles the building of faith was constructed. And these things came about because of one word of the blessing of him who named the evangelist a rock. Let us see, if it seems good, how Peter was building: not with stones and bricks, nor with the other earthly materials, but with words and deeds which were wrought in him by the Spirit. Therefore, when God and our Savior had ascended into the heavens, when he had the cloud as his chariot while the apostles looked on, this man took up the teaching of the gospel; and before all the partners of the episcopate, opening his mouth, he took courage against the peoples raging against piety and appeared a wise public speaker in the midst of the nations and of Israel—while men were sharpening their teeth and being filled with rage, if anyone should name Jesus. So that what was said by the prophecy concerning the Lord fits very well also for Peter: Many dogs have encircled me; fat bulls have surrounded me. But nevertheless, boiling in the Spirit and keeping blameless the commandment that said to him, Feed my lambs, he stood before a crowd mixed from ten thousand nations and cried out: Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem. And so that we may not be long-winded, stringing together the whole speech, he calls to mind the oracles of Joel prophesying the coming of the Spirit:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":95,"ref":"p95","source":"ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Δαβὶδ μεταβαίνει καὶ τὸν πεντεκαιδέκατον ψαλμὸν παραθέμενος βεβαιοῖ τὴν ἀνάστησιν· καὶ τὸν πάντα λόγον συμπερανάμενος ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγων καὶ μαρτυρίᾳ τοῦ νόμου εὐθὺς τοὺς ἀκροατὰς ἐπηγάγετο, οὐ δέκα, οὐδὲ ἑκατόν, οὐδὲ τρὶς ἢ πεντάκις τοσούτους, ἀλλὰ τρεῖς χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν, ἐκκλησίας πλήρωμα, δῆμον ὅλον ἱκανὸν καταπλῆξαι τοὺς δυσμενεῖς, ὧν ἀπερράγησαν ἀθρόον. Ὢ πειθοῦς φάρμακον θερμὸν καὶ διάπυρον ὀξέως τῶν ψυχῶν καθα ψάμενον! Ὢ σοφία θεολόγος πᾶσαν σοφίαν ἀνθρωπίνην καλύψασα! Τί λέγετε, οἱ τὸν Δημοσθένην στεφανοῦντες κατὰ ῥήτορας καὶ τὸν Σωκράτην ἀνυμνοῦντες ἐν φιλοσόφοις; Δημοσθένης μὲν γάρ, ὁ τὴν ῥητορικὴν μέγας καὶ πολυθρύλητος, τοσοῦτον ἀπεῖχε τοῦ περὶ ὧν ἐβούλετο πείθειν, ὥστε καὶ ἐξωρίσθη τῆς πόλεως παρὰ τῶν ἀκροατῶν· Σωκράτης δὲ τῶν πολλῶν πρὸς Ἀθηναίους λόγων καὶ τῶν σοφῶν διαλέξεων τέλος τὸ κώνειον εὕρατο, παρὰ τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν μαθητῶν φονευθείς· τοσοῦτον αὐτὸν περιῆν τῆς τοῦ πείθειν δυνάμεως. Πέτρος δὲ ὁ ἁλιεύς, ὁ χειροτέχνης, ὁ ἀμαθής, ὁ πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν ἐθέλῃ τις φαυλίζων καλεῖν, ἐν μίᾳ λόγου προσβολῇ τρισχιλίους ἄνδρας θηρεύσας βεβαίως μετέστησε· καὶ ταῦτα δυσανασχετοῦντας καὶ στασιάζοντας καὶ οὐ συγχωροῦντας αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν διαίρειν τὸ στόμα.","english":"From there he moves on to David and, setting before them the fifteenth psalm, confirms the resurrection; and having brought his whole discourse to a close with wisdom of words and the testimony of the law, he straightway drew his hearers to him—not ten, not a hundred, not three or five times that number, but three thousand men, the fullness of a church, a whole people sufficient to strike terror into the hostile, by whom they were suddenly broken apart. O warm and fiery drug of persuasion, swiftly touching the souls as with a cautery! O theological wisdom that covered over all human wisdom! What do you say, you who crown Demosthenes among orators and extol Socrates among philosophers? For Demosthenes, the great and much-renowned master of rhetoric, was so far from persuading his hearers of the things he wished that he was even banished from the city by them; and Socrates, for all his many speeches to the Athenians and his wise discourses, found as their end the hemlock, put to death by the chorus of his disciples—so far was he from the power of persuading. But Peter the fisherman, the craftsman, the unlearned man, one whom anyone who wishes to disparage him might call whatever he likes, in a single assault of speech hunted three thousand men and firmly converted them—and that though they were resentful and in revolt and did not at first allow him even to open his mouth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":96,"ref":"p96","source":"Ἐλθόντος δὲ εἰς ἐπίδοσιν καὶ προκοπὴν ἱκανὴν τοῦ τῶν χριστιανῶν τάγματος, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ταῖς λογικαῖς διδασκαλίαις καὶ παραινέσεσι καὶ τῆς πρακτικῆς δυνάμεως θαυμαστὴν παρεῖχε τὴν πεῖραν, ἄρτιον ἀνα στήσας τὸν χωλὸν ἐκ τῶν τοῦ ναοῦ προπυλαίων, χωλὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς πταίσματι φύσεως παθόντα τὴν νόσον, ἅπας δὲ ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν συνερρύη τῇ φήμῃ τῆς μεγαλουργίας δημαγωγηθεὶς πρὸς τὴν θέαν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα πάντες ἔβλεπον ἀτενῶς ἐκπεπληγμένοι τῷ θαύματι· ἀπεφράγη τε τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ στόματα καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς λοιπὸν ἦν τρόπαιον νίκης, οὐκ ὄνειδος. Πάλιν ὁ ἀπαίδευτος, ὁ τῆς βαναύσου τέχνης ἐργάτης, δευτέρων ἄρχεται λόγων φάσκων πρὸς αὐτούς, ὅτι Ὢ ἄνδρες, εἰ θαύματος ὑμῖν ἄξιον καὶ θεϊκῆς ἐνεργείας φαίνεται τὸ γενόμενον, προσκυνεῖτε τὸν θεραπευτὴν τοῦ χωλοῦ, Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ἐρραπίσατε καὶ τελευταῖον ὑπερζέσαντες τῷ θυμῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου ὑψώσατε. Οὗτός ἐστι καὶ ζῇ· καὶ καθὼς ὑμῖν ἐλέχθη πολλάκις, ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν βασιλεύει τῶν πάντων. Ὥστε","english":"But when the order of the Christians had come to growth and considerable advancement, since in addition to rational teachings and exhortations he also provided a wonderful experience of practical power, having raised up whole the lame man from the foregates of the temple—that lame man who had suffered the disease from his mother's womb by a defect of nature—and all the people had rushed together to the sanctuary, drawn by the report of the great deed to the spectacle, and all were gazing intently at the man, struck with amazement at the miracle; and the mouths of the enemies of Christ were stopped up, and the cross was henceforth a trophy of victory, not a reproach. Again the uneducated man, the worker of the vulgar craft, begins a second speech, saying to them: O men, if what has happened seems to you worthy of wonder and of divine power, worship the healer of the lame man, Jesus, whom you struck and, finally boiling over with rage, lifted up on the wood. This is he, and he lives; and as was often told you, having risen from the dead he reigns over all. So that","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":97,"ref":"p97","source":"νῦν γ' οὖν λαβόντες τῶν ἁμαρτηθέντων ὑμῖν μεταμέλειαν προσέλθετε πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ φωτίσθητε, καθὼς ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν λέγει Δαβίδ. Εἰ γὰρ υἱοὶ τῶν προ φητῶν ἐστε καὶ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως, μὴ ἀτιμάσητε τῶν προγόνων ὑμῶν τὴν χάριν ψευδολάλοις προσέχοντες, ἀλλὰ συνετῶς τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων προκηρυχθέντα σκοπήσαντες δέξασθε ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὸν Σωτῆρα τοῦ γένους ὑμῶν. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστι ὃν καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐπηγγείλατο προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσεσθαι. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πρὸς τὸν λαὸν διελθὼν ἀπῆλθεν, ἄλλους τοσούτους τοῖς τρισχιλίοις προσθείς. Τοιοῦτος μὲν οὖν ἐν τῷ δημοσίᾳ λαλεῖν θαρρούντως ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μυστα γωγίας πρόθυμος, ἀκατάπληκτος, συνετός, θάρσος τῶν ἰδίων καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων δειλία. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἦν περισπούδαστον τῷ καλλίστῳ διδασκάλῳ τῆς εὐσεβείας, τὸ πολυάνθρωπον τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λαὸν ἀπεργάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πλέον τὸ ζῆν ἀκριβῶς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐν τοῖς δοθεῖσι νόμοις, εἶδε δὲ τὸν Ἀνανίαν ἐκεῖνον, τὸν τῶν ἰδίων καρπῶν κλέπτην καὶ παράδοξον ἱερόσυλον μέλλοντα κακὴν ἐμποιεῖν τοῖς χριστιανοῖς ἁμαρτίας συνήθειαν, ἀποτόμως αὐτὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐξέκοψεν· οὐκ ὠμὸς ὢν καὶ φονικὸς τὴν γνώμην, ἀλλὰ κατὰ σκοπὸν ὠφελείας οὕτως ἰατρεύσας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν.","english":"Now therefore, taking to yourselves repentance for the sins you have committed, come to him and be enlightened, as your father David says. For if you are sons of the prophets and disciples of Moses, do not dishonor the grace of your forefathers by paying heed to false speakers, but wisely examining what was proclaimed beforehand by them, receive in your souls the Savior of your race. For this is he whom Moses also promised would be raised up as a prophet for you. Having gone through these things and the like before the people, he departed, adding as many others to the three thousand. Such was he in speaking publicly with boldness on behalf of the gospel's initiation—eager, undaunted, prudent, a courage to his own and a cowardice to his opponents. But since it was not this alone that was earnestly pursued by the noblest teacher of piety—to make the people of God numerous—but far more that the disciples live strictly according to the laws given, and he saw that Ananias, that thief of his own fruits and strange sacrilegist, was about to implant a wicked habit of sin among the Christians, he cut him off sharply from the church—not being harsh and murderous in intent, but healing the sin with a view to benefit.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":98,"ref":"p98","source":"Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ νεοπροσήλυτος ἦν καὶ νεοπαγὴς ὁ λαός, ἐκ τῆς ἑλληνικῆς καὶ ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀδιαφορίας ὑπόγυον τοὺς εὐαγγελικοὺς δεξάμενος νόμους, εἰκότως ἐνόμισεν οὐ τῆς ἐκ λόγων νουθεσίας μόνον χρῄζειν τοὺς μαθητάς, ἀλλὰ καὶ φόβου τινὸς ἐμπράκτου εἰώθασι γάρ πως οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὅπως ἂν ἐν ἀρχαῖς τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων κανονισθῶσιν, οὕτω μέχρι τέλους αὐτῶν τηρεῖν τὴν συνήθειαν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐλέγξας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εὐθὺς θάνατον τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγεν οὐ ξίφει χρησάμενος, οὐδὲ δημίοις αὐτὸν παραδούς, ἀλλὰ τότε διαφερόντως τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν δείξας ἐν τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως. Ἐνεκάλεσε γὰρ μόνον καὶ ὁ ἐγκληθεὶς πεσὼν ἀπέψυξεν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἡλίκον ἐστὶ καὶ ὅσην τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐνεποίησε τὴν εὐλάβειαν, οὐ χρῄζομεν μαθεῖν. Δύο γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ κατωρθώθη, τὸ καὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα ἡμῶν πιστευθῆναι εἶναι Θεὸν καὶ τὸ τὸν παιδευτὴν τῶν ἐκείνου νόμων παρεπομένους ἔχειν ἀγγέλους πρὸς τὴν βούλησιν τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἐνεργοῦντας ἑτοίμως. Ἠθέλησεν εὐεργετῆσαι τὸν χωλὸν καὶ οὐκ ἐβράδυνεν ἡ χάρις· ἐβουλήθη κολάσαι τὸν ἱερόσυλον καὶ παρεγένετο ἡ τιμωρία. Ταῦτα ἱκανὰ λιθίνας καταπλῆξαι ψυχὰς καὶ πεῖσαι βεβαίως, ὡς οὐκ ἀπάτης ἦν τὰ ῥήματα τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Πέτρου λεγόμενα· ἀλλὰ Θεὸς ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἅγιον ὑπῆρχε καὶ ἀληθὲς τὸ μυστήριον ὃ κατήγγελλε. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ προσέχειν ἀναγκαῖον, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ καὶ φόνῳ σημεῖον ἅπαξ παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου διὰ τὴν χρείαν γεγένηται, ἵνα τοῖς κακῶς προαιρουμένοις τῆς κολαστικῆς δυνάμεως παράσχηται τὴν ἀπό δειξιν·","english":"For since the people were newly converted and recently established, having but lately received the gospel laws out of Greek and Jewish indifference, he reasonably thought that his disciples needed not only admonition by words but also some practical fear. For somehow men are accustomed, in whatever way they are regulated at the beginnings of their pursuits, to keep that habit to the end. And for this reason, having convicted the sin, he immediately brought death as the punishment—not using a sword, nor handing him over to the executioner, but then especially displaying the power of Christ in the manner of the death. For he only accused, and the accused man fell down and breathed his last. But how great this is and how much reverence it produced in the church, we do not need to learn. For two things were accomplished in one: both that our Savior should be believed to be God, and that the teacher of his laws should be seen to have angels attending him, readily working toward the apostle's will. He wished to benefit the lame man, and grace did not delay; he willed to punish the sacrilegious man, and the punishment was present. These things are sufficient to astound stony souls and to persuade them firmly that the words spoken by Peter were not deceit, but that God was with him and the mystery he proclaimed was holy and true. And this too it is necessary to note, that the sign for punishment and death was performed once by the apostle because of need, so that to those who choose evil there might be given the demonstration of the punitive power.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":99,"ref":"p99","source":"τὰ δὲ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν καὶ τῶν ἰάσεων καθ' ἡμέραν καὶ συνεχῶς ἐπετέλει, καὶ τοσαύτη τις αὐτῷ περιῆν τοῦ θεραπεύειν εὐκολία καὶ χάρις, ὥστε οὐδεὶς τῶν προσελθόντων ἀρρωστούντων ἀνέλυσε ψευσθεὶς τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἀλλ' ἄρτιος καὶ ὑγιὴς ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀπῄει. Καὶ πᾶς τόπος τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἔνθα Πέτρος ἐφαίνετο τὸν Χριστὸν ἐλάλει· καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἔσχεν ἀκολουθούντων ἀρρώστων καὶ θέατρον καθ' ἡμέραν παράδοξον ἐκ δήμου συμμίκτου, τῶν μὲν συναγομένων ἵνα τῶν ὀχλούντων κακῶν ἀπαλλαγῶσι, τῶν δὲ ἵνα τοὺς θεραπευομένους θεάσωνται. Οὕτω τοι κἀκεῖνο περὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἀναγέγραπται ὃ ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐλέχθη, ὅτι οἱ συγγενεῖς καὶ οἱ τῶν ἀσθενούντων οἰκεῖοι ἔφερον αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ κλίνων δημοσίᾳ, ἵνα ἐρχομένου Πέτρου κἂν ἡ σκιὰ ἐπισκιάσῃ τινὶ αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἤδη μεῖζον καὶ τῶν δεσποτικῶν θαυμασίων καὶ ὁ δοῦλος εὐφημεῖται ὑπὲρ τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ τάχα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ σημείῳ συμπληροῦται ἡ προφητεία, ἣν ὁ Σωτὴρ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐποιήσατο· Ἀμήν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, κἀκεῖνος ποιήσει καὶ μείζονα τούτων ποιήσει. Τοῦτο δὲ ὅταν λέγω,","english":"But the works of his benefactions and healings he performed daily and continually, and such ease and grace of healing was present in him that none of the sick who came forward departed disappointed of his hope, but went away to his house sound and healthy. And every place in Jerusalem where Peter appeared spoke of Christ; and the multitude had crowds of sick people following, and a daily spectacle of wonder from a mixed populace, some gathering so that they might be delivered from the evils that afflicted them, others so that they might behold those being healed. Thus indeed that wonderful thing concerning the apostle has also been recorded, which was said of no other, that the relatives and household members of the sick brought them on beds publicly, so that as Peter came, even his shadow might overshadow some of them. This, then, is already greater than the Lord's own wonders, and the servant is praised above the Master. And perhaps in this sign the prophecy is fulfilled which the Savior made to his disciples: Amen, amen I say to you: He who believes in me, the works that I do, he also will do, and greater than these will he do. But when I say this,","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":100,"ref":"p100","source":"οὐ τὸν δοῦλον τῷ Δεσπότῃ συγκρίνω. Ἄπαγε! Μαινομένου τὸ νόημα· ἀλλ' ὅτι διὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ θεραπόντων ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ἐνδεικνύμενος οὐδένα τῶν μαθητῶν ὡς Πέτρον ταῖς ἰδίαις δωρεαῖς κατεπλούτησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων αὐτὸν προὔθηκεν ὑψώσας ταῖς ἄνωθεν δωρεαῖς· καὶ ὥσπερ πρῶτος μαθητὴς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν τῶν χρόνων ἐγένετο, οὕτω καὶ μείζων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πείρας τῶν πραγμάτων ἐδείχθη τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύματος. Πρῶτος ἐκλήθη καὶ ταχέως ὑπήκουσε· πρὸς τοῖς αἰγιαλοῖς εὑρεθεὶς ἐν τῷ ταραχώδει τοῦ κόσμου χωρίῳ ὁ τοῖς κύμασιν ἀεὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπικῆς ζάλης περιψοφούμενος, ἀδιάλειπτον ἔχει τὴν βοῶσαν περὶ τὰς ἠϊόνας ἠχήν. Πρῶτος ἐν χριστιανοῖς τῶν κοσμικῶν ὑλῶν κατεφρόνησε καὶ τῶν ἐν ποσὶ πάντων ὑπεριδὼν πρὸς τὰ νοητὰ καὶ ὑπερ κόσμια μετετάξατο. Καὶ τυχὸν ἐρεῖ τις τῶν πένητα καὶ ἀφανῆ τὸν τρισμακάριον ἐκεῖνον ἀποκαλούντων· Τί γὰρ ἀπέθετο; Τί δὲ ἀπεκτήσατο; Πάντα ὅσα εἶχεν, ὦ ἄνθρωπε· ἑκάστῳ δὲ ὃ κέκτηται μέγα· κἀκεῖνο πλοῦτος, ὃ ἔχει ἀκτήμων. Ὅμοιος παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ φαίνεται καὶ ὁ τὰ ἅρματα ἀποθέμενος καὶ ὁ καταφρονήσας τοῦ ὄνου. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστι τῷ πλουσίῳ τὸ τέθριππον, τοῦτο τῷ πένητι ὁ εὐτελὴς κανθήλιος. Φιλόσοφος δέ ἐστιν ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ τὴν ἀργυρᾶν καταλιπὼν τράπεζαν τήν τε ἱστορίαις κεκοσμημένην καὶ ὁ τὴν ξυλίνην τὴν εὔωνον· ὁμοίως ὁ τὴν κώμην τὴν πολυάνθρωπον καὶ ὁ τὸ μικρὸν κηπίον, ὁ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τὴν χρυσόπαστον καὶ ὁ τὸν πεπαλαιωμένον χιτῶνα. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πλήθει καὶ τῇ ποιότητι τῶν διδομένων ὁ Θεὸς τὸν μεταδοτικὸν καὶ φιλάνθρωπον κρίνει, ἀλλὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀποδέχεται τοῦ διδόντος.","english":"I do not compare the servant with the Master. Far be it! That is the thought of a madman. But because God, displaying his own power through his own servants, enriched none of the disciples with his own gifts as he did Peter, but set him before all, exalting him with gifts from above; and just as he became the first disciple in the order of the times, so too he was shown greater than his brothers in the experience of affairs by the power of the Spirit. He was called first and obeyed quickly; found by the shores in the turbulent place of the world, he who is always resounded by the waves of human tossing, he has the unceasing sound crying out around the beaches. First among Christians he despised worldly materials, and overlooking all things at his feet he transferred himself to things intelligible and beyond the world. And perhaps one of those who call that thrice-blessed man poor and obscure will say: For what did he set aside? And what did he acquire? Everything that he had, O man; and to each man what he possesses is great; and that too is wealth, which he has while possessing nothing. Equal before God appears both the one who set aside his chariots and the one who despised his donkey. For what the four-horse chariot is to the rich man, that the cheap donkey is to the poor man. A philosopher likewise is both the one who left behind the silver table adorned with histories and the one who left the cheap wooden one; likewise the one who left the populous village and the one who left the small garden, the one who left the gold-embroidered garment and the one who left the worn-out tunic. For God does not judge the giver and lover of mankind by the quantity and quality of the things given, but accepts the intention of the one who gives.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":101,"ref":"p101","source":"Διὸ καὶ τὴν χήραν ἐκείνην ὡς εὐγνώμονα κηρύσσει τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, τὴν τὸν ὀβολὸν ἐπιδοῦσαν, ἐπειδὴ μηδὲν παρακατέσχεν ὧν εἶχεν. Καὶ ὁ τὸ ποτήριον δὲ ὀρέξας τοῦ ψυχροῦ ὕδατος λαμβάνει μισθὸν τῆς οὕτως εὐκόλου δεξιώσεως τὴν βασιλείαν· ᾧ γὰρ εἶχεν ἐθεράπευσε τοῦ διψῶντος τὴν χρείαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ παρῆν αὐτῷ οἶνος ἀνθοσμίας διὰ πενίαν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω κατὰ συγχώρησιν, ἐπεὶ οὐ πάντως, εἴ τις ἁλιεύς, οὗτος καὶ πένης. Οὐκ οἶδας ὡς ἁλιεὺς μαργαριτῶν ἐστι θηρευτής; Μαργαρῖται δὲ ἄνθος εἰσὶ τοῦ γαύρου καὶ ὑψαύχενος πλούτου, οἷς βασιλεῖς κοσμοῦνται, οἷς γυναῖκες φιλόπλουτοι καὶ φιλόκοσμοι ἐπαγάλλονται. Ἁλιεὺς βάπτει τὴν ἁλουργίδα τὴν πολυθρύλητον καὶ ἀφιερωμένην τῇ βασιλείᾳ· ἁλιεῖς βάπτουσι τὰ ὑπόχρυσα τῶν ἐρίων τὴν ξανθὴν πίνναν θηρεύοντες. Οὐ τοίνυν δεῖ προσέχειν τοῖς ὀργάνοις τῆς τέχνης αὐτῶν ὡς εὐώνοις καὶ εὐκαταφρονήτοις, τῷ δικτύῳ, φημί, καὶ τοῖς ἀγκίστροις· οὐ γὰρ ἐκ εὐτελείας τῶν ὀργάνων παρ' ἑκάστοις, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τελουμένης ἐργασίας αἱ εὐπορίαι καταμανθάνονται· ἐπεὶ τοί γε κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν λόγον οὐδὲν πενέστερον εὕρῃς πρώτης τῆς γεωργίας, εἰ ἀπὸ τῆς δικέλλης καὶ τῆς σκαπάνης ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτῆς δοκιμάζοιτο. Ἄποροι δὲ παντελῶς καὶ οἱ τὸν χρυσὸν ὀρύττοντες, τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ πλούτου. Μία γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀξίνη συνεργεῖ· ξύλινος πίναξ, ὁ τῆς γῆς τὸν χρυσὸν ἀποκρίνων. Σιγάτωσαν τοίνυν ἐθνικοὶ καὶ Ἑβραῖοι, οἱ Πέτρῳ πενίαν ὀνειδίζοντες καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁλιέως σμικρύνειν τὸν μέγαν πειρώμενοι· καὶ καταλιπόντες τὰ τοιαῦτα κομψεύεσθαι λεγέτωσάν μοι πυνθανομένῳ· Τίς ἁλιέων ἢ τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐπέζευσε θαλάτταν;","english":"Therefore the Gospel also proclaims that widow as generous, the one who gave the obol, since she kept back nothing of what she had. And he who offered a cup of cold water receives as the reward of so easy a welcome the kingdom; for he ministered to the need of the thirsty with what he had, even if he had no fragrant wine because of poverty. But I say these things by way of concession, since not everyone who is a fisherman is also poor. Do you not know that a fisherman is a hunter of pearls? And pearls are the flower of proud and stiff-necked wealth, with which kings are adorned, in which wealthy and ornament-loving women exult. A fisherman dyes the much-famed purple consecrated to royalty; fishermen dye the gold-tinged wools, hunting the tawny pinna. One must not, then, pay attention to the instruments of their craft as though they were cheap and contemptible—the net, I mean, and the hooks; for the wealth of each is not judged from the cheapness of the instruments, but from the work that is accomplished; since, at any rate, by that account you would find nothing poorer than agriculture in the first place, if its wealth were judged by the mattock and the spade. And those who dig gold, the king of wealth, are utterly resourceless; for one axe assists them—a wooden board, the thing that separates the gold from the earth. Let the Gentiles and Hebrews be silent, then, who reproach Peter with poverty and try to diminish the great man by reason of the fisherman; and leaving off such clever quibbling, let them tell me, as I ask: Who of fishermen, or of all men, ever sailed upon the sea?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":102,"ref":"p102","source":"Τίς ἔστησε πόδα κατὰ λίμνης ἑστώσης, ὡς ἐκεῖνος κατὰ κυμάτων τοῖς ἀνέμοις τινασσομένων; Τοῦ γὰρ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πολλὰ θαύματα διὰ τῶν ἰδίων δούλων τελέσαντος ἐπί τε τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ ἀρχαῖον κἀν τοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις, ἐν οἷς ἡ φιλάνθρωπος οἰκονομία τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπεφάνη τῷ κόσμῳ, οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος ἁγίων τοιαύτην διὰ πίστεως ἰδίας καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος πρᾶξιν ἐπιτελέσας φαίνεται. Θαυμαστὸς ὁ Μωϋσῆς πέλαγος ἄνευ πλοίων περαιωθείς· ἀλλὰ γῆν ἐπέζευσεν, ἣν νόμος ἀνθρώποις, ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν τοῦ ὕδατος ἀνασταλέντος πρὸς ἑαυτό. Μέγας καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τούτου διάδοχος, ὅτι τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἐπεραιώθη ὑπὲρ τὰς ὄχθας\n\nπλημυροῦντα· ἀλλ' ὁμοίως τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης κἀκεῖνος διασχὼν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀνακόψας τὸ ῥεῖθρον ἔδωκε τῷ περαιουμένῳ λαῷ γυμνὴν τὴν ξηρὰν εἰς ἐπίβασιν. Οὐδεὶς δὲ πώποτε ἀνδρῶν κατὰ ὕδατος ἤρεισε πόδα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ νόμος τῆς φύσεως κατα δέχεται τὴν ὑγρὰν οὐσίαν καὶ μεταρρέουσαν ἀντέχειν τῷ στερεῷ καὶ πιέζοντι. Δοκεῖ δέ μοι ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος καὶ Δεσπότης ὑπεραγασθεὶς τηνικαῦτα τὴν ὑπερζέουσαν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προθυμίαν μεθ' ἧς ἀνέκραγε λέγων· Κέλευσόν με ἐλθεῖν πρὸς σὲ ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα, μισθὸν αὐτῷ τῆς πολλῆς ἀγάπης καὶ πίστεως ἐκείνην δοῦναι τὴν καινὴν καὶ παράδοξον χάριν, ἧς Πέτρος ἐφάνη δεκτικὸς μόνος ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι τέλους ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ γὰρ ἀληθὴς καὶ ἐξαίρετος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ τῆς τοιαύτης μεγαλουργίας ἐπίδειξις ὑπερέχουσα τὴν τῆς κτίσεως ταπει νότητα, καθὼς καὶ τῷ Δαβὶδ δοκεῖ τῷ βελτίστῳ τῶν προφητῶν.","english":"Who set his foot upon the standing water, as that man did upon the waves shaken by the winds? For when our good God had accomplished many wonders through his own servants, both in the ancient commonwealth of Israel and in later times, in which the loving-kindness of our Savior's dispensation appeared to the world, no one of the saints from the beginning to the end is shown to have performed by his own faith and the grace from above such a deed as this. Moses is wonderful, having crossed a sea without ships; but he trod upon land, which is a law for men, the water having been drawn back on this side and on that upon itself. Great also is Jesus his successor, because he crossed the Jordan\n\nwhen it was overflowing beyond its banks; but in like manner he also, dividing the Red Sea and checking its stream, gave the people who were crossing over the dry ground bare for their stepping. But no man ever before set his foot upon water. For neither does the law of nature accept that the moist substance, ever flowing, should withstand the solid and pressing. And it seems to me that the Lord and Master of all, greatly delighting at that time in the man's overflowing eagerness with which he cried out saying, Command me to come to you upon the waters, gave him as the reward of his great love and faith that new and marvelous grace, of which Peter alone appeared receptive from Adam until the end of men. For true and exceptional is God's display of such mighty working, surpassing the lowliness of creation, as also seems good to David, the best of the prophets.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":103,"ref":"p103","source":"Κἀκεῖνος γὰρ ἔν τινι τῶν ψαλμῶν ἀνυμνῶν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὴν ἄφατον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπερινόητον ἐξηγούμενος δύναμιν ταῦτ' εἶπεν, ἃ συνήθως μελῳδοῦντες γνωρίζετε· Ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἡ ὁδός σου, καὶ αἱ τρίβοι σου ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἴχνη σου οὐ γνωσθήσονται. Ὃ τοίνυν εἶχεν ἴδιον ὁ δεσπότης ἐν τοῖς τῆς θεότητος ἐξαιρέτοις γνωρίσμασι, τοῦτο κοινὸν ἐποιήσατο πρὸς τὸν δοῦλον, ἄξιον κρίνας τῆς τοσαύτης τιμῆς. Ζηλωτὸς μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἰωάννης ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου στέρνων ἀναπαυόμενος· μέγας καὶ Ἰάκωβος ὡς υἱὸς ὀνομασθεὶς βροντῆς· λαμπρὸς ἐν ταῖς τιμαῖς καὶ ὁ Φίλιππος, ὁ παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἁρπασθεὶς ἡνίκα τὸν Αἰθίοπα πρὸς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐμυσταγώγησεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οἱ πάντες ὑποχωρείτωσαν Πέτρῳ καὶ δευτερεύειν ὁμολογείτωσαν, ὅταν ἡ τῶν χαρισμάτων σύγκρισις δοκιμάζῃ τὸν προτιμότερον. Ἀναθεωρῶν δὲ πάντα τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον καὶ σκοπούμενος εὑρίσκω τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐπί τε τῶν λογικῶν διαλέξεων καὶ τῶν πρακτικῶν ἐνεργημάτων πανταχοῦ προπηδῶντα τῶν ἄλλων μαθητῶν καὶ προεξαλλόμενον καὶ κατόπιν ἀφιέντα τοὺς τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦ βίου στάδιον τρέχοντας.","english":"For he too, in one of the psalms, hymning God and expounding his ineffable and incomprehensible power, said these things which you know as you customarily sing them: In the sea is your way, and your paths in many waters, and your footsteps shall not be known. What therefore the Master had as his own among the exceptional marks of the Godhead, this he made common to the servant, judging him worthy of so great an honor. Zealous indeed is the great John also, resting upon the breast of the Lord; great too is James, named a son of thunder; radiant in honors is Philip also, who was snatched away by the Spirit when he initiated the Ethiopian into the knowledge of the Savior; but nevertheless let them all yield to Peter and confess that they are second, when the comparison of gifts approves the one more preferred. Reviewing all things one by one and considering them, I find this man, both in rational discourses and in practical activities, everywhere leaping ahead of the other disciples and bounding out in front and leaving behind those running the same course of life.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":104,"ref":"p104","source":"Ἐρωτῶντος γάρ ποτε τοῦ Κυρίου τοὺς δώδεκα καὶ ἀπόπειραν ποιουμένου ὅπως ἔχουσι πληροφορίας καὶ γνώμης περὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ὑπολήψεως, καὶ κελεύοντος σαφῶς εἰπεῖν τίνα λέγουσι αὐτὸν εἶναι, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων σιωπῇ βουλευομένων καὶ βραδυνόντων καὶ δεικνύντων ὡς διά τινος ἐπισκέψεως ὠδίνουσι τὴν ἀποκρίσιν, ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα ταχέως ὁ τὸν ζώπυρον ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς φέρων τῆς πίστεως ἄνθρακα, ᾧ καὶ Ἡσαΐας πρότερον ἐκαθάρθη τὰ χείλη, τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην καὶ σοφὴν ἀληθῶς ῥῆσιν καθωμολόγησε· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Τίνα ἄν τις πρὸς ἀξίαν τῶν λόγων τούτων θαυμάσειεν, ἀξιόπιστος γενόμενος ἑρμηνεὺς τοῦ μεγίστου τῶν ἀποστόλων; Ὁρᾶτε γὰρ πρῶτον ὅπως ἀπέριττος ὁ λόγος καὶ σύντομος, ἐν ἐκφωνήσει βραχείᾳ μυρίων πραγμάτων καὶ μεγάλων δύναμιν ἐκτιθέμενος. Πᾶς γὰρ λόγος οὗτος ἄριστος, οὗπερ ἀνήκει καὶ μὴ περιρρέῃ ἡ φράσις ἐπ' ὀλίγῳ καὶ πενιχρῷ τῷ νοήματι· τοὐναντίον δὲ πλῆθος πραγμάτων ἐν βραχυλογίᾳ σημαίνει κατὰ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ κόκκου τοῦ νάπυος, ὃς μικρότατος μὲν ἔστιν ἐν τῷ κρατεῖσθαι καὶ βλέπεσθαι, εἰ δὲ προσαγάγοις αὐτὸν τῇ αἰσθήσει τοῦ στόματος, ὅλον τὸ ζῷον ἐκ ποδῶν εἰς κεφαλὴν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν μεθέλκει θερμότητα. Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Ἅπας λόγος ὁ συντελῶν πρὸς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πρὸς δύο ταῦτα θεωρεῖται καὶ στρέφεται·","english":"For once when the Lord was questioning the twelve and making a test of how they stood in regard to full assurance and conviction about the opinion they held concerning him, and was commanding them to say plainly whom they said he was, while all the others were deliberating in silence and delaying and showing that they were in labor with the answer, as it were, through some consideration, he who carried in his soul the living spark of faith, the coal with which Isaiah too had his lips purified beforehand, opened his mouth quickly and confessed that blessed and truly wise saying: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Which of these words would one worthily admire, having become a trustworthy interpreter of the greatest of the apostles? For see first how unadorned and brief the word is, setting forth in a short utterance the power of ten thousand great things. For every word is best in which the expression is to the point and does not flow over on a small and paltry thought; on the contrary, it signifies a multitude of things in brevity, like the mustard seed, which is the smallest when it is held and seen, but if you bring it to the sense of the mouth, it draws the whole animal from foot to head to its own heat. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Every word that contributes to the knowledge of God and our Savior is contemplated and turned toward these two things:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":105,"ref":"p105","source":"ἓν μὲν τὸ τῆς ἀρχεγόνου θεότητος, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ Λόγος, ὁ ὢν ἀεὶ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ὢν καὶ Θεὸς ὤν, καθὼς ἡμᾶς ὁ μέγας Ἰωάννης ὁ θεολόγος ἐμυσταγώγησεν, οἷον σπογγία τις τῷ στήθει τοῦ Μονογενοῦς παρακείμενος κἀκεῖθεν ἑλκύσας τῆς κεκρυμμένης ἀληθείας τὴν γνῶσιν· ἕτερον δὲ τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας, ἣν ἀγαθὸς ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς συγκατάβασιν τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν κατεδέξατο. Ἄξιον τοίνυν θεωρῆσαι τὴν ἀπόκρισιν, ὅπως ἐν βραχυλογίᾳ καὶ ὀλιγορημοσύνῃ πάντως ἀκριβῶς τὴν διάνοιαν ἐν ὀλίγῳ\n\nπαρεδήλωσεν, ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῶν κάτω καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὑψηλὰ κατὰ μέρος ἀναγαγὼν τὴν διάνοιαν. Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός. Τοῦτο τῆς οἰκονομίας δήλωσις καὶ τῆς ἐνσάρκου θεοφανείας ἐξήγησις. Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ὄνομα τοῦ προαιωνίου Λόγου, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν χριομένων χάριτος μήνυμα. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν καταδεξάμενος ὅλως τὸ ἄνθρωπος γενέσθαι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ὅσα στρέφεται περὶ τὴν σάρκα, συγκαταδέχεται καὶ καλεῖται Χριστὸς ὡς χρισθεὶς εἰς βασιλέα, οὐ τῷ ἐλαίῳ τοῦ κέρατος ὡς Σαμουὴλ καὶ Δαβὶδ καὶ οἱ καθεξῆς ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καθ' ἣν καὶ ὁ Κυριακὸς ἄνθρωποςοὕτω γὰρ τοῖς πολλοῖς φίλον προσαγορεύειν τὸν Ἰησοῦν θαυμαστῶς ἐκυήθη καὶ παραδόξως ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τῆς παρθένου. Ὁμολογήσας δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἔστησε μέχρι τούτου τὸν λόγον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς κλίμακος τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τῆς νοητῆς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβὰς καὶ γενόμενος ἐν θεωρίᾳ τοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ Θεοῦ Λόγου, προστίθησιν αὐτῷ τὸ ἐξαίρετον καὶ ἀληθινὸν ἀξίωμα υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσαγορεύσας τοῦ ζῶντος. Ἀκριβῶς δὲ οὕτως καὶ [ὡς] οὐχ ἑτέρως·","english":"One is the matter of the primordial Godhead, which is the Word in the beginning, who always is and is with the Father and is God, just as the great John the theologian initiated us into, lying like a sponge at the breast of the Only-begotten and from there drawing the knowledge of the hidden truth; and another is the matter of the economy, which God in his goodness accepted for condescension to our weakness. Worthily, then, should one consider the answer, how in brevity and fewness of words he indicated the meaning entirely and accurately in brief, beginning from the lower things and leading the thought up by degrees to the lofty things. You are the Christ. This is a declaration of the economy and an exposition of the incarnate theophany. For this is not a name of the pre-eternal Word, but a proclamation of the grace of those who are anointed. Therefore our Lord also, having wholly accepted becoming man and all the other things that revolve around the flesh, condescends also to be called Christ as one anointed to be king, not with the oil of the horn as Samuel and David and the men after them, but by the energy of the Spirit, according to which the Lord's man—for thus it is dear to the many to address Jesus—was wonderfully conceived and paradoxically in the womb of the virgin. But having confessed Jesus who became man for our sake, he did not stop the account at this point, but ascending through the intelligible ladder of Jacob to heaven and coming to the contemplation of the Word of God in the beginning, he adds to him the excellent and true dignity, calling him Son of the living God. And precisely thus and not otherwise:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":106,"ref":"p106","source":"αὐτός τε ὁμολογήσας τὸν εὐθὺν καὶ ἀδιάστροφον κανόνα τῆς πίστεως καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν παραδοὺς τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας λόγον ἀπαράβατον νόμον οὐκ ἄμισθος ἀπῆλθεν οὐδὲ ἀγέραστος· μακάριος δὲ ὀνομασθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ ὄντως μακαρίου, πέτρα καλεῖται τῆς πίστεως καὶ θεμέλιος καὶ ὑποβάθρα τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν ἐκκλησίας. Λαμβάνει δὲ διὰ τῆς ὑποσχέσεως τῆς βασιλείας τὰς κλεῖς καὶ κύριος γίνεται τῶν ἐκείνης πυλῶν, ὥστε αὐτὰς ὑπανοίγειν οἷς ἂν ἐθέλοι καὶ κλείειν οἷς ἂν δίκαιον ᾖ, πάντως δὲ τοῖς βεβήλοις καὶ ἀνιέροις καὶ τοῖς ἀρνουμένοις τὴν ὁμολο γίαν ἐκείνην δι' ἣν αὐτὸς ὡς ἀκριβὴς τῶν ἀγαθῶν φύλαξ ἐπιστατεῖν ταῖς εἰσόδοις τῆς βασιλείας ἐτάχθη. Ὢ τοῦ ζόφου καὶ τῆς ἀχλύος, ἣ πολλὴ κέχυται πρὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπικῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, δι' ἣν οὐ βλέπουσιν αἱρετικοὶ τῶν πατέρων τὰ ἴχνη οὐδὲ βαδίζειν ἐκείνην δύνανται, ἣν ἔτριψαν τῶν ἀποστόλων οἱ πόδες.","english":"He himself, having confessed the straight and unbending rule of faith and having handed down to us all the word of piety as an inviolable law, did not depart without reward or honor; but having been called blessed by the truly blessed One, he is called the rock of faith and the foundation and base of the Church according to Christ. Through the promise of the kingdom he receives the keys and becomes lord of its gates, so as to open them to whomever he wishes and to close them to whomever it is just—certainly to the profane and unholy and to those who deny that confession for which he himself, as a precise guardian of good things, was appointed to preside over the entrances of the kingdom. O the darkness and the mist that has been poured out in great measure before human eyes, through which the heretics do not see the footprints of the fathers, nor are they able to walk in that way which the feet of the apostles trod.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":107,"ref":"p107","source":"Ἰδοὺ γὰρ Πέτρος ὁ κατ' ἐκλογὴν γνήσιος τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητής, ὁ πανταχοῦ τὴν πρώτην ψῆφον καὶ τῶν τιμῶν καὶ τῶν κατορθωμάτων δεξάμενος, ὁ μέγας ἐκεῖνος ὁ πάνυ, οὗ τὸ κλέος πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρωσεν, κελευσθεὶς εἰπεῖν ὅπως δοξάζει περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἀπὸ μακρᾶς τινος ἤρξατο περινοίας οὐδὲ κύκλον συλλογισμῶν καὶ πραγμάτων περιβαλόμενος ἀπεκρίνατο πρὸς τὴν πεῦσιν ὥσπερ δὴ νῦν ποιεῖν εἰώθασιν οἱ δεινοὶ σοφισταὶ καὶ τεχνολόγοι τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλ' ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας σύντομον ἐξέθετο τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὐ τὸν ἀγέννητον διαστείλας τῷ γεννητῷ, οὐ τὰ περὶ ὁμοίου καὶ ἀνομοίου λεπτολογήσας ἐμπλήκτως, οὐδὲ τῶν ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν οὐσίαν πολυπραγμονήσας διαφοράν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀμέτρητον θεότητα μετρήσας συλλογισμοῖς οἷον δὴ τὰ Ἀρείου παίγνια καὶ τοῦ Εὐνομίου παρεγχειρήματα. Ζηλώσωμεν τοίνυν, ὦ χριστιανοίὧν πίστις, οὐ πολυλογία τὸ γνώρισματὸν ἁλιέα, τὸν ἀπερίεργον, τὸν ἐκ Βεθσαϊδὰ γέροντα, τὸ πρῶτον θήρευμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Μελετήσωμεν λέγειν· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, τὰ δὲ πλείονα τούτων ἀφιέναι τοῖς λογομάχοις, ὧν ἔρις τὸ ἔργον καὶ τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια. Ἆρ' οὖν μέχρι τῶν λεχθέντων ἵσταται τοῦ ἀποστόλου τὰ θαύματα; ἢ πᾶν τοὐναντίον οὐδὲ ἦρχθαι δοκοῦμεν, εἴ τις τοῖς εἰρημένοις παραμε τροίη τὰ λείποντα. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τὰ πολλὰ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ γνώσει καταλιπών ἴστε γὰρ τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου, κἂν μηδεὶς ἐπαινεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα προέληταιμικρὰ περὶ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως αὐτοῦ εἰπεῖν βούλομαι καὶ ὅπως ἐκ τῆς γῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν μετῴκησεν, ἵν' ἐκεῖ τοῦ λέγειν παύσωμαι ἔνθα κἀκεῖνος τὸν βίον.","english":"For behold, Peter, the genuine disciple of Christ by election, who everywhere received the first vote both of honors and of achievements, that great man, the renowned one, whose fame filled the whole inhabited world—when he was commanded to say how he believed concerning our God and Savior, he did not begin from some far-fetched subtlety, nor did he wrap himself in a circle of syllogisms and arguments and answer the question as the clever sophists and technicians of the faith are accustomed to do now, but in simplicity of heart he set forth the truth concisely, not dividing the unbegotten from the begotten, not triflingly splitting hairs about like and unlike, not busying himself with the difference that surpasses all substance, nor measuring the immeasurable divinity with syllogisms—such as the playthings of Arius and the meddlings of Eunomius. Let us therefore be zealous, O Christians, for the faith of the fisherman, whose mark is not much speaking—the uncurious one, the old man from Bethsaida, the first catch of Christ. Let us practice saying: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, and let us leave the more than these to the word-fighters, whose work is strife and whose end is destruction. Does the apostle's wonder, then, stop at what has been said? Or, on the contrary, do we not seem even to have begun, if one were to set aside the remaining things from what has been said? But I, leaving the many things to your understanding—for you know Peter and his deeds, even if no one chooses to praise the man—wish to say a few things about his rest and how he migrated from earth to heaven, so that I may cease speaking there where he also ended his life.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":108,"ref":"p108","source":"Ὁ μὲν οὖν Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἡνίκα ἔμελλεν ἐγγίζειν τῷ αὐθαιρέτῳ θανάτῳ, ὥσπερ τινὰ παρακαταθήκην ἐξαίρετον τὴν καθόλου καὶ οἰκουμενικὴν ἐκκλησίαν τούτῳ τῷ ἀνδρὶ παρατίθεται τρίτον αὐτοῦ πυθόμενος τὸ Φιλεῖς με; Ὡς δὲ ταῖς ἐρωτήσεσι μάλα προθύμως ἰσαρίθμους τὰς ὁμολογίας ἐξέθετο, ἔλαβεν τὸν κοσμὸν εἰς ἐπιμέλειαν ὡς\n\nμίαν ἀγέλην εἷς ποιμὴν ἀκούσας· Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου· καὶ σχεδὸν ἀνθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν πιστότατον μαθητὴν ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος τοῖς προσηλύτοις πατέρα καὶ νομέα καὶ παιδευτήν. Ταύτης τοίνυν ἀκούσας τῆς φωνῆς οὐκ ἐν ῥᾳθυμίᾳ τὸν βίον ἔζησεν οὐδὲ ἠγάπησε τὴν ἔξω κινδύνων ζωήν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην περινοστῶν τὸν Χριστὸν τοῖς τυφλώττουσιν ἀπεκάλυπτεν, τοὺς μὲν πλανωμένους ὁδηγῶν, τοὺς δὲ γευσαμένους τῆς σωτηρίας στηρίζων, τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μαχόμενος, τοὺς οἰκείους παρακα λῶν, διωγμῶν ἀνεχόμενος, φέρων ἀχθηδόνα δεσμωτηρίων, πολυτρόπως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου προκινδυνεύων. Χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος τὴν βασιλεύουσαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων πόλιν καταλαβὼν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀνέδραμεν. Ἀναρριπισθεὶς γὰρ ὁ Νέρων εἰς ὀργὴν ὥς ποτε κατὰ τὴν Παλαιστίνην Ἡρώδης ἡνίκα βασιλέα τὸν Χριστὸν οἱ μάγοι διήγγελλον, ὑπερβαίνει μὲν τοὺς ἄλλους τῶν κολάσεων τρόπους, ψηφίζεται δὲ τὸν τρισμακάριον ξύλῳ προσηλωθῆναι σταυροῦ, ἵνα μὴ μόνον πεζεύων θάλασσαν Πέτρος τὸν Δεσπότην μιμῆται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου κρεμάμενος.","english":"When our Savior was about to draw near to his voluntary death, he entrusted to this man, as a kind of chosen deposit, the universal and worldwide Church, asking him a third time, \"Do you love me?\" And when he had very eagerly set forth confessions equal in number to the questions, he received the world into his care as one flock under one shepherd, having heard, \"Feed my lambs.\" And the Lord gave, almost in place of himself, his most faithful disciple to the converts as father, shepherd, and teacher. Having heard this voice, then, he did not live his life in ease, nor did he love a life free from danger, but going around the whole inhabited world he revealed Christ to those who were blind, guiding those who were wandering, strengthening those who had tasted salvation, fighting against enemies, encouraging his own, enduring persecutions, bearing the burden of prisons, in many ways risking danger for the gospel. As time went on, having reached the city that rules over men, from there he ran up to the kingdom. For Nero, inflamed to anger as once Herod was in Palestine when the magi announced Christ as king, surpassed all other forms of punishment and voted that the thrice-blessed man be nailed to the wood of the cross, so that Peter might imitate his Master not only by walking on the sea, but also by hanging on the wood.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":109,"ref":"p109","source":"Ὅμως ὡς εὐλαβὴς καὶ σοφὸς κἀν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀγωνίας εἰδὼς τίς διαφορὰ Κυρίου πρὸς δοῦλον μίαν ᾔτησε παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν χάριν μήτοι γε ἐν ὁμοίῳ τῷ σχήματι τῷ ξύλῳ προσαγαγεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῷ προσγείῳ μέρει τοῦ σταυροῦ προσηλώσαντας. Οὐ γὰρ ἄξιον οὐδὲ ἐν πάθει τῶν ἴσων τὸν δοῦλον τῷ Δεσπότῃ τυχεῖν. Εἶπεν καὶ ἔτυχεν ὧν ἐβούλετο καὶ διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ πρὸς τὸν σταυρωθέντα καὶ ἀναστάντα ἀπῆλθεν, αὐτὸς μὲν τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἀναδησάμενος στέφανον, ἡμῖν δὲ τούτων τῶν ἑορτῶν καταλιπὼν τὰς αἰτίας. Ταῦτά σοι καὶ ἡμεῖς κατὰ δύναμιν, ὦ φίλη καὶ ἱερὰ κεφαλή, τῶν πολλῶν κατορθωμάτων ἀπεδώκαμεν χαριστήρια· ὥρα δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπ' ἄλλον ἀγωνιστὴν τρέψαι τὸν λόγον, τὸν κοινωνὸν τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς, τὸν Ταρσέα, τὸν διαφόρῳ μὲν τρόπῳ τῆς τιμωρίας, ἑνὶ δὲ σκοπῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας μετά σου πρὸς Χριστὸν ἀναλύσαντα. Παῦλος ὁ θεσπέσιος, ἡ μεγαλόφωνος τοῦ εὐαγγελίου σάλπιγξ, ὁ πρότερον μὲν πικρὸς δυσμενὴς χριστιανῶν, ἰσχυρὸς δὲ τελευταῖον τῆς ἐκκλησίας συνήγορος, νεώτερος μὲν ἐπετέχθη τοῖς ἀποστόλοις παρὰ τῆς χάριτος· καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ δεύτερος ἦν τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἴσος δὲ κατὰ τὸ δόκιμον τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἵνα μηδὲν εἴπω πλέον τὴν πολιὰν ἐρυθριάσας τῶν δώδεκα, ζηλωτὴς δὲ θερμὸς τοῦ Μωϋσέως, εἴπερ τις ἕτερος, τεῖχος τοῦ νόμου, πύργος τῆς παλαιᾶς Διαθήκης καρτερὸς καὶ ἄσειστος· καὶ μέχρις οὗ τὴν γνώμην ἀμετάβλητον εἶχεν, μέγας ὑπῆρχε κίνδυνος τῶν τὸν Χριστὸν λαλούντων καὶ πανταχοῦ διεπτόει τοὺς ἡμετέρους καὶ ἐφυγάδευεν·","english":"Nevertheless, as a devout and wise man, even in the hour of his agony, knowing what difference there is between a Lord and a servant, he asked one favor of his enemies: that they not bring him to the wood in the same posture, but that they nail his head to the lower part of the cross. For it was not fitting that even in suffering the servant should meet with the same treatment as the Master. He spoke and obtained what he wished, and through the cross he departed to the one who was crucified and rose again, himself having taken up the crown of martyrdom, and leaving to us the reasons for these festivals. These things, then, we too have rendered to you, O beloved and sacred head, according to our ability, as thank-offerings for your many achievements. But it is time now to turn our discourse to another champion, the partner of your virtue, the man of Tarsus, who by a different manner of punishment, but with one aim of piety, departed to Christ together with you. Paul, the inspired, the loud-voiced trumpet of the gospel, formerly a bitter enemy of Christians, but finally a strong advocate of the church, was born, though younger, to the apostles by grace; and in time he was second among the disciples of Christ, but equal in the proven excellence of his virtue—to say nothing more—having reverenced the gray hairs of the twelve; a zealous imitator of Moses, if ever there was one, a wall of the law, a tower of the Old Testament, steadfast and unshaken; and as long as he kept his mind unchanged, he was a great danger to those who spoke of Christ, and everywhere he terrified our people and put them to flight.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":110,"ref":"p110","source":"ὄντως κατὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ Βενιαμὶν λύκος ἅρπαξ, σπαράσσων τῆς νέας Διαθήκης τοὺς ἀρνειοὺς καὶ σκορπίζων τὰ ποίμνια. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα τὸ κατὰ τὸν ἅγιον Στέφανον ἐξειργάσατο, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἔχων ἔτι μεμολυσμένας τῷ αἵματι τὴν ἐπὶ Δαμασκὸν ἔτρεχε διωγμῷ διωγμὸν καὶ φόνοις φόνους συνάψαι βουλόμενος καὶ ἀνασπάσαι τὸν χριστιανισμὸν πρόρριζον ἄρτι τὴν πρώτην ἀνθοῦντα φυήν. Εἶδεν καλῶς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ὃ πεποίηκεν, ὅτι ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐχθρὸς γένοιτ' ἂν καὶ φίλος γενναῖος· καὶ περιλάμψας αὐτὸν αἰφνίδιον τῷ φωτὶ καταπλήττει καὶ μεταβάλλει πρὸς ταπεινότητα στήσας μὲν τοῦ δρόμου διὰ τὸν φόβον, τοὺς δὲ τὸ πυρῶδες καὶ θυμοειδὲς βλέποντας ὀφθαλμοὺς σωφρονίσας τῷ σκότῳ. Τιμωρεῖται δὲ αὐτὸν οὐ μετὰ σιωπῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγον τῷ ἔργῳ προσέθηκεν εἰπὼν ἐκεῖνο τὸ γεγραμμένον· Σαῦλε, Σαῦλε, τί με διώκεις; Σκληρόν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν· οὐχ ὡς αὐτὸς διαλέξεως χρῄζωντί γὰρ ἔδει λόγων τῶν πραγμάτων ἀρκούντων, ἀλλ' ἵνα πρόφασιν ἐνδῷ τοῦ ἐρωτῆσαι καὶ μαθεῖν ὅτι ὁ νομιζόμενος τεθνάναι καὶ κεῖσθαι Χριστὸς ζῇ καὶ ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἐπιφαίνεται καὶ οὕτως ἀπ' ἐξουσίας τοὺς λυποῦντας ἀμύνεται. Οὐδὲν δὲ οἷον αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα παραθέσθαι τὰ τοῦ Ἑβραίου λύκου τὴν θήραν ἡμῖν ἐξηγούμενα. 8..1 20̔ δὲ Σαῦλος ἔτι ἐμπνέων ἀπειλῆς","english":"Truly, according to Jacob's foretelling, Benjamin is a ravening wolf, tearing apart the lambs of the New Testament and scattering the flocks. And when he had also carried out the drama against Saint Stephen, and with his hands still defiled with blood, he was rushing toward Damascus, desiring to join persecution to persecution and murders to murders, and to tear Christianity up by the root, just then blooming with its first growth. Our God saw well what He had made, that the strong enemy might become a noble friend; and shining upon him suddenly with light, He strikes him with amazement and changes him to humility, halting him from his course by fear, and chastening with darkness the eyes that looked with fire and fury. And He punishes him not in silence, but added speech to the deed, saying that which is written: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads—not as though He Himself needed conversation (for why should He need words when the deeds were sufficient?), but in order to give him an occasion to ask and to learn that the Christ who was thought to have died and to lie buried lives and appears from heaven and thus by authority defends those who are wronged. And nothing is so good as to set forth the very words themselves that explain to us the hunt of the Hebrew wolf. But Saul, still breathing threats","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":111,"ref":"p111","source":"καὶ φόνου. Ὑπογράφει μοι ὁ λόγος ἄνδρα θυμῷ ῥηγνύμενον ἐκ τῆς προλαβούσης μιαιφονίας ἔτι πνευστιῶντα μετὰ τὰς τῶν λίθων βολάς, ὕφαιμον καὶ ἄγριον βλέποντα οἷον ἐπάναγκες τὸν φονέα, σώζοντα ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς τοῦ πατριάρχου προφητείας τὰ σύμβολα. Ἐκεῖνος γάρ, ἐπειδὴ τελευτᾶν ἔμελλεν, πάντοθεν τοὺς αὑτοῦ παῖδας περιστήσας τῇ κλίνῃ Πνεύματι προηγόρευσεν. 8..2 Οὕτως οὖν τὸν Ἰούδαν εὐλογῶν ἐκείνῳ μὲν διελέγετο, ἀλληγορικῶς δὲ ὕμνησε τὸν ἀπ' ἐκείνου Χριστόν. Ἑξῆς δὲ τοῖς πᾶσι προμαντευσάμενος τὰ εἰς ὕστερον τελευταῖον ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Βενιαμὶν ὡς καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ νεώτερον· καὶ δῆθεν μὲν πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἐφθέγγετο, τῷ ὄντι δὲ τὸν Παῦλον ἐσήμαινεν ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς, ὡς ἔγνωμεν, τῆς ἐκείνου κατάγοντα. Βενιαμὶν λύκος ἅρπαξ τὸ πρωῒ ἔδεται καὶ εἰς ἑσπέραν διαδώσει τροφήν. 8..3 Τί ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον ἐρευνήσωμεν· ἢ τοῦτο πάντως, ὅτι τὰ πρῶτα φαγών, τούτεστι διώξας, φονεύσας, ἐκχέας αἷμα, σκορπίσας ὡς ἀγέλην τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τελευταῖον ἐγένετο νομεὺς καὶ ποιμὴν ἀγαθὸς ἀποθέμενος τὸν διώκτην καὶ ἐνδυσάμενος τὸν ἀπόστολον, πᾶσι δὲ ὡς τροφὴν διανέμων τὸν Λόγον καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν ἡμῖν ταύτην ἱδρυσάμενος τράπεζαν. 8..4 Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ Κυρίου δύναμις τοιαύτη ἀφοπλίζουσα τοῦ θυμοῦ καὶ τῶν δυσσεβῶν νοημάτων τοὺς στασιάζοντας, προσαγομένη δὲ εὐμηχάνως καὶ τιθασσεύουσα καὶ πρόβατα ἥμερα ἀντὶ θηρίων δακ νόντων ἐργαζομένη. Ἐπὶ τούτοις τί φησιν ἡ Γραφή; ὅτι Προσελθὼν τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ ᾐτήσατο παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολὰς εἰς Δαμασκὸν πρὸς τὰς συναγωγάς, ὅπως τοὺς χριστιανοὺς ἀγάγῃ εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ.","english":"and murder. The account sketches for me a man bursting with rage from the preceding bloodshed, still gasping after the volleys of stones, looking bloodshot and savage, as a murderer necessarily would, preserving at the beginning of the patriarch's prophecy the symbols. For he, when he was about to die, having stationed his sons from every side around the bed, foretold by the Spirit. Thus, then, blessing Judah, he spoke to him, but allegorically he sang of the Christ who would come from him. Next, after foretelling to all what would happen later, he came last to Benjamin, as also younger in time; and ostensibly he spoke to the son, but in reality he signified Paul, who, as we know, was descended from that tribe. Benjamin is a ravening wolf; in the morning he will devour, and in the evening he will distribute food. Let us examine what is being said—or rather, this altogether: that having first eaten, that is, persecuted, killed, shed blood, scattered the church like a flock, he finally became a herdsman and good shepherd, setting aside the persecutor and putting on the apostle, distributing the Word to all as food and establishing for us this holy table. For such is the power of the Lord, disarming those who rebel in rage and impious thoughts, and leading them on skillfully and taming them and making them gentle sheep instead of biting beasts. Concerning these things, what does the Scripture say? That he came to the high priest and asked from him letters for Damascus to the synagogues, so that he might bring the Christians to Jerusalem.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":112,"ref":"p112","source":"Ὢ μάχη καὶ διαφορὰ ἐπιστολῶν τῶν τότε παρὰ Παύλου ζητουμένων καὶ ἃς τὸν Χριστὸν καταγγέλλων ὕστερον ἔγραψεν! Αἱ μὲν ἐδεσμοῦν χριστιανούς, αἱ δὲ τὰς ἁλύσεις ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ περιέθηκαν τῷ διώκτῃ πολλὰς καὶ βαρείας καὶ χαλεπὰς ἐνεγκεῖν· κἀκεῖ μὲν ἐγέγραπτο· Σαῦλος Ἑβραῖος, τοῦ νόμου προστάτης, ἐχθρὸς τοῦ σταυροῦ, τοῦ εὐαγγελίου πολέμιος· ἐν δὲ ταῖς μεταγενεστέραις ἐπιστολαῖς καὶ σωφρονούσαις· Παῦλος δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ποίου; Πρόσθες· τοῦ ἐσταυρωμένου. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! Ὃ πρὸ ὀλίγου ὄνειδος νῦν γέγονε καύχημα καὶ τὸ ἐξουθενούμενον ὡς δόξα σήμερον μνημονεύεται. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ δοξοκόπος καὶ γαυριῶν βασιλεὺς οὕτως ἐνεπόμπευσε τῇ περιφανείᾳ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ὡς Παῦλος τῷ σταυρῷ καὶ τοῖς ἥλοις γράφων ἑαυτὸν πᾶσι δεσμώτην καὶ πλέον τῷ σιδήρῳ καλλυνόμενος ἢ αἱ κόραι τῷ κοσμοῦντι χρυσῷ. Ἐξαίφνης τε περιήστραψεν αὐτὸν φῶς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Διὰ τί οὐ φαίνεται αὐτῷ ἐν μορφῇ ἀνθρώπου ὥσπερ καὶ Στεφάνῳ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς ἢ φωτός; Ὅτι Στεφάνῳ μὲν ὡς τελείῳ καὶ εἰδότι τὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως μυστήριον καὶ μηδὲν βλαπτομένῳ ἐκ τῆς εὐτελείας τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς καλῶς οὕτως ἑαυτὸν ἐπεδείκνυ ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἀνῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανόν, Παύλῳ δὲ ὡς διὰ τοῦτο μὴ καταδε χομένῳ Θεὸν ὀνομάζειν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἐπειδὴ ἐν σώματι παρεγένετο πρὸς ἡμᾶς, οὐ φαίνεται ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα μὴ βεβαιώσῃ ἀπίστῳ τὸ πρόσκομμα, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐν ἰδέᾳ ἀστραπῆς καὶ φωτός, ἵν' ἐκ τοῦ νόμου καὶ Μωϋσέως αὐτὸν ἐφελκύσηται. Κἀκεῖ γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος Θεὸς τῷ Μωϋσεῖ ἑαυτὸν ἐμφανίζων ἐν πυρὶ ἐλάλει·","english":"O what a battle and difference between the letters sought from Paul at that time and those he later wrote when he proclaimed Christ! The former used to bind Christians, but the latter placed chains upon the persecutor for Christ's sake—many and heavy and hard to bear. And there it had been written: \"Saul the Hebrew, champion of the law, enemy of the cross, foe of the gospel\"; but in the later and sound letters: \"Paul, slave of Jesus Christ.\" Of what sort of one? Add: of the crucified one. O the wonder! What was recently a reproach has now become a boast, and what was despised is today remembered as glory. For no glory-seeking and exulting king ever paraded so in the splendor of his rule as Paul, writing himself to all as a prisoner of the cross and adorned more by iron than maidens are by the gold that beautifies them. And suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. Why does he not appear to him in the form of a man, as also to Stephen from heaven, but in the appearance of fire or light? Because to Stephen, as one perfect and knowing the mystery of the incarnation and harmed by nothing from the lowliness that is ours, he showed himself rightly in this way, just as he also ascended into heaven; but to Paul, as one who for this reason did not accept calling Jesus God, since he had come to us in a body, he does not appear as a man, lest he confirm the stumbling block for the unbeliever, but rather in the form of lightning and light, so that from the law and from Moses he might draw him. For there also this same God, revealing himself to Moses in fire, spoke.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":113,"ref":"p113","source":"καὶ τὸν νόμον διδοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ Σινᾶ, πυρὶ κατα λάμπων τὸν Ἑβραῖον ἐνεχείριζε τὰς πλάκας αὐτῷ. Περιαυγάζει τοίνυν αὐτόν, ἵνα τὸν νοῦν ἐπιβαλὼν τῇ ὁμοιότητι τῶν τότε γενομένων καὶ νῦν καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκ λήθης τινὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀφυπνίσας γνωρίσῃ τῆς μιᾶς δυνάμεως ὄντα τὰ θεοφάνια· ἀποστέλλει δὲ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ τὴν αὐγήν, ἵνα μηκέτι περὶ τὴν Βηθλεὲμ καὶ τὴν Γαλιλαίαν στρεφόμενος τῇ διανοίᾳ ὁ Παῦλος υἱὸν τοῦ Δαβὶδ ὀνομάζῃ τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄλλα, τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας ὀνόματα, διδαχθῇ δὲ σαφῶς ὅτι Θεὸς ὢν ἄνωθεν ἀφίκετο πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅθεν καὶ νῦν ἐπιφαίνεται. Εἶτα προστίθησι σοφῶς· Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς· οὐκ εἶπεν ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς ἢ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' Ἰησοῦς· τὸ τῆς συγκαταβάσεως ὄνομα, ἵνα βεβαιώσῃ\n\nτὴν τῆς σαρκώσεως πίστιν πρὸς ἣν Ἰουδαῖοι ἐσκανδαλίζοντο. Ἐγώ εἰμι ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἐρραπίζετε, ὃν ἐφραγελλοῦτε, ὃν εἵλκετε καὶ ἐφέρετε νῦν μὲν πρὸς Καϊάφαν, ὕστερον δὲ πρὸς Πιλᾶτον, ὃν ἀπεκαλεῖτε συνεχῶς υἱὸν τοῦ τέκτονος, ὃν ἐν τοῖς νεκροῖς ἠριθμεῖτε γελῶντες μεγάλα πρὸς τοὺς κηρύττοντας τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ἐκείνοις νῦν λαλῶν οὐ φαίνομαι· παρὼν οὐχ ὁρῶμαι· φωτίζων ψυχὴν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐπάγω[ν] τυφλότητα. Πίστευσον οὖν, ὅτι καὶ Στεφάνῳ ἐφαινόμην ὅτε τοῦτο λέγων πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἠπιστεῖτο. Σκλῆρον οὖν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν. Κέντρα λέγει τοῦ σταυροῦ τοὺς ἥλους. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ σιδήρῳ τεθηγμένῳ ἐνρηγνύμενος οὐκ ἐκεῖνον διαφθείρει πῶς γὰρ τὸν σκληρόν; ἑαυτὸν δὲ τιτρώσκει, οὕτω καὶ ὁ πρὸς Θεὸν φιλονεικῶν αὐθαίρετον ἐπισπᾶται τὸν ὄλεθρον.","english":"And when he was giving the law on Sinai, blazing with fire, he handed the tablets to the Hebrew. He shines around him, then, so that, applying his mind to the likeness of what happened then and now, and as if rousing himself from some forgetfulness, he may recognize that the divine manifestations belong to one power. And he sends the radiance from heaven, so that Paul, no longer turning his mind about Bethlehem and Galilee, may not name Christ \"son of David\" and \"man\" and all the other names of the economy, but may be taught clearly that being God from above he came to us, whence he also now appears. Then he adds wisely: \"I am Jesus.\" He did not say, \"I am God\" or \"the Son of God,\" but \"Jesus\"—the name of condescension, so that he might confirm the faith of the incarnation, at which the Jews took offense. \"I am the one whom you slapped, whom you scourged, whom you dragged and brought now to Caiaphas, later to Pilate, whom you continually called the son of the carpenter, whom you counted among the dead, laughing greatly at those who proclaimed the resurrection. To them I now speak and do not appear; present, I am not seen; enlightening the soul, I bring blindness upon the eyes. Believe, then, that I also appeared to Stephen when he said this to you and was disbelieved. It is hard, then, for you to kick against the goads.\" He calls the nails of the cross \"goads.\" For just as one who dashes himself against sharpened iron does not destroy it—how could he destroy what is hard?—but wounds himself, so too the one who strives against God draws down upon himself self-chosen destruction.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":114,"ref":"p114","source":"Σωφρόνησον οὖν τοῦ λοιποῦ καὶ τὴν ὄψιν ἀπολέσας διὰ τῆς θαυμαστῆς λαμπηδόνος νῦν μάλιστα νόησον, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἐνεδυσάμην σῶμα καὶ ἐγενόμην ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα μὴ πάντες τυφλωθῶσιν οἱ γυμνοὶ παραπετάσματος προσομιλοῦντες θεότητι. Ταῦτα· καὶ χειραγωγούμενος ὁ Παῦλος ἀπήγετο ἐλεεινὸν θέαμα, μᾶλλον δὲ χάριεν καὶ θυμηδίας ἄξιον. Ἐδέθη ὁ λύκος, ἐσωφρονίσθη ὁ ἅρπαξ, ἡμερώθη ὁ ἄγριος, ἐβάδιζε πράως ὁ τρέχων, ἀπήγετο μαθητὴς ὁ τῶν μαθητῶν τύραννος, ἤγετο πιεῖν τοῦ ἄλλου τὸ αἷμα ὁ τῷ αἵματι Στεφάνου μεμολυσμένος τὰς χεῖρας. Ἐπὶ τρεῖς δὲ ἡμέρας διετέλεσεν ἐν τυφλότητι ζῶν. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ὁ γὰρ εἰς τὴν Τριάδα διαμαρτὼν δικαίως ἰσάριθμον τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατεδικάσθη τὴν τιμωρίαν. Οὕτως μὲν οὖν ὁ θεσπέσιος ἐμυσταγωγήθη πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐγεύσατο καὶ διὰ τῆς πείρας ἔμαθεν, ὅτι ζῇ ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ἔστιν καὶ βασιλεύει τῶν ὅλων, οὔτε δὲ ἐφθάρη παρὰ τοῦ θανάτου οὔτε ἐκλάπη παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν, ταχέως ἐκ τοῦ νόμου μεταταξάμενος πρὸς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πᾶσι κατήγγελλε Θεὸν τὸν Χριστόν, ὃν χθὲς καὶ πρώην ἐλοιδόρει ταῖς βλασφημίαις, καὶ τοιοῦτος ἦν σύμμαχος οἷος καὶ πολέμιος· ἰσχυρὸς γὰρ ἀμφότερα. Ἀθρόον δὲ καὶ ἀδοκήτως εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς Δαμασκοῦ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ἐδημηγόρει τοὺς λόγους, οὐ νόμον κρατύνων, ἀλλ' ἀπ' ἐκείνου τὸν Χριστὸν συγκροτῶν καὶ συγκρίνων τοῖς γινομένοις πράγμασι τὰς προσαγορεύσεις τῶν προφητῶν καὶ διὰ νόμου νόμον ἐκβάλλων. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φησιν ἐπιστέλλων Ῥωμαίοις· Ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον·","english":"Be sober-minded, then, for the rest of your life, and now that you have lost your sight through that wondrous radiance, understand above all that it was for this reason that I put on a body and became a man, so that not all who converse with the Godhead without a veil might be blinded. So much for that; and Paul, being led by the hand, was led away—a pitiable sight, or rather a gracious one and worthy of delight. The wolf was bound, the robber was brought to his senses, the savage was tamed, the runner walked meekly, the tyrant of the disciples was led away as a disciple, and he who had defiled his hands with the blood of Stephen was led to drink the blood of the other. And for three days he continued living in blindness. And very reasonably so. For he who had erred concerning the Trinity was justly condemned to a punishment equal in number to his sin. In this way, then, the divinely inspired man was initiated into piety. But when he had tasted the truth and learned through experience that Christ lives and exists and reigns over all things, and that he was neither destroyed by death nor stolen away by the disciples, he quickly transferred from the law to the gospel and proclaimed to all that Christ is God—he whom yesterday and the day before he had reviled with blasphemies—and he was as strong an ally as he had been an enemy; for he was mighty in both. And suddenly and unexpectedly entering the synagogues of Damascus, he expounded the words of the law and the prophets, not strengthening the law, but from it establishing Christ and comparing the declarations of the prophets with the events that came to pass, and by the law casting out the law. As, then, he also says concerning himself in his letter to the Romans: For I through the law died to the law.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":115,"ref":"p115","source":"τούτεστιν, Ἀπὸ τῶν Μωσαϊκῶν γραμμάτων ὁδηγηθεὶς ἐπέγνων τὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου εὐσέβειαν. Ἔκπληξις οὖν εἶχε τὴν Δαμασκὸν καὶ πάντες πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐξεθείαζον· Δεῦτε, θεᾶσθε τὸν Ταρσέα Ἑβραῖον, τὸν τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου ζέοντα μαθητήν, σφοδρὸν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ συνήγορον καὶ Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἀνακαλοῦντα καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων ἀποδεικνύντα, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν Σωτήρ. Δέος οὖν μὴ πᾶσαν καταπείσῃ τὴν πόλιν, μὴ καὶ ὅλον τὸν δῆμον ἐπαγάγηται καὶ ἀποστήσῃ τοῦ νόμου. Καὶ γάρ ἐστι τῆς Γραφῆς ἀσκητὴς καὶ τὸν νοῦν ὀξὺς καὶ γοργὸς τὸν λόγον καὶ τὸν τρόπον εὐμήχανος καὶ πολὺ κεκτημένος τὸ ἀξιόπιστον· ἀφ' ὧν ἀκριβῶς εἰδὼς τὰ ἡμέτερα οὐκ ἀγνοίᾳ δοκεῖ πλανᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ δοκιμασίᾳ καὶ κρίσει τὸ ἀληθὲς εὑρηκέναι. Εἰς ταύτην τὴν ἀμηχανίαν ἐνέβαλε πόλιν μεγάλην, δῆμον πολυάνθρωπον, τὸ πρῶτον τοῦ γενναίου προσηλύτου κήρυγμα καὶ πλέον τότε Δαμασκὸς ἐταράττετο ἢ πρώην ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις χριστιανοί, ἡνίκα Στέφανον Παῦλος ἐλίθαζεν. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ θαυμαστοὶ τῶν ἀριστέων ὅπου δ' ἂν μετατάξωνται, ἐκεῖ τὴν νίκην μετάγουσιν, οὕτως ὁ θεσπέσιος ἀνὴρ ἐκείνους πάντως ἐποίει μεγάλους οἷς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρεῖχε ῥοπήν. Οὕτω τοίνυν καταγγείλας ἐν τῇ Φοινίκῃ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα σπέρματα τῆς ἀποστολῆς ἐκεῖ καταβαλόμενος ἔνθα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐφωτίσθη τῇ γνώσει, ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ξένον τοῖς ἐκεῖ καὶ καλὸν θέαμα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ προπέμψαντες αὐτὸν καὶ δόντες τὰ δεσμὰ φέρειν κατὰ χριστιανῶν οὐκ εἰδότες τὰ ἐν μέσῳ συμβάντα, θεασάμενοι","english":"That is, guided by the letters of Moses I came to recognize the piety of the gospel. Astonishment therefore seized Damascus, and all were amazed among themselves: Come, behold the man of Tarsus, a Hebrew, the zealous disciple of the ancestral law, now a vehement advocate of Jesus, calling him God and proving from our own writings that this is the promised Savior. There is fear, then, that he may persuade the whole city, that he may win over the entire people and turn them away from the law. For he is a student of the Scripture, sharp in mind, quick in speech, resourceful in manner, and possessing much credibility; from these things, knowing our affairs accurately, he does not seem to wander in ignorance, but by testing and judgment to have found the truth. Into this perplexity he cast a great city, a populous people—the first preaching of the noble convert—and Damascus was then more disturbed than the Christians were formerly in Jerusalem, when Paul stoned Stephen. For just as the wonderful heroes, wherever they transfer their allegiance, transfer the victory there, so that inspired man made those to whom he gave his own weight altogether great. Having thus proclaimed the gospel in Phoenicia and having sown there the first seeds of his apostleship, where he himself was also enlightened by knowledge, he came to Jerusalem, a strange and beautiful sight to those there. For those who had sent him forth and given him the chains to carry against the Christians, not knowing what had happened in the meantime, when they saw","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":116,"ref":"p116","source":"πρῶτον ἡδέως τε εἶδον καὶ ἀπῄτουν τὴν θήραν πλῆθος χριστιανῶν δεσμωτῶν ἐλπίσαντες ὄψεσθαι καὶ τῶν πολλῶν ὑποσχέσεων ζητοῦντες τὸ ἔργον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ λόγου προβαίνοντος εὗρον Παῦλον τὸν Σαῦλον συναμεί ψαντα τῇ κλήσει τὴν γνώμην καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλον καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποστόλων μαθητὴν θερμότερον, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα παιδιὰν καὶ χλεύην ἡγοῦντο τὰ λεγόμενα, ἐπεὶ δὲ δοκιμάσαντες εὗρον ὁμολογοῦσαν τῇ φωνῇ τὴν γνώμην ἓν ἐβουλεύσαντο μόνον, ὅπως ὁ νεανίας ἀπόλοιτο, ὡς οὐκ ἐνὸν εἶναι τὴν Ἑβραίων θρησκείαν καὶ χρηματίζειν ζῶντος Παύλου καὶ φθεγγομένου. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἔδειξε σύμπας ὁ ὕστερον χρόνος. Ἔτι γὰρ τῶν πολλῶν, εἰ καὶ ὑπῆρχον χριστιανοί, οὐκ ἀρκούντων καθαρῶς ζῆν κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἀλλ' ἐπαμφοτεριζόντων καί που καὶ τῇ περιτομῇ προσχρωμένων, ἵν' ἐκ μέρους κεχαρισμένα τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ποιοῦντες τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν ἐκμειλίξωνται, μόνος οὗτος ἀκαταπλήκτῳ φρονήματι οὐδὲν ὑφείμενον ἐδίδαξεν, ἀλλὰ καθαρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ ἀνόθευτον τὸν λόγον ἐκήρυσσεν καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτόν γε προὔβη τοῦ ἐλευθερίου φρονήματος, ὥστε ποτὲ τῶν Γαλατῶν οἰκείᾳ κουφότητι καὶ ὀλιγωρίᾳ τῶν διδασκόντων εἰς τὴν κατὰ νόμον παλινδρομούντων ζωὴν τὴν θαυμαστὴν αὐτοῖς γράφων ἐπιστολήν, δι' ἧς ἐν καινότητι τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν πολιτείας εὐσεβεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ θρησκεύειν ἐδίδαξε μηκέτι προσέχοντας τοῖς γράμ μασιν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν λιθίνων πλακῶν, συνεπλάκη διὰ τῶν λεγομένων αὐτῷ τῷ κορυφαίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ πανταχοῦ καθαπτόμενος διετέλεσε καὶ ἁψιμαχῶν πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον ὡς τὴν νέαν ἐπιθολοῦντα πολιτείαν τῇ προσχρήσει τῶν παλαιῶν καὶ πεπαυμένων δογμάτων·","english":"At first they were pleased and demanded the hunt, hoping to see a multitude of Christian prisoners and seeking the fulfillment of their many promises. But when, as the account proceeded, they found that Paul—formerly Saul—had joined his resolve to his calling and was a slave of Christ and a more fervent disciple of the other apostles, at first they regarded what was said as sport and mockery; but when they had tested it and found his resolve in agreement with his voice, they resolved on one thing only: that the young man should perish, since it was impossible for the religion of the Hebrews to stand and for Paul to bear the name and speak while alive. And all the later time clearly showed this. For while many, even if they were Christians, were not sufficient to live purely according to the gospel, but were double-minded and in some places even made use of circumcision, so that by doing things partly pleasing to the Hebrews they might soften their anger, this man alone with an undaunted mind taught nothing that was inferior, but with a pure voice proclaimed the word unadulterated, and advanced so far in free-mindedness that once, when the Galatians in their own levity and contempt for their teachers were running back to the life according to the law, writing to them his wonderful epistle, through which he taught them to be pious and to worship in the newness of the citizenship according to Christ, no longer paying attention to the letters from the stone tablets, he clashed through what was said to him with the very chief of the apostles and continued everywhere attacking and skirmishing with Peter, as one who was muddying the new citizenship by his use of the old and abolished doctrines.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":117,"ref":"p117","source":"καὶ οὔτε τὴν πολιὰν ᾐδέσθη τοῦ γέροντος οὔτε τὰ τῆς ἀποστολῆς πρεσβεῖα, ὅτε εἶδε κινδυνεύουσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν Γαλατῶν ἀντεξανέστη σφοδρῶς, τὸν δὲ πολλάκις ἔπληξεν, ὡς ἐνῆν, τὴν παρρησίαν εὐπρεπείᾳ κεράσας. Καὶ πανταχοῦ μὲν διετέλει λέγων καὶ πείθων· εἰ δέ που καὶ πονηροῖς ἤθεσιν ἐντυχὼν ἔπαθέν τι δεινὸν ἢ δεσμωτήριον οἰκήσας ἢ μάστιγας λαβὼν ἢ λίθοις βληθείς, οὐ κατέλυσεν τὴν προθυμίαν διὰ τὴν γενομένην ἀποτυχίαν· ἀλλὰ μικρὸν διαλιπὼν πάλιν ἤγγιζε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς συναναστρέφων λόγους καὶ πολλοὺς τρόπους τῶν ἐπιχειρήσεων ἐξευρίσκων, εὐμηχάνως δὲ λίαν πρὸς τὰς ἐμπιπτούσας χρείας μεθαρμοζόμενος πάντως ἀπῄει πείσας ἢ πάντας ἢ τοὺς πολλούς. Πολλάκις γ' οὖν εὑρεθεὶς μετὰ πληγὰς ἀνηκέστους καὶ ῥιφεὶς ἐν προαστείοις τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης ἣν ἐμυσταγώγει πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν, νομισθεὶς δὲ καὶ τεθνάναι διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν δεινῶν, τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ τὴν ἀγορὰν καταλαβὼν καὶ τὴν δεξιὰν προτείνας πάλιν ἐδίδασκε τοὺς ἐγγὺς ἀγαγόντας θανάτου· οὕτως οὐδὲν αὐτῷ τοῦ σώματος ἔμελε· πρὸς δὲ τὸν σκόπον βλέπων τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως καρτερὸς ἠγωνίζετο χώραν ἐκ χώρας ἀμείβων, πόλιν ἐκ πόλεως, τοῖς κατὰ γῆν πόνοις ἐναθλῶν, πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους τοὺς ἐκ θαλάττης παραταττόμενος, πρὸς δήμους φλεγμαίνοντας ῥητορεύων σοφῶς, δικασταῖς ὀργιζομένοις ἀπολογούμενος· Ἑβραίους ἐνάγων εἰς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς τιμωμένων γραμ μάτων, Ἑλλῆνας τοῖς ἔξωθεν δυσωπῶν λόγοις καὶ τοῖς ἀγράφοις νόμοις τῆς φύσεως·","english":"He respected neither the gray hair of the old man nor the dignity of the apostleship, when he saw the truth in danger. But he stood up vigorously against the Galatians, and often struck him, as was possible, tempering his frankness with propriety. And everywhere he continued speaking and persuading; but if ever, encountering wicked dispositions, he suffered something terrible, or dwelt in a prison, or received lashes, or was struck with stones, he did not abandon his zeal because of the failure that occurred; but after pausing a little he again drew near to his enemies and went over the same arguments and devised many modes of attack, and adapting himself very ingeniously to the needs that arose, he always departed having persuaded either all or the many. Often, then, he was found after incurable blows and was cast out in the suburbs of that city which he was initiating into piety, and was thought even to be dead because of the magnitude of his sufferings; on the next day he reached the marketplace and, stretching out his right hand, he again taught those who had brought him near to death. Thus he cared nothing for his body; but looking toward the goal of the upward calling, he struggled steadfastly, exchanging land for land, city for city, laboring amid toils on land, arraying himself against dangers from the sea, speaking wisely before inflamed assemblies, defending himself before angry judges; leading Hebrews to the knowledge of Christ through the writings honored among them, and persuading Greeks by external arguments and the unwritten laws of nature.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":118,"ref":"p118","source":"χριστιανοὺς βεβαιῶν, προσηλύτους οἰκοδομῶν καὶ τρέφων τοῖς προσφόροις παιδεύμασιν ὡς φυτουργοὶ τὰ νεαρὰ τῶν φυτῶν τῇ συμμέτρῳ καὶ πεφεισμένῃ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐπιρροῇ. Ὃ δὲ μάλιστα δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐν λόγοις ἰσχύν, καταμάθωμεν. Ἀθῆναι πόλις ἐστὶ προκαθημένη τῆς Ἀχαΐας, ἑστία λόγων, ὡς προεῖπον αὐτὴν οἱ εὐφημοῦντες, σοφῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν λόγοις ζώντων παλαιὸν ἐργαστήριον. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ Παῦλος τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν διαδραμὼν καὶ πανταχοῦ ῥίψας τοὺς σπινθῆρας τῆς πίστεως, οὓς τὸ Πνεῦμα παρα λαβὼν ἀνερρίπιζε καὶ ἀσβέστους ἐτήρει, ἦλθε κατὰ τὴν χρείαν τῆς περιόδου καὶ πρὸς τοὺς σοφοὺς Ἀθηναίους. Καὶ πρᾶγμα ἦν πολλῆς μερίμνης ἄξιον, πῶς ἂν ὁ σκηνορράφος τοὺς περὶ Θεοῦ λόγους ἐκείνοις\n\nδημηγορήσειε, τοῖς ἀξιοῦσι κατὰ παίδευσιν πάντων ὁμοῦ βασιλεύειν ἀνθρώπων. Ὁ δὲ μεγέθει φύσεως καὶ πλούτῳ τῆς ἄνωθεν δωρεᾶς ἐπαιρόμενος οὐχ ἕνα τῶν ὑποστέγων δόμων κατέλαβεν οὐδὲ ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἐργαστηρίου καθίσας διάλεξιν ἐποιήσατο, ὡς εἰώθεσαν καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς φιλοσόφων συνεῖναι τοῖς πλησιάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν Ἄρειον πάγον ἀναδραμών, ἔνθα ἦν βουλὴ σκληρὰ καὶ ἐπίφοβος ταῖς φονικαῖς δίκαις δικάζουσα, εὑρὼν δὲ πλῆθος ἐκεῖ συνειλεγμένον πολύ, στὰς ἐδημηγόρει ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐθάδας ῥήτορας, τοὺς καθ' ἡμέραν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀγωνιζομένους.","english":"confirming Christians, building up converts and nourishing them with fitting instruction, like gardeners tending the young plants with a measured and sparing flow of water. But let us learn what most of all displays his strength in words. Athens is a city presiding over Achaia, a hearth of eloquence, as those who praise it have called it before me, an ancient workshop of wise men and of those who live by words. When, then, Paul had run through Illyricum and everywhere scattered the sparks of the faith, which the Spirit, receiving them, fanned into flame and kept unquenched, he came, according to the need of his circuit, also to the wise Athenians. And it was a matter worthy of great concern, how the tentmaker would declaim to them his words about God, to those who claim by their education to rule over all men together. But he, lifted up by the greatness of his nature and the wealth of the gift from above, did not enter one of the roofed houses, nor did he sit in a single workshop and hold a discourse, as the foremost of their philosophers were accustomed to converse with those who approached them, but he ran up to the Areopagus, where there was a harsh and fearful council judging cases of murder, and finding there a great multitude gathered, he stood and declaimed beyond the customary orators, those who contended daily among them.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":119,"ref":"p119","source":"Λαβὼν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐξ ἐπιγράμματος ὅπερ ἦν ἐγκεκολλαμμένον βωμῷ, κἀκεῖθεν αὐτοῖς εὐαφόρμως τὸν ἄγνωστον καταγγείλας Θεὸν καὶ σύμπαντα τὸν λόγον συμπερανάμενος τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχε τοῦ ὡς ἰδιώτης τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας διαμαρτεῖν τι περὶ τοὺς λόγους, ὥστε τὸν κορυφαῖον τῶν Ἀρεοπαγιτῶν Διονύσιον ἅμα τῇ γυναικὶ πείσας μετέστησε καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰργάσατο δούλους, ἐξ ἑνὸς βωμοῦ καὶ μικροῦ ἐπιγράμματος πολλῶν ἀποστήσας βωμῶν. Κατελθὼν νικητὴς ἐκεῖθεν ἔνθα μάλιστα ἴσχυσεν ὁ πολεμικὸς τῶν Ἑλλήνων δαίμων, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ μεταβὰς πρὸς τὴν γείτονα πόλιν τὴν Κόρινθον οὖσαν τῆς Ἀχαΐας μητρόπολιν, καὶ λαλήσας ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς τὸ σωτήριον δίδαγμα ᾤχετο ἄγων προσήλυτον, οὐχ ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν οὐδὲ τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸν τὸν ἀρχισυνάγωγον μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ νικήσας ἀπὸ κορυφῆς τὸν νόμον καὶ μεγαλύνας τὸν σταυρὸν ὡς ὑψηλὸν τρόπαιον, οὕτω κἀκείνην ἀφῆκε τὴν πόλιν τῷ Χριστῷ ὑποκύψασαν. Τοῦ δὲ χρόνου προϊόντος καὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς εὐσεβείας προσκόπτοντος ὥσπερ τις στρατηγὸς διετέλει προσκτώμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ καθ' ἡμέραν πόλεις, κώμας, ἀγρούς, ὑποκόπτων τὰ νεῦρα τοῦ πρότερον κρατοῦντος τυράννου. Μετῆλθεν γ' οὖν ἐκ Κορίνθου πρὸς τὴν Πισίδων χώραν, εἶτα τὴν Λυκαονίαν καὶ τὰς τῆς Φρυγίας πόλεις καταλαβών, κἀκεῖθεν τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπισκεψάμενος, εἶτα τὴν Μακεδονίαν, κοινὸς ἦν τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσκαλος, τοὺς μὲν ὁρωμένους ἀπὸ γλώττης ὠφελῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἀπόντας διὰ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ἐπιστρέφων·","english":"Taking his starting point from the inscription that had been affixed to an altar, and from there proclaiming to them the unknown God in a way well suited to them, and bringing his whole discourse to its conclusion, he was so far from erring in his words like a layman in secular wisdom that he persuaded the foremost of the Areopagites, Dionysius, together with his wife, converted them, and made them servants of Christ, leading many away from many altars by means of one altar and a small inscription. Having come down from there as a victor—from the place where the warlike demon of the Greeks was strongest—and having departed from there to the neighboring city of Corinth, which is the metropolis of Achaia, and having spoken the saving teaching in the synagogues, he went away leading a convert, not one of the many nor one of those who happened along, but the chief synagogue ruler himself with his entire household, and having conquered the law from its very top and magnified the cross as a lofty trophy, thus he also left that city subject to Christ. As time went on and the word of piety advanced, he continued like some general daily acquiring cities, villages, and fields for the King, cutting the sinews of the tyrant who had previously held power. He therefore moved on from Corinth to the land of the Pisidians, then, having reached Lycaonia and the cities of Phrygia, and from there having visited Asia, then Macedonia, he was a common teacher of the inhabited world, benefiting those present by his tongue and turning back those absent through his letters.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":120,"ref":"p120","source":"μόνου δὲ ἐκείνου οὐ γόνυ ἔκαμνεν ὁδεῦον ἀεί, οὐ γλῶττα ἐνάρκα πρὸς ἐχθροὺς καὶ φίλους ἀνελλιπῶς διεξιοῦσα τὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μυστήρια. Ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν διδασκαλίαν τοιοῦτος· τὴν δὲ ἄλλην τοῦ βίου φιλοσοφίαν οἷος ἄνθρωπος; Ἀεὶ καὶ συνεχῶς τῷ λόγῳ προσκαρτερῶν καὶ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ δουλεύων οὐδὲ ἄρτον οὗ μετελάμβανε δωρεὰν παρά τινος ἐκομίζετο, ἀλλ' ἡμέρα μὲν εἶχε τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν πρὸς μυρίους ἐχθρούς, νὺξ δὲ τὴν σμίλην καὶ τὰ σκύτη καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης ἐργασίαν, ἵν' ἐκεῖθεν μὲν ἔχῃ τὸν ἐπισιτισμόν, φαίνηται δὲ πᾶσιν ἀνεπαχθὴς ἀπόστολος, ἀδάπανος κῆρυξ καὶ μέχρις ἄρτου τῶν ξενιζόντων φειδόμενος. Τούτων τῶν λόγων, ἱερεῖς, ἀκούσωμεν, οἱ μὴ συμμεριζόμενοι τοῖς θυσιαστηρίοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλουτοῦντες ἀπ' ἐκείνων καὶ τρυ φῶντες καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν περιουσίαν ἴδιον κτῆμα ποιούμενοι καὶ τοῖς ὑπη κόοις διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν οἷα δούλοις φορτικῶς ἐπιτάττοντες. Οὔκ ἐστιν ἱερωσύνη δεσποτεία, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τῷ συνιέντι δουλεία· οὐκ ἀρχοντικῆς αὐθαδείας ἀξίωμα, ἀλλ' εὐλαβοῦς διακονίας οἰκονομία. Μὴ οὐκ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ μικρὸν γοῦν λαμβάνειν τῶν μυρίων πόνων γέρας εἰς θεραπείαν τυπτομένου τοῦ σώματος καθ' ἡμέραν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐχρήσατο τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ, ἵνα μηδὲν ἐπὶ γῆς λαβὼν πάντα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀπαιτήσῃ. Διὸ καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἠξιώθη ἔτι τῇ φθαρτῇ συνδεδεμένος σαρκί.","english":"For his alone, neither did his knee ever grow weary as he journeyed, nor his tongue grow numb as he set forth unceasingly, to enemies and friends alike, the mysteries of the gospel. Such was he in his teaching; but what kind of man was he in the rest of his philosophy of life? Always and continually devoting himself to the word and serving the gospel, he did not even receive the bread he ate as a gift from anyone, but day brought the struggle against ten thousand enemies, and night brought the chisel and the leather and the work of his craft, so that from there he might have his sustenance, and might appear to all an unburdensome apostle, a herald who cost nothing, sparing even to the point of bread those who showed him hospitality. Let us hear these words, priests—we who do not merely share in the altars, but also grow rich from them and live in luxury, making the sacred property our own possession, and laying burdensome commands on our subordinates as though on slaves for Christ's sake. The priesthood is not a lordship, but rather a servitude for the one who understands; not the dignity of an official's self-will, but the stewardship of a reverent ministry. Did not the inspired Paul have the right to eat and drink from the sacred things, and to receive at least a small reward for his countless labors, for the care of a body beaten daily? But he did not use the right, so that, having received nothing on earth, he might claim all things in heaven. Therefore he was deemed worthy of things beyond human nature even while still bound to corruptible flesh.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":121,"ref":"p121","source":"Καὶ ἵνα καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ τιμῶν ἀρραβῶνα θεάσηται, ἀναλαμ βάνεται μὲν ἄχρι τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, βλέπει ὀπτασίας ὑπερβαινούσας τὸν ἐνθάδε κλῆρον, ἀκούει δὲ ῥημάτων ἀρρήτων, ὡς αὐτός φησιν, καὶ ταῦτα μετριάζων καὶ ἀποδιδράσκων πανταχοῦ τὸ μεγαλαυχεῖσθαι καὶ ἐμπομπεύειν τοῖς ἰδίοις πλεονεκτήμασιν. Ἵνα δὲ μόνον τὰ φρονήματα καταστείλῃ τῶν ἐπὶ\n\nμικροῖς φυσωμένων χαρίσμασιν, ἐξ ἀνάγκης ὀλίγα τῶν οἰκείων παραγυμνοῖ καὶ ταῦτα ἑτέρῳ προσώπῳ περιθεὶς καὶ πόρρω τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπονοίας ἀπαγαγών. Ἡλίας μὲν οὖν ὁ Θεσβίτης, ἐπειδὴ ἐν ἰδέᾳ ἅρματος πυρίνου εἰς τὸ ὕψος ἀνήχθη, ᾄδεται πανταχοῦ καὶ πολὺ τὸ θαῦμα τῷ βίῳ κατέ λιπε· μέχρι πόσου δὲ ἔφθασεν οὐδεὶς ἡρμήνευσε λόγος. Τυχὸν γὰρ καὶ ὀλίγον τῆς γῆς ἐπαρθεὶς παρὰ τῆς ἀγούσης δυνάμεως ἀπεδόθη τῷ τόπῳ, ὃν ἔλαχεν κατοικεῖν. Παύλου δὲ ἡ μετάθεσις ἐπὶ πλέον εὑρέθη λαμπροτέρα καὶ εὐκλεὴς προσκειμένου καὶ τοῦ μέτρου ἐφ' ὅσον ἀνήχθη. Ἑπτὰ γὰρ οὐρανῶν ᾀδομένων μικροῦ δέοντος ἀφίκετο τοῦ ἡμίσεως. Καί μοι λοιπὸν Ἑβραῖοι καταβαλέτωσαν τοῦ φρονήματος ἐπὶ Μωϋσεῖ μέγα φρονοῦντες, ὅτι μόνος ἕως τῆς κορυφῆς ἔφθασε τοῦ Σινᾶ καὶ ἐντὸς ἐγένετο τοῦ γνόφου καὶ τῶν νεφῶν. Παῦλος γὰρ ὁ ἐμὸς ἀντὶ μὲν ὄρους πρὸς οὐρανοὺς ἀνῆλθεν, ἀντὶ δὲ νεφέλης ἐπέκεινα τοῦ ὑπὲρ νέφους ἀέρος ἤλασεν. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ἔδει γὰρ τὸν κατὰ Χριστὸν ἄνθρωπον τοσοῦτον νικῆσαι Μωϋσέα, ὅσον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὑπερβαίνει τὸν νόμον.","english":"And so that he might behold a foretaste of the good things to come and of the honors there, he is taken up as far as the third heaven, he sees visions surpassing the lot here below, and he hears words ineffable, as he himself says—and this too with moderation, and everywhere fleeing boastfulness and making a show of his own advantages. But in order that he might alone bring down the proud thoughts of those puffed up over small gifts, of necessity he lays bare a few of his own, and these too by putting them on another person and leading suspicion about himself far away. Elijah the Tishbite, then, since he was carried up on high in the form of a fiery chariot, is sung everywhere and left a great wonder to life; but how far he reached, no account has explained. For perhaps, having been lifted a little from the earth, he was restored by the power that led him to the place which he received to dwell in. But the translation of Paul was found far more brilliant and glorious, since the measure also is added—how far he was taken up. For when seven heavens are sung of, he came well-nigh to the half. And from now on let the Hebrews lay down their pride, who think greatly of Moses, because he alone reached the summit of Sinai and came within the darkness and the clouds. For my Paul, instead of a mountain, ascended to the heavens; and instead of a cloud, he drove beyond the air that is above the cloud. And very reasonably. For it was fitting that the man according to Christ should surpass Moses by as much as the gospel exceeds the law.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":122,"ref":"p122","source":"Ἐν δὲ ταῖς θεοφανείαις καὶ τοῖς παρὰ Θεοῦ λαλουμένοις καὶ ὅπως δεδεμένος ἐλύετο καὶ ἀθυμῶν ἐπερρώννυτο ὕπαρ καὶ ὄναρ αὐτῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ χρηματίζοντος, τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν, ὁπότε οὐδὲ αὐτὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χάριν ἀπέκρυψεν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ σαφῶς ἀπεκάλυψεν εἰπών· Εἰ δοκι μὴν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ; Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι τῶν εἴτε προφητῶν εἴτε ἀποστόλων ἐμπροθέσμους εἶχον καὶ χρονικὰς τὰς ἄνωθεν ἐνεργείας, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν αὐτοῖς συνῆν τὸ θεῖον, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ οὐ παρῆν. Ὁ δὲ θεσπέσιος οὗτος ὥσπερ ἅπαξ ναὸς ἐξαίρετος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποκληρωθεὶς αὐτῷ πρὸς ἐνοίκησιν, οὕτως ἀεὶ τὸν Χριστὸν εἶχε καὶ βουλῆς εὑρετὴν καὶ λόγου διδάσκαλον καὶ συνεργὸν τῶν πραγμάτων. Καὶ Ἰωάννης μὲν ὁ τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου μέγας ἔδοξεν, ὅτι παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους μαθητὰς θαρρῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους αὐτοῦ ἀνεπαύετο· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα παρὰ πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἀοίδιμος. Οὗτος δέ, πῶς οὐκ ἂν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων νομισθείη δικαίως, ὅς γε οὐ τὸν ἐν σώματι Ἰησοῦν, ἀλλὰ τὸν γυμνὸν τῆς σαρκὸς Λόγον καθ' ἡμέραν ἀνέπαυεν σκεῦος εὔχρηστον καὶ καθαρὸν ἑαυτὸν τῷ δημιουργῷ καταστήσας; Ἔχων δὲ πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ λέγειν, ὅσα ὁ θεσπέσιος οὗτος πάντα τὸν κόσμον παιδεύων εἶπε καὶ ἔπραξεν ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης, ἐν δικαστηρίοις, ἐν ἀγοραῖς, ἐν δήμοις, ἐν αὐλαῖς βασιλέων, ἑκὼν ὑπερβαίνω τὸ πλῆθος. Οὔτε γὰρ συγγραφὴν προὐθέμην ποιῆσαι τῶν ἐκείνῳ κατωρθωμένων, ἵνα λείπῃ μηδέν, ἀλλ' εὐφημίαν ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ ταύτην ἐφ' ὅσον ἡ ἐμὴ δύναμις ἐξικνεῖται. Ἑνὸς δὲ μόνου τοῦ τελευταίου μνησθεὶς καταπαύσω τὸν λόγον.","english":"But in the divine manifestations and the things spoken by God, and how, though bound, he was loosed, and though disheartened, he was strengthened, God giving him oracles both awake and in dreams—why need one even speak of it, since he himself did not conceal his own grace, but clearly revealed it to all together, saying: \"If you seek a proof of Christ who speaks in me?\" For the other prophets or apostles had the divine workings from above set before them and limited in time, and sometimes the divine was with them, and sometimes it was not present. But this wondrous man, as if once for all appointed as a chosen temple of God for his indwelling, thus always had Christ both as finder of counsel and teacher of word and co-worker of his deeds. And John the son of Zebedee seemed great because, beyond the other disciples, with boldness toward the Lord he reclined on his breast; and for this especially he is celebrated above all. But this man—how would he not justly be thought even above men, since he gave rest not to Jesus in the body, but to the bare Word without the flesh, daily making himself a useful and pure vessel for the Creator? And though I have many and varied things to say—all that this wondrous man, instructing the whole world, said and did on earth and sea, in courts, in marketplaces, among peoples, in the halls of kings—I willingly pass over their number. For I did not set out to make a written record of his achievements, so that nothing be lacking, but to produce a eulogy, and this as far as my power reaches. And having mentioned only the last thing, I will end my discourse.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":123,"ref":"p123","source":"Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πᾶσαν ἐμπεριελθὼν τὴν οἰκουμένην καὶ θεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς λυχνίας τὸν λόγον μέγαν ἀνῆψε τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς γνώσεως τὸν πυρσόν, ἀφίκετο μὲν καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους, ὡς βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν, ἵνα τοὺς κρατοῦντας τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων μυσταγωγήσας καὶ πείσας καὶ κτησάμενος μαθητὰς ἐκ τοῦ περιόντος καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις προσο μιλοίη. Εὑρὼν δὲ καὶ τὸν Πέτρον ἐκεῖ, τῆς αὐτῆς ἐργάτην σπουδῆς, καὶ ἱεράν τινα καὶ ἔνθεον ξυνωρίδα ζευξάμενος ἐν συναγωγαῖς τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐπαίδευεν, ἐν ἀγοραῖς τοὺς ἐθνικοὺς προσεκτᾶτο· καὶ ποικίλος ἦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν διδάσκαλος Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ἐμφανίζων τὴν καθαρὰν καὶ ἀκίβδηλον, ἠθικῆς ἀρετῆς κανόνας θεσμοθετῶν ἀκριβεῖς, ἀπελαύνων πόρρω τῶν ἀνθρώπων χορείας καὶ μέθην καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀκόλαστον ἡδυπάθειαν, ᾗ μάλιστα καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἅπαν καὶ ὁ τότε βασιλεύων ἐνείχετο. Καθήψατο τοίνυν σφοδρῶς τοῦ Νερῶνος ἡ τῆς ἀρίστης καὶ σώφρονος πολιτείας εἰσαγωγή· καὶ πλέον ἀλγήσας τῆς ἡδονῆς καταλυομένης ἢ εἰ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῆς ἐξεβάλλετο. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν, εἴπερ τις ἄλλος, σοφιστὴς ἡδονῶν, τρυφῶν καὶ καταυλούμενος, βλὰξ καὶ θηλυδρίας, πορνῶν ἐπιστάτης, οὐ βασιλεὺς ἀνδρῶν. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἑτέρων ἐκράτησεν ὁ ἄρχειν ἑαυτοῦ μὴ μαθών; Μίαν ἔθετο","english":"For when he had gone around the whole inhabited world and, placing the word upon the lampstand, had kindled a great torch of the gospel knowledge, he came also to the Romans, as to the ruling city, so that, having initiated and persuaded and won as disciples those who ruled over all men, he might from his abundance also converse with the rest of mankind. And finding Peter there also, a worker of the same zeal, and having yoked a certain sacred and God-inspired pair, he taught those under the law in synagogues and won over the Gentiles in marketplaces; and he was a manifold teacher of good things, revealing the pure and unadulterated knowledge of God, laying down precise rules of ethical virtue, driving far away from men dancing and drunkenness and every dissolute pleasure, in which especially both the whole multitude and the one then reigning were involved. The introduction of the best and most temperate way of life therefore sharply attacked Nero; and he grieved more at the destruction of pleasure than if he were being cast out of his very kingdom. For he was, if ever any man was, a sophist of pleasures, luxuriating and piping to the flute, a sluggard and effeminate, a supervisor of prostitutes, not a king of men. For how would he have ruled others, who had not learned to rule himself? He set one","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":124,"ref":"p124","source":"φροντίδα, ὅπως ἂν ἐκκόψειε ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ σωφροσύνης διδάσκαλον. Καὶ ζηλώσας τὸν Ἡρώδην τῆς γνώμης ἀπάγει τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἰς δεσμωτήριον, ὡς τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐκεῖνος, ἔχων δὲ καθ' ὁμοιότητα ἄλλην Ἡρωδιάδα τὴν ἀκόλαστον καὶ φιλήδονον γνώμην ζητοῦσαν Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀμφοτέρους ἀνέδησε τῷ στεφάνῳ τοῦ μαρτυρίου· τὸν μὲν τῷ ξύλῳ προσηλώσας, τοῦ δὲ Παύλου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκτεμών, ἡμῖν δὲ καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ καταλιπὼν τὸ τῶν ἁγίων πάθος πανήγυριν καὶ τοσαύτης ἑορτῆς ἀφορμήν. Ταῦτα ὑμῖν, ὦ τρισμακάριοι, ἤνεγκεν ὁ ἐτήσιος νόμος ὑμᾶς μὲν ἀνακηρύττων πανταχοῦ ὡς κοινοὺς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀθλητάς, βελτιῶν δὲ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γνώμας διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας τιμῆς. Ἀρετὴ γὰρ τιμω μένη πολλοὺς ἐγείρει πρὸς ζῆλον· ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\nἈστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον ἱερομάρτυρα Φωκᾶν Καλὴ καὶ συμφέρουσα τοῖς ἀσκουμένοις τὰ σπουδαῖα τῶν ἁγίων ἡ μνήμη. Οὐ γὰρ λόγῳ παιδεύει μόνον τοὺς ἐπιθυμοῦντας ἀρετῆς καὶ εὐσεβείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς πράξεις τῶν βεβιωκότων ὀρθῶς ἐναργεῖς διδασκάλους προτίθησιν. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν τὰς τῶν ἀρίστων κατορθωμάτων ὑποθήκας διδοὺς φησίν· Ὃς δ' ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἡ γὰρ λογικὴ παίδευσις τῆς πρακτικῆς ἐνεργείας ἥττων καὶ ἀσθενεστέρα διδάσκαλος·","english":"his concern was how he might cut off from the city the teacher of piety and chastity. And, emulating Herod's purpose, he led the apostles away into prison, as that man had led John; and having, in like manner, another Herodias—the dissolute and pleasure-loving purpose seeking the head of Peter and Paul—he bound them both with the crown of martyrdom: nailing the one to the wood, and cutting off the head of Paul, and leaving behind for us and for the world the suffering of the saints as a festival and an occasion of so great a feast. These things, O thrice-blessed ones, the yearly law has brought to you, proclaiming you everywhere as the common athletes of the inhabited world, and improving the minds of men through your honor. For virtue, when honored, rouses many to zeal; in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\nEncomium of Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, on the holy hieromartyr Phocas. Beautiful and profitable for those who practice the serious things is the memory of the saints. For it does not only teach by word those who desire virtue and piety, but also sets before them the deeds of those who have lived rightly as clear teachers. Therefore also our Lord, giving the precepts of the best achievements, says: Whoever shall do and teach, this one shall be called great; and elsewhere: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. For rational instruction is weaker and a feebler teacher than practical action.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":125,"ref":"p125","source":"καὶ ὅσῳ τῆς ἀκοῆς τὴν ὄψιν ἀκριβεστέραν εἶναί φαμεν, τοσούτῳ διωμολόγηται τοῦ λόγου τὴν πρᾶξιν κρατεῖν. Οὕτως τὰς ἐπιστήμας μανθάνομεν· οὕτω τὰς τέχνας ἐκπαιδευόμεθα λόγῳ πρότερον πρὸς τὴν μάθησιν ἐναγόμενοι, εἶτα χειρὶ καὶ πείρᾳ τὴν ἀμυδρὰν κρατύνοντες. Καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ὁ γεωμέτρης περὶ τὴν βίβλον καμὼν καὶ πληρωθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου τὴν ἀκοὴν οὐκ ἄλλως καταλήψεται τῶν ποικίλων σχημάτων τὴν δύναμιν, ἂν μὴ καταμάθῃ τὰ κέντρα καὶ τὰς γραμμὰς καὶ τοὺς κύκλους ἐπὶ τοῦ πίνακος. Οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲ τὸν ἀστρο νομίας ἐπιθυμήσαντα ὁ λόγος μόνον παιδεύει τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, ἂν μὴ τὴν σφαῖραν αὐτῷ περιδινήσας ἐπιστημόνως ὁ παιδευτὴς τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς παραδῷ τοῦ πόλου τὴν κίνησιν. Καὶ ὁ ἰατρικὸς δὲ πολλὰ τῷ Ἱπποκράτει καμὼν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις καθηγηταῖς ἀνεπιστήμων ἐστὶ θεραπευτής, πρὶν ἂν πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς βαδίσας ἀρρώστους παρ' αὐτῶν μάθῃτῶν νοσούντων τὸ θεραπεύειν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ μαθηταὶ τῶν μαρτύρων, τὰς πράξεις τῶν καρτερῶν ἀνδρῶν πρὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας διδασκάλους ποιούμενοι, μανθάνομεν ἄχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων κινδύνων φυλάττειν εὐσέβειαν, αὐτὰς τὰς ἱερὰς θήκας αὐτῶν καθάπερ στήλας προσβλέποντες γράμμασι κεχαραγμένας καὶ δηλούσας ἀκριβῶς τοῦ μαρτυρίου τὴν ἀγωνίαν.","english":"And to whatever degree we say that sight is more accurate than hearing, to that same degree it is acknowledged that action prevails over word. This is how we learn sciences; this is how we are trained in crafts—first being led to learning by word, then confirming the faint impression by hand and experience. And the geometer, having labored much over the book and having his hearing filled by the teacher, will not otherwise grasp the power of the varied figures unless he learns thoroughly the centers and the lines and the circles on the tablet. Nor, indeed, does discourse alone teach the one who desires astronomy the object of his zeal, unless the teacher, having skillfully spun the sphere for him, delivers the motion of the pole to his eyes. And the medical art, though one has labored much over Hippocrates and the other teachers, is an unskilled healer until, having gone to the many sick, he learns healing from the sick themselves. So indeed we also, the disciples of the martyrs, making the deeds of the steadfast men our teachers before their confession, learn to guard piety even to the last dangers, looking upon their very sacred tombs as pillars engraved with letters and declaring precisely the struggle of martyrdom.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":126,"ref":"p126","source":"Ὥσπερ δὲ οἱ πλησιάζοντες τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρῇ ἢ τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ ὠνητῷ, ὅπερ Ἐφραῒμ ὁ Χετταῖος εἰς ταφὴν τῆς Σάρρας ἀπέδοτο, ἔνθα δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς σὺν τοῖς παισὶν ὁ πατριάρχης ἀπόκειται, εὐθέως μετὰ τῆς θέας τῶν τόπων ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀνανεοῦνται τὴν φαντασίαν καὶ βλέπουσι τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸν πιστὸν πατριάρχην, τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας, τὴν ἐν ἐκείνῳ περιτομήν· λογίζονται δὲ καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἐκείνου ῥίζης ἀποβλαστήσαντας, τὸν Ἰσαάκ, τὸν Ἰακώβ, καὶ μετὰ τῆς μνήμης τῶν ἀνδρῶν ὅλης τῆς ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἱστορίας γίνονται θεαταί· οὕτως κἀγὼ σήμερον τὸν τίμιον σηκὸν τοῦ τρισμακαρίου\n\nΦωκᾶ καταλαβὼν ἐκ τοῦ τόπου πληροῦμαι τῆς μνήμης πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ λεγομένων διηγημάτων· βλέπω τὸν κηπουρὸν τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα, τὸν ἄπλαστον τὴν ψυχήν, τὸν φιλόξενον, τὸν τῆς παραλίας ἐξαίρετον, τὸν τῆς μεσογείου εὐεργέτην, τῶν ἁγίων τὸν ἅγιον καὶ τῶν δεδοξασμένων διὰ Χριστὸν ἐνδοξότερον. Ἱερὸς μὲν γὰρ καὶ θεσπέσιος ἅπας ὁ τῶν γενναίων μαρτύρων κατάλογος, πάθει τὴν ὑπὲρ πάθους ἀποδοὺς χάριν, αἵματι δὲ τὴν ὑπὲρ αἵματος τῷ Σωτῆρι τῶν ὅλων ἀμοιβὴν ἐκπληρώσας. Πλὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς τούτοις οὐ μία τῶν πάντων ἡ δόξα, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἓν μέτρον ἴσα τὰ γέρα τοῖς ὅλοις ἀποκεκλήρωνται, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρῶτον καὶ δεύτερον οὐδὲ ὁ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκφεύγει κατάλογος. Αἴτιον δὲ οἶμαι τούτου τὸ λίαν ἀπηκριβώμενον τοῦ κριτοῦ καὶ ἀπρόσκλιτον. Ἐφορᾷ γὰρ καὶ τιμωριῶν μεγέθη καὶ καρτερίας ἐνστάσεις, καὶ βασανίζων τὸ ἀγώνισμα τὰς πρὸς ἀξίαν ἀμοιβὰς διανέμει τοῖς ἀθληταῖς.","english":"Just as those who approach the oak of Mamre or the purchased cave, which Ephron the Hittite sold for the burial of Sarah, where indeed the patriarch himself lies with his children, immediately, with the sight of those places, renew the image in their thoughts and see with their mind the faithful patriarch, the firstfruits of piety, the circumcision that was in him; and they reckon also those who sprang from his root, Isaac, Jacob, and with the memory of the men they become spectators of the whole history concerning them—so I too today, having reached the honored shrine of the thrice-blessed Phocas, am filled from the place with the memory of all the accounts told about him at once. I see the gardener by profession, the one unformed in soul, the lover of strangers, the distinguished one of the coast, the benefactor of the inland, the holy one of the saints and more glorious than those glorified through Christ. For sacred and divine is the whole catalogue of the noble martyrs, who by suffering rendered grace for suffering, and by blood fulfilled the recompense for blood to the Savior of all. Nevertheless, even among these, the glory of all is not one, nor have all been allotted equal honors by a single measure, but the first and the second do not escape even the catalogue of the saints. And I think the cause of this is the judge's great exactness and impartiality. For he observes both the magnitudes of punishments and the steadfastness of endurance, and testing the contest, he distributes to the athletes the recompenses according to worth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":127,"ref":"p127","source":"Καὶ παράδοξον οὐδαμῶς εἰ παρὰ Θεοῦ οὕτως τιμᾶται τὸ δίκαιον, ὁπότε καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν στρατηγοὶ καὶ ἀγωνοθέται οὐκ ἴσοι γίνονται τοῖς ἀριστεῦσιν ἢ τοῖς ἀγωνισταῖς, ἀλλὰ δὴ ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τοῦ κατορθώματος τὰς δωρεὰς ἀναλογούσας ἐπιφημίζουσιν. Ταῦτα δὲ διῆλθον, ἵνα δείξω ὡς ὁ σήμερον ἡμῖν παρασχὼν τοῦ συλλόγου τὴν ἀφορμὴν τῶν ἑταίρων καὶ συναγωνιστῶν ἐστι περιφανέστερος. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι οὐ πάντες παρὰ πᾶσι γνωρίζονται, οὐδὲ βεβοημένην ἔχουσι τὴν ἀνδραγαθίαν· Φωκᾶν δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀγνοεῖ· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἡ ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου πᾶσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐφήπλωται, οὕτως καὶ ἡ τοῦ μάρτυρος τούτου φήμη πᾶσαν ἀκοὴν περιήχησε· καὶ ἵνα συνελὼν εἴπω, ὅσοι τὸν Δεσπότην ἐγνώρισαν Χριστόν, οὗτοι καὶ τὸν πιστὸν δοῦλον ἐγνώρισαν· μᾶλλον δέ, εἰ δοκεῖ, τῶν κοινῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἐγκωμίων ἀφέμενος τὰ ἐξαίρετα τοῦ μάρτυρος διηγήματα ὑμῖν τοῖς φιλομάρτυσι διηγήσομαι. Ἤνεγκε τοίνυν τὸν ἅγιον ἄνδρα, τὸ μέγα χριστιανῶν ὄφελος, ἡ γείτων Σινώπη, πόλις ἀρχαία καὶ γνώριμος, εὔπορος καρτερῶν καὶ φιλοσόφων ἀνδρῶν. Μὴ γάρ μοί τις λογιζέσθω νῦν τὸ τῆς θρησκείας διάφορον, ἀλλ' εἰ σπουδαίων ὅλως ἀνδρῶν τροφὸς καὶ μήτηρ ἐδείχθη. Ἐπιτήδευμα δὲ αὐτῷ τοῦ βίου κήπου γεωργία καὶ ἐπιμέλεια, ὅνπερ αὐτοῦ που πρὸ τῆς πύλης τοῦ ἄστεος ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ Ἰσθμοῦ κεκτημένος ἤσκει φιλοπόνως, ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις παραμυθίαν τοῦ βίου. Ἤνοιγε δὲ καὶ τοῖς ξένοις μάλα προθύμως τὴν μικρὰν καὶ πενομένην ἑστίαν. Ἐποικῶν δὲ τῇ λεωφόρῳ κοινὰ τοῖς ἐπιδημοῦσι προετίθει τὰ ὄντα· καὶ νέος ἦν Λώτ, οὐ Σοδομιτῶν, ἀλλὰ Σινωπέων.","english":"And it is in no way surprising if righteousness is thus honored by God, since even among us generals and judges of contests are not equal to those who excel or to the contestants, but indeed they proclaim gifts proportionate to each one according to the measure of his achievement. I have gone through these things so that I might show that the one who today provided us the occasion for this gathering is more illustrious than his companions and fellow contestants. For the others are not all known among all, nor do they have their valor celebrated; but Phocas—there is no one who does not know him. Rather, just as the ray of the sun is spread out before all eyes, so also the fame of this martyr has resounded through every ear. And to speak concisely, as many as have come to know Christ the Master, these have also come to know the faithful servant. Or rather, if it seems good, setting aside the common encomia directed toward others, I will recount to you who love the martyrs the exceptional deeds of the martyr. The neighboring Sinope, then, an ancient and well-known city, wealthy in steadfast men and lovers of wisdom, brought forth this holy man, the great benefit of Christians. For let no one now reckon to me the difference of religion, but whether it was shown to be a nurse and mother of earnest men at all. His pursuit in life was garden cultivation and care, which he possessed somewhere before the gate of the city at the mouth of the isthmus and practiced diligently, providing for himself and for those in need a consolation of life. And he opened his small and impoverished hearth to strangers very eagerly. Living beside the highway, he set out his possessions as common to those who sojourned there; and he was a new Lot—not of the Sodomites, but of the Sinopeans.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":128,"ref":"p128","source":"Τοῦ δὲ χρόνου προελθόντος τὴν ἐντολὴν εὗρεν οὐκ ἄμισθον· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς φιλοξενίας ἐκέρδανε τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ θανάτου τὴν πρόφασιν· ὅθεν δὲ καὶ ὅπως μικρὸν ἀναλαβόντος ἀκούσατε. Τοῦ λόγου τῆς εὐσεβείας ἡμῶν καταγγελθέντος καὶ τοῦ θεσπεσίου κηρύγματος πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀκοὴν ἐξελθόντος, γνωρίζοντος δὲ Χριστὸν καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου μυστήρια, ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, κατὰ τὸν ψαλμόν, καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς καὶ ἄρχοντες συνήγοντο ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό· καὶ οἱ τῆς πλάνης λαοὶ ὠργίζοντο τοῦ Ἰησοῦ βασιλεύσαντος. Ἐζητεῖτο δὲ πᾶς χριστιανὸς ὡς κακοῦργος καὶ ὁ ἐγγὺς ἐκολάζετο καὶ ὁ μακρὰν ἀνιχ νεύετο. Διὸ καὶ Φωκᾶν οὔτε ἡ εὐτέλεια τοῦ ἐπιτηδεύματος καὶ ὁ κηπουρὸς ἔκρυψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ὡς γνήσιος μάλιστα τοῦ Χριστοῦ μύστης ἐμηνύθη. Καὶ δὴ καὶ ἦλθον ἐπ' αὐτὸν οἱ τοῦ δυστήνου τοῦδε βίου καὶ ῥέοντος κελευσθέντες ἀπαγαγεῖν ἄκριτον, ἀναπολόγητον. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν τὸ ἔγκλημα τοιοῦτον, ὃ λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ ὁ γεννάδας καθωμολόγει· καὶ μηδενὸς ἐρωτῶντος ἔργοις ἐδείκνυε, πυνθανομένου δὲ περιχαρῶς ἐξεβόα. Ἐλθόντες γ' οὖν οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου τιμωρίας δήμιοι καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἑορτῆς αἴτιοι παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ ζητουμένῳ κατέλυσαν, οὔτε γινώσκοντες οὔτε γινωσκόμενοι. Ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ δὲ τέως εἶχον τῆς ἐπιδημίας τὴν πρόφασιν, ἵνα πρότερον ἐκδιδαχθέντες παρὰ τῶν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως τίς ὁ Φωκᾶς καὶ ὅποι διάγων, ἀθρόον ἐπιστάντες συλλάβωσιν, ὡς οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ποτε ἐν τῷ κήπῳ μετὰ Ἰούδα τὸν","english":"But as time went on, he found that the commandment was not without reward; for from his hospitality he gained the occasion of life-giving death. Hear now how and in what manner he took it up for a little while. When the word of our piety had been proclaimed and the divine message had gone out to every ear, making Christ and his mysteries known, the nations raged, as the psalm says, and the kings and rulers gathered together against him; and the peoples of error were enraged because Jesus had become king. Every Christian was sought out as a criminal, and the one near at hand was punished, and the one far off was hunted down. Therefore neither the lowliness of his occupation nor his role as a gardener hid Phocas, but he too was reported as a most genuine initiate of Christ. And indeed those commanded to drag him away—men of this wretched and fleeting life—came upon him without trial, without defense. For such was the charge, which the noble man confessed with a clear voice; and though no one asked, he showed it by his deeds, and when questioned he cried it out with great joy. So then, the executioners of his punishment and the cause of our feast came and lodged with the very man who was being sought, neither knowing nor being known. For a time they kept secret the reason for their visit, so that, first being instructed by those outside the city as to who Phocas was and where he lived, they might suddenly fall upon him and seize him, as the Hebrews once did in the garden with Judas the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":129,"ref":"p129","source":"Κύριον. Ἐλελήθεσαν δὲ εἴσω δικτύων τὴν θήραν ἔχοντες, οἱ κύνες τὸν ἀρνειόν, οἱ λύκοι τὸν ἀμνόν, τὴν περιστερὰν οἱ ἁρπακτικοὶ καὶ γαμψώνυχες· καθὼς δὲ ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας φησίν· συνανεπαύετο ταῖς παρδάλεσιν ὁ ἔριφος καὶ τοῖς λύκοις ὁ ἀρνειὸς συνεβόσκετο καὶ οἱ λέοντες ἅμα τῷ μόσχῳ κοινὴν εἶχον τὴν δίαιταν. Ἐπειδὴ δέ, οἷα φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι, τράπεζα καὶ συνήθεια τὸ θαρρεῖν ἀλλήλοις παρέσχον, διεπυνθάνετο παρ' αὐτῶν ὁ μάρτυς τίνες τε εἶεν καὶ τίνος χάριν τὴν αὐτοῦ πόλιν κατέλαβον. Οἱ δὲ τὴν πρόθυμον δεξίωσιν καὶ φιλοξενίαν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αἰδεσθέντες μηδενί τε τὸ λεχθησόμενον ἐξειπεῖν παραγγείλαντες, ἐγνώρισαν αὐτῷ τὸ ἀπόρρητον καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἐξαγορεύουσι δρᾶμα, ὅτι Φωκᾶν ἐπὶ τιμωρίαν ζητοῦσι· καὶ τῇ φιλοξενίᾳ ταύτην ἠξίουν τὴν εὐεργεσίαν προσθεῖναι, συγκαμεῖν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν θήραν τοῦ ζητουμένου. Ἤκουσεν ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου θεράπων καὶ ἀτρέπτῳ τῇ ψυχῇ τὸν λόγον δεξάμενος οὐ ταπεινόν τι καὶ ἄνανδρον ἔπαθεν, οὐδὲ δειλιάσας τὸν κίνδυνον φυγεῖν ἐβουλεύσατο, καὶ ταῦτα πολλὴν ἔχων καὶ ἄνετον ἀποδιδράσκειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν· ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον, ἐπένευσε πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν· Κἀγώ, φησίν, ὑμῖν εἰς τὸ προκείμενον συλλήψομαι. Γινώσκω γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἀναζητήσας καταμηνύσω· οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ μετὰ μίαν ἡμέραν· μόνον ὑμεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς πενιχρᾶς ταύτης καταγωγῆς ἀναπαύεσθε. Βεβαίαν δὲ οὕτως αὐτοῖς ἐγγυησάμενος τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν δύο πράγμασι ἑαυτὸν κατεμέρισε, τῇ δεξιώσει τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φονέων καὶ τῇ ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ τάφου.","english":"They had been unaware that they held their prey within their nets—the dogs the ram, the wolves the lamb, the ravenous and hook-clawed birds the dove; just as the prophet Isaiah says: the kid rested together with the leopards, and the lamb fed together with the wolves, and the lions shared their dwelling with the calf. But since, as commonly happens, the table and familiarity gave them confidence in one another, the martyr inquired of them who they were and for what reason they had come to his city. And they, ashamed before the man's eager welcome and hospitality, and having charged them to tell no one what was about to be said, made known to him the secret and disclosed the drama of the plot—that they were seeking Phocas for punishment; and they asked him to add this benefit to his hospitality, that he would labor with them in the hunt for the one being sought. The servant of the Lord heard this and, receiving the word with an unwavering soul, suffered nothing base or cowardly, nor did he, in fear of the danger, resolve to flee—and this though he had great and unhindered power to escape—but quite the contrary, he consented to their request. \"And I,\" he says, \"will join you in the matter at hand. For I know the man, and having sought him out easily I will point him out; and this not after long, but after one day. Only do you rest in this poor lodging of mine.\" Having thus given them a firm guarantee of his promise, he divided himself between two things: the welcoming of his own murderers and the preparation of his tomb.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":130,"ref":"p130","source":"Εὐτρεπίσας δὲ τό τε ὄρυγμα καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν ταφὴν ἀναγκαῖα, προσελθὼν αὐτοῖς τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ, Ἐπιμελῶς, φησί, τὸν Φωκᾶν ἀνεζήτησα καὶ ἕτοιμον τὸ θήραμα· καί, εἰ δοκεῖ, συλληφθήτω. Τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων ἐκ περιχαρείας· Καὶ ποῦ ὁ ἀνήρ; Οὐ πόρρω, φησίν, ἀλλὰ μεθ' ὑμῶν· αὐτὸς δὲ ὑμῖν οὗτος ἐγώ· καὶ χρήσασθε τῷ προστάγματι καὶ πληρώσατε τὸν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας καὶ τοῦ πόνου σκοπόν. Ἐπλήγησαν τὰς ψυχὰς οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐπαχνώθησαν τοὺς ἅλας καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν ἐννοήσαντες καὶ τὸν ἐν πενίᾳ φιλότιμον ἑστιάτορα. Ὁ δὲ παρεκάλει πρὸς τὴν τόλμαν τῆς ἀναιρέσεως καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον διστά ζειν ἐπεκελεύετο λέγων ὡς οὐ τῆς ἐκείνων χειρὸς ὁ φόνος, ἀλλὰ τῶν προσταξάντων τὸ ἔργον. Εἶπεν, ἔπεισεν, ἔπαθεν· καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτμηθεὶς ἱερεῖον τῷ Θεῷ κεχαρισμένον προσήχθη. Στύλον καὶ ἔρεισμα τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκλησιῶν ἐξ ἐκείνου μέχρι νῦν τοῦτον ἔχομεν, ἄνθρωποι· καὶ μαρτύρων ἐστὶν οὗτος ὁ περιφανέστατος ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις καὶ μακαριστοῖς τὸ πρωτεῖον ἔχων. Ἀστὴρ γὰρ ἀστέρος διαφέρει ἐν δόξῃ, κατά τε τὴν κοινὴν ὑπόληψιν καὶ κατὰ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ σκεύους τῆς ἐκλογῆς· καὶ μάλιστα δὴ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης καὶ ὀνομαστότατος ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐστί. Καὶ πάντας ἕλκει καὶ συνελαύνει πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ καταγώγιον· καὶ γέμουσιν αἱ λεωφόροι τῶν ἀφ' ἑκάστης χώρας πρὸς τὸν τόπον ἐπειγομένων τῆς προσευχῆς. Ἔστι γ' οὖν ὁ μεγαλοπρεπὴς ἐκεῖνος ναὸς θλιβομένων ἄνεσις, πενομένων πόρος, κακουμένων ἰατρεῖον, λιμωττόντων Αἴγυπτος. Καὶ δαψι λέστερον τρέφει Φωκᾶς τελευτήσας ἤπερ ζῶν Ἰωσήφ·","english":"Having prepared the pit and the necessities for burial, he came to them on the following day and said, \"I have carefully sought out Phocas, and the prey is ready; and if it seems good, let him be seized.\" But when they said out of great joy, \"And where is the man?\" he said, \"Not far off, but with you; and I myself am this very man before you. Use the command and fulfill the goal of your journey and toil.\" The men were struck in their souls and at the hearing grew numb, thinking of the salt and the table and the host who in poverty was generous. But he urged them on to the boldness of the murder and commanded them not to hesitate even for a little, saying that the killing was not the work of their hand but of those who had given the order. He spoke, he persuaded, he suffered; and having been beheaded, he was brought near to God as a pleasing sacrifice. From that time until now we have this man as a pillar and support of the churches of God, O men; and he is the most illustrious of the martyrs, holding the first place among the best and most blessed. For star differs from star in glory, both according to common opinion and according to the voice of the vessel of election; and especially is he the most renowned among the saints everywhere in the inhabited world. And he draws and gathers all to his own dwelling; and the highways are full of those from every land hastening to the place of prayer. That magnificent temple is therefore a relief for the oppressed, a resource for the poor, a healing place for the afflicted, an Egypt for the hungry. And Phocas, having died, feeds more abundantly than Joseph while living.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":131,"ref":"p131","source":"ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἀργυρίου τὸν σῖτον διήμειβεν, οὗτος δὲ προῖκα τοῖς δεομένοις χαρίζεται. Καὶ ὥσπερ αἱ περιστεραὶ κατὰ τὴν χειμέριον ὥραν δυσπορίστου τῆς τροφῆς τυγχανούσης τὰς νεοσπόρους ἐφιπτάμεναι χώρας ταῖς αὔλαξιν ἐκείνων ἐγκάθηνται, οὕτως πάντων τῶν πτωχῶν καὶ ἀλητευόντων τὰ φῦλα προστρέχει τῷ τῆς Σινώπης ἰσθμῷ καθάπερ κοινῷ ταμιείῳ. Εἰ δέ που καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ διὰ μικρῶν λειψάνων οἷον ἀποικίαν τινὰ μητροπόλεως ὁ μάρτυς ἑαυτῷ κατεστήσατο, θαυμαστὸς καὶ οὗτος ὁ τόπος καὶ πᾶσι χριστιανοῖς περισπούδαστος, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ οὗτος ὁ παρ' ἡμῖν χῶρος ἱερὸς καταγώγιον ἑορταζόντων. Τίμιος γὰρ ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ· καὶ πολλαχοῦ μερισθέντα τὰ λείψανα ὁλόκληρον πανταχοῦ τῷ τρισμακαρίῳ σώζει τὴν εὐφημίαν. Οὕτως γ' οὖν καὶ\n\nκατὰ τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν, τὴν κορυφὴν Ἰταλίας καὶ βασιλίδα τοῦ κόσμου, ἔστιν αὐτῷ πολλὴ δορυφορία τε καὶ τιμὴ καὶ οἶκος περιφανής, ἠσκημένος εἰς κάλλος. Οὐχ ἧττον δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τὸν Φωκᾶν θεραπεύουσιν ἢ Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον. Καί, ὡς ὁ λόγος δι δάσκει, τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος ἐσπουδασμένως ἐκτήσαντο ἀντίστροφον τῆς μιαρᾶς Ἡρωδιάδος προελόμενοι γνώμην. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ αἵματος διψῶσα δικαίου κεφαλὴν εἰς ὕβριν ἐζήτησεν· οἱ δὲ εἰς τιμὴν καὶ ὠφέλειαν ἑαυτῶν περιεποιήσαντο.","english":"For that man exchanged grain for silver, but this one grants it freely to those in need. And just as doves in the winter season, when food is hard to find, fly over newly sown lands and settle in their furrows, so the tribes of all the poor and the wandering run together to the isthmus of Sinope as to a common treasury. And if anywhere else too, through small remnants, as it were a colony of a mother-city, the martyr has established a place for himself, that place too is wondrous and eagerly sought by all Christians, just as indeed this place among us is a sacred lodging for those who celebrate. For precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his holy ones; and the relics, divided in many places, preserve whole everywhere the good report of the thrice-blessed one. So then also in the imperial city, the head of Italy and queen of the world, he has a great escort and honor and a splendid house, adorned to beauty. And the Romans honor Phocas no less than Peter and Paul. And, as the account teaches, they eagerly acquired the head of the martyr, choosing a purpose the reverse of that of the foul Herodias. For she, thirsting for righteous blood, sought a head for outrage; but they procured it for their own honor and benefit.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":132,"ref":"p132","source":"Ναῦται δὲ καὶ πλωτῆρες οἱ πανταχοῦ, οὐχ οἱ τὸν Εὔξεινον μόνον διαπλέοντες πόντον, ἀλλ' οἱ τὸν Ἀδρίαν τέμνοντες καὶ ὑπὲρ Αἰγαίου φερόμενοι καὶ ὅσοι τὸν ὠκεανὸν πλέουσι τὸν ἑσπέριον καὶ τοῖς ἐῴοις κόλποις ἐνθαλαττεύουσι, τὰ συνήθη κελεύσματα οἷς τὸν τοῦ πλοῦ πόνον προσαναπαύουσιν, εἰς καινὴν ὑπόθεσιν δι' εὐφημίας τοῦ γενναίου μετέ βαλον· καὶ διὰ γλώττης ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς ὁ τρισμακάριος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐναργεῖς παρέχει τῆς βοηθείας τὰς πείρας. Πολλάκις γ' οὖν ὤφθη νύκτωρ προσδοκωμένου χειμῶνος διεγείρων τὸν κυβερνήτην τῷ πηδαλίῳ ἐπι νυστάξαντα· καὶ ἄλλοτε πάλιν κάλω διατείνων καὶ τῆς ὀθόνης ἐπιμε λόμενος καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώρας προοπτεύων τὰ βράχη. Νόμος γ' οὖν ἐγένετο ναύταις Φωκᾶν ἔχειν συνεστιάτορα. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸν νῦν ἀσώματον τοῦ βίου κοινωνὸν ἔχειν ἀμήχανον, μάθετε ὅπως εὐσεβεῖ λογισμῷ ἐσοφίσαντο τὸ ἀδύνατον. Καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τῶν ὄψων τὴν μερίδα πρὸς ἰσομοιρίαν τῶν ἐσθιόντων ἀποκληροῦσι τῷ μάρτυρι. Ταύτην δὲ εἷς τῶν δαιτυμόνων ἐξωνούμενος τὸ ἀργύριον κατατίθεται, καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἄλλος καὶ ἄλλοτε ἕτερος· καὶ οὕτως ὁ κλῆρος τῆς ἀγορασίας πάντας ἐπινεμόμενος δίδωσι καθ' ἡμέραν τῆς μερίδος τὸν ὠνητήν. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ ὅρμος αὐτοὺς ὑποδέξηται καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀποβῶσι, μερίζεται τὸ ἀργύριον τοῖς πεινῶσι· καὶ τοῦτο ἡ μερὶς τῷ Φωκᾷ, πενήτων εὐεργεσία. Τεθήπασι τοῦτον καὶ βασιλεῖς τὸν καρτερικώτατον καὶ φιλόθεον καὶ φιλοτίμοις κειμηλίοις κατακοσμοῦσι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἀνάκτορον. Φιλονεικοῦσι δὲ οἱ ἐπιγινόμενοι τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ὑπερβαλέσθαι.","english":"But sailors and voyagers everywhere—not only those who sail across the Euxine Sea, but those who cut through the Adriatic and are carried over the Aegean, and all who sail the western ocean and ply the eastern gulfs—have changed their customary commands, by which they ease the toil of the voyage, into a new theme through the acclamation of the noble one; and on their tongue is the thrice-blessed one, since he also provides manifest proofs of his help. Often, indeed, he was seen by night, when a storm was expected, rousing the helmsman who was dozing at the rudder; and at another time again stretching the rope and tending the sail and watching the reefs from the prow. So it became a custom for sailors to have Phocas as a fellow-feaster. And since it is impossible to have him now as an incorporeal companion of life, learn how with pious reasoning they devised a way around the impossibility. Each day they allot to the martyr a portion of the food, for an equal share with those who eat. And one of the feasters buys this out, depositing the silver, and on the next day another, and at another time another; and thus the lot of the purchase, spreading through all, gives each day the buyer of the portion. And when the harbor receives them and they disembark onto land, the silver is distributed to the hungry; and this is the portion for Phocas, a benefaction of the poor. Kings too marvel at this most steadfast and God-loving man and adorn the sanctuary of God with honor-loving treasures. And those who come after strive to surpass their elders.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":133,"ref":"p133","source":"Καὶ οὔπω θαυμαστόν, εἰ οἱ τῆς Ῥωμαίων κρατοῦντες ἡγεμονίας ἄνδρες εὐσεβεῖς, θεσμοῖς τε καὶ νόμοις σύντροφοι, οὕτως εὐλαβῶς ἔχουσι περὶ τὸν θεράποντα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁπότε καὶ εἰς βαρβάρους ἔφθη τὸ θαῦμα· καὶ πάντες οἱ ἀγριώτατοι Σκύθαι, ὅσοι δὴ τὴν ἀντιπέρας τοῦ Εὐξείνου πόντου ἤπειρον νέμονται, Μαιώτιδος λίμνης καὶ ποταμοῦ Τανάϊδος πρόσοικοι, ὅσοι τε Βόσπορον οἰκοῦσι καὶ ἄχρι Φάσιδος ποταμοῦ παρα τείνονται, πάντες οὗτοι δορυφοροῦσι τῷ κηπουρῷ· τοῖς δὲ πᾶσιν ἔθεσιν καὶ ἐπιτηδεύμασιν διεστῶτες ἡμῶν εἰς τοῦτο μόνον ὁμογνώμονες γίνονται τὴν ἀγριότητα τῶν τρόπων ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξημερούμενοι. Εἷς γ' οὖν ἄρχων ἐκεῖθεν καὶ βασιλεὺς τὸν στέφανον τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀποθέμενος, χρυσῷ καὶ ἄνθεσι λίθων περιλαμπόμενον, καὶ τὸν θώρακα τὸν πολεμικὸν ἀποδύς, ὕλας ἔχοντα πλούτουἀλαζονικὴ γὰρ καὶ θρυπτομένη τῶν βαρβάρων ἡ πανοπλίαἔπεμψεν ἀμφότερα ἀναθήματα διὰ τοῦ μάρ τυρος τῷ Θεῷ καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀξιώματος καθιερώσας τὰς ἀφορμάς. Πρόδηλον γάρ, ὡς ὁ μὲν στέφανος τῆς βασιλείας ἦν χαριστήριον, ὁ δὲ θώραξ τῆς κατὰ πολέμους ἰσχύος. Τὰς δὲ συνεχῶς ἐπὶ τούτοις συμβαινούσας ἐνεργείας διὰ τῶν ἐν ὀνείρασιν ὄψεων καὶ τῶν θεραπειῶν, ὧν οἱ κάμνοντες ἀπολαύουσι, πῶς ἄν τις καὶ διηγήσαιτο ἀδυνάτου καθεστῶτος ταῖς καθ' ἕκαστον ἐνεργείαις ἐπαφεῖναι τὸν λόγον; Πλὴν τοσοῦτον ἔξεστιν εἰπεῖν πρὸς τοὺς τὴν πολύθεον πλάνην θρησκεύοντας, ὡς εἷς δοῦλος Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡμέτερος ὁμόδουλος πολλῶν τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν νομιζομένων θεῶν ἐνεργείας πληροῖ.","english":"And it is not yet surprising if the men who govern the Roman empire, being pious and reared on statutes and laws, are so reverently disposed toward the servant of Christ, when the wonder has reached even barbarians; and all the most savage Scythians, as many as inhabit the continent opposite the Euxine Sea, neighbors of the Maeotic lake and the river Tanais, and as many as dwell about the Bosporus and stretch as far as the river Phasis—all these form a bodyguard for the gardener; and though they differ from us in all customs and practices, in this alone they become of one mind, their savagery of manners tamed by the truth. At any rate, one ruler and king from that region, having taken off the crown from his head, which shone with gold and flowers of stones, and having stripped off his war breastplate, which had materials of wealth—for the panoply of barbarians is boastful and luxurious—sent both as offerings through the martyr to God, consecrating the firstfruits both of power and of rank. For it is evident that the crown was a thank-offering of kingship, and the breastplate of strength in wars. But the energies that continually ensue upon these things through visions in dreams and the healings which the sick enjoy—how could anyone recount it, when it is impossible for speech to keep pace with the energies in each case? Nevertheless this much may be said to those who worship the polytheistic error: that one servant of Christ and our fellow-servant fulfills the energies of many of those who are considered gods among you.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":134,"ref":"p134","source":"Καὶ σιωπάτω τὰ μαντεῖα, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ κατεσιγάσθη ταῖς παρ' ἡμῖν προρρήσεσι τοῦ δικαίου νικώμενα. Ἀργείτω δὲ ἰατρικῆς ἐργαστήρια καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸς μὴ προσκυνείσθω· Διόσκουροι δὲ μὴ νομιζέσθωσαν ναύταις συναγωνίζεσθαι· ἴσασι γὰρ οἱ πλέοντες τὸν τῶν κινδύνων ἐπίκουρον. Ποῦ ἡ Πυθία, γυνὴ ψευδόμαντις λοξὰς\n\nκαὶ ἀσαφεῖς τοῖς πυνθανομένοις τὰς ἀποκρίσεις παρέχουσα, ἵνα τῇ τῶν λογίων ἀμφιβολίᾳ τῆς ἀποτυχίας καὶ τοῦ ψεύδους ἀπολογίαν προευτρεπίσηται; Ποῦ πηγὴ μαντικὸν ὕδωρ νομιζομένη γεννᾶν; Οὐ πάντα λῆρος καὶ φλήναφος, ἃ πρὸς τὴν πλάνην ἐδημαγώγει τοὺς ἀθλίους λαούς; Προσκυνήσατε Θεόν, οὗ δοῦλοι πιστοὶ τοσαύτης ἠξιώθησαν χάριτος, οὐκ αὐτεξουσίως ἐνερ γοῦντες, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς δωρεὰν εὐεργοῦντες τοὺς ὁμο δούλους. Καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἄφιξιν καὶ τὸν τοῦ σώματος χωρισμόν. Γνωρίσατε ἐκ τῶν οἰκέτων τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου μεγαλοπρέπειαν· δοξάσατε τὸν ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ πάντων Θεόν, ᾧ πρέπει ἡ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"And let the oracles be silent, just as they have in fact been silenced, defeated by the predictions of the righteous man among us. Let the workshops of medicine be idle, and let Asclepius not be worshiped; and let the Dioscuri not be thought to fight alongside sailors; for those who sail know the helper in dangers. Where is the Pythia, the woman who is a false prophetess, giving to those who inquire responses that are crooked and unclear, so that by the ambiguity of her oracles she may prepare in advance a defense for her failure and falsehood? Where is the spring that is thought to produce prophetic water? Are not all these things nonsense and drivel, which led the wretched peoples by mob-appeal into error? Worship God, whose faithful servants have been deemed worthy of such great grace, not acting of their own authority, but doing good to their fellow servants according to the gift given to them. And these things after their departure from here and the separation of the body. Recognize from the servants the magnificence of the Lord; glorify the God who is truly over all, to whom worship is due, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":135,"ref":"p135","source":"τ.1 Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας ἐγκώμιον εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους μάρτυρας Ἔστιν, ὡς ἔοικεν, καὶ παρὰ τῶν σφόδρα δυσμενῶν καὶ ἀδιαλλάκτων ἐχθρῶν ὠφεληθῆναι τὰ μέγιστα· καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν ἥ τε ἄλλη τοῦ βίου πεῖρα καὶ τὰ ἀρτίως τελούμενα. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἐδίωξεν χριστιανοὺς ὁ διάβολος καὶ τὸν κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἤρατο πόλεμον, οὐκ ἂν εἴχομεν μάρτυρας· μαρτύρων δὲ μὴ ὄντων σκυθρωπὸς ἡμῶν ὁ βίος ἐγίνετο καὶ ἀνέορτος. Τί γὰρ ἀντάξιον τούτων τῶν πανηγύρεων; Τί δὲ οὕτως σεμνὸν καὶ πάγκαλον ὡς τὸ πόλιν ὅλην ἰδεῖν παγγενῆ ἐκφοιτῶσαν τοῦ ἄστεος, ἱερὸν δὲ τόπον καταλαμβάνουσαν εὐσεβείας ἀληθεστάτης τελεῖν καθαρὰ μυστήρια; Εὐσέβεια δὲ ἀληθὴς Θεὸν προσκυνεῖν τε καὶ τιμᾶν τοὺς δι' ἐκεῖνον πάθη καρτερῶς ἐνεγκόντας καὶ παραταξαμένους πρὸς τὸν ἔσχατον τοῦ θανάτου κίνδυνον, ὧν κορυφαῖοι καὶ πρωτοστάται τυγχάνουσι οἱ σήμερον ἡμᾶς δημαγωγήσαντες· ἄνδρες διὰ καλὸν θάνατον ἀθάνατοι, διὰ τὸ καταφρονῆσαι ζωῆς ζῶντες ἀεί, τοῦ αἵματος τὴν βασιλείαν ἀλλαξάμενοι καὶ τὴν ἐπίβουλον σάρκα εὐεργέτην τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποφήναντες. Οὕτως προαίρεσις ἀγαθὴ ὅταν ἡνιόχου δίκην ἐφεστῶσα ᾖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὑποζεύξῃ δὲ αὑτῇ τὰς ὁρμὰς πάσας καὶ τὰ κινήματα καὶ προσεχόντως ὡς ἡνίας διατείνῃ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀργίαν νύττουσα καὶ ὀξύτητα ἄμετρον ἀναστέλλουσα, οὐχ οἷόν τε ἄτακτον ἢ ἐπικίνδυνον γενέσθαι τοῦ βίου τὸν δρόμον. Ἔχομεν τοίνυν τοὺς μάρτυρας τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐ διδασκάλους μόνον ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατηγόρους τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Πῶς δ' ἂν γένοιτο μάρτυς κατήγορος, ἄκουσον.","english":"An Encomium by Asterius, Bishop of Amaseia, on the Holy Martyrs. It is possible, it seems, to be greatly benefited even by the most hostile and implacable enemies; and this is shown both by other experience of life and by what has just now been accomplished. For if the devil had not persecuted Christians and waged war against the church, we would not have martyrs; and if there were no martyrs, our life would have become gloomy and without festival. For what is comparable to these festivals? What is so venerable and altogether beautiful as to see an entire city, with all its people, going out from the town and occupying a holy place of piety to celebrate pure mysteries? And true piety is to worship and honor God, and to honor those who for his sake endured sufferings with endurance and drew up in battle line against the final danger of death, whose leaders and foremost champions are those who today have led us as a public assembly: men immortal through a noble death, ever living because they despised life, who exchanged their blood for the kingdom and made the treacherous flesh a benefactor of the soul. Thus, when a good purpose stands over a man like a charioteer, and yokes to itself all impulses and motions, and carefully stretches out the reasonings like reins, goading on sluggishness and restraining immoderate sharpness, it is not possible for the course of life to become disorderly or dangerous. We have, then, the martyrs of Christ not only as teachers of good conduct, but also as accusers of sin. But how could a martyr become an accuser? Listen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":136,"ref":"p136","source":"Εἰ ἐκεῖνος ἐνίκησε φλόγα πυρὸς τῇ καρτερίᾳ, σὺ πῶς πορνείαν οὐ δαμάζεις τῇ σωφροσύνῃ; Εἰ ὁ μάρτυς οὐκ ἠλέησε πλοῦτον ὃν ἠφίει καὶ χρήματα, διὰ τί σὺ ὀλίγου οὐ καταφρονεῖς ἀργυρίου ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης; Εἰ ὁ μάρτυς γένος Θεοῦ οὐ προετίμησεν, ἀλλ' ἀπεζεύχθη γυναικός, παίδων, φιλτάτων, πῶς σὺ οὐ κολάζεις τὴν προσπάθειαν, διὰ δὲ πρόσωπα τυχὸν σχέσιν πρός σε οἰκειότητος ἔχοντα ὑπερ πηδᾷς τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φόβον παραλογίζῃ; Εἰ ὁ μάρτυς τὸ σῶμα διὰ Θεὸν ἐξεδύσατο, πῶς αὐτὸς ἑνὸς οὐ καταφρονεῖς χιτωνίσκου εἰς σκέπην γυμνοῦ; Ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις ἀντεξεταζόμενα τὴν ἡμετέραν δυστροπίαν ἐλέγχει. Ἢ τοίνυν ὡς διδασκάλους τοὺς ἁγίους αἰδεσθῶμεν ἢ ὡς κατηγόρους φοβηθῶμεν, δείξωμεν δὲ τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον τοῖς τιμωμένοις ἀκόλουθον· πεισθῶμεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὕτως Θεῷ, ὡς οἱ ἅγιοι ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἐπειθάρχησαν καὶ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας βεβαίως ἤλπισαν. Ἀγαθὴ γὰρ σφόδρα διδάσκαλος ἀνδρείας καὶ καρτερίας ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῶν νοητῶν ἐλπίς, ἥτις ὡς ἐνέχυρον ἀξιόπιστον καὶ ἀρραβὼν ἀσφαλὴς ἐγκειμένη τοῖς λογισμοῖς πάντα παρακελεύεται κίνδυνον ὁρᾶν ἀκαταπλήκτως καὶ φέρειν ἐν τῇ πείρᾳ γενναίως· καὶ τοῦτο ἀκολούθως συμβαίνει. Φύσει γάρ πως ἐλάχομεν ἄνθρωποι μαλακίζεσθαι μὲν καὶ χαυνοῦσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἀγεράστους τῶν πόνων, ἐρρωμένως δὲ τοὐναντίον ἐκείνων ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι ὧν ἆθλα καὶ τιμαὶ τέλος εἰσίν. Διὸ πάντες μάρτυρες","english":"If that man conquered the flame of fire by endurance, how do you not subdue fornication by chastity? If the martyr did not spare the wealth and money that he was leaving behind, why do you not despise a little silver for the sake of righteousness? If the martyr did not prefer his family to God, but was separated from wife, children, and dearest ones, how do you not chastise your attachment, but for the sake of persons who perhaps have a bond of kinship with you, do you leap over justice and evade the fear of God? If the martyr stripped off his body for God, how do you not despise a single tunic for the covering of your nakedness? These things, when compared with one another, convict our perversity. Either, then, let us respect the saints as teachers, or let us fear them as accusers, and let us show our own life to be in accord with those who are honored; and let us also be persuaded toward God in this way, as the saints obeyed the commandments and firmly hoped in the promises. For a very good teacher of courage and endurance is the hope of the good things that are understood, which, lying within our thoughts as a trustworthy pledge and a sure guarantee, exhorts us to look upon every danger undauntedly and to bear it nobly in experience; and this follows naturally. For by some natural lot we humans are disposed to grow soft and slack toward those labors that are without honor, but on the contrary to take hold vigorously of those whose end is prizes and honors. Therefore all the martyrs","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":137,"ref":"p137","source":"τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ γράμματι προσέχοντες τὸν νοῦν, ἐν ᾧ προτρέπων τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀθλήτας καὶ φιλοθέους ὁ Κύριος λέγει· Ἐάν τις ὁμολογήσῃ με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω αὐτὸν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου, ὑπὲρ ταύτης τῆς ὁμολογίας ἤνεγκαν ἀτρέπτοις τοῖς λογισμοῖς σίδηρον τεθηγμένον καὶ πυρκαϊᾶς ἐπέβησαν καὶ θηρίων στόμασιν ἔκδοτον τὸ σῶμα παρέσχον καὶ τὸν νῶτον ἕκαστος ὑπέθηκαν μάστιξι καὶ ταῖς ἀκμαῖς τῶν ὀνύχων τὰς πλευρὰς ἐσπαράχθησαν καὶ δεσμῶν τῶν διὰ σιδήρου ἠνέσχοντο καὶ δεσμωτηρίων ἤνεγκαν σκοτεινὰ καταγώγια· ἐπιέσθησαν δὲ λιμῷ καὶ δίψει κατεξηράνθησαν, παρέθηκαν δὲ ὡς λίθους τὰ πρόσωπα τοῖς ῥαπίζουσιν, ἤκουσαν τῶν ὕβρεων ὡς κώφοι, ἐσιώπησαν πρὸς τοὺς ὀνειδίζοντας καὶ λοιδορουμένους ὡς ἄλαλοι, δήμοις καὶ θεάτροις ἐπομπεύθησαν, περιήχθησαν ἀγορὰς καὶ ἄμφοδα ἐν ὁλογύμνοις τοῖς σώμασιν, οὐκ ἄνδρες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες, τὸ σχετλιώτατον. Ἄλλοι πυρὶ κατεφλέχθησαν, ἕτεροι διὰ χειμῶνος ἐπάγησαν· ποικίλοις τρόποις τὰς ἀριστείας ἡμῖν κατεμερίσαντο, ἵνα πεσόντες νικήσωσιν. Διὰ τοῦτο τὰ εὐσεβῆ σώματα σεμνῶς περιστείλαντες, τὰ σκεύη τῆς ἐκλογῆς, τὰ τῶν μακαρίων ψυχῶν ὄργανα, τὰς οἰκίας τῶν φιλοσόφων ἐνοίκων, ὡς κειμήλια πολυτίμητα τῷ παντὶ βίῳ φυλάσσομεν, φρουροῦμεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ὡς ἡμετέροις πλεονεκτήμασιν καὶ τοῖς μάρτυσιν ἡ ἐκκλησία τετείχισται ὡς πόλις ὁπλίταις γενναίοις καὶ πάνδημοι πανηγύρεις ἀθροίζονται καὶ τῆς θυμηδίας τῶν ἑορτῶν ἀπολαύομεν.","english":"Applying our mind to the Gospel text, in which the Lord, exhorting the sacred athletes and lovers of God, says, \"If anyone confesses me before men, I will confess him before my Father,\" it was for this confession that with unwavering reason they endured sharpened iron and stepped onto pyres and handed over their bodies to the mouths of beasts, and each submitted his back to scourges and was torn in the sides by the points of claws, and they endured bonds of iron and bore the dark dwellings of prisons; they were pressed by hunger and parched with thirst, they offered their faces like stones to those who struck them, they heard insults like the deaf, they were silent before those who reproached and reviled them like the mute, they were paraded in public assemblies and theaters, they were led around markets and alleyways with bodies wholly stripped, not men only but also women—the most grievous thing. Others were consumed by fire, others were frozen by winter; in various ways they apportioned their exploits to us, so that by falling they might conquer. For this reason, having reverently wrapped the pious bodies—the vessels of election, the instruments of blessed souls, the dwellings of philosophic inhabitants—we guard them as treasures of great price for the whole of life, and we keep watch over them as our own advantages, and by the martyrs the church is walled as a city by brave soldiers, and public festivals are gathered together and we enjoy the gladness of the feasts.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":138,"ref":"p138","source":"Οἱ δὲ ταῖς ἀνθρωπικαῖς περιστάσεσιν ἢ συμφοραῖς πιεζόμενοι ὡς ἐπί τι κρησφύγετον τὰς ἀναπαύσεις τῶν τρισμακαρίων σπεύδουσιν πρεσβευτὰς αὐτοὺς τῶν εὐχῶν καὶ αἰτημάτων διὰ τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τῆς παρρησίας ποιούμενοι. Ἐντεῦθεν πενίαι λύονται καὶ ἰατρεύονται νόσοι καὶ ἀρχόντων ἀπειλαὶ κοιμίζονται· πασῶν δὲ τῶν ταραχῶν καὶ χειμώνων τοῦ βίου λιμένες εἰσὶν εὔδιοι οἱ ἱεροὶ τῶν μαρτύρων σηκοί. Οὕτως πατὴρ ἢ μήτηρ ἀραμένη τὸν ἄρρωστον παῖδα καὶ περιστείλασα ταῖς ἀγκάλαις παρατρέχει μὲν ἰατρεῖα καὶ ἰατρούς, ἐπὶ δὲ ἄτεχνον καταφεύγει βοήθειαν· καὶ πρὸς ἕνα τῶν μαρτύρων ἐλθοῦσα δι' ἐκείνου τῷ Δεσπότῃ προσάγει τὴν αἴτησιν τοιαύταις κεχρημένη πρὸς τὸν μεσίτην φωναῖς· «Παθὼν διὰ Χριστὸν πρέσβευσον ὑπὲρ πάθους καὶ νόσου. Ἔχων παρρησίαν χρῆσον λόγον τοῖς ὁμοδούλοις. Εἰ καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον ἀπέλιπες, ἀλλὰ γοῦν οἶδας τὰ πάθη τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος· παρεκάλεσας καὶ σύ ποτε μάρτυρας πρὶν γενέσθαι μάρτυς. Τότε ζητῶν ἐλάμβανες, νῦν ἔχων χάρισαι. Εἰς τὸ γέρας τὸ σὸν αἴτησον τὸ κέρδος ἡμῖν. Ἰαθείημεν τῷ σῷ μώλωπι ὡς τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ κόσμος». Ἄλλος ἐπὶ γάμον σπεύδων προοίμιον ποιεῖται τῶν θαλάμων τὴν ἐν μαρτυρίοις εὐχήν· καί τις εἰς πλοῦν ἐπειγόμενος οὐ πρότερον τῆς νεὼς λύει τὰ πείσματα, πρὶν ἂν τὸν τῆς θαλάσσης Δεσπότην διὰ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐπικαλέσηται· πτωχῶν δὲ φῦλα καὶ πενήτων ἐσμοὶ κοινὴν ἑστίαν καὶ τροφὴν κέκτηνται τὴν τῶν μαρτύρων ἀνάπαυσιν· ᾄδονται δὲ πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης οἱ μάρτυρες. Εἰκότως καὶ πρὸς ἀξίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς πολλοὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην καθόρθωσαν, αὐτῷ δὲ σώματι τὸν σταυρὸν ἐβάστασαν·","english":"But those who are pressed by human circumstances or calamities hasten to the resting-places of the thrice-blessed as to a place of refuge, making them ambassadors of their prayers and petitions because of the exceeding greatness of their boldness. Hence poverty is loosed and diseases are healed and the threats of rulers are put to rest; and the sacred shrines of the martyrs are calm harbors from all the disturbances and storms of life. Thus a father or a mother, taking up a sick child and wrapping it in her arms, runs past clinics and physicians and flees to the artless help; and coming to one of the martyrs, through him she brings her petition to the Master, using such words as these to the mediator: \"You who suffered for Christ, intercede for suffering and disease. Having boldness, lend a word to your fellow servants. Even if you have left our life, yet you know the sufferings of humanity; you too once comforted martyrs before you became a martyr. Then you received when you were seeking; now that you have, grant. For your own honor, ask for our gain. May we be healed by your wound, as the world was by the wound of Christ.\" Another, hastening to marriage, makes the prayer in the martyrs' shrines the prelude to his bridal chamber; and one eager for a voyage does not first loose the ship's cables until he has invoked the Master of the sea through the martyrs; and the tribes of the poor and the swarms of the needy possess as their common hearth and food the resting-place of the martyrs; and the martyrs are sung throughout the whole earth and sea. Rightly and worthily so. For not as many did they set righteousness aright, but with their own body they bore the cross;","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":139,"ref":"p139","source":"οὐ χρήματα ἐσκόρπισαν, ἀλλ' αἷμα ἐξέχεαν· οὐ πένητα ᾤκτειραν, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοὺς οὐκ ἠλέησαν· οὐκ ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ τὸν κεκακωμένον ἐπεσκέψαντο, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ τὰς ἁλύσεις ἐφόρεσαν. Διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς κακώσεως ἀντίρροπον τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν ἐκαρπώσαντο. Οἱ μὲν οὖν μάρτυρες οὕτως· οἱ δὲ τούτων τύραννοι καὶ φονεῖς ποῦ, οἱ τὰ ὑψηλὰ φρονήσαντες καὶ τὰ ὑπερήφανα ἀπειλήσαντες, οἱ ἐπὶ θρόνων μετεώρων καθήμενοι καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἄρχοντα μὴ γνωρίσαντες; Ἐβρυ χήσαντο ὑπὲρ τοὺς λέοντας, ἔδραμον ὑπὲρ τὰς παρδάλεις, ἐσπάραξαν ὑπὲρ τὰς ἄρκτους, ἐξέχεαν αἵματα κατὰ τοὺς λύκους, ἐκακούργησαν ὡς αἱ ἀλώπεκες. Κεῖνται τῶν ὄνων τῶν νεκρῶν μυσαρώτεροι, λήθη ἐκάλυψεν τὴν ζωὴν αὐτῶν· ἔχουσι δὲ τάφον τὸν ᾅδην καὶ στήλην τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ μνήμην τὴν ἀτιμίαν·\n\nμετανοοῦσιν ἀνόνητα, στένουσιν ἄπρακτα. Τοὺς δὲ παρὰ τούτων αἰκισθέντας διεδέξατο μνήμη ἄληκτος, ἀγήρως ἔπαινος. Τὰ γὰρ διηγήματα καὶ τὰς τιμὰς οἱ μεθηλικέστεροι παρὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ὑποδεχόμενοι καὶ πάππος ἐκγόνῳ ἢ πατὴρ παιδὶ παρα διδόντες τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς θεραπείαν ἀθάνατον ποιοῦσι τὸν ἔπαινον· καὶ ὥσπερ τινὰ κληρονομίαν ἄσυλον τὰς ἑορτὰς ταύτας ἐν διαδοχαῖς σώζει ὁ βίος, ἢ μᾶλλον καὶ κληρονομίας τιμιώτερον χρῆμα. Κληρονομίας μὲν γὰρ τὰ καλὰ ἢ λῃστὴς ἀφείλετο ἢ πολέμιος λάφυρον ἔλαβεν ἢ περίστασις πραγμάτων ἐκένωσεν, ἁγίων δὲ ἀνδρῶν ἑορτὴν οὐδεὶς ἐκκόψει ἐνιαυτοῦ, μέχρις ἂν ὦσιν ἐνιαυτοὶ καὶ χρόνος τρέχῃ καὶ οὐρανὸς ἔχῃ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ γῆ βόσκῃ τὰ ἴδια ζῷα καὶ θάλασσα τὰ ἐξαίρετα.","english":"They did not scatter money, but poured out blood; they did not pity the poor, but did not spare themselves; they did not visit the afflicted in prison, but themselves wore chains. Therefore they reaped glory and honor as a counterbalance to their endurance and ill-treatment. So much, then, for the martyrs; but where are their tyrants and murderers, those who thought lofty thoughts and threatened arrogant threats, who sat on lofty thrones and did not recognize their own ruler? They raged more than lions, they ran more than leopards, they tore more than bears, they shed blood like wolves, they did mischief like foxes. They lie more loathsome than dead donkeys; forgetfulness has covered their life; they have Hades as their tomb, impiety as their monument, and dishonor as their memory.\n\nThey repent without profit, they groan without effect. But those who were tortured by them were succeeded by unceasing memory and ageless praise. For the more advanced, receiving the accounts and the honors from the elders, and a grandfather handing down to a grandchild or a father to a child, make their veneration immortal, and their praise; and as though an inviolable inheritance, life preserves these festivals in successive generations—or rather, a possession more precious than an inheritance. For a good inheritance a robber has taken away, or an enemy has seized as plunder, or a circumstance of affairs has emptied; but a festival of holy men no one will cut off from the year, as long as there are years and time runs and heaven holds the sun and earth feeds its own creatures and sea its exceptional ones.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":140,"ref":"p140","source":"Τὸ δὲ ἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, καὶ τῶν στοιχείων παυσαμένων τούτων, κἄν τισι μὴ δοκῇ, μαρτύρων καὶ δικαίων οὐ σβεσθήσεται δόξα οὐδὲ συναπολήξει τῇ δημιουργίᾳ τὰ κατ' ἐκείνους· ἀλλὰ τότε καὶ μᾶλλον ἀνθήσουσι πρὸς τὴν ἄφθαρτον ζωὴν μετακοσμηθείσης τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Ἔξεστιν δὲ τοῖς ἀπίστοις καὶ περὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν ἀμφιβάλλουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ πραττομένων τῆς ἀγαθῆς προσδοκίας ἡμῶν λαβεῖν βέβαια τὰ ἐνέχυρα. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ πεπλήρωται πᾶς τῆς οἰκουμένης κύκλος τῶν ἀθλητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ πᾶς τόπος ἔχει τῶν ἁγίων τὴν μνήμην· πάντες δὲ καιροὶ κρείττονα τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς δώρων καὶ βλαστημάτων τὰ τῶν ἀγωνιστῶν τοῖς ἑορτάζουσι χαρίζονται διηγήματα. Ὡς εἴ τις ἦν σπουδαῖος τῶν μαρτύρων φίλος, ἔθετο δὲ φροντίδα τοῖς τῶν ὅλων πανηγυρίζειν πάθεσιν, οὐκ ἂν ἡμέραν παρῆλθεν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἀνεόρταστον. Πᾶσαι γὰρ ἔχουσι κρείττονα τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ κύκλου κόσμον τὰ τῶν γενναίων ἀνδραγαθήματα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ τοῖς καλοῖς ἀντιτεταγμένος σφοδρὸν πρὸς τὸ μυστήριον τῶν χριστιανῶν ἐπηρείσατο, πάντας δὲ πάσσων τῇ κόνει τοῖς ἰδίοις φρονήμασι χωννύειν ἐσπούδαζεν καὶ μάτην ἐνασχολεῖν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι τοῦ πηλοῦ, ἀρίστων ἀνδρῶν πλῆθος ὁ Θεὸς ἀλείψας τοῖς παραγγέλμασι καὶ παιδοτριβήσας πρὸς καρτερίαν καὶ δύναμιν ἀντέστησεν τῷ ἀναιδεῖ καὶ ἐπιβούλῳ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Οὗτοι δὲ καινὸν ἠγωνίσαντο καὶ οὐ τὸν συνήθη ἀγῶνα. Οὐ γὰρ τύπτοντες ἢ ῥηγνύντες ἐκράτησαν, ἀλλὰ πάσχοντες ἠρίστευσαν καὶ σφαζόμενοι. Καὶ ποῖον ἐρεῖς, ὁ ἀκροατής, κράτος πολέμου;","english":"To speak more truly, even when these elements have ceased—even if it seems so to some—the glory of the martyrs and the righteous will not be extinguished, nor will the things concerning them come to an end together with creation; but then all the more will they flourish unto incorruptible life, when humanity has been refashioned. It is possible for the unbelieving and for those who doubt concerning our future hope to take from the things done in this present life sure pledges of our good expectation. For behold, the whole circle of the inhabited world has been filled with the athletes of Christ, and every place has the memory of the saints; and all seasons bestow upon those who celebrate the narratives of the contestants things better than the gifts and produce of the earth. So that if anyone were a zealous friend of the martyrs and set his care upon celebrating the sufferings of the whole company, he would not let a single day of the year pass unfeasted. For all the days have, as their adornment, the brave deeds of the noble, better than the circuit of the sun. For since the one who is set against good things raged fiercely against the mystery of the Christians, and eagerly sought to bury all things in the dust by his own thoughts and to occupy them to no purpose with the pursuits of clay, God, having anointed a multitude of excellent men with his commandments and trained them for endurance and strength, set them against the shameless and treacherous enemy of humanity. These men contended a new contest and not the customary one. For they did not prevail by striking or breaking, but by suffering they won the prize, and by being slain. And what kind of strength of war will you name, O hearer?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":141,"ref":"p141","source":"Τίς δὲ εὐδοκίμησις αὕτη τὸ στρεβλωθῆναι καὶ μαστιχθῆναι καὶ πρός γε διὰ πυρὸς ἢ ξίφους ἢ κακώσεως δεσμωτηρίων καταλῦσαι τὸν βίον; Ἀλλὰ μάθε, ὡς οἱ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πόλεμοι ἀπ' ἐναντίου κατορθοῦνται τῶν ἄλλων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ φονεῦσαι τὴν ἀριστείαν ἔχουσι, οἱ δὲ διὰ τοῦ παθεῖν καὶ πεσεῖν ἀναιροῦνται τὴν νίκην. Παρρησία δὲ δικαίων ἐκτελεῖ τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου πρεσβείας· καὶ ἔλαθεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τοῖς ἐναντίοις περιπεσὼν ἢ ἐβούλετο. Ὅσους γὰρ ἔσφαξε μαρτυρήσαντας, τοσούτους ἀνθρώπων βοηθοὺς παρεσκεύασεν. Καὶ ἐπὶ πάσης δὲ πράξεως τοῦτο πάσχων εὑρίσκεται· ὅθεν ἐμποδίζειν οἴεται τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἐκεῖθεν κατασκευάζει τῆς εὐσεβείας τὴν αὔξησιν. Τῷ γὰρ μωρῷ καὶ ἄφρονι εἰς τοὐναντίον ὁ σοφὸς Θεὸς περιίστησι τὰ βουλεύματα. Καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς πράγμασιν ἑκάστου καιροῦ παρακολουθοῦντες εὑρίσκομεν, τὴν ἔκθεσιν τοῦ Μωσέως, τὴν πρᾶσιν τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Εὐθὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ τὸν δεύτερον ἄνθρωπον Ἄβελ ἐφόνευσεν, ἵνα τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἐκκόψῃ τὸ σπέρμα, καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν ἐγένετο. Ἔκτοτε γὰρ ἀνδροφόνοι μισοῦνται σφοδρῶς, ἐξ οὗ Κάϊν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατηράθη. Τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ἐνήργησεν εἰς Ἰουδαίους ὁ σατανᾶς, ἵνα σταυρώσωσιν αὐτόν. Τὸ αὐτὸ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς μάρτυσι πέπονθεν, ὧν καταφρονοῦσι πολλοὶ ὑπὸ ἰδίας ἀνοίας ἐξευτελίζοντες αὐτῶν τὸ ἀξίωμα. Οὐκ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν; Οὐκ ἐδαπανήθη τὸ σῶμα; Οὐκ ἐν ὀλίγοις λειψάνοις καὶ τούτοις ἐγκεχωσμένοις αὐτῶν ἡ μνήμη; Μάλιστα δὴ ταῦτα Ἕλληνες καὶ Εὐνομιανοί φασιν· εἴπωμεν δὲ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους. Ἡμεῖς μάρτυρας οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τιμῶμεν ὡς γνησίους προσκυνητὰς Θεοῦ· οὐ σέβομεν ἀνθρώπους, θαυμάζομεν δὲ","english":"What kind of distinction is this—to be racked and scourged, and to end one's life through fire or sword or the affliction of prisons? But learn that the wars waged on behalf of piety are won in the opposite way from others. For the one side has its valor in killing, but the other side wins the victory through suffering and falling. The boldness of the righteous accomplishes their intercessions on behalf of the world; and the enemy did not notice that he fell into the opposite of what he wished. For as many as he slaughtered as martyrs, so many helpers of men he prepared. And in every deed he is found to suffer this same thing: whence he thinks he is hindering piety, from there he builds up the increase of piety. For the wise God turns the counsels of the foolish and senseless to the contrary. And this we find by following the events of each time: the exposure of Moses, the sale of Joseph. At the very beginning he killed Abel, the second man, in order to cut off the seed of the pious, and the opposite happened. For from that time murderers are fiercely hated, since Cain was cursed by God. What happened in the case of Christ, because Satan worked among the Jews so that they might crucify him. The same thing has indeed befallen the martyrs, whom many despise, belittling their worth out of their own folly. Is he not a man? Was the body not consumed? Is their memory not in a few remains, and these buried? Especially do Greeks and Eunomians say these things; but let us speak to both. We do not worship martyrs, but we honor them as genuine worshipers of God; we do not reverence men, but we marvel at","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":142,"ref":"p142","source":"τοὺς ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμῶν καλῶς σεβασθέντας Θεόν. Ἐν θήκαις φιλοκάλοις ἀποτιθέμεθα καὶ οἴκους τῆς ἀναπαύσεως αὐτῶν ἐγείρομεν ταῖς κατασκευαῖς μεγαλοπρεπεῖς, ἵνα ζηλώσωμεν τὰς τῶν καλῶς τελευτησάντων τιμάς· οὐκ ἄμισθον δὲ τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς σπουδὴν ἐπιδεικνύμεθα, ἀλλὰ τῆς προστασίας αὐτῶν τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀπολαύομεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ἡ ἡμετέρα εὐχὴ δυσωπῆσαι Θεὸν ἐν καιρῷ ἀνάγκης ἢ συμ φορᾶςἡ γὰρ δέησις ἡμῶν οὐ παράκλησίς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτημάτων ὑπόμνησις, διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ἀγαπωμένοις παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου ὁμοδούλοις προσφεύγομεν, ἵν' ἐκεῖνοι ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις κατορθώμασι τὰ ἡμέτερα θεραπεύσωσι πλημμελήματα. Ποῖον οὖν ἔγκλημα, ὅτι τιμῶντες μάρτυρας καὶ αὐτοὶ σπουδάζομεν ἀρέσκειν Θεῷ; Τίς κατηγορία προστάταις προσφεύγειν; Ἐξετάσωμεν λοιπὸν καὶ τὰ σά, εἰ τοῦ ἐγκλήματος ὁ κατήγορος καθαρεύεις. Καὶ πῶς, ὅς γε μυρίους τῶν τεθνεώτων ἀνθρώπων οὐ τιμᾷς, ἀλλ' ὡς θεοὺς προσκυνεῖς; Οὐ σὺ Δήμητραν καὶ Κόρην ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνοίας σαυτοῦ ἐθέωσας, ἐδείμω δὲ δύο γυναίους ναοὺς καὶ θυσίαις ταύτας τιμᾷς καὶ παντοίαις προσκυνεῖς θεραπείαις; Οὐ κεφάλαιον τῆς σῆς θρησκείας τὰ ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι μυστήρια, καὶ δῆμος Ἀττικὸς καὶ ἡ Ἑλλὰς πᾶσα συρρεῖ, ἵνα τελέσῃ ματαιότητα; Οὐκ ἐκεῖ τὸ καταβάσιον τὸ σκοτεινὸν καὶ αἱ σεμναὶ τοῦ ἱεροφάντου πρὸς τὴν ἱέρειαν συντυχίαι, μόνου πρὸς μόνην; Οὐχ αἱ λαμπάδες σβέννυνται καὶ ὁ πολὺς καὶ ἀναρίθμητος δῆμος τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτῶν εἶναι νομίζουσι τὰ ἐν τῷ σκότῳ παρὰ τῶν δύο πραττόμενα;","english":"those who in the time of trials have piously revered God. We place them in beautiful tombs and raise up for them houses of rest, magnificent in their construction, so that we may emulate the honors of those who have ended their lives well; and we do not show our zeal toward them without reward, but we enjoy their protection before God. For since our own prayer is not sufficient to persuade God in a time of necessity or misfortune—for our petition is not a plea but a reminder of sins—for this reason we flee to our fellow servants who are beloved by the Master, so that they, by their own good deeds, may heal our transgressions. What charge, then, is there in that, while honoring martyrs, we ourselves also strive to please God? What accusation is it to flee to patrons? Let us now examine your own case as well, to see whether you, the accuser of this charge, are yourself clean of it. And how could you be, when you honor countless dead human beings and worship them as gods? Was it not you who, in your folly, made Demeter and Kore into gods, and built two temples to them as goddesses, and honor them with sacrifices and worship them with every kind of service? Is not the chief point of your religion the mysteries at Eleusis, where the Attic people and all Greece flock together to perform vanity? Is it not there that the dark descent is, and the solemn meetings of the hierophant with the priestess, one alone with one alone? Are not the torches extinguished, and the great and countless multitude think that their salvation consists in what is done in the darkness by the two?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":143,"ref":"p143","source":"Οὐ σὺ ὁ τὸν Θηβαῖον Διόνυσον ὡς θεὸν προσκυνῶνλέγω γὰρ τὴν πατρίδα, ἵνα γνωρίσῃς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἄνδρα γεωργὸν ἀμπέλων καὶ φίλοινον, κωμαστὴν πάροινον, δῆμον ἐπισυρόμενον ἀσχημονοῦντα τῇ μέθῃ, ἐκεῖνα ποιοῦντα ἃ τοὺς ἀσώτους νέους στηλιτεύει ἀκολασταίνοντας, μεθύοντα δὲ μετὰ τοῦ γέροντος τοῦ Σιληνοῦ καὶ τοῖς φιλοσκιρτηταῖς Σατύροις συνδιαιτώμενον καὶ ἱστορίαν μέθης ὄντα τῷ βίῳ; Οὐ σὺ ὁ τῷ ἀνδρὶ Ἡρακλεῖ ὡς θεῷ τὰς θυσίας προσάγων, ἀνθρώπῳ ῥωμαλαίῳ, σῶμα λαχόντι δυνατὸν καὶ ἀνδρεῖον, καὶ σέβεις ἐκεῖνον, ἐπειδὴ ἐν πολλοῖς ἠρίστευσεν καὶ θηρίων περιεγένετο; Τί δὲ πάλιν τὸν Ἀσκληπιὸν τὸν ἐν τῷ νάρθηκι πολλὰ καὶ τῇ σιδηροθήκῃ περινοστήσαντα οὐ σέβεις καὶ τέθηπας; Καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀρνηθείης ὡς οὐ τοῦτο ποιεῖς. Οἱ γὰρ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀνεστῶτες ναοί, τὰ Ἀσκληπιεῖα λέγω καὶ τὰ Ἡράκλεια καὶ τὰ Διονύσια, ἔλεγχοι ἑστᾶσιν ὑψηλοὶ τῆς σῆς ματαιότητος· καὶ οὕτως ἐγὼ μὲν ἀθῷος ἀπελεύσομαι τοῦ ἐγκλήματος, οὐ γὰρ προσκύνω μάρτυρας οὐδὲ νομίζω θέους· σὺ δὲ πέφηνας ἐνεχόμενος τοῖς ἐγκλήμασιν, καὶ ταῦτα κατηγορῶν ἑτέρων, ὥσπερ οἱ διὰ κακὸν συνειδὸς προκατηγοροῦντες τῶν ἀνευθύνων. Ἀνθρώπους γὰρ ὡς θεοὺς προσκυνῶν ἐπιδέδειξαι. Ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν ἐθνικὸν ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα. Οἱ δὲ τῆς νέας στάσεως Ἰουδαῖοι, τί θαυμαστὸν εἰ μάρτυρας ἀτιμάζετε Χριστὸν ἀθετοῦντες καὶ τῆς ὁμοιότητος τῆς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις λόγοις χωρίζοντες, φυλαττόμενοι δὲ τοὺς τόπους ὡς βεβήλους, ἐν οἷς σώματα ἅγια ἀναπέπαυται;","english":"Are you not the one who worships the Theban Dionysus as a god—for I mention his homeland so that you may recognize the man—a man who was a cultivator of vines and fond of wine, a reveler drunk at the feast, dragging along a crowd behaving shamefully in their drunkenness, doing those things which he censures in dissolute young men who live licentiously, drunk together with the old man Silenus and living with the capering Satyrs and being a story of drunkenness for his life? Are you not the one who brings sacrifices to the man Heracles as to a god, a robust man, allotted a powerful and courageous body, and you revere him because he excelled in many contests and overcame wild beasts? And again, why do you not revere and marvel at Asclepius, who traveled much with the narthex and in the iron chest? And you would not deny that you do this. For the temples standing everywhere throughout the inhabited world—I mean the Asclepieia and the Heracleia and the Dionysia—stand as lofty proofs of your vanity. And so I shall depart innocent of the charge, for I do not worship martyrs nor do I consider them gods; but you have been shown to be caught in the charges, and that while accusing others, just like those who through a bad conscience accuse beforehand those who are blameless. For you have been shown to worship humans as gods. These things, a few from many, against the pagan. But the Jews of the new faction—what wonder is it if you dishonor the martyrs, rejecting Christ and in your own words separating him from the likeness to the Father, and guarding as profane the places in which holy bodies have been laid to rest?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":144,"ref":"p144","source":"Ἀλλ' οἳ μὴ εἰς ἔννοιαν ἔλθετε τοῦ γινομένου, φοβήθητε χριστιανοὶ λεγόμενοι, μετὰ δὲ Ἑλλήνων μισοῦντες μάρτυρας. Οὐκ ἴστε, ὡς ἀρχιμάρτυς Χριστὸς πρῶτος παθὼν καὶ τοῖς δούλοις τὸν ζῆλον ἀφείς; Εἶτα μετ' ἐκεῖνον Στέφανος, ὁ φερώνυμος τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν εὐδοξίας ἀγωνιστής· πάντες οἱ ἑξῆς μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι. Καὶ ἐπίσκεψαι διὰ μιᾶς ὕβρεως ὅσους ἀτιμάζεις· Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστήν, Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν λεγόμενον τοῦ Κυρίου, Πέτρον, Παῦλον, Θωμᾶν τούτους ὡς πρωτοστάτας ὀνομάζω τῶν μαρτύρων, ἔπειτα τὸ ἄπειρον πλῆθος τῶν ἀποθανόντων ὑπὲρ τῆς ζωῆς. Μὴ μικρόν σοι τούτοις προσκρούειν; Μὴ ὀλίγος τῆς ἔχθρας ὁ κίνδυνος; Τούτων ἕκαστος τὸν διάβολον μετὰ τῆς φρατρίας τῶν δαιμόνων ἐνίκησεν, ἀγγέλοις δὲ ἐνεγράφη καὶ τηρεῖται ὡς εὐδόκιμος ἀθλητὴς τῇ ἀναρρήσει τῆς ἀναστάσεως, παραστήσεται δὲ τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν\n\nἀνοίγων ἐν παρρησίᾳ τὸ στόμα, ἐπευφραινόμενος τῇ θέᾳ τῶν ἀγγέλων, τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μακαρίζων ἑαυτὸν τῶν μαστίγων, τῶν δεσμῶν, τῶν στρεβλώσεων, τῆς ἐπικερδοῦς τελευτῆς, ὅτι τῆς ἀτελευτήτου ζωῆς αὐτῷ γεγένηται πρόξενος. Ἀλλ' ὅταν τούτων ἀκούσῃς, οἶδα ἃ φρονεῖς καὶ λέγεις· «Δεκτικὸς κἀγὼ τῶν ὁμοίων. Ἂν ζήσω κατ' ἀρετήν, οὐ χείρων οὐδὲ ἀτιμότερος τῶν νῦν θαυμαζομένων ἔσομαι». Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ἀλαζόνος ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα δικαιοῦτος ἑαυτὸν κατὰ τὸν μεγάλαυχον Φαρισαῖον καὶ πάσης ταπεινότητος ξένα. Πρόδηλον δέ, ὡς ὁ μὴ πρότερον ταπεινωθεὶς εἰς ὕψος οὐκ ἀναβαίνει· ἀπόφασις γάρ ἐστι δεσποτική.","english":"But you who do not come to a realization of what is happening—you who are called Christians, fear—yet alongside the Greeks you hate the martyrs. Do you not know that Christ is the chief martyr, who suffered first and left the zeal to his servants? Then after him Stephen, whose name means the contender for the glory that is according to God; and all the disciples and apostles after them. And consider in a single insult how many you dishonor: John the Baptist, James who is called the brother of the Lord, Peter, Paul, Thomas—these I name as the foremost of the martyrs—and then the countless multitude of those who died for the sake of life. Is it a small thing for you to offend against these? Is the danger of enmity slight? Each of these conquered the devil together with the band of demons, and was enrolled among the angels and is kept as an approved athlete at the proclamation of the resurrection, and will stand by at the manifestation of our God and Savior, opening his mouth with boldness, rejoicing in the sight of the angels, in the glory of God, counting himself blessed for the scourges, the bonds, the tortures, the profitable death, because it has become for him the bringer of unending life. But when you hear these things, I know what you think and say: \"I too am capable of the same things. If I live according to virtue, I will be no worse nor more dishonored than those now admired.\" Indeed, then, these words are the words of a boaster who justifies himself like the boastful Pharisee, and are alien to all humility. But it is evident that the one who has not first been humbled does not ascend to the height; for this is the Master's decree.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":145,"ref":"p145","source":"Ἵνα δὲ τίς σοι συγχωρήσῃ, ὅτι γενήσῃ τοιοῦτος, οὐ θέλεις, εἰπέ μοι, αἰδεσθῆναι τοὺς τὴν ὁδόν σοι τῆς εὐσεβείας τέμνοντας, τοὺς ὁδηγοὺς τῶν καλῶν, τοὺς διδασκάλους τῆς ἀρετῆς, τοὺς παιδεύσαντάς σε καρτερίαν καὶ θανάτου καταφρόνησιν; Παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ βίου τούτου εὐγνωμοσύνην διδάχθητι, ὅτι ὅμοιοι γινόμενοι τῶν διδαξάντων καὶ οὐδὲν τῆς τέχνης ἐλλείποντες ὅμως τῶν διδασκόντων φιλοῦσι τὰ στήθη, αἰδοῦνται, εὐφημοῦσι, τῶν πρωτείων παραχωροῦσι, θεραπεύουσι ὡς πατέρας. Πολλὰ καὶ τελευτήσαντες ἅγιοι δύνανται καὶ ἀπελθόντες τοῦ βίου εὐεργετοῦσιν ἀνθρώπους· καὶ μάρτυς τῶν λεγομένων Ἐλισσαῖος πάλαι μὲν ἀπελθὼν τοῦ βίου καὶ κοιμηθείς, ἀθάνατον δὲ καὶ ἀχώριστον τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν λαβὼν τῷ χώματι παρεδρεύουσαν καὶ τοῖς ἀψύχοις ὀστέοις. Οἶδας γάρ, ὁ φιλόπονος τῶν Γραφῶν μαθητής, ὅτι νεκρός τις παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων εἰς τὴν ἐκφορὰν κομιζόμενος λῃστῶν ἀθρόον ἢ πολεμίων κατα λαβόντων, οἷα φιλεῖ συμβαίνειν ἐν συνοχῇ καὶ θορύβῳ, ἐπιρριφθεὶς τῷ τάφῳ τοῦ τρισμακαρίου προφήτου ἀθρόον ἐψυχώθη καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ζῶντας ἀνέλυσεν. Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς τὸ γενόμενον; Μὴ αἴσθησιν εἶχε τῶν πραττομένων ὁ δίκαιος; Μὴ εὐχὴν ἀνέπεμψεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ νεκροῦ ὡς ὑπὲρ τοῦ παιδαρίου τῆς Σωμανίτιδος; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον δίδωσιν ἡμῖν ἐννοεῖν ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια. Ἔκειτο γὰρ πρὸ πολλῶν τῶν χρόνων ὁ δίκαιος ἀναλυθέντος τοῦ σώματος πρὸς τὸν συγγενῆ χοῦν καὶ τὴν ὁμόφυλον κόνιν.","english":"But why should anyone forgive you, because you do not wish to become such a person? Tell me, are you not ashamed before those who cut the road of piety for you, the guides to good things, the teachers of virtue, those who trained you in endurance and contempt for death? Learn a lesson in gratitude from the disciples of this life: though they become like their teachers and fall short in nothing of the craft, nevertheless they love the breasts of their teachers, they respect them, they speak well of them, they yield the first place to them, they serve them as fathers. Many saints, even after death, have power, and having departed from this life they benefit people; and Elisha is a witness to what is said—long ago he departed from life and fell asleep, yet he received the immortal and inseparable grace of God, which attended his mound and his lifeless bones. For you know, diligent student of the Scriptures, that a certain dead man, being carried out for burial by his own people, when robbers or enemies suddenly attacked—as tends to happen in confinement and confusion—was thrown into the tomb of the thrice-blessed prophet and at once came to life and returned to the living. What then shall we say about what happened? Did the righteous man have no perception of what was being done? Did he not send up a prayer on behalf of the dead man, as he did for the child of the Shunammite woman? But the truth of the matter gives us no such thing to think. For the righteous man had lain there many years before, his body having been dissolved into kindred dust and native earth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":146,"ref":"p146","source":"Πρόδηλον δὲ καθέστηκεν, ὡς δοξάζων ὁ Θεὸς ἀεὶ καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν τοὺς ἰδίους ἀνθρώπους περὶ τὰς θήκας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς ἀναπαύσεις θαυματουργεῖ τὰ παράδοξα, ἵνα οἱ ζῶντες ἀεὶ καὶ μεθηλικέστεροι ἐνέχυρον ἔχοντες τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος τὰς εἰς τοὺς ἀπελθόντας τιμὰς προθύμως τὸν τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας ἐξανύωσι βίον. Ὡσαύτως καὶ Ἡλίας ὁ τοῦ προφήτου τούτου καθηγεμὼν μετὰ τοὺς φλογώδεις ἵππους καὶ τὸ πύρινον ἅρμα ἐν ἄλλῃ βιωτεύων ζωῇ καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὸν χῶρον ὃν ἔλαχεν, ἱκανὸν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως σύμβολον ἀφῆκεν τὴν μηλωτήν. Καίτοι πόσου τινὸς ἀξία ὑπῆρχεν ἐκείνη; Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἄλλο τι ἢ δέρμα νεκρὸν καὶ φαῦλον ἐκ παλαιό τητος. Ὅμως δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰορδάνης αὐτὴν ὑπεστέλλετο καὶ δίχα τὸ ὕδωρ ἐτέμνετο καὶ διακεκριμένον εἱστήκει ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸ παλαιόν, ὃς ἦν τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος. Παρῆν δὲ καὶ ἀπὼν ὁ Θεσβίτης καὶ τὸ ἔνδυμα τοῦ φιλοσόφου ἐδεξιοῦτο τὸν μαθητήν, ἀσφαλῆ τοῦ ποταμοῦ χαριζομένης τὴν περαίωσιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματα τῶν ἁγίων τιμώσης ὡς ἔμψυχα. Καὶ ἵνα δειχθῇ καθαρῶς ὅτι τὸ περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν θαυματούργημα οὐ διὰ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐγένετο τοῦ πλήττοντος τὸ ὕδωρ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ οἰχομένου καὶ ἀναληφθέντος, πατά ξαντος τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Ἐλισσαίου ἔρρει τὸ ὕδωρ συνήθως οὐδὲν πεπονθὸς καινόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀποτυχὼν ἐπεβόησεν· Ποῦ δή ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς Ἡλίου, καὶ βοήσας ἐκ δευτέρου καθίκετο, εὐθὺς ὁ ποταμὸς διασχὼν τὸ ῥεῖθρον γυμνὴν ἔδειξε τὴν ξηρὰν καὶ πεζεύσας ὁ προφήτης εἰς τὸ πέραν ἀφίκετο.","english":"It is evident that God, always glorifying his own people even after death, works wonders around their tombs and resting places, so that the living, who are ever advancing in age and hold the honors paid to the departed as a pledge of their good hope, may eagerly complete the life of the best conduct. In the same way, Elijah, the leader of this prophet, after the fiery horses and the chariot of fire, living in another life and departing from among men to the place allotted to him, left his mantle as a sufficient symbol of his power. And yet, of what worth was that thing? For it was nothing other than a dead and worthless skin, worn out from age. Nevertheless, the Jordan drew back before it, and the water was divided in two and stood apart, just as of old it had done before Jesus, who was a type of the one to come. The Tishbite was present even though absent, and the philosopher's garment received the disciple, granting him a safe crossing of the river, since God's love for humanity honored the garments of the saints as though they were living beings. And so that it might be shown clearly that the miracle at the river did not happen because of the one who struck the water, but because of the honor due to the one who had departed and been taken up, when Elisha struck the water, the water flowed as usual, having suffered nothing new. But when, having failed, he cried out, \"Where indeed is the God of Elijah?\" and cried out a second time and struck it, immediately the river, parting its stream, showed the dry ground bare, and the prophet, walking on foot, arrived at the other side.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":147,"ref":"p147","source":"Ὁ δὲ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν Ἰακὼβ τελευτήσαντα οὐχ ὡς πατέρα τοσοῦτονἰδιαζόντως ἀγαπῶν, ὅσον ὡς κοινὸν τοῦ ἔθνους πατριάρχην τιμῶν, μετὰ τῆς πολυθρυλήτου θεραπείας ἐκείνης ἀπήγαγεν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου τὸ λείψανον, ὥστε τὸν Μωϋσέα μετὰ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου γενέσεως καὶ τῆς\n\nλοιπῆς ἱστορίας ἀνάγραπτον δοῦναι καὶ τοῦτο τῷ βίῳ διήγημα. Ἰωσὴφ δὲ πάλιν ὕπαρ παρὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁδεύοντος ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐκλάπη τοῦ Φαραώ, πανταχοῦ δὲ συμπαρῆν τῷ λαῷ τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἤγετο μετ' ἐπιμελείας ὡς ἀγαθόν τι καὶ ἀλεξίκακον φυλακτήριον ἀσφαλὲς τῶν ἑξήκοντα μυριάδων. Καὶ τοσαύτην εἶχον τὴν αἰδῶ περὶ τὴν λάρνακα τοῦ προπάτορος, ὅσην περὶ τὴν ἁγίαν κιβωτόν, ἣ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον ἐβάσταζεν. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Δαβὶδ παρακαλῶν που τὸν Θεὸν ἵλεων εἶναι καὶ εὐμενῆ τῷ λαῷ, καὶ μυρίαις αὐτὸν ταῖς ἱκεσίαις ἐκλιπαρῶν, ἵνα τὴν συνεχῆ καὶ ἐπάλληλον τῶν συμφορῶν στήσας πληγὴν πάλιν ἐν ἀγαθῇ προνοίᾳ διοικῇ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὡς τὸ πρότερον, οὕτως φησί· Ὁ ποιμαίνων τὸν Ἰσραήλ, πρόσσχες, ὁ ὁδηγῶν ὡσεὶ πρόβατον τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Δυσωπεῖ γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν τοῖς τῶν ἀγαπητῶν καὶ φίλων ὀνόμασιν καὶ λίαν εὐμηχάνως τὴν ἱκετηρίαν μεταχειρίζεται τοῦ δυσσε βήσαντος πλήθους τὰς ἁμαρτίας οἷον ἐγκρύπτων καὶ σκέπων ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων προσηγορίαις. Τοῦτον ἡμῖν ὑπαγορεύει τὸν νοῦν καὶ ὁ περὶ τὰ Σόδομα σωζόμενος λόγος. Ἀβραὰμ γὰρ Σοδομίτας παραιτούμενος, ἡνίκα δυσμεναίνων αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ προρρήσεως ἐπήγαγεν τὴν κόλασιν, τῇ φειδοῖ τῶν δικαίων ἠξίου σωθῆναι τὸν σύμπαντα δῆμον.","english":"But Joseph, when Jacob had died, honoring him not so much because he loved him peculiarly as a father, as because he revered him as the common patriarch of the nation, carried the remains out of Egypt with that far-famed attendance of which we hear, so that Moses, along with the creation of the world and the rest of the history, recorded this also as a narrative for life. And Joseph again, while Israel was journeying, was stolen, as one might say, from the eyes of Pharaoh; yet everywhere the body was present with the people and was carried with care as a good and evil-averting safeguard, a secure protection for the sixty myriads. And they had as much reverence for the coffin of the forefather as for the holy ark that bore the law of God. Therefore David also, when somewhere entreating God to be merciful and gracious to the people, and imploring him with countless supplications, that having stopped the continuous and successive plague of calamities he might again govern Jerusalem in good providence as before, speaks thus: \"You who shepherd Israel, give heed, you who lead Joseph like a sheep.\" For he persuades God by the names of the beloved and the friends, and very ingeniously handles his supplication, as it were concealing and covering the sins of the impious multitude with the appellations of the holy fathers. The same meaning is suggested to us by the account concerning Sodom that was saved. For Abraham, interceding for the Sodomites when God, being hostile to them, brought punishment with forewarning, deemed it right that the whole people be saved by sparing the righteous.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":148,"ref":"p148","source":"Ἀρξάμενος γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν πεντήκοντα εἰς τοὺς δέκα κατέληξεν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἱκεσίαν εὐθέως ἔνευσεν ὁ Θεός, ὥσπερ ἐπί τινος ζυγοῦ καὶ πλαστίγγων ταῖς μυριάσι τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν τὸ τῶν δέκα δικαίων ἀντιστήσας ἀξίωμα. Ἵνα δὲ ἐπὶ πλέον ἐνδείξηται πᾶσιν ἡμῖν, ὅτι καὶ εἷς δίκαιος τίμιον πρᾶγμα καὶ Θεῷ φίλον, ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν δέκατος ἐξέλιπεν ἀριθμὸς καὶ εὑρέθη ταύτης τῆς ὀλιγότητος τῶν ὁσίων τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ δῆμος πενόμενος, ἐχρῆν δὲ τοὺς παρανομήσαντας δοῦναι θρασύτητος δίκην, σφοδρῶς ἐλαύνεται τῶν καταδικασθέντων τόπων ὁ Λὼτ καὶ σώζεται παγγενεὶ εἰς τὸ γέρας τῆς ἰδίας δικαιοσύνης καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους πάντας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσλαβών. Μέγα οὖν κτῆμα δίκαιος· πρῶτον ὄφελος ἑαυτῷ, ἔπειτα τοῖς ἑξῆς τοῦ γένους θησαυρὸς διαρκὴς ἀγνοούμενος τῇ θέᾳ καὶ ἀεὶ συμπαρών, σιωπῶν καὶ παιδεύων τοὺς ἄλλους πράγμασι· πάλαι κείμενος καὶ ζῶν ταῖς εὐδοκιμήσεσιν. Ἀγαθὴ τῶν παίδων κληρονομία καὶ ἄσυλος, ἣν χρόνος οὐ δαπανᾷ καὶ λῃστὴς οὐκ ἀφαιρεῖται. Ἀσώματος γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἄϋλος, ἀσωμάτοις ἐμπολιτευομένη ψυχαῖς. Ὁρᾷς ὡς καὶ οἱ ἔνδοξοι καὶ ἀοίδιμοι Ἰσραηλῖται πάντων ἀφῃρημένοι καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς γῆς ἐκπε σόντες τῆς πατρικῆς τῆς σεμνῆς προσηγορίας οὐκ ἀφῃρέθησαν οὐδὲ ἐγυμνώθησαν τοῦ καλεῖσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ φιλοθέου προπάτορος, ἀλλὰ καὶ βαρβάροις δουλεύοντες διὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην τῶν πατέρων ἠλευθερώθησαν καὶ ἐν ἐρήμῳ διαζῶντες διὰ τὴν εὐδοκίμησιν τῶν γεννησαμένων ἐτρά φησαν·","english":"For having begun from fifty, he came down to ten, and God immediately nodded assent to the supplication, as if setting the worth of ten righteous men against the myriads of sinners on some balance and scales. And to show us all still more plainly that even one righteous man is a precious thing and dear to God—since the number of ten had failed and the people of sinners was found destitute of this small company of the holy—and since those who had transgressed the law had to pay the penalty for their audacity, Lot is driven violently from the condemned places and is saved with his whole family as the prize of his own righteousness, receiving all his own from God. Great, then, is the possession of a righteous man: first a benefit to himself, then a lasting treasure for those who come after in his line, unknown to sight and always present, silent and instructing others by deeds, long laid to rest and yet living in his good repute. Good and inviolable is the inheritance of children, which time does not consume and a thief does not take away. For it is incorporeal and immaterial, dwelling in incorporeal souls. You see how the glorious and celebrated Israelites, though stripped of all things and fallen from their ancestral land itself, were not deprived of that august title nor stripped of being called after their God-loving forefather, but even while enslaved to barbarians they were set free because of the righteousness of their fathers, and living in the wilderness they were nourished because of the good repute of those who begot them.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":149,"ref":"p149","source":"καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντες συνεχῶς καὶ βλασφημοῦντες πολλάκις καὶ ἄξιοι νομισθέντες τῆς ὀλοθρευούσης κολάσεως διὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ φειδοῦς ἠξιώθησαν καὶ διὰ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἔτυχον συγγνώμης, θρασυκάρδιοι παῖδες εἰς τὰ γέρα τῶν πατέρων σωζόμενοι. Καὶ οἶδάς γε, ὁ φιλομαθής, ὡς ἐν πρώτοις ὁ Θεός, ἡνίκα ἐκ τῆς ποιμαντικῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῶν λαῶν ἐκάλει τὸν Μωϋσῆν, εὐθὺς ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν δοῦλόν φησιν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου, ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ. Καὶ μικρὸν πρόσω τοῦ λόγου γενόμενος ταῦτα προστίθησιν· Συνάγαγε τὴν γερουσίαν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν ὦπταί μοι, ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ. Καὶ οὕτως ἐν προοιμίοις ὁ Θεὸς τῷ ὀνόματι τῶν δικαίων πατέρων οἷον σημάντρῳ τινὶ τοὺς ἀπογόνους σφραγίζεται· καλὸν εἰδὼς καὶ συμφέρον τὸ ἀπ' ἐκείνων γνωρίζεσθαι. Χρόνου δὲ προελθόντος, ἐπειδὴ εἰς ὕβριν τοῦ εὐεργέτου ὥρμησεν ὁ λαὸς καὶ καταφρόνησιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος, προσέκοψαν δὲ τῇ εἰδωλοποιήσει τοῦ μόσχου καὶ προσεκύνουν κρανίον ἄψυχον τὴν ἔμψυχον καὶ λογικὴν φρόνησιν ἀπολέσαντες, οὐκ ἔχων ὁ Μωϋσῆς τηνικαῦτα","english":"And sinning continually and blaspheming often and deemed worthy of the destroying punishment, they were spared for Abraham's sake and obtained forgiveness for Israel's sake, bold-hearted children saved by the honors of their fathers. And you know, O lover of learning, that God, in the first place, when he was calling Moses from the shepherd's life to the leadership of the peoples, says these things at once to his servant: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And coming a little further in the account, he adds these things: Gather the elders of the sons of Israel and you shall say to them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And thus in the prefaces God seals the descendants, as it were with a certain seal, by the name of the righteous fathers, knowing it to be good and beneficial to be known by them. But as time went on, when the people rushed into insolence against their benefactor and contempt of the Savior, and they stumbled at the making of the idol of the calf and were worshiping a lifeless skull, having lost their living and rational understanding, Moses then, not having","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":150,"ref":"p150","source":"ὅπως ὑπὲρ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐξιλεώσηται τὸν Δεσπότην, ὁ παιδαγωγὸς ὁ πολύμοχθος καταφεύγει πρὸς τὴν μνήμην τῶν πατέρων καὶ μετ' ἐκείνων τὴν ἰκετηρίαν προβάλλεται, φησὶν δὲ οὕτως· Ἵλεως γενοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ μνησθεὶς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ τῶν σῶνἱκετῶν, οἷς ὤμοσας κατὰ σεαυτοῦ πληθῦναι τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Μεγάλη ἡ ὀργὴ καὶ ὁ θυμὸς ἀπαραίτητος· ἀλλ' ὁ σοφὸς καὶ εὐμήχανος ἱκέτης τὰ προσωπεῖα περι θέμενος τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τὰς πολίας τῶν γερόντων διὰ τῆς μνήμης τῷ Θεῷ ὑπορρίψας ἔσβεσεν ὡς φλόγα τὴν τιμωρίαν, πατρικῷ ἐλαίῳ τῶν μανέντων υἱῶν θεραπεύσας τὰ τραύματα. Καταλιπὼν τὴν Μωσαϊκὴν βίβλον ἐπὶ τὰς βίβλους τῶν Βασιλέων μετάβηθι. Ὄψει γὰρ κἀκεῖ παῖδα φειδοῦς ἀξιούμενον, διότι γέννημα ἦν φιλοθέου πατρός. Σολομὼν δέ ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ πολυθρύλητος· ὅς, ἐπειδὴ προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου οὐκ ἦν τῶν παθῶν αὐτοκράτωρ, δοῦλος δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀκρατέστερος σωμεραστής, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀπροσεξίαν τοῦ βίου μετέβαλεν καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν εὐσέβειαν, εἴδωλα μορφώσας τὰ τοῦ νόμου προσκόμματα· φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός· Διαρρήσων διαρρήξω τὴν βασιλείαν σου καὶ δώσω αὐτὴν τῷ δούλῳ σου· πλὴν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου οὐ ποιήσω ταῦτα διὰ Δαβὶδ τὸν πατέρα σου· ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ σου λήψομαι αὐτήν. Ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία παιδεύει· διδάσκει καὶ ἡ ᾠδὴ τῶν ψαλμῶν τὰ ὅμοια· Νεώτερος ἤμην· καὶ γὰρ ἐγήρασα καὶ οὐκ εἶδον δίκαιον ἐγκαταλελειμμένον οὐδὲ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ζητοῦν ἄρτους.","english":"So that he might propitiate the Master on behalf of the disciples, the much-toiling pedagogue flees to the remembrance of the fathers and, together with them, puts forward his supplication, and speaks thus: Be propitious for the wickedness of the people, remembering Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, your suppliants, to whom you swore by yourself to multiply their seed as the stars of heaven. Great is the wrath and the fury inexorable; but the wise and resourceful suppliant, putting on the masks of the saints and casting the gray hairs of the elders before God through remembrance, quenched the punishment like a flame, healing the wounds of the frenzied sons with the fatherly oil. Leaving the Mosaic book, pass over to the books of the Kings. For you will see there also a child deemed worthy of sparing, because he was the offspring of a God-loving father. And this is Solomon, the much-renowned; who, since as time went on he was not master of his passions, but rather a slave and a more intemperate lover of the body, and through the carelessness of his life changed even his ancestral piety, fashioning idols, the stumbling-blocks of the law—God says to him: I will surely tear asunder your kingdom and give it to your servant; nevertheless in your days I will not do these things, for David your father's sake; from the hand of your son I will take it. History teaches us these things; the song of the psalms teaches similar things: I was younger—for indeed I have grown old and I have not seen a righteous man forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":151,"ref":"p151","source":"Ἀλλ', ᾗ ἔοικεν, ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ ψυχὴ τῆς ἀληθείας καταθρασύνηται καὶ τὸ καινοτομεῖν ἐκπλήκτως ἀντὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἐν τάξει προέληται, οὐδὲν αὐτὴν ἐπιστρέφειν ἱκανὸν εἰς τὴν εὐθεῖαν καὶ τεταγμένην ὁδόν· ἐνδακοῦσα δὲ τὸν χαλινὸν ὥσπερ τις πῶλος δυσήνιος φέρεται πρὸς τὸ βάραθρον νικῶσα τὸν ἀναβάτην νοῦν τῇ πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ὁρμῇ, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ τοὺς Εὐνομιανοὺς τούτους ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Οὕτως γὰρ φιλοῦσι καλεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἄνθρωποι, Θεὸν βλασφημοῦντες, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀτιμάζοντες, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐντρεπόμενοι τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἀναπαύσεις ἢ οἱ σωφρονοῦντες τοὺς βωμοὺς καὶ τοὺς βεβήλους καὶ τοὺς μεμιασμένους τῶν τόπων. Ἐχρῆν δὲ τοὺς τῆς ἀπονοίας ἐκείνης ἀσκητὰς καὶ τὸ κατὰ πάντων θράσος ἀρετὴν νομίζοντας τὰς γοῦν τῶν δαιμόνων αἰδεσθῆναι φωνὰς κραζόντων καὶ βοώντων λαμπρῶς τῶν μαρτύρων τὴν δύναμιν καὶ ὀνόμασι καλούντων ἕκαστον ὡς παρεστῶτα καὶ ἀπελαύνοντα καὶ φυγα δεύοντα τῶν τυραννουμένων ἀνθρώπων. Εἴτε δὲ τὰ πνεύματα τῶν ἀθλητῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐθέλοι τις ἐνεργεῖν κατὰ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων εἴτε ἀγγέλους εἰς τιμὴν τῶν ἀναπεπαυμένων παρεδρεύοντας τοῖς ἁγίοις σηκοῖς, οὐδὲν διαφέρει· ὁπότερον γὰρ ἂν λέγηται, δόξα τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης ἐστὶ παθόντων. Πρόδηλον δὲ φαίνονται καθ' ἡμέραν αἱ τῶν μαρτύρων εὐεργεσίαι, ἄλλοτε ἄλλαι καὶ διαφερόντως, αἳ τῶν σατανικῶν ἐνεργημάτων ἐλευθεροῦσι τοὺς παραφόρους.","english":"But, it seems, once a soul has grown bold against the truth and has chosen to innovate astonishingly instead of living in order, nothing is sufficient to turn it back to the straight and ordered road; but having bitten the bit like some hard-mouthed colt, it is carried toward the precipice, conquering its rider, the mind, by its rush toward evil, just as one may see these Eunomians themselves. For thus they love to be called rather than men of Christ, blaspheming God, dishonoring the men of God, and indeed reverencing the resting-places of the saints less than those of sound mind reverence the altars and the profane and polluted places. But those practitioners of that madness, who consider their recklessness against all things a virtue, ought at least to have respected the voices of the demons crying out and loudly proclaiming the power of the martyrs and calling each by name as though present and driving away and putting to flight those who are tyrannized. And whether one wishes the spirits of the athletes of piety to be active against the unclean spirits, or angels attending in honor of those who have fallen asleep at the holy shrines, it makes no difference; whichever is said, it is the glory of those who suffered for love of Christ. And the benefactions of the martyrs are plainly evident day by day, at different times and in different ways, which free the deranged from satanic workings.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":152,"ref":"p152","source":"Οἱ γὰρ ὑλακτοῦντες καὶ τοῖς ἀδιηγήτοις τῆς μανίας ποτὲ κακοῖς ἐνεχόμενοι νῦν σωφρονοῦντες ὁρῶνται καὶ τῆς πρεσβείας τῶν ἁγίων τὴν παρρησίαν παρ' αὐτῶν βλέπομεν τῶν πραγμάτων μαρτυρουμένην. Καὶ ὥσπερ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δυνάμεως ἀναμφίβολα δείγματα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν Ἑβραίων περιενόστουν, οἵ τε τῆς λέπρας ἀποξεσθέντες καὶ οἱ τὰς ὄψεις ἰαθέντες τυφλοὶ καὶ εἴ τις παραλυτικὸς τὰς τῶν μελῶν ἁρμονίας δυναμωθεὶς ἀκωλύτως ἐβάδιζεν, οὕτως καὶ νῦν οἱ τὸν σταυρὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ σταυρωθέντος βαστάσαντες τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου χάριτος ἐναργεῖς τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρέχονται, ποικίλως καὶ διαφόρως τοὺς πιστοὺς τῶν ὁμοδούλων ἰώμενοι. Καὶ Παῦλος μὲν καὶ Πέτρος, ὁ μὲν διώξας τὸ τοῦ Πύθωνος δαιμόνιον, ὁ δὲ τὸν χωλὸν ἀναστήσας τῶν τοῦ ναοῦ προπυλαίων, ἐκ πρακτικῶν δυνάμεων Ἑβραίους καὶ Ἕλληνας πρὸς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐπέστρεψαν· αἱρετικῶν δὲ πονηρὸν σύνταγμα τὸ νῦν κακῶς διοχλοῦν τὴν ἡμετέραν\n\nζωὴν οὐδὲ τῇ μεγαλουργίᾳ τῶν θαυμάτων αἰδεῖται τοὺς μάρτυρας· πολυάνδρια δὲ καὶ τάφους καὶ κοιμήσεις αὐτῶν ὀνομάζουσι καὶ τὰς εἰσόδους αὐτὰς ὡς μιάσματι προστριβομένας μυσάττονται, οὐδὲ ἐκείνου τοῦ θεοπνεύστου λογίου τοῦ παρὰ παντὸς ᾀδομένου στόματος μνημονεύοντες, ὅτι· Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ. Εὐξώμεθα τοίνυν Θεῷ, παρακαλέσωμεν δὲ μάρτυρας τὸν κοινὸν δυσωπῆσαι Δεσπότην, ἵνα δοθῇ πνεῦμα κατανύξεως τοῖς παρὰ τῆς αἱρετικῆς πλάνης ἐνεργουμένοις, λυθείσης δὲ τῆς διχονοίας ὥσπερ μεσοτοίχου τινὸς ἢ φραγμοῦ εἰς ἀδελφικὴν οἱ πάντες συνέλθωμεν ἕνωσιν·","english":"For those who once barked and were caught up in the indescribable evils of madness are now seen to be of sound mind, and we see the boldness of the saints' intercession attested by the very facts themselves. And just as unmistakable proofs of our Savior's power walked about in the midst of the Hebrews—those cleansed of leprosy, the blind whose eyes were healed, and any paralytic whose joints were strengthened and who walked unhindered—so too now those who have taken up the cross on behalf of the Crucified provide clear demonstrations of the grace that comes from the Master, healing the faithful among their fellow servants in various and diverse ways. And Paul and Peter—the one who drove out the spirit of Python, the other who raised up the lame man from the temple's forecourt—through practical powers turned Hebrews and Greeks to obedience to the gospel. But the wicked company of heretics, which now grievously troubles our life, does not reverence the martyrs even by the greatness of their wonders; they call their burial places and tombs and resting places, and they recoil from their very entrances as defiled by pollution, not even remembering that God-inspired saying sung by every mouth: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Let us therefore pray to God, and let us entreat the martyrs to appease the common Master, that a spirit of compunction may be given to those who are worked upon by heretical error, and that, once dissension is dissolved like some dividing wall or fence, we may all come together into brotherly unity.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":153,"ref":"p153","source":"ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ πρέπει ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.\n\n11. Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας ἔκφρασις εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν Εὐφημίαν τὴν μάρτυρα Πρώην μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες, Δημοσθένην εἶχον ἐν χερσὶ τὸν δεινὸν καὶ Δημοσθένους ἐκεῖνα ἔνθα δὴ τὸν Αἰσχίνην πικροῖς βάλλει τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασιν· ἐγχρονίσας δὲ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ πυκνωθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν ἀνέσεως ἐδεόμην καὶ περιπάτου, ὥστε μοι λυθῆναι μικρὸν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ πονούμενον. Προελθὼν δὲ τοῦ δωματίου καὶ ὀλίγα τοῖς γνωρίμοις συμβαδίσας ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τέμενος ἀφικόμην εὐξόμενος ἐν σχολῇ· ὡς δὲ καὶ τούτου τυχὼν ἕνα δὴ τῶν ὑποστέγων δρόμων ἐβάδιζον, εἶδον ἐκεῖ γραφήν τινα καί με κατ' ἄκρας εἷλεν ἡ θέα· Εὐφράνορος ἂν εἶπες εἶναι τὸ φιλοτέχνημα ἤ τινος ἐκείνων τῶν παλαιῶν, οἳ τὴν γραφικὴν ἦραν εἰς μέγα ἐμψύχους ὀλίγου δέοντος ἐργασάμενοι πίνακας. Δεῦρο δ' εἰ βούλεικαὶ γὰρ σχολὴ νῦν διηγήματος, φράσω σοι τὴν γραφήν· οὐδὲ γὰρ φαυλότερα πάντως τῶν ζωγράφων οἱ μουσῶν παῖδες ἔχομεν φάρμακα. Γυνή τις ἱερὰ παρθένος ἀκήρατον Θεῷ τὴν σωφροσύνην καθιερώ σασαΕὐφημίαν καλοῦσιν αὐτήν, τυράννου δέ ποτε τοὺς εὐσεβοῦντας ἐλαύνοντος μάλα προθύμως τὸν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ εἵλετο κίνδυνον· οἱ δὲ δὴ πολῖται καὶ κοινωνοὶ τῆς θρησκείας ὑπὲρ ἧς ἐτελεύτησεν, ὡς ἀνδρείαν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἱερὰν τὴν παρθένον θαυμάσαντες, πλησίον τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὴν θήκην δειμάμενοι καταθέμενοί τε τὴν λάρνακα τιμὰς τελοῦσιν αὐτῇ καὶ τὴν ἐτήσιον ἑορτὴν κοινὴν καὶ πάνδημον ποιοῦνται πανήγυριν.","english":"in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen.\n\n11. An exposition by Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, on the holy martyr Euphemia. Previously, men, I had in my hands Demosthenes, that formidable man, and those speeches of Demosthenes where he assails Aeschines with bitter arguments; but having lingered over the text and grown dense in mind, I needed relaxation and a walk, so that the troubled part of my soul might be loosened a little. So I went out of my room and walked a short way with acquaintances through the marketplace, and from there I arrived at the sanctuary of God to pray in the portico. And when I had obtained this too and was walking along one of the covered colonnades, I saw there a certain painting, and the sight seized me completely. You would have said it was the work of Euphranor, or of one of those ancients who raised the art of painting to greatness by making their panels almost alive. But come, if you wish—for there is now leisure for a narrative—I will tell you the painting; for we children of the Muses surely have remedies no less effective than those of the painters. A certain woman, a sacred virgin, who had consecrated to God her chastity undefiled—they call her Euphemia—when a tyrant was once driving out the pious with great zeal, chose the danger that leads to death. And the citizens and those who shared the religion for which she died, marveling at the virgin as both brave and holy, built her tomb near the sanctuary, deposited the casket, and perform honors for her and make the annual festival a common and public assembly.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":154,"ref":"p154","source":"Οἱ μὲν οὖν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ μυστηρίων ἱεροφάνται καὶ λόγῳ τιμῶσι τὴν μνήμην ἀεὶ καὶ προαιρέσει καὶ ὅπως ἐξετέλεσε τὸν τῆς καρτερίας ἀγῶνα ἐπιμελῶς τοὺς συνιόντας λαοὺς ἐκδιδάσκουσιν. Ὁ δὲ δὴ ζωγράφος εὐσεβῶν καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τῆς τέχνης τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν πᾶσαν τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐν σινδόνι χαράξας αὐτοῦ που περὶ τὴν θήκην ἱερὸν ἀνέθηκε θέαμα· ἔχει δὲ ὧδε τὸ φιλοτέχνημα. Ὑψηλὸς ἐπὶ θρόνου καθίδρυται δικαστὴς πικρὸν καὶ δυσμενὲς βλέπων εἰς τὴν παρθένον· ὀργίζεται γὰρ ὅταν ἐθέλῃ κἀν ταῖς ἀψύχοις ὕλαις ἡ τέχνη. Δορυφόροι δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ στρατιῶται πολλοί, οἱ μὲν τῶν ὑπομνημάτων ὑπογραφεῖς δέλτους φέροντες καὶ γραφίδας, ὧν θάτερος ἀναρτήσας ἀπὸ τοῦ κηροῦ τὴν χεῖρα βλέπει πρὸς τὴν κρινομένην σφοδρῶς ὅλον ἐκκλίνας τὸ πρόσωπον, ὥσπερ παρακελευόμενος γεγωνότερον λαλεῖν ἵνα μὴ κάμνων περὶ τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐσφαλμένα γράφῃ καὶ ἐπιλήψιμα. Ἕστηκεν δὲ ἡ παρθένος ἐν φαιῷ χιτῶνι καὶ ἱματίῳ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν σημαίνουσα, ὡς μὲν ἔδοξε τῷ γραφεῖ, καὶ τὴν ὄψιν ἀστεία, ὡς δ' ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, τὴν ψυχὴν κεκαλλωπισμένη ταῖς ἀρεταῖς. Ἄγουσι δὲ αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα δύο στρατιῶται, ὁ μὲν ἕλκων ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσω, ὁ δὲ κατόπιν ἐπείγων. Κεκραμένον τῆς παρθένου τὸ εἶδος αἰδοῖ καὶ στερρότητι· νεύει μὲν γὰρ εἰς γῆν ὥσπερ ἐρυθριῶσα τὰς ὄψεις τῶν ἀρρένων, ἕστηκε δὲ ἀκατάπληκτος οὐδὲν","english":"So then, the hierophants of the mysteries of God honor the memory always both in word and in purpose, and they carefully teach the assembled peoples how she accomplished the contest of endurance. But the painter too, himself pious, through his art having sketched the whole story on a linen cloth as far as he was able, dedicated it as a sacred spectacle somewhere near her shrine; and the artistic work is as follows. A judge is seated high on a throne, looking bitterly and hostilely at the virgin; for art, when it wishes, grows angry even in lifeless materials. And there are guards of the magistracy and many soldiers, some of them recorders of the minutes carrying tablets and pens, one of whom, having suspended his hand from the wax, looks at the accused, turning his whole face intently, as if urging her to speak more loudly, so that, growing weary in hearing, he may not write things erroneous and open to censure. And the virgin stands in a gray tunic and cloak, signifying philosophy, as it seemed to the painter, and fair in appearance, but, as it seems to me, adorned in soul with virtues. And two soldiers lead her to the governor, the one dragging her forward, the other pressing her from behind. The virgin's appearance is tempered with modesty and firmness; for she inclines toward the ground as if blushing at the eyes of men, but she stands undaunted, nothing","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":155,"ref":"p155","source":"πάσχουσα πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα δειλόν. Ὡς ἔγωγε τοὺς ἄλλους τέως ἐπῄνουν ζωγράφους, ἐστ' ἂν ἐθεασάμην τῆς γυναικὸς ἐκείνης τῆς Κολχίδος τὸ δρᾶμα, ὅπως μέλλουσα τοῖς τέκνοις ἐπιφέρειν τὸ ξίφος ἐλέῳ καὶ θυμῷ μερίζει τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ θάτερος μὲν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὴν ὀργὴν ἐμφανίζει, θάτερος δὲ τὴν μητέρα μηνύει φειδομένην καὶ φρίττουσαν, νῦν δὲ τὸ θαῦμα ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς ἐννοίας πρὸς ταύτην μετατέθεικα τὴν γραφήν· καὶ σφόδρα γε ἄγαμαι τοῦ τεχνίτου, ὅτι μᾶλλον ἔμιξε τῶν χρωμάτων τὸ ἄνθος, αἰδῶ τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀνδρείαν κεράσας, πάθη κατὰ φύσιν μαχόμενα. Προβαινούσης δὲ εἰς τὸ πρόσω τῆς μιμήσεως, δήμιοί τινες ἐν χιτωνίσκοις γυμνοὶ ἤδη ἤρχοντο τοῦ ἔργου· καὶ ὁ μὲν δραξάμενος τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ ἀνακλίνας εἰς τὸ κατόπιν παρεῖχε τῷ ἑτέρῳ εὐτρεπὲς εἰς τιμωρίαν τῆς παρθένου τὸ πρόσωπον· ὁ δὲ παραστὰς ἐξέκοπτε τῶν ὀδόν των τὸ μαργαρῶδες· σφῦρα δὲ καὶ τέρετρον φαίνεται τῆς τιμωρίας τὰ ὄργανα. Δακρύω δὲ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν καί μοι τὸ πάθος ἐπικόπτει τὸν λόγον· τὰς γὰρ τοῦ αἵματος σταγόνας οὕτως ἐναργῶς ἐπέχρωσεν ὁ γραφεὺς ὥστε εἴποις ἂν προχεῖσθαι τῶν χειλέων ἀληθῶς καὶ θρηνήσας ἀπέλθοις. Δεσμωτήριον μετὰ ταῦτα· καὶ πάλιν ἡ παρθένος σεμνὴ ἐν τοῖς φαιοῖς ἱματίοις κάθηται μόνη ἐκτείνουσα τὼ χεῖρε πρὸς οὐρανὸν καὶ καλοῦσα Θεὸν ἐπίκουρον τῶν δεινῶν· εὐχομένῃ δὲ αὐτῇ φαίνεται ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς τὸ σημεῖον ὃ δὴ νόμος χριστιανοῖς προσκυνεῖν τε καὶ ἐπιγράφεσθαι, σύμβολον οἶμαι τοῦ πάθους ὅπερ αὐτὴν ἐξεδέχετο.","english":"suffering cowardice in the face of the contest. Indeed, I used to praise the other painters for a time, until I beheld the drama of that woman of Colchis, how, when she was about to bring the sword upon her children, she divides her face between pity and wrath, and the one of her eyes displays anger, while the other reveals the mother sparing and shuddering. But now I have transferred the wonder from that conception to this painting; and I greatly admire the craftsman, because he blended the flower of the colors more fully, mingling shame and courage together—passions that by nature war against each other. As the imitation advanced toward the face, certain executioners in tunics, now stripped bare, began the work; and one, seizing her head and bending it backward, offered the face of the virgin to the other, ready for punishment; and the other, standing by, cut out the pearl-like substance of her teeth; and a hammer and a drill appear as the instruments of the punishment. From this point I weep, and the suffering cuts short my speech; for the painter colored in the drops of blood so vividly that you would say they truly poured from her lips, and you would go away lamenting. After this, a prison; and again the venerable virgin sits alone in dark garments, stretching out her hands to heaven and calling upon God as helper in her terrors; and as she prays, there appears above her head the sign which it is the custom for Christians to venerate and to inscribe—a symbol, I think, of the suffering that awaited her.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":156,"ref":"p156","source":"Εὐθὺς γοῦν καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον πῦρ ἀλλαχοῦ σφοδρὸν ὁ ζωγράφος ἀνῆψεν, ἐρυθρῷ χρώματι ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν ἐπιλαμφθέντι σωματοποιήσας τὴν φλόγα. Ἵστησι δὲ μέσην αὐτήν, τὰς μὲν χεῖρας πρὸς οὐρανὸν διαπλώσασαν, ἀχθηδόνα δὲ οὐδεμίαν ἐπιφαίνουσαν τῷ προσώπῳ, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον γεγηθυῖαν ὅτι πρὸς τὴν ἀσώματον καὶ μακαρίαν ἐξεδήμει ζωήν. Μέχρι τούτου καὶ ὁ ζωγράφος ἔστησε τὴν χεῖρα κἀγὼ τὸν λόγον· ὥρα δέ σοι καὶ αὐτήν, εἰ βούλει, τελέσαι τὴν γραφήν, ἵνα κατίδῃς ἀκριβῶς, εἰ μὴ πολὺ κατόπιν τῆς ἐξηγήσεως ἤλθομεν.\n\n12. Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Στέφανον τὸν πρωτομάρτυρα Ὡς ἱερὸς ἀληθῶς καὶ καλὸς τῶν εὐφραινόντων ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων ὁ κύκλος! Ἑορτὴ γὰρ ἑορτὴν διαδέχεται καὶ πανήγυρις καταλαμβάνει πανήγυριν· καλούμεθα δὲ ἀπὸ εὐχῆς εἰς εὐχὴν καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου τὰ θεο φάνεια καταλαμβάνει ἡ τοῦ δούλου τιμή. Κἄν τε δὲ πρὸς τὴν γέννησίν τις ἀπίδῃ τοῦ χθὲς τεχθέντος διὰ σαρκὸς καὶ ἀεὶ ὄντος κατὰ θεότητα, κἄν τε πρὸς τὸ ἐκείνου μαρτύριον, ὅπερ σήμερον ὁ γενναῖος ὑπέστη θεράπων, πολλὰ μὲν εὑρήσει καὶ ποικίλα τὰ πράγματα, ἕνα δὲ σκόπον, ἵνα ἡμεῖς διδαχθῶμεν εὐσέβειαν. Χθὲς μὲν οὖν ἐμάθομεν διὰ τῆς ἐγκυκλίου καὶ συνήθους ἑορτῆς, ὅτι ἐγεννήθη ὁ τοῦ κόσμου Σωτὴρ καὶ ὁ ἄσαρκος τὴν σάρκα ἠμφιάσατο καὶ ὁ ἀσώματος ἐνεδύσατο σῶμα, εἶτα ὅτι καὶ πάθη ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατεδέξατο καὶ ὑψώθη ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἄλλου τινὸς ἢ ὑπὲρ ἡμετέρας προνοίας. Σήμερον δὲ βλέπομεν τὸν γενναῖον ἀγωνιστὴν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου καταλιθούμενον, ἵνα αἵματι ἀποτίσῃ τὴν ὑπὲρ αἵματος χάριν.","english":"Immediately, then, and shortly after, the painter kindled a fierce fire elsewhere, giving the flame bodily form with red color smeared on this side and that. And he sets her in the middle, her hands spread out toward heaven, displaying no distress in her face, but on the contrary rejoicing that she was departing to the incorporeal and blessed life. Up to this point the painter stayed his hand, and I my discourse; but it is time for you too, if you wish, to complete the painting, so that you may see clearly whether we have not come far behind the explanation.\n\n12. An encomium by Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, on Saint Stephen the protomartyr. How truly sacred and beautiful is the cycle of things that gladden us! For feast succeeds feast and festival overtakes festival; we are called from prayer to prayer, and the honor of the servant follows upon the Lord's Theophany. And whether one looks to the birth of him who was born yesterday through the flesh and always exists according to divinity, or to that man's martyrdom, which the noble servant endured today, one will find many and varied events, but one aim: that we might be taught piety. Yesterday, then, we learned through the customary and ordinary feast that the Savior of the world was born, and that the fleshless one clothed himself with flesh and the bodiless one put on a body, and then that he also accepted sufferings for our sake and was lifted up on the wood for no other reason than for our providence. Today we see the noble contestant being stoned for his sake, so that by blood he might pay the debt for the grace that came by blood.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":157,"ref":"p157","source":"Στέφανος οὖν, ὁ τῆς πανηγύρεως ταύτης συναγωγεύς, ὁ καλέ σας ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν ὁρωμένην εὐφροσύνην, ὁ δημαγωγήσας ὡς ἕνα τὴν πόλιν, ἀνὴρ ἀπαρχὴ τῶν μαρτύρων, διδάσκαλος τῶν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πόνων, κρηπὶς τῆς καλῆς ὁμολογίας. Πρὸ γὰρ Στεφάνου οὐδεὶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐξέχεεν αἷμα. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ Κάϊν ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀδελφοκτόνος καθώς με διδάσκει ἡ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἱστορία τὴν ἀδελφοκτονίαν\n\nεἰργάσατο ἀναλαβὼν γὰρ ἀντὶ τῆς φυσικῆς φιλίας ἔριδα πρῶτος φόνῳ τὴν γῆν ἐκαίνισεν, οὕτως καὶ Στέφανος ὁ τρισμακάριος πρῶτος τῷ οἰκείῳ αἵματι τὴν γῆν διὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἀγωνισμάτων ἡγίασεν, ἀνὴρ τοῖς χρόνοις τῶν ἀποστόλων δεύτερος, τοῖς δὲ ἀνδραγαθήμασι πρῶτος. Καί μοι μὴ ἀγανακτήσῃς Πέτρε, μὴ ἀχθεσθῇς Ἰάκωβε, μὴ δυσχεράνῃς Ἰωάννη, εἰ μὴ μόνον συγκρίνω τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ φιλοσοφίᾳ τὸν ἄνδρα, ἀλλ' εἴ τι καὶ πλέον αὐτῷ νέμειν ἐθέλω· μᾶλλον γάνυσθε, ἄφθονοι γάρ ἐστε πατέρες καὶ τοῖς κατορθώμασι τῶν υἱῶν ἐπαγάλλεσθε καὶ ἡδέως νικᾶσθε παρὰ τῶν τέκνων εἰς ἀρετήν. Εἰ γάρ τι καλὸν καὶ μέγα παρὰ Στεφάνῳ, τοῦτο πάντως ὑμέτερον, τῶν παιδευτῶν ἐκείνου καὶ μυσταγωγῶν. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἀθλητῶν εὐδοκίμησις δόξα γίνεται τοῦ παιδοτρίβου. Διὸ μικρὸν ὑμᾶς παραιτησάμενος ἐρῶ μετὰ παρρησίας ἅ μοι δίδωσιν ἡ ὑπόθεσις εἰς συνηγορίαν τοῦ κατὰ Χριστὸν ἀριστέως. Πρεσβύτερος εἶ τῶν μαθητῶν, ἅγιε Πέτρε, καὶ πρὸ πάντων τὸν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κατήγγειλας.","english":"Stephen, then, the convener of this festival, the one who called us to the visible joy, the one who led the city as a single people, a man who is the firstfruits of the martyrs, the teacher of labors for Christ, the foundation of the noble confession. For before Stephen no one shed blood for the gospel. But just as that Cain, the fratricide—as the history of Moses teaches me—worked fratricide, for taking up strife instead of natural friendship, he first defiled the earth with murder, so also Stephen, the thrice-blessed, first sanctified the earth with his own blood through his pious struggles, a man second to the apostles in time, but first in deeds of valor. And do not be vexed with me, Peter; do not be annoyed, James; do not be displeased, John, if I not only compare the man with your philosophy but even wish to assign him something more; rather, rejoice, for you are fathers free from envy and exult in the achievements of your sons and are gladly conquered by your children in virtue. For if there is anything noble and great in Stephen, it is entirely yours, his teachers and initiators. For the good repute of athletes becomes the glory of the trainer. Therefore, having briefly excused myself before you, I will speak with boldness what the subject gives me for the advocacy of the champion according to Christ. You are the elder of the disciples, holy Peter, and before all you proclaimed Jesus Christ.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":158,"ref":"p158","source":"Ἔτι δὲ σοῦ τὸν λόγον τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν κηρύττοντος καὶ πόλιν ἐκ πόλεως μετιόντος καὶ χώραν ἐκ χώρας ἀμεί βοντος καὶ πονοῦντος τὸ κήρυγμα, οὗτος εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ στάδιον καὶ ἁρπάσας τῶν ἀγωνισμάτων τὸν στέφανον, μετελθὼν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐδοξάσθη ἔτι σοῦ περὶ γῆν στρεφομένου· καὶ τὸ μεῖζον αὐτοῦ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καλούντων αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς θαυμαστῆς ὀπτασίας. Οὕτως μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ἀρκεῖ τὰ εἰρημένα. Τολμηρὸν γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον περὶ πρωτείων ἁμιλλᾶσθαι πατράσιν. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰ σά, Ἰάκωβε, ἀδελφὲ τοῦ Ἰωάννου. Εὐαγγελιστὴς εἶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, θήραμα δεύτερον μετὰ Πέτρον. Καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀγασθείη σου τῆς πίστεως; Μόνον γὰρ ἐκλήθης καὶ μηδὲν μελλήσας ὑπήκουσας. Κατέλιπες μετὰ τῆς πορθμίδος καὶ τὸν πατέρα τὸν Ζεβεδαῖον· ἠκολούθησας δὲ καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ὡς γνήσιος μαθητής. Ἔπαθες ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας προθύμως, ὁμολογῶ· μαχαίρᾳ γάρ σε Ἡρώδης ὁ τύραννος διεχρήσατο, ἀλλὰ μετὰ Στέφανον πολλοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις. Καὶ τί τοὺς καθ' ἕκαστον ὀνομάζω, ὁπότε κατὰ πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ἁγίων τὸ τοῦ μαρτυρίου βραβεῖον ἀνείλετο, πρῶτος πρὸς τὸν διάβολον παραταξάμενος καὶ πρῶτος νικήσας, μιμη σάμενος τὸν Δαβίδ, εἰ καὶ δι' ἀντιστρόφου τοῦ πράγματος; Λίθοις ὁ Δαβὶδ τὸν Γολιὰθ ἐνίκησε, λίθοις καὶ Στέφανος τὸν διάβολον· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν οἷς ἔβαλεν, ὁ δὲ οἷς ἐβλήθη. Ἡμεῖς δέ, ὁ Χριστοῦ λαός, ὡς ἡ στρατιὰ τότε τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κράζωμεν καὶ εὐφημῶμεν τὰ ἐπινίκια ὡς παρόντα βλέποντες, ὡς ἑστῶτα θαυμάζοντες. Καλὸς μὲν γὰρ ἅπας ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑπερμαχῶν, κἂν δεύτερος ἢ τρίτος τοῖς προαθλήσασιν ἐπιγένηται·","english":"While you were still proclaiming the word of the Gospel and going from city to city and passing from region to region and laboring in the preaching, this man entered the stadium and seized the crown of the contests, and passing over into heaven was glorified while you were still turning about upon the earth—and, what is greater, while his Father and the Son were calling him through the wondrous vision. Thus, then, both Peter and what has been said is sufficient. For it is bold to strive at greatest length over primacies among the fathers. But let us also look at your own contests, James, brother of John. You are an evangelist of Christ, the second catch after Peter. And who would not marvel at your faith? For you were called alone, and without delaying at all you obeyed. You left, along with the boat, even your father Zebedee, and you followed Christ as a genuine disciple. You suffered eagerly for piety, I confess; for Herod the tyrant put you to death with the sword, but after Stephen, many years later. And why do I name each one individually, when he took up the prize of martyrdom against all the saints together, first arrayed against the devil and first victorious, imitating David—even if by the reverse of the matter? David conquered Goliath with stones, and Stephen conquered the devil with stones; but the one with the stones he threw, the other with the stones he was struck by. And let us, the people of Christ, as the army of Israel then, cry out and acclaim the victory songs, seeing them as present, marveling at them as standing before us. For every champion of piety is noble, even if he comes second or third after those who contended before him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":159,"ref":"p159","source":"οὐ μὴν τοιούτου θαύματος ἄξιος οὗπερ ὁ πρῶτος. Ὁ μὲν δεύτερος ζήλῳ τοῦ προλαβόντος ἐναχθεὶς πρὸς τὴν μίμησιν οὕτως ἑλκύσθη πρὸς τὴν σπουδήν· ὁ δὲ μηδενὶ καθηγεμόνι χρησάμενος, εὑρετὴς δὲ γεγονὼς τοῦ καλοῦ εἰκότως τὴν τοῦ πρωτείου δέχεται ψῆφον. Μεγάλη οὖν ἡ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προθυμία, διὸ μεγάλη καὶ ἡ τιμή· ἀθάνατος δὲ ἡ μνήμη, ἣν οὔτε λήθη ἐκάλυψεν οὔτε χρόνος ἠμαύρωσεν, ἀλλὰ γενεὰ ἐκ γενεᾶς διαδεχομένη τὰ διηγήματα ταύτην ἀπαραβάτως τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελοῦμεν, ἱερεῖς, λαός, παῖδες, ἄνδρες, γυναῖκες. Σκοπητέον δὲ καὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν αὐτήν, ἵνα ἐν χρῷ τῶν πραγμάτων γενόμενοι μᾶλλον τὸν ἄνδρα θαυμάσωμεν. Πρῶτος ἦν τῶν κατὰ Χριστὸν διακόνων ὁ Στέφανος, ἡγιασμένος τῇ χάριτι, σκεῦος πεπληρωμένον τοῦ Πνεύματος, καθ' ἡμέραν βεβαιῶν τοὺς οἰκείους καὶ τοὺς πλανωμένους πρὸς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὑποστρέφων ὁδόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ σφοδρότερον εἴχετο τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ μᾶλλον παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀποστόλους τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐλύπει καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνων τὸν πρῶτον δυσμενῆ τὸν διάβολον. Πυρώδεις γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐφίστησι καὶ ἄγριον βλέποντας τοῖς μᾶλλον τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ συνισταμένοις. Ἤγειρεν οὖν αὐτῷ σύστημα τὸ τῶν Ἀλεξανδρέων γένος εἰς στάσιν ὀξύρροπον. Πάντως δὲ ἀκηκόατε τοὺς ἄνδρας τῆς πόλεως, ὅπως θερμοί τε εἰσὶ καὶ ζέοντες ἐπὶ πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν προχείρως","english":"Yet he is not worthy of the same wonder as the first. The second, driven by zeal for the one who came before him to imitation, was thus drawn to earnestness; but the one who had no guide and became the discoverer of the good rightly receives the verdict of the first place. Great, then, was the man's eagerness, and therefore great also was his honor; and immortal is his memory, which neither forgetfulness covered nor time obscured, but generation succeeding generation through the accounts, we celebrate this feast unfailingly—priests, people, children, men, women. But we must also consider the account itself, so that, coming into close contact with the facts, we may marvel at the man all the more. Stephen was the first of the deacons in Christ, sanctified by grace, a vessel filled with the Spirit, daily strengthening his own and turning back those who were led astray to the straight way. And since he clung more vehemently to the teaching, he grieved the enemies more than the rest of the apostles, and before them the first enemy, the devil. For that one fixes his fiery eyes, and savage-looking, upon those who stand more firmly in piety. So he raised up against him a faction of the Alexandrian race, swift-flowing toward sedition. And surely you have heard how the men of the city are hot and boiling for whatever they readily","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":160,"ref":"p160","source":"ὁρμήσωσιν. Ὡς δὲ τὸ πλῆθος ἐθεάσατο τῶν ἐπ' αὐτὸν συρρεόντων, ἐν ἀπόρῳ μὲν εἶχε θέσθαι τὸ παρόν· ὅμως δὲ τέχνην εὗρεν εὐμήχανον λόγον ἐμμελῆ καὶ πρᾶον. Οὐδὲν γὰρ φάρμακον τοιοῦτον εἰς θεραπείαν θυμοῦ καὶ κινήσεως, οἷον παραίνεσις προσηνὴς καὶ εὐάρμοστος. Καὶ εἴπατέ μοι, φησί, τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ μίσους, ἀνθ' ὅτου δὲ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπανατείνεσθε καὶ προδηλοί ἐστε ὡς σπαράξοντες. Εἰπόντων δὲ ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ καταλύεις τοὺς πατρῴους νόμους καὶ ξένων εἶ δογμάτων εἰσηγητής, στὰς εἰς μέσον ὁ μακάριος, ἄτεχνος καὶ αὐτοσχέδιος ῥήτωροὐ γὰρ ἔλεγεν ἅπερ ἐκ τέχνης ἔμαθεν, ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἐνεπνεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος, Ἄνδρες, φησίν, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες, ἀκούσατε. Σοφὸν τὸ προοίμιον, ἀρίστη πρὸς δῆμον θερμαινόμενον ἡ τῆς δημηγορίας ἀρχή. Τὰ γὰρ μειλίχια καὶ προσηνῆ τῶν ῥημάτων οἷον μέλιτός τινος μετέχοντα ἢ ἐλαίῳ ἁπαλῷ παραπλήσια τὴν φλεγμονὴν τῶν θηρίων κατέστελλεν. Ἔπειτα ἄνεισι τῇ μνήμῃ πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραάμ, ἵνα καὶ παλαιῶν ἀρξάμενος χρόνων καὶ μακρὸν ἀποτείνων λόγον ἐν πολλῷ τῷ μέσῳ λάθῃ δαπανήσας τὸν θυμὸν ἐκλυόμενον. Καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνην ῥῆσιν ἐξεργασάμενος δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ Μωϋσῆς προεφήτευσε τὸν Χριστόν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἀξιοπιστίας τοῦ νομοθέτου εὐφυῶς, ὥσπερ κλέπτων, παρεισαγάγῃ τὸν τῆς πίστεως λόγον. Πάντα δὲ εἴρηκεν ἐπιστημόνως, ὅσα πρὸς ὠφέλειαν συνετέλει τῶν ἀκουόντων.","english":"they rushed. But when he saw the multitude of those streaming toward him, he was at a loss how to deal with the present situation; nevertheless he found a resourceful device: a fitting and gentle word. For there is no remedy for the healing of anger and agitation such as a mild and harmonious exhortation. And he said to them, \"Tell me the reason for your hatred, and for what cause you raise your hands against me and are plainly ready to tear me apart.\" And when they said, \"Because you destroy the ancestral laws and are an introducer of foreign doctrines,\" the blessed man stood in their midst, an artless and extemporaneous orator—for he did not speak what he had learned by art, but what he was inspired with by the Spirit—and said, \"Men, brothers and fathers, hear me.\" Wise was the introduction, and the beginning of his address was most excellent against a heated crowd. For the soothing and gentle quality of his words, partaking as it were of honey or resembling soft oil, checked the inflammation of the beasts. Then he ascends by memory to Abraham, so that, beginning from ancient times and stretching out a long discourse, he might in the great interval unnoticed expend their anger as it relaxed. And having worked out that long speech, he shows that Moses too foretold Christ, so that through the credibility of the lawgiver he might cunningly, as if stealing in, introduce the word of faith. And he spoke everything knowledgeably, all that contributed to the benefit of his hearers.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":161,"ref":"p161","source":"Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν κακίαν εἶδεν ἀνένδοτον καὶ τὴν γνώμην ἀμάλακτον, τότε λοιπὸν παρρησίας πλησ θεὶς καὶ ἀπαγορεύσας πρὸς τὴν ἐνθάδε ζωὴν πᾶσαν δὲ καταλιπὼν τέχνην τὴν κολακεύουσαν ἀπαρακαλύπτως αὐτοὺς προσηγόρευσε σκληροτραχήλους, ἀπεριτμήτους τῇ καρδίᾳ, τῷ νόμῳ μαχομένους, πολεμοῦντας τῷ Πνεύματι. Καὶ τίνα τὰ ἐντεῦθεν; Περιέστησαν αὐτόν, ὡς Δεσπότην, κύνες πολλοὶ καὶ ταῦροι πίονες, κατὰ τὴν ψαλμῳδίαν περιέσχον τὸν δίκαιον. Εἱστήκει δὲ μόνος πανταχόθεν τῷ δήμῳ τῶν φονευτῶν κεκυκλωμένος. Οὐδεὶς δὲ ἦν κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ὥραν ἐγγύς, οὐ φίλος, οὐκ οἰκεῖος, οὐ συγγενής. Φέρει γάρ πως παραμυθίαν τοῖς κινδυνεύουσι τὸ βλέπειν ἐκ τοῦ σύνεγγύς τινα τῶν γνωρίμων. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου ἀγωνίσματος ὑψηλὸς ἀγωνοθέτης καταμαθὼν ὡς χρεία τῷ ἀνδρὶ παραστάτουεἰ γὰρ καὶ σφόδρα γενναῖος ἦν, πάντως ἔπασχε τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἀθρόον αὐτῷ φαίνεται πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀτενίσαντι, δείκνυσιν δὲ καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀνθρωπήσεως σχήματι. Ὢ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας! Ὢ τῆς ἀγαθοσύνης! Ἐπεφάνησαν τῷἀθλητῇ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἠγωνίζετο καὶ μόνον οὐκ ἀφῆκε τοιαύτην φωνὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· Μηδὲν ἀγεννὲς πάθῃς, ὦ Στέφανε· οὐδένα ἔχεις ἀνθρώπων σύμμαχον, οὐδείς σοι παρέστηκε τῶν φίλων ἐν καιρῷ τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ μετὰ τοῦ Ἀγαπητοῦ ἐποπτεύω τὰ δρώμενα. Ἑτοίμη ἡ ἀνάπαυσις, ἀναπεπταμέναι τοῦ παραδείσου αἱ πύλαι. Μικρὸν καρτερίσας κατάλιπε βίον πρόσκαιρον καὶ σπεῦσον πρὸς ζωὴν τὴν ἀΐδιον καὶ ἀτέλεστον. Ἔτι τυγχάνων ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ βλέπεις Θεόν, πρᾶγμα πάσης ἐγκοσμίου φύσεως μεῖζον.","english":"But when he saw that their wickedness was unyielding and their resolve unsoftened, then at last, filled with boldness and having renounced the life here below and abandoned every art that flatters, he addressed them openly, calling them stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart, fighting against the law, warring against the Spirit. And what followed from this? Many dogs and fat bulls surrounded him, as their master, and according to the psalmody they encompassed the righteous man. And he stood alone, encircled on every side by the mob of murderers. And there was no one near at that hour, no friend, no household member, no kinsman. For seeing someone of one's acquaintances close at hand brings some consolation to those in danger. But the lofty judge of the great contest, having perceived that the man needed a supporter—for even if he was exceedingly noble, he was certainly suffering human things—suddenly appears to him as he looked intently toward heaven, and shows him also the Son standing at his right hand in the form of his humanity. O the love of humanity! O the goodness! They appeared to the athlete for whose sake he was contending, and the God of all all but uttered such a voice to him: Suffer nothing ignoble, O Stephen; you have no man as an ally, none of your friends stands by you in the time of terrors, but I with the Beloved watch over what is being done. The rest is ready, the gates of paradise are opened wide. Endure a little, leave behind this fleeting life, and hasten to the life that is eternal and unending. While still in the flesh you see God, a thing greater than every earthly nature.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":162,"ref":"p162","source":"Ἐμυσταγωγήθης παρὰ τῶν πρεσ βυτέρων ἀποστόλων, ὅτι ὁ Πατὴρ ἔχει Υἱὸν γνήσιον ἀγαπητόν. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μέν σοι ἑαυτὸν ἐμφανίζω ὡς δύνασαι φέρειν. Παρέστηκε δέ μοι καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ἐκ δεξιῶν, ἵνα τῇ σχέσει τοῦ τόπου γνῷς τὴν τιμήν. Ἐσκανδάλιζε τότε τοὺς πολλούς, εἰ Θεὸς ἐν γῇ σάρκα περιεβάλετο· ἀλλ' ὅρα νῦν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ὕψει μετ' ἐμοῦ οὐράνιον καὶ ὑπερουράνιον φέροντα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μορφὴν εἰς βεβαίωσιν τῆς τελεσθείσης οἰκονομίας. Ὑπὲρ τούτου καταλιθούμενος μὴ ὀκλάσῃς, μὴ ἀτονήσῃς. Βλέπων δὲ τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην μὴ φοβηθῇς τὸν ἀγῶνα. Ἄφες τὸ σῶμα καταφρονῶν ὡς δεσμὸν γήϊνον, ὡς οἶκον σαθρόν, ὡς σκεῦος κεραμέως φθαρτόν. Ἀνάδραμε πρὸς τὴν ἐνθάδε λῆξιν ἐλεύθερος, ἕτοιμος γάρ σοι τῆς ἀνδραγαθίας ὁ στέφανος. Μετάστηθι πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐκ τῆς γῆς. Ἄφες τὸ σῶμα τοῖς μιαιφόνοις ὡς βρῶμα κυσί. Κατάλιπε λυσσῶντα δῆμον καὶ ἐλθὲ πρὸς χορὸν ἀγγέλων. Μετὰ ταύτης τῆς γνώμης ὁ Θεὸς ἐπεφάνη τῷ καρτερῷ, ἵνα μή τι\n\nπάθῃ δειλὸν καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἐκλύσῃ προθυμίαν τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ φόβου. Διὸ οὔτε ἄγγελον αὐτῷ ἔπεμψε βοηθὸν ὡς τοῖς ἀποστόλους ὕστερον ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ, οὔτε τινὰ δύναμιν λειτουργικὴν καὶ ὁμοδοῦλον, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐνεφάνισεν. Ἀπαρχὴ γὰρ ἐγένετο τότε τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ ἔδει τὸ πρῶτον ἔργον τελειωθῆναι, ἵνα οἱ ἑξῆς ἐποικοδομούμενοι μάρτυρες ἰσχυρὰν λάβωσι τοῦ ζήλου τὴν ὑποβάθραν καὶ μὴ δειλίας γένωνται μιμηταί, ὅπερ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κοινῶν γίνεται πολέμων.","english":"You were initiated by the elder apostles into the mystery that the Father has a genuine and beloved Son. Behold, I reveal myself to you as you are able to bear. And my Son stands at my right hand, so that by the position of the place you may know the honor. It was a stumbling block to many at that time that God should clothe himself in flesh on earth; but look now at him on high with me, heavenly and above the heavens, bearing the form of a man for the confirmation of the accomplished dispensation. For his sake, when you are being stoned, do not falter, do not grow faint. But looking at the judge of the contest, do not fear the struggle. Let the body go, despising it as an earthly bond, as a crumbling house, as a fragile vessel of clay. Run back as a free man to the portion here, for the crown of your valor is ready for you. Depart from the earth to heaven. Leave the body to the murderers as food for dogs. Abandon the raving mob and come to the choir of angels. With this purpose God appeared to the steadfast man, so that he might not suffer anything cowardly and relax his great zeal through the magnitude of fear. Therefore he sent him neither an angel as a helper, as later to the apostles in the prison, nor any ministering and fellow-servant power, but he himself appeared. For at that time he was the firstfruits of martyrdom, and it was necessary that the first work be completed, so that the martyrs built up afterward might receive a strong foundation of zeal and not become imitators of cowardice, which indeed also happens in ordinary wars.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":163,"ref":"p163","source":"Εἷς γὰρ στρατιώτης πρόμαχος, ὁ τοῦ ἔργου παρασχὼν τὸ ἐνδόσιμον, νικήσας μὲν καὶ ἀνδρισάμενος πάντας τοὺς ἰδίους ἐπέρρωσε καὶ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους κατέπληξεν, ἀσθενὲς δέ τι παθὼν εὐθὺς κατακλᾷ καὶ δειλίας πληροῖ τὰς τῶν ὁμοφύλων ψυχὰς καὶ φυγῆς γίνεται σύνθημα. Διὰ τοῦτο μὲν ὁ Θεὸς οὐρανόθεν ἐφάνη. Ὁ δὲ τῆς μεγάλης ὀπτασίας ἀξιωθεὶς οἵας οὐκ ἄλλος, οὐ κατέσχε σιωπῇ ἅπερ εἶδεν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἐξεβόησεν· Ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρα νοὺς ἀνεῳγμένους καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐνόμισε γὰρ τὸ ἐξαγορεῦσαι τὴν ὁπτασίαν τοὺς ἀπίστους ἑλκύσειν εἰς συγκατάθεσιν. Οἱ δὲ τὸ λεχθὲν πλείονος ὀργῆς καὶ μανίας ἀφορμὴν ποιησάμενοι ἐπιφραξάμενοί τε τὰς ἀκοὰς πρὸς τὸν λόγον ὡς βλάσφημον εἴχοντο παραχρῆμα τοῦ φόνου. Ἑλκύσαντες δὲ ἔξω τῆς πόλεως τὸν χριστοφόρον ἄνθρωπον, βαστάζοντα τὴν ὑπομονὴν ὡς ὁ Κύριος τὸν σταυρόν, κακῷ τὸ κακὸν ἰῶνται καὶ φόνῳ ὑπὲρ τοῦ φόνου ἀπολογοῦνται καὶ τῷ σταυρῷ τοὺς λίθους συνάπτουσι. Στήσαντες δὲ τὸν τρισμακάριον ἐπί τινος ἰσοπέδου χωρίου, τὸ μακρὸν ἐκεῖνο σῶμα καὶ ὑψηλὸν τῶν μαρτύρων τρόπαιον, καὶ κύκλῳ περισχόντες αὐτὸν ὁ τῶν αἱμάτων καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς δῆμος, καὶ τὴν καλουμένην ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις μιμησάμενοι σαγηνείαν ἔβαλλον λίθοις τὸν τοῦ ἀκρογωνιαίου λίθου διάκονον καὶ πᾶσα χεὶρ Ἑβραϊκὴ τὸν φόνον ἐνήργει· σκοπὸς δὲ ἦν τῶν ἀφιέντων ὁ μάρτυς ἑστὼς κατὰ μέσον ὡς σημεῖον τοξότου.","english":"For one soldier, a champion, who gave the signal for the deed, after conquering and playing the man, strengthened all his own and struck terror into the enemy, but when he suffered some weakness, immediately breaks them and fills the souls of his kinsmen with cowardice and becomes a signal for flight. For this reason God appeared from heaven. But the one deemed worthy of the great vision, such as no other, did not hold in silence what he saw, but immediately cried out: Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. For he thought that declaring the vision would draw the unbelievers to agreement. But they, making what was said an occasion of greater anger and madness, and stopping their ears against the word as blasphemous, immediately took up the murder. And dragging the Christ-bearing man outside the city, bearing endurance as the Lord bore the cross, they heal evil with evil and defend murder by murder and join stones to the cross. And having set the thrice-blessed one in a certain level place, that long and tall body, the trophy of the martyrs, and having surrounded him in a circle, the people of blood and anger, and imitating what is called in wars a dragnet, they threw stones at the servant of the cornerstone, and every Hebrew hand worked the murder; and the target of those throwing was the martyr standing in the middle like a marksman's sign.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":164,"ref":"p164","source":"Ὡς δὲ πάντοθεν τὸ σῶμα περιθραυσθὲν καὶ λελουμένον τῷ αἵματι ὤκλαζε λοιπὸν πρὸς τὴν ὄρθιον στάσιν, κατεσείετο δὲ καὶ ἠπείλει τὴν πτῶσιν ὥσπερ τις ὑψηλὴ πλάτανος παρὰ πολλῶν κατεργασθεῖσα τεκτόνων· οὐ δὲ τὴν πτῶσιν ἔπαθε κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀπρεπῶς. Οὐ γὰρ πρηνὴς ἐξετάθη οὐδὲ ἐπὶ πλάγιον κατηνέχθη οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ ὕπτιον ἀνεκλίθη σχῆμα, ἀλλὰ θεὶς τὰ γόνατα ἐν τῷ εὐπρεπεῖ σχήματι τοῦ εὐχομένου κατέλυσεν ἐπιταχύνων τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς τὸν τῆς σαρκὸς χωρισμὸν καὶ κράζων πρὸς τὸν ὁρώμενον Κύριον· Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμα μου. Ἔσπευδε γὰρ ὡς ἐπί τινα μετοικίαν, ὡς ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῆς ἐπὶ πατρίδα, ὡς εἰς πόλιν λαμπρὰν ἀπὸ γῆς ἐρήμου καὶ αὐχμηρᾶς. Προσετίθει δὲ τῇ δεήσει καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν λιθαζόντων εὐχήν. Εὐεργέτουν γὰρ ἄκοντες καὶ λιθάζοντες ἔσωζον καὶ φονεύοντες ἐζωοποίουν καὶ τοῦ πηλοῦ χωρίζοντες τῇ βασιλείᾳ παρέπεμπον. Θεωρήσωμεν οὖν καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς προσευχῆς, πρὸς οἷον φέρει σκόπον τὸ Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Οὐ γάρ, ὡς οἴονταί τινες κακῶς λογιζόμενοι, ἀτιμώρητον καὶ ἀνεύθυνον εὔχεται γενέσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὸ ἁμάρτημα. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν φανερῶς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ διατυπώσει ἀνθίστασθαι καὶ τὴν τοῦ δικαίου κρίσιν καὶ νομοθεσίαν ἐπανορθοῦν τὴν τοῖς ἀνδροφόνοις τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν ἀποκληρώσασαν. Ἀλλὰ τί φησι; Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τουτέστι· Δὸς φόβον κατανύξεως, ἄγαγε πρὸς μεταμέλειαν τῶν νῦν τετολμημένων, μὴ συγχωρήσῃς ἐναποθανεῖν τῇ περιτομῇ, ἕλκυσον διὰ μετανοίας πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἐπίγνωσιν, ἄναψον ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις τὴν φλόγα τοῦ Πνεύματος.","english":"But when his body, crushed on every side and bathed in blood, was now failing in its upright stance, and was being shaken and threatening to fall like some tall plane tree worked upon by many craftsmen—yet he did not suffer the fall in the unseemly manner of the many. For he was not stretched out prone, nor was he brought down on his side, nor was he reclined in a supine posture, but setting his knees in the comely posture of one who prays, he departed, hastening by his prayer the separation of the flesh from the soul, and crying out to the Lord whom he saw: Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit. For he was hastening as to a migration, as from a foreign land to his homeland, as to a radiant city from a desert and parched land. And he added to his petition also the prayer on behalf of those who were stoning him. For they were benefiting him unwillingly, and while stoning they were saving, and while killing they were giving life, and separating him from the clay they were sending him on to the kingdom. Let us therefore also consider the word of the prayer—to what goal it brings the phrase Lord, do not hold this sin against them. For it is not, as some wrongly reckon, that he prays the sin of his enemies may become unpunished and unaccountable. For that would be manifestly to oppose the ordinance of God and to correct the judgment and legislation of the righteous One, which allotted to murderers their due. But what does he say? Lord, do not hold this sin against them—that is: Give them a spirit of compunction, lead them to repentance for what they have now dared, do not permit them to die in their circumcision, draw them through repentance to the knowledge of yourself, kindle in their hearts the flame of the Spirit.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":165,"ref":"p165","source":"Ἂν γὰρ οὕτως βελτιωθῶσι, πρόδηλον ὡς οὐ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλὰ τῷ λουτρῷ τῆς χάριτος καὶ τὸ σὸν καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν αἷμα νιψάμενοι ἐλεύθεροι τῶν ἐγκλημάτων γενήσονται. Ταῦτα ἐγένετο καὶ ἐτελέσθη τὸ δρᾶμα. Καὶ στρατιαὶ μὲν τῶν ἀγγέλων εὐφραίνοντο τὸν ἀγῶνα θαυμάζουσαι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς δορυφορίας τὸν Στέφανον εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἀνάγουσαι κλῆρον· ὁ δὲ διάβολος ἀπεστράφη κενός,\n\nἠπορημένος δεινῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τι καὶ σωματικώτερον εἴπω περὶ τοῦ ἐναερίου πνεύματος λόγον προφητικὸν μιμησάμενος, ὡς πρόσκαυμα χύτρας φέρων τὸ πρόσω πον καὶ τοὐναντίον ἢ προσεδόκα κατορθώσας καὶ δι' ὧν ἐνομίζεν χριστιανοὺς ἐλαττοῦν, δι' ἐκείνων πληθύνας τὸν τῶν μαρτύρων κατάλογον. Τί δὲ καὶ πρὸς Παῦλον τὸν ἱερόν; Εἷς γὰρ ἦν καὶ οὗτος τῶν φονευτῶν, ἀληθὴς Βενιαμὶν λύκος ἅρπαξ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς μὴ ἐλίθαζεν, ἀλλ' ἐτήρει τὴν τῶν λιθαζόντων ἐσθῆτα καὶ ὑπηρέτει δήμου δημίου. Πλὴν ὅψομαί σε μετὰ μικρὸν τὸν σφριγῶντα νῦν καὶ θυμὸν ἄγριον πνέοντα ὥσπερ τινὰ γραῦν ἀσθενῆ χειραγωγούμενον, ὅταν μέλλῃς ἄγεσθαι πρὸς τὸν Ἀνανίαν τῆς ἀληθείας γευσάμενος. Ἡδὺ δὲ σφόδρα γελάσομαι, ὅταν ἀκούσω σου τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου θλίψεις ἐξηγουμένου καὶ μεταξὺ τῶν ἄλλων κινδύνων λέγοντος· Ἅπαξ ἐλιθάσθην. Χρὴ γάρ σε διὰ λίθων ὑπὲρ τῶν λίθων ἀπολογήσασθαι καὶ τῷ ταὐτοπάθει λῦσαι τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸ ἔγκλημα. Ἄξιον δὲ μηδὲ τὴν ὀπτασίαν καταλείπειν τοῦ Στεφάνου ἀνεξέταστον·","english":"For if they are improved in this way, it is clear that you will not hold their sin against them, but having washed both your blood and mine in the bath of grace, they will be free of the charges. These things happened and the drama was completed. And hosts of angels rejoiced, marveling at the contest, and with great escort were leading Stephen into his own inheritance; but the devil was turned back empty,\n\ndeeply at a loss—but that I may speak somewhat more bodily about the aerial spirit, imitating a prophetic word, bearing his face like the scorching of a pot, and having accomplished the opposite of what he expected, and through those things by which he thought to diminish the Christians, through those very things he multiplied the roll of the martyrs. But what also concerning the holy Paul? For he too was one of the murderers, a true Benjamin, a ravening wolf. For even if he did not stone, yet he kept the garments of those who stoned and served the murderous mob. However, I shall see you after a little while, you who now are swelling and breathing wild fury, led by the hand like some weak old woman, when you are about to be led to Ananias, having tasted of the truth. And I shall laugh very sweetly when I hear you recounting your afflictions for the gospel and saying among the other dangers: \"Once I was stoned.\" For it is necessary that you make defense through stones for the stones and by the same suffering loose the charge of sin. But it is fitting not to leave even the vision of Stephen unexamined.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":166,"ref":"p166","source":"ἀεὶ γὰρ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τοῦ ἑξῆς προμηθούμενος τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιγίνεσθαι τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτημάτων προφυλακτικῶς προ κατασκευάζει τὴν θεραπείαν, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκεν. Εἰ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον τοῦ ἀγωνιστοῦ μόνον ἐτελεῖτο τὰ θεοφάνεια, ἤρκει καὶ φωνὴν γενέσθαι ἐξ οὐρανῶν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος πρότερον ἢ χρόνοις ὕστερον ἐπὶ τῆς μεταμορφώσεως ἢ καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ Παύλου τούτου, ἡνίκα τὴν ἐπὶ Δαμασκὸν ἐπορεύετο. Νυνὶ δὲ διὰ τὸ μέλλειν τὸ ἐκ Λιβύης κακὸν τὸν Σαβέλλιον ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐπιφύεσθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν κακόδοξον τῶν ὑποστάσεων σύγχυσιν εἰς τὸν βίον εἰσάγειν, τούτου χάριν ὁ Θεὸς ὥσπερ προανα κόπτων τὸ μέλλον καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν εἰς ὕστερον προασφαλιζόμενος δείκνυσι μὲν ἑαυτὸν τῷ Στεφάνῳ ἐν ἰδίᾳ καὶ αὐτοτελεῖ δόξῃ, δείκνυσι δὲ καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἐν ἀπηρτισμένῳ προσώπῳ, ἵστησι δὲ αὐτὸν ἐκ δεξίων ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα τῇ διευκρινήσει τῶν προσώπων ἑρμηνεύσῃ τὰς ὑποστάσεις. Καὶ τυχὸν ἐρεῖ τις· Τὰ μὲν περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ οὕτω σοι πεφιλοσόφηται, ποῦ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; Εἰ γὰρ τῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκεν οὐρανόθεν ὁ Πατὴρ μετὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐπεφαίνετο, ἐχρῆν συμπαρεῖναι καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἵνα πρακτική τις μυσταγωγία τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐτελέσθη διὰ τῆς ὀπτασίας. Εἰπεῖν τοίνυν ἀναγκαῖον πρὸς τὸν ταύτην ἡμῖν ἀνθυποφέροντα τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅτι Ὦ σοφώτατε, χρὴ τὸν τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων βασανιστὴν ὀρθήν τε ὁμοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχειν καὶ τὸ μνημονικὸν ἐρρωμένον, ἵν' οὕτως δυνηθῇ πάντων ὁμοῦ περιδράσσεσθαι τῶν γεγραμμένων.","english":"For always the God of all, taking forethought for what comes next, prepares the remedy beforehand by way of precaution against the sins of men that are about to come upon life, which indeed he has also done here. For if the divine manifestations were being accomplished only for the athlete's benefit, it would have sufficed for a voice to come from the heavens, as at the baptism earlier, or at later times at the transfiguration, or also as in the case of this Paul, when he was journeying to Damascus. But now, because the evil from Libya, Sabellius, was about to grow upon the churches and to introduce into life the evil-doctrine confusion of the hypostases, for this reason God, as it were cutting off the future in advance and securing beforehand the souls of those who come later, shows himself to Stephen in his own and independent glory, and shows the Son also in a complete person, and sets him at his right hand, in order that by the clear distinction of the persons he might interpret the hypostases. And perhaps someone will say: The matters concerning the Father and the Son have been philosophized by you in this way, but where is the Holy Spirit? For if, for the sake of the security of the faith, the Father appeared from heaven together with the Son, the Holy Spirit ought also to have been present with them, so that some practical initiation might be accomplished for men through the vision. It is necessary, then, to say to the one who brings this thought against us, that, O most wise one, the examiner of the readings must have both a right understanding and a strong memory, so that he may thus be able to grasp all the things written at once.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":167,"ref":"p167","source":"Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ζητεῖς τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος παρουσίαν, μικρὸν ἀνωτέρω τῶν λίθων καὶ τῆς μιαιφονίας γενοῦ καὶ εὑρήσεις πρὸ τῆς ὀπτασίας τὸ Πνεῦμα λαλούμενον καὶ συμπαρὸν Στεφάνῳ καὶ προκαταρτίζον τὸν ἀθλητήν. Εὐθέως γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ διηγήματος ταύτην ἡμῖν προανεφώνησε τὴν φωνήν· Στέφανος πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ δυνάμεως ἐποίει σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα μεγάλα ἐν τῷ λαῷ. Ἀνέστησαν δέ τινες ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τῆς λεγομένης Λιβερτίνων καὶ Κυρηναίων καὶ Ἀλεξανδρέων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Κιλικίας καὶ Ἀσίας συζητοῦντες τῷ Στεφάνῳ καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ᾧ ἐλάλει. Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡμῖν πρόσωπον εὐκρινῶς ὁ λόγος ὑπέστησεν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο πρότερον γέγραπται, τελευταῖον δὲ ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ ὁ Υἱός, οὐδὲν ἡ τῆς τάξεως ἀπαλλαγὴ τῇ πίστει λυμαίνεται. Σύνηθες γὰρ τοῦτο ποιεῖν τῇ Γραφῇ· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ὀνομάζειν τὸν Υἱὸν μόνον, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα σὺν τῷ Υἱῷ, ἢ καὶ ἄρχεσθαι μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός, καταλήγειν δὲ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα· καὶ τὸ ἀνάπαλιν τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος γινομένης διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τῷ λόγῳ ἐπὶ τὸν Πατέρα ὁδεύειν. Καὶ τοῦτο τὸ τῆς συνηθείας ἰδίωμα μάλιστα παρὰ τῷ μεγάλῳ Παύλῳ ἀπαραφυλάκτως γινόμενον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Πεπλήρωται δὲ παρ' ἡμῖν καὶ τῷ Στεφάνῳ τὸ χρέος· εἰ μὲν πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος βλέπων τις οὐχ ἱκανῶς, εἰ δὲ πρὸς","english":"For if you also seek the presence of the Spirit, go a little above the stones and the murder, and you will find the Spirit spoken of before the vision, and present with Stephen, and preparing the athlete beforehand. For immediately at the beginning of the narrative he proclaimed this voice to us beforehand: Stephen, full of grace and truth and power, was doing great signs and wonders among the people. But some rose up from the synagogue called of the Libertines and Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen, and they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. Behold, then, the narrative has clearly set before us also the person of the Spirit. But if this was written first, and last the Father and the Son, the departure from order does no harm to the faith. For this is customary for Scripture to do: sometimes to name the Son alone, sometimes the Spirit together with the Son, or also to begin from the Father and end in the Spirit; and the reverse, with the beginning coming from the Spirit through the Son, to travel in word to the Father. And this peculiarity of custom can be seen especially in the great Paul, happening without careful arrangement. And the debt has been fulfilled by us also in the case of Stephen: if one looks to the magnitude, not sufficiently; but if to the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[{"kind":"scripture","severity":"info","ref":"Luke 1:28","text":"The English carries the scriptural phrase “full of grace”, which matches Luke 1:28. The match is on the English draft; check the Coptic before quoting the verse."}]},{"i":168,"ref":"p168","source":"τοῦ λέγοντος δύναμιν αὐτάρκως· ὅτι τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\n13. Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας προτρεπτικὸς περὶ μετανοίας Ἀνὴρ Φαρισαῖος, ὡς ἀρτίως ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ Λουκᾶ λέγοντος, προτρέπει τὸν Κύριον εἰς ἑστίασιν καὶ ὑπωρόφιον ἄγει καὶ κοινὴν παρα τίθεται τράπεζαν. Ὁ δὲ οὔτε τὴν κλῆσιν ἀπαναίνεται οὔτε φεύγει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, μήτε μαθητὴν ὄντα μήτε πιστεύσαντα, τῷ γράμματι δὲ προσδεδεμένον τοῦ νόμου καὶ οὐδέπω πρὸς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀνοίξαντα, χαλεπῶς δὲ πρὸς τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀμβλυω ποῦντα τῶν προφητῶν. Τί οὖν ἡμῖν τοῦτο τὸ κεφάλαιον ἀνέγραψεν ὁ Λουκᾶς; Πότερον ἵνα τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχωμεν ὧν ὁ Ἰησοῦς κατειργάσατο πολιτευόμενος ἐν τῷ σώματι, καὶ γνῶσιν ἱστορίας ἐπωφελοῦς παραλάβωμεν; ἢ νοῦ τινος ἐπωφελοῦς καὶ παιδευτικοῦ γέμει τὰ γράμματα τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον πρὸς τὸ ὀρθὸν καὶ ἀδιάστροφον κανονίζοντα; Οὕτως δὲ ἔχειν ἔγωγε ἡγοῦμαι καὶ ὑμᾶς προσῆκον πείθεσθαι. Πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσι τῶν ἑαυτοὺς δικαιούντων φίλαυτοι καὶ αὐτάρεσκοι ἐν ὑπολήψει διὰ κενοῦ φρονήματος ὠγκωμένοι, ἁμαρτωλοὺς καλοῦντες τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας καὶ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὸ ἀληθινὸν κριτήριον ἑαυτοὺς ὡς ἄρνας ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρίφων χωρίζοντες καὶ πρὸς τὴν θύραν τῆς βασιλείας βλέποντες ὡς ἀναπεπταμένην αὐτοῖς, οὐ στέγης, οὐκ ἐδεσμάτων ἀξιοῦντες τοῖς πολλοῖς κοινωνεῖν, βδελυσσόμενοι δὲ πάντας τοὺς μὴ τὴν ἄκραν, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέσην ἐπὶ τοῦ βίου πορευομένους ὁδόν.","english":"...of the one who says, with power sufficient: \"To our God be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.\"\n\n13. Of Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, an exhortation concerning repentance. A Pharisee, as we have just heard Luke saying, invites the Lord to a banquet and brings him under his roof and sets before him a common table. But he neither refuses the invitation nor shuns the man, who was neither a disciple nor a believer, but was bound to the letter of the law and had not yet opened his eyes to the knowledge of the truth, and was dimly seeing the promises of the prophets with difficulty. Why, then, has Luke recorded this passage for us? Is it so that we may have knowledge of what Jesus did while living in the body, and receive the knowledge of a useful history? Or are these writings full of some useful and instructive meaning, setting our life in order toward what is right and undeviating? I for my part think this is so, and that you too ought to be persuaded of it. For many are those who justify themselves, lovers of self and self-satisfied, puffed up in their own estimation by empty conceit, calling sinners those who draw near, and before the true judgment has come separating themselves as lambs from the goats, and looking upon the door of the kingdom as open to them, not deeming the many worthy of sharing roof or food, but loathing all those who walk not the extreme but the middle path of life.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":169,"ref":"p169","source":"Ὁ τοίνυν Λουκᾶς, ὁ πλέον τῶν ψυχῶν ἢ τῶν σωμάτων ἰατρός, ἔγραψε τὸ ἐν χερσὶ διήγημα οὐ λόγον ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ φάρμακον τῶν νοσούντων αὐθάδειαν, αὐτὸν ἡμῶν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Σωτῆρα δεικνύς, τὸν ἀσυγκρίτως καθαρὸν καὶ μόνον δίκαιον, συγγνωμονικῶς λίαν τοῖς κατεγνωσμένοις συναναστρεφόμενον καὶ τοῖς οὐδέπω κεκαθαρμένοις συνδιαιτώμενον, οὐχ ἵνα τι προσλάβῃ τῆς ἐκείνων κακίας, ἀλλ' ἵνα μεταδῷ τῆς οἰκείας δικαιοσύνης κατὰ τὴν ἡλιακὴν ταύτην τὴν φαινομένην ἐνέργειαν ὅσον ἀπὸ τοῦ κτίσματος παραστῆσαι τοῦ κτίστου τὴν πρόνοιαν. Ἴσμεν μὲν γὰρ ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἥλιος οὐ τὰς ἡπλωμένας μόνον ἐπιλάμπει χώρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσαι κοιλότεραι καὶ τῆς ἀντρώδους ἔλαχον θέσεως. Παυσώμεθα τοίνυν, εἴ τινες οὕτως φρονοῦμεν ὡς ὁ λόγος φησίν· μιμησώμεθα δὲ τοῦ Δεσπότου τὸ ἵλεων καὶ φιλάνθρωπον τοῖς ταπεινοῖς διὰ τοῦτο συγκαταβαίνοντες, οὐχ ἵνα ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς κειμένοις συνταπεινώσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα κἀκείνους ὑψώσωμεν, οἷον κολυμβηταί τινες ἔφυδροι τοὺς πνιγομένους πρὸς τὸν ζωτικὸν ἀέρα τοῦτον ἀνέλκοντες. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς ἀρίστην νόησιν τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν γράμμα χειραγωγεῖ, φέρε πρὸς τὸν ἐμπεσόντα σκοπὸν ἑαυτοὺς ἀποτείνωμεν. Θαυμάζω σφόδρα τοὺς τὴν ἐμπαθῆ ταύτην καὶ φιλήδονον περικειμένους σάρκα, ἡττωμένους δὲ καθ' ἡμέραν ὕπνου καὶ γαστρός, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἐρεθισμῶν ἀπείρως ἔχοντας τῶν ὅσοι γνώριμοι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν τοῖς τῆς μίας καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς κοινωνοῦσι φύσεως, ὅπως εἰσὶ σκληροὶ δικασταὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων καὶ ἑαυτῶν συγγνώμονες·","english":"Luke, then, a physician of souls more than of bodies, wrote the account now in hand not as a mere discourse but as a medicine for those sick with stubbornness, showing forth our very God and Savior, the incomparably pure and only righteous one, associating with great forbearance with those already condemned and living together with those not yet purified—not in order to take on any of their wickedness, but in order to impart his own righteousness, after the manner of this visible activity of the sun, so far as it is possible from the creation to set forth the providence of the Creator. For we know that the sun shines not only on the open plains but also on all those places that are lower and have received a cavernous position. Let us therefore cease, if any of us think in this way, as the saying goes; and let us imitate the Master's merciful and philanthropic disposition, condescending for this reason to the lowly—not so that we might bring ourselves down to the level of those who lie low, but so that we might raise them up, like divers in the water drawing those who are drowning up to this life-giving air. And since the Gospel text leads us by the hand to the best understanding, come, let us direct ourselves to the point that has fallen to us. I greatly marvel at those who wear this passionate and pleasure-loving flesh, who are defeated daily by sleep and the belly, and who are not at all without experience of the other provocations—all those that are familiar to all of us who share one and the same nature—how they are harsh judges of those who sin and yet indulgent to themselves.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":170,"ref":"p170","source":"ἀσθενεῖς ἀγωνισταὶ καὶ ἀπαραίτητοι νομοθέται, ὡς καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀναιρεῖν τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἀποφράττειν, ὡς νομίζουσι, τὴν ἄφθονον τοῦ ἐλέους πηγὴν καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς δὲ τῆς αὐθεντίας ἀποκλείειν τοῖς πλανηθεῖσιν τῆς βασιλείας τὴν εἴσοδον. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲν [ἄλλως] οἰκονομικόν, ἀπόγνωσιν ἐμποιεῖν ψυχαῖς ἰατρείαν ζητούσαις. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς θεραπείας ἀπελπίσας δοῦλος γίνεται καθάπαξ τῆς νόσου καὶ πρός γε πάσης τῆς τῶν ἡμετέρων Γραφῶν ἐπαγγελίας ἀλλότριος, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ τῷ συνετῶς ἐξετάζοντι\n\nτοιοῦτον, ὃ μὴ χάρις δωρεῖται καὶ θεραπεύει συγγνώμη. Καὶ τίς οὕτως ὑπόκωφος καὶ ἀνήκοος τῶν λόγων τοῦ Ἰὼβ διαρρήδην πρὸς πάντας ἐκβοῶντος ὅτι Οὐδεὶς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου, οὐδ' ἂν μία ἡμέρα ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ; Τίς δ' ἂν σωφρονῶν τοιοῦτον φρονήσειεν, ὡς ὑποκείμενος εὐθύναις καὶ ταύταις ἐν δικαστηρίῳ Θεοῦ περιττὸν οἴεσθαι συγγνώμην καὶ ἀχρεῖον τὸν ἔλεον; Εἰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀκρότατον δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀκριβείας ἦσαν ἐληλακότες, πατήσαντες δὲ ἀληθῶς κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, νικηταὶ δὲ καὶ στεφανῖται κατὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀνηγορεύθησαν, οὐδ' οὕτως ἐχρῆν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων κανονίζειν τὸν βίον, ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν ἰδίας εὐδοκιμήσεως τῷ δεδώκοτι Θεῷ τὴν χάριν ὁμολογεῖν, ὅτι καὶ φύσιν ἡγεμονικῶς ἡνιόχησαν καὶ πειρασμῶν σατανικῶν οὐκ ἐγένοντο χείρους, τοῖς δὲ ἀσθενήσασιν ὀρέγειν φιλαδελφίας δεξίαν καὶ ἀνεγείρειν ἐκ τοῦ πηλοῦ καὶ καθαίρειν ἐκ τῶν μολυσμάτων.","english":"Weak combatants and inexorable lawgivers, so as to do away with the hope of God's love for humanity and, as they think, to block up the abundant fountain of mercy and with great authority to shut the entrance of the kingdom against those who have gone astray. But this is in no way a matter of good stewardship—to produce despair in souls seeking healing. For the servant who has despaired of a cure becomes wholly a slave of the disease and estranged from every promise of our Scriptures, since not even there, for the one who examines intelligently, is there anything such that grace does not bestow it and forgiveness does not heal it. And who is so dull of hearing and deaf to the words of Job, who cries out plainly to all that No one is pure from defilement, not even if his life be a single day? And who, being of sound mind, would think such a thing, that one who is subject to accounts and these in the court of God should consider forgiveness superfluous and mercy useless? But even if they had been driven to the utmost peak of righteousness and exactness, and had truly trodden, as it is written, upon serpents and scorpions, and had been proclaimed victors and crowned conquerors over sin, not even so ought they to measure the life of all others by their own courage, but to acknowledge the grace of their own good repute to God who gave it, because they both guided their nature with mastery and did not become worse than satanic temptations, and to extend the right hand of brotherly love to the weak and to raise them from the mire and cleanse them from their defilements.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":171,"ref":"p171","source":"Διπλοῦν γὰρ ἂν οὕτως τὸν ἔπαινον ἤραντο τῆς τε ἰδίας ἀνδραγαθίας ὁμοῦ καὶ τῆς φιλαδέλφου καὶ χρηστῆς συμπαθείας τὰ γέρα λαμβάνοντες. Νυνὶ δὲ ἄνθρωποί τε ὄντες τῶν χαμαὶ ἐρχομένων καὶ ζῶντες βίον οὐ τὸν ἀγγελικὸν καὶ ἐγγὺς τῶν ἀσωμάτων, ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον οἷον ἄν τις καὶ ὑπ' εὐθύνας ἀγάγοι καὶ σκώψειεν, δικάζουσιν αὐστηρῶς καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς αὐθεντίας τὴν κατακρίνουσαν φέρουσι ψῆφον, ὡς ἐμὲ πολλάκις ὑπὸ τοῦ τύφου καὶ τῆς ἀλαζονείας ἀποπνιγόμενον εἰπεῖν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς ῥήσεις, ὅτι τὰς δοκοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ὀφθαλμοῖς μὴ βλέποντες τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ὄψεων ἀποφυσᾶτε τὰ κάρφη. Καὶ τὰ βαρύτατα φορτία τοῖς ἄλλοις δεσμεύοντες περινοστεῖτε βαρεῖς κριταὶ καὶ ἀσθενεῖς ἀχθοφόροι τὸ βῆμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ προλαμβάνοντες καὶ τοῦ κριτοῦ τὴν ἀπόφασιν προαρπάζοντες, δοῦλοι καταφρονηταὶ καὶ ἀπαραίτητοι τῶν ὁμοδούλων κριταί. Εἰ ζηλοῦτε Θεὸν ὡς κατ' εἰκόνα κτισθέντες, μιμήσασθε ὑμῶν τὸν ἀρχέτυπον· ὦ χριστιανοί, τὸ φιλάνθρωπον ὄνομα, ζηλώσατε τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ἀγάπην, ἀποβλέψατε πρὸς τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ἐκείνου φιλανθρωπίας. Μέλλων γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ἐπιφαίνεσθαι δι' ἀνθρώπου προκαθῆκε τὸν Ἰωάννην, μετανοίας κήρυκα, μεταμελείας εἰσηγητὴν καὶ πάντας πρὸ Ἰωάννου προφήτας ἐπιστροφῆς διδασκάλους. Εἶτα καὶ αὐτὸς μετ' ὀλίγον ἐπιφανεὶς οἰκείᾳ φωνῇ βοᾷ αὐτοπροσώπως· Δεῦτε πρὸς μέ, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς. Τοὺς δὲ τῇ κλήσει πεισθέντας πῶς ὑπεδέξατο; Ἄπονον ἔδωκεν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν ἄφεσιν, ἀκαριαίαν καὶ σύντομον τὴν τῶν λυπούντων ἀπαλλαγήν· Λόγος ἡγίασεν, Πνεῦμα ἐσφράγισεν·","english":"For in that way they would have won a double praise, receiving the rewards both of their own valor and of their brother-loving and kindly compassion. But as it is, being humans and of those who walk on the earth, and living a life not angelic nor near to the incorporeal beings, but such as one might bring to scrutiny and mock, they judge severely and with great authority bring forth the condemning vote, so that I, often suffocated by their pride and arrogance, have said against them the Gospel sayings: not seeing the beams in your own eyes, you blow away the specks from others' eyes. And binding the heaviest burdens for others, you go about as heavy judges and weak burden-bearers, anticipating the judgment seat of Christ and snatching the verdict of the Judge, contemptuous servants and inexorable judges of your fellow servants. If you are zealous for God as created in his image, imitate your archetype; O Christians, the humane name, be zealous for the love of Christ, look to the wealth of his love for humanity. For when he was about to appear to humans through a human, he sent John before him, a herald of repentance, an introducer of remorse, and all the prophets before John as teachers of conversion. Then he himself, appearing a little later, cries aloud in his own voice in his own person: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. And those who were persuaded by the call, how did he receive them? He gave painless forgiveness of sins, an instantaneous and swift release from things that grieve; the Word sanctified, the Spirit sealed.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":172,"ref":"p172","source":"ὁ παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐνετάφη τῷ ὕδατι, ὁ νέος ἐτέχθη ἀνηβήσας τῇ χάριτι. Τί τὰ ἑξῆς; Ὁ ἄνθρωπος οἰκεῖος ἀντ' ἀλλοτρίου, υἱὸς ἀντὶ ξένου, μύστης ἐκ βεβήλου, ἅγιος ἐξ ἀσεβῶν. Ὁ τοίνυν ταῖς οὕτως μεγαλοπρεπέσι καὶ ἀνυπερβλήτοις δωρεαῖς πλουτισθείς, ἁμαρτὼν εἰς τὸν φιλότιμον καὶ ἀγαθὸν εὐεργέτην, παρὰ μὲν ὑμῖν τοῖς δυσκόλοις καὶ ἀμειλίκτοις δικασταῖς εὐθὺς μήτε λόγου μεταλαβών, πάντως ἂν ἐπὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον ἤχθη καὶ τῆς ἐνθάδε ζωῆς ἀποκοπεὶς καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ κολαζόμενος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ τῆς ψήφου Κύριος, ὁ ποιῶν τὸ ἔλεος εἰς χιλιάδας καὶ μυριάδας καὶ μὴ θέλων τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἀναμένων δὲ τὴν ἐπιστροφήν, οὐδ' οὕτως οἱ τὴν πρώην χάριν ὑβρίσαντες ἐτιμωρήθησαν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν δεύτερος ἔλεος ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ προτέρῳ καὶ ἀμνηστείᾳ συγγνώμη συν άπτεται καὶ δάκρυον στάζον ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῷ λουτρῷ καὶ στεναγμὸς ἐπίμοχθος ἐπανάγει τὴν χάριν πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀναχωρήσασαν. Εἰ ἀπιστεῖς τῷ λόγῳ, Πέτρον ἐρώτησον ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως καθήμενον, καὶ λέξει σοι, ὅπως τὸ παράπτωμα τῆς ἀρνήσεως πικρῶς ὀδυράμενος ἐκαθάρθη καὶ οὐκ ἀνέλυσεν εἰς τὸν Σίμωνα, ἀλλὰ Πέτρος διέμεινεν ὁ ἀπόστολος. Ἐγὼ δὲ νομίζω, ὅτι καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ Ἰσκαριώτης, εἰ μὴ ταχέως αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ ἐγένετο δήμιος ἀσύγγνωστον κρίνας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, προσ πεσὼν δὲ τὸν ἔλεον","english":"The old man was buried in the water, the new man was born, renewed in youth by grace. What follows? The man became a member of the household instead of a stranger, a son instead of a foreigner, an initiate instead of an uninitiated outsider, a saint instead of a sinner. Therefore the one who was enriched with such magnificent and unsurpassable gifts, having sinned against the generous and good benefactor, before you harsh and implacable judges would not even have been granted a hearing, but would certainly have been led away to destruction, cut off from this present life and punished in the world to come. But since the Lord of the verdict is different—he who shows mercy to thousands and myriads, who does not desire the death of the sinner but awaits his turning back—not even so were those who insulted the former grace punished, but again a second mercy follows the first, and forgiveness is joined to forgetfulness, and a falling tear is of equal power to the bath, and a laborious groan brings back the grace that had withdrawn for a little while. If you do not believe the account, ask Peter, who was sitting in the courtyard of the high priest, and he will tell you how, having bitterly lamented the transgression of his denial, he was cleansed and did not revert to Simon, but remained Peter the apostle. And I think that Judas the Iscariot also, had he not quickly become his own executioner, judging his sin unforgivable, but instead had fallen upon the mercy","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":173,"ref":"p173","source":"ᾔτησεν, οὐκ ἂν τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τῶν πάσης ὑπερχεομένων τῆς οἰκουμένης ἠστόχησεν. Τεκμήριον δὲ τοῦ λόγου πάντες Ἑβραῖοι οἱ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν πιστεύσαντες καὶ τῷ λουτρῷ τὰς ψυχὰς ὁμοῦ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας νιψάμενοι. Εἰ δὲ οἱ σταυρώσαντες ἠλεήθησαν, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ὁ προδοὺς τῆς ἀμνηστείας ἀπέλαυσεν; Ἐδέσμει ποτὲ καὶ Παῦλος χριστιανοὺς, ἀλλὰ βαστάσας ὕστερον ἁλύσεις ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἐκ τῆς ταὐτοπαθείας ἔλυσε τὰ ἐγκλήματα· ἥμαρτε λιθάζων Στέφανον καὶ συνευδοκῶν τοῖς φονεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ λιθασθεὶς ἐξήλειψε τὸ πλημμέλημα. Ἐτελώνουν ποτὲ Ματθαῖος καὶ Ζακχαῖος, ἀλλὰ τῇ καταφρονήσει τῶν χρημάτων τὴν τελωνείαν πατήσαντες ὁ μὲν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐδέξατο καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ πλέον, ὁ δὲ τῶν θαυμαστῶν πράξεων εὐαγγελιστὴς καὶ συγγραφεὺς ἀπεδείχθη. Ὁ τελώνης ὁ μετὰ τοῦ Φαρισαίου ἀναγκαῖος εἰς μνήμην, ἡ γυνὴ ἡ τὴν δραχμὴν ἀπολέσασα καὶ εὑροῦσα. Ἐξ ἀρχῆς δὲ εἰς τέλος εἴ τις τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ βίου παντὸς ἐν τοῖς καθεξῆς χρόνοις λογίσαιτο, τοὺς πολλοὺς εὑρήσει πρότερον μὲν ἐνσχεθέντας ἁμαρτήμασιν, εἶτα τῇ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ῥοπῇ μετα θεμένους τῆς γνώμης. Θεοῦ γὰρ οἰκεῖον καὶ μόνου ἐξαίρετον πλημμελείας χωρὶς πάντα κατορθοῦν. Ἄνθρωπος δὲ ὑπὸ γένεσιν καὶ φθορὰν ἠγμένος καὶ τοσούτων ὑπάρχων δεκτικὸς παθῶν οὔποτ' ἂν ἀκατηγόρητος δειχθείη περικοπείσης συγγνώμης. Ἀπόβλεψον πρὸς τὸν Δαβὶδ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὃν κατ' ἐκλογὴν ἐχειροτόνησεν ὁ Θεός, ἐπαίνοις δὲ τοῖς τῆς μαρτυρίας ἐκόσμησε λέγων· Ηὗρον ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου Δαβὶδ τὸν τοῦ Ἰεσσαί.","english":"He asked, and he would not have missed the mercies that pour out over the whole inhabited world. And the proof of this account is all the Hebrews who believed after the cross and washed their souls and their hands together in the bath. But if those who crucified him were shown mercy, how would the betrayer not have enjoyed amnesty? Paul too once bound Christians, but later, bearing chains for Christ, from the same experience he loosed the charges. He sinned by stoning Stephen and consenting with those who killed him, but by being stoned he wiped away the offense. Matthew and Zacchaeus once collected taxes, but by despising money they trampled on tax-collecting: the one received Jesus into his house and more into his soul, and the other was shown to be an evangelist and writer of wonderful deeds. The tax collector who is with the Pharisee is necessary for remembrance, and the woman who lost the drachma and found it. And from beginning to end, if one were to reckon up men throughout the whole of life in the successive times, he will find that the many were first held fast in sins, and then by a turning toward the better changed their mind. For it belongs to God and is his alone and exceptional to set all things right without offense. But man, brought under birth and corruption and being capable of so many passions, would never be shown without accusation if pardon were cut off. Look to David, the king of Israel, whom God elected and appointed, and adorned with the praises of testimony, saying: I have found a man after my heart, David the son of Jesse.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":174,"ref":"p174","source":"Οὗτος μετὰ τὴν λαμπρὰν ἐκείνην τῶν ἐπαίνων ἀνάρρησιν, ἐπειδὴ τῷ πάθει τῆς σωμεραστίας ἑάλω καὶ περιέπεσεν ἐκείνοις οἷς γινώσκομεν ἅπαντες, ἦλθε δὲ μετὰ τὸν ἔλεγχον τοῦ προφήτου εἰς ἀναλογισμὸν τοῦ κακοῦ, ἀνάγραπτον ἀφῆκεν τοῖς εἰς ὕστερον ἐσομένοις τῆς μετανοίας τὸν μόχθον. Καὶ θεωροῦμεν, ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι, τῷ ψαλτηρίῳ τὸν ἄνδρα, νῦν μὲν ἐκτηκόμενον τῇ λύπῃ τὸ σῶμα, αὖθις δὲ τὴν νύκτα καιρὸν θρήνων ποιούμενον, τὴν κοινὴν τῶν πόνων ἀνάπαυσιν· καὶ τῇ κλίνῃ τὸ δάκρυον ἐπιρρέοντα ὡς ἐκ πηγῶν τῶν βλεφάρων, καὶ πάλιν ἡμῖν τὸν πεντηκοστὸν ψαλμὸν ἐκπονήσαντα, τύπον τὸν ἱλασκόμενον Θεόν. Οὐ μὲν ὁ θρῆνος αὐτῷ μάτην ἐξεπονήθη, ἀλλ' οἱ βαρεῖς στεναγμοὶ τὸν ἔλεον ἐφειλκύσαντο, ἀπέλαβε δὲ καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς αὐθεντίας τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἱκεσίας τὴν παρρησίαν. Ὁμοίως κἀκεῖνος ὁ τῆς Νινευὴ βασιλεύειν λαχὼν τῷ μὲν πλήθει τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν συνηλαύνετο πρὸς τὸν ὄλεθρον ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἀρχομένοις λαοῖς, καὶ ὁ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἔλεγχος ἐγγίζειν μετ' ὀλίγον τὴν προθεσμίαν τῆς τιμωρίας ἐκήρυττεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνετῶς ἑαυτοὺς κακώσαντες ἔφυγον τὴν πεῖραν τῆς συμφορᾶς, ἐλυπήθη μὲν ὅτι μὴ ἠλήθευσεν ὁ τῶν κακῶν προφήτης καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἔλεον τοῦ Θεοῦ χαλεπῶς ἠγροικίσατο. Ὁ δὲ πανταχοῦ καὶ διὰ λόγων καὶ πράξεων γνωρίζων ἡμῖν, ὅσην ἔχει τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εὐμένειαν, φύει μὲν τὴν κολόκυνθαν ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς τῷ προφήτῃ σκέπην τῆς λυπούσης ἀκτῖνος, ὑποκαθεύδοντος δὲ τῇ σκίᾳ ἀθρόον ἀποξηράνας αὐτήν. Εἶτα ὡς δυσκόλως εἶχεν ἀφυπνώσας πρὸς τὸ συμβάν, ὀνειδίζει καὶ μέμφεται.","english":"This man, after that brilliant proclamation of praises, when he was caught by the passion of the love of the body and fell into those things which we all know, and came after the prophet's rebuke to a reckoning of his evil, left behind in writing for those who would come afterward the toil of his repentance. And we behold, as in an image, the man in the Psalter, now wasting his body with grief, and again making the night a time of lamentation, the common rest from labors; and letting the tear flow upon his bed as from springs of his eyelids, and again producing for us the fiftieth psalm, a type of the God who is propitiated. Nor was his lamentation wrought in vain, but his heavy groans drew down mercy, and he received back both the authority of royal sovereignty and the boldness of supplication toward God. Likewise that man also who was allotted to reign over Nineveh was driven together with the peoples under his rule toward destruction by the multitude of his sins, and the rebuke of sin proclaimed that the appointed time of punishment was drawing near after a little while. But when they had wisely afflicted themselves and escaped the experience of disaster, he was grieved that the prophet of evils had not spoken truly and was harshly displeased at the mercy of God. But he who everywhere, both through words and deeds, makes known to us how great is his goodwill toward men, causes the gourd to grow over the head of the prophet as a shelter from the distressing ray, and while he slept beneath its shade, suddenly dried it up. Then, when he was vexed after awakening at what had happened, he reproaches and rebukes him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":175,"ref":"p175","source":"Εἰ ὁ μὲν οὕτως ἐμπαθῶς ἐπιστυγνάζοι τῷ μαρανθέντι λαχάνῳ, ὁ Θεὸς δὲ οὐκ ἂν ἐπε κλάσθη τηλικαύτῃ πόλει ἐγγὺς ἐλθούσῃ κινδύνου; Μάθετε οὖν, οἱ σκληροὶ καὶ δυσμείλικτοι, τὴν τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς χρηστότητα καὶ μὴ γίνεσθε τῶν ὁμοδούλων πικροὶ καὶ βαρεῖς δικασταί, ἄχρις ἂν ἀφίκηται ὁ τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν καρδιῶν ἀποκαλύπτων καὶ κατ' ἐξουσίαν δεσποτικὴν ἑκάστῳ τῆς προσδοκωμένης ζωῆς ἀποκληρῶν τὴν κατάστασιν. Μὴ σκυθρωπὰς ἐκφέρετε τὰς ἀποφάσεις, ἵνα μὴ ταῖς ὁμοίαις ὑποβληθῆτε καὶ τῶν οἰκείων στομάτων τοῖς λόγοις ὡς ὀδοῦσιν ὀξυτάτοις περιπαρῆτε. Δοκεῖ γὰρ μοὶ καὶ ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ πρόρρησις τούτου προφυλακτικὴ τυγχάνειν τοῦ πλημμελήματος λέγουσα· Μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὴν εὐγνω μοσύνην ἐκβάλλει, κρίσιν δὲ ὀνομάζει τὴν\n\nτραχυτέραν κατάκρισιν. Ποίησον οὖν, εἰ δοκεῖ, κοῦφον τὸ σταθμίον, εἴπερ βούλει μὴ πρὸς τὴν κατακρίνουσαν πλάστιγγα καὶ τὰς σὰς πράξεις καθελκυσθῆναι, ὅταν ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ὡς ἐν ζυγῷ τῇ κρίσει τοῦ Θεοῦ ταλαντεύηται. Σῶμα περικείμενος καὶ διαζῶν ἐν σαρκὶ μήποτε ἀπελάσῃς τοῦ βίου τὴν ἀπὸ ἰατρικῆς θεραπείαν. Κἂν γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὅσον εὐεξίᾳ τε καὶ ὑγείᾳ συζήσῃς, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως διατελέσεις ἄνοσος, ὡς ἐν χρείᾳ μὴ γενέσθαι τῆς ἐπιμελείας τοῦ θεραπεύοντος. Καὶ ψυχὴν ἔχων κατακλινομένην πρὸς τὰ γήϊνα, ἡνίκα ἂν ἑαυτῆς ἐπιλαθομένη τῶν προσπαθειῶν ἐμπλησθῇ τοῦ σώματος, μὴ ἀναίρει τὸν ἔλεον, ἵνα μὴ ἀμοιρήσῃς συγγνώμης, ὅταν αὐτῆς ἐπιδεὴς καταστῇς. Ἱερεύς τίς ἐστι καὶ ἡγεμονεύειν ἔλαχε τοῦ λαοῦ·","english":"If he grieved so passionately over the withered vegetable, would God not have been moved to compassion for so great a city when it came near to danger? Learn, then, you harsh and unyielding ones, the goodness of our Creator, and do not become bitter and severe judges of your fellow servants, until he comes who reveals the secrets of hearts and by lordly authority assigns to each the state of the life that is hoped for. Do not pronounce gloomy verdicts, lest you be subjected to the same and be pierced by the words of your own mouths as by the sharpest teeth. For it seems to me that the Gospel's forewarning is also a safeguard against this offense, saying: Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For it does not cast out judgment and fair-mindedness, but it calls judgment the\n\nharsher condemnation. So make the weight light, if you please, if indeed you wish not to be dragged down toward the condemning scale along with your own deeds, when our life is weighed in the judgment of God as in a balance. Clothed in a body and living in the flesh, never cast out from your life the healing that comes from medicine. For even if you live for the longest time in vigor and health, you will not continue so free from sickness as never to need the care of the physician. And since you have a soul that lies prone toward earthly things, whenever, forgetting itself, it is filled with the passions of the body, do not take away mercy, so that you may not be deprived of forgiveness when you come to need it. There is a certain priest, and he has obtained the lot of leading the people;","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":176,"ref":"p176","source":"συμπαθῶν ὁράτω τῶν ὑπηκόων τὰ πτώματα, εἰδὼς ὅτι κἂν ἡ τάξις τοῦ βίου διαφορὰν ἔχῃ πρὸς τοὺς πολλούς, ἀλλὰ τῇ φύσει τῶν ποιμαινομένων οὐδὲν διενήνοχεν, κοινωνῶν δὲ αὐτῆς ἴσως ποτὲ κοινωνήσει καὶ πλημμε λήματος. Ταῦτα καὶ Μωϋσῆς εἰδώςἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἦν καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἐγνώριζεντὸν μόσχον ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἱερέως ἱερουργεῖσθαι διέταξεν, ἡμαρτηκότος πάντως καὶ καθαρσίων δεομένου καὶ πλειόνων. Ὅπερ δὲ ἦν τότε ὁ ἔνσαρκος μόσχος, τοῦτο νῦν ἐστιν ἡ ἀσώματος μεταμέλεια καὶ ἡ ἀναίμακτος δέησις, ἧς ὑψηλολογούμενοι καὶ μεγαλαυχοῦντες τὴν εὐεργε σίαν μὴ λύσωμεν εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ Ἀαρὼν ὁ δοκιμώτατος ἱερεὺς τῷ λαῷ ζητοῦντι θεοὺς συναπήχθη καὶ μετὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς τῆς Μαρίας ἑάλω τῷ γογγυσμῷ καὶ εἰ μὴ ὁ γογγυσθεὶς ἱκέτευσεν, οὐκ ἂν τὴν τιμωρίαν διέφυγεν. Ἄλλος ἐστίν, οὐχ ἱερεύς, ἀλλὰ εἷς τῶν πολλῶν, φοβείσθω βαρὺν ἐπιτιθέναι ζυγόν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ καθαίρειν τὸν λαὸν προβληθεὶς χρῄζει καθαρσίων ἐνίοτε, τί ἂν πάθοι ὁ μηδὲ τῆς χειροτονίας ἔχων τὴν δύναμιν; Μιμησώμεθα τὴν ποιμαντικὴν τοῦ Δεσπότου· ἐγκύψωμεν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ τὴν ἰδέαν καταμάθωμεν τῆς ἐπιμε λείας τε καὶ χρηστότητος. Βλέπω γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἐν παραβολαῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐπεσκιασμένοις τῶν λόγων ἄνδρα ποιμένα ἑκατὸν προβάτων· ὃς ἑνὸς θρέμματος ἀποσχισθέντος τῆς ἀγέλης καὶ πλανωμένου οὐ τοῖς ἐν τάξει καὶ ἀπλανῶς νενομένοις παρέμεινεν, ἀλλ' ὁρμήσας ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν πολλὰς μὲν διώδευσε κοιλότητας τε καὶ φάραγγας, μεγάλων δὲ καὶ ὑψηλῶν ὑπερηνέχθη σκοπέλων καὶ ταῖς ἐρημίαις καρτερῶς ἐνεμόχθησε, μέχρις ἀνίχνευσε τὸ πλανώμενον.","english":"Let him look with compassion on the falls of his subjects, knowing that even if the order of his life differs from that of the many, yet in the nature of those who are shepherded he differs in nothing, and sharing that nature he may perhaps one day share also in their transgression. Moses too knew this—for he was a man and he recognized nature—and he ordained that the calf be sacrificed on behalf of the priest, since he too had surely sinned and needed purifications, and more of them. And what the calf in the flesh was then, that now is incorporeal repentance and bloodless supplication; in our lofty speech and boasting let us not nullify its benefit, knowing that even Aaron, the most approved priest, was carried away with the people when they sought gods, and along with his sister Maria was caught in the murmuring, and had he not supplicated the one against whom the murmuring was directed, he would not have escaped punishment. Another it is, not a priest but one of the many: let him fear to lay on a heavy yoke. For if the one appointed to purify the people himself needs purifications at times, what would he suffer who does not even have the power of ordination? Let us imitate the shepherdly care of the Master; let us stoop into the Gospels and, as in a mirror, learn the form of his solicitude and goodness. For I see there in parables and in the veiled words of the discourses a man, a shepherd of a hundred sheep; who, when one creature was separated from the flock and went astray, did not remain with those that were pastured in order and without wandering, but set out in pursuit of the search, and traversed many hollows and ravines, and passed over great and lofty crags, and toiled strenuously in the wildernesses, until he tracked down the one that had gone astray.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":177,"ref":"p177","source":"Εὑρὼν δὲ οὐκ ἔπληξεν, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἤλασεν σφοδρῶς ἐπείγων πρὸς τὴν ἀγέλην, ἀλλ' ἐπιθεὶς τῷ αὐχένι καὶ κομίσας μετὰ φειδοῦς τοῖς συννόμοις ἀποκατέστησεν χαίρων ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ πλέον ἢ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἄλλων. Νοήσωμεν τοίνυν τὸ πρᾶγμα τὸ τοῖς αἰνίγμασιν ἐγκρυπτόμενον. Τὸ γὰρ πρόβατον οὐκ ὄντως πρόβατον καὶ ὁ ποιμὴν δὲ πάντως ἄλλο τι, οὐ μὴν ὁ τῶν ἀλόγων νομεύς, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὑποδείγματα ταῦτα τῶν ἱερέων παιδευτικά, ἵνα τῶν ἀνθρώπων μήτε προχείρως ἀπελπίζωμεν μήτε καταρρᾳθυμῶμεν κινδυνευόντων. Ζητῶμεν δὲ τὸν ἐμπαθῆ καὶ ἐπανάγωμεν εἰς τάξιν καὶ χαίρωμεν τοῖς ἐπιστρέφουσιν καὶ τῷ πληρώματι τῶν ὀρθῶς βιούντων ἀναμιγνύωμεν. Ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δὲ τὸν ἱερέα προσῆκεν ἀντὶ τῆς ἀποτομίας τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἀσκεῖν, ὥστε κἂν ὁ Δεσπότης ἐκκόπτειν κελεύῃ τινὰ ὡς φυτὸν ἄχρηστον, αὐτὸν ὡς φυτοκόμον αἰτεῖν δεῖ τὴν φειδὼ καὶ ὑπέρθεσιν. Τοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν παρίστησι τὸν νοῦν τῆς ἀκάρπου συκῆς ὁ λόγος, ἣν ἐκτεμεῖν θέλοντος τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τὴν ἀκαρπίαν, ὁ γεωργὸς ἱκετεύει καὶ ἀναβολὴν αἰτεῖ καὶ ὑπέρθεσιν ἐλπίδας αὐτῷ χρηστὰς ὑπο τείνων διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιμελείας. Μὴ τοίνυν κόπτε προχείρως, ὁ τὴν τομὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπαγομένην κωλύειν ὀφείλων, μηδὲ καταγίνωσκε ταχέως τὴν ἀχρηστίαν, ἀλλ' ἐκπόνει τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν. Σκάπτε τοῖς ἐλέγχοις, θάλπε ὡς κόπρῳ ταῖς παρακλήσεσιν, πότιζε τῇ ἐπιρροίᾳ τῶν μαθημάτων, περίφρασσε τοῖς προφυλακτικοῖς τῶν παραγγελμάτων ὡς χαρακώματι. Σὸν ἔστω τὸ παραιτεῖσθαι, τοῦ κριτοῦ τὸ δικάζειν. Ἐκεῖνο κληθῆναι σπουδάσωμεν, ὃ λέγεται καὶ ὁ Κύριος· παράκλητος γὰρ","english":"And when he found it, he did not strike it, nor indeed did he drive it violently, pressing it toward the flock, but placing it on his neck and carrying it with forbearance, he restored it to its fellow-pastured sheep, rejoicing over it more than over the multitude of the others. Let us then understand the matter that is hidden in these riddles. For the sheep is not really a sheep, and the shepherd is certainly something else—not the herdsman of irrational beasts—but these are instructive figures of priests, so that we neither hastily despair of men nor grow careless when they are in danger. Let us seek the one who has suffered, and let us bring him back to order, and let us rejoice with those who turn back, and let us mingle them into the fullness of those who live rightly. And so far ought the priest to practice love of humanity instead of severity, that even if the Master commands someone to be cut down as a useless plant, he himself, as a gardener, must ask for forbearance and delay. For the word presents to us this meaning in the barren fig tree: when the Lord wished to cut it down because of its barrenness, the vinedresser entreats him and asks for postponement and delay, holding out to him good hopes through his own care. Do not, then, cut down hastily—you who ought to prevent the cutting that is brought on by the Lord—nor quickly condemn the uselessness, but labor in care. Dig with reproofs, warm as with manure by exhortations, water with the stream of teachings, fence it round with the protective precepts as with a palisade. Yours let it be to plead, the judge's to decide. Let us strive to be called that which the Lord also is called; for the Paraclete","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":178,"ref":"p178","source":"ὀνομάζεται ὑπὲρ τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν Πατέρα ἐξιλεούμενος· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σπουδὴν ἔλαβεν ὄνομα. Παράκλητος γὰρ κἀκεῖνο λέγεται· πρεσβεία δὲ καὶ παράκλησις ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων πάντως σπουδάζεται, οὐ μὴν τῶν ἀνευθύνων καὶ ἀνεγκλήτων. Ζήλωσον, ὁ ἱερεύς, τὸ κηδεμονικὸν τοῦ Μωσέως· μίμησαι τὴν ἐκείνου περὶ τοὺς ἀρχομένους διάθεσιν, ὃς παρα καλῶν τὸν Θεόν, ἵνα μὴ δυσμενῇ τῷ λαῷ πλημμελήσαντι, ἐπειδὴ μικρὸν ᾔσθετο παρελκομένης τῆς χάριτος, τοῦτο γοῦν ἱκέτευε προαπελθεῖν τοῦ λαοῦ, ὡς μήτε θεάσηται τῶν ποιμαινομένων τὸν ὄλεθρον. Οὐδὲν δὲ οἷον αὐτῆς ἀπομνημονεῦσαι τῆς λέξεως· Δέομαι, ἡμάρτηκεν ὁ λαὸς ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς θεοὺς χρυσοῦς. Καὶ νῦν εἰ μὲν ἀφίῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μή, ἐξάλειψόν με ἐκ τῆς βίβλου ἧς ἔγραψας. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως τὴν τοῦ πλήθους σωτήριαν τῆς οἰκείας προτίθησιν καὶ ἐξαλειφθῆναι ζητεῖ, εἰ μὴ κατορθοῖ τῷ κοινῷ τὴν συγγνώμην; Οἱ δὲ νῦν πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας πικραινόμενοι προσιόντας ἐλαύνουσιν, ὑποπίπτοντας παρατρέχουσιν, θεραπευθῆναι ζητούντων ὑπερορῶσιν, δακρυόντων οὐκ ἐπικλῶσι τὸ πρόσωπον. Τί οὖν ὁ Λουκᾶς, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἀνέγραψέ μοι τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἄσωτον, ὃς καθύβρισε μὲν τῇ ἀναχωρήσει πρώτῃ τὸν γεννη σάμενον, εἶτα πρὸς ἡδονὰς καὶ μέθας ἐκβακχευθεὶς καὶ φιλογύνης γενόμενος πάντα τὸν πατρικὸν πλοῦτον ἐκένωσεν;","english":"he is named as propitiating the Father on behalf of the human race; and likewise the Spirit of truth has received a name for his zeal on our behalf. For that one too is called Paraclete; and intercession and advocacy on behalf of those who have sinned is surely undertaken with zeal, but not on behalf of the blameless and unaccused. Be zealous, O priest, for the guardianship of Moses; imitate his disposition toward those under his rule, who, entreating God that he not be hostile to the people when they sinned, since he perceived that grace was being drawn back a little, at least begged this: that he depart from the people beforehand, so that he might not behold the destruction of those he shepherded. And nothing is like recalling the very wording: I beseech you, the people has sinned a great sin and has made for themselves gods of gold. And now, if you forgive them their sin, forgive; but if not, blot me out of the book which you have written. Do you see how he places the salvation of the multitude before his own, and seeks to be blotted out, if he does not achieve forgiveness for the community? But those now who are embittered against sinners drive away those who approach, pass by those who fall at their feet, overlook those seeking healing, and do not incline their face to those who weep. What then does Luke—or rather the Holy Spirit—record for me concerning the prodigal son, who by his first departure insulted the one who begot him, then, reveling in pleasures and drunkenness and becoming a lover of women, emptied all his father's wealth?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":179,"ref":"p179","source":"Ἐπειδὴ δὲ χρόνοις ὕστερον ἱκανῶς ἐνταλαιπωρήσας τοῖς μόχθοις, ὡς καὶ συβώτης γενέσθαι μισθωτὸς καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μετασχεῖν τοῖς χοίροις τροφῆς, ἐπανῆλθε πρὸς τὴν πατρικὴν ἑστίαν σωφρονισθείς, οὐκ ἀπεστράφη ὁ πατὴρ οὐδὲ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῷ τὰς θύρας ἐπανελθόντι, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον προσέδραμεν ἐγγίζοντι καὶ ἐπεκλίθη τῷ τραχήλῳ καὶ δάκρυον ἐπέσταξε συμπαθῶς τῷ αὐχένι, ἐποίησε δὲ πάλιν ἀντὶ ἀθλίου μακαριστὸν ἐλευθερίῳ ἀμφιέσας ἐσθῆτι καὶ δακτύλιον τῇ χειρὶ περιθεὶς καὶ ἑορτὴν ἄγων τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ εὐτρεπίσας εὐωχίαν λαμπράν. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα λόγος ἐστὶ παραβολικὸς ὑπανοίγων τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ὡς πατρικὴν ἑστίαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ δεχόμενος φιλοφρόνως, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ὁμοδίαιτοι τοῖς χοίροις, τοῖς δαί μοσιν, γεννῶνται δὲ πάλιν ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων υἱοί, ἵνα τῷ βουλήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ συζῶσιν ὡς γνώμῃ πατρὸς καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀνδράσιν ὡς ἀδελφοῖς. Σὺ δὲ μὴ ζήλου τὴν γνώμην τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου, μηδὲ καταγόγγυζε τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς φιλανθρωπίας, ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἄσωτον καὶ ὑβριστὴν εἰσῳκίσατο. Θαύμαζε δὲ μᾶλλον τὴν ἀγαθότητα καὶ μιμοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν εὐμένειαν καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πλάνης ὑποστρέφοντας ἐναγκαλίζου καὶ περιπτύσσου· οὕτως γὰρ ἔσῃ τυφλῶν ὁδηγὸς καὶ πλανωμένων διδάσκαλος. Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς τραχυτέρους τὴν γνώμην καὶ τὴν ἀποτομίαν πρὸ τῆς συμπαθείας ἀσκοῦντας ἱκανῶς ἡμῖν εἴρηται καὶ οὐδὲν δεῖ μακροτέρων· ἄκουε δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ ὁ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς δεόμενος, ὅπως σε προσῆκεν ἐπιστυγνάζειν τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν καὶ τὰ παραπτώματα τῆς καρδίας ἀποθρηνεῖν·","english":"But since after a considerable time, having toiled hard in labors, so as even to become a hired swineherd and to share the same food as the pigs, he returned to his father's house, having come to his senses, the father did not turn away from him nor shut the doors against him when he returned, but quite the contrary, he ran to meet him as he drew near and fell upon his neck and compassionately dropped a tear upon his neck, and made him again, instead of wretched, blessed, clothing him in a garment of freedom and putting a ring on his hand and celebrating the day with a feast and preparing a splendid banquet. All these things are a parabolic account that half-opens to those who repent, as it were, the father's house—the Church—and receives them kindly, so that they may not be companions of the pigs, that is, of the demons, but may be born again as sons from strangers, so that they may live together with the will of God as with a father's purpose, and with holy men as with brothers. But do not envy the elder brother's purpose, nor murmur against the father's love for humanity, because he has brought the prodigal and insolent one back into the house. Rather, marvel at his goodness and imitate God's benevolence, and embrace and clasp those returning from their wandering; for thus you will be a guide of the blind and a teacher of those who wander. To those, then, who are harsher in purpose and practice severity before compassion, we have said enough, and there is no need of longer words. But hear now also you who need conversion, how it befits you to grieve over your sins and to bewail the failings of your heart.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":180,"ref":"p180","source":"μᾶλλον δέ, εἰ δοκεῖ, σκόπησον τὴν ἁμαρτωλὸν γυναῖκα τὴν παρὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀναγνωσθεῖσαν ἡμῖν. Κἀκείνης τὸ ταπεινὸν καὶ εὐσύνετον ζήλωσον καὶ λάβε κανόνα μετανοίας ἠκριβωμένης. Ἐλθοῦσα γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Φαρισαίου οὔτε τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἑστιωμένων ἠρυθρίασεν, οὔτε τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐωχίας ὡς ἄκαιρον εἰς ἐξομολόγησιν ἔφυγεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ λύπῃ συνεχομένη καὶ σφοδρὸν ἔχουσα τῶν πλημμελημάτων τὸ πένθος οὐδὲ τὸ βραχύτατον ἠφίει τὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἰατρόν. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον κατ' ὄψιν ἐρχομένη ἱκέτευεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀνάξιον ἑαυτῆς καὶ ἀπαρρησίαστον διὰ τοῦ σχήματος ἑρμηνεύουσα, τὴν κατὰ νώτου χώραν καταλαβοῦσα καὶ οὐδὲ ἑστῶσα ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ κατόπιν τῶν ποδῶν λαβομένη, λύσασα δὲ τὰς κόμας καὶ τοῖς πράγμασι δημοσιεύουσα τὴν πενθοῦσαν ψυχὴν καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸ δάκρυον ἐπιρρέουσα μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς\n\nσυμπαθείας ᾔτει τὸν ἔλεον· καὶ τοσοῦτον προχεομένη, ὥστε καὶ βρέχειν τοὺς πόδας καὶ τῇ κόμῃ πάλιν ἐκμάττουσα τὴν ὑγρότητα πᾶσαν εὐλάβειαν ταπεινὴν ἐπεδείκνυτο. Ἵνα δὲ συνελὼν εἴπω, πάσαις ταῖς αἰσθήσεσι καὶ τοῖς μέλεσι τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσιν ἡ γυνὴ τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐξεπόνει· ἡ δὲ δημοσία καὶ εἰς τοὔμφανες οὕτως ὀδυρομένη τὰς ἁμαρτίας τίνα κατ' ἰδίαν ἐπὶ σχολῆς ἔπραττεν, ἔξεστιν τεκμηράμενον συνορᾶν. Ἡμῶν δὲ ἡ μὲν ὑπόσχεσις μετάνοιαν ἐπαγγέλλεται· ἡ δὲ πρᾶξις οὐδὲν ἐπίπονον δείκνυσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχομεν τοῦ βίου κατάστασιν ἣν καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐζῶμεν.","english":"But rather, if you please, consider the sinful woman who was read to us just now in Luke. Imitate her humility and her ready understanding, and take her as a rule of exact repentance. For when she came to the house of the Pharisee, she was not ashamed before the crowd of those reclining at table, nor did she shrink from the time of the feast as inopportune for confession, but, held by grief and having a vehement mourning for her transgressions, she did not let go even for the briefest moment the physician of sins. Indeed, she did not come face to face to supplicate him, but, expressing her unworthiness and her lack of boldness through her posture, she took her place behind him—and not merely standing, but having taken hold of his feet from behind—and, loosening her hair and by her actions making public the mourning of her soul, and pouring her tears over the feet of Jesus, with great compassion she asked for mercy; and pouring them out so abundantly as even to wet his feet and again wiping away all the moisture with her hair, she displayed all humble reverence. And to speak briefly in sum, with all her senses and members that had sinned the woman labored out her repentance; but what she, who thus publicly and openly bewailed her sins, did in private at leisure, it is possible by inference to perceive. But our promise professes repentance, yet our action shows nothing laborious, but we have the same condition of life as we lived even before sin.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":181,"ref":"p181","source":"Φαιδρότης γὰρ ὁμοία καὶ ἐσθὴς ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ τραπέζης ἀπόλαυσις δαψιλὴς καὶ ὕπνος μακρὸς καὶ λελυμένος εἰς κόρον, ἀσχολίαι δὲ καὶ φροντίδες ἐπάλληλοι λήθην ἐμποιοῦσαι τῇ ψυχῇ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιμελείας. Μόνον δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς μετανοίας ἐπιγραφόμεθα ἄκαρπον τε καὶ ἀνενέργητον· τῶν μὲν μυστηρίων ἑαυτοὺς χωρίζοντες καὶ τῆς κοινωνίας τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἁγιασμάτων, οὐδεμίαν δὲ σπουδὴν τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς τῆς πρὸς αὐτὰ ποιούμενοι, ἀλλ' ὡς εὐώνου καταφρονοῦντες τῆς ἀπολαύσεως. Ἐννόησον, ἄνθρωπε, πηλίκων ἀξιούμενος ἐχωρίσθης τῆς μετουσίας ἐκείνων. Εἰ βασιλικῆς σὺ τραπέζης μετέχων ᾖς, εἶτα προσκρούσας τῆς τιμῆς ἀπερρίφης, πόσων ἂν ἐξωνήσω χρημάτων τὸ πάλιν γενέσθαι φίλος καὶ ὁμοτράπεζος; Τίνων δὲ θύρας οὐκ ἂν διώχλησας ἱκετεύων, ἀπορούμενος, στένων, ἀβίωτον νομίζων τὸν βίον, τῇ τήξει καὶ σχέσει τοῦ προσώπου τῆς ἐν τῷ βάθει λύπης τὴν ὀδύνην ἐκφαίνων· πάντα λίθον, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, κινῶν, μέχρις οὗ σαυτῷ τὴν συμφορὰν ἐπηνώρθωσας; Ὁ δὲ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκειώσεως χωρισθεὶς καὶ τῆς ὄντως ὑψηλῆς τιμῆς ἐκπεσὼν τί μέγα καὶ ἀξιόλογον ποιήσας ψυχῆς κεκακωμένης ἐνδείξηται ταπεινότητα; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκόλουθον νοσεῖν λέγοντα τὴν αὐτὴν ζωὴν μετιέναι τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσιν. Ἄλλη γὰρ δίαιτα τοῦ ἀρρώστου καὶ ἕτερος βίος τοῦ ὑγιαίνοντος. Ὁρᾷς ὅση ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ εὐεκτοῦντος μεταβολὴ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀσθενοῦντος διαγώγην· οὗτος μὲν γὰρ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἕξιν ἀρρωστίας αἰσθόμενος ἐν δωματίῳ σμικρῷ κατακεῖται πάσης συνήθους ἀναχωρήσας φροντίδος· ἀμελεῖ γεωργίας καὶ σφόδρα γεωργικὸς ὑπάρχων· ἀφίησι πλούτου μέριμναν ὁ χρηματιστὴς καὶ φιλέμπορος.","english":"For the cheerfulness is the same, the clothing the same, the lavish enjoyment of the table and long, fully relaxed sleep; but occupations and successive cares produce in the soul forgetfulness of its own proper care. We inscribe upon ourselves only the name of repentance, fruitless and without effect, separating ourselves from the mysteries and from the communion of the ineffable sanctifications, yet making no earnest effort of turning back toward them, but despising their enjoyment as something cheap. Consider, O man, of how great things you were deemed worthy, and from the participation in them you have separated yourself. If you had been a partaker of a king's table, and then, having offended, had been cast out from that honor, how much money would you have paid to become a friend and table-companion again? Whose doors would you not have importuned, beseeching, at a loss, groaning, deeming life unlivable, revealing the pain of your grief in the depths by the wasting and the look of your face, moving every stone, as the saying goes, until you had repaired the misfortune for yourself? But he who has been separated from intimacy with God and has fallen from the truly high honor—what great and notable thing must he do to display the humility of a soul that has been afflicted? It is not consistent for one who says he is sick to pursue the same life as those who are healthy. For the regimen of the sick man is one thing, and the life of the healthy man another. Do you see how great is the change from the condition of the healthy man to the manner of life of the sick man? For the latter, perceiving the sickness of his condition, lies down in a small room, having withdrawn from every customary care; he neglects farming, though he is very much a farmer; the businessman and merchant lets go of his concern for wealth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":182,"ref":"p182","source":"Ὕδατι καὶ ψωμῷ διατρέφεται, εἰ καὶ πρότερον τρυφῆς γέμουσαν καὶ συβαριτικὴν παρετίθετο τράπεζαν. παισὶν οὐκ ἐπευφραίνεται τὰ συνήθη γαμετῆς χωρισθείς· τοῖς ἰατροῖς σύνεστιν νύκτωρ τε καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν καὶ πολλοῖς μισθοῖς πρὸς ἀγαπητὸν κέρδος σπεύδει τὴν ὑγιείαν. Ταῦτα ὁ τοῦ σώματος ἄρρωστος. Ὁ δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν κακῶς διακείμενος τὴν ἀσώματον περινοστήσας τῷ ἰατρῷ καὶ προσποιητῶς ὁμολογῶν καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν ἀσθένειαν καταλιμπάνει νέμεσθαι καὶ σφακελίζειν τὸ πάθος, ἵνα πρὸς τὸν ὅλον ὄγκον διαχεθῇ; Ἀλλὰ σωφρό νησον, γνῶθι σαυτόν· Θεὸν ἐλύπησας, τὸν Δημιουργόν σου παρώργισας, τὸν καὶ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντα καὶ τῆς μελλούσης Κύριον καὶ κριτήν. Ἀπὸ τρυφῆς ἐκακώθης; νηστείᾳ θεράπευσον τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Ἀκολασία τὴν ψυχὴν ἔβλαψεν; σωφροσύνη γενέσθω τῆς ἀρρωστίας φάρμακον. Πλεονεξία πολύϋλος τὸν νοητὸν εἰργάσατο πυρετόν; ἐλεημοσύνη κενωσάτω τὴν πλησμονήν, καθάρσιον γὰρ τῶν πεπληρωμένων μετάδοσις. Ἔβλαψεν ἡμᾶς ἁρπαγὴ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων; ἐπανελθέτω πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον δεσπότην τὸ ἅρπαγμα. Ψεῦδος ἡμᾶς ἐγγὺς τῆς ἀπωλείας ἤγαγεν ἀπολεῖς γάρ, φησί, τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος; ἀλήθεια μελετηθεῖσα στησάτω τὸν κίνδυνον. Ὅρκος παραβαθεὶς ἄγει πετόμενον τὸ διαέριον τοῦ Ζαχαρίου δρέπανον τὴν τόμην ἀπειλοῦν; ἐνδυσώμεθα πᾶσαν τὴν πανοπλίαν τῆς μετανοίας, ἵνα τὴν ἀκμὴν ἀποκρουσώμεθα τοῦ δρεπάνου. Αἱρετικοῖς δόγμασιν ἀσεβῶς τις ἐδούλευσεν; ὀρθῆς δόξης φρονήματι τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν φυγαδευσάτω. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ μετάνοια· λύσις καὶ ἀφανισμὸς τῶν πρώην ἢ κατὰ πρᾶξιν ἐνεργουμένων ἢ κατὰ διάθεσιν νοουμένων.","english":"He is fed on water and a morsel of bread, even though previously he set before himself a table full of luxury and Sybaritic excess. Separated from his wife, he takes no delight in the customary pleasures of children; he is in the company of physicians night and day, and at great expense he hastens toward health as a beloved gain. Such is the man sick in body. But the man who is in a bad state as regards his soul, having gone around to the incorporeal physician and falsely confessing and displaying his weakness, leaves the disease to feed and fester, so that it may spread into the whole mass? But be sober-minded, know yourself: you have grieved God, you have provoked your Creator, who has authority over the present life and is Lord and Judge of the life to come. Were you made ill by luxury? Heal your indulgence with fasting. Did licentiousness harm your soul? Let self-control become the medicine of the sickness. Did greed, full of matter, produce the spiritual fever? Let almsgiving empty out the fullness, for the distribution of what one has filled is a purgative. Did the seizing of others' goods harm us? Let the plunder return to its own master. Did falsehood bring us near to destruction? For you will destroy, it says, those who speak falsehood; let truth, when practiced, halt the danger. Has a broken oath brought the flying sickle of Zechariah through the air, threatening the cut? Let us put on the whole armor of repentance, so that we may beat back the sharp edge of the sickle. Has someone impiously enslaved himself to heretical doctrines? Let him put superstition to flight by the mind of right belief. For this is repentance: the dissolution and obliteration of what was formerly done in deed or conceived in disposition.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":183,"ref":"p183","source":"Ὁ δὲ γνωρίζων τὸ τῆς\n\nμετανοίας ὠφέλιμον, ἀεὶ δὲ περὶ τὸν βόρβορον τῆς ἀνομίας στρεφόμενος, δούλῳ τυγχάνει παραπλήσιος γνωρίζοντι τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ δεσπότου, ἐν ὄψεσι δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ κακὸν ἐργαζομένῳ καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τριπλασιάζοντι. Εὐαίσθητος γενοῦ πρὸς τὴν περιέχουσαν σε νόσον. Σύντριψον σαυτὸν ὅσον δύνασαι, ζήτησον καὶ ἀδελφῶν ὁμοψύχων πένθος βοηθοῦν σοι πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, δεῖξον μοι πικρόν σου καὶ δαψιλὲς τὸ δάκρυον, ἵνα μίξω καὶ τὸ ἐμόν, λάβε καὶ τὸν ἱερέα κοινωνὸν τῆς θλίψεως ὡς πατέρα. Τίς γὰρ οὕτως πατὴρ ψευδώνυμος ἢ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀδαμάντινος, ὡς μὴ συνοδύρεσθαι τοῖς τέκνοις λυπομένοις ἢ πάλιν συνευφραίνεσθαι χαίρουσιν; Ἱερεὺς υἱοῦ τοῦ κατὰ θρησκείαν οὕτως ὀδύρεται ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς Ἰακὼβ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ᾑμαγμένον χιτῶνα, ὡς Δαβὶδ τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ τὸν ὄλεθρον, ὡς ὁ Ἠλὶ τὸν Ὀφνὶ καὶ Φινεὲςπεσόντας ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως, ὡς Μωϋσῆς τὸν λαὸν τὴν ἄθεον μοσχοποιΐαν καινοτομήσαντα. Πρὸ τῶν σωματικῶν πατέρων θάρρησον τῷ κατὰ Θεόν σε γεννήσαντι, δεῖξον αὐτῷ ἀνερυθριάστως τὰ κεκρυμμένα, γύμνωσον τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπόρρητα ὡς ἰατρῷ πάθος δεικνύων κεκαλυμμένον· αὐτὸς ἐπιμελήσεται καὶ τῆς εὐσχημοσύνης καὶ τῆς θεραπείας· πλέον ἡ αἰδὼς τῶν γονέων ἅπτεται τῶν πεπονθότων αὐτῶν. Ἡ γὰρ ἐκείνων δόξα τῶν γεννησαμένων ἐστὶν καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη ὁμοίως. Ἄδηλος, ἀδελφοί, τῆς ζωῆς ἡ προθεσμία. Φθάσωμεν τῇ ἐπιμελείᾳ τὴν ἔξοδον.","english":"But the one who recognizes the benefit of repentance, yet always wallows in the mire of lawlessness, is like a slave who knows his master's anger but does evil in his sight and triples his sin. Be sensitive to the disease that surrounds you. Crush yourself as much as you can; seek also the mourning of like-minded brothers to help you toward freedom; show me your tears, bitter and abundant, so that I may mingle mine with them; take the priest as a companion of your affliction, as a father. For who is so falsely named a father, or so adamantine in soul, as not to grieve with his children when they are sorrowful, or again to rejoice with them when they rejoice? A priest grieves over the sin of his son in religion as Jacob grieved over Joseph's bloodstained tunic, as David over Absalom's destruction, as Eli over Hophni and Phinehas fallen in battle, as Moses over the people innovating the godless making of the calf. Before your bodily fathers, have confidence in the one who begot you according to God; show him without shame the things hidden, lay bare the secrets of your soul, displaying a covered passion to a physician; he will take care both of your dignity and of your healing; the shame of parents touches those who have suffered more. For their glory belongs to those who begot them, and their shame likewise. Unknown, brothers, is the appointed limit of life. Let us overtake the departure by our diligence.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":184,"ref":"p184","source":"Ἄτοπον γὰρ τοὺς μὲν τῆς σαρκὸς λελογισμένως ποιουμένους τὴν πρόνοιαν καθαίρειν ἑαυτοὺς τῶν ὑλῶν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιτολῆς τοῦ λεγομένου κυνός, ἵνα μὴ διασαπὲν ἐκ τῆς ἄγαν θερμότητος τὸ ὕγρον νοσοποιὸν σῆψιν ἐργάσηται, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐπιμελείας χρῄζοντας μὴ προφθάνειν τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ἀδηλίαν καὶ τοῦ κολαστηρίου πυρὸς τὴν ζέσιν, τοῦ ἀλήκτως φλέγοντος καὶ μηδέποτε ψυχομένου. Τὴν δραχμὴν εἶχες τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν καὶ καλῶς ἐπλούτεις τῷ χρήματι, εἶτα διὰ ῥᾳθυ μίαν ἀπώλεσας. Ἅψον τὸν ἐκ τῆς μετανοίας λύχνον, κατάκυψον ἐπιμελῶς, ζήτησον τὸ κειμήλιον τοῖς γηΐνοις ἐγκρυπτόμενον πάθεσιν. Εὑρηκὼς ἀνελοῦ καὶ σῶσον, ἵνα σοι συγχαρῶμεν οἱ γείτονες χαρὰν τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ, ᾧ πρέπει δόξα, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.\n\n14. Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας λόγος εἰς τὴν εἴσβασιν τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν Σύνθετον ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀπὸ σώματος τοῦ φαινομένου καὶ τῆς λογικῆς καὶ ἀσωμάτου ψυχῆς λαχὼν εἶναι ὅπερ ἐστίν. Τῶν δέ γε δύο τούτων τῶν προρρηθέντων οὐχ ὁμότιμος ἡ φύσις καὶ ἡ ἀξία, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ὄργανον ἐδημιουργήθη πρὸς τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς κρατούσης κινούμενον, ἡ δὲ ἡγεμονεύειν ἐτάχθη καὶ βασιλεύειν ὡς κρείττων τοῦ χείρονος. Λαβοῦσα δὲ αὕτη τὸ διακριτικὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῶν καλῶν καὶ τῶν οὐ τοιούτων τὴν διαφορὰν ἐξευροῦσα γνωρίζει μὲν Θεὸν ποιητὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν τῶν τε ἐν ποσὶ τούτων καὶ τῇ αἰσθήσει καταληπτῶν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀοράτων, ὅσα νοῦς ἀσώματος φαντασιούμενος βλέπει.","english":"For it is absurd that those who take prudent forethought for the flesh should purge themselves of material things before the rising of the so-called Dog Star, lest the moisture, thoroughly rotted by excessive heat, produce a disease-causing putrefaction, while those who need care in respect of the mind should not forestall the uncertainty of death and the seething of the punitive fire, which burns unceasingly and is never cooled. You had the Gospel drachma and were rightly rich with the treasure, and then through sloth you lost it. Kindle the lamp of repentance, stoop down diligently, seek the treasure hidden in earthly passions. When you have found it, take it up and save it, so that we, your neighbors, may rejoice with you with the joy that is in Christ, to whom be glory, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.\n\n14. A discourse of Asterius, bishop of Amaseia, on the entrance of the holy fast. Man is a composite living being, having received to be what he is from the visible body and from the rational and incorporeal soul. But the nature and worth of these two just mentioned are not of equal honor; rather, the one was created as an instrument, moved for the management of the ruling part, while the other was appointed to govern and reign as the better over the worse. And this soul, having received the power of discernment from the mind and reason, and having discovered the difference between good things and things not of that sort, recognizes God as maker and craftsman of these things at our feet and graspable by sense, and indeed also of the invisible things, as many as the incorporeal mind sees by forming images.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":185,"ref":"p185","source":"Ἀσκοῦσα δὲ δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀρετήν, ὡς Θεῷ φίλη, ἐφίεται φιλοσοφίας καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνης νόμοις καὶ παραγγέλμασι πειθομένη ἀπάγει μὲν ἑαυτὴν ὅτι πλεῖστον τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμημάτων, ἐγγίζει δὲ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ὅση δύναμις οἰκειοῦσθαι τῷ ἀγαθῷ πραγματεύεται. Αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς ἱερᾶς φιλοσοφίας περὶ τὴν λεγομένην ἐγκράτειαν τὸ πλεῖστον καὶ κυριώτερον στρέφεται, ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἀθόλωτος μένων καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐπιμιξίαν τῶν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς ἢ τῶν ἄλλων\n\nῥυπασμάτων δεχόμενος ἀνεμπόδιστον ἔχει τὴν ἐνέργειαν καὶ τὴν περὶ τῶν οὐρανίων καὶ συγγενῶν αὐτῷ θεωρίαν. Οὐκοῦν ὅσοι τῆς φιλοσοφίας τρόφιμοι καὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἐρασταὶ καὶ μαθηταὶ τοῦ λόγου, ἀγαπήσατε τὸν ἐνεστῶτα καιρὸν καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν τεσσαρακοστὴν χαίροντες ὑποδέξασθε ὡς σωφροσύνης διδάσκαλον καὶ ἀρετῆς μητέρα καὶ τροφὸν τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ παιδαγωγὸν τῶν ἀτάκτων καὶ γαλήνην ψυχῶν καὶ εὐστάθειαν βίου καὶ εἰρήνην ἔνσπονδον καὶ ἀτάραχον. Ταύτης γὰρ τὸ αὐστηρὸν καὶ σεμνὸν πάθη κοιμίζει, ὀργὰς καὶ θυμοὺς ἀποσβέννυσιν, πάντα κλύδωνα τὸν ἐκ πολυφαγίας ἀναζέοντα καταψύχει καὶ καταστέλλει. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ θέρους, ὅταν ὁ ἥλιος τὸ φλογῶδες καταλάμπῃ τῆς γῆς, ὁ βορρᾶς τοὺς θαλπομένους εὐεργετεῖ πραείαις αὔραις ἀπελαύνων τὸ πνῖγος, τοιοῦτον καὶ ἡ νηστεία χαρίζεται τὴν ἐκ τῆς γαστριμαργίας πύρωσιν τῶν σωμάτων ἀποδιώκουσα. Τοσαῦτα δὲ ψυχὴν εὐεργετοῦσα οὐχ ἧττον ὠφελεῖ καὶ τὸ σῶμα.","english":"But she, practicing righteousness and virtue, as one dear to God, aspires to philosophy, and being obedient to its laws and precepts, she withdraws herself as far as possible from fleshly desires, and draws near to God, and to the extent of her power endeavors to be made akin to the good. Now the greater and more essential part of this sacred philosophy itself is concerned with what is called self-control; for from this source the mind, remaining undimmed and admitting no admixture of the things that come from the belly or of other defilements, has its activity unimpeded, and its contemplation of heavenly things and of those akin to itself. Therefore, as many as are nurslings of philosophy and lovers of lofty things and disciples of the Word, love the present season, and receive the holy Forty Days with joy as a teacher of chastity and a mother of virtue and a nurse of the sons of God and a paedagogue of the unruly and a calm of souls and a stability of life and a peace bound by treaty and untroubled. For its austerity and solemnity lulls the passions to sleep, quenches angers and rages, cools and checks every surge that boils up from gluttony. And just as in summer, when the sun shines fiercely upon the earth, the north wind benefits those who are heated, driving away the stifling heat with gentle breezes, so also fasting bestows the same, driving out the burning of the bodies that comes from gluttony. And while it benefits the soul to such a degree, it no less profits the body also.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":186,"ref":"p186","source":"Λεπτύνει γὰρ καὶ τῶν ὑλῶν τὰς παχύτητας καὶ τὸν ὄγκον ἀποσκευάζει τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὰς φλέβας τῷ πλήθει ῥηγνυμένας τοῦ αἵματος ἀνίησι καὶ δίδωσιν ὀλίγον χώρημα τῇ στενότητι, ἵνα μὴ πάθωσι τὸ τῶν σωλήνων πάθος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, ὅταν αὐτοῖς πολύ τι καὶ ἄμετρον ὑπὲρ τὴν χώρησιν ἐποχετεύσῃ τὸ ὕδωρ, ἐκρήγνυνται τὸν ἐκ τῆς βίας εἰσωθούμενον ὄγκον μὴ στέγοντες. Κεφαλὴ δὲ πραεῖαν ἔχει καὶ γαληνιῶσαν κατά στασιν, οὔτε τῶν ἀρτηρίων παλλομένων οὔτε τοῦ ἐγκεφάλου διὰ τῆς ἀναδόσεως τῶν ἀτμῶν ζοφουμένου. Στομάχου δὲ ἐλευθερία ἐγκράτεια. Τότε γὰρ ἀφίεται τῆς ἠναγκασμένης δουλείας καὶ τοῦ ζέειν ὡς λέβης, κάμνων ταῖς πέψεσιν. Ὀφθαλμοὶ καθαρὸν καὶ ἀνεπισκότητον βλέπουσι πάσης ἀχλύος ἀφαιρουμένης, ἣν ὁ κόρος καταχέειν εἴωθε τῶν ὀμμάτων, καὶ τῶν ποδῶν ἡ βάσις ἑδραία, ἀκλόνητος δὲ τῶν χειρῶν ἡ ἐνέργεια. Ἆσθμα τεταγμένον καὶ μέτριον, παρ' οὐδενὸς τῶν ὀχλούντων πνευμά των ἔνδοθεν ἐπειγόμενον. Λόγος τοῦ νηστευτοῦ σαφὴς καὶ διηρθρωμένος, νοῦς καθαρὸς καὶ τότε ἀληθῶς τὸ θεοειδὲς ἔχων, ὅταν ὡς ἐν ἀσωμάτῳ τῇ σαρκὶ ἄλυπον καὶ ἀθορύβητον ἐπιτελῇ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐνέργειαν. Ὕπνοι ἄλυποι καὶ ἀφαντασίαστοι· καὶ ἵνα τὰ πολλὰ παραδραμὼν εἴπω, νηστεία ἐστὶν εἰρήνη κοινὴ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, ἀτάραχος ζωή, εὐσταθὴς πολιτεία, βίος Θεὸν εὐφραίνων καὶ λυπῶν τὸν ἐχθρόν.","english":"For it thins out even the coarseness of material things and strips away the bulk of the body, and it relaxes the veins that are bursting from the abundance of blood and gives a little room to the narrowness, so that they do not suffer the affliction of pipes. For those too, whenever the water is channeled into them in great and immoderate quantity beyond their capacity, burst, not containing the mass pushed in by the force. And the head has a gentle and calm condition, neither the arteries throbbing nor the brain being darkened through the rising of vapors. And the freedom of the stomach is self-control. For then it is released from compelled slavery and from boiling like a cauldron, laboring in its digestions. The eyes see clearly and without any dimness, all the mist being removed which satiety is accustomed to pour over the eyes, and the walk of the feet is steady, and the activity of the hands unshaken. And the breath is ordered and moderate, pressed by none of the winds that trouble from within. The speech of the faster is clear and well-articulated, the mind pure and then truly having the Godlike form, when, as in a bodiless flesh, it accomplishes its own activity without pain and without disturbance. Sleeps are painless and free of fantasies; and to pass over many things in brief, fasting is the common peace of soul and body, a tranquil life, a well-ordered citizenship, a life that gladdens God and grieves the enemy.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":187,"ref":"p187","source":"Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πολέμιος ὅταν ἴδῃ τὸν ἐναντίον γρήγορον καὶ νηφάλιον, ὁπλιζόμενον ἐπιμελῶς καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἀσκοῦντα, ἧτταν οἰκείαν ἡγεῖται τὴν φιλόπονον ἐκείνου παρασκευήν, οὕτως καὶ ὁ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας ἐπίβουλος πᾶσαν ἡμῶν τὴν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἀκριβείαν ὡς ἱδίαν μισεῖ συμφοράν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γίνωσκε τῆς μὲν τοῦ νηστευτοῦ οἰκίας ἀγγέλους εἶναι φύλακας καὶ φρουροὺς παρέδρους, τοῦ δὲ ταῖς ἀπολαύσεσι κατὰ τῆς τεσσαρακοστῆς κωμάζοντος δαίμονας οἰκείους, κνίσης φίλους καὶ ἐραστὰς αἱμάτων καὶ παρέδρους τῆς μέθης. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν πνευμάτων, εἴτε τῶν ἁγίων εἴτε τῶν ἀκαθάρτων, ἕκαστον προσχωρεῖ τοῖς οἰκείοις καὶ φίλοις, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Περιστερὰ μὲν γὰρ περὶ τοὺς καθαροὺς τῶν τόπων φιλοχωρεῖ καὶ περὶ τὰς ἀρούρας στρέφεται ἑαυτῇ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις σπερμολογοῦσα· καὶ ἡ τρυγὼν ἡδέως τοῖς πετάλοις τῶν δένδρων ἐγκάθηται ἡδύ τι καὶ λεπτὸν ὑποτρύζουσα. Ὁ δὲ γαστρίμαργος κόραξ τοῖς κρεοπωλίοις προσκάθηται βαρύ τι καὶ ἀηδὲς τῶν κρεανομούντων καταβοῶν. Ὥστε τὴν ἐγκράτειαν ἀγαπήσωμεν, ἵνα παρ' ἀγγέλων ἀγαπηθῶμεν, μισήσωμεν δὲ τὴν τρυφὴν τὴν ἀκόλαστον, ἵνα μετ' ἐκείνης τὴν πρὸς δαίμονας συνεκβάλωμεν κοινωνίαν. Οὐδεὶς τρυφῶν ἐγένετο σπουδαῖος, οὐδὲ εὐωχίαις σχολάζων ἀρετῆς μαθητής, οὐδὲ φιλήδονος ἅγιος, οὐδὲ σαρκικῶς ζῶν κοινωνὸς βασιλείας. Ἐλθὲ τῇ μνήμῃ πρὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν πεῖραν εὑρήσεις ὧν μεμφόμεθα μάρτυρα. Οὐκ ἂν γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐτέθη νόμος νηστείας, εἰ μὴ παρεβάθη τῆς πρώτης ἐγκρατείας ὁ νόμος· οὐκ ἂν ὠνομάσθη γαστὴρ","english":"For just as an enemy, when he sees his opponent vigilant and sober, arming himself carefully and practicing courage, regards that man's diligent preparation as his own defeat, so too the plotter against our salvation hates all our exactness in virtue as his own misfortune. And for this reason, know that angels are guardians of the house of the one who fasts and guards stationed beside him, but that the one who revels in pleasures against the forty-day fast has demons as his own companions, lovers of the savor of fat and lovers of blood and attendants of drunkenness. For indeed, of the spirits, whether holy or unclean, each one goes to its own and its friends, just as one may see also in the case of birds. For the dove loves to dwell in clean places and turns about the fields, gathering seed for itself and its young; and the turtle-dove sits pleasantly in the leaves of trees, cooing something sweet and delicate. But the gluttonous crow sits by the butcher shops, croaking something heavy and unpleasant at those who carve the meat. Therefore let us love self-control, so that we may be loved by angels, and let us hate unbridled luxury, so that with it we may cast out fellowship with demons. No one who lives in luxury has become earnest, nor one who devotes himself to feasts a disciple of virtue, nor a lover of pleasure a saint, nor one who lives according to the flesh a partaker of the kingdom. Come in memory to the beginning of our race, and you will find experience as a witness of what we censure. For a law of fasting would not have been laid down for us, if the law of the first self-control had not been transgressed; nor would the belly have been named","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":188,"ref":"p188","source":"ἐπίβουλος, εἰ μὴ πρόφασις ἡδονῆς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εἰσήγαγεν. Οὐκ ἦν ἀρότρου χρεία καὶ βοῶν ἀροτήρων καὶ τεμνομένης αὔλακος, οὐδὲ μὴν σπερμάτων καὶ ὕδατος ἄρδοντος καὶ περιόδου καιρῶν καὶ χειμῶνος πυκνοῦντος καὶ θέρους λύοντος καὶ πάσης ταύτης τῆς ἐγκυκλίου ταλαιπωρίας, εἰ μὴ διὰ πρόχειρον προπάτορος ἀπόλαυσιν ταύτην κατε ψηφίσθημεν τὴν τῶν πόνων περίοδον· ἀλλ' ἐμέλλομεν ἑτέραν τινὰ παρὰ τὴν ὁρωμένην διάγειν τοῦ βίου κατάστασιν, ἧς πάλιν ἐλπίζομεν ἐπιτυχεῖν ὅταν τὴν ἐμπαθῆ ζωὴν διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀποσκευασώμεθα. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ εὐεργεσία τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς συγκαταβάσεως, ἵνα πρὸς τὴν παλαιὰν ἀποκαταστῶμεν ἀξίαν· ἧς φιλανθρώπως μεταλαβόντες εὐαισθήτως τὴν χάριν οὐκ ἐφυλάξαμεν. Φαιδρυνθῶμεν τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῇ μελλούσῃ νηστείᾳ· νηστεία τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς εἰκών, τῆς ἀφθάρτου διαγωγῆς μίμημα. Ἐκεῖ οὐκ εἰσὶ πότοι οὐδὲ ἀπολαύσεις. Ἔασον τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον, ὁδῷ καὶ ἑξῆς τοὺς μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἀπαρίθμησαι. Τί τὸν δίκαιον Νῶε ἀσχημονεῖν ἐποίησεν ἐν ἀναισθησίᾳ γυμνωθέντα τῶν μελῶν ἃ σκέπεσθαι νόμος, καὶ τὸν προπετῆ Χᾶμ ἐπιγελάσαι τῇ μέθῃ τοῦ πατρὸς παρεσκεύασεν, ἵνα γένηται δύο κακὰ δι' ἑνὸς πλημμελήματος; Μία γὰρ μέθη καὶ τὸν πατέρα τῆς εὐπρεποῦς σκέπης καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐγύμνωσεν. Ὅταν δὲ πάλιν πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας ἀπίδω Ἠλὶ τοῦ ἱερέως καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνην τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀσχολήσω τὸν νοῦν, ὁρμαθὸν εὑρίσκω συμφορῶν ἀλλήλαις συνδεδεμένων ἀπὸ μίας ἀρχῆς, τῆς διὰ γαστέρα καὶ κόρον.","english":"the plotter, unless the pretext of pleasure had introduced sin. There was no need of a plow and plowing oxen and a furrow being cut, nor indeed of seeds and watering water and the cycle of seasons and winter thickening and summer loosening and all this cyclical drudgery, unless because of our forefather's ready enjoyment this cycle of labors had been decreed for us; but we were going to live out some other condition of life than the one seen, which again we hope to attain when we strip off the passionate life through the resurrection. For this is the beneficence of God's condescension toward us, that we might be restored to the ancient worth; which we, having partaken of in a humane way, did not guard with sensitivity. Let us therefore be gladdened at the coming fast; the fast is an image of the coming life, a imitation of the incorruptible way of life. There are no drinks there nor enjoyments. Leave the first man, and in order count those after him. What made the righteous Noah behave shamefully in insensibility, stripped naked of the members which it is a law to cover, and prepared the rash Ham to laugh at his father's drunkenness, so that two evils might come about through one transgression? For one drunkenness stripped both the father of his decent covering and the son of his freedom. But when again I look toward the sons of Eli the priest and occupy my mind with that story, I find a chain of disasters linked to one another from one beginning, the one through the belly and satiety.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":189,"ref":"p189","source":"Κἀκεῖνοι γὰρ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἱερωσύνην ἀφορμὴν θέμενοι ἡδυπαθείας καὶ ἀπολαύσεως τὰς θυσίας ἐβεβήλουν καὶ τῇ γαστρὶ πρὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ἱερείων ἀπήρχοντο. Ἠκολούθει δὲ καὶ ἡ πορνεία, ἀδελφὴ τῆς τρυφῆς ἁμαρτία, καὶ τούτοις πᾶσιν ἡ παρὰ Θεοῦ κρίσις αὐστηρὰν καὶ ἀπότομον τὴν δίκην ἐπάγουσα. Ἔθνος γὰρ πολέμιον δι' ἐκείνους κατὰ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐστράτευσεν. Καὶ ἵνα πλῆθος σκυθρωπῶν διηγημάτων ὁ λόγος συντέμῃ, οἱ μὲν ἀκόλαστοι νεανίσκοι ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως ἔπεσον καὶ ἡ πατρὶς τοῖς ἁμαρτοῦσι συνεκινδύνευσε καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ κιβωτὸς αἰχμάλωτος παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀπήχθη καὶ ὁ γέρων ἱερεὺς ταῖς ἀγγελίαις τῶν κακῶν ἐπαπέθανε καὶ τοσοῦτος ἐσμὸς κακῶν διὰ φάρυγγος ἡδονὴν ἐπηνέχθη τῇ πόλει. Πάντες μὲν οὖν νηστεύσωμεν· οἱ δὲ τῶν ἱερέων οἰκεῖοι καὶ μᾶλλον ὡς σύνοικον ἔχοντες τὸ διδασκάλιον τῆς ἐγκρατείας καὶ ἀφ' ἑστίας τὰ φιλόσοφα παραγγέλματα. Ἄτοπον γὰρ τοὺς μὲν παῖδας τῶν τραπεζιτῶν ἀργυρογνώμονας εἶναι καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους τῶν χαλκέων περὶ τὸ πῦρ στρέ φεσθαι καὶ τὸν ἄκμονα, τοὺς δὲ τῶν ἱερέων ἐγγὺς εἴτε συγγενεῖς εἴτε ἄλλως οἰκείους ἀφηνιάζειν τοῦ σκόπου, ὃν ζῆν ἔλαχεν ὁ τῆς ἑστίας ἡγεμὼν καὶ δεσπότης. Ἐβλάβη διὰ γαστέρα μέγιστα καὶ ὁ παῖς τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ ὁ πρεσβύτερος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ θηρευτὴς ὑπάρχων τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα καί ποτε μετὰ δρόμον πολὺν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ὑποστρέψας ἀσχέτῳ πείνῃ τῷ προφανέντι βρώματι περιέχανεν, ἀπέδοτο μὲν τῷ ἀδελφῷ τοῦ φακοῦ τὰ πρωτοτόκια·","english":"For those men too, making their father's priesthood an occasion for self-indulgence and pleasure, were profaning the sacrifices and, before God, were taking the first portions of the victims for their belly. And fornication followed as well, a sin sister to luxury, and upon all these things the judgment from God brought a strict and severe penalty. For a hostile nation marched against Jerusalem on their account. And to cut short the account of the multitude of gloomy tales: the licentious young men fell in the battle, and the fatherland shared the danger with those who had sinned, and the ark of God was carried off captive by the enemies, and the old priest died together with the reports of the calamities, and so great a swarm of evils was brought upon the city through the throat's pleasure. Let us all therefore fast—and especially those of the priests' household, as having dwelling with them the school of self-control and, from the hearth itself, the philosophical precepts. For it is absurd that the sons of money-changers should be assayers of silver, and the relatives of smiths should busy themselves around the fire and the anvil, while the relatives of priests—whether kinsmen or otherwise of the household—should bolt away from the mark by which the leader and master of the hearth was allotted to live. The greatest harms have come about through the belly, and so too for the elder son of Isaac. For since he was a hunter by trade and once, after a long run, having returned to the house, with ungovernable hunger he gaped open-mouthed at the food set before him, he sold his birthright to his brother for the lentil dish.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":190,"ref":"p190","source":"ἐκεῖθεν δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ τὴν πατρικὴν εὐλογίαν ἐκλάπη καὶ οὕτως κατὰ μικρὸν ἀλλοτριωθεὶς ἀρετῆς καὶ Θεοῦ τὴν πατριαρχικὴν δόξαν ἀπώλεσε καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὴν οἰκείωσιν χωρισθεὶς αὐτός τε βάρβαρος ἐγένετο καὶ ἀλλόφυλος καὶ τοιοῦτον τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ λαὸν ἀπεγέννησεν. Αὕτη ἡ νόσος καὶ τὸν τῆς παλαιᾶς Διαθηκῆς λαὸν εἰς παράβασιν τῶν θείων καὶ ἱερῶν νόμων ἐξήγαγεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Μωϋσέως τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ τῆς δόσεως τοῦ νόμου σχολάζοντος ἐκδιαιτηθέντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι πρὸς τρυφὴν καὶ χορείας ἐτράπησαν, κατὰ μέρος αὐτοὺς ὀλισθαίνοντας καὶ πατοῦντας τὴν εὐνομίαν τοῦ βίου πρὸς ἀσέβειαν ὁ διάβολος ἐφειλκύσατο. Κἀκεῖθεν λοιπὸν μοσχοποιΐας ἐπιτήδευσις δαιμονῶσα καὶ Ἀαρὼν κοινωνῶν τοῦ μιάσματος καὶ τοῦ νόμου διαφθορὰ καὶ τῶν πλακῶν συντριμμὸς καὶ Μωϋσέως δεύτερος δρόμος ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος καὶ πάντα ταῦτα, ὅσα ἡ ἱστορία σχετλιάζουσα ὀλοφύρεται, ἀπὸ βρώσεως ἀμέτρου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔσχε καὶ τὴν\n\nαἰτίαν. Θέλω δὲ ὑμῖν καὶ ἄλλο παραθέσθαι διήγημα, δεύτερον μὲν τοῦ προλεχθέντος τοῖς χρόνοις, ἰσοδυναμοῦν δὲ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν. Ὁ Σαοὺλ ὁ βασιλεὺς παρετάττετο καὶ διὰ πολλῆς φροντίδος ἦγε τὸν πόλεμον· ἀπηγόρευσε τῷ λαῷ τροφῆς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ μὴ μεταλαβεῖν ὄρκῳ τὴν κρίσιν ἐπισφραγίσας καὶ θάνατος ἦν ἡ ζημία τῷ παρακούσαντι. Πάσης δὲ τῆς στρατιᾶς εὐπειθῶς δεξαμένης τὸ πρόσταγμα μόνος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως παῖς Ἰωνάθαν σμήνει περιτυχὼν καὶ τοῦ μέλιτος ἡττηθείς, ἐμπήξας τοῖς κηρίοις τὸ σκῆπτρον τοῦ γλυκάσματος ἀπεγεύσατο.","english":"From there, in short, he stole even his father's blessing, and thus, little by little, becoming estranged from virtue and from God, he lost the patriarchal glory and, separated from Israel in his own household, he himself became a barbarian and an alien, and he begot a people from himself of such a kind. This disease also led the people of the Old Covenant out into transgression of the divine and sacred laws. For when Moses was occupied with the promise of the giving of the law, the people, having changed their ways, turned to luxury and dancing, and the devil drew them, as they slipped little by little and trampled on the good order of life, toward impiety. And from there, in short, came the demonic pursuit of calf-making, and Aaron sharing in the pollution, and the corruption of the law, and the breaking of the tablets, and Moses' second run up the mountain, and all these things that the history, in its indignation, laments—all had their beginning and their cause from immoderate eating. I wish to set before you another narrative as well, second in time to the one just mentioned, but equal in force to the deed. Saul the king was drawn up for battle and conducted the war with great care; he forbade the people to partake of food on that day, sealing the judgment with an oath, and death was the penalty for the one who disobeyed. But while the whole army obediently accepted the command, only the king's son Jonathan, coming upon a swarm and overcome by the honey, fixed his scepter into the honeycombs and tasted of the sweetness.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":191,"ref":"p191","source":"Ἦλθε δὲ ἐγγὺς τοῦ κινδύνου, εἰ μὴ τὸ πλῆθος ἅπαν κοίνῃ πρὸς τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ βασιλέως ἀντέσχον ἀπαγαγεῖν τὴν ἀπειλὴν εἰς ἔργον ὁρίσαντος. Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις μυρία τοιαῦτα ἔξεστιν ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν συλλεξάμενον σαφῶς κατιδεῖν, ὡς ἀγαθὸν ἡ ἐγκράτεια καὶ τοὐναντίον χαλεπὸν ἡ ἀκόλαστος τῶν πότων καὶ τῶν ὄψων ἀπόλαυσις. Νηστεία τῶν ἁγίων σύντροφος, νηστεία πάσης ἀγαθῆς πράξεως ἀρχηγός. Καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ τεχνῖται χωρὶς ὀργάνων οὐκ ἐνεργοῦσι τὰς τέχνας, οὕτως οὐδὲ οἱ σπουδαῖοι καὶ ἐν πνευματικαῖς χάρισι βοηθέντες ἄνευ ἐγκρατείας ποτέ τι τῶν θαυμάτων καὶ τεραστίων εἰργάσαντο. Νηστεύων Ἐλι σαῖος ἤγειρε νεκρὸν καὶ ἐψύχωσε· νηστεύων Μωϋσῆς εἶδε Θεόν· νηστεύων Δανιὴλ τῆς γοητείας καὶ πλάνης τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐκράτησε· νηστεύων καὶ ὁ Κύριος τοῦ διαβόλου τῶν πειρασμῶν ἠνέσχετο· νηστεύοντες καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν σπουδαίων πραγμάτων δεήσεις ἐτέλουν· νηστείᾳ Νινευΐται τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἐνίκησαν τοῦ θανάτου· καὶ ὡς ἐπίπαν εἰπεῖν, αὕτη πρὸς Θεὸν παράκλητος, αἰδοῦς ἀξία, καὶ πρέσβις ἀξιόπιστος ταχέως δυσωποῦσα ὑπὲρ ὧν ἂν προσαγάγῃ τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν. Διὸ πᾶς ἀνὴρ εὐσεβὴς καὶ ὅστις φιλόθεος μᾶλλον ἢ φιλήδονος χαίρων μοι καὶ εὐθυμούμενος πρόσελθε ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς ἐγκρατείας. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ σκυ θρωπάζων ἐν ἀρχῇ τῶν ἀγώνων γενναῖός ἐστιν ἀγωνιστής.","english":"He came near to danger, had not the whole multitude with one accord resisted the impulse of the father and king, who had determined to bring the threat to action. In addition to what has been said, one may clearly see countless such examples gathered from the Scriptures, that self-control is good and, by contrast, the intemperate enjoyment of drinks and delicacies is grievous. Fasting is the companion of the saints, fasting is the leader of every good deed. And just as craftsmen do not practice their crafts without tools, so neither did the zealous, who were aided in spiritual graces, ever accomplish any of the wonders and marvels without self-control. Fasting, Elisha raised the dead and restored him to life; fasting, Moses saw God; fasting, Daniel prevailed over the sorcery and deceit of the Assyrians; fasting, the Lord also endured the temptations of the devil; fasting, the apostles also performed their petitions for matters of zeal; by fasting the Ninevites conquered the threat of death; and, to speak generally, this is the advocate before God, worthy of reverence, and a trustworthy intercessor, quickly persuading in behalf of whatever supplication it brings before God. Therefore let every pious man, and whoever is a lover of God rather than a lover of pleasure, come with joy and gladness to the days of self-control. For no one who is sullen at the beginning of the contests is a noble athlete.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":192,"ref":"p192","source":"Μὴ γίνου στυγνὸς ὡς βρέφος ἐπὶ τὸ διδασκαλεῖον ἑλκομένον, μὴ καταγόγγυζε τῆς τῶν ἡμέρων καθαρότητος, μὴ ζήτει τῆς ἑβδομάδος τὸ τέλος ὡς μετὰ χειμῶνα πικρὸν παρουσίαν ἔαρος, μὴ ἐπιθύμει τοῦ σαββάτου διὰ μεθὴν ὡς Ἰουδαῖος, μὴ ἀρίθμει τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς τεσσαρακοστῆς ὡς ἀργὸς μισθωτὸς ἀναμένων τῆς ἐμμίσθου προθεσμίας τὸ τέλος, μὴ λυποῦ ὅτι σου ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ὥρας ἡ οἰκία οὐ καπνίζεται, οὐδὲ ὁ μάγειρος ἔστηκε πρὸς τῷ πυρί. Χάρισαί τι καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ, μὴ πάντα τῷ σώματι. Τὴν μὲν ἡ ἀποχὴ τῶν σιτίων τρέφει, τὸ δὲ ἡ ἐμφόρησις. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὰ δύο ἀλλήλοις συνέζευκται καὶ τὰ πολὺ κεχωρισμένα κατὰ τὴν φύσιν τῇ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ συνεδέθη προνοίᾳ καὶ τέχνῃ, βουλευσώμεθα ὅπως ἂν ἀμφότερα διαγένοιτο τῶν καταλλήλων ἕκαστα χρειῶν μὴ στερούμενα. Ἐκ τῶν δύο συνέστηκας, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ σιωπῶ τέως ὅτι πολὺ προτιμότερον ἐστὶν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ προσῆκεν ἐκείνῃ νέμειν τῆς εὐνοίας τὸ πλέον. Δίκασον δὲ ἀμφοτέροις ὡς λογικὸς καὶ εὐγνώμων. Ἀνάσχου δὲ μικρὸν καί, εἰ βουληθείης, ἐγὼ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς λόγον ποιήσομαι ὡς γυναικὶ πιστευσάσῃ συνηγορίαν, ἐφ' οἷς ἀδικεῖσθαι λέγει καὶ καθυβρίζεσθαι. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἱερὰ καὶ ἀσώματος, ἀθάνατος καὶ ἀνώλεθρος, οὐ πρὸς γῆν καὶ τὰ τῇδε ἀλλὰ πρὸς Θεὸν ἔχουσα τὴν συγγένειαν. Καθαρὰ δὲ οὖσα χαίρει τοῖς καθαροῖς καὶ ἄϋλον ἔχουσα τὴν γένεσιν φεύγει τὰς ὕλας. Πλὴν ἐπειδὴ προσετάχθη τὸ ἐκ γῆς μορφωθὲν σκεῦος οἰκονομεῖν, ὡς εὐπειθὴς τοῦ Δεσπότου δούλη τῷ πηλῷ προσεδρεύει καὶ τῆς φυλακῆς ἔχεται καὶ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῷ προ νοίας, μέχρις ἂν ἔλθῃ πρόσταγμα τὸν χωρισμὸν ἐπιτρέπον.","english":"Do not be sullen like an infant dragged off to school; do not grumble against the purity of the days; do not seek the end of the week as one seeks, after winter, the bitter onset of spring; do not long for the Sabbath for the sake of drunkenness, like a Jew; do not count the days of the forty-day fast like a hired laborer waiting idle for the end of the paid term; do not be grieved that from the first hour your house is not smoking, nor the cook standing at the fire. Grant something also to the soul, not everything to the body. For abstinence from food nourishes the one, while stuffing nourishes the other. But since the two have been yoked together, and things that are by nature far separated have been bound together by the Creator's providence and skill, let us take counsel how both may pass through life without lacking what is fitting for each. You are composed of two, O man, and for now I say nothing of how much more precious the soul is and how it is fitting to assign to it the greater share of goodwill. But judge for both as a rational and grateful person. Bear with me a little, and if you wish, I will make the case for the soul, as one pleading on behalf of a woman who has believed, in the matters of which she says she is wronged and insulted. She, then, is sacred and incorporeal, immortal and imperishable, having kinship not with earth and the things here below but with God. Being pure, she rejoices in pure things, and having an immaterial origin, she flees from material things. Nevertheless, since it has been commanded her to manage the vessel molded from earth, as an obedient servant of the Master she attends to the clay and keeps watch and takes thought for it, until a command comes permitting the separation.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":193,"ref":"p193","source":"Ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν τὸ σῶμα ζωοποιοῦσαν ὀνίνησι ἡ ἀποχὴ τῶν βρωμάτων, τῷ γηΐνῳ δὲ ὀργάνῳ ἡ τῶν σιτίων ἀπόλαυσις ἀναγκαία. Οὐδὲν ζητεῖ πλέον ὡς κρείττων. Μέρισόν μοι, φησί, τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τὸν χρόνον, δὸς τοὺς ἓξ μῆνας εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν τῷ κυβερνωμένῳ καὶ τοὺς λειπομένους τῷ κυβερνήτῃ. Δικαία ἡ αἴτησις καὶ οὐδεὶς οὕτως φιλοσώματος, ἑτερορρεπὴς δικαστής, ὡς μὴ τοῖς\n\nλεγομένοις ἐπιψηφίσαι. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ὑπερβολὴν ποιήσομαι, οὐχ ἀντέχομαι τῆς ἰσομοιρίας. Συγκαταβαίνω τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τοῦ σώματος. Ἀφίημι τοὺς δέκα μῆνας τῷ σώματι καὶ μικρόν τι πρός. Χαρισάσθω μοι τὴν τεσσαρακοστὴν ἀνύβριστον, ἵνα μικρὸν ἀπαλλαγῶ τοῦ βορβόρου, τοῦ πηλοῦ τῇ ἐγκρατείᾳ ψυγέντος. Ταῦτα, ὦ χριστιανοί, δίκαιά τε καὶ ἀναντίρρητα, κἂν Θεὸς δικάζῃ κἂν ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ σὺ δέ μοι, ὁ δικαστής, ἐπιψήφισον ἐν καιρῷ γὰρ παρεγένου ἀμφισβητούσῃ τῇ ψυχῇ πρὸς τὸ σῶμα. Ἄνελε τοίνυν μοι, ὁ χριστιανός, τὴν ἡδυπάθειαν ὡς μειρακιώδη. Ἀνὴρ εἶ, μὴ φρόνει τὰ τῶν νηπίων. Ἐκεῖνα ἂν μὴ λάβῃ τοῦ μέλιτος, θρηνεῖ· ἂν μὴ τοῦ κρέως ὀρέξῃς ἢ τοῦ οἴνου, πίπτοντα ἀποσπαίρει, ἀποκναίει δὲ πάντας ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὅσον κλαυθμυριζόμενα. Ἐρυθριῶ πρὸς τὴν κατήφειαν τῶν γαστριμάργων, ὅπως πενθοῦσι τὴν ἀσιτίαν· χασμῶνται συνεχῶς, κατακλίνονται μικρόν, διανίστανται πάλιν, καθεύδουσιν ἠναγκασμένοι. Ἐν ἀναισθησίᾳ σπουδάζουσι τὰς ἡμέρας διατελεῖν, ἄχθονται τῷ ἡλίῳ πρὸς τὴν δύσιν βραδύνοντι. Μακροτέρας τῆς συνηθείας τὰς ἡμέρας προσαγορεύουσι. Πλάσσονται δὲ λοιπὸν στομάχων ἀλγηδόνας καὶ πνευμάτων ἐντάσεις καὶ βάρη τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ ἀνατροπὴν τῆς ἕξεως.","english":"Abstinence from foods benefits the one who gives life to the body, but for the earthly instrument the enjoyment of food is necessary. It seeks nothing more, as being superior. \"Divide for me,\" he says, \"the time of the year; give the six months for enjoyment to the one who is steered, and the remaining ones to the steersman.\" The request is just, and no one is so fond of the body, a judge leaning to one side, as not to vote in favor of what is said. But I will even go to excess; I do not insist on an equal share. I condescend to the weakness of the body. I yield the ten months to the body and a little more besides. Let it grant me the forty days without insult, so that I may be released a little from the mire, the clay having been cooled by self-control. These things, O Christians, are just and undeniable, whether God judges or man. And you too, O judge, vote with me—for you have come at the right time, when the soul is disputing with the body. Then away with luxury for me, O Christian, as childish. You are a man; do not think the thoughts of infants. Those infants, if they do not get their honey, wail; if you do not offer them meat or wine, they twitch as they fall, and they wear everyone out with their endless whimpering. I blush at the dejection of gluttons, at how they mourn their fasting; they yawn continually, they lie down a little, they rise up again, they sleep under compulsion. In their insensibility they are eager to spend the days, and they are vexed at the sun for delaying toward its setting. They call the days longer than usual. And for the rest they fabricate stomach pains and tensions of the breath and heaviness of the head and a disturbance of their condition.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":194,"ref":"p194","source":"Καίτοιγε ταῦτα τῆς πλησμονῆς εἰσιν, οὐ νηστείας γνωρίσματα. Ἀηδῶς ἐπὶ τὴν σεμνὴν ἔρχονται τράπεζαν, καταγογγύζουσι τῶν λαχάνων, λοιδοροῦσι τὰ ὄσπρια ὡς μάτην ἐπεισαχθέντα τῇ κτίσει· γίνονται γὰρ καὶ φυσιολόγοι οἱ φιλήδονοι κατὰ τῶν ὄψων τῆς ἐγκρατείας. Ἀπνευστὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἕλκουσιν ὡς ἀηδὲς φάρμακον παρὰ ἰατρῶν λαβόντες πιεῖν. Οἱ πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν οἶνον σοφίζονται νόθοις κατασκευαῖς τὴν φιληδονίαν παραμυθούμενοι. Καὶ ἄλλοι τοιγαροῦν τὴν χρείαν λαχάνοις ἐπιτηδεύουσι καὶ ποικίλοι γίνονται τῆς ἀπολαύσεως σοφισταί. Τοῦτο δὲ λίαν εὔηθες καὶ ἀνόητον. Ἐγκράτεια γὰρ αὐτεξουσίου καὶ ἐλευθέρου φρονήματός ἐστιν ἀγώνισμα, μὴ γὰρ δουλότροπος σκευωρία ζητοῦσα τὸ προκείμενον οὐ καθὼς προσῆκεν ἐξεργάσασθαι, ἀλλὰ δουλοπρεπῶς σκευωρῆσαι. Μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖς ἐφ' οἷς ζῇς κατὰ νόμον τῆς ἀρετῆς. Μισθὸς δὲ καὶ ἐπίχειρα τοῖς ἀδόλοις ἐργάταις, οὐ τοῖς κακούργοις ἐπήγγελται. Μὴ νόθευε τὴν νηστείαν, ἵνα μὴ πάθῃς τὰ τῶν καπήλων. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τῷ οἴνῳ ὕδωρ παραμιγνύντες κολάζονται, σὺ τῷ αὐστηρῷ τῆς νηστείας τὰς σεσοφισμένας ἀπολαύσεις ἐπεισάγων πῶς ἀτιμώρητος παρελεύσῃ; Μὴ μιμοῦ τὰς πεπλασμένας ἀσθενείας, μὴ καταψεύδου τῆς τεσσαρακοστῆς ὡς νοσοποιοῦ, τοὐναντίον γὰρ ὑγιείας ἐστὶ ποιητική. Μὴ προφασίζου προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις σὺν ἀνθρώποις ἐργαζομένοις φιληδονίαν. Διὰ συνήθειαν σοι κακὴν πολέμιος νομίζεται ἡ ἐγκράτεια· οὐ μὴν φυσικῶς ἐστιν ἐπαχθής.","english":"And yet these things are marks of surfeit, not of fasting. They come reluctantly to the solemn table, they murmur against the vegetables, they revile the legumes as having been introduced into creation in vain; for the lovers of pleasure become, as it were, natural philosophers against the delicacies of continence. They gulp down water without breathing, as though they had received a disagreeable medicine from physicians to drink. And most of them even devise wine by counterfeit preparations, soothing their love of pleasure. And so others likewise cultivate the use of vegetables and become varied sophists of enjoyment. But this is very foolish and senseless. For continence is the contest of a self-governing and free mind, not a slavish contrivance seeking to accomplish its purpose not as is fitting, but to contrive it in a servile manner. You demand a reward for the things in which you live according to the law of virtue. But a reward and prize has been announced to guileless workers, not to evildoers. Do not adulterate your fasting, lest you suffer the fate of the hucksters. For if those who mix water with wine are punished, how will you pass unpunished, introducing sophisticated pleasures into the austerity of fasting? Do not imitate fabricated illnesses, do not falsely accuse the forty-day fast as causing sickness; for on the contrary it is productive of health. Do not put forward pretexts in sins with men who work for pleasure. Through evil habit, continence is considered by you an enemy; yet it is not by nature burdensome.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":195,"ref":"p195","source":"Τεκμήριον δὲ τοῦ λόγου πάντες βάρβαροι, ὅσοι οὔτε ἀμπέλους φυτεύουσιν οὔτε πίνουσιν οἶνον, ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτόματον ἐπισπῶνται καὶ ἀγεώργητον πόμα, τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ γνωρίζονται γενναῖοι καὶ ἀριστεῖς ἐν πολέμοις καὶ κρατοῦσι τῶν πολυοίνων, ὡς εἰκός, μεθυόντων οἱ νήφοντες. Σώματα δὲ αὐτοῖς κοῦφα καὶ μοχθηρὰ καὶ ταχεῖς μὲν ἀναβῆναι ἵππον οἱ τοιοῦτοι, εὐφυεῖς δὲ καὶ τολμηταὶ καὶ πρὸς τοξείαν εὔστοχοι. Ἀσφαλεῖς δὲ μετὰ τοῦ θράσους καὶ γνώμην ἐν ἀπόροις εὑρεῖν ἱκανοί. Μὴ οὖν κατηγόρει τοῦ ὕδατος ὡς ἐξιτήλους καὶ ἀσθενεῖς τοὺς χρωμένους ἐνεργαζομένου· ἐλέγχει γάρ σου τὴν συκοφαντίαν ἡ πεῖρα. Τί λέγω περὶ τοῦ οἴνου; Σκύθαι οἱ νομάδες, ὅσοι προσοικοῦσι τὸν Βόσπορον καὶ ὅσοι τῷ Ῥήνῳ ποτάμῳ προσκάθηνται, ἄοικοι μέν εἰσι καὶ ἀνέστιοι. Σκηνιταὶ δὲ βιοῦσιν ἐκ πίλων καὶ κωδίων καὶ τῶν προστυχόντων προκαλυμμάτων ἑαυτοῖς τὴν σκεπὴν πηγνύμενοι. Ἄροτρον δὲ οὐκ ἴσασιν οὐδὲ γῆν ἀνατέμνουσι· διὸ καὶ ἄρτον οὐ προσφέρονται· πῶς γὰρ οἱ τοῦ σίτου καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς σπερμάτων μὴ μεμαθηκότες τὴν γεωργίαν; Ὅμως χωρὶς ἄρτου καὶ οἴνου διαζῶντες εἰσὶν ἀνδρεῖοι καὶ ὅλοις ἔθνεσι πρὸς πόλεμον ἀξιόμαχοι τῶν δὲ πολλῶν κρατοῦντες καὶ ὑπερέχοντες· καὶ οὐδὲν","english":"All barbarians are proof of this argument—those who neither plant vines nor drink wine, but draw for themselves the spontaneous and uncultivated drink, water—and they are recognized as noble and valiant in wars, and they prevail over those who drink much wine, as is likely, the sober over the drunken. Their bodies are light and hardy, and such men are swift to mount a horse, naturally gifted and bold, and accurate archers. They are steadfast along with their boldness, and able to find a plan in difficult circumstances. Do not, then, accuse water of making those who use it feeble and weak; for experience refutes your slander. Why do I speak of wine? The nomadic Scythians, those who dwell near the Bosporus and those who sit by the river Rhine, are without houses and without hearths. They live as tent-dwellers, fixing their shelter for themselves from felt and hides and whatever coverings they find at hand. They do not know the plow, nor do they cut into the earth; therefore they do not bring bread to the table—for how could those who have not learned the farming of grain and the rest of the seeds? Nevertheless, living without bread and wine, they are brave and a match for whole nations in war, prevailing over and surpassing the many; and nothing","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":196,"ref":"p196","source":"αὐτοὺς ἔβλαψεν ἄρτος καὶ οἶνος ἀπών, ἀλλ' ἡ πάτριος συνήθεια φύσις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐγένετο. Διὰ τί δὲ τούτων ὁ λόγος ἀπεμνημόνευσεν; Ἵνα μάθωμεν ὡς ἀγωγὴ καὶ ἄσκησις πρὸς ἐκεῖνο τυποῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, πρὸς ὅπερ ἂν βουληθῶμεν καὶ μελετήσωμεν. Ἔθισον σαυτὸν πρὸς ἐγκράτειαν καί σοι τῷ χρόνῳ γενήσεται ἀνεπαχθὴς σύνοικος. Ἂν δὲ τοὐναντίον τὰς ἀπολαύσεις καὶ τὰς εὐωχίας ἔχῃς συντρόφους καὶ φίλας, οὐδέποτε νηστείαν ἀγαπήσεις, ἀλλά σοι φανεῖται βαρεῖα ὡς ξένη καὶ ἀσυνήθης. Βίος ἐγκρατὴς μελλούσης καὶ ἀφθάρτου ζωῆς ἐστιν εἰκών. Ὡς γὰρ τότε τὴν ἐμπαθῆ σάρκα ταύτην ἀποδυσάμενοι ἐλεύθεροι διάξομεν οὐδεμίαν ἔχοντες ἀνάγκην γαστρὶ λειτουργεῖν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δουλεύειν πάθεσιν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ἂν τὴν πολλὴν ἀνάγκην καὶ ὕλην ἑαυτῶν ἀποβάλωμεν, ἐγγὺς τῆς προσδοκωμένης ἀφθαρσίας ἐσόμεθα. Καὶ συντόμως εἰπεῖν, φεύγωμεν τὴν φιληδονίαν εἰς δύναμιν· ἀμήχανον γὰρ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι φιλήδονον καὶ φιλόθεον. Ὁ γὰρ φιλοσώματος ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἔσται καὶ φιλοχρήματος, ὁ δὲ φιλοχρήματος ἄδικος, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀδικίας εἴσω πεσὼν ὑπερβήσεται ῥᾳδίως θεσμοὺς εὐσεβείας καὶ πατήσει νόμους σοφῶν, ἐγχειρήσει δὲ τοῖς ἀπηγορευμένοις εὐκόλως, ἐκεῖθεν ἑαυτῷ τὰς ὕλας ἀθροίζων τῆς ἀπολαύσεως καὶ πάντα τὰ λάφυρα τῆς ἀδικίας τῇ ἡδονῇ δωροφορῶν ὡς δεσποίνῃ. Μὴ φύγῃς τὴν μοχθηρίαν τῆς ἐγκρατείας, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἀντίθες τῷ παρόντι πόνῳ καὶ κούφως παρελεύσῃ τὴν τῆς μεταλήψεως ἀποχήν. Εἰπὲ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ῥήματα εὐσεβείας· Πικρὰ ἡ νηστεία, ἀλλ' ἡδὺς ὁ παράδεισος· ἐπαχθὴς ἡ δίψα, ἀλλ' ἐγγὺς ἡ πηγή, ἐξ ἧς ὁ πίνων οὐ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.","english":"Bread and wine did not harm them by their absence, but ancestral custom became a nature for humans. And why did the account mention these things? So that we may learn that upbringing and training form a person toward whatever we wish and practice. Accustom yourself to self-control, and in time it will become a pleasant companion for you. But if, on the contrary, you have pleasures and feasts as your foster-brothers and friends, you will never love fasting, but it will appear burdensome to you as something strange and unfamiliar. A self-controlled life is an image of the life to come and imperishable. For just as then, having stripped off this passionate flesh, we will live free, having no necessity to serve the belly and be slaves to the other passions, so also now, if we cast off our great necessity and material excess, we will be near the imperishability we hope for. And to speak briefly, let us flee love of pleasure as far as we can; for it is impossible for the same person to be a lover of pleasure and a lover of God. For the lover of the body will necessarily also be a lover of money, and the lover of money is unjust, and the one who has fallen into injustice will easily transgress the ordinances of piety and trample on the laws of the wise, and will readily attempt forbidden things, gathering for himself from there the material of pleasure and offering all the spoils of injustice as gifts to pleasure as his mistress. Do not flee the hardship of self-control, but set your hopes against the present toil, and you will pass lightly through the abstinence from partaking. Say to yourself words of piety: Fasting is bitter, but paradise is sweet; thirst is burdensome, but near is the spring, from which the one who drinks will not thirst forever.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":197,"ref":"p197","source":"Ἄτονον τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλ' ἰσχυροτέρα ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἀσώματος. Νεκρὰ ἡ δύναμις, ἀλλ' ἐγγὺς ἡ ἀνάστασις. Εἰπὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐπείγουσαν γαστέρα καὶ σὺ τοῦ Κυρίου τὸ ῥῆμα· Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι Θεοῦ. Οὐ λιμός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μικρὰ παρολκή· οὐκ ἀπαραίτητος τιμωρία, ἀλλὰ αὐθαίρετος ἀποχή· οὐ δουλοπρεπὴς ἀνάγκη, ἀλλ' ἐλευθέρα φιλοσοφία. Εὖξαι καὶ ἰσχύσεις· ἐπικάλεσαι καὶ ἕτοιμος παρίσταταί σοι ὁ βοηθός. Ἀνάλαβε τῇ μνήμῃ παλαιὰν ἱστορίαν καὶ μαθήσῃ ὅπως οἱ δι' εὐσέβειαν σῶμα πιέζοντες τῶν τρυφώντων καὶ πολὺν ἐγχεομένων τὸν ἄκρατον οὔτε εἰς δύναμίν εἰσιν ἀσθενέστεροι, οὔτε μὴν εἰς τὸ φανῆναι σκυθρωπότεροι ἢ ἀπηνθηκότες τὴν χρόαν. Ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐκεῖνος ὁ πάντα τῇ σαρκὶ ζῶν καὶ τῷ τρυφῶντι βίῳ ὡς φάτνῃ συνδεδεμένος, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς οἰνοχόους αὐτοῦ καὶ τραπεζοποιοὺς καὶ πάντας ἁπλῶς τοὺς ὑπηρέτας τῆς ἀπολαύσεως ἐκέλευσε κατ' ἐκλογὴν εὐφυεῖς εἶναι τὸ σῶμα καὶ ὀφθῆναι χαρίεντας, ἵνα μὴ μόνον τὸ στόμα καὶ γεῦσις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς αὐτῷ κατὰ τῶν ὁρωμένων τρυφῴη, τότε δὴ καὶ οἱ τρεῖς νεανίσκοι ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τῷ καταλόγῳ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν ἐγκριθέντες, ἀπεχόμενοι τῶν ὄψων τῆς βασι λικῆς τραπέζης ὡς τῇ ἐπιμιξίᾳ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων μεμιασμένης σπέρματα ἐσιτοῦντο μόνον. Ἦν δὲ καὶ οἶνος φευκτὸς διὰ τὴν σπονδὴν καὶ πᾶν κρέας διὰ τὴν προρρηθεῖσαν αἰτίαν.","english":"The body is slack, but the soul, being incorporeal, is stronger. The power is dead, but the resurrection is near. Speak to the importunate belly, and you too will have the word of the Lord: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. It is not famine, but a brief postponement; not an unavoidable punishment, but a voluntary abstinence; not a servile compulsion, but a free philosophy. Pray and you will be strong; call upon him and the helper stands ready at your side. Take up the ancient story in your memory, and you will learn how those who for the sake of piety afflict the body are neither weaker in strength than those who live in luxury and pour out much unmixed wine, nor yet more sullen in appearance or withered in complexion. For that king of the Assyrians, who lived wholly for the flesh and was bound to a life of luxury as to a manger, when he ordered his cupbearers and table-servants and, in short, all the attendants of his pleasure to be chosen for their natural bodily fitness and to appear graceful, so that not only his mouth and taste but his eye too might revel in what was seen—then indeed the three young men from the captivity of Israel, having been enrolled in the list of servants, abstaining from the delicacies of the royal table as being defiled by contact with things offered to idols, ate only seeds. And wine too was to be avoided because of the libation, and all flesh because of the reason already stated.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":198,"ref":"p198","source":"Ὡς δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ἐφεστῶτος ἠναγκάζοντο μετέχειν τῶν προσφερομένων αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μήποτε εἰς δυσμορφίαν αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐγκρατείας τὸ κάλλος μεταβληθῇ, ἔγκλημα δὲ ἐκείνου καὶ τιμωρία γένηται τὸ τῶν νεανίσκων εἰδεχθές τε καὶ ἀθεράπευτον, Ἔα, φησίν, καὶ συγχώρησον, οὐ φανησόμεθα τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν τρυφώντων ἀτιμότεροι, οὐδὲ τὰ πρόσωπα ἡμῶν ἀπανθήσει, οὐδὲ ἀγωνιάσῃς ὡς δυσμόρφους αὐτῷ ὑπηρέτας προσάγων. Ὁ γὰρ τεχνίτης τῆς διαπλάσεως ἡμῶν δώσει τὴν χάριν καὶ μαθήσῃ παρὰ τῆς πείρας, ὅτι τοῦ ἡμετέρου κάλλους ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιμελητὴς καὶ τῆς σπουδαζομένης εὐμορφίας ἡ νηστεία κομμώτρια. Ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονε. Καὶ γὰρ ὑπερήνθουν οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ πάντας τοὺς κρεοφάγους παρηυδοκίμησαν. Τί δὲ ὁ Σαμψών; Εὐθὺς ἀπὸ γάλακτος οὐκ ἐδιδάχθη νηστεύειν οὕτως τοῦ Πνεύματος τῇ μητρὶ χρηματίσαντος, ὡς προσῆκε τὸ παιδίον\n\nἄγευστον οἴνου καὶ πάσης διαφυλάξαι τρυφῆς; Καὶ τίς ἰσχυρὸς κατ' ἐκεῖνον; τίς δὲ ἀριστεὺς οὕτως ὀνομαστός; Μόνος ἀξιόμαχος ἦν πρὸς πᾶσαν παράταξιν πολεμίων καὶ πλῆθος ἀνάριθμον κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἐτρέπετο· ὃς γέ ποτε ξίφους ἢ δόρατος ἀπορήσας, σιάγονα δὲ ἀνελόμενος ὄνου ἄνδρας πολεμιστὰς κατέστρωσε μόνῳ τῷ ὀστέῳ διαχρησάμενος. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ σὺ ἔλπιζε καὶ ἰσχύσεις· προθυμοῦ καὶ δυναμω θήσῃ· δὸς τὴν ἀκοὴν τῇ μαθήσει τῶν κεκρυμμένων καὶ ἀμνημονήσεις τροφῆς, ὡς ὁ δῆμος ὁ τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἑπόμενος λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ παιδεύοντι. Αἰδεσθῶμεν, οἱ ἀκρατεῖς καὶ φιλήδονοι, Ἕλληνας καὶ Ἰουδαίους νηστεύοντας, μάτην μὲν καὶ ὑπὲρ οὐδενὸς τοῦ τέλους·","english":"But when they were compelled by the one set over them to partake of what was set before them, so that at no time their beauty should be changed into ugliness from their continence, and the boys' repulsiveness and incurability should become that man's accusation and punishment, he says, \"Let it be, and forgive; we shall not appear more dishonored to the king than those who live in luxury, nor shall our faces wither, nor should you be anxious as though bringing to him ugly servants. For the craftsman of our formation will give the grace, and you will learn from experience that God is the overseer of our beauty and fasting is the adorner of the comeliness that is earnestly sought.\" And so it came to be. For the young men bloomed exceedingly and surpassed all the flesh-eaters. But what of Samson? Was he not taught to fast straight from milk, when the Spirit declared to his mother, as was fitting, that the child should be kept from tasting wine and every luxury? And who was strong like him? And who was a warrior so renowned? He alone was a match for every battle line of enemies, and by his authority he routed a countless multitude; he who once, lacking a sword or spear, took up an ass's jawbone and laid low warrior men, slaying them with the bone alone. So then do you also hope, and you will be strong; be zealous, and you will be empowered; give your ear to the learning of hidden things, and you will forget food, as the people who followed Jesus, who taught by word and deed. Let us be ashamed, we who are incontinent and lovers of pleasure, at Greeks and Jews who fast—though in vain and for no end—","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":199,"ref":"p199","source":"εἰκῆ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ζημιοῦνται ὃ μὴ ἐσθίουσι, πλὴν ὡς ζηλωτὸν καὶ πρέπον τοῖς σπουδαίοις μετίοντας τὸ πρᾶγμα. Χριστιανοῖς πρέπει πολιτείας ἀκρίβεια καὶ φιλοσοφίας σεμνότης, οἷς πάρεστι καθαρὸς καὶ ἀληθὴς τῆς εὐσεβείας ὁ λόγος. Οἱ δὲ τούτου χωρὶς τὴν ἠθικὴν ἐκπονοῦντες ἄσκησιν ὅμοιά μοι δοκοῦντες ἐργάζεσθαι τῶν ἄνευ θεμελίου οἰκίαν κατασκευαζόντων ἢ ναῦν πηγνυμένων μὴ καταβληθείσης τῆς τρόπεως. Τοιοῦτοι δὲ Ἑβραῖοι δυσμαθεῖς. Καί μοι σφοδρῶς ὁ γέλως ἐπιπίπτει, ὅταν αὐτοὺς θεάσωμαι ἀνυποδέτους ἐν λευκοῖς τρίβωσι περινοστοῦντας τὰ ἄμφοδα, ὄνειδος Μωϋσέως, αἰσχύνην τῶν προφητῶν, γεννήματα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἀμβλωθρίδια, δούλους τῆς ἀφροσύνης τοὺς τῆς ἐλευθερίας υἱούς, ἀμαθεῖς καὶ ἀνόμους τοὺς δῆθεν μαθητὰς τοῦ νόμου, ἀπολέσαντας τῆς ἐκβάσεως τὴν ἐλπίδα, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς τύπους τοῦ μέλλοντος συνετῶς οὐκ ἐδέξαντο. Μωϋσῆς γὰρ πᾶν ὅπερ ἔπραττε, τῶν εἰς ὕστερον ἐσομένων εἴδωλα προετύπου· κἂν τὴν νηστείαν εἴπῃς, κἂν τὴν σκηνοπηγίαν, κἂν τὴν ὑπόμνησιν τῶν σαλπίγγων, ὁμοίως τὴν περιτομήν, τὰ ἄζυμα, τὰς πικρίδας. Πάντα ἦν ἐκεῖνα τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πολιτείας μηνύματα, εἰκόνες προχαραχθεῖσαι τοῖς ἐκ προσαγωγῆς μυσταγωγουμένοις πρὸς τὴν τελείωσιν. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ὁ χριστιανὸς καὶ τοῦ σταυρωθέντος δοῦλος νηστεύω καλῶς, εἴτε πρὸς τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐμαυτὸν προκαθαίρων εἴτε καὶ ἐπιστυγνάζων ὡς φιλοδέσποτος δοῦλος τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου μου πάθεσιν.","english":"For those men are punished to no purpose for what they do not eat, except insofar as the matter is to be pursued as something enviable and fitting for the zealous. For Christians, exactness of conduct and the dignity of philosophy are fitting, since they possess the pure and true account of piety. But those who cultivate moral discipline without this seem to me to be doing the same as those who build a house without a foundation or construct a ship without the keel having been laid down. Such are the Hebrews, slow to learn. And laughter falls upon me violently whenever I behold them going about the streets unshod in white cloaks, a reproach of Moses, a shame of the prophets, abortive offspring of Abraham, slaves of folly though sons of freedom, ignorant and lawless though supposedly disciples of the law, having destroyed the hope of their exodus, since they did not receive the types of what was to come with understanding. For Moses, everything he did prefigured in advance as images of what would later come to be: whether you speak of the fast, or the tabernacle-festival, or the memorial of the trumpets, likewise circumcision, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs. All those things were tokens of the conduct in Christ, images sketched beforehand for those being initiated by stages toward perfection. For I, the Christian and slave of the one who was crucified, fast well, whether purifying myself beforehand for the hope of the resurrection or grieving as a slave who loves his master over the sufferings of my Lord.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":200,"ref":"p200","source":"Σὺ δὲ ὁ τῶν φονέων υἱὸς καὶ τῶν τὸν ἀμνὸν σφαξάντων ἀπόγονος καὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν τοῦ ἐκχεθέντος αἵματος ἐκ τῆς φωνῆς τῶν πατέρων δεξάμενος, τῶν οὕτως ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ἐπευξαμένων, ὑπὲρ τίνος νηστεύεις, εἰπέ. Εἰ μὲν ὡς μετανοῶν ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτες, ὑπερασπάζομαι σε τῆς γνώμης, καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν συναγωγὴν τῶν πονηρευομένων σπεῦσον πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν εὐσεβῶν. Ἐλθὲ πρὸς τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀμνοῦ καὶ ῥαντίσθητι. Ἐκεῖθεν γάρ σοι ὑπάρξει καὶ ἡ κάθαρσις, ὅθεν συνεστήσω τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Εἰ δὲ ἔτι καὶ νῦν τοῖς αὐτοῖς προσδέδεσαι, τί σοι βούλεται ἡ ἀποχὴ τῶν σιτίων ἢ τοὺς Νειλῴους κροκοδείλους μιμεῖσθαι, οὕς φασι ταῖς κεφαλαῖς ἐπιθρηνεῖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὧν ἔφαγον καὶ δακρύειν τὸν φόνον, οὐ μετάνοιαν τῶν γενομένων λαμβάνονταςπῶς γὰρ τὰ ἄλογα θηρία καὶ ἔνυδρα;, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἄσαρκον, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, τῆς κεφαλῆς ὀδυρομένους ὡς εἰς βρῶσιν οὐκ ἐπιτήδειον; Οἷον δὲ καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν νηστείαν σχῆμα. Χορεῖαι καὶ ὀρχήσεις τῆς ἀσιτείας τὰ μέσα καὶ ἐπεισόδια, πράγματα τῷ σχήματι τῷ φαινομένῳ μαχόμενα· νηστεία γὰρ πυκνώσεως καὶ κοσμίας καταστολῆς νοεῖται παιδαγωγός, χορεία δὲ ἑρμηνεύει τὸ διακεχυμένον ταῖς ἀκράτοις καὶ πολλαῖς εὐπαθείαις. Μνημόνευσον γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τοῦ ῥητοῦ τοῦ Μωσαϊκοῦ τοῦ λέγοντος τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς χρῆναι νηστεύειν. Δηλοῖ γὰρ ὁ μὲν ἕβδομος μὴν τὴν ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν, ἡ δὲ δεκάτη ἡμέρα τὴν δεκάτην ὥραν, ἐν ᾗ ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀφῆκε τὸ πνεῦμα. Καὶ ἑκάστου πράγματος ἐξαίρετά ἐστι καὶ τὰ σχήματα ἐκ τῆς αἰσθητῆς ἐπιφανείας τὴν ἀόρατον τῆς ψυχῆς δηλοῦντα διάθεσιν.","english":"But you, the son of murderers and descendant of those who slaughtered the lamb, who received the inheritance of the shed blood from the voice of your fathers—of those who thus invoked curses upon themselves and their children—tell me, for what reason do you fast? If indeed as one repenting for the sins you have committed, I embrace your intention, and leaving the assembly of those who do evil, hasten to the church of the pious. Come to the blood of the lamb and be sprinkled. For from there purification will belong to you, from the very source where you established your sin. But if even now you are still bound to the same things, what does abstaining from food mean to you except to imitate the crocodiles of the Nile, which they say lament over the heads of the men they have eaten and weep for the slaughter—not taking repentance for what has been done (for how could irrational and aquatic beasts?), but, as it seems to me, grieving over the fleshless state of the head as unsuitable for food? What a spectacle, too, is the appearance surrounding fasting. Dances and leapings are the interludes and episodes of abstinence—things at war with the outward appearance. For fasting is understood as a guide to compunction and orderly attire, but dancing interprets what is dissolved in unrestrained and abundant pleasures. Remember here the Mosaic saying that declares it necessary to fast on the tenth day of the seventh month. For the seventh month signifies the seventh day, and the tenth day the tenth hour, in which the Lord on the cross gave up the spirit. And for each matter there are also distinctive outward forms, revealing from visible appearance the invisible disposition of the soul.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":201,"ref":"p201","source":"Σὺ δὲ τί μιγνύεις τὰ ἄμικτα καὶ φύρεις ἐν ταὐτῷ τὰ κεχωρισμένα; Εἰσὶν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἄλλαι πάνδημοι πανηγύρεις. Τὴν μὲν σκηνοπηγίαν καλοῦσι, τὴν δὲ ἄλλην ἀκούω σαλπίγγων\n\nὑπόμνησιν. Λελήθασι δὲ χριστιανῶν μυστήρια ἑορταζόντες, ἐπειδὴ τῆς μὲν σκηνῆς ἡ δημιουργία ἔμπρακτός ἐστιν ἡ προφητεία τῆς ἐκκλησίας ταύτης, ἣν ὁ Λόγος ἡμῶν συνεστήσατο. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ φύλλοις κοσμοῦσι τὴν σκηνὴν καὶ ὁπώραις καλλωπίζουσι τὰ προσκήνια εἰς τύπον τοῦ τὴν νέαν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν εὔκαρπον μέλλειν ὑποβλαστάνειν τῷ νόμῳ. Ἡ δὲ τῶν σαλπίγγων ἑορτὴ διεγείρει τὰς ψυχὰς πρὸς τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν τῆς ἀναστάσεως, καθὼς Παῦλος φησι· Σαλπίσει γὰρ καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἀναστήσονται. Διδάσκει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτὴρ ἐν εὐαγγελίοις λέγων· Καὶ ἀποστελεῖ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ μετὰ σάλπιγγος φωνῆς μεγάλης καὶ ἐπισυνάξουσι τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων ἀπ' ἄκρων οὐρανῶν ἕως ἄκρων αὐτῶν. Τούτων δὲ τῶν λόγων ἀκούοντες τάχα τοιαύτῃ χρήσονται πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀντιρρήσει· ὅτι τῶν ἀρχαίων μεμνημένοι θαυμάτων τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐεργεσίων εὐχαριστήρια ταῦτα προσάγουσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὄρους Σινᾶ καὶ τῆς σάλπιγγος τῆς ἠχησάσης ἐν τῇ δόσει τοῦ νόμου. Οὐκ ἴσασι δὲ οἱ ματαιόφρονες ὅτι καὶ τότε ἡ σάλπιγξ τυπικῶς παρελήφθη διδομένου τοῦ νόμου.","english":"But why do you mix things that cannot be mixed, and confuse together things that are separate? They have other public festivals as well. One they call the Feast of Tabernacles, and the other I hear is a commemoration of trumpets. They do not realize that they are celebrating the mysteries of Christians, since in the case of the tabernacle the creation is the prophecy of this church in action, which our Word established. For this reason they also adorn the tabernacle with leaves and beautify the forecourts with fruits, as a type of the new church, the fruitful one, which was to spring up under the law. And the feast of trumpets awakens souls to the preparation for the resurrection, just as Paul says: For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised. And our God and Savior himself also teaches in the Gospels, saying: And he will send his angels with a great trumpet sound, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens to their ends. But hearing these words, perhaps they will use some such objection against us: that in remembrance of the ancient wonders, the benefactions of God, they offer these thank-offerings for Mount Sinai and for the trumpet that sounded when the law was given. But the foolish-minded do not know that even then the trumpet was taken up typically when the law was given.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]},{"i":202,"ref":"p202","source":"Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ νόμον λαμβάνων εἰς κανόνα βίου καὶ εὔτακτον πολιτείαν ὀφείλει δεδοικέναι τὴν ἐκ τῆς παρακοῆς τιμωρίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς τὰ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν παραγγέλματα ἔγγραφα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐκπέμπων εὐθὺς προσέθηκε καὶ τὴν φωνὴν τῆς σάλπιγγος, σύμβολον τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως, ἵνα οἱ μαθηταὶ τῶν προσταγμάτων διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὴν κρίσιν προβλέποντες φυλάξωσιν ἀπαράβατα τῆς θείας νομοθεσίας τὰ δόγματα. Οὐκοῦν καὶ νηστεία καὶ σκηνοπηγία καὶ σάλπιγγες τῆς ἡμετέρας εὐσεβείας μυστήρια πάλαι μὲν παραδηλούμενα, καίρῳ δὲ τῷ καθήκοντι λαμβάνοντα τὴν ἔκβασιν, ὅτε τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐτελέσθη τὰ ἐν σαρκὶ θεοφάνεια· ᾧ πρέπει ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"For since the one who receives the law as a rule of life and an orderly conduct of life ought to fear the punishment that comes from disobedience, for this reason God, when he sent out to men the precepts of our life in writing, immediately added also the sound of the trumpet, a symbol of the resurrection from the dead, so that the disciples of the commandments, foreseeing the judgment through the resurrection, might keep the decrees of the divine legislation inviolate. Therefore both fasting and the Feast of Tabernacles and trumpets are mysteries of our piety, formerly indicated in shadow, but receiving their fulfillment at the fitting time, when the divine manifestations in the flesh of our Savior were accomplished; to whom belong the glory and the honor and the worship, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[],"ambiguities":[],"confidence":"","notes":[]}]}