καταβαλεῖν πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα"; – οὐ δύνανται καταβαλεῖν πλούσιον, οὐ δύνανται καταβαλεῖν ἔχοντα τὸν "ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ παντὶ λόγῳ" πλοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸν πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα, κἂν δοκῇ εὐθὴς εἶναι τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὡς προεῖπον, ὡς ὁ ἐλεγχόμενος σοφὸς καὶ ὁ κατηγορῶν ἑαυτοῦ δίκαιος· ἀλλ' οὖν γε ἡ ῥομφαία κατὰ τῶν ἀκονησάντων αὐτῶν στραφεῖσα πλήττει καὶ ἀναιρεῖ αὐτούς· ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸ τόξον συντρίβεται. εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ φάναι· "ἡ ῥομφαία αὐτῶν εἰσέλθοι εἰς τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν". αὕτη ἡ ῥομφαία η῾̣ ἐπιβλαβής, ἡ πολεμίων, οὔκ ἐστιν συνφυὴς ––––––––––– –––––––––––– ̣19 καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις λιμοῦ χορτασθήσονται. ––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 250 τῶν τρεφόντων τὴν ψυχήν, τῶν ποτιζόντων αὐτήν. ἐν αὐτῷ γοῦν τῷ προφήτῃ, ἔνθα γέγραπται· "ἐπάξω λιμὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον κυρίου", ἐπιφέρεται· "πολὺς ὁ πεπτωκὼς ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπιρίψω σιωπήν". τοῖς πεπτωκόσιν ὁ λιμός ἐστιν. τούτοις δὲ σιωπ̣ὴ τοῦ θείου λόγου ἐπάγεται. "ἐν ἡμέραις" οὖν "λιμοῦ χορτασθήσονται". ὅτι οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπολοῦνται. διττῶς πάλιν τη`̣ν̣ α᾿̣πώλειαν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐκλαμβάνομεν· ἤτοι ᾗ ἁμαρτωλοί εἰσιν, ἀπόλλυνται ἢ πεῖραν λαβόντες τῶν ἐπιπόνων. "οὐ καταισχύνονται" οἱ δίκαιοι "ἐν καιρῷ πονηρῷ", οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καταισχύνονται. ὅταν αἰσχυνθῶσιν γνόντες οἷ κακω῀̣ν̣ εἰσιν, καὶ ἐρυθριῶσιν διὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἐνίοτε καταφρονοῦσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἐ´̣ξω αὐτῆς γίνονται καὶ οὕτως ἀπόλλυν̣ται ὡ´̣στε μηκέτι εἶναι ἁμαρτωλοί.
to cast down the poor and needy" — they cannot cast down the rich, they cannot cast down the one who has wealth "in all knowledge and every word," but only the poor and needy, even if he seems upright in heart, as I said before, like the wise man who is convicted and the righteous man who accuses himself. Nevertheless, the sword, turned against those who sharpened it, strikes and destroys them; likewise the bow is broken. And well does it say: "let their sword enter into their own heart." This sword, the harmful one, the sword of enemies, is not natural to them — and in the days of famine they shall be filled. ... of those who feed the soul, of those who water it. For in the prophet himself, where it is written: "I will bring famine upon the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord," it is added: "many are those who have fallen in every place; I will cast upon them silence." For those who have fallen there is famine. And upon these is brought the silence of the divine word. "In the days," then, "of famine they shall be filled." Because sinners shall perish. Again we understand the destruction of sinners in two ways: either insofar as they are sinners, they perish, or having had experience of hardships. The righteous "are not put to shame in an evil time," but sinners are put to shame. When they are ashamed, knowing in what evils they are, and blush because of sinning, sometimes they despise sin and come to be outside it, and thus perish so as no longer to be sinners.
οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἅμα τῷ δοξασθῆναι αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑψωθῆναι ἐκλιπόντες ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἐξέλιπον. δύνανται οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐχθροὶ εἶναι τοῦ κυρίου. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰπεῖν τοὺς κατὰ τὰ ἠθικὰ ἁμαρτάνοντας, τοὺς παραβάτας τῶν θείων ἐντολῶν, ἐχθροὺς δὲ τοῦ κυρίου τοὺς τὰ ἀσεβῆ φρονοῦντας, τοὺς ἔξω τῆς θεοσεβείας, τοὺς ψευδοδοξο̣ῦντας̣. οὗτοι οὖν οἱ τοῦ κυρίου ἐχθροὶ ἅμα τῷ δοξασθῆναι καὶ ὑψωθῆναι εὐθέως κατὰ τὸν καπνὸν ἐξέλιπον. καὶ ὅρα γε, α᾿̣ε̣ι`̣ τ̣οὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τῷ καπνῷ ὁμοιοῖ. καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ γοῦν ψαλμῷ λέγεται· "ὡς ἐκλείπει καπνός, ἐκλιπέτωσαν· ὡς τήκεται κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρός, οὕτως ἀπολοῦνται οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου θεοῦ". κατασ̣κ̣ευάζει ὁ λόγος, ὅτι οὐχ ἑτέρας εἰσὶν φύσεως οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί. ἐπακολούθημά ἐστιν πυρὸς ὁ καπνός, καὶ μέλιτος ὁ κηρός. προηγο̣υμ̣ένως δὲ τὸ μέλι λαμβάνει γένεσιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἄλλως οὐ συνίσταται ἢ ἐν κηρῷ, κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς ὁ κηρὸς συνίσταται. οὐ διὰ τὸν κηρὸν τὸ μέλι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μέλι ὁ κηρός, καὶ οὐ διὰ τὸν καπνὸν τὸ πῦρ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ πῦρ ὁ καπνός. οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ οὖν κατὰ τὸν καπνὸν ἐκλείπουσιν παρακολούθημα ὄντα· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ τὸ ἐχθρεύειν τῷ κυρίῳ παρακολούθημά ἐστιν. γέγονεν δὲ τὸ λογικὸν ζῷον, ἵνα δεκτικὸν ᾖν ἀρετῆς. τὸ δὲ δεκτικόν τινος οὔκ ἐστιν κατ' οὐσίαν τοιοῦτο. οὐ κατ' οὐσίαν δὲ ἀγαθοί εἰσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκτίσθησαν, ἵνα γένωνται ἀγαθοὶ μετουσίᾳ τοῦ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθοῦ. παρακολουθεῖ δὲ τῷ δεκτικῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ δεκτικὸν τῆς κακίας.
But the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they were glorified and exalted, failed like smoke—they failed utterly. Sinners can be enemies of the Lord. It is possible also to call "sinners" those who sin in matters of ethics, the transgressors of the divine commandments, and "enemies of the Lord" those who think impious things, those outside of true religion, those who hold false opinions. These, then, the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they were glorified and exalted, immediately failed like smoke. And observe that he always likens sinners to smoke. For indeed in another psalm it is said: "As smoke fails, let them fail; as wax melts from before fire, so shall sinners perish from before God." The word establishes that sinners are not of a different nature. Smoke is a consequence of fire, and wax of honey. But honey primarily receives its existence. Since, however, it does not subsist otherwise than in wax, wax subsists incidentally. Wax is not for the sake of honey, but wax is for the sake of honey; and fire is not for the sake of smoke, but smoke is for the sake of fire. Sinners, then, fail like smoke, which is a consequence; for sinning itself and being hostile to the Lord is a consequence. The rational creature came to be in order that it might be receptive of virtue. But that which is receptive of something is not such by essence. Humans are not good by essence; for this reason they were created, in order that they might become good by participation in the truly good. But the capacity for evil follows upon the capacity for virtue.
καὶ ὥσπερ ἀεὶ μετὰ τὰ καλὰ τὰ κ̣ακά ἐστιν, μετὰ τὴν τέχνην ἡ κακοτεχνία, μετὰ τὴν ἀκοὴν ἡ παρακοήν. παρακολούθημα οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ἁμαρτία τῆς ἀρετῆς· οὐκ ἂν συνίστατο, εἰ μὴ δεκτικὸν ἦν ἀρετῆς τὸ ζῷον τὸ ἁμαρτάνον. ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ κηρὸς παρακολούθημά ἐστιν. τήκε̣ται γοῦν οὗτος καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν καταστρέφει, ἀλλ' εἴς τι κρεῖττον μεταβάλλει. καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ οὖν καπνὸς γίνονται δ̣ι' αὐτὴν τὴν κακίαν· ἡ γὰρ κακία οὕτως οὕτως ανομια "ὥσπερ ὄμφαξ βλαβερὸς ὀδοῦσιν καὶ καπνὸς ὄμμασιν, οὕτω παρανομία τοῖς χρωμένοις". ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὄμμασιν καπνὸς ἡ παρανομία γίνεται τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτήν. οὐ μεγάλης δὲ δεῖται βίας ὁ καπνὸς ἵνα ἀνατραπῇ· ταχέως γὰρ ἀνατρέπεται. διὰ τοῦτο "ὡς τήκεται κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρὸς" οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί εἰσιν, καὶ "ὡς ἐκλείπει καπνός, ἐκλιπέτωσαν". παρ̣ακολούθημά ἐστιν, ὡς εἶπον,
πυρὸς ὁ καπνός· ἢ ὄντος γὰρ πυρὸς συνίσταται ἢ γενομένου. οἱ ἐχθροὶ οὖν τοῦ κυρίου κἂν βρενθύωνται ἔκπαγλα, κἂν ἐπαίρωνται ὡς ἱκανοί, ὡς ἐπίδοξοι, κατὰ τὸν καπνὸν σβέννυνται ἅμα τῷ ὑψωθῆναι αὐτούς. ἡμῶν ἐστιν τὸ ὁρᾶν τὴν ἔκλειψιν αὐτῶν, ἐπεὶ κἂν μένωσιν μέχρι τινὸς χρόνου δοξαζόμενοι καὶ ἐπαιρόμενοι μεγάλα φρονοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τῷ δυναμένῳ ὁρᾶν ἐφ' ᾧ μέγα φρονοῦσιν, εὐθέως ἐκλιπόντες εὑρίσκονται. δανείζεται ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ οὐκ ἀποτείσει. ἃ δίδωσιν θεὸς ἐπ' ὠφελίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, οὐ κατὰ ὀφειλὴν λαμβάνουσιν οἱ δεχόμενοι· οὐδεὶς γὰρ κατὰ ὀφειλὴν δέχεταί τι ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ χαριζόμενος δανείζει, προχρείαν δίδωσιν τὸ καλόν, ἵνα κατεργασάμενος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κερδήσῃ καὶ δοῖ τόκους.
And just as evil always comes after good, after skill comes bad craftsmanship, after obedience comes disobedience. Sin is therefore a consequence of virtue; it would not exist if the living being that sins were not capable of virtue. Similarly, wax is a consequence. For it melts and does not pass into non-being, but changes into something better. So then sinners become smoke because of vice itself; for vice is thus—lawlessness—"like a sour grape harmful to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is lawlessness to those who use it." You see that lawlessness becomes smoke to the eyes of those who use it. Smoke does not need great force to be overturned; for it is quickly overturned. Therefore "as wax melts from the face of fire," so are sinners, and "as smoke vanishes, let them vanish." Smoke is a consequence, as I said, of fire; for it comes into being either when fire exists or when it has come to be. So then the enemies of the Lord, even if they swagger exceedingly, even if they exalt themselves as mighty, as illustrious, are extinguished like smoke as soon as they are lifted up. It is ours to see their vanishing, since even if they remain for some time being glorified and exalted and thinking great things, yet to the one who is able to see that on account of which they think great things, they are immediately found to have vanished. The sinner borrows and will not repay. The things God gives for the benefit of humans and of the soul, those who receive them do not receive as a debt; for no one receives anything as a debt in this age, but giving freely he lends, he gives the good as an advance, so that by working it he may gain from it and give interest.
λαμβάνω τὸν περὶ δικαιοσύνης λόγον. ἐὰν ἀποδιδοὺς καὶ τοὺς τόκους παρέχω, τὰ ἔργα τῆς δικαιοσύνης̣ τῳ῀̣ θεῷ προσκομίζω. ἐὰν δὲ λαβὼν τὸν περὶ δικαιοσύνης λόγον μηδὲν κατὰ δικαιοσύνην ἐνεργήσω, δανεισάμενος παρὰ θεοῦ οὐκ ἀποδέδωκα· δίδωσιν γὰρ ὁ θεός, ἵν' ἐνεργῶμεν, παρέχει θεός, ἵν' εἰς πράξεις τοὺς λόγους μεταβάλλωμεν. δανείζει δὲ τὸ θεῖον αὐτοῦ ἀργύριον, περὶ οὗ λέγεται· "ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ". ὁ δανειζόμενος οὖν ἀποδίδωσιν τόκους καὶ αὐτὸ ὃ ἐδέξατο. ὁ δὲ δίκαιος οἰκτίρει καὶ δίδωσιν.
I receive the account concerning righteousness. If, when repaying, I also provide the interest, I bring the works of righteousness to God. But if, having received the account concerning righteousness, I accomplish nothing according to righteousness, then having borrowed from God I have not repaid; for God gives so that we may act, God provides so that we may turn the accounts into deeds. And the divine being lends his own silver, about which it is said: "Silver tried in the fire, proven for the earth." Therefore the one who borrows repays both interest and the very thing he received. But the righteous man shows mercy and gives.